In college, I used to love politics. I even majored in political science, but in the last 8 years I've been very disenfranchised with the American political system. Most frustrating to me is the fact that an individual can win the popular vote in the country but still lose the election.
And, the waters are muddier. The differences between the candidates are harder to see. The lines are drawn on the issues by party and not by the character and ideals of the people who seek election. As much as we claim to be a multiple party system, we are not. If you are not part of the democratic or republican party, you don't stand a chance in the race for the oval office. I really think we should have no parties at all - just people and their ideas. And we, as Americans, vote for the person with strong ideas, an ability to execute on those ideas and a strong moral character.
Times in this country are tougher than they have been in a very long time. Whoever is elected will have a tough road ahead of them and many, many challenges to tackle and overcome. I did not believe for awhile that any of the candidates who were vying for the presidency had what it would take to really lead this country in a way that it so desparately needs.
In recent weeks though, Barack Obama has emerged to be a man of strong character and leadership potential. I believe he can unite the country and make strides in improving the state of our great nation. As I wait for Barack Obama to speak after being announced President-Elect, I find that I am again excited and hopeful for the future of our country. And, to give credit where credit is due, John McCain is also quite the respectable man. He has served our country for such a long time and will continue to do so until he is unable. He gave a wonderful concession speech asking the country to stand behind Obama. He is also a man of strong character and a passion for our great nation.
Change is now. It's time to get our economy back on track. It's time to bring our troops home. It's time to focus on preserving this great country and world in which we live. It's time to improve health care so all Americans have access to health care. It's time for Americans to come together and rebuild the nation in which we live. And, it's time for Barack Obama.
**Of course, this is also historic in the fact that Obama will be our first African American president. Though it's a positive step for our country in terms of equality, I don't think Obama's color has anything to do with why he was elected or how he will perform as president. He won this election based on his character, not his color.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Look out Micheal Phelps....here I come.
I don't like to 'brag', but I am proud of the things I accomplish especially when I know how hard it was for me personally to get there. Swimming has not been easy for me. 3 years ago, I started swimming in a beginner's master swim class. I literally could not swim 25 yards without gasping for breath and really did not enjoy putting my face in the water. 4 months later I moved up to a Masters' swim class. I still swallowed a lot of water and the thought of ever doing flip turns regularly was something I believed to be unachievable. Another 1.5 years and I did the Ironman (a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run) with confidence. No matter what the end result of the race, I am always proud of how far I've come in the water.
For the last year, I've coasted through swim. No major improvements, aside from finally nailing those flip turns. Now they are so automatic, it would be weird not to do them. I recently signed up for Ironman 2009 and decided it's time to try and take my swimming to the next level. That means, I need to swim 3+ days per week to push my fitness up a notch in the pool. The last several weeks in the pool have been great. I've been pushing myself to new levels, focusing on technique and form and just really enjoying the water.
We have always done 'benchmarking' in swim to see how we are progressing. One event we do is a 400yard swim. The first time I did it, it took me 7:08. Then I dropped about 40 seconds and went down to a 6:25. Then I hovered around 6:05 for awhile, until I broke the 6 minute barrier. I have been at the level ever since....until today. I had my first 400TT in about 8 months and knew that I had gotten a little quicker in the water. I just had to hope it came together in the pool. Now, I realize that in the grand scheme of life, this little 400 timed swim in class means NOTHING. Yet, I still get nervous and have these stupid expectations for myself. I wish sometimes I could not care, but I do. It's just part of who I am.
I'm happy to say I knocked 10 seconds off my personal best and swam a 5:45! It was hard and it hurt, but I knew that I was swimming well.
I'm going to keep swimming 3+ days per week through the New Year to improve my swimming even further. I'm going to keep focused on technique and breathing. I can't wait for my next day in the pool.
For the last year, I've coasted through swim. No major improvements, aside from finally nailing those flip turns. Now they are so automatic, it would be weird not to do them. I recently signed up for Ironman 2009 and decided it's time to try and take my swimming to the next level. That means, I need to swim 3+ days per week to push my fitness up a notch in the pool. The last several weeks in the pool have been great. I've been pushing myself to new levels, focusing on technique and form and just really enjoying the water.
We have always done 'benchmarking' in swim to see how we are progressing. One event we do is a 400yard swim. The first time I did it, it took me 7:08. Then I dropped about 40 seconds and went down to a 6:25. Then I hovered around 6:05 for awhile, until I broke the 6 minute barrier. I have been at the level ever since....until today. I had my first 400TT in about 8 months and knew that I had gotten a little quicker in the water. I just had to hope it came together in the pool. Now, I realize that in the grand scheme of life, this little 400 timed swim in class means NOTHING. Yet, I still get nervous and have these stupid expectations for myself. I wish sometimes I could not care, but I do. It's just part of who I am.
I'm happy to say I knocked 10 seconds off my personal best and swam a 5:45! It was hard and it hurt, but I knew that I was swimming well.
I'm going to keep swimming 3+ days per week through the New Year to improve my swimming even further. I'm going to keep focused on technique and breathing. I can't wait for my next day in the pool.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Naughty, Naughty!
It's been nearly 2 months since I last posted and so much has happened! Here's the Top 10 events of the last 2 months, in no particular order.
1) Kassidy turned 1 year old!
2) I moved into a real house with Joe :)
3) First Aquathon ever!
4) Surprise 30th Birthday Party - courtesy of my parents and Joe
5) Visiting the Giant Sequoias in Kings Canyon National Park
6) Spending quality time with family!
7) Conquering some pretty tough climbs in the High Sierras (and sleeping with the Bears)
8) Long Runs and Bike Rides with David and Ally - IM 2009 here we come!
9) Celebrating 30 while climbing mountains with my wonderful boyfriend!
10) Celebrating love, family and friends!
1) Kassidy turned 1 year old!
2) I moved into a real house with Joe :)
3) First Aquathon ever!
4) Surprise 30th Birthday Party - courtesy of my parents and Joe
5) Visiting the Giant Sequoias in Kings Canyon National Park
6) Spending quality time with family!
7) Conquering some pretty tough climbs in the High Sierras (and sleeping with the Bears)
8) Long Runs and Bike Rides with David and Ally - IM 2009 here we come!
9) Celebrating 30 while climbing mountains with my wonderful boyfriend!
10) Celebrating love, family and friends!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Role Reversal....
It's official - Joe can now keep up with me on my road bike AND he can beat me...or should I say WHOOP me up the hills. Not sure I'm liking this role reversal.
I know I haven't posted in forever, but stayed tuned for:
High Cliff and Door County Race Reports
First Mountain Biking Experience
Hooray! New Camera :)
I've attached a few pictures.
Door County Half Ironman Finish with Ed
Annual Ping Pong Tournament at Cranberry Lake
Winner of the 2008 Cranberry Lake Ping Pong Tournament
I know I haven't posted in forever, but stayed tuned for:
High Cliff and Door County Race Reports
First Mountain Biking Experience
Hooray! New Camera :)
I've attached a few pictures.
Door County Half Ironman Finish with Ed
Annual Ping Pong Tournament at Cranberry Lake
Winner of the 2008 Cranberry Lake Ping Pong Tournament
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Race Report: Lake Mills Triathlon 2008
This one is a tradition. It was my first triathlon EVER in 2006 and has become an annual event for me. It's pretty much the first triathlon of the season and everyone is there. That is what makes Lake Mills a really fun tri. You get to see many of your friends whether they are competing or just hanging out.
Last year, I learned that I am a long course person. I like racing for longer distances and can typically stay strong for long periods of time before I get tired. Short stuff just isn't my thing. I never get in a groove really and well, it hurts. Lake Mills is a sprint tri, so I knew it was going to hurt.
The weather was perfect as usual. It was sunny, mild and light winds. A perfect day for any early summer triathlon. I found a good spot in transition and headed to registration. I waited to check in and saw many friends. It was really fun and reminded me why I LOVE doing this stuff.
Pre-Race
After getting my transition area organized, I put on my wetsuit, slapped on some body glide and headed to the Lake. I wanted to swim on the course and get used to the chilly water before the race kicked off. I'm very, VERY, VERY glad I did that. The water was icy cold on your face, hands and feet. I was actually shocked at how cold it was. I wondered if I would even get used it and I actually got nervous about my swim. I was in the 10th of 12 waves this year, so I had plenty of time to hang out in the water waiting to start. I saw quite a few friends, took a few pictures and mentally prepared myself for the race.
Swim - 1/4 mile
I positioned myself in the center this year, since our wave appeared larger then normal and most people were choosing the outside or inside to line up. The gun went off and it was on - 2008 tri season! I started swimming easy and relaxed, but was getting bumped, kicked, swam over. It was frustrating and annoying, but since I don't start aggressively it's something I have to deal with. By the time we hit the first buoy, I was ahead of the majority of my wave and swimming along smoothly. I eventually started to dodge people from the wave ahead of me. This was a little frustrating since a number of these people were doing a stroke other than freestyle. I managed to find another girl who was my speed in the water and she was carving us a nice swim lane towards shore. We stayed together until the shore and headed for T1.
