It Was A Floridian Easter

I had been hearing for approximately 6-8 months the same exact thing when I would speak with my Mother on the phone "So, everyone keeps asking me how my DAUGHTER likes my new house, but I tell them you haven't been here yet." Another variation on the same theme was "I'm really missing you, I can't wait until you come down.. when will that be again?" Etc. Etc. Etc. You get the point! The women was NOT happy I had not been down to visit her in Florida since she moved down this past July!

I can understand her point of view. I'm an only child and she does have one Sister down there, but we did used to see each other ever two weeks or so at the most. It's difficult to be away from your family when you are starting a new life.. for sure. No arguing there! However, with my total number of days off I need for racing each year from work, I have to be SO very careful how many I use for other things. Yes, I know, it's my Mom.. so of course, she's more important, but I already had some big guys I signed up to do (Lake Placid & Kona) and those would require at least 4-5 at a minimum.. Hawaii.. well, MORE!

Finally, with the day off for Good Friday, we made the committment to make it happen - I was headed to Florida for the Holiday! I was very excited to spend some time with "Donna Wana" as I call her (or sometimes "Wana" for short!). I departed Thursday night after work and only had to take Monday off to make it work.

The first day we got up, went to the gym where I did some spinning and took a quick swim in their AMAZING BEAUTIFUL 50m outdoor pool! The weather was spectacular! Then we went to the beach for a few hours - which is only 10 mins away from her house! So fun!

Finally, it was dinner at one of her favorite restarants and she made me pose in front of some flowers to get my picture taken.

It's funny, no matter how old you are, when your Mother says "Go over there so I can take your picture in front of those flowers" you do not complain, you just do it.
Pina Coladas!

On Saturday morning my cousins and Aunt were going to be running a four mile race, so my Mom wanted to do it as well. I said sure! I already knew this weekend was going to be really haphazard training-wise, so why get all bent out of shape. I was debating on how hard to run it (sorry Coach Justin-I didn't even mention it!!), but in the end, it seemed best to just run it with Mom and help pace her. A part of me really wanted to see if I could chick some boys, but who cared if I ran fast in some beach run.. and who knows how many times I'll get to race with my Mom who's been there and supported me for so many years with my races / activities. So, we did it!
Race morning was perfect.. 70 degrees and sunny (no surprise there!)
We arrived late, and things were hectic! My pre-register line was forever long and we barely got our numbers in enough time to line up and hear the gun go off!
I took this pic of my Mom, Aunt Carol, Mallory (Alex's girlfriend), Alex (cousin), Colby (cousin) and Laurie (cousin).
Wana and I ready to race!
Mom did exceptionally well! She only walked 3 mins of the whole four miles! I was really proud of her and she seemed really pleased! It was a lot of fun! Plus we got a picture with Forrest Gump!

For more race pictures - especially our awesome finishing pick - click here!

Beautiful Tree!
Then it was Easter morning and time to go to a pre-church breakfast.
After we went over to my Aunts and saw my cousin Josh
Easter dinner was a blast and we had a huge crew of family and friends! It was awesome
Yumm!!
There was some drinking, which made for an interesting use of power-cutting tools!
All in all, we had such a great time and it was a little hard to leave. I love my Mom so much. I'm so thankful for her and all she's given to me! So as Mother's day is upon us - here is my tribute to my Awesome Mom and her beautiful spirit! Love ya Wana!!!!!!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday as well!

More NOLA 70.3 Pics!

One of the things I enjoy most about racing (besides racing itself) is traveling to places and getting to hang out with wonderful, healthy, positive like-minded individuals that are all pretty incredible I might add. The people who do this sport are generally humble and likable, eager to lend a hand if you need help or forgot something and really just all around nice and respectful.

Sure, you'll have your occasional jerk or transition hog etc. For the most part though, I've really enjoyed everyone I've met through the sport, and some people, like my friend Jim here below

are still close friends of mine today. I may not see them but once or twice a year, but email, blogging, Facebook and other technology keeps us close and caught up on each others trials and tribulations, wins and loses and most importantly, just how lucky we are to get to live this life.

When I think back over my years in this sport, do you know what stands out to me the most, not the place this, or the time that, but the experiences, the people, the amazing things I saw or interactions I had with the local people of that area. It's the beauty of the whole thing wrapped up into something that has really changed the way I look at life, and shaped the person I would like to become someday.

Granted, I'm sure I've done something, somewhere, to make someone mad at some point, but hopefully, it's been less of that and more of that I've made friends out there that I hope to run into race to race, year to year!

