tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75297831440313899402024-02-07T15:01:41.303-05:00I suck at all 3 sportsJen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-69662829778036428132012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:002012-01-01T00:29:34.049-05:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting fresh for 2012 - Visit my new and improved blog here:</span><br />
<a href="http://thejenbeast.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://thejenbeast.blogspot.com/</span></a>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-41402242001912434872011-12-23T07:32:00.000-05:002011-12-24T17:23:01.707-05:00Team Insanity and the Bartram 100s<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been almost 2 weeks since my last adventure. The weekend after</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pine Mountain my husband John was part of team Insanity at the Bartram100’s. You can read his <a href="http://getfit-atlanta.com/vb/showthread.php?4395-Bartram-100-by-John-Ridgley" target="_blank">race report here</a>. As for my part in this wholemess, I was going to support, get a run in and see what this crazy 100 stuff was all about.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I headed down to Milledgeville Saturday afternoon with Peggy Dwyer and Jason Rogers. The plan was to arrive around 5pm (10hrs into the race) when our support would be the most needed. When we arrived, we unpacked the car and piled all of our crap in the tent and picnic area that was base camp for Team Insanity. Team manager Rhonda (Phil’swife) had the camp stove, tent and lanterns set up and between thepacers and runner we had everything you could possible need to feed or clothe a small army (or a hungry band of stoners). I immediately realized I packed all wrong. I think when I die I will lament the fact that I have all the wrong clothes for my time in eternity (regardless of the temperature).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Team Insanity - Doug, Sandy, Mike, John and Phil</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> am not sure what I was thinking but brought all kinds of relatively warm weather running gear. Sure, it had been 60 degrees that afternoon but it was getting dark quick and cooling off even quicker. Thankfully, I packed all kinds of cold weather gear for hanging around camp through the night. John was just about to start lap 8 (out of 16) when I first saw him and he was in fine spirits and feeling pretty good. Peggy opted to go out on a loop with him first since I wasn’t real sure how things would go between us if I was around and he got in a bad place. John seems to always know the wrong thing to say to me in a bad situation and I did not want to mess him up during this Herculean mental challenge. Turns out I need not have worried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went out with John on lap 9 and 10 when it just started to get dark. I chatted about random crap and did my best to keep him distracted. I told him a complete stranger would be the best person to hang out with since you could at least ask all kinds of random questions you didn't know the answers to. Instead I talked about my day, the dog etc. I had on a light down jacket on over a capilene T and long sleeve run top along with sweat pants. Basically overdressed for running. We ran a good part of the loop and I was sweating big time. After loop 9 I left behind the jacket and we ran enough to stay warm for that loop despite the ever dropping temps. At this point we had run over 12 miles and John had just finished 100K (62 miles). He could have stopped at this point having completed his farthest run ever but this was the best time and place to do a 100 if there ever was one. Ha ha – I know that really does sound ridiculous!! He was still moving well, running whenever he could and felt pretty good with 6 more laps to go. I had faith he could do this and was not going to let him stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I grabbed some food, talked a bit to everyone at camp and figured I needed to get some sleep if I was going to drive everyone home thenext day. Meanwhile, other pacers and runners were doing their thing and John had Harry Goslow for company on lap 11.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">I just purchased a sleeping bag at </span>REI<span style="text-align: left;"> (for just such an occasion) so this was going to be the </span><span style="text-align: left;">first test. Peggy and I climbed into my car, got in our sleeping bags </span><span style="text-align: left;">and tried to get a little sleep before the next rounds of running. It </span><span style="text-align: left;">was probably close to 1 when I got in the car and after lots of </span><span style="text-align: left;">fidgeting I guess I finally slept a bit when I saw that it was around </span><span style="text-align: left;">5:30. With the hood of the sleeping bag over my head I got pretty </span><span style="text-align: left;">warm and did not feel too bad when I woke up.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had tossed and turned worrying that if for some reason John felt like quitting they wouldn’t wake me up to kick his ass. I headed over to the fire to warm up, eat a little and perk up with some Mtn Dew. John was out with Leslie and was only walking at this point but was still moving along. When he came through camp again he had 2 laps to go. Peggy headed out for that lap and I waited at camp for Todd Carson to arrive. The plan was for Todd and me to bring John in on lap 16.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ran out the last 2 miles back to John and Peggy (a little morning exercise to warm up) and then walked back in with them. At this point John was walking with one stick and Peggy said he should get a Wookie with a stick as a commemorative tattoo for this race. I later said I think it was the Ewoks with the hiking sticks and no self respecting Star Wars fan would get an Ewok tattoo! That's almost as bad as a Jar Jar binks tattoo. John slowly made it through lap 15 and then this was the victory lap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the final lap, I let John in on one of my motivational secrets. Any race, training run etc that requires multiple laps of the same thing gets a F' you final lap. So, as we began lap 16 I started announcing all the things we would never have to go by again. F you pine cones, F you power line hill, F you Governors Grove, F you creepy enchanted forest, F you aid station and port a potty. I was also tweeting our progress as we went. At this point we were across the lake from the finish and with my tweet and waving of my arms the home crew saw us and we could hear them cheering us on. We finished out the lap and made it to the finish line.<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>John had run/walked 100 freakin' miles!! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happened afterwards is quite comical and is detailed in John's race report too. I wish I had some of the pictures taken when John finished. I need to start bugging everyone for them and will post them when I do.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my favorite - which one is the Ewok??</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WTF!! I just ran 100 miles!</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is the car ride home!</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what did I take away from this experience? I do not want to run 100 miles anytime soon or ever. When we first started running I was excited by how relatively flat and nice the course was and given the generous time limit I began to think that maybe even I could do this some day. Then the sun got down and it got really cold and I said maybe 100K will be a better goal. So, next year I am going to try the Bartram 100K.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty much what I witnessed - mile 100.1 looks just like 75</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heading up to Baltimore for the holidays so not much training going on this next week. Next update will probably be in 2012 so until then </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! </b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-70645191999951532522011-12-05T20:24:00.001-05:002011-12-06T15:49:40.421-05:00F you Daily Mile!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I arrived home Sunday night to find this in my inbox</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, F you Daily Mile! and No, I did not have fun in Pine Mountain! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's rewind a few weeks....On 11/13 I went to Pine Mountain with a few of the GFA crew to do an official training run with Sarah Tynes (race director extraordinaire) and a few of the GUTS crew. We ran the first (and last) part of the course. The weather was beautiful and I stopped to take a bunch of pictures along the way.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Peggy and Cherie</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We did 19 miles and got a nice feel for the first and final part of the course.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following weekend we returned with a few more of the GFA group to preview the middle portion of the course. This part of the race took us through the tornado ravaged portion of FDR state park. It is amazing the amount of destruction that took place. We nicknamed it the Zombie Forest. Peggy and I skipped the last 3 miles but felt like I at least knew what to expect on race day.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy, Faraz, Erica, Mike, Julie, John and me</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tornado damage</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twisted tree in the zombie forest</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My impressions: While <a href="http://suckatall3.blogspot.com/2011/10/stump-jump-50k.html" target="_blank">Stump Jump</a> had more climbing and elevation changes, <a href="http://www.getguts.com/e-pm40.shtml" target="_blank">Pine Mtn</a> definitely seemed harder. Lots more roots, rocks, and tons of leaves. It's a mentally taxing course. You have to be constantly vigilant at all times to stay on your feet. My parents paid a lot of money for braces when I was a kid so I try to keep all my teeth in my head. I also have an aversion to broken bones. These things tend to make me a little more cautious on these types of trails which translates into running even slower than my usual snail-like pace. I was beginning to really worry about that 10.5 hr cut off. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following week I did a couple of short runs and generally took it easy. I pushed my usually spin class to Tue morning and should have been wary when Coach Tony did not spin himself because he was recovering from a cold. Uh oh! Peggy had also been sick at the beginning of the week and I was hoping she would be better by race day. Thursday afternoon around lunch time I got really cold and could not stay warm. Double Uh oh! Really?? This cannot be happening!! I immediately started chugging emergen-C, cold -eez and anything I thought would help. Nose started running and I still could still not stay warm. Friday morning I woke up feeling like death warmed over. Every muscle ached and my head felt like it was full of fuzz. We are short at work right now so I had no choice but to drag my ass in and get through the day. It was a busy one but I made it until the end of the day. I came home, drugged myself up and went to bed hoping for the best. Saturday morning I felt a bit better and I decided to just go and start the race and see what happened. I trained too much to not give it a try. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We headed down to Pine Mtn and I passed out in the car. Probably, not a good sign. We checked into the hotel and all I wanted to do was take a nap - again, not a good sign. We then headed to packet pick up and met up with Peggy, Erica and Julie. It was Peggy's birthday so we all went to dinner and Faraz met us at the restaurant. It was a nice evening, I wasn't feeling too bad and was cautiously optimistic. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got a good nights sleep and then it was race morning. John left early to help with the race and I hitched a ride with Peggy to the start. The weather was very mild and I was worried that I had overdressed. I did not bring anything for super warm weather and was concerned when everyone was wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts. I was in tights with a long sleeve shirt and light jacket. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We lined up at the start line and we were off. I felt decent the first couple of miles and while I didn't feel great I didn't stress about it since I never feel good at the beginning of any run. I chugged along for about 3 miles and soon realized I was never going to feel better that this was a good as it was going to get. Uh oh - 37 miles more to go. Not good! Ok, I told myself to shut up and keep moving, which I did. I saw some friendly faces along the way, at each of the aid stations, and tried to keep upright and moving. I was glad I was a bit overdressed since I often got hot only to minutes later be cold when a breeze rolled through. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point running was not much of an option. It was going to be a long day. I knew I was not going to make the time cutoff at my pace but decided I would keep going until I was told to stop. I did not feel "sick" but I just could not run. I tried to figure out if I did not want to run or could not run? Was I being a baby and giving myself an excuse to fail? Was this just a bad patch and I would feel better later? Lots of mental boxing was going on at this time. I tried to run as much as I could but my heart rate just seemed overly high and there was nothing in the tank. Around this time the front runners started passing me on the way back to the finish. I saw some people I recognized, and tried to smile and keep chugging along. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I plugged along through the zombie forest and on to the next aid station where I saw some more friendly faces but I know I was not very pleasant as I strolled on through to my final fate. I knew my day was ending at the TV tower and I was resigned. I would at least get to see the part of the trail I missed. This part of the trail was very pretty as it wound around the streams and rocks and bamboo forest. It was not very conducive to running so it's good that I was just walking. I did attempt a little jog right before this but it did not last long. Finally, I made it to the TV tower and I was way past the first cutoff. I could finally stop. As luck would have it John was there and we waited for the final guy behind me to catch up. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John had some more duties to perform so I hitched a ride back to the start. Peggy had met a similar fate and was waiting there too. I got changed into some warm clothes, had some food and beer and watched the rest of the runners make their way to the finish line.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in decent spirits at this point. I think I was just happy to stop running/walking. I was enjoying the company and nice weather. Peggy and I joked about making T-shirts that said "I made it to the TV tower!!" Soon Sandy bounded out of the woods and then Erica, Faraz and Julie came across the finish line together. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The energizer bunny</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erica, Faraz and Julie - their first ultras!!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was happy to be there for their finish but then I was ready to go home. Time for a shower, more food and sleep. On the way home, John got a call that they were giving out finishers fleeces to the volunteers - and that just bothered me. I didn't get one because I did not finish the race but John gets one for volunteering? That just did not sit right. I started to get a little upset but kept it in check. I then get home and what is waiting for me in my inbox? That little delightful email from dailymile - "Well F you dailymile" I blurted out loud. Not fair!!! I was soooo freakin' frustrated! I actually trained for this race, unlike any other ultra I have ever done, only to be done in by a stupid cold! Grr!!!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I have had a little time to digest all this and I wonder again if I should be attempting any of these things. I know my DNF was due to sickness this time but out of 6 races this year, 2 have ended in a DNF and during 2 of those races I was sick. Not good stats. I can attribute the sickness to lack of sleep, stress and borderline overtraining. I have been sick more this year than I have been in the past 5 years. It's clear I need a new plan. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is endurance racing (of any kind) part of this new plan? Not sure. I enjoy the trail races more than the tri's if I am being perfectly honest. They are more relaxed and friendly and there is no chance of drowning or falling into traffic on a bike. Problem is that I am slow and most of these long races have cutoffs that people like me can't make on a good day. Better runners than me had DNFs next to their names on Sunday or just made the 10.5 hour cutoff with not much cushion. It was truly humbling. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can I get faster? Sure. But the way to do it is not to keep running long and slow. It's time to make some changes. For right now though I am taking the week off, getting some sleep and trying to get my head on straight. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will I be back to fight Pine Mountain again next year? I want to say yes but I don't know quite yet. The <a href="http://www.getguts.com/" target="_blank">GUTS group</a>, as always, put on a great race and had fantastic volunteers! But this is a very tough race and I need to do a LOT of training and improvement before I will consider myself worthy. </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-9591049322570930382011-11-11T13:00:00.001-05:002011-11-11T21:56:51.870-05:00I am never watching Hoarders and yes, that's me crying in my car on I-285<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am a big fan of director Kevin Smith's <a href="http://smodcast.com/" target="_blank">Smodcast network </a>and listen to many of his podcast shows along with audiobooks while in the car or running. I almost never listen to the radio these days. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are curious -visit his web site <a href="http://smodcast.com/" target="_blank">here</a> - my favorites are Hollywood Babble On, Smodcast, Tell 'em Steve Dave and now <a href="http://smodcast.com/channels/mohr-stories/" target="_blank">Mohr Stories</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the podcasts featured guest comedian Jay Mohr. I enjoyed their conversation and when Jay Mohr started his own podcast on the network I started to listen. One particular <a href="http://smodcast.com/episodes/ticket-to-randyland/" target="_blank">podcast </a>dealt with Jay and his wife's obsession with the show Hoarders. I enjoyed the discussion but I had personal reasons why I would never watch the show. This past weeks episode of <a href="http://smodcast.com/episodes/a-goat-shot-putting-another-goat/" target="_blank">Mohr Stories featured the Hoarder's host Matt Paxton</a>. While it was interesting to hear how Matt became the host of the show, I found it very emotional when he discussed his aunt and grandmother who were hoarders. Particularly, when he described his grandmother as being depressed after the death of her husband and not being able to grieve. The things had emotional attachments for her and she could not get rid of them. Well, next thing you know I am all out bawling while driving down I-285. I knew I was tired and had a very stressful week but I really was not expecting that reaction from myself. I knew this subject was touchy for me because I believe my mother was a borderline hoarder. She was no where near to the point of what I hear described on these shows but I could easily have seen it getting to that point if left unchecked. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***** A little family background - My father died Thanksgiving weekend 1989 of a massive heart attack at the age of 53. I was 2 mths from my 21st birthday and had just started my senior year at Georgia Tech. So, this time of November is always a little emotional for me. My mother died in May of 2002 from complications from esophageal cancer at the age of 58. I was 33 years old. I have one younger brother. I grew up in a small town in upstate NY in the Hudson Valley just outside of Poughkeepsie and I lived in the same house my entire life until I started at Georgia Tech in September of 1986. My mother continued to live in the same house until she died.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While growing up, my house was always a little cluttered but never anything crazy messy. Carpets were vacuumed and rooms were cleaned on a regular basis but stuff like magazines and random stuff piled up. My mother always liked decorating for the holidays so there were always tons of decorations (something I hear is common among hoarders). She also was an avid gardener with a full greenhouse and simply amazing plantings in the yard. I dream of my yard coming even close to what hers looked like. Martha Stewart and her gardner had nothing on my Mom but this also means pots and bags of dirt pretty much laying around at all times. None of this really amounts to a whole lot but I found myself being much more spartan and sterile when I had my own place - which has been described as borderline OCD by some. The clutter and disorganization did get noticeably worse after my father died. In fact , John once commented on how could I be so anal about everything after living in that house. I said that is precisely why I am the way I am. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I got married, I didn't get home quite as much as I used to and when I did I noticed clutter but did not think too much about it. I think things got even worse when my brother moved since there was an entire house she could put things in now. The Christmas decorations escalated - tons of Nutcrackers and such. More plants, fish tanks, etc. Just lots of stuff! Again, no where near what you see on TV but more than what I would call normal. I had no idea how much crap had been squirreled away until she passed away. At the time I had a customer support job and could work from anywhere as long as I had a phone and a laptop. So, I moved into my Mom's house and had the enormous task of cleaning out 35 years worth of crap. It took me 2 months! I filled an entire full size roll away construction dumpster and I could probably have filled second one. Numerous trips to Good Will and the dump plus an entire U-haul truck worth of crap I brought home. It was one, if not the most challenging experiences of my life. During that time I lost close to 15 lbs and was probably the thinnest I have ever been in my life. I pretty much woke up cleaned, worked, cleaned, ate and slept. It was emotionally exhausting as well as physically exhausting. Lots of memories unearthed during that time. This is why I never have any interest in watching a show about Hoarders. I have lived it. It's not fun. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The experience changed me profoundly. Let's just say I did a little spring cleaning when I got home!! It also made me look at my life and really examine it. I was not happy at my job and was depressed in general. I decided to go back to school and make some changes. This period was very stressful on my marriage. In the end, John and I got through it but it was very rough for a long time. It was a turning point for me in a lot of ways. Going back to school and living apart from John during that time helped me to become a stronger more independent person. I learned to let a lot of things go and focus on what was really important. From time to time, I do find myself doing a little hoarding myself and I hit a breaking point and everything must be cleaned and thrown away. My personal OCD has calmed down a bit partly because Ironman training leaves little time to be obsessed with cleaning and organization. You find new things to obsess over like bike profiles and Garmin data. Now that training has backed off, I find myself itching to get in the basement and start chucking stuff. How the hell do we accumulate all this crap?!!! We literally have Rubbermaid tubs filled with wires and cable - is this an engineer thing or a crazy person thing? Right here next to my toenail collection and hair clippings are my tubs of wire! I know I shouldn't point fingers. I don't really need to have hundreds of travel size shampoos and soaps or alphabetize ...well .... everything. Just call me Ms. Monk. I am OK with that. I think my crazy is acceptable because I am at the very least clean. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So back to this morning. I listened to the second half of the podcast on my way to work and again I am crying while Matt Paxton talks about his father passing away. He still has vivid dreams about him 10 yrs after his death. I still have dreams my Mom is alive and she is upset with me because I got rid of all her stuff. Yeah, I am NEVER watching Hoarders. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nothing about tri's or ultras today. I am sure I will have lots to say after my upcoming adventure at Pine Mtn this weekend. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<br />Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-32813688690861501202011-11-09T12:19:00.000-05:002011-11-09T17:11:40.250-05:00What happened to October?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last weekend was an amazing Ironman weekend in Panama City, Florida</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....but first let's play some catch up. The last couple of weeks have been crazy! The weekend after <a href="http://suckatall3.blogspot.com/2011/10/stump-jump-50k.html" target="_blank">Stump Jump 50K</a> we made a quick trip to NY for my 25th high school reunion - how did I get so freakin' old - and a quick visit with my godparents, cousins and aunt & uncle.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Upstate NY is absolutely incredible in the fall. Number one thing I miss about my hometown.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me and Terri at the reunion</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following weekend I had to work but still squeezed in a Duran Duran concert (fantastic even after all these years) while John went down to Pine Mtn for the North Face 50 miler. I also managed close to 26 miles that weekend. The next weekend was The Great Floridian (my Ironman race from 2010). Terrie Tillman (2nd IM) and Philip Sustar (first IM) were competing and John went to support. I really wish I could have gone but I am running out of vacation time and planned to head to IMFL the following week so I let John cover this one. Terrie and Phil did amazing jobs on a very tough course and I salute their incredible efforts. My weekend mileage was 20.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Delang, Terrie and Phil at the Great Floridian</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then came the really crazy Homecoming weekend starting with trivia on Thursday night and John's fraternity dinner and cocktail party on Friday. In the past this usually ends with a massive hangover on Saturday morning only to be mollified by more continuous drinking through the actual football game and beyond. This year I kept it light since I knew I had a long day on the trails planned for Saturday. </span><br /><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***On a completely separate topic - one friend at the cocktail party wanted me to write a blog about how 2 first time Ironman competitors stay married after one finishes and the other DNF's - I will shelve that topic for another day but I think it is worth while discussing. I am often asked how all this training affects a marriage so I will definitely work on that for a later date.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I slept in a bit Saturday morning and got through my 18 miles. I came home, showered and then headed to Acworth for a co-workers wedding reception and then dashed home, changed and went to the Get Fit Halloween party. Sunday I was up again and got 10 miles in on the silver comet for a weekend total of 28. While that first 18 was not very fun, I am finding that next days run are getting easier and I have been less sore each time. There must be something to this training stuff!