Thursday, April 29, 2010

Race #1 of the Season: Cherry Creek Sneak

So I've been a bad blogger lately. BUT! I have a race report here AND all my Tucson photos are FINALLY online so I can do that long overdue post. So hopefully this weekend when I'm sad and lonely because Brandonpants isn't around for a while. :(

ANYWAY.

This past Sunday, Brandon and I ran the Cherry Creek Sneak for the third year in a row. However, this year was different in that we graduated from the 5K to the 5 mile.

We left with plenty of time to get down to Cherry Creek due to wanting to find parking before the streets were closed off ... because the 5K race started about an hour before the 5 miler. We found good street parking and wandered off to Starbucks for a pre-race snack of smoothies and oatmeal and used a nice indoor bathroom to poop (so nice).

I kind of forget the timeline here, but I think we went back to the car to get in our running stuff ... went back to the race start to port-o-potty it up and watch the 5K winners cross the line ... and then headed BACK to the car to drop off my long-sleeved pullover thingy because I was starting to get toasty. I think then we went back to the race start for good, use the port-o-potties one more time (the lines got a lot longer), stretch out a bit and start the race.

The first two, two and a half miles were familiar and on the same course as the 5K. The first mile was quicker than I thought it would be - 10:40. My calf was kind of ouchy, but it worked itself out. Mile two felt okay and we dropped our pace down five seconds per mile to a 10:35. Sometime in mile three, I accidentally stopped my watch when I ran into Brandon while trying to cheer someone's random crazy costume. So from that point on ... no idea on splits.

Mile three was fine ... and so was most of mile four. At one point, where the 5K runners would be turning right, us 5milers turned left and did a u-turn. After turning left (going west), we ran into a slight breeze while also going slightly uphill. I was pushing it quite a bit through this part (brandon even commented that i was booking it a little) to get out of the wind.

However, the turnaround, though it brought downhillish, also brought hot, stagnant sun. Which felt a lot worse than the breeze. It was at the water station in mile four where I really started to feel like crap, probably from going out too fast. Made it to the fourth mile marker and Brandon was feeling great ... while I didn't. Winding our way through Cherry Creek North for that last mile was brutal.

Still, I had just enough in me to sprint across the line ...


Photo courtesy FotoJack.com

I made it across the line in 51:24 ... good enough for a 10:16/mile pace ... which is officially my fastest mile pace for my starting race in ANY season. Woot. I know I bitch about running all the damn hills around here, but it really does pay off when I get to a flatter race course.

I just know I pushed it too hard because I had a mini asthma attack at the end. Le sigh.

Final tallies:
2182 of 3985 overall
202 of 370 in my age group
1018 of 2325 in my gender

Plus I got to use my time as a qualifier for the BolderBOULDER, so Brandon and I get to run in one of the cool waves that prove we can in theory run a 10K in under 68 minutes. Yep, we signed up for that today. Scary, but we're looking forward to the next challenge.

When life gives you lemons...

What exactly does that mean? When should you do when you get a really sour citrus fruit? Well...let's see...you can make lemonade (duh), add a garnish to your water, use the peel to make lemon chicken, etc. etc. etc.

Someone told me that exact phrase when I told them I was a little bummed about about my next step in life. You see, I got hired by Republic Airlines, which is the very same company that shut down the current company I work for, Lynx Aviation. I start training in two days...on a Saturday. Who starts training on a Saturday? I have to go to Indianapolis for 10 days, leaving my fiancee and other member of Team Baby Dinosaur back in Denver. I am going to be leaving my bike and pool behind. So yeah, I'm a little bummed out.

But...when life gives you lemons, right? Let's see what I can do with the lemons that have been given me:

- I get continuously paid...in other words, no unemployment, no missed time, etc.
- I am still going to be a pilot, which is really the only thing I know how to do in the professional world
- if airline training goes as fast as planned, I should still make my races this season
- I have the potential to get based in Denver
- I get to fly some pretty cool equipment
- I will still be running; training gives you a lot of downtime, which gives you a lot of time to think
- My sim partner and friend from Lynx is also coming over with me

So there are a lot of positives to take away...I just hope I can keep focused on those

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

First Race of the Season Recap

I know, I should have gotten to this earlier, but between preparing for a new job and wrapping up everything with the old job, it's kind of gotten pushed by the wayside...anyway...here we go.

