endorphins.......

So since my injury in August and after Lake Placid I really haven't done anything over 2hrs, A. because I was sort of burnt out, B. I was and still am bummed out about my foot ( which is getting better) C. I really didn't need to. However, for some reason 1hr or even 1 1/2hrs just isn't enough sometimes to get my endorphins going, to give me that exercise high. For example, I worked out really hard for about 1hr 20 minutes yesterday and all I could think of was, " how can I get my run in today?", " should I put my bike on my trainer?", its terrible, totally out of whack thinking but I just feel better when I get in a longer/quality type workout, it just plainly makes me feel good.

Today, I did a Vo2max bike session that was in total, 1hr 45 minutes and because I couldn't fit in my run yesterday I followed that with a 30 minute run. Man after pushin up to 330 watts on the bike and being able to run pretty good after made me feel amazing, I just have been on a high all day, 2 hrs and 15 minutes of pure joy. I know this is crazy but it was awesome.

Heres my bike workout:

Basically from minutes 1-30 it was building to low end of my vo2 max ( 240 watts)
then do 4 x 10 seconds of 95% effort building cadence from 90-110 and then recovering for 1 1/2 minutes
Recovery spin till I hit 40 minutes then:

4 x 3.25 minutes at 240 watts with the last 45 seconds building to 300+ watts, maintaining normal cadence and effort

recover 4 minutes in between each set

AFter main set recovery spin until you hit 1hr 45 minutes


I followed that with a 30 minute run on the treadmill at a 1%- 1.5% incline 7.0mph.

AFter my workout went to see my physical therapist who is encouraging me to increase my mileage and some speed so I will be discussing this with coachie.

Also, I have been asked by my good friend Keri to do a century on October 10th ( good lord, I haven't sat on my bike for more than 2hrs) but what the hell, as long as my hubby and kids are ok with that why not. Not bad to spend the day before my birthday doing something I love.

Mac Kids Triathlon, so much fun

My training has been on the back burner for the last week or two, I mean I get in most of my workouts but without a race to really train for and with my foot still hurting a bit its nice to do different things and its nice to cheer on my kids. This past weekend was a whirlwind, on Saturday we had 4 soccer games of which all 4 of my kids played and 4 different times and at 4 different fields in Beverly, Without the help of my mother in law trying to get kids to different fields would be almost impossible. Saturday went by fast and with a birthday party and a flag football game with the neighbors kids it was time to call it a night. Both Phil and I were exhausted and I knew I had to get up early in the morning to help with the Manchester Athletic Clubs kids triathlon in Manchester Mass. The weather was predicted to be great so I was really excited to help out and to watch two of my 4 kids race.

The logistics for Sunday were going to be tough, I was going to the MAC at 6am to help set up, I packed my kids things including a bike to bring with me so my husband wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning, he dropped off all the kids at 9:15 and took my oldest Kellen to the Patriots game. Again, I wouldn't have been able to volunteer and help/watch my kids at the triathlon if it werent' for my mother in law who watched my 4 year old while the others were busy racing. Man, I have to say, I know my kids are young but I was so excited for them, watching them race is so much fun, I know I can't make them love what mommy does but boy it would be great to see one of my kids do triathlon as a sport because they were great on sunday. My daughter Shea was in the 5-6 yr old group and she had the fastest swim out of all the kids and she had a really good run as well, she placed first in her division. But most of all she said, " mommy, that was so much fun I can't wait to do it again next year and do the bike this time", yeah, success, she's happy, safe and she had fun.

My son Alex was laser focused for this triathlon, he placed first in the 5-6 yr old group last year and desperately wanted to win his age group again this year, however the bike was new for him this year and I was a little concerned on how he would do ( not Alex he knew he could kick butt). He looked around for his competition, especially his friend Nina who kicked his butt last year ( she is the cutest thing- I think he likes her but we won't tell anyone) anyway, for some reason he just was so confident and wanted to rock and roll.

Anyway, he had the fastest swim out of all the 7-8 year olds, when I saw him running to T1 ( where I was working) I couldn't believe how fast he was going, I was blown away. Then he was off on the bike riding like the wind. Within minutes he was back to T2 ready to run, when I saw him get out of T2 he ran so fast I was scared he was going to poop out. My friends on the course said he was smiling but had a very determined look on his face. Anyway, he finished in second place in the boys 7-8 year old group and he was very proud of himself and can't wait to come back next year and try to regain first place.

Man I was so proud of my kids and all the kids who were out there, no one complaining, everyone having fun, the weather was perfect, the hula hoop contest, the magician, the music/dance contests for the kids, it couldn't of been better. I wonder if the adult tri's could have all that stuff too, it would be so much fun.

