I am Northshore Bound!!

Well, I did it! I registered for the Northshore Inline Marathon on September 17th!!! My friend Susan lives in Hastings, so she'll pick me up from the airport on the 16th to make the 2.5 hour drive to Duluth: we'll arrive in time to check in and have a nice dinner. Saturday morning is the race, I signed up for wave 2 - so we start at 7:54 am. I also managed to get a hotel room within 10 minutes of the finish line!! My goal is to finish the race in under 2 hours: the faster the better!

http://northshoreinline.com/

After the race and a quick shower, (26.2 miles will put a serious funk on me! hahaha!!) we plan on doing some touristy sight seeing stuff! (Gooseberry Falls & Split Rock. I do not know what either of those things are, but Susan seems to think I will enjoy them!)

I am very excited to do my first full marathon, and I am really looking forward to spending some time with my friend! I hope to meet some new friends in Duluth as well! I still plan on doing Houston, I just couldn't wait that long to do another marathon! I have the BUG!!

So for now I will start the longer distance training again - I will set my distance goal for my weekday skates to 18-20 miles and my weekend skates to 25-30 miles. I plan on skating on the Street Fights again, because those wheels are friggin FAST!!

I need to make sure I pace myself so I do not burn out before the end of the race... I have a habit of going balls to the wall for the first 13-15 miles, pacing myself for several miles; then dragging ass the last 3-5 miles. I don't want to drag ass at all... :)

Hope to see some of my new skater friends in Duluth!!

Having a pivotal year!

piv·ot·al/ˈpivətl/Adjective

1. Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else.

2. Vitally important: critical.

As I sat on my ass in front of the TV watching the ball drop on New Years Eve, I contemplated new years resolutions. I hate making resolutions; I never stick to them. So a friend of mine suggested I use the word 'intentions' instead - the word 'intention' doesn't sound nearly as binding as 'resolution', so maybe with a little wiggle room I might actually achieve some success. I set about making a list of new years 'intentions'. I did not realize that I was about to begin an extremely pivotal and monumentally important year.

My first intention for this - the year I turned 40 - was to get into the best shape of my life. Period. Once and for all. I started out the year carrying an extra 10+ lbs of winter squishiness; and now - except for a bit of a muffin top (which I hear is common for someone who is 'my age') I have reached this intention. From here I will strive to become stronger, leaner and healthier; but I am currently in the best shape I've ever been in. And it feels amazing!

My second intention for this year was to skate 500 miles... Then 700... Then 1000. Currently I am at 867 miles skated for 2011; so 1000 is well within my reach. Skating no longer became just about the mileage goals however; I wanted to become faster and better. It has been an evolution of sorts - I can't even begin to describe how cool it is to feel the transformation of recreational skater (all gawky upright stance, arms all over the place, legs stick straight) into a more fluid and intense skater. I still have a lot of work to do but just knowing that I've evolved this much gives me the enthusiasm to continue to grow. It is an ongoing process and I love every minute of it!

My third intention was geared towards my career. I initially wanted to work to move forward within the company I'm at now. I've been here 4 years and I'm completely stagnant. I tried - believe me I tried - to get ahead but for some reason I cannot. The frustration, and the apathy, and this feeling of being STUCK has led me to decide to go back to school... I've been kicking it around for YEARS, but fear has kept me from pursuing it. About a month ago (after a particularly drab day in cubicle HELL) I made the decision, applied for admission at the local community college; and started making plans for life AFTER payroll... I am going for a Human Performance/Fitness Science degree. I want to help people get to where I am at, I want to do something that I feel passionately about. I am very excited and cannot wait to get started! After I get my A.A.S, I will sit for the Health Fitness Instructor certification. From there, I will work for 500 hours (probably doing personal training or some other type of instruction) after that I hope to sit for another certification that will allow me to work with people who have special needs; disabilities, or recovering cancer patients, or veterans; something like that. I believe that this will give me a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Somewhere during this journey I've been taking all year - this vital, important year - I've developed some really strong self confidence. And I attribute it to the skating. See, I've always been an EPIC under-achiever. Someone who is average across the board. To see how far I've come with my skating has given me the confidence to BELIEVE that I am actually capable of doing so much more in so many other areas. I don't HAVE to be average. I'm definitely not average when it comes to inline skating; I'm pretty good and only getting better. Wow, what an amazing feeling... I feel like I can do anything, and that confidence trumps the fear... Finally. Chris -1, Fear - 0.

