Saturday I trekked up to Deep Creek Maryland to participate in a relay for the OLY distance Savageman.
Savageman is a race where you can't fake the training. It's intense. But I was going to try anyways.
So this all started with a Happy Hour in Georgetown. Over pizza Supersnail and I talked about doing a relay with me swimming , tri friend N biking, and SS running.
N ended up having to bail. Later I got an email from J asking if I would want to relay with them as the biker. Ummmm, no? Somehow it came out as yes, and brainstorming of obnoxious team names ensued.
Options we didn't go with:
Three Slick Chicks
Cold, Hard Bitches
Chicks with Attitudes
Back Off, We're Triathletes
Hard, Harder, Hardest
Bitches on a Mission
Black and white and sore all over
Legs, boobs, and booty
Something for everyone
Ridden hard and put away wet
We'll tri anything once
What we went with was: 3 legs and 6 boobs
(It's a grenade joke)
Since the OTP crowd has some truly awesome people in it, I got to just go along for the ride as everyone else planned the stay and the food. Sandy was Queen Bee and Master Organizer, and Ryan was the Iron Chef. Seriously dude, marry me.
A little about the course:
Savageman is The. Hardest. Course. Period.
The swim:
I have never been so happy not to have to swim in my life. The lake was covered in fog, it was freezing, and the first few finishers were actually DQ'ed because of a mix-up with the buoy colors (allegedly yellow for the OLY, orange for the HIM), and because they couldn't see anything.
The bike:
Sigh. We drove the bike course the day before. Someone said not to worry because it always seems harder in the car. Challenge. The pre-race briefing included telling us that aerobars were verboten because the descent were technical and they didn't want you screaming to your death. And several warnings about where to shift down, and where to be prepared to hold on for dear life.
On one hand I was glad we saw the course, so I knew where I was later. On the other, it really made me so much more nervous.
I was trying to rationalize that it was only five miles longer than the bike at IronGirl and I wasn't swimming or running, so I could handle it, right?
Let's just say I ended up wheels up 3 times. Stupid chain.
The run:
Crazy, crazy hilly. The HIM took racers past the finish line 3 times. That is just cruel. And more than a few people turned down the finish chute by accident.
SS did a great job despite the heat and hills, and J and I got to run in with her.
They actually refused to announce our team name since it's a family show ...
Post race:
S gave me a ride back to the house and made popcorn, and I got a shower in before the boys came home.
No vacation time meant a long drive home late with a slight detour. I still need to take my wheels to get trued.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom
Guess what happens when you are prone to kidney stones, you race a hot horrible race and get dehydrated, and you drink the race course beverage which has in one bottle 300% of your RDA of vitamin C?
If you answered you get a kidney stone, give yourself one point.
If you answered you get a kidney stone while trapped in DC at a mandatory meeting, give yourself two points.
If you answered you get a kidney stone while trapped in DC at a mandatory meeting while giving a presentation and feeling like you will either pass out or throw up in front of a co-worker and two rival companies, give yourself three points.
Seriously, they should come with an alarm bell.
Luckily I've been through this before, so armed with a bridge prescription and painkillers I spent the afternoon in my pajamas wishing for death, and hoping to goodness that the rain would not mean evacuation again.
Now comes the question:
My beloved doctor who is also a runner, wants me to take Levaquin to protect the kidney from an infection. However, Levaquin has been linked to tendon rupture. And my bicep tendon is inflamed like 40% of the time now, and I have some pretty serious events coming up.
Do I shut my pie hole and take the Levaquin, or do I take the B team drug and wait and see if I get sick?
If you answered you get a kidney stone, give yourself one point.
If you answered you get a kidney stone while trapped in DC at a mandatory meeting, give yourself two points.
If you answered you get a kidney stone while trapped in DC at a mandatory meeting while giving a presentation and feeling like you will either pass out or throw up in front of a co-worker and two rival companies, give yourself three points.
Seriously, they should come with an alarm bell.
