Purling Sprite

I won! An Entry to Highland Ranch Tri

 
I am the luckiest person! I just won an entry into one of the Highland Ranch Triathlon Series!!! Thank you so much Sonja and Runcolo.com. Now, I have to decide, do I want to do a Sprint or an Oly? Decisions, decisions?Oh yeah, and I also get to travel!  Colorado here we come :)

I just want to say a huge thank you to Sonja for not only giving me an entry into this great triathlon but also for the inspiration she gives me each day I read her blog. She just finished running 100 miles here in Moab (all in under 22hrs!). Yes, she put a thought in my head that now I can't get out...maybe, perhaps, one day, its possible....

20 miler under the belt...3 weeks left til M-day!

My last 20 miler was surely an adventure. I can really say that I am now a runner. I think the title truly needs to be earned and I believe I have now earned it for sure. I have ran in the snow. I have ran when it is hailing buckets. I have ran when the wind is just crazy as ever that I think that I might as well be tied to a tree since I wasn't moving anywhere. I have ran in the middle of the Utah summers at midday to the point where I thought I was hallucinating. Then this last Friday, I ran in the rain, not a short run, nor did I start running when it was nice and sunny and then it started raining, nope, I got out of my house knowing full well that I was in for a soaking! I ran knowing that probably by mile 10 my clothes would be completely soaked and my toes would be prune-like by mile 5, but I knew that I had to run, I knew that the calendar called for 20 and if you don't give 20 now and go through the pain, the day of the marathon would surely see you pay for not running those 20. Training is hard but I love the process, it truly sets your mind for the worst that may happen during race day. Now, if it happens to rain the day of the race, I know that I have it in me to run it because I have gone through it during my training.

How does running 20 miles feel like? Let me tell you...at first when you step through your front door, you feel like you have reached the promised land. You run to the sink and get a full glass of water and chug it down without having to worry about the slush effect in your belly. Then after chugging the water, you reach to the pantry and get the protein bottle which for some reason seems super huge in your tiny shaking hands, you pour some milk in a glass and try to stir in some of the protein. You chug that down and then plop yourself down on the floor trying to stretch the legs. As you bend down, you feel your legs heavy as lead. You stretch one leg to the front in a runners lunge and feel the twinge in the inner thigh...owie. Switch legs and then more owie. As you go through the entire set of stretches for a good 10 minutes, pulling your legs one way and then another in an effort to minimize the pain that would surely come if you don't stretch. Then the worst part is yet to come, the cryotherapy! Oh how I hate thee and love thee at the same time.

You fill the tub up halfway with cold water and then you add ice, then you proceed to gently put one toe at a time inside the tub. As one foot is completely immersed under the ice water, you think to yourself, is this really worth it and then you convince yourself that it is and then you put your other foot in. The foot is not so bad so you try to throw some water on your legs trying to cool them off little by little so the shock is not so bad. Ten minutes later and you have finally gotten enough courage to immerse both legs. As you sit there in the cold ice bath, you start thinking of the 20 long miles you have just ran. You think of the pain that hit your right ITBand at mile 15, of the stupid rock that got into your shoe at mile 8 and that you finally took it out at mile 16 because what at first felt like a grain of sand at mile 16 felt more like mount Olympus, and then you think of the fact that you pushed your body through 20 long miles and that it kept up. 20 long miles in just 3 hours. 20 miles closer to that 26.2 miles and it is all worth it.I love running! I have a passion for it beyond words. I love seeing what my body can do, the power that my mind has over it. 

Good running to you all this week!

Picture: Found it via Quadraton  last week :). Some days, I do need motivation like the one pictured to get out there.

PS: Please don't forget to vote for me, Isela, in the Cycle&Style contest :). There are a few days left to vote. I appreciate it tons! Thank you so much!

QOW & Downhill Kiss

First up my Quote of the Week. I found this one this morning as I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs. I follow a lot of women triathletes as they fueled the fire within and gets me believing that I too can excel in the sport. I found the quote through Bree's blog (who by the way is competing in a triathlon in Africa this weekend!...how awesome is that!!!)

