I have said it before and I will say it again. Morning work outs suck. I have an extremely hard time getting my ass out of bed before the sun has risen. It is just so warm and cozy under the covers!

Last week I managed to get up at 5:20am and meet Kate (another Team Z’er) outside of my apartment at 5:45 to be at track practice at 6am. I really enjoyed the work out and it was awesome to get feedback from the coaches on my running stride. After such a great work out I told myself that waking up before the sun is not so bad and promised myself that I would do it more often.

maybe 530am is not so bad

I had all intentions of making it to the 530am swim practice this morning. I know that my swimming is the weakest of the 3 triathlon sports. Going to a group practice to get feedback from a coach other than my boyfriend would be good for me. I have my first tri in a month. I should swim as often as possible. Those previous few sentences are what I told myself as I crawled in to bed at 9:30pm last night- I was trying to convince myself that waking up at 4:45am to be in the pool by 5:30am was not so bad. I even packed my swim bag so that I could just grab it and go in the morning.

4:45 am came and went. I woke up at around 3:30am by chance and turned my alarm off so that it would not even wake me up an hour later. So much for morning swim practice.

I will get out of bed to make it to track practice tomorrow AND swim practice on Thursday. There, I said it on my blog for all of you to read, so now I am obligated.

Even my dog Brizzy is tired from thinking about me waking up at an ungodly hour!

In the last week I got two new gadgets to run with. Let me introduce you.

This is my Garmin Forerunner 305 with heart rate monitor.

This is a GPS watch that tracks your distance, pace, heart rate, and duration of your run. It stores all of your runs and you can even compete against yourself using your previous workouts! The heart rate monitor is much more comfortable than I was expecting- it sits snugly right on your breast bone…so for me, being a woman, that means it goes right under my boobs. I ran 8 miles with it last weekend and I forgot that it was there but it was awesome to look at my watch and see that my heart rate was staying around 150 beats per minute. The watch itself is kind of big and clunky but so far I love it!

This is my dorky fuel belt. It helps me stay hydrated on long runs

Yes yes I know it is dorky. I probably look like a real goof running on the trail with my GPS watch and this sucker strapped around my hips. Staying hydrated during long runs is important though and I cannot rely on finding a water fountain and I don’t want to carry a bottle in my hand. Hydration is especially important for me because I get an awful upset stomach at the end of my run if I did not take in enough liquid…and I am not fun to be around when I am curled in a ball on the living room floor for hours with an upset tummy. So I would rather look like a dork while running then be out of commission for a whole afternoon after a run. The only complaint I have about this contraption is the bruise it has left on my lower back! Whitney warned me that it would give me a “slut bruise” (right where a tramp stamp tattoo would be) the first few times I wore it, but holy cow! The bruise is not visible but it hurts!

Yesterday I had the kickoff meeting for Team Z- an Arlington based triathlon team- I talked about them a few posts ago. But just to recap- they make triathlon a team sport. They are a supportive group of 400 triathletes that work out together, and cheer each other on at races. The team comes up with “team races” for the season and for those races they set up tents and a trailer and tailgate while they cheer people into the finish. It is like you have your own personal cheering section! AND they have burgers and beer for team members and their friends and family. So when I drag my parents to the races, they can at least hang out in a shaded tent and drink beer while I am racing.

…back to the kickoff meeting…

Coach Ed, the owner/head of the team, talked to us about where we currently stand athletically and what our triathlon goals are going forward. There are people on the team of every athletic ability. From what we said, he suggested which “track” of training we should follow.

There are three tracks:
1. Under 70.3 for those who want to only compete in shorter distance triathlons
2. 70.3 for those who want to compete in half Ironmans
3. 140.6 for those who want to cross the finish line at a full Ironman race

I told Ed that I can already bike several miles, run several miles, yet could barely swim the distance of 3 pool lengths. I also told him I wanted to compete in a half Ironman in 2011 and then maybe a full Ironman in 2012. His response was “You could easily be ready for an Ironman next year. We will have you do a marathon during the off season, you can do half ironman races in the summer, and hit your training peak next November for the Ironman that the team is racing together”

A FULL IRONMAN. 2.4 mile swim. 112 mile bike ride. 26.2 mile run. It is a race that can last anywhere from 10 to 17 hours. I told him I would think about it.

So I am thinking about it.  I think I may do it.

The team picked Iroman Cozumel as their goal race in 2011. At least the race would be in a location where after the race my family and I can spend the next 7 days laying in the sunshine sipping mojitos. Emphasis on laying…because I probably would not be able to walk after a 140.6 mile race.

I’ll let you know if I decide to take on the challenge. Do you think I should? leave a comment!