One of the really cool parts was the dinner that Heidi held at her house on Saturday night! It was so nice to meet some new people and get to know Heidi's friends from her team etc. Of course, I reunited with Barb and it felt so gooooddddd :) Ha! It really was a blast!

This is a picture of yours truly, Marni, Karel, Flex's new friend Campy, Barb, Tamra, Michele and her hubby.

Race morning, once we found out that the swim was cancelled, we basically just hung out and had a blast! It was a good time trying to figure out what to do next! Chillin in transition with Heidi and Barb!

A big thanks to Oscar for capturing this shot of me on the race course or I wouldn't have any!

Barb, Beth and I after the race! Three happy, sweaty, gel covered ladies!

Beth and I representin Ballou Skies! Also, not pictured - Jason Jacobs who had a great race!! Good to see you Jason!

All in all, I didn't have my best race, but I'm really pleased with how I handled it. I didn't get down on myself or mad, I just picked my little head up and kept on rolling. Now that I've had a chance to recover and take another look at things, I'm ready to rock and roll with some more great training and see how this season unfolds!

Thanks to all of you for giving me encouragement, lifting me up when I'm down and for just listening to me ramble! I appreciate it so much!

Off like a prom dress to run! Have a great day!

Eating Three Bites Less

Want to look better in your bathing suit, run faster, and just generally have more energy? Most of us would say a resounding YES! YES! YES!

As athletes, and those that want to be fit, getting to our ideal "race weight" is an issue we start thinking about this time of year. Easter (and plenty of Easter candy) is right around the corner, and it's a great time to look at what habits are helping us get where we want to be, and which are holding us back.

In general, our society has greatly distorted our view of a correct portion size. That fact, combined with your Mother always telling you to clean your plate, has lead to most of us making sure that even if we are full, we still leave our plate very empty and squeeky clean.

At some point we stopped listen to our bodies and started using other cues to decide when we would take our final bite. It could be anything from cleaning our plate, eating because we are depressed, bored or even just getting used to that "overfull" feeling. In this world of busy lifestyles, where eating while driving our kids to soccer practice, while talking on the phone has become the norm, who has time to actually slow down and enjoy our food - right?!

The answer is - YOU DO! What if I told you that you could change your life by just slowing down to enjoying your food and listening to your body? Would you believe me? It's time to start retraining our bodies and minds to listen to the signals and stop eating BEFORE we are over-stuffed and wanting to fall off our chairs!

Some people have actually learned to put their fork down and wait for a few seconds between bites to help regulate this process. Considering that it takes about twenty minutes for your stomach to let your mind know "Hey, I'm all good down here, no need to send anything else this way - I'm full," it can work really well to just slow down and savor each bite! Before you know it, the signal has been sent and it's ok to eat a little less on your plate and that can save you calories you really don't need in the first place (plus it can provide more leftovers for lunch!).

It may take some getting used to in the beginning, but in the end, one simple habit could really save you hundreds of calories over time leading to pounds of weight loss per year. Start small and work your way toward healthy weight loss. Other great tips for healthy (and modest) weight loss include:

• Using smaller bowls and plates
• Adding a salad or broth based soup before your main meal
• Not going food shopping on an empty stomach
• Refusing to "drink" your calories (i.e. remove regular soda & other high calorie drinks)
• Have a protein source at every meal
• Include more fruits and vegetables at every meal, increasing your fiber & your satiety

Hopefully, you can add a little spring to your step and lose a little extra from your waistline with these healthy tips! Don't forget to get out there and exercise a little too!

Attitude is Everything - New Orleans 70.3

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain"

This past weekend I raced at New Orleans 70.3. The highlights were:

• Seeing my good friend Heidi and her husband Scott
• Catching up with Barb my Tuscon training partner
• Seeing the sun, as opposed to the large amounts of rain bestowed on Pittsburgh lately
• Feeling the excitement and anticipation of racing once again
• Being out there doing what I love for 69.1 miles

For those of you that didn't know, the 70.3 became a 69.1 due to the swim cancellation race morning because of high winds on Lake Pontchartrain. It was unfortunate, but it would be terrible to loose someone out there under those conditions.

I was excited going into this race. I was ready to test myself and see where things were at this time of year. My coaches words pre-race were simple "put some numbers on the board, and have fun!" So, on Sunday morning, despite our 2 second time trial start, I did just that.

Things that I noticed out on the course were apparent. Without the chance to ride outside much this spring (twice in PA), I was very skiddish on the bike. My handling skills just weren't there. I was slowing down in places I wouldn't normally have batted an eye late in the season. Of course, you had your typical male 40-44 triathletes who insisted on passing when there was only half a lane marked off by cones on one side while we were already two-three across. You had your 180 degree turns (3 to be exact), you had your potholes, raised concrete and sewer covers, cracked pavement and metal grates..you know.. all the things we know and love as cyclists :) I pushed as hard as I could without killing myself out there, but never really felt completely on my game.

