1/2 Century Ride

So I was really proud of myself today! I got in my first 50 mile ride ever!

It was pretty windy, slightly overcast, and I was fairly tired (nothing new there), but I dragged myself out of be and onto my bike. The furthest I had ever biked before was 30 miles, so this was quite a step. 40K better feel like nothing after that!

--Miche
Active things done today: 50 mile bike... and incapable of much else

Beware of Dog

So I had a bit of an interesting ride last week. It's been pretty hot here lately, so I went out for a ride in the evening, thinking I could beat some of the heat. As it turns out, someone (who lives in the middle of a cornfield and will remain nameless) decided to let their dog run around their yard without looking after it. Hmm, I bet you can see where this is going.

Let me say first that I like dogs, and generally find them to be good tempered. This particular pooch however, seemed intent on not letting me continue down the street. I slowed, and then the dog preceded to try and get me off my bike with all the delicacy of a fuzzy battering ram. No blood, no foul. But I did get a decent bruise. Still trying to think of a moral to this story.

--Miche
Active things done today: 10 mi Run

New Stuff!

I recently won the swim portion of one of my Tri's, and was rewarded with a gift certificate. I decided to put it to good use and buy a trainer. (Using a strength to help strengthen a weakness, or something like that)

With the help of my coach, we devised (mostly her though:) ) a set to try to figure out my ideal cadence.

I did 7x2min with 2:30 rest in-between, increasing my cadence by 5 each interval until I was at 100. By tracking HR, you can find your threshold (the ideal place for you to be working at) to be your most efficient. Pretty cool!

--Miche
Active things done today:75 Min Weightlifting, 1.75 hr Swimming, 1 hr Bike (drill work)

Hard Training

Phew, the past weeks have been a blur!

After a couple of spring races, I have moved into the bulk of my summer base work. It's wonderfully humid here in the heartland, and the corn is well past knee high. Everything is going swimmingly, except for the fact that I barely have enough energy left from training to go to work. But don't worry, I still go :)

Miche

Active things done today: Rest Day!

Oh, Biking

It's been rather droll here lately. I've had to do most of my workouts alone, the biking ones really get to me. There's a threat of rain, and I feel guilty every time I go out riding alone. I love my bike, I'm just terribly afraid of cars.

Perhaps I should play some upbeat music and then go for a ride.

--Miche
Active things done today(so far): 90min Swim, 80 min Weightlifting

Pump up Video

Never fails to get me ready to race/train!

--Miche
Active things done today: Rest
(Yesterday: 60 min dryland, 120 min swim)

Ohio Triathlon

A picture of the lovely lake where last weekend's race took place. It went well, except for a small mishap with my chain falling off, and this poor turtle. The bike course had nice rolling hills and was very nice. Unfortunately there was this HUGE dead turtle in the middle of one of the roads we were on, it looked as if someone had tried to straddle it with their car, and squished it anyway. Very Sad. The run course was a simple out and back on a gravel/dirt trail. It was pretty muggy because they had gotten a bit of rain beforehand, but it was otherwise enjoyable.

I got to meet some of my other Mid-East Collegiate racers too, which is always fun. Unfortunatly the other people from my team were not able to make it :(

--Miche
Active things done today: 90 min Swim, 40 min Dryland

Ides of May

It's a sad testament when spring leaves you drained and uninspired, but alas, that's college. Finals are over and 98% of students have gone home, and guess what, I'm still here. I'm a townie (live in the same town that I go to school in), and not altogether proud of that fact. Don't get me wrong, I love my school, department, team and town, but it wears on me. I run, bike, and swim in all the same routes, roads and lanes that I did when I was a little tyke learning to be an athlete. I run to the same park that I played in when I was two, ran a meet in middle school, and ran speed workouts at in high school. Comforting, yes, but also possibly bad for my mental health.

And so, I turn to the only sure-fire way to give my mind a short (and free) vacation: Books. Not just any books, running books. It's easy to get caught up in surroundings or schedules, and for me as a swimmer, a borderline militaristic training routine. One of my favorites to get me out of such a funk is _Ultramarathon Man_ by Dean Karnazes, it reminds me of the pure joy and freedom I associate with Triathlons. Going only where your body can take you, by land, sea, or wheel. One of my favorite quotes from this book is when Dean is asked by a reporter how he is running 200 miles, his response:

"I ran the first hundred miles with my legs, the next ninety miles with my mind, and I guess I'm running this last part with my heart"

Body. Mind. Inspiration.
All you really need!

