It took a lot longer to heal my wounds from the crash I was involved in during the MS Bike Ride on May 17th.  But, many of the wounds have scabbed over and the bruises are starting to fade.  I took it really easy the first week after the crash, but now I'm back to training, sort of.  I have yet to swim since I have a bruised shoulder and open wounds.  The idea of getting in a chlorinated pool with open wounds sickens my stomach.  The pain would be unbearable and I wouldn't want anyone else getting in the water with their open wounds.  So, I am being a wimp and being a good citizen at the same time.

But, I have gotten back to running and cycling.  I am VERY new to triathlon.  Last year, I did my first two tri's and they were mini sprints (not even full length sprints!).  But, I really wanted to challenge myself this year.  I am not an athlete by nature.  So, when I talk about my training workouts, I hope you all don't think, WOW, she's never going to make it.  My goal is to finish the Nation's Triathlon and finish it strong.  I might be the last one over the line, but I will finish and that will be a huge accomplishment for me. 

I have been training since January but put a very simple plan together based on time.  I figure I just need the endurance to finish the distances.  The training is coming along good.  I did a self-sponsored duathlon on Sunday using my house as T1 and T2.  I ran for 2.5 miles, rode for 15, then ran another 2.5.  My husband and my two sons had my bike ready and the hose out when I got back from the first running leg.  When I arrived, I drank some water, hopped on my bike and they sprayed me with the hose as I rode away.  Then, they drenched me before the second run and cheered for me.  That was the best feeling in the world.  If you remember Sunday was our first day with real heat this season.  So, the water felt amazing and cheering kept me going.  I realized that I can't do this without them.  My boys, my husband and I are a team.  And, when I finish this they will feel a sense of pride, too.  I am very lucky.

Well, actually not so early for me.

This is my virgin post on this blog.  Admittedly computer illiterate, that I was actually able to even sign in makes this post somewhat of a miracle (no matter how bad it ends up being).  So that takes the pressure off, and I can just write my first entry while my wife and son sleep.

I returned from my a.m. training ride not long ago, and my wife and son are taking a nap (my previous thoughts interrupted upon their awakening).  62miles in a bit less than 3hrs with 40 of that with a group.  I've been sorely lacking in cycling miles this year.  Work and son make the most time consuming aspect of triathlon training hard to come by--yet I keep telling myself that my bike fitness is deep from years in the saddle and that it'll return when I need it most later in the year.  These early season races are all for training.  Which is a good thing as the results have been less than stellar.  

And the tri gods have a keen sense of irony.  Tired of my self criticism about my cycling skills, they blessed me with a hint of plantar fasciitis so I'd be forced to ride more.  See, about 3 weeks ago I went for an 18mile run.  Felt good (as this use to be my weakness) until toward the end of the run when I realized I was running in shoes that were over 2 years old.  I have multiple pairs of Asics Tiger Paws in my closet, most of which have long been retired.  One such pair, as my left heel started to tell me, was on my feet and not too happy about being back in the line up.  So I took evasive action when I got home and iced/stretched/etc.  Took the whole next week off until the following Friday.  3.5miles on the treadmill convinced me that something was lingering but that I could still go to the Peachtree Tri International the next day.  I told myself if it hurt at all during the race, I'd just stop (yeah, right...).  

Well, I can honestly say my feet didn't hurt.  In fact, they were so numb from the cold bike, that for the first 3miles of the run I couldn't feel anything.  Trying to run on feet you can't feel is neither pretty nor fast, but I somehow ended up with my first a.g. win of the year.  Even better, my heel seemed less traumitized than I expected.  Still, it wasn't 100%, so I've been resting it this week and will do the same until the 1/2 Ironman in Macon a week from today.   I'm on the one run every 2 week training plan, and I don't advise others to try it.  But that's the cool thing about being a triathlete.  When you can't run, you can bike and swim.   There are other cool things, as well.

But that'll have to wait for a different post... 

