Sunday, June 27, 2010

Ironman Texas

Hell has frozen over ... Ironman is coming to Texas.

There has been talk of this happening for years, given the large triathlete base in the state, but until now it was all just talk. So, when 3 to 6 months ago, rumors started to circulate that Ironman was coming to The Woodlands, triathletes got excited yet again, but were not optimistic. That is, until 3 weeks ago, when the governing body in The Woodlands (suburb outside of Houston) posted the agenda of its upcoming meeting and Ironman was on the agenda. Apparently, per statutes the agenda and other information are public records and had to be made available.

You can imagine the local excitement about the race ... Although there was plenty of whining about the date, May 21, 2011 (myself NOT included). You see, Texas in May can get pretty hot and the humidity is back with a vengeance by that time of year. Despite all of the whining, when the official announcement was made, Texas triathletes put on their big girl pants and signed up at Noon on Friday, myself included. $630 friggin dollars. Ironman raised their already high prices!

Everything is bigger in Texas, and I could not resist racing in my backyard. Are there potentially better dates for a Texas IM? Sure, but the date is what it is and I decided there was no sense in complaining about it. In a sense, it would be like whining that my diamond shoes are too tight -- if you have diamond shoes, what the heck are you whining for? Also, Kona is pretty darn hot from what I understand!

I am most excited that I will be able to race in front of a home town crowd, especially my friends and family.

Anyone else out there considering IM Texas?

Sunday, June 13, 2010

iPod, oh, iPod ...

Well, I have killed yet another iPod. I am not sure if I sweat more than the average athlete or living in such a humid climate breeds sweat, but I have not come up with a way to keep my iPod Nano protected while running or cycling.

Let's skip the conversation about whether one should be training with an iPod all together and let's just agree to disagree.

I am now the proud owner of the latest generation iPod Nano and would love suggestions on how to prolong its life. I tried using Ziploc bag this weekend and it worked cycling, but not so much running. After my run, the bag was saturated and my new Nano was just stewing in sweat. Urrgh.

Why a Nano and not a Shuffle?

Well, I love listening to audio books and that is much harder on a Shuffle. I have just finished up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire and highly suggest those titles if you have not read them. I am just about to start the last book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and I can't wait!

Besides keeping my mind occupied during long training hours, audio books make me happy because I get to multitask. I don't have much time to sit with books so audio books let me maximize my time. If you have book suggestions, leave me a comment.

I listened to the entire Twilight series last year training for IMFL and listened to Angels and Demons, Born to Run and Freakonomics earlier this year. As you can see, I like a diverse group of books so let's hear those suggestions!

Happy Training!

p.s. Cedar Point is less than 3 months away now and I just completed another solid 15 hour week (even with a business trip to Boston -- where I lost my Lonestar hat in the wind -- with late nights out). 90+ mile bike ride and 15 mile run completed this weekend ... ahh, rest day tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

May In Numbers

With Cedar Point just over 3 months away (how the heck did that happen????), here is what training has looked like for the last month...

14 bike rides
10 swims
15 runs
5 rest days
1 vacation day
1 holiday
1 forgotten helmet (I borrowed one)
1 forgotten pair of shoes (my AMAZING hubby dropped them off in my car while I was riding)
Countless showers and loads of laundry (again, done by my AMAZING hubby)

May in Numbers
Swim: 25,500 yards in 10:15
Bike: 578.38 miles in 32:58
Run: 88.34 miles in 13:21
Other: 2:31
Total Time: 59:05

I have referenced this before, but I am still amazed at how different I feel training for my second iron distance race. Don't get me wrong, the training hours are just as long, I get just as tired and I eat just as much (if not more!), but the fear and stress associated with the unknown is not there.

To some extent, there is less excitement about the race... but not because I am not excited to race. Traning for IMFL was all about the end goal -- in a sense the journey was about the destination. What I learned after finishing IMFL though, is that for me, the training is the journey and the race is more of a celebration of how far you have come.

I am very excited about meeting up with the rest of the Trakkers team in September, chilling out at one of America's best amusement parks and racing 140.6 miles -- but that is not what gets me out of bed in the morning or in my bike saddle for hours on end. I actually enjoy it.

I don't know if I will do 140.6 every year, but I do know that I will do something challenging every year, as long as I can.

Goal Tracking
1. Photography – May was a slow month on the photo front, but look for fun things to come in June!

2. Nutrition – I am dialing in my race day nutrition and enjoying my Ultragen recovery drinks. I still need a healthy and fast dinner recipe. What is your favorite?

3. Strength Training – I am happy to report that I am back on the wagon! I am looking at picking up a couple of the P90x DVDs for more variety on the core / abs front. I am borrowing the DVDs from a friend this month to see if I like them.

4. Swim Technique – Just keep swimming ...

5. Fun goals – I need to find a Sprint tri just for fun, maybe after Cedar Point???