Victory Lap: Ready for 2014 USAT AGNC

Yes, that's a mouthful - USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.  And that's where I'll be next weekend.  This will be my second year, having raced in 2013, also in Milwaukee.  One last tough brick today and I'll be focused on getting quality sleep this week as my last preparation to race.

If you're unfamiliar with the AGNC, it is our sport's annual championship for the Olympic distance, delivered by the governing body USAT.  To participate, one must qualify.  There are many opportunities to qualify, given that many small local races are USAT-sanctioned with good Race Directors that submit the results quickly.  So, not everyone who qualifies takes part in AGNC, but those who do have a chance to race for spots on Team USA for next year's ITU World Championship race.

Up to 18 athletes per age group get slots for Team USA, and the roll-down stops at 25th place. In my 35-39 Female age group last year, I needed to be better than 2:20:00 or so to be top 25, so my 2:50:22 wasn't quite enough!  In fact, I placed 139 out of 158.  Humbling for sure.

Showing off my medal, received from the Champion herself Chrissie Wellington. It was a delight to see her smile at the finish line, along with that of Chris and my parents.

Doesn't mean I did not belong there last year.  My 2014 race goal is 2:40:00 (a PR) with a stretch goal of 2:35:00, which is probably just out of reach, but I will go for it anyway.  No, that likely won't be a Team USA qualifier, either, but again, it doesn't mean I don't belong.

The USAT AGNC is a victory lap.  Team USA slots aside, it's a chance to celebrate our sport, our accomplishments, our friends and teammates, and our blessed lives.  We also get to see what fast really looks like!  Beyond humbling, it was inspiring!  Driving home from Milwaukee last year, I decided my goal was a return trip in 2014 and do the best I could that day.

Me and Rita having a big time on the bike course!

For those headed to Milwaukee for the first time, prepare yourself for a first-class race experience.  The event definitely has a Championship feeling.  To have 3,700+ athletes on the same course is a feat on its own - and USAT did a fine job of keeping us spaced out and safe.  This does mean it takes about three hours to start everyone, but it's brilliant to have enough space to race, but enough competitors to challenge too.  The SWAG was excellent.  The venue was well laid out and there was ample space for spectators.  I don't know if we'll get mostly cloudy skies and a high of 74-degF again this year, but the forecast is shaping up to be pretty close to it!!

Look at that Finish Line! How can you not feel like a rock star?

I am excited this year.  My husband is racing AGNC his first time, plus several members from my local Knoxville RockyTop Multisport Club, a few more friends from near and far, and I expect to see lots of "R's" on course, with my Revolution3 Age Group Team out in strong numbers too.  We may even have family cheering us on!  All of that camaraderie and support is plenty enough to make for a great weekend.

Met via Facebook, Cortney Martin is a wonderful lady and wicked fast, having represented Team USA in Auckland and London. Plan to see her speeding by again this year! 

My parents did enjoy seeing me race, but Dad especially likes that Harley-Davidson is in Milwaukee too!

So, if you're out there with a deleted "Congratulations! You Qualified" email that you didn't take advantage of, I hope you get the chance again and go for it.  Everyone deserves to take a victory lap!

GOOD LUCK to all the USAT National Championship competitors!

The No-Thank-You Workout

Every athlete faces lagging motivation once in awhile.  The training is planned and there's no obstacle except your puny little mind trying to avoid the workout.  Comic and runner, The Oatmeal, has even named his motivation-destroyer The Blerch that attempts to sabotage his workouts!

For me, it rarely happens during a workout, but in the hours leading up to it.  Once every few weeks or so, and it's usually when a run is scheduled, I get home and lay down on the bed and come up with a really good reason excuse why I should wisely delay my run to the next day.  The leading excuse is, "I'm tired."  And generally I am - I don't get near enough sleep, but that's a blog for another day.  Tired is followed closely by "I'm hungry" and "I don't feel good."

Luckily, a few brain cells remember that I generally feel better AFTER the workout...

So, here's the deal I make: Go for twenty minutes, and if I still don't feel like doing it, I may stop.  No regrets.  Twenty minutes is better than nothing, right?  I will still get sweaty and worthy of a shower and food, so it's a pretty fair deal to make with aforementioned puny little mind.

Okay, fine.  Challenge accepted.

Off the bed.

Change the clothes.

Pull on the trainers.

C'mon Garmin, time for twenty quick minutes, and then we can eat!

Even though I'm an engineer and LOVE data, I've never really tracked the results of this little "deal."  However, I can recall only ONE time I bailed after twenty minutes.  I was out sick for a week after that time.

Turns out that twenty minutes is just enough time for me to push past all the mental bullshit and let some endorphins take over.  It's not to say that those workouts are any easier or more enjoyable, but the balance of power (and chemistry) has shifted so that puny little mind is powerless to fight the body which is now feeling a little better.

