Personal battle!

Yesterday I moved my bike session onto the trainer due to a quick storm that rolled in with torrential rain and flooding on the roads. This was my first hard session on the trainer of the new season. Being on the trainer always brings me to a new focus. Without the distraction of cars,traffic lights,flying garbage cans, you can really take your mind to another place. I am however disappointed at myself. I need to get tougher...that's all! I am not training to my potential and I am mad about it! Last night, I was happy to get through the workout and felt like I did a good job. Today however I have a different opinion. I think I give myself alot of excuses like my power is good and I did all the repeats, it's early in the season, I am still building a base...when the going got tough which was very early into the workout I told myself that I was digging deep and I tried to focus. I used thoughts like "pain is temporary" and " I can do anything for a minute" But I am still not happy with myself. You see I am settling for what I can do..but it is not good enough. I need to push myself ,my brain and my body harder to make that break through. Instead of just being happy that I finished the workout I need to finish it well. I except when my legs start to fatigue and my heart rate is high and my power starts to drop...but it is not acceptable. So with this realization of mental weakness I can't wait for my next hard workout where I can have the opportunity to dig deeper and push the mental aspect of my training more! Less focus on the pain,the heavy legs, the lack of fitness and more on nailing the workout, not letting up,pushing above and beyond!

My Recovery Day

Thursdays seem to be a recovery day for me...I only have one workout, a run scheduled which gives me a well deserved day out of the pool. I however choose to book a 6am Physical Therapy every Thursday which really is annoying as I would love this day to sleep in til at least 7.30. If there is one thing I need to really work on it's getting more zzz's. It just seems like every night I am trying to catch up with things. I don't know what happens...because I don't watch TV yet before I know it is always 11pm. I think part of my problem is my chocolate addiction. Ever since I did a training trip in Tuscon early this year Marky V introduced me to Trader Joe's and their dark chocolate. I have now got into a habit of a little chocolate in the afternoon to get me out the door for my second workout. As I don't really drink coffee this caffeine buzz is keeping me UP. So I need to think about quitting that too.

This morning my Physical Therapist suggested that I may be growing a fin in my back. Paulo has been upping my swimming each week and we have been doing alot of paddle sets. I love it but the outcome of this is a very sore back and neck this week. He is suggesting I do alot of stretching or perhaps yoga. I really need to make the time over the winter for a good stretching program.

My goal for today is too come up with a good race schedule. As I won't be racing for a while Paulo said I could find some running races this winter to keep me motivated. I am trying to book a trip down to Florida for the Christmas break. It is only December and I am already feeling the urge to get to some sun. I am thinking Sarasota for a week and then we have a party to go to in Tampa.
I am hoping to go either back to Claremont or out to Tuscon for a week to train in February and then we have a training camp scheduled for March in Las Cruces. I am very excited about this as the training is very good there and I was kind of sad when Paulo moved as I thought I may not get back there. So lot's to plan!

So for now I need to get back to booking some trips and organizing my kids school schedule. As class mom for both kids things get a little hectic this time of year.
Of course I am yet to start Christmas shopping or put up our tree yet...so that will happen in the next few days. This weekend we shall head into the city for some NY Christmas spirit! This is a tradition for us to spend a night in the city with the kids and see the tree and go see the Christmas show...so lots of fun planned ahead!

Week 3

The weeks are flying by as they usually do this time of year. We had a good Thanksgiving up in North Jersey at my brother-in-laws and we got to spend some great time with my dear friends and family. It is always good to change the scenery up too. I got to do a great trail run in Washington State Park. This is a rocky run with some pretty areas along a lake. Of course I got a little lost which I really did not mind as I had plenty of dessert to work off after a day of non stop eating. Later we got to go to Martinsville Reservation for an easy muddy mountain bike.

