What went wrong

Sunday was my half marathon. It was not an A race for me (that's reserved for my Olympic tri on July 24); however, I am a very competitive and self-critical person and always want to do my best. Without any consistent speedwork and very few tempo runs, I knew this would not be my fastest HM, but I thought I could do somewhere in the vicinity of 1:57 to 1:58. I would have been satisfied with that.

As always, I started off too far in the back of the pack and spent the first mile and a half weaving around people. After the first two miles (9:26 and 9:18), I knew I was in trouble as far as a decent finishing time, so I decided to just make the best of it. Mile 3 was better -- 9:03, and that included a water stop where I had to pour my own cup because the volunteers weren't ready. Note that the only thing they had was Gatorade. This will become important later in the story.

Mile 4 is where everything blew up. We were in a park on a narrow paved trail. As I was running along and trying to again pick up speed, I fell. And I didn't just fall. I did a full-on Pete Rose dive into second -- flying through the air, parallel to the ground with my arms outstretched. There was a bump in the trail... probably a tree root that had grown under the paved trail and caused it to be uneven. My right foot caught the bump, and I went flying.

All around me I heard gasps and people asking, "Are you OK?" I bounced right back up and kept on running. My first concern was, "Are my clothes torn?" (I really liked the outfit I was wearing. Blue Saucony lightweight running shorts with salmon and white piping on the sides with a salmon Saucony running tank.) My clothes were fine -- covered in gravel, but fine. :)

My second thought was, "Am I bleeding?" I was hoping the answer was yes so I would look like a badass, but alas no blood. Just some road rash on both thighs, the heels of both hands, and my right shin, and a bruise developing on my left shin where it hit the raised part of the trail that had tripped me.

People's comments were really funny. One guy said, "Nice recovery!" Two girls behind me gave me a big "Woo hoo!!!" and one girl told me, "Honestly, you looked really graceful going down. I couldn't have done that as well as you did." :)

I stopped at the next water table, took a cup and poured half of it on both of my hands to wash off the gravel bits, then did the same on my legs. BIG MISTAKE. Where did the water go? DOWN my legs and into my socks. Brilliant. Despite all that, mile 4 was 8:53.

I saw D in mile 5 and stopped to tell him what had happened. Honestly, once I fell I knew my racing day was over. My hands were THROBBING, and my stomach wasn't 100%. I decided to just treat it as a long, hard workout.

Miles 6 and 7 were kind of a blur. I really wanted to stop. My hands hurt, and my stomach was in all sorts of trouble. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I had to duck into the woods for a few minutes. I'm convinced it was due to the few sips of Gatorade I'd had earlier in the race. All that sugar + the humidity + the exertion = really, really bad stomach. Really bad.

To make matters worse, after that happened I felt as though I was completely out of gas. This is the second race in a row where my nutrition played a key role. Clearly, I need to do a better job of pre-race loading.

I was nearly on a death march from miles 8-11. My pace was ridiculously slow (I think mile 11 was 10:10). I could feel a blister on my left foot from when I poured water down my leg and into my sock. My left knee was absolutely killing me. (I think my gait was off, either from the blister or the fall.) It was taking every ounce of willpower to not walk. Right after I passed the Mile 11 marker, I saw a young girl (20ish) walking, and as I came up to her I said, "Come on. Let's go. Let's do this." She started running with me and told me it was her first HM. Her longest training run had been only 6 miles, so I gave her a big pep talk about how she'd crushed her longest run already and how well she was doing. We ran the rest of the way together, picking up and losing a few other women on our way. Her name was Claire. In all honesty, she helped me as much as I may have helped her. Chatting with her and trying to keep her spirits up gave me something to focus on other than my own misery -- the fall, my stomach, my knee, my now awful finish time. Those last 2 miles went by so fast because of her. Thank you, Claire! And congratulations! You ran a half marathon!!!

By my watch, my finish time was 2:04:11. Awful.

So, what went wrong?
- 2 potty breaks
- 1 blister
- really upset stomach
- 1 fall
- poor nutrition (well, not enough nutrition I suppose)
- pain in my knee

What went right?
- I didn't stop running
- I lost a few pounds during training
- My endurance was fine. Better than fine.
- It was fun to see D a few times during the race, and since I wasn't really racing I could slow down (or stop, more accurately) each time and talk to him
- Maybe I helped Claire finish stronger than she would have

YES!

