Inside the Endurance Athlete's Mind

From Forbes.com:

Inside The Endurance Athlete's Mind
by Allison Van Dusen

Bob Whitman's days start at 2:45 a.m.

While the rest of us are rolling over in our beds, Whitman, CEO of the Salt Lake City, Utah-based Franklin Covey, is fitting in a few hours of biking, swimming and running before work in preparation for next month's Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Considering that the majority of Americans have trouble finding the time or energy to work out at all, let alone train for a grueling triathlon while juggling a C-suite position, it begs the question: How does he do it?

Much of it is mental. While many endurance athletes say there's nothing special about their physical abilities, clearly people who are drawn to and are able to accomplish feats such as marathons, triathlons and challenging ultra endurance events differ from the rest of us somehow. A big piece of the puzzle is how these athletes think about their lives, goals and the obstacles they face.

"Moderation bores me," says Dean Karnazes, who completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days and wrote about the experience in the new book, 50/50. He is also currently trying to be the first person ever to complete the world's five major desert foot races in one year. "Once I did a marathon, I thought, 'Huh, I think I can go further than this.' I wanted to explore not only my physical limits but my mental confines."

A Certain Personality
Just as they tend to have a specific body type (i.e., lean, not too tall), many endurance athletes also have common personality traits, says Jenny Susser, a clinical health psychologist specializing in sports psychology at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery. These traits include persistence, endless curiosity, a lack of fear when it comes to failure and a sense of boldness.

Persistence is particularly crucial in helping endurance athletes stick to a training schedule, which they know can't be compromised no matter how much work is waiting for them at the office or how sore or tired they may feel. The benefits of showing up every day for a workout aren't just about being physically prepared on the big day. They can help an athlete feel like he or she has done everything possible to meet a challenge, ultimately translating into confidence at the starting line, Susser says.

Successful endurance athletes also have to know how to psychologically face and overcome pain during events. Roger Little, CEO of Spire Corp. and a longtime triathlete, was competing in the World Championships Triathlon Long Distance in Almere, Netherlands, last month when he hit a giant wall.

Little swam 3.1 miles and rode his bike for 76 miles on a hot and windy course when he started to feel sick. After completing his ride, he took the first step of a 20-mile run and set what he calls a new "personal pain" record. Even though the event took him 10 hours to finish, he didn't give up--it wouldn't jibe with the way he thinks of himself as an athlete.

"You get into the sport and you talk about it so much that you end up having an image you've created that you have to live up to," Little says. "You can't just say, 'I've had a bad day.'"

Pain Management
While specific techniques vary, endurance athletes rely on methods of distraction to get through painful or difficult patches. Susser counsels people to focus on the technicality of their sport by zeroing in on their strides, or to play games, such as coming up with an animal for every letter of the alphabet. During the Ironman swim, while Whitman is trying to avoid getting dunked or kicked, he counts his strokes and recites a poem called The Little Red Hen to keep himself on pace.

"It might be a little like a pingpong game--this type of distraction is never 100%," Susser says. "But if you can swap your focus enough you can get yourself through it."

In the event that they should have to quit, endurance athletes know how to embrace their failures, too.

Karnazes recalls passing out in 1995 at about the halfway mark of his first attempt of the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile run through Death Valley in the middle of summer. The experience was crushing, since Karnazes had spent six months training and planning for the race. He later realized that his problem wasn't his preparation, but his lack of mental flexibility.

At some point early on, Karnazes unknowingly downed some nonpotable water, which quickly made him sick. Rather than slowing down and letting his body recover, he pushed himself to nail a certain time--a decision that cost him the chance to cross the finish line. But the experience infused in him a fire to conquer the course the following year, as well as many times since.

"Unless you push yourself to failure," Karnazes says, "you don't know how far you're going to go."

Also, see this great slide show for another look at the mind of an endurance athlete.

Pain is Relative

So after I took Justin out for a run again this morning, he was commenting on how painful it is to get back into running after having taken so long off. We can all understand his point -- but then he made an interesting observation:

Justin: I can see why you all run with injuries.
Me: Because it's so hard to get going again after a rest?
J: No. It's because you all are so used to ignoring pain, you can't distinguish one pain from another.

Touche.

A Little Common Sense

So now that I'm all moved in at my new place in Winter Haven, it's time to get back to running. I'm not working right now (a condition I hope to be very temporary) so I have the luxury of running whenever I want. So I headed out for a little 5-miler the other day around 4 p.m.

There are two large differences between Tallahassee and Winter Haven, two differences that can mean big problems for a runner. There is a lot more pavement and much fewer trees. Those factors, combined with the hot, muggy weather we've been having, made for The Most Miserable Run Ever.

I was moving along just fine for the first two miles -- at a pretty fast pace, actually. Then, just before the 3-mile point, I was done. Parched, hot, sweaty, tired...even sick. The sun was beating me from above and below (bouncing off the pavement) and the park that I was certain would have a water fountain was a disappointment.

I drug myself home and up the stairs to my apartment, only to realize that in my stupor I had gone to the wrong building. This was very disappointing, as the effor to climb the stairs was unbearable. I finally made it to my apartment and dove into a bottle of Gatorade. An hour and a shower later, I was still red-faced.

Like any athlete, I analyzed this experience to determine what went wrong. It didn't take long. By 4 p.m., the temperature had climbed to nearly 100 degrees, and I had nothing to drink. I decided to exercise a little common sense.

So this morning I set out on the same route; this time at 9 a.m. and with an ice-filled bottle of Gatorade in hand. And wouldn't you know it? I finished the 5 miles with no problems! Isn't common sense grand?

Want to live a long life? Run!

By Maggie Fox, Reuters Health and Science Editor

People who want to live a long and healthy life might want to take up running.

A study published on Monday shows middle-aged members of a runner's club were half as likely to die over a 20-year period as people who did not run.

Running reduced the risk not only of heart disease, but of cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, researchers at Stanford University in California found.

"At 19 years, 15 percent of runners had died compared with 34 percent of controls," Dr. Eliza Chakravarty and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Any type of vigorous exercise will likely do the trick, said Stanford's Dr. James Fries, who worked on the study.

