It Has Begun!!!!

 This past Sunday I went for my first run since the marathon. Some how I decided 5 miles was a great starter. It felt good but goodness I felt wicked out of shape. Usually when I run past someone I can easily say hi or good morning but this past Sunday it was a little different story. I saw a lady coming and as I approached I prepared to greet her. Finally I approached the lady and began to speak. But it wasn't so easy. I gasped for air first and then I said "Good (followed by a gasp) Morning (followed by a gasp). I couldn't believe the "ease" of speaking while running was gone. Long story short I have my work cut out for me. Feeling a bit out of shape makes me all the more determined though. Tomorrow morning I will be doing my first spin. I am excited about starting in but not excited about putting on my biking gear. It's going to be nice and tight. Haha!!! Oh well, just a friendly remind to pedal hard. 

  It's been 5 weeks since I have gone swimming, biking or running. The break has been wonderful in so many ways which I will write about in a future blog. My recovery is over but I won't start fully training until January. The month of December will  be just an intro back into swimming, biking and running. I hope to do one or two of each per week but that's it. My goal is to work only on cardio not speed or intensity. When January comes the training will be like none other I have ever experienced. So, it has begun. Let the training lead to a great first Ironman. Goodness I can feel my nerves a little bit right now!!! Can't believe that my next training season is for an Ironman. It has always been a dream of mine but something I didn't think we would ever be able to do. I say "we" because it's not a one-man sport like so many think. Jamie, Tucker, my dad and mom, and the whole family are all part of the team. We all are working together to make this happen. Can't believe the support I have felt for doing something so crazy. To God be the glory though. He is the only reason we are capable of doing anything. 

Let the training begin, Alicia  

Rest, Periodization and Future Training Plans

So, how is the rest period going? Great question and I will share. This is the first time I have actually totally set aside my swimsuit, bike and running shoes and haven't touched any of them for 2 weeks now. Mentally I was very ready for a break. And to this day I'm not exactly ready to jump on my bike for a long ride. I have been enjoying just looking at my bike and that's about it. The Specialized is sitting in my temporary kitchen (we are re-modeling our kitchen) so I can glance at it several times a day. Just looking at the Specialized gets me excited about the upcoming race season.

  My goal right now is to continue resting for about 3 more weeks. I am exercising, just not training. What does exercise consist of? Well, right now it consists of lots of walking, P90X, push-ups, lots of sit-ups, and hiking. That's it!!! On a day-to-day basis I am mostly doing a P90X DVD in the morning and an hour+ walk later in the day. It feels good to be active and yet not training.

  I haven't ever taken such a break but feel as though it is going to be very beneficial going into my first ever ironman training. What I am practicing is periodization. I am sure many of you have heard of it but for those who are not familiar let me explain what it is. Periodization is a year-long training plan that includes rest, recovery, foundation building, pre-race training leading to peak performance during race season. Basically, the idea behind periodization is to keep the athlete injury free, fit and in top condition during race season. Rest and recovery are necessary in order to reduce the risks of injuries, burn out, and overtraining. The plan breaks the year up into cycles. There are three cycles: macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles. A macrocycle consist of the entire year of training; mesocycle consists of each month of training; microcycle consists of weekly training and/or daily training. During my off season I have been spending part of it designing and organizing my upcoming macrocycle, mesocycles and microcycles. I have my training mapped out from January to July. Each month is planned, each week, each day. Each month will vary in intensity and volume. I will be training fairly hard for 3 weeks and then take every forth week to recover a bit. During each week I plan on training everyday but one. I will be taking every Saturday completely off for several reasons. First of all because it’s the day I go to church and I firmly believe in keeping the Sabbath day holy as the Bible says. I, personally, cannot train on the Sabbath without getting too much into the sport leading my mind to dwell on other things rather than on God. I find that God blesses me beyond my wildest dreams when I listen, obey and follow Him. Second of all I love spending the day with family and friends. Also it gives my body a physical and mental break. Taking Saturday off prepares my body and mind to tackle another week of training.

 My weekly training will look something like the following starting in January: long bike ride every Sunday. I will be starting the season out doing only 2 hour rides and then build from there. Monday’s I will be doing a long run and an easy spin. Tuesdays I will be swimming in the morning and doing a run late morning. Wednesday I will be biking followed by a short t-run in the morning and doing hill runs in the evening. Thursday I will be swimming in the morning. Friday I will be biking and doing a t-run in the morning. Saturday I will have off and then Sunday I will start all over again. I will also be throwing some strength training into the above schedule here and there, especially core training. This schedule will continue to change during the year but it gives you the basic idea for now. I hope to be able to keep the above schedule up but it’s going to be tough to do while raising a 1 and a half year old, working 4 part-time jobs and taking care of the home, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and so much more. I will be blogging about it so you all can read whether it works out or not. My fingers are crossed and I am already feeling slightly exhausted thinking about it. 

  Once my above training schedule starts I will be going to bed when Tuck does and raising several hours before my boys do in order to train mostly before Tuck wakes up and before Jamie goes to work. There will be hardly any leisure time, every minute will matter. First of all I want to start each day with God in prayer and worship, once my early morning training is done then my goal is to focus on Tuck during the day and Jamie during the evening when he gets back from work. So, as you can see I will be squeezing in lots of training around my most important relationships then every other moment will be filled with other daily responsibilities. It’s going to be a roller coaster ride from January until July 22, 2012. I am ready for the challenge; feeling like exhaustion is going to be beating down my back door, but this is my one chance so I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. Here’s to hoping that periodization works!!!!!!!!

Smiles, Alicia

Off Season Can Be Tough

It's the off season for me as it is for alot of people. It's time to literally NOT be in peak condition, to lose fitness, and gain some weight (hopefully not too much). Sounds pretty good, or does it???

 

  I have really been struggling recently with feeling overly tired and purely exhausted. I have been trying to keep up my training (not at the same intensity as before) but continually find myself feeling more and more exhausted. I have to let go. It's okay to recover. In fact, if I don't recover I will be screwed going into my Ironman training starting in January and February. Just the same, something keeps telling me that I need to hold on to my long distance runs and bikes. Thing is, I just don't feel like it. 

 

  Today, I finally put on my "to-do-list" to Google 'triathlon off season recovery' and I found several interesting articles and video clips. All of them were saying that you have to take at least 3-6 weeks off. Off doesn't mean low intensity swims, bikes and runs. Off literally means off!!! In fact there is a 6 time world Ironman champion who literally takes 6 weeks off and does nothing physical except surfing. Seems to be working very well for him. Most of the articles I read also said that you have to lose fitness. You can not maintain your peak fitness during off season and then build upon that to become even more fit. No, it doesn't work that way. You WILL burn out!!! You have to give your mind and body a break, a serious break. This is called periodization!!!! I swear by periodization and have all my clients practice it. So why can't I?? Oh man, what a great question.

 

1. It's tough to lose the fitness you worked so hard on building.

2. It's not fun to watch clothes get tighter.

3. I'm feeling lost in the morning.

4. My days do not seem as successful without a hard training session.

5. As a mommy, if I don't exercise in the morning it often doesn't happen. So I am having a hard time finding something else to do later in the day with my little man.

6. I have to do something since it helps keep me sane.

7. Ironman is 9 months away and I feel its constant pressure.

 

But here is the truth to each above statement:

 

1.  Sounds like many experience the paranoia that lost fitness can never be gained back. Every race season proves that paranoia faulty though. Of course I will lose fitness but it doesn't take long to gain it back and possibly surpass it.

2.  Once training starts again the extra off-season pounds will melt away and I will feel as good as new. I hope. :-) It's expected to gain a little during off-season and especially during the holidays.

3. Sleep in for once and focus on spending even more quality time with Tucker.

4. Mark my success during the off season by getting as much sleep as possible.

5. I can walk, ride bike with Burley, snowshoe in the winter, cross-country ski, and so much more. I know there are options, I just need to be more creative.

6. Go for a walk in the early morning AFTER having an extra long worship.

7. I only need about 7 months to prepare for Ironman which leaves me 2 wonderful months to RECOVER!!!

 

As one of the articles said:

 

So, repeat after me.

“This is the off-season.”
“I will not be in peak condition.”
“I will lose fitness.”
“I will put on weight.”
“This is okay.”

It has to be okay in order to be a success (which means finish) at Lake Placid. So, for the next two months I am going to try really hard to focus on recovery not peak performance. I have to change my mind-set and just see it as a new and different challenge that is VITAL to my training.

