Syracuse Half Marathon

Well, the time had finally arrived...yup...my first race of 2015.   Back in December when I signed up for the Syracuse Half Marathon I had high hopes of being in great shape for this race.  Unfortunately, a calf strain on Turkey Day and then sciatic/hip issues in January pretty much put that idea right out of my mind. Fortunately, the injuries have healed and I have started running again but my volume and intensity were not where I had thought they would be just yet.

Before I get into the deets of my race, I do want to say how very well organized I thought this race was. Packet pick-up was at Fleet Feet.  The girls and I went early Friday to get my packet as well as get some new running sneakers for Phoebe. We were able to get in and out quickly  ... they even had a photographer taking pictures and handing out copies of the prints for free. 

The half-zip technical long sleeve shirt was great race swag as well.  The Oncenter provides a great venue for pre and post race festivities. Plenty of space for the numerous vendors that were on hand the morning of the race. Post-race, massages were available and there was a spread of the usual post race food in addition to chocolate milk (my fave), pancake breakfast and pizza (free to runners and a nominal $5 fee for guests).

the one day running in shorts was possible...

The forecast for Sunday was not very nice. We had one day of 50+ degree weather and then it was back to cold, windy, wintry weather. I woke to a fresh 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, howling winds and a temp reading of 16 degrees F. On top of the weather, I had woke up with the stuffy, runny nose Maggie had been sporting all week. By the time I decided what to wear and arrived at the race site, there was a huge line of cars waiting to get into the parking garage. Originally the race had been capped at 2000 runners but then the course was altered and they allowed an additional 1500 runners in...and they were all ahead of me in line waiting to park!

The race was delayed 15 minutes (apparently due to either people still trying to park or long portapotty lines...) so we ended up starting at 8:15am. The wind chill was reportedly 8 degrees. By this point, I think everyone just wanted to get started so we could get finished! To say I was less than excited would be an understatement. Fortunately when the gun went off instinct took over and I just ran.

i've never raced with this many clothes on!

I LOVED the race course. It was continuous rolling hills...some major, some minor, nothing super steep.  Had it been 60 degrees out I would have been super happy!  We ran through the city and lots of neighborhoods. There were LOTS of turns (apparently we ran through like 135+ intersections!!)...the traffic control was superb (thank you volunteers and Syracuse police) and the numerous turns helped the run go by quickly.  During the first 10 miles I actually felt pretty decent.  I went through the first mile around 20th female, moved up a few places by halfway and then stayed there for the remainder of the race. I thought I might be able to reel a few ladies in during the last 2-3 miles but my endurance was just not there yet.

The last mile was down State Street straight into a headwind and I seriously thought that the wind combined with my faucet of a nose had combined to give me frostbite on my upper lip.  I couldn't even speak when I finished because my face was frozen in place.  Fortunately, my face thawed quickly once I got out of the wind and I even surprised myself running faster than I thought I would and ended up with a 1st place age group award. Despite the weather, I really enjoyed this race and recommend it be put on your early race season schedule.

There are some great races coming up in April and May (and maybe the snow will even have melt by then)! Check out a few of my favorites...Fork2Fit springtime 10K (on the 70.3 run course...a great preview if you plan on doing the tri), Fork2Fit Orchard Run and Du the Lakes Duathlon.  And if you are not up for racing please consider volunteering! Ken Hammond is offering a free race entry to either of the Fork2Fit races if you volunteer at one of the races. Click on the link - when you register to volunteer it will ask if you are racing for free.

As always, thank you to family and my sponsors! I couldn't do any of this without your support!!

Accepting Yourself

I have a friend who has been going through a very difficult time right now in her life.  Recently she sent me a text that said, "Where are the people that say, 'Just be you. I love you just the way you are.'"

I can empathize with her on this. I find that there are so many people (spouses, significant others, social media, blogs, etc) telling us what we should do be doing.  How we should act.  How we should spend our free time. How whatever we are doing is not good enough if we aren't doing what they are doing.  It can really start to bring a person down and make one question their self-worth. Often I think some people feel they have to change who they are to be liked and accepted.

It is so important to not listen to these voices and work on loving who we are. As I was searching for some inspirational articles I came across this blog entry that really struck a chord with me.  It is entitled Accept Yourself as You Are. Even When Others Don't. In the blog, she discusses growing up feeling the need to change to meet others expectations. As an adult, she then comes to the realization that the only person she needs to please is herself.  What a great message but difficult to put into practice without a high level of self-confidence.

