Hello Hills-Timberman 70.3 Part III

I'm ready to roll!
I had a fantastic time pre-race
My swim is done
Now, it's time for my favorite part of the day-and the most challenging!

I grab my helmet, glasses, Garmin, all on. I skip the arm warmers because the humidity is building. Calf sleeves, socks, bike shoes, all on. Grab Tiger and it's out
run run run run

Running out of Transition to Bike Out

My Mom cheering me on as I head out to bike

I see my parents and friends along the bike barricade along bike out and smile, wave and shouted something
I'm ready to rock those hills

The beautiful Timberman bike elevation chart-shaped like the top of a heart~

I was smart enough to ride the bike course in July-I had heard horror stories about this course from friends who had done this race -- I needed to see it with my own wheels.
I am not afraid of hills, I actually enjoy them. Sick? maybe...
I knew what to expect. I knew when to be calm and easy. I knew when to be strong. I knew when to drop the hammer. But I also knew when to be safe.
I also knew I needed to stick to my nutrition & hydration plan.
If I stayed in my own head and did what I planned--
Everything would fall into place.

Off I went into the beautiful rolling hills of of New Hampshire with a smile on my face and a tremendous amount of joy in my heart. The first 1/3 of the bike course is lots of climbing and luckily the WTC rules would be a bit lenient in regards to drafting on a couple of the climbs that they considered steep.

Just after the MOUNT line

I don't really recall too much about the first 15 miles or so but I passed a lot of people. I felt fantastic and I was having so much fun. I finally hit the mid-third of the course which allowed a break from the climbing for a while. I had been playing cat & mouse with a couple dudes on tricked out Cervelo's--passing them on the hills and then they'd catch me on the downhill. Once we hit the flats we chatted for a bit about road bike vs. tri bikes. I appreciated the fact that these fellas were kind and funny while we rode together. It felt like any other group ride-

My experience that day with several other guys I passed was not so nice. Many of them would try to hammer it when I was passing. One guy refused to move right, kept trying to block me to keep me from passing. I wanted to knock him upside the head with my water bottle. NO matter how many times I'd scream LEFT, he'd block.
Finally, I got past that bonehead.
Sorry Charlie, but you got chicked--and chicked hard.
**of course I had to check his bike split post-race**

Somewhere after the 1/2 way point with a BIG SMILE

Next thing I knew, I was passing the midpoint timing mat. My legs were feeling fantastic, my heart rate was right where I wanted it and I was having an amazing ride. I was staying on top of my hydration/nutrition and had already exchanged out both bottles.

Then it was time to go.

You know--GO.

There were only a handful of cyclists way behind me-so I went.

You can't wear the I PEE ON MY BIKE shirt if you don't pee on your bike.

It was really starting to warm up now and the humidity was tangible. The air was getting thick and sticky.
At the next hand-off, I grabbed extra water to drink and then poured some on my neck and legs to cool down and to wash a bit of pee off of Tiger. My gel flask had leaked a bit so I washed my hands and left shin too.

Then it was like I was alone on the course.
I wasn't alone but I was no longer paying attention to those few around me.
I only had about 10 miles left and I was having a wonderful, amazing, fantastic day.
I cannot say how awesome I felt on the bike. There are really no words to describe it.
I started to get a tad emotional, I teared up a bit and thought of all I have experienced over the last couple of years. I thought of my daughter and how all of this had started because of her.
I want her to know that YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.
Nothing is impossible.
Today was a day I had dreamed of  and thought about for over a year. It was here, I was doing it. Something I never thought possible just a few short years ago and I was enjoying every single second of it.
Before I knew it, the spectator crowds were getting bigger and bigger! This guy yelled
"only three miles left!!"
Three miles? that's it?? Really...
I screamed
WOOOOOO HOOOOOO and gave that guy a huge fist pump
It was almost over and it made me sad.
I am a runner. I got into triathlon because of running.
BUT
At some point over this summer while training for this race I fell deeply in love with cycling.
There is something so freeing about being out there in nature but going fast. Climbing hard. Enjoying the view. The wind. It's amazing...
Those three miles were over in a heart beat.
I rounded the corner into the shoot and it was off the bike.

