The Lanterne Rouge

The morning started very slow today. It was much the way I think a Saturday or Sunday morning post-Ironman will feel. Today was a rest day, so we didn't have to get up to rush and work out. And... we weren't glued to the tv desperately hoping the Tour de France riders would pedal even faster so we could see who won the stage without making ourselves late for all of our other commitments for the day.

The 2007 Tour de France is over. (Which usually signals an end to my summer break, also... Ugh.) It was an exciting tour even without the cycling god, Lance Armstrong. Sure, it was really sad to see all the doping scandals. Mid-day our friend Kirk would call, "Have you been on Velonews.com? OMG! You're not going to believe what happened today!!!" But watching Contador and Rasmussen battle and then battle again, and then pull out one last effort up the mountains was exciting. Rasmussen was eventually thrown out of the tour in a potential scandal, and Alberto Contador, a young rider from Spain, went on to win. We sat glued during the final time trial in which Contador ultimately beat 2nd place finisher Cadel Evans by a mere 23 seconds!!!! Contador beat the third place finisher, American Levi Leipheimer, by only only 31 seconds!!!!

Let's put that in perspective--After 2206 miles and just over 91 hours of cycling, the winner only won by 23 seconds!!!! I went for a 75 mile bike ride yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I could have been dropped by 23 seconds in the first 23 seconds!!!!

And then there were the fantastic crashes!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3p0dmeecwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxYKWkq-GX4

I don't know where Big Tom Boonen came in the overall standings, but he had the most sprinting points in the end, and earned the honor of best sprinter. He won the award of dreamiest rider in my book long before the race ever started.

And a new personal favorite: "The Lanterne Rouge."

The "Lanterne Rouge" is the rider that finishes in last place, while still managing to stay in the race without getting booted for missing the time cut-offs. This person receives no prize money, only loud cheers by many passionate local fans. The Lanterne Rouge is named for the red tail lights on a caboose that indicate that no cars have been lost.

This years Lantern Rouge was Wim Vansevenant, a rider from Belgium on the Predictor-Lotto team. (If Cadel Evans had taken 1st instead of 2nd, it would have been a Predictor-Lotto sandwich!) And while we can hardly say that Wim did a pitiful job--after 2206 miles, he was just shy of four hours behind the leader. I know that I'm going to have people beat me by 2-3 hours in my 70.3 mile half iron-man in two weeks! And I'll probably have people beat me by 10 hours in my 140.6 Ironman!!!! Wow! 2206 miles!

Nonetheless, while riders like Michael Boogerd claim they have no time for such trivial matters as the Lanterne Rouge I say we should all unite and support those of us out there that can proclaim that WE ENDURED, WE PERSEVERED, WE TRAINED, AND WE FINISHED THE RACE!!!!!!

Here's to the potential "Lanterne Rouge" of the 5430 Long Course (me!) I might come in last place, but I haven't been sitting on my butt eating bon-bons to get there.

This week's workout totals:

Swim: 4.43 miles

Bike: 123.35 miles
Run: 15 miles

I'm a girl, and I obsess

Today I went for a 2 1/2 hour bike ride. I had two goals: 1) Take no rest breaks (with the exception of the stoplights by my house--I can't help those) and 2) Ride at a comfortable pace that I can sustain for a long period of time without stopping, a pace that leaves me with steam so I can run afterwards. (The rest of the season is not about "racing" it's about "surviving!")

Well, I succeeded at both my goals. I felt like a rider in the tour (sans the drug scandals) while I reached in my back pocket, grabbed a powerbar, downed half of it while riding. I'm also getting quite good at messing with my water bottles while on the bike, too. It was a good comfortable ride. I did almost 36 miles in 2 1/2 hours, which is good for an average Joe, but it isn't great for an aspiring triathlete. It worries me a bit for my upcoming half IM.

Isn't crazy that you can start obsessing about your next race while your body still aches from the last one?

Anyways, if I can swim oh, say, in 50 minutes. That's a realistic goal. At the bike pace I did today, I'm looking at almost a 4 hour bike ride. I think I need a minimum of 3 hours for the run (my half mary's without a swim and bike, in 70 degree weather, have all come in between 2:25 and 2:35.) I need to give myself at least 3 hours for the run and pray that it doesn't go even longer. That gives me a finish time around 7:50. Which is quite funny, because another blogger recently finished hers in 7:50 and she came in last. I run that risk. The other thing I worry about? My coach is coming to watch.

