Florida Gal

It's official I've finally made my move and can proudly say I am a Florida gal! Although I'm excited to be here, I am far from settled and very much missing my NOLA friends. With starting a new job, a pending month of being homeless,  and with being husband-less I am one hot mess. Given my circumstances, training has been hit or miss. This year overall really has been a wash :( Every time I feel like I get some solid training under my belt, life seems to mess with my groove.

And I'm not going to lie... it has been hard seeing everyone already in the midst of their racing season while I'm still barely holding on to base training. Enough complaining! Regardless of my circumstances and excuses, I still plan on racing my first Olympic in Mayport in a few weeks. We shall see what happens. 

If anything, this has once again showed me that there is more to life than triathlon.  Sometimes life has other priorities that must come first. Either way I'm happy to be in the sunshine state and excited to start a new chapter :)

Sham-rocking Fun

There is always something to celebrate in NOLA and St. Patty's Day is no exception. The theme for this week's race(s) was definitely all about the outfit.

The week started with an underwear run down Magazine Street in the garden district.  I figured with my upcoming move to the sunshine state, I should run in crazy outfits while I can.

Anyway,  Rev3 and Wattie Ink combined forces  to rock the "R" and "W" with my husband and Mary Thiel.

And this girl definitely rocks the "W" when it comes to drinking green beer....
Wattie has me beat in that department for sure.

While the underwear run was a blast, the real race was the 8k Sunday. I was super excited about the race although I think it was more about the outfit than the actual race.  Yay for my green lulu and Rev3 combo!

 

And while I trained hard through the week and weekend,  I was hoping for sub 6:40s. It's crazy how the sub-conscious works! Despite going out too hard, I finished with a new 8K PR of 33:38 and a 2nd AG finish. Thanx to Scott for catching this sweet shot :)

NOLA Rock N Roll Half

Heading into my first half marathon for the year, I had some lofty goals and expectations. My goal was to break a 1:30. Since I don't race a lot of strictly running races, I thought this would be my shot. After Superbowl festivities, Mardi Gras indulging, and then the flu -my goal quickly transformed into "I hope I can run 13.1 miles". For awhile, I didn't think I would be able to run at all.

Instead of the allowing the stress of being sick get to me, I embraced the day and kept a positive attitude. While the race turned out to be more like a training run, I couldn't have asked for a better day.

I was a good 4 minutes behind last year and for some reason thought it was a good idea to go out sub 7s. I definitely paid for that later on. Ooops. Either way lesson learned and time to move on to the rest of the season :)

On a positive note, yay for a wiener dog surprise at the finish line!

And double yay for a delicious post race brunch and the prettiest latte ever at Satsuma on Maple.

Sometimes things don't work out as planned regardless of how well you set your goals. Now it's time to re-evaluate and move on :) This girl needs to find another half!

Catching Up

Yes I've disappeared from the blogging world once again! I always have an excuse but this time there are more than I can count. Let's just say a combination of: an extensive A.R.T. course, Arizona for MLB, Boulder for Rev3, entertaining several Mardi Gras guests, and planning a move to FL have forced me to put blogging on the back burner temporarily.

So let's play catch up! I started off the year with a quick, fun 5k in Nola during a monsoon and was able to take home some prize money!

After that I was fortunate enough to jet set to Scottsdale AZ to perform some MLB Umpire screenings. Scottsdale was the bomb and I easily fell in love with all the desert had to offer especially the hiking.

Following the quick work trip, I shifted gears and headed north to Boulder, Co to hang out with all my awesome Rev3 teammates. Pictured here: Frayed Laces, Jill Poon, and Nina Jack.

It was a blast as always! I even got to hang out with RunThis Amazing Day, her hubby, and her awesome dogs. And gotta love the Chatauqua hike Royal Arch view. Breathtaking :)

As I headed back to Nola, Scott and I made sure to partake in the Super Bowl Festivities and then easily transitioned to Mardi Gras. With this being our last Mardi Gras, let's just say we went hard.

And a result of these fun festivities and a combination of 2012 post 140.6 burnout, training has been hit or miss. To top it off, I'm paying for it with the flu.

