Leesburg 20k Race Report

I'm a bit slow posting right now. Trying to get ready to fly to Minnesota this afternoon!! I'm sure I'll forget something.

Lask Sunday, the 13th of August, Geoff and I ran the Leesburg 20k (12.4 miles). Leesburg 10k/20k We decided to do a long race instead of our usual long slow runs. We have gotten up to 2:15 hrs running and wanted a change of pace. Also this would be a good measurement of where we are at in our Marine Corps marathon training. The plan was to run the race at the same pace as our marathon goal times. In doing this we could see how trained we were and if we could keep it up for another 14 miles!

Goals:
Me - Under a 1:40 hr time
Geoff - Under a 1:30 hr time.

It turned out to be a perfect running morning. Cool and dry. Unusual for a August morning here, which has lately been hot and sticky by 8am. So everyone seems happy and ready to set some course records. We started out in the middle of the pack since. Here's a pic of the start. At about a 1/2 mile Geoff ran ahead weaving through people. He didn't wait for me like he normally does?? For a second it seemed odd. Why wouldn't he wait? Then I remembered, that's right, we're running our own races today. So off I watched him go... with no effort.

I decided to take it easier on the way out and monitor my heart rate, then pick it up if I could on the way back. Plus it was uphill going out. So I average around 8 min/miles. At the turn around at 8 miles I decided to get serious and pick it up. A girl passed me, so I decided to stay on her. I ran the rest of the race at a much faster tempo. I was doing around 7:20 min/miles now. By the finish line I was exhausted and happy to be done. I didn't have much left in me. Notice how my heart rate kept going up! Guess I'm not keeping that up for another 14 miles! But I got my goal. 1:36 hr :) I could keep up a min/mile for a marathon. Geoff finihed with a great time of 1:28 hr. Here's a picture taken of him close to the finish.

Here's some stats for me:

Miles-- HeartRate-- MileTimes
1---none---7:49.51
2---144---7:51.12
3---146---7:57.36
4---150---7:00.52
5---149---8:10.65
6---147---8:33.63
7---149---7:31.58
8---152---7:31.64
9---150---7:33.52
10---152---7:16.70
11---155---7:18.15
12---154---7:23.33
.4---157---3:11.19

The Core Sweat Group

A pic of the crew Geoff and I bike with. What a fun group! Thanks for letting us tag along. :) I had to do a little photoshop doctoring to include Liza, who was taking the picture and Damian who was at a race that morning.

Exercise
Friday 8/11/06
40min run easy
Thursday 8/10/06
off
Wednesday 8/09/06
4x200@10k pace,2x400@5k pace,1x800@mile pace,2x400@5k pace, 4x200@10k pace
Tuesday 8/08/06
40min walk, 1 hr bike - hills & speed
Monday 8/07/06
25min run

The Haircut II

Haircut time again. It's so warm out I decided to cut if off and be cool. I have 9 months after this to still grow it out for the wedding. She cut it three times. I kept telling her shorter. I think I was warm from my walk over and wanted it off my neck. Who knows? It ended up really short. But I didn't cry. Here's a before and after. Of course not an exact comparision. The before is make-up free, the after I have make-up on.

New Friends

Well we've have a great week of hanging out with new friends in between working and exercising. It's been so wonderful to get to know people around here and feel more connected to the area. Here's the highlights of the week.

• Monday night we went to the 'Fiona Apple' concert at the Wolf Trap outdoor stage. We meet up with Jen and Michael with our picnic dinners and sat on the lawn to eat and watch the concert. Thanks for a fun time! I really didn't know what to expect from the Concert. I had listened to her CD a few times. That girl is strange. Fiona has some major pent up anger, but what a voice!


• Tuesday equaled a night to relax at home.


• Wednesday night consisted of the usual track workout. This time in 102 degree heat! A heat advisory was out and a bad air quality advisory. But we ran anyways. We took it easy by doubling the rest between our 400 repeats. I was surprised, it actually didn't feel so bad. We actually stayed after and talked to Cindy, a coach, about coaching up for the Lake Placid Ironman.


• Thursday night we had Libby and Jason over for dinner. We made food together and then sat around chatting and getting to know each other until late at night. Finally at 10pm it was time to say goodbye and get ourselves to bed before the early weekend. They are a fun couple.


• Friday night was a pool party for the Reston Runners. Great group of people but I think the average age there was somewhere around 45. At least it made us feel really young!


• Saturday was a early training day with the 'core group' of crazy cycling friends from the TriCats (Capital Area Triathlon Club). Another 5:30am morning to get up and bike before the heat. Then a great church service at night. A perfectly timed reminder of the grace God has given us.


• Sunday was a early morning too, but this time a long run with the Reston Runners. Wow, were we tired Sunday. 2:15 hr run. But no nap until after we had lunch with Becky and David from church and a bunch of their friends.
  

I'm tired just typing about it all. But looking back it was a wonderful week filled with new friends. Too bad I didn't take any pictures.

