Recap of my 2016 Racing Season and a Farewell Blog Post

It's hard to believe it but this is the last post that I'm planning to write for Run Today Tri Tomorrow. Since I started the blog I've set and accomplished a lot of goals. I dreamed of running more marathons, an ultra and of completing an Ironman distance triathlon. I've done all these things and it's been a very fun and interesting journey. While I still plan to race for some time, I needed a change so I have launched a new blog that combines my love of running and tris with beer. Head on over there now to read it at: http://thehoprunner.blogspot.com/.

2016 went fast and so did my season. Here's a quick recap:

Multisport:

I placed 2nd at the Great Western Reserve Olympic Tri

I placed 3rd in the Munroe Falls Sprint Tri

I had my best 70.3 run ever at IM Ohio where I ran 1:46 for a finish time of 5:38

Milton Man Olympic Tri was rough and I was 2nd in AG

Nordonia Duo Relay - won co-ed although my bike time suffered due to a couple       mechanicals

Running:

• I ran my second Green Jewel 50K and once again came in second place - albeit about 35 minutes faster this time thanks to better conditioning and weather conditions. 
• I ran my first Boston Marathon and it was an amazing and unforgettable experience. I will be back for more but unfortunately missed my BQ this year by few minutes. 
• I ran back to back marathons in Erie Sept 11 (3:44) and Lansing on Sept 18 (3:51). This was even harder than I thought it would be. 
• 3 weeks later on Oct 11 I placed 1st in my AG at the Towpath Marathon in 3:42. 
• I ran my first trail marathon at Run With Scissors. Ouch that was hard! 
• I won my AG at the Hill Yeah 1/2 marathon and I placed 3rd in my AG in the inaugural Run for Chardon 1/2 Marathon. Both of these were hilly!
• I placed 1st in my AG at Dirty Love Trail 10K, 3rd in my AG at Blossomtime Run and 4th at Run for Regis Trail 1/2 Marathon
• This year I placed first in two 5ks, second in one and third in another. I should run more sprints as I tend to place better in these. Plus I wonder how much faster I could get if I focused on speed instead of aerobic work.
• Cleveland Marathon I was fatigued and dropped down to the half. It was a tough day all around with that crazy weather!
• My Trail 100K at Conquer the Castle became a trail 50K due to some lingering low back and hip issues.

I have been running some base mileage, lifting weights, doing yoga, spinning, getting massages and going to a chiropractor for treatments to get me ready for the 2017 season. I plan to limit my racing early in the year to allow for some extra recovery. For 2017 I plan to go for a marathon PR and I am signed up for my first 100 miler in July so it will be a lot of running this season and hopefully some shorter tris in the summer once I recover followed by fall marathons if I am up for it.

Return of the Blog

So...I am way behind on updating the blog. Between starting a new job and selling and buying a new home and racing, things have been a wee bit busy the last few months.

Racing has been up and down this season - more good than bad. The Cleveland Marathon ended up being a bust for me. With the ridiculous weather we had that day and the cumulative fatigue I had from the season to date I made the call around mile 7 to just run the half. Some of my fellow ambassadors and my hubby had good races so I was happy for them.

Following Cleveland I ran the Chagrin Falls Blossomtime run on Memorial Day weekend, which is always a competitive race. Was happy with 3rd in AG with a tough field. Then I ran the very challenging Hill Yeah 1/2 Marathon in Kirtland. I had a crappy day as I was struggling with a little hip strain going into the race. While I was happy winning my AG, I was not happy with my time.

Next up was the start of Tri season at the Great Western Reserve Olympic triathlon at West Branch. It was hot as heck, I was not in great swim or bike shape, but I pushed as hard as I could and managed 2nd place female on a tough day. A couple weeks later was the Munroe Falls Sprint triathlon. That one hurt but I had a good day and finished 3rd female. My swim was crap, my bike was good and my run was on fire! My next race was Milton Man Olympic Tri where I had a crap day. It was my biggest running week to date leading into the race so I was probably doomed from the start but I wanted to at least get in a good training day, which I did. I raced nowhere near my potential but despite feeling like crap and wanting to call it a day I finished and earned myself some hoppy beer! Finally I raced the B'Nai B'rith 5K recently on a hot July day. I had no idea how this would go since I hadn't raced a 5K since March and really have not been good about my speedwork. I ended up running a 21:09 and placing 2nd female so I was pretty happy with that for where I am right now.

So, what's coming up next, you ask? Ironman OH 70.3 triathlon is rapidly approaching! I debated sitting it out because I do not feel half-iron ready and we are moving a week later.  I have only put in a few swims, a few longish rides and then of course a boatload of running. I decided to say who cares and race it anyways. If I stink and it's just a training day, I will still have fun and get to see tons of friends and race the inaugural event. Following that I am hoping to race Erie Marathon again for the BQ. I am holding off on registration as long as I can to see what weather conditions will be. If it's 80+ degrees at the start...I won't hit my goal. I just don't do as well in the heat. If it is reasonable, I will go for it. Worst case, if weather sucks, I will run a later fall race and try for the 2018 BQ early. Lastly, I have that little trail 100K coming up in November at Squires castle! Yes, I am at that "what in the heck" did I get myself into phase of my training and thinking. At this point I still plan to attempt the distance and just try to finish in one piece. Wish me luck!

New Year = A New Challenge to Conquer

My husband Steve and I have been talking for a little while about doing a longer ultra. With one of our big goals now being to complete a 100 mile ultra for his 50th bday in 2017, we decided to sign up for the inaugural Conquer the Castle 100K, which takes place conveniently close to our home in November of this year. This will be a big challenge for us but one that we can have a lot of fun training for all year. The timing is good since it's late in the year we can have a great spring running season, a fun summer triathlon season and then close out the year with a challenging fall running season and then hopefully shut it down for a little while.

