Ouchie

So, Mr. TheyTri had enough of my crap complaining about my 13.1 training so very helpfully downloaded me a 12-week training plan. It's a good plan. Having a plan is good. I'm terrible at sticking to them. We'll see how it goes.
Last week I did my first-ever track workout and found it surprisingly enjoyable. Well, that's probably not the exact right word. It was...fine? challenging-but-doable? I don't know. I just know I didn't hate it. Which, really, isn't the same thing as liking it. But, I did it and that's the important bit.
Then, over the weekend, I had a 3 miler on Saturday and a 5 miler on Sunday. The 3 miler went OK. The five miler...didn't. I really really really really need to do something about stretching out my calves better. They turn rock-hard when I run uphill at all and then that, consequently, pulls on my Achilles which, consequently, makes my foot/feet go numb. Hard to run on numb feet. I try to stretch before hand and then again when I'm done but I'm clearly not doing it enough/properly. It makes for a bit of frustration.
Having said that, and admitting that I had to take a few walk breaks on my 5er, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. Five is the longest I've ever gone outside of the two 10 ks I've 'run'. Progress. I'll take it.

First Annual Rev3 Cedar Point Report

Yes, I do realize that the "first annual" bit up there in the headline does imply there will be others. Consensus among those who traveled out as part of the CREW was that it was such a great event that they (and consequently I) will be back to Sandusky. And I have to agree. Rev3 Cedar Point was fantastic as a venue for everyone, racers and fans alike.

General Thoughts!

We arrived in Sandusky on Wednesday after a long, long drive from New York. Pennsylvania? Hi, would you mind putting something, anything, along I-80 to make it even a little bit interesting? Thanks. We arrived on the late side and it was a bit creepy driving into a closed amusement park. Sorta "National Lampoon's Vacation" (Moose out front shoulda told ya) meets "Scooby Doo."
We stayed at the Hotel Breakers. They bill it as a "historical" hotel. It's 100+ years old, with the exception of a recent tower addition. We checked in as one of something like four guests on property on Wednesday. The wide hallway leading from the entrance to the lobby was very "Shining"-esque but had nice Edwardian details and old photos. I'd done some reading on Trip Advisor about Hotel Breakers. I was, I thought, mentally prepared for staying in the "old" part of this "historical" hotel. I was not.

The room was tiny. The room was shabby (think, frayed carpet and wallpaper straight out of 1972...see pic at right.). There were holes in the bathroom wall. It was musty smelling. The towels were terrible. BUT, it was clean and the a/c worked and I'd packed some provisions and I eventually made peace with it. I do need to say, for the record, that we were at a steeply discounted rate as part of the race and the hotel was spitting distance to the swim start and very convenient for both transition and finish line. It is not the Four Seasons. If you prepare for it, it's fine. Having said that, the posted rate of the room durring the regular season was $235. That is highway robbery as far as I can tell.

TRAVEL/HOTEL TIPS:
Tips for Breakers:

• If staying in old building and are driving out, bring your own pillows
• Bring a cooler. Ice machine works. Stock up on drinks etc...
• Consider bringing your own towels
• We bought, at Target, both a coffee maker and a 2-slice toaster for a grand total of $14. They worked fine and will come with us when we travel by car going forward. Was a huge deal race morning.
• Mr. TheyTri had the genius idea of bringing along a Brita pitcher rather than paying to buy bottled water. We'll definitely do this next trip
• WiFi only available in the lobby.
• Perkins was fine for breakfasts. TGI Fridays did us right for post-race chow-down.
• There is NO elevator in the old portion of the hotel. If you are on 3rd floor this could be troublesome with bike boxes/gear and for getting up and down stairs after a long day of racing.
• There is both a pool and a hot tub and you are steps from the beach. Great as a break for the kids, especially when the park is not open.
• There is a game room for kids (big and small), too.