 

Happy Off Season Everyone, Alicia 

The Maine Marathon

The weather man said sunny, highs in the low 60's for marathon Sunday. This was the forecast  predicted a week before the event. Day of event; pouring rain!!! :-) The alarm went off, I grabbed my stuff, jumped in the car and drove to Portland in the rain. I kept telling myself the rain would probably stop by the time the race started. Wishful thinking is a powerful thing. Once in Portland I walked up to the Sullivan Gym to get my race number, to pick up my goody bag and to use the bathroom. Needless to say it rained as I walked up to Sullivan Gym and as I walked back to the car. After getting my race number I had some time to spend so I bundled up in all my rain gear and walked around to see the start/finish line. Then I went back to the car to wait until 10 minutes before the start of the race. As I sat in the car the rain pounded down. For some reason the sound of the rain wasn't really helping me get too excited about getting out of the car to run 26.2 miles. I solved the problem by putting Skull Candy in my ears for the remainder of the time. Listening to music drowned out the rain and if I closed my eyes I could pretend it was a beautiful sunny day, then I could start to get my game face on. Well, in no time at all it was time to gear up, glide up and get up. I had to take the Skull Candy out of my ears and face the reality of a very rainy race day. As I was leaving the car I quickly grabbed a long-sleeve race top just in case. I'm so glad I did because I wore it the entire marathon. It was actually a bit windy and cold for me. 

  Once I surrounded myself with all the athletes the rain just didn't matter!!! It was just a little extra twist to the day. Right before the gun went off I saw Tom T. who gave me a big hug and some words of wisdom. He said "Alicia, don't get caught up in the half marathoners. Alot of them will be running by you at a pretty good pace. Be careful and pace yourself according to your training not according to the half marathoners. Don't go out too fast". Tom was so right!!! When the gun went off I started out, one foot in front of the other. After no time at all I glanced down at my HR monitor to see that my rate was well above where I should be. I was keeping up with most of the people around me which was not good. When I reached the first mile clock it said 7 minutes something.   Shoot!!! I knew I was going too fast. Tom's words of wisdom ran through my brain and I immediately pulled back and started relying only on my heart rate. I am not a 7 minute mile marathoner (I would love to be some day) so I knew if I kept up that pace I would screw myself. During my training I was able to keep up a 7 something minute mile for about 13-16 miles but not for 26 miles. Unfortunately my HR monitor wasn't working entirely. It wasn't telling me my pace, distance, etc. Would have been very helpful if it did. I am certain I could have finished in under 3:40. I felt like I had more to give during the marathon but I just couldn't tell what was going on. It was very frustrating to say the least. I also need to have negative splits and feel like I could have if I could have watched my pace very carefully during the entire race. Oh well!! No big deal but hopefully I can figure out how to work my new HR monitor very soon!!! 

  The run went really well for me otherwise.Within the first couple minutes I was soaked. Rain was dripping off my hat and my toes squished with every step. At times it poured, otherwise it was a steady rain.  I used nearly all the aid stations trading between water and Gatorade. My race belt had some pouches attached to it so I was able to carry my own fuel. Physically I felt great until about mile 22. I happened to hit a brick wall at mile 22 and it peaked at mile 24 to 25.  My legs were screaming at me to just walk a little bit. But my brain said emphatically NO!!! Once I reached mile 25 I felt pumped and was able to pick up my pace and finish strong. 

  Two of my Couch to 5k participants, Lisa C. and Kris M. drove all the way down to Portland in the pouring rain and waited for me at the finish line for about 30 minutes. It meant the world to me that they would take time out of their busy schedules to cheer me on. What good sports!!!

  

  Honestly, I am not very proud of my time, 3:43:47, but we all have to start some where. Next time around I hope to improve big time and race on a sunny day. Until then I have my work cut out for me.

   I would recommend the Maine Marathon to anyone. The course is beautiful, the volunteers are amazing, the goody bag was full of great stuff, the massage tent was pure bliss and the camaraderie of the athletes is addicting. Several of my teammates did the marathon with great times. Charlie did the race as well as Andy, Kim, Roy, Anne,  Kathy (who did it in 3:35), Tom (who placed first in his age group with 3:15), and Eric (who cut 30 minutes off his time). It was fun seeing them all there!!! Go MTC!!!

  Running the marathon was an amazing experience. I learned so much which I hope will help me with my Ironman training. I know the marathon portion of the ironman is a totally different beast compared to just running a marathon.  

Happy running, Alicia

Maine Marathon Already???

The day after my half-ironman I was able to meet up with the crew like normal and bike, followed by swimming the following day. By the third day I was ready for a little breather. It all finally caught up to me and I just wanted to be lazy and eat whoopee pies. So that’s exactly what I did!!! I didn’t exercise at all and I ate more than one whoopee pie (yes, Bre!!! I did eat some whoopee pies. I am ashamed to admit it but it’s true. You are stronger than me)!!! J Anyway, I was able to continue exercising after my day off but I wouldn’t call it training; I would call it a recovery routine. The point was to get my heart rate up a little bit, spin my legs out, or swim, or do an easy run. I wasn’t working on distance, time or intensity, just recovery. After about 5 days I was physically feeling ready to hit it again but mentally I was not ready. Actually to this day I am not quite ready to “train”. These recovery rides which include a lot of chatting and laughing are really starting to grow on me. It’s so much fun. Haha!!!

  But, the point is, I have the Maine Marathon this coming Sunday (October 2, 2011). I’m not totally sure how to describe how I am feeling. First of all I feel like it has been awhile since I did a 20 mile run which for some reason makes me feel a bit unprepared. Second of all I am not too nervous going into race day which for me is not a good thing. I perform better with nerves. Somehow I can usually channel my nerves in a way to keep my eyes on the prize (not always though). Honestly, the reason I am not nervous is because I am not competing. I am doing the marathon only to finish and to gain experience going into Lake Placid. This Mama doesn’t even come close to competing at the Maine Marathon. Third of all I feel like I have already peaked at the half. Currently I am on the downward slope toward “time off” until ILP training starts in full force. So I feel like I am going into the Maine Marathon on fumes. Great practice for the ironman since I will be running on fumes during the race!!!

  Anyway, it’s going to be interesting to see how the day goes. This will be my first marathon and the longest I have ever run before in my life. For some 26 miles is nothing (merely a warm-up for ultra marathoners). Goodness, I do not know how ultra marathoners do it!! They are amazing. I couldn’t ever run 50 or 100 miles. In fact I don’t really have any interest in running anything more than 26 ever!!! Haha!!!

  One last point I want to through out there. Many triathlon coaches advice not to do a marathon before an ironman since it could affect your training. I totally agree if the marathon is during the ironman race season or any type of race season. But if the marathon is at the end of the race season or a year before the ironman I highly advice it. The experience is well worth it. It has taught me so much about pacing, where I want my heart rate over the duration of a long run, what fuel works best for me, at what mile I can start to eat, when I should start drinking electrolytes verses water, how much I need to drink and eat, what to eat the day before a long run, what type of clothing to wear, where to smear on Glide, mental games to use, and so much more. The experience has been priceless.

  Running 26 miles after swimming a couple miles and biking 112 will be a lot different than just doing a marathon but there are some similarities.

So here is to wishing everyone doing the Maine Marathon a wonderful day. Good luck Kathy, Tom, Erik, Andy, Charlie, Brenda, Roy, Anne, Jill and Mark (racing in WV) and everyone else racing this weekend. My goal for the marathon: to finish!!!! Simply to finish!!!

Smiles, Alicia

September 11, 2011 Half Ironman

I went to bed at 10pm and didn’t end up waking up again until 1:30a.m., then again at 3a.m. and then again at 4a.m. and finally I woke up for good at 4:50a.m. This was the best sleep I have ever gotten the night before a race. Usually my nerves and adrenaline are so spiked I can’t sleep. I have read about how even elite athletes don’t get much sleep the night before a race, so I’m not alone. So many of us athletes are racing on hardly any sleep at all, which makes the event that much harder. In order to help calm my nerves I listened to Christian music, two songs in particular, and I pray. I strongly believe that God even enjoys being a part of our hobbies and interests. It felt weird asking for the Lord to bless me during this race with everything else going on in this world. At the same time God is to be our best friend and I love to talk to my friends about tri’s and I appreciate all my friends’ words of wisdom, advice and encouragement. So I know God wants to be a part of even triathlons.