Run run run run
Now it's time to run.
My legs were loose and fast. My heart rate spiked with excitement.
I felt those butterflies surge in my belly. I had set myself up for a hell of a run.
Racked my bike. Bike stuff off.
Compression socks on-running shoes on-Tough Chik visor on.
Hydration belt--hmmmmm, do I need the belt?
I decided to skip the belt but grabbed a couple essentials* out of it and shoved it all into my tri top.
There would be plenty of on course support with aid stations at almost every mile.
Mandy (Caratunk Girl) told me about the snowballs and I was ready to have a snowball.

Projected Bike Split: 3:15-3:20
Actual Bike Split: 56 miles 2:56:25 19.05 mph avg
split 1-27.2 miles 1:28:16 18.49 mph avg
split 2-28.8 miles 1:28:09 19.6 mph avg

I am very proud of how well I did on the bike-I kept to my training plan and had PLENTY left in me when I was done. I would be curious to see how I could ride this course if I did not err to the conservative side. I finished the bike 22nd in my AG

The final challenge.
I'm ready to run...

Ready to Race-Timberman 70.3 Part II

Yes, I really am going to break this race report into segments...that being said. If you missed it, here is Part I

I did not have much of an appetite all day due to excitement and pre-race nerves (plus, I had a big breakfast of maple walnut french toast that stuck with me all day it seemed!) We did stop at a little diner on the drive home.


At the Pro Panel that day they talked about their pre-race nutrition-how they chose with simple "white" carbs and small portions since they did not want much food in their system come race day, it was that much less that they needed to eliminate. I kept this is mind and chose a small, simple dinner-BLT on white toast with some fries and tons of water. I normally have a burger, sweet potato fries and a small salad as my pre-race meal and this is what I had during training and race sims as well. At the time I chose the BLT, I had no idea how important this change would be later on-

Finally I was home. I need to get to sleep but first, I needed pack up my transition bag, morning clothes bag, breakfast and be ready to rock-n-roll at 1:00 am.

Lola was up when I get home and she "helped" me pack up everything and I got to talk to her about the race. I got to bed exhausted and ready to face my first long course triathlon in the morning. All I keep reminding myself as I attempt to relax in bed, waiting for sleep to come is-
"this is your race. stay inside your own head. don't worry about what jane doe is doing. this is your race. pace your race. smile."

I actually slept better this night than any other pre-race night in recent memory. I woke up, eyes wide open and glanced at the clock. 1:00 am on the nose. The alarm was set for 1:05 am. I shut off the alarm, jumped in the shower & then called Marc, he was ready to go! I hugged my still sleeping daughter good-bye and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  I said goodbye to my husband and he got up to wait with me. I would be travelling to the race with Marc and my husband, Casey would be coming to the race later in the morning with Lola. My parents were planning on arriving in time for the swim start.

I skipped having coffee since I wanted to sleep on the ride there. No sleep but I did manage to rest and tried to relax. I went over my race day plan over and over.

We had planned to stop at a Dunkin Donuts en route and close the race for coffee and to get hot water for my oatmeal. Not a single Dunkin' Donuts was open on the way there!! It is a race day ritual for me to have a DD coffee before a race-it's a good thing Rasmus said that some days you need to be flexible. I remembered those words and had to laugh.

We finally arrived at Ellacoya State Park at 3:30 am. They only allow a limited amount of athletes to park right there at the race site and the lot fills quickly. All others must drive to Gunstock Mountain and be shuttled into the race venue. At 3:30 am the lot was still closed but would be opened at 4:00 am. We asked the cop where to get coffee and the only option was a 24-hour McDonald's in the next town. Luckily, we had some time to kill so we drove there. I got coffee and Marc got some breakfast. We the drove back to Ellacoya and there were already lines of cars waiting to get in. This is when I perked up and I could just feel the surge of energy fill my body. It was like someone plugged me in-

The line or cars waiting to get into Ellacoya

It was here.

