Monument 10K PR and Finish Times

Monument 10K finish times
2004 (granted I was pregnant with Redfish) Time 1:34:22;
2006 Finish time (man that was a hot day!) Time 1:26:01
2007 Unofficial finish time Time 1:13

Goal: met -- 73 minutes for 6.2 Miles
Huge PR! I took 13 minutes off. And, I don't feel totally wasted.
Yeah!

Thanks Ann for pacing me....I couldn't have done it without you!

Race report and official results later.

Update: Official results
01:13:31

Mama, I Hope You Have Your Ipod!

Redfish started running down the path at Cheswick Park this morning, just for fun. I started to run with him. He turns to me and says, "Mama, I hope you have your Ipod!"
This, of course just cracked me up. Like I can't run unless I have my Ipod. Legs won't work. Nothing. Then he turns to me and says, "and your bicycle, and Daisy's bicycle, and your swimsuit and your Ipod."
Now, I know equipment is important...but I didn't realize it was that important. I guess for him, you don't run unless your gonna' at least bike and swim too. And you better have some tunes, or I mean, why bother. A true triathlete, at heart.

Daisy Gets Her Reward -- Biking with the TRIgirls

More good and bad. The good news is I had a PR on a timed half mile repeat -- 4:56, The bad news is that all of the rest of them felt like I was running 4:56's and I wasn't. They ranged from 5:08 to 5:31.

In other news, Daisy Head Maisy has completed 2 dental sessions for her 8 cavities. I think now 6 have been filled, and unfortunately she is left with 2 surgical steel caps in addition to all the other silver in her mouth. We also got her her first fluoride treatment (hmmm maybe we should've done this sooner)! And she got sealant put on her permanent molars, to hopefully prevent cavities from ever forming there. Her reward? Getting to bike with the TRIgirls.

She was really, really happy. We brought her Cinderella bike with the training wheels and bent them down so it was like at trainer. She kept wanting to stand when we stood in the saddle, but I wouldn't let her because it wasn't really as stable as a trainer.

She kept complaining about being sore in the sadle. I guess that makes her a true TRIgirl.

Good news. And bad news.

The good news is Coach Mark says we don't have to run and extra 6-7 miles before or after the 10K. I was dreading sprinting the Monument Avenue 10K and then trying to find the energy to want to jog home. The bad news is that means we'll have a 14 mile and a 16 mile run coming up in the next several weeks. I know I said this last night...but I didn't bargain for 16 miles! I was thinking MAYBE 13.1 (walking most of it). Now we'll have to see if little miss Triathlonmom can run 16 miles! I guess I'll never know until I try.

Strength training last night was fairly easy, and focused mainly on our arms, with hardly any leg work. Now I know, that can mean only one thing. Look Out! A brutally hard bike training session is coming!

It was certainly the toughest 1 hour bike we've had yet. I guess Mark wants to get every last bit of (supervised and coached) training in before he sets us free at West Creek. My legs were still tight and sore from last night when I started my run this morning.

On another note, I should mention that Redfish finally got into the preschool we've been trying to get into since November. Yea! And Daisy lost her big front tooth on Friday....she is so cute....but is a mess....in so many ways. I predict tooth number 2 will fall out tomorrow. And then, I'll try to get a photo posted so you can see for yourself.

Good news. And bad news.

The good news is Coach Mark says we don't have to run and extra 6-7 miles before or after the 10K. I was dreading sprinting the Monument Avenue 10K and then trying to find the energy to want to jog home. The bad news is that means we'll have a 14 mile and a 16 mile run coming up in the next several weeks. I know I said this last night...but I didn't bargain for 16 miles! I was thinking MAYBE 13.1 (walking most of it). Now we'll have to see if little miss Triathlonmom can run 16 miles! I guess I'll never know until I try.

Strength training last night was fairly easy, and focused mainly on our arms, with hardly any leg work. Now I know, that can mean only one thing. Look Out! A brutally hard bike training session is coming!

