Tri-ing to Keep Warm

Now what?

2011-11-21T20:27:00.000-09:00

I can't believe it's been over three weeks since B2B already. After months of build-up and preparation, it's now a thing of the past. The world keeps turning and nothing is really any different. But I find myself wanted it to be different. Walking past unassuming people, I want to ask them if they can tell that I finished an ironman. I mean, surely, it must be a foremost on their minds, right? No, I'm afraid not. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that no one else knows the difference because it's still mine. I did it. I trained. I raced. I finished. No one will ever be able to take that away from me. Ever. So while I've felt that all-too-common post-race depression and I've done next to nothing since, I hold on to that thought and it always makes me smile.

Now what?

Beach2Battlship Race Report....Race Day!!

2011-11-06T09:33:00.000-09:00

Below is a very detailed account of my first iron distance triathlon. The race was Beach2Battleship in Wilmington, North Carolina and took place on October 29, 2011.

Pre-Race
After tossing and turning for a good while, I finally managed to snag a few hours of sleep before my alarm went off at 4:15. I had no trouble getting out of bed because it was freakin' race day!! I did, however, have trouble eating breakfast. Who wants to eat something at 4 in the morning for crying out loud? I managed to choke down a sweet potato with almond butter and an egg. Sounds disgusting, but it's actually quite a tasty combination. I mixed a bottle of EFS grape flavor to sip on the rest of the morning. Oh, I also popped 4 Extreme Endurance capsules and a salt cap.

I paced around (quietly) for about an hour and then woke up Mark for a ride to T1. He drove me the 3/4 of a mile to T1 and dropped me off with my pre-race and swim to bike gear bags. With a kiss for good luck, I was on my own.

Bikes lined up at T1 in the early pre-race hours

I checked in my swim to bike gear bag and then went to my bike to make sure all was well. Thankfully, my sexy beast had survived the night just fine, although he claimed to be a bit lonely. I filled my aero bottle and one bottle on my down tube with water and a single Nuun tab each. I also put a gel flask filled with 4 GU Chocolate Outrage gels slightly diluted on my top tube. I patted his seat, which I had covered with a plastic bag in case it rained over night, and told him I'd see him in a bit and caught the trolly to the swim start.

The swim start was quite a ways down the beach from T1, so they were transporting athletes and not allowing any other cars down there. It was still an hour or so until the race start, so I sat on the curb in the semi-darkness by myself. Everyone else was doing pretty much the same thing. You could taste the tension in the air. I went to the bathroom 3 times just for something to do. It was about 50 degrees and cloudy; I was chilly, wearing just my swimsuit under a pair of warm-up pants and a sweatshirt. I continued to sip on my EFS and count the minutes. Finally, at about t-minus 30 minutes, I figured it was time for one last pee and to finally don my wetsuit. I also took the EFS Pre-Race I had mixed. I began to change and noticed that the guy right next to me was Glenn, from the Beginner Triathlete forum swim group two days before. Even though we barely knew each other, I think we both found some relief and comfort in a familiar face. Glenn helped me zip up my wet suit while we discussed the finer points of bike attire selection for the day. We handed our (now post-race) bags to volunteers and made our way to the beach. I was shivering, both from cold and nerves. And then I heard a familiar whistle and turned to see Mark and Pete! They had ridden the condo bikes to the swim start to see me off. It was so great to see them.

The Swim Start

Waiting...

The start of the race was slightly delayed until the Coast Guard was satisfied there was enough sunlight to see 750 navy swim caps in the water. They finally called for all swimmers to enter the coral. Kisses and hugs to Pete and Mark and I was in the mix.

Here goes nothing....

Swim Leg
And then the gun went off and I was in the water, doing my first ironman!! The water felt great. It was about 70 degrees, so wasn't at all uncomfortable. I had a surprisingly easy time finding space in the water and I managed to avoid any major combat. I found my rhythm quickly, which was the good news. The bad news was I suddenly really had to go to the bathroom. What in the hell was I suppose to do though? I was in the ocean in a wetsuit for crying out loud! Oh yeah, did I mention that the current was SCREAMING? It was an extremely high incoming tide, so everyone enjoyed a bit of a push along the way.Before I knew it, I saw the flags and dock marking the finish. Volunteers helped me up the wooden ladder and I made my way over to a bench where a lovely lady helped me strip my wetsuit.
Swim time: 00:56:58 (remember...there was a current)
Link to Garmin GPS file of swim leg

Drew with support tee

T1
On the way to T1, which was about 400 yards away, there was a series of shower heads to rinse off the salt water. I skipped the hot water tent off to the side because I wasn't at all cold. On my way across the street to T1, I caught sight of my family for the first time. They were all there....Mark, Pete, Patty, Mark2, Jessie and Drew. THey were screaming and jumping around, but the best surprise was that they had had t-shirts made that said Go Bree #85. It nearly made me burst into tears.

On the way to T1

I crossed under the arch, as volunteers called my number and found my gear bag. I knew my transition time would be long because I was making a complete time, so I ignored my watch and just got to work at drying off and redressing. The tent was full of women who were a buzz. It was a great energy. Trouble was, my need to use the bathroom was reaching a quite urgent state. I got as dressed as was respectable and then rushed out to the only john in the transition area. Occupied with someone waiting. I looked at the guy waiting and told him I was nearing the danger zone. He must have realized how serious I was because he let me go in front of him. Whew. OK, that was done. Much better now. Back to the tent to finish getting dressed. It was quite cloudy and while not raining it was really damp. I opted to wear my Orca tri short and tri top, a regular bike jersey, arm warmers and compression socks. I left my rain jacket behind based on the promise of clearing and sun forecasted. In my jersey pockets, I put a second gel flask, 4 stinger waffles, a tube of nuun, a tube of salt tabs and a bagel with almond butter cut into fourths. I threw all my wet gear into my bag and handed it off to a volunteer and then made my way to my bike. Crap! Half was there and I realized I had no sunglasses. Back to my bag, which was thankfully still available. Finally at my bike and saw my family again.

111.9 miles to go

Waving to the family at T1

Waves and smiles and then I was off.
T1: 00:13:16
(I know, ridiculously long, but I knew it would be.)

Bike Leg
Now on the bike, I realized that I had mistakenly pushed the lap button on my watch twice, so I was counting most of T1 in my bike time. It wan't a big deal, but it meant that I wasn't sure what my actual bike leg was as I was going along. My nutrition plan was to wait 15 to 30 minutes before I started taking in any calories and then my watch would alert me every 15 minutes to take ~1/3 of a gel and once an hour take real food (i.e. one honey stinger waffle). I sipped on my Nuun water as needed. The first miles of the course were through busy streets, but were well marked and manned with lots of cops and volunteers. Soon we actually made our way onto Interstate 140. It seemed kind of weird, but they had given us a whole lane to ourselves. It was actually kind of nice because the road surface was great and we really didn't have to worry about traffic. So, while the course was fine and I was feeling strong, the weather was not being very forgiving. There was a pretty significant head wind and the fog and chill remained. I tried to remain positive by telling myself that it would clear off and I would get a chance to warm-up and dry out. The wind was another story, but I reassured myself with the fact that every other racer was facing the same conditions.
My plan for the bike was to keep my heart rate below 135. I stuck to that plan quite well, with a few exceptions. When the wind came up, I forced myself to accept the significant slow down in MPH to keep my heart rate low. The weather was definitely not ideal, but I think being from Alaska and training in similar weather gave me a significant advantage over many of the other people out there. There were a lot of people who were really suffering. One gal past me and was visibly shivering. In order to remain positive, I would say to myself "it sure would be nice if the sun would come out" instead of cursing the cold, soggy conditions. While I remained relatively comfortable overall, my hands and feet did eventually become numb.
There were aid stations every 15 miles or so. At each, I would ditch the water bottle in my down tube and grab a new one. I would use the new water to refill my aero bottle, to which I added a new Nuun tablet as needed. I had stacked different flavors of Nuun in my tube, so I was always in for a big surprise! Grape or banana or tri berry...it was anybody's guess! For those of you that don't know, at the bike aid stations you do not dismount, rather you slow down enough to grab a bottle from a volunteer who kind of jogs along side of you. At one of the middle aid stations, I missed two bottles because of non-functioning fingers. The poor girls handing out the bottles were panicked! They screamed to the last volunteer "WATER! WATER! She needs WATER!" Fortunately I was successful in my last attempt. I think that the girls were actually much more relieved than I was! I stopped all calories within about 20 minutes of the end of the bike to settle my stomach in anticipation of the run.
I was clearly doing well with my fluid intake because I stopped three (or was it four) times to pee along the way. I didn't bother with the johns at the aid stations but I also opted not to pull the old peeing on the bike trick. Although it might have warmed things up for a bit. At my first pee stop, I did notice that I had failed to remove the plastic bag from my bike seat and had been riding with it on for 35 or 40 miles. Oh yeah, I'm a pro.
When I hit the special needs aid station, I blew on by. All that I had in my bag was extra nutrition and I wasn't lacking. It looked like a lot of people were stopping though. I'm guessing it had a lot to do with the weather.
I can't be sure when it was or at what mile, but suddenly I realized it wasn't so cold anymore and that the sun was actually trying to come out. It was the beginning of a good trend and I slowly began to warm up and dry out. But the wind remained. Someone later told me there gusts of up to 30.
Around mile 75, the course changed direction enough that the headwind became a tailwind. It was a lovely way to ride back to Wilmington and T2 at the Battleship. Sun and winds at my back. I was flying and passing a lot of folks. I think I averaged over 22 MPH for the last 40 miles of the ride. It was having a blast and, at least to me, the 75 miles of headwind were worth it.
As the miles added up, my back was getting sore and my mind was starting to drift towards thoughts of the marathon that was waiting for me. I hadn't seen my family along the route. I knew from the beginning that it was a long shot that they would be able to make their way somewhere along the course. It was kind of good not knowing. There was always a little part of me wondering if they would be around the next corner, but I was never disappointed when they weren't there.
I wish I could describe what it's like to ride 112 miles and the thoughts that go through your head. It's a lot of nonsense really and I'm afraid most of you would be disappointed to learn that it's really just a lot of jumble thoughts about what I saw along the way, how my body was feeling, how much time I had left until the next gel or food. But every once in a while I would smile and remind myself where I was and what I was doing. What your body goes through it hard to describe as well. One minutes you are focused on a particular pain or niggle and then suddenly you realize that what you were focused on doesn't hurt anymore and you can't remember when it stopped.
I finally saw the bridge marking the route to the Battleship and my running shoes.
Bike time: 6:32:41
Link to Garmin GPS file
T2
I don't have any pics of me coming into T2 because my family hadn't arrived yet! Again, I wasn't upset because the reason was I had finished the bike leg faster than they thought I would. Pulling into T2, I hopped off at the dismount line. A volunteer grabbed my bike and told me he would take care of it. Another volunteer handed me my gear bag and I ran into the changing tent. I sat down and took stock. I felt pretty good. My legs were definitely fatigued and my lower back was sore, but overall I was pleased with how the bike had gone and how I felt about the 26.2 ahead of me. I put a fresh pair of compression socks and took off my bike jersey. I left my arm warmers on because the wind was still whipping even though the sun was out. I replaced my helmet with a visor and grabbed my two gel flasks. The flasks had been filled with 4 GUs each along with 4 salt caps and diluted with water. I shoved everything back in the bag and left it behind in the changing tent as I went out to finish this thing!
T2 time: 00:05:50 (again a little long, but not too bad)

Po and Drew playing at the condo during the bike leg.

Run Leg
Running across the timing mat to end my transition and start my run, I turned onto the road the led away from the Battleship and towards the first bridge. That is when I saw my family. They were hooting and hollering and were so surprised that I had not only beat them to transition, but was already heading out on the run. I smiled and laughed, as they cheered me on. On that first bridge, the wind was so strong that my visor literally blew off of my head. When I stop to put it back on and adjust my shoelaces, my old friend Glenn ran by and we cheered each other on. It was great to see him again and to know he was doing well.
As I tried my find my running rhythm, my legs definitely felt heavy but I wasn't miserable. I vowed that I would just keep running and see how things unfolded. The course was two loops of an out and back, so everything I faced, I faced four times. That was good in some cases, like the party atmosphere of the downtown streets in Wilmington and bad in others, like the two bridges I would have to cross 4 times each.
I tried not to think about how many miles were ahead, but just took each mile one at a time. There were aid stations every mile. They were manned by the most incredible volunteers ever!! I was taking a slug of gel every minutes and water at each aid station. I wasn't enjoying the gel/salt mix much but I didn't know how to alter it, or rather I didn't have the energy to think of a good alternative.
The course went through downtown Wilmington, through a more industrial section and then through a lovely little park where the 6.55 mile turn around was located. I was reasonably happy with my time so far and just hoped I could hold it together. Nearing the turn around in the park I saw Glenn again. It was encouraging to see him again.
I was moving and felt like I was doing doing reasonably well, but I would always be a bit disappointed when I checked my watch and saw how slow I was actually moving. Then I remind myself that I wasn't going for a marathon PR, I was just trying to finish an ironman in under 14 hours.
At mile 10, I was surprised to see Pete! I was so, so great to see him. I stopped and hugged him and then kept chugging along.
I crossed each bridge for the second time to make my way back to the battleship and my special needs bag. I knew that some of the people running along side me were probably making that run for the last time, rather than than the first. That is a bit hard to swallow, but seeing the people running the other direction...starting their first trip over the trip put it in perspective.
I ran past my family going into transition and special needs. They were still full of energy and star cheering power!

Running into transition and the half way point of the marathon

In transition, I got rid of my empty gel flask and put on my long sleeve top. I knew the sun would be going down during the second loop and it would be cold again. The most important thing I grabbed was my little baggie of candy corn. Candy corn is one of my favorite treats, so I wanted a few for a moral boost during the second half of the marathon.

After the turn-around, showing off my candy corn goodies!

Getting some encouragement from Mark

Kisses and smiles from Baby Drew!!

It was good for my soul to see my loved ones again and I started the second 13.1 with a renewed enthusiasm. Unfortunately, my legs were not as strong as my mind, so while I was making forward progress, it was slower than ideal. My goal was to keep running no matter how slow. Oh and here come those bridges again. What kept me going was that I knew Pete was waiting for me at mile 16 because he had said he would see me at the same point on my way back. Before reaching that point, I stopped at what was becoming my favorite aid station. There were a couple of sweet little girls with fairy wings working there and they always made me smile.
As promised, I saw Pete at mile 16. Again, it was great to see a friendly face. But what was really a fantastic surprise was that Jess and Drew had made their way over there as well. Drew was full of smiles for me and I kissed her little cheeks. I couldn't believe she had made it so much of the day. For the second time, I nearly started crying with emotion. I knew Jess would have to take Drew home, but Pete said he would see me at the finish and I said I know and kept running.
Somewhere between this point and mile 21, I really started to feel pretty crappy. My stomach was not happy. My plan to walk the aid stations was turning into loitering the aid stations. Up to this point, I had thought I would be able to sneak in under 13 hours, but my pace was slowing considerably and I saw this slipping away from me. I wanted to quit taking the gel, but nothing at the aid stations was any more appetizing. At the 21 mile aid station, I was nearing the bathroom danger zone again. The good news is there was a john available and I emerged from it a new woman. I felt so much better. I bailed on my gels and starting in on the chicken broth and coke. Never have two items tasted so good. I definitely had a new lease on life.
I started running, knowing that the end was not far. I also decided to quit looking at my watch in terms of a time goal and only out of curisosity. I knew 13 hours was not attainable now, so I just let it go and focus on finishing in a vertical position.
I started talking with folks as I came upon them at the aid stations or on the road. I met a lot of nice people, who were all to happy to chat and have a distraction.
At the aid station just before I was to cross the bridges for the last time, I asked the woman to make sure I looked alright for my finish photo. I think she got a kick out of that and she even fixed my hair a bit.
I didn't care how fast I was going because I could hear the band and see the lights at the finish line. I made a final pit stop at the last aid station and then slowly ran over the final bridge. It was the darkest and longest bridge EVER! Every step hurt my tender feet and my whole body was begging me to just stop moving and yet my heart was soaring. At the same time, I was feeling so much empathy for those who were crossing the bridge in the opposite direction, still having to face a half marathon.
Over the bridge and onto flat ground, there were people every where. A lot of athletes were lined up to the take bus back to downtown and their cars. It was obvious from how "quick" I was moving and the smile on the my face that I was nearing the end. They whooped with congratulations. Turning the corner into transition, a volunteer called my number and said "there's a finisher's smile." I saw Mark, who was yelling and running and taking photos. Then he disappeared and I realized it was because I still had to wrap around a bit to reach the finish line. He was running ahead to be at the end. One more corner and I saw the finishing arch. It was all I could do to keep a smile on my face and not break down.
And then I was done. I was an ironwoman.
Run time: 5:24:19 (yeah, I blew up)
Link to Garmin GPS file
Total time: 13:13:02
I crossed the line and immediately starting crying. I got my finisher's medal and some poor kid wanted to take my timing chip. I told to go for it, but I could be of no help. He managed to get it off. Through the chute, I was handed a space blanket, which I wrapped around my shoulders and then rushed into the arms of my husband. I was balling at this point and hugged and kissed Pete and my mom. We were all crying. I think the first words I said to them were "I don't think I'll do that again for a while."

