Luckily i LOVE my veggies and it gives me a chance to experiment more with different ingredients. Tonight I played around with tofu and the results were fantastic.

Curried Tofu Scramble

Serves Two

Ingredients

1/2 Block Extra Firm Tofu*
1/3 c Bell Peppers, chopped (I used red and orange)
1/2 c Sliced Carrots
1 1/2 tsps Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1+ cup Spinach, Torn

Instructions

Step 1 Spray a cooking pan with cooking spray, and saute the peppers and carrots over medium-high heat for 5:00, or until they’re soft.

Step 2 Use your hands and crumble tofu into pan. Stirring often, saute until liquid has evaporated and tofu begins to brown.

Step 3 Add all ingredients, except spinach, and stir until combined.

Step 4 Add desired amount of spinach and cover until spinach is slightly wilted.

Step 5 Remove from heat and serve.

I added a nice side (ok, ok, half-a-plateful) of broccoli to mine. Yum!

Improvise, that’s what.

I usually keep my fridge fully stoked; people would think it’s for a whole family… Nope, just me. I had plans most evenings last week and wasn’t home much at all over the weekend. I planned to do a full re-stock tonight (even hit Costco), but when I realized I was money-less those plans were shattered.

Luckily, I bought some fresh yellow tomatoes at the local Farmer’s market on Saturday and they became the basis of my meal. I started there and made stuff up as I went along. Emptying the embarrassingly stark fridge of nearly-past-their-prime ingredients, I discovered half a zucchini, some spinach, mixed greens, blueberries, baby cucumber, and a few pieces of kale. I sorta felt like I was on an episode of “Chopped”– here are some random, don’t belong together ingredients., now concoct an elaborately gourmet meal.. GO!

I sliced the beautiful tomatoes, tossing out the ends and set them aside. I took the zucchini and cut it into slices and placed them into a greased saute pan set on high. I sprinkled with some Italian seasoning and let them handle themselves. Next I sprinkled a tiny bit of Sea Salt and a droplet of Olive Oil on the wimpy amount of kale that I had. I got my hands dirty and massaged the leafy greens until they were wilted. I set them aside and chopped the zucchini, half the plum, and half a yellow onion I found. I placed all the greens (except kale) in a large bowl and tossed in the rest of the veggies. I threw in a handful of blueberries, drizzled a bit of oil, dijon, and red wine vinegar and thoroughly mixed everything together. I poured the salad on the plate, topped it with the kale and garnished with a few flax seeds.

I went into my garden and picked a few leaves of fresh Basil and brought them in for my “Napoleons”. I placed one slice of tomato on the plate, topped it with one basil leaf and one slice of zucchini and a drop of oil. I repeated these steps until I used the whole tomato. I drizzled the tower with some high quality balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of Sea Salt. I added the rest of the zucchini to the plate and Voila! Dinner is served.

Not a fully raw meal, but delicious nonetheless and I enjoyed every bite.

Now tomorrow night might not be as impressive if I can’t get my card back. Something tells me that half a plum, some almond milk, San Pellegrino, baby carrots, and random condiments can be combined by even the most accomplished of chefs to create anything edible.

After doing as much prep work as I could, I actually found myself in bed by 10:30 the night before. I always try for an early bedtime, but rarely does it actually happen. Though I think 4:30 in the a.m. comes far too quickly no matter what time you call “lights out”. I decided to wait til morning to make the last minute judgment call of whether or not to bike myself to the race site or use my car. Pressing snooze 3 times pretty much made my decision for me. Car it was. In fact, I started the day way later than I wanted and ended up cutting it pretty close. i ate my egg whites while i quickly braided my hair, scarfed down my oatmeal while zipping up my tri suit, grabbed my bags and crossed my fingers that I remembered everything. I sorta miss the nerves and anticipation I used to get on race morning– I was so much more prepared…

I arrived at Mickler’s, which i’ve gotten to know quite well. it’s either my turn around point on my weekday rides or a landmark I pass on my longer rides. either way, i see this place pretty much daily. After waiting in line to pick up my chip I found my rack and set up my transition. It was a small race - capped at 500, which was sorta nice. Most everyone there was out there to have a good time and it was clear that the pressure that comes with a lot of races wasn’t present.

Photo Credit: Marni Sumbal

Swim

The race was a beach start (obviously, i mean i do live in florida!). I was in the 3rd wave (along with all other women), just behind the Age Group Men. The water was pleasantly calm and cooperative– a first on raceday! Unlike bigger races, our coundown was just that. A verbal countdown “10 . 9 . 8 . 7 …. 3 . 2 . 1 .. GO!”. It works, I suppose, but it definitely made me smile :) We were off. After a good run and several dolphin dives we were able to start swimming. I found myself falling back into my old pattern of completely losing all form and swimming like I’m a newbie. What gives? I kept trying to mentally change my patterns and let my form carry me, but for whatever reason I was having a hard time. I was swimming ok, but not great and certainly not fast enough. I was swimming at a pace just a tad faster than I would a warm up and once I turned the 4th and final buoy and realized the swim was pretty much over, I knew I didn’t stand a chance to make up for the lost time. Even a sprint at this point wouldn’t cover the ground I lost. Tooooo slow.

