"Special Treats"

I remember when I first moved to Maryland and Mike and I went on a run together at Patapsco State Park.  I wasn't exactly in running shape when I moved to Maryland but was excited that my co-worker was also a runner who had his fair share of marathons under his belt.  Before we started our run he told me there was a "special treat" at the end of the run.  Not knowing Mike too well at the time, I thought maybe the "special treat" at the end of the run was a coffee shop.  Boy was I wrong.  The "special treat" was a long, steep hill.

This weekend I sought out the "special treats" in my training.  I needed to run a shuttle for our freshman orientation backpacking trip in Western Maryland so I decided to bike the shuttle to gain access to the hilly Western Maryland country side.  The bike began at the Harpers Ferry NHP visitor center where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet and climbed out of the river valley and north toward Boonsboro.  It was a beautiful bike through the Western Maryland countryside.  The ride finished with a steep and winding climb up to the Old South Mountain Inn where the vehicles were parked.  I knew this climb was perfect for Savage Man training.  Lucky for me, I needed to shuttle two vans so I got to do this ride twice.

On Sunday I went for an 8 mile run at Patapsco State Park.  My run began with a short trail run that dropped down to the Patapsco River where I spent 5 miles of my run following the river.  My run finished with that "special treat" that Mike introduced me to 2 years ago.  I was glad that I finally got to enjoy some "special treats" this weekend.  Hill climbs are going to be critical to my success in the Savage Man.

Speaking of treats, I decided today that I am giving up sweets until after the Savage Man.  This will not be easy for me, but quite frankly I'm tired of the fact that I work out for 15+ hours a week and still don't have a triathlete's body.  I'm not saying I want to be some muscle god but it'd be nice to look like I work out.  Time to make some dietary changes.  It was between giving up beer or sweets; I chose sweets.  Those of you that know me know that when it comes to me and sweets, I have no self control.  I can't just have one of anything.  Case and point.  I bought a half gallon container of ice cream on my way home from the bike on Saturday because I was craving ice cream.  Well I ate half the container on Saturday night.  To make matters worse, I ate the second half of the container Sunday morning.  Clearly this is not acceptable.  So I'm giving up sweets all together.  No more sweet special treats just hills.

A Girl's Best Friend

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend.  Personally I disagree.  A girl's bike is her best friend.  At the end of any long day, my bike is always there waiting to spend some quality time together.  Last night was one of those evenings.  I'll be honest, riding my bike wasn't exactly what I wanted to do but I knew it was what I should do.  And when I finished the ride, I was happy I had chosen to ride.

So I headed home from the office, grabbed my bike and headed north to Dixon Observation Park for a 2 hour bike ride on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.  Tonight's ride was a race against darkness and storms.  The weather here lately has been so unpredictable and unsettled.  For this reason, I didn't even bother to check the weather predictions before heading out on my ride.  I decided to take the gamble.  Thankfully I won both the race against the weather and just barely beat the darkness.  The fireflies were coming out as I was finishing my ride.

Coming off the Smallwood Triathlon, I've jumped right back into my training this week.  The motivation to train hasn't always been there every day, but I've stuck with it and am feeling good.

The Savage Fight Against Cancer + General Smallwood International Triathlon

The days following my previous post have been challenging and long.  On the day of my last post, I found out that one of my friends who had cancer, Greg, had been admitted into the hospital in Richmond and it didn't look good.  He was diagnosed with cancer last October and was supposed to be in remission.  So the news of him being in the hospital caught me off guard.  The next day, I drove down to Richmond to see Greg and bid him what I didn't know at the time would be a final good-bye.  The next day, he lost his battle with cancer.  The emotions I felt throughout that week were a roller coaster.  Sometimes I felt sad, more often that not I felt angry and sometimes I just felt numb.  Sometimes I felt strong and sometimes I just broke down.  My triathlon training remained constant throughout the week and provided me with time to reminisce about memories, work through my emotions and just be alone.  While Greg was fighting his battle with cancer, I continued to fight a battle with my training.  As the weekend approached, my training seized for 4 days as friends flew into town to celebrate Greg's life.  We told stories, laughed, cried and shared brews.  We all traveled down to Richmond for the memorial service and to celebrate the life of our friend who was taken far to young.  The positive impact he made on so many people will not go unnoticed or be forgotten.

