graduation!

I am graduating on Friday! And then I am planning on graduating this same weekend in three more years! So write it down on your calendar.... it will be then I venture with the boys to the sun and the surf.

It's been a great week. I am still on easy street with training, and soaking up every second of it. I am going easy like it's my job and learning that it is my attention to detail about myself that holds me back. Details, I am told. Details.

Okay then. Details.

I am back in the weight room even. I finally found a coach who will let me do some. Let me? Try make me. It's pretty much agreed that weight training will not make you faster. Swimming biking and running will make you a faster triathlete. Weight training for those under 50 for men and 40 for women, can do a lot to hinder you in fact. So you do it carefully, planned and do the moves you are told to do.

I love the program. It's short, it gets me in and out. It's not easy. We all know that weight training trains the same system whether you lift heavy or lift light. High reps and low weights do the same thing high reps and low weights do. The weight training I am doing is somewhat different, it's a progression and it's fun. Kind of like a game of golf and you gotta beat the score.

I dig games. :-)

But I am the kind of athlete who listens. I don't buck when told to go easy. I become the queen of it. I know hard is right around the corner. And so is nutrition.

"The party's almost over." Warned Jesse last night over the phone. So I had a brownie, it doesn't count that it's organic, does it?

I am ready for the party to be over. Tell me what to do, eat and when to breathe. Damn the Navy may have never realized what they lost when they lost me. (another story for another time).

Until then, I have a run to run, yoga to teach, a little guy to get to school and pick up, Cracker Barrel to eat at with my parents and my family....... and I have a great big stage to walk across tomorrow and a hat to toss into the air.

With a theatre full of nurses however, I can't imagine we will be throwing the hats. EYE INJURY!

mother's day bubble blower 4,000

Bet you didn't get one of these for mother's day:

Yes, it is, it's the Bubble Blower 4000. And it's mine.

It's been a wonderful Mother's Day so far. I slept in, elevated my legs for a good 30 minutes. Went out to breakfast and am going to go for a nice easy 70 minute run in a little while.

My favorite part of today might seem a little bit strange, but it's tonight at Breathe. The teachers and staff are gathering for a feast. A feast? Yes a feast. Breathe has just undergone a very exciting renovation (pardon the dust, there is still more to come if you can believe that), and Breathe now offers a full menu of locally grown, wholefood, ready to eat entrees. Tonight we are going to be treated by our absolutely incredible Chefs...... yes that says CHEFS......... and it's pleural...... to a sampling of everything we are going to be offering.

I have mentioned her before but the owner of Breathe, Cyndi Weis is probably the most talented Dietitian I have ever met. She's spent the better part of the past 2 years planning this renovation and nutritional hotspot for the area. There's a full fledged teaching kitchen and semi weekly cooking classes (yes, come and learn how to cook healthy, wholefood, and locally grown meals) that have already been scheduled through the end of the summer.

I am so lucky to be a part of this. Stay tuned, so much more to come!

On Friday I came home form teaching yoga to find this at the end of the driveway with the trash.

I rescued it. It's my first ever tricycle. I don't hold onto much from my childhood but I take this with me through every travel. It's thirty years old. It doesn't even have pedals anymore. But it's what started the cycling fascination for me.

When I was 16 years old my father took me to the bike shop. While my friends were getting cars I was equally excited to be given the opportunity to choose any bike I wanted. Believe me I did choose wisely. The things I have seen and experienced on two wheels has been extraordinary. Beyond competition and beyond going hard, I have seen and learned so much while riding.

I have seen prairies, mountains. Germany. I have strengthened friendships, learned who I really was...... and I met my husband on two wheels.

There are so many things to see while riding. Things you can see or experience with your ass planted in the seat of a fancy car. I have ridden through snow, wind sleet and rain. I have crashed, been crashed into, and crashed because I was not paying attention. I have healed, I have grown, I have laughed and I have cried.

There is still so much I plan to do on two wheels. There's a whole country to see and we've already begin to dream about that family expedition.

Keeping that trike with me all these years reminds me that the seeds that are planted in our youth are the seeds that grow as we get older and have our own children. Luc.... he's got several bikes. He's got no Wii. No video games. Because while it might be fun to throw an imaginary ball down the lane of a television screen..... it's much more fun to actually ....... do that.

My bother was a video game connoisseur. He might still be, I don't really know him. He's spent countless hours locked away in his room playing whatever video games he had. If we touched his Atari or Coleco Vision he'd kick our asses. Little did he know....... that by doing that he was doing the very same thing my father did when he got me that bike.

He gave me the world.

