Listen to your body...or your husband!

At about 2:30 on Monday afternoon there was almost a huge sale on Ebay of triathlon merchandise. That is about the time I found out that I had a broken bone in my hand.
Kind of a long story to tell so I am going to keep it simple since I am kind of typing with one hand. Basically injured myself at the Gear West Duathlon and thought I was ready to race. I was questioning myself all week with the injury but also my fitness and wanted to see where I was at. I should have just stuck with the training plan but I raced and wasn't able to finish. Let's just say Derek had to carry me over his shoulder to the van after I was at the medical tent. Then on Sunday I deicded to join some friends for a recovey ride. Derek told me to just take the day off but I didn't listen and told him "I can still bike even if I can't run!" Well no sooner than about 15 minutes into the bike did I catch someone's wheel and went down I went pretty hard. My good friend Marta drove me back to the house where I tried to recoup. My hand was still bothering me and pretty black and blue this morning so off to Urgent Care I went to find out I broke my pisiform bone. Pretty much sucks but life will go on and I will be back!

Mud, Sweat, and Falls

At this time last year I was 36 weeks pregnant and had so much fun volunteering at the GearWest Du, but really missed being out there racing. This year I knew it was going to be a muddy mess out on the run with all the rain we've had, but that is what makes this event so much fun. Kris Swarthout was announcing today and said if it would've been dry out there then that wouldn't have made for such an exciting day...agreed!

At GearWest in 2009, I was chatting with a friend and missed the start so I had to basically run through people to make my way to the lead women and didn't have a lot in the tank on those trails. I didn't want to make that mistake again, so I made sure I didn't go out too hard the first mile, but then second guessed my strategy about 1 mile in. I should have tried to get a little distance from people on the dry asphalt surface before the uneven trails. I came into T1 4th, but had the hardest time getting my helmet on - I was in there for over a minute....doh. Now I know what I will be doing before Buffalo - practicing T1 transitions! I saw Derek and Suzie come into T1 while I was still fumbling with my helmet. Derek got out of there before me and I know exactly what he was saying under his breath as he ran by me with his bike...Kort, get outta here!
The bike went OK - but Suzie caught me on the way up to County Road 24. I caught up to her, but there was another biker with us as we were making a right turn and I wanted to make sure we weren't drafting, so I dropped back 4 or 5 bike lengths, but then she took off like her pants were on fire and I didn't see her until we were back in T2. Julie Hull caught me on the bike too - both girls are mad crazy bikers!
After really pushing it, I caught up to Julie and Suzie on the run, but was having some trouble getting the right footing on the trails and pulled a glute muscle coming up a hill and Suzie blasted past me. As we were going into the woods I knew it was going to be a mess in there. I came up to a big mud pit and saw a lot of people taking pictures. (now I know why) As I planted my shoe into the ground, my foot came out, but my shoe decided it would prefer to stay in the mud! I said a few choice words under my breath and turned around to retrieve it.

Paul Phillips from Competitve Image snapped some great play-by-play pictures (above)...I guess I wasn't the only one out there that lost a shoe in the mudbowl! I stopped to put my shoe back on and started running, but then I slipped and fell. I was trying to catch Suzie, but at that point I knew it was a lost cause. I gutted my way up the monster hill to the finish line in fourth place. It was pretty funny to see everyone all muddy and laughing about the situation out there.

Photo taken by Steve Stenzel

I wish the day would have gone a little better, but it is always great to come home to the boys. They help me take my mind off of the racing when I see them smile and give me big kisses when I come home. Keaton is now walking like a drunken sailor all over the house and is so proud of himself.

Owen is obsessed with McDonalds and there are Batman toys in Happy Meals right now. That means I got to play Batman and Robin for about 20 minutes before I could take a shower and get the mud off me! Thanks to my brother and sister in law for watching the boys for us, so Derek and I could race. I don't know what I would do without family. Congratulations to all the racers out there today!!!