T1
I tried to get through it as smoothly as possible, but luck wasn't on my side. My wetsuit was a struggle to get off, I broke something on my helmet and had trouble getting my bike off the rack. Shake it off and move along....
Bike- 15 miles
I really wanted to do well on the bike this year. I wanted to take a minute off of last year. I started out kinda easy and then 'dropped' the hammer so to speak. I tried to ride at 170 watts as best I could, avoid getting passed and be careful not to draft. I didn't feel horrible on the bike, but I didn't feel great either. I seemed to be doing a decent job of riding strong, since no one was passing me and I was passing most of the people I came upon. I ballparked the time on my watch since I didn't remember to hit the split button and thought I came in around 45 minutes. Not a minute faster than last year, but not too shabby either.
T2
T2 felt slow. I struggled getting my shoes on and just felt like it was forever before I set out on the run. I crossed the timing mat onto the run course, grabbed a cup of water and I was off
Run - 3.1 miles
My goal on the run was just to gut it out. I had just run the MadCity half a week before and didn't know if I was recovered or not. My legs felt like they were turning over fast and I tried to slow them down, but they just kept on moving. I was passing one person after another and knew I was running quickly. Only one person passed me on the run, which was a great feeling. Even though it was only 3 miles, I couldn't wait to get it over with. That's the bad part about doing a race 3 years in a row - when it hurts, you know exactly how far you have left to go.
I finished in 1:18:44. I was 1 minute, 14 seconds slower than last year. Kinda disappointing, but still a respectable time. Afterall, this isn't my distance and I'm ok with that. I was very happy to see a 12 second improvement in my swim and a personal best at the 5K distance for me! I knocked 40 seconds off of last year's 5K time. The bike was a disappointment. I was 2 minutes slower than last year. Oh well - it was still a really good day.
I was disappointed though. Joe was going to try and make it. He was working the night before and he wasn't sure if he'd get there or not. I never saw him on the course, so I assumed he hadn't made it.
I ran into some friends, exchanged race thoughts, grabbed a coke and went to pack my gear. I checked my phone. No call from Joe. I thought he would have at least called. While packing my bag, I got a text message. Maybe that was Joe - asking how my race was. I figured I'd check it when I was done packing my bag up. Then the phone rang and it was Joe.
Turns out - he did make it to the triathlon and had been waiting for me at the finish for 20 minutes! What a great surprise! He had missed me finish, but still was there to support me anyways. THAT was the best part of my entire day. I'm so thrilled that he was there - even if he never got to see me race.
Final Stats:
Swim: 7:32
T1: 1:42
Bike: 46:32
T2: 1:10
Run: 21:50
Total Time: 1:18:44
Gender Place: 19/269
AG Place: 6/38
Next BIG Race of the season is Saturday June 14th: Liberty Half Ironman in Maple Plain, MN.
Race Report: MadCity Half Marathon, May 25, 2008
Several weeks before the Madison Half Marathon, I was actually excited to run it. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but the 2008 race season was under way and I wanted to see how my training was progressing.
In the days preceding the race, I wasn't feeling very well. I actually thought I was coming down with something, so I had really lowered my expectations. Along with lower expectations, came lower excitement. I hit the point where I had no desire to run the race, but I paid for it and I had some friends doing it. Might as well give it shot. The worst that can happen is I don't feel well and run slower or god forbid, DNF.
Race morning arrived and I headed downtown for the race bright and early. The weather was looking good and I felt somewhat better than I had previously. I scored on parking and managed to find a port-o-potty right next to my car. It was pretty gross actually and sort of tipped when you sat down. I headed up to the square expecting to run into the many friends I had running the race, but I wasn't finding anyone for awhile. Finally, I started bumping into people. Once you find one person, you'll likely meet up with everyone else you know as well.
I ran into my training partner and friend Mary as were doing a final bathroom stop (this time MUCH cleaner and no tipping). We dropped off our gear bags and started to head to the starting line when I ran into David and Allison. David and I finished both High Cliff and Ironman together last year and have since become friends. We had dinner the night before and I was happy to see us all end up starting the race together as well.
The gun went off and we had a downhill start. Within a minute or two of starting some woman fell and hit the ground pretty hard. There was a lot of crowding and people not lining up by their pace, not watching where they were going, etc...I looked back as she fell and kept on running. I felt bad, but there were several people helping her out. I doubt she wanted 10 people huddled over her.
Almost immediately, I knew I was going to need another bathroom stop. I couldn't believe it. This usually doesn't happen to me during a running race, but I had to suck it up and find the first port-o-potty I could on the course. It came just under 8 minutes and 1 mile into the race. I made a dash for it and 1 minute later I was back on the course. By stopping, I had lost Mary and Allison. And David had taken off like a bat outta hell, so he was long gone. I just tried to run as consistently as I possibly could and only hoped to make up that minute on Mary/Allison at some point.
At Mile 2, I found Mary. We pushed ahead and weaved through the crowd. Eventually I split off from Mary and just tried to settle in. I knew I was really close to running an 8 minute pace. I hoped to run under 1:45, if I was feeling well. I took this as a good sign and just tried to hold that pace as long as I could. The miles ticked by....Mile 3, Mile 4....I found my friend Petra (who was looking strong!), we exchanged greetings and I kept moving forward. Mile 5....Mile 6.....
I didn't remember the course being so hilly, but I was pleased to see that I was maintaining my pace despite the hills and despite how I felt earlier in the week. I went back and forth for awhile with a girl in bright pink shorts. She'd power up the hills and relax on the flats. I'd relax on the hills and power through the flats. Eventually she got ahead of me and stayed there. But, I didn't care. I just wanted to hold my pace and finish the race.
Mile 7 and Mile 8 included a long uphill run on Monroe street. It was cruel, but the end was in sight. Then, another uphill....and then a downhill. This downhill was steep and so it wasn't really good to my quads. Still, I thought about how I'd be making the final turn back towards the finish line. Nope, just kidding. Instead, we had to turn right, run 1/4 mile down a trail, turn around and come back. Lame...and mentally it sucked. Fortunately I had my friend Ed to bring a smile to my face, offer some words of encouragement and even run with me for a few steps. I needed the encouragement then, because I was getting tired and really, really, really wanted to slow down.
Mile 9....anytime now I was expecting to see Joe on his mountain bike. Mile 10 and it was time to go over the pedestrian bridge. It's like the race directors felt as though we hadn't had a hill in awhile. As I crested the bridge, I saw Joe on the other side waiting for me. It was a relief to see him. He pedaled alongside me for a bit talking to me about my race. I was dead tired, but still moving at my slightly sub 8 minute pace. Joe biked on up ahead to wait for me just past Mile 11.
I caught up with my friend Becky and we ran a few steps together. I knew Joe wasn't far away and he had company. His friend Joe and son Zen were also there to see me run. Zen is the most adorable little boy and it was a blast running by him. Joe snapped a picture as I cruised on by. Right after seeing the guys, I passed the Fleet Feet tent and saw many friends. It felt great and I was only 1.5 miles from the finish. Then, it felt like I hit a wall. I looked at my watch, did the math and knew I had to run at an 8:20 pace to break 1:45. Somehow, I had built myself a buffer of time. At this point in the run, it was nice to know I had it. The final mile just ticked on by. Before I knew it, I was in the last 1/4 mile of the race. Joe was there again to cheer me on and I was going to have an even better race than I expected.
As I headed for the finish line, I saw David about 30 feet in front of me. Knowing how competitive David is, I made my way up to him. I considered being sneaky and blowing by him at the last second. But, I couldn't do that. I made him aware of my presence by yelling at him. David looked completely surprised and sprinted like mad for the finish. My calves cramped up and I cranked out the last 20 yards as best I could. Final time: 1:44:06....I was only 36 seconds off a personal best. Just to think - if I hadn't been in the port-o-potty at Mile 1 for a minute...
Each time I race, I learn something new about myself and my training. This time I learned that having a few bad days doesn't mean you are going to have a bad race. I learned that mentally I can hang on, even when I want to slow down and ease the pain. I got closer to perfecting the skill of talking myself into accepting more pain for end glory. Not only do we learn new lessons, but old ones are reinforced. The best part of any race day is the people - your friends, family, spectators, other athletes, etc...
This run was a great gauge of my run fitness for the start of my summer races. Check out my Lake Mills Triathlon Race Report - 2008.
In the days preceding the race, I wasn't feeling very well. I actually thought I was coming down with something, so I had really lowered my expectations. Along with lower expectations, came lower excitement. I hit the point where I had no desire to run the race, but I paid for it and I had some friends doing it. Might as well give it shot. The worst that can happen is I don't feel well and run slower or god forbid, DNF.