My coach has a couple of us that are doing the 5430 half IM, and one of his clients is currently getting certified to become a coach. I think she's pretty good. So he's going to have a couple of rock stars, and then the girl that comes in last place. That won't bode well for his bragging rights, but he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to take me on.

I read on somebody else's blog today - "A DNF (did not finish) is still better than a DNS (did not start)" and I don't intend to have either next to my name. If nothing else, I'm going to have numbers next to my name that state that I showed up, and I finished.

I just need to know that I'm going out there, and I'm going to do the best that I can do. It's still going to be a super achievement. You can do this Turtle! You can!

On another note-I noticed today that we're now 99 days out from Florida. We're no longer in the 3 digit numbers. That puts a little lump in my throat.

I did it! PR!!!!!!!

I did it! I set a new personal record on the Boulder Peak Course. I took eight minutes off last year (bike crash year) and 4:14 off my previous PR which I set two years ago!!!!!!!! I also learned some things along the way.

The Swim:

I had plenty of time to stand around before the swim. The transition area closed at 6:30 and I was in the last wave of females that didn't go off until 7:15. I thought my nerves would get the best of me, but it actually worked out well. I had lots of time to go to the bathroom, etc. Before I knew it, the wave before me was just about ready to go off. I jumped in the water to warm up, swam a bit, and felt good! I went over and stood around with all the other nervous women that I'm sure were thinking the same thing, "Can we just blow the horn already?"

I start towards the back of the pack because I'm not a super fast swimmer and I know it. The horn blows and everybody runs, jumps, splashes, we're in the water! Now my coach had told me to chill out the first half, and I could feel my heartrate jumping sky high. Yes, I got kicked in the face, I got hit, all the traditional good stuff, but nothing horrible. I realized I needed more oxygen to settle down. I started breathing every two strokes on my right side. I've been working the last two years on my bilateral breathing, but my heartrate dropped immediately when I started taking in more oxygen and breathing on one side. I worked so hard to teach myself to breath on both sides, but out the window it goes! (I ended up swimming about 70% unilateral and 30% bilateral.)

Now a funny thing happens to me as I'm swimming the first 500 meters or so--I'm truly jockeying for position. All the way to the first turn buoy! I'm in a mess of women! I'm usually left out to dry after the first 25 strokes!!! I'm kind of pumped about this! It's also kind of wavy. I think some boats must have went by or something. It's not ideal, but I'm kind of excited about it because I know this is good Ironman practice! And I'm doing just fine!!!!

I hit the first turn buoy. It's a sharp 90 degree turn. I turn and just swim. By the time I looked up to sight, I realized I didn't cut the turn sharp enough. I made more of a diagonal turn. I saw a school of women swimming upstream in a line farther over and they were now all passing me. That saddened me, but I looked at my watch, and I was making great time. I got myself reoriented and swam straight towards the next turn buoy. It, too, had a sharp 90 degree turn. Did I learn my lesson the first time? Apparently not. I did the same thing again. Only this time, when I realized what I did, I looked over and saw a freeway of orange caps (the men in the wave after me) and I was suddenly quite alright swimming outside the rush hour traffic lane.

I tried to get in a nice groove and even went back to bilateral breathing. There was one more turn buoy, and I DID learn my lesson on that one. I knew I lost some time when I shot past the buoys, and it was now the second half of the swim. I definitely started to push myself. I swam hard from the last buoy into shore. I refused to look at my watch until I hit the timing mat. I ran, I didn't walk up the sandy hill to the transition area! Did I do it???? Did I lose too much time???? Beep Beep went the transition mat. I looked down at my watch.

Swim Final: 35:42. 2005 swim time: 39:52.

I was pumped. I took four minutes off my swim!!! Yahoo!!!!!!

T1: I was able to do a couple of open water swims this year, and that paid off. I made a couple mental notes on how to get my wetsuit off in a timely manner. This was the easiest that puppy has ever come off. AND, there were still a lot of bikes left! There were still a lot of women in the water! Time: 2:21 2005: 2:21

The Bike:

As I left T1 one of the volunteers yelled at me. "Good luck! I worked with you at the sprint!" I didn't stop to look, but recognized the voice. See! Volunteering is just good Karma!!! I waved, yelled hi, and took off. I felt awesome. Calm down... Calm down I had to remind myself. The road out of the rez has some rolling hills. I never expected this out of myself, but I found myself in my aero bars right away. (Used them a lot!) Calm down. Calm down!!! It's all uphill after that. It's a slow gradual hill that has kicked my butt in years prior because I was tired from the swim. This year I just had to keep reminding myself to chill out.

