Triple Threat and Double Trouble

Five months in and so far, I've kept my resolution to do one event each month - my quest for 12 in 2012. May has been my busiest month yet. I've competed in three events in three weekends! My triple threat has included two relays and one 5K and all have been a blast. Plus, Double Trouble was the name of my sprint relay team with my niece, Lydia! I'm thankful that I chose this year to do a few new races and share them with friends and family!

The first test may have been the hardest. Jen, Michelle, Jess and I tackled the White Lake Half Iron. Michelle, Jess and I - the Derby de Mayos - split the effort. Michelle did the swim, Jess the bike and I did the run. Jen did the whole 70.3!

 

We met our goal: we did it to do it. We weren't in it to win it. We did it to have fun. Michelle beat her predicted time by 10 minutes, Jess killed the bike and I finished! Honestly, it was one of the hardest runs EVER.  Prior to my run leg, I watched Michelle start and finish her swim and cheered Jess onto her bike start. I had gone back to our home base (more on that in a minute), eaten a light lunch and even taken a nap! My only worry as I waited for Jess to return was a nagging fire ant bite on my left foot - scored at T1. Otherwise, I felt strong. But, by the time I started the run, it was high noon and it was close to 95 degrees.

Let me warn you that White Lake triathlons are no joke. Wait. There is a joke: Erica (the smart one who chose Las Vegas over White Lake) and Renee joke that White Lake is a secret gate to hell. The lake itself is usually beautiful, but for three of my races has been dark and choppy. It may be spring fed, but by the springs of Hades. The roads are not paved with good intentions. they may have been, but now they're a string of patched-up asphalt. [Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump] There is a big white wall as you round one edge of the lake's oval that radiates heat (from the core of HELL!). Of course, there is something tempting about this mecca of triathlons and urse, we keep going back. This was my seventh White Lake tri!

My mantra for this race was: you know what's hardcore? BLANK is hardcore.I filled it with everything in sight. I am hardcore. That guy is hardcore. My pace is hardcore, etc. Fire hydrants are hardcore. Truly, White Lake is hardcore. 

I had a race plan: run 4 miles without stopping in heart rate zone 2, run to the turn-around and walk a minute, run a mile + walk a minute to mile 10 and then run it in. I was hoping to finish in 2h15m. I didn't stick to it. I ran the first 5K at a great pace. I stayed in HRZ2 and kept up a 9min/mile pace. I stopped at the first aid station and ran two more miles. For the next few miles, I'd run for half a mile, walk a half mile. I did walk/run fartleks [which is truly a joke because fartleks mean speedplay and there was nothing speedy about me]. I'd run to one fire hydrant, walk to the next. Walk to one billboard, run to the next.

I sang it: I'm Mr. Heat Miser. I'm Mr. Sun.

My saving grace: ice at the aid stations. I would pick up a cup of ice water and drink a few sips. I'd shove a few pieces into my sports bra, tuck a few in the back pocket of my tank top, pour some water into the front of my tri shorts and run with a few pieces in each hand. I'd make myself run until the ice in my hand turned to water. Ice is hardcore.

Mile No. 10 - my longest - took 14 minutes. My heart rate kept soaring into Zone 3 and my legs threatened to cramp. With two miles to go, I saw a woman ahead of me with a big fat R (for RELAY) on her left calf and thought: well, I can at least pass one more. I increased my pace and was happy to finish in 2:30:16. Two hours and thirty minutes is hardcore.

The great thing was that I was not disappointed in my performance. I was happy to finish in the time that I did with the conditions I faced. Plus, I was excited about our finish line celebration! The whole weekend really centered on the Derby de Mayo party......behind the aforementioned white fence!

Yes, it's true: the Derby de Mayos stayed at Camp Clearwater! I can't reveal too much because what happens at White Lake stays at White Lake. I will say that there was cornhole, hula hooping, supermoon, headstands, a missed dance at the RV pavilion, a horsey ride, a crazy hat game, moonshine and more. Oh, yes, I'll Have Another. We were hard core. Here's a peek at what you missed:

Stay tuned for the part two of Triple Threat and Double Trouble! More to come........