Race morning arrived and I headed downtown for the race bright and early. The weather was looking good and I felt somewhat better than I had previously. I scored on parking and managed to find a port-o-potty right next to my car. It was pretty gross actually and sort of tipped when you sat down. I headed up to the square expecting to run into the many friends I had running the race, but I wasn't finding anyone for awhile. Finally, I started bumping into people. Once you find one person, you'll likely meet up with everyone else you know as well.
I ran into my training partner and friend Mary as were doing a final bathroom stop (this time MUCH cleaner and no tipping). We dropped off our gear bags and started to head to the starting line when I ran into David and Allison. David and I finished both High Cliff and Ironman together last year and have since become friends. We had dinner the night before and I was happy to see us all end up starting the race together as well.
The gun went off and we had a downhill start. Within a minute or two of starting some woman fell and hit the ground pretty hard. There was a lot of crowding and people not lining up by their pace, not watching where they were going, etc...I looked back as she fell and kept on running. I felt bad, but there were several people helping her out. I doubt she wanted 10 people huddled over her.
Almost immediately, I knew I was going to need another bathroom stop. I couldn't believe it. This usually doesn't happen to me during a running race, but I had to suck it up and find the first port-o-potty I could on the course. It came just under 8 minutes and 1 mile into the race. I made a dash for it and 1 minute later I was back on the course. By stopping, I had lost Mary and Allison. And David had taken off like a bat outta hell, so he was long gone. I just tried to run as consistently as I possibly could and only hoped to make up that minute on Mary/Allison at some point.
At Mile 2, I found Mary. We pushed ahead and weaved through the crowd. Eventually I split off from Mary and just tried to settle in. I knew I was really close to running an 8 minute pace. I hoped to run under 1:45, if I was feeling well. I took this as a good sign and just tried to hold that pace as long as I could. The miles ticked by....Mile 3, Mile 4....I found my friend Petra (who was looking strong!), we exchanged greetings and I kept moving forward. Mile 5....Mile 6.....
I didn't remember the course being so hilly, but I was pleased to see that I was maintaining my pace despite the hills and despite how I felt earlier in the week. I went back and forth for awhile with a girl in bright pink shorts. She'd power up the hills and relax on the flats. I'd relax on the hills and power through the flats. Eventually she got ahead of me and stayed there. But, I didn't care. I just wanted to hold my pace and finish the race.
Mile 7 and Mile 8 included a long uphill run on Monroe street. It was cruel, but the end was in sight. Then, another uphill....and then a downhill. This downhill was steep and so it wasn't really good to my quads. Still, I thought about how I'd be making the final turn back towards the finish line. Nope, just kidding. Instead, we had to turn right, run 1/4 mile down a trail, turn around and come back. Lame...and mentally it sucked. Fortunately I had my friend Ed to bring a smile to my face, offer some words of encouragement and even run with me for a few steps. I needed the encouragement then, because I was getting tired and really, really, really wanted to slow down.
Mile 9....anytime now I was expecting to see Joe on his mountain bike. Mile 10 and it was time to go over the pedestrian bridge. It's like the race directors felt as though we hadn't had a hill in awhile. As I crested the bridge, I saw Joe on the other side waiting for me. It was a relief to see him. He pedaled alongside me for a bit talking to me about my race. I was dead tired, but still moving at my slightly sub 8 minute pace. Joe biked on up ahead to wait for me just past Mile 11.
I caught up with my friend Becky and we ran a few steps together. I knew Joe wasn't far away and he had company. His friend Joe and son Zen were also there to see me run. Zen is the most adorable little boy and it was a blast running by him. Joe snapped a picture as I cruised on by. Right after seeing the guys, I passed the Fleet Feet tent and saw many friends. It felt great and I was only 1.5 miles from the finish. Then, it felt like I hit a wall. I looked at my watch, did the math and knew I had to run at an 8:20 pace to break 1:45. Somehow, I had built myself a buffer of time. At this point in the run, it was nice to know I had it. The final mile just ticked on by. Before I knew it, I was in the last 1/4 mile of the race. Joe was there again to cheer me on and I was going to have an even better race than I expected.
As I headed for the finish line, I saw David about 30 feet in front of me. Knowing how competitive David is, I made my way up to him. I considered being sneaky and blowing by him at the last second. But, I couldn't do that. I made him aware of my presence by yelling at him. David looked completely surprised and sprinted like mad for the finish. My calves cramped up and I cranked out the last 20 yards as best I could. Final time: 1:44:06....I was only 36 seconds off a personal best. Just to think - if I hadn't been in the port-o-potty at Mile 1 for a minute...
Each time I race, I learn something new about myself and my training. This time I learned that having a few bad days doesn't mean you are going to have a bad race. I learned that mentally I can hang on, even when I want to slow down and ease the pain. I got closer to perfecting the skill of talking myself into accepting more pain for end glory. Not only do we learn new lessons, but old ones are reinforced. The best part of any race day is the people - your friends, family, spectators, other athletes, etc...
This run was a great gauge of my run fitness for the start of my summer races. Check out my Lake Mills Triathlon Race Report - 2008.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Busy, Busy...and kinda lazy too!
I haven't written in nearly 6 weeks and I know it's completely unacceptable since there are SO many people following my every move. I'm gonna run through the highlights and then commit to writing a few race reports.
1) NEW JOB! In a very unexpected turn of events, I managed to find a brand new job that I'm pretty excited about. I finished my full time work at Saris yesterday and will start my new job with TeamSoft next Monday. I'll be back in the world of consulting, which will be a major change of pace for me, but overall a very good change for my career and my life.
2) RACES! I've competed in 3 races in the last 6 weeks. The first was the CrazyLegs Classic - a Madison tradition. It's an 8K (5 mile) run that goes through beautiful downtown Madison and finishes on the 50 yard line of Camp Randall. I had an awesome time running it with my friend Steve Donovan. We kinda cruised through it with no real plan or no urge to race. In the last mile though, we kicked it up a notch and with some help from a tailwind we cranked out a 7:10 mile to finish the run in under 40 minutes. Of course, we celebrated with a beer afterwards. But alas the weather was nasty - windy and cold, so we headed out and went on with our days.
I'll write up race reports (see, here's the commitment to write more!) for the Madison Half Marathon and the Lake Mills Triathlon.
3) BOWLING! Joe, Jason and I have started a bowling league in Madison. Yes, we are officially dorks. Each week we head to Dream Lanes to bowl on league night. As part of the league deal, we get to bowl for free all summer long so typically we end up at the bowling alley more than once week. And, if that doesn't sound dorky enough...Joe and I have had some bowling lessons from our bowling coach. Oh yeah, we are COOL.
Other fun things coming up: a weekend in Door County with Joe, Liberty Half Ironman, Father's Day, Cranberry Lake Weekend.....
Stay Tuned for those race reports!
1) NEW JOB! In a very unexpected turn of events, I managed to find a brand new job that I'm pretty excited about. I finished my full time work at Saris yesterday and will start my new job with TeamSoft next Monday. I'll be back in the world of consulting, which will be a major change of pace for me, but overall a very good change for my career and my life.
2) RACES! I've competed in 3 races in the last 6 weeks. The first was the CrazyLegs Classic - a Madison tradition. It's an 8K (5 mile) run that goes through beautiful downtown Madison and finishes on the 50 yard line of Camp Randall. I had an awesome time running it with my friend Steve Donovan. We kinda cruised through it with no real plan or no urge to race. In the last mile though, we kicked it up a notch and with some help from a tailwind we cranked out a 7:10 mile to finish the run in under 40 minutes. Of course, we celebrated with a beer afterwards. But alas the weather was nasty - windy and cold, so we headed out and went on with our days.
I'll write up race reports (see, here's the commitment to write more!) for the Madison Half Marathon and the Lake Mills Triathlon.
3) BOWLING! Joe, Jason and I have started a bowling league in Madison. Yes, we are officially dorks. Each week we head to Dream Lanes to bowl on league night. As part of the league deal, we get to bowl for free all summer long so typically we end up at the bowling alley more than once week. And, if that doesn't sound dorky enough...Joe and I have had some bowling lessons from our bowling coach. Oh yeah, we are COOL.
Other fun things coming up: a weekend in Door County with Joe, Liberty Half Ironman, Father's Day, Cranberry Lake Weekend.....
Stay Tuned for those race reports!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Isn't she cute?!
Enjoy these photos of my nearly 9 month old niece. I'll write more about our visit soon!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
5 hours, 10 lanes and 1 corkscrew
Finally - Spring/Summer is HERE! No more snow, ice and biting winds. We have finally been blessed with warm days, gentle breezes, sunshine and some spring showers. I have never been so thankful for spring/summer as I am this year. 100+ inches of snow and over 180 days without hitting the 70 degree mark...that's enough to drive anyone crazy!
