I am a fat ass!

Yup, you've read it correctly. I am officially a fat ass. Whoever said that titanium has the strongest strength to weight ratio is just simply incorrect!

On Saturday morning at 5:05am I was riding the bike when all of a sudden the left side of my bike seat dropped down slightly. I reached down and pulled it up. I thought to myself, "that was weird maybe the seat is loose." About a minute later it dropped down again, so I reached down again and fixed it. This went on for about three miles until I got really frustrated. I was meeting a friend at 5:45am to ride so I made the decision to sprint home and tighten the seat before I met her. Luckily I was about four miles from my house.

When I got into my apartment and turned on the light I realized that the seat wasn't loose. I broke one of the rails on the seat. The seat has titanium rails for goodness sake. Titanium is suppose to be one of the lightest and strongest metals. I know I've gained a pound or two this week, I tipped the scale at 154 on Saturday, but seriously I don't think that I should be breaking bike seats. This is just more proof that I am covering distances that bikes aren't designed for. Man 1 Machine 0. Man beats machine!

Since I had to meet Shenna in about 10 minutes I had to switch bikes. I took all the bottles, the lights and the food off of my triathlon bike and put it on my road bike. Sometimes it is nice to have more than one bike. People need options! Here's the catch though- about a month ago I cracked the rear rim on my road bike. Not because I am a fat ass but because the Bontrager wheels on it are crap. Sorry Bontrager...they are crap! So when I was swapping all of the stuff from bike to bike I also had to swap the rear wheel. Because Bontrager uses a "special" spacer on the rear cassette the spacing is slightly different. What does that mean you ask??? It means that when I am in 5 of the 10 gears in the back and stand up to pedal the bike shifts on it's own. Since the spacing is slightly off the bike rides in between gears and shifts automatically. So now I have a bike with a broken seat and a bike that shifts at the most inopportune time. What a way to start off a Saturday huh!

This actually worked to my benefit though. I had two options at this point. I could be stressed out and upset that things weren't going according to plan or just adapt and roll with the punches. It is no surprise that I am a planner and have a schedule so I am not one to adapt to change well. I used this as an opportunity to work on my patience and ability to adapt in these types of situations. If something were to happen in my race I would need to adapt so this was good practice. I took some deep breaths and back out the door I went...

Each weekend I learn and discover something new about myself. Training for this race truly has been a great experience. Once the race is over and I can get back to a more normal existence I will have more than just the satisfaction of completing my goal. I will have a deeper and more clear understanding of myself.

48 days and 281.2 miles until that moment though...

Hoping for a "Faster Tomorrow"

It has been six hours and I don't feel any different.

I wouldn't expect to yet but I needed a good starting sentence for my blog today.

Last Thursday I had a few hours where I had a complete lack of confidence in my ability to do this race. During this time I started doubting myself and my willingness to continue training. I know it sounds a tad dramatic but I wasn't feeling well at all. If I wasn't being held accountable by my coach and my increasing number of supporters I might have just thrown away the last few months of training. I know that backing out now would probably be one of the worst decisions I have made in life, one that I would always regret, so I started looking for help.

My focus was on supplementation. I take a multi-vitamin every day but started looking into my other options. Since EPO and HGH are out of the question I started looking at other products. Some of you may have heard of Optygen- I have friends who use this product and give it great reviews but I wanted to try something different and, to be honest, a little cheaper. I stumbled on a review of a product by Healthy Directions called ARX. It is an all natural product which satisfied one of my criteria and their opening line on the website grabbed my attention as well:

"ARX’s unique combination of ingredients helps to clear lactate from the bloodstream faster and circulate it to the rest of the body so that it can be used as an additional fuel source for exercise and other energy demands, improving your performance and reducing muscle recovery time."

Here is a link to their site: http://www.fastertomorrow.com/

It was important to me that whatever I decided to take was made only from natural ingredients. Since I am cutting out highly processed and chemically enhanced foods from my diet (as best I can) it didn't make sense to purchase a product that was nothing but chemicals. I need to be able to pronounce all the ingredients in the product! ARX is a blend of mushroom extracts, eleuthero root extract, tangerine peel extract, and Asian ginseng root extract. No chemicals, no fillers, nothing that I normally wouldn't eat (though I am not sure what eleuthero root is). My mind was made up- I would try ARX. If it works for Terenzo Bozzone maybe it would work for Kevin Johnson!

