The Never Ending HILLS...and Tragic Encounters With Beautiful Butterflies

~~the hills are alive~~with the sound of music~~with songs they have sung~~

~~for a thousand years~~

Hills are portions of earth that rise above the rest. We can go up hills and down hills. We can even go through hills. We can hide behind them in times of war. We can roll, run, sled, climb, sit, build and plant on them in times of freedom. Hills are short, long, steep, big, small, rolling, winding, intimidating, challenging and inspiring. This weekend I participated in the American Triple-T Challenge. One word to describe this event...would be...HILLS!

The American Triple-T is a 3 day long triathlon tour consisting of 4 varying distance triathlons to total just over 140 miles. Take a closer peak of the course details on the race website: http://www.americantriple-t.com/events/oh/course. The race takes place in Shawnee State Park, Portsmouth, OH, which I must say is a beautiful and peaceful place (http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/788/default.aspx). Initially I only planned on doing the Little Smokies 70.3 race that takes place on the Sunday and is the same course as the Triple-T Sunday race. After further discussion with some other athletes, I decided it would be in my best interest to do all four races. It would be a great training weekend, super jump start to the 2011 triathlon season, tons of fun and I would get the rockin' jersey and finishers medal. It was that and much more...

The events leading up to this weekend included an official planning meeting at casa de Pater's and a Thursday night Kroger'ing trip. We stocked up on hydration and food for the weekend. After Kroger'ing I came back home to stay up till 2am packing. It's not ideal to get 4 hours of sleep the night before a high mileage weekend, but packing for a camp trip and four triathlons is not easy!!! Flashlights, matches, shelter, gallons of water, nutrition, stretch band, sunscreen, multiple tri-shorts, sports bras, lots of socks, bikes, bike gear and of course we can't forget the Chamois Butt'r! That would be a disaster...

We caravanned from Cincinnati to Portsmouth Friday afternoon and arrived with enough time to pick up our packets, set up camp and get ready for our first race. The campground was about a mile or so from the race start/transition area at Turkey Creek Lake. Before and after every race we packed up our transition bags and pedaled up/down 2 hills to reach our destinations. I scored an 8 person tent from Papa Spike and we were lucky enough to build our mansion within close proximity of a shower house and a private creek. Just a short walk down a slight slope and we had a flowing natural ice bath waiting for us. After the first race on Saturday I spent over an hour wading in that water. The sun was shinning down, the trees were bright green, the water was clear, the tad poles were tiny, the rocks were slippery and the noise was a result of the breeze, birds and my random TTT mix. With all of the transitions and constant movement throughout the weekend, I appreciated the opportunity to be still and observe the movement around me. I need to move and I need to be still. Balance. 

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"But on and up, where Nature's heart Beats strong amid the hills." (Richard Monckton Milnes)

Moving on to the actual race report. 

Race numero uno was a super sprint. The water was 58 degrees and thankfully the swim was only 250m for this first race. I had my new pink and black Orca FS wet suit and I doubled up on the swim caps. The wet suit kept my core and extremities warm. The water was tolerable and I was fine, other than my head feeling as though it was being compressed and my airflow constricted. About half way through the short swim, I started coughing...wasn't sure if I was out of shape or going into shock from the cold water. The bike was a 'hill'/hell of a wake up. Straight up hill and back down. It was only five miles. The run was a short and flat one mile out and back. A few more miles and I may have slipped into a rhythm and felt better. I am so not a sprinter.

Saturday mornings race was 1500m swim, 40k bike and 6.55mile trail run. I slept for a good 7 hours Friday night in my cozy sleeping bag on the floor of the mansion. My jersey was still wet in the morning. Note to self...don't wash it right before you go to sleep and expect it to dry by the morning this time of the year. The water was a temp or two warmer this morning...and that did make a difference. All race starts were time-trial format allowing pairs of athletes to start together. The bike was once again ridiculously hilly. Deep breathing, easy gears and pretty sights made the hills more friendly. At times I wasn't sure how hard to push since we still had another race to do in the afternoon and a half distance Ironman the next morning. I wore my Asics stability shoes on the run and my legs felt slow. Creek ice bath, good stretching and light chocolate Muscle Milk after the race was a must. 