This week has been spent trying to build on my last two weeks. I have been getting some great swims with no shoulder pain. Thank goodness for Scott D from Team TBB who is on the same crazy path as me and who is willing to work hard day in day out to fulfill his dream of being the best triathlete he can be. We really push each other in the pool....now I wish I could run with him!!! The weather has been cooperating for some enjoyable bike riding. I'm starting to feel a little stronger on the bike. You know it hurts...it's hard work..but it always feels great when it's over.
This week we saw temps of up to 65 degree's. Amazing! I got a fantastic run with my speedy friend Tommy Z. So all is going well!
I am looking forward to an amazing 2010. Now I just need to plan a race schedule!!!

Tanner hits Double digits!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER! I cannot believe that my son turned 10 yesterday. Where is the time going? He is one special kid!
Tanner you amaze me everyday with your love, sweetness and curiosity for life. You are one awesome piano player! I don't know too many kids playing Bach's Invention 13 at ten. You worked hard and got your black belt in Tae Kwondo at 9. I am convinced you are a maths genius, and you play a mean guitar hero! I won't even get started on your athletic ability....you are running 8 min miles with no training...All Star baseball player and you have a gift for acting! You are loved by all! I am proud to have you as a son!

Week 1

I am happy to report that I am finally back to a training schedule!!!!
While I am still going to ART, Physical Therapy and Acupuncture I feel like I have made HUGE progress.
I have spent the last few weeks working on a strength training program for my legs as my left hamstring strength was very weak.
I have enjoyed my time of being able to do what I want when I want but I love the commitment of a schedule, a plan, and goals to meet.
It is both satisfying and rewarding to have a starting point and then feel yourself getting stronger by the week. I did my first hard bike in 2 months and was disappointed to see all the strength I had lost on the bike. My power was way down and my heart rate high...but I shall work hard and watch those numbers improve to where I was a few months ago.
For now it shall be about building a base and getting strong again!
I am in the middle of organising my 2010 year. I am excited about possible new sponsorships and new race venues.
As I felt robbed of my second half of my season, I so look forward to being out there racing next year. I LOVE TO RACE!
Good luck to my friends racing Arizona this weekend.

Big Thanks to Brielle Cyclery!

Just wanted to say a BIG THANKS to Kathy and Brielle Cyclery for all the support over the last few years. You guys are always smiling,happy and ready to help any way you can. My Cervelo P3 has been my best bike by far and the only problem was I just did not get to race on it enough this year.
Brielle has been around for 39 years and remains as strong as ever thanks to their great staff and all their loyal customers. Your support and attention to the much needed and ever growing Jersey Shore Triathlon Club has been fantastic. With over 500 members this is the most exciting thing going on down at the New Jersey Shore and it shall only keep growing. It is unbelievable what is going on around here. When I first started training for triathlons there were always only one or 2 riders on the road. Now you go out on the weekend and you see huge groups everywhere. Between the indoor winter spinning classes,the group rides and all the programs offered out of Brielle for triathlon, we have alot to be thankful for that we have them around.

Congratulations also to Kathy on her new position as President of the Jersey Shore Triathlon Club. She amazes me with all she can balance and I am sure she will make the club bigger, better and spread the happiness she exudes to everyone!
Thanks for your warm hugs Kathy!

Hiking Dunnfield Creek Trail on Mount Tammany

On Thursday Tanner,Sydney and myself drove up to The Deleware Water Gap for a little adventure. As they had called for rain I was in no rush to get up there as my plan was to hike the following day. So we took a leisurely drive in the afternnoon and got up there just in time for a 3.30 tour of Lakota Wolf Preserve in Knowlten Township,NJ. Wolves are stunning animals and I was excited for the kids to see them up close in a natural surrounding. It was very interesting learning about them and lucky us got to hear them howl too.






