Got Ink!

I went to Kevins Tattoo Zoo in Raleigh today to get ink. I chose to get it on my right shoulder, rather than the standard calf spot, because I wear compression socks during races. I wore my Trakkers top to be sure that the tattoo was placed just right so it shows up when racing. I want my competitors to see it and weep as I pass them during races. My oldest daughter, Mary Beth, came with me.   I asked Kevin if he minded if she took photos. He was cool with that, so she got some really great shots. Then we went out for Hibachi grill afterwards, yummy!   It was a fun girls trip for us. The picture at right looks fuzzy because the tattoo is swollen and covered with ointment. I will take a better picture in a few days, after it has healed. My middle daughter, Laura, was going to come too, but she has that nasty cold I had last week. She really must have been sick to miss coming see her Mom get ink.   For the past ten days, she kept asking me “When are you going to get your tattoo?”. lol! My youngest daughter, Becky, helped me design the tattoo.   She is great at graphic design. We included an M-dot in the design, but I am going to wait to add that after I do an official M-dot race. Not sure when that will be yet!   Thinking of putting my name in the hat for the Kona Lottery.  If I find a full time job (which might happen soon), then maybe I can afford the trip.   Course, then maybe I won’t have enough vacation for the trip.   Oh well, I will cross that bridge if/when I come to it!   Anyway, here’s the final design: It stung alot at times, and I barely felt a pinch at other times. All in all, it was way way way less painful than the marathon run at B2B!! Kevin was very professional and his studio was very clean.  He recommended making the darker orange a little darker, and the lighter orange a little lighter, for contrast.    That made sense, so I trusted his judgement.   I felt very comfortable letting him do my very first ever tattoo. I never thought I’d ever get ink.  Who am I, anway?  Certainly not the frumpy housewife I was 10 years ago! Check it out : Recommended Training Plan Book: …Triathlete Magazine’s Essential Week by Week Training Guide by Matt Fitzerald …if you found this post inspiring, buy me a coffee! By the time your rss reader get this post here is 1 comments ,Welcome you come to leave your opinion !

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Got Ink!

Ironman Arizona 2009 Race…

by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation With mere weeks left before race day, athletes preparing for Ironman Arizona in Tempe, AZ, are starved for any information to help them prep for this late-season race. After months and months of training and enduring multiple seasonal changes, race day is looming and it’s time to get focused. read more