 Tips for Sandusky

• Cedar Point will have, at least durring the weekend, Perkins and TGI Fridays and a few other restaurants open.
• There is a little convenience store in the lobby of Hotel Breakers if you need something quickly.
• Route 250, which takes you from I-80 directly to Cedar Point, is strip-mall heaven. Name a national chain restaurant or store and you can likely find it on 250. Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc...
• On 250, we ate at: Outback (overcooked my steak but our waitress was super sweet); Cracker Barrel (how can you not?), Buffalo Wild Wings (post race!), Appleby's and our favorite, Samurai Steak House, a hibachi-style Japanese restaurant that fed, well, 11 people the night before the race. It was a very good meal for a reasonable price. We didn't do the hibachi table show routine. Just ate at a regular table. They were cool with spliting checks and respected dietary issues.
• A little exploring off 250 took us to a Mexican restaurant, El Potrillo Taqueria, right on Rt. 6 near the main gate of Cedar Point. Good stuff. Good for a group.
• Friday night, we ventured into downtown Sandusky. It was late, past 9 p.m., and there was a car cruise going on so most of the restaurants had switched from "grill" to "bar" mode but we found a table for 9 at The Water Street Bar and Grill. Everyone had a great meal and we all said we would definitely go back there again. But, WSBG folks, please, please turn down the a/c. It was arctic in there.

Tips for Cedar Point

• Absolutely, positively take advantage of the Friday night park opening for Rev3 participants. It is open exclusively to racers and volunteers and for $15 you have three hours of riding coasters and playing games. Go Karts and cotton candy. This is truly what makes this venue so special. Go ride until you just can't take it anymore. Not to be missed.
• Park is open on Saturday and Sunday as well. Racers will likely not take advantage of this, wanting to stay off their feet and the like, but guests should as more of the park is open. Racers get 2 free passes for Saturday and Sunday and discounted tickets are available if you're staying on property should you need more. Even if you only use the tickets as a break on race day to get some food and have a change of scenery, it's totally worth it.  

Racing Weekend!

Thursday, we putzed around, not doing much and waited for more of the CREW to arrive in the afternoon. We got Anna and Grant settled in and then met up with John and Christine and John's Dad for dinner at a local mexican joint (see above tips). Everyone was pretty tired so we hit the hay early.

Friday a.m. we had breakfast at Perkins in the hotel (fine) and those racing did a practice swim and then we went out and did a bike course recon. The bike is two laps (for the full), but it's a bit of a baloon shape. The second loop only does the baloon itself, not the string that leads back to the park, so if you want to see your racer on course you'll have to leave the Point. There are several places you can catch them, see tips below. The course is lovely, for the most part, and zig-zags around a bit. We made a pit stop in the cute town square of Milan, grabbed some (terrible) coffee and a quick snack. After driving the rest of the course we made the second of three weekend stops at Target to stock up on supplies. Some necessary, some not, depending on your position on skull stickers and seltzer water. We met up with Bobby and Katie, the last CREW memberst to arrive in Sandusky and grabbed some lunch.
We went to athlete and volunteer check in back at the park and then prepared for the weekend's main event. The race? No, the Friday night Rev3 only event in the park. Cedar Point opened up 7 or so rides exclusively for Rev3 racers, volunteers and their families. It was so fun. I'm a bit of a baby about rollercoasters with huge drops. But, I went on the Magnum with everyone and then watched, from the stands, as John, Christine, Grant, Anna and Bobby did the Top Thrill Dragster, which shoots you up 400 ft in like 3 seconds or some craziness. No freakin' way. We did a few other rides, some several times. We then hit a late dinner at Water Street Bar and Grill and then called it a night.
Saturday those racing did a short bike and a short run and we did bike check-in and all that pre-race stuff and generally took it as easy as we could. Phil wasn't feeling well so I made the final Target run to stock up on cold supplies. We all met for dinner at the Samurai Steakhouse and had the pre-race dinner and then all went home to go to bed!
Race morning!
Woke up insanely early as usual. We got the coffee maker going and got dressed. Grant and Anna smelled the coffee wafting across the hall so came in and had a cup. We rallied the troops and drove over to transition. Athletes checked in and got ready to start their long day. I dashed back to hotel to replace a contact that had spontaneously developed a hole and then met everyone at the swim start. The swim begins on the beach and then heads out in an M shape, two-box swim (for the full). Great for snapping pics of your racers going in and out of the water.

