Thru Endurance We Conquer!

Yesterday's run definitely falls into the "When will I learn category." I got up early, did my bike workout at CTS and went home to get ready for work. I was planning on running in the afternoon so I could recover a little from the ride. Well, the forecast was for building clouds, wind, Arctic temperatures and snow developing later. The front was supposed to move in around 2:00. I figured they were hyping it up and were probably wrong as usual and didn't pay any attention. After my ride, the sun was shining and it was pretty warm out. So I ignored the slight clouds to the north and the feeling that I really should just go for my run then. And all day, those clouds kept building, spreading across the horizon until finally at 1:20 it started to snow. And them kept snowing. So much for my trail run in shorts! By the time I got home at 3:00, there were already a few inches on the ground, covering a thin layer of ice. Perfect running weather! Turned out that Megan, one o...

Sometimes I pick really good days for doing intervals inside at CTS. Normally, when I go to CTS for the intervals all I get to stare at is the brick wall. Granted, it's a really interesting brick wall, with all kinds of cools shapes and sizes of stones. But after a few minutes, it's still just a brick wall. There's also the screen with the workout graph, but I really hate looking at that. It's mean and ugly and a lovely reminder of how much work is left to be done. I do keep an eye on the workout line, but I'm not focused on the chart. Some days, there's plenty of people watching to do, but that just feels nosey and I'm not a huge fan. But today was different. The class that meets to ride intervals at 6:00 was doing a long, steady state set so Jayson asked if they wanted to watch a movie. Consensus was yes, so instead of loud music, I got to watch Off Road to Athens , the documentary about the chase for the 2004 Athens Olympic Mountain Bike Team slots. I...

So, a while back, I wrote that I was considering going (mostly) gluten free. Biggest reason being that it would make cooking for Nick a lot easier and I wouldn't have to make two different meals sometimes. Another reason being the health benefits some of my non-gluten sensitive friends have reported since starting the diet. One of the biggest hang ups for me was baking. I love baking and had not had the best luck with the gluten free flours for simple things like pancakes and waffles. So I hadn't even tried the more complex recipes I have and was afraid that it wouldn't work at all. But one of the suggestions I got was to use some Xantham Gum in the recipes, with most of the websites and such all saying that it was a necessary ingredient for successful baking. After wincing at the price - I did get some at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. And it has made difference in the simple recipes - the pancakes and waffles are fluffy and moist now. Before, they were really dry and thin...

Our first excursion in the Turtle since 24 HRs COS and it was a perfect weekend for hitting the LPSP single track. We got down to Pueblo just after noon on Sunday and were greeted with an empty parking lot and campground. There were a few other riders heading out, but most had already finished up and were heading home. So we had the trails to ourselves for the day. My goal for Sunday's ride was for a nice, sustained effort chasing Nick around. He obliged, allowing me to ride Outer Limits and Voodoo. The conditions were outstanding for that trail combination - no wind, sunny and warm. I had a good ride, worked hard and handled the twisty single track of Outer Limits without too many issues. Need to practice that more before 24 Hrs Old Pueblo, for sure. After the ride, Nick needed to mess with the furnace and propane a little, so I headed out for a short run. Just a few miles, and I was tired, feeling the sustained ride. We weren't sure if we had propane or not since something ...

One of the hardest parts of moving, be it two miles or 200 miles is finding new running routes. At the old house, I'd walk out the door and go "How far am I running today? Okay - that route." And off I went, without having to think about anything. I knew every turn, every dip in the road from running the same route for plenty of years. I also new how fast (or slow) each route should take based on the effort level and speed. I had fastest times dialed and knew when I needed to take a day off from running if I was too slow. I also knew the traffic patterns - when to avoid the school zones (parents picking up kids are just crazy) and when it would be smarter to run on the sidewalk instead of the bike lane. Now I'm having to re-learn all of that. I can't just walk out the door and start running. I have the route map for the 4 miles and 2.5 miles posted on the fridge and have to review it before every run! As for longer runs, haven't a clue. I used my little GPS ...

