I learn something new every day

Today's lesson...


My in-laws live downhill from me. How do I know this??? I ran home today from their house... Nuff said!

And now I need to rant (warning, this might be a little bitchy)

Do you watch the Biggest Liar... doh - I mean the Biggest Loser? I'm so pissed at NBC and the producers of the show. Not only is it a big pile of poo that they get viewers to believe that you can lose 10-20 pounds A WEEK and have it be healthy, but a few weeks ago, when Blaine got kicked off, they said that he was preparing to race an Ironman which consists of a little more than a 1.5 mile swim, about an 80 mile bike and nearly 15 miles of run. I about blew a gasket! I actually wrote to NBC and said that although I admire his determination to do a triathlon, please don't get it confused with a true Ironman, yada yada yada.

So last night, after Dane gets kicked off, did you notice that they said he completely a marathon in 3:53? Wow... impressive for a guy that's nearly 300 pounds right? Well I guess his wife posts on a blog that they ran together until mile 17 and stopped at a water stop where the film crew wanted to take some pictures. Since they were on a tight schedule, they DROVE he and his wife about 3 miles up the road so that they could continue running and so that they could get a finish line picture. His "finish" time for the 23 miles was actually 5:53 (which you can see in the background on the show). WHAT? Why not educate people on what a marathon is (or an Ironman for that matter), give Dane kudos for running 23 miles in 5:53 (because that's an impressive feat in itself) and move on? Why lie?

I wish I had a little car to drive me ahead every time I needed to stop and pee or walk through a water stop because I'm working hard during a marathon - the 26.2 mile kind. Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll cut 2 hours off my finish time and give everyone false hope that they too, can be like me.

I just don't get it - and I wonder why I get so annoyed when people tell me they ran a 5 mile marathon or were doing an Ironman tri-athon (yeah, I've heard that).

Stepping down off my soap box now...

My little lion

Tom and I are the proud owners of a lion for about 5 months of the year. Meet Buddy...Usually around this time of year I get sick and tired of the hair throughout the house and the crap that gets stuck in his paws when it's muddy that we bring him back to puppy land. I swear he really thinks that he's a puppy now... prancing around like he is the cutest thing ever... the whining and crying makes me think differently! HA!

Looked at my training log today (after I recorded my 41:38 5 mile run - 8:19's - booya!) and although I haven't packed in the miles, I've run 72.2 miles this month and averaged 8:53 overall. I know that's a little deceiving, but I'm definitely noticing my average going down. Me likey!

This chick is going to be faster this year... you can bet on that!

Lazy Sunday

I'm house sitting at my in laws and getting ready to go watch the final stage of the Tour of California (they did a blurb on Team Type 1 yesterday that was super cool - always like when they give those guys a little shout of for their accomplishments).  It's been kind of a lazy day... well as lazy as a Sunday can be I guess.

I did get a long run in today - 10 miles which is as long as I could probably have gone since I'm a wuss and wouldn't run outside.  I get bored on the treadmill after about 5 minutes so finishing the entire thing today (and at a sub 9:00 pace none-the-less) made me happy.  We're just relaxing and enjoying the rest of the days in a log cabin with a hot tub on 7 acres in the woods... I actually get paid to stay here... it's not a bad gig! :)

I haven't talked much about my weight loss (or lack there of) lately and that's probably a good thing (naw... it's not been that bad!).  I do want to give major props to some foods thought that I've been loving lately.  They are definitely worth a try for someone who's looking for some replacements for the yummy evil foods.

