I went in to 3M knowing it would be a different kind of race for me this year. Early in January I got a sharp pain in my lower back, Dr. Olson at Performance wellness said, probably caused by too much sitting at a desk (along with some muscular imbalances), seriously? I spent all summer and fall Ironman training and never had more than a couple very minor aches & pains; then I spent December being LAZY and I got injured! Sheesh! Dr. Olson said I could run 3M, but I had to "be smart about it". Ok, I can do that- it's not like I'm Red or something ;)
So 3M goals:
1. be careful and make sure to not aggravate my injury
2. Have Fun!
Kendra picked me up and we got to the start early, which gave me a chance to use the restroom before anyone else and even before a line started (later the lines were insanely long and some people missed the start because they were in line)! Getting there early also gave me a chance to socialize with all my Tri Zones buddies, which was awesome! I've been having withdrawl because I'm not in the training group this winter so I'm not seeing everyone 2 or 3 times a week (I'm telling you, being lazy really isn't that great).
A few minutes before 6:45 we all headed over to the start, Kendra and I lost everyone else and then found Tom. The gun went off at exactly 6:45 this year (no crazy delays like last year!) and we crossed the start just 3 minutes later. Becky found us almost immediately, and Coach Tracy cheered for us just a few feet after the start. It wasn't really cold, but it was drizzly and the roads were wet, I was glad I had decided to wear arm warmers.
The first 6 miles flew by. Becky, Kendra and I stayed mostly together. We saw lots of Tri Zoners spectating along the course. I was taking my planned walking breaks but I kept catching up to Kendra and Becky, sometimes without realizing it until one of them said something. I was feeling great and really happy I had decided to run! Somehow I missed Coach Tracy spectating on Mesa even though she yelled my name "FOUR TIMES" as she told me after the race! Oops! It's really rare that I miss people on the course spectating for me.
Let's see if I can remember everyone I saw out there spectating (sorry if I miss anyone!), there was Coach Tracy, Carolyn, Adrian & Kenneth, Laura, Sarah R., Matt, Drew, Annette, Tom, E-beth & Beth, Leah, Colleen, Jody, and some guy I don't know on a bike who was super excited to cheer on all of us Tri Zoners, at one point he said to me "by now you've already swam, biked and transitioned twice!" Thanks to everyone who came out to spectate- you all make it so much more fun!
Somewhere around mile 6 I felt like maybe my back was getting a little tight, definitely not hurting just maybe a little tight. At that point I wasn't even sure it was real, maybe just a mental thing since I hadn't run more than 6 miles in 3 weeks. Kendra and I got to the relay exchange point at 1:12, I knew if I kept that pace, I could come really close to a PR, but I also knew that would probably be a pretty stupid thing to attempt, being undertrained and slightly injured. By mile 7 my back was definitely feeling a little tight so I slowed down quite a bit. It didn't hurt, so I was still having fun and seeing lots of Tri Zoners out spectating! Linda caught me on Burnet and we ran together for awhile.
I turned onto North Loop and slowed down for the uphill section planning to run the long down hill faster, but when I got to the downhill, running faster didn't feel so good, so instead I took it slower and took the next uphill even slower, yeah that pretty much means walking. I love running down Duval but obviously this year I had to take it slower than I wanted. No big deal. I got to high five more spectators and talk to Jody for a second when I saw her.
A little before mile 12, I was ready to be done. My back wasn't feeling so great and I was starting to worry I was making it worse. Good thing I only had a mile or so to go. Of course, when I got near the finish line I forgot about all that and just had fun! I finished in 2:37:18, definitely not my fastest half, but that wasn't really the goal this time.
I got to congratulate lots of Tri Zoners on their first half marathons and on PRs. Michael from Performance Wellness did a little massage work on my back and made it feel much better, so I wasn't worried about the race making it worse anymore. When I went to Performance Wellness on Monday, Dr. Olson said the muscles felt a lot better. I guess that means I should run a half marathon every weekend!
Pictures coming soon, as soon as Coach Tracy puts them up on the site ;)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Connor turns 11
Hard to believe this little baby puppy turned 11 today!
