Um, it's been a while

HELLO! It's been, well, since i started the fall semester since I have said anything here. My apologies... I guess my semester kept me busy. It did plus i had way too many papers to write. Well, I am done with that and back home in San Diego for a little bit, which so far has been the shittiest san diego weather i have seen. Very disappointed. Instead I am rocking out in my sweats listening to the time (dirty bit). yeah, song of the week. Not to mention my awkward encounter with a guy i haven't seen in 6 years and he knew my name and i had no idea what his was. oh yeah...you....good...to see....you ....too.

Anyways, training update. I have nothing until end of February, which is the Hyannis half marathon with the neu triathlon team. Then, on my birthday I am traveling to Alabama for collegiate nationals! Pumped about that. Training was going really well...i was up to 9 miles for running and cycling a lot more than before. Of course that never lasts for me as I am kind of gimpy with a right hip problem. I mean, i haven't had a hip problem before so it's probably time haha. It all stems from my original problem I am sure. I've been just ignoring it, but eventually I will go see a massage therapist (it feels like i had a blockade in my hip with my ROM).

1 more semester left till i graduate. I am in the process of beginning to apply to jobs. I even have an excel sheet going ( i know intense). To be honest, i want to stay in Boston. Sorry California. I love you, but times change. hah. we'll see....i am excited to see what happens. and nervous as hell. well not really. well i dont know. haha. peace out.

Race Report- Quakerman? Olympic? not really.

So, apparently Quakertown Penn. thinks that an olympic triathlon is .6 mile swim, 40 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. No, quakertown the swim is longer and the bike is WAY shorter. So, the odds were pretty much against me (i don't train much for long bike...no time) but i signed up anyways for the challenge.

And well, that's exactly what happened to me... out in front for the swim (did i mention i haven't swam in a while...) where some dude drafted me and wouldn't stay off my toes. At first this annoyed me then i laughed at the fact that he had to have some girl carry him the whole way. The bike was long and I didn't really hold too much of a pace faster than my half ironman (no surprise). Everyone passed me...haha. well, not everyone, but you get the picture. There were plenty of deer, squirrels (i almost hit one), and dead things. Not to mention really pretty scenery. However, 40 miles of biking isn't my fortay right now. hah. My 10k was great! I was steadily running under 8 min miles (sometimes down to 7 15) the whole way, except a few hills. So I came in under 50 minutes for that which was by far my best 10k time ever. I believe I can thank my new running forefoot/midfoot for that. I can't remember what I finished at, but I got like 8th overall in a very competitive collegiate division. Maybe if i could bike i'd actually be good. meh.

That was a quick recap...I have to go to a meeting. I am thinking about running there, would that be weird? Yes, probably. So, i'll do it.

Overall, a good time. Wish more neu people would have done it...one more collegiate race in a few weeks (a lot shorter), then i am done with this racing thing for a while.

San Diego here I come.....

Well, a lot of things have come to an end....summer internship is done, physical therapy is done and i am 2 days from flying back to San Diego for 12 days! It will be nice to have a break from working and not have to do ANYTHING at all.

Apparently, I am training for a half Ironman 1 month too late. The last few days I've had some really good training in....which i didn't really do before. Yesterday I did a ride with an old CS manager of mine which totaled 46 miles!!!! This was broken up by a 1 mile swim in the gorgeous Walden Pond out in Concord Ma. I have to admit, the water didn't taste funky and it was a great temperature. I didn't even bother with my wetsuit. My legs were a little tired from just the mileage but other than that it was great. We went along the minuteman path, which you don't have to worry about any cars, besides the occasional stop sign. I continued the day with helping a friend move then stuffing myself with crab from the Barking Crab (great place). Then today I ran to the gym, did all my PT stuff plus some, then ran back around to the Trader Joes, got food, then walked back for a total of almost 6 miles. Okay, so I'm not doing another half anytime soon but seems like i'm training closer to what i was supposed to!

Anyways, if anyone wants to do a run, body surf rendition over in SoCal with me, let me know. I will be taking advantage of the weather and possibly trying to get rid of these ridiculous tri short tan lines (which i keep making worse). or if you want to eat a Burrito.

Heading off to Fenway Park soon here...Jen you would kill me I am going to be wearing a Boston Redsox hat. haha.

Catchya later!

Race Report- Boston Urban Epic Tri

Well, I didn't think I would be racing for the 3rd month in a row, but a free entry just so happened to land in my hands about 3 days before this race. Plus, it was a sprint triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 9 mile bike and 4 mile run) which after that half ironman seems like not too much!

The race took place in South Boston, which is about 5 miles from my place. Of course the train is too awkward to take there, so I bike there early in the morning (yeah i know, it's over half the actual bike part of the race). This entails biking through the sketchy neighborhood of Dorchester. First, this guy with a girl in his car creepily drives right next to me and just looks at me for a while. awkward. then I had a green light and an open road (its early on a sunday) and someone decided to cut me off by turning right in front of me to an outside lane. thanks masshole!!!!!!

Anyways, it was a fun race. My friend was doing her first one so it was great to be there with her. The swim was...pleasant. it was super calm (unlike rhode island). i felt like i was just ...cruising. but not really going anywhere because i have swam once in a month haha. but somehow i managed to be first woman out of the water and came in about the same time as last year. i am pretty sure i was way off course though and did more bc i have no idea how to swim straight without a buoy.

the bike was a 2 loop course (the same as last year). this was kinda fun bc there was definitely a wind...so it was really nice going down...i felt like i was flying...but then hard on the way back. I ended up averaging just over 20 mph, which is really good for me! my quads were kind of dead though. Oh, and i saw someone riding a fold up bike. hardcore.

