in the dog house

Becoming a mom and becoming a runner happened pretty much at the same point in my life. Going back to school happened very shortly there after. Rowen, my oldest, was only about 8 or 9 weeks old when I went for my first run that eventually led to this madness. People often ask me how I juggle everything, but the truth is, I really don't know any other way. Since it's become a big part of my life, running has always been something that gets scheduled around nap times or classes, is sometimes dependant on babysitters or final exams, and often includes jogging strollers, sippy cups, or showing up to class drenched in sweat. I can not even fathom the life of an elite/professional athlete, whose training and job are one in the same. (I am, however, still holding out for that sponsor looking for a middle of the pack mom to travel the country in her 50 states marathon quest and document it on this bright pink blog. Don't worry, I haven't quit my day job yet)

I like to think that I do a good job balancing my life given the circumstances (working, working on my degree, and chasing my crazy toddlers) I often hear "don't forget to slow down and take time for yourself", and believe me I do. It's just that my version of slowing down is in a pair of Nikes at a 9:40 min/mile pace. I'm telling you it doesn't get more relaxing than that! So while I like to think that I do a pretty good job of balancing my life, I've always secretly wondered when and if I would crash and burn. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one wondering.

Well my friends, the time is here. Who placed their bet for the week of March 7-13th 2010? Congratulations, it finally happened. My body has utterly rebelled. Who knew the wonderfully magical world of Disney would be to blame? And yes, I blame them and their ridiculous wake up calls for their irresistible races, haha. Four days in a row of 4 hours or less of sleep (two days for races, two days for driving) caused my immune system to go on strike, and now I'd like to self diagnose myself with the flu. A couple days of puking, a couple days of fever and chills, and now a general feeling of crap. Maaaybe the two weeks of school before the race, where I was freaking out about a paper or test on just about every day of the week had something to do with it.

And to add insult to injury? I MISS RUNNING. I miss training. I've fallen SO far behind on my training schedule that coach is probably going to have to repeat this week's schedule for the 3rd week in a row. That is if we don't just have to go back to square one. I couldn't have gotten sick during one of those weeks when I felt mentally burnt out and just needed a break from training. Nooooo. Instead, I get sick on a week when I'm mentally burnt out and desperately need to run to clear my mind. And did I mention, it's kinda nice outside lately?

What's more, I start to think about my very first triathlon, 5 weeks away, and I start to panic. A mere 300 yards in the swimming pool still scares the crap out of me.

Ugh.

Don't worry, I am listening to my body. Despite the fact that my dailymile profile weekly training chart is starkly white and blank, I've been sitting around on the couch with my babies, catching up on my Wonder pets and Spongebob Squarepants (or Sponge Bob Yellow Rectangle, as my 3 year old prefers to call him). While I did manage to shuffle in, un-showered and totally disheveled, for a few classes, I did suck up my guilt and skip a few days worth of school and work. But oddly enough, even though I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck, the lack of chaos is driving me crazy. I think I have a wandering running spirit, it hates to be tied down.

Times like these are to be remembered on those perfect days when everything fall into place.

Run strong and stay healthy my friends. Not even magical Disney Tinkerbell fairy dusted princesses are immune from burn out.

Oh, and if you are wondering why I'm in the dog house...I forgot my blog's anniversary. One year ago yesterday. Sorry blog. I didn't get you anything.

2010 Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend

Well I might as well go ahead and warn you that this isn't really a blog post, so much as the preliminary manuscript to my new book "why I will always pay whatever Disney asks of me just for the opportunity to run through their castle". Just kidding (about the book, not forking over the money), but what I mean is, it's a long post. Grab a drink, don't forget your homework and use the bathroom, because I'm not turning this car around.

heh.

My 52 hours in Disney World were amazing, despite the fact that Mother Nature basically laughed in my face about the previous blog post begging for warm weather. At least it didn't rain (or snow).

The drive was uneventful, and I arrived in the hotel lobby just in time to receive a phone call from my sister saying "I just watched you answer your phone" as the bus carrying her and my mom rolled up. I promise it wasn't as creepy as that sounds, haha. They got off the bus and we jumped up and down for a few seconds in the lobby with the "we're in Disney world!!!!" song and dance. We checked in, met up with my awesome running mom pal Bethany and her mom, and headed to the Fit for a Princess expo.