Woke up that morning feeling pretty good. We dressed a little warmer because it was supposed to be only in the 40's by the time we were running that morning. Due to us running a little late, I ate my egg/raisin toast concoction in the car.

We got to Cherry Creek really early because we wanted to find good parking. We did just that and ventured over to a Starbucks, hoping to get some oatmeal and Vivannos. Finding none because the first Starbucks was stupid, we walked to another one, where we stocked up on what we needed. I also bought a newspaper to browse while we were killing time.

After we ate, we went back to the car and got into our running stuff. I wore my running shorts, my long sleeve running shirt, and my race belt. We then walked back to the race course where we could observe the leaders of the 5K coming in.

Then it was time for us to line up. Let me tell you something about longer distances. The people are a lot more intense. My lord. These people were not just "hehehehe, I'm running, yay!" These people are more focused and more determined. It kind of goes against everything that I have seen pre-race (sans the tri last year, of course).

We listened to the national anthem and then we were off. As usual, it was a cattle car for the first 1/2 mile. Jockeying for position, T and I didn't lose each other and settled into a nice groove. At the first mile, we were about a 10:40 pace. I asked her if she was doing good and she was. We kind of picked it up in the 2nd mile for a 10:35 pace. In the 3rd mile, it started warming up pretty good and the running traffic thinned out a bit. I definitely was holding up well and was just enjoying myself at that point.

Just before the 4th mile marker, T and I decided to hit the water station. Me, being both thirsty and needing to cool off, damn near sprinted to the tables to get some. T tried to keep up with me but was not able to. I slowed down after the water stop so she could catch up. I felt bad that I blazed ahead. We hung together until the final turn, where I sprinted ahead towards the finish. And I finished well. 51:23 for a 10:16 pace. I know I could have done better which is even more satisfying, but since T and I like running the Sneak together, no worries.

No muscle soreness, no knee pain. Next up: Bolder Boulder.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Finding Infinity

You're probably wondering...gahhh? Infinity?

You see, it's from a song I listen to...pretty much religiously. You may have heard of it...it's by Guru Josh Project and it's called...Infinity. I had heard this song in the past, but after watching the YouTube video of the 2008 Ironman coverage, it has become "my" song, if you will.

Watch the video. There's some pretty poignant moments in it. The cannon going off and the swim starting, Chris McCormack receiving a hug from his wife after his day is done due to a snapped bike cable, and Craig Alexander coming in to the finish and his wife and daughter hugging him after he crosses the line (I really like his wife's skirt). But the most meaningful moment is at 6:34 of the video. Chrissie Wellington is coming in for her 2nd consecutive year in 1st place. Watch the guy behind her. He points at her, as if to say, don't focus on me, focus on her.



So why am I bringing up Infinity? The best definition that I can find of the word is that it means no end. And I think of my training as infinity. It has no end. Yesterday, T and I crossed 6 miles for the first time all season. To think that last year, I don't think either of us hit 6 miles in our training. Think about that for a second.

I am striving to do the best job that I can. It's tough. It's hard. And it is requiring me to dig deep within my mental capacity to find something that is there. I'm leaning on all of you, my readers, for support. I'm leaning on the other team member of Team Baby Dinosaur. And I'm finding my infinity.

Go find yours.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Six Miles.

A lot of work has gotten me waaaaay behind on photo uploading, so the official Tucson post is still upcoming. HOWEVER, I wanted to blog about today.

Today was a 6.16 mile run.

This is the farthest I have EVER run.

I walked only twice. Sure, it was an 11:04/mile pace, but I DID IT. And I will be running many more this year.

Still scary to think that at one point this year I'll be running over 10 miles at a time ... right now I do that a week. But I have goals and ambitions and I will succeed. Both Brandon and I will succeed as Team Baby Dino.