Get in Gear 1/2 Marthon - In Rain or Shine

It is suppose to be spring here in Minnesota but old man winter wants to stick around and let his presence be known! Saturday was the Get in Gear 1/2 marathon and waking up to pouring rain just wasn't my cup of tea. I like running in the heat and would prefer it to be like 80 degrees outside. Some would think I am insane but I actually race better in the heat.
I had a mental breakdown this last week and was hoping my head was in the game to run 13.1 miles in the rain. Last weekend we were in Des Moines and hoping we could ride in 60 degree weather but alas that wasn't going to happen. We pounded out a 3 hour windy ride and Derek pretty much had to pull me the whole way home. I don't know how he didn't yell at me to suck it up because I pretty much complained the whole ride and at one point threatened to turn around and just ride on the trainer! Then on Sunday I had a tough run to prepare me for the half marathon and just didn't have the desire to do it. My legs were kickin but my mind just said stop - I didn't want to be on that trail anymore pounding out 3x12 mins at half marathon pace - I wanted to go home and drink hot chocolate! After talking with my coach I needed a little downtime. I hadn't had a day off for a long time and I finally took it - no yoga, no strength training, no easy swim or bike - NOTHING. As athletes it is hard to let our bodies rest because we think we need to be pushing all the time - judging where our fitness is at but that is where injuries and burnout rear their ugly head. I think for me I feel like I am constantly on my feet with 2 small kids at home and when I do get to relax I sometimes can't. I feel like I should do laundry or clean the bathroom or make dinner. I think as moms who are also competitive athletes this will always be a struggle for us.
Anyway.... back to the race. Derek and I were both racing, he was doing the 10K and me the half. We didn't get to warm up at all and were way back in the starting chute. Since there were so many people racing it took us a full 1:30 to get to the start line. It was hard to get into a groove for a pace for the first miles because you had to weave around so many people since we started way back. Finally at about mile 4 I felt like I was cruising and ran with a friend of mine for almost the whole race. I never really felt like I got into a good groove because at one point I had a side cramp and then I was wearing a rain jacket that chaffed me right below my neck and it was killing me! I crossed the finish line at 1:33:40 so about a 7:09 minute pace, not the best time for me but considering the conditions I will take it. I learn something every race and know it is preparing me for the races ahead.
Owen and Keaton are starting to enjoy eachothers company more but that also means Owen is starting to beat up on him more and boss Keaton around. I guess that will just prepare me for what is going to happen in the future. I pretty much know that I can't buy any new furniture for the next 6 years!

Fred Kurtz 10 Mile Race

What a great race. Derek and I both were able to race because my great sister volunteered to watch the boys for us in the morning. The weather was perfect and it was a fast out and back course. The other cool thing about the race was that it had a handicapped start based on past races, so everyone would finish the race at about the same time. Derek and some of my other friends started about 3-4 minutes ahead of me and my friend Heidi. I was excited to start with Heidi but but her hamstring was bothering her so she wasn't able to finish.

I knew I wanted to beat my Twin Cities 10 mile time and to do that I would have to run about 6:45's. I started out too hard - was doing about 6:30's the first mile and a half and then I toned it down. I always seem to go out too hard and need to learn to pace better and get stronger towards the end. As I was approaching mile 5 I saw Derek and Suzie ahead of me - but then noticed that my shoe was untied. I didn't double-knot them because I just plain forgot, but need to remember the little things because that probably cost me about 20 seconds! I was feeling really good and knew I needed to push the pace a little harder because I wasn't breathing that heavy and as I passed Derek we exchanged a couple of words so I knew I could go a little harder.
I had a good feeling I was in first place for women but I didn't want anyone behind me (men or women) to pass me at the end. As we turned the corner off of the trail I knew the finish line was close but it still seemed so far away. I kept looking at my watch pushing myself to run harder so I could beat my goal. I crossed the line at 1:07:22 (6:45 pace) which I am happy about. Next up is the Get in Gear Half Marathon and I have a new goal in mind for that too. Derek had a great race as well, setting a new PR for him. My friends Suzie and Ann won their age group and I believe had PR's as well - great job everyone!


Owen is running a kids race next weekend - the Mudball. He is hoping he gets dirty and muddy. I am sure we can find a way for him to do both! Keaton will turn 10 months this weekend as well - he isn't walking yet but very close. I am ready for him to walk so he will stop eating the dirt outside and food off the floor inside!

Mistaken Identity

I was mistaken for a man yesterday. Not the most flattering thing but when you register for a race and accidentally put yourself as male I guess that is what happens. I did pretty well amoung the men though - placing 8th overall and second female. I am sure when I registered I was also doing some other type of activity like changing a diaper, folding laundry or making dinner! The race was fun and the weather was great! Spring is finally here and I wanted to see where I was at with my running. I have been doing a lot of aerobic base work so throwing myself into some speedwork was good for me. I am not sore at all today so I know I could and should have pushed harder. Next week I am doing a 10mile run and since I would like to focus on half ironmans this year those longer distance running races will help. It was a tough course and I averaged 6:37 per mile so I am happy with that. I paced myself well the first mile and not sure if I went out too slow that first mile since I was talking to my competition for most of the mile! We started out together and I could tell she was a runner - she was bouncing around in the starting shoot like an Engergizer Bunny while I was chatting it up with some fellow triathletes that I knew. I guess I just don't have the competitive drive when it comes to running races like I do in triathlons. She asked me if she could pace with me and I was like sure I would like to hit somewhere between 40 and 41 minutes. At about mile 2.5 she dropped behind me and I was like where did you go? Here is a picture of us on the second lap. You can see she is still kind of bouncing around!!!