I am excited and also admittedly a little nervous about running a race that is 62 miles long, but I also have 9 months to prepare myself so I feel that it is doable. The goal will be to just finish in one piece with no major injuries. In order to reach the goal I have a plan. Lots of running, some cross training, weekly yoga and strength training, planned recovery weeks every 3rd of 4th week of training and some good old fashioned rest days/weeks. I will be posting updates on the training throughout the season. Wish me luck!

Exciting News for 2016 - Freeplay Magazine

I am so excited for the 2016 season to start already and now I have more good news to share. I have been selected as an ambassador for Freeplay Magazine! Team Freeplay is a team of elite and sub elite women focused on endurance running and triathlon. There are ten ladies on the racing team out of California and another five of us ambassadors added this year from all over to help spread awareness of the team and magazine. Head on over to freeplaymagazine.com to check out this awesome publication that is completely devoted to endurance sports for women. You can also visit www.teamfreeplay.com. My information should be live on the team site after January 1.

The team includes some pretty amazing female athletes. From 2:50 marathoners to Kona Qualifiers, you can read more about the new 2016 team and ambassadors here. I am looking forward to getting to know these fast ladies and hopefully picking up some guidance on how to improve myself.

Blossom Time Run Race Report

Steve and I decided at the last minute to run the Blossom Time race in Chagrin Falls as a fun run. With perfect weather we had to take advantage of it!

Prerace:

With the start at 9am we were able to sleep in a little bit, which was nice. We arrived in downtown Chagrin Falls around 8 and headed over to packet pick up. It was nice running into some Cleveland Tri Club friends before the race. We headed back to the car to get ready and get in a quick warm up before lining up at the start around 8:50. There was a nice crowd of runners - probably close to 2000 people. It was already getting warm and I decided to run in my sports bra. It turns out that was a good decision because it will a hilly, hot race!

Start & Race:

After the Star Spangled Banner was sung the shotgun went off and it was a mad dash for the first mile. This first mile was fast and totally the opposite of the previous week's more relaxed start at the Cleveland Marathon. I went out a little faster than I probably should have and had some pulling in my right hamstring so I stopped to stretch it out at the first water stop. Steve had taped it for me but I think it just wasn't warmed up yet.

I slowed my pace some the next couple of miles and loosened up. By mile 3 I was ready to race and I really started to get into it. Unfortunately I had some time to make up. I enjoyed the hills and passing people the last couple of miles. The last 1/4 mile was a bonus since this was a 5.25 mile race. I definitely noticed people fading towards the end but with running a marathon the week before I felt great as I came across the finish in 39:25 (7:30 pace). I was 3rd in the 35-39 AG. Not as fast a time as I would have liked but this was a race for fun and I am happy with my time and finishing in my AG considering Cleveland was only a week before and it took me several days to recover from it.

Steve had a good race, finishing in 33:26 for 2nd place in the 45-49AG. A week after his big BQ he is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It's great to see him doing so well this season!

Post Race:

Hanging out after the race in Chagrin Falls 

We stopped by the Northern Ohio Team in Training tent and said hi to some of staff and athletes that were running the race. Then we stopped at Starbucks for a snack and coffee and enjoyed taking in the gorgeous scenery in Chagrin Falls following the race. There were lots of people downtown with the Blossom Time festival going on.

We stopped for a quick lunch and post race beer on the way home at Willoughby Brewing. The Hop Jam Black IPA is a good one to try!

 It was a fun day. We had a great experience and I think we will definitely do this race again.

Glad to see you go, go, go, go, goodbye...January - Update on the Training

What a month. Blah! I am so happy to see January go! Although it is a time of resolutions and new beginnings for many, for me it was just a bad month. You see I really have a strong dislike of winter to begin with. I have always had Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to some degree...more like the "winter blues" but this year it has been at an all-time high. Some days it is hard to pull myself out of bed only to go out into the bitter cold (some days as cold as -30 degrees with the windchill) not to mention the feet of snow we have had several times in the Northeast. Really all I want to do is eat and sleep yet I have somehow managed to keep training. Us Clevelanders are tough people. We just keep going.

With the winter training being more difficult than I can recall in many years I have been relegated to running a lot of my mileage this winter on the treadmill. I'm not even a treadmill hater anymore but I am just sick of it and so is my cranky IT band! In fact I've spent the month with hamstring/IT band issues with the left leg. Taping up with KT tape, foam rolling, Normatec, stretching and more stretching. Next week I'm headed in to a sports chiro to see if they can nip this in the butt before the season really starts. 

Frozen after our N. Chagrin yetti trail run!

Next weekend I am scheduled to run the dirty love trail 10K at North Chagrin Reservation. It is a fun race. A group of us did the preview run last weekend and it was extremely cold and snowy and took about twice the amount of time it would in nice weather. So we will see how the week goes and I will decide if I am racing or not. It would sure be nice to get out there but my goals this year are too important to compromise so if I have to sit things out at times this year I am prepared to do so.

And in other news Steve and I booked a short all-inclusive trip to Cozumel, Mexico in early March. I really cannot wait to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and toes in the sand. I am hoping to be running healthy for the trip so we can enjoy some warm runs! Looking forward to the vacation and daylight savings time and spring coming up too! 

