Once again, the wonderful production company of the Michelob Ultra 13.1 Marathon has offered me a spot in the race to give away on the blog. The race is on Saturday, June, 7 in Chicago.
Some of you might remember that I gave away a spot to the race last year too – I was also given a spot myself. That is also the case this year and I am really excited for the chance to go back and do the race again.
The race starts and finishes at the South Shore Community Center and is basically and north / south out and back. Last year the weather was hot and sunny (perfect after a long Chicago winter) and the food and beer at the finish line was amazing! Here is a pic of my brother-in-law and I after the race – I didn’t even know he was running it; we just ran into each other in the finish area.
I’ll be back soon with a recap of the Slowtwitch Womens Annual Training Camp (short version: we had a blast). Until then, reply to this post if you’d like to be entered in the drawing for the race entry. It will be open for entry until Friday, April 18 at noon. I will randomly choose a winner from all of those who comment. Please only enter if you are in Chicago or you can be in Chicago for the race. Please also note that the drawing is for a race entry only.
Last week when Mac (best husband ever) got home from a 9-day work trip, he walked in and asked me to go to the basement with him. He had a surprise for me that had actually been sitting in the basement the entire time he was gone - a new bike. I was SHOCKED! I've had my pink CD0.1 for over 2 years now and I still love it - I expected to ride it until it gave out on me.
Well - I got to pick up my new bike today - it is SO beautiful!
(yes, I put it on the bench in the hall to take pictures)
The guys at Urban Tri Gear built it up so that its identical to the set up of my CD0.1 and from the moment I got on it today, it fit like a glove. I'm not a bike expert like Mac, but I can tell you that this bike has my favorite ISM saddle on it, a brand new, super cool ZIPP bar set up and Di2 shifting. I am so freaking excited to get this baby out on the road. It also has my ZIPP race wheels on it right now since it's almost race day!
Love the ZIPP bars!
I hope the weather cooperates with me tomorrow morning, because I REALLY want to take a spin outside before I drop it off for Tri Bike Transport to take it to Galveston. Yep - I picked it up tonight and I have to send it away tomorrow. BUT, I get to ride it next week in Texas - nothing like a new bike for a race (I think that might break every part of the "don't try anything new on race day" rule.)
Mac and Jake are seeing Green Day tonight - I think I'll just put the Illicito next to my bed to keep me company!
A few weeks ago, Mac sent me a link to an article that Dan Empfield wrote about Hoka One One running shoes (here, if you’re interested: Slowtwitch Article ) . I had seen Hokas at my local running store and I thought they were some of the craziest looking running shoes I had ever seen. After reading Dan’s article though, I really began to give thought to trying a pair.
I knew my local running store, Naperville Running Company, used to carry Hokas, but I hadn’t seen them in the store in quite some time. I found a pair from 2012 online at a pretty deep discount, so I placed my order. They arrived on a day that I happened to be working from home, so I wore them in the house while I worked that day and then did a short run in them that night. In a word? CLOUDS
Right out of the box:
I am the type of person who (knocking on wood) has never had feet issues from shoes. I did, for some reason, have a aversion to a pair of Saucony shoes a few years ago where I developed a weird calf pain when I started wearing them (which went away immediately when I stopped wearing them – expensive mistake), but that’s a different story.
I have VERY flat feet and I overpronate, but not to the degree you might expect based on how flat my feet are. I have historically run in stability shoes – for years I trained in Asics Kayanos and raced in Asics DS Trainers. A few years ago I started branching out a bit – just to mix it up. I started with the K-Swiss Kwicky Blade and then tried Newtons. All the while, I continued to wear my Kayanos as well. Recently, my brother in law, who is a foot surgeon, finally convinced me to give orthotics a try. After some time at the running store, we determined that the Mizuno Wave Rider 16, with my orthotics, was really keeping my gait straight and stopping the pronation.
What I’m trying to say is that many shoes work for me, but, I am actually VERY picky about each shoe and how they feel. I can’t stand seams hitting my toes, I have low ankle bones, so I’m really sensitive to how far a shoe comes up on my ankle and I won’t wear shoes that don’t feel like they “wrap” my foot securely without cutting off my circulation.
So…the Hokas
First, sizing is true to size for me. I wear a 7.5 in every pair of running shoes I have right now. While the Bondis are marketed with “slight” stability, I tried them first with my orthotics and then without. For me, I’ve found that they provide enough stability that don’t feel like I have to wear my orthotics with them, yet they were actually really comfortable with them as well. Except for a few short runs, my runs in them have all been with my orthotics.