It was certainly the toughest 1 hour bike we've had yet. I guess Mark wants to get every last bit of (supervised and coached) training in before he sets us free at West Creek. My legs were still tight and sore from last night when I started my run this morning.

On another note, I should mention that Redfish finally got into the preschool we've been trying to get into since November. Yea! And Daisy lost her big front tooth on Friday....she is so cute....but is a mess....in so many ways. I predict tooth number 2 will fall out tomorrow. And then, I'll try to get a photo posted so you can see for yourself.

24 Hours Later, A Change in Perspective

Funny how much 24 hours can change your perspective. Reading back at my last blog entry...I don't know what I was thinking ....contemplating an Ironman. Today, I am feeling a cross between guilty, because I missed the swim last night (had company in town) and burned-out and discouraged because all this hard work doesn't seem to be paying off.

On Saturday, my timed mile was 23 seconds slower than my PR -- 10:43. And my timed 1/2 mile repeats were erratic. I think it went something like this: (Keep in mind my goal was 5:10).

1 5:15 (downhill)

2 5:25

3 5:10 (downhill)

4 5:43 (Arrrh!)

5 5:10 (downhill)

6 5:23 (really pushing it to make goal time...with no luck).

Not only am I thinking about how all of this work isn't paying off as soon as I want it to, but I'm also thinking , "how long can I keep this up?" And, I am wondering if I am really going to run the 7 miles home from the 10K to my house (like my schedule suggests) or am I going to end up being lazy and hitching a ride? When I signed up for Eagleman, it was never my intention to actually RUN the run. I planned to walk most of it. But now, I figure I'm here, I might as well do the work and run if I can.

I know I can make it through training for Eagleman. But why do I keep feeling like taking a break from training? Why does sleeping in one morning or actually sitting down with my family to have dinner on a Monday or Wednesday sound so appealing?

What are the chances that I'm going to want to do another half iron event, the Patriot's Half?, in the fall? Well, the voice in my head is sounding a little whiny.....so I know it is time to sign out before I do too much damage, giving these doubts too much credit.

Sometimes, just when you start to get discouraged is when you start to see results. I'm hoping that where I am. And who knows, in 24 hours I might feel differently again.

Train for my Half Iron Race or Blog about it?

I haven't posted much details about workouts recently. I used to think If I didn't record them on my blog or something, they wouldn't count. Now, that I'm basically training 10 hours a week give or take, I'm finding that I'm too busy working out to find time to write as much. And of course, you gotta keep things in perspective -- miss a workout or miss writing about a workout. Easy choice!

I've was reading an unnamed TRIgirl blog which announce that ..we're about to really ramp up the intensity of the workouts. Oh God, here we go again! I'm really not sure that I'm ready... adding on the strength training has been as much of an intensity builder as I can manage right now. Luckily, although I've been sore, I haven't been 5-days sore again. And although I've been struggling to complete the set number of reps in a particular exercise, as long as it keeps increasing from the last time, I'll call it progress, and try my best not to sweat it.

I do want to shout out to all you TRIgirls who were MIA at the strength training on Wednesday though....I think there were only three of us there. It was a beautiful day granted, but I'm not sure I like having the coaches all to my self. Too much pressure!

And just so I can look back on this spring and remember...when it wasn't so bad...we weren't doing to much and we hadn't really ramped up the intensity.....here is what a typical training week getting ready for Eagleman half iron on June 10th, looks like this for me:

Monday: 1 hour strength and weight training, 1 hour intense bike
Tuesday: 4 miles hills and stretching if I'm good, 1 hour
Wednesday: 1 hour strength & weight training, 1 hour intense bike
Thursday: 4 mile temp run, stretching, 1 hour
Friday: OFF
Saturday: either 1/2 mile repeats (total 4 miles) and 2 hour intense bike or 1 hour intense bike and a 2-hour, 10 mile run
Sunday: Swim +/- 2,500 meters, 1 hour

I've heard the average weekly training for Ironman athletes is 14 hours per week. If that is true, and I only have to add 4 more.....than maybe God willing....it is on the horizon somewhere down the line for me. Wait, let me do a half iron first...I don't want to even think that yet. OOOooops.