Swim Time: 8:49; AG Place: 4

T1

Holy cow. WORST . TRANSITION . EVER .
So the unfortunate thing about a sprint race is that you really have no time to spare. Losing time during transition is pretty hard to make up. A speedy T1 is crucial. It was a long jaunt from the swim exit (through the sand) back up to transition, which I actually felt like I held a pretty good clip and passed several men along the way. As I entered T1 one of the volunteers called out “8th place in women!” I thanked him and rushed to my bike. I tried to scrape as much sand off my feet as I could but decided time was more important and pulled on my socks on my (pretty filthy) feet. Helmet and sunglasses on and feet in my bikes, I pulled my bike off the rack and ran toward the mount line. Here’s where things went wrong. I regretably found a spot directly behind another guy trying to mount his bike and since he had trouble, I couldn’t start and I had two other people file in on either side of me. i was stuck! As soon as I got the chance, i fumbled a little and clipped my foot in and started to take off.. well, part of me. I can’t remember the last time I had a hard time clipping in… but today I just couldn’t get my left shoe to click. More wasted time…

T1 time: 2:42

Bike

This is the first and only race I’ve ever done with my power tap, so i was really excited knowing when I got home I’d be able to see the data from an actual race! I wish I kept repeating the word “race” in my head over and over again, because somehow in the 16 mile course, I seemed to have forgotten that’s what this actually was. I wasn’t holding back, but I certainly wasn’t treating it like a TT. I felt strong and I was passing men like it was my job, but I hate having the feeling that I could have done better. I want to get to the point where I can just lay it all on the line and feel confident that I gave it my all. I’m not there yet. There was one bridge we did coming and going and I’m not gonna lie, I’ve lot a lot of my hill strength I worked so hard to build last year. I fell behind on both ascends. I was good about sipping my water every couple of minutes, tho it wasn’t hard to remember to hydrate with the incredibly hot florida sun beating down me.

I was keeping a tally of how many women I passed and how many passed me and while I lost a couple spots, I gained more… until I got to about 10 mins out from the finish.. out of nowhere a group of 4 girls caught me and pulled ahead. This was when I realized I wasn’t pushing hard enough. It refueled my and I began working hard. Unfortnately the timing couldn’t have been worse. We were in a close pack at the only point in the course where our course was narrowed by cones and we had a limited amount of space. Naturally we were pushed together and couldn’t avoid riding pretty closely. One of the girls turned around and yelled for me to stop drafting her and I felt terrible, so I let go of the gas and let her pull ahead. It sucks because I did this race party b/c I want to meet people in the area and the last thing I want to do is get on peoples’ bad sides. In retrospect I sorta wish I pushed harder and ignored her comment and prevailed, but oh well. I pulled back into transition feeling like I had a pretty solid ride, albeit not as good as it could have been.

Bike Time: 37:31 ; Pace: 21.7 mph; AG Place: 4

T2

Redeeming leg of the race. In and out.

T2 Time: 0:40; AG Place: 2

Run

We had to do a bit of maneuvering along the parking lot before we got out on the road, which I took easy, trying to judge the condition of my legs (and more accurately, my toe). I hit the road and a volunteer gave me an update “you’re 9, and you’re 10″. There must be another girl right behind me. I started to build up to a steady pace and was feeling fairly strong. First race all season where I felt like I might be getting my running legs back. My stress fracture has taken more time than I ever expected to get back up to speed. Pun intended. One girl passed me (lickety split fast) but I was gaining ground on the girl ahead so I just pressed on and stayed confident in my own race. I hit mile 1 and my watch said 7:57. I tried to pick up the pace a bit and my goal at this point was to get faster each mile and sprint the end. I stayed on target and I passed the girl ahead of me. I was passed by another girl but then I passed another girl. I was staying consistently #9. I hit the turn around and stayed in the tracks of another woman for as long as I could before I felt confident I could make the pass. I did. But then I was passed. I was passed again. There was one girl in eyesight, but a pretty good distance away. I laid my gaze on the back of her head as I crossed mile 2 at 7:51. Keep going. My breathing was heavy but I felt strong. I kept my comfortable pace and tried to quicken my cadence just a bit. I was gaining on her. We rounded the last corner and I knew it was time to sprint. I should have actually started earlier but I couldn’t tell how close I was to the finish and I didn’t want another repeat of last year’s ITU. I kicked it in and closed in the gap between the other girl and me. I didn’t think it was possible, but here I was only a few body lengths behind. The possibility became more realistic so I pushed harder and harder and within the last couple seconds I blew by her and crossed over the timing pad just ahead. A couple deep breaths to regain my composure and I felt fine. I felt fine. I should have felt tired… I should have gone harder.

Run Time: 24:35; Run Pace: 7:54; AG Place: 2

Overall: 1:12:15; AG Place: 3; OA: 92/500

All in all, it was a fun race and a good way to spend a saturday (yes, saturday! i still get a weekend!). This distance is new and I’m not surprised I paced myself too conservatively. Maybe next time i’ll follow my friend Ben’s training motto: “Ride til you Puke”. Simple, yet brilliant. :)

After the race, I waited around for the awards and got a nice lil towel for getting 3rd place in my age group. I used it minutes later to wipe off the caked on grime before zipping back up and heading out for a recovery ride. I was excited to get to ride with my friend Marni and her friend from out of town, Jennifer. We headed back out and revisited the race course at a much more conversational pace. It was super hot, but it felt nice to spin out the legs. They’re both embarking in careers in dietetics so we pretty much talked food the whole way. I’m not complaining. I can talk food any day, any time :) It was really cool getting their take on the whole “raw” revolution and thoughts on training/recovery. I don’t do much training with others, and it was really nice. Marni and Jennifer made their way back to their car and planned to go to the beach but I kept going and wanted to get in as close to 2 hours as I could. It was getting close to noon and the sun was getting hotter and hotter and it was draining me pretty rapidly. I got back to the car after 1:47 and called it a day… well, on the bike. I made my way home, made a delicious, healthy whole wheat wrap with chicken and filled with tons healthy veggies. I ate standing up and (still unshowered) headed out to the garage to gas up the pressure washer and get to work… 4 hours later, my sidewalk, driveway, and the majority of my exterior was cleaner than it’s ever been. Barely being able to move at this point, I did some more work in the backyard before I finally rinsed off in my outdoor shower, slipped on a bikini, poured myself a corona and slid into my hot tub. 14.5 hours after waking up, I finally sat down for the very first time.

Long (but good) day.

I guess I could say this race went as “expected”. I knew it was not going to be a PR. I knew this very well. I also knew that the run would be tough. I knew this… yet a teeny tiny piece of me thought there was a sliver of a chance that I’d beat those odds and the time off of running/training would somehow spring new life into my rested legs. Silly me.