After a good dinner,plenty jumping on hotel beds, and a game of Tricks and Spells we got a good nights sleep for our big hike.
As this was an adventure I relied on my inner GPS system to find our trail. Actually my plan was to stop at the Deleware Water Gap Recreation Center and get a map as I had done a little research and knew where I wanted to hike. However the center for some reason was not open so we headed to the next town over to find a map. I could barely find a store, or a person and thus definitely I found no maps. I told the kids we were just going to find a spot on the side of the road ,park and start climbing up the mountain until I drove up on Worthington State Forest. This is located along the Kittatiny Mountain adjacent to the Deleware river. My plan was to hike some of the Appalachian trail and this is what I had found! The kids were a little nervous about all the Bear warning signs but I assured them if we saw one just to drop their ever so special stash of powerbars,candy and chips that they had them with and slowly at first... then really speedily run in the opposite direction. This image provided alot of stories and laughter all day long!
My goal was to get to the Sunfish Pond which was named one of New Jersey's Seven Natural Wonders. To get their we would hike along a beautiful creek that falls over 1000ft from Mount Tammany to the Deleware river. We got pretty close to the pond but my kiddies fingers were starting to freeze as it was in the high 30's when we started and the temperature was dropping so to keep it a memorable happy experience even though I really wanted to see the pond I made the decision to turn. We got three slow but fun hours of hiking in! The kids were AWESOME!

IMFL

Well I saw they did not take my name off the race list for IMFL..it made me a little sad to see it there... but on the other hand it just fires me up to get back to training.
I keep checking in to see how the pro race is turning out and also to see how my friends from NJ are doing. It's always fun too see how the race unfolds! In the mens race I am rooting for my South African buddy Raynard Tissink although it looks like Luke Mckenzie is having another great race. On the womens side I am hoping Heather Gollnick can run down the other women. It looks like it may be a close race between her, Bella, and a few other talented ladies!

Today in honor of Ironman I did my own little triathlon. A nice 3700 yard swim,followed by a 1hr30 mountain bike ride and a short 30-40 min trail run. Boy did I feel unfit! From 7.30 am when I jumped into masters, the whole workout seemed like a race. The ride,I felt the urge to go as fast as I could (staying safe of course), and the run I felt totally out of shape! It was however one of those workouts that are good for the body,mind and soul...It was fun and reminded me of the old days when this was my routine every Saturday.

Sand thoughts!

Do or say something nice to someone today!
Make a difference in a childs life!
Be happy!



Enjoy life and all it has to offer!

Our ride from our house!

A few pictures from our ride yesterday. My kids are off school all week for "I don't know what now" but lucky me gets to enjoy and do fun stuff with them. Yesterday was a beautiful day and we headed out on a bike to the beach from my house.

looking for treasure!





Brother/sister competition! Sydney gets a small head start...which always ends ends up on a close finish!

Mr Sandman!

Life is Good!

Well I have been keeping busy. I am still going to Physical Therapy,Active Release and Accupuncture and while I still have some issues I am definitely feeling alot better. I am back to running,biking and swimming...just at a lower intensity and duration. I am looking forward to getting back to training in the next week or two.

In the mean time I have enjoyed Halloween, NYC,mountain biking and some cool beach days with the kids!
Last week Sydney and I got to spend a girls weekend in NYC. I insisted on taking our bikes so Sunday morning we got to do a great ride up the whole west side up towards the GW Bridge. This area was so full of energy with people training for the NYC marathon and big groups of cyclists heading up to Bear Mountain. We both loved the ride and it was a great way to start our day before meeting my friend and her daughter for lunch and a show!

The sites along the way!


A perfect example of how not to lock your bike on the streets of NYC!



Sydney has been waiting to see this show.."Phantom of the Opera" We loved it!

Love this Life...

I bought this shirt in NYC with this poem on the back. I loved the message and hope you do too!


