Life is Good... Happy Birthday Katie!!!

Guess who turn 26 today???

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapppppppppppppppppppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Birthday

Katie!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

John

Last Night as 25

The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.

--Anais Nin

I'm sitting here, waiting on my adorable husband to get ready to take me to dinner (no, he's not high maintenance, he just managed to get a run in after work and I didn't). I got off work at 5 p.m. and I've had his undivided attention. It's the most priceless gift in the world. Most of the time when we talk we chatter about races, training, family, the economy (when job-talk pervades our discussion), and where we want to go in life.

I don't know that either of us has the answer to that last part, but we both seem to come to the conclusion that where we are right now is the only place we truly want to be. We cherish our time together, with our pups, with our family, and we deeply cherish the friends that we have. Surrounding yourself with incredibly good people can be difficult--only because incredibly good people are hard to find. If you find them, they'll likely be very willing to take on the task (that's what makes them such good people).

I digress . . .

Much of what we talked about tonight had to do with my new medical "situation" as I call it (because it's definitely not a crisis by any measure--10% of the population can claim that they have MVP). Although I do feel a certain disappointment in the diagnosis I understand that in comparison to many it is minimal. It will not change what I am capable of doing at the moment--only what may be possible in the future.

Running has brought us into contact with some of the best experiences of my life, some of the finest people I've known, and truly helped me understand more about what I value. It has made me feel capable when I thought that I was not. It has brought my husband and I closer. It by no means defines me, but definitely has helped me define myself.

I've struggled since January to understand what it meant to "Want It!" Every time I stopped because I felt like my heart was racing beyond its capacity, J. would say, "You gotta want it!" While I appreciate the sentiment in hind sight, at the time I just resented it. I've wanted nothing more over the last year than to be able to be fast enough to keep up and fast enough to not be somebody's "recovery run." Trust me. I "Want IT," but right now my heart just can't keep up. My dreams, however, can.

I've always been an idealist anyway. And while I know that qualifying for Boston isn't likely until I jump about 6 age group time restrictions, I can still dream about it. When I look back at the last 5 years of my life I almost can't believe what all I've experienced already--good, bad, and sometimes downright ugly:

college degree in 2 1/2 years
marriage
intern
fixer upper
first job
1 dog + 1 dog = 2 dogs
promotion
husband's career change
another fixer upper
big office and promotion
parents' divorce
disenfranchisement with corporate America
grad school
running--lots of it
1 dog + 1 dog + 1 dog = 3 dogs total
try out triathlon
marathon
passing of a loved one
career change of my own and goodbye to big office
the end of Leno (seriously???!)


and so on . . .


I'm looking at this beautiful necklace, featuring the word "DREAM" on the pendant, as I type this. Maybe half the fun of having goals or dreams is the chase. If so, then all that has transpired in the past week (or the past 5 years of my life) should only serve to make my dreams even more fun to chase.

Even if I don't catch them--even if I know I can't catch them--I know enough now to recognize that the process of trying will be in itself a series of priceless miraculous moments. I may be slow, but I do not quit and I'll do my best to catch up (because, yes, J., I do want IT) :o).

The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.

--Anais Nin

(And to all the friends we cherish out there--good luck if you're racing, enjoy if you're relaxing! Either way, know we're both very thankful for you.)

And All Else Going On

My brother and sister both graduated this month (M. from Auburn with a nursing degree, Mike from VHHS headed to college in the fall):







So proud of both of you!!!!!

On the doctor's front I finally have a diagnosis: Mitral Valve Prolapse with a systolic murmur. I have an appointment with a cardiologist next week to discuss the severity of it and how it will affect my running, etc. The good thing is that this is the most common heart abnormality and in most cases isn't very serious. It does, however, mean that I'm not crazy and that I have been experiencing symptoms indicative of a heart disorder. I think J. thought I was just a wimp :o).

My doc thinks that the symptoms were exacerbating by tacking on all the extra training and trying to push my speed on runs. He says a good amount of the oxygenated blood is not getting to my muscles effectively which makes me an "inefficient runner." The three things I'm supposed to focus on avoiding are: heat, dehydration, and intense efforts that would cause chest pain.

So I'm headed out for a run today. For now I'm ditching the Garmin unless I need it to actually calculate distance. Boston may have to wait until I'm 70, but I am thankful that I will be able to stay out there and enjoy just being a part of the sport--even if my back-of-the-pack status is permanent.

I'm off for a run with M. More details to follow after I meet with the cardiologist.

Until then I'll just keep moving (albeit a bit slower than I was a couple of weeks ago).