Again, no data to validate this, but I recall some of my best training efforts have come following "the deal" to go twenty minutes.  Not sure why, but I know there's usually more focus and determination on those nights when I'd rather be sleeping or eating.  Such was the case two nights ago.

Hard to get a good image at 7.4 mph, but here's proof I made it past 20:00 and was still trucking...

I don't recall when I started making "the deal" with myself, but it's worked well for the past five years of racing triathlons.  It's not my original idea, I don't think, but rather a little twist on the "no thank you helping."

Growing up, my parents both worked full-time and also prepared dinner just about every night for me and my brothers.  My mother is a great cook and what hit the dinner plate was often unique, but typically delicious.  And there were no 'special meals' if you didn't particularly like the menu.  I hear about finicky children all the time, and we may not have been any different, except that we HAD TO TRY every food that was served.

"Yuck. I don't want any of that."

"Well, take a no thank you helping."

We always tried to only take the smallest bite-sized serving, you know, enough to leave a morsel of residue on the plate proving the food was actually sampled.  Rarely did we take on more (could not reveal that this new food wasn't some deadly poison or possibly even tasty!), but the next time it was served, no coaxing, or perhaps less coaxing, was involved... except for beef liver.  Only my mother ever liked it!

The chronic result over several years was that we all cultivated curious and receptive palates, willing to try all manners of cuisine.  I consider this a simple and powerful gift from my parents, to now enjoy a deep appreciation for all kinds of food, but also for those who sacrifice time and resources to prepare it.  Today I consider it a great insult to not even try something, especially as a guest!

The "no thank you" helpings at my family's dinner table have become my "no thank you" twenty-minute helpings in training.  The long-term benefits of years of forced food sampling have become my ability to race faster and harder, because I consistently complete more workouts when I would have otherwise enjoyed a nap and a snack.

Not that I love all those workouts later after my "no thank you" helping, but I always feel better.  You never know until you give it at least a little try!

Triathlon Lessons

This past weekend I competed in a Time Trial that was part of a local Omnium bike race. As multi-sport athletes, we sometimes dabble in single sport competitions.  These individual swim, bike or run races usually serve as great training sessions generating lots of max effort data for our coaches to parse through, but we also enjoy the simple thrill of "knowing I don't have to run after this bike!"  They are generally humbling too as we multi-sport 'generalists' go up against 'specialists.'

Me and Mr. Burl before the Time Trial - yes, he still had stitches in his lip from last weekend!

Following the TT, another participant commented that I should consider joining a cycling team versus triathlon.  It was a fantastic compliment, but I responded that I was more fit and healthy because of the three disciplines.  I benefit mentally and physically by splitting my energy among three sports.

The following day, I was struggling through the end of a tough run in humid 90-degree conditions.  Only fifty minutes, the workout LOOKED rather tame on paper, but after about thirty-five minutes of actually running, I was suppressing the urge to faint and/or throw up.  Odds were good for either outcome.  Somewhere in that last set of intervals I asked myself again, "Really, why do I do this? Why do I run?"

As the oxygen flow returned to my brain during the cool down, I remembered why.  Simple self-achievement - accomplishing goals I never thought possible, running 'fast' being chief among them.  And I thought about how each triathlon discipline teaches something valuable, for that self-achievement or just getting by in life.  Here's what I came up with:

Swimming teaches the importance of good technique, balance and focus.

Cycling teaches how to suffer, and how to stay in control inside your head when you really, really want out!

Running teaches sacrifice, and that it really doesn't hurt that much more to dig really deep.

Transitions teach the values of planning and simplicity.

And besides the sport itself, I am fortunate to have family, friends, teammates, clubmates and coaches that remind me daily of the importance of praise, gratitude and love.  May your sport(s) of choice also be so generous with life lessons!

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law joining us for their very FIRST triathlon recently.  So proud!

Progress Report: 30 Burpees

If any of you have been playing along at home, you might be wondering, "so, how did it go?" What was the result of completing 30 Burpees for 30 Days?  Today would be 33 days since the challenge was issued.

I'm very excited to announce... [drumroll]...

That I still have nine more days to finish.  *sigh*

Truth be told, it's been 30 Burpees for 21 Days that's actually taken 32 Days to accomplish.

For various reasons that can only be summed up as "LIFE," the journey has been extended.  Throw in some holidays, long work days, extra work days, and other strength workouts that made an additional 30 burpees superfluous or downright impossible (jello triceps, anyone?), it's taking longer than originally anticipated.

Sometimes I missed just one day and got back on track, but there were a couple three and four day burpee-less stretches.

Oh well.

Really?  Oh well?

Don't confuse my acceptance as nonchalance.  I'm sure that doing the exercise every day for thirty consecutive days would have crazy awesome benefits.  However, doing the exercise for 21 out of 32 day days has had a noticeable impact.  I didn't just give up after missing a few sessions.

