Sucker for Marketing

You do more before sunrise each day than most people do all month...

Your alarm clock is like an airhorn going off at the start line of a morning race...

Your clothes and shoes are meticulously laid out the night before so that no time is wasted...

You breathe, you sweat, you eat and you train each morning like an Ironman...

Now, it's time to drink like one.

Introducing Ironman Organic Coffee.

If willpower doesn't get you to the pool at 5:30am, then this will.

Ironman Organic Coffee.

...because everyone should start their day with a little iron....

The Space Between...

I'm at this odd place right now with respect to the racing season where I'm really ready for a break, but at the same time, I'm on the verge of beginning a journey of epic proportions...my Ironman Journey.

My final triathlon of the season is next Sunday, October 7th. It's the Inaugural Longhorn Half-Ironman Triathlon and it's quite a doozy. Ironically, the swim will be the "easiest" of the three events! 1.2 Mile Swim/56 Mile Bike/13.1 Mile Run. I've cycled the course about four times in training and have gained comfort and confidence on the course. I know where the roads are rough, where I can open it up and hammer and where I need to conserve energy. The 13.1 Mile Run is a different beast. I know the general area of the course, but some of it is "cross country" style on the grass. While that terrain is generally easier on your body, it's harder to go fast--especially with 56 miles of tough riding on the quads. I've gone back and forth on my race strategy, but you know what?? I'm putting it all out there on race day. I've done really well in triathlon this season so why should I get complacent on the last race of the season? While I don't know if it's truly a PR course--my best is 5:35 on a flat, fast course, I'm going to push it anyway. I'm going to go out knowing I did my best!!

However, the trick is to avoid injury and total burnout. Why? Because this Sunday morning is our first Ironman Triathlon Team meeting at T3 Headquarters. I'm so freaking excited about this. I swear I can't wait to get going. Thank goodness the really high mileage won't kick in until after the first of the year. Most of the training I do until Christmas will mostly be maintenance and base building. I already have a solid base of 12-17 hours per week of workouts. It's all good ya'll...

Was back at full tilt this week:

Monday: Gazelles "Secret Hill" repeats...warmed up from the house--about 10 miles of running

Tuesday: T3 Swim AM/ 1 Hour Bike Ride PM

Wednesday: Gazelles 1000m repeats at Zilker
#1 4:10
#2 3:59
#3 4:05
#4 4:07
#5 4:01

Thursday: T3 Swim AM

On tap for the weeked:
Friday: 14-16 mile run

Saturday: 30-40 mile ride/ 30-40 minute run off bike

Sunday: Ironman Meeting, but I may start early with an open water swim at barton springs--we'll see...if nothing else, I will hit the pool at some point on Sunday for some yardage.

Inspiration from The Air

Sometimes your life is clouded with despair, scarcity, hopelessness and sadness. You are too drenched in your own misery to see what might be above the clouds. You can't look above the dense fog that hovers around you.

But then, there are those moments of clarity. There are those moments of utter joy and profound happiness. It is during those moments when you literally rise above the clouds and can actually look down and see the peak of your true self...your highest potential.

Those are the moments I want to continue to live for. Those are the moments we should all continue to live for.

It's not every day you get to look out your window and see Mt. Rainier hovering just below you at 14,000ft. Beautiful indeed.

Random Thoughts on My Last Night in Portland

• I swear if I eat another pancake, I’m going to turn into batter. Blueberry, banana, granola…We’ve had them all…
  
• When I get back to Austin, I’m going to walk to the store and ride my bike to work EVERY DAY.
  
• Oh yeah, it’s still like really hot in Austin. Maybe a few times a week.
  
• I could get used to sleeping in until 7:00am every morning and going for a casual run whenever the mood strikes.
  
• There is some damn good coffee in these parts and it doesn’t have a green Starbucks logo on the cup.
  
• They call the area around Austin “The Hill country.” Apparently, they haven’t been out west to catch a glimpse of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and the upper West Side of Portland.
  
• Our friend Shane is awesome. He rides his bike to work every day and cooks at home pretty much every night with vegetables from his own garden. I swear I’m going to do that when I get home.
  
• Ummm…what’s thyme? What do you cook with Rosemary?
  
• Never mind, that’s why Whole Foods already has prepared dishes.
  
