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The Triathlon Rx | March 18, 2011
8 comments

San Juan // vacation + 70.3 preview

While there is something very special about having a “home base” to come home to after time away… I’ll tell you – I have never wanted to not leave a country as much as I didn’t want to leave San Juan. Mom, I know it will pain you to read that – I’m sorry. Minneapolis will always have a special place in my heart. But the people, the culture, the LACK OF  stress (and that’s not because I was on vacation – I was working on research every single night!), the pace of life, ok ok ok – the WEATHER, everything in Puerto Rico – I love it there!! And there happen to be three accredited medical schools in Puerto Rico… just sayin’ :D

(p.s. If I have any readers who live IN Puerto Rico or anyone who as attended one of those schools – Universidad Central del Caribe, UPR, or Ponce – please please please contact me!! I would love to talk with you about it!)

SO. First of all we have a brief (mmm, maybe) rundown of the trip, with commentary kept to a minimum. Truthfully I had a very athletic week while there, and knowing that 99.9% of my readers are athletes, I hope my “review” may help you in preparing for a trip to PR or in narrowing down your vacation options. Secondly, the Ironman San Juan 70.3 is TOMORROW (Sunday – 3/19), and my hotel – the Caribe Hilton – happened to be the host hotel for the race! So for anyone considering the San Juan 70.3, I have a little “course preview” and race info for you as well. AND lastly because it’s Friday, you get one confession. ¡Vamos!

From Minneapolis it’s about a 5 hour direct flight to San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport… which is the “big one” that you would likely fly into. Even though San Juan (the capital) is on the northeast side of the island, the sweet thing about Puerto Rico is that the entire place is just about 3x the size of Rhode Island. MEANING you can rent a car and be to any of the other coasts in about 2 hours max. Which I did when I went to el Yunque National Forest (see photos below)!

In terms of things that travelers/tourists may want to know:

  • I can’t speak for all of PR because I was staying in San Juan, but IMO it was VERY safe. I ran alone, I ran with random locals, I ran with other travelers, I took off exploring on my own. Sin problemas. Granted, I don’t do dumb $#!& to put myself in dangerous situations… but nonetheless, I felt safe the whole time.
  • You don’t need to speak Spanish… at least in San Juan. Just about everyone can speak English at a functional level where you can order food/get directions/get a taxi, etc.
  • That being said, if you do speak Spanish (or are learning?) … GO FOR IT! Aside from talking to the people I was traveling with, I spoke Spanish the entire time. Even if you are just learning, don’t be shy! Being immersed in it a foreign country is hands down the best way to learn a language.
  • Typical Puerto Rican food has a lot of rice and beans and plantains. But if that’s not your thing there are plenty of options. (siiigh) They too have Micky D’s, KFC, etc.
  • There is a lot to do! National rainforest, beaches, parks, old forts, restaurants, the bioluminescent bays, kayaking, snorkeling, hiking… there is really no reason to be bored.

(On the way to the rainforest and it definitely looks like it’s going to be wet!)

(so much green!! // repping Ragnar in the rainforest (note the footwear!!) // whoever lives there has a pretty sweet view)

(I found some gallinas in the rainforest… wanted to bring them home for my friend Willie but thought customs might pose a problem.)

And now para mis atleteas – what can you do to keep up your training in Puerto Rico? You’ve got options! I guess my only disclaimer would be that if you’re on vacation, don’t let stress about getting your training in ruin your time. Know that you might not get in your “usual” volume… know that you might be enjoying some, um, late nights out in Condado. The point is you can still keep up your fitness on vacation without sacrificing the fun! This info is also for any prospective Ironman San Juan 70.3ers – information on pre-race course access and what’s available in San Juan!

  • SWIMMING: Is definitely doable. Lots of the hotels have pools… I was thinking mine had a lap pool but found out I was WRONG when I got there. I got some good ocean swimming in though… aside from the part about my Timex Ironman Racer flooding with water and dying the second I hit salt water. (Not kidding… I wanted to cry. [No - that's my Friday confession] I use that watch for EVERYTHING!! NTM I don’t really have $200 to drop on a new HR monitor/watch.)
  • SWIMMING IMSJ 70.3: If you get to Puerto Rico and you see the wind and the waves and your thinking oh hecccck no… don’t worry. The swim is protected in Condado Bay, and goes from there for 1.2 miles over to DIRECTLY outside of my hotel lobby. The exit swim exit is up this ramp… which when I took this photo (below) looked kinda iffy. They guys building it said they were going to put something over the wood to make it a) non slippery, and b) not splintery. I would recommend NOT standing up anywhere along the swim, even though at times it is like 3 feet deep, because there are rocks and you could easily cut yourself. The water is very nice and you should NOT need a wet suit at all. It’d just add time to your T1. Also be prepared for a good distance jog from the water-exit to the transition.
  • BIKING: I didn’t ride at all while I was out here, but my dad rode with me for one of my runs!! (We’ve been doing this for a long time together (see PHILLY 2009) … it’s kind of “our thing”. I miss you dad!) My hotel had bikes to rent for $15/hour or $25/day. I was expecting them to be huge slow beach cruisers, but we were pleasantly surprised to see some nice Treks!
  • BIKING IMSJ 70.3: If you want to ride the course pre-race, please BE CAREFUL. The first 5-10 miles of the bike course are in an area with HEAVY TRAFFIC. There is a reason they’re closing the road for the race!! The bike portion starts out going south out of San Juan, and then rides west along the coast. At about mile 12.5 you start a loop – of which you’ll complete 2 – before retracing your steps back to SJ. Personally, I wouldn’t ride with a disk because the winds can be pretty strong coming off the ocean. But that’s coming from someone who weighs under a buck and would probably blow to the south coast of the island. The choice is totally up to you, but know that there WILL be wind.
  • RUNNING: You can run your heart out in Puerto Rico… and I happened to do just that! There are plenty of miles of paved paths to get in whatever you need. Know that it is HUMID so if you are coming from a place like, oh… Minnesota, it might take some acclimating. I was staying in between Old San Juan and Condado (which is convenient, because those are both the neighborhoods with the “things to do”), and you can run either direction. There were so many other runners out too!! That was in part due to the fact that triathletes were arriving for the weekend’s race, but also because people are active in PR. :D I joined up with some local guys who happened to be running at the same time on a couple of the days (HI if your reading!!), and the other days I ran alone. Shortest run: 7. Longest run: 14. Every run: BEAUTIFUL.
  • RUNNING IMSJ 70.3: You have open access to run the course at any time. The run course starts at the Sixto Escobar Stadium (which was literally a minutes jog from my hotel lobby) and head west along the Atlantic coast (during this part you will hopefully get a nice breeze off the water to cool you down) to an old fort (San Felipe del Morro) before turning back. I think it’s a DOUBLE loop out and back… just an FYI.

(Run map going out through Old San Juan. While it was fun going running over in Condado and even to Isla Verde, Old San Juan was definitely my favorite place to run. They have a paved path that goes outside of the old city wall which is pretty cool too. You can also check out the official swim map and bike map for the 70.3)

I know it’s a little early to start building a 2012 race calendar, but unless I face grave injury or severe financial instability, I will definitely be returning to San Juan next year for the Half Ironman. (In bold because I need a commitment, dangit!) It’s kind of at an inconvenient time if you live in a cold state, since you probably won’t have ridden your bike out on the real roads in a few months. And you for sure won’t have been swimming in any open water! Which sounds to me like all the more reasons to make a week out of it and get acclimated. ;) I’ve already put the word out to a few of my MN tri buddies and it seems like there is definitely interest there. Julia? Steve? Whattya think…? March is a good time for a family vacation!