“When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say I used everything you gave me”. Erma Bombeck

So on Saturday, I called my Brother-in-law to arrange a little bike ride in the afternoon, I wanted him to come along so he could give me pointers and also so hubby and I could hang out with him while we rode. The day was bright and beautiful, perfect for a bike ride! Until we decided to actually go on our bike ride, out in the rural towns of Newton and Clarkston the wind was madly howling. The first 2 miles and I was done for, the little rolling hills always teach me a lesson but coupled with the wind I was in cycling purgatory! Try as hard as I could, I couldn't go very fast. I kept concentrating on pulling up but it didn't help very much. Then finally when I reached the end of the hills and saw the glorious downhill, I shifted and got ready for the downhill ride. With a smile on my face and an excited heart I saw my speed pick up. Suddenly out of nowhere, I hear a loud crack, crack, crack, something was caught in my back wheel's spoke! I knew that if I didn't stop that the bike will stop me in a not so very comfortable way, so I stopped as quickly as I could, not even reaching the end of the downhill. As I stopped, my mind quickly told me, YOU FORGOT SOMETHING IDIOT!!! Sure enough, I started to feel the descend of my body on top of my bike, with my brain screaming UNCLIP, UNCLIP and the legs frozen both from panic and the abrupt halt they weren't functioning, at the last split second out of desperation I lifted my right leg completely up and off the pedal, coming unclipped and barely able to put my hand out to stop my fall (thank goodness for cycling gloves). In all of this, hubby was nowhere to be seen, he was about a mile away ahead of me, in a sense it was best that way as seeing him would have sent me into crying hysterics, instead I had to be tough and fend for myself. Oh I am sure you are wondering that the crack sound was, as I inspected my bike, I found the problem rather quickly, my Garmin sensor on the arm had come loose with the force of the wind and the speed that I was going downhill. I don't know what to do about it now, I love my Garmin as it tells me my cadence, however, it is not worth my life nor a skinned knee/shoulder/arm/face.

After the almost accident, the ride was pretty much uneventful, the wind was still mad at us and kept us from feeling the downhills as downhills but we definitely got a good workout! The next day though, I woke up with my right leg hurting. I think it was due to the force that I put into unclipping my foot off the bike, or just my plain lack of muscle in that area.

Training reports

Some days are definitely better than others, some days you hit it out of the park and some days you can hardly hit it hard enough to go a foot. This last week saw me with Spring Break which in turn means kiddos at home and very little time to train. At first I was feeling so guilty for not getting all my usual workouts in and then by mid-week I realized that it really wasn't that important if I didn't hit my Body Pump classes or my favorite Turbo Kick class, some days, I just have to take it slow and savor the moment. 

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday:

Got out there and ran 6 miles: 52:54

Thursday:

Taught spin class twice! I taught a 30 minute class in the morning and then I taught the evening class for 1 hour. 25 miles: 1:30. I am really loving leading in the spin class. You get so much energy from the room that I find it easy to push myself more and more.

Swam: 2200 yards. I was able to go to my Master Swim class. I have improved so much in this area, granted, I sucked before so there was only one way to go--up! I recorded my fastest 100yd time yet! 1:35!!! This is almost as exciting as discovering electricity!!!

Friday:

Hubby took the kiddos with him to work and I was able to put in my usual workouts. It was so nice of him to give me the day :).

Swam 2200 yards: An easy day at the pool, lots of straight swimming with drills in between to keep reminding my body of proper technique.

Run: 18 miles. Marathon training sometimes is so evil! I really didn't want to put in the time nor the miles but I know that time put in right now will pay off later. I am six weeks away from the marathon and I only have 2 more long runs to do before my taper. The run went well for the first 5 miles I thought I could go on forever, then the sun came out and I started getting hot. The plan was for me to do a loop twice, stopping at the house midpoint, however, I knew that mentally, as soon as I saw the house, my body would want to stop so I decided to take a run up the canyon. Smart idea however I didn't plan on my water running out. I made my 10oz of water last til mile 10, then I chugged my GU down and the last of my water. I was praying that someone was outside their house so I could beg them for water. Finally around mile 12, I saw a gentleman raking his front lawn. He was so nice and so eager to help me. He brought me the coldest water ever! Not only did he fill my Nathan bottle but he brought me a glass of water too. Not thinking I chugged the glass of water down, which felt amazing going down! After thanking him for saving my life, literally, I started running only to fill the swish-swish of the water in my belly. I made a mistake drinking all that water and I knew it right away. I started getting a side ache and wishing I could stop.

By mile 15, I wanted to stop. I seriously didn't want to keep going any longer. However, home was still 3 miles away so there was only one thing to do, keep on going. I decided to switch from straight running, to run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute. The walks seemed dumb however I think they were the only reason I made it back home. I was starving, literally picturing Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches each step I gave.

