tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92186202125212370732024-03-05T01:08:38.195-05:00Death Before DNF3 sports, 1 girl making it happen.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-81598401511854141332011-05-18T21:48:00.001-04:002011-05-18T21:48:47.491-04:00New job, new blog!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6U-EW_16-a_aEt-5u0YpDkyfYjS8r2JUN7ggEHtfyRNpaRlJx4VltscpDD-YzF1DQ7GsWfd3P7IkzeNC_IKInHvCaaN7Dv7pTWlxA0AOmrvb-J6BAZZeQg_rnCBOeHXUkjl4LhJVMiM/s1600/xterra2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6U-EW_16-a_aEt-5u0YpDkyfYjS8r2JUN7ggEHtfyRNpaRlJx4VltscpDD-YzF1DQ7GsWfd3P7IkzeNC_IKInHvCaaN7Dv7pTWlxA0AOmrvb-J6BAZZeQg_rnCBOeHXUkjl4LhJVMiM/s320/xterra2.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, post-Xterra!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Just wanted to let all of you know that I've started a new job as the online editor for Cyclocross Magazine, which, if you've been following this blog you would know, is the perfect job for me. I'm really excited about it!<br />
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To that end, I've also started another blog in Wordpress, <a href="http://mollyscxadventures.wordpress.com/">mollyscxadventures.wordpress.com</a>, which will be tracking my attempts to podium in the MAC and Verge Cyclocross Series' this fall. So stop by and say hello!<br />
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In other triathlon-news, I just did an X-terra (my first!) last weekend, and ended up 6th overall female, which was pretty good considering my lack of mountain bike finesse.<br />
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That's all for now- hope to see you over on my new blog, and hope everyone's racing/training is going wonderfully!!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-90180062415884630022011-01-20T20:39:00.000-05:002011-01-20T20:39:22.059-05:00Hello (again) and Goodbye (For Now)For those of you who still come by and check on this blog occasionally, I again offer my humblest apologies. But, then again, as Adam Myerson told (ok, mocked) me, I seem to spend most of my posts lately apologizing for the lack of posts. So maybe I'm not sorry!!<br />
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OK, I really am sorry. But I'm more apologetic towards myself- I didn't give myself enough time during the semester, and now other me-centered projects have taken precedence over this blog, which is why I'm posting this now. <br />
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It has been a whirlwind these past couple of months. A full cyclocross season, almost 3 months of racing every single weekend, capped off by a trip to Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Oregon to race collegiate nats. And while they didn't go quite as well as I had hoped, I had an amazing time! Pat, Charlie, Matt and I had a fantastic trip, we got to spend time hanging out with some of our CX idols, had a wonderful time watching the pro race, seeing friends, and hitting up some of the great restuarants Bend had to offer. It was amazing. <br />
<br />
The semester ended, and I made some big decisions. First of all, I realized that teaching is not necesarily for me at this point in my life. Not to say I'll never want to be a teacher, but I want to do what I went to school for in the first place- be a journalist. I'm also looking at working in publishing, given my crazy love for reading. So, I'm taking only 1 teaching class, and the rest of the time, I'm working and pitching articles and looking for real jobs in NYC. <br />
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That's the other decision, by the way. When my lease ends here, I'm moving to NYC and working there.<br />
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That was always the plan, but somewhere along the line, I let myself be persuaded that a "normal" life in the suburbs being a teacher and being like my parents was the "good" life. I'm slowly re-realizing that that's certainly not the case for me. I'm happiest in a crazy busy environment, and I love working in a field with people who have the same interests as me. My good life is somewhere else, and as it turns out, after a long talk with my mom and dad, they knew that all along.<br />
<br />
So a lot of things are up in the air right now, but it feels like I'm finally figuring out just who it is that I really want to be.<br />
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Unfortunately, that means I'm going to have even less time for this blog at the moment. I'm working on a bunch of projects right now, so this is definitely going to be put on the back burner. Gone but not forgotten. <br />
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For those of you on Twitter, look me up (http://twitter.com/#!/mollyjhurford), since apparently that's a thing you're supposed to do to be "in" in the world of publishing and journalism. My, how the world is changing! <br />
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Anyway, thanks for caring, and maybe once the dust settles, I'll be back. I'm certainly not giving up on cycling, triathlon, training, and most importantly, never giving up on the idea of <b>Death Before DNF</b>!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hmx4pmNJOE98MpQpc6G9Uxn2Z1hB2z6nP8h1Bwk1WjEJQpIx1jgUGcCcAtd56OrEWar02AAkX3pFaep79hknfJlgFVa6AoQzbgrzPfZX0heOoOgU2B4hmeeniQ4ypzdQTFjkrjnY1cE/s1600/crossnats_collegiate-104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hmx4pmNJOE98MpQpc6G9Uxn2Z1hB2z6nP8h1Bwk1WjEJQpIx1jgUGcCcAtd56OrEWar02AAkX3pFaep79hknfJlgFVa6AoQzbgrzPfZX0heOoOgU2B4hmeeniQ4ypzdQTFjkrjnY1cE/s400/crossnats_collegiate-104.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-38356272273468826452010-12-07T18:15:00.001-05:002010-12-07T18:16:19.302-05:00Heading to CX Nationals! (and also, Win!)In less than 2 days, I'll be in Oregon, getting ready to race at CX Nationals with Pat, Charlie, and Matt. The ECCC season just ended in a great way: I won the B Women field, got 2nd in the A Women field (since I couldn't do UCI races, I had to race A and B depending on the race.)<br />
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I also managed to get third on the second day of NBX, an insanely great race for me. It was a big and really strong field, as the New England women's fields tend to be, so that was a huge victory for me, and a great way to be going into Nationals. I'll post from Bend when I get there, I can't wait!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd place at NBX!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs817.snc4/69738_834276840365_404915_45113603_2205885_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs817.snc4/69738_834276840365_404915_45113603_2205885_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winning the ECCC CX Conference 5 years in a row!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race hangouts in the team van. <3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-3103609725947974762010-12-01T15:57:00.001-05:002010-12-01T15:59:58.750-05:00Dear Blog-o-sphereAgain, I've gone off the grid. I know that at this point, there aren't many people out there who are checking this regularly, and it's my own fault for being such a bad poster in the past couple of months. This has been what can be referred to as a "transitional time" in my life, and also one of the most hectic semesters that I have ever had. I've had a million huge projects to do for my classes, races every weekend, and next week, I head to Oregon for Cyclocross Nationals. I can't believe it's only 8 days away!<br />
<br />
I've been making a lot of big life decisions lately. First, I thought about just finishing the teaching certification program. Then, I wanted to do Teach for America. Then, I decided to forget the certification and just get my Masters this Spring. But...<br />
<br />
I decided the most rational course of action: I'm going to take the one class I need to take in the Spring to start my student teaching in the Fall, but rather than starting in the Fall with student teaching, I'm going to defer for a year, and try to find a full time job in journalism, or at least focus on freelancing, working to save money, and of course, focus on my racing. I'll move back to my parent's house, unless I find a full time job in NYC. This way, I'll save money, be able to race and really see how far I can go with that, and really explore my options for that year. If I don't find a full time job I love after that year, I'll start at Rutgers again and finish student teaching and get my certification and Masters.<br />
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I'm feeling pretty good about this plan, it definitely seems like the most realistic plan, and the most rational, since it gives me time to figure out what it is that I want to do, since lately I've been kind of freaking out about all of my options. It's been a rough couple of months, personally.<br />
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Race-wise, it's been pretty awesome and fun. A few pictures to make this post much less of a bummer:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxbeIbygDnMPtQ1r_Mgy1meNp6w5GqVvmGiAgZWzeAf2blNj9xZeszhRQSJxQjUhtv2-y7pqW4Va3VMk541gdFoi8lu_X5hKSLjhuOv2mgYmkBI2mbg05imqzQ1wGY9flvaKeWoGlk60/s1600/130016750.ZzX2Li0h.BWomenjrIMG_2663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxbeIbygDnMPtQ1r_Mgy1meNp6w5GqVvmGiAgZWzeAf2blNj9xZeszhRQSJxQjUhtv2-y7pqW4Va3VMk541gdFoi8lu_X5hKSLjhuOv2mgYmkBI2mbg05imqzQ1wGY9flvaKeWoGlk60/s320/130016750.ZzX2Li0h.BWomenjrIMG_2663.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super sexy, I know!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXFhHphYqDI9Xud6jGgFQpK5TjZxwnFL2P9W2zoeIbIFAFqIR_Qqm5fPyj3PufTYxWnDwWR3_LFyQNePaXk3CZIOqLVsGEnlXn7M7CQdjHlklxe_1ZIemy-E3BM_3PEhD72XSXzozBgQ/s1600/1090803276_xZ2vn-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXFhHphYqDI9Xud6jGgFQpK5TjZxwnFL2P9W2zoeIbIFAFqIR_Qqm5fPyj3PufTYxWnDwWR3_LFyQNePaXk3CZIOqLVsGEnlXn7M7CQdjHlklxe_1ZIemy-E3BM_3PEhD72XSXzozBgQ/s320/1090803276_xZ2vn-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Pat's face in this picture, watching me take the barrier soooo bad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjIZ9CTBtwG_SUnXC0BBTk9Q9M2q2D7cH6VU7HafbFsA0d9egYo6zEROdej2mljUhiwLNqZ0Fa3id-wCYV5_TJfC9QtktIqH4WlpJGb-fu0-CUqXZ6JMF3OunzJA80BZn7pgPmbfKDoE/s1600/1090821769_vD8xk-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjIZ9CTBtwG_SUnXC0BBTk9Q9M2q2D7cH6VU7HafbFsA0d9egYo6zEROdej2mljUhiwLNqZ0Fa3id-wCYV5_TJfC9QtktIqH4WlpJGb-fu0-CUqXZ6JMF3OunzJA80BZn7pgPmbfKDoE/s320/1090821769_vD8xk-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start at Staten Island!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GooCTjORbT-bPIJY6qLLO86yiJEMPhX7Y5iRSeKAs0v2CW4NRVVwfPqbMgoDurAFjQz7ogzZ_FOz1S181ZX33ITtIelwrQvqqREl-3-QnSp9mDVXtlKXm5ueGopzVj1OAS2rE95fi80/s1600/1090934096_Ks2ES-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GooCTjORbT-bPIJY6qLLO86yiJEMPhX7Y5iRSeKAs0v2CW4NRVVwfPqbMgoDurAFjQz7ogzZ_FOz1S181ZX33ITtIelwrQvqqREl-3-QnSp9mDVXtlKXm5ueGopzVj1OAS2rE95fi80/s320/1090934096_Ks2ES-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I look sooooo fast!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd3SKzQFgal4Zuaqkuite9CIITRh1GYb1WyLPgCnnS-B-hhSRRDKnnp93MdRKX1ga6go2FpueEb6gkstVCkVoA3xswmKrssrUe57BMT-6eNjHKFHsVtR3c07EdGCe9osDwrSEXOO_hBc/s1600/100_2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzd3SKzQFgal4Zuaqkuite9CIITRh1GYb1WyLPgCnnS-B-hhSRRDKnnp93MdRKX1ga6go2FpueEb6gkstVCkVoA3xswmKrssrUe57BMT-6eNjHKFHsVtR3c07EdGCe9osDwrSEXOO_hBc/s320/100_2047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish at West Point- I got to race with the A/B Men!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Ck8aX35nIw_yIzXBzmX-9BtunYBs-qlHSUZ7BdtRmj5BWJT2yCM7xLh0LGMJmmLHpSL-AsJzjMN0Tpk-m9wu7mmxGX3nVSJRdqdtlzEwahyphenhyphenZ72y3sPkz-KUESiIbHxQ15bxElQcAnQ/s1600/100_2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Ck8aX35nIw_yIzXBzmX-9BtunYBs-qlHSUZ7BdtRmj5BWJT2yCM7xLh0LGMJmmLHpSL-AsJzjMN0Tpk-m9wu7mmxGX3nVSJRdqdtlzEwahyphenhyphenZ72y3sPkz-KUESiIbHxQ15bxElQcAnQ/s320/100_2048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Race with my fellow racers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6LlZu8tKxNHXyxwpMJYtaHwWoWGjQOMBysWtUHyEEQm5rmVIt3sv2zYY1quaz1GcI2X8ft9_auzgEYNfOXh4hcCQkyD-_4fH8Z75VPhyphenhyphenu2haZNbjOO_gY1YNNwfmml0Z_IEXP3j8Aqg/s1600/100_2052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6LlZu8tKxNHXyxwpMJYtaHwWoWGjQOMBysWtUHyEEQm5rmVIt3sv2zYY1quaz1GcI2X8ft9_auzgEYNfOXh4hcCQkyD-_4fH8Z75VPhyphenhyphenu2haZNbjOO_gY1YNNwfmml0Z_IEXP3j8Aqg/s320/100_2052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium- 1st and 2nd A Men, 1st and 2nd B Men, and 1st and only A woman!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-41454370168886528232010-11-08T16:06:00.000-05:002010-11-08T16:06:26.445-05:00Bad Blogger AwardSo I know I'm in serious contention for the worst blooger ever award. And I know that I was planning on updating more when I got back to school and back into routine. What I didn't anticipate was just how crazy busy I was going to be. Between classes, work, and now, cyclocross every weekend through mid-December including a trip to freaking OREGON to race at Nats, it's been sort of... insane?<br />
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This weekend was awesome. We went up to Massachusetts for Cycle-Smart International, a weekend put on by the team's biggest collective crush, Adam Meyerson. It was a super-good time, I had some decent but definitely "needs improvement" results in the biggest field I've ever raced in, and had a blast doing so. It was the first super-cold weekend, which lent itself nicely to lots of hot apple cider and lots of free oatmeal. And a whole lot of awesome team antics. We got amazing seitan burritos at a place in Northampton, which is the cutest town ever, and then got really good beer at a great bar nearby. In general, it was a fantastic time. The only downside is coming home and remembering that I'm not a bike racer full-time. There's work to do!<br />
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But there's also a lot to do bike racing. The whole vegan thing is coming along very nicely, I dropped a couple of pounds this week and honestly, I am feeling really really good! I always forget just how good I feel when I'm vegan because, come on, ice cream is delicious. But so far it hasn't been too hard- it also helps that I spend weekends not eating pizza as per usual, but traveling with a lot of vegan teammates. It is weird how easily I've fallen back into the habit of checking labels and paying attention to stuff like that, and I'm eating a whole lot more whole foods- a lot of fruit for snacking! The only problem is that sometimes I get hungry when I'm working a full day- like today- and I can't really hit a vending machine for snacks (this is a good and bad thing, I think). I would pack stuff like trail mix, but nuts and me don't agree in a lot of ways. I could pack pita chips or crackers, easily, but I never think about it.<br />
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In addition to the vegan thing, I also need to work on my pitting skills. At Nats, I'll be pitting for three of my teammates at the same time, and my knowledge of mechanics is not great. Nor is my ability to hand off a bike effectively. On the flip side, I need to learn how to take a pit bike and not lose time. So my teammates and I need to start working on things like that. Additionally, I need to work on going HARD for 45 min, my starts, and riding WITH people, including things like bumping, and just cornering with people in front of me- I brake too much as it is. So we're going to start really focusing on those things, and instead of our usual Wednesday night team dinners, we're going to combine dinner with some serious mechanic lessons so I can hopefully be a teensy bit competent in the pit.<br />
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I did get new compression tights today, which I'm very excited about! I did a run this morning to drop off some forms, and it was probably a bad idea. I've never been one for recovery, but it's clear I need to start, judging by how much going down stairs is hurting now. I need to do things like stretch, wear compression stuff, and actually recover. And I need to avoid getting sick! I keep forgetting to take vitamins and use my Neti pot on a regular basis, despite really needing to, since I'm outside in the cold every weekend. Also, I keep underpacking for races and end up freezing and/or stealing teammates clothing (I had Matt's legwarmers for the past month, and I warmed up in Charlie's jacket all weekend). <br />
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The next few weeks are going to be super fun though- we have a lot of my favorite races, Thanksgiving weekend off, a couple of local weekends and a couple of travel weekends to places I love, and then Nationals! I'm super excited but also really nervous about stuff like getting our bikes there, our flights working out, getting to sit together on the plane, not losing our luggage, car rental, stuff like that. Details are nerve-wracking, but flying doesn't bug me too much. Just the part leading up to getting on the plane and taking off. We still have 5 weeks until we leave, but it's hard to believe that it's already November and most of my classes are starting to wind down somewhat and final projects are starting to be due. This means I'll be keeping my Bad Blogger Award for a while, but I'll try to post more, for my sanity more than anything else!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-31284358194608230122010-11-01T17:36:00.000-04:002010-11-01T17:36:11.435-04:00Vegan Til NatsI recently came to a realization: my nutrition sucks.<br />
