I did it!

I did it! I finally rode the bike farther than I can run. I'm super excited about this new distance and couldn't have done it without the help of some friends.

Having run 26.2 miles more than a couple of times it was safe to say that my 25 mile bike rides were falling short of what I should be able to do on a bike. I mean, come on, at least on a bike you can cover that distance in waaaaay less time than you can on foot. And as an added bonus on the bike - you don't get those awesome "runner's trots." Well, at least not during the ride, before is totally different matter....I'll get to that....

On Saturday AM I hit up my ten mile run and felt pooped after seven miles. This is probably due to one or all of the following:

A. My ridiculous pacing skills or lack thereof.
B. It was hot.
C. I didn't take a Gu because I don't normally need them for 10 miles, yeah, I'm a genius. I know better now.

So I made my ten miles and my shin felt weird but I iced it and the rest of Saturday was lovely.

Then came Sunday. D Day. The day I would attempt my farthest bike ride ever with Dolly. I woke up super early and headed out to meet Navy Steve's better half, Aloha Kris. (She's from Hawaii so I have just given her this nickname.)

Aloha Kris and I headed up to a trail about an hour northwest of where we live. We were meeting up with two gentlemen, Rick and John (I don't know them well enough for nicknames yet...), and our girlfriend Tiny Tish. Rick, John, and Tiny Tish are super strong cyclists so I knew I'd be in for a workout, not to mention that I was going to attempt a 33 mile ride. Yikes!

On the way there I made Aloha Kris stop at a gas station since I was having nervous PC's and felt that I would crap my pants if we didn't hit a restroom soon. And of course as soon as we got to the trail start I had to blow up that porta-potty as well. Sorry other cyclists! I just get SO nervous before rides. I can't help it!

Anway, we got clipped in and got going. Tiny Tish and I rode together the first ten miles and kept a nice even pace at around 16 to 17 MPH. This is a big jump for me considering that I previously only held about 15 MPH. She gave me some tips for going over bumps and around turns. We grouped up again at the ten mile marker and turned around to head back toward the direction of the vehicles but had a park we could head into to add in the extra miles.

This is where the ride got fun for me. I got to do some drafting behind Tiny Tish, Rick, and John! They were cruising and I couldn't help but feel like a total free-loader since I knew I wouldn't be able to pull them and return the favor. We got to up about 21 MPH at one point and I tried to hang on as long as I could. I really enjoyed the drafting and hope to get better so I can pull at some point. I probably stuck with them for about 6 to 7 miles before my legs crapped out and I had to slow down.

We were into the park at this point and it was getting hot! The trio had pulled pretty far ahead of me and I got nervous about going the right way. I had never been into this park and didn't want to get lost. I took the verbal directions I was given from Rick and just kept on moving. I knew Aloha Kris was a little behind me and felt that if I did get lost I could turn around and hook up with her. I know now that getting lost would have been pretty impossible on an out and back, but that fear was still there until I caught up to where the front riders had stopped. Aloha Kris joined us and we headed to a pit stop at the park restrooms.

At our stop I re-fueled with a Honey Stinger Waffle. Let me just tell you that these cookies are deeeeelicious. I love them. I'm not sure I could eat them for a long run but they are perfect for the bike. And for watching TV. And playing with Lloyd. And at the beach. And at a picnic. And a stop light....

Upon leaving the park I couldn't hold on to the speedies so I just did my own thing and oscillated between riding fast and slowing down cause my legs were tired! I had hit 29 miles and from the park exit it was a four mile ride to the car. I was beat but determined to finish strong.

I pedaled as much as I could and coasted when I got tired. And believe me, I was tired. The last four miles of this ride seemed like an eternity. When I finally saw the parking lot by spotting the porta potty that I blown up earlier it was like a mirage. I was so happy to have ridden 33 miles and even happier that I was done!

Aloha Kris, Me, and Tiny Tish after 33 miles!

I actually really enjoyed the ride even with those last four miles being so tough. I hit up a swim Sunday after I got in a nap and again my shin felt weird. I am keeping an eye on it and will report further after a run attempt tomorrow.

Hope you all had great holiday weekends!

T. G. I. F.

No really - THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! This week has been pretty challenging at work and my peers and I are currently wondering if someone handed out a special Kool-Aid that made everyone dumber than a box of rocks. It actually made me picture the Kool-Aid man yelling "Oh yeah!" as folks drank the sugar-syrup stupid flavor and then ran straight to my desk...

Poor Kool-Aid Man. I actually like the stuff but that whole Jonestown thing really did a number on him.

Anyway, it's been a long week and I'm so happy for the long weekend. I've got some awesome training runs, bikes, and swims scheduled and I can't wait to head to the beach for Memorial Day. I need a beach day fo' shizzle!

In other workout related news my left shin has been bothering me off and on for a little bit and I'm thinking it's because of my beloved Asics Gel Noosa's. You know the ones that are colored like unicorn vomit? (Not to be confused with Unicorn Tears, obvs.)