When I came into T2 I was moderately pleased, but mostly 110% happy to be off my bike without breaking anything. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief and thankfulness!

When it was on to the run I started off feeling really great for the first few miles, but as things progressed I just couldn't seem to hold on to my edge. The numbers were looking good, but by mile 8 I was struggling a bit to stay around 7 minutes and I kept telling myself "come on Kim - push!! This is a race!" but nothing seemed to be giving me enough giddy-up. My mind wanted to go, but my body just wasn't participating!!

Finally, I started seeing signs that at some point I would finish and I put my head down and gutted it out the last few miles to stay under 8 minutes. It wasn't easy by any stretch, but I did it anyway.

All in all, I did put some numbers on the board, but that afternoon I started really feeling tired and my left lymph node went from a little painful to swollen and really throbbing. My only thought is that maybe traveling the week before put a strain on my immune system and I might have been fighting something during the race.

What I'm learning is that I can't do everything well. These girls work just as hard as I do and they come into race day prepared and as ready as ever to dominate no matter what the conditions are that day. I'm not disappointed in my performance, but I'm not satisfied either. This race was a great reality check that there is much work to be done if I want to compete. Doing well in the 30-34 means you basically had better be prepared to win the race overall. I may not have been ready to do that in April, but maybe later in the year I will be. In the mean time, I'm learning more and more a lesson that keeps residing with me...you just can't do it all well. You can do it, but you can't be good at everything at the same time. It's just now how these things work.

New Orleans made me smile with great experiences with friends, but it also made me really hungry to get back at it.. and hard. I know I have a better race in me than what happened on Sunday, so I'll just have to spend some time with my Coach figuring out where to go from here.

The good news is - a new run PR was also had by three minutes - 1:32~ I'm going to break that 1:30 barrier yet! You wait!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks and from the trip!

Speaking at the Pittsburgh Triathlon Club Clinic on "Improving Your Power to Weight Ratio-Healthy Weight Loss for Athletes"

Yes, that is a guy with no face behind me! Maybe that's why I'm making that face!

Traveling in a limo to the Atlanta Hawks / Miami Heat game with my co-workers on Monday night!

We got to see some up close LaBron James! The Heat ended up winning but it was a good game for sure!

At registration Heidi and I bumped into Barb and had a guy who "said" he was a former photographer take our pic in the hallway. He said he would only take one picture of us doing something normal. The other picture had to be well.. anything but that... hence...

This picture!

It was great seeing the girls and spending some time with Heidi and Scott. They were so incredibly sweet and gracious! We had a fun dinner on Saturday night and I'll be sure to share some pics of that as well!

Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement!!! You guys are awesome!

It was a great season opener and now it's time to get down to business!! A huge thanks to my sponsors and Ballou Skies Crew as well. I couldn't do this without their support and it makes it all worth it to know that every time I'm out there, we are doing something that can change the lives of these young men. It makes every race so much more meaningful and not as much about the end result as the journey we are taking as athletes and people!

More to come!!

He Made It... Way to Go Jimmy

Thanks for all the kind words about Jimmy. He made it! It was an incredible hot day out there and the humidity got the best of many athletes. However, I'm so proud of him for never giving up and most importantly, above all else, making it to that finish line. I always tell people at their first attempt at any new distance, that's the goal - finish. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

If you want to see a bit of his journey through Galveston 70.3, he's put a video together on youtube that you can view here. I'm just so proud of him... great job Jimmy!!

This week has been crazy. I've been in Atlanta since Sunday for a work meeting and now it's 8:50pm, I'm packed, my house is somewhat clean, the bike is in the car and all my laundry is done. So, I guess you could say I'm prepared to leave!! I worked like a manic to get this point.. now's the fun part right!

I'll feel better once I get down there and get to see my good friends Heidi, Barb and of course Beth etc. I can't wait to give them all a big hug and spend some good time among friends.

On Sunday you can follow my progress on ironman.com under the New Orleans tab - athlete tracker with my name or the women 30-34.

Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement. No matter how the racing part ever turns out, I love this sport, I bleed it.. and you all have been part of this journey that brings me so much happiness! I feel so blessed..

Time for bed! Another early flight tomorrow!!

Eating Three Bites Less

Want to look better in your bathing suit, run faster, and just generally have more energy? Most of us would say a resounding YES! YES! YES!

