Lucky for me, there are exactly two things I’m here to talk about today, and I have lots of pictures, so I don’t need as many words. Lucky for you, I also can’t come up with a creative title, so you know exactly what those two things are. 1) BRICK workouts. 2) Sof Sole Review. Ready? Set? Go.

♪ IT DON’T BRICK EVEN NOOOO ♪

Ugh… there I go trying to be all clever. Can’t help it. Sorry! Anywho… while you might think you know what a brick is…

in my vernacular that sort of brick would only be used in two settings. 1) Describing the ugly exterior of my (one month left!!) house, and 2) dropping one on the chick’s foot who came to the gym in a gold sequined 2 times 2 small bikini the other day. I don’t care if we’re outside – it’s a GYM my friend, not a strip club.

But that is clearly not the kind of BRICK I’m talking about… this is Dr.TriRunner after all. I was searching around for some sort of “very official” definition of a BRICK, but wasn’t finding anything of the .org sort. Didn’t your teachers tell you, you can’t source Wikipedia. But then I found a post about BRICK workouts on my girl Frayed Laces blog, and I realized – wait a minute, this girl IS .org. If you’ve never hit up Frayed Laces, and you are of the multi-sport mindset, you are missing out my friend. She’s got a race resume up the wazoo, she lives/trains/eats/sleeps/breathes Hawaii, and she is very legit. Amen.

So here is her rundown on what exactly is BRICK:

Today I had a very successful impromptu brick session. For those of you who aren’t hip to the lingo, a BRICK session is when you do back to back swim/bike or bike/run. It’s important to do bricks if you’re training for a triathlon because when you switch between sports your body uses different muscles, and you need to get used to the feeling. Until today, I had only done two bricks in my life, which made me very unprepared for the jello feeling when you switch from biking to running in a triathlon.

In addition to the swim -> bike, and bike -> run BRICKS, I also fully endorse a run -> swim, or run -> bike workout. No, that’s not the way you’ll hit it in a race, but like FL said, it’s all about  getting accustomed to Jello Syndrome. That being said, yesterday’s workout was of the run -> bike variety, and here is how it went down:

The morning started out questionably. I have new neighbors who are very much in the “Wooooh! It’s cool to play music at FULL BLAST at midnight when this is a party of TWO” mentality. However, I have gotten very comfortable with my ear plugs and Tylenol PM, so it wasn’t really a big issue. I’ve been short on sleep from working more dinner shifts lately though, so a little bit of “sleep debt” was definitely present.

Woke up, had some coffee, and set out to run. Full honesty (and you can probably say it with me by now… “because that’s all what I’m about here at Dr.TriRunner…”), Yesterday’s workout was supposed to be a long run of 15 miles. However, once I started running, I pretty quickly decided that 15 was not going to happen. My. Run. Felt. Like. CRAP. Key word being “felt” because apparently my times were just fine… I was running 7:30s which is pretty average for a run-o-the-mill run these days. But my muscles felt like something along the lines of beef jerky. Or Buffalo Jerky to be exact. Dry. Stiff. Eccch.

So I decided to call the run at two lakes instead of four (good God I love Minneapolis!), and hit the bike instead. I was not going to cheat on my time… but I know I wouldn’t have gotten anything beneficial out of 7 more miles of running.

Count em’! Harriet, Calhoun, Cedar, Isles. In my backyard. Sure you don’t want to move here Susan?

However, mother nature might have had other plans. That, or she was hinting that I needed a shower. Which I did. The sky looked something like this…

Which in Dr.TriRunner mind translates in to “I bet I can make it before it starts raining….” Only that photo may be slightly dramatic because a) I do not live in New York City, and b) it wasn’t a Day After Tomorrow type storm. Just a little water… and like I said, I needed a shower! So off with Rilo I went, and sure enough, at my halfway // turn around point, it started pouring. But rideable pouring I decided. Also nice, because it cleared everyone off of the paths and let me cruise home. A very successful BRICK, and my legs were definitely feeling much better/fresher riding than they did running! The “jerky” legs were gone!! I got home, changed out of my clothes in the shower because my whole backside was covered in spit-up sand, and was ready to go to Costco with my madre in less than 15 minutes!

Moral(s) of the story:

• BRICK workouts do not only need to fall in the order that you would find it in a triathlon.
• The more you practice the quick transitions, you do eventually get over Jello Syndrome. Or at least you get used to it.
• Getting undressed in the shoer is 100% acceptable.