The morning started out well. Despite my late bedtime, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. I don’t even think i pushed snooze! I guess it’s pretty common though, on race morning any sense of exhaustion is immediately replaced with a rush of adrenaline! Since I left all of my preparation until morning I knew I didn’t have time to waste. I put my numbers on my helmet and my racebelt, reorganized all my bags, and stuffed my transition bag with everything I’d need. I braided my air and heated up a cup of water to mix my starbucks via (this stuff rocks). A few minutes later I had a nice hot cup of coffee with the almond milk i brought. Mmm. Much better. I slept in my compression socks and kept those on while I donned my heartrate monitor, sweet new Saucony racesuit & jacket, and popped in my contacts. I probably should have checked my contacts before leaving my house, but for someone who wears contacts ONLY to race and maybe a couple nights a year, they tend to be the last thing on my mind. This became apparent when I put them in and the right lense was super dry and the left lense made my vision worse than without. Awesome. Can’t wait to bike blind. Maybe I should find a stick to use on the run. This’ll be great.

I loaded up the car and tried to navigate my way back to the racesite. I ate my (religious race morning) breakfast: Opytgen HP supplements, eggwhites (I made the day before) and oatmeal with half a banana as I drove. I was precisely on schedule with my plan to eat 2.5 hours pre-race. Perfect. I showed up to the line of cars searching for parking and passed the 3 designated pay-to-park sites. Since I never have cash on me I decided to take my chances. No one knows how to parallel park outside of the city, so lucky me. I slipped right into a “my car will never fit in this crack” space and I pitied all the people continuing their search. As I walked towards the transition area I took note of all the other nervous athletes around me. I love people watching and this was highly entertaining. It made me realize how calm and relaxed I was (surprisingly).

I casually waited for one of the Body Markers to free up and let two nervous looking athletes go ahead of me as I sipped my coffee and drank out of my gallon jug (new thing i’ve been trying lately. I carry a gallon jug with me all day long and i can see exactly how much i’ve consumed). I got my race numbers plastered onto my skin with the thick permanent marker and made my way to my bike. I set up my area as I always do: bike gear up front, running gear in back, optional gear off to the right side wit necessities grouped on the left. Once I got situated and quickly ran through the motions of my T1 & T2, I grabbed my wetsuit, cap, goggles, and water and began making my way to swim start. It was a bit of a walk and the line for the ladies room was massive so it took quite a while and unfortunately I missed both the pro men and pro women starts. bummer.

I found a nice stretch of pier to stand and watch the next few groups take off and construct my swim start plan. I did a good amount of stretching as I intensively watched the athletes sprint into the water. I haven’t practiced a beach start since I race Rhode Island last year so I was excited. With about an hour until my wave started I decided to get out of the excitement and find a nice patch of grass to stretch, lay down, and relax. My left hip had been really tight for the past couple days so I tried to loosen it up as best as I could. I ended up meeting a really nice woman from Tallahassee and we talked “shop” for quite a while. Turns out she’ll be racing Gulf Coast in two weeks, too. She’s done the FL IM a couple times and we had a lot to talk about. She’d also race St. Anthony’s a few times before so I picked her brain about the bike course since I didnt’t quite know what I was in for. She confirmed what everyone else had told me : technical, lots of turns, lots of people, and windy. Well, at least it won’t come as a shock, i guess. It was fun talking to her and I got so caught up in the conversation I lost track of the time! I quickly (well, that’s up for debate. it’s never quick) shimmied into my wetsuit, realizing i forgot to use any Glide on my ankles I squeezed the rest of my Chamois Butter (I always bring the trial size tubes with me to swim start) and lubed my calves/ankles.

Swim

I made my way to the front of the baby blue swim caps and we waited for the group of men to take off in front of us. I positioned myself exactly where I wanted to be: the very front and furthest to the outside. I stood there and calculated my move. I would run in, high knees, out as far as i could go, then i’d dolphin dive until it was time to swim. I would start outside and line up with the yellow buoy and swim inward. We had 5 minutes before the cannon went off which was plenty of time to check out the competition, the announcer to make corny jokes and me to hold my goggles in ready position. The gun went off and a-splashin we went. The front running girls around me and I were just about on the exact same plan. We all dove into the water and began our tumultuous journey. Now, this being the Bay, one would not expect the conditions to be too bad. Or maybe that’s just my naivety, but the conditions grew worse and worse as the time went on. I tried (yet again) to give drafting a shot. I’ve never succeeded at this yet I try every time. Maybe someday, but clearly not today. I get too antsy when the person in front of me is swimming the same speed as i am and i can’t hold back even though I know i’m supposedly conserving energy. I’ve tried drafting off of someone who was swimming faster than me, too. That doesn’t work either. So, it’s just me and my arms and legs. Good thing we’ve done this a time or two before.

I was really happy with my form, effort level, and my spotting. It’s been a struggle for me to race like I practice. For some reason, as soon as I feel there’s something at stake all form is lost and I feel like a fish with one fin. Don’t ask. But, today, today I felt good. I was finding my rhythm, staying with a strong group of girls, and making a perfect line to the yellow turn buoy. As we made the first turn the waves picked up. I was actually sort of enjoying the challenge. Once we turned, we were battling the undertow and that’s never a good thing. I knew better than to waste my energy trying to push forward while the water pulled me back, so I let nature do its thing and I waited for the eventual push forward. I took each push as much to my advantage as I could. It was getting harder and I was losing interest. It’s 1500 meters, I swim 1500 as a warmup. Why did it feel so far? I kept chugging along, made the next turn and was headed towards the exit. I was mostly around the silver and pink and royal blue caps at this point and trying to plan my route moment-by-moment. It gets to be like a maze when you’re swimming around people and it’s always better to swim near the folks in your color cap. They won’t hold you back.

