Whatever you do, Keep Moving!

Back to the grind :-D  Even though it's "Monday" in terms of work week, there's something comforting about knowing that it's only a 4 day stretch this week instead of 5.  Yay!

On the training front, this week is a bit of an "easier" volume week for me.  Even though I'm training through Keuka (in lieu of doing a taper, which I do for my A races), I'm going to try to get the bigger volume stuff out of the way early on in the week to have fresh legs for Sunday. 
(A quick FYI to my non running friends-an A race is something I build my calendar around and train specifically for-like The National Marathon,  Musselman and Chesapeakeman-the rest of my races in 2011 are done to prep for these races and in general, just for fun-but I don't set up specific training plans for them). 

Anyhow, Keuka is a "B" race for me....one I would like to do well in, of course, but not a main race.

However, this year, Keuka and I have a little bit of a feud to settle.  The hubster and I have been doing this race since 2007, and in 2008 I started doing the Olympic Race (.9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 10k run).  In 2008, I separated my shoulder 4 weeks before the race due to being hit by a car (and got a new bike 2 days before the race, lol)-and I had no business racing. What can I say, I'm an idiot determined. In 2009, I was super sick the week before the tri and not on my A game....in 2010 I raced the bike portion with my rear brakes rubbing my wheel the whole time (totally my fault for not getting off my bike of course!).  So....for 3 years I have had serious difficulties with this damn race, and I have a may-jah score to settle with it!  I know anything can happen on race day, but me and Keuka need to make up on at least the bike course in 2011 -game ON!!
Today on tap was a technical swim with descending intervals-awesome for increasing swim speed-and workout 2 is either strength or a hill workout for biking depending on weather and how my leggies feel.  Bring it!

Today, especially, I feel the spirit of triathlon-one of my idols, Rutger Beke, announced his retirement.  Rutger Beke is a pro triathlete from Belgium and has been rockin' out the sport professionally since 2003.  He's podiumed at Kona (world champs) and also won a few Ironmans. 
Impressive.


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However, that's not why I love this man.  To me, Rutger Beke embodies the best parts of what triathlon is.  In 2006, Beke came in 4th in Kona, HI.  In 2007, in the same race, he blew up on the bike and couldn't run anymore after mile 10.  Most pro's would have dropped.  Not Beke.  He walked the last 16 miles of that race.  Now, he still finished in 11 hours and change (which is just unbelievable to me!) but most people would have quit. That, to me, is AMAZING.  ON top of which, the next year, in 2008, Beke came back to claim third in Kona.  Amazing.  Just amazing. 

This is also how I try to live my triathlon racing.  Martin Luther King originally said it, but I do my best to live by it: 
"If you can't fly, then run.
If you can't run, then walk.
If you can't walk, then crawl.
But whatever you do, keep moving"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

And I enjoy every second of it. You go, Rutger.  Thank you for not only giving this sport your talent, but also your humanity and willingness to GO, no matter how fast or far.

Happy Tuesday, friends.  I hope you have an amazing day!

It’s gettin’ hot in here….

Welcome to Western New York, where it can be 50 one day and pushing 90 the next!  This weekend has been all over the place, and we welcomed the start of the official summer season with mid 80s and scorching humidity in my hometown.  Naturally, I had a 10-14 mile long run in the books.  Naturally, I also slept in and started prepping for said run about 12:30   (Ok, that’s a half truth.  I woke up feeling like complete poop and took some legal drugs and moaned around before the hubster told me to HTFU nicely suggested that I stop whining and either can my run or get out the door. Since I ain’t scurred of 90% humidity, I mapped out a nice 4 mile loop, lubed up (with sunscreen, of course!) and off I went.

www.nataliedee.com

Highlight of the run:  I don’t look like this.  A bit of color, but that’s gonna happen while being outside for nearly 2 hours.

Lowlight:  I felt like death. This was truly an ironman HTFU style run-I ended up doing a little over 12 miles-slower than normal, but I’m cool with that.  It was friggin hot!

Best part of my day, hands down:  About mile four, I was contemplating quitting.  I had just finished my first loop and was soclose to home, that I figured well…maybe these are junk miles.  Maybe I’m too type A.  Maybe there ARE times to just say stuff it and cut this s^%$t short!