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I realized this when, in one day, and not as a substitute for any meals, I finished 8 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. That's over 1000 extra calories, in addition to the regular 3 meals (including 3 sodas) that I was having over the course of the day. Not OK!<br />
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So, I basically decided to take the most stringent anti-Reeses approach possible: until Nats, I'm going vegan. As some of you may know, I used to be vegan, and I've tossed around the idea of going vegan again. The next 6 weeks will be sort of my testing ground, so to speak, to see if it's a feasibility. This will also make me cut the junk out of my diet, eat more fruit and vegetables, and hopefully shed those few pounds that have not wanted to come off since Ironman. I have faith! It's been a couple of days and I feel better, maybe from a psychological standpoint, but I think in general, I feel healthier. I felt better as a vegan before, but I enjoy being vegetarian more, and it works better in Robbie and my lifestyle. At the moment though, I spend my weekends with the team instead of at Robbie's parents, an half of the team is vegan, so weekends aren't an issue during the season. So it's a tossup, really. Happier with how I feel or happier with what I get to eat? We'll see. I'm expecting to see some major changes in my training because of it though. I'm going to start watching my weight- literally- and weighing myself every day or two on my good body fat composition scale, just to see what happens on a vegan diet. Of course, it's not just a vegan diet, I'm trying to make sure that it's a healthy one: little/no vegan junkfood for me! Of course, I'm still drinking 2-3 soft drinks per day (can't give that up just yet) and eating junk food on occasion, but the focus is on being a healthy vegan, not just substituting the bad vegetarian stuff for bad vegan stuff. That would be what we call counter-intuitive. <br />
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To catch everyone up to speed, this weekend was a 12th place at Beacon CX and a 13th place at HPCX. I'm getting better, and I'm beating more women who used to easily beat me, so I'm happy about that. <br />
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More later, but right now I'm busy reading a sports nutrition guidebook from 1990 that advocates, when at restaurants and dealing with pasta, to, quote, "PILE IT ON." Also, order extra rice with Chinese food. This author is my hero! She's also really into muffins. I could live with this diet.<br />
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Oh yeah- the title of this post! It looks like Pat, Charlie, Matt and I will be representing Rutgers out in Bend, Oregon this December at Cyclocross Nationals. We still have to get final approval and book everything, but it's looking good! I'm beyond excited, we're going to have a blast!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-57864041647412954442010-10-25T16:13:00.000-04:002010-10-25T16:13:36.464-04:00A Long Long Long Weekend.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Some weekends just don't turn out the way you plan. For instance, this one. <br />
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For starters, RedCross 2.0 was a cyclocross race on a motocross course. All mud, all technical. Still, I finished 5th in an open field and won the Collegiate A race.<br />
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I got 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night, woke up sick from walking in the cold rain, and drove 3 hours to Saratoga Spa CX. My race there defied description: it was cold, rainy, and miserable, and I was sick and tired, so I was off to a bad start, despite the course being great for me. My back shifter wasn't working, then I tipped over in a corner and managed to jam my brake into my wheel, so I rode a full lap with a brake on. Then, Charlie gave me his bike in the pit. His bike is the same frame, but very very very different setup. Wow. Then, my bike came back to me a lap later, and immediately the chain jammed. Then, the front shifter wouldn't work. I finished last in a field of 11. I may have finished better if I hadn't had mechanical issues, but frankly, I wasn't in the race. On the bright side, I won collegiate A's, since I chose to race the open women's field. It was a pretty legit field too!<br />
The one shining moment both days was when I was taking the barriers and doing remounts. The guys said on Saturday that mine were the best out of the field, and on Sunday, a guy pointed me out as a great example of how you should take barriers.<br />
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Finally, we were heading home, and my mom called to tell me that my great uncle, who I was really close with growing up, just passed away on Saturday. So, sick, sad, and very tired, I finally got home. Hearing about Uncle Steve made me realize how trivial one race really is. He was awesome, a minor league baseball player back in the 50s, and he and my aunt owned an amazing ice cream place where I had my first job. I'm going to miss him very much.<br />
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I'll end on a happier note though, because there are still plenty of things to make me smile:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcm2PvIs18dZBaZAU385v78kTEK_ySVs6vyRf0RByf9GxAkrqDbIIQGt34xhdTqlkU6FVJS0VjEdh1bqTc8vX9IWqRnBhc6q43tNCCK80cg4nuqtJN_1sIdvCgXoE6E2UVjgCcdIqBsI4/s640/100_1985.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie and I with the 2 cutest puppies on the planet, right after my race on Saturday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-62532202950224401352010-10-20T13:43:00.000-04:002010-10-20T13:43:48.980-04:00Westwood Pictures and general notions...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Not because anything has gone wrong, more because nothing has! (Knock on wood.) What I mean is, no reasons (like getting a car door to the face) have prevented me from doing my full load of tutoring, classes, and work. Plus, I've been racing both days every weekend, except this past Sunday, when I was at a wedding all day, so it wasn't really a day off. <br />
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My poor new apartment! I'm there for a couple hours during the day but mainly to sleep, and it seriously needs some TLC. Doing dishes is hard enough, much less cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and keeping my stuff neat. It's making me crazy! I was hoping to have a chance tonight, but after tutoring- after fieldwork with the 7th graders all morning- I have 'cross practice, then talking to the professor for a class that I tutor, then I have to meet my mom for dinner because she has my long-armed stapler, which I need for the aforementioned 7th graders. Then, home to get homework done. This weekend is no better, I'm racing both Saturday and Sunday in upstate NY, thanks to collegiate cross finally kicking off. They're really tiny races, so it should be fun, and hopefully the weather will cooperate. <br />
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My real reason for making this entry though, is to show off these amazing pictures I finally found from Westwood Velo (Day 1, 2nd place; Day 2, 1st place)!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvCampy4upJCmD9MGk9Fqh4cKiavdu1VmM25p1aARlKnGNUdTZ2W4QcnpvTClfc7fmyEpycx9KKCefN5l8tbCgHryTU0jcEiAX_8deI-Y0sCpKrxOnv8LnLw3kAjAsd3RXOngObYP5Fs/s400/Picture+2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weird part is that I had no idea anyone was taking a picture, I was just looking that way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM8TRPwIgaVGY5uEEtmLv6xVLHT4ks_0f3ko_4hE1k_Gki52D1cfWQ_PlFVoODeC4XnzPFg2afxFK0JH-sixifhL-FC5U_0WaPcu2lQlkAw_fs8LejwY2gP3sCJm_oZFmpxE3J-Ean20/s400/Picture+3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And up the hill... again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM8TRPwIgaVGY5uEEtmLv6xVLHT4ks_0f3ko_4hE1k_Gki52D1cfWQ_PlFVoODeC4XnzPFg2afxFK0JH-sixifhL-FC5U_0WaPcu2lQlkAw_fs8LejwY2gP3sCJm_oZFmpxE3J-Ean20/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTfl8X4BvVf8zrhYZZhqsAueSnDottZf7mVI7Mo7UgdOtHn8Ilso2hYHfimhSz6eOdE0zW-hE_in7VDAj9cDHhMi1_ImVV0dPEW4kg2BKbm242klYd9dGqW-1SOFEYe3gMXhQT6ZzsVM/s400/Picture+4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And over the barriers... also, again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqy05O2T-9X7iBe5j4z8bpD5dVRWpo5dNNqDkJ-PYr2hb5pGk6W63Bc51f90LPhlZmyRR0ZZ_FBOvnmRm4CRP6HFJba06QwTMPw88cA-PeBFh_OAwP_vPh9H4uZbe1zLEFicbutRFaxo/s400/Picture+5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's blurry because I'm going so fast, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqy05O2T-9X7iBe5j4z8bpD5dVRWpo5dNNqDkJ-PYr2hb5pGk6W63Bc51f90LPhlZmyRR0ZZ_FBOvnmRm4CRP6HFJba06QwTMPw88cA-PeBFh_OAwP_vPh9H4uZbe1zLEFicbutRFaxo/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rnzt3w9DzgPFo0aGPsOZNA3xOZ66n4cPyVD3EP5TyXWfjSwjvmDnSV3QFGoPYeH80LzfPcH5tRG5iAk6gfl7D7dlvTCKR9-MCJJSogxjgAHMjvbMKiJ2pG_cjxhRRr7JqpFNum0VJfI/s400/Picture+6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it over yet?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rnzt3w9DzgPFo0aGPsOZNA3xOZ66n4cPyVD3EP5TyXWfjSwjvmDnSV3QFGoPYeH80LzfPcH5tRG5iAk6gfl7D7dlvTCKR9-MCJJSogxjgAHMjvbMKiJ2pG_cjxhRRr7JqpFNum0VJfI/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>I really like them, and there are more here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/groovylab/sets/72157625007828831/with/5071429648/<br />
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Back to work!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-28595191593734795892010-10-18T17:28:00.000-04:002010-10-18T17:28:22.781-04:00A Photogenic Weekend12th place in a 50+ field at Granogue, which some of you may remember as my first ever CX race last year. Very exciting to see how far I've come in a year, and how different the course felt this time around. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCwwKMwamtVjwMI3JM9sq0xI12AyFj7qObESJotwZkAFnuaD6JzY2qJpQFj_toan4Xech6OQscwQ4Spr2vIsQfA_fvgZRw47L3e-DFORsAkqT-yar-jqunJnJoaPzRTkgr1RR8Khn04w/s320/100_1924.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pre-race hangout!</td></tr>
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</a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all of our new bikes, in a row!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s_x-0kijb-3E_wrs8nRf2PDG6_0a2HeBPs4ANRCb1jHL2f2k-zVf7oofxmH7_gHj-eAR3pWwIVs7YWy7-eFaZfTfPBE7HfhyphenhyphenHfTCRXO8ntt6xq3tDvybyX3ucDg9iCziag8vGtEoLeo/s320/100_1927.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">charlie, one of my all-time favorite people and teammates!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the course- how neat is that tower?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyrrgoqd2C8ZlByf4vRFWdrkgeisVuDBHvkRj4P0u7rMp-wrZFLjJJN1qgKba-cIiHoL0KZFRCIryBl399zJhpuXz7kFnSUJdgUAaNskSMNLrbZPixUCnSTyegMLpZC5UODB3tBbn_GI/s320/100_1937.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">off camber, no problem!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnVWtvppVRTB8VPXogYLbCDJlsA_XcnEW_99McnQyxW9GUyDCMzvPKisNnFh3rfz13ZOlgbmcQct1K7p8noaiiEg_zLPu-bmZS_Jocb5tCLjLTE48fwqbGk15t7oxmb-8EMp_4Nzzjqs/s320/100_1929.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">post-race, still stoked!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBvP0rT8t6-HwzLY0eZejgqNmLuWhQkbImea2PVUWc17ZQjLZvqNaISCFOi1YqSqx76e3x0UxKTsL5IjnLkK2l24zCX9m0LLl_QBfYO8vaj8UbKG8pzE1Tx2DSfKFrmaMvF3P1FqEcOU/s320/100_1939.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an image to leave you with- yeah, we ride for raleigh!</td></tr>
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Then, Sunday was my best friend from childhood's wedding! I was his first fiance, I'm proud to say. We were 3 at the time, but still! It was a lovely wedding, and I'm putting up a bunch of pictures because come on, how often am I in a dress? And wearing makeup?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6K7WiH2XmJdzZHv2zOstijjPoNMdjsvCAwCtmP9EcbXIp8km74D3DXaA0lD5mTh_CgL9fs62TIQC_3n68hYGpx1FCo-Lofsg31-oqda2DFenVLukzTKQNQSC3J4GauOVyHIKM4wlpgE/s1600/100_1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6K7WiH2XmJdzZHv2zOstijjPoNMdjsvCAwCtmP9EcbXIp8km74D3DXaA0lD5mTh_CgL9fs62TIQC_3n68hYGpx1FCo-Lofsg31-oqda2DFenVLukzTKQNQSC3J4GauOVyHIKM4wlpgE/s320/100_1962.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1j_6VgdarTnYGDWHr24Mkvm4CzNtD2cvKxJjZ31W-Cts-cJ6N7WMeeZjGBzy3tLvjc17TsuS_lcMvzCqjhTt8Avc95G4KJIz5pcRGZy1kFEsRPW0Gji_IaQCK0L6-hs530ZMuN5-_P0/s320/100_1964.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we clean up nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1j_6VgdarTnYGDWHr24Mkvm4CzNtD2cvKxJjZ31W-Cts-cJ6N7WMeeZjGBzy3tLvjc17TsuS_lcMvzCqjhTt8Avc95G4KJIz5pcRGZy1kFEsRPW0Gji_IaQCK0L6-hs530ZMuN5-_P0/s1600/100_1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig87kc_EJ1H5Q-tsehbuV-f9s6ZuWGr_BUbQYqkEdyHIRZ9WDJ2KIXQqPtPUP-LrfZt6F1d8ufT7HFSUULkCScQo28nWNpWAKgg5MAeJ4O3kcsZlV2XJMuRT92jl5mXtCk67VZQwlsV7M/s320/100_1970.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i don't like this picture but colleen and robbie did!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GXJDHT7yMCPplU9T4H0GYt9qylK4rmmaMpcsDqDOnRLoYsiCmFQiA6ljMscn-0a2B_jpuyiyChszqLcW5hrCnK-pZjwJc0YNa8dOLrm9bG9XVvrHAcz4tjhxsB4n_-767VyDRQyV0nQ/s320/100_1974.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="319" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">only time colleen is taller, because her heels were higher!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GXJDHT7yMCPplU9T4H0GYt9qylK4rmmaMpcsDqDOnRLoYsiCmFQiA6ljMscn-0a2B_jpuyiyChszqLcW5hrCnK-pZjwJc0YNa8dOLrm9bG9XVvrHAcz4tjhxsB4n_-767VyDRQyV0nQ/s1600/100_1974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH_pg0qgsbQX2e5knOUJb7cW26aKFZrruZMXoIRm2A-Mc7Azz1LzP9cqBSQymk12BNocHOjieqdFhgzqGBCq-EMSreh0ZHfBJ7vhKAFIw368KsBzMRBPrg3LXFae0zR3qHjsG1sBwiVA/s320/100_1975.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my crew.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH_pg0qgsbQX2e5knOUJb7cW26aKFZrruZMXoIRm2A-Mc7Azz1LzP9cqBSQymk12BNocHOjieqdFhgzqGBCq-EMSreh0ZHfBJ7vhKAFIw368KsBzMRBPrg3LXFae0zR3qHjsG1sBwiVA/s1600/100_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture hijnks.</td></tr>
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More later, but for now, it's a long work-week ahead!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-24984618952204104842010-10-11T18:10:00.000-04:002010-10-11T18:10:43.830-04:00Finally, A Good Weekend!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So, as the title reads, I finally had a successful weekend! (Now, if only I could be as successful at figuring out how the new formatting works on this blog. The image upload is driving me nuts!)<br />
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Anyway, we raced at Westwood Velo, up in Harriman State Park (I've done tri's there before, it's beautiful) and the weather couldn't have been better. By "we raced," I mean Matt and I on Saturday and just me on Sunday. Of course, I also had Andy, Konrad, Emily, Chris, Liz, Blake, et cetera... mostly kids I met at the track over the summer, with the exception of Blake, but you all know him as the guy who got me into this craziness years ago!<br />
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The weekend started off great- Matt and I drove up early in amazing fall weather, got to see some great leaf-changing scenery, and got to the race, which was small, but stellar. My race was at 11, so I was there and getting ready to go. We spun around a bit, and I flatted my rear wheel (somehow, this is entirely Matt's fault) but we replaced it with the pit wheel Matt had brought. We just got our amazing new bikes, so we have the same wheels now, which makes pitting super easy. <br />
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My race was 15 women, which is about half the size of a normal race, but I was happy about that. Much less stress! I managed to finagle my way into a good starting position, and when the whistle blew, I went hard, putting all the start practice I've been doing to good use. I was sitting fourth or fifth wheel as we hit the grass, and managed to move up pretty fast to third. I sat in third for the first half, then found myself in second, only a few seconds off of the winner. The course was tough- 2 sets of barriers, a hill run up, a stair run up, some mud, and lots and lots of technical cornering. Still, it was fun! I couldn't close the gap between myself and first, which I believe was primarily a psychological issue as opposed to a real race issue. So, I got my first ever second place CX finish, which included a medal, some oatmeal (!) and arm-warmers. Stoked!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_bgApeeBuFMZGMmv3dpgO8JoovbcHAlAgKSc0saKcZkYPJCkdbbZsORpcVmqZrCQI_Cb4ciUXPwsCr2G2s5mNr8uwM-TU9smH3FNkje3mMaumWRDMHfy9Hx_uyxRI0C7Iczlhh067NM/s320/100_1905.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very excited about my first 'cross medal! 2nd place, heck yeah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After that, I stayed and watched Matt and Blake- Blake did awesome and ended up third in B's- and watched all my track buddies race before heading home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2drt5z7ZWBnkW31JilODTMzqX4gcMRiqabGgfTzzFlYjJUA0DI96B9DcxED1Ui1kKOr4JsOi2xKHMlCj5426CDSOgqwdOYJP9VJaqZT0oyjttnCCaSQk-a8rZG06-H-YZu72a778p0bU/s320/100_1909.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blake, the one who got me into bike racing, taking a barrier. He also took me to my first cross race 6 years ago!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKGQOMZThSYdzcpVtF6lgiydvrCYggIwT_cfv1rsBzuhgFU8iTz5bm7Y8iU7BFh2Qa-Wa7FNzfTRweMeA3EUz5dWTS46ycZEtPChu9Gaj7a4IWkOOGw7qu-_byaqHxj2b_OL-r5JS0qI/s320/100_1910.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt about to flawlessly go over the barriers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSmMz7-azAWrstwTBEjgOKn6HX9EOY3RRYIA-yD4ViDr4R5hJQlJv8VUjykVSp-u5mWcYAi-OUXJRkNlQnsbP99bvj7gjWkIHlSAGFF0ZzYPi-9Wz_VOnXiWvhL6jDe2W58IBmrFwyN8/s320/100_1913.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt chasing down the competition.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sunday was just me driving up to Harriman, but I was ok with it. It was another great day and the drive was gorgeous. I got there, got myself somewhat warmed up (Matt on Saturday: "Rutgers Cycling doesn't do warmups!") and race-ready. The pressure was on! <br />
