How much can I cram into…

WOW! What a busy month!  Since my last post I’ve managed to set a 70.3 personal best at NOLA 70.3; win a 5k on a very cold, rainy, and windy day (prize was a 3 day/2 night stay at a beach resort); successfully defend my dissertation; slog through a very HOT 70.3 after spending 2 full days at Universal Studios; AND pack up our house for our move to San Antonio!  Although this blog update is delayed (due mainly to the dissertation), here is my race report:

My hubby (Steve), his Dad (Dave), and I headed to New Orleans on the Friday before the race with enough time to have dinner at Coop’s Place (http://www.coopsplace.net/ whose rabbit and sausage jambalaya is AWESOME!) then beignets and café au lait at Café du Monde (http://www.cafedumonde.com/) – sounds like GREAT pre-race food, right?!?!  Of course Steve decided to let out a deep breath while strategically placed with a powdered sugar-covered beignet and doused my black pants with white powder (and his nose…that looked a little suspect).  Then back to the room for some rest-and-relaxation.  Saturday morning, it was off to the transition site to check out my equipment.  A short bike proved it to be VERY windy!  Then a short run followed by scoping out the swim start/finish and various transition entrances and exits.  The swim was “N” shaped so I was a little nervous that I might get head-butted if anyone swam off course…  The swim exit was a set of steps (similar to the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri) but my bike spot was PERFECT!  Front and center with no tight lanes to maneuver through :)    Right after, we headed to lunch at Mother’s (http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/) with Caroline Smith (www.igettodothis.blogspot.com) for a Shrimp Po-Boy (some more wonderful pre-race nutrition)! 

Definitely a fun group for lunch!  Slightly delayed as we forgot to hand our receipt to the waitress to bring our food… whoops…  Pleasantly stuffed, we headed back to the room to wait for the pro meeting, check in, and expo.  The expo was smaller than I expected, but it’s been a while since I’ve raced an Ironman-brand event, or any large tri for that matter (this was my 2^nd ½ in about 3 years).  Then it was dinner time (yes I am always thinking about food) so we headed off to try Mulate’s.  I had catfish with etouffee on top (some more questionable pre-race food) and Steve had a bunch of gator.  It was ok…  nothing spectacular but very close to the hotel.  That night, I slept better than I ever have before a race.  It was wonderful!  I didn’t even think, “Why did I sign up for this” when I awoke!  I looked forward to racing!  It’s been a long time!  When we got to the transition, I quickly set up and warmed up with a jog over to the swim start.  They had the pros jump off the dock to go off as a group, but only one of us could jump in at a time since the dock was so narrow…  I did a cannon ball ;P  We didn’t get much of a warm-up in the water, but I had done some swim-specific dry-land warm-ups so I was happy.  Just before they started us, all the pro women started shifting to the right…  I asked if we were synchronized swimming then we were off!  The water was nice – comfortable temp and not too choppy.  When I got out and had my wetsuit stripped I decided to skip the arm warmers as it had warmed up enough.  I was already thinking about what I needed to do in transition.  It went much smoother than my last race (the one where I crashed coming out of transition and got glass in my foot)!  It was windy on the bike though…  It was all I could do to hold ~20 mph the entire first half.  I knew I’d have a tail wind on the way back though and I did!  It was GREAT flying back at ~28 mph at a fraction of the effort on the way out!  As I approached T2, I thought about what I needed to do to get ready for the run.  Again, it went much better than last time!  I even put socks on.  Without a watch, I went by perceived effort.  I felt fine and I saw a pro female ahead.  I didn’t want to push it hard just to catch her, but I noticed I was making up some time so I pressed-on!  I passed her pretty early and settled into a comfortable, but upbeat pace.  A few of the aid stations didn’t have cola, but I enjoyed it when they did!  There weren’t many people around, which is common when racing in the pro field.  You have to learn to push yourself when there’s no one around to feed off of.    Between miles 4-8 I felt like I was slogging along and slowing down so I tried to pick it up since I was over half-way.  My tummy started feeling questionable (which it rarely does) and I recalled the Catfish and etouffee dinner I had… won’t do that again.  I took an Endurolyte tablet with some Ironman Perform and a gel and hoped I wouldn’t cramp.  At about mile 10 I was ready to be done!  I was passed by a pro female and even told her I was ready to be done!  I hate how the last few miles always feel like FOREVER!  As I turned the corner I heard Steve before I saw him!  I knew I was sooooo close and managed to push it through the finish line, but I was done!  I knew I had given it all I had that day.  As we were sitting around after the race in the shade under a tree, my tummy and lower back started aching bad.  I knew I needed an ice bath (of course Steve kept dumping ice on me as I squealed).  Steve kept asking me what my personal best was and I kept telling him… I didn’t know why he kept asking me until I looked up and saw through the paper that had my times…  I had just improved my time, my best time by 10 minutes!!!  Without a watch!  I immediately texted my coach, Karen Meadows (www.coach-karen.com/).  Unfortunately, my tummy hurt worse throughout the evening so I didn’t get to eat at Rip’s on the Lake with Caroline :( 