Don't you love those products they sell on TV - "Get Fit In the Privacy of Your Hotel Room!"  or "Lose inches even when traveling" - I don't believe any of it.  Sure, anything will work, but only if you actually DO it!  For some of these silly products, I would think you would have to "do it" for hours on end. Sitting on the corner of my hotel bed lifting dumbells filled with water isn't my idea of training.

I travel a lot for work - on the road all the time.  I've found that the secret is just DOING it and sticking to the basics.  Last night I ran 10 in Huntsville, AL - last week I did 13 in Atlanta.  I can usually find a pool too (they have great pools in Huntsville - the one I use charges $2 for lap swimming, has tons of open lanes, an open air ceiling - and no membership required...Huntsville Natatorium, 2213 Drake Ave., Huntsville, AL (256) 883-3700).

Sure you have to run in unfamiliar areas (remember to wear your RoadID - www.roadid.com) - what I do is drive it with my car when I first arrive, and use my Garmin to track pace and miles.  I've found some nice runs - but I don't get crazy about finding the perfect spot....even if I have to run on the highway, at least I'm running.  They key is - get out of the hotel!

The problem of course is the biking.  I don't think you get any benefit from the lifecycles in the hotel gyms.  The seating is all wrong (why would you make a bike that isn't shaped like a bike anyway?) and it is so intensly boring sitting there watching CNN.  Sometimes you can find a spin class - if you can get a guest pass to Gold's (there is no Gold's in Huntsville - why?) or another club.  Otherwise, I'm stuck running and running.

Oh, one other suggestion.  Don't put your running shoes into your luggage until the very last minute - and then take them out as soon as you can!  Use that hotel laundry bag to seal them up if possible.  This makes for more pleasant meetings - for everyone concerned.  :-)

Next week - New Jersey....Anyone have any other ideas?

 

J

My fourth journey through the Columbia (Maryland) Triathlon course - I went in (after 6 weeks of pneumonia and coughing) expecting it to be a horrible day and end with an ignominous DNF, and instead I had a fantastic fun time! I may not go into a lot of detail here about the race - if you're a prospective entrant for another year looking for information, you may want to look at my three previous years' reports. It started in the usual way with the 90-minute drive to Columbia, checking in at the Expo, and racking my newly lean and mean bike Buttercup (I just removed the behind-the-seat bottle rack), with new compact cranks and red accents for speed:

The terrain of the transition area is as challenging as the rest of the course, with steep entrances and exits. My rack this year was right by the swim entrance near those white tents, which meant a long slow run out with the bike up the hill in the background. This is only a fraction of the ~2200 bikes that would be there on race day.

Then dinner was a lovely gathering at the Tomato Palace again with my training buddies Jim and Dave and many of the crowd from Mid-Maryland Triathlon. Great folks!

On race day I kept telling everyone I was likely to pull out after the swim or bike and just go hang around the finish line and see my buddies cross it. That plan was firmly in my mind.

Then I unexpectedly had a great swim (I think I'm finally learning how to draft!) and saw a 33:xx time when I came out of the water. I laughed and grinned broadly and woo-hooed to the spectators all the way up the chute from the water to the bike rack. Hey, this was FUN!! 2:02 per 100 yard pace the whole way. PR swim, where the heck did THAT come from!??

OK, do the transition in a leisurely fashion, turn on the Garmin, spray on some SPF 50 sunblock in my melanoma-survivor friend Holly's honor, and give Buttercup a pat. "Here we go, girl!"

The satellite map makes the bike course look deceptively simple.

As the new course record-holder Chris Lieto said: "The bike course is nothing but ups and downs and rights and lefts. There was not even a stretch of road that was straight or flat. You are either climbing a hill, descending, or winding your way through a wooded countryside. Beautiful but challenging."

I watched my heart rate fairly closely on the bike course and tried to keep from spiking it into the Red Zone, and stay under 170, and was largely successful. I stayed seated and spun up every hill, which was made much easier with the new range of lower gears on my compact cranks.