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Got to the line and ready to go, feeling a little nervous about the newly-reversed course with even more mud than Saturday. 55+ men went out before us, and the announcer didn't give us a 30 second warning, just blew the whistle. That threw me off, but I managed to sprint out and get up in the top 4 as they broke off from the main pack. About a quarter mile in, we hit the hill run-up and I passed two women to get into second place. I followed the first place woman closely until she missed a turn and hit the tape, then sprinted out hard, trying to separate from 3rd and 4th. It worked, and I held first place from midway through lap one until the end of the race, beating 2nd place by almost 2 minutes. It was HARD! I just kept pushing and trying to extend my lead, worried that if I crashed, I would lose it. Luckily, that didn't happen. <br />
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Despite no teammates being at the race, Blake and my track friends were there cheering. At one point, I saw Blake and he yelled "go faster!" and I yelled back, "I'm in first, what more do you want!?"<br />
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After the race, the second place woman came up, hugged me, told me my barriers and remounts were amazing, and yelled at me for beating her by 2 minutes. It was great! So many of the women came up to congratulate me and (I think it's a good thing) claim that I was "an animal" on the course. Hooray!<br />
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So, finally, it seems like I don't totally suck at cyclocross. I'm really happy to finally have a few good results under my belt- the first win of the season on the team! I'm feeling really good now, totally stoked for Granogue next weekend.<br />
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And, of course, with "great power comes great responsibility," and now I have to really go all out in training now. Not like I wasn't before, but I feel like the pressure is on. I was talking to Joe, a Team Somerset guy, and I said I was glad I was getting competent at CX, and he said, "not just competent... confident." And he's right. I feel much better about racing, and I think that's going to make a huge difference in the way I race. At least, I hope so. <br />
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New favorite CX advice from Adam Myerson, cross guru and collective team crush: "<span class="yiv581733020status-body"><span class="yiv581733020status-content"><span class="yiv581733020entry-content">If you're not sprinting out of every corner for 60 minutes [or 40 minutes, ed.] like it's the last lap of a crit, you're doing it wrong." </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="yiv581733020status-body"><span class="yiv581733020status-content"><span class="yiv581733020entry-content">One final picture, and my personal favorite: </span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePmgcU3nSItKQr8c6WgCF-0iKUlwhRKs3urgbA73dDnBUG2ok1Xzeov8LIvubYJBYhrdQcU4paBccq5N3QxsqjSB2SswhDCaaQTtm6SjqupTvm0X8kKeCZfUV6GHWRJWaZFDvNhfBypo/s1600/100_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePmgcU3nSItKQr8c6WgCF-0iKUlwhRKs3urgbA73dDnBUG2ok1Xzeov8LIvubYJBYhrdQcU4paBccq5N3QxsqjSB2SswhDCaaQTtm6SjqupTvm0X8kKeCZfUV6GHWRJWaZFDvNhfBypo/s640/100_1918.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_bgApeeBuFMZGMmv3dpgO8JoovbcHAlAgKSc0saKcZkYPJCkdbbZsORpcVmqZrCQI_Cb4ciUXPwsCr2G2s5mNr8uwM-TU9smH3FNkje3mMaumWRDMHfy9Hx_uyxRI0C7Iczlhh067NM/s1600/100_1905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2drt5z7ZWBnkW31JilODTMzqX4gcMRiqabGgfTzzFlYjJUA0DI96B9DcxED1Ui1kKOr4JsOi2xKHMlCj5426CDSOgqwdOYJP9VJaqZT0oyjttnCCaSQk-a8rZG06-H-YZu72a778p0bU/s1600/100_1909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKGQOMZThSYdzcpVtF6lgiydvrCYggIwT_cfv1rsBzuhgFU8iTz5bm7Y8iU7BFh2Qa-Wa7FNzfTRweMeA3EUz5dWTS46ycZEtPChu9Gaj7a4IWkOOGw7qu-_byaqHxj2b_OL-r5JS0qI/s1600/100_1910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSmMz7-azAWrstwTBEjgOKn6HX9EOY3RRYIA-yD4ViDr4R5hJQlJv8VUjykVSp-u5mWcYAi-OUXJRkNlQnsbP99bvj7gjWkIHlSAGFF0ZzYPi-9Wz_VOnXiWvhL6jDe2W58IBmrFwyN8/s1600/100_1913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-67629828040587476252010-10-08T10:45:00.000-04:002010-10-08T10:45:34.995-04:00The Endless CycleThis week has been... interesting. Tutoring has really picked up, as have my classes, and I'm finding myself in a serious time deficit. It's led me to really start thinking about my training and how I'm structuring CX training. Originally, I was following my Ironman mentality to training of More is More, and cramming 3 hours a day of training in. This is neither smart nor realistic for my current situation, which is working 30-35 hours a week, taking 12 hours of classes, doing a solid 10 hours of homework/reading, 3 or so hours of "career development" in the form of independent research/filling out applications, and 6 hours of observations in a 7th grade class, which also involved prep time, since I'm teaching some lessons. Plus, racing on the weekend. Needless to say, I'm a busy girl. Add in trying to have some semblance of a life, and that frantic pace is increased. This breakneck speed is only good for a semester, thankfully, and come December, it'll calm down, but for right now, this is my life. I'm not unhappy with it, just tired. <br />
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I started really thinking the other day: between work, school, training, racing, and having friends, it's hard to find enough time to sleep. The question then becomes: when is training helping or harming you when it means cutting out hours of sleep to get it in? I think at this point, my body needs that 7-8 hours of sleep rather than 6, even if it means only training 2 hours instead of 3. Since Nationals are 2 months away, and I have a serious desire to race in them, I need to focus on my training and racing, but at the same time, I have to be doing so with the intention of peaking in December, not crashing and burning long before then. So things like sleeping, staying healthy and taking vitamins and eating well are equally as important as training. And in CX, training isn't just about riding, it's about intervals, riding hard, and also equally about technical skills, and being able to ride with people: all things that I didn't exactly focus heavily on while training for Ironman. And by didn't focus heavily, I mean didn't focus on at all.<br />
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This leads me to my switch in training values... I was talking to my new friend from Charm City (a lovely gentleman who, when I finished my race and had my only water bottle locked in a teammates car, offered me a drink. He's also last year's collegiate cyclocross national champion, so I'm very glad I met him!) and asked him what his training schedule looked like. He gave me a basic outline, and I almost yelled out a hallelujah chorus when I realized I could cut back on the hours and just focus on intensity a lot more. So, I'm toning down how much I train, and ramping up how hard I train. It's been going well!<br />
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Wednesday CX practice went extremely well (for me, anyway). It was the last time I'll ever ride my old Surly, since it's being returned to the team I borrowed it from last year. I cannot express enough gratitude to them for letting me experiment with cyclocross, it honestly changed my life. Anyway, more on that later. I managed to actually keep up with a couple of guys who had been eluding me in previous practices, actually remounted and dismounted correctly, though I still need practice, and really gave it my all. We do 2 sets of 4 laps, and usually no one finishes the second set, since it gets dark, and normally I stop after 1-2 laps of the second set. Assuming I make it through the first at all. This time, I finished 3 of the final laps, and only stopped because it was getting dangerously dark on course. I was incredibly proud! Practice is tough because it's primarily very talented guys racing each other, which does nothing to prep me for races, since I'm lucky if I have a "race" with 2 or 3 guys. I need more practice at racing against people and taking corners together and whatnot, so I may have to start begging some of my teammates to spend the last lap riding at my pace and trying to beat me up. <br />
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After a good practice, to make things even better, our lovely new Raleighs arrived! I could not be more excited about it, honestly. Having this bike is going to be incredible. Mom and Colleen came over for dinner and we had a girl's night of pizza, then it was on to margarita and bike building night with the team. I came home late but with a new bike, and I was ecstatic. Pictures of my beautiful new bike will be coming shortly.<br />
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Thursday morning, Matt and I tried out our new rides on the Towpath. At first, I had some trouble remounting, and as I told him when I dismounted to get around a truck blocking the path, "I keep forgetting that I know how to ride a bike." I know one of my big limiters with CX is that I psyche myself out, and I need to stop doing that and just ride. Next week, he and I are talking about practicing running with the bikes, instead of just running, so that should be interesting. After he left, I went and practiced remounts and actually got them quickly once I just told myself I could handle it. <br />
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I'm stoked for this weekend's races in Westwood. Plus, since the races are relatively close to home, I can have some semblance of a normal weekend and actually do things like laundry. In the meantime, it's on to other projects and other work...Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-51723079019019938562010-10-01T12:10:00.003-04:002010-10-01T12:27:41.216-04:00Forced Rest WeekIn some ways, this is a very good thing. Going from Ironman to Cyclocross with what could barely be considered a rest week was a tough transition, and while I'm having a great time with 'cross, it's been pretty tiring. So, fractured cheek and pain aside, being on the sidelines for a few days was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Don't get me started on all the health insurance hoops I have to jump through now though. Talk about a hassle! (Especially since I didn't need an ambulance in the first place, but the doctors insisted.)<br /><br />But my cheek is healing and my body is resting, though while taking a week off (with the exception of a couple teensy tiny bike rides and an hour of running), I've been feeling pretty gross. It's amazing how much time I have when I'm not training, but it's also shocking how out of shape I feel after a couple of days. I know it's in my head, but still!! <br /><br />Classes and tutoring and work are going... insane. I think my head is about 1 step away from explosion/implosion with the amount of stuff I have on my plate, and to make things nuttier, I'm suddenly re-evaluating my whole 4 year plan in terms of what I want to do. The end goals are still the same, but I've had to start thinking about alternative (money-saving) ways to get to those ends. Regardless of what I do after the semester, I still have to finish this semester, so I'm trying to not think about it too much, but not ignore it either. Some of it is scary because I know that choosing certain routes will leave me out of school for the moment, and it scares me, not being a student anymore. It was inevitable, I know, but I define myself so much as a student that I think I've already made certain decisions based on wanting to stay in school, versus what's better in the long term. Still, I have no regrets. Right now, I love my classes, I feel like I'm doing well in them and I have them well under control. Ditto tutoring. If this keeps up, I see a potential 4.0 in my future. I hope.<br /><br />In other news, cyclocross is on hold for the weekend because of a work thing, but Sunday will be a solid training ride and skills session with Dad, who raced his first race at Whirlybird CX this weekend, sporting bib shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. I love him. He did awesome, and everyone went nuts cheering for him, since he was so far back but was just having a blast. I was exhausted from being nervous about him (after witnessing him topple 4 or 5 times on our practice lap), and during his race, I was sprinting all over the course to cheer for him. <br /><br />My race started really well, since I actually had a callup to the second row thanks to racing the weekend before. I started great, got clipped in immediately, and felt comfortable. Maybe too comfortable, since I skidded out HARD on gravel and went down. Two of my other teammates did the same thing- the gravel was super loose and slippery and if you didn't know that, you probably ate $@%#. My leg and elbow and hand were bleeding a lot and gravel covered, but I kept racing. However, during the crash, I got passed by a lot of girls, and because of the discomfort from crashing, I never caught back on. <br /><br />However, I did FINALLY LEARN TO REMOUNT!! It was very exciting during the race, being able to pass girls after barriers because I was able to hop on my bike. This was a huge coup for me last week at CX practice. Thanks to Mark and Pat's excellent coaching, I somehow managed to go from dismounting on the wrong side and not being able to mount at all to being able to dismount and remount easily. It was amazing. I felt like a little kid, demanding that Charlie and Matt watch me dismount, and I was so proud of myself when Charlie was yelling that I did it perfectly. They said they thought I had known how to do it the whole time and had just been messing with them by dismounting and remounting terribly.<br /><br />I love my teammates.<br /><br />So basically, it's been a very long week, and though I should be stoked that it's Friday, I'm more looking forward to Sunday, which for me is going to mean the re-start of my training.<br /><br />Aside from a shift in training from endurance to a schedule made to emphasize CX training and to minimize time training, I also really need a serious re-vamp of my eating habits. Robbie and I have been super busy lately and I feel like because of it, we're way more willing to eat like total crap. Also, I should never ever ever buy Reeses and candy corn. They're like my Kryptonite. So I need to put some serious focus on eating right. Basically, I need to get good really really fast, since Nationals are coming up, and pretty soon decisions about who gets to go to Nats are going to be made, and I want to at least be in serious contention to go. I think it would be a blast, and I really think that I can improve. I already managed to learn remounts, and they were my "white whale" of cx, so who knows?Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-7270975335550569802010-09-27T20:01:00.002-04:002010-09-27T20:20:41.031-04:00And some days just suck.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVNkryBsBtfnfuP851rSFrleCovxcvi1SjKq4zPmExvqHY1L81VelZzXAwxnH9BhvjUUtPp9AFc7Pk1Kb2a2OBsfHpvg4M0a_-DP-SHUVkcMEXCu7ymiKfldGAp8RagHum1kSzPleJwI/s1600/Photo+121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVNkryBsBtfnfuP851rSFrleCovxcvi1SjKq4zPmExvqHY1L81VelZzXAwxnH9BhvjUUtPp9AFc7Pk1Kb2a2OBsfHpvg4M0a_-DP-SHUVkcMEXCu7ymiKfldGAp8RagHum1kSzPleJwI/s400/Photo+121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521747910587595410" border="0" /></a>Don't I look badass? Got door-ed today riding home, got this lovely cut as my cheek took the entire impact of the corner of the car door. Slightly fractured cheek bone, no stitches, and a whole lot of swelling and pain.<br /><br />Like I don't get beat up enough during cyclocross. (Seriously, after this weekend I have virtually no skin on one elbow and a whole lotta scratches on my leg. Went down hard on gravel...) Though, thank god for CX, since when I got doored, rather than falling, I swayed left, pushed off a car as it was passing by me, unclipped, and got a foot down. I have no idea how I pulled that off, but if I hadn't, I may have ended up under that car that was passing by, so I'm very thankful. And as always, the RU health center was not surprised to see me bleeding and walking my bike, and took very good care of me.