Done. And. Done.

Back in June, I signed up for a 70.3 triathlon in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. I was right in the middle of training for Barb's, probably in my peak fitness for the year, hopped up on endorphins and post-workout recovery shakes. The organization was basically giving entries away, and I couldn't pass up a $75 entry fee. Plus it would be a good redemption race if Barb's didn't go well. My parents also live in Phoenix, so bada-bing, badda-boom - killing two birds with one stone (triathlon and visit).

Barb's went great! So, heading into marathon training, I kept up with at least one bike and at least one swim per week, mostly for my sanity, but also thinking I might do this late-season triathlon. It started to occur to me that this marathon might be my last serious event for the year.

After Chicago, it is clear. I'm done. My official "season" has ended, and there is no reason to do a half Ironman distance event in November. No. Freakin'. Way. So, I'm going to hang up my wet suit, allow my Garmin collect some dust, and use less laundry detergent over the next couple of months.

DONE.

This is not to say I won't be training through the winter, I just won't focus my attention to any major events, milestones, etc. My dream of doing core workouts until I have rock hard abs this winter is probably not a reality either. It never is.

After the past two years of longer events, I decided that 2014 would be the Year of the Short Course Triathlon! I am still getting a little faster, so I might as well use this momentum to answer the question, "How fast can I get?" before my body begins to slow down. Part of this goal was also to qualify for USAT (USA Triathlon) Olympic Age Group National Championships in 2014. I actually qualified for 2013, but I dismissed it like one of those "Who's Who Among American... blah blah blah" books in which your name is listed so you'll buy a stupid overly-priced book with thousands of names printed in it. Turns out, USAT Nationals is kind of cool, it's a PR-worthy course, you get to see a bunch of pros, hang out in Milwaukee, drink beer after - and I missed it.

Since I age up on December 31st to the 35-39 age group, Nationals seemed like a good goal for 2014. Plus, 35-39 year old women are beasts, so I'd have to train smart and really bring my A game.

As it turns out, my 3rd place finish at Pacific Grove qualified me for 2014!

AND. DONE.

So, now what's my big goal for next year?

Chicago in Pictures

Welcome to the Expo. It was like an Expo. Very large. Lots of people sampling Powerbar. Race Expos are like Ikea; I can never find my way out. I've given up and now just resort to asking directions to the closest exit.

Running with Kenyans. Because the real thing would never actually happen.

Running Buddy and me. Some friendly Wisconsin-ites took this picture for us.

We took an architectural boat tour of the city. The skyline has changed so much since I was last there.

See, totally different. (Circa 1998)

Here's the information my Nike app had for the marathon. Unfortunately it won't give me mile splits. It would be good to know where I totally lost it, but alas. I finished.

Post race in Grant Park

The next day our results were posted in the Chicago Sun Times, and we went to Lincoln Park for brunch. This is my running buddy with her flight of French toast. This Batter and Berries restaurant in Lincoln Park was the bomb.com.

Chicken and waffles made me late to the airport for my flight home.

I sat next to some more Wisconsin-ites and their yappy dogs at the airport. I was glad they were not on my flight. Seattle, beware of Nancy and Tom Johnson and their dogs Lady Bug and whatever the other one's name was.

A new pair of running shoes await my return to running in a week or so.

 I had a race day red pedicure for the marathon. Possibly the last picture of my toes with all of the nails. Goodbye long toe toenail! See you next spring!

Chicago Fun Facts (Marathon Recap)

The Four "F"s
According to the architectural city boat tour guide, there are four stars on the Chicago flag, each of which represents an important event in Chicago history. 1) The building of Fort Dearborn (Which was built to fight Native Americans, and was burned down later by Native Americans), 2.) The Chicago Fire of 1871 (Which was wrongly blamed on a cow.), 3.) Worlds Fair 1893, 4.) Worlds Fair 1933.

Sears, ahem, Willis Tower
When I was growing up in Illinois, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world. The now Willis Tower is only the 11th tallest building in the world, and I can never seem to remember it's new name. The only thing I can think of is, "What you talkin' about Willis?" but my guess is that Gary Coleman has nothing to do with the renaming of this landmark.

In The Hipster Hood
Chicago has really awesome neighborhoods that need to be further explored. Wicker Park was lovely, and I hear Logan Square is where you can hang out with some hipsters. I thought hipsters were a San Francisco phenomenon, but I guess I was mistaken. Hipsters are everywhere, and they are still younger and cooler than me (apparently).

Oh Deer!
The night before the race, my running buddy and I ate at an Italian restaurant in Wicker Park for the pre-race carbo-load. We both ordered a polenta, which was poured onto a marble slab to harden, before it was smothered in yummy sauce. My sauce of choice - venison bolognese. That's right. When in the Midwest, eat something Midwestern! Bambi's mother was delicious. (Sorry veg friends.)

