About Me

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Austin, Texas, United States
I'll make you laugh, or break my neck trying. This is usually accomplished with daily bouts of swimming, biking and running. A former "chub-a-holic," I got fit and healthy the good old fashioned way and went from a mid-pack athlete to top age group runner and triathlete. I'm a Writer and USAT Level 1 Certified Triathlon Coach. I guess that makes me part Tina Fey and part Jillian Michaels. Visit my coaching site at www.fomotraining.com

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Catching My Breath, or at Least Making An Attempt



Our friends from Ohio, Bob and Tracy, left Austin bound for home. Shawn is currently at work and I'm suffering the "hangover" of an incredibly busy, emotional and action-filled week. Instead of enjoying this quiet time and basking in relaxation, I'm twitching with anxiety. Why can't I learn to sit still and just "be?" Ironically, I'm running the Nike Human Race 10k tonight in downtown Austin, so my slumber will be short-lived anyways. The Skuds are riding their bikes over and then we're going to ride over to the race site and run together. There's nothing like a 10k run on a Sunday evening when it's still in the mid 90s!  No racing for me tonight...just a simple 6.2 miler with 12,000 other Austinites. 

The Austin Olympic Triathlon is also tomorrow and I'm actually not racing! (she says with a smile) Instead, I'll be volunteering wherever T3 Michelle puts me. I'm so excited for the hundreds of athletes who are racing and can't wait to cheer from the sidelines for a change.  I must admit, I'm a little burnt on triathlon at the moment. I'm excited about swimming and running, but I'm in a cycling temper tantrum phase and I'm not sure why. I just haven't been excited about getting on my bike. So you know what? I haven't. I haven't been on my tri bike since last Sunday. Instead, I went to three swim workouts this week, ran 5 times and hit core class twice. A full week? You betcha!  Tracy felt inspired and that's what fulfills me. She and her husband also loved Austin, which makes me smile. In between work, training and eating, we were also able to have a blast in town including racing the Zilker Relays together and going to the Longhorn game on Saturday night. (even though we sinfully struck the O-H-I-O pose)



This week will be another tough one as we have a lot going on with our respective families, friends and schedules. Hopefully, this vague sense of heaviness and agitation will be short lived. It's nothing a cathartic run and a little chat with my mentor can't handle!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

I'm Riding the Wave


I'm not sure what's going on, but I am currently riding the wave of some great runs recently!  

Last week, we did a speed workout at Zilker Park:
1 x 3000m 12:25
1 x 2000m 8:07
1 x 400m 3:52
1 x 400m 3:54
1 x 400m 3:54

This week, we did Mile Repeats at Zilker Park. Because of timing, I had to cut it short at 3 repeats instead of my usual four.

Mile 1: 6:36
Mile 2: 6:33
Mile 3 : 6:27

On Friday morning, I did an 11 mile long run with Skud at a leisurely 9:07 pace because last night we both participated in the Zilker Relays! That's right 4-person teams lined up and each team ran 2.5 miles on a Friday night in Austin, Texas.  

My team consisted of Tracy from Ohio, her husband Bob, Gazelle Richard and me anchoring the crew!  Somehow, even after eating at Hula Hut earlier in the day, I ran a 15:48 2.5 miler (6:29 pace). Hell Yeah!!  Our entire team kicked some butt!

Let's hope it's not a fluke! :-)

It's Buckeye Football game day so I'm off to watch Ohio State!  Go Bucks!!!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

How to LOSE Friends and Influence People

Here's a sure-fire way to ensure that people never want to come visit you again...Make them work out with you! My friend Tracy from Ohio (www.winwithtracy.com) is in Austin this week for a big Keller-Williams real estate cult fest (oops, I mean seminar) and she's staying at "The B." That's the fancy name for "our house."

Don't get me wrong, Tracy is a total bad-ass. She was a collegiate swimmer and she's a multi-Ironman Finisher. She's also a swim coach currently in Columbus. In fact, we met through a mutual friend, Karl, at the Vineman 70.3 in 2005 where she proceeded to leave us all in the dust.