Love this life ....
Is about celebrating the moment
and that we are not guarenteed
or owed another day and how cool it is that what we hide
can actually be the fuel towards our glory
and that it's not so bad being proven wrong

Love this life...
is about welcoming the blind turn
and the the possibility that
there is no such thing as coincidence
and that empathy is incredibly sexy
and that is never too late
to pick up a a guitar or a paintbrush
or to make an amend or make a new friend

Love this Life...
could be about rekindling a past flame
or igniting a new one
or shapeshifting from a dreamer into a doer
or savouring the caress of a love long gone

Love this life...
means whatever it is you want it to mean
because

Love this life...
is a celebration of you and your path

Love this Life...
cuz it could go at any second
YOU ROCK!

Acu...TORTURE!

Acupuncture is one of the main forms of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine and has been practiced for at least 2,500 years. Certain points on the body are stimulated by the insertion of fine needles.
It is thought to restore health by removing energy imbalances and blockages in the body.

Yesterday, I decided to go for some acupuncture followed by a deep tissue massage.
I did not think to much about the process until I was lying on the table,face down and she put the first needle into my body. I believe the needles first went inbetween my toes and fingers. One was to increase the blood flow,one was for the heart and sad feelings. I assume she figured I was depressed as I could not train. The one's that went into my glute and hamstring were deep and took my breathe away as the needles hit the nerves. She would make comments like good and great every time my body shook and I screamed. She finally left the room and I lay there, needles all over wandering how I got myself into this. It is definitely not the most comfortable experience but I am always up for trying things to help my body. A friend of mine had heard me yelling from the next room and called me a wimp. After about 20 minutes she came back into the room and slowly removed the needles....that was a little uncomfortable too.
But by the end of the deep tissue massage which was well needed I had forgotten the discomfort I had felt earlier.
I was told not to do any working after, so despite it being a gorgeous 70 degree day I stuck to the no workout rule and just went in the steam room and later took a epsom salt bath to get rid of the toxins. I also tried to hydrate well.

Today, I have to say my hamstring felt remarkably looser. My shoulder still hurts but that may need a few more sessions. So I will go again next week.

For now I look forward to a relaxing but busy weekend in NYC with my daughter Sydney. We are having a girls weekend as Hank and Tanner are heading to a football game.

Good decisions!

Coach Paulo decided I should take another 4 weeks off before I get back to training. This is a very smart decision...one as an athlete I would not have made due to my eternal desire to train and to race as soon as possible. This pressure I put on myself was actually hurting me as it was forcing my body to do too much too soon and setting me back. I am thankful to have a coach who always puts health first.
Therefore I have 3 weeks left where I am not to think of training,racing or triathlon. I have of course already broken that rule a few times. After skipping a few days in the pool I found myself today swimming with my friends and slowly pushing the set harder and harder. I had to really force myself to go swim behind them at a much slower pace, which I did. After no running for 5 days I attempted to run again...but I stopped at 1 mile! I have not biked in 8 days. Four weeks will go FAST and I told my Physical Therapist I will wait 4 weeks and no longer. He laughed and told me to tell my body that. Today was another painful session over the glute/hamstring area. Next week I will go get an MRI done of this section to see exactly what is going on.
I found myself tonight going over some racing pictures and reflecting on my trip to Ironman South Africa. I miss the excitement and energy of racing and shall use this misfortune to fuel my fire. I have big expectations of myself for 2010. But for the next few weeks I shall continue with my recovery!

Things I miss about training!

Swiming,biking and Running!

The beautiful sunrises on early morning training days!



How great it feels when things are going well!



The adrenaline of racing!



Being in shape!



I could go on...but I am sure you get the point!

Chillin....or trying to anyway!

I have not blogged in a while as I have just been facing the reality that my season ended over such a silly unexpected crash! The impact of my fall took alot more out of me than I initially thought. I had visions that I would be back training within 2 weeks and would be able to continue my training for Ironman Florida but that has not been the case.
I have been in Physical Therapy 3 times a week and ART the other 2 days a week getting my body back to functioning correctly. I was very lucky to have no broken bones yet I still suffered alot of bruising and swelling and trauma to my neck,back,hip,glute,hamstring and shoulder. So it's been a slow process, although everyone keeps telling me it's been really fast!!! I am not pain free yet but I am getting stronger everyday and am starting to bike every other day and swim daily again. Running is still slow and short as I do not want to irritate my hamstring but I am running every other day too.

