I'm nearly ready!

Today was a good day.

The scale gave me a very nice gift first thing in the morning: the lowest number this millenium. I love it! FitDay is my friend!

Today was also my last hard running workout before the Columbia Triathlon on Sunday. Four miles on the hilly path, working on staying strong on both the uphills and the downhills. I think it was a pretty good test-run for the rolling Columbia course, and it felt great the whole way.

So great that I was inspired to tackle My Nemesis Hill again. My fastest time running up it was 3:05, last February. I haven't done repeats on it for a long time. I had no idea what I'd do, but I jogged up it and did my best to stay strong and steady. Just like always - gasping and breathing hard, but keep the feet moving, keep the effort level high all the way until you can touch the street pole and the top and then hit the button on the watch.

2:41. Over 12% faster.

BRING IT ON!!!!!!

Mulberry memories

I took the girls over to the park today for some playtime, but didn't bring the camera. When I got there I saw a cluster of 6 or 7 police cars on the trail, and several cops standing around talking. One was walking through the area taking photographs. It was like I had stumbled upon the opening of an episode of CSI. I'm not sure what happened there, but I'm pretty sure I don't want it happening near any playgrounds my girls are in!

When we were leaving Catherine demonstrated her long-term memory for perhaps the first time. We were walking along a part of the path where several mulberry trees bear fruit. Last summer I had given the girls ripe mulberries there several times. Right at that part of the path, Catherine looked up and asked for "Strawberries? Strawberries?" I was pretty amazed that a not-quite-three-year-old could remember eating fruit there 9 or 10 months ago! I had to disappoint her and tell her that they wouldn't be ready for a long time!

Nothing to say

I feel like I don't have much to blog about. I'm in limbo. My husband is home from work this week, bouncing back from the appendectomy. His father is being kind enough to visit this weekend so that I can get away to do the Columbia triathlon on Sunday.

I'm cutting back on my workouts a bit. Woo, I swam 1500m in the early morning today when everyone was asleep. Huh, how did 1500m become a "short" refreshing "little" swim!? When did that happen? That's pretty cool. I hope it feels that way on race day.

My last 100m, two-lap portion this morning was a speed check - how fast is a "very comfortable pace but not too pokey" 100m swim for me right now? Turns out it's 2:51. Including 3 open turns. That would give me a 42:45 swim time for 1500m - that would work! Although I'd like to get closer to 38 minutes, and maybe I can with a wetsuit on and only two 90-degree turns in the swim. The proof is in the pudding on race day!

I still have to assemble all my race gear in one place, review the checklist, and give my bike Buttercup her final cleaning. I gave her a pretty new black front skewer yesterday and she will get a new rear one when I take her off the bike trainer. I keep telling her that if she's especially good at all her events this year, she might get new aerobars next year.

Catherine has been her usual funny self. Yesterday morning she was asking about Daddy, and I told her that he was still asleep. Her response? Yelling out "Wake up! Wake up!" I can see we're going to be in trouble when she finally learns how to safely escape from her crib. I can definitely see getting another baby gate for their bedroom doorway.

Then she had animal crackers and she was feeding raspberries and orange juice to them (holding their little cookie faces up to the straw for a sip) and then after she bit their heads off, she would yell out "Broken! Broken!".

The Great and Powerful Oz

. . . has granted my request.

I've received a deferral for jury duty in June!

Yay! One less thing to worry about right now while getting ready (and recovering) from these first two big triathlons of the season, and juggle while my husband still can't take care of the girls on own while he's recovering from surgery!

Taper, anyone?

Those are tapers. Signifying that I'm beginning my taper for Columbia much, much earlier than I had planned!

Bad news: This was (unexpectedly) my lightest training week of the entire year. 5.5 total hours, including essentially zero cycling. I was really banking on a nice long swim on Friday and a 65-miler today, neither of which happened. I guess that's why they call them emergencies. I won't do anything foolish like try to make up for lost time now - I'll fit in some short workouts when I can carve out a few minutes next week and do my best to go strong into Columbia.