So, while her colleagues are having late dinners, happy hours and way too much to drink, we're getting our butts up a 5am to hit the trail, core class and the pool. And I'll be damned if she isn't holding her own!! On Monday, she only wanted to go for a 30-min jog because of a lingering calf injury. I made her run for over 55 minutes in the dark. She took it like a champ. On Monday evening, we hit corture class at Jack and Adams. Once again, she assumed the plank position as if she was born to be a pilates guru. This morning, we went to swim practice and she turned into Mrs. Michael Phelps. While we had to cut practice short because she had to be downtown by 8am, it was still a solid 2000m set.

The rest of the week holds even more hell including a Gazelle workout tomorrow morning and a possible corture repeat. We'll hit swim again on Thursday morning and then we pick her husband up at the airport. On Friday morning, Bob, Tracy, Shawn AND moi are going for a long run and a soak in Barton Springs. This weekend, there are also tons of events in town including the Zilker Relays, Human Race 10k and the Austin Tri. Most importantly though--college football kicks off this weekend so we'll go watch the Buckeyes trash up on Youngstown State and I have tickets to the Longhorn football game on Saturday night! What a great weekend!!!

My goal is to entice Bob and Tracy to move here at some point. Unfortunately, I think I've convinced them to stay as far away as possible!!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Pictures from Sweet and Twisted Sprint Tri



Swim Start-see all of those people standing on shore? Water SHOULD be there. 
The lake level is a little low this summer!


Because of the low lake level, there was a .25 mile run from the lake to the transition 
area along this grassy path. Nothing like getting on your bike and already being out of breath!

Another interesting moment was having to run up a long gravel hill before mounting the bike.

Here we are making the climb to the Mount Line (or the Mountain Lion, which is what we thought the announcer said during the race announcements!)

The run was an off-road cross country route through the grass and trees. I love trail running!


Katy, Coach Chrissie (i.e. The tall one a.k.a Coach Pain) and I crossed the line in succession. Chrissie was the overall winner of the event!  

The ladies of T3 who did the race! We won an award for having the biggest team out there. 
We were definitely the loudest!
Tom and Shawn, the two dudes I was racing for. You can't see it, but I have a heart on my arm with the name Tom above and Shawn's initials. The T3 Ladies were racing for our men!


Collecting my 3rd Place Age Group Award! 

For someone who was grumpy and not wanting to do the race, I'm glad I sucked it up because I ended up having a blast as I always do.

500m Swim:  11:27

14 Mile Bike:47:45 (18.3 mph) -- I had run 20 miles the day before at an 8:16 pace, so my legs were beat!
 
5k Run: 22:07 (7:08 pace)--very happy with that, especially since it was a trail run

Sweet and Twisted Tri



The Sweet and Twisted Tri was so incredibly sweet for many reasons!  Great challenging course, mimosas and breakfast tacos, and the best damn race swag EVER!

I'm talking:
-cute girlie t-shirt that actually fits
-cycling jersey
-water bottles
-visors
-finisher's towel

and age group award bags that Olympiads would envy that included back packs, Suunto watches spa/bath items and more!


The race was Twisted because I did it the day after a kick-butt 20 mile run at an 8:16 pace!

Still, I finished 9th overall and 3rd in my age group good for some awesome hardware.

Pics coming soon!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

JLo's Triathlon Advice

So, Nancy from T3 stopped me at spin class last night to let me know that my recent posts have been lame! Apparently, they haven't been funny enough for her taste. Thanks, Nancy! :-) Honestly, I haven't had many witty moments to write about.... until now.

Thank You, Jennifer Lopez!



By now, we've all heard that super-athlete Jennifer Lopez is training for her first Sprint Triathlon to raise money for charity. She was on "Good Morning America" bragging about this incredible feat (like she's the first). She's also teamed up with Self Magazine to dispense advice about training and racing through a blog. Yes, triathlon training advice from the star of the Blockbuster film "Gigli." I can't wait.

What tips can she give besides "Have your agents hook you up with celebrity trainers and clothing companies so that you can adequately look the part."

What other advice will J-Lo give in the next few weeks leading up to this already celebrity-filled Malibu Sprint Tri??

1.) Dig in your closet to find old spandex shorts from FOX "In Living Color" Days when you were just a "flygirl" backup dancer.

2.) Have Prada design a custom pair of running shoes to match the ridiculously large sunglasses.

3.)Purchase biggest bike saddle possible so that your entire ass will fit on it.

