miscellaneous sunday musings

• first, i really wish there was a better way to leave comments or reply back to individual comments on blogger but so far i have not figured that out. i know you can do it if your blog is on a word-press platform but i’m not quite ready to switch over just yet, so i wanted to send a big thanks to everyone who left such nice comments regarding my PR last week at the half marathon …much appreciated!  i did end up paying for it the next couple of days but it was worth it.

• a couple of weeks ago, after swimming for over an hour, i changed into my running garb, threw on some asics cotton socks (big mistake) and proceeded to run 13.3 miles on the treadmill. guess what happened? i got blisters on the toe next to the baby toe on both feet. no other toes were affected. isn’t that weird? my theory was that my feet got all wrinkled and pruned up from being in the pool, which left them vulnerable to blistering. why just those toes? i have no idea but i can tell you it won’t happen again. funny thing is, i don’t usually run in cotton socks so why i grabbed those that morning is beyond my comprehension. for the most part, i only run in Wrightsock's. the wrightsocks that i currently run in are getting old (read: dingy white), so last week, i got on the internet and found a killer deal on http://www.trisports.com/. six pair later (3 white/3 black), more body-glide anti-chaffing stuff (can’t ever have too much of this), and some ibungie laces, and it was christmas all over again. 3 things to point out about wrightsocks. one, they don’t get holes in them like all of my other socks do after one run. two, they are double layered but aren’t thick and bulky at all. three, you should never pay full price for them. if you do an internet search you will see the price range go from as low as $5.95/pair to $15.00/pair for the exact same sock. you’ll also see what you think are deals from zappo’s or shoes.com where you get 6 pair for $61.00 …sorry, do the math and it isn’t a deal at all. i got these for $6.95/pair. the one’s that were $5.95/pair were XL’s.
• my feet are kinda small and can’t stand it when i buy a sock that is too big and the heel part sticks out of the back of the shoe…see picture above. that look does not fly with me. i do not roll like that.

• i won some Fitness Coffee recently by posting something about them on my facebook wall. it just arrived in the mail on friday and i made my first batch yesterday. it smelled very cinnamony (is that a word?), kind of like a pumpkin spice smell to it as it was brewing. i was a little skeptical about what it would taste like but it was very good. the J-man liked it a lot too and he is picky. if you go to their website, you will see that they claim you get a full days supply of antioxidants in just one cup. i had to laugh when i visited their website for the first time and saw that they not only sell fitness coffee but Sensual Coffee. here is what they say about it: SENSUALCOFFEE™, the first patented coffee for a more sensual lifestyle with your partner. It contains only roasted premium coffee, tonifying herbs and aphrodisiac spices. alrighty then …moving right along.

• this weekend was a picture perfect florida weekend in every way. sunny, warm, and lots of good riding with the J-man. ready to go kick some ass and we did. guy with a motor on his mountain bike, dude on the recumbent and old guy with tennis shoes riding a steel bike from the 80’s …yeah, they all choked on our dust! to borrow a word Madeleine Albright made a little more famous … i can’t believe the C.O. Jones these guys have out there sometimes. it’s like 2 Ferrari’s (that would be me and the J-man) going by and the Ford Pinto’s trying to challenge us. fuhgetabouitit!! keep dreaming …not even if you have a motor on your bike. pfft!

see? sleeveless from the get go. it was in the high 60’s when we started. couldn’t ask for better weather.

• to recap the training week. it was a good one. i can’t say enough about how well the swimming has come together now that i have a place to swim that i can count on. since i joined LA Fitness, i have had 3 solid swim sessions a week and i can already tell a difference. before, at the Y, i had a hard time getting the consistency in my schedule. i averaged 1-2 swims per week when i was going there …not so good. but that’s behind me now and moving right along, thank you.

• congrats to my buddies, LK and Sue!! they both did the half marathon in Miami today despite both fighting foot injuries. you 2 ladies are awesome for toughing it out.

i hope everyone has a great week coming up. can you believe february is right around the corner? the way i look at it, each day, we gain a little more sunlight and i can’t wait to spring ahead so i can ride, ride, ride until 8pm.
much love and peace out!

