In a Perfect World

Posted on May 17, 2012 by tfp_admin

This has been the fastest year of my life. I blinked 3 times and the ITU off-road tri World Championships are already here again (swim 1500 meters, mountain bike 30k, trail run 10K). Just 3 weeks ago, I did my first off-road triathlon since standing on the podium in Spain. It conveniently fell within my schedule to help sweep out the cobwebs and get me back in race mode. I was 2nd overall, handily losing to a pro woman, Shea Vaughan, reminding me of my ranks as an age grouper in off-road triathlon. The next week, as if I wasn’t already humbled enough, I got a good thrashing at my first TMBRA race (Texas Mtn Bike Race) since 2003…or at least that was the last year I actually owned a mtn bike racing license. Unfortunately that license renewed as a pro, and I was thrown into the cage with the young pros that dished me out more humble pie. Standing on the starting line, I knew I was in trouble when I found out Jessica Rawlins, the eventual winner, was the age of my oldest son.

 

But I am resilient, and my youngest son and coach, Danielson, tells me I went into that race tired, and now tapered, I will rise to the occasion for the World Championships on May 19th. I hope he is right.

 

I shouldn’t carry the burdens of the pros like Shonny Vanlandingham and Melanie McQuaid, but I still get just as anxious. That’s what age group racing is for; when you can’t compete at that level anymore. I’ve got work, my family and extracurricular activities that leave most of my family and friends wondering when I will slow down. I can’t even answer that question myself. I just know I still feel like I did in my 30s, but on the outside, I look my age, 48. It is irritating now that even people older than me call me “Maam”.

 

My last training day was yesterday afternoon, at the culmination of a day packed with so many different work deadlines and data in my brain. I wanted to explode. But I couldn’t, I had to cram it all in, and do one more bike ride at Northshore trail on my home course at Lake Grapevine, followed by one more brick run.

 

I unwound my mind as I blasted through the last hour of trees on my mtn bike. This was my last set of 6 race pace intervals, 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off, repeat. The last 2 days of work had left my mind spinning ~ I had paid our event bills from the past weekend, worked a booth at tri-night at Richardson Bike Mart, sent email addresses to our photographer of all our racers, read an article a friend emailed me regarding a superwoman athlete and how she trains, fixed a few registration issues for our next event, finalized and approved a promotional flyer with a deadline of today, talked with a sponsor in Moab UT to finalize our awards ceremony/party of a summer race, signed on a new sponsor for all our races (Sport Beans) and added logo and link to all pages on website, updated changes for another sponsor logo on our website, applied for sponsorship with a new company, finished and approved t-shirt design for our next race, finalized our new business card and 5 new sponsor banners for print, had a phone conference with a partner on one event, finalized contract details on our host hotel, filed 2 franchise tax extensions, 2 franchise tax returns, and 1 nonprofit return for family members (no, I can’t take on any more family members), signed contract for online registration for one of our upcoming races & submitted event details to build out the site, finished and approved the design of our sublimated jersey being made for one of our races, edited 2 hours of raw video footage from the Warrior 100K into 1hr 12 minutes, set up an account to be able to upload 6GB of files, uploaded video and pictures to FoxNews, read through a race report for a team we sponsor (FCS Rouse Cycling Team), sent a recap to the Dallas Morning News of our last event, and updated our social media on Facebook and Twitter. No wonder my head was exploding.

 

I needed to ride and run. When I finished my ride, Dr. Heerwagen was there in the parking lot to offer me a cold beer called Liberty Ale. I had to decline to finish my last run…I couldn’t let that beer cost me the World Championships. But as I slipped on my running shoes and locked my bike to my rack, I came to my senses and asked him to hide it by my front wheel in the shade for after the run. Isn’t that what age groupers are allowed to do? I mean can’t we continue to have a normal life after we train. I think so.

 

The cold beer was waiting in a bag of ice. I sipped and savored every drop. At that moment in time, my adrenaline was finished running for the day, I was no longer anxious, and I could just relax. Well, sort of, I still had to go to the store, get gas, take a shower, go for 1.5 hours of stretching and myofascial release, fax insurance card to Danielson to purchase his new car, have dinner (thank you, Lil), and pack. Without Scott, I could never have made it, as he washed and detailed my bike, packed all the tools and the car for the trip, and noticed my bike shoes were toast. My cleats were about to pull out of the bottom and were so thin and chipped off that we were both surprised I made it through my ride today. I could never compete at this level without the loving support of my husband.

