edebitetto duztri

TPG sits down with Professional Athlete Dede Griesbauer

2012-01-17T09:43:00.001-05:00

Check out my interview with Dede by clicking on the pages tab at the top *TEN QUESTIONS*

2012- Here We Go!

2012-01-04T12:38:00.000-05:00

Here's my impression of New Years (Eve):

It's an over rated marketing gimmick and valid excuse for people to sleep half the day away on New Years Day belly up with confetti still stuck on their face, green around the gills from driving the porcelain bus half the night while sporting a mystery hickey. I'm such a party girl, huh? I'm seasoned and know better (ok.. OLD). Here's my dirty little secret: In my 20's I use to drool about New Years Eve raking in some SERIOUS CASH slinging cocktails as a cocktail waitress. Yep, little black dress, towering high heels, cocktail tray above my head full of drinks, my cash sorted and folded between my middle and ring finger under my tray. I knew my single malt scotches, if you wanted your martini dirty and never ever wrote down a drink order. WHAT A SKILL, eh? lol...

Now I'm like Lola.. She was a show girl...but that was 30 years ago.. when they used to have a show... and she wasn't going to bed at 9....

Happy New Year nonetheless. I'm gonna attempt to change up my blog a bit. Add some spice so we're not all watching paint dry over here. See the little tabs up top? I'm gonna try and start filling 'em up with stuff. Stuff that may be useful, maybe not, but It will be something different to look at! Favorite stuff will be junk

I love and or can't live without. TRX will be just that, me or my TRX coach, MD Stovalli demonstrating via mini video clip how to use it for warm up/ targeting a specific area and using it as a multisport athletic performance enhancer that will not only get you rock solid but also keep you from injury. DISCLAIMER:

Even though I have been doing TRX for over a year consistently twice a week, I am no expert. Take what you

want from it (hopefully good stuff) but be sensible. It's not for everyone and it's NOT EASY. Take a class

to really understand how it's done and perhaps if you do have it set up at home, you can incorporate a new

exercise seen here to change up your routine.

The Snaps tab is just a sprinkling of my most recent favorite photos. More can be seen HERE.

Just my hobby that I love and strive to become better at!

Lastly, my 10 Questions. I'm REALLY looking forward to this. I will be trying to dig up some interesting folks who have inspired and or intrigued me in some fashion who I will ask

10 (hopefully) inquisitive and thoughtful questions and post their answers here.

So.. stay tuned! 2012 is a fresh new superhighway. HANG ON TIGHT!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

Finito

2011-12-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Photo credit: Abel Thomkinson

Ahhhhh December. Time for You know... Santa Claus christmas ale ho-ho-ho spiked egg nog, mistletoe champagne cocktails and PRESENTS wine for
Trigirlpink!!! It's also time to exit stage right and hang up my bike for a bit.

My season of cyclocross ended in Warwick RI last weekend racing both days at The NBX Gran Prix of CX. No flats, no broken spokes, no bent hangers, no rolled tubulars or socks left on the side of the course.
Yay!

I've yet to have a cyclocross season that bridged into December but my satiety for racing seemed never ending this fall so I kept up my training and signed up for whatever upcoming race sparked my interest.
No plan meant no pressure, and equaled a fun season for me coupled with learning a few new skills and how to
handle mechanical issues while racing.
It's clearly understood that if I really want to do a full
season next year and there be a glimmer of hope of not being in the last row for call up (think caboose), I probably need to spend the year
focused on that effort. Jumping from a triathlon season right into a cyclocross season has not proved ideal for me. Cycling alone, is somewhat of my limiter so perhaps focusing on one sport might be a step in the right direction. It's enticing to foresee the possibilities of what I could do to
make improvements being so crappy at something and working toward the reward of seeing the gains. We shall see. I'm not so sure I have *triathlon* out of my system quite yet!

When I 'm not racing, ya all know I'm snapping pictures. Here are a few of my favorites captured
at NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross, ocean side in Warwick Rode Island.
Thanks for stopping by!

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like This

2011-11-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

sleep walking/shuffling to the pit

10 races in the books with this past weekend in Sterling MA and you'll likely agree

that #10 will not/should not be

my lucky bingo number. The day started race routine..well almost.

Apparently I've managed to skip the chapter on "How To Pin Your Race Number On" because

I was responsible for pinning not one, but two race numbers upside down.

Cyclocross course designer Tom Stevens, left his signature flair all over this one. Lots of technical, off camber

twisty, winding gotta-use-your brain- stuff. 3 solid ez course inspection laps and I felt primed and ready for the early morning women's 3/4 race on Sunday.

Perhaps I should have taken the number pinning snafu as an indicator of how the day may unfold. Within seconds of sending us off the start line, 2 girls were down on the ground in front of me lying in a twisted pile.

I stood there for what seemed like 5 minutes, then scrambled to get AROUND them while the rest of the field was getting away. DARN IT....

Not a good start for me... I need all I can get to stay within reach of

some of these girls. Slightly miffed I was already in a deficit. I brushed it off trying to focus on staying in contact with whoever I could and everything ~~was~~ seemed peachy.

Not 5 minutes had passed and the peachy-ness bubble burst. I found myself at a stand still (again) staring down at my rear wheel with my tubular completely off except for one small section. I contemplated rolling it back on but it was taking too long so I just

picked up my bike and started running with it around the course to the pit that was

conveniently located on what seemed... the other side of the planet.

I was TRASHED shouldering my bike hoofing it around that course. In hindsight, I should have
taken the time to get the tire back on and THEN gingerly ride it to the pit.

Finally I got to the pit (gasp) but not without feeling the love of sympathy cheers on the way.

A quick wheel change and back out I went deflated and wondering "what is the sense?"Quickly weighing the options, I realized I'd feel worse not making the effort to continue so off I went.... to burn up some Thanksgiving onion dip calories, use the course as another opportunity to gain some experience, get in a workout for the day. Good enough.

Reason # 3 (or is this #4?) why I shoulda maybe slept in....

I wore socks I normally don't wear this day. Why? Strictly a fashionista decision, pink of course.

Short "no show" socks that I quickly felt but ignored, slipping down around

my heel. At the next hilly section, my shoe came off as I dismounted my bike. The sock-less heel must have been slippery enough to cause my foot to come right out. Joy!

**Picture tall girl you just saw running by with a broken down bike is now back leaving one pink sock on the side of the course while trying to wedge naked foot now grassy and muddy back into a shoe .**

Shoe on and rolling again, I was left to play- Lets see how far you can get before the top girls lap you game. It wasn't long and sort of fun to see how many seconds I could stay with them as they seamlessly AND politely scooted by me. A day full of unexpected mishaps but that is part of cyclocross I am learning and no one is immune from it. Ok..maybe the sock and number screw up. :-)

One more race on tap this weekend but not without a freshly glued tire, a number pinned
on correctly, a Garmin that is working and socks that don't suck my shoes off.
Hup! Hup!

EXCITING NEW CHANGES..and a remount that just keeps getting better

2011-11-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

My goal for the next 48 hours is to (try)and contain myself from not consuming my body weight x3 in the food

selection that soon I will be facing. The carrot in front of me that will (hopefully) cause me to find some self control? I have to slip into a skin suit

on Sunday for a CX race without ripping the zipper off. Motivation if ever so slight. You know what my biggest weakness will be??

Onion dip.

Yes, that is what I said. Sour cream and Lipton onion soup mix. Like this:

I can sit down and scoop out 1/3 of

the bowl on to one chip and repeat without blinking an eye. Hell, just give me a spoon and I can save some calories

on the chip side of it. Frightening.. I know.

See.. this is EXACTLY why I am thrilled to have cyclocross in my life at the moment. It's a good ~~calorie burner~~ onion dip burner

so one can hope the start the new year I am not too far gone.

In other news, and way more exciting than onion dip.....

I have a new CX team! Last weekend, I raced for the first time as a Hup United team member. Before, I was racing as

a triathlete and honestly, it just wasn't very fun at times feeling like a dandelion in a field of poppies. For

the most part, all the girls are very nice but there is a lot of interaction among team members before racing, at

the starting line with the other women and while you are racing. A lot of teams/clubs have tents where they gather, hangout, w/up on trainers and EAT all day.

How fun is that?? VERY.. and I was missing out so I did some research found the perfect match for me.

Hup was started back in 2003 by some very cool dudes at Seven Cycles. Zac Daab was one of them and still remains

the constant in Hup United overseeing the different chapters across the country and designing the very cool

kits. There is no sponsorship involved which keeps out the drama/pitfall that can come with it.

Simply put: Hup really is about being part of something bigger than yourself and really enjoying being a part of a team supporting each other pushing each other, as quoted by our New England manager, Chip Baker.

Chip has gone out of his way to make me feel welcome and I've appropriately shown my gratitude by heckling him

while he is racing. (expected and welcomed in cross)

Here are some pix from this past weekend racing in Lowell of me. I thought Plymouth the weekend prior was tough but

Lowell bit me in the A$$ with 2 hills I could not ride and 5 laps of racing. My Garmin shows an all time record spike of 190 for

a heart rate. Good lord, did I suffer and I was NOT going to choke without a fight representing my new team

( PRESSURE!)

and I managed just fine. 25th out of 42 in the 3/4 women

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Rewards For Taking Risks

2011-11-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

Howdy Peeps!

Lots going on over here in TGP land. The good news? I'm healthy and fit keeping the locomotive athletic engine steaming along with the sole intention of justifying my margarita and dessert fixation. Here's what I've been up to: Masters swimming 3 days a week, TRX Suspension training 2 days a week, and cycling 4-5 days including one day, occasionally two days of racing cyclocross. Not one step of running and you know what? I don't
miss it right now. I'm too busy busting my a$$ with cyclocross either recovering or laying out heart rates I never thought I could. I've got 8 races in my pocket thus far with at least 4 more in the cards. Coming up next, Boston Road Club's-Shedd Park Cross in Lowell MA.
This past weekend saw me down in Plymouth MA for the Plymouth Festival of Cyclo-cross.The course was challenging but it also had lots of long flat (zone out)grassy power sections with little turning. One minute I was on a flat athletic field, the next a sudden drop off into make-me-wanna-pee-wooded trail sections with rocks, ruts, roots mud and tight twisty turns. During the warm up my biggest concern was a fairly steep hill that most people were riding up but I would bottom out smack in the middle and have to get off and push my bike up. LAME. My other course concerns were 2 sand pits and one slick and muddy rut filled section. Could I ride them? Should I try? I couldn't manage them during the warm up which is never a good feeling before rolling up to the starting line.
However, I've found this to be a familiar pattern now: I finish the course inspection/warm up feeling overwhelmed and never confident that I can tackle the technical features of the course but when that whistle blows and we are off the starting line, it all comes together (mostly) and I somehow just get it done. Often times I'm left standing over my bike at the finish stupefied I actually stayed upright and grateful everything is still intact. Suddenly those tough sections that made my armpits itch during the warm up, instantly become doable. I'm transfixed and focused ( think deer in headlights with less itchy armpits). Add in a sprinkling of adrenaline and I'm TGP with some guts. grrrrrrr.
I rode the sand pits on Sunday when I would most likely dismount and carry my bike. I rode the steep longish ride-up out of the saddle to the TOP without one bobble of the 4 laps that I couldn't manage in the warm up. I nailed all my freshly learned remounts. Wanna see?

It was one of the toughest courses cardio wise for me. The areas where I thought I would get rest (the straight grassy sections) were wind filled and energy zapping. I manged just fine though and if there's one thing for sure, It's a huge relief and more so, an awesome feeling to
finish knowing you gave it your all for 40+ minutes and tackled something that
made you want to load the bike back on the car and head to Ihop for pancakes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cyclocrosspaloosa! Are you still with me???

2011-11-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

It's HOT hot hot right now.The cross season is in full sizzle schwing! This past weekend proved nothing

short of it. The entire weekend's focus was prep, race, recover

do it all over again.Cycle Smart International Cyclo-cross 2 day event was the place

to be in Northampton Massachusetts. Kudos to Adam Myerson and his crew. This two day venue of racing just gets better and better every year.

Both Saturday and Sunday

started with a 4:25 AM wake up call for the drive and prep for

start of the day- racing. On Saturday, I had double duty with a

9:30 race and directly after, I rolled over to

attend a 2 hour women's CX clinic hosted by the ladies of Luna Chix including

Katerina Nash, one of the top ranked women in the world. Of course she

made any and all skills pertaining to cyclocross look easy and buttery smooth. It

was very informative and I picked up some good advice/tips but one stands out

in particular. My less than perfect cyclocross

bike remount conundrum . Now I did blog about this a few weeks back with a video included

showing that I had made HUGE strides in mastering this skill but...

I was only 82.4 % there. I still couldn't make that full commitment

of letting my left foot go and launching on to the saddle. Well peeps, I'm proud to say I

pulled up my big girl panties and put this to rest. No more stutter step, no stopping

in my tracks to swing my leg over and clip in. It's a done deal. The full

monty. With just a bit of tweaking and listening to some simple advice, it just clicked.

I did it once perfectly during the clinic and I stopped dead in my tracks, jaw hanging open with veteran cyclist Roz Puleo watching and yelling " You JUST did it!" Of course I thought

this was just a complete fluke and no way had I really gotten it but I did it again, and again,

and again, and again, and as the story goes, ain't no turning back. I had REALLY mastered it.

Of course I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day out on that field until the sun started to set

making damn sure It was planted FIRMLY in my gray matter.

Sunday was the true test. Would I become verklempt and blow it during my race when push came

to shove in the heat of racing?

