Raleigh 70.3

Ooops! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a couple weeks. I have lots to catch you all up on but let’s start with my “big race.”

5:15… Alarm goes off.

6:00… drop my run gear off at T2. Man working there assures me I am LATE. Panick sets in as we drive to T1, nearly 45min away. When I get there transition is closing momentarily. I quickly set up my bike. I am scrambling and forget the most important part…. I didn’t put my fuel on my bike. Thank godness for another scrambling triathlete that helped me out.

7:00… First wave goes off. Time for me to eat breakfast. Almond butter sandwich and a Gatorade.

7:50… Wetsuit wiggle. The water temp was low enough by less than a degree making for a warm, wetsuit legal race.

8:00… Line up.

8:18… Gun goes off for my wave. I was in the last wave of the day.

Swim starts off great, sighting is easy and I found my groove quickly. All was great till about the last quarter of a mile when my wave caught LOTS of waves ahead of us. It turned into swimming through what I’d imagine swimming through a lake of dead bodies (that occasionally kick really hard) would feel like.

Upon exiting the water I was super excited… They had wetsuit strippers!! Best thing ever! I was out of my wetsuit in about 3seconds!!

T1 was a little slow, as I did take the time to put on socks and had to put all my fuel in my pockets. Something I’d typically already have taped to my bike.

On to the bike… I quickly realize I forgot something important as I see lots of people fixing flat tires on the side of the road… I didn’t put my kit back on my bike! Nerves set in a little but I quickly manage to calm myself. No sense in worrying about something that you can’t change now.

The course starts off with a big climb. About 5miles worth of a climb. I felt good. I just spun my legs all the way to the top. I also felt fast as I was passing tons of people!! An advantage of starting last.

Once the climb is over, into the wind we go! We fought a headwind for quite a while. I felt surpringly good.

At about the half way point the course took a nose dive! It got wayyyy hilly!! Lame right?! I fought though it and still managed to pass quite a few people but man did I slow down. On a positive note, the aide stations were awesome! Never have I seen so much support on the bike.

T2, quite a bit faster than T1. Flying dismount and quick exchange of gear. Did take a second to put on some body glide and a headband… Priorities right?!

On to the run… It sucked!!! The run was a two loop course that passed right by the finish line at the start of loop two… What a tease!!! If you break the run into 4 parts, it was uphill for part 1, downhill part 2, uphill part 3, and downhill part 4.

The initial uphill got me a little, my legs were super tight coming off the bike. I did a little more walking than I would have liked early. I managed to work out the tightness and got though it back to the start of loop two.

Going uphill the second time killed me. I’m sure I looked pitiful cause I sure felt it. It was a battle of wanting to run but my body saying “ehh…better not” (my fellow pitch perfect fans should know this fat Amy quote).

Coming back to the finish line, John managed to see me several times. He kept yelling at me to run. Surprisingly this helped a lot. Still not sure how he managed to not run on the course and see me so many times along a 2mile stretch… Magic?! Regardless it was much appreciated!!

I ended up finished in a time of 5:54:40. It was a little slower than I had hoped but overall I was happy with my performance. Going into my next race, I think I’ll put a little more focus on the run portion.

Speaking of next races… Here’s what’s on the calendar:

July 19th stumpy creek international

October 25th beach to battle ship half ironman

November 15th thunder road marathon

So back to training for me! Be sure to look out for some training updates over the next couple months 🙂

Happy Wednesday y’all!

Carolina International

This weekend I took part in my second race of the season, Carolina International. However, leading up to the race things were anything but normal… It was my good friend and training partner, Kimberly’s bridal party get-a-way weekend. So needless to say, going into this race there was a little extra eating and drinking and a little less sleep. All that being said though, it was a great weekend and the race didn’t suffer too much because of it. To recap the weekend (briefly) and the race….

Friday — Arrive at the lake, finish getting everything ready for the weekend then head out for a quick
run and some strides. The rest of the bridal party and Kimberly arrived at the lake house around 8:30. We all do plenty of talking, giggling, eating and a little drinking then finish the night with the movie Dirty Dancing.