While it might be fun to hop ski jumps or jump rope on a TV screen...... try getting outside and actually doing that. There's just nothing like sun, and wind and rain and the feeling of coming so close to flying your stomach jumps. Cant' do that on a video game.

I hope to god I never see a Wii game that's a bicycle. I will burn it in the store.

Get a bike, go outside...... like we did when we were kids. Like I did on my trike when I would ride with my babysitter stood on the back. When we left to play and didn't return till dusk.

To me this trike is just a reminder. Of the outdoors, of life, of play, of moving and breathing, of time spent laughing and not sitting in front of a screen that simulates. Of experiencing.

What does the Bubble Blower 4000 provide for us? The chance to go outside yet again, to jump around, to play pop the bubble with each other and the dog, and to live life the way it was meant to be lived.

In action.

begin

Last night I had a great meeting with Jesse, my new coach (I swear he's worth double his going rate already). I have been so fortunate to work with Doug Bush of Endurance Factor, Trevor Syverson of TMS Multisports and now Jesse Of QT2 Systems. I don't think in all my life I have ever had a bad coach. There was one swim coach who was questionable...... but if you cut through his ego he was a great coach.

But then again my father has always said, and so have my coaches, that I am a coachable athlete.

Jesse is certainly no exception. He's freaking passionate about triathlon. But we all are, aren't we? It's why we read each other's blogs, cheer one another on, check in and make friends all over the world. Meeting and talking with Jesse just confirms everything I love about this sport.

As each coach does.... Jessee has spent a lot of time and several years developing his systems, his protocols and his methods. To get details on those you will have to ask him, or click here. If I tell you ...... well unless you work with him it means nothing to you. Just like unless you work with Mark Allen, or Gordo, or anyone....... I think you have to work under someone to really get their philosophy and their system so to speak.

I have been trained strictly in heart rate, and specifically in power and pacing. I would say that QT2 uses a combination, and quite appropriately it seems. There are times to monitor heart rates and there are times to monitor pacing.

I like Jesse's philosophy on strength training, it's kind of the view I have, but he articulates it much much better. It won't make you fast, we all know that strength work can slow you down. To swim bike and run faster you have to swim bike and run. Strength training will give you soft tissue durability. The person who it might help to become faster is someone with a strength limiter. As we looked at my body composition, my power to weight ratio it is pretty clear that I am strong (let me beat my chest!). Strength is my attribute.

I like Jesse's ... what he calls..... histogram. I like how it is laid out, I understand the meaning behind the break down of the megacycle and the mesocycle. I am so used to training and or coaching a certain way that this is a breath of fresh air. Much like Coach T was when I was training with him.

There are protocols to follow for every workout during the next four weeks. Which are base weeks. Here we are monotonous, he said boring.... I said relaxing..... and just coming back to the basics. As we spoke last night I was able to see the progression. Clearwater is going to be a good day for me, but I am seeing how this will set me up for the come 2010.

And beyond.

Jesse's passion for this sport leaks through the phone lines. I am delighted to hear him talk.....if you have ever read his articles you should try to attend a seminar from him. He makes talking about cells and the ATP and Krebs cycles interesting (why wasn't he my chemistry teacher in college?).

The biggest thing I am so grateful for is that he believes in my ability as an athlete. I know this is a guy who is not hurting for athletes. The man coaches Cait Snow.... it's not like he was looking for Mary Eggers. I didn't expect the opportunity to work with him, I was hoping for anyone who would be willing to help a struggling athlete. But he took me on.

I have a lot of respect for a lot of people in this sport. As I have seen all of this unveiled he asks me what questions I have. I say none. It's self explanatory. It's simple. It makes sense to me. When you are a good presenter and you keep you ego out of it....... then the audience will absorb.

There's so much more to it than this as well. The nutrition component..... that will take several posts as I digest it (get it.... ha ha) myself. But I love it. It's me. The goals are right in front of me in terms of body composition and performance. They are attainable.

The one thing Jesse mentioned to me (and I am paraphrasing here) that really rings true for all of us, is in regards to our work ethic:

We all work hard. That's not the issue. We can all go out and pop off X intervals in zone Y and beat out chest. It's the nature of our sport. How many times have you heard your friends talk about the mile repeats they ripped off last night and how hard they went......

when is the last time you heard someone say this..... "Man you should have seen me last night. I was in BED by 8pm and got 10 hours of sleep. THEN I got up and had blueberries for breakfast and really warmed up before I began my 60 minute easy ride......"

Uh...... I might be president of the winning the workouts in training club.