Let me just say, I am far from a girly girl. I've always been a bit of a tom boy, and only break out the makeup on the occasional night on the town or wedding. I'm lucky if I wear a dress twice a year. But when it comes to running-watch out. I can't get enough pink or running skirts, oddly enough. So needless to say, I had a field day at this expo. The race shirts in the packets were ok...

... buuuttt I did pick up a few more things!

Actually the bag and *hot* pink socks were part of the half marathon packet. I swear my world (blog and dailymile page included) are starting to turn so pepto-bismol pink I'm not sure what's coming over me lately! That's Kain in the top right hand corner. He did not come in the race packet.

Friday night I met up with a handful of moms from the cafemom running group. These girls were awesome, I felt like I was spending the night chatting over drinks with old friends. What an amazing opportunity that we finally got to meet! I am certain that it won't be the last time.

Saturday morning the alarm went off early, about 3:50 to be exact. Mom, Holly, and I donned our running gear and headed out in the freezing (ok, slightly above freezing, but still in the 30's) cold to hang out for a few hours at the race start for the Royal Family Princess and the Frog 5k. It would be my moms first 5k race and we were all very excited for her.

What wasn't so exciting, was the fact that it was cold. I know I know, some of you scoff at high 30 degree temps. But after all, we were in FLORIDA in MARCH. Forgive me for having warmer expectations, haha. I shivered my way through the start, and then Holly and I walked my momma to the finish of her first race. Of course I stopped to cheese for the camera as often as possible. Seriously I have so many pictures from this weekend it was hard to choose just a few to share!

Did I mention both of my sisters were there? Real-life little sister Cathy was registered for the 5k but wasn't able to make it down to Florida. So big sister Holly brought a fill in, lovingly referred to as "Cathy on a stick". Cathy on a stick caught the attention of many people, including Creigh Kelley, the emcee of the Disney races. We had a little chat with Creigh and the video cameras, and when he asked my mom if she was proud of her daughters she said "Actually, I'm pretty darn proud of myself right now, I just finished my first race!" I love it!

I have to say my only complaint about this weekend (besides of course, the weather) was the 5k shwag. I've seen the other 5k race medals, the 3D rubber/foam ones, and they are really cute. This one...well not to sound like a medal snob, haha,but it looks like something they give you for free at Blockbuster video. There was even an advertisement on the back of the medal. Come on Disney!! ( I added the pins. I am telling you, Disney could sell ice to an Eskimo, and my life didn't feel complete until I had a Figment dragon pin, haha)

Since this is a running blog, I'll spare you the minute by minute details of our day in Disney world. It was SO fun. But I will tell you , if you are going to Disney, try and make reservations for the Spirit of Aloha Dinner show at the Polynesian village resort. Despite the fact that I froze my booty off (outdoor show at night!) it was amazing!

The only thing I wouldn't recommend about the luau is going to the 8:00 show the night before a Disney race. Because we didn't make it back to the hotel until almost midnight...and the alarm clock went off at 3:00 am. I was TIRED.

But we woke up, donned our tutus and tiaras, and hopped on the bus around 3:30 a.m. Gotta love it. So you know how I mentioned it was cold for the 5k start? Well it was even COLDER for the half marathon start. I had on an underarmour cold weather gear long sleeve, a hooded sweatshirt, and a mylar space blanket, and I was still shivering like mad. If we were all lost in the woods, I'd be the one you'd have to eat for dinner, as I probably wouldn't make it through the night. I hate being cold. We stood around and chatted with some other runners, all while I felt like an idiot for forgetting my bright pink dailymile sign. Sorry ladies!

Eventually we wandered our way to our corrals, and I couldn't believe where I wound up. Maybe about 15 feet from the starting line? Seriously, only in a Disney race, or a local 5k containing less than 150 people can that happen. Apparently a sub-2 hour half marathon makes you a speed demon in this magical kingdom. Just as I was working up the courage to ditch my layers for the start, someone walked up to me and asked if I was Heather. Turns out it was Holly (not my sister, another Holly) from the cafemom running group! It was crazy that in the sea of 14,000 runners , all wearing pink and tutus, that we found each other. I knew Holly and I shared the same pace, and I was instantly happy to have a running partner.

Here's a video of the magical start. You can see how ridiculously close to the start I was (and I love when the fairy godmother says "That way, keep going..." as if anyone questioned?!?)