Richmond's Rich Slave History -- Are We Ready For It?

Richmond is finally coming to terms with its past. It's slavery past that is. Not everyone is ready for this, I know, but it is about time that Richmond embraced the truth and acknowledged in the huge role it played in enslaving and selling thousands of Africans.

Most people think of Richmond's rich Civil War history and its role as the Confederate capital -- without fully realizing that Richmond was the slave trading capital of the world for many years.
Few Richmonders know that areas they drive or walk across on a regular basis in downtown Richmond are sacred ground: The Devil's Half Acre, otherwise known as Lumpkin's Jail. The slave burial grounds near Broad and 15th. The slave trail across Mayo's bridge and through Shockoe Bottom. And the slave market itself not far from today's farmers market.


Richmonders and visitors alike don't realize that you can still visit the site where the slave ships docked and unloaded. Or respectfully remember the slave trail where new African slaves disembarked on the south side of the river at Ancarrow's landing and made their way, at night (so as not to offend city dwellers with their appearance or stench after a long journey) to Lumpkin's Jail.


We also remember the stories of hope. And of freedom. Henry "Box" Brown, the slave who shipped himself to freedom in Philadelphia was from Shockoe Bottom and worked there.
And, Lumpkin's Jail, became a school that is today called Virginia Union University, a university that graduated the United State's first (and only) black governor, Doug Wilder. And today, a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom, no longer seems a threat to these landmarks...or the potential to revive and remember our black history.

But Richmond's citizens, black and white, are finally embracing the truth....respectfully, I hope. If we do not remember those who suffered, how can we heal its wounds? If we do not remember the wrongs, how can we right them?


The University of Richmond has an actual relic of a slaveship, The Henrietta Marie, on display through May 18th. And starting this week there will be several events commemorating Richmond's slave history. The River City enews reports:


This month Richmond Region 2007 is recognizing 400 years of African American Trailblazers with a weeklong series of events ending in an awards gala chaired by Maya Angelou and Mayor L. Douglas Wilder. The week will begin with a free Community Gospel Concert at the Byrd Theatre March 25. March 26-29 the Living Word Stage Company will present the Storytelling of African American Trailblazers of Virginia. Distinguished national and local guests will assist in the grand unveiling of the Reconciliation Statue March 30 at 15th and Main Streets. The culminating event, the African American Trailblazers Awards Gala, will honor 12 trailblazers in various fields including business, the arts, science and education. For ticket information, call (804) 644-8515.


And forever and for always history in Virginia and slavery in particular will be a controversial and heated topic. Two recent perspectives in Style Weekly (a back page opinion piece by F.T. Rea and a Letter to the Editor about the opinion) continue to prove that point. Rea says:


[snip] In 1961, my seventh-grade history book, which was the official history of Virginia for use in public schools — as decreed by the General Assembly — had this to say about slavery at the end of its Chapter 29:Life among the Negroes of Virginia in slavery times was generally happy. The Negroes went about in a cheerful manner making a living for themselves and for those whom they worked. They were not so unhappy as some Northerners thought they were, nor were they so happy as some Southerners claimed. The Negroes had their problems and their troubles. But they were not worried by the furious arguments going on between Northerners and Southerners over what should be done with them. In fact, they paid little attention to those arguments.In 1961 I had no reason to question that paragraph’s veracity. Baseball was my No. 1 concern in those days.
Now those words read quite differently. [snip]

Michael Kelley's reply to the article above was also enlightening:
Looking Back on Slavery in Virginia
F.T. Rea wrote an interesting piece that left out some significant facts regarding the history of slavery in Virginia (“Unvarnishing Virginia History,” Back Page, Feb. 28).The first 20 Africans brought to Jamestown in 1619 were five-year indentured servants, not slaves bound to lifetime servitude. Once they served their indentures, they each received 50 acres of land.