It's finally race day.

My biggest race to date.

I WAS READY TO GO!!!

We got to our parking stop and we were SO CLOSE to transition, the finish line and the bike in/out. Awesome!!

There was NO getting into Transition yet...

I started drinking more water and getting my things ready. Transition did not open until 5:00am so we had some time to walk around. We chatted with other athletes and visited the port-o-potties a couple times.

Now, I will pee anywhere at anytime-but I do not like public restrooms and I have a huge phobia about port-o-potties. They totally gross me out. It's almost like I can feel all kinds of germs crawling all over me once I have been in one. I do not touch the walls or the seat or anything in them. Now take 2,200 endurance athletes pre-race and those port-o-potties are pretty much DESTROYED! I knew that at some point I would need to visit these to eliminate any food in my system before the race. But being up at 1am, not having my usual coffee, race nerves and my PPP (port-o-potty phobia)--it was just NOT happening for me. Marc kept telling me I had to go but no luck. I knew that at some point during the race, I would probably pay for this.

Transition opened up and it was even more packed than the day before. I had a very small space to set up which was just fine with me.

Off to set up transition and check my tires

The Pros were starting at 7:00am and my swim wave was dead last into the water. While this gave me time to see the Pros swim it also gave me lots of time to think. It was a huge bonus to have Marc's truck parked so close to the venue too so I could go back and dress when ready and I had a spot to keep my wetsuit while I waited.
The sun was starting to rise and I walked over to the swim to check it out.
It looked FAR. A long ass swim...
So much further than any 1.2 mile swim I had done...wow. It was beautiful but FAR.
I chatted with a couple other athletes on the shore of the lake and they said the same thing-
That looks like a BIG SWIM!!



At Sunrise-I got to swim in the beautiful lake! Isn't it amazing??

Can't really see the buoy line in this one, but they are there

I just started out at the long line of buoys and repeated what I needed to do today on this swim.
Focus on MY swim. Stay calm. Find clean water. Avoid getting caught up in the "race" and swim just as I had trained. Calm and steady...calm and steady...calm and steady.



Almost ready to go swimming!



I got my race kit on, chomped on a Clif Bar and met up with friends. We chatted, watched the Pros swim, cross the timing mat and then it was time for me to suit up.

Just as I was making my way to the swim start to warm up, my parents made it and I was able to chat with them for a bit and get good luck hugs & kisses.

I got into the water and swam for a bit. The water was sooo nice and I felt good, started to relax a bit. I chatted with a few ladies in my wave and lined up. I saw Marc on the shore with the camera and gave him the thumbs up. I was ready to go!!

Well, here's goes nuthin!

Heading into the water giving a big THUMBS UP



My RED CAP swim wave #17-last to go!



I got to the back of the wave in the middle and we stood there for several minutes waiting for our turn. Then it was GO time. As with any race, there is the usual crush at the beginning but I moved myself to the outside (left) of the group-my feet got grabbed a couple times, I got an arm smack here and there but nothing major. After just a few mins, I was on my own and staying calm. Swim, swim, breath. Swim, swim breath. I used the mountains on my side to sight and started at the black, deep water and little green floaties in it and smiled. It was going smoooooth and easy. Just.Like.I.Trained.



It was a clockwise swim and the further out we got, it got a little choppier and there were waves from the boat but not too bad. Better than the training swim there. Luckily, most of my OWS training is in the ocean. This was cake. Stroke, stroke, breath. Stroke, stroke, breath. Nice...and that is all that really happened until I reached the first turn buoy. I was shocked that it came so quickly.