It was about a half mile into the run when we spotted a pirate ship and Captain Jack Sparrow. Instantly Holly and I merged to the side of the road to stop for a photo. I think it was at that point we both decided "screw a P.R. this is going to be a fun race". Alas, the captain was whisked away before we could get in a photo with him. No idea why they did that, it wasn't like he had been out there more than 5 minutes. So we got back on the road and kept running. It was around this point that my tiara fell off and smashed into pieces on the ground. Oops.

We then proceeded to stop at just about EVERY SINGLE character we came across for pictures, no matter how long the line. It was so fun. I'm telling you, the second you enter Disney property, it's like you revert back to 6 years old. Magical! I even stopped looking at Garmin or even caring about my pace. We stopped for pictures, water, and porta potties with no concern as to how long they were taking. Around mile 4, a woman came up on my right and said "I know this is going to sound weird, but are you Heather?" Of course it didn't sound weird, I posted my race outfit days before online for the whole world to see, haha! It was Christine, yet another mom from the cafemom's running group. We ran together for a mile or two, and then she ran ahead when we entered the Magic Kingdom and started getting picture crazy!

Let me tell you...the freezing cold weather, the ridiculously early wake up call, the hours you have to sit around waiting for the start, and the fact that 3/4 of this race is run on boring access roads...it ALL disappears the second you round the corner of that parking lot and enter into the magic kingdom. People line the sides of streets as far as the eyes can see cheering for you, and you have views like this:

Like I said, you revert back to your 6 year old self and it's just magical! Holly and I stopped and waited for pictures with everyone, and at one point, even ran backwards for a photo op. That one pissed of my Garmin for sure. Here are just a few of the pictures from the race.

We found Captain Jack on the way back through!!

The furthest I have run in a long time is 9 miles, so around mile marker 11 my legs did start to get a bit sore. Regardless, I couldn't believe how fast this race went by. We approached the 13 mile marker and I thought to myself "SERIOUSLY? It's over already?" That's why I don't have more to say about this race. Because, it went by so fast, I hardly remember anything. I felt like I frolicked through the course, haha.

Of course we had to stop for one last photo right before the finish line ....

Our time was 2:20:55. FAR from a *time* PR, about 22 minutes off to be exact (for me). But if there is such thing as a *fun* PR, this race takes the prize. This was one of those races that reminded me why I LOVE to run. 13 seemingly effortless miles. Who doesn't love that? Just another reminder of how far I've come. And a reminder of why I love this sport, and that it's not ALWAYS about the time.

Holly and I collected our medals, which were beautiful! Thanks to Bethany for this picture (I totally stole it off her facebook page, my medal is already covered in toddler fingerprints, haha).

We meandered around getting snacks and stuff, and then I met up with my mom in the ChEar section just in time to see Holly come across the finish line. The sun was starting to warm me up (finally) and we were set for a beautiful day in Florida (finally!) Another successful half marathon, complete!

I absolutely HATED that I had to leave so soon. I'm counting down the days until we go back...2013 we are going to "Dopey" - that's the new term apparently for adding the 5k to the Goofy Challenge. For those of you not in the know, that means Friday-5k, Saturday-half marathon, Sunday- full marathon. I can't WAIT! In fact, I wonder if I can really wait another 3 years before going back. Tower of Terror 13k next year? hmmm.....

Have a magical day my friends, run like a princess!

And you're to blame...

Dear Mother Nature,

I really hate to point fingers, but I seem to be noticing a trend. A weather trend. One that seems to be coupling highly anticipated races with crappy weather. I hate to come at you with such heavy accusations, but I was told Jim Cantore isn't at fault, so basically that leaves, well, you.

If you recall, the Myrtle Beach half marathon this year was canceled due to a snowstorm. Heather's birthday 5k yesterday? POURING rain and just hovering in the 30's over the freezing mark. I didn't get a chance to run. On my birthday. Not how I wanted to start year #28 but it is what it is. But last week on a scheduled day off from exercise? Beautiful sunshine and warm weather. *sigh* Mother nature, what gives? Did I do something to upset you? Was it the Styrofoam cup I had on Monday? I know it's bad for your ozone and all, but Chik-fil-A doesn't give me any other options. I became weak in my moment of thirst, I'll bring my own cup next time, I swear.

I'm sorry, I really am. Just hear me out for a minute. I keep hearing from my Florida friends that the weather forecast for the HIGHLY anticipated (by me) Disney Princess half marathon this weekend might be less than ideal March in Florida weather. I've heard "bring pants" more than once today. It's not what I've been wanting to hear.

