Jersey State Championship recap

Onward and upward.  There is no rest for the wicked.  For me I only have a few weeks and it was back to racing again.  This time it was Jersey State olympic distance.  This was a race that I did last year and I did very well here so I was pumped to go back. This is a very competitive race and I was really ready to go out there and drop the hammer coming off of my fitness from 70.3 training.

This was an olympic race, I had been here before and I was super excited.  I had a few race nerves but I was ready to go.  I knew which restaurant I was having dinner at, we got to the hotel. Everything went well.  En route to the race we passed a tree down in the road and I didn't think anything of it.  Little did I know this was right in the middle of the bike course so this meant a shortened bike course(foreshadowing for a later decision fyi).

I got suited up and headed over toward the swim start.  I watched my buddy go off with the elites and I just couldn't believe how some of those dudes were flying through the water.  Next thing I knew it was my turn to go.  So waddled down like a penguin in a flock getting ready to jump in.  I jumped in and did a few strokes up to the line.  The water was great and it was go time.  I could hear my Dad whistling for me from the start, I had no idea they were coming so that was a pretty rad feeling. The gun went off and there we went.  Swim felt great.  I didn't crush my time from last year but it was right around the same but this year was without a wetsuit which made me feel pretty good.  I still have a lot of work to do on my swim though.

From there it was off on the bike. I knew that the course was shortened by three miles and I decided to hammer my bike and just hold on for the 10k.  Well hammer I did. I think at the end of the day I held somewhere around 24-25 mph for the bike leg of this race.  I hammered it alright and I wasn't even ready for the pain of this run.

The pain came and it came quick.  The heat was almost unbearable, I am not using that as an excuse because everyone had to battle the heat, however I did not fair well.  It became clear that I was not going to PR this run very early on so I went into survival mode.  I poured ice anywhere and everywhere I could, I drank water and I covered myself in towels.  Thankfully Stefan found me from earlier.  He pushed me along for a few miles and was very helpful.

Stefan however faired much better than I on the bike and so he lost me soon after.  I crossed the line and felt defeated.  Not in a good way though but in the man, I just messed that one up and I shouldn't have done that kind of way.  But hey you live and you learn, I realized that my the nutrition attack I had for this day didn't work, I realized I couldn't push the bike that hard in the heat and most important I realized I had an amazing support system in people I might only see at races.

Thank you John and Stefan for helping me through this run, Thanks Mom, Dad and Jamee for coming out to support again and thank you to my sponsors and supports for enabling me to do something I love!

Next up is Atlantic City International Tri and I'll give you a sneak peak, its a good one!

Until next time my friends,

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself.

I don't post on here daily but feel free to find me else where!

A BAD Case of the Modays

Ever hear that saying when it rains it pours?  Well that was me today.  It just felt like if there was something that could go wrong...it would.  I can't seem to win today and I am so ready to get out of this rut and start a fresh day tomorrow.

First of all I did my brick yesterday.  It was my first real brick workout and it was hard....very hard!  I drove down to the Y to park my car and jump on my bike.  I headed out filled with energy and a few cold water bottles.  I rode the route I usually go on from the Y and it was a nice ride.  The weather was beautiful and I just embraced the ride.  I finished 18 miles and headed back to the Y.  I jumped off my bike, switched my shoes, grabbed another water bottle and sucked down my Power Bar gel before heading out on my run.....OUCH!!! My legs were not happy with me, they felt like wet noodles when I started running.  I had my Nike+ app going and I felt like I was running at a 15:00 pace and I wanted to stop so bad.  Just as I rounded the line for my first mile, I could hear the app kick in and I wanted to swallow my head because I knew it was going to tell me my time.  That annoying voice chirping in my ear and then it came....8:00 first mile after an 18 mile ride!! Holy cow did that feel awesome!  I knew I had to put in at least another mile so I forged on.  Trying to keep pace with that 8:00 mark I picked up my speed.  She came on again after the second mile and I hit another 8:00 mile.  I couldn't believe it.  I have never held that pace before and I just did it, after an 18 mile ride!!!  What an INCREDIBLE feeling of accomplishment that came over me. 

Strava from my brick

Run portion of my brick.

Today didn't go so well though.  I got to work and I had forgotten my lock to put my bag in a locker.  Unfortunately we live in a world where you just can't trust anyone so I put my bag on the pool deck.  What's one day right? It's not that big of a deal....wrong! I got yelled at for having my bag on the deck when there were three other people who had their bags out there.  I took my wallet and keys out of my back and put the rest of my stuff in a locker.  I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, I was breaking the rules, no big deal.  It just felt like I was getting in trouble when I always have my stuff in a locker but other people don't.  Maybe I am being too sensitive, oh well...

