Hoo Ha Give A Way!

So Judi from Miles of Madness was raging about this product