The Bondis have a nice roomy toe box, yet they wrap my midfoot perfectly. Additionally, I haven’t felt any heel slippage at all. My first run in them was an easy 3 miles on the treadmill. I’m not exaggerating when I say it felt like I was running on clouds. I did 3 more short runs in them before I decided to use them for my longer run that weekend. Due to the weather, I was running on the indoor track at the gym. This gave me the option of bringing along a backup pair of shoes, just in case the Hokas didn’t’ work out for a longer run. But, an hour and 40 minutes later, I finished my run in them and felt great.
Now, I’ve done at least 10 short runs and 3 long runs in the Hokas and I can tell that they are a great shoe for me. I’m pretty sure that I will wear them for the Cary half marathon next weekend. In fact, I’m looking forward to wearing them to race to see how they feel – especially on a hilly course.
I don’t think that I will get rid of the other shoes I have in my rotation; I really do like them all, but I’ve definitely been choosing the Hokas a lot lately. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the Hokas!
Sienna and I had a girl’s weekend while Mac and Jake were in Madison for cyclocross nationals. Jake got to race on Friday – if it could be described in one word, it would be muddy. He had a great time and I think it was a great experience to race at the national level.
Jake after the race:
I was a little nervous about getting in all of my workouts with Mac and Jake gone, but in the end it went just fine. I fit in my run at lunch on Friday, then after work, Sienna and I dashed from daycare to swimming lessons and then to Whole Foods for some sushi for dinner. Mac had picked up ice cream earlier in the week so that Sienna and I could have a treat for dessert on Friday night. At WF, Sienna decided that she wasn’t sure if she wanted ice cream, and asked for a pear instead. Win! In the end, she did have a small scoop of ice cream and so did I – and wow, did I feel like CRAP afterward. Lesson learned.
Sienna - ready for swim lessons:
Friday was an early night and I got up first thing Saturday to get in my trainer ride. Sienna, while not thrilled with me being in the basement, was great about it and she colored and watched TV while I rode. Then, I realized that I made a mistake in my grand plan – I couldn’t get my swim in…due to swim lessons, no lanes are available at the gym until noon. Sienna has gymnastics at 1:00 – not leaving me enough time to get my swim in (Kid’s Club closes at 2 on the weekends, so later in the day wasn’t an option either). Fail. But a quick check in and I moved the swim to Sunday following my long run. Crisis averted. Then Sienna and I did our core work – situps – together.
Awkward trainer shot:
After gymnastics we headed to Naperville Running Company where Midge helped me find the perfect pair of running shoes – I recently got custom orthotics so I ‘m slowly moving away from my usual stability shoes into more neutral shoes with my orthotics. I can really tell a difference in my stride with the orthotics – also my feet track forward rather than the ‘duck foot’ I used to be. I ended up with the Mizuno Wave Rider 16’s and after time on the treadmill and my run this morning, I LOVE them. Maybe I’ll do a review after a few more runs in them.
New shoes!
Saturday night was another early night – Sienna and I know how to party. Sunday morning after some strength work at home, it was time to hit the gym. I had a long run, then my swim from Saturday on tap. I took care of those while Sienna went to Kid’s Club – we get up to 3 hours per day at Kid’s Club – which is really helpful in getting my workouts in. Sienna really enjoys Sunday at Kid’s Club because Coach John is there and they play soccer. Whatever it takes, right?
After a quick lunch at home, we headed back to the gym for family swim. Sienna LOVES to swim and would stay in the water all day if I let her. That brings us to Sunday night. With a little juggling, I did just fine fitting everything in this weekend, including a lot of fun with my favorite girl. It really just about planning; yet being flexible when you have to. My next test starts tomorrow when Mac leaves for Tennessee for the entire week – he’ll be gone until late Friday night. Wish me luck!
In the blink of an eye, 2012 has come and gone. Looking back, I think that I would call the year a good one. Some of the highlights:
I learned from each race I was lucky enough to do this year. To start, Oceanside taught me that training for an early race through the Chicago winter is HARD and I obviously didn’t quite do it right. Also, swimming in the Pacific Ocean in March is COLD – bring your wetsuit, neoprene cap and neoprene booties if you intend to do it.
The Slowtwitch Women’s weekend was, in a word, amazing. Mac will attest that I was nervous and more than a bit hesitant to go. I was going to spend a weekend with a group of women where I only knew one person – Cathy – and then at the last minute, my friend Christina decided to go as well. In the end, I had the time of my life and I can’t wait to go back in 2013.
After the First Annual Margarita Mile at Slowtwitch Womens Camp:
Ironman Texas was a really great day. Mac, as always, was my rock and he got me through race week and to the start line in one piece (physically and mentally). It was such a blast to come out of T2 and see Mac, Sonja, Bryan and Christina there. I knew Mac would be there and I knew Sonja was coming in for some of her athletes – what I didn’t know was that Bryan and Christina were flying in, for the day, to be there for the race. Wow! I wasn’t as fast as I had hoped that day, but I was still happy with the day and finished with a smile on my face.