 

My last swim was Monday, and as Coach Tom talked to me about my race, I was anxious. My stomach was churning. Coach Tom told me, “The hay is in the barn. Let’s let it dry and cure a while and then TAKE IT TO THE MARKET! Your will is your constitution. You have written those rules for yourself to define the type of athlete you want to be. Go be you, Girl!”

 

My dad called to wish me good luck. This made me feel good inside. He also reminded what a bad daughter I have been (these were my words, not his) since I haven’t sent him a picture I promised to send last October. I promised I would for Father’s Day. I realize how busy I have been since I started training for this race. Between working our 15 events a year, and training, there isn’t much time left in the day. Add a family, and I am constantly behind. I am not good at all. Instead, lately I feel I shuffle through my routine like a hamster on her wheel.

 

My brothers and mom tell me goodluck, and though I know friends and family just want me to have fun and do the best I can, my mind translates that to WIN!

 

My sister called to tell me she was coming to my race. Now I am even more anxious and Scott reminds me that no one cares how I do, or expects me to win. But I am anxious nether-the-less. I can’t change my genetic makeup. My butterflies are real, not make believe. They are like demons, waiting to change my eating and bathroom habits. I hate them more than anything. I feel like it is more than me racing, it is my entire support crew of family and friends. I don’t want to let anyone down. I want to give it my all, and I know God gave me the talents to win, and so if I don’t, I feel I have fell short.

 

I attended the nutrition seminar on Monday night to try to figure out how to eat better for my race. Getting the bonks and severe cramping on lap 3 of my mountain bike race a few weeks ago reminded me I need to rethink nutrition. I’m not use to racing anymore. Maybe Jordan was right to make fun of me on the starting line carrying my pack on my back big enough to hold my picnic lunch and a bottle of wine while I raced. Maybe that extra weight held in my body heat and helped me overheat quicker, and thus the cramps.

 

Well now I’m set, because everything is clear. Start hydrating 24 hours before the event. Not too much though (don’t want hyponatremia). Consume 16oz fluids 2-4 hours before my race. Consume another 8oz before the start. Eat breakfast 3 hours before my race, carb based, low fat, low fiber, moderate protein. Drink small amounts every 15 minutes during race to equal 20 oz or 1 bottle per hour and consume half my body weight in grams of carbs per hour. Got my bento box strapped to my bike and put my carbs (PowerBar energy blasts) and electrolytes (EnduroSharks) in there. Get my carbs and salts in on the bike, before the run so I don’t get behind. Don’t forget to mix my pedialyte with water in one of my bottles, or in my camelback if I go that route. In a perfect world, I will have a perfect race.

 

I went to Extreme Swim and got a new pair of goggles – the same ones that Iron Dave wears. I have a fresh coating of anti-fog so I can see all the thrashing arms around me when I swim. In a perfect world, the water will be warm and no one will be allowed to wear wetsuits. My friend Sandra and Scott video taped me this past weekend in an open water swim so I could visualize my bad left hand entry into the water and correct it. In a perfect world, I will swim as fast without my wetsuit as I did that day with my wetsuit.

 

I went to the running store to get new shoes, but had to settle on a new pair of barefoot shoes for now. I couldn’t find my favorite trail runners, so I will run in last year’s shoes for good luck. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. Oh wait, that is for getting married. But in a perfect world, this will still work. I was also too busy to meet the deadline for ordering my 2012 racing kit. I’ll be the one sporting the 2011 Team USA outfit (but hey, at least it’s old and blue, in keeping with this theme).

 

Stopped on the way to the race today to get a new pair of mtn bike shoes. Scott already put the cleats on tonight so I can pre-ride in them tomorrow. He claims I will have bonus horsepower from the new stiff shoes and my cleats are actually in the right place now. I know he is trying to give me confidence, but in a perfect world, he will be right and I will get extra confidence from the extra power I feel with every pedal stroke.

 

It is after midnight, 3 nights before the race, and I am anxious. The countdown begins.

 

I miss having Danielson here with me to compete. Last year in Spain was a memory of a lifetime. Somehow racing with my own son took the pressure off, as I think I was more concerned and excited about his race than mine.

