re-cap 2

we have a lot of reasons both individually and collectively as a group to celebrate! and celebrate we did! a huge CONGRATS to the Queen Bee Sports group. we had a fun and successful season all around. a couple of 'first' triathlon finishers, a lot of personal records, a couple of world championship events and a lot of QB pink on the podium.

party shoes instead of running shoes! and wine instead of water! a very fun night. thank you debbie for hosting us!

cheers!!

and to re-cap from re-cap #1: the pictures from FL. dinner, post race nap and a lot of palm trees.

to your health,

C

Re-cap 1 of 3

re-cap 1 we will start with FL

re-cap 2 (separate blog post) will include pics from FL and QBS end of season celebration dinner.

re-cap 3 (again separate post) will include kick off to off season and Born to Run book review!

70.3 championships was a successful race and a great way to end the triathlon season. it was flat both on land and in water and fast. they changed the swim start the day prior which lead us triathletes to a time trail start. besides not getting to see the course in the water the day before, i really did enjoy that type of start to a race. no sprint start just myself to do my own race.

with the crazy swim change up i am guessing i passed a few more people in the water then i would have normally. there were no 5 min breaks between age group waves... just a constant flow of people leading me to enter the water almost 30 earlier then i would have had we had those breaks. it made for a crowded day!

both transitions were crazy crowded but the volunteers were insane! even though us tri-geeks came running through the volunteers stayed hard at work. i am very happy i met by goal T-1 and T-2 times of 2:30ish!!

the bike was crowded! i am sure combo flat water, flat land and more people at once created the mess. i felt great the entire ride. at 1/2 way i saw my split and just thought 'whoaahh' that is way fast. but i settled back in my groove and went for it. there was no option to not draft. groups and groups on the bike formed and with just 1 car lane of road it got crowded. there were times i got 'over it' and sat in and other where i tried to get ahead of some cyclists. there were times i was frustrated because there were no way around people. id pass people then get passed again. all in all i just had fun and ended up with a killer split of 2:20. too fast to be my own time but had a fun time doing it and thats what matters most.

the run was fun and tuff all at the same time. there are 4 major up hills on the causeway and 4 major downs. a lot of flat too! i settled in a 7:30 pace first loop and felt really good. starting slowing second loop. maybe a lack of nutrition on first half was main reason for it... last two miles i had myself too much coke and got a nice side stitch to finish of my day. with a 4 min PR on the run, same course as last year, i was pleased. and 1:44 counts as 'low' 1:40's for my original goals.

all in all FL was a great trip with my mom and sister. we enjoyed the warmer weather and white sand beaches. not sure ill be back next year. while we were there both my sister and i entered the lottery for NYC marathon next fall. its a long shot but would be a great excuse to head to the big apple in november!

pictures later.

to your health,

C

hurricane Ida

my reading for the week:

born to run, by christopher mcdougall

mcdougall is a journalist who sets out to find the tarahumaras, a tribe of people, that have the worlds greatest long distance runners. he learns about their secrets and how they can chase down virtually anything.

us weekly magazine

i am behind by 3 weeks. it shouldnt take long to catch up on the latest with the kardasihans, john/kate and heidi klums post baby bod.

eclipse, the twillight series

yes i have admitted to falling for an imaginary vampire in a book written for teenagers. but that does not stop me! in honor of new moon coming out next week i need to get ahead by reading the next book in the series.

weather report for FL

i will be checking it constantly. hurricane Ida has decided to show up with signs of a tornado. should make for an interesting race day!

to your health,

C

clearwater FL

is going to look a little something like this...

white white white sand!

jack sparrow- yes- he was hanging out at the pier one night.

clearwater beach has a thing with turtles. there are multiple turtles like this guy lining the boardwalk. reminds me of scuba steve (my college pet turtle- may he RIP)

a lot of colors near the pier and beach boardwalk.

leaving next week!

to your health,

c

finding motivation

finding motivation for my last solid week of training has been easy:

1) one of my best friends, lane mate in college, co-captain with at UCSB and an all around inspiration to me because of her drive and determination. jen is in the fight for her life against stage 3 melanoma. she started her Inferferon treatment today. i have nothing but hope and faith that she will kick cancer's a** through this treatment. i know her strength and drive will allow her to succeed. she is going to have the hardest year of her life ahead starting today but i only see a determined woman shining through one of her darkest days. she is my inspiration. i know i am healthy and capable and that is easy compared to being sick. i know she would give anything to go out for a run so i am running for her. my race next week is dedicated to you Jen. when it gets tough you are my strength, my drive and my inspiration.

2) the nyc marathon. an american takes the win yesterday for the first time since 1982. triathlete desiree ficker placed top 10. facebook was swarmed with pictures of people there watching and participating. i think running 26.2 miles through NYC would be one of the most fun races. i just may enter the lottery... 2010 or 2011... either way it is on the 'to do' list.

3) "he believed putting all of your strength into the final moments of a wholly exhausting run or race was powerful enough to transform you into a new and better person." a quote from an article written by john bingham in this months runners world.

4) my new running nike tech top. bright orange. breathable. light. long sleeve. the perfect top to run a 6:48 timed mile in around mission bay through the fog.

to your health,

C