So remember, it's the whole package. The Qt2 System, just like many other systems, has a few basic concepts. This I will share (and these aren't groundbreaking, every coach has them):

Training

Nutrition / Rest

Race Fuel

Pacing.

Those are concepts I can trust in!

Weekend At Placid 2009

Just a reminder, the last call is going out! If you have emailed me months ago reserving a spot, just please email me again to confirm I have you on the list!
Here is the information should you need it or be interested!

day one

Day one...... just fine. Nothing killer on the menu today. Little swim, little lift. My first day of school went good. Luc's however...... didn't exist,

Tuesday: meeting to determine whether the transfer was to happen. I was told at this meeting "We will call the new school and make sure everything is ready to go."

Wednesday..... ho hum. Nothing.

Thursday..... nothing.

Friday..... let me give the new school a call. Secretary answers...... of yes Luc! We haven't received the paperwork from the old school yet. When we do we will give you a call.

Ka BAM.

Yes, my head blew. B.L.E.W.

Let's just say they have a timeline set for them. And not to worry.... this will be taken care of (if you know what I mean).

So Luc got to work on riding his bike. This kid already has 3 bikes. I told him once he gets off the training wheels he can have a trick bike. (He's got issues with balance, but man we are CLOSE). That's the benefit of being in our family....... good bikes, and a bunch of them. When does school start? Who knows, probably the last week of the year.

Tomorrow we are riding our tandem to go get some coffee. No one told me to give it up yet, so I didn't. Yet. The team and coach are in St Croix, so that means a few more days of the juice.

Other than that, nothing big and exciting to report. Except you may have seen my new sun glass sponsor, these babies are wicked hawt and guaranteed to elevate my performance to the next level.

the whole picture

One of the attracting things to the QT2 Team and Coach Jesse is the attention they give to nutrition and body composition. Jesse was recently mentioned in an ESPN segment with professional UFC fighter Kenny Florian (before I forget), who is speaking about nutrition.

This is an area that many coaches, including myself fall short. I think it's because of the touchy subject that nutrition is with athletes. especially female athletes.

As a recovering Bulimic (15 years!) many females will come to me because I understand EDO's. I certainly do. I am also known to take a very hard stance on them. But I am not a nutritionist or a registered dietitian. I am a Registered Nurse however and just by interest have a good understanding of nutrition and body composition.

I'm not entirely comfortable however dictating to an athlete what they should eat, what their body composition should be, etc. Like many coaches I use some resources.

Deb Iovoli, located in Rochester, is a Dietitian specializing in Sports Nutrition, a triathlete, runner, Ironman finisher and our local Moms in Motion Leader.

Beth Shutt, who recently opened the Athletes Eutrophia is located near Pittsburgh PA. Beth is also an accomplished triathlete and a Registered Dietitian who focuses on Sports Nutrition.

Cyndi Weis the owner of Breathe Yoga in Pittsford (where I am so very very proud to be celebrating my fifth year of teaching yoga) is also a Registered Dietitian, is incredible. She's the one who turned me on to the wholefood way of eating so to speak. Getting an appointment with her is tough, I don't know anyone who can present it better than her!

So as a coach I use resources to help my athletes with nutrition. I am hesitant to tell someone they need to be heavier or leaner because of the touchy nature of nutrition and athletes.

As a member of the Qt2 team I will be working with Jesse and the RD's of the team to determine where I currently am in terms of body composition and where I need to be. It would be the first time in my eating disordered history I am feeling very comfortable in doing that. It's also the first time I have worked with a coach who has placed such importance on both training and body composition, and the first coach I have worked with who talks in terms of body composition. It's a great learning experience for me in many ways.

I feel like I have finally reached the stage in my recovery where I don't have to run from it, it doesn't bother me, rule me, but with that being said I have to be careful. While I am such a different person than I was when I was actively Bulimic..... the memories of how that felt and the physical repercussions of that part of my life are forever.

My teeth need to be re enameled every 8-10 years. I am coming up on the second round. I had a dental reconstruction that will need to be updated in a few years as well. Want to rob me..... there is value in my mouth. I see a Cardiologist regularly, with no problems, but I still have to go. I must manage my stress level due to ulcers I developed, while they are dormant now I have to manage my stress properly or else they get bad and they bleed. I have a healed tear in my esophagus that is watched. Fine, but watched.

The worst part is that these are all things that didn't need to happen. The guilt and shame of eating disorders run deep. It was my choice in the end to do that to my body and I had plenty of people to try to help me along the way.