Connor with his first frisbee
and with his favorite bunny toy
the bowl was bigger than him!
and this Christmas at almost 11 years oldWhat an awesome dog! I can't really imagine what the last 11 years would have been like without him. Happy Birthday Connor!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year
We started off New Year's Eve with a swim at Barton Springs BRRRR!
Lots of Tri Zoners showed up so it was fun even though it was cold.Then lots of shopping and prepping outfits for the 1.1 Underwear Run on New Year's Day. Including making Ingrid's "I see London, I see France" underpants!
We had a really fun dinner at Suzi's with Ron & Roger and a couple of their friends. And they pretty much convinced all of us that we need to do the Hill Country Ride for AIDS this year. Then it was time for the Wii tournament, ok not really a tournament but Del and Shayla went all out boxing!
New Year's morning Jon and I did our long runs while Ingrid and Del rode. We all met back at Jack & Adam's for the 1.1 Underwear Run. Del's Hello Kitty underwear was a big hit!
Del and Java the great daneThe route was from Jack & Adam's to the Capital and back.
Yes, people stared (mostly at Del, I think), people stopped their cars in the middle of the street, rolled down their windows, took pictures and laughed, pointed and yelled at us. And I laughed more than I have laughed in a long time! I think we all had way more fun than we expected!
Colleen and Batman
Superman and Batman announcing winners, and Del won!
We went to Cherrywood Coffeehouse for brunch to celebrate Del's big win. Yes, Del and Ingrid are still wearing their underwear at Cherrywood!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Ironman Thank Yous
I've been slow on this one, but I definitely wanted to thank a few important people for helping to make my Ironman experience such a great one.
First, I need to thank Ingrid, she sent me this email on Dec. 1, 2009:
"OK, I know...you were thinking, maybe Ironman in 2011, maybe... But just in case you could be persuaded to think otherwise, consider IRONMAN COZUMEL 2010!!!! Kim and I are signed up. Turkey Tacos!!! Come on, you know you want to!!! And you and Jeff could dive while we're there...it's going to be awesome..."
At first I said no way! But after that email, it was all I could think about! So thank you Ingrid for putting the idea in my head and giving me a gentle push toward Ironman. I don't think there's any way you could have known then just how awesome it would be.
When I got back from Cozumel everyone asked "how were you able to have such a great first Ironman experience" and I answered "Coach Jen!" I definitely couldn't have done it without her coaching. Thank you Coach Jen for your coaching and encouragement through my entire Ironman year.
Obviously I couldn't have trained for or done an Ironman without Jeff's support. But he was an extra super supportive Iron husband! He biked with me on a few tough runs and even SAGed me through the last half of a tough ride in Corpus Christi. I don't think he ever complained about Ironman training, which included me hardly ever being home in the evening, a lot of extra laundry, me not always doing my share of household chores, and water bottles all over the kitchen all the time. With a hint of pride in his voice, he told some friends "this is what the house of an Ironman in training looks like" when they stopped by unexpectedly and the house was extra messy. Thanks for everything Jeff!
Sandra and I trained for and ran our first marathon together in Feb. 2010 and shortly after that she told me "I'm going to train with you as if I'm going to do Ironman Cozumel, and maybe if things go well, I'll sign up and actually do the race" I jumped up and down with joy when she told me that! Thank you for training with me through the ups and downs of Ironman training, and congratulations on an awesome Ironman Cozumel Sandra!
Coach Tracy often talks about the support of "our Tri Zones family" and I have never felt that support more than I did during Ironman training. There are way too many examples of this support to list, but I think my favorite was our 4 lap Pflugerville Century Ride. Even though it was a really cold morning, Tri Zoners came out in big numbers to ride with Sandra and I, we had different people to ride with each lap and it made what might have been boring, a really fun ride with friends. Thank you to all of my Tri Zones family!
My parents decided kind of last minute to come spectate at Ironman Cozumel. They had never been to a triathlon of any kind before, but they did a great job spectating and ecouraging me throughout the race. They must have told me a hundred times during and after the race that they were proud of me. Thanks for being there for my first Ironman Mom & Dad!
