happy Friday!

Off-season has done strange things to me. I have gotten more "housework" done in my apartment this week than I have for the entire year. This includes: laundry, cleaning, organizing old clothing.

Last night I dreamt about buying boxes and boxes of Powergels.

I actually sort of miss riding my bike, but I know that 10 minutes into a ride, I'd be ready to be done, so I'm staying away from it for now. Or at least my crotch would protest. What I should do is clean my bike because it got pretty dirty at Syracuse 70.3. My bottles of Powerbar Endurance are still on the bike and are probably pretty gross.

I discovered the joys of Lululemon Athletica yesterday at the opening of their new showroom in Rochester. Mary's yoga place (Breathe) sells Lululemon but that place intimidates me so I don't go in there. I hate wearing clothes. I REALLY hate wearing nice (i.e. uncomfortable) clothes. So what kind of clothes do I like spending money on? Athletic stuff. Enter Lululemon. High quality running and yoga clothes. AKA things that I can do my workout in, wear to Wegmans, wear around my apartment, go on dates in, etc. Freaking AWESOME!

FYI - my birthday is in January and I will welcome gift cards to Lululemon. Also, a powermeter and/or Zipp tubulars would be WONDERFUL. :)

Anyways.. happy Friday everyone!

activities of an off-season triathlete

Here is my life so far.

Day 1 of off-season: Barely make it through work because I am so tired. Lie down for nap. Wake up and eat pizza. Discover the heavenly deliciousness of Nutella. Watch movie. Go to bed.

Day 2 of off-season: Get pressured to start doing yoga. Resist pressure to register for Eagleman 70.3 next June. Do laundry. Watch NCIS. Talk to Kim about boys on Gchat. Go to bed.

Day 3 of off-season: Go to tattoo parlor to inquire about M-dot tattoo. Actually GET M-dot tattoo. Make attempt at cleaning disastrously dirty apartment. Fail at cleaning. Do more laundry. Go to bed.

Day 4 of off-season: Attend grand opening of Lululemon showroom in Pittsford. "Accidentally" spend money at Lululemon. Foam roll the hell out of still-sore hamstring. Go on cleaning rampage. Do more laundry. Watch The Office. Go to bed.

Day 5 of off-season: Has yet to be determined but there is a boy involved! :)

Just a little more about my new tattoo!! I stopped into the tattoo shop - called Tattoo Kamikaze - after work. I had a design and a color scheme all ready and they were able to tattoo me right then and there, no appointment necessary! It took maybe 25 minutes. Tattoos hurt but it really doesn't even bother me. Granted, all of my tattoos are pretty small. I'm sure a giant piece would be much more painful!

I forgot how gross the aftermath is. Maybe it's worse with a tattoo on a lower extremity.. I don't know, but it oozed for the rest of the night. Today it has pretty much dried out and has that nice cracked, desert look. But at least it's not oozing or bleeding anymore. I am only wearing one compression sock today because I don't want it rubbing the tattoo. The colors are pretty bright which I am excited for.. I can't wait for it to heal!

But yes, I have officially sold my soul to WTC.

But, it's the off-season baby!

I am a hypocrite.

I realize that by doing what I just did, I am such a hypocrite. Or, Adam will tell me that I lie in my blog.

Go back and read this post that I wrote in May. Just read it.

Now, look at what I did.

Check out my oozing, bloody, M-dot tattoo!

And of course, where is this tattoo? On my left leg right above my achilles.

Am I Iron enough now, bitches?

Alexa vs. Syracuse 70.3

Just a little spoiler - Syracuse 70.3 won the face-off.

Saturday morning I had a carbo load pancake breakfast at IHOP with Solveig, Mary, her son Luc, and a new team member - Tim. I went home and packed up all my stuff and was on the road to Syracuse at around 11 am. First stop was the Holiday Inn in Liverpool to pick up my packet and hit up the expo. I finally bought the Ironman backpack that I have wanted since seeing it at Placid! I also bought an Mdot winter hat, a Syracuse 70.3 sticker for my car, a water bottle (I have a thing with collect bike bottles) and a Syracuse 70.3 long sleeved shirt since I did not like the generic tech shirt we got for registering. Then I drove down to Jamesville Beach Reservoir to rack my bike for the next morning. Then I headed over to Adam's, where there might have been some couch napping before we went to Mike C.'s for a great team dinner!

I met Amelia and Kelly C. at dinner and they are both awesome!

