I DID IT!!!!!

I finished the mini-tri in 01:49:41!!!!! I'm SO excited and I can't wait for the real thing in 2 weeks!!!! :) More details later after a good nap :)

Mini-Tri Tomorrow!

We have a mini-tri up at the Danskin site tomorrow morning... it's gonna be COLD. High of 64, and that will be at Noon when we're all home already.

Wish me luck!!! :)

Official TriAmerica Photos

Official Event Photographer's Photos at TriAmerica. And yeah, Courtney, I am seriously considering the August Ironbabe at Lake Houston! LOL

Tri Dreams...

Well, nothing has changed on the stress fracture front. I was secretly wishing (and hoping and thinking and praying) that the bone scan would be clear, but it's confirmed. The recommendation is continued rest (*ahem*) and reconsider the triathlon. My plan? Continue modified workouts and hope for the best. I am NOT walking away from the Danskin. I've been kind to the injury for 2 weeks and my pain has been minimal. I haven't been spinning and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my decreasing pain amount. Will my foot be in pain during the tri? Most likely. Will Courtney push towards the finish line even if it means a freakin 3+ hour overall time? Absolutely. I'm in this until the end. I'll go back for another bone scan after the tri and see what the damage is...

In other tri news, I've decided to ship my bike. I dropped it off at RBM today and it will be boxed and ready for pick-up on Tuesday. The shop uses DHL, but I see Fedex mentioned quite frequently on various cycling/tri blogs, so I'm going to get a quote from them. My plan is to have it shipped to Jenn's LBS by Thursday at the latest. That will be more than enough shipping time. I'm nervous about it, but my baby will be insured and I'm going to stay positive.

In additional tri news, I've been reading Slow Fat Triathlete: Live Your Athletic Dreams in The Body You Have Now. I just started it and I'm totally impressed (although miffed because the "fat" triathlete on the cover is smaller than I am). Why didn't I pick this up sooner? Maybe because half the time I don't think of myself as fat OR slow. If it moves when you smack it, it's FAT. As for speed, I'm fairly fast on the bike and I walk pretty fast, but running? Let's just say USATF won't be asking me to join them in Beijing!

Anyway, I look forward to finishing the book (and posting a proper review). I'm hoping it will give me a last minute motivational shot in the arm.

Hope you all have a great weekend...only 3 weeks left!

Recovery

So... my arm is almost completely healed. I'm lucky that it didn't derail my training too much. VERY lucky. We had the swim clinic on Saturday up at the race site and it was awesome. At first I was reluctant to put my face in the ice cold green water. But, after almost getting kicked in the chin a few times, I realized that when I put my face in, I can actually see the person in front of me BETTER than with my eyes out. At least, you can see their feet and whether or not they're going to kick you. One of the coaches told me that I had great form but I just needed to slow it down. I told him I was just really cold. He laughed and said "It's ok, it'll get warmer". So we went through some drills, and I realized that I really could have gone with the advanced group (if I'd gone to the 2nd clinic or the Sunday ones, I would have joined them.. they swam the race path) but we have another clinic up there on the 29th, and I think we're gonna swim the distance or close to it.

Anyway, after the drills we did a mock start. They had us all squish in as close as we could so that we could get a feel for what it would be like the day of the race. A bunch of the gals started turning too soon, so it was kind of a fustercluck. But I just swam all the way out to Coach Scott and then came back. After the final lecture, I had a little bit of time before I had to get on the road so I did a few more "laps". Each "lap" of the swim area was a 200 yard round trip and I did them without stopping :) So I swam over 800 yards at the clinic. There's my 1/2 mile :)

It was a really cool experience and I'm so glad I did it. Not to mention that the smell of the lake water brought ALL sorts of childhood memories back that I hadn't though of in ages... Swimming at Bangs Lake as a kid, boating on the Fox Lake River with my Grampa and then later with my Uncle Marty. Wearing my bright orange lifejacket, wind and mist in my face. It was great. Some day, I'll have a boat :)