Saturday afternoon race started at 3pm. The race was the same distance as the morning; however the swim and the bike portions were switched. We started time-trial style on the bike. I think I may have climbed the longest hill of my life on this ride. I thought it would never ever ever end. Sure did feel accomplished when I reached the top though. The swim felt great this race. It was like taking an ice bath break between the bike and run. Apparently some people had to be pulled out of the water during this race. Drastic change in body temp = muscle cramps. My legs felt 'not right' as I was getting out of the water; however the adjusted within a few minutes. This run I decided to wear my Saucony Kinvaras. I have not ran over 4 miles on these shoes since they are more neutral and don't have much support. This run felt better. The sun was bright and the air was hot. I drank lots of water, popped lots of gum, shot up a Power Bar gel and monitored my HR to stay around 150. I happened to catch up to these two ladies running side by side. One appeared to be pushing the other up the hill and telling her to think about running on a rope, pulling herself up the rope, keeping her arm swing close to her body and short, and pretending like she was a puppet with strings attached to her knees, pulling her knees up. I liked all that talk and the idea of thinking that we're like puppets. I listened to the advice, smiled and started to take off. That night we tried to make a feast, but didn't exactly turn out as planned. So I had a veggie burger and crispy/raw potatoes and veggies. We made strawberry s'mores by our camp fire, skimmed through Lava magazine, did some yoga, donned our compression socks, dried our shoes, told camp fire stories and sang songs...ok...that may be an exageration...but we should have sang songs. 

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"This song of the waters is audible to every ear, but there is other music in these hills, by no means audible to all....On a still night, when the campfire is low and the Pleiades have climbed over rimrocks, sit quietly and listen...and think hard of everything you have seen and tried to understand. Then you may hear it - a vast pulsing harmony - its score inscribed on a thousand hills, its notes the lives and deaths of plants and animals, its rhythms spanning the seconds and the centuries." (Aldo Leopold)

BRING ON SUNDAY! Sleep Saturday night was poor poor quality. We woke up to rain and realized all of our gear was sitting outside. We literally stumbled out of our mansion to gather up our gear to protect it from the rain. The alarm went off at 5am. I boiled water for coffee and had my peanut butter, honey and chia seed sandwich. Race number four...1.2mile swim, 55.5mile bike, 13.1mile run. The swim was still cold but tolerable. My transition times were slow. The bike course was once again hilly and my legs were feeling the results from the hills. I knew the climbs would make me stronger though. There were tons of butterflies on the bike and run course throughout the weekend. I think I smashed a few...and I felt kind of bad about that. I felt like I was at the butterfly show in the Krohn Conservatory. They were very pretty. There were friendly by-standers every now and then throughout the course as well. The run felt good and tough. I wore my Kinvaras again this run and I'm glad I did. I'm quickly learning that these shoes help my gait and actually decrease my foot pain related to plantar fasciitis. I ended up walking most of the big hills and I'm not sure if I should have done that or pushed myself more. Still not sure of my threshold, hence I need a coach. The aide stations were running out of water and cups on the second loop of the run...so I made sure to run with a cup in my hand. I had a sip of coke from a passer by...which hit the spot. The second loop felt better than the first. The last three miles of the run felt amazing. My legs felt loose and light and I knew the end was in sight...so might as well push it at this point. Times are listed below and times are definitely slow. My idea was to finish in 14 hours…so I wasn’t too far off. This was a tough course. I moved up in places each race, which I'm happy about. Lots of room for improvement in all four disciplines (including transitions). Great prep for Muncie and LV IM. There was great support throughout the course and there were portions where I found myself alone...which was a good balance. Lots of people from the Cincinnati area were at the race, lots of pretty bikes and nice people from other parts of the country. Lots of accomplishments for people who like to challenge themselves. Weekend full of positive people and energy.  