I was exhausted so we went to bed but I did not get as much sleep as I should have due to my own stupidity.

Up at 4:30, showered, made my nutrition, ate my breakfast, and hit the road at 5-ish. Good thing too because there was MAJOR congestion getting into the park (not so much when I got there, but they ended up pushing the start time back 15 minutes because people were still trying to get into the park). Amelia showed up and exclaimed "I left all of my nutrition in Kelly's fridge!" So I had a bottle of Gatorade that I gave her, and the girl across from me had an extra water bottle. So we hooked her up! (At least until the first bottle exchange). It was kind of rainy in transition but the air temperature was warmer than I expected. However, the water temp. was a lovely 62 degrees. Oh boy!

I ran into my friends Mary and Will (sister and brother) who do triathlon and came to spectate. I have not seen much of them this year so it was nice to catch up!

I got in the water just to get the shock over with. I peed in my wetsuit several times to try to warm up! :) Even though the race started 15 mins late, they managed to send the swim waves out a little more quickly than planned and my wave went off right as scheduled at 7:48 am!

Swim
The swim was cold. In the first few minutes I was feeling pretty good and then somehow I started thinking about sharting (not doing it, it just crossed my mind) and I was GIGGLING while trying to swim. Bad. So I had to force myself to think of other things. Then I got stuck between 2 other women swimming in my wave. I mean right in between them. I tried speeding up, slowing down, swimming crookedly, nothing worked. I could not get out from in between them and it was nerve wracking. Finally I lost one of them going around a turn buoy but the other one was there on my inside for the rest of the swim. I definitely swam wide. On the way back to shore I was struggling. I was swallowing water and my arms were tired. I just wanted to be DONE. My swim time was at least 2 mins slower than what it should have been.
Swim: 36:02

T1
I had a wetsuit stripper which was nice. The run to transition was LONG. I opted to not use my armwarmers which was a good choice. The run out of transition with my bike was LONG.
T1: 3:21

Bike
The bike ride was wet. Rain, spray from wheels in front of me, and fog were all contributing factors. Lots of fog - especially at the top of the hills. Oh, did I mention that I was wearing sunglasses with the dark lenses in? Oops. My visibility was not good during the bike. During the first 20 miles I felt pretty good. I spun up Sweet Rd. easily. I passed Kelly C. on Sweet along with a girl (I think it was her) that I met at dinner the night before. I saw Jason W. and Ultra Adam spectating at an intersection partway up the hill. I also passed Jeremy somewhere in there as well. I actually passed a LOT of folks climbing that hill. After about an hour of riding though, I was ready to be done. Good thing I didn't have a cell phone because I might have pulled the "hey come get me" trick. Yikes! The rest of the ride was uneventful, but hard. I saw a guy drop his chain and then somehow get it back on his derailleur without stopping. That's a neat trick that I must learn how to do! I just kept spinning my legs up the seemingly endless hills. I could NOT pee on the bike for the life of me until like 10 miles from the end. I can't pee unless I'm on a downhill and there wasn't a good one until that far into the ride! At that point, I really had to go so I let 'er rip. Gross and hilarious. I finally got back into transition frustrated and ready to be DONE. My legs were KILLING me as I ran into transition with my bike and I knew the run was going to hurt.
Bike: 2:57:13 - 18.96 mph
T2: 1:51

Running through an aid station to be greeted by Eddy & Adam

Run
The run was horrible. The website said "net downhill" but somehow, net downhill must equal mostly uphill. Everyone I talked to felt that way. Driving back to the race site afterwards there were some big downhills towards the beginning of the run but I did NOT notice them while I was running. It also went right down Erie Blvd. in Syracuse which is a major road with tons of traffic. I thought it would be interesting but turns out, it's not. It just kept going and going and going. I ran the first 3 miles or so at 8:30 pace and I was running with Becky Ashare who I know from some other races, but she was going too fast for me so I let her go. I also had to make 2 porta-potty stops to avoid something disastrous from happening. Then, I just couldn't pick up my pace. Every time I looked at my Garmin it said 9:15 min/mile. I couldn't budge it so I said f- it and just made it my goal to finish. My off-season was at the finish line. That is what got me through the run. I saw Eddy and Adam cheering on Erie Blvd. Ken caught me somewhere between miles 11 and 12 and that saved me. He was having a much better race than I was but by that point, everyone hurts. We ran together to the finish! I got my finisher's medal and found some teammates. I changed, ate, sat around chatting, drank some of Eddy's single malt scotch (WHAT?!) and then Adam took me back to transition so I could get my gear and my car.
Run: 1:58:00 - 9:00 min/mile

Total time: 5:36:27 - 20th AG

finished! um.. am I on crack here?

