this past week was a big one, lots of training with lots of intensity.
gots me some track work out, the first since may before i hurt the obturator internus. it went well, except the intestinal distress... was it the heat? was it the detox attempt after all the drinking in atlanta? all the salads were backfiring on me.
wednesday night was the last of the wednesday night world championships of the year. the course was fun, but again with the intestinal distress, it made me late to the starting line so i had a bad position and never really caught my groove. it was fun though and i was riding pretty well, especially with the tricky lighting and the sketchy drop off around the turn. trail run on friday was fun, had to keep pulling back since i was having so much fun but i was supposed to keep my hr rate down. there was swimming all around in there all week and then an open water swim on saturday. i touched the rock. first time ever. it was slimy. might resist the urge next time. and sunday was a rough one of hard hill repeats on the mtn biking then bricking to hard hill repeats running. oh it about killed me. after we went to the movies and in the car i was just riding along chatting with eric and the kids and then bam, i fell asleep. one of those, oh no, ok, i can't keep talking because, yeah, i am asleep now.
saturday evening we went to a wedding. i had been looking forward to it for a long time. at the race on wednesday while i was weaving in and out of trees and stuff, all i could think was, if eric crashes into one of these and gets hurt and makes it so we can't go to the wedding, boy am i going to be mad!! but all came out of the race a-ok and off to the wedding we went. i was excited to wear the new dress i got in atlanta and eric looked good in his suit. the wedding was in tacoma and the reception out by the water. tacoma is crazy, the roads out there are nuts. it was very pretty and very cool, but nuts.
today we were putting the kids to bed and eric just stood by the playroom door. he was just standing there looking in. i asked him what was going on and as i got there, i too just stared. the kids had installed a retina detection device, its a security system for the playroom. it hangs from above the door and is perfectly level with their faces as it hangs down. the reason we were just staring at it was because we had no idea how they hung it. i looked around the room and there were no chairs, no boxes, the train table was there but if they had moved it, its not high enough and they would have had to have moved it back and i can guarantee that that wouldn't have happened. how did it get there??
we asked sirus and he said seamus did it. when we asked how, he said they used tape. so we asked seamus - she just look at us like, duh, i climbed up the door. i asked her how and she put her hands on either side and then explained how she just shimmied on up. she had put the strings in her mouth and when she got to the top just stuck them to the wall. we are in for so many surprises as she gets older and shows off her ninja skills.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
lots and lots and lots
so, pawpi went to the vet last week i think it was and she got the a-ok from the vet! she is off the antibiotics and her eyes are clear and shiny (although the one is a tiny bit droopy), but she is good to go! yay pawpi!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
We don't DO fly, we ARE fly.
several months ago lauren from my master's swim group suggested to me and janet that we do the 13th Annual Puget Sound Blood Center's SWIM FOR LIFE across Lake Washington. janet and I both thought it was a great idea and jumped at the opportunity. we invited leslie to join us and lauren knew a kayaker for our team. we were all set and all we had to do was wait for August 18th to roll around.
so the swim is billed at 2.5 miles, which is about a mile further than i have ever swam. i was a little concerned but at the same time, i figured i had the fitness, i should be fine. then i looked at a map of the swim and quickly had an anxiety attack.
then i just tried to not think about it. i did the race on saturday and that was fine and then i can't remember on sunday and monday and went to the swim group i do on tuesday mornings. i told the coach there that i was doing the Swim for Life the next day and he said that swim practice tuesday morning would not affect my swim on wednesday. later he asked how far the swim was and we discussed my previous longest swim to which i replied 3000, meters or yards? yards. yeah, you'll be fine he said. the practice went well and we were doing some fun sets including 4x50 where the first length of each 50 was closed fist drill and the 2nd was sprinting breathing every 6th stroke. it was hard and challenging but fun. then we were to do 8x100s on 1:50. he looked at me and said, no worries, you'll be fine, ok, well, wait, ok, maybe take every 4th one off. whew! thia saved me, i was already beat. i did 2500yds and then got out, wondering how any of this might affect the swim the next morning that i was pretty much in denial of.
i was up kind of late, resisting the call of the tasty beers in the fridge, but fell asleep pretty much instantly and slept well. the alarm went off at 5:30 and i got up right away. it felt chilly, so i got dressed and fixed a PB&J. i had packed up all my stuff the night before so i took it all out to the car. leslie was early which turned out good, and then we were off. the first thing she said was that she was pretty happy it was so windy out! i hadn't even noticed the wind but once she said it, i got a little worried! we got to our meeting spot and lauren and janet picked us up and we headed to the school to park the car, and start the long walk to the beach. we ran into ingrid, colleen and cathy all from masters in the parking lot! it was a reunion!
at the beach we met up with mat, who was swimming, too and his younger brother wound up being our kayaker. he had come to some of the masters swims so we had met him before, and i guess more importantly, he had met us before and still agreed to be our kayaker.
then we stood on the beach and FREAKED OUT about how cold and windy it was and oh no!! look at the waves and the white caps!! and wow, look, 3 TV stations, but OMG, Idaho flash backs from last year! i quickly did some calculations trying figure out how if it took 51 minutes to do 1500m at that race, how long would it take to do 2.5 miles? wow, really long. janet even looked me right in the eye and said something to the effect of "i can't look at your face any more!" we did all discuss just not doing it, it was a safety issue and why weren't they calling the event anyway, who is in charge of this thing?
next thing ya know, the first group was off, the 2nd, the 3rd then ours, the red wave - despite our caps being day-glo orange.
the water was warm!! but the waves! the white caps! yikes! right off the bat janet almost got run over by a weird canoe like boat that we later heard capsized along with a few other kayaks out there. also heard that one team turned around almost instantly and a few had to be pulled out by rescuers and some were just moved along in the course! but once we got a little bit away from shore we started swimming. the first 10 minutes were really long. it wasn't so bad, the waves were manageable, and despite seeing janet get pounded really hard by a few and being super impressed that she just kept going, we just kept swimming. after that first 10, we stopped, re-grouped, decided that clement would need to be to the right of us since all the waves were crashing on our left, we needed to breathe out the right (hooray since i am a right side breather anyway!!) and we could just watch him the whole time instead of having to site on our won.