I have taken this time to really enjoy the family and we have been really busy the last two weekends doing things I love but at a slower pace :-)

Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend. There is a race up here in New Paltz, NY called SOS, Survival of the Shawungunks. I have always wanted to do it so I thought we would come check it out. We stayed at the Mohonk house which was an experience in itself.



First on the agenda was to check out the trails on our bikes. This turned out to be a 4 hour ride in rolling hills with a few wrong turns and plenty of bribery going on...but the kids survived and loved it!





The long ride was followed up with eating like kings and queens. The Mohonk house gives you huge buffet breakfast dinners and lunches so you never go hungry.





Next day I got to do a short 30 minute run as the sun was coming up before heading out on a 3 hour hike/walk up to the tower which sits at 1400 feet and then down in some of the gorgeous trails they have.

Two steps forward 1 back!

Today was another day of progress. I managed to find my old snorkel that I used to train with a few years ago. I figured that would allow me to keep my head submerged without having to turn my neck. I could then focus on my shoulder and my stroke. I managed to do 30 minutes of drills...first pulling under water,then getting my arm out of the water to do a fingertip drill and lastly managing to get my arm out of the water and pulling through all the way. I did not want to push things so I stopped after thirty minutes when I started to freeze in the pool.
I then spent another half hour in the shower and hot tub warming up which felt great!
It was such a gorgeous day I decided to head over to the reservoir for a little walk with the possibility of seeing how my neck felt running. This is the softest surface and one of the prettiest area's to run around here. I headed out walking and then started a slow shuffle. My first mile was 12 minutes,second 11 and third 10 minutes. I never jogged faster than a 9 minute mile. This is HUGE but a few hours later I was advised by my PT that running is still not a good idea. I have been getting pain which has got progressively worse the more I do in my glute. Jimmy is still thinking I may have hurt/torn a hamstring attachment. I have definitely got some bad bruising on my hip socket bone/and (ileum/ischiem bones) and glute and hamstrings have no strength. So today's physical therapy was so painful that I threatened to hit him if he hurt me anymore.
I am so achy from all the prodding to my body but will get a good nights sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow!

One day at a time!

One must not forget that recovery is brought about not by the physician, but by the sick man himself. He heals himself, by his own power, exactly as he walks by means of his own power, or eats, or thinks, breathes or sleeps.
Georg Groddeck

Today I got in the pool for the 2nd time. Two days ago was just a kick and roll to breathe...20 laps as I still did not have full ROM on my shoulder. Today I managed too pull through gently with my left arm, with little pain, just weakness. I need to get over the fear of turning my neck as I am able to turn it slowly left and right most of the way. Every time I talk of the crash my neck decides to go into a mild spasm though....so this will be the last time I mention it so I can forget about it and move on.

I am not running yet but have spent the last two days on the elliptical. Today's 1 mile took me 30 minutes...yes laughable and embarrassing...I know but something to mark my improvement with.
I spent 20 minutes climbing stairs...and 20 minutes pushing 150 watts on the stationary bike. I think it's time to see if my neck and swollen glute can manage my bike on a trainer.

I am anxious to get back to training where I am happiest!

Looking at the glass half full! Thankful!

