Happy Birthday to Me

Wow, it has been way to long since my last post.  I have had a couple of very busy weeks at work as well as shopping for a tri bike.  I had a fit assessment, went to numerous stores to see what the different brands look like and test road the very few that were available in my size. I really wanted to be sure I was making the right choice. Thanks to those who provided me with very valuable advice.  With the help of some birthday money, I was able to take the plunge. 

Platte River Pic

This is one of the few race pics that I like. Now if I could just keep my arms from crossing my body!

See the sweaty hair???  I was working hard :)  Actually it could be 20 degrees and I would be sweating.  I WAS working hard though! :)

Platte River Half Marathon

I wish I could say that I had a great race, felt great, PR'd etc. but it wasn't in the cards for this race.
It was a tough day out there for me on Sunday. I was doing well for the first six miles but then I TOTALLY fell apart during the rest of the race. While my quads were hurting, the lack of energy was the biggest problem. I ended up walking A LOT. I wasn't feeling well at the finish and headed right home where I proceeded to get pretty sick. I am now thinking Ihad some type of bug and that that was part of why I struggled.
The other possibility is my nutrition. While I have always used the same things (gels, H2o and Powerade) the last few long runs have left me nauseous and a bit light headed at the end. This did not happen in Arizona when I did the half marathon  or during other long runs a few months back. I drank a bit more Powerade (a flavor off of the course ) and an additional gel with the hopes that it would help me. I wonder it that could have done something. Also, I did a ten mile run last week without any muscle pain.  Sunday, by mile eight, my quads were hurting. Also what happened to me after the race at home (thank goodness) was much worse then anything I have previously experienced. It was like having food poisoning and then feeling like you are about to pass out at the same time. Like I said, I felt nauseous after the race and ate something and felt a bit better. Then once at home I thought I was going to die.
Two days later I am feeling much better. I do worry a bit about future long runs (I might have PTSD) but want to believe that I had some stomach virus and that it had nothing to do with my nutrition.  Any thoughts on the subject are more then welcome.
It was a beautiful day for a race and I am so glad that both Christi and Aimee had great races :)
There will be other races. I did finish, so for that I  am glad and considering I walked a tremendous amount during the last six miles (including taking off my shoes to get the pebbles out.. I ran on the dirt every chance I had) and was only 9 minutes slower then my Arizona time, I know I was doing well for the first half of the race. Here are some pics at the start and middle of the race.

Calling all bike gurus' and those who enjoy bike porn

I have been doing a bit more tri bike shopping and based on availability, fit and the good people at the LBS, I am thinking about becoming the proud owner to one of these bikes.

While I would have preferred a pretty blue bike that is not in the cards and the nice red and white one that I rode earlier in the week is way beyond my means.  In terms of color, I lean towards the white, charcoal and black one. The red, white and black doesn't do much for me ( I think it looks a bit masculine) though my feelings about the color are not as strong as they were before I spent a good amount of time on it today.
I am attaching the links to each bike so that those of you who know about bike specs can take a look at the differences. I am interested in hearing people's opinion regarding color as well as over all bike. One of the bike's is $1000.00 more then the other. For those in the know, is it worth it?  (based off specs).
I appreciate any feedback you can provide.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45897&eid=4338&menuItemId=0
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45896&eid=4338&menuItemId=0

Ultimately I don't know what the outcome will be but in the meantime it is helping me from obsessing about the half marathon I have (and am not ready for) tomorrow.
I  hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  And Thanks for your help and thoughts!
Kathleen
PS... the prices shown on the website are $300 more then the price that I would get it for.  (still quite steep anyway I look at it)

April 7th......

The weather report for this weekend is 70 degrees.  I will believe it when I see it.

I finally rode a tri bike. Now I have questions

So I was having my third fit adjustment to my road bike today ( I am having some cleat positioning issues ) when I started talking to the bike fit guy about tri bikes. To make a long story short, I ended up riding a Specialized Transition Pro (they didn't have a less expensive bike in my size) and enjoyed it. I was very nervous about taking a $4500 bike on a test ride in 30 mile an hour wind gusts but I was able to get a feel for the bike and found the transition from a road bike with clip on aero bars to a tri bike quite easy.  So here is my question for all of you great people.  I am always reading about bike fit, how important it is to get a bike fit before you purchase a bike. That you should ride numerous bikes and see which one feels best. How can you get a real bike fit when the geometry of the bikes are different? I can't imagine finding any bike store that is going to spend hour(s) fitting someone  for a test ride.  before I purchased my road bike, I road numerous brands before I picked the one that felt the best to me. I later found out that the bike is a bit long for me and adjustments have been made to make it fit me better.  So, when I read comments from people saying to "purchase the bike that feels/fits the best" how do you know which one that is?
I have no idea if I would ever purchase another bike but if I do, I want to make sure that it is one that "fits"
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
And for you viewing pleasure... here is the bike that I rode today.

A Good Day

So my training plan has called for a long run and "up to 2000" yard swim on Saturdays for the past two months. Yesterday was the first time that I actually completed that task. My long runs have always wiped me out and getting to the pool....well it never happened until yesterday. The weather called for strong winds later in the day so I was determined to get out early for the run. While I didn't beat the winds, I was done with the run by 12:30 which allowed for some down time before heading to the pool. I found a new trail with both mile markers and a Port-a-Potty! That is huge!  The only issue I had besides the wind was a continuous cramp in my shoulder. As much as I tried to get rid of it (swinging and stretching my arm ) it didn't work. I tried pushing on it a few times also but I only ended up scratching myself when my fingers slipped. (another reason besides wetsuit rip prevention to cut your finger nails.

  I finally gave up on my shoulder. It took up to much energy to address this while continuing to run.
I spent a couple of hours in the late afternoon watching a swim meet on Universal Sports hoping that it would motivate me to get to the pool. I don't know if it helped. Anyway, I finally made it to the pool around 6:00pm as I knew the pool would be closed on Sunday due to Easter. All six lanes were totally empty!  Fantastic!  That is a dream for me.  Having a lane to myself is such a gift. I laid my gear out (you know, fins, pull buoy, kick board...) and took my usual extra few minutes to adjust my SwimP3 player.

 Can I just say that this is one of the best inventions ever!  Being able to listen to music while swimming has made the endless laps so much more manageable.
After hitting the cool water, I swam my fastest 100 ever!  I have been starting out my swim workouts with 800 freestyle and timing myself. I have started to see real improvement and yesterday was the best day yet.
I can actually say that I am getting a bit faster! I don't know if it was happiness, relief, exhaustion or what but I almost wanted to cry after seeing my times. It is so nice when all the work finally pays off.. even a little bit.

Happy Training Everyone!