RTC Sprint Recap ...

Date: 4/27/2013
Location: Richmond, VA
Weather: 53 degrees and sunny
Time: 1:18:12
Swim Split: 7:54 (400m)
T1: 2:13
Bike Split: 40:00 (20K)
T2: 1:23
Run Split: 26:44 (5K)
Category Place (Athena): 1/8
Gender Place: 50/161


The Good:

The Course: The RTC Sprint had a new venue and race course this year and I went into the race not knowing much about it. The pool swim was amazing. The bike course was flat to rolling. And the two loop run course was flat and fast. It was a racer's (and first timer's) paradise, as long as you were cool with the open water style pool swim.

The Swim: I know a lot of people dread pool swims, but the RTC Sprint brought a new twist to the swim. The course mimicked an open water swim.

the first wave making the first turn ...

Buoys were set up in a 7'7" pool and swimmers were sent out in waves of 10 every 30 seconds.

That me waiting to start ...

And we're off ...

This format replicated an open water swim very well (face kicks and all) and I hope to see it at more events.

My Splits: Other than my transitions, I raced really well. Going into the event, I expected that I would finish between 1:20:00 and 1:25:00. But, after I came out of the water ahead of my seed time, I decided to ignore the clock (I didn't race with my Garmin) and push myself. Ultimately, it paid off and I finished in 1:18:12 feeling crazy confident about Rev3 Williamsburg Olympic in June.

That's my "I just killed it" smile ...

Winning: I was totally psyched to find out I had won the Athena division and taken home this sweet bling.

But, I was even more excited to see that I would have finished 7th out of 23 in my age group as well. I'm pretty sure I've never placed that well before.

My new kit: Thanks to an early morning hand delivery, I was lucky enough to be the first member of Team Rev3Tri to rock our 2013 race kits.

They're pretty badass, right?

The Bad:

Mounting and Dismounting: It's no secret that I am not a master of cycling. In fact, I really struggle on downhills and turns (they scare me). And I can't seem to get the knack of mounting and dismounting with any sort of speed. Need proof? My average on the bike was 19.2, but when you add in the time that it took for me to run to and from transition and to get on an off my bike, my average was brought down to 18.6. Obviously, I need some work.

Transition: My other major time suck was transition. In T1, I couldn't decide what to wear on the bike so I put everything I had on and then immediately decided to take it all off. Add that to the battle I had with my socks and I could have easily shaved 45 seconds to a minute off my T1 time.

And if we're being honest, I wasted a good 30 seconds in T2 eating and drinking. I didn't want to die on the run, so I figured I had better refuel a little. I know I probably would have been fine without anything, but I didn't want to kick myself later.

The Ugly:

Ugly? Yeah, there was nothing ugly about this day ...

Three Things Thursday ...

Training and Blogging - I've thought a lot about chronicling my training for Rev3 Cedar Point here. But every time I consider it, I walk away thinking, "I wouldn't want to read a recap of every single workout someone else does, so why would I want to do the same thing with my own?" Ultimately, I end up walking away from my computer and writing nothing. Honestly, things are pretty ho-hum around here. No drama. No excitement. No fails or big wins. I am just coasting along at this point. The training during this base period (which ends in one week) is very comparable to what I do year-round. Other than the fact that I am living in Z2 for all of my workouts, things are pretty much status quo.

Skewed Perception - Sometimes I wish I was a kid. Not because they are young and carefree, but rather because they've yet to have their views tainted by the world around them. Everything is fresh and new and honest to them.

For the past few months, I have been doing my best to eat a ton, well, at least enough to keep up with my training, which is growing increasingly harder as my volume builds. Anyway, despite all of the training and mostly clean eating I do, I can't drop a single pound I have gained over the last 18 months. In fact, I've gained more. I've stopped going on the scale, because I don't want to know what it says. I hate how my clothes fit, even though I'm still wearing pretty much all of the same clothes I always have. It's defeating.

I know the logical arguments. Trust me, I do. But, that doesn't make it easier to take in.

But, yesterday, I got a kick in the pants from Dizzle. She was home sick from school and we were talking about subjects that interest us. She said rocks and gems. I said nutrition and exercise. Then she turned to me and said, "I know you like those things Mommy. It's probably why you are so skinny."

Huh? It's not the first time she's said that to me recently. It's just the first time I actually heard her. She can see me better than I can. It kind of make me think again.

Hanging with Dizzle earlier this week ...