Then I started seeing yellow caps and blue caps and I was passing them. Hmmmm-no kidding.
I just kept swimming. And I was really enjoying it. I felt good. I was calm. I was happy.
AND I WAS PASSING OTHER SWIMMERS FROM OTHER WAVES>
what the heck??


Next turn buoy...really. I looked up to get my bearings, find a new sighting point and see how far I really had to swim. By this time there was another red cap swimmer on my right side, right on the buoy line and we kept even paced for quite a while. I'd sight off her cap and the other buoys. I was pretty pleased that I was swimming really straight too! Next thing I knew, red cap girl was no longer there and I was passing more and more other colored caps. Then I could see the bottom of the lake. GO GO GO

and then

It was over.
My swim was done. I was ecstatic! I could not believe it was that easy. I even enjoyed it!!


I kept to my race plan and had an awesome swim. I exited the water to hear screams from the spectators and the voice on the loud speaker, though I had NO idea what he was saying.

Run, run, run thru the swim exit. Make my way over to the wetsuit strippers-zip, off in a breeze and run to my bike. Time to go have some fun on those hills...

Projected swim time: 45-50 minutes

Acutal swim time: 41:41

Timberman 70.3 Part I

Day One of my amazing Timberman 70.3 weekend started on Thursday.

My BFF Dawn came over and we had a bike cleaning session together as she was heading off to compete at the Age Group Nationals in Burlington! I spent plenty of time getting Tiger ready, checking each gear and riding for a bit to make sure all was running smooth. I packed my tools, CO2's, tubes, patches, dollar bills and anything else I needed in case.
Tiger was looking sweet and she ready to race and eat all those hills for breakfast!!

Friday was the day to pack-meaning: obsess about each and every detail of what I needed to pack then lay it all out and stare at it until my eyes got blurry. Go thru my checklist 14,000 times and then go through it again.

I reviewed my race plan, nutrition needs, back up plans to "what ifs" and tried to rest. It was also time to start drinking! water that is...my kitchen became the Hydration Station.

Tough Chik all the way!

I continually checked the weather reports as they were changing on a daily basis. The early reports were cool temps (78*) and partly cloudy but as the days ticked by there were reports of thunderstorms, high humidity and heat rolling in.

Athlete check-in and bike drop off was to take place on Saturday along with several seminars and the mandatory pre-race meeting. The plan was to depart Maine early Saturday morning with my bike and Marc (my good friend and training partner). I wanted to sleep in on Friday and Saturday morning to take advantage of as much rest as I could sneak in leading up to race day. Friday night I did not sleep well and I was up more than I slept most of the night. I did try to sleep but by 3:45 am I was up and ready to go. Since Marc is an early bird too we decided to leave a bit earlier than planned and were on the road by 6:30 am.

The plate says EMZBENZ! Of couse I thought of the ONE and Only EMZ!!





About 2.5 hours later we arrived in Lake Winnipesauke and I could feel the excitement building within. We found Gunstock Mountain-where the check-in, Expo & meetings would be-and then decided it was time to eat. We ventured back into town and had breakfast at this little hole-in-the-wall place and I played one of my favorite games: Guess who is a TRIATHLETE. Although, on this day, my little game was far too easy. Most patrons were wearing some sort of compression garment, Ironman shirts/hats/visors etc. or their zip laces gave them away. After eating, it was back to Gunstock Mountain.

Hills, hills and more hills

The lines to Athlete check-in were pretty long but once you got thru the first check-in point, it was smooth sailing!

And we were there EARLY!

signing my life away to IRONMAN & WTC

The first seminar I attended was a Q&A with Rasmus Henning, Caitlin Snow and THE Chrissie Wellington.

