1. // In just a few hours, I’m taking my bike, my boyfriend, and a book (non school related!) and running away. [Until Monday.] No email, no computer, no cell phone. And hopefully, no stress. [Until Monday.] At which point I will return with a Medical Monday (which likely won’t go up until Tuesday), some x-ray film, and an update on the race calendar. All in response to THIS tweet:

Thanks so much for all the good vibes sent via tweet, text, and facebook! In the mean time, I’d really appreciate your answer to my question on my Groucho Sports post from this week, as I’ve lost my little friend and am not sure where to turn next!

READER Qs:

Any fun plans for the holiday weekend? This is the first year I’m not WORKING on memorial day! Woooo hooo!!

OK chicos – the rest is up to you! I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, healthy weekend!

-E

(p.s. If I have any readers who live IN Puerto Rico or anyone who as attended one of those schools – Universidad Central del Caribe, UPR, or Ponce – please please please contact me!! I would love to talk with you about it!)

SO. First of all we have a brief (mmm, maybe) rundown of the trip, with commentary kept to a minimum. Truthfully I had a very athletic week while there, and knowing that 99.9% of my readers are athletes, I hope my “review” may help you in preparing for a trip to PR or in narrowing down your vacation options. Secondly, the Ironman San Juan 70.3 is TOMORROW (Sunday – 3/19), and my hotel – the Caribe Hilton – happened to be the host hotel for the race! So for anyone considering the San Juan 70.3, I have a little “course preview” and race info for you as well. AND lastly because it’s Friday, you get one confession. ¡Vamos!

From Minneapolis it’s about a 5 hour direct flight to San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport… which is the “big one” that you would likely fly into. Even though San Juan (the capital) is on the northeast side of the island, the sweet thing about Puerto Rico is that the entire place is just about 3x the size of Rhode Island. MEANING you can rent a car and be to any of the other coasts in about 2 hours max. Which I did when I went to el Yunque National Forest (see photos below)!

In terms of things that travelers/tourists may want to know:

• I can’t speak for all of PR because I was staying in San Juan, but IMO it was VERY safe. I ran alone, I ran with random locals, I ran with other travelers, I took off exploring on my own. Sin problemas. Granted, I don’t do dumb $#!& to put myself in dangerous situations… but nonetheless, I felt safe the whole time.
• You don’t need to speak Spanish… at least in San Juan. Just about everyone can speak English at a functional level where you can order food/get directions/get a taxi, etc.
• That being said, if you do speak Spanish (or are learning?) … GO FOR IT! Aside from talking to the people I was traveling with, I spoke Spanish the entire time. Even if you are just learning, don’t be shy! Being immersed in it a foreign country is hands down the best way to learn a language.
• Typical Puerto Rican food has a lot of rice and beans and plantains. But if that’s not your thing there are plenty of options. (siiigh) They too have Micky D’s, KFC, etc.
• There is a lot to do! National rainforest, beaches, parks, old forts, restaurants, the bioluminescent bays, kayaking, snorkeling, hiking… there is really no reason to be bored.

(On the way to the rainforest and it definitely looks like it’s going to be wet!)

(so much green!! // repping Ragnar in the rainforest (note the footwear!!) // whoever lives there has a pretty sweet view)

(I found some gallinas in the rainforest… wanted to bring them home for my friend Willie but thought customs might pose a problem.)

And now para mis atleteas – what can you do to keep up your training in Puerto Rico? You’ve got options! I guess my only disclaimer would be that if you’re on vacation, don’t let stress about getting your training in ruin your time. Know that you might not get in your “usual” volume… know that you might be enjoying some, um, late nights out in Condado. The point is you can still keep up your fitness on vacation without sacrificing the fun! This info is also for any prospective Ironman San Juan 70.3ers – information on pre-race course access and what’s available in San Juan!