Luckily I've been through this before, so armed with a bridge prescription and painkillers I spent the afternoon in my pajamas wishing for death, and hoping to goodness that the rain would not mean evacuation again.
Now comes the question:
My beloved doctor who is also a runner, wants me to take Levaquin to protect the kidney from an infection. However, Levaquin has been linked to tendon rupture. And my bicep tendon is inflamed like 40% of the time now, and I have some pretty serious events coming up.
Do I shut my pie hole and take the Levaquin, or do I take the B team drug and wait and see if I get sick?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
We. Are. Dead. And. This. Is. HELL!
Soooo, yeah. Rock N Roll was a bad day.
88 degrees. 85% humidity.
Everyone looked beaten. The spectators, the volunteers, the runners. All melting like a cheap bike bottle on the bottom rack of the dishwasher.
You know you've had a bad race when:
1. You finish a full hour after your goal time.
2. Your shoes look like Brian Sells'. http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2008/08/brian-sells-adv.html
3. You aren't sure you can even walk to the finish.
4. You cannot identify a single location in your body that doesn't hurt.
5. You're glad you lost your timing "chip" since it's means this travesty is only further on it's way to being forgotten.
The only thing that kept me from bailing was that there were a ton of cancer survivors there, and if they can finish, I had no reason not to.
88 degrees. 85% humidity.
Everyone looked beaten. The spectators, the volunteers, the runners. All melting like a cheap bike bottle on the bottom rack of the dishwasher.
You know you've had a bad race when:
1. You finish a full hour after your goal time.
2. Your shoes look like Brian Sells'. http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2008/08/brian-sells-adv.html
3. You aren't sure you can even walk to the finish.
4. You cannot identify a single location in your body that doesn't hurt.
5. You're glad you lost your timing "chip" since it's means this travesty is only further on it's way to being forgotten.
The only thing that kept me from bailing was that there were a ton of cancer survivors there, and if they can finish, I had no reason not to.
They finished ahead of me, by the way.
Perhaps attempting a half marathon the week after Iron Girl was not a good plan ...
Nor was continuing to race even after repeatedly getting sick.
It's a steep learning curve.
Friday, August 29, 2008
I love fall!
I just read this article in Runner's World and I couldn't agree more. This is exactly how I feel. Although I prefer UnderArmour gloves. And I need more gear like I need a hole in the head.
Football games, cool crisp runs, leaves crunching on the trail, head races, apple cider, wine tasting, tailgating, joy!
Cool enough to wear snuggly pajamas, bake cookies, eat oatmeal for breakfast, and cover all that goodness up with a sweater or run it off and not get sweaty fall!
Halloweeen! Dressing up as Silk Spectre or Wonder Woman, Thanksgiving, Fantasy Football leagues, back to school super fun fall!
Incidentally, I also agree with his views on pancakes.
http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2008/08/theres-a-chill.html
Football games, cool crisp runs, leaves crunching on the trail, head races, apple cider, wine tasting, tailgating, joy!
Cool enough to wear snuggly pajamas, bake cookies, eat oatmeal for breakfast, and cover all that goodness up with a sweater or run it off and not get sweaty fall!
Halloweeen! Dressing up as Silk Spectre or Wonder Woman, Thanksgiving, Fantasy Football leagues, back to school super fun fall!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
IronGirl and a rusty shoulder
Thursday night. My shoulder hurts so bad it's shooting hot bolts of lightning down my arm. One of these days I will have a heart attack and think it's just my shoulder. Icing it not helping. Can't sleep. Take 3 Vicodin on an empty stomach. Finally get to sleep.
Wake up Friday, yak a few times. Pain comes back, take more vicodin. Stay home from work.
I don't know if the return of the pain is from the increase in swim volume (minimal) or thanks to the weather shift (probable). The weather here has turned and you can feel the wistfulness of fall in the air.
I decided not to go home, and go to the IronGirl practice since I had to either pick up my uniform or race naked next week.
Turns out it would be about the same. The shorts are a bit shorter than I would ever choose to wear in public. And it will be a miracle if the zipper in the top survives.