Exercise
Sunday 8/06/06
2.15 hr run
Saturday 8/05/06
56 mile group ride
Friday 8/04/06
5 mile tempo run
Thursday 8/03/06
20min swim - water way too warm
Wednesday 8/02/06
20min warm-up, 10x400's, 5min cool-down

Running + Heat = misery

It jumped to 115.6 F right after I took the picture. Top is inside, bottom is outside. I know it's warm in here but better then out there. What is one suppose to do on a day like today? Run? Ya right! Talk about heat. So I did what I thought everyone did. Head to the pool. It was empty. I guess too hot for even swimming. I tried doing some laps for a half hour. It was like a bath tub. So I tried laying out to read a book. I started sweating. I thought 'Am I sitting in the sauna?'. Time to head back indoors.

The training plan is done. I finished it last week. We are officially in the mist of Marine Corps Marathon training. Race day is 12 1/2 weeks away, October 29th. It is Geoff's first stand alone marathon. He's got some great potential. I'm so excited too see him succeed!

Running + Heat = misery

I bet your asking, how do you train for a marathon when it's that stinking hot out!?! The answer is get up really, really early. And it's still hot. Got up at 5:30am to meet up with new friends (ya for Jenn & Michael & the gang!) for a ride. Good thing I'm a morning person. It was a tough one for Geoff but he did great.

So why didn't I think of this heat thing when I signed up for the marathon? I have NO idea. But I can say I am getting soooo much better at this hot weather exercising. Monday I did my 2 hr run. I started at 7:20am and it was already at least 85 F and climbing. First hour with Genni, second hour with Austin. I felt great the whole time (except for my eyes stinking from all the salty sweat). The dogs on the other hand, were worn out for once. :)

Exercise
Tuesday 8/01/06
30 min swim & stretching
Monday 7/31/06
2 hr run
Sunday 7/30/06
off since feeling sick
Saturday 7/29/06
56 mile ride
Friday 7/28/06
60 min tempo run, 40 min easy ride
Thursday 7/27/06
2300 yrd swim
Wednesday 7/26/06
3 1/2 hr ride, skipped track due to tight IT band
Tuesday 7/25/06
40 min swim
Sunday 7/23/06
2 hr run

IMUSA 2007

Geoff & I (& hopefully Susan) have officially signed up for Lake Placid Ironman 2007. Here we come long hours of training, full weekends, tired muscles, being wet all the time, and a hopefully great race in 2007!

http://www.ironmanusa.com/

Weekend of Rest

An uneventful weekend for us, but just what we wanted. Lots of relaxing after a week of VBS. Floyd Landis won the Tour De France by giving us a great race on Friday and Time Trial on Saturday. Sunday was a 14 mile long run in training for Marine Corps marathon, church, then more time hanging out. It actually ended up being a two nap day due to the long run and a nasty headache I got. Ahh, what a great weekend.

VBS Week

All week I helped out at my church's VBS, Vacation Bible School. Here is a picture of our daily opening group get together. The main topic for the week was courage. It lasted everyweek day from 9-12am and then I would come home and work in the afternoon. Then Friday night there was a carnival for all the kids and parents. Geoff and I helped out there with set-up, making hot dogs, collecting money and breaking down. It was a long week but well worth the time and energy.

My role during the week was a team leader of seven first grade boys. Here is a picture of 4 of them. That knowledge right there should give you a glimpse into my week. I was way out of my relm of everyday life. Working with kids, yet alone little boys wasn't exactly anything I've done recently. Luckily they were great kids and we had a blast. As you would expect their enery levels were high and they loved playing water games. The wetter the better seemed to be the motto. Makes me want to have kids of my own! Yikes :) Hopefully through it all Geoff and I have meet some more people at the church and the kids have learned more about Courage.

My Nephews

So I've got some great pics from when I visited in Minnesota of my nephews and wanted to share. The first one is Andrew flying like an airplane. Then Nathaniel running around in his pajamas in the morning. Lastly is Nathaniel and Andrew strapped in for a bike ride.

Tour De France

So has anyone been watching the Tour De France? I've watched everyday and what a crazy year. The first week just about everyone you've hear of, that wasn't already kicked out, dropped out due to crashes. Then this last week the jersey has changed hands just about everyday. Makes for some exciting stages. I was really hoping Hincapie would make a great showing in the mountains, but I'm all for Landis. Go Floyd!! Here's a pic of Floyd. I'd love to have an American win. One more week left in the Alps. I'm excited to see what happens.

Wow, I've been bad about tracking my exercise since I went to Minnesota in June. So here's a little back tracking of my bigger training days for my records.

Exercise
Sunday 7/16/06
12.5 mile run
Saturday 7/15/06
1 hr bike ride
Friday 7/14/06
off
Thursday 7/13/06
1 hr bike, 30 min run
Wednesday 7/12/06
track workout - mile TT, 6x200m @95%
Tuesday 7/11/06
40 min swim
Saturday 7/08/06
Duathlong Race - 2 1/2 hrs
Wednesday 7/05/06
track workout - 12x400m
Tuesday 7/04/06
80 mile bike ride in 96 Degree heat. Ouch.

