Philly in Pictures

I think this is half way thru the run you actually come back to the transition area thru grass then back on the road and away from the race again.

I had to force Bill to do this. A touristy looking couple took the shot, mostly I forced it to embarrass him!

Can you believe this is almost 250 years old!

The Skulgle river (I know this is spelled wrong but that is I I think it sounds). I actually rowed here in college. It was great to see all of the rowers practicing on the river along boat house row. Once I train less I definitely want to get back into that sport!

I am finally sitting down to do this. Bill and I were in Philadelphia this past weekend for the Philly Triathlon. It was a GREAT weekend. Friday we got there super early and did some sightseeing. I really enjoy American history so we did the Liberty Bell, the mint, Independence village, and a few other things. It was really fascinating. Living in the midwest we have nothing that is that old. Maybe 100 years but not almost 300 years old.

The race was great. The swim was a point to point with the current so it went by quick. The bike was MUCH harder than I thought it was going to be. Essentially there were 8 short and some very steep climbs and descents. I am not used to that. I would say it is my weakest thing in triathlon. The run was flat and somewhat shaded. I was glad it was over when I finally got to the finish. Starting at 6:55 eastern time really felt like 5:55 am to me. It was a much more competitive race that I thought it was going to be but I love the competitiveness of it all. Lots of fast women make it even more fun. I was content with my race and even more thrilled at how much fun we had by ourselves for the weekend. Much needed time away!

One brick and one wedding

Even though he doesn't look happy he did great!

I could just eat her up:)

Summer is here in full swing. It has been in the 90s everyday and above 100 with the heat index!

This past weekend was GREAT! Noah was a ring bearer in Bill's cousin's wedding. He did a fabulous job. A four year old in a tux is ridiculously cute. He looked like honey I shrunk the kids but it was a grown up in a tux shrunk down. He even said he looked sexy. OH boy! It was a hot day too it that tux and he was still a trooper.

That morning I did a run heavy brick. The main set was 10 min TT effort on the bike and then 2 x 1 miles on the treadmill at 6 min pace and then the second mile at under that with a little break btw. OUCH it hurt. I had to do that 3 times thru. It felt great to finish it but boy was I pooped by 7pm at the wedding. After chasing the kiddies and having to wear high heels I needed my jammies and a bed a lie in.

I actually had to borrow a curling iron from a neighbor because I don't own one! I even had to dig in my bathroom cabinets for makeup. I knew I still had something from the last wedding we went to a year ago.

Bill and I head out to Philly Friday morning! I can't wait to see some sights and eat some good food too. Should be a great race.

Race Report- USWTS Naperville

I will start with the beginning of the weekend. Bill had finals all the following week and a huge paper to work on. So it was a very tuff weekend to balance. I worked at the expo for Endure It on Saturday. I really enjoy the expos! It is a social outlet for me as well as a way to get my name out for coaching! I got to see tons of people and catch up with some friends that I have not seen in a long time. I got to meet a great bunch of ladies that started a company called Make Your Mark (http://www.makeyourmark.com/). I always try to support women owned and operated companies. They had great t-shirts. I am a HUGE T-shirt wearer as a stay at home mom. I must own 2 dozen life is good shirts. But these are even BETTER! I love how comfy they are. And they are CUTE and inspiring. Check em out! I also got to see Naperville Running Company and some other booths that I love! It got the competitive juices flowin for sure! This is my hometown race so I wanted to be ON for it!

I slept terrible Saturday night. First it started as me having a hard time falling asleep. Normally before races I take Ambien (sorry to push drugs here) but I ran out and forgot to get the refill. Then I started hearing EVERYTHING outside. You know those night that you can hear the branches crack and you get ticked. It was one of those nights. Then after overdosing on Tylenol PM I finally fell asleep at midnight only to wake up to my wonderful daughter at 2:15am WIDE freakin awake. Needless to say Bill and I had about 2 hrs of sleep Saturday night. By the time she fell asleep at 4am I was getting up for the race.

I headed out the door at 4:45am to get my warm up in at home before I took the 5 min drive to the race site. I was so tired my eyeballs were burning. I was in a BAD mood. Never race with no sleep or even try to be a decent human. It felt like I had a newborn again. Yuck. I almost decided to stay home but knew I would be mad at myself if I didn't try to go. So I drank some coffee and we got in the car.

