Expanding My Training

My weakest sport has also been cycling, which is why I've been spending a lot more time doing it. It's kinda sad to see zero improvements on the bike portions of my races.

But spinning in my living room has to be the most boring thing in the world.

Answer: the bike trailer. My running stroller/bike trailer has been my saving grace. But I've yet to use the bike trailer part...until now. I guess I was a little scared, but I actually feel like I've been set free.

It's harder to ride when pulling an extra 50 pounds but I love being outside. It's 75 degrees in February! What could be better than that! I'm attempting pull #2 tomorrow. Lets hope it's as great as #1 was!

Group Run

Last Sunday Skyler wanted to join Carrie and I on our usually Sunday long-run day. Since both of us would be running, we would need to bring the little one. Skyler was chosen as the designated stroller-pusher. Since Skyler, Desmond, and I were going, of course Pumpkin had to come along too. 10 cold miles on the back bay loop at 8:10 pace. Felt great!

Soon to be a Princess

Right now I'm in Florida, just counting down the hours until I become a Princess. I've ran both Disneyland races in Southern California, and now I've finally made the jump over to Florida to run at Walt Disney World.

Sunday I will be running the Princess 1/2 marathon and collecting not one, but two new shiny medals (I qualify for the Coast to Coast medal). I love this distance of race and have been training hard to improve my time. Hopefully I won't come down with the flu like I did during the last two Disney races I've ran. BUT I will be working all weekend, so my feet will be a bit restless. Guess I will need to wear compression tights to bed.

Wish me luck! I'm hoping for a big PR.

Sweating Blood

I finished my "home spin," as I like to call it and noticed I had blood dripping down my legs. I guess that's what happens after a sweaty ride one day after nicking myself while shaving. It was kinda cool though.

Race Report: OC Chili Trail Run Series #1

I've raced in the OC Chili Trail Run Series the past two years and this will be my third. I am super competitive at this event. Usually I don't compete with anyone but myself because I want a new PR. But I do well at this series so I have become competitive with everyone.

Two years I was in third place after the second race and was ready to podium overall. Then I found out I was pregnant and lost it all on the third race. Why? Because trail running gets your HR going so fast that I was fearful I would miscarry. Fourth place overall = first person not on podium.

Last year this was my first event coming back from giving birth. I was a little slow at the beginning and never caught up. Fifth place overall. At least I improved each race.

This year I'm planning on taking that podium by storm. 

Bummer was that the first race was a road race because of rain the previous night. No biggie, I am faster on the road anyway. The race began and I was fourth woman. I passed third and gained her spot within minutes. I was ecstatic! I kept looking behind me to see if any woman was trying to sneak up. None in sight. I had this in the bag.....or so I thought. Dang it! On the last turn-around, which was about 3/4 miles from the finish, two high school girls showed up out of nowhere. I wasn't going to let them spoil my parade. I picked up the pace and was pushing HARD. They caught me at the last 20 yards and I just stopped. I walked across the finish line. My husband was furious. Yes I'm a quitter. I was just so mad!!

I ended up as 5th overall woman. I was 2nd in my age group, just behind the 1st overall woman (and 2nd overall finisher -- she's fast!) Not a great start for wanting to podium. My only hope is that the two high school girls aren't great trail runners and will blow it next time. More pressure to do well!

Overall: 5.27 miles, 38:30, 7:23 pace

Mile 1 8:02

Mile 2 7:27

Mile 3 6:32

Mile 4 7:39

Mile 5 7:10

0.27 1:41

Riding with an Old Friend

Since I got my new tri bike last summer, I haven't even touched my road bike. It has sat there in the garage without any wheels (Skyler robbed them from me). It looked so sad. So when the shifter on my tri bike broke, I had no choice but to get back out on my Cervelo. It felt wonderful, like I had been riding it all along. We cruised through the canyons and it felt nostalgic. 

The weird part was that I felt more confident on this bike than I had been feeling on my Felt. Why? Is it because I actually was more confident or because my road bike has a better feel to it? I just feel safer on my road bike. Is that silly of me to think? Either way, I'm not in a hurry to get my tri bike fixed.

Lifetime Fitness Tri Series

Have you heard about the new triathlon series? Lifetime Fitness is starting a 12-event triathlon series of sprint and Olympic distance triathlons. 

I'm excited because the one that takes place in Southern California is at my favorite venue for racing -- Oceanside, CA. This race will happen on October 20, 2013. The swim is in Oceanside harbor, the same place at Ironman 70.3. The bike is on San Luis Rey express highway and is a loop course for the Olympic distance. The run takes place along Oceanside coastline, part of the course for Ironman 70.3 also.