Wedding Theme

Geoff and I have decided on a theme for our spring wedding:

New Beginnings

We were talking about something and Geoff said 'It's like a new beginning'. And I though what a perfect focus for our wedding. It covers all that is important to us. God has gives us new beginning, through his son Jesus, with Geoff and my relationship, and in nature all around us. What a perfect concept to celebrate at our wedding.

We have our colors picked out too, well almost. We are thinking a green and brown with a highlight of blue or pink. Or maybe both. Plus there's always white and black.

BROWN GREEN

( PINK or BLUE )

Diamond In The Rough Race Report

Date: Saturday, July 09, 2006
Location: Perryville, MD
Race: Olympic Tri turned Duathlon (Run 2.5 mile, Bike 27 miles, Run 5 miles)
Age Group: Female 30-35
Time: 2:25:02
Overall Place - women: 16 / 97
Age Group Place: 2 / 15
Results


We decided to leave the morning of the race instead of staying overnight. We packed everything the night before - wetsuit, bike, running shoes and all the other 100 or so necessary items. Before I knew it 3:30am had arrived and it was time to roll out of bed. What a early morning. I sleepily crawled towards the car after getting the dogs all settled in the house. As we pulled onto the freeway I gave Geoff a smile, pulled out my pillow and was out cold for the next 1 1/2 hours. Thanks Geoff for letting me sleep! Surprise, surprise, before I new it we had arrived.

As we climbed out of the car at 5:50am we heard the big news over the speaker. The swim was CANCELLED! Too much bacteria in the river. It was now going to be a Duathlon, Run-Bike-Run. I wasn't sure what I thought of this. I thought about it for a short while, and decided I'd be fine not getting wet. Given I had just woken up getting wet wand cold wasn't really big on my list yet. The next two hours we checked in, got our stuff in transition, warmed-up and attempted to determine what sort of pace you run the first run of a duathlon. At lactic threshold was the decision. The gun for my wave finally went off and then I was off...

Race highlights:

• Run-bike-run is more painful then swim-bike-run.
• I couldn't find my bike coming into the first transition. I felt so stupid! I ran up and down, and then up and down again, finally realizing I was in the wrong row.
• The bike course was hilly and technical but I enjoyed it immensely.
• The second run I just kept X'ing the people in front of me and chasing them down. I had decent run times but I know I can be faster. Ran 7:32 min/mile pace.
• I got my first east coast trophy. It's a lighthouse.
• Geoff and I got a change to hang out with some of our new friends from the TriCat's.
• Our Club placed 2nd in the club challenge.

Race pictures:

• Laura - bike
• Laura - Finish
• Geoff - bike
• Geoff - Finish.

New TT Bike

Well, I've done it. I have bought a bike. This makes bike #4. Another one you say, what does she need another one for? Well it's got a specific purpose. This one a time trial bike for triathlons. It's all about shorter, flatter courses where there's no drafting. So I now have a bike for: road biking, cycle cross, around town, and now time trial. I think that should about do it! Although there could always be a need for a mountain bike, tandam bike, ...

(I'm definitely changing the red handle bar tape from the previous owner.)

A Visit to The Land

I took my first trip down to the land this weekend. Saturday morning Geoff, the dogs and I drove down (With everyone else and their brother! Talk about traffic) to the bay. Here's Geoff and his brother Michael resting on the backyard stairs. 'The Land' is the name of Geoff's parents place on the Chesapeake Bay. It was named The Land, because when they first started heading down all they owned was a piece of land. They have since upgraded and now own a great house and all the comforts of a nice relaxing retreat.

Once down there we relaxed and let the dogs run and play in the water. What a fun time. Lots of family time, sun, and fun. The highlights were a 4th of July picnic with the Air Force band playing. We loaded up on food and headed out to the picninc on Saturday night. I got some time to play with my niece and nephew to be that day too. :) Here's Geoff's mom, Cyndie with Natalie, my niece to be.

The other highlight was going out on the yacht. We boated up the bay to an beach island. From there we anchored the boat and then took the small boat into land where we played for a few hours on the beach. Here's Geoff and his parents getting figuring out how to get the small dingy off the yacht when we got back to the dock at the land. Too bad we had to come Sunday night so Geoff could work on Monday.

Track Time

I'm officially back in Virginia. I have to say the transition back is hard. Especially coming back and having the place all to myself Monday. Big switch from staying with others for almost 3 weeks. Thanks for letting me stay, I had a wonderful time! But now it's Thursday, I'm adjusted, and happy to be home. It helped tons that Geoff worked from home on Tuesday. We worked side by side on the couch and make chocolate chip cookies together. Yum.

Yesterday Geoff and I had our first track practice. We missed the first two weeks being in Minnesota so we're a little behind the curve. But it was just as much fun as I expected. I love the track. Congrats to Geoff for completing his first official track group workout! So here's the workout. I it was about 7 miles total:
20 minutes warm-up
stretching
8 x 800m (80-90% intensity - I was doing them at 7 min/mile pace)
cool-down

p.s. I bought a new bike today! More on it shortly.