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Week four bled together with week three.

Full of life stressors and the unfortunate accident (thankfully everyone is ok and healing well — thank you for your kind words), it’s more prevalent than ever that training isn’t just physical.

In fact, I’ve been reading one of the best training books I’ve ever read, The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing. While I’m still in the early pages of the book, Dr. Philip Maffetone paints one of the clearest pictures I’ve encountered regarding endurance training.

The true holistic approach to developing endurance is one in which all aspects of the athlete are considered — these are the triad of structural, chemical and mental fitness and health.

Dr. Maffetone goes on to explain that this approach to holistic training can be represented as an equilateral triangle. The two obvious sides of the triangle are the structural (physical and mechanical aspects, e.g. muscles, joints, etc.) and chemistry (bio0chemical reactions, hormones, food, etc.).

But the one side of the triangle that is gaining increased awareness in my life is the “mental and emotional” side. This is the side that “incorporates our behavior through the activities of the physical and chemical brain.” Among other things, we’re talking about moods, anxiety and stress. It’s not about fitness, but health, which are two very different things.

While I’ve only scratched the surface of the book (and I’ll leave it to Dr. M to further elaborate), it made me realize that I need to stop neglecting this part of my endurance triangle as it is just as important. Being cognizant of the stressors and mental well-being in my life are critical and directly effect my athletic performance. It’s not just the hours I put in, but how I take care of the other two triangles.

The proof was in the pudding when I tried to run shortly thereafter Chicken Face’s accident and my heart rate was through the roof and I simply couldn’t get it down. Week four’s workouts tended to follow this pattern, but they are also what bring me the biggest stress relief.

When Cate & I gave the wind and it’s attitude a big middle finger.

So as I look down the path of the rest of my training cycle for the season, it will still be about quality over quantity and getting the workouts in, but it will also be about taking care of the entire triangle and making changes in my life to do so, even if they do make people raise their eyebrows and ask, “Why?”

Then I’ll just smile.

P.S. It was dark and cloudy when I started this ride…thus the clear lenses. And I still don’t have the heart to rip my Ironman sticker off my helmet just yet.

I closed out week 4 with:

10.45 hours training:
4,750 yards swimming
66.1 miles cycling 
18.7 miles running
15 minutes core and rolling

Happy Running.

While the list of things to do is still a mile long, I have to take a break to share some very exciting news.

Unlike every other person in my Facebook newsfeed, no, I’m not pregnant. No, I did not buy a house. No, I did not win Mega Millions. Who are we kidding, if I won Mega Millions you’d likely not hear from me for a very, very long time.

But I do feel pretty lucky in that I am joining the Coeur Sports 2014 Elite triathlon team!

I am excited to join this new family of incredibly talented female athletes and to join a company that has entrepreneurship, mentorship and a drive to dream big at heart.

Does Coeur have great products? Of course! Do other teams have solid gear? Most definitely! But I wanted to share why I made the jump to be part of this new family.  Yes, the free gear is awesome and makes my life that much easier – I would be lying if that wasn’t a great perk. But more than the product, it’s the people.

If you’ve followed me from the beginning of my triathlon journey or if you’re new here, I don’t hide my triathlon fears. From my (still present) open water anxiety issues, to my first group ride fears, to lacking the self-confidence, to be calling a Fred and then the Wall Street Journal posting about my “Fred” experience – making a jump into a new sport is flat out scary.

But through social media, I found myself tweeting, Facebooking, and emailing a handful of inspirational (that adjective is an understatement) women who in my eyes were the epitome of “kick ass.” Even as a noob, they never shunned me or mocked my questions (as I have been so often in the past), but instead they took the time to listen, invite me on adventures, connect me with the right people, comment on my blog and cheer me along the entire way.

In a world where women far too often fail to support each other and in a sport where competition is at its core, to be welcomed, mentored and supported is refreshing, reassuring and appreciated.

So when some of these same women invited me to join the Coeur 2014 Elite team, it was clear. Yes, the product is top notch, but even more than that, I want to surround myself with these types of people. The kind that aren’t afraid to start from scratch, the kind that want to dream big, and most importantly, the kind that welcome the newbies, ambassadors, elites and pros all with the same open arms.

I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store and I hope you have the happiest of holidays.

Happy Running!

Last week, I stalked social media for sneak peeks into the action from friends.
I fell asleep eager for those racing the next morning.
I dreamt (I kid you not) about it.
I woke up and immediately checked in on the action.
I constantly scanned for news and heard about the record-breaking performances.

Whether it was friends kicking-ass with sub-10 finish times, or Mirinda Carfrae demolishing the race with a new course record and the third-fastest overall run (2:50!), or seeing social media buddies posting about spectating the race, I couldn’t take all of this Kona excitement.

I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever followed a sporting event that ignited my passion quite like this past weekend. The sport that I’ve grown, and am still growing, to love is complete with some of the world’s most dedicated and passionate athletes performing amazing feats of human willpower and physical aptitude.

I have to be honest, I did go and scope out how much time I would have to drop if I ever wanted to get to Kona. But by the time I’d be able to do another one, I’d be aging out of the 25-29 age group and into a much tougher age group. But what if? What if?

With my mom in town this past weekend and her by my side and on a bike, we trekked to my new favorite paved trail for my long run. The weather was perfection, the fall colors were so pristine that it almost seemed fake, and  19 miles flew by. I loved being with my mom and finally getting back to the long distances where you can experience more than a handful of emotions and thoughts, and longed for the long training days and recovery nights.