I've only worn the Noosa's at my 5K's and track, plus the tri's. I haven't worn them during any long runs and I've felt fine during those. I just think that the Noosa's don't have enough cushion for my pushin'. Heh. I still adore them because they are so disturbingly bright and unicorm vomit-ty. Le sigh. I guess I'll just wear them to spectate and direct traffic.

If the pain stops then I'll know for sure. It feels like a shin splint which is odd because I've actually been running less due to the biking and swimming. Overall, I'm not too worried about it though. Carry on!

I plan on a long run, long bike, and long swim this weekend and I can't wait. I hope you all have lovely long weekends too! Holla.

Thankful Thursday

Every once a in while a GREAT opportunity presents itself. And since I'm in the business of being thankful on Thursdays, I've got the perfect reason to be thankful today. I recently had the GREAT opportunity to interview an Ironman champion. Yeah, that's right a professional triathlete. How cool is that?

Well, Carol at Arctic Ease set me up to interview Ironman Canada winner Meredith Kessler. And I could not be happier with the opportunity. Here is a woman who began competing in Ironman races when she was 22 and has risen to the professional level and lo and behold she is one of the NICEST people I have ever met. I may in fact be stalking her a little bit now.

In speaking with others about professional endurance athletes they have met it seems that these folks are just so down to earth and friendly. Our sport rules! And of course, Meredith is most certainly in that category. Yeah, I have a girl crush on her. Just ask Red and Spike about it since I repeatedly peppered our conversations while in Cleveland with "You know who else is from Ohio?" and "You know who else likes Clif Shot Bloks?" And of course they answered, "Meredith Kessler?" Cause they knew it was coming.

I'm just so thankful to have had the opportunity to interview her and so grateful to Carol at Arctic Ease for setting it up. Check out the interview HERE at the Arctic Ease blog.

So what are you thankful for today?

Best. Video. Ever.

I was going to wait until Thankful Thursday to post this video but I can't take it any longer. The sheer thought of you folks not seeing this video makes me want to cry. I was so surprised that someone showed me a funny YouTube video that had been viewed by millions that I had yet to see and was happily surprised by how AWESOME it is.

It has nothing to do with running or tri's, but I just find it hilarious and have watched it to the point where I catch myself mouthing the words just like I do when I watch any of the LOTR. (Yes, I'm a nerd, member?)

If you have already seen it, then YAY for you, cause it's so stinking funny. But, if you haven't...here you go. You're welcome.

New cyclist lessons: Part 1(ish)

I can only assume that since I'm a new cyclist I'll have several parts of these "new cyclist lessons" and feel that it is my duty to let you all know about them in case any of you are newbies or feel that one day you'd like to ride a bike in preparation for a tri or due to dumb running injury.

This lesson could actually be part 2, since I sort of went over some stuff at my last triathlon. Like, learn how to put your chain back on and try not to fall over due to your saggy shorts. I digress.

Yesterday I decided to head up to the paved 7 mile loop that many cyclists train on. There are also a lot of runners and roller-bladers and roller skaters. The roller skates crack me up since they are so old school, but you'd never catch me on those cause I'm basically terrible at anything with wheels.

I headed up to Flatwoods trail with a buddy nice and early since he needed to ride and agreed to give me some much needed pointers. He helped me the first two miles by going over the gears and then he told me to jump behind some speedy (well, speedier than me) dudes and practice drafting. I asked him if he thought they'd mind and he said, "If they do, I'll jump in front." They didn't seem to and I plugged along behind them for about 5 or 6 miles hitting about a 19-20 MPH speed! Then I got tired. The good news is that I finally found the "sweet spot" of gearing. It seems that I've been riding in the wrong ones for pretty much all of my time on the bike. Oops!

There's a lesson! Learn better gearing BEFORE racing. Heh. (I did get some gear training previously, but I think it finally clicked yesterday.)

My little buddy then sped off while I continued on my ride. I was happy to see that I could hold a 17 MPH speed for longer than I ever had in my gears and I continued to try to draft on groups as they went by. They'd usually drop me but it was good practice to try to build up to a group ride.

As I rode along I saw a very large group of walkers. They were pretty spread out across the path and I had to slow way down to go around them. I didn't want to hit anyone and definitely didn't want to fall myself. As there were walkers on both sides of the paved trail I got nervous about getting around them. It thinned out a little but then I saw some emergency vehicles blocking the entire path in front of me. There was some room on the right and a cyclist coming back toward said I could get by on my bike, but I decided I'd stop and walk it around them.

I'm glad I did because I doubt I could have maneuvered around them. As I rubber-necked by, I saw an older woman being placed on a gurney. She was crying and had her leg wrapped. I asked a man standing by what happened and he said she was hit by a cyclist. Ouch! Apparently the cyclist suffered a broken collar bone and she broke something in her leg. I have no idea who was at fault or how it happened but I'd guess they were both a bit to blame. As Cay-See once told me, a bit of trepidation can be a good thing in cycling. There's a lesson!