I remembered my coach saying that the hard part of this swim is figuring out where to sight as the destination. It gets a little jumbled near the end and especially since I hadn’t been out in the water before the race, I kept mindful of the possibility. Luckily, the giant gatorade bottle seemed to mark the spot and I kept my eye on the prize. The waves were coming at us from the left and it was hard to plan the breaths correctly- too soon and you’d gulp water from the left, too late and you’d gulp it from the right. Luckily I only drank the salt water once and because I’ve convinced myself I have gills, it only took a moment to recover. I made it my goal to try and do 7 strokes before breathing like I do in the pool, but I was only able to do this once during the entire swim. I was consistently holding 3-4-5. As I got closer and closer I saw the stairs and realized how crowded they were. Being in a later start wave always gives you disadvantages. Just once I’d like to race at the front. Anyways, I got up to the stairs and jumped the gun on standing up. I should have swum further as I lost a couple seconds here. They had volunteers on the stairs helping us gain our footing and I’m most thankful they were there! I jogged up the stairs and by the time I hit the timing mats my goggles were off and I was fumbled my zipper. I looked down at my time only to see the clock, not my stopwatch. I must not have pressed the button hard enough. I lost my split and had no idea where I stood.

Swim Time: 27:58; Pace 1:43; AG : 17/88

T-1

I crossed into Transition and had cap and goggles in hand and wetsuit around my waist. Good start. I grabbed my sunglasses (decided to stay with the contacts), smushed them onto my fact and picked up my helmet. I somehow got the strap stuck inside and had to take it back off, wherein I proceeded to drop it. Nicely done. Moments lost. While I was down to pick it up, I slipped on my left sock. Finally got the helmet on, put on the right sock and slipped both shoes on. I velcroed up and glanced back down to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. I then grabbed my bike and wrestled with it to get it off the rack. The bikes were fairly close together and mine got caught on the one next to it. More precious moments lost. FINALLY after what felt like 5 minutes, I was running my bike through the mats and preparing to mount.

T1: 1:55; AG: 5/88

Bike

Start watch now. As I got on my bike it became immediately apparent that my aero bottle had somehow (I do not understand) become un-velcroed. ALERT. Something not going as planned. I immediately weight my options– I could just toss the bottle and forget about it and not lose time or I could spend the time and effort on fixing it. I debated the pros and cons (all of this within a couple seconds). I mean, this bottle ain’t cheap and i’d really rather not have to take the time and shop for another one not to mention it’s leading up to being a hot day and if I don’t drink water on this ride there’s no chance of making it on the run. On the other hand, I have a hard time fishing the velcro piece through the microscopic hole when I’m standing on ground let alone WHILE RIDING. With the lingering taste of salt water and my dry throat naggin me, the decision seemed obvious. I would take the time to fix it. A full 8 minutes. that’s right, e-i-g-h-t. I rode with my left hand holding the bottle while my right hand, not on the shifters, not on the breaks, but was trying to direct the velcro into the hole. I went through at least 5 turns this way and was pedaling fast but in an entirely too low a gear. I was going nowhere fast. Finally I got the water bottle secured and at this point I was able to pull my other bottle out of my cage and get in some calories/electrolytes. 3 sips sports drink, few gulps water at 8:00. It hit me, I missed my scheduled 5:00 target and I didn’t care. Am I finally starting to take things more casually and not be so nit-picky precise on my nutrition? Could it be? Halelujah, the girl is growing up.

I shifted a few gears and began gaining my speed. “Just try and not let everyone pass you” I thought. Then something strange happened, I passed a small cluster of people. I was gaining speed on the next group. I passed that group and I wasn’t being passed. Concerned I was going too hard I thought about slowing down, but my heart rate was on target and I felt fine so I kept going. I gave myself one goal– do not drop below 16. If I get close, I have to just push through it. We hit a straight away where we faced oncoming cyclists and you could tell the wind was punishing them. I kept at t and stayed steady and fluid. My hip was a bit tight, but otherwise I wasn’t in any pain and my saddle sores weren’t even an issue! We hit another turn and there was that wind. I refused to go below 16. I went 18. I was feeling strong. Only two girls in my age group had passed me and I was keeping one in sight, her pink jersey was easy to spot.

The course continued to take us on bends and turns and eventually numerous speed bumps. I was really happy with how I handled them all- i only had to break on one turn (and for me, that’s huge! i’m always overcautious and tend to slow down too much. I handled them like a champ and was feeling good about it. I was really trying to make this a PR. i had my eye on the clock and I really tried hard. I thought it was possible, and I think had I not had the water bottle issues at the beginning, it could have happened. Unfortunately, I didn’t hit it, but I’m still happy with this performance. I learned from it and for the very first time i felt like a cyclist.

Nutrition

In total (not exactly on time schedule) I drank 3-4 times (3-4 sips each time) of my sports drink and I had 2 endurolytes. I also had most of my aero bottle of water.

Bike Time: 1:18:47; Pace: 18.9; AG; 28/88

T-2

Run bike to the rack, helmet off, shoes off, shoes on, visor on, run out.

