Musselman Weekend!

So, this weekend is kind of a big deal. I'm doing my first half-iron distance triathlon. Holy moly it feels a lot more real when I say it's this weekend, as in 2 days from now. Eek. Pardon me while I go throw a taper tantrum.

Okay, I'm back. As I was saying, Musselman 70.3 is this Sunday, and I am everything I should be right now: Excited, nervous, and everything in between.

I will be leaving this afternoon for Seneca Lake, it's super nice that J's parents live over there so it feels more like home than having to crash at some rando-place. It will be a weekend with friends, family and fabulous motivation.


I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I am volunteering at the Sprint Tri (Mini-Mussel) on Saturday. John and I will be at the mount/dismount line cheering people one, and yelling at them to get on/off bikes in time. I'm excited to cheer and be there, give me good inspiration for Sunday's race!

As for Sunday: I start the swim at 7:07 AM (3rd wave, yellow caps). With any luck I'll be out of the water and on the bike by... noon. Haha. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. I do know I have the disadvantage from the start with my swim being super weak, but once I get on the bike I'll feel more comfortable. My plan for the bike is to just go steady, I don't plan on breaking speed barriers- no need in wasting the extra energy. As for the run, It's going to be interesting for sure. The half-marathon course is hilly, and at the time I will be getting on the run it will be heading into the hottest part of the day (fun, ay?). Plan is to shove as many wet sponges wherever I can fit them, and hydrate hydrate hydrate at each water stop.

Pre-Race thoughts: It's a different feeling to me heading into this thing. Hollie asked me if I was more nervous than before the marathons I have done. I wouldn't say more nervous just different nervous. My nerves before marathons or other running races are nerves about "how fast can I go" "how far can I push myself today", that isn't the case with this race. I cannot put"swim" and "fast" in the same sentence with myself. As for the bike, I don't have that comfort level to really push myself on there like I do with running so I tend to air on the side of caution and that slows me down. That half marathon, well I know it won't be my fastest but it might not be my slowest. I know what I would like to run it in, but let's be honest: after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56, my legs are most likely not going to do what I want them to while asking them to run 13.1. I'm heading into this race with little expectation and that's a good thing. I'm gonna start out way behind on the swim, I'll catch up some on the bike and I'm lucky enough to have my strongest event last....and hopefully be picking off people on the run.

I feel comfortable knowing I will be decked out in solid supportive and comfortable +Saucony gear. Yes the A5's I said I wasn't going to run in, they made the bag....we will see what happens. Either way I'll have Saucony on my feet....and my head...and body...and #findyourstrong on my mind.

The "can't leave home without" bag. Everything I need for race day is in one bag :) nerd alert.

Do you have a special way of packing for races?

Any last minute advice for my 70.3 rookie self?

What are your plans for this weekend, who is racing???

 I also need to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my fast & fabulous best friend Hollie. This lady has been serious support and well, she just plain old rocks. Y'all should do yourselves a favor and wish her a happy day. NOW. I'm sad I can't run with her today, or even be there to sing obnoxiously to her....but I know she understands that I would if I could!

She's my partner in crime....shenanagins at their finest!

Fitness on the Fly

This post was written at a few different times :)

Tuesday--
Good Morning! Bright and early here at the airport in Rochester-- 4:15 AM to be exact.

Thanks to 12 different alarms, I got up and made it here in time! I've told you before I am not good in the morning, so this is huge for me :)

I mentioned recently that I would be going out of town for work this week, to a very small town in the middle of Iowa (why company headquarters is there....beyond me).

This is my first 'business trip' so I am excited-- but knew that I needed to plan ahead to make sure I stay on track with my training while I am gone. Here's a few things I did to help prepare myself best as possible.

1. Choose a hotel with a gym/pool. I didn't get to choose mine, but I got lucky in the fact that mine has a fitness center and a pool. I called ahead to find out what equipment they have so that I could be prepared. They have a treadmill and an elliptical and that is about it. So I knew I was going to have to find someway to bike this week, and get some strength training in on my own.