The whole event was very surreal. The moments both lasted forever and flew by. Overall, I'd say it was the fastest 13 hours of my life. Reflecting on it now, I cannot help but get choked up all over again when I think about what I did and everyone who helped me along the way. I can remember when I first got into this sport of triathlon and saying over and over again that I would never do an ironman. The thought of it was too immense and here I am, with a legitimate claim to calling myself an ironman triathlete.
Even though ironman is not a team sport, no one can cross the finish line without help. Despite the pain and discomfort and the occasional dark moment, I never ever doubted that I would finish on the day. I owe that to all of those who were with me in spirit along the way. I absolutely would not have made it the 140.6 miles, let alone through the months of training, without the most incredible support system. The thousands of volunteers that committed 100% to helping the athletes on the day were incredible. I've never experience a better group of people. I don't know where the B2B folks found these people, they were pure gold. The organizers of this race really put on a first class event. I felt like a VIP all day. Rikki Keen dialed in my nutrition and never got annoyed with my questions. My coach, Lisa Keller, outlined a plan tailor made for me. Her plan and advice build me up and kept me strong and confident through the whole day. Thank you so much, Lisa; you are a rock star. To my friends, who, even though they would roll their eyes and tell me I was nuts when we talked about the race and my training, I knew were behind me entirely. So many of you offered me words of encouragement before and on the day. Believe me when I say that I carried every word with me. Betsy and Heather were particularly brilliant in their support. I love you both. And of course, my beautiful, amazing, spectacular family. Where would I be without you all? Each of you traveled to be with me and see me race, a completely selfless act. You stuck it out all day in the wind, rain and cold, but only had smiles for me. Your faces (and t-shirts!) on the race course gave me more inspiration and motivation that you will ever know. Mark, my husband, deserves the most thanks of all because he had to put up with me through the 15 hours training weeks, the anal retentiveness about getting my workouts in, the 9 hours bricks, the ice baths, the pick-up requests when I miscalculated my time or distance, the piles of water bottles in the dish washer, the extra loads of laundry and on and on. Most important, though, I thank Mark for never questioning why I do this sport and never doubting that I would finish. He was remarkable through all of race weekend. Thank you, my love...but I have some bad news, I will be doing this all again.

So, that's my race report. I'll follow this up in a day or two with an epilogue now that I've had a week or so to ruminate on the day. Thanks for reading!!

Beach2Battlship Race Report....Pre Race

2011-11-03T20:21:00.036-08:00

Pre-Race

Wednesday

I arrived in Wilmington on the night of the 26^thwith Mark, Pete and Patty and found our condo in Wrightsville Beach. The condo was perfect and we were so relieved. We settled in and then grabbed a quick bite to eat at a charming little Mexican joint down the road. Early to bed even though we were jet lagged.

Thursday

I woke up at 6:30 to meet some folks from the Beginner Triathlon forum to swim the second half of the course. Three of us from the forum showed up as well as three other guys who were there to do the same thing. We were exceptionally fortunate because two of the guys were local and had been swimming the course all summer. They gave us a lovely “guided tour”, pointing out the best spots to catch the current and noting the tricky spots. We walked the route from the swim exit to where T1 would be, which was about 400 yards away. Big props to the local guys for being so friendly and helpful…they even gave me a ride back to my car at the swim start. The rest of the family was still snoozing when I returned so I put my bike together. Still snoozing. So a solo trip to the store for a few provisions, including coffee for my lazy bones family back at the ranch. Pete, Mark and I took my bike to Two Wheeler Dealer where they installed the race wheels I rented, a pair of 808 Zipps. They were so sweet and made my beautiful bike look that much sexier….and faster!

Next it was off to the convention center for packet pick-up. I was set-up with a race bracelet (gray for the full…that’s right!), given all my goodies (t-shirt, towel, socks), timing chip, race number and 5 gear bags. Being there definitely got the butterflies going, but it gave me a fun nervous energy.

Arriving at packet pick-up

#85!!

Baby Drew arrives!!

Jess, Mark and baby Drew arrived at the condo that evening and we had a nice dinner all together before bed time again.

Friday

I took advantage of a slow morning and slept late. I did a short brick workout of a 20 minute ride and a 10 minute run. It was fun to see other racers out on the road and share knowing smiles. The weather had changed drastically from the previous day’s 80 degrees. It was cloudy and windy and had dropped to the low 60’s. The change was just fine for my Alaskan blood.

Next it was back to the convention center for the pre-race meeting. Take home message: Holy crap!

Back at the condo, I spent the next couple of hours organizing my gear bags.

The gear bags and their contents:

Gear Bags

Pre/Post Gear Bag - I packed my wetsuit, neoprene booties, goggles (x2), body glide, cap

T1 - Swim to Bike - Tri shorts, tri top, bike jersey, gloves, helmet, sunglasses, compression socks, bike shoes, rain jacket, towel, two gel flasks (with 4 gels each), 4 honey stinger waffles, 1 bagel with almond butter and honey, salt caps, Nuun.

T2 - Bike to Run - Race belt and number, extra socks (x2), shorts, long sleeve top, visor, two gel flasks (with 4 gels each).

Bike Special Needs - Extra nutrition

Run Special Needs - Long sleeve top, extra socks, little baggie of candy corn

I had to check in the special needs bags and T2, as well as rack my bike before 8:00 on Friday.

Special Needs

Rackin'

After my bike was racked and my bags were packed, there wasn't much else to do but wait...

Where does it go?

2011-07-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

Time, that is. It's nearly mid-July and I have no idea how it happened.
I know that the official start of summer isn't until late June, which means that July should mean early summer. But, for whatever reason, the 4th of July signals the middle of summer to me. So how can we be half way through summer already?

The whales have been quiet so far and we've only managed two day trips out in search of them. One of these trips marked only the second time we've been completely skunked. That is to say we saw zero whales on the day. Lame. Very lame indeed. But, there is hope on horizon as reports are there are a lot of animals further north than we have been able to check so far. Also, we are heading to the Shumagins on Wednesday which never fails to please. (Knocking furiously on wood).

As for training, it's going along quite well actually. I am enjoying the last hours of a rest week and will rev up again tomorrow. So far, my long run as been 16 and long ride 66. It's nice to see the mileage building, and yet I must admit that the impending build makes me a bit nervous.

On this road to ironman, I am in a constant state of sheer panic and sheer delight. I have overlapping thoughts of "what am I doing?" and "damn, this is going to be grand."

I've recently discovered the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast and website. What a great resource. Ben G. is full of knowledge and is so generous for sharing most of it for free. The podcast is a now a regular among my other favorite...IMTalk.

More soon...

Weekend in Portland

2011-04-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm on my way back to Kodiak for the first annual Kodiak Area Marine Science Symposium. It's going to be really weird to be back in Kodiak, especially without my dog to greet me. I haven't been in the house since we lost her and I know it will really hit me when she's not to be found in her familiar places. I still miss her like mad.

On a lighter note, we spent the weekend in Portland and had a fabulous time. The main reason for our trip was to visit a lab breeder about picking up a new pup. Well, as I'm sure most of you can understand, to go visit tiny dogs and not commit to bringing one home is a herculean task. We failed and put a deposit on a female who was born on March 19th. We'll bring her home on May 7th.
Though we haven't picked her yet, we do know she will be one of these two.
I mean, how cute can you get? Seriously? It's a little ridiculous.

I was also able to go on a fantastic bike ride from the city to Sauvie Island. It was a gorgeous little farming community just outside of Portland. Lots of sheep and water fowl. Oh, it was quite lovely, it was.
Oh, I also went by the local tri shop, Athletes Lounge, and got a great deal on a new pair of Sidi bike shoes.
The husband enjoyed plenty of well crafted IPAs along the way!

Totals for 3/28 - 4/3
Swimming: 7000 yards
Bike: 71.30 miles
Run: 21.30 miles
Strength: 1:20

I have magical powers

2011-03-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend I discovered that I have the power to control the weather. The rain begins when I leave the house on my bike or for a run and it stops as soon as I return. Sometimes, my return can even bring the sun out. So much for all those silly models and predictions. You want to know when it's going to rain...just ask me what time I'll be at about my half way point of any given workout.

I'm finally back to a regular training schedule!
Totals for 3/21 - 3/27
Bike: 69.48 mi
Run: 21.06 mi
Swim: 4500 yd
Strength: 1:20

And we're back....

2011-03-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry. It's been another long stretch and my blog follower was getting anxious. Yes, I meant to write follower, as in singular, because I find it hard to imagine that anyone other than my husband actually checks this.
Anyway...
Since my last post the following events have taken place:

1. I severely sprained my ankle, which severely sprained my training and severely sprained my mental state. I'm finally back to running again after six weeks off. I was able to bike, but could only swim with a pull buoy. I was introduced to the mind numbingly boring brain drain known as aqua jogging.

2. I went to Mexico. Didn't run there either. I ate a lot of tacos and guacamole.

3. I got a cold that knocked me on my ass for three long days and continued to linger for no fewer than three weeks.

4. Items 1 through 3 made me listen to the message the universe was yelling in my ear and withdrew from Oceanside 70.3. This is the firs time I've had to drop out of a race and it was heart breaking. Still, I'm sure each of us is faced with decisions like that at some point or another and we can only hope that we can make the decision that is right for our bodies, rather than our minds.

5. I became an aunt!! My niece, Drew Lockhart Connell, was born on March 5th. She was born with a heart condition known as transposition of the great arteries and underwent major surgery at 7 days old. After another 7 days, she was finally allowed to go home with her mom and dad.
My sister gave birth completely naturally, which continues to blow my mind. She weights less than a paper clip. Imagine a watermelon coming out of a tube of toothpaste. So between Drew and her mom, I have two new huge sources of inspiration for keeping going in the last tough miles of any race.

The glory of the recovery week

2011-01-27T09:19:00.000-09:00

At first the thought of a rest or recovery week would send me into a panic. I would feel antsy and restless as I cut my training and effort roughly in half for an entire week. But I've grow to appreciate the rest week both for the necessary break it brings my body but also for the extra time it affords me. What?! An extra three hours on Sunday? The world is my oyster! Last night, a Wednesday, I even went to a movie. A movie! In the middle of the week. By the way, it was True Grit and it was fantastic. I may even see another one. What's stopping me?

Totals for 1/17 - 1/23
Swim: 5100 yards (missed one workout)
Bike: 72.6 miles
Run: 25.1 miles
Conditioning: 1 hour bootcamp
2 roller session with "the stick" and one trigger point session.

Kin

2011-01-25T14:34:00.002-09:00

Gonna be an aunt in a few short weeks!

Bi-polar Runner

2011-01-17T10:49:00.000-09:00

On Monday night I did an hour long run which included a 2-mile time trial. I generally do these time trials once a month during the earlier phases of my training so my coach can judge my progress and set my paces. The TT went surprisingly well. I felt strong and pushed myself just the right amount. I completed the 2 miles in 15:18, for a 7:39 pace. This is a decent improvement over my previous best of 15:51 (7:55). I was ecstatic and for the rest of the run I fed on that feeling and told myself "days like today are why I do this."
Fast forward to this weekend's long run of 1:40. I felt like two cement blocks had been strapped to my legs and my lungs felt like I had spent the weekend smoking. Unlike Monday, the thought running through my head was "why do I do this to myself." It was incredibly disappointing.
Why does that happen? How do I find consistency? And by consistency, I mean consistency in feeling good not feel like crap in motion. I suppose I could attribute the lousy weekend run to the accumulation of the week's workouts. I can understand not feeling 100% after a long week of work and training, but should it make THAT much of a difference? Maybe it should. Or maybe it does for me, but shouldn't. I know everyone has good days and bad and I should not expect to be the exception to these rule. However, I would think that a bit more consistency isn't too much to ask for. What am I missing?
On another note, I have begun to use the Trigger Point hip and lower back kit to deal with my piriformis pain. I've only done it two or three times and while I haven't noticed a huge difference in my day-to-day discomfort, I do feel significantly better after I do a session. I'm not sure how often I should be doing it, but I'm going to keep at it at two or three times a week and hope for continued improvement.

Training totals for 1/10-1/16
Swim - 6300 yards
Bike - 58.5 miles
Run - 23.4 miles
Plus one hour of boot camp and two trigger point sessions.

RANT...part 2!!

2011-01-05T20:50:00.000-09:00

It's been hard to adjust to swimming in a pool with other people. In Kodiak, it was not at all uncommon to experience swimming laps in an empty pool for entire duration of my workout. Now that I'm living in Seattle, I knew that I would lose this luxury. For the most part, I've grown to accept the circle swim and having to share a lane with up to 5 other people. I cannot fault people for wanting to swim during the limited hours lap swim is offered. So, that's not my rant. My rant is directed at the people who cannot seem to understand the concept of lane sharing and lane designations. Lanes are marked with different speeds for a reason people! When the lane marker says fast or very fast and you don't even know how to put on a swim cap, then DON'T USE THE FAST LANE!!! Should be obvious, right? Common courtesy, right? Minimal brain power required, right? You'd think so. Along those lines, even if you are fast enough to be in a certain lane, should you decide to do a kick set or a few laps of back stoke, then perhaps you would be kind enough to move to a slower or more open lane for the duration of these particular exercises. Can you tell I had a bad night at the pool?

Oh, but the silver lining is I swam my fastest 500 to date. Must have tapped into some of that frustration.

RANT!

2011-01-04T08:24:00.000-09:00

I was biking to work this morning. It was cold. 29 or something. I was almost to work when I hit a patch of ice and took a fancy little spill. It wasn't bad at all and no blood was shed. My issue is that I crashed on a fairly busy road and there were at least three vehicles that witnessed it. Not one person stopped...or even slowed down for that matter. WTF?? Fortunately for them (and me) I was not hurt, but they didn't know that. Am I overreacting? How many of you would drive on past a cyclists laying on the side of the road? Seattle has a reputation for having overly nice drivers...apparently that courtesy does not extend to anything with less than four wheels.

How do you know?

2010-12-20T10:13:00.000-09:00

Yesterday I ran the 12Ks of Christmas in Kirkland. The 12Ks of Christmas is a play on the 12 Days of Christmas, which each K representing one of the days...three french hens, etc. You'd think that would be pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many people were confused by this concept.
Anyway, I digress. It was a fun race and the weather was beautiful...clear and brisk. I felt good and the race went well. I'm not sure what, if anything, was off and yet I still believe that I am capable of running faster than I did. Was it because I was just training through it? Was it all those bloody hills? Just what IS the trick? How do you know how fast you can truly go? What are your true limits? I wish that I could have one perfect day when, at the end, I would know that was it. That was as fast as I can go and that is the gold standard. But there is no way to know is there? You will always wonder...even if you meet your goal, set a new PR or feel like a super star all day.
I have also decide that someone needs to create a magical formula in which you can plug in your hours of sleep, the week's workouts, nutrition, weather, mood, course, your bathroom habits, etc. and out would come a predicted race time. Surely some super computer could work on that.

Friday = Good

2010-12-10T09:56:00.000-09:00

What have I done?

2010-12-04T11:45:00.000-09:00

I don't think the magnitude of what I did this week has really sunk in, nor will it sink it for a while. On December 1st I registered for the Beach2Battleship full iron distance race. It was inevitable, I think we all knew it. But it is official and now I'm going public.
This morning I went on a longish run with two lovely ladies, Heather and Christy, who were kind enough to invite me along on their traditional 9 miler through Golden Gardens and Discovery Parks. I was stoked. New running friends, new route and it was sunny to boot! Well, my run was rubbish and I was embarrassed in front of what I hope to be new running partners. Of course there is nothing like a crap run to plant that lovely seed of doubt in your mind when you have just committed to doing a full bloody iron distance triathlon.
Am I in for it?