T-2 Time: 1:30; AG: 3/88

Run

Yep. Went just about as well as I thought it would. I felt like I had never run a 10K before. I felt like i was walking. I had no speed and not much drive. I was still on a high from how great I felt on the bike and I tried to use that to push me on the run, but for some reason, I just didn’t have it in me. I told myself to just keep this easy pace and slowly and gradually try and build. I can do this. Why won’t my legs do this?
As I’m jogging a man comes up and starts to pass me on the left and as he does and turns to me and says “I was eating your SMOKE on the bike”. That very moment was the best of the entire race. I felt so good. It put a little pep in my step… but not quite enough to deem this even a “decent” run. It was at about this point when I had the internal debate of whether or not I kick it into high gear and push myself all-out and try and salvage whatever I could for the rest of the race… or I take this run more as a training run and accept that that’s all I could do on this day. I chose the latter approach. With Gulf Coast less than 2 weeks away, it would be a bad idea to destroy my body and put myself in a position to further injure my foot or invite other injuries. Part of me felt like this was a cop-out, but it IS the first race of the season and I want to make sure there IS more of a race season, so I just kept on trucking.
I barely remember the course. There was a little (of course it felt big) bridge into a neighborhood we had to cross and lots of pretty houses. That’s about all i remember. This wasn’t a big spectator race, though I am thankful for the few kids and families who stood in their yards and sprayed us with their sprinklers! It was slightly overcast but blistering hot and incredibly humid. I grabbed water at just about every aid station and tried to drink as much as i could (though let’s be honest, most of it spills). I didn’t take any nutrition on the run and I only had mild stomach distress– mostly near the end and mostly because my body did not want to drink any fluids.
I aimed for a negative split and I definitely kicked it up on the way back. I didn’t have much speed to give, but I gave what I had. I honestly did not feel like I was racing. I felt like I was on a leisurely jog. I couldn’t figure out why this was happening. What a disapointment.

I usually kick my sprint in with 1 mile to go and do the full on sprint once I can see the finish line. Today, I barely increased my speed when I saw the mile 5 marker, but as soon as I got close enough to deem the sprint woulnd’t kill me, I pushed. I gave it my all. I ended up challenging another girl on the mats and we went all out. The two of us were neck in neck and vying for the finish line. I had to run around a man doing the infamous “kiss-the-ground-at-the-finish-line” maneuver and my dodging this guy on all-fours cost me the last split second. Her foot crossed first. But it was close, real close and I was glad I kicked it in. I just about collapsed after that intense sprint and found myself a chair to catch my breath. It was over. Thank God.

I gotta find my runnin legs. This is ridiculous.

Splits

mile 1 - never saw it.
mile 2 - 16:34, 182, 178
mile 3 - 8:58, 179, 175
Turn around - 1:38
mile 4 - 7:14, 179, 176
mile 5 - 9:28, 180, 164 Please tell me you’re kidding.
mile 6 - 8:41, 184, 176
10 K - 3:11

Run Time: 54:15; Pace: 8:45; AG:37/88

Total Time: 2:44:22; OA 8922490/; Gender place 168/746; AG place 16/88

In Review

Maybe I should find a race that’s just transitions. I seem to do pretty well in those, and these were long and drawn out compared to my typical times. Hmm…

Things I did well:

• Spotting in the water
• Form in the water
• turns/handling on the bike
• Overall relaxed mentality
•

Things I should work on:

• Better race prep– KNOW my water bottle is secure.
• Building my legs back up to speed in the run.
• Preparing for the heat/humidity

You know the old adage: “Never do anything new on race day”? Well, I’m pushin the envelope a bit and putting some new ibungee laces on my pretty lil Sauconys. Hopefully no harm done.

It’s been a long day and I’m just about to get some sleep, but a quick recap…

After a very restless night, I woke up and finished packing. I sat down and enjoyed a nice breakfast and cup(s) of coffee before having a call with my coach. “Why are you so worried about this race??” He wanted to know… good question. I think i’m just so petrified to see how far I’ve slipped. Given the circumstances, I’ve lost a lot of speed/fitness/endurance from last year, but just how much? I’m not sure. The not knowing is almost comforting. What we don’t know can’t hurt us, right?

Well, luckily, my coach is awesome and always knows just what to say. He told me over and over this race is nothing but a pre-season race. I should race it hard, but it’s not an A-race and it’s solely to help us gauge where we stand moving forward. Whether it goes well or not, it’s gonna give me my baseline and that’s a good thing. I can only do what I can do and I have to be okay with that.

So, I double checked my gear, made sure i had all the necessities and loaded the car. After a quick stop at my sister’s and a “good luck tattoo” from my niece, Allison, I hit the road. Forget the M-Dot. I got me a fierce face.

Four hours later, I arrived in sunny St. Pete. Maybe it’s just me, but the roads around here are highly confusing. There’s like 12 1s streets and aves and norths and souths. i feel like i’m back in Arlington. Grid-system, people. It works. I digress. I scored a decent parking spot (thanks to my killer DC parallel parking skills) and I hit the expo. It was hot and humid and bright and sunny. It took me no time at all to get my packet and goodies and all the volunteers were super friendly. I walked around a little bit, picked up some laces and met my new friend, Brian, aka “Triboomer”. He’s leading the live tweetcast for the race and is doing some pretty cool things in the triathlon world. We wandered the expo for a bit and we hung out with a few awesome people. (Don’t tell anyone, but i think i was starstruck). I got to meet the soon-to-be professional triathlete, Mandy McLane who was incredibly awesome. Very down-to-earth and friendly. If things go according to plan tomorrow will be her last race as an amateur elite and will mark the beginning of her pro- career. how. freaking. awesome.

She also rocks a pretty sweet Kestrel. Nice choice. She’s gonna be at all the Rev3 events (dduh. anyone who’s anyone will be there). So, I’ll see her at Quassy.

I started to feel a migraine coming on, so I kept my time at the expo pretty minimal. The bright sun wasn’t helping, not to mention I could tell I was getting dehydrated. I still had a short pre-race workout to do, so I slipped into my gorgeous green-ery and unpacked my gorgeous bike. I felt so great in my gear and I got lots of compliments and “oooh trakkers!” comments along the way.

I did a short 20:00 around town, I couldn’t figure out the race course and there were way too many one-ways (of course the wrong ways). So I just rode to pedal, test my setup, and feel the road. The wind was pretty bad and I’m HOPING it’s better tomorrow. I included a couple 30 seconds at race pace, but nothing terribly intense. Just a nice and easy spin. I got back to the car, traded my cycling shoes for my running shoes and rode to transition. I racked my bike– SCORE, i’m on the main row from the swim/bike in, no counting rows for me! I tried to make mental note of how far down my bike was, did some visualization and then headed out for a short (10 minute) run. My head was all but throbbing at this point, so it was a painful jog that felt much much longer. Why are my legs so heavy? It was a recovery-ish week and there’s no excuse. Please, legs, be rested in the morning.