• When I get back to town, I want to go trail running and mountain biking more.
  
• Oops—I signed up for an Ironman so the next 6 months of my life are basically already scheduled with 90 mile road rides and 20 mile runs. While I'm excited about fulfilling this dream of Ironman, I'm also dreading the constant "I should be working out" feeling. I hope I can balance well.
  
• I want to quit my desk job and just be a writer so that I can work ANYWHERE.
  
• I want a second house in Portland…or Boulder…or Seattle…or I could just be content with the one I’ve got.
  
• How much weight can one gain by being gone for a measly 10 days?
  
• How long will it take to lose that weight that one has gained by being gone for a measly 10 days?
  
• I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually missing the Jack and Adam’s Corture Classes…so much so that every other day, I’m doing my pushups, 5 minutes of plank, leg lifts and scissor kicks.
  
• I believe they call that “guilt.”
  
• I’ve also gone running pretty much every day. It hasn’t involved fartleks, track work or intervals, but it has involved sightseeing and running in beautiful parks along the bay in Seattle and Williamette River in Portland.
  
• I really don’t want to go back to reality, but how can I complain when my reality is so wonderful?
  
• I do miss my cat who I’m sure hasn’t noticed that his parents have been gone for over a week.
  
• Did I mention that I’m feeling particularly large for some reason? Lots of pancakes will do that to you, I suppose.
  
• Shane and Genny know how to find great chocolates! (Moonstruck on 23rd—yummy)
  
• Oregon and Washington wines are pretty spectacular. Of course, they all start tasting the same after about the 15th sample of the morning.
  
• Yes, I said “morning.”
  
• Did I mention something about feeling a little large?
  
• I swam once in Seattle at the local 24Hr Fitness and have committed to getting up on my last morning of vacation and going to the pool with Shane. I’m such a loser.
  
• Actually, I’m excited because I know I’ll learn a thing or twelve from his expertise.
  
• I spent one morning running up Mt. Tabor and decided it was the most spectacular way to start a day. I ran from the house to the park and up some of the trails to the top of the hill. It felt like a victory of sorts…Of course, I then had to run back down and head back to the house.
  
• I wonder how my tri bike is doing. I haven’t been on a bike in two weeks. They say you never forget how to ride a bike. I hope it’s true. I've got a Half-Ironman in 3 weeks.
  
• How weird that the Buckeye football game that we went to was already a week ago. Let’s hope the team worked harder than we did this week.
  
• Let’s also hope they didn’t eat as many pancakes.
  
  Home Sweet Home tomorrow night…Back to reality. (and plenty of Kashi cereal)

Sleepless in Seattle...HARDLY!!

Outside of Chateau St. Michelle Winery

There were Buckeye Fans everywhere! This decked out Escalade in the middle of Washington wasn't even our car, but the Buckeye faithful were out in droves.

I snapped this picture on my cell phone camera from inside our car...It's the Space Needle on a rainy night in Seattle

I don't know if it's the cool air or the gray skies in Seattle, but I've never slept so much in my life! My husband says that anti-depressants are the #1 prescribed type of drug in the U.S. What he didn't say is that over half of them are probably prescribed here!! Actually, it isn't that bad, but if I ever move to Seattle, I want my work hours to be 4am-12Noon. The clouds begin burning off around lunchtime leaving partly cloudy skies and glimpses of sunshine in the afternoon. There is so much to do in and around this city...We've done the obligatory wine tasting at famous wineries, eating our way through town, running and today we're visiting Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier before heading to Portland for the rest of the week. Yesterday, we hiked down and saw Snoqualmie Falls--taller than Niagra. We ignored the signs and climbed straight down and got as close to the falls as possible. The power and beauty of water is breathtaking and frightening all at the same time. Afterward, we did a 5 mile hike up Little Si Mountain. God, there is nothing more beautiful than climbing up hills through forests, trees, ferns and rocks. The climb up gained about 1200ft and the view from the summit was well worth the climb. I can't wait to see what else is in store this week.