Trinity Multi-Sports tri gear WINNERS!!

Mike at Trinity Multi-Sports held a raffle with all of the entries we received and the winners are ...

Stacie at Impossible is Nothing 

Jason at Life of an Aspiring Athlete

CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU!!

Please contact Trinity at info@trinitymulti-sports.com to let then know what tri short you would like and what size.  If that item in your size is out of stock they will recommend another product in stock.

THANK YOU MIKE AT TRINITY FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.

much love and peace out!

Clearwater halfathon race report

halfathon = half marathon if you were wondering. i did this race yesterday and i’m paying for it today. I AM SOOOO SORE thanks to 2 bridges we had to run over twice each way…fun! i love and hate those downhills because they feel wonderful as you are flying down but that eccentric muscle contraction you get by running downhill just tears up your muscles and that my friends is what causes the intense, deep muscle soreness. this concludes your exercise physiology 101 class for the day. see? i still remember important things like that from exercise phys, kinesiology and anatomy.

before i give you a fairly quick race report, i’d like to point out the race blingity-bling in the above picture. first, please take note of the bib number 831 …it just so happens to be my birthday month and day. coincidence? lucky sign? who knows. the t-shirt is a short sleeve dry fit in small, however, it looks like a large on me, so happy early valentine’s day to the J-man. last but not least, the coveted, gold starfish medal. see close – up below:

it is a little hard to read the last 2 lines but it says from top to bottom: 6th Annual, CLEARWATER, Halfathon, January 23rd, 2011 – which is exactly 3 months since i last raced. honestly, i did not feel like i was physically ready to go hard at this race. my goal was to finish in under 1:40. i met that goal and beat a PR i got for the half marathon about 11-12 years ago. i can’t even remember if it was 1998 or 1999. let’s just say that it was long enough ago that i can’t even find an archived time but i do remember it was 1:36:?? but can’t for the life of me, remember what the exact seconds were. doesn’t matter! for all of you number geeks out there, here is a breakdown of yesterday’s times per mile courtesy of my garmin 310xt:
1 – 7:35 (stupid bridge climb so soon)
2 – 7:05
3 – 7:16
4 – 7:29 (stupid bridge)
5 – 7:06
6 – 7:05
7 – 7:12
8 – 7:21
9 – 7:30 (stupid bridge again but this time with head wind)
10 – 7:49 (last stupid bridge and more wind)
11 – 7:28
12 - 7:28
13.1 – 6:59 (oh yeah!)
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1/44 Age Group (40-44 AG)

11/261 Overall Female

51/532 Overall

i basically went out to do a training run and ended up with a PR of 1:35:30, which i will gladly accept any day. the only bad part is i have another half at the end of next month and you know what that means? i will put pressure on myself to try and beat that. i sure hope it doesn’t take me another 11 or 12 years to PR again …LOL!  i’ll be totally honest with you, i would rather do a marathon or an ironman over a half marathon, 15k, 10k or 5k. they just hurt too much. i was made to hold a nice steady pace for hours and hours and usually when most people begin to fade, i turn into the energizer bunny. that’s my strength, long distances at a steady (not to be confused with slow) pace but it is good to mix it up with other distances but i’ll save that exercise phys and anatomy lesson for another day.

i want to send a big thanks to my running buddy Amy for indirectly coaxing me into running the race and to my new friend Lisa who was in front of me as my pacer almost the entire way, even though she didn’t know it until around mile 10. we helped each other run strong for the last 3.1 miles even though our quads were killing us from those stupid bridges … and the wind!  Lisa, please come do the Gasparilla half marathon with me!!

i hope everyone had a great weekend too! much love and peace out!