So here I am. 8 months into 2011. I start school next month - just one class for now. (It's been 20 years since I've taken any classes - it's probably best to start slow...) I have a plan that has me working here for one more year, then going part-time to work/full-time to school with the hopes of graduating sometime in 2014. I am on an amazing fitness journey, now I have even more reasons to keep at it; I want to be an example of practice what you preach, I mean - who can trust a fat personal trainer??

The true test will come when the weather changes, and the days get shorter, and I can't skate every day: but I don't intend to HAVE an off season this year. I have warm clothes; I figure if the sun is out and there is no snow on the ground (and it's not below 45 degrees) I don't see any reason why I can't skate. I also plan on doing some skiing/snowboarding. Why not? I bet it would be a blast... and life should be an adventure!

I skated last night. I didn't want to, I have been fighting a head cold and had a pretty bad sinus headache. The sky looked stormy. The wind was blowing. But the desire to be wheels down was too strong - I hadn't skated in a WEEK! So, I figured I'd just take it easy, do a short 10 mile roll and then head home to relax... Funny thing, once I hit the trail, my body took over. I skated pretty hard. I got rained on. I went full out for almost 16 miles and maintained a 15.1 mph average. The wind was in my face the entire way back. I didn't care - I was in my happy place. This year has been one of the best I've had in a very long time. No matter what happens; I am going to always, always treasure the way I feel right now.

(I'm still trying to make Northshore happen - I cannot WAIT to do a full marathon!!!)

The Minnesota Half Marathon!

So the Minnesota half marathon was this past Saturday and I did it!! My husband and I arrived in Minneapolis on Friday, my husband dealing with a horrible cold (that I kept praying would spare me - at least until after the race!!!!) My friend Susan (who lives there) picked us up from the airport. We hit up the expo at the hotel (kind of disappointing) did some walking around, then Susan and I drove the race course. There was one part that had me a little scared; the first turn was an off ramp that was downhill with a sharp left turn. The rest of the course looked totally manageable. I tried not to obsess over that turn.... After we got back to the hotel, I FINALLY got a chance to meet my friend Kelly. He's been a bit of a mentor and inspiration to me so it was really cool to finally meet him.

We were up at 5 am the next morning, and I woke up feeling sick!!!! But once I got up and got ready, I was feeling a bit better. We headed out for a quick breakfast (cereal bar and a banana) then down to the starting line. Along the way we stopped to admire the view - I love early morning!

We got to the starting line and I laced on my skates for a few warm up laps around the road - test the surface and get my muscles warm; as well as get my head in the right place. I had a little bit of a sore throat but overall I felt really good!

I saw my friend Kelly and we lined up next to each other. I wished him a good [and safe] race; and next thing I knew, it was our turn to head out!!! We started up the road towards that scary turn and I kept trying not to think about it. I tagged onto the backs of various pace lines to snake my way through the masses and break out of the pack. Each time a pace line slowed down, I broke off and found a faster one. I was starting down the off ramp at the back of a pace line, but I got scared and slowed down... As I rounded the turn I realized that I could have made the turn a lot faster. I worked to catch back up with the pace line and skated with them for a while. 

This is the pace line I moved in and out of. They could NOT maintain a consistent pace and that frustrated me. I skated in/along side them for a good 8 miles before finally breaking away and skating on my own. (You can see me off to the side getting ready to break away again)

I drafted a few skaters here and there but it seemed like I had some type of advantage on the hills. I've been training on hills at altitude, so sprinting up the hills felt like a breeze. I passed the majority of the skaters I passed on the uphill portions of the race. Another really cool thing was that my muscles seemed to recover from the sprints super fast, so they felt ready to work after only a few seconds of resting! It surprised me!! 

Towards the end of the race, I was skating along side and behind 3 or 4 women. As I steadily passed them one by one; one woman seemed highly annoyed that I passed her. She made a point (and a comment) as she got back in front of me. Fine, get in front of me - I just drafted her for the last part of the race!!! Here are a couple shots of me and the annoyed girl coming up to the finish line. The two women behind me are skaters who started out well ahead of me!!!

Passing the finish line!! Whew that was sooo awesome!!!