"Both common sense and background science support the idea that there is nothing magical about running per se," Fries said in a telephone interview. "It is the regular physical vigorous activity that is important."

The team surveyed 284 members of a nationwide running club and 156 similar, healthy people as controls. They all came from the university's faculty and staff and had similar social and economic backgrounds, and all were 50 or older.

Starting in 1984, each volunteer filled out an annual survey on exercise frequency, weight and disability for eight activities -- rising, dressing and grooming, hygiene, eating, walking, reach, hand grip and routine physical activities.

Most of the volunteers did some exercise, but runners exercised as much as 200 minutes a week, compared to 20 minutes for the non-runners.

At the beginning, the runners were leaner and less likely to smoke compared with the controls. And they exercised more over the whole study period in general.

"Over time, all groups decreased running activity, but the runners groups continued to accumulate more minutes per week of vigorous activity of all kinds," the researchers wrote.

"Members of the running groups had significantly lower mean disability levels at all time points," they added.

The team also set out to answer whether taking up running late in life would benefit, and whether people who stopped exercising began to pay a price as they aged.

Most of the runners have stopped running as they reached their 70s, Fries said. But it was difficult to find people who totally stopped exercising. "Almost all of them did something else. They continued their vigorous exercise," he said.

People who took up exercise when they were older also improved their health, he said.

The study also showed that people cannot use the risk of injury as an excuse not to run -- the runners had fewer injuries of all kinds, including to their knees.

You Can Always Count on Mom

I've been waiting to post about my experience at the Innaugural Scenic 17 Sprint Triathlon because I wanted to include photos. But they still have not been posted, and I don't even know who was taking the photos. Just as I had almost resigned myself to posting without them, my mom emailed me the photos she took. Thanks, mom!

So, thanks to her, I present to you: Erin's Race Report, Scenic 17 Edition

I drove down to Babson Park the day before the event. I chose this race for its location; Babson Park is in Polk County, where my family lives. One thing I did not consider about this area was its landscape. Most would think that a triathlon in Central Florida would be easy: flat and fast. So after I stopped by Webber University to pick up my packet, I decided to drive the bike course and have a look. Suddenly I regretted doing all my bike training at the St. Marks Trail.

You might be wondering what makes Scenic Highway 17 so scenic. Is it the green, trimmed rows of orange trees? Meh... Is it the sparkling lakes nestled among the groves? Not really, but they are pretty. No, the feature that gives this stretch of road its scenic designation is its position on the Lake Wales Ridge. That's right -- huge, monstrous, gigantic, thigh-burning hills. Lots of them.

So, driving the bike course the day before the race, my stomach was tied in knots. I only had one thought: "There's no way. NO WAY." And of course, just as I was at the height of my panic, mom called.

"I can't dooooooo this," I yelled into the phone. "What was I thinking?!"

"Yeah, it's hilly out there," she answered. Thanks, mom. But she just laughed at me and told me to hurry up and get to her house so we wouldn't be late meeting up with the rest of the family for dinner. She wasn't worried, so I didn't worry. But she wasn't the one who had to bike this thing...

I showed up the next morning to get a good spot in the transition, only to find that there was plenty of room...for all 35 of us. Remember my whole "small race = winning awards" theory? I was sure I'd walk away with something this day, even with the mountains I had yet to climb.

I went down to the water to face the Beast. Even though the bike was still on my mind, I knew my real challenge would be the swim. This course was a .5-mile swim -- longer than I'd ever gone in a race before. As I was surveying the buoys, I noticed the team of lifeguards assembling on the shore were not much older than my bike (my bike is old, but not old enough to have sufficient life-saving experience).

"I don't know if I trust kids half my age to save me," I quipped to the girl next to me. She made an equally snide remark and we were instant friends. She said that she drove down from Daytona for this race, and soon we were joined by another girl from Orlando. We chatted until the race started, and I was happy to have something to take my mind off of how nervous I was about the swim.

Soon, all 35 of us were on the shore and starting. Turns out, I did pretty well in the swim. I was faster than I had been in training, but still one of the last in my age group out of the water. No worries, though -- I was sure I'd catch them on the bike. Or at least the run.

I took off on the bike and the hills were exactly as painful as I thought they'd be. On the upside, though, I hit about 35 mph on some of the downhills, so I made pretty good time overall. I finished the 15 miles in 54 minutes, despite having to stop and put my chain back on twice. It's definitely time for a new bike.

By the time I got back from the bike, I realized that, despite the small field, an age group prize might not be in the cards for me after all. This course was no joke and these people weren't joking. Even though I finished the bike faster than most of my age group, they were still ahead of me and a lot of them seemed to be coming back from the run turnaround while I was still heading out. But I just pushed on, confident now that I was finally in my strongest event. I finished the 5K in 29:36 -- the first in my age group. Well, that's something!

I finished the race in 1:46:01 -- almost 15 minutes ahead of my goal! My mom and preggers sister, Sara, were cheering for me at the finish. My new friends and I packed up all our gear together and waited for the awards.

Kristen from Orlando was first female overall and Katie from Daytona was third overall -- making me first in our age group!! Woo hoo! No to mention fifth female overall!

Here I am, accepting my huge glass beer mug award:

My sister said, "Why are they giving out beer mugs at a race? Do these people drink beer?"

Overall, this was a great race. Even though it was small, it was very well-organized and chip-timed. It was the race director's first race, and I think he did a great job. I'd recommend this for someone looking for a challenge. Red Hills has nothing on this race.

Who Knew?

Another great tip from the GWTC Discussion List -- this one comes from Andrea's friend and running partner, Sandra:

While running this morning in Killearn, a police officer stopped and advised Andrea and I that it was against the law to run in the street if there was a sidewalk. Well, guess what: it is true.

Florida Statute 316.130(3) states, "Where sidewalks are provided, no pedestrian shall, unless required by other circumstances, walk along and upon the portion of a roadway paved for vehicular traffic." You can receive a $15 ticket if you do this.

Florida Statute 316.130(4) says that if sidewalks are not provided, "... when practical, walk only on the shoulder on the left side of the roadway in relation to the pedestrian's direction of travel, facing traffic which may approach from the opposite direction..."