Effective Strength Training for Triathletes and Runners

Many triathletes and runners understand that strength training is an important component of fitness, yet so many do not understand how to execute this type of training. They may think that any type of strength training is good when in fact they may be doing very little to improve in their sport.  For example, a simple leg press exercise may seem sufficient to strengthen certain muscles such as the glutes and hamstrings yet the single leg squat would in fact be more beneficial to the athlete. Why is this? The single leg squat is a functional strength exercise that engages multiple muscles (glutes, hamstrings, calves, hips, abdominals, back) and planes of motion, whereas the leg press machine only allows the athlete to move in one plane and isolates the specific muscles being used (i.e. glutes, hips and hamstrings).

The woman above is doing the plank jacks

Functional strength training is accessible to athletes anywhere. A gym can be helpful but is not needed. Simply put your body is a gym and its own resistance is the only needed tool. Certainly you will want to add some additional tools such as a stability ball, resistance bands, etc.

 Below is an example of a functional strength workout that can be performed at home or at your gym.

Warm up: You should warm up for 2-3 minutes with some dynamic stretching before you begin any of the exercises. You can do some simple butt kicks, toe touches, jumping jacks, leg swings, etc just to get your heart rate elevated and help warm up the muscles to reduce the chance of injury.

Following the warm up you can repeat the series of exercises below anywhere from 3-5 times depending on your schedule and comfort level.

1. 12-15 reps squat and reach with stability ball (hold the stability ball out from your chest as you squat and in by your chest as you stand before the next rep)

2. 12-15 reps of single leg squats on each side (do one cycle on the first side then alternate so you are getting an even workout on both sides of the body)

3. 12-15 plank jacks (begin in a high plank and jump your legs open and then together for each rep)

4. 12-15 russian twists with med ball or dumbbell (seated with your feet up and back leaning towards the floor, move the weight from side to side, count both sides as 1 rep)

5. 12-15 lunge and reach with med ball or dumbbell (starting with your right side, do a lunge to the right holding the weight and bring the weight up overhead to that side, alternate sides after each cycle)

6. 12-15 woodchops with med ball or dumbbell (holding the weight in your hand, swing your arm up in a chopping motion, switch sides after each cycle)

7. 3 x 30 seconds of steam engine (hands behind your head or neck bring your right elbow to your left knee and alternate to other side with left elbow to right knee)

8. 3 x 30 seconds of mountain climbers (begin on hands and knees and jump your legs forward and back one at a time)

9. 12-15 hip circles (lying on your side, bring your right leg up and do a circle motion with your leg, switch sides after one cycle)

10. 12-15 bicycle crunches (lie on your back as you would for a simple crunch and then as you crunch in, bring your right elbow to your left knee and then immediately switch to your left elbow and right knee and back and forth through each rep)

Cooldown with 1-2 minutes of stretching

That's a Wrap, Last Race of 2013...Good Thing We Brought the Yaktrax!

It's official - no more races until February of 2014! Last Saturday I wrapped up the last race of the season, which was a 5 mile trail race in Munroe Falls, Ohio. It was very cold morning on the Indian Springs Trail complete with snow and ice, which made for a tough race!

Shot of the field where the race started, brrr!

Steve and I had both planned on ending the season with a trail race so Ohio Outside's last race of the year seemed like a good one. We got up early & drove the hour or so to Munroe Falls, picked up our packets and did our usual prerace warmup. Good thing we brought the yaktraks! On our warmup mile it was icy, snowy and slippery and the yaktrax really were needed for safety and speed.

Feeling good on the 1st trail loop

The race start was at 8:30am and we were anxious to get going and get warmed up! The course is actually a little less than 5 miles and consists of little jaunt through a field and then a 2-loop (2.2 course on the trails). My first mile was 7:48 - just about where I wanted to be. Miles 2, 3 & 4 all came in around 8:20-8:30 pace so my pace had slowed (probably due to the cold, slippery conditions and running in cleats) and my final .7 mile wrapped up faster around a 7:30 pace for a final time of around 39 minutes - good for 3rd overall female. I had been in 1st for the whole first loop but was passed when I stopped to tie my shoe. Later I was passed again and then a third woman had passed me but I was able to regain my ground there.

It was a tough day physically and mentally for me. My body just didn't want to race in the cold and I felt like I started to come apart a little around mile 3-4 but I hung in there and ended the season in a good place. Steve had a tough day as well and twisted his ankle at the beginning of the 2nd loop. Despite the pain he was able to stick it out for 2nd in the 45-49AG.

Enjoying a post race beer with lunch in the race glasses!

After the race hot coffee and apple cider were provided along with cookies and hot soup as the athletes hung around for the awards. Ohio Outside gave us the option to choose an award or choose to donate to the Akron/Canton Foodbank so both Steve and I chose the latter. We got cool beer glasses as our race souvenir! Now what can be better than that...besides the beer we had after the race!

Thanks to Ohio Outside for a great race! If you haven't done one of their races I highly recommend giving it a go next season!

Cheers!

Maybe Offroad 5 Milers are My Sweet Spot

For the sake of efficiency, I'm combining race reports for my last two races: The NERC Autumn Leaves 5 Miler and the Twinsburg Turkey Trot 5 Miler. Both races went well for me and I am thinking that this distance is a good sweet spot for me in terms of effort.

Race # 1 - NERC Autumn Leaves 5 Miler 

The Autumn Leaves race took place on Sunday, 11/3 at the Lake Farmpark in Kirtland. It had rained all day and night beforehand so it was a slippery, muddy mess but it was a blast. Steve and I both ran it. I felt pretty crappy on our 1 mile warm up so I wasn't sure what kind of day I would have out there. I heard the course was going to be challenging so I went into with the mindset of just wanting to finish and challenge myself. The women's field was actually pretty competitive at this race including a couple of outstanding younger girls.