4.) When in the aero position, make sure cleavage is fully exposed for the cameras. Media needs to see how good you look after having twins. It will inspire women everywhere. I promise.

5.) After swim, have hair and makeup artists staged in the T1 area. After all, one can't be expected to ride your bike with wet hair and no makeup.

6.) Take in plenty of nutrition during the race while the cameras are rolling and then purge it when they aren't looking. You don't want the press to think you're getting fat. Plus, who wants to consume extra calories?!

7.) In T1, hold press conference announcing that you are changing your name AGAIN from "Jenny from the Block" to "Jenny on the Bike."

8.)In T2, change from old spandex shorts to the terrycloth track suit for the run. Ridiculously large sunglasses will remain.

9.) Make sure your personal assistant is at a waterstop ready to spray Evian mist on your face. Sweating is unbecoming.

10.) Stop just short of the Finish Line so that hair/makeup can be reapplied in the chute. The photo ops are much more important than a good speedy time.

11.) After crossing the Finish Line, proclaim that you've never worked harder for anything in your life and then hold another press conference that you and Marc Anthony are signing up for an Ironman.

Do it...I dare ya.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Runner Chick Fantasy World

I had a dream a few days ago...

It was dark and I was next to a bunch of sweaty guys wearing nothing but running shorts.
Everyone looked so toned and cut and their body fat total probably equaled the BMI of my thigh. We started running side by side and our breath and cadence was in unison. I stayed in the middle of this pack of these specimens, which meant that every now and then, a bead (or stream) of their sweat would land on me. I was too focused to wipe it away because I wanted to stay with them. They were encouraging me...I was pushing them...Most of them weren't wearing shirts at this point. I was...The energy was electric.

And then, just like that, I woke up and realized that this wasn't a dream. I was doing 800m repeats on the track with six dudes at my Gazelle workout last Wednesday. Yep, that's right. Me and six incredibly fit/runner body dudes. I can't believe Gilbert put me with the likes of these streakers. I protested at first, but how much can a girl resist, really?! He just gave me that sweet Gilbert look that said in the most Christian way, "Quit bitchin' and start runnin'. "

And so it was... 8 x 800s, with a 2min rest in between

#1 3:16 (6:32 pace and that's supposed to be the slow one)
#2 3:13 (6:26)
#3 3:12 (6:24)
#4 3:09 (6:18)
#5 3:11 (6:22)
#6 3:12 (6:24)
#7 3:13 (6:26)
#8 2:59!! (5:58)!

I absolutely hit a new plateau with these repeats. Bear in mind, my marathon goal is a 3:20, which means I should be able to do 10 x 800s in 3:20. I was tired, but I know I had two more in me that day. Plus, being the only chick in that sub-group, I wasn't about to quit!

Afterwards, I thanked Coach for putting me there. Yeah, I ran fast, but it was also fun to push myself to a new level...even if it wasn't a dream!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

USA Ironman Relay Dream Team




The USA Men's Basketball Team has their official "Dream Team" comprised of the best U.S. Basketball players. Can you imagine if we could put together an American Olympic Ironman Relay Team?  That would be one freakin' fast race! 

Imagine if you will...

MEN
Swimming: Michael Phelps
Biking: Lance Armstrong
Running: Ryan Hall

WOMEN
Swimming: Natalie Coughlin
Biking: Kristen Armstrong (no relation to Lance)
Running: Deena Kastor

Who would you pick???

I'm guessing it would be an epic battle for gold with the Australians, although I've never heard of a super fast Australian marathoner. This also might be one event where an American crosses the finish line ahead of a Kenyan in a marathon!! I'm guessing Phelps and Armstrong would sweep the first two legs of the race! 

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

How I Feel at the Moment


...which is ironic since I'm typing this at work at 7pm on a Tuesday evening when I should be sitting on my bike cursing my T3 Coaches for putting me through the ringer once again.
Oh well...at least I hit the T3 swim class this morning and had a decent workout. Since when did only one workout a day constitute me being a lazy slacker?
I'm off to finish some press releases and media inquiries for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Expo this weekend in Houston. Don't be jealous...

Monday, August 11, 2008

A Bundle of Joy

A Longhorn 70.3 Bike Course Review is coming this week! The fact that Katy, Jerry and I completed it means that the course is at least doable! I'll give you my initial thoughts, opinions and recommendations soon...

