When I started running again, it was because I'd seen a picture of my fire chief crossing the finish line at IM Canada. I saw it and thought "I could do that." So I started running again. One race after another, and I rediscovered my love of running. And competition.
I soon found that in local races, I'd do well. Usually well enough to place, or at least close. But distance running, my first love from middle school, was my favorite (although, somewhat slower now than I was then). I'd do well enough to make a ten minute mile average pace over the run, and could hold that. By the time I ran my first marathon in 2009, I only had one goal: to run faster than a ten minute pace. I did it.
Last year I made the transition to triathlon, and made a few breakthroughs. With the addition of swimming and running to my training, I found both my 5k and long distance pace getting faster, incrementally. While experts and veterans may argue whether or not the addition of other sports or simply the extra miles made the difference, I still found myself doing better.
Then, a month ago, Jeff at Apex Endurance started coaching me. I've been self trained for the majority of my experience - picking up bits here and there, and mostly looking up to a few people who are good at endurance sports, without ever really understanding how to get better. Prior to any formal coaching, my training usually involved running/cycling/swimming at whatever pace I could handle, for however long my training plan called for.
Suddenly, over the past week, I've started to see improvement. Higher power numbers during cycling, faster swimming for some of the same drills. But the best moment came for me during a hour and forty five minute run two days ago when I broke the mental and physical barriers of the nine minute mile average pace during that hour and forty five minutes. And I hold no illusions that this is a fast pace in the running world. But there came a moment when I realized I could do it, and that I was breaking down any preconceived notions about how fast I can run. What is important, though, is that in my love of running, I'm seeing improvement.
Kirsten, at Awesomeness of You, taught me last season to break down "realistic expectations" I hold for myself. The result is that I enjoy my sport so much more. Essentially, Kirsten has taught me not to have limits for myself. She taught me to not believe that I can't do something, that a certain athletic capability is out of my reach, or that something is unrealistic to expect. She taught me how to teach myself and believe that I can. Race jitters are pretty much a thing of the past, when they used to tear up my stomach before a race. Kirsten taught me to look beyond what my mind and body were telling me to do and find out what I really can do.
Jeff is teaching me what I'm capable of. Every day, I look at what he has scheduled for me to do and think "He's crazy! I won't be able to finish that! Okay, I'll do what I can, and finish as strong as I can, and go from there. I'll have to email him and let him know that it was too much." And yet, every day, I find that I can finish the workouts, and finish them strong.
So here's to the future. I don't hold any expectations, and I haven't found my limits.
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Running in firefighting gear, and sending kids to school
I guess it's time that I put down into a post exactly what's going on. The news article should be up on the internet today, and in print tomorrow. You can also find me on facebook and twitter as 26point2forEDU.
Basically, I'm running a marathon in firefighting gear. No, I'm not crazy.
What I am, however, is determined. I was once asked by a hiring board to sum myself up in one word. I chose the word "tenacious." The hiring board asked me what the difference was between that and bullheaded. At the time, I didn't have an answer, but more than a decade later I can tell you the difference. It's the difference between a strong will and a strong won't.
So, on February 19th, I'm going to run the Austin Marathon in firefighting gear. I'm doing this to raise money for a scholarship in the name of a dear friend, Leonard Reed. He was an amazing man, and inspired quite a few amazing things. You can read about him here.
What the scholarship aims to do is to send kids to fire school and police academies after high school. Support Behind the Badge is the group that formed the scholarship, and I'm running to support them.
There are several community resources and corporate sponsors that have gotten involved.
Infinit Nutrition has been amazing. In order to do something like this, I have to have the right nutrition - customized and with Infinit's support and ability to work with me has made it possible. If you order from them, they'll give you a discount, and 10% of the sale goes back to the scholarship. See my previous posts on nutrition for more information. Use the code "firegirl" at checkout to get the discount.
The scholarship has been set up with Dell Cares. If you work for Dell, you can donate, and Dell will match your donation.
Inspire Fitness has provided some wonderful people to support me along the way. They're going to make sure that I have someone with me at all times during the marathon so I have everything I need. I can't say enough wonderful things about the group of ladies that's running with me. They're the Gems and you can find their running group here.
Jeff Hayes at Plasmafire Graphics did the logo for us. He really did a great job!
Johnny at Hill Country News has been awesome enough to help us get the word out. Thanks, Johnny! Here's the link to the story.
Did I forget something? Post below and I'll add it! And don't forget to follow me on facebook and twitter!
Donation Link Want to donate to help our future generation of firefighter and police officers? This is a secure donation link.
A little about me:
I'm a career firefighter going on 13 years. I'm married to a police officer and we have two great kids. Hopefully they'll go to college and be doctors or astronauts, but for the time being, I want to show them that you can do anything that you decide you can do. I'm not new to running, or to endurance sports. I've been a runner for years, and started in triathlon last year.