After the pro's started surfacing and running to transition it was time to head to my volunteer shift in transition with Katie. I CANNOT say enough good things about Volunteering for Rev3. The coordinators and staff are amazing. I love volunteering in transition. You get to see your racers (though, I totally missed Phil. I saw him go into the change tent but never saw him come out...oops.), cheer on those you know and those you don't and you get to be a part of the day. That's a big deal with such a long race. It makes the whole event a family day. Love it. Sign up!
I did, though, decide to stay a little later than my shift becase Katie and I were put by run-out and they were a little understaffed there and, by the time our shift was over, getting out on to course to watch the racers on the bike would have been a challenge. That was a bit of a bummer. We saw Phil come in on the bike and then I took a brief trip back to hotel to shower and change. A bird crapped on my head while I was watching the swim. Parents, please explain to your children that running through a flock of 400 seagulls on a crowded beach is, perhaps, not a great idea.
Then it was a bit of a waiting game durring the marathon. I stayed in the park, not wanting to fight the traffic to get out on the run course or miss him because of the road closures. I don't love when I can't get out on to course to watch. I'll have to rethink my timing. My In-laws, Katie and I went into the park and took a break eating at Johnny Rockets. Did the needful. Then on to the finish to await our troops!

Phil finished in an amazing 10:27:48, a 1:20 pr from his IMLP time. I'm so incredibly proud of him. He worked so very, very hard this year and gets stronger every day. And big thanks to the med-tent staff  and volunteers who helped him out after crossing the line.

Congrats to Christine for her PR in the half, to Grant for finishing his first full-distance race, to Bobby for a huge PR in his full and to Anna for her fantastic half time. And thanks to John for all of his help with Phil, despite a disappointing day for himself. True Grace.  A special thanks to the my in-laws who drove so far to come watch not only their son have an amazing day but to cheer everyone else on as well!
A fantastic day!

Race Day Tips

• Drive over to transition early. Spots near transition fill up quickly. Even if you are staying at Breakers Hotel, having your car handy with a cell-phone charger, extra clothes, water, food will be handy. The only way to get to the hotel before the park opens is via the beach and that can be a pain when race is on and athletes exiting swim.
• Bike watching: The bike course goes through the town of Milan twice (for the full, once for half). There is a delighful town square with benches, shops and public bathrooms that is easily accessible from route 250 via route 113 without having to cross the course at all. It's a good spot to park it to catch your athlete at mile 22(ish) and mile 60(ish). Bike course map.
• You can also catch them at mile 95ish. Stay on the WEST side of Mason Road or the WEST side of Huron Avery road and you won't have to cross the bike traffic and have easy trip back to 250 to speed back to Cedar Point to watch the run.
• The run course is also two loops (again, for the full) and goes out across the main causeway bridge. Leaving the park once the runners have gone out is tricky and perhaps not worth the struggle. The traffic pattern is rough...you still have people coming in off the bike through one entrance and runners going out the other. If you do go, be courteous of volunteers directing traffic and concientious of very tired runners.
• If you DO go out on to run course, there's a nice park the runners loop through several times at Meigs and Washington streets but we'd higly suggest parking SOUTH of Washington st and walking in to avoid having to navigate your vehicle around runners.
• If your racer will finish before 8 p.m., when the park closes, you will need a park ticket to access the finish line. The chute enters the park and finishes in the park. There may be access, without a ticket, via the beach entrance but I'm honestly unsure. Better to have one handy.
• Med tent is just past finish line.
• Unlike IM events, you ARE allowed to have your kids run down the chute with their finishing parent. AWESOME.

I Came Back from Ohio...

Some pics are up on Picassa for you to peruse. I'll get around to a race report with tips sometime this week once car unpacked and laundry done! Great Weekend! Great Race!

Round on the Ends and Hi in the Middle...

We're off to Ohio today for Rev3 Cedar Point on Sunday. Mr. TheyTri's big race of the season. Car is (mostly) packed and we're (mostly) ready to roll out.
I both cannot believe it's actually time to do this and happy it's finally here. I'm excited for the race and I'm sure Mr. TheyTri and all of our friends will do well. We have a ton of friends racing and they'll surely motivate and support each other to have a good race.  But I'm also, selfishly, excited that the season is nearing it's end. This year hasn't been that race-heavy for us but we've traveled for so many other reasons and been so busy it will be nice to have a bit of downtime. Well, downtime for Mr. TheyTri. I still have that damn 13.1 to train for for January. I did 2 3 milers this week and felt pretty good. I plan to get some more in while we're out in Sandusky. I've signed up with RunKeeper to track my mileage, pace etc... It'll be great for me to see progress. I was actually surprised by my pacing and distance already. That's pretty good.
So, anyway, back to Ohio. We'll be posting on our Twitter throughout the weekend. Thoughts, tips, race updates etc... and once the weekend is over we'll do a recap of the race and offer tips for those of you who hope to go to Sandusky next year!