While we chatted about the accident another female cyclist rode up and was asking if we saw a man with a baby trailer behind his bike. I said I had not seen him and she said she was going to tell him not to ride with that trailer. I wondered why and she went on to explain that it was a very young baby and that you can do damage to a baby, by the shaking, in one of those trailers if they aren't at least a year old. I guess this baby was lying down and not even six months. Yikes! As we were talking the man she spoke of rode by and off she went to catch him. (I have no idea about any of this stuff since I have no kids, but I could see how putting a baby that young in one of those trailers may not be the best idea...) There's a lesson!

Needless to say, it was a very eventful day at the trail for me! I got in my 25 miles and managed to stay out of all of the drama. But at least I learned a few things. I'm seeing some progress on the bike and am feeling better because of it.

I did get in my long run this weekend, even though I cut it to 9 miles instead of 10 due to heavy legs and the PC's (poopy cramps). I also swam a TON on Friday and Sunday. Yay! My ventures into the triathlon continue...

Happy Monday.

Photo Phriday (Heh)

I never do a photo Friday -er, Phriday, so since I got this from the CLE half marathon, I figured I would share. Have a great weekend you running fools!




(Don't I look like the happiest person ever? It's all due to Unicorn Tears.)

Thankful Thursday

Almost every morning I read CNN.com, since I like to know what's going on in the world. And every morning it depresses the hell out of me. There seems to be so many awful things happening all over the place it's a wonder how we all get out of bed in the morning. Of course, you can blame the media for the sensationalism of what they decide to print and hope in your heart that there is good going on out there.

In my efforts to find the good I, of course, did some google stalking. I'm happy to report that I found the following lovely websites. All of which I am super thankful for today.

The Good News Netwok - hooray for stories about human kindness and compassion!

Happy News - Their credo is that "virtue, good-will, and heroism are hot news." Me likey!

The Onion - Ok, so this is essentially fake news, but it's so funny you'll forget about the real news that can be a total downer.

The Great News Network - This site has a "feel good" page and it's worth giving a read. The site in general is pretty good, but it is a little bit on the tree hugger side. Aw, hell, who doesn't love to hug a tree?

Only Positive News - Go here to get your positive on! Suck it bad news!

I hope these sites offer you all some cheer on any day that you could really use some good news. If that doesn't help, there's always....The Landlord.





What are you thankful for today?

Cleveland Rocks! Race & Trip Recap: Part 2

As my alarm jangled I jumped from the hotel bed and immediately shut it off. Uh, ok, so it jangled and I stumbled around wondering why it was so GD early. I'm pretty sure I was nowhere near being quick about it since Red mentioned later that she was basically cussing me out for taking so long to shut the damn thing up. Heh.

I opened my caffeinated Gu with my eyes partially closed and slurped it down. My new thing for ensuring a good pre-race poop is to suck down one of these bad boys, as they work like a charm. I was on the toilet within the hour and happy as a clam to have that, ahem, out of the way.

Shortly after my alarm went off the others woke up. I'm fairly certain that two of them needed water. Apparently the Cleve is a fun place to bar hop. Again, I say, bastards.

We all got ready and headed out of the hotel to meet up with a few other bloggers.

Left to Right Back Row: Joanna, Jenn, Dave, Jodi, Spike, Moi
Left to Right Front Row: Jen B, Nicole, Red, Erika

I really enjoyed meeting all of these other bloggers. I had read a few of their blogs but am happy to find a few more great blogs to read! As the cheering squad left, I walked to the start with Joanna, Jenn, Dave, and Jodi. Erika and Nicole were off to be maniacs. God bless em!

I think we were all nervous and the chatting helped. But, we soon had to part ways for one reason or another (parking meters, potties, line up, etc.).

I believe I was one of the few doing the half so I found the 8:23 pace group and lined up a bit in front of them. At this point, I was freezing. I had worn my favorite Lululemon running top. The print is called Unicorn Tears and I'm obsessed with it. I had also worn shorts under some throw down pants. I didn't have a throw down long sleeve shirt and I shivered waiting for the start.

Finally the gun sounded and off we went. I'm not even sure it was a gun honestly, it could have been a horn. All I know is that I was off and ready to run this half. I enjoyed the song "Cleveland Rocks!" as I crossed the start line and pressed start on the Garmin.

Now, as I pressed start on that Garmin, I kept looking at the pace to see where I was. I am a TERRIBLE pacer. I'll zoom up and then slow down and repeat. Unfortunately, my Garmin is from the Paleozoic era and requires batteries. When I told Red this she kindly offered me hers to wear. Sweet right? Well....sadly her Garmin was set up to MPH and not minutes per mile. Every time I looked at it, it said 7.9 MPH or 6.9 MPH or 8.1 MPH. "What the hell does this mean?" I thought. Oh well. I just tried to look at my time per mile and laughed about the Garmin fail.