Ick. As for the Rock n Roll half marathon this upcoming weekend, I would say it's 50/50. And that my friends is why once I kick this cold thing, it's time to get serious!

And by the way yes we are moving to Jacksonville, Florida :)

How Much is Too Much?

As part of my as a sports physical therapist, I like to stay on top of reading evidence based research. While most of my readings are orthopedic and PT centered, I often share articles with other wellness disciplines. One of my colleagues and New Orleans-celebrity-fitness-trainer, Mackie Shilstone recently brought a disturbing article to my attention.

The article was titled" Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects From Excessive Endurance Exercise". While I had heard rumors in the past that too much exercise was a bad thing, I had never read any of the evidence for myself. It was quite a disturbing read.

While most of us know that regular exercise is beneficial for the heart, the opposite is true once one surpasses an upper dosage barrier. I won't bore you with too much science or anatomy. However, I will tell you that research is showing that veteran ultra athletes have 5x increase in atrial fibrillation. Doctors are also commonly finding coronary artery calcification, diastolic dysfunction, and large artery wall stiffening. In fact, researchers have also found elevated markers in the blood that are indicative of cardiac damage in athletes post ultra racing/training. Just think- these are some of the same chemical released when one has a heart attach. Scary stuff!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the ups and downs of 140.6 racing, I must ask myself, "Is this really worth it"?

I'm not trying to discourage you ultra-marathoners, 140.6-ers, or your IM-ers out there from accomplishing your dreams or your goals. I do however think it's important that you know the facts, especially if you plan on sticking around the long stuff for a lifetime. ( especially if you fall into the older age group categories)

 In addition to the damage on the inside, it's easy to see what years of free-radical damage can do to the outside. Not attractive in my opinion. Although this guy is pretty cute...

As for me, I think 3-140.6's is enough heart damage for a lifetime. As for now, I'm hoping to crush some dreams in the 70.3's and below. And while there are a million other reasons for me no longer to do the long stuff, this just helps make the decision that much easier.


You can read the article for yourself here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677079.

James H. O'Keefe,Harshal R, et al. "Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects From Excessive Endurance Exercise". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. June 2012; 87:6, 587-595.

Afterthoughts IMFL

Unfortunately that 11 hr barrier still stands after IMFL. I go back and ask myself... What could I have done differently? What if I didn't get sick around the taper..... What if I went harder on the bike... What if.....

 I left it all out there on the course on that race day. And I can't complain too much about a whopping 30 minute PR and huge marathon PR.

Will I do another? Do I want to do another? Will my family put up with me doing one more? Knowing my strengths as an athlete, I truly don't think I'm a long course racer. I've given this crazy distance 3 solid tries. And I'm happy to say I'm DONE!

A few weeks out I thought about maybe signing up for IMTX again. After some careful consideration and after experiencing "normal" life without training 20+ hrs a week, I've decided that is a big fat he$$ no!

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm enjoying my training-plan-less off season. But I will say it feels good to re-prioritize things and to shift focus on the more important things in life. And for now 2013 and beyond= 70.3 distance and below! YAY!

Swim Paddle Review

A few weeks ago I was provided with the opportunity to do a product review for Aqua Gear. Given I ripped my 5 year old speedo paddles during IM training and had a hair tie holding the strap together, I thought it was time for a replacement pair. I opted to do a product review of the Vortex V8 Hand Paddles: 

 This is how they are packaged prior to assembly: 

 Post Assembly: (Very easy to assemble I might add)

 New paddle size vs old paddle size: (with my hand comparison)

Overall, I love the ergonomic hand contour design. The hand strap fits nicely and does not cause any hand cramping. Although I love the contour, the size is a bit excessive for my smaller hand. I've used these for the past 2 weeks but have only pulled 200-300meters with them. After a few hundred meters, I starting to feel a little too much upper trap and shoulder cramping.  Great product for anyone with a larger hand size with no history of shoulder problems. I wish there was an in-between size available for this product. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions about this product. Thank you Aqua Gear for the opportunity to do this review!