 

I’ve been given all the tools I need to succeed. Both Coach Tom & Daniel have prepared me for the race with training programs and coaching, I have done the work, I have been humbled in races, and I am hungry for the win. Scott & I were fortunate to have participated in the Warrior 100k mtn bike ride a few weeks back, and the amazing soldiers we witnessed first hand were such an inspiration. They all gave up incredible parts of themselves to serve our country, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Some of them were missing limbs or had PTSD, and as we rode with these soldiers, we realized how blessed we are to be able to live in a free America that they make possible. I am thankful that my sons did not have to go to war, but if they had, I know I would have been so very proud of them too.  I want to do well for Team USA, and being able to represent Team USA somehow takes the pressure off me as an individual. Maybe that is why a strange calm came over me last year in Spain and I was able to deliver. I hope the same for Saturday, but if not, will be happy to just give it my all.

 

Sounds like a pep talk – a self induced one at that. So if that’s true, and I get knocked down, just know that I’m gonna bleed, then I’m gonna bleed some more, then I’m gonna get up and fight, and fight some more, and go for it, until I hit the finish line. (this was my favorite inspirational video we got last year in Spain). In a perfect world, I will stay on my bike. And in a perfect world, I will bring home another gold medal from the world championships to share with my grandkids someday.

 

Here is the link for the race. I’ll be the Team USA member in the 45-49 age group category.

Many thanks to my kind sponsors:

 

 

 

Posted in 2012 ITU Off-Road Triathlon World Championships, Kathy | 3 Comments

Last Run

Posted on May 2, 2012 by tfp_admin

I want to back up a bit. I meant to write about the trip to Moab, UT with the Rocky Mountain Tri Club but never got around to it.

2 weekends ago I took some time off of work to head to Moab for a 4 day training camp with the Tri Club I am in. It was by far the best training weekend I have ever had.

We started on Thursday with a 30ish ride out of Grand Junction, CO on the famous Monument ride from American Flyers. I have not seen the movie, but I will be adding it to my Netflix queue. This was a beautiful climb up to a quick spring thunderstorm on the winding decent. I did take it easy going down through the rain, because I was shivering and skeerd. My roommate for the trip, Kiley, and I were planning on starting the training off conservatively so that we could survive the weekend…But there is always that guy who takes off from the parking lot and goes all out straight up the climb…And then there is always those couple guys who chase him down to see if they can hang (myself and Kiley)…And then the guy who started the pace blows up and gets dropped by the 2 that were just keeping pace…I thought for a minute that this would be a good opportunity to back it off a bit like we had decided, but that guy got Kiley and I amped up so we kept the pace high all the way to the top. As we hit the undulating top out in elevation, the small patch of thunderest looking clouds turned into freezing cold rain which felt like little pieces of hail hitting you from the speed of the descent. A good Adventure Race Training day.

The next day I still felt very good. The training for the day was a 50ish mile ride through Arches National Park followed by a 45 min run. Now all the people from the club were out to play this day. I was personally hoping for a more endurance type ride after yesterday, but deep down I wanted to ride fast. Luckily it turned into a hammer fest up every climb! My average heart rate for the entire ride was 12 beats higher than my Lactate Threshold! Most of the climbs I was seeing numbers I only see at the end of a very hard race. I knew this was not good. The club is filled with people of both genders that can drop the hammer hard. I was loving it!

Saturday was the long ride day of 106ish miles to The Canyon Lands and back. I was definitely feeling the hours above threshold from the day before. Many of the people from the day before decided to cut back the ride a bit so we had a much smaller pack. It still turned into a very difficult ride. The amazing views of the Canyon Lands kept me going though! It was a lot of fun trying to hang with everyone in the club on the ride. I probably got dropped 10 or so times. Humbling rides are always my favorite!

The following day I had to stop having fun riding my bike all day and get back to my marathon training. I went out for a 2.5 hour run with a good group from the club on the so called “Flats.” I believe the total elevation gain was 800ish feet. So for the theme of the weekend…Definitely Flat! I hung with some buddies from the club until I hit 2 hours. At this point I tried to hold a sub 6:45 pace for 20 minutes on very tired legs. Just barely made it around 6:38. I have been trying to do some quality speed @ slightly faster than my goal for the marathon to get used to running fast when I am very fatigued.

I left Moab refreshed, sore, fatigued, and slightly injured. I really screwed up my ankle riding all those miles with about 2 hours of biking a week prior to this trip, but that is how I role.