Caitlin Snow, Chrissie Wellington & Rasmus Henning

I have listened to many interviews with Chrissie on my iPod over the last year and I find her quite charming and funny. She did not disappoint at this panel discussion either and had the audience laughing several times.
I even got to ask THEM a question-
"Do you have any race day rituals or superstitions?"
All three said that they don't really have any superstitions or rituals-that they stick with their normal race nutrition and let their training take them where they need to go come race day.
Rasmus had a good point in saying that he does not have anything set in stone since he has to travel so much, certain foods may not be available or time may not allow for a particular "ritual". He did not want to have the thought that something did not go right for him before going into a race.

When the Q&A was done, Rasmus and Caitlin stayed around for a few minutes to chat with us while Chrissie was whisked away and out of the building.

While I still love Chris Lieto, he now has some stiff competition. I will gladly sub in Rasmus as Boyfriend #2 any day of the week. He was SO nice
and
was a freaking rock*star on the bike at Timberman!!
2:07:11 for a avg pace of  26.42 mph over 56 miles




Aren't we a darling couple??

 After meeting Rasmus and Caitlin, my friend Marc spotted Chrissie out on the grounds and so we decided to take a walk to check it out.

Chrissie was giving a presentation and awards to the Make-A-Wish racers so we watched from a bit of a distance. That is when one of her photographers told me that he loved my I PEE ON THE BIKE shirt from Triathlon Rocks and he had taken some pictures of it. He then said it was ok for us to hang out at the Make-A-Wish event!!  So we got a little closer and got to cheer on all the racers who raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire.

The Make-A-Wish racers celebrating their fundraising with Chrissie

After that, I talked to my friend the photographer and asked if I could go talk to Chrissie and he brought me right up to her, introduced us and showed her my shirt!

SHE LOVED IT and laughed. We then had a very charming discussion about the art of peeing on your bike!




Chrissie laughed & laughed...



...and I could not stop SMILING ear to ear!!

 I could not believe it-- I got to meet my idol!! And she was just as sweet as anything. The woman is so kind, warm and funny. A class act all the way.

One of my big goals for this race was go to get my finishers medal from Chrissie-now if that did not happen, I would be ok since I got to meet her.

Then it was time to head back to more seminars and the mandatory pre-race meeting. After that was done, we had to drive back to Ellacoya State Park to check in my bike.

We got into transition (oh my tight quarters!!) and then walked around a bit checking things out.

I decided since I was NOT going to be getting any red/yellow cards on my race, I could enjoy a moment in the PENALTY BOX!

Then all of a sudden it became so real to me.

It was FINALLY here. The day I had been training for all summer was here and I was ready. I was excited. And I was sooooo happy.
Now it was time to drive home, get some sleep and get up for 1:00 am...

13 months

Did you know that I missed my very first Bloggerversary?

Yeah...July 20th of 2010 was my first blog post!! Go read the end of that post--then come back.

The goal of doing an Ironman someday was just a little seed that had been planted and I was not ready to share it quite yet. For some reason, I held this little "secret" very close to my heart and felt that if I shared it, somehow it would end up tainted or damaged.
Sometimes, saying it out loud or putting it out into cyberspace makes it just too real.
Maybe I was not ready for that little dream to be reality so I kept in protected.
Or perhaps, other more experienced athletes would laugh and say
"no, YOU cannot be an IRONMAN"
or maybe was it actually ME questioning if I was IRONMAN strong??

Of course, I am no longer afraid to share that goal and we all know that I have 140.6 on the horizon  But let's get thru my first 70.3 first, kay?

I also have seen first hand what I can do -- mentally and physically -- and I have been able to surround myself with like minded individuals. It's amazing what this little blog has done for me-I have been able to connect with others all over the world.

People who inspire me, motivate me, make me smile and keep me on reaching for the stars!
I am so lucky to have been able to meet some of the fantastic bloggers in "real life" and there those of you I have yet to meet but I WILL (even if it means a road trip to Texas and Arizona!!)