There is a 27-page publication which outlines the Florida Pedestrian Law Enforcement Guide. So now you know. Have a great run on the sidewalk or a dirt road.

Safety First, Training Second

Terrible news came from Cary, NC, this week, where a female runner was abducted and murdered. Read the story here.

The GWTC Discussion List email contained some great safety tips today, so I wanted to pass them along to you:

1. Vary your running route often, even if this means running clockwise rather than counter-clockwise.
2. If running early or late (in the dark), try to find a running partner or adopt a dog that would enjoy a good daily run.
3. If possible, let someone know when you run and where (e.g., if you don't show up for work, a close colleague may know where to tell police to look for you).
4. Always run with your cellphone handy, turned on and programmed with an emergency code and GPS enabled.
5. Stay aware of your surroundings - if you run with headphones, keep the music low so you can hear an approaching runner or bicyclist (yes, bicyclist - in Tucson, AZ, there was a guy who was grabbing women as he rode by them on his bike).
6. Carry a whistle or noisemaker but do NOT wear this on a chain around your neck. A neck chain is easy to grab and strangle you with.
7. Make a mental note of public telephones (which are rare these days) and nearby businesses/homes that appear occupied at that hour; do not hesitate to run to such a place and even throw a rock through a window to set off an alarm if you believe this will scare away your attacker (the window can be fixed).
8. If you run with a water belt, it would be wise to carry a pen and paper to write down anything, including a license plate, if you feel threatened by anyone in any way (you can do this with a cellphone by taking a photo).
9. If you are comfortable doing so, run with a weapon and more importantly be prepared to use it (gun, knife, mace).
10. Take a self-defense course and again, be prepared to use the moves you are taught.

But most importantly, you guys: use your head! Be smart -- don't go running by yourself in the dark in some remote area (I'm looking at you people who run at Overstreet by yourselves). My dad always taught me that the best defense against danger is not putting yourself in danger in the first place.

The Bike Whisperer

I have achieved a major milestone in my life as a cyclist. I've come-of-age, if you will. I've been tested by the road and I have not been found wanting.

I have changed a flat tire.

Or tyre, if you are Emma.

No, this girl-becomes-woman event did not occur roadside (blast!), but rather in the sweaty safety of my back patio. As I was unpacking from my trip to Marianna, after returning home from the Freedom Springs Triathlon (where I finished second -- don't know if you heard), I found that my front tire had mysteriously flattened.

Armed with the skills I acquired at my one and only bike workshop, I got down to business. Only ten minutes and three swear words later, I had a good-as-new tire!

Yay me. But I really hope I never have to do that in a race. Or anywhere away from home. Or ever again.

You never know...

...who you will meet at the pool at 5:30 a.m. Normally too groggy to speak and focused on the task at hand (swimming), we early-bird regulars rarely speak. That really is a shame, though, because it stands to reason that if we share the common insanity that swimming year-round at an outdoors pool before sunrise requires, then we probably have more in common. Or, at least, we have other unique and quirky characteristics.

Take my new friend, for example.

Mustachioed Swimmer: We must be crazy to be out here at this hour.
Me: Crazy is being out here in February.
MS: Well, in my line of work, we're all a little crazy.
Me: What line of work is that?
MS: Computer systems maintenance...IT.
Me: Yeah, that's a job requirement for that industry, isn't it?
MS: (chuckles) Yeah. And I'm a blacksmith on the weekends.

How many of you have met a real, bona fide blacksmith? He even offered to make a tomahawk and teach me to throw it!

Lesson here, kids: talk to the person in the lane next to you. They might offer to teach you to throw a tomahawk.

The Secret to Placing 2nd in Your Age Group...

...find a small race. That's right -- I completed triathlon #2 on July 4 and finished 2nd in my age group! Trophy and all. Woo hoo!

The 2008 Freedom Springs Triathlon was a very sweet non-USAT-sanctioned race. Banjo-accompanied highlights included:
1) jumping from a floating dock into chest-deep spring water, alive with a mixture of muck, plants and God-knows-what at the bottom
2) sudden panic as the race director shouts, "Okay, go!" five minutes too early as half of the field is still trying to wade to the start line/area/random unspecified place in the water
3) bleeding feet as a result of sprinting across loose gravel between the swim and transition
4) insistance by race director's wife that the delay for the awards ceremony "is not as bad as last year," as everyone is still waiting hours after race is over

I'm sorry for the complaints. I shouldn't be such a snob after only two triathlons. I suppose I was spoiled by the Red Hills Triathlon, which I felt was very well-organized despite (or perhaps because of) the terrible weather they had to deal with.

Freedom Springs has a lot going for it. Held in a very rural county in North Florida, it has a laid-back quality that makes it perfect for first-timers and mid-to-back-of-the-packers. And I won an award! The transition was nice and open, and the bike/run courses very scenic and quiet.

I would recommend this to local athletes (it's certainly nothing to travel much distance for) -- as long as you can deal with the laid-back-to-a-fault nature of the race.

In related news, congratulations to Jennifer, Andrea and Nikki, for completing their first triathlons!

My Tri Training Partners

I just got this photo, taken just before the Red Hills Triathlon, from Emma. What a good-looking training group she, Cathy and I make!

Training to Ruin a Marathon

From theonion.com:

I'm Training To Ruin A Marathon
By Paul Consella

When I set my mind to something, there's no turning back, no slowing down, and no excuses. So when I heard about the upcoming 17th Annual Richland County Marathon, I started training immediately. For the last four months, I have been pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion to prepare my mind and body for the ultimate physical challenge: ruining a marathon.
I'm going to ruin the whole thing.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Sure, everyone would like to ruin a marathon, but who among us has the discipline and energy to get up at the crack of dawn morning after morning, through rain, sleet, and snow, and practice handing out cups of vinegar to the frontrunners? Me, that's who. Yes, there are some mornings when it's darn near impossible to keep going—when you feel like you just can't chip one more pothole in the course with a pickax. But endurance ruining is all about pushing through the pain. And when the big day comes, and you make it over that final hurdle, dodge the cops, and shove an old guy into the bushes, you'll know all that training was worth it.

