After a one year separation, Diet Coke and I are officially divorced

In April of 2012 I separated from Diet Coke. More than a year later, I'd say the divorce is final. I never really looked back, and I don't miss it at all.

 

Since then, I haven't had any actual sweetened "soda."

More recently I gave up the deliberate use of artificial sweeteners too. I put actual sugar in my two daily cups of coffee.

I now take plain water on regular rides and runs. For longer stuff (rides/runs over two hours) I might go with some BCAAs and/or Perpetuem in my water but I don't just default to it for every workout like I used to.

My stomach and GI system are very happy about these small changes.

I do drink about two cups of coffee every morning, a LaCroix most days (an unsweetened lightly flavored sparkling water), and water. OK and the random beer or wine here or there too, kombucha when I want to "treat myself," and OJ when I get a craving.

I'm really glad I made these changes and it kind of has me thinking about what's the next thing I could change or clean up in my diet?

One big difference between pros and age-groupers

I think it comes down to one thing...NAPS.

Naps are expected for pros. It's part of the job. Galen Rupp explained this in his March Competitor Radio interview that I listened to this morning on my run.

Naps are indulgent for age groupers.

Naps are an asset for pros. It is expected that they nap as part of their recovery because they can only train as much as their recovery allows.

Naps can be a liability of sorts for an age-grouper, especially one with family/kids. As if it wasn't bad enough that I took X amount of time away from the family to swim/bike/run, now I have the gall to tack a nap onto that? Time spent napping is time spent NOT doing something else.

I don't nap often, but this ended up a rare double-napper weekend. I trained early to leave the day open for the family, but could not fight the pull of the post-workout, post-workout-meal, post-shower nap.

These were not epic, nap-deserving workouts either. Saturday was a 43 mile bike ride (photo above; Solar bike jersey blasts past the coal cars of the non-moving train!), and today was a 10.5 mile run. The resulting naps were the half comatose sleeps where you don't move, you don't exactly sleep, the brain is busy thinking of all the things you should be doing, and you wake up feeling worse than when you laid down. Ugh.

Most weekends I can go and go and go but every once in a while I get one of these. I give into it, figuring I need it. I'm trying to take it easy. Tomorrow is a day off.

Note to self: GET TO BED EARLY!!

Intrepid Wanderer

Today this intrepid wanderer set off for parts unknown, an area one town up known to locals as "Carvin's Cove." I was armed only with my wits, uncanny instincts, and a light mid-foot strike.

Also a large paper map from my friends at Just the Right Gear, folded and shoved in my shorts.

Also a Garmin 910XT, foot pod, heart rate monitor, iPod, sunglasses, Injinji toes socks, and Brooks Trail Shoes.

But that was all. Really, it was mainly the wits and uncanny instincts.

With one last glance at the map, I set off for a one hour exploration of approximately 7.5 miles.

My instructions? Keep cadence up around 90 but run easy.

My goal? See this legendary "Carvin's Cove" for myself and carry word of it back to my people.

The wide, rolling gravel path with the occasional rock or root was not for the walker-of-malls or weak-of-ankles. Neither were the muddy ruts for the new-of-shoes. Upon encountering a half fallen tree, I paused (and stopped the Garmin of course) and considered my options. Over? Under? I went with my instincts, and chose Under. It was the right decision.

After a time, I was rewarded with a view of Carvin's Cove...for about 100 yards of my journey.

For this intrepid wanderer, that was reward enough.

(Epilogue: Okay, not really. Truthfully I had envisioned a little more "Cove" on this run but I failed to consider the scale of the map and how far the lot was from the actual water. Doh!)

When your mom is a triathlete....

Dear Spencer and Grant,

On this Mother's Day I'd just like to say thank you for putting up with me as your mom. I know it isn't easy, and you've had to make compromises and step up for all of our family logistics to work. I couldn't do what I do without your help, encouragement, love, and understanding. I hope the upsides of having a happy triathlete mom outweigh the accompanying craziness. This post is for you, to acknowledge just some of the things you deal with. I love you both so much and am very proud of your hearts, your minds, and all that is uniquely you!

Love,
mom

---

When your mom is a triathlete:

1.  She may call the school to say she will be late to pick you up because she (1) flatted (2) misjudged the distance of a ride or (3) had her watch in chrono mode and lost track of the actual time in an open water swim practice.
   