I also ate 5 Clif Bloks, 2 Succeed salt caps, and one gel, which seemed about right finishing up with a good amount of energy.

You'll see my speed and heart rates are inversely correlated - work hard on the slow uphills, and recover on the screaming downhills. Other than those fast downhills, my heart rate stayed mostly above 150, so I was working relatively hard, though certainly not pushing it to my maximum. My top recorded speed was 36.8 mph, which is quite fast enough for me, thanks, I get too nervous at the squirrely tri-bike behavior at those speeds.

Strangely enough, I rolled into T2 and saw something like 1:45 on my watch, and was still feeling happy and elated! Hey, this is a fun day! I'm liking this! So I went through the transition again, took the time to reset my Garmin, and came out the other side at a jog feeling pretty good about life.

Between 1-2 miles of the run my training buddies Jim and Dave passed me, in succession, and I yelled and joked with them. I told Dave, "I'm having a great day!" and he waved and shouted as he ran out of sight ahead. I kept jogging along and just walked the steep uphills (of which there are several on the course) and paid attention to try to keep my heart rate below 175 for the first 4 miles. I doused myself frequently with water to try to keep myself from gaining heat, but only had a couple small cups of Gatorade and lots of water since I had forgotten my salt caps and gels back at transition. Still, that worked fine, and I retained enough energy to pick up the pace on the downhills again approaching the finish when I felt safe to start to ignore my heart rate.

I did start coughing now and then, so there are still a few reminders that I'm not completely recovered from my lung ailments, but I could still jog relatively okay.

Came over the line in my 2nd fastest Columbia time (3:45) by only a minute - all of which I spent taking my sweet time in transition. 17/25 in my age group.

And it was sweet. One of the most unexpectedly fun days I've had doing a triathlon!

I did pay the price with some increased coughing for a day or so after the event, but now it's subsided again and I'm fully back on the road to Optimum Health. Though I am still carrying around a few pounds of reminders of not being able to do my workouts for the last six weeks, but let's not stress about it. I feel good.

This gives me a benchmark time for a slightly-longer-than-Olympic distance course (41 km bike leg) on hilly terrain this year. After a full summer of training, I hope for a considerably faster time in September on the flatter Nation's Triathlon course.

Why, this one was such fun I think I may just do this triathlon thing again soon! Like, perhaps, in 3 weeks at Eaglemen half Ironman in Cambridge, Maryland! See you there!

My mother always told me I was very book smart, but when it came to common sense it seemed like I had some studying to do.  Somedays I think she was very, very right.  It seems like common sense when you're riding your bike on a road downhill very fast with lots of other riders around you to be very careful and don't be so chatty.  I missed that lesson.  In mile 2 of the MS Bike Ride this weekend, I decided to turn to the left to talk to someone and veered to the right off into a ditch.  I was going so fast I lost control of my bike and ended up tumbling down the road.  Good news is I didn't take anyone else with me and I'm OK.  In fact, I was able to finish the ride after my bike and I were repaired and wrapped in bandages.  Bad news is I've derailed my triathlon training for at least a week.  I've got cuts, bruises and stiffness everywhere.  I will try to get back on my bike this week, but running and swimming will have to wait until my very bruised shoulder can handle it.  UGH!

All in all, the ride went fantastic.  My team (Team Trust) had 14 members.  We raised over $12,000 for the MS Society and we all finished the miles we set out to do.  The ride was fun and the scenery and weather were absolutely gorgeous.  If you ever think about doing an organized, long distance ride for charity, this one is well organized and for a great cause.  And, Team Trust is always welcoming new members!

(First - thanks to whoever fixed my last blog with that massive picture!  I was relieved to see it trimmed down to normal size).