A couple weeks later, my coach wanted me to do another test run to see if she needed to adjust my paces… just so happened it was POURING!  I texted her when my alarm went off to ask if I could do a different one later and her response was, “What if it rains on race day?”  CRAP!  Don’t confuse me with the facts!!! Bleh!  It was for a good cause – a new school – so I drug myself out of bed and Steve and I drove off in the rain to the Runway where the race was being held.  Felt like I was running through a hurricane!  I warmed up during the run; especially as my coach’s husband Jim pushed me to the finish, but I quickly cooled off to the point my hands were numb as we awaited the awards.  I was pleasantly surprised with a weekend stay at a resort on the beach and a nice trophy for first place female :) 

About a week later, I was to defend my dissertation… 4 years-worth of work boiled down to 1 hour in a room with my peers and committee members ready to determine my fate.  No pressure… I was definitely more nervous about this than my race!  However, once it started, I quickly fell into “race-mode” and my practice paid off.  That plus, the pep talk the Department Chair gave me a few hours before helped to ensure me that my committee wouldn’t let me get this far if they didn’t think I was ready.  After my talk, my committee sent me out of the room and deliberated about who knows what…  I guess about what they intended to ask me and probably telling jokes, etc.  When they asked me back in, they were talking about tar and feathers…  hmmmm…  I stood at the front of the room and they actually asked me to have a seat because I was making them nervous.  I had to laugh about me making them nervous!  I applied the advice the Dept Chair gave me regarding re-phrasing the question in my response and felt like the questions really made me think differently about some of my research, but that I still remained confident that my interpretation was correct.  They sent me out again and maybe 2 min later they asked me back in by saying, “Congratulations Dr. Phipps!”  I almost cried!!!  Afterwards, my major professor, Dr. Michael Blaber (http://www.mikeblaber.org/), took us out to San Miguel for some very yummy Mexican food!  I’ve had a huge grin on my face ever since!  When I got home, the house was all packed up ready to move.  I told Steve I conveniently timed my defense so I wouldn’t have to do anything for the packing!  HA!  I couldn’t sleep I was so excited.  So much going on – personal best set, won a 5k, earned my PhD, AND packed to move.  Next up, head to Universal Studios!

What perfect timing!  2 days to celebrate without the pressure of schoolwork.  While we were in the Orlando area I was supposed to do FL 70.3 as a training day.  Thank goodness it was just a training day!  We were exhausted after Steve and I frolicked around riding Rip Ride Rockit, Hulk, Dragon Challenge (used to be Dueling Dragons), Dr. Doom Fearfall (which I got a bruise on my calf after having the death grip on the seat – both arms and legs), and Revenge of the Mummy (which the power went off while we were on the ride and we had to be escorted off, but got a free ExpressPass), to name a few.  I knew better than to spend all this time on my feet before a race, but it was only a “training race” so how bad could it be, right?  My legs were screaming during the swim…  I tried to take in extra electrolytes on the bike and felt sick… then I just called it a day and only ran between each aid station/walked through every aid station.  It was fun chatting with so many people during a race though and the first aid station was AWESOME!  They were all decked out in superhero costumes!  Steve should’ve brought his Capt American outfit!  We actually got a pic with THE CAPT AMERICA at Islands of Adventure!!!