   
   
2. She might walk into your school in a swim suit after pickup time because she didn't pack clothes for the quick open water swim because she thought she would have time to stop at home (see #3 above) but she was late, oh how unusual.
3. You might mistakenly grab her running tights for swim practice thinking they are your jammers because there is a lot of black lycra/spandex in the house and it all looks the same.
4. She has no qualms about setting up the bike trainer at your soccer practice or swim practice. and may run laps around your soccer field to finish out a run.
5. You often wake up to the "soothing sounds" of the bike trainer or Vasa Ergometer down the hall from your bedrooms....from where she will yell, "ARE YOU UP?" at the appropriate time.
6. Dad is in charge of breakfast (thank you :-)
7. While other moms wave goodbye in the morning from the front door, she is waving goodbye from the road, on her morning run, as your carpool passes by.
8. She uses a lot of training and racing analogies in her parenting.
• This science fair project is like a marathon, you have to start right away, and keep up the pace. You can't wait till the last minute and sprint the 26.2.
• Mowing the lawn is like running, load up the iPod, get in the zone, and just GO



9. She doesn't skimp on your athletic shoes and she's fine with the fact that you only wear shirts with buttons and pants with zippers a few times a year.
10. She expects quick transitions out of the house and has provided an organized "transition area" of shoes (complete with stretchy race laces to eliminate shoe-tying), socks, backpacks, sweatshirts to facilitate speedy exits.
11. She will pick you up in sweaty workout clothes and when she apologizes for "picking you up dressed like that" you'll say "like what?" She will love that.
12. Vacations and trips often coincidentally overlap with races. Just pure happenstance ;-) But she will understand it's your trip too and not mind when she finishes a marathon and you are not at the finish because you are in the midst of a tour of the capitol building.
13. She will understand what it means to be nervous or feel pressure when you are performing or competing.
14. She will encourage you to try as many things as it takes to find YOUR passions (and they don't have to be swim, bike, or run).

---

Mom, 

Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for always encouraging me to be an individual and to not be afraid to go against the tide. From an early age you fostered my interests, no matter what they were, so I could see for myself what can result from commitment and effort. I love you!

Cortney

My sister Kristen, me, and my mom!

Saturday Morning Tri Coffee Reads - May 11

I've been very delinquent putting this out since Boston and they will be a little hit-or-miss during the race season. However, I've streamlined the process, deciding to be less OCD about it and just porting them from my bookmarks without a whole lot of editorializing or organizing. These aggregation posts are an offshoot of my work, as I am always keeping an eye out for stories and content of interest to triathletes. So, in no particular order, I offer the following:

Why Caffeine In Coffee Is A Miracle Drug For The Tired : The Salt : NPR

Historians tell us that caffeine in coffee helped Western civilization "sober up" and get down to business. Now scientific research shows that at low doses, caffeine improves performance on mental tasks, especially in people who are already tired.

Finding the Perfect Hill - Q and A with Hal Higdon - TrainingPeaks Blog

Insurance for your bicycle? - Slowtwitch.com

Does your bicycle really need an insurance policy all its own? Isn't everything already covered either by your medical or homeowners plan? Yes and no. While not for everyone, the policy is attractive for many.

T-Shirt Etiquette Guidelines | Big Daddy Diesel

The ultimate list of race t-shirt do's and don'ts!

One Gear, One Goal: Bike Is 'Good To 100 MPH,' Builder Says : The Two-Way : NPR

What does it take to ride a bicycle at 100 miles per hour? That's the question being explored by Britain's Donhou Bicycles and frame builder Tom Donhou, who has mounted a mammoth chainring onto a custom steel bicycle. He says the machine has already hit 60 miles per hour on the open road.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas: What Fitness Experts Eat In The Morning

There may be no one who understands the concept that food is fuel better than fitness professionals. After all, when it's your job to exercise all day, you're going to need some serious stamina.

Why Do I Gasp When My Face Hits Cold Water? | Active.com

If you get short of breath, and feel constricted and panicky when you submerge yourself in cold water, you're not alone.

Student Late To Country Music Marathon Still Finishes - Competitor.com

His roommate had to wake him up.

When Cheeseburger = Walking, Will We Eat Less? : The Salt : NPR

Would you eat a double cheeseburger if you knew it took two hours of walking to burn it off? Participants in a new study said, hmm, maybe not. The researchers say that exercise-based labels could do a better job than calorie counts at steering people to healthful choices.

2013 State of the Sport | Running USA

The 2013 National Runner Survey is a comprehensive study conducted every two years by Running USA. This survey is the fourth one conducted by Running USA. The National Runner Survey assesses the demographics, lifestyle, attitudes, habits and product preferences of the running population nationwide. Results from the National Runner Survey reflect "core runners", that is, active adult participants who tend to enter running events and train year-round.

Cadence

A look at training bike cadence from Luis Vargas at MarkAllenOnline.

VIDEOS

Check out the new "TriCrowd TV" Beta Channel offering a changing weekly lineup of event highlights, interviews, and product reviews for triathletes!

A few other funnies...

PICS