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I had almost convinced myself when a little maroon Toyota corolla drove by slowly and inside I saw:  ok, ok, maybe it wasn’t REALLY Betty White, but a little 80 year old woman grinned at me and gave me a big ole thumbs up for being awesome crazy enough to be doing my long run in the mid day heat.  I gave her a goofy wave back and of course I started laughing at myself and the situation….kept me going for another 8 miles.  Thank you to the random senior citizen that made my day
12 miles and change in the Ironman bank, baby!  And almost 2 hours in the mental prep HTFU bank, too   (in case you were wondering, I would rather run when it’s cooler during the day and often try to, but since I plan to hit the Ironman run between 2pm and 3pm, it helps to do some runs in  the heat, as you never know what you’ll get on race day.)  I wore SPF 30 and carried a tube for reapplying and had a huge jug of water at my loop start, so I was good to go-just HOT and playing it smart by not letting my HR get too high during the run!)
So, that, sadly, was the main focus of my day   Hubster and I grocery shopped, did some race prep (Keuka in 6 days baby-that lake better be hella warm!) and did some household stuff.  Boring married kinda crap-but I love it   

And since we save the best or last, I want to say a big thank you to all that we celebrate this day for.  You are amazing, and my hat is off to you for serving our wonderful country.

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Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday Funday!

What a wonderful day   Today was the first weekend day in quite awhile where we had no “out of house” plans and it was just glorious   While I love spending time with family and friends, I’m what they call an “introvert” (which, shockingly, has nothing to do with how outspoken you are )
People often laugh at me when I tell them that I’m an introvert, but it actually has nothing to do with shyness or social comfortability.  I thoroughly enjoy being around people (crowds even ) but introvert/extrovert is more of where you draw your energy.  Introverts tend to draw energy from within and being in a crowd drains them-they need to be by themselves to “recharge".

Extroverts, on the other hand, draw their energy from people and being around others. 
Even though I love a good party or night out, I recharge my batteries by being by myself, which if you know me, makes perfect sense as to why I adore long distance triathlon and marathon running.  There’s nothing better than spending hours doing something I love and contemplating life.  Luckily, the hubster is a lot like me in that respect, so it’s not unusual for us to be in the same house for hours and not see each other.  Of course, we do come together at mealtime and snuggle time
Back to today.  after sleeping in until 9:30 (wooohoo!) it was pancake Sunday then off to our respective workouts.  I knocked it outta the park with a spectacular 70 mile ride/15 minute transition run brick.  My leggies are feeling so much better non the bike this year and I am hoping for an epic tri season!  Hard to believe that in one week we will be done with the first tri of 2011!!  (Lovin the warm weather for what I hope it is doing to transform Keuka lake )
Post workout, the hubster and I enjoyed (separate) ice baths, a late late lunch, and some ‘80s cheese.   My opinion of this movie rose greatly when I realized that circa 1983 Young and the Restless was featured quite a bit-nothin’ like seeing the ‘stache 30 years ago still hamming it up
After lunch, we got a few chores outta the way (mulching and flower planting, yo) and then hit Wally World for some Glaser date night staples, cause that’s where the cool kids in 315 land go on a Sunday night.  a 2 liter of soda (yes, SODA hubster, not pop….the debate continues) a dollar red box, and some popcorn and we are good to go for a wild night!  Hey, no one said we were party animals!
And while a 4 hour workout, gardening, and a low key date night might not be perfection to some, it is to me   I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend, and if you are scurrred of bad dreams tonight, or just need something to smile about, I leave you with this:

I can't get enough of this clip

Shower the Bride!

IT’S THE LONG WEEKEND finally!!!  WOOHOOO!!!  Today was a go go go….I spent all of last night making food and wrapping gifts and woke up bright and early to get my miles in before the shower today.  I did a 30 mile tempo ride (averaged 19.4-I think my leggies are sore from this week, so some yoga tonight it in order!) and then packed it all in to get to Rachael’s shower.
Let’s say it with pictures, yes?

The bride, her sisters and Mom!

The bride and her 'maids :-D

Amazing food!!

Opening gifts....apparently I take my MOH duties seriously :-P

Yummy cookie cake and gorgeous bride!

Gorgeous bride, gorgeous day, wonderful friends…can’t improve on that!  Can’t wait for the big day on July 2nd!!

And now, I am completely exhausted.  Time for a low key night before some major workouts in the next few days....can't wait!!

The Rachael Rae Show!

It's FINALLY the long weekend!  Wooohooo!!  What's on tap for everyone out there?  Although I am not as fortunate as Kim and Alexa to be in the best place on earth (3 weeks!  3 weeks!), I do have a few fun things on tap....