When I signed up for Ironman Cozumel, I knew I wouldn't have my "Tri Zones More Cowbell Corps" for support in Cozumel. But I knew with Ingrid, Del and Kim also racing it would be fine, I don't know why, but having friends racing with me makes me feel better. In the end there was a pretty big group of "Houston Friends" racing or spectating, some of whom I met for the first time in Cozumel, others I knew but hadn't seen much or at all since I moved to Austin, and of course- Ingrid, Del, and Kim. Thanks to all my Houston friends (and my new Croatian friends) for being there and making the race and the trip so much fun.
I also had some great support from "virtual friends" through online forums, email, and facebook. I may not have met most of you in real life but I really appreciate your support.
Looking forward to Ironman number 2 in 2011! Who's with me?
First, I need to thank Ingrid, she sent me this email on Dec. 1, 2009:
"OK, I know...you were thinking, maybe Ironman in 2011, maybe... But just in case you could be persuaded to think otherwise, consider IRONMAN COZUMEL 2010!!!! Kim and I are signed up. Turkey Tacos!!! Come on, you know you want to!!! And you and Jeff could dive while we're there...it's going to be awesome..."
At first I said no way! But after that email, it was all I could think about! So thank you Ingrid for putting the idea in my head and giving me a gentle push toward Ironman. I don't think there's any way you could have known then just how awesome it would be.
When I got back from Cozumel everyone asked "how were you able to have such a great first Ironman experience" and I answered "Coach Jen!" I definitely couldn't have done it without her coaching. Thank you Coach Jen for your coaching and encouragement through my entire Ironman year.
Obviously I couldn't have trained for or done an Ironman without Jeff's support. But he was an extra super supportive Iron husband! He biked with me on a few tough runs and even SAGed me through the last half of a tough ride in Corpus Christi. I don't think he ever complained about Ironman training, which included me hardly ever being home in the evening, a lot of extra laundry, me not always doing my share of household chores, and water bottles all over the kitchen all the time. With a hint of pride in his voice, he told some friends "this is what the house of an Ironman in training looks like" when they stopped by unexpectedly and the house was extra messy. Thanks for everything Jeff!
Sandra and I trained for and ran our first marathon together in Feb. 2010 and shortly after that she told me "I'm going to train with you as if I'm going to do Ironman Cozumel, and maybe if things go well, I'll sign up and actually do the race" I jumped up and down with joy when she told me that! Thank you for training with me through the ups and downs of Ironman training, and congratulations on an awesome Ironman Cozumel Sandra!
Coach Tracy often talks about the support of "our Tri Zones family" and I have never felt that support more than I did during Ironman training. There are way too many examples of this support to list, but I think my favorite was our 4 lap Pflugerville Century Ride. Even though it was a really cold morning, Tri Zoners came out in big numbers to ride with Sandra and I, we had different people to ride with each lap and it made what might have been boring, a really fun ride with friends. Thank you to all of my Tri Zones family!
My parents decided kind of last minute to come spectate at Ironman Cozumel. They had never been to a triathlon of any kind before, but they did a great job spectating and ecouraging me throughout the race. They must have told me a hundred times during and after the race that they were proud of me. Thanks for being there for my first Ironman Mom & Dad!
When I signed up for Ironman Cozumel, I knew I wouldn't have my "Tri Zones More Cowbell Corps" for support in Cozumel. But I knew with Ingrid, Del and Kim also racing it would be fine, I don't know why, but having friends racing with me makes me feel better. In the end there was a pretty big group of "Houston Friends" racing or spectating, some of whom I met for the first time in Cozumel, others I knew but hadn't seen much or at all since I moved to Austin, and of course- Ingrid, Del, and Kim. Thanks to all my Houston friends (and my new Croatian friends) for being there and making the race and the trip so much fun.
I also had some great support from "virtual friends" through online forums, email, and facebook. I may not have met most of you in real life but I really appreciate your support.
Looking forward to Ironman number 2 in 2011! Who's with me?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Post race Ironman Cozumel
I felt better than I thought I would after the race. I wasn't tired at all, I stayed up until 4:30am and then finally slept a little until 6 am. I was pretty sore on Monday, mostly just my legs, and my feet were definitely still hurting. I got a massage on Monday and that felt really good and took away a little soreness.