Saturday — SLEEP IN!! Woohoo! Then we all headed out to the lake and unfortunately got a little burnt… yikes!! Kimberly and I ditched
the party for a little while to get our race packets and drop
our bikes off in transition around 5:30. Then by 7:30 we were all painting the night away with Wine & Design at the house.

You win if you can guess what this is!!
Hint…it is not a cat!!

Sunday — RACE DAY!! Sunday started bright and early with the alarm clock buzzing at 5:15 (only about 4.5 short hours after it was set…whoops!). After throwing down a quick almond-butter sandwich and some gatorade it was time to hit the road.

Although the race was close to where we were staying, this was a point to point race so it was bit more work in the morning. We headed to T2 (the second transition point) to drop our run gear and to be body marked then quickly made our way to T1 to get our bikes ready for the day ahead (I have to say, I have great race parents…my dad got up at the crack of dawn with us and drove us all around making the morning super smooth!! Thanks dad!!).

After a little wetsuit wiggling (if you ever want to be entertained, watch the shore before a wetsuit legal race…they are not easy to get on so you will see all kinds of straining and wiggling), the gun went off and we were on our way. The swim was 1500 meters and was a point to point event with two turns. Going out to the first turn was great, it felt smooth and sighting was easy. To make things even better, Kimberly and I had quite the cheering squad at the first turn. I could hear them even when my head was under water. They were great!(thanks for rallying the troops mom!!)After the first turn, it got a little rough. We were going directly into the sun and this was the longest leg of the swim. There were terrible glares off the water that made sighting nearly impossible. Then at turn two we headed back for the shore and out of the sun (thank goodness). I came out of the water in just under 30min.

On to T1…brutal! It is just under a half mile run up a gravel / grassy hill to transition. I made it though this and onto my bike in just under 4min.

Flying mount and I am off! I successfully made it on to my bike without having to break my stride too much. To do this I had my shoes already clipped onto my bike and rubber-banned into the correct position so I could immediately start riding once I crossed the mount line. As soon as I got up to speed I reached down and strapped my feet into my shoes while continuing to ride. At about this point, the cheering section was in sight and they had some great signs that were sure to make you smile. My favorite was “SMILE if you peed in the water.” The bike course was a total of 27miles on crappy roads (VERY BUMPY). The first 10 were pretty rough. It seemed as if you were constantly going up or down hills the entire time. The next five were great and filled with rolling hills. At about mile 15 the cheerleaders were back at it. It is always nice when you can break from thinking about the race and smile for a second. Then we went back to hills for the next 10. I did hit a new speed record though, I maxed out at 42mph going down one of the hills… Scary but totally awesome!! The last two miles were filled with turns and through neighborhoods. I ended up averaging just under 19mph.

T2 was much better than T1…. it didn’t involve any gravel or hills. I was able to do a flying dismount, my feet were already out of my shoes and I was able to get off the bike while it continued to move and was in and out of T2 in about 45 seconds.

Kimberly (left) and me (right) leaving
transition two.

Run Run Run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me…. JUST KIDDING! Lots of people caught me. The run was a hilly and hot 6.2miles. I went out of T2, a little too hard and the hills and heat got the best of me. I ended up finishing the run in about 52 minutes. That is about an 8:20ish pace, so not terrible but I am defiantly capable of better.

Overall, the race was a success though. I was 47th overall, 9th female overall, and first in my age group with a time of 2:53:07. Thanks to all the support that I had out on the course, it made what could have been a brutal race, a great race.

Me, Kimberly, and Brittany (left to
right) on the boat after some good
wakeboarding.

Once all the race day festivities were over, it was back to the house for some lunch and lake playtime. I was able to get my first wakeboard run in of the year and caught a few more rays before heading back to good ole Raleighwood that evening.

It was a great weekend and one that I know I won’t forget for a while to come. Thanks everyone who helped make it great!! Y’all are awesome!!

Tri Season Opener!!

Woohoo!! Triathlon season has finally arrived. I feel like I’ve been training forever so I’m super happy to finally start competing again.