I was really hoping to race this girl I have heard about from Chicago all week! But she didn't show up. I was really bummed about it. I got to the swim start with Adrienne a few minutes early to get in a good swim warm up. For a sprint triathlon you really need to warm up longer than the actual distance of the race to be able to go anaerobic from the start. We lined up at the start and it felt competitive actually. For some reason this race brings out some competitive feelings in the elite wave. I could sense it before they even said GO. The swim really wasn't that bad after a few strokes. It was pretty much open water. My wetsuit was taking on WAY too much water. I now know that the velcro that closes it is full of hair and won't stay shut (thanks Adrienne for telling me:) I would have never thought of it). I came out of the water second I think 45 sec or so back from the girl in front. I got her within the first 3-4 min of the bike. Then I got to ride behind the lead vehicle the rest of the race. I wanted to put in a hard effort on the bike with only a 5k to run you can do that. I got off the bike in the lead and started the run. The lead mtn bike guy in front of me started out to lead the course. I screamed at him after about a half mile to find out where second place was. He radioed someone and yelled at him that they were just leaving transition so they were 4 min back or so. AHHH, that was a nice feeling. The work on the bike paid off. On the other hand I LOVE to run with someone and push each other so I was a little bummed for that. I ran solid and got to finish with most of my family there! Noah was jumping up and down cheering. It meant a lot to me to have him there. He sees my train all the time on the trainer so now he understands the reason. 4 is a great age. Not to mention my client Kimberly Goodell finished second, YAHOOO all that hard work paid off. And Elizabeth and Adrienne were right on her feet. It was so much fun to have all those girls there. Congrats to everyone that finished the race.

10 days now to Philadelphia Triathlon. I can't wait to race there. Bill and I are going alone since he has a 2 week break from school. It will be a nice weekend away and nice to have Bill experiencing it the race with me! Thanks DAD!

U.S. Women's Triathlon :: Suburban Chicago News :: Photo Gallery

U.S. Women's Triathlon :: Suburban Chicago News :: Photo Gallery

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Race Report: Pigman

I have been humbled many times. This race was a new experience for me. I have had some amazing break throughs in the last few weeks with my running and biking. I have run mile repeats on the treadmill at 5:40 pace (for me that is great) and been on the track a few too many times. I truly can say that I gave everything I had in my body yesterday and there was nothing left. The problem was, was that there wasn't much there to start with. After talking to my coach I realized that when you achieve great breakthroughs it takes alot of time to recover from the new thresholds that you pushed yourself through.
From the start of the swim at Pigman I was completely out of breath. I actually felt like I was hyperventilating. I couldn't even catch my breath a little. It was totally ridiculous. I wasn't going anywhere and was breathing as if I was swimming like an Olympian! Running into transition I thought I was going to throw up I was still breathing so hard. It never ended the entire race. My quads even throbbed on the bike like I had done an IM the day before. I was breathing so hard on the run my mouth couldn't have been any more open to catch oxygen. I could have swallowed a bird that flew by. It was just crazy. I knew how fast I had been training and I was racing at a pace that I do on moderate days. I finished the race fairly disappointed in my place and time. But NOT disappointed in how I pushed myself. I never gave up even though I knew I had dug a huge whole these past few weeks and now was paying for it. Barb didn't taper me for this race at all and I thought it wasn't a big deal. Now I know how I respond to no taper. Not so well:) Lessened learned. After crossing the finish line the girl that won Cathy (very nice Minnesota girl) said to me ,"you have bigger fish to fry." She was right and it made me feel better in a strange way. Every race can't be great. You learn from your training and hopefully all the pieces fall together on your A race days. That was a C race for me. And I need to realize when I race a C race that I am not rested and the result might not be what I want but the big fish races will be what I have trained for!
This coming weekend is the Naperville Womens Triathlon (www.uswts.com). I LOVE this race. It was the first triathlon I ever did and is in my hometown. I am resting for this sucker! Plus tons of clients and friends are there to all have a good time! Can't wait to see everyone!

Inspirational

I know this is silly but sometimes that is needed at 5am. The lifeguard had a fancy underwater camera. I want one! He offered it to Adam and I to see if we wanted it to analyze strokes. Nope I just wanted to screw around underwater with it. We do enough analyzing!

It has been a busy few weeks. Bill's little grandma passed away last week after a long bout with heart failure. She was a generous and giving human being. Bill's uncle said something that totally fit her at the funeral, "good things come in small packages." That was her, I think when she was 9 months pregnant with any of her kids she didn't even hit 100 lbs! I never really had a grandma like her. I feel like I have learned how to emulate how to be a great grandma one day from her! She was fun and adventurous. And always supportive of her grandkids ambitions. She will be greatly missed but her life was definitely lived to the fullest so it is a celebration as well.

Molly had ear tubes put in Monday morning. After 7 ear infections, tons of high fevers, and too many doses of antibiotics we finally did it. It is really amazing to me how quickly and smoothly the whole surgery went. We arrived at the surgery center at 5:45am and were home by 8:30am! She was back to her normal toddler self by dinner time! If that was an adult we would still be lying in bed. Kids don't know how to milk it. They just want to play! We are so happy it went well and are hoping this ends the crazy string of sickness.