XTerra Boys

J. races so much these days that I can't keep up with it on the blog. Since I was working this past weekend he decided to tackle the "Half Marathon" XTerra trail race out at Oak Mtn. with his friend K.

I say "Half Marathon" because it wound up being about a 9-some-odd-miles course instead of 13.1. This led to great finishing times but a bit of frustration with race management. I'll let him provide details in his race report that is sure to follow. I've yet to teach him how to upload pics from our digital camera though so here they are:









Way to go boys!

Off the Wagon for a Week

I've fallen off the wagon this week (well, more accurately I've stepped off). I'm having some routine testing done to rule out any sort of heart issues (my resting heart rate is 85 and quickly escalates to maximum without much exertion).

This week I've not done much of anything--well, really haven't done anything workout-wise. It's a level of slothdom that I don't like but I'm following the doc's orders.

The stress test was Tuesday. I had to go shirtless (I'm not daring enough to run like that normally) in front of a team of people staring me down with at least 12 electrodes and wires running off in various directions. The treadmill faced the wall directly (which was white). I think I began conjuring images of those torturous lab test scenes from spy movies because my heart rate before we even started was at 130.

The doc wanted to be present to be able to evaluate me as I went. He announced upon entering the room that "This could take awhile since she's a runner."

Oy . . . I never do well with pressure or expectations. I quickly reminded him that I was here for a reason--that reason being that I felt like my heart rate had a racing mind of its own.

Sure enough--3 minutes in my heart rate was already at the "maximum" they had set--165. Six minutes in (yes, I'm still walking at this point) my heart rate was up to 185. Finally at 9 minutes when you can sort of walk/jog awkwardly (they did have it cranked up to the highest possible incline) my heart rate jumped to 205--where it stayed up until 13 minutes when he stopped the test.

His response, "Shocking."

My internal response: Man, this is sort of embarrassing. I'm supposed to be in great shape but the stress test results seem to show otherwise. How could I possibly do more.

Sweaty, tired, and my ego a little bruised, I listened as he mused as to why that could have happened. I couldn't help but feel a little like he just thought I'd been bluffing about the level of my running and training.

So, the good news is that that test did not show a fatal rhythm of any sort . . . bad news is that it didn't really tell us much at all (except that by the stress test results on paper I look like a really out-of-shape, average jane).

He surmised that we would wait for the echocardiogram results to make any sort of assumption about the health of my heart. I had the echo on Wednesday and he is sending the results to the cardiologist. So now I just wait. And wonder what on earth my heart rate would look like if I wasn't running/biking/swimming 5-6 days a week.

Until we get results I'm supposed to keep my heart rate below 100 (per that earlier post). Now that I know that walking on an incline for 6 minutes will guarantee a heart rate higher than 100, I'm holding off on the long run this weekend :o). Since I'm working all weekend again at the library (my second weekend working out of a series of four in a row), staying inactive shouldn't be a problem.

J. on the other hand is riding Saturday and racing Sunday (The Xterra Trail Half Marathon).

His resting heart rate is 45--lucky bastard ;O).

Good luck w/ your training/racing this weekend. I plan to live vicariously through you all (and to be back at it next week as soon as I hear something)!

T.G.I.F. and a little Puppy Love

Beasley


Stella


Beasley


Stella


Beasley


Beasley


Beasley


Stella


Life is definitely hard for these two :o).

Good luck to everyone training, racing, and playing this weekend! I'll be indoors a la library this weekend . . .

Workout Logs

The bike bonding time didn't work out today. So I switched tomorrow's schedule with today's schedule. Luckily my stress test (more on that later) was rescheduled for Tuesday so I can get in my bike ride. Just have to take it a little easy per doc's orders. I don't wear a heart rate monitor but I'm supposed to keep it below 100 bpm. Looks like it'll have to be the flats out at Oak Mtn. I know the hills would get me up above that.

Right on track this week so far. Yeah!

Yesterday

Swim 1000: 100 warm up, 400 in 7:40, 400 in 7:30, 100 cool down

BodyPump

RPM

Today (Plan B because of the rain)

Swim 1000: 100 warm up, 400 in 7:00, 400 in 8:00, 100 cool down

4-mile Treadmill Run: 9:05 pace

Tomorrow

4-mile run
25-mile bike

Gulf Coast ROAST

Here are some pics from our beach trip and race weekend. Overall it was a fantastic, relaxing, and HOT trip. Aside from the race, J. and I were able to get in a 20-mile bike ride/5-mile run brick workout as well as my scheduled runs for the week. We enjoyed good food, great friends, and carefree time with each other. So donuts and fried fish included, we both came back from vacation feeling great!