And speaking of pants, my new Sugoi Piston 200 compression tights showed up on my doorstep today (thank you Sugoi!). But the problem is, I can't tell where compression ends and "face it these pants are too small" begins. Really, it's an odd situation, you'd have to see it to believe it (though I'm not quite sure you'd actually want to...) Like the legs are *tight* but tight in the good compression way. My hips, well, let's just say these babies are storing a semester and a half's worth of comfort food, and there is a little more to compress here than in my legs. I put them on for a good 30 minutes to see if I lost circulation anywhere. My feet were still warm and fully functioning, so I figure they are OK. However, sitting in them, welllll that's a whole different story. Now I imagine how Jon Bon Jovi (also shared a birthday with me yesterday) must have felt in the 80's. These are certainly comparable to those jeans you have to lay on the bed to put on, maybe even use a pair of pliers to zip up, no doubt about it. Let's just say they give muffin top a bad name (bad name!!).

OK I see you aren't laughing at the bad Bon Jovi reference. The point is, I'd really love to wear *shorts* under my kick princess booty tutu, mainly because I'm still debating the fate of the compression tights. I'd hate to be forced to wear them and risk cutting off blood supply to my small intestines.

Yeah, yeah, I have other tights to wear, I'm just trying to make a point.

PLEASE, PLEASE, oh PLEAAASE I'm pleading with you, can it NOT be freezing at 4:00 am when we are required to sit around in the corrals and wait for the start? Really, I don't know why Disney forces us to sit in a cold parking lot for 2 hours before the race start. I don't question their magical authority. I just want to have a memorable (in the good way) fun race, meet up with my awesome running mamas and dailymilers, and not sit there shivering my (not so little, according to the compression tights) butt off.

Anyway, thanks for your consideration Mother Nature. I promise to never skip the recycling bin ever again. And now, I'm off to plant a tree in your name.

Love always,
Heather (who really just wants to see the *warm* sunshine!)

Sweetheart's gotta run.

Knee deep in chaos. That's all I've got to describe life lately. Good chaos, but chaos none the less. I'm sure you've noticed from the dwindling blog posts and complete lack of commenting on everyone elses blogs, but to say I've been busy would be a complete understatement. I wanted to thank you all for the suggestions regarding my butt in the last post, haha. In case you were wondering, I chose the tutu.

It's amazing how quickly life passes when you are busy for what feels like every second of the day. And I see the escape of time reflected the most in my children. No truer words have ever been spoken than "they grow up too fast". In the blink of an eye, my sweet little toddler Rowen has turned into an opinionated preschooler who refers to his mother as sweetheart. As in "Hey sweetheart, can you get me some more ketchup?" (true story, I kept waiting for him to ask me to go ahead and top off his coffee while I'm at it). My innocent little newborn Kain is now a toddler who runs around the house yelling "I'M MAD!!" instead of crying when he is upset, and giggling with pure glee as he mocks his older brothers every move.

I know I won't be in school forever, but I feel like at this rate I'm going to come home from class and one of them is going to ask for the car keys and a $20 spot. And so this week, I made an effort to spend as much extra time as I could with Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (I've been informed by the 3 year old that from now on this is what my pair of offspring shall be referred to as. You know, just as an FYI.) and therefore blog land was put on the backburner. Sorry friends, I'm sure you understand!

But through the homework, papers, exams, work, ear infected non sleeping babies and truck stop talking toddlers, I've been training. One of the things that I love about running is that it's ALWAYS there for you. The only question that ever needs to be asked is will you step up and meet it? So it's cold. Raining. Early/late. You didn't sleep because amoxocillin acts like a shot of espresso for your toddler. You may not feel like running, and that's fine. But if you change your mind, it will be right there, waiting to challenge you. If there's a will, there's a way, as so many of you and your Yak Trax & determination have proven this winter.

Tuesday, after 25 minutes of zone 2, I was unleashed to run 25 minutes in a high z3 & z4. I couldn't stay in z4 and get to my 5k pace, but I was able to run low 8:00's staying in my HR zone. And let me tell you, it felt SO GOOD. My legs were burning, my lungs were getting there, yet it all seemed almost effortless, in a twisted, awesome sort of way. It had been a while since I had gotten a chance to run hard, and I relished every second of it. Wednesdays recovery "easy" run was harder than the hard run. I even tried it twice, and twice threw my arms up in defeat after 30 minutes. But I tried, and felt so much better that evening because of it.