This San Juan 70.3 is part of the Ironman 70.3 series – so as all other Ironman events, you can expect a very well put on race. They’ve obviously put on enough races by now to know how to make sure everything is organized and running smoothly, and there are volunteers galore to help ensure a successful day! I, however, have not done any races that far away. So if anyone wants to give me advice on shipping/flying with a bike, I’d definitely appreciate it!

Some more photos from the trip:

(El Fortin de San Geronimo – right outside my bedroom! You can also watch the swim portion of the 70.3 from here.)

(L: This guy is kayaking in the proctected lagoon that the swim is held in… also right outside my room! Just for an idea of how smooth the water is. // R: The Caribe Hilton’s protected bay. Nothing too exciting in terms of marine life in there, but nice that it cuts the waves!)

(PEACOCK! Totally not phased at all..)

(Go ahead… ♪ shake ya tail feathers ♪)

This is my one Friday Confession. You guys know how big I am on sun protection and usually I am SO good about it! On this trip I had my faithful Kinesys packed, including my 30spf spray bottle and the sunscreen “stick” for lips n’ face. And both of these products worked without fail… when you remember to put them on!! DOH! On ONE single day I forgot to put on sunscreen, and yes I did burn. That nice little quemadura there is from like two hours without sun block.

Of course my face is peeling now, which I’m sure looks super attractive. I feel the need to explain myself wherever I go… like “oh, just ignore the layer of skin coming off my forehead – I just got back from a trip.” Cuuuute.

I think that about wraps it!! At the time I hit publish, San Juan 70.3 is 13 hours and 21 minutes away!! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE RACING TOMORROW!! See you next year! :D

  • Reader Qs:
  • Have you ever been to Puerto Rico?
  • Where did you stay and what was your favorite part?
  • Have you ever raced in a different country or over seas? What can you tell me about shipping/flying with my bike!? Seeing as how MyCardCan’t (%&@# you Delta!) I am expecting some large fees. :(
  • Anyone out there gone to medical school in Puerto Rico?
  • Any other fun spring break / race trips this spring?

Ohhh Minnesota. It feels about 33% good to be home. Warm up a little and we can readdress this. Totally unrelated, but for you locals – GOOD LUCK GET LUCKY RACERS!

-E

Category: Friday Confessionals | Tags: , , , , ,
The Triathlon Rx | December 22, 2010
11 comments

Work Out Wednesday // TRAVELING

[ETA: Reader Questions! I never forget RQs!! Sorry guys - they're at the bottom.]

Last Sunday I touched down at the Chicago O’Hare airport, and the flight attendant listed gates for those of us with connecting flights. Alphabetically:

  • Honolulu
  • Miami
  • Omaha
  • San Francisco
  • Shanghai
  • Tokyo

This is a very simple ACT question: one of these is not like the others…. (clue: all sound really fun, even vacation-like, except _____.)

Mmmm yep. I’ve been spending the last few days in Omaha, Nebraska. Actually, Grand Island… although that’s pretty misleading because it almost sounds tropical. My grandma lives in an assisted living home in Grand Island, and we went to visit for just a couple days (I’m back already). The woman is 88 years old, a little shorter than me, and cute as a button. I know a lot of people stress over getting their workout in when they’re traveling, so I thought I’d share a couple tips for getting your sweat on no matter where you are. This is a two-part post though, so if you really want the full deal, you’ll have to stay for the whole thing. I’ll try not to get too long. ;)

1 // Working out while traveling

I’d be lying if I didn’t say traveling used to stress me the #()@% out. As with many type As, you get your schedule and you stick to it. I liked reporting back to my coach with a full week of check marks and notes. I’d also be lying (by omission) if I didn’t say yeah – I belong to a 24-hour gym, and yeah – I’ve been there several times at 3am.

Although many hotels now boast that they have a “fitness center” … don’t be surprised if you get there and find it’s a closet lined with wall mirrors and a smith machine. Lots of hotels also now have swimming pools, but if you think you’re swimming laps, be prepared for about two strokes per length and 600 flip turns per mile.

Running: It’s a lovely creation because you can do it pretty much anywhere. You need a few extra sets of clothes, but bring your shoes and your good to go. No Garmin necessary – just run for time.

Biking: Sometimes an option – often, bigger cities have bike rentals, and if you can’t find trails, you can probably ride the roads. More often than not you’ll end up doing some “recreational” riding… but hey, you’re moving, right?

Swimming: You can sometimes find community pools that will just charge a minimal daily fee. OR, beach?? Open water swims?? That would be ideal. Swimsuit and goggles take about as much room to pack as a Clif bar, so no excuses.

Fitness Centers: Are. Everywhere. Even in Grand Island, Nebraska. From my hotel I was within five minutes of both an Anytime Fitness and a Snap Fitness. The bigger the city, usually the better your options. Snap was $7/day, Anytime was $15/day, and a YWCA/YMCA/Gold’s/Lifetime will usually be in the $10-$20/day region. Some places will give you a good deal for a week long pass, and you could even find that getting a MONTH pass is your best deal (as was the case when I went to Philly at the Philly Sports Club).

The SNAP we went to in NE – very nice!

At Home Workouts: For those of you that do the DVDs – Jillian Michaels, Yoga, P90X, etc. – you pretty much have it made. If you have a TV or even just a laptop, you’re golden. You can also get in a solid strength training workout with just body weights or a resistance band, and if you want some cardio, bring a jump rope.

As you can see… there are many options for getting in a workout while on the road, and if anything, it certainly doesn’t need to be the cause of stress. For the days when it’s absolutely just not possible – either due to lack of time or simply being in transit literally all day, then make that your rest day. Don’t take rest days? Then consider it a mental workout and take on the challenge to take a day off, or I guess stay home. Your call.

Which brings me to point two of this post…

#2 // What actually matters in life

As I said, I was visiting my grandma during this trip. She is 88 years old, living in an assisted living home where she doesn’t get many visitors (especially from me being so far away), and although she’s “with it” most of the time, her health is definitely declining.

Flight was super early on Sunday, and by the time I got to Omaha and drove the 3 hours to Grand Island, it was definitely time to go see Grandma. Getting out of the home is difficult because she has an oxygen tank, so we opted to have dinner in with her, and instead of having the usual “home” dinner, bring her something special. When we asked G-Ma what she would want to eat if she could have anything in the world, you know what she asked for? An Arby’s roast beef sandwich. No sesame seeds on the bun. Lady knows what’s up.

Could I have jumped on our hotel treadmill at 9:30 when we got back? Sure… but that would mean not actually finishing until like 11:30 when it’s all said and done, and then just being even more tired in the morning. Day one: no workout. Sitting on mass on airplane/in car/in grandma’s rocking chair all day.

Like I said, we were very close to both a Snap and an Anytime, so my dad and I chose to go to the Snap on Monday morning. We worked out together a bit on the Arc Trainer, and then I finished up with the treadmill and weights. I didn’t get in the total time I was scheduled for, nor did I follow the schedule. At all. But I was still able to sweat it out a bit and that was really nice. (More than anything – to workout with my dad! Living half way across the country from each other now, we almost never get to do that anymore!) Day two: 75% of scheduled volume, 0% of scheduled workout. The reason I didn’t stay for that last 15% was that we wanted to get to G-ma as soon as possible, and the time was tickin! Went back to her care home, and ate lunch (fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy) with her in the cafeteria. Spent the rest of the day either running errands for her or just sitting with her talking in her room.

My dad used to bike with me during LRs all the time! This was from when I visited him in Philadelphia.

The last day my alarm went off early enough in the morning to either pool run for a little bit, or jump on the Neolithic era treadmill. Instead, I turned my phone off, turned over, and turned into an extra 45 minutes of sleep. We had to leave pretty early in the afternoon to make the 3 hour drive back to Omaha, so again, time spent with grandma was limited. Day three: no workout.