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Ironman Arizona 2009 Race…

Garmin Data from B2B

Haha, look at what my Garmin data shows for the bike route.  There are two such detours in my route from the Beach2Battleship race.   (I totally stole the idea for this graphic from David Carr, a guy I met at the parking lot at Special needs dropoff, and later connect with on Facebook!) Swim data: I wore the Garmin 310xt during the swim on the inside of my left wrist.    The Garmin 310XT is waterproof.  However, it is not accurate in the water.  It shows I swam in a very zigzag pattern and went over 4 miles!   Fun to see the path, anyway.  In retrospect, I wish I had not worn it for the swim.  It annoyed me on my wrist.   And, when the wetsuit stripper pulled my sleeve off, the Garmin wriststrap broke (even tho I told the guy to please be careful of my watch!).    That left me dealing with how to carry it the rest of the race! Swim data at Garmin site here:  http://connect.garm…om/activity/18343451 Bike Splits: I used the Garmin on the bike, too. I had stuffed it into my back pocket, since the strap had broken.   It was set to beep every 15 minutes to remind me to eat my nutrition.  That was great!   I didn’t realize it was also set to autolap every 10 miles.  I’m glad, because this data is fun to see. Split Hours:Minutes:Seconds Time Miles Distance Feet Elevation Gain Feet Elevation Loss Miles per Hour Avg Speed Miles per Hour Max Speed Beats per Minute Avg HR Beats per Minute Max HR Calories Calories Summary 06:11:02 111.57 11,423 11,428 18.0 40.9 139 164 2,620 1 00:31:12 10.00 757 733 19.2 24.9 150 164 254 2 00:29:57 10.00 495 447 20.0 28.3 147 158 275 3 00:29:46 10.00 615 533 20.2 27.7 150 157 222 4 00:31:05 10.00 1,765 1,365 19.3 33.7 145 154 182 5 00:33:53 10.00 2,024 2,520 17.7 40.9 137 148 152 6 00:31:57 10.00 1,131 1,149 18.8 23.6 134 144 232 7 00:35:31 10.00 3,223 3,094 16.9 24.2 135 150 332 8 00:32:58 10.00 522 642 18.2 23.7 137 145 219 9 00:33:28 10.00 331 351 17.9 22.2 138 149 281 10 00:34:04 10.00 287 299 17.6 20.7 137 146 216 11 00:34:31 10.00 174 215 17.4 24.5 138 150 211 12 00:12:35 1.57 100 79 7.5 25.5 122 153 44 You can see how my average speed went down in the last 30 or so miles due to a strong headwind.  Actually, I fared very well here compared to alot of folks.   I am good at hunkering down into a tight shape when going against the wind.  My arms were sore for days afterwards simply due to pulling them in tightly toward the centerline of my body.   Also, I was wearing a brand new Rudy Project Wingspan helmet.  The Wingspan’s designer, John Cobb, is a blog reader and he kindly loaned it to me.   They are not yet available for purchase, but will be soon!   More about that later! Full bike data here: http://connect.garm…om/activity/18343455 (click the Play button, soooo cool!) Run Splits: I carried the Garmin in a ziploc bag filled with things like Rolaids and Advil with me on the run.  It was set to autolap and beep every mile.   That reminded me to drink some water from my own water bottle.  That worked great too, tho, I guess I was not drinking enough since I ended up dehydrated.    Luckily, that did not affect my race performance. You can see that I went out too fast in the first mile – then realized it, and backed off a little. I really was feeling great for the first 6 miles.   I didn’t feel like I was going too hard, and I was stopping at each aid station drinking and eating an orange slice.  Those orange slices really got me through the marathon. Split Hours:Minutes:Seconds Time Miles Distance Feet Elevation Gain Feet Elevation Loss Minutes per Mile Avg Speed Minutes per Mile Max Speed Beats per Minute Avg HR Beats per Minute Max HR Calories Calories Summary 04:34:36 26.59 7,782 7,780 10:19 06:07 153 162 1,908 1 00:09:08 1.00 218 100 09:08 07:29 154 161 75 2 00:10:27 1.00 172 239 10:27 07:45 150 158 83 3 00:09:25 1.00 241 302 09:25 06:55 153 157 77 4 00:09:51 1.00 225 249 09:52 07:26 156 160 82 5 00:09:57 1.00 215 203 09:57 08:10 153 157 80 6 00:09:55 1.00 356 299 09:55 06:46 154 157 81 7 00:10:17 1.00 426 469 10:18 06:07 153 156 81 8 00:10:38 1.00 469 461 10:38 07:44 151 155 76 9 00:10:07 1.00 392 371 10:07 07:22 152 155 69 10 00:09:56 1.00 240 238 09:56 08:34 152 157 69 11 00:10:35 1.00 398 340 10:35 07:45 152 160 73 12 00:09:46 1.00 139 243 09:46 07:53 152 156 68 13 00:10:27 1.00 128 140 10:27 08:19 153 159 72 14 00:11:45 1.00 224 136 11:45 08:06 151 159 72 15 00:10:03 1.00 181 179 10:04 08:33 155 159 72 16 00:10:29 1.00 230 290 10:29 08:09 153 158 70 17 00:10:44 1.00 364 381 10:45 06:55 154 160 72 18 00:10:19 1.00 327 262 10:19 08:02 154 157 69 19 00:10:28 1.00 403 442 10:28 07:38 152 156 63 20 00:10:52 1.00 363 375 10:52 07:40 152 156 65 21 00:10:18 1.00 432 472 10:18 07:23 155 158 72 22 00:10:30 1.00 366 348 10:31 08:08 154 157 66 23 00:10:39 1.00 243 215 10:39 07:56 154 156 68 24 00:10:39 1.00 521 512 10:39 07:04 153 158 61 25 00:10:17 1.00 323 331 10:18 08:35 154 158 65 26 00:10:48 1.00 106 94 10:49 08:20 154 158 67 27 00:05:59 0.59 81 86 10:05 08:09 157 162 40 Can anyone guess why my run pace slowed after mile 7?????   Mile 14 included stopping at run special needs.   I did not pee at all during the run.     My goal for the race was to do the marathon in 4:35.    I can’t complain about this run at all (well, except for the pain part, but the memory of that is beginning to fade.) As you can see above, my Garmin is showing that the run course was 26.59 miles. A BT buddy said his Garmin agreed with that!   SoI ran an extra 0.39 miles in agony. Yay. Not.  Garmin shows a pace of 10:19 for the entire run.   Given that I was stopping every 1/2 mile to grab an orange slice and sometimes also a cup of water,  this is really great.   I had not originally planned on stopping every aid station the whole run, but my pain made me need it.  Whatever works to keep you going in relentless forward motion.  It’s all good.  Or maybe I should say it’s all bad.   hahahaha! Full run data here:  http://connect.garm…om/activity/18343464 Misc Notes: When  I tripped at mile 17 in the dark, my knee was not the only thing injured.   The lens of my new Garmin 310xt cracked.  I have sent it back to Garmin for repair.   I do have to pay a small repair fee since a cracked lens is not covered under warrantee.     And I am taking two weeks off working out, so I don’t really need it for a little while.    I was so glad that I was at least able to get this data! I don’t think the waterproof feature is worth buying a 310xt over a 305.  However, the 305 only stores 10  hours worth of data.  So, if you are doing an Ironman race, you really need the 310xt.  Even if you just want it for the bike and run, 10 hours is not really enough unless you are blazing fast! I did not look at my heart rate much at all during my race. I originally planned to.   However, I was using the Tylenol Severe Sinus medications, which artificially raises the heart rate.    So, I really could not trust the heart rate data, so I just went by breathing and feel of my body.   If I ever do another Ironman, I will use the Garmin 310xt again, only during the bike and run. And, I will look at heart rate data.    But remember, if heart rate data looks off, go by the feel of your body and your breathing. Check it out : Spinervals Cycling Workout DVDs …an intense cycling workout that produces results. …if you found this post inspiring, buy me a coffee! Here is no comments yet by the time your rss reader get this, Do you want to be the first commentor? Hurry up