This morning, I met up with 3 lovely ladies from dailymile for a group run. Coach wanted me to run a zone 2, conversational pace. Weeellll my heart rate had different ideas, but I assure you I was conversational. My mouth runs as much as my feet do some days. We talked about a whole slew of things, from kids to running (no surprises there!) but the consensus of the running talk today was that we all never imagined we'd end up where we were now: in love with running. And as I came upon the last mile in an easy, wonderful 9 mile run, I remembered the days when 1 mile was a huge struggle. Those days when I dreaded lacing up my shoes because I knew the pain and struggle that lay ahead of me.

I've come so far.

I've been accused a lot lately of being addicted to running (by non runners of course). Well if I'm addicted to running, then I'm addicted to air. Because I need to breathe, and I need to run. In my eyes it's not an addiction, it's a necessity. Good runs, bad runs, fast runs, slow runs, fun runs, competitive runs, and everything in between. Running is my zen, the keel in my boat. I don't expect everyone to understand that, though I have a feeling most of you do. Running isn't just an addition to the chaos, running is what helps me conquer the chaos.

And so in the chaos that is my life, I am thankful for so many things. I am sure to count my blessings every single day and night. But no matter how long the list, I never forget to thank these crazy legs and feet for the amazing journey they continue to take me on. Without them, I wouldn't be the same person I am today, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

Sorry to get all Nicholas Sparks sentimental mushy on you folks today, haha. Happy running friends, enjoy your journey!

the post about my butt.

I've got a lot to discuss today, and all of comes right back to one thing: my butt. Let's begin, shall we?

1. Slow running kicks my butt.

I spent another week of zone 2 runs per coach's orders.

Now, let me just say, I am but a meager wanna-be at this point. I am still in school learning the ways of the body. I have only half-ass trained my way through my 4 marathons. When it comes to 5k's I get lucky, but for the most part, I don't know what I'm doing. Coach Jeff on the other hand, has been coaching athletes almost as long as I've been alive. He's an ex elite with more degrees and certifications than I can count. So when Coach tells me to do something, I do it. When he tells me that running slow now will make me run faster later, I believe him. Even if it feels like the most counterproductive thing I've ever done. I believe, deep down, this is gonna work, and make my first triathlon totally kick booty. Heck, even Mark Allen agrees, and he pretty much owns this sport, right?

Today was the most gorgeous day of 2010. Well, the most gorgeous day that I haven't spent trapped in a classroom that is. After a morning at the beach with the boys (yes, go ahead and hate me, I paid my dues spending 21 years in New England, haha), I set out for a 1 hour, zone 2 run. It was BEAUTIFUL. So beautiful, I was nearly skipping to the music on my ipod instead of running. That is, until the Garmin yelled at me. Don't skip, Heather, it gets you too excited. *sigh*.

Every time I started to fall into a zone, my legs tried their darnedest to fall into theirs. And then the Garmin would yell at me again. HEART RATE TOO HIGH it shouted (ok, beeped) at me. The more time that went on, the slower my legs were forced to go to stay in the zone. At one point, I was CRAWLING along at a 10:30 pace, and the stupid Garmin told me I was going to fast. So, as per instructed by coach, if I can't get my heart rate down, walk. Do you know how silly I felt having to stop and walk on a run when i wasn't even tired? I couldn't help but laugh.

Maybe I need to lay off the caffeine.

On these long slow runs I try to picture the Krebs cycle in my body like a bunch of newbie assembly line workers. Completely inefficient, but with all of this zone 2 training they will be kicking butt in no time. Look out, bonus checks! No seriously, I try to imagine that months from now, I will be at my "comfortable" pace of mid 8's to 9's , but in zone 2.

And months from now, I will look back and laugh at how slow running kicked my butt SO much more than regular running ever did.

Alas, this week the training really begins, and I'm sure by the time my next zone 2 run rolls around I'll be very thankful!

2. cycling HURTS my butt

SERIOUSLY you guys, when do you get used to this? I'm sorry but these padded tri-shorts are a joke. Kind of like someone throwing me one of Rowen's arm swimmies if I was drowning in the ocean. Thanks for the well meaning gesture, buuuuttt....I'm still drowning.

Thursday night called for a 90 minute spin. I was super excited as a) I love my new bike, and b) the kids went to bed early, so I could ride my bike and enjoy a little MTV in peace. Well, while my enthusiasm did not waiver, I'm not going to lie that when Rowen came downstairs BEGGING for a sippy cup at the 45 minute mark, I was super excited to get OFF of that darn seat.