So now 13 months and one day after my first blog post (hmmmm a different kind of 13.1?)
I will be at Timberman doing my first half Ironman

70.3

It's been an amazing year and I thank you for being a part of it.
So many of you have touched my life in ways you may never know or even understand, but please know that on Sunday, August 21st while I am swimming, biking and running through the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire, there will be a piece of you with me!!

and I will smile

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was brought to tears this winter when someone came up to me at the gym while I was working and said that they had read my blog. This person did not realize that I used to be fat.
They then opened up to me about some of the "demons" they were fighting when it came to their own well being. I have been able to connect with this person and help then recharge their own fitness goals and become a much healthier person in the process.

I started writing this blog as a way to document how I was progressing on my own journey. I thought that if I could reach just ONE PERSON and inspire them to make a healthier change with their own life, my goal would be accomplished.

So lets celebrate my "Bakers Dozen" Bloggerversary-
Happy 13 Months Miles Muscles & Mommyhood!!

I look forward to the next 13 months and cannot wait to see where the road is going to lead!!

If you are a new reader, or even if you have been here since Post #1, here are some fun early MM&M posts to revisit!!

Beach Babe Belly Flops

Yoda's Wisdom

My F*UGLY Feet

Lessons from Lola

Fat A$$ Friday

Cinco-Fem-Cinque-पांच = FIVE

Only five more days until Timberman 70.3

I cannot believe that it is "here" already. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every single week of training that has passed since I decided that I was going to do a half this season.

This weekend I completed my last big brick (43 mile bike/4 mile run) before the big show-I felt great. Fantastic. Happy. Ready as I'm gonna be!!

-and I actually got a bit emotional. I thought about the last couple of years and how much my life has changed-how much I have changed as a person, both inside and out. The last couple of months have come with some ups and downs; and I would not change a thing. I thought about how this is the start of yet another journey for me and new goals-both short and long term-are being thought out and planned!

This is the extended weather forecast for Sunday, August 21st.

Looks like high 70's for race day with a slight chance of showers.

Dear God-

for once please let those meteorologists be correct.

I have finally decided on what I am wearing race day.

I know you all have been on the edge of your seat about that one huh?

I will be wearing the new Tough Chik tri top. I have been training in this for the last couple of weeks and I really like it. Look for a full review on this top coming soon!!

I made some fun arm warmers too-tiger stripes-for the bike! I was really hoping to find some in purple and/or hot pink but these will have to do. I like 'em

I will be running in my BRIGHT GREEN Saucony Fastwitch 4's paired with my CW-X compression socks.

I wish I had time to track down a really snazzy pair of compression calf sleeves--something a little more exciting than WHITE--I guess I could always use a Sharpie to make some tiger stripes on 'em huh??

All I know is that I am excited and ready.

Ready to finish with a smile on my face.

And if I'm really lucky--

I'll get my medal from my idol!!

I did it!!

Beach to Beacon 10k~Saturday, August 6th

Plan: Run my first Beach to Beacon 10k and NOT RACE!

Being a Tough Chik inside one of the Ft William's fort windows

Guess what? I did it. I was able to shut off "The Beast" and just run happy. No time goals (except to take it easy), no chasing a PR, nothing except--Run easy, run happy and enjoy the day.
With Timberman 70.3 just two weeks from race day, I needed to treat this run just like a normal training day. Plus, with the hills on this course it was my #1 priority to stay injury free. Fears of hurting my knee like I did this winter (and ending up in PT for 2 months) were not far from my mind.

I went up to the race with Dawn and Stephanie-it was a totally stress free morning! Dawn would be spectating since she has a sprint tri on Sunday and she would also serve as official race day photographer.  Stephanie would be running her second road race ever (her first being many years ago, a small local 5k put on by the YMCA).
Yes, her bib says Andrea but we cannot talk about that. Let's just call her Stephandria kay?

Sadly, there was no normal Dunkin Donuts stop on this morning and I was very sad. I had to suffer with coffee from home.