Granted, I've never taken on anything of this magnitude before. Oh, I used to ruin cross-country meets back in high school. And there was that father-son fun ruin I did back in '06, of course, but that was just for charity. If I'm going to needlessly sabotage a full 26.2 miles of road, I have to make sure I'm at the top of my game. No ifs, ands, or buts.

That's why I like to start off my training day bright and early with a full breakfast of espresso, some diet pills, and a small bag of rock candy. It keeps me edgy and volatile when I'm in the thick of disrupting a tight race. Also—and I can't stress this enough—it's very important to stretch properly before and after yelling derogatory remarks at Kenyans. You don't want your legs cramping up on the way to the escape route.

Training rituals like this may seem tiresome and pointless now, but trust me: When you're two hours into terrorizing a highly anticipated marathon, they make all the difference in the world.

After you've been ruining a marathon for a couple hours, your body will just take over and you won't even realize that you're spoiling the day for everyone. I call that getting in the "ruiner's zone." It's like my arms and legs could just keep dumping buckets of cooking oil off a highway overpass forever. When you get there, more than ever, it's important to keep focused and not let your mind wander. You've got a lot of race to wreck, and you've got to keep your mind sharp for what's coming up ahead.

It's good to make a checklist in my mind, so I don't get distracted on race day. Are there any cables or streamers around that I can use as trip wires? Is this a good time to call the fire department to report a massive four-alarm blaze at the 12-mile mark? Do I hip-check the guy in front of me or stop abruptly and trip up the three people behind?

If I make all the right decisions, and really push myself, I could ruin this marathon in record time.
The biggest thing I've learned about training to thwart a marathon is that you have to set small, manageable goals for yourself, and then gradually work up to bigger, more challenging goals. Try starting off with something simple, like printing out "Marathon Continues to the Right" signs and pasting them up by the on-ramp to the interstate. Once you're comfortable with that, you can work your way up to a larger goal, like breaking beer bottles into a sack and dumping them out in front of the wheelchair racers, or loading up on carbs and dairy so you can vomit all over the finish line.

As the day of the marathon approaches, it's easy to psych yourself out by thinking of all the tiny things that could go wrong. The hornets could all die en route to the starting line, or I might forget to slash the tires of the first-aid trucks that follow the runners. But when you're ruining a marathon, you have to push all those little what-ifs out of your head and just go out there and try your hardest.
Sure, you might not end up ruining every inch of the marathon, but just imagine the looks on their faces when 300-plus people fail to cross that finish line.

Race day's tomorrow. No more excuses. No more letting my own fears, or my wife's sobbing pleas, or the combined efforts of city and state law enforcement agencies get in the way of me accomplishing my goal. No, sir. Not this time.

I've trained too hard for that.

Western States Cancelled

The Western States Endurance Run was cancelled for the first time in its history this year due to smoke, fire and lightning. Can you imagine the disappointment the runners felt? Still, Tim & Co. made the right decision.

“We recognized they were telling us to not go out and mow the lawn, much less run 100 miles,” Twietmeyer said.

Good call.

http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/87389.html

I'm Back!

RL has taken me out of the blogging game for a while, but I've decided it's time to get back at it again -- especially with triathlon #2 coming up next week! I'm sure all three of you who read the blog are thrilled!

They Did It!

This post is much later than they deserve, but the Tallahassee TNT San Diego Marathon team kicked butt at the 2008 San Diego Marathon and TNT Half Marathon* on June 1! Their times were:

Michele A: 5:13:00
Tien: 6:36:14
Edwin: 5:56:20
Leah: 5:07:52
Tiffany: 6:33:53
Jenny: 4:52:15
Stacey: 7:05:56
Tricia*: 3:21:01
Dalisha*: 3:18:20
Christie: 5:44:50
Michelle W: 6:08:36
Beth: 4:17:40

And a special shout-out to Mark, who also ran San Diego -- his first marathon -- in 5:28:20!

Way to go team!!

Lisa is My Hero

My friend, Lisa, just finished her first Half Ironman. Wow!! You have to read her tale here:

http://www.xanga.com/gruvychicn

Superstar!

Congrats to TNT San Diego teammate Jenny, who placed 3rd in her age group at the Rose City 10K in Thomasville, Ga., on April 26 with a time of 53:54! Woo hoo!!

TNT Car Wash This Sunday!

Bring your dirty car out to the TNT Car Wash this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Big 10 Tires on North Monroe St. It is just passed the Tallahassee Mall, on the same side of the street.

We will have drinks and food for sale and will be washing cars for donations. Come out and support the team!!

Runner's Commandments

from "The 53 Runner's Commandments" by Joe Kelly

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner -- not even other whiners.
2. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
3. Remember that if it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
4. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
5. Talk like a runner. “Singlets” are worn on warm days. “Tank tops” are worn to the beach.
6. Don’t always run alone.
7. Don’t always run with people.
8. Remember that no matter how slow you run, you are still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
9. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
10. Remember that races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
11. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
12. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
13. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
14. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
15. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
16. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
17. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
18. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.

Say Hello to a New Triathlete

I did it!! Last Saturday, April 5, I became a triathlete when I completed the 2008 Red Hills Triathlon in 1:50:10. I'm extremely proud of my accomplishment, and I can't wait to do it again!!

My morning started at 5 am with flashes of lightning and booming thunder outside. I prayed and prayed throughout my drive to Maclay Gardens for God to hold off just a few hours on the storm that He had coming.

"It's my first one! Come on!! Please..." I reasoned with Him, ultimately realizing that my persuasive skills were lost on my Creator. I just had to trust that everything would work out the way it should. So I got out of my car, looked again at the still-dark but flashing sky and got my stuff together.

Walking my bike the half mile from my car to the transition/start area was a challenge. No -- it was just awful. I'm not graceful, and trying to balance all my gear on either my damp, sweaty person or my thin, tall, wobbly bike was hard for me. Plus, four marathons have taught me to always stay hydrated, so I was also carrying four bottles of Gatorade and water -- two of which I never ended up drinking anyway. All the while, I was trying to hold my flashlight steady, as it was not yet 6 am, and still dark. The lightning, though, help illuminate my path. Sounds safe, doesn't it? And then came the rain.

