Room for Improvement

Remember, that this is supposed to be a triathlon blog??

And I actually have a tri scheduled in two weeks. Yikes!

Even though I mostly talked about cycling in the last couple of months, I actually got two swims and two runs in most weeks since January.... But I really didn't pay much attention to swimming and running lately. While that's not a big deal in the pool, since I am comfortable and confident in my swimming abilities, it's a completely different ball game when it comes to running. I had a string of mediocre runs lately... And my attitude towards running certainly doesn't help things right now.

Nevertheless, I got out for a run last night and it wasn't pretty - again.

Over the weekend, it all of sudden was summer in SC and that played a role in this too, but in general, I haven't been running much lately and it shows.

I was supposed to run 4x 2 songs at tempo after a warm-up. That was a nice change in routine. So I plugged the headphones in and got on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. I don't feel comfortable running with music while on regular roads. During the 3rd tempo section, I already didn't feel all that great and in didn't helpt, that I picked the two longest (well the shuffle picked it) songs for this. Funny enough, it was my fasted interval and yes, please don't laugh... 9:23 pace is actually my tempo pace... I know, I have a lot of room for improvement here!

The last interval was cut short by some rumblings in my tummy, so I slowed down and felt alright to do my cooldown... No emergencies! PHEW! Honestly, I am not surprised by that rumbling, looking at the kind of crap I treated myself to over the last week of indulgence recovery.

Once back home, I made myself a recovery smoothie and called it a day.

In the smoothie went a scoop of recovery powder, a banana, a can of coconut water and the last crumbles of frozen blueberries.

That hit the spot! :-)

In order to get my nutrition back on track, I pre cooked a couple of meals yesterday. This way, I just take my lunch from home instead of eating out all week.

Currently, my favorite go-to easy and healthy meal is this quinoa salad. The first time I made the salad, I basically followed the recipe to the T. In the meantime, I just throw in there, whatever I have in my fridge and in the pantry. So this week's creation includes (besides the quinoa): cucumbers, cherry tomatos, feta, olives, avocado, spinach, spring onion and bell pepper... Good stuff... Terry normally doesn't eat feta cheese, but he doesn't mind it in this salad at all. Winning!

Recovery & Other Things

Four days after Mitchell (seriously, it's already four days ago?) and the recovery is going well. I have been to the pool the day after the ride, which at first sounded ridiculous, but after sitting in an office chair all day, swimming was the right thing to do. I was supposed to swim again yesterday, but my neck was in all kinds of pain, so I did a walk and some light stretching of the neck and shoulder area. I have no clue, if the neck is some delayed soreness from the ride or if I just messed it up sleeping... Who know. It feels much better today and I also had a chiro appointment this afternoon... That should help.

Tomorrow, I have my first bike ride on tap... Just an easy spin in the small chain ring and I guess my first "serious" workout back will be a run on Sunday. My body is feeling better every day and the easy workouts, the sleeping in and the eating whatever I want this week certainly helps.

Starting next week, things are going to get a little more normal and with races lines up over the next three weekends (11K Trail Run, MTY Sprint Tri and a 3K Open Water Swim - seriously, what was I thinking!), I will also once again get more serious about my nutrition.

But before I move on, I just wanted to mention a couple more things, that didn't quite fit into the ride report or that I just completely forgot to mention:

• I can't wait to get back on the bike... No, I am not kidding!
• Somebody mentioned, that AOMM is in the top ten of the hardest rides in the US and I caught myself googling last night, to find the other 9 rides (no success yet) that I want to do now... Or is there something like 50 states epic bike rides??? ;-) Oh boy, I am in trouble.
• They were right when they said, that you get addicted to Mitchell... I am not quite yet saying that I will do it all over again next year, but I am not saying that I am done with the mountain either! ;-)
• The outpour of support from family, friends, team mates and co-workers during this whole process was insane and I am so very thankful for it.
• Having a GPS tracker (review and details to follow) with me on the ride was making me feel like people were "watching" me, so I made sure, I didn't slack! ;-) And they were watching!! I had tons of e-mails and facebook messages. Also, I walked into work the next day and people stopped to tell me that they followed me along! That was awesome!
• Our riding time was 8 hours and 20 minutes... So we spent 1 hour and 10 minutes in the rest stops... It makes me wonder what is possible next year... Not saying, that I am going to do it again! ;-)
• Yesterday, I got an e-mail saying in the first line "calling all climbing junkies and their families"... Now, I am really in trouble! ;-)
• In the process of preparing for Mitchell, there were a lot of question marks... Due to having a great coach, I never questioned my training though! Thanks, Katie!!!

Mark Your Calendars! 5-19-2011

5/19

Free Nutrition & Hydration Clinic
hosted by GHS EveryWoman Cycling Team and Carolina Triathlon
6.30-8pm @ Carolina Triathlon, 922 N. Main Street, Greenville

5/20
Pedal with your Politician in Spartanburg SC

Meet at 8:00 AM, Ride at 8:20 AM

Starting Location: Converse College  (Twichell Auditorium lot off of Fairview Drive) 

Ending Location: Morgan Square

5/21
Ride On - Shop Ride
8AM from Woodruff Road Store - different distances and paces available

5/21
Cal U Hilton Head Triathlon
Race Format: 500m Ocean Swim / 20k  Bike / 5k Run

Start Time: 7am 

Race Location: Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island

5/21
Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride
in Charlotte NC @ 9am
15, 25 and 50 mile routes available
Click here to register.

5/21
Krazy Cow 5K & Kowabunga Fun Run
Hertiage Park, Simpsonville SC
For more information and registration click here.
Enter promo code RETURNING_RUNNER when registering for $5 off.

 5/21
Soldier Ride Charlotte NC
Soldier Ride is a WWP initiative that provides rehabilitative cycling opportunities across the country to help wounded warriors restore their physical and emotional well-­being. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for the public to participate in a cycling event that honors the men and women of our military who sacrificed so much. Soldier Ride offers the public a chance to ride alongside as our warriors promote their positive message of recovery. The event raises funds for WWP programs and initiatives that ensure this generation of wounded warriors is the most successful, well-­adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nation’s history.

5/21
Upstate Bocce Bash
Location: Legacy Park – across Verdae from Embassy Suites
Teams of four compete on 16 grass courts during the tournament.  The morning competition is round robin play with the highest scoring teams returning after lunch for single elimination play.  Every team is guaranteed at least three games!

5/22
May Bakery Ride
Start: 9am @ Tigerville Elementary School
A very scenic ride with relaxed pace with a stop at the Wildflour Bakery in Saluda for 20 to 30 minutes. Slow pace & no one left behind. For everyone with enough fitness to handle 35 very hilly miles (2,500 feet of climbing). Helmets required for all riders. Ride is free, but bring a little money for a snack in Saluda.

 5/28
Wheel Ride For Food
All rides start (8:30am) and finish at Carrier Park in Asheville NC during the Mountain Sports Festival.
Metric Century/ Metric Half-Century and Full Century Road Ride to benefit Meals on Wheels of Asheville-Buncombe County.

5/28
Lowcountry Splash Open Water Swim
Start Location: Hobcaw Yacht Club, Charleston SC
Distance: 2.4 miles

5/28
Freedom Weekend Aloft
5K Run/Walk @8AM

5/28 and 5/30
USA Cycling National Championships, Professional Road and TT
All events are free to the public.
5/28 Individual Time Trial Championships CU-ICAR, 11:30am
5/30 Road Race Championships Downtown Greenville, 11:00am

5/29
Stars and Stripes Challenge
Gateway Park, Travelers Rest SC, Mass Start 7:30am
Fully supported ride options: 10, 30, 62 and 100 miles

6/4
Safe Harbor Cycle Tour, 8.30am in Iva SC
25 and 65 mile ride options. $40 if registered by May 15.