On the way to the home, we stopped to pick up some white roses (her favorite) as well as a gift for the staff. We spent the last morning with this amazing 88-year-old white haired woman who has done so much for other people pretty much her entire life. Just a couple weeks ago she had some cancer removed from her colon, and she spends a lot of time worrying if it will come back. Saying goodbye to her was the worst, and my heart just about shattered when she said, “don’t let it be a year again.. OK?”

Honestly, this could be the last time I will see my grandma. I only got three days with her, because that’s about all the excitement she can take at one time without being worn down. What if I never got to see her again? What if I spent more time worrying about whether I could get a stupid workout in, or whether I’d stick to my schedule, and that was my last chance to talk to her. My last chance to sit in her room and play Christmas songs on her piano. My last time to see her smile?

Point is… Family is important. Working out… training… sure, on race day you want to be prepared. But when it comes down to it, when you’re on your deathbed (or your parents or your ____ or your ____), you’re not going to give a rats @ss if you took two days off. Or a week off. Or a month off. If you gained a couple pounds over the holidays. If you ate that piece of Grandma’s pie.

Many of you can disregard this message entirely, because spending time with your loved ones is clearly your priority and there is no second question. But based on the many, many emails and comments I receive, sometimes I think we need the reminder. You only get one family. You don’t get to hand pick them, trade them in, or ask for them back once their gone. Go hug someone you love, and TELL them how important they are to you! Not just during the holiday season, but any day, and every day.

Sorry if that turned into a high-horse moment. But this trip for me was certainly challenging in that it made me realize how limited my time is with this woman I love so much!! I don’t know when the next time is that I’ll get back to see her again, but I am definitely greatful for the time the last three days I was able to spend with her.

SO in light of all this heavy business – yes, working out on vacation is definitely possible. [ETA: AND fun!! Going  for a run or a bike ride is, in my opinion, the best way to see a new city!! I'm definitely not advocating that people just throw their workouts out the window during trips or vacations.] But if you are going to see family, and only have a little time with them – keep that in mind! J And while I’m at it, I LOVE YOU all!

Reader Questions: Do you usually workout on vacation? If so… what do you usually do, or if not, what would you like to try next time? And just for feeling good, if you could  go tackle anyone in the world with a bear hug right now, who would it be?

Happy holidays!

-E

(p.s. Survived finalsmovingfinals week! So happy to be home, and looking forward lots of RELAXING for a solid month! I watched a movie last night. Do you know when the last time I saw a movie was?? NEITHER DO I.)

Category: Workout Wednesday | Tags: , , , , ,
The Triathlon Rx | December 10, 2010
4 comments

Friday Confessionals // 12.11.2010

If you’re new, visiting, didn’t grow up in a Catholic church, or just want to know how to play along… please refer to this post for the Friday Confessional breakdown.

I know… it’s been a while since we’ve divulged here. And trust me – taking a four week leave of absence from official workouts – I accumulated plenty of things I should probably be confessing to. But today my friends, today there is only one, and this I share with you:

  1. This morning, upon the 5am blaring of the alarm, I crawled over to the other side of my bed (where my alarm is strategically placed so I don’t just hit OFF and go back to sleep). And then I hit OFF, and then I went back to sleep. (What? Damn..) Intentionally skipping practice.

Several factors influenced this decision. For one, I had not gotten my 8 hours of sleep. (Yep.. you did the math right. That means going to bed at 9. Gotta do what you gotta do.) I can’t say I hold fast to this little 8-hour “rule” 100% of the time – life happens, and lets face it, the rest of the world is not all operating on Grandma’s schedule over here. Movies start at 9pm. The news isn’t even on till 10! Geeez. Secondly, I was having an amazing dream. Not just like flying or something. I mean, keep your heads out of the gutters please, but A. Mazing. And sometimes when you can hold on to just a thread of that dream, you can get it back. I wasn’t really “extra” tired – I didn’t get 8 hours, but I definitely got a functional amount to get my butt out of bed and go to practice. And instead, I got to DREAM for two extra hours, and it was sooo worth it.

Dreaming is amazing. Thinking about dreaming, however, kinda makes my head hurt. It’s like thinking about where the sky ends or the size of the universe. I’ll leave that to NASA. And Freud. Moving on…

Sleeping in this morning meant that my afternoon workout would be LONG. I have doubles on my schedule M/W/F (we can talk about the benefits, thoughts, and ideas about doubles later) so this turned my morning bike and afternoon run into a brick. Not only had I not done a brick since having mono, but I had a workout scheduled for my run… 15×400 to be exact.

The whole time I was on the bike, I wasn’t thinking at all about the run to follow. Through my own experiences, and through watching others in coaching, I feel like a lot of moderating goes on  during brick workouts. Is this a good thing?

Sure. You don’t want to set yourself (or your athletes) up for failure. You don’t want to blow all your energy on leg 1 and then bonk on leg 2. But at the same time… you don’t want to hold too much back. When competitively racing, there are two very unfortunate (but real nonetheless) occurrences that may happen: 1) getting outkicked in the chute 2) finishing with the realization that you have wayyy too much left in the tank. You want to be able to toe that red line, but not actually break it until the very last second. How do you know where that red-line is?

You find it. During practice.

This does include at times hitting failure, because without that, you will never know how hard is too hard or how fast is too fast. It’s also a good time to practice timing of fueling and drinking – something I traditionally FAIL at. But more often than not… it includes success. In a very big way. The feeling you get at the end of a workout when you have nothing left to give is second to none. I wish I could bottle it… put it in a little Nuun tablet and save it for later. Luckily though… it only comes with work. And finally, I’m back at the point where I can work. Hard!

If you want to watch someone find that red-line.. watch this video of Galen Rupp on Flotrack. Lovvvve him. I mean, it.

SO. Was my first structured workout back full of all this magical red-line crap? Not quite. But pretty darn close! :)  Here’s how it broke down:

60 min. spin (“rescheduled” from 6am)
- 4 hills + some rollers
- nothing too crazy…  but it was definitely satisfying to see my HR back up there where it’s “supposed” to be ;)

the workout (done on a treadmill for enhanced brickability)
- 10 min. warm up
- 5 x 400
- 10 min easy
- 5 x 400 (increase TM speed by .2 for each 400)
- 10 min easy
- 5 x 400 (increase TM speed by an additional .2 for each 400)
- .5 mile cool down

Several take-home messages I gathered during this workout:

  1. My left femur felt “neutral”… and my L groin only started to tweak on the last set of 400s. That’s all left-over from my hip surgery, and according to the eyes of my orthopedic surgeon I will always “feel” something, so I’m not too concerned.
  2. This is the first “real” run in the NEW SHOES, and oh my dear Lord THANK YOU. I love them. This post is long enough already without me going into the whole heel-strike business, so I wont. But they felt GREAT.
  3. I ran on a freaking TREADMILL!?!? Who am I?? Pretty sure having mono scrambled my DNA or something, because the TM used to be reserved for tornadoes or hail storms only. And I ran 8+ miles no problem. (Won’t lie.. I had a rapid text distraction which helped immensely during the 10min easy intervals. Thanks amigo!)

Which brings me to now: house sitting on the eve of “Minnesota’s biggest winter storm since the ice age” (or something…). Estimates range from 12-16+ inches, and I say bring it. I’m locked into this house. I have a finals M, W, TH, F, and SA of next week so I have plenty of studying to keep my occupied. My legs are shredded. And it feels perfect.

Reader Qs: Do you like sleeping or are you always ready for the day? I used to hate napping… but ever since mono, I realized how good it is. :D // Do you know where your red-line is? Do you hit that in your races or do you feel like you had “too much” left over? // Hahha do you ever completely blank on something – a name, a place, a song, etc – and come up with the wrong name entirely? For the life of me I couldn’t think of the “Ice Age”… I knew there was the stone age, and was like what the heck?!? And then the lightbulb turned on and I said, “The GLACIER Age!!” Fail. // LEAVE YOUR FRIDAY CONFESSIONS!!