we took another break at about 20 minutes and another at 30. then we kicked some ass and didn't take another break until 45 minutes in. the breaks were short, mainly for re-grouping and to make sure everyone was still good but after that last one it was like WOW! we made some major progress!! we started swimming again and i started to feel a cramp on the verge in my left calf. i was not going to get pulled due to a cramped calf! i didn't tell anyone because if i didn't mention it, maybe it wouldn't happen. i don't remember stopping again until a little after an hour. we all hung onto the kayak for a little, shared a clif shot - i was hoping it would help keep the cramp at bay. the chop really started to pick up again but we were ALMOST THERE!! we took one last short break then made the final push into shore! i have never been so happy to see milfoil!!! we came over it and right into the beach all in a line with clement right there guiding us the whole way!
as soon as we could stand, we did and then well all hugged each other!
as we got out of the water we saw the rest of our friends from masters, they took some photos, charity came all the way down to madison park before work to see us finish and the photographer from the seattle times took our photo, too!
we hung out for a bit, changed, snacked and then headed to the dock to get picked up by a speed boat for the ride back to medina beach. i can't write about the boat ride right now. but will eventually because it was almost too good to be true.
after coming home, having more snack, i got on the trainer for an hour to ride for a bit. i should do a little run to pretend like i've done my own mini ironman but i won't.
a few things i think:
1) this swim was waaaay fun
2) the swim in idaho and and maui were big contributors as to why i was ok with the waves
3) i was super happy to be on a team with janet, leslie and lauren and have clement as our kayaker!
4) while this was super challenging, i think the run at the portland xterra was actually harder
5) never once while out swimming did i think about quitting
6) i might do it again next year
7) that we actually went about 2.7miles
8) i'm still feeling the wave while sitting here rocking on the couch
9) swimming is fun (OMG did i just say that?)
so the swim is billed at 2.5 miles, which is about a mile further than i have ever swam. i was a little concerned but at the same time, i figured i had the fitness, i should be fine. then i looked at a map of the swim and quickly had an anxiety attack.
then i just tried to not think about it. i did the race on saturday and that was fine and then i can't remember on sunday and monday and went to the swim group i do on tuesday mornings. i told the coach there that i was doing the Swim for Life the next day and he said that swim practice tuesday morning would not affect my swim on wednesday. later he asked how far the swim was and we discussed my previous longest swim to which i replied 3000, meters or yards? yards. yeah, you'll be fine he said. the practice went well and we were doing some fun sets including 4x50 where the first length of each 50 was closed fist drill and the 2nd was sprinting breathing every 6th stroke. it was hard and challenging but fun. then we were to do 8x100s on 1:50. he looked at me and said, no worries, you'll be fine, ok, well, wait, ok, maybe take every 4th one off. whew! thia saved me, i was already beat. i did 2500yds and then got out, wondering how any of this might affect the swim the next morning that i was pretty much in denial of.
i was up kind of late, resisting the call of the tasty beers in the fridge, but fell asleep pretty much instantly and slept well. the alarm went off at 5:30 and i got up right away. it felt chilly, so i got dressed and fixed a PB&J. i had packed up all my stuff the night before so i took it all out to the car. leslie was early which turned out good, and then we were off. the first thing she said was that she was pretty happy it was so windy out! i hadn't even noticed the wind but once she said it, i got a little worried! we got to our meeting spot and lauren and janet picked us up and we headed to the school to park the car, and start the long walk to the beach. we ran into ingrid, colleen and cathy all from masters in the parking lot! it was a reunion!
at the beach we met up with mat, who was swimming, too and his younger brother wound up being our kayaker. he had come to some of the masters swims so we had met him before, and i guess more importantly, he had met us before and still agreed to be our kayaker.
then we stood on the beach and FREAKED OUT about how cold and windy it was and oh no!! look at the waves and the white caps!! and wow, look, 3 TV stations, but OMG, Idaho flash backs from last year! i quickly did some calculations trying figure out how if it took 51 minutes to do 1500m at that race, how long would it take to do 2.5 miles? wow, really long. janet even looked me right in the eye and said something to the effect of "i can't look at your face any more!" we did all discuss just not doing it, it was a safety issue and why weren't they calling the event anyway, who is in charge of this thing?
next thing ya know, the first group was off, the 2nd, the 3rd then ours, the red wave - despite our caps being day-glo orange.
the water was warm!! but the waves! the white caps! yikes! right off the bat janet almost got run over by a weird canoe like boat that we later heard capsized along with a few other kayaks out there. also heard that one team turned around almost instantly and a few had to be pulled out by rescuers and some were just moved along in the course! but once we got a little bit away from shore we started swimming. the first 10 minutes were really long. it wasn't so bad, the waves were manageable, and despite seeing janet get pounded really hard by a few and being super impressed that she just kept going, we just kept swimming. after that first 10, we stopped, re-grouped, decided that clement would need to be to the right of us since all the waves were crashing on our left, we needed to breathe out the right (hooray since i am a right side breather anyway!!) and we could just watch him the whole time instead of having to site on our won.
we took another break at about 20 minutes and another at 30. then we kicked some ass and didn't take another break until 45 minutes in. the breaks were short, mainly for re-grouping and to make sure everyone was still good but after that last one it was like WOW! we made some major progress!! we started swimming again and i started to feel a cramp on the verge in my left calf. i was not going to get pulled due to a cramped calf! i didn't tell anyone because if i didn't mention it, maybe it wouldn't happen. i don't remember stopping again until a little after an hour. we all hung onto the kayak for a little, shared a clif shot - i was hoping it would help keep the cramp at bay. the chop really started to pick up again but we were ALMOST THERE!! we took one last short break then made the final push into shore! i have never been so happy to see milfoil!!! we came over it and right into the beach all in a line with clement right there guiding us the whole way!
as soon as we could stand, we did and then well all hugged each other!
as we got out of the water we saw the rest of our friends from masters, they took some photos, charity came all the way down to madison park before work to see us finish and the photographer from the seattle times took our photo, too!
we hung out for a bit, changed, snacked and then headed to the dock to get picked up by a speed boat for the ride back to medina beach. i can't write about the boat ride right now. but will eventually because it was almost too good to be true.
after coming home, having more snack, i got on the trainer for an hour to ride for a bit. i should do a little run to pretend like i've done my own mini ironman but i won't.
a few things i think:
1) this swim was waaaay fun
2) the swim in idaho and and maui were big contributors as to why i was ok with the waves
3) i was super happy to be on a team with janet, leslie and lauren and have clement as our kayaker!