At 4:50 a.m. it was go time. I was up and at it. First of all I had to get myself dressed in my race attire and fill all my water bottles, aerobottles, etc with electrolyte drink and water. I grabbed my bag, all my gear and headed to the registration area. After registering I had to get numbered and had to take my bike to the last-minute-bike guys. My bike wasn’t shifting properly and was therefore causing unnecessary resistance. The bike guys were not able to fix my bike before the race since it was a complicated fix but they assured me the bike would work fine during the race. I would just have a little additional resistance. There was no time to worry about it so I decided to just move on to transition area.

Only athletes with wrist bands are allowed in the transition area for safety of all equipment. As I neared the entrance of the transition area there were several men checking for wrist bands. A very friendly lady escorted me to where my transition area was. I got my stuff all set up. It was 6:30a.m.; only 15 minutes away from the mandatory pre-race meeting. Since it takes me awhile to get my wetsuit on and since it was cold out I decided to go ahead and get the thing on before the meeting.

After the meeting, a lady sang the national anthem and then they had a 9/11 tribute. All the athletes were getting pumped as 7:00a.m. was fast approaching. Unfortunately 7a.m. came and went and not one athlete was allowed to start. They ended up delaying the race by about 40 minutes due to thick fog. We couldn’t see the buoys. Finally around 7:40ish the fog lifted and the cannon went off signally the elite athletes to go!!! This race had 8 different swim waves categorized according to elites, aqua/bike championship, sex and age. Females ages 39 and below were the very last wave. We started our swim about 17 minutes after the first cannon went off.

As the second to last wave was about to start I decided last minute to change how I wore my swim cap and goggles. I was going to put my goggles on underneath my swim cap. As I was fiddling around with my goggles I nearly broke them. With not much time to spare I got my goggles back in working order just in time to put them on and dive into the water. Needless-to-say I stuck with what I knew and put my goggles on over my cap.

As I dove into the water I kept telling myself to just relax and chill; do my best but don’t go all out on the swim, just pace myself. I took a breath every forth stroke in order to help with pacing and I tried my best to pick a straight line. There were a lot of people kicking, crawling, and splashing but I was able to make it through the whole swim without getting kicked, slapped or crawled on. What a miracle. Immediately after the swim there is a good hill climb up to the bike transition area. Jamie and Tucker where waiting to cheer my own about half way up the hill. I ran up to them, kissed Tucker’s wonderful chubby cheeks, and continued on my way.  Oh how wonderful those little, soft, chubby cheeks are!! After ripping my wetsuit off I entered the transition area. My mom and dad were standing as close as they could to my bike transition area. As I geared up they cheered me on, yelled out words of encouragement, took pictures and just totally gave me a boost. As fast as possible I got all my biking gear on, grabbed my bike and ran out of the transition area.

  The 56 mile bike was pretty easy, especially since I had been riding 80 or so miles prior to race day. My bike is so comfortable and loves to just move. I kept up an average pace of 21.1mph. I felt like I could go faster but kept trying to pace myself for the run. There was another lady, Melanie, number 470, who was the same pace. We had to ride side-by-side often since we were the same pace but we did not draft off one another since we would then be disqualified. She was so sweet and encouraging. I will never forget her. The bike was over before I knew it. All of a sudden I was racking my bike, grabbing my running gear, and putting my running shoes. Once again two of my greatest supporters where standing as close as possible to my run transition area cheering me on and filling me in on my time and how close my competition was. It was such a meaningful thing to have my parents standing there supporting me. Next thing I knew I was slamming the pavement. Pound, pound, pound, pound.

It took a couple minutes to get my running legs. The run was two, out-and-back loops. The first loop went by pretty fast and was full of aide stations and cheering people. When I started back from my first loop I was able to see how far behind my competition was. It was very interesting. There was one chick, with pink compression socks, that went by me at mile 35 on the bike. I kept her in view but knew she had me. I saw her on the run and noticed that she hadn’t gained much on the bike but she was a stronger runner. I knew I couldn’t catch her so I just wanted to make sure she didn’t have a huge lead on me. I was pretty sure she was in my age group so I was certain first place was taken. As far as I knew I was competing for second place. On the second run loop I was really able to get a hold on where everyone was. I saw several people from my club and several gals from my age group. At mile 11 on the run I hit a small mental block. I felt like being done. I just wanted to stop and walk but I just kept telling myself to go one more mile. Once I saw mile 12 then I would start the home stretch. That one mile between 11 and 12 seemed rather long and slow. It’s funny because the 13 miles I had to cover were nothing compared to the 20+ miles I did prior to the race but adding the swim and bike and doing all 3 events at race pace made me experience some mental battles on the run.  My quadriceps where tightening and screaming for me to slow down but my brain said no. All of a sudden I came around a small little corner and up a little hill and saw the finish chute. What a sight. I could hear the crowd cheering, I could hear the guy announcing over the loud speaker and I saw the tents. There was one more hill that I had to climb. As I reached the hill I saw a very familiar face, my dad!!! He was standing at the top of the hill cheering me on. It was a wonderful sight and a great encouragement. As I looped through the venue entrance and by the registration area I could see my dad running beside the chute trying to get to the bottom before me (which he did very easily). Again it meant the world to see him running down in order to see the finish. The last several hundred feet were downhill which had its pluses and minuses. My quads felt like they were getting even more so trashed with the downhill but I was sure tired of climbing hills too. I couldn’t believe how fast the finish line appeared. I kept telling myself to enjoy every moment, the race was nearly over and I wouldn’t be doing another half for awhile. As I came into the finish chute the big old timing clock was ticking away. The time was 5:23:34. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit sad. Last time I did this particular race I did it in 5:45:40ish. My goal was to do it in 5:22:00. When I saw I was a minute behind I was disappointed. My hopes of being in the top 3 of my age category seemed to slip away. But something just wasn’t adding up. In the mean time my mom went running over to the finisher’s listings and got all my information. As she ran back toward where Jamie, Tucker, my dad and I were she seemed particularly happy. She informed me that my time was actually 5:06: something and that I was first place in my age group and 11th female overall. Wow, I was shocked!!! It totally made sense though. The clock that I saw coming in on the run chute started with the first wave. My wave started 17 minutes after the first wave. Also the gal in the pink compression socks was in the 30-35 age group. Phew!!! Wow, shock and adrenaline hit me all over again. I had no idea I was going to be able to do this race in 5 hours 6 minutes.   

 Everyone else in my club did amazing as well. Tom, Walt, Val, John, Mark, Jim and several others all either placed or reached a new PR. Tom even did the sprint triathlon the day before. He placed first in his age group at the sprint tri and 3^rd in his age group at the half ironman. He is doing another tri a week later as well. Tom is Mr. Crazy man!! I don’t know how he does all of his training and racing. It doesn’t seem like he ever recovers. Truly amazing.

I thank the Lord for an amazing day and for the little extra bonus of helping me place. God is great!!! I also thank my club and all their help with my training. Every one of them has positively affected my training in some way.

My support team deserves a BIG thank you as well. These people are so meaningful to me because they understand how important training and racing are to me. Not many get it. But they understand that this hobby is not only a means of trying to stay fit but it’s also a passion of mine and something I work hard at. It’s an outlet in my life. It’s the important part of my day to spend time with adults, develop friendships, feel support from my club, etc. I always come home in the morning refreshed and ready to focus on Tucker and his needs. The morning training is not nearly as important as time spent with God but the two combined, worship and exercise, help me be a better Mama. I feel the need for both.  