I ordered a two month supply and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I took the first dose of it this morning when I woke up. All of the product documentation states that it typically takes a few weeks to feel the products benefits so only time will tell if I will feel any performance improvement with this product or if my recovery time will decrease. I don't really care about the performance improvement but am really hoping that I notice a decrease in recovery time. With my training about to be at it's longest and most intense any additional help I can get will be welcomed. If it doesn't make a noticeable difference that is OK too. Since it is an all natural product and I will not feel guilty about taking it.

I also solicited some additional help from Sarah Neumann, a fantastic nutritionist and superb athlete, and with her help I will be looking for new multi-vitamin and mineral supplements as well. This will probably have to wait until after my race since I don't want to make to many changes at once with less then two months to go. Perhaps with Sarah's advice I will find the right products for me for the 2010 season...provided I don't retire after this race.

My confidence sways back and forth like the wind but I still have some time to get in the right frame of mind. I am so fortunate to have the support of so many different people. People from all over the country, and now all over the world! Who would have thought people from other countries would stumble on to my blog. Thanks everyone!

Happy training!!!

56 days but who's counting???

As I sit here tonight, enjoying the last few days of a recovery week, I can't help but dwell on the fact that 8 weeks from today I will be competing in the longest and most ridiculous race of my life. It has been a long road getting here but the time is drawing near. What once seemed to be an eternity away is now less than 60 days. Where does the time go? I am considering this to be "crunch time". I need to make some changes to my training, my nutrition and to my life to get me to the start line on Oct 10 feeling confident and ready.

The changes to my training are easy- swim, swim and swim. I have missed less than five workouts in the past few months but four of them have been swims. It would appear that I am not taking the swim portion of this race seriously. Over the next few weeks I need to hit all my swim workouts and feel good about them. 4.8 miles of lake swimming before biking and running will surely tire me out so I need to get into the water in Oct and feel ready to efficiently tackle that distance. So far I am not feeling the swim confidence that I need. Thank goodness for wetsuits...

The changes to my nutrition will make or break me on race day. The last few weekends have been tough and I am having a hard time determining whether or not it was a faulty nutrition plan or if it was the heat and humidity. More than likely it was a combination of both but here is what I am thinking. Alcohol = NO!!! I will not consume any alcohol in the next 8 weeks. I am certainly not a "one and done" drinker so there is no need to try to learn restraint now. It's all or nothing and unfortunately I have to choose the nothing. Secondly, I am cutting out the majority of the highly processed sugary foods from my nutrition plan. Today was the first step in that direction. Today I did not eat any Pop Tarts, Zebra Cakes or Oatmeal Creme Pies. I focused solely on liquid nutrition (I will reveal my new concoction once I refine the measurements a few more times) and solid foods. I have a few more things to try next week so more details will follow about this as training continues. There are a few supplements that I am considering trying as well so I will post about them when I make up my mind.

Lastly, some changes in my life will help me reduce unnecessary stress and allow me to focus on my goal of completing this race. Don't get any crazy ideas about what I am implying though. I am referring to my decision not to pursue full time employment until Oct. Last week I made the decision to move some money around to be able to stay out of corporate America for two more months and allow me to train as my coach recommends. Honestly I want to not only finish this race but finish it strong and feeling good. This will make more sense to you if you knew a little about my coach- google Peter Kotland and you'll see why he trains me the way he does! I think he's crazy but I am doing things I never thought I'd be able to do! (Thanks Peter!) I am still applying for jobs and interviewing but I will not consider a start date until at least Oct 13. Whew...that decision lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to step outside of the corporate America mold for a year and try some new things but come Oct I am ready and willing to return. I have learned so many things in the past year and am ready to make a comeback and apply these life lessons to the corporate world.

So there you have it- crunch time. 56 days will fly by quickly so I need to be smart and focused.

Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement and support. I truly mean it when I say I would not be able to do this without you. Swim, bike, run, eat, sleep.....

MRS 2000+ Trial

Two weeks ago I was introduced to Rick Burger. Rick is a therapist with a company who works with a product called the MRS 2000+. He was meeting with Melissa at Inside Out Sports and she called me over and introduced me to him. He was intrigued with my training and the goal I had set for myself. He explained the device to me and let me take it home for a five day trial. So what is the MRS 2000+ you ask?