I knew she was behind me most of the race but I wasn't out to get first I was wanting a certain pace and time. There was some ice on the path and everytime I made a move to the other side of the trail she would do the same. Finally she stopped drafting off of me and asked if I was the defending champion - I told her no and off she went. I was like you can have it chica - but now I look back and I am mad I didn't push myself to hang with her and try for a sprint finish at the end - that would have been cool. Not sure if I would have won that sprint finish as she was only 19 years old and has more fast twitch fibers in there! However.... you live and learn and now I know next week just go for it! Lastly here is a picture of my cheering squad. Owen is use to the races but Keaton needs to get use to it or he will have a long summer :)

Busy, Busy Busy

I can't believe that my last post was back in December but I do have excuses - Owen and Keaton. Plus, I am now coaching 10 athletes, training myself for the 2011 season and just trying to get some sleep. Keaton has been better with the sleeping. I finally called the Dr. on his 8 month birthday just to confirm that he did not need to nurse in the middle of the night and he would be fine. I know I nursed Owen once in the middle of the night until he was about 10 months old and then we had to stop cold turkey because I broke my collarbone on a bike accident. So, yes the Dr. confirmed that he is not starving, he just wants his mommy. So I stopped that night and so far so good. He still wakes up a couple times at night and I need to put his pacfier in his mouth (next thing we need to get rid of) but it is much better - I am at least getting 5 hours of continuous sleep.

Keaton is trying to climb stairs now... here is a picture of him doing just that.

I am afraid he is going to be walking in about a month - I would actually welcome that because he likes to eat anything on the floor right now.

Owen is still a Star Wars lover - we went shopping this afternoon and he saw a Star wars shirt and I refused to buy him anymore since we have about five so I broke down and got a Batman shirt.

I have finally narrowed down my race schedule this year. I went back and forth about going to Age Group National Championships this year or focusing more on long course. I decided that long course is more of my race. I love the Olympic distance and will be doing lots of them but Age Groups was also the same weekend as Pigman Long Course in Cedar Rapids and I won that race in 2009 in some extreme conditions and would like to see how I would do this year in hopefully some nicer weather.

Owen is also going to be racing this year - he has a 1 mile race in April and will be doing the Twin Cities Marathon 1 mile race as well. Derek is also doing the marathon this year and we talked his father into racing it as well. Looking forward to watching him cross the finish line! Well Happy Training everyone - time to play with the kiddos!

Surviving the Holidays

We have almost survived Christmas. We have one more to celebrate - this weekend Derek's family is coming into town to stay with us for a couple of nights. Owen can't wait to see his Grandparents, he has a special relationship with Derek's Dad and with my Stepdad. Grandpas can play and play and play and play Starwars until the cows come home!

Christmas begam for us when we went to Illinois on the 17th. Over the course of five days we slept in four different beds. Even though it was hectic to be away from our house and our routine it was awesome to see all of my family. My mom's side of the family always gets together at my cousins house in Chicago and I can't believe how many of us are in one house and the noise level that we create. I think at my cousins house there are at least 50-60 people! We all bring a gift to exchange for a game and it is a 20 dollar minimum so they are pretty decent gifts but the ones that go the fastest are the lottery tickets and alcohol! After Chicago we spent a couple of days in Galena with my mom, stepdad, my sister and the boys in a house at Eagle Ridge Resort. Derek took Owen skiing for the first time and he loved it. It is so neat to see him trying out new activities and being excited about his accomplishments. He got to ride the ski lift so I think that was the highlight of the whole trip! Then we packed the boys back up and drove to Sterling, to see my Grandma and my Dad and Diane. We only spent one night there because I had to get back to work on Thursday. Good thing we have a van because we wouldn't have gotten all of our things home. Let's just say my children are a little spoiled. Owen is so use to my sister getting him tons of presents that this year I told her get him one little thing because she spent way too much money on him for his birthday. After opening her gift I said OK Owen that is it and he replied "you're just kidding, right."

