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Showing posts from April, 2012

Just what I needed...

So far it's been a good weekend!  Flagstaff trails Friday morning I turned my fast tempo run into a nice and easy trail run !  Why?  Because my lungs and chest were burning at minimal aerobic effort, so I didn't care to know what they would feel like while I was running my guts out.  Have I mentioned that I love trail running?  I can't wait to fall out of love with road triathlon, so I can completely devote myself to the trails! But, unfortunately, I don't see it happening anytime soon... So, in the meantime, I will use beautiful  singe-track trails as therapy for my body and mind. No road run makes me feel as happy and free and whole as almost any trail run does. 10 miles might have taken an eternity on my watch but I was enjoying every minute of it!  Ryan Stevens and Paul Brinkmann running in Flag This morning's   swim certainly was nothing spectacular. At least not when it comes to my performance. But it's always a

When it rains...

... it pours ! This saying couldn't be more true these days!  (And - no. It doesn't literally pour. It doesn't even literally rain. Ok. Today it did  literally rain. As in: water was falling from the sky. But that's not what I am talking about here. I am speaking figuratively . I may or may not be slightly annoyed by people's usage of the word literally  these days. The best one I've heard to date: 'My husband is literally working his butt off.' Really?!?) It's been quiet around here for a little while and that means that things haven't been going so well. It's not that I try to tell you only about the good and fun stuff on my blog. But I just don't feel like writing (or I get all cynical as in the paragraph above) when things aren't going my way. In that case I prefer to just go to bed, pull the cover over my head, and stop thinking.  First, it was my foot . I didn't run for a week and thought that

Paying the Price

It took me a long 30 hours after finishing the race to figure out the reason why I was not my usual happy/digging-deep/loving-this-stuff self at Oceanside. Any ideas? Here are the lame excuses I came up with in the 29 hours and 59 minutes before that glorious realization: *** The weather . Clouds, fog, and rain make me depressed. And it is hard to have fun while feeling depressed. *** Gluten . I gave up gluten about 6 weeks before the race. Friday evening I bought some rice crackers at Trader Joe's that served as my after-dinner-snack. Later I looked the ingredient label which read: glutinous rice! Who knew there was such a thing? I had been so good and then I mess it all up the night before the race! *** Maybe I went out too hard on the bike. I told Coach M the night before the race: I am not going to hold back on the bike. That might have been a mistake... *** I swallowed to much salt water. The bed at the hotel was too soft. I had too much breakfast. I didn't

2 Months and Counting...

I have been gluten-free for 2 months now!  Happy two-month anniversary to me!  I decided that I'd had it after a horrible run one Friday morning in February. No more gluten for this girl! I am not even sure that gluten was the issue during that run but I was tired of feeling less-than-ideal during some of my runs and if gluten was the culprit , then it needed to go. Bye bye, gluten! I was secretly hoping that I would not feel any better and could return to eating my beloved home-cooked tortillas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner within a few weeks. This was not the case. I am, indeed, feeling much better ! Now here is the thing: I have yet to determine whether I feel better because I don't consume any gluten or because I am substituting bread, crackers, tortillas, and pasta for more fruit, veggies, nuts, beans, and lean meat. Who knows... Either way I'm going to stick with this until my race in Germany, then I may have to indulge in some of the delic

Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

(Grab a chair and get comfy, cause this might be kinda long.)  Left Thursday morning with my questionable travel companion , Nate, who turned out to be awesome. Who wouldn't want to go on a road trip with a nice guy who is a Coach, about to turn Pro, happens to have worked as a bike mechanic, and likes things low-key before a race? Score !  I was super excited to see my friend, Carlee , as soon as we got to the hotel. She provided plenty of entertainment! Both nights I went to sleep with a smile on my face and had to force myself not to look at her or I would bust up laughing (again) for no apparent reason. She is that cool and funny !  I was super duper excited to see the ocean ! I had not been in a few years and it was my first visit to Oceanside. I had been envisioning myself in a beautiful beach town bathing in warmth and sunshine all winter long. This was going to be the reward for many treadmill runs, trainer rides, and bricks in freezing temperatures. But

Tri-Fest in T-Town

  Last weekend it was finally time for the long-awaited Tri-Fest down in Tucson!  I had an absolute blast and loved every minute of it!  (Except for a few seconds in the car after the realization that I had left half of my workout clothes hanging up to dry, including all bras and my swimsuit. No toothbrush, paste, comb, or sunscreen either. Craptastic!) I was thrilled to meet my teammates and, as expected, they are all awesome and inspiring!  What a fun group of great athletes! After arriving in T-town late Thursday night, it was time to prepare for the next morning and then hit the pillow! I had heard so much about the famous Mt. Lemmon ride and I could not wait to conquer the mountain myself! Excited is an understatement.  I knew it was not the smart thing to do. Tri-Fest was at a very inconvenient time for me. My big race of the season was only one week away and I was supposed to be tapering . Yet - how could I miss out on this amazing oppor