Wetsuit Malfunction

Another state down... this race in the beautiful state of Maine. The Fireman Tri in Kennebunk. Tough surf with Hurricane Danny had the swim relocated. Click on the video above to see where we were supposed to swim. YIKES!

Did well, top 1/3 and 26th woman out of 170 overall. Had a little issue getting my wetsuit off. Minor calf cramping, shaky hands from the 60 degree water temps (it was MAINE afterall) and a large timing chip meant I could not get my wetsuit off easily. I was way ahead of the pack but watched a bunch of gals catch up and head out of transition to the bike course, while I still fumbled with the wetsuit. I made up some time but my T1 (time between swim and bike) was not very pretty. Oh well...

The cool temps of the morning (55 degrees to start) gave way to sun and temps in the 70s. The scenary was great and the town was lovely. It was a great race. Thanks to my friend Barbara who traveled with me from NY and raced with me. Thanks to local friends, Heather, Phyllis and Sue for coming out and cheering me on.

I love racing in other states but it is good to be home.

A New Homeowner

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Life has been kinda hectic. I bought a house and am renovating it. Quite the process really. It's not my first home renovation but certainly the most extensive. We're down to studs as you can see.

Unfortunately, as exciting as this news is... it means that everything has taken a back seat, including exercise. I have a race next weekend in Maine but when life gets in the way, it is hard to balance everything. There are times when it is just impossible to do it all. And I am a "do it all" person. It's ok really. I write that more for myself than for anyone reading. I am certain I will do well next week because I have a lot of fitness "in the bank" but I doubt I will post any winning times. It isn't always about winning. It's the journey not the destination. I keep telling myself that. Even still, it is hard to not work out everyday and harder not to beat myself up for it. To make up for lost time, I ran 10 miles this morning. But once tomorrow comes, I am heavy into house stuff again.

When all is said and done, what will I remember? Will it be a few months of moderate exercise or the lasting feelings of a beautiful home? Seems pretty obvious to me.

Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

We are certainly making up for a mild start to summer with this August heat, at least in the Northeast. Whew! Unlike some folks, I don't perspire; I sweat A LOT. Makes it hard to breath too but it's great for "heat training". Given that most of the races are in summer months, training in high heat and humidity is good preparation for race day. In fact, given safe parameters, I try to train mid day a couple of times during the summer to simulate brutal race conditions. For me, being ready for whatever race day can throw at me, takes some of the fear and anxiety out of it.
One of my favorite sayings is "Any obstacle is the direct result of improper or insufficient preparation". Well doesn't that say it all? That saying is about so much more than racing, training and exercise in general. It's a saying for life.
So what it's hot out? Drink some gatorade, do a shorter workout, stay close to home, cool down easily and get out there and exercise.

What? No Race? But There's A Good Story

After back to back races the last two weekends, this weekend feels kinda boring. I took most of this week "off" from exercise to let my body heal. It felt good but by this morning, I was revved up for a good workout. Ran 8 miles with a friend training for the NYC marathon.

I told my friend (Joanne) a story about my CT race and she thought I should include it in my blog. It seems that since I was on the cover of the local newspaper and the News12 crew was following me around, I was "popular". The women who were racked in transition near me wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I started describing my fundraising efforts, the 50x50 campaign and the need for a method of early detection and the crowd grew. The conversation then turned to symptoms of ovarian cancer and how to spot them. By the time I was finished, I had about 25 women around me listening and learning about the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer. It was terrific. Yes, fundraising is important but carrying the message IS the most important reason I am racing. If each of these women tells ten of their friends, then 250 women were reached that day. Odds are someone's life will be saved by that. How cool is that? Thanks Joanne for suggesting I share this story.