 6/5
Fletcher Flyer
Venue: Fletcher Community Park near Asheville NC
Routes: 100, 62, 50 and 30 miles

6/11 
17th Annual Death Valley Open Water Swim Meet
East Beach on Hartwell Lake, Clemson University, Clemson SC
Distances: 5K, 3K, 2K, 1K, ½K


6/26 
The Ridges Resort Invitational 5k Open Water Swim
Location: Hiawassee, GA

7/9 and 8/6
Hilton Head Island Beach Bum Triathlon
Start Time: 8am

Race Location: Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island.

Race Format: 500m Ocean Swim / 6mi Beach Bike / 3mi Beach Run.

7/15-7/17
A Ride to Remember

8/27
Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad VII (1-mile, 2-mile)
Location: Lake Lure, NC

9/10
Setting the Pace at Whitten Center 10K and 5K Run/Walk at 8:30 a.m.
Clinton, SC
Entry $25 before August 26th. Late entry is $30.

9/17

Kings Mountain/Moss Lake Open Water Swim

Distances: 5K, 3K, 2k, 1k, and 500m

Website, once it's availble

10/8
iRecycle Run Half Marathon and 5K
in Spartanburg
click here for registration

10/15
Bluffton SC Half Marathon and 5K

********************

Greenville Track Club Paris Mountain Trail Run Series

5/28 - 11K
8/13 - 7K
11/5 - 15K


The Y Tri Series:

06/18 – Ft Mill, SC
07/16 – Columbia, SC
07/31 –Blacksburg, SC
08/27 – Toccoa, GA
09/10 – Surf City Beach, NC
09/17 – Hartsville, SC
For more information (pricing, distances, if duathlon event is available etc) check the website.

Other YMCA Tri/Du Events:

6/4 Middle Tyger YMCA
8/ 6 Union County YMCA
8/ 13 Laurens Family YMCA
9/ 24 Tri the Ridge Pickens County YMCA


2011 XTERRA South Carolina Trail Run Series

7/10 Harbison Half Marathon (Columbia)
8/? Table Rock 15K

********************

GROUP RUNS organized by the Greenville Track Club

* Tempo Runs at Mauldin Middle School every Monday night at 6:30pm
* Track Workouts at Greenville High Track every Wednesday night at 6:00pm

ON THURSDAYS

"Girl's Morning Out" at Carolina Triathlon in downtown Greenville. Gather at 8:45am to pedal promptly at 9am. This is a 30-mile "C" ride hosted every Thursday by GHS EveryWoman Cycling Team and Carolina Triathlon. Road bikes and helmets are required. Everyone is welcome and nobody is left behind.

Normally gets canceled, if rain is in the forecast.

Ride Report: 2011 Assault On Mount Mitchell

Pre-Ride

The ride started at 6.30am in Spartanburg. That meant a 3.45am wake-up call for us. I packed all my stuff the night before, so all I had to do was getting dressed and get some breakfast in me. I was expecting to be more nervous, but I was oddly calm. Terry put the bike on the bike rack and we left the house at 4.30am to meet Stacy at her house at 5.00am. From there, we did a little bike switcheroo and her husband took us to the start line. In the parking lot of the auditorium, we got our remaining gear and nutrition on our bikes and stuffed in our pockets and then made our way to our meeting point with the 3rd member of the dynamic trio. Suzanne was signed up for the Marion ride and graciously offered to pull us along for the first 2/3 of the ride. Yay!! When I walked by a girl pumping her tires, I realized that I completely forgot to do that.. Fortunately, she let me borrow her pump. That would have been a classic rookie mistake: Showing up at a century ride and have the tires at 80 psi… ;-)

Mile 0 - 22
The screen at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium counted us down and off we were. We were lined up in the last third of the field and just went with the flow for the first couple of miles. Then Suzanne started pulling us and once the field stretched out a little, we were a nice little pace line of three, that hopped from one group to the next and sometimes stayed a little longer in a group, when the pace seemed to fit for us. On this stretch, we also found one of our training partners Roxanne that we rode two AOMM training rides with and she jumped on the pace train for a while. We originally planned on skipping the first rest stop, but my left hip flexor was tight right from the beginning of the ride and it started to really bother me. After a brief discussion, we decided to pull over at the stop, so I was able to stretch the hip out. This was probably our longest stop out of all of the rest stops between me stretching and the porta potty lines.