Sof Sole Product Review

Another site you should be regularly checking out is Erica’s blog I Run Because I Can. Not only because she has an awesome name, but she also routinely has these sweet giveaways… one of which I recently happened to win! Several days later, I returned home to find a nice little box on my doorstep with Sof Sole inserts and SOCKS!

While it mostly goes unmentioned on the blog, I have a slight sock obsession. And I’m also super particular about them… not all socks are created equally. So how did Sof Sole’s socks hold up?

Happy feet. Very happy feet. There’s a perfect balance of cushiness and foot-hugability. I’m big on my crew cut socks because a) unless it’s -30° and the middle of winter, anything else is too hot, and b) I don’t need any more crazy tan lines than the ones I already have. These stay up on your ankle, have a little extra compression around the arch, and are COMFFY to the max. Final grade? A.

As for the inserts… I was super excited to try them! As you will see below though…

We ran into some mechanical difficulties. There was absolutely no way that these bad boys were going to fit in my baby shoes. No. Way. Extra bummed because I’ve been given a Rx for orthotics howww many times due to my orthopedic issues, but my insurance that’s worth less than a dog turd but costs like it’s covered in gold won’t cover any.thang. Lame.

Not that inserts are a replacement for prescription orthotics, but something is for sure better than nothing. Luckily I have some great lady friends who would fit these inserts just perfectly, so I get to pay it forward and pass them on. So, sadly, no review on the inserts. But I can say they look cool!

And that my friends, is that. This “wordless” post has taken me two times too long to write, not to mention I promised I was only going to talk about these two thing! I do have some fun stuff in the mix – the race calendar is slowly building, a job opportunity is [hopefully] a’ knockin, and I’m MOVING to an awesome location with an awesome housemate. Pumped.

Take care!

-E

p.s. Adam thinks he has better sunscreen than me… hmph. I’ll know it when I WIN it. And don’t end up like a lobster. Or a greasy 5 year old with lemon juice in my eye.

First let’s talk anatomy. Conundrum is as follows: As many of you know, I very much love my Rilo (enough so to name my baby bicicleta). However, the original saddle that came on said Rilo does not love me. It is hard, unforgiving, and according to my boyfriend, possibly anatomically dangerous for my female parts. Although I’m not sure biomedical physicis works that way, it is pretty damn uncomfortable.

But it’s BEAUTIFUL though! At least in my eyes. The embroidered “Q Roo” across the seat in matching blue and gold puts a smile on my face every time I sit down (as long as I’m not sitting for too long…) – I just can’t change it out!! Though according to various Q.Roo Kilo reviews, I’m not the only one who finds the original saddle a little, um….

firm. solid. rigid. stiff. resistant. unbreakable. inflexible. impenetrable. unyelding. solidified. hardened. compact. compacted. dense. close-packed. compressed. steely. tough. strong. stony. rocklike. flinty. hard as stone. frozen. adamantine. (?)

¡Gracias iDiccionario!

There are two options to making your ride more comfortable:

1. Get a new saddle. (Get real.. I’m not going to change it. I am too stubborn in love.)
2. PADDING!

Today I rode 43 miles, and I wore absolutely zero padding. It’s not like I’ve never done a multi-hour ride without padded pants/shorts before, so I knew what I was getting in to before I left. Here is another dumb theory of mine: I feel like if I’m going to race in a next-to-nothing two-piece tri suit, without padding, I better get used to that feel. I have the words of my best Boston buddies shouting in my head….

H. T. F. U.

I believe there is room for compromise here. In my rides over 20 miles, I think it’s rational, logical, sensible, intelligible, commonsensical, sound, prudent, pragmatic (OK! Ok… jeeez.) that I protect my “female parts” with some proper saddle padding.

Bikesport Michigan Online is a website I initially found when looking up tri bikes, before I adopted Rilo. Not only did they have a very detailed write up of the Quintana Roo Kilo (and many other brands/models of bikes), they also have a HUGE inventory of road/tri bike equipment, gear, whatever you could want, AND tons of good articles! One of them I find rather timely to share with you today.

Three Steps to Saddle Comfort

As written by Tom Demerly in the appropriately named article, ”Three Steps to Saddle Comfort.” Article photos from BikeSport Michigan.