Christmas day was just the four of us and we went to the Water Park of America and that place is awesome. It is super warm inside and great water rides for kids and really reasonably priced. I want to make it a tradition that we go every year on Christmas - next year Keaton will be tearing the place up just like his brother was this year! Owen really enjoyed Christmas this year and he is still in a funk that it is over. I still have the decorations up and he wants to open the the advent calendar every morning. He told me today there was a piece of candy in number 14. I think Derek put a piece in there to cheer him up! I can imagine how disappointing it could be after Christmas is over for kids because there is all this hype and then the next day is just another day. Kind of like your birthday as you get older - just another day! I can't believe that I am going to be 32 in 2011. After having kids it does seem like the years fly by just a little bit faster.

In November we took some family pictures with Christine Wood and so happy with how they turned out. I am highlighting some of my favorites in this post.

Keaton turned 6 months old in December and still not sleeping the best for me at night. I want to give him a break since we were gone and messed up his schedule but I just think I have a bad sleeper. He does go to bed around 6:30 and sleep until about 6:30 but is up a couple of times at night crying out to to me to feed him! I also think he is going to be my trouble maker! Owen was and still is a very special child - he never opened up any of my kitchen cabinets to play in, I never had to lock things up because he wouldn't get into drawers, etc.

On the other hand Keaton is almost ready to crawl and tries to stand up in his baby bath and looks at me when he does it like he knows he isn't suppose to be doing it. He refuses to eat his baby food and wants to eat what we are eating so I have just resorted to giving him breadsticks to eat when we are eating dinner and then try and sneak baby food in his mouth. Derek said the other day he could see the mischievous demeanour in his eyes!

I have my race schedule all ready to go and super excited about 2011. I have some goals I want to accomplish for myself and for the future. I have registered for one race since it was discounted in December and want to register for the rest of them but holding off just in case a unforseen circumstance happens. I will be putting my race schedule up here in the next couple of days so stay tuned. Happy New Year everyone!

Sleep Training = No Sleep

I am tired. Plain and simple. Keaton has wore me out. For the last month and a half he has been waking every 2 hours at night wanting to be comforted in some way. We tried the cry it out method for a while and I hated it but now we are going back to that and just letting him nurse once at night. He is 17 lbs and does not need to eat three times at night! I couldn't stand to hear him cry but now I am like OK kid.. suck it up and sleep!

That has been my life lately oh and add on that I started training for 2011, went to a USAT Clinic to be a USAT Level I coach, studied and passed my NSCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam, and trying to be a good mom and wife....so if you haven't seen me in a while - that is why!

Even though Keaton is not a good night sleeper he is a pretty cute kid - he loves to watch Owen play and loves to have his feet played with. He is really good at the yoga pose happy baby.

I have been trying to force a sippy cup on him so I can put some milk in there and be able to get away for more than 3 hours at a time. I don't know what it is with my children but neither one of them took a bottle - guess they love their mom!

Some great news is that I will be coaching with Optum Health performance. So excited to be working with a great company that wants to help people live healthy lives and has an state of the art training facility as well. The company is hoping to roll out more training centers like the one in Minnesota in other metropolitan cities. Check it out at OptumHealthPerformance.com.

So looking forward to Christmas. We are heading to IL for about 5 days and staying at a resort in Galena called Eagle Ridge. Owen is going to go skiing for the first time and I am going to try cross country skiing. I have never done it but heard it is a great workout and since I won't have access to a pool or bike for that time I figured that would be a great all body workout I can do. This is my Christmas post until the new year so Merry Christmas everyone!!

Owen's Half Mile Race and My 10 Mile Race

Owen had been waiting for this weekend for a long time! I can't precisely remember but I think it was in June when we signed Owen up for the half mile race which was a part of the Twin Cities Marathon weekend. We initally were going to sign him up for the one mile race but Derek took Owen on a "training run" one day and said there was no way he could do a mile - he had to carry him most of the way home.

We really wanted Saturday to be about his race because he is always coming to ours and cheering us on. We talked a lot about it and he said he wanted to be body marked and have a cup of water to throw down! Saturday morning we woke him up and told him it was race day and that he needed to have a healthy breakfast. We then body marked him with Lighting McQueen temporary tattoos on the back of his legs. I also made sure I had a cup to put water in and a cowbell.

When we arrived to the State Capital Owen could hardly contain himself. We picked up his shirt and race number, did a little prewarm up stretching and he was ready to go!



The fan base went to the designated spot to get some good pictures and video. Owen was the last group of kids for the half mile so it was fun watching the older kids before him run. It was hilarious seeing these little legs moving so fast and the expression on their faces was priceless. Derek was running with Owen so it was easy to spot the 6 foot 2 inch guy with sunglasses amoungst the kids! Owen had the biggest smile on his face as he was running towards us. My sister was ringing the cowbell and I had the water ready.
Owen wasn't quite sure what to do in the moment so I told him to throw it down and as you can see from the picture - he sure did! Owen finished just under five minute so that is just about a ten minute mile if he would have done the mile - pretty darn good! Here he is with his medal after the race- I was so proud of him - he looked so happy and was having so much fun. I am pretty sure he won his age group :)

Sunday I was racing the Twin Cities ten mile and I had a blast. I really didn't have a time goal in mind for the race but just wanted to do sub seven minute miles since I haven't been running alot. Here is a picture that Terrence Lee took of me I think around mile seven or eight.