Money raised from the Savage Man Triathlon actually supports melanoma prevention, detection, care and cure.  The race's tagline is "a savage race to fight a savage cancer."  While Greg died of lung cancer, I'm glad the race I'm participating in is benefiting those with cancer.  Greg's death was my first experience with cancer.  I realized it's something you can't understand until you experience it; the feelings associated with losing a loved one to cancer are surreal.  The Savage Man Triathlon benefits the Skin the Game Foundation; you can make a donation here: http://www.melanomaresource.org/index.php/site/content/skin-in-the-game/.

After taking 4 days off from training, I squeezed 2 more days of training in before the General Smallwood International Triathlon which I completed this past Saturday.  The race was held at Smallwood State Park and consisted of a 0.9 mile swim, 24 mile bike and 6.2 mile run.  The week leading up to the race, I was nervous as my training had a short lapse and my mind had been distracted.  On Friday evening, I drove to Smallwood State Park to pick up my race packet and check out the race site.  For some reason, I didn't feel nervous anymore; I could do this.  On the way home, I bought tri shorts and a tri tank top which I knew was a "rookie mistake."  But with a water temp of 82 degrees, there was no need for a wet suit and I didn't know what to wear.  So I bought the tri outfit and quickly tested it with a 200m swim, 3 minute bike and 3 mile run.  It seemed to work.  So I headed home to pack my bag for the race.

Race morning came early with a 3:45 AM alarm clock.  I need to be at the race site by 5:45 AM.  Thankfully one of my friends, Natalie, met me at my apartment and headed out to the race site with me and was a great support.  Once there, I selected a premier location to rack my bike on the edge of my assigned row and laid out all my equipment.  Next I got my race chip, got my race number marked on my arms and had a light snack.  I was feeling good.  When we head down to the water about 10 minutes prior to the race start, I felt butterflies in my stomach.  I was surprised that I had suppressed them for so long.

The swim start was in the water.  The first wave began at 7 AM; I was in the second wave which began at 7:05 AM.  After the first wave took off, my wave got in the water.  I however chose to sit on the dock and wait until about 2 minutes before my wave would take off.  Why waste energy treading water?  I stayed to the outside edge and back of my wave.  I know that I am not a strong swimmer so I'd rather let the hardcore swimmers do their thing so I don't get kicked in the face.  The swim was mentally challenging for me.  While I have spent more time in the pool and improved my stroke, I had done nothing to improve my sighting.  This greatly hindered me.  Between my inability to effectively sight, my foggy goggles and the early morning blinding rays of sun, I got off course and as a result extended my swim distance.  I was frustrated by my inability to properly sight.  I had fears that I would not swim fast enough and would exceed the cut-off time and not be able to continue.  Well I finished the swim in 50 minutes, probably 20 minutes longer than it should have taken.  When my feet hit the boat ramp I was happy to be on land and happy that my worst leg was over.  Time for the bike.


I ran to the transition area, threw on my biking shoes and helmet, grabbed my bike and was ready to hit the pavement.  I felt good on my bike.  The bike course consisted of rolling hills.  I felt strong and kept a good pace throughout.  I embraced the hill climbs.  As I came into the transition area to get ready for the run, I felt good and was looking forward to the run-my favorite leg.



I had a strong pace as I ran out of the transition area.  However I quickly felt deflated.  The start of the run was in exposed sunlight on an extremely hot day and was a hill climb.  For a mile, I began to doubt the run.  Would I have to walk part of it?  It was so hot.  This was supposed to be my strongest leg.  As I reached the top of the hill, there was an aid station with ice water to drink and wet towels that were soaking in ice buckets.  As I drank the water and put a cold towel around my neck, my body went into shock.  It felt similar to jumping into an ice cold body of water when it takes your breath away.  But at the same time, I felt relief.  After the aid station, the run became a trail run and I hit my stride.  I love trail running; I felt at home.  I was able to take off and enjoy the remainder of the loop.  The run was a 3.1 mile loop that you had to do twice.  Originally I thought this would be mentally challenging but it wasn't.  The second time around, I knew I had to make it through the sun exposed hill climbs and then I'd be rewarded with a refreshing aid station and the joy and shade of the trail run.  Coming into the finish line, I ran hard and finished stronger.  My time was 3:24:22 which I was pretty happy with.  As I finished I received my medal, a bottle of water and an iced towel that again took my breath away.  As I left the finish line area to be greeted by Natalie, my emotions took over and for a minute I wanted to cry.  I was happy.  Proud.