• SWIMMING: Is definitely doable. Lots of the hotels have pools… I was thinking mine had a lap pool but found out I was WRONG when I got there. I got some good ocean swimming in though… aside from the part about my Timex Ironman Racer flooding with water and dying the second I hit salt water. (Not kidding… I wanted to cry. [No - that's my Friday confession] I use that watch for EVERYTHING!! NTM I don’t really have $200 to drop on a new HR monitor/watch.)
• SWIMMING IMSJ 70.3: If you get to Puerto Rico and you see the wind and the waves and your thinking oh hecccck no… don’t worry. The swim is protected in Condado Bay, and goes from there for 1.2 miles over to DIRECTLY outside of my hotel lobby. The exit swim exit is up this ramp… which when I took this photo (below) looked kinda iffy. They guys building it said they were going to put something over the wood to make it a) non slippery, and b) not splintery. I would recommend NOT standing up anywhere along the swim, even though at times it is like 3 feet deep, because there are rocks and you could easily cut yourself. The water is very nice and you should NOT need a wet suit at all. It’d just add time to your T1. Also be prepared for a good distance jog from the water-exit to the transition.
• BIKING: I didn’t ride at all while I was out here, but my dad rode with me for one of my runs!! (We’ve been doing this for a long time together (see PHILLY 2009) … it’s kind of “our thing”. I miss you dad!) My hotel had bikes to rent for $15/hour or $25/day. I was expecting them to be huge slow beach cruisers, but we were pleasantly surprised to see some nice Treks!
• BIKING IMSJ 70.3: If you want to ride the course pre-race, please BE CAREFUL. The first 5-10 miles of the bike course are in an area with HEAVY TRAFFIC. There is a reason they’re closing the road for the race!! The bike portion starts out going south out of San Juan, and then rides west along the coast. At about mile 12.5 you start a loop – of which you’ll complete 2 – before retracing your steps back to SJ. Personally, I wouldn’t ride with a disk because the winds can be pretty strong coming off the ocean. But that’s coming from someone who weighs under a buck and would probably blow to the south coast of the island. The choice is totally up to you, but know that there WILL be wind.
• RUNNING: You can run your heart out in Puerto Rico… and I happened to do just that! There are plenty of miles of paved paths to get in whatever you need. Know that it is HUMID so if you are coming from a place like, oh… Minnesota, it might take some acclimating. I was staying in between Old San Juan and Condado (which is convenient, because those are both the neighborhoods with the “things to do”), and you can run either direction. There were so many other runners out too!! That was in part due to the fact that triathletes were arriving for the weekend’s race, but also because people are active in PR. I joined up with some local guys who happened to be running at the same time on a couple of the days (HI if your reading!!), and the other days I ran alone. Shortest run: 7. Longest run: 14. Every run: BEAUTIFUL.
• RUNNING IMSJ 70.3: You have open access to run the course at any time. The run course starts at the Sixto Escobar Stadium (which was literally a minutes jog from my hotel lobby) and head west along the Atlantic coast (during this part you will hopefully get a nice breeze off the water to cool you down) to an old fort (San Felipe del Morro) before turning back. I think it’s a DOUBLE loop out and back… just an FYI.

(Run map going out through Old San Juan. While it was fun going running over in Condado and even to Isla Verde, Old San Juan was definitely my favorite place to run. They have a paved path that goes outside of the old city wall which is pretty cool too. You can also check out the official swim map and bike map for the 70.3)

I know it’s a little early to start building a 2012 race calendar, but unless I face grave injury or severe financial instability, I will definitely be returning to San Juan next year for the Half Ironman. (In bold because I need a commitment, dangit!) It’s kind of at an inconvenient time if you live in a cold state, since you probably won’t have ridden your bike out on the real roads in a few months. And you for sure won’t have been swimming in any open water! Which sounds to me like all the more reasons to make a week out of it and get acclimated. I’ve already put the word out to a few of my MN tri buddies and it seems like there is definitely interest there. Julia? Steve? Whattya think…? March is a good time for a family vacation!

This San Juan 70.3 is part of the Ironman 70.3 series – so as all other Ironman events, you can expect a very well put on race. They’ve obviously put on enough races by now to know how to make sure everything is organized and running smoothly, and there are volunteers galore to help ensure a successful day! I, however, have not done any races that far away. So if anyone wants to give me advice on shipping/flying with a bike, I’d definitely appreciate it!

Some more photos from the trip:

(El Fortin de San Geronimo – right outside my bedroom! You can also watch the swim portion of the 70.3 from here.)

(L: This guy is kayaking in the proctected lagoon that the swim is held in… also right outside my room! Just for an idea of how smooth the water is. // R: The Caribe Hilton’s protected bay. Nothing too exciting in terms of marine life in there, but nice that it cuts the waves!)