Love you all,

E

Category: Friday Confessionals | Tags: , ,
The Triathlon Rx | August 4, 2010
13 comments

I am still a triathlete…

… The question is, does that statement end with a ?? or a !!

Sorry guys, I know it’s been quite a while. And while sh¡ts and giggles about eating “tree stars” for breakfast is nice and all, that’s not what Dr.TriRunner is about. Thankfully though, Betsy was nice enough to call me out on it. I have definitely shaken the funk that brought me down in early July when I first found out about my sfx. That’s great – obviously no one enjoys being down. But I still don’t feel like I’ve fallen into any sort of “normal” routine or training schedule yet.

Athletically speaking, a “normal” summer for me (“normal” I guess only in reference to the last 4ish years. I’m not that old…) would look like ~50-80 mpw of running, gearing up for or gearing down from a marathon, plenty of core and XT, but damnit anyways!! I still HATED biking. I’d do it to and from work – it was free transportation, but I got zero enjoyment from the “sport.” A permanent Gomer tan around my arm, with sports bra/shorts lines to match. Racing ~2x per month. And expecting to be fast.

Please let me introduce Sperly Summer 2010:

  • On Tuesday, June 15th, I stopped running. I didn’t know what was going on with my tibia, but I knew it was no good.
  • On Wednesday, June 30th, I marked in my calendar “Long ride – SOLO!!” Emphasis on solo… not so much long. It was only 40 miles, but the first time I had done anything 30+ on my own. With two exclamation marks to follow, it sounds like I might have been kinda proud of that.
  • On Thursday, July 8th, a left tibial stress fracture was confirmed. The MRI also showed evidence of fibrous dysplasia (the genetic b.s. cause of my femoral neck fracture in 2008) in my right tibia. I was there to find out about my possibly-fractured left tibia though… so that was like a free bonus I think.
  • On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 9th/10th/11th, I pool ran without a belt for longer than I ever have in a teeny tiny bathtub swimming pool in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  • By Wednesday, July 28th, I had pretty much married the words long+ride+Wednesday, because looking back at my calendar I hit 40+ miles, solo, every Wednesday in July. A new normal? Which is a good thing, because…
  • On Friday, July 30th, on my way to the swim workout, I realized my clutch was on the floor. We already knew my Honda was essentially dunzo, so the mad dash to find a [used] new car began. From Saturday 07/31 to Wednesday 08/04 I logged 151 bike miles.
  • Realizing that trying to research/find/purchase a car in one week was putting me on anxiety-overload, I decided to fix my clutch. In doing to, I RAN, three miles, at turtles-running-through-peanut-butter pace, from the auto shop back to my house. $200 later, I have been reunited with my accord, but I can say YES I am keeping my Wednesday long rides, and YES I am still a runner, and YES I am a triathlete. !!

(And no, I don’t still “hate biking.”) :D

I know no one would watch it on TV… not even me. But pool running might just be my only chance at becoming an olympic athlete!!

So here I am. I have run. I have ridden. And I have REALLY [needed to make this alliteration work] loved swimming in Lake Harriet. All my mini-apple triathletes… come join me! The water is crazy clear, and the buoys are set on “long course.” :D I really am serious though… I’m not waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to do it, but I WILL be continuing my OWSs in my back yard lake. And I’d love the company. Eh? Mr. Speedo? Fit Girl? M.Dot? DRog? BigGreen? All the cool kids are doing it. Two words: Peer. Pressure.

(By “all the cool kids” I think I mean me. And Mr. Wrinkles who was there today, but let me tell you that man was way cool, side strokes like a beast, and super willing to share the lake.)

But just because I feel like I AM still a triathlete  - shoot, I don’t even care about the tri part right now – that doesn’t entirely establish a “new normal“… leaving me still without a plan. If you aren’t fortunate enough to know anyone who is “very Type A” or as I like to say, type A+ … I will inform you right now that [I] they don’t function well without a plan. In fact, they might very well implode. And because imploding is generally frowned upon, I turn to coach. Coach Jodi.

If you read Dr.TriRunner via Google Reader, or something of the likes, I encourage you to click through. See that left side bar? See that Model Per4mance logo? That is how I have come to know/love/fear/admire Mrs. Jodi Jones. She knows her stuff. She will be honest and straight forward with you. She will call you out if it is merited. She will push you to push yourself, and she will help you to reach your goals. And then, she’ll help you celebrate them! This is starting to sound like a girl crush diary entry, so I’ll just end in saying that I’m getting new PLANS from coach Jodi this week. My goal is to improve my swim time. And with these plans, I feel confident I’ll settle into some sort of “new normal.” Alleluia.

Reader Questions: What does your normal summer look like? Does your training change seasonally, or does it stay the same year round? What is your current goal?

With THAT my friends, it is time for me to run to Target. With my brand-spankin-new clutch. And my Grandma’s Marathon Finisher tee.

I AM [still] an athlete. !!

-E

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,
The Triathlon Rx | June 1, 2010
13 comments

How to use your friends to your advantage

And I promise… I mean that in the best, nicest way possible. :)

First of all, I hope everyone had a nice long weekend to recharge, spend time with the fam, friends, and get a little R&R. Whether that means running & racing or rest & relaxation is up to you! I didn’t race, and I had a definite restFAIL, but the running and relaxation were accomplished! I had a nice 10 miler with my good running buddy on Sunday – his last LR before the Minneapolis Marathon this weekend. And I also had a great relaxing run with my mom for a total of 11 miles on Monday. Killing two birds with one stone. :D

No three day “weekend” for me, as I worked every day. Good thing I love my job!! The highlight of my weekend for sure was watching the Minnesota Twins game on Sunday at my mom’s house. She made a comment around the 5th inning, and she made me promise I wouldn’t “put on the website” … but I can still say that lady is hilarious. Are you sure you work at an elementary school mom? Love. YOU.

post-race conversation about “the stick” – mama got jokes.

Anyways, unlike many others, this post does have a point. And that would be Using Your Friends. By that I don’t mean using them to score their employee discount, free tickets to a game, or their man. No, I mean using your friends to your training advantage. Whether you consider yourself an athlete, or just someone who is striving to live a healthy lifestyle, chances are you have friends who think along the same lines. If you don’t, maybe you can bribe encourage a friend to tackle a race, a new distance PR, or a healthy goal with you! Not only is it quality time with your buds, but a lot of people claim that they can work harder/longer when they do it with a friend! (twHs…)

I’m fortunate enough that being part of several teams and training groups, I almost always have someone to train with if I want the company. Depending on what kind of workout is on tap for the day, I might call on different people. Here are several ways you and your compadres can work together to get into peak performance:

1 // to go harder, faster, longer.

When I need to run fast, I know who to call to keep me on pace. My good buddy Dave is one speedy guy – not only did he just post a 2:46 at Fargo Marathon, but my tempo pace is essentially conversational for him, so he can distract me from certain death the pain. Distance is one of the things that just isn’t an issue for me – it’s my time to think, chat with God, and enjoy just being outside in the fresh air. But 20 miles can get long when you’re going alone, so having marathon buddies certainly helps.

When I need to ride… be it a faster ride or a longer ride, there are about a million people I can call on. Let me tell you, I have room to improve on the bike. Despite the fact that I’ve been riding a lot more lately, I don’t think I’m necessarily getting faster, which is frustrating for sure. Yes, you can do drills, intervals, and tempo rides, but I think the real key is riding with other people who are just slightly faster than you. Not so fast that they’ll leave you miles behind, but fast enough that you’re working, and working HARD. Let them do the chatting… you just focus on pumping it out. Enter, el novio. Although he easily falls into the camp of “leave me many miles behind”, he won’t. He’s wicked fast, and also super knowledgeable and gives me helpful advice. Sometimes it’s hard to hear “well, you need to be in a lower gear – you’re just fatiguing your legs…” when I’m sucking wind, but I know its only said with good intentions.