Yesterday, I competed in a super sprint race called “Girls Run the World.” It was an all female event and a great way to shake off some of the rust before heading into my bigger races in the coming weeks. It was a 250yd pool swim, 10mi bike, and a 2mi run. So a super short race but still a very strenuous race.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with triathlons, a super sprint is just as it sounds…a SUPER SPRINT!! You go all out the entire time. This is defiantly not the kind of race I enjoy as I tend to enjoy a more long distance, aerobic race as opposed to an anaerobic sprint. But, nonetheless it was nice to have an entire race done with in under an hour!!

Now to recap yesterday….

5:00AM — beep beep beep!!! Alarm goes off in blaring fashion.

5:20 — headed out the door with breakfast in hand.

5:55 — arrive at race site.

6:00 — unload car and get set up in transition.

6:30 — body marking.

6:40 — warm up. 10min jog and about a 200 in the pool.

7:00 — pre-race meeting.

7:10 — line up in the pool.

7:11 — START!!

My swim started strong. I was feeling good. It was a 10lap snaked swim through the pool. At about my third turn I swallowed a huge mouthful of water as I breathed right into someone else’s splash. This defiantly took me out of rhythm a bit but didn’t slow me down too much. Fortunately for me, the people around me seeded themselves correctly so I didn’t have to do any fighting in the super narrow lanes to pass. Getting out of the pool was a bit of a challenge for me… I missed the railing for the ladder and slammed my right shin on the edge of the pool (Sporting a pretty battle wound today). Again, not slowing me down as I was determined to catch the other half of the K squared team (my training partner Kimberly) who was up ahead of me.

Team K Squared 🙂

Transition one… Great! Got in and out in about 18seconds. Everything went pretty smoothly.

Bike…HELLO HILLS!! This I was not prepared for. Since it was such a short race I did not look into the course before it started like I typically would for a longer race. I ended up averaging 18.5mph but defiantly feel as if I am capable of going a little faster than that on a more flat course. I ended up passing two other triathletes on the bike course. Tough course but was overall happy with my performance.

Transition two, subpar. My “dumb” brain had set in a little and I wasn’t focusing quite as well…tends to happen when I’m working hard for an extended period of time. I struggled to re-rack my bike making me lose a few seconds.

Run… Bring on the hills round two! This was a tough 2miler that couldn’t end fast enough. My feet were asleep for about the first mile. Tends to happen after being on the bike for a while. Still, I managed through this. I didn’t end up having my best run of all times but it was still decent. I averaged a 7:54 pace. Something for a longer race that’d I’d be super happy with but not for this short of one. Was hopeing to be closer to a 7:00-7:15 pace. Still I managed to hold off the girl behind me that was closing in quickly.

8:05 — DONE! Crossed the finish line in 53min and 47sec. This placed me 5th overall and 1st in my age group.

As a whole, it was a decent race and defiantly helped me shake off the rust. Happy to have it under my belt.

Look for me to be back in action racing next weekend at Carolina International down at lake Norman 🙂

Have a great Monday y’all!!

PS thank you Bre and John for coming out and cheering me on!!! Love you two!!

Thirsty Thursday

It’s time to party!! Let the drinks start flowing!!

…. Jk!! Jk!! That’s not what this post is about…. This is a health in fitness blog, what’d you expect?!

As I may have mentioned before I am not a big fan of plain old water… In fact I really don’t like it and I struggle to drink enough to keep up with my active lifestyle. Today, I am not going to go over the importance of water today as you can check back to my water post from a while ago to learn more about it, but rather I’m going to give you the break down on some of the calories you are consuming when you choose something else over water. These calories add up fast since they don’t keep us full and can be a good explanation for added weight gain.

Gatorade — 50cals per 8oz

Powerade — 50cals per 8oz

Lemonade — 99cals per 8oz

Un-sweetened ice — 6-10cal per 8oz

Sweet Tea — 90cals per 8oz

Sprite — 96cals per 8oz

Coke — 95cals per 8oz

Whole Milk — 150cals per 8oz

2% Milk — 122cals per 8oz

1% Milk — 102cals per 8oz

Skim Milk — 86cals per 8oz

Orange Juice — 112cals per 8oz

Apple Juice — 117cals per 8oz

Beer — 100cals per 8oz (average)

Lite Beer — 65cals per 8oz (average)

Wine — 185cals per 8oz (on average a glass of wine is about 3-4oz)

**please keep in mind that these are not exact amounts but rather approximations.

So who thinks they may be getting a little extra pudge from these liquid calories?