Basically, I'm running a marathon in firefighting gear. No, I'm not crazy.
What I am, however, is determined. I was once asked by a hiring board to sum myself up in one word. I chose the word "tenacious." The hiring board asked me what the difference was between that and bullheaded. At the time, I didn't have an answer, but more than a decade later I can tell you the difference. It's the difference between a strong will and a strong won't.
So, on February 19th, I'm going to run the Austin Marathon in firefighting gear. I'm doing this to raise money for a scholarship in the name of a dear friend, Leonard Reed. He was an amazing man, and inspired quite a few amazing things. You can read about him here.What the scholarship aims to do is to send kids to fire school and police academies after high school. Support Behind the Badge is the group that formed the scholarship, and I'm running to support them.
There are several community resources and corporate sponsors that have gotten involved.
Infinit Nutrition has been amazing. In order to do something like this, I have to have the right nutrition - customized and with Infinit's support and ability to work with me has made it possible. If you order from them, they'll give you a discount, and 10% of the sale goes back to the scholarship. See my previous posts on nutrition for more information. Use the code "firegirl" at checkout to get the discount.
The scholarship has been set up with Dell Cares. If you work for Dell, you can donate, and Dell will match your donation.
Inspire Fitness has provided some wonderful people to support me along the way. They're going to make sure that I have someone with me at all times during the marathon so I have everything I need. I can't say enough wonderful things about the group of ladies that's running with me. They're the Gems and you can find their running group here.
Jeff Hayes at Plasmafire Graphics did the logo for us. He really did a great job! Johnny at Hill Country News has been awesome enough to help us get the word out. Thanks, Johnny! Here's the link to the story.
Did I forget something? Post below and I'll add it! And don't forget to follow me on facebook and twitter!
Donation Link Want to donate to help our future generation of firefighter and police officers? This is a secure donation link.
A little about me:I'm a career firefighter going on 13 years. I'm married to a police officer and we have two great kids. Hopefully they'll go to college and be doctors or astronauts, but for the time being, I want to show them that you can do anything that you decide you can do. I'm not new to running, or to endurance sports. I've been a runner for years, and started in triathlon last year.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Confession: I train 15 minutes at a time
Well, that's kind of true. Anything over an hour, I take in nutrition. And I start taking in nutrition early. Recent research has led me to adapt what I'm doing, and I'll be changing my methods a bit. USAT had a good article on nutrition myths this month that is worth a read-emphasizing the importance of individual nutrition. Meaning-don't take the cookie cutter approach to your race/training nutrition. What nutrition works for one athlete is not guaranteed to work for you. But this blog is less about the nutrition, and more about what happens between the nutrition...
Read on:
For a triathlon, I'll take in a half serving of my Infinit marathon formula about 15 minutes before the triathlon starts, then I'll start with my cycling formula right out of T1 and every 15 minutes after that until I hit T2, then I switch to my marathon formula.
For a running race, it depends on the distance. I'll take in nutrition starting 15 minutes before the race starts, and nothing else unless the race is more than an hour. If it is, I'll take in my marathon mix every 15 minutes.
But back to my point. I train 15 minutes at a time. I break down my 60 minute, 90 minute, 120 minute (OH MY GOSH THIS WORKOUT IS NEVER GOING TO END) into smaller, more bearable portions, broken up by my nutrition needs. How does this translate to race day? I swim/bike/run from transition to aid station, or from aid station to aid station. And that's it. I focus on each portion as one manageable bit at a time.
And the best part? Each 15 minute segment is different. The scenery changes, the people change, my train of thoughts change, etc. It's like my system reboots every time I take a nutrition break and I'm ready to start again.
During a half/marathon I usually run aid station to aid station and I walk through the aid station so I don't unintentionally wear my water. The 15 minute rule gets a little more flexible, but the concept is the same, and the nutrition still happens on the 15 minute mark.
"Why 15 minutes?" a person might ask. I've set up my nutrition to take in about 18-20 oz of water per hour as recommended and trained for, and the Infinit as directed and trained with. If I take it in every 15 minutes, I tend not to get "sloshy" or bloated. So the answer is "personal choice."
Truthfully, switching to Infinit has helped substantially. No more "What was next? Gel? Drink mix? Ugh, NO MOAR," and abandoning my plan to switch to on-course offerings. I know my stomach won't revolt. It's simple and doesn't take any extra thought.
But the race or training session is manageable. It's not one huge event, but several smaller ones that don't overwhelm me with the thought of completing it. Beyond that, I take one day at a time. Ironman training for IM Texas in May? Nah. I entered each day from the Beginner Triathlete basic Ironman plan into my calendar, and I'm looking a few days ahead at a time. Not weeks, not even to the race. Just to the next day or so to make sure I have time to complete the training sessions, and switch around what I need to. I did the same for the Marathon in February, and the Ultramarathon on Saturday.