Despite my less than stellar race, I had a lot of fun at FL 70.3.  It was a great course and I got to catch up with some great people to include Jessica Jacobs and Ben Rausa!  Definitely a race you should put on your calendar if you don’t mind heat on the run. 

Why is a GOOD Coach so important?

                Athletes and coaches come in all shapes and sizes!  Most of us enter triathlon without a coach but with a little trial-and-error and some good friends to guide us, we decide if we like the sport enough to formally pay a coach.  However, when you reach this milestone make sure to do your homework!  Not all coaches are created equal! 

                When I first decided I wanted a coach, my criteria was to find someone who was fast at the specific race distance I wanted to focus on.  However, I learned that this should NOT be the only criteria you consider when looking for a good coach.  You cannot solely rely on certification either.  Alternatively, just because a coach hasn’t raced the specific distance you are interested in doesn’t mean he/she is not a good coach for that distance.  Below are a few of the important criteria I’ve learned make a GOOD coach for me:

-          Train with them.  If they are not available for you to interview and/or observe in a group session when you are considering hiring them, then they may not be available for you after you hire them.

-          How do they interact with their athletes?  Assuming most coaches have multiple options for levels of support; do all athletes of a given level get the promised attention?  As a beginner, it is especially important for coaches to pay attention since the athlete is still learning a lot and may not know what to ask of a coach. 

-          How does the coach track/record your progress throughout the season, or do they?

-          Does your coach help analyze your specific strengths and weaknesses (e.g. I’ve had back issues so my coach gave me specific injury-prevention workouts to do along with my race-specific workouts). 

-          Does successful completion of your coach’s workouts make you feel more confident? 

-          Does your coach listen and modify workouts based on how you feel (e.g. worn down may mean still recovering from a harder effort) as to avoid overtraining and possible injury?

-          Do the athletes of the coach tend to stay injured?  Or healthy?

-          Will your coach tell you the truth even though it may not be what you want to hear?

-          Do the athletes of the coach set personal records (assuming they actually follow the prescribed workouts of the coach) or make little or no progress?

Here’s a specific example:

I trained with a group of friends, one of which is a coach, for a few months – we all started our long runs from the same location, but I was not formally coached.  This coach would share some knowledge with me since I was there, and I’d get to see how her athletes progressed.  I actually wasn’t even considering getting a coach at first, but I started getting injured (hamstring troubles) and wasn’t getting faster at my goal distance.  I knew I needed help and I saw her athletes getting faster without getting injured.  We met over dinner one night to discuss what I’ve been doing to train/race the last few years and what she could do for me as a coach.  I was floored!  I was so impressed!  She shared some examples of the resources she has access to and uses and how she planned to use them for me.  She took the time to learn about me personally to help better prepare me as an athlete (e.g. I get sooooo skeerd before races that I make other people uncomfortable).  She’s already making ground on lessening my pre-race anxiety!  In fact, at Albany Half Marathon, I remember her example of a race picture which showed a bunch of guys with serious faces all starring at their watches and a single guy with a relaxed grin.  This guy was the one who won!   On race day morning, I continually thought of my race plan – just stick to the plan.   I thought of my preparation leading up to the race – I’d run this fast already in training – I can do this!  A few girls ran past me early on, but I stuck to the plan.  I was happy regardless as long as I stuck to the plan.  Unexpectedly, I caught them in the back ½ of the race to earn 3^rd overall female because I stuck to the plan!  My coach’s plan for my success!  She helps me to feel more confident about myself and there is an amazing camaraderie among all of her athletes – I truly feel I am part of a Team! 

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!