Other bad news: My husband was instructed not to lift anything over twenty pounds for a MONTH. That takes us all the way past Eagleman. I don't know how we're going to juggle minding the babies and my training both, unless I start doing a lot at 5AM while they're asleep. Ugh.

Other REALLY bad news: My twin girls are now officially at the stage where they think that the most hilarious thing in the world is to remove every last stitch of clothing and run around like crazy girls and do their very best to escape from the Wrath of Mom trying to re-clothe them.

Good news: My husband is home, safe and sound, pretty uncomfortable after surgery yesterday, but we picked up a nice supply of Percoset for him which should see him through. I told him to be sure and save the extras.

Right now the long-range weather forecast for the Columbia triathlon couldn't be better: "More sun than clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 50s." I'd better stop looking at the reports. All it can do is get worse.

Sitting still

Sitting here in front of the computer instead of doing my ride today - it's killing me! It's also perfect weather for it - 65*F, clear skies, no wind at all. Oh well, there will be other rides. At least I feel better than my husband, recovering in the hospital today with a painful abdominal incision. I have to get the girls packed up and drive back two hours in case he gets sprung from the Big House later today.

Here are a few Catherine-isms from the last couple days. Ah, the life of a two-year-old:

• Eating hard-boiled eggs, she ate her favorite part, and then returned the white part to me, requesting "More yellow? More yellow?"
• Then last night I found her sitting on the floor in the kitchen, happily licking butter out of the butter dish as if it were an ice cream cone.
• Yesterday she pulled a set of curtains completely off the friggin' wall (the screws were loose in the drywall already). This morning she was dragging them around the floor by the big wooden curtain pole and announcing that she was "mopping! mopping!".
• These days when she wants her diaper changed she climbs up the changing table like a monkey up a ladder and lies down to assume the position for diaper-changing. I'm hoping that willingness to be potty-trained is not far behind!

Appendicitis

Yep, the inflammation was confirmed by the CAT scan, so my husband will have surgery to remove that little bugger either tonight or tomorrow morning. Fortunately it sounds like they caught it early enough that he didn't have some of the more horrible symptoms, other than a painful, sleepless night last night.

Meanwhile, the girls and I are a two-hour drive away, so I'm not much help in bringing him a toothbrush or extra magazines or a change of clothing! I'll probably drive back tomorrow morning, although he may not be released from the hospital until Sunday. The hospital is quite close to our townhouse, so he could even take a taxi home if it was necessary, but hopefully I'll be able to pick him up.

I guess there are a few things more important than a bike ride, right? I'll have an extra-long taper for the Columbia Triathlon now. I have my fingers crossed that he'll bounce back quickly enough to take care of the girls (including lifting ~30 pound squirming uncooperative things) for a few hours within a week of surgery, because otherwise I'll have to DNS!

Scratched entry

It looks like I'm a scratch for tomorrow's Le Tour de Talbot. My husband has decided this was a good weekend for appendicitis. Right now he's in the hospital where our babies were born, waiting to get a CAT scan before they start cutting.

Oh well, I guess it beats next weekend when I'd have to cancel Columbia, right?

I hope you all have a better weekend than us!

Pre-race nerves

Gosh, I thought this year I'd finally be getting over this stuff, but here they are again. Those old, familiar, pre-race anxieties.

That old weather obsession has returned. Just for the record, here's the extended forecast for race day, which I know is pretty meaningless at this point but I HAD TO LOOK.
Sunday 5/21:
Scattered Showers
High Low
75°F 54°F
24°C 12°C

At least this year I'm confident I can make it around the course (barring any bike crashes). But those "what-ifs" are still popping into my head.

• What if I'm slow? Uh, nothing new there.
• What if it hurts? Um, it will always hurt unless you're slacking.
• What if I give up and stop trying in the run? See above.
• What if I forget something? That's what pre-race checklists are for, dummy.

I know it sounds stupid. I'm just observing and reporting, not analyzing. I'm trying to let the crazy thoughts just flow through my head, take care of business item by item, and just let them flow away.

