It's more fun to be a sports car than a tractor

Subtitle: Develop your Gears!

One of the most important tools for training and racing is gears. I don't mean the gears on the bike (although they are certainly handy) but our own personal set of gears. These are the gears that allow one to back off, to push, to regulate, to maintain. Have you ever watched some little kids on a fun run? They have 1 gear - FAST - and then they quickly smolder.

At one swim session, after having worked through a range of our "swim gears," we were talking about our success on this day hitting the particular paces. (For me one example might be something like 1:40, 1:35, 1:30 and sub-1:30 for 100y.) This being semi-rural Appalachia, Coach Tom used the analogy of "you wouldn't want to drive a tractor with just two gears." Not that I have a LOT of tractor driving experience, but it was one of those light bulb moments where I finally appreciated what he and Coach Jim on bike/run have been working to develop in us -- GEARS!

What we are learning about is how different paces feel in different states of fatigue, how to maintain technique and form in various gears, the mental focus required, and the physiological cost of each gear.

It's the same thing in my running and biking. Aside from easy aerobic rides and runs, Coach Jim provides considerable structure that constantly moves me between gears - lower/mid/upper aerobic, lower/mid/upper tempo, and threshold. He incorporates interval workouts, track workouts (fun), and will provide particular goal paces, wattage, heart rate, or perceived exertion.

Gaining confidence in my gears in training helps me call on them in racing, even as racing uses a much smaller range. Racing is a constant state of physiologic monitoring and gear selection. While on the course, I work in tiny "half-gears" and I hear my brain say the words back off half a gear, or move up half a gear.

Racing is about pushing, regulating, and staying just this side of blowing up. It's a bold yet controlled effort.

I credit my my coaches with helping me develop my gears and move beyond a tractor - something that would not have happened without their guidance and feedback.

As Coach Tom said, "it's more fun to be a sports car than a tractor!!"

If you are not working through your full range of gears, now is a great time to start! Find your inner sports car!!

If you don't know which sports car you are, take this scientifically verified Internet quiz: Which Sports Car Are You?

Yay! 2015 VTSMTS 1st Overall Female >> New Cycling Kit!

This year I was extremely pleased and surprised to finish at the top of the female field for the 2015 Virginia Maryland Triathlon Series! To be eligible, one must race five or more races. The 2016 calendar lists 24 race dates (some offering more than one distance on a day) so there are plenty of opportunities to toe the line in the series.

For our efforts, the top 5-overall and top-5 masters finishers received a custom cycling kit of bib shorts, a jersey, and socks. Atop one shoulder it says "Top 5."

My award and kit arrived the other day. As a busy mom heading into Christmas, this felt like *my* Christmas! As luck would have it, we are expecting unseasonably warm temperatures this weekend and I plan to take it out for a spin! It's super comfortable and fits great! (In fact, I am still wearing it at this moment.)

This was my sixth year racing in the series and fifth year as a "qualifier" with 5 or more races (2014 was a shortened season due to my artery).  In 2010 - 4th Masters; 2011 - 1st Masters; 2012 - 2nd Overall; 2013 - 3rd Overall; 2015 - 1st Overall. 

I guess I can retire now!

I do enjoy working toward goals beyond a single race, be it a series or a qualification. In this case, getting the fifth race in meant heading to Giant Acorn less than a week after returning from ITU Worlds. Without the series goal, I may not have added this one last race to my calendar, and Giant Acorn ended up being one of the most enjoyable races I have done all season! 

Thank you to the Virginia Maryland Triathlon Series for so many great local racing options for everyone from beginners to seasoned competitors. They put on terrific races that are well managed, dependable, and lots of fun. I marvel at the logistics required to put on all these races week after week, in a variety of venues, to deal with Mother Nature, and to make the hard calls that are sometimes required. I am grateful to Greg Hawkins, Don White, and the terrific staff that work hard so we can put our training to the test among a field of competitors while exploring the water and roads of our beautiful region. I'm looking forward to next year! 

2015 VTSMDS Races (with links to race reports)

• Appalachian Power Smith Mountain Lake Triathlon (1:17:44) - 5/2/15 [1st Overall Female]
• Bath County Sprint Triathlon (1:13:02) - 6/20/15 [3rd Overall Female]
• Colonial Beach Sprint (1:19:36) - 7/11/15 [2nd Masters, 5th OA]
• Colonial Beach International (2:34:21) - 7/12/15 [1st AG, 9th OA]
• Giant Acorn Sprint(1:24:31) - 9/27/15 [3rd/233 Females]

Smith Mountain Lake Sprint

Bath County Sprint

Colonial Beach Double - rainy first day!