Miraculously I held it together and nailed every remount. I felt like a STAR at the barriers with lots of eyes watching and me feeling

very proud I could play with the big girls now even if it was only by a newly learned

skill. Of course I have no proof of this because here's a fact:The photographer is NEVER in any

of the pictures and now I'm wearing plain black, no logo, no team sponsored gear so not

only am I racing in the back, I'm the generic back-o-the pack-cross plain jane no one snaps photos of all because a race official told me I shouldn't be

wearing or signing up for cycling races under Team Psycho ANY MORE as it's not a registered cycling

club/team. (another story)

Ok, so here's some technical data to lull you to sleep after my verbal spillage thus far.

I wear my Garmin while racing to gather data including my lap times, speed, heart rate. It appears that I I'm fit because as you'll see, I am not wilting like a daisy as the race progresses and frankly, if I'm gonna have a chance in hell to pick off other girls out there, it's always toward the last 2 laps when (lesser fit) people uncoil and can't hold the pace. I wish more of *those* would show up! I lack the skills and pure power to ever be in contention with the faster girls. (again.. another story)

Forgetting to hit my watch for the first lap, one is missing below but notice my average speed and my times per lap of the remaining 3 of the 4 I captured. NEGATIVE splits as the race progresses and really, the first (slower) lap not shown doesn't even count because you

are in a train of girls bunched up and climbing over arms and legs in double sand pits and bottle necked in narrow steep run ups TRYING to

shake things out, stay upright and waiting for the congestion to clear out (while swearing under your breath)

Click on me to zoom!

Next up, a few photos of some of the action over the weekend and maybe even PROOF via a photo or

video that YES, I'm a remount Diva!!

Thanks for stopping by!

2 by 20

2011-10-28T16:57:00.003-04:00

Wanna see what I've been doing to burn off my pre Halloween candy?? Here's classic threshold workout I've done once a week for a total of 4 weeks so far. It's a pretty standard workout for cyclocross. It simulates riding at threshold (hell) so when

race day comes, your mind and hopefully your body will snap to attention and say..

"Yeah, I can do this"

*2x20 minutes*

The idea is to go as hard as you possibly can but not so hard that you are coming undone and unable to maintain the SAME effort/wattage

for the second 20 minute interval.

I am not kidding when I say I dread this

trainer ride when it's on the docket. It floats over my head all

day like a green smoggy cloud of impending doom but when it's over it's very

self satisfying.

Kudos to Cat 1 rider,Matt Hill who generously gives his time in updating a blog daily with solid workouts, training advice along with guidance on nailing skills and technique all for FREE. Perhaps next year I will

breakdown and pay him out of guilt not withholding my fantasy he could quite possibly make me a cyclocross Diva.

He is very bright and knows his stuff for sure.

Ok, so not to bore you into a coma, Here is the first time I did the workout. I rode a tad

conservatively so I wouldn't completely drive myself over a cliff and I didn't really know what I was capable of.

Oct 4th 2011

Oct 26, 2011

And here is this week's session. It was a dozy. The more

you do this workout, the more you push harder because A: you

are fitter and B: you certainly don't want to backslide or go into reverse over that cliff.

Happy Halloween /Candy Consumption Weekend Feel free to send all your Mounds candy bars because

sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

Thanks for stopping by!

Yes You Can!!!

2011-10-24T12:30:00.000-04:00

Is there no better feeling of mastering a task that you've been struggling with then FINALLY being rewarded after countless hours of dedicated practice getting it?

I GOT *IT* yesterday and I have a video just for you to ~~laugh~~ witness my seemingly unreachable goal.

Remounting a bike while moving seems simple, no? Just swing your leg over and off you go. What is the BIG DEAL?? Well, I'm a good example of howdifficult learning this skill can really be for some. This is my fourth year doing the sport of cyclocross and I finally made the commitment this year that I was going to GET this skill DOWN if it killed me. I am growing weary of being the kid in the playground too scared to go down the slide and left over at the sandpit feeling left out. Typically, I 'm left at the barriers or the top of a steep run up standing in a complete shut down of forward momentum while trying to re-clip into my pedals as the field of girls gets further and further from me. Like learning to drive a standard, or getting that pace clock down for swimming, I am almost there.Victory is near, I can smell the barn door but it didn't come without endless repeats riding around a field in a obsessive compulsive haze not clearly understanding my complete inability of hopping on a saddle just inches from where I stood and why it was so damn hard. It doesn't make sense and heck, I don't even have appendages exposed in my crotch area to SMASH on a saddle. I will admit I still need much refinement to make this a habit. Until then, I will SAVOR thislittle victory of a skill I thought I'd NEVER GET. Varooom....It's the best Monday ever! Get out and whip a$$ your own

nagging hurdle!

Thanks for stopping by.

Providence Cyclocross Festival Oct 8-9

2011-10-16T17:28:00.000-04:00

As the cyclocross world turns,I was off to Providence Rhode Island for another 2 days of UCI caliber cyclocross racing last weekend. If I wasn't turning the pedals, I was snapping some pictures.

I raced both days in the women's 3/4 race which was unusual for me in that I have never raced back to back. If you play your cards right in your recovery, (go straight to the beer tent and chow down some pizza) and you are fairly fit, you can race just as well if not better the second day. Another bit of drama I got to experience was my very first mechanical issue(s) in the 4 years I've participated in this sport. Pretty darn good odds I'd say, so I was DUE. But 2 days in a row????

I snapped a spoke on Saturday just riding along and then on Sunday I skidded on some gravel and bent the hanger on my derailleur falling on the right side of my bike and smacking down pretty hard but not enough to kept me from pedaling on allbeit a crippled bike. I am now "one of them" the countless racers I see either carrying their bike or wheeling it through the course to get to the pit area, what I like to call *bike triage* Get the massive blood flow to stop, do some quick surgery, and back out you go.

On Saturday's spoke surprise, I stopped quickly to "get the stick out" and realized, sticks aren't metal and within seconds, I had a spoke in my hand while left standing, jaw hung open wondering what I should do. I quickly wedged it in between my teeth ( exclusively for sympathy purposes) and pedaled gingerly over to the pit to exchange the wheel. I contemplated dropping out feeling as though at that point, all the other women were so far ahead convinced I would either get lapped or pulled by the officials. The Shimano mechanic suggested I get right back out there after slapping on a spare in seconds,so I did just that. It was a good workout,I didn't get lapped and I had 1.5 laps remaining and I'm even happier I didn't DNF. The course was fun but tricky and just another opportunity to sharpen my less than desirable skills and get in a good workout. 64 out of 78.

Day two brought a different course layout and after a solid 3 lap warm up, my legs felt snappy, (thank you Harpoon beer tent!)and not at all trashed from Saturday. The course suited me better with less hilly twisty sections and I was looking forward to a mechanical free day and a better placing. During the last lap when things start to come undone, and my not-so-pretty-skills look even scarier, I went down on some loose gravel I hadn't thought twice about the 12-14 times I had gone over it the day before or Sunday yet there I was, feet up, bike DOWN. Call me Grace. Unbeknownst to me, I had bent the hanger on my rear derailleur. Fun! Think single speed for the remainder of the race. If I shifted, my bike said, "screw you" and (bonus) the chain would fall off. Super Fun!! 3 times I stopped to put my chain back on and had to run my bike up any hills (ok, even mini inclines) I couldn't manage in the gear I was left with. Doh! 62 out of 72. Another race, more experience, calories I'd otherwise not be burning so I can have my well earned margarita on ice with that yummy salty rim. Thanks for stopping by!

Great BrewersGran Prix of Gloucester Cyclocross

2011-10-10T14:45:00.001-04:00

Below are just a few of my favorite shots I captured at last week's 2 Day event in Gloucester MA. I spectated, volunteered and photographed on Saturday while jumping into Sunday's women's 3/4 to race.

If you know anything about cyclocross and staging (how you start the race) my prize for signing up *day of* got me lined up in the very last row of 99 Cat 3/4 women with the ankle biting cub juniors right behind me. I am used to bringing up the rear in this particular sport, but managed to move myself up to 67 position by the bell lap and hung on for dear life. I'll take it. The shear fact of having other women to ride with and not tooling around the course like a time trial solo effort is huge and rather new for me.

Which brings me to another new observation:

How high I can actually get my heart rate when the heat is on. Specifically cyclocross searing heat. I am so preoccupied/focused in getting myself around the course without bashing into someone or tripping over a barrier while trying to maintain a steady effort but not without skills that would make you FLINCH and in no way shape or form am I paying attention to heart rates during the race. I had no idea I could maintain or crest into a heart rate zone (as seen below) that I actually do until I strapped on my Garmin for the first time this year to record some data. Now put me on my Computrainer for an indoor focused effort, interval workout and there is no way in fiery hell, I can get myself to suffer in that manner. Not even CLOSE. By maintaining a fixed wattage of 200 for 3 minutes and not letting my cadence drop below 92, my heart rate never goes ANY HIGHER than 173-174 max yet I am BLEEDING from my eyeballs and suffering with a capital *S*. Go figure.

Garmin data, day two Gloucester Gran Prix

This weekend rounded out another 2 day event at The Providence Cyclocross Festival. Stay tuned for

more high heart rates, a broken spoke on day one, a bent hanger from crashing in gravel on day two and more favorite captured moments.

Thanks for stopping by!

With A New Season Comes Change

2011-09-27T16:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I made it (almost) through the 2011 triathlon season without being sidelined with some catastrophic injury. Notice I said almost. So essentially I didn't meet all of my goals one being, get through the season without as much as a hangnail. FAIL.

I had a little visit with my friends over at Coolidge Corner Imagining last week, just one week after my last race of the season. It's like home-away-from-home there. I can just about remember all the techs by name and front office staff. It's just a matter of time they will be including me in their fantasy football pool and maybe if I'm lucky, even the staff holiday party!

Now you all must be thinking, "Why doesn't this knuckle headed blond just stop when something is hurting before it gets so bad?" All I can say is either i have a VERY high pain tolerance or I have a VERY VERY high pain tolerance combined with a short circuit to TAKE YOUR HAND AWAY FROM THE FLAME issue because none of the previous injuries have ever felt serious yet each one has literally drained the color from my face from shock when told the diagnosis. One thing I can take from all of this is I'm seasoned now. There is no face color draining, no hissy fits, I just let it roll. My deepest sympathy to all who in the past had to bare my wrath with my fists pounding on them (if they were lucky enough to be there) or had to listen to me cry and moan, moan and cry on the other end of a phone for days/weeks on end.

Three's a charm and I'm above that now. A mature, seasoned injury specimen smart enough to ask to have the radiology report sent to her email so I don't have to wait days on end to hear from a physician when they get around to telling me. Take that as your tip-o-the day and yes, I'm still wait for the call for the info I already have.

I'm on stress fracture # 3 in three years to be crystal clear.

It is apparent I'm made of match sticks and/or balsa wood disguised as bone. We will leave it at that for now.

Lets focus on the positive shall we? I trained. I raced and each one, I gave it everything I had. I have been the queen of consistent TRX suspension training 2 days a week since January. I am fit. I am strong and my hips,back,core have never been stronger.

I did 4 triathlon races, 2 open water swim races and 5 road races. My run times progressively got faster and I managed 2 first place finishes in my division and 2 second place for the 4 sprint triathlons all on 4 years of set-backs and very inconsistent training due to my match stick bones.

So my fall season (badly needed run focus) is now on the top shelf where I've had to place things too many times.

It is what it is and I shall persevere which brings me to cyclocross. You know... cowbells, mud, caution tape and beer? I was not going to have anything to do with it this year sticking to my guns and focusing on running but it only took one race (photographing) and I was drooling. So.... if my paw holds up in a rigid shoe without much issue, I will perhaps jump into a few races in which I don't really race, I just hang on for

dear life in the back and pretend I know what I'm doing.

My new goal? Finding someone who can teach me to remount my bike with out the dreaded double

hop syndrome I can't seem to get rid of. I watch it over and over and over but my head and butt can't seem to make it happen.

LIKE THIS!

Here is Mo Bruno Roy, my massage therapist/ mud loving Pro CX athlete showing exquisite technique.Kudos to one of my favorite photographers Lyne Lamoureux who takes BAD ASS cycling photos and caught this shot.

I know!!!! Maybe.. just maybe..at my next massage appointment I forgo the massage and I get her to spend the hour with me on: Perfecting The Remount!!!!!

Ya think?

This match stick girl can STILL dream and dream big.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Wednesday Distance Day Swim Set

2011-09-14T09:11:00.000-04:00

Since I continue to be a sh*tty blogger with scant updates, today I shall start off with a swim set we did at MIT morning masters today. Wednesdays are distance day so if you are looking for a nice longish set with a splash of tempo work in there, here ya go...

400 w/up on your own. For me, i am farting around for this. I take my time warming up working on DPS ( distance per stroke) a snappy flip turn which I am constantly working on and seeing how far I can make it out on my back dolphin kicking underwater before starting my back stroke.. Junk like that.

Coach Bill wanders in during this and most of my lane mates are standing on deck chewing the fat. Today I scanned the deck and realized today it appeared, I would be leading. Now I don't mind leading but today after a 50 mile combined bike commute into work and home yesterday, I was still looking for my caffeine buzz that never appeared and really, I just wanted to ride the back of the bus. Damn you KT for not showing up today.

Masters officially began after my fellow ~~slacker~~ lane mates got in. The warm up set looked like this:
8 x 75
Odds 50 kick 25 swim
Evens 50 Drill 25 swim
20 seconds rest inbtwn.

The next "warm up" set gets your heart rate up with a sprinkling of sprinting. I am not a sprinter
so I let Dr. Bob who shows up to masters when there is an eclipse lead this one. He is sprinty but has
not a lick of endurance so I let him lead only this but not without his wooby pull buoy he can't seem to do without.

