Much Better

48.86 miles. Elevation gain - 4,589 :-) To put that in some perspective, one site said Ironman Wisconsin elevation gain is 7,162.

The ride went pretty well. My goal was to just go, and do the best I could. Sure, I wanted to make it up the hills, especially the one I fell over on and the one where I had my breakdown. But if I didn't make it up them, I would be okay.

As you know by now, I tend to do what people tell me. Especially Karen. It worked last weekend at Columbia and it worked today. She rode with me, which was great. Karen's training for Ironman Lake Placid and can easily leave me in her dust. And she did. But she also waited at each turn, and the top of every hill. So when she said I would make it up the hills, and I said I would do my best I could - she was right. And I made it up each one. In fact, when I made it to the top of the one where "I made the I made a pathetic "OOhhhmmmmuuuuuhhhhhwww" sound as I fell onto the gravely side of the road" Karen was at the top, pumping her arms, yelling APPROVED. I am glad she was there.

The rest of the ride had a few scary downhills and some slow long climbs. But I got through each of them and that made me very happy. It was slow. I mean really slow. I mean so slow that I would not make the cut off for Ironman Wisconsin. But, my average HR was right where it should have been and I did not really 'push' any of the hills. Just got up them.

Oh, and Karen and I forgot we had tickets to the gun show. So of course we stopped.When we got back, Julia and I went for a quick 10 minute walk just to stretch out. Karen went for a 45 minute run.

After a quick cool off in the lake (just my legs) I got to work on why I get invited to the house. Now it's time for a nap and see if I can get someone to go to the beach for an open water swim...

I'm Off To The Hills

I am going back for round 2. Remember this weekend? And then it turned into this? Yup. I'm going back. Sandy has planned another group house and it should be an "epic killer training weekend". That is a quote from Coach, who is a bit jealous of my weekend. I hope I don't disappoint. But as long as I go for my time and don't let the fact that everyone around is doing things like "Killer Miller", "The Wall", and "Monongalia Massacre" affect my ride, I will be just fine.

Good luck to me!

Cheese - WIN: Baking - FAIL

Yes, this blog is still primarily about triathlon. Really. It is.

Anyway, cheese class last night was AWESOME (despite the guy in the background of the picture)! There was this super cute cheese monger guy who I totally wanted to be my great uncle. He just had this little accent and I just wanted to pinch his checks and listen to his stories! Yeah, maybe a little weird - that's what my Personal Cook said too. But the process was pretty interesting, but way too time consuming for me to ever repeat. Lots and lots of milk for a small amount of mozzarella. But was a fun way to spend an hour.

Back to triathlon training.
Today's weather was hot and humid. It was gross by 9:30 so it was time for the treadmill. And since it's Thursday, remember when I did speedy Thursday's with Mr. Shorty Shorts? Well he is out of town this week, but I channelled the Shorty Shorts and hit the treadmill for some intervals. And you know what, I'm awesome. My 5K was under 38 minutes. AND that included my 3 minute warm up!!! Fast compared to the rest of the triathlon population? Heck no. Massive improvement for me - HECK YEAH!

And back to non-triathlon training.
Tonight was baking night. I am off to for a training weekend tomorrow, and wanted to bring a surprise treat. On these SWC vacations I am becoming known for my chocolate chip cookies (thanks Mom, everyone LOVES them!!) but I wanted to bring something else too. I figured my second best recipe is my sugar cookie. Okay, it's not mine, but Emily knows what she is talking about, so I can take credit for following her instructions. But I ran out of all purpose flour. I had enough for the dough, but not to use when I rolled out the dough. I did have whole wheat flour, tried that, but it just didn't work. And they don't taste that great either. Oh well... Maybe next time. I NEED to use the M-dot and new swim/bike/run cookie cutters again!! (Thanks Tammy!)

Story Time

It's been awhile since I have had something I found funny happen to me while training. Sadly, I think the last one was me falling over (not funny) and the reenactment of the fall to get a picture (funny).