The hill starts to get steeper... And steeper... Huff and Puff... Still getting steeper! Oh my goodness, did the road move this year????? Perfect Circles. Perfect Circles. I do okay on hills, so I'm passing just as many people as there are men passing me, which makes me feel good, but it's really hurting. My husband and I didn't get any training rides in up here this year... I've done some hills, but no serious hill training because Florida is FLAT! Near the top there were a bunch of people with cowbells and even some guys dressed up as devils cheering people on. That was really cool. I'm huffing and puffing so loud at this point!!! I looked down and suddenly see that I'm going 5.5 mph (at one point I was going 3.5 mph!!! Yes, it is possible to still stand upright at that speed!) Now I'm going 5.8, 6.0, ALRIGHT!!!! I'm gonna make it!!!! Old Stage plays some little tricks on you though. You think you're at the top, but you still have to travel uphill for awhile, just not at such a steep grade.

I skip the aid station at the top. I had some Clif Bloks tucked in my jersey (thanks to the Hubbardusky Athletic Supporters) and took in some water. Time to fly.... I pass the 35 mph police radar sign... I was going 35 so I slowed down to just under 30 (I get scared that fast anyways--they have a speed limit here because somebody was badly injured on the course a couple years ago.) Anyways, I'm flying. I pass the "Bear Crossing" sign (yep, somebody hit a bear flying down it last year!) I throw it in my big ring even though I haven't trained in my big gear this year. I'm feeling good.

There are some beautiful flat, flat sections after that, and after going uphill for so long, you feel like you're still flying. I don't know how fast I was going, because I switched my cycle computer at the top of Old Stage Hill. If I were going to PR I had to get it to 16.1 mph average pace. I did 16.0 the last two years, and I know that I always get tired on the last stretch, so I needed some cushion when I slowed down. (In retrospect I should have just left it recording time. What was I thinking?)

At the top of Old Stage I had an avg. of 10.5 mph. I just watched it climb the rest of the ride. I made sure to drink a lot and eat the rest of my Clif Bloks. I ended up yo-yoing with another girl on the course. She'd pass me, I'd pass her. After about the 4th time, I got a kick and yelled "Tag! You're it!" As I passed her. You never know how people will take that, but she was a good sport. She yelled something back when she passed me next. I beat her into transition, but she arrived shortly after. I told her at T2 "The run is all yours!" It's pretty typical for me to pass people on the bike and then see every one of them pass me on the run.

So, I'm riding strong and feeling good, eating, drinking. I'm coming up on Aid station #2. My goal was to grab some Gatorade at this station and make sure I drink it!!!!!! I am not bonking on the run today!!! I grab it, I squeeze... Nothing is coming out!!! I squeeze again... Nothing... NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! The volunteer pulled off the plastic wrap, but he forgot to pull off the styrofoam cap under the lid! NOOOOOO!!!! I need this! This is the first year I've actually gained enough bike handling skills to take my water bottles in and out of the bike cages, but this is too much for me to do while riding! Do I pull over? I try to twist the cap while it's in my cage, but the whole bottle just spins with the cap. Ugh. I need that Gatorade! So veering all over the road, I managed to get the lid off, pull off the styrofoam thingy, and put the lid on. I managed to keep riding while I did it. I didn't stop! I was so proud of myself!!! That was a big achievement for me!

After getting something to drink, I'm feeling good. My coach told me to push the second half of each event, so I decide to really push it. And I push it. And I pass people. And I pass more people. This is great!!!! I watched my avg. mph slowly go up and then it just kind of stuck at 15.9. Oh well, I PR'd in the swim, I'm okay if I don't PR on the bike. I get to the section of the road near the end where you ride along the highway. It's always windy, and while I don't think it's uphill, it always feels like it is. Only... I'm still flying on my bike... I'm not tired in the least! I'm feeling great! I'm still passing men right and left!!!! 16.0. I hit it! Then 16.1, then 16.2, and just before getting back to the rez, it says 16.3 mph! (Official came in at 16.4!) I PR'd on the bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bike Final: 1:35:19 2005: 1:37:25

T2: I had a Nalgene with some water in it. I drank a sip and then dumped half the bottle on my head. Ah, that felt good. Time to go! I added a minute to my T2 time this time, but I also had the farthest bike rack from both the bike entrance and run exit. So I'm not too worried about losing a minute here. Last time I had the rack closest to the bike entrance and run exit. It was more logistics than me sitting around in my lounge chair. Time 2:36 2005: 1:27

The Run:

I was absolutely pumped as I started the run. I PR'd on both the swim and bike and I was determined to do well on the run today. Slow down. Coach Eddie told me to especially make sure I start the run sloooow. At mile one I look down, 11:15. That's actually a really good race pace for me. If I can keep that pace, I'll PR on the run, too! And I'm forcing myself to go slow! Yahoo! About 1 1/2 miles I get little chills. Yeah, it's hot out. I see my husband running at me. I yell to let him know I PR'd on the swim. He slaps my hand but doesn't say anything. He's almost done and very tired at this point.