But still, six miles. Yay!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

A great week of running

There are a couple things to talk about this week with running. Most of them good.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the wind sucks. It seems no runner likes the wind. We're no exception. This was the downside to this week. Dealing with stupid mother nature. However, the week definitely improved.

On Thursday, T and I ventured out for a 5 mile run together. This isn't the first time I have done a 5 miler this year; but it's the first one we've done together. It was not an easy 5 mile run, as no run is in Colorado. It was kind of toasty out, our first mile is pretty much all uphill, as was the last 1/2 of the run. We still trucked in with an 11:01 mile pace, which seems slow, but keep in mind we were looking for anything positive on that run. And there were many things that went well! Neither of us were hurt, neither one of us walked, and we both were just proud we finished that run.

Fast forward to yesterday. I ran a 4.12 mile loop that has given me lots of issues. I had recently e-mailed my friend, Dr. J over at Calorie Lab asking him about muscle fatigue while I was running. I basically explained that anything over 3 miles gives me major issues. Because it has been lately. As I explained to him, it's not the lungs that give me the issues, it's the muscles. Dr. J offered his insight, which included the surface I have been running on being too hard (mostly concrete), hitting my foot on the heel rather than midsole, and icing said areas when they are sore. I have been really focusing on hitting midsole lately, as well as just trying to put in more miles to get my muscles used to the pounding. And it's working! I got back from the 4.12 mile run and was surprised at my time.

I'm really starting to feel good running again. It's taken awhile, but just in time for our first race of the season, the Cherry Creek Sneak. This year, T and I are stepping it up to the 5 mile portion. Go us!

Also, a shout out to our friend over at Run, Lindsey Ann, Run for completing her first 5 mile run of the season. The girl is doing well; let's hear it for her!

By the way, in case you are wondering, I am in a good mood. I interviewed at Republic on Friday, the airline that cut Lynx for a preferential pilot position. And I got it. I'm just waiting now for a ground school slot. Even if I am waiting for a bit, it's ok. There's peace of mind. It's just relieving to know that I will continue my employment.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Musings

First off, I have run nearly 15 miles this week, easily my highest mileage total for the week. Surprisingly, I feel good. More on that tomorrow.

T and I were discussing triathletes and the importance of each leg. We were trying to figure out what is the most important leg of the event to do well in? Obviously you want to do well in all three, but if there was one leg of the three that you wanted to go the best, which one?

Me, personally, I'd want the swim to go the best. Not the best in terms of time, but the best in terms of feeling good and getting your triathlon off on the right foot. The swim basically sets the tone for the rest of your tri. You need to make it speedy to ensure you make the cutoff (in 140.6 and 70.3 events) yet you need to conserve energy to make sure you have the strength to finish your bike and run.

Thoughts?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Tired of the wind...

There are few things in exercise that I hate more than wind. Maybe having the pool shut down at the gym, but I digress.

No, the wind around Denver has been awful lately. Consistently it's been at 20 miles an hour for the last two-three weeks, and in many days it's howling over 30 miles an hour. Don't get me wrong, I understand springtime weather patterns. And I realize that I am probably over-exaggerating here, but believe me when I say that it's been consistently windy.

To make matters worse, every day I check the forecast for the next day. And sure enough, it brings promise of happiness and calm winds. Then by 9:00 am, nope! Trees are blowing around, the house makes funny noises, etc. And it really makes running a frustrating endeavor. Forget about cyling; I just want to run and the wind makes it not very enjoyable.

I know you can plan routes to have a tailwind on your back on the way home, but the majority of the routes around where we live have you running in between houses on the way home, rendering that point moot. And most of the time going out, you'd need to run uphill into the wind anyway. There isn't really a solution to this except to keep pounding the pavement, I guess...

Still...boo.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Hello from Tucson

Hi everyone!

We're in Tucson getting a little R and R with T's family. Our purpose of the trip, aside from getting said R and R, was going to the Tri Sports store. Because let's face it, it was time to get a wetsuit for our triathlons this year.