The group was doing a brick of the 18 mile bike course and the 3.4 mile run course. I made it through the bike course, with a slight detour adding yet another hill and a little more mileage.
Waited for B to finish so I could give her a bike bottle since she didn't have one. I have an entire huge storage thing of them plus like another 30 of the ubiquitous Gatorade waterbottles, so I was fine letting one go. Even if I was a little sentimental about the NJ State one. She'll give it a good home.
Later I met J at the pool to swim a few laps and be lazy. Right around dinner I realized I had tried to fuel two workouts on a latte, a croissant, and spanakopita. That was right about when I got the world's worst headache that would not go away. I so hate gym hangovers.
Sunday I slept in instead of doing my long run or North East. And spent the whole Nats game in search of salt, I mean a curly "W" pretzel. Ate an obscene amount of bread at Macaroni Grill trying to stuff the hole I dug myself into on Saturday.
Wake up Friday, yak a few times. Pain comes back, take more vicodin. Stay home from work.
I don't know if the return of the pain is from the increase in swim volume (minimal) or thanks to the weather shift (probable). The weather here has turned and you can feel the wistfulness of fall in the air.
I decided not to go home, and go to the IronGirl practice since I had to either pick up my uniform or race naked next week.
Turns out it would be about the same. The shorts are a bit shorter than I would ever choose to wear in public. And it will be a miracle if the zipper in the top survives.
The group was doing a brick of the 18 mile bike course and the 3.4 mile run course. I made it through the bike course, with a slight detour adding yet another hill and a little more mileage.
Waited for B to finish so I could give her a bike bottle since she didn't have one. I have an entire huge storage thing of them plus like another 30 of the ubiquitous Gatorade waterbottles, so I was fine letting one go. Even if I was a little sentimental about the NJ State one. She'll give it a good home.
Later I met J at the pool to swim a few laps and be lazy. Right around dinner I realized I had tried to fuel two workouts on a latte, a croissant, and spanakopita. That was right about when I got the world's worst headache that would not go away. I so hate gym hangovers.
Sunday I slept in instead of doing my long run or North East. And spent the whole Nats game in search of salt, I mean a curly "W" pretzel. Ate an obscene amount of bread at Macaroni Grill trying to stuff the hole I dug myself into on Saturday.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hellllllo Bella!
Velo Bella is an all-women's cycling team. The Mid-Atlantic Bellas are geographically dispersed throughout the region, from Pennsylvania down to North Carolina.
For 2009 Nikki of fellow blogging fame is making a push to grow the DC-region team. Why? Velo Bella is about to announce that for 2009 we are going to have an official Triathlon Team! Kona Bikes is working with us to develop a prototype timetrial bike, made exclusively for Velo Bella racers, and we are looking to field an elite/professional team, focused on the Olympic distance. (for a sneak peak at the TT bike: http://www.velobellabb.com/forum26/1695.html, but it will be blue, not white).
So, what is Velo Bella? Well, besides having the absolute BEST kits in the country, our mission is to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle through cycling and laughter. We inspire women to get out and ride a bike, race a bike, and to eventually grow the pool of talent and have a lot of fun along the way.
Not everyone is a racer....we have recreational riders, the racing team, and the pro/elite racing team.
How much does Velo Bella cost? Here's the best part......it's FREE!!!!! Okay, there is some fine print.....
--To be a "recreational" Velo Bella, there is no fee, and no requirement to purchase anything.
--To be an "amateur racer" or "pro/elite" racer, you are required to buy 1 jersey each year (~$65). BUT, you get access to great discounts to a ton of sponsors (such as Kona Bikes, Zeal Optics, FSA, SRAM, Patagonia clothing, Crank Brothers, Sidi, Cateye, Giro). As a racer you can get deep, deep discounts, sometimes over 50% off.
What does it mean to be a Mid-Atlantic Velo Bella? Well, this is the best part. We can make it whatever we want the team to be! Maybe that means a weekly group ride, maybe it means a monthy team dinner, maybe just coordinating races together, or supporting each other across disciplines (we have roadies, tri-gals, MTB and cyclo-crossers here).......it's up to us all to decide!