Until then, I'm getting ready to head to Houston this Thursday morning for a work conference and Shawn and I are also proud to welcome the newest addition to our clan:






Meet Woody!

Brutus is NOT happy. We've had several hissing matches over the last several hours and he threw up once, but I'm sure he'll come around. I feel like a Mom who just brought home her second baby from the hospital and has to deal with the temper tantrums of the unhappy older sibling...Ah...the joys of motherhood :-)

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Hot Town-Summer in the City

Hottest summer recorded in Austin in 83 years

That's the headline on one of our local news websites. As of today, we've had 44 days of 100+ degree temps, with no end in sight. Highs are projected to be 103-104 degrees for the next several days. It's not longer fun being outside when the sun comes up. This is the time when you look at the men and women who work outside for a living and feel so sorry for them as I head into my air conditioned office. Likewise, this is also the time that I'm really feeling sorry for teammates who are training for Fall IMs in this heat. I wouldn't want to be clocking 90+ miles on my bike right now.

This weekend also marks my 10th Anniversary on becoming an official Austinite. It's hard to believe I've been here for ten freaking years! So much has changed for me personally and professionally in the last decade, and yet, I still feel like the same girl that moved here at age 24 without knowing a soul. In many ways, I feel like a vacationing tourist in this town. I love it that much!  I love the atmosphere, the vibe, the people, the athletic scene, the culture and yes, the weather! I'll take heat over snow drifts any day!  If I had a glass of vino in my hand right now, I'd raise a toast to Austin and hope for 10 more years of fun and happiness!!

Speaking of fun and happiness (beautiful segueway), I did my weekly long run of 20 miles on Friday morning with Amy. Of course, she still received some slight harassment for finishing behind me. I quite like the weekend schedule I put together this weekend. Hmmmm...

Friday AM: 20 mile run at 8:49 avg pace.  The best part was the negative split. My last three miles were sub 8:00s. Awesome. I also passed a group of high school cross country girls. This stubby little old chick passed a group of lanky 15 year old runners. Nice...When I was 15, I could barely run a mile at field hockey practice. Step aside girls. You just got schooled by someone old enough to be your Mom (holy crap-I REALLY AM OLD ENOUGH!)

Saturday AM: For the first time, I went to the Saturday morning T3 Swim workout and loved it! First of all, it was great to arrive and it actually be daylight. Getting to the pool at 5:45am in the dark is very VERY hard. Lanes weren't crowded and I actually felt like a swimmer this morning. My 50m repeats were right around :53-:55 sec. Respectable for me. I also knocked off 12x 25m :19-:20 with fins.  It made me want to swim more...Oh, if there was only more time in the day :-)

Saturday PM: I'm doing my long ride tomorrow morning with Katy, Jerry and Jane, but I headed out at 12:30pm for a two-hour spin today to flush out yesterday's long run. I just did 3x S Mopac loops and 2x Veloway loops. Averaged a very tame 17.5 mph. Again, today was just all about an easy ride and not pushing pace or heart rate. It was 101 degrees afterall.  Fortunately, I'm meeting the crew tomorrow for a 7:15am start on the newly revised Longhorn 70.3 course. Looking forward to it.

Next week is going to be hectic as all get-out because I head to Houston Thursday morning for a weekend client  conference. There won't be much time for long workouts, but I hope to get some good runs/ swims in before. Plus, my client is putting me up at the Four Seasons and I'm guessing there's a pool. If not, I KNOW there's a spa and that will be just as good :-)

On Monday night, I'm also planning to attend the Austin Task Force that is addressing all of the traffic concerns caused by the athletic community. We're so evil. I'll be in attendance with several hundred of the fittest people in this town ready for a "diplomatic" conversation. I can't wait to post some pics of that.

"Fit Person" meets "Slothen City Task Force Team Member" 

Here's to the rest of the weekend glued to the TV watching the Olympics! Unfortunately, Shawn is working days this weekend so I'm hanging by myself. We're also trying out a new kitty as a companion to Brutus. I'm afraid Brutus will eat the little "mini me." More to report later!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Three Seconds


Happier Times for New Rivals Skud and Sapp


Ali and Frazier...

Jimmy Conners and John McEnroe...

Dave Scott and Mark Allen...

Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar...