I don't start struggling until I get close to mile 3. I can feel myself getting slower. I'm even telling myself it's okay, I need to slow down so I can maintain. There is a girl in front of me that keeps stopping to walk, then as soon as she starts running she passes me again. She's wearing an outfit from a tri club in my area. I strike up a conversation with her. "We should hook up because we have similar pacing!" She comments, "Yeah, but you can manage to run the whole way!" That made me feel good, but I think she jinxed me. I always walk the aid stations and I'm okay with that. But at mile 3 1/2, my heart rate was just sky high. I stopped for a minute. Problem is that now there are fewer and fewer people on the course. I was the last of the women to leave this morning... Lots of people are walking... I'd push, I'd see someone walking, and my feet just seemed to like the idea. My head didn't and internally there was a battle between my brain and my feet, but my feet were winning.

I made it to mile 5. If I can run a ten minute mile, I'll break even on the run! I tried to push it, but still leave some in the tank to sprint out the end. I started huffing so hard I thought for sure I was going to hyperventilate. I stopped for a minute. The cool thing was that the pros were now into the last part of their race. So I did have the pro's passing me now. Didn't really motivate me though. Another age grouper came by and commented that in a rested sprint she couldn't run that fast. I agreed with her! I tried to pick up the pace again. I tried! I had to stop and catch my breath one more time. There it is! The finish line! People are cheering. I'm pushing, but deep down I know that my legs aren't going any faster. The announcer says my name, I tried to sprint, I really did, but I had nothing left. I stopped just after the finish line to bend over and catch my breath. My hands slid right off my knees because everything is sweaty. My husband yells to back up and pose by the finish line so he can take picture. I stand up, think about this for a miniscule of a second and walk away. Are you crazy? I want water. I want to sit down. Whatever picture he got will have to do. I'm done!

Run Final: 1:15:43 2005: 1:13:05

So... I'm now dizzy, tired, and happy because I knew that I PR'd. I know that I pushed hard and gave it everything I had. I know that when I do my half-ironman in three weeks, I'll attack it totally different. That one is just about surviving. I will go slow in that one (Is it really in three weeks? Agh!!!) Today I was driven to do my best time yet, and I did it. I've thought long and hard about that stupid run. I didn't bonk, I didn't, so why was it so hard? I'm sure the heat was part of it. It got up to 98 degrees. I think I just pushed my HR too high and it was that lactate thing. I gave it all I had. In retrospect, I realize that I only took two minutes off my bike. I thought it was more when I was out there. I can't help but wonder if I wasn't trying to be a rock star on my bike if I would have had more energy in the reserves for the run. Two minutes on the bike was hard to take off! I had to work hard for that two minutes. Losing the same two minutes on the run is reeeeeeally easy to lose. Just stop to walk twice and it's lost forever.

Oh well, I'm not "racing" anymore Olympic distance races this season. From here on out, it's just about surviving. So long as I can drag my butt across the finish line on the next one I'll have a new PR. I will take the bike sloooooow. But I'm pretty scared. No matter how slow I go on that bike, after 56 miles, I'm going to be tired. And 13.1 miles of running--it's going to be hard not to stop and walk. Why do I do this to myself?

Overall BP time: 3:31:44 2005: 3:35:58

And the picture of me crossing the finish line? In my new tri top and shorts that I bought with my birthday money from my mom and grandma? (Thanks mom!) This is it....

Apparently, everytime my father-in-law snapped a picture, he was actually turning the camera on and off. When my husband figured out what he was doing and showed him, I was crossing the finish line... That's why he wanted me to pose at the finish line... Just my luck.

Coach Eddie calls

Just got off the phone with my coach. I haven't heard from him much this past month because he's in the process of moving to Kona!!! Nonetheless, he did what a good coach should do. He pumped me up.

He agreed that I've been working pretty solidly building endurance, so he understands my concerns about speed this weekend. His advice was to start each event very comfortably. Half way through each event, if I'm feeling up to it, I should try to go faster, and then even faster if possible, then back it down again when I start the next event.

