STUFFED

No, its not Thanksgiving quite yet, but today on my run I realized my legs were stuffed. Stuffed full of Cotton, fuzz, or turkey stuffing. Simon had on my schedule was an abbreviated tempo run session, shortened because I am running a Turkey Trot Race on Thursday. Initially thought to really go for it. But today my legs were gone. M.I.A. I think they were left in Woodstock; the venue of the most recent cross race.

My little tempo run turned into just making it home without walking. Yet plodding along wasn't much better. Visions of hanging Christmas lights on the porch when I got home kept me moving. After all it is 50 deg in NOV!!! There is no way I was putting it off anymore and hanging the lights when it is 20 deg when we've had all these nice days!.

My legs were stuffed. I had all the motivation and intention of doing the hard set. In my mind I had recovered from the cross race yesterday. After all its only 30 min. HA! Reality set in as I hit 20 min into my run and I stop to do some drills and foot work and the legs still aren't coming around. Hmmm. This is a little pathetic. I had put in some really hard efforts of training last week. Basically no garbage but a lot of hard efforts both running, and biking, plus some hard work with the personal trainer. Oh and I started swimming again making my shoulders sore. I wouldn't call it a HARD training week, but an intense training week. My legs felt pretty beat up going into the cross race this week. The course was open with several hills and open sections. Less technical good for someone with some fitness. I just went as hard as I could for 30 min. I had my best finish yet with a second and moved up a few more places in the overall. But, I think I lit my last match in the legs for a few days. (quoting Joe Friel there). There wasn't much left in the legs today.

So looking back my legs were done. Which makes me wonder how the Turkey Trot will go. In the past I have done the Turkey Trot attempting for a PR... post removal of a screw from my knee..for fun.. for speed post pregnant... under all types of attempts I have turkey trotted. This year it will be attempted with some running and with bruised cyclocrossed legs. I love doing the Turkey Trot. It makes the turkey and pumpkin pie taste so much better. I think it may be snowing/ raining this year...all the more fun.

Only 1 more cyclocross race left in the series, Montrose... in the big bad city. Its been a crazy off season, of not really being completely off.....just shifted into different focus which can be "off". If that makes any sense.

Go stuff yourself, with workouts, races, hard efforts, or Thanksgiving feast!

Gearing UP

Believe it or not I still have 3 athletes still waiting for their " A " race of the season! What a long haul! But their day is finally almost here and they are ready to go. Good Luck to my IM AZ and IM Cozumel athlets racing in just a couple weeks. Clearwater is finally almost here for those athletes too! Good Luck

I think the retailers are gearing up for the holidays before anyone else is really ready. Isn't it always that way? I love Christmas and the holidays but dont' want to be sick of it before it even gets here. Patience people. Let me eat my Turkey and pumpkin pie first!

I was talking to my coach Thomo the other day and telling him I still haven't a clue what races or goals I'd like to chase next year. After 20 years of doing triathlon every single year minus 1 to have a baby...I am left to wonder what motivates me in the triathlon world. For a while I thought I might try ..a couple 70.3 races and Clearwater, but .........I would never want to still be triathlon training this time of year, and Ironman is so not appealing to me anymore and I've done the nationals and worlds thing with some great success. So what to do. Hmm. The jury is still out, but ....as long as I'm still having fun and getting fit and fast then there is a goal out there for me. But this is the cool part and my coach even agrees....I don't have to decide right now! Plus, I am having so much fun doing the cyclocross series, that I havent' even been thinking about next triathlon season. Same routine, same triathlon races, same goals....= stagant and boring.

With this off season my goals started off the same as the always are. Run.....because its easy to fit in, and do a bunch of 5ks. But this year I threw in "try a couple cyclocross races". Change is good. Same old Same old gets very boring. Riding through the trails and woods even when the weather is a little nasty has been fun. Its as close as I can get to the feeling of being in the mountains back home as I can around here. The Chicago Cross Series has been a blast and what a great change of pace. Different people, differnt attitutdes. The courses are so crazy and different every week you never know what to expect, and the venues have been so awesome and the crazy crowds just make me laugh. You'd NEVER see this at a triathlon......I guess thats why it seems so fun to me.

This week's race was called "Save Ferris", not sure why, but what a cool name. Bueller? Anyone? The hecklers were out, this time 1 guy dressed in a type of Belgian get up with an antler as megaphone....I had my best race yet on a tough technical course, and who can top, short sleeves in Nov.! The best part of the course was a barrier right before a gully at the base of a steep uphill. At one point I even found myself in about 4th place until I kissed a hay bail coming out of the sand pit 2nd time through..... still not sure how that happened. I finished 6th and keep moving my way up in the overall standings despite missing the first 3 races being on the island. There are just 3 races left in the series, everyone gearing up for the final race in Dec. Secretly I think some are wishing for snow and mud.

Oh and haven't quite made it to any 5ks yet this fall, but have been running some. Maybe I'll get to one of the jingle runs. And....I do still love triathlon, enough to even sign up for Sue Welker's new swim program and I may actually get back to swimming like I used to.

Cyclocross Pics

I tried putting these on facebook, but FB was being testy and making it difficult.

Halloween Mud Ride

Iced Hula
Lap 1



Halloween on a weekend, with the end of daylight savings, and a full moon, who could ask for more?......well how about a Cyclocross race, 10 min from my house complete with mud hills and soggy grass! I needed that extra hour to fit in all the fun extras this weekend.

Halloween was in full force around our house. We really got into it this, year, I even dressed up as a "iced" hula girl. The kids loved it and think its hilarious when we dress up. Trick or Treating with a 6 and 7 year old ninja and lady bug is like watching them complete the race of their dreams. This year they basically sprinted from house to house, had to come home for pit stops, unload, and then head back out. Needless to say there is an over surplus of candy in the house. I'll end up taking it to work where it will be devoured, freezing it, and hiding some. Maybe I should use some of it as ornaments for the Christmas tree.

My 3rd cyclocross race was right here at home at Campton baseball fields. I have been practicing some of my "techniques" here so I knew how tough this would be, but would be the most fun. Then add all the rain we've had and now the hills and turns are saturated and muddy .....to make it even more crazy! So far the races I have done have been very technical, but flat. This was by far the hardest physically. With big hills and powering through mud. I have to say this made the lungs and legs burn the most but, made it the most fun. Adam is in taper mode for IM FL and came with the kids to cheer which was awesome. I've watched him do this the past few years, and always wanted to try it, but am usually triathlon fried and don't even want to look at a bike in the fall.

My start was the best I've done yet and was right with the lead girls through most of the first lap. I'm still not used to accelerating and trying to hammer, but going nowhere because you are in mud or soggy grass. My turns through the sharp 180s have gotten better, but still slowing down too much going over the barriers. I manage to hit my bike on them every time. This course race had several gullies or drainage ditches full of standing mud and water. You basically had to hit it full force to come out the other side without tipping over or getting a wheel stuck sending you face first into mud. I was sucking air and laughing at the same time, with mud flying in my face. I think I even tasted mud here. After the first lap there was so much mud all over, me I did most of the next not clipped in, but the key is to keep moving forward. In 30 minutes we did 3 laps of fun. I wanted more! At the end, I was covered in mud, my bike and shoes,,,,caked.

Now with all the mud washed away I see I am covered in bruises. So pretty.
There are a few more weeks of fun, who knows what the next races will bring!