I am doing TNT this year to continue raising cancer research funds for Dana Farber.  I did it last year and me and another racer raised over $13,000.  I hope to do that on my own this year.  I will use the PledgePage website to do it - which is a pretty good way for people to get involved in the effort - above and beyond their financial contribution.

I am so impressed by the fight that is in the people who struggle with cancer and other diseases.  I have a friend who struggles day to day - and he is just so strong in spirit and in will.  The alliance between triathlon and those battling lifelong diseases is very apt - as we fight hard, dedicate and discipline ourselves and never quit...but we do it for fun.  They do it for life, and so it is right that we apply some results of our efforts to help them with theirs.

I want to get started with this year's campaign right after I finish my Ironman at Coeur d' Alene in June (June 21...approaching fast!).  My pledgpage is www.jayracinforcancer.pledgepage.org

Anybody have any ideas on how to increase awareness of this - and all the other fundraising opportunities associated with TNT and triathlon in general?

Also - anybody know of any good triathlon bloggers we could link to this TNT blog?  I know www.swimbikerunblog.com  - that is the only one I know of.

Jay

Sorry - I attached this massive picture and I can't figure out how to delete.....

I just wanted a little thumbnail - but WHAM!  I got this huge photo of my face....at an ugly moment too!

HELP!

It was a big week for me....did several bricks and some good swims early in the week - then because I had to travel I took Thursday off and did a pretty long run (down in Atlanta) on Friday morning (13 miles).  I flew the night before, got in late, and was lacking for sleep - also, it was hot and hilly, and I finished up quick so I could get to my meetings.  Then on Saturday my training partner and I did a 1.4mile, 40mile, 3mile practice tri.  He noticed I was dragging on the hills with the bike yesterday, and today, Sunday, I was whipped. 

My plan calls for a run today then a lifting session.  I'm going to the gym but skipping the run.  I almost never do that....but in this case I recall the advice I've read before - if you are tired, rest!

We put in hard workouts - but we only gain by resting after them.  If we continually pound our bodies with hard workouts and never rest, then fatigue sets in leading to loss of motivation, lack of progress, and eventually injury.  You can't make it a habit of skipping workouts, but you also shouldn't push yourself over the limit...if you really, honestly, actually feel fatigue, then a day off won't kill you.  (to illustrate pain, I've included a pic from last year's Montclair Olympic!)

I have 5 weeks till my first Ironman - and I want to pack all the training in that I can.  Still, I have to get to the start line happy and healthy, and that means rest.  So I slept in today and tonight I'll do an easy "chisel" workout at Gold's - AND I'LL BE HAPPY ABOUT IT!

Cheers!  Jay McC

When I first read that swim practice would be at 5:30am, I thought it was a typo.  I’ll clear it up for those with similar concerns-it’s not a mistake.

 

Yesterday was my first swim practice.  I’ll admit was nervous-I haven’t swam since getting my life guard certification in ’02, and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to getting in a swim suit far sooner in the season than originally anticipated.  But as I entered the pool deck, I came to realize that it’s not the beach or a beauty pageant (thankfully I left my high heels at home) and I am not the only person concerned with whopping their lap partner in the nose with a loose stroke.  

 

After a brief introduction of terms, workouts and the upcoming swim season, the coaches and team captains successfully helped us complete our first workout.  Even though I felt awkward at times and swallowed more water than the average doctor would recommend as a daily requirement, I left feeling proud knowing that I will improve with each practice.

 

Any suggestions for ear plugs?

So, TNT's Fall Kickoff was this past Saturday and if you weren’t one of the 400+ participants there, you missed out. I have never been in a room at 9:00am on a rainy Saturday with so many enthusiastic (yet not annoying) people. Maybe it's because we knew we didn't have to work out that day, maybe it was having the TNT Founder-Bruce Cleland-share his story, maybe it was knowing that we were participating in sold-out events (Nation’s Tri, Marine Corps Marathon and Nike Women’s Marathon) or maybe it was the Marriott coffee.  Whatever it was, I left inspired and excited.