Where are the whales?

2010-06-30T21:53:00.001-08:00

Seriously? Where are they?

Back?

2010-06-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'd like to think that I will get back into posting to the blog, so I'm going to start by posting my latest race report.
I did the Rev3 Quassy Half a week ago Sunday. It's a long one...

I picked the Rev3 Quassy Half based on location and timing only. I am limited in the amount of traveling I can do, especially in the summer, so I wanted to do a race that would allow me to visit my sister at the same time. She lives in New York City, so a June race in Connecticut seemed like the perfect fit. It wasn’t until after I signed my name and paid my money did I start reading about the “challenging” race that was Quassy. In the weeks leading up to the race I would read things like “hardest half in the U.S.” and “one of the toughest courses around.” Then I really started studying the course maps and elevations. 4, 5, and 6% grades were not uncommon for either the bike or the run. Crap. I asked around for some advice on how to adjust my expectations for a finish time based on the difficulty of the course. I was told to add 30 minutes to a flat course as a “starting point.” Oh yeah…and this was in reference to the bike leg only. I figured with a past best time of 5:52, anything around 6:30 was a good day and I was thinking it wouldn’t be too out of the question to see the seven hour mark. While all of this certainly added to my pre-race anxiety, I think I did most of my stressing out before hand, so when race day arrived I just couldn’t think about it anymore.

Saturday

Mark and I drove from NYC on Saturday morning. We arrived at the race site around noon, just in time for me to take advantage of swim practice. Rev3 held an Olympic distance race on Saturday, so there was quite a bit of activity going on. While I was swimming, Mark took my bike to the mechanics on site to change my tubes and give my bike one last check-up. After a brief swim out and back to the first buoy, I took my bike out for a quick 20 minutes on the course followed by an even quick 10 minute run. Take home message from this last workout before the race…Connecticut is hot and hilly. Crap.

Then it was time to pick up my race packet. Nice schwag! A headsweats visor, a short-sleeve tech tee and GU chomps, all in a TYR bag. I also saw that my race number had my name on it. I had to stand in line to activate my timing chip, but also to get my picture taken for the “big screen” that was to display updates to waiting supporters throughout the race. There were the first of many things Rev3 did to impress me. I was required to rack my bike the night before, so I took my bike over to the transition and discovered that I had scored arguably the best spot on the racks. I was the second bike in on the first row from the bike exit. I also discovered another Rev3 surprise. There was a high quality printed sign with my name marking my spot on the rack. Nice. Very nice. So, I racked my bike, kissed it goodbye and then headed to lunch. After lunch, we checked into the hotel and I used the next two hours to fuss over my nutrition and gear. To get my mind off things, Mark and I decided to explore the area a bit. I’m not going to get into details, but let’s just say that our evening involved the most terrifying K-Mart in all of the U.S., a salad bar whose main items included raisins, cubed ham and jell-o, a parking lot arrest and a vomiting woman. After that little adventure, we managed to find a decent dinner and headed back to the hotel around 9:00. I set my alarm for 5:00 and was surprised at how easily I fell asleep.

Sunday

I woke up at 4:45 and as soon as I realized what that meant, the butterflies started. Breakfast was a half a bagel with peanut butter, a banana and protein power in a small bit of yogurt. I also alternated sipping on water and electrolyte drink. We left for the race site around 5:30. The weather was calling for temps in the upper 70’s to low 80’s with thunderstorms, heavy at times and accompanied by strong winds. Hmmm, that seems less than ideal. But, at 5:30 it was mostly sunny and looked like a decent day was ahead. After parking, I made my way to transition and started to set things up. Being in such a prime spot, I was also able to watch the pros. Other than being extremely sexy and built, the main thing I noticed was how small most of them were! In transition there was a lot of nervous chatter about the difficulty of the course and people swapped rumors about how hard they had heard about this section or that. Looking at the quality of bikes and hearing people talk, I realized that this was not a normal, diverse race crowd. There were no newbies: there were no fat tires. This was a group of obsessed and serious tri-nerds. Nice! Wait…crap!

I finished up in transition and got body marked. There wasn’t much left to do except go down and watch the swim start for the pros. The pro males went off at 6:50 and my wave was scheduled for 7:15. I watched the pros start and then went for a 10 minute run to warm up. I made my way back to the swim start where Mark was waiting with my wetsuit. With the wetsuit on, I ate a gel, took a sip of water and bid farewell to Mark. Sine the race had started, those of us waiting couldn’t do any actually swimming, so I just waded into the water to get wet and cool off!

My wave was called, so I made my way to the beach. I tried to position myself away from the fast swimmers, but closest to the buoys in order to take the shortest route possible. Before I knew it, my wave was off and I found myself in that familiar madness of the mass swim start. Legs and arms everywhere. Any open space I found was short lived until the wave spread out and everyone found her rhythm around the first buoy. The water felt great, but was very murky. I tried several times to find some feet to follow but could never see anything more than a few bubbles. The water was warm enough that the wetsuit was not a necessity, but I was glad to have the extra buoyancy. The swim course was basically a giant triangle and passed surprisingly quickly. I really had no idea how I was doing time wise, though I felt like I was taken it pretty easy. At the beach, I stood up and pressed the lap key on my watch. My split was 39:37, though my official split was 40:17, a difference due the position of the timing mat that seems small, but significant if you were hoping to get in under 40.

I made my way up the ramp (yes, uphill to transition just to set the town of the day, I think) and heard Mark yelling my name. I also heard my name over the PA system. It wasn’t until later that I found out that was Mark’s doing and that the guy on the PA was only playing music and pumping up the crowd, not announcing names. I had a quick transition and was soon out on the road. I quickly realized I had two issues. First of all, I had a stomach cramp. Second of all, the Velcro holding my aerobar bottle in place had come loose and my bottle was jumping all over the place. I decided the cramp was a result of swallowing half of Lake Quassapaug and sucking air and it would go away as I found my pace on the bike. The bottle was another story, however. I tried to fix the Velcro while continuing riding, which is never a good idea. My next strategy was to hold it in place with my thumbs, but that quickly proved a bad strategy when I tried to navigate, shift and hold the bloody bottle while going down hill. About 5 miles in I decided I just needed to stop and fix it. So I did. Whew, now I could really focus and get going. That lasted until the first decent bumps in the road when the whole thing came unraveled again. Not having learned a single lesson from the first time, I rode for several miles fussing with it, holding it with my thumbs, cursing it, etc. I decided I just needed to stop again and fix, that I was probably losing more time by going so slowly and not concentrating than by just stopping and addressing the problem. So I stopped again, but just has I was slowing I hit a nice big pothole and my water bottle from the back cage rocketed it onto the street. Ugh. OK. Fixed the aerobottle problem. Debate for one second whether I should go back and get my other bottle. I decided that I likely would really need the fluids (it was full of EFS), so picked up my bike and jogged back and picked it up. Whew…finally all systems go! Of course by this time I was about 10 miles in. I have no idea how much time the fussing and stopping cost me. I would say 5 minutes on the low end. With that mess behind me, I just began to ride and enjoy myself. The course was breathtaking. It went through gorgeous neighborhoods, big green fields and farms and quaint little towns. Very, very nice scenery. Which was good because it created somewhat of a distraction from the constant up and down of the course. There were NO flat sections to be found. You were either going up or going down for the entire 56 miles. The downhills were glorious and sometimes quite long, but they never seemed to equal the grinding uphills. Each time I went flying down a hill, there was a voice in my head saying “you do realize that you will soon have to make this up.” But whatever. I actually had fun and didn’t stress too much about the snail’s pace required to get to the top of some of the hills. I could have pushed it harder, but I knew a difficult run course was waiting for me and I didn’t want to blow up so I rode at an effort that was hard but not punishing. About 3/4 of the way through the race, the wind picked up and I battled a head wind for most of the rest of the course. With about 4 miles to go, I began to see runners out on the course. None of them looked very happy and I started to get nervous. Of course, you couldn’t just coast into transition; you had to earn those last few miles on the bike by riding uphill. Bike split 3:31:15.

After a quick transition and a wave to Mark, I was off on the run. The first two miles or so were a slight downhill, which was a great way to let the legs switch gears. I noticed for the first time how warm the day had become and that I had a rumbling in my stomach that was going to need to be addressed. Though I was feeling quite good, I was nervous about what the next couple of hours would bring. I stopped at the aid station between miles 2 and 3 to take the first of my run gels and to use the john. Another Rev3 bonus…potty options at each aid station! That diversion only cost me 2 or 3 minutes and I felt great afterwards. So I just kept running. I stuck to my nutrition plan…water at every aid station with a gel and 2 salt caps every 3 miles. Because I was feeling so good, I never thought to stop and walk even on some pretty brutal climbs. I kept thinking I would pay for it later and waited for the inevitable meltdown to come. But it never did. Mile after mile and hill after hill I just kept running and feeling great. I ran quick on the downhills and the few flat sections and chugged my way up every bloody hill I saw. I couldn’t believe it when I was past mile 9 and going through a brief section that past by the race venue and was still smiling and putting down a decent pace. I started to hit a bit of a wall around mile 12, but by the time I knew I was home free so just talked myself out of it. I was really, really enjoying myself. Coming around a corner, I knew I had less than a mile to go and could make 6:30. Then I saw that cruelest, steepest hill of the day. Dear God was that thing menacing. But not having walked the entire course, I refused to do it so close to the end and I ran up that sucker. At the top, I said to a race volunteer how mean that hills was and he said “yes, but you’re there.” And I was. I saw the cones marking the last quarter mile or so. It was flat and I was nearly done, so I ran hard to catch that 6:30. Which I did…barely. 6:30:19. That counts doesn’t it?

After I crossed the line, I was handed a nice finishers shirt and medal and I realized what an amazing day I had. I was far from setting a PR, but I felt so good about my day, about the course about how I handled the challenges that I can say this was the most rewarding racing experience I have had. As silly as it sounds, I actually got a little choked up when I was reliving my day to Mark at the finish line. After fussing around the finish line for a bit, we opted to skip the post-race festivities in light of the tornado warning that had been issued for the area. I think we chose wisely.

While I can’t help but wish my times reflected how great my day was, I try to remind myself that the course was hard and the day was hot and humid. Looking back I think I could probably have pushed it a little more on the bike, but without knowing what the run had in store, I’m glad I did what I did. I do wish I had those wasted minutes fussing with my bottles back, but what can I do? I do, however, know I could have had a faster swim time. I was far too relaxed and could have shaved a couple of minutes off there for sure. Lesson learned. I have to give massive kudos to Rev3. They thought of everything and really put on a first class race. I would not hesitate to do another one of their events or recommend one to another athlete.

Official Splits

Swim – 40:17

T1 – 2:32

Bike – 3:31:15

T2 – 1:45

Run – 2:14:30

Total – 6:30:19

21/42 Age group

94/171 Female

Man, I’m good at finding the middle of the pack!

NEW SITE!!!

2008-06-11T21:40:00.002-08:00

PLEASE GO TO MY NEW BLOG SITE AT

WWW.TRI-INGTOKEEPWARM.COM

A sight of the apocalypse

2008-06-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

1016 am akdt Thu Jun 5 2008
Kodiak Island-
including... Kodiak city
1016 am akdt Thu Jun 5 2008

... Rain with snow mixing for tonight...

A small area of cooler air will be moving into Kodiak
area late this evening. This pool of cooler air will
bring the overnight temperatures to the lower 30's on
parts of Kodiak Island. Light rain may mix with snow
at times, but no accumulation is expected below a 1000
feet. Above a 1000 feet up to an inch of accumulation
is possible. This area of cool air moves through quickly
and temperatures will be back up near 50 for Friday.

Residents should take approprite precautions when hiking
at or above 1000 foot elevations.

Although a hard freeze is not likely delecate plants
should be covered or taken inside.

Steelman Bikes

2008-06-05T11:02:00.002-08:00

A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend...oh you get the idea, is selling her custom carbon fiber Steelman bike.
I don't know much about these bikes, but apparently this one was custom built for $11K and I can get it for $4500.
Here are the specs:
Shimano Ultegra compact Road Kit with
Fulcrum Racing 3 Wheels. 165 MM Compact Crankset 34-50. Ritchey Pro
Bar 40 CM, Ritchey 9CM Stem, Ritchey Pro Carbon seat post, Flite Lady
Gel Flow Saddle, 12-27 Cassette , Conti GP4000 Tires.

I currently ride a size cm Cervelo Dual and was told that the effective size of this bike is 47 to 51.

I know nothing about these bikes. I'm thinking it's probably not worth it. Why buy a custom bike that's not custom for me? But, on the other hand, it's a100% carbon fiber frame!!!

No end in sight

2008-06-02T16:21:00.003-08:00

And the start of June brings more rain.
The front page of the paper today reads:
May was 2nd wettest, 3rd snowest; June halfway to record drench.

Yes, folks. You've read it correctly. It's the 2nd of June and the city of Kodiak is already half way to being the wettest June on record. Overachievers, we are. I don't mind a nice rain storm now and again, but the constant gray and pouring rain gets hold quickly.

I know my blog page looks like crap. I'm waffling on how to proceed. Does anyone out there have a .mac account? If so, is it worth the dough?

Since turning in a draft of my dissertation to my committee, I'm finding myself with some extra time on my hands. It makes me nervous and edgy. Guess I'll have to work out some more.

I'm entering a "run focus" phase of my training plan in prep for a 4th of July 10K and then the Portland Marathon in October.

Making it happen (slosh, slosh)
Bree

Should my feelings be hurt?

2008-06-01T20:52:00.002-08:00

The Worst Jobs in Science

I always thought this was one of the cool parts of my job. Is it wrong that I get excited when I find whale poo?

Ahhhhhhh

2008-05-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Predicted Mile

2008-05-27T15:44:00.002-08:00

One of the various crab fest race type events is the predicted mile. To win the predicted mile you must be the closest at predicting how long it takes you to run a mile. This is one race where you don't have to be fast to win, just good at knowing your pace.

I've never run a one mile trial before, but I thought I'd give it a go. I was waaaaaaaaaay off, but in the right direction. I predicted 8:06 and ran 7:36. How can I possibly be disappointed about that? My friend, Jennifer ran it in 6:33. That girl be fast! She guessed 6:30, so was 3 seconds off. But she didn't win. Some dude was within 2 seconds. Still, Jen "won" in my book because she had the fastest mile on the day. Wish some of her speed would rub off on me when we are hanging out.

I'll report on the rest of Crab Fest events in the coming days. Feeling a bit under the weather. I've been out running a nasty bug that has been making the rounds and it seems it may have finally caught up with me. At least it waiting until after the races.

Yet another sign it's been a rough winter

2008-05-22T14:52:00.004-08:00

The annual Crab Festival kicked off today and will continue through Monday. Crab Fest is like Christmas around here and the entire town looks forward to it all year. I like Crab Fest because there are several races schedule, namely a 42 mile bike race and a15K mountain run. So, imagine my disappointment when I receive this email a few days ago.

Subject: Pillar Mountain covered with snow. What to do about the race.

Body: This year, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Crab Festival, for the first time ever, the Pillar Mountain Race course is covered with snow. Now I am looking for ideas of what to do. One person suggested letting runners race up the road, leave the road at the S turn and walk/run up the ridge through the snow to the top and back down. Another person advised against this saying that if someone got hurt, there would be no way to get a vehicle to them. This person also said that a runner not familiar with the mountain could take a wrong turn, especially if it is foggy, and get lost.

Holy crap...covered in snow for the FIRST TIME EVER! I told you it was a nasty winter!
Folks are throwing around ideas for alternate routes, so it sounds like we will be running in some form or another. But it's just not the same. Guess I'll have to have another elephant ear to console myself.
Making it happen,
Breezo

Gold Nugget Triathlon

2008-05-20T21:06:00.004-08:00

The Gold Nugget Triathlon is a women's only sprint race that has been going since 1982. That's an impressively long time when you consider how young the sport of triathlon is and how small of a state Alaska is.

My fella and I took the ferry from Kodiak on Wednesday night. It was blowing 50 mph and seas were at 20 feet. Not an ideal time to take the ferry, but what are you going to do. Thankfully, the ferry left at 10:30 pm so we were able to fall asleep before conditions got too horrific. We were 3 hours

late coming into Homer, though, so that was a good indication that things might have been a bit ugly coming across the Gulf.