Running along one of the scenic trails

The race included some gravel trail, a good bit of muddy pasture running, some horse barns, some paved asphalt trails and a very muddy and slippery corn maze! Needless to say it was NOT a boring race at all. It was very scenic with the colors of fall and just a very fun race.

I definitely pushed myself but it was not a day to PR with the conditions. I held on pretty strong for the duration of the race but did get passed by 2 ladies to finish at 39 minutes (10th overall and 2nd in my age group). Steve also did well running under 34 mins and placing 2nd in his age group as well! NERC did a nice job with the race and the awards and gave us all huge trophies for the effort. I will definitely look forward to running this one again!

Post race celebrating with Steve 

Race # 2 - Twinsburg Turkey Trot 5 Miler

Prerace with Steve

The Turkey Trot was this past Saturday, 11/9. This is always a fun fall race. It combines road and trails so it it more challenging terrain than your average 5 mile road race. Last year I had run it but didn't really have a great day. This year was another story! I just felt better this week. Again my husband raced too and we both felt pretty good on our mile warm up.

It was chilly but I opted to race in shorts with a baseball cap, long sleeve and my gloves. This turned out to be just right although it was very windy and cold for a few minutes waiting for the race start. The first mile of this race is always very fast and this year was no exception. I felt like I was going to be in trouble going out in the low 6's but luckily I was able to hold on and slow my tempo as we hit the trail for some climbing. There were a couple of younger girls who were ahead of me but I passed one before we exited the trail. The other girl and I went back and forth for maybe a mile before I passed her. At that time I thought maybe I was in second or first as I wasn't 100% if there was another woman ahead of me or not. I did my best to just hang on and push.

My first 1st place finish!

As I hit the homestretch I reached down to adjust my bib and tore my number so I was running across the finish line holding it. I could see/hear Steve cheering. I didn't see a ribbon so I assumed I was in second place. I was a little out of it but heard my name and Steve came over to see me and I asked him what place I was I was in and he said FIRST! I was excited and surprised to have been first overall female! This was the first race I've ever won first in (officially).  My time of 36:22 (7:16 pace) was not a PR for this distance but it was for this race and this course.

Post race celebrating with my #1 fan!

I won a trophy and a turkey for my hard work! Steve also had a great race placing 5th overall and 1st in his AG! I am looking forward to seeing what I can do in this race in the years to come. Thanks to Northcoast Multisport and Champ Racing for helping out with this race.

Special thanks to sponsors: Rev3 and Powerbar Team Elite for keeping me fueled and ready to go all season!

Want to Tackle Your First Half Marathon? Here's A Plan to Help You Succeed!

A friend of mine asked me last week to send her a plan to run her first half marathon. How exciting is that?! I can remember my first half marathon some years back and it was a special moment for me.

To create this 12-week beginner half marathon plan, I looked at some existing plans and considered my own personal experiences having run numerous half marathons of varying times between 1:39 to 2:09 over the years. I took into consideration some common issues that new distance runners face and made sure to include ample time for core work, cross training and rest - all of which are VERY important to training!

Some of the beginner plans seemed too easy - having athletes do all easy running and running a 5K to test race readiness. I made sure to include some race pace and tempo runs as well as racing a 10K around the half way mark of this 12-week plan.

Feel free to use this plan or pass it along to your friends or family members and let me know what you think! To download the plan just right click on the image below and select "Save as" to save it to your computer.

Adventure Runs, Long Rides and Things to Come

An Adventurous Run:

It's been a fun season so far and the training continues! Steve and I had signed up to race an adventure trail run in Ashtabula last weekend but were unable to race. We ended up having our own "adventure" trail run at Girlded Rd Reservation!

Friday late night and Saturday morning we had gotten bad storms and rain in Lake County. That translated to a mess Saturday morning. Luckily our house had not flooded but the pool was a different story. It was a freaky deaky green color! We decided to leave the pool that morning and headed to Girdled to run the trails.

The trails were very torn up as the river had flooded - carving out whole areas of the trail and replacing crushed stone with a muddy, mucky mess. Trees and branches were down and it was mud puddles galore. Needless to say it made for an interesting and challenging hour and a half run Saturday. Later that afternoon we bought a bunch of chemicals for the pool, which is never fun.

Sunday Riding and Pool Time:

Sunday we headed out for a 50-mile training ride. Some of the roads were strewn with debris from the storm and the entrance to Headlands Beach was closed due to flooding so there was some rerouting that had to take place. The ride went pretty well but the heat and humidity were getting to me in the afternoon. I was quite happy to get home to have a cold IPA post ride! A few minutes of relaxing by the pool and it was time to get to work. Steve vacumed the pool and I skimmed for what felt like hours but was probably an hour. Does that count as an arms workout? Finally a little time to float around on our rafts. Ahhh, I wish that I could say this was all we did for the rest of the day but we were soon back to reality of more chores. Yuck!

Things to Come:

This week we have some more mild temperatures than 90s, which is okay by me. Lots of swim, bike, run training to get in and a fun weekend ahead including a beer tasting Friday night and we're racing the Fairport Harbor Sprint Tri Sunday. This race is 10 minutes from home at most so I will get to sleep in a little...maybe! Next weekend Steve is racing the Greater Cleveland Triathlon Oly and I get to relax and cheer with the kiddos! Then the weekend after that we are running The Perfect 10 Miler, our anniversary race! And of course Rev3 Cedar Point is just around the corner...can't wait! I am hoping to PR the half course again this year!

Run Free - My Thoughts on Boston and Our Running Community

I am a runner. Pure and simple. This simple but powerful statement connects me to millions of others in the world who also run or were at some point in their lives a runner. It doesn't matter how you started running, how fast you can run the mile or the marathon. Those are just stats. What matters is your character. This is one of the best things about being a runner - the community!