I then got an email that my midterm paper for my summer class was late.  I was on the school's website everyday over the last week checking for my professor to put an update with what was due and she never did, so I assumed that nothing was do....well you know what they say about assuming.  So I said OK, no big deal I will just complete the paper when I get home and upload it.  AGAIN wrong....the paper requires a book which I of course, you guessed it, don't have.  So on top of not turning in the other assignments for last week, I know have no submitted my paper.....this is not going to end well.  I knew this class was going to be hell, but I really can't afford to fail this class.  I have to skip sailing tomorrow and find this stupid book to complete my paper.  I can only hope that my professor will accept it late and just give me a grade.  I need a C to pass this class and just be done.  I am praying that I can make that happen. 

Other than that today was very uneventful.  I needed to post to vent and get these things off my chest so that I can fall asleep and hopefully start tomorrow fresh.  I did my lift today but it didn't feel the same.  Hopefully I will get back into the swing of things tomorrow.  Although this was a bad day, I refuse to let it set the tone for the rest of my week.  I am going to stick to my guns and get things done!  One bad day isn't going to throw me off track and it shouldn't throw you off either.  Wishing you all a good week and hopefully it got off to a better start than mine!  Thank you for reading!


All for now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

When it rains it pours...

If you read my post from yesterday afternoon you would have thought that I was on top of the world. Well just as fast as I went up, I came back down. It's been a hell of a day that's for sure. 

It started yesterday when I got home from work. There was a bill from school, which obviously I knew was coming. I have to take two classes this summer so that I can graduate in the fall and pursue my dream of teaching physical education. However, it is going to cost money to go to school in the summer and that isn't covered by financial aid.  At this point you may be thinking, you're still young, why not ask your parents for help. You're right, I am and my family isn't wealthy by any definition of the word.  Cue more bad news... My father is out of a job right now and I don't know where I am going to get the money to get these classes out of the way. By taking class that limits my work schedule which in turn limits my income. I have no clue where I'm going to get the money to cover this and it's causing me sooooo much stress. Not to mention it's making my schedule for summer a nightmare. 

Just as you thought it ended there, it doesn't. We got a call last night that my uncle had passed away. So just pile it on. The emotion train is rolling and it ain't stopping there.  I thought that more people would be here for me during this time, but I think I have gotten a total of 2-3 texts from friends sending their condolences.  I woke up this morning, in a terrible mood and just wanted to put everything behind me and get a solid workout in. Without even thinking I grabbed a bottle and took what I thought was my morning supplements... and then I realized I just took a freaking sleeping pill instead of my supplements that I usually take. Genius right? Yeah I know...

It's just been one if those days where it feels like if there is something that could go wrong, it did. My heart was literally pounding out of my chest and I needed to get to the gym. I feel at home in the gym but I feel even more at home in the water. I just jumped in and started going. Water is amazing and it cleanses me of everything going on and it's just me and the water at that moment. It's funny how it all works. 

After my swim I was still feeling off but I had to go to work. I got there and gathered all my equipment and got my happy face on. Working with kids has taught me that you can't show them anything but happy and you have to stay on your A game. I'm not saying hide all emotions but you need to leave everything at the door. It's incredible what children can do for you. As soon as I started they completely changed my mood around. They are AMAZING and I have the best time in the world with them. One of my parents actually came up to me after his son's lesson and shook my hand. He said "thanks for everything that you've done, we really appreciate it." Talk about an amazing feeling, when you touch the life of a child, you just can't compare it to anything else. My student gave me an awesome card that he made with a picture of me on it! It was just an irreplaceable moment all around that I really needed. 

My pretty crappy day turned around slightly but I'm just trying to maintain at this point. I gotta find my spot again, that place where I can live care free for awhile.  It is my absolute DREAM to move to California.  I want to live there and teach physical education. I want to have crazy long hair and surf everyday and compete at a competitive level in triathlons. I want to teach parents and students about the importance of being physically active and healthy. I know you're reading this and I want to thank YOU for bringing this back into the forefront. I will stop at nothing until I reach this goal.  Thanks for letting me vent. Hope y'all had a better day than I did, sure wouldn't take much. Keep it up and thanks for reading. 

All for now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself