Time to get moving Slugo!

I have not done a single run or work in over a week! UGH! The snow has finally melted, thus I should be able to run outside again. I have avoided the gym completely. LAZY!! So this week, I will get back to it. NO excuses!

I did enjoy spending time with my parents and the rest of my family. It was good to see everyone. I wish that I was off this week, but alas I am in my office. It is very quiet around here that is for sure!

EDITED TO ADD: Signed up today for Masters Swim for one day a week. Get my arse in the pool! Good deal too; only $90 for one day a week from now until April 17th. I also checked into the compu-trainer cost at my local bike shop - only $10 bucks. I can't decide whether or not buying a trainer would be good or just going there on occasion. I am geared for cold weather riding now, so unless it is icy and really windy (like today), I should get outside mostly. I am putting my slow work day to use for my training plans!

Wow!

That was all I could say about the 20" of snow that fell near my house. WOW! Sampson and I enjoyed a few walks. I did take some photos and I will add them to this post later. I am typing from my office thus no photos to upload. You know that you have a lot of snow when it is almost hitting your Great Dane's belly! My boy has some long legs and this now was just shy of hitting is belly. It was a beautiful fluffy and sparkly snow when it first fell. Now is it pretty where it hasn't been touch and just an ugly mess everywhere else!

No running, cycling, swimming, or working out of any sort to be reported - although I guess shoveling a mini van covered in 20 inches of snow could be considered a workout!

Tonight my parents arrive to stay with me and my daughter for Christmas. FUN! Let's hope that my Dad is in a jovial mood.
I will check back in again next week! Celebrate!
10 days to 2010!

The snow is coming! The snow is coming!

Whew....the news people now have something else to talk about rather than the Sampson and Sunday scandal, Tiger Woods and the resignation of Vinny at the Redskins front office. SNOW! Historic Snow Storm according to some reports. I love SNOW! I like to be outside when it is falling, no cars driving....the world sounds differently when there is a blanket of snow on the ground. Sampson and I will have some good walks this weekend! I am in the 8-16"+ band.

I have had one crazy week. Work was busy. My daughter was in tech week for her play, which means three hour rehearsals each night.....- TONIGHT IS OPENING NIGHT! I am excited! The only bummer about the major snow storm that is predicted to hit late tonight is that it may cause the Saturday show to cancel. These kids, and their families, along with Imagination Stage have managed to sell out both nights in the ~800 seat theater. This is a student production of kids about 10-14 years of old. Truly awesome. Normally the student productions are in the smaller theater, but since this is the 30th anniversary ensemble they are in the larger theater where the professional productions are held. I hope that the region doesn't totally shut down.... except for when it comes to Monday and Tuesday next week, then I wouldn't have to go to work! LOL! I am off 23rd and 24th.

I did get one excellent run on the books this week. Wednesday night I ran for about an hour in the lovely 36 degree evening. I had fun looking at the lights on the houses. I have no idea how far I ran, but I just ran until I felt like stopping. It was lovely. With snow on the ground, it looks like the tread mill will have to be my running partner in the coming days. YUCK!

Happy Weekends All!

Scandal Rocks the Maryland Girl Household!!

"It was happening right under my nose. I had no idea that this was going on."

Saturday afternoon after a fun three hours or so of working on work at home (my favorite! NOT!), Maryland Girl goes to the living room to discover that Sampson and Sunday were SLEEPING TOGETHER!

Of course this news story is to distract all of you from the fact that I have been a slug lately. Saturday was the nice day of the weekend, I didn't go run. I said, I will go to the Jingle Bell Jog 8K on Sunday. Well, Sunday came around. I got up, it was hovering around freezing and raining outside. Somehow coffee, the couch and the fireplace seemed like a good option! I will pay for it this week!

This is a busy week in my household. My daughter is in tech week for the production of Mulan, Jr. The stage production of Disney's Mulan movie. Three hour rehearsals Monday through Thursday and the Friday and Saturday is showtime! This is a 30th Anniversary Student Ensemble for Imagination Stage - an awesome theater and educational facility in the Washington DC region. Due to the lovely traffic in our region, once I am down to the theater for her rehearsal, I am stuck down that way. Time to get creative with how to spend three hours! Working out or running will probably hit the circuit.

How did it become December 9th?

So. Wow. We are in December. My daughter was sick last week (FLU!). Even though I was at home with her, I wasn't on the computer much and didn't post. I did get a 4 mile run in one morning and multitasked it with a stop at CVS to get her some OTC drugs. :) Go MOM! I haven't been to the gym at all for my regular stuff. We had snow on Saturday thus running outside has been hindered by snow and icy, poorly cleared sidewalks and such. I did go to the work fitness center on Monday and did a 30 minute running gig on the treadmill. I can't handle more than that on the treadmill. ugh It is Wednesday. Somehow I am thinking nothing exercise related is going to happen today. After some time of nothing to do at work, I got busy this week. FEAST or FAMINE here - seriously. It has been wierd in my building lately, as they have been laying people off. A project has had its scope severely crushed and there had been some rampant over hiring, but it is still YUCKY. Doesn't give you the warm, fuzzy feeling that the December Holiday month should be giving. While I don't think I am at a huge risk at the moment, I am still concerned. (note to self perhaps you should put a resume together!)

Court tomorrow for the 10 minute hearing. All those years and it all comes down to some pieces of paper and a 10 minute visit before the judge. Hmmm... I am looking forward to going back to my birth name (I hate the term maiden name so archaic!) Looking back at 2009, I accomplished all the goals that I set out to accomplish except for one. Not bad! And the one I didn't accomplish was only because I couldn't seem to find an event that fit on my schedule! The goals were: Do another triathlon (did 2 sprint distance events), sell townhouse, get final divorce, and do a century. Final divorce will be tomorrow. The Century is the only thing I didn't do - now I DID do almost a century over a weekend - 60 miles day 1, 30 miles day 2 and I did a couple other 50 mile or so rides - so it was almost accomplished. I guess I will have to think of what my 2010 goals will be. We already know that another half marathon is on the list. And I am thinking of doing Olympic distance tris in 2010. And, of course, a century and specifically I want to do the Seagull Century on the Eastern shore of Maryland. So I guess I have a start of a list!
Okay... back to reading a really boring draft manual. I am feeling bloaty and really don't want to go weigh in at the holiday weight maintenance challenge today, but I have too.... ugh....

Is this what they mean by "Active Lifestyle"???

Thanksgiving Weekend 2009. Since my normal family routine was blown apart for this Thanksgiving, I kept myself busy in other ways. First there was the Turkey Chase 10k documented previously.
Friday - I spent in my office, bored out of my mind, but not wanting to waste a day of leave since I was not going shopping any where!
Saturday - I hiked with the Capital Hiking Club. It was a gorgeous late November day. We did a 9 mile loop, inside the beltway. We started at Roosevelt Island along the Potomac in Virginia, crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown, then went up the tow path along the C&O Canal, then crossed the Chain Bridge back over the Potomac and back into Virginia to head back to parking taking the Potomac Heritage Trail. It was nice and a few rock scrambles to keep your brain entertained. I had an excellent nap on the couch later in the day! I love a good afternoon nap!

Sunday - I did a 30 mile bike ride with a few people from hiking club. Gina (my bike) was very happy to be out on the road! Again, another stellar late November Day. People were outside every where! We started in Bethesda, MD and meandered through several old neighborhoods, along the Capital Crescent Trail, through Sligo Creek, and through Rock Creek Park. In several of these areas the roads are closed to motorized traffic on the weekends. It was a wonderful ride, a few good hills in for good measure. We finished up with lunch at an Irish pub. Lunch and a couple beers! YUM!!

Whew! Sunday night I visited with an old friend I haven't seen in a while. When I got home, I mustered my last bit of energy to take Sampson for his walk and then I was off to bed! I think that was pretty good for a weekend known for notorious over eating! Today, I made into a rest day. Tuesday it will be back to the run and work out schedule.

Turkey Chase 10k 2009 Race Report

It was a misty, cool morning for the Turkey Chase 10k. Along with the 10k, there is also a 2 mile fun run/walk and little kids event. There were dancing Turkeys and I got my picture taken with one post-race. There were people dressed as Turkeys running/walking the 10k. There was a little boy running with his Dad. I think he was 6 or 7. It was his first 10k! Awesome! And there was a this really old man running with his daughters or granddaughters ( I didn't ask). It was awesome too see. He was all hunched over from age, but he was still going!

This was my longest run of all of 2009, so I am pretty happy with myself and my time. I finished in 1:13:42 for an average of 11:52 mile. Not the speediest of people, but I really haven't been out there training for this either. This will however give me a good base for my continued half marathon training. I was the 4052nd finisher and there are many women in my age group that are much faster than me as I was 238 out of 256....but that all doesn't matter. What matters is that my ass was out there running period! I only walked at the water stops and when I had to take a layer off. For this race I wore my new Iniji compression socks. They worked wonders because my calves and shins are feeling pretty good today. My quads and hammies are a little on the sore side. I also wore my new purple jacket made by Craft. I bought it in the hopes that it will work for running and cycling during these colder months. I will test it out on the bike soon!

I hope all had a Happy Turkey Day and didn't eat too much. Enjoy your weekends!

Fingers, toes and girly stuff

I have only had 1 run since the 5 k race. And it was only 2 miles. YIKES! I signed up for the 10k Turkey Chase on Thanksgiving day morning. I am just going to run slow and steady and walk if I need to, I know its a race, but...... I will get a run in tomorrow morning. As a friend of mine, who is also a running coach, said, you will be able to run the 10k, it just may not feel very good later! ha ha SO TRUE! I think I may need an ice bath aftewards before I go over to my brother's for Thanksgiving dinner.

I had a headaches off and on all weekend. Mostly they killed in the morning and then when they finally had faded, my day had too many other things going on to get in a run. UGH... I even had to cancel a bike ride yesterday due to headache and schedule issues. My child keeps me busy with her activities ... driving all over the county I am.

Plus side of my weekend, I got a pedicure AND manicure. A lovely navy blue on the toes and a red on my short fingernails. Normally I am just a pedicure girl. I stay fairly consistent on the toes, especially in the Summer. August was the last time I went in for a pedicure. My toes needed some serious pampering. You can still see evidence of blisters on toes in the photo. Because I was killing time while my daughter was in 3 hours of rehearsal, I decided to go for the manicure. I hardly ever get a manicure. It was a really girly weekend overall because I also attend a makeup event at Ulta put on by Smashbox. I got my makeup done and then my daughter had hers done... and of course then we spent money on some Smashbox products and got some free products. So girly... and I am not all that girly that often... I do love to play with the make up though...

King of Road 5k Report

After several days of yucky weather from the remnants of Ida that became a Nor'Easter, Sunday dawned absolutely lovely. There was a bit of fog earlier on, but by race time the sun was out, the skies were clear and I was going to have to get rid of the vest I was wearing or I would be burning up on my run! By race start I was wishing I had on short sleeves! Ahhh the mid-Atlantic area in the Fall, very changeable.
I haven't run just a 5k alone since May of 2008 (Police Week 5k May 2008 time 32:24 - 10:25/mile). The rest of 2008 was longer runs or I was on my bike. All my 2009 running has been with triathlons. So according to the web postings My gun time was 33:22, my net time was 32:59, with a 10:37/mile pace. NOW according to my Garmin I had a 10:26/pace. Either way I am happy with it. Now can I train myself to run this pace for 13.1 miles???? For these shorter runs I would really like to get down to a 10 min mile pace, but in the end it really doesn't matter. I am having fun! I felt pretty good the whole run. Although, my lovely tendonitis was talking to me after about 2.5 miles. PLEASE STOP BEING A PAIN! Next up the Turkey Chase 10k on Thanksgiving morning. This one has some hills. I need to add some into my training between now and then.

The rest of my Sunday was running errands, house chores, shuttling daughter to class... etc...
I need another weekend. I wasn't ready for this one to be over.

So far so good

Another run on the books on Tuesday. I ran 3 miles. Poky slow, but it was three miles. I have decided that I need a new Garmin. I have an ancient model - it is huge! I would like to incorporate the garmin and the heart rate monitor, thus reducing the amount of crap I have to wear on my wrists. Lately, I've been leaving the heart rate monitor at home. Any suggestions out there?? I don't need it to integrate with my bike. I have and like my bike computer.

This morning I did my strength work out at the gym. A noon today I will go to a Yoga class at my work's fitness center and since I am a bit slow on any work tasks I may even stay for the core conditioning class. While I don't have work at my desk, I can work on my total being.... :)
I am joining the Maintain for the Holidays challenge at the work fitness center. You can stay the same weight, lose weight, but you cannot gain more than 2 lbs. It starts Nov 18 and goes until right after the New Year. I am pretty good on maintaining... I really would like to lose. But all in all I just really want to remain and be HEALTHY!

So I am on a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday run cycle, with Sunday's being the long run day. Mon, Wed, Fri - strength training and then I hope to have Alternate Thursday nights a bike ride and then a longish bike ride on Saturdays. On the Thursdays that I will ride at night (bike shop ride), I will run in the morning. On the Thursday nights I don't ride I will run in the evening with the Fleet Feet night run. In case you are wondering (probably not but I will mind dump it anyway), the alternating Thursday's correspond with the child schedule with her Dad. Thus if he has her I don't have to drive all the way down to Bethesda to pick her up from rehearsal, thus I don't do the bike ride... Although, this production she is in ends with performances in December. So I guess I will figure out what I will do with the schedule then.. I will probably still alternate as I like to socialize at the Fleet Feet run as well as at the bike shop.

On a personal note, the papers were filed yesterday. Nearly three years since it all went down, we are finally getting to the legal finality. It is TIME!

A little bike and a litte more run

So I ended up at a Happy Hour on Friday night. I didn't drink that much, but then I slept like crap Friday night and subsequently woke up feeling crappy. I did not ride on Saturday, although it was a nice day to be outside. I did finish up some stuff I needed to do at home, so still productive.
Sunday! I woke up and felt like a ride. So I geared up for the weather. It was sunny, but in the 40's. That can be quite chilly once you are on a bike. I have an ancient Bell Weather hooded, long sleeve pullover that is awesome for this weather. Nice to have that head toasty in the helmet! I wore a bike jersey over that. I had my leg sleeve thingys with my shorts and then full gloves. My hands were still cold which I didn't like. My butt was chilled, but where my leg sleeves were I was comfortable. Perhaps a thicker bike short or tight is needed???? I rode for about a 40 minutes or so. I was failing on fuel. While I filled a water bottle, I forgot to put it on the bike before I left the house and I didn't eat enough before nor did I have any CarbBoom or sportbeans with me. DUMB! Thus once I made it back home, I was done. I had orginally wanted to do another loop. NEXT WEEKEND!
After making some awesome chocolate chip pancakes for me and my daughter, we did some house activities and caught up on our dvr'd shows from last week. At 4 pm I dropped her at her 2 hour class and then I went for a run. I only did 2.5 miles, but since I haven't been running outside much (or doing much of anything lately) I am slowly ramping up my miles. I did 2 on Friday, 2.5 on Sunday, and I have 3 scheduled for Tuesday morning. My ancient Garmin finally picked up signal a mile into my run, so at least I know it is working. So my run plan is Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am hoping to get up to doing 5 miles on each Tuesday and Thursday and then using Sundays for my long run to start ramping up the miles for the Mardi Gras half. In the coming weeks, I will ramp it up too, so that perhaps I won't have to walk for the Turkey Trot 10k. My shins stay happy when I don't run two days in a row and when I slowly ramp up the mileage. On the tendinitis front, it is still tender, but not in constant pain as it has been. Running has changed anything either... GOOD!
Today I am thankful that I am getting myself back out running! Quite the mood enhancer!

PHOTOS! and Trying to break through the blaaahhsss

Sunday, our new kitten. In our mourning of our old man cat Shadow we found a new baby to love. She is cute and fiesty.

Willow, the princess. She likes the cubby with wine bottles and secretly enjoys playing with the kitten.

Me at the start of Capital Hiking Club hike on Halloween. We went south along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. It was tricky with wet leaves covering wet rocks! We still had fun and a gorgeous day.

This is Sampson. He is 10.5 years old. Very old for a Great Dane. He likes to sleep in the sun.

As my friend Jeanne at Not Born to Run suggested on my facebook page - FORCE yourself to go out for a run, you will feel better. So yes, this morning, after I took my dear doggy friend, Sampson, out for his stroll, I went for a run. It was only 2 miles, but it was a run! It felt good. It was a slight down hill for the first mile and then I turned around and had the slight up hill for the second mile back home. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor nor my garmin, but I had mapped the run thus knowing the distance. I didn't care about the time since it was just to get out there and move!

I truly love Shannon's suggestion for a Turkey trot run or a Jingle Bell jog....very good things to add in to the calendar to keep motivated and as a part of my training plan for the Rock and Roll Mardi Gras half marathon in New Orleans coming up in February. So today I will look for those events and get my ass out there!

Saturday morning I will go ride my bike, OranGina, in the cold morning air. Hey you cyclists out there....are the shoe/foot booties really worth it? I haven't experienced my feet getting cold on the bike yet. I do need to find a good outer layer for riding. The last jacket I found that I liked was waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy expensive.

Enjoy your weekend! I am determined to break out of the blahs..... it is a no blah zone here!

Edited to add: See events I signed up for this morning! A 5k on the 15th and a 10k on the 26th. I hope I will be ready for a 10k by then!

Enough with the ennui!

en·nui [ on w ]
noun
Definition:

boredom from lack of interest: weariness and dissatisfaction with life that results from a loss of interest or sense of excitement
[Mid-18th century. < French< Latin in odio (est) "(it is) hateful"]

This is my total mode at the moment! I hate it! I not sure what to do to break from it. I just can't seem to get jazzed about anything. Work is dead, dull and boring at the moment, my personal life has nothing happening in it, I can't seem to get back on the training stick (although I know that makes me feel better).

BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Good luck to my bloggy friends that are participating in B2B this weekend! I am certain you will rock! I can't wait to read race reports and live vicariously since I can't seem to get out my current state of mind.

Why is it...

that I never seem to get to the blog when I am at home, where I can load the photos from my camera and post them? I do take pictures. I do wish to share. I think some of it stems from sitting in front of a computer at work all day (and work is a bit on the slow side for me these days) thus I have caught up on my blog reading and posting, so I have no desire to do it at night when I am home. I will see if I can change that up a bit. You all need to see that sweet little kitten, Sunday; my big goofy boy, Sampson; and the gorgeous Miss Willow. Yes and of course the places I ride and run.

So, this weekend I am co-leading a hike on Saturday. I hope that the rain stays away for the whole hike. Since it is Halloween I will bring candy to give out to the other hikers. Everybody needs a little candy on Halloween. I am going to wear my $5, newly obtained from Target, ghost t-shirt over my technical tee to provide a little Halloween flair.... or maybe I will wear my skelaton shirt that says Shake your booooooo teee?? hmmmm such choices.

Sunday morning I hope to either get a ride in or get a run in. I have got to get myself back to exercising because my mood has been total crap for the past few days and I know some of that is because I have not been regularly exercising. I was entertaining thoughts of my first triathlon in 2010 to be Olympic distance other morning while I was pondering life in the shower (lots of pondering life thoughts in the shower). I figured my running will be up since I am starting up my half marathon training for Februrary ON SUNDAY!. I will continue to cycle outside unless there is snow and ice or it is crazily below freezing. I will also have a trainer for indoor work (on my to purchase list) .. now if I can just get myself to the pool for really meaningful swim time - the Olympic distance thought really shouldn't be a problem.

hmmm....
Good weekend to all! Let's see if I can manage to post some pictures soon! Maybe even just a post of pictures!

Not much....

I was a slug last week. Only one day in the gym... I did ride on Thursday night, but I was struggling. I wasn't my muscles, but my lungs. I just couldn't get air. Plus all the hard core riders are out on Thursday nights. I struggle to keep up with them on a good day! Fall can be like that for me, aggravating my allergies and asthma symptoms. FUN!

I need to get the motivation train to come by my house and kick my butt! Last Monday, I did see the podiatrist. I had self diagnosed myself correctly. Posterior tibial Tendonitis. I also found out that I have a little extra piece of bone near my navicular bone that can often cause and aggravate this condition. Of course, the doc confirmed that the crappy shoes didn't help! So while he said to take it easy for a bit - he did not say SIT ON YOUR ASS AND DO NOTHING! So, I need to get back out there. It is still tender, but feeling better. Gotta get running so that I am not walking the New Orleans half in February.

While we are still missing Shadow from the household, my daughter and I had a very weak moment over the weekend. I had to go get Sampson's dog food and gee there just happened to be kitties available for adoption.... pictures to come.... she is so tiny and cute. She hisses at Sampson and he looks so hurt! Willow, my other cat, has been a little put off, but was showing some interest this morning. Hopefully all will living happy together.

How about those Marine Corps Marathoners this weekend??? They had an awesome day for the run. I didn't go spectate, but I did follow a friend from Texas who was running via the online tracker. He had a good race.

RIP Shadow

Shadow (aka Pookies) June 1994 - October 20, 2009.
I don't have picture on this computer. I will try to add one later.
He was a lively, personality filled tuxedo cat. When I used to read out loud to my daughter, Shadow always came to listen too. He accepted all other animals into our household. He liked all people too. He will be missed by all. Last night I found Willow, my other cat, sitting on the dining room buffet looking down at the chair Shadow had taken to being in 24/7 during the last week. I haven't vacuumed it yet, thus is still has his hair, etc. on it. It was a strange moment to see her looking at the chair. It makes you wonder what goes through their little heads when one of their own is no longer around.

Sorry no photos - a rather uneventful weekend

Saturday was just disgusting as far as weather goes. The other hike leader and I did go scout and we even hiked in the rain for over an hour. Hey all my rain gear works! Good to know! Thanks REI! I really felt bad for the two weddings that were setting up in the covered pavilions in the park where the hike starts. It wasn't even 40 degrees out and the rain was just steady all day. I bet those vows were all said quickly!
I did bring my camera with me, but because it was raining and foggy you would not have seen much in a photo. We bailed after trudging for while and then checked out the where the bus has to pick up at the end of the short hike and the end of the long hike. Then is was HOME! After a really nice warm shower, I put on my pjs... Mind you it was 3 in the afternoon! LOL... I didn't go anywhere the rest of the day... I only ventured outside one more time to take Sam for his evening stroll and poop - and we were quick for that! I took a nap on the couch during football and then I watch movies that I had seen before on HBO - The Women and the Slumdog Millionaire.
Sunday - I cleaned, and actually hung a few things on the wall in my apartment (finally) and then went to Walmart (YIKES). That place makes me crazy. Picked up my daughter from her Dad and then she and I hung out until her class at 4 pm. Sunday's are like that...
No running or exercising on this front. My foot is still tender. Doc appt is at 2 pm today. I just hope his only answer isn't custom orthotics. I have had custom orthotics before and I have never been happy with them!

Tomorrow is a probably sad day... I think I will be putting my beloved, old Shadow cat to sleep. He has been suffering from some kind of allergy that we cannot seem to figure out and resolve and he is having some neurological issues. He has withdrawn and lost weight, although he still eats. He is scratching always - to the point of open wounds. We have try natural things, steroids, food switches... you name it....He is 15 years old. He has lived a good long life and was a great cat in his day. Awesome personality. It is sad, but he looks like he has had enough. It is always tough to make these choices. I have had to make it one other time with another cat, it was hard then too. My other dog, Trixie, died in her sleep after being ill, so I didn't have to make the choice there. With another elderly pet in the mix, these things are on my mind. Sampson is 10.5 years old. This is ancient for a Great Dane. Thankfully, he is healthy. Although Trixie was too and then it all fell apart for her in the span of a few weeks. My furry friends...

Okay, lets see if I can be productive at work today.

Brrrr...... and OUCH!

It is October! It is 45 degrees today. That is pretty chilly for a day time high in the 'burbs of Washington DC for October. And it isn't going away for the next few days. To top it off it is raining off and on. I can deal with cold and snow, but I truly hate a cold rain!

Here is my joy for this weekend from weather channel's website
Daily Details for Cascade, MD (21719)
Rain / Snow Showers
High38°F Precip60%
Wind: From NNW at 10 mph

Did you catch that word SNOW?!!? Again, it is OCTOBER! I am scouting a hike Saturday for the hike I am leading on Halloween. This is our starting point town. It is going to be COLD and WET! YUCK... I'm not ready for gloves, hats, and thermal layers. I will try to remember to take pictures and then actually post them for all your viewing pleasure. I'm sure the leaves are lovely up here. A good part of this hike is on the Applachian Trail. Let's hope the actually club hike day enjoys better weather.

Working out and running.... Not so much this week. I did strength work on Tuesday morning and again this morning. I also did intervals on the stairmaster for 20 minutes this morning. I gave my foot a rest this week. It turns out that my arch pain - is a tendonitis (I think Posterior Tibial Tendonitis- to be truly diagnosed next week). I have been icing, taking anti-inflammatories, stretching my calves, and working on some myofacial release to get at this tendon that runs behind the calf muscle and into the foot and making sure that I have my foot well supported at all times. I was in so much pain on Tuesday that it just hurt to walk - even in my running shoes. YIKES! Today, it feels so much better. NO MORE NON SUPPORTIVE - but very cute and chic - summer sandals for me! I know that is what has aggravated this and I should have known better.... being a slight fashonista got the best of me! It has been nagging for a bit and just got really bad over the past couple of weeks. Ignoring obviously was not the answer...duh..

A weekend fail!

Okay I was a big, lazy this weekend.... Saturday morning I intended to ride...I got up it was cloudy, looked like rain... I totally bailed...I did end up emptying some boxes in the apartment and doing laundry, so at least I was productive with house activities on Saturday. Sunday, I got up felt kind of achy and crappy. So morning run was out. Then as I got going during the day, I thought well I will run while daughter is in her class this afternoon. ha ha ha ha .... FAIL! Oh well.... there is this week....

I hope all that were busy this weekend with rides and races and training were much more productive than I !

I got my 3 miles in...

Last nites run at Fleet Feet was good and well attended. I had not done one of their Thursday night fun runs. Last night's was also sponsored by Mizuno. You could try Mizuno shoes if you wanted and they provide us with some beer and pizza after our run. YUM! I ran with two women who kept a similar pace and we had good conversation the whole run. I like that - a little exercise and little social time, meeting new people. Its all good.
New Balance 1224 - I was happy running in these. I haven't run outside in several weeks and I felt good and stable in these shoes. Knees, shins and ankles all felt good. I think I made a good purchase. I also wore my SKINS compression pants last night. I won these in a raffle drawing a few weeks back at women's cycling event I attended. LOVE THEM!

Okay it is Friday! I hope to get about 25 miles in on the bike on Saturday morning and then I am scheduled for a 4 mile run on Sunday.

I am truly bummed that I can't take the Carl Burke swimming stroke clinic offered up for triathletes that starts thisSunday. It starts at 6 and my daughter gets out of class at 6 -by the time I would get to the pull the clinic would be over! Hopefully there will be another opportunity! I need to get some pool time in over the Fall and Winter to be ready for next years tri-season!

Cycling and Running

My cycling weekend in Amish and Mennonite Country was wonderful. I did the 49 mile ride option on Saturday. Lovely rolling hills through the farmland. I marvelled at the beautiful farms and yards that were every where. I think there are some parts to simple living that the Amish and Mennonite have that are spot on! The ride was great and Gina (my bike) and I had a great time. I didn't ride on Sunday due to 1. wine headache from too much wine on Saturday night and 2. I had a time constraint to get home and going out for 20 miles just didn't seem worth it. So I hit a couple outlet mall stores on the way out of Lancaster County and went home!

On the running front... I haven't done anything stellar, but I did buy new running shoes last night! I bought New Balance 1224 - Here is a review from someone else. I bought them at Fleet Feet. I was overdue for new shoes. My old shoes (now relegated to dog walking) were Brooks don't remember the model. I almost bought the same model of Brooks that I have, but I really liked the cushion and extra stability that the New Balance provide. I need that! To benefit my purchase I had $25 in frequent buyer coupons to use and I was the the monthly winner for the spot and win car magnet contest (my picture is on their website YIKES) . I knew one day having all those silly stickers and magnets on the back of my van would pay off! LOL So another $15 towards my Cadillac of running shoes. I also use super feet in my running shoes and my other pair were over 2 years old, so I bought new super feet. And then 3/4 length super feet for my casual flat shoes, cause my arches have been complaining when I haven't been wearing supportive footwear. The price for fashion and too many years on my feet.... I have them in my loafers today and no complaints from my arches! YIPEE! Tonight will be my first real run in the new shoes. I will post what I think!

Normally, Thursday evenings are dedicated to cycling with the bike shop, but I need to get a run in and Fleet Feet has a Thursday night run. So I am doing the run tonight. I think I may alternate my Thursdays during fall and winter, weather permitting, one week bike shop ride, one week running store run. Bike shop ride we ride a good bit in the dark since the sun sets earlier now. I recently put lights on Gina. We rode last Thursday. Riding in the dark and in some traffic was a little unnerving, but fun! I did get the bike handling award last week for managing not to crash and get back out on the road when it narrowed and I didn't notice. I was off on the grass/dirt shoulder in an instant, but I managed to put myself back on the road without crashing, stopping, or flatting out. Not such a big feat on a mountain or hybrid bike, but on a road bike going about 16 mph in the dark, I was impressed with myself!

Exercise totals so far this week: LAME! One day of strength training in at gym. Love those pikes with push ups on the exercise ball. 1 mile on treadmill.

Tonight I hope to get in 3 miles.

Renewed purpose! (and a wordy post....I must be bored at work)

Since Southbay Girl and I are meeting New Orleans to run the Mardi Gras half marathon, I feel I have renewed purpose in my workout regime! Obviously that vague or perhaps just to broad goal of health, fitness, etc...just doesn't do it for me..although I am generally always working out..I like have an event goal. So this week I am starting my running plan. Monday was a strength and stretching day. I was at the gym on Monday morning doing strength and stretching. I am sore today. One move I was doing was pikes with a pushup on the exercise ball. Those are hard! I superset them with a dumbbell deadlift, row combo thing. I have worked up to 5 or6 pike/pushups and then 10 deadlift row things.... rest and then do another superset. I am feeling the hurt in all the right places. I, of course, did other exercises to round out my ~45 minute workout.
I find many of my strength and core work outs from Women's Health Magazine . I like that it is not the same old thing all the time and I am not using those machines that I hate! I also can tailor the work out timing to fit the time I have in the morning for the gym. My mornings have to be on almost a precision schedule...be at gym by 5:20 am, leave gym by 6:15 am, get home wake daughter, walk the dog, get coffee, eat, get in the shower, dress, etc, out the door by 8 am, drop daughter at school, get to work. Some mornings I am lucky as her Grandparents (my former in-laws) will take her to school, then I can just head to work at 8.
Tonight, I have a 3 mile run on my schedule. While the weather is nice out, I may do this on the deadmill at the fitness center here at work. Although I may change my mind by the time I get around to this. I don't have an outdoor run route planned and I hate running around here during rush hour.
My darling daughter set off this morning for a class trip for the remainder of the week. They were off to do some work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and then do a little backpacking/camping. They have been studying about the environment and specifically water quality issues in their science component. I am sure they will learn much from the folks at CBF. I love her school and am thankful that her Dad and I can afford (and give up a bit) to allow her to go there. The environment is so supportive and empowering, which is awesome for adolescents. They are treated with respect and they must also be respectful... which comes very easy to practically all of them because they are treated with respect. Funny how that works...
This weekend I am off to Amish Country. I am doing a weekend bike trip with some people I know from the hiking club. There are about 15 people going. I know a few of them as I have hiked with them, but I have not done any cycling with any of these people. I think it will be fun... as long as mother nature doesn't decide to rain on us all weekend...it is in the forecast.

I will check in again with my workout updates later in the week.

NEW ORLEANS ANYONE???

So as SouthBayGirl had put in my comments - why not the Mardi Gras half marathon in February as an event to train and plan for??? I looked it up. It is on my Birthday! I think that sounds like an awesome plan to usher in 45. I can have a bit o' fun in the Big Easy and run (if you can call my shuffle a run) a half marathon! I even have a voucher from Southwest Airlines that I need to use before May 2010 to cover my airfare! I think this is a hands down winner of an idea! I even printed out my Hal Higdon Half Marathon Training program sheet this morning in order to get me thinking about my training needs. I hate running until I get into it and settle into a pace. I think this will work well with my trim down and strengthen plan.

MOVING IS A TIME SUCK!

Wow, how did it get to be September 22nd? Happy Autumn! I love Autumn! I want to be outside riding my bike, hiking, running, or something in the lovely Autumn weather. I love the word Autumn. I prefer it to Fall. I don't know why. I do use both though.

I have moved since my last post!!! I moved out of the house that I had bought with my now ex-husband when we were brand-spanking new newlyweds. It is officially the longest place I have ever lived in (14 years) and as of this Friday, Sept 25th, it will belong to someone else! SEE YA! With that milestone coming to a closure that means I can finally, finalize my divorce! After over 2 and half years of separation (with two of them legally separated!) IT IS TIME!
I like my new place. I am renting for a couple of years to figure out what I want to do, get my finances in order, plan and scheme..... and then my daughter will be out of private school too! That will help with the finances too. My animals have adjusted very well and my Mom came this past weekend and helped get me unpacked and organized! It was awesome! Thanks MOM! Having been the wife of a military man, this woman understands packing and unpacking!
She was a huge help. Now I am in decorating mode! I like that part!

Exercise has been sproadic. I did a 50 mile bike ride with my brother and some other friends Sept 5th. It was great and my bike adjustments that had been recently made worked because I had no pain or soreness anywhere! Yipee! I've made it to the gym a few times and the employee fitness center once. I am trying to get back on my regular routine. This weekend I am attending a women's ride clinic on Sunday morning at Conte's in Arlington, VA. That should be fun. Next weekend, I am joining up with some friends from Capital Hiking Club on a bike trip in Lancaster County, PA - - Amish country. I have heard from others that have done this weekend before that it is fun. I am looking forward to riding with some new people.
I have no runs, tris, or other competitive events on the horizon.... I miss not have a training goal. Need to start looking ahead and see what I want to do !!

Getting back into the routine

I finally went to the gym this morning. I don't remember exactly when I went last! Pretty bad for a person that is pretty good about the morning routine! I guess with school starting for child and such I am needing to get back into the routine! My move won't disrupt the routine too much either! YIPEE!
I have been looking for a fall triathlon nearby, but have not had much success, so I am focusing on Fall cycling events. Although I will still get some run and pool time in to keep those in shape. This weekend I have decided to do a 50 mile route being offered at the Bay Country Century which starts in Ownings Mills, Maryland. A lovely ride on the Chesapeake Bay's western shore. My brother is going to join me and I think I may have recruited a few others to join in the fun.

At the gym this morning, I left plenty of time after my regular stretching to meet with the foam roller. My IT band is a happy camper today. Rest and a foam roller are amazing! I will make sure t0 regularly schedule some foam roller time each week. Now that the IT band is feeling much better, I am hoping that I will be able to tell if my recent bike adjustments have made a difference!
Moving day is now 10 days away! Wow! Even though this move signifies an ending it is also so much a new beginning! I know I am only moving up the road, but I am very excited!