Steve and I after running a memorial mile for Boston 

Last night at 9pm my husband and I gathered at the Mentor High School track along with a group of runners to honor the three victims who were killed and all those who were injured at this week's Boston Marathon. Candles were passed around to the hundred or two hundred runners who gathered and a prayer was said. Maybe the most powerful words said last night during that prayer were that "we are all runners and runners are family". In no other sport is there such a communal feeling. In spite of this week's tragedy at Boston, we are pulled closer together to support one another and this community. We know that we must stand together and not let an act of terror keep us from doing what we have always done. We run. Not only for ourselves but for those who have fallen. Not only for ourselves but for our running community and our freedom. Noone can take that away from us. Run free!

Run your miles this week for Boston. It doesn't matter how many miles or how fast or slow. Your heart's intention is all that really matters.

In yoga we have a saying that feels appropriate to end this post. At the end of every yoga class a simple word is spoken from the teacher and then repeated by the class. The word is namaste. The meaning is as follows "I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are one."

This week our running community is united even more than ever. Namaste my running friends. We are one.

Running for a Cause - Where Fitness Meets The Heart

We run for many reasons. We run to be physically fit. We run to be mentally fit. We run to be free. We run with friends. We run to blow off steam. We run to celebrate things. We run to mourn things. We run to commemorate special things or people. We run to test ourselves and our limits. We run to feel good about ourselves and the world around us. We run to have some time alone for ourselves to think or reflect or just be. All of these reasons are terrific reasons to run. When we run we are better because of it. We make ourselves better physically, mentally and maybe spiritually. Another very good reason to run is to run for a greater purpose, a cause that helps the world be just a little bit better for someone or something.

There are many worthy causes out there from raising funds for cancer survivors and cancer research to autism to helping those less fortunate than us who need shelter or food. Anything we do to help support these causes makes the world a little bit kinder and better for someone. This year I am supporting a very special organization and cause called Girls With Sole (GWS). GWS was started by fellow athlete and Clevelander Liz Ferro. Liz knows firsthand how much running and fitness in general can help to develop a girl's self esteem. 

GWS mentors young girls and women that have been abused or are at risk and helps them to develop self-esteem and a lifelong love of fitness and achievement. With the help of your generous donations, Girls With Sole will provide things like running shoes and clothes, race entry fees, ongoing coaching and mentoring and even a new bike to these well deserving young women. By running the Cleveland Marathon as part of Team Lula, I can help GWS raise funds to help these girls learn the power of fitness and self-esteem. That makes me feel happy inside knowing that my sweat and tears are helping to serve a higher cause beyond myself. I like to call this where fitness meets the heart!

I am proud to be a member of Team Lula for this year's Cleveland Marathon. Please consider making a donation to make the world a little better place for the GWS girls! Any amount from $5-500 helps and is much appreciated! To Donate simply click on the link below, select the amount you wish to give and fill out the form.

http://www.imathlete.com/donate/PamelaMcGowan?z=1360700962967

Thank you for supporting me and Girls With Sole and their girls! I will think of all of you and the difference we made together as I cross the finish line!

Strengthen Your Core to Maximize Performance

There are a number of reasons to include core strengthening into your fitness routine and life. We all need this regardless of our individual fitness levels and goals. Quite simply strengthening your core will help with EVERYTHING else you do in sport or in life! And there are many different kinds of workouts you can do to benefit your core so you can make it fun and/or challenging to do these weekly workouts.

The workouts and exercises described below will all add to your core strength. If you are training for specific sports such as running or triathlon some of these exercises may be more suited to your needs. Talk with your coach, personal trainer or athletic peers about what might work best for you.

Weight Training - Weight training is accessible to everyone. You can buy your own dumbbells and train at home or use the machines and dumbbells at your gym. There are endless options here from squats and lunges to curls and presses and rows. As we age weight training becomes even more important for burning fat, toning and strengthening the core and all major muscle groups. Experts recommend weight training a minimum of 2-3 x weekly.

Yoga - There are many different types of yoga out there: Hatha, Vinyassa, Bikram, etc. There are many ways to practice yoga. At home on your own or with a DVD to guide you, at a yoga studio, at your gym if they offer yoga and other community resources that offer yoga such as parks, churches, retailers, etc. The benefits of yoga are usually physical and mental. The postures or "asanas" as yogis call them are great for developing physical strength and balance. The breathing and meditation such as "savasana" are good for mental relaxation and well-being.

Pilates - Pilates is a great workout for developing core fitness. Sometimes done with a swiss ball or other exercise balls and bands, pilates is aimed at targeting certain areas such as the abdominals and hips. As with yoga there are options for pilates training including doing it at home on your own, with a DVD, at a gym or some personal trainers may have pilates equipment such as the "reformer" in their studios.

P90x/Insanity/Etc - Over the last five years or so workout programs such as P90x and Insanity have become popular. These are DVDs that can be done in your home in a gym or dedicated area where you have enough room to workout. The workouts are challenging and include a variety of exercises, weight training and some of the other types of workouts listed in this post such as P90x yoga or plyometrics.

Crossfit - Over the last few years another type of workout called Crossfit has become very popular due to its unique structure and approach to building fitness. Crossfit includes a number of exercises and weight training. There are dedicated Crossfit studios in most major cities now and there are certified Crossfit experts that can help you. You can also look up the Crossfit workouts online and try some of them at home.

Kickboxing - While there is a cardio component to kickboxing there is also a strengthening component as well. The warm up exercises and kicking and punching the bag really works your hips, legs, arms, abs, back and glutes. Kickboxing can be done at a studio or gym or at home with a heavy bag and gloves. It is fast moving and good for relieving stress too and it's fun if you're into that kind of thing.

