Vineman 70.3 Recap

I participated in the Vineman 70.3 yesterday and had a great time. I was pretty nervous going in because of my lack of training over the last two months. That being said, I had a personal best finishing time at the half Ironman distance of 6:48. Wow-am I ever surprised.

I met Holly Pepper on the run course. She is another Triabetes member and Type 1 diabetic. Her husband and father-in-law were also racing. That was really cool and it was nice to talk to her about racing with diabetes...during a race. Talking to her made me realize that I had forgotten to take my Lantus before the race. A minor freak out ensued until I remembered that I had a great swim, a better than expected bike, and my run was going well despite nagging cramps in my quads. All that and I started the run out at 225, which wasn't too bad given the situation. As a result, I did not take any calories in on the run with the exception of Amino Vital and a handful of pretzels. When I finished I was at 160--so not too bad.

Vineman Lessons learned:

--Pay attention to your insulin intake before a race.

--Do not get your front and rear derailleur cables changed right before traveling with your bike and not riding it first. Bad idea.

--Racing with friends is always better than racing by yourself. I traveled to California with eight or nine other athletes from Hawaii. It was great to see their faces throughout the race and see that they were having a good day.

--Finally, maybe rest periods are good? That is a difficult pill to swallow for a Type A triathlete, but I'll do my best.

Do Not Try This At Home

I started this year out with a bold idea to do things that I otherwise would not. This was meant to challenge myself and to learn about new things. For the most part, I have not done anything too crazy--I went sailing, I am learning how to surf, I have tried new foods, I have gone out with new friends, I am a Triabetes captain. This weekend I will be trying to complete the Vineman 70.3 race in California. For some reason, I feel as if this is going to be my biggest challenge to date.

Three reasons why racing Vineman is a bad idea:
1. I have not been on a 60 mile bike ride since May.
2. My training has been very inconsistent.
3. My mental focus on this race has been almost non-existent. (Normally, I would have printed out copies of race maps, know what time my swim wave starts, downloaded the athletes guide, know when and where the race registration is--I don't know any of this!)

Three reasons why I plan to race Vineman:
1. Why not? I have my plane ticket and lodging.
2. What is the worst that can happen? I DNF. This has happened to me before in much more emotional, spirit crushing circumstances and I survived it.
3. Maybe I can learn something from this--like how to enjoy a half ironman distance when you aren't worried about finishing within a certian time!

We'll see what happens. I am excited for my training parters--Lilian, Brian, Karen, Eric, Jodie, Cheryl, Jeff, Shelley, and Marcy. I am excited for my coach--Tim. They are ready to have a great race. I am glad that I'll be able to be there to share the experience with them. We are all traveling to CA wine country for a great weekend with friends.

Next posting, I'll let you know what happened. My experience with my new approach to life has worked out so far, so I hope that my luck holds out.

Training Pause: Lessons Learned

My training has been a little unstructured over the last few weeks due to travel and work schedules. For the past few years, I have focused on being consistent with my training. I have reaped the benefits from this approach, but it is pretty rigid and does not leave a lot of room for other things. I have learned a lot from my training "pause".

• Take the time to appreciate your surroundings. Instead of going for a run this weekend, I went on a hike that I have been wanting to do for years. It was amazing--wild guava, eucalyptus, bamboo. I was inspired to start incorporating trail running for my upcoming marathon training (Baltimore in October!)
• I actually do like to train! I met with my training group last week for a structured workout and was nervous that I was not going to like getting back to the grind. I had an awesome time. I really like to swim! I really love my training partners! I am inspired to push myself when I see everyone working hard and supporting each other. I am so lucky.
• Finding balance. I have always tried to balance my training goals with family committments, work, and other issues. Now I plan to ensure that "fun" is also in that mix. Additionally, I have learned that many of these things are not mutually exclusive.

I attended the Hawaii JDRF gala this weekend and met a lot of great Type 1s doing amazing things. There are a lot for great kids, families and adult diabetics in Hawaii who are living lifestyles that show that there are no limits to what we can do. I was inspired to keep it up, so I better get back into the grind...with a little more fun, flexibility into the mix.