I had a full physical yesterday. Dr.'s report: Excellent health! Keep up the good work, but you really should lose about 10 lbs (more if you can). UGH! I know this! I am trying! So my Fall to Winter goals: strength and weight loss. As the colder weather comes, I will start to focus less on the triathlon training plan, but still maintain my toes in the water. Hopefully, I will get some of the pounds off and then towards the end of Winter I can start ramping up the tri-training for the Spring and Summer season - - as a lighter athlete - -2010 I go into a new age grouping, perhaps that will be good!

I feel sloshy..... and I guess a bit wordy!

I am totally off routine and I feel gross! I have gotten in a couple bike rides, but I have done nothing else!
I had a bike re-fit on Wednesday. I have been experience significant IT band pain and knee pain on my left leg. Since my running game has been almost non-existent, I was pretty sure it was the bike. I have been pretty comfortable on the bike, but with the bike even a minor shift in saddle height and angle can make a difference. So I made an appointment with Clovis at Conte's for a bike fit. He is a master! I needed my seat lowered just a dab and he moved the position of the cleats on my shoes. And just cause he is a nice guy he noticed that I was reaching a bit for the breaks, so he was able to adjust those so my wee hands don't have to work so hard! Last night was the first ride, post adjustment. While I still have some inflammation in my IT band, it did not feel worse at the end. That is a good sign! I did have trouble all night clipping in, due to the new position of my cleats! Muscle memory has to shift! The Thursday night group ride has grown, it is great. Still not a lot of women, but there were more last night than earlier in the year. I hung back and helped (I hope) to encourage a woman who is a newbie to the ways of the road bike. While I didn't get the full mileage and work out I would have like, I hope that I helped her gain a little more confidence on her new bike! Gotta help out the newbies!!

I am quite please with the progress I have made over this Spring and Summer on the bike. After riding only mountain bikes and hybrids for years, I made the leap to the road bike! The first month was a little awkward, but now this bike feels like second nature. I want to try my hand at a few road races next season! Of course triathlon will always be a part of the routine until I can't do it any more!

Okay Air Conditioner guy just left. Home Inspection repair work. This one was a real joke! For $110 dollars, he moved some pipe insulation that had shifted, thus causing condensation to build up and drip. If I had known what this all was from the inspection report, I could have fixed this! ARGHHH Of course, the inspection report notes that a certified HVAC technician needed to perform the repair! Oh the ways of business!

Moving...... Wow! After looking this past weekend and early this week at so many CRAPPY, GROSS , DISGUSTING and OVERPRICED rentals, I found a clean, nice, pet-friendly, affordable, 2 bedroom and 2 bath condo to rent. YEA! So now I am in packing and downsizing mode. I can start moving in September 11. I don't close on my house until Sept 25th! So hopefully that gives me enough time to weed out all the junk! I am having a blast selling furniture and other things I don't want on Craig's list. Now I have yet to fully unload the attic and the closet under the stairs, but that is coming. A yard sale will be in my future too. If I am not taking it and my ex isn't taking it, it needs to be sold, given away or thrown out! I am not paying to store crap no one wants! It is very cleansing! We accumulated way to much shit over nearly 12 years of marriage and having one child. Way too much.....for what?? Some of the stuff, like power tools and such have a useful purpose, but there is so much that doesn't! We were totally caught up in the over-consumerism trend that so many have been a part of! No more! I am mending my ways!

Okay time to take a shower and get into the office...... Happy training, racing, etc. to all! I need to find an October triathlon or bike event and get my ass back on the training and exercise routine!

North East 2009 Sprint Triathlon Race Report

So last Sunday, August 16, I completely my second official sprint distance triathlon. I am liking the sprint distance. It fits well with my life as of late - as I can train, work, and take care of my child without too much craziness. While I do have goals of completing longer distance triathlons one day, I am enjoying the sprint.

I was happy with my performance. The weather in Maryland finally turned to the three H's of our normal summer. HAZY, HOT AND HUMID. It was that an more in North East! The water temp was 85, no wetsuits for this race. Thank you CGI Racing for having a practice swim time in the morning! I think that truly alleviated any open water anxiety I would have possibly encountered at race start. The river felt like a bath tub and it was smooth as glass.

The sprint race had 4 waves. As I am in one of the older age groups, I was in the fourth wave wearing our bright pink swim caps. It was a floating start. I did get caught up with a bunch of women at the start. It was tough to get a swim rhythm going as I kept bumping up against feet and bodies. Finally, after the turn I was able to really concentrate on swimming and siting my way back to land. This swim was a breeze compared to the swim I did at the dextro energy race in June. The run back to transition was long, thus I wasn't expecting a short T1 time. I got on the bike and out on the road. I had a bit of trouble getting my heart rate down once I was on the bike and it took a bit for my legs to feel good. It was a smooth, but hilly course. No giant mountain type hills, but plenty of hills. I took full advantage of any downhills to generate extra speed and also try to catch my breath and lower my heart rate. I felt good about the bike, although I do think I need to work on going up hill a bit faster. I would pass the same people going down hill...zooooomm.... and then they would some how pass me on the up hill.... I was poking I guess! It was getting hotter as the bike continued, I was happy that the bike course was fairly shaded. Coming into the dismount, I lost my mind because I unclipped out of both pedals before I stopped. Then I was having trouble trying to stop and dismount. I am so lucky I did not just fall over! There were tons of spectators at this point! I just shouted, " Man I suck at the dismount!" and ungracefully got off my bike and began the run into transition. T2 wasn't too bad. I ran out onto the course and the heat was awful, my legs felt crappy, my heart was pounding. I just did my penguin shuffle. The course was boring. It was an out and back and it was a slow incline going out. It sucked! The volunteers were the best though. They cheered and cajoled! I actually started walking at one point and a volunteer yelled, "Get Moving 361! No walking!" I thanked him as I passed....running once again..... The best part of the run was coming into the finish and my wonderful daughter was on the side lines and ran into the finish with me! That made me so happy! This race had some awards, but no general bling for finishers. I kind of missed getting the medal at the end. It was a well run event and I will probably do it again. Perhaps I'll be up for Olympic distance next year.

750 m swim: 17:15 A new swim PR!
I shaved over 6 minutes off my swim. I think the calmer river helped and not having a panic attack at the start!
T1: 4:27 Nothing stellar, but it was a long jog to go from swim exit to transition and get on bike, etc. Still faster than my lovely 5:18 T1 in June! So I am moving in the right direction.

15.5 mile bike: 1:00:32 (15.4 mph) I was happy with this as it was hilly. It is slower than my June race, but that was a super flat course.

T2: 2:16

5K run: 37:06 (11:59 per mile) Nothing stellar on this run. I ran a bit faster in June, but the course was flatter and it wasn't nearly as hot as this race.

Overall 2:01:34 (June race I was 1:46:55) I will take both! I would like to get all of my sprint races to under the 2 hour mark consistently. But considering how my training went during July , I will take this race and be very happy with it all!