(PEACOCK! Totally not phased at all..)

(Go ahead… ♪ shake ya tail feathers ♪)

This is my one Friday Confession. You guys know how big I am on sun protection and usually I am SO good about it! On this trip I had my faithful Kinesys packed, including my 30spf spray bottle and the sunscreen “stick” for lips n’ face. And both of these products worked without fail… when you remember to put them on!! DOH! On ONE single day I forgot to put on sunscreen, and yes I did burn. That nice little quemadura there is from like two hours without sun block.

Of course my face is peeling now, which I’m sure looks super attractive. I feel the need to explain myself wherever I go… like “oh, just ignore the layer of skin coming off my forehead – I just got back from a trip.” Cuuuute.

I think that about wraps it!! At the time I hit publish, San Juan 70.3 is 13 hours and 21 minutes away!! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE RACING TOMORROW!! See you next year!

• Reader Qs:
• Have you ever been to Puerto Rico?
• Where did you stay and what was your favorite part?
• Have you ever raced in a different country or over seas? What can you tell me about shipping/flying with my bike!? Seeing as how MyCardCan’t (%&@# you Delta!) I am expecting some large fees.
• Anyone out there gone to medical school in Puerto Rico?
• Any other fun spring break / race trips this spring?

Ohhh Minnesota. It feels about 33% good to be home. Warm up a little and we can readdress this. Totally unrelated, but for you locals – GOOD LUCK GET LUCKY RACERS!

-E

Last Sunday I touched down at the Chicago O’Hare airport, and the flight attendant listed gates for those of us with connecting flights. Alphabetically:

• Honolulu
• Miami
• Omaha
• San Francisco
• Shanghai
• Tokyo

This is a very simple ACT question: one of these is not like the others…. (clue: all sound really fun, even vacation-like, except _____.)

Mmmm yep. I’ve been spending the last few days in Omaha, Nebraska. Actually, Grand Island… although that’s pretty misleading because it almost sounds tropical. My grandma lives in an assisted living home in Grand Island, and we went to visit for just a couple days (I’m back already). The woman is 88 years old, a little shorter than me, and cute as a button. I know a lot of people stress over getting their workout in when they’re traveling, so I thought I’d share a couple tips for getting your sweat on no matter where you are. This is a two-part post though, so if you really want the full deal, you’ll have to stay for the whole thing. I’ll try not to get too long.

1 // Working out while traveling

I’d be lying if I didn’t say traveling used to stress me the #()@% out. As with many type As, you get your schedule and you stick to it. I liked reporting back to my coach with a full week of check marks and notes. I’d also be lying (by omission) if I didn’t say yeah – I belong to a 24-hour gym, and yeah – I’ve been there several times at 3am.

Although many hotels now boast that they have a “fitness center” … don’t be surprised if you get there and find it’s a closet lined with wall mirrors and a smith machine. Lots of hotels also now have swimming pools, but if you think you’re swimming laps, be prepared for about two strokes per length and 600 flip turns per mile.

Running: It’s a lovely creation because you can do it pretty much anywhere. You need a few extra sets of clothes, but bring your shoes and your good to go. No Garmin necessary – just run for time.

Biking: Sometimes an option – often, bigger cities have bike rentals, and if you can’t find trails, you can probably ride the roads. More often than not you’ll end up doing some “recreational” riding… but hey, you’re moving, right?

Swimming: You can sometimes find community pools that will just charge a minimal daily fee. OR, beach?? Open water swims?? That would be ideal. Swimsuit and goggles take about as much room to pack as a Clif bar, so no excuses.

Fitness Centers: Are. Everywhere. Even in Grand Island, Nebraska. From my hotel I was within five minutes of both an Anytime Fitness and a Snap Fitness. The bigger the city, usually the better your options. Snap was $7/day, Anytime was $15/day, and a YWCA/YMCA/Gold’s/Lifetime will usually be in the $10-$20/day region. Some places will give you a good deal for a week long pass, and you could even find that getting a MONTH pass is your best deal (as was the case when I went to Philly at the Philly Sports Club).

The SNAP we went to in NE – very nice!

At Home Workouts: For those of you that do the DVDs – Jillian Michaels, Yoga, P90X, etc. – you pretty much have it made. If you have a TV or even just a laptop, you’re golden. You can also get in a solid strength training workout with just body weights or a resistance band, and if you want some cardio, bring a jump rope.