Going The (Extra) Mile
I forgot my Garmin for the race, and ended up using the Nike Running App on my iPhone. The app calculated my run to be 27.3 miles. Yes, almost a whole additional mile. Now, these apps are not perfect. I've known people who went for a little swim and their device recorded their swim to be 3x around the earth, but I have a feeling I could have cut a few more corners and saved myself a good 8 minutes. Also, it would be nice to know my mile splits, but it doesn't calculate those, so all I know is my best mile was 7:16 (wow!), and my slowest 10:14 (ouch!). I think I can guess which miles those were...

Chicago Playlist Regrets
My Chicago music mix was fine, but honestly I felt like I missed out on some of the experience. The great thing about this big city race is the excitement of the fans along the race course. It was/could have been more amazing. So many people cheering! I don't think I'll use my iPod again for a race.

Chicago Is More Gay Than San Francisco
I've now run races through Castro and Boystown (the gay neighborhoods of San Francisco and Chicago), and it is clear - Chicago totally out-gayed San Francisco. Their aid station was the best the best one on the course; it was themed "marriage" and they had a barrage of people in wedding attire, drag cheerleaders, and gay members of the marine corp performing a rifle routine. I expect better of you next time, San Francisco!

Best signs
"Don't pants the poop!"
"Don't poop (out)!"
"You run better than our Government"

Worst signs
"Hey Kenyan, you only beat my husband, because I let you." (Yep, doubt it.)
"The Kenyans are already drinking beer." (I doubt they drink much beer, which may be part of the reason they run so fast.)
"Smile if you aren't wearing any underwear." (Ok, it was funny at mile 1, but not so much the 10th time at mile 21.)

She Don't Use Jelly
I've never seen so much Vaseline on a race course. Granted, I've only run one other marathon. But, at the aid station you could readily get some lubricant as easily as a cup of Gatorade. These kind souls of volunteers held out cardboard with slabs, or sticks with gobs of Vaseline so it was easily accessible for those who "felt the burn" in those last 10 miles. Kind of gross. I was glad to be well lubricated. Oh, I'm sorry. TMI?

Negative Self Talk, Then Euphoria
At mile 22 I pretty much wanted to stop. I hated running. I think I started talking to myself out loud, berating myself, "How could you do this? You are not ready!" I probably had about 30 minutes of negative self talk after the race, and I almost passed out while waiting in the ridonkulously long gear check line. A nice guy helped me to put some ice on my neck, and the feeling passed. The next morning, although sore, I was like, "So, when is the next race?"

Post-Race Beer, etc.
They serve beer in the finishing shoot, like, right after you finish. The last thing I wanted 5 minutes after crossing the finish line was a beer. Maybe 45 minutes later. Also, they call the after-party the 27th Mile Post-Race Party for a reason. We must have walked a mile to Buckingham Fountain. So tired. (No, this is not the reason for the extra mile on the running app.)

Personal Record
I beat my marathon best by 10 minutes and 17 seconds.

Rank
8,544th place out of 40,230 runners? I'll take it.

Race Injury
For the first time in my running history, I may be losing a toe nail. Although ugly, I feel this is somewhat a badge of honor. Thank goodness it's close-toe shoe season.

Santa Clara in Chicago
I saw two people from my days at Santa Clara University. First, Chad Eschman, soon-to-be-famous playwright who just had a show performed on Broadway. Also, John Sabine, who happened to be performing in the Second City Show I was watching! Blast from the past.

Lincoln Park = Late
My running buddy and I traveled way out to Lincoln Park for brunch, and waited in line before devouring (my) chicken and waffle and (running buddy's) flight of french toast. This place was worth it. I missed my flight too. Yep, missed my flight for chicken and waffles. Can't say that has happened before.

Anxiety of slowing down.

Taper week, and I'm anxious. Again. This always happens right before, and right after a big event. What's more - after November I have very little on my calendar. There is an overwhelming, lingering sense of, "OMG! WTF am I going to do all winter??" which rapidly turns into the deeper question of, "WTF am I doing with my life?"

Yep, it's that strange. And I've been told that it is also normal. Here are some other questions that are making me anxious lately:

Chicago Marathon: Am I ready?
I damn well should be. I did the 20 mile training runs!

Will American Airlines make me late for the marathon?
This could happen. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the specific airline. Now I am jinxed. Great.

What do people do when they are not training? I'm so bored.
This week's training plan is 8 miles. Total. Then what am I going to do? I guess I could read or something. I always have half-read books on my nightstand: Catching Fire, The Alcatraz Swimmer's Manual, Chi Running (always good to review), oh and Malcolm Gladwell's new book is out! Now if I could only sit long enough to read without falling asleep, we'd be in business! (How did I ever get through graduate school?)