I am officially 'OFF THE TRAINER'. I have changed my bike tires and am riding outside now, rain or shine. I'm looking at getting a new saddle, cleaning up my handlebar tape, washing the bike and getting the Diva looking fabulous for her summer in the sun. (My Diva is my bike, in case you were wondering :) )
5 Hours
Since Saturday I have spent a total of 5 hours on my bike and rode over 82 miles. Saturday was my first official group ride of the season. I headed out with the FF group and planned on riding the 35 mile route option. I had a few folks trying to talk me into 50 miles, but knew I wasn't in for 50 quite yet. (Even if they were 50 flat miles). Chuck, Peter, Pete and I split off for the 35 mile hilly route about 10 miles into the ride. The morning started out cool but warmed up quite quickly. The hills were punishing and I had forgotten how much different riding on the road was from the trainer. The final 30 minutes of the ride included a visit to the Ironman course. Last time I rode that section of the course was past cheering spectators. This time around was not quite as lively, especially as I watched the guys pedal up the hills easily (or that's how they made it look anyways).
On Sunday, Peter and I went out for a training ride. It was a gorgeous 70 degree day where the appropriate attire was shorts and short-sleeve jersey. No toe covers, gloves tights or jackets required! Overall, the ride was really nice. I did have 30 minutes of hard tempo riding in the middle of the ride. After my Saturday butt-kicking on the bike, my legs weren't real happy with me. It felt great just to be outside though and as a bonus my biker tan is making a comeback.
Last night, Joe and I rode together for the first time out in Janesville and it was awesome. We had a headwind for the first 35 minutes of the ride which made it a bit challenging to talk and enjoy the ride. Once we headed back in though, we had a nice tail wind and really enjoyed a beautiful summer-like evening. Joe has a really high cadence and pedals like a champ. He looked awesome in his new Pearl Izumi bike shorts although if you ask him, he'll say he looked like a dork. :)
10 Lanes
Speaking of Joe, we spent last Saturday together doing one of our favorite activities - bowling! This time we chose to go to Doubledays, a bowling alley in Cottage Grove. We chose it only because we had a coupon for Buy one game, get one game free. Sounds like a good deal.
As we got closer to the bowling alley, we were out in the middle of nowhere and it didn't seem likely that a bowling alley would exist way out in the country. Sure enough though, it did. And it was tiny....there were only 10 lanes. It was TINY! To make it even more interesting, they turned the regular lights off and the black light on. There was a kid's party and it was cosmic bowling or something like that. We had a lot of trouble hooking our balls as well. The lane seemed pretty oily in general. Ah well...I still bowled my highest game ever - a 189!!!
1 Corkscrew
On Friday night, I got together with my friend Dana just to hang out and spend some girl time together. I had purchased a bottle of wine and after some window shopping, we were ready to open the bottle. I was screwing the cork in and once it was all the way in, the corkscrew fell apart in my hand and there was no hope of getting it back together. We first used a pliers to pull out the cork.
Now what? Dana had no other corkscrew. We had three options: Go out in the rain and buy one, borrow one from the neighbors or skip the wine. There is NO WAY that option 3 was happening and we were feeling lazy, so we started with the neighbors :) Fortunately one of Dana's neighbors had a corkscrew and we were all set!
Well, it's getting late and I think I've done a good job of summing up the last 7 days. G'night!
I am officially 'OFF THE TRAINER'. I have changed my bike tires and am riding outside now, rain or shine. I'm looking at getting a new saddle, cleaning up my handlebar tape, washing the bike and getting the Diva looking fabulous for her summer in the sun. (My Diva is my bike, in case you were wondering :) )
5 Hours
Since Saturday I have spent a total of 5 hours on my bike and rode over 82 miles. Saturday was my first official group ride of the season. I headed out with the FF group and planned on riding the 35 mile route option. I had a few folks trying to talk me into 50 miles, but knew I wasn't in for 50 quite yet. (Even if they were 50 flat miles). Chuck, Peter, Pete and I split off for the 35 mile hilly route about 10 miles into the ride. The morning started out cool but warmed up quite quickly. The hills were punishing and I had forgotten how much different riding on the road was from the trainer. The final 30 minutes of the ride included a visit to the Ironman course. Last time I rode that section of the course was past cheering spectators. This time around was not quite as lively, especially as I watched the guys pedal up the hills easily (or that's how they made it look anyways).
On Sunday, Peter and I went out for a training ride. It was a gorgeous 70 degree day where the appropriate attire was shorts and short-sleeve jersey. No toe covers, gloves tights or jackets required! Overall, the ride was really nice. I did have 30 minutes of hard tempo riding in the middle of the ride. After my Saturday butt-kicking on the bike, my legs weren't real happy with me. It felt great just to be outside though and as a bonus my biker tan is making a comeback.
Last night, Joe and I rode together for the first time out in Janesville and it was awesome. We had a headwind for the first 35 minutes of the ride which made it a bit challenging to talk and enjoy the ride. Once we headed back in though, we had a nice tail wind and really enjoyed a beautiful summer-like evening. Joe has a really high cadence and pedals like a champ. He looked awesome in his new Pearl Izumi bike shorts although if you ask him, he'll say he looked like a dork. :)
10 Lanes
Speaking of Joe, we spent last Saturday together doing one of our favorite activities - bowling! This time we chose to go to Doubledays, a bowling alley in Cottage Grove. We chose it only because we had a coupon for Buy one game, get one game free. Sounds like a good deal.
As we got closer to the bowling alley, we were out in the middle of nowhere and it didn't seem likely that a bowling alley would exist way out in the country. Sure enough though, it did. And it was tiny....there were only 10 lanes. It was TINY! To make it even more interesting, they turned the regular lights off and the black light on. There was a kid's party and it was cosmic bowling or something like that. We had a lot of trouble hooking our balls as well. The lane seemed pretty oily in general. Ah well...I still bowled my highest game ever - a 189!!!
1 Corkscrew
On Friday night, I got together with my friend Dana just to hang out and spend some girl time together. I had purchased a bottle of wine and after some window shopping, we were ready to open the bottle. I was screwing the cork in and once it was all the way in, the corkscrew fell apart in my hand and there was no hope of getting it back together. We first used a pliers to pull out the cork.
Now what? Dana had no other corkscrew. We had three options: Go out in the rain and buy one, borrow one from the neighbors or skip the wine. There is NO WAY that option 3 was happening and we were feeling lazy, so we started with the neighbors :) Fortunately one of Dana's neighbors had a corkscrew and we were all set!
Well, it's getting late and I think I've done a good job of summing up the last 7 days. G'night!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Ride Like the Wind
Yesterday marked my 3rd outdoor ride of the 2008 season. It was a windy day, but the first warm day we had in awhile. Winds were blowing out of the SSW at 18mph and gusting to 26 mph. But, today was going to be worse (and it certainly is!) so I opted to ride yesterday. I'm not going to get into the particulars of this ride and tell you about every turn or pile of gravel that I dodged. I'm just going to pass on this little piece of advice:
Always ride into the headwind when you start and come home with the tail wind.
I won't kid you. The first 40 minutes of the ride were a constant battle to either move forward (into the wind) or avoid being blown across the road (by a cross wind). I think I used quite a few choice words in the first part of the ride.
The ride home though, was AWESOME. I was riding strong and fast with little to no effort as the wind pushed me back home. On the straight sections I was closing in on 30mph and on the downhills, I was pushing 35mph. I did have moments where I thought 'This could hurt if I crash', but mostly I had moments of sheer joy. What a pleasure to be back on the road again....and coming home with the tail wind.
Always ride into the headwind when you start and come home with the tail wind.
I won't kid you. The first 40 minutes of the ride were a constant battle to either move forward (into the wind) or avoid being blown across the road (by a cross wind). I think I used quite a few choice words in the first part of the ride.
The ride home though, was AWESOME. I was riding strong and fast with little to no effort as the wind pushed me back home. On the straight sections I was closing in on 30mph and on the downhills, I was pushing 35mph. I did have moments where I thought 'This could hurt if I crash', but mostly I had moments of sheer joy. What a pleasure to be back on the road again....and coming home with the tail wind.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Race Report: MadCity 100K Relay
My first 'official' race since Ironman took place last Saturday in Madison, WI. I was part of a 100K relay team in the MadCity 100K. I ran the third lap of the relay - a 10K. You would think that the 2nd Saturday in April would bring pleasant temperatures, sunshine and green grass. Then again, this is Wisconsin and in the year of the Never-ending winter we raced in true Wisconsin style.
Race morning brought temperatures in the low 30's, a wet and constant snow, with some pretty brutal winds. I got in the morning prepared to run, but definitely not looking forward to it. I had already made up my mind that I wasn't going to run well since my calves were tight and my stomach was rumbling from the previous night's meal of nachos and ice cream. Not kidding - that was indeed my dinner.