Crossed the finish line...Triple-T complete. Definitely will repeat:)      

SPIKE                                                                                                             14:12:03

311   357         30        223      05:50   01:58   285      14:07   01:46   331      09:07   32:50

299   357         30        187      24:22   03:30   291      1:36:04 03:49  310      1:07:39  3:14:26

235   357         30        271      1:33:04 04:34  186       28:11  03:28   209      1:05:32  3:14:50

220   357         30        176      36:09   04:02   256      3:57:03 06:14  181      2:26:26  7:09:56

Don't fight the hills…

Don't dislike the hills...

Smile and appreciate the hillsJ

  

I Spy With My Little Eye

It rained again this week. It rained almost every day. When it rains every day we want the sun. When it is sunny every day we want the rain. It rained a lot and I rested some...but I still trained, I still felt the rain and I continued to open my eyes to spy.

While running one day this week I spied a happy family. The family and I were both under a bridge by the river. The kids had balloon hats on their heads and balloon animals in their hands. They sat on the steps and waited for the rain to stop. I did my back kicks, roundhouse kicks and fast squats. They sat on the steps and watched. I felt a little awkward kicking the air as they watched; but when the kids stood up and started running up and down the steps to join in the training I felt once again a sense of belonging to the moment. We inspire each other to move. I remembered the streets of China, when I joined in the fan dancing, had no idea what I was doing, and was accepted right away into the group exercise. Maybe we should start group exercise in parks all over the US? Fountain Square Dancing Friday nights. Togetherness. I spied a connection.

While traveling to and from the pool one day this week I saw a Cincinnati Police Officer friend conversing with the man selling newspapers on a corner and keeping the streets downtown safe. I felt a sense of community as I drove by and we waved. During that same trip a Pic's Produce truck pulled out in front of me. My mom's Italian family's produce business that started in OTR in 1918 has grown under the management of her cousins and is still serving the community of Cincinnati today, http://www.picsproduce.com/. I wonder if my grandpa or great grandpa and grandma liked to swim, bike or run? I wonder if any ancestors from Italy liked to swim, bike or run? They liked produce...and so do I. Connection I spy:  fruits and vegetables promote good health, happiness and participation in life. Bring on the fruits and vegetables. An appreciation for health must run in the family. I also walked by the Drop In Center on the way to the pool. The people outside were 'friendly'. I was given a 'heyyyy' and was called 'mama'. Rather than looking down, walking faster or ignoring the situation I smiled and responded with a thumbs up. Come join me. And so it happens. The Cincinnati Drop In Center is a place of beauty and a symbol for compassion. Read this if you have doubts: http://www.dropinn.org/news/press-release/default.aspx?item=67e85c58-a4f8-468f-9329-5b890e1d1aa7 

Togetherness. I spied lots of connections.

Finally, I ended the week with a bike ride on the 'west side'. I spied the beauty of quiet country roads on this solitude trip. Nothing like gazing into the sun under blankets of trees to feel a connection with the world. The first surprise was a beaver with his two big teeth running for cover as I breezed by him. Next I spied three deer behind a fence. I stopped my bike. We stared into each other's little eyes for a bit. They eventually ran and I rode off. Of course I spied the typical birds, squirrels, cats, dogs, occasional people, semi's, motorcycles and cars. I spied a kid taking out the trash while yelling at me to 'peddle faster!' Then out of the corner of my eye, I spied a turkey on the side of the road. I had no choice but to re-route and go spy on the turkey some more. It knew I was spying...so it slowly disappeared into the surrounding forest. Togetherness. I spied some more connections.

My favorite part of this route is climbing up the hill and spying panoramic views of the Ohio River Valley as the top gets closer and closer. The Ohio River runs 1,310 miles long, along six states, providing transportation of goods and energy sources to many cities. The 'good river' has existed long before our lives, has created cities and provided freedom to thousands of slaves as part of the Underground Railroad movement. Once more, I spied significant connections with my little eyes in this big world.
Riddle me, riddle me, riddle me de, I spy something you don't see and the color is...really such a small category, just one perceptual property.

Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly.