I found the swim exit and really wanted to get in and swim for a bit but I knew I was pushing it with my head as it was. I decided to go back to the expo and try and buy a new sports bra for tomorrow, but I got the entrance and was getting the light-headed nausea that typically accompanies my migraines… SO I headed back to the car and thanks to my iPhone found the nearest starbucks for some caffeine and a much needed water. I can’t believe how dehydrated I already felt. .

I then tried to follow the course map and drive the bike route. I got through part of it (why are we riding on umpteen speed bumps and navigating a bagillion turns??) before I had to find my hotel. Pronto. I probably shouldn’t have been driving at this point. When your head hurts so bad you can’t open your eyes and your thoughts are so disjointed you can’t make sense of anything, you probably shouldnt be operating heavy machinery. Thank God I found my hotel without too much difficulty. Too bad it’s pretty far away from the race and I’m pretty sure a scary movie has taken place at this hotel. I was in too much pain to care or do anything about it. But you better be sure the door is locked, deadbolted, and blocked by a chair.

I immediately drew myself an epsom salt bath, climbed in and tried to relax. Nice hot bath felt ok, but I was still so hot from the sun I decided to take a cold shower afterwards. much better. Dinner (brought from home, of course) consisted of my typical chicken, broccoli, and a salad with some grapes for dessert. I’m still not feeling great, but much better than earlier. Now that it’s MUCH later than I wanted to go to sleep, it’s time to cash out. I dont have the energy to get stuff ready or even map my way back to race start, so I’m saving everything for the morning. Make an early morning even earlier? Yeah, i know. smart move.

Well everybody, think fast thoughts for me tomorrow. I’m trying to listen to my coach on this one.

Don’t forget: LIVE Twitter updates from St. Anthony’s Triathlon tomorrrow 6:30 AM (EST) — follow @Sportsgrants or call in for the LIVE audio at (347) 945-6328.

I’m #2446

Having taken several weeks (10+) off of running due to an excruciating stress-fracture in the bottom of my right foot, my fitness level is far from where I’d like to be at this point in the year. Between that, picking up and moving across the country, starting a new job, buying a new house, and becoming a proud new puppy-mom, my training has (needless to say) suffered a bit. Part of me doesn’t want to race this weekend because I don’t want to see how slow I’ve become and kick the season off with a poor performance… the other part of me wants to get out there and enjoy the day doing what I love and make the most of it… but then the other part of me kicks in and reminds me it’s going to be tough to enjoy something when I compare myself to… well, myself.

In the past, the week of a race is treated with the utmost discipline. I’m religious about my nutrition, stretching, packing, and preparation. By this point in the week I would have read as many “race reports” as I could get my hands on, had my bags packed and a list of to-do’s… Hm… this year i don’t even know which room my race belt is in.

As I try and prepare (last minute) for my race, I thought I’d put together a list in case you wanted some ideas.

How to Research & Prepare for a Race

Know the course

Take some time to look at the course maps. Is the swim a rectangle? A triangle? Does the bike course have any sharp turns? Do you run a loop or an out-n-back? Knowing these ahead of time makes a huge difference. When you arrive on-site, set aside ample time for you to get out and drive the course. Look for any technical areas and visualize how you may handle them.

Past Results

Do yourself a favor and look up past results from this course. Does anything stand out? Are the swim times crazy fast? Maybe you are swimming with the current. Do the bike splits seem slow? You might be faced with a hilly course. If transition times are averaging on the higher side you may have further to travel barefoot (and in a wetsuit). Whatever the case, you can gleam some important details from last year’s results. Check them out.

Race Reports

I write them, you write them, we all write them. Use them to your advantage. One man’s story can be another man’s saving grace. Find out how others were feeling and what they experienced. I’ve adapted other triathletes’ mantras to help me in certain races. I once read about a guy who who lived along the course of a race I was doing. He ran the route countless times and had things to say about many of the landmarks. He knew when he crossed by the house with the red door he was exactly a mile from the end. He knew that the tennis court meant he could begin his 3/4 mile sprint… so, when I crosed that red house i knew i was 1 mile out…when i passed th tennis courts, i started MY 3/4 mile sprint. Sometimes it helps to put yourself in someone else’s shoes… and take them for a run.

Size Up the Competition

And if you’re super stalker-crazy and have lots of time on yours hands (I admit nothing), you can go so far as to size-up your competition. Find the entry list and look at the folks in your Age Group. Look at last years results, see any of their names? How did they do? How do you compare? Are they not in last year’s results? Google them. Look them up at athlinks. Stalk them. Find out if they’re afraid of the water. Use it to your advantage. OK, don’t do anything drastic… but if it’s your “A Race” and you’ve got things riding on it, have an idea as to where you stand realistically before ever stepping foot into T1.

Needless to say, I have done none of the above to prepare for St Anthony’s, but hopefully I’ll inspire myself to start doing a little research and get my head in the game.

T-3 days, after all.

Tonight we just had four people (and two pups) and it was really nice to get some quality conversation in and eat some delicious food :) I’m so happy my friend Marni could join. Finally, a like-minded healthy triathlete friend! She’s got her Masters in Exercise Physiology and is in the process of becoming a licensed dietitian. She’s a wealth of knowledge and experience– both in the world of nutrition and sport. It’s always so much fun picking her brain :)

Amidst all the tri/bike/sport/training talk, we managed to shift the focus on the food. It’s amazing how pretty raw food is — all the colors and textures, and best of all: in their natural state. We eat with our eyes first and I tell you, raw food tastes good.

Kaz made a delightful Creamy Pasta made by sprializing a zucchini for the noodles and blending a sauce from red peppers, cashews, and a few other pantry staples. The sauce was amazing and we all ended up practically licking our plates. I could see using it on salads, over broccoli, any sort of veggie noodle, the possibilities are endless. Luckily I ended up with a little leftover sauce so I’ll certainly be experimenting. She also brought over a green soup which we all deemed “not a keeper”, but that’s what is so great about Raw Tuesday, we get to use each other as subjects in testing our recipes.