As you can see… there are many options for getting in a workout while on the road, and if anything, it certainly doesn’t need to be the cause of stress. For the days when it’s absolutely just not possible – either due to lack of time or simply being in transit literally all day, then make that your rest day. Don’t take rest days? Then consider it a mental workout and take on the challenge to take a day off, or I guess stay home. Your call.

Which brings me to point two of this post…

#2 // What actually matters in life

As I said, I was visiting my grandma during this trip. She is 88 years old, living in an assisted living home where she doesn’t get many visitors (especially from me being so far away), and although she’s “with it” most of the time, her health is definitely declining.

Flight was super early on Sunday, and by the time I got to Omaha and drove the 3 hours to Grand Island, it was definitely time to go see Grandma. Getting out of the home is difficult because she has an oxygen tank, so we opted to have dinner in with her, and instead of having the usual “home” dinner, bring her something special. When we asked G-Ma what she would want to eat if she could have anything in the world, you know what she asked for? An Arby’s roast beef sandwich. No sesame seeds on the bun. Lady knows what’s up.

Could I have jumped on our hotel treadmill at 9:30 when we got back? Sure… but that would mean not actually finishing until like 11:30 when it’s all said and done, and then just being even more tired in the morning. Day one: no workout. Sitting on mass on airplane/in car/in grandma’s rocking chair all day.

Like I said, we were very close to both a Snap and an Anytime, so my dad and I chose to go to the Snap on Monday morning. We worked out together a bit on the Arc Trainer, and then I finished up with the treadmill and weights. I didn’t get in the total time I was scheduled for, nor did I follow the schedule. At all. But I was still able to sweat it out a bit and that was really nice. (More than anything – to workout with my dad! Living half way across the country from each other now, we almost never get to do that anymore!) Day two: 75% of scheduled volume, 0% of scheduled workout. The reason I didn’t stay for that last 15% was that we wanted to get to G-ma as soon as possible, and the time was tickin! Went back to her care home, and ate lunch (fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy) with her in the cafeteria. Spent the rest of the day either running errands for her or just sitting with her talking in her room.

My dad used to bike with me during LRs all the time! This was from when I visited him in Philadelphia.

The last day my alarm went off early enough in the morning to either pool run for a little bit, or jump on the Neolithic era treadmill. Instead, I turned my phone off, turned over, and turned into an extra 45 minutes of sleep. We had to leave pretty early in the afternoon to make the 3 hour drive back to Omaha, so again, time spent with grandma was limited. Day three: no workout.

On the way to the home, we stopped to pick up some white roses (her favorite) as well as a gift for the staff. We spent the last morning with this amazing 88-year-old white haired woman who has done so much for other people pretty much her entire life. Just a couple weeks ago she had some cancer removed from her colon, and she spends a lot of time worrying if it will come back. Saying goodbye to her was the worst, and my heart just about shattered when she said, “don’t let it be a year again.. OK?”

Honestly, this could be the last time I will see my grandma. I only got three days with her, because that’s about all the excitement she can take at one time without being worn down. What if I never got to see her again? What if I spent more time worrying about whether I could get a stupid workout in, or whether I’d stick to my schedule, and that was my last chance to talk to her. My last chance to sit in her room and play Christmas songs on her piano. My last time to see her smile?

Point is… Family is important. Working out… training… sure, on race day you want to be prepared. But when it comes down to it, when you’re on your deathbed (or your parents or your ____ or your ____), you’re not going to give a rats @ss if you took two days off. Or a week off. Or a month off. If you gained a couple pounds over the holidays. If you ate that piece of Grandma’s pie.

Many of you can disregard this message entirely, because spending time with your loved ones is clearly your priority and there is no second question. But based on the many, many emails and comments I receive, sometimes I think we need the reminder. You only get one family. You don’t get to hand pick them, trade them in, or ask for them back once their gone. Go hug someone you love, and TELL them how important they are to you! Not just during the holiday season, but any day, and every day.

Sorry if that turned into a high-horse moment. But this trip for me was certainly challenging in that it made me realize how limited my time is with this woman I love so much!! I don’t know when the next time is that I’ll get back to see her again, but I am definitely greatful for the time the last three days I was able to spend with her.