The run...a little of the same as the bike with some wind for part of it. I started out "slower" but then was hauling and felt good at the end. ended up averaging 7:57 min/mile, which was ok...i feel like i could have been faster. but it was faster than last year (went over 8:30 min/mile). the sand finish was rough. i wanted to throw off my shoes. by the way, went sockless again cycling and running. i like it a lot. total time was like 1 hour 13 min...something. the afterparty was fun with beer and free stuff! i got 3rd in my age group, 6th overall woman. technically i got awarded 1st in my age group bc there were separate awards for top 3 women (2 were in my age group). so i kind of got first but not really. haha. whatever

Overall a really fun race. i didn't expect to be racing, but hey whatever!

Anyways....I am still in physical therapy...but i am expecting to be done soon. my back is so much stronger...but swimming manages to hurt it. lets avoid swimming :P

train hard! next up= a kind of olympic in pa sept 11th.

Post half Ironman

I am about 2 weeks out from doing my half ironman!!!!!!! so how does it feel? well, my sunburns are finally peeling and turning into somewhat of a tan. I have a beautiful outline of my tri suit which will probably stay with me the whole summer. My body stayed in tact...as in my hips and back are still in line. I've had a few aches and pains delayed from the race, but nothing crazy and unexpected. I decided to take a week off of running (i dove into runs a few days after the race...bad idea). I've been incorporating rowing (at the gym) and yoga into my workouts!!!!!! It's been kind of fun to do a few new things...i have a dvd for yoga because i don't want to spend money on classes. It feels good and i need to be doing a ton of stretching. Oh yeah , I can't forget about dancing being incorporated into my routine too. I went to my first techno concert (Deadmau5) with my coworkers and it was so fun!!!!!! We bounced around and danced for probably a few hours. It feels good to get out and party a bit post Ironman.... no lie :)

In addition, last Tuesday I gave my first presentation at Northeastern about barefoot running/minimalist shoes. It was GREAT! I had a lot of fun and it seemed to go really well. I'm going to try to get out on my five fingers and run again with them....maybe i won't hurt my back again. More clinics to come hopefully....

As far as races, I am not actually signed up for anything till September (olympic). I am trying to get a free entry into the Boston Urban Epic since Citysports sponsors it but no luck yet. I'm NOT paying 99 dollars to do a sprint triathlon. no thanks. the olympic was LESS than that. haha. what the heck Boston? I don't have a training regime (when did i ever though)...i'm doing whatever I feeel like...having a good time...will start going to run club again. Maybe a marathon in the future? My coach told me I should be ready for an Ironman next year....I dont think i have time to train for such a thing. Maybe someday......

Summer is FLYING by...i have internship (cardiac rehab) till around August 12th...San Diego August 19th till sept 1st...then the new semester (new class and new internship at children's)....then a trip to San Fran maybe? Lots to look forward to!

Race Report- Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island!

Race Report!

Pre Race

So, we had to get down to Providence Saturday to check in and do all the logistical things. I was lucky enough to hop on a commuter train from my school straight there, half a mile from the Expo where you check in. I started off not so well with biking to the train. My bike computer was working well and all the sudden it stopped…turns out the sensor fell off somewhere back from me. I went back and luckily found it. PHEW. I got to the train way too early, but made it to Providence in one piece. I met up with my friend Mike (aka Garf) who luckily had a car and bike rack. We checked in, shopped, met up with Tim, and dropped off our bike-run bag at T2. The logistics of this race were kinda weird…the swim was down in Narragansett (56 miles down), so this wasn’t a looped course. Our hotel was somewhere in the middle so we checked in then headed to the swim start to drop off bikes and whatnot. The weather was awful...downpouring and tomorrow didn't look good.

Race Day

We woke up at 4am, left the hotel by around 4:30. The weather was actually pleasant! No t-storms! Of course the one way road caused a lot of traffic so we had about 5 min to set up before the transition area closed. I didn’t have much to do so it didn’t really matter. The bathroom lines were awful, but hey when you gotta go you gotta go. In a race this long it’s reaaaaaallly important. Haha…plus my wave started at 6 45am, 45 min after the first wave. Mike and I got our wetsuits on and didn’t warm up in the ocean, we just body surfed. Haha. I was getting pumped and dancing with the music (yeah I know, way to use up energy ill need for the next 6 hours), but whatever. The swim was…interesting. The waves were pretty rough…I swallowed some water several times on the way out. I thought it would be easier on the way back but there were so many people! I was seeing white caps, blue, orange, red…man. I felt like a special ed kid trying to keep in a straight line afloat. Oh well, the swim went ok (2^nd in my age group), but not that great. I got out anxious to start something else (A.D.D). The wetsuit strippers rock….by the way. I took my sweet time at T1 making sure I had everything. Well, turned out I put my socks in the wrong bag. Oops. Looks like I will be going sockless for the first time ever biking.

The bike started out nice and easy… in fact the first hour I was easily averaging 17-18 miles per hour. Ok, then that was done. Talk about hills! There were some nasty ones…big ones after smaller ones. At about mile 25 my back started to hurt and I realized this is about when I usually stop biking (ive never done more than 26 miles straight with this training bc of my back). By mile 35 my butt hurt, my back still hurt, and I was getting major A.D.D. Omg do I really have another 20 miles left? The scenery was so nice but only entertained me for so long. I was really good with nutrition (and able to eat easily) alternating cliff shot bloks and Gatorade mix for about 300 cals per hour. I think I was talking to myself at one point bc i had never sat on a bike this long…and making chomp noises when eating. People that passed me probably thought I was weird (they are right). I actually passed women on the hills but they passed me again on the flats…then I passed them again…you get the picture. I saw lots of people with flats, birds, water bottles on the ground (one I ran over almost lost my balance), ocean, funny guys yelling at us to climb the hill faster, etc. Fun course though, definitely filled with turns, twists, and hills.