Marni brought a Carrot Ginger Salad, complete with raisins and cinnamon. The ginger held the starring role, but complimented the rest of his team perfectly. It was so good and sweet that we all pushed a little to the side of our plate to reserve as dessert.

I made Raw Summer Rolls– collard/cabbage leaves served as the wrap and the fillings included shredded carrots, avocado, marinated portabello mushrooms, cucumber, sprouts, and bean sprouts. I topped them with chopped basil, cilantro, mint, and green onions and an Asian “peanut” sauce I threw together rather last minute. It consisted of raw almonds, tamari, cold pressed olive oil, and a little sesame oil- blended until creamy.

Dinner was delicious and we all had seconds. Kaz brought over a couple raw desserts she picked up from a vendor at the local farmer’s market, Viva la Verde, so naturally we found room in our stomachs, but contrary to popular, belief we were all really full from our raw dinner. It does happen. The desserts were INCREDIBLE. I would have taken photos of them but we demolished them before i could even turn my camera on. We had a chocolate cheesecake and “Rawky Road”. They were both in tiny sampler sizes (picture a container you might put a to-go salsa or salad dressing in) and it seemed crazy to try and divide them into fours.. but we did and surprisingly enough, they were plenty satisfying. Raw desserts are notoriously rich (and decadent), so a little bit goes a long way… not to say I wouldn’t have devoured the whole thing (ok, both) by myself, but that’s a whole different story… and it’s race week :)

All in all, another successful night. I think we found a few more recipes to add to our repertoire. We’ve got grand ideas of what to do with them when there’s enough… but for now, that’s a secret ;)

I woke up Saturday morning ready to hit the road and put my tired legs back to work. I had a 3 hour ride followed by a 30:00 transition run planned. I rather enjoy pedaling down A1A and find it surprising how no matter how many times I travel down this road I always discover new (extravagant) houses and (immaculate) yards. Sneaking a peak of the crashing waves between homes is not a bad touch, either.

I’ve got saddle sores flaring up again, which makes an otherwise no-stress ride incredibly painful. Having to adjust positions every couple seconds is not only annoying but will make my shoulders/back sore tomorrow. Anybody got any suggestions/tips for helping/preventing these?
I was supposed to stay in zones 1-2, so I didn’t push terribly hard, just kept it solid. I wanted to take note of my nutrition so my coach and I can come up with my individual plan. Someday I’ll find something that works and gives me enough energy without upsetting my stomach… until then, i’ll just keep experimenting. Coach suggests I get in at least 100 cal/hour on the bike. I stashed a pack of shotbloks in my bento box, filled my aero bottle with water and my cage bottle with 1.5 scoops EFS (orange). I was excited to give the EFS a try.

Nutrition

at 1 hour i drank 3 sips EFS
1:15 - 3 sips EFS
1:30 - 1 shot blok
2:00 - 3 sips EFS
2:30 - 3 sips EFS
3:00 - 3 sips EFS

I wanted to take in more, but i didn’t think my stomach would tolerate it. I felt like i got in enough, but i know it’s prob less than desirable. I wish that there were some non-fruity options for sports nutrition. i’m not a fan of super sweet stuff and i get that stringy taste in my throat i can only compare to drinking lemonade. I wasn’t a huge fan of the orange EFS, but still want to give it a few more chances. I didn’t bonk and had plenty of energy, so I think it’s got some staying power, I just didn’t love the taste… but I’m picky.

My transition run was pretty terrible. My legs were shot. It was tough… and slow… very slow. I was really tempted to turn around early (and it was only 30 mins!!), but thankfully I found the strength to finish it out.

Sunday was set to be a 1 1/2 hour z2 run. My whole body was exhausted, especially my legs. I had plenty of energy and my mind was in it, but that can only get you so far. Honestly, i just wanted to make the full 1.5 hours, i couldn’t aim for much more. There was no speed, just a leisurely pace. As far as nutrition, I just had 1 shot block at 45:00.

I got home and quickly (I use this term relatively… it takes me about 10 minutes and a carton of crisco) put on my wetsuit, grabbed a banana, and headed towards the beach. The tri club was starting their open water swims and I wanted to take full advantage of getting some time in the waves. It took a while to find parking since a jazz festival had all but taken over the area, but once I got out onto the sand my plans changed. The wind was angry, the red flag was flying, and while i did see the buoy bouncing in the horizon, I didn’t see any heads in the water. I realized this would not be the relaxing, low-key swim I was hoping for… so after a few minutes of indecisiveness, I waddled back to the car with thoughts of breakfast filling my head.

While I really want to get in some open water swims this year (aside from race days), I’m so glad I didn’t get out there. With an already tired body, it would not have been enjoyable and would have started my season on the wrong foot. So instead, I stopped by a gas station, picked up a couple bags of ice, and filled my tub while I whipped together a quick meal. Forget breakfast in bed… I’ll take breakfast in bath, please.

Nothing like post-workout recovery :)

I proceeded to spend the rest of the day doing something I’ve never done before: yard work. Let me just say, being a home owner comes with some downsides. I miss the DC “yards” which usually consist of a window box, balcony, or if you’re lucky a small patch of grass. Now there’s something I could handle… Spending HOURS upon hours raking leaves until sunset is not my idea of fun. Can’t imagine this is good for my aching back…

On the bright side, I spent the day outdoors and got quite the sense of accomplishment when I saw how much I accomplished all by myself. I also planted lots of pretty flowers which will hopefully brighten my drab (for now) street view.