Lifetime servitude -- slavery -- in Virginia and English-speaking America actually came about in 1654 when Anthony Johnson, one of the original indentured Jamestown Africans, sued for and won lifetime servitude of John Casor, another African indentured servant. Slavery in Virginia was begun by a black African.Twice while under British rule, Virginia tried to abolish slavery, but the Crown would not allow it because it was too profitable for the New England merchants shipping slaves and paying fees to the British Empire.According to the U.S. Census of 1860, even though Virginia had a “Black Code” on the books that forbade free blacks and free people of color from residing in the state, there were 64,000 of them living and working in Virginia. They were recorded as owning houses, farms, businesses — and slaves. [snip]

So, where do we go from here? And why isn't Richmond the site of the Slave Museum. This history is here...and the museum should be here too.

Blingy Blob Coundown to Eagleman Race

Thanks to TRIgirl 40, I finally figured out how to get my Eagleman countdown to the race working. Go ahead...page down ....check out my sidebar! Pretty cool, huh?
Now, I won't go a day without thinking....I've only got 2 months, 21 days, 17 hours, 47 minutes and 1 second left to my race!

U.S. Open Cycling Comes to Richmond

I can't believe I'm going to miss both the 3Sports Duathlon and the inaugeral U.S. Open Cycling Championships! Darn. ...Richmond is finally making news in the world of sports in more than one way. The US Open is even going to be broadcast live on NBC with both women's and men's events...here's the scoop...I bet it will be great to watch them take those hairpin turns through the city ....and take on Richmond's very own pothole (and cobblestone) heaven. OK, to be fair it looks like they avoided most of the cobblestones. Actually, looking at the course map, they will be riding right down 3rd Street in front of the Visitor Center (convention center) where I work. This would be a great place to watch from as there is plenty of parking....clean bathrooms and overhangs to shelter from rain or sun.


Cycling Championships Coming to Richmond Region
The inaugural U.S. Open Cycling Championships are coming to the Richmond Region April 7, just weeks before America's 400th Anniversary. This nationally televised, first-ever event will feature both a men's and women's race that promise to provide the NBC Sports viewing audience scenic views of Virginia's history. The men's race will begin in the Colonial Capitol of Williamsburg and continue along Route 5 to a grueling set of circuits in Downtown Richmond. The women will race the same set of downtown circuits earlier that day.

5 Days Later I am Still Sore, but That is the Least of my Worries

First of all I should say that I certainly hope that today is the last day of my soreness....from last Monday. Today is Saturday, so hmm that would be 5 days straight of being really sore! Can't wait for next Monday to do strength training again and start all over again.

After Wednesday's workout I wasn't sure what to expect for today. On Wednesday, my chain fell off while I was shifting from the big chain ring to the small. The chain did a figure 8 inside the derailleur-sprocket area. Don't ask me how that is even possible. TRIboy Michael had to take off my back tire to fix it. When he put my tire back on, he locked it down differently and subsequently caused my bike to fall out of the trainer TWICE before I fixed it. Thank God that I was able to unclip and catch myself both times. With an audience, I just want to say that I was sweating WAY more than the rest of the class doing their work out.

Coach Mark brought a cooler full of Guinness for us to celebrate a halfway point in our training for Eagleman after the workout. Let me just say it is a shame that I don't like Guinness. But I enjoyed about half a beer anyway. Since I hadn't eaten diner It went straight to my head. Half a Clif bar later I was feeling less buzzed but nauseated at the mixing of Clif bar and Guinness. Race note: don't train with Clif's and Guinness!

Today I was scheduled for another 10 mile run. I made it through about 7.5 and then pulled something in my foot. I'm not sure what I did, but after that I just couldn't run without the bottom of my left foot hurting. I walked back to Maramarc while training partner Cheryl was able to finish for her first 10 miler! Go Cheryl!

It's feeling better now...just don't ask me to run on it, yet.