While we were sitting in the room waiting for Molly to come back to the room to recover we talked about parents that have to deal with sick kids everyday. The Lacewell family in Naperville is dealing with a rare form of brain cancer in their son Max who is turning 6 soon. I can't imagine what that is like as a parent. Since he was diagnosed back in the fall I have been reading his parents journal online and keeping up with what their family is doing. I didn't know them until this happened. They go to my YMCA and live not far. But since this has happened it has truly touched me. I have come to appreciate everyday with my kids even more. I don't want to rush their lives from day to day. I appreciate the little things more like their giggles and hugs. And their birthdays are a HUGE deal now more than ever. I don't talk to this family often but I want them to know that they have impacted my life forever. Their faith in God and how they lean on each other is inspirational. If you want take a moment please pray for Max's health, I will.

I know this is going to right field now, but I am racing Pigman Sprint triathlon this weekend! I am SUPER excited. I love sprint races. And it is an equalizer. So the men start a few min back from the women. Who ever crosses the finish line first wins! I can't wait! It sounds so fun:) Training has been going awesome and there is NO let down for a smaller race so we'll see how the legs respond. Hopefully Barb will give me next week easy because I made a crazy decision. I am doing 2 races in one weekend. Elkhart Lake Triathlon on Saturday the 13 and Naperville Womens race on Sunday! Nuts, I know. Sunday will hurt but where would be the fun if it didn't?

Lots of luck to everyone racing this weekend!

Memphis Report

This is what my wonderful husband now does for training while I am off running! Talk about strength training.

I think I discovered a new sport in Galena a few weeks ago. I even used Noah's Lightening McQueen fishing rod. I didn't tell him but as soon as a fish would come near I yanked it out. There was NO way I was touching a fish. We told him they fish were taking a tap!

Getting ready to go...

Trying to get balanced to go uphill with no shoes on.

Chatting with Deb and here sister after the race! They both had a great race too!

I know it has been SOOO long since my last post but I find it really hard to sit at the computer in my spare time (ha ha ha!) I would rather be a vegetable in front of the TV or asleep. Plus since I raced in New Orleans my life has been pretty low key and I have had consistent training. I chose Memphis in May over the winter because it was "driving" distance and a non drafting race. Well after way too many hours alone with my Dad in a car I now think that it should be a plane trip instead. Needless to say we made it down to Memphis Friday right before dinner. My Dad booked the hotel closed to the race site. He always used priceline which is great except you really don't know what you are getting. Well we got a house full of Marine teenagers on their weekend off. There is a base in town so I assume when the kids (I say kids because for the first time I felt OLD waiting in the check in line next to the young men in uniform. They seemed so young and pre pubescent) get a weekend off they go to a cheap hotel to live it up! Luckily they seemed to be pretty quiet and didn't keep me up. Plus after traveling to races for years now I have learned to travel with drugs and ear plugs. There could have been a tornado and I would have slept beautifully.

It seems as if all pros sign up for a race the year I do it. The last few years of results for this race don't seem nearly as competitive? Maybe it was me. But Michellie Jones? Who would have thunk she would come to Memphis TN! Lucky me:) Actually I was really excited and feeling great! I knew a few people doing the race as well as some friends doing the amateur race. I no longer get nervous because of who I am racing. Now I just get nervous for all the good reasons: Will I mentally stay strong the entire race, or Will my body hold up the entire race the way I want it to? Those are good reasons to get nervous. YOU can control those. You cannot control your competition. Only get nervous in life for the things you can control. It took me years to figure that one out.

I had a solid race. It was a time trial start so a person left every 10 seconds. They mixed men and women pros. Not a fan. I would much rather race head to head. I am a racer! I thrive on that element of the race. It brings you to a different level. The swim was super choppy but not awful. I used a fancy speedsuit that I bought Saturday b/c I am the only professional triathlete without one. WAYYYY worth it for anyone out there thinking of buying one. It was FAST!!! I bought a Blue Seventy and love it. (NO I am not sponsored by them). A cold front blew in on Saturday evening and with it came wind. I would take wind and cold over heat and humidity ANY day. Give me a 50 or 60 deg triathlon and I am a happy camper. The bike was extremely windy. Pretty much like riding here in Chicago all year long. It wasn't a spectacular bike for me. I never felt in the groove. It was struggle the entire ride. I think I need to borrow someones fancy aero helmet and disc wheel. It seems like most pros use those now too! I am learning. My goal was to start the run very comfortable. Run a mile to get my legs back then reassess. I did exactly that. I actually negative split the run and felt strong the entire time for taking out the first half slower. It has taken me many bonked races to learn this one. Turns out I finished 5th! Pro awards were 5 deep so that was a big milestone for me. It was my first pro award and paycheck! The only frustrating part of 4th place was 14 sec ahead of me and if it was head to head I know I would have outkicked her! UGH. Next year.

Thanks Dad for the trip and BBQ. Thanks Avia for the awesome new red and pink racing flats! Thank you PowerBar, Mideast Team Elite, my super coach Barb, Bill, Gao Fei, and my family for helping with the kids.