<br /><br />On the bright side, Robbie and Adam came and hunted me down in the hospital while I waited for a CT scan, and Charlie and Pat were both ready to go beat up the kid who did the door-ing, so it just serves as a reminder as to why I love all of my friends- and of course, how much I really love my wonderful boyfriend! So there is a silver lining, I guess.<br /><br />Now, I'm off to get a milkshake and watch cartoons. Because my face hurts!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-8681949626815634462010-09-20T15:08:00.003-04:002010-09-20T15:31:11.595-04:00charming race in the charm city<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvrQij-APJGsghtVQgrUhRoVwUG5rWoDd2OIa1u0ig-UmwcIL5Xj85YHqCG80oUm5CyXEBx-KQGkH5o4g8s9qUz4KNlAgKs2RHSqwnc-3moiPvqX0Cbu_qyXT6E88ZD46zikMC19lWqg/s1600/1014646453_6FGAd-L.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvrQij-APJGsghtVQgrUhRoVwUG5rWoDd2OIa1u0ig-UmwcIL5Xj85YHqCG80oUm5CyXEBx-KQGkH5o4g8s9qUz4KNlAgKs2RHSqwnc-3moiPvqX0Cbu_qyXT6E88ZD46zikMC19lWqg/s400/1014646453_6FGAd-L.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519075558711092818" border="0" /></a>Can you tell how much fun I'm having? (Note the eyes rolling skyward wondering when the heck this lap is going to be over. Hey, when you just ran up stairs with a bike, it's a reasonable thing to wonder!)<br /><br />Seriously though, I'm so stoked to be back racing with my all-time favorite teammates again! We had a full weekend in Charm City (Baltimore) at this fabulous park- Druid Hill- where I had actually been before with a great old friend of mine years ago. We played frisbee and rode our bikes then, but it was a little different this weekend. For one thing, I wore way more spandex this weekend.<br /><br />We got to Baltimore super late on Friday night, but luckily we had a lovely apartment to stay at (thank you Don!!) We all passed out pretty soon after getting there, despite the fact that we all had wanted to stay up and watch Top Gun, thanks to listening to Pat's CX2010 mix on the way down, which heavily featured songs from the movie. <br /><br />The next morning, David and I left before everyone else, since he raced at 9 and I raced at 11, while the other guys weren't starting until noon. We managed somehow to get our stuff set up and together, and David had a great 2nd race ever. I was getting a little nervous, since it was my first race of the season and I had no idea how it would go. <br /><br />The race was heavy on cornering, had a regular set of barriers, a set of stairs, and a huge barrier made out of the wooden barrier surrounding a giant tree in the park. It was fine for the guys with long legs to jump over but us short folk needed to hop up and over:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvblHrteRt4sMcqut2FBTVL9NBVi1tUszvlocbldPhzBjYZ9g7MFZ0JqZNPtqRBONzhBxXC3rva9uo81eoeSiJDcX3XkwR__eM2kf-41_Y_SpDZ8WH7yUHlndwtj4gNtz2yfH9y9LQm4/s1600/1014757344_3G5au-XL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvblHrteRt4sMcqut2FBTVL9NBVi1tUszvlocbldPhzBjYZ9g7MFZ0JqZNPtqRBONzhBxXC3rva9uo81eoeSiJDcX3XkwR__eM2kf-41_Y_SpDZ8WH7yUHlndwtj4gNtz2yfH9y9LQm4/s320/1014757344_3G5au-XL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519074936066120850" border="0" /></a>(My right leg has a crazy intense quad muscle showing here, I think it's hilarious.)<br /><br />Anyway, I didn't have an amazing start, but I had fun and didn't embarrass myself too much. I won't go into a big race report, mainly because it all happened very very fast so it's mostly a blur at this point, but I managed to pass a few people and finished 27th out of 42 or so Cat3/4 women. I'm a cat3 in road, but definitely a cat4 in cyclocross!<br /><br />Here's the crazy off camber turn- it doesn't look like much but the course was so dry it was falling out from under you as you rode. I take serious pride in the fact that I didn't have to put a foot down at any point during it though!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C0Ub1NNGx6R_wgxxytylmZK9sJbp6IxqiVtKRtf7rjSML6iMV9fyFVBgMehnR28pNG2yBK6LGrTzRRXsxXIoNHvhJqNe3yosXywCXweQchx4CsqE6S2WA0ckx-eBy1ixwYa39trnQoE/s1600/1014832080_buQUT-XL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C0Ub1NNGx6R_wgxxytylmZK9sJbp6IxqiVtKRtf7rjSML6iMV9fyFVBgMehnR28pNG2yBK6LGrTzRRXsxXIoNHvhJqNe3yosXywCXweQchx4CsqE6S2WA0ckx-eBy1ixwYa39trnQoE/s320/1014832080_buQUT-XL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519074964834050434" border="0" /></a><br />Going into a corner, looking over at Pat, who was busy yelling at me to go faster!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugazVwICkKaXrFygFGl35CtwRQQPMGUS0JuNnLkbpz5jLFZEUJmOFwBAqk6b5BWtUR2-7WZfQrt0SJZH3ovDps7JhaB1RDFIJ3RDrGNfhtkqGMY6BkGYDTtv7eQDGCN0m259ewDFUvTA/s1600/1014803682_aCx2j-XL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugazVwICkKaXrFygFGl35CtwRQQPMGUS0JuNnLkbpz5jLFZEUJmOFwBAqk6b5BWtUR2-7WZfQrt0SJZH3ovDps7JhaB1RDFIJ3RDrGNfhtkqGMY6BkGYDTtv7eQDGCN0m259ewDFUvTA/s320/1014803682_aCx2j-XL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519074951861745362" border="0" /></a><br />Sunday was day 2, and it was a lot more fun! For one thing, my good friends from Philly were racing, so got to hang with Dan, Brendan, and Gerry (who all totally killed it in their races.) <br /><br />My race started out even worse than Saturday's race, I didn't get clipped in until we hit the grass, so I was way behind. Fortunately, that just made me want to work harder to make up the ground I lost, so I started really pushing it and taking more risks than I normally would have. So it all worked out to some extent. <br /><br />However, at the end it became very very clear that I am, in fact, a road racer as opposed to a cross one. The final bit was a stretch of road, and there were three girls ahead of me when I hit it. In a sprint finish, I managed to pass all of the girls, one of them literally on the line by less than a saddle length, so I finished in 22nd in a field of 45 or so. <br /><br />Not great results, but a little better than most of last year, and I'm super-focused on improvement. My major limiter is clearly my lack of ability to remount, and it costs me a lot of time. My handling can use some work as well, and I definitely need to work on starts and accelerations, but the remounting is top priority.<br /><br />I'm getting serious about CX, despite my prior assertions that this was my fun season, since a trip to Nationals is potentially in the works if I actually perform well enough over the next few weeks. The bright side of that is that a full training schedule for a CX pro is under 15 hours a week, so that's pretty awesome. It just means that I'll do a couple shorter runs, and maybe one swim just for recovery purposes, but mainly focus on riding and on skills. I need the time off from a serious triathlete schedule, and this fits the bill pretty perfectly. Plus it'll get me ready to switch back to short course, since it's a lot of focus on high intensity and I've been in low for quite some time now. I'm excited about how this season is shaping up, and very nervous since I have some real goals for the season now that I may not have had before. But above all, having fun is still ranked #1!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-88474349434841762342010-09-17T14:58:00.003-04:002010-09-17T15:28:38.970-04:00And so it begins.Heading to Baltimore for my first cyclocross race of the season, and I'm pretty stoked. Also actually went to cyclocross practice on Wednesday night (with my CX bike, as opposed to the week before when I ran to it and didn't ride at all). I'm sure by the end of the weekend I'll have tons of pictures, whacky stories, and of course, plenty of bruises. I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot of friends from last season again, and talking to one of the women of the ECCC about doing Ironman. <br /><br />In the meantime though, it's been a long week. We finally went grocery shopping, bought the last of the furniture and stuff that we really needed, and basically finished moving into our new place. I've gotten my tutoring assignments, my field placement, and all of my class books and assignments. Starting next week, my life pretty much belongs to Rutgers (not that it already didn't, but with the addition of tutoring and fieldwork, it's going to be insane.) I'm still recovering from a combination of Ironman, the frenetic moving (and all the heavy lifting that went with it) and shopping, the classes and riding to and from them, racing this past weekend, and getting back into training. Sometimes it's hard to tell myself to back off, since I'm used to never wanting to skip a workout. I have a training plan that runs about 15-17 hours per week if I do it all, but for the next couple weeks while I finish recovering and get used to my routine, I'm trying to just do what I feel like doing, and when I feel tired, taking a rest. It's hard to do! I know it's for the best though, especially since I don't want to be burned out for racing every weekend. <br /><br />My classes are pretty neat. I definitely feel like thinking critically about teaching has already started making me a better tutor, especially now with the student athletes. It's cool when I catch myself teaching and thinking about something I read about literacy. I'm also really starting to get along with people in my class, and man, we are total nerds. Seriously. We had a 25 minute argument about comic books between classes yesterday, and it was amazing. Then, during class, there was a huge thunderstorm and the lights blinked, and one kid suggested we all tell ghost stories. We cracked up. I mean, hysterical laughter. Why? Because one of our readings talks about a teacher learning to relate to her students during a storm when the power went out and she did just that. I'm also finding myself getting excited about lesson planning.<br /><br />It's funny, I always assumed I wanted to teach high school English, once I made the decision to be a teacher, but more and more, I'm intrigued by the prospect of teaching 6-8th grade classes instead. I'm doing fieldwork in a high school this semester though, so I'll get a taste of that, and maybe in the Spring I'll try for a middle school so I can see what it's like. There are obvious pros and cons to both levels, but I have time to make that kind of decision, and in all honesty, though I may prefer one over the other, I wouldn't be too picky about the grade level, as long as it was sixth through twelfth. <br /><br />Right now, athletics-wise, I'm trying to get through 'cross season and have a blast, totally recover and recharge, and I need to put a lot of thought into what I'm doing next summer (there might be something travel-wise happening that will impact my tri life, but we'll see), plus I need to figure out the whole college thing, since next year is student teaching and I have to figure out how I'm supposed to manage to teach full time for free and still manage to make rent and eat... I have a couple thoughts but I need to meet with an adviser about it. The long and short of my triathlon plans though, is that I'm planning on really buckling down and focusing on short course next year. I think with the right training and the right race, I can go sub 2:05 on an Olympic, and that's what I plan on attempting to do. I know it's a super-lofty goal, but gotta aim high!<br /><br />In any event, back to the piles and piles of homework and reading I have to do... I admit, I do love college!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-45503608824303809702010-09-16T08:03:00.005-04:002010-09-16T08:28:26.108-04:00Last Triathlon of the Season... Check!Sunday was my last triathlon of the season. I knew going into it that it may not go so great, since it was 2 weeks out from Ironman, and in that 2 weeks, I had been moving, starting classes, working and just starting to do light training again. Add that to the fact that it was a sprint, and I haven't gone short and fast in ages, and it was definitely pretty uncertain how the race would pan out. But, I've done this race for the past 2 years, and I wanted to keep it on my schedule because I like having yearly comparisons of the same course to look at. Plus, the Skylands Tri is literally 5 minutes from my house on roads I know and in a park I grew up in, and it's one of the first races that my dad ever did, back in his tri days. So, it's sort of an obligation, and I love it. Also, it's one of the only races I know of where the winner of each age group and the top 3 actually get cash prizes. When you spend $85 to race, it's nice to be able to potentially win $100 at the end! (And for someone who just had to put down a security deposit, pay rent, buy house stuff, buy books, and deal with IM, that's a very good thing.)<br /><br />I woke up Sunday to cloudy skies and rain. It was in the low 60s, which is chilly for a race you're doing in a bikini. I hadn't really gotten my stuff together the night before, but the race started at 9, so we didn't have to leave til 8. What a welcome change from the norm! I got to sleep til 7 and still shower, eat and pack.<br /><br />It was hard getting my stuff in transition- first I needed to find a bike pump, then I realized my towel was going to get soaked, then I was wondering why on earth I was racing at all. I told myself to suck it up though, and pulled on my already wet wetsuit. Not pleasant. The race started a little late, and they had 5 min between swim waves, which is sort of weird to me. The women were the third wave, and a couple of them took off like a thing that swims really fast... a fish, maybe?... either way, they were long gone. I was doing reasonably well, though my arms were killing me. I had done a weight set a few days before and I was seriously feeling the aftereffects. I didn't realize just how much I still needed to recover until then. Still, made it out of the water in 14 min, almost a minute off last year's time. Last year though, I was 4th out of the water, this time I was closer to tenth. There were some FAST swimmers out there!<br /><br />Got through transition a little slow just because of the rain and everything being soaked. I opted against putting on a jersey, since I knew it would be soaked in seconds. Instead, I decided to brave the cold in just the bikini. Brrrrr!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSid18RS9Sgqm_mUXMhKslFQcmwK3_lCPR0zrKbT2ZyCl2qB6rv1ekOhl-BxVqlTYLxOSBi0k-hj9tw9KcKCqa_HvFJ6ac2EKfmwP2Kog9DHEn85P9c3IGx9IfUabLkiGI4WMMas6j42c/s1600/catmarlson+skylands2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSid18RS9Sgqm_mUXMhKslFQcmwK3_lCPR0zrKbT2ZyCl2qB6rv1ekOhl-BxVqlTYLxOSBi0k-hj9tw9KcKCqa_HvFJ6ac2EKfmwP2Kog9DHEn85P9c3IGx9IfUabLkiGI4WMMas6j42c/s320/catmarlson+skylands2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517483822338341826" border="0" /></a>From Cat Marlson, thank you thank you for taking awesome pictures!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The course was as it always is, but very very wet. We haven't had rain in quite some time, so it was pretty slick from all the accumulated oil. The hill that always kills everyone was particularly brutal, and the super fast downhill was more nerve-wracking than usual, despite the fact that I managed to stay in aero the entire descent. I passed a lot of men and women, so I was feeling better about how I was doing, though I knew that there were a few women ahead of me still.<br /><br />Finished the bike about a minute faster than last year, which is actually pretty big, given the terrible weather. Came into transition, threw on the shoes and headed out. There was a woman right next to me and at first we were in a passing war, but after exchanging a few pleasant comments, we realized we weren't in the same age group and she asked if I wanted to work together. Yes. So, for the 5k, we each took turns in the lead, we passed a ton of guys and a couple of women, and generally had a good time. When we hit the final part- running up a long driveway and then back down it into the finishing chute, I sped up, and she didn't. Dad was yelling at me to watch my back, and I was pretty much giving it all I had to get to that finish line.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHc4NBK7qayKN-dLE6Hd32QcOH2iBaL7qCQ8DKCmO1LmgRdJYIcUNBXqNDny0CekS9sWygqxA47RaycfGdWsadyXzeARtFpNWXQa_ogYGeudoDHQ7jRUUs6pp0n4o7nCC0EilFaeLH74/s1600/catmarlson+skylands.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHc4NBK7qayKN-dLE6Hd32QcOH2iBaL7qCQ8DKCmO1LmgRdJYIcUNBXqNDny0CekS9sWygqxA47RaycfGdWsadyXzeARtFpNWXQa_ogYGeudoDHQ7jRUUs6pp0n4o7nCC0EilFaeLH74/s320/catmarlson+skylands.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517483811564896626" border="0" /></a>Again, thanks to Cat Marlson for posting some awesome race pics!<br /><br /></div>Crossed the line as the 5th woman overall (the first two were the 6th and 9th in the entire race. Whoa.) and had a 21:20 5k, a solid minute and a half better than last year. My final time was 1:26:05, almsot 3 minutes faster than last year, despite the longer transitions and other issues due to the rain. I won my AG, and was feeling pretty satisfied. Beating my time from last year by a pretty decent amount given the circumstances surrounding it felt pretty great, and definitely reminded me that I love a good short course race!<br /><br />More from the grad school files later, but at the moment I have to head out to get tested for TB before I can start observing at schools next week. Then, 7 hours of class. And a couple of homework. And today is my easy day!<br /><br />This weekend, heading to Baltimore for Charm City CX. Should be a blast!<br /></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-64188399040575244582010-09-13T10:50:00.000-04:002010-09-15T12:16:57.629-04:00The Obligatory Grad School PostI'm back in school.<br /><br />I say back in school because last year I only took 1 class a semester. And they were easy. So it didn't count.