this-n-that

let me start off by saying that NO, i am not whining about the weather, so there! i cannot complain because while most of you were relegated to riding the trainer to get your cycling miles in this weekend (Sorry Mandy!), i was riding like a mad woman outside with a sleeveless jersey and shorts on. today is another story. although i am off from work, it looks like a washout for a while. no problem, i always have LA Fitness, which is on my this-n-that list to update you all on. remember this post from january 4th where i posted the email exchange between me and Mr. So and So at the Y where i WAS swimming? key word is WAS. after sending out some feelers and polling a few people that i knew were in the know about LA Fitness, i decided to make the switch. best decision i’ve made in a while. should have done it last year but since i paid a year in full at the Y, that was not an option. live and learn, right? i was finally able to get in 3 solid swims in one week … imagine that? no longer do i need to worry about the outside temp being 43 degrees or higher for the pool to be open, no more worries about over sleeping lifeguards who either don’t show up on time or don’t get there early enough to remove the pool covers by the time the pool is posted to open. so this past week was one of the best weeks of training that i have had in a while and i finally feel like i’ve recovered completely from the 140.6. who knew it would take that long? anyway, everything just fell right into place finally and here is what the week totaled out to:

swam: 6,629 meters
biked: 157.2 miles
ran: 27 miles
weight trained: 2x’s

i’m so happy to be FOCUSED and ON TRACK with the training again, it’s crazy! but a good crazy!
**************************************
first race of the season coming up; a half marathon, the Clearwater halfathon. you get a gold starfish medal too! the one pictured below is mine from the inaugural gulf beaches marathon in january 2002.
am i ready for it? probably not! did i know i wouldn’t be? yep! after the 140.6, my legs were trashed, at least running wise they were. i just couldn’t get a good rhythm going with the run. i wasn’t injured but was probably on the verge of injury a couple of times, which is why i backed off a bit and didn’t do the Palm beaches marathon like i wanted to in the early part of december. my shins and left hip were giving me fits. the good news is, the last few weeks of running have been great and the speed is coming back slowly but surely. i hope to be back to form by the next half marathon at the end of February and i think with the swimming back in the picture, it will only get better from here. i will approach the upcoming half mary as a training run for the next 2 events on my race schedule. 

the first being the next half marathon i mentioned earlier at the end of february; the Gasparilla half marathon and the other event is the gator half iron tri in sarasota, on march 20th. so that’s all on the training front for now but i can see the big picture unfolding in front of me and i have some plans in place to rock out the swim this year. work in progress … always!
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now for an update on a recent post regarding my lovely running pal, Tia. as you may recall from this post recently, she ran the Disney marathon last sunday in hopes of qualifying for Boston. however, sometimes the best laid plans don’t always go as planned and so we get back up, dust ourselves off and get ready for round 2! Tia in action!

i’ll let her tell you about it in her own words: “So...I didn't qualify for Boston at the marathon. The last 7 miles were really rough and very painful. Finished in 4:01 which is 45 min better than my 1st one. I'm proud of myself because I know I gave it everything I had! Thanks for your support. It just wasn't my day to qualify. I'm thankful for my Johnny, Mom & Grace for being there. it was still a good day! Onto Nashville Marathon 4/30 for another attempt! N.G.U. = Never Give Up!”

if you’d like to read Tia’s blog post with more detail, go HERE! it is a great post; you will love it, i promise! by the way, on last check, i think Tia is doing the Snickers Marathon in Georgia, in early March instead of Nashville at the end of April. you go girl!  and, if my running is on track by that time, i may just join you in GA Tia.
**************************************
 Don’t forget you have 1 more week to enter the Trinity Multi-Sports giveaway on my blog by going HERE and following the instructions. Thanks!
**************************************
well … still pouring here so i guess i better get my gym bag packed and get this party started! much love and peace out!