Norman Stadler and Chris Macca...

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert...

Tiger and anyone who thinks they can play golf...

Red Sox and the Yankees...

Texas and Oklahoma...

Ohio State and Michigan...



The Greatest Sports Rivalries of all time
We can now add one to the list

"SAPP AND SKUD"


No one was looking forward to the 4-Mile Gazelle Tempo run on Wednesday until Amy casually mentioned something about "kicking my ass." Well, that was all that needed to be said! :-) The gauntlet was freakin thrown!!

We lined up at the front and commenced to a little more trash talkin' before Gilbert said "GO." From the beginning, Skud was right behind me. I could hear those footsteps keeping pace with what I was setting. I knew her conniving strategy was to stay a few steps behind and then buzz by me at the end. That little peanut has some serious kick in her step.

Out of 40-50 Gazelles that lined up for the tempo run, we were 3rd and 4th respectively. Two guys were in front of us, but it wasn't about pacing with them. It was all about staying in front of Amy.

Mile 1: 6:59

We hit the footbridge and I had slight panic when I looked at our first split. There is no way we can keep this pace for 3 more miles. She's gonna fade...She's gonna fade...Still, those footsteps were right behind me.

Mile 2: 6:57

This was the turnaround point. Oh my...I looked at my watch and realized that if I could just maintain this pace, it would be a record day for me. At the turnaround, I caught a glimpse of Amy. Damn. She was still right on my heels! Jerry was right behind her.  

At this point, we started seeing other Gazelles as we were on our way back. "Go Carrie" was followed quickly by "Go Amy!' Several people gave us both shouts of encouragement as the duel raged on. Near the Zilker Express RR tracks, I sensed that her footsteps were fading. Had I finally cracked her? Had Jerry passed her? I wasn't about to turn around to find out. I just kept running and purposefully tried to rein in my pace a little bit. 

With 1.5 miles to go, we were beginning to catch Steve in front of us who was also on his way to a MAJOR PR tempo run.  

Mile 3: 6:58

Wow...Still sub 7:00s. Holy crap. I'm doing so much better than I've ever done. Surely Amy can't be right behind me! There's no way. Still though, don't give up and don't relax. As Gilbert would say, "Don't get eaten by the lion!"

The final mile was tough as both lungs and legs were grasping for anything. My form was still good, and as I passed the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue, I dug for another gear. I was now running alongside of Steve. He wasn't having it. He found another gear and left me behind. 

Gilbert was cheering as we were nearing the 0 Mile marker sign, which marked our finish. He was loving it!

Mile 4: 6:56

Total Time: 27:34 (about a 15 sec PR for me)
Avg Pace: 6:57

I turned around and I'll be damned if Amy wasn't RIGHT THERE crossing a mere 3 seconds behind. She did not relent as I had suspected. She was cautiously stalking me the entire way. It was a 2 min PR from her last tempo run!

Gilbert was ecstatic! "This is why you train!" We both did the happy dance as it was a huge day for the both of us. Had I know she was right behind me, I would've slowed down so that we could grab hands and cross the finish line in a tie.

Oh who am I kidding?! No I wouldn't!! Had I known she was right there, I would've thrown it all out there.  Unfortunately, I think a precedent AND a benchmark have been set for the next tempo.

Who has what it takes?

We celebrated our run and Amy's birthday last night at a new wine bar in Austin called Uncorked. This is also where Amy received her new nickname of "Three"

FYI-She'll win any drinking contest any day.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Self-Correcting


OK-do I really need a computer program to tell me that I consume too much alcohol and sweets? Apparently, I do because it became pretty obvious where my weaknesses are when it comes to my calorie consumption. Last week, I began tracking my food intake on an awesome site called www.dailyplate.com . This free comprehensive site allows you to track everything you eat (it comes complete with a huge list of built-in foods), it calculates the calories and all other nutritional content and it even gives you a break down of your carb/protein/fat ratio. It also allows you to factor in your daily workouts, telling you how many calories you should consume daily if you want to lose 1lb per week or more. 