2. Scope out the area. Thanks to the ever powerful Google- I was able to find that the town I am going to be in has TONS of trails and recreational parks that I can run in. I printed maps and brought them with me, and will check with hotel to see which ones are best (safest!).

3. If your hotel doesn't have a gym- find one! Seeing as mine does, but not a bike (I'd prefer not to go 4 days  without biking while being less than 5 weeks out from 70.3) I searched for gyms online. If you are traveling to a large city, finding a spin studio or fitness classes shouldn't be hard but small towns you might have to dig more. I was lucky enough to find a local recreation center that has spin classes ($5 each for non-members...score!!).

4. Ask locals! I didn't have much success with this yet, but when I get into town it may be easier. Scope out a local running group, or ask social media sites for those in the area to give recommendations. Also asking those at the hotel for any recommendations.

5. Be prepared for anything, and bring your own gym. I know packing light is important but so it being prepared- therefore I made sure to pack things to run, bike, swim, and do general workouts in. I brought my own resistance band, and a few of my yoga DVD's so that way I can do those in the room. I planned some body-weight workouts in advance so I know that I don't have an excuse not to do them.

6. Pack healthy/travel smart! In my carry on you will find green tea bags, Lara bars, EnergyBits, Power Crunch protein energy bars, Cocoa Via Packets and other little healthy snacks to keep me from hitting the vending machines in the airport. I am also wearing my Zensah compression calf sleeves under my jeans, my legs will thank me for this later!

7. Plan ahead for healthy eating! I have healthy snacks packed for the week that I can keep in my purse. I also scoped out where a grocery store is near my hotel so that I can get some fresh fruits and yogurts to keep in my hotel room as well once I get there. The hotel provides continental breakfast so I know I can count on juice, bagels, and fruit to stay healthy in the morning. I have NO idea what the company will provide for lunches, so I plan on packing some things in my bag each day so I have healthier alternatives if necessary. I also printed a list of local restaurants and their menus so that I know what my best options are for finding a yummy meal.

Layover in Chicago-- 6 AM-8 AM (local time)
I fully admit to having a "blonde" moment and being confused when flight attendant said local time was 6 AM, forgetting that I had gone back in time an hour. I hadn't planned on this, but minor details I suppose.

Happy to have caffeine in me....Chicago airport had at least 7 different Starbucks that I passed between my terminals...

Here's a fun fact: I'll be flying in a puddle jumped from Chicago to IA! I've never flown in such a small plane before so this will be an adventure!

Landed in IA: time for rental car and journey through IA to hotel! [9:30 AM local time]

At least my rental is something cute to bee-bop in...sun roof and all!

Drive from Airport to hotel was easy, all highway. Blue skies for miles and miles and no city skylines to be seen. 

I did have a good day of traveling, but ready for the rest of the week to get started! 

What are your travel tips?

My mom travels.... ALL.the.time. I don't know how she manages it like she does, I give her so much credit! 

Does your city have any places that visitors MUST go to?

Weekend on the move!

Whew! Now that the weekend is over hopefully I can settle down a little bit. Don't get me wrong I am not complaining and saying it was a bad weekend, just saying it was a very active weekend. My life is hectic with 2 jobs and everything else. Now that the move is over and I can check that off of my to-do list, maybe I can get some more wedding planning taken care of.

Friday: 6AM workout, worked at office all day, worked at restaurant all night, finally home around midnight.

Saturday: Breakfast in bed, then packing and cleaning at the apartment ALL DAY, finally got some food and  saw 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in the evening to take my mind off of moving.

Sunday: Early Wake up, worked on packing all morning, then parents and H2B came to help move everything. Lots of heavy lifting of furniture, boxes and totes (Does this count as cross training??) A few trips back and forth from apartment to house, and we were just about done with all of the big heavy stuff. Got some lunch and then dove into unpacking. Finally got to the gym at 5:30 for my 16 miler.

Finally moved in!!