Miserable. Trying to keep my bike from falling on me, my wetsuit out of the mud and my flashlight pointing forward, I was now walking in the pouring rain. My only comfort and diversion was my friend, Hope, calling to check in on me.

"Oh!" we both exclaimed into our phones with each flash of lightning. We agreed that this could easily be the stupidest thing we'd ever done. But soon I was heading into the transition area, ready to get this thing started...in an hour and a half.

As I approached the volunteers who were marking numbers on the damp atheletes, Andrea's smiling face brought back my race-day excitement. Andrea and I have volunteered at this triathlon together for the past two years, and she and Hope were the first people with whom I shared my ambition to become a triathlete.

"Was it a whole year ago that we were here together?" I asked as she wrote "32" in permanent marker on my arms and legs.

"Yeah, girl! And look at you now!" I can always count on her for the encouragement I need. As she wrote my age on my right calf, I cautioned her that it might be difficult -- as muscular as my calves are and all.

As it turns out, Emma was #33, so we set up our transitions next to each other. My transition space ended up being in the middle of a little crack in the pavement, which by that time had turned into a raging river. Oh well -- everything else in my possession was wet anyway. I put down two plastic grocery bags and began setting out everything I would need for the race. The lightning continued.

We huddled together under the eaves of the restroom building, listening for any word from the race officials. Would they change it to a duathlon? Would they just eliminate the swim? Would they cancel the race altogether? All the while, I was praying that everything would go as planned.

At 7 am, they announced that we would indeed be swimming. Joy! Elation! I put on my wetsuit and headed down to the water to check out the position of the buoys marking the swim course. Despair. Panic.

Wow, they were far away and far apart. Much farther than at our practice swim the week before. For an hour I'd been praying for the swim to go on as planned. Now I was praying for a tsunami. Water spout. Anything that would prevent me having to do this swim.

"You looked so excited, but now you look like you're going to throw up," Cathy said as I returned to the transition. I told her about the gargantuan swim that was ahead of us. She said she'd look and promised to be honest with me. "Yeah, that's farther than last week," she said. "Well, I told you I'd be honest." My stomach dropped, but she convinced me that I would be okay. My prayers were answered, and I realized that I'd be lost this morning without the support of my friends.

The swim started and I was elbowing chicks left and right. It was hard -- swimming is my weakest event -- but I was doing fine. After I rounded the second buoy, I experienced a couple of Hitchcockian moments where the shore seemed to get farther away each time I look up. But I sucked it up (along with some lake water) and soon found myself out of the water.

Mom and Justin cheered me on as I ran (I think) into the transition and got on my bike. As I left Maclay Gardens, I had the first of three John sightings for the day -- he's my cycling mentor who taught me and Emma how to properly climb hills on the bike. And we needed it. Red Hills is known as one of Florida's toughest triathlons because of this bike course. But thanks to Cathy, John and Chuck, I had already conquered that beast two weeks before. I finished the bike in exactly the time I expected to -- with the bonus this time of being cheered by Michelle, Edwin and Dalisha along the way.

As I headed to the bike/run transition, I noticed that most bikes were back in already. No matter -- this was my first time and I was doing great. Then, a well-meaning (I hope) spectator called out, "Way to hang in there, 32!" Okay, let's stop here for a minute: don't ever say that to someone in a race. I know you are trying to be nice and supportive, but you might as well yell out, "You suck!" for the way it makes someone feel. Moving on.

The run. Finally I was comfortable and felt my advantage. No, I didn't run it as fast as other people did, and no, it wasn't my fastest 5K. But it sure was good to be back on the home field.

Making my way to the finish line, I saw John one more time, with Robin, who was snap-snapping away on her camera. I'll post her sure-to-be-amazing pictures when I get them (ROBIN). Then, I made the final turn and headed down the last hill toward the finish.

The crowd was quiet. Are you kidding? This was my first triathlon, people! You WILL cheer for me. So I commenced with Erin's Finish Line Spectacular (TM). Index fingers in the air, I told everyone within earshot that this was my "FIRST TRIATHLON! THIS IS MY FIRST TRIATHLON!!" Leaping and waving my fingers, I bounded across the finish line amid cheers from my friends, family, teammates and perfect strangers.

"Finishing her first triathlon, it's Erin Glover, of Tallahassee! Now that's how you do a finish line!" the announcer called out. That's right.

I spent the rest of the morning flashing my finisher's medal around, Wayne's World-style, even at Another Broken Egg later. It has spent the last week traveling around town with me, making cameos at work, meetings and wherever there is anyone who will tolerate me.

I did it. And I did it with the help of my training partners: Emma (1:43:02), Cathy (1:39:04) and Marguerite (1:52:26); my long-distance coach, Hope; my cycle coaches: John and Chuck; and my cheerleaders: Justin, mom, Robin and the 2008 Tallahassee TNT San Diego Marathon team. Thank you all -- I couldn't have done it by myself.

So, what's next? I've got my eye on the 2008 Freedom Springs Triathlon in Marianna on July 4. And I'll rock that one just like I did Red Hills! Woo hoo!!

TNT San Diego Schedule -- Week 10

Wednesday: 5 miles at Forestmeadows at 5 pm with Robin.

Thursday: Winthrop Park at 6 pm for 4 miles

Friday: MOVIE NIGHT! Run Fat Boy Run

Saturday: Meet at 7:30 am for 10 miles at the Circle K on Shamrock in Killearn at the round-about. Two laps around the 5-mile loop. Here's the route: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/fl/tallahassee/594834135

TNT San Diego Schedule -- Week 9

Tuesday: 6 p.m. at Winthrop Park for four miles.

Thursday: Meet at the Leon County Animal Shelter at 6 p.m. on Easterwood Drive for four miles through Tom Brown Park. Easterwood Drive is off of Capital Circle NE at the National Guard Armory. Turn down Easterwood, drive past Weems Road, the Animal Shelter is the next driveway on your left. Here's the map.

Sunday: Meet at the St. Mark's Trailhead at 8:30 a.m. for a flat 14 miles.