My closest support team is Jamie, Tucker, Mom and Dad. Jamie has been such a huge help to me. He has pushed me when I didn’t have much left. He has encouraged me to continue when I didn’t want to. Jamie has always been proud of the hard work I have put into this sport. Jamie has done everything he possibly can to make my dreams come true regarding training, racing and especially Lake Placid Ironman.  I would not be heading to Lake Placid if it wasn’t for him. Thanks Babe, for taking interest in my hobby and for helping me achieve new and exciting successes.  Tucker is just my favorite little thing. I find my training to be a big help as a Mama, as mentioned earlier. But without fail, every morning while training, I so greatly look forward to coming home and being greeted by Tucker’s beautiful, sweet, loving smiley, dimpled face!!! How precious!!! God is so Great!!!! Tucker also helps me with my training since he loves to charge all over the place. He keeps Mama sprinting all day long. J Tucker loves to get outside and he enjoys it when Mama takes him on walks or bike rides. I cannot wait to bike side-by-side with him!!! It’s going to be so much fun!!! My Dad has always showed interest in my hobby as well. He has been at the finish line of many triathlons waiting to watch his daughter hobble in. He always gives me big hugs even though I am soaked with sweat. Dad drives his motor home to all of these events and provides me with full amenities at race site. There is nothing like waking up at race site having a private, nice smelling, clean toilet to use as opposed to outhouses, and having a shower to clean up immediately after the race. It’s the best. I often see dad on his way to work when I am training in the morning and he always honks and gives me a little boost. Dad also takes pictures at the event providing us all with proof of the craziness. Dad’s support is priceless and greatly appreciated. Mom gets right in to all this stuff. She is the organizer and plans out where we are going to stay, what we are going to eat, where to be every minute of the day during the race, and just simply organizes the best way to be the best support team. She is awesome!! Often I see tears trickling down her face as I come into the finish line which means more to me than she will ever know. Mom use to be a competitive swimmer so I think competitive events is close to her heart. She always goes above and beyond to make me comfortable after the race and I am guaranteed a delicious vegetarian homemade meal in the motor home.

Thank you Jamie, Tucker, Dad and Mom for taking interest in something that is very important to me. It makes me feel like you are interested in my life and that is so meaningful. You never miss a race and you always greet me with hugs, kisses and love at the finish line. It never goes unnoticed and it is always appreciated and means the world to me. Love you!!!!

Lake Placid Pictures

The Crew and My Team

This past spring I joined the Midcoast Triathlon Club. I received my free MTC hat and MTC t-shirt which I wear proudly. I have been training with this crew consistently for nearly a year. There are over a hundred MTC members but I mostly know the morning training crew.  Those of you who know me know that I am a morning person. I love to train in the morning so I can focus on parenting, work, etc the rest of the day. I have referred to some of the morning crew in previous blogs but I thought it was about time to introduce you to these people. I will introduce you to the few I know. I am still trying to figure everyone out as I am sure they are trying to figure me out. I have figured out several things for sure though, everyone has been very welcoming, kind, considerate and helpful.  The club is very family friendly and even schedules stuff that includes our kiddos. It’s a great crew and I am so thankful I have jumped aboard. So in a sentence or two let me introduce you to some of my new tri buddy’s. In alphabetical order:

Christina: Is the sweetest, most caring, and considerate lady. She is an amazing quilter, biker and swimmer. If you see a pretty lady swimming in the ocean without a wetsuit it’s definitely Christina.

Dominique: Is a hilarious, thoughtful, out-going power house. She is one strong lady. She is a mother of two and dang good at it. If you are swimming and someone goes by you so fast that you feel like you are sitting still its Dominique. 

Erik: Is a hard-driven, ambitious, go-getter. Erik is the best indoor spin instructor. His instructing is the reason I am able to continue spinning indoors all winter long. Watch out for his blue lights though, this lieutenant isn’t anyone to mess with.

Jerry: Is a determined, focused, hard-driven little lady. She is so tiny and yet powerful. Jerry is a mother of two and from Singapore. If you see a small speck go flying by it was probably pretty little lady Jerry cruising on her bike.

Jill: is an inspiring, motivating, considerate hard-working lady. I have to give Jill the credit for increasing my bike mileage. We have covered a lot of ground together this summer. If it wasn’t for Jill I wouldn’t be where I am on the bike right now. If you see a chick go whizzing by you with wicked high cadence eating a frosty’s doughnut it’s Jill!!! J 

Kathy: is a vivacious, boisterous, competitive angry kitty. Kathy fights for me when all men folk start to attack!! She is my guardian. If you hear someone laughing constantly while swimming (yes even while swimming), biking and running it’s probably Kathy who is scheming up something new and crazy to do to Tom.

Rich: Is funny, crazy, brave, and adventuresome. He has accomplished so many amazing adventures in his lifetime. Rich can be found swimming, road biking, running, mountain biking and everywhere else in between.  He has done it all.

Tom: Is supportive, determined and hilarious. I feel as though Tom has taken me (the amateur) to the next level.  Tom has given up a lot of his time and training to educate me on the game of triathlon. He is the go-to-marathon man. What a runner. If you see someone leave only dust in his path it’s 100% Tom. He’s a prankster so watch out and pay him back. Haha!!!

Valerie: Is courageous, determined and strong. She was the one that sparked my interest in actually doing an ironmen. She is the one that encouraged me to join the MTC crew. If you get chicked on the bike take a good look at the pink tri bike flying by you, it’s Val. 

Walter: Is kind, inspiring and encouraging. He has single handedly given me more hope in my triathlon abilities than anyone else.  He encourages me to be more than I think I am capable of. If you see someone cruise past you on the bike, making it look super easy then it’s probably Walter.

 There are even more such as Katherine, Sue, Mark, Dave, John, Jim, Doug and the list continues. Anne and Roy are another wonderful couple that have really inspired me and have helped inform me in a big way what Lake Placid is all about. As I continue to get acquainted I will have to update this list. These are some of the people who make the triathlon sport very enjoyable for me. These are the people who are encouraging me. These are the people that I am PROUD to call my TEAM!!!!!

Sharks, Seaweed and Tom

  A month ago our Comcast guy came over to our house to update our basic cable connection. Long story short he had some issues, didn’t have what he needed and ended up leaving without putting the restrictor back in place. This meant that Jamie and I had full cable and we weren’t even paying for it. I found full cable to be too overwhelming. I would spend an hour trying to find something to watch and then all the shows would be coming to an end and I would have to start searching all over. I quickly figured out that there were about 2 or 3 channels that seemed to air the same type of shows. I tended to watch the History Channel or Discovery Channel. It just happened that the couple of weeks we had free full cable it was shark week. Yup, that’s right shark week. I found myself watching shark week anytime I found a little bit of time to sit down. Sharks are fascinating creatures and I learned some interesting facts about them. Like how they attack, how they have been found in brackish water, how they have been sighted off the coast of Maine. The other show that I found myself watching was River Monsters. My husband enjoys this show and I found it to be very interesting. Oh my goodness!! Have any of you watched River Monsters? You will never look at any body of water the same. You will have mental images that will never leave you.

  So where am I going with this? Well, great question. It just happened that the very week I started to watch shark week my triathlon club invited me to swim with them in the ocean.  I hadn’t ever gone swimming in the ocean other than a dip off the beach or something. I haven’t ever jumped in the ocean to swim a mile.

  Let me share with you what my first swim was like. I showed up at Simpson’s Point at 5:30 a.m. with my wetsuit in hand. My crew was there waiting for me and ready to jump in. My crew seemed very happy and excited to swim in the ocean. I didn’t share the same happiness or excitement. I was freaked out. Everyone jumped in the ocean and started swimming toward a little island. I didn’t have any other choice but to hurry up and jump in. I didn’t want to get left behind and I had just worked my butt off to get my wetsuit on so there was no way I was going to chicken out. I dove in the water and got a mouth full of salt water which gave me a friendly reminder that I was swimming in the ocean where sharks live. I immediately started to freak. It was a battle for me to focus on my swimming stroke and to leave all those mental images of shark attacks out of mind. The water was a nice bluish color but you can’t see more than 2 feet in front of you (or at least that is my guess). I kept thinking that at any moment some big ugly, huge, fanged, beastly fish was going to all of a sudden come into view and swim straight toward my face. I still feel like one of these days I am going to come into contact with this terrifing fish. Eventfully I found a way to block this stupid fish out of my head. I started to get into the groove of swimming in the ocean.

  Things started to go well until all of a sudden my hand hit this massive slimy alive beast. The sliminess hit my hand and then my face, my body, my legs, my feet. All of a sudden I felt like my whole body was getting swallowed by some nightmereish ocean beast. I was ‘seeing’ what my brain was ‘seeing’ not what my eyes where seeing. My eyes saw seaweed but my brain saw a beast. Of course the minute I hit the seaweed a high pitch noise came out of my mouth that could be heard from 100 miles away. Any fish that might have been nearby probably fled for their lives. The seaweed seemed to follow me all the way around the island. I never got use to hitting it. Every time I ran into seaweed I freaked out, yelled and started swimming like a drowning dog. Finally after losing several years of my life I made it to the island and you can be sure I climbed out of that water as fast as I possibly could. We stopped and talked for several minutes, all the while I stayed on dry ground and thought I was safe from all ocean life. One of the guys that I was swimming with joined me on dry ground where we spent several very peaceful minutes talking about swimming. Next thing I knew I felt some sort of creature on my foot. Being a bit paranoid I looked down to find a crab on my foot. Normally I wouldn’t be too freaked out by a crab but I was so uptight and paranoid that the little crab brought the worst out of me. The crab can be thankful that it was already dead because I flung that thing so hard and so fast it wouldn’t have stood a chance (actually I am sure it probably would have been fine but just to spruce up the story I need to be dramatic). After the whole incident happened I learned that Tom, my fellow swimmer purposefully flung the crab onto my foot after Dominque, another fellow swimmer, told him too. I owe these two big time!!!!