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This brings us to this past weekend. Last year when I did the Great Floridian I was completely blown away by all the support I had on race day even though I tried to keep it stealthy. One of the people who came down to support me was Teesha McCrae. Teesha had just finished an incredible year of doing her first ultra, learning how to swim, doing her first triathlon and ending the season by doing a half Ironman. Teesha is super strong, smart, upbeat and an absolutely beautiful girl inside and out. Teesha ran with me during the first part of my marathon and listened patiently to all my bitching and swearing and still signed up to do Ironman Florida a couple of weeks later. I knew then that I had to be there for her when she did her first Ironman. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Teesha, Yvette Webb and I before our first 50K</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Friday I packed the car and headed down to Panama City with Peggy (one of the Wisconsin Ironkids). John was also heading off on his own journey to crew Coach Mike on his pursuit of the Pinhoti 100 and that requires a whole other blog post right there. The drive was uneventful and I was grateful for the good company because that is one BORING drive. This is one of the many reasons I am not interested in doing IMFL - the long stretches of nothing but scraggly pine trees and flat open terrain. The wind was pretty gusty and I was hoping for calm seas, warm temps and no wind for raceday. We got to the condo, unpacked and headed off to Ironman central. We hit the expo and found all the IM Kswiss gear was 50% off including great deals on other clothing and Tshirts. Not to pass up a sale, we did a little shopping. We then found George - back for his 2nd IM which also happened to be his 2nd triathlon ever! He is a little crazier than most of us. George had a room at the host hotel that was in a great location and would serve as home base for the rest of the weekend. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While George headed off to dinner we headed to the airport to pick up Elaine. I had googled Panama City airport before I left and it was only 8 miles away. I plugged it into the GPS and we were on our way. We drive up to the airport and I notice there are no cars, the parking lots are filled with weeds and there is a definite "zombie apocalypse" feel to the whole place. I said "Something is wrong here!". Captain Obvious, that's me! I stopped the car and pulled out my phone to figure out what was up when a security guard rolled up and came over to the car. Apparently, this happens all the time. The guy told us that we wouldn't find the airport in our GPS and the airport has moved - well the web page hasn't been updated either so no wonder it happens all the time. He just so happened to have printed directions to the real airport so we set off again while letting Elaine know we would be late. If the security guard had not been so strange I would have taken a picture of the "zombie airport" just for fun. Once we had Elaine in hand I texted George that we wouldn't make dinner and we headed over to where Teesha was finishing dinner with her boyfriend and family. We caught them before they left, wished her luck, hugs all around and then had dinner ourselves. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning came quick and we headed over to George's room. Katie and Damon had arrived and we met Team George - a super cute family of three that have known George for years. Each had T-shirts with Team George on the front and Run George Run, Swim George Swim and Bike George Bike on each of their backs. Very sweet! Wetsuits were put on and nerves were jangling. Teesha had a braid emergency that Elaine went to fix and soon it was time for everyone to head to the beach. Peggy ran Teesha's special needs bags up to the truck and just got them on before the race. I hugged Teesha with tears in my eyes and said Good Luck. Off she went to get her place on the beach. The air was cool but the ocean was very calm. The canon went off and the washing machine started! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried to get some pictures from higher up on the beach but there were too many people in front of me. I moved down to the waters edge and watched all the swimmers finish their first lap and get ready for round two. It was hard to pick anyone out but next thing you know there was Teesha smiling and heading for lap 2. We then headed up to the swim exit to see if we could catch George. He went by too fast along with Damon and Nick but soon we saw Teesha and Katie. Snapped a few pictures and then off they went on their bikes. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting the second loop</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Teesha before the second loop</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blurry Teesha is out of the water</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Katie is out of the water</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bike course in FL is a giant 112 mile loop so we had some time to kill. You could go out and try and see the bikers farther out on the course but it made more sense to stay near the finish and transitions. We headed off for breakfast and coffee. After breakfast another trip to the IM store - did I mention that Kswiss stuff was 50% off!! After more shopping we changed and Mike, Peggy and I headed off for a little run. We followed the run course for a bit but we did not want to interfere with the racers so we kept straight on the main road. We crossed the race path a few times and got to see the pro men and women run so fast and seemingly effortlessly while we watched in awe.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We completed our little 6 mile run (so I wouldn't feel like such a huge slug). Just prior to this we found out Katie had to drop out of the bike with a migraine. Oh, no, poor Katie! We headed back to transition just in time to see Nick head out on the run, quickly followed by George. My camera was still in the hotel room so no pics. Everyone looked strong! We showered and headed back out to wait for Teesha. Teesha came off the bike ready to hit the run and it was so great to see her so fired up!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that everyone was out on the run we checked in with Katie and she was doing well. She had her medication and was not in bad spirits and was cheering on Damon and the rest of the Get Fit crew. Peggy, Elaine, Mike and I grabbed some pizza at Mellow Mushroom and settled in for the rest of the run. We found a place just before the turn around so we could see everyone making their final way to the finish line or heading to the turn around for the final lap. Nick and Damon came by looking strong headed to the finish and soon we saw Teesha heading for the turn around. We ran with her for a bit until the turn and then when she came back I ran a little more with her to the next aid station. She was doing so well. She had no idea about the time and seemed worried about finishing within the cutoffs. I assured her she had 5 hours to complete 13 miles and there was no way she wasn't going to make it. She was concerned she couldn't eat anything but chicken broth so I told her to just keep eating chicken broth it's that simple. She seemed to calm a bit and she ran off for the rest of her journey. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continued to cheer all the runners on and did our best to keep them smiling and their spirits up. When the time was getting close for George and Teesha to be heading back we moved closer to the finish. We positioned ourselves just outside the main chute so we could see the runners coming out of the dark and heading to the finish line. I played with the camera to see if I could actually get a shot in the dark. Of course, I missed George again with the camera but when he saw us his face lit up and he seemed so happy. He ran confidently to the finish line and PR'd by over an hour from last year. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 30 minutes later Teesha came out of the darkness and a smile lit up her face when she heard and saw us screaming for her. Teesha is an Ironman!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was an amazing weekend in Florida. Get Fit had close to 80 runners in Savannah for the Marathon and Half while John was in Pinhoti for Mike Delang's 100 miler. Many PR's and great accomplishments by everyone! It will be hard to top this weekend!</span></div>
</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-91247853539274549592011-10-02T11:49:00.000-04:002011-10-02T12:10:27.850-04:00Stump Jump 50K<br />
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I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> signed up for the Stump Jump 50K as a training race for my planned "A" race - Pine Mountain 40. I knew the timing was not perfect, being only 3 weeks post Ironman Wisconsin and 9 weeks out from Pine Mountain, but John said it was a great race and it was only a 2 hour drive away. Since Wisconsin was a bit of a bust I was at least a little bit more prepared physically then I would have been otherwise. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Come run the premier 50k trail race in the Southeast. Taking place on a beautiful dirt-packed trail with Tennessee mountain stone thrown in -- and with a 5000+ ft. elevation gain -- the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k benefits Wild Trails for trail access and maintenance efforts in the Chattanooga area.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I couldn't run for about a week while my knees healed from the damage done from my mis-aligned cleats. So that left 2 weeks to prepare. Prior to this, my longest run had been 14 miles back in August. Bottom line, 31 miles was going to hurt.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got a bit of running done in the last 2 weeks. My new Hokas arrived and I did 3 runs in them but was concerned because I was experiencing a hot spot on my right arch. Stump Jump is a lot rockier than the nice trails we run on around here so I was worried about beating up my feet without the Hokas. Up until race day I was still waffling on whether I would actually wear them.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday afternoon we headed up to Chattanooga and we made it in time to check in and pick up our race packets. The race shirt was a Patagonia capilene technical shirt in hot pink - very nice! The expo looked great, lots of great vendors and good gear but since we arrived a bit late everything was getting packed up. The expo was in the park along the river and it was absolutely beautiful. The area surrounding the park was full of fun shops and restaurants. I would love to come back when we have some time to explore.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We grabbed some food and then headed back to the expo area for the North Face speaker series. The featured speaker was Diane Van Deren. Incredible woman, incredible journey. Check out her story <a href="http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/get-outdoors/speaker_series/31-diane-van-deren/">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next stop was to check in to the hotel, get our gear organized and then off to bed. I slept well since I was not nervous at all. I knew it was going to be a long day and that the course would be tough but I would get through it so I was not too worried. My only nagging problem was my shoes. I decided to go with my Montrail Mountain Masochists and take the beating.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Race morning we got dressed, packed up the car and we headed to the start. We parked and found Mike, Sandy, Leslie and Phil. First thing Phil said to me was that this course was going to make Sweetwater look flat. Joy! OK, well too late to back out. Let's just do this thing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We lined up and the race was on. The first part of the race wound around the middle school where the race began. The school was huge and we spent almost 3 miles still in the vicinity of the school. Our group stayed together but I knew this would not last long. I am the slowest and I am used to running alone on trails. I had my camel bak and my iPod so I was going to be fine. The first aid station was at the mushroom rock. None of us stopped and we headed down a steep part of the course. This would be key because we would have to come back up it starting around mile 26 and I was so not looking forward to it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I soon lost the group because I am a little more cautious on the downhills than the rest. Eventually I came to a swinging bridge a little more downhill and then we headed across the road and the fun started. We climbed a bunch and then headed along a narrow trail overlooking the river. It was absolutely beautiful. I brought my phone to take some pictures so I knew I would stop on the way back. For now, I wanted to keep moving while my energy was high. I ran whenever the trail was relatively flat and walked up any steep inclines. I was beginning to get hungry and looked froward to grabbing some food at the next aid station. The second aid station had snacks but no PB&J so I kept moving. I was a bit surprised since all the ultras I had done prior to this always had great aid stations with lots of real food. This is not like a marathon where you grab some gatorade and carry your gels and gus. These races take a lot out of you between the distance and terrain and you need substantial food and calories. Thankfully I had a few granola bars and gus on hand.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next aid station was at the Indian rock house and the start of the big loop. Yay! PB&J. I grabbed a bunch of the little sandwiches and was on my way again. While on the loop I kept looking for the "rock garden" John warned me about. He sad a lot of people got lost here and make sure you always see a flag. Meanwhile I was getting hungry again. The next 2 aid stations did not have any sandwiches - only pretzels, fig newtons (yuck!) and other snack like things. Where is the real food? At GRR we had grilled cheese sandwiches. Was I wrong to think they should have more food? Maybe we do stuff different in GA? Either way I was getting tired, grumpy and hungry. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The miles kept ticking by and still nothing I would call a rock garden until I came upon 2 ladies who looked lost. I knew we were going the right way and encouraged them to keep looking for flags and basically took the lead. The path was not that hard to follow despite the moss covered rocks and lots of fallen yellow leaves that looked like the little yellow flags. Many of the trees had markings for the trail too so I was never worried that I was lost. The rock garden done I continued on and back to the beginning of the loop. This was the one place that had sandwiches the first time around and thankfully had sandwiches again. Yay! I grabbed a bunch more and headed back to the finish. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the final stretch back I passed quite a few people since I still had some energy to run. I walked through the more technical parts but anytime there was nice clear trail I ran. That was until I fell. It was narrow section of trail and not particularly "rooty" so I am not sure what happened except I went down in a cloud of dust. Thankfully the ground was soft and I did not hit any rocks - completely amazing since this race should more accurately be called Rock Jump. I dusted myself off, stretched my right calf since it cramped up when I fell, and kept on moving. I was thankful for no scrapes or bruises and that I did not fall down the side of the mountain. I ran for a little bit feeling good and then looked at my Garmin to check distance. That's when I noticed the crack! Apparently, I cracked the crystal of my watch when I fell. Damnit! It looked like it was still working so I tried not to get too mad about the whole thing and concentrate on finishing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soon, we were back to the road, up a steep part of the trail which I navigated pretty well since I ended up passing a guy with 2 hiking poles because he was slowing me down. The trail leveled out again and then we were at the swinging bridge again. Now it was time to get back up all that steep section we came down in the beginning. I trudged up feeling not too bad and eventually I was at the mushroom rock again. Turns out it was not as bad as I had feared. I snapped a picture of the Mushroom rock and then headed back to the school.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trails here were nice and wide and I was amazed that I was still running. I looked at my watch and it was going to be close if I was going to make it in 9 hours. I was going to be ecstatic with a 8:30 finish but i knew it would be tough with the difficulty of the course and my lack of training, so 9 seemed pretty realistic. I pushed on and crossed the finish line with a Garmin time of 9:00:50. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My time was not great by any means. Some lunatic finished this same course in 3:50! This race was an ultra championship race so some big talent was on hand. Based on the times of my friends and what I know of their speeds I did pretty darn good. Especially with the lack of running the past few months. The course was tougher than any that I had run in Georgia with lots of climbing and tons of rocks but I still passed a bunch of people on that last stretch. I was happy that I still had energy at the finish and felt pretty good. My calves were tight and my feet a bit sore but not too bad overall. The biggest problem was that I was hungry! The burger tent shut down just as I finished which seemed awfully early given that there were many more people still on the course. Thankfully, Leslie grabbed a few burgers just as they closed up shop.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leslie and I rest out legs while I finish my burger and beer</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would I do this race again? Definitely! It was a great course, absolutely beautiful, wonderful people and volunteers but next time I will pack more food!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking forward to really putting in a lot of miles in the next few months and can't wait to run an Ultra that I actually trained for - Pine Mountain 40, here I come!</span></div>
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Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-30562398494624807422011-09-22T13:37:00.000-04:002011-09-22T13:37:03.416-04:00339 days<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">339 days until 2012 Ironman Louisville. It took me 10 days to change my mind. So, I am a hypocrite and a masochist so sue me!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6opBe2QzthxqoteLwR679Anj9o_SImPyFvNmD42S0B8Wn1dDEjoQv09D8_rjWX26ugepe7imyY0bAy-ayZK-bcNT1V6V6lwDjy1Eo43hOagmNaLauKopmE6HrqP5tivyd84tzAT1utsc/s1600/louisville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" hca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6opBe2QzthxqoteLwR679Anj9o_SImPyFvNmD42S0B8Wn1dDEjoQv09D8_rjWX26ugepe7imyY0bAy-ayZK-bcNT1V6V6lwDjy1Eo43hOagmNaLauKopmE6HrqP5tivyd84tzAT1utsc/s1600/louisville.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day after the Ironman we headed down to the expo so John could get his finishers s*** and I could cancel my pictures (again). Maybe I will learn my lesson next year but they lure you in with the talk of longer lines the day after the race and being cheaper before the race. At least they give you a full refund so no harm done except for your ego. Next we waited in a huge line to gain entrance to the store (never experienced this at CDA or STG) and while we were waiting John started to try and convince me to do Louisville. He said he would train with me and not do it. That started the tears. John is not a grand gesture kind of guy, nor even a small gesture kind of guy so when he says something like that I know he means it and it's heartfelt. So, I said I would think about it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I did nothing but think about it for the next 9 days. I brooded and shed a few more tears - more of frustration than anything else, and tried to figure out what to do next. I did not want to do anything reactionary….like almost signing up for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon lottery just for the hell of it. I knew if I did that I would get in and have to literally "swim with the sharks". Glad I talked myself out of that one. It's on the bucket list but not today. I weighed my options, talked to a lot of people who's opinion I trust and decided I needed to get this monkey off my back. I needed to drop kick that son of a bitch and make sure he never came back. The GFA Koolaid was swirling towards Arizona 2012 but I was not interested. Coach Mike said the water was cold - he looks and swims like a polar bear and nothing bothers him so if it's cold to him, I am f****d. Plus, there is the issue of travel expenses. Flights, shipping bikes, hotel costs etc etc. I didn't want to spend a ton more money on something that could all go wrong again. It's a long day and no matter how well you are prepared, anything can happen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have no desire to do IM Florida even though it's close. Too great a chance of red flag swims and a boring 112 mile bike ride that no one - NO ONE - has ever set an IM record on. Why not? It's flat, they should have record speeds. I think everyone ends up bored to death! Besides, I like hills! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Louisville it is. It's close by. There is a river swim, some upstream but most down and no wetsuit. Prior to this summer that would have bothered me but I swam all summer including a 5K with no wetsuit. Bring it! The bike course is somewhat hilly but I am fine with that. The only problem is heat. I am going to have to embrace Mr Sun and log some miles in the middle and late parts of the day. OK, it will suck but it sucks anyway, so what's a little more suffering, right? The run I don't really care too much about. It will be what it will be. Just get me off that Mother F'g bike and I will be good. I am stronger than last year so I can only get stronger and faster for the following year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here I am….AGAIN….339 days to go. Let's do this thing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quick update - knees are all healed, did 18 trail miles this weekend. Looking forward to Stump Jump 50K in 9 days. Bike is back home, hanging in the garage until I get over the urge to run my car over it a few times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pictures from IMWI - look how happy I am!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7OrhnY4qLKfAdHPdsTsodznCv7dwbTD0QxC99SJAZOv9br2ibJqrnCEww2kwBs40M40IZ0D5ot68QRyb4WnSkM5gtK7XpFPeXZ2fc-_OfFaTx0p5L0C7Mu4eAQmgdRz8HKj_kaSXDtVL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2011-09-14+at+9.38.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7OrhnY4qLKfAdHPdsTsodznCv7dwbTD0QxC99SJAZOv9br2ibJqrnCEww2kwBs40M40IZ0D5ot68QRyb4WnSkM5gtK7XpFPeXZ2fc-_OfFaTx0p5L0C7Mu4eAQmgdRz8HKj_kaSXDtVL/s320/Screen+Shot+2011-09-14+at+9.38.43+PM.png" width="216" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally - Things to share: A hilarious blog on a first ultra. The medals at the end are the best! - </span><a href="http://theoatmeal.com/blog/ultramarathon" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a90810; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://theoatmeal.com/blog/ultramarathon</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good article on balancing your life and Ironman - it's spot on - </span><a href="http://coachtroyjacobson.blogspot.com/2011/09/iron-focus-5-important-tips-for-success.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://coachtroyjacobson.blogspot.com/2011/09/iron-focus-5-important-tips-for-success.html</span></a><br />
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Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-48504557349535675032011-09-12T08:27:00.000-04:002011-09-13T16:36:42.417-04:00Ultra Season<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So yesterday was a big bust. I was not sure if I should digest what happened and then write about it or just spew it all out like I usually do. I have been up since 5am this morning and while I let John sleep a little more I guess I will try to capture my thoughts and impressions about yesterday.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Race morning we were up at 4am. I was able to take a nap the previous afternoon and while we got in bed at 8:00, that nap made it hard to fall asleep even with some Advil PM on board. I read for an hour and then fell into a nice sleep. Around 1:30 I woke up and then started to stress and toss and turn. Finally got a little more sleep but was up and ready to go at 4:00. We made it downtown very quickly, got parking, pumped tires and dropped off all our bags. We convened with all the Get Fit crew in Dana's room and the company helped keep the butterflies at bay. Then it was time to head down to the swim. Wetsuits were donned and we got in the water.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John's plan was to swim ahead and head toward the inside of the buoys where there would be less traffic. The canon went off and I followed John. There was a little confusion and chaos in our area but I was able to concentrate on keeping John in sight and just kept on swimming. The butterflies never got a chance to get going while I worked to keep up with John and before I knew it I was almost at the first turn. I lost John at one point but saw him again around the second turn but then he was gone. But by then I was fine. Water was basically calm except for the churning of the swimmers around me and the buoys were getting ticked off one by one. I rounded the last turn for the first lap, checked my watch and my time was a little less than 50 minutes. No problem, I had plenty of time and felt good. The second lap was relatively uneventful, lots of jockeying for position and a little flurry when the "lappers" went by but overall very uneventful. My arms were starting to feel the lack of wetsuit time by the end of the last lap and my shoulders were screeching at me as I headed to shore. I got out of the water and the clock said 1:40. Perfect! Plenty of time to get the bike course done. I was elated!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then got my wet suit off and headed up the parking deck spiral to transition. The run up the spiral was long and annoying but finally I was in the hotel and grabbed my bag of clothes. I worked to get my bike gear on and saw that Dana and Leslie were dressing too so that made me feel great. Said hello to Dana, got a hug and headed out to my bike. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Down the parking deck spiral and out on the course. The first bit was slow with all the twists and turns on the bike path and through some parking lots but eventually we were out on the course we drove on Friday. I felt a little sluggish at first but eventually the legs started to warm up. Leslie was feeling sick and we leapfrogged our way through most of the first loop. I would have liked to have been moving a bit faster but I knew I was still doing great on time and things were going well. The hills were relentless but we trained on hills all summer and I felt pretty good. I kept it in the low gear and spun my way up those hills passing many along the way. Things started to take a turn for the worse around mile 25-30. I started to get a nagging pain on the inside of both knees. I had experienced this before on one leg and knew this would not get better. I tried different foot positions and nothing seemed to make the pain stop. Before long every pedal stroke was painful. The 3 big climbs were excruciating but I was still able to get up the hills and still was passing people as I did so. I started to panic because I did not know if I could keep this up for the rest of the race. I started to slow down even more and spin more because every stroke was agony. Once I passed the 56 mile mark I never saw Leslie again. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Side note on the cleats: When I first started ramping up to big distances on the bike I started to get a nagging pain in my left knee. It would never start until late in the ride. The guy who fit John's bike helped adjust my cleats and for the first time I was pain free. Since then I have kept them in the same position and when ever changing them out I magic marker the outline of the cleat to ensure they are exact. So, a couple of weeks we got our bikes checked out by the same guy and he changed my chain and replaced my worn cleats. I thought nothing of the change since I was confident he would have replaced them in the same exact position. Since I was in taper I only did a few short checkout rides and everything felt fine. On to race day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the second loop another issue presented itself. My side was cramping. I had never experienced this on the bike and tried to stop and stretch when it got really bad. It was then I realized I really had to pee. Well, no rest stops seemed imminent despite pedaling many miles looking for one. Finally, I found a good place to make a quick run in the woods. Around this time a sheriff car pulls up and he asks if I am OK and he also adds that I am the last bike out there so he had to keep an eye on me. I asked if the other bikers had been cutoff and he said no they all just dropped out. The heat was a bit too much for some people yesterday. Although it was hot, it was nothing like we had experienced in Georgia this summer and I felt good except for my knees and needing to pee. According to the sheriff the next rest stop was 5 miles away and he suggested I use the woods if I really needed to go. Excellent idea! I took care of my business and then got on my way. At the next stop I pulled out my bike tool and decided to try and mess with my cleat. I WISH I had done this when it first started. The change gave me some relief in my left leg but the right was still a mess. I had a little more spring in my step and started the big rolling hill section of the course. I did OK but the climbs were still super painful. I kept moving but around mile 80 I realized I was not going to make the cutoff. I had the worst hill section ahead of me and even if I gained some speed in the final trek back to town the last hills would have done me in. It was time to bow out. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got back to the start of the race, changed clothes, relayed my day to Leslie and Peggy in T2 and saw them off for the run. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unlike IMCDA I was not crushed. I was annoyed and resigned. There are many things I would have done differently to prepare but all in all I think I was well prepared. I worked on my swim and got so much stronger and more confident in open water. I worked with a trainer to get stronger overall. I worked on my bike and did hill repeats, technical bike courses and even conquered the Gaps! My recent runs had gone well and I felt strong. I was much more prepared for this race than my <a href="http://suckatall3.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html">first attempt in 2010</a>. I was nervous but felt like I was ready. The hills were plentiful but I know under different conditions I could have handled them and still had plenty of time to make the run. My energy level was good and I felt strong except for the pain in my knees. I visualized the accomplishment and stayed positive. This is why there were no tears this time. I did everything I could except for taking the responsibility to ensure my cleats were good. I will never leave this to chance again. It is too critical. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite being over my experience, it is incredibly hard to watch the rest of the race unfold and see everyone you trained with reap the rewards. One training partner had a worse day then mine and had to quit during the run. He stuck it out all day but stomach issues and blisters got the best of him. My heart aches for Harry because I know how he feels. This was his first Ironman and he was so ready on all counts. Strong swimmer, biker and runner. It was a no brainer. It goes to show that everything needs to fall into place on that one particular day and unfortunately, things that are beyond your control can ultimately do you in. It's a tough, tough thing and a bitter pill to swallow.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The question now is will I ever do this again? Right now the answer is NO. I spent so many hours training, stressing and preparing for this race. The money alone is depressing. I fought off sickness, risk of injury and felt the toll it takes on your marriage. This is not a small endeavor. It consumes your life and makes you an incredibly selfish person. Sure, I would love to hear Mike Reilly say those words to me on race day. My ironman still feels like a lesser accomplishment than the hoopla and experience of the corporate IRONMAN. It is still the same distance but it is just not the same experience.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really don't think I am cut out for this distance. Despite all that has been accomplished the bike is still my nemesis. I struggle with it and I honestly hate it most days. I wish it was different and maybe if it wasn't so hard for me I would like it more. I just don't know the answer. What I do know is that I have a 50K in 3 weeks that I am not exactly prepared for. I have not been running any super long distances but the endurance is there. The ultimate goal is the<a href="http://www.getguts.com/e-pm40.shtml"> Pine Mountain 40 </a>miler in December so Stump Jump is just another training day. Pine Mtn will be my longest distance to date. So here's to Ultra season. Let's hit the trails!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-10325127356940002142011-09-10T08:38:00.000-04:002011-09-10T08:46:25.197-04:00The Final Countdown<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, this cheesy song from the 80's has been playing in my head this morning because it's The Final Countdown!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday we swam in Lake Monona. The water was a little cool but not bad with the wetsuit. Nice and calm in the mornings. It gets choppy in the afternoons but every morning so far has been calm as can be. The only other concern is the huge number of participants at this race. Much more than we saw at CDA and literally thousands more than Great Floridian. It's going to be an interesting swim. After the swim, we picked up our bikes and then the Get Fit crew piled in Harry's van. We were all wearing matching Iron Kids T-shirts and looking like a pack of weirdos! We drove the bike course and all it's hills. Nothing steep or crazy like we have been training on but constant turning and climbing. We are going to be mentally zapped when we get off those bikes. I hope the rest and training will carry me and I can get through 112 miles of that crap in enough time. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The nerves are definitely jangling this morning. I got a good 9+ hrs of sleep last night which is great since I won't get much tonight. This morning we will ride our bikes to make sure everything is good, drop off gear bags and get in one more swim. Then it's time to eat, rest, hydrate and try not to freak out too much. I am trying hard to visualize a positive outcome and forget the problems of the past. Trying not to beat myself up too much over things I could have done differently. I will be putting it all out there Sunday morning and if all things go well I will be an Ironman again.</span><br />
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</span></div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-10546575739599530362011-08-29T13:43:00.000-04:002011-08-29T13:52:51.994-04:00Reminiscing<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something non IM related: A local radio station was doing a weekend tribute to the 20 year anniversary of the release of Pearl Jam's "Ten". It made me feel really old but it also brought back a lot of memories. </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That time was the beginning of my continuing obsession with Soundgarden and Chris Cornell. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John and I went to Atlanta CD (an actual music store!) and I was looking to pick up Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. One of the great things about Atlanta CD was their used pile. I was looking through the pile and came across "Ten". I didn't know much about Pearl Jam except that they were mentioned in every single article I had ever read about Soundgarden and the grunge movement. So, what the hell? I picked it up. After a couple of listens I was shocked to find that someone actually bought the CD and returned it. It was a nearly perfect album of 10 incredible songs. Badmotorfinger didn't suck either and I wore those 2 CDs out. </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The 20 year anniversary also brought back memories of Lollapalooza 2 in 1992. The main stage lineup included Ice Cube, Ministry, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as headliners. It was an awesome show. Eddie Vedder jumped off the back wall at Lakewood and was carried to the front of the stage by the crowd. That would absolutely never happen today! John mused that we don't have the energy for all day music festivals like Lollapalooza and Ozzfest anymore. To which I replied, "Yeah, we would rather run, swim, and bike all day than stand around and drink beer in the hot sun." What has become of us?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcjIQ5zjZc-cq7YdX5Qltql5bVeW2z9Nlg2tfKwpJEjibtTFYzOqSgZqH8dyRnuerdWnqw4ldaeIa6qjORF1GQXVRn-mTNxgM5_f9vmHr00jprPE7QyYL9-q26lM9S0S8ULnA0hOYiFym/s1600/flea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcjIQ5zjZc-cq7YdX5Qltql5bVeW2z9Nlg2tfKwpJEjibtTFYzOqSgZqH8dyRnuerdWnqw4ldaeIa6qjORF1GQXVRn-mTNxgM5_f9vmHr00jprPE7QyYL9-q26lM9S0S8ULnA0hOYiFym/s320/flea.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-29044628508415499602011-08-25T18:49:00.000-04:002011-08-25T18:49:42.882-04:00Number 658<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Number 658 – that’s my IMWI number. It’s starting to get real and so I am starting to get real nervous. The other day I was watching the 2009 athlete video and when I saw the swim it made my stomach hurt. The bike ride down the parking ramp spiral didn’t calm my nerves much either. So many things to stress about!!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxtVutQN_8">2009 Ironman Wisconsin</a></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I know I am more prepared than I was for IMCDA but I am still worried about all those cutoffs. Great Floridian had a very nice calm and less crowded swim and very generous cutoffs. This will be me and 2500 of my closest pals fighting it out in the water with an “in water” start! I wish I knew that before signing up. At CDA I waited on the beach until the crowd started the swim and felt pretty free and clear. If it wasn’t for the waves I would have been just fine. This time I have to position myself as far as possible from the crowd so I won’t get slammed when everyone leans over to start kicking and stroking and get caught up in the washing machine. Ugh! My stomach is hurting again just thinking about it. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always panic a little bit at the start of any swim but so far I have successfully been able to talk myself off the ledge and get back to swimming. This race will have the extra pressure of being the area where I failed before so I know I will be extra nervous. I am just hoping for relatively calm water and being able to stay away from the pack. As John always teases – “hope is not a plan”. I don’t know how I can train any better for waves than just trying to get stronger.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The big push for training finished the weekend before last with our crazy century in the Gaps. I am pleased to say I finished all 101 miles with around 8000 ft of climbing. Wolfpen is no joke!! The first loop went well and I felt really good but the second lap started to really wear on me, especially with the increasing temperatures. The nasty little climbs became even worse and I about lost it twice. My speed started dropping dramatically as my energy waned. I didn’t think I was going to make the Wolfpen climb again but after cooling off and re-fueling at the little store right before I was willing to give it a shot. Leslie and I kept each other company with our chatting and bitching all the way up and we did it!! We really didn’t think we were going to do it at the store but the Bad Ass Bitches got it done! We texted the boys not to come get us and we would meet them at the car (this was the backup plan if we didn’t make it up). We started down the backside of Wolfpen and then the rain started. It drizzled and then poured and then stung! We only had a few miles left but the rain made us ride faster and when we were half a mile from the car the sun was shining. The boys were clueless until they saw we looked like drowned rats. It was a great feeling to be done with that horrible ride and AI am no longer scared or intimidated by “the Gaps”. I just hope it will give me the strength to finish my 112 by 5:30 pm on 9/11/11.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolfpen, loop 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolfpen x 2 - we made it!</td></tr>