Have a great “thirsty” Thursday y’all!

Walk it Out Wednesday

I hear all the time that “I don’t have a gym” or “I can’t run” …blah blah blah “I don’t workout” !! Here is a workout for all you “I don’t workouters!”

This workout is going to take a lunch time walk to a whole new level… All you need is yourself, some shoes, a watch, and a safe place to walk. This workout will take 30min, including warm up and cool down. I will break it down by the minute for you.

Minutes 1-4:59 — leisurely walk. Just get yourself moving.

Minutes 5-6:59 — pick up the pace a little. Should be a brisk walking pace that you should be able to maintain for a while. Make sure your arms are pumping. I will refer to this as your base pace.

Minutes 7-7:59 — high knee walk. Bring your knees up as high as you can towards your chest. This should be done somewhere between leisurely pace and base pace.

Minutes 8-12:59 — base pace.

Minutes 13-13:59 — walking butt kickers. Stretch out those quads and gain a little range of motion. You will be kicking your heels to your butt as you walk. Should be done at the same pace as the high knees.

Minutes 14-17:59 — base pace.

Minutes 18-18:59 — side step right. Turn to the side and take large steps leading with your right leg. Be sure not to cross your legs as you do not want to get tripped up. This will work on some hip strength.

Minutes 19-22:59 — base pace.

Minutes 23-23:59 — side step left. Turn the other way and lead with your left leg.

Minutes 24-27:59 — base pace.

Minutes 28-28:59 — leisurely pace.

Minutes 29-30 — stretching. Touch your toes for 20 seconds. Be sure not bounce. Deep breathing with arms extending towards the sky for 20 seconds opening up your abdomen. 20 seconds gentle twisting to each side.

FINISHED!!

So how does that sounds? Not too bad? Let me know if you decide to give it a try! Have a great “walk it out” Wednesday! 🙂

Things I’m Loving Tuesday

Back again for another edition of Things I’m Loving Tuesday. This week I have 4 things to share with you…

#1Tervis water bottle. I love it because it doesn’t leak, keeps my drink cold or hot, and has a lifetime warranty. Also it is great this time a year when the pollen is in the air because the lid closes over the mouth piece.

#2 LuLu Lemon headbands. They stay in place with rubber grip (doesn’t pull your hair), aren’t too tight that they give you a headache and they come in all kinds of fun colors and patterns.

#3 Hummus and Carrots. This has quickly become a go to healthy snack for me. It is quick and easy and super delicious!

#4. Loreal Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner. Love love love it! My color is staying brighter, my hair is softer, and it smells great!

That’s it for this week! Happy Tuesday Y’all!!

Man Candy Monday

Since my love life is a little on the non existent side these days and “love” is apart of the name of my blog, I thought I’d share something even better with you today… Some damn good lookin’ men! Here are my top 3 “Man Candy Monday” picks:

#1 Luke Keechly; middle linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, attended Boston College and is only 22 years old!!

#2 Ryan Lochte; US Olympic swimmer and 11 time Olympic medalist.

#3 Matthew McConaughey; defiantly a little old for me but he sure has aged well. He has been acting since 1989 and is in many well known films.

I hope this brightened up your Monday! Have a great day!

Thing* I’m loving Tuesday

Slightly different this Tuesday as I am only going to share a single product…

Ever wondered what that crazy color tape is that you see the professional athletes or even your everyday runner sporting? The answer to that question is KT Tape. So now you may be wondering what’s its purpose? How does it work? Why do they wear it? Should I invest in it? How do you use it? Etc. Etc. So here is the break down….

What’s its purpose?
KT tape is used to help relieve pain and provide support in a lightweight, non-restrictive manner to aches and pains. It can be used for joints, soft tissue, tendons, ligaments, as well as muscles.

So how does it work?
It is made of a material that can be stretched in all directions. Based on how it is applied (get to that in a minute) it can provide the pain relief and support that you are looking for.