Giant Acorn

Bontrager Travel Charger Floor (Tire/Tyre) Pump

One of the most important pieces of cycling gear is a good tire pump. Most of them are clunky and geometrically awkward thus not well suited to packing into a bike box, transition bag, or a cramped car. Bontrager has a great solution with its Travel Charger Floor Pump.

I will give full credit for this "find" to pro triathlete/multiple IM 70.3 champ Lauren Goss.

After some debate, I bought one this summer and I'm so glad I did. At just 18" in length, it easily packs into any bag, yet as Lauren points out, it works as well, or better than, a standard sized floor pump. 

shown with its carrying bag

You can see from the top photo that its compact design unfolds to reveal a stabilizing foot, a comfortable top handle, and a hose that fits easily and securely on the valve stem. (More easily and securely than my large pump.)

My only issue with it is that at 1/2", the built-in pressure gauge was not necessarily designed with the eyesight of the over-40 crowd in mind. At times I've had to use the flashlight on my phone to read it. 

It was a very worthwhile investment (and yes, I paid full price and was in no way compensated for or asked to do this review). 

If you need to travel with a tire (or as the British would say, "tyre") pump, the Bontrager Travel Charger Floor Pump is worthy of serious consideration. 

It would make a great gift for that favorite traveling triathlete or cyclist in your life!

Two great books for runners

This time of year (i.e. dark, cold) I tend to do a little more reading. A good book, an actual paper book, helps me to unplug from my very computer-oriented life and it's great incentive to get me up to bed a little earlier.

Here are two GREAT reads I have enjoyed recently:

Running and Stuff by James Adams was recommended to me by Andy Holgate, author of some of my favorite books, Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run and the sequel, Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop. Given how much I enjoy Andy's writing, I acted on his recommendation and ordered it right away.

This book is captivating from the start. It's the author's first-hand account of his discovery of running, and his relatively rapid ascent through marathons and into ultrarunning success over a relatively short period of time. He tells it like it is, with powers of self awareness and observation that few possess. Runners will be able to relate to many of his experiences, and you'll find yourself wondering what you would do, how you would feel in his shoes. He brings great wit and honesty as he tackles such notables as Spartathlon, Badwater, and a race across the United States.

I hope he writes a sequel. In the meantime, I follow his blog, www.runningandstuff.com.

---

Despite being named a "top five book about running" by Runner's World this year, I did not have high expectations. How exciting can a book about one season for one cross country team be? Well...VERY. Very. It was very hard to put down and I was so sorry when it was over.

Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear is an account of the 1998 University of Colorado Cross Country Team under Coach Mark Wetmore. Among the team members was Adam Goucher, an outstanding runner with an incredible work ethic and talent, who was a HS XC National Champion who went on to become an Olympian. (I won't tell you how he fared in 1998, you'll have to read it yourself.)

This is the behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be a collegiate cross country runner on a top team - the workouts, the group dynamics, the personal ups-and-down of each athlete. These athletes know their gears and can nail an interval to within a second or two! You get to know the personalities of the runners, and see the thought, care, motivation, and energy that Coach Wetmore pours into his team.

Running with the Buffaloes reminds us that top running performances come from a combination of talent, consistent and appropriate hard work, recovery - and a GREAT coach!!

Happy Reading!

No dress code for running

WHERE did November go? Geez. Well, I'll just call it an unplanned off-season from the blog. The whole month was a bit of a blur, but I love this time of year for one big reason: it offers lots of excuses to dress up for swim/bike/run. I take full advantage:

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Drumstick Dash - 3rd Masters, 21:46

Santa swim suit (photo from last year; I look faster in it this year, haha ;-)

Did you ever think about how running gives us opportunities to basically dress like little kids? Anything goes!! Case in point:

You can run dressed like a princess, banana, Star Wars character, Green man, etc and no one thinks it's strange. See this website with Best Race Costumes for more. 

You can race in your underwear (please, limit to designated events like the Kona Underpants Run!!)

You can scoff at the weather and run in the snow in shorts and a tshirt if you want.

You can run in light-up shoes!

You can mix-and-match colors, prints, stripes, plaids, polka dots...clash all you want because it's all about performance and comfort.

Embrace that inner child -- dress like him/her, and run with that free-flowing form that kids naturally exhibit.

Have fun with it! It's our time to play!