Although I might say it’s inability to clip out when approaching busy intersection at Lake and Hennipen, Tom Demerly would say that “Saddle discomfort is the most common complaints among cyclists.” And he’s probably right. Not everyone is as challenged as I am when it comes to NOT-clipping-out-with-the-left/stepping-down-with-the-right. From numb genitalia and saddle sores to erectile disfunction, none of the [real or hyped] after effects of an uncomfortable saddle are very pleasant. Demerly states that developing tolerable saddle comfort can be broken down into three categories:

1. Allowing enough time to adapt to your saddle (especially key for new cyclists!)
2. Wearing quality bike shorts, and wearing them correctly
3. Making sure your bike is fitted to you, and keeping good posture

Although I’m supposed to be working on a VO2 max lab right now (I have “priorities on a schedule”…) lets take a second to go into a little more detail:

1. Allow enough time to adapt to your saddle.

As I mentioned (because Mr. Demerly mentioned….) this is especially important for new cyclists. If you’re not used to sitting on a road bike for three hours, then no sh!t Sherlock, it’s going to be uncomfortable your first time out. My words, not his. Demerly states that it’s important to let your crotch and buttocks acclimate to supporting the majority of your body weight – a process known as “getting your seat.” He details that this typically happens over the course of 400 to 600 miles, and would be better done with short but more frequent rides rather than cramming all of your buttock-acclimation into a few weekend warrior rides. It takes time, it will be uncomfortable, but you know what they I say, “Toughen up, buttercup!”

2. Wear quality bike shorts, and wear them correctly.

According to Demerly, cyclists will shell out anywhere from $90 to $239 on quality bike shorts. While I find $239 to be a pretty specific price quote, I do agree that good shorts are gonna cost a pretty penny. What makes it “quality” you ask?

• precise cut patterns for better fit
• sophisticated, seamless, anti-bacterial moisture wicking pads
• highly breathable
• reduce friction
• transport moisture effectively away from tender, inflamed tissues

Once you’ve tasted TESTED (!!) the good stuff, there’s no turning back. Demerly recommends bibs (shorts with suspenders, keeping the shorts and padding in place) for longer rides, but notes that they are less convenient if you need to make a quick pit stop.

The next bit of information is written in bold, so I to, will emphasize in Demerly fashion:

Never wear any underwear with bike shorts.

(Says the article. Don’t come crying to me if you get a yeast infection…) Alright – this is something I have heard many times. Something that I’ve brushed off as, “ok… you go ahead and go commando. I like my undies right where they are.” The reason people say not to wear underwear with bike shorts is that quality shorts are supposedly designed to be worn against the skin, and underwear only traps in moisture and increases friction and chafing. I am still wary, and I promise you if I do attempt a commando ride I wont be sharing my plans on Twitter ahead of time.

Demerly also says to make sure your shorts are snug. Use a chamois lubricant. Good. To. Go.

3. Make sure your bike is fitted for YOU, and maintain good posture.

You might think you need a new saddle, but in reality, your discomfort could really be due to improper fitting of your bike, or improper posture. You could spend bucco bucks on a “comfort” oriented saddle, and still come off with a traumatized tush if your posture is no good or your bike doesn’t fit you correctly. Look to the pros, Demerly says. They don’t use saddles with ventilated “relief” slots or big gel cushions. Their seats are solid, and you know they’re out there riding for hours at a time. The angle of your saddle, the angle of your handelbars (this influences the way your weight is distributed over the saddle) and the position of your seat all contribute to a “proper fit”. A triathlete who is down on their aero bars will sit farther rotated on the nose of their saddle than road cyclist does. Moral of the story: Fit. Is. Important. A bike fitting can be done at most quality bike stores, and prices vary widely, but are well worth it.

And to end the article, Demerly summarizes with a checklist of “Good Saddle Habits”

• Get used to sitting on a bike seat with consistent, short rides over a period of weeks.
  
• Always wear form fitting bike shorts, the best you can afford.
  
• Be sure your shorts are tight enough with no wrinkles.
  
• Never wear any kind of underwear with bike shorts.
  
• Try bib style bike shorts for better fit, especially for long rides.
  
• Always wash cycling shorts between wearing.
  
• Put your shorts on right before you ride and take them off right after. Don’t stand around or drive to events in bike shorts.
  