How do you apply it?
This is the hard part I will admit but their are great video tutorials online once you have narrowed in on what your pain is. From my own experience it is beneficial to watch the video at least once before applying it then re-play it while you are actually applying it. Be sure to pay close attention to where they say stretch it and how much to stretch to achieve maximum support and pain relief. From personal experience, it usually takes 2 or 3 times to get the hang of it. Also, be sure the area you are applying the tape is free of any oils. I have had best results with using an alcohol wipe to clean the area then spraying hairspray on the area before applying the tape. Be sure to give it a good rub after applying it. This is what makes it stick to the skin.

Who should wear it?
Anyone with aches and pains who is too active to wear a bulky wrap or brace or if it is an area (like a back or hip) that you cannot easily apply a brace or wrap.

It’s kind of expensive, can you re-use it?
I will say this is a bit of a downfall to the product but I will also say that the cost has been worth it. Although it is not reusable, it does last several days. It can be worn in water, sand, mud, etc. The biggest issue I have had with it not lasting as long as I feel it should is when I am changing clothes and it will occasionally roll making it useless. So as long as you are careful it should get its monies worth of wear. As an aside note, it doesn’t always last quite as long on your feet.

Be honest, does this stuff really work?
Honest opinion..YES!! It takes practice applying it though to get it to really feel the benefits. I regularly wear it on my feet and it has certainly helped. I have also worn it on my IT band and knee. I can’t think of any reason I would try anything else at this point.

This is a picture of me sporting some black tape on my knee/IT band (& training partner Kimberly) at Thunder Road Marathon.

So have any of you ever tried it? What’d you think?

Happy Tuesday Y’all!!

Getting Back on Track

Every now and again I find myself a little off track when it comes to my eating habits… Thank you baseball season!!

…Regardless of your reason for getting off track here are some suggestions for when you have the “oh crap! I’ve gained a couple pounds” or “I feel like blah…what’s going on with me!?” moment and you’re ready to put your foot down and start eating healthy.

– Start recording what you are eating. This will make you much more aware of just how much or how little you are putting in your body. I use My Fitness Pal, it’s a great free app.

– Plan meals for the week and stick to them. This means planning meals that you have time to prepare as well as the ingredients for.

– Clean out the refrigerator and pantry. Get rid of the junk. If it isn’t in the house, you can’t eat it!

– Go grocery shopping with a list. This list should be based on the meals you have planned out. Don’t forget to plan snacks as well!

– Wash and cut up produce upon returning home from the grocery store. You are more likely to eat it if it’s easy to grab when you’re hungry.

– Finally, tell those around you who influence your eating habits that you are trying to eat more healthy. If they know, they are much more likely to give you the support you may need.

I hope this helps if you’re like me and have fallen off the healthy eating train!

Happy Monday Y’all!

Sleep

Lately I have been sleepy all the time. I’ve felt like my body just couldn’t get enough sleep and even when there was enough hours, it didn’t feel like quality sleep. It has been affecting not only my ability to focus during the day but also my eating habits, and my ability to get in quality workouts.

Because of this, I have done some research on how to sleep better. Here are the top 5 ways to get better sleep I have found and will be trying in the coming days.

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Being hydrated allows your body to relax more at night because it isn’t having to work as hard to keep everything circulating through the night. Also, what you eat in the morning is just as important as what you eat in the evening. By eating healthy all day (exceptions are okay) you can better relax in the evening.

2. Turn off the “screens” an hour before bed. Whether this be your cell phone, iPad, TV, etc. it will stimulate your brain even after you’ve fallen asleep… Essentially keeping your brain active when it should be resting.

3. Do gentle yoga/stretching before bed. I have done this before and it is defiantly a good way to relax in the evening. Here is an example that I found of a before bed yoga routine.

4. Exercise in the morning NOT at night. Exercise gives you a “burst” of energy. By exercising in the evening, a couple hours or less before bed, it can make it near impossible to relax and fall into a deep, restful sleep.

5. Stick to a routine. Try to go to bed and wake up everyday around the same time. This will help your body to know when it’s time for sleep and when it’s time to be awake. It may take a couple weeks for you to get in a constant cycle but getting in a regular routine can lead to more restful nights and energetic days.

What tricks do you use to get better sleep? Have a great weekend 🙂