4) while this was super challenging, i think the run at the portland xterra was actually harder
5) never once while out swimming did i think about quitting
6) i might do it again next year
7) that we actually went about 2.7miles
8) i'm still feeling the wave while sitting here rocking on the couch
9) swimming is fun (OMG did i just say that?)
Monday, August 16, 2010
XTERRA Portland 2010
Friday morning we packed up the kids, dropped them off at grandma's (sirus told everyone how they were going to stay 2 nights! he even told grandma in case she didn't know already) and then headed down to the portland area.
the drive didn't take too long and we went to the race site first thing. it was hot. i was cooking and we had only just gotten there. we talked to the race promoter some and to jason jablonski some, too. i complained about the heat and then we headed out on the preride. now i love me some hotter than hot weather, but it was a tad bit worrisome.
the course is a smaller start loop and a bigger big loop, so we did the big loop. the pre-ride took a long time, and i tried to take it as easy as i could but the longer we were out there the more worried i got about being out there so long. about 3/4s of the way eric got a flat so we stopped and fixed it, which was good since it was in the shade. he was running tubeless and i guess it sorta fixed itself but then later we had to stop again at some point to fix it some more, again in the shade!
i was supposed to do an easy 20 minute jog but after that hot, hells no is all i could say!
we packed it up and headed to the hotel. i was totally bummed that we couldn't get a room at the best western in forest grove where we stayed last year, where i threw my iphone in the trash only minutes after just getting it, and the fresh baked cookies they offered. alas, we had to stay in hillsboro at the comfort inn. the hotel was fine and i was super excited to find out that Pizza Schmizza WORLD headquarters were only a mile or so away. We went to one of their pizza joints in the opposite directions and gracious it was hotter inside that place than outside. then we just went back to the hotel, tried to hydrate and just relax.
the alarm went off in the morning and we were just like blah. we packed everything up pretty quickly and were off to the race site. i wasn't nervous but i was a little bit excited. we got to see mat and jason and i chatted with trish from black diamond and farragut. it was so freaking hot that we were all struggling to put our wetsuits on. it was nearly impossible since they were sticking to us like you wouldn't believe. once we nearly had them on and were about to check out the water the race director called everyone to the top of the beach, were we proceeded to cook during the pre-race briefing. imagine sweat just dripping off of your hands and feet and face because everything else was plugged up in a rubber suit. some might call that a fetish, i call it stewing in my own juices. next thing ya know, they call out, beach start in 30 seconds. we were all like what?? and we struggled to get caps and goggles on and then boom, the race started!
the swim:
it was good! and refreshing after stewing on the beach for so long! although hagg lake is a creepy aqua color and the beach feels all slimy, i really like swimming there. most lakes near by are black and scary, while hagg lake is a light colored and cheery. plus the water seems more boyant or something. since i was fiddling trying to get my goggles on right, i did not do an awesome running beach start dive in for the start. i ran down and then kept running until i was sorta deep and confident my goggles were where they needed to be. there wasn't a ton of contact in the swim but i couldn't see the buoy for the life of me. it was really really far away, and just no where in site. i continued to try to site but just hoped that at least some of the people around me were going in the right direction. once at that first buoy, the 2nd was even further away. a million miles pretty much, and it took a long time before it came into view. i did stop to de-fog my goggles eventually and once i had the buoy in site, i was surprised i was swimming pretty straight but got pelted by some waves which i think had to have been caused by boat traffic or something. round that 2nd buoy and along the shore and in. i totally saw some guy cut the course! he didn't swim all the way out to the 2nd buoy and instead just cut over and back. prolly 1:30-2 minute cut. grr, that is so lame. i felt good on the swim, my time wasn't stellar but i was happy with it and the distance seemed longer than last year, too.
t1:
holy smokes, the run to t1 is the worst! out of the water, up the beach, up a 2 ft dirt step up, through the prickly grass, onto the pavement... and 4 hrs later finally at my bike. haven't had the ab cramping issue these past few races but still slow because of the gloves and the wrist brace. out i went.
the bike:
this year there were some pretty strict no passing zones, with threats of DQs for crossing the white line. note DQ is DisQualified and not Dairy Queen. Had it been Dairy Queen I think most racers would have crossed that white line. the no passing zones turned out to be short and really not an issue, so it wasn't a big deal. the start loop went quick and then off to the big loop. the course was the same route as last year, just better. everything was super hard packed, although there were a few loose gravel sections and some super rutted places from where the mud puddles had hardened. the hills were mostly rideable for me, but i did have to hop off a few at the beginning behind a few other walkers, only to be yelled at to "MOOOOVE" by some guy coming up behind us. nice. i was having fun and working hard. and then... and THEN i noticed my rear wheel feeling funny. yes, i had a flat. grrr. i have only had one other flat and i didn't even fix that one, so this was going to be interesting. i knew i had at least another hr on the bike course so i had to fix it otherwise it was going to be a long long walk back. while changing the flat i thought it was funny that i had lead the flat changing clinic at the womens triathlon series race expo earlier in july and that LUNA had also just published this video of Alison Dunlap explaining how to fix a flat. how appropriately timed.
