Swim....Run...

Another good training day! Tough workout at UCSD, today was sprint day. Nice long warm up and then... 8x75 all out @ 1:15. Tried to hold 53 but eventually was 54, 55's. Last one was agonizing. Arms are tired. 4400 yards. Refueled and headed out for a 30 minute run along Torrey Pines. Spectacular weather and beautiful view of the ocean. Was so hot I thought about taking a swim, until the 58 degree water lapped my feet and then not so much. Off to Starbucks, gotta love it and to the gym for some strength training. Last session of core was weak, there I was laying on the mat realizing I was about to fall asleep. Time to go and next thing I was stumbling around Vons looking for food of any kind. I actually ate a banana and then tried to pay for it. The look the checker gave me when the banana peel rolled along the belt was classic. I profusely apologized and offered $1, he was staring at me so I suggested weighing the other banana and charging me for that. Low fuel is not a good thing! Oh and to think it was all self inflicted. Since then I cannot stop eating.....yogurt, bananas, chicken and finally started on the cookies, something has to satiate me.

And then work....right gotta gets some done today. Got my HPN work done and then started on GO TRIbal....exciting project and we hope to launch it soon.

I still need to change the music in my iPod, playlists are too old, memorized them and how did Rockin Around the Christmas Tree sneak on there and why does it play every time I listed.

Procrastinating and decided to read the paper.....So the US is in a major recession, all I hear and read is record unemployment, layoffs, earnings down...and then I log onto nytimes.com and see this headline " Exxon Posts Record 2008 Profit Despite Slip in 4th Quarter" Gee what a surprise, think that $4.50/gallon had anything to do with it.

And before I go.....my dogs have the best darn life. Run, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep. If I slept 15 hours a day I would have the same energy they do in the afternoon.

Craig Alexander

Just returned from the SD TRI Club meeting and listened to an interview with Craig Alexander, IM World Champion 10/08. Very, very cool guy. So humble and so real. Inspirational indeed. He made one great comment about training, the difference between IM training and 70.3 is that 70.3 is always hard and intense. HA!! That is my problem, I spend too much time taking it easy. Amazing to hear him talk about 4-5 hour AM workout and maybe another 1-2 hours in the evening. 12 races in 2008! All 70.3's and 1 Amazing Ironman Win!!! He is so complimentary and appreciative of his wife and daughter- very refreshing.

Loving San Diego Weather!

Beautiful sunrise swim at UCSD! Even though today was IM day, which I personally dislike, the swim was wonderful, watching the sunrise and feeling the warmth. Warm weather is back. Sickie (UCSD Swim Coach) says IM builds character, so I ask how? Well he says...you dislike it right? Right I say, well when you do it, you then become stronger. Not sure if I buy it but it was good banter and we started the set. 4000 yards today, nothing really hard. Good recovery swim day I suppose. Lots of kicking these days in practice and I think that helps loosen up the quads and hammies from riding and running.Refueled with my new favorite, Henrys whole-wheat raspberry bars, and off to PQ Preserve for a 45 minute run. Warmed up and then cranked out 3 nice miles, 7:47, 7:37, 7:23, and easy back home. Nice tempo in the middle and reasonable pace for the rocks and potholes I was dodging. So I am rocking out to Toby Keith (ya, a little Country is good sometimes) and out runs a barking, jumping tiny dog. It was alarming, scared me to death, not that it would bite me, frankly I could have squashed it (not that I would) but just was startling. The dog was on a leash but it was like 100 feet long....hello zip your dog in! Says the person who usually runs with 2 dogs off leash. All in all great run, knees felt pretty good. Finished with KP and ART to get the knees 100%.Gotta get some work in. Priorities right....have to pay for the Triathlon habit somehow.

Great Western Loop

Awesome, awesome ride today! 3 hours and over 5000 ft of climbing. Great Western Loop is like a drug for me. Love the roads out there and it is so, spectacularly beautifully. Jen and I headed out at 8:30 and it was chilly- arm/leg warmers and full gloves. As we climbed it was getting warm and the sun was beating down on us. I felt great today, legs strong, bike newly tuned up so it was smooth and with the new chain it was nice. Jen rocked the Carlsbad 1/2 so she was felling it big time by the time we reached Fire truck Hill but she hung like a trooper. Screaming down the descent and I just had to add a bit so I went back up Jamul Drive, steep going up but great to get the extra mileage. My husband asks...why drive 40 minutes to ride when we live where we do. 1- 3 hour ride, stopped once at the light at the finish, continuous riding is hard to beat. Very little traffic and the views are spectacular. To be so close yet feel like we are riding out in the country.Starbucks at the finish and life is good. I started dreaming about the Iced Mocha on that last climb and enjoyed it on the way home.Life is good......and that is all for today. Well, other than work, life and other responsibilities!