One can't help but to sometimes feel distressed. Disappointed in one self, in others, over outcomes and events, what was said or done. Maybe I had done something that was wrong. Can I make it better? What do we do when we're disappointed in ourselves? We could take it personal and think that we bad person. We could be anger at our self. We could forget that we are just part of the big picture and get completely wrapped up in a storm. One big incident or multiple small conflicts can create the storm. This week, I've experienced a few not so pleasant encounters. Multiple incidents began to form a bit of a storm. Today I found shelter in this storm and I made my own shelter. Today I faced the storm and appreciated the storm. I ran track during lunch as fast as I possibly could. I looked at the sky and told myself to just go. The intense speed work made me feel calm but energized, focused, and happy the rest of the afternoon at work. After work, the sky appeared sunny and the air was breezy...so of course I gear up for a bike ride! Picking up my cadence, balancing on my aerobars and seat, tapping my fingers to XX. All of the sudden dark clouds set in and I feel light sprinkles. I try to convince myself the drops will blow over and I keep pedaling further. I need to get my mileage in and the rain will stop...but the drops get heavier, the goosebumps get bigger and the thunder sets in. I couldn't take the storm anymore and I wanted to crawl up in a ball somewhere. I pulled into the next deserted gas station  and searched for an answer. Frustration was getting a little high. I told myself to make something happen. The old gas pumps were covered with caution tape and plastic wrap, so I ripped as hard as I could to get some of the plastic wrap off. I made arm warmers. I made wings. I made a rain jacket for my iPod. I was now working with what I had and doing what I could. As the great Arthur Ashe says, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." This was all part of the adventure.  

Ripping my heart out to get wings (and get warm:)

Ready to take-off and find those bluebirds.

As I looked up to get moving again...I looked straight ahead to a beautiful rainbow spread across the big sky. I felt safe, I felt part of the big beautiful world and I felt like I belonged to this moment. No matter where the road would take me and what happened along the way, I belonged to the world and everything would turn out the way it's meant to be. Drop the worries and keep the head facing up to the rainbow.





The adventure did not stop with the rainbow; however it continued with a torrential down pour of water throughout the rest of the ride. The lightning flashed and the thunder roared. The socks were soaked, the goose bumps turned into mountains, the nose was a fountain and the fingers were yellow and numb. The choices were to get sucked into the storm with frustration and disappointment or appreciate the storm, know it was temporary and necessary for continued growth. I tried to relax my muscles, think happy thoughts, smile and keep pedaling. I tried to accept the storm and appreciate the storm rather than fight it. I could create my own shelter within the storm. Accept what was done wrong, try to make it continuously better and move on. I was a bluebird with my plastic wrap wings. Open air. Birds fly over the rainbow...so why, then oh why can't I?  

Idea Exploration vs Goal Setting

Where to start? We all have goals and activities that make our everyday lives meaningful. Whether it be related to our jobs, caring for family, spending time with friends, driving fancy cars, hip hop dancing, guitar jamming, praying, making delicious cookies, winning American Idol, dominating online video games, learning or teaching something, winning the next election, saving lives, getting more FB friends, making the world a better place, etc. As our thoughts and bodies change, as our situations change...our goals change. What we want and what we need change. We are works in progress. For the purpose of allowing for the unknown potential to happen, I am going to establish some 'ideas' rather than 'goals' for this triathlon season. Could this be considered an avoidance of commitment, a fear of failure...or could this be the skill of resilience, desire for peace and curiosity for full potential at any given time?

So anyways, let's start with getting some of these current ideas that ought to have the opportunity to be explored down in writing...

Right now I have a few major tri-specific performance ideas with serious plans to nurture these ideas this summer.
1.  Complete TTT on May 20-22 (no time 'idea' for this one) (OK...under 14 hours)
2.  Complete Muncie half Ironman on July 9 in under 5:30 hours
3.  Complete Louisville full Ironman on August 28 in under 12 hours
4.  Complete USAT Long Course Nationals Championship in MB on October 8 (that is if 'idea' #2 is met)

The mere completion of these races without additional cause other than to better myself and for pure enjoyment does not fulfill my desire to give myself and to embrace the interconnectedness of the world. Therefore I needed to correlate them to additional ideas.
1.  Raise awareness of the sacrifices our Veterans have experienced and overcome for our country and thank them for their service
2.  Raise awareness of how physical and mental exercise can help overcome challenges and reach unimaginable potential
3.  Raise awareness and funds to support Tri-Soldier project (http://www.trisoldier.org/)
4.  Return to the opposite side of the world and provide follow-up therapy and love to children and adults with disabilities who do not have the physical, mental or societal freedoms many of us have  (http://www.therapymissions.org/)

                

Plus on top of all that...I have some more ideas for the adventures. I want to see the world and meet people from all walks of life. I want to feel things I've never felt. I want to give, I want to be taught and I want to discover.