Six weeks away is very close...I have two more long runs 20 and 22 before the marathon. I will be better prepared this next time around with my Hydration belt and perhaps a sandwich :).

Before & After

A few days ago we had a fun theme over at DailyMile where we got to post pictures of Before n After. At first, I really didn't seem that eager to post a picture of the before then I started looking at pictures and seeing how much I have changed over the past two years (almost three now) and I got the courage to post them.

Things weren't easy and a lot of work has gone into the little bit of transformation. Unlike many people out there, I was cursed with a body that keeps all its fat around its middle. I have skinny, wimpy, spaghetti like arms and legs and a huge midsection. Losing weight affects me in a peculiar way: I lose all the chubs off my arms and legs, then I am left with a flabby, squishy middle, which is a great on the Pillsbury Boy but not so great on a humanoid like myself.

The 2007 picture was right at the beginning of the year, if not at the very end of 2006. At this point, I had been running for about 3 months, I was running a steady 2 miles, killing myself doing it too, going an all 11 minute miles. Speedy Gonzales was my name!

Fast forward 2 years and we have the picture on the left, during the Ogden Half Marathon. At this point, I had been working out consistently for 2 years. Running, cycling and swimming. I barely had started integrating some weight lifting in my life. During that half marathon, my average per mile was 8:10, a huge improvement from two years prior.

As I look at these pictures and others that I have taken over the past two years, I can see a lot of change physically, but what you can't see is the mental change that I have undergone.

I always thought that I could never run more than 2 miles and in that picture of 2007, I thought that I was at my max. I thought that I had a body that couldn't change and a heart that couldn't handle very long workouts. What I've learned is that the body is one of the most amazing machines in the world, it adapts, it grows, and as you push it and push it, its endurance grows to match it. I have learned that I have the heart to complete anything that I really dream and yearn for as long as I put the work forward. I have read in many places that running is 90% mental and 10% talent, it is true. I have about .0001% of talent but what I lack in that area, my heart screams to my mind at each step, it is your dream, we can do it, a dream is becoming reality.

My midsection is still chubby compared to a lot of women who exercise as much as I do, but it is not about having a thin waist or a super ripped body. I'll take my body as is as long as it can take me wherever my mind and heart wants to go, 26.2 miles today, 70.3 miles tomorrow, 140.6 in the near future.

Fried Dumplin'

I have to attest that this post has nothing to do with fried dumplins other than I like to eat them and at this very moment they sound like a fantastic idea. SQUIRREL!

Gosh, I do have the attention span of an ant!

Back to the thought, this weekend was a kicked bootie typed weekend, as in my butt is sore and I can't sit anywhere without having to tilt my self from side to side. I ditched hubby for a two day, back to back, 9-hour spinning training. Spinning as in the exercise not the fiber kind. A few months ago my friend Carol from Gold's Gym planted the idea that I should become certified and start teaching some classes. The opportunity came in the form of Les Mills RPM certification a two day course where you basically get a good butt kicking on the bike and are taught everything from bike set up to the magic of coaching. At the end of day one, my butt was sore from wearing the cycling shorts all day, idiot me forgot to put chamois butter, and of course the Bootie Gods couldn't let it slide, my butt that night was sore. Let's just say that A+D Diaper ointment works overnight miracles baby! The second day, I wasn't so forgetful and I brought the butter, a bit late for some of the sore spots but still helped a ton.

I got my RPM certification and now I need to practice, practice, practice, practice and memorize loads of choreography, then record a class video and send it in to get my assessment, which will give me my seal of approval to begin teaching on my own the RPM classes. The training is rigorous but it ensures that all their Les Mills trainers know their stuff by heart and can present the program in a super way! I am so stoked! A goal that I wanted to achieve is almost complete :).

Oh look, the Cycling Magazine arrived....SQUIRREL!

btw: my new PC will be arriving around March 20th...no pictures capabilities til then, my mini laptop has a memory the size of my pinky and it can't hold my Photoshop software, let alone my thousands of pictures...

Drilling it!

I am no Michael Phelps for sure, but I think I am getting the hang of the entire "gliding" thing, now if I can just get the idea of the catch, I think I can be a bit faster. My body is getting used to the rotation and breathing while rotating, rather than sticking my head to the side while my body is facing down. It is not easy for sure and it is going to be something that I am going to have to work on for a long time but it is something that I can fix.

I have to say that the first day that I went to the Master's Swim class, I came home deflated and ready to give up on the entire swimming thing but I think I am getting my mojo for swimming back. I just need to train my head to love drills. Drills are a good thing, it helps our body remember the proper technique and with proper technique I can become efficient.