As most of you are aware, I am a planner. I have a slightly hard time 'living in the moment' because I am thinking of what's next. Sometimes it's good, others not. Well, today was a day I had to plan a lot for. I had to get in a bike, a run, and work my 8 hours all before my How to Make Mozzarella class. So I decided the best thing was to bike in the morning, drive to work, run at lunch. Drive to class.
That meant last night I had to pack my work clothes and my running closes AND had to pack my bike stuff. Oh, and I was finishing up 4 loads of laundry.

So, I figured I had everything packed and was in bed around 11 (way too late, but the couch sucked me in and it was hard to get moving after dinner). Needless to say, when the alarm went off at 5:45 am, it took some MAJOR convincing myself to get moving. But I was packed, didn't have time to make up the bike, so I went.

84 minutes later my ride was done and I was off to work.

Forgotten Item Number 1 - Pants to put over my spandex as I strolled through the halls of the office.
As I went into my building to get stuff to shower, I pretty much ran down the hall so I wouldn't see anyone. Or so anyone wouldn't see me. But, I was not so lucky and saw my Associate Commissioner and a handful of co-workers. Not cool, just not cool. Seeing tri friends in spandex is one thing. Going to get a sandwich after a workout in spandex is one thing. Seeing coworkers dressed nicely while I was walking the halls in spandex - a totally different (and not cool) thing.

Forgotten Item number 2 - Appropriate undergarments.
I finished my shower, started getting dressed, and forgot one thing a woman should not forget. I don't claim to be 'well endowed', however, I do like support. I did have a tank to wear under my top, however it wasn't enough. Plus, I have a few inappropriate co-workers who have staring problems. Luckily, there is a store across the street from my office and when it opened at 10, I was there. And there was a sale!! So, all is well and now supported.
How could I forget such an important piece of clothing you ask? Remember how I said I did 4 loads of laundry? Well, I hang dry such delicates, and at 5:45 in the morning, I am lucky I get out the door with car keys let alone trying to remember such an important detail.

Forgotten Item number 3 - Headphones.
This may shock some of you, but I can be a pretty cranky person. So when 1 cube neighbor continues to bounce his plastic coffee cup on his desk, it's like nails on the chalkboard. And when another cube neighbor's g'friend comes over and giggles a boat load, I want to tear my ears off. Or stuff them with cotton balls. Normally, I would put on the smooth stylings of the best band ever that always make me happy, but no luck today.

So even though I tried to plan to make the most of my 24 hours, it wasn't perfect. But I got in my ride. I got in my lunch run. And now I am off to mozzarella class!

What A GREAT Training Day!

I will start off by saying I was really happy with my training day yesterday. Once again, Coach, my personal cook, and my friends and family were all correct - the training I am doing is just fine, and working. I am also excited to write this because I can compare exactly how I did in 2008.
Onto the very long race report.
(NOTE - I am hoping for pictures soon. Official race ones won't be up for a few days. I haven't heard from Sandy yet on the pictures Carolina took. Also Karen said "sorry i don't have time to be uploading pictures. i'm training for an ironman. good day to you". So maybe after July 25th, I will get the pictures from her :-) )

Saturday night.
After my rocken' Friday night of cleaning Blain, Saturday night wasn't any more exciting. Karen came over so we could head up to Columbia bright and early, so she just helped me back my race bag and we had an early bed time.

Sunday morning.
4:00 am the alarm went off, the coffee maker starting brewing, and the English muffins were toasting. We were out the door by 4:35 and pulled into the park at 5:20. Early, yes. BUT, we got a great parking spot and had enough time to take a nap in the car before I had to set up transition. That all went pretty smoothly and by 6:20, the pros were off and Sandy, Karen and I were in line for the port-o-potties. I was still mentally trying to think of it as a training day, but my stomach had a different idea. I hadn't eaten yet and the thought of my english muffin with peanut butter and jelly was not good. But Karen and Sandy insisted I eat, and instead of small bites, I tried to cram a fourth of it into my mouth. Not smart and out it came. Into the bushes of course. I managed to get the rest of it down, with lots of water, and then it was time to sit and wait until 7:58, when our wave (the third to last) started.