At about miles 3 or 4 I overhead a guy say "We're at an 8:20 pace right now." I looked over to see two gentlemen running and chatting. I mosied over and said "Hey, can I run with you guys for a bit cause I have no idea what pace I'm running." They said sure and off we went.

The two men I linked up with were named Dave and Dominic, which made it very easy for me to remember their names. Yay alliteration! We chatted and exchanged race stories. They were both super nice guys. Dave was running the full and dutifully kept us on pace, but we kept pushing it. I got a little concerned for him since he was running the full and keeping a very quick pace. I found out he was a track coach for a high school so I figured he knew what he was doing.

At mile 6 I told them my cheering squad would be around mile 7. I told them that my cheer squad would be loud and amazing and awesome. And then we hit mile 7. No cheer squad to be found. Then mile 8. Nope, no cheerleaders here. Hm. "Do you even have friends out here?" They joked. I wondered what happened but just kept running.

Someone told me that this race was flat. I'm pretty sure that person is a big, fat liar. This race is not flat. Ok, from a Florida resident perspective - this race is not flat. Probably from a person who lives in Michigan and Ohio it's relatively flat. But to me, there was one hill that was intense enough to shut me up. Dave told me it was coming and kindly talked while we ran up it as I huffed and puffed. He then said, "That's it Beth. We're over it." Hooray!

The miles ticked by and as we hit the final 5K mark Dominic and I said by to Dave and he continued on with the full marathon folks and we picked up the pace. Right about this time I heard a very loud Spike on his bull horn. I got so excited I sprinted to see them. I was super surprised and happy to see this:

They had donned Bobbed wigs in support of B.o.B.! How cute, right? And of course the signs were inspired as well. I saw a girl at St Anthony's tri with a sign that just said "Go" and I loved it. Thus, the GO sign. And I love the phrase "Light it up!" cause Cay-See yells it everytime she passes me on the bike and of course, the Unicorn's with tears - for the aforementioned Unicorn Tears that I am obsessed with. SERIOUSLY, I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! Spike said on the bull horn "That's my friend Beth passing you! Don't let her pass you!" It was the funniest thing and I pumped my arms and sped off with the invigorating jolt you can only get from cheering friends.

Apparently there was a little spectating snafu, but I was so happy to finally see them I didn't care at all. They rock!

I looked at the Garmin and saw that I could make my 1:45 goal if I pushed. Neither Dominic nor I had a pace to look at and it was sad to see Dave go. I figure we dropped it down to 7:00 to 7:30 minute miles for the last two miles.

As I crossed the finish line I looked at the time on the Garmin and knew I'd hit that 1:45 goal. I was happy but know that I can go faster at my next half. It was a great day!

I got to see Jodi and Dave as we headed back to the hotel and since we were all pooped and cold and Red's leg was bothering her we called it day and headed back to the Mitten state. We got back to Red and Spike's and said goodbye to Jen B. We then rented a silly Rom-Com and headed out to meet Sun Runner for dinner. (Sun Runner and her dad had also ran at Cleveland that weekend and she is delightful.) I had a most delicious steak and lobster meal since I had a shiny new PR, I felt I deserved it. Heh.

The following day Red and I hit up the outlets near her home and then I had to say farewell to the Mitten. I had a wonderful time and am sad to be so far from my Boo again, but she's coming down south soon enough and I can't wait to see she and Spike again.

Race Stats:

Chip Time 01:45:47
Overall Place 841 / 13314
Gender Place 219 / 7404
Division Place 57 / 1272
Pace 8:04.1
Split10K 0:51:47

Cleveland Rocks! Race & Trip Recap: Part 1

I am finally back home in Florida and let me tell you that I had 1,400 work emails and 27 work voicemails. I crap you not. Nothing like coming back from a wonderful trip to emails about TPS reports and a copy machine that is about to spontaneously combust. Now where is my stapler...

Anyway, as I was saying. I had an AMAZING time visiting with Spike and Red. I absolutely adore the pants off of them. Well, actually they keep their pants on cause that would be weird.

The back story on this trip was due to the fact that Red was going to attempt her BQ at the Cleveland Marathon. I took this as an opportunity to book a trip to see her and run the 1/2 with her then go cheer her in. And since fate is a dirty, dirty whore sometimes, my beloved Red got a stress fracture. However, as she is a wonderful person and friend she insisted I still come run and she would cheer me and all the other runner bloggy friends in. (Really, if you haven't met her and Spike I highly suggest a trip to the Mitten state. They rule.)

Upon arrival on Friday, we (Red, Spike and Me) headed to Playmakers (a popular running store in Okemos, MI). I bought a few running items and found an anklet for those tri chips that sometimes come on what can only be describe as the world's chafe-iest velcro. This anklet will save me from chafing my entire foot off at any tri's that don't offer the better straps. Win!