Here's the breakdown of my run:

8.58 Run

1.28 Walk/recovery

5.11 R

1.04 W

9.08 R

2.27 W

6.09 R

1.28 W

4.53 R

.57 W

7.58 R

1.32 W

10.04 Stretching at the Capitol (decided I don't like to stop and stretch)

10.36 R

1.55 W

7.31 R

1.35 W

7.54 R

2.38 W

7.13 R

1.28 W

2.28 R (this is where I got hurt)

1.35 W

1.24 R ....and then walked the rest.

Needless to say it was a long 10 miles.

I took a short nap, and when I woke up I had that yucky feeling. hmmm maybe too much water not enough salt. Drank a V8 (300 mg sodium for a mini can) and I immediately felt better. Go figure.

More 1/2 Mile Repeats

Since I was sick on Saturday and missed my repeats, I wanted to make sure I got them in today at least. Even though when I woke up this morning I was STILL sore from Monday night's work out. Let me just tell you what you already know....they were YUMMY!

It was a beautiful morning, if not a bit hot. The low for the night was 61 degrees, which feels downright balmy when you are doing repeats.
But, when I ran into the more forested part of the Vita course you could actually feel the temperature change -- it was much cooler. And of course on days like today, I'm always grateful just to be up for the sunrise. It is most definitely my favorite part of the day. I love it so much in fact...and the feeling of dawn and the sun rising over the horizon just barely illuminating broad domed sky, while you are breathing hard and running...that I can't figure out why I hate it so much when I have to get up and get out of bed. 20 minutes later...I'm loving it, feeling so happy to be alive....and feeling so happy I didn't just stay in bed like I wanted to. They internal struggle is so great. But the payoff is so worthwhile. I guess that is how most things in life are...the really, really rewarding things...just take alot of work and dedication, which maybe is why we find them so rewarding.

Which reminds me of one of one of Iron Wil's posts from last year. I don't get to read her blog much anymore....I'm too busy training and writing mine, but I love this one.

2.21.06

Get up.
It sucks.
Then it doesn't.
Go train.
It sucks.
Then it doesn't.
Always.
In that order.

So, anyway here are my stats. Since I ran that PR mile a few weeks back.... Coach Mark gave me a new 1/2 mile split time -- 5:10
(the old time was 5:25)...still a little ambitious for me to maintain, as you can see.

1 5.03
2 5.20
3 5.23
4 5.56 (includes a potty break by a tree...I know...I just couldn't hold it)
5 didn't time....this one was a slacker repeat
6 5.20

Strength Training with the TRIgirls

I was out of it for just over 48 hours. By Sunday, I couldn't believe it, but I was desperate to work out again. So I ran a quick (and very difficult, but slow) 2 miles around the loop at Robious and then swam. I had to remind myself that no less than 24 hours earlier I was sick like a dog....I was overdoing it a bit....and I got so hot I had to just take off my swim cap to cool down. I skipped my favorite part of the swim (stretching) to get the first shower and race home so I could see my kids (thanks to daylight savings time) before they fell asleep. They were in bed, but awake and so happy to see me since I'd worked all day. There is nothing like spending a whole day away from the rugrats to make you miss'em like mad.