Well, over the weekend I was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I was biking down Casino street in Freehold Township with two friends Bob Reilly and Tom Manzi who I had just hooked up with, when we saw a garbage truck in the distance.I always pay close attention to my surroundings when I ride so I watched the garbage man walk across the road back to his truck which was facing in our direction on the opposite side of the road. I saw the cans were on our side of the road all standing up, 3 of them. So I assumed he was moving on. We were riding around 22-23 mph and we were meeting a few friends further up the road. As we went by out of the blue a can was rolled very fast right in front of me. I am not quite sure as I had no time to react but I believe the can went either in front or hit my wheel and I somehow did a flip landing on my head,neck, shoulder then hip. I do not remember hitting the ground but I do remember my head pounding and my shoulder throbbing. I was lucky to not get any road rash as all the impact went down into the ground and into my body.
Tom who was behind me said he will have nightmares for a while as he said it looked like I was going to either crack my head open or break my neck. Thankfully neither is the case! I am thankful for helmets as their were 5 cracks in mine that could have very easily been my head. My head however did receive a few staples.

I was taken to Jersey Shore Trauma hospital where they did cat scans on my head and neck, and xrays of my shoulder and hip. My cat scans showed inflammation from the middle of the back of my head down into my neck with no severe damage..thank goodness. My xrays showed no broken bones. For that I am relieved!
As I had cut my head and I was in the trauma ward the attending nurse was so kind not to cut my biking jackets or my hair instead she sweetly jammed three staples into my scalp without any medication saying it wasn't really worth it!!! Thanks!
Another very sweet nurse then kindly informed me that I would have to get a tetanus shot in my arm...and we decided to put it in the same arm that was already in pain. (Looking back now probably not such a good idea!)
With a steady flow of morphine going( which in itself felt awful), my pain seem to steady. Bob, who I had been riding with came by to check on me which was very nice. We both could not believe how absurd the accident was. Hank and the kids had arrived very concerned but happy to see me in one piece and took me home. I was warned that the next few days were going to be the worst and they were right. I called Coach Paulo right away who always puts things into perspective for me. He right away told me not to think of doing anything for 5 days and then we would reevaluate.


I am very lucky to have some great people in my life. Gerry Goldberger, friend and orthopedic surgeon from Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Freehold, set up an appointment for me on Monday. What an amazing facility they have there and everyone was so nice. He confirmed with an Xray that my neck muscles were in total shock/spasm. I could not move my neck and my left shoulder was very swollen. It was great to see someone who understood how I was feeling as he too is a triathlete and understands the importance of recovery/training/racing. Gerry set me up with Karen from his Physical Therapy section which is right in the facility. She did some gentle massage,heat, a few basic exercises and some good kinetic taping to push out some of the swelling. I don't like to sit in bed and being around pleasant happy people I feel was better therapy for me than resting at home! I am thankful to my friend Judy who dropped everything she had to do to drive me there. Things like that mean so much!


My next visit was too see Dr Liz Perez. She not only saw me on her day off but let me come to her home as I was in the area. She is the best ART(Active Release Therapy) therapist in America...and I mean that! She has got me through many a sore /strained muscle and she is always the last person I see before I leave for a race as she fine tunes my body. I trusted my aching body over to her. I asked her if she thought I would be back to training by the weekend and she laughed :-( and said no way! Thanks for keeping it real Liz!
What she did was got the range of motion going on a neck that would not move and gave me some exercises to do to help loosen them up. She strongly advised me to rest and ice ALL day! Liz is truly one of the most giving and caring people I know!

Today I made a trip to see another great guy. Jimmy Smith from Crest Physical Therapy in Wall. I have been going to see him since I moved down to the NJ Shore 13 years ago. His PT facility is where I like to spend my winters getting strong and ready for the following season. His office is filled with good energy and happy people and I always leave there feeling great. His hands are like magic and I trust his opinions greatly. Without hesitation he got me in today and got to work in his lunch break. He is one of those people that go above and beyond! He has no mercy and his hands go to work digging deep and finding the source of pain. Well today he too did not want to touch the shoulder but worked on the neck muscles moving them around and trying to get them to relax. Soon I will be back to training I know it!!!
Thank goodness for having a strong body! He was a little concerned over a possible hamstring tear but will let some of the swelling go down before he digs in to see.
Thanks Jimmy for your time today!