This past Sunday was my next long run @ 2 hours and 45 min with a 10 mile race thrown in the mix. I wanted to do the race after running 1.5 hours, but I forgot to factor in my bad habit of sleeping in and porta potty visits. It has been a while since I raced so I had months of build up. People talk about working hard to get to race weight…All’s I need is some race morning adrenaline and some caffeine! I only ended up with a 5K under my belt before the start of the race, but that would have to do. I still had a pretty hard training week so my legs were feeling very poopy.

The start went good as it always does, because my hyperventilation had not set in yet. Once that kicked in I knew I was racing. I actually felt surprisingly good for the first few miles, but I knew I needed to pace myself for the end and the rest of the run. I kept a solid comfortable pace around 6:30 for the first half. Then at some point I remember Molly (a member from the club) surge pass me. I tried to go with her but only made it about .5 miles. She was on a PR mission! I settled back down a bit until my hard effort became the same speed as my comfortable effort. The last 3 miles were very tough for me, but I was able to hold the 6:30 all the way to the finish line before I could back down to my endurance pace for another 1.5 hours.

I felt good about my race considering my goal was 6:45. That was the confidence booster I needed to go into the marathon with a 6:45 goal pace. I have started my taper a bit early, because I feel burned out. I would rather show up race morning slightly unfit and fresh, rather than fit and fatigued.

Most marathon plans have you running 22 miles for your longest run. I ran 21 miles with 10 of them @ faster than race pace so I think that is good enough.

A lot is happening on May 20th. My first big race, I believe some friends are doing IM Texas, and my Mom’s World Championship Race I have been coaching her through! I can’t wait!

Posted in 2012 ITU Off-Road Triathlon World Championships, Daniel | 1 Comment

The Undulating Terrain of Training

Posted on April 15, 2012 by tfp_admin

“We had a good run Boopy.” I was hitting all my planned training run sessions up until my long run a couple weekends ago. I had a 2 hour run planned w/ 3 X 8 min LT paced efforts mixed in the endurance pace. I made a couple mistakes:

1) Waiting until the middle part of the day on a record breaking TEMP day in CO.

2) Drinking a Chai, a smoothie, and eating a muffin 30 minutes before I went out in the middle of the sun.

I felt awesome for the warm-up! Followed soon by heavy breathing and GI issues during my endurance pace. I went ahead and tried my first LT effort but was brought to my knees after 3 min. I had to stop and walk for a couple min. I decided to cut the LT efforts out and just keep it END paced for the length so I could atleast get in the miles. It was very difficult to do, but the location made it a little easier. The wide open Farm Preserve out in Broomfield was a good place for exploring on a long run. My pace did not live up to my expectations that day. A real confidence killer for my Marathon goal.

After that run came a much needed recovery week. I actually felt horrible pretty much the entire week. I still went out on my runs and actually had some good times but it just felt so hard.

This week started my last build phase before my taper. Still feeling a little sluggish, I cut out one more run completely from the week. I just really could not handle all this running without riding my bike. I went out on the local Tues Thurs after work fast 75 min ride with a group and opened up the throttle up the short climb to Cherry Creek Reservoir to refresh my legs on how to pedal. I think this break was just what I needed! There is nothing like recovering from a hard run by smashing the pedals over!

This Saturday I had a 2 hour and 15 min run planned w/ 1 hour of TEMPO. During my warm-up I felt very sluggish again. It was in the 40s, cloudy, and my legs were asleep. Luckily I had Metallica on Pandora for support! As soon as “Where Ever I May Roam” started playing my legs kicked in, my motivation ignited, and the sun broke through the clouds to light me up like Joliette Jake in “The Blues Brothers.” (If you don’t know me well, I use to be obsessed with Metallica and still rate “The Blues Brothers” as the best movie of all time!) I was officially ready!

Do you ever have a workout where you have to actually hold yourself back a little, because you feel so good?

Well that is where I was on Saturday. I was holding an 8 min pace without even breathing hard, which for me is really fast! I could not wait for the TEMPO interval anymore. I started early and ended late for the interval. I was able to average a 7:30 min pace for 12 miles. I passed people on the streets and parks of Denver.

Do you ever run so long that you cycle through 4 different groups of people at a park that drive up, go for a run, then get in their car and leave?