Waiting sucks. But it is much better when you are with people. Especially when they tell you stories (Karen) and have super cut dogs (Carolina).

It was eventually time for Sandy and I to zip up our wetsuits and head to the water. We ran into Becky (also doing IM Moo) and discussed how today was a training day. That's all I wanted to focus on.

3...2...1... the whistle blew and off we went. I think I swam over a few people but I eventually found some open water and swam into the sun. I was still a bit nauseous and after a burp turned into a little bit of "littering", I felt so much better. I turned the corner away from the sun, had good sighting, and passed a few people from other waves. Oh, and I cleared out my bladder twice, (a new form of littering) so no more port-o-potties were necessary!
Swim time - 27:59 (1/11 Athena, 160/538 female). I was really happy considering my 2008 time was 26:17 (but I really think that course was short and I was 3/16 Athena, 149/599, so my rank isn't much lower).

On my way to T1 I saw Karen, who yelled "You CRUSHED it!" which is what she told me to do before I got into the water. Remember how I said a bunch of us tend to do what Karen tells us to? Well, that goes for this race as well. Karen said "Crush" the swim, so I "Crushed" the swim. (I am hoping there is a picture of me making my "crushed it" face running out of the water, as I ran by Karen)
Here is another little thing that I probably should post on the Internet, but I am going to.
Remember when I said I was happy I cleared my bladder twice during the swim? Apparently, that wasn't enough. As I was talking to Becky, who came out of the water right after me and was racked right behind me, I had to "go". And Karen says to "go" in transition, so I "went", while talking to Becky. SORRY BECKY! Once I was done, I finished taking off my wet suit, got my bike stuff ready and headed out.
T1 - 4:04 (vs. 5:47 - when I didn't "go")

Bike.
I heard Carolina cheer on my way out, and felt my quads immediately cramp up. I popped a couple of Combos, slowed down, and try to lower my heart rate. 5 minutes into the bike and Becky flew by me. We yelled "Training Day" and that helped me refocus on my goals for the day.
I took the first climb easy, didn't push on the down hills, and just tried to enjoy the beautiful day. Jen passed me and Sandy passed me, I mean FLEW by me around 30 minutes. I saw a few other DC Tri people heading back to the park, some more passed me. I was just enjoying my 41K bike. Around mile 17, I figured I could push it a bit more and started passing a few people. One woman because I didn't like her pink shorts. A guy because his outfit was see through at the butt (and I DID NOT want to ride behind that!). It was fun, and I felt really good.
Needless to say, when I saw the results of a 1:35:59, 15.9 mph, I was really happy. This was compared to 1:40:22 in 2008, and I was going for anything under 1:45.
T2 was uneventful. 2:23 (vs. 3:28)
Run.
I didn't have much of a plan going into the day. Should I go back to a 3:1? I haven't been training with a set run:walk so I did know. Karen suggested I just run what I can, and walk the hills. So, I decided to give that a shot. Because I have been running longer segments of time in training (PW 5, run 20, PW10, run 10 - stuff like that), it worked! I just ran the flats and down hills when I could, and walked the hills. If I needed to walk on a flat, I picked a point about a block away, walked, then ran again. It was awesome! I felt awesome. After an hour, I reset my mind to think of it as a new workout. Forget the swim, the bike, and the previous hour of PW/R'ing, and just started over. Considering I didn't run for over an hour yet, I thought that was the best plan. And that worked too.
1:18:54, 12:42 min/mile. This was my FASTEST 10K in a triathlon EVER and compared to 1:21:24, 13:07 in 2008 - I was ecstatic.
That put my total time at 3:29:18. A PR at Columbia by almost 8 minutes (3:37:16 in 2008) and an overall Oly PR by 2 minutes (which is great considering most Oly bikes are 40K and Columbia is a 41K).