Fun Times in Korea

I haven't checked in lately because I have been in Seoul, Korea for a work trip. I was not sure what to expect because I have not traveled a lot in Asia. Wow, Seoul is a great cosmopolitan city with so much to offer. Korean food is wonderful and the people here are really nice and helpful. It has been such a trip, however, that my training has suffered. I ran a 5K on Memorial day, but since then it has been quick runs from meeting to meeting.

Since I have been gone, many of my training partners raced in the Hawaii 70.3 race. It sounds like it was a hard day. I am proud of their efforts and just wish that I could have been there to watch them cross the finish line.

I'll check in when I get back to Hawaii via Washington, DC. Hopefully by then, I'll be back in the groove.

Positive Mental Training

I have come a long way from where I started with regards to training and racing. In my first race, I was so scared to swim in water over my head that I grabbed onto a kayak about 100m from the finish in a 400m race. In my last race, I swam 2.4 miles in the Indian Ocean! Yes, the water (and things that live in it) still makes me nervous, but I have learned to face my fear and anxiety to deal with it.

I am very proud of my accomplishments in getting faster, stronger, and gaining more race experience. A lingering issue with me is my lack of confidence, which I feel holds me back. In the past, I always said to myself "You don't know if you can finish this, so stay conservative and do what you can." Now I know that I can go the distance and I want to get faster.

I am stealing some statements from "Cultivating Your Desire to Succeed" from Active.com. This helped me to articulate what I want to mentally train for this year:

Believing that I can achieve my goal to finish and PR at Ironman St. George 2011.
Believing that I have what it takes to try.
Believing that I can bring everything I have within me to a moment that requires it.

One thing that has never been a factor in my mental race preparations is my diabetes. I don't ignore it, but I believe in my ability to control any issues that might arise during a race (which is normally--nothing). I have pulled out of races with low blood sugar, so what. People pull out of races due to a whole host of other reasons.

Wish me luck. This will definitely be more challenging than a 20 mile run or 100 mile bike ride!

Bay to Breakers Madness

I am back from a wild weekend in San Francisco where I participated in the 99th running of the Bay to Breakers 12K. Me and 12 of my closest running friends were tied together in a centipede as we meandered around naked folks, drunk people, and others in all different costumes. The picture above is from the SF Gate and is a picture of us running. (I was in the rear wearing the stinger-don't mess with the bumble bee dragon...someone called us that during the run).

This was a great race. So many times we get absorbed with PRs and performance and forget about the joy of participating. This was a great race to remember the excitment of getting up early for a race. San Francisco is a great host city. My centipede partners were awesome. Brenda sewed and planned out our costumes and they were great. Chuck, the person that I was next to, provided great commentary throughout the race. I was surprised by our performance given the possibility of tripping, but we didn't do to badly and were able to run most of it.

Maybe next year some triabetes and glucomotive folks can join up in a centipede....

Peanut Butter Overdose!?!

I eat a lot of peanut butter, but I am afraid I might have crossed the line. I eat almost a jar a week. I eat it for breakfast....everyday. I eat PB&J during workouts or even for dinner. I eat peanut butter with apples as a snack. I eat it with chocolate chips as a 'dessert' sometimes (no really, it is not every day).

This does sound a little overboard, but in my defense it is natural and a protein source. Recently, however, I have not been able to stand the smell of it and the thought of eating it is almost repulsive. What have I done? I'll need a new go-to food that is easy to eat with pretty much anything that I have in my pantry or fridge. Is there such a thing? I feel like it is breaking up with me.

The horror.

Anyways, I am gearing up for one of the best "block party" 12K races next weekend at Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. I am part of a centipede, which means I am tied to 11 or 12 other "runners" dressed in a crazy costume. Should be fun, however, I am not sure what I am going to bring with me to fuel up. Is there something like match.com for your favorite (relatively healthy) snack?