I'm so proud of how both J. and C. did in the race. J. had a great race without any mechanical issues and knocked it out of the park. C. was on track to have a smokin' race but fell victim to some serious bike malfunctions. He is one tough dude though and kept going--having to complete the run in 88 degree heat with NO shade. To have a good race you've got to have iron guts--to finish in less than ideal circumstances definitely requires an iron will.

Congrats you half-Ironmen (and props to the ladies who served as your cheering squad, support crew, and dates for the weekend)!



Or click here to go to the online album:

Gulf Coast Half Ironman

Watching this race reinforced my feeling that I'm in WAY over my head. When I signed up for the Augusta Half Ironman I hadn't suffered a broken foot yet and the set back that naturally follows it--and I was riding the high of my first triathlon season. Why wouldn't I be able to complete a half Ironman in a year? . . . seemed do-able enough.
Luckily the swim is downriver, the weather SHOULD be a little cooler, and I guess I do have 9 hours to complete the thing.

Usually races inspire me. Watching this one just made me think about how much time I need to be spending on my bike.

My official training schedule for Augusta starts in 2 weeks. In that spirit I'm headed out today for a 25-miler. I'm going to trust the training schedule. It worked with the marathon--I just have to trust that if I put in the time and the effort then it's not too far fetched to think that I will be able to do this.

Off for some quality bonding time with the bike . . .

Kate

Life is Good...Gulf Coast Triathlon Recap

Suffering is much more rewarding than quitting!

The 27th annual Gulf Coast Triathlon was hot and challenging, and without a doubt the most difficult race experience I've endured.

The temperature rose to almost 90 degrees during the race. There were young people, old people, skinny people, and a few fat people. There was even one physically challenged athlete that amazingly did the entire race without the use of his legs. The one thing all these people had in common was an unbreakable will to reach the finish line. These folks were inspiring to be around.

Before the race recap I'd like to thank Katie and Wendy for standing on hot pavement, in the heat, with the sun beaming down on them from 6am until after 1 in the afternoon, supporting us in this sometimes painful hobby. Y'all are the best!

My age group started at 6:40 am, 15 minutes before Colin's. After a little warm-up swim in the ocean, he made sure my wetsuit was zipped properly and sent me on my way.

The 1.2 mile ocean swim was rougher than anticipated. Deep, rolling swells made it difficult to see the buoys that marked the course. 17 swimmers had to be rescued by lifeguards. I've spent a great deal of time working on my swim since last season. Coach William has helped with my technique during our weekly Thursday Tri workout. I've been averaging about 4 miles in the pool per week, and things have really come together nicely. Despite the conditions I remained calm and just kept repeating William's stroke instructions in my head. At some point this portion of the race actually became fun. My feet soon were running up the beach towards the bike, with a very respectable time of 36 minutes and 29 seconds in the water. It was great to see Katie who was snapping action shots with the camera.

It took me about four minutes to get to my bike, strip of the wetsuit and get going. The 56 mile bike portion brought the challenge of 15 mph winds. The volunteers were fantastic, handing out Gatorade every ten miles. I drank over 80 ounces on the bike alone, and have gotten quite good and taking a bottle hand-off while traveling 20 mph. Since the course was an out and back, I was able to get a glimpse of Colin after the turn around. He appeared to be doing quite well. The ride took a little more than 2 and a half hours, with an average speed of 21.8 mph. Coming back into transition I received encouragement from Katie and her cow bell.

As the 13.1 mile run began, my watch read 3 hours and 15 minutes. All I needed to do was just hold myself together to achieve my goal time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. Easier said than done. Immediately the run course felt like the inside of an over. No shade. No clouds. At each aide station I began to put ice down my shirt and into my pockets and drink anything that came my way. At this point people were started to breakdown. I continued on at a 9 minute mile pace. Around mile 7, a girl in front of me pulled off the course and threw up. I thought here race was over, but, and few seconds later, she ran passed me. It wasn't long before she was throwing up again. This pattern continued over and over. Finally, she pulled up beside me and I exclaimed, "You are tough as shit!" She acted like it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her and continued on to a strong finish.

Suffering is much more rewarding than quitting!

Around mile 11 I passed Colin who was just starting out on the run. He should have been right behind me, but experienced a flat tire at mile 46 on the bike. More on him later.

I was able to hold it together and finished in 5 hours, 15 minutes, and 46 seconds, good enough for 11th out of the 70 participants in the 25-29 year old age group. Better than the 5:30 goal and a very satisfying performance.

After cooling off and making sure I wasn't going to pass out I went back to stand along the finish line to wait for Colin. The people finishing all looked terrible, like dead people who refused to die, pushing forward towards the line.