i got the tube out and changed, tire back on and then bam - how the hell do you use this CO2 thing? i read the instructions on the cannister but knew if i messed it up i would be screwed so i did my best and totally froze off my fingers, who needed them anyway! i checked the tire pressure and then added some more air. i probably spent more time trying to fold up the old tube than the rest of everything else took, but whatever. many many people passed me and i was surprised how many of them offered to help! what nice racers!! luckily i was good to go, and got back on my bike and headed off again. i passed a few of them back, but was happy once the end of the bike came. one thing i really like about the bike course is that you are riding riding riding really hard and then you go around a corner and BAM! there is transition! i went through a small and big bottle of electrolyte drink and 3 clif shots, the last one right before heading into transition.
t2:
hmm, it was tricky getting my bike onto the rack because it was kind of low and the other bikes were all over the place and i had to tip it over and blah blah whatever. got my shoes on, grabbed my hat and number and out i went.
the run, aka, the anti-run:
i started walking probably 100 yards from transition. i had nothing left in me. i had worked hard on the bike, that flat tired did a number on me and then to get back riding hard trying to make up time just did it to me. plus my running in general since i hurt my knee has been just bleck. plus it was really freaking hot out. so basically, i walked the ups, the downs, and anything in the sun. sadly there really wasn't any shade so sadly there wasn't really any running. it was a pitiful run. i made a friend though and we chatted for a good portion of it. she made my day by asking me if i was pro since she had seen my sweet yellow mavic mtn bike shoes while i was parked on the side of the trail fixing the flat. i am so far from pro, but it made me happy anyway. the mowed hay fields were terrible - ankle twisters and heat coming up from the ground it felt like. finally it was over. i crossed the line and went straight to the shaded picnic area and sat down. eric got me some drinks to chug and jason got me a wet shirt to wrap up in. it took a long long time to cool back down.
all in all the race was hot. it was fun though too. i was happy with my effort on the swim and the bike, happy i fixed my flat. not happy with my run. eric had ridden out on his bike to check on me and i told him after the race that although i was walking i was actually going all out. sad but true. my ears had plugged up, and my hr was super high, i was huffing and puffing walking out there.
eric was 3rd in his age group, jason won the overall, and mat won his age group, too.
i'd recommend this race to anyone wanting to try an xterra. its definitly a fun course. the bike isn't as technical as black diamond, but its definitly challenging with much more climbing.
next race is nationals! scary!
the drive didn't take too long and we went to the race site first thing. it was hot. i was cooking and we had only just gotten there. we talked to the race promoter some and to jason jablonski some, too. i complained about the heat and then we headed out on the preride. now i love me some hotter than hot weather, but it was a tad bit worrisome.
the course is a smaller start loop and a bigger big loop, so we did the big loop. the pre-ride took a long time, and i tried to take it as easy as i could but the longer we were out there the more worried i got about being out there so long. about 3/4s of the way eric got a flat so we stopped and fixed it, which was good since it was in the shade. he was running tubeless and i guess it sorta fixed itself but then later we had to stop again at some point to fix it some more, again in the shade!
i was supposed to do an easy 20 minute jog but after that hot, hells no is all i could say!
we packed it up and headed to the hotel. i was totally bummed that we couldn't get a room at the best western in forest grove where we stayed last year, where i threw my iphone in the trash only minutes after just getting it, and the fresh baked cookies they offered. alas, we had to stay in hillsboro at the comfort inn. the hotel was fine and i was super excited to find out that Pizza Schmizza WORLD headquarters were only a mile or so away. We went to one of their pizza joints in the opposite directions and gracious it was hotter inside that place than outside. then we just went back to the hotel, tried to hydrate and just relax.
the alarm went off in the morning and we were just like blah. we packed everything up pretty quickly and were off to the race site. i wasn't nervous but i was a little bit excited. we got to see mat and jason and i chatted with trish from black diamond and farragut. it was so freaking hot that we were all struggling to put our wetsuits on. it was nearly impossible since they were sticking to us like you wouldn't believe. once we nearly had them on and were about to check out the water the race director called everyone to the top of the beach, were we proceeded to cook during the pre-race briefing. imagine sweat just dripping off of your hands and feet and face because everything else was plugged up in a rubber suit. some might call that a fetish, i call it stewing in my own juices. next thing ya know, they call out, beach start in 30 seconds. we were all like what?? and we struggled to get caps and goggles on and then boom, the race started!
the swim:
it was good! and refreshing after stewing on the beach for so long! although hagg lake is a creepy aqua color and the beach feels all slimy, i really like swimming there. most lakes near by are black and scary, while hagg lake is a light colored and cheery. plus the water seems more boyant or something. since i was fiddling trying to get my goggles on right, i did not do an awesome running beach start dive in for the start. i ran down and then kept running until i was sorta deep and confident my goggles were where they needed to be. there wasn't a ton of contact in the swim but i couldn't see the buoy for the life of me. it was really really far away, and just no where in site. i continued to try to site but just hoped that at least some of the people around me were going in the right direction. once at that first buoy, the 2nd was even further away. a million miles pretty much, and it took a long time before it came into view. i did stop to de-fog my goggles eventually and once i had the buoy in site, i was surprised i was swimming pretty straight but got pelted by some waves which i think had to have been caused by boat traffic or something. round that 2nd buoy and along the shore and in. i totally saw some guy cut the course! he didn't swim all the way out to the 2nd buoy and instead just cut over and back. prolly 1:30-2 minute cut. grr, that is so lame. i felt good on the swim, my time wasn't stellar but i was happy with it and the distance seemed longer than last year, too.
t1:
holy smokes, the run to t1 is the worst! out of the water, up the beach, up a 2 ft dirt step up, through the prickly grass, onto the pavement... and 4 hrs later finally at my bike. haven't had the ab cramping issue these past few races but still slow because of the gloves and the wrist brace. out i went.
the bike:
this year there were some pretty strict no passing zones, with threats of DQs for crossing the white line. note DQ is DisQualified and not Dairy Queen. Had it been Dairy Queen I think most racers would have crossed that white line. the no passing zones turned out to be short and really not an issue, so it wasn't a big deal. the start loop went quick and then off to the big loop. the course was the same route as last year, just better. everything was super hard packed, although there were a few loose gravel sections and some super rutted places from where the mud puddles had hardened. the hills were mostly rideable for me, but i did have to hop off a few at the beginning behind a few other walkers, only to be yelled at to "MOOOOVE" by some guy coming up behind us. nice. i was having fun and working hard. and then... and THEN i noticed my rear wheel feeling funny. yes, i had a flat. grrr. i have only had one other flat and i didn't even fix that one, so this was going to be interesting. i knew i had at least another hr on the bike course so i had to fix it otherwise it was going to be a long long walk back. while changing the flat i thought it was funny that i had lead the flat changing clinic at the womens triathlon series race expo earlier in july and that LUNA had also just published this video of Alison Dunlap explaining how to fix a flat. how appropriately timed.