• Always use a chamois lubricant cream to increase comfort.
  
• Use powder inside your underwear in the saddle area when wearing street clothes to keep your crotch dry and speed acclimation.
  
• Be certain your bicycle fit, position and posture are correct.
  
• Focus on the fundamentals of saddle comfort instead of giving in to to marketing claims of gimmicky saddles.

Annnnd that, my friends, is what there is to say about Saddle Comfort. I’d definitely encourage you to check out more of the training articles at BikeSport Michigan! As always, you  can find this and other training advice under the Train on Top tab at the top of the page!

Didn’t I say something about hydration? Yess. I found this situation rather comical when I realized how many hydration options were surrounding me when I sat down to my McMac this afternoon.

Left to right:

Banana Nuun (drank full bottle on ride), Lemon Lime Nuun (drank half on ride), Strawberry Apricot Sobe Life plain Water (oops! Drank that one last night. It was GOOD! drank half bottle of water before ride, half once home), Black Cherry Dragonfruit Sobe Life Water (drank full bottle once back home), Best ever amazing citrus orange heaven protein shake from God (slammed. Can you savor something and slam it at the same time?)

There will indeed be a FUELING-ON-THE-RIDE post to come in the near future! For now though, this post has been written in three installments and I am beyond ready to hit Publish. My tummy is full of PHO, my pubic bones have started to reform over the last couple of hours, and I am ready for a solid night’s sleep. That’s “recovery” time!! Rest up, find your seat, and ride on my friends.

-E

Giveaways: Erica’s got the goods. I mean.. the Gu!

Back when I asked you guys for your #1 pump-up song for my “reader’s choice spin mix”, (keep those entries coming btw – CLICK HERE to go to that post!) my east coast homie and fellow BAMF Karyn told me I should check out this other chica’s blog, Mindful Living. So I clicked my way on over to Christina’s blog, and am SO glad I did – this girl is awesome! Not to mention we have a crazy amount in common: we’re both the same age and the youngest of sister-only families, both marathoners (and both decently fast one’s at that ), both entering the health/medical field, both teach (or taught/may be teaching again soon!) spin, both are super close with our families, and we’re both lifelong athletes. And oh yeah, there’s the healthy lifestyle blogger thing underlying somewhere in there too.

Christina recently tagged me on the Beautiful Blogger award – thanks lady! I LOVE fun facts! Cmon.. think back to your college orientation weekend.. job training.. summer camp. It gives you a chance to learn something you probably wouldn’t know otherwise. Or… if you’ve been around the blog long enough, stuff you DO already know, but a nice catch-up for new readers! Following the rules of the game, you get seven of my favorite “fun facts” and in turn, I get to pick seven of YOU guys to do the same! Kind of like a Pay It Forward (gotta love H.J.O. at age twelve), and an Ice Breakers remix. Here we go!

1. I have a personal mini-hardware store residing in my left hip.
   After a few months of “groin pain weird-feelings” back in the fall of 2008, and a final push from my spots med doc out east, I finally went in to have my hip x-rayed. After touring all that Boston’s medical scene had to offer, I finally wound up with a bone/hip specialist at Children’s Boston, and two diagnoses: fibrous dysplasia, and a fractured left femoral neck (a la tension side). I had surgery in December over Christmas break back in Minneapolis, and many a pool running sesh ensued. Unfortunately, surgery was not an “end-all” solution, as fibrous dysplasia isn’t something you really “cure”. I will post more on this on a later day, but I may be lookin’ at surgery #2 here soon. Biiiig bummer!
2. My dad and I have matching identical tattoos.
   Haha – I cringed at the word “matching” for whatever reason. It’s not a pinky promise, but that pinky squeeze is something special my dad and I have done for as long as I can remember. It means something along the lines of  ”I’m glad I’m with you.”  We had thought long and hard about what to get, and when I thought of our special pinky squeeze, I knew it was right. We got it done before I moved to Boston and before my dad moved to Philly at Steady Tatoo. Tatted by Rodger – they took the picture of our hands together when we went in for our consult.. I think he did an awesome job! I have loved my tattoo every second since of every day since he was inkin’ it in me!
3. I would not be a runner without my mother.
   My mom is my best friend – this we know. I’ve mentioned our occasional mother daughter runs that I love. (Especially ones sprinkled with a little Christmas!) You might not know that she is also a very accomplished runner!  My mom didn’t start running until she was out of college, but she definitely had the natural talent! She has run 22 marathons over the course of her running career, broken 3 hours twice, WON a marathon outright for the ladies, and definitely put in wayyy more miles than I have! Some of my very first runs were just a few miles long with my madre. She gave me the genes
4. I am on the Triathlon Team at the U of MN.
   Check out our team page! Next up are the Collegiate National Championships down in Lubbock, Texas in April. The plan as of now is that my fractured/fibrousdysplasiaed/lisfranc’ed self will be injury free at that time, and I’ll be ready to compete!
   