This is the largest road race in the state with close to 6,000 runners and a HUGE amount of crowd support. This race sells out in record time (I think under 8 minutes this year) and I was able to snag a spot. When I registered for this race this winter, I had no idea that a half Ironman would be on my schedule two weeks later...

We got into the area with no issues since it was still quite early (they close down a ton of the local roads) and we arrived at Portland Head Light at Fort Williams as the sun was rising. It was so pretty. We walked around and checked things out.

Then it was time to make it back to the starting line but come to find out there were only shuttles going from the finish back to the start AFTER the race. If we wanted to catch a shuttle to the start, we needed to leave Ft Williams and head over to the high school. Dawn zipped us there and we boarded a bus and got to the start with lots of time to spare.

Race Dude that helped us figure out the shuttle conundrum

I was so calm. So happy. Relaxed.

This is NOT the norm on race day and I enjoyed feeling so good.
I ran into several friends from Dailymile, my tri club, my YMCA and then it was a short warm up with Stephanie.

I told Stephanie going into this race that she could and SHOULD run her own race and not to worry about me. She wavered back and forth between staying with me, staying with me for a bit and just doing her own thing. We lined up at the back of the 7:00 minute mile corral and socialized with several friends-Yvonne and her hubby, Bob (aka Happy Bob), Misty and Dan.

It was almost GO TIME and I reminded Stephanie that she needed to run HER race today. My plan was to keep the pace around 8:30 to 9:00 minute miles.

After the gun sounded-off she went. I could see her head for a while and then she was gone. I smiled and watched her disappear into the massive crowd of runners. I was so happy that she decided to run for her and not wait for me. I enjoyed listening to the pitter patter of running feet as we moved along the course and people started to scatter out a bit. No ipod on today's run!
Shortly after the start I heard a familiar voice-it was Danielle and a friend. We chatted with her for a bit and I ran with her friend for a while and the she dropped back. Then "Happy Bob" and I met up and ran together for a couple miles. He was engaging the crowd, thanking the volunteers and just being "Happy Bob". Then he wasn't with me anymore (he said I took off on him on a hill).
I then reached the 3.1 mile mark and was feeling good. I cracked some sort of joke about being done and then someone said "no, it's a 10k" and I pretended to be shocked about it. Silly....
It was hot and humid - several spectators along the way set up hoses and sprayed water over the runners. I made sure to run under a couple of these. Before I knew it, we were heading into the final miles-which is several rolling hills. Then you reach the park and this is where my energy exploded. I was feeling fresh so I decided to push a bit harder and finished with a huge smile on my face.
Finish Time: 52:23
I was even happier when I finally got to review my splits.
Each and every single mile was in the 8:20's (well one was 8:19) and I finished the last .2 (well .37 per my Garmin) in 2:44 for a 7:23 pace. I stayed strong on all the hills and kept even paced through out. I call this a huge success for me.
I think the biggest challenge was holding back, staying calm and not blowing up. This was a practice in patience and I think I can hold back on the BIG DAY--being Timberman.
This race was an important training day for me MENTALLY.
Plus, I had so much fun and felt great the entire day!
The post race set up was fantastic and there was tons of stuff to snack on and drink. They were handing out lots of goodies too!
Cliff Bars, TD Banknorth bags, Frisbees, pens, etc.

By the way-
Stephanie killed it with a 47:13 (7:37 avg pace). This is with no run training. She only ran just a couple runs before the race and did a 14 miler with me a couple days before hand. Can you imagine what this chica can do with some real run training. Now, don't get me wrong. She is in fantastic shape already and it a personal trainer but I am anxious to see where she could take this whole running thing with a little bit of effort. So proud of you girl!!!

Stephanie Andrea's stellar finish!

And Dawn did fabulous at her Sprint Tri the following day-The Fisherman Sprint in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Even in the pouring rain and with rough seas she managed a 3rd Place Age Group finish. I am so proud of you too!!