Please take a few moments to check out our website and forum blogs, and stay tuned for a Happy Hour in the next few weeks (we're targeting Sept 4th or 5th).
I hope you consider riding with Team Velo Bella!
http://www.velobella.org/ or http://www.velobellabb.com/
For 2009 Nikki of fellow blogging fame is making a push to grow the DC-region team. Why? Velo Bella is about to announce that for 2009 we are going to have an official Triathlon Team! Kona Bikes is working with us to develop a prototype timetrial bike, made exclusively for Velo Bella racers, and we are looking to field an elite/professional team, focused on the Olympic distance. (for a sneak peak at the TT bike: http://www.velobellabb.com/forum26/1695.html, but it will be blue, not white).
So, what is Velo Bella? Well, besides having the absolute BEST kits in the country, our mission is to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle through cycling and laughter. We inspire women to get out and ride a bike, race a bike, and to eventually grow the pool of talent and have a lot of fun along the way.
Not everyone is a racer....we have recreational riders, the racing team, and the pro/elite racing team.
How much does Velo Bella cost? Here's the best part......it's FREE!!!!! Okay, there is some fine print.....
--To be a "recreational" Velo Bella, there is no fee, and no requirement to purchase anything.
--To be an "amateur racer" or "pro/elite" racer, you are required to buy 1 jersey each year (~$65). BUT, you get access to great discounts to a ton of sponsors (such as Kona Bikes, Zeal Optics, FSA, SRAM, Patagonia clothing, Crank Brothers, Sidi, Cateye, Giro). As a racer you can get deep, deep discounts, sometimes over 50% off.
What does it mean to be a Mid-Atlantic Velo Bella? Well, this is the best part. We can make it whatever we want the team to be! Maybe that means a weekly group ride, maybe it means a monthy team dinner, maybe just coordinating races together, or supporting each other across disciplines (we have roadies, tri-gals, MTB and cyclo-crossers here).......it's up to us all to decide!
Please take a few moments to check out our website and forum blogs, and stay tuned for a Happy Hour in the next few weeks (we're targeting Sept 4th or 5th).
I hope you consider riding with Team Velo Bella!
http://www.velobella.org/ or http://www.velobellabb.com/
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Cancer to 5K Version 3.1
Cindy and Jess, third time is the charm!
I've volunteered with the previous two cycles, and I can vouch for the fact that this is a great program.
Please consider volunteering as a sherpa or passing along to anyyoung adult cancer survivors you know.
We are proud to announce that the Fall 2008 CANCER to 5K training program will begin on Saturday, September 6, 2008. The program will end on Thursday, November 27, with Runner and Volunteers running inthe VA Run Turkey Trot 5k in Centreville, VA at 8AM.
The CANCER to 5K Training Program is a free 12-week training program designed to introduce and/or reintroduce cancer survivors to physical activity by providing them with the training program, coaches, encouragemnt, and support necessary to complete a 5K (3.1 miles) distance road race.
The program is FREE to cancer survivors, ages 18-40,(and beyond as room allows) and includes:
- 12 week training program
- Registration into a local 5K distance race
- 2 weekly group training sessions with a coach for 12 weeks(1 weekday evening, 1 weekend morning)
- CANCER to 5K ™ technical T-shirt & water bottle
- CANCER to 5K ™ Program Certificate of Completion
- CANCER to 5K Race Day Sherpa ™ to run with you on your big day(if you want one...)
- CANCER to 5K ™ Official Finishers Medal (upon completion of an official 5K distance race)
Registration is open through Tuesday September 16 (beginning of Week 2 of Training) so make sure you get ONLINE and REGISTER NOW!
http://cancerto5k.com/
GOT QUESTIONS?
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? Check out the website and learn how you can help!
Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!
- Holly
http://cancerto5k.com/
"Young Adult Cancer Survivors giving new meaning to the wordENDURANCE...One Mile at a Time!"
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