I have to say that the porta-potties at this race were REALLY NICE! They were carpeted. They had hanging things of potpourri or something to make it smell less nasty. They were decorated with a triathlon theme! Way to go porta-potty company!

Today, I am sore. And I am exhausted. I didn't go to bed until 11:15 pm and I could have gone to bed at 8 pm because that's how tired I was. I didn't leave Adam's til after 9 and it was a looooong drive home!

I want to take a minute to congratulate everyone for a great race yesterday! It would take too long to list everyone! I am especially proud of Amelia for racing a 5:19! That is a HUGE HUGE PR for her and I totally know how good that feels! She barely missed a Clearwater spot which sucks but I'm sure there is one in her future! :)

And THANK YOU to everyone who cheered for me! Other athletes, specators, and friends.. you have no idea how much it means to me and how much it can turn a bad moment into a good one when people cheer. It's just awesome! :)

So here is my analysis of my race. I'm sure Mary can provide me with some insight. I am both ambivalent and unhappy with how my race went. Is that weird? I knew going into the race that it was a season closer for me. I know I have been tired and unmotivated since the Ironman. I know that I haven't been running well at ALL and that I have been skipping at least one workout per week (usually a swim) and that is not normal for me at all. So I knew ahead of time to not expect a PR or even a great performance from myself.

Even knowing all that, I was still disappointed that I did not have a better race. I should have raced better than I did despite not going into the race fresh. I should have at least gone under 5:30. And it's my own fault that I did not! I did not execute well. I had a shitty swim - my fault because I have been skipping swims. My bike split was ok but this is where I totally ruined my chances at even a decent race. I was hell-bent on getting my bike split under 3 hours. In my brain the thought "you did Tinman in 5:16, you HAVE to bike under 3 hours" kept repeating itself. The bike course is not a fast one - at least for me. The first 20 miles I like, but then there is just a lot of gradual climbing with no downhill and I can't ride it well. If I had just sloooowed it down a bit, I think I would have had a better (at least less painful) run. Matt Kellman's wife Karin finished 2 minutes faster than me. Her bike split was slower than mine but she threw down an awesome run time. Better execution? Yes. Much, much better than what I did. I KNEW on the bike when my legs were killing me that I was screwed. Once I dismounted in transition and tried to run with my bike, I was like "ohhhhh f--."

So I had one GREAT half-IM this year, and one not so great one. Hopefully I will learn from my mistakes!

WELCOME TO OFF-SEASON! 2 weeks of absolutely NOTHING has begun!

sharting makes me giggle

Sharting is f-ing hilarious.

It just has to be said.

Everyone in the world knows I have GI problems when I run. I've said it, my coach loves to post it on my facebook, in my race plans - everywhere! Now whether or not I have actually sharted myself - that will remain a mystery. (Seriously, hot guys might read this blog!) However I DEFINITELY have run at the speed of light to the nearest porta potty, dive bar (true story), BBQ joint (also a true story), or possibly - wooded, secluded area. Seriously I have probably used every public or semi-public bathroom within running distance from my apartment in Rochester, and in Mendon Ponds Park.

It happens. That's what running does. That's why they're called "runner's trots." That's also what not having a CLUE about nutrition does. Thankfully, I am learning.

Why the sudden post about sharting? I may have been having a conversation with someone who told me that they shit their pants while training. I know Mary has sharted while training. White Hot sharted himself during IM Florida!

I think it's better to embrace the idea of sharting than wanting to die of embarassment if it happens. I mean come on, is it really socially acceptable to shit yourself? No. But in endurance sports, it happens. I guarantee it has happened to almost everyone that does them. Whether you actually make it to a bathroom or not is probably a testament to how hardcore you really are. Also, whether you will admit it is another thing.

If you REALLY want to laugh, and also be clued into how hardcore triathletes are (especially when going for a Kona spot) read this blog.

I would totally shit myself for a Kona spot.

I like hugs

My bad mood has dissolved! I don't know if it's because it's Friday, or because I got half of my workout done this morning, or because I am racing this weekend, or because I get to see my TEAM tomorrow, but I am GLAD! :)

For stalking purposes, my bib # at Syracuse 70.3 is: 1021.