Suffering is much more rewarding than quitting!

Colin eventually appeared, and upon finishing, disappeared into the medical tent for several minutes to cool down. He'd had a long day and quite an amazing story. One that we'll probably tell our kids when we're trying to teach them about character and never giving up.

When he had the flat tire at mile 46 he was unable to successfully repair the problem. At this point most people would have thrown in the towel. Since Colin has never not finished a race, he quickly decided that Gulf Coast would be not be the first time. After pushing his bike along the course for about 2 miles, he decided to try and ride on the flat tire. I have never heard of someone trying this, but he managed to pull it off by riding eight miles standing up so that most of his weight would rest on the front tire, which still had air. Wow!!!

Suffering is much more rewarding than quitting!

Looking forward to returning to this course in November for the Florida Ironman, which is twice as long in distance. Hopefully the weather will be much cooler.

JG

Life is Good...At 3:12 a.m.

The alarm goes off in 48 minutes, but guess what, I'm up.

A little more nervous than yesterday.

We got rear ended by some meth crazed construction worker yesterday on the way to pickup our packets. He said he'd give me 50 bucks. I told him that I was calling the police, at which point he said, "naw", and jumped in his car and took off.

Pasta dinner was good. Saw a few friends from Birmingham. The field looks like a bunch of tough folks.

Gonna be a scorcher. I've trained really hard so I have to think the run and bike will go well. The swim, my friends, is the wild card.

3.5 hours until go time.

JG

Life is Good...Gulf Coast Half Ironman

Less than twenty four hours until go time. This time tomorrow I'll be more than 3 hours into the sufferfest. I can't wait!

Katie and I came down to the beach a few days early for a little R&R. We've managed to work in a bike ride and two training runs. It is an oven down here. Running 13 miles tomorrow in 88 degree heat will be a challenge. It looks like the water temp may be too warm for wetsuits, which is a little scary since the purple flag, which warns swimmers of sea pest, has been flying all week. I think I'll try a little swimming in the ocean today just to make sure I can.

Colin and Wendy will be down in a few hours. We'll make the 30 minute drive to Panama City this afternoon to rack our bikes, eat, and get race instructions. It will be a relief to have him here since he's done this race twice and should know what's going on.

Back tomorrow with a race report. Planning on taking my hammer and throwing it down!

JG

More Treadmill Fun

I got in the 9-miler on the treadmill--ick! I got off work on Saturday at 6 pm and felt like I'd rather get in the mileage than have to get up early on Sunday morning (yes, I overslept Saturday morning ;).

As my husband noted this morning, "You're not much of a morning person are you?"

My response, "Are you just now realizing this?" :)

Thing is--I'm not much of a morning person or night person--I could sleep 12 hours a night and be entirely content. But that's another blog post . . .

The 9 miles on the treadmill:

1st mile: 9:30
2nd mile: 9:13
3rd mile: 9:13
4th mile: 9:13
5th mile: 9:13
6th mile: 9:13
7th mile: 9:13
8th mile: 9:13
9th mile: 9:13--at least until J. came downstairs to make sure that I hadn't forgotten that he was starving and ready to go eat.

So--all-in-all--I was ECSTATIC that I was able to push this hard for so long (especially considering the intense boredom of being on a treadmill in the basement). This makes for the fastest run I've ever done (at this distance) and it wasn't too painful.

Other fun stuff this weekend . . .

1. dinner with friends and Tonal Vision on Friday
2. dinner with cute hubby on Saturday (with some winnings from his day celebrating the derby)
3. doughnuts and coffee with same cute hubby on Sunday morning
4. pedicure with good friend W. on Sunday before work
5. sitting in the basement of the library for an hour during the tornado warning
6. remembering that this week brings: graduation for my sister (Yeah, M.!), J.'s half Ironman, and a BEACH trip

Couldn't get much better!

Happy Monday,

KG

9:13

Basement treadmill run this morning just to squeeze it in:

1st mile: 9:13 (I'm hungry, but this doesn't feel too bad.)
2nd mile: 8:34 (YES! Breathe, breathe--tell J. have a good day at work.)
3rd mile: 9:13 (Oy, need to slow down--a little. Can pick it up in a mile.)
4th mile: 9:13 (Man, this feels good. 2-hr half mar. time here I come!)
5th mile: 9:13 (Oops, forgot to speed back up. )

Incline: 2.0--because that's as low as it will go.

So on to the weekend. I'm working :( pity please). But J. is sure to be out bouncing all over town.

I'm hoping for a solid 9-miler before heading to the library tomorrow morning. And if I could hit 9:13's I'd be ecstatic.