<br /><br />Now, I'm seriously in school. Fieldwork, tons of research, papers, projects, presentations, group work... It's a heavy, heavy workload. Seeing the syllabi for my classes has made me super nervous about handling all of it while juggling 3 different tutoring gigs as well as my role as Communications Organizer at the union one day a week (plus online a few hours during the week), cyclocross and training, finding time to work on writing and career stuff like that, and having a social life and getting to spend time with Robbie. It's a daunting task.<br /><br />Still, I was born to plan. So my agenda is already labeled with due dates and reading assignments, my books are bought or ordered, and every single page of reading that was available online for my classes (and it was a lot) has all been printed, stapled, labeled with due dates, and filed away to be read at the appropriate time. I'm armed with a new desk, a pile of post its, packs of new highlighters and red pens, plans for tutoring each session to the best of my abilities- including a lesson plan outline for the class I tutor- so I should be feeling pretty prepared, right?<br /><br />To some extent I do. Don't get me wrong. It's just that it's already way harder than I expected. I didn't expect this amount of work from all of my classes, so to be faced with it has been tough. More tough though has been the cost of books. Between Ironman, vacation, being away from tutoring and nannying for a month, paying a security deposit and a month's rent, buying furniture and a ton of household stuff, a frickin' cyclocross bike (the parts for it, anyway. but more on that later), registration for Skylands (the last sprint triathlon of the season), and then having to buy a TON of books, I'm pretty tapped out. I'm not worried, because tutoring starts this coming week and I'll be making more then, but it's still never fun to see money vanish like that, and in such a short period of time.<br /><br />I'll survive.<br /><br />On the bright side, my classes are actually pretty neat. For three of them, I'm with essentially the same exact people, so already we're becoming really well acquainted with each other. To the point, in fact, where when the teacher was demonstrating a point and used a picture of a cyclist, and asked what he was doing (a literacy lesson, don't ask), half of the students shouted out "Ironman" and looked at me. I just pointed out how poorly he was cornering. And then yelled at the people who said Tour De France instead of just bike race. Come on, people! There is more to cycling than the Tour! At least no one assumed it was Lance Armstrong in the picture...<br /><br />Point being, I've made some friends. Including someone who watches the same cartoons like the Justice League and Batman, and can actually quote The Question ("the plastic on the end of shoelaces is called the aglet. It's true purpose is sinister") and actually doesn't think a Booster Gold action figure collection is lame. (He hasn't seen our essentially superhero themed apartment though, so he doesn't quite grasp the extent of our nerdiness.)<br /><br />In the meantime, before everything gets insane, I've been recovering. I took last week totally off, though "off" is relative, since we were moving, and Robbie and Adam had work and class all day, so I was loading my truck, carrying heavy things, putting furniture together, putting stuff away, and generally getting the place together myself. Mom helped, and Robbie and Adam did a lot once they had time, but a lot of it was me solo. Then, Robbie and I went on a spending spree for furniture and living stuff- I'll post pictures of the place later, now that it finally looks like a real home. It's super nice! Only one of my bikes is living there at the moment, but we'll fix that soon enough.<br /><br />This week, I rode the Skylands triathlon course. I was 4th female last year, and I'm hoping to do well this year, though who knows, since I'm still technically in recovery. Still, riding the course on my tri bike felt good, and since then I've been swimming and running a little too. Just an hour and a half to two hours a day, and today I'm off because of work and our first date night in I don't know how long! Regardless, I'm feeling good. I ran to the field where we have cyclocross practice on Wednesday to hang out, despite not having a bike just yet, and I can't wait for the season to get underway! After this weekend, it's CX until December, hooray!<br /><br />I've also been trying to maintain a GoodReads account, though I don't know how successful that'll be with classes and work. But if anyone has it, my account name is MollyHurford, so look me up!<br /><br />I'm sure posts from now on will be focused on CX and grad school, though of course triathlon is still my #1 love. Starting to plan my season for next year out though, so stay tuned for that...Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-7530646891605803932010-09-10T13:05:00.008-04:002010-09-10T13:22:36.786-04:00How I Spent My Summer Vacation<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">While I don't have much to report on my vacation, it was an awesome few days at the beach, some great time spent with Colleen, Mom and Dad, and just a lot of having fun on my taper, despite not being able to run on the beach or surf.<br /><br /></div>The Family!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwnBSjPJ-1H2pQDzTXwcvC86t_5gD_GpLs2uCTqtP4vVZkOn0s1C6gOZE6CTA64j6FpUKj4rgEl2vSaaJN2aeFre7TN9jmyLGov2kZddUwaSl797121XknhehztImJaj_3Mh2k2desoE/s1600/DSC01342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwnBSjPJ-1H2pQDzTXwcvC86t_5gD_GpLs2uCTqtP4vVZkOn0s1C6gOZE6CTA64j6FpUKj4rgEl2vSaaJN2aeFre7TN9jmyLGov2kZddUwaSl797121XknhehztImJaj_3Mh2k2desoE/s320/DSC01342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334508776256450" border="0" /></a><br />It starts with just one dog...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcl68hGE-u-dzC4VMrD2TkJXEZIEY1ily0UfzhR__Hh4SLGGA1rvSfsnIsEaO1eivcorJicCI8PWp2v8liu_be15nDzGmaV_CSACEWyWMY-Ids1V6bCgTimgqqey_DGWHtPQXxByjj_c/s1600/DSC01325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcl68hGE-u-dzC4VMrD2TkJXEZIEY1ily0UfzhR__Hh4SLGGA1rvSfsnIsEaO1eivcorJicCI8PWp2v8liu_be15nDzGmaV_CSACEWyWMY-Ids1V6bCgTimgqqey_DGWHtPQXxByjj_c/s320/DSC01325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334160929815282" border="0" /></a>And somehow they multiply!!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdRCWQ-0Kp580YOY_tOhM-jYbf2cbwJ7xcL51yTlAV-5rk1C9xZJjfnroAz875vRKho5zrIRyTfUGe_fzpM_YT8nvmoDyy29Dw6fqJakBJf_YShZmrF1EuKKuKHNHtembifjAvC8jibY/s1600/DSC01330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdRCWQ-0Kp580YOY_tOhM-jYbf2cbwJ7xcL51yTlAV-5rk1C9xZJjfnroAz875vRKho5zrIRyTfUGe_fzpM_YT8nvmoDyy29Dw6fqJakBJf_YShZmrF1EuKKuKHNHtembifjAvC8jibY/s320/DSC01330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334166850025858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Faith, my dog, had a series of interesting encounters with the Jack Russells, Hazel, Buster, and Lucky:<br /><br />(They meet)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJqMgYXfhVeuE_dRLB2znvveoxzwSCdKjzLY322h5WEjLSn0YKuNMQH34jNHUSNJMvXGzoCb_qvfOZ1RAQWGtKYzUiLbqamxhEpgVQASEZqAyHFvvuDkDkufeI4QGyM_sH1M77tc6aG4/s1600/DSC01333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJqMgYXfhVeuE_dRLB2znvveoxzwSCdKjzLY322h5WEjLSn0YKuNMQH34jNHUSNJMvXGzoCb_qvfOZ1RAQWGtKYzUiLbqamxhEpgVQASEZqAyHFvvuDkDkufeI4QGyM_sH1M77tc6aG4/s320/DSC01333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334180383641666" border="0" /></a><br />(Faith attempts to show Lucky who's the boss.)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuTyy1powZ-7zwq5BcEEBZ30bIEBEWuGc9KhjttssSN_0hT3s8w8CrZevcdlVm3pmXmOKJozcJtDbuHgntVq6ZzCxDLBMftpqaHJ0-3f3RHC068SpyvqucP_1XIvLzVR7xhVGWrbyK-Y/s1600/DSC01334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuTyy1powZ-7zwq5BcEEBZ30bIEBEWuGc9KhjttssSN_0hT3s8w8CrZevcdlVm3pmXmOKJozcJtDbuHgntVq6ZzCxDLBMftpqaHJ0-3f3RHC068SpyvqucP_1XIvLzVR7xhVGWrbyK-Y/s320/DSC01334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334190778040578" border="0" /></a>(Touche, Lucky!)<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxiEUzP-hlbXU1gzV9iXZM7H_Ib4l5vEPsLBx-3pi6Vi4eLBITQfYwIRWNaXRfUzUcRv5NK3djIHrqfPeM5dynDeo9C5klD2GkI947D148Gr4TdEGoOP9JwkCqqRLLzW1WYobGN8g2uc/s1600/DSC01335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxiEUzP-hlbXU1gzV9iXZM7H_Ib4l5vEPsLBx-3pi6Vi4eLBITQfYwIRWNaXRfUzUcRv5NK3djIHrqfPeM5dynDeo9C5klD2GkI947D148Gr4TdEGoOP9JwkCqqRLLzW1WYobGN8g2uc/s320/DSC01335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515334201514306850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Colleen and I, looking very freckle-y<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01oiDEjnhmoqQ1MLHFBjbUGcvn6yhIX8-u-tTLAmOszrib2LYhj5UlJx7BXiwVQ-138AWaxdhoisC6NM7RFCncC54x6gRIed_vQsvKdNUQIisRGxqMyndkvNWdp5TiJt2fHYuzYJhaBc/s1600/DSC01320.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01oiDEjnhmoqQ1MLHFBjbUGcvn6yhIX8-u-tTLAmOszrib2LYhj5UlJx7BXiwVQ-138AWaxdhoisC6NM7RFCncC54x6gRIed_vQsvKdNUQIisRGxqMyndkvNWdp5TiJt2fHYuzYJhaBc/s320/DSC01320.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333475286940498" border="0" /></a><br />Dad and I, post-mountain bike ride right after a rain storm.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3ss2VLxOGc4GHYalSL_bnRoxiD4Vk1fBub-7OE3dXlM3QfcReEb5byxVlUY5iBfpWpZlad4jpmHPUESUCmunTl0ExPQtLvyOAfObM5XO-zQRTShI7Dxb-Nxr9yk7AlWdQcJxP-mG-FE/s1600/DSC01313.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3ss2VLxOGc4GHYalSL_bnRoxiD4Vk1fBub-7OE3dXlM3QfcReEb5byxVlUY5iBfpWpZlad4jpmHPUESUCmunTl0ExPQtLvyOAfObM5XO-zQRTShI7Dxb-Nxr9yk7AlWdQcJxP-mG-FE/s320/DSC01313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333459301827106" border="0" /></a>...and back.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKk-XybYPCL8-ladMVWC5d2inOb65nOI_b4bC787yhR0s84kf7nOc3jqQ2I78NIXVG8AXLR5LKqbv-ENUDA5QojJwbFk-A-KCrPzX6A9cr6w_GC9p3CrVJUH4BCvSOYWXwxvR8Dymvc4/s1600/DSC01314.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKk-XybYPCL8-ladMVWC5d2inOb65nOI_b4bC787yhR0s84kf7nOc3jqQ2I78NIXVG8AXLR5LKqbv-ENUDA5QojJwbFk-A-KCrPzX6A9cr6w_GC9p3CrVJUH4BCvSOYWXwxvR8Dymvc4/s320/DSC01314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333469982227698" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">About to head down to the boardwalk to do some souvenir shopping!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq1Wxe_IRJ217gUhyphenhyphenzezfkpVfq5stlHoE9N6Wt9vmlzceuUvKXdmlrN906o36SDbmTuKmfWbPKWxoqiEi0aw-cxA5dj3_9QlypytvMxYWU-64_pVOIwP7ZFTjSbDq56tHWHJjku9vxDw/s1600/100_1694.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq1Wxe_IRJ217gUhyphenhyphenzezfkpVfq5stlHoE9N6Wt9vmlzceuUvKXdmlrN906o36SDbmTuKmfWbPKWxoqiEi0aw-cxA5dj3_9QlypytvMxYWU-64_pVOIwP7ZFTjSbDq56tHWHJjku9vxDw/s320/100_1694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515332607977056770" border="0" /></a><br />An awesome waterslide on the beach...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9LqM1dNxM_VzPPJm7oXj61EnXS0Tz635r9dewXMcjnphrtW4FflPXIwBPidfC6zN9XWRYnku2UqkVKXdD0of6_5W8wEVq0a3QAF0sUhTvx20fhyphenhyphenGkjVEou4eeg6sZNScseqRA3B2Yoc/s1600/100_1723.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9LqM1dNxM_VzPPJm7oXj61EnXS0Tz635r9dewXMcjnphrtW4FflPXIwBPidfC6zN9XWRYnku2UqkVKXdD0of6_5W8wEVq0a3QAF0sUhTvx20fhyphenhyphenGkjVEou4eeg6sZNScseqRA3B2Yoc/s320/100_1723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333440446203090" border="0" /></a>And me after going down said waterslide. <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy3Xz9bnI54x4Y7WdAJ65fdsXt2KX_13-YSHfJKJZbfVX5zEBxWMEQcUXsWH0SSV-DnXaSeACYMsjtXh_fkJy1UKq3Har7hYvjpu2_mnulwcBVHJQJ-IsYtdX8Lu-ggamD5Ru0F_MqbU/s1600/100_1725.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy3Xz9bnI54x4Y7WdAJ65fdsXt2KX_13-YSHfJKJZbfVX5zEBxWMEQcUXsWH0SSV-DnXaSeACYMsjtXh_fkJy1UKq3Har7hYvjpu2_mnulwcBVHJQJ-IsYtdX8Lu-ggamD5Ru0F_MqbU/s320/100_1725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515333447490566450" border="0" /></a>(Our Aunt's beach house that we stay in is in the residential area of VA Beach, but we're only a couple of miles from the boardwalk and the crowded beaches, which are great for things like waterslides, though I prefer our nice quiet spot!)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speaking of our nice spot, here's the dunes and the family again!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVp4WeRB6AhZxM4Edu4c4p-odq-HAXoV3i8TKXjOXfysJWIOLRHZRbjdFym-vABm4kppXgi5UxTRs9nDk5fEvre3VDO6vmIuZfbx2V_J5pp30HPebcuQJ73ZCmabnaB0AvIjr1G_GbCA/s1600/100_1717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVp4WeRB6AhZxM4Edu4c4p-odq-HAXoV3i8TKXjOXfysJWIOLRHZRbjdFym-vABm4kppXgi5UxTRs9nDk5fEvre3VDO6vmIuZfbx2V_J5pp30HPebcuQJ73ZCmabnaB0AvIjr1G_GbCA/s320/100_1717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515332644572344226" border="0" /></a><br />Me complaining my stomach hurt.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_b9JTVS1Z3gWKODTvPV-gDvY-P3ams8I62b-FivqDi2AearbcD9expNGKBOajzu_xo9BsLgCPNIemvPJt7Di1xOuLSkAz4fPOtj_6cl3ziISKa7BQ5e2kmF9s3hutVTV-Owl82cfq4E/s1600/100_1715.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_b9JTVS1Z3gWKODTvPV-gDvY-P3ams8I62b-FivqDi2AearbcD9expNGKBOajzu_xo9BsLgCPNIemvPJt7Di1xOuLSkAz4fPOtj_6cl3ziISKa7BQ5e2kmF9s3hutVTV-Owl82cfq4E/s320/100_1715.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515332636747540466" border="0" /></a><br />...and me jumping off the dune.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOQ6G8OZEl8oZb8VVx7ojhQHBgLBhNkOpe3v6LP7Vu8l_EzCWt81QDYxaXZzJda2b5J33rauqnV1HshZSimpV9gT7H1Vn0T6iYWhvMYbPgVTnObyAz2fPNumaQafMV-6yxmAukhGuIUo/s1600/100_1707.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOQ6G8OZEl8oZb8VVx7ojhQHBgLBhNkOpe3v6LP7Vu8l_EzCWt81QDYxaXZzJda2b5J33rauqnV1HshZSimpV9gT7H1Vn0T6iYWhvMYbPgVTnObyAz2fPNumaQafMV-6yxmAukhGuIUo/s320/100_1707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515332630341990642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And my personal favorite picture, the beach right before a storm.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLBuCO5IQsFsrI86v1Z-eP7nElCztc2qVTLKcht2fH2B3Ad4dEACTfSfDKUHZBirJ1zxllWLtZLOhd3869m5fPy-r6m6qdgrWuIiac5gWVyVoA_3pa35_DgDMBhcLz0o5aQWLDB5mb6Y/s1600/100_1697.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLBuCO5IQsFsrI86v1Z-eP7nElCztc2qVTLKcht2fH2B3Ad4dEACTfSfDKUHZBirJ1zxllWLtZLOhd3869m5fPy-r6m6qdgrWuIiac5gWVyVoA_3pa35_DgDMBhcLz0o5aQWLDB5mb6Y/s320/100_1697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515332617042379330" border="0" /></a>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-58230460151973128812010-09-10T09:18:00.005-04:002010-09-10T09:57:56.328-04:00Ironman Louisville (Belated) Race ReportOK, I know, I know.<span style=""> </span>It’s been over a week and still no race report!<span style=""> </span>And I don’t even have the excuse that I was busy trying to make it perfect. <span style=""> </span>But I do have the excuse that I just started grad school full time on Wednesday, and the past week has been pretty nuts between that and moving.<span style=""> </span>We’re almost moved in to our nice new apartment, and I’m pretty settled into all of my classes, despite the tons of work they’ll be generating, so life is at least semi-back on track.<span style=""> </span>But that’s not what this post is about.<span style=""> </span>This post is entirely devoted to my IMKY race report. <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Without further ado…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Pre Race</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Transition opened at 5:30, so at 4:30 I was awake, trying to eat a bagel and drink a ton of fluids, and out the door.<span style=""> </span>Because we had stashed everything in transition the night before, it was a pretty simple morning.<span style=""> </span>Got to transition, got everything set up, and was generally feeling pretty calm.<span style=""> </span>Then, a .75 mile walk down to the start of the swim.<span style=""> </span>We got there and were wondering why everyone was sitting in front of the portapotties.<span style=""> </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGYOK9atTTCQcaa5mbSyeQ5CJ2fghqFkWgU168sgZLX-pA4U3YF9EL2WBzXVmvc5oz-Rogis5IMJEFDLs11W0NpREsB_HaVsStCXPWzJHzuO-5gLmcQ9PCv-PcFd38vlmgLMG6-rgLio/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGYOK9atTTCQcaa5mbSyeQ5CJ2fghqFkWgU168sgZLX-pA4U3YF9EL2WBzXVmvc5oz-Rogis5IMJEFDLs11W0NpREsB_HaVsStCXPWzJHzuO-5gLmcQ9PCv-PcFd38vlmgLMG6-rgLio/s320/IMG_0265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515280920780228610" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">I got bodymarked, and dad realized that they were all people in line.<span style=""> </span>Honestly, people must have been there since the night before- I kid you not, I saw an air mattress.<span style=""> </span>We walked and walked and walked and about a mile alter got to the end of the line.<span style=""> </span>I looked at the guys in front of me and asked if this was the line for Springsteen tickets.<span style=""> </span>They laughed, but I guess that joke makes the most sense if you’re from NJ.<span style=""> </span>Anyway, I chatted and ate, and was still feeling good.<span style=""> </span>The guy behind me kept asking if I was nervous though, which did little to relax me.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6RJ2oQKhBTb_jluqM75UweV-GIE1gKaHMmybtjr5HbiaACIZk9xUSvWiia_dlNSg42xmUiRJ1RJGT1CDc0Cx6aVtkYukOEm9FmR4IJ2BotpIL_QTTOlM_h2N5wq2lRNc-7ecZEu-Jec/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6RJ2oQKhBTb_jluqM75UweV-GIE1gKaHMmybtjr5HbiaACIZk9xUSvWiia_dlNSg42xmUiRJ1RJGT1CDc0Cx6aVtkYukOEm9FmR4IJ2BotpIL_QTTOlM_h2N5wq2lRNc-7ecZEu-Jec/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515281287990484178" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Swim</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Once the line started moving, it moved quick.