Anyway, getting ready for the Gloucester Cross Race this saturday, hoping to just survive and have some fun. I am still pretty bummed out that my fascitits hasn't gone away but I'm able to run 3 days a week giving my foot a day of rest in between but the constant aching on a daily basis is pissing me off. Well, I guess since I can do everything else I shouldn't complain, things could definitely be worse.

The Walk of Shame........

So I've owned my Cross Bike for about 10 days and I have flatted 5 times, I'm starting to get really pissed off. I have had my TT bike for 2 1/2 years and I've flatted three years ( twice in one race), so really only twice. Today was supposed to be a great day, I was meeting a bunch of ECV guys to practice cross with this morning. I have the Gloucester Cross race on October 2nd and I need all the practice I can get with bike handling skills and riding the terrain. The other day my friend Bob and I were riding and I flatted on a single track at Bradley Palmer, he helped me change my tube and something just wasn't right with the wheel when we were finished, it was wobbling a bit , didn't feel right, so I went to the bike store where I bought the bike and they told me that the rim tape the manufacturer put on the wheel was bad and they needed to change it. The rim tape helps keep the tire in and secure and that wasn't happening right now. So after they helped me with that I rode home and everything was great. Today I got up early, pumped the tires to 45psi like they said and off I went. 2 1/2 miles into my ride I flatted, I was on the road not trail, why would I flat, I didn't hit anything, no glass, WTF.......

I pulled over and started changing my tube. Man new tires are tough and this tire was really tough to get off. I felt my fingers and hands burning. After getting the tire off finally I realized that I probably wasn't going to make the rendezvous with the guys so I just took my time. I felt inside the tire, no glass, no holes.... These cross tires are thick, not like my road tires, so I was a bit confused why I might of popped my tube. It took a ton of time to put my new tube in and then put the tire on, it was so hard to get the tire in. Finally after ( well I'm not going to tell you how long it took but it certainly wasn't the fastest I ever changed a tire) within 2 minutes I saw my tire deflated. WTF.... I looked to see any pinches, no tube was sticking out, what the hell.

I had only a little Co2 left and decided to walk home. A few bikers stopped but the people who stopped to see if I needed help didn't have any Co2 or bike pumps, didn't know how to change flats, it was amazing. I mean, thanks for stopping people but really, if you can't change a flat or care for your bike why are you out there? Thanks though.

Anyway, I got home after 25 minutes of walking my bike home and decided to go at it again. I grabbed another tube and started the process all over again. Again, it took forever to get the tire off and then I inspected the tube, I really couldn't find the hold, it wasn't pinched by the valve, so weird. I checked the tire, it seemed fine, what was I doing wrong? Am I an idiot. I was so determined at this point. I put in another tube, it took another 15 minutes to get the tire back on and then I pumped up the tire, everything looked good, I was so psyched. Then, 4 minutes passed and I noticed my bike was flat again, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. No more, no more, no more. I'm done, no bike stores are open on sunday, my husband couldn't change a tire if you paid him or even know how to get the wheel off, I will just need to deal with it tomorrow, but I'm pissed.


Let me tell you why I'm pissed:

1. I should know how to change my tire quicker.
2. I should have more skills and abilities to figure out whats wrong with my wheel/tire/brakes/etc... when something goes wrong. I felt very confident changing my tire but fell very short today and have wasted a lot of tubes and my time.
3. You should always know how to use every piece of equipment you own before heading out onto the road, no questions asked. I felt like a fool walking my bike home and an idiot. I did my best but I wasn't able to troubleshoot the problem.

I vow to get so proficient in caring for my bike in the future that I will rarely need to use the bike mechanics in the future.

Multisport Mom: Why You Need to Do This...

Multisport Mom: Why You Need to Do This...: "I hate bugging my friends for stuff. I am not a salesman. I also hate spending my time making flyers like this: My friend Greg bought t..."

My first Cross ride, if you can call it that.....

Ok, so I decided to go out for my first ride on my new cross bike today, my friends told me to go to Bradley State Palmer park and find some trails, well lets just say I thought I needed a mountain bike, good gracious, my hands hurt just from holding on to the brakes. However, I do have to say I loved every minute of it, the hoping off the bike, running ( if you can call it that-stupid heel) up hills carrying my bike, etc... I was actually faster riding up the hills then running. The scenery is breath taking, I came across some women riding their horses it was just really cool. I spent a lot of time focusing on the ground though, I don't know if this is normal or not, looking out for boulders, horse crap, holes in the ground, the gravel at times was hard to ride on but I managed. Anyway, it was super fun, my bike is dirty, I'm sweaty so it must of been successful.

Of to physical therapy where I hope Sara can work some magic.