Saturday, 0600 my alarm goes off.  I flail around trying to find the snooze button and cuddle up to my nice warm hubby.  My bike ride can wait a little bit…  maybe a couple snoozes…  Next thing I know, I not only heard, but also FELT the “Brrrrrrrrrrraaapppp” (which is my husband Steve’s way of saying “Good Morning”).  I quickly jumped out of bed, but it was too late.  I had been Dutch-ovened!!!  Might as well get ready to go ride now I thought.  I knew it was cold outside, REALLY cold outside so I proceeded to put on 2 pair of wind-proof cycling pants (mine are Castelli  and Steve’s are Pearl Izumi), 2 long-sleeve base layers, 2 wind-proof cycling jerseys (mine and Steve’s), a windproof cap and separate headband/ear warmers, windproof gloves, socks and windproof shoe covers.  On my drive out to the starting point I noticed the temp was 29^oF (F=ff-udge is for what I was saying when I saw just how cold it was!).  I tried to think positive as I embarked on my 70 mile hilly ride that my new coach (Karen Meadows, http://www.coach-karen.com/) prescribed.  The cold air felt like razor blades cutting my face but the rest of me was warm and cozy.  I probably looked like a snowman on a bike and I felt like the Pillsbury Dough Boy – I was so stiff with the multiple layers of clothes it was hard to pedal!  On a positive note, I knew if I crashed for some reason it might not hurt since I was so padded J  I cheered up instantly when Steve came out to ride with me on his KLR650 motorcycle.  I know he must really love me since he had to ride about 12 miles at 65 mph in the same 29 degrees just to get to the starting point!  Then he had to dodge a million snot rockets along the ride ;)  He used the motorcycle to block at least 4 different dogs from charging me.  He rode with me the entire time (100 mile round trip for him)!  Unfortunately, I missed a point where I was supposed to make a u-turn so I added on a few miles.  Nearing the end of the ride, my legs were exhausted.  Karen was right – by the time I was riding through Vernon I was praying I would never see a hill again!  My quads and hip flexors were so tight they ached every time I pulled up on the pedals on a hill.  In turn, my lower back tightened up.  I knew this ride was going to make me stronger (if I could just get through it first :)  I reached back and realized I was out of PowerGel, but luckily I packed a bag of PowerGel chews (thanks Chloe!!!)  The first time I tried the cola flavored chews I wasn’t in love (they’re not the best to eat with coffee), but now I’m hooked!  I felt like I could chew on them forever and nearly cried when I ran out (not a good idea when it’s that cold outside).  I was so happy when I saw the car I swear I heard a choir singing, “Hallelujah”!  When I got home I took a nice warm shower but was dreading the ice bath Steve was preparing for me.  I knew I had to do it, or I would have to explain to Karen why I didn’t so I gritted my teeth and got in.  At first it was okay since my toes were still numb.  The rest of me, not so much!  I could hear Steve laughing in the other room as I screamed and squealed and cursed Karen’s name (sorry Karen).  It’s been at least a year since I’ve had an ice bath.  Well worth it though.  Sunday, no soreness at all!  Thanks Coach for helping me get stronger mentally and physically!  Thank you Steve for being so supportive ;)

Coming out of pseudo-retirement after 1 .5 Years?

It’s been a year and a half since I raced my last tri and I can tell!  My last race was cold – so cold I was shivering uncontrollably on the bike.  So of course, I sign up for my 1^st race back (Rev3 SC) and it’s cold!  Good thing I learned my lesson about layering clothing.  Unfortunately, I was very rusty on my transitions.  I fumbled, seemingly forever, trying to get my wetsuit off and my dry jersey/arm warmers on (yes, it was very cold to me).  I finally made it off to the bike and held a less than desirable pace and managed to lose a water-bottle somewhere along the way with all the rough roads.  I was, however, very grateful for my dry gear keeping me warm.  The cool weather was perfect for running!  I felt pretty good.  My lower back got really tight early on, but no numbness J.  My hubby and sister moved around on the course and screamed at me with each passing!  The best part – my sister and I running through the finish together! 

Rev3 was an AWESOME experience!  This was my 1^st Rev3, but definitely not my last!  I was impressed with the race from the moment I signed up!  I hope they put on some races closer to the Florida panhandle and also in TX – preferably San Antonio!!!  I’ll be more than happy to help!  I’ll also recruit my hubby to help too although you never know what he might wear to encourage the athletes!

A week later, my husband and I were planning to volunteer at White Sands Triathlon.  He told me he had a “surprise” for everyone – I admit, I was skeerd so I decided to sign up to race so I wouldn’t be stuck embarrassed next to him if he did something really crazy.  We showed up to the race and conducted business-as-usual.  I was first out of the water but flailed getting my wetsuit off, again (NOTE: I need to cut the lower legs off my wetsuit).  I was so flustered when I saw the 2^nd place female (Kirsten Sass) I rushed even more and ended up slow speed crashing on my bike just outside of transition as she passed me coming out.  Don’t worry, the Shiv is okay! 