We went to the store and were greeted by a nice lady and a douchy guy. The douchy guy worked with me (boo) and the nice lady worked with T. He found a wetsuit that fit my specifics and took me to the fitting room. I put it on (it was a large) but it kind of bunched in the knees. Nonetheless, I hopped into the endless pool that they have and gave it a go. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had in a pool! There were two mirrors on the bottom of the pool that let you see your form and experience. I really looked good! My form looked solid and I looked kind of sexy in the suit, not gonna lie.

But that suit was just a little too big, so nice lady helped me get a smaller size (douchy guy left). The new suit was a ML (medium large and it fit much better. Tight in the knees, solid in the chest, and felt really really good. I hit the endless pool again (yay!) and felt much better in it.

After we got our suits off, nice lady hung them up for us and we browsed the store. I ended up getting a race belt, some body glide, and some new gels. The best part of all this is because it is the store's birthday weekend, we got 20% off! I got all this for about $225!!!!

I'm so pumped up! More to come later tonight after dinner but for now, just saying hi to all of you.

Hello from Tucson!

Hey everyone! This post is coming from Tucson, Ariz., where TBD is hanging out for an actual, real vacation for a change.

As with every vacation, working out has been a bit tricky, but this week hasn't been that bad so far.

Monday: swimming
Tuesday: Wii Fit aerobics/balance games (basically an off day)
Wednesday: swimming
Thursday: a lot of freaking driving. 12 hours of sitting in a car ... did try to keep stretching and stuff, but y'all know how road trips get.
Friday: short run. DEFINITELY not as long as either of us would have liked, but hey, we got out there.
Saturday (today): about 8 miles hiking in Sabino Canyon.

Today was also awesome for two other reasons:

One: We saw a few Ironmen (probably professionals) at the base of the canyon while waiting for the rest of our party. They were speaking French so they were either French or French-Canadian. We stared in awe and jealousy. However, we know that Tucson is prime training ground for pro triathletes so we weren't too surprised to see them there.

Two: We went to a super awesome tri store ... which was actually a minor reason for coming down here ... and we are now both the proud new owners of BlueSeventy wetsuits!

We've been thinking about investing in wetsuits for a while ... but didn't really want to do it back home in Colorado. Wetsuits are made to be worn in the water ... and most places aren't too cool with you buying something, trying it out, bringing it back saying, "oh, this didn't work so well" and trying to return it for something else. TriSports.com, however, has an endless pool on site so you can try out the wetsuit right there in the water to see if it fits properly IN THE WATER, in the element you'll be wearing it in. So awesome.

We also picked up some more crap ... one of which is a tri book I've been hoping to read for a while. I'll have pictures later ... probably next week ... of Tucson, the hike and of the wetsuits.

Cross your fingers for us and pray that we're able to get in a good run tomorrow, mmkay? Thanks.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Easter Happy Fun Time

Welcome all, to an Easter story. All times approximate.

7:15a - Attempt to wake up.

7:45a - Finally roll out of bed; pee, brush teeth, etc.

7:55a - Gather up clothes for Brandon

8:00a - Hop in car; drive to DIA

8:30a - Pick up Brandon from airport. Drive while he changes in the backseat.

8:50a - Exit E-470; head to Waffle House

9:10a - Consume fabulous, fabulous breakfast of hashbrowns, eggs, bacon and toast.

9:15a - Head to Starbucks.

9:30a - Arrive at Starbucks, annoy coworkers, eat blueberry waffles and drink coffee.

9:45a - Leave.

10:00a - Get home; search for Easter baskets.

Easter
With my basket!

Easter
Brandon with his basket ... and his best Steve in a Speedo impression. ;)

10:20a - Munch on some candy (mmmm, candy) and laze around for a little bit.

11:30a - Change into cycling stuff; pack up the car.

12:00p - Drop Brandon and bikes off at Platte trail entrance. Drive car to stupid far lot; hike back to trail, get shoes changed, etc.

12:15p - Get on trail. SPEED down to Hudson Gardens.

12:30p - Chill.
4.4 Ride
Brandon taking a breather.