Last weekend I was home in Panama City Beach, FL for Easter and I was able to do a preview of the Gulf Coast Triathlon course. It’s essentially the exact same course as the Florida Ironman, just half the distance. I’ve done this race for a few years now, but it’s always good to get in some practice on a race course. Starting from my house on the opposite side of the lagoon, I ran (most) of the half-marathon loop on Friday. My sister ran with me the first 2 miles and I ran the rest alone with my thoughts. It was a nice, casual paced workout and I spent most of the time gazing at my nostalgic surroundings and noticing all the changes. Saturday I rode the entire bike course. My dad wanted to join me and we more or less rode together for the first section then I pulled ahead and got to see him after the turnaround. Even if we weren’t side by side, it’s nice to have someone else out there with you. Good family bonding, or something. The course is notorious for it’s flat roads and can get tedious/uncomfortable since it doesn’t require much changing positions, but i’m happy to report the challenging destroyed road on 388 has been repaved and is FABULOUS. Last year I remember having to focus so much energy on watching the road to make sure none of the uneven edges or cracks were going to cause a wipeout. Not so good.

I felt pretty solid out there- good and steady the whole way- no bonking. i know i didn’t drink enough water or consume enough calories, i left my sports drink at home on accident, so i used some of my dad’s accelerade. Knowing it affects my stomach, i treaded lightly, and only drank half a bottle of (non watered down). i drank my aero bottle full of water, but no more. i didn’t feel terribly tired/dehydrated, and i know i can ride with limited calories, but hopefully this season i’ll be able to really dial in my nutrition plan.

i’m disappointed in my speed, but happy with how i felt. The bridge felt good and i climbed it well.

Maybe next time I’ll remember some sunscreen.

When I got home Sunday Evening, I had a lovely package waiting for me on my doorstep– my order from First Endurance. It came just in time for me to start my week off. I asked my coach to help me choose what to order and he suggested that we all need a good electrolyte/carbohydrate supplement, so I should try EFS to see if it sits well with me, especially at race intensity on the run. We also all need a quality recovery drink, so he said Ultragen would be a good product. According to him there are very few performance supplements that have any legitimacy, but Optygen seems to be one of them. He wasn’t convinced that EFS or Ultragen are much different from any other electrolyte or recovery drink out there, but Optygen is something that no one else seems to have. Thanks coach, good advice!

I’m excited to try everything, especially since I’ve heard such great things from my teammates. One of my goals this season is to really solidify my training/race nutrition, so I’m hoping these new goodies will help me succeed!

Monday

Day #1 went very well. My only workout on my schedule was a run and it felt great. I decided to run during lunch to better simulate the heat and humidity that I’ll be racing in. I scored 100% on my daily goals. Go me.

Tuesday

Swim + Bike. I scored 90% on my daily goals, but only because I splurged a bit and tasted some dessert.

I went to the local raw foods meetup and my friend and I shared a chocolate-toffee ice cream… granted that ice cream was not ice cream, but instead “ice cream”, a dairy-free concoction made from all whole, natural organic ingredients (namely nuts, raw cacao, agave, etc.). While it was still relatively healthy and completely raw, it was more calorie dense than my daily goals allow… but boy was it tasty :) For dinner, I ordered the collard wrap of the day which was filled with fresh marinated raw veggies (zucc, sweet peppers, kale, sprouts, cashew hummus, and more yummy stuff) and served with an Asian “Peanut” Sauce, which I used sparingly. It also came with some flax crackers, but I stayed strong and pushed those to the side. The wrap was fairly large, so I only ate half and boxed up the rest for Wednesday’s lunch. As always at Present Moment, everything was superb. Definitely worth the 45 minute drive.

Wednesday

Today went well: run + strength. My run was really tough b/c my legs were already pretty fatigued. I used this as an opportunity to test out my new Ultragen Recovery drink, cappuccino flavor. Ho-lee cow this stuff was sinfully delicious. I stopped drinking milk a few years ago (lactose intolerant), but this stuff tasted just like a rich, creamy frappuccino milkshake. Not even kidding. I think if i did taste tests people would never guess it’s made to be a supplement. I’m slightly skeptical of the high amount of calories, and since my run was only 45 minutes, I just used 1/2 scoop (1/4 serving). Powder + water + ice in a shaker cup = bliss. This might get me to look forward to saturday’s long ride so i can treat myself to some recovery drink. nothing like motivation by reward!

So anyway, I scored 100%. I should earn bonus points for finally attending the local Tri Club, the Hammerheads, monthly meeting. For one reason or another every single first Wednesday of the month has otherwise been booked, so I made it a point to keep this one open. I’m glad I went, I met a few people, heard about some exciting upcoming events (organized Sunday open water swims, the Never Quit Race, and much more). A couple guys also talked about their experience running an ultra marathon (55 miles) to honor a local childrens hospital. It was incredibly inspirational, moving, and reinforced how crazy we endurance athletes truly are :)

After the meeting, I completed my strength workout, something I’ve been really neglecting the past few months. I concentrated on my core and worked really hard.

Thursday

One word: tough. My legs were shot and I had to do a power workout where I had to hold max power for several intervals. It was so hard. i couldn’t even come close to making my prescribed numbers and felt pretty down on myself. i tried to push and go as hard as i could, but my legs just couldn’t do it… Turns out my coach accidentally did some bad math and gave me unrealistic wattage to hold, but even still, I didn’t reach the corrected numbers. Not a good feeling.

I still give myself 100% since I hit all the daily goals, despite my less-than-awesome ride. I worked hard.

Friday

Success. 100%. I slept in a little, did my swim during lunch and biked after work. My body was still pretty sore/fatigued, but swimming felt good to loosen the muscles. i didn’t feel like i could quite get my speed, but i also didn’t push too hard knowing I had a long training weekend ahead. My evening ride was so enjoyable. It was PERFECT conditions- air, temp, wind, sun. gorgeous! The workout was cadence-focused and made me realize how I have so much room to improve. i really need to work on my cadence. my comfort zone is low; it’s hard for me to reach/maintain 100 rpm. I’m so much more comfortable at 80. Gotta be more conscious of this. hmm… another goal? :)