Homer is a 4 or 5 hours south of Anchorage. We took our time and made a stop in Kenai along the way so Mark could play with a fellow metal shaper and I could get in a quick workout.

We spent Friday and Saturday farting around in the "big city." We spent way too much and ate way too much, but that's what happens in A-town.

Saturday night we met the other two women from Kodiak that were doing the GNT at Club Paris for dinner. Club Paris is Anchorage's premier steak restaurant. Yes, steak. Why this restaurant was chosen, I will never know. Needless to say, I chose one of the only non cow items on the menu for my pre-race meal. After dinner, we drove to the race site and I picked up my bib and racked my bike. Then it was back to my sister's house to pack my race day bag, take a bath and hit the sack.

Race day was a beauty. The sun was out and it was a balmy 50 degrees (still in Alaska here, people!). The race started at 9:00, but my heat wasn't scheduled until 10:30 or so. Still I had to be at the venue early enough to set up my transition. Is there anything worse than sitting around waiting for your heat? ARGH! It's painful.

Finally, my bib number was called to the pool dec

k. It's a 500 yard swim in a pool, so they are constantly moving swimmers in and out and you have to circle swim.

And so I started. I felt decent in the swim and thought I was making pretty good time. I was hoping to take 10 seconds or so off of last year's time. I'm not a strong swimmer, so any improvement leaves me with a smile on my face. After lap 10, I hopped out of the pool and looked at my watch. 9:41! WHAT! Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn it. I was 9:25 last year. Oh well, can't get stuck on it now. I put on a long sleeve shirt, socks and my bike helmet and ran out of the pool, through the locker room and into T1. My T1 was 2:20. I hammered it on the bike. My legs were feeling it, but I had promised myself that I would go balls out on this race, so I kept at it. Again, I was disappointed with my split. Nearly identical time to last year. What is going on?? This is one of those races where T1 and T2 are in different locations, so I had to shout out my bib number to get my bag of shoes and visor. There are no mats at the end of T2, so you don't get an official split, but I had my watch so I was keeping track. I knew I would have to have an incredible run (for me) to improve on last year's

overall time. I felt sort o

f sluggish through the first half mile or so, but then felt surprisingly good the rest of the time. As I ticked off the miles, I knew I was within reach. I gave everything I had left in the last half mile and finished completely spent.

The numbers:

500 yard swim - 9:31

T1 - 2:20

10 mile bike - 35:44

T2 - 2:39

4.1 mile run - 34:19

Total - 1:23:43 (last year 1:24:34)

23/199 ag

e group; 183/1300 overall

I felt great about my run but was fe

eling pretty crap about my swim and bike. Unfortunately I have no excuse for my sorry ass swim, but I was pleased to learn that bike times were about a minute slower than last year because of a bit of a head wind.

I need to give serious kudos to my fellow Kodiak racers, who both absolutely rocked. One got 4th her in age group and the other 10th. I need to find some slower friends....

I don't have much in the way of pics. Mark was snapping some, but he said they did not come out well. No matter, I always look like I'm crapping my pants in race pictures anyway.

On a side note, our Governor, Sarah Palin, started the race and then hung out in T1 watching for a bit.

How many state governors would hang out with their new baby and no bodyguards?

She was very personable and quite easy to talk to. I don't always agree with her politics, but I cannot deny she has charism.

The new look of the blog is a work in progress, so hang in there.

Making it happen...

Bree (and my new BFF, Sarah)

Days that end in Y

2008-05-08T16:35:00.003-08:00

I haven't been blogging much lately, I know. It's because my life doesn't change much these days.
Wake-up, workout, go to work, workout, work on dissertation, go to bed. Repeat on all days ending in y.

I did, however, get a lovely new MacBook that I am beyond excited about. I am really hoping to use it to pretty up my blog site and "relaunch" with gusto.

Next weekend is the Gold Nugget Triathlon in Anchorage. My fella and I are going to take the ferry to Homer and then drive to Anchorage. It should be a nice weekend in the "big" city and a great race. Last year's event was a blast and I am really looking forward to doing this one again.

As for Kodiak, well we have reason to celebrate. It's the 8th of May and we've already set three new daily precipitation records and are nearly at 6.5" for the month. Go team!

On another note, who knows about Bree Wee? Holy crap, this woman is amazing! I am going to claim all of her results from this point forward. Good strategy, don't you think?

I need help

2008-04-23T16:52:00.002-08:00

I want to change the look of my blog site, but don't have the time or the skills to get fancy. I am up for suggestions on good resources for such things.
It's been a beautiful day in Kodiak. I rode my bike into work for the first time this year. It was nice to watch the geese on Women's Bay while cruising to work...and not using any gas!
Tonight is my "big talk" for Whale Fest 2008. Can you feel the electricity in the air?
Flying a survey this afternoon, I saw loads of gray whales but only a few fins and zero humpbacks. The season is young, though and there will be plenty of time for all of that business soon.

Making it happen,
Bree

Earth Day Triathlon - Take 4

2008-04-21T15:04:00.005-08:00

Saturday was my fourth running on the local triathlon, the Kodiak Earth Day Sprint. For the first time in recent memory, the sun was shining and the winds were calm for the race. It made for a great race day.
The race consists of a 1K pool swim (22 laps), 5K run, and finishes with a 20K bike on a pretty hilly course. No one has ever been able to explain to me why the run is before the bike, but that's the way it's always been done. It's sort of a pain in the ass to transition from swimming to running, if you ask me.
Anyway, my swim time actually increased by 5 seconds and I've decided I MUST learn how to flip turn. In the grand scheme of things I know it doesn't me a whole lot, but I'm pretty sure it cost me dearly on Saturday.
The run went well. I felt better than I have in the past on this leg and I am hoping it was because I took it just slightly easier during the swim.
The bike went great. I made up serious time and was having a blast riding in the sun. My husband was driving ahead of me on the route and would stop to take pics and then drive ahead. He told me I was 2 minutes behind the leader of my age group with about 4 miles to go. I absolutely hammered it and came within 10 seconds of her! See...that's why I need to learn how to do flip turns.
Just to make myself feel better, I went back and look at my time from the first year I did this race. 1:55:22 in 2004; 1:41:11 in 2008. It's a good trend, right?
Pics from the day!
Swim start

Coming in from the run

Nice scenery, huh? This also serves as the obligatory "it looks like she's crapping her pants" photo.

Hammering to the finish line...10 seconds too late.

Making it happen,
Bree

Um, it's windy

2008-04-16T12:53:00.003-08:00

The weather station I have at home recorded a 92 mph gust this morning. So, yeah, it's windy. I took this picture from my car driving into work this morning. It does absolutely no justice to how scary the water looked. Wind is an amazing thing.
Seems to coming calming down a bit now....only gusting to 30 or so.
Kite boarding anyone?

Rolling with the homies

2008-04-14T15:58:00.003-08:00

Yay! Warmth! Sunday it was naer 50 degrees. I nearly wet myself I was so excited.
After getting the mandatory workout out of the way, my fella and I took our mountain bikes out for a spin.
We ended up beach combing on the Coast Guard base.
Found some nice beach glass which I kept for who knows what reason.

On the return trip, we saw four or five deer taking advantage of the long awaited spring time weather as well.

This coming weekend is the Earth Day Triathlon; the only triathlon on the island. It's a modified sprint with an 1100 yard swim, 5K run and 20K bike. I'm not sure why the bike follows the run, but that's the way they've always run it. It's a C race for me, so I'm just going to treat it as my usual Saturday morning brick. Praying for decent weather.
Making it happen,
Bree

Open Road

2008-04-10T11:15:00.007-08:00

Tired of being a whiny baby, I layered up and hit the road for my first outdoor ride since last fall. While I don't regret it, by any means, it was nothing short of freezing ass cold. Well into the 20's by the time I finished.
Fortunately, it was a breathtakingly beautiful day. I snapped a few photos with my camera phone for grins.

I also saw a couple of deer but they ran off before I could take their picture. Shy, I guess.
I suppose I don't mind the cold so much, as long as it sun is out, but it definitely gets old after 6 months.
It did feel nice to be actually making forward progress on my bike after staring at the same found walls all winter.
Making it happen....brrrrrrrrrrrr,
Bree

Broken Record

2008-04-09T10:07:00.002-08:00

It's starting to seem that way, isn't it? If not, read on and it soon will because, you see, I intend to bitch about the temperature....again.
I was all geared up to ride my bike to work this a.m. I woke up to a bone chilling 19 degrees. I just couldn't do it. I totally wimped out. But, come on! 19 degrees! In April! I need a little more, ya know? Am I being too picky?
I may have to really suck it up soon as gas prices are looking worse and worse by the day. We are sitting at $4.14 a gallon for regular with rumors of another $.20 increase over the next week or two.
The good news is the skies are blue and the sun in shining. I have to believe that somewhere deep down spring is trying to make an appearance.
I still haven't been able to track down the mysterious Rachel. Where are you??

Looking for Rachel

2008-04-07T10:00:00.001-08:00

Somebody named Rachel posted a comment about a month ago asking about the Kodiak Triathlon, but I have no way of getting back in touch with her. Rachel...if you are out there, let me know how to contact you!

Getting called out

2008-04-06T14:08:00.004-08:00

So, I got a message from Drew saying there was a special surprise on his blog. He said this was motivation, but really I think he was calling me out for being such a blog slacker lately.
I knew it had been a while since I posted, but I didn't realize it had been quite as long as I thought. What a tool I am. So, thanks for the kick in the ass Drew.
Been pretty busy, obviously. I always think that winter is going to be a slow time of year but lately that has not been the case.
I did have some fun soaking up the sun in Hawaii for two weeks. We really need it after the winter we've had here in Kodiak. It's been pretty brutal with a ton of snow.
Anyway, one of the highlights was the day I rented a bike and road 35 miles of the Kona Ironman course. I'll tell you what, though. It's hot in Hawaii.
Haven't gone for a ride outside since that day. I've been putting some serious trainer miles in. I keep thinking I'll get my tired on asphalt one of these days, but winter is being awfully stubborn. It's presently 24 degrees with a windchill of 10. That's cold. I mean, it is April, right? DAMN!

The "masters" have arrived

2008-01-22T09:16:00.000-09:00

After wishing and hoping for years, a master's swimming program has finally come to Kodiak. Of course, it comes right after I land a job as a life guard and won't be able to take full advantage of the program. None the less, master's is here and it can be nothing but a positive. I worked out with the group on Sunday and again this morning. While the workout itself wasn't much different than what I would have usually done, it seems to be so much more motivating and challenging when you are with a group of people with a common interest and goal.
I'm off for another two week adventure on the west side of the island in hopes of snagging another fin whale or two. Thankfully we've managed to climb out of that cold streak and temps have been in the more reasonable 30 degree range.
Making it happen....
Bree

Working the system

2008-01-16T16:44:00.001-09:00

I have somehow managed to get hired as a life guard at the Coast Guard Base pool. I'm working the morning lap swim shift a couple of days a week. This is perhaps the smartest thing I have done in a long time. Why is this so smart? Well, it turns out the higher ups allow the guards to swim during the lap swim shifts. With very little change to my regular schedule, I now get paid to swim three days a week. Plus, if you count the $2.50 I no longer have to pay to get into the pool, I'm getting myself pretty far ahead.
As if that weren't enough, I now have full Base privileges, which means access to the gym, climbing wall, raquet ball courts, and exchange. Anyone need a new couch or HDTV at government subsidized prices?
The only drawback is that I have to get my lazy ass out of bed at 5:00 and then work a bit later at my regular job. Small price to pay, right?

Dog days

2008-01-13T15:33:00.000-09:00

It's hard not to feel a bit like a kept woman these days. The cold streak in Kodiak remains. We are currently sitting at an impressive 3 degrees right now, with wee bits of snow falling. I'm all for being tough and training through the winter, but I've realized once it gets below about 10 degrees your nose hairs freeze far too fast to make breathing all that effective.
My poor pooch is stuck inside as well because she split her nail open, which has proved to be a very difficult thing to explain to her. Although she cocks her head from side-to-side, I am doubtful that she really understands what I am telling her.
I also have a cold, which is more irritating than the weather.
And in very bizarre news....19 eagles died after they gorged themselves in a truck full of fish waste. They were so slimed that they couldn't fly or clean themselves and they basically froze to death.

The good news...I'm off to Hawaii in about three weeks time. Bet those eagles wish they were too.
Making it happen...sans fish slime,
Bree

An Alaskan First

2008-01-11T14:32:00.001-09:00

I spent about 12 days in Uganik Bay in late November/early December. The mission: tagging fin and humpback whales while assessing prey availability and distribution.
Tagging whales is usually a gigantic pain in the ass and the ratio of successful attachments to attempts has been about 25:1 in the past. Because of this frustration, Mark decided to redesign our tags and tag launching system. I'm not sure if he decided to this because he was really interested or he was tired of hearing me bitch about it. Anyway...the new system rocks. It's basically a souped up potato gun, powdered by compressed air. The one drawback is that is pretty heavy...can you tell?

The trip was a pretty big success given the weather conditions and the fact that it was the middle of freakin' winter.
We tagged a humpback. The big news is that we tagged a fin whale. A FIN WHALE! This is huge! This is the VERY FIRST fin whale tagged in Alaska. Come on people...we're making history here!

We head back out for a second trip in a couple of weeks. I'm gonna get me another fin whale!
Making it happen,
Bree

Umm.....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2008-01-09T16:21:00.000-09:00

Mild winter my ass. Last winter was harsh with tons of snow and cold temps. Naturally, locals say that a mild winter is bound to follow. So much for local knowledge.
Kodiak broke a record for snow fall on Christmas Eve with a whopping 18". That nice little snow fall was thoughtfully accompanied by 80 mph winds. Our neighbors recorded a gust of 110 mph. So, yep, looks like a mild winter indeed. Oh yeah...did I mention that is 9 frigging degrees right now?
There are a few bonuses to this weather, however.
#1: New snowshoes
I got a pair for Christmas and am actually getting some use of out of them.

#2: It's beautiful!!!
Cold temps usually mean crystal clear blue skies and the last few days have not disappointed.

Happy New Year

2008-01-07T20:47:00.000-09:00

I'm not sure what happened exactly. Just a few minutes ago I looked at the calendar on the wall and it was just after Halloween, but when I looked up again just now it was already January.
My life has been busy, but I've missed posted on the blog for the simple reason that it forces me to spend some time thinking about what has been going on in my life and reflect. OK, I realize it's not always that dramatic, but it's true.

Winter is suppose to be my slow time of year with work. My plan was to cut back my work hours to half time in late fall and spend more hours working on my dissertation. Well, that has happened to a degree except that I am working half again as many hours and still working on my dissertation.

I have a few pics to post of the past several weeks. Whales and snow mostly.

I also want to take just a moment to honor the 6 people who were killed in Kodiak in a plane wreck on Saturday. Though I did not know any of them personally, a tragedy such as this hits small communities pretty hard. My thoughts go out to all of the families of those lost.

Wish lists and squash suicide

2007-11-17T16:35:00.000-09:00

So, what is everyone wishing for this year? Is there one piece of clothing, gear, pair of shoes, gadget, etc. that you are dying to find under the tree (or minora) this year? I'm trying to put together a little list of my own and thought there are probably a ton of great ideas out there. I also wonder what some of the things you train or race with that you could not live without. I'm a gear whore and gadget geek, so I am always on the lookout for the newest and greatest!

Is it getting cold yet? It is here! A couple of inches of snow this week reminded everyone that winter is an unavoidable reality. It can be a shocking reality. It really breaks my heart for the folks that love fall. My poor Halloween pumpkin jumped of the table when he saw the first few flakes of the white stuff fall.
Tragic...

Making it happen....(after cleaning up pumpkin guts)
Bree

Sigh

2007-11-11T15:54:00.000-09:00

We have officially entered the post race season, at least in the more northern latitudes. It's depressing. There are literally months until racing will become accessible again. What on earth is a girl to do in the mean time? Oh sure, there will be a Turkey Trot and maybe even a Jingle Bell Run, but somehow it's just not the same.
While in the intense weeks of a training block, I often find myself pining for easier days and the off season. Now I am here and I want out. I'm already looking at the 2008 calendar, trying to figure out what races I can fit in between research cruises, committee meetings, and that nagging little dissertation. It's probably too early to start building for an August Half Ironman, isn't it? Nuts...that's what I was afraid of.