4.4 Ride
Helping my lungs out. Still a bit cold for them ... and see the gorgeous jacket? That was a Christmas present from Brandon's parents. :)

12:45p - Realize that Brandon's iPod may still be back at the trailhead where we were getting ready. Hop on bikes and SPEED back.

1:00p - Do first check for iPod and see nothing. Brandon gets (understandably) upset and starts berating himself. I get mad and yell at him that he can just bike home.

1:07p - Do one last check and THANKFULLY!!!!! find said iPod ... some kind soul took it off the hood of the car he left it on and stuck it in the door handle where it was much less conspicuous. Say a silent prayer that there are still good people left in this world.

1:10p - Still cranky, stalk off back towards car which seems much further away, carrying bike so it doesn't get thorns or whatever in the tires from the dirt trail ... getting bruises on arm that are found a day later.

1:15p - Get back to car and realize that average cadence (91) and average speed (about 17mph) are AWESOME and much better than expected ... even on a fairly short ride (just under 7mi).

2:00p - Go to Einstein's and split a chicken bacon swiss sandwich on a bagel for lunch.

2:20p - Get back home. Unload bikes. Proceed to somehow hit bike into flip-flopped toe while taking it out of the back of the Rav. Break toenail.

2:30p - Start soaking feet in preparation for toenail surgery.

Dead Toenail.
Pre-toenail chopping.

Dead Toenail
Post-toenail chopping.

2:45p - Hang for a few minutes, updating workout logs (paper, Voomaxer) ... eat more chocolate.

3:30p - Force ourselves to get ready to run.

3:50p - Start 4.12mi run. Deal with warmer weather and crappy, miserable hills. Walk some up last stupid hill.

4:35p - Finally end run. Feel awful, but glad we did a longer run at the same time.

4:50p - SHOWER. SWEET, SWEET SHOWER

After that ... I don't remember the day's timeline. I do remember going to dinner at Mimi's Cafe (chicken and fruit ... mmmmmm ...) and finally getting to wonderful, wonderful bed. All in all, though, definitely one of the better workout days this year. :)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Spring Has Sprung ...

... in many ways.

First of all, happy belated Easter, everyone! Brandon and I had a great Easter including a double-up on workouts ... and I have PICTURES! ... but it's "late" and I have to be up ridiculously early so blog tomorrow.

In other random thoughts ...

* I think I like cold pools as opposed to warm ones. I know I bitched about the pool at 24 being 70 degrees ... but it was like 82 tonight and it SUCKED. After the first 100m, the cold's not so bad. The warm just sucks throughout the whole thing.

* Why is it so hard to force myself to lift? I LIKE lifting, I really do. I know I should and need to when training, especially in these early months to help build a solid base for my body/future training. It's just that ... I don't. Boo.

* TUCSON THIS WEEKEND! More importantly, TRI STORE this weekend! Brandon and I are planning on biting the bullet and getting wetsuits.

* USAT registration this week. MUST HAPPEN.

* I love my RoadID. I'm also beginning to love Brandon's Timex Ironman watch ... which disappoints me because I was hoping to hold out on getting a training watch. Now it's looking like I'll get one sooner rather than later.

* I need to sleep, so I'm shutting up now. Back again tomorrow (hopefully).

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Trying to make sense of all this...

It's April. April is bringing a lot of things to Team Baby Dinosaur, both good and bad. In a good sense, it's getting warmer in Colorado, which means more running outside and getting on our wonderful bikes. It means a vacation to Tuscon, which will equal hiking, swimming, and a trip to a triathlon store. It opens up our race season with the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 mile run. And, what could be most important of all, it means fresh fruit is going to be coming in droves, which means a better diet for both of us.

But April also brings uncertainty. I lose my job May 1st. I'm being forced to leave a company that I love. A place that I have cultivated some great relationships and really enjoyed myself. The worst part about this, I think, is that this isn't my fault. I took a gamble by coming to Lynx, of course. But there's no reason that gamble shouldn't have paid off. Lynx was supposed to grow, expand, and be a place I could probably settle down and call a career. Instead, Bryan Bedford decided jet service was more important then quality service in and out of very difficult mountain airports that save a LOT of fuel and generate a LOT of revenue.