I was SO glad to be at T2… my body was beyond ready to move different muscles…I cant even sit still for a 3 and half hour car ride! I was waiting to see if my socks were in my T2 bag, but they weren’t. Ok, going sockless for the first time ever running now. I put on my hat and realized I should have had sunscreen in that bag too. Doh. It was pretty hot outside by now..so that was a not so smooth move of me. Oh well…race goes on. We started at the capital of Providence then ran towards the water and did two loops of that. Started out great…then there was THE hill. I turned a corner and saw it…I went holy shit, really? I didn’t do any hill training, repeat…. No hill training. Everyone in front of me was walking up it. I was determined to not do that…so I didn’t. I passed a bunch of men and did a "come on guys, keep on going" and they laughed at me. Man, that was rough…but I carried on. The sponges were my favorite…I took in some Gatorade and water throughout but no food please. We had to go up that same hill that came down….just not as steep, ouch. First loop felt awesome, awesome awesome. I was slowing myself down to 8 50 pace. At times I was going closer to 8. Mistake Julie, you didn’t train but up to like 6 miles. The 2^nd loop, 2^nd hill killed me…I had to walk part of it (ashamed)…and on the way back up had to walk a little bit too). Everything got tight and hurt. I felt like I was shuffling….but I tried not to slow down too much…just walked every aid station as long as I could. The last half mile was awesome with the crowd bringing you into the finish. 6.08 with a 7th place finish in my age group. Overall...pleased to just finish in one piece.

I had to hit the medical tent…. Haha. My friend was like Julie your shoe is all bloody…guess my toe was bleeding for most of my run but I didn’t even notice. Gotta love it. Well, overall pleased with the race…kind of hard to believe I did a race that took 6 hours! Turns out the soreness wasn’t horrible, just the sunburns!!!!!!!! Note to self, apply sunblock and pack socks J I saw my PT yesterday and I am STILL in line….wow. all that and my back is still in place (just a bit tight). Great news.

What’s next? Taking it easy this week…although I did run 3 miles today in the rain, which was nice. I have another race in September, but nothing till then (unless I get a free entry to do a sprint in Boston). Thanks for all the support and cheering (even though you might not have been there). maybe another one next year? :P

July 4th! and RI soon.......

Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July! I was ever so fortunate (sarcasm) to work the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However I did manage to get out to the fireworks with some friends, which were amazing. Here's a few photos to capture the moments...

Did you know Boston was the first city to declare July 4th a holiday?

This was definitely the best show I have seen in a long time! And what a view!

Besides that, I have been keeping up on the training....I didn't keep track these last few weeks, but i figure it's too late now to be doing too much differently. I tamed down my training to make sure my back is in a good place...and well it IS! Today was a great day at PT....they said I am so much stronger, less tight, and my pelvis/back has been aligned for almost 2 weeks straight. uhhhmazing. So, that's great news. This week, just taking it easy....I need to swim soon...our pool has been shut down (doh).

As you can see below....my bike got a bit of a makeover! I got some new tires and bar tape (that was really needed). Looks good huh? Looks like shes all ready.....but am I??? of course, i am super excited! I got some pro triathlete advice....nutrition nutrition nutrition....so I'll get a plan for that going. Any advice for nutrition? 200-300 calories per hour on the bike i think that's what it is....i just hope my stomach can take all that ... crap. I didnt eat at all on my half marathon. not even drink. well, i will be sure not to let THAT happen.

I'm leaving Saturday morning via commuter rail to Providence...heading to the expo center then meeting up with Mike (a friend who will be racing with me). We're staying half way in between the swim and run portion. Can't wait!!!!!!!! cross your fingers for no t-storms, super hot weather...speaking of hot weather...im sweating just sitting here. I need an AC asap.

Athletic Performance Research Project

Calling all athletes!!!!!!! I am going to be doing an athletic performance research project in conjunction with a professor of mine at Northeastern. The project itself is still in the making, however, I am starting to recruit some people. I figured this would be a great place to explain what I have so far....

What am I looking for? Athletes of ALL levels! Whether you are looking to train for your first triathlon or looking to qualify for a national level race. My focus originally was triathletes, but I would love to have runners too.

What will I be doing? According to your goals, I am going to be giving you a performance evaluation.....some possible tests will include endurance (Vo2 max test on the treadmill, lactate threshold), body fat, strength, wingate (on the bike....to test power), and a nutrition dietary analysis. These will all be done in the Fall/Late summer (august/september). After all the tests, I will individually go over your results and give you training recommendations! Possibly a 2nd round of tests will be done later on to see how you have been doing. Basically, an opportunity to evaluate your fitness level and fine tune your training!

This will be a great experience....please email me at jtracy13@gmail.com if you are interested and I will send you out my survey so you can help me formulate my project!

FYI, you need to be able to get to Northeastern Campus....

Pushing....too far?

Monday: back to reality...parents left for SD and i am back on a normal work schedule...siiigh. anyways i interned, PTed, swam, "class", then home. PT was interesting because my back kind of took a few days to really hurt and feel my 8 mile run. well I was SO TIGHT. My pt worked on me so hard...he dug his elbow into my glut med and i was like biting my pillow and seriously cried for a bit....ahhaha. wow, ook maybe i should ease off the high mileage. oh well, then i swam 2800 and did 100 sprint for fun went 1.00!!!!!! wow. cant believe i can still pull that one.

tues- hour 15 min bike, 2 mile run...nothing great, nothing horrible

wed- 1 hour 30 min bike....im the only one i kno in neu gym that can sit on a spin bike by oneself for that long. good thing i had a good book while i did long aerobic intervals. after that had a product evening of going to the library, making my clinic flyer, and researching articles for my project in the fall. i cannnnot wait. i have my survey done and ready to go soon! not going to lie....my back is hurtin...that was only about 27 miles. apparently increasing volume isnt really my thing.....ugh. good thing for PT tomorrow. did i fail to mention that the last hour and 35 min bike ride i did straight was actually cut into two with PT in between? yeah this was the longest straight ive done, technically.

thurs- I was goin to swim but decided to just take the day off since i had a bad day yesterday....i went to PT, which went well. I am sooo tight...i figure it's better to do less, feel better, and not worry about the volume of training I "should be doing". SO with that, feeling better about what's to come!