We TOTALLY lucked out for the football game on Saturday. Not only did the Buckeyes crush the Huskies of Washington, but the weather was phenomenal. Partly cloudy and low 70's...perfect football weather! Our friends Bob and Tracy hooked us up with great 40 yard line game tickets, including a boat ride to and from the stadium (did I mention there was a fully stocked bar on board?!) Actually, it didn't make much difference for me because I don't like Bloody Marys or beer. I did manage to choke down a couple of glasses of wine before Noon! (Hey--it was 2pm Austin time!)



Needless to say, we've been having a blast and trying to balance relaxation with plenty of activity. My calorie burn has definitely NOT kept pace with my calorie consumption, but I'm doing my best. FYI--I haven't had one ounce of kashi since last Thursday and I miss it!!!! :-)



On to Portland where we'll be staying with friends Genny and Shane....

Pacific Northwest Here I Come...

Is there something in the air? Has the "cold front" thrown me off my rocker? Is there a full moon? Oh my word I've been so hormonal and off-kilter this week!! No, I'm not preggers as indicated by the main reason why my hormones are so out of whack in the first place. Hell, I'm as bloated and void of energy as Britney in her recent VMA appearance! I've also been so darn emotional.


It started by monitoring Ironman Wisconsin on www.ironmanlive.com on Sunday. Reading the blogs of those that I've followed and watching them cross that finish line left me weepy and inspired beyond compare. Just hearing the announcers say names, give a brief background of the athletes and shout out "You are an Ironman" was enough to send me into goosebump orbit for the next several months. It made me more and more excited for my own IM adventure on the horizon!

We even went to see "SuperBad" on Monday and I got emotional during THAT movie! Oh my God, it's hilarious in that "Porkys" or "American Pie" kinda way, but tear-worthy? Hardly... It's about a bunch of high school kids wanting to get drunk and have sex. Hardly a "Steel Magnolias" moment. Why did I well up? Because the main character is the funny, nerdy, fat kid and every now and then you would catch a glimpse of his vulnerability or his self-acknowledgement of who he was. For some reason, it struck a long distant chord with me. I'm still embarrassed to admit that I was emotional during "SuperBad."

The training schedule has been totally uninspired this week...going through the motions barely. I did our Gazelle circuit workout on Monday morning along with Corture class on Monday night. Tuesday morning was T3 swim workout (my best performance of the week) and today I just got up and jogged a measley four miles. Nothing exciting...no real motivation this week. And you know what that means. My diet also falls off the wagon in a big way! I'm calling it my self-forgiveness week for now.

Work has been all shades of busy as I'm preparing to leave for vacation tomorrow. We're going to see the Buckeyes play in Seattle and then staying in the Pacific Northwest area for the following week. Plans include visitng our friends Genny and Shane who now live in Portland. Of course, plans also include lots of outdoor activities as well---plenty of running, biking and swimming on the agenda!!

It sounds like I'll feel much better as soon as I get outta dodge! I'm off to the Pacific Northwest. Hell, just thinking about that makes me want to cry (in a good way).

Dodging Bullets

Katy and I were shot at on our 56-Mile Bike Ride today!!! I f*cking kid you not!!!

I know this is freaking Texas y'all, but that was crazy!! Of course, we can laugh about it now, but I've never felt a bigger surge of fear or adrenaline in my entire life. We literally heard the gun fire and the bullet going through the leaves of the trees right next to our heads.

Believe me, we gave a whole new meaning to the aero-position! We were ducked underneath our top tubes for crying out loud! To this second, I have no idea if it was someone practicing their skeet shooting or practicing their aim at passing cyclists. We never saw anyone and the "Dick Cheney wannabe" never yelled at us. It was just the oddest moment of my life because we didn't know whether to stop, duck or try to ride away as fast as possible.

The adrenaline must've carried us through the rest of the course because we had a fantastic bike ride--our best ever training ride on that Longhorn Tri course. We averaged a little over 17 mph and did the course in about 3:13 (according to my garmin). Both of us were experimenting with new nutrition tactics that seemed to pay off as neither of us really bonked. Yes, the last 10 miles were tough, but we both carried and pushed each other through it. It was definitely a confidence builder for both of us since we're 3 weeks out from the Half-Ironman!

Katy also came to the rescue for some other cyclists who were riding the course for the first time. They were a little ahead of us at one point and they very clearly missed one of the turns because we lost sight of them and then finished several minutes ahead of them. Knowing how tough the course is and how much we've struggled in past weeks with hydration, Katy bought a few bottles of water and we started driving the course backwards in hopes of finding them and giving them some water. Fortunately, they were turning off on the last stretch (near where Shawn passed out before!) and seemed to be ok.