When I bought my bike, I tried out a couple different seats. I chose one specifically designed for women, with a groove in the seat that the bike shop guy assured me would prevent my lower extremities from going numb (preventing pinched nerves I'm guessing?) That's nice and all, and I'm sure some day I'll appreciate it, but for now, a numb leg would have been a welcome distraction from the bruises I now have in the nether regions.

Are you noticing a trend here? Patience, Heather, work on your patience. All in good time, you will be faster and have buns of steel, resilient to any amount of time in the saddle!

3. What's a princess to do with her butt?

2 weeks from today is the Disney Princess Half marathon. I am SO excited. But in true princess fashion, I am torn. Whatever shall I wear? Holly and I spent a few hours last weekend picking out supplies and crafting our very own princess tutus. They are AMAZING. Now, I realize that this idea is far from original, and I will surely be one of thousands of tutu-ed runners,but really, when else will I have this opportunity? That's what I thought. Plus my tutu is way better than everyone elses. I'm just saying.

But, as the race day gets closer, and the disappointment from the cancellation of Myrtle Beach half marathon lingers, I'm debating my strategy for race day. I'd like to set a PR. I'd also like to run in a tutu and stop for photo ops with all of the characters. But then again...I'd like to set a PR.

SO, rambling aside, anyone know where I can get a **HOT PINK** running skirt? You know, in case I go for the try and PR option (I'm telling you this tutu ain't gonna cut it if I need to focus, haha). Does anyone have the pink skirt from http://www.runningskirts.com/ ? It says "Haute pink" but really, how "haute" is it? Becuase it's gotta match my shoes.

Quit snickering guys, this is the PRINCESS half marathon. Let me be girly for once.

Happy running my friends!

my first bike crush

So as we already established, Myrtle Beach half marathon was a total bust, thanks to mother nature. If nothing else, the lack of racing gave me a head start on the second mega event of my weekend: shopping for my first "big girl" bike.

I've been talking about getting a road bike for years now. But something always came up. Namely, I kept getting pregnant, haha. The baby factory is now closed (you can quote me on that one!) and this year was finally to be my year to buy a bicycle. The whole family was on board for me to make one decent sized purchase. An investment, I like to call it. In case you haven't heard me say it before, I justify these large purchases with the fact that I'm not a bag girl. You know, like really ridiculously priced purses: dooney and bourke, coach, Louis Vuitton whatever the latest "in" designer is. If that's your thing, more power to you. I personally couldn't tell the $20 back alley knock off from the $400 real thing. Instead, I carry around my old reliable $20 billabong purse form pacsun and spend my hundreds on permission to run the streets of someone else's town while volunteers hand me dixie cups of Gatorade. Whatever puts a smile on your face my friends, that is what it's all about!

But regardless of finally having the go ahead from all ends of this deal, I was a little hesitant to go bike shopping on my own. Every one of my well meaning friends have given me suggestions on what to look for, what to stay away from, and so on when it comes to bike shopping. The funny part was, I had no idea what they were talking about. Components? What components? So just as I enlisted the help of my Dad the first time I walked into a car dealership to buy my first brand new car, I called upon my very experienced cyclist sister and brother-in-law to supervise my first serious bike purchase (i.e, not from Target or Walmart).

So now that we've got that rambling preface behind us, Saturday morning Holly, Jim, and I headed down to Grand Strand Bicycles in Murrells Inlet SC. I could ramble on for pages and pages raving about the AMAZING customer service that I was given here. Seriously, if you are a local to the Grand Strand area, or even in town visiting, don't even THINK about going anywhere else, go visit Mary, Tim, and the crew at GSB. I never felt pressured or overwhelmed for a second. The staff was so knowledgeable, and didn't even laugh at me with all of my silly questions or newbie cluelessness. They spent at least a good 3 hours with me, doing everything from a thorough bike fitting, to teaching me how to use my new trainer (Cycle Ops Super Magneto Pro), how to clip out so I don't bust my ass (yet assuring me it's gonna happen anyways), teaching me how to shift and what the different gear rings meant, and even showing me specific workouts/exercises I can do to help build my cycling strength.

The bike fitting was awesome. I started out feeling pretty uncomfortable on my bike, to feeling like I could ride all day. (well, other than the sore butt, but at as you can see from my butt imprinting on the left here, I was fit on the proper sized seat. Really didn't expect that one, ha!)