Pumpkinman Race Report

I was feeling pretty good about saturday, no stress, no expectations, just going up and having fun with my friends. I knew I had some decent swim and bike fitness but I hadn't run in over a month and my heel ( which is getting better slowly, still was hurting a bit). I went on friday night and spent the night with my good friend Keri Boyle, she is also coached by JRM and she was racing Elite for the first time. After having her 3rd baby 18 months ago her progress in triathlon has been great and her racing has just turned around remarkably. I am really proud of my friend and look forward to her kicking some major ass in the near future.

Anyway, we chatted and ate twizzlers and then went to bed after watching a bit of the Jesery Shore. Woke up at 5:15 and ate our normal breakfast and headed out to the course. I have to say on route to the pumpkinman course it was just beautiful, the sun was rising, the fog was lifting off the farmland, the cows, I wish I stopped to take more picutes it was just beautiful. Anyway, we got there with plenty of time to spare and got our stuff ready. The volunteers were amazing, the venue was beautiful, registration went like clockwork. I had a lot of fun taking picutes of Keri in the first row of the Elites, so much fun to see her with the big girls, then of course Deano was there so I had to take a few pictures of him ( one of the nicest people ever and fast, did I mention fast).

Anyway, I had a lot of fun going around chatting with people, taking pictures, relaxing, meeting one of my blog friends Mary Eggers ( she was race announcing the sprint and racing the 1/2 today) just fun. I finally went out with Keri to get our warm up in on the bike, check out the course a bit. Came back in and it was ready to roll.

It was swim time and after 5 waves it was my turn, nothing too much to say about the swim but being in a back wave really sucks because you have to swim around a lot of people, I had a good line, I swam well, I was 8 minutes flat and first out of my wave. Then it was the run up the notorious ski hill to T1, I took it really easy with my foot and just kept a good pace, 1:33, not the fastest but not the slowest either.

I was the first in my age group on the bike course however Amanda Cox passed me around mile 6 or 7 and I didn't see her until the run, she biked 21.7mph, so great job to her. I averaged on my computer 20.5 but the results have me at 19.9. Not bad, not great, the roads were a little rough and that got congested a lot so to make sure not to get a penalty trying to concentrate on passing and doing the right thing made me slow down a bunch and not take advantage when I wanted to. There was also a lot of turns on the course which slows down your overall speed. There is also a bridge that is tricky to cross over so you have to go slow and then there is a hill right after it so that crushes your speed. Anyway, my bike was fine, only one person passed me and that was Amanda, no other guy or girl passed me. 2nd in AG at this point going out to the run.

Of note, Mary's husband had crashed on the bike at the bridge, when I saw him I was so scared for him, he wasn't moving and he looked really hurt. WE found out late last night that he had a few bumps and bruises but he was fine. I was praying the whole race and yesterday that he was fine. Its so hard to see anyone get hurt.

So into T2 I went feeling pretty good, foot not bad, for some reason my transition time is really slow, I think I decided to bake a cake or something but I put my Kirvana's on and took off. the run course was nice, not too difficult, I knew I could finish the distance but it was how fast and when would my foot start to hurt. I could tell my Threshold fitness wasn't there but I felt pretty good and in the end I averaged 7:38 per mile and finished with minimal pain to my foot. However, today my foot hurts a bit so I'm glad the season is over and I can really focus on healing.

I finished 9th overall female, 1st Age group for 40-44 ( however a side note, the top 3 overall amateur ladies were 40-44 and they don't count them in the Ag categories so in theory I was 4th AG) way to go to the ladies in our division it was great to have the level of talent only get better as we age.

I would definitely go back to this race and probably do both the sprint and 1/2 next year. The food, the venue the race director the fun, the volunteers, what left is there to say, oh yeah, only 45 minutes from home. Ironman better watch out because races like this may soon take over, its all about quality and this race has it.


Results: Dean Philips Fitwerx overall male winner
Peter Mallet 3rd overall male winner
Keri Boyle 4th overall female and 3rd elite
Vin Miserendino 1st overall amateur male, Franco 2nd AG 35-40, Marty Miserendino 3rd AG 35-40

Way to go Fitwerx for putting more people on the podium then most, they guys deserve it.

I'm a heel striker....

So my injury ( left heel plantar fascitis) started pretty much right after Lake Placid. As I discussed in a previous blog, after riding 112 miles on the bike I felt severe burning in the bottom of both of my feet in the front ( right where the cleats are located on my bike shoes). This pain I experienced was very severe and it actually hurt the entire marathon. My feet felt awful and during the marathon I think I changed my running mechanics a bit to be more of a heel striker to lesson the amount of pressure off of my front foot. Anyway, soon after LP when i started gearing up again with the running I noticed I was running a bit off but just shrugged it off. Within 2 1/2 weeks of ironman I had developed plantar fascitis of the left heel. I was away on vacation and new ( since I had a small bout of it 2 years ago) to lay off the running, ice/motrin and stretching with the hopes that it would resolve in a short period of time. Well, we are at almost 1 month and its just now just starting to feel a bit better. I have seen a physical therapist twice a week, icing/motrin/stretching, going to bed with a sneaker on to keep my foot flexed, its driving me crazy. However, today, I ran 3.6miles on the treadmill at 0% incline and felt minimal discomfort. I was so happy, however, I know I am not out of the woods and I need to continue to run conservatively and to continue my therapy to make this heal.