One of the things I have yet to bring back this summer, but did all the time in previous years, was have a bike buddy! I’ve posted about it before (throwback from August 28th 2008!!), but my dad is my all time favorite parter to keep me on pace, pass up a water bottle, just catch up on life, and help the miles go by. I miss you pops!! If you really don’t know anyone faster than you, try recruiting a bud to rollerblade or bike along with you!

Dave and I – 3rd place finishers at the Get Lucky 7K!

2 // to recover

It took me many years, and two fibular stress fractures to finally learn the importance of a “recovery run.” Back in the day, if I was going to get sweaty, I at least wanted to feel like I had worked hard. High school cross country and track years were filled with running, but back then I would say I only had two paces – running, and walking. My coach would always say, “your not giving your legs a chance to recover if you go all out all the time!” and I didn’t listen. Until my fibula went carrrack! and I couldn’t run at all.

Some days it’s still hard for me to slow down though. Last weekend when I bricked it, and my legs felt like beef jerky? I was still running 7:30s, despite telling my self go slowwwer! The 10 miler I did with my buddy on Sunday – we both kept saying “ok, lets take it down” … and yet we continued to hit faster times, mile after mile, until the very last lake when I think we finally dialed it in. Even if you’re telling yourself you want/need a recovery run, your body doesn’t always listen.

Enter, your slower friends. :D Haha – that’s not a bad thing! If you’re like me, you know people at all different places in their athletic life. Some are recreational athletes, some race, some just do whatever they want, when they want! In running with a slower friend, not only would you not leave them in the dust, but you get to talk, you get to be the motivator, and you get your recovery run/ride/workout! While you don’t have to tell said friend, “Hey, will you run with me? I need to go with a slow person so I can get my recovery day in…” you can let them know you just want to take it easy! Otherwise they might think you have an expectation of them to go at your pace, and not only will you not slow down, you’ll burn them into the ground. ;)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being the “recovery person” – my mom is that person for me, I am that person running with Dave, and riding with my boyfriend. “Fast” is a relative term.

Him: shootin’ the breeze. Me: Gasping for air. Both: eating cereal. :D

3 // to motivate

Do you know anyone who has overcome some damn-near-miracles in their life, yet they continue to put themselves out there every day and put in the work? I do, for sure. Even if you don’t know anyone in real life, all it takes is a look at some of the pros. There are some amazing athletes out there who take on adversity like just a little sprinkling rain. Sarah Reinertsen is one of my idols, and no matter how many times I watch the Ironman 2004 DVD where she missed the bike cutoff by just 15 minutes, and they wouldn’t let her finish. She headed back to Kona in 2005 and became the first female above the knee amputee to finish the Ironman World Championship.

I don’t want this to come off as a pity party of 1 for myself, but I do know what it feels like to have your athleticism taken away from you. My hip was hanging on by a thread like a tooth attached by one single vein. The ability to run, jump, swim, ride, be mobile, run down the stairs, run to answer your phone, carry your own groceries… it’s not a given. It’s a gift. Remember that when you’re out on your next adventure… you get to do this. If you approach training with that frame of mind, you will find it a lot harder to moan and groan when you need to get in your workout.

4 // to try new things

Have you always wanted to try rock climbing? Or maybe rollerblading? There are lots of great cross training options out there, and XT is perfect for breaking up the usual routine and preventing burn out. Trying a new activity with a friend is tons of fun… and it makes you feel like less of a doof for being inexperienced! Here are some fun “new” things to try out:

  • new class at the gym
  • new route
  • new race
  • new activity – swimming open water, hiking, rock climbing, skating, snow shoeing, xc skiing, tennis, basketball, play catch, play frisbee, the list goes on!

A brand new form of XT is also a good way to get injured if you go at it too hard, so be cautious of that one. :)

Rollerblading battle wounds.

You didn’t think I’d end on a number 4… did you?

5 // to have FUN

There is definitely value to getting in your solo runs, your rides, whatever. I have sent the text many a time saying “sorry – I think I need to take this one solo today. Head clearing.” But training with other people, in addition to all the great benefits above, can be so much more FUN than going alone. Not gonna lie, we (me/mom, me/teammates, me/training buddies) gossip while we run. We crack jokes. We pull many a TWSS. We laugh. We cry sometimes, we vent, and we use each other as free therapists. We give high fives and hugs at the end of a challenging workout. We pass out in the grass. We foam roll and scream at the pain.

One of my most memorable runs was when we Traced Boston Backwards – myself and my best friend out at school in Boston, Maddie. I always knew that there would be something I’d miss from Boston when I moved back home, and this girl is it. It wasn’t necessarily that the run was amazing, but it’s the company and the memories I have now.

I’ve also found a really awesome training buddy here on my UMN Tri team – we run the same paces, we swim the same paces, we can talk about anything and everything. She’s awesome!! I feel so blessed that God has brought such amazing people in my life. :)

As always, 5 is a good number to end on. As is 3. Or 7. ;) So that’s where I’ll wrap.

Next time your alarm goes off at 5am, or you get off or work at 7pm, and you’re dreading your gym trip/run/swim/etc… think about phoning a friend. Invite that speedy girl to help push you on your mile repeats. Call your couch-to-5K brother in law to go for an easy jog. Think of your friend dealing with _____, tough as nails, and remember that you get to make the most out of today.

READER Qs:

Do you regularly workout with friends? Your hubby? Your kids? Who motivates you? What workout do you need that extra push for, and when do you prefer to go solo?

Have a good one kids! Got some fun stuff, including a giveaway, coming soon!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | May 24, 2010
18 comments

[Hit by a] BRICK + Sof Sole Review

Wow. Major writers’ block with starting this post. Are you ever sitting there trying to think of some really creative intro – write like 5 different opening sentences out only to erase them all? Mmm, yep. That’s where I’m at. It’s all good though… justifying it because I’ve only had half my mug of coffee, and I’m doing intervals right at the moment (why yes, I do blog and workout at the same time occasionally…). “Working too hard” to think straight. ;)

Lucky for me, there are exactly two things I’m here to talk about today, and I have lots of pictures, so I don’t need as many words. Lucky for you, I also can’t come up with a creative title, so you know exactly what those two things are. 1) BRICK workouts. 2) Sof Sole Review. Ready? Set? Go.

♪ IT DON’T BRICK EVEN NOOOO ♪

Ugh… there I go trying to be all clever. Can’t help it. Sorry! Anywho… while you might think you know what a brick is…

in my vernacular that sort of brick would only be used in two settings. 1) Describing the ugly exterior of my (one month left!!) house, and 2) dropping one on the chick’s foot who came to the gym in a gold sequined 2 times 2 small bikini the other day. I don’t care if we’re outside – it’s a GYM my friend, not a strip club.

But that is clearly not the kind of BRICK I’m talking about… this is Dr.TriRunner after all. I was searching around for some sort of “very official” definition of a BRICK, but wasn’t finding anything of the .org sort. Didn’t your teachers tell you, you can’t source Wikipedia. But then I found a post about BRICK workouts on my girl Frayed Laces blog, and I realized – wait a minute, this girl IS .org. If you’ve never hit up Frayed Laces, and you are of the multi-sport mindset, you are missing out my friend. She’s got a race resume up the wazoo, she lives/trains/eats/sleeps/breathes Hawaii, and she is very legit. Amen.