His motto: No expectations, only aspirations!

I like that. It's not a negative nancy comment, it's realistic, yet it's still positive. Thanks Coach!

Zillion thoughts at once

* We're on. We had a death in my husband's family and it looked like the Peak might not happen this weekend. Not sure how we were going to get there, but an impromptu trip to California was suddenly on the horizon. It kind of felt like a bike crash. You worked so hard to get to race day, but alas, you don't get to pass 'Go' (or Old Stage Hill) and you don't get to collect $200 (or the cool Boulder Peak race shirt and swag bag.) I was sad, but there's nothing you can do about it. You make triathlon your life, but believe it or not, there really are some things out there that are bigger. I realized that if the hubby went to Cali without me, I'd feel guilty, and that long lonely run into the finish line would be made that much more awful without the hubby cheering me in. Life. It's always good for a few curve balls.

But... after much roller coaster planning and emotions, we're now staying in town with a visit to California to be made at a later, calmer date. Boulder Peak, here we come!


* So, we're on again! The Peak. Let's see what we've got on deck this weekend:
- Several long steady miles uphill as we ascend to complete 2/3 of a mile at a 15% grade - Check!
- Some history with the Peak - Check!
- Lots of long slow training, but very little at the pace I'd like to be at this weekend- Check!
- A forecast of 100 degrees on Sunday - Check!
- The last female wave start in the race (= later, hotter, and lonely finish) - Check!
- Lots of pro athletes signed up that will start shortly after me, and will surely finish long before me, but I do get to check out their hot bods as they pass me on the course - Check!
- Big wave of men swimming right after me (more realistic to say they'll be swimming on top of me) Good Ironman washing machine start practice! - Check!
- Late start means a late arrival on the run course in the heat of the day - Running by myself long after everyone else finishes - More great Ironman training! - Check!
- Lots of freaking out on my part - Check!


*I'm so nervous. It's supposed to be a 100 on Sunday. Please, please don't let me completely die on that run course... I want to do well!!!!! Man I wish I knew how much to push/not push on my bike.

* And one last thought on a whim--Today was a moderately flat stage in the Tour de France. My man Big Tom gave a hard sprint finish and won the stage. *Eyelashes flutter flutter flutter*

Some Boulder Peak History

Okay, turns out mom is a loyal follower of the Triturtl blog, as evidenced by her confusion of the Hubbardusky corporate sponsorship. Matt and Dani will surely be floored to find out that she hasn't heard of the Hubbardusky corporation! She thought it was pretty neat that I had to wear corporate logos though! Boy, if only I were that cool!

So... As mom prepares for her first visit EVER to Florida this fall, and I prepare for my first triathlon this season (yikes! The stomach butterflies have started!) I'll share some Triturtl BOULDER PEAK triathlon history:

Four years ago -

the Triturtl says to soon-to-be-fiance, "I'm loving this triathlon thing. The Boulder Peak sounds really cool. I want to do that race."

Fiance's response? "You're absolutely, positively nuts!!!! Do you know what the people that do that crazy race look like? They're absolutely scary!!!! Have you seen the hill? Make me a deal, let's volunteer at it, and then if you still want to do it, we'll do it next year."

The deal was made, we helped out. I wanted to do it more than ever before...

Three years ago - With mule-like stubbornness, we signed up for the Boulder Peak. I was going to do this! Unfortunately, I also finished a master's degree that Spring and found myself in the midst of my wedding, honeymoon, and new job that summer. Training definitely didn't go as well as planned, but I tried my best and felt proud as can be that I just finished.

Finishing time: 3:49

Two years ago - No masters degree, no wedding, no new job. Trained more than ever before. I took fourteen minutes off my time. I was still pretty sad because overall I knew that my time wasn't anything to brag about. My husband reminded me that I made huge gains that summer and I should be absolutely proud of bettering myself. He reminded me that you'll ALWAYS find people much faster. You have to do the best YOU can do, not what anybody else can do. He was right. I did well for me. I even placed in the top ten (out of 17!) in the Athena division.

Finishing time: 3:35

Side note: 5430 Half-ironman is now tempting me... Hubby makes me volunteer before I can sign up. I'm hooked. I will be doing that race next summer!