The lesson is the same whether you're training or racing. Small, manageable parts. I've chosen to break mine up by nutrition breaks (and sleeping at night!).
How do you break your training sessions up?
To my readers: Infinit Nutrition has ended their amazing yearly sale, but you can still save some money. Use the code "firegirl" at checkout to save 10% and help to fund the scholarship that I'll be running a marathon for in firefighting gear!
Read on:
For a triathlon, I'll take in a half serving of my Infinit marathon formula about 15 minutes before the triathlon starts, then I'll start with my cycling formula right out of T1 and every 15 minutes after that until I hit T2, then I switch to my marathon formula.
For a running race, it depends on the distance. I'll take in nutrition starting 15 minutes before the race starts, and nothing else unless the race is more than an hour. If it is, I'll take in my marathon mix every 15 minutes.
But back to my point. I train 15 minutes at a time. I break down my 60 minute, 90 minute, 120 minute (OH MY GOSH THIS WORKOUT IS NEVER GOING TO END) into smaller, more bearable portions, broken up by my nutrition needs. How does this translate to race day? I swim/bike/run from transition to aid station, or from aid station to aid station. And that's it. I focus on each portion as one manageable bit at a time.
And the best part? Each 15 minute segment is different. The scenery changes, the people change, my train of thoughts change, etc. It's like my system reboots every time I take a nutrition break and I'm ready to start again.
During a half/marathon I usually run aid station to aid station and I walk through the aid station so I don't unintentionally wear my water. The 15 minute rule gets a little more flexible, but the concept is the same, and the nutrition still happens on the 15 minute mark.
"Why 15 minutes?" a person might ask. I've set up my nutrition to take in about 18-20 oz of water per hour as recommended and trained for, and the Infinit as directed and trained with. If I take it in every 15 minutes, I tend not to get "sloshy" or bloated. So the answer is "personal choice."
Truthfully, switching to Infinit has helped substantially. No more "What was next? Gel? Drink mix? Ugh, NO MOAR," and abandoning my plan to switch to on-course offerings. I know my stomach won't revolt. It's simple and doesn't take any extra thought.
But the race or training session is manageable. It's not one huge event, but several smaller ones that don't overwhelm me with the thought of completing it. Beyond that, I take one day at a time. Ironman training for IM Texas in May? Nah. I entered each day from the Beginner Triathlete basic Ironman plan into my calendar, and I'm looking a few days ahead at a time. Not weeks, not even to the race. Just to the next day or so to make sure I have time to complete the training sessions, and switch around what I need to. I did the same for the Marathon in February, and the Ultramarathon on Saturday.
The lesson is the same whether you're training or racing. Small, manageable parts. I've chosen to break mine up by nutrition breaks (and sleeping at night!).
How do you break your training sessions up?
To my readers: Infinit Nutrition has ended their amazing yearly sale, but you can still save some money. Use the code "firegirl" at checkout to save 10% and help to fund the scholarship that I'll be running a marathon for in firefighting gear!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Evolution of Nutrition
Ugh. I still haven't learned how to use this blogger. I thought it was going to post this automatically-so to my readers, I'm sorry for the delay.
I'm putting off a promised blog post about taking breaks during running to post about my nutrition.
When I started running, I was clueless. Sometimes I still am. I was so proud of how I looked with something like fourteen packets of Gu stuffed in a running belt during the Austin marathon...
I used Gu to keep the calories in. On my frame, however, I took in too many calories. Now, several years and many evolutions of my nutritional plan later, I'm still running water stop to water stop, but my nutrition is different. None of this occurred in one huge leap, but more as a series a stumbles and hops as I (eventually) took advice of those smarter and more experienced than I.
The first major evolution of my nutrition came when I moved to triathlon. I started using a packet of Gu before my swim, then water and Gu just out of T1 and every 30 minutes for the rest of the race. I added a half serving of Perpetuem per hour on the bike and took in water when I took in Gu. Essentially, every fifteen minutes I was taking in Gu or Perpetuem.
Guess what? Still. Too. Much. Nutrition. At my last triathlon, I wound up abandoning my "tried and true" nutrition plan and taking in coke on the run just to try and settle my stomach. It was a less than pleasant experience (well of course it was, it was a half ironman, silly) and I vowed not to repeat the nutrition portion. But since I'm gearing up for Ironman Texas and a marathon and........ Anyway, I had to figure out what I was going to replace my defunct nutrition plan with.