As you can see I have a big smile on my face - the weather was beautiful for running and I was just enjoying the moment of not actually competing. I still wanted to do well but it was nice not to have any pressure and just run. I finished with a 6:51 per minute mile so I was happy with that. Next up is the Monster Dash Half Marathon on October 30th. We are also celebrating Owen's 4th birthday that weekend - I can't believe he will be four years old - time really does fly. I am going to have to freeze Keaton right now so he doesn't get any bigger!

Peregrine Charities Race Report - Forgot the bike shoes, but not the lightsabers

Derek and I absolutely love this race. We have traveled to Waterloo for the past 3 years for a number of reasons: Waterloo is closer than Minneapolis for both of our parents to come and see the boys and with the grandparents there we can both race. Also, Cedar Falls is a town right next to Waterloo and where Derek and I met and went to college - University of Northern Iowa.

I felt like I just wasn't myself this week, with my training. I am not sure if the lack of sleep had caught up to me (Keaton is still getting up twice a night to nurse) or if my body was saying "hey you haven't slowed down for me to recover from having a baby 3 months ago!" I knew there was going to be some great competition at Peregrine, so I was looking forward to having a solid race.

I started packing for Owen, Keaton and I a couple of days before we left because I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything, but low and behold I forgot my bike shoes. I had rode the trainer with my road bike Saturday morning and forgot to take them off afterwards. We were about an hour out when I said to Derek "CRAP" I forgot my bike shoes. We didn't want to turn around because with two kids any extra time in the car is not cool. Derek's Dad was coming to race the sprint course in the morning, so he was able to bring me my mother in laws road bike shoes. I was pretty much freaking out about it the whole night and between Keaton waking up to eat, I think I got 4 hours of sleep.

Race morning was COLD! As Derek and I were driving to the race it said 42 degrees and then it went down to 40 degrees! I got the bike shoes and they worked...however I was having a hard time clipping out of the shoes and getting them off. You had to push down on some part of the lever and I thought to myself "Oh boy this is going to be interesting when I get off the bike and my hands are frozen".

Swim was same old same old - 24 minutes. Derek and I were talking about this on the way home and I think I am just in survival mode out there - I wasn't really huffing on the swim and he said that he is pushing so hard he is grunting... so for next year, I will be grunting on the swim. That is a priority of mine for next year - swim lessons and coach! I knew I was second out of the water and Janet McCullough had about a 2 minute lead on me. I should have listened to Derek and not put my socks on in transition, because my feet were still frozen on the bike - probably costing me an extra 10-15 seconds. The bike was so cold that my jaw still hurts as I am writing this from clenching it on the bike. There were times that I was secretly wishing I was one of the novices on a mountain bike., and I was racing my first triathlon and had my warm North Face Jacket on! I did manage to catch Janet at about mile 20 on the bike, but knew she was going to push me on the run and I was dreading dismounting with my borrowed bike shoes.

As you can see from the picture I had to do an old school mount/dismount - pretty much all out stop to clip out and then I couldn't get the shoes off (exactly what I was afraid of) and finally just yanked them off. I think I had about a 20 second lead on Janet coming out of T2. I felt strong for the first 2 miles and I still need to stick to my nutrition plan, because I didn't take my gel until about mile 3. I felt pretty sick to my stomach and almost didn't take it at all. I knew Janet was coming for me and I saw her on the turnaround and she looked really strong. She passed me at mile 4 and I tried hanging with her, but knew I just didn't have it in me today. I finished second for female and happy, considering all of the issues I had going into and during the race. My running is still not where I want it to be, but rest is what I need and I'll get it in November and December. This winter will be about rebuilding and strategizing for next year. Dan Cohen (my coach) gave me some great advice today and he is right on the money when he says it is all about what you do in the off-season. I will need to be patient and take it easy this winter because I feel like my triathlon season just started when for others it has ended. I am running the Twin Cities 10 mile next weekend and Owen is doing the Half Mile race with Derek - we are getting the cow bell ready for him!

On a side note I was finally able to meet Elizabeth Waterstraat. I really like reading her blog, since she and I have a lot in common. She also had a baby about 9 weeks ago and ended up winning the sprint race - Way to go!