TNT Yard Sale

Our team raised over $1200 at the Tallahassee Team in Training Yard Sale on Saturday, March 15! Go Team!














Yolanda and Michelle were ready to cut some deals!














Tien and Beth (soon to be engaged at time of photo) were some of our top sellers! Double congrats!!



















Tricia and Edwin graciously hosted the sale -- and grilled burgers. Tally TNT loves us some free food!














Stacey and Leah are our busy fundraising bees! Always making me proud.














Would this face rip you off?


















The Team with our top customer. He spent over $175, so we let him have free breakfast.














Hand over that money, mister! And yes, that is a Benjamin. No small bills at this yard sale. W'ere fighting cancer here, people!!

Our Team

What a great looking group the Tallahassee TNT Team is!

Great Video

The Day After the Marathon

It's funny whether you've seen it before or not -- because it's true!

Thomasville Rd Baptist Church 10K

First of all, how awesome is this picture?

Michelle's Rocky-style finish makes for my favorite finish-line picture ever! It didn't hurt that I sang "Eye of the Tiger" to her all the way up Tville Rd 10K's killer hill!

More fighters from Saturday's race:

Berinice and John show the crowd how TNT rolls: all smiles!

Christie, Michelle and Tiffany finish strong!

Great job, team!!

Triathlon Training: Week 9

Wed: 30 min swim
Thurs: 40 min bike
Fri: 20 min swim
Sat: 45 min bike / 30 min run
Sun: St. Marks ride with Red Hills novice group at 1 pm, followed by run

TNT San Diego Schedule -- Week 6

Wednesday: Meet me in Bobbin Trace at 3 pm for 3-5 miles. The Recommitment Party is at Jodi's house at 6:30, so after the run, Robin is planning to swim/change at Premier Gym. Bring $5 and they'll let you in as her guest.

Thursday: Meet at Forest Meadows Park for some trail running -- three miles at 6 pm. Directions to Forest Meadows: Go out Thomasville Road and turn left onto Maclay Road like you're going to Bobbin Trace. Go another 3 miles or so to the stop light and turn right onto Meridian Road. You'll see Maclay school on your right, then you'll see the soccer fields on your left. . . keep going and then you'll turn left at the yellow caution light into Forest Meadows Park. Turn in, then bear to your right and park at the end of the dirt parking lot. Robin will be there early to wave you in.

Sunday: Saturday is the TNT Garage Sale, so we'll run on Sunday this week. Meet Robin at 10:30 am at Bradley's Country Store to run 10 miles on Old Centerville Road.
Directions to Bradley's: Get on Centerville Road and go north 11.5 miles from the Capital Circle NE intersection where Lowe's and Publix is. You will go over I-10, past the Killearn entrances and past Pisgah Church Road. You will see Bradley's Country Store on your right - its a little white house with big oaks out front. Robin will have Gatorade and water out at 3, 5, and 7 miles, but you need to bring your own GU/blocks/beans.

The Reason We Run

I wanted to share with all of you (especially you TNT people) the following link:

http://www.blonshine.blogspot.com/

This is the amazing and inspirational story of Erin, a young girl who is currently battling Leukemia. The blog is written by her mother, Janet Blonshine, and her detailed account of the days since Erin's diagnosis is incredibly intimate and full of hope, love and praise.

Erin's story is a great reminder of why we got involved in Team in Training, and it reminds us of the miracles that are possible when you have the love of your family and trust in God.

Glory Hallelujah!

So this whole time I thought I had to swim 14 100-meter laps in order to reach the equivalent of my triathlon, but it turns out that .33 mile = 531 meters! That means I only have to swim 5 1/2 100-meter laps! Thank the Lord for small miracles!

I'd like to thank Cathy and Hope for clearing this up for me. :)

TNT San Diego Schedule -- Week 5

Tuesday: Meet at the Leon Track at 6 pm to run 3 miles. The track is 1/4 of a mile, so to get 3 miles you need to run around it 12 times. That may sound like a lot, but really it goes pretty fast.

Tuesday EARLY RUN: Meet Robin at Bobbin Trace for an early run at 3 pm.

Thursday: Meet at Winthrop Park for 3 miles at 6 pm.

Saturday: Gate River Run in Jacksonville with Robin or the Thomasville Road Baptist Church 10k in Tallahassee with me. Tville Rd people will stay afterwards to run another 1.8 miles to make it an even 8 miles.

Sunday: For anybody that doesn't want to do either race, Robin will meet you at Southwood at 12:30 pm. to run 8 miles, but you have to let her know if you want to run with her on Sunday.

Triathlon Training: Week 8

I really did train last week. In fact, I rode 14 miles today in one hour over a very hilly course in Southwood and then ran 2 sub-9-minute miles! I think I can do this!

Mon: 20 min swim
Tues: 30 min bike
Wed: 30 min swim
Thurs: 45 min bike
Sat: Thomasville Rd Baptist Church 10k plus 1.8 miles with TNT San Diego Group
Sun: 60 min bike

Dodging the Wall

Marathon runners avoid hitting the wall with well-planned carb loading
Oakland Tribune 02/28/2008