So now, my legs are a bit sorer than they should be for an Oly. My knees are a bit achy. But I feel great. A huge thanks to Karen for telling me what to do, carrying my stuff, coming up to cheer as you did your 2 hour long run. To Carolina for making me laugh, pointing out the hole in my shorts before I started the race, and for being Ninja's mom. And to Sandy for being an awesome training partner. Sorry you had to run past my transition area after the swim. And to Becky, Jen, Hillary, Angela, and everyone else wearing or cheering for DC Tri, either at the race or at home - thanks.

Just A Training Day

That is how I am looking at tomorrow.

Yes, it's a race, but it's not my main race. I'm still not feeling 100%, but Coach told me to calm down, everything will be fine, and to stop over thinking my feelings. He knows me so well!

Last night I gave Blain a nice bath. Yes, it was actually a very relaxing Friday night.

This morning I went for a short swim before heading up to Columbia to do all the pre race stuff. I met up with Sandy for packet pick up, I am number 1860 and she is 1862. We dropped off our bikes - after a mini tune up from Princeton Sports, Blain was racked. Why the mini tune up? Well, apparently my front derailleur got a bit out of line as I was cleaning last night, so luckily Tom was more than willing to check it out. I will now be able to use my easier gear without noise! YAY! I will need it on those hills...

Anyhoo, I am now just resting, having a little dinner, and trying to remember all the stuff I need to pack for a race!

I mean training day. With a timing chip.

Mooooody

And I am not just talking about my emotions!

See, as you know, I have been a bit up and down lately. I am trying my best to remember that it is okay to be down, but this is supposed to be fun. And trust me, a lot of the time it is, but it's also easier for me to complain than to brag.

Anyway, my amazing parents are 2 of my 10 readers, so even if I don't call as often as I should (sorry!) they have a pretty good idea of what's going on in my life. Also, being their favorite daughter for 32 years, they know me pretty well.

So to my delight, when a package arrived with the return address G-dale, I was excited. New pajamas, complete with matching socks, which say "I'm Moooody in the Morning". How cute! It put the smile on my face that was needed. Oh, and the strawberry Mentos. I was sent three rolls... but one seemed to disappear before the picture was taken...

Mom and Dad, thank you.

To everyone else who sent emails, called, or stopped by to talk, thanks. I really am okay. I do find this fun (most of the time), I am fine with my hair in a perma-ponytail (most of the time), and I am still so happy and lucky I am going on this journey a second time.

Ironman isn't just a 17 hour day. It's a multi-month long adventure. It has ups and downs. Good times and bad. And lots of swimming, biking, and running.

Oh, and if you are wondering, the rest of this week's workouts were okay. I did make it to the pool on Tuesday, followed by a ride on the trainer (which was nice to catch up on some DVR!).
Wednesday was a PW/R on the mall at lunch. I refreshed the weather radar and was out the door the moment it cleared up (as I had a 2 o'clock meeting). I went out too fast, but made it the full 20 minute run at the end.
Yesterday was a day off. I had ice cream instead of cleaning my apartment. Diet fail, but I am okay with my choice.
And this morning I biked. Legs are still tired, even when riding pancake flat Hains Point, so I am not very confident about Sunday, but that's okay. It will hopefully be a beautiful day. My friends will be there. And I will cross a finish line.

Update - Again

I was hoping for a light week leading up to my first race on Sunday. Instead, Coach decided to "go hard these next 8 days then take an easy cycle leading into that 1st race". Huh? That was sent on Wednesday, when I thought I had the day off. So needless to say, my day off became a trainer ride to do my sprint work.

Thursday was supposed to be a brick, 60 minutes of biking, 40 minutes PW/R. When I finished the bike, I felt just off, specifically my back and knee, so I pushed off the PW/R until lunch. And for the first time, I had to walk on the second run because I just couldn't "go".

Friday, my Personal Cook joined me for the PW/R, and that went much better. But I was so beat, I missed my swim. My rockn' Friday night included taking Mr. Shorty Shorts out for his bday and leaving early so I could go to sleep.