In terms of performance, most experts recommend including 2-3 core workouts into your routine each week. This can be challenging for runners and triathletes busy training for long-distance events but it is even MORE critical to their performance! These workouts - especially weight training, yoga and pilates - help reduce the risk for injury. At minimum these athletes should plan to incorporate 2-3 of these strength sessions per week into their routines.

2013 Race Schedule...Finally

It's the beginning of March and I think I've finally nailed down my race schedule for the 2013 season. It was difficult this year for a few reasons. First, starting a new job limits the amount of travel I can do. Not that I'm complaining because I love my new job! Second, I signed up for the Cleveland Full marathon again and this kindof makes triathlon training extra hard since I need to log more run miles than anything else.

Why did I sign up to run a full marathon at the beginning of tri season you ask? I really want to do the full in support of my dear friend Jill who will be making her second attempt as a first time marathoner. Last year she was sidelined with a stress fracture and I was injured too with the whole stress reaction thing (not fun).

Second I am also very excited to be running the marathon as part of Girls With Soles' Team Lula. I am a fundraiser for Girls With Sole because I believe what Liz and the team do is amazing! Please be sure to check them out. And if you can spare a buck or two please help by clicking on the link below: http://www.imathlete.com/donate/PamelaMcGowan?z=1360700962967

Finally it's always difficult creating a race schedule until I see how my spring is shaping up. I have a tendency to be injured at this time of the year. I have taken a lot of steps to ensure that does not happen this season so I am cautiously optimistic that things will turn out as I am planning.

What's different about the schedule this year is that I am throwing some trail running into the mix. I really enjoy it - in fact I started the season off with a trail race, which was a blast! So as of now here is the schedule I hope to follow should the running and triathlon gods bestow their grace on me this season:

• February 10 - Dirty Love 10K - Willoughby Hills, OH 
• March 16 - St Malachi 5 miler - Cleveland, OH 
• April 20 - On My Own Two Feet 1/2 Marathon - Kent, OH
• May 5 - Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Tri - Knoxville, TN
• May 19 - Cleveland Marathon - Cleveland, OH
• June 23 - Rev3 Williamsburg Oly Tri - Willamsburg, VA
• July 7 - Milton Man Olympic Tri - Lake Milton, OH
• July 20 - Dog Days Century Ride -
• July 28 - Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Sprint Tri - Fairport Harbor, OH
• August 11 - The Perfect 10 Miler - Lyndhurt, OH
• September 8 - Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 Tri - Sandusky, OH
• September 28 - Akron Marathon Relay - Akron, OH
• September 29 - Girls With Sole Believe & Achieve Trail 5 or 10K - Kirtland, OH
• October 13 -  Lake Health Full Marathon - Fairport Harbor, OH
• November 2 - For the Shirt Ultra (6 or 12 hr run TBD) - Warren, OH
• November 24 - Fall Classic Half Marathon - Strongsville, OH - maybe
• November 28 - Painesville Turkey Trot 5K, Painesville, OH
• December 15 - Santa Shuffle Half Marathon - Sandusky, OH - maybe

So there it is folks. As you can see I will be a busy girl this year! No 140.6 planned at the moment but a good amount of triathlons in there and some trail running too! Of course I am most excited about my Team Rev3 races! I'm hoping my legs hold up well in the fall and if they do I will run a fall marathon with the intent to run my first ultra marathon in December. No 100 miler or anything crazy like that but at least a 50K. Sounds like fun doesn't it?! Here we go 2013!!

Dirty Love 10K Race Report

Over the last year or so I have really fallen in love with trail running. There are a number of beautiful places in Lake County to take advantage of running. Not only do we have Lake Erie in our backyard but we also have many trails such as Chapin Forest, Girdled Rd, Penitentiary Glenn, The Holden Arboretum and North Chagrin Reservation to name a handful.

When I learned that there was a trail 10k at North Chagrin this month I thought it would be a fun way to start off the 2013 racing season. My hubby agreed so we decided to sign up and see how it went. It was a great decision because we had an absolute blast at this race!

The race was on Sunday, February 10 at 9am, which was nice because we did not have to get up ridiculously early. We woke up around 7, had a nice breakfast, got dressed and left around 8:00 for the race. We arrived at the start around 8:20. There was a nice crowd of runners including some folks we knew from Cleveland Tri Club and other friends. We picked up our bibs and race schwag and headed to the car to get ready. After a brief warmup and a trip or two to the restroom, we lined up.

The race was to be mostly on single track trail with some miles on the bridle trail as well. With the recent snowfall and temperatures in the low 20s the hubby and I both decided to wear or yaktrax to help with traction. That was a good decision as they really helped on some of the icy up and downhills.

The start of the race went through a field of snow coming to a creek crossing. I was a little bit of a sissy with the cold and snow and manuevered my way around the creek versus going right through it like my hubby. This cost me a minute or two early on in the race. After the creek we had to hop a fence and bench to get onto the single track trail. There was a big hill early on that a lot of folks walked. It was difficult to get around the pack of runners so I think this slowed me down a bit as well. Once we approached the top I took off and found my groove.

Finishing the race

It was a fun and challenging course with a lot of winding and some good climbs here and there. It was a pretty technical trail with tree roots and the yaktrax helped with the stability on the icy trail. I finished the 10K in 57 and change, which made me 8th overall female and 1st in the 30-39 age group. Considering the conditions and my newness to trail racing I was happy with the result. It was nice to hear hubby cheering for me at the end as I finished in a sprint the last hundred or so. Steve had a good race as well finishing in around 48 and around 20th overall.