After an afternoon that actually exhausted me a little bit (seriously, I'm NOT a cyclist! yet...) I left the bike shop, proud owner of a brand new shiny black Specialized Allez Sport, with all of it's special parts switched around to fit me personally. To show you even more newbie status, I have no idea if it's the compact, triple, or double model, because I don't' even know what that means.

But I do know that he or she still without a name is BE-A-U-TIFUL!

That night after the kids went to bed (these little hands are still WAY too fascinated by the shiny new toy mom brought home) Holly and Jim gave me another basic run down on clipping in and out, and shifting. Because the next morning, less than 24 hours after purchasing my bike, I was headed on my very first open road organized bike ride. The Michelob Ultra Bike Rides, a part of the Myrtle Beach Marathon weekend that wasn't canceled.

dun dun dunnnnn!

I was so excited about my new bike that I didn't have time to be nervous. It wasn't until we were suited up and getting ready to ride, when I had my full blown panic attack. Holly brought me over to an empty parking lot near the starting line to practice riding/clipping in before the official ride. It was then I realized that clipping in and out while secured on a bike in a bike trainer is WAY easier than real life, hahaha. After a few deep breaths and reassuring words from Holly, I learned the art of the back peddle to get myself going and took off around the parking lot.

Finally feeling ready, we lined up at the back of the pack. And when I mean back, I mean I was the LAST person to go. I didn't want any pressure. Oh, and did I mention the race started on a HILL?? Ok ok, to most of you that's barely a blip in the radar, but it scared the crap out of me. Much to my surprise, just as Mary from GSB told me, riding this bike felt like riding a rocket ship compared to my clunky old Schwinn. I didn't even feel the hill :)

The first few miles of the ride consisted of me riding my breaks down the backside of that minuscule hill, getting off the bike to walk across rail road tracks, and slowly taking corners. The next few consisted of me learning why I should invest in a pair of boot covers, and Holly convincing me that feeling would return to my fingers and toes, you know, eventually (it was a balmy high 37 degrees, somewhat windy morning). Before I knew it, we were at the 7 mile turn around (there was a 14.2 mile ride, 33.5, and 60 mile option. We were registered for 33 but due to the weather and new bike situation, we opted for the 14). The second half was a breeze. Holly and I picked up the pace on the way back, I actually shifted gears for once (ha!) and we passed many people in the back of the pack, working our way to a solid mid pack finish.


Seriously, I was almost as excited to finish this ride as I was when I finished my first marathon. I did it! And I am in LOVE with my new bike. I never imagine riding a bike could seem so effortless. Which of course means I need to go faster, but I'll deal with those details as I gain some more experience, haha.

I also didn't fall. I do realize that this means I'm bound to eat pavement any day now, and I'm not a "true cyclist" until I fall once or twice (or so I've been told). If it's any consolation, on the way back, I clipped out with my right foot at the railroad tracks and tried to put my left foot down, haha. I almost ate it, but quickly recovered. I'm thankful for all that time I spent pretending to be an Olympic Figure Skater wearing socks on the kitchen floor growing up. Triple axles I have not, but it sure gave me some decent balance.

So yeah, watch out Lance. Momma's got a brand new bike, and I'm coming for you and that crazy VO2 max. Ok maybe not, but we couldn't pass up the photo op!

I registered for the CCU triathlon April 18th. It's getting more official by the day.

Swim, bike, and RUN STRONG my friends!

(un)Lucky 13 - part one

I don't even know where to begin with this one. For those of you that haven't heard yet, the 2010 13th annual Myrtle Beach Marathon and half marathon were canceled due to snow. About 3-4 inches to be exact, none of which was accumulated on the roads by race morning.

Needless to say, people are angry. Read the hundreds of comments following any of the online articles regarding this weekends events, or the race's facebook page and you'll see the tension. We've got angry runners who spent a lot of money to get here, and a lot of time training, in conditions much worse than this. Then we've got the locals. There are the ones who think that the runners are being a big bunch of babies, and the ones who are shaking their heads because the City of Myrtle Beach has once again shot themselves in the foot when it comes to pleasing tourists. A classic case of biting the hand that feeds you. Anyone familiar with the Harley bike week controversy going on around here knows exactly what I'm talking about.

I really don't want to go into politics here on my blog, but let's just say as a member of a household that relies on the tourism and service industry for their income, and who also lost thousands of dollars this year due to the lack of visitors during bike week, you can infer which side of the fence I'm on when it comes to our local government, and whom I believe they really have in their best interest.