2x 50 on 50
3x 50 on 45
~~4 x 50 on 40~~ we collectively complained and said no to this one and changed it to
4x50 on 50 so we could make the 5 50's on 40. We are no dummies...
5x50 on 40

50 ez

Main Set:
3 x 500

1. working on DSP and good form:
500 on 1:30 base. 7:30

2. Pulling and a bit snappy
500 on 7:10 (1:25ish base)

3. HARD
This is your meat and potatoes so don't screw this up. :-)
500 on 6:40
While leading this my head wanted to explode after the 200 working on maintaining a 1:20 pace but having 3 men behind me: a Citibank exec, a physician, and the head of the aerospace dept at MIT, I was not going to screw this up.

50 ez

2x 400

400 on 1:30 base
400 Pull

After adding this up, I got about 4100 yards and decided I was done and only one late mate remained with me. Can you say attrition? :-) I got out but you should do at least a 100 ez cool down and also obviously do some adjusting to the paces based on your base pace. Just remember to make those 50's challenging and that last 500 is your key interval.

It's a good mix of a set and it goes by really quickly, caffeine buzz or not.....

Have a great day!

A Random Summer Tuesday

2011-08-23T08:53:00.003-04:00

Greetings from the tail end of summer. Within one weeks time, I will be forced to say "bye bye" to quiet city streets, empty restaurants at prime time and *always a parking space* Boston as most know, is tightly crammed with university after university. Some just a stone's throw of each other and when September 1st hits.....
DUCK.
With age comes wisdom and if you happen to be here during this massive invasion as I have too many years to count,here's some of my most sacred tips on dealing with it.

1. DO NOT.. I repeat, DO NOT step foot into a Target or Bed Bath and Beyond because there won't be a shower squeegy or chip clip to be found besides the fact that you will be standing in line for hours just to pay for your Bounty Jumbo 16 roll Select-a-Size on sale.

2. AVOID at all costs small one way narrow streets and any traveling by car on Wednesday August 31 right through Sept 1st at 9pm. Just call in sick if you must. The entire hub of Boston including Brookline, Allston, Brighton, Kenmore Square and Harvard Square will be covered with the entire fleet of U-Haul trucks in the continental United States.
It will take you approximately 40 minutes to inch along 2 miles darting couches and mattresses and confused bewildered, wide eyed stricken freshman parents from Waterloo, Iowa.

3. No Cheescake Factory, No Floyd's Barber shop last minute trims, and just forget about one of those new fangled Hubway bikes just waiting for you to pedal around town with. Uh uh. All you will find is a sad skeleton-like bare rack. Just hunker down and let the dust settle and before you know it, you'll be acclimated to all of the madness by October 1st if your lucky.

In other news, I'm preparing to race once again this coming weekend and that's all i will say about that (for now).
My friend KT turned 45 this week and she convinced me to get up at 4:30 instead of my leisurely sleep-in (4:50 AM) so I could get to the pool early enough to cram in the extra yardage to make it 4500 this morning. The best part? Swimming with 2 of my favorite lane mates, KT of course and BB the 12 mile Key West wonder swimmer. We had a good time all three of us today and heck.. I'd do it again. Just say when KT!!

Peter and Marybeth Cadwell

On a bittersweet note, I lost a friend, Peter Cadwell to a heart attack August 9th while vacationing in the Boulder area with his wife and twin boys. Many in the Boston Triathlon Community knew Pete and his wife Marybeth as they both are from New England and still have family roots here. Pete was The Boston Triathlon Team's President for years before they left New England for San Francisco. I tried to help Pete as much as i could with team stuff and I adopted his cat before they moved out to the west coast. Shortly after they left, Boston Triathlon Team just didn't have the same flair for me anymore with the two of them gone. It was the main reason why I left the team shortly after they made their way to the west coast. Pete possessed the most incredible ability to touch, befriend, be an amazing role model, mentor, athlete, husband and father to twin boys now age 3. My heart breaks for Marybeth and the world she must now face without her true soul mate and their 2 young boys who will struggle to remember their father only through images as they grow. I feel very fortunate that I am one of the many who knew Pete and witnessed his genuine spirit of life and of truly living it to it's fullest.

I will miss ya Pete....

Gloucester Fisherman's Triathlon

2011-08-08T09:28:00.005-04:00

I think I qualify for The Black Fruit Fly Infested Fruit Bowl, Fuzzy Molded Cheddar Cheese, Curdled Coffee Creamer award for the BEST NON UPDATED, COBWEB FILLED BLOG FOR SUMMER 2011. Yay!

Thankyouverymuch.

No excuses here. Life is like one of those extinct merry-go-rounds you used to find in the playgrounds. You'd wind that thing up running like mad to keep up with it WITHOUT falling and sliding underneath. Remember those??? Ha!

That's my summer! Whirlwind. Tooo fast. Summer goes WAY too fast

So what have I been up to?
No racing since my last post (until yesterday, Sunday August 7th)
Yup, another Sprint in the books. The Gloucester Fisherman's Triathlon to be exact. A New England race through and through. I love Gloucester. It's a quintessential New England seaside town. Harbors, beaches, inlets. Lots of coastline including one thing I just LOVE: The sound of the foghorn you can hear in the harbor. It's almost soothing. There is nothing like the smell of salty ocean air combined with a foghorn. Today especially as it was a windswept rainy day for racing.
The hardest part about racing in wet conditions isn't about racing in wet conditions. It's exiting your car with your nice clean dry gear and getting drenched before you are even in transition. It's trying to put on a wetsuit with wet skin, and trying to stay warm before your wave ( mine being the LAST one) goes off.
Because of moderate to heavy chop, the swim was shortened. BFB (big fat bummer) It was over before I knew it and I managed to exit the water up front in my wave of all women 40 and over. I love swimming in salt water and I felt good. Smooth and strong.
On to the bike.
I rode somewhat conservatively in the rainy wet conditions. The bike course was filled by the time I got out there and all I could seem to focus on is the debacle of my friend Dede and all that she is going through right now from falling on the bike course on wet cobblestones at Ironman Germany 2 weeks ago. She is appropriately named, Humpty (her doing) and you can read here about her accident and how her 2011 season has come to a screeching halt. No worries though, Dede is already on the comeback trail and unbelievably resilient. Truly inspiring.

Anyway, I wove my way through the wet and rainy 2 loop 15 mile course riding as hard as I was willing and quite honestly able. By the second loop, my quads had that familiar burn so I knew I was working. I was passed by one woman in our "caboose" wave, Nancy A, who flew by me like I was standing still.

Always happy to rack the bike, off for the run I went. It's the same scenario as I start out on the run course. I get that dreaded feeling that soon I will be mowed down. The run is NOT my strength at the moment and I feel like a green gill, one fin fish swimming sideways just waiting to become dinner on the higher food chain. The new run course was hilly. Joy! Much more than the last race I did and the only thing that saved me from blowing up was the misty overcast skies. By mile 2, my face felt hot and I was uncoiling RAPIDLY. I gave it everything I had. So much that I had NOTHING coming in view of that finish line. NOT A THING. If 5 women were there to pass me, I wouldn't have cared at that point. I was COOKED. At a SPRINT for god's sake??? YES!!! Everyone has something left for that last 200 yards right? Oh no, I did not and I was thrilled I made it through the 2 loop, 3.1 mile course with only one other woman catching me from my wave and she was not in my age group. (phew) I was SHOCKED. I figured there would be at least one uber runner in the food chain to nail me in my age group, but not yesterday Lucky me. :-)

I do realize luck doesn't get one very far and I have a plan this fall:. Work on my shuffle (speed wise) that clearly needs some sharping. I have not put the time in for fear of doing too much and getting injured again but as the summer progresses, and I slowly become stronger, I will hopefully progress. A girl can dream, right?
Big cheers to my most awesome Team Psycho teammates who attended and raced picking up lots of hardware or who came to set up 2 tents in the horrible weather supplying us with chilly cold Harpoon, and burgers and dogs post race. Rain or not it was EPIC!

Cheers!

My First Triathlon for 2011 Mass. State Triathlon, Winchendon, MA, July 17, 2011

2011-07-19T10:20:00.000-04:00

Finally.....
I got to race. I can't tell you enough how happy I was just to be out there. A bit foreign at best. I must
have read through the athlete race packet 4 times as if it was my very first race.

Chip on the left ankle
Rear wheel goes in the rack
Towel on the right of your bike
buoys stay on your left
bike out here, run out there,

Oye...

I shoehorned my former BTT teammate, Juli Davenport out of retirement to race with me . Juli is an accomplished athlete, Kona qualifier who has and can mow down the best of them but she like me has suffered through injuries and had serious knee surgery and still recovering. Together we raced and it was really nice to have someone who in (July) was just starting the season.

We giggled at all the pre-race hype with all the fit athletes milling around with game faces while we sported the "oh gosh.... this is gonna hurt" look on our own.

All went well though and Max Performance/ Tim Richmond ,RD did a very nice job with this sold out OLY/Sprint race out in Western MA. Juli and I were smart and chose the Sprint as come back queens.

The highlight of the race? Pink caps for our wave. First time in 13 years of racing TRIGIRLPINK gets
a pink race cap. What's up with that???

Juli and I post race with her son Elan! Thanks Mat (her husband) for being spectator, baby watcher, cheering for the old ladies!

We swam (cough gag) we pedaled ( burn thighs.. burn) we ran (where is the puke bucket) we finished!
How did we do? Just fine. Thankyouverymuch. Results here if you care. We don't. Just happy to be back in the sport we love!

See ya out there!!

Take THAT... wind it back.. The Nubble's got the Flow to make your Booty.... SWIM!

2011-07-14T09:31:00.002-04:00

The Nubble Light Challenge is in the books and I'm happy to report it was drama free which in turn makes for a very boring recap so I will be brief in saying, it went swimmingly. My biggest concern was the water temperature but I did not fixate on it days prior. What would be, would be. I didn't even want to know race morning. I would be well prepared wearing my full suit, 2 swim caps, silicone ear plugs and slathering my exposed skin on my face and neck with vasoline. I caught wind of a conversation while suiting up that the water temperature race morning was a balmy sixty something. I'm thinking 62ish but I can't confirm this. I could NOT BELIEVE it. Three to four foot swells were non existent and no 48 degree currents out by the Lighthouse. We had approximately 10 buoys for sighting as apposed to 4 scant buoys last year.

Cut to the chase.....

I exited the water smiling with everything intact including a 13 minute PR from last year and wondered how it was possible that there was no suffering to be had. I guess I did that all with my non-wetsuit cold water swims prior to the event and once again, Mother Nature pulled a fast one on me. Better safe than sorry though right? As happy as i was with a good swim, I got NAILED in the results. Yikes! 19 women were faster than I and two were in there 50's. This was no pool of triathletes by any means. Pure swimmers and good one's at that! I was hoping for a 1:10 but I'll take the 74 minutes with the PR for that course.

Many thanks to *Team Trigirlpink* as I've affectionately named us. First my sweet

sister Paula: picture taker, land support, coffee supplier.

Rick Barrie : Kittery Maine native, master swim kayak escort for 2010 who instead came to support my newest kayak escort with logistics in and out of the water for 2011, and took some great photos( on the way)

Mike Boyko :from Ware NH: My 2011 kayak escort extraordinaire who accompanied me MINUS 4 foot swells, frigid water and a chance to save another swimmer. Sorry Mike!

My dad: who was waiting for me at the finish like last year happy his youngest daughter wasn't a blue raspberry looking Popsicle.

this is a great shot taken by Rick. Can you pick me out?

Photo credit, Rick Barrie. Here is Mike and I in The Gut- the channel between the lighthouse and land. My swim cap is pimped out so Mike could site me out in the ocean for the escort hook up. :-)

Mike had a GPS on board the kayak and here's my path! Did I NOT hug that coast line this year??? Yesirre you bet I did. Credit does go to those lovely orange buoys!

Happy training and thanks for reading! xxx

It's COMING! The Nubble Light 2.4 Mile Swim

2011-07-06T08:48:00.002-04:00

Me swimming?? through "the gut" Nubble Light 2.4 mile swim 2010

This post is not going to be all about a silly little swim that ended me flat on my back last year in an ambulance that was transformed into a heat blasting mini dry sauna for me. No sirree.

I will only talk about this briefly in a more positive, attainable 2011 goal fashion.

Here we go.

1. I will show up this year on race morning fully loaded with respect for the gnarly Maine ocean and will not skip around on the beach giggling and buzzing like a social moth sporting a sleeveless wetsuit and one lame swim cap, dehydrated and clueless.

2. I will hydrate properly starting 36 hours prior to the start along with a sufficient carbo loading intake 18 hours before intended ocean adventure.

Fort Foster, Kittery Maine "Practice" swim, July 3th with Andrew my 19 year old nephew

Last year.. me!

3. I shall navigate the course with purpose, a clear mind and objective and will not swim in a inefficient haphazard endless circle with frozen bare arms to which I couldn't tell if said arms were actually above or below the water 40 minutes into the swim while spending a total of 1:30 minutes floundering around in the surf as my blood began to resemble Slush Puppy consistency.

4. I will not waste an ounce of energy thinking about sharks eating me. The potential for 48 degree water will knock the shark snapping worries right out of my head.

5. I will have come prepared doing a total of 3 cold water swims without a wetsuit to acclimate my frame to the Maine coastal waters. My last polar like dip being at a state park in Maine over the 4th of July weekend where people (freakier than I) were picnicking in the rain with FREE entertainment watching the crazy girl in the icy water while they munched on hot dogs and Doritos.

Planning my practice swim

6. I will not miss the post race bbq as I did last year by spending the afternoon de-icing and shuffling back home with my tail between my legs moping and grumbling that Mother Nature drop kicked me and spit me out of the ocean laughing and yelling "DON'T COME BACK!"

Screw you lady. I'm back and I'm coming back to do this the way I should have done it.

So I lied. This post was all about a silly ocean swim in the waters of Maine on a hot day in July 2010 and how I shall (try) and redeem myself on another hot July day 2011.