We then roamed the grounds of Michigan State and went on to eat about 900 pieces of sushi. Spike and I had a contest and while he thinks he won, I'd like to point out that since I am smaller than he, the number eaten should be based on the ratio of size to food, not just in counting pieces. Just sayin.

Later that night we saw the movie Bridesmaids and I cannot begin to explain how freakin' funny this movie is. Go see it. Right now - er, after you read this post.

On Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed to the pool for some B.o.B.-style swim lessons for Red. Basically I shoved her head under water and told her to BREATHE! Just kidding. I gave her a lovely lesson on how to swim freestyle and she did great. She'll be Esther Williams in no time. In fact she may just swim the English Channel on a Tuesday, for no reason other than she just feels like it. You know, no big whoop.

After our swim we headed to breakfast and then got ready for the impending arrival of the lovely Jen from Solitude Stew. Jen had just run an amazing 25K and was travelling our way to head to Cleveland with us for a little spectating action. Note: She also rules. Pretty sure you people in the mitten are all from the same species of coolness.

As soon as Jen arrived and changed we loaded up and headed to the Cleve. Heh.

Our 4 hour drive included singing, eating Cheez-Its and other various road trip fuel, and stopping for Beef Jerky where the shirts read "Nobody beats our meat!"

So. Much. Jerky. I'll take foods not to eat before a race for $500 Alex!

We hit up the expo, which was kind of lame but I think that's due to our late-ish arrival. I only got a shirt that was too big cause they were out of my size and my bib. No bag, no safety pins, no eighty flyers for other races, nada. But, that's a lesson learned in racing: get to the expo early. Of course, this was not a major deal since Red found me a great deal on some tri shorts. Woot!

After the expo we went to our hotel. It was awesome! Who'd thought that a hotel with an elevator the size of a broom closet would have such amazing suites. Kudos to Spike on that one.

The four of us did the old pre-race dinner where I had stupid pizza and everyone else ate the most delicious meals I've ever seen. Well, at least for that night. They made sure to let me know how bad the dessert was as evidenced by this photo:

Yeah, they are total liars. The dessert looked and I'm pretty sure was - decadent and glorious. Bastards.

As the three headed out to explore the Cleve, I went to sleepy land with thoughts of a 1:45 half marathon on my brain.

Stay tuned for the riveting 2nd part.....

Giving it another tri and half mary goals

Since that last triathlon left me feeling a wee bit silly cause I had some many bike issues, I've decided to give it another go. And why not? I'm already trained up for the swim and the run. I just need to get on the bike more than one time and I'm already ahead of where I was for that previous race. Heh. Only this time, I am going to try to not go all Three Stooges at every transition.

On Friday, I am leaving for the great Mitten state to visit Spike and Red AND run my 2nd half marathon, The Cleveland Half. Thus the bike training will have to commence more in depth when I get back. I did however manage a nice 17 miler yesterday AM. I did not fall over and I drank from my water bottle without careening into the nearby bushes, so that's gotta be a good start right?

I signed up for yet another Olympic distance tri that is being held in the one hilly location we have in Florida, Clermont. I was told I could handle the hills there but...we'll see. Hills are for heroes, as they say. Yeah, I don't know who they are either, but I'm sure they mean well.

As for that half mary this weekend, I've got a few goals. If you look at the side there where it says race PRs you'll see that the last time I ran a 1/2 was in 2010. This is incorrect. I looked up that race and realized it was 2009! (Yes, I'm too lazy to change it and hope to remove it after this weekend anyway.)

That half was a Halloween race and I did manage to win an award for my costume, a run-away bride. Ain't been caught yet, holla! I was also coming off of Old Wonky and just sort of cruised the first 5 miles or so. It was super hot that day but for some reason I felt good. I remember that race fondly because I was surrounded by friends (Red ran it too!) and there was no pressure.

Hopefully, Sunday I can gain a new PR and still have some fun. I'm sure with Red and Spike and so many bloggy buds out there, that should be a piece of cake. Here are my goals for this half mary:

A. 1:45

B. 1:50

C. Anything under 2:00 and I'm golden!

Happy Hump Day! (Side Note: Every time I think of Hump Day I think of that old Bobby Brown song "Humpin' Around" and then I think of Whitney. Poor, poor Whitney. Man she used to rule. Crack is wack.)

Rokit Fuel Give away!

I've recently been sent a new product to test and host a give away for. I think a few other bloggers on the block may have tried it as well. And as always, I'll give you my honest review and let you try it for yourself.

The Product: Rokit Fuel For Humans

What it is: Rokit Fuel For Humans consists of several different products that are all natural. When I read the ingredients I knew what all of them were. Bonus for no added chemicals and crap. They offer a cereal, an energy mix, and a bar.

The Bar: Holy cow! This bar had so much stuff in it, I dubbed it the "everything but the kitchen sink" bar. I tested the Original and could only eat half of it. I would totally use this bar as a meal replacement because it was super filling.