As athletes, and those that want to be fit, getting to our ideal "race weight" is an issue we start thinking about this time of year. Easter (and plenty of Easter candy) is right around the corner, and it's a great time to look at what habits are helping us get where we want to be, and which are holding us back.

In general, our society has greatly distorted our view of a correct portion size. That fact, combined with your Mother always telling you to clean your plate, has lead to most of us making sure that even if we are full, we still leave our plate very empty and squeeky clean.

At some point we stopped listen to our bodies and started using other cues to decide when we would take our final bite. It could be anything from cleaning our plate, eating because we are depressed, bored or even just getting used to that "overfull" feeling. In this world of busy lifestyles, where eating while driving our kids to soccer practice, while talking on the phone has become the norm, who has time to actually slow down and enjoy our food - right?!

The answer is - YOU DO! What if I told you that you could change your life by just slowing down to enjoying your food and listening to your body? Would you believe me? It's time to start retraining our bodies and minds to listen to the signals and stop eating BEFORE we are over-stuffed and wanting to fall off our chairs!

Some people have actually learned to put their fork down and wait for a few seconds between bites to help regulate this process. Considering that it takes about twenty minutes for your stomach to let your mind know "Hey, I'm all good down here, no need to send anything else this way - I'm full," it can work really well to just slow down and savor each bite! Before you know it, the signal has been sent and it's ok to eat a little less on your plate and that can save you calories you really don't need in the first place (plus it can provide more leftovers for lunch!).

It may take some getting used to in the beginning, but in the end, one simple habit could really save you hundreds of calories over time leading to pounds of weight loss per year. Start small and work your way toward healthy weight loss. Other great tips for healthy (and modest) weight loss include:

• Using smaller bowls and plates
• Adding a salad or broth based soup before your main meal
• Not going food shopping on an empty stomach
• Refusing to "drink" your calories (i.e. remove regular soda & other high calorie drinks)
• Have a protein source at every meal
• Include more fruits and vegetables at every meal, increasing your fiber & your satiety

Hopefully, you can add a little spring to your step and lose a little extra from your waistline with these healthy tips! Don't forget to get out there and exercise a little too!

It's Go Time...

You may think I'm talking about me.. my races coming up.. my expectations.

Actually, I'm not. Of course, New Orleans 70.3 is in the back of my mind at all times, but there is quite a bit that will be happening BEFORE that point, and thus, I really won't be able to over analyze this race (probably a good thing!). At this point, I just hope I make it to the start line - rested, happy and healthy.

Nope, the GO TIME is for one of my athletes who will be doing his first Half Ironman this weekend. It's a strange experience when you are in this position - coach instead of athlete. It turns the tables on you. You examine things, but from a totally different perspective. Did you do enough.. you answer yes, did you plan enough on the nutrition side of things.. yes, I think so.. but racing a half can bring all kinds of other things into play so one just never knows for sure. Is he mentally prepared....Humm.. yes, I feel he is. We've spoken about it, analyzed it and he's built the confidence he needed. He's ready.. yes, he's definitely ready..

It's just as nerve racking on our side. We can only do everything we can up until this point, and then you have to let that little bird fall out of the nest and fly. It's scary, but it's necessary. That's why we've been doing all this - to race, and to race with the confidence, strength and fortitude to have a good experience. You can only do what you can do though, and then.. just like the athlete it's about "letting go." I've found sometimes the harder I tried to hold on to what I wanted (as a coach or an athlete) the less chance it actually had of happening.

As I explained to Jimmy a few days ago, "it's about executing the plan to the best of your ability, it's not about if things will go wrong, it's about when. You must stay positive when these things do go wrong, address them, and then move on. Don't worry about time lost, or what if's, just KEEP MOVING FORWARD, no matter what, the goal is that finish line.. you do not stop (unless in medical danger) until you cross it. Start to think of it now Jimmy, see yourself.. see yourself swimming strong, riding with high cadence and feeling good and finally running down the shoot with a huge smile on your face, see it again and again just like you've seen it while you're training, keep seeing it until it's real and happening right that moment."

I know I can see him doing it. Running toward that shoot, arms raised, looking for his family in the crowd.. smiling from ear to ear.. running to them in the shoot, sweaty, exhausted, but completely overjoyed from the tip of his head, to the bottom of his feet. I can't wait.

It's time to let him fly folks. He's been such a joy to work with during this journey. He surprised me by writing a blog about me this past week or so, and needless to say, I'm more than flattered, and honored and most of all, just happy to be getting a chance to coach those living their dreams.

Good Luck Jimmy. It's all you this weekend at Galveston 70.3 my friend. God's Speed and most importantly "GET ER DONE!"