Saturday was my long ride, "2.5 to 3 hours if you feel good" turned into not even 2.5 because I just couldn't get my legs to go. At one point I even stopped to check and see if my back brake was on the wheel (it wasn't). But I did manage to get in the 5 minute run after, and that actually felt okay. Yay good 5 minute run! (I am taking the positive where I can!).

Sunday was to be my long run, but the weather didn't look good, and the couch was way more comfortable. I just couldn't get myself to go.

Instead, yesterday, I had my PC join me (on his birthday), over lunch, when it was 75 degrees out (but felt like 100 because of the 95% humidity and NO breeze) for my PW/R. It was to be 10/20/5/20, "if you feel good, add 5 minutes to either of the runs, preferably the 2nd one". I couldn't even make the second 20 minutes. Again, I just couldn't get my legs to go.

And again, this morning, my bed won over the pool. I am supposed to swim and do a hill workout and I can hardly get out of my chair at work to fill up my water bottle. I look like I haven't slept in weeks. My hair is in a permanent ponytail. But I am doing my best to stay positive - which is getting very difficult.

I have used my Garmin the past few workouts so I know how slow the rides have been. How I thought I went a certain distance on yesterday's PW/R but was WAY off and MUCH slower than I have been. It would all be one thing if I felt good, but I don't.

Realistically, I know I am going to have bad workouts. And I do have a choice about how I react to those not great workouts. But I have hit the point today where staying positive isn't working.

But tonight I will swim.
And I will bike on the trainer (as it's supposed to thunderstorm so I don't even want to bother finding a hill to repeat for 2 minutes 8 times).
Because I still chose to train. I will continue to do the best I can for the workouts I am given.

Because I am lucky. I know what the end feels like. And it's a feeling that is worth every painful (physical and emotional) moment. And that is how I stay positive.

Slight Panic Attack

I got a nice text from a friend, who shall remain nameless, that I believe was supposed to be a "YAY" message. But it didn't cause me to have that reaction. It caused me to have a slight panic attack.

FOUR months. 4 months. Ironman Wisconsin is 4 months away.
Breath. Breath. It will all be okay. Breath...

Shhhhh.... Don't Tell!

Tonight was a swim night and it's no surprise to you 10 (yup, I am up to 10 - I think...) readers that up until Thursday I have had horrible swims. So, even thought I had a good swim on Thursday, I was worried about tonight. Coach gave me a 1500 meter swim, straight, no time - just swim.

So I did. And once the workout was done, I just kept going. And going. And going. I had a number I wanted to reach, but figured I would stop if I stopped feeling good or hit the number - which ever came first.

The number came first. 4,000 meters, WOO-Hoo!

Once Again, I Chose to Sit

It was another unexpectedly busy weekend. But a good busy weekend.

After Thursday’s good swim, I was feeling more positive about the training. It’s just hard when the one thing I am most comfortable with in terms of training, doesn’t go well. Friday was a beautiful day and I convinced my personal cook to do another PW/R with me. He took the watch and off we went. And I felt great! It was 10/20/5/10, and at the end of the first 20, my legs were a bit tired, but overall, not too bad. We then made it up Capitol Hill, AND I kept running. Because when I said I wanted to walk, my PC said “or we could just slow down a bit” and kept going. I was pretty happy with workout, even though I just wanted to lie down in a patch of green grass and take a nap…

Saturday was an easy long ride, 2.5 hours with no computer/Garmin/distance/speed. Only time. It was a bit hard to get used to, but after I just ‘let go’, it wasn’t too bad. About 30 minutes into the ride, I caught a guy who said “Wait, I just saw you”. I was pretty confused until he said “You were just at Pierce mill, parking your car, right?”. Me “yes”. Him “Damn, you are FAST!”. I had to wipe a tear away; as it was the first time anyone I didn’t know called me fast! We leaped frogged a bit the rest of the way and it was nice to chat with someone for awhile. That was the first hour and a half. The next hour was painful. Not in the bad way that something hurt, but I just didn’t want to be on my bike any more. I was tired. My legs were tired. I wanted to go to sleep. So I bribed myself with food. If I made it to a certain turnaround point, I would get a sandwich.