As always, a good deed always comes back to you--that is, if you don't get shot in the meantime!!!

Saturday: Long Run

Can I just say that I'm glad I'm not training for the Chicago or New York Marathons at the moment? (sorry for all of my pals that are) Saturday's training run conditions were brutal. I felt sorry for those that began their 22-mile runs at 5:00am, but came to learn that that was probably the smartest thing they could've done.

I met my crew at 5:45am for 14 miles: Rachel, Mike, Anne, Lisette, Amy F. and a couple of others started our run from Barton Springs. It was slow going for a while, but ended up being a well-paced training run. It was also one of the most stifling training days with the thickness of humidity throughout the 14-miles. Special thanks to Rachel and Cincy Mike for pushing me without even knowing it. I wouldn't have given it that much focus without you being in front of me the entire time!

10:11
8:51
10:11 (water stop)
8:23
8:40
11:08 (water stop)
8:30
8:19
8:26 (started stopping my watch at water stops)
8:17
8:17
8:13
8:05
8:02

Saturday afternoon was my chance to give back to the triathlon community by volunteering at packet pickup for the Dilloman Sprint Tri. It was a race that I wasn't doing so it was the perfect oportunity for me to still take part in this way. It reminded me of how grateful I am to triathlon and it was also a fantastic and often-needed reminder of just how far I've come. For many participants, it was their first tri ever and they asked the questions that I now take for granted: Where do you put your bike? Do you change clothes? Where does this number go? What if I get a flat? I just tried to put everyone's fears to rest by telling them to focus on the fun! (if only I could practice what I preach) :-)

Serendipity also stepped in and one of the other volunteers that showed up happened to be a huge Buckeye fan from Ohio! She had just come from the bar that we watch all of the games and, of course, we had tons to talk about. She moved here from Cleveland about 3 years ago and has done multiple Ironmans. I know our paths will continue to cross throughout the football and training season, especially since we're both signed up for Ironman Arizona. She certainly has a lot of racing wisdom to share with me and I'm here to absorb every ounce of it!

Proof positive that people into your life for a reason...

Creative Visualization

Been really mentally and physically focusing on my swimming. In addition to a T3 swim workout yesterday and an hour in the pool this morning, I've been doing lots of visual training as well, including watching videos of proper swim strokes and working out with stretch bands to strengthen my triceps. The biggest and perhaps the most powerful aspect I've been working on is my thoughts and feelings about "the swim" in general. I'm so used to saying and writing, "I'm a horrible swimmer" or "I suck at swimming." Well, of course I'm a weak swimmer when I tell myself that over and over again! All I'm doing is affirming my negative feelings. In order to make a physical change, I have to begin the mental change.

My friend Jan gave me a mantra that she uses for running. When she's feeling tired, she repeats the following: "Running swiftly and gracefully comes easily to me." It's a beautiful phrase filled with strength and positive reinforcement.

Swimming swiftly and gracefully comes easily to me.

Swimming swiftly and gracefully comes easily to me.

Swimming swiftly and gracefully comes easily to me.

The picture above was taken at the recent Skeese Greets Women's Tri where I placed 2nd in my age group. I didn't know the photo was being taken, but I do remember exactly what I was thinking at that moment before the race start.

"You can do this. I know you hate this part, but just dig deep."

Strength...pace...power...focus...no fear

Of course, I was probably also thinking many other thoughts as well:

1. Damn, I look hot in this swim cap.

2. Remind me to just stick with Marathons next time.

3. I wonder if anyone will notice if I pee right here.

4. Why am I not sleeping at the moment?

5. Where the hell are the buoys?

6. Thank God this is only a 500 m swim.

7. What should I eat for lunch?

**thanks Liz Kreutz for letting me take a horrible screen shot of this picture** My other race photos from this event are here. Skeese Greets Women's Tri #140