A while back I posted my weight in the hope that it would shame me into losing a few pounds. For a while, I was good about posting updates fairly regularly, but in the past few weeks the scale was been acting particularly goofy. We suspected it just needed a new battery, so D bought one earlier this week.

This morning I decided to test it.

But first, some context:
- Starting weight was 150 (on or around January 1)
- During the winter I actually gained and got up to 153
- With a lot of hard work and some better food choices, I started to see some movement in the right direction and hovered right around 148-149 for several weeks
- My goal was to be at 145 on race day -- this Sunday

{drum roll}

This morning's weight was 145.6!!!

Yes, I'm doing a happy dance right now!

How did it get to be the end of May already??

Time really does fly, doesn't it? I guess I must be having fun. :)

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and all it signifies -- longer days, tan lines, barbecues, vacations, flip flops, corn on the cob, green grass and summer flowers, triathlons, and that general relaxed attitude most people seem to adopt in the hotter months. I for one love summer. Even when it's 90 degrees with 90% humidity and my hair is frizzing all over the place, I am happiest when the sun is out, the days are long, and my skin is bronzed and beautiful.

On a personal note, this weekend also marks the start of my racing season. Sunday is my half marathon, and my first sprint tri is only 3 weeks after that!

I totally <3 summer.

Why does swimming make me so ravenous?

Seriously, after swimming Sunday and yesterday, I cannot shove enough food into my face. Yesterday I had cereal, a banana, grapes, a granola bar, 2 mini candy bars, a Lean Cuisine frozen doodad, chocolate pudding, leftover orzo and vegetables, and 2 Pop Tarts. OINK. So far today I've had cereal, yogurt, grapes, and a banana. And it's not even lunchtime! The microwave popcorn is calling out to me... Theeeeeeiiiiaaaaa.... You know you want meeeeeee. Must. Resist.

Last night's intervals were a.w.e.s.o.m.e. I was supposed to do 10 x 50 yards (plus warm-up and cooldown) and then do some upper body weights. When I first started swimming a few summers ago, I did 50 yard intervals in about 55-58 seconds. Soon, I was doing all of them in 50-55 seconds. Last summer I was probably averaging right around 50 seconds for 50 yards, and it took a great deal of effort to get there. Anytime I got below 50 seconds, I was thrilled.

So imagine my surprise last night when my watch showed these times: 48, 47, 48, 47, 47, 47, 48, 48, 47, 48. And they felt GOOD. Not effortless, certainly. I took full advantage of a 20-or-so second rest after each one. But I could have done 5-10 more with no problem, and I don't think I would have slowed down much. During a few of the intervals, I actually created a wake! Now THAT was cool. It felt as though I was drafting off someone in front of me, even though I had the lane to myself. I can't describe it, other than to say it was like I had a motor. Cool, cool stuff.

Now if I can only do that for 1,500 meters on July 24! :)

So, the world didn't end Saturday after all

I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you. I mean, how can that whackjob
freako nutbag person be so wrong about Judgment Day, not once but twice? How can that be, when God himself is talking directly to him? It just doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe I should send him some money to help the cause. :rolleyes:

Ahem. I'm done with the sarcasm. For now.

I must say that I'm very glad the world didn't end. See my last post for some of the reasons why.

Last week was my first week of official coaching. I'm convinced my coach is a sadist, but his results speak for themselves. I'm willing to stick with it if he can get me to the finish line of an Olympic distance tri in less than 3 hours, and I think he can.

This week I need to get my head ready for Sunday's race, the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon. I haven't done a HM in more than 18 months, and I'm having serious doubts about my ability. Right now I'm in the stage of "I can't possibly run at an 8:40 pace when my average training pace has been 9:xx." See? I have to get my head ready. My legs and lungs are there. My head is not.

If nothing else, though, the half marathon training has really improved my endurance, so my first week of tri training wasn't nearly as painful as it could have been. Two hour bike ride? No problem. Intervals of 300 yards in the pool (the longest intervals I'd done prior were 100s)? Got it.