5. I have endometriosis.
   I have mentioned it before briefly… I have a whole long post written on it that for whatever reason I just don’t want to publish, but it’s a fact! Hahah I wouldn’t call it “fun”… but it’s part of life. Be very thankful that I didn’t pull my “endometriosis” image off of google images. Search at your own risk. Photo credit goes to a fellow blogger dealin’ with the same thing. Maybe my fun fact #5 should have been “My hot water bottle is one of my best friends.”
   
6. I treat my training gear with about as much excitement and love as I would my own kids. Meet Rilo, and Gomer.
   
   
   
   (Sorry for the camera angle….) The day when GOMER was delivered into my hands, I knew I had a gift from God. True story – I have a permanent tan line around my bicep from this lil guy. It’s my second birth mark. Then, several years later when RILO came into my life, it was like a stolen child was finally returned. Hahhaha.. issues. I know.
   
7. I grew up as a “minority” student. And I am sooo thankful!I went to a K-8 elementary school where over 50% of the students were native spanish speakers, 20% were african american, caucasians made up about 15%, and the remaining 15% were from different ethnicities. The school is still extremely diverse – check the stats!  Then I moved onto a high school that was also super diverse! White kids made up about 20% of the student body. I say I’m so thankful because being around so many students coming from different backgrounds, having different beliefs, different lifestyles, and different opinions taught me right off the bat that everyone in the world is DIFFERENT and that is an amazing good thing. NTM I was understanding my 2nd grade buddies from Mexico City before I ever took my first “spanish class.”

Alright, time to share the love chicos y chicas! TAG – you’re it!

• Susan – Susan Runs
• Frayed Laces – Frayed Laces
• Courtney – Pink Cowgirl
• Melissa – A Fit & Spicy Life
• Katie – Faith, Food, & Fitness
• Karyn – Marathon Maiden
• Jenna - The Foodie In The City

But you can’t really put a limit on Paying it Forward.. can you? I think not. So I definitely encourage ANYONE who wants to go and give your seven fun facts to let er’ rip! Sadly, this is all I have time for, and it took me 1.5 hours on the ellip plus over an hour at home. Someone asked me how I blog while I’m working out, and I gave you a picture last time, but keep your eyes out for a live post from my steady spot on my Life Fitness elliptical, complete with play list and intervals, to come! As for now, I have a double date with my BFF and my madre. And hopefully I can see the boyfriend somewhere in there too. Adios!

-E

Random. Sorry.

So. I am writing to you from the 114A Express bus – U of MN to Uptown, and wherever it goes after that. I am on my way home from school.. and I am not in my car.. and it feels SO good.

I have officially become a bike/bus student commuter. My lil Accord is still sitting out front, but I am making every effort to only use it when there is no other option. This whole summer I have done really well with eliminating/minimizing/combining car trips, walking when possible, biking when possible, and carpooling if it’s an option. It’s one of those things that just makes me smile.. I can’t help it! It’s kind of like when you’re going to a race at 5 in the morning, and anyone else out on the highway you know is going to the race too because they have their 26.2 sticker on their bumper, or their bike with aero bars on the back of the car. C’mon.. you know you’re sitting there behind the wheel with a hugh jass grin on your face! 

I feel like I’m being introduced to a whole new club being a bike commuter. You see “regulars” on the path at the same time each day… people get to know you at the bike shop en route. And then the bus.. there are DEFINITELY regulars there. (cough** and some cute ones at that **cough) 

I’ve talked before about the environment being really important to me. I wouldn’t have included “recycle” in the name of my blog if I didn’t care about it. (Ok.. so maybe not on the same level as tatting “I Love Alfonzo” on your hip, but close!) Unnecessary has been my signature word for so long, and it still is. Lately I have become really aware of gas prices, time wasted in a car, the sheer NUMBER of cars out on the road, and that is what I want to talk about today.