I appreciate ALL the calls/texts/FB messages I got over the last few days. It is nice that friends are so caring and thoughtful and it really helps when you are down and hurt to have that support. Thanks to the Cole Family for their lovely fruit basket and to Liz for dinner.
Hank and the kids have been great too, bringing me and making sure I am icing on a regular basis and doing alot of the stuff a mom does!
I will write an update soon!

Farewell Summer!

My kids start school tomorrow and I am sad to say that summer just went by so fast this year. With a month of rain in June, July and August just flew by. So on this last weekend of summer I tried to do some of my favorite things.
Saturday was a gorgeous day for an ocean mile swim. I met my friends Ran, and Bernadette and we biked up to the race. At 6.30 in the morning the usually quiet roads were already busy with vacationers claiming there parking spots along Ocean Blvd. We arrived at the race to see all the usual ocean swimmers and friends getting ready for the last race of the year. The Sea Girt swim was meant to be yesterday but was cancelled due to rough surf. The ocean has been closed on and off all week so we were lucky on Saturday just to have a bit of a shore break. With my Blue Seventy speed suit on, as the water was still 72, I ran into the ocean and got pummelled by many arms and legs. The usual thoughts went through my head of WHY do I do these swims...but a few moments later when I found some open water I relaxed and enjoyed every second. I felt great and finished strong and was happy with my 25th overall place and winning my age group. These swims are so relaxed and it's always fun getting the old ice cream sticks to see where you placed. Next was a 1.30 bike followed by a 40 minute run with Vinnie along the boardwalk. Most of it was spent dodging people.
Back home everyone was lounging by the pool...so the rest of the day was spent soaking up some sun before meeting up with some friends for dinner!

Sunday I woke up feeling a little under the weather. Three hard weeks back in training was catching up to me and I woke with a sore throat. Lying in bed I could hear the wind blowing hard through the lagoon and I peeked out of the window thinking it was raining. By 5.30 I was up and out on my bike to meet up with friend Bob Reilly. I met Bob out in IM Arizona last year so it was nice to finally get a good ride with him. He was coming off of racing Leadville 100 mile mountain bike race in Colorado and was definitely strong. It was a solid bike day for sure with a bread and butter run a few hours later that didn't feel quite as solid. Later that day me and the fam headed out for smoothies filled with antioxidants(which I needed) and then for a long walk,some shopping and playing around Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. It was amazing and good to see Asbury so revived and busy.

Today, despite still not feeling great I put my game face on and headed to Long Branch again for a 5km race. First one I can remember doing in many years. This was my great idea instead of the hard Monday run I usually get. My legs were fatigued on the warm up and my pick ups were short and my legs flat. But I got on the start line with a few of my good friends and did what I had to do.
A few fast girls were there and they took off way quicker than me. I ran a 5.45 first mile and they were about 20 -30 seconds already in front. So I settled into a comfortable pace, which looking back in a 5 km there shouldn't be any such thing as comfortable or FUN and that is pretty much where I stayed at. I could see my friend Tommy a few yards in front of me for most of the run but no trigger went off in my mind to try surge and catch him. I paced myself off of a girl who I knew was a good runner and when she surged at the end I did not dig deep to catch her.
It was over quickly,way too quickly. I almost felt like I wanted to do it all over again at the finish...push harder. So hopefully I will get another chance this year to try run a little faster and feel the pain!I managed to get 5th place, a styling new beach chair and a small check :-) Great job to Tommy for second in his age group and his fastest run of the year!


Great job too Geoff too. It was great to see you out racing today. It's been a long time since we stood on a race line together!



Next up was a swim with Scottie D who has been training with Team TBB. 30x 100's was the workout and it was a hammer session. I felt great swimming but sad as the outdoor pool swims come to a close this week :-( There is nothing like training with the sun on your back.
Back at home I headed out with Hank and the kids for a long easy bike ride...later stopping at the fun fair for rides and games and a little ice cream.
A greatway to end the summer season.