For the last few months I have been living between my apartment and J's house, finally the days of packing bags for overnight, and rushing around between places in the morning is over!!!! (-Insert huge sigh of relief here-) I still have a few things to take care of at the apartment (Cleaning, and move a few last things), before my lease is up Thursday. Now that the move is over it's a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders, it is going to make a lot of things much easier. BUT there is one exception....my life is going to be very cramped for the next 2 months. We have 5 people living in the house, 1 bathroom. Let's just say I will be happy when May 1st rolls around and we are down to 4 people in the house, and then I will also finally have a place to have all of my things (Currently 90% of my things are in the garage). But overall this move is great, finally living with the H2B and not having to deal with things in 2 different homes. Obviously most excited about finally being with the man a lot more...being able to come home to him :) There are other great perks about this move, ones that affect my running and training. #youknowyourearunnnerwhen you think about each decision as it pertains to training.....

1. The house is in a lot better area than my apartment was. My apartment was at a main intersection and the roads were NOT suitable for running. The house is in Cobb's hill, so now I can step out the door and have wonderful places to run. I run these streets all the time but now I don't have to drive to get there :)
2. Gym in the basement! Growing up we had a good amount of fitness equipment in the basement and I loved it. In college I had to walk to the fitness center, and all 3 of the apartments I have lived in I didn't have any cardio equipment( I do have some weights and such). Now I finally have a mini-gym in the house again!!! Treadmill and a bike and weights in the basement! This probably makes me sound lazy, and makes it sound like I am wasting my 2 gym memberships I have; but the fact is, it's a lot easier to work around a crazy schedule when you have the option of anytime workouts at home.  It is harder to make excuses like the gym is closed when I get out of work, or things like that. I fully plan on using my gym memberships, but having the equipment so easily accessible is going to really help my training.
3. Less time commuting between places, means more time to work out! When scheduling workouts for the week I have to take into account time to get to the gym, and my apartment to get ready for work and things like that. Cutting commute time and time running around packing bags is going to give me more time to spend at the gym or outside running.

1st 'Longer' Run of this Training Cycle

83 days from today I will be running marathon number 5, granted I am not shooting for a PR, I'm still trying to take training seriously (um, yeah 26.2 miles is a long way, and it does require training). Yesterday was my first longer run of the cycle, 16 miles done (next week 18 with Hollie!). I wasn't sure how this run was going to go, for a few reasons. First of all this is the longest run I have done since the marathon in November, and 2nd moving heavy things all day before running 16 isn't ideal. All that said, it went awesome. I originally was going to run outside in the afternoon, but the move took a while, then lunch needed to settle in my stomach (Dim sum is not the best run fuel), and I wanted to get some unpacking done. I decided to hit the gym for my run. Finally got on the treadmill around 5:30....without my headphones! They were packed somewhere and couldn't find them, I was very nervous about 2+ hours on the mill without listening to TV or music, thankfully I only had to last an hour. My wonderful H2B came to the rescue and joined me at the gym bringing me headphones, and also filled my water bottle so I didn't have to get off the mill (He's a keeper!). 

• 1st hour 7.51 miles (Starting pace 6.8 mph finished at 8.1 mph)
• Quick reset the mill (Shuts off after an hour)
• 2nd hour 7.8 miles (Starting pace 7.3 mph finished at 9.0 mph)
• [had a younger fella get on the treadmill next to me during 2nd hour, he tried racing me...it was funny...he kept checking me out too...until John came and brought me my headphones and water...too bad he was on my right, it was harder to flash my ring at the dude....when he got off the mill finally he acted like he won because he finished before me...ummm dude I was in hour 2 of a 16 mile run and you just ran like 5 miles...Kiss my ass]
• After the 2nd hour I still had 0.69 miles to hit 16, I thought about skipping it, but then said screw it and restarted the treadmill for round 3, 5 minutes later I was done with 16 miles whew!

WHEW!! 16 sweaty miles on the treadmill...DONE

Overall the run felt great, very sweaty being in the gym on the treadmill (they really need more fans in the Cardio room at the JCC)...mentally I needed that run to boost my confidence for this training cycle. My body has not been put through this in a while so I'm pretty sore and tired today. Slept in a little instead of working out this morning, I just needed the rest. No injuries or anything to complain about, just a little twinge in my left calf that I have been fighting for a few weeks. I really love getting back into training and longer runs. The feeling of pushing your body and feeling so exhausted when bedtime rolls around. I know who else loves me being back into training...my calf sleeves and compression socks..we spend so much more time together in training :) [for instance, compression socks, with dressy work shoes, under my black work pants...]