<span style=""> </span>Before I really knew what was happening, I had a surge of volunteers pushing me into the swim chute yelling “keep running!”<span style=""> </span>We went off the 2 docks 2 at a time 2 seconds apart, so before I really realized just what was happening, I was in the water and swimming.<span style=""> </span>It was crazy.<span style=""> </span>Because I started far back, it was pretty rough going.<span style=""> </span>Got elbowed, kicked, and generally manhandled as I crawled my way up.<span style=""> </span>The problem was that I kept getting slowed down because of all of the random people in front of me breast-stroking and popping out to sight.<span style=""> </span>Seriously, there was a traffic jam at the turn buoy!<span style=""> </span>I just kept telling myself to stay calm and just keep going.<span style=""> </span>No crazy antics, just stay calm and KEEP SWIMMING!<span style=""> </span>We swam under a couple of bridges, which was pretty neat, and then before I really realized it, the end was in sight!<span style=""> </span>I got out of the water in about 1:18, which was kind of slow for me, but with the washing machine effect of having to get around so many people, I was ok with it.<span style=""> </span>My only issue with the race setup was that they had so few buoys, it was almost impossible to sight sometimes.<span style=""> </span>You had to assume that everyone knew where they were going and follow blindly until a buoy finally came into sight.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But… out of the swim and into bike transition!<span style=""> </span>I ran into the changing tent and was shocked at how many people were totally changing!<span style=""> </span>I was wearing my bike stuff so I crammed my shoes and helmet on, pulled my <st1:place st="on">Rutgers</st1:place> jersey on over my head and booked it out of the tent, pausing to get copious amounts of lotion everywhere.<span style=""> </span>Ran out, mounted, and took a deep breath… 112 miles to go.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bike</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The bike started FAST.<span style=""> </span>I was passing people, and feeling really good.<span style=""> </span>(My results are a tribute to this, my average for the first part was 19.5).<span style=""> </span>I was expecting a flat course, but it was more accurately described as rolling.<span style=""> </span>A lot of the time, it was kind of tough avoiding drafting, and I felt like I got slowed down a lot because of it in some segments.<span style=""> </span>I had a nutrition plan in place and I was sticking to it, feeling good, despite the fact that it was getting HOT out.<span style=""> </span>I was refilling my bottles at every station, drinking as much as possible between them, and generally trying to stay calm, but stay going at a steady clip.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t want to be beat for the marathon (though in retrospect I might as well have been) and I was trying to conserve energy.<span style=""> </span>It’s amazing how fast 112 miles goes by, and how exciting it was when we passed through LaGrange and just could hear the crowd going crazy for us.<span style=""> </span>I made a few “friends” on the bike, men and women, because we had a group of about 25 of us that kept constantly passing and re-passing each other.<span style=""> </span>It made it fun, knowing who had just passed you so you could head for them on the next hill. I'm glad I have this picture of me smiling, because honestly, this part was fun:<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHuNabqi4wfD7Y4HJVpN1qmB96fma7jvWhT9kTRYJjMq2QnFLlE9xOuwKnvnJ1ohHm_Ir8H6I8YL5uDtFKCRj0kNEeain-UJ7LVFmEmXMd-8fUVf9Y-YHKMR1dpXGJHy6aCiSThcMiLI/s1600/60068-183-025f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHuNabqi4wfD7Y4HJVpN1qmB96fma7jvWhT9kTRYJjMq2QnFLlE9xOuwKnvnJ1ohHm_Ir8H6I8YL5uDtFKCRj0kNEeain-UJ7LVFmEmXMd-8fUVf9Y-YHKMR1dpXGJHy6aCiSThcMiLI/s320/60068-183-025f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515281300416940466" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">By the last 20 miles or so, I started having some “respiratory issues,” which made me aware that I was probably getting dehydrated.<span style=""> </span>As I said, I had been drinking as much as I could.<span style=""> </span>Everyone that reads this is all to aware of my issues with IBS, so while I know I wasn’t drinking as much as I should, I was drinking as much as I possibly could without making myself sick or cramping.<span style=""> </span>Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.<span style=""> </span>As the miles ticked off, I knew the marathon was going to be tough, but I tried to stay focused.<span style=""> </span>I definitely slowed down a bit towards the end, but still ended the bike with an average of 18.5 mph.<span style=""> </span>Not too shabby, though I wish I hadn’t started losing it at the end.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">The Run</p><p class="MsoNormal">… to call it the run is kind of an insult to running.<span style=""> </span>I got into transition, actually changed shorts and threw on a running top with Rutgers Cyclocross written in marker on the back.<span style=""> </span>Represent!!<span style=""> </span>I charged out of transition, planning to eek as much actual running as I could.<span style=""> </span>I made it to the first aid station, got through that walking, and started running again.<span style=""> </span>For the first couple stations, I wasn’t feeling great but I was surviving.<span style=""> </span>But then… my lungs started really hurting.<span style=""> </span>It was like how I felt during Rev 3, but worse.<br /><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX-yDrQkRZKaTUaYLOzrmuOebIIX5xi0PaaPORPGrhovvIvrCMdVFI83rzLszTa5d7af5Kh1pwNoNwjTwEdqkEAy_k_ez4T2qFefcMX4VxfDnUqkWieYXiG1y8gKww7aPtLrakc381ck/s1600/IMG_0274.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX-yDrQkRZKaTUaYLOzrmuOebIIX5xi0PaaPORPGrhovvIvrCMdVFI83rzLszTa5d7af5Kh1pwNoNwjTwEdqkEAy_k_ez4T2qFefcMX4VxfDnUqkWieYXiG1y8gKww7aPtLrakc381ck/s320/IMG_0274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515280937312702722" border="0" /></a></p> <p>I found this online about dehydration:<i style=""> When the body reaches 10% fluid loss emergency help is needed IMMEDIATELY! 10% fluid loss and above is often fatal! Symptoms of severe dehydration include:</i></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Muscle spasms (YES)<o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Vomiting (Dry Heaving, but still…)<o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Racing pulse <o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Shriveled skin <o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Dim vision (YES)<o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Painful urination (YES)<o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Confusion <o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Difficulty breathing (YES)<o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Seizures <o:p></o:p></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style="">Chest and Abdominal pain (YES)<o:p></o:p></i></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">So I was in greaaaat shape at that point.<span style=""> </span>But still, Death Before DNF!<span style=""> </span>(As my dad reminded me from the sidelines.)<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">I should clarify- if I was breathing through my nose, it wasn’t so bad.<span style=""> </span>And this was around mile 5 or so.<span style=""> </span>I kept going, running when I could, walking the aid stations, drinking as much as possible.<span style=""> </span>The ice cold sponges definitely helped, and made me feel a lot less gross.<span style=""> </span>The problem was, I couldn’t eat.<span style=""> </span>It was making me super sick and the idea of eating was making me dry heave.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56CUsVokzKHXl86JmxPsxetcEfv5lremxysOblHAEDT2jrpSo0Kby-x5wLQhMZH-q8nHCHpt1mC_cowk_YbO0x0wOpzHqTtxuiZ7ARUYWHqhf7zTKovjkDfGzvsMi80EqODUnC0acDB8/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56CUsVokzKHXl86JmxPsxetcEfv5lremxysOblHAEDT2jrpSo0Kby-x5wLQhMZH-q8nHCHpt1mC_cowk_YbO0x0wOpzHqTtxuiZ7ARUYWHqhf7zTKovjkDfGzvsMi80EqODUnC0acDB8/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515280950622154594" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Around mile 10, I started dry heaving.<span style=""> </span>Which is the worst.<span style=""> </span>All I wanted was to actually throw up, but it just wasn’t in the cards.<span style=""> </span>Still, I kept run-walking.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVR9C4qEIZjC7gkwXiV20VB2l40A4ZawRwAiQTxsC5-zdvzWDhrknkZqto-jEGmAem8w0UeVcaqAV7310hg3CI_HXKAYG7am4al4UXRx8eTMtLAHFxlTGCgi_RnwD7gYg7LZbNkdMBVg/s1600/IMG_0271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVR9C4qEIZjC7gkwXiV20VB2l40A4ZawRwAiQTxsC5-zdvzWDhrknkZqto-jEGmAem8w0UeVcaqAV7310hg3CI_HXKAYG7am4al4UXRx8eTMtLAHFxlTGCgi_RnwD7gYg7LZbNkdMBVg/s320/IMG_0271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515280943840513010" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">When we hit loop 2, I felt a little better. It is amazing how short 13 miles seems when you have 127 finished!<span style=""> </span>I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to finish, and that kept me going.<span style=""> </span>People were great- I talked to a lot of other racers about IM and about cyclocross, but by mile 15, my lungs were not thrilled with me and talking hurt.<span style=""> </span>By mile 20, I couldn’t really drink, and I was walking way more than I was running.<span style=""> </span>The problem with dehydration, I learned, is that once it starts, no amount of drinking is really going to help when you’re still racing.<span style=""> </span>It was depressing, my legs felt fine but I couldn’t breathe or drink.<span style=""> </span>I wanted to run but every time I did, I thought I was going to fall over.<span style=""> </span>Everything hurt except my legs and I just wanted to keep running.<span style=""> </span>I was watching the clock tick away past my goal times that I could have made, had I been able to take in more fluids.<span style=""> </span>And that hurt.<span style=""> </span>Still, kept going.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Anyway, finally hit those last couple miles and started trying to run from cone to cone- run one cone, walk the next, run one, walk one… And after what seemed like forever, the finish line started to come into sight.<span style=""> </span>Rather, you could hear it before you saw it.<span style=""> </span>A dull roar that you could hear 4 blocks away.<span style=""> </span>And knowing that I wanted to run across the line, and knowing that medical help was just blocks away, I gave it everything I had, ran through the cheering crowd, and finally got to hear that I was an Ironman. Final time: 13:37. Way more than I had planned, but faster than I thought I would do once I started hurting.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC3UwhHxJdYrd0eUK_lKa_NsfjacpjtAnaszs7FTrm5zpqUjehNWdtBsb8-d3UyDWtTGKxW7zuG-ASrC6oqfzoOexwCOCpvYy6bODk6ssJQRriJpSHIiKrZqN3UdOMH0f7ikftEpLhFg/s1600/60068-612-010f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC3UwhHxJdYrd0eUK_lKa_NsfjacpjtAnaszs7FTrm5zpqUjehNWdtBsb8-d3UyDWtTGKxW7zuG-ASrC6oqfzoOexwCOCpvYy6bODk6ssJQRriJpSHIiKrZqN3UdOMH0f7ikftEpLhFg/s320/60068-612-010f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515281323923960018" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtGNGbk6F0pl7xq2groZpyd82TbAdsLTIT_-98DKdoH1Az6CsgdQAtkRHVjjleeWgz48laDbZycODg_wf7F15SVMVxw9M37CLdDdl12SB1U4U5sn_g3pyC9aGvl4i2MXUEldVt7xTOCY/s1600/60068-595-025f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtGNGbk6F0pl7xq2groZpyd82TbAdsLTIT_-98DKdoH1Az6CsgdQAtkRHVjjleeWgz48laDbZycODg_wf7F15SVMVxw9M37CLdDdl12SB1U4U5sn_g3pyC9aGvl4i2MXUEldVt7xTOCY/s320/60068-595-025f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515281309819284450" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">It was incredible.<span style=""> </span>Now, I’m not one of the people that had a terrible race and decided to do it again immediately.<span style=""> </span>Maybe if I wasn’t planning on trying out the whole short course “career” thing next summer, things would be different, but as it is, I want to focus on what I’m good at, not keep trying this.<span style=""> </span>At least, not anytime soon.<span style=""> </span>I have very high hopes and expectations for myself as a triathlete, and I realize I need to play to my strengths.<span style=""> </span>But, that being said… it was a pretty great feeling.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="">I got this finishers picture taken- I felt like I was about to fall over but still remained goofy as hell.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kzw5hJMS-400x9hApWJfx5R9svch68aQlrzXKXN1DsI-L2Ax_u73-y6YRRWambZr5vKCD7qGWOgIK7FvGHfOqfMKgeuz9w_v7so4q-WWfZq7We2alCPROpa5-mnf_iBdME9wt4gkilU/s1600/60068-694-013f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kzw5hJMS-400x9hApWJfx5R9svch68aQlrzXKXN1DsI-L2Ax_u73-y6YRRWambZr5vKCD7qGWOgIK7FvGHfOqfMKgeuz9w_v7so4q-WWfZq7We2alCPROpa5-mnf_iBdME9wt4gkilU/s320/60068-694-013f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515281294732611570" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">I went to the medical building, met a lovely man who- while waiting for his own medical care- made sure that I got taken in and seen quickly, and got pumped full of IV fluids thanks to a whole lot of amazing volunteers.<span style=""> </span>The EMTs there were fantastic, and super nice, even though they were probably sick of us by the time I got there.<span style=""> </span>When I was shaking like crazy from the IV, one of them even took off my shoes and socks and tucked my feet under the blanket- now how’s that for service?<span style=""> </span>I got a t-shirt they had left over from a<span style=""> </span>local 5k to put on instead of my wet race shirt, and when I got home, I wrote on it in black marker “I was in the Ironman medical building and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”<span style=""> </span>Everyone’s a comedian.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Dad and I finally made it out, I called mom and Robbie to update them, and then we went in search of vegetable broth, which was all I wanted to eat ever again.<span style=""> </span>Nothing was open, but we finally found a grocery store open 24 hours.<span style=""> </span>We went in, but obviously they didn’t have preheated veggie broth waiting for me.<span style=""> </span>We did find a microwave in the coffee area and a can of soup in the soup aisle though, so I creatively decided to buy the soup, pour it into coffee cups and cook it in the microwave.<span style=""> </span>70 cent broth has never tasted so good!<span style=""> </span>I drank one cup there, and then went back to the hotel, sat down in the hot shower, and drank the other cup.<span style=""> </span>It was simultaneously the most awesome and pathetic I think I have ever felt.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">And may I say, I highly recommend getting an IV after any race- I felt great the next day, not sore at all!<span style=""> </span>(though, to be fair, like I said- my legs felt fine during the race, it was my lungs that were failing to cooperate.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Anyway, that is Ironman in a nutshell.<span style=""> </span>It was an experience.<span style=""> </span>I’m glad I did it, and I’m glad I pushed through to finish.<span style=""> </span>I’d like to say that next time I could do better, but honestly, so much of what happened was because of things I can’t change with my stomach, and the 98 degree heat.<span style=""> </span>I would choose an IM in a cooler location, but other than that, I don’t know what more I could do.<span style=""> </span>It’s been great though- more on this later, but starting school when every teacher has been doing “getting to know you” exercises in class and they ask for one thing about us, I’ve gotten to say, “Well, 4 days ago, I did an Ironman.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">“Swim 2.4 miles. Ride 112 miles. Run 26.2 miles. Then </span><em style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">brag for the rest of your life</em><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">.” -Commander John Collins, </span><em style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ironman</em><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Triathlon creator</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-39594031812258198202010-09-01T09:43:00.003-04:002010-09-01T09:49:16.578-04:00IMKY... Report Coming Soon!I survived Ironman Louisville!<br /><br />It started well, it ended badly, but I finished in 13:37, not too bad considering the heat and my "stomach issues." I wasn't thrilled with how it went after mile 80 on the bike, but at the same time, I know that there was nothing I could have really done to prevent dehydration- I drank as much as I possibly could hold, but my stomach just isn't cut out for drinking enough in that kind of heat.<br /><br />7 hours in the car, 5 days a the beach, 13 hours in the truck, 140.6 miles of racing, one 1 liter IV, and another 13 hours drive later, it's really nice to rejoin the world. Even if it is move-in day.