And that sandwich was wonderful.

The rest of the day was spent touring Europe. Or more specifically, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia.

Sunday was a day off. I know, a weekend day off seems CRAZY! But it was really nice, especially because I would help out at my friend’s training triathlon event. I helped out with the swim, and was in water support. Good thing too as I pulled out 3 people… It was also good to see that my wet suit still fits! I would have much rather been with my mom for her day, but she seemed to like my card and flowers.

I fell asleep on the couch around 9 so I thought I would be nice and rested for yesterday’s PW/R. Not so much. My PC and I met after work for a 15/20/5/20 workout. He had the route mapped out, took the watch, and off we went. Within the first 5 minutes of the run, I was tried. We weren’t going too fast, I was just tired. Which lead to frustration (I mean, I had the day before off, AND got plenty of sleep). But I was quickly reminded of the bike ride on Saturday, the sprinting in the open water to help people, and the early mornings for those two activities. And that not every PW/R will be great, even if I want them to be. But we finished, and finished strong, and I was happy. So instead of doing laundry, or cleaning my apartment, or showering, I chose to sit. And it was awesome.

I am constantly reminded that I am surrounded by wonderful, caring people, who often believe in me more than I believe in myself. I have said it before, and I will continue to say it – thank you.

FINALLY!!

Yes, it happened. I FINALLY had a good swim.

After this mornings super windy ride, I eventually made it to work. Not the most productive day, but ya know... And then I dragged myself to the pool. I mean, d.r.a.g.g.e.d. It was the last place I wanted to go, but I went. Dinner with Brooke, Mary Elizabeth, and Diane wasn't until later, and I would have just rather waited at the bar. But, no. I went.

And I am so glad I did. After the first 100 meters, I knew it was going to be good. I felt like myself in the water. Smooth, strong, controlled, and natural in the water. 2000 meters and I had to get out to go to dinner. Which was okay. I am just hoping I can remember that feeling in the water, or at least my muscles can...

White Caps! WHITE CAPS!!

After Coach sent me this week's schedule, I thought about not taking Tuesday off and riding in the morning. I set my alarm, woke up, went back to sleep. The second alarm went off, I turned it off, and went back to sleep. My legs were tired, so I slept and took the day off.

Yesterday I convinced my Personal Cook to power walk/run with me at lunch. He had the watch and I think it is actually good for me. Instead of thinking "Last week I was at the Art Museum 90 seconds faster - I am too slow, I better speed up" and then die at the end of my 20 minutes running; all I could think about was form. Faster cadence, mountain pose, lean forward from the hips, waiter arms. It was a really nice day too - after it stopped raining, so I was happy with the PW/R.

Because I had a board meeting last night, I couldn't do my ride, but figured a morning HP ride wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't supposed to rain and I convinced Mary Elizabeth to join me for my easy 75 minute ride.

Remember the title of this post? White Caps! WHITE CAPS!! Yes, that 75 minute 'easy ride' turned into 80 minutes of flying down one side of Hains Point, and just trying to make it through on the other side. Seriously, if we would have stopped pedaling, we would have been blown backwards. It was BANANAS! And there really were white caps on the Potomac!

Plus, it was below 50 degrees this morning. Did someone forget to tell Ms. Mother Nature that it is May 5th?!?! I had to dig out my toe covers for my shoes, running tights to go over my shorts, full fingered gloves, AND my super cute bike jacket (okay, that wasn't so bad because I love the jacket. It's warm, comfy, and I wear it even when I'm not biking (after the snot has been washed off of the sleeves)).

So, between the cold and the wind, it definitely wasn't an easy ride. But it was a good ride and I was happy to have the company. And hopefully she didn't mind doing the extra small loop...

And This Is Why I Pay Coach

I am pretty open with my coach. Even to the point of rambling. I know you 9 readers, the idea of me rambling may be a bit of a shock...