Throughout the race, I identified growth opportunities.  I need to work on sighting, get more experience swimming in open water and add more hill climbs into my biking and running.  With growth opportunities identified, I'm ready for another triathlon.  I know I can do even better.  My plan is to get one more Olympic length triathlon in before the Savage Man.  I'm currently looking at the Culpepper International Triathlon the first week of August.  Practice makes perfect.

Some days it's not training, it's therapy.

Today was one of those days.  The day brought about numerous challenges and unexpected bad news regarding a friend.  I was supposed to do a 30 minute easy recovery swim and a 75 minute run today.  In between meetings I squeezed in the 30 minute swim, but it wasn't a recovery swim; instead it was the hardest I've ever swam and it felt great.  I stopped thinking about my form and technique and instead embraced some time alone while letting my mind wander to the day's events.

After my evening meetings wrapped up, I skipped happy hour and headed out for a run; crazy right?  It was a great decision; I ended up running for 9 miles.  My mind was able to wander and process some things.  While I was running today, I couldn't help but think about purpose.  I was drawn to a memory of one of my student trip leader's pep talks on a canoeing trip in the Adirondacks when the weather was not cooperating, people were physically exhausted, morale was low, and we were behind schedule.  She told the group to "paddle with purpose."  Well today, I ran with purpose and it was exactly what my mind and soul needed.  It had nothing to do with physical fitness or triathlon training.  It was therapy.

“Some seek the comfort of their therapist's office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running as my therapy.” 
― Dean Karnazes

Feeling of Control

This week has challenged my training plan.  After only 2 days of sticking to the plan, I began to make substitutions and alterations.  Sunday began trip leader training for our freshman orientation trip leaders so I headed into the field for an overnight kayaking trip to Wye Island on the Eastern Shore.  While I was hoping to get an early morning run in before heading into the backcountry, I instead spent the early morning doing some work in the office.  As a result, Sunday became my "rest day."  When I returned to College Park sunburned and tired, I found the motivation for a 50 minute run and 30 minute swim.  So Sunday and Monday swapped training plans. On Tuesday, we headed back into the field for an overnight backpacking training on the Appalachian Trail.  I got up bright and early with the hopes of getting in a swim and spinning class but again found myself sitting at my desk sorting through a budget.  No training happened the two days of our backpack.  However, I'm hoping an 11 mile backpack can be substituted for 70 minutes of biking and that our 6.5 mile backpack on Wednesday can be substituted for a 40 minute run and 45 minute swim.  I'm not sure if those really add up but after returning to a wealth of e-mails and phone messages that needed attention, there was no time or energy for training on Wednesday.

Today the stress of hosting a national conference combined with regular job duties was exhausting.  There's never enough time, there are pieces to the puzzle beyond my control and sometimes it all makes me feel like I'm not doing enough. When I left the office today I headed back to Dixon Observation Park for a 31 mile bike ride.  Even though it was a long day, it felt so good to be on my bike.  The weather was perfect this evening and the wind blowing through my helmet was refreshing.  I cranked hard on my bike tonight and for the first time today I felt in control.  When I'm on my bike, it's up to me to determine how fast I want to go and how hard I want to push.  Some people think I'm crazy for training for a half Ironman while preparing to host a national conference.  The feeling of cranking on my bike at 20 mph reassured me that training while preparing to host a conference is not crazy, in fact its a good thing.  For the two hours I was riding my bike today, worries washed away and I felt in control.  I felt that I was enough.  What better outlet for stress than through biking, running, and swimming?

Speed Limit

Yesterday I finally decided to find a training plan and start following it.  Here's the plan I selected: http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon-training/Half-Ironman-Training.php#.UbxSR_lQFj5. I had a little anxiety when I realized it was a 20 week plan.  After all, I only have 13 weeks until the SavageMan!  But then I explored the plan in greater detail and took a look at week 7.  For Friday (yesterday) it said swim 45 minutes and run 40 minutes.  No problem, yesterday I had already swam 50 minutes and ran 60 minutes.  When it came to running, I was more than okay.  I'd been running and my usual run was 50 minutes, which was more than the plan was recommending.  Swimming I wasn't too far off from the recommended length of times either.  Biking presents my biggest opportunity for growth.  I've been going to 45 minute spinning classes twice a week.  At least I'm doing something but it sure doesn't make up for extended lengths of time in the saddle that the plan recommends.