Enter Infinit. (Can you hear the angels singing?) I'd been considering switching anyway. I was tired of all the gels, all the mixing, keeping it straight on race day, and trying to figure out where to put all my gels (There's a joke there..) So I logged onto the Infinit website, ordered an initial consultation, and waited patiently. The slider thing on the front page didn't do much for my Type A personality because (are you listening Infinit?) there are no numbers on the sliders to tell me what exactly is in my drink at each step of the way. Okay, I'll wait for a real person. And of course, I'm a typical athlete. I know what I need, I know what's best for me, just set it up so I can do it the way I've been training and let me order it!!!!!! Yeah, about that..... I got a email from Laurie asking me some basic information about what distance races I usually tackle, how heavy do I sweat, do I have any GI issues, my, ahem, weight...... In a pretty short period of time she had two formulas set up for me. One for running and one for cycling. I looked at the nutritional values and (drumroll please)......
Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to run on that? My pet dog couldn't run for an hour on that, let alone me. But her email was so convincing, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered my first bag, a cycling mix, and I didn't just settle for any test. I put it to a real test. I set out for a 52 mile bike ride. Hills. Sustained climbs. Wind. Heat. With no backup nutrition. Just me, my bicycle, Infinit, and of course my cell phone, just in case my stomach decided to revolt and I had to turn my bike ride into a sudden duathlon involving a run for the treeline away from the road.
What happened next was pure magic. No stomach upset. No bonking. I felt strong, I felt good and my bicycle had wings that day. Okay... I'm convinced... Slightly. Let's see what happens when I run. Surely this is a fluke and can't happen twice. So I ordered a bag of the running mix. Once again, a real test. Fourteen miles in Texas heat. Once again, magic. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not just taking my word for it. I'm putting it to the test. Again. And again and again. And we'll see what happens. But through this whole process, Laurie has been amazing. She's been patient with a Type A athlete who is demanding and not understanding. I just run this, I don't do the whole microbiology thing where you need to understand exactly how muscles/cells/organs work and work under the stress of endurance exercise and then how to feed them. I mean really, who has time to do all that? But I'm glad someone does!
So I'm still taking in nutrition every fifteen minutes, but not at the higher levels of calories I was taking in before. Laurie dialed it down for EXACTLY what I needed. She seems to be an expert or something!!! She asked the right questions and got the answers she needed so that my hypersensitive-going-to-need-counseling-before-this-season-is-over stomach could handle the stresses I'm putting my body through.
And that's the foundation behind Infinit. The formula is designed with each athlete in mind. How many calories, how strong you like your flavor, how much you'll be sweating, how much caffeine do you want (if any), do you have any gi issues, etc.? Infinit knows you aren't just another athlete with a number. You're an individual with different needs than the ones that you're racing, and I really got that feeling throughout this whole process.
So, Thanks, Infinit. And Laurie... Standing ovation!
Infinit has goodies like energy drink mix and recovery drink mixes, water bottles and hats. Don't forget that when you order from Infinit, you can help to fund the scholarship by using the discount code "firegirl" at checkout.
To my readers-I hope your holiday season is going well. Happy New Year!
I'm putting off a promised blog post about taking breaks during running to post about my nutrition.
When I started running, I was clueless. Sometimes I still am. I was so proud of how I looked with something like fourteen packets of Gu stuffed in a running belt during the Austin marathon...
I used Gu to keep the calories in. On my frame, however, I took in too many calories. Now, several years and many evolutions of my nutritional plan later, I'm still running water stop to water stop, but my nutrition is different. None of this occurred in one huge leap, but more as a series a stumbles and hops as I (eventually) took advice of those smarter and more experienced than I.
The first major evolution of my nutrition came when I moved to triathlon. I started using a packet of Gu before my swim, then water and Gu just out of T1 and every 30 minutes for the rest of the race. I added a half serving of Perpetuem per hour on the bike and took in water when I took in Gu. Essentially, every fifteen minutes I was taking in Gu or Perpetuem.
Guess what? Still. Too. Much. Nutrition. At my last triathlon, I wound up abandoning my "tried and true" nutrition plan and taking in coke on the run just to try and settle my stomach. It was a less than pleasant experience (well of course it was, it was a half ironman, silly) and I vowed not to repeat the nutrition portion. But since I'm gearing up for Ironman Texas and a marathon and........ Anyway, I had to figure out what I was going to replace my defunct nutrition plan with.
Enter Infinit. (Can you hear the angels singing?) I'd been considering switching anyway. I was tired of all the gels, all the mixing, keeping it straight on race day, and trying to figure out where to put all my gels (There's a joke there..) So I logged onto the Infinit website, ordered an initial consultation, and waited patiently. The slider thing on the front page didn't do much for my Type A personality because (are you listening Infinit?) there are no numbers on the sliders to tell me what exactly is in my drink at each step of the way. Okay, I'll wait for a real person. And of course, I'm a typical athlete. I know what I need, I know what's best for me, just set it up so I can do it the way I've been training and let me order it!!!!!! Yeah, about that..... I got a email from Laurie asking me some basic information about what distance races I usually tackle, how heavy do I sweat, do I have any GI issues, my, ahem, weight...... In a pretty short period of time she had two formulas set up for me. One for running and one for cycling. I looked at the nutritional values and (drumroll please)......
Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to run on that? My pet dog couldn't run for an hour on that, let alone me. But her email was so convincing, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered my first bag, a cycling mix, and I didn't just settle for any test. I put it to a real test. I set out for a 52 mile bike ride. Hills. Sustained climbs. Wind. Heat. With no backup nutrition. Just me, my bicycle, Infinit, and of course my cell phone, just in case my stomach decided to revolt and I had to turn my bike ride into a sudden duathlon involving a run for the treeline away from the road.
What happened next was pure magic. No stomach upset. No bonking. I felt strong, I felt good and my bicycle had wings that day. Okay... I'm convinced... Slightly. Let's see what happens when I run. Surely this is a fluke and can't happen twice. So I ordered a bag of the running mix. Once again, a real test. Fourteen miles in Texas heat. Once again, magic. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not just taking my word for it. I'm putting it to the test. Again. And again and again. And we'll see what happens. But through this whole process, Laurie has been amazing. She's been patient with a Type A athlete who is demanding and not understanding. I just run this, I don't do the whole microbiology thing where you need to understand exactly how muscles/cells/organs work and work under the stress of endurance exercise and then how to feed them. I mean really, who has time to do all that? But I'm glad someone does!
So I'm still taking in nutrition every fifteen minutes, but not at the higher levels of calories I was taking in before. Laurie dialed it down for EXACTLY what I needed. She seems to be an expert or something!!! She asked the right questions and got the answers she needed so that my hypersensitive-going-to-need-counseling-before-this-season-is-over stomach could handle the stresses I'm putting my body through.
And that's the foundation behind Infinit. The formula is designed with each athlete in mind. How many calories, how strong you like your flavor, how much you'll be sweating, how much caffeine do you want (if any), do you have any gi issues, etc.? Infinit knows you aren't just another athlete with a number. You're an individual with different needs than the ones that you're racing, and I really got that feeling throughout this whole process.
So, Thanks, Infinit. And Laurie... Standing ovation!
Infinit has goodies like energy drink mix and recovery drink mixes, water bottles and hats. Don't forget that when you order from Infinit, you can help to fund the scholarship by using the discount code "firegirl" at checkout.
To my readers-I hope your holiday season is going well. Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Open letter to a fellow treadmill, uh, runner?
With winter setting in for the northern hemisphere, many of us are moving our workouts indoors. Well, those of us who don't have a support crew that we occasionally, uh, need a, uh, short, period away from that causes us to occasionally have an indoor workout anyway. I'll call a spade a spade, and admit I'm a weenie for running indoors in 40 degree weather (truthfully, my favorite is 50ish and clear) but yeah, it's for the support crew. That's right, I'm keeping them comfortable. Suuuuurrrreee I am...... And honestly, the whole: "He's touching me," "MAMA DAWGEE!" "He's breathing on me!" "SCREEECH!" "MOOOOMMMMMMMY, he's LOOKING at me!" wears me out more than running a half marathon in Texas heat can.
Um, so what do you do? It's not like running faster helps much. And I don't think that CPS would look kindly on me force feeding them cheetos to keep them happy for a two hour run.
So I move my winter workouts inside quite often. And the cardio cinema at Gold's Gym is great. Could you think of a better way to pass two hours than to have someone else take care of the support crew while you run on a treadmill and Indiana Jones saves the day, yet again. I mean talk about motivation. Could you imagine snakes and house size boulders behind you in the dark, and if you stop running or slow down, you'll get smooshed?
But this latest treadmill workout brought out something that I, thankfully, don't see very often. So I figured I'd put it in letter form.
Dear dude on the treadmill next to me today.
1. Axe body spray in copious amounts is not recommended before your workout. It does not work like a magnet for the chicks to your "manliness" like the commercial says. Please reconsider before you have to start purchasing gas masks for the people around you.
2. The aforementioned axe body spray does not hide the fact that you are not wearing deodorant. Yes it's gross. Yes, you need it. Please reconsider before you come back to the gym.
3. Sharting is real. Yes, I can tell you did it. No, the previously mentioned axe body spray and lack of deodorant does not hide that you (a) failed to wipe your bottom, or (b) lifted so much weight before coming over to the treadmills that you are now experiencing anal leakage.
The tears in my eyes have nothing to do with the fact that I'm so grateful that an Adonis like you had the time to run on a treadmill next to me in what you must still think is a meat market. It has more to do with the dry heaves that your 'fragrance' has sent me into. Frankly, I get to see people that look way better than you, and take fitness (and, to be honest, personal hygiene as well) much more seriously than you on a regular basis, but thanks again for the compliment you paid me by running on the treadmill next to the only other occupied one in the joint. I'll remember that when I see (and attempt to avoid) you in the future.