Monday, I started strength training with the rest of the Eagleman-IMFL TRIgirls.
I knew what we'd be doing. I'd been to the strength training clinics before and seen just enough to know I DID NOT want to do that, I guess that is why it took me so long to sign up.
I also was able to keep from myself the fact that I was the only one in the IMFL-Eagleman Group that was not doing any strength training or weight lifting whatsoever. And I am paying dearly for the delay.
Back to step one....failure. I don't mean failure as a whole or even in its worst negative sense but just as in failure to complete said exercise. Exercises that require you to have balance (which I don't) and strength at the same time. Hmmm, yes, maybe my lack of balance is the reason that I have refused to ever do Yoga except while pregnant (when everyone's balance is off). There were three tasks that I had particular trouble with. Coach B took the time to explain each exercise to me and watched to make sure I was doing it right.
1. Push ups on the ball. Even though they let me cheat and have someone hold the ball for me.
2. "Butt-Ups" as I call them, which basically is like a push up position only your feet are balanced on a ball and then you have to stick your butt straight up in the air and then down again without falling.
3. Sitting squats, (or whatever you call them) where you have a ball behind your back and roll it down until you are in a sitting position with no chair and then go back up again. When you get to no. 10 at the bottom then you lift your dumbell weights up 10 times. I've found that you have to sit in the position longer, the longer you take to do the 10 reps...so Coach Black says I'm flapping like a bird to get them done...before I fall. For some reason I have exceptional knee pain with this one. I try to adjust the weight to my heels more and that helps a bit.
We were supposed to do 3 cycles of these exercises (10-15 reps each) and about 7 others that weren't as difficult, and complete the 3 circuits in an hour. And when I could only do 3 out of the 10 push ups on the ball, a very sweet Coach M said, "Well, it is what it is." That is all he had to say. That is my starting point. And he allowed me to modify the Butt-Ups so that I could at least accomplish a building block, a starting point to build from.

The good news is I know that I can improve with practice. I guess that is the point. And now that I have mastered "Standing in the Saddle" for as much time as any of our coaches require (knock on wood) I needed something new to work on anyway.

And yes, I knew I would be sore, but I have never ever been sore like this in my life -- ever.
I actually tried to slide down the stairs on my butt yesterday morning because I was so sore...but Redfish wouldn't let me. He made me carry him down the stairs -- yet again....but I was groaning the entire time. I even had trouble sleeping last night because I was still sore. And I am thanking the fates for scheduling a mandatory staff meeting for me today...so that I'll have a super-duper excuse to miss most --if not all -- of my strength workout tonight.

And biking after that workout? Don't get me started. I was just praying for it to end. I had planned on going out and taking a break after class, you know some me time...maybe some errands.....but I just couldn't -- I had to come straight home and lie down in bed and go to sleep.

Flu-lite

It's been going around...and I got it. I'm sick.
It's the flu only maybe flu-lite. I feel like i did my 10 mile run AND my 2 hour bike....only I didn't. That is how sore I am.
Only time will tell how long this will last...but for now, I'm out of commision.

Momo's Little J

One of the many triathlete bloggers out there in the bloggy universe who has been supportive of me, recently wrote something that just made me feel so old!
Momo, a triathlete training for Ironman Cor D'Alene, writes about her Little J, just like I write about Redfish and Daisy. Only Little J isn't so little anymore. He is 12 years old. And get this....
he has his own blog...just like mom.

"You birth them, you care for them, you feed and clothe them. You teach them to walk, to speak, to read. You do everything in your power to make sure they are safe and healthy and happy.And this is how they repay you. Ha! A boy after his mom's heart. Stop by and give Little J some comment love if you get a chance. Just don't believe a word he says... :-)"

Momo and I have some things in common...we try to set a good example for our kids. We live and love triathlons. We are members of Team Raceathlete. We are true to heart and we write about it, fearlessly.

But the thought of waking up in 6 years and seeing Daisy blogging about life in Trimom's house scares me. It makes me feel old, way old. And it reminds me that you are always setting an example whether you want to or not. Your good days and your bad. On second thought, once I got over the shock of Daisy having her own blog...I guess I'd be proud. But I would still tell you....Just don't believe a word that she says!;)

Triathlonmom Discovers Google Analytics

I am not a techie. Please don't tell anyone, but I'm winging this whole blogger thing. I love what computers can do and how they make my life so much easier and enjoyable. I love my new bloggy friends and the connections I've made in the triathlon-blogger universe...but I hate writing code. Maybe if it was multiple choice I'd like it better.

I was checking out Ellie's new photo banner and admiring her html skills -- although she remains humble. Maybe if I wasn't so shy about photos in the first place I would ask her to show me how she did that!