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</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">With the century ride from hell behind us, John and I headed to Jamaica to celebrate our 20</span><span style="font: 8.0px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Anniversary. We spent 3.5 days at Sandals Whitehouse where we swam, rested and drank a lot! We got 2 almost 90 min ocean swims in before the drinking started, including some choppy water and wave training for me. The other vacationers must have thought I had lost my mind when the whitecaps started one afternoon and I headed out with my swim cap. Again, please no choppy water in Wisconsin!! I definitely felt stronger in the ocean currents than in the past but I can’t fight large waves for long and certainly not for 2.4 miles. Here is the beautiful water where we swam.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8fX8c33xumpL5s5hkHd3fV9kEijVJeW8p1tlrEuJYka61RQv1KSE1Z2r2V20I6v2abjGmHDB_-gHd829in2_rMO0G-LIGG3jJCzFcZBEhe3_uX0TxbvOiydVC76ACNaFaHuCt9ONTAZ0/s1600/Sandals_Whitehouse_Resort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8fX8c33xumpL5s5hkHd3fV9kEijVJeW8p1tlrEuJYka61RQv1KSE1Z2r2V20I6v2abjGmHDB_-gHd829in2_rMO0G-LIGG3jJCzFcZBEhe3_uX0TxbvOiydVC76ACNaFaHuCt9ONTAZ0/s320/Sandals_Whitehouse_Resort.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, so the trick now is not make myself and everyone else around me crazy for the next few weeks. Make sure my bike and gear are ready. Catch up on a few house chores and just rest, repair and relax. Yeah right!</span></span></div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-36187383607998080432011-08-05T16:42:00.000-04:002011-08-05T16:56:32.080-04:00Sick....and Tired<div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Wow! Over a month has passed since I last updated my blog so this might be a bit long.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Since then I have made up for that disastrous 5K swim by placing third in my age group at the Georgia Games Open Water 5K swim. Thanks to Phil Sustar for helping me HTFU and finish strong!! That gave me a big boost in my confidence for the swim leg but I still need to "just keep swimming". The week prior to that swim I was majorly sick with a fever and congestion and runny nose that had me down and out for a couple of days. This was a wake up call that I was pushing too hard or as they say in USAT coaching, I was "over reaching". There is a fine line between good over reaching that is needed to get stronger and build endurance and over reaching that quickly becomes over training. I think I started to cross that line. Two illnesses in two months is highly un-characteristic for me. Time to back off a little and GET MORE SLEEP. </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">I have always struggled with sleep. My mind is too active and it takes a lot to wind down and get to that sleepy place. Mind you I can fall asleep on the couch about 5 minutes after John turns on Mythbusters - it has happened so often that it has become a household joke. Sorry Adam and Jamie but you make me sleepy! The hard part is getting in bed and trying to get 8 uninterrupted hours. Happens about, well, never. Betty (our sweet but seriously disturbed Doberman) often wakes me up during storms or just because she is lonely, who knows? She needs more exercise and with all the training we haven't been home much. I also have so much going on trying to fit training in around my ever fluctuating work schedule that I don't have time to get enough sleep. I have been trying really hard with to make it happen and I was pretty successful last week but this week has been a bust. I am seriously looking forward to my Saturday nap since I know tonight won't be much more than 6- 7 hrs if I am lucky.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">So back to being sick, 4 days later I foolishly did the Chattanooga Olympic distance tri despite many protests. My reasoning was that I felt better, I had no race experience for this year, it was a relatively short distance and I could stop at any time. I actually did decently on the swim, better than expected on the hilly bike course and sucked ass on the run (but kept moving with a smile on my face). It was probably no different than many of my other races except is was hot as hell and I had a good excuse for poor performance.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Delirious or happy - hard to tell</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;">Following Chattanooga I cut back a bit on my training schedule. I realized 2 spin classes a week at 6am were killing me. I also realized that spinning Thur morning, working with a trainer, then doing a stacked brick that night (9mile bike, 1 mile run and then repeat) was just plain stupid going into a long weekend of training. Done. Ok, so that freed up a little time and yes I got more sleep too. Then the emotional rollercoaster started.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Two weekends ago we had a 112 mile bike ride on the training plan. We plotted out a hilly, technical course and it was a long hot grueling day but I made it though without feeling too horrible at the end. I felt good about my effort but was still concerned about making the time cutoffs given my avg speed was not spectacular. I told myself it was a training ride on an open course and it was really hot so race day will be better. I then realized while this course was hilly it was only about 4500 ft of climbing. I found out from Coach Tony Myers from ATS that Wisconsin was closer to 7000 ft of climbing. "Uh oh! Not good. Not good at all. Who the hell got me into this? Doesn't anyone look at this stuff before they decide to get everyone to sign up. What in the hell was I thinking?!! " An example of some of the rants from that weekend. OK, time to HTFU and get serious. Hopefully, it's not too late to fix this! </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">That week Coach Tony mentioned that his athletes were doing a ride in the gaps to help prepare for WI and told me I should come along. Well, that wasn't going to happen for 2 reasons. #1 - I am seriously SLOW and would never be able to hang with them. #2 - The Gaps scare the sh** out of me. Well, about 10 minutes later I got an email from John saying he thought we should do the 3 Gap ride to get in more hill climbing. F** me! </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">So, a few of the IronKidz (Harry, Peggy, John and I ) piled into Bumblebee and headed to the Gaps! Stephen Carhart from ATS graciously joined us on our little adventure along with Kim and Tripp. Kim and Tripp aren't training for anything but were headed to Lanier to visit a friend that afternoon so this worked best with their plans for a weekend workout. Wow, did they choose wrong! </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXQBXf1pbCVz8va7XmhorpwXVWDMceFMDII0CGyM7M6PFxQqTDo9Df6tGFP-jk4XdTE6OzYe5x6E6njXQLKoKXjO_ltHeZr8OxOunaojvfiFaC_0l15dmnkB5r7RT6SOmoChKzF0v1Exk/s1600/skeenah+gap.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXQBXf1pbCVz8va7XmhorpwXVWDMceFMDII0CGyM7M6PFxQqTDo9Df6tGFP-jk4XdTE6OzYe5x6E6njXQLKoKXjO_ltHeZr8OxOunaojvfiFaC_0l15dmnkB5r7RT6SOmoChKzF0v1Exk/s640/skeenah+gap.jpeg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">The Skeenah Gap course has a large climb at the beginning, some rollers in the middle and another big climb at the end. I was very concerned when we immediately started climbing knowing we still had the monster climb ahead of us. We had been riding for a little while and Stephen said there was a really nice Overlook I should see so I took that opportunity to pull over and stop. When he asked if I was OK. I replied that I seriously needed a Gu if we haven't even made it to the big climb yet. He assured me were about 3/4 through the big climb at that point and then I relaxed. OK, I can handle this. This is not that bad! The downhill was a bit nerve wracking but much better than a ride I did at Cheaha last year. The road conditions were great and I felt good. Stephen was doing some Cirque du Soleil sh** on the way down. Standing up and taking his hands off the handlebars. Sheesh, what a show off! (just teasing!) I don;t think there will ever come a day that I feel THAT comfortable on a bike. Ok, so big climb done, time for some rollers and then one last climb and done. Well, my definition of rollers is completely different than Tony's. At mile 30 there is a nice little incline that goes by a church so you can pray to Jesus that you make it up the hill. There is another fun one around mile 37 and one more kicker around 40. The rest just were little climbs and possibly one small section I would call rollers. Tony will later tell me that is what I should be expecting at Wisconsin. Cue the ranting and cursing.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Somewhere between mile 40 and 50 Peggy has a little blackout and decides to get the hell off the bike. She's a smart cookie that Peggy. Tripp had also been battling leg cramps and and had a flat tire earlier in the ride so I think he saw an opportunity to get off the hella-coaster and he stayed with Peggy. Luckily they found some nice A/C and water to wait until we could come back and rescue them. The rest of us forged up the final hill and made it back to Turner's Corners feeling pretty darn good about ourselves. Harry and Kim both said that was the hardest thing they had ever done. Personally, my IM in FL was harder. The hills, heat and wind just kicked my ass for 112 miles. I actually felt pretty good after this ride, especially with the bag of ice on my quads. Mind you at mile 50 I felt a bit cranky and hot but after I doused my head in water I was good to go. Now, 112 miles of that sh**, that's another story.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKG39DMPrgxiaUByc8Rs_YnV8VlylRGHFS6Aqxi-9LvPlbJd2sPHfVBJSuWFv1XFTmj0Sngj53Mbkw2mgGTKbJFXp01395ywz0qgygsK4gZthY6JHiHAgy-DWJ591leWIhacmiHjAYLI6d/s1600/peggy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKG39DMPrgxiaUByc8Rs_YnV8VlylRGHFS6Aqxi-9LvPlbJd2sPHfVBJSuWFv1XFTmj0Sngj53Mbkw2mgGTKbJFXp01395ywz0qgygsK4gZthY6JHiHAgy-DWJ591leWIhacmiHjAYLI6d/s400/peggy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Kim, Peggy and Harry earlier in the ride</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SqS64wc1sxJWAkGFl9eJq_6tVp8fvcu2rWFsD70oCEhrG5xc8Yq6X06MILAmvWHTH2crXXnsaM8DPgiJnG_E-f5duopfay_EhyrUVvdBRQs8IxYsZjPdTL69JrY2Ugm2KwKrybT1I5G6/s1600/Peggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SqS64wc1sxJWAkGFl9eJq_6tVp8fvcu2rWFsD70oCEhrG5xc8Yq6X06MILAmvWHTH2crXXnsaM8DPgiJnG_E-f5duopfay_EhyrUVvdBRQs8IxYsZjPdTL69JrY2Ugm2KwKrybT1I5G6/s320/Peggy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Peggy enjoying that A/C</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Post ride elation and sense of accomplishment was dashed with Tony's comments about the WI rollers. Much map studying and cursing was done and I went as far as to put both maps on the same scale so we were comparing apples to apples. WI still looks easier than last weeks ride but it's over 112 miles and is not to be trifled with. Here are the comparisons:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0g-xjVm6HMa45S9KrvRePkwtEFTR-qV0auGQGIk2GrUarB8ubn70-1-OcsnKKIm5YfE-HEi0paIt54eVNVhfr7-UwVRwOtufOwIQ9Ysi9GNsSfQqrATeavYx3WBr6RZOlvEt-X4Xb3U8/s1600/comparison.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0g-xjVm6HMa45S9KrvRePkwtEFTR-qV0auGQGIk2GrUarB8ubn70-1-OcsnKKIm5YfE-HEi0paIt54eVNVhfr7-UwVRwOtufOwIQ9Ysi9GNsSfQqrATeavYx3WBr6RZOlvEt-X4Xb3U8/s640/comparison.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Tha Gaps DID made me feel like I had been doing at least one thing right - Hartman Hill repeats! Here is the elevation chart for Hartman Rd. Peggy, Harry and I have been riding this hill over and over again this summer and we can tell our climbing has improved dramatically.</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0WqB32DTk4h_U1FpO3I_i0Ba_KOucHTn0dVjDBOCXymeEl3r98lnzJROtWA8f_IGF4EErO6z_7helUV9O5qF0K6xCLzWe2xChCNU901kzU9_8l8vd-Dgk4yIr3KLWhbLdiIPjMDvoCTP/s1600/Hartman.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0WqB32DTk4h_U1FpO3I_i0Ba_KOucHTn0dVjDBOCXymeEl3r98lnzJROtWA8f_IGF4EErO6z_7helUV9O5qF0K6xCLzWe2xChCNU901kzU9_8l8vd-Dgk4yIr3KLWhbLdiIPjMDvoCTP/s640/Hartman.jpeg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">This weekend I have a 14 mile run on tap for today, 40 mile flat and fast ride tomorrow and Acworth Women's Sprint Tri followed by more open water swimming on Sunday. Feeling good about my training right now but that can change at any moment. I do really wish I had one extra month instead of only 37 freakin' days!! That bike course and cutoff time is scaring the crap out of me. I hoped this time around would be different but it seems I am going to be sweating those cut off times again. </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Until then there is training to do. Next weekend will be really fun. John has channeled Coach Tony's masochistic mind and has a 100 mile torture fest planned for next weekend. We are headed back to the Gaps. Can't. Wait. </div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Plan for next weekend - 2 loops of this - as Peggy said "Better get a bigger boat"</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmACzj_jD9A9H706RAi6_xVvzKOyWOEtgR2I5Fv5NLMtbuAiThmYLUkqFDp05_2VJG51EUu81oWsCKCIPErBVcicDaYm-xfvYlVShChWKMuwBTnX-tkx6ZOwiiocWb4sOAKeDcYS3Moi0/s1600/Gap+Ride.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmACzj_jD9A9H706RAi6_xVvzKOyWOEtgR2I5Fv5NLMtbuAiThmYLUkqFDp05_2VJG51EUu81oWsCKCIPErBVcicDaYm-xfvYlVShChWKMuwBTnX-tkx6ZOwiiocWb4sOAKeDcYS3Moi0/s640/Gap+Ride.jpeg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16px Times; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;">You finally made it to the end of this saga so I just want to share some of my latest obsessions for passing the time while in the car and during long runs:<br />
<br />
Jay Mohr's podcast - Mohr Stories - hilarious!<br />
Tina Fey's audiobook - Bossypants<br />
David Sedaris - Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk<br />
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All have caused me to laugh out loud while running<br />