Looking back, this was the only time during the complete ride that I questioned, if I am going to finish, because of the hip pain. Fortunately, the pain was gone completely when I got back on the bike.

Mile 23 - 65
We stayed in the pace line most of the next 42 miles and also didn't stop much anymore. We spend a couple of minutes at the rest stop at mile 43 and then rolled through the rest stop on top of Bill's hill (mile 48?). The stretch was pretty uneventful. We made good time. It seemed like my climbing legs decided to show up, but my "hammer-it-on-the flats" legs were not quite as responsive as I would have liked them to be. While a lot of people talk about Bill's hill, I don't think it's all too bad… It's the constant up and down that starts around mile 45 that is eventually going to fry your legs. We stopped at rest stop #4 at mile 65 and Suzanne took off to complete her ride, so she could make it up to the top of Mitchell on the bus to cheer her husband over the finish. Stacy and I took a little longer pit stop to eat something. I was hoping for something salty, because my stomach was a little funny, but no such luck. Instead, I gobbled down another peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. I was not going to bonk on this one.

Mile 66 - 73
At this point, it was just Stacy and me. I don't have much recollection of this portion of the ride, but I believe that my legs recovered a little and that we were able to draft on and off on that stretch. The Marion finish was at mile 73 along with rest stop #5. They had coke and pretzels…. That was exactly what I was craving for the last 40 miles. We got to Marion in around 5h30m and I was pleased with that. Roxanne rolled into the stop shortly after we did, so we started out the last 30 miles of the ride together.

Mile 74 - 86
This is were the real fun starts. At this point you have 70% of the distance covered, but that probably just reflects 50% of the effort. As mentioned earlier, my climbing legs showed up for the party and that combined with the tunes in my ears, I found my climbing groove quickly. I didn't stop for rest stop #6 and just kept on going to conquer the three hardest miles for the whole ride (personal opinion here!). On this stretch, I saw a couple of people catching their breath on the side of the road and we were chicking dudes left and right… I might not be a fast rider in general, but give me a couple of miles of hills and I channel my inner mountain goat. We were on the turn to the parkway at around 1:20pm. Didn't stay long, I just wanted to have some coke, but they were out. My feet started hurting a little bit on this portion of the ride, but being off the bike was actually worse than being on the bike, so we were back in the saddle in no time.

Mile 87 - 92
Back to the grind. But we also knew, that there would be a rest stop in a couple of miles, which made the whole thing more manageable. Once again, I was rocking away to my tunes and picked targets to pass. Every now and then, I had a brief chat with my fellow riders and then kept on climbing. On this stretch of the course, we saw many people walking on the side of the road. The mountain was taking it's toll on everybody. I was fine, feeling fine, just plucking along... And then, we reached the next rest stop. It's the Mitchell Outlook parking lot and I was honestly glad, that Mitchell was covered in a fluffy cloud, this way I didn't have to see, where we have to go.

One word about the volunteers: While all of the volunteers on the course and behind the scenes deserve a big old hug, there was one volunteer on the mile 92 rest stop that was just cracking me up. He was yelling at people to get on their bikes... I quote here: "There are no butts on the bikes, get your butts on the bikes!", "We are doing pushups in five minutes, if you are still here in five minutes, you have to do pushups!" From what the other volunteers said, he was keeping this up since 10:30am and it was 2:30pm at this point.