But for now... I just want to survive our tri and then move on to the next one :)

4 Weeks...

So...the Danskin is 4 weeks from today. I am still feeling relatively positive about everything, but I'm sure Tuesday's bone scan will cause some serious mind f*ckery. I'm definitely not looking forward to it, but I need to know the whole picture. My modified workouts suck ass leave a lot to be desired, but at least I'm able to get my HR up without pain. I plan to take spin class tomorrow (after a week+ hiatus), but I won't be doing any standing/jumping and I won't get psycho with the resistance knob. If gimpy foot starts complaining, I'll leave class early. The rest of the week will be a mix of swimming, elliptical and Pilates.

I told myself that I need to focus on one event at a time, but you all know I need to plan! I have to have multiple goals in front of me or I go to a dark place (usually my closet with a can of frosting...LOL). With that said, here's my list (am I a Virgo or what?) of events for the remainder of the year:

Danskin Triathlon - Chicagoland (July 13)
I think I've mentioned this one a few times...?

Melon Patch Bike Tour (August 9)
The goal is the 42 mile course, but I may have to drop down to the 29 mile depending on what stage of recovery Gimpy McBane of My Existance is in. Chesty and I did this ride a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Nice scenery, great SAG support, friendly folks, etc. The homemade cookies are definitely a positive.

Mary Kay 5K (September 6)
Benefit to raise awarness about domestic violence.

Vineyard Run 5K (October 4)
A promise of free wine tasting at the end? I'm so there.

Komen Dallas Race for the Cure (October 18)
I'm on a friend's team this year (Team Angel if anyone local wants to join). Running this event is doubtful at this point. Maybe a "wog", but most likely a friendly, spirited walk.

Tour de Donut (November 3)
28 & 55 mile routes. I'm thinking we should aim for the 55 if we're going to be eating donuts. Realistically, I know I can't scarf donuts and ride. My stomach gets upset drinking some of the more sugary electrolyte drinks during a long ride, so I know donuts will mess me up. However, I am in love with the idea of a bike ride that provides unlimited donuts at rest stops AND gives riders a 5 minute time credit for each donut consumed. Since I know you're curious, last year's winner (best overall ride time after applying donut credits) hoovered 24 donuts. Oy vey...

Well, I need to get going. I have laundry to do, a closet to organize and triathlon gods to appease. I hope you all have a great week.

Pictures from the Tri

You'll have to click on the pictures to see the full-size (and all of each one. The blog format cut them off because they were too wide. Sorry, but I ain't uploading again!

I'll leave you with this awesome quote Darren found in his Men's Health Magazine

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

(our hero) Lance Armstrong

I came... I tri'd... I finished!

I did it! I finished the tri. We could not have asked for better weather, but by the time the run started it was getting HOT!

The lake was fairly calm and instead of an in-water start, they did a time-trial start, every 5 seconds. I really liked that. The swim was a challenge, but not nearly the chaos I had prepared myself for.

I crossed the swim start and had to wait as the lifeguards were actually bringing an athlete back. This guy was cut and buff... I was so curious as to why he didn't make it to the first bouy; of course it could be anything. That kind of made me a little more nervous. Anyway, my time had started, but I couldn't get in the water until this guy was in.

Darren took some video of me swimming; I couldn't believe it was me. Except for my droopy elbows, I was doing pretty good. About half-way I back-stroked it to get a rest to try to pull it out the last third.

I didn't try to speed through my transitions, I was just steady and took my time.

The bike... not to be tootin' my horn, was a joke after doing the MS150 in April, that was a breeze. The run on the other hand... oiy! The first mile seemed longer than the last. I probably walked a mile/jogged a mile total.
The total elapsed time was 1:15 when I crossed... that's from start of the entire race. I was one of the last couple dozen swimmers to jump in. I'll get my official times tomorrow.

I feel very accomplished right now. I feel like I could do it again and I definitely won't stop the swimming. I can only imagine how well I would have done if I had enough pool time under my belt!