I arrived at the race site and was greeted by many familiar faces. It was truly a pleasure to be back in the 'racing' scene since my post-Ironman hiatus. I arrived just in time to see Peter cruise through on his first lap. He was making great time and looked fresh and focused. I ran out, cheered like an idiot and then went back in the Fleet Feet tent to stay out of the wind. There were some fairly nasty gusts on that side of the lake. Brrrrr!
I got my number and somehow managed to forget my race belt. A few bathroom trips later and utterly convinced I was going to run terribly, I needed to start warming up. I planned to warm-up for 20 minutes before I would start my loop. I pleaded with several others to join me in a warm-up and finally my friend Gus agreed. We ran out for about 4 minutes when we saw Gus's teammate and the person he was taking the hand-off from, we had to hustle back to beat her in. Moments later Gus took off successfully and I scrambled back into the tent.
One of my friends brought her adorable 7 month old son to hang out with us in the tent while we waited to run. He was sooooo cute in his blue bear snow suit. And, he was an additional source of heat. He kept me nice and warm while I waited for my runner to come in. While holding Cooper, my runner was coming. I quickly handed off Cooper to his mom, ran to meet my runner, put the chip on and I was off.
Mile 1 - I started out even on the first mile. I was trying not to go too hard, but to find a pace I could do without pain or feeling like I was going to lose my nachos. I sensed that I was running strongly, but wouldn't know it until I passed the first mile marker. Peter was several minutes ahead of me and I had no hope of catching him. Also, this is a long/relay style race. I had no one to run with or pace against, so I was pretty much going by feel until the first mile marker. My time read 8:31. Really? That was 8:31! It felt a lot harder than that....I was going to be in trouble, if I couldn't at least hold that pace.
Mile 2 - Trying not to get too disappointed by my first mile, I just kept running as steady and strong as possible. Maybe I'd at least finish around 52.5 minutes. That would be good for me given the circumstances. It's worth noting too that once you turned away from the lake in Mile 1, the wind was no longer a factor. Running conditions were far more comfortable. Mile 2 is pretty flat and seemed to go by fairly quickly. I arrived at the Mile 2 marker at 16:15. This means my 2nd mile was 7:44! I don't think I picked up that much speed, so I just assumed Mile 1 may have been a little bit long.
Mile 3 - At this point one of the solo runners had passed me and was about 20 yards in front of me. Finally I had someone to pace against. It was interesting to pace behind this solo runner. He always picked the shortest distance between every corner, turn, etc...I was so used to running on the left on this course that I never thought about running the shortest distance between points during a race. I employed the solo runner's strategy for the rest of the race. Mile 3 includes a long, steady hill. I slowed down a bit to try and not exhaust my legs on the hills. I hit the Mile 3 marker at 24:20. 8:05 for Mile 3....good considering the fun hill I just ran.
Mile 4 - More rolling hills and still following my solo runner until the aid station about 3/4 of the way through the mile. My solo runner made his way to a port-o-potty and I kept right on trucking. I hit Mile 4 at 32:05. Another 7:45 mile....At this point it was decision time. I only had 2 more miles to go. If I could hang on to this pace, I would break 50 minutes. This was something I had not thought I could do today and was surprised by my steady running. I decided to go for it. What's another 16-18 minutes of running?
Mile 5 - Overall, a pretty uneventful mile. It included a few small hills, but mostly flats. The worst part was coming out of the tree cover and into the open. You could see up ahead that the wind was just whipping across the lake and that you were going to get hammered as you came out of the trees and turned towards the lake. Sure enough, the wind was strong and cold. It felt like you were running into a wall. I feared I would slow down, but just tried to fight the wind as best I could. I hit the mile 5 marker at 39:51. 7:46 for that mile and right on target.
Mile 6 - I was tired at this point and sick of fighting the wind, but I forced myself to hang on. I knew that once I exited the Arb and turned towards the finish line that I had roughly 4 minutes of running left. That final 4 minutes feels pretty long though. You can see the finish line and it looks so close, but really is fairly far yet. I cruised on in and finished in 48:58! It was awesome to hear all the cheers from my fellow runners and friends.
I am absolutely thrilled with how I did and my overall contribution to the relay. I wasn't feeling the best that morning, I didn't eat well the night before, my running has been less than stellar since the beginning of the year and somehow I still managed to run a solid race. Sometimes I wonder what I could if I did everything 'right'? :)
Peter - What happened to Peter you ask? After 50K, Peter handed in his chip. He ran strong and steady for half the race, but ultimately decided it was in his best interests to hand in his chip. I'm guessing he'll write his own race re-cap on his blog. Check it out at: http://lostcobber.blogspot.com
The racing juices have been renewed and I am now ready to get back into the game. Next race - Crazy Legs Classic, Saturday April 26th
Race morning brought temperatures in the low 30's, a wet and constant snow, with some pretty brutal winds. I got in the morning prepared to run, but definitely not looking forward to it. I had already made up my mind that I wasn't going to run well since my calves were tight and my stomach was rumbling from the previous night's meal of nachos and ice cream. Not kidding - that was indeed my dinner.
I arrived at the race site and was greeted by many familiar faces. It was truly a pleasure to be back in the 'racing' scene since my post-Ironman hiatus. I arrived just in time to see Peter cruise through on his first lap. He was making great time and looked fresh and focused. I ran out, cheered like an idiot and then went back in the Fleet Feet tent to stay out of the wind. There were some fairly nasty gusts on that side of the lake. Brrrrr!
I got my number and somehow managed to forget my race belt. A few bathroom trips later and utterly convinced I was going to run terribly, I needed to start warming up. I planned to warm-up for 20 minutes before I would start my loop. I pleaded with several others to join me in a warm-up and finally my friend Gus agreed. We ran out for about 4 minutes when we saw Gus's teammate and the person he was taking the hand-off from, we had to hustle back to beat her in. Moments later Gus took off successfully and I scrambled back into the tent.
One of my friends brought her adorable 7 month old son to hang out with us in the tent while we waited to run. He was sooooo cute in his blue bear snow suit. And, he was an additional source of heat. He kept me nice and warm while I waited for my runner to come in. While holding Cooper, my runner was coming. I quickly handed off Cooper to his mom, ran to meet my runner, put the chip on and I was off.
Mile 1 - I started out even on the first mile. I was trying not to go too hard, but to find a pace I could do without pain or feeling like I was going to lose my nachos. I sensed that I was running strongly, but wouldn't know it until I passed the first mile marker. Peter was several minutes ahead of me and I had no hope of catching him. Also, this is a long/relay style race. I had no one to run with or pace against, so I was pretty much going by feel until the first mile marker. My time read 8:31. Really? That was 8:31! It felt a lot harder than that....I was going to be in trouble, if I couldn't at least hold that pace.
Mile 2 - Trying not to get too disappointed by my first mile, I just kept running as steady and strong as possible. Maybe I'd at least finish around 52.5 minutes. That would be good for me given the circumstances. It's worth noting too that once you turned away from the lake in Mile 1, the wind was no longer a factor. Running conditions were far more comfortable. Mile 2 is pretty flat and seemed to go by fairly quickly. I arrived at the Mile 2 marker at 16:15. This means my 2nd mile was 7:44! I don't think I picked up that much speed, so I just assumed Mile 1 may have been a little bit long.
Mile 3 - At this point one of the solo runners had passed me and was about 20 yards in front of me. Finally I had someone to pace against. It was interesting to pace behind this solo runner. He always picked the shortest distance between every corner, turn, etc...I was so used to running on the left on this course that I never thought about running the shortest distance between points during a race. I employed the solo runner's strategy for the rest of the race. Mile 3 includes a long, steady hill. I slowed down a bit to try and not exhaust my legs on the hills. I hit the Mile 3 marker at 24:20. 8:05 for Mile 3....good considering the fun hill I just ran.
Mile 4 - More rolling hills and still following my solo runner until the aid station about 3/4 of the way through the mile. My solo runner made his way to a port-o-potty and I kept right on trucking. I hit Mile 4 at 32:05. Another 7:45 mile....At this point it was decision time. I only had 2 more miles to go. If I could hang on to this pace, I would break 50 minutes. This was something I had not thought I could do today and was surprised by my steady running. I decided to go for it. What's another 16-18 minutes of running?
Mile 5 - Overall, a pretty uneventful mile. It included a few small hills, but mostly flats. The worst part was coming out of the tree cover and into the open. You could see up ahead that the wind was just whipping across the lake and that you were going to get hammered as you came out of the trees and turned towards the lake. Sure enough, the wind was strong and cold. It felt like you were running into a wall. I feared I would slow down, but just tried to fight the wind as best I could. I hit the mile 5 marker at 39:51. 7:46 for that mile and right on target.