i got the tube out and changed, tire back on and then bam - how the hell do you use this CO2 thing? i read the instructions on the cannister but knew if i messed it up i would be screwed so i did my best and totally froze off my fingers, who needed them anyway! i checked the tire pressure and then added some more air. i probably spent more time trying to fold up the old tube than the rest of everything else took, but whatever. many many people passed me and i was surprised how many of them offered to help! what nice racers!! luckily i was good to go, and got back on my bike and headed off again. i passed a few of them back, but was happy once the end of the bike came. one thing i really like about the bike course is that you are riding riding riding really hard and then you go around a corner and BAM! there is transition! i went through a small and big bottle of electrolyte drink and 3 clif shots, the last one right before heading into transition.
t2:
hmm, it was tricky getting my bike onto the rack because it was kind of low and the other bikes were all over the place and i had to tip it over and blah blah whatever. got my shoes on, grabbed my hat and number and out i went.
the run, aka, the anti-run:
i started walking probably 100 yards from transition. i had nothing left in me. i had worked hard on the bike, that flat tired did a number on me and then to get back riding hard trying to make up time just did it to me. plus my running in general since i hurt my knee has been just bleck. plus it was really freaking hot out. so basically, i walked the ups, the downs, and anything in the sun. sadly there really wasn't any shade so sadly there wasn't really any running. it was a pitiful run. i made a friend though and we chatted for a good portion of it. she made my day by asking me if i was pro since she had seen my sweet yellow mavic mtn bike shoes while i was parked on the side of the trail fixing the flat. i am so far from pro, but it made me happy anyway. the mowed hay fields were terrible - ankle twisters and heat coming up from the ground it felt like. finally it was over. i crossed the line and went straight to the shaded picnic area and sat down. eric got me some drinks to chug and jason got me a wet shirt to wrap up in. it took a long long time to cool back down.
all in all the race was hot. it was fun though too. i was happy with my effort on the swim and the bike, happy i fixed my flat. not happy with my run. eric had ridden out on his bike to check on me and i told him after the race that although i was walking i was actually going all out. sad but true. my ears had plugged up, and my hr was super high, i was huffing and puffing walking out there.
eric was 3rd in his age group, jason won the overall, and mat won his age group, too.
i'd recommend this race to anyone wanting to try an xterra. its definitly a fun course. the bike isn't as technical as black diamond, but its definitly challenging with much more climbing.
next race is nationals! scary!
Monday, August 09, 2010
Colchuck Lake
way back last summer a co-worker of mine showed me photos of his hiking adventure out to Colchuck Lake and the Enchantments. I said, hey, that looks pretty amazing. I wondering if we could do that too! So I asked xtie what she thought and if she would be interested in joining in on a little family hike and camping trip into the wilderness and she was all in for it. so, way back in february i applied for a camping permit for one weekend during the summer and that weekend happened to be July 24 & 25. it seemed like i found out pretty quickly that our dates were accepted and permits granted and from that moment on my anxiety about the trip began to sky rocket. i tried not to think about how we would be out in the wilderness, away from everyone and everything and oh no, it would be desolate and barren and no way of getting help if something happened to us and the kids. i kept telling myself, that if there was a natural disaster up there in the mountains, we'd be ok. it was only a 4 mile hike and eric is very fit and could run out to get help if we needed it. i tried not to think about what if something happened to eric! as the weekend grew closer i got new fears, like have you seen the abyss? and how like that one guy got the depth sickness where he started to lose it? what if one of us got some sort of mystery wilderness sickness and started to lose it right there up in those mountains right by the lake? good grief. i wasn't so concerned about getting eaten by bears or mountain lions but still the whole thing was very concerning.
xtie helped us get prepared by making a packing list and then lending us all kinds of gear and equipment. she lent us some tents, some sleeping bags, back packs, coats, pants, therma rest mattresses, she got us each our very own sporks and then fancy mugs and foldable plates that turn into bowls for the kids. she brought her stove and camping food and since she is has a lot of wilderness experience having climbed many mountains including kilimanjaro, yes THAT kilimanjaro, i figured we'd be pretty set. between her and eric, as long as neither of them succummed to the wilderness sickness and lost it, we would be a-ok.
we all had a busy week or two leading up to the adventure, but xtie came over friday night and we got everything organized. i had been prepping the kids that we would be hiking, and although it was only 4 miles, i myself mentally prepared for 7 hrs of hiking. we woke up early, got everyone in the car, and drove out to Leavenworth to ye old ranger station to pick up our permit, then off onto icicle road to ye old trail head to get going.
i had read that the first two miles were pretty flat and mellow and then it would become more challenging. yeah, well, for someone not used to hauling an extra 35+ pounds on one's back, those first two miles seemed a bit more uphill than expected. what didn't help was that i didn't know that the funny structural support thing at the top of the back pack was going the wrong way and it really should not have been banging into my neck, forcing me to look down like that. i thot it odd that the back pack would not allow me to look up, but what did i know?
there were a few crazy, really scary river crossings that really were very scary. i held onto which ever kid i was in charge of at that moment so tight that i remember one of them telling me i was hurting their wrist. pretty sure i had the death grip on them for fear of falling off of those bridges. totally scary. beautiful, but a reminder that this is some pretty serious business.
xtie lent us her treking poles which proved to be the BEST THINGS EVER and once i got the hang of them, i was doing ok. the kids did an amazing job getting up that first few miles and then we stopped for a lunch break. i was very amazed that they were doing so well. i know they like to be outside and all but i just wasn't sure what they would think.