Sincerely,
No, please, stay where you were, I'll find another treadmill.
While we're at it, what do you want to vent about now that winter is here?
Um, so what do you do? It's not like running faster helps much. And I don't think that CPS would look kindly on me force feeding them cheetos to keep them happy for a two hour run.
So I move my winter workouts inside quite often. And the cardio cinema at Gold's Gym is great. Could you think of a better way to pass two hours than to have someone else take care of the support crew while you run on a treadmill and Indiana Jones saves the day, yet again. I mean talk about motivation. Could you imagine snakes and house size boulders behind you in the dark, and if you stop running or slow down, you'll get smooshed?
But this latest treadmill workout brought out something that I, thankfully, don't see very often. So I figured I'd put it in letter form.
Dear dude on the treadmill next to me today.
1. Axe body spray in copious amounts is not recommended before your workout. It does not work like a magnet for the chicks to your "manliness" like the commercial says. Please reconsider before you have to start purchasing gas masks for the people around you.
2. The aforementioned axe body spray does not hide the fact that you are not wearing deodorant. Yes it's gross. Yes, you need it. Please reconsider before you come back to the gym.
3. Sharting is real. Yes, I can tell you did it. No, the previously mentioned axe body spray and lack of deodorant does not hide that you (a) failed to wipe your bottom, or (b) lifted so much weight before coming over to the treadmills that you are now experiencing anal leakage.
The tears in my eyes have nothing to do with the fact that I'm so grateful that an Adonis like you had the time to run on a treadmill next to me in what you must still think is a meat market. It has more to do with the dry heaves that your 'fragrance' has sent me into. Frankly, I get to see people that look way better than you, and take fitness (and, to be honest, personal hygiene as well) much more seriously than you on a regular basis, but thanks again for the compliment you paid me by running on the treadmill next to the only other occupied one in the joint. I'll remember that when I see (and attempt to avoid) you in the future.
Sincerely,
No, please, stay where you were, I'll find another treadmill.
While we're at it, what do you want to vent about now that winter is here?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Kerrville Triathlon Festival - A Must-Do Event for 2012
WOW. High Five Events, you get a standing ovation. Well done.
You guys even got the weather to cooperate.
The drive in wasn't so bad. Two-ish hours from the Austin area, through beautiful central Texas. The Inn of the Hills hosted the event, and the packet pick-up, expo, and athlete meetings were all in the same building, about a block away from bike check-in. The whole thing felt well organized and welcoming from the beginning. I was one of the last minute registrants, but, not a problem, the race organizers still had it work smoothly. I registered for the quarter iron distance, got my wristband and shwag, and got some last minute items from the expo. I picked up some Zensah sleeves, anticipating a cool start for the next morning (Thanks, Hill Country Running!). Bike check in was next. T1 was about a block away from packet pick-up, and once again, well organized. Everything went smoothly. Thanks to the help of a volunteer who is slightly OCD like myself, the race number got onto my bike and my bike got checked in. Off to T2 and run bag check in. Once again, thanks to the help of a VERY smart volunteer, I got my bag set up and ready for T2.
Next stop? Got to find dinner. Chili's was very welcoming, and the servers even seemed excited for the race, wishing us good luck on the way out the door.
Back to the hotel to get ready and rested.
The morning was in the 50's. Off to the races. Parking was near the finish line/T2, with a shuttle to the starting line/T1. The half iron distance waves went first with the quarter (olympic) distance waves last. As far as an open water swim goes, the water was a dream. It was as calm as you could get, and you could get a view of the half iron distance swimmers as they went by. The race announcer was a hoot! I'm not sure who he was, but he had us cracking up while we were waiting for our wave. Then, 3-2-1 and my wave was in the water and off! The water was almost warm enough to go without wetsuits, but not quite (which was good, because most of us used wetsuits for warmth before the race, not during!).
The swim was good. After my wave thinned out, it was fairly calm, with very few people running over each other. Then, out of the water, up the ramp and over to the strippers. And first, I need to give props to the guy that made the ramps. 'Cause dude, you rock! Back to the strippers... If you've never done a triathlon needing a wetsuit or that had strippers, you need to. These guys and gals are awesome. You and they get the wetsuit down to your waist, you flop down on your butt, they rip the wetsuit down over your feet, and off you go. But this is where I had a problem... When the strippers ripped my wetsuit off, the chip strap on my ankle broke. No, I don't mean came undone. It broke. And the chip must have flown a good ten feet or more. Thanks to some sharp eyed volunteers, they saw it take a hike, and got it back for me. So I wasted several minutes while one of the awesome volunteers figured out how to make the thing work for the rest of the race. Did I mention how awesome the volunteers were?