The Cereal: Mmmm....cereal...mmmmm. This cereal comes in a little tub so you can just pour the milk right in. It was delicious. I tried the Cherry Almond and it was just really tasty. It has lots of oats and big cherries. I didn't feel hungry again for a while. It does have a lot of fiber and that's usually a good thing, just be careful mixing with coffee! Lol!

The Energy Mix: Truth be told here, I personally, did not try the energy mix. The mix itself is basically more wholesome oats, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Again, lots of natural good-for-you stuff. For some reason, this product didn't appeal to me after a workout. It reminded me of a cold oatmeal. The mix comes in a pouch and you add water, juice, or milk and then mix it up and eat.

Fortunately, Navy Steve (our running group's resident Ironman), was available to give it a try. And guess what? He liked it so much he asked for any additional pouches I had. Since he had ridden his bike 60+ miles, then swam over a mile, and then ran 4 miles - I'd take his word for it.

Bottom Line: Rokit Fuel For Humans (don't you love that tagline?) is a great product line that has something for everyone. I can totally see you trail runners and hikers eating these mixes on the go. I prefer the bar and the cereal myself but may try one of the mixes at some point. It's all very healthy and filling, which is exactly what we endurance folks look for.

Want to try it out yourself? Go to the Rokit Fuel website and "Like" them on facebook. OR simply go to the website and check it out. Leave me a comment on how you would implement this into to fueling needs.

I'll send the winner a sample of the mix, cereal, and a bar. I will announce the winner on Thursday since I'm heading out of town on Friday to see Red and Spike.

Happy Tuesday!

Guest Post: Big Sis takes on boot camp

It’s still dark when I am jolted from sleep by the sound of my alarm. What is going on, I think? Did I set my alarm incorrectly after a drunk fun cinco de Mayo? And why do I not feel hungover? Oh yeah. I didn’t go out for cinco de mayo because I am getting up at 5 am to work out! What is going on!?

This may sound like a normal morning for B.o.B.! However, this is NOT BoB! This is Erika (AKA Big Sis*). And if you don’t know, I am the much less motivated sister in the physical fitness realm of life! But this month, I have made the commitment to change!

During a moment of weakness for a great deal on Groupon and the feeling that the button on my pants would burst at any given second, I purchased a month long membership to Tampa Adventure Boot Camp for Women! The camp meets every day Monday through Friday for an hour each time at 5:30 am, 7:00 am, and 9:00 am. You choose your preference. I chose 5:30 in an effort to make it to work on time. My first day I made it to boot camp at 5:30 and then didn’t make it to work until 10:00 (I start at 9:00) because I wanted to rest for “just a minute.” The rest of the week though, I got into my groove.

Tampa Adventure Boot Camp for Women is 3 or 5 days a week. The camper can choose any 3 days or come all 5 for an additional charge. Role is not taken but Coach Jim says he remembers campers. It is made up of cardio and strength circuits that include jogging, jump rope, squats, sit ups, push ups, burpies, and any other torturous exercise that comes to mind; all the while Coach Jim plays music from his iPod and shouts encouraging Whoo Hoos!

The class is great for any level of fitness. Coach Jim always shows 3-4 levels of intensity and high and low impact options. He also sends out daily emails of encouragement and menu options to incorporate healthy eating into your lifestyle, ahem, which I have yet to incorporate. The first class had music from CCR. By today, Coach Jim had updated his iPod to Fergie and Gaga which the class appreciated. The classes are all outdoors and it does feels great to be outside and exercising in the fresh air.

The Thursday class is more cardio and it is referred to as Adventure Day. Campers are encouraged to bring their own iPods as it is a lot of running, stairs and squats. There is also a pre-camp assessment where Coach Jim does a body fat assessment and answers any questions campers have. He provides campers privately with their assessment so that they can compare it to the assessment completed at the end of the month. He sends daily emails with camp information and encouragement. Today we took a push up test and we will compare it to the last week’s results to check our improvement. I feel as though I won’t be able to type at my desk or raise my arms to wash my hair today.

All in all it was and is a great decision for me to join. And since I told B.o.B. about it and now all of you, I would feel like a loser if I skipped camp, which I have been known to do in the past. Plus, I kinda do want to know if I can eventually do more than 25 (girl style) push-ups. Heck maybe I will graduate to real push-ups!

And with the weather looking so good this days, I am hoping to get this body back to swimsuit ready. It is also an awesome way to start off the day and I feel better physically as well as mentally. I am planning on maybe purchasing one more month just to be sure I keep up with the workouts on my own. So get up and out there and join any boot camp, gym or just healthy lifestyle! Believe me, if this slacker can do it, so can you!

*Thanks to Big Sis for the great guest post! Just a little side bar that you can benefit from any type of workout so long as you show up. Happy Monday!

Thankful Thursday

Today's Thursday is epic for me. I am leaving work at eleven with my co-workers to head to the Tampa Bay Rays game! Then, since it's Cinco de Mayo and all, I'm gonna go find myself a fiesta and have muchas cervezas.