Making it happen,
Bree

Hardware...seriously?

2007-11-05T14:13:00.000-09:00

Much to my surprise, I recently discovered that I placed 3rd in my age group at the Tri-Cities marathon. Personally, I think there must be some mistake or my age group was comprised of either snails or runners who felt it was necessary to stop and take a nap along the way. Regardless of the reason, it seems to be true and apparently there is some hardware heading my way. Who knew?
Making it happen...
Bree

Tri-Cities Marathon

2007-10-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

It wasn't pretty. It wasn't the time I had hoped for. But I started and finished the Tri-Cities Marathon on Sunday. After all the drama surrounding my toe, the biggest issue I had on Sunday was in my quad. The previous Monday, I tweaked my quad while running downhill for the first time since the accident. I was so afraid of ramming my toe into the front of my shoe that I altered my stride enough to injury my quad. How annoying is that. Between the quad and the toe, my confidence was pretty lacking going into the marathon. But, what the hell. I had to race.
I never felt great, but managed to stay on pace until about mile 18 or so. Everything pretty much went to crap after that. Still, all told, I finished in 4:30:09...nearly 15 minutes faster than my NYC time last year (my first marathon), but over 10 minutes slower than my goal. My mom was the lone member of my support crew and she was brilliant. She drove around like a mad woman and saw me 6 times along the course. She was perfect and topped herself by buying me a massage the next day. THANKS MOM!!
And now a few pics. I debated posted the before and after pics of my toe, but decided against it in the end.

Making it happen...
Bree

You have GOT to be kidding me?

2007-10-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

I have to diverge a bit from the standard topics of this blog and vent a bit about the recent news that the Supreme Court will hear the Exxon oil spill appeal. What a joke. This litigation has been going on for18 years and over 20% of the original plaintiffs have died. While I am relative newbie to the state of Alaska, my husband and many more like him, have been dealing with this mess for far too long. Every quarter Exxon posts massive and record breaking profits while thousands of Alaskans have been asked to accept the fate of their ruined ecosystem. It is an embarrassment and a true tragedy.

Oh, it's on!

2007-10-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna do it. I'm going to "toe" the line in Richland Washington on Sunday and run 26.2. After reassurance from the doc that I could do no more harm, I've decided that I really have nothing to lose. Even better is the fact that I ran on Saturday and yesterday with only moderate discomfort. A near miracle? Probably, but I'll take it.
Here is a picture of what my toe looked like 4 days after the near toeputation.

Not as bad as you would think, right? Maybe I will take a new pictures so you can see it's amazing transformation.
Today I am traveling to San Diego where I have two days of meetings before heading to Washington for the race. So, assuming I survive the city that is on fire down south, I'll be marathon bound in a few short days. Stay tuned!
Making it happen....
Bree

Lucky?

2007-10-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Luck can be good or bad and sometimes both. As I lay in bed all weekend long with my wounded toe propped high in the air, I thought about how my situation was filled both kinds of luck. The bad luck is obvious; I nearly chopped off my toe two weeks before my scheduled fall marathon. But, in retrospect, the good luck definitely outshines the bad. The accident could have been a lot worse. Just 1", hell even 1/2", further back on my foot and it would have been more than just my second toe that took a beating. The shoes I was wearing also saved my bacon. Had I been wearing just about any other pair of shoes I own....oh man, I shudder to think.
So while I spent many hours feeling sorry for myself the past few days, I've spent many more being thankful that I wasn't more seriously hurt.
I went back to the doctor yesterday and things are looking surprisingly well. I have been given the green light, my only limitation being my own comfort level. I've been told that I can't do anymore damage to the toe by running on it, so I may as well do what makes me happy. Now that's what I call good advice!
After that news, I rode my trainer last night with virtually no pain and I was flying high. Then an hour or two later I decided to kick my husband's laptop bag which set fiery waves of pain through my whole foot. It was the kind of pain where tears immediately spring to your eyes and you can't help but buckle forward. Needless to say I dipped into the prescription narcotics last night.
So, my confidence is a bit shaken this morning, but I feel reasonably good. I am still hesitant to try running yet, but I did manage to put on regular shoes this morning. My coach is recommending I stick with the bike for a few more days and I think I will heed her advice. Baby steps will hopefully lead to marathon steps on the 28th!
Wish me luck!

Bree

What NOT to do

2007-10-12T17:07:00.001-08:00

So, just in case there was any doubt, I would suggest that two weeks before marathon weekend, do not drop a boat trailer on your foot. I did it today just to see what would happen. It turns out it doesn't feel so great and calls for a trip to the ER.
The diagnosis: major soft tissue damage, including a nice laceration to the bone on my second right toe. No broken bones.
The bad news: D'uh!
The good news: to quote the ER doc "If it was one week until he marathon I would say no way, but two weeks I will say maybe. "
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me healing vibes.
I have a follow-up doctor's appointment on Monday and hope to know more by then.
Making it happen....(unfortunately)
Bree

Time; Where does it go?

2007-10-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

It seems that I don't have enough lately. Time, that is. Juggling a full time job, working on my dissertation, and training for a marathon seem to suck it right up and leave very little for those minor details like spending time with my husband.
Yeah, I know...whine, whine, whine. We are all busy. We all are spread too thin. So what do we sacrifice? What loses in the battle for my attention? I know a lot of folks would think that cutting back on training hours makes the most sense. But I respond..."At what cost?" True, I'm busy and stressed and yes, training does eat a significant chunk of my week, but the joy and release it brings me is not worth setting it aside. Without that long run or early morning swim, my mind would be complete mush instead of the 50% mush that it currently is. That weekly yoga session is worth its weight in gold. So I won't give it up. I'll just have to find something else to cut out...like eating or showering.
And so I know this is how it will be for a while. Hopefully I will finish my dissertation in about a year and one part of my life may resume some sense of normalcy. In the mean time, I am fortunate that my husband is incredibly understanding and supportive...even if he does think I'm a bit crazy. And we make the most of the moments that we do have together. We remind ourselves why we do the things we do and why they are important to us instead of getting caught up in the drudgery of the day to day.

Making it happen...
Bree

Kodiak Solstix Ad Campaign

2007-09-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

Check out the first installment of the Kodiak Solstix ad campaign.

Not bad, eh?

Making it happen,
Bree

Fall P.S.

2007-09-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

See, I told you it was beautiful today.
My mom-in-law snapped this shot of the sunrise this morning.
Humbling, isn't it?

Fall

2007-09-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

This is the part of Fall the is truly magical. It's beautiful today. Yes, a little windy, but stunning blue skies and that certain type of light that only happens this time of year.
I do love Fall. Well, not all of Fall, but this part for sure. Remind me of this in November, ok?

Weather camera image at 9:10 am.

Making it happen,
Bree

Runner's high

2007-09-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

My runs this week have been unbelievable. I have had a week of runner's high and it's a beautiful thing. I did a 9 mile tempo run on Thursday that was so fantastic that I came home and told my husband that if I could bottle that run and promise it to anyone who ever tried the sport, the world would be full of runners.
Sunday was a 19 miler, as I continue to build for my marathon. That went well too, especially when compared to last week's long run which I basically dragged my ass through. Funny how things can change so quickly.
This weekend was full of those beautiful fall skies and a crispness in the air. You can hardly get over the beauty and freshness of it all.

Making it happen...
Bree

Yes...more whales

2007-09-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry, but it's my job and when I'm busy doing my job I don't have much time for training so you all are sort of stuck with whale pics.
The second half of August was spent closer to home, but still on the water. I embarked on a tagging adventure. It sounds mad, but I actually attach tags to whales using a crossbow and a suction cup. What? Suction cups aren't meant to be rocketed through the air in a streamline fashion? Well crap. Now I know why it's so damn hard to get those suckers to fly.

It is a long, frustrating process but every once in a while you get lucky. Once attached the tag sends signals back to the boat about how deep the whale is diving. Skookum.
This trip was wrought with difficulties and mishaps and I would prefer not to relive them, so I will share some happy photos.

Raise your hand if you know what whale shit looks like?

Well...you do now!

Just for fun....

Sadly, the field season is winding down. The days are already getting shorter and colder and whale sightings are fewer and farther between. If only I could take a page from their book and head down to Hawaii until next summer.
More soon.
Making it happen....
Bree

Working for a living

2007-09-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

August was busy. Really, really busy. It is typically the busiest month of the year for me. And this year was no exception.
First stop: The Shumagin Islands....a group of islands a couple hundred miles west of Kodiak. My first foray into whale research began in the Shumagin Islands about 8 years ago, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. The town of Sand Point is at the heart of the Shumagins. It's a town of about 800 that knows nothing but fishing. Typical Alaskan bush lifestyle.

So, I was out there for about a week and was not disappointed. Fin and humpback whales en mass. Nice. Good times and old "friends."

Of course, the weather was shit most of the time and we got our teeth kicked in on most days, but that doesn't really matter when you get at least one day like this.

Around the start of this trip, I also started training for my fall marathon in earnest. It's always a bit tedious logging long miles when there is a total of 6 miles of road in the entire town. The Alaskan bush....gotta love it!
More to come soon.
Making it happen...
Bree

I know, I know....I suck

2007-09-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

August has been a busy month, to say the least. I have been a complete slacker and haven't posted for the entire month. How lame is that? I have been swamped with work, company, and home ownership woes. A lengthy post with tons of fun pictures are on the way soon, I promise.

My new favorte site

2007-07-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

This website is nothing but a pure guilty pleasure, but, more often than not, I find myself laughing out loud at its latest content. I cannot explain nor describe it, so I won't even try. I will give you a little taste, however.

Check out more at http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Makin it happenz,
Bree

Swim anyone?

2007-07-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

I've been busy. Well, not any busier than usual. More like distracted, I guess. I took a break from structured training and just went with what I felt like last week. Mark and I spent a long weekend at his folk's lodge. Saturday was beautiful and warm...a nice reprieve from the rain that has been plaguing us yet again.

It was nice....but then I got antsy and started to feel lazy. So....I had to go for a little swim. And when I say little, I mean little. The water was so bloody cold that my feet literally were burning from the cold.
Nuts. I can't end on that note. So...I tried again the next day. The difference being that I swam in the ocean and not in a snow fed, near freezing, appendage numbing mountain lake.
It was pretty damn fun. My pooch joined me for part of the way and Mark and his sister played safety officers in their kayaks.

I know it's drilled into our heads time and time again how beneficial it is to swim in the open water whenever the opportunity presents itself, so why in the hell don't we do it? It's brilliant.
That's the good news. The bad news is I haven't seen the sun since it's appearance on Saturday. And for the second time in a few short weeks:

... A new precipitation record set...

Yesterday we set a new record for precipitation.
A total of 2.70 inches of rain fell, surpassing
the old record of 1.36 inches set back in 1945.

Oh well...weekend forecast sounds promising.
Making it happen...
Bree

70.3? Check!

2007-07-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

Sourdough Half Ironman – Mile 41 Steese Highway, Fairbanks, Alaska

The Day Before:

I didn’t do whole lot the day before the race. Mark and I spent most of the day driving around Fairbanks while I stressed about how hot it felt. The hottest temp I’d seen in Kodiak over the past month as been about 55 degrees, so the high 70 temps in Fairbanks had me worried.

I spent a bit of time getting my nutrition ready to go for the morning. I mixed some Clif Electrolyte, measured out and counted gels, and filled my water bottles. I lined them all up neatly in the fridge, occupying 75% of unused space. I should note that we were staying with my fantastic friend, Katie, who moved to Fairbanks a few years ago. She was an incredible host.

Katie came home and we went to a local pizza joint for a carbo loading dinner. It wasn’t long before I became a royal pain in the ass and requested a special pasta dish that wasn’t on the menu. I chose not to think about the odds of someone spitting in my dish. There was a table of three women sitting next to us and it didn’t take long before we overheard them talking about racing and getting ready for tomorrow. I figured they had to be doing the race, but I had my game face on and didn’t feel like interacting. There were 19 women registered for this race….what are the chances that two of them would eat at the same restaurant the night before?

After dinner we hit the ice cream stand which features locally made heaven in a cone. I had a single scoop of fluffernutter (marshmallow fluff with peanut butter…oh yeah!). Sugar and cream count toward carbo loading, right?

Back to the house, one more check of the gear and then to bed!

Pre race:

The race didn’t start until 10:00 because the race site was about an hour out of town. I failed miserably at being the polite and quiet house guest when I opened the fridge and all 47 of my water bottles spilled out into the kitchen floor. Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! Quiet! I packed up the cooler with water, food, and beer (Mark did have to sit and watch for 6 hours, you know!) and then ate a big bowl of oatmeal.

Out the door by about 7:45 and I was beyond anxious to hit the road. I ate a bagel with peanut butter when we were just a few miles from the site…about an hour and a half before start time.

Crap! I notice as we pull in that everyone has brought bike stands. No one told me we needed to bring our own. We park and I get in line to get body marked while Mark scopes things out. The event is pretty small. This is the longest triathlon (only half IM) in Alaska, but there are only 22 men, 19 women, and 5 relay teams registered. While standing in line, I look over at the small transition area and notice that there is a small army of amazing tri bikes. No middle of the road gear here. I swallow hard. Small state + longest race = hard cord athletes.

Mark decides we can use the cooler as a make shift bike stand and it seems to work just fine. I start laying out my transition area, but then get nervous and have to pee. Only one port-a-potty. Long line. Have to pee bad now. Nerves are bad for peeing. Water is bad for peeing. Really, really have to pee.

Feeling lighter now, I go back to fussing in transition. Change my mind and decide to warm up a bit. Go for a five minute jog to get the blood pumping. I finish setting up and realize that most are in their wetsuits now. At this point, the nerves have really gone away. I’m just ready to start. I just want to be racing so I don’t have to think about it anymore. Wetsuit on, pink swim cap on, goggles in hand, I walk down to the swim start. Since there are so few people, there will be just one wave, which is actually kind of nice when you think about it. I get a feel for the water by doing a few short laps out and back. The time is near. The time is very near.

Swim:

The swim took place in what was called a D.O.T. gravel pit. Had I not been told that I would have just assumed it was a small lake or pond. The buoys are set up in a triangle, with one long leg going out. We are to swim 5 laps. Oh yeah, there are a couple of really shallow spots, so be careful not to beach yourself, we’re told. And before I know it, we’re off and I’ve started my first half ironman. The water was nice. Cool, but not freezing and mostly good visibility. I tried to draft off a few folks, but wasn’t really able to stick with it. I cut my feet on the shallow spot, but didn’t really notice until the end of the race. I felt pretty good and was really focusing on breathing out, which I tend to forget to do when I first get going in open water. Before I know it, three laps are down. I keep looking behind me to see if I’m the last in the water. No, no. I still see others. More than a couple in fact. Wahoo! At lap four, I look at the giant timing clock that is set up at the edge of “the pit.” It read 37 something. My goal for the swim was 45 minutes, so I knew I was within reach. I focused very hard on form during that last lap and tried to be calm and not rush myself. Coming around the last buoy on lap 5, I did not look at the clock. Instead I waited until I was standing and making my way to transition to steal a glance.

Time: 44:22 Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

T1: Nothing too eventful here. The tearing off of the wetsuit went as well as can be expected. Mark handed me my Garmin, which he had been holding to time me during the swim. Garmin, helmet, shades, shoes…check. I’m out!

Time: 3:04

Bike: My plan on the bike was to push it to the extent I felt comfortable and try to average between 16 and 18 mph. Having never done this distance before, I knew that there was a fine line between giving too much on the bike and not giving enough. I preferred to error on the side of not enough because of my inexperience. By this time, the wind had really started to pick up and it was getting cloudy. The bike course was 2 laps of a 28 mile loop that actually had you pass the transition area three times. The first 6 miles of the 28 was rolling hills, while the rest was pretty flat. At about mile 7 or 8, the rain started coming down in sheets. It poured rain. It was that awful stinging rain the hurts your skin. So, now I was contending with wind and rain, but you know what? I was really having a great time! I started to get cold but somewhere inside I knew the sun would come out eventually so that kept me from getting too caught up in it. Lap one went well with no major issues except for some initial side cramps coming off the swim. The cramps made me put off taking my first gel until about 40 minutes in, but that didn’t seem to impact me much. My plan was to take a gel at 20 minutes in and then every 45 to 60 minutes, while drinking water and occasional sips of electrolyte. Since it was much colder than I had planned on it being (i.e. stinging rain), I ended up drinking much less of the electrolyte and more water. The rain continued for about an hour and half before finally letting up. And that’s when I had to pee. Ok, so what do I do? Stop and pee or pedal and pee? Well, I’ll spare you the details, but I took the plunge so to speak and peed on the go. Gross, but no major problems and I felt loads better. It wasn’t long after that that I dropped my water bottle due to cold, non-functioning hands. I decided to stop for it for two reasons: one, it was my good, insulated water bottle and two, it was still quite full. So, I probably negated any time I gained by peeing and pedaling my stopping for the bottle, but you can’t plan for these sorts of things. And, at least I didn’t lose time for the bottle and a pit stop. With about twenty minutes left on the bike, I took my last gel and started riding a bit out of the aero position to get my legs and back ready for the run. The pavement was finally starting to dry and I was warming up a bit. Damn…THIS IS FUN!!!

