Is Flat Really Faster?

Of course I know the answer to that. It is yes. Right? This is certainly true with cycling and swimming. You just cannot make up the time you spent going up hills on the bike with an equal downhill. And rough water swims -- well, obviously. 

This weekend's half marathon is super flat. Like they must have carved a flat road on purpose for it. Part of it is run on a levee, so yeah, I guess man created the flatness. The website says that the total elevation gain is what I do in my first mile out of my neighborhood. And then also in the second mile. And the third, even though it is half downhill. I am so used to running on false flats up long slow hills for the first few miles of my runs that I am not sure I know how to run on a truly flat road anymore. But the best part is that I'm warmed up and can cruise back home at the end. How much of having a downhill finish is mental? And can I even keep a steady pace on flats anymore? Do my legs work like they used to?

I don't run the other direction from my house due to the boringness. It's pretty, but there's only so long you can stare at the exact same beautiful scenery and feel like you're not going anywhere. It's like a treadmill in front of a window. Like for miles and miles. And this is all you can see.

The rumor is that this flat levee section is dirt, and therefore could feel like uphill both ways. Hopefully since it is run along the ironically named Rio "Grande" there will be some scenery other than dirt. I'm hoping for the best. Of course I haven't actually registered for it yet, and I kind of started "tapering" (not that I had a training plan going) super early due to Thanksgiving travel. Being around many cold germs for the holiday has me overanalyzing my scratchy throat and every sneeze.  But if vitamin C consumption in the form of orange juice has any diminishing effect on it, I'll be good. 

Taper Time! 3 weeks to go

It's March, the month I've been thinking about for the last 8 now! I'll be hitting the 37 week mark tomorrow, which means just one thing: it's time to taper. I've done the work, and now it's time to sit back and relax, and prop my feet up. While lying on the ironing board.

I'm taking this literally. Actually, my baby is still breech, so I've been doing everything possible to get him to flip. The fact that he's not in position has caused me a lot of stress. My doctor will deliver by cesarean if breech, and that was definitely not in my plans. I know there are always surprises and circumstances that pop up right before or during a race that you've been planning for months. This changes the whole race for me. I've found that I've stopped reading my Bradley and Ina May books on natural childbirth, and my obsession with getting the baby to turn is changing to finding reasons why cesareans are actually chosen by some people. There must be positives.

Otherwise, I plan on tapering as I've always done. Since most of the work is done, I need to concentrate on not ruining my race delivery now. Rest is important in this stage, and as Gordo writes, I might want to reduce my outside commitments. Done! The last week or two it has been hard for me to commit to work out partners, and I had to quit my pro bono swim lessons. That wasn't hard, since they wanted to meet at 6 am. I need my rest.

"Lay out all gear well in advance," says Gordo, along with ensuring the equipment is 100% functional. The room is stocked and the cats have tested the comfort of all soft surfaces.

The jogging stroller got a good shaking out for potential loose parts as soon as it was put together (thanks J). We even figured out and installed the carseat base.

I'm not waking up earlier to get ready for the race day alarm, but I am waking up frequently in the middle of the night, and often spending an hour or more lying awake (usually trying to massage baby into a better position). That's great training for nursing.

Since I'm still trying to put some fat on this baby, I'm not eating less, but trying to get an abundance of good nutrients, lots of fluid, and plenty of protein. My exercise has been steady, but may be taking a hit due to a newly developed cough and cold (which I'm trying not to medicate at all). And swimming is out for the next two weeks due to both pools in town being simultaneously closed. I'm still enjoying running most, and even kept up with a group last weekend. We dropped one guy :)

Staying out of the sun has been harder, since it's been beautiful outside, but I am avoiding alcohol and naps. There's no expo to limit my time in, but I don't spend a lot of time in baby stores or around new moms with horror stories. That has to be similar to staying away from the expo.

The mental imagery is the hardest for me with this new twist of natural vs cesarean. I'm trying to go through each with the most positive thoughts. The ending is always the same, with a new healthy baby boy to take home. Just like crossing the finish line when you know you'll get there no matter what.

March = spring, and spring is here!

My beautiful V-day flowers from Jeremy :)

From our back balcony at sunset

 

I'm really going to get bigger than this?!

Non-Running Injuries

I'm happy to report that my hip pain (TFL) has decreased significantly over the past few weeks, that is, until I did a slow 4-miler last Friday. Maybe my body likes a faster pace better? I will have no problems with that on marathon day. My usual hamstring tendinitis that I caught on Ballbuster Hill my last season of college CC has been reminding me of its existence every so often, especially when I lie down to go to sleep. 

But in that very position, prone in bed --not out on my long run-- is where I seem to have developed the worst of my injuries from the weekend. It's the right shoulder. Stupid lax joints! And my lack of swimming probably doesn't help that. 

The other pain I've recently developed actually did happen on my long run yesterday. It wasn't due to the constant concrete surface or the slope of the road though. It was my fuel belt. As I bounced along for approximately 27,000 steps, the tiny bottles strapped to my waist tap-tap-tapped along, resulting in 3 bruises on my stomach and back, precisely where the bottles sat. 

My quads are feeling good, calves have no problems, feet and ankles are managing just fine. Now I'm ready for this race to just hurry up and get here!

My double

I missed the back to back Memphis in May races this year due to being out of the country :), so I have planned MY double for this weekend. I will do a 5k that I do every year at 7pm Friday, followed by Dragonfly Triathlon approximately 13 hours later. 