One year ago - This was to be the summer of the half-ironman... Spring training starts out awesome! You know how most accidents happen five miles from your home? Yep... Bike crash, major road, less than five miles from home, May 31... Hadn't signed up for the half-ironman yet, because unlike this year, it didn't sell out early. Luckily I hadn't signed up yet. Boulder Peak was another story. I was already in for that one because it always sells out early. Since I slammed my shoulder on the pavement (gave me a whole new respect for the crashes in the Tour de France!) swimming was out of the question for a month and a half. I didn't start swimming again until two weeks prior to the race. I had started biking a little sooner, but not much. I did however, spend a good solid month power walking and doing some running with arm in sling...

So race day last year...

Swimming and biking will probably suffer. Under the circumstances, I'm okay with that. But I'm hoping I can do well on my run...

The result? Exactly, to the minute, same times as the year prior on the swim and bike, and four minutes slower on the run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finishing time: 3:39

Alas, here we are TODAY..................

The Boulder Peak is this Sunday. I've been training more than EVER before, but... I've been doing a lot of long distance stuff, and practicing at speeds that are way slower than my previous race times. Hmmm.... Will race mentality make me faster? Will the adage that you race the way you train hold true???? I'm thinking that it's a realistic goal to take two minutes off the swim. The bike? Not sure. Previous race splits will require that I push myself. And the worst part...... It's HOT here, folks. The run, my worst event anyways, is always hot, hot, hot!!!! It is also completely exposed. There is NO shade. The key is for me not to walk. But that's so hard when it's 96 degrees out (that's what happened last year.) It's looking like we'll have similar temps again this weekend. The balancing act exists here: I know I can push myself on the bike and do what I did the last two years, but I MUST save energy for that dreaded run that kills me every year. How much do you push? How much do you save?

Ahhhhhhhh........... The Boulder Peak Triathlon.

Hubbardsky Athletic Supporters

You know you have arrived when somebody believes in you enough to offer their sponsorship on your athletic prowess.

On our doorstep today I found a package.


The letter inside the package stated:

"Congratulations!!!!! You have been selected as the HUBBARDUSKY Sports Couple of the year.... Enclosed is a selection of energy and recovery aids assembled by our talented team... By using said items, you agreed to corporate sponsorship and will follow all terms and conditions, comply with corporate quality standards, and maintain proper hygiene.... You also agree to affix the enclosed professional decals on either or both of your bike and helmet at angles appropriate for optimal camera viewing... Our logo is professionally designed and crafted as a stylish addition to your athletic equipment and one you will obviously be proud to display...."

Now I can't tell you how very, VERY excited I am to have received the enclosed nutritional items. There is a post yet to be written on the costs of triathlon, and trying this or that nutritional supplement is a 'must do,' but a 'can't necessarily afford' for something I might not even like! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Hubbardusky corporation for allowing me the chance to try the Powerbar Endurance drink (I'm already a devout follower of the Recovery drink.) I've read the glory of both Clif Shot Bloks and Perpetuem, but have yet to try them!!! I can't tell you how thrilled I was to receive this package today!!!!!!!!!!!!

The corporate sponsorship that my husband and I have to bow down to, sell the name of our first born, and proudly wear?????????

Thanks Hubbardusky's! You're the best!!!!!!

p.s. Do you think you could have put a few more labels on the box for the mailman to see?

He's back in green!

He did it. He's back in green today!

I'll be a good girl now and leave big Tom out of my blog for awhile as they head into the mountains.

Oh to be a podium girl! Sigh..........

Ain't nothin

Went for a mid-week 2 1/2 hour ride today. It
was pretty boring really.

Big Tom dropped to second in the standings for the green jersey at the Tour de France today. Bummer. I wonder if he knows that there are married American women drooling over him right now... Sighhhh.

Go Tom!

Biker ramblings and some drooling!

The Tour de France started on Saturday. This can only mean two things: 1) It will be a GREAT tour because it started on my birthday, and 2) Absolutely nothing will be accomplished around our house for the next three weeks while my husband is glued to the "Vs." network.

Speaking of the tour... My Mr. McDreamy is in the green jersey today! Big Tom Boonen! Is he not the CUTEST cyclist ever!!!!!!!!

asdlfjlk;uli Oh, sorry, I had to wipe the drool off my keyboard......... Y'know, Robbie McEwen is a little cutie pie, too, but Tom's got the eyes and smile. Sigh................................