Well I don’t. This was the longest run I have ever been on in my entire life! I officially PR’ed during training. At around 1:45 into the run I decided to up the TEMPO more to my goal race pace for a mile. So I ran a 6:50 mile around mile 15 of the run.

Then my body began to feel the distance. My legs started to shorten up as I got a side stitch and chest pain that ran up my neck and arm. So I slowed it down to cool down back to Mi Casa.

Total run: 2 HR 15 min – 17.34 miles.

My confidence skyrocketed during this run. My average pace for the entire run was barely outside a min of my goal pace of 6:52 or faster. I just hope I can get enough adrenaline push from the race to break 3 hours. Then I can retire from running a happy man :)

Posted in 2012 ITU Off-Road Triathlon World Championships, Daniel | Leave a comment

Runner Poser

Posted on March 28, 2012 by tfp_admin

I promise I will start writing more. I think that I just felt pretty boring since I was not training very much or racing at all, but I know that my Mom reads these so I better keep writing.

I recently got a new job in the white collar force. First time for me. So I no longer move furniture. Instead I book the moves for the movers to do. It is funny walking into a house, looking at all the “family areloom solid lead double stacked entertainment center” that was built in the house knowing that somebody is going to break their back moving that, but not me! Now that I have a lazy job I have plenty of energy to train.

I know I have said before that I would some day try to focus on less than 5 sports but never follow through…Well now I am really doing it. I am attempting to only run. Swimming was no problem to give up since it is not my favorite thing in the world, but cycling just is impossible! I have managed to limit my mountain biking and cycling to 1-2 days a week, which is a first for me, so that I can focus on running.

For the first time I actually feel comfortable running. I have always had trouble going on an easy run, because all running paces felt hard to me. My paces are way slower than I need them to be, but I am hoping I can pull out a performance out of my butt on race day like I have in the past.

I have been coaching runners, mountain bikers, adventure racers, road cyclists, triathletes, and off-road triathletes for 2 years now, but I have never wrote a training plan for myself. I now that sounds ridiculous that a coach who writes training plans everyday does not follow a plan himself…Well now I am! It is weird that I follow it too! I never thought I could follow a plan, but I am doing it and having fun with it. It gives me something to think about at work and prepare nutritionally and mentally. I just hope it pays off! One thing is that I am running more than I ever have in my life free of pain (besides muscle soreness). I hope I can keep it up!

Today’s workouts:

AM – 45 min run w/ 30 min TEMPO after warm-up

PM – 45 min run @ Aerobic Endurance w/ 8 x 30 sec strides…

Posted in Daniel | Leave a comment

My New Ride

Posted on February 11, 2012 by tfp_admin

I had a nice swim today. I like it when coach T doesn’t send the workout by email in advance so I don’t know what is going to happen. Somehow it is easier to go hard that way. After swim, I was sad to miss a mountain bike ride with the boss to help my mom do her taxes, but was rewarded for staying home when our UPS driver delivered my new Orbea Alma 29er. It is time to button down the hatches and get it in gear for the 2012 ITU Off-road Triathlon World Championships coming to Alabama on May 19th. Goodbye to my canoe, ‘Slice of Pizza’, and hello to my Orbea, Alma 29er! I just got my NoTubes ZTR Race Gold wheel set and my complete bike built up weighed in at 20.7 pounds. In anticipation of my first legit ride, I almost signed up just before midnight last night for my first pro mountain bike race since 1998, but changed my mind until I can test ride the bike first and get to know her. I can’t wait, and seemingly, neither can my ride.

Just put me in some Swiftwick socks, and I’ll be on that line, lining up with all the young pups again. That’s all it will take.

Posted in 2012 ITU Off-Road Triathlon World Championships, Kathy | Leave a comment

Texas Winter 100k Paddling Race (1/28/12)

Posted on February 2, 2012 by tfp_admin

We pulled up to the starting line to unload our boat, and I realized that we brought a stock car to an Indy car race. My canoe is a solid boat with a descent hull speed, but it is not lighter than it is long. In fact, it is named Slice of Pizza. Its sister boat, Piece of Cake, is made of carbon fiber. And like pizza is heavier than cake, fiberglass is heavier than carbon. As we hooked up our dolly to make sure it would function for the portage, a guy walked by carrying his boat in his left hand. It was at this point that I no longer had the pre-race jitters…we WERE going to lose. Debbie said, “Don’t worry, we will pick off everyone that crashes.”