So here is her rundown on what exactly is BRICK:

Today I had a very successful impromptu brick session. For those of you who aren’t hip to the lingo, a BRICK session is when you do back to back swim/bike or bike/run. It’s important to do bricks if you’re training for a triathlon because when you switch between sports your body uses different muscles, and you need to get used to the feeling. Until today, I had only done two bricks in my life, which made me very unprepared for the jello feeling when you switch from biking to running in a triathlon.

In addition to the swim -> bike, and bike -> run BRICKS, I also fully endorse a run -> swim, or run -> bike workout. No, that’s not the way you’ll hit it in a race, but like FL said, it’s all about  getting accustomed to Jello Syndrome. That being said, yesterday’s workout was of the run -> bike variety, and here is how it went down:

The morning started out questionably. I have new neighbors who are very much in the “Wooooh! It’s cool to play music at FULL BLAST at midnight when this is a party of TWO” mentality. However, I have gotten very comfortable with my ear plugs and Tylenol PM, so it wasn’t really a big issue. I’ve been short on sleep from working more dinner shifts lately though, so a little bit of “sleep debt” was definitely present.

Woke up, had some coffee, and set out to run. Full honesty (and you can probably say it with me by now… “because that’s all what I’m about here at Dr.TriRunner…”), Yesterday’s workout was supposed to be a long run of 15 miles. However, once I started running, I pretty quickly decided that 15 was not going to happen. My. Run. Felt. Like. CRAP. Key word being “felt” because apparently my times were just fine… I was running 7:30s which is pretty average for a run-o-the-mill run these days. But my muscles felt like something along the lines of beef jerky. Or Buffalo Jerky to be exact. Dry. Stiff. Eccch.

So I decided to call the run at two lakes instead of four (good God I love Minneapolis!), and hit the bike instead. I was not going to cheat on my time… but I know I wouldn’t have gotten anything beneficial out of 7 more miles of running.

Count em’! Harriet, Calhoun, Cedar, Isles. In my backyard. Sure you don’t want to move here Susan?

However, mother nature might have had other plans. That, or she was hinting that I needed a shower. Which I did. The sky looked something like this…

Which in Dr.TriRunner mind translates in to “I bet I can make it before it starts raining….” Only that photo may be slightly dramatic because a) I do not live in New York City, and b) it wasn’t a Day After Tomorrow type storm. Just a little water… and like I said, I needed a shower! So off with Rilo I went, and sure enough, at my halfway // turn around point, it started pouring. But rideable pouring I decided. Also nice, because it cleared everyone off of the paths and let me cruise home. :) A very successful BRICK, and my legs were definitely feeling much better/fresher riding than they did running! The “jerky” legs were gone!! I got home, changed out of my clothes in the shower because my whole backside was covered in spit-up sand, and was ready to go to Costco with my madre in less than 15 minutes!

Moral(s) of the story:

  • BRICK workouts do not only need to fall in the order that you would find it in a triathlon.
  • The more you practice the quick transitions, you do eventually get over Jello Syndrome. Or at least you get used to it.
  • Getting undressed in the shoer is 100% acceptable.

Sof Sole Product Review

Another site you should be regularly checking out is Erica’s blog I Run Because I Can. Not only because she has an awesome name, but she also routinely has these sweet giveaways… one of which I recently happened to win! Several days later, I returned home to find a nice little box on my doorstep with Sof Sole inserts and SOCKS!

While it mostly goes unmentioned on the blog, I have a slight sock obsession. And I’m also super particular about them… not all socks are created equally. So how did Sof Sole’s socks hold up?

Happy feet. Very happy feet. There’s a perfect balance of cushiness and foot-hugability. I’m big on my crew cut socks because a) unless it’s -30° and the middle of winter, anything else is too hot, and b) I don’t need any more crazy tan lines than the ones I already have. These stay up on your ankle, have a little extra compression around the arch, and are COMFFY to the max. Final grade? A.

As for the inserts… I was super excited to try them! As you will see below though…

We ran into some mechanical difficulties. There was absolutely no way that these bad boys were going to fit in my baby shoes. No. Way. Extra bummed because I’ve been given a Rx for orthotics howww many times due to my orthopedic issues, but my insurance that’s worth less than a dog turd but costs like it’s covered in gold won’t cover any.thang. Lame.

Not that inserts are a replacement for prescription orthotics, but something is for sure better than nothing. Luckily I have some great lady friends who would fit these inserts just perfectly, so I get to pay it forward and pass them on. :) So, sadly, no review on the inserts. But I can say they look cool!

And that my friends, is that. This “wordless” post has taken me two times too long to write, not to mention I promised I was only going to talk about these two thing! I do have some fun stuff in the mix – the race calendar is slowly building, a job opportunity is [hopefully] a’ knockin, and I’m MOVING to an awesome location with an awesome housemate. Pumped. :D

Take care!

-E

p.s. Adam thinks he has better sunscreen than me… hmph. I’ll know it when I WIN it. And don’t end up like a lobster. Or a greasy 5 year old with lemon juice in my eye. :D

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , ,
The Triathlon Rx | April 11, 2010
7 comments

Epic workout winner!

No.. the mystery box does not contain an epic workout. Nor does it contain a personal assistant to complete your workout for you. NOR a highly attractive Italian Stallion to go workout with you. But you do get to read about my epic workout/hands-down-best-day-ever-#2 before finding out who the giveaway winner is. Because if you didn’t win.. you have to have something to comment on, right?! So hang tight, and an apology in advance for the photo-booth-trigger-happy-finger I seem to have developed.

Ohhhh goodness. Do I even have time to backtrack to yesterday? Of course I do… I’m currently sitting in a big ol’ adirondack chair love seat at the lake, watching the sun set. I have time for anything. :D

Saturday 04.10.10

Yesterday = run with the Team MED guys // ride with the UMN tri team. It was 7 miles of [why the hell do] my-legs-feel-good glory.. and 27 miles of myself and one of my new-favorite-riding-partners getting dropped by the fast riders on the team! Hahah!! It was only slightly disheartening watching them get farther and farther away. And when said new-favorite-teammate said to me, “You don’t have to wait, you can go ride up with them if you want” … my response [in short choppy sentences] was “No. I can’t. I really can’t.” Hahah it’s what we should have expected given the people who turned out for the ride, and we had a blast. AND I wore my padded shorts. Success!!

Shortly after I got back from the team ride, I finally connected with el chico guapo, who was just about 15 minutes from finishing his EIGHTY mile ride. How’s that for making me feel like a slacker?! Five hours on the bike? Yeah.. you know he got his padded shorts. We proceeded to a pic-Chipotle-nic, from which obviously only good things can come.

Replacing a few of the 3,600 calories burned while riding.

Can I call this an “official” product review? Yes. Yes I can:

CHIPOTLE DIET COKE CON LIMA Y LIMÓN

Subtle yet delightful carbonation.. leading to an extremely refreshing mouth-feel and the desire to say “ahhhh” when imbibed. A masterpiece on it’s own, yet the addition of lemon AND lime is highly recommended to obtain the full Minneapolis-is-almost-as-good-as-Mexico experience. Additionally, appears to emanate a heightened aura of buy-me-now when explicitly declared “not-allowed” in one’s diet.

Thank the lord for 90/10 adherence!

To continue with the remarkably wonderful nature of the day, I was able to go to my place of employment and sit outside in the sun.. sippin some Peace Coffee.. and loving every minute. Granted, I was on the McMac doing school work, but it was lovely none the less!

For the sake of time, and the prevention of eye strain, I suppose I should move on to day #2…

Sunday 04.11.10

My favorite day of the week. A fact you all know well if you’ve been hanging around Dr.TriRunner for any amount of time. And you could have guessssed that the giveaway winner would be drawn on this wondrous of wonderful days. The day started with a solid nine hours of sleep – very welcomed after a busy day yesterday! Per the necessary progression of any day, much less a spectacular Sunday, a very large 2-cups of Tanzanian Peaberry Peace Coffee was in order. Everyone has their preferences on eating pre-workout, and I’m not one to preach what you should or shouldn’t do about that… but given today’s physical endeavors, breakfast was indeed required. Enter: the…

Do It Yourself Duathlon!!