Monday night we all went out to dinner at Guido's a nice Italian place, they actually have a few good Italian places on Cozumel.
and by about 8pm I was TIRED!
I didn't go to the post race party at Senor Frog's, I was just too tired. In the middle of the night Monday I woke up with a fever and felt awful. Looking back I'm 99% sure this wasn't race or Mexico related. Wilmer got sick before the race (and heard that a lot of people at his family Thanksgiving got sick too), then Kim got sick, then me, and later Del. I think it was some kind of 24 hour bug or something.
I didn't feel great when I woke up Tuesday morning, but I didn't feel terrible either, so I stuck with the original plan of morning diving. I was still fairly sore and Jeff carried my dive gear out to the boat for me.
We saw a lot of cool stuff and really enjoyed the dives!
Diving actually felt really good. I had worried that it might not be the best thing after the race, but if anything I think it may have helped my recovery. My soreness was almost completely gone after the dives on Tuesday! Sandra mentioned that maybe the extra compression of the water was a good thing, maybe she's onto something.
We had dinner at Sorrisi with Kim, Del and the Croatians- Goran and Lovro
Wednesday morning we woke up to the windiest conditions I've ever seen on Cozumel! They canceled diving for the day because the harbor master had closed the harbor!
We hung out on our balcony and enjoyed our coffee while we watched the wind and waves. This seagull landed on the pelican's head 3 or 4 times while we watched! The next day I saw the same thing happen again.
Since we couldn't dive we went out to Mr. Sancho's Beach Club with Del and Kim.
Del and Kim, notice the ominous looking clouds
Jeff and I hung out and played in the water for awhile
while Del did some yoga on the beach
but the clouds started looking pretty bad, so we grabbed a table under the big hut just before the heavy rain started. We had a snack and waited for the pouring rain to let up!
We went back to town when the rain let up. We had dessert at El Coffee, I hadn't really had a big dessert to celebrate yet and I was ready for it!
4 layers of fudgy chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and strawberries between each layer and on top- YUM!! and they were generous with the portions too.
Kim couldn't finish hers, but I enjoyed every bite of mine!
For dinner my parents joined us at Del Sur Argentina Empanadas and my dad ordered the mixed grill, which was a personal grill filled with different meats, so much even my dad couldn't come close to finishing it!
We hung out a long time, but didn't get free dessert like we did before the race.
Thursday morning we woke up to wind and clouds again. So Jeff and I rented a jeep and drove to the other side of the island where it was still windy, but sunny.
We would drive a little way, then stop and walk along the beach for awhile
Some areas were really rocky and the waves were crashing in!
At one point we got out and were swimming at a more sandy beach. We saw some people down the beach and Jeff wondered if they were looking at a sea turtle nest. So we walked down the beach and a guy who appeared to be a volunteer with the sea turtle program uncovered the sand from a nest so we could see the baby turtles! Then he pulled one out and let me hold it!
He didn't speak much English, so I didn't get a lot of information about the program, just that they were going to release them.
We really enjoyed the other side of the island. We hadn't been over there in our last few trips to Cozumel and even when we went years ago, we didn't take time to really enjoy it like we did this time.
We went over to Scuba Club and did a night dive with my parents that night and had dinner with them. Great diving and a good dinner too.
Parrotfish blow mucus bubbles around themselves when they sleep, tough to see the mucus bubble in my picture.
We saw 2 seahorses and my dad got some great pictures of both of them
and one of this stingray. There were a lot of stingrays in the area on this night dive and their eyes glowed when we shined our lights toward them.
Friday morning we got to go boat diving, even though it was still colder and windier than normal
long sleeves and jackets in Cozumel?!?!
sting ray swimming away
gray angelfish
splendid toadfish are endemic to Cozumel and really cool looking!
this turtle let us get really close
so close I even got to touch it!
scrawled cowfish look pretty cool too
nurse shark
intermediate (like a teenage) queen angelfish. I love these and was mad that my picture was blurry.
Sadly, on Saturday we had to say goodbye to Cozumel. If things work out, we're hoping to be able to come back for Ironman Cozumel 2011!