Bikes

Thoughts on bikes.....Random thoughts

When training for hours and hours on a bike, often alone, I have sadly found that I begin talking to my bike. Am I totally nuts, or maybe others who are afflicted with this "sickness" called Ironman training do the same. The funny thing is I have 2 bikes- my road bike a Specialized Ruby, whom I naturally call Ruby and my new baby, my Tri Bike Kuoata Kaliber, whom I have not settled on a name but am rolling around K2.

See for me, my first real bike was the Ruby, just 2 years ago. Until then I was riding my 7 year of Fuji Mountain Bike that weighs in around 30 lbs. So you see, Ruby and I have been through a lot. She has seen so much, like when I forgot to unclip and fell onto the sidewalk, when she flatted out and I could not for the life of me change her tire, when I was not feeling so well in a race and made it rain on her. She is a good friend and a nice comfortable ride as well.

So K2 comes along...Why, well of course because I need an aero bike. "Need" something lighter, faster, stiffer, a racing bike. K2 is all of those things. He, seems like he is a he, and I spend long hours together preparing for IM. He is not sympathetic, he makes me work hard. When he flats, I promptly fix it and we are off, no wasting time, laughing about the old days. See he has only know me since I have gotten serious about this sport and sees his role as getting us to Kona.

Epic Ride

Email comes in from KP, my coach......

Inviting me to join him on a ride and here is what it says " I am looking to do my favorite epic San Diego ride Saturday. It's a long tough day. 110 miles, 10,000 feet of climbing and will really put us to the test. I can tell you, no women you compete against in your age group will have done such a ride. And very few PROS will have done such a ride.

I am in!!!!! We left at 8am, from Bear Valley off 15 and rode out past Wild Animal Park, Bandy Canyon and up to Ramona from the other side. Then out to Dudley's, turn left on 79, veer right at Lake Henshaw and go out to S2; go right to Anzo Borrego desert floor, over to 78, go right up Banner Grade to Julian, down from Julian to Santa Ysabel, to Ramona, through Ramona to Highland Valley. Up then down Highland Valley to 15, north to the start.

What a day!!! First time riding over 100 miles and it was epic. Great day- it is all coming together!

The Pefect Storm!

Thursday, 2-14.....On my training schedule was a 70 mile ride leaving from a point about 8 miles from the house, up to Santa Isabel, which is at about 3500 ft. Weather reports said cool but pretty good day in store. Light drizzle in the AM. When we started it was 44 degrees, typical for this time of year. We have on tights, full gloves and an extra layer on top. As we approached the first climb, I was hot, really hot, thinking I was overdressed. As we continued through Ramona it began to drizzle and the temperature began to drop. Around 2.5 hours into the ride, as we are approaching the final stretch to the turn around point, I feel needles on my face. Only to realize it is hailing. We hassle to the warmth and contemplate what our ride down will be like. After gulping coffee and hot chocolate we step out side and it was freezing, literally, Within minutes of riding the hail was stronger and the wind was picking up. We are creeping along still going on a bit of adrenaline, not understanding a major storm is moving in. We forged on and suddenly the painful needles subsided, only to be replaced with the wonderful sensation of snowflakes. Although not so wonderful at the time. We decided to keep riding and if it began to stick we would have to stop. Minutes later, it was sticking and we were starting to shake and it was clear we could not make it down. We pulled over in front of a big farm house to call Braman to come and rescue us, only to learn there is no cell service. At this point, we are soaking wet, shaking uncontrollably with snow packed on our gloves, in our helmets and filling our shoes. We ring the bell and a couple in their 70's opens the door welcomes us in by the fire and began serving us tea. We nearly dropped to the ground and kissed their feet. We reached Braman and gave our location and he was off to our rescue.

Shortly after our arrival, the woman's phone rings and we hear on her end "they are standing by my fire." Apparently, the women's daughter lives down the road and had called to say "Mom, you will never believe this, but 2 girls just rode by on bicycles in the snow." The wind was blowing with 30-40mph gusts and up to 10 inches of snow fell. The outdoor thermometer read 30 degrees when we arrived at Bill and Betty Ann's house.

Braman arrived 2 hours later with 2 stranded motorists, jackets for us and flowers for Betty Ann.

When I started my Ironman training so many people encouraged me to start a blog, they said, "you will be amazed at the stories and what you go through."