Trinity Multi-Sports tri gear giveaway

KC sporting the women's Virtuoso racing Tri Shorts in Black/Ice Blue and tri top in ice blue

I wholeheartedly believe that one cannot have enough tri shorts, tri tops, jog bras, running shorts, and running caps. Did i forget anything? On last count, I have 29 tri shorts (not including all the running shorts) and 44 tri tops. How many do i actually use? Maybe 5 of the tri shorts and 5 of the tops. Let’s talk about shorts today.  I’ve learned the hard way, out on a long ride or run which one’s are keepers and which one’s make your life miserable. You know what i’m talking about? That seam in your shorts that keeps digging in and looks like someone whipped you raw? Or the padding that kept bunching all up and left you with a nice saddle sore or a pleathery looking patch of skin? I speak from experience on both counts. There are very few shorts out there that don’t rub me the wrong way (no pun intended!). One of these comfortable tri shorts is made by my sponsor, Trinity Multi-Sports. And, I’m not just saying that they are one of the most comfy shorts because they sponsor me and give me gear to race in. Hands down, they make a great product and as a small business they have a great work ethic and are involved in numerous charitable activities which you can see more about HERE.

I’ve had the pleasure of training in Virtuoso Women's Racing Tri Shorts. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to race in them yet but hopefully i will very soon.

Trinity has agreed to giveaway one pair of Virtuoso Women's Racing Tri Shorts (like the one's seen below) to one female blog follower ...

and one pair of Virtuoso Men's Racing Tri Shorts (seen below) to one male blog follower ...

You pick the color you want! This giveaway will run thru Monday, January 24th until midnight. The winners will be chosen via a raffle at their office in Charleston, South Carolina and announced on their Facebook page and on my blog.

This contest is only open to participants in the US and Canada only. You have the opportunity to have up to 4 entries for the shorts. Please leave a comment for each one that you do.

So here is what you have to do to get in on this cool giveaway:

1. Sign up for Trinity Multi-Sports monthly newsletter by clicking HERE, scroll down a bit and you will see a space to enter your email address. Please note that this is a mandatory requirement. By joining Trinity's monthly newsletter you will have a continuous 25% discount on all clothing every day of the year and don't worry they will not bombard you with constant emails with promotions, sales, etc. They only publish monthly.

2. For another entry, visit Trinity Multi-Sports on Facebook and become a fan of theirs by clicking HERE.

3. For one additional entry, you can re-post this giveaway on your blog, twitter, or Facebook page or all of them if you wish.

4. Become a follower of KC at 140.6 miles blog by clicking on google FOLLOW on the left hand side of my blog. If you are already a follower of my blog, just let me know that by leaving a comment.

Don't forget to leave a comment for each one that you have done.

Thanks to Mike at Trinity Multi-Sports for the awesome tri gear. Good luck to everyone!

Tia, this post is dedicated to you …

i have to tell you all about a person i met a year ago, about this same time. her name is Tia. how we met is kind of cool. i created a facebook group for the gasparilla/tampa marathon and half marathon back in 2008, a year before they made their own official page. see, i’m always one step ahead! anyway, Tia joined the group and posted a message about any running groups getting together in the area to train for the last running of the gasparilla marathon. being the creator of the group, i sent her a message asking about her pace, what area she was at, etc… long story short, we came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t be running together because of our pace differences, nonetheless, Tia immediately sent me a friend request and by the next day or two, we were having lunch at a local thai restaurant and talking as if we’d known each other our whole lives. running works like that, doesn’t it? it brings us together and we have been friends ever since.

Tia is getting ready to run her 2nd marathon. her first was gasparilla/tampa marathon last March and now she is getting ready to run the Disney marathon this Sunday and she is gunning for a BQ! that’s right boston bound baby! if anyone can do it, it’s her. if she was a race horse, all of my money is on her … LET IT RIDE!

from left to right: Tia, Tia’s husband who will be running Boston 2012, me, and J-man

this inspiration is for you Tia and all of those trying to qualify for boston this weekend. read it before you leave your hotel room:

The Boston Marathon
114 years and running,
From Hopkinton to 'Beantown',
A joyous occasion for all.
A roller coaster ride
That lasts for hours
Through Ashland and Framingham,
Natick and Wellesley,
With thousands supporting
And cheering the runners
All along the way,
On this Monday in April,
Called Patriot's Day.
The longer hills start in Newton,
With Heartbreak included,
Then Brookline is next,
With nothing eluded
As you finally get to Boston proper,
And you've nearly passed your test
Of endurance and patience,
With only a few miles left.
Now you see the giant Citgo sign
As you approach Kenmore Square,
With a mile to go
And you are almost there.
Then you pass Fenway Park,
Where the Red Sox are playing,
And into the heart of the City,
With a right onto Hereford,
And a left onto Boylston,
You can now see the Finish Line,
So sweet and so near.
Then you give it your all
To finally get to the goal,
In beautifully crowded Copley Square.
When it's all over you'll be
One of the thousands and thousands
Who have finished
This immortal race,
Fast or slow,
It's not about pace.
It's about the courage, the grace,
In toeing the line
26.2 miles back,
And covering the distance
With the rest of  the pack,
Through the joys and the pain,
With nothing to lose
And only Immortality to gain.
By: Arpan DeAngelo

i hope Tia doesn’t kill me for posting this video but can’t help but share it because it is so amazing and inspiring what she has done to get to where she is today and being as it is the first week of the new year, this is for all of you out there who need a kick in the butt still.

Tia, i won’t wish you good luck for this Sunday because luck is the residual of hard work and you have done the work. go out and run your race. i will be with you in spirit, sending all kinds of positive race vibes your way girl. SO PROUD OF YOU!

much love and peace out!

for your reading pleasure ...

i've bitched and moaned many times on my blog about the pool at the Y. this morning was the icing on the cake for me. what a great way to start the new year, huh?  i'd like to share my email correspondences over the last year with you to see what you think because frankly, i think i'm just getting the same old run-a-round over and over again. enjoy!

Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 7:56 AM
Subject: Pool question

Good morning Mr. So and So,

I wasn't sure if you would be the person to send this to and if you aren't, would you please forward it to the right contact person?

As a full-time employee and a triathlete, scheduling all of the necessary training can be daunting. I understand that mother nature has her moments and this does affect opening the pool sometimes, especially with the colder temperatures as of late. Is there anyway that the New Tampa Y, having a facebook page and a twitter account, could update if the pool will not be opening on time in the mornings? This has happened the last 2 mornings to me. My schedule is such that I have it timed out in order to get my swim in and be able to get to work on time. If the pool doesn't open at 6am, as scheduled, I have to turn around and go back home. This past Tuesday, with the rain, I completely understood not opening on time because it was coming down too hard and would limit the lifeguards' sight of the swimmers. However, this morning, the covers on the pool were all still on at 6am as I drove into the parking lot. I was told, that due to the wind, the covers were tangled and that it would be at least another 30 minutes before they could get all of the covers off. This is the second time that has happened with the wind and the covers. I'm not upset about that but more so that I'm wasting time driving to the Y and not being able to swim. If I knew in advance (I check twitter and facebook every morning when I get up), that would be great and I could plan accordingly.

One more thought. I'm no expert on pool covers, but if the forecast calls for high wind (as it has for the last 2 days), isn't there a way to secure the covers so that they don't get blown all over the place and get tangled. Or, maybe start removing the covers a little ahead of schedule so that the pool can open at 6am for those of us on a tight schedule?

I appreciate your help.

Sincerely,
Kristie Concepcion

Subject: RE: Pool question
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 08:04:28 -0500

Kristie,

Thank you for this feedback and I completely understand.  Let me talk with MS. ABC (aquatics director) today and see what is the best way to communicate closings…facebook, email list or something.  We will also find the best solution to the covers and wind issue.

Thank you again for bringing this to my attention.

 Mr. So and So

Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 8:51 AM
Subject: Pool hours

Good morning Mr. So and So,

I have been a member at the Y since late December 2009 and at that time, I made a commitment for a full year and paid in full. My only reason for joining was to use the pool. The hours advertised for the pool was exactly what I was looking for and I knew that the pool was one of the best kept in the area.  In retrospect, had I known the pool frequently doesn't open on time, I probably would have joined another facility.

I have only formally voiced my concerns to you via email once, though there have been many other occasions when I should have.  I've lost count how many times I have wasted a morning driving to and from the Y, to find the covers still on the pool or no lifeguards on site, much like this morning. Where is the accountability?