when we started heading uphill for real, it got pretty tough. again, i was amazed at the kids and how they were able to climb up all the rocks and get themselves along. sirus did get upset a few times, but we would try to stop and take a short snack break and we would be off again. i lead the pace, which was slow, partially because i wanted to make sure the kids didn't wear out too quickly and mostly because i was just slow. eric took care of the middle and xtie made sure we were all together and not losing anything from the back.
we saw some amazing views and went up some pretty technical rocky sections and the kids did great. xtie started to get concerned about us getting a nice camping spot so she took off ahead, while the rest of us just trucked along. at the first toilet sign we came across a mountain goat and the kids thought both were fantastic! it took us 3 hrs to get to this spot.
by now we had gotten a few glimpses of the lake and the mountains and it was unreal. even now thinking back, its hard to believe someplace so beautiful exists.
we met up with xtie and she found us a sweet camping spot! we set up the tents and then we ALL TOOK A NAP. i was exhuasted and apparently everyone else was a little bit too.
at some point eric took the kids to see the toilets which they renamed the box potties. the kids thot they were awesome and even appreciated the swarm of flies that came out when they opened. sirus amazingly even used one!
we had talked with the kids about seeing the snow, so we took them around over towards the mountains to see if we could get to the snow. the trail quickly turned SCARY with huge monster boulders and complete trail chaos so we decided that it was too dangerous to even try to go further. sirus lost it, total melt down right there on the side of the mountain. i had to have a quick talk with him about how i knew he was disappointed but he needed to stop crying and pay attention to what he was doing because where we were hiking was really dangerous and he could get really hurt very easily. he went on to cry to everyone we passed how he wasn't going to get to the snow but eventually came to terms with it and decided that when he was 10 we would come back because he will be bigger and stronger and then maybe he could make it all the way to the snow.
once back at the camp site xtie started up dinner, we chowed down and then we just hung out. the bug were bad and the mosquitoes were the worst. unfortunatly we spent a lot of time in the tents because of this. i did pull out the iphone so the kids could watch some stuff, and i did watch xtie's brain cells pop as she was forced to listen to Dora the Explorer. luckily she has a lot of brain cells and i don't think it did too much damage to her.
we called it an early night and we all slept through the night, all the way past 7am even!
seamus was excited to get out of the tent in the morning, dressed in all her layers and new rain coat but sirus on the other hand did not want to wear a coat and let the entire wilderness know it.
we enjoyed the view, watched a duck swim right by our camp site, and also fly circles over head. we saw some sort of raptor like bird and the water was so clear we could see the fish.
we had some amazing oatmeal and other tasty breakfast items and then started to pack stuff up for the trip back. it was amazing as the sun came up over the mountain that it went from cold to very hot in a matter of just a minute! we got everything loaded, sirus even found a tiny toy pig that someone had left behind and we headed back down the mountain.
the trip down was just as hard as the trip up. the kids did great though, not needing as many breaks, and for a while, seamus was leading the group with xtie right behind her. they were trucking, dropping me and sirus in their dust. the trekking poles were awesome again, and since xtie showed me how to fix my pack so that support bar was not banging into my neck i was way more comfortable. i was surprised at how steep and rocky some of the sections were, even though we had gone up them only a short time earlier. while going down them, the thought of going up them was almost too much to bear! we got to the scary bridges again and then to another fallen log bridge that seamus ran across while i passed out while watching her.
all day the day before and this day she asked to carry my pack. non stop she was asking. so we decided that close to the bottom she could carry it. she strapped it on and carried it for a ways even though it was 3/4s her body weight. she did a great job but once we got to the parking lot she did say it was too heavy and she needed some help. I on the other hand really enjoyed those last few minutes of the hike and think a day trip next summer will be the way to go.
by the time we got to the bottom it was like 400 degrees out or so. we quickly washed up as best we could and headed into leavenworth for some ye old bratwursts that were so good i can hardly beleive it.
on the way home i passed out in the back seat between the two kids who both passed out as well, until we hit the milk shake place.
i was worn out. this trip was amazing. the views were incredible, the kids were unbeleivable, it was great to hang out with xtie and it was a good workout. i did do some soul searching though and realize that while although i liked the physicalness of the hike i might be too much of a princess for the camping part of it. i caught myself thinking while at our campsite, wondering if tom cruise decided to camp at colchuck lake if he would have some luxury items helicoptered in, or if he would rough it.
regardless, another trip will be made at some point and i highly recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing trip!
xtie helped us get prepared by making a packing list and then lending us all kinds of gear and equipment. she lent us some tents, some sleeping bags, back packs, coats, pants, therma rest mattresses, she got us each our very own sporks and then fancy mugs and foldable plates that turn into bowls for the kids. she brought her stove and camping food and since she is has a lot of wilderness experience having climbed many mountains including kilimanjaro, yes THAT kilimanjaro, i figured we'd be pretty set. between her and eric, as long as neither of them succummed to the wilderness sickness and lost it, we would be a-ok.
we all had a busy week or two leading up to the adventure, but xtie came over friday night and we got everything organized. i had been prepping the kids that we would be hiking, and although it was only 4 miles, i myself mentally prepared for 7 hrs of hiking. we woke up early, got everyone in the car, and drove out to Leavenworth to ye old ranger station to pick up our permit, then off onto icicle road to ye old trail head to get going.
i had read that the first two miles were pretty flat and mellow and then it would become more challenging. yeah, well, for someone not used to hauling an extra 35+ pounds on one's back, those first two miles seemed a bit more uphill than expected. what didn't help was that i didn't know that the funny structural support thing at the top of the back pack was going the wrong way and it really should not have been banging into my neck, forcing me to look down like that. i thot it odd that the back pack would not allow me to look up, but what did i know?
there were a few crazy, really scary river crossings that really were very scary. i held onto which ever kid i was in charge of at that moment so tight that i remember one of them telling me i was hurting their wrist. pretty sure i had the death grip on them for fear of falling off of those bridges. totally scary. beautiful, but a reminder that this is some pretty serious business.