Kiss this Mother Nature... I'm BACK.

Here's to 60 + degree water and a happy fun swim for all the 2011 Nubble Light Swimmers.
Shark free of course...

148 miles for a beer- The b2b Ride

2011-06-21T10:16:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was a doozy on the *training to train* TGP plan . I did a little riding. Ok, A LOT of riding. The b2b ride to be exact. It's a 148 mile trek from The Harpoon Brewery on the waterfront of Boston to the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor Vt. I have done this ride several times over the years and this year was no different. Pretty much a hefty dose of pedaling which panned out to be eight hours and forty five minutes of saddle time averaging 16.9 total ride time (can I just say 17mph?) That sounds much faster!

Here's how the day looked

3:45 AM wake up call

4:30 AM drive to the waterfront/ fish pier in Boston

5:30 AM miss the exit and drive to the airport instead (Doh!)

6:05 AM quick drop off, packet pick up, chamois creme slathering ..no wait I did that at 3:55!

6:25AM Roll

mile 16.. First basic (no food) aid station pee stop but i don't have to pee.

mile 46.9 Rest Stop #2

WOW! that was the best 46.9 miles I've ever done. We are averaging 18.9

Ok... so I let the chivalrous boys lead and burn out their legs pulling me along for this aperitif part of the ride.

mile 70 Aid Station # 3 Good lord, THE HILLS. I am rapidly burning all my matches. My quads begin to feel trashed .

mile 97.5 Aid Station. I roll in with my group with bone dry bottles. I stop and sit down in front of the mini Snickers bars box at the end of a table carefully unwrapping them because they are melting and strategically pop them into my mouth not knowing or caring who is watching me. The thought of having 50 more miles is unsettling. My knee caps are shaking. It's getting hot and I'm getting cranky. Need to say more?

mile 125.6 FINAL Aid Station Forget the pickles on the table. I drank the pickle juice and give my Team Mate Scott Schorer a cup as he is just one big giant CRAMP at this point in the ride.

I am sweaty, my hands are sticky from Blackberry Gu. My A$$ hurts and my right calf is cramping.

I have to use the porta potty to pee. It's hot in there with very little air and I'm already sweating BUCKETS but I sweat even more now that I've stopped riding. My shorts are stuck to my hips and feel like they are 2 sizes too small with the sticky sweat. I pee and it's a trickle. The sunscreen I just slapped on my already burnt face is now running into my contacts from the steamy portapotty's interior climate.

My feet feel swollen and my wrists, shoulder blades and neck are sore yet I am happy, YES HAPPY and wound up tight on caffeinated gels and Cliff Bloks. I've made it 125.6 miles on minimal fitness and my friend Maggie is sticking to me like glue even though she's done 8 billion - 6 hour rides getting ready for Ironman Germany. Bless her.

I leave this aid station with 2 full bottles of rocket fuel mixture: PowerBar drink mix and coke which gets me through the last hilly 23 ish miles to the finish.

I lose Maggie who surges ahead and I stick with her friend Brian. He is dying a slow death so I take off and LATCH onto one more mini group to the finish but not until I've time trialed it for 4 miles to catch this group. Oh... My.. God.... Finally, the quaint covered Vt. bridge that smells like old antique wood... 3 more miles but not without one more nasty hill before the brewery.

4:30ish PM find my gear bag and shower

5:15 PM consume beer and chow on bbq

6PM Jump on a bus back to the water front of Boston

8:30 PM retrieve bike and drive home

9:15 Stop at Micky D's for a vanilla shake and hot crispy salty fries

10 PM Shower again

10:30 PM Drop into my sheets

9AM (the next day) Do the Wayland One Mile Open Water Swim

It's one bad a$$ long day, that is for certain but a great feeling of accomplishment to make it through the day without out any crashes, bonking, flats and or mechanical issues with a Bonus-beautiful day.

Many many thanks to Mavic, Ibex CycleLoft Poweraid, Zico, Vitamin Water, CiclismoClassico, Cliffbar, CapeCod chips, Aid station 46.9 manned by The Boston Tri Team, Mary Schiner and friends raising funds for the PMC at aid station 97.5, Aid Station #3 staffed by Dean and Shelly Varnier and all the people who

helped make the day a safe and fun challenge.

Lastly My team, Team Psycho and The Harpoon Brewery. Without the planning and dedication to this ride, it would never be the success it has become raising funds for the Team Psycho Elite Development athletes and The Jim Kenary Brain Tumor research fund.

Happy Training and remember... rubber side down

A Note from Jennifer Abshire aka-Mrs Newton Running

2011-06-06T21:54:00.002-04:00

Hi Elaine,

Nice to hear from you. Happy summer. It is finally hot here. It was a rainy spring!

Your shoe wear looks perfect. There is hardly any wear and the bit that I see is perfectly normal. You are ready for the performance line full time I would have to say.

So keep up the good form. I am glad to hear that you are staying injury free. You are a good testimony to listening to your body, taking the right measures to get your biomechanics figured out and starting slowly with your new form. Way to go!

Keep in touch and for sure keep up the good form.

Jennifer

I decided it was time to take a few photos of the soles of my Newton Lady Isacc's trainers that I've been wearing since February 20th (video on this blog to prove it) in order to get some feedback from The Newton Running Lab in regards to the wear pattern I've created in my modest yet determined attempt to become a more efficient runner which one can only hope will keep me on the road to injury free status. So far so good.

As you can see from above, I got a passing grade and there is hope for me. I'm certainly no longer a heel striker and each and every run, I'm continuing to pay attention to all aspects of my form in relation to my arm carriage, my hip, shoulder/upper body lean and my foot turnover. I am officially and consistently a 90 per minute foot striker now, previously 84-85.
I've run 2 5k's (one sandwiched between a double century ride) and both were PAINFUL reminders of just how out of run shape I truly am. I did not become an injured "jogger" overnight and I'm well aware that it will take many months to gain back a quarter of the fitness, confidence, maybe some speed and perhaps the feeling that I am controlling the pace, the pace isn't controlling me.

I am fine with that. However long it takes.

In the mean time, I am enjoying my Newton Running Shoes. I wear them exclusively now. They are comfortable, very well made and if you run in them "correctly" they will last as long as any other pair of running shoes. My fresh new form, the patience to take the time to break them in and more importantly, my determination to get my "jogging status" a thing of the past is work in progress and I'm taking the "crappy run days" (far too many) with the "I think i can do this" days ( far too less) and taking it one 90 cadence-step-at-a-time.

Training to Train

2011-05-26T15:16:00.000-04:00

Now that spring has bypassed us here in New England showing us nothing but dank and darkness literally for the entire month of May, we are full throttle into summer. TWO DAYS IN A ROW of sunshine! Hallelujah! Training and ~~racing~~ is in full swing. I'm slowly getting my gnarly pink mitts around some good consistent training and I'm ready.... for more. Wait till you see what I have up my sleeve next month that I got roped into. I'll take guesses but you'll have to wait until my next blog post and CHERYL.. I haven't forgotten about my follow up Newton's evaluation. Hang tight.

This past weekend was our annual Team Psycho Training weekend. It entails 3 days of pounding one another along with character building but not without the rewards of a sweet and constant flow of Harpoon Ale, our main sponsor. Convenient, no? Forget the Recovery Pumps, we've got beer and good beer at that.

This year our training fest was held in New London New Hampshire at Colby Sawyer College. They loved having us and the feeling was mutual. Surprisingly, Colby has a very nice pool (being a pool snob from MIT) and they opened it up just for us to use. We stayed right on campus taking up one entire residence hall. We hired the catering/ kitchen staff to feed us and honestly, it was impressive. Every meal was fantastic and you just couldn't complain an ounce about the variety and overall quality. For the last day of camp here's what we had for our farewell lunch after a long ride/run brick

To order-Burgers, hot dogs and Veggie burgers hot off the grill
BBQ chicken on the bone
Corn on cob
Coleslaw
Fresh tomato and mozzarella and basil sliced salad
Vegetarian Caesar salad
Chipotle corn bread
For dessert- baked Alaska

As you can see, we did not starve. We did however, have to endure rain and plenty of
it. Two of the 3 days we arrived back at the dorms from riding completely drenched and spent from the hilly terrain. Lucky for us, we had plenty of hot water, heat and use of washers/dryers to get everything clean and dry just to repeat the same sequence over. Ride. Rinse. Repeat. I have to add, that the "house boys" on my particular floor- Olympic hopefuls, Jarrod Shoemaker and Ethan Brown had laundry duty. What more could a girl ask?
Oh well... EPIC my team mates say in regards to the weekend. I had to laugh though because on day one( Friday) we started out IN THE RAIN and if I were home, no freeking way would I be going out to ride in the rain yet there I was ready to roll not complaining one bit. We were there to train and I wanted my 3 days of cumulative fatigue felt by Sunday on my drive home to make sure I got my "training to train" fill.

All but a memory now, I'm the owner of a solid block of training toward my ** TGP 2011 Phantom Racing Agenda** (lol). Remember the title up there... Training to Train.

4 days later and I'm JUST coming around to becoming un-sloth like from all the fun. I felt under-trained for training weekend and each and every wheel I could LATCH on to during the rides, you can bet your lily white bum I did my girl power BEST to stay fully latched and even then there were times when I was gritting my teeth trying to stay in contact with the group I was clinging to dear life to. Often at times ( ok many times) when the pace felt torrid, I fantasized someone would pull up to me, maybe an ambulance with a nice cozy cot to pick me up and drive me back to the cold bubbly Harpoon I.P.A. just sitting there waiting for consumption followed by a nap in my dorm room. Ahhhhhhhh.

I would be lying if i said I don't have any racing plans for 2011 but I like to keep you all guessing. Besides it will be more like a ** participation year**training to train, sans injury, mojo search and rescue.

I like training to train well. Just maybe it will reap a reward, however small.

Cheers

Can I Be Philosophical For A Minute?

2011-05-04T16:29:00.003-04:00

I'm always up for a challenge. I like to keep things interesting and try avoiding stagnation in pretty much all aspects of my life. However, I don't like it when I've accepted any particular challenge and it's content and means to it's end becomes out of focus, creates self doubt along the way or worse, I'm unable to meet the goals of the challenge clean and neatly with all my t's crossed and i's dotted.

But honestly, what is a challenge without hardship,dedication, and more importantly, acceptance of possible failure? We can all agree the outcome if successful, is even that much more sweeter.

Dedication and commitment along with unexpected pitfalls along the way are neither
a guarantee for success nor failure in whatever challenge you pursue.

So....

I challenge you to challenge yourself. Step out of your comfort zone. Don't do something because all the cool kids are doing it. That's a slippery slope destined for failure. The next time you sign up for a race, commit to getting to the pool on time, every day, changing your diet, or making a significant lifestyle change, aim high but aim that arrow high FOR YOURSELF and do not be concerned what others will think or pass judgement on. Choose that goal with clear deliberate focus and GO FOR IT.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my May- no sugary treats- challenge. Talk about hardship and pitfalls!!! Trigirlpink without a Swedish Fish or a buttery sweet scone in my gnarly mitts is a challenge no one should have to witness. YIKES!

Happy training and hunting for your next new challenge!

L-Glutamine And Other Junk

2011-04-24T20:53:00.001-04:00

Spring has sprung here in New England if ever at a snail like and cautious pace. You remember Parker, don't you? Golden Retriever, Age 5, loves bananas, steak, hugs as you can see here. Hates romaine lettuce, snappy black dogs, house smoke detector alarms. Owned and operated by my sister. Here we are embracing in complete and utter JOY that it really is SPRING and soon he will be sampling a morsel of
Easter dinner ham.

I am up to 14 hours of weekly training now and 2+ weeks into consistent use of L-Glutamine. I have not missed a dose (6-8 grams a day) and I have to say, I am surprised how good I am feeling especially now that I am ramping things up (for what purpose I'm not exactly sure) I have no real season planned but it's apparent, I live to train, race season scheduled or not. Ahhhh but fear not. I've been lurking around the race calendar and I don't think I will make it through the year without some sort of crack addict fix of triathlon.

Now a 3 hour ride is nothing for most of you triathlete readers, but for me, it's a big day out and
I've at least broken through this barrier recently with the hope it won't continue to be complete bleeding from the eyeballs- drudgery now to have my ass planted on a saddle for 3+ hours building up something that resembles bike fitness. Here's my motivation...Team Psycho Training Weekend (insert scary music) coming up in May. Oh Boy... That is a post all in it's own so i will save it for later. My team mates show love by dropping you like a bad habit on the rides and ridiculing you over dinner the same night. It's really fun!!!

Getting back to the L-Glutamine. I have felt completely SPENT after a particular ride (ok..most all of them right now) or day when I mix a hard session (beating) of TRX and say a tempo run tacked on and feel TRASHED. You know that feeling? When you legs sort of burn going up stairs and it feels like lactic acid is just swirling around in there? But by the next day, after the addition of the L-Glutamine, I've found I'm no longer limping around and feeling fatigued to the point where all I want to do is graze and to go lay down. My easy/recovery day is still just that-treated as it should. But at least I'm not struggling just to get through the recovery day. VICTORY! I do recommend you do some research on your own and give this a shot if in fact you feel that your own recovery could use a boost. I'm thankful for finding this supplement that is simple to take, easy to digest, has no flavor and doesn't break the bank. Try to get the purest pharmaceutical grade you can. I purchased mine here. 2- 1LB powder form containers. If you do try it, I would love to hear your own feedback so let me know! One more point I shall make on this, taking this AFTER a hard session of training and before you go to bed are doses you don't want to miss. From what I have read. These are really important times to take it for Endurance athletes.

Happy Healthy Spring Training And Racing. Gummy chicks and rabbits included. Gawd..I love these things! :-)

My New Weapon? I Just Might Be On To Something......