Your Coach.

illegitimis non carborundum

Do you ever have one of those weeks? Well, let me tell you, I am. Seems like nothing is going right no matter how hard I try. I pretty much feel like this guy.

Even despite all that, there is much to be thankful for, so I can't really complain much. All I can say is that I'll be semi-glad when the weekend is here!

In other news, training seems to be "clicking" these last few weeks and can I just say, my coach might be a bit of a genius. Actually, it's probably that he knows me well, and that is something that every athlete should expect. I just forget sometimes. We just hit one year together - Happy Anniversary Coach Justin, and I'm really thankful that we've made it through some bumps in the road and are in a good place!

Last Sunday I had intervals on the track instead of my usual long run. I thought it was odd, but hey, I'm learning new things every day, so I was pleasantly surprised and excited to do something different. The only strange part was that he said my 200's should be between X:XX and X:XX. Let this be known that he only gave me a THREE second range. Yep, just three seconds. I wasn't sure what I could do, let alone, how the heck would he know what I could do??! So, I set off on a beautiful Sunday morning to just see what happened based on perceived effort and good form. As I stopped my watch while crossing the line of my first one I almost couldn't believe it. I had split the three second difference between the range. I was right in the middle. How the heck did he know??!!

Anyway, I continued to do all 20 of them.. yes, there were five miles worth...and felt pretty good though all of them so I was happy. I even negative splitted the last few.

As a race is looming in my future (right after a big meeting which should totally throw me off my schedule / eating habits prior), I can't help but think about the first part of this year. I can't say I've done every workout, but I haven't missed any of the long ones, or the really important interval / speed workouts. I haven't done a ton of volume, as my coach, nor I believe this is even remotely the time of year where I will be attempting to peak or have some amazing time or place at the first race of the year. However, I can say that I haven't gotten sick (which is a dang miracle in itself considering all the sick people around me) and in general, I've felt pretty good most weeks. A little tired, but good. I've rested when he said rest. I've pushed when he said push. Somehow, I feel I'm coming into New Orleans 70.3's small taper right where I need to be fitness-wise for April.

Needless to say, I'm ready to see just how this training is going and blow some rust off the training wheels!

Every one of my seasons thus far has a series of songs that always remind me of that season. In 2005-2006 when I first started it was Ridin Dirty. Beth and I rolling in Coach Jim's Hummer to the Philly Sprint!

In 2007 it was Janet Jackson, Feedback (Feedback).

In 2008 it was Rhianna, Don't Stop the Music!

Let's not even attempt to remember 2009, it was not the best year.. so something sad.

Then 2010 it was both Coldplay's Everything Not Lost and Fort Minor Remember the Name.

I have now developed the "first part of 2011" training montage and it includes Dr. Dre / M&M's I need a Dre (killer song and CRAZY video). NOTE: I could only find the explicit version so please don't be offended. There was no edited version :( I also am in love with Lady Gaga's Born this Way! What a killer song for intervals!!

Ok.. I now have 10+ side business emails in which to respond, packing to do for BOTH trips, and eventually, some sleep to be had (hopefully by 9pm!).

What songs motivate your training?? I could use a few more to get ready for this race!!!!!!!!

What It Really Means

I thought this was cute. I can't say much more except my computer's hard drive melted down yesterday and my life has pretty much been a series of damage control / what am I going to do now ever since! It's amazing how much we rely on these things these days! Of course, I'm 73, so that makes sense I would say something like that ha!! Soon I'll be talking about "those young whippersnappers" and saying "those were the days."

Anyway, my brain hurts from talking to a man from India for three hours yesterday. He was very nice, but I couldn't understand a word. The good news is that God is smiling down on me and did everything but send me a personal note telling me to backup my computer last week for the first time in 8 months. Yep, big props to him for that. So, my life is not lost. The other good news, it was under warranty so a big sigh of relief again.

Now.. on to some laughs and the weekend shall we!!

Bike Lingo

By spokesandbeans

“I’m out of shape”
Translation: I ride 400 miles a week and haven’t missed a day since the Ford administration. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your shorts. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate.

“I’m not into competition. I’m just riding to stay in shape”
Translation: I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the line sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes.

“I’m on my beater bike”
Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using titanium blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce.

“It’s not that hilly”
Translation: This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. Be careful on the steep sections or you’ll fall over — backward. You have a 39×23 low gear? Here’s the name of my knee surgeon.

“This is a no-drop ride”
Translation: I’ll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs.

“It’s not that far”
Translation: Bring your passport

Have a spectacular weekend everyone!! Very excited to watch Oceanside tomorrow - good luck to all those racing especially my peeps - Jocelyn, Jeremy and Charisa!!