[ETA: I'm at home now... quick bus ride!]

BIKE COMMUTING

Bike commuting has so many benefits! Aside from the “insider’s club” mentioned above, I can name so many more:

• you’re obviously helping cut down on pollution – each and every gallon of gas we burn leads to about 20 pounds of CO2 gas in the air, and that contributes to the crazy climate change business we have going on. 
• Want to know what you’re gonna burn on your bike? Calories. Want to know what’s going to be heating up? YOU, because you’re going to get crazy toned legs. 
• What about money saved? A typical U.S. family spends about $8000 per year operating a car. A  bike requires no gas, no oil changes, no new tires, and maybe a $50 tune up. You can even get PAID to bike – the government started a program with some companies that reimburses employees who bike commute! If you’re interested in this program, check out this site from the League of American Bicyclists.

BUS COMMUTING

I’ll just start right off again with all the benefits of riding public transportation:

• Again, the big obvious one – helping cut down on gas emissions that are harmful to our environment. The average Twin Cities driver releases about 2.6 tons of green house gasses each year when they drive to and from work.  (Source.) Um.. I’d rather not! And that’s just ONE person. Take that, times every other Joe-Schmoe-why-won’t-this-traffic-go sitting next to you.. and you have a very. very. large number. 
• Minneapolis now has HYBRID busses! 28% better fuel efficiency.. quiet.. and clean! 
• No questioning whether or not you’ll go outside after work and be snowed in. 
• No more scrapping ice off your windshields. 
• No more parking tickets. 
• No more expired tabs. 
• No more running out of gas on the high way.
• No more speeding tickets (hey.. if the bus driver does it, not my problem!!)
• Nooo more! 

I <3 Minneapolis!!

The fact that I have these options – public transportation and paved bike pathways or bike lanes around my city – makes me so grateful!! It is definitely not something I take for granted, because I have been in plenty of cities where there is no such thing as city bus, biking is used only when there are training wheels attached, and not much longer there after, the closest anything is a good 15 minute drive, there just really aren’t many other options besides using your car! Minneapolis for sure has a few areas in which we could improve our public transportation system (and we’re working on it – hellooo more lightrail!) but for my needs at this time, the bus routes we have and the bike paths are sufficient, and they get me where I need to go. I would LOVE if the Lightrail was extended to go up to St. Cloud so I could visit family without driving, but I have a feeling it will happen some day. 

What is your public transportation system like where you live? Do you use it? Do you walk or bike places instead of drive? I feel like because this my blog falls into the health/wellness category, answers are more likely to be YES than if I were to ask the general public. But that’s great! And if you don’t or haven’t started trying to cut back on your automobileage.. I challenge you to ask yourself why? What can I (you…) do to start taking those steps? If you’re stuck.. here is a site that offers some great TIPS!

 Well.. I could go on and on about this issue for a really long time, so I think I’ll cut it here. I hope you guys don’t mind reading a little non-running post every now and then.. although now that I think about it, RUNNING is a great alternative transportation option too!! Hahha.. a little hard to get those textbooks to school though.  And because I’m not sure how to even write a complete post without mentioning what isss going on running wise – tomorrow is my LAST 20 miler before TCM! A huge group of us is starting at mile 6 and running the last 20 of the marathon course. It should be fantastic. (Ignoring the 5:30 wake up call.. I don’t like that so much.) Know how I’m getting to the start? BIKING. Know how I’m getting home? CARPOOLING!

Rockstar.

Seeee ya soon peeps! 

-E

I decided not to go out to Hudson last night. For some reason I had in my mind that it took like an hour and a half to get there.. but then I put it in googleMaps and it said it only took 40 minutes. So I nixed the plans with my mom’s friend (where I was planning on staying overnight) and decided I’d just drive out in the morning. It was a early morning! I haven’t seen 4:30am in a looong time. But it was well worth it – my mom’s friend has a dog, and I have allergies, and that wouldn’t have been a good idea the night before a race!

So I was out the door by 5:15, stopped for coffee (I had my coffee pot all set up to brew this morning.. but I set it for 5PM instead of 5am! doh!!) and was on my way! It was pitch black when I left, but I got to watch the sun rise as I was driving east to Hudson! SO PRETTY! Hhaha annnnd.. I swear the only people out on the roads at that time were people going to the tri! Every  car I saw had a racing bike on the back or a TriHarder bumper sticker… it made me smile every time!