One of the biggest highlights this year for Mac and me was Jake’s foray into triathlon. He gave it a go at the Multisport Madness Kid’s Triathlon on Memorial Day weekend. He did REALLY well, for a kid who hadn’t had any formal swim instruction and rode his mom’s Litespeed road bike. He WON his age group and took 2nd overall. During the awards, all of the parents around us were wondering, rather loudly, who “the fast kid was” and “where is he from, we’ve never seen him at races before” – I had a little fun responding to them that this was his first triathlon, that’s why they hadn’t seen him at other races. After the race, Jake was approached by some of the cute girls on the Multisport Madness (kids) Triathlon Team (“MMTT”) to talk to the team coach. After some coaxing, he went over to the coach. Long story short, she asked him about giving the team a try. She invited him to work out with the group to see if he would like to be a member. That set the tone for the whole summer; Jake joined the team and trained 5-7 days a week with them. He also participated in many more races, including USAT Youth Elite Nationals and the IronKids series (qualifying for the National Championships, but running the first middle school cross country meet of the season instead). To say we’re excited he loves the sport is an understatement. He also outgrew my bike quickly and now he has a nicer Litespeed bike than either Mac or I. Add to that a new Litespeed cyclocross bike and the new QR CD0.1 triathlon bike for Christmas, and I guess there are perks that come with having your dad as the director of sales for a kick ass bike company.
Muncie (sort of) 70.3 was actually a really great day for me. We were on the way to Muncie when we received the news that they were shortening the race due to the extreme heat in the Midwest. A lot of people were upset about the decision; I see their point, but I will honestly say that when I got off the bike and it was in the high 90’s with a lot of humidity, I was VERY glad I only had to run 6.2 miles, not 13.1. I know people trained for the 70.3 distance and they were disappointed not to do it, but I think the right decision was made that day. As a bonus, I got to be there when QR pro athlete Kelly Williamson kicked the butts of a really strong field and QR elite athlete Emily Watts also had a great day.
After Muncie - it was HOT out there:
Rev3 Wisconsin Dells happened at the last minute - kind of by default. QR is the bike sponsor of the series and needed to have someone there to represent the bikes. Mac was scheduled to take Jake to the aforementioned USAT Youth Elite Nationals in Ohio and no one from the offices in Tennessee could make it up for the race. My training partner Katie and I made a bit of a game time decision and packed up the car to go work the expo and do the race. A short description of the race is easy - HOLY HILLS. Rev3 is known for tough bike courses and they really outdid themselves in Wisconsin Dells. The swim was in Lake Delton and started at the famous Tommy Bartlett water show. It was fun to be able to sit in the stands and watch the waves ahead of us. After the swim, it was onto the bike course from hell. I mean that sincerely. The run was through downtown Dells and into a few residential areas. I actually had a great run that day and finished in a time that, while not fast, made ME very happy.
Onto Ironman Louisville – if you read my race report you know that it was a really bad, horrible, terrible no good day for me from start to finish. Though I guess the key is that I got lucky and finished. Again, MANY lessons learned in Louisville. The biggest lesson being that plain and simple, I need to work harder.
We rounded out the year with cross-country season. Jake really killed it for his eighth grade cross-country season. He was moved to a new school this year, one that was just opened this year. He had two new coaches who turned out to be pretty great. For a new school, with low headcount, the cross-country team had an impressive number of runners. Jake stood out as a leader, which made Mac and I proud. He won every race that his team entered and qualified for the state cross-country meet again. He had personal challenges with about four hours of weather delays and figuring out nutrition during that time. In the end, he placed twelfth knowing he should have been in the race for the win. He learned from it and went into club cross country season with a laser focus.
Jake and Sienna (she was finally old enough) competed in the USATF Junior Olympics series and they both qualified for the National Championships in Albuquerque, NM. Jake’s entire team qualified, so the whole group made the trip to Albuquerque along with my parents and my father in law. We had a bit of a mix-up in that even though Sienna qualified (as a six-year old in the 7-8 year old division), the sub-bantam’s who are still six years old aren’t actually allowed to run at nationals. She was upset for a minute, but then moved on. (I might still be a little bitter). Jake took 60th overall in the nation in a tough race where the altitude definitely was a factor.
The team before the race:
2012 was a crazy year for us (but aren’t they all?) I’m pretty proud of the fact that given my work schedule and long commute, Mac’s crazy travel schedule and our kid’s busy schedules, I was able to train for and complete some great races. I’m thankful for Mac – he’s the most supportive husband ever; he always puts my training ahead of anything for himself. Mac had a year plagued with injuries and too much work – I’m hoping he gets to do some racing in 2013 too.