It has been a while since the fast-twitch fibers have been activated. Since the Get Lucky 7K actually. And given my upcoming races on the calendar, I thought it was due time that I [attempt to] lay on a little speed today. For the friends of Facebook and my tweeps on Twitter… you got the preview that my do-it-yourself-Du came in the form of 5K around Calhoun // 20 mile bike // 5K around Calhoun. Because of the route chosen for the 20 mile bike, the lack of closed roads, and the fact that it was GORGEOUS out today so everyone and their mom were out too, the bike was not “race pace.” But because of my chosen company, it was pretty damn near close to it:

[photo]

The duathlon itself is pretty self-explanatory, so I will leave you with photos galore.


D – U. Spells DU.

Pre-leg-one. The necessary hydration.

Hot already.. time to move into T1. El Novio joined the party at this point…

Rilo – ready to ride, and all Nuun‘ed up!

El Novio – making his way through T1

Me.. making my way through T2! Bahaha hello baby-bicep!

Gomer says we worked hard.

Terminado. Success!


The question is… who learned from who? I’m just sayin – Dakota is a smart dog.

Showered. Tired. Protein shake ready to go, and cheers to YOU winner of this mystery box giveaway taht you are all just waiting for me to get to.

Please do indeed get amped for this “Do it Yourself Duathlon” deal… because it will be coming to a city near you very very soon!

But not yet!! There was more splendor to come in this Sunday. There are several items on my need want-to-purchase list: among them, a Timbuk2 bag for my bike >> school commute, a bike trainer, a quality pair of sunglasses for riding, a Vita Mix, and an ice cream maker. The concluding item entered my life today via Craigslist: brand new, an unused / in box wedding present, needing to be cleared out to make room for baby. Thankkk you!! So excited to try this out.

Red… not matching one single item in my kitchen.. and super sassy looking. Perfect! Trust me that an OFFICIAL official product review will come!

Aright… raised your hand if you hit ⌘f and typed “winner” just to get down to this point. Or that would be “control+f” for you who are yet to see the light PC lovers. Yes. There was a giveaway. The first day. And then there was Easter, exams, Friday Confessions, Team MED runs / Tri Team Rides, and then the givewaway closed. Bringing us to the sixth day. And on the seventh day, God rested. So I guess I’ll just have to follow suit and wait till tomorrow to post.

KIDDING!!!

¡EL GANADOR!

Aright… the only thing you’re really reading for – the winner. You guys seriously blew me away with some of these entries. One had me spitting cereal all over my mac… in public. Another one drew the “awwwww!” reaction. It was better than I ever hoped for – thank you ALL so much for entering! And hopefully if you were a new visitor to D.TR, you’ll stick around even if you didn’t win! ;) So, I want to give a biggg ol’ congratulations to:

JAIME! My possibly [ETA: not any more!] only male reader, my swim/bike/run, my why-didn’t-we-meet-when-I-was-living-in-Boston, spandex-wearing, speedyspeedster BUDDY!!! Winning for following on twitter, but his entry was pretty epic too if I do say so myself. Jaime.. I’m sharing!

No Shakespeare, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it either way.

* Years ago, I would have never even dare
With all of this tight clothing that I choose to wear
* Demanding confidence in my sexuality,
Nothing to hide behind, a daily dose of reality.
* Bike shorts, speedos and tri tops, I own more than any man should.
Shorts over my running tights? You know I never would.
* Funny looks from strangers, smoking out on the street
Running by in tights, they try to catch a peek
* Always the perfect fit on the swim, bike or the run.
Love those thick tan lines, after long rides out in the sun
* Holding close in all the right places, even up my butt crack.
You keep my goodies in just the right place.
* Since no one deserves my junk all up in their face.

I’m not sure what you meant to rhyme butt crack with.. or if that was just thrown in there for kicks. But you definitely deserve to win with a poem like that. I hope you enjoy everything included in this mystery box!! I can’t post a photo YET of what it all includes, because there are some last minute additions I wanted to make depending on the personality of the winner. And so I will. And so I will mail. And so you shall receive. Amen.

I hope ALL of you are having a crazy amazing summery-Sunday wherever you may be. I have about 30,000 posts that I am intending on getting up, including a reader question that I have received many many times, but this lady asked it so nicely and considerately that I have to make a post out of it. :) I’m very much appreciating this God-given streak of how-could-it-be-better?? days.. and knocking on wood that they continue this streak! My battery is about to quit on me. Yet again, I’m at the lake, on the adirondacks, watching the sun set. 10,0oo extra cool points for my restaurant having wi-fi. Catch you soon!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | January 24, 2010
12 comments

A Long “Run” and a Live Post…

As promised – I’m back on Sunday, my favorite day of the week! And I have a lot to give you, so I’ll get right to it!

Sunday Long “Run”

Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana

Today, being a Sunday, would mean it’s a long run day. We haven’t discussed my running status much as of late, because well, there really isn’t a status. It’s been constantly changing! For the month of December, running was super minimal. (read: like 30 miles for the entire MONTH maybe?) No – its most def. not because I can’t handle the Minnesota winters – we all know I’ve got that covered. ;) Unfortunately.. it would be the hip. Again. My next “big” Dr. appointment is February 8th. Maybe I’ll know more after that, but at this point, this is what I do know: (words of my lovely sports med doc:) “It’s not going to just break through while you’re out there – if you want to be running, and it isn’t excruciatingly painful, you might as well.”

High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear

So since January, I’ve taken that and run with it, literally. My milage is still NOTHING like “normal”, but at least I’m running a few days a week. However, no weekend long run for me. So today’s “long run” is brought to you by my Octane Q47 (or what I refer to typically as my “xRunner”) machine… lookin a little like this:

Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z

And since I have two hours scheduled with this bad boy, I figured what a better time to give you my ellipti/run/music rundown. What you see in BOLD and PURPLE are the songs that are playing currently while I am typing. Yes. Blogging while working out is pretty much the only way I have time for this right now. And since right now I have, oh… an hour and 44 minutes left, you get lots of songs. ;)  My iTunes is on Shuffle btw, but I’m skipping around a bit if I hit a song I don’t like.

Beggin – Madcon

As you can also see, I’m not writing a ton in between what are anywhere between 4-5 minute songs. That’s because blogging, as I’m sure all of you who have your own site know, takes mucho tiempo.

Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack

(Don’t know the actual name… really not a fan of this song… but it gives you an idea of the eclectness of my iTunes.) Which brings me to the next item on my agenda…

Future Updating Schedule:

Guarantees – Atmosphere

It’s no joke that I am super busy this semester. But this blog is really important to me, and I actually really LIKE doing it! My iCal last week looked a little like this, and this is even just a four day week, with school just having started, so not a ton of homework yet. This also doesn’t show the 6 credits of online classes I have currently going on! Ayyy. Contemplating dropping Physics this semester, but that doesn’t seem like a good plan because I still need to take it at some point. All the classes I’m taking right now are ones I need to eventually take! Thank you God for inventing iCal…

This Is What It’s Made For – Usher

Because of this insanity, my posting schedule will most likely be once or twice a week. It will also probably be a bit more to the point and content driven than all this extra curricular stuff. Actually.. no, it probably wont. That’s just how I roll. :D If you’ve seen some of my tweets lately though, you know I got a lot going on:

  • 20 credits
  • 2 labs
  • 2 jobs
  • boyfriend
  • family/friends
  • the Tri team
  • Dr. TriRunner
  • the Tri team’s website – I just took this one on, but I’m excited about it!