Hubby and me after finishing the race

After the race we said hello to some friends, met some new friends and headed home for a hard-earned lunch and beer. It was a very fun and well-organized race and we will definitely do this one again as well as some other races that the Dirty Trail Series puts on this year.

2012 is a Bittersweet Symphony

I want to start this week's post out with the words to one of my favorite songs. It seems fitting since this is the title of the post. The song is Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. It's an older song that most people probably know. Just in case you aren't familiar here's a link to the video on YouTube.

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Trying to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah

No change, I can't change
I can't change, I can't change
But I'm here in my mind
I am here in my mind
But I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mind
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,no,no,no,no,no(fading away)

Well I never pray
But tonight I'm on my knees yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now
But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now


source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/

Why did I pick the title of this song for a blog post? Well if you've followed my blog recently then you probably know I have had some good and bad stuff going on this year. This last week was an especially bittersweet one. 

My family and I were packing to move into our new home finally and very excited and stressed about all that entails in itself. Wednesday afternoon I was on the receiving end of one of those phone calls that you never want to get. It was my husband telling me that our 7-month-old puppy Ruby (affectionately referred to as Ruby Roo or Rubester) was hit by a car. I was shocked to hear this and immediately left my office to race to the animal hospital. My daughter had let Ruby off of her leash for a moment to untangle it and Ruby darted for the road, which was very uncharacteristic of her. My daughter heard a thud and the scream of our poor little pup. Ruby had been hit by a random 20-year-old girl. One of our old neighbors saw what happened and was kind enough to help my daughter. They drove Ruby to three different animal hospitals. Yes, three! The first two were closed. Ruby was dying as she layed on my daughter's lap in the car bleeding and gasping for air. The poor little angel. She died shortly after arriving at the animal hospital. My daughter was an emotional mess. My husband said he'd meet me in the parking lot of the animal hospital. His eyes said it all as he walked over to me. I saw a tear and I just lost it. No! No dammit! Not my little Ruby Roo! 

After a few minutes of breaking down I collected myself to go in and see her. Lying there with her pretty brown eyes open but no breathe I realized how fragile life is. We had lost part of the family. This dog was my heart. She had become my daughter, my best friend, my favorite pet ever. It felt like I was having a bad dream. Unfortunately this really happened. It's been just over a week now and we really miss her. My last memory of her was my husband and I taking her for a walk to the school that was near our old house and running with her in the field. She had a blast that night and so did we.

She will never be forgotten. RIP my sweet little Ruby Roo. You brought us much happiness and fun for the short time we had you. Hoping I get to see you again someday my dear friend.

Then on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, we moved into our new home on Thursday! A house we waited for months to get. The day after suffering such a huge loss. Talk about bittersweet. There were ups and downs with the whole house buying process and it stressed us out the to the max but we are in now! There is so much to do but we are absolutely in love with it! It already feels like home. It's a place for us to retreat after long days or bad days and a place for us to grow our love and perhaps someday our family. Maybe we'll even find our next Ruby once we're settled.

Finally, just a quick update on the foot. I actually managed a 3.9 mile trail run on Sunday and felt decent. Still somewhat painful after but getting better every week. So I made the decision along with my coach and therapist to race this weekend. Just a sprint tri as I am not ready for much more with regards to the run. But it's a step forward. And I have to accept where I am in the season and in life. Sometimes it is a bittersweet symphony. This life.

Making Lemonade: Crosstraining and Working on my Bike Skills!

Loving the Bike:

My motto for this last week has been when life gives you lemons make lemonade! Although I can't run and I miss running, I am doing my best to move ahead towards my season goals. I had a fantastic week on the bike! We had excellent weather so I had to take advantage of it! Steve and I rode 130 miles: 24 Monday, quick 15 Wednesday, 20 on Friday, 50 on Saturday and 22 on Sunday. We did some of our usual routes and rode the soon-to-be new route for our new home in Concord. More hills over there for sure, which is good! I am getting much better at taking turns in the aerobars too. Also good! I LOVE my new Kestrel! It is such a smooth ride. Oh one more thing, Steve got me an aero drink setup too so that was nice to have in these higher temps.

Crosstraining: 

I also did core Tuesday morning and the eliptical trainer on Sunday for an hour. Steve, being the wonderful husband that he is, knows how much I miss running so he bought us a new eliptical. It set us back about a grand but we both figured we will use it to crosstrain when hurt and also the kids can use it. I used it again this morning and it feels kindof similar to running if you don't use the arm bars. The only difference is the lack of picking your feet up and thus the impact. Either way, it feels so good to sweat and feel like I'm running in a way! I plan to use the eliptical 2-3 days a week to help maintain my running fitness. I hear from others that this makes a difference in getting back to the run more quickly. Hoping this is true for me.

Swimming Like a Fish:

Unfortunately CSU rec center had closed down the whole facility for a week to clean. Cleaning is good but not having a pool to swim in is not. I was able to get in one swim at Lifetime Fitness since I still have a flex membership there and I did 2000m last night at CSU since they're open again. I LOVE the CSU pool right now because it is setup for long course. 50m lanes so 1 lap = 100m. This makes it easier for me and Steve as we like the longer lanes. I felt strong last couple of swims. I may do my first open water swim this weekend at Headlands or Fairport. I hear the water in Lake Erie is around 55 degree. Brrrr! Glad I have a new Blueseventy full wetsuit to try out. May need to grab a neoprene cap and booties though.

Other Fun Updates:

My Team Rev3 racing kit and training kit arrived yesterday! They look so cool! A huge thanks to Rev3 and Pearl Izumi for this awesome looking/fitting gear! I am EVEN more excited to race now. Just need the foot to heal. It's getting there.