<br /><br />Race report is forthcoming, but I got home late Monday night, packed my car up Tuesday, and am about to go move in to our new place today, then start a bunch of classes tomorrow. So, since I want to do the race justice, it'll get done as soon as possible, but I'm not rushing. For now though:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo7eJRm4vri0hnNdu1Rg2jov-zKvV4VFLmtXPb5oaYai-CexpoMv_Q0NfzPO5xwg61EIYSZq0l-pr7zrj1UwSQYTp0CP6OS5aZ6hm_nncU3B_I2k9XGQviNp-3B6D_4M-oMWcbzJW-_4/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo7eJRm4vri0hnNdu1Rg2jov-zKvV4VFLmtXPb5oaYai-CexpoMv_Q0NfzPO5xwg61EIYSZq0l-pr7zrj1UwSQYTp0CP6OS5aZ6hm_nncU3B_I2k9XGQviNp-3B6D_4M-oMWcbzJW-_4/s400/IMG_0267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511941521936748978" border="0" /></a>If you zoom in, read the knuckles. And yes, that's a children's bathing suit top I raced in!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-41469955978805724442010-08-28T08:17:00.005-04:002010-09-10T09:17:40.447-04:00Kentucky.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSkt3dfniFC2tHUQmFQN_9ygN1jcEaeZPkFTXgArXoSTvoPu9cPIIu24QsBHCw0MDDYdn2OKRNftXEtK8JC74VvrJrYAqXDnoqb6As25EgxlOf2lWwk2VdRx7VcGqmuhr7xI116rwGUc/s1600/IMG_0262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSkt3dfniFC2tHUQmFQN_9ygN1jcEaeZPkFTXgArXoSTvoPu9cPIIu24QsBHCw0MDDYdn2OKRNftXEtK8JC74VvrJrYAqXDnoqb6As25EgxlOf2lWwk2VdRx7VcGqmuhr7xI116rwGUc/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270623383551282" border="0" /></a>Vacation time is over, and in less than 24 hours, Ironman Louisville starts.<br /><br />Thursday night/Friday early morning, Dad and I left Virginia Beach after a lovely relaxing few days of beach time, bike rides, off road trails, water slides, and some well spent time with my family, especially my sister, who I barely see at home since she's always out. (Pictures to come but I don't have my upload cord here in Indiana.)<br /><br />Oh yeah- Dad and I are staying at a Motel 6 across the Ohio River from Kentucky in Indiana. It's awesome. The non-smoking room we're in has an ASHTRAY with a NO SMOKING sign on it. That'll show those smoking bastards! There's an outdoor pool, set right on the highway. Also awesome.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBTPN79xX5iCyn31OogylUQm0WamIDicIgt0lvoMCwnGFg_-G4Xguaex-6yiXw3Fj6f7mNI-cXtXsVbJ_P6tyhlej2bnqwfsQ_NHVKlvsDnrBlotoStVwyOYI1m7c5BrsIAOcj7TDym8/s1600/100_1731.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBTPN79xX5iCyn31OogylUQm0WamIDicIgt0lvoMCwnGFg_-G4Xguaex-6yiXw3Fj6f7mNI-cXtXsVbJ_P6tyhlej2bnqwfsQ_NHVKlvsDnrBlotoStVwyOYI1m7c5BrsIAOcj7TDym8/s320/100_1731.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270600635306258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, Dad and I left VA at 2 a.m. to get to Louisville in time for check in. He drove the first 2 hours but then I took over from 4-10. We stopped for breakfast, made a few pit stops, and arrived without major issues to Kentucky at 2:30. I managed to check in with only minor problems- myUSAT card is expired, they never sent me a new one when I renewed my license, so normally I just bring the old card to races and they look it up on the computer. I didn't have a printer in VA so I figured I would be fine. Turns out, for some reason Ironman didn't have anyone with Internet access, so I had to run to the conference center lobby and use their copy shop to go online and print my license. What a waste of 6 bucks. It's just annoying because a) I should have thought ahead for it, but USAT website only prints out licenses good for 24 hours anyway, and b) it's not my fault they never sent the new license. But, whatever. Everyone was really nice as I signed in, and super helpful.<br /><br />We checked in to our motel, realized the room was super tiny, so we went out to see the sights after I did a 15 minute run and played around in the highway pool for a while.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Caet_e5IOhOD_vK5RWcYUHs42_nIUhjQvIp5mSfBKFHdEvsMZn6YF1lAzUD5FbMPtb6zPuiTU-iFpOsL8SIb0_ajpSpf0mywsk8DcGy8eWUlTA1EmWRyXzE7iikbJKLcNXNX0Zffhw/s1600/100_1734.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Caet_e5IOhOD_vK5RWcYUHs42_nIUhjQvIp5mSfBKFHdEvsMZn6YF1lAzUD5FbMPtb6zPuiTU-iFpOsL8SIb0_ajpSpf0mywsk8DcGy8eWUlTA1EmWRyXzE7iikbJKLcNXNX0Zffhw/s320/100_1734.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515269930543584274" border="0" /></a>It's a Cinderella Carriage! (I'm not a huge fan of horses, but this was awesome.)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sj3BekK2zRFrZd7raK7DPPY6hYuuCaN6E2AhATvFDq31_mXOxmzwT6WpDkutuzAcQv6ptNwCFY1lAlVTEJdFKGZynwrFc23ER1fQXItKf9Buw4V4CgBeBIZpuuqL3Wpdw3hXNY5utpU/s1600/100_1732.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sj3BekK2zRFrZd7raK7DPPY6hYuuCaN6E2AhATvFDq31_mXOxmzwT6WpDkutuzAcQv6ptNwCFY1lAlVTEJdFKGZynwrFc23ER1fQXItKf9Buw4V4CgBeBIZpuuqL3Wpdw3hXNY5utpU/s320/100_1732.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515269915521043346" border="0" /></a>I LOVE THIS BIKE RACK! There were artsy bike racks everywhere. Very cool.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9raHR7VLkzkRiLQNL77RsTY_mvxuR3Z6OiqklBz8Gb20WltNJoF2Jl-VbNL6YTxwCvDoxaIEwoNx-_0Y9lpHFObcDNJhq9odaYXd1Zv80V6yjDq7_2UZf-trCdcrPmrn-J6rOCNU6Pw/s1600/100_1737.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9raHR7VLkzkRiLQNL77RsTY_mvxuR3Z6OiqklBz8Gb20WltNJoF2Jl-VbNL6YTxwCvDoxaIEwoNx-_0Y9lpHFObcDNJhq9odaYXd1Zv80V6yjDq7_2UZf-trCdcrPmrn-J6rOCNU6Pw/s320/100_1737.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515269936135644626" border="0" /></a>Tugboats! I tried to get a picture of me with them, but Dad is not so good with my camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPcbEYVYR83fcLkdqJVqkmp8tjUVjnpAPIe2zTB0DeTPTRzM4_b-xp4yjwETY0T8LkRBw41qCUVoWxiFFSQU8Evt2fzELCAOLQtvbQ_Hp-UfWj6vh9t7HkNkWZ7NuMrcCT9HOg2HPEqI/s1600/100_1748.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPcbEYVYR83fcLkdqJVqkmp8tjUVjnpAPIe2zTB0DeTPTRzM4_b-xp4yjwETY0T8LkRBw41qCUVoWxiFFSQU8Evt2fzELCAOLQtvbQ_Hp-UfWj6vh9t7HkNkWZ7NuMrcCT9HOg2HPEqI/s320/100_1748.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515269954670374898" border="0" /></a>He did manage to take this picture though.<br /><br />While that was all well and good, this sign about sewage in the water made me a little nervous:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjRGmLsNeisTIuSfdufQttgu79mPUM1M-QwHIqfzGxpylFOMcxLW1HU8I1DFOB0lgw_lbbFL3VUth5sznbquhMWlHUzyQoOVjJ7Phm1jPMEMLiYzbTZGtuhVxXbaWMUO3zP3EKNoN8qg/s1600/100_1740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjRGmLsNeisTIuSfdufQttgu79mPUM1M-QwHIqfzGxpylFOMcxLW1HU8I1DFOB0lgw_lbbFL3VUth5sznbquhMWlHUzyQoOVjJ7Phm1jPMEMLiYzbTZGtuhVxXbaWMUO3zP3EKNoN8qg/s320/100_1740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515269946784560626" border="0" /></a>(Luckily, there hadn't been much rain recently.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, by the time we finished that, it was time for the pre-race meeting. I didn't feel like I learned a whole lot, but it didn't help that I could barely hear anything. Afterward, I really wanted Panera for dinner but they closed at 7PM (!?!?!) So, we ended up getting burritos and going back to the Motel to sleep. Shockingly, I wasn't completely exhausted, even though I'd driven 12 hours and slept for about 3 the night before.<br /><br />Next morning, up bright and early to get stuff done for transition. But first, a walk to the swim start to get an idea of how it would go:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSfPMr19-ySOVMrVCGFiGCa9CNX9FHV9L0gj7gk3jNmZ_4-XPObrug0odrnKoeSeLDCGtGRpK2DiPZVXIBC9aHMv15X7wohK_Ga0FGsY4Bp_8GoIELhQop-BPe4zcgAdfUercFaGMpBI/s1600/100_1757.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSfPMr19-ySOVMrVCGFiGCa9CNX9FHV9L0gj7gk3jNmZ_4-XPObrug0odrnKoeSeLDCGtGRpK2DiPZVXIBC9aHMv15X7wohK_Ga0FGsY4Bp_8GoIELhQop-BPe4zcgAdfUercFaGMpBI/s320/100_1757.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270578331596306" border="0" /></a>A swim around the island? Looks nice from here! It's a little tougher when you're in it with 2000+ people.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho31E2ZFdfliJRQ76HHfyY1-jFOJvuBS-3ugLPyXdpmgBQDTR-rcVNR55Lc2kdbCvGOWPwLjOoHNHmcNuckyd7X4vOgFuF1J8dYmRJSUnVnmdHAo5Cs5D5yxfS5n1UW3RwRqOMY3Z1tKc/s1600/100_1754.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho31E2ZFdfliJRQ76HHfyY1-jFOJvuBS-3ugLPyXdpmgBQDTR-rcVNR55Lc2kdbCvGOWPwLjOoHNHmcNuckyd7X4vOgFuF1J8dYmRJSUnVnmdHAo5Cs5D5yxfS5n1UW3RwRqOMY3Z1tKc/s320/100_1754.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270588995961490" border="0" /></a></div>And we ate lunch at a really nice bar with excellent beer (though I could only try it, not drink a lot of it.) Good pizza for KY, but it's no NY pizza!<br /><br />Finally, on to transition. It was neat how they had volunteers escorting each person, explaining everything and showing us where everything was. It definitely made me way less nervous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mKTe_YCLRryD1zTv8PKbL3gn7yMRrJnw-th1xEzJlCl6L5SENeRrHJq6MvNpCSdkdzBK2CVte64zoaPRrG9QBAF8pULGBxfk3hPC5wKkWJOS_AM-lXxqsi3ipP3BfOzRuv-jw-zOKs8/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mKTe_YCLRryD1zTv8PKbL3gn7yMRrJnw-th1xEzJlCl6L5SENeRrHJq6MvNpCSdkdzBK2CVte64zoaPRrG9QBAF8pULGBxfk3hPC5wKkWJOS_AM-lXxqsi3ipP3BfOzRuv-jw-zOKs8/s320/IMG_0260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270612389872610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSkt3dfniFC2tHUQmFQN_9ygN1jcEaeZPkFTXgArXoSTvoPu9cPIIu24QsBHCw0MDDYdn2OKRNftXEtK8JC74VvrJrYAqXDnoqb6As25EgxlOf2lWwk2VdRx7VcGqmuhr7xI116rwGUc/s1600/IMG_0262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSkt3dfniFC2tHUQmFQN_9ygN1jcEaeZPkFTXgArXoSTvoPu9cPIIu24QsBHCw0MDDYdn2OKRNftXEtK8JC74VvrJrYAqXDnoqb6As25EgxlOf2lWwk2VdRx7VcGqmuhr7xI116rwGUc/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515270623383551282" border="0" /></a>And there's my bike!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Then, Dad and I bummed around the town, took our mountain bikes for a short ride along the river, went to Big Lots and got mom a pizza stone, went to the grocery store, went in the pool, and basically killed time until I was beat enough to get to sleep, ready to get racing...<br /></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-31513946359304436252010-08-20T09:41:00.005-04:002010-08-20T10:27:11.083-04:00T minus 9 days... and countingIn 1 day, I'll be in Virginia at the beach for a family vacation.<br /><br />In 7 days, I'll be in Kentucky, getting ready for the fact that...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In 9 days, I'll be racing in Ironman Kentucky in Louisville!!</span><br /><br />In some ways, I feel like IM has taken forever to get here. I've been focused completely on it since January, and it's hard to believe that it's all going to culminate in the one race in under ten days. On the other hand, I thought it would NEVER get here! I'm excited- in a very good way- to get there and race. And admittedly, I'm equally excited to be finished with the race, because it really closes the chapter on what's been a kind of crazy summer. <br /><br />We've moved out of our old place, gotten a new place, been jumping from one set of parent's house to the other, all amidst some crazy training weeks, weird work schedules (nannying in White Plains 3 days at a time!) and generally having bad luck. We've had a good summer and everything, but I'm ready to be a full time student again, really really ready for cyclocross to start, and ready to have an apartment again. So I'm not really looking at wanting to get the race over because of the race, exactly. Just trying to move on to September!<br /><br />That said, I'm super stoked that I finally get to race again! 2 triathlons so far this summer have left me wanting more! I don't think I'm a long course person, because I like racing too much. Between the cost of IM and the training schedule, it's been impossible to do more races, and I miss racing every other weekend. Still, it's been great seeing my endurance and fitness change so much, and it has paid off even on shorter course races. <br /><br />So, my bags are packed, plans are sort of made (we still don't have a hotel... yikes!), and I am feeling pretty confident that I can handle this race (knock on wood). I have tons of nutrition, tons and tons of stuff for repairing a flat tire, and while in some ways I feel totally unprepared for the race and completely nervous about how everything works (i.e the transition bags), in all I'm feeling pretty chill about the whole thing. I thought I would be a nervous wreck by now, but I guess when you've been training for almost 9 months specifically for a certain race, you feel pretty darn prepared. And anyway, with such a long course, it's certainly not a sprint for me, so when I do feel any nerves, I've been reminding myself that the way to do well in it is going to be to simply treat it as if it's just a long training day, not a race. I especially think that because I know that stress can be part of why my legs cramp at really inopportune moments- i.e the marathon a year and a half ago. So, the more chill and collected I stay, the better I think I'll do. That's not to say I'm taking this race lightly, by any means. I'll still have "kick ass" and "kill it" written on my hands as reminders to push myself, but I think I've developed a really good understanding of how my body works and how to make it work optimally.<br /><br />I'm a little nervous about nutrition- my coach has said my plan for the race is a little lacking in calories, and while I'll try to remedy that, my stomach just doesn't like eating much on the bike or the run. And usually, I'm totally fine. 10 days ago, Dad rode with me while I did a 20 mile run, and during it, I had a bottle of water and a pack of Clif Shot Bloks. And that was immediately after a 2 hour bike ride where I drank a bottle of water and ate nothing. And I felt completely fine at the end. 4:40 worth of hard work, with only 240 calories. Not a problem. I'm not saying that's my race plan for IM- far from it- but at least I know my body can handle a serious deficit without an issue. Finally, the one thing my stomach is willing to work with me on!<br /><br />I just read the athlete guide for IM, and that definitely got my heart rate up. I can't believe it's actually here! (More importantly, I'm incredibly grateful that my taper is FINALLY here!) I have high expectations of myself for this race, as does my dad. I want to have a solid finish time, but more importantly, I want to do the best that I can do- I want to stay mentally focused the whole time, leave it all on the course, and not come home thinking "what if I had gone a little harder?"<br /><br />Poor Robbie- the day after I get home from IM, we move into our new apartment. He's going to be stuck with all the heavy lifting, I'm afraid. I'm hoping I won't be too messed up from it, I would hate to have my first week of classes and moving marred by the inability to walk up and down stairs! Hopefully wearing compression socks and taking out time on the drive home will ease any major soreness that I have, and avoid more cramping from sitting still too much.<br /><br />Main point:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I CANNOT WAIT</span>!<br /><br />Also, once school starts, expect more frequent blogging. It's hard to keep a schedule when shifting houses and weird work times, but once we settle into routine, blogging should also make a return. <br /><br />More while at the beach, I'm sure, but for now... I'm enjoying a rest day!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-68060332150730909722010-08-06T11:07:00.001-04:002010-08-06T13:19:23.855-04:00Most "Pro" Pic of Me Ever.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs023.snc4/33534_10100163960573579_8829436_56005326_5698458_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 256px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs023.snc4/33534_10100163960573579_8829436_56005326_5698458_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>From Nautica. I love it!<br /><br />More here:<br /><div>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2703735&id=8829436&l=a3dac3d30b</div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-42019675608876898172010-07-30T13:54:00.003-04:002010-07-30T14:43:12.809-04:00Summer... Vacation?I know, I know... I have a huge backlog of race reports, life updates and whatnot that have gone woefully to the wayside. However, I have a semi-legitimate excuse for this lack of post-age...<br /><br />It's called Ironman training. And it's really getting to me! Honestly, I've started counting the days until IMKY (29) and while I feel like I should be nervous, I feel... ready. Like I just want to get out there and get it done. I've been training for it seriously since January, and as the hours per week get higher and higher, the more I want to just be done with it. I'm ready for it to be Fall. I have to say, I love training. I love racing more than anything. But I don't love that my whole summer has seemingly dissolved into training and worrying about apartment stuff. One or the other would be fine, but this two-headaches-for-the-price-of-one business is a bit absurd. <br /><br />The training wouldn't be bad but my two high volume weeks happen to be corresponding to the weeks that Monday-Wednesday I've been/will be living in White Plains nannying. Add to that the full day I work on Friday, and it's a little tough to meet the 28+ hour/week training schedule. In fact, nearly impossible, especially since on Thursday I had to lend my earlobes to a friend who's made his own line of amazing Lego earrings (brickbyshick.etsy.com- sooo cute!) Sure, I didn't get paid for that modeling "gig", but I got a great pair of earrings out of it! Beyond training, I've seen Robbie once this whole week- quite a drop from the every day I was seeing him when we lived together. We have another month before we move into our new place, and the appalling lack of furniture that we have at the moment is making me a wee bit insane. Move in is 2 days after IM, and the same day that classes start. September is going to be a busy month!