Ay dios mio! I'm so thankful for the aforementioned items I can scarcely take it! All this Spanglish talk makes me think of these guys...



I am thankful for this holiday, whose history I am not quite sure of (Note to self: Wiki Cinco de Mayo). I am thankful for leaving the office to go watch baseball - for free I might add. And I'm thankful I am one week away from seeing Red and Spike and all the rest of my bloggy buddies running the Cleveland Marathon & Half! Woot!

It's a great day to be livin' la vida loca!

So tell me amigos, what are you thankful for today?

'Ole!

St Anthony's Tri Race Report

I have so many thoughts and feelings on this race that I am afraid this post is going to be a long one. I typically try to keep them short so I apologize that this is a thousand page epic novel. Without the Hobbits.

Prologue:
The day before the race me and some tri buds headed over to check our bikes into transition, grab our race numbers and chips, hit up the expo, and drive the bike course. During the drive to St. Pete I texted and spoke with Red. She is amazing at calming my nerves and making me laugh. I texted her that I was super nervous and wanted to cry a little. She responded with "There's no crying in try-ing! Lol!" And that made me laugh.

Having never ridden more than 21 miles I knew I wasn't ready for this 25 mile bike ride that lay before me. It's my own fault and I've learned from that under-training mistake. More on that later...

We drove the bike course for what felt like an eternity and I was panicked by the sharp turns, u-turns, and speed bumps I'd have to ride over on race day. And let's be honest, I was just panicked about the race in general. But at least during the ride I had some pre-race fuel to calm my nerves (a little).





After we drove the course we headed to the expo and race check in. We cruised the expo and joked about the wetsuits not getting sold since we certainly won't going to be wearing them on race day. I took this opportunity to do some more panicking and try on some goggles.


This is a good look for me, don't you think?

We then racked our bikes and I tried to remember where mine was located amongst the sea of bicycles. Seeing all them only intensified my nerves and I felt like such a newbie out there with all of the tri bikes that made Dolly look a little like the Coat of Many Colors.

Per tradition, we all jumped into the water for a pre-race day dip. I felt much, much better after this little swim and was glad I did it, even though I didn't really want to mess up my hair. Haha. As soon as I got home that evening I had to quickly shower and head to my sister's for a housewarming. I felt bad for not being able to stay longer and the food she had set out was like "I'll take foods you can't eat before a triathlon for $500, Alex." It all looked delicious. Ok, so maybe I sampled a chip or two...

Race Day:

With the triathlon, it doesn't matter when your wave starts, you have to be there to get into transition before it closes. Thus, at the very early time of 3:40 AM, my alarm went off. I slept surprisingly well and was out the door and headed to St Pete again by 4:30ish.

As soon as I got out the car the first thing I noticed was the wind. HOLY CRAP! Who plans a damn tri during a Cat 5 hurricane? It was bananas. The weather was polar opposite of it was the day before. It was windy as shit and cold. What the hell?

Me and my fellow racers were told that the swim was shortened and moved over to allow a beach entrance and exit. I think normally the swim exits on steps a bit closer to transition. This year the swim was going to be 1,000 meters as opposed to 1,500 meters. And the transition to the bike area was about a quarter mile or a little more. All sidewalk.

I got capped and goggled up and chatted with some friends. I had met a new tri buddy the week before at a group swim and we lined up together. We were joking and laughing up until the race started. I have a feeling she'll be in more of my posts cause I enjoy her company so. I'll call her Little Bit, since that's what she told me her nickname was when I told her mine was B.o.B.

The Swim (1,000 m):

Since the swim was shortened, I was feeling pretty good. I kept reminding myself that I needed to get in there and go since I was certainly not going to be going fast on the bike. And that's what I did. I swam as fast as I could and hoped that I wasn't in the back of the pack. Fortunately, the wind had died down and it warmed up a bit (it would get much hotter though, trust me). The water was a little choppy, but not anywhere near some of the OWSs (Open Water Swims) I had trained in. Take note other newbies: the rough OWS's will help you during a race!

There were a few bumps of hands and feet and a few gulps of saltwater, but no there was no panicking and in general, I felt good.

I got out of the water and ran. I hit that sidewalk and ran as fast as I could to transition. It was not a short run like the other races I've done. We joked that this race was a swim-run-bike-run.



T1 (Transition 1):

As I got to my bike (thank GOD I remembered where it was) I noticed a lot of bikes still racked and felt good that I had the small lead that I did. "I won't come in last!" I thought.

I was pretty quick getting my shoes, helmet, and sunglasses on. And this is pretty much where everything with the bike went south.