I started to notice the changes which probably contribute to at least some of my weight gain. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a window and I noticed that not only are my quads monstrous balls of muscle, so are my calves. They are ginormous. And this morning, I sat on my bed putting on my socks and in the mirror I could see how muscular my biceps and forearms are. When I flex, it's kind of scary. But at the same time, it's kind of badass.

I know I should just stop fighting what my body wants to do. I need to get my head in line and realize all the strength my body has, even if I never have a six-pack. And I have a seven year old to thank for that.

Sisters - Apparently, yesterday was National Sibling Day. I missed the memo, so here's my belated virtual hug to my two sisters, who happen to be two of my best friends.

more than just an athlete ...

I'm entirely confident that if you were to ask most people who know me they will say I do nothing but exercise. In fact, in an informal poll I took at my sister's wedding this past weekend, 9 out of 10 people mentioned my training schedule at some point during our conversations. The only people who didn't were my grandmother and my brother-in-law's sisters. Even J mentioned how I have a tendency to make our entire house reek of chlorine during my post-swim workouts.

Most of the time it doesn't bother me. I train hard and I don't mind having that fact acknowledged, but the further I get into my Rev3 Cedar Point 140.6 plan, the more it seems to get under my skin. It's probably because the deeper I get into training, the more I struggle with balancing everything and the more I feel guilty about this whole process affecting my family life.

Also, just for the record, I do a heck of a lot more than just swim, bike and run.

Most weeks, I am a single parent at least part of the time. That means I shuttle my kids to and from school (no school bus riding here), play dates, soccer, dance, doctor's appointments and on errands. I volunteer in their classrooms - excessively. I'm Doodle's class mom and the V.P. of licensing at Dilly's preschool. I do everyone's laundry (because I hate the way J and the kids fold), the vast majority of meal prep and aside from their personal belongings, I clean the entire house - every day.

On a typical day, I am up by 6:30. I spend the next hour getting Dizzle and Doodle off to school. Then, I try to squeeze in a workout before I drop Dilly off at 9:00. Sometimes, it works, sometimes it doesn't. Once everyone is out the door, I finish (or on unlucky days, start) my workout. I then proceed to clean the house and occasionally shower. By 12:40, I am rolling out to pick up the girls from school. I don't return to my house until 2:30 at which point, I help the girls do their homework and get ready for whatever activity/errand we have to run that day. We usually stay busy until 5:00 when I put a hot dinner on the table (every single night). At 6:00, I am getting the girls ready for bed and packing their lunches for the next day (I've calculated that I will make 7620 school lunches by the time they all graduate). The girls are in bed by 6:30 and I am left to finish whatever I didn't manage to get done earlier, whether that be more chores, an increasingly infrequent blog post or my workout. Then, and only then do I finally sit down (some days I don't even sit down to eat). After some TV or a good book, I am usually in bed by 10.

It's hectic and stressful, but I love every moment of it (well most of the time). And honestly, I'm not even complaining about it. I like being busy and finishing a day feeling accomplished. I just wish that on occasion, someone would say, "You rocked the sh*t out of that meal prep" rather than, "I don't understand how you exercise so much."

Because last time I checked, I was more than just an athlete ...

Three Things Thursday ...

Preview - Over the past week, I've had a lot of kid time. Between Dizzle having Strep, J traveling and school closings due to snow, I haven't had any kid free time since last Friday (when I abandoned Dizzle in the clinic for two hours because I didn't run with my phone). And as much as I love my children, it gave me a little dose of reality when it comes to Summer vacation and training for Rev3 Cedar Point, where I hope to cement my standing in the Rev3 Age Group Series.

It's going to be hard. Like epically hard.

When it comes down to it, I really strive to keep my family time and my training time separate. I will wake up early or stay up late. I will use every second of my kid-free time (school, play dates, etc) to train. I hate to make the girls or J feel like I am neglecting them because I have decided to take on a 140.6. This is my dream and while I need their love, support and help, I don't think they should have to suffer for it.

So, I do what I have to do. I train early. I train late. I train during school and play dates and practice. I try my best to keep everyone happy. Sometimes, it all goes perfectly. And sometimes, like this morning, it's a complete disaster.

Dizzle and Doodle had a two hour delay today (Dilly doesn't go to school on Thursdays). Knowing we had some flexibility, I fed the girls breakfast and had them ready to walk out the door before 8 a.m. Perfect. That gave me an hour and twenty minutes to run 45 minutes on the treadmill. I told the girls my plan and asked them to stay in the living room while I ran. They said OK, so I reminded them to behave, not fight and come get me if they needed anything.