Run up the hill and to my bike. Except for the mishap with my chip strap, T1 went well. Then, onto the bike leg. Which. Was. AWESOME. If you're familiar with Central Texas, you know that cycling can sometimes be a crapshoot. Hills, traffic, chipseal, hills, lights, itty bitty shoulders, hills, roadkill... You name it. Well, the course was mostly flat-ish, some chipseal, and wide shoulders/protected roadway/quiet roadway. Gorgeous hill country. Two hills that reminded you that you were, in fact, still in the hill country. Fast enough of a course that I was grateful for my sleeves! Great, well supported course.
Then into T2. Great transition-uneventful. And on to the run. Well supported. Did I mention well supported? Two loops through downtown(?) and a park. Then the finish line. It was a beautiful thing. They even stretched a tape across the finish line for each finisher so you could "break" it. Results were up so quickly that my head was spinning! Post race massage, snacks, and adult beverages were available. There were finisher's medals for everyone that completed the quarter and the half distance events (I'm not sure about the sprint from the day before).
I just got my email saying that pictures were ready, and my post race high is typically smooshed by viewing those pictures. Well, Kreutz-thanks for not ruining that high! Kreutz Photography did a really good job.
My stats:
4th in my AG, 7th woman. 24th finisher overall. Time 2:50. Great place to start!
Congrats to all the finishers.
Pros:
The volunteers were amazing
Beautiful race
Well organized
The volunteers did such a great job
Great swim course
Awesome bike course
Nice shuttle between T2 and T1
Strippers
Post race party
Kreutz Photography did a great job
Well organized
The event was about the triathletes, focused on having fun
The town got involved and was very welcoming.
Did I mention the volunteers rocked it?
Cons:
Mud in T1
Half of the run course was off road
The run course may have been longer than it was advertised
At least one aggressive cyclist that would pass people and then cut them off-she was really rude!
Hands down, the best triathlon I've ever done.
So once again, High Five Events, amazing job.
You guys even got the weather to cooperate.
The drive in wasn't so bad. Two-ish hours from the Austin area, through beautiful central Texas. The Inn of the Hills hosted the event, and the packet pick-up, expo, and athlete meetings were all in the same building, about a block away from bike check-in. The whole thing felt well organized and welcoming from the beginning. I was one of the last minute registrants, but, not a problem, the race organizers still had it work smoothly. I registered for the quarter iron distance, got my wristband and shwag, and got some last minute items from the expo. I picked up some Zensah sleeves, anticipating a cool start for the next morning (Thanks, Hill Country Running!). Bike check in was next. T1 was about a block away from packet pick-up, and once again, well organized. Everything went smoothly. Thanks to the help of a volunteer who is slightly OCD like myself, the race number got onto my bike and my bike got checked in. Off to T2 and run bag check in. Once again, thanks to the help of a VERY smart volunteer, I got my bag set up and ready for T2.
Next stop? Got to find dinner. Chili's was very welcoming, and the servers even seemed excited for the race, wishing us good luck on the way out the door.
Back to the hotel to get ready and rested.
The morning was in the 50's. Off to the races. Parking was near the finish line/T2, with a shuttle to the starting line/T1. The half iron distance waves went first with the quarter (olympic) distance waves last. As far as an open water swim goes, the water was a dream. It was as calm as you could get, and you could get a view of the half iron distance swimmers as they went by. The race announcer was a hoot! I'm not sure who he was, but he had us cracking up while we were waiting for our wave. Then, 3-2-1 and my wave was in the water and off! The water was almost warm enough to go without wetsuits, but not quite (which was good, because most of us used wetsuits for warmth before the race, not during!).
The swim was good. After my wave thinned out, it was fairly calm, with very few people running over each other. Then, out of the water, up the ramp and over to the strippers. And first, I need to give props to the guy that made the ramps. 'Cause dude, you rock! Back to the strippers... If you've never done a triathlon needing a wetsuit or that had strippers, you need to. These guys and gals are awesome. You and they get the wetsuit down to your waist, you flop down on your butt, they rip the wetsuit down over your feet, and off you go. But this is where I had a problem... When the strippers ripped my wetsuit off, the chip strap on my ankle broke. No, I don't mean came undone. It broke. And the chip must have flown a good ten feet or more. Thanks to some sharp eyed volunteers, they saw it take a hike, and got it back for me. So I wasted several minutes while one of the awesome volunteers figured out how to make the thing work for the rest of the race. Did I mention how awesome the volunteers were?
Run up the hill and to my bike. Except for the mishap with my chip strap, T1 went well. Then, onto the bike leg. Which. Was. AWESOME. If you're familiar with Central Texas, you know that cycling can sometimes be a crapshoot. Hills, traffic, chipseal, hills, lights, itty bitty shoulders, hills, roadkill... You name it. Well, the course was mostly flat-ish, some chipseal, and wide shoulders/protected roadway/quiet roadway. Gorgeous hill country. Two hills that reminded you that you were, in fact, still in the hill country. Fast enough of a course that I was grateful for my sleeves! Great, well supported course.