So this morning I got my road bike out of storage.  Much to my surprise, it still had race numbers on it from the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon...which was back in October.  It was time to dust off the cobwebs and get out for a ride.  I began my ride from Dixon Observation Park where you can watch the planes come in to land at BWI.  I began on the BWI trail and then hopped on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, which as the name implies connects Baltimore and Annapolis.  My ride today totaled 32 miles.

The weather this morning was perfect for a ride.  Partly cloudy skies accompanied by a light breeze.  I was cruising along on the trail and feeling strong when I got stopped by a park ranger and asked to slow down.  Really?  Granted the posted speed limit on the trail is 15 mph but I didn't know anyone actually enforced it.  And I do not consider myself fast at anything-not running, not biking, and especially not swimming.  Maybe I should hold on to this moment.  That way when I'm climbing hills on my bike at a snails pace during the SavageMan, I can think back to today's bike ride when I was "speeding."  Hopefully a midst the exhaustion of race day, this memory will give me a laugh.

Dare to be Great

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt

I still remember back in January of 2009, I was having dinner with my friends Leslie and Dan at the OP.  Leslie was telling me about her next marathon, the Wisconsin Marathon in May.  By the end of the evening, she had me considering joining her.  I wasn't a runner. Throughout childhood the extent of my running consisted of running the mile once a year in physical education class.  I was never an athlete in middle school or high school either.  The odds seemed against me.  But the one thing I did have was determination and the willingness to dare.  So I registered for the marathon and also convinced my best friend Amber (who also wasn't a runner) to join me.

So we embarked on the journey together and followed the "Non-runners Guide to Marathon Training."  Well, I followed it for the most part.  I missed quite a few runs due to trip leading.  The marathon was small, only 500 people running the full marathon.  At times I questioned whether I was even on the course because there were no spectators or other runners by me.  But I finished; slowly but surely I finished.  5:06.  I was sick to my stomach afterward.  Who would ever want to do that again?

I wanted to.  Next up Amber and I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota in 2010.  Per usual my training was sub-par.  But I felt good race day and finished in 4:36.  I was starting to get the hang of this.  Not only that, I wanted to make it a part of my lifestyle.  I set a goal to run 10 marathons by 30.

Up next was the Cowtown Marathon in February 2011.  My training was weak and I was suffering an injury.  I had to downgrade to the Half Marathon instead and my time was slow.

I had unfinished business in Fort Worth.  So in February 2012, we both returned for the Cowtown Marathon.  This time, I had spent more time training and was feeling good.  In fact, I actually was beginning to enjoy long runs.  3 hour runs on the NCR Trail were my favorite.  I finished the full marathon in 4:19.

With 3 full marathons under my belt, I was looking for another challenge.  So I decided to try a triathlon, an olympic triathlon in October 2012.  0.9 mile swim + 32 mile bike + 6.5 mile run.  I wasn't really worried about the bike and I definitely wasn't worried about the run.  But the swim?  I had never just gotten in a pool to swim laps.  In fact when I thought about swimming, all I could think about was having to put paddles on may arm in swimming lessons when I was a kid.  I do not like things that I'm not successful at.  Nevertheless, I had to get in the pool and I did.  I didn't follow any training plans, I did my own thing and felt physically strong race morning.  But I was nervous.  The weather was cold and rainy.  The bike was miserably cold and I felt hypothermic and thought about quitting .  But I persevered.  I finished in 4:06 feeling ready for more.  I started dreaming of a Half Ironman with the ultimate hope of a Full Ironman.

Up next was the Delaware Marathon in May of 2013 which would be my first marathon without Amber.  I had dreams of a finish time of 4:05.  Unfortunately I got mono about 6 weeks before the race and had to take some time off from training.  I recovered from mono quicker than expected and completed the race.  4:19.  Same time as the Cowtown.  Thoughts returned to the Half Ironman.

So here I am, registered for the 70.0 SavageMan Triathlon in September.  Triathlete Magazine ranked Savageman as the #1 hardest triathlon in the world. This is my blog about chasing dreams and daring to be great.