This week I spent with my sisters, niece, and nephews, tapering by running a couple of times and doing some alternative training. Wii boxing was a favorite. Still can't figure out how to beat the 4-year-old and/or not have aching arms the next day. My aching arms could also be due to holding my 22 pound, 5-mo-old nephew.

Among non-Wii injuries sustained this weekend, topping the list is the possible broken toe from kicking a heavy table in the dark. Should be fun running off-road! The bike and swim stuff came along for the trip but never left the garage except when the kids and I rode up and down the sidewalk. We'll see if good taper = good raceS.

pre-race

Another race this weekend means another set of pre-race jitters... er, thoughts. I'm actually not that nervous, mostly because I'm not that into it. Is that ok to say before a race? I'm not sure normal people admit that. Maybe I'll come around before Saturday at 7 am, when Heatwave starts. Last year's race was a little less than ideal for me, so hopefully it's only up from there.

This week's thoughts include:

-I'm hoping miniature Hershey almond bars + miniature Heath bars are good race fuel. That's mostly what I've eaten this week. Thanks, husband.

-I wonder if the "Temp: 90F, Feels Like: 102F" weather from St. Lucia almost 2 weeks ago will still have me acclimated. 

-My legs are feeling good. At least at 8 min pace. Let's just try not to run any faster than that.

-No way we'll wear wetsuits this year.

-Darn it, because I forgot to swim for almost 3 weeks. 

-It's swim cramming week!

-Being THIS familiar with the course: will it help or hurt? I know every hill, turn, and crack in the run course.

-Can we please have a short course this year? Pretty please?

-Didn't I used to like long course racing?

-It's really time to get that creak in my bike checked out. I'm making excuses for myself already.

-I have a brand new race outfit! Why do guys always laugh when I call it an "outfit"? It's all coordinated and everything...
-Not going to even think about the alligators, not going to think about the alligators....

Results to come. GOOD results to come, surely. :)

the good

This week has gone by so much faster!I'm getting used to my 4:40 wake up call 3 times a week, and I've started doing some training of clients. 

I went back to Memphis last weekend for just over 24 hours, and filled that time with my bachelorette party, which you can read more about here and here. Laura and Damie did such a good job of entertaining (and keeping me out super late) and documenting one of my last single weekends . I also got to see Kellie and her adorable 2-year-old daughter who I'd never met! It's been that long.

Unfortunately Nancy couldn't make it back to town, but I'm very excited to report that she has started her own blog to keep us all updated on her adventures while in east Tennessee. 


This week in training is TAPER week, or really not so much, since I've not been training much to begin with. First race of the season is Sunday in Oxford. This will be J's first race in about 18 months, and I'm expecting big things (just not a victory over me). 


The tri season is here!

"Enormous Aerobic Optimism"

That's what the very first Ironman competitors had (according to Timothy Carlson), along with enough lack of sanity to do this new, crazy, and fully unsupported event back in 1978. They knew nothing about optimal hydration and nutrition, but still managed to survive. These guys (and in 1979, girls) were amazingly tough, in addition to being crazy. A great example of that was the 1979 winner, Tom Warren.

"... Warren, a former USC Trojan swimmer, was better known for his addiction to self-imposed amazing endurance feats. He had already swum a 15-mile ocean race, run 75 miles through the mountains, and completed a 1,600 mile bicycle trip in two weeks. He was fond of winning bar bets by doing 400 sit-ups in a sauna after a rigorous series of workouts which might include running to Tijuana and back with some swims thrown in for good measure. Warren had a crazy off-kilter running stride caused by a broken leg when he was two years old--but he was quietly fierce."

There was a 14-year-old boy who finished the race in '79. He will always be the youngest competitor, since they set a lower age limit at 18 soon after that. Race officials weighed competitors twice during the 1981 race because they were afraid they might start dying off. At some point, Bud Light started sponsoring this thing, and Julie Moss helped get everyone's attention by using a form of locomotion other than walking or running during the last leg. I think that's when they changed the rulebook to include crawling as an option.

I can tell this is from Dig Me Beach, so it's after they moved the race to Kona in 1981.

There is an amazing book of Ironman history called Iron Will. But here's an excellent recounting of The Twelve Greatest Moments of the Ironman by Timothy Carlson. Read it. It may be motivating.

I was excited to get to meet three of the original Ironman finishers last year. Two sat at my table at the awards banquet in Kona, John Knoll and Dave Orlowski, and one I met at Ironman Florida, Henry Forrest, who is battling cancer. He had THE original Ironman trophy that he let me hold. It was just like this one:

Others who keep me inspired include Rick and Dick Hoyt, Sister Madonna Buder, and our very own Memphian, GaryIronmanHolmes. Damie has posted some photos from his early years of Ironman. I was marveling the other day about Gary's vast knowledge of exercise physiology. He knows more of the subject than any non-exercise physiologist I've ever met. I'm excited to be racing (in front of) him next weekend (right Gary?).

Because of these people and because of that VCR tape that I still have (and watch) of the 1997 Ironman World Championship, I have "enormous aerobic optimism" about my race in a few days.

A Time for Rest

Taper time is a time for rest, whenever and wherever you can get it. I think Jackson is a lot like me; he catches naps when he's tired, at the exact spot at which he finds himself tired.


I think I've been sleeping in weird positions lately, too. I wake up and my neck or shoulders feel like I've been playing contact sports all night. Sometimes I wake up all curled up in the fetal position. But usually not upside down.

But when you're tired, you're tired.