This uncertainty is something I have experienced before and I bounced back, quickly. But this one is different. I have interviewed for two jobs in the past month and have gotten a thanks but no thanks from one and am still waiting to hear from another. What's more, I really don't want to be applying for any more at the moment since it's really tough to try to coordinate interview schedules while I'm still flying. I'm not a fan of calling in sick to go to job interviews.

Sometimes I wonder why this happened to me. Why did I strike out? But it's easy to feel sorry for myself. Imagine if I had that mentality on the tri! Oh no, my goggles came off. My tri is over. Oh no, I got a flat tire. My tri is over. No! All our readers know I'm way too stubborn to quit and give up. If I adopt the mentality of "woe is me" in my daily life, how will that translate in training and on race day? It'll translate awful!

I need to stay positive. Something will come along. To sound kind of egotistical, I believe in myself way too much to let this destroy me. And I know you all believe in me too. I'm not just letting myself down if I quit, I'm letting all of you down as well.

Along those lines, I recently had a root canal re-done. I developed an infection in there and it was giving me a lot of pain. Twice this week, I've tried running and both times found the tooth pain unbearable. I also couldn't swim because it was way too cold on the infection (it's not gone yet) and caused me too much pain. But yesterday I was able to run with very little pain. It was great. There was still some, but so what? There's going to be pain during my tri's as well. Am I supposed to just say oh it hurts oh well? No! I am paying good money to achieve what I call infinity. Why would I give up just because of a little pain? Shooting, blinding pain? Yeah, that's going to sideline me during training. But not a dull ache. No way.

April. Stepping it up. Making sense of everything.

Friday, April 2, 2010

March Round-Up

Almost late here, but I'm joining the party with my March recap.

March started out great. March started out wonderfully. I put in my longest week of mileage yet running (11 miles!), I dragged out the bike for the first time this year and I even swam.

And then the month started slipping. I played hockey for the first time in forever which was great. It also made me hurt in places I forgot existed so I kind of took a day or two off to recover. And then the Final Five trip to Minnesota happened and before I knew it ... the month was pretty much gone. 31 days in March and 16 of them were off days. That wouldn't be so bad except those off days came in a few giant clumps.

Now, the numbers:

Running: 25.91 miles (average went up about three seconds/mile)
Swimming: 2.11 miles (average went up like thirty seconds/mile)(3400m)(also had 400m of extraneous warm-ups/drills)
Cycling: 4.07 miles (just once; on the real bike)
Lifting: EPIC FAIL
Other: one night of hockey; one night of yoga

As you can probably imagine ... I'm glad March is done with. April's been tough already with the stupid winds and stupid freezing pool at 24 (70! degrees!), but I've swam once and toughed out a run. I was exhausted today (was having issues staying vertical) but said to myself, "Damnit T, you're running. And you're running three miles." So Brandon and I went. He said I looked like I was running with a purpose and, in some senses, I was.

First race is at the end of this month. It's go time.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Hi TBD readers! March recap time

Hello to our loyal readers out there!

Ok, it's time for March recap. I'll sum it up right now. It went poor. Why did it go poor? Numerous reasons:

- Job interviews and preparation
- Uncooperative weather
- A week-long vacation where we were really unable to do much
- Dental issues (me)

So as you can see, there were a lot of reasons I had a down month. And yes, I know it's not an excuse. But life REALLY decided to get in the way in March. Life, I really hate you sometimes.

Anyway, here's my totals from March:

- 4.7 miles of cycling (one time...and it was too cold out)
- 1.93 miles of swimming (adjusted my swimming schedule slightly)
- 22.67 miles of running

If you look at the archives, I ran more in March then I did in January or February, which is awesome. The downside is, the rest of my workouts didn't go as well. But there are some positives to take away. I ran over 5 miles for the first time this year, I still did some treadmill sprints, I began doing yoga more consistently, and I lifted more then I did in the previous two months.

Now, we're on to April. With a vacation planned to sunny Tuscon combined with the pressure of our first race of the season, I think T and I have a decent foundation to work with here. April is the month she and I need to really step it up.