I didn't take any pictures. My daughter did take a couple, but she is away with her camera, thus I don't have any photos to post!

Okay back to the search for pet friendly rental housing that is not is scummy part of town!

Where Michelle Remembers She has a blog....

So blogging in the Summer hasn't been my strong area. In my defense, I have been busy since I returned from Washington and Utah. In that time period, I got my house all spruced up, decluttered, cleaned and put it on the market. On Monday, 2 weeks from when it went on the market, I got a contract on the house. It is contingent on the findings from the home inspection, which was yesterday, and the appraisal. Whew..... I hope it all goes well, because if this sale doesn't go through that means I have to get back to the constant state of clean, since you never know when someone wants to come look at it. What a pain! Especially when you have an elderly Great Dane who can be a bit messy sometimes and a 12 year old who thinks nothing of leave a trail of crap in her wake. I was so happy that she was gone during the first two weeks it was on the market! LOL...

Triathlon training....hmmmm....MY training has been crap! CRAP! I have done some runs, and some bikes and a few swims.. I am glad I am only doing a sprint this Sunday.. Yes-- two days from now.... I hope I can do it! My sleep is a mess on top of it all! The stress of home selling has been weird. The house sale is part of the divorce that has been in process for over 2 years now. [Note to self and others... try not to divorce during economic crisis and housing market collapse].. anyway it brought up all sorts of emotions that I thought I was done dealing with.... ugh.. thus sleep has been quite elusive..
It looks like it may not be a wetsuit legal race since the water temps will be up. I really wanted to try out my new SailFish wetsuit! I guess I will have to wait and try it out in October... Oh yeah... need to find an October tri.... We get all sorts of weird weather in October and tri could be quite interesting then!

I will post a race report !!

Bad blogger!

My apologies. It has been a crazy world since I returned from my trip. I've not only been trying to get back on my training schedule, but I've been prepping my house to go on the market. My house went up on Monday after painters, much de-cluttering, tossing, donation and putting into to storage and of course cleaning and dusting. I am tired of it! The realtor is having an open house on Saturday. Can I please get an offer in the first week.???!!!!???? I don't know if I can handle the madness that is keeping a house in ready to show mode. Good thing my ex took Sampson for a few days. Old dog doesn't need to be a part of the madness and as much as I love him, he is a messy beast. If we sell then I will be able to check another thing off the list that leads down the path to final divorce. You would think after 2.5 years of separation we would get this over with. Stupid economy got in the way. I didn't even want this divorce, but now I am so ready for all of it to be final, done, etc. And it hasn't even been ugly. I am just ready to close this chapter!

I will get a trip report with pictures on here soon! Here is some training stuff - not too interesting

I have been hitting the gym and doing my strength work. I am killing the 1 minute plank - forward and both sides. I think I may be ready to hold it longer! woot! I have been doing a series of mostly body weight strength and core work consistently since March. I can tell a difference in my core and my arms the most. I still have stubborn over 40 year old, mom, fat that I can't seem to melt... but it is all looking a bit tighter. I have gain muscle too, that is always good!

Bike - Last Saturday - 28 miles. I hung with the guys at 20 mph for about half of it then they left me on this slow, long incline. I averaged a bit slower after that with no one to chase - except for the lovely downhills! Tuesday - 11 miles on the monthly women's ride. We kept a good pace in air so thick you could chew it. There were only 3 of us and I was the old lady! Thursday - ~18 miles. Kept a good pace through most of this. I was one of three women with a bunch of guys riding. I mostly road with the woman who owns the bike shop we ride out of. She is nice and super helpful as an experienced rider. She was giving me some good tips. I like it when experienced riders do this! I am here to learn every day.

Run - Most of my running has been on the treadmill. I hate running outside in high humidity thus I haven't been out there. I can only stand about 30 minutes on the treadmill though.. good thing I am only doing a sprint distance tri on Aug 16. I will try to get an outdoor run in on Sunday and for longer than 30 minutes.

Swim - I only got one swim in this week. YIKES. I did about 1200 m on Monday. Nothing stellar, but it was pool time.

Hiking - Last Sunday I scouted for this weeks small hike. This weeks hike is only about 3 miles and then we go tubing. So really the trip is about tubing, but since we are a hiking club we are making a nod to hiking. LOL... I will take pictures while tubing since I have my Canon waterproof, shock proof camera. I even have a floating wrist strap for it in case I lose hold. I don't plan too!

Happy Running, swimming, cycling, hiking, and relaxing to all!

Back from Trip!

I will post a photo filled Mt. Rainier trip report later! It was wonderful, even the work trip add on to Salt Lake City was fun!

I am most excited today as I decided to join the DC Tri Club before I left on vacation as they have lots to offer and many people to learn from. And Born Not to Run kept telling me I should join. Thanks Jeanne! I belong to a newly formed tri club in my county - and they are great, but it can't hurt to belong to both, especially while the new one is growing! First benefit of DC Tri Club at this time....they had extra slots saved in the North East Triathlon in August! So today I was able to sign up! I decided to go for the sprint distance. I modified my goal from Olympic distance to sprint, because my training has been a bit off for the Olympic goal AND the worst part..... my residuals from Guillian-Barre have been flaring up all through June and into this month. I think I may have been overdoing the training just a bit, plus the June 21 tri and the long bike ride the following weekend...my body was talking....I have to listen to my body as I want to be doing this for a long, long time and I don't want to risk injury. My residuals flare in the form of exhaustion - just want to sleep nothing else, and numb fingers and toes... they really are always numb, but the sensation is heightened when I have over done it and have not gotten enough sleep... I also get some nerve pain from time to time. Just gotta keep on moving!

So back to the training plan.... I am missing my group bike ride tonight...blogging not riding (LOL).. actually I am still tired from my trip (just got home last night) and I don't have my shit together! Tonight I will get myself organized physically and mentally to get back on schedule!

Friday -Swim - about an hour (usually a rest day, but I need to get back on track)
Saturday - Brick - Bike ~25 miles and run about 2.5 miles
Sunday - Long run day.... I haven't been running much lately... so I will go for slow a 5k.

Twitter

I have succumbed to twitter. I am MKSINMD if you wish to follow me.

Back to getting ready for my trip....

ARGHHHHH

So I while I have planned all along to do the North East Triathlon on August 16th, I had not signed up yet. So yesterday morning I go to sign up and..... ITS SOLD OUT!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHH . I am generally not a procrastinator for things like this, I just been busy at work, and other stuff. Now I am trying to figure out a new plan for August as well as triathlon for September. I did put myself on the wait list. I don't hold out much hope though.

This is an exciting week too though as my child is off visiting my parents for a month starting tomorrow and then I am going on a mini vacation that morphs into a business trip. The business trip just got added on and actually derailed a day of my originally planned vacation, but since I am going to place I have never been before I have decided to take the positive stance! Vacation will be had on Mt. Rainier, Washington and the business trip will be in Salt Lake City, Utah!
I just got a new wee camera - Cannon Powershot D10 - waterproof, shock proof, freeze proof. I will take lots of pictures. I'll even give my opinion of said camera once I've used it, although I am no expert. I've read other reviews that are good. It is a bit chunky, but it definitely has more durability than my other point and shoot. More mega pixels too!