According to my body weight, which is around 120 lbs at any given time (OMG-did I just type that for the world to see?!?!), I'm allowed to consume just over 1,800 calories a day and still lose a pound a week based on my current fitness level. That's before I factor in my daily workouts and calorie burn. 1,800 calories is a lot, but I eat before workouts, breakfast, small snack, lunch, workout nutrition and dinner. I eat with frequency...I also exercise with frequency and typically burn anywhere from 600-3000 calories on any given day depending on the workout. So, while I may splurge and eat 2,500 calories one day, I'm still netting below 1,800 thanks to my workouts. Make sense?!

The main frustration? While I'm typically netting far below my allotted 1,800 calories, I didn't lose my 1lb of fat last week. WHAT UP WIT DAT?!?! Granted, I've only been tracking for one week and I've learned a lot based on having to record my food intake. I'll say this-90% of what I put in my body is excellent. I eat plenty of whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean protein, sushi, etc. I eat virtually no "fast food" and no fried food. I also eat very little cheese or saturated proteins (sausage, pepperoni, etc) However, I tip the good scales to the dark side with too many liquid calories and dessert. Last week was bad because I had ice cream one night and dessert on Saturday and Sunday. oops...(Hurts so good). I also had at least one glass of vino every night and more on Friday (Thanks to Lindsor and Steph) and Saturday (thanks to the Barretts).

So, what's a girl to do? For now, I continue to monitor and make tweaks. I don't live in absolutes so there's no way I'm cutting out alcohol or sweets all together. No way...nada...ain't happenin. Life's way too short for deprivation. I am, however, beginning to barter with myself. For instance, this week I'm not having a cocktail until Wednesday evening when we take Skud out for her birthday. I'll allow myself a drink maybe 2-3 nights per week and chill out on the chocolate this week. 

Also, I have to keep in mind a couple of very important things:

1.) I'm not overweight. With the exception of my 115 weigh-in at Ironman, my body likes to be around 120lbs.

2.) A lot of it is muscle. I haven't had my entire body composition done in a while, but the last time I did, I was a very healthy gal with a normal BMI of about 22. (in the healthy group)

3.) My body is functioning and performing well. By all accounts, I continue to get stronger and my body reacts to the training demands I put on it. Perhaps my body knows what it needs more than I do.

4.) Genetic belly goo--my hips are always going to be a certain size and I'll probably never have a six-pack without a little surgical tuck thanks to some loose ab skin and stretch marks from the good old days.

Truly, I'd love to be somewhere between 110-115, but I don't won't to deprive myself to get there. It's just not worth it! (unless, of course, you want to sponsor me in which case I'll eat nothing but tuna fish and cottage cheese for a week to drop the pounds).

Ah...acceptance and pointing out the good things!  I'm also addicted to a podcast called "Inside Out Weight Loss." This well-produced show is so much more than a lecture about cutting calories. It explores the deeper levels of self-love, acceptance, self-correcting, emotional triggers, etc. Really, the podcast is more of a therapy session than a diet show. Just ask the hubster. Every now and then I'll listen to it before I go to bed and fall asleep with the iPod playing.

Attractive...real attractive.

Time to go post my calorie consumption from our post-spin Freebirds excursion! Hell, I think I burned a bunch of calories just laughing tonight!


Pacin', Prayin', Poopin', Pedalin,' Parentin' and Piggin' Out

Could it be that the wonderful weekend has already slipped through my fingers? Congrats to those who raced in Jack's Generic Tri in Austin, Steelhead 70.3 in Michigan and countless other events that have popped up!
Friday, August 1st
I consider myself fortunate that I can get up and tackle my long runs on Friday when necessary. Skud was leaving town early on Saturday to pick her son up from camp and asked if I would knock 18 miles out with her on Friday instead. I think it's funny to even say, "Knock out 18 miles," as if it was just a quick 5k. It wasn't long ago that an 18 miler would have me trashed for the weekend. I'm talking ice baths, naps, stretching and refueling and overall pain. Now, I can tackle it and still be to work by 9am, ready to punch in a full day of kissing my clients' asses.