On to the ultimate amateur in cycling... Me. I'm done with my two week house sitting stint. I mention this for two reasons: 1) My husband said I could use the money I made to buy myself a new Garmin!!!!! So... the Garmin 301, or the newer version, the 305???? Powerbar has a $50 rebate coupon for the 305... Decision made! More to follow when it actually arrives this week in the mail! 2) I BONKED HARD ON MY LONG RUN THIS WEEKEND. Why? Because I was housesitting, and had no GU or water bottle to take with me on a 2 hour and 15 minute run! I know that was stupid. I had run clothes, shoes, etc. But when do you not have 5 empty water bottles rolling around your car at any given time???? Apparently I cleaned my car out recently. Huh.

Anyways, the long run started well enough. I took it super slow... So slow I've yet to mention publicly how slow I really am. The good thing was that I thought for sure I could pull a negative split. And I truly feel I could have if I had brought proper nutrition. Ladies and Gentlemen, this will NOT happen again!!!!! I had to walk a large portion of my last two miles because I was just spent. (I made it 10 miles in that time... You do the math... not good.)

Thoughts while running (I love having a blog because it gives me something to think about while running and biking--'I'll have to put that in my blog!'):

* I love Colorado (yes, that is a recurring theme.) I love to do my long runs in a canyon just outside of Denver. It's a dirt road that follows a river about 6 1/2 miles back. It's beautiful. In the wee morning hours it's filled with runners and some mountain bikers. As the day gets warmer, it's more mountain bikers, hikers, families, and fishermen. In the spring and fall, the big horn sheep will stroll down the canyon. Pretty cool stuff. It's usually too warm for them to come down in the summer, but there was one lonely big horn roaming around this past Saturday morning. Cool. Also saw a beautiful heron.

* While running in the canyon, I noticed three mountain bikers go by. Now these aren't your average mountain bikers (there are some single track trails at the end of the canyon.) Usually the bikers here are either hard core mountain bikers, or average family Joe's on their cruiser bikes just doing the fire road. Well these three guys were DEFINITELY road bikers on mountain bikes. How do I know? They were skinny little dudes with all the gear, EXCEPT the camelback! Why oh why do road bikers refuse to wear a Camelback? Why oh why do mountain bikers insist on it? I don't own a Camelback, but when I did the Triple Bypass (120 miles, 3 mountain passes in one day) I took a backpack with food and rain gear (and it did rain mid-afternoon) and people DID comment on my backpack... but I don't regret wearing it!

Thoughts while biking on Sunday:

* Ha! I brought a stack of GU today!!!! And you know what? I DIDN'T BONK!!!! Yeah for me!!!!! I'm gonna get this nutrition thing down!

* I only did 60 miles in almost five hours, I was really hoping for over 70, but I climbed Lookout Mountain and took on a couple thousand vertical feet (after already riding for 2 1/2 hours!.) I did way more up than I did down (can't wait to get the Garmin so I can document it!) AND I DIDN'T BONK!!!!! I'm patting myself on the back big time for this one!

* Yeah for me! I also got a flat tire going 30+ mph down the mountain. I pulled over. Fixed it all by myself. (Rear wheel! ha!) and off I went. Good job me!

* Another observation of macho men: the bike path crosses over the freeway a few times. At these lights, bikers will often gather and then the green light creates a "Who goes first?" dilemma. I'm slow, I know it, so I always let the guys in all the bike gear go first. So I'm at a light, bike gear guy arrives first, I arrive second, and two guys show up after me. The two guys are on road bikes, but one is wearing hiking shorts, and the other is wearing khaki's with a leather belt holding them up!!!! I'm no stud, but I'm in all my bike gear, I arrived second, doesn't it SEEM like I should go second? I totally paused to see what the two guys are gonna do, they don't hesitate for a second and take right off in front of me! Okay, I'm not a bike snob. I'm not! But once on the trail, they start riding like 5 mph talking!!!! They felt the need to cut me off for that garbage????? They did kick it in high gear later and went flying past me, but only after another girl came through. My husband said they didn't want to let TWO girls pass them. Who knows?

* Biker chivalry: So this leads me to note. Full-on biker dudes in all their glory are on a mission to ride and ride as fast as they can. No worries. I won't talk to you, I won't even look at you. I will not interfere with your game. But, if I'm at a light with a 40 something guy, that isn't completely hard core about it--he always talks to me. ALWAYS. Why is that? Not that I mind. I've met some really nice older men. Most ask me how far I'm going and tell me what they're riding, they let me go first when the light turns green, only to pass me once back on the trail. It's nice. And then there are the guys in their khaki pants and leather belts that feel the need to cut me off!!!! What the?