2011-04-12T09:24:00.007-04:00

Keep reading if:
A.Your an endurance athlete.
B.You are sore after workouts.
C.You want to recover move quickly.
D. None of the above but hell, I wanna see what this "weapon" thing is all about.

Ok.. here we go... LISTEN UP. You just might wonder how you got yourself up everyday without this!

L-Glutamine

I'll try to give a brief overview of what you need concerning this subject since I've already done some research, so grab your coffee and settle in.
I first heard about L-Glutamine from MD my trainer dude who punishes me 2x a week with TRX suspension training. My current issue at the moment is recovery or rather the lack of it. Nutrition, sleep and sandwiching in recovery "days" just isn't working for me.
I need help or potentially I will be digging myself into a hole or worse, getting injured again. (shutter)

Below is a typical pattern for me without getting into the meat of my combined/other workouts:

Monday I'm fresh as a wild field daisy. I can bang out a prescribed swim set at morning Masters leading Lane 3 confidently. Bring it on baby...

Tuesday MD STEAM ROLLS me early AM with TRX and then I'll do a hard tempo run at
lunch to add to my fatigue for the day. I do eat within the prescribed window for recovery and it's always protein loaded but it doesn't appear to be enough in terms of recovery.

Wednesday I saunter back to the pool early morning and I'm trashed from Tuesday's Fun In The Sun, feeling a tad bitchy, ( who me??!!) while moaning and begging someone else to lead the freakin' lane.

Thursday  TRX thrashing repeated. MD could CARE LESS that Wednesday was "Distance Day" at Masters and pummels me just as hard if I complain. Bastard...
I'll throw in a run- hill repeat session to add to the mix. Heck, is all about suffering, right?

Friday I'm back in the water bright and early and I'm cooked again like Wednesday. I just want my paddles and my fins to motor me through what ever pool punishment is doled out for the morning and by midday, I'm looking for a nap and someone to knead me like dough.

I possibly can't continue down this meat grinding path so here's where my new"secret weapon" is going to rescue me in terms of aiding my recovery ( one hopes)
L-Gluamine L-Gluamine L-Gulamine

"Research has shown that after intense training,Glutamine levels in the body are reduced.
  Studies suggest supplementing with L-Glutamine minimizes the breakdown of muscle tissue and improves muscle metabolism"

Supplementing with L-Glutamine:

Helps build protein within your muscles
Helps prevent muscles from breaking down
Helps restore glycogen levels which increases performance
Helps boost your muscle recovery time
It supports growth hormone levels
Helps regulate your blood sugar
It's not a banned performance substance
It's easy to incorporate into your routine with no side effects unless you take
too much at one time and it's virtually tasteless.

The key to using it is consistency and finding the right dosage for yourself. Typically as athletes, the recommended dosage is 5- 15 grams a day spread out through the day.
I found that using the powder form is easier and less expensive that trying to take
it in pill form. One scoop equals 5 grams.
You should take it everyday like a vitamin.
Example dosage:
5 grams with your first meal
5 grams post workout
5 grams at bedtime when you are in REAL recovery mode.

I will be totally honest here in saying that I've just stared this supplement 6 days ago and on further research, it takes approximately 2 weeks to notice the effects of consistent dosing with L-Gluamine.

Stay tuned as I will be honest in my evaluation of this supplement and either save
you some money or risk giving up my secret in making you a lean, mean, recovery machine. Just don't be in my age group come race day. :-)

I Can Do Anything You Can Do Better... Yes I Can!

2011-03-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

I'm back from Boulder and my 3 day trip was a success! All three days saw me at the Newton Running lab having impressions for orthotics on day one, picking them up for testing on day two, and day three, attending Danny Abshire's run clinic. I found the clinic imperative for visualizing, executing and receiving the correction I needed in changing my run form.

TGP and Danny-follow the leader

Having another pair of eyes evaluate your form and make corrections made all the difference so that I could take it back home and continue on my own. I learned a ton and I'm ever so grateful for the time spend with me by both Danny and Jennifer Abshire as well as Paul at the Active Imprints lab for making me superior custom orthotics.

I've been super smart in taking the required time to break in my Newtons and I'm happy to say I'm up to 45 minutes with no calf tightness and my new run form is coming along nicely. Gone are the days when I head out the door and let my mind wander as I run but I'm hoping one day, I won't have to continually be engaged with my brain with every foot strike and constantly making slight corrections. It's supposed to be "natural running" and damn it, I'm sticking to this until it does. I've signed up for a 10k in June and I'm looking forward to seeing where I am at that point. Think SLOW but with GOOD form!!!

In other news, you'll notice my Team Water. org logo up at the top and I encourage you to
click on the link and poke around the site. It is a true eye opener in the sense that we take clean,
clear, safe and abundant water for granted and that is truly an understatement. I hope to join up with fellow Team Psycho team mate Kyle Damon ( yes, Matt's brother) in being a tiny voice in this worldwide crisis by becoming a team member and doing what I can to support this great cause. There are a lot of charities in need out there and it's hard to pick just one but if I do race this year, it will not only be for Margaret Nervegna as it always has been since her untimely death but now too for a chance to change a village or a save a child by helping support the basic need of clean,safe water.

Cheers!

CHANGE: A simple concept that requires commitment and tenacity for SUCCESS!

2011-03-08T13:48:00.006-05:00

Athletically I've made some MAJOR changes this year and I'm proud to say I'm sticking to
them like flies on a fresh steamy pile of Golden Retriever poop.

I started TRX late December/early January and I've stuck to a 2 x a week 1:15 of strength and conditioning "HELL" like those flies would. I'm starting my third installment of 10 classes so this proves it! Dede, Todd, Laura and hopefully Shannon will all be TRX slaves with me as I've somewhat inspired them to take the challenge, do something different, get ROCK SOLID.
It comes with a price mind you. I still leave every session sweaty, completely spent and wondering how I'm going to hold my arms up wielding sharp instruments all day. I know I'm only complimenting my swimming, biking and running with this and staying INJURY FREE
so therefore, I'm not givin' it up. IF MD, my Semper Fi, Drill Sargent up and leaves me, I am DOOMED. Who else is going to tell me "IT SAYS ZERO" when I complain about how I swam 4000 yesterday and I don't know if I will be able to work hard today. I get this look of 'Your kidding me, right' smirk on his face along with the comment, "Let me look at my *Give A F@ck meter* and see what it says"
I LOVE YOU MD!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Ok so what else have I committed to besides insanity? My run form. Oh boy.. this is a big one folks and I'm not going to go too much into this because all ya's gotta do is scroll down to my previous post and my mini video says it all. I need to follow up with my next video of me dancing around with my new run form. This is FAR FROM EASY and every run is nothing but paying close attention to:
keeping a slight forward lean
staying relaxed
keeping my chicken wing arms close to my body
maintaining a high cadence (90)
landing on my forefoot

This is a rather large POOP PILE to contend with each and every run but like the flies, DAMN IT I'm sticking to it in hopes that someday before my 79th birthday celebration,It quite possibly will be a HABIT.

Last but not least.

My freestyle swim stroke. It needed some tweaking as everyones could. We won't even go into how horrible
my flip turns really are, so that got overhauled too. MAJOR POOP HERE. Yikes! For the last 3 weeks, I have not felt snappy and fresh in the pool. All I do is concentrate on my elbows and keeping my hand placement where It's been POUNDED into me. As for the flip turn, my biggest flaw is not letting my head lead in conjunction with my hand on the entry to the wall and I loose all my momentum going in with a sloppy ass lead in stroke so I've got nothing coming off that wall. Think feathers poofing out of a down pillow. HORRIBLE....
And get this!!!!!! I am swimming the 1650 free this coming Saturday at Harvard somewhat verkclempt on if I should just swim it my old crappy self way or suck it up and swim it paying close attention to every last stroke and flip, not concerning myself with my time.

Think steamy pile of poop and those flies again...

Change is good!

I've taken up Pole Dancing

2011-02-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Did you even READ this part before opening the video? Geesh.....

The following video is really just another opportunity to whine about my plethora of past injuries.
I think it's appropriate that my Miele Vacuum is poised and ready in the background being the clean freak that I am don't you agree? Anyway, I made this for the Active Imprints/Newton Running gang out in Boulder who I'm going to see in March.
I think I'm on the right track. Changing my run form and getting my body super strong with TRX just might be my Wonka golden ticket.

The Result Of Boredom On A Winter Sunday Afternoon (Warning! 2minutes 45 seconds long)

2011-02-13T18:00:00.002-05:00

TRX - All The Cool Kids Are Doing It.

2011-01-21T20:52:00.003-05:00

Greeting from the deep frozen tundra of New England. The land of puffy coats, my circa 1999 J Crew flannel lined chinos I will NEVER retire, SmartWool sox and macaroni and cheese.

January is the toughest month (in my book anyway)
Boston is in daily gridlock now due to the amount of snow we've gotten with no place to put it. It's dark or some shade of gray pretty much daily and we are all zombie-like strolling around anemically pallid. If you live here, certainly you've learned the ice walk shuffle. If not, this is imperative especially after a snowfall that turns into rain and freezes and then another inch of snow falls on top concealing the ice as it lay underneath snickering just waiting for it's next victim.

I'm trying to keep a pleasant outlook while not becoming too doughy in the sheer laziness the month of January tends bring. So I thought to myself what better way to start off 2011 then to get thy self into injury free/prevention shape in a new and innovative way.
Remember my goal? I shall refresh you: To be injury free for 2011.

I had read about TRX from my blog roll list and decided to purchase it myself after it intrigued me. I couldn't wait to get it yet it sat there in the box FOR MONTHS collecting dust completely unopened. I was too intimated/lazy to get it up and running and watch the dvd on how to use it so there it sat. Finally I did some searching and found a top notch pilates studio that offered classes in TRX training in Brookline MA

Perfect I thought. I'll just go and swing around on those pretty yellow ballistic nylon straps with the handles and learn how to use it. How hard can it be? I'm a faithful Vinysa Power Yogi and I was certain I must be in good "core" shape by now, right?

Wrong.
Oh so Wrong.

I've taken 10 (2x week for a SOLID hour of work) and I'm still "meat tenderized" every time I go. I'm sure this will change very soon, but the 6:30 AM class time is not popular and far more than not, I end up as the only torture subject with the instructor.
MD (that's his name, I'm not using initials) stands over me and pretty much beats me to a pulp via those swinging fun yellow ballistic nylon straps so innocently hanging from the studio ceiling.

Meet six pack.. I mean MD...... my TRX Drill Sargent.

MD Stovalli

This is by far the toughest core/strength and conditioning regimen I have ever experienced and I can tell
you one thing, there is no SLACKING in this class. It's one set to the next set to the next with little or no
time in between unless I start whining and look like I'm going to cry. ( I use this technique as often as possible)
I sweat while I swear and after one hour, I am reduced to fettuccine noodle status.


no, I'm not looking for a dropped contact lens, I am doing Mountain Climber. My legs and my feet are not touching the floor, but they WANT to. Burn baby burn.

I am subjected to 40 lunges on each leg but not without a few choice swear words and general TGP complaining.


This is MD again. Basically you get the jest. He's telling me to put the camera DOWN and stop playing around. We have work to do. eeeeeeeeks.

I am ever so grateful for the individual (a$$ whipping) attention MD has hammered me with as I would NEVER work as hard as I am on my own. Next week starts my next round of 2 classes a week and I'm
well on my way to one strong set of hips, back, core and more than enough muscles I hadn't even known
existed.

You can check out the studio I go to here
and more about MD and his pit bull rescue, Scooby and Friends here

Goodbye 2010!

2010-12-21T21:34:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011!!!

Lots of changes ahead for me and I have my arrow drawn and aimed at 2011. Let's hope I hit the target. The injury free target that is. I have not been injury free with a solid triathlon season since 2007. That feels like a very long time ago and frankly,I've become crispy fried from picking my healed-but doughy-self up, building back my fitness only to face another injury and back through the cycle again. I cannot look back at those injuries and honestly say I learned from how and why they occurred. Freakish bad luck? That is all I can say about that.
I know it's only December, but the thought of signing up for a race, having a daily training schedule with 2 disciplines is so far off my internal radar it's as if I have never done it before.
Quite bizarre considering how anguished and impatient I would be during any one particular dreadful injury that occurred. I swear, I created so much needless stress on myself I probably prolonged my healing far too concerned about all the fitness I was losing while watching my planned season shatter into pieces.
I've lost so much ground in the 3 years not being able to train consistently, It's fair to say I probably won't ever match the times I did that year of 2007. I'll consider it the peak of my short lived amateur age group go at it. 2007 was a fantastic year for me after many yearly cycles of training, exposure to different distances, and just the cumulative build up one acquires honing a skill. Of course at the time, I only wanted to get faster and NEVER was completely satisfied with what I accomplished. Funny how 3 years can put that all in perspective.

Circa 2007

So what have I learned from all of this? ENJOY and SAVOR and be CONTENT with what you have and what you can do right here and now whether it just being healthy or finally grasping that brass ring and getting yourself to Kona for what could be one time. We spend way too much time worrying what others are accomplishing (ok, I do!) and perhaps setting the bar just a wee bit high for ourselves (ok me..) only to realize what one has already accomplished is far more than most people will ever do. Getting caught up in each morsel we put in our mouth, spending 4 hours perched on a Computrainer, (nope, never done this) and thinking the sheer fact of sacrifice is the key to success can be convoluted and
ultimately very very disappointing.

I've suddenly found myself completely disengaged with the notion of training and racing triathlon this coming year and with that I had to make the very difficult decision to leave Team Trakkers and the most awesome supportive sponsors that make that team what it is. Even more importantly, Charlie Patten, Carole Sharpless, and Michael Lovato are the backbone of this team and clearly without them, it would be nothing. I will miss being part of this great organization and I am very grateful I was part of it since it's inception.This will REALLY sink in come March when the team is gearing up for a solid season of racing, sponsors are in place, team kits are dispersed and I'm not part of it. eeeeks..... I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it but I know it will be hard pill to swallow.