Someday, one day, I’d like to be back on the path to Ironman. We’ll see what it takes to get there, but for now, I loved every second of watching amazing people accomplish the unbelievable this weekend.

Happy Running.

As you may be able to tell, the frequency of my blog post have decreased, but I thank you for hanging in there with me as I get adjusted to this new little situation of mine. Patience, dear friends, patience.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa. I’m the giant on the left.

I’m working to find my way in my new city with new friends, maintain and sustain my life back home in California, go out and experience this new adventure as much as possible, all while getting settled at a new job and training for a marathon.  Long story short, it ain’t easy and my legs are taking their damn time.

I had, and still do have, quite ambitious goals for my half and full marathons this year, but I may be realizing that it might just take a little more time than originally anticipated. I’m still coming for you, CIM, but I’m already on a hunt for a spring marathon that may be better fit for goal domination. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I’m ok with it. If there’s anything that I’ve learned over the past year and a half is that patience truly is a virtue. I know if twill all pay off in the end.

Now to forgive my laziness, the past almost 20 days have been full of running and traveling fiascos (including a last-minute trip back to California to see Chicken Face and friends), and I’ll forgo the weekly recap, but rest assured that there’s plenty of mileage happening and I ran my farthest since IMCDA last weekend: 15 miles. Like I said, slowly but surely.

Me, Cate, Alyssa and Caitlin. What up.

Right before the California downpour.

 Liquid courage at the Shark’s Game.

 Followed by exactly what I needed…R&R at the pool on the first day of fall.

Let’s talk about patience…when did you have to exercise extreme patience in training?

Happy Running!

This is not a tale of a romantic weekend, or how a lovely prince swept the princess off her feet. Instead it’s a tale of how grown adults can experience feats of grandeur yet crumble with child-like tendencies spurred by the often joked about, yet very serious, “hanger.”

This past weekend, Chicken Face came to visit for the first time since I moved to Portland. (For those new to the blog, Chicken Face is my husband. I know, the nickname makes zero sense and there is no amazing story. We’ll just have to deal with it.) I wanted to make sure that the weekend gave him a hint of the amazingness that Portland is, especially its outdoor splendor.

I ideated a few hiking options, but reconsidered when I was informed that my initial choices might be plagued by too many people. Instead, a friend referred a hiking spot called Dog Mountain. With minimal investigation, we decided that Dog Mountain it was! (I would later learn that my friend described the hike as “tough”; which I apparently glossed over.) We were eager to explore, catch up and take in the scenery on your less than average hike.

After a morning walk, coffee and muffin, we trekked out to the trailhead entrance full of zeal and conversation topics. Fully aware that the start of the climb would be steep, I honed in on my poison oak scanning eyes, hoofed it up the trail, and we still found ourselves chatting and enjoying the moment. YES! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAD ENVISIONED!

While the trail isn’t too long (~3.5 miles to the top), you must remember, I’ve been training for an Ironman for the last two years. My hill training was frequent, but mostly with the power of two wheels underneath me. I can’t say that I have the glute strength of all of you amazing trail runners out there, because it didn’t take long until we realized that this trail was 3.5 miles, yet 2,800 feet of up-ness.

We huffed and puffed, yet enjoyed our climb to the top. Hurrah! It was a beautiful, fun, gorgeous day that I got to spend with my man. Perfection!

But soon my little fantasy was over as I learned that the climb up wasn’t the hard part. Nor was the way down. In fact, all of it paled in comparison to the rage that was growing in my belly and slowly taking over every part of my being.

My chai and muffin weren’t enough, we idiotically failed to pack any snacks, water wasn’t cutting it for me anymore and it wasn’t long before I became hangry. Chicken Face joked at first and said something along the lines of, “Man up. You can survive three weeks without food.” I don’t think he knew the wrath that my hanger could bring. If you don’t know what hangry is, please learn it now:

Hangry: When you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.

Sure some people joke that they love food and get upset when they are hungry, but I kid you not, this was a full-steam hangry attack that took a turn for the worse. Time seemed to pass slowly, any fun that we were having was quickly evaporated, we grunted about the never-ending steepness of the trail, and soon I would easily fight a tiger for a bite of anything. (I keep hearing that, “Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb” SouthPark song in my head.) And yes, I am well aware that this may be a more serious issue with myself and I need to be very conscious to always keep my caloric intake at a certain level, this IS why I kept Costco-sized tubs of nuts in my locker in high school.

All joking aside, it then got pretty serious as I became really dizzy and needed to balance myself on Chicken Face on the way down. Apparently my husband is a super trooper because he wasn’t phased by his hunger outside of the norm. As soon as we got in the car, my eyes closed and I got quite nauseous on our drive to find food, not able to talk or think about anything other than food. We stopped at the first place we found, where I chugged an orange juice and quickly devoured my sandwich.

So as you reach the end of this blog post, you may be questioning yourself and asking, “Did I just read an entire post about someone who got dangerously pissy and hungry?” You better bet you ass you did. BUT! STAY WITH ME! I have to have my final Jerry Springer closing/PSA: this applies to life, to running, to cycling, to training: FUEL DAMMIT.

I don’t quite understand those who refuse to fuel while training then wonder why they bonked, and this hiking experience was the friendly reminder that this doesn’t just apply to serious training. Tough love and a good reminder for myself: fueling is a biological necessity that increases with exertion. And if you’re still upset with the nature of this blog post, well it’s just that, a blog post, not a WSJ article. Roll with it.

So where was I?
Oh yes, tell me I’m not the only one who has ever had a complete hangry meltdown?

Happy Running!