When I am doing what I love, I find I am happy and confident.  This allows me to be a great mom and role model for my daughters. At work I am more efficient and am really able to make a difference in my patient's lives. For some people, they find that inner peace through yoga or through religion and charitable work. Some may spend hours in the kitchen creating elaborate meals. And there are those of us that just need to get a good, hard workout in. Find what works for you. What puts a smile on your face?

The bottom line is really knowing that who you are is enough. And if others can't see that they are not worth spending time around. So my advice to my friend is, find those people and do not let them go. They are true gems. I know I love her just the way she is.

Wattie Ink/Black Dragon Racing Triathlon Camp

The first thing my daughter Maggie said to me when I returned from San Diego was , "Mom, you need to write another blog. I have been checking every day and you still don't have a new one up!"  So, I guess I better get writing!!

Back in December, I signed up for a triathlon camp put on by my coach, Robert Flanigan and Wattie Ink.  The camp was located in San Diego and was to be 5 intense days consisting of 20+ hours of training. I knew nobody that was going but figured we all had triathlon in common so it should be a fun experience. Here's a recap of the amazing week!

I arrived in SD Wednesday night and after meeting my two roommates (also first year Watties), Doris and Kinsey, we all fell into bed to get some quality sleep before camp began.  When Kinsey made the hotel reservations they told her we had a suite so we were expecting plenty of room for 3 people. Apparently a suite in California-speak means a closet.  It was definitely not meant to hold 3 people and 3 bikes.

At least our bikes had a place to sleep!

We were grateful, however, that it was at least on the first floor (especially by the 4th and 5th day)! Here's our itinerary for the week...

The swimming venue at Alga Norte was incredible. The outdoor pool was set up the first 2 days in long course meters then switched to short course yards for the rest of the week. Jonathon Caron was our swim coach. (You can read a little about him here).  On our last day in the pool, Flanny and Johnny put us into 3 teams of four and we had a relay race. It was a 400 IM that could be split up among the swimmers by 50 yards however we felt best. In the end each swimmer had to have completed 100 yards total and the relay had to have 100 yards of each stroke completed (freestyle had to be swum with a band around the ankles).  It took awhile for us to understand what the rules were but once we all did we had fun strategizing the best way to put together our team. I swam a 50 fly and 50 back.  It was ugly but I got it done :-). We had a ringer on our team..Karin was a DIII swimmer in college and definitely was key in our win!

Roomies and besties!!!

At the top of Palomar

Along the Oceanside course

We did most of our rides right along the coast and could see the surfers and waves the whole ride.  Coach Flanny opened his room for everyone to load up on nutrition before each ride.  Our sponsors, Herbalife24 and Power Bar, had provided POUNDS of product for our camp.  We fell in love in particular with the PB chocolate wafers from Power Bar and I really liked the Prolong product from Herbalife24. On our two longer rides we had sag support provided by Speedfil so didn't have to worry about packing a ton of food which was super nice.

YUM!!

Everywhere we rode had a dedicated bike lane and the drivers seem to expect and respect the cyclists.  However, it is the law to stop at every red light and stop sign and there are a lot of them. All of the rides involved numerous stop and starts.  After riding in Syracuse where you can go many miles without even seeing a light it was frustrating to me!  Riding in a group was also new for me ... I had to learn when to call things out and what the various hand motions meant.  It also wasn't safe to ride in aero so I rode mile upon mile up on my hoods which was not super comfortable.  But it did feel amazing to be riding outdoors and it was nice to have people to chat with while riding.

Palomar Mountain

We made it!!!!

Our schedule got changed around a bit due to the weather forecast so Saturday became our 90 mile ride including 13 miles straight up Palomar Mountain.  I was kind of dreading this until we got started.  There was big talk about the difficulty of this climb among the coaches and team members leading up to camp. I don't do well when the incline gets too steep and pictured myself walking the bike up several points in the climb. But as often happens, it was much easier than I had made it out to be in my mind. In contrast to Syracuse hills, the SD ones are not super steep...just long, constant climbing. I LOVED it - the incline was perfect for me to keep an even rhythm and steady watts.

Our running playground

Sunday we headed over to Los Penasquitos Canyon to do a little trail running for our long run.  It was a rocky, dusty trail out in the sunlight...very unlike the forest trails here in CNY. We threw in some 10 minute tempo intervals on the rolling path while mountain bikers flew by just to keep things interesting.