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Garmin Data from B2B

Beach2Battleship Pictures

I’m still completely wiped out from my race and my cough has returned with a vengeance. I can’t blame my body for rebelling to what I put it through the other day. Here are all the pictures from my race. Most of them were from my friend Ginger. A few were from my family and a random blog reader!   I can’t thank Ginger enough for her support.  She had to leave at mile 8 of the run, so that’s kind of where the pictures end.    My family didn’t get many shots because my camera didn’t work!   Oh well, maybe that’s a good thing, because I got emotional and cried every time I saw them. Action shots: Scenery: Awards Cruise: Here’s a funny anecdote. I talked to the USAT head official on the cruise.  I think his name was Bill and he was a nice guy.    He asked how my race went. I said I did great and got first place in my age group, despite my first ever penalty. He had his official clipboard and asked for my bib number. I said it was not necessary to look it up, that I knew the exact moment when I got the drafting penalty:  it was just a moment of inattention not dropping back quickly enough after being passed.   He asked for my bib anyway…he seemed to really want to look it up. So he looked up bib #81. The notes said “female, green shirt, black shorts , white helmet, within 1 bike length for 25 seconds”.   I said, yup, that’s me.  Can’t miss my green Trakkers colors, lol!  I explained how I always pass guys, and they can’t take a chick hit and so they pass me back and then slow down. I was tired of playing leapfrog with this one guy.   Just as the motorcycle was coming along, I forgot to drop back while I was considering whether to hammer to drop the guy for good, or what should I do. That’s how I screwed up. The USAT guy said I was the first athlete he ever talked to who did not try to argue myself out of the penalty. I laughed at that. I mean, in every sport, except maybe the televised sports with instant replay, the referees are always right, and there is no arguing. Right? I have the rough draft of my race report done. I always write that over on the BT site, then transfer it here and clean it up.   If you are dying for the nitty gritty details, here it is . Check it out : TriVillage … Triathlon Gear and Triathlon Clothing Super Store. …if you found this post inspiring, buy me a coffee! Here is no comments yet by the time your rss reader get this, Do you want to be the first commentor? Hurry up