There is a rather fervent discussion happening on the Train-This google group about water temperature at Syracuse 70.3 (and the Finger Lakes Tri which is the same day but in Canandaigua, NY) and how to dress. I am less concerned about the water temperature for the swim, but more concerned about freezing my ASS off on the bike. It's going to be cold! It has been in the low 50s (sometimes even high 40s) in the morning in Syracuse lately. I rode at 8 am in Syracuse last weekend and I was ok.. but I was wearing a baselayer under my jersey and legwarmers. I actually ended up kind of hot. But I was also dry. At the race - I will be soaking wet! Arm warmers are definitely going to be worn because 3 hours on the bike is a pretty long time to be cold. I have never raced while wearing any kind of excess clothing before - I always just suck it up - and I've never been cold during a race. However, I think I am drawing the line at the arm warmers and I will just rely on adrenaline to keep my hands and feet from freezing off. For as cold as I am most of the time - I never am cold when I race so I am counting on that to help me out!

I will just be needing someone at the end of the race to hand me some dry, pre-warmed articles of clothing! :) I don't care how they are warmed up. I don't care if you stuff them down your pants! I just think it would be awesome to change into clothes that were freshly taken out of a dryer. So someone needs to make that happen! I will pay! But be forewarned, I only pay with hugs.

Tomorrow I can take my time getting to Syracuse (after I stuff myself with chocolate chip pancakes of course) because bike check-in isn't until 2 pm, which I totally forgot about. So it is pointless for me to show up at registration at 10 because then what am I supposed to do until 2!?

The on-site Ironman Store better have the IM backpack that I was eyeballing in Lake Placid or I might cry!

We have a team dinner tomorrow night at Mike's! Oh man, I love it! There will be hugs flying EVERYWHERE!

I am assuming I will not be blogging tomorrow, so I am going to give good luck wishes to everyone racing Syracuse 70.3, Finger Lakes Tri, and to my ex-XC coach Mike M. because he is doing the Tour de Shunk century, which is honestly something I NEVER want to do. It's not called the "Endless Mountains" region of Pennsylvania for nothing! Also good luck to anyone in blog-land who is racing! Syracuse 70.3 race report to follow!

grumpiness vs. pancakes

Alright, so for the past few days I have been a little ok, a lot grumpy. I don't like to be in a bad mood - but I am having a hard time kicking this one.. I went to the barn this morning to see Miss Cherry and although that helped, I am still just annoyed at life for the time being. There's nothing like being a woman on a hormone-fueled rampage.

I'm getting anxious about the race coming up on Sunday. Not the race itself, but all of the crap I have to do before the race! Yesterday and today I did a bunch of stuff - bought my nutrition and food for the weekend, but I forgot to buy Yanks for my new running shoes so now I have to go go BACK to the running store to get them. I also still need to clean my bike and put my race wheels on. Tomorrow I am working 10-6 which is good because I won't be stuck at work all night but it is horrible for trying to get things done. I'm going to have to get up early to squeeze my swim in and then run after work.

I also don't like having to rack my bike the day before the race. I don't even know what time I am leaving for Syracuse on Saturday morning because I am staying with Adam, but he has to ride on Saturday and I don't know how long he is riding for, so I don't know when I will actually have a place to go. I don't want to drive to Syracuse, register, drive to the race site, rack my bike, and then have to sit in my car for 2 hours.

I think it's safe to say that I get a little anxious when I don't know what's going on. But it's weird. I'm not freaking out that my swim wave starts 48 minutes after the first wave - that I don't care about at all. I'm not even that worried that I don't know if I'll be able to have warm, dry clothes at the finish line - and that is a legitimate concern. So why am I concerned about what time I am leaving on Saturday morning? Because I am a freak.

I'm being a whiny little baby and I know that. Maybe bitching about it will get it out of my system? I don't think I have complained about any of this stuff to anyone so maybe this will do the trick.

On a positive note, I am meeting some teammates for a Train-This carbo-load pancake breakfast at IHOP on Saturday morning. And chocolate chip pancakes make me really, really, really happy. So if the bad mood has not been killed by then, hopefully that will do it!

Althought I said cheers to it almost being my off-season, I TOTALLY FORGOT that new TV shows start up again next week! I don't watch very much TV but I am a huge fan of The Office as well as NCIS. Thinking about that makes me quite happy as well! :)