A year ago they only had ONE sewing machine...the factory has grown!!

One of the highlights of camp was getting a tour of the Wattie Ink factory. We met Sean Watkins and saw exactly how a kit goes from an idea to a reality.  The Wattie Ink clothing is just amazing. Much of the work is still done by hand and the attention to detail is incredible.  Check out the product line! Kits are currently 20% off! We also had Dr Dana Ryan from Herbalife 24 and Gary from Marcpro come speak with us about their products and we even got the chance to try them out.

The marcpro providing valuable active recovery to my sore and tired muscle

Besides myself, Doris and Kinsey, there was one other first year Wattie at the camp. We all adopted Matt as "one of the girls" (he loves when I say this!!) and the four of us found ourselves hanging out together whenever we weren't training. Everyone at camp was amazing and friendly but I would not have made it through without these three!!  I seriously have not laughed this much in a long time!

The ladies at our last dinner together...

I left for camp unsure about how motivated I was for the season and what kind of shape I was in...especially after the minor injury setbacks I have been having.  I was pleasantly surprised at how riding on the trainer really does keep you in outstanding riding shape. And being able to run at all was a positive! SO now I am ready...physically AND mentally...to gear up my training for race #1 this year...Ironman Syracuse 70.3!

Inspiration

I have always been a very driven athlete. I tend to train alone with little to no outside motivation needed to get out the door each day to train. Lately, however, I am finding it harder and harder to get out of bed when that 5am alarm goes off.  Excuses I use are that I am getting older, slowing down is inevitable, my body is telling me it's tired and needs rest, I'll work out later in the day, etc...ya know what I mean?  Of course temps below zero with -20 degree wind chills don't help either!

Another reason I am lazy when I hear the alarm is that I have been dealing with a weird injury (nothing about me is ever normal :-) ) down my left leg. It seems to be some sciatic pain due to either weakness in my hips or tightness in my hips...or most likely both!  Either way, I am still able to bike and swim so I am not completely miserable. But the bottom line is I am still just not that excited about the upcoming season.

Recently, however, two separate incidents occurred that started getting my competitive juices flowing again. The first was in the form of an email from one of the local coaches. Here is an excerpt:

"there was a time, long, long ago......while driving my daughter to the high school in the late 90's in the early mornings in the freezing cold on days much like today,  when we would usually drive by an adult female runner on salt springs road who would be wearing a  t shirt and running shorts and maybe a hat and gloves and that's it. that runner would be the daily inspiration to my daughter, who was a somewhat accomplished middle distance and xc runner on the hs team, to get out there in the cold, daily at practice. she would motivate her teammates, by her example, to get the job done daily regardless of the weather. the image of that woman exhaling frosty smoke each morning would make us smile and prepare our resolve to better handle the winter conditions while others stayed inside. it was rumored that the woman was also a pharmacist..."

I awoke to this email on my phone and it put a smile on my face all day. It reminded me of how tough and determined I was only a few years (well 15 years) ago.  It's hard to put into words how I felt reading this. I was amazed and honored to be someone's inspiration. I decided right then that I would use this to motivate me to keep at it...get back to my 5:30am workouts.  It is so important to me to be a good example for my daughters...someone for them to look up to...something to aspire to be. I've worked hard at this and it was definitely not time to quit yet!

The second incident came when a fellow Monroe-Woodbury High School alum decided he was going to attempt to break the WORLD record for age 45-49 in the indoor mile run. John Trautmann was an amazing runner back in the day. OK amazing is really a HUGE understatement! He broke Steve Prefontaine’s HS national record in the 3,000-meter run then went on to win the 5000m at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials.  He dropped out of the semis in the Olympics due to a (seemingly) career-ending foot injury. Twenty years later, foot surgically fused and 60 pounds heavier he hooks up with his old college coach to get back in shape. Read more of John's story here.

I started following his return to racing last year when he ran a 4:24 mile in Boston. He fell short of the world record last year but was back at it again this indoor season.  On Saturday, we tuned in to Facebook to see if he would break the record. The previous week he went 4:18 missing by 2 secs. He went 4:12 and smashed the record by 4 seconds!! What inspired me the most was that a year older (at 46), he runs 12 seconds faster than the year before.  He showed me it is still possible to improve...even as a masters athlete. Age is REALLY just a number!

Inspiration and motivation can come in many forms and is unique to each individual. Find your inspiration and continue to strive to be your best.