The magnetic-resonance-stimulation-system (MRS 2000+) uses weak pulsating electromagnetic fields to activate a number of the body’s different physiological processes. These processes are activated using magnetic field impulses, the measurable strength of which, even at the highest intensity level, is not higher than the magnetic field of the Earth. The MRS 2000+ is a white mat about six feet long that you lie on and contains three sets of two pairs of coils. Additionally there is a smaller mat (for the arm or knees) and a probe (for treating the hand) used for treating different parts of the body. For the purpose of my trial I only used the larger mat.

One of the primary areas of application is to generally increase performance and energy by activating metabolism, circulation, regeneration, and immune system functions. One of the secondary applications is to increase the general feeling of well being by promoting sleep, relaxation and reducing stress. That said I used the mat before and after several of my long, and short but intense, workouts.

There are several settings on the machine including time of day (as different bodily process are stimulated at different times of the day), duration and intensity. For me what would be important is the intensity setting. Rick recommended that I use the intensity setting of 400 for eight minutes prior to my workouts to warm up and energize my cells. He also recommended the intensity setting of 25 for 16 minutes after my workouts to maximize cell recovery. While I was demoing the system at home Rick was speaking with the doctor who helped create the device and they agreed that the 400 setting was no where near intense enough for someone with my endurance ability. I found that humorous since in the system's owners manual I read this statement, "It is recommended that you do not exceed an intensity level of 100 for full body application unless it has been recommended by a therapist." If the average person should not exceed an intensity setting of 100 and the machine's maximum intensity setting is 400 what would the setting need to be for someone training the way I am? That question still has remained unanswered.

Unfortunately I didn't notice any performance improvement or speed of recovery while using the MRS 2000+ system. While the machine certainly did not impede my ability I didn't notice any appreciable difference. While I was a little skeptical I really was hoping for some performance edge while using this product. If there is anyone reading this who would like to try the MRS 2000+ I would suggest it and can get you in touch with Rick. Rick and I would be interested to see how someone whose training isn't as intense as mine would feel while using this device. I am glad I was given the opportunity to try something different. You never know who you'll meet in life.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Almost daily someone asks me "How Do You Do It?" How do I cover these long distances and how do I train for so many hours. I usually shy away from answering that question because I try not to talk to much about myself. I am not doing anything that anyone else can't do. It is a matter of internal motivation and the willingness to put in a lot of time. I set a goal and I am doing what my coach thinks is necessary to accomplish that goal.

Last week while I was dropping Luna off at doggie daycare I realized that there is no way I could do what I am doing without the help and support of my friends. Training for this race is much bigger then just me. There is a whole group of people who have done so much for me along the way. It is this help and support that has made it possible for me to do this. The more I think about it the more I realize that I have the easy part. All I have to do is move forward. So the answer to the question, "How do you do it?" is this- I can do it because I have the help and support of so many people willing to help me achieve my goal. I am so fortunate to be able to call these people my friends.

It is comforting to know that I have the support of so many different people. It sets my mind at ease and allows me to focus more on my training. I have had help with taking care of Luna while I train, I have had many different people to train with, I have had advice and suggestions along the way, but most importantly I have had nothing but positive encouragement from pretty much everyone. Most people think I'm crazy and constantly remind me how nuts they think I am but these same people have also supported me from the beginning. I really am a lucky person.

These realizations came at a good time because this past Saturday I had a mental breakdown while on the bike. Unlike last weekend where I felt my body was completely breaking down this weekend I felt that my mind was falling apart. I'm not going to lie and tell you I wasn't crying. As the day went on there were more and more tears being shed. I was starting to tell myself that I could not do this anymore and that I would not be able to finish this race. What is worse is that in my heat induced exhaustion I was starting to believe that I wouldn't be able to do this. I just wanted to give up and throw in the towel. Once my mind started to falter my body started to follow it. I started thinking that I could not turn the pedals anymore and that there was no way I could get off the bike and run. I didn't want to finish my workout. Sitting down and quitting seemed so much easier of an option. In endurance racing you have highs and lows. I can now say that I have seen the bottom. I did get off the bike on Saturday and ran...I finished my workout and then collapsed.

Two weekends in a row I have seen how much more powerful the body is than the mind. It is an extremely important lesson and I'll need to remember this on race day. When my mind starts to tell my body to stop I must convince my mind that I can go further. I know my body will be ready so I have a little over eight weeks to get my mind ready. I know how to train my body but am not really sure how to train my mind. I still have some more work cut out for me.