Normally I am a morning person for all my workouts, espcially running. The drivers just seem to be more cill and more willing to give a little space in the morning. People are not stressed out froma day working yet. So I tend to try to run in the morning moe often the not. Except in December. Come December and I look forward to getting out after dark, after everyone is home from work. That way I get to look at all the Christmas lights during my runs. While I might have a rather bah humbug approach to the holiday season, I love looking at the lights. People take such pride and expend such creativity and energy for the annual displays so I figue I might as well run around and get to enjoy them. There are so many different ways of decorating to, from the single strand of lights along the roofline to the over the top creations. And there are some crazy ones this year, including a house with Santa being heilocoptered onto the roof. There are also so many varieties of colors, again from the ...

This might the blond in me coming out, but I didn't realize how much Nick was tailoring rides for me in the past. Saturday's ride with the guys was quite the wake up call. As the year has progressed, I thought I was doing better with keeping up with the group on the weekend rides. On some of the sustained climbs, I was only a few minutes back, or even in sight of the tail end of the group. My first clue as to how nice everyone has been and how tolerant of me riding with them came on Wednesday - riding Falcon trail with Nick and some of the So-Co Velos guys. Up the Stanley Canyon climb and I popped. Could not even keep them in sight despite them waiting for me at the start of the really steep part. I (naively) thought Nick was just riding hard to get his workout in. Then came Saturday. The winding climb up Chamberlin and the Chutes had me right on the edge and I was losing wheels at the very end. On Gold Camp road and it was the same story - I just had my head down and was suf...

Well, more to the point, all moved out! We took last weekend to move everything out of the condo into the new house. It was a very long weekend of carrying boxes, in and out of the truck, up and down stairs and in to the new house. We brought the bed and cats over Friday night after work so they could explore a little before things got crazy. DumDum was so funny. For a cat who acts as tough as he does, he was such a spook. He didn't even want to leave the carrier for the first ten minutes. Isis on the other hand was all over and exploring. Saturday, we moved all the boxes and such - took three trips, but we got everything into the living room and garage. Sunday was the heavy stuff - couch, washer, dryer. Luckily, Matt came over and helped with that stuff. Then it was one last look around and leave the keys on the counter! We were out of there! It only took three days, but we got the couch un-buried and a semblance of a living room set up. The TV and DVD player took a little longe...

After doing some research for Nick regarding gluten allergies and gluten intolerance, I started wondering if it was something I should be investigating for myself. While Nick does have an intolerance and so has been feeling a lot better since he eliminated gluten, I don't have a problem. But the books, articles and research I read all had some interesting points regarding gluten and wheat. It makes me question if I would see some recovery and racing benefits if I eliminated most of gluten products I eat. I also wonder if it would help with some of the weight loss goals I'm working on. Then Nick starts talking to other athletes and co-workers who have reduced or eliminated gluten for a variety of reasons. And they have all seen improvement in training, recovery, racing and general well-being. Others have notice more energy, better quality sleep and weight loss. So will I try eliminating most if not all the gluten from my diet? I think so.Getting rid of the cookies, crackers an...

One of my goals for this off season is to get a little leaner, ie lose some weight! I'm a far cry from my marathon racing weight of 2003, but I think I can get close to that range again. Not all the way - I wasn't swimming or cycling at all then and was just running. A lot - between 90-100 miles a week when peaking. The swimming and cycling I've added in since then has built some muscle, which is why I don't think marathon racing weight is a super realistic goal. In order to do this, I need to evaluate my diet carefully - I know there are areas I can improve in, both in quality and quantity. While I pack my lunch and snacks when I go to work, I bring a lot of food with me. Maybe too much for what I am doing while at work. And when I'm at home, I do a lot of nibbling. Especially when cooking (who can resist tasting the broth or licking the bowl?) The problem is that it's not always good food - chips, crackers and such. A bag of MMs after a run - which wouldn...