Mile 6 - I was tired at this point and sick of fighting the wind, but I forced myself to hang on. I knew that once I exited the Arb and turned towards the finish line that I had roughly 4 minutes of running left. That final 4 minutes feels pretty long though. You can see the finish line and it looks so close, but really is fairly far yet. I cruised on in and finished in 48:58! It was awesome to hear all the cheers from my fellow runners and friends.
I am absolutely thrilled with how I did and my overall contribution to the relay. I wasn't feeling the best that morning, I didn't eat well the night before, my running has been less than stellar since the beginning of the year and somehow I still managed to run a solid race. Sometimes I wonder what I could if I did everything 'right'? :)
Peter - What happened to Peter you ask? After 50K, Peter handed in his chip. He ran strong and steady for half the race, but ultimately decided it was in his best interests to hand in his chip. I'm guessing he'll write his own race re-cap on his blog. Check it out at: http://lostcobber.blogspot.com
The racing juices have been renewed and I am now ready to get back into the game. Next race - Crazy Legs Classic, Saturday April 26th
Friday, April 11, 2008
62 miles, Snow, Wind - Crazy? You be the judge!
My training partner and friend Peter is about to embark on the stupidest thing I have seen him do yet. He is going to run a 62 mile race tomorrow. That's right folks, 62 mind-numbing, pain-filled miles. What makes this so crazy, aside from the obvious? Peter has never run more than 26 miles in his life. Yes, Peter has rocked 2 Ironmans and that is quite a feat in itself. Despite this fact though, I think Peter has what it takes to enter, do well and enjoy this race. He has just the right mixture of stamina, determination and stupidity.
So maybe I'm being a little hard on Peter. I do have a tremendous amount of faith in him, but I also don't want to see him hurt himself and affect the rest of his season for a decision that was based on nothing resembling a training plan or long time dream. Fortunately, I'll be out there cheering Peter on in the early morning hours and then hopefully running his 3rd loop alongside him.
And because it wouldn't be running without it, tomorrow's race will be accompanied by Snow, Wind and chilly temperatures. That has been the story of the 2007-08 Winter. Even though it's officially spring, the trend continues.
Best of Luck Peter! I know you will do awesome and make good decisions out there, right? :) And hey, if you happen to place and win some dough, remember who paced you through the most critical lap of the race (that'd be lap #3) :)
So maybe I'm being a little hard on Peter. I do have a tremendous amount of faith in him, but I also don't want to see him hurt himself and affect the rest of his season for a decision that was based on nothing resembling a training plan or long time dream. Fortunately, I'll be out there cheering Peter on in the early morning hours and then hopefully running his 3rd loop alongside him.
And because it wouldn't be running without it, tomorrow's race will be accompanied by Snow, Wind and chilly temperatures. That has been the story of the 2007-08 Winter. Even though it's officially spring, the trend continues.
Best of Luck Peter! I know you will do awesome and make good decisions out there, right? :) And hey, if you happen to place and win some dough, remember who paced you through the most critical lap of the race (that'd be lap #3) :)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Bad Treadmill
For the record, I don't like treadmills. They are boring and I don't feel that they accurately represent pacing, distance and speed. Sometimes though, when the weather is total crap or its dark out and I don't want to run alone, they become a necessary evil.
This morning I needed to run and bike for 45 minutes each. First, I opted to hop on the treadmill and beat any other early morning runners. At 515am, I hopped on and began my run. The first 10-15 minutes were mind numbing, but eventually I got into a rhythm and the minutes started ticking by. 29 minutes in and just when I was going to hit my fastest pace of the run, the lights on the treadmill went out and it stopped.
I turned it off and on again. Nothing. I unplugged and hit the reset button. Nothing. I unplugged, reset it and turned it off and on. Still nothing. There I was - just in the high point of my run, hot and sweaty, not finished with my prescribed run and a dead treadmill. I had 3 options. 1) Bag the rest of the run, 2) Get dressed and run outside or 3) Run the stairs in my building.
Option 1 - no way. I cut my run short Tuesday because I didn't feel well, but this time I was determined to finish it. Option 2 - Would have worked as it was getting lighter out, but I still had to bike after the run. Plus all the clothes changing would have been annoying. So, Option 3 it is. Run the stairs. Fortunately, all the windows were open on the stairwell. This made it cool and well ventilated. 16 minutes of running 4 floors of stairs and it was time to hop on my bike.
I had to ride easy for 45 minutes now. I kept the pace steady and constant. I really enjoyed riding easy. It was really quite pleasant, even though it was fairly boring. I listened to music the whole time on my nano. Last time I rode early in the morning and had my TV on, the speakers caused the neighbors to bang on the walls (even though it wasn't loud). Stupid Subwoofer. So headphones it was this time around.
I suppose I should call the new management company about the treadmill. Maybe they can get it fixed soon. It is nice to have that backup, although hopefully the weather will be nicer in the coming weeks and ALL runs will be outside. Besides, Treadmills are evil.
My work is done for the day, which is a great feeling. Now it's just up to me to enjoy my day :)
This morning I needed to run and bike for 45 minutes each. First, I opted to hop on the treadmill and beat any other early morning runners. At 515am, I hopped on and began my run. The first 10-15 minutes were mind numbing, but eventually I got into a rhythm and the minutes started ticking by. 29 minutes in and just when I was going to hit my fastest pace of the run, the lights on the treadmill went out and it stopped.
I turned it off and on again. Nothing. I unplugged and hit the reset button. Nothing. I unplugged, reset it and turned it off and on. Still nothing. There I was - just in the high point of my run, hot and sweaty, not finished with my prescribed run and a dead treadmill. I had 3 options. 1) Bag the rest of the run, 2) Get dressed and run outside or 3) Run the stairs in my building.
Option 1 - no way. I cut my run short Tuesday because I didn't feel well, but this time I was determined to finish it. Option 2 - Would have worked as it was getting lighter out, but I still had to bike after the run. Plus all the clothes changing would have been annoying. So, Option 3 it is. Run the stairs. Fortunately, all the windows were open on the stairwell. This made it cool and well ventilated. 16 minutes of running 4 floors of stairs and it was time to hop on my bike.
I had to ride easy for 45 minutes now. I kept the pace steady and constant. I really enjoyed riding easy. It was really quite pleasant, even though it was fairly boring. I listened to music the whole time on my nano. Last time I rode early in the morning and had my TV on, the speakers caused the neighbors to bang on the walls (even though it wasn't loud). Stupid Subwoofer. So headphones it was this time around.
I suppose I should call the new management company about the treadmill. Maybe they can get it fixed soon. It is nice to have that backup, although hopefully the weather will be nicer in the coming weeks and ALL runs will be outside. Besides, Treadmills are evil.
My work is done for the day, which is a great feeling. Now it's just up to me to enjoy my day :)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It's official, I suck....
....at blogging regularly. It was easy when I had Ironman to blog weekly. There was always some new training milestone or adventure to write about. Now, it's just daily life which still includes training, work and plenty of other fun stuff. I just don't feel the motivation to write. I tried last week and was actually successful at writing an entry. Somehow, it disappeared from blogger....something with their servers perhaps? Who knows?! Anyways, here goes...
My first 'race' of the season is this Saturday. I am part of a relay, so I'm not sure I can call it a race, but I guess I am still running against the clock. My crazy friend Peter decided to run the MadCity 100K. That's right, 62 miles of fun and excitement this Saturday. I told Peter I'd run the first 2 10K loops with him to help keep his brain occupied. Peter checked the rules and it said he couldn't have someone 'pace' him unless they were in the race. So, somehow I ended up on the FF MadCity 100K relay team and am running 3rd. Now I don't even know if I will see Peter during the run or not. Oh well! I guess it will be a good test of my run fitness. I'm not sure I really need to test it though. I know where I'm at and it ain't pretty. After a winter of less than ideal running conditions, I let my running fall to the wayside as I worked on my bike, my swim and spending time with Joe.
Speaking of Joe, he just returned from Jackson Hole. Lucky guy! I got the chance to see his pictures and it looked spectacular. I can't wait to go on our hiking trip in August-September with him (and 3 of his buddies). It will be my first experience backpacking and it sounds like it's going to be an intense, yet beautiful first hike. We are venturing deep into the backcountry of Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I've always wanted to do something like this. I've just never had the people to go with me. I recently got my backpack and shoes. I'm about to purchase the clothing I need and then just a few more purchases before I am ready to go!
One of Joe and my favorite new activities is bowling! I always enjoyed it, but since dating Joe I've really gotten into it. I even learned to throw a hook ball recently, which has helped me focus my efforts rather than just trying to aim for the pins. Most of the time, we have a lot of fun doing it. Look out though, when we are bowling bad it becomes very frustrating. Last week we bowled 10 games on one day! I look forward to doing that again this Sunday! I'd really like to join a league too. Maybe not over the summer, but definitely in the fall.