xtie lent us her treking poles which proved to be the BEST THINGS EVER and once i got the hang of them, i was doing ok. the kids did an amazing job getting up that first few miles and then we stopped for a lunch break. i was very amazed that they were doing so well. i know they like to be outside and all but i just wasn't sure what they would think.
when we started heading uphill for real, it got pretty tough. again, i was amazed at the kids and how they were able to climb up all the rocks and get themselves along. sirus did get upset a few times, but we would try to stop and take a short snack break and we would be off again. i lead the pace, which was slow, partially because i wanted to make sure the kids didn't wear out too quickly and mostly because i was just slow. eric took care of the middle and xtie made sure we were all together and not losing anything from the back.
we saw some amazing views and went up some pretty technical rocky sections and the kids did great. xtie started to get concerned about us getting a nice camping spot so she took off ahead, while the rest of us just trucked along. at the first toilet sign we came across a mountain goat and the kids thought both were fantastic! it took us 3 hrs to get to this spot.
by now we had gotten a few glimpses of the lake and the mountains and it was unreal. even now thinking back, its hard to believe someplace so beautiful exists.
we met up with xtie and she found us a sweet camping spot! we set up the tents and then we ALL TOOK A NAP. i was exhuasted and apparently everyone else was a little bit too.
at some point eric took the kids to see the toilets which they renamed the box potties. the kids thot they were awesome and even appreciated the swarm of flies that came out when they opened. sirus amazingly even used one!
we had talked with the kids about seeing the snow, so we took them around over towards the mountains to see if we could get to the snow. the trail quickly turned SCARY with huge monster boulders and complete trail chaos so we decided that it was too dangerous to even try to go further. sirus lost it, total melt down right there on the side of the mountain. i had to have a quick talk with him about how i knew he was disappointed but he needed to stop crying and pay attention to what he was doing because where we were hiking was really dangerous and he could get really hurt very easily. he went on to cry to everyone we passed how he wasn't going to get to the snow but eventually came to terms with it and decided that when he was 10 we would come back because he will be bigger and stronger and then maybe he could make it all the way to the snow.
once back at the camp site xtie started up dinner, we chowed down and then we just hung out. the bug were bad and the mosquitoes were the worst. unfortunatly we spent a lot of time in the tents because of this. i did pull out the iphone so the kids could watch some stuff, and i did watch xtie's brain cells pop as she was forced to listen to Dora the Explorer. luckily she has a lot of brain cells and i don't think it did too much damage to her.
we called it an early night and we all slept through the night, all the way past 7am even!
seamus was excited to get out of the tent in the morning, dressed in all her layers and new rain coat but sirus on the other hand did not want to wear a coat and let the entire wilderness know it.
we enjoyed the view, watched a duck swim right by our camp site, and also fly circles over head. we saw some sort of raptor like bird and the water was so clear we could see the fish.
we had some amazing oatmeal and other tasty breakfast items and then started to pack stuff up for the trip back. it was amazing as the sun came up over the mountain that it went from cold to very hot in a matter of just a minute! we got everything loaded, sirus even found a tiny toy pig that someone had left behind and we headed back down the mountain.
the trip down was just as hard as the trip up. the kids did great though, not needing as many breaks, and for a while, seamus was leading the group with xtie right behind her. they were trucking, dropping me and sirus in their dust. the trekking poles were awesome again, and since xtie showed me how to fix my pack so that support bar was not banging into my neck i was way more comfortable. i was surprised at how steep and rocky some of the sections were, even though we had gone up them only a short time earlier. while going down them, the thought of going up them was almost too much to bear! we got to the scary bridges again and then to another fallen log bridge that seamus ran across while i passed out while watching her.
all day the day before and this day she asked to carry my pack. non stop she was asking. so we decided that close to the bottom she could carry it. she strapped it on and carried it for a ways even though it was 3/4s her body weight. she did a great job but once we got to the parking lot she did say it was too heavy and she needed some help. I on the other hand really enjoyed those last few minutes of the hike and think a day trip next summer will be the way to go.
by the time we got to the bottom it was like 400 degrees out or so. we quickly washed up as best we could and headed into leavenworth for some ye old bratwursts that were so good i can hardly beleive it.
on the way home i passed out in the back seat between the two kids who both passed out as well, until we hit the milk shake place.
i was worn out. this trip was amazing. the views were incredible, the kids were unbeleivable, it was great to hang out with xtie and it was a good workout. i did do some soul searching though and realize that while although i liked the physicalness of the hike i might be too much of a princess for the camping part of it. i caught myself thinking while at our campsite, wondering if tom cruise decided to camp at colchuck lake if he would have some luxury items helicoptered in, or if he would rough it.
regardless, another trip will be made at some point and i highly recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing trip!
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Xterra BlackDiamond 2010
this past weekend we raced the xterra black diamond. this was the 3rd time i've done this race. the first was a big fatty DNF and then last year had a much better race.
so this year, i wasn't sure what to expect. the other weekend i went out with a guy i work with and we rode some of the trails. i wanted all the practice i could get. this of course on top of the injuries and illness and then my knee, i wasn't sure. i had a good race at the sprint earlier in the month and then managed like a 10 minutes run an i think a 1/2 hr or something. i was doing better, slow but better and still going to PT each week and getting my knee all taped up.
the day before the race we went out to pre-ride. i did the ride with jason jablonski which was fun and it was even more fun because i got to chat with the girl that beat me in idaho and she is super nice.
that night i was pretty excited and i slept maybe 20 minutes at a time, it was bad but i powered through it. :)
in the morning we snuck out before everyone got u and went to the race site. i saw janet right when we pulled in. i set up my transition and then just hung out, stood in the potty line with the girls and then just waited for the race to start. did get to chat with mat which was good since i hadn't seen him in forever and then jumped in the water for a 2 minute warm up. the water was warm and i was set to go.
the swim:
it was a wave start and the ladies were aggressive! i couldn't hold a straight line to save my life but i was swimming well, even managing ok through the lilly pads. the swim had the best buoy markings ever! onto the island, off of the island and the swim back was super smooth and i felt like i was flying. ok, thats a bit of an exaggeration but i did feel pretty good. my swim was like a minute or so faster than last year.