So what do I have in store? Well you can be certain I'm not going to become a bon bon eating (pink) couch sloth, that is for sure. I'm still deciding, so you'll just have tune in regularly to:

As Trigirlpink's World Turns

Until then, I wish you a fun filled peaceful holiday and a very happy successful 2011 to each and everyone
of you.
Cheers!

Christmas Nostalgia/ A Few Of My Favorite Things

2010-12-01T14:28:00.003-05:00

Don't laugh, I have a bid on one of these right now. My grandmother had one proudly displayed in her living room when I was no more than 6-7 and I've NEVER forgotten how cool I thought this was. Think mini TGP with saucer eyes, mouth agape staring trance like at the tree

And if I win that retro classic aluminum shiny tree, I will need this

Be it Thanksgiving or Christmas, this is always on the table. It goes back to my Great Grandmother

These or clove spicy gum drops remind me of Christmas as a kid

This is a CLASSIC 1971 cartoon version of A Christmas Carol. Do you remember it?
Marly's ghost is creepy even in this Richard Willams cartoon rendition. You cannot find this on DVD or VHS. Bookmark it and watch later!

Some Fun Fotos.

2010-11-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've substituted a PT therapy table for cyclocross participation at the moment so instead of sitting around eating Cheetos, I've been hauling myself to the races to capture some of the fun on my new camera while learning how the damn thing works.

Soon I will be watermarking my stuff (when I have time to read the Lightroom tutorial. (HA!) People are already SNATCHING up my photos and posting them on public websites without even asking. SHAME. SHAME. Who the heck do I think I am anyway? A professional photographer? By no means. I can barely turn on my camera BUT... I've spent HOURS and HOURS downloading, editing (while trying to
digest and understand Lightroom3, organize them, and finally upload my photos. (phew)

A simple, "Hey, can I upload/use/post your photo on my blog,team website, sponsor page? "Please? Thank You, and I will give you credit for your photo" is a simple,
logical and courteous gesture, I say.

Anyway, enough fluff... here's some of my favorites taken over the last 3 weeks. Go 'head,
steal 'um . "-)

edebitettoduzinjury

2010-11-04T21:31:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking it's time for a new blog title. edebitetto duztri just isn't fitting the bill anymore.

I know!! Let's have a Blog Title Naming contest and who ever comes up with the BEST title for my new blog, I will PERSONALLY send you 7! THATS right! Count them! Seven authentic radiology reports with MATCHING MRI cds dated 2008-2010 !! If you act now, I will include my very intimate arthogram CD's for your very own personal viewing pleasure. But wait, that's not all!!! You get bilateral arthogram views because 2 labral hip tears are WAY better then one!! And remember, only YOU will get VIP viewing of my glowing hip socket (s) and cartilage.

Here's my latest diagnosis after months of hobbling on and off again: Ok, first let me say the good news is (after 3 opinions from top notch Boston orthopedic surgeons and one highly skilled PT person) I don't have to have hip surgery. Phew...

Symptoms: Sudden onset sharp intense pain in or around hip area (but not in the front) that makes me stop DEAD in my tracks but minutes later I can walk just fine with no pain

Aggressors: Standing on the pedals or even seated while pushing hard on a steep grade during a cyclocross

race. (ZING!) Bending over to pick something up (ZING!)

Diagnosis: a little nerve entrapment here, a couple of jaw clenching spams there, and Wala! Piriformis syndrome/external rotators inflammation. I'm so glad all the strength and conditioning work I did REALLY paid off. (not)

I just had to have one more set back for 2010 just to make me appreciate how good (and I'm talking REALLY good) 2011 is gonna be for me.

I swear.... If I get to December 31, 2011 injury free... I will run naked through the streets but not without pre-tanning and a pedicure in pink of course.

Boulder Fun!

2010-10-20T16:52:00.001-04:00

Sadly my 4 day Colorado trip has come to an end. The days were jam packed with seeing friends who live there(Sharpie, Kerrie with bonus Lucie, and the Lovatos x2 Yay Yay Yay!) I spectated in Denver for the Rock and Roll Marathon-1/2 Marathon Event, then up to Estes Park on the same day to watch how they do cyclocross in the Rockies: At altitude, and way more technical then we do here or so it seemed for this particular course.

In case you missed my album, here's a few of my favorite shots taken at The Aspen Lodge Colorado Cross Cup

Sometimes You Feel like a Clumsy Nut, Sometimes You Don't

2010-10-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

Here's an example of me being a Mounds: I can parallel park on a dime. One shot.. and we're in baby.... I can stop on the STEEPEST of hills and never roll back an inch with my 5 speed zippy VW.

Here I am as a nutty Almond Joy:
I can not, for the life of me, remount my cyclocross bike without doing this lame little stutter step or more often then not, coming to a COMPLETE stop to get back on my bike when I'm becoming very fatigued during a race. Any attempt at proper cyclocross skill execution is pretty much non existent. There is a wire that has come undone, short circuited... something in my head that is preventing me from learning to do that quick little snappy hop that propels me forward.

This has to end and I'm determined to fix it. Besides looking like a goof, I am losing loads of time to the other women. I raced in Providence Rhode Island last weekend and the course was somewhat technical and included 4 dismounts on each lap. This was a HUGE disadvantage for me. Potentially, I am losing 10-15 seconds per RE-MOUNT everytime I screw this up. 4 minutes of
this nonsense is causing me many places on the results sheet.

This is want I want to do.

and this...

all the cool kids can do it...

How hard is it to jump 2 inches onto a saddle? Apparently too difficult for me.

I am off to Boulder for a few days and I've already scouted out The Aspen Lodge Colorado Cross Cup event on Sunday to spectate. Just maybe the Rocky Mountain air will turn me from a non committal klutzy Almond Joy to a slick and smooth saddle hopping Mounds.

Dark Chocolate please.

Two Worlds Apart

2010-10-05T21:25:00.003-04:00

Does my ass look big? :-)

Triathlon is on a burner so far back there right now, I can't even see the round coils of it's outline. I'm sure that feeling will pass but until then, it's all about what I CAN do than what I CAN'T do. For now, it's the sport of Cyclocross.

It's keeping me fit.

It's keeping me sane.

It's keeping me happy.
And when I'm not trying to stay upright and on a wheel in front of me, I like taking pictures of it all. Here's a few of my favorites.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun!

2010-09-29T11:58:00.005-04:00

I think I'll rename this blog: ** Damage Your Hip And MORE**
My latest hip inspired adventure took me to Coolidge Corner Imaging for my latest MRI . I've been there for imaging 6,(count em') 6 times over the past 3 years. How crazy it that? This time for an arthogram MRI where they stick a very very very very long needle into the joint space filled with dye to view the labrum and determine if the tear (we already know it's there from 2008's arthogram) is larger and to view other structures to determine my hobbling predicament.

The MRI report suggests that there is a small tear in the posterior part of the labrum with of a smaller tear in the anterior labrum.

Hummmmm.. I only remember one being there back in 2008. Nuts......

Next up, a visit with a hip surgeon who probably wants to hone his skill at yanking out my hip from the socket and cleaning up the torn cartilage and whatever else they do. We'll see about that.
For the meantime, I'm maintaining my bike fitness and doing some cyclocross. My hip doesn't really like hobbling over the barriers or running through the sand pits, but it's not enough discomfort to keep me from staying off my new carbon Ridley cross bike . Charlie, if you are reading this I REALLY REALLY wanted a mean green Trakkers skin suit for cross but I guess I waited too long to wear you down with my TGP whining to actually get one.

Here I am in the Pain Cave of SuckBrook Cross in Auburn NH. After the 2rd of 4 loops, I was stepping not hopping and dragging my bike over the barriers . I suspect I'll be come fitter as the races come and not feel like I will implode due to lack of oxygen. Yikes...

I'm way too chicken and slow to line up in the front

Dirty faced and beginning to uncoil. Someone get the girl a Ponds face cleansing cloth!

I won't lie. I look FRESH and happy while playing in the sand because it's only the first loop of 4!

Photo credits go to Rob Bauer of MinuteMan Road Club

It's always something.

2010-09-15T02:18:00.002-04:00

I haven't felt much like posting over the last 12 days nor have i read a single blog. Call me Trigirl hobbling pink hermit. My 2 race triathlon comeback is OVER. It feels like I didn't even get through the previews and I got firmly escorted out with a half a tub of popcorn and my Diet Coke barely touched. WAIT A MINUTE!

No fair.

I played by the rules and I am MAD.
Such is life.
They think a labral tear diagnosed in 2008 is the culprit that I opted out of getting repaired. Is this making me hobble?? We don't know..yet. One day I was running and the sun was shinning. The next I was hobbling and looking for a gun. Suddenly, no warning. Game over...

Greetings from radiology! A place I'm becoming all to familiar with. So familiar, my hospital attire feels normal. Sad but it's true. I can give you tips on how to wear your gown so nothing is hanging out from the front or the back!

Here I am modeling the latest in hospital attire. Notice the lovely pattern this season. It's all the rage!

Here's the big ol' needle syringe I got plenty of time to sit and stare at while I waited to be
poked with into my hip joint yesterday.

Here's my hip getting an injection under guided fluoroscope with cortisone to determine if the labral tear is my issue. No pain, no hobbling post injection= labral tear acting up.

Here's my awesome team @ Mt. Auburn Hospital in Boston who made it quick and painless. Cheryl, Dr. Marianacci and Dr. Boyce. :-)

Well, it's only been 24 hours and honestly, the verdict is out. I still feel something. Time will tell I guess. In the mean time, cycling doesn't seem to bother it and I'm desperately clinging on to my well established bike fitness so perhaps I can go play with the cyclocross people since I keep getting kicked out of the triathlon club.

Hit Me Baby One More Time.....

2010-08-30T19:39:00.004-04:00

Ooops, I did it again...

I stealth raced. Low flying aircraft. Under the radar. Closet participant. I'm getting to like this!

Round two:
Show up at intended race. Lay out my little transition towel, spit shine my sunglasses, put my head down and see what my body has in store for the day. That's it.

No pressure.
No expectations.
No pre-race chatter days beforehand about what I expect of myself or any specific goals except keep moving FORWARD.

Show up, punch the time clock and and get to that finish timing mat as quickly as possible so I can sit down. Now we all know this can't go on forever, especially I know this. But for now, it clicks for me. It keeps me from over thinking and more importantly, it keeps it FUN.

Fun doesn't come without a price though and you can be certain, I want my money's worth having fun yet
putting some effort into my journey back. Effort meaning, getting my arms and feet to go FASTER in the water and my pedals to turn faster and my feet to stop doing the old lady shuffle.
But fast= discomfort and I have a confession:

My fairly thick mental and physical tenacity callouses i call them, have worn off completely. Here's a good example:
.

TGP Before all this injury stuff: " I will mow you down"

TGP After 3 years of mushy racing and injury

This weekend it was The Kennebunk Fireman Triathlon(s) OLY and Sprint distances In Kennebunk Maine.
Now ya'll know me enough at this point( I hope)that you can guess easily which distance I chose.
Hint: It's wasn't the Olympic. A 6.2 mile run? Ummm.. no.

Yet who thinks of WALKING during a measly 5k run of a sprint triathlon? That would be me.
Seriously.
I had no real reason for wanting to do this except for the simple fact of how it hurt my muscles and made me breath really hard. I'm just not used to this suffering even 3 months into consistent training. The mental toughness is right behind the fitness, slow to come but I'm sure it must be there. One can only hope.

As to not bore you with detail. This race was a bit more high profile than last weekend. USAT officials, wrist bands, lots of rules warned of and enforced, well organized. Fun ocean swim and beautiful sea side scenery with a pancake breakfast post race.

Ok, so like last weekend's first attempt, I swam, I biked, I ran (insert more suffering this week than last weekend here)
I ate blueberry pancakes.

and I did score another little tricket for my suffering.Woop Woop!

and I shall leave you with a funnyTrigirlpink Fun Factoid:


I went to High School in Kennebunk. Now if I could just dig up where I put this"I will mow you down" look....

Oh... and by the way, Britney was still on Enfimil when I graduated. Oh baby, baby..

One In The Books

2010-08-24T19:29:00.001-04:00

Finished,terminé,finito

After almost a full year of sporting a big fat ZERO in my racing log, I finally removed the velcro attaching my feet to the side of the ledge I was firmly secured to and......

jumped!

It felt WEIRD. I'm a spectator.
A picture taker.
A volunteer.
A participant??.......did I say it felt weird? It did.

I had a stupid little smile on my face as I filled my jet stream bottle and

set up my neat and tidy square of a transition space. Good.. I haven't forgotten that.

Was I nervous? Strangely no. Not in the least. I have a good feeling of where my fitness is at this point and this was purely "testing the water" just getting out there and moving from the chronic injury sidelines to doing what I love and miss.

Granite Man up in Wofeboro NH was my testing ground this past Saturday. I like to refer it to THE-WE DIDN'T GET INTO TIMBERMAN- BOO HOO -Race on the other side of Lake Winnipesaukee. The Fray. The old school,non-conformists, the anti M-Dot crowd. Not me so much as Timberman is one of my favorite races but the rest of the racing field certainly felt that way. I was HAPPY as a clam to blend in to 200 athletes who I've never met or raced with. No whining was heard about the non-wetsuit swim, the sandy beach transition, the limited food selection or the non printed swim caps. None of that. Just the simplicity that comes with a non corporate small home town race venue. No wrist bands, no long porta potty lines, no USAT card/ID needed at check in.

Granite Man is in it's 29th year. Just a fun simple, chip timed, no frills (wicked hilly..gasp)race

I swam.
I biked.
I ran.