Meanwhile, yay for taper week! :)

Five things

Thanks to Roo for this idea!

5 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MYSELF
- My compassion
- My loyalty
- My sense of fairness and balance
- My goofiness
- My kindness

5 THINGS MY BODY CAN DO
- Hug
- Smile
- Laugh
- Learn
- Hear

5 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR
- Dave!!!
- My family, including the four-legged members
- My friends
- Our health
- My brain

5 REASONS I'M HAPPY TO BE ALIVE
- Music
- Sunshine
- The Flyers
- My family and friends
- The beach

Rain, rain, go away

Theia needs to bike!

The last time I got on my bike was 9 days ago. So much for my plan to start my Olympic tri training in earnest this week. :) Oh well, more rain predicted for later today, so it looks like I'll be on the trainer for an hour. Hopefully Saturday will be better so I can get outside (assuming that's what Coach has in store for me).

Of course, the world is ending Saturday, so maybe it's not that much of a priority anyway. Bwaaahahaha!

Speaking of which, best sign ever, right outside the British pub a few blocks from our house:

END OF WORLD AFTER PARTY
SUNDAY, MAY 22
LUNCH STARTING AT 11 A.M.

We're so going!

I may have to change the name of this blog

At first I was thinking of changing it to The Lazy Triathlete and Runner Who Signs Up for Races and Then Gets Discouraged During Training and Decides She Doesn't Actually Want to Do the Race Anymore. But I'm not really lazy as much as exhausted.

Yup, it's back. Insomnia.

Actually, that's not true either. It never really goes away. It ebbs and flows a bit, but it's always there. Lingering. Taunting me.

Most days I can handle it just fine. I've simply learned how to survive on about half the sleep a normal person gets. Some days, though, I simply cannot cope. I become overwhelmed with not only fatigue, but also hopelessness. This morning I was so exhausted I started crying. This was, of course, after I knew I couldn't possibly get a successful workout in. Yup, another skipped swim this morning.

I've decided that Ambien is simply not worth it. When I do take it, I am able to sleep... for a whopping 5 hours. Sometimes, maybe, 5 1/2 hours. And then I toss and turn the rest of the night. When I wake up (and I use the term loosely), I am so groggy and foggy I feel worse than I did before using it. So that's out.

I bought some melatonin, since it's all natural and shit. Can't hurt me, right? Yeah, well, it also can't help me, apparently, so that's out too.

I won't even go into everything else I've tried through the years. I've written about it before. Even I'm bored by this conversation at this point.

But when it starts affecting my life -- and my workouts and training -- I have to take action. So as soon as I'm done writing this, I'm calling my doctor. There has to be another alternative. The problem is, I know all he'll do is prescribe something else, and I really, really don't want a pill. :(

Wish me luck.

UPDATE:
The doctor's office called me back and referred me to a sleep clinic. Calling them now to schedule an appointment...

AND ANOTHER UPDATE:
July 11. My appointment is July 11. I guess I just suffer until then. Egad.

Dear Racers,

This is your race volunteer writing. You saw me yesterday; I was the one out there for 5 1/2 hours trying to help you by directing you to the proper lane at the point where the marathoners, half marathoners, and relay team members all merged, right near the halfway point and finish line. Remember? I was the really LOUD one in the white Flyers visor.

Oh, what's that? You didn't hear me screaming at you because you were racing with your headphones on? And then you were frustrated at going the wrong way and adding to your time? (Or, worse yet, weaving in and out of the cones and getting in other racers' way?)

Well, guess what. It's not. my. fault. I was doing my best to corral you into the correct lane so you wouldn't go off course. I was screaming at you, remember? "Relay, stay center! RELAY! RE-LAY!!!!!!!! CENTER LANE!!!!" Yeah, that was me. Funny, because everyone else in the tri-state area could hear me. I'm not dainty. I'm not shy. And I'm definitely not quiet.

But your headphones were loud enough that you couldn't hear someone 5 feet away, screaming at full volume. This is a problem.

And this is why headphones are outlawed in most races.

Think about it.

Sincerely,
The race volunteer who stood in the humidity and threat of thunderstorms for more than 5 hours, just to help you have a good race experience

First brick of the season - done and done!