In that spirit of being dealt the low card in the technological advancement category, here is a list of the gadgets that malfunctioned within the first two hours:

2 headlamps
IPod speaker
GoPro Video camera
Spot tracker
& of all things, the Velcro holding my food bag. I was mainly worried about this one, because ALL of my snacks were in this food bag.

Back to the basics, we still had a canoe and two paddles and we lined up for the start in Slice of Pizza. The race began with a loud “GO!” and the sunrise treated us to perfect silhouettes of the fastest boats as they took off like water bugs flitting across Lady Bird Lake. Before we reached the first portage at Longhorn Dam, all we could see were arcs of water flying through the air from the rapid paddle strokes of the leading teams. The ½ mile portage was uneventful; we ran down a path with our boat on a dolly, through a cement tunnel, and down a cliff and into the water. We even passed a team (who was walking). They quickly passed us once back in the water.

We embraced last place in the competition boat class with a few other teams who were probably conserving energy for later in the day. The first half of the race consisted of avoiding the shallows, jumping in and out of the boat to drag it through when we could not, and spending more time in transition than we should have. The only signs of life we saw for a few hours were plastic decoys and camouflaged hunters whose heads would pop up beside us to assure us that we did not look like ducks. Happy that we were not about to be shot, we spent our time searching for ANY moving water in a river that supposedly flooded three days ago. However, due to the drought, no water was being let out of Longhorn Dam for our race. The race director told us to expect the river to pick up the closer to the finish we got, from runoff from area creeks – something to look forward to!

The only other portage was a low-head dam where we wisely struggled through deep sand and over a fallen tree, turning just in time to see a fellow competitor paddle straight over the dam on purpose. I’m not sure if we were more excited for her successful run or because she made us realize that we actually had not been in last place; but, since she stayed upright, now we were.

We were not alone for long, as we soon started picking off the adventure class racers that had started two hours earlier than we did. This picked up our spirits, as it gave us someone to commiserate with about the headwind and the low water. This might be the time to mention that canoes do not do well in a 20+mph wind.

The race director was right. The second half of the course had a lot of creeks bringing fresh runoff into the river. We had run this section two weeks earlier and the water was noticeably higher and faster than we had seen it before. It was actually moving. This is when we became focused and boldly told our support crew at the halfway point that we would pull a negative split. We were also able to gain confidence in our progress as we began to see a lot more of the recreation class boats and we started picking them off in earnest. By the last 10 miles of the race, I was no longer looking for trees to pee behind but dropping trou in the middle of shallows to save time.

The second half of the race held the most challenging section of the course, with a few small rapids through a series of boulders the locals call the “rock gardens.” Our favorite was a two-foot drop that we ran straight down the middle, waiting to see if our bow would pop up above the water or if we would come to a screeching stop on a rock hidden beneath the surface. This would have been our best photo op, with Debbie leaning forward powering through the current as I was leaning completely back, in a full brace, anticipating the boulder that luckily did not materialize.

As we neared the finish line and now certain that we would come in before nightfall, Debbie recognized a team ahead of us as friends in another boat class. Debbie wanted to beat them, so we found the shoulder and back muscles needed to pick up the pace the last three miles and slowly reeled them in. Luckily, we had a little more time than I thought we did, as the first finish line that I saw and pointed out turned out to be a hallucination. With a quarter mile to go, and just 50 meters to catch the other boat, they saw us coming and picked up their pace. The race was on. Both boats came across the line to loud cheering from spectators, with Slice of Pizza edging out the other boat by inches.

The next day I had the typical post race soreness but, unlike when I race bikes, it was every muscle from my waist up. Would I do it again? Maybe in a different boat.

 

Posted in Kathy | Leave a comment

Acceptance

Posted on January 26, 2012 by tfp_admin

It has been a long while since my last blog. I have been going through a lot of mixed emotions and depression with my 2012 racing season.

My current job is very physical leaving me with nothing in the tank for training when I get home on long days. Usually winters are slow for movers, but this winter has kept me very busy. I sometimes try to suck it up and just go running after a 12 hour shift, but my feet, and legs can’t take much. Then the next day I am unable to perform at work as well as I need to. This cycle built and built on me for a few overtime hour weeks and finally broke me.