But back to there here and now....... I will be working closely with a QT2 RD to determine where I should be. I will be given the daily menu much like I am given my training. The menu will also revolve around a very detailed race fueling plan. And I like that. I like to be told what to do :-)

Nutrition on this team revolves around the Core Diet that they have developed. It's very similar if not the same as the way of eating I have been gravitating to this season. For the most part I don't eat refined foods..... I don't eat bread, I instead eat Ezekiel 4:9 sprout bread. Everything from Peanut Butter to Peanuts is organic, and I have given up Diet Sodas. That was a tough one.

Now what about coffee? I am not sure we can talk about that yet. I am a nurse, it kind of comes with the territory, I am a massive coffee drinker. I have a couple of big cups a day. I define a cup as Venti. I drink it black, I like it strong. I could drink a Venti pure Espresso. I never ever fluff it up.

I like it straight up.

I can drink a pot of coffee and go to sleep. That, therein lies the problem. In athletics we can use caffeine to help us. Used at the right time it can benefit performance. Right now I would not say I am addicted to it (denial), but I drink enough of it that it doesn't affect me.

We will be keeping the morning cup for now. But starting Monday I can have 2 cups per day.

So think about how much time you put into training and competing. Think of the money you spend as well. By not paying attention to what we fuel our bodies with, we are in fact cheating ourselves of health and performance. I think it's worth the investment in ourselves to determine where we are and what we need to do to become the healthiest we can become.

I'll drink a Venti to that!

do you have it?

Part of me wants to throw on a yellow mask and walk around the grocery store with an I **heart** Mexico shirt on. Want a terrific way to check if you have Swine Flu?

Click here.

I just might be Swine Flu's biggest fan!

I will share this little secret with you however..... hospitals are not the places you should be afraid of. In my Pediatric Emergency Dept we have the best (with or without swine flu) housekeeping staff in the history of environmental services worldwide........ you can rest assure that when you child is placed in a room with us...... every surface including the floor is not only damn clean, it's sterile. I see them in action hundreds of times per day.

You can also rest in the comfort that every thermometer, every pulse ox, every blood pressure cuff and every single pair of hands has been wiped down twice with cavi wipes (sterilizing wipes that we have) before it ever touches your kid.

I personally somehow got into the habit of washing my hands before I come into your room, when I enter your room, then I use Purell, gloves, after I touch you I wash my hands inside and outside of the room. You can call me OCD but know that every nurse, resident and physician I work with..... does the exact same thing. My stethoscope won't touch your child until I have cleaned it with alcohol 2 times.

Can you say the same thing about your grocery cart? About the person who hands you money? Who hands you your coffee? Who opens the door before you do?

Want to be somewhere safe? Hospital. Trust me on that. I won't be diagnosed with swine flu. Just watch.

In other earth shattering news I have my Marching orders and am on a light week before we begin the 28 week build to Clearwater. Being part of the QT2 Team is really nice so far. I like the way coach Jessee presents things, he is a phone talker and he's very prompt.

QT2 has their own online training log designed by Jessee I believe. It's very straightforward. He calls your ATP your histogram. I know exactly what the plan is as it unfolds.

While I secretly wanted to be thrown down the throat of a 20 hour training week, my first week holds a pretty modest 13 hours. I am being sent back to the gym for four weeks of weight training. First exercise..... hack squat.

Haven't done a hack squat in about 10 years. This should be fun. The first day use no weights...... what? The girl with the muscles is going to head to the gym and lift with nothing on the machine.

Talk about ego. But I understand the why and I will do as I am told (see.... just you wait to see how good of a student I am!).

Over the winter I went back to one of my old gyms.... but I have to tell you that I can not go back there for the summer. Something about guys lifting while wearing flannel shirts and winter hats and people walking on treadmills with grades so high they have to hold on so tight or else they would fall off.

If I am going to walk uphill I am going to do it outside. Not hanging onto a dreadmill for dear life while staring at the pages of People. No thanks. Oh and while wearing clothing that went out with the eighties.

For the time I am in the weight room I will be back training over at RIT, where they have an amazing amazing amazing gym..... and believe it or not..... the kiddos who work out there are there to work out. I know!!! Isn't that cool?

In all honesty I was beginning to feel behind in things, but I have to realize that not only am I not behind..... the race I care about in November. Many of athletes will be hitting their peak for Ironman Lake Placid and I am very sure at that point I will feel behind.

But in November when I am ready to rip off this race... they'll be in their off-season.

Ebb and flow. I have mine coming and I have a boatload of work to do between now and then. Like a bike test on Saturday.

And oh yes, there is bad news on coffee. Very bad news. Which we will talk about next week. Until then I will be heading to the barista for my fourth Venti refill of Pike Place. Maybe I will get this one for free!