Monday night we all went out to dinner at Guido's a nice Italian place, they actually have a few good Italian places on Cozumel.
and by about 8pm I was TIRED!I didn't go to the post race party at Senor Frog's, I was just too tired. In the middle of the night Monday I woke up with a fever and felt awful. Looking back I'm 99% sure this wasn't race or Mexico related. Wilmer got sick before the race (and heard that a lot of people at his family Thanksgiving got sick too), then Kim got sick, then me, and later Del. I think it was some kind of 24 hour bug or something.
I didn't feel great when I woke up Tuesday morning, but I didn't feel terrible either, so I stuck with the original plan of morning diving. I was still fairly sore and Jeff carried my dive gear out to the boat for me.
We saw a lot of cool stuff and really enjoyed the dives!
Diving actually felt really good. I had worried that it might not be the best thing after the race, but if anything I think it may have helped my recovery. My soreness was almost completely gone after the dives on Tuesday! Sandra mentioned that maybe the extra compression of the water was a good thing, maybe she's onto something.
We had dinner at Sorrisi with Kim, Del and the Croatians- Goran and LovroWednesday morning we woke up to the windiest conditions I've ever seen on Cozumel! They canceled diving for the day because the harbor master had closed the harbor!
We hung out on our balcony and enjoyed our coffee while we watched the wind and waves. This seagull landed on the pelican's head 3 or 4 times while we watched! The next day I saw the same thing happen again.Since we couldn't dive we went out to Mr. Sancho's Beach Club with Del and Kim.
Del and Kim, notice the ominous looking clouds
Jeff and I hung out and played in the water for awhile
while Del did some yoga on the beach
but the clouds started looking pretty bad, so we grabbed a table under the big hut just before the heavy rain started. We had a snack and waited for the pouring rain to let up!
We went back to town when the rain let up. We had dessert at El Coffee, I hadn't really had a big dessert to celebrate yet and I was ready for it!
4 layers of fudgy chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and strawberries between each layer and on top- YUM!! and they were generous with the portions too.
Kim couldn't finish hers, but I enjoyed every bite of mine!For dinner my parents joined us at Del Sur Argentina Empanadas and my dad ordered the mixed grill, which was a personal grill filled with different meats, so much even my dad couldn't come close to finishing it!
We hung out a long time, but didn't get free dessert like we did before the race.Thursday morning we woke up to wind and clouds again. So Jeff and I rented a jeep and drove to the other side of the island where it was still windy, but sunny.
We would drive a little way, then stop and walk along the beach for awhile
Some areas were really rocky and the waves were crashing in!
At one point we got out and were swimming at a more sandy beach. We saw some people down the beach and Jeff wondered if they were looking at a sea turtle nest. So we walked down the beach and a guy who appeared to be a volunteer with the sea turtle program uncovered the sand from a nest so we could see the baby turtles! Then he pulled one out and let me hold it!
He didn't speak much English, so I didn't get a lot of information about the program, just that they were going to release them.
We really enjoyed the other side of the island. We hadn't been over there in our last few trips to Cozumel and even when we went years ago, we didn't take time to really enjoy it like we did this time.We went over to Scuba Club and did a night dive with my parents that night and had dinner with them. Great diving and a good dinner too.
Parrotfish blow mucus bubbles around themselves when they sleep, tough to see the mucus bubble in my picture.We saw 2 seahorses and my dad got some great pictures of both of them
and one of this stingray. There were a lot of stingrays in the area on this night dive and their eyes glowed when we shined our lights toward them.
Friday morning we got to go boat diving, even though it was still colder and windier than normal
long sleeves and jackets in Cozumel?!?!
sting ray swimming away
gray angelfish
splendid toadfish are endemic to Cozumel and really cool looking!
this turtle let us get really close
so close I even got to touch it!
scrawled cowfish look pretty cool too
nurse shark
intermediate (like a teenage) queen angelfish. I love these and was mad that my picture was blurry.Sadly, on Saturday we had to say goodbye to Cozumel. If things work out, we're hoping to be able to come back for Ironman Cozumel 2011!
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