There’s no blame or fingers to be pointed (other than at myself ;) )… this is what I get myself into. Welcome to the life of a Type A (+) overscheduler. Moving on…

Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy

On Friday I promised you a gear review, and that’s what I have for you now!

Cycling & Winter Running Socks: Review

You – Atmosphere

First up, my loves of all time: SMARTWOOL. More specifically, their Ultra Light Cushion Women’s Cycling socks:

These were a gift from the boy, and damn, does he know how to pick em’! I love the way these hug my arches in just the right spot, and I don’t have to fold them over because they’re so effing big or have the “heel” be sitting at my ankle! I wear these in spin right now and they are PERFECT! They come up just high enough so my shimano shoes don’t cut into my leg, but they’re still “ankle socks.” Final Grade: A

Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve

Next: CRAFT Pro Warm Quarter Running Sock

Alright.. when I told you everything  you’d ever want to know about WINTER RUNNING… I told you how much my feet/hands circulation sucks. Well that post needs a revision: my feet/hand circulation SUCKS when I’m not properly prepared!!

Jesus Walks – Kanye West

This was also included in a x-mas gift from the boy (he’s winning in all corners here!) and DAYYYNG. I. Love. Keep in mind that these were not sent to me by the company – this review is solely based on my usage of said socks and happy warm toes. These. Are. FANTASTIC. On a run where my fingers were frozen solid through… think permafrost frozen… my feet were SO toasty, but not sweaty! Just happy, happy toes. Thankkk you to novio and thank you to Craft! Final Grade: A+

Real World – Match Box Twenty

(Haha! I told you it was on shuffle!)  While were on the subject of SOCKS, I will say that I am yet to wear my supafly Kayano Left and Right specific running socks that my mom gave me for Christmas. I feel like these need to be reserved for races or special occasion / monumental runs only. Q: Do you have any clothes like that? I definitely have a racing only sports bra!

Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne

Annnd that’s one hour down! Love it! What I don’t love is this weekend is “Open House” weekend at my gym. Read: Way super overcrowded!! Un momentitio chicos… bathroom break. :)

OK! Hour two.. start it off with an all time favorite:

I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans

This is also where I switch to going backwards and up the resistance a bit! Annnd make sure I’m continuing to hydrate:

Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole

(Hahaha!! Don’t judge!) Ok so I’m starting to really enjoy this live blogging thing. Pictured above (excuse the blurriness.. I took it one handed and moving) is the new LEMON LIME Powerade Zero! But not only Powerade kids.. that would be Lemon Lime PowerDew. If you haven’t done the PowerDew yet.. hop on it. And make sure to tell me what you think!!! And because we’re talking about beverages and hydrating….

Nilla’ Mint Coffee Recovery Shake:

Hotel California – The Eagles

I also told you last Friday that I had a recipe coming! I fell in love the second this cool, creamy shake of shining glory touched my lips. Not exaggerating.

Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere

Thankfully that was not a 4:26 am photo! Here’s what we got goin’ on:

  • Chocolate Mint Coffee, (.5 – 1 cup, depending on preference of taste and texture) cooled (a la Ghiradelli – sent to my by my absolute fave SwimBuddy Lizzy)
  • 2 scoops Vanilla protein powder
  • Xanthan gum
  • Ice ( I use about 6 regular sized cubes)

If you tragically are not able to find this miraculous mint coffee, as I no longer am because I ran out and apparently this is a seasonal delicacy, I have moved on to using regular coffee (or espresso to be more accurate), dark coco powder, and mint extract. Place all ingredients in blender of choice, and get to town.

Say Shhh – Atmosphere

(If you’re from MN.. GET that song. Has been a favorite of mine for a lonnnng time!) Depending on the type of protein powder you choose to use, you can get upwards of 20g of protein here! Other variations: you could use chocolate flavored protein powder and nix the cocoa powder. You could do half coffee/half milk (or milk alternative). If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover Girlscout Thinmint cookies stashed in your  freezer… send them all to me one or two blended up in the drink would lead to nilla/choco/mint ecstacy. Caution.

When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell

As you can see, I did this in my Magic Bullet and it barely fit. I’m still praying that the folks from VitaMix HQ over in Cleveland, Ohio will find this lil runner/triathlete/future doctor and realize:

Dang – this girl really needs a Vita Mix in her life. Her future depends on it. How can we help?

I have an extra kidney if any of your employees need it. We could work out a deal. KIDDING!!! Kinda… ;)

Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)

Alright – decision time: I have half an hour of this “run” left… and there are still about a billion things I have on my “to post” list. I wanna give you a GU2:10 (or Goal Update for those who haven’t mastered the Dr.TriRunner terminology…) but I think I will wait till January is over and  give you a complete one month perspective.

Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean

(Yes, I really did only type that much in the time it took to play all of Bout It. Not a short song.. but I’m sweating more liquid than my shower gives on a good water pressure day. Haha what an attractive mental picture..) What I think needs to happen right now, since I neglected it on Friday, is a little guilt relief. That’s right kids – sounds like a…

Sunday Friday Confessional:

What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele

You know the rules of the game: there are none. Nothing is off limits. You fess up, I fess up. We all feel better. This is a practice I have very much loved ever since my very first ever Friday Confessional back in November of 2008. One year ago I was fessing up to this:

  1. I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should. :(
  2. I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
  3. I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back.  And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
  4. I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
  5. I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine.

Ever The Same – Rob Thomas

Have I changed? Let’s see…
#1 – I am currently running, but nothing like “I used to.” But my thoughts on that one are much more stemming from frustration.. not “spite.” Or at least I’d like to think so.
#2 – No stealing gum. I have a plentiful stock of my Stride favorites.
#3 – No more CTC sadly – I no longer have “the caf,” and therefore no longer have open access to crack this goodness. Probably a good thing.

Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison

#4 – $55 seems like a steal when you’re paying $68/month for a gym membership. Nuff said.
#5 – That pool belt fits me perfectly :)

This week I’m going to confess only one thing to you in the blog word, because a) I only have 7 minutes left and I want time to make a song wrap-up, and b) I’ve been pretty darn good this week if I do say so myself. Here we go:

Move If You Wanna – Mims

  1. I have become increasingly reliant on sleep aids. Tylenol PM, Simply Sleep.. the melatonin ain’t doin jack isht. It’s at the point where if I don’t take anything, I just don’t get tired. No matter what. Friday night – took nothing. Fell “asleep” around 4 am. Was already awake when my alarm went off at 8am. I’m fessing up to this one because it’s actually a problem. I plan on talking to my doc about it at my next appointment. Which I am yet to schedule. :/

That’s all I have time for kids! This was a GOOD POST if you ask me! Sorry if I overwhelmed you with all of  this at once though. Here is the…

Long “Run” Song Wrap-up:

Encore – Jay Z (good song to end on!)
Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana
High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear
Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z
Beggin – Madcon
Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack
Guarantees – Atmosphere
This Is What It’s Made For – Usher
Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy
You – Atmosphere
Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve
Jesus Walks – Kanye West
Real World – Match Box Twenty
Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne
I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans
Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole
Hotel California – The Eagles
Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere
Say Shhh – Atmosphere
When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell
Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)
Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean
What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele
Ever The Same – Rob Thomas
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison
Move If You Wanna – Mims

[Change of location - the workout went wonderfully! No pain, sweated my a$$ off, and feel good. At home now.] Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did! I have two pages that should be up and running soon: music, and the return of my blogroll (finally)! There are more layout/style changes to come too. For now, if you’re looking for music (like the Reader’s Choice Ultimate Mix) just click on the “music” tag in the right column! Gotta go for now peeps – my VIKES are playing tonight!

-E

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