* So in all my maybe, kind of, male ego bashing... I did get asked out for the first time on my long ride this past weekend. Not by a biker, but by a guy in a car on a side neighborhood road. He did a U-turn, pulled up next to me, and told me I looked "pretty." Which is great because I'm in bike helmet, sunglasses, flat tube sticking out my back pocket making me look completely deformed, and he says I'm "pretty." Yeah, whatever! I'm very complimented by the offer for coffee, but let him know that my husband probably wouldn't approve. I look down and realize my bike gloves are hiding my wedding ring. I hope the guy doesn't feel too much like a smuck. I tried to be nice. He really did make my day... Now if only Tom Boonen would ride up beside me and make small conversation... Sigh...........

GO BIG TOM!!!!!!!

Recovery Weeks Rock!

As if it needs to be formally spoken--recovery weeks rock!!!! Why can't they all be like this? (Because you'd never improve! Duh!) Today I had to swim and run. My run was a 10 warm-up, 20 minutes pushing it, 10 minutes easy. It was soooooo nice!

Yesterday I did an open water swim. It made me excessively late for all 4th of July festivities, and in the end, I was tired, really late, really hungry, and smelled like lake water... I ended up not going to my friend's BBQ. Nobody ever said your social life would be at the top of it's game when you're training for an ironman.

Least favorite moment of the open water swim yesterday: You have to look up and sight a lot because there are other swimmers coming at you. I thought I saw someone in a white cap coming towards me. I continue sighting it. As I get closer, I see that it's a large DEAD fish floating in the water! Ugh!!!! Suddenly the water, I know you can't smell in the water, but I kid you not, all of a sudden the water smelled like fish!!! Ick! And of course I had to swim by that nasty fish two more times. It was 12 inches or bigger at least! I'm sure the smell was all in my head, but Yuck!!!!

Got in 3000 meters of open water swimming though! Took almost an hour and a half. That was with breaks. It makes me hopeful that I can do 4000 meters in two hours, just need to continue to work on it--and be able to have the endurance to do it without breaks. At one time, 2.4 miles of swimming was incomprehensible. I'm not saying two hours of swimming will be easy, it's going to be dog hard, but I'm starting to get my head around it and think that it might be humanly possible.

The latest

I think I'm doing well. No injuries. Hurrah! I'm following my training plan like clockwork, and I'm doing it. Still pretty worried about time. It's funny how friends that don't understand will tell me, "I can't believe how much you train. You can absolutely do it! You just have to win the mental game." That's nice, and to some degree they are right, but there is oh so much more that I need to do before I can get to the finish line on November 3 before 11:59 p.m.

I'm kind of excited about my Olympic race on July 22. The Boulder Peak. I also have my first ever half-ironman on Aug. 12. The 5430 Long Course. I'm excited, and scared. I'm putting the training in... I just don't know what will happen on those days.

I was thinking that my coach was really pushing me overboard on the training since I'm not working over the summer. I'm a little disheartened as I've done some searching, looked over other training programs, and looked at other blogs. I'm basically doing the distances I should be--just a slower than I should be. Here's what I had for last week:

Swim - 4.63 miles
Bike - 108.25 miles
Run - 19.25 miles
+ weights & core = 16:40 hours

Thoughts for the week:
- Had lunch with a coworker/marathon runner. It was SO awesome to talk to someone that gets training! She skipped the end-of-school year party because she had an important run to do that night. Alcohol is a big no-no when training is heavy. I was just so happy, I'm not a total freak.
- NEED to talk to my buddy that did IMmoo last year!!!!
- Summer is flying by. Relaxation time? Where is it?
- Long Sunday bike: 63 miles. It had me questioning how on earth I can do a 56 mile half IM w/o stopping.
- Liked the route for my long bike ride. Colorado is the best state ever!
- On lng bike I saw: 3 flat dead big snakes, rode over 1 baby not sure if it was dead snake, saw 1 flat frog, 2 mules--like the Eddy Murphy character in Shrek!, one Jeep with Mule butts in it that felt the need to scare the daylights out of me as they honked while going by, about 100 horses, about 400 cattle, about 25 goats, too many hills, a nice school teacher in my district that also likes to bike, and a Vitamin Cottage store strategically placed at my turn around! Yahoo!
- Don't like Vitamin Water
- Need to spend the $$$ to really get the ideal nutrition on my bike rides and get my plan formed. It's still not even close to figured out.
- Finally got the Bike Fitting. Only small tweaks needed!
- Aerobars are now on!!!! Pretty shaky using them, but I'll get there!
- Recovery week is next!!!!!!!!!!!!!