I wanted to be faster in 2012 than I ever have. I wanted to cat up, run a sub 3-hour marathon, win XTERRA Mountain Championships, place top 3 at XTERRA Nationals, and be competitive for my first half-ironman. I wanted to be the hardest worker, and the best boyfriend all while enjoying all the great things Colorado has to offer. Go snowboarding, cross-country skiing…you know the reasons why I moved.

Once I realized with my current job I would not be able to reach those goals (while actually still enjoying racing) I lost it. Everyone at work kept asking me what happen to me. They said I was always the one smiling and joking but now I am just quiet and short. My training sessions were always me trying to push my body through the stress as hard as I can, but it just… was not… working.

I was still trying to have a training schedule where I put in 17 hours a week along with my job and social life. I wish I could wake up at 4 AM and do a 2-3 hour session before work and still have the energy to do my job. I admire these Ironman athletes that train along with their 50 hour a week jobs, but it is just not me. I have always raced, because I fell in love with it. Its fun…its my hobby…its a luxury… If the fun is removed, I won’t do it. I am sure this will keep me from ever being competitive, but I don’t care.

It took some serious meltdowns and meditation, but I finally accepted that my goals need to back off until I atleast find a different job. I am in a much better place now. A slower place but a slowly better place. I need to stay healthy, enjoy life, and have fun again. I am a newb, but this years goal is to race like a newb and have fun.

I am going to live my competitive dreams through my clients I coach and try my luck as an athlete some other time.

And with all that…I really would like to do a race right now! It has been so long! I have never gone this long since I raced for the first time! It was much easier to squeeze in races in TX when I worked with Terra Firma Racing!

So the marathon is still on for May. It will be my first, and it will be fun! The course is right in my neighborhood so I will have home field advantage…except the whole altitude thing…and the being from TX thing…and the I am out of shape thing…

Posted in Daniel | Leave a comment

Time to Reset

Posted on January 2, 2012 by tfp_admin

It’s a new year.  Resolutions are bountiful.  I want to start fresh.

 

It was only a month ago when I was riding the coat tails of my fitness from 2011.  I was in the best all around fitness of my life, fresh off a gold medal in Spain in my age group for off-road sprint triathlon, and miles of training and fitness for endurance racing of all kinds in my arms and legs.  I finished my season with a 12-hour adventure race and constantly keep my coach wondering what event I will be training for next.  I never seem to do the same type of event twice in a row.

 

Then the holidays hit. Parties began to fill our schedule both at lunch and dinnertime.  Thanksgiving and Christmas brought family and loved ones in town, plenty of food, and lots of missed hours of work and training.  We even got hit by lightning, catching our upstairs room on fire two weeks before Christmas, leaving an even bigger and deeper hole in my training.  Our lives will be upside down for a few weeks until we can sort through all the water and smoke filled articles and put them back in place.

 

So when my friend asked me on a whim about racing on January 28th, in the Texas Winter 100K, I said, “Sure!”

 

I’m not positive if that was my exact answer, but for some unknown reason, I agreed to do it.  I have done plenty of 100K and 100-mile bike races, and I’ve even done a 50K trail run.  So why wouldn’t I think I could do a 100K paddling race?  I mean, after all, we could float down stream if we had too.

 

This race starts on Ladybird Lake (Town Lake) in Austin and winds its way down the Colorado River for a finish in Bastrop.  Last year’s race brought the coldest weather on record as a cold-front blew through and sent bone chilling temperatures through the racers with a strong wind blowing upstream.  Many of the athletes didn’t even start the race.  My friend actually did the race and finished, and has promised me that race day can’t possibly be as cold as last year’s record. If I counted the results right, only 21 people finished last year.

 

And so I’m back in training, during this holiday season, resetting my engine.  I’m increasing my paddle distance by one hour a week.  By January 15th, I’ll be up to an 8-hour day of paddling, and by race day, we hope to finish the race between 10 and 11 hours.  And if nothing else, I’ll increase my core body strength immensely, and be ready to start the 2012 racing season off with a bang.

 

Doing something on a whim is a great way to mix things up in the winter and recharge your body for the New Year.  Paddling might not be the best off-season sport to do this time of year, but it will sure make my winter bike rides more manageable, and seemingly easier.   And I will force my friend to actually train for this race ~ because even a small obscure Winter Paddling Race in Texas is something I take seriously.