You're at mile 20 in the marathon, feeling no pain, striding at a comfortable pace, wind at your back. Suddenly you feel a wave of fatigue so strong it's as if your body wants to melt into the pavement. Then comes a rush of dizziness and disorientation. You've hit the wall.
The bane of long-distance runners and endurance athletes, the dreaded wall can derail the best marathon plans. But it's neither inevitable nor insurmountable. The feared episode occurs when the body uses up its stockpile of glycogen, a stored form of glucose that's kept in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is the main fuel used during sustained exercise and largely comes from carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, fruits and vegetables. When the glycogen stockpile is gone, "the body doesn't have that fuel source available and must then transfer to another fuel source, which is fat," says Dr. John DiFiori, chief of the sports medicine division at the University of California, Los Angeles. "It can be used as energy, but it's not as efficient an energy source as glycogen." Low blood sugar doesn't just distress the muscles, says Dr. Robert Sallis, director of sports medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, Calif., and president of the American College of Sports Medicine.
"The brain needs sugar to work as well," he says, "and actually it's more sensitive to low sugar than the muscles are." In a marathon, that depletion can happen at any time -- often around mile 20, sometimes at about two hours. The telltale signs can develop slowly or quickly; many runners describe it as a switch being flipped. When hitting the wall, runners should slow their pace and immediately take in carbs in the form of sports drinks, gels, energy bars or fruit, says Sallis. He suggests taking in carbs every 45 minutes or so during the race and being aware of any major drop in energy or feelings of wooziness.
"For a lot of people who are doing their first marathon, their longest training run has been 20 miles, so the rest is uncharted territory." Sallis adds that if runners decide to pass on the carbs and keep going, "most are still able to get through it. It's not typically something that makes you collapse -- it just slows you way down. Most people still finish." The body, he says, has enough fat stores (even in thin people) to keep it going. But feeling as if you can't go on at all, he says, may be a sign of something more serious, such as heat stroke. It takes just a few minutes for carbs to hit the blood stream, and taking in those carbs via energy gels, carbohydrate- rich sports drinks and energy bars is the best way, Sallis says.
"When we're running, we have all of this blood being shunted away from the gut to the muscles, so there's not a lot of blood to go to work in the gastrointestinal tract. The simpler the source of carbs, the easier they'll be to absorb." Heat can exacerbate the problem, Sallis adds. "The heart is pumping harder, and you have the body's cooling systems that are stealing away glycogen to work." So staying hydrated is important as well.
"People who are better trained are able to use their fuel sources more efficiently, " DiFiori says. "They're using less energy to perform the work." Experienced runners know to load up on carbs before a race, but Sallis warns about piling on too much.
"We can only store so much," he says, "and by eating too many carbs, you can become bloated and sluggish, and that's no way to start a race." Most exercise experts recommend having sensible portions of high-carb foods such as pasta the night before a marathon, then more carbs on the morning of the race. This is the optimum fuel the body will need to perform. Runners need to take in carbs immediately after the race as well, says DiFiori.
"The first 15 to 30 minutes is important. You're excited that you've finished, but it's not over yet. You have to begin replacing those depleted fuel stores with a high-carbohydrate beverage or snack," he says. "You've exhausted all those carbs, and you're going to feel lousy and sluggish. Start with the basics -- energy bars, really digestible stuff -- then work your way into more normal foods. It still takes a while for the circulation to go back to the gut."

Congrats Tricia!!

Tricia finished her first 5K this morning -- the Race Judicata 5K! She was AWESOME; charging up hills, sprinting (and passing two other competitors) to the finish. You rocked it, girl!!

Does that hurt?

Some soreness and aches due to running are common, especially at the beginning of training.

PAIN DURING TRAINING:
1. Ice: 10-15 minutes 3 times a day to the area. Ice applied directly to skin can cause frostbite. Apply the ice pack (or a bag of frozen veggies) to the area with a layer of material between it and your skin. You may ask: what’s best, ice or heat? In any injury in which there is active swelling early on, ice is best for the first few days after the onset of pain. If swelling goes away after a few days, either ice or heat can be helpful -- whichever seems to help most.
2. Medications: Aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc., can be helpful for a short period of time for specific pain or body soreness. Certain caution should be used, however. If you are allergic to aspirin or have had problems with ulcers, kidney or liver disease, you should not take antiinflammatories. You should not take NSAIDs right before a run, only after a workout and again 6 - 8 hours later. If you take antinflammatories for 2 weeks and still have symptoms, it's time to call your doctor.

PAIN RELIEVERS DURING LONG RUNS AND ON RACE DAY:
Recent medical research has shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc., may be harmful to long-distance runners’ kidney function. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), on the other hand, has been shown to be safe. NSAIDs are thought to increase the possibility of hyponatremia during long-distance running, because they decrease blood flow to the kidneys and interfere with a hormone that helps the body retain salt. Therefore, it is recommended that on marathon day (specifically, beginning midnight before you run) you do not use anything but acetaminophen (Tylenol), if needed, until after you have finished the race, are able to drink without any nausea or vomiting, and have clear-to-yellow urine. Then, an NSAID would be of benefit in preventing postmarathon muscle soreness.

Thanks to Robin for this info!

Triathlon Training: Week 6

Wed: 30 min swim
Thurs: 30 min bike
Fri: 15 min swim
Sat: Race Judicata 5K
Sun: Southwood brick with novice group

TNT San Diego Schedule -- Week 3

Tuesday's Group Run: Two miles from Winthrop Park at 6 p.m. Advanced plan people will go to the Leon Track for speed training at 6 p.m.

Thursday's Group Run: Two miles in Bobbin Trace at 6 p.m. We'll then head on over to Po'Boys for dinner, libations and much fun with the nutritionist, Mae Cleveland. After her talk and after dinner, we'll be having a Gu tasting.

Saturday's Group Run: Race Judicata is this weekend at FSU Law School. There is some confusion about what time the race starts, so for now, race time is TBA. This is a 5k, so after the race we'll run another 2 miles. Then Robin will be at Southwood afterward for a 5-mile run for anybody who can't do the race.

TNT San Diego Schedule--Week 2

Tuesday's Group Run: 6 pm at Winthrop Park--off Betton Road at the intersection of Betton and Thomasville Road. Turning off T'ville Road, you'll make an immediate right onto Mitchell Avenue. You will see Robin parked about 100 yards down pulled up to the curb before you get to the baseball diamonds and tennis courts.

Thursday's Group Run: Also at Winthrop Park at 6 pm. We'll repeat Tuesday's route.

Saturday's Group Run: Central Park in Southwood at 8 am. This Saturday we need 4 miles, so we'll do two loops around the lakes. Directions to Southwood: If you're coming from Apalachee Parkway , you'll turn right onto Capital Circle Southeast going south. There's lots of construction, be careful. At the second light, you will see a big Gate Station on your right, and the first entrance to Southwood on your left, that's Blairstone Road . Turn left, you'll merge down into one lane, you'll see a golf course on your left. Go up to the round-about and you'll bear to the right onto Four Oaks Boulevard . Go about 1 mile, the first street to the left is Baringer Hill Drive . Turn left on Baringer and go all the way down that street until it dead-ends into Grove Park Drive . Turn left and go about .3 mile. You'll see a small parking lot on your right at the Southwood Community Center with a building, a fenced in pool, and a playground.