Time: 3:14:46 (16.9 mph)

T2: Very quick transition. On with the shoes, fuel belt, and visor. Of course, this was all made so much better by the fact that Mark, my brilliant and quick thinking husband, covered my run gear when the downpour started on the bike. This being such a small race, such help from the outside is allowed.

Time: 1:23

Run: Damn, I felt great. The sun was out, but it wasn’t hot. My legs felt good and my husband had just saved my ass from running 13.1 miles is soaking wet kicks. I had to be careful not to go out too fast. The run was over much of the same course as the bike, except the hills were saved for the last 6 miles of the leg instead of the first. I knew I would have to conserve some for the hills, but also wanted to put a little time in the bank on the flats. I had to really work on my race math to figure out how best to tackle the next 13.1 miles. I knew if I ran a 2:10 half-marathon I would be happy with my finish time. I had only run one half-marathon before and it wasn’t in a triathlon. My time on that day was 2:11. I told myself I was going to do it and forged ahead. I was averaging a 9:20 pace and hit the 7mile mark, which is where the loop passed the transition area again, feeling pretty good. It wasn’t long after that things started to get hard. I would say at about 8.5, my feet and legs started to rebel. I’m not sure if it was on purpose or not, but I’m pretty sure the race organizers covered the last 4.5 miles of the course with thousands of tiny needles or pieces of glass. My feet were killing me. My pace slowed quite a bit, especially because I was hitting the hills that had been waiting for me. But I was so close and had actually managed to pass 7 people up to this point, that I wasn’t about to walk, let alone stop. I plugged on. The aid station at mile 10 was like an oasis. I knew once I hit it, I only had a 5K left. A measly 3.1 miles. I had water and, what I later decided was the best Fig Newton I have ever had in my entire life, put my head down and literally said to myself “You will finish this race. You will finish it running. You will finish it happy. I don’t know where it will come from, but you will find it. Now move.” And I did.

In order to make up for the needle/glass situation mentioned earlier, the last mile of the run was blissfully down hill. I ran it in under 8 minutes.

Time: 2:11:01

Total time: 6:14:36

8out 18 women

The fact that this race is behind me is still sort of sinking it. It was an incredible day. I would have to say that this was probably my best executed race to date. I don’t have any regrets. If I had to change one thing it might be to push it a bit more on the bike since it is usually my strongest leg. I was cautious, but I’m not looking back. I cannot wait until my next half. I don’t know yet when that will be, but you can be sure there will be another one…and another…and another.

I have to say thank you to Mark for being my unwavering support. He was amazing. He will never truly understand how much having him there helps when the going gets tough.

Oh yeah, I can't forget the best part: I beat those two women eating next to me at the Fairbanks restaurant!

Well, if you’ve made it this far….good on you and thanks for reading!

Making it happen (70.3 miles of it!)…

Bree

The Time is Near

2007-07-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

It's done. I am leaving for Fairbanks in a matter of hours and will tackle my first half iron distance race on Saturday. Nothing I can change about my training at this point. No regrets. No should have. No if onlys. When you reached this point in your training schedule, although the doubt may try to creep in, you really have no choice but to be confident in the foundation you have laid in the weeks and months leading up to your event.
Am I nervous? Of course! Anyone who claims not to be nervous on race day is full of shit. I'm a bundle of nerves now. The key, I think, is to use those nerves to your advantage and turn them into race day energy rather than worries or negative thoughts. My nervous energy just means I am ready to go. And yet there are still voices. Yes, I hear them and I promptly tell them to kiss my ass. I've worked hard. I am ready. I will finish with a smile on my face.
See you on the flip side!
Making it happen....
Bree

Maybe some of it will rub off...

2007-07-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

My coach is a goddess. Coach Lisa Keller raced the 70.3 at Lake Stevens, Washington today. She finished 9th in her age group in 5:43:54. I think that is pretty stellar in its own right but then I found out that she lost 22 minutes on the bike due to a flat tire. Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
Now all I can do is hope that some of that race day karma will somehow seep into my legs through cyber space. Stranger things have happened, right?
Making it happen...
Bree

Warranty?

2007-07-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Customer Service agent: Thank you for calling Garmin repair center. May I help you?
Me: I seem to be having a problem with my Garmin Forerunner 305 and wondered what the warranty specifications are.
C.S.: All warranties are 1 year, but do not cover cracked screens.
Me: (hopeful)How about if the unit gets run over by a car?
C.S: (silence) Um, no. That isn't really covered. What happened?!
Me: (sigh) Well, I wore it swimming a few days ago which resulted in water leaking into the screen. Since then it's been having trouble getting a signal. So, yesterday I put it on top of my car to try to improve the signal acquisition. Then I forgot it was on there and drove away. When I realized my error, I retraced my route and found it smashed in the middle of the road.
C.S.: (laughing) Wow, that sucks. Yeah, that's not something we usually cover.
Me: (resigned) I figured. What about refurbishment? I think the band pins are still good.
C.S.: Hold on. I may be able to help you out. (Silence with background typing noises)
I'll tell you what, since the unit was having trouble because of leaking, I will go ahead and split the cost of a standard repair of $89. This means you will probably just get a new unit.
Me: Seriously?! That's amazing. Thank you!

The conversation continued from there, but I will spare you the details. The bottom line is Garmin pretty much rocks and my loyalty to them will continue.
Clearly there was some bad juju surrounding my unit as of late. I'm more than happy to get it out of the way now so that I will be free for next weekend's race.
Making it happen (despite breaking my Garmin)...
Bree

Open Water Swim

2007-07-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

I sucked it up and went for a quick open water swim this afternoon. The swim went pretty well and it was good to bust out the wet suit again. However, I did learn a few important lessons:
1. Swimming with your lab closely mimics the chaos of a crowded race start, except with much more hair and it's hard to draft off someone swimming the doggy paddle.
2. Check your Garmin 305 (or equivalent) for cracks lest you want water to leak into the screen despite the fact you have NEVER swam with it before, causing the screen display to disappear even though you can still hear it turning on and off, and bringing you poorly timed stress 9 days before your first half ironman.
3. Check the time and day of the week such that the tsunami alarm test that occurs every Wednesday at 2:00 doesn't go off in the middle of our swim scaring the ever loving crap out of you in the middle of a lake.
4. Bring a better camera than the one in your husband's mobile phone.
5. Have fun and don't forget to breath.

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!
Making it happen,
Bree (and Jitney)

Stocking the freezer...or trying to

2007-07-02T21:51:00.001-08:00

Saturday we spent the early part of the day fishing with the gill net in an attempt to stock our freezer with salmon. While the day was fun, we only ended up with 6 salmon on the day. Some of us worked hard; Mark picked the net and I drove the skiff.

Apparently Jitney didn't feel it was necessary to lend a hand and opted to nap all afternoon in the sun.
Sunday was my brick day and for the first time in a long time I was able to complete it in the sun. Strangely, I remember thinking that this workout was going to be "short" at 3 hours (2 1/4 hour bike and 45 min. run). It felt great. It was so nice to ride and run under blue sky and to see so many other folks out enjoying the weather. I'm feeling good going into this week and am looking forward to the gradual decline in training volume that is ahead.
My biggest challenge for this week is going to be talking myself into an open water swim or two. My blood is freezing just thinking about it.
Making it happen,
Bree

My "job"

2007-07-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

When I'm not training or racing, I am a whale biologist and am working towards my PhD in Conservation Biology. Someone actually pays me to spend sunny days on the water taking photographs and biopsy samples of whales.
This video is from one day last week showing us approaching a humpback whale and collecting a biopsy sample. The whale will generally react to the shot, but it is minimally invasive and the whales are rarely, if ever, bothered by the whole ordeal. Oh yeah, and in case it wasn't obvious, I have a federal permit that allows me to do this.

But what does it really mean to you?

2007-06-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a slow week and I can't say that I have a whole lot to blog about with respect to triathlon. It was a recovery week and Monday I will start my peak training before the taper begins.
Let me take this time then to wax philosophical about what this whole thing called triathlon means to me. On the surface it seems like a bunch on nonsense and an obnoxious, obsessive habit. And I'm sure to some people that is exactly what it is. But for me it really is much more. It's a source of stress relief, an identity, a motivator. It's a way for me to step away from the daily grind and obligations for complete and total me time.
I get ribbed a lot for being so meticulous about recording my times, heart rates, and paces or for rearranging a whole week's schedule to accommodate lap swim hours at the pool. And I laugh about it because why shouldn't I? I know I'm obsessive. I know it's all way over the top. The thing is, I don't care. The feeling I get when finishing a race or a hard work out or simply by identifying myself as a triathlete to someone I've just met are irreplaceable. Cheesy? Well, of course it is. Over the top? Perhaps. Do I want it to change? Hell no!
I think about the people that do tease me or don't understand why I spend the little spare time I have on the road or in the pool and all I want for them is to find something in their lives that can bring them as much joy and inner peace as triathlon brings to me. I don't care what it is (aside from obvious horrible choices like prostitution or running a meth lab), but if everyone had that one thing to escape into I cannot help but think that we'd all be a little better off.
Making it happen...
Bree

Hungry?

2007-06-20T16:21:00.001-08:00

Saw this fella (lady?) gorging this morning. I feel like this after my long runs sometimes, only I much prefer to engulf ice cream.
It's beautiful here today. The sun is shining and I believe we broke another temperature record. It's such a stark contrast to just a few weeks ago. I don't think anyone has expected this turn around in the weather pattern. I will certainly take what I can get though.
I'm enjoying my recovery week. It's amazing how much my perspective has changed since beginning this triathlon/endurance training journey about 4 years ago. Yesterday, my schedule called for a 30 minute run. Four years ago that would have been my long run and now I think it's hardly worth lacing up for. Got to love the miracle that is adaptation.
Making it happen...
Bree

Harumph

2007-06-18T21:18:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, it was 72 degrees. Mild by many folks' standards, but damn right sweltering here. In fact, we broke a record for that date. So, I was pumped on Saturday as I thought ahead to my long brick on Sunday. It was going to be sunny and warm and great training for the weather conditions I will likely face in Fairbanks next month. I should have known things were not going to go well as soon as I woke up and saw fog and drizzle. Crap.
I ditched the shorts and short sleeve jersey I had laid out and upgraded to the longer, warmer version of both and dug out my gloves. Harumph. I was already grumpy.
I have been experimenting with nutrition during these long bricks. This week was a 3 hour bike and a 1 hour run. I mixed a Perpetum paste to last me on the bike and poured it into two gel flasks. I filled a third gel flask with two servings of gel for the run. I filled my two rear mounted bottles with water and clif electrolyte. Hurumph.
And then I was off. It was cold and wet and I was irritated. My feet were numb and there was a head wind no matter which direction I went. Hurumph.
At the start on hour 3, I reached for my second flask of Perpetum and it fell out of my hand into the road. Double harumph. I turned around to get it and just as I was getting ready to cross the road to pick it up...SMASH! My poor little gel flask (which was brand new, by the way) met its fate by means of 4 wheel drive. Hmmm....how desperate would I look if I start lapping up nutrition from asphalt? Triathletes are known to be a little obessive compulsive, right? OK, I'll let it go, I won't be happy about it. Poor little gel flask. Never had a chance to shine. And not sure now if Perpetum is the way to go since I didn't get to execute my full nutrition plan. (Hee, hee. Execute my nutrition plan. What a freak! Who says stuff like that?)
After returning home, I took my time in "transition" because I was soaking wet and freezing. I changed into dry pants and socks and went out for the run. Ten minutes in, my iPod died and I was sans "ear company" for the next 6 miles. Harumph, harumph, harumph.
To make matters worse, I just felt flat all day. It was not a great brick and I was completely exhausted that night and this morning. Thank goodness I am now on a recovery week. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that I'm feeling a little worn out. Though volume wasn't at a peak during this cycle, intensity definitely was and my bricks were the longest of the plan.
I know that I am grumbling about the brick, but it wasn't really that bad and I'm still just grateful to be out there day after day.
Another thing I'm thankful for...my BRAND NEW BIKE WORKSTAND! Wahoo! Thanks to my hubby for that one. He surprised me with it after being out of town all last week. It seems that Mark had time to buy me a little happy in between rubbing elbows with the Gov and accepted praise and accolades for his marketing genius.
So, blog entry recap:
Saturday-Sunny and warm
Sunday - Rainy and cold
Brick- Crappy
Gel flask - Smashed beyond recognition
Attitude - Superficially grumpy, but quite content in reality
Husband - a freakin' super star

Making it happen....
Bree

Team Solstix

2007-06-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

Check this out!

That is my husband (blue shirt) with his business partner accepting an award for achievement in marketing. And, by the way, the woman in the picture is the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Big time baby! The award was given by Global Food Collaborative and it is in recognition of Kodiak Solstix. WHAT?! You have not heard of Kodiak Solstix? How can that be? A Solstix is basically a "slim jim" made out of salmon. We make them in two flavors: spicy pepper and teriyaki. They are a great source of lean protein and omega-3's. Obviously I am bias, but they really are perfect nutrition for athletes. I eat at least 2 a day, sometimes more.
Needless to say, I am bursting with pride. Starting a business is a tremendous amount of work and to see it finally starting to pay off is incredibly gratifying.
Making it happen...
Bree: Fueled by Solstix
UPDATE:
You can buy Kodiak Solstix at www.kodiaksolstix.com or www.wildrivergrilling.com

How I know it's summer...

2007-06-13T20:37:00.001-08:00

The season doesn't officially start for me until I can get out on the water and play around with a few old friends. This here is whale #083 and I encountered her on my first field day of the summer feeding season this afternoon. The weather has finally given me reason to smile; blue skies and calm seas. It's still only 50 degrees, but we take what we can get around here.
I've gotten over the Bree Pity Party that resulted from my failure to win the Trek contest. Not that it wouldn't have been nice, but let's not dwell on what might have been. Instead I shall refocus my energy on the Sourdough Half Iron I will be doing in one month from tomorrow! I'm starting to get a bit nervous about the event itself, but am feeling good in my training. My long brick last weekend was a killer and I was a bit worried until I woke up feeling relatively good the next day. One thing I need to spend a bit of time on is race day nutrition. Any tips? I'm thinking on using Hammer Perpetum and sticking to gels on the run. I would love to hear what has worked for y'all in the past.
Just got some brilliant news on the Kodiak Solstix front, but I will need to dedicate some more time to updating with respect to that. Oooooo, that's like a little teaser, isn't it? Stay tuned!
Making it happen,
Bree: who's happy to be on the water again

The "Selection" Process

2007-06-08T17:22:00.001-08:00

I'm really trying my hardest not to be disappointed. You see, I had applied for the Trek "Women Who Ride" contest. Yesterday they sent out an email saying that today would be the day that the winners of the contest would receive the news. I did not receive a phone call. I'm bummed and realize it's silly for me to be so. Over 2,000 women applied and I knew going in it was a long shot. But isn't there always a part of you that holds out hope until there is nothing to hold on to anymore? It's 5:30 here, which means it's far later in the day in Trek Land and winners have been notified.
I would have been nice to win, but really it's pretty selfish of me to feel down about it. There are probably hordes of others who are far more deserving than I and I need to just buck up and get over myself.
The good news is, the sun is out and things sound sort of promising for a decent weekend. This excites me even more than usual because I only have a few more long bricks to get in before I start my taper. An interesting brick is scheduled for Sunday...4 hours total with 2 on the bike and 2 on the run. Coach Lisa wants to make a final push to improve my run, so this is what we are doing. So far my June workouts have been much more intense, but less volume which is exactly how it should be at this point.
So, what's on tap for everyone else? Anyone racing? If so, good luck. If not, happy training.
Making it happen...
Bree

A 45 second distraction

2007-06-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

A very short video of my cat and pup. It's only 45 seconds and will hopefully give you a chuckle. Enjoy!