Reflecting back on days of childhood I have always loved adventure, however I don't remember ever dreaming about being a tri-athlete. Somehow I ended up doing a marathon a few years ago because I was so moved by the inspirational stories from the Team in Training heroes. People with cancer could run marathons? People with cancer could battle cancer...and win! They could also loose the battle...however they would leave emotional imprints on several other lives in their journey. These people did not choose to have cancer, but it happened and what did they do? They smiled, they inspired others, they challenged themselves to complete marathons, challenged others to come along with them and they kept on living and loving. Wow, I thought, one day I could wake up and have cancer, tomorrow my best friend could be diagnosed with cancer. What would I do? I would be thankful for what I do have. I would be thankful for my friends and family. I would be thankful for my legs and I would run to soak in all the sights and sounds I was thankful for and I would show my appreciation. After I realized the beauty of discovering the unknown feelings associated with training and completing my first marathon, I couldn't help but to do some more. Then I bought my first real road bike and slowly began collecting all the other tri-gear. My first triathlon season was in 2008. I did mostly Olympic distance triathlons in 2008 and 2009. November of 2010 I completed my first full distance Ironman. I did this race in honor of the Wounded Warriors Project. These days, Veterans give me constant inspiration and I attempt to use my energy to give them appreciation and care. Only seems right that I combine my passion for triathlon and helping Veterans into meaningful actions. The original idea was to focus on shorter distances this upcoming year and keep it more low key; however ideas change and things happen...and here I am signed up and ready to move for some more long distances in 2011. I'm excited about this idea change. I'm excited to see what happens. I'm just straight up excited to be here.

Back to my childhood tri-adventures, I did not want to grow up to be a tri-athlete or an occupational therapist. I remember wanting to be an artist, creating beautiful messes and letting my imagination run free. I remember roaming the neighborhood streets on my bicycle, riding on the back of my mom and dad's bikes and decorating my bike for the fourth of July parade. I remember walking to friends, running to capture the flag, running from catch and kiss, and dreading track work for swim team pre-season training. I remember Marco Polo with my cousins in the back yard pool, being carried into the ocean my dad, not having fear of the deep end with my snorkel mask and grandma, early cold water swim practices at the YMCA, driving to hot summer swim meets with dad, learning about dedication, hard work and being part of a team in the pool. Naturally, I'm a water baby, the bike has always been my friend and running has grown on me throughout the years.

Water. Flow. Aqua. Buoyancy. Blue. Float. Waves. Limitless. Free. Space. Oxygen.

If we don't limit ourselves by set in stone goals, we may end up in new territory and discover the unknown. If we listen to the silence and see the space, we may receive ideas. Pay attention to those ideas and let them happen. If our mind is happy our body is happy. If our mind is frustrated our body is probably not very happy. How do we make ourselves happy? Don't limit ourselves by rigid goals, nurture our ideas, let our mind and bodies move freely and most importantly...smile...forgive...love.

I do see and appreciate the thought process involved in goal setting and reaching. It is valuable and necessary in different situations for different people. I have learned to set goals in collaboration with people everyday. We learn to set relevant, understandable, measurable, behavioral, attainable goals. Goals are the cultural norm here in America. Financial goals, educational goals, career goals, fitness goals, family planning, medical goals. This summer I am going to attempt a personal transition to consciously pay more attention to the present moment and the alternative thought process of 'idea exploration' rather than 'goal setting'.

**These are some ideas right now, they might change. It's not good or bad if they change. It's just part of the adventure.**