It was a slightly disjointed run as Amy popped into a little church on Exposition at 6am (and at Mile 4) of our run tohave a few private moments. It's a church I've driven and run by countless times and have always said, "I've got to go in there" because it looks more like a kid's playhouse than a real church. She had her moments and we proceeded up Exposition to 35th Street when her tummy starting grumbling. "Damn, must be the cookies I had last night," she said. Of all choices, we ducked into a Burger King at 6:30am so that Amy could do her biz-nass. FYI--the smell of french fry and tator tot grease is not appealing that early in the morning. I'll be damned if the waiting around didn't spur something in my GI so then she had to wait for me. We weren't even 7 miles in and we'd already hit a church and the john and we still had roughly 12 miles to go. The rest of the way up Shoal Creek was uneventful (thank goodness). We stopped at one convenience store to quickly get some gatorade on the way back, but we were able to pick up the pace and ended the run right around a 9:00min/mile average. It's a little slower than I like to go on my long runs, but it was also 80 degrees when we began the run too.

On the way back, curiousity also got the best of me and I ducked into the little church that has intrigued me for so long. It's so cute and I can certainly see how it could provide comfort and solace (but not a place to pee).

Saturday, August 2nd
That damn T3 Lindsor forced me to go to Happy Hour on Friday night after work. It's all her fault! Actually, I behaved quite well after one Mexican Martini and two Blueberry Cosmos. It was over the span of 4 hours afterall and plenty of food thrown in for goood measure.

I felt ok on Saturday, but wasn't all-together excited at the prospect of doing two Bee Caves loops. My legs were still a tad sore from the run the day before. I started with a good pacing pack that included Michelle, Lilliana, Dionn, Nancy and a few others that surrounded us throughout the ride. Once the wheels started rolling and I got the cobwebs out, it turned into a wonderfully decent ride. The first loop of about 27 miles seemed to fly by since I was in and out of conversations and pacing with people. My mind wasn't stressing about "the ride," which is always a good thing. I started the 2nd loop by myself assuming that I would eventually be caught and passed by some of my pals. It never happened, but I still remained strong throughout the second loop as well. That is until I hit SW Parkway the last time and had to do the final long climb towards William Cannon. That totally sucked for some reason! I also struggled a tad on Escarpment heading back to my car. I think I was just mentally done at that point and the chip seal of the new pavement was getting on my nerves. I forced myself to ride until it hit 56 miles and ended with 17.3 mph. My max average was about 17.6, but I lost my edge at the end. Still though, it's my best overall pace ever on the hills of SW Parkway, 71, Bee Caves, 360 and Mopac...not an easy loop.


I can't even type this post without a huge hi-five and shout out to Hubster for completing his longest training run EVER of 16 miles. He was up on Saturday morning running before I was up to ride. I wonder how many times he used my name in vain for signing him up for the Marine Corps Marathon?! (hee hee...evil grin)

Sunday, August 3rd
We were both happy as larks to have our workouts completed so that we could head to San Antonio the rest of the weekend and hang with his parents. On Saturday night, we hit church and a wonderful dinner at Wild Fish (same folks that own Eddie V's in Austin). It was so incredibly yummy and decadent and I know that one meal negated my entire workout of the day. But you know what? It was worth it and so was the Godiva Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for dessert!

On Sunday (rest day), we helped with a couple of minor projects around the house while his Dad continues his shoulder rehab from the the bike crash. He told us he's been practicing his rehab by lifting wine bottles. The only wine bottle lifting I saw was to pour it into our glasses so that's good enough for me.


I know it was supposed to be a rest day, but I couldn't resist a spin on my Mother-in-law's sweet Trek Lime bike. This thing is awesome (and I would kill for a seat like this on my tri-bike). It shifts gears automatically, so it was funny to be pushing up a hill and then feel the gear suddenly downshift. I'd go from a 70 cadence to like 120 on a hill. Obviously, the bike is smarter than me and I worked up a sweat after a whopping 10 minute ride as I tried to figure out how the darn thing worked. It did have a cool bell on it, but the basket was left off. I wasn't going to the farmer's market that day, after all.


I'm guessing this won't help me in the next race, but it was nice to ride in flip-flops


On Sunday afternoon after watching a movie, Shawn and I headed to their pool and just did minor kicking drills and swim drills. The pool wasn't really long enough for laps, plus it was about 90 degrees in the water. Still though, it felt good to be outside in some water doing something.


It was another fabulous weekend filled with the most important things in my life: family, faith, friends, fitness, wine and chocolate (couldn't come up with "f" alliterations for those)


Oh yeah--it definitely doesn't compare to the Eddie V's godiva cake, but if you're in dire need of dessert, this just might do in a pinch!




Friday, August 01, 2008