--Miche
Active things done today: 5 miles power walk, 1.75 hrs Swim

Some Changes

Sorry about the little edits, I'm still getting the hang of this whole blogging thing. I'm also an absolutely atrocious speller if you hadn't noticed. I will do my best to keep it in check.

--Miche

New Olympic Mascots

Check out Mascots 1 or Mascots 2.

Please, just do it. For the children.

I'm hoping I learn to love them, while wondering if I should have to. Their single eye represents a camera, really?!? Do we really need more paparazzi or CCTV? Where's the love?

--Miche

Active things done today: 80 min bike,and a good stretch

Nearing Races

Finals are always rough, mentally and physically. It's becoming an adjustment week for me; I'm starting my new lab job, learning new dry-land, and weight workouts. But with this transition also comes races.

Nothing beats the "blah" feeling of finals like a good Race.

I travel to South-West Ohio this weekend for my first sprint race of the season. I need a good pick-me-up, and I'm hoping this is just the thing. My first race period did not go as well as planned, it fact, it was a disaster. I do not take full blame: true, I did not have long to train (a mere 7 weeks after the final meet of my swim season), but I had a brand new bike (Lyndsky Ti, an absolute dream) and some solid workouts under my belt. I was brought down by a combination of hills (which are hard to come by where I'm from) and cold (mostly this factor). I had trained in expectation of hills, but for someone who does not have the natural body-fat to deal with cold... Well, does hypothermia mean anything to you? Suffice to say, I spent a lot of time in front of the blast heater after I dragged my frozen self over the finish line. I don't think anyone on my team ever wants to go back to Lubbock, TX.

5 Days till race!

--Miche

Active things done today: 2hr swimming, 2hr weights (1 hr worth of work, rest was orientation of sorts)

Dolphin or Cheetah?

The two animals above are both very good at what they do. I would have added a 3rd animal who bikes, but (thankfully perhaps) we humans are the only ones who have figured out how to make such contraptions. As you might have also noticed, the animals look very different from one another. So what makes us humans think we can be good at both at the same time?!?

The engineer in me creates an equality:
Water: Fat= more bouancy = less work
Land: Fat= more mass = more work

As a lifelong swimmer, who must transition from a high level of swimming to a high level of triathlon-ing every season, this can be a dilemma. Throw in college with all its stresses, and you're lucky to just stay a dolphin (and not progress to some kind of blue whale). I struggle to find a "happy" weight, one where my body is not sore after running, and where I can still swim at a good clip.

So what is one to do? Answer, I read. I love looking through sports nutrition manuals, but recently I picked up _French Women Don't Get Fat_. I like it. Admittedly, I need to eat quite a bit more than someone who only walks 20 min, three times a week, but the principals are good. Smaller meals, spread out, lot of fruits and veg, a healthy appreciation of pastries, oh c'est magnifique! I shall keep reading, I think body can be very happy with this one.

--Miche

Active things done today: 30 min bike, 30 min dryland training, 2 hr swimming

... tempered with an ending

This morning was my last official shift working as a Barista. It started as just a summer-before-college job, but I ended up staying two years. I saw my way through three different managers, and got to work with some really cool people. And then there were the customers themselves.

I am a self-proclaimed introvert, so it was a bit of a stretch at first to ask complete strangers how they were and expect an answer other than "fine." The other people I worked with though, helped to coax me out of my shell, and really get to know my customers. Granted, I know most by their favorite drink, not by name, but we shared some conversations and taught me things I will never forget. The most important two being that everyone has a story and you never know what good a smile can do.

Thank you for all those great mornings! I hope some of you get to read this!

--Miche

Active things done today: Rest, made lots and lots of Lattes, smiled a lot!

A Beginning...

A bit of what inspires me... straight from my cornflakes box to you.
It's called "amazing awaits":

amazing awaits.

where we least expect it,
or after training for it all our lives.

it awaits in 200 meters,
in a hundredth of a second,
in or courageous first steps,
and with our every last breath.

it awaits on the shoulder of our teammates,
in the footsteps of our heroes,
when we shatter records,
and our spirits prove unbreakable.

amazing awaits
when a small-town playground takes us to the world's stage,
and when that distance is measured in effort.
when hope makes us hopefuls, and bravery carries us on her back.

it awaits when we cross finish lines,
and when the journey has just begun.
when we come from nothing, from nowhere,
over hurdles, over mountains.

amazing awaits in our Olympians.
in all Americans.
in the honor of victory
and the glory of pursuit.

it awaits when we work hard enough,
want badly enough,
and refuse to say we've had enough.

with a nation behind us
with a world before us,
and within us all.

amazing awaits.

--Miche

Active things done today: 30 min Run, along with lots of cleaning an yard work