I've heard many theories about why brick workouts are called, well, brick workouts. One explanation is that they are the foundation of triathlon training; you build your fitness little by little, like laying bricks to create the foundation of a house. I dunno. That seems kinda boring. I doubt that's why they're called bricks.

My favorite explanation is this: when you Bike and Run your legs feel like ICK. :)

I've done a few swim/run bricks so far, but last night was my first true brick workout -- a short bike ride followed by a short run. The bike ride was, again, great. I can't believe how much stronger I feel on my bike this year compared to the past two summers. I'm faster on the hills, I'm able to stay in my big ring, and I feel much more confident. After my short ride (17.5 miles, including the little loop I did as a warmup while waiting for my friend J to arrive), I changed shoes and ran the same short loop. I felt great. Never out of breath, never sore, just what felt like an easy run. My pace could have been faster (I think I ran at an 8:24 pace), but overall it was a good, solid workout. Best of all, it gave me confidence about the upcoming season. There's way more work to be done, but my starting point is pretty good this time around. Just in time for me to graduate to a new age group this year!

Random Thoughts

Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Our scale is seriously messed up. I weighed myself four times this morning and got four different numbers ranging from 142 (no way in hell) to 148 (more likely).

2. The weather is GLORIOUS for running and biking right now! Well, except for the whole allergies thing. All the news reports are saying that the tree pollen, in particular, is off the charts this year. My navy blue car is yellow each morning from all the pollen on it!

3. Prospect Park in Brooklyn is still one of my favorite places to run, especially when I'm running at the same pace as a nice person that doesn't mind chatting for a few minutes. Yesterday during my 8+ miler I met and talked to a very nice woman named Hannah who just moved to the US from the UK. Sadly, we had only 7 or 8 minutes together before she had to turn off toward her home, but they were very enjoyable minutes. Welcome to the US, Hannah!

4. Phone tag is not fun. Especially when the person calling you (for work stuff) wants to call you two hours after your workday ends and/or on a weekend when you're out of town.

5. Less than three weeks until my half marathon, and less than 11 weeks until my Olympic tri! Eek!

6. Related to #5, I really, really, REALLY need to work on my speed. Pick a sport, and I'm too slow in it for racing. Oof.

7. I had a wonderful time with my mom and brother this weekend. They remain my best friends in the world. How lucky am I to be able to say that??

8. This isn't from this weekend but from two years ago (or maybe three years ago??) on Mother's Day weekend in NYC. Me and my bro. This is Mom's background image on her cell phone (awww!), and I forwarded it from her phone to mine this weekend.




















9. Why are the items in a salad bar so hard to reach? You know, the items that are in the second row (toward the inside of the salad bar)? I have abnormally long arms, and even I have to contort myself, go into a half squat, twist my upper body, and reach beyond what's comfortable in order to get to the shredded carrots or whatever. How on earth do shorter people ever make a salad?

I hope everyone had a very enjoyable, relaxing, and fun Mother's Day!

Another article published

Yay! Click here to read my latest article. It's on pages 26-27.

(Note: it will be of particular interest to runners.)

Water weight... I presume

148 this morning!

Actually, I weighed myself twice. The first one was 147.8, and the second was 148.2, so I averaged them. :)

It's probably just water weight from some good, hard workouts this weekend, but do I care??

A bit of redemption?

After last weekend's painful 10-miler, I wasn't sure what to expect this morning, what with 12 on my schedule and all. Unfortunately, because I am cramming my half marathon training into only 6-7 weeks, I haven't had time to slowly ramp up my mileage and get myself physically and mentally ready for those really long runs. Oh well, this was my choice, and I'm proud of myself for sticking to my schedule at the very least.

I'm pleased to report that this weekend's 12 miles were far more enjoyable and less painful than last weekend's 10. There were two main reasons for this.

1. I had company. And chatty company at that! Thanks so much, A! You made the miles tick by and kept me entertained (or maybe distracted is a better word) the whole time we were out there.

2. It was only 47 degrees when we started. Oh, what a difference 20 degrees make!

All in all, I'm feeling a bit better about the upcoming half in four weeks.

Oh, and in bigger news, I have an A race for the summer. I took the plunge and signed up for the New Jersey State Tri -- Olympic distance. Gulp!