My first big triathlon of the summer is on the horizon - only 2 months away. That sounds like a long time, but as we all know - time flies! I'm a bit nervous at this point, but know that I can do well 2 months from now. It'll be pretty cool to do my first big race in Minnesota this season. My coach and many other Digit athletes will be there. Plus, Joe will be there! I hope I kick some major butt. I don't have many races on my schedule this year, so I want to do well in the ones that I do race in. I opted to maintain a more flexible schedule this year so that I can have fun doing other things as well - like camping, hiking, relaxing, traveling, etc...
Today looks to be a gloomy day in Madison. Heavy rain is supposed to fall this afternoon/evening. I am supposed to go out and run at lunch. Part of me hopes it pours so I don't have to. But another part of me knows I need to get my butt out there and do it. I think I used up all my self-motivation last year during Ironman. I need time to replenish the supply!
My first 'race' of the season is this Saturday. I am part of a relay, so I'm not sure I can call it a race, but I guess I am still running against the clock. My crazy friend Peter decided to run the MadCity 100K. That's right, 62 miles of fun and excitement this Saturday. I told Peter I'd run the first 2 10K loops with him to help keep his brain occupied. Peter checked the rules and it said he couldn't have someone 'pace' him unless they were in the race. So, somehow I ended up on the FF MadCity 100K relay team and am running 3rd. Now I don't even know if I will see Peter during the run or not. Oh well! I guess it will be a good test of my run fitness. I'm not sure I really need to test it though. I know where I'm at and it ain't pretty. After a winter of less than ideal running conditions, I let my running fall to the wayside as I worked on my bike, my swim and spending time with Joe.
Speaking of Joe, he just returned from Jackson Hole. Lucky guy! I got the chance to see his pictures and it looked spectacular. I can't wait to go on our hiking trip in August-September with him (and 3 of his buddies). It will be my first experience backpacking and it sounds like it's going to be an intense, yet beautiful first hike. We are venturing deep into the backcountry of Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I've always wanted to do something like this. I've just never had the people to go with me. I recently got my backpack and shoes. I'm about to purchase the clothing I need and then just a few more purchases before I am ready to go!
One of Joe and my favorite new activities is bowling! I always enjoyed it, but since dating Joe I've really gotten into it. I even learned to throw a hook ball recently, which has helped me focus my efforts rather than just trying to aim for the pins. Most of the time, we have a lot of fun doing it. Look out though, when we are bowling bad it becomes very frustrating. Last week we bowled 10 games on one day! I look forward to doing that again this Sunday! I'd really like to join a league too. Maybe not over the summer, but definitely in the fall.
My first big triathlon of the summer is on the horizon - only 2 months away. That sounds like a long time, but as we all know - time flies! I'm a bit nervous at this point, but know that I can do well 2 months from now. It'll be pretty cool to do my first big race in Minnesota this season. My coach and many other Digit athletes will be there. Plus, Joe will be there! I hope I kick some major butt. I don't have many races on my schedule this year, so I want to do well in the ones that I do race in. I opted to maintain a more flexible schedule this year so that I can have fun doing other things as well - like camping, hiking, relaxing, traveling, etc...
Today looks to be a gloomy day in Madison. Heavy rain is supposed to fall this afternoon/evening. I am supposed to go out and run at lunch. Part of me hopes it pours so I don't have to. But another part of me knows I need to get my butt out there and do it. I think I used up all my self-motivation last year during Ironman. I need time to replenish the supply!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Here we are again (Part 2)
I started this post last week, intent on getting it done while at work in San Diego. Here I am though, one week later and no further than I was a week ago. Let's see where I left off.....
Wisconsin Rapids
Joe invited me to join him in Wisconsin Rapids for a weekend of fun in the snow and sun with some of his firefighter buddies. The weather was perfect, the food was awesome and the drinks were flowing. All in all, it was a really fun weekend.
Joe showed off his snowboarding skills as he was pulled around the lake by Chris and his 4-wheeler. Then we took a turn at tubing behind the 4 wheeler together. It didn't last long though because the snow was blowing up into our faces and was pretty chilly. The rest of our time there was spent eating an awesome dinner and playing a board game called Apples to Apples.
On our way home Sunday, we stopped at Mirror Lake to go XC-skiing. The weather was nice and the snow conditions were perfect. After about an hour though, we were both tired.
Bowling with the Firefighters
The following weekend involved more fun times with the Janesville FD. This time we spent our time indoors bowling and drinking our brains out. The night before the big tournament I became the proud owner of a new bowling ball, shoes and a bag. Of course we had to try it out and bowled 5 games the night before the tournament. Needless to say, I was a little sore going into Saturday.
I was expecting to bowl only 3 games in the 9-pin Tap tournament that was intended for spouses/significant others. 2 of Joe's teammates didn't show up so I got to bowl in the regular tournament as well. 6 more games of bowling. It was lots of fun. My bowling was so-so, but that's ok, I'm still learning. There was plenty of drinking going on which added an element of fun to the day.
So, you are pretty much caught up now, short of talking about my work trip to San Diego last week. All I can about that is that the weather was amazing. It was great to be in t-shirt weather for 5 days, especially after the winter we've had. Now I'm back and trying to get back into the swing of things - training, time with Joe, work, etc...
I promise to get into the blogging a little more often. I know, I've been a slacker.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Here we are again....
So, here we are again. As I attempt to get back into more regular blogging, I am sitting in a hotel in sunny(not snowy, cloudy or cold) San Diego. This is the third time in 4 months that I have been to San Diego, but this time it's for work and not pleasure. I'll admit, I'm not at all thrilled to be traveling for work this week. But, after a day of sunshine, comfortable temps and not a drop of snow or ice in sight, it may be worth it. Before I go on and on about that though, it's catch-up time. Here's the highlights of the last 3 weeks.
Valentine's Day
This was a special Valentine's Day this year. I am in a new relationship and couldn't be happier. Joe is absolutely wonderful. I have a ton of fun with him and as he puts it 'he's a good boy'. He's definitely holding up to the things he says. (I think I'll keep him around awhile longer ;))
It was a Thursday this year and both Joe/I agreed to keep it low key. We didn't want to deal with reservations or getting dressed up. We just decided to cook together and relax. Sounds perfect to me! It's always tricky when deciding what to get someone in a new relationship for Valentine's Day. I settled on the 'Planet Earth' DVD set for Joe and a cute card.
Unfortunately for Joe he was pretty sick on Valentine's Day. But he was a trooper. He still came over to my house to spend the evening with me. When I arrived home, a dozen beautiful red roses were waiting for me along with a bag full of dark chocolates and my favorite body lotions. The gift was incredibly thoughtful, sweet and romantic. Joe knocked this one outta the park. The best part was the card - very funny and sweet :) If you want to know what it says, you'll have to come over and take a look at it.
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Joe was asleep by 8pm. Poor guy was sick for several more days before he turned the corner. Fortunately, I never ended up catching whatever he had.
Skiing in Kettle Morraine
Several days later, Joe and I made a trek out to Kettle Morraine to work on our skate skiing. We've had a very snowy winter and conditions were perfect the day we went. We had some fresh new snow, temps were in the high 20's and the sun was shining. Joe was still recovering from his illness, but we made it for just over an hour of skiing.
It was a beautiful day, the trees were gorgeous and covered with snow. Some of the trails were pretty hilly, but overall not too bad. Joe and I took turns leading. Joe would lead on the downhills and I'd take over on the uphills. I had a couple of good spills which led to a few good laughs for Joe.
After we finished up, we went to a small sandwich shop in La Grange. It was delicious and filled with skiers. We picked out a bottle of wine and headed home. Since skiing wasn't enough, we decided to shovel several feet of snow off of Joe's deck. It was a great day - lots of fun, lots of activity, great company.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of 'Here we are again'.....More to come!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Training Slump
Before I get back to catching you all up on my life, I thought I'd ramble a bit about training. I'm in a slump. I'm still pretty diligent about getting in 2-3 swims a week and 3 bikes...but my runs....well let's just say it's been a fight to get me out doing those.
First I have to say 'It's not all my fault'. I know, it sounds like an excuse, but it is so difficult to feel motivated to run when it's snowy, icy, freezing, pouring rain with huge puddles, etc...This winter has been tough for runners in WI. The weather has made it challenging and a bit unsafe at times. Yes, I could certainly head for a treadmill, but that is so boring I can't even begin to describe the monotony of running in one place for 45 minutes or longer. I've been lucky to run 10 miles in one week lately.
Second, everyone around me has been sick lately. I've been trying to avoid getting sick and every time I have a single symptom I take time off and rest. This has worked for me so far, but has also gotten me into a position where I don't feel like running much. It's frustrating and makes me anxious about what will happen with my running once the weather turns the corner. I definitely feel slow and probably am slower than I was a few months ago since my running has cut back a bit.