  After 10 minutes I calmed down enough to somehow jump back into the ocean of freaky life. Everything started to go pretty well until, or course, I hit another pile of seaweed. At least this time I viewed the seaweed as seaweed instead of some monster. Improvement!!! I figured the worst must be over. I was wrong. When I swim I breath on both sides in order to pace myself. Right, three strokes, left, three strokes, right, three strokes, left. I was getting into the rhythm until all of a sudden I took a breath left and saw a gross dead fish too close for comfort. I missed hitting it by feet. All of a sudden my heart rate skyrocketed as I thought about what it would have been like to have actually hit that dead fish with my hand or face. Makes me want to jump out of my skin. I was totally freaking out again and could only think about getting out of this very alive (or dead) ocean. The only way I was going to get out of this ocean was to keep swimming. After scanning the waters ahead for any other dead beasts I stuck my face back in the water and started swimming again. I took a breath to my right and the next thing I knew there was, in fact, a huge, terrify alive creature moving toward me. It was dark green/brown, slimy and very scary. It was hovering above the water and was moving directly toward me. I couldn’t believe how fast it was moving toward me and I started to figure out it was gaining on me. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what this thing was and if it was life threatening. All of a sudden this big freaky thing, that I couldn’t make out behind my very foggy goggles, started to laugh very loud at me. Once again I fell for another Tom prank. Tom, who is a way faster swimmer than me, swam ahead of me all in order to grab a ton of seaweed put it on top of his head and wait for me to come by. He seemed to have stationed himself right by the dead fish for a little extra scare. I will totally admit Tom got be good. Now I have to figure out how to get him back.

  The good news is after swimming through a lot more seaweed I did make it back to shore without any missing limbs, without being attacked by all the sharks, etc, and without drowning from fear of Tom. It was a swim I will NEVER forget. Not only was it horrifying it was also hilarious. It was freaky but very funny. I pulled out from the swim, took my wetsuit off which was warm from peeeee* and I said to myself “well that wasn’t too bad, I can totally do this again”.  I did do it again but not until about a week later. I am about to hit the ocean again this week and hope that I calm down, start to enjoy the very alive ocean and avoid all those sharks that are hunting me down. I swear one of these times I will see some huge fish swim by. When I do you will probably know it.

  *I haven’t actually peed in my wetsuit but if I was going to my first ocean swim would have been the day.

The LP Course

  I have been meaning to fill you all in on my training in Lake Placid. We arrived Thursday evening and I started my training Friday morning. At 7a.m. I met up with some of my “team” members Jill, Mark and Roy at the Arrow Hotel. Our bikes were loaded with fuel, water and electrolytes and we were ready to roll. Jill, Mark and Roy were so helpful and did an awesome job showing me the whole bike course and sharing strategies with me. Thank you so much Jill, Mark and Roy.

  The bike course is a two loop 56 mile course. It starts in town weaving around a couple small streets and then you follow Rt. 73 for awhile. Once on 73 you hit a little climb out of town and then one heck of a downhill. The downhill is fast and furious. At the end of the downhill you take a left on 9N and roll along on flats and little rollers for awhile. The last 17-20 miles of the course is a climb. It’s not bad but doing the 17-20 mile climb twice before a full marathon could be killer. I have some training to do. J There were so many bikers on the course. Most everyone we talked to was volunteering on race day and getting ready to race the course 2012. Some of the bikers were doing the race the following Sunday and wanted to check out different sections of the course. We met up with one group of women that had parked a car at the top of the downhill and at the bottom. They were from Florida and had done the Florida Ironman and admitted to being only use to flats. They were not use to such a downhill and felt the need to practice it.

  On Monday Matt H. and I did a loop of the run course. The run course is also a two loop course. The run starts by running downhill out of town and then it levels out. You have mostly flats and rollers. The last bit of the two loop course is uphill. It’s a nice course that loops you through town several times. I felt great on the course even though it was raining. Matt and I had a map of the course so we knew where to go but all we really needed to do was follow the litter of empty Gu pouches and PowerBar pouches, pretzels, bananas and you name it. Usually you see one too many cigarettes on the side of the road, well, in Lake Placid it’s all different types of fuels.

  On Tuesday Matt H. and I did the bike course. This is was my second time so I knew what to expect. We had full intentions of doing the whole 112 miles but I had some issues with my bike seat and was only able to do one loop. I will have to blog about my bike seat at some point. Let’s just leave it at bruising, swelling and bleeding.

  The only thing I was unable to do was get in Mirror Lake. I wadded into the water but never got to do the course. I got a swim in but it was in Saranac Lake.

  Doing the course well before race day is the way to go. I know what to expect and I have an idea how to train. Let the training begin!!

Smiles, Alicia

20 Miles and Mac and Cheese

Several blogs ago I mentioned how I have been having terrible GI trouble after my long runs. Well, I have figured out what the problem is and I have solved it. I think.

   This past Sunday I had to do a 20 mile run in preparation for my upcoming marathon. The day before my run I decided to do something a bit different.  Usually I try to eat wholesome, healthy food but I am slowly starting to figure out it isn’t always the right thing to do before long endurance training. J The day before my last 18 mile run I ate lots of whole wheat pasta. As you know whole wheat pasta has LOTS of fiber and therefore caused me horrible stomach cramps, pain, and diarrhea for a continuous 4 hours after my 18 mile run. It felt a bit like giardia (which I have experienced once before). To make matters worse this wasn’t the first time it had happened either. I was experiencing this “running giardia” after all my long distance runs. It didn’t stop me but I always dreaded the several hours after the long runs.

  Before any of my long distance runs I have to gear up mentally several days before. As the long distance run day was approaching me I started to rack my brain as to what to do different. I didn’t come up with the answer until I was talking to my brother’s sweet girlfriend Mariah. Mariah and I were planning our Sabbath dinner menu. She mentioned at one point that she wanted to make macaroni and cheese. Her Mac and cheese is to die for so I didn’t refuse. Sabbath lunch arrived and we were all eating our fantastic meal. Typically I would eat a little Mac and cheese but I wouldn’t take too much due to the cheese content. Well, as I sat there eating my small portion it dawned on me that I needed to eat a big portion of Mac and cheese because quite possibly the cheese would bind me up and not cause “running giardia” the next day. So I ate that Mac and cheese like crazy. Sunday morning came; I geared up, went for my run, felt fantastic, came home, took a shower, ate breakfast and continued my day WITHOUT ANY RUNNING GIARDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a big breakthrough for me. I have finally figured out how to solve an ongoing problem that I originally thought was going to be much harder to solve.

  Mariah’s Mac and cheese is going to be on the menu the day before any of my long distance training days or races. Mac and cheese baby!!!!! I have never been able to enjoy so much mac and cheese before without feeling guilty!!! Thanks Mariah for making my training so much easier!!!! You have no idea how happy you have made me!!!!

Happy training, Alicia

Swim Security and Registartion

It was pitch dark out as I walked down the street. It was 4:50 a.m. and already athletes were on site getting ready for their big race day. I was supposed to meet up with my volunteer group at 5a.m. at Mirror Lake. We were all swim security which included keeping spectators out of the swim chute. We all had our swim security Ironman shirts on ready to roll. At first my job was simple and easy but then it got chaotic. Athletes were streaming through trying to reach the bike and run special needs area or the beach. Next thing I knew family members were trying to enter the chute for various reasons. I was given very strict orders to keep everyone out except athletes. Eventually I had to ask for back-up. It was crazy. Before I knew it things started to quite down and athletes started to crowd the beach area. At 6:50 a.m. the first gun went off and the pro athletes started their Lake Placid 2011 Ironman adventure. Ten minutes later the second gun went off. What a sight. Thousands of athletes were kicking, crawling, and thrusting through the water. It was scary, unnerving and thrilling to watch. Hands-down the swim is what makes me the most nervous about next year. It looks brutal to say the least.