Friday- I wasn't going to do anything this day either, but ended up running a total of 5 miles. HOwever, i did 2.5 to my friend Roxy's house to hang out for a bit (she's moving to california) then 2.5 back. It actually takes less time to run than take the train, since there's no direct way to get there. haha.

sat- bike 50 min...nothing special...i opted to lowering my volume and this is what i did. feeling okay.

sunday- first of all I'd like to say GOOOOOO lisa white, nick tuttle, meredith kessler, and izzie crane!!!!! IRONMAN CDA!!!!!!! I've enjoyed following so far....i wasn't even goin to run but it was inspiring me so i did at least 3.8 miles...ok so it's nothing like an Ironman but hey it's something haha.

Overall, a hard week...mid week i hit a bit of a wall. I thought since I can't keep running 8 milers that I would increase my bike mileage. WRONG. That hurt just as much....Thursday I forgot about it all and I am just moving forward! My PT again....asked me if i was still doing my race. I just looked at her. I think she got it. I feel like I am training for an olympic distance triathlon very well. I'm not sure how well that transfers but..... cross my fingers for good genes :)

"totals" for the week... 2800 swim, 3 hours 35 min bike (about...i dunno, whatever haha), and 10.8 run. currently heat padding. :D

2 weeks out. i feel like i need a plan...i have no ride, no nutrition plan...haha. that's how i roll.

The 3 hour difference is making is tough for me to see Lisa Poop finish her Ironman....I did get to see Nick finish on the live video!!!!!! how fun. but anyways, CONGRATS to all the finishers....amazing.

Hey I CAN run!

Weekly totals and tidbits of the week for ya...

Monday- I interned then headed over to physical therapy.... I added some new exercises, which is great. They think i am crazy there....but that's ok haha. 1 hour 35 min bike on a SPIN bike...in the GYM. I am not sure how i stayed on for that long...i did a bunch of threshold intervals, like sprinting for 15 min straight, recovering, then doing it again. I had some good new awful music to listen to plus a little bit of anger to fuel me...it's amazing how that can get you going and give you a great workout.

Tuesday- swim 2300, run 5.2 (total time 41 min, almost 1 minute faster) held around 7 45s!!!!!!!!!!! my back only hurt a bit after...i wore my saucony triumphs...i am really trying to run forefoot (or midfoot) more...it helps so much. These shoes still kind of hurt my back after, but nothing even close to what it used to be. Yay for better form. A double YAY for two days of threshold training in a row. My heart rate was lower in the 182 range rather than 190. That's still up there close to my threshold.

wed- off...worked, meeting, parents!! Today marked a big event for me too...I am doing my own research project with one of my professors. I will be an extremely well rounded grad student once i am out of school........3 clinicals and research on athletic performance. I can't wait to start, which needs to be soon. i have a lot of figuring out the details....holler if you are in Boston and want to be a part of a great training opportunity....blog to follow about that!

thurs-bike 1 hour, run 2 miles (five fingers). These five fingers haven't failed me...it feels so great to train with them. Granted i am not doing my 5 miler in them, i feel like it's a strength training day when i wear them! I think they are stinky. OH and we walked probably 5 miles shopping. omg...my parents can out walk me for sure.

Friday- My parents are in town till monday so i stayed in the hotel with them along the waterfront (awesome area). I went down did some stupid elliptical then all my PT exercises and major stretching. Felt great tho....went to the aquarium and i over ate at a great restaurant in the North End (like little italy for all you non bostonians). LOVE love it.

Saturday: ran 8 MILES! this was such a funny 8 miles though. before i get to that, this is definitely the longest i have ran since doing my half marathon back in late feb and since i have destroyed my back. anyways, this run was funny because i felt kind of bad the first 3 miles and my heart rate was a bit higher than i wanted. I started feeling more warmed up around 3 miles and i noticed my back didn't feel right ( i spent those miles also completely doubting and wondering how on earth i am going to do a half ironman).... so i stopped, laid on the grass, and popped my SI joints back into place. took me 10 seconds and off i went. after that i felt AWESOME....i was easily holding 9 min/mile (i didnt let myself go faster than that) and my heart rate dropped to the low 160s (well under any sort of lactic acid pace). you should have seen me smile once i finished...how good did that feel....IRONMAN 70.3 here I come!!!!!!! 3 weeks to go. in addition, i spent those last 5 miles setting up my survey in my head that i am goin to send out for my research project soon here. Talk about productive. Saw Toy Story 3...how cute was that? I was like crying at the end. haha.

Sunday: I am pretty sure i am eating way more than ever since my parents are here hahaha...we go out to eat so much. I had stuffed (crab and shrimp) yellowtail flounder yesterday...oh man so delicious. anyways, i got in 1 hour 15 min bike on my trainer (anymore than that gets kind of boring, but i did more than the workout said at least). Happy Fathers day! Later I am heading down to the wharf and going on a dinner cruise! how fun!

Totals for the week: 2300 swim (hahaha...ok, pathetic), bike 3 hours 50 min (about 60 miles), run 14.2 miles (big jump there)

With everything going on with grad school, interning, working, socializing...i am pleased with the amount i am able to squeeze in (that tends to be how i have to train)...but i think i can do more.

So, all in all...a bigger week for me... unfortunately i got a bit of a late start with the real training...oh well...

3 weeks exactly till Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island!!!!!!!!!!

Weekly totals and Race report

I wanted to train hard all the way through my race this week but decided to give myself a few days easy :) Decent week....things are looking up.

Monday- Intern at hospital, bike 1 hour 10 min, physical therapy, bar. so typical.