1000s on Track and Weight off my Shoulders

In the world of "normal" people, I was in peak performance last week. In the world of "crazy athletes," I was a slacker. Actually, I'll say this. I felt like a slacker because I was in sick/taper mode for the majority of the week. Since I didn't feel 100%, all bets were off. I was sleeping in, eating poorly--actually, I was probably eating the same, but I wasn't burning as much so I felt like I weighed about 300lbs. Usually, I can guilt myself into going for a run or hitting the gym even if I don't feel like it. Last week, however, was one of those "I just don't wanna" weeks. I really was totally content laying in bed a little longer, putting extra cheese on my sandwich and drinking 3 glasses of wine the night before the Austin Tri. And lemme tell you this: I LOVED IT! I can totally see why people prefer that lifestyle over one that constantly obsesses over splits, times and miles! BUT...that's not me and I'm back to the grind with some renewed energy. God, it pays to feel better.

Another reason I feel better in general is because I've released a huge weight in my life. In my attempt to simplify my world, I've recently stepped down as Race Director of the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. I was at the helm for four years and was totally burnt out after last year. In my four years, the race has grown from 6,000 to over 10,000 participants. Each year has been more sucessful than the last and I feel great knowing that I gave it everything I had. It really has been an emotional decision for me because I LOVE this event and I also love the networking that comes along with it. I just really wanted to shift my focus this year to my husband, my training and other freelance projects that have been magically presenting themselves to me. Just put it out there and it will come to you!!! I know the Turkey Trot will continue to be a great race and I look forward to actually racing it this year with a real number and chip. I don't have to worry if the water stops aren't set up or if there's enough TP in the porta-pots. I don't have to accomodate the Mayor or Governor and I don't have to deal with people who swear they were in first place even though the timing very specifically shows that they weren't. I feel so much lighter...

Hit Gazelles this morning for 1000s on the track. After drills, Skud and I quickly jumped in with Frank, Anne, Brian, Rachel and Mike who had started their repeats. In my mind, I wanted to do between 4:00-4:10 for my average today.

#1 4:20 (Woops--a little slow)
#2 4:05 (there we go...wow, it was tough)

By this point, the group was already seperating. Frank was on a mission and I wanted to keep up with him because we had the same time goal. It was just me, Frank and another woman whose name I don't know.

#3 4:05
#4 4:06
#5 4:12
#6 4:05
#7 4:12 (we dogged it during the first two laps)

I think these are in the right order--I don't have my watch with me, but I do know we had one slower one in the middle and another slower one at the end.

Very pleased with these times after a hard weekend of racing. Geez, maybe giving up Turkey Trot did make me lighter!

Austin Olympic Triathlon 9/3/07

Today marked the Inaugural Labor Day Austin Olympic Triathlon around the streets of downtown Austin. What a GREAT Race by our friends at Jack and Adams...totally first class from start to finish.

I was still operating at about 80% as the scratchy throat and stuffed up nose still hadn't completely dissipated. Unfortunately, I must've passed the bulk of it on to Shawn because he was the one who couldn't get out of bed this morning because his throat was killing him.

695 Total Athletes
245 Female/450 Male

Here are my results:

1500m Swim: 34:16 (26th out of 56 in age group)

T1: 3:30

24mile Bike: 1:14:41 /19.9 mph avg (5th out of 56 in age group)

T2: 1:47

10k Run: 43:38 / 7:02 pace per mile (4th out of 56 in age group)

My run totally kicked ASS!!! I couldn't be more excited about that. They didn't have mile markers on the run course so I had no idea what my split was until the results were posted.

Amongst the Women:

30th pace out of 245 females

7th place among women 30-34 out of 56 in age group

Shawn did come out to take some pics:

Desire climbing the hill. The bike is just awesome.

Run, Carrie Run! Go get those guys!

It was awesome to see so many T3 jerseys out there!

It was also awesome passing some of them :-)

Heading towards the finish chute!
Me with my TALL tri-geek friend Tom

With Shawn at finish. My biggest cheerleader.

The Fila "Gut-Check" Relays

I got lei'ed last night at the Fila Relays!! WOO HOO!!! (Thanks Jill!) And it had nothing to do with me being on a team of hotties!!!

Oh dear God...So, I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that I suck at the short sprint races! Now, my time wasn't bad or anything. A 6:42 pace for 2.5 miles is nothing to be disappointed about. It's my race strategy that could use a little reworking!