It's cold, but at least my sister is famous

2007-06-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

My sister is a movie star! A movie she filmed was shown at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival on Sunday. The movie is called Ben's Plan and is actually quite good. It nearly killed me to not be there for the screening, but she knew I was there in spirit. I guess the whole thing was quite an event, complete with a question and answering period with the stars and director. I hope she really enjoyed being in the spotlight! I'm so proud of her.

I'm really trying hard not to bitch about the weather, but it isn't easy.

... Daily record low temperature tied...
the low temperature on the 3rd was 33 degrees. This
tied the current daily record low set in 1973.

We did get a brief reprieve from the rain on Saturday, but it's back in full swing this morning. The good news is I was able to get in my long workouts despite the weather. A long run of 9.5 miles on Saturday and 50 mile bike yesterday. I've entered my last training cycle before my first half IM in July. I can't believe how fast time is flying by.

I've posted this picture to remind us all that size and talent don't always matter as long as you've got the right attitude!

Making it happen,
Bree

The Kodiak Five: Rockin' Women of the Rock

2007-05-30T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is the five Kodiak women who kicked total butt at the Gold Nugget Triathlon a week and half ago.

Out of nearly 1200 women, our last member still placed an impressive 194th with our top finisher breaking the top 20 at 17th! Collectively we placed 5th...still waiting to hear how many teams there were in total, but I can assure you it was more than 5!
I was very proud of my fellow teammates. A couple of gals had never raced in an organized triathlon before.
Here are a couple of additional pics of me during the race. In general, I try to stick with the "look like your crapping your pants" theme during any and all race photo ops.

Making it happen....
Bree
(Proud member of the Kodiak Five)

Off to the races

2007-05-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

While my husband's favorite part of Crab Fast is the world famous bruin burgers, my favorite part are the races! There are four races on the Sunday of Crab Fest. An ultra marathon (42 miles), marathon, train run (15K up Pillar Mt), and a 42 mile bike relay. I have done the Pillar race the past few years, so planned on doing that one again. Well, my coach said it would be great if I could turn this race into a brick and ride a for a few hours before the race. Hey...how convenient! I'll just do the bike race too!
The bike race started, literally, at the end of the road and ended in town. It started at 9:00 and the Pillar run started at 12:30, so I had to ride to town fast enough to make the next start but not so fast that I would cool down and stiffen up between the two events.
Mark drove me out the road with both my mountain bike and my Cervelo. The first 10 miles of the ride is on a dirt road and I wasn't about to ride Paulo through that mess.
The Start:

Mark met me at the transition from gravel to pavement and I made the switch. I was getting my ass kicked on the dirt, but once I hit the paved road, I started flying. It's a tough ride, very hilly, but beautiful scenery.
Mile 17ish....

One of the hills...I'm the second dot from the top.

I passed a few folks along the way and without 12 miles to go, I passed who I thought was the female with the lead. I finished the 42 miles in about 3:04. As soon as I crossed the line, Mark came up to me and helped me with my stuff and another fella came up and said "Congratulations. First woman!" Wow! I was right. I had passed the lead female. I won! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet! No time to celebrate, though. I had ten minutes to change, register, and get over to the Pillar Mt. race start. I made it with about 2 minutes to spare. Perfect because I was started to get chilled from the sweat on my shirt.
The run hurt. The first 3 miles are straight up hill and my legs were tapping me on the shoulder asking "um...excuse, but WTF?" Once I reached the top of the mountain, I got into a rhythm and felt pretty good and once I hit the road back to town, I was able to turn in a decent pace (about 9min/mile, which is fast for me). I finished in about 1:22, which was 3rd for my age group. Now before anyone gets too excited, there were only three in my age group BUT I wasn't last for the day and the 2nd place finisher was only 4 minutes ahead of me. Plus, did she ride 42 miles before hand? NO!
Here I am at the race finish. So what do you think? Am I:
a: very tired
b. dehydrated
c. ready to finish
d. crapping my pants

I wrapped things up with some nachos and an ice cream bar. Does a day get any better than that?!
Making it happen,
Bree

Wanted: Lumber for my Ark

2007-05-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's Memorial Day weekend in Kodiak. This means two things:
#1. Crab Festival
#2. Super crappy weather

Crab Festival is an annual event that Kodiakans absolutely live for. It's just a fair, really, but it's loads of fun with parades, races, and a midway. It never fails that Crab Festival weekend is one of the wettest and coldest in May.
Don't believe me? Check this text from the weather service:
"New record 24 hour rainfall total for may 22...
Third wettest May Day on record for Kodiak...
2.70 inches of rain was recorded at the Kodiak Airport yesterday.
This is a new daily rainfall record for may 22... shattering the
old record of 1.37 inches for this date. It also ranks as the third
wettest May Day on record."

Not that I'm complaining. Alright, I am complaining. It's always wet in May, but this May is something special. Actually this whole spring as been something special. April was the wettest on record and May is already 4 inches above normal precipitation. Thus, I am soliciting donations for one of two items: lumber to build an ark for when the flood begins or plane tickets to a warm and dry destination.

Making it happen....despite the rain,
Bree

The Results Are In....

2007-05-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

First things first. The Gold Nugget Triathlon is a fantastic race. It is well organized and supported and the course is beautiful. As I said, it is a women's only triathlon. That in itself is not that unusual, but I would hope you would be impressed when you learn that this was its 25th running. That is phenomenal for any triathlon...let alone a women's only race....in Alaska! So, the organizers of this race deserve massive kudos for putting together a fantastic event that has become a tradition.

And now, my race report. I flew from Kodiak to Anchorage on Saturday morning with three other fabulous ladies. Though we raced individually, our times were added collectively as a team. We were known as the Kodiak 5. Not very original, I know, but I didn't come up with it, so don't shoot the messenger.

I had an early bib number, so I was one of the lucky ones who was not required to rack my bike the night before. I went to the race venue to pick up my packet and checked out the lay of the land. Then the Kodiak Five (and a few tag along significant others) hit the infamous Bear's Tooth restaurant for a pre-race dinner. Then it was back home to pack my gear bag and try to get some shut eye.

My alarm went off at 6:30 and I awoke to a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky and warm (relatively speaking....still in AK remember!) I was at the venue by 7:00 and the first wave didn't start until 9:00. I hate the waiting between setting up transition and the start of the race. It kills me and give me way too much time to second guess my plans for the day.

The swim was 500 yards in a high school pool. This part of the race is pretty unique in its organization. They start the first 32 women who were seeded from last year's results. Once these women finish their swim, they rotate new swimmers in based on their numbers. Sounds tricky, but it works quite well.

I was #0096, so I rotated in only about 20 minutes after the first ladies went off. I did my 10 laps in 9:25. Pretty good for this "not that strong of a swimmer" gal. To get to my bike, I had to run through the locker room and out to the tennis courts. I threw on my shows, helmet, and shades and was off in 2:22. Long for a transition, but that is because it was so long between the pool and my bike.

I felt good going into the bike...especially with that strange yellow orb glowing in the sky. The bike course was all paved and had a couple of short hills. Great support along the way and very little traffic to add to the mix.
It was a 10 mile leg and I finished in 35:46. T2 was not in the same spot as T1. I had to pack my running shoes and hat in a separate bag which was transported for me to T2. I was sort of freaking out about this part, but, once again, the organizers did a great job and my bag was waiting for me. T2 time 00:52. Nice!

OK, now here is where I get excited. I had the best run of my short triathlon career on Sunday. The run was 4.1 miles through military trails. It was mostly flat and the scenery was stunning. I felt great every step of the way. I don't know what caused it. Training? Nutrition? Sunshine? I counted my steps...8 at a time on each time and before I knew it, I was at the first mile marker. I began to do "race math" and realized that I would easily meet my 1:30 time goal and I began to think about aiming for something a bit faster. As miles 2 and 3 came and my pace stayed steady, I decided I would try for 1:26. With about .5 miles to go, I knew 1:26 was in reach, so I picked up the pace and set me sights on finishing in 1:25. I crossed the line after 36:09 for a total race time of 1:24:34! I was through the moon!

I ended up 38 of 171 in my age group and 174/1117 over all. What does this mean? I've always been mid to back of the pack. . I'm a less than average swimmer, a decent biker, and a mediocre runner. I have always accepted the fact that I just don't have the genes to do much better. Am I being naive in thinking that that things are changing for me? If so, a lot of credit needs to go to my coach, Lisa Keller of Multisport Training of Alaska. Who, by the way, raced on Saturday as well, finishing 8th overall in 1:08:01. Smoking!

I have to say that I had my best race to date on Sunday. I felt great throughout and am already pumped for this race next year. My friends took a few pictures, which I hope to post soon. Thanks for reading and for all of your comments!

Making it happen,
Bree

Waiting is the hardest part....

2007-05-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well, the race went great, but I'm still waiting for official results to be posted. It's maddening....

Stay tuned

Race Weekend

2007-05-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'm off the big city. Yep, heading to Anchorage for a women's only sprint race. I'm really looking forward to it. It's a race I've wanted to do for a couple of years but the timing has never worked out.
Gold Nugget Triathlon
Who else is racing this weekend? Aren't we suppose to be in the thick of it?
I'll post a race report when I get home on Sunday.
Good luck to all of you who are racing and have fun training to those of you who are not!
Making it happen,
Bree

Bree's Trip to the Desert or Learning that the Sun Provides Warmth and Not Just Light

2007-05-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

Well, despite the fact that we couldn't afford a vacation (money or time wise), Mark and I finally had enough of the colder than usual spring weather, threw caution to the wind and escaped to the desert. We flew into Las Vegas and hung out at the MGM Grand for a few days. Neither of us do much gambling, so we basically just walked the strip. The highlights were seeing the Blue Man Group and the scary lions at the MGM "lion habitat experience"

So, after two days in Vegas, we rented a Harley and took off through the desert. Our final destination was Zion National Park in southwest Utah. Before I continue, let me offer a brief piece of advice. Don't drive through the desert on a Harley when it is 120 degrees. It's hot, ya know. Like really hot. While this may be obvious to most, it wasn't to either of us. Can I survive if I'm lost in the woods in a snow storm? OF COURSE! Can I survive if I were trapped in the desert? Hell no! They play by different rules. That sun can do some evil stuff. But, I digress.

We finally made it to Zion with only mild heat stroke. How many of you have been to Zion, raise your hands? Not nearly enough of you! If you haven't been...GO! If you have been, GO BACK! Itis amazing.

I could go on and on about it, but the highlight of our time there was a killer mountain bike ride on "slick rock." We rented bikes from Zion Cycles.
They guy who runs it, Freddie, is great and doesn't skimp on the gear he rents. We were able to get top of the line Treks with full suspension. Mine was even a women's specific design. NIIIIIICE.

Another handy fact about Zion (actually Springdale, which is the town just outside of the park) is that the restaurants have great food and great views. The people are fantastic.
Like I said, I could go on and on about what a great place this was, but I will spare you for now. We actually did end up back in Vegas for a couple of days and, while we enjoyed it, we would have much rather spent more days biking and hiking.

My only complaint is that Mark turned our adventure into a photo shoot for Kodiak Solstix and we had to stop every 15 feet to take promotional pics for the website.

Here she is...

2007-05-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Still not sold on a name yet. I was thinking of sticking with the latest trend and just naming her iCat. A name like Typhoon or Kamikaze may be more appropriate based on her actions over the first 24 hours in her new home. What about Asics? Too cheesy?
Here are a few pics for inspiration.

What's everyone up to this weekend? It must be getting into the thick of race season down there in the lower 48. I have an 8 or 9 mile run tomorrow and a 4 hour brick on Sunday. Can't wait!
Making it happen,
Bree

The Family Expands

2007-05-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I promised more photos of Zion. They are coming. They have been downloaded onto my husband's laptop and the trouble with this is that it's never out of his procession for more than 36 seconds.
In the mean time, I have some news that is completely unrelated to triathlon, Alaska, or whales.
I'm bringing home my new kitten today. My previous cat, Bailey (a.k.a. The Tank) died just about a year ago and it's time to bring a new cat into our lives.
This is The Tank when he was small....before he expanded to his tank-like size

Bailey shortly before he died. A cat with a damn fine fashion sense.

The spouse is less than thrilled, but willing to make the sacrifice. At any rate, I need a name and I want your input. It's a girl kitten, but I don't suppose that make much of a difference in my opinion. Suggestions to date:
Zippy
Tick
Small Fry (she's the runt)
Pigeon
Bombay (after the gin)
Little F*cker (guess who's idea that was)

Another idea is to stick with a nautical theme, as our lab is named Jitney. A Jitney around these parts is a small fishing boat and not a stubby bus or trolley as in other parts of the world.
The bottom line is I need your vote and/or more suggestions.
In return, I will post Zion pics!

Making it happen,
Bree

Biking in Zion

2007-05-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

I plan to write a longer post soon, but for now I just had to share a few pictures from our amazing trip to Zion National Park. The mountain biking and hiking....well, there are no words.
More soon!

Hardware, baby!

2007-04-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

That's right. My first podium finish. I raced my ass off after all of you told me to do nothing less.
The weather was absolute shite on Saturday. It is traditionally bad for this race, but it was particularly bad this year. It was pouring rain, 39 degrees, and gusting up to 30 MPH. Can you tell?

So, following the advice my coach gave me, I "raced my strength." I knew I was going to get smoked on the swim and could hold my own during the run, but that my strong leg was in the bike. This race is odd in that the run comes before the bike, so I had to keep that in mind.

The swim was a 22 lap swim in a pool (39 degrees, remember). I went out too fast and probably paid for that in the end. It's hard to reign yourself in when you can see everyone else so well. I was 6th out of the water, but went through T1 pretty quickly.

I held back a bit on the run, forging ahead on the flats and downhills, but conserving my energy for the uphills so I would have something for the very hilly and windy bike. I think I was 4th or 5th heading into T2. I was bloody freezing. My feet were sloshing around.

So I just plowed through the bike. It is a very hilly course and it seemed like there was always a head wind. I passed one woman with about 2 miles to go and another with about 1/2 mile left.
I'm not sure what I'm so happy about in these pictures. I was pretty much miserable at this point. I think that my insides were even soaked with mud and rain.
When I crossed the line I saw that last year's winner was snug in her car with the heat on full blast. I congratulated her on an amazing race and then went and hid in my own car with my husband.
He said something like "great job." I said yeah, that I felt pretty good about it given the conditions, etc. I said "I wonder how I did." He said...." You got second!"
"WHAAAAAT?" He was right. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the there was only one woman that I didn't pass after seeing her past the turn around. I was ecstatic. Turns out I was also fourth overall, which I still have a hard time believing!
So yeah, I'm freaking out. I guess there really is something to this training business, huh? I am most excited because I improved my time from the last time I did this race by about 3 minutes despite this year's weather.
This is a link to a short story that was in the paper. Kodiak Daily Mirror
And here are the details (transition times are not broken out):
Swim (1100 yards) - 21:09
Run (5K) - 30:56
Bike (20K)- 50:18 (fastest female bike split!)
Total: 1:42.23
So, that's my story. THANK YOU ALL so much for your encouragement and getting me to race hard. It paid off and I am beyond thrilled.

Making it happpen....
Bree

But it's suppose to be a "C" race......

2007-04-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

I keep to myself. I go along day by day, quietly and happily doing my training in my own little type A personality world. And every so often I will do a race. Take this weekend, for example. Kodiak is holding its annual triathlon: the Earth Day sprint. It's a fun race, but one I don't often take very seriously. This year is no exception. I have a more important race in May and my "A" race of the year in July, which will be my first 1/2 IM.
So this race. The Earth Day Sprint. Just suppose to be a C race. I don't care much about it because I live in a small town and there will probably only be 15 or 20 people racing anyway. I was just going to putz along and have fun. You know, treat it like a brick workout. And then I read this in today's paper:

Two ladies look to knock Van Curen off her pedestal.

Former Earth Day Triathlon winner, Tari Lindquist, and Bree Witteveen, who has been training for the Sourdough Triathlon in Fairbanks — the longest in the state — should be Van Curen’s main competition.