First and foremost, my BFF Rachael is getting married in a few months and is crazy awesome enough to ask me to be her maid matron of honor.  I am super amped and can't wait for her special day!  (And no, we did not end up getting these dresses.  Thankfully she has better taste :-P)

www.nataliedee.com

Anyways, tomorrow is her bridal shower, so tonight I get to do some cooking!!  There are gonna be about 30 people there, so I am gonna be making a heck of alot of food!  Stay tuned for my version of the Rachel Ray show....The Rachael (my BFF) Rae (me) show!!  ( i know, i know, the cheese factor gets worse and worse around here)

  On tap for my portion of the menu: 

* Cheesecake bites
* Cream cheese veggie pizza
* Rye Dip
* Fruit pizza (with a sugar cookie base!)
* Pretzel Jello Salad

I've got all the ingredients and am ready to take on these new recipes with abandon :-D  Hopefully I don't screw it up royally....but if I make a giant mess, I think I'll rationalize that since I am making the hubster's dinner in the process that he gets clean up duty.  bwahahaha.  Just kidding (I think!)

Sunday is long ride day, somewhere between 4-5 hours on tap.  And then depending on what time I get up in the morning, I will get a long run in...if not, that's early Monday.  Hubster and I have a date on Monday-hopefully it's gonna be nice out!!  All I know is that I am sorely hoping for the heat wave they predicted to come to fruition....in 9 days I am jumping in Keuka lake and that sh*t is still cold as all get out!!  Yeeks! Am I crazy or what?  (Don't answer that)

What about you, friends? Any good plans this weekend?  Any good pool parties that I can crash? you would like to invite me to? :-D  I promise I shower!  (most of the time....)

Trash

The all knowing, all seing TRASH HEAP!  NYEAH!

Today, I'd like to talk about garbage.  Yup.  Good old fashioned trash.  You see, I think in life, there is such a thing as good trash and bad trash.  Bad trash is the stuff that really is superfluous and messes up your equilibrium:  we all deal with it, it sucks, and it really is toxic to our well being, especially if you get too much of it.
Good trash, on the other hand, are the little guilty pleasures in life that make our trip bearable-they might not be the "healthiest" per say, but they keep life fun, interesting, and worth living!!

Lately, I have had an influx of frustrating events in my life, and admittedly so, I have not been dealing with it super well.  I consider myself pretty resilient, but when the sh*t hits the fan, sometimes I do, too!

So what do I consider "bad trash"?

1.  Eating to calm emotions.  Chocolate and peanut butter have their place.  It's probably not meant to be the main staple of my diet in large quantities. An it's stress management only lasts about 30 seconds :-D

Good Trash Solution:  Filling my belly with yummy quality eats and having a bit of chocolate each day.  Not a bag, but a piece :-D

Yummy protein filled eats that are making my tummy happy lately....

Egg and Herb bake with fresh windowsill herbs....yumtastic!



Tuna with celery, fresh salsa and chopped dill...a party in my mouth :-D

2.  Bad Trash:  junk miles.  I am a super type A athlete almost to a fault.  I can over train very easily, I am super stubborn about getting my miles in, and hate to take a day off.  Sometimes this "dedication" is good.  But stressing out about every workout and slogging through a workout that is clearly a waste of effort (after my 5 minute test :-P) is not good for my body or my mind.

 

Good Trash Solution:  Give 90% of my workouts my all, and enjoy a slack-ass day every once in awhile.  Work out vicariously through watching a trashy summer TV show and dancing during the commercials....or during the show so your husband is impressed with the talent he married makes fun of you.

 

But what show could you possibly accomplish that with?

 



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 Enter in the BEST trash TV show of the summer!!  For a former dancer, this show just pushes all the right buttons :-D  Modern, lyrical, rap, breakdance, contemporary, tap, even Tahitian! dancing-complete with crazy teenaged contestants and funny judges.  Score.

While I realize that I am not Martha Graham (or my buddy Robert, which, IMO, was the best friggin dancer last season and was totally robbed by getting third!)  I totally destress to this show and enjoy some good quality trash TV time in the process!  (I've even caught the hubster enjoying this show.  shhh....don't tell).

Speaking of which....the premier is tonight!  Fox at 8pm.  I can't wait!!  I've got my jazz shoes on and am ready to bust out with some well timed calypsos and hinges.  I'm sorry, hubster.

Are you a trash TV fan? Whats your good trash?

Men at Work

Hey there and welcome to Wednesday   It’s been a full day here in my world, but let’s start with the most important part of today…the men at work at my hiz-ouse!