The mail brought in something that cheered me up too, the last catalog from KnitPicks where one of my latest sample test knits appears on page 10. I knitted the gorgeous knee-high Sayonara Socks. The pattern is quite simple and once you work one repeat of the stitch pattern it is really easy to remember the rest. I had a bit of a problem with the decreases but after contacting the designer, we found out that the book has an errata, but if you have knitted at all, you will find the error easy to fix. I have to admit that these socks were very difficult to mail out as I wanted to keep them for myself. 

On training

Look at me! I am sporting my brand new banner, designed by GreenCouchDesigns! Cynthia is the best graphic designer I have encountered. I giver her a general idea of what I want, she asks me my favorite colors and then she turns around and gives me a complete theme. Thank you Cynthia!

I love my new banner! It wraps everything about my blog-life, triathlon training and knitting. Hubby was being funny and saying that instead of it saying "swim, bike, run, knit" that is should read "swim, bike, run, eat" hehehe. He is so cheeky! 

What do you all think of my new banner?

The last week has been spent on training. Running, cycling, swimming, lifting weights has taken over my life. Even hubbers tells me that all I talk about lately is training and all I ever do is head to the gym. Even my daughter this morning pointed out that it wasn't so cold outside so I could probably run outside but that I didn't have a babysitter so I would have to run on the treadmill. I am tired, very tired! Each day around 8pm I feel that I am just going to drop dead on the bed and sleep, then if I don't go to bed then I get my second wind and I stay up til 1am. Some afternoons, I have even taken advantage of cat naps on the couch. I guess being tired is a true signed of training season being in full swing.

Today, I attended my first Masters Swim class. I signed up with one goal in mind, to become more efficient and learn better technique. Well, I am going to get just that, no icing on the cake either. The coach is great, she knows what she is doing, I on the other hand, don't know anything about swimming. I know how to get from one side to the other and back and forth over and over but not efficiently, so I was told. I have a lot of work to do to get better. On the upside, I have only one way to go--up! Humble-pie doesn't taste very good but it may make me a better swimmer. It is difficult un-learning everything and learning a new technique.

Cycling will increase this coming week and since the weather in Cache Valley is still nasty, I am doomed to the trainer. I don't know how I am going to survive 2+ hours on the thing. I have tried movies, I have tried music but 1hr is the most I can make it. Tomorrow, I am supposed to cycle for 2hrs, I am instead going to go to two spin classes back to back.

In the running department, it is a little tricky. The half ironman is only a half marathon distance, however, I have a marathon mid May so I have to train for that first. I guess I will be running a little more than what the half ironman distance calls for, but it should help in the long run.

On knitting news: the new Lexi bag pattern is over at LoomKnit.com and the new free Pattern of the Month is up!

Bounce Free

Maybe that should read Bounceless...but apparently Bounceless is not a word, hmm! Today, I want to talk about a very important subject to all gals out there, be it a cup size A or a DDD. We all want to run around, jump around, and not get a black eye in the process.

The other day, I was in spin class and I don't know how or why but my sport bra was not cutting it. Each time I pedaled, I just felt everything just bouncing up and down. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful they are bouncing up and down but there is a place and a moment for everything and this is definitely not the place nor the moment when you want to have your wares bouncing free. Wardrobe malfunction is the worst, especially when you are trying to get a good workout. You could run or bike or jump holding them in place with your hands but it is really not so enjoyable nor safe, especially if cycling outdoors. 

The culprit sports bra from that evening has left the building. I am one of those who loves to shop so I am quite good at replacing my sports bras every six months. I wear them a lot, when you exercise 2-3 times a day, that means 2 or 3 sports bras a day, if you only have 3, that means you wash them every day. Total, that may mean 5 washes a week per sports bra and about 120 washes in its lifetime. With these numbers, I have come to realize that I need sports bras that I can count on. Sports Bras that will support, not chaffe, and most of all protect the girls from the bouncing.

In my search for the perfect sports bra, I have found the following reliable products and brands: Moving Comfort and Champion.