Why am I so damned hungry?
I am doing less it seems, but eating more. Why is that? I ate an extra breakfast burrito this morning. (They are small, but still.)

Is my skin getting old and wrinkly? 
Trying out a new cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Does any of this stuff really work, or should I just wash my face with soap and call it a day?

How will I afford new running shoes when my car insurance premium just went up?
Remember to heed the 10-second rule, even in stop-and-go traffic, even when people get in front of you. Hope the person in front of you is doing it too. Rear-ending someone is not fun.

How much money did I spend on triathlon-related stuff this year?
I've been fighting off the urge to add it up, because it might make me crazy.

Why don't humans hibernate like other animals?
I think we are really missing out on something here.

No more daylight?
I wake up. It's dark. Soon, I will leave work after dark too. Sigh.

Chicago Marathon Playlist

Loading my iPod with new "Chicago Inspired" tunes for the marathon next weekend! I have 4.1 hours of music to listen to, so let's hope I finish the marathon before my play list runs out.

I tried to find the most upbeat music, with different genres represented. You will not see anything by the popular Chicago band Fallout Boy because I think their music is terrible. And you will see that, despite my love for Kanye West's music (not Kanye himself), none of his new album made it on the play list either. Musicals are great, but again, not great for a running soundtrack, imho.

Enjoy this random sampling of tunes. If you have other ideas, lemme know!


1, 2, 3, 4 - Plain White T's

1979 - Smashing Pumpkins

25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago

Amazing - Kanye West

Battle Scars - Lupe Fiasco

Chicago - Sufjan Stevens

Chicago - Frank Sinatra

Don't Look Back - Boston
In the back of my mind, Boston is always there. In more ways than one.

Extraordinary - Liz Phair

Homecoming - Kanye West w/ Chris Martin

I believe I can fly - R. Kelly

In the Kitchen - Umphrey's McGee

Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters

My Kind of Town - Frank Sinatra

Never Know - Wilco

The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace

Renegade - Styx

Seether - Veruca Salt

September - Earth, Wind and Fire

Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco

Superfly - Curtis Mayfield

Superbowl Shuffle - 1984 Superbowl Champion Chicago Bears

Surrender - Cheap Trick

Sweet Home Chicago - Eric Clapton

Sweet Home Chicago - from Blues Brothers

Today - Smashing Pumpkins

21 Miles. Not so epic.

Did you hear about Ironman Lake Tahoe last weekend? Apparently, it was epic. With almost freezing temperatures, it was much more than the altitude these athletes had bargained for. While other sport fans were watching football and baseball on Sunday, I was glued to my computer most of the day, watching results for my colleagues in the the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club. I just can't care about million-dollar professional athletes, when I have been training with these epic people all year long. Wow.

How many more times can I say "epic" in this post? We shall see.

I wish I could have been there to support them. But, I did a swim relay on Saturday, and my last 20+ mile training run for Chicago on Sunday (between computer-stalking on the IMLT website). 

During the run, I tried to harness some inner strength from those in Tahoe. Solidarity. Or, as my Sass-girls like to call it, "Sass-idarity." Those brave souls risking the hypothermia to be an "Iron person" is just - wow! I tried to stifle my complaints, but damn. . . I really hate these long training runs. To epic proportions.

"If you hate it, then why do you do it?" 

Let's get a few things straight: 

1.)  I really enjoy triathlon training: it's challenging, I love the camaraderie, and seeing how it is making incremental improvements in my performance, mood, etc.

3.) The Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon last year was an awesome event. I am talking about the race itself, race day, running with a bunch of people, accepting water and electrolyte supplements from strangers, being in the finishing shoot with my friend, Christine. It was amazing! I wouldn't do Chicago if my first experience wasn't so awesome.

2.) I enjoy a good long training run. Give me 15 to 18 miles, and it's a good day. But, there is something about 20 that really sucks.

3.) Running for three hours or more is not the same as biking for 3 hours. Not even close. I even prefer swimming to these long training runs. I know. It's amazing, right? Who knew I'd be such a happy little fish.

Back to Sunday: my training goal was met - 21 miles. The first 8 felt terrible. But, then, I got lose, got funky, maybe focused a bit more, and finished. It wasn't that bad, and definitely not epic. I just is what it is. After a a few days of sitting on the good ole' tennis ball, my legs will be like new. Plus, I get to take it easy--ahem, easier for a couple of weeks. That is delightful.

This year, I am again reminded that training for a marathon is hard. Really hard. I can totally see why people put this on a bucket list, check it off, and never do it again. I keep saying this is my last marathon.

But, who knows? It could be completely epic! (I really hope it doesn't snow.)

Pacific Grove Sprint Triathon Recap (Seriously I'm still training for a marathon over here.)