Tuesday- Intern, swim 2800, gym to do PT exercises, run club (5 miles plus half a mile at the gym for a warmup), bar (which included chicken fingers, beer and good company). damn celtics. Run club is at the store i work at and i havent done it since August. I've been training by myself a lot lately that i forgot how awesome it is to have some people there with you! Definitely sticking to this every tuesday.... i was going to wuss it up and do the 3.5 route but i accidentally started going for the 5 so i just did it. My heart rate was ridiculous. It was steady at 189 for a while and finally went down to 184/5. I didn't know the route so i had to follow these girls who were going really fast. I did not have my footpod on me so i don't know exactly what i was holding but it took 41.52 to do 5 miles....which i think is pretty good? It felt like i was hauling. just need to bring that HR down.

wed- despite how i DID not have to get up at 5am i woke up at 7 to squeeze in 1 hour biking before heading off to citysports to work. looking towards july 11th i've realized how i need to really get down to business. I did drink last night, BUT only 2 beers. look how smart i am now :) the celtics lost but it was a fun game to watch on tuesday. work at citysports dragged the last 4 hours.... we do stupid random stuff there...like hitting shoes flipping them and catching...haha.

thursday- finished up my week at cardiac rehab then hit the pool! i only did 1500 loosen, but felt alright. i went to physical therapy then ran 1.7 miles easy...which was good i averaged around 9.15...hr nice and low so that's good. I had a really good day at PT.... even though they told me it's not recommended to do the half ironman in a month. But, she was supportive and said they would help me along the way. That kind of stuff only fuels me...i shouldn't do it........so i am going to do it even better now! i am weird.

Friday- citysports, pack, cape cod :)

Saturday- RACE DAY!!!!!!!! I didn't sleep all that well..........for whatever reason I never do well on a new bed. It takes me a few nights to get comfy. I suck. Anyways, we had to get up at 5 15am (i do that everyday it seems) to get there to help volunteer (body markings...anything else they want us to do). Body markings were fun......quote of the day "Give me your number and drop your pants". Triathlon is a great community...everyones so awesome! After that I made sure my excellent transition spot (since i got there so early) was all set up. The water felt great actually not too cold but not warm. I made sure I was in the front of the pack for the start to avoid any unnecessary collisions. Plus luckily, the men were first and the time in between was long enough where i didn't really run into anyone. The swim kind of felt shitty....actually. I didn't feel like I was catching much water but there were only 2 other girls around me. Plus, i could NOT swim in a straight line. I swear i was curving all over the place and almost hit a kayak. Typical.

Transition time. Everything went well. Except I forgot my sunglasses....DOH. but, it was only 10 miles after all. First of all, it took me a while to realize that when i put my new battery into my bike computer that it was set in km/hour. SO here i was cruising at like 35 miles per hour (i thought). I was like WHAT!???? then i figured i just had it set wrong. dangit...so much for that thing. I estimated i was keeping between 18-20 miles per hour maybe. 6 girls probably passed me on the bike...and when i mean pass me...flew by. I really need to get on the bike more. I felt as though it took me a long time to feel warmed up and my hr took a while to come down. Great, so i was at 10 miles, done with the bike, and finally ready to go for the bike. Ok, so sprints aren't really my fortay but oh well. Onto the run.

I finally put on my sunglasses, which i actually decided to wear my giant 80s 10 bucks target ones to really intimidate people. Not to mention my nike free 5.0s with bright blue duck socks. I am sure people were oh so scared. Ok, not really. The run was great actually. My legs were nice and warm. I was passing a few guys, guys were passing me...i was right behind a few girls actually. I caught one and passed her (yup, take that MIT and in my age group girl haha) but a few older women passed me (48 year olds...fuck!). I think i held my own on the run or even gained a bit. i averaged around 7.30ish. The website doesn't have the splits up yet but i will post them once i know them. running 7.30 m/min is AWESOME for me. considering how i had to STOP running and go to PT. My HR averaged at 187 which is kinda high....but apparently i can handle running at a high HR for a little while. I felt like i was running on clouds with those new shoes. LOVE them. So, there was this final hill at the end....i pushed up it and that's when my running flaw kicked in. I tend to get my HR up really high....and .... puke. Well, i gagged maybe 3 times while running then mentally told myself i WILL NOT PUKE AGAIN! so i went around the finish and clocked in at 1 hour 6 min something. The guy at the finish said, wow don't look so excited...because i probably still felt like puking at that point. I ended up getting 76th overall (men and women) and 4th in my age group. There were some fasties there from the different schools. looks like i have some work to do!

splits included: 7.40 for swim, 32. 20 for bike, 23.32 for run. yahoo!

all together a nice....training day? i am really burnt and beat...but it was a fun day!

total for the day: .3 mile swim (what like 550 yards?), 10 mile bike (32 minutes), 3.1 mile run (23.32 min according to my garmin). woo

Sunday- i had a bit too much fun saturday night and slept for a long time .... ate a burrito and just stretching/pt exercises.

Totals for the week: 4800 swim, 2 hours 40 min bike (about 49 miles) this needs to be more, and 10.3 miles for running.

Looking forward to a good hard week of training. AND my parents are visiting! i get to take off of work!

I'm not sure what to call this

eeeek. i need to go to bed...too much excitement for this week but i need to blog about last week! i dont really remember but i took notes along the way haha.

tues- 1 hour 5 min bike.

wed- 3.1 run, 25 min bike.... abs, pt exercise, etc.

thurs- swim 2700

Friday- bike hour 10 min

sat- run 5.4..hips killed but then got over it.

sun- off (worked)

totals: 2 hours 40 min bike (about 48 miles), 8.5 run, 2700 swim

what im supposed to do...

swim 5000 yards (definitely can do this, i am just lazy), bike 100 miles (wow im half of that...hahah), and run 175 min (81 minutes...again about half).

so it appears that i am actually secretly training for an olympic distance. SHIT!

anyways, im getting closer to the big race...and i really need to get it going. PT is helping me i think...but im still all over the place. I have to adjust my joints back into place before running....my PT cracks my entire spine and i feel amazing after, I cannot swim as much as i used to my shoulder dies after 3000 (but who cares right), all in all BRING IT! haha. big week for training this week plus like 1 day of tapering for a warm up sprint triathlon Saturday down in Cape Code. Can I place? Lets do it.

I've been playing around with shoes lately. I really like my nike frees 5.0. They are hardly anything...and make me run on my midfoot (goooood). Soon I will post stuff about clinics i will be holding. And i am adopting people to train for triathlons :P sorry this post sucks but i am going to bed! I'm never home...having too much fun out here in Bawstin. GNITE!

Memorial Weekend Fun!

BUSY week. I am just now posting for last week. i feel busier than i did when i had classes! phew.

monday- bike 1 hour, run 2 (barefoot five fingers). Felt good! short...but getting there.

tues- swim 3000 (whoaaaaa). PT appointment.

wed- HOT HOT..getting humid here. even at 8 30 am. I put on my normal shoes and set out to run something short, slowish. After like half a mile i was done...my back hurt so much, felt like a brick hung to my spine. I ended up doing 2.6 total but probably walked most of that. It's so weird that when i run in fivefingers my back doesn't hurt AT ALL. My calves just are really sore the next day. I also figured since I did PT yesterday that I would be okay and more on top of my game. NOPE. I could barely walk home let alone run. wow. okay, maybe i should stick to barefoot running? experiment is getting interesting haha.

thurs- bike 1 hour...getting difficult to fit in workouts...this one was done at night. busy getting ready for my big trip for the weekend!

Friday- nothing... i worked all day...then had to pack for the weekend

Saturday- Sam and Matt's wedding in Cleveland Ohio! I had a blast...the ceremony was quick (it was hot out) and everything else was so fun. Highlights included pre pre gaming with margaritas at Kyles, seeing old friends from long time ago, electric slide, lots of wine, the annex in Solon, eating lots of pizza, and singing at Kyles.

Sunday Kyle was nice enough to let me come out to his parents lake house! I got to go wake boarding, water skiing, chill on the boat, roast marshmallows, bike ride, etc. Wake boarding i got up a few times, had an okay run but loved it. Water skiing was my first time ever and man it was hard! I got up the 2nd time and got going for a little while. After that i just couldnt do it anymore. I must have been so sore....definitely got a giant wedgie from falling backwards. I wish i had my own lake house...i could get used to that for SURE. Pics are on facebook too lazy to put some on here! Technically i did about a 300 yard lake swim to a dam...climbed a hill then went back. I also technically did about a 5 mile leisurely bike ride. We can count that one.

Monday- We headed back towards solon to meet up with the bride and groom for lunch before my flight. We were driving then suddenly it started to rain....and then the wind shield wipers broke. We inched our way down the street but it started to rain harder and harder. Pretty soon we honestly couldn't see a thing so we had to pull over again....then it started to HAIL (along with the monsoon). In addition to the hail, we were pulled over at an awkward spot so basically thought we might get rear ended. Then Kyle's windshield started to crack some...GREAT. For a moment i was legit kind of freaked out. Then i felt like i was in a movie...like i should turn around and see a tornado and cars flying overhead. We had to inch our way up the street and eventually made it out alive. Shit. Note to self...always have working windshield wipers. haha. Anyways lunch with Sam and Matt was great then i headed off to the airport. My flight connected in New york, then to boston. The flight to NY was delayed about an hour and half due to thunderstorms in NY. Great! More thunderstorms. When i landed i checked a voice mail saying my flight from NY to boston has been cancelled. GREAT! Now i am stuck in NY! I didn't know where to go to fix this so i wandered around to another gate to ask an agent. Just so happens that a plane is sitting at that gate, filled with people going to boston. They told me i had probably no chance of getting on (first of all it was leaving soon and 2nd probably full). They told me no...but then told me to RUN to seat 9c. I got on and everyone looked mad at me. SUCKERS! i got a flight and didn't have to stay in NY for the night. Plus, i would be able to make internship in the morning. I got home late, but was so glad to be in my own bed. GREAT weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Totals: sucky i am sure, only 4 days.

Bike: 2 hours 20 min ish. estimated 41 miles

run 4.6 miles...shitty

swim 3300 woohoo!

Goals for next week: getting closer to my actually training plan (ha)....keep doing PT exercises...dont throw out my back....

Getting back on track....kind of.

Another crazy week. Now that I am working almost 50 hours a week I have come to reaaaaaaaaally appreciate my Saturday's off. Technically i should work because I absolutely need the money, but I really would like to keep my sanity. I've done a few PT sessions and I am already feeling a lot better. I finally stopped taking aleve/ibuprofen everyday all day and I've started back in on the training...somewhat.

Totals: swim 2400 (wow first time in a while...i floated the whole time), bike 2 hours 40 min, run 3 miles (more than i technically should be but it was fine).

The run was yet again done "barefoot", only this time i wasn't as sore. I feel like I am putting myself through an experiment. Let's hope i don't fracture or mess anything up! These five fingers are selling like mad at citysports....i think it's getting a lot of hype online. I am, though, really interested in the science behind them so we will see how it goes! In addition to those totals I try to hit the gym and do other random things (oh yea lifting? kinda?) such as rowing...my PT exercises, core, etc. Rowing is pretty awesome i must say...the elliptical, however, sucks. I wanted to shoot myself on it and it killed my back. How do all these girls stand that thing???????

Alright, I need to finish a case study on a heart transplant patient (very interesting stuff). I can't wait for this week to be done because I am flying to an old home...Cleveland Ohio for a wedding! Oh, weddings. I do not foresee one close in my future. haha. Later!

I am definitely not putting my weekly totals here.

I feel like there's no point in putting my weekly totals because compared to what I should be doing they don't come close.....hah.