Welcome back to the world of training, where calf sleeves are normal, running laundry increases, food gets inhaled, and you fall asleep faster than Forest Gump after running across the country.

Athletes Packing List

As I prepare for a mini-vacation I look at my packing list, I realize that more than half of it is to support my running/athlete habits. I think I would be more upset if I forgot one of these items than anything else, I know I am not the only runner or athlete who thinks about this while preparing for trips! Typical vacation stuff can be bought if forgotten, you aren't going to go buy a new Garmin, or charging cord, or some other athletic gear items, so you don't want to forget them! This is geared for a vacation and not a running specific trip like a race (yes there is a different packing list for that in my mind, most is the same but there are other considerations for races).

A few things to consider while packing for a trip you will be active on:


Clothing Considerations
Pack for the climate you are heading to (weather reports can be viewed for a day, a weekend, look at the hourly as well to plan ahead, that way you can be prepared for the entire trip!), but also pack at least one "just in case outfit", for instance I'll be heading to Florida and the weather is supposed to be over 75 the entire time, but I'll still pack a long pair of running capris or pants, as well as a long sleeve top I am comfortable running in, just in case. This eliminates the chance of you using "I wasn't prepared for that weather" excuse, when you don't get a workout in. The general rule of thumb is "pack for weather 20 degrees warmer than anticipated, and 20 degrees colder than anticipated". Another thing to make sure is to anticipate activities you might be doing on your trip, might get a bike ride or a swim in since it will be nice, be prepared for those things so you won't have to sit out on the sidelines if you don't have the right stuff packed. The other "just in case" thing I like to do is pack an extra outfit. I am planning on running 3-4 times while we are gone, but Ill pack for 5 workouts just in case, maybe one of the days will turn into a double, maybe on that last day I'll want one more run on the beach before returning to the cold snowy tundra of New York.....don't get caught unprepared, you'll kick yourself for it!



Gear Considerations
Just like clothing, your gear needs to be appropriate for the climate and environment that you are in. Whether you will be running roads or trails, running in heat or cold, well lit areas or in need of some light, best to be prepared for anything so pack smart. One big tip, Don't forget the chargers for electronics, easy thing to overlook but not as easy to replace!

My Gear for 5 Days in Florida

• Garmin & Garmin Charger 
• Body Glide (heat can create problems, lets limit that!)
• Nathan Handheld water bottle (I haven't run in heat in a while, hydrating will be key)
• I.pod, headphones and Charger
• Swim lap counter (just in case)
• Swim goggles
• Spi.belt 
• Clif Shot blocks (strawberry is my favorite!!)
• Saucony Kinvara 3's (Duh. we all know I am OBSESSED!)
• Biofreeze roll on
• Running hat/visor
• Compression Socks
• Sport sweat/waterproof sunscreen
• My favorite running sunglasses
• Band-aids & Moleskin (just in case of blisters from running in the heat)
• Swim Cap
• Ibuprofen 
• Hair ties/bobbi pins and headbands to keep hair tame while working out (ladies, we all know this can be a challenge!)
• Road ID (if it's the interactive one, make sure your online profile is up to date)---[look what just came in the mail, my NEW Road ID ;) super stoaked!]

• 
  

Other Considerations
Besides checking the weather and planning workouts for the trip, a good thing to do is be prepared with routes. Using sites like Dailymile and MapMyRun or RunningAhead, plan some routes out so you know where you will be going running and/or cycling in a new area. Also, if you are visiting people you know or are a member of a site which has local athletes, talk to people from the area to find out good places to run, and places you might want to avoid. You can't always tell these things from looking at a map online, you want to be prepared as possible and safe as possible running in new territory. The other side of this is that locals might know some great places off the beaten path for you to run, or some great routes that offer well maintained terrain and cool views!