First, Fiber One Muffins.  OH MY GOODNESS they are good!  Costco has jumbo packs of these apple cinnamon mixes and all you do is add some applesauce (I do that instead of the oil), some water and a little bit of egg substitute and it tastes like I slaved away over these things.  They are really really good!!! ;)  And at 2 points a piece (or 4 if you go big in the jumbo muffin pan!) they are great!  Oh... and lots of fiber which well - has it's benefits! :)

My new other favorite indulgence is the Fiber Plus Antioxidant bars by Kellogg's.  I've only tried the dark chocolate and almond ones and I'm smitten.  It's like a little candy bar, with an extra kick with the almonds.  I love them as a good alternative to candy (no, they won't replace my love for Peanut M&Ms, but at 2 points a bar, I don't feel NEARLY as guilty!) Yummo!  Now if I can only keep them in the house between shopping trips, I'd be much better off! Again these have a lot of fiber in them (like 35% of your daily recommendation) so it's best to just eat maybe one a day! ;)

Lastly, yesterday for a snack I made homemade mozzarella sticks.  They turned out awesome!  I took reduced fat string cheese, dipped them quickly in egg beaters, covered them in breadcrumbs and then pan sauteed them for like 3 minutes.  Tom ate some too and said that they were better than what you usually get at a restaurant, although I honestly can't tell you the last time I ordered mozzarella sticks!  Definitely a fun treat when I'm wanting something a little greasy without the guilt.

I have tons of little tricks of the trade to make eating healthier a little better.  These may not be the "best" choices in the world, but they are so much better than the alternative! ;)

Off to go sit my tired butt on the couch!

Oh the burn...

Okay so I know I've said it a hundred times, but I'm beginning to hate Ohio more and more. After Tom got back from California, and watching the tour of California on TV, I want to live somewhere nice... somewhere warm with sun... a lot of sun. Ohio is so blah - it's gray today, and raining. Tonight it's supposed to get windy and then it's going to be cold, gray and probably snowing. Not like pretty snow that you can play in... it's like mushy crappy snow that just sticks to your car. It's gross.

Makes training for a spring marathon loads of fun, let me tell you. Especially for this chick - because if you haven't noticed ...

I HATE COLD WEATHER!

We went for a run yesterday. It was warm by Ohio February means - 42 degrees with a slight 5-10 MPH wind. Fine. I bundle up and run. And since my arse is cold, I run fast (the faster I get home, the quicker I'm warm). Good theory, makes me a better runner, but OH MY GAWD...

My lungs were on FIRE!

We ended up running 5 miles in about 43 minutes - yeah, that's super fast for this pleasantly fluffy chick. Like a 8:39 average super fast. And our second mile was uphill at 9:05, meaning that we ran 3 REALLY fast miles to make up the time (our last mile was a 8:13 thanks to the hubster dragging my rear home). I feel good, but I haven't adjusted to the burn yet.

I know I'll have the burn in nice sunny moderately warm weather as well, I just know that I would have a better attitude about it all if I didn't cringe at the sight of the gray sky. A girl can dream right...

Wanted...

A swim coach. Male or female. Someone who will motivate me and make me work. Someone who will tell me what the heck I'm doing wrong and why I'm slower than molasses. Someone who won't laugh at me when I show them my "stroke" and tell me that I'm not meant to be a swimmer. Oh, and someone who won't laugh at the way I look in a swimsuit!

I'm not asking a lot am I?

I got in the pool yesterday. It's been a while. Okay, who am I kidding. I've swam 3 times since the Ironman. That was over 3.5 months ago. It wasn't pretty.

Tom, God bless him, tries to make it less dreadful. He bought me a Finis SwiMP3. It's one of those crazy under water MP3 players that doesn't go in your ears, but instead vibrates your cheekbones. It looks something like this (although for some reason, I hope I don't look like this girl when I put mine on because she kind of makes me giggle. Just something else to be self conscious about at the pool)

It's a really cool thing actually and *might* make me want to swim more. I enjoyed bebopping along to Duffy, Cold Play and everyone else that Tom loaded it with (brave, I know. We like some different stuff. Guess I shouldn't have been that surprised when Tiny Dancer came one. Such a pump-me-up sort of song! I love you dear!) I'm sure I looked like this... music notes following me and all. Actually I choked a few times because I found myself starting to sing when a new song came on, forgetting that I'm underwater. Damn you MP3 player that makes me forget I'm under water! I'll continue to use it, hopefully it'll help get me back in the water, and just so all you know...