On our 2^nd loop I saw my husband’s surprise – there he was directing traffic at the turn-around (of a 3 loop bike) in nothing but a red, white, and blue speedo!  I would post a picture, but there are apparently a ton going around including the IMFL race video!  I debated stopping because of my road rash, but really, he just looked HOT and I was proud to be his wife and wanted to hang out with him!  I had never seen the speedo before…  Apparently he had it for a while planning the surprise.  Is that TMI?  I could still see Kirsten (below), so I stuck with it and held onto 2^nd place. 

The entire run, my left leg was numb but it was different than the back pain numbness.  Once I finished I started regaining feeling and pain.  I felt like the bottom of my left foot was bruised (from the bike wreck) so I walked on the outside of my left foot to avoid the area.  A few hours later I went to my massage – more like partial massage due to the road rash.  Only after the massage did I notice a spot on my left foot where it was sore.  I could barely bend my leg to see it, so I waited until I got to my car where no one would see me.  As I dissected the spot, I realized that I had a small piece of glass in my foot the entire time!  Once I removed it, I felt better.  All-in-all it was a good race and the prize $ helped pay for the bandages…  Time to practice those transitions!

What a Pain in the...

Lower back!  What did you think I was going to type?  Well, the pain is so low on the back it might as well be the upper arse…  Over 2 months ago I threw out my back picking up a small bag with my swimsuit, goggles, and shampoo.  It happened once before but it lasted a LOT longer this time!  2 weeks in I still hurt and couldn’t walk completely upright.  My lab-mates/co-workers encouraged me to rest, shared their lessons-learned and talked me into getting an MRI.  It took a while – lots and lots of waiting, a few appointments later and voila!  Diagnosis = narrowing spondylosis at L3-L5.  WTH I say?  It’s a fancy term for compressing discs.  See some pretty pictures of my back… 

Initially, I was scared that I would never do triathlon again.  Over a month later and I could barely run L  I went for some very mild hiking in Phoenix while at the National Neurotrauma meeting and didn’t anger my back so I tried getting on an elliptical trainer… maybe too soon.  Later that same day I ceased feeling the back side of my right leg.  Very weird feeling.  I joked about it – at least it didn’t hurt any more… maybe I can go harder because I won’t feel the pain… not so much.  When the numbness finally went away, I started gently swimming and biking, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my plans to ride 6-Gap and Rev3 South Carolina in a few months.  All I’ve read online encourages me that this will not put an end to my running/triathlon.  It’s hard to be patient when I was so excited about training again.  So far, biking and swimming don’t piss it off and running a little here and there feels okay…  We all have our own threshold.  Hopefully we all can recognize the difference between sore muscles and blisters from our training versus irreversible damaging pain.  At what point do you stop from the pain?  I’ll let you know as 6-Gap and Rev3 South Carolina approach.  Until then, here are some GREAT exercises Josh at Therapy 1 showed me – they’ve helped find my weaknesses and fix them so I can ride and run without lower back pain!!!  YOU should start these BEFORE you have a back problem!!!  Plus, I got a cool shirt when I graduated from physical therapy!!!

Don’t forget to warm up!

 Cobra/Up-Dog (For resistance I ask my hubby to hold my hips down) 

Plank with Rear Leg Lift (Not my favorite as I desperately try to keep a straight face… the neck beins give it away… this is a tough one!)

My favorite: Lumbar Quadriped (“Fire Hydrant”) Place something on your lower back.  It should NOT fall off!  You want to keep your hips level which means you may not be able to lift your leg high. 

Knee Step-Ups (20”+)

Kneeling Twist

Push ups (Keep your back straight!  Have someone watch you so you don’t have to twist your head looking in a mirror to check.)

Squat row (For balance, I put a riser under my heels)

Lumbar Stretch

Superman!  (Do NOT bend all the way over!  Only about 20^o up and down.  After the first set try a set staying at the top and rotating your upper body slightly 15x similar to swimming freestyle.  You should feel your obliques SCREAMING!)  If you’re wondering what 20^o looks like, check out the protractor – it’s almost ¼ NOT ½!!!