One of things Sara my PT wanted to do during our session last week was to evaluate my running gait, to see if she could tweek anything to help my foot recover, here is what she saw:
1. I am a big hell striker
2. most of my stride lands in the front of my body
3. I land with my foot locked in full supination- which she noted is not ideal as you will not absorb shock as you land.
4. I have very limited movement at the pelvis- she wants my pelvis to open up so my hips can follow through behind my body
5. I am stiff in my lower thoracic spine 9 which is contributing to my inability to get my pelvis to open up)
6. I am lacking in hip extension- I have a tight Psoas- which is also limiting my hip extension/stride behind me

She is having me do:
try quiet running-avoid hell striking- let my foot fall directly below the hip ( at the mid-foot or apex of the arch)
2. avoid landing with the foot in supination) run quietly
3. let the pelvis and trunk rotate back as my stride opens-I should rotate just above my lumbar spine ( around T12) as my leg swings back, I need to let my hip go and feel the rotation all the way up to T12
4. Lean forward from the ankles-do not bend at the waist- keep my core tight.

I tried this again today and it seems to be working. I would be a fool to think my foot pain is going to go away right away but at least I can correct all my running issues while I'm running conservatively and hopefully we can prevent this from happening again in the future.

My issue is: I have a sprint triathlon this saturday and I really want to do it. My problem is that I have run 4 times this past month and obviously no speed work. A. I am afraid to injur myself more, B. I don't know if I can handle everyone passing me on the run, which was already the slowest part of my Triathlon. I will give it another few days and make my decision at the end of the week. We'll see. But keep your fingers crossed that things are getting better, I know I am.

A new kind of brick: Aquajogging

As you guys know, I have been nursing a small bout of plantar fascitis in my left heel, its getting better but it still hurts to run over a specific mileage so coachie and I have added some aquajogging into my schedule to replace the running for right now and its hard, really hard. Aquajogging provides a great balance of training stimulus and reduced impact on your joints, and for many athletes ( like myself) it can be a time saver too.

To make the most of your time and effort, you can combine a swimming session with aquajogging to create a new kind of brick workout.

To make the deep water running effective you should be mindful not to just read water ( that's cheating). Instead, mimic your run gait and flex your ankles, knees and hips as you would while running on land. Your deep-water run gait should look like your running stride on land, complete with arm swing.

I tried to go without the belt the first time and I found that my form sucked and that I was spending more time with my arms out in front of me helping me run/tread water. When i put on the belt it helped me maintain good flotation and then I was able to really properly execute my form in the water. A properly executed deep-water run is a true aerobic workout, so you should be breathing hard ( even sweating). Deep water jogging is not an easy way out of a workout; instead, the session should be a tempo-intensity workout in a warmer, less-jarring environment.

Based on an article from Triathlete magazine, if you know your tempo-run heart rate zone, use it where indicated. Your tempo intensity should be 96% of your average heart rate for a 5k race. Since your not supporting your weight when you run in the pool, it's harder to get your heart rate up that high. As a result, your tempo intensity for deep-water running will be about five to seven beats lower than it is on land.

An example of a swim/aqua-jogging workout from Triathlete magazine, authored by: Abby Ruby, CTs Expert Coach:

Warm-up 300meter swim, 200 meter pull, 100 meter kick
Swim set: 800 meters at race pace
Aqua Jog: 20 minute water run with 2 minute warm-up; 3 x 5:00 @ tempo intensity on 1 minute easy jogging recovery
Swim set #2: 500 meter race pace
Aqua Jog: 15 minute water run with 5 x 2 minutes hard ( max intensity and turnover) on 1 minute easy-jogging recovery
Swim set: #3: 3 x 250 race pace on 15 seconds rest
Aqua jog: 10 minutes tempo intensity
Cool Down: 50 meters

Total: 2700 meters swimming
45 minutes jogging with 35 minutes at tempo intensity and above.

Wearing a heart rate monitor during the aqua jogging would be very helpful so as not to slack off.

The workouts have been going well for me, I miss running a ton and hope that I can still do the pumpkinman sprint next week. I
I also have the Stone Cat marathon in November so things have got to turn around soon. If all else fails I am starting a new sport this fall called cyclocross and will be dipping my hands into the mix. I recently purchased a new cross bike which I can also use as a road bike so I'm pretty psyched. We'll see.