I finished.
I smiled.

I scored some Granite.
I have much to work on but SO happy and thankful to be out there
again.

Is Anybody Really Reading This?

2010-08-09T21:56:00.000-04:00

I guess I should update this thing for the 3 of you faithful lurkers hoping for some really good drama.

I got none.

I'm SUCH a bore these days. Instead of racing ( I relate this to holding my finger over a hot flame) I've been hanging out on the sidelines too chicken to test the waters. Soon. Maybe.. But as I confided in a select few, I'm not telling if, when or how. I'm a closet trainer and I shall be a closet participant of any event I might jump into. But no worries! I'll share the carnage (post race) in full detail if and when I get up the nerve.

My training is churning along. I LOVE my workouts, my schedule and everything is coming along nicely. It's just that it's coming along nicely at a rapid snails pace. More than 1/2 the fee I pay for coaching goes for weekly whining I have no problem dumping on my coach because I'm not where I think I should be. I'll share a typical response I get: Please note, I've added some "response whining" in red below to my coaches comments

Here’s today’s hard lesson:

When on the come-back trail (really anytime, but particularly then), we are frustrated with where we are (slow), and just want to get where we’d like to be (fast). There are 3 choices at this point:

1. Say “screw it” and just jump to the paces you’d like to be at. Just be aware that it is a long commute to Portland for physical therapy should you choose to get injured again (oops, I mean jump to the fast paces)

2. Say “screw it” and give up on sports. I truly hope you just laughed at the ridiculous nature of this option (I know I have many many times)

3. Say “humbug” ....more appropriate " f*ck it...", have a mini breakdown as needed, and be okay with where you are (slow). Training at that point will enable you to get to where you want to be down the road (fast).

Keep the faith, girl. It’s a long road from a lengthy setback or three. You mean my labral hip tear, my foot stress fracture and my hip stress fracture? Three IS a charm!! Consistency is the key. Staying injury free keeps you moving towards where you want to be. Moving there too quickly just sets you back further.

On another subject,I am having fun with my camera. If I chose not to race, I'll take some pictures and this weekend I put my newest SLR camera to good use.. I'm embarrassed to say I know how to turn it on and that is about it. SHAMEFUL, but I'm making the commitment to learn a good part of what it has to offer instead of guessing and using the wimpy auto-mode over the next month.

Here's a few (just got lucky) shots I took this weekend at a race in Gloucester MA. I have a lot to learn but it's really fun experimenting.


I like how this came out by just playing around with the aperture setting

This was a total-right place at the right time- shot. I love this!!! I was using one of my two lens- a 55-200 zoom lens as I sat on the pavement on an uphill. I had no idea what I captured until I downloaded this image. I don't even recall team mate, Dave Nerrow standing there as Karen started out on the run. BTW: he is encouraging her to go *chick* one of our team mates who's famous for smack talk and could use a bit of humbling.

A dripping, muscular, display of maleness. Nuff said.

A man in a wetsuit..... It CAN be a good thing. I've found that you can oogle at the
opposite sex without looking obvious with a camera in your face. :-)

You see the pattern here, no?

The end

Manolo Blanhnik's or Bikes?

2010-07-30T22:37:00.010-04:00

I chose bikes.

I don't have a plethora of expensive bikes but I have more than I think I really should (insert hand wringing) yet every time I make the commitment to sell one, a tiny bead of sweat appears across my upper lip and I panic ( just a little) and rescue it from the selling platform.

A case of TGP Bike hoarding?

You decide:

Lets start with this one.

This is a RESCUED classic steel Marinoni road bike. It used to be
a god awful yellow fade to bile green. After some cosmetic surgery of new training wheels, a compact crank, saddle, professional Hot Tubes paint job, all new PINK housing cables, several bar wraps ( I'M REALLY GOOD AT THIS!) I'm attached this bike.
JUSTIFICATION ON KEEPING THIS: This is my commuter bike (that I don't commute with) It's my early spring bike when the roads are sandy and pot holey. Just recently it had yet another round of Botox Cosmetic and here she is now:

Wheel decals removed, new bottle cages and fresh new pink bar tape that matches the cages all done by me.
Please ignore the red SPD pedals. Pretend they are pink. I can't give this bike up now, I haven't used the water bottle cages yet.

Number 2

My mountain bike that never sees mountain bike trails. I love this bike though. It was my first 'test' with cyclocross. I felt safe with the big knobby tires on the course and front bouncy shock. I love the grip shift on this bike too.
JUSTIFICATION ON KEEPING THIS: I need it for the 1 or 2 times I get up the courage to ride
my bike outside in the arctic temperatures of New England around mid February when I'm ready to pull my hair out if I have to get on that Compudrainer gerbil wheel, one more time.

Up next:

My pink Elite. I've had this bike since 2004. It used to be red and I sent it back to Elite in 2006 with a Home Depot paint swatch "Disney Princess Pink" and wala, I had a pink bike. After several sets of aero bars and a complete components change from Ultegra to Dura Ace, It fits like a glove. This bike is like my wooby.
WHY I CAN'T PART WITH IT: Linus blanket syndrome combined with the little bike hoarding issue.
Nuff said.

Let move on to the impulse buy:

I just had to have this because:

1. My OCD combined with the minor hording disorder made me feel as though that I needed to "even" out the bike collection and 3 was certainly not a balanced number. 4, 4 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, sort of like light switch on,off, on, off, on off. Gotta have 4

2. It was ON SALE. (please note that having the bike shipped off to be rid of the the cookie-cutter
Cervelo paint job canceled that 'got it for a steal' feeling very quickly.)

3. See number 1.

4. See number 2.

Ah geeze.. I forgot one. So there goes my even number bike ownership fixation

Here's me sporting a bad a$$ face with my new pink bad a$$ road tires for summer use on my bad a$$ Cannondale cross bike with mud repelling disc brakes. Slick.... I know.

I will say bad a$$ one more time just to even that description term used 4 times now.

I don't have this but I think I need it now that It's become crystal clear I only have 5 bikes in my possession which could consequently throw the uncontrollable need for even number bike ownership into spiraling turmoil until I do.
PERFECT JUSTIFICATION, the little voice in my head just said.

Don't Mess With Me (Nubble Light Race Report)

2010-07-14T09:07:00.009-04:00

I'm quite sure I heard the ocean say this to me as I stood peering into the thick fog on Long Sands Beach in York Maine looking for at least one orange buoy as promised or at least the outline of the Nubble Light House I would be aiming for. As the morning minutes ticked away to race time, the fog gently dissipated with the forecast of rain nowhere in sight. The sun was out, the beach was warm and breezy. A perfect summer morning.

I decided to wear my sleeveless wetsuit having gotten a reading of 62 degrees just a day before the race via the race staff. I have a long sleeve Blue Seventy wetsuit, but I've never really felt comfortable in it besides the fact it's a workout in itself getting the damn thing on. Could it have to do with my*100 pounds of athlete, 40 pounds of a$$ meat frame* I'm sporting these days?
Perhaps.

I do miss my old Orca wetsuit that had some sort of material lining the inside that was a breeze to pull on. I had ordered a new Xterra full suit but it didn't arrive in time. RATS!

That was a mistake. ( the wetsuit choice)

Had I taken the ocean seriously I would have been better prepared for the battle it was about to throw my way. A full suit, 2 swim caps and maybe even those fun little BlueSeventy swim sox just sitting home collecting dust would have been (better) battle protection.

Lets get to the shark meat of it. the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

The water was cold but not burn-your-face-cold. 62. Doable for sure. I did not
stick a toe in the water pre race. I figured I had 2.4 miles to get some sort of warm up in. No sense getting my panties in a bunch and shivering on the shoreline waiting my impending frolic right?

I stood on the beach, primed and ready. I wasn't thinking about if or how I would tolerate the conditions I might encounter. I would take them as they presented themselves. I had a kayak escort that was at first, a requirement for each swimmer but then as the race approached, the rules changed, it became an option. If you could submit results of a one mile swim under 30 minutes this could be waived. Pfffffffff. No problem-o but I kept my security ~~blanket~~ kayak guy, Rick from Kittery Point. Being it the first inaugural event, and not knowing really how things would go down out there I made the right decision as you will soon learn. the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

I hugged my right hand man and PSB (potential shark basher) Rick and sent him off for final preparations. I would see him 300 yards off shore in Wave 2 - Red caps. I "Be-Dazzled" my swim cap with waterproof silvery duct tape i found at Home Depot so Rick could pick me out. Now that I think about it, he only had to look for the bubble headed bottle blond that was dumb enough to have her stick arms exposed.

swimming through the "gut"

Oh.. I Be-Dazzled Rick too with gold garland and a Red Sox flag for his vessel so my family on shore could see him at the middle check point- a narrow channel or "The Gut" which brought us from Longs Sands beach over to Shorts Sands beach with a quintessential Maine rocky coast line, the light house looming above, and a smattering of lobsta traps, to brush by.

5,4,3,2,1 and my wave was off. I tumbled through the waves and decided dunking under the surf line was the easiest way to get out past it. Success.
With a few re-adjustments of my goggles I was in a good groove and suddenly found myself not concerned with the water temperature one bit. Cool.......
see my foot?

Within 10 minutes Rick was paddling by my side. I was excited! Off we go!! I'm NAILING THIS SUCKER... the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

or so I thought....

I was cruising along trying to stick with my friend and WestSide Swim Club coach Nate McBride's suggested sighting/stroke pattern 8/10/18 he had given me. The more swimming, the less slighting, the less lag.
All was going well until the ocean decided to mix things up a bit and see how all 100 of us were gonna handle a few wallops of the most fridge water I've ever experienced. It was as if someone opened up the antarctic flood gates because suddenly I was short of breath trying to acclimate to cold water yet I was already in cold water! I gathered myself ( having to breath every stroke for a bit) and PRAYED that this was just a mini pocket from a current and all would be fine. the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

Almost to the Light house (about 1/2 hour in) My Kayak guy Rick started blowing his whistle.
"Dear mother of Jesus.. does he see a shark or something???" I pop up and whip around only
to hear him yelling he is helping out another swimmer in distress.

Mommy.... I'm scared....
"Pull yourself together!!!!" and so i did (well sort of)the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

I'll cut to the chase. The water DID warm up but only in small sections and not enough to make
me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Instead, my head started to feel like it contained a large amount
of helium and my praying mantis arms began to feel like dead tree sticks with a garden claw on the end.
(think scarecrow)

I exited the midway point to head for home and decided (in a helium head kind of way) going OUT to the right instead of hugging the coastline was a far better option. (for hypothermia)

Now if I was smart, I would have explained to my kayak escort, " I have a little problem. I tend to zig and then zag when I open water swim. FEEL FREE to whack me with one of your paddles if
I go wandering like Lindsay Lohan searching for her fallen cell phone under the table after her third bottle of Kurg.
You get my point.

Hummmmm... silly me for leaving out that minor little detail on the pre-swim pep talk.

FINALLY I hit the shore line and climbed out of the water on my frozen stumps but not without
falling back into the water a few times while everyone watched. Lovely!

15-20 minutes of some much needed attention, I was good as gold and contemplating a re-match
with that ocean next year but not without:

A full wetsuit
At least 2 (short) cold water swims
My cozy BlueSeventy sox
and either 2 swim caps or a thermal cap (so very fashionable..not)
oh... and how can I leave out the most important task to learn?

the shortest distance between two points is a straight line

Nubble Light 2.4 Mile Swim Photos

2010-07-10T19:01:00.001-04:00

Topping off the Tank!

Rick, my Kayak escort

Fellow MIT Masters swimmers

The first of NOT ENOUGH buoys for horrible slighter (me)

Swimming through "The Gut" a channel between The Nubble Light House and
a jetty. Foggy one minute.....

Sunny within minutes out of the channel.

Heading home but a tad off course? Ha ha.... If you look closely, you can see another swimmer's kayaker way over near the houses.

Race report later!

Plodding along and embracing my limbs

2010-07-02T21:55:00.008-04:00

All is well. My training is coming along if ever so slowly. I must constantly keep reminding myself you don't get injured over night and you certainly don't regain your fitness back that quickly either. I'm anxiously awaiting my big ocean adventure scheduled for next weekend in York Maine. I just printed out the race packet and you'd a though I was doing an Ironman with all the printed pages in the packet of logistics and such. I made the mistake of reading the packet right before going to bed after printing it out. BIG MISTAKE. My eyes were like saucers when I flipped off the light. Here's a bit of the race packet info I've been milling over.

1. There will be four buoys located on the course and one just before the finish. Swimmers must stay to the right of all buoys. Now call me spoiled by triathlon 1.2 mile swims, but I distinctly remember many more buoys to sight off of then 4. And where's my big blow up arch I want to run through at the finish??

2. Be aware there will be lobster buoys scattered throughout the race course. Swimmers are not to hang onto them or disturb them in any way. I think it's pretty safe to say, I won't be diddling along the course looking for lobster buoys to hang on to. Now mistaking them for a race buoy, THAT is another ball of wax.

3. Hypothermia: Hypothermia is a medical condition that occurs when the core temperature of the body drops below 35 degrees C, (95 degrees F). Swimmers are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia when swimming in cold water. Individuals that are the most susceptible are those people without much body fat, especially slender males. The risk of hypothermia increases when fatigue occurs during swimming. The amount of time spent in the water is also a significant risk factor for hypothermia. That is, the longer the amount of time spent in the water, the higher the risk. Water temperature above 60 degrees is usually not a problem for the swimmer. However factors such as strong water current may increase the risk.

The keys to hypothermia include: uncontrollable shivering, stiff muscles, numbness in extremities, extreme fatigue.

VERY considerate of the race director to remind all of us this potential hazard in the tropical waters of MAINE!!!

4.Swimmers are encouraged to avoid the shoreline and any rock formations.