Last week was especially rough...for one a new schedule! I started interning at a cardiac rehab facility thats way too far away and takes me a long time to get there...so early wakeup! I really like it though, already a code called on my 4th day. Pretty intense. Anyways I got to the point where i could barely walk to the train...so i went to the doctor so i could get some PT done once again. I lost my aleve somewhere and miss it a lot. That stuff seems to help a LOT. and popping my SI joint back into place. hahaha.

Anyways, I am doing PT now for my back....I am one twisted mess...and way too hypermobile (my joints move too easily and like to go out of place) for my own good. I am "not allowed" to run right now. I biked today but it didn't go that well (i broke it into 2 25 min sessions on my trainer). Don't count on me putting any weekly totals right now....it's too embarrassing hahaha. and a little depressing. But hey, nothing new right? I'm used to this sort of thing. I really don't think i am going to be able to train that much for my half considering my schedule (and body). But hey, I am still game for it. alll the wayyyyyyyyy (despite what my mom says). I did, however, run in my fivefingers for the first time last week. I only did 1.5 miles but it felt good.......but i was super sore the next day. Maybe i should run barefoot all the time.

If anyone wants a good read......go for "Born to Run". It's awesome...and i'm almost done bc of my long commute! yay!

Boo-ness

Well, I've been out of commission for the last week or so...the only workout I got in was last Monday doing 3 mile run and 55 minutes of biking. I pulled out of my race today (UGH), but the entry was transferred to Escape from the Cape June 12th (another sprint). so that's awesome of them for understanding circumstances. I thought I had strep throat but that was negative, so they tested me for random other things (might even be mono again). Waiting on that. I'm just beat and hurt all over. Quite pleasant. Time to feel better soon so i can get on with life please, thanks.

In better news, I've been appointed CHIEF exercise physiologist for my triathlon club team. It's going to be exciting...lots of presentations, clinics, and even VO2 testing along with my professor. Can't wait. and i start internship tomorrow at a cardiac rehab center. I'm pumped for that. aaaand a wedding at the end of the month. lots to look forward to.

Happy mother's day!

2 semesters DONE!

Well, another week done....pretty much done with grad classes (minus one). feels pretty good. Oh minus the fact i have a 3 hours exam thursday but trying not to think too hard.

Monday: study study study....final then let off some steam with 1 hour and 15 min bike followed by some core work. about 4 people got on and off the bike next to me in the gym haaaa.

Tuesday: work, study, bike 1 hour 50 minutes. by the way bad idea to bike 2 days in a row. apparently the pool is closed for the rest of the summer. WTF. im tired.

Wednesday: worked again then had my last final of the semester (number 7...) didn't workout, but went straight to the bars at ...well around 3 45 pm. ended the night with a giant piece of pizza from the penguin. score on my part.

Thursday: my body is conditioned to sleep till 6am maybe 7am. i "slept in" till 8, but feeling pretty dang tired from all that drinking. i had the day off which is AMAZING. so much i wanted to do today...even though work called me to see if i wanted to come in. nah. i eventually did a split run....2 miles to the schools gym where i lifted (whoa) and did core, then 2.2 miles back. grand total: 4.2. verdict...feeling the beer. oh well. afterwards was a classmates bbq...so much fun! Had to leave early bc i had to work early friday....however that didn't work out. there was an electrical fire right where i had to go (park street T) to get home...stations were in flames apparently. to make a long story short it took me over 2 hours to get home....i feel asleep in one of the train stations while waiting...but none the less in bed right before 2am to be up at 6am. boo. trains would be in flames when i go home..right?

Friday: worked in the morning then felt pretty tired rest of the day...got my new pedals for my bike tho! only did 45 min on the bike (new pedals are ..different. but good). cant wait for group rides to start. resting up for a day off tomorrow, a good run and maybe more.

Saturday: over 10 hours of sleep!!!!!!! i got asked by 2 people to work for them but said no haha. i really wanted today to relax and enjoy the nice weather out. anyways, went for a 6 mile run...which was interesting. my hip kept popping in and out at the beginning then my hips and back just hurt the entire time. I've been wearing my vibram five fingers more and i LOVE them. it's like shoes are killing me. sometimes at work when i wear them i don't even think about my back...that's how they are helping!

Sunday: stayed up way too late , slept way too late worked and now ready for bed....nothing.

Totals:

Run: 10.2 miles

Bike: 3 hours 50 min

swim: none...damn pool times.

first week of finals done.

Monday: HAPPY MARATHON DAY!!!!!! I was able to get up close to the finish area....i worked at 11am down the street so i came in early to study then check out the finish area. I got to see the wheelchair men's finish, but then had to go to work where i just watched people trickle into the finish. it was chaos around there.

Right after i took this picture I was on TV!!!!!!!!! haha. they showed part of the crowd. good times

Yeah wheelchair racers! I can't imagine doing that for 26.2 miles!

Great job Bree and Roxy! :D

Tuesday: Honestly, the back had been killing me...I knew exactly why though. I had been working a lot more lately at Citysports, which means standing for 7 hours straight. Anyways I downed some ibuprofen after I woke up early to study some and headed out for a run. It felt okay for a while, then my back felt like it was going to fall into my pelvis (haha...that's about right). However, my legs didn't give a shit...they wanted to go faster and keep me under 9 min pace. I tried to stay around 9 but at the end just went what my legs wanted to and held 8.15s..ish. None the less I went a 10k (6.2 miles) in around 57 minutes...not bad considering i walked some because of my back.

Funny thing, back felt better the rest of the day. exercise is medicine (that and ibuprofen :P )

2 finals down...went pretty well. pahtophysiology is over...loved that class.

Wednesday: woke up early, study, bike 1 hour 5 min, core, study, lab final, swim 2300 (haha so little), study. story of my life.

Thursday: study, work, final, beer, feeling buzzed off 1 beer, bike 1 hour, run 2 miles (ave pace= 7.48 min/mile), passsssss out.

By the way, the winner of the Boston Marathon this year who broke the record (2.05.52) came into Citysports. I met him and said congrats. I got excited to meet sucha celebrity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NEFxmLLSkA&feature=channel

Friday: work 7-3, then take home final which is taking FOREVER. someone shoot me. so, nothing workout wise. can you tell im crazy busy?