This weekend was a huge training weekend and looking back I have a great sense of accomplishment. A big thanks to Christy at Carolina Doggie Playland for picking up Luna and letting her play all morning. Another big thanks to Sarah for meeting me at 5:45am on a weekend to join me for part of my ride. Thanks to Melissa and Jason for helping me through my workout on Sunday morning and most importantly a big thank you to anyone who is reading this blog. It is your constant support and encouragement that has helped me get to where I am now. I am so lucky and so thankful.

Recovery week here I come!!!

My first bonk session...aka Bonkfest 2009!

An effect of bonking while cycling - exhaustion can reach the point where a person is unable to stand without the support provided by the bicycle.

I can attest to this effect. That pretty much sums up part of my workout last Saturday. Just a few days prior I was telling someone that I had never bonked before and as the saying goes, "there is a first time for everything."

For the first time since I have been blogging I am going to share what my workout was since it will help set up the story and the important lessons that I learned. I have been hesitant to share this type of information so far because I don't want my blog to be focused on times, distances, speeds or paces. For me it is about what I am learning about myself and my body along the way.

Saturday's workout, as designed by Peter, was 210 miles on the bike followed by a 5 mile transition run. 210 miles was the going to be the furthest I had ridden so far in my training (and only 14 miles less than the bike leg of my race). I expected the ride to take me about 12 hours and 40 minutes to complete so as usual I started in the wee wee hours of the morning. When the alarm went off Saturday morning (well Friday night really!) I didn't want to get up. I only had 10 hours of sleep in the past two days. I should have listened to my body and slept a little longer but I decided to get up and start moving. Within the first 20 miles I knew that I was going to be in trouble. I felt heavy and sluggish and my mood was far from ideal going into a 13+ hour workout.

The first 110 miles did go by pretty quickly and I felt better with each dose of caffeine I ingested. My intention for the second half of the ride was to stop using Perpetuem and stop at a Subway and get a 6" turkey sandwich. Melinda suggested it as an alternative to all the highly processed sugar foods I typically eat. I thought it sounded like a good idea. More filling, lower glycemic index and quality protein/carbs. My workout was going to be named "Eat Fresh"! Lets just say that things didn't go according to plan. I did have food on me for the second half of the ride but the sandwich was figured into my nutrition plan for the day. There was no Subway along my route. Who knew??? I thought there was one but when I got to the plaza it was a Chinese buffet. I didn't think that would have been a good option so I just rolled by.

Lets skip ahead 50 miles of headwinds and sunny skies- after a few more hours of riding at about mile 160 I completely cracked. I had officially bonked! I hit the wall and hit it hard. The temp was in the mid 80's and sunny yet I was freezing cold with goosebumps and simultaneously sweating out of every pore in my body. I was so irrationally angry and started to get really light headed. Luckily I knew there was a store close by. I bought 2 packages of Soft Batch cookies (620 calories), some Poptarts (400 calories), Gatorade and some water. I staggered over to a random picnic table in the shade and laid myself out on it. After about 30 minutes the calories started pulling me back to awareness and I started to feel better. Nothing like a skinny kid in spandex laying on a picnic table outside of a bait and tackle shop / gas station / short order grill.

I got back on the bike and slowly made my way back to Charlotte while continuing to eat and drink along the way. I got back to Inside Out Sports at mile 188. I use the store as my aid station on my long rides since all my loops start and end there. I sat down for a few minutes, ate some more and felt started to feel even better. I got up, did a few loops around the Booty Loop, and rode back home ending up with 206 miles on the day. Close enough to 210 if you ask me! I got off the bike and started my run...

The reason I hit the wall was because I was in some serious calorie deficiency. I felt it coming on but yet I didn't stop to get more food. I wasn't thinking clearly which should have been my first indication that something was wrong. I will not let that happen again. Every weekend when I ride my stomach starts to shut down between miles 100 and 120. I have done a good job of forcing myself to eat when this happens and until this past weekend have stayed in the clear. Add to that the fact I wasn't well rested and there you have it- Bonkfest 2009! What is truly amazing to me is that once the food I ate started to be digested I went from barely being able to move to riding again and ready to run off the bike. I've always heard that the body is capable of doing so much more than the brain thinks it can and now I have witnessed that. My brain was saying that I couldn't go on anymore but my body was ready for more once it was refueled. As much as I would have rather not gone through that experience I am so glad that I did.

With my race less than 10 weeks away I now know that my body can handle the distances and I will be physically ready. The harder part will be convincing myself that I can continue to move forward when my brain is screaming to stop! Constant fueling along the way will be crucial.