Being stuffed up, ill and pretty much listless all week, I was not all that thrilled about running in the race. Part of me just wanted to jog the whole thing for fun, but I didn't want to disappoint our team captain, Thon. After a few team trades and dropouts, our relay team consisted of myself, Thon, Amy's husband Perry and my husband Shawn. Me and three dudes...sweet.

It doesn't take long for the race adrenaline to kick in once you find yourself amongst the crowds of other runners that overwhelmingly consisted of Gazelle relay teams. We joked that this wasn't so much a race as a typical Gazelle tempo workout, but on a Friday night--with tacos and beer. It's always awesome to catch up with everyone that I don't see or that I only see in the dark of the morning--so many great athletes out there!

So I was the third leg: Perry, Shawn, Carrie, Thon (oh my god--it rhymes)

It was frightening to watch people finish their 2.5 mile sprint...gasping, choking, short of breath, sweaty. I mean, I like to run, but I hate pain. These people looked like they were in pain. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. It felt like no time at all that Perry finished and Shawn took the "baton." I lined up knowing it would be about 16-17minutes. When I finally saw Shawn coming down the finish shoot, I jumped up and down so that he could see me. When he passed the bracelet, I started running like a bat outta hell. About 20 yards into it, I dropped the baton bracelet. "Shit!" I thought about just leaving it, but I took the couple of seconds to pick it up. Once that was done, I just started running as fast as I could (mistake #1). Ahead, I saw my buddy James Booher and started to get a little cocky knowing that I wanted to pass him. I started talking to him. (mistake #2) "Is that you James in front of me?" I passed him briefly, but it didn't take long for him to pass me right back up. I spent the next two miles staring at his back as it got smaller, and smaller and smaller. Heading towards the .5 mile marker, I looked down at my watch to see how I was pacing. In the excitement of grabbing and dropping the bracelet, I had forgotten to start my watch (mistake #3). I started it right then and I was running between a 6:20 and 6:30 pace. yikes...(mistake #4) I passed Waterstop #1 which was the Dick Beardsley Foundation stop. Jill and her girls were decked out in hula gear. Prior to the race, Jill had said that she had a gift for me. She saw me coming in just enough time to slap a lei over my shoulder at the waterstop! Seriously, that small gesture gave me a much-needed boost as I was fading quickly and I hadn't even hit the 1.5 mile mark yet! James was gaining distance and I could see Rachel at the turnaround point. Could I catch them?? Um...no. We entered the Nature Conservatory and I seriously could feel my lungs burning. I knew part of it was the fact that I had felt like crap all week. I could not catch a full breath to save my life. I even thought about walking the hill, but I didn't. Raul was close behind and I didn't want him to pass me! I headed past the 2nd waterstop and saw Cindy passing out water. She acted like she was going to throw it on me then--SHE DID! So, I had been lei'ed and sprayed at the two waterstops!! I bet no one else can say that :-)

The last hill was tough, but I knew it "was all downhill" after the last gradual climb. In any normal runs, that last hill would've just been a bump in the road. However, when the lactic acid is practically coming out of your ears, it's tough to climb anything. I got over it and just tried to run the last .5 miles as fast as I could, even though I knew I was slowing down with every step. I finally made it to the chute and across the finish line where I handed the bracelet off to our anchor Thon. Immediately, I was dizzy, lightheaded, snotty, nauseous and just plain spent. I just leaned against the fence and wheezed until I could catch my breath. I felt exactly how those other runners were feeling during the first leg and it's confirmed. I HATE PAIN!! I'll take an Ironman distance over this short sprint stuff anyday!

Since I didn't start my watch on time, I really had no idea how I had done. I just knew that I had NOT done a negative split because I had started way too fast!! Oh well--it's all fun right?? Ha Ha. Of course I can say that now that my lungs have made their way back into my chest and I no longer feel my heart beating in my hair.


Overall, an awesome race for all of us:
Perry 16:21 (6:42 pace)
Shawn 17:15 (7:04 pace) woo hoo--coming on in a big way!!
Carrie 16:22 (6:42 pace)
Thon 15:59 (6:33 pace)--PR BABY!!

Fortunately, we got out of there before the storn blew in and headed straight to Mangia for some pizza and vino! Austin Tri is this Monday...Here we go again :-)