  Thankfully Ironman takes many precautions to make sure the athletes are safe during the swim. First of all below the water is a cord the whole length of the swim. If you are lucky enough to swim close to the cord you can follow it the entire swim. There are also big buoys to watch for. The whole swim course is surrounded by kayaks, canoes and boats watching for any struggling swimmers. Also Ironman has divers watching the swimmers from below. The divers look for struggling swimmers and also for cheaters. There are lifeguards on duty and paramedics ready to move quickly in case of an emergency. Thankfully all the swimmers exited the swim, although some had bruises and bloody faces from being kicked.

Once the swimmers started exiting the water I was moved to the end of the chute where the athletes were entering the transition area. There were several steps they had to take so I had to yell at the athletes to ‘step up’ over and over and over. It was actually a lot of fun. Before my shift was over I was moved to the bike mount area where I had to keep spectators out of the way. The bike mount area got so congested. I was glad I could see it.

  My 5-10a.m. volunteering shift was over before I knew it. As soon as I good I found my family and spent the rest of the day watching the bike and run course. We stayed until after 4pm. By 4 I was totally exhausted and ready for sleep. Jamie, Tuck and I headed back to our campsite to get ready for supper and bed. I had to go to bed at a decent time since I had to get up early to stand in the registration line.

  My friend, Matt and I stood in line from 6:15ish until 10ish to register for 2012 Ironman. The line was so, so long. I was surprised. Many people camped out the night before in order to be near the front of the line. Registration was supposed to open around 9am but thankfully they opened around 7:15ish. It still took us awhile to enter the gym where the registration was taking place. Once we entered the gym I started to get very excited. Next thing I knew I was registering!!! There was a girl about my age, from Maine, registering beside me. We both congratulated one another and wished each other a great year of training. Before I left the gym I took a picture with my friend Matt. We held up our Ironman paperwork and smiled for the camera. Wow, it has begun. And, just like that I am on my way to doing my first Ironman. I am just praying that I can race July 22, 2012 and finish the Ironman feeling strong. So many things can happen in a year.

Smile, Alicia

Volunteer/Training Camp Lake Placid

So we (Jamie, Tuck, my parent's and I) are leaving for Lake Placid. I am not racing, just volunteering this year. I am volunteering in order to register for 2012 and in order to educate myself about race day as much as possible.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Why am I nervous??? Because I am getting ready to commit to an Ironman that will take place in one year.This coming Monday morning I will be handing over my cash to race Lake Placid July 22, 2012!!!!! Yikes.The count down is about to begin. My race season is about to start. My Ironman is 12 months away. I have so much to do between now and then. I am feeling good about the base I have built thus far and feel it will definitely help me out this coming year but I have so, so far to go.

  The plan for the week-end is to ride the 112 mile bike course this Friday, starting at 7a.m. Then Saturday I might go for a run in the morning followed by my volunteer meeting at 9a.m. (Usually I do not train or go to triathlon related meetings on Sabbath. I might run this time since I will be going with people that know the course and can show me around. Also I  hope to focus more on just relaxing not racing. The volunteer meeting is mandatory and I must be there in order to volunteer Sunday. Saturday I receive my volunteer shirt and bracelet. As soon as my meeting is over I hope to spend the rest of the day with my family enjoying the Sabbath.) Sunday I will be volunteering as swim security from 5a.m. to 10a.m. Then the rest of Sunday I will be cheering on my teammates and I will be soaking up anything and everything related to the race. I hope to check out the transition areas, view part of the bike course and run course and watch as racer's finish. Monday morning I hope to line up early to register for 2012!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I am about to do this. I can't wait for the new challenge.

   I hope to take lots of pictures of IMLP and to document everything I learned. I will blog about it when I return.

It's about to begin!!!

 

 

Smiles, Alicia

Presidential Traverse

After 5 hours of sleep Jamie's alarm went off and woke us both up. Needless to say we both wanted to throw the alarm clock out the window and keep sleeping, but we couldn't. It was July 16, a day we had been counting down to for many months. Not only was July 16 going to be a mini vacation for Jamie and I it was also going to be the weekend of the Presidential Traverse. My parents generously offered to watch Tuck for the weekend so Jamie and I could stay in a cheap hotel close to the trail head the night before. It worked out great since we were suppose to start our hike between 4:30-5:00a.m.

  Friday afternoon we dropped Tuck off at Grandma and Grandpa's and then we headed to Gorham N.H. Once we arrived in N.H. we unloaded our van at the hotel and then drove the van to the AMC Highland Center where we left it. Jamie's brother drove Jamie back to the hotel. The van would commute us all back to the start after we finished the traverse. Finally it was time to get some sleep. Before we knew it the alarm went off and we were up and going. I made Jamie and I each 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to go along with all our other snacks. We then finished packing our backpack's, loaded up in Greg's car and drove to the Appalachia Trail Head. We met up with 2 other friends, Mike H. and Daniel B., at the Appalachia Trail Head.

  We started our hike at 5:06 a.m. Mt. Madison was the first peak we had to conquer. It was a beautiful hike to the top. We then hiked to the Madison Hut where we had breakfast. The Madison hut was remodeled this past winter and is just beautiful. They did a great job. After a quick breakfast we continued on our way to Mt. Adams and then to Mt. Jefferson and then to Mt. Clay and to Mount Washington. We hit every peak, never taking the trails that dodge the peaks. Once on Mount Washington we ate lunch, filled our camleback's, used the bathrooms and then we were on our way to Lake's of the Cloud Hut. By the time we got to Lake's of the Clouds our feet were starting to feel the stress of the day. Daniel and I took our boots off and soaked our feet while we waited for the other's to stroll by. It felt so so good!!! Before we knew it we were off to Mt. Monroe, Mount Eisenhower and then to Mt. Pierce. We ended our hike at the AMC Highland Center.

  By the end of the day we traversed over 8 peaks, hiked 20 miles, and our cumulative elevation gain was 8,500 feet. The weather was perfect, the views were amazing and the temperature was just right. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

  Some of you may wonder how we felt after the hike. Jamie was exhausted, scraped his arm pretty good, and was badly sunburned but he was strong all day and finished without a problem. He did an excellent job. The next morning he found himself a bit sore and stiff but was proud of his accomplishment.

Greg was tired as well, burned his neck and says he might lose a toe nail. Greg also did an excellent job all day and covered the distance without a problem. I heard he was a bit sore the next day.

Daniel moved quick the whole day which might have caused his left knee injury.  But I am happy to report that as of today (three days after the hike) his knee is already feeling better. Daniel was born to hike. He is a crazy hiking machine.

Mike (or Sneaker's the thru-hiker-man) made the hike look like nothing. He wore his sneakers, a small pack and I didn't even see him eat much food. He had lots of energy all day and probably could have run the whole distance. I did hear him say that his knees were bothering him at the end of the hike.

 As for myself, well I felt great the whole day except for the rather painful blisters that I developed on both of my heels. My energy felt great and my legs felt pretty strong. I was exhausted though and really found out how exhausted I was the next day.  Let's just say I might have taken a nap the following day. :-)  I also burned my neck and the back of my legs. I woke up the next morning feeling stiff and ready for more sleep. I was able to get back into my training without too much trouble. 

  We can't wait to do the hike again some day. Who wants to join us????

 

Smiles, Alicia

 

 

  Two years ago Jamie and I attempted to do the Presidential traverse but were discouraged from even starting the hike since the clouds above were throwing inch thick chunks of hail down at us. The weather can change so fast on the Presidentials. It's a great idea to have a couple back-up plans just in case.

Long Bike Rides and Long Runs

  The long bike rides, though far fewer than what I need to be doing this time next year, are going well. In fact I find myself enjoying riding in the saddle for hours on end. It's fun to really cover mileage with your own man(woman)-power. Biking is definitely my favorite of the three tri sports.

 

  So what is a long bike ride? Is it all about mileage, time or both? I use to only watch mileage and keep track of my training using only mileage but now I mostly use time. It's a whole new method for me. The Ironman is one long day in the saddle so the more I train, the more I sit in my saddle, the better off I will be. A long bike ride ranges from 4-7 hours in the saddle.