Today's business is giving Buttercup a good cleaning and lube, swapping out her front tire for a new one, and making sure that she's ready to go for her 65-mile test ride tomorrow and my gear and food and drink is all prepared and packed for the morning.

Morning swim

I got back in the pool this morning for 2500m after a three-day layoff. That's my longest break this year, but I think I needed it to fend off a cold. I was generally fatigued and full of malaise, and still have a scratchy throat that I don't like, but I don't think I'm going to get a full-blown illness at least.

I did a few tests for my upcoming Olympic-distance triathlon:

500m, cold start: I sometimes have problems getting comfortable in my stroke and getting my breathing down to a regular pattern when I first start swimming. To test my ability to "just swim", I hopped in the pool and did 500m right off the bat without any warmup. It went well - I got comfortable quickly and finished it in 14:39. Of course, swimming in 85*F water is a much different experience than swimming in 65*F water as I will be in my triathlon. I'm just hoping I don't have a full-blown hyperventilation episode in response to the cold water like I did last year.

200m time trial: This also went pretty well! 5:02, at a reasonably comfortable pace, not a full-out sprinting pace. Woot! That's a full twenty percent faster than I was swimming the same distance last November! Yay! That's wonderful news!

Sighting: I'm accustomed to swimming head-down, using the lane lines at the bottom of the pool for visual references. All that's gone in the murky open water I'll be swimming in during my upcoming events. I still do a big neck-twisting contortion thing to get my head up high enough to sight ahead of me while swimming, and I suspect that I'll be emerging from the water with a sore neck (which will hurt me in the aerobars on the bike leg). More practice definitely needed.

On to Columbia! We're down to ten days out! And yes, I've already started looking at the long-range weather forecasts, and they're mostly saying rain for the next two weeks.

Sodium source

Electrolytes. You need more than you think during exercise, especially in hot weather. Especially this time of year when you're not acclimated to the heat. ". . . typical electrolyte loss rates by sweat are 1,300 mg/hr for sodium, and 230 mg/hr for potassium". Especially if you're a larger-bodied Clydesdale or Athena athlete, like me.

I recommend replacing those electrolytes as they are lost, rather than waiting until you are depleted and running into trouble. Hyponatremia (low blood sodium) symptoms are not uncommon in endurance athletes and include dizziness, disorientation, bloating, nausea, muscle cramping, and stomach "shut-down". Also soft-tissue swelling (i.e., swollen fingers, unanticipated blisters on feet on longer runs).

I'm just passing this along today because it's the season that we transition back into working out in the heat, and it's important. Plus the sodium source that I use, Succeed capsules, has a new website and online buying source, here. I have no commercial relationship with them. But if you're an endurance athlete and don't have another concentrated source of electrolytes for endurance activities on hand (and no, sports gels, sports drinks, and pretzels do NOT have sufficient sodium to replenish losses), consider buying some Succeed capsules. And use them during any workout longer than two hours.

A few updates

Calorie counting: Is still going! Six weeks now and I'm down 4.5 to 8.0 pounds (depending on which scale I use), but down LOTS and LOTS of inches. Again, I'm not doing any big-time calorie restriction, just trying to make sure that most days I take in less than I burn, which I can't seem to do consistently without actually logging everything I eat. Everything has fewer calories in my head than it does on paper.

Elisabeth: My daughter's new hearing test is now scheduled for the middle of JULY. Ack! Yes, that's supposedly the first they could get her in. Grrrr. Thank you for all your helpful comments, everyone! It's fantastic to know that such a group of wonderfully well-informed professionals is reading my blog! Part of my problem is transitioning the girls out of the Virginia system to a new system in a new state (Maryland) when they turn 3 on June 1st, and I just have to get the ball rolling on that. Without having a diagnosis in hand, other than apraxia (which just means she's not talking much).

Workouts: I've been fighting off a cold this week (which everyone else in my household had, hence Elisabeth's cancelled hearing test) and I've skipped at least two workouts, feeling fatigued and dragging my tail. I want to make sure I'm strong and well-rested going into the Columbia Triathlon on May 21st, when I'll be swimming 0.93 miles, cycling 25.4 miles, and running 6.2 miles. Yes, as one non-athletic person asked me, without a break! I just hadn't planned to start my pre-event taper quite this early! I've got a 65-mile bike outing scheduled for this Saturday which will be my longest ride so far this year and should help reveal any cracks in the foundation of my preparations. Or more probably, in my aching back.