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Beach2Battleship Pictures

Nirvana

I had a really bad day today.  Four bad things happened.   I must be in a state of Nirvana because none of these things are bothering me.  Mentally, I feel very relaxed and at ease. Had  a bad run.  I enjoyed the run.    I felt like I was running well with fast feet while still going easy and holding back .   But every time I looked at my Garmin  it was showing a pace of greater than 10min/mile.  I wondered if the heavy cloud cover affected the accuracy of the GPS.   When I got home, I plotted the course out on my BT account, and it showed the same distance and pace.  Crud.   Not worried, tho.  My fast feet are just waiting for race day. In my rush to get out the door for my run, I grabbed any old pair of socks.   Stupid move!  When I got home, I had a very bloody blister on my left heel.  I put some Aquaphor and a band-aid on it.  Feels okay.    I am not the least bit worried about it.  It will heal up in time. When I got home from running, I noticed my teenage daughter’s car was not in the driveway.  Yet, I remember her coming in the door late at night.   That was weird.   I knocked on her door and asked “where is the blue car?”  She broke down in tears and said she crashed it into a guardrail after hydroplaning on the wet roads.   Thankfully, nobody got hurt.   The car has a nice big dent in the side and needs a new tire.  Could have been ALOT worse.   This is not stressing me out either. I’ve been having shooting sciatica pains all day.   Not worried about that either.   I always get new weird pains during my taper.  I think it’s my body just healing stuff that I didn’t even know was hurting me.  That’s what I’m telling myself. I am very thankful to be in such a positive mood despite all these stressors.  It sure beats crying because it’s a sunny day ! My plan for the week is to do lots and lots of Rodney Yee’s “Yoga Conditioning for Athletes” DVD.   I did that every day leading up to Duke 1/2.  Flexibility = Free speed.  I’ll take it. While driving home from picking up the blue car, I was listening to the radio.  The DJ was talking about the band, Nirvana.   He said that Kurt Cobain was inspired to write the song “ Smells Like Teen Spirit ” when a rival painted graffiti on the wall: “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit”.   Teen Spirit being the deodorant made for teenage girls.    I always wondered what that lyric meant.   Love that song… Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana – New Music – More Music Videos Check it out : Amazon.com …Workouts in a Binder : Swim Workouts for Triathletes …if you found this post inspiring, buy me a coffee! Here is no comments yet by the time your rss reader get this, Do you want to be the first commentor? Hurry up

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Nirvana

Eight Tips to Qualify for…

Year after year more and more people really want to make it to the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona, the granddaddy of all Ironmans, the Ironman World Championships. Competition is fierce to secure one of the 1800 coveted spots to the Big Island and the qualification times seem to get faster and faster. read more