I'm starting to run again, after four months of trying to run, racing, then taking time off because of the Achilles. Chances are if I had been smart and recognized (and listened to) the signals I was getting from my body, this wouldn't have happened. I knew back in August that there was something wrong after the long hike Nick and I did, but proceeded to ignore it and hope for the best. After all, I have never had a really significant running injury in all my years and all the marathons. But the best was far from what happened. Water under the bridge at this stage in the game. Time to look forward from here and get back on my feet and up to speed. So far, things seem to be going okay with rebuilding frequency. It seems silly to get bundled up to run for 20 minutes, but that's what the plan is right now. I've gotten frequency up to four times a week with only a little stiffness and achiness at the start. There is hardly any pain when I get up in the morning, but it...

After a sparse, but successful season racing mountain bike, I decided it was time to take the plunge. I've been racing Cat 1 (expert) for the last two year - my only two years of racing a full season. Based on my results, I figured it was time to request the upgrade to Pro for the 2011 season. So I filled out the category upgrade request form on USA Cycling's website - listing my resume for the MSC races, endurance events and 24 hour races. That was way back in October. I figured I wouldn't hear back until about now since the renewal period starts December 1st. I did check my USA Cycling page a few times - same message every time. Upgrade request pending approval. Got the email Tuesday evening. Upgrade request has been reviewed and approved! Logged on to USA cycling and the message is "pending purchase of INTL license". Can't race until I get the new card with the new category. I will be working my tail off at the mountain bike races for sure now. I'm a ...

On Saturday, I finally did the filming before Masters practice, getting front and side video in full speed and slow motion for all four strokes. It's been something that Jamie (the coach) and I have wanted to do for a while, but haven't because of races. No races for a while, so now was the perfect time. After the filming, we did some work on my stroke. I know there are some issues - can tell while I'm swimming that there are a few areas that I can improve to gain some free speed. So that's my chore for the next few weeks. Make the changes permanent in my stroke. It's going to be hard - I've swum three times since the filming and have worked diligently on the timing, length, pull and getting my hips higher in the water. When it all comes together, it feels really good and I can tell the difference in speed and power. But it's not easy - mentally or physically. I don't really want to swim fast because I am focusing on the stroke and changing muscle patter...

So if everything goes according to plan, Nick and I will be moving out of the condo next weekend. As a result, I just found a great new way of cross training! Moving boxes from the third floor condo to the ground level! We spent several hours this weekend - between riding and running and swimming, of course - packing and moving boxes out of the house. I was resposible for carrying everything down to the sidewalk, where Nick loaded them up on a dolly and wheeled around to the garage. I don't know how many times I walked up and down those stairs. It was a good thing that I had packed all the boxes so I could carry them. Then it was time for some of the furniture. I know that we are hedging out bets by moving stuff to the garage early but it should make next weekend a lot easier. Now we've gotten most of the stuff out of the house - all we have to do for one load is fill the truck. And if the weather does not behave, that's that much less we have to do in snow or rain. I jus...

Is coaching worth it? It's a question I'm frequently asked by other athletes of all levels. After working with my Carmichael Training Systems coach Adam for just over a year, I have to say yes. I have the education and the background to coach my self and did so for several years. But I found myself spending more time puzzling over training plans, workout schedules and workout goals then actually training. Working with Adam has eliminated most of that stress. Now instead of trying to figure out when to add in yoga, I can just do it. I have the free time to work on the little things that make a huge difference - like rest, lifting, core strengthening and stretching. I also have someone who is aware of my goals and physical condition and can act as a sounding board about current fatigue levels and workout needs - weather the next workout will achieve the desired objective or if I need more rest or if I can work harder. We are also able to review prior races, current goals an...

Know When to Say "Enough" We value finishing over anything and dread a DNF in this society. I have finished races that in hindsight, I should have pulled out and gone home. So when someone I know decides that finishing is not in the cards, for what ever reason, I have the utmost respect for them. Walking off the course is a gut wrenching choice, but sometimes the only choice. Knowing when to draw the line, when pushing any further will cause irreparable harm is a difficult skill to learn. But it is one that can benefit every part of our lives. Sometimes, walking away is a painful, difficult choice, but it is the smartest choice. Instead of condemning all DNFs, we should reflect about why that choice was made and respect it - in all aspects of life. This is the last of the "Lessons from Silverman" posts - hope you enjoyed and learned something from my own experiences!