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</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-17929807423838052772011-06-26T22:03:00.000-04:002011-06-26T22:03:51.813-04:00The Curse of the last Sunday in June<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The weekend started out good. I was hitting all my marks - spin class on Thur morning, stacked brick Thur night, 6 mile run Fri morning, 53 mile bike Sat morning and then the curse of the last Sunday in June struck. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today was the Ridges Resort 5K swim that I have had as a goal for myself when I first heard about it in 2009. Last year I couldn't do it since it was the same day as my Ironman. So, this years event would be the one year anniversary of my Ironman DNF on the swim course. Not really a good omen in retrospect.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coeur D'Alene didn't even cross my mind this morning. I just thought about getting through the swim as best I could. After looking at the course by boat Saturday evening I began to realize how out in the open we would be throughout this swim. I started to wonder if I should just wear my sleeveless wetsuit just to ease my mind and make me feel more confident. Everyone seemed to think I would be way too hot and would hate wearing it after a while. There were only 2 out of 100+ people wearing wetsuits this morning so I went without and began my swim. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I started off feeling a bit nervous since I did not get to warm up. I had to stop every couple of strokes and catch my breath so my heart would slow down and I could continue swimming. This went on for quite a while but finally I got into a rhythm. Around this same time George (another GFA tri person and exceptional swimmer) started to hang back and encourage some other swimmers. Our support kayak stayed with them and I continued to swim. All was going well until we turned into what they called the channel but was more like open lake to me. Lots of boats and ski jets zoomed around the periphery but the race crew kept them away from us for the most part. The only problem was that it created a little bit of chop out there and made the crossing harder than expected. Finally, I made it across to the first big buoy that looked like a giant candy corn. The entire time I could see one or two swimmers a ways ahead of me but there were no race boats anywhere in the vicinity. I continued swimming along but there was still a bit of chop so it was slow going. I started to hear some thunder and when I was close to a boat I asked if it really was thunder. They started pulling close and said yes it was thunder and there was some lightning. I asked if they were going to pull swimmers since the sky looked kind of black and that's when they threw my a life preserver and started putting down the swim ladder. I was felling pretty cold and there were no other swimmers in sight so I decided to get in the boat. My day was over.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZgd6RZPNx8uaD3w9CofinqnAzP2A-nAkez_jCExJZrK086Cg3IZoekiW2nuXA9Hh9kB-CvbwGynzpE3AZs-0SHnVotru6u6pan04D_AC5wtZNjbbW6U4CJP-RDFXSGdEpUCKecel5c2v/s1600/cloudlightingsr6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZgd6RZPNx8uaD3w9CofinqnAzP2A-nAkez_jCExJZrK086Cg3IZoekiW2nuXA9Hh9kB-CvbwGynzpE3AZs-0SHnVotru6u6pan04D_AC5wtZNjbbW6U4CJP-RDFXSGdEpUCKecel5c2v/s1600/cloudlightingsr6.gif" /></span></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> It wasn't until the car ride home that I realized it was the same Sunday in 2010 I had my bad swim in CDA. Today was different in that I chose to stop but I did feel I was not given clear info on what was going on. They did not pull any swimmers and told our kayaker that it was up to the swimmers to continue. I never asked for them to come get me. Just asked if there was thunder and a storm coming. In fact, there was no lightning and the skies cleared up pretty quickly afterwards. In the end though, I am just mad at myself for giving up. I did get cold but I would have been fine had I kept going. I also should probably have just worn the damn wetsuit from the very beginning and then it wouldn't have been an issue. The cold became an excuse and there really was no reason for me to stop. I was tired but I could have swam more.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The next question is do I sign up for the Acworth 5K swim in July or just concentrate on my race distance and work on getting faster and stronger? It is a burr in my behind right now, which probably wont be fixed until I do this event again but doing the Acworth 5K would help ease the self loathing that comes with a DNF. It will take some extra juggling at work to make it happen but I will see if I can do it before I commit. I know I did more than the people who failed to show up today but that really doesn't make me feel any better right now. </span></span></div><div><br />
</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-84438896626389282682011-06-24T16:08:00.000-04:002011-06-24T21:30:57.991-04:00What is optimal?<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From my coaching clinic manual concerning long course athletes and "what is optimal?"</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Athletic goals need to sit in harmony with life goals and the reality of an athlete’s life situation. It only takes a little too much volume, intensity or fatigue to tip an athlete over the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">edge. There is no worse feeling for an athlete than falling apart two weeks out from a goal race after a whole season of diligent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">preparation."</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Athletes require constant reassurance that it is okay to rest. The single greatest item that most age-group athletes can add to their program is an extra hour of sleep every night."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If only there were more hours in the day. I know I spend a bit of time futzing around at home but lately it's sleep, eat, train and work with about 2-3 hrs per day to myself. I never feel like I am sleeping enough. I just read somewhere today that during a build period Andy Potts sleeps 11 hours per day. Must be nice to not have a full time job in addition to training. I am also sure he is not trying to keep his house in order and plan meals at the same time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just doing the best I can right now to prepare myself and hopefully the wheels won't fall off before race day.</span></span></span>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-22851276205454117442011-06-23T15:38:00.000-04:002011-06-23T15:59:53.157-04:00Where are my Rocket Boosters?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the last couple of weeks of training have gone pretty well. The only hindrance has been sleep or to be more precise, lack of sleep. I missed one workout because of no sleep due to storms/power failure and freaked out dog and another because I snoozed my alarm 3 times without realizing it. I also had to scale Sunday's open water swim way back when I found I had no energy to continue and did not want to end up fish food. I had done a 12 mile trail run in about 99% humidity Sunday morning and planned on doing at least a 2 mile swim later that afternoon. I felt pretty good after the run and hydrated, fueled up and when I started swimming I felt like I had a lead weight tied to my ass. I pushed on despite mental warnings of complete stupidity and possible drowning and forced myself to swim about 1400m. Better judgement won out in the end and I quit after that. I was a bit disappointed since I swam 3 miles the previous Saturday after a 8 mile run but I think the heat and extra mileage did me in that day. I am glad I got that 3 mile swim in to boost my confidence a bit since I have the Ridges Resort 5K swim this Sunday. When I first heard of this event 3 years ago it seemed like a super crazy endeavor but something I wanted to aspire to. Well, here I am signed up and ready to go for Sunday. I am sure it will be really slow but knowing I don't have to get on a bike afterwards will be a great incentive to "just keep swimming".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ-wT00JLzDPxVtN-DLHQ3Ei5d1TcnLqGL9dh5vDZ9z_5bRp-ty8W42W_U-dkr2LfWJx26hexlZpl0qxYVYQtdNPPRLszJhe82PlEU8HoGGBSHen_h4IjWkoLcrc8ukzXaoYpxef41oiK/s1600/nemo-dory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ-wT00JLzDPxVtN-DLHQ3Ei5d1TcnLqGL9dh5vDZ9z_5bRp-ty8W42W_U-dkr2LfWJx26hexlZpl0qxYVYQtdNPPRLszJhe82PlEU8HoGGBSHen_h4IjWkoLcrc8ukzXaoYpxef41oiK/s200/nemo-dory.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As far as the rest of my training I am still sweating the bike. Rocket boosters have yet to pop out of my ass so I am still plodding along or should I say pedalling along at my usual slow speed. I have been kicking some hill ass lately so that's one good thing. Been doing lots of Hartman Hill repeats and even did one entire set in the big chain ring (just to see if I could). I have also been getting a lot of comments about looking leaner/more toned so maybe some of my extra padding is transforming into muscle mass. Come on speed....you can't be far behind, please! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp83IwmNO57Tt8nrRLiSQK9vIyzuppHBNUKSAsfjwE1QzUJFd40_fwoz41SxafmbwaUgOpbwC7DXg_J9N-UR1mxB0CAyxIbElNyX5CEXRdtSZ6Q9FtON39XkVaI0yk71W8J9DVf9DsMj-/s1600/Saturn_V_Rocket_Booster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp83IwmNO57Tt8nrRLiSQK9vIyzuppHBNUKSAsfjwE1QzUJFd40_fwoz41SxafmbwaUgOpbwC7DXg_J9N-UR1mxB0CAyxIbElNyX5CEXRdtSZ6Q9FtON39XkVaI0yk71W8J9DVf9DsMj-/s1600/Saturn_V_Rocket_Booster.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spin still kicks my ass every week (ahem, except for the couple I missed due to lack of sleep) but I think that's the point. This morning I was bound and determined to get to that class despite the fact that Betty would not go out and pee and my garage door would not open. I drove like a maniac and prayed it would not be a full class. If it's crowded its first come first served for bikes. I got there just in time to grab a bike and fired up the Garmin and no HR graph. What?? Recent firmware update deleted all my settings and apparently this too. Then it started picking up everyone else's monitor (something it has never done before). After much fiddling I gave up and decided to used PS or "perceived suckiness" to determine my HR and exertion. I think I managed adequately and achieved a fine state of suckiness by the end of class. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The last song for today's sufferfest was a mix of The Police's "King of Pain" that made me think about when I first heard that song in 1983(!) when Synchronicity first came out. Little did that silly 14yr old sunbathing with headphones on know that 28 yrs later she would be sweating in a dank, dark room while training for an Ironman. "What the F** is an Ironman?" says that girl and "Why the hell would I do that? Sounds boring and stupid". Yeah, well, what can I say?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2Yg3cztWbAVU3kW9GWPjuNgDyMWo7noul8i3AM_MJesbzgvZTibnhtUXZBL8UD3k6-k8PkXnsYtaxjJQQMqrlOgFdjG5gKGPDJ91nOkmJxPJoe2hpMuHr8KLX6vrQW5-Hcybq1b2VLRO/s1600/51YMGSQ8ZNL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2Yg3cztWbAVU3kW9GWPjuNgDyMWo7noul8i3AM_MJesbzgvZTibnhtUXZBL8UD3k6-k8PkXnsYtaxjJQQMqrlOgFdjG5gKGPDJ91nOkmJxPJoe2hpMuHr8KLX6vrQW5-Hcybq1b2VLRO/s1600/51YMGSQ8ZNL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-4042881605172004872011-06-10T15:33:00.000-04:002011-06-16T00:47:12.222-04:00Conflicted and Stressed<div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Life has been extremely crazy these past few months since I started this blog. The last few weeks have been particularly insane and stressful in all aspects of my life. May started with our trip to <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">St. George</city>, <state w:st="on">Utah</state></place> for John's first Ironman of the year. Given it had the reputation as the hardest IM in the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">US</place></country-region> I was not participating in this brand of lunacy. So, while John, Mike, Alan, Beau and Mariska were doing an Ironman, I was essentially not training. Once the IM was over, John and I travelled to <city w:st="on">Zion</city>, <placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype> <placename w:st="on">Powell</placename>, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Phoenix</place></city>. I needed some rest so it was a welcome vacation. A little hiking was done but it was also another week with no training. I was starting to get very anxious about this and looked forward to getting home, settled and back into my routine.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John's depressed immune system after the event caused him to pick up a cold. We spent a lot of time in a closed car together and by the end of the trip I had a cold too. The cold was pretty mild and I was already feeling better after a few days when things took a turn for the worse. This coincided with out trip to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Louisville</place></city> for USAT Level I coaching class. Needless to say the first day of class I was miserable blowing my nose while sitting through 8 hours straight of class. All I wanted to do was sleep. If I was at home with the cold I probably wouldn't have been training anyway but it was another missed week. The training class was awesome - learned lots of great stuff - but now I have lots of reading and a big test I have to take in the next 3 months to earn my certification. This equals more stress. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cut to the week leading into the Memorial Day holiday. I was the late PA and was scheduled to work that Saturday and be on call for the weekend and holiday. It was one of the worst weeks I have had at work. Super busy, short staffed and I was still recovering from the cold that would not go away. The sneezing and blowing was done but my head and chest were still congested and the coughing was so bad it would wake me (and John) up at night. I finally went to the doctor for some antibiotics and hoped this thing would end soon. I trudged through my week of work and managed to squeeze in some half hearted workouts but I was definitely not 100%. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, here we are 2 weeks later and I still have a residual cough. The good news is that my energy levels are back to normal. I missed half of last weekend’s training due to a work conference in Philly but I should be home now for the rest of the summer. This week has been the first week (in a LONG time) that I have felt like I was training at my full potential, despite the persistent cough. But now the doubt is kicking in BIG TIME. I feel so behind. I knew May would be a tough month but I wasn’t counting on the illness to make things worse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The IM is 93 days away and while that might seem like a lot of time, it really isn't based on where I feel like I should be right now. My hope and plan for this year was to do more than just "get through" this IM. I wanted to be able to get through each leg without sweating any cutoffs or potential disasters and be able to relax and enjoy my race. I don't feel like that is possible right now. I have been concentrating so much on the bike when I have been able to train that I have been neglecting my swim and run. Oh yeah, there is also a little 5K swim coming up in 2 weeks that is really going to suck. I am sure I will be able to gut it out but there will be a lot of breast stroking while I pause to catch my breath. That the only positive thing I can say right now. I have enough of a base built up to force myself though anything despite how miserable I will be while doing it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If all the time on the bike was actually producing measurable results I would be a little less panicked BUT alas I still feel slow and tired and just plain “shite” all the time on the bike. Adding to my stress level is the fact that it is time to think about next year’s race. What?? I haven’t even finished this years!! Yeah, I know, the IM process is stupid at best. Most races fill up within hours of opening so you have to register one year in advance. John is all gung ho about 2 new races in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Montreal</place></city> and NY that open next week. Also, there is one in <place w:st="on"><state w:st="on">British Columbia</state></place> he would like to do so he has been posting, e-mailing and chatting up all of these possibilities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Meanwhile, I am in a bad place mentally about my race in 93 days and don’t even want to think about going through all this mess again next year. I still firmly believe I should have never signed up for last year’s IMCDA. I would have been better off working on my bike, sticking to 70.3’s and getting stronger. On the other hand, I have pushed myself and done more than I ever thought I could. I just wish I was seeing more results for the time I put in. I am getting up at 4:45am twice a week to do strength and speed spin classes followed by core training in addition to my brick, long rides and hill training sessions. All the cyclists I know say the only way to get better on the bike is to ride. Well, how much more F’n riding do I have to do? There aren’t enough hours in the day to ride more plus take care of my house, work, eat and sleep. Not to mention when you are really SLOW it takes that much LONGER to get through those rides. It also leaves me no time to really think about what I want to do next year. <br />
If I saw some improvement I am sure my attitude would start to change but currently I am nothing short of depressed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> So, do I want to get on this merry-go-round again or take some time to get stronger and then see what happens? How will I feel if others in my group are training for an Ironman and I am not? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a race on my schedule it will be next to impossible to push mys</div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-49147191866532612322011-03-15T21:41:00.000-04:002011-03-15T22:09:24.784-04:00<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7843112193513662" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I never thought I would write a blog because who cares what I have to say about anything. I suppose this will just be an online journal of sorts and an experiment to see if I actually keep up with it. If you are reading this I need to warn you up front I am a terrible writer. There will be grammatical mistakes and run on sentences. Although I was always a straight A student, creative writing was my biggest weakness. Give me a technical paper any day and I will do just fine but writing is not my forte. I am a Scully not a Mulder. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, now that my lame introduction is out of the way, I guess you are wondering about the name of my blog - I suck at all 3 sports. I will detail my <a href="http://suckatall3.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-boring-ass-athletic-history.html">athletic career</a> in another post so you can read it or skip it if you choose. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, so why do I suck at all three sports? In 2008 I completed my first triathlon - Irongirl. I was scared to death but made it through and became a triathlete. I have continued “tri-ing” since then and have completed 3 sprint distances (400-600m swim, 10-18 mile bike and a 5K(3.1 mile) run), 2 Olympic distance relays (I swam and 2 other people biked and ran), 3 full Olympics (1500m swim, 40K (~25 miles) bike, 10K run (6.2 miles)), 2 Half Ironmans (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and last year I completed an Ironman on my second attempt (2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run). I still struggle with each part and wonder if I am encouraging mediocrity by simultaneously training for all 3 disciplines instead of concentrating on one. So let’s break it down by sport.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Swimming - I have become a pretty good swimmer and love open water swims. The drudgery of the pool and chlorine can become quite tedious so give me a lake to swim across any day. I learned a painful lesson at Ironman Coeur D’Alene this year that being able to glide through the water relatively effortlessly is of no help when you are faced with choppy water. Combine that with a relatively small frame in a buoyant wetsuit and you get a big cork. I could not power my way through the chop and ended up a DNF on the swim - something no one predicted, not even my pessimistic self. So, even one of my better sports needs work. I need to work on getting more power in my stroke and picking up the speed. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Biking - this is by far my worst discipline. I am slow, slow, slow and I hate it. I don’t know if I hate it because I am bad at it or I am bad at it because I hate it. I am also scared of it. I had a pretty bad accident last year which did not help matters. No major injuries just a black eye, some cuts, scrapes and major bruising. I was very lucky I did not break anything. I was already nervous on the bike before the accident but it took a while to get any bit of confidence back. So many awful things can go wrong on the bike not to mention cars, dogs, road debris and other cyclists that can cause you to have a very bad day. I also don’t feel like I have great control of things and every movement to get a drink, wipe sweat off my face or try and eat something is cause for concern. I wish I was more comfortable on the bike. I also wish I didn’t have to work so hard to go so slow. The only advice I get on how to fix these things is to ride more. So, I ride more but I still struggle. It just seems to come so easy for everyone else that it makes me wonder why I can’t ride as fast and as comfortable. Last year I was able to gain some more speed and get much better at climbing but I still feel like I am a big slowpoke.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Running - when I am in shape I am a decent runner but have never broken a 60 minute 10K despite coming very close. I never really have pushed myself in this discipline and wonder if I had the time to do intervals, hill training and tempo runs if I might actually become a “good” runner. I love trail running and have completed 2 ultras so there is no doubt I can run forever but I would like to run longer and faster. I prefer trail running over roads. I would rather do a 50K (31 miles) trail run over a road marathon any day. The best part about running is that if you get tired or feel bad you just walk and there is no danger of drowning or crashing at high speeds.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.37136046728119254" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, here I am starting another 6 month ramp up to Ironman Wisconsin. Most days I wonder why I ever signed up for another one. The biggest problem is you have to sign up for these things a year in advance and you tend to get swept up in the madness. I enjoy the group training and communal misery but when the alarm is going off at 4:45am to drive to spin class in the rain you feel like you need your head examined. It would also be another thing if I was perfectly buff and toned after all this exercise but in fact I think I weigh more currently than I have in almost 10 years (and it’s not muscle!) I seriously need to eat better and I have been trying to incorporate some strength training in my regimen. I am currently starting about week 8 on that score with not much noticeable improvement. I will also be adding a second spin class to my regimen - a weekly strength class to balance my intervals training in hopes to gain speed. My first real bike ride of this year was a painful reminder of how out of shape I have gotten in just a few months. 25 miles was painful, slow and pitiful. Swimming has been almost non-existent in the past few months so I need to get cranking - I foolishly signed up for a 5K (3.1 mile) swim and then encouraged 19 other people to join me so there is no backing out now. Running is going OK - I have the endurance down - I managed to haul my ass through the mud for 33 miles 2 weekends ago so yes, I can still run forever and while I was not last (my first 50K I was the last finisher) I was no where near the middle of the pack. So, I need to work on speed. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.37136046728119254" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sigh! I suck at all 3 sports!</span></div></span></div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529783144031389940.post-55100414387451286192011-03-15T21:36:00.000-04:002011-03-15T21:36:02.736-04:00My boring ass athletic history<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7843112193513662" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My athletic career really started when I was 30 and began a desk job. I found that I could not maintain my normal weight without exercise so I started running. I ran a little bit in college but never very far or very seriously. As a kid I did gymnastics, ballet and some dance but I also had been blessed with really good genes. Where they came from I do not know since both my parents and my brother have had struggles with weight whereas I was always called “skinny”. That 30th birthday and the sedentary job changed all that and I decided I wanted to try running and signed up for a 5K. Well, things progressed from there - a 5K became a 10K, which became a half a marathon and finally became a full marathon in 2000. I did not finish in record time and probably barely missed getting swept off the course but I did finish a marathon. I signed up to do it again the following year but the death of my mother and the herculean task of cleaning out a house occupied by a borderline hoarder, the selling of a business and finding homes for 6 cats and a dog kind of took over my life. Then grad school got in the way and well running was only done in fits and starts. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In 2007 a friend told me about a running group that met 2 miles from my house and every Saturday. I checked it out online and was a bit concerned about the cost but decided to dive in and if I made the financial commitment then maybe I would stick with it. So, I joined Get Fit Atlanta. I soon realized this was a half marathon and marathon training group - neither of which was in my plans but decided to just run whatever the planned distances just to stay in shape and have company. Well, I soon got on the band wagon and decided to sign up for the Baltimore Marathon. My husband John had already completed multiple marathons and really wasn’t interested in running another one but agreed to run this one with me. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Part of Get Fit Atlanta’s training included post running seminars. One morning there was a seminar on triathlons - something I secretly wanted to do - and my ears perked up a bit. I came home all enthused and told John all about it and in his ever encouraging way told me I should see how the marathon goes before trying a triathlon. Maybe he knew something I didn’t but once I hit my 14 mile benchmark I started having major pain in my right anterior calf that began to flare up after 1 or 2 miles and eventually kept me from running my marathon that fall. Numerous doctors, chiros and physical therapists later no one ever really figured out the cause except for a possible muscle strength imbalance. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That winter I bought a bike because I was bound and determined to try this tri thing. I rested my leg and started trying to swim and bike in the spring. Now, I can ride a bike but learning about pedal clips, navigating traffic and climbing hills were definitely new to me. My past bike experience involved riding my bike 500 feet to the neighbors to play or riding on homemade bike trails in the woods beside our house. As for swimming well I can breaststroke and dog paddle with the best of them but freestyle was another thing. Between Total Immersion videos and working with Coach Mike at Get Fit I eventually became a decent swimmer and could swim several laps without gasping and sputtering. Well, low and behold but the swimming, biking and a little bit of trail running seemed to have “fixed” whatever was wrong with my leg. I was still scared of running too many miles in fear of it returning so I kept my distances to under 8 miles. In 2008 I completed my first triathlon - Irongirl. I was scared to death but made it through and became a triathlete. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have continued “tri-ing” since then and have completed 3 sprint distances (400-600m swim, 10-18 mile bike and a 5K(3.1 mile) run, 2 Olympic distance relays (I swam and 2 other people biked and ran), 3 full Olympics (1500m swim, 40K (~25 miles) bike, 10K run (6.2 miles)), 2 Half Ironmans (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and last year I completed an Ironman on my second attempt (2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run). I have even done two 50K trail runs (31+ miles) so apparently my mystery leg problem has been resolved. </span></div>Jen Ridgleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113551740855461323noreply@blogger.com0