 

  You may be wondering why I am worrying about long saddle rides a year from Lake Placid. Great question. In less than two weeks my family and I will be going to Lake Placid for the 2011 Ironman. I will be volunteering Sunday during the event in order to register for Lake Placid 2012. Since I will be in Lake Placid and possibly not return again until 2012 race day I have decided to bike the entire 112 mile course. I have not yet ridden 112 miles on my bike and am a bit anxious about it. I hear the course has some good hills and downhills (stating the obvious). I want to ride the entire course and begin to memorize the miles that are ahead of me.

Once I know what kind of a course it is then I will know how to train.

 

  Have I mentioned yet that I absolutely LOVE my Specialized bike?! It's an amazing machine. I have put hundreds of miles on it, each mile better than the one previous. The bike is ready for it's first tune-up but I am having a hard time parting ways with it even for a couple days. I need to do it before we leave for Placid though.

 

 

  Running has been going pretty good. It's definitely not exactly my "cup of tea" but once I am out there doing it I enjoy it. I am starting to figure out that half marathon distance is my favorite (I think). This marathon distance increases risk of injury and exhaustion a bit more. My 6-10 mile runs are quick and short. I do not carry a fuel belt and usually finish the run feeling energized and good. My 11-18 mile runs are a very different story. I definitely use my fuel belt when running anything over 10 miles. My fuel belt carry's 4 small water bottles, fuel and my phone. I love having the belt and wouldn't be able to cover the distance without it unless I planted water bottles and electrolyte drink and fuel along the way (what a pain that would be). My long runs can be daunting when I first start but I remind myself to just put one foot in front of the other. Also, what works for me is to just think about the first half of the run. So if I'm running 18 miles I focus on the first 9 miles only, which isn't a big deal. Once I get the 9 miles covered then all I have to think about is getting home. It works great for me. I usually feel pretty good during my runs and haven't had any problems. The trouble comes after my run is finished though. I have been having terrible GI trouble. After my run I will start to get terrible stomach cramps to the point I feel like I'm going to throw up. Also, I find myself running to the bathroom many times. It feels alot like the stomach flu except with a bit more pain. This lasts for about 4 hours then I feel fine and start thinking about my next long run. :-) You might be wondering what my problem is. I believe it is fuel related. Either the Perform electrolyte drink isn't settling well or my Shot Blocks. Not sure which one yet but I am in the process of figuring it out. I just recently bought different chews to try.  

 

   I have been increasing my run mileage in preparation for Lake Placid as well. My goal is to bike the 112 mile bike course on Monday and to run over half of the marathon on Tuesday. That should give me a good feel for what I have coming in a year. Once I finish my Lake Placid training I will decrease my running mileage for a bit and then start to build again just in time for my marathon in October. 

 

 

  Until next time happy training.

 

Smiles, Alicia

Kancamagus Highway

Kancamagus Highway

 

  Several weeks ago my husband, son and I found ourselves relaxing in the White Mountains with my husband's family. We were staying at Loon Village in Lincoln, NH. If you are familiar with New Hampshire you know that Loon Village is situated at the beginning or end (which ever you think) of the Kancamagus. It was a no brainer that I had to bike the Kanc while there. We arrived in Lincoln Thursday night. I waisted no time and jumped on my bike Friday morning. I was so excited to crank the Kanc. I left Lincoln and biked to Conway then turned around and biked back to Lincoln. It was only 63 miles but included some great uphill. The climb wasn't too bad, just slow and steady. I felt like the climb from Lincoln to the top was shorter but a bit steeper and the climb from Conway to the top was much longer but not so steep.

  At the end of the ride my husband asked me if I stopped at all and I told him I didn't and there wasn't any need to. Once you get to the top of the pass you have 15-20 minutes of downhill. The downhill allows plenty of time to rest. It's a beautiful thing.

  I definitely recommend the Kanc to any bike enthusiast. The Kanc not only gives you a great little climb (both ways) but also some beautiful views and some wonderful downhills.

 

  So go crank the Kanc.

 

Smiles, Alicia

Training Update # 2

Time for a training update. Things are going okay but the monotony of training is hitting me as well as sleep deprivation. It's time to shake it up and get more sleep. 

 

  Family: Jamie is a real trooper. My training definitely affects the morning routine. Jamie makes our oatmeal every morning, feeds Tuck and takes care of Tuck's morning needs. When I come home I make Jamie's lunch and take over Tuck and the house duties. In the evening I make dinner, take care of Tuck and send Jamie on his way to mountain bike. So, Jamie has morning duty and I have evening duty. Seems to be working really well. As of right now, during the week, Tuck doesn't see Mama for only the first hour of each morning. The weekends are a little different and are getting worse. Saturday I do not train but Sunday I don't get home until 8am or much later.

 

  Spiritual: I just finished this excellent little book called "Inside Out" about raising your kids to love and share Jesus. The book was wonderful and encouraging. I am now looking for the next book, etc to boost my spiritual life and give me a great lift at the beginning of each day. I find myself praying and talking to God while training. I thank Him over and over for the ability to move much less train. I was doing a great study of Philippians and feel the need to start that back up. I put it on hold when I started reading "Inside Out". The Philippines study included much reading out of the Bible which I loved and need to start up again. I think it is so important to read from the Word daily but I honestly haven't been reading out of it daily. Game Plan: read from the Bible every day and apply lessons learned to daily living.

 

  Rest: Are you ready to hear what time I am suppose to go to bed? This is slightly embarrassing. 8pm!!! That's right I need to go to bed by 8pm every night to feel my best. When I go to bed after 8pm I am always exhausted and not able to function at my best the following day. I was doing really well at going to bed at 8pm until about a month ago. It has slipped to about 9 or later. I need to be getting up around 4ish in the morning but am really struggling with it lately. I find myself getting up around 4:40ish instead. My body needs at least 8 hours of sleep a night. When I don't get 8 hours I pay for it. Right now sleep/rest/recovery is my biggest problem. I feel overly exhausted. Game Plan: go to bed at 8pm most every night.

 

  Food: Jamie and I eat a pretty healthy diet. We love our veggies, salads, whole grains, complex carbs, fruits, proteins, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, etc. We are vegetarian and close to vegan. My little ice cream cravings steel the vegan title away from me though. LOL!!! Although our diet can improve I am feeling pretty good about our food sources except for one minor detail...desserts. Yikes!!! Desserts are going to be the death of me, I swear!!! Do any of you have any ideas of a healthy "dessert" I could eat after dinner that is sweet, healthy and not a whole fruit? Game Plan: Start to really watch my dessert intake, try to only eat desserts on the week-end. As of February 1, 2012 no more desserts for me until after the Ironman. Might as well start cutting back now though!!! 

 

Swimming: Frustrated!!! That says it all. Haha!!! Swimming is my weakest link in a tri. I had a sharp learning curve awhile back with Russ but now I just feel stuck. Currently Sponge is having me work on flip turns which adds a whole new element to breathing. I feel like I am having to start all over again on my distance swims since I get out of breath sooner with the flip turns.  Soon my tri buddies will be doing open water swims, which I look forward to. I am getting really tired of looking at the Y's pool floor. Game Plan: get out of my funk, stay focused, stick to my swim routines. I must go into the Y with a plan and leave feeling successful.

 

Biking: Happy, go lucky!! Currently I am having alot of fun biking but I have got to get serious about it again. I went from hard focused training routines to fun, unfocused routines. Time to snap too. I have got to get a couple long bike rides in ASAP. I need to do some 4-7 hour rides. Question is when? Game Plan: stay focused on the bike, remind myself what I am training for, set up several long rides with Jamie so he knows how to plan, and start my long rides early in the morning.

 

Running: Blahhh!! Haha!!  This past Monday I had to make myself do the distance run. I actually had to trick myself into doing it. I went out for a "walk" that ended up as a 2 hour hill run. My distant runs are going pretty good, but my shorter mid-week runs are being somewhat neglected. I believe the lack of sleep is the biggest reason I am struggling with my runs.  Game Plan: Get sleep. Get those mid-week runs in, work on hills, speed, and distance. Keep up my transition runs.