Swimming is going well. I did have my Time Trial last week and I knew during the warm-up that I was going to have a less than ideal TT. I swam a 5:55 for 400 yards. That's an official personal best for me, but I know I'm capable of much more than that. Just a few days ago at practice I was swimming my 200's in 2:48 or 2:50. The nice part about those was they didn't feel like Time Trial pace, but were quite a bit faster than my TT pace last Friday. That's the way it goes though, some days you have it and some days you don't. It's just the nature of training. You accept the bad days because you can't always have good days. It doesn't work like that.
Biking is also going well. I'm really anxious to get my bike out on the road this spring and see how my training over the winter has affected my road riding. I've worked hard on the bike and am hoping that translates into some good bike splits this summer.
I need to get back to days of long bike rides and runs...blue skies, warm temperatures, carrying water or gatorade on a hot summer day. I'll just say it, I'm sick of winter. Spring and Summer can't come soon enough....
First I have to say 'It's not all my fault'. I know, it sounds like an excuse, but it is so difficult to feel motivated to run when it's snowy, icy, freezing, pouring rain with huge puddles, etc...This winter has been tough for runners in WI. The weather has made it challenging and a bit unsafe at times. Yes, I could certainly head for a treadmill, but that is so boring I can't even begin to describe the monotony of running in one place for 45 minutes or longer. I've been lucky to run 10 miles in one week lately.
Second, everyone around me has been sick lately. I've been trying to avoid getting sick and every time I have a single symptom I take time off and rest. This has worked for me so far, but has also gotten me into a position where I don't feel like running much. It's frustrating and makes me anxious about what will happen with my running once the weather turns the corner. I definitely feel slow and probably am slower than I was a few months ago since my running has cut back a bit.
Swimming is going well. I did have my Time Trial last week and I knew during the warm-up that I was going to have a less than ideal TT. I swam a 5:55 for 400 yards. That's an official personal best for me, but I know I'm capable of much more than that. Just a few days ago at practice I was swimming my 200's in 2:48 or 2:50. The nice part about those was they didn't feel like Time Trial pace, but were quite a bit faster than my TT pace last Friday. That's the way it goes though, some days you have it and some days you don't. It's just the nature of training. You accept the bad days because you can't always have good days. It doesn't work like that.
Biking is also going well. I'm really anxious to get my bike out on the road this spring and see how my training over the winter has affected my road riding. I've worked hard on the bike and am hoping that translates into some good bike splits this summer.
I need to get back to days of long bike rides and runs...blue skies, warm temperatures, carrying water or gatorade on a hot summer day. I'll just say it, I'm sick of winter. Spring and Summer can't come soon enough....
Friday, February 15, 2008
A mouse in my house
Well, it's not quite my house, but I spend more time at my office (which happens to be an old farm house from the Civil War days)than anywhere else. Recently, the product management group moved into a new office space in the building. It's quaint, modern and probably the best spot in the whole building. We even have a great stereo system in the room complete with large audio cabinets. Great storage space, right? It depends what you are storing.
One fine morning I decided to grab some of my instant oatmeal out of the cabinet. What I found was a completely eaten granola bar and holes in the bags of pretzels, oatmeal,and hot cocoa. We had a visitor! It's not a secret that this old farmhouse had mice. It just never occurred to us that they would find their way into the audio cabinet.
The next day we set a trap with peanut butter to catch the little rodent. We set the trap at 830am and went about our days. By 330pm we had completely forgotten that a trap had been set. One of my co-workers and I were having a meeting and suddenly we heard a loud 'CRACK!'. We both realized that the mouse had been caught. Too scared to look we tracked down our IT guy and made him check it out. He confirmed that a mouse was dead and closed the cabinet. We emailed maintenance to take care of the guy and went about our meeting.
A few moments later we were startled by 2 new noises. We heard 'Eeeeek!' and then another loud 'CRACK'. The mouse was not dead! At this point we kind of squealed in fright (yep, two chicks and a mouse) and a few co-workers came running in. One of our co-workers was kind enough to put on some Safety Goggles and grab some giant kitchen tongs to dispose of the little guy. He even put the mouse out of it's misery and sent it to an icy grave. The bonus = He cleaned the blood out of the audio cabinet! Our hero!
We haven't seen a visitor in awhile now. I'm guessing the little mouse grapevine sent word of what happens when you sneak into the audio cabinet. The food has been moved to a more secure location that the mice can't get to also.
This is not the only animal story at Saris that I have. Last summer, we had a bat fly through our area. One of the engineers captured him in a plastic bin. What a creepy little thing. But that's another story for another day....
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Swimtastic!
Last week I returned from San Diego ready to get back into my routine. Thanks to a massive snowstorm on Wednesday that would have to wait until Thursday.
I headed back to the pool after 11 days of being out of the water. I hate going that long without swimming. The first day back is usually terrible and I was fully expecting to have an awful morning in the pool.
When I arrived at swim, there were three lanes and 4 ability levels. I debated between jumping into the Fast lane or the 'about my speed' lane. Since this was my first day back, I thought the 'about my speed' lane would be the more sensible choice. There were already 3 people in that lane though and to avoid overcrowding in a lane, I decided to jump in with the speed demons. I just told myself I'd do what I could and get through it as best I can. If I get lapped (which I always do), I'd adjust my workout as necessary. The workout had 4900 yards on it and the closest I'd ever come to that before is 4300 yards. And that was only with a LOT of continuous swimming and very little kicking.
To my surprise and delight, I didn't feel too bad in the water. I never got lapped and somehow managed to do my flip turns in a lane with 4 people. I made it through 4700 yards along with the rest of the lane. I couldn't believe it! (And I still can't!) What a great day in the water! I am working on my next breakthrough in swim. I can feel it coming. :)
I haven't done a Time Trial in awhile, but I'm looking forward to the next time we have one. I will be ready and considerably faster than the last time. My last 400 yard TT: 5:59 (with all flip turns!).
I headed back to the pool after 11 days of being out of the water. I hate going that long without swimming. The first day back is usually terrible and I was fully expecting to have an awful morning in the pool.
When I arrived at swim, there were three lanes and 4 ability levels. I debated between jumping into the Fast lane or the 'about my speed' lane. Since this was my first day back, I thought the 'about my speed' lane would be the more sensible choice. There were already 3 people in that lane though and to avoid overcrowding in a lane, I decided to jump in with the speed demons. I just told myself I'd do what I could and get through it as best I can. If I get lapped (which I always do), I'd adjust my workout as necessary. The workout had 4900 yards on it and the closest I'd ever come to that before is 4300 yards. And that was only with a LOT of continuous swimming and very little kicking.
To my surprise and delight, I didn't feel too bad in the water. I never got lapped and somehow managed to do my flip turns in a lane with 4 people. I made it through 4700 yards along with the rest of the lane. I couldn't believe it! (And I still can't!) What a great day in the water! I am working on my next breakthrough in swim. I can feel it coming. :)
I haven't done a Time Trial in awhile, but I'm looking forward to the next time we have one. I will be ready and considerably faster than the last time. My last 400 yard TT: 5:59 (with all flip turns!).
Snow, Snow and more snow....
Today, Madison officially has broken the record for snowiest winter ever. Last week, we had a storm that dumped over 13 inches on Madison and 18 inches in Janesville. It crippled roads, shut down schools and businesses and led to a 12 hour back-up on the Interstate. Even my travel back from San Diego was affected. I flew into Minneapolis and all flights to Madison were canceled. I think I snagged the last one-way rental car available and drove nearly 4 hours to get home. Fun stuff.
Over the weekend, we had some nasty wind chills along with blowing snow. Today, we have gotten 3 inches of new snow and it's still coming. And, if that's not enough snow for you, there is another 4-7 on tap for Thursday. Ugh.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE snow! I like to be outside in it. It makes winter 'pretty' rather than brown and grim. But, I am so sick of driving in it! Roads are terrible and driving has become quite dangerous. Lots of ice under the snow and no sign of a warm-up to help rid us of some of it.
Fortunately, I get to run with Peter tonight. We are resuming our regular Tuesday evening run after a few weeks off. And we are doing it like only we can - in 4 inches of new snow, ice and some chilly temps.
Stay tuned for a full run report!
Over the weekend, we had some nasty wind chills along with blowing snow. Today, we have gotten 3 inches of new snow and it's still coming. And, if that's not enough snow for you, there is another 4-7 on tap for Thursday. Ugh.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE snow! I like to be outside in it. It makes winter 'pretty' rather than brown and grim. But, I am so sick of driving in it! Roads are terrible and driving has become quite dangerous. Lots of ice under the snow and no sign of a warm-up to help rid us of some of it.
Fortunately, I get to run with Peter tonight. We are resuming our regular Tuesday evening run after a few weeks off. And we are doing it like only we can - in 4 inches of new snow, ice and some chilly temps.
Stay tuned for a full run report!
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