Back at it - Masters Swim Meet!

I've taken the plunge and started a blog. Yes another blog on the internet. Not very unique but it seems like a good way to practice writing and keep my mind sharp as I age...if nothing else.  I really am not sure what direction this blog will be taking but I'm hoping that after writing a few blog posts that the blog will find its own direction.

A little about me...I am a single mom to two daughters...Phoebe 12yo and Maggie 8yo.  I have been divorced for 6 years.  I am a full time pharmacist at the best grocery store in the country - Wegmans. My other "part time job" is an age group triathlete. My life is crazy busy but I love it.

I have been an athlete all of my life - gymnast, bodybuilder, long jumper, sprinter, long distance runner and triathlete. For two brief years I was a professional triathlete but now I am back in the age group ranks.  This year I was honored to be selected to the Wattie Ink Elite Team (www.wattieink.com).  It is a select group of driven triathletes from all over the country that love to push themselves to be the best they can be.  The team also has partnered with numerous incredible sponsors (which I will be sharing info about in the coming blogs).  This week I will be heading out to San Diego to take part in the Black Dragon Racing/Wattie Ink Triathlon Camp. I will definitely be sharing my camp experience here!

Today I participated in a Masters Swim meet.  I seriously think anyone who can swim should take part in a swim meet.  It is sooo much fun!!!  Each race is done in heats...slowest heat to fastest. When you register for the meet, you put down a seed time...basically a guess of what you think you might swim. I recommend erring on the side of slower...it always feels good to beat your seed time :-) . At the meet they give ribbons for first, second and third in each 5 year age group. And often there are only a few in each age group so most leave with a ribbon.  It really is a very positive experience no matter how slow or fast you are!! And if you can get 3 other friends to join you, you can even put together a relay.

Two years ago I competed in my first swim meet.  When I got an email that the Syracuse Sweetheart Masters meet at Jamesville-Dewitt Middle School was taking place on a day I did not have to work, I was excited to see how much I have slowed in the last 2 years.  I signed up for the 50 free, 100free, 100 IM and 500 free.  This was the first time I had ever swam an IM event in a swim meet so the good news is that I was guaranteed to PR. I was also asked to be in 2 relays.  I knew this would keep me from swimming super fast in my individual events due to where they fell in the schedule but I figured how hard could a 50 be? Plus it's always fun being part of a team!!

The first event of the meet was the 200 medley relay.  A great way to get the jitters out because it really is just for fun.  My 50 free went well and I felt ready for the IM which was coming up soon.  I was nervous for the butterfly but it ended up going really well.  I was the slowest seed in the event and came in last overall but had so much fun AND won a first place ribbon (because I was the only one in my age group in the race)! LOL! (1:21)

 After the 100IM, I swam a little cool down and almost missed the 50 free because the races were back to back.  I hopped out of the pool and made my way over to the blocks - just in time as the whistle blew to mount the blocks as soon as I got there.  Still breathing heavily they announced "set" and then the *beep* sounded and I took off.  My time was 2 secs slower than in 2013 but I had just finished the IM so I was pretty satisfied. (0:31)

Next was the 200 free relay.  Again I had a decent leg but then immediately had to get back on the blocks for the 100 free.  This did not quite go as well  After 75 yards my legs and arms started tingling with that lack of oxygen feeling.  I ended up 8s slower with a 1:10 but again...not complaining!

Finally, after a little break, it was time for the 500.  By this point I was pretty exhausted but was still hoping for a strong race. I seeded myself at 6:40. For the 500 they have someone count laps for you. You can pick your own lap counter. I was lucky enough to have the best most awesome lap counter...Maggie!! She had a blast and asked when we could do another meet again!! I felt pretty good for the first 200 then started falling apart. I was completely spent by the time I hit the wall in 6:34. My times in the 50, 100 and 500 were all good enough for 2nd place. Maggie was excited to take lots of pictures of me with my ribbons. (Truth - only 2 40-44 females in the meet...and she did not do the 100IM).

So that's it.  I never swam as a kid but survived a masters swim meet. If I can do it, you can too!! Visit www.usms.org and find a meet near you!

Thank you Wattie Ink, Power Bar, Herbalife24, BlueSeventy, Challenge America Races, Rudy Project, MarcPro, Speedfil, Diamondback, Reynolds, ISM saddles and my 2 biggest fans Maggie and Phoebe.