Athlinks recently posed the following question on Facebook:

"How many events do you use to train for other events or experiment?"

Two years ago, I would have said, "zero." I only did events when I felt like I was ready for them. I would train hard for months, and that training would lead up to one big awesome run that I had put all of my energy into.

In the past two years, I've done at least 10 events that were just for fun, or experimental on some level. But, who am I kidding? Isn't it all an experiment?

Take last year's Turkey Trot 10k. I was still on my I-am-(half)-Ironwoman parade, and had just set a personal record for a 10k two weeks prior. "Ha!" I thought, "a 10k? I will nail this." About 2 miles into the race, I realized that it ain't happening, whereby I resorted to gawk at other runners, stop at a mimosa station, and give high-fives to children spectators. This day would not be lost on dead running legs!

Then there are days, like the Silicon Valley Triathlon where I use it to train for Wildflower, and ended up getting second in my age group. So, an experiment with surprising results. Unfortunately Wildflower, which I had trained for, didn't go well.

So, you see - it's ALL an experiment.

I signed up for the Pacific Grove Sprint Triathlon on a whim this year. It definitely wasn't a race that fit into marathon training. At. All. But, Pac Grove was my first triathlon two years ago, and I feel kind of nostalgic about swimming through a cold cove of kelp. Plus, it was the first year I could be there on a Sunday to do the sprint distance with my friends from the Mighty Broncos - the people who got me to sign up for my first triathlon two years ago.

According to the results from last year's sprint race, I thought the third place spot for my age group was attainable. I tried to put together a best-case scenario for the course. I honestly had no idea how long it would take me to swim .25 miles because I've never done it, so I timed myself at the pool one day and figured 8 minutes isn't too bad. As long as I could be closer to 19 mph on the bike, I could make up for my slower swim time. Then, I would need to run as close to 7 minute miles as possible. The run is only 2 measly little miles. How hard could that be? Hmmm.... I hadn't done any bricks workouts in weeks.

Then there were transitions.  For about a week, I considered no wet suit, and putting cage pedals on my bike to avoid another shoe change. I opted to do it the way I am used to. It's too cold to swim without a wet suit, not to mention kelp protection, and I would end up losing too much power on my bike without the proper shoes.

This whole thing was an experiment. My Garmin charger was misplaced, so I could only go off of how I felt. I wanted to see what I thought a full-out effort feels like for just over an hour. 1:10 would be a great time. Maybe at 1:06 I could podium (depends on the competition). . . could go either way.

Swim .25 miles: 8 minutes, 23 seconds
I got right in the front for the swim. "I'm slower, but people can climb over me," I thought. The kelp wasn't too bad this year (possibly mowed down by the Olympic distance race the day before), and the water was a balmy 60 degrees. I fought my way through a couple of people at the beginning, but I remembered that it was a short swim, so I tried to keep the momentum going.

Transition 1 (Swim to Bike): 2 minutes, 36 seconds
Pacific Grove has kind of a long transition from water to bike, so I was a little dizzy putting on my bike shoes, but I noticed there were still a lot of bikes on the rack. Translation: still a lot of people swimming. So, I'd better get going!

Bike 12 miles: 39 minutes, 23 seconds
Only a few men passed me on the bike. There are so many people doing multiple loops on this course, that I couldn't locate the other ladies in my age group. Translation = they were faster swimmers and already ahead of me. As long as I could hold my place, I was happy with that.

Transition 2 (Bike to Run): 1 minute, 23 seconds
Back to the bike to run transition, I was feeling feisty.

Run 2 miles: 14 minutes, 32 seconds
No excuses on this run. So I headed out for 2 laps of running as fast as possible. The first lap was pretty difficult, and the hill on the second half was enough to make me worry that my lead legs were going at a 10 minute pace. But, the second lap felt really good, and I felt confident that my time was under 1:10.

Overall time: 1 hour, 6 minutes, 21 seconds
A good race overall, and 3rd in my age group was just the icing on the cake. Tons of fun. It it worth mentioning that I was in the top 10 women overall, but also that there was a 15-year old, and a 12-year old girl in the top 10. Holy bejeezus! The 12-year old's swim split was faster than most of the men.

It almost makes me want a daughter. Almost.

I really like shorter distances, and think I could still improve a bit. Next year may be the year of short course triathlon. It would be awesome to go to nationals in my new 35-39 age group.

Now back to your regularly scheduled marathon training program. . .

3rd place in my Age Group. What will 35-39 bring next year?

Relay podium madness! I'm proud to know and love the people in the top two relay teams! Go Mighty Broncos!

Finally settled. 

A special shout out to my favorite German triathlon friend, Thomas. He had a really awesome race! Then he was robbed of a medal. (Ask him about it. I am protecting the innocent.)