t1 was awesome. in and out, socks good, gloves and wrist brace were good, the time was so fast that it made me think they made a mistake.
the bike:
i started off on the bike and began passing people right away. i felt really good and was having fun. i was taking risks and pushing hard. i almost went down a few times and once in particular my poor knee saw its entire life flash right infront of its cap when it was headed right for rock. luckily i saved it, because that would have been horrible! another time i clipped my pedal and totally endo-ed but manages to just roll on that front wheel and then rebalance my self and keep on riding. whew! that was a close one! i passed sara a ways in, she was doing awesome! jenny had gotten their team a major boost with her super fast swim and sara was doing a good job holding her own out on that crazy course.
i was riding with another girl for quite a while until she said the magic words of "i'm not in your age group" which was awesome because although i was still working to get away from her, we could work together to get past the larger groups of men that were ahead of us. it was pretty fun and really helped me stay focused. after a while i came up on the girl that beat me in idaho - she is a super fast swimmer! but she was on the side of the trail working on her bike. turns out she had all kinds of mechanical problems with her bike and shoes.
during the pre-ride jason had asked me what i thought of the first part of the 2nd loop since i had done it before and we weren't going to do it on the pre-ride. i said it was no big deal and nothing would be as bad as what we would see on the rest of the course. so yeah, when i got to that first part of the 2nd loop i was like, wow, i apparently do have a terrible memory, because it was really really hard, way more rooty and super technical. after the race i was talking to the girl from the idaho race and she said she started to laugh on that part too since it wasn't anything like i said it would be. oops, sorry! two loops down, 9 minutes faster than last year.
t2 - fast! now sure how i got those to be so fast but i was happy!
the run:
i remember the run really sucking last year. i remember it hurting and being just bad so i wasn't sure what to think this year since my running has been so infrequent and just bad lately. turns out i was like 2 minutes or so faster on that run course. who knew. the girl with the mechanicals, who if you recall flew by me in idaho on the run, flew by me again about 3/4s of the way into the run. she was even so nice as to ask how my knee was doing as she passed me!
the race was good, i was 10th F overall, i made it onto the podium in 3rd since the 1st place girl was the overall winner and got bumped out of age group awards and i was also the winner of the speed trap which was funny and unexpected! eric tied with 2 other dudes for the man speed trap and won his age group.
so we've got 2 new pint glasses to add to our collection!
so this year, i wasn't sure what to expect. the other weekend i went out with a guy i work with and we rode some of the trails. i wanted all the practice i could get. this of course on top of the injuries and illness and then my knee, i wasn't sure. i had a good race at the sprint earlier in the month and then managed like a 10 minutes run an i think a 1/2 hr or something. i was doing better, slow but better and still going to PT each week and getting my knee all taped up.
the day before the race we went out to pre-ride. i did the ride with jason jablonski which was fun and it was even more fun because i got to chat with the girl that beat me in idaho and she is super nice.
that night i was pretty excited and i slept maybe 20 minutes at a time, it was bad but i powered through it. :)
in the morning we snuck out before everyone got u and went to the race site. i saw janet right when we pulled in. i set up my transition and then just hung out, stood in the potty line with the girls and then just waited for the race to start. did get to chat with mat which was good since i hadn't seen him in forever and then jumped in the water for a 2 minute warm up. the water was warm and i was set to go.
the swim:
it was a wave start and the ladies were aggressive! i couldn't hold a straight line to save my life but i was swimming well, even managing ok through the lilly pads. the swim had the best buoy markings ever! onto the island, off of the island and the swim back was super smooth and i felt like i was flying. ok, thats a bit of an exaggeration but i did feel pretty good. my swim was like a minute or so faster than last year.
t1 was awesome. in and out, socks good, gloves and wrist brace were good, the time was so fast that it made me think they made a mistake.
the bike:
i started off on the bike and began passing people right away. i felt really good and was having fun. i was taking risks and pushing hard. i almost went down a few times and once in particular my poor knee saw its entire life flash right infront of its cap when it was headed right for rock. luckily i saved it, because that would have been horrible! another time i clipped my pedal and totally endo-ed but manages to just roll on that front wheel and then rebalance my self and keep on riding. whew! that was a close one! i passed sara a ways in, she was doing awesome! jenny had gotten their team a major boost with her super fast swim and sara was doing a good job holding her own out on that crazy course.
i was riding with another girl for quite a while until she said the magic words of "i'm not in your age group" which was awesome because although i was still working to get away from her, we could work together to get past the larger groups of men that were ahead of us. it was pretty fun and really helped me stay focused. after a while i came up on the girl that beat me in idaho - she is a super fast swimmer! but she was on the side of the trail working on her bike. turns out she had all kinds of mechanical problems with her bike and shoes.
during the pre-ride jason had asked me what i thought of the first part of the 2nd loop since i had done it before and we weren't going to do it on the pre-ride. i said it was no big deal and nothing would be as bad as what we would see on the rest of the course. so yeah, when i got to that first part of the 2nd loop i was like, wow, i apparently do have a terrible memory, because it was really really hard, way more rooty and super technical. after the race i was talking to the girl from the idaho race and she said she started to laugh on that part too since it wasn't anything like i said it would be. oops, sorry! two loops down, 9 minutes faster than last year.
t2 - fast! now sure how i got those to be so fast but i was happy!
the run:
i remember the run really sucking last year. i remember it hurting and being just bad so i wasn't sure what to think this year since my running has been so infrequent and just bad lately. turns out i was like 2 minutes or so faster on that run course. who knew. the girl with the mechanicals, who if you recall flew by me in idaho on the run, flew by me again about 3/4s of the way into the run. she was even so nice as to ask how my knee was doing as she passed me!
the race was good, i was 10th F overall, i made it onto the podium in 3rd since the 1st place girl was the overall winner and got bumped out of age group awards and i was also the winner of the speed trap which was funny and unexpected! eric tied with 2 other dudes for the man speed trap and won his age group.
so we've got 2 new pint glasses to add to our collection!
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