They aren't many Olympic distance triathlons in my area (although San Diego has quite a few), so I'm definitely contemplating adding this race to my schedule this year. The price is $130, which is not bad for an Olympic distance tri. Count me in.

Helping Each Other Train

Triathlon training has officially begun for both of us! That means squeezing in training to every second of the day. Ironman CA 70.3 is only two months away and we both have lots of work to do.

Skyler also started a new job, which has a longer commute. He has started to be more creative with his workout time. He swims during lunchtime three days a week. Last night he did his long run after Desmond and I went to bed. And he always carries his training gear in his car.

We are so lucky that both of us are into triathlon. Skyler is understanding of me needing to work out and I'm understanding of him. Not only are we understanding of each other's training needs, but we try to help the other find the time to do it. That's what I love about Skyler. He's not selfish.

Here's to another great triathlon season!

Celebrity Runners

Celebrities are just like us, right? That's what all the magazines try to tell us. They go to the bank, they pick up their kids from school, they go for hikes, and they run. I know I've seen a ton of photos of celebrities running. So why don't they do any races?

I've been doing runDisney races for five years. They usually have one or two celebrities that they spotlight that are running the race. At this year's Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon Sean Astin and Ali Vincent were the celebrities. That's pretty exciting, but when are the big A-list celebrities going to show up.

We know they love attention, so why aren't they running big races? Where is Matthew McCounaughey, Jennifer Aniston, and Fergie? Does it cost too much for Disney (or any other event) to promote them running their races? Do they only race when they have a movie coming out soon and need publicity?

Just something to think about.

Early Morning Rewards

I hate getting up early. Especially on the weekends. But that's when the hard work gets done.

Sundays are usually my long run mornings and most of the time I get to run with a friend. A few weeks ago we chose to run somewhere different. Wow, this made a HUGE difference. It was a new running path for us and we enjoyed every minute of it, including the early morning rain.

And let's not forget the beautiful sunrise. I wish every run could be as perfect as this!

Weekend Training

After almost two months of being sick, holidays, and rain, I finally got my perfect weekend of climbing on my bike and a trail run.

Saturday was a 2-1/2 hour ride through my favorite canyon. Lots of hills and lots of work. The fun part was doing it all on my Cervelo road bike. I haven't ridden it since I got my tri bike last summer, but it was like "riding a bike." I felt way more confident on it then I do with my tri bike. It is because I'm getting more confident or because I like the compactness of the road bike?

For the first time in a long time I got a short transition run in after my bike ride. And it was a killer run! 4 miles at a 7:30 pace. I probably couldn't have been able to keep up that pace for 13.1 miles, but it felt great to go that fast after a tough ride.

Sunday was a GORGEOUS day. Perfect for a almost-10 mile trail run with the pup. Yes it was a bit slower than I would have liked, but Pumpkin couldn't have been happier. Hopefully I'll be ready for my trail race this Saturday.

First Time for Everything

I never buy race photos. It's almost robbery to charge $30 for ONE photo. But it's usually not a hard decision to make because my photos are pretty awful. I mean, I'm pushing hard, my mouth is open, GU stuck to my face, probably eyes closed...it's not a pretty picture (literally). 

But for Ironman, I just couldn't not do it. I thought about it for over two months and finally pulled the trigger. It wasn't hard to decide which photo to buy because all were horrible, except for my finish line photo. It can't get much better than that!

8 Miles Under 60

After my unsuccessful attempt at breaking 1:40 1/2 marathon last month, I thought it was unattainable. I was putting in the distance, the speed, and the desire, but I wasn't quite there.

But that doesn't mean I was ready to stop trying. The Disney Princess 1/2 marathon is just three weeks away and I'm still working hard to overcome that barrier.

Part of the solution is treadmill running. As much as I hate it, it is essential since I have a baby to look after all day long. My stroller runs just weren't cutting it when I needed to work on speed. So Thursday, after dropping Des off at Kids Club, I walked over to the treadmill to start my dreaded workout.

I decided at the last minute to make this a long and fast run. No breaks. No walking. No speed adjustments, except for faster.

I started my Black Eyed Peas Pandora station and started running. Before I knew it I was over half-way done! I kept the pace at 7:30/mile for 6 miles, then upped the speed for the last 2 miles. It wasn't easy, but I wasn't dying at the end either. It was hard, but a bit easier than I feared.

Success! 8 miles at just under 60 minutes (59:50)! Can I keep up that pace for another 5.1 miles? Add a little race adrenaline and I think it's possible. Princess 1/2 here I come!