Rocky Mountain High

The TheyTris were in Aspen last weekend for a wedding. It is making me sad that we're not there NOW. God, I fell in love. Were it not for the minor details of home, work, family and funding I'd pull up stakes and move there. Ah, well. A dream.
We got in late on Friday night after a long day of travel and a pit stop at the Bride's childhood home in Glennwood (also lovely). We checked in at the Limelight Lodge (very nice) and hadn't been there three minutes when Mr. TheyTri was spotted by a fellow triathlete...Michael, a four-time Kona finisher. He'd spotted Mr. TheyTri's M-dot tattoo. Naturally.
Michael and Mr. TheyTri chatted for a bit and he gave us the scoop about where to run (Rio Grande Trail) and bike (Trail or up over Independence Pass) and directions to the local rec center so he could swim. Mr. TheyTri was in his very last week of hard training before Rev3 Cedar Point, his main race of the year. I called it "bonus altitude training." But, he handled the interruption of his last week with grace and for that I thank him. And, I can think of worse places to do a final push!

As it happened, before bed Friday night we saw @lancearmstrong tweet that he was going to be participating in the Aspen Uphill run the following morning to raise money for the Aspen High School track team. How many times in your life can you say you got to race with Lance? So, bright and early Saturday a.m. Mr. TheyTri and our friend, Lauren, hustled up to the Silver Queen Gondola and registered for the race. A little 4.6 mile trot with something like 3,400 feet of climbing. No thank you, Lance or no Lance.
While Mr. TheyTri and Lauren did that, I actually strapped on my sneakers and went for a run on the Rio Grande Trail. I was nervous that the altitude was going to make running a misery. But, much to my surprise, I felt...good! I was comfortable with my breathing and legs felt fine. Well, fine for me. The scenery on the Trail is simply spectacular. Waterfalls and streams and mountain vistas and gorgeous homes and ... have I mentioned I want to move there? Sigh....
Anyway, I got my dinky half-hour run in and then went to join up with my girlfriends for pedicures pre-wedding while Mr. TheyTri went off for his swim. You have your fun, I'll have mine.

The Wedding was in an old ghost town up in the mountains above Aspen in Ashcroft (also a HUGE cross country ski destination in the winter) at the last functioning building up there, Pine Creek Cookhouse. It was the most spectacular spot. It was a beautiful day, the bride was beaming and it was just a hell of a lot of fun. I miss having those girls around more often. I've know them for almost literally my whole life and I love 'em.
Mr. TheyTri turned in early as he had a long run and a long bike scheduled for the following day. I stayed on as long as I could stay awake and had a blast. Despite a small incident slipping on the dance floor and landing on an unfortunately-placed glass of wine. I'm so graceful.
So, Next morning, very early, Mr. TheyTri hopped on his bike that he rented from the nice folks at Aspen Velo and went for a 2 hour ride back out to Ashcroft. While beautiful, he had to pack it in after the first loop because it was SO COLD coming down the mountain before the sun was up. We'd not thought to pack warm bike gear. A word or two on biking in Aspen. EVERYONE bikes in Aspen; road bikes, mountain bikes, fixie bikes, cruiser bikes, they are everywhere. We had great service picking out the bike at Aspen Velo and, frankly, even better service at Hub of Aspen where we, unfortunately, couldn't rent Mr. TheyTri a bike because the only ones they had in his size were out--turns out there was an MS 150 that weekend and rentals were pretty cleared out. To their credit, they didn't try and put him on some POS alternate bike, they sent us down to Aspen Velo, instead. Go visit Hub of Aspen if you ever need to rent there. Please.
After ride it was time for brunch at Sky Aspen for the wedding party. A quick bite and then some good-bye's as friends started heading back to their respective homes. Mr. TheyTri headed out the the Rio Grande Trail for his long run. I toddled around the town and snapped some pics.