Got there, got my transition area all set up, got my packet, my “small” shirt (which goes down to my knees… who makes these!?) and got tatted…

and then had a while to wait for the start. I was nervous because my feet and hands were COLD. I’ve always had bad circulation.. but i was thinking if they’re cold now and I haven’t even touched the water yet.. then I’m in trouble! The water even looked cold!

The race started at 7:30, but since I was in wave 5 (women 29 and under) I didn’t start until like 7:45. There were some competitive looking girls out there.. but at this race they didn’t mark your age on your calf like they usually do, so I couldn’t tell who I was up against! Maybe a good thing…

The gun went off and so did we. The water was actually not bad – I think it was probably about 70°.. so the water temperature was not the problem. Especially because I did this in more clothes than I did Green Lake… I was wearing a full length tri top and shorts. Little teeny shorts.. but shorts none the less. Honestly though.. I think I panicked a bit in the lake. Open water swimming is really different than swimming in a pool.. and the sighting thing just wasn’t working for me today. I had to breast stroke a bit in the beginning just to calm myself down, and by the time I reached the turn around bouey I was pretty much fine. It definitely slowed my swim time down though!

Thennnn the bike. I have two conflicting factors here when I try to compare to my last tri: 1. I was on a much better/faster bike. 2. I. was. FREEZING. I said the water temperature wasn’t a problem.. but the air temperature was. It was still too early for the sun to shine on the road, so the air temp was still like 55°. Take that, plus being soaking wet, plus going 22 mph = froze my ass off. Hahha I can’t wait to see the pictures from the professional photographer.. my face was like locked in one position that I’m sure was disgusting very attractive… I’ll have to wait and see.

And then, my love – the run. This was a 4 mile run.. where as Green Lake was just a 5K. I actually like this run way better though. And finally my face and arms and core warmed up because the sun was finally peaking through! My legs from the knees down though were just numb.. it was ridiculous! But I knew they were still attached, and damnit, they had a job to do, so I got to it. I definitely started out slower than usual, but ended up picking it up a lot at the 2 mile turn around. My time out was 15:42 (!!! wtf) and coming back it was 13:44. All for a grand average pace of 7:21 (according to Gomer). Which for me.. is still ridiculously slow for a 4 mile run. But with frozen feet and being a newbie up and coming triathlete, I’ll take it. My friend Cyndi is the only other person I knew up there… she is from the Splashers team I train with (hard core name.. no?) and she is a great athlete! She says she is not a runner.. but I told her that is the great amazing thing about individual sports. You can be whatever you want to be. You can improve, and it’s easy to forget that sometimes! I love this lady’s attitude. She is definitely kick ass and will help remind you that you are too!

My total time was something along the lines of 1:20:xx… PickleEvents does the chip timing and they haven’t posted the results online yet. What I can say is that despite feeling like it wasn’t my best race.. it definitely wasn’t.. I took 2nd in my age group (and contradictory to my age-group-upgrade-fears, would have taken 2nd in the 20-25 devision too). I came home with an amazing medal engraved with St. Croix Valley Tri a .. stop watch? Mmm yep. Not kidding. Note to Race Director.. hopefully you’ll see this somehow – I LOVED your race. Everything. But a stop watch? Even Green Lake did medals.. they were just dog tags engraved but actually I like that the best! Then you can actually wear it without looking like you’re trying to be a show off. I can promise you that I wont be wearing my St. Croix Valley stop watch out to dinner tonight. My mom actually said she needs one for school, so…. !!

The after celebration was nice – it was a Luau theme so they had leis and pineapple and what not.. but the main “event” for the food was pulled pork. I am not one of those PITA vegetarians, but I would have appreciated sommmme sort of meat-free option! I wasn’t kidding about the shirt being huge.. and I hate that because half the point of doing a race is to get free shirts.. and I like to be able to WEAR them! Here is me, trying to jump up on my couch before Photo Booth counts down…

Please ignore the crazed look on my face.. and I promise. I am completely G rated in posting this.. there are shorts on under there! And Chad.. this is all for you buddy – the shorts:

I was actually looking for racing buns.. but no where keeps them in stock! They’re mostly for team orders.. so this was the closest I could get. And I LOVE them. And bought two pairs.