 

First Pack

My nerves were out of control. I was even shaking a bit. I kept telling myself to calm down and chill but self talk did nothing. I finally got on my bike and started to pedal. The pedaling helped calm me down a bit but I was still a mess. I stopped on a hill and peered across the river at a group of cyclist gearing up at the Fort parking lot. I tried to squint to see who was riding, what kind of gear they were putting on and what kind of bikes they were riding. As I continued to analyze I continued to get more and more nervous. I said to myself “this is ridiculous, you are over scrutinizing, over thinking, and totally blowing this whole thing out of proportion.” See, the group of people I was analyzing was the group that I spinned with all winter long, my Midcoast Triathlon Club friends.  I know these people pretty well and I loved riding with them indoors all winter long. So what had changed? We were about to ride outside which is a whole different animal from riding indoors. You may wonder what the big deal. Haven’t I ridden outside before? Yes, I have ridden outdoors for many years, I have raced outdoors for many years!!!  So what in the world is the problem? Great question. It’s simple: I was about to ride outside for the first time ever in a group much less a group of Ironmen and women!!!! For a little peon like me, riding with Ironmen and women is a big deal. I feel like I have, in some way, finally arrived. I have strictly been a lone rider and never road with groups. So a group ride was very intimidating especially with men and women who have completed a number of ironmen and train like crazy. I was stepping on new ground and wasn’t sure how I was going to perform or fit in.

  If I haven’t made myself sound totally absurd and out of control all ready just wait. It gets worse. I came up with a game plan. I would wait on the top of the hill until the group left. Then I would speed down, and at least stay close enough to see which direction they were going to ride. If I could catch up then I could ride with them. If I couldn’t catch up then I would do my own thing. I was able to barely catch a glimpse of their neon riding vests as they powered up Maine Street. As I continued to following them from way behind I decided it was time to hammer down. As a gained on the rear group I began to get nervous all over again. I kept telling myself if I caught up and passed the rear group I would have to go all the way and try my hardest to catch up with the front pack. Many times I told myself to stop but something else was pushing me forward. I passed the rear group and pushed hard to catch up to the front pack. I gained on them slowly and finally caught up. I only caught up with these Ironmen because they were taking it easy, thankfully. In the lead was Tom, Dominique, Kathy and Erik. They were so welcoming. Dominique filled me in on group riding etiquette which I was clueless about. I am very grateful to her.

  In the end I had one of the best rides ever. Group riding is totally amazing. For the first time ever I was able to draft…what a feeling. I have been on several group rides since and have enjoyed all of them. If my stupid nerves had gotten the best of me I would have missed out on one of my favorite training routines, group rides. Currently I ride with the group every Wednesday and Friday morning. I hope to catch up with them on the week-end too. It’s a bit of a problem since I don’t train on Saturday and the group does their long rides on Saturday. But somewhere down the line I am sure they will do a long ride on Sunday, until then my long rides are solo.

Smiles, Alicia

What to Or Not to Expect

Click, click…I was attached to my bike and it moved effortlessly with me everywhere I went, even into the ditch. Well, not really, but it sure felt like I was going to hurl myself into the ditch and still believe it will probably happen. What I don’t want to happen is an all out end-over-end crash while cruising as fast as my little legs will go downhill. So what’s the big deal you may ask…it’s called aerodynamics. Being in a tucked position with your elbows close together in the aerobars doesn’t give you nearly as much balance as the good old typical road bike position. I am making it into a bigger deal then it really is but it is honestly the only thing I am adjusting to on my tri bike. Everything else about my tri bike is far superior to my aluminum frame road bike. I absolutely love my Specialized.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first ride out. I have heard so many mixed opinions. Some say that tri bikes aren’t as comfortable as road bikes, while others say tri bikes are way more comfortable then road bikes. Before my first ride I was of the opinion that the tri bike would be faster but not as comfortable. I was right and wrong. The tri bike is faster AND way more comfortable mostly due to the fact that I was specifically fitted to the bike. I have never been fitted to a bike before and never knew the importance of having it done. If you haven’t been fitted to your bike I highly recommend it. In fact, it will make your riding experience a whole lot better. It’s worth the extra cash.

  As I continue to ride my Specialized I will continue to update you on all significant experiences. See you on the road.

Smiles, Alicia

A Visit From Russ

 Alarm went off, packed my bag, threw a piece of gum in my mouth, filled my water bottle and ran out the door. I drove down the highway in the pouring rain, reached the YMCA, ran in the building, stuffed my belongings in the locker, got my suit on and jumped in the pool. I reviewed my swim routine and started my warm up. I was right on schedule. Everything was going as planned. The more I got into my routine the more I got focused. Then something exciting happened. My faithful swim coach, Russ, jumped in my lane. Bless his heart, he got up super early just to swim with me. It meant the world to me. He watched my stroke, gave me some awesome tips and then lapped with me, over and over and over again. He pushed me, he encouraged me, he totally made my day. After awhile Russ got out of the pool and watched my stroke some more from the pool deck. He again encouraged me and gave me some more tips. When I started to lose my focus he would yell at me and refocus my attention. It really helped me push and work hard. I can get a bit lazy in the pool and really need Russ there to keep me on my toes.  It was so refreshing to meet up with Russ again!!! It had been a month since we met on the pool deck…way too long. Thank you Russ!!! I look forward to our next swim!!!

Setback # One

About 3 weeks ago I woke up in the morning with a slight sore throat. No big deal, I thought. I will just be sure to drink lots of water, eat healthy, and sleep. The sore throat slowly continued to get worse, at which point I figured I was getting my usual spring cold. It wasn't too much longer until I started to get a runny nose and cough. A week later I still had the same symptoms so I began to think I actually had allergies not a cold. Then I got a fever and a terrible cough. Next I started to tell that I had fluid in my chest. My cough was terrible sounding and my fever was annoying. I would totally soak through clothes and then I would freeze. I lived in the shower it seemed like.   Come-to-find-out I had developed bronchitis and since I waited too long to see a doctor I also got an ear infection. My mom got bronchitis as well but treated it ASAP so as to avoid the ear infections (smart lady). Two weeks later I still feel sick'ish.
   It's been a rough 2 weeks. I haven't been able to train at all and I can tell I have lost some of my cardio fitness as well as muscular strength. I feel like I am going to have to start my training all over again. It's such a frustrating feeling. Deep down inside I know I won't have to totally start over but it's still discouraging to feel the setback!!! I am sure this is just 1 of more setbacks to come in the next year of Ironman training. The important thing to remember is to keep going. Don't let setbacks get the better of you. Learn from them and use them to fuel the fire within to push harder and reach higher.
 So, setback number one, I can't wait for you to be history and to look back at the mishap and see how much you fueled my fire.
  My hope is to start training again this coming Monday. Hopefully by the end of the week-end I will finally be feeling 100%.
Stay well everyone.
Smiles, Alicia

The Ride: Specialized Transition and Bronchitis.

I had mixed feelings when I went to the store to finally pick up my first ever tri bike. I was excited and yet also hesitant spending that kind of money on a bike. It's important to mention that I did get an amazing deal on the bike but spending more than a couple hundred bucks is alot of money for me.
  It has been a dream of mine to get a tri bike for years. I never thought it would come true but would spend time dreaming about the moment. I always imagined myself being out-of-control excited and not able to sleep at night. That isn't exactly what happened. I was excited but was coming down with bronchitis. My first ever ride on the bike lasted about 5 minutes and ended with me gasping for air. I love the bike but just wish I could ride it. I haven't been able to train for about 7 days now due to the bronchitis. I just wheeze and sneeze and cough and hack and so on. It's miserable. I feel like all my hard training has gone down the toilet. Real bummer!!! Oh well, as soon as I get better I will push on!!!
 More about the bike...the bike is full carbon fiber and I ordered a special seat post to fit my body type and I ordered a female seat. Jay, the guy from the bike shop, fitted me to the bike and made many cuts on the bike to make it fit just right. We spent lots of time getting on and off the bike before bringing it home. He did a fantastic job meeting my needs, and making the bike comfortable. The bike isn't close to the top of the line but it's just perfect for what I will be doing. It is fully capable of giving me a great ride at Lake Placid!!! Yahoo!!!
  As soon as I get rid of this bronchitis I hope to hit the road and start conditioning again for my trial Lake Placid ride this summer.

  By the way, I bought the bike at Center Street Cycles. I love the shop and highly recommend them. We bought Tuck's first Specialized bike there and way back when I bought my first pink bike there. Pretty cool to keep going back to the same shop. Support locals!!!!
 I will write about my first ride as soon as the ride happens!!! I hear the first ride is painful, the second is sore and the third is fantastic!!! I will keep you up-to-date.

 For now I continue to make nasty noices with my cough...go away already bronchitis!!!!!!!! I don't hate much but I hate you bronchitis.

Smiles
:-)