Aramark Training: Training will be Friday 2/15 from 5:30 - 7:00 in University Center C in Board Room 5301. They will go over some basics of the program. Then on the following morning, trainig will be at the baseball stadium from 9-12. This is Fan Day and they will have us actually operate a concession stand and learn through hands-on training.

Run for the Cookies 5K

TNT had a great showing at the Run for the Cookies 5K this weekend! Check out our awesomeness:

Beth 27:01 finish; 8:42 pace
Jenny 28:19 finish; 9:07 pace
Stacey 35:17 finish; 11:22 pace
Edwin 37:53 finish; 12:12 pace

This was everyone's first race, and they smoked it!! Great job, Team!!

And a special shout-out to Tricia, who brought it Saturday morning! You worked hard and looked great.

Triathlon Training: Week 5

Mon: 20 min swim
Tues: 30 min run
Wed: 25 min swim
Thurs: 45 min bike
Sat: 30 min run
Sun: 30 min bike

You want a cure for cancer with that?

Love FSU baseball? Want to support Tallahasee Team in Training? Come out and see our smiling faces as we hawk junk food this season to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!! You can find us at the following games:

Wed 3/5 6pm--UNC Asheville with Beth & Tien

Fri 3/7 6pm--Maryland with Tricia & Edwin

Sat 3/8 6pm--Maryland with Edwin

Sun 3/9 1pm--Maryland with Betsy, Cathy & the Tri/Cycle teams

Wed 3/12 4pm--Georgia with Beth & Tien

Fri 3/14 6pm--GA Tech with Beth & Tien

Sat 3/15 6pm--GA Tech with Michelle & Yolanda

Sun 3/16 1pm--GA Tech with Michelle & Yolanda

Tues 3/25 6pm--Stetson with Beth & Tien

Thurs 5/15 7pm--NC State with Betsy

Fri 5/16 7pm--NC State with Michelle & Yolanda

Go Team and Go Noles!!

Welcome to the Team!!

I'm proud to welcome the newest Team in Training vict--I mean--participants!! Let's hear it for the 2008 Rock & Roll San Diego Marathon team!

Michelle
Michele
Leigh
Edwin
Leah
Tien
Yolanda
Tiffany
Jenny
Tricia
Stacey
Dalisha
Betsy
Nicole
Beth

GO TEAM!!

Triathlon Training: Week 4

I really did train last week. I promise.
Mon: 25 min swim/30 min bike
Tues: 20 min run with TNT group
Wed: 20 min swim
Sat: Run for the Cookies 5K
Sun: Training ride with novice group 1pm Killearn Lakes Elementary

Triathlon Training: Week 2

Wed: 20 min run
Fri: 20 min swim
Sat: Chaires Ride 1 pm with Emma, Marguerite and Neil
Sun: Mini Tri with novice group at Premier 9 am

The Caboose

My friend, Richard, was a big guy. I don't mean in terms of physical size, although to look at him, you'd never guess he ran three marathons within one year.

My friend, Richard, was a big person. Everything about him was big: his smile, his laugh, his appetite, his hugs, his love, his friendship, his heart, his soul. His life.

My friend passed away yesterday at the age of 28. He was doing what he always did--living big and having a good time. That's how I choose to remember him: laughing big and enjoying his friends.

"Just stay in front of me," he'd say to his fellow back-of-the-packers. "Stay in front of me and you'll finish. I'll be the caboose."

Some people dive into life; Richard did a full-on cannonball. He seized every opportunity to make his life richer. He ran marathons despite all apparent physical limitations. He crocheted blankets for new babies in his family. He took 30-mile bike rides, if only to spend time with friends and enjoy the food stops. He just learned to play golf and looked forward to his first game on Saturday, even though it would be in the freezing rain. He touched the hearts of each person he knew, and the world is a better place for having had him in it.

And now I know he's up there, at life's finish line, cheering us all on. He's got his medal already, just waiting for us all to finish, too. And when I get there, and God gives me my finisher's medal, Richard will be there to give me another big hug.

Update: Robin made a great slide show of some of Richard's photos. It can be found here.

You better work

Not to brag, but how awesome is this picture?


Have you ever seen someone working so hard in a race photo? Cammaaan!!






More awesomeness from the Gulf Winds 15K/30K:



I love this picture of Jennifer. Go ahead, girl!

Just so you know

Triathlon training is hard. I went to the pool for the first time in years Tuesday. I managed two laps without stopping--but just barely.

I keep reminding myself, though, that this is the exciting thing about learning a new sport. When I trained for my first marathon, I achieved new goals every week. Five miles, then ten, then twelve, and fifteen...every long run brought a new sense of pride and accomplishment.

That is why I'm training for a triathlon: to achieve a whole new set of goals and prove to myself once again that I can do anything I set my mind to. I can do it!!

If I don't drown first. I know that lifeguard was thinking, "If that jerk goes under and I have to get into that pool in this 40-degree weather..."

River Roots & Ruts Half Marathon

We did it! Our entire team finished the River Roots & Ruts Half Marathon at the Caloosahatchee Regional Park, near Ft. Myers on January 6. Let's celebrate with a photo post...

We begin with dinner at Bianca's "Ristorante Italiano" or, as it turned out, Bianca's "Ristorante That Did Not Honor its Deal With the Race Director." Our $10 special runners' menu was nowhere to be found. My mushroom spaghetti, though, rawked!

Race day: Amy and I speed past photographer Emma, followed closely by Berinice. The course was gorgeous--lots of different types of South Florida terrain. The trail was a challenging mountain bike course which brought some large rises and dips. Very, very tough.

Soon after, Robin, Kay and Mark came along. This is how they want you to think they feel:

This is how they really feel:

Berinice double-fists. That's right.
Don't hate.
Berinice finishes with a smile!
Congrats to Mark on finishing his first half marathon!!
Guess who took 3rd in her age group!
And I even got a poop trophy (thanks, Jodi).
Congrats to Aubrey--another first-timer!

Another great race with a great group of people.
The race experience is always better when it's shared with friends.