Good Friday

On Good Friday in 1995, my mom underwent a bone marrow transplant to fight chronic mylogeneous leukemia. On June 3, 2012, I am doing a 100-mile bike ride with my sister Anna Formy-Duval Jones for Team in Training in her memory. We have signed up to do the Fletcher Flyer - a full century ride in the mountains! 

My sister, Anna, is the instigator to this latest madness. She signed up with Team in Training - the fundraising branch of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She is raising money to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I thought it would be fun to do my first century ride with her - and for a cause we both believe in!

Twin Bikes - Not Twin Sisters

This weekend, we rode together with her TNT team. I drove up to Raleigh on Friday night and on Saturday morning we joined her team in Apex for a 32-miler. The day was cold (41 degrees) but bright and sunny. Everyone was welcoming and encouraging in the pre-race pep talk. Plus, I had a fine time getting to know a few of the other riders as we rolled through several counties. A couple of them are training for the Fletcher ride and everyone else was training for America's Most Beautiful Ride in Lake Tahoe.

Our ride was a challenge and a thrill. The scenery was incredible (I admit it was nice not being in Pender County). Barns, strawberry fields, views of Jordan Lake and grand country estates were breathtaking.  I loved learning how to ride in a double eschelon peloton! There were at least 15 riders and we rode in a double pace line for the first several miles - something I've never done before. Plus, I learned how to handle rolling hills.  BUT, we did a two mile climb - nearly 200-foot ascent - and that was TOUGH. I used every single gear [yes, I reverted to my granny gear] and my heart rate climbed into Zone 4. 

Check Out that Graph! That's a Cat 5 Climb!

I will say that the ride down was worth the pain. We reached the turn-around at the top of Jack Bennett Road and I tucked into my drops, pedaled a few times and let gravity do the rest. I reached 30 miles per hour!! It was so exciting and FAST! I discovered that I'm pretty good on short hills - my spin classes are paying off! I learned that I'm even better on DOWN hills. 

One of my favorite parts of the day was the mission moment before the ride. A young woman - a daughter like us  - shared the story of her mom's fight against A.L.L. She revealed that her mom lost her battle around Easter a few years ago and rides in memory of her and the struggle she endured. I tried not to cry during her story (I didn't dare look at Anna!) but, I connected with her story and thought of our moms several times during the ride. Mama was diagnosed in 1993 and endured chemo, radiation and finally, a bone marrow transplant in 1995. Mama lost her battle right after Thanksgiving of that same year. She would be 65 this May. 

If our efforts help fund research for an alternate drug therapy, or provide comfort through a family support group or save one daughter from losing her mother too early.....then one hundred miles (uphill, both ways) will be worth every minute. If you'd like to contribute to our effort, please CLICK HERE to head to Anna's fundraising page.

 

Performance Over Results

The first races of the season are behind me! What a crazy [good] few weeks. This mini race season began on February 17 with a 5k in Myrtle Vegas and ended this past weekend with one of my A races - the Azalea Sprint triathlon. I slipped in a 10K somewhere in between!

I'll start with the Azalea. It was my fourth time doing this race and really my fifth time doing this course. I competed in 2010, twice in 2011 [Saturday and Sunday events] and I raced the She-Tris super sprint in 2010 [it utilitizes the same course - with shorter distances]. I love it because it's what the YDubTriClub trains for and it's right in my backyard. Plus, everyone I know is in it!

I admit I was initially more pleased with my performance in the tri than I was with my results. And, I admit I can barely explain what that means.  I felt relaxed going into it, I felt strong and fast and controlled during the swim, I held my cadence and desired speed in the bike (except for the windy trek up Rose Ave) and I even split my run. I felt like I gave it everything I could on that day and didn't hold back. I stuck with my race plan and enjoyed every bit of the day.