Um...what? Knock her off her pedestal. Hadn't really planned on it. Hadn't really even thought about it. So now I find myself with a major dilemma. I know the smartest thing to do is continue with my original plan and just have fun with it. But now it's like someone has directly challenged me. They are calling me out! I know what you are all going to say:

"Resist the urge, Bree"

"Race your plan, Bree"

But, I also know what each of you would do if you were in my speed laced shoes right now. YOU WOULD RACE YOUR ASS OFF!!!

Making it happen....or maybe I shouldn't!

Bree

P.S. It's snowing.....again.

A bit of everything

2007-04-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

You're not going to believe this, but it's raining! Oh yes. It's true. Today is April 17th and poor Paulo has yet to see asphalt this year. I have a sprint this weekend, so things could be interesting. I am treating it as a "C" race, but, to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure how to do that. Any tips?

The good news is training seems to be going very well. I worked it hard last week. Here is the lowdown:
Swim: 4350 yards
Run: 14.8 miles
Bike: 79.4 miles

I did a monster brick on Sunday, which included a 2hr45min bike followed by a 45 min run. It felt fantastic. Unfortunately, my day off is Friday, which means I haven't been able to give my legs a rest and they were a bit grouchy during my ride this morning.

I am saddened beyond words by the tragedy in Virginia. I can't even wrap my head around the numbers they keep throwing around. If it is possible to find any good in these type of events, it should be to remind us to not take our lives for granted. Be thankful for those you love and the things you love.

On a lighter note, I am getting a new kitten. Any tri related names to suggest? I will try to post pics of the litter soon.

I also have some exciting news to share about Kodiak Solstix, but I will wait until later in the week to share. Always leave them wanting more.

Making it happen,
Bree

It's all a matter of perspective

2007-04-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

A few days ago a friend of mine called me to ask me a few questions about training and such. She is writing a story for the local paper on athletes who raise money while doing some sort of endurance event (i.e. Team In Training, Team For Kids, etc.). She asked me what the hardest part of getting into triathlon was for me. I said "learning how to swim."
A day or so later, she asked me to clarify what I meant.
"When you said learning to swim, you meant learning how to be a strong swimmer, right?"
"Nope. I needed to learn how to swim. Period."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No. I never had any coaching or classes as a kid, so I had to teach myself when I decided I wanted to finish a triathlon."
"Oh my God. You're amazing."
I laughed it off and shrugged my shoulders. Looking back now I realize how far I truly have come. I remember those first days of training when I was lucky to go 25 yards without stopping. We tend to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges or criticize ourselves for a bad race or workout. Every once in a while, I encourage you to step back and look at the bigger picture. You've come a long way....I guarantee it.

Making it happen....
Bree

Progress?

2007-03-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

So last week was my rest/test week again. I'm pretty pleased with my progress in the swim and run, but the bike fell apart. My coach thinks something may have been amiss with the equipment or testing set up.
Here are results from the last two time trials.
Swim (1000 yards):

Date	Time	T-pace	Difference
3/29/2007	18:37.5	01:51.8	00:02.7
3/1/2007	19:04.8	01:54.5	00:04.8

Bike (computrainer):

Date	Minutes	Max Exertion	Max Power	Max HR
3/30/2007	8	18	210	175
3/2/2007	10	19	250	173

Run (2 miles):

Date	Distance	Total Time	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR
4/1/2007	2 mi	17:46	8:52	173	181
3/4/2007	2.01 mi	18:41	9:18	159	179

So...what the f*&! happened in my bike test? I have a hard time believing that I totally bombed the bike test and showed reasonable improvement in the other to.
Good news is the weather has decide to think about warming up. It's still cold, but actually saw some temps in the 40's last week, so maybe there is hope.
The biggest problem these days is overcoming some inner demons. But, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?
Making it happen....
Bree

ENOUGH ALREADY!!

2007-03-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Almost April? Really? Are you sure? I am having trouble with this fact because the weather gods seem not to agree that spring should be here...or at least hint at coming. It's bloody freezing. Let's take a brief look at the weather for the past three days....you know, just for kicks.
Sunday: Average temp 21 degrees; max wind gust 24 mph
Monday: Average temp 25 degrees (ooooh, so hot. should have left my gloves home on this day); max wind gust 37 mph
Today: Currently 24 degrees with a wind chill of 11. So far we have seen a gust of only 36 mph, but the day is young, my friends.
Oh dear, I failed to mention the 4 inches of new snow on the ground.
Bitter? Nah. What would give you that impression?

Part II -

2007-03-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

For the second half of my adventure, I traveled to San Diego. I had to go to the National Marine Fisheries Laboratory in La Jolla for work/school, but that doesn't really matter.
What matters is that I was able to soak up just a bit of sun before heading back to the snow and 20 degree weather here in Kodiak.
The view from the La Jolla lab is outstanding. And if that wasn't enough, they play ultimate Frisbee during lunch and have chili cook offs!

One afternoon I bought a sandwich and enjoyed it at the beach. My lunch hour even included a bit of entertainment as I watched some guy try to do handstands on the beach....by himself. I will give him one thing...he was definitely persistent.

The good news for me was I finished up with business early and had one day to play along the coast. I rented a bike and went for a 22 mile ride along highway 101.
This area is so beautiful and had some great hills to climb. Granted I was on a mountain bike, but one hill I tackled took me 18 minutes to reach the top. Wicked. I treated myself that night to cake batter ice cream.

So, San Diego folks are lucky, but I don't think I could take the traffic and high prices. I think for now I will stick with just the high prices. Not to say that I wouldn't mind a bit of warm weather, as this is the image representing this weekend's forecast.

Making it happen,
akbreezo

Part I...Drowned Rat

2007-03-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

I've been gone for two weeks. That's a long time. Too long. I'm back now and happy.
I will just touch on the highlights of my travels.
First stop was Seattle, where I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my closest friends from high school.

My parents still live in Seattle and my sister flew over from New York City. I think it was the first time that just the four of us (mom, dad, sis, and me) were together since the two of us married off.
The famdamnly at the wedding. Hey...I'm sporting cleavage, who would have thought.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at Lola, which apparently is a well know and well loved Seattle restaurant.

Next to the wedding, the highlight of the Seattle trip was participating in the St. Paddy's Day Dash through the streets of downtown Seattle in the pouring rain. It was a blast and I was so proud of my family for joining in on the fun.

By far the best part of race day (next to the euphoria of racing, that is) was the antics of my mom. She is going to kill me for sharing this, but it's a true gem (sorry Mom, you know I love you...please keep me in the will).
First, you must know that my mom woke up extra early on this day to do her hair and makeup. During the course of the 3.5 mile walk, the heaven's opened up and it rained sideways. My mom refused to give up the fight, despite the fact that her umbrella was collapsing all around her.

Sadly, there was but one casualty of this epic battle: my mom.

Alright, this concludes part one of my journey away from home. Stay tuned for part two.
Oh, by the way, how the devil do you get your text and picture to line up and look pretty?

MIA

2007-03-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hey Gang,
Sorry...I've been traveling. I've been away from home for two weeks and am just settling back in. I will update with a new, fabulous post complete with pictures very, very soon.
Thanks to all of you who keep checking in and for all of the great comments.

Making it happen,
Bree

Resting and Testing

2007-03-02T16:46:00.000-09:00

This week has been a rest week in my training, which means decreased volume but time trials in each sport. I always enjoy these weeks and look forward to each test with nervous anticipation. Is that totally geeky or what? How much have I improved? What if I have an off day and the test doesn't truly reflect my gains?
Today is Friday and I've completed the tests in the swim and the bike. So far, I am surprised and a bit suspicious of my results.
The last time I did a time trial in the pool was on January 29th. I clocked 19:53:30 for 1,000 yards for a T-Time of 1:59/100 yards. Yeah, I know. Try not to be too impressed. When I repeated this test on Thursday I clocked 19:04 for the same distance. Do you know what that means? It means that my T-Time went to 1:54/100 yards. I dropped 5 freakin' seconds. IS THAT POSSIBLE? Of course, my first thought was that I must have missed a lap, but that would mean that I acutally got slower than my last test and I didn't think that was possible. So, here I am, stuck between refusing to believe I could have gotten that much faster and refusing to believe I could have gotten that much slower. What's a girl to do? Seriously, I need to know if this is a reality and not some funky glitch.
This morning I did an LT test on the computrainer of a friend of mine. The closest comparison to this that I have is a test I took in Seattle in December that also used a computrainer, but different testing methods. Results from that were:
5 mile time trial-
Finish time: 16:16:49
Avg Power: 143 watts
Max Power: 192 watts
Cadence: 92
Max power test (30 seconds ALL OUT)-
Avg Power: 263
Max Power: 350
Avg. Cadence: 100
Max Cadence: 125
So, from these tests they determined my LT was about 169 and my threshold power was 140 watts.
Today's test was a simply LT test in which I started at a given watts and the increased by 20 watts every minute until I could not longer sustain the effort.
LT Test -
Minute;Exertion (Borg Scale);HeartRate;Power
1;7;106;70
2 ;8;110;90
3;10 ;119;110
4;11 ;128;130
5;13;136;150
6;14 ;146;170
7;16 ;158;190
8;17 ;164;210
9;18;170;230
10;19;173;250
Apparently, this means my LT is 173 on the bike. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how the power fits into the picture. I mean, I understand what power means, but not quite in this context. If anyone has any insights, please let me know.
So far, so good I think.
Making it happen...

Make It Happen!

2007-02-26T19:53:00.000-09:00

Today is an important day in my life. On this day in 2005 my dear aunt, Lynda, passed away from pancreatic cancer.

I cannot even begin to explain the impact this had on my family. Lynda was a remarkable woman and without a doubt one of the most generous soul ever to walk among us. She was taken from us far too soon and far too quickly. Following her diagnosis in December, she lived for less than three months before succumbing to her disease. We were fortunate in that we were given the opportunity to say goodbye and to tell her how much we each loved her and how we each treasured her in our own ways.
I will never let a day go by without thinking of her and being thankful for the life lessons she shared with me.
Which brings me to the title of this email. Since losing Lynda, I have adapted the phrase "Make it Happen" as my mantra. Lynda was never one to give order or demand things. In fact, she would sooner bend over backward and suffer herself before letting someone go without. One day, after she had entered hospice care, she called my mother into her room and said "Get me an orange soda. No ice. In a clear glass. Make it happen!" It was so unlike her, that we couldn't help but laugh. Ever since, I use that phrase as often as possible When I race, I write it on my calf under my age. When I'm having a bad day, I say it to myself to remind me of her and what is truly important in life. And of course, I say it when I want to laugh and be sure not to take this too short life too seriously. While I still miss her terribly, she gave me a wonderful gift.
I could not help but think she was saying hello this morning when I saw this beautiful sunrise through my office window.

I love you, Lynda.
Making it happen,
Bree

A'hoy Land Lubbers

2007-02-23T15:28:00.000-09:00

Now that I am back on dry land, I can finally post an update to my blog. I have been out-to-sea for the past week or so chasing herring and whales. Well, I was chasing whales and Fish and Game was chasing herring.
All told, it was kind of a lame trip. There were much fewer whales around than I had hoped and the weather was less than agreeable. Still, it's better than being stuck behind a desk.
February 17: Day 1 - Leaving Port
The weather was beautiful for our departure from Kodiak and I had high hopes for the week ahead.

The purpose of this trip was for Fish and Game to assess the herring biomass that overwinters in a couple of bays on the west side of Kodiak Island. I often tag along on these surveys so that I can document any whales that may be taking advantage of a winter food source. I collect photographs and biopsy samples from any whales I see.
Didn't get much work done on day one because by the time we reached our destination, the sun was going down and it was beginning to snow.

Feb. 18: Day 2 - Finally getting down to business
A decent day, except for the biting cold. Hey...what can you expect for Alaska in February?
We did some whaling and only came across one lone bugger.

This is a whale I have seen in this bay in the past.

The F/V Resolution...our main research platform for the week.

Mark, a biologist for F&G who also happens to be my husband (pretty handy, huh?), driving the "whale chasing" skiff.

Yeah, they're cute, but they are meaner than hell. We affectionately call them "rat fuckers."
Later that night we caught some herring in the snow and then sampled them for genetics, age, sex, and disease. I helped out, but not until I was done with my workout! Yep, that's right. The boat had a trainer on board. I would have absolutely lost my mind if not!

Totally listening to triathlon podcast, by the way

Feb. 19: Day 3 - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Very, very boring day. The wind picked up and we couldn't do much. I didn't even take any pics this day.
I did do some strength training in the dry hold, though.

Feb. 20: Day 4 - Still windy and bloody freezin'
No whales to be seen and very few herring to catch. It was blowing like mad and the only thing we managed to catch was a crab pot.

Feb 21: Day 5 - OK....I've had enough.
Too bored and too cold, so I bailed. I got Mark and Birch to skiff me over to the nearby village of Larsen Bay so I could hop on a mail flight back to Kodiak. Beautiful flight home.

Whew...ok, that's it for now. Thanks for putting up with the departure from triathlon.
More soon!

Happy Valentine's Day Indeed

2007-02-16T08:26:00.000-09:00

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! My valentine sure knows the way to my heart.
Check out my V-day gift.

These are Asics Gel-Arctics. Yeah, Arctics. They are water resistant and have built in ice cleats.
How sweet is that? My only complaint is that our cold weather has turned to mostly rain which means I don't really need the cleats right now. These beauties will have to sit on the shelf until the snow returns.
So what do you all get? Was St. Valentine good to you?
More soon!

You just never know...

2007-02-12T20:45:00.000-09:00

It was windy and trying to decide if it was cold enough to snow or simply rain. Not terribly uncommon for Kodiak in February. I was going completely wimp out and hit the treadmill when my husband surprised me by saying he would like to run with me. It would have to be a freakin' hurricane for me to pass on that opportunity. We took it easy and had a nice chat. We ran a loop that allowed him to head home while I could still go for another 2 miles or so. Brilliant. It was a great run for so many reasons. Running and chatting with my husband, braving the elements when I wanted to hide on the electric belt, hearing my feet crunch on the gravel. I was rewarded on this day. Rewarded for not hiding from the wind and rain. Does it get any better?
I'm so glad I got those miles in on the road. It's all too often that I am forced inside, which brings me to my next topic: A very brief tour of my indoor training options.
The dreadmill....although never preferred, not a bad way to run when I am forced inside.

My Cervelo on his trainer. He prefers the open road, but doesn't complain when I keep him corralled.

A few nights ago we had a beautiful moon rise. This is the view from my deck. If it was light, you would see that we have a view of the water, but if it was light you wouldn't see the moon rise, would you?

The Week In Review

2007-02-12T14:37:00.000-09:00

I ran. I swam. I biked. I was hungry. It rained. Some things never change.

My totals for the week starting Feb 5 2007: 8:42
Swim: 3300 yards
Bike: 32 mi
Run: 10.28 mi
Yoga: 1.5 hours
Strength: 1.5 hours
I am in week one of base for my 1/2 IM training plan.

Encouragement

2007-02-10T21:22:00.000-09:00

Wow. You are all amazing. I was just whining during my last post, kind of feeling sorry for myself. Blowing off steam, you know? Anyway, I cannot believe the words of encouragement I received from all of you....people who don't even know me. Thank you.

The tips about working out on the boat are great. I already have some resistance tubing, so I will be sure to take those along. During one of my trips last year, I was able to convince the skipper to take me to shore for a couple of runs. It was amazing to run along a beach knowing that thing that ran there before me could have been a fox, deer, or even a bear.

My husband is in Anchorage for a week long series of meetings. Like all (or at least most) triathletes, I am Type A and like my organization. So, when the hubby leaves me to my devices, I usually launch into some massive redecorated or reorganizing project. This week is no exception. Does drilling holes count as cross-training?

I've been noticing a lot of chat lately about the benefits of training at low heart rates. Of course, I've heard it all before. Repeatedly, actually. Since beginning my half IM training, I've really been trying to take these lessons to heart. In order to protect my precious ego, though, I may have to have a t-shirt made up that reads "I'm not usually this slow. I'm improving my lactate threshold." Trouble is, I'm a slow runner to begin with and since I've starting running slower to keep my heart rate down people have actually stopped and asked me if I am hurt. OK, that's not true, but that is how it feels. I would love to be able to afford some real fitness testing, but it's bloody expensive.

Bike tomorrow. I think the roads have cleared enough for me to let the rubber meet the road. Right on!