Anyway, I was pretty upfront about how tired I have been this past week and how frustrated I was with lack of progress with my biking. Oh, and how my swim still sucks. And, how well the run with my personal cook went when he had the watch.

Turns out, Coach thinks last week was a good week, with good hills, and how I will feel the effects by being stronger and more confident soon. So for this week, on all my bikes and runs, I am to only use time. No Garmin. No bike computer. No data. AND for the runs, he said "Can you do what you did for the last one? A good personal cook would be happy to. lol. How about that, me placing a guilt trip on your personal cook and i don't even know him. My apologies to the lucky man. :) I just liked what it did for you mentally. Again, we don't need to know how far or how fast you are going on this." Okay, some of that was changed by me, but you can all figure out what the meaning is behind the message. Stupid having to work on my patience. I HATE asking for help. I HATE not being able to know exactly how far/fast I go and compare it to other weeks.

I think those things will be harder than the week of workouts. Stupid Coach I pay who actually knows what he is doing...
(Note sarcasm! I really do trust him and will do what he says, but I don't have to like it! :)

Ups and Downs

And I am not talking about biking the Columbia course. I am talking about me and my moods lately. One day I am up, the next I am down. It annoys me so I can only imagine what it is doing to those around me.

After Saturday's PW/R, my legs were (still) tired, but I was feeling pretty good. Ready to tackle the hills of Columbia, MD - where my first race of the season will be, in just 3 short weeks, for our club's annual brick-nic (brick - bike/run, nic - picnic = bricknic). I was getting ready to clip in, but Laurel stopped me to see if I wanted to ride with her. Now Laurel is a lot faster than me, which I reminded her of that fact, but she said it was fine and wanted to go my goal speed, so I waited the few moments for her. Just as we were about to clip in, Katie joined us too. (Please let it be noted that Katie is also faster than me).

We started off on the 25 mile course and things were going pretty well. Laurel is not only faster, but a more skilled biker than I, so I tried to mimic her cadence and when she stood for a hill, I tried to stand for the hill - and so on. One of the benefits to riding with others! Laurel and Katie were on road bikes and I was on Blain, so needless to say, I flew by them on the down hills (I also have a bit (lot) more mass than them) and they would pass on the up hills. And overall, I was pretty happy with the first loop. In fact (something I looked up today), when I did the course in 2008, my bike split was 1:40:22. My Garmin told me the same route was 1:39. Woo-hoo!

BUT (and there is always a but), my legs were done. I mean D.O.N.E. So when Katie and Laurel said "time for the second loop", the questions and doubt in my mind already started. Plus, I was only supposed to do 3 hours, if I was feeling "on top of the world", which I wasn't. By the first hill, I knew I didn't have a full second Columbia loop in me. As Laurel passed me on the uphill, I told her I was turning off at the IronGirl course and would see them back at the picnic part of the day.

The rest of my time on the bike was just bad. I made it up the hills, but very slowly. I managed to keep my heart rate down, I think because I just couldn't get my legs moving. By the time I made it back to my car, the last thing I wanted to do was to socialize with others, who probably had great workouts. I didn't want to bring anyone down with my bad attitude, so I talked to a few people, grabbed a burger, got into my car, started to drive, and started to cry. And cry. And cry.

By the time I made it to my Personal Cook's house, I was a mess, and he didn't know what to do. But, he did what I needed, was to just let me cry and give me a hug. We met up with Kevin and Carolina for the Top Dog Half Smoke Challenge. And I mean really, 10 top restaurants version of a half smoke - how could that not make me feel better!?!? After a nap, I felt like ice cream and allowed myself a chocolate dipped strawberry malt.

Now a day later, some more perspective, and lunch with Karen and Janie - I know that cry fit was more than the ride gone bad. It had to do with seeing everyone around me get faster and faster. Comparing myself with people I should never compare myself to (which in reality is the fact that I shouldn't compare myself to anyone). And not having enough faith and confidence in myself that the training will work again and I will finish - or at least know I gave 110% to do all I can do to finish. So I need a little bit more work in that department... which will hopefully come in time.