I'm serious when I say I need a swim coach! :)

PS - this picture from the Finis website makes me laugh. She's probably not going to get much better swimming like this.

Team Type 1

I have to post this because it's too cool! My husband Tom is on Team Type 1. For those of you that don't know about it, Team Type 1 was created in 2004 by Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, a pair of avid cyclists with Type 1 diabetes. In 2006 and 2007, Team Type 1 won back-to-back victories in the eight-person team division of the Race Across America (RAAM). In 2008, the team grew to become a 15-rider Continental team that included four riders with Type 1 diabetes.

This year, Team Type 1 is growing again – in addition to the pro men's squad, they have a triathlon team (which the hubby is on), a developmental squad, a women's professional squad and two teams for RAAM: Team Type 1 and Team Type 2. The Type 1 athletes in these programs strive to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. The teams not only race, but work hard to spread the message of controlling of diabetes through diet, exercise and the use of the best treatment and technology available today.

The pro bike team is awesome though. I'm talking super studs! They are racing in the Tour of California starting this coming weekend. For those of you that know anything about biking, the names Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie and Ivan Basso should ring a bell, as well as teams like Astana, Columbia Highroad, Garmin-Slipstream, Quick Step and Rabo Bank. These are some of the big names of the Tour of California, and Team Type 1 will be right in the mix! They might be quiet underdogs, but don't let that fool you. Some of their wins last year include:

• A rider finish first overall in the Tour of Arkansas.
• The team took first overall and a rider finished first overall in the Vuelta Mexico.
• The team took first overall and a rider finished first in the sprint classification in the Tour de Beauce.
• A rider took first overall in the KOM competition in the Tour of Ireland and Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
• The team finished second overall in the Tour of Langkawi
• The team finished third overall in the Tour de Georgia.
• The team includes two Olympians, representing New Zealand and Mexico.
• Forty-five victories overall and 100 podium finishes overall.

S. T. U. D. S.

Watch them on Versus starting February 14th. Cheer for them! Hell, even go to http://www.versus.com/cyclysm to vote for them as the favorite US team to win the Tour of California. (They are currently in 3rd out of 10 teams)

Team's Website: www.teamtype1.org

Oh happy day...

I'm having a good day. I get to go meet my dear friend Trisha's new baby Delaney in a little bit and I'm so excited. Her pictures are adorable so I'm excited. Plus I haven't seen Trisha lately so it'll be nice to catch up with her! :)

I have awesome friends. I feel like I need to shout that out to the world. For so long, I've been searching for a great group of friends that both Tom and I get along with well and have fun with, without the cattiness and everything that can come with groups of friends. Last night we had 8 people up to our house for dinner. Besides some plumbing problems (don't ask... although the guys all learned a lot about soldering from Tom!) we had a great time. These are the kind of friends where you can just sit around a table, eat, talk and laugh and it feels like we've all known each other our entire lives! Tom and I are so lucky to have them all in our lives! :)

It's been warm enough in Ohio the last few days that I was able to get a 9 mile run outside yesterday. I was kind of excited about it (as excited as you can be about running in Delaware) and let me just tell you... it was a beotch! WOWZERS! I don't know what it is about running outside, but my legs felt like they had cement around them. I just couldn't get them to go. I'm sure the 20 mph winds didn't help, but come on, I've raced a half Ironman in a hurricane - 20 mph should nothing! :) Anyhoo... I was totally depressed about how I felt, went through the whole "I'm never going to be able to do a marathon in May" conversation, but I finished and averaged 9:18's. I shouldn't complain. I have the ability to run and I should thank my lucky stars for that. But why does it have to feel like I'm pulling a sleigh behind me every time I step outside for a run? :)

Oh well - I'm hoping to get on my bike this week outside. I've still yet to test out my FlashPoints and to be honest, they whisper to me every day that they are ready to play!