I met up with Meredith to head over to UNCW. I enjoyed the warm-up with Jen and Michelle - an easy run on campus. I chatted with members of our team. Body-marked a few athletes in transition (quick tip to skip the lines: bring your own Sharpie!). I organized my transition, did a warm-up in the pool and then slid into line.

I think I looked too hard at the overall results. As usual, I compared my stats to last years' results and to the other women in my age-group. I was only 39 seconds faster than last year's first race and 2m44s slower than last year's Sunday race. I was ten minutes behind the leader in my age division. I disappointed. I think it's natural. I'm competitive and I love to see progress. I worked all day to let the negative thoughts slip from my mind.

I focused on my friends' successes and found they helped [so did the post-race burger and beer at PTs]. Michelle finished her first tri in almost two years. Jen, Heather and Karen had first place finishes and Brian, Lawrence, Beth and Tina had podium finishes, too. Anne and Mere saw improvements and everyone in general had an amazing time.

Last week, my thoughts balanced out. The memories of the day started to win out over my results and I focused on my improvement (15 seconds faster in the swim and 30 seconds faster in the run). Even better, I started to do my favorite thing: plan for the next race. It didn't take long for my mind to shift into what I can do better for Belews in April. The competitive mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Take the Leap

It's Leap Day! February 29, 2012 has really been an ordinary day - but there are some extraordinary facets that have made it special. I started the day with an ordinary workout with some extraordinary women. In spin class, I found out that an acquaintance of mine is having a baby boy today! Neal came home briefly just after lunch and I found a long-lost picture that I'd been searching for - maybe for four years!

I haven't given Leap Day much thought or much meaning over the years. For instance, I can't tell you what I did last February 29. I do know that in February 2008, Scarlett Sweyer was born, I did a 5K in Myrtle Beach and George Clooney was a hot topic - isn't he always? In February of 2004, my bet is that I was helping ACE launch his own engineering firm and running my own Mary Kay business!

I suppose this leap year - coming on the heels of last year's big birthday - could be something significant. It could be seen as something like a new year - a bigger chunk than twelve months, but shorter than a decade. It's easy to make goals one year at a time. I've already made some big goals for 2012:  I am doing 12 events in 2012 - one for each month. I've planned a few fun triathlons (including a relay with my niece) and my first century ride (in the mountains!). 

In the days leading up to today, the thought actually crossed my mind: how will I define myself by next leap year? Where will the achievements of this year, put me in 2016?

The logical place for me to start: ONE WORD. If I were to choose one word for the next four years, it would be ARRANGE. By definition, arrange means to put in order, to make preparations, to plan. I'm pretty good at arranging. I love to put things in order. I LOVE to plan. So the word seems a no-brainer. But, there are two things that I love to do: write and coach. It seems that I'm not good at arranging my life to do those to things. I've been an amazing-jane-of-all-trades for years. I can juggle a cosmetic business, web design, coaching, newsletter editing, fundraising and event planning all in one day. It's what makes me a Gumbo Girl.

What if I dropped everything and arranged my day to write and coach? What if I said no to the things that don't fall into those categories? What if I chose to coach spin classes or triathletes or write blog entries or books or articles on spin classes and triathletes? What if I take that leap?

I'll keep you posted! Until then, take care.

TaTaForNow!

Food Delivery

When I'm not training (or thinking about training), I am eating (or thinking about eating). My one word for 2010 was FUEL and although my intention for the word was more spiritual in nature, I found the obvious physical benefit: foods that fueled me!

A few years ago, my sister and I started GumboGirls - a foodie blog with our favorite foods and our favorite food stories. I know that Forrest Gump said life is like a box of chocolates, but Anna and I think that life is like a bowl of gumbo. Gumbo is a everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of meal. Plus, every time I make it, it's different. Like Forrest, you never know what you're gonna get. It starts with the roux (the foundation), a variety of ingredients (circumstantial twists and turns), spice (the people you know) and even secret ingredients (dare I say love and magic?).

This year, the Gumbo is simmering and so are a bunch of other recipes. Check us out for everyday dinner ideas to fuel you! Click on the okra below to check out today's recipe.