Sorry it has been almost a week since I have updated! I haven’t been training much…I spent the weekend in NYC with my best girlfriends and stayed up way too late, ate way too much, and drank beer. It was not a healthy weekend, but it was fun and I needed some girl time.

Last night I went to an information session for Team Z- a triathlon training group based out of Arlington. Basically they make the sport of triathlon into a team thing. They train together, compete in most of the same races, support each other and tailgate. Emphasis on tailgate. They bring grills and tents to the races and provide beer and burgers for the family and friends of racers as well as for the racers when they cross the finish line. SWEET.

They offer several group workouts a week as well as a long group run on Saturday and long group ride on Sunday. They have athletes that range from Ironman world champions, to those who did not even own a pair of running shoes when they started. The group slogan is ” a social organization with a major triathlon problem”. Sounds like my type of group!

Kickoff is this Saturday, so I will keep you posted on how it goes!  

One of the things that I really like about the sport of Triathlon is that it is not sexist. Men and women alike swim, bike, and run the same distance no matter who gets to the finish line first. Ironman was forever changed in 1982 when college student Julie Moss crawled her way to the finish line. If you need some serious inspiration, watch the video below.

Whitney would!!! 

I am very excited to say that my friend and co-worker, Whitney, decided to join me on this crazy adventure.

This is us crunching numbers about training times and pace. Because we are accountants and that is what we do.

ok fine, you’re right, this picture is completely posed. But don’t be surprised if in a few months we have fancy excel spreadsheets documenting our training and progress. Accountants love excel spreadsheets.

This weekend I went to Pacer’s looking for new running shoes. This weekend the store was offering tax free shopping as well as sale items. I had to go. What can I say? I am my mother’s daughter.

My opening dialog with the Pacer’s employee went like this:

Chris (Pacer’s manager): Hi! What can I help you with?
Lauren: I need to be fit for new running shoes. These have a few hundred miles on them already
Chris: ok! Any injuries, or feet problems I should know about?
Lauren: Yes. I am flat-footed, have IT band problems in both legs and I tore my right ACL.
Chris: (looking confused) and you still run? are you training for anything in particular or do you just need these for the occasional jog around the neighborhood?

At first I thought Chris thought I was crazy…until he told me he has had surgery a few times on both knees…and he runs marathons. He is the crazy one.

Chris brought me out running shoes called Somnios. They are a little more expensive, but completely customizable. For example, my left foot needs a stiffer sole, my right needs more arch support, my left foot over-pronates while my right under-pronates, ect. He took over an hour analyzing my run stride and walk to make sure he got all of the components of the shoes correct. He said this will help with my knee aches and IT band problems

I only did two miles on the treadmill last night, but those shoes feel great!!!! My stride feels guided, but I am pretty sure that is the point of the shoe.

If you want more information on these sweet custom shoes go here!

ITBS = Iliotibial Band Syndrome, a common injury of the knee often caused by running.

Once I was able to run again and my knee was holding up pretty well, I started getting pains on the sides of my knees in both legs. After a visit back to the orthopedic he told me I had IT band syndrome. Plenty of runners get it and it is due to the muscle rubbing and causing inflammation which then causes pain. 

“Some people are more prone to IT band problems than others. Those people include women, those who have had knee ligament replacements, those with flat feet, and runners who tend to over or under pronate while running.” -Runners World




…..really? REALLY?! Give me a break…




I am a woman with completely flat feet who had ligaments replaced in her knee who over-pronates when she runs. Damn.


And when I say I have flat feet…I mean flat…like a pancake..or like Kansas…or any other really flat thing. See below…and ignore the fact that I need a pedicure very badly.  

I also over-pronate. Which means I run on the outside most part of my foot. I have to wear motion control running shoes to help me run at a neutral angle. 

There is no cure for ITBS…just ways to control and ease the pain. This is mostly just stretches and exercises. However, today I was introduced to something called “The Stick”. It is a massage device that you use to roll up and down your thigh to loosen the IT band. It works wonders! I also use it for my shoulders, calves, and back.

Since I fit every description of someone prone to having IT band problems the least I can do is be armed with The Stick!

Earlier this year I put a nice chunk of change in my Flex Spending Account (FSA) to pay for Invisalign. Turns out my insurance covered way more of the braces then I thought they would. Meaning, I have extra money in my FSA. All money in this account has to be used by the end of the year or else you lose it.

Well man, oh man, did I use it. Osteo Bi-Flex is a supplement for joint comfort. I used it throughout the time I was doing physical therapy for my knee. It is this fantastic, magical lubricant for your joints. I never thought about using it while training, but after reading an article on vitamins last night I decided to go get some. Buy one get one free at CVS! hell yea. I stocked up….for the next 2 years.

ignore my messy desk…

I am pretty excited.

This picture has nothing to do with anything Osteo Bi-Flex or FSA related, but it sure is cute!!!