Moving Comfort, my favorite brand, hands down.  As a runner with C cups, I need something that will hold and support not only for 30 minutes but for the entire 3 hours that I may be out there running. Some sports bras once they get wet with sweat, they get soggy and they don't support anymore. Moving Comfort bras are not like that, they are breathable (don't get me wrong, the bra will still get wet, soaking wet if you are a heavy sweater) but the fabric will hold its form under the wetness. Not only do they have the most support but they also provide with two different types of support: encapsulation or compression. Encapsulation allows each breast to have its own cup, rather than one piece of fabric for both. It provides a more natural, sexier look. Compression, well, it is the opposite of Encapsulation, you end up with the uni-boob look. My favorite styles in the Moving Comfort line:

Fiona--I wore this style when I was a DD and it saw me through those days, now that I am a C, I still love its support and it is my number 1 sports bra. What I love about this bra: the eye closure at the back! Love it. When I am soaking wet with sweat pulling the bra over my head gets a bit tricky, not with this one, I can just reach back and take it off easier. Also, when you are putting it on, you can just bend down and close it at the back allowing your breasts to sit comfortably and more naturally in the cups. Another wonderful feature: the straps are adjustable, not from the back like most bras, but from the front! I highly recommend this sports bra to all my friends. It is the most reliable sports bra I have found in the past 3 years. It works great from running to cycling to even Turbo Kick. Also, I have found not to chaffe at all when wearing this bra. However, when using it during races, I always put a bit of glide around the band and the shoulder straps, just in case.

Cameo--The support in this style is compared to the Fiona style I mentioned before, so it is also my second favorite sports bra. Once I lost the weight and I was able to fit into C cups, I relied on the Cameo style sports bra. I love the encapsulation feature and the sleek lines, give me a more flattering look. While I wear it to all my weight lifting activities: Body Pump and weight lifting days, I try not to wear it when I know that I am going to sweat buckets as I have a hard time pulling things over my head and this one doesn't have a back closure, so if I am soaked from head to toe, I need to have hubby help me get out of it. A feature that I love and the reason why I wear it for weight lifting, the racer back style. The racer back style allows me with free movement of my lats when lifting weights, no rubbing of material, no chaffing.

The third bra on my list is the Champion Seamless bra. I love the seamless feature of this bra. It is soft against the skin and the no seam itching or bothering is wonderful. I wear this bra interchangeably between my short runs and my weight lifting days. I wore it a couple of times on my long runs and I found that the support diminished after my sweat got the fabric soaked. However, not all my training days have long hours of cardio, so it is a great sports bra to have around for daily activities. 

BTW: Champion website seems to be having a sale right now, a lot of their sports bras are $19.99. 

Your turn: What sports bras have you found that you like for your activities?

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Disclaimer: The review is a personal review of these products. No company or individual has provided me with products to review them, nor was I compensated in any form to review these products. They are solely my opinion as a consumer and as you know, we are all different and we prefer/like different things.

Downtime...

Training was supposed to kick off on Monday, I was good and started the week off right. I lifted weights, did my spin class and a Body Pump Class. Tuesday came and I was good again, I knew I had a doctor's appointment at 9:30am so I woke up early went to the gym to put in 2000 yards at the pool, I was a good trainee and put in 2150. After my swim, I went for a 5 mile run which was completed at a pace of 8:45min/mile.

My training was on track, then 9:30 arrived and I got to my doctor's appointment. It was just a check up on this dumb cyst I have had on my back for a year. She looks at it and says "well, we can take it out right now, it will take 15 minutes tops!" The dilemma was presented: take it out now or wait a full year and get it out during off season. I calculated and figured that season is just starting and I prefer to get things done sooner rather than later. So under the knife I went and I got my first stitches. 32 years old and my very first stitches.

My back hurts like hell and I can move very little without making it hurt. It feels like a truck dumped a ton of rocks on a single little spot. I am sure I have a bruise the size of Texas. The worst is yet to come though,  I have a big @$$ band-aid back there that needs to come off and I am sure tears will be shed when I tell hubby to rip it off, perhaps I should call my doctor for a sedative before I rip it out.

Anyways, my training is now on hold for 10 days. I am not allowed to swim for any reason whatsoever, less I risk infection. I cannot lift weights, this by itself is killing me as I love lifting weights. I can bike and run but I have to take it easy for at least 48 hours to allow the cut to heal a bit and I don't rip out the stitches. Taking it easy is difficult. How do you take days off without feeling guilty and feeling the training slip away? To pass the time, I have been hanging around in Tri forums and websites trying to learn as much as I can...at least in theory.

Another way to pass the time, knitting! I pulled these sockies out and I finally finished the second sock. (I know, it took me almost a whole year to finish the poor mate). Now, I don't know what to do with them. I don't wear any of my knitted socks....weird, but I don't want to ruin them and frankly I can't wear them to run or to train so I'll have to see what I do with them...any ideas?