After late checkout at the Limelight, we packed up and began the drive back to Denver. But, we had some time since we were staying overnight in Denver to catch an early morning flight back east, so we decided to take the scenic route. We headed out of Aspen and over Independence Pass. Holy Moly is that beautiful (if a bit white-knuckle-y for the driver). The scenery was just gorgeous. Huge groves of Aspens standing sentinel and amazing peaks and valleys. Even still a bit of snow!
We continued over to Leadville, America's highest incorporated city. It's an old mining town and has a bunch of old Victorian buildings. It's a bit run-down but it's still interesting to drive through. As it happens, the end of the Leadville 100 running race was that day. We didn't see any of the runners, though we saw some support vans earlier in the trip. And I thought Mr. TheyTri was nuts. I stand corrected.
All in all, an amazing trip. I have to admit to being very saddened and annoyed when we landed at JFK by all the noise and rudeness that is New York sometimes. We will definitely be going back to Colorado for more vacations. It was bliss, however short a trip.

Lacking Motivation

I've been a bit under the weather with a head cold and it's really sapped me of all energy and motivation to do my runs. Add to that that it's been a million degrees and the run training has been going really poorly. I really, really, really need to do it as this 13.1 isn't going to run itself. I need to buck up and start applying my WWAD credo (what would Anna do).
I have a sneaking suspicion that running would actually make me feel better and give me more energy but I've been lacking the oompf to get off the couch. In fact, I'm sitting here in my running clothes dressed to go out and decided to procrastinate by writing this up rather than heading out the door. Delicious coffee.
This is one of those times where the differences between Mr. TheyTri and myself are very clear. He'll go and get his workouts in regardless of how he's feeling or weather or general level of tiredness. I, on the other hand, am a big old wuss when it comes to being sick and hot or tired.
Ok. I have to go run. Well, I have to go let the neighbor's dog out and then run. Well, I have to let dog out make my shopping list and then run. Well...oh crap. I'm goin' I'm goin'....

You Know You Live with a Triathlete When...

Our friend @OTSam suggested we put up a funny post about all the signs that your life has been infiltrated by someone from the SBR crowd. We thought that was a fine idea! I'll start but add your funny bits to the comments or email them to me at mrstheytri [at] gmail [dot] com!

• You have a running shoe budget
• You have a bike rack, but the bike rides in the car
• It's 5 a.m. You've been up for an hour. 
• You have made peace with the concept of portapotties
• You've had to research a place to rent road bikes for while you're away on 'vacation.'
• There is a shelf in your pantry dedicated to powders and potions
• You are always running out of shaving cream
• $1500 for a wheel DOES sound reasonable now that you mention it. (wait, what?!)

OTSam's great list! 

•  You know the differences between a sprint, olympic, half and full
•  You know what gu, nuun, hammer gels, clif blocks….. are and what his/her preference to those items
• You have an entire shelf in one of your kitchen cabinets designated for water bottles
• He owns a speedo, various lengths of running shorts, and a lot of spandex
• You know what the following items are: race belt, fuel belt, roadID, trainer, aerobars, clip-in pedals, camelback, etc.
• His/her workout drawer is completely overflowing
• It seems like  calf sleeves have become a regular part of their wardrobe (worn during a workout, after a workout, or overnight sleeping)
• You’ve gotten scared walking by your bathroom seeing a long black shadow and then realize its their wetsuit hanging over the shower railing to dry
• You have given them their own triathlon room because all of the triathlon paraphernalia was starting to take over the entire apartment/house.
• He/she owns at least two bikes and has their eye on another
• You know the difference between a mountain bike, a road bike, and a tri bike (and the price differences, yikes!)
• You share your google calendars together so she/he can plan long workouts on days you have other activities planned (i.e. bridal showers, mall trips, work, etc.)
• During triathlon season, his legs are smoother than yours
• It seems like they are always eating, but getting thinner/more tone each day
• You  are familiar with the names: Crowie, Boom Boom, Diebens, Mirinda, the Lovato’s and Chrissy Wellington
• You never run out of ideas for presents… there is always something new to purchase in the tri world
• Hawaii, would be pretty awesome.
• Pre-race day you scout out all the best places to get pictures
• Seeing them cross the finish line, and knowing all the hard work they put in… is pretty awesome :)

Keep adding to the comments! These are great!