I am stronger.  I can actually do push-ups again!  From my toes and not my knees.  Not many, but they are getting a little bit easier, and my form is better.  Not great, but better.

Whereas the first burpee session took over eight sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes, it now takes about four sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes.  Sidebar: Burly took on the challenge too, and he knocks it out daily in two minutes.  Men.

My body composition is shifting and I'm starting to shed some weight.  There's a little less torso insulation, and sustainably two pounds are gone since mid-December.  Of course, as mentioned earlier, I've been doing other strength activities regularly, like squats and split lunge jumps, but the regular Burpee challenge is keeping it going with a steady load of swim-bike-run.

Hopefully in nine days, I can blog about achieving this goal.  Heck, while I'm being so honest today, it will probably be in ten or twelve days!

As with most things in life, it doesn't always go as planned.  Achieving some goals takes longer than desired.  The ability to simultaneously persevere, yet enjoy the journey, I believe, is what adds layers of richness to life.  The perspectives, the stories, the pictures, the jokes... they can't be enjoyed while running straight to the goal, but rather in those moments of delay, whether deliberate or circumstantial.

Perhaps I'm just fabricating an elaborate excuse as to why I didn't just "git her done."  Or perhaps, I'm just living life.

And, for the record, burpees still suck.  See you in nine ten twelve days or so.

2013: Another Level!

Inspired by my friends, teammates and fellow bloggers, I spent the morning reviewing 2013.  Pouring through the +Garmin data, +TrainingPeaks records, race reports and my very own "Race Numbers" spreadsheet (yes, still an engineer at heart) was pretty cool.  Lots of things to be happy about regarding the 2013 multisport season.

The best way I can sum it up... I took it to another level in 2013!  I trained less, yet accomplished more.

On 03 February, I completed my first coached workout.  Hiring a coach was a smart choice: I dedicate a lot of personal resources to my tri life and have non-tri priorities too, so letting a professional take over this part of my life was wise.  My +Carmichael Training Systems coach gets IT.  My workouts are tough, but there's not junk volume, no training for the sake of training!  And the results came.  The data proves it:

2012: 383 training hours and 3844 miles = 3 Age Group Podiums
2013: 261 hours and 2850 miles = 3 Overall Podiums (1-1st, 2-2nd) and 2 Age Group Podiums

July 2013:  2nd AG, Sprint distance, Music City Triathlon, Nashville, TN.

Race-wise, in 2012 I completed 7 triathlons including a 70.3, and in 2013, 7 triathlons and 2 duathlons, also including one 70.3.  Each season included a half marathon, a 2-mile open water swim, and few 5K or 10K races.  I even tried cyclocross in 2013!

2013 was a year of PRs for both pace (70.3, Olympic, 10K, half marathon) and distance (longest bike ride completed).  Sprints are hard to compare due to varying distances but I was just plain faster in 2013.  I rewarded myself with a new aero bike helmet after holding a 20.0 mph average in an Olympic distance race mid-season, and repeated it two more times!

The highlight of 2013 racing was participation in the USAT Age Group Nationals in August.  It was a wonderful event in Milwaukee, and I'm thrilled that I already earned the chance to return in 2014.

My awesome parents joined us in Milwaukee...

And they also supported the June 70.3 effort in Syracuse, along with my brother, sister-in-law and dear friend Frosty.

Racing with family and friends cheering is unparalleled.  I think they had as much fun as us.  Oh, and when I say "us" and "we," I'm referring to me and Burly, my favorite training partner!

Capping off the year was nomination to the most excellent Team Rev3!

I'm humbled and excited to be one of more than 60 amateur athletes representing a wonderful event company +REV3 Triathlon (REV3TRI).  2014 should be a fantastic year with them!

2013 also included several non-triathlon changes, including a new job and new house, so navigating the training and racing was not without its challenges.

I'm so very fortunate to have a strong support network of family, friends, coach, RockyTop MultiSport club mates, Provision teammates, Rev3 teammates, new sponsors and Burly.  Thank you.

As much as I enjoyed the next level that was 2013, I simply hope that sharing my activities inspired others to go out and live each day fully.  May 2014 bring more fun and inspiration.

It's time to get ready for a bike workout and get a glimpse of the next level.  Cheers!

Beware the Testimonial

I've been bothered lately by some lackluster training sessions, particularly on the bike.  I usually feel strong and powerful, able to hold the prescribed power targets.  The sessions are not easy, but doable.  Up until the past few weeks, and now, it's agonizing.  I'm dealing with fatigue or sickness or low self-esteem or who-knows-what?

Okay, so I don't think it's boredom, even though it is indoor trainer season...

I digress.