Then into T2. Great transition-uneventful. And on to the run. Well supported. Did I mention well supported? Two loops through downtown(?) and a park. Then the finish line. It was a beautiful thing. They even stretched a tape across the finish line for each finisher so you could "break" it. Results were up so quickly that my head was spinning! Post race massage, snacks, and adult beverages were available. There were finisher's medals for everyone that completed the quarter and the half distance events (I'm not sure about the sprint from the day before).
I just got my email saying that pictures were ready, and my post race high is typically smooshed by viewing those pictures. Well, Kreutz-thanks for not ruining that high! Kreutz Photography did a really good job.
My stats:
4th in my AG, 7th woman. 24th finisher overall. Time 2:50. Great place to start!
Congrats to all the finishers.
Pros:
The volunteers were amazing
Beautiful race
Well organized
The volunteers did such a great job
Great swim course
Awesome bike course
Nice shuttle between T2 and T1
Strippers
Post race party
Kreutz Photography did a great job
Well organized
The event was about the triathletes, focused on having fun
The town got involved and was very welcoming.
Did I mention the volunteers rocked it?
Cons:
Mud in T1
Half of the run course was off road
The run course may have been longer than it was advertised
At least one aggressive cyclist that would pass people and then cut them off-she was really rude!
Hands down, the best triathlon I've ever done.
So once again, High Five Events, amazing job.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Garmin Sets the Bar for Customer Service
I want to send a shout out to Garmin customer service. Twice now, I've had an issue with my Forerunner 310xt. Twice now, I've called customer service. And twice, I've looked back at the decision to use a Garmin training device and been thoroughly pleased with it. Fortunately, the unit is still under warranty, so the issues are covered.
Devices break. That's the nature of sports, especially triathlon. Endurance athletes play hard, and expect that our toys will last. Well, the reality is, we outlast the devices we use. We beat them up in use, put them away wrong, and expect that they'll keep working. Since the technology is computer based, you need to have at least a Doctorate in working and caring for gps devices, mp3 players, phones and their apps, and have the ability to know all about the newest gadget within two days of its release date. DC Rainmaker can help you with education you need to keep up! www.DCRainmaker.com But, I digress. We need a company that keeps up with our rock star attitudes and diva behavior, and gets us back out training yesterday! Enter Garmin.
The first problem I had was a heart rate monitor strap that reported a heart rate of 220ish. Ummmmmm. I don't think so. I wasn't running THAT hard. Google the problem. Trouble shoot on my own. Call customer service. Trouble shoot again with people who know what they're doing. Didn't solve the problem. Part ordered. Be there in a week. Showed up in three days. Problem resolved as soon as I paired the new strap. Done. I was so pleased with the service that I called back to talk to a supervisor and let them know how happy I was.
Last night the wrist strap broke. It might have something to do with the 9-10 hours a week of training and racing I've been doing. Maybe. Wasn't really sure what to expect this time. But when a company takes the time to walk through potential (temporary) solutions in order to keep you swim/bike/running, while the needed part gets ordered. THAT is customer service. I've easily spoken to more than a half dozen Garmin representatives total, and the service has been equally as good with each person.
Garmin, I'm impressed. Kudos to you for your quality customer service team.
Devices break. That's the nature of sports, especially triathlon. Endurance athletes play hard, and expect that our toys will last. Well, the reality is, we outlast the devices we use. We beat them up in use, put them away wrong, and expect that they'll keep working. Since the technology is computer based, you need to have at least a Doctorate in working and caring for gps devices, mp3 players, phones and their apps, and have the ability to know all about the newest gadget within two days of its release date. DC Rainmaker can help you with education you need to keep up! www.DCRainmaker.com But, I digress. We need a company that keeps up with our rock star attitudes and diva behavior, and gets us back out training yesterday! Enter Garmin.
The first problem I had was a heart rate monitor strap that reported a heart rate of 220ish. Ummmmmm. I don't think so. I wasn't running THAT hard. Google the problem. Trouble shoot on my own. Call customer service. Trouble shoot again with people who know what they're doing. Didn't solve the problem. Part ordered. Be there in a week. Showed up in three days. Problem resolved as soon as I paired the new strap. Done. I was so pleased with the service that I called back to talk to a supervisor and let them know how happy I was.
Last night the wrist strap broke. It might have something to do with the 9-10 hours a week of training and racing I've been doing. Maybe. Wasn't really sure what to expect this time. But when a company takes the time to walk through potential (temporary) solutions in order to keep you swim/bike/running, while the needed part gets ordered. THAT is customer service. I've easily spoken to more than a half dozen Garmin representatives total, and the service has been equally as good with each person.
Garmin, I'm impressed. Kudos to you for your quality customer service team.
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