All politics aside, many of you commented and emailed me asking what I think about all of this. So here's what I think:

I think I'm totally on the fence about this one. Dissapointed, angry, upset, and somewhat understanding. I think I'm glad I'm not the race directors. I think they were put in an impossible situation. As a resident of Myrtle Beach by way of Vermont, I can assure you that people in this area DO NOT know how to react to snowfall. In the 7 years I've lived here, I've seen maybe a dusting or two of snow. And during that dusting, the city shuts down. Yes, it's ridiculous, but it is what it is. I laugh at some of you and your so-called "heat waves". But what it all boils down to , is nothing we've had down here recently even compares to the 3+ inches we received Friday night. The truth of the matter is no one could know what the road conditions were going to be like Saturday morning, and this town does NOT have means of handling the possible conditions (no plows, etc).

The race directors stated Friday evening that they believed they would still be able to carry out the race safely, but the ultimate decision was left to the city officials. The city officials were the ones who deemed the race course unsafe at 10 pm the night before the race. I was obviously not at any of these meetings, so I can't vouch that the race officials fought with everything they had to try and keep this race scheduled. I will , however, give them the benefit of the doubt and recognize that without the city's support, the race couldn't have gone on. They were between a rock and a hard place, no doubt.

Much of the course is only "closed" off by plastic orange cones separating the traffic from the runners and the cars...likely full of drivers who are inexperienced in driving in these conditions. Now that everyone is safe and no one was plowed over by a car possibly hydroplaning across some slush, it is very easy for people to say that this was a ridiculous decision and that the bad drivers should have just "stayed off the roads" (yes I actually saw that comment). I wonder what the forums and comments would be saying if and unfortunate situation did happen and a car blew through the middle of the pack taking out who knows how many people. YES a little slush is nothing to bat an eye at up North. Down here, people can't even drive in the rain, never mind the snow. It is what it is.

That said, I was incredibly disappointed when I woke up race day morning to this site: Snowy grass and dry roads. No ice, nothing even close.

Arguing the case, as some have, that they should close down the ENTIRE road, because after all big cities such as Chicago and Boston do, is a mute point. There has never been a problem with this set up before, and honestly how were the race directors ever to imagine that we would get this crazy, once a decade snow fall on the night before the marathon. Really.

I DO think city officials should have allowed the possibility of delaying the race start by a few hours. Come on people, I LIVE and WORK in Myrtle Beach, and I promise you the ONLY thing going on this weekend is the marathon. It's not like it's mid July and having the roads closed a few extra hours is going to seriously hurt the city. It's not, because if none of these people were here for the race in the first place, the streets would be a ghost town, just like it is the the rest of January and February.

A town that thrives on tourist dollars must cater to those tourists. End of story. Spoken, again, from a resident of this city.

There are talks of refunds/reimbursements/etc. I personally come from the understanding that when I sign up for an event like this, I run the risk of losing the money due to unforeseen circumstances. It's just the way it goes. Read the fine print, when you click that little button on active.com you agree to this. Would it be nice if the City would fork over some of the money to allow the race directors to offer some kind of (hopefully large) discount towards next years race? Yes, that would be fantastic. But I'm not going to pretend I know exactly how the financial part of organizing a race works, and from what I understand, over half a million dollars of this not-for-profit race has already been spent.

So that's where I stand, I guess.

It sucks. I am just as disappointed as the rest of you. I love this race and was really looking forward to it. I am not surprised by the city of Myrtle Beach's actions (not saying they were the right actions, just saying, I'm not surprised). Will I be back next year? Yes. Would I come back if I spent thousands of dollars to travel and stay here for a race that never happened? Nope.

One thing I love about runners, is that you can cancel their race, but you can't break their spirits. MANY kudos to the HUNDREDS of runners who showed up at the race start Saturday morning and ran the race regardless. Even more kudos to the city workers who showed up at the still set up finish line to hand out medals to those runners. I think that is fantastic. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of going. Holly and I did suit up and run our own little race in my neighborhood, on the dry roads. Highlight of the run was the guy outside playing with his family in the snow who asked if this was the marathon course, hahaha. Yes, we are the lead runners, you should see the other 5,000 in a few seconds here, haha.

We had a great rest of the weekend, and all of those details will come in part two. I bought bike, and I'm entirely too giddy about it :)