No comment.

And lastly, you just can't make this up people. Today on my Comcast Home page:

Boaters told to be alert for sharks off Northeast

"experts believe more will return this summer, attracted by the exploding local population of seals, a favorite shark food." Ok, so lets play the association game. Wetsuit/ shark food
Wetsuit/seal. Wetsuit/shark chum

"sharks in the ocean waters off the Northeast, warning that the creatures could easily capsize a small boat or kayak" I'd say my theory of having the non required kayak escort with me to beat off any potential flesh-eating fish with his or her paddle just went swirling down the toilet.

"officials held a news conference this week to stress that no great whites — the kind of shark that taunted swimmers in the book and movie "Jaws" — had been spotted near beaches, and that beachgoers and swimmers should not be worried so long as they exercise "common sense" and avoid swimming near seals." This can't possibly apply to dressing up like a seal and trashing around in the water with 100 other seal-like human. No..... yes!!!!! No... YES!!! NO YEEEEES!!

Sharks and rocks and seaweed, OH MY!

2010-06-24T08:34:00.001-04:00

Here's my next adventure
The First Annual Nubble Light Challenge July 10th
2.4 mile ocean swim. Check out this short video, and WATCH OUT for the rocks!

First Race Of The Season. Does A Swim Count???

2010-06-20T15:54:00.003-04:00

Look! A triathlon without the bike and run!! I had to start somewhere, right???? BABY STEPS....

THANK YOU to Charlie Patten owner of Trakkers,Sharpie, our team mother bear,Carrie from Saucony, LOVE MY BAG! Robert at First Endurance (I had a big o' bottle of EFS GRAPE to hydrate me b4 and after the swim)and not to forget Karen Allard and Megan Hendrick at SBR Sports for my Foggle that kept my goggles CLEAR for PERFECT sighting! Yay!!

Here's me again with my big o' butt in view. Have ANOTHER slice of Cheese cake Elaine.... and slap on
some peanut butter while your at it....

Look! Another butt shot(good gawd) I remember the guy with the red sleeves saying to the race director, "We have to swim way the hell out to that boat?"

Here's some people swimming. I'm not in there but lets pretend I'm right out front on the left there mowing down the field!

Ahhhhh..... She emerges from the watery depths looking for a time on my "pretend" watch.

Q: Is it possible that your butt can look bigger AFTER swimming a mile?
A: Why yes it is!

Here I am explaining my detailed race strategy post swim and it's outcome: Don't blow up 5 minutes into
the damn thing. ACCOMPLISHED

Just one more picture of me because I just know you haven't gotten quite enough of me in this post. At least it's not my butt again.

Happy swimming and watch that Cheesecake and peanut butter consumption. (sigh)

My A$$ aches

2010-06-17T20:50:00.003-04:00

And so do my hamstrings, my quads, my abductors and adductors for that matter. Add in my scapula(s) ( don't we have two of these?) on both sides. Armpits, eyelashes and cuticles..... simply EVERYTHING. Arrrrgh.
Just for good measure I got a solid 4 hours of sleep last night to add to my quality crankiness . Holding up my soapy shower scrungie seemed to be too much of an effort today.

I can blame no one but myself. I missed TWO sessions with my Mike Boyle-Strength and Conditioning ~~nazi,~~ coach, Nicole last week and I'm quickly learning through my aching a$$/whole body discomfort, I can not do this or I will feel the wrath of (TMT) the meat tenderizer AGAIN and AGAIN.

Last night I was back into my routine with Nicole who had to be wound up on some type of caffeinated double latte thingy laced with a Red Bull because she was RELENTLESS.(Picture yelling and clapping at me for 60 minutes straight) Perhaps she was punishing me for my absenteeism?
If I wasn't lying on the floor banging out scapula pushups, seconds later she had me throwing some big squishy (heavy) ball like

this against a cement wall while kneeling down on one knee.
It's pretty much the same pattern every time I show up and I am WELL PREPARED for the excitement now. Within 15 minutes, my eyes are bulging, my face is red and wisps of hair are flying from my (used to be neat and tidy) ponytail making me look rather possessed and WAY TOO SWEATY. We move from one thing to the next to the next to the next and NEVER even touch a weight machine. Those days are OVER. No more traditional weight machines for me. Slide boards, TRX, and my own body weight do just fine in beating my doughy a$$ and hips to a pulp.
It's all for a purpose you see, and before you know it, you'll be able to bounce a quarter off my butt cheek AND you won't have to listen to me
bitch about my latest injury, cause there won't be any. HA!

Graduation Weekend!

2010-06-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

This past weekend my nephew graduated from High School. Yay Andrew!! WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Here's some of the action
I caught.

Green Love

2010-06-07T22:24:00.001-04:00

Yup. It's was a BIG Trakkers Weekend in Middlebury Connecticut for the Rev3 OLY and 1/2 distances races. Lots of Trakkers teammates volunteering or racing and some doing both!!

Saturday started out like this at the one mile run aid station: Anthony, lovely wife Michelle, The Sharpie, and Rob non Trakker wish-he-was(ha!) presently skirt-less

Then things started to pick up after we did a few tequila shots and Jamie showed up
with the "green goods"

The Jagermeister came out and all hell broke loose.

After we loosened up a bit with XM Satellite radio featuring disco, it was time to get down to business fueling the needy.

But not without cowbell and lots of it. Unfortunately I did not get a shot of Carole's mooning action.
It certainly was the highlight of the morning.

Congratulations to all the finishers and our MOST AWESOME Aid Station crew.

Sunday came in a flash and it was race day #2.

..and I was out on the bike and run course following along by car and madly writing down names, and splits for Dede who kept close tabs on how the women's race was unfolding to relay back to the anchor desk!

I got to see some of the boys too. Can you guess how long it took to make this pass???

It wouldn't be Rev3 without some Trakkers Green..... Wished I had

gotten shots of Amanda, MB and Jacqui...... (and our age group team to boot)

It was heartbreaking to see Julie riding a squeaky clean race only to lose her lead on the run.

I did my best to try and give some positive words to all the athletes when time permitted to get out of the car and take in some of the action. Here is Sam Warriner and Kelly Williamson flying by me.

Memorial Day Weekend is

2010-05-31T21:00:00.000-04:00

the time of year when I want to plant flowers

and swim outside

and ride on quiet roads in the bright sunshine

Stop and marvel at the wild Lupins

and remember those who sacrificed their life and fought for our freedom

Busy!

2010-05-26T11:27:00.002-04:00

It's Wednesday May 26th??? Where did May go??? The pollen is flying, (never buy a BLACK car) the weather is like mid- July and lots going on over here on my parcel of earth. So much that I haven't had the time to update my blog or read any either. So here's what's new:

I am fully healed from my femoral neck stress fracture   Yay!
and...

I have a new coach. Yay x2.

After much searching and contemplating ( more like ringing my hands) I found an ideal match for me.

My new coach has his Masters and Doctoral in physical therapy. VERY convenient for the injury prone TGP, don't you agree?? I bet I don't even get a blister now that this is in place. Ha!

He's also a certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. (anything with the word orthopedic in there suits me and my stress-fracture-y bones JUST FINE)

He only takes a hand full of athletes ( good..because I'm high maintenance Ha!)

He's been in the sport of triathlon for 20 years.   13 Ironmans and has qualified for Kona 6 times.

Just maybe.... I'll pull myself together for some sprint/OLY racing by September. We shall see!

I'm very excited to work with local (Team Psycho) team mate, Chris Ramsey PT,DPT,OCS
He's motivated to get me back to where I want to be: focused, inspired, and hopefully speedy!
Finding a coach who you respect, admire, fully trust and who gives you a plan that is as individual as you are, has to be the foundation for success, no?

Wish me luck!

MEET NICOLE........

2010-05-19T15:26:00.002-04:00

Nicole Rodriguez
(don't let that smile fool you)

Nicole is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Sports Performance Coach at Mike Boyle's Strength and Conditioning gym in Winchester MA. You should see this place...

Nicole is slowly and progressively whipping my

weak and out of whack body into a strong solid foundation.

Strong core, back and hips= an injury free TGP.

An injury free TGP will be a happy TGP. Now why didn't I think
of this before?

Now I'd have some pictures here to show you how she makes me suffer but there is NEVER a second to pick up the camera. It's go go go from the second I walk in there.

That's ok though because she's making quite

sure I'm getting my $$ worth out of each session. I walk outta there all sweaty , plop myself into my car and wish someone would shift for me as I drive home, feeling like

a noodle with Nicole stilling yellin' in my head

LETS GO!

YESSSSSSSS!

WATCH ME!

5 MORE!! JUST 5 MORE!!!

YOU GOT IT!!!!!

AllRRRRRRIGHT.

arrrrrgh.........

In other exciting events. I am HEALED (yay) and starting my journey back to being 7 pounds lighter among other things.

There won't be time for leisurely shopping, mutiple toe nail polish changes
watching the premium movie channel, reorganizing my closet for the 20th time
brownie baking,that sort of stuff.

Suddenly, I'm washing more water bottles, ordering bike parts and washing more workout clothes.

ahhhhhhh... normalcy!

SHAVE AND SAVE THAT FUR!!!

2010-05-13T09:41:00.000-04:00

Check this out!!! These are called Hair Booms. It's a safe, non-toxic, and effective way to help in the Gulf Spill clean up. Donors from every state in the US, from Canada and beyond are sending in hair, fur and wool clippings as well as nylons and funding for the outer mesh. This fibers and tubing are used to make Booms that can protect beaches and coastal waters.

Hair and Fur is more effective than petroleum fiber based boom materials.
Lines of boom are for beaches, stacks of boom are for between metal wire mesh and rocky barriers and The Army Corps of Engineers is engineering large floating "lobster cages" in which to use these boom at the "Living Edge" of the Gulf Spill.

How can you help?

Be HAIRY like Parker here....

and donate your fur!

http://www.excessaccess.com

Short And Sweet

2010-05-09T21:35:00.003-04:00

It's almost the middle of May and I had to pick the coldest day of the spring with gale force winds to make it my first day out on 2 wheels. Yup, I'm putting on booties here and rode with heavy gloves in

May!! I lasted 1:20 for my first ride outside.

Thermal noggin' protection too. Brrrrrrr

Ready to roll. All Toasty and Warm. Thank you Trakkers for my awesome new gear!

All in all, just HAPPY to be out on a bike in the sunshine with a

horrible injury BEHIND me.

I Smell The Barn Door

2010-05-06T09:55:00.002-04:00

...and it smells GREAT!

It's week 12 of a 13 recovery phase for me. I MADE IT! Whoooooo hoooooooo! Well almost and you can bet your Lilly White A$$ I'm ALL DONE with this chronic injury CRAP.

Fact: I have not had a injury free, consistent solid performance race season since 2007.

Yesterday I took the bull by the horns and set up my very first session with a strength and conditioning coach. Nicole is going to whip me into shape and figure out just how out of whack my body really is and stop this cycle for good. ( we hope)

She wanted to know a bit about my history so I thought I'd share this email I sent to her:

Ok Nicole, so here's a brief history of my injuries with my last 2 (current) MRI reports:

January 20th 2010 TGP says" Gosh... my hip flexor is so sore"

MRI findings:

R/O Stress Fracture: MRI left hip February 17th 2010

There has been interval development of abnormal increased T2 signal intensity at the medial aspect of the left femoral neck. Although no definitive linear hyperintesity is seen, the findings are compatible with medial femoral neck stress fracture. A small amount of fuild signal is seen asjacdnt to the lesser trochanter at the level of tendon insertion of the illiopoas muscle that likely represents tendinosis/low-grade strain of the the iliopaoas muscle.

for over 6 months TGP says "Gosh.. my right a$$ cheek and underlying bones/tissue ACHE all the time. I can't even sit on a stool at work"
R/O Stress fracture: MRI right hip September 3, 2009
MRI says:
Strain/partial tear of the tendoinous insertion of the right hamstring muscles onto the left ischial tuberosity and mild
strain of the subjacent quadratus femoris muscle.
Lesser degree of strain of the tendinous insertion of the right hamstring muscle onto the right ischial tuberoisty.

February 2009
TGP says: " Damn I think my left foot is swelling up a bit and my Plantar Fascitis is really bothering me"

MRI reports showed:

Cuboid stress fracture and PF.

April 2008 TGP says " Wow... My left hip on the outer aspect feels really weird. I must have pulled something"

MRI arthogram shows:

Labral hip tear on the left.

PLEASE FIX ME!!!!!!

Mark Your Calendar for February 2011

2010-05-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

Once again, REV 3 is flexing their triathlon muscles and has just added another race to their already first class race series. Grab your passport, we're goin' to Costa Rica!

Guanacaste, Costa Rica to be exact.

RACE DATE: FEBRUARY 19-20, 2011

Kids Rev: Saturday, February 19th (kids race for free!)

Sprint Rev: Saturday, February 19th

Olympic Rev: Saturday, February 19th

Half Rev: Sunday, February 20th

Costa Rica is well known as tranquil, peaceful and very beautiful. Rainforest, cloud forest, volcanoes and beaches along with Trekking, hiking, rafting, horseback riding, are just a few Costa Rica has to offer post race! Costa Rica comprises of seven provinces: San Jose, Alajuela, Hereida, Catago, Punta Arenas, Guanacaste (where the race will be held) and Limon.

Costa Ricans have a long tradition of Peace and Democracy. Its friendly people welcome visitors and are proud of their incredibly beautiful environment.

Among Costa Rica’s many attractions is Guanacaste National Park which offers several ecosystems including a tropical forest, cloud forest and dry forest. The diverse flora and fauna species include 3,000 plant species, 300 bird species and 5,000 butterfly and moth varieties.
The Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano and Arenal Volcano and natural hot springs are also sights not to be missed.

How cool is that??

To read more about the race, click here