I met my mom and some family friends at Dunn Bros on my way home. It was really nice to see them all.. and MAN was I ready for a cup of coffee!! That brings me to here.. all done with a triathlon before 9:30am and saying now what? for the rest of the day! I think I am meeting up with someone to buy the calc book I need for this year (craigslist – in case I go missing) (Kidding!! Sorta… =/ ) and then I think I am going to go spend the rest of the day helping my mom set up for our YARD SALE we are having in two weeks. So this my friends concludes my St Croix Valley Tri race report, and overall I’d say it was a success. If I’m in town, I’ll be back there next year!

I’m out!

See you soon love bugs. Race on Monday.. school starts Tuesday! YIKES! Live it up while you can!

Quick running update:

I am currently alternating between coffee, Powerade, and water. I did my third 20+ miler of this “season” (haha.. I never know what to refer to it as! This Twin-Cities-training? This period? Season works for me), and it felt fine. I ran it way slower than I did my last 20 miler because that is just the pace of the group I was with, and their company is worth way more to me than proving I can run sub 8s for a long training run. I ran into this situation two years ago when I was training for Med City – running with a group that is slower than my pace – but I seemed to do just fine when I ran a 3:19, so hopefully that trend will carry through!

My upcoming schedule for running/racing looks a little like this:

• September 5th – St. Croix Valley Triathlon
• September 12th – the Capitol Run – 20+ mile training run
• September 20th – October 4th – Taper time
• October 4th – Twin Cities Marathon!
• October (3oth or 23rd?) – Monster Dash Half Marathon
• November XX – Turkey Trot 5K
• January XX – Winter Carnival Frozen Half Marathon
• April XX – Boston 2010

I don’t know what other little races will pop in there.. but I usually do a few 5Ks just for fun (like the Turkey Trot! I think there’s a Jingle Bell 5K too…) so we’ll see. I also need to look at my budget because I’ve spent more this year on races than I have on the past. I don’t know that I’ve necessarily raced more,  but they have definitely been more expensive races. Especially with triathlons – that is not a cheep sport! Luckily, I’ve found ways to cut costs here and there (carpooling, sharing hotels, discounted bike shoes, etc.) but that is a whole ‘nother future post!

I promise – my Ragnar Post will be published soon! I made a photobook of the whole event.. so I’ve been putting a lot of time into that instead of writing up the dang recap! I leave you with photo of me n’ Rilo – my mom and I were getting a little carried away with sports mode on her camera I’m bringin’ the McMac along to Philly, so maybe I’ll get a post up while I’m there! Otherwise, catch you when I get back!

-E

Just the two of us we can make it if we try
Just the two of us just the two of us
Just the two of us building castles in the sky
Just the two of us you and I

         -Will Smith

So you all know Gomer… 

Let me introduce you to the QRoo:

A 2008 (I think?) Quintana Roo Kilo.. which I am from here forth calling Rilo. So creative. I know.

Let me tell you though.. these guys know their stuff. I’ve been contemplating buying a Quintana Roo wetsuit.. but man!! This is an expensive sport I’m tryna get into here. It’s not like you can get a wetsuit at Target.. (but God knows I lovvve my C9)

Miss Jenni doesn’t even have the slightest clue how happy she made me when she sold me this bike. I won’t tell you how much it retails for, or how much (or not much!!!!) I had to pay for it, but I can safely say that Jenni made my week month YEAR! THANK YOU JENNI! Please be watching your mail box!

I found this website with way more information than I needed to know, but it’s pretty damn cool. Because Rilo is pretty damn cool. Because OH MY GOD I want to just go ride it now!!

I’m going in tomorrow to my bike shop to get it fitted properly and pick up the cleats for my shoes. But you can bet your blisters that me and Rilo will be spending some good QT tomorrow! It’s supposed to rain.. but it can’t rain all day.. right? Wednesdays are my one day off at Job1 (the restaurant), so I only have to put in a couple hours at Job2 in the afternoon and then I’m done!

Tomorrow’s ToDos:

1. run with kid from tri team
2. bike fitting
3. job2
4. ride many many miles
5. pack/grocery shop for RAGNAR!!
6. dinner with the madre

Newwws time. You know you’re a runner when: you stay up just to watch the weather.

G’night
-E