This morning there were about 8-10 members waiting around. Some of these folks appear to be retirees and may have the free time to wait around, but I don't, and as paying members, we shouldn't have to. I live by a very tight schedule and plan my day based around being able to get in the pool by no later than 6:15am. Not only is it frustrating, but it's a waste of time and gas. As a member, I should not be the one to have to rearrange my schedule, which is no easy task. But increasingly, I find myself having to do this and I don't think it's fair. As previously stated in my March, 2010 e-mail to you, I understand that no one has control over the weather and I'm not referring to such uncontrollable events.  However when "the lifeguards must have slept in" as I was told by the front desk attendant a few months ago, I do take exception.  If I am unable to use the facilities as you advertise them and which I paid for, I feel I should be compensated.  

I'm requesting an extension of my membership by at least 1 month to compensate for the many mornings I have waited for your staff to show.  Additionally, I would like to hear from you regarding my concerns and how you will remedy this problem.

Respectfully, 

Kristie Concepcion

Subject: RE: Pool hours
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 09:03:28 -0400

Kristie,

I do extremely apologize for this morning and I do not want to make excuses because that does not solve the issue.  We have addressed this morning staffing issue and ensure it will not happen again.  Although this morning in not a good indication, I do think some of these issues are being corrected and staff held accountable with our new aquatics director who started in May. I have no problem extending your membership by a month and do appreciate your patience. Thank you for your feedback and sharing,

Sincerely,

So and So

Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 7:21 AM
Subject: RE: Pool hours

Good morning So and So,

I can't believe I'm emailing you already but guess what? I was there at 5:55am (no lifeguards around yet) to start my swim at 6 and all of the pool covers were still on. Assuming that the lifeguards would have started rolling the covers off by 6, chances are I wouldn't have been able to start swimming until about 6:30am. I don't even know what to say anymore. I work full-time and I have a tight schedule and once again, I am having to rearrange my entire day to fit the pool in since I didn't get to do it this morning.

Thank you for your time,

Kristie

Response back from this morning’s email:

Kristie,

I will immediately address discuss this with the lifeguards and supervisors and get this corrected.  I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and I appreciate your patience.  I truly understand the problems this is causing you.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Mr. So and So

******************** 

Why do I feel like I keep getting the same response back but nothing ever changes or gets fixed? Doesn’t matter. That’s the beauty of competition. So here I come L.A. Fitness. No lifeguards needed, no pool covers needed, $20 less per month, open an hour earlier and close an hour later. I think I know the answer now ... 

much love and peace out!

2010 by the numbers…

wow! i just pulled a report off of www.buckeyeoutdoors.com for all of my training from 1/1/2010 thru 12/31/10. i was one busy fool last year and i’m thinking 2011 is going to be a carbon copy. overall, let me say that 2010 was a hell-a-fun year. i truly enjoyed all of the training and the accomplishments were so worth it. totally priceless! without further ado, here are the crazy numbers:

biked: 9866.70 miles or 485 hours, 53 minutes and 53 seconds

ran: 1406.52 miles or 189 hours, 42 minutes and 9 seconds

swam: 112.65 miles or 76 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds

weight trained: an average of twice per week all year.

i’m happy with the results of all the training but plan on tweaking a few things here and there for 2011, specifically the swimming. my focus will be to work on a more efficient stroke and to increase my time in the pool by at least one more day per week. everything else should fall into place as it did last year.

now that 2011 is in full force, back to the pool tomorrow morning for an ass kicking that i completely deserve. forgive me father for i have sinned, it has been over 2 months since i last swam. no lie. i missed it too. i know it won’t be pretty but time to get back at it. the last 2 months have been loosey goosey and i don’t play well like that. so all junk food (don’t laugh all of you who know me), like sunchips, gone! orange creamsicles and fudge pops, gone! and angie, no more homemade cookies for me even if i beg you.

2-a-days are back, time to get chiseled again. bring it on…nuf said!

happy new year to you all. much love and peace out!