The peace and quiet lasted for 11 minutes. At that point, Dilly had already come into the room I was in crying. I paused the treadmill and told them to come watch TV in the room with me so that I could watch them. All that did was move the fighting closer to me. Within minutes, Doodle was sent to her room. By the time I finished, there was complete chaos and I was left thinking, how the heck am I going to do this all Summer?

Snow Day - This morning's dramatic episode aside, our little snow vacation from school was pretty awesome. The girls and I had a blast hanging out with each other and after the three hours it took for us to put on all our winter gear, we spent our morning in the snow.

it was kind of bright out there ...

It's the moments like this that make me appreciate that I get to stay at home with these little buggers. Even if they drive me batty ...

my snow babies ...

Cutting the cord - J and I are seriously considering cutting our cable service. We pay a fortune, have a zillion channels we NEVER watch and we know there are better options out there. Currently, we have DirecTV and have for nearly a decade. Our current home does not have cable jacks, so if we go with a non-satellite option, we would have to have them installed (even if we went with FIOS, which we have for internet and phone). Oh, and we don't have a HD TV, meaning that Apple TV is not an option for us.

Anyway, I (since I am the one doing the research) am leaning towards a Roku box and getting Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime subscriptions. If I am calculating this correctly, aside from the purchase price of the boxes, it's going to cost us $271 a year for streaming video ($8/mo each for Netflix and Hulu Plus and $79/year for Amazon Prime) or $367 a year if we also decide to add the DVD rental option to Netflix. That's a $900-$1000 a year savings. Seems crazy to me to keep what we currently have.

So, I want to know, have you cut the cable cord? What do you miss? Do you have any recommendations on boxes or subscription services?

It's in the details ...

J and I are best friends. We are partners. We are teammates. We know exactly how the other is going to react to pretty much every situation. And in almost every situation, we are going to react in completely opposite ways. Honestly, as much as it can annoy me at times, I like this difference. We balance each other. We balance our family.

J is a big picture guy. He's quick to assume that things are either good or bad. Positive or negative. Amazing or catastrophic. I often think he can't see how an event, mishap or experience could be both.

I'm nothing like that. Yeah, I can see the big picture, but it always seems so far away to me. Instead, I focus (maybe obsess) on the details. I know that it's the details that are going to come together to build the big picture. Things aren't win or lose. They aren't black or white. And most of the time, I can see that everything that is thrown at us is a positive. Even if you really have to struggle to find the good.

This weekend was a bust. Dizzle was sent home from school on Friday (after sitting in the clinic for two hours because I don't run with my phone) with Strep. On Saturday, I got a call that Doodle had her fourth UTI in three months (don't get me started on how long it's taking to get in at the urologist). We were trapped in our house tending to whiny, stir-crazy kids.

Somewhere, in the middle of all that, the negative floated away.

• Doodle proved once again that she is my daughter. I found this little gem when I emptied her backpack after school.

• Dizzle and I spend hours snuggling. Something my "I'm too old for this" seven year old, often doesn't want any of.
• Dilly once again proved that she's got a unique style. I'll never quite know why she paired that sweatband with that outfit.

• Doodle read Are You My Mother? from cover to cover by herself. Pretty awesome to watch your five year old do that.
• We slept in (yes, 7:30 is sleeping in) and all crammed in our king sized bed for the morning.
• I still managed to train hard, proving yet again, that with my family's support, I will be ready for Rev3 Cedar Point.
• The kids made a mess and it almost didn't bother me. Their laughter and friendship seemed to make it all OK.
• We acted like goofballs.

• My little sister, G, found a house (or two) to put an offer on. I hate to see her go, but it's kind of awesome to know that I've been able to help her establish herself.
• J and I made a plan to get our home to where we want it to be. It will take time and a lot of work, but I'm excited about the potential.
• We talked to the girls about their hobbies and interests. It always amazes me to hear what they value and how that compares to what we are telling them they should value. 
• We spent hours doing nothing at all. And it was blissful.

During those 48 hours, there were so many amazing moments that the fact that our weekend was a bust became irrelevant. Instead, I was once again reminded that our life is in the details ...

Three Things Thursday ...

training hours - I am currently 11 days into my 30 week training plan for Cedar Point 140.6. Right now, my workouts are super short, like off season short (except for my long runs since I have a half marathon in April). However, on most days I double. I'm not sure if he's never noticed this before or if he's just hypersensitive to it right now, but everyday, J says, "You're {biking/running/swimming} again? You just did a workout."

Um, yes. That's what they call training.

It kind of makes me wonder what he's going to say when my training load is 20 hours a week rather than eight.

consistent - Speaking of training, I have finally returned to a normal pattern of swimming. No more taking off weeks at a time just because I felt it was too cold to get in the pool. And thanks to some awesome swim sets, I am loving ever stroke (cue my Rev3 teammates saying, "That's what she said.").

Anyway, in the past two weeks I have realized that despite all the things that I lack in the pool, I couldn't possibly be more consistent with my pacing. I've swam 2500 meters three times in the last 11 days and despite completely different workouts I finished in 48:54, 48:51 and 48:52.

Sure, I've never taken a lesson, I lack speed and decent kick and I'm confident that the teenagers on the pool deck are laughing at me, but at least you can set your watch by my swimming.

manners - Did you ever have a day where you swore you were doing a horrible job as parent? A day where you were convinced that your children had been possessed and there was nothing you could do about it? Yeah, well, I have those days all the time. But, I've officially found the best way to solidify your competence as a parent ...

Invite a completely spoiled and disrespectful child over to play with your children for an afternoon.

Don't believe me? Well, you should.  All it takes is a few hours of being called "Hey you!" instead of by your name for your child to be shining in comparison.

Wait, that's not enough? OK. How about you listen to that child complain that he or she doesn't like a single food you offer or activity you suggest? Or better yet, how about overhearing that kid try to jump on your bike and/or treadmill without asking?

Well, when your kids step in and say, "That's not a good idea. It's my mom's and we should really ask first," you'll suddenly realize that you've done a fabulous job of teaching your children manners and setting appropriate boundaries for them. Trust me, you'll feel like a freaking rock star.

Reverse Bucket List - Year 31 ...

Today is my 31st birthday.

For months, I have been thinking about what I would want to say to myself on this day. More so than January 1st, my birthday seems to mark a fresh start for me. It gives me a chance to look back at where I've been and to dream about where I am going.

At first, I thought I might write myself a letter much like I do for my daughters each year. But, then I thought about it and realized that all the things I say to them are the exact same things I would say to myself.

Be strong.
Fight for what you want.
Know you're worth it.
Show your love to those who love you back. And even to those who don't.
Be the best you EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

Then, I stumbled upon this post at Banana Buzzbomb - A reverse bucket list. Rather than obsess over the things you want, this list takes stock in what you already have. It's something that I think I forget about too often, as I continuously strive to be a better me (or at least not lose ground to my current self).

So, today on my 31st birthday (and hopefully a lot more often than that), I am celebrating how far I've come, instead of worrying about how far I have to go. Here's my reverse bucket list:

1. I always made academics important, even if I didn't think attending school was. I absorbed as much as I could and held myself to a high standard. Ultimately, it paid off. I went to an Ivy League university.

2. I graduated from that Ivy League university in three years. Just because I could.

3. I've always been athletic. I played travel soccer from the time I was 10. I made the varsity soccer, basketball and track teams as a freshman. In college, I was on a Division I Track and Field team.

4. I broke my pelvis and dislocated my hip when I was 12. The doctors told me that I probably wouldn't play sports again. I was back on the soccer field six months later.

5. I overcame my hate of running and have run six marathons. Two in the same week.

6. I (mostly) overcame my fear of my bike after crashing it and destroying my shoulder. Now I am going to race a 140.6.

7. I married my first serious boyfriend. I knew he was the one for me immediately and I would have married him just as quickly if I wasn't deathly afraid of what my mother would have done. We waited two years and have now been married for almost nine.

8. I gave birth to three beautiful daughter who are truly my everything.

9. I ran eight miles two days before my third daughter was born. Nothing else has ever made me feel so bada**.

10. I changed my life and lost 70 pounds. I've kept the vast majority (aside from pregnancies) off for nine years.

11. I'm still friends with my childhood best friend. We've known each other for 28 years.

12. I never left the country before I was 20. Since then, I have been to England, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and Bermuda.

13. I am a two-time NJ state champion in the shot put. I still have the discus records at both my middle school and my high school.

14. I used to take karate. I've broken a board with my hand, my foot and my head.

15. I have been featured in Runner's World (August 2011). I was mentioned as a Twitter account to follow in the December 2012 issue, as well.

16. I was personally asked by Ethan Zohn (of Survivor fame) to run for his NYC Marathon team.

17. I was selected by Nuun to represent them at the Hood to Coast Relay. Twice.

18. I shaved my head. Kind of a ballsy thing for a girl to do.

19. J and I have purchased three houses in our nine years of marriage. Our current one is finally starting to feel like home, but I'm not entirely convinced.

20. I have no credit card debt.

21. I've never put my Ivy League degree to good use and the older I get the more OK I am with it. Staying at home with my girls has been one of the best decisions I ever made. Maybe one day I'll have a job with an income that can support us, but this thankless, wage-less job of shaping these children is the best one I will ever have.

22. I've gotten three tattoos. And I don't regret any of them.

23. I have been honored with the opportunity to be a member of Team Rev3 Tri. And let me just add that sponsorship doesn't suck.

24. I survived the death of a parent.

25. I went from being unable to lift my arm (at all) to finishing my first 70.3 in exactly 11 months.

Goal: Refresh and Refocus ...

I am a firm believer that you can do anything you set your mind to.

But, and this is a big but, I think that in order to do anything you set your mind to WELL, you need to balance it with the other aspects of your life.

Sure, you could pound away, day after day and walk away a champion, but at what cost? Would you ostracize your family and friends? Would your body and mind suffer? Would you sacrifice all else in the quest for a single, solitary goal?

Maybe, you would, if the timing was right. But most of us can not focus solely on one all consuming goal. We have real lives, responsibilities and jobs to attend to. We have children and spouse and others in our lives who all have needs (and wants) that are of equal and sometimes greater importance. Sometimes, we have to be selfless and there is nothing wrong with that.

three people I'd sacrifice anything for ...

Ultimately, life is about balance. Balance in all aspects of your life and well-being. What good is it to reach your goals if you have no one to share them with? How would it feel to look back on how far you've come if you had to step on others to get there? How fulfilling would it be to reach a goal only to realize that you hated the process? If you can't find happiness in yourself and with those around you while you reach for your dreams, is that dream really worth having?

From the very first moment I decided I wanted to race a 140.6, I have been faced with the questions of how it would affect my family, of what I would be asking them to endure, of what I would be willing to sacrifice to get there. I know it's going to be hard on me, both mentally and physically. But, I know that I am not alone in this. And I know my husband and children are going to feel the effects too.

But, in the end, I know it will be worth it. I know that someday my children will have big dreams and they will remember how I balanced all the areas of my life while striving for something great. I know that I am leading them by example and eventually they will appreciate all these lessons I am imparting. And I know that I will do everything in my power to shield them all from the effects of my choices.

• I will train early, late and when they are at work and school.
• I will eat, sleep and hydrate well so that I am refreshed for them each day.
• I will ask for help when I need it, so that I never blame them for what I can't handle.
• I will spend the moments I have with them, fully with them. 
• I will remind them constantly of how much I appreciate their part in my quest to reach my goal.
• I will expect that there will be days that they resent me or my training. And I won't begrudge them that.

A week from today, I will start my 30 week training plan for Rev3 Cedar Point. For the next week, I am going to focus on them. I am going to map out how we are going to tackle the next 30 weeks as a team. I am going to take a week to refresh and refocus my body and mind. No workouts. No obsessing. No asking anyone to sacrifice because of me. It's the least I can do, for everything they do for me.

Team Rev3 Tri ...

So, I've been keeping a secret.

From pretty much everyone.

Back in October, I applied to be a member of Team Rev3 Tri.

I was so positively convinced that there was no way that I would get selected that I didn't tell a single soul. Well, except for one person - the person who recommended that I apply. I didn't even mention it to J until I got made it to the phone interview. (Yeah, I know, real mature of me, right?)

Then, just before Christmas, I got the best email EVER, letting me know that I had been selected to represent Rev3 Triathlon for 2013. It was epic and I was over-the-moon excited. And I wasn't allowed to tell the world.

Do you know how hard it is to not share your big news when you spend all day every day talking about yourself? Yeah, it was torturous. I'm not good with secrets. I'm more of an open book kind of person.

Anyway, so I made the team, *insert screaming here*, which meant that I got to travel to Denver/Boulder for the team summit this past weekend.

View ...

After view ...

After view ...

Holy freaking cannoli! Talk about amazing. The location. The people. The sponsors. Everything.

The faces we show to the public ...

What we are really like ...

It was all top notch and I feel beyond blessed to be a part of the Rev3 family and to represent them (and all of our sponsors) this year, and hopefully for all of eternity, if they'll have me.