Back to getting ready for work trip while still at work!

Catoctin Challenge Bike Ride Report

It was a gorgeous day for the Catoctin Challenge! We started at the Frederick Community College in Frederick, MD. We signed up for the 65 mile route (the "Chicks Dig Fil" Metric). This is me and my ride partner and friend, Kelly, at the first rest stop in Thurmont. I'm in the orange and blue jersey. Riding through the country side of Frederick, Maryland we went through several covered bridges. I am not a master of taking pictures while riding, thus no covered bridge photos. Next time! They were lovely though. It was nice to ride in very low traffic areas. Even though there were many other riders on the road, most of the time it was just me and Kelly. It was a good time to catch up on all that has been going on in our lives.

This was the second rest stop on Mason-Dixon Road! We were headed North! All of the volunteers for this event were super!

Then we road into the Gettysburg Battlefield

Self portrait. I should have smiled!




Lunch was at the Land of Little Horses! We made new, furry friends.

After lunch, Kelly was chased by a crazy dog. The owner was finally able to get control of him and no one was hurt! We climbed through the farm land little ups and downs here and there. Past some lovely, bubbling creeks and remote houses. So quiet and peaceful!

Kelly and the "Ride Genius" Phil - creator of the Catoctin Challenge. This was at the final rest stop at Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania. Up to now the climbing wasn't so bad. The down hill into this rest stop was awesome. I think it was when I hit 41 miles per hour. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

See that hill? Somewhere over there is the two mile climb. Last year so many people, including moi, walked up the hill. It was hot, it is a long, slow climb. This year...... I peddled the whole way. My bike is not triple ring..... I may have only been going about 4 miles per hour, but I road the whole thing! Woot! Several of us were cussing Phil for the hill the whole way. He even had spray painted, FU FIL on the road! He knows! Phil also likes to spray on the road, "This is the last hill".... it never is......He is a silly man. He enjoys torturing those that do his rides.


WE MADE IT!

Here we are at the end - the Lodge a Blue Ridge Summit! Still smiling. I was glad to be done and I was thinking - SHOWER! BEER! FOOD!

We calculated that we did about 68 rather than 65 miles. Nothing stellar on the speed, but we weren't racing. It was a great ride!

My sitz bones were sore. Muscles a little tight. I stretched and then took advantage of the $1 per minute massages that were being offered. 20 minutes of leg and shoulder work and I felt great... that and a few beers too!

Sunday we took the short cut route back to Frederick (35 miles or so), which only saved us about 5 miles, but it did take out one of the two killer climbs. Each of them are the short but steep hills. Once back to Frederick, we got our junk from the truck and went to eat at Cracker Barrel! An Awesome Weekend!

Thank you to those that donated too!

This Weekend's Activities

On Saturday, I will be off on a charity bike ride to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County, Maryland.
If you wish to sponsor me click here: Sponsor Maryland Girl
We start in Frederick, Maryland and ride up to the Lodge at Blue Ridge Summit in Pennsylvania. The ride has three options for Saturday - 50, 65 and 99.9 miles. My friend Kelly and I have decided to tackle the 65 mile option. It is hilly too! We ride through part of the Gettysburg Battle Field and have great rest stops along the way. Once at the lodge, you set up camp, shower, eat (donated by Outback! Yum!), drink beer, listen to the bands... Its a party! It is a well put together event. Sunday's ride is lots of fun as it is mostly down hill back into Frederick. Zoooommmmm!!
I did this ride last year, the 50 mile option, on my hybrid bike (affectionately named big red..it is a tank!) , three weeks post surgery for ovarian cysts, and I had been out on the bike once! Crazy, yes, but I survived and had fun. Going into to this year, I think it will be pretty good. I now have a MUCH, MUCH lighter bike - the tangerine dream! :) - and I've been consistently training on the bike. Last year it was blazing hot and humid. It looks like this year it will be a little bit better. I hope the humidity stays down. I will try to be a good blogger and take lots of pictures along the way.

I wish all those racing and such this weekend the best of luck! I look forward to catching up on the blogs next week!

Dextro Energy Triathlon Race Report

So here is my rambling race report! I apologize now for any grammatical errors! Here are the silly pictures.

Born Not To Run and I looking tough! Ha ha. Check out my guns! Jeanne is a great cheerleader! Thanks Jeanne!





I seriously need to do my hair color! Ha!











They put your age on your calf!

It was still dark when I arrived in transition!

The swim dock. This was taken on Saturday. The Potomac was VERY choppy on Saturday. Not so choppy on Sunday but the current was strong! It looks so angry in this photo!

I was pumped on Sunday morning. My heart rate was up before we even jumped in the water. I jumped in and felt fine in the wetsuit and the water. Once we were given the go I had trouble getting going. My chest felt tight, I couldn't catch a good breath. The current was tough. The water was murky. I just doggy paddled/breast stroked until I felt better. I even felt like I might not be able to do it, but I talked myself out of that notion. I think of myself as a strong swimmer. I have snorkeled in the ocean, no land in site, why can't I do this! Once I got around the first buoy I felt a little more in sync. I did keep veering right away from where I should have been going, but the helpful men in the kayaks made sure I didn't get too far off course. Now I know I need to work on my open water swim and starting from a floating position.

I tried to run from the swim to the transition area, but I did have to walk some of it. I think I did pretty good getting out of the wetsuit, but I'm not sure what else I was doing for over 5 minutes. Contemplating Life??? Once I got on the bike I was feeling in the groove. The bike course was awesome. It was great to ride on the roads I have driven on so many times and to have nothing but other cyclist around you. I felt strong on the bike. T2 wasn't as long as T1, but still! I got running and it didn't take too long for my legs to feel okay. Those brick workouts have been helpful! I felt good during the run. I may have been able to push myself a bit more, but I think overall it was a good run. I meant to grab my camera for the run, so I could take pictures as I went past the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and then as I was coming down the finish line with the Capital behind me, but I forgot!

It was a fun race! I am so happy I decided to throw this one into my line up. I was awesome to see the pros racing in the ITU Championship! They were so fast! I was also inspired by the older women that were doing the age group race. There were a handful that were over 60. Many former iron man distance competitors. Post race I walked back to my car (several blocks away from transition) with Mary who is 68. She is amazing. She was coming back to triathlon after nearly a 2 year break due to illness. I hope that I am still doing triathlons at 68. She said she used to do mostly iron man and half iron man distances, but that she really enjoyed doing this sprint distance.

I will say all of the women that I have met thus far in connection to triathlon have been super!

When I get my official race photos I'll post them too.

Here are my stats for the Dextro Energy Triathlon

• Overall time: 1:46:55
• Division: 14 out of 17
• Gender: 142 out of 169
• Overall place: 425 out of 477

• Swim (750m): 23:27 (3.08 per 100m)
• T1: 5:18!!
• Bike (20k): 41:13 (18.1 mph)
• T2: 2:44
• Run (5K): 34:15 (11:03 per mile)

I was penalty free! Now I have a PR for a Sprint Distance. I came into this event without any expectations in terms of time. I just did it for the experience, but I am pretty happy with it overall! I really liked this distance. I didn't feel all beat up when it was over, which is good!