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Eight Tips to Qualify for…

Trek on Chris Lieto: Speed…

Champions are made through victory. It’s always impressive to watch an athlete who masters the measure of his/her sport and beats the competition to the line. In an event like last weekend’s Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, victory means showing the world that you’re one of the greatest athletes on the planet. Multiple disciplines in 100+ Degree heat, for more than 8 grueling hours, clearly make this event one of the top challenges in the sporting world. And to win defines the victor as a champion. (click read more for the rest of the article) It takes more than victory, however, to become a hero. To be a hero, winning isn’t enough. To be a hero, you have to capture the imagination of those watching; to go outside the lines of the expected and rise above whatever line might have been pre-ordained. Being a hero means scoffing in the face of “experts.” Sometimes it means sacrificing your success for another. Other times, it means doing something no one else thought was possible. It’s an expression of oneself on the pitch, or the field, or the road, or the trail, or in the water with such passion and determination that a person looking on is forced to pause, to stare, to take notice that they’re watching something truly extraordinary. It takes more than a win to fill our hearts with passion, and excitement, and a deeper belief in the human spirit. It’s that rare individual who isn’t racing against the competition, but against possibility itself that we come to call hero. It’s that person who looks deep into the eyes of “reality” and says, “come on out chump, we’re gonna have a go,” It’s the person who isn’t racing to win, but rather to find out what the limits of greatness look like who we call a hero. On Saturday, in Kona, the greatest triathletes in world gathered to find out who was the champion. A 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon to define the world’s greatest endurance athlete. At mile 50 of the bike portion of the race Trek Athlete Chris Lieto took to the front of the race and dared the rest of world’s best Triathletes to hang with him. He once again proved that he was the fastest cyclist in the sport and quickly built a 6 minute lead on the field and a 12 minute lead on the race favorites. While the rest of the field jockeyed for position and used the variable speed increases of one another to maintain a blistering pace, Lieto ran alone at the front with only his self-will and pride to keep him in the lead. While the race favorites raced to see who would win, Lieto did something more. He raced to see how fast was fast. He raced to see where the limits of endurance were, not the limits of his competitors. In the face of the experts who said he could never hold them off, he ran at the front of the hardest race on the planet for 22 miles before being overtaken by the eventual champion and the sport’s top runner Craig Alexander. It was another 1.5 miles before the champion would eventually pull away. Again and again the announcers changed their predictions of when he would be caught as he courageously held off the run specialists mile after agonizing mile. Every self-proclaimed race expert said he would “fade off the podium,” that “he wasn’t a good runner,” but someone forgot to tell Lieto. On Saturday in Kona, Chris Lieto road away from the best Triathletes in the world and dared them to, “come and get him.” It took 138.6 miles of a 140.6 mile race, and only the fastest runner the sport has seen for decades could answer that call. On Saturday, in Kona, Chris Lieto allowed courage to be his guide and raced, not against the rest of world’s best, but rather against his own personal limits. On Saturday, in Kona, Chris Lieto finished second in the world’s hardest race. On Saturday, in Kona, Craig Alexander became the 2009 Ironman World Champion, but Chris Lieto became something more. On Saturday in Kona, Chris Lieto became a hero. It’s events like these, fueled by performances of the true heroes, those individuals who push the limits of possibility, that fuel us here at Trek to push the limits of bicycle performance. It’s athletes and performances like Chris’s this weekend in Kona, that make us look at the bicycle and stop saying, how can we be better than our competition, and start saying how good can we really be. We are constantly reminded by the people who ride our bikes that being a champion can only make you better than your competition; it doesn’t allow you to find the extent of your ability. It’s the ethereal place beyond that where we will continue to drive. At Trek we love building bikes for champions, but it’s the heroes that capture our hearts and drive us be as good as we can. Thanks Chris for another fastest bike split, and for reminding us of the ingredients that make up success. Thanks for Reading and remember: Don’t worry about where you’re going, just keep riding.

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Trek on Chris Lieto: Speed…

Todd Kenyon: Slo-mo of the…

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Todd Kenyon: Slo-mo of the…

Craig Alexander Wins 2009 Ford…

Crowie wins again. Proving that for a second time he has the ability to run down anyone. Crowie exited T2 in 10th place and was more than 12 minutes behind the leader Chris Lieto. He dug deep and was able to chase down Lieto with a 2:48 marathon. The day was very hot and tough. Alexander won the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships with a time of 8:20:21.

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Craig Alexander Wins 2009 Ford…

Hawaii Preview: What to expect in the professional race this…

2009: It is tough to imagine a more highly anticipated Hawaii Ironman World Championships than this year, although we seem to say that each year! read more

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Hawaii Preview: What to expect in the professional race this…