And I got to come home to the Best Cheerleader EVER!! My #1 fan--

"Fat Tax" vs. Fat Facts

I read a lot of blogs. These last couple of weeks my time has been limited to reading a few blogs in depth (bring on those LP RR's), scanning several and only being able to comment on some.


Since I started blogging and fell into this amazing world of triathlon and all things endurance, one of my very favorite blogs to read is Cook Train Eat Race. Last week he wrote up a great post about taxes on soda and obesity.
Go read them-here's a link to SODA TAX and OBESITY IN AMERICA


I read through each and every comment left on this post. One thing I don't have a lot of lately is time, but I wanted to take the time to read this. There were so many different views on the subject and great ideas.


As a former fatty myself who used to dine on Chinese take-out and processed foods all too often, I do have many opinions on the subject.

Do I think that the Government should be determining what's "good" and "bad" when it comes to what is taxable food?
NO
Government is already waist deep in all kinds of garbage when it comes to the food industry so there is no way that there could ever be a fair "grading system". So many FDA officials are former big food executives with only one goal in mind-and it is not your health. I could go on and on here about this (as well as corn and soy crop subsidizing) but let's stay on topic here. (However, I will gladly revisit this subject)


What I will say is that from my own personal experience, I did not see "processed foods" for the danger they were until I educated myself.
Then I learned WHY high fructose corn syrup is poison to our bodies.
I did not understand why white bleached & enriched flour was not the best choice nutritionally until I learned WHAT it was (and was NOT).
I did not know the difference between grass fed organic beef vs. feedlot beef other than one was really expensive.
Nor did I understand the dangers of artificial sweeteners and how they effect our brain.
Simply by learning over time how these FrankenFoods react within our bodies as a whole (and not just on a weight loss level or fitness level) did I start to see the bigger picture. This was a precipice to change for me and the all-mighty calorie was not the only piece of the puzzle.


Let's think back to the days of our grandparents-
they ate clean foods-they ate real foods-they ate organic
(but it was just FOOD back then!)
They moved their bodies just living daily life.
No sitting around watching TV or playing video games
No putting around for hours behind a computer screen
No texting. No email.
No driving to every single destinationThey did not have the rampant obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease and a slew of other health problems we face as a Nation today.
 
By making life "easier" with transportation, communication, fast food, convenience foods we are actually slowing killing ourselves. Our children are now suffering the most from this. Childhood diabetes is on the rise. ADD and ADHD is all over. Our kids are getting bigger and bigger. And with that sicker and sicker.

Take this article for example:

"If we are what we eat, then America kids are Fritos.That's just one of the major findings from the new USDA Dietary Guidelines. Fries and chips are the only "vegetables" on the list of Top 25 calorie sources; fruit juice is the sole "fruit" to make the leader board.
The prevalence of these foods plays a big role in the childhood-obesity epidemic, which affects fare more than our children's waist size. Many chronic conditions are on the rise among kids including asthma, allergies, diabetes, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All of these conditions have been linked to what kids eat." ~Alan Greene, MD pediatrician and author of Raising Baby Green.

I remember reading a study that put kids diagnosed with ADHD on a diet on clean, unprocessed foods and within 6 weeks of eating "real" food their symptoms improved remarkably. 

But is it is up to US, the consumers to make the decisions to stop putting our hard earned dollars into the things that make us sick.
Big food will slap whatever label they think will appeal to the diet trend of the moment-
multigrain and whole grain
low sugar and low carb
low fat and low sodium
But all in all these processed foods are made with cheap ingredients that offer no real nutritional value. Do you think Big Food cares about your health or their bottom line?

Where we need to start is with EDUCATION. If people truly understand what they are doing to their bodies, maybe the choices they make will change. Maybe not. But at least they will be armed with information to make an educated decision.

Take High Fructose Corn Syrup for example-
Do you know WHY HFCS is used widely in processed foods?
Do you know why HFCS is essentially poison for your body?

SO instead of a Fat Tax let's get out the Fat Facts and educate the Nation!