The point is, when one's performance starts to suffer, one looks for reasons (as proposed above) as well as solutions.  Right now, I'm that one.  Perhaps my diet is to blame?  Right along with indoor trainer sessions, the winter holidays bring an abundance of refined sugar and alcoholic distractions.  It's not a crazy hypothesis.

And then I read a blog by another [wonderful] age-group triathlete who's pursuing a new diet with great results.  The whole blog is a fantastic testimonial for the diet program. Weight loss!  Better sleep!  More energy!  Spouse had great results too!!  Join us!!!

Yes, of course, I want some too!!!

I start researching the dietary paradigm, googling and skimming, considering how to go about it.

But then I stop, recalling my master's degree in, of all things, nutrition.  And not for the obvious coincidence of subject matter, but for what writing and defending a thesis taught me.  All research data has context, created by the experimental conditions used to gather said data.  This context is often designed and presented to allow the data to be meaningful and significant in other, usually very similar, conditions.  A careful and important layering and reinforcement of data spawns, building scientific facts that are the foundation of our world understanding.  I don't know if there's a term that describes this relatively global context that 'good' experimental data has, but it's key to how humans have built credible scientific knowledge for centuries.

Which brings me back to the blog testimony that got me started.  What is the one very thing a testimonial lacks?

Global context.

Now, a testimonial does have context.  It's a very personal and singular context.  In fact, without it, a testimonial sounds like any random marketing slogan.

In this case, I stepped back and considered the testimonial's singular context and started to compare my own.  How similar or different were our bodies, lives, training, our 'experimental conditions'?  To summarize, there were too many differences and unknowns to assume her solution would be as successful for what ails me.

I'm not saying this Blogger's diet is worthless or that her testimonial is just an empty marketing slogan.  In fact, I'm quite sure that the diet has worked well for her and the testimonial is her own important data.  I just can't translate it to my situation.  The diet may have even some merit for me, but I'd prefer to seek out data via Pubmed or some of my old textbooks to get a better idea.

So, beware the testimonial.  Consider it a marketing tool, and let it get your attention.  Just consider its value in the appropriate context.

Prescription: 30 Burpees

30 burpees really can cure what ails you!  Yes, burpees.  Those infernal middle school gym exercises?  Yes, those.  "Squat thrusts" as we called them, through gritted 8-year-old teeth.  And we HATED them.

After a blissful [I-didn't-know-I-even-missed-you] 30-year absence from my life, burpees returned.  Via an email from Coach Max.

"...I want to challenge you outside the usual triathlete box. You two strike me as the adventuresome type and may be up for this. This challenge is not for entertainment. It's real. ... It's simple; 30 burpees for 30 days."

You might imagine the subsequent incredulous snorts and chuckles from me and Burly, as I read this aloud.  We often joke about whether Coach Max might just be trying to kill us.  He's pretty deliberate with our workouts, and this was no laughing matter.

"What say you? Are you in? Here's a charming meat head demo. Form is everything."

Burly ignored the taunt.  Smart guy.  Me?  Not so much; I took the bait.

"That's like... 900 burpees."

Undaunted, Coach Max embraced my skeptical 'enthusiasm' with his reply.

"It is a indeed a big deal. Go for it! Go for it now."

That was two days ago.  Monday was my rest day, so, umm, no starting then.  And Tuesday was a tough run, with planks and push-ups mixed in, so, umm, clearly no starting then.  Anyone else smell a pattern?

Today, however, I actually took the challenge.  I don't know why today.  Work was, let's just say, less than rewarding, and my return commute was filled with a downward spiral of loathesome career reflection.  Once at the house, it took the prompting of a few Facebook 'motivations' to get me into workout clothes.  

My calendar called for four rounds of mountain climbers and air squats.  Did I mention Coach Max steals Cross Fit ideas to 'challenge' me with?  In full disclosure, I did ask for more strength training this off-season.  He doesn't disappoint.

Once the mountain climbing and air squatting was through, I took a few minutes to procrastinate/play with The Yellow Cat.  Then I got started on those first 30 burpees.  

And they were the ugliest, saddest, fattest, formless, heaving burpees ever attempted!  Utterly ridiculous.  It took me over eight minutes to finish.  Really.  Holy crap, that was hard!

But, I did all 30.

And I'll do them again tomorrow.

Yup.  I will.

WTH?  Why?

Because when I finally knocked out #29 and #30, I laid on the floor and started laughing.  I felt beaten and humbled, and it was GREAT!  All that self-defeating nonsense from work that clouded my ride home was gone.  Nowhere to be found!  Every one of those burpees absolutely sucked, and the sum of it was exactly what I needed to set my head straight.

Got my feet up the wall to enjoy my favorite yoga recovery and laughed some more while The Yellow Cat came over to congratulate me and steal more attention!

870 burpees to go.  Let's see if 30 burpees can cure Thursday too!