Monday, February 25, 2008

Coach Bubba 20k - training run...

Friday morning and my legs were still reminding me that they moved an entire apartment of furniture and "stuff" (it's amazing how much stuff can accumulate over a year - and how well I can hide it so that I don't even realize how much stuff I have) the weekend before. I had skipped my long run that weekend in place of carrying boxes up and down stairs and loading my car up with all of my precious treasures that I hadn't seen since I put them away and probably wouldn't see again until I moved once more. Nonetheless, it was like the workout of workouts and 5 days later I was still sore.

So the Coach Bubba 20k on Saturday was going to be a training run. Just a nice relaxing run to get my long run in for the weeekend. I got to the Durham Bulls Stadium nice and early to pick up my race packet, which contained my number and my chip (and some nice coupons for local restaurants that I probably wouldn't go to otherwise). Normally at this point I have the pre-race jitters that come from not knowing what to expect in a race. But they hadn't kicked in yet. I headed to the start line and still nothing.

Then the gun went off and the whole hoard of runners surrounding me surged forward. I took off at a comfortable pace. My legs still felt heavy so I took it easy to give them plenty of time to warm up. I knew there were hills ahead.

At the 5k marker I was still at a nice comfortable pace. That was about the last time I was still at that nice comfortable pace. Because a race is a race and although I'd been telling myself all morning that this was just a training run, I knew in the back of my mind that these times would be posted and I wanted to do well. I picked up the pace for awhile despite the feedback from my legs. I hit the hills harder than I planned because I knew 6 miles of flats were ahead. Hahah. Right! By the time I got to the flats, it felt like one long uphill battle.

It was a good run though. All in all, I had a great time. Met some really nice people. Enjoyed my morning. And posted a time that was respectable although not close to where I'd like to be. Now I know where I'm at though, so I'll know what I need to do to get to where I'd like to be!

Monday, February 11, 2008

First Elite Triangle Triathlon Team Group Ride

Being the newest member to the Elite Triangle Triathlon Team has already been a very exciting experience for me! Not only did I get to join in on my first group ride (an experience in and of itself), I also had the wonderful opportunity to pick up trash by the side of the road. But, first thing's first...the group ride.

I pulled into an unmarked gas station/convenience store on a background out by Jordan Lake. When I say unmarked, what I really mean is that it wasn't a Hess or an Exxon or a BP. It was more like a mom and pop shop that had a couple of old-time gas pumps and convenience store that sold bait and tackle for fishing on the lake. Two of the girls from the team were already there setting up their bikes and more members of the team were showing up. They all seemed to know who I was since I was the only one they didn't know...or maybe it was because I was the only one there with one leg. Regardless, it was a warm introduction to everyone and I was looking forward to going out on a nice easy ride with them.

When I say nice easy ride, I really did think it would be nice and easy. We only had about 2 hours before the trash pick-up event so it couldn't be that long. I got into a comfortable pace behind one of the other riders and enjoyed the crisp wind at my face. After a while I pulled up alongside another girl and we chatted for a bit about triathlons, Ironmans and general tidbits about ourselves. We'd been riding for about 30 minutes. I felt pretty good. Then I found that it was harder and harder to chit chat with this girl. I dropped back behind her again to take advantage of the draft and to catch my breath. For the first time I looked down at my bike computer. We'd now been riding for about 45 min. We'd gone about 14 miles. And we'd been averaging about 18 mph. No wonder I was a bit winded. On my own, I normally average about 15.5 mph over a 40 mile bike. By the end of this group ride I kept up the avg of 18 mph, finishing almost 40 miles in just over 2 hours. I guess I'm just going to have to keep riding with a group!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Eating Healthy


You're trying so hard to eat healthy. Tofu, salads, low-fat cottage cheese. Sound familiar? But it doesn't have to be a drag to fit some healthy meals into your day. I have always been a proponent of moderation. That double chocolate chunk cookie can still fit into your diet. I guess I was fortunate enough to grow up around good food. My parents never restricted what I could eat, but I always seemed to gravitate towards the healthier options like fresh fruit, grilled chicken, steamed veggies. Eating healthier doesn't have to be a chore. On the whole, choose grilled over fried, veggie sauces over cream sauces, leave the mayo off the sandwich and ask for the dressing on the side. Enjoy what you eat; just make sure you're fueling your body with the nutrients it needs.