After talking with Steve we decided to switch the Twinsburg Duathlon to the relay option. Steve will be running (which is good since he's a little faster than me) and I'll be biking! Yay! I can't wait to race my new bike. She's been good to me so far and I am excited to see what I can do with the new bike and wheels! Twinsburg is a tough bike course albeit short so I am hoping I can finish in around 30 minutes. We will see. The next race planned is Geneva Tri the week after. I may not be running or in running race shape yet at that point. My plan is to see how it goes and if the run is not there I will just race the swim and bike. It will at least give me some good race practice!

As I mentioned earlier we're in the process of buying a new home. We found our dream house and now we just have to get through the next 3-4 weeks of closing/moving and manage to kick butt at training too and fit in a couple races and do fun stuff with the kids and work full-time. No big deal, right?! Okay so I will leave you with these words of wisdom this week! When all else fails stay calm and do a triathlon!

Ups, Downs, Injuries and Introspections

It's been a tumultuous season for me. I'm starting to think that spring is just a bad season for me. I tend to be injured every year around this time. Maybe that's my body's way of trying to say something like "woman you are getting old". Just kidding. I don't feel old. I feel good and just need to deal with these injuries as they arise, accept the downtime and stay positive.

Yesterday I went to Solon Wellness Center to see Dr. Keyes' associate as recommended by Coach Sean. Talk about pain! The doctor did some serious work on my left foot, which has been aggravated for almost three weeks now. Think foam roller x 10. Deeply pushing with fingers and thumbs along my foot tendons and ligaments and along the shin and calves. Ouch! There were quite a few people around so I didn't want to scream or cry but I was close a few times and settled for biting on my shirt. I guess this is called Active Release Therapy (ART) and the doctor says within 3-4 sessions I should be better.

What does this mean with all my races approaching - including tomorrow's duathlon? It means I will be testing the foot out this evening on a run. First attempted run in almost a week. Doc says to take some ibuprofen in advance. I plan to do this easily. No fast running to relieve this bottled up stress but slow and steady just to see if the foot will hold up tomorrow. The race is not too long. It's a 2.5 mile run, 10 mile bike and 2.5 mile run. I am most concerned about run #2. So I will decide this evening if I am participating in the race or spectating and cheering for my husband and friends that will be racing.

As for Cleveland, which was originally to be a full marathon and changed to the half marathon, I have to wait and see. I have a second Dr. appointment with ART scheduled for next Thursday with a test run that night or following day to see how the foot is coming along. Running 13 miles with an injury can be rough and just sounds like a sufferfest to me. I certainly don't feel ready to set a new PR to say the least. My husband is very supportive and says if I am able to run he will run it with me for fun as a training run. That actually sounds like it could be a fun little adventure if my foot behaves. Otherwise I have some options: 1) switch to 10K, which would be easier on the foot 2) run some and or walk the half and 3) spectate AGAIN this year as I did last year with the fracture.

I have done a lot of thinking this season about who I am as an athlete, what I want, where I am right now and where I want to be in the years to come. So maybe this setback was needed for me to dig deeply into myself and consider these things. Being type A, I have this natural tendency to be competitive with myself as well as others. Many athletes have this attribute. In some ways it is good because it is a driver for continuous improvement and accomplishment. In other ways it is destructive because we hold ourselves to such high standards, sometimes lose the joy of the sport or push ourselves too hard. And let's face it, there is almost always someone that is faster than we are or else better suited to some particular race.

Let me get to the point here. I am at my best when I am sprinting. Some people hate 5Ks. I love them. I also love distance but I am not as fast at long races and my body tends to decline after a certain point - generally anything over the half distance. So I am considering all of this for next season already. I set a goal this year to complete my first full ironman distance race. And I am not backing out of that goal. It may be difficult, painful and a pain in the ass to meet that goal but I will do it. And I will enjoy doing a couple of 70.3 races, olympic and sprint triathlons and other races too. Even if I am not as fast at the long course triathlons I will enjoy the experiences and it will make me tougher mentally and physically. The picture I shared here is an Asian symbol for strength and I absolutely love the quote. It very much describes the mindset that an endurance athlete or aspiring endurance athlete must have to be successful.

Running & Racing For a Cause - You Can Make a Difference!

There are so many reason to run! It would literally take me hours to list them all! Some of the more obvious reasons are that it's good for your health (physical and mental), helps you look and feel better about yourself, gives your life meaning and direction in being involved in something bigger, etc. But the reason I would like to focus on in today's post is running for charity. Running makes a difference in the lives of so many people - not just the athletes themselves.

A large number of races exist for the sole purpose of raising funds for a worthy cause. For example, a couple weekends back when I raced the Kirtland Strides of March 5K, that race exists to help raise funds for Deepwood, an organization that helps individuals with mental and developmental disabilities. The half marathon that I am running next week in Dover raises funds for Habitat for Humanity.

Some race organizations themselves get involved with charity organizations. For example, Rev3 Triathlon is a supporter of The Ulman Cancer Fund. Last year when I completed the Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 triathlon I signed up to raise fund's for Ulman's Team Fight. It was rewarding to raise funds to help young people affected by cancer. At this very moment, Rev3 is undertaking a huge effort to help Ulman...they are literally running across America! Some of my Team Rev3 teammates are on that journey right now. Others including myself are participating virtually by running as much as we can each day. Rev3 hopes to raise $100K in its 21-day running adventure. We still have a ways to go. Please consider donating. Every dollar helps!

The next time you think about why it's valuable to run local community races, be sure to think about all of the organizations that are supported through your efforts! You can and do make a difference just by participating. If you are unable to participate due to injury or lack of time, just donating helps make a difference too!