<br /><br />I am making fun post-IM plans though. Pre-CX season, I have every intention of "treating myself" to a septum piercing (maybe. not 100% sure.) and letting my cosmetology-obsessed sister potentially bleach out part of my hair. Also, plans for finishing the tattoo on my back are in the works for this winter, thanks to Robbie's friend Tiffany. Add to that the excitement of getting to go to school full-time for a semester, potentially audit a class in exercise science, and get some real work done on my writing, I'm pretty stoked. I'm also insanely psyched about CX season, of course. And lastly, I'm attempting to find a place to do some volunteering a couple hours a week, and I think I may have found a place. So, fingers crossed!<br /><br />But before all of that, I have to get through Ironman, and Robbie and I need to get through August and moving in September. It's do-able, I know. But it seems weird to be excited more for school starting than for Summer vacation to be happening. I'm not very good with waiting... Even my family vacation to Virginia Beach will be a little less fun, since Robbie won't be going because of work and my IM plans and travel arrangements, and I'll only have 5 days of vacation before we head to Kentucky to race. So it'll be a nervous few days on the beach, but as Dad and his hero, Jimmy Buffet, would agree, a bad day on vacation beats the best day at work.<br /><br />In other news, I know I promised race reports. So without further ado, the Cliff Notes versions:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sprintin' Clinton 5k: </span><br />Time: 19:37 (PR by 30 sec)<br />This is a 5k race that's super well known throughout NJ. It has between 300 and 400 participants every year, and it's really a serious race for high school/collegiate runners. It's got a couple of longish not too steep hills, and it's a challenging course, made more challenging by the fact that it happens at 6PM, so you've had all day to eat and worry. The worrying for me is brought on by a day's worth of eating, of course.<br />I got there pretty nervous about my stomach, since I couldn't exactly have raced on just one bagel all day, considering I had already done a 2 hour ride and an hour long run. I had no idea what to expect, but last year I was 4th female, and this year I really really wanted to be in the top 3. <br />My cousin was racing too, though more casually. She's a fitness runner, not a crazy person like me. And that's according to her!<br />We were at the starting line together but I was shifting towards the front line and she was trying to slip more into the back. The gun went off, and I knew that if I was going to top3, I had to go out hard and maintain, not start out and overtake. I'm not so good with doing that. So, I went hard, and for the first half mile or so, I was the first female. There was a woman behind me who had kicked my a$$ in a 5k in Princeton the month before and she got in front of me, then I passed her, et cetera. Sometime right before mile 1, 2 girls blasted past us, looking super casual about it. I was already pushing hard and I wasn't about to kill myself by mile 1.5. We hit mile 1 in 6:01, and I was feeling good. I kept the two girls in sight, but I knew they were actual runners, so I wasn't expecting to beat them. By the last half mile or so, I finally dropped the woman who I had been duking it out with, and was really starting to push for the finish. I knew I was going to be super close to 20 min and if I wanted sub-20 I had to work hard. Came into the finishing straight, heard dad screaming his head off and saw the clock at 19:05, and just pounded the pavement as fast as I could. I crossed in 19:37, my best time by almost 30 seconds on a much hillier course than my previous PR. I ended up 3rd, but it turns out that the 2 winners are 2 of the top collegiate runners in the state, so I don't feel too bad, coming 30 seconds behind them.<br />Finally got to check off my goal of running a sub20 5k, which felt awesome. For about two seconds. Stupid Type A personality (and a little needling from my dad), now I'm thinking about how soon I can break 19. Maybe next summer. Or this CX season...<br />The trophy, by the way, is enormous. Seriously, it's ridiculous. And I love it.<br /><br /><br />And just one week later, it was time for the<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nautica NYC Triathlon</span>:<br />Time: 2:24 (PR by 5 min)<br />Let me again state for the record that this race was insanely exciting for me for a few reasons. First of all, it's my first NYC triathlon. Second, it's the only Olympic distance I got to do this year. Third, it was my first race ever as an elite (amateur). That part was cool and all, until I realized that it involved a dive start. Not bad if I had known earlier, but I hadn't had time to practice diving with my goggles. I can dive, for the record, but I also have weird shaped eye sockets or something, because I've never found a pair of goggles that fits just right. And I doubt they would have stayed on if I had done a good dive.<br />But beyond that...<br />It was a tough race because of the insanely early start, but of course, I knew I could be done by 8:30 am if I played my cards right. Then again, waking up at 2 am to get there on time was no picnic. Still, Dad and I made it to the city with plenty of time to check on transition, walk the 1.5 miles to the water and get into my wetsuit (just me, not Dad. Dad in my size small women's suit is a scary thought.) Even not being rushed, it came time to get into my corral way too soon, and before I knew it we were walking to the pier for our dive start. I wasn't too nervous, like I would have been a year ago, but still!!<br />The dive start was... well, if you combine a dive and a bellyflop, you pretty much have what I did. But it worked, since my goggles stayed on! Not that it mattered, since the Hudson is so gross you can't see anything anyway. Because of my crap dive, it was tough to stay with the lead pack. Also, I sight on the right, the shore was on the left, and the buoys were impossible to see. So, I had to stay on pace with a woman who sighted to her left who was swimming at roughly my pace. I think had I been able to make the dive/sight easier, I would have passed her and gone faster but as it was, it was easier to stay with her. The current was awesome, but the water was briny and honestly, pretty vile. I was happy to get out of it, but less happy about how the volunteers yanked us out and onto the pier. I would have liked some warning that there weren't steps we could walk up ourselves, coming out of the water to people yelling is a bit disorienting. Then, a HALF MILE barefoot run to transition. Holy crap.<br />I got on the bike super fast and was drinking away trying to wash Hudson out of my mouth. I've never used strawberry Heed, but that's what I had at home, and HOLY CRAP I will never use it again. Sooooo bad and fake sweetened. Ugh. But I choked it down.<br />There was a big hill out of the transition area, but compared to some of the bike races I've done, it was nothing. I could see people having trouble though, since at the top it was pretty rough pavement. Thank you cyclocross!! After that, the biking went well. I got passed by one elite woman and passed a couple myself. There was a 40 year old dude on a Giant and he and I kept passing each other, which was sort of nice. Less nice was the literal PELETON of 40-44 men who blew past us. Seriously?! They were even shouting to each other about taking pulls. W.T.F. Hi, this is a triathlon? As in, no drafting? I can only imagine how infuriated dudes in their age group were when those idiots passed them. I hope a ref saw them, but at that point, there were pros on course and I'm pretty sure the refs were paying more attention to them than the age groupers. Annoying.<br />The bike went well, I think I might have been able to push it more, I was feeling fine afterward, but without training for this distance, I had no idea how I would be feeling and didn't want to waste my legs pre-run. Looking back, kinda wish that I had. I had a good bike time compared to most of the women though, so I was happy about that.<br />Then, the run. I had NO CLUE how this would go, since I never run this distance, except as a short "easy" run. I wanted to run 7:00 miles, and on a flat course I might have, but on this course- whoa. Who knew Central Park had so many hills? Getting out of transition, I could hear dad yelling, and running towards the Park was awesome- the streets were lined with people and in my sick KILLA bikini, I was getting a lot of "you go girl" yells. I was also one of the first women they had seen all day and one of the first 150 people overall, so they were still fresh and psyched to cheer for everyone. It made me feel so good! <br />In the park, runners who were just out on a daily run were cheering for us, and I passed a few of the 40-44 men. I felt good, and I spotted the one woman who creamed me on the bike ahead of me. So, I dug in and chased her down. After I passed her, I heard "I knew I'd see you again." It was the dude with the Giant bike, and he was British! Haha it made running so much easier, trying to keep up with his crazy long strides. We were really egging each other on, taking turns out in front and stuff. I drank at every station, and felt good. We were almost done... I thought.<br />I HATE this during races- when people tell you the finish is just up ahead, and you believe them. NEVER believe them. I made a turn thinking it was maybe 200 yards to the finish... try maybe 600. Bad time to start sprinting. I was totally beat by the time I hit the finish line but I just kept pushing and pushing, trying to keep sprinting. There were tons of people cheering, and it was just nuts.<br />I hit the finish line, felt like my stomach was going to explode right after my lungs, and frantically was looking for Dad, who I had heard when I crossed the line but couldn't see anywhere. here's my beef with Nautica. I appreciate their security, but when I walked out of the fenced in athlete area, I was stumbling and completely incoherent, and no one told me you couldn't get back in. Furthermore, I had no idea that there was a spectator meeting area- maybe that should have been in the race packet. Either way, I walked out of there because I saw dad but he couldn't hear me. When I tried to get back in to get a bottle of water and a bagel, I couldn't get back in. It sucks to pay that much to race and get no water or food post-race. I know it's for security reasons, but even if I couldn't get back in, please hand me a bagel and water? Come on now.<br />My other issue is that while I was done at 8:30, transition wasn't open until 11. I was supposed to be at the track at noon for a track omnium I was racing in, and that meant we would have to book it. <br />I must have looked like such a jackass waiting for transition to open- when it did, I swear I made a run for it like I was starting a 100meter sprint or something. I have never packed my crap up that fast. I was the first one out of transition (hah!) and we got to the track with 1 minute to spare.<br />Unfortunately, sitting in 110 heat after eating a powerbar and half a pretzel, drinking 2 water bottles, and racing a triathlon, is not a good idea. I was not feeling great. In fact, I felt like total crap. It didn't help that my new track bike had a)never been ridden and b)had a 15 cog on the back instead of a 14, making it a spin-crazy kind of bike. I don't spin. Ask anyone. I will grind away in the big ring until the cows come home, but I don't like to spin. <br />So, after one of 5 races (I was asleep/passed out for the second), dad and I decided to just go home. He wasn't doing much better than I was, and I was starting to see spots. I figured being the 28th female overall in the triathlon (in a field of 2000+) was good enough for one day.<br /><br />So there you have it- race reports in a nutshell. I need to buy pictures from Nautica from Brightroom, since there are a couple of great ones. <br /><br />Side note, I am soooo proud of my teammate and friend David for finishing his first triathlon last weekend, the NJ State Olympic tri. I wish I had signed up for it so I could have raced with him, but I think we'll do Skylands together in September. I'm so glad I'm not the only triathlete on the team anymore!!<br /><br /><br />One last note- you may notice on the righthand side of the page, I added a new Widget linking to my GoodReads.com page- I'm a bookworm at heart, and I'm loving a site that lets me list and talk about books. So if you have one, friend me!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9218620212521237073.post-4849529128432171552010-07-21T10:26:00.003-04:002010-07-21T10:46:41.532-04:00My 200th Post!I have a couple race reports I'm doing posts on, but first, some regular catching up:<br /><br />The good news: Robbie and I got our old place rented out, got back out security deposit in full and with interest, and have applied to an apartment building we really like. Hopefully we'll find out today if we get the place or not, so fingers crossed! It's been a long month and we still won't really have a place to live until September (assuming we get the apartment) but since we'll be on vacation at the end of August, living with the parents a few more weeks isn't the worst thing that could happen. <br /><br />Now we just have to worry about all kinds of fun stuff like sorting through all of our stuff from the old place, getting new furniture, packing up clothes again, moving in, etc... all 2 days after I do IMKY, and the same day that school starts. Woo hoo! <br /><br />Speaking of school, I am super stoked to be going to school full-time again for the Fall. I missed it so much! If I could be a student forever, I definitely would. If getting an English PhD made any financial sense, I would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it doesn't. However, Robbie and I are tossing around the idea of going to Iowa State after he graduates and doing different MFA programs- him in Creative Writing for poetry, me for either CW fiction, or the literature Master's program they have. And bonus? They have what appears to be a really solid tri team at the school, making it way more appealing to me. So, we'll see what happens in the next 3 years or so...<br /><br />Other than that, not a lot going on. It's been hectic but uninteresting, for the most part. Monday night I managed to get "door-ed" while biking over to a friend's place at night, I was ok but pretty bruised and my shoulder was killing me all of yesterday, so I couldn't swim. My neck felt off too, but with a good night's sleep, it feels much better- last night it hurt to swallow, now it's feeling pretty decent. I need to get to a chiropractor some day soon though.<br /><br />I've had a couple of amazing weeks of racing, reminding me why I love this sport, but also definitely sending the message to my brain and body that I am much happier on a short course than a long one. I think this year will be my first and only Ironman, though of course, I'm not ruling anything out. 3 days ago, I did the Nautica NYC Triathlon, PR-ed with a 2:24 finish (good considering I haven't trained for this distance at all), and was the 28th female overall, out of about 2000. It was my first elite age-group race, which meant a dive start... but more on that in it's own post. Also PR-ed and got to check off my first summer goal of getting a sub-20 5k- at the Sprintin Clinton 5k two weeks ago, I finished in 19:37, 3rd female and 16th overall out of about 300. Pretty stoked.<br /><br />Lastly, a list of things I've been thinking about while training, or while thinking about training.<br /><ol><li>When I'm on the trainer, I ride faster when I watch episodes of The Batman Superman Adventures or the Justice League, as opposed to watching the Tour or a triathlon special.</li><li>Also, Hercules and Mulan, the Disney movies. Why? 2 words: training montages. <br /></li><li>Sometimes when I run alone in the park near my house, I assume that there are zombies chasing me. This makes me go faster.</li><li>Same is true for any open water swimming that I do.</li><li>Speaking of swimming, I am steadily liking it less and less these days. Maybe it's because getting to the pool is a pain in the butt since Robbie and I don't have a place in New Brunswick at the moment. Or maybe it's the really long swims that are scheduled. Or maybe I just hate swimming inside when it's so nice out. Regardless, down with swimming!</li><li>I did make a new friend while aqua-jogging though. He's racing next weekend in LP, along with a couple other people I know and love (good luck to all of you racing!) He and I have done a couple races together (unknowingly) and we keep showing up to swim and aqua-jog at the same time, so we get to chat while running. It's nice to meet another triathlete!</li></ol>At any rate, race reports coming momentarily, hopefully there are still people reading this, despite my spotty performance updating and keeping up with everyone else lately!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02431686361791921591noreply@blogger.com0