SO in light of all this heavy business – yes, working out on vacation is definitely possible. [ETA: AND fun!! Going  for a run or a bike ride is, in my opinion, the best way to see a new city!! I'm definitely not advocating that people just throw their workouts out the window during trips or vacations.] But if you are going to see family, and only have a little time with them – keep that in mind! J And while I’m at it, I LOVE YOU all!

Reader Questions: Do you usually workout on vacation? If so… what do you usually do, or if not, what would you like to try next time? And just for feeling good, if you could  go tackle anyone in the world with a bear hug right now, who would it be?

Happy holidays!

-E

(p.s. Survived finalsmovingfinals week! So happy to be home, and looking forward lots of RELAXING for a solid month! I watched a movie last night. Do you know when the last time I saw a movie was?? NEITHER DO I.)

So without further delay, here is the wrap up post to my Philadelphia trip – written on the air plain to Minneapolis! I did it in iWeb when I still had hopes of a iWeb/Wordpress marriage. No such luck. Thank you who ever invented Copy -> Paste.

Well my friends, my trip to the City of Brotherly Love has come to an end. I currently sitting on one of the smallest planes I have ever ridden on [edit edit] and I am ready to be home. 

Highlights of my trip:

DAD! I don’t need to say much more than that

Getting to see my sister and her husband on Saturday

A 15 mile run on Sunday along the Schulkyll River, el padre en tow on bike

A trip to REI where I got a nice tri top and some wind proof biking gloves (on sale!!)

Picnic dinners/lunches out on the river

A 6 mile run in the monsoon rain on Saturday

Getting to see where my dad lives, works, and has his new life in Philly

Here are some photos of our [way too short] trip:

el padre y yo after my/our 15 miler on the Schuylkill River

downtown Philly skyline – pretty! 

Dinner at Marathon Grill (v. good!) followed by a reallly good Gelato place! 

It was a good food night. I was happy!

What’s in store when I get back:

Work – jobs #1 & #2

Getting books

St. Croix Valley tri on Saturday

Victory Memorial 10K on Monday

School starts Tuesday

Sleep?! Please!?

More to come later peeps. Seeeya.

Is that something you had growing up? We always had Bruegger’s cream cheese. Ohhh man. Bruegger’s Bagels. So good. 

photo credit: brueggers.com

Honestly.. what is better than a huge doughy hot bagel? And the SQUARE ones!! AAAAAH. When I was a kid all I would ever get was a plain bagel and garden veggie cream cheese. Every. Damn. Time. Since that age, I have greatly expanded my bagel and topping repertoire. But I still stand by Bruegger’s and say that they have the best bagels and cream cheese out there. Try it!!

So should this photo be of a bagel? Wait no. My initial point here was Philadelphia, which is where I am so [im]patiently waiting to get to. Who/what is so important in Philadelphia? That, my friend, has a simple answer: my dad! He moved there in December of 2008 for work. He had always planned on leaving Minnesota, but Philly probably would not have been the destination city were his job not headquartered there (is headquartered a word?). He is definitely a warm-weathered duckling (wow. I just referred to my father as a duckling. I need that Starbucks now) and I know he was planning on moving somewhere much warmer than Philadelphia. Sure, it’s a step up from Minnesota, but not by much.

So no.. no photo of a bagel. This is what it’s all about:

I have never been to Philly before, so I have no real expectations of what we are going to do, but whatever it turns out to be, it’s worth it! I probably wont see my dad again till some time after Christmas. Luckily that will be a nice break from my ridiculously-long-winter-break. Seven weeks? Really? What the frack am I supposed to do in the middle of winter in Minnesota for SEVEN weeks!? Go spear fishing out on Lake Harriet? Freeze a pond in my front yard? Sell homemade snow cones out on the corner? (I was only partly kidding about that spear fishing part.. I actually have done that with Gramps up at their house in small-town MN.)

Anyways, it will be a much welcomed trip. Maybe I can convince him that we should take a warm weather getaway somewhere! I had that idea like two days ago, and now I can’t get it out of my head! Aright.. I’m rambling now. I just want to get on the plane and be in Philadelphia. Seeee ya.

[EDIT: I think I wrote this before I found out I had a 3+ (read: 4) hour delay? I didn't mention it.. so I'm guessing I didn't know yet. Um, yeah. It was a LONG delay. Did I ever mention I'm not very good with patience? ]

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