Superman with a Twist!

Some other good exercises not pictured:

Lumbar Bridge (both legs, then one leg only – keeping hips level)

Quadruped Diagonals or Same side (without then with bands)

Rode Hard and Put Up WET…

Two weekends ago I participated in the Ride for Hope metric century in Tallahassee, FL to benefit the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center (http://therideforhope.com/).  I decided to sign up a few days beforehand and was impressed with the ride before I even signed up! 

Granted it is only my 2^nd road-ride event EVER, I don’t have much to compare it to…  Anyhow, back to my story – I signed up to get in a good long ride with some extra motivation.  I was apparently VERY hydrated as I awoke about 8 times to go pee throughout the night.  I also realized that I should embrace my odd eating habits as I had a PowerBar, V8, and a Starbucks Frappuccino Vanilla Light for breakfast and felt GREAT!  The morning was overcast – even better!  Nice and cool.  As I head out of the parking area with my bike I am greeted by other Higher Ground-ers prepping for the ride and bravely ask if they have any Chamois Butt’r or the like.  This promptly followed with some jokes about sharing already-applied chamois nastiness (in other words they didn’t have any).  Just when I thought I was out of luck, a fellow rider shared a sample of AsMASTER anti-chafing creme (Soothes Tenderloins)!  Yeah! 

As I walk up to the start I see the century already gathering and I realize how nice it is to only think about one event.  I see a few friends and colleagues and meet a few more athletes before the start and am feeling good about the ride.  The countdown begins and I am immediately in front – not necessarily where I want to be for a draft-legal ride.  As I rotate through, I notice how many folks are on their aero bars in the pace line.  I finally get to the back of the line and it is an accordion = motivation to stay near the front!  As I work my way back up to the front, I keep an eye out for those who aren’t pulling long, or not at all = those I don’t want to get stuck behind when the lead group takes off.  As I work my way up, I discovered that those with very hairy butts should NEVER wear white bike shorts!!!   There should be a law!  Blahhhh!!  I get back in the front = my turn to pull and I look up to see a nice size hill.  As I push it up the hill one of the guys surges by me = no biggie, I catch onto another following.  Another surges = CRAP!  I gave it everything I had to stay with them; I didn’t want to lose the pack this early in the ride.  I was worried that they would try to hold that pace and I wouldn’t hang on, but I tried anyhow and prayed that they’d back off soon…they did!  I looked back and no one was to be seen – and then there were 4.  We rotated quite a bit through most of the ride.  I was so excited to still be with them!  Sweat was flying and I felt like the Geico Pig – Weeeeeeeeee, Wee, Wee, Weeeeeeee! 

I thought sweat was pelting me in the face for a little while before it started raining hard.  I was relieved I wasn’t getting drenched with some guy’s body fluids… yucky!  Unfortunately, I also forgot my clear glasses so I was making some pretty interesting faces as I unsuccessfully tried to avoid getting a ton of water and road wash in my eyes.  This helped pass time until Rob, one of the last 4 of us, surged again.  I went with and … then there were 2…  We passed through the final timing sensor at the same time and chatted around the corner until we rode through the finisher chute (which was inside the fairgrounds to avoid a typically busy road).  We took off again to pass through the finish chute since they were taking pictures there – Say cheese!

At the finish there were a bunch of spectators and supporters cheering us on in the rain!  They had orange juice, real fruit juice, coffee, pizza, soda, bagels, and all sorts of other yummy food and that didn’t include the Gordos and Banditos they had for lunch!  Rob and I were both presented with winner’s jerseys since we crossed at the same time.  First time I’ve won a jersey at an event!  Great end to an awesome, albeit wet, event!  Now off to nap! 

Help Wounded Veterans by Supporting Team Red, White and Blue

Soooo excited about my new fundraising page and plans for helping out Team Red, White and Blue!  Keep posted for some discounts at Larry's Giant Subs and other events as I prep for racing Rev3 South Carolina!

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/helenphipps/rev3andersonsouthcarolina