My favorite proteins

I hear now and then about triathletes choking down lumpy protein-powder shakes and that just strikes me as just plain WRONG on so many levels. I'm all about Real Food for Real Triathletes.

How about these Real Food alternatives that are excellent quality protein sources, that are also reasonably low fat and low in calories?

Mmm, crab. Mix with a teensy bit of mayonnaise and put on crackers or rice cakes with juicy red sliced tomatoes. Or spread it on a half bagel and broil a little cheese on top.

Serving Size: 2.5 oz.
Calories: 40.00
Total Fat: 0 g.
Protein: 9.00 g.

Or similarly, canned chicken breast can be prepared the same way. The 3 ounce cans have only 70 calories and 15 grams of protein.

The pre-sliced pre-cooked chicken breasts are also yummy and couldn't be easier for sandwiches or salads. Half a cup yields 90 calories and 15 grams of protein.

Or if you like pork, you can buy small pre-sliced Canadian bacon or ham at about 25-30 calories per slice, loaded with protein.

Then again, there's always my all-time favorite - a lean hamburger straight from the grill! In our grocery we get wonderful locally-produced pre-made Angus patties that have fewer than 200 calories each after cooking.

I hate the medical establishment

Rant ahead. Skip this post if you aren't up for a rant.

I can't stand it! I hate hate hate dealing with anything medical! It's no wonder people avoid going to doctors!

Our almost-three-year-old daughter Elisabeth has fluid in one ear from her cold. Now we have to postpone her hearing test for AT LEAST another month, depending on when we can fit conveniently into their schedule. More unknowns. More time off work for my husband, using up vacation days. More time before Elisabeth can get a real diagnosis of the extent of her hearing loss and get effective treatment for her speech delay.

Oh, and can we reschedule? Not with just one phone call, NO, of course not! This requires a series of at least three or four phone calls.

And then when we do get the hearing test done? They can't tell us the results. We have to wait at least a week after that to disclose the results to us, the mere parents. The actual results need to be handed down from God . . . er, a physician, enthroned in the Desk of Authority. Another week after the test, at least. Another week wasted.

And oh yeah, if she has a significant hearing loss, then we have to file a lawsuit against the hospital that overdosed her twice on medicine while she was in there for heart surgery, which caused the hearing loss. Not that I'm suit-happy, but it will be necessary to get the extra therapy and hearing aids and education and whatever else she will need.

Gosh, do you think I'll get that return phone call that I was promised up and down by the hospital ombudsman soon? It's only been, oh, 30 months or so.

Maybe I'll get to see that doctor again. That really kind and sympathetic one that told me right after they overdosed Elisabeth on an ototoxic drug, "If we suspended nurses who gave overdoses to patients, then we wouldn't have any nurses."

And oh yeah, the county-based therapy that she has been getting terminates when she turns three next month, so we're kicked out the door on that and have to find something else for her.

Gack. Do I sound frustrated?

Metric century next Saturday

As part of my final preparations for the Columbia Triathlon on May 21st, I'm going to do a little ride next Saturday through scenic Talbot County, Maryland.

The Tour de Talbot has 20-mile, 65-mile, and 100-mile options. Here's the flyer.

I'm planning on signing up for the 65-miler when they start at 7:30 AM and beginning my ride shortly thereafter, about 7:45-8:00 AM. My plan is to take it nice and easy and slow (~15 mph plus long stops for food!) so that I don't pull any muscles or do anything dumb just a week before my first big triathlon of the season. It goes over most of the roads that I usually ride on - it will just be a little more fun to do it with an organized ride.

Would anyone care to join me?

I still haven't had any open-water practices yet this year either, which worries me, but I definitely will bring my wetsuit to the pool this weekend for a practice run if I don't manage to get into the Bay for a swim.