Anyway... that's it. I'll leave you all with some pictures:

Note: click on the pictures to see the full-size (and all of each one. The blog format cut them off because they were too wide.)

Mommy in her Uglies


Waiting for my Swim Start


Finishing the bike


Crossin' the Finish


My Finishers' Medal



My New Lucky Numbers

Checklist

Check this out!

http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/

I did a 45 min swim and I feel wonderful. I'm also Starvin' Marvin in a major way. I had egg whites and turkey sausage for breakfast, but my stomach was growling for a big, fat juicy steak. I love the workout that swimming provides, but the appetite issues? Go to hell and you stay there!

In other tri news, my new Speedo suit is already getting loose on the top. Hello? I've had it for 2 weeks! I'm glad to be decreasing my overall fatazzness, but why do the chesticles have to go? I'm going to continue to wear it during training, but I ordered this suit (in black, of course) for the event. Hooray for back fat coverage! Clothing-wise, I'm set. I have my beloved cycling shorts, jersey, cycling shoes and tennis shoes. I still haven't solved the bike issue, but I'm working on that this weekend. I'm leaning towards having the LBS (local bike shop) break it down and ship it to a shop up north. No, I will not be doing the reassemble of my bike. Can you imagine THAT mess? I'd probably have to finish the bike course on an involuntary unicycle because my handlebars and front tire flew off. LOL

In gimpy foot news, the bone scan is approved (smart move, Cigna), so that will be scheduled for next week. I'll let you all know what I find out. However, I refuse to hear anything about missing the triathlon. *lalalalalalalalala*

Well, I'm out of here. I have a few errands to run. REI is having a sale on kayaks, but I'm almost certain that it will not be allowed during the tri swim. I guess I'll settle on goggles and nutrition supplements instead. I'm meeting a friend for lunch and I *will* stay on track. Your girl is focused...

Hope everyone has a great day!

C

Orca

With my tri next weekend, today I'll be swimming. Go figure.

Being larger than your average triathlete has it's challenges with finding the appropriate gear. Just ask Darren... he's had to hear me stress over it all weekend.

It's just not cost effective for companies to manufacture plus-size tri-suits. As for me I'm in the land of the lost; no longer plus-sized, but still larger than the average athlete.

I've had challenges finding plus-sized athletic wear. I remember how good it felt to find quality equipment. I remember how excited I was to be able to walk into the average sporting goods store and buy shorts and a top for working out, right off the rack. It's not about fashion or vanity, but rather having the right gear, and being comfortable/ It gives you more confidence and more enjoyment. It was like a dream come true. I know there are other plus-sized athletes with the same challenges, as whenever I Ebay'd any of my pieces they always sell!

So I visited a store today, called Tri on the Run. They had 1 piece tri suits. Essentially it is lycra bike shorts and top, with a super supportive bra, all-in-one. It allows you to wear the same thing for the swim, bike and run.

Lycra... Ugh! Shows every roll in the bakery!!

Please answer me this though: Who's bad joke is it to name the company that manufactures a lycra suit after a whale; Orca? And why does it have to be the one that fits me. That's the picture of it.

I told Darren this, the first thing he asks is, "Is it black and white?" (inferring whale-like design to match the manufacturer's name) No, it's dark gray and pink, but it does say "Orca" across the chest. LOL

Clearly, I need to find sports that have cuter, more modest clothing.

Tri Prep

My tri is next weekend. Yesterday I managed to get out the entire swim/bike/run (or *wog* in my case). I feel pretty good about it now. The swimming, as suspected was a challenge, but I'll just float to recover if needed.

I post regularly on the over 35 workout journal forum on bodybuilding.ocm. One of the guys there had some tips. Said the wetsuit was invaluable and was extra security "Like floaties" and also said when the gun goes off, count to 5 before even thinking about moving.

Today I did a swim and bike brick. I will be laying of the weight training this week, with the exception of Tuesday and all my cardio will be in the pool or on the bike.

That's all from me!