Saturday: Sat at a CPR class for 4 hours and continuing to work on my take home final which is quite the pain in the ass. nothing workout wise. im getting antsy not working out. aslkjf;askdjf;lasjfl;ka;

Sunday: 5 mile run, ave pace 8:30...finally felt good to get out there. faced some wind and my HR was higher than normal (stress...hahah). back to the school business!

Totals (or lack of in this case)

2300 swim

2 hour 5 min bike

13.2 run (finally increasing the mileage!)

Chaos

Cheers to finishing a rough week, more to come.

Monday- Woke up feeling AWFUL. I was feverish, felt like someone was sitting on my ribs, achy, and stuffy. Where did this come from? Oh I know. So apparently when I don't have a chaotic life and settle down for a few days I get sick. So I opted out on any sort of workout and fell asleep before 9 to prepare for a 5am wakeup Tuesday for work.

Tuesday- Early morning, but was feeling functional. 6 ams have advantages...being done at 2pm. Doesn't matter that much when you have lab in the evening. However, I manage to get on the bike for 1 hour and do some core at the gym. Man I hate the gym.

A picture from Pathophysiology Lab. I am holding an infarcted Lung.

Wed- Worked again early in the morning then class...then felt up for a run...3.1. didn't let myself go over 9 mile/hour pace. my legs wanted to.

Thurs- another early 8 hour work day. Got to see some crazy fast marathon teams come in. getting pumped at this point for marathon weekend. had my last day of class (which was stupid..EKG) then did 1 hour 20 min on the bike. I was dead by the time i came home. bed early...

Friday- yet another 7am work start...felt great somehow. i purchased my first pair of vibram fivefingers. I LOVE THEM. my toes are tired right now. They are awesome, highly recommend them. They help strengthen muscles in your toes that you have hardly used before...thus helpign to improve balance, posture, leg strength, etc. We will see how they go and i will let you know.

http://birthdayshoes.com/vibram-five-fingers/

After a busy day at the store...and working in the shoe department (LOVE IT)...came home and did 4.6 mile run. Held solid 8/sub 8 min miles with my HR not exceeded to 182...mostly in the 170s which is good...not above my threshold. not that i know what my threshold is (2 years ago it was about 88% of my max..and im in better shape now). So, yeah. yahoo.

In other Friday-like news..... horrible news that is...UC Davis cut the mens swimming program as well as 3 other athletic teams. I'm ashamed and very disappointed.....

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=79576&provider=top

Saturday: well, i slept like 11 hours and studied for most of the day. the weather made me extra arthritic so i opted on a day off. Got my stretch on though....bed early for a busy day at CS pre-marathon! and hats off to the collegiate triathlon nationals competitors in Texas....horrible weather. kinda glad i opted out on that!

Sunday: CRAZY workday!!! crazier than Christmas! And i have to admit... every other person was from Canada! Those Canadians really like to run. Anyways, Boston is prepped for the marathon tomorrow...it's goin to be awesome!

On a strange note, on my lunch break i saw a taxi cab blow up into flames. that was random. smoke, fire trucks everywhere

After work I got to stop by the Run Expo then got on the bike for an hour and ran 1.5. For how shitty i felt standing at work, the workout didn't feel too bad. My sprint work really seems to be paying off...its a lot easier to run 8 min/mile pace than it used to be! My goal for my sprint tri in may is to hold 7 30s for the 3.1 run. hmm...

TOTALS

3 hours 20 minute bike

9.2 run

ZERO swim- the pool was closed when i wanted to go...wtf. ok, not an excuse.

This weeks is going to be a long one.

NEWWWW- this is now my training log!

Long time no talk. Anyways, I decided to follow the stinky trend of she who shall not be named and turn this into my training log (plus a few fun stories here and there). BERGEN, i want you to make one too so we can stay motivated and i can make fun of you easier :P

Anyways, rough week.... only got in 4 days of actual working out..unless i decide to do something tonight (maybe).

Monday I drove back with a friend from New Jersey, then worked 8pm till 3am. That really threw off my schedule. so nothing

Tues- Usually i train with the team, but lab was in the way. Still managed to bike 1 hour 15 minutes and do a sprint run 1.2 miles.

Wed- NOTHING. I ended up passing out instead.

Thurs- bike 1 hour 30 minutes/run 1.3. best workout in a while. HR was a bit higher than normal (probably lack of sleep). Was having a rough time sleeping due to a bad back. the heat pad is my friend......but i sprinted the run and at the end was going 6 20 pace which is crazy good for me. never knew i could do that. heart rate got up to 197 but that's another story. at least i didn't go into SVT this time.

Friday- happy birthday to me? I actually had the day off, it was a good break. I swam a pitiful 2500 yards of crap (didn't feel so hot and was so unmotivated) then went to the gym and lifted (WHAT?). i am attempted to prevent any swimming type problems this time around. the night ended with some wine and passing out early.

Saturday- 5.3 mile run around JP pond, which was still flooded but i hopped around the water. This actually felt great....held in the 8s for pacing. LOVE LOVE boston running.

Sunday- well i haven't done anything yet...i have been sitting at various panera breads typing up papers and shopping at REI (new pedals). sorry lisa poop i got rid of the cleats you gave me.

totals: bike 2 hours 45 min, run 7.8, swim 2500

not exactly a great week. actually, pretty pathetic. the next two weeks will be rough...40 hours of working and finals coming up. i should take advantage of my day off tomorrow.

on another note...please please please be careful riding outside. i witnessed a biker fatality from a bus on the road and my teammate just got hit too (hes ok...banged up..maybe a broken shoulder). the one time i have been out on the road i fell and almost got hit by cars...group rides to come. so wear your helmet. if you are in boston, don't let the massholes get you. if your somewhere else...well be careful.