The Bike (40K):

Dolly and I headed to the mounting area (sounds dirty, hee hee!). I went to hop on and noticed the chain had come off the back cassette (basically the back sprocket thingy on the bike). I had zero idea how to put it back on. I mean, not a clue. I pulled at it from every direction as bikers zoomed passed me. I started thinking that this was it for me and St. Anthony's. I would have to tell you all how I was such an idiot and didn't learn proper bike maintenance and had to quit this race.

But, fortunately, a kind soul stopped to help me. She yelled, "Hey athlete!" I ran up to her and she put that chain back on in about 30 seconds and jokingly told me thanks for the lead. I wish I had gotten her race number to thank her because stopping to help me added time to her own race. *Note to self: Learn basic bike maintenance and how to change a flat cause I now know that this crap happens.

"Sweet relief!" I thought, "back in the game." Until...I clipped in my right foot as I always do and as I lifted myself onto the seat my shorts got caught on the saddle and I lost my balance, over corrected, and yep, fell right over. In front of all sorts of spectators. My worst race fear had just happened. And you know what? It wasn't that bad. Of couse, I was frustrated, but I was so happy that my chain was back on I yelled to concerned spectators, "I'm ok!" and finally got pedaling.

And then I got going. I pedaled about a mile when I shifted and the damn gears got stuck. Or something. I'm not quite sure what happened here. I couldn't pedal forward. I could only back pedal and as I tried to shift and re-shift I still couldn't pedal forward. Aggggh! I pulled off to a parking lot off of the race course and did a few circles to get right. I finally did something that got me going again, but I of course, kept losing more time on the ride. Sigh.

Finally, back on the bike course and riding as fast as I could, I knew I was not trained for this distance. The furthest I had gone was 21 miles and winging 25 was not going to be easy. The miles ticked by and I laughed as I got passed over and over. Ah, what the hell, I thought. I'll finish this race and know better than to do this again. Me and Dolly shall become one.

Pedaling along I saw many sights of St Pete and was happy when Little Bit came up behind me. We joked about paying for this lovely bike tour and that people passing us were not getting their money's worth. Little Bit was strong on the bike and I watched her fade into the distance ahead of me.

As I mentioned before there were some sharp turns, u-turns, and a few speed bumps. I handled each one with caution and noticed that I was getting tired by mile 15. The miles continued to tick by slowly and I have never looked forward to running more in my entire life. At mile 20, I thought it would never end. I got passed by three of my lady friends who started before me and this is always humbling. First Little J zoomed by and shouted encouragement, then Cay-See did the same, followed by Speedy Jess who called me the prettiest cyclist out there. I'll take it!

When I finally saw the cobblestones, I knew I had done it. I rode 25 miles for the first time ever. During a race. LOL!



T2 (transition 2):

I was so happy to be putting on my running shoes that I'm certain I smiled throughout this entire transition. I gobbled up some Shot Bloks and drank some water and headed out to run. Of course, as I got to the run entrance I noticed I had forgotten to put on my race number and had to run back to get it. FAIL. Oh well, Little J (who got 2nd in her AG cause she's that bad ass), said she did that once and it taught her never to do it again.

The Run (10K):

Ah, the run. My happy place. Sort of. I say sort of, because it was HOT by the time I got off the longest bike ride ever. I told myself I could walk through the water stops if needed and was completely grateful to the folks outside of their homes with hoses. They squirted runners down as we passed and it was a fun touch for the end of this race. In my head I was whining until I saw an athlete with a handicap and limited ability to run and I felt like a jerk. She was out here with a disability and she was looking strong. I felt happy for her to be kicking butt and reminded myself how fortunate I was to just be able to race. It gave me the pep I needed to finish that final few miles.

The Finish, Stats, and final thoughts (AKA damn this crap is long):

I crossed the finish to see my friends from the BRA and managed a big smile. I was done. I was tired and I was so glad it was over. I walked over to get my medal, take my finisher's photo and then headed to our tent to pass out.

I felt queasy and dirty (thanks to that bike chain incident and mucky water and sweat) so I decided I needed to take a breather and a quick dip in the ocean. I needed to gather my thoughts and just be for a few minutes before laughing and celebrating. And so I did.

The cool thing about the tri is that you can get your race results immediately. My stats were like they normally are: good swim, terrible bike, and great run. I was disappointed at first, but the more I think about it the more I realize that I can only get better and what's the point of doing these races without the ability to work harder and train better and achieve more? Not a whole lot if you ask me.

65th out of 114 in my age group

Swim time: 19:11
T1: 5:46
Bike: 1:38:09 (15.2 mph)
T2: 3:38
Run: 50:59 (8:11 minute miles)
Total time: 2:57:43

Thanks for reading my novel.

Champion Winner!

First things first...the winner of the Champion jacket is....

(The Radomizer picked #5 from the order of comments)

K from Baysiderunner blog!! K, send me your address. My email is discombobulatedrunning at hotmail dot com.

I know you are all waiting for my tri recap and it shall be hot and fresh out of the oven tomorrow. I will say that I finished and it was a tough, humbling, and fun race.

Stayed tuned and Congrats to K!