There's been alot of conversation on local Richmond blogs about connecting communities through blogging, a blogger's summit, blog referrals from RVA blogs, and blog statistics. That got me thinking.....and a few weeks ago I asked (the highly computer savvy) Mr. Preschool if he knew how I could view the number of people who have been viewing my blog. He said to add you know, an old fashioned page counter thinggy. I knew I didn't want to do that....and then...along comes a post saying that my buddy, John Sarvay, over at Buttermilk and Molasses, gets 18 percent of his hits via RVAblogs. How the hell does he know that, I thought....hmmmm.

After more investigation I found out that there is this thing called Google Analytics. That weirdly lets you spy on...I mean track your readers. For example, I found out that 23 percent of my hits come from my good Trigirl friend, Trigirl40's site and just over 15 percent come from (presumably) other Trigirls who link to me through the Trigirltraining.com site. I also saw that I have the fewest visits on Saturdays.....which makes sense since it seems my entire readership is out running half mile repeats, and sitting in the saddle for 2 hours, running 10 or so miles...and otherwise getting their "brick" on.

So, if you've ever wondered about your blogging readership, check out Google Analytics. And if you figure out how to use all of it's features...please email me and explain it.

Mama's Been Working Out ALL DAY!

Got home from swimming tonight at 7:40 ...just after the kids when to sleep. I left the house at 8-something this morning to go to work...so I didn't get to see the kids all day. Makes me appreciate being a mostly stay-at-home mom.
Mr. Preschool tells me Daisy said, "Wow Dad, Mama's been working out ALL DAY!"

Maybe someday soon that will be true...but for now I'll stick to 8 hours of work topped with a swim on Southside.

10 Miles

I'm sore. and I'm walking funny. But, I did it. I ran 10 miles.
We'll mostly ran. I walked some.

10 Miles took 2 hours, 4 minutes and 50 seconds....roughly 12.45 a mile.

Mostly I tried to use a formula of run 7 minutes...walk 1. And mostly I was sucessful.

Funny how at mile 8 (my previous longest run) is where things really got difficult. Mostly because my knees started to hurt and my upper thigh/groin area. I thought that was a strange place to feel it, but it happened on my last run too.

I was VERY happy to have beat the IronBoys (Rick and Jeff) back to Maramarc, by about 30 seconds. I guess you can't really call it "beating them" though-- they were running 14 miles...to my 10...but i'll take that anyday. You may know this already, but I always pack up my trainer, my bike, my blocks and put them away, and throw all my stuff in the car because I don't want anyone to have to wait for me since my runs take so much longer than other folks. But now I can see that with the Ironman group having longer runs in preparation for Ironman Cor d'Alene that I can just leave my stuff...and go for the actual "brick" effect of running directly after biking.

I was lucky to have my old Trimom partner, Sue, to run just over half of the workout with me. It was amazing she hadn't planned on running as far as Harrison St. but all of a sudden we were there. As I mentioned before, I have exercise-induced asthma and she is a respiratory therapist, so I can always bounce ideas off of her. We were talking about some deep stuff and I felt an attack coming on.

"If you ever go back to school and need a topic for a dissertation, I want you to study the correlation between emotion and asthma..." I said, pulling myself together.

"It's already been documented," she said..."there is a direct relationship between emotions and asthma." It's due apparently, to the chemical reaction of hormones caused by stress and fight or flight. Makes sense...and now that I know, I'll have more control over it I hope. Come to think of it...I realized the first time I had an attack in my adult life it was related to my emotions, oh and riding up some of those incredible hills off of Cherokee, trying to keep up with some girls who were outta my league.

Coach Mark's bike session was particularly brutal this Saturday. It's funny how that works out pretty conveniently....I've noticed that once you move onto the next leg you almost don't remember the pain you were just in. I think he started the ...stand in level 10...aero in level 7 and mini recovery aero in level 5 about halfway through the bike...and he never let up.

But by the time all was said and done, it was the run that made me think ouch...not the bike.