 

But mostly, I know it will be yet another adventure, given the fact that in our training sessions, we have already seen a water hippo, icicles, a dead body in a bag, bird poop

Feather on Glass

island, and vultures waiting in the tree stumps to eat us.  Granted not all of these items turned out to be real, but they sure keep the training sessions light hearted and fun!

Barrel on a stick

 

Whatever you do, mix it up this winter, and reset your engine so you can enjoy those long spring training rides to make you perform at your best during racing season.  Spend time with loved ones, and enjoy the blessings you were given.

 

Posted in Kathy, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Love but can’t train

Posted on December 6, 2011 by tfp_admin

People have busy lifestyles and can not always get in the amount of training they would like. I didn’t want to ever become one of those people, but I think I may have.

I like to sleep, take showers, eat food, and spend time with my lady…Which means I don’t always have the time for a 3 hour workout after a 14 hour shift at work. And the occasional 8 inches of snow on the road and single digit temps have made it a little harder.

I think a lot of people can relate and have it much worse than me.

I catch myself staring at the snow covered mountains as we drive to our jobsite for the day thinking about how fun it would be to ride my mountain bike down it. I run extra fast up the stairs while carrying furniture and boxes hoping that it will somehow boost my fitness. I pack a lunch so I don’t end up eating fast food with my coworkers everyday. I come home and run in the dark on ice covered roads in the freezing air. I hop on the trainer for a late night apartment wall-rumble fest. I visualize swimming as I ride and run. I think for everytime I train when my competition has the same conditions as I do and end up taking the day off, that is one more step up for me.

I hope this strategy will help next year when the real pain starts.

Last thursday at our Tri Club swim practice we had Swimming Olympics. Which basically means we race each other in all strokes. First 100 IM, 100 back, 100 brest, 50 butterfly, 100 free, 100 relay while balancing on a kickboard as if it was an underwater surfboard, and a 100 relay with a giant tshirt on.

99% of the club members had never seen me before. The coach stuck me in the 2nd fastest group next to the varsity collegiate swimmer from CU’s group. I refused the start off the blocks, because I did not want my goggles to fall off like they always do. After the start my goggles fogged up instantly. I had no idea where I was so I did what I do in any race…Go all out. I managed to win the IM, butterfly, and free. I had never tried butterfly, but somehow it came naturally (the varsity swimmer said it looked really good). I still felt like I was drowning though.

So now they have thrown me from lane 8 to lane 1 in the pool, and from midpack runner to lead pack runner. The coach of the club came up to me at the social and wanted to tell me in a slightly eniburated state that he thinks I am Colorado’s next big star. I laughed and thought that is something my mom would say. He went on to introduce me to other club members as the next under 10 hour ironman. I laughed again and thought maybe I should try a half first.

People kept asking me what races and goals I have for next year, and I realized I did not have any other than I want to be faster than I have ever been. I just love riding my bike, running, and finally have started to truly enjoy swimming.

So now I guess I need to work on the race goal thing. I never was a great planner. I am more of a spontaneous weekend warrior.

I am thinking maybe a marathon early spring……

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The Cookie Monster

Posted on November 5, 2011 by tfp_admin

Since my move away from Texas and out of someone else’s house I have been working on my food intake much more. I have been applying Nutritional Periodization to my training plan.

Basically I try to eat nothing but fruit, vegetables, dairy, nuts, and a little animal protein during my base building period. Later I will add whole grains and legumes in when I begin more intense training. The idea is to maximize my body’s ability to utilize fat as an energy source. Eating foods with a low glycemic index, even during training, will train my body to rely on fat stores more instead of glycogen, or at least that is what nutritionists tell me. I stopped using sports drinks, GUs, gels, and recovery drinks. It was very hard on the stomach at first for sure! Talk about GI issues!

But I am 12 lbs lighter and feel better than ever. Such a great happy story…Until the Cookie Monster takes over.

The other day I stopped by Pizza Hut possessed by my inner Cookie Monster. I ordered a large pizza, a 20 oz Dr. Pepper, and 14 wings. Just during the 10 minute drive home a ate 6 wings, 2 pieces of pizza, and the Dr. Pepper. It doesn’t stop there. I ate half the pizza and 10 wings total by the end of it. Now that was satisfying…Until I began a failed attempt at digestion.

The next day I ate half a container of raw cookie dough, baked the others and ate most of them! Things got a little ridiculous for a little while.

I know one thing for sure. If I did not train, I would be obese.

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