Bay Bridge 10K

Today I ran a "train-through" 10K, after another 29.3-mile outing on Buttercup yesterday:

It's a very early start to gather on one side of the Chesapeake Bay, cross in buses over one of the two spans, and get the race over and done before the start of a massive Bay Bridge Walk.

On the bus on the way over I thought of the 4.4-mile swim that they hold between the spans every year, which still scares the bejesus out of me looking down into that water:


The Governor's Bay Bridge Run is quite a large and popular 10km event. The views from the bridge are fabulous! It's a fairly difficult course - 2 miles UP, 2 miles DOWN, then up over and down a highway overpass before finishing in a waterfront park. It was also unseasonably cold today and I was freezing at the start (50*F and windy), where runners have to wait for about an hour before the gun.

I kept my camera in my waistpack for most of the race, but I stopped briefly to get a shot of this swan on her nest that I always see next to the bridge. Not long after that *jeanne* zoomed past me, clicking photos on her way, and easily striding away! I never found her after the race, though. Maybe she'll have more actual race pictures to show off.

I tried to maintain a fairly steady pace, but was slowed by some steep camber on the highway overpass around mile 5 that was painful to my feet. The 3-mile split (with two miles of it uphill) was 31:46, but the finish time on my watch was 1:08:42. Finishers got quite nice medals this year:

We were also treated to a lovely view of the bridge from the bayside park after the finish.

Some triathletes were supposed to gather for an open water swim here after the race, and I had brought all my things for it, but I was just too darned cold! I was chilled after the race and even when I had returned home it had only warmed to 59*F. It was an ideal day for running, but I wasn't brave enough to risk getting that cold with no place to get warm and an hour drive home.

Fifty miles per week

That seems to be my threshold for developing crotch toughness on the bike. Under that, and I carry acute reminders of my ride with me for 24-48 hours. Now that I'm getting above that mileage rate, I don't seem to have the same type of soreness problem.

This is just a note to myself to remember for next year, since I don't plan on dipping below 50 miles per week on the bike again until mid-November of this year. Hopefully.

It's summer

Spring is over, and summer is here on the Eastern Shore!

Bunnies are out grazing . . . .

The harbor is filling with luxury yachts . . . .

Sailboats are racing . . . .

And baby track workouts are in full swing, in between dandelion-picking excursions.

At least until one of the trainees decides it's time to feign exhaustion and fake-sleep on the job.

I know the feeling, believe me, girl!

Great ride yesterday

I was privileged (yes, Flatman!) to take a nearly-30 mile bike ride yesterday, which was a nice counterpoint to my 3150-yard swim. My bike computer is still dead, so I didn't have speed or cadence data - but it was kind of nice to just ride on "feel" for a change. Down in the aerobars the whole way - my back is getting a little more endurance finally!

This is my new "sports gel" - much cheaper and easier to find in stores than Clif Blocks, plus smaller pieces and much tastier! And they don't wind up like glue adhering to my teeth, like Sharkies. I think I'll try carrying these in my upcoming triathlons, along with my favorite nut bars.


I still get a little concerned when I see the buzzards circling around me . . . .













I always like this turnaround point at the old ferry landing in Claiborne on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Long ago before they built the bridge across the bay, this was one of the Eastern Shore landings for the ferries that people took on vacations as they made their way over to Ocean City. Now the railroad is gone and the ferry landings are too, but there are a few places to tie up small boats.

Today's swim

I got to go to the nice clean YMCA pool today, where I always enjoy swimming. I did 1000 yards warmup and balance drills and then started a 1500-yard continuous set. That felt pretty solid, so I kept going for another 13 laps to hit a half Ironman distance continuous swim (with open turns in a short pool, and one or two brief stops).

43 laps for 2150 yards in 56:52.

Nobody will accuse me of being super-speedy, but that's a very solid swim for me!

Hey, at Eagleman half Ironman last year I swam the course in 81:22. Today's swim was 24:30 faster, or over 30% faster.

COOL!

It does help when you can't swim way off course because of the lane lines, though....

Now I get to go for a bike ride in a few minutes. I love warmer weather!