29

In honor of my 29th birthday today, I thought I'd change up the 25 random things about me post that's going around and write 29 random things about me:

1. I married my best friend. Cliche, I know, but we spend every minute practically together and I couldn't imagine my life any other way.
2. I talk to my dogs and they talk back - well Charlie does. She's my little girl.
3. I think that I'll have a hard time loving a child as much as I love my dogs, but I'm willing totry some day.
4. I really only want one child when I do have one and I'm secretly hoping it's a boy. :)
5. I have only DNF'ed once in a race and it changed me as a person forever. (it was Chicago Marathon 2004 by the way)
6. I feel like I'm cursed whenever I race a half Ironman distance tri. I've NEVER had a good race. Maybe this year is the year!
7. Although I've finished an Ironman, I don't "feel" like and Ironman. Hum...
8. I love pasta, but hate pasta sauce. It's butter or cheese for me please!
9. I could eat Cheetos with every meal, although I much prefer the baked Cheetos to the real ones.
10. Diet Pepsi is my drug of choice!
11. My sister is one of my best friend. We haven't always been best friends though... it took some growing up for me to realize how special she is.
12. My mom is my other best friend. I think that's the way it's supposed to be for a mom and daughter though.
13. I have a niece and a nephew that I don't think I'll ever see again. It makes me sad and I think about them all the time.
14. My hubby is on a triathlon team and I'm completely and utterly jealous of him getting free uniforms!
15. I met 6 of my closest girlfriends friends online.
16. I met my hubby online too...
17. If I could change one thing about me, it would be the way I see myself in the mirror.
18. I was an exchange student during 9/11 and still to this day feel like I didn't "experience" it. When I hear people talk about it, it's a very different memory for me.
19. I've lived with an Italian girl who made the most amazing food and said the cutest things. I'd love to find her today, although I know she's in Milan somewhere... and her English wasn't very fluent any more.
20. I played soccer for 14 years of my life. I've often thought about joining another team, although am scared to get hurt while playing.
21. I have a cousin with the same name as me, and my sister's sister-in-law shares my name, but I've never met anyone else named Colleen.
22. We only have one car for our family, but 4 bikes (which total cost about as much as our one car!)
23. Someday I want to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean, but I have to have a balcony on our room! :)
24. I hate the cold weather, but love the snow.
25. I will exercise for food - biking 100 miles to an ice cream festival is not a big deal to me.
26. I clip coupons and VERY rarely will pay full price for anything. I'm a Lynch girl through and through.
27. I'm addicted to trash tv like the Real Housewives of Orange County, Matchmaker, Made, and the Hills. Secretly my hubby is too. :)
28. I know my hubby is serious when he calls me "Colleen". That's a rarity.
29. It doesn't phase me that this is my last year of being a 20-something, but it scares me to move up an age group bracket in racing. Does that make any sense?

Progress

It's been a while since I've written a post about my training and how it's going. It's funny, I guess I felt that Ironman training was so intriguing and that people would be interested in reading it. Looking back now, it's kind of silly to make that assumption. Who knows!!!

In any event, marathon training is fully underway. I'm in week 4 of my program and I'm really enjoying getting back to the basics of running. I'm still biking and well, intermittently swimming, but it feels good to just run. I'm working a lot of speed which is a new challenge. There isn't a feeling in the world that compares to your lungs burning after a good fast run!

Today I was supposed to run 50 minutes. That's all the program said. I've been using my Tuesday workouts as speed workouts, doing intervals on the treadmill. It's been going well. Today I changed it up a little and just ran. I ended up doing a 10k in 50:38! I was so excited. That's coming a long way in my book. For the first 3 years of running, I would aim to run a 10k in 62 minutes (obvious 10 minute miles). Last year I probably would have aimed for 9 minute miles on really great days. Today, I ran 8:10's! And the best part... I felt AWESOME and it's only February! I'm hoping to keep the speed work up, get faster on my longer runs and hopefully this marathon in May will be a pleasant surprise of the progress I've made. I have a 4:44:48 PR to crush! :)