No, not those guys…..the cable guys!  (alright, he was better than Jim Carey )  Mr. Brad from Time Warner hooked us up good tonight and we’re back to cable and internet-yay!!  I won’t fully disclose what happened to our line to protect the not-so innocent…but in Clue fashion, I think it might have been Mister Blue in the front yard with a metal instrument….I joke, I joke! (Just messing, Vinnie )

So other than that bit of good news (I get to blog again!  I’m sorry….YAY!!!), I spent a solid few hours after work in another land down under   my basement.  Fittingly, I rode 45 miles of the Ironman New Zealand course, which is 13 miles of one ridiculous hill and then 30 miles of flat to get the speed back up.

Not steep, just loooong-good keuka prep!  I averaged about 19 for the ride, which isn’t too darn bad after a full day of work
Of course, I think it was because I had madness to keep me company, and, in fitting with the theme of the day, this hot Aussie (or his evil twin....but who can keep track??)…

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  Oh baby.  Work it, man, work it

Meep Meep

Someone killed our cable and internet :-(  Tis very sad.  No internet at Casa Glaser until tomorrow night!!  Silly roadrunner.  My guess it that it went something like this....

....And then....it might have been aliens, our neighbor Vinnie's gung ho shovel (just teasing, Vinnie :-P), or  rabid squirrels that attacked our lines to kill my creative blogging silly soap opera taping.

I'm going with the squirrels.

http://www.nataliedee.com/


Blech.  Happy Tuesday, friends!!  Enjoy your internet and think of me :-D

Riding the Bus

Sorry I was MIA yesterday, folks.  Our Internet kicked the bucket, as it seems Time Warner was playing around with power lines in good ole 315 land.  I hear that having no Internet might adversely affect your AVM.  Sorry, jumping the gun there.....

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These past few days have been pretty rough on me, kids.  I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I am fully riding the bitter bus right now.  I am sorely a glass half full kinda girl, but my little world has been rocked in the past week with just enough to tip me over the edge! 

I won't belabor it, as reading someone else's little rants are no fun-I just keep repeating that "you never get more than you can handle...." and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.  I know it exists!!  Meanwhile, I am working on coping mechanisms for the new week-

* Don't stuff your emotions with food.  This is, sadly, key with me.  I find solace in brownies and cookies, which is fine, but emptying the box of girl scout cookies in one setting is not good for my tummy or my brain.  Plan of action:  calling a friend, snuggles, and yoga.  Last resort of desperation: fireballs.  I know they aren't healthy, but they take awhile to "eat" and calm the fire, literally :-D

* Tackle one problem at a time.  Today, the mortgage.  Tomorrow, work.  It's doable.  It's more about looking for the solution rather than ruminating on the problem.  I can do that :-D

*  Give myself a break.  I know I'm not perfect.  I need to realize that's "okay".  If I skip one workout, I will not wallow in the land of DNF (Did not finish) for a race.  However, since training is stress relief for me, I will make sure I get some form of workout in most of the time!!

* Realize that it's ok to say "no".  I, like most other females, feel really guilty if I tell someone no.  I need to remember that it's good to help people out, but that I need to take care of myself as well, or I won't be able to help anyone.  I may be superwoman,  but even she wasn't perfect!

I think that sounds good...if I remember even half of that, it just might help!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get off the bus! 

Sunshine and Showers!

Happy Saturday!!  It’s been a gorgeous day here in New York, and cock full of business!I started out the day with a 45 mile tempo ride (nailed my pace for my upcoming half Ironman!), strength and core workouts, then headed out to Websta to help out Momma TFB and drive her to a bridal shower my godmother was throwing for my cousin Karen, who’s getting married 3 weeks!
It was the perfect afternoon of sunshine, family and party

Momma TFB and the bride to be!

Amazing Eats...my godmother knows how to throw a party!

Opening Gifts....gorgeous quilt by Momma TFB (yea, I'm biased :-))

Hawaiian Wedding Cake....I think the pineapple makes it core friendly :-D)

Playing mad libs (they got a bit dirty...lol)

The ladies!

Wonderful eats, wonderful fun, wonderful wedding chat and overall a good time!  It’s about 6:30 here in my little corner of the blog world, and since it looks like the world didn’t end (phew! I was "so" worried!!) I’m gonna go enjoy the evening outside with a drink and a good book.  (Which I highly recommend!)  Have a wonderful Saturday night!