I felt REALLY strong, and I had worked really hard; so I figured I had done pretty well; but I had NO idea I did as well as I did!!! According to my Endomondo tracking on my phone - I averaged 16.6 mph!!! 

My official time was 47:28.94. I finished 20/170 women, 6/40 in my age division; and 73/376 overall!!!!! That is WAY better than I had expected!!!! 

Me with my friend Susan! It was so good to see her!

Me and Kelly

my husband (and awesome photographer) Allen and I, he is SO supportive!!!

That was an amazing experience and I had SO MUCH FUN!! Now I'm thinking I may just do the Northshore marathon next month because I don't think I can wait until November to do another race!!! I am officially HOOKED!!!

Physically 40 - but mentally 25...

I have never really been an athlete. In middle school I joined the girl's basketball team and played one game before quitting. I think I lasted a week in track. In high school I was a choir and drama geek; I hated gym class and had to beg my teacher to give me a D so I could graduate. After high school, I sort of got into the solitary activities; biking, running, walking; but never for any extended period of time. I would ride my bike all summer, hike through the mountains, run a few times, walk all over the place - but come winter I would become lazy, sedentary, and chubby. It never failed.

In 1996, I not only started inline skating regularly but I also began mountain biking and weight lifting. I was pretty gung ho about it and got into the best shape I'd ever been in up until that point. But of course, summer gave way to autumn gave way to winter; I went through a divorce and I traded in going to the gym for going to the nightclubs. I've tried to make lifestyle changes off and on since then but have never been able to sustain the changes. I would get bored, I would have some type of life changing event; I would give it up and get sedentary and chubby. I have always envied those 'natural' athletes - you know the ones who can do any type of physical activity and make it look effortless. I always wanted to be one of those people but apparently I didn't want to make the commitment necessary to get there...

This year I turned 40 and decided that THIS would be the year that I made permanent LIFESTYLE changes, instead of going through the same old cycle of lose/gain/lose/gain again. I started off the year carrying around my usual winter blubber in excess of 10 lbs... But it's not just about getting thin or having fun anymore, it's also about being healthy overall, so that I can age more gracefully without being dodged with fun sounding stuff like osteoporosis or heart disease. Of course the year began with the typical false starts until I got mad at myself and got serious around the beginning of May and FINALLY committed. I'm doing fairly well so far; I'm going on 12 weeks of steady workouts, eating better, and getting rid of the goo around my middle. I've gotten pretty gung ho about it, I feel invincible! I want to do everything!! I'm lifting weights 3 days a week, skating 2-3 days a week, and playing softball on Sundays. I have my first inline skating marathon in just 7 days! I've been pushing my body pretty hard - skating hard, upping weight each time I work out: playing softball as hard as I can, so I guess it's only natural that my body decided it was time to remind me that I am NOT 25 anymore...

I subbed a softball game for a team at work this past Thursday, and pulled my quad muscle. I can't even believe it happened because I didn't even care enough about this team to put 100% into playing. I was hobbling around like an old lady all day Friday, I kept my leg iced and elevated and tried not to feel pissed off about it; but I am pissed. I had to skip my Friday leg workout and I had to skip a 30 mile social skate that I was scheduled to skate this morning with members of the Denver inline skate club. My anger is directed solely at myself. It's totally my fault for not warming up properly prior to the game. I know how pulls happen - basically a sudden burst of stress on the muscle (i.e. sprinting from first to second base) can cause micro tears in the muscles if they aren't warmed up first. This hurts like hell and sidelines you. I believe the injury is grade 1 because I'm walking fine today, it just feels a little tight and not nearly as sore.

The good news is that I was planning on using this week as a 'recovery' week anyway since St. Paul is in a week: so no weight training/hard cardio. So now the plan is for 2, maybe 3 short skates and some swimming and yoga; along with a focus on hydration and eating well. I'm going to TRY to sit out softball tomorrow night, I'm hoping we can find someone to sub for me. I'm terrified of hurting the muscle MORE and being healthy for the marathon is just more important to me.

You know, youth truly is wasted on the young. When I was 25 I had no idea of my body's full potential. I never pushed it to see what it was capable of; I was too busy worrying about inconsequential things. Considering what I'm doing now, 15 years later - I'm guessing I could have been pretty bad ass back then...

Skating Stats as of 7/26/11:
Fastest 13.1 Miles - 54:08
Fastest 26.2 Miles - 1:57:07
Total Miles Skated - 814

The Art of Over Thinking...

I'll be the first to admit that I over-think EVERYTHING. I have ditched many a workout just by thinking about every step needed to get me out of my office chair and into the gym... (get up, get into hot car, drive, change my clothes, get all sweaty, have to change back, get back into car: etc...) Just thinking about it made me tired. I have tried to get my brain to think about just one word - GO - and not over-think the journey, focus on the destination. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I've been really good about not over-thinking skate prep; because it takes me a while to gear up and get my wheels on the pavement. I have pretty much gotten to the point where I can get my brain to skip past thinking about gearing up and get straight to the part where I'm actually coasting along, happy as a lizard baking away on a rock in the sun.

So, last night I went to Washington park to skate with another skater. I was a bit hesitant because I haven't skated Wash park since '98, and my memory of the park is basically one of painfully trying to cruise along on a cobblestone-like surface, and enduring rude cyclists who like to spit on people. I was also not looking forward to the drive in rush hour traffic in 90+ degree heat. But I focused on the fact that I would be meeting with a speed skating coach and that was going to be really exciting. I got to the park, strapped on my skates and rolled around with the coach.

He gave me a lot of good pointers on things like what to wear, how to hold my position at the front of the pack so no jerks could cut in front of me; what to eat, how to recover, how to stop without using a brake; things like that. As we were skating along I was also surprised to realize that the cobblestone was gone and the pavement was actually pretty smooth. I didn't get spit on, cussed at, yelled at, clipped, or ran over by any rabid Denver cyclists either! Happy! After the coach was done and we were standing by his vehicle chatting about the Rocky Mountain speed skating group, another skater came up to ask if we were with the Denver inline skate club. (I had sent out an email earlier to see if any of them would be skating so we could meet up.) I said I was, introduced myself  and after coach left I set off to cruise with skate club guy.

Skate club guy helped me with my stride, showed me how to draft, and videotaped me skating so I could see how badly my upper body (head in particular) bobs all over the place. He drafted me for a while to show me how it felt and I have to admit - it was really uncomfortable. I got really self-conscious about having some dude I just met crouched a foot from my ass with his hand on my back. He was completely professional, so this was all on me. When it was my turn to draft, oh lordy - I couldn't do it. I felt awkward and uncomfortable. I couldn't maintain a steady pace. It felt too WEIRD. He kept reassuring me that it was ok, that while skating in a line it's expected to feel a hand on your back, or to get passed, or to have someone cut in front of you (how rude! But anyway...) We skated a few laps together and then I realized it was getting late. All in all, the entire evening was a really good experience and I appreciated meeting and skating with both of them and I feel like I learned a lot.

Here is a shot of a few of the Texas Flyers in a pace line... See what I mean?? CLOSE!!

Another one of a gaggle of skaters in a line... It's going to take a while to be comfortable enough to do that!

So... Not only do I need to work on my head bobbing (I had NO idea I moved around that much!) but I also need to work on getting that insecure part of my brain to stop wondering if the person behind me is marveling at how fat my ass looks in spandex (or how awkward it is to have an ass encased in spandex less than a foot from MY face) and focus instead on the fact that a pace line is a beneficial part of skating a marathon. If I'm going to continue to improve and keep moving up to the next levels, then drafting is a part of that growth.

A group of speed skaters meets up at Washington Park every Tuesday. The coach told me that they are all really nice, and that I just need to go up and ask them if I can tag along with them. Will I actually have the courage to do that? Every skater I've met so far has been super friendly and more than willing to share their knowledge, so I sure hope so. I'd really like to work past this. I'd like to be able to comfortably skate a foot away from the person in front of me and reap the benefits. But most of all, I'd really like to learn how to stop thinking so much and start learning to trust my skating instincts.

Good days and bad days.

I skated twice this past weekend since I had a three day weekend, I went for a 30.81 mile skate on Friday and a 21.72 mile skate on Sunday. Sunday was an excellent day. Friday was crap.

Friday morning I was already expecting rough trail conditions due to the massive rain from the night before, so I should have played it safe and stuck to familiar terrain. But a trail leading west had just opened after some construction and I was anxious to go exploring. I used to ride my bike that way a long time ago and was eager to see what kinds of memories would come flooding back while skating the trail. I veered west at the junction where I normally go east at the 7 mile point of my usual skate and I was filled with happy anticipation.

This was short lived when I hit the first wet wooden bridge. (Lets just say I'm lucky I'm flexible.) That was the first of three wet bridges that almost took me out. Things levelled out and I finally hit the newly paved portion of the trail that went through Bear Creek Park. That part was really nice: and lasted about 3 minutes. After heading under the Sheridan bridge I hit some seriously horrible conditions and almost wiped out a few more times. (Torn up asphalt, major patches of mud and sand, sticks, cars; etc.) Skating along at 5 mph was the polar opposite of fun so after about 3 1/2 miles I turned and headed back. I was dreading the wet bridges because one of them was at the bottom of a steep hill. I gingerly made it over the last bridge, and headed back to familiar territory.

The trail was so bad; gravel, sand, rocks, twigs, and geese. (yes, geese.) I've had skater vs. fowl near misses before but this was the closest one ever. and the best part is I almost hit the same goose twice! By the time I finished up and limped home, my mph average was shot, (12 mph) I was tired and sore (from doing the splits every time I hit a twig or pebble) and I was in a really bad mood. I did the usual 'at least I got out there' and took a nice hot shower as soon as I got home. Lesson learned; leave the trail exploration for when I'm on foot or on a bike. (Obviously my memories of that trail were spotty!!)

Sunday morning dawned overcast and a little cool. My favorite skating weather. I headed out with the goal of focusing on form and trying not to wipe out; and it turned out to be one of the best skates I've had this season. I flew along w/ a 14 mph hour average. My form felt great, and the speed came almost effortlessly. I did my sprints and managed to maintain the higher speeds for longer periods of time. I felt that exhilarating high that I get when I'm having a good skate and that made me happy. I passed cyclists - hell, I left them in the dust like they were standing still! Several of them even commented on it, and it made me feel great! I finally feel like I'm gaining the stamina and speed that I so greatly desire. The way I feel after a skate like that is why I keep going back for more. I always say that getting in shape is just a side effect of my drug!

As of 7/10/11 I am at 721 miles skated. My best half marathon time is 54:08. My best marathon time is still 1:57:07 but I hope to change that this weekend. I have 24 more days until St. Paul and I am SO excited!!! The good skate days definitely outweigh the bad skate days and when it really comes down to it; any time spent skating sure beats being at work!!!

I believe I will hit my goal of 1000 miles by the end of next month; so once again I will be making some new goals. This is the best skate season ever!

This is a picture of a hill that I absolutely love to sprint up! I don't care how tired I am, as soon as I hit the bottom of this hill, I try to see how fast I can get up it... :)

When you reach your goal - set a new one...

Today was an AWESOME day for me!!! I started my skate at about 9:00 am: the weather was PERFECT! Clear skies, sunshine, a slight breeze. There were a ton of cyclists on the trail so that made for some tricky maneuvers but I still skated 26.56 miles; and I did it in under two hours... GOAL CRUSHED! (time was 1:57:07) - I averaged 13.4 mph. If you click on the below link you can see the map and my stats:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/oXnfh438rS8

I started this year with a goal of 700 miles skated for the entire year. I'm currently at 637 - so I changed that to 1000 miles. Then I made a goal to skate a half marathon (registered/airfare booked/hotel booked: this goal will be accomplished next month.) Then I decided that just participating wasn't good enough - I want to do it in under an hour. My current personal best time for a half marathon was accomplished today: 56:53... Then I decided I don't want to wait until next year to do a full marathon, I want to do one this year so I'm waiting for registration to open for the Houston inline marathon. My goal for that is to do it in under 2 hours. I think that is definitely achievable!

I was told by a dear friend that you can train for an inline skating marathon 'in just two weeks'. Sure, if you just want to just show up and complete it. But that isn't good enough for me. I want to show up, skate hard - maybe finish with a few of the elite skaters??? Eh, that might be a bit lofty but I sure as heck want to be killing that finish line well in front of the rest of the recreational skaters...

I have to say, I feel really good right now. I feel fit, I feel healthy; and I feel accomplished. I'm excited by my progress and looking forward to seeing just how far I can take it. This is definitely my best skate season yet! Next skate is Monday morning; I'm thinking a distance recovery skate w/o focusing on speed - just form.

Happy trails!