Mile 93 - 100
Right after this rest stop you start a glorious two mile downhill that will chill you to the bone when it's getting a little colder. I don't wanna say that I was glad to be climbing again, but it sure felt better temperature wise. When we reached the last rest stop on the parkway (around mile 97/98) we just kept on going and rode directly into that big fluffy cloud that we saw earlier.... and then it started to rain on us twice for about five minutes. I don't want to complain, the weather was almost perfect for this ride, but it did get quite chilly on the last couple of miles. The first two miles on Mitchell are supposed to be the hardest of the whole ride. While I do remember that it was quite a climb, I think at this point, I was just so hyped up to finish this thing, that I didn't care anymore.

I pulled into the last rest stop at mile 100 to regroup once more... Stacy and I started this whole process together and we would be finishing it together.

Mile 101 - 102
The last two miles were just the icing on the cake. We were chatting a little for some of the way and were silent for some of it... And we saw first hand, while you should never buy/wear white cycling shorts.... I won't forget that picture for a while! ;-)

After one last turn, we got on the parking lot and after 9 hours and 33 minutes, we crossed the finish line of our first Assault on Mount Mitchell and what a ride it was.

 When Stacy and I talked about this ride previously, we said to stick together until Marion and then each of us just stick to her climbing pace. Turns out that on Monday, our climbing pace was pretty much the same. We regrouped at the stops, but were never far apart. Seriously, I can't say enough, how valuable it was to have my friend on my side for this crazy trip to check in on each other and encourage each other... "Turn the frown upside down!"

Post-Race
As soon as I stopped, I got cold, but I got a space blanket handed right away and that helped. I also received my finishers patch (of honor! ;-), got rid of our bikes, got our clothes and got changed. We were hungry, but there was not much time to get a lot food into us, because we boarded the bus asap. Once back in Marion, we met up with Terry who picked us up to take us home. I walked into the house around 10pm that night... That was a long day... But it was all sooooo worth it.

Greetings from the Top of the World!

Today, I assaulted Mount Mitchell. We were on the road for 9:30ish hours.

I am tired, but I am a very happy camper.

More details to follow!

Full Circle... Kind of.

Sometime last year in November, I was on a 30-mile ride with one of my dearest training friends. She just did her first half ironman a couple of weeks earlier and we took the ride easy (translation: chit chatted a lot). While pedaling along on the short Tour de Red Cell course, we talked about the option of doing Mitchell together this year. We both had our reservations of doing the training alone, especially the long miles in the mountains. We decided, that if both of our schedules worked out, we would do it. Well, the schedules worked out and now we are both just two days away from doing our first Assault.

I won't repeat my training of the last several month now. You all suffered through reading about it enough! ;-)

Sooooo.... Today, the two of us did the same route. It was much warmer today then it was back in November, so that was nice. We took it easy again (yes... more chit chat) and just took the legs out for a little spin. The hay is in the barn and you can't cram for an endurance event, like you can cram for an exam... So here we go!

We can do this! ;-)

DIY: Peach Tea Latte

I don't drink coffee, at least I don't usually drink coffee. It's the taste and the smell and everything that goes along with it. Now, if you serve me a coffee, that is diluted with milk, syrup and sugar... That's a whole different story.

Since I am trying to get my Coke Zero addiction under control, but unfortunately don't get enough beauty sleep most of the time, I try to get my caffeine fix in form of black tea.

According to the caffeine meter, this tea ranks below cola, but I swear, two tea bags of "Morning Thunder" (am I the only one that has to giggle at the name??) and I feel like bouncing off the walls.

In order not to be the "crazy" person in the office, I did a little experiment  with one bag of "Morning Thunder", one bag of peach tea and the standard office issue of the non-diary creamer and here we go:

 +

 =

Heaven. And it didn't even need sugar.

Because it was so yummy, I made another one of those and as mentioned above, two bags of the black tea and I am a jittery, over-caffeinated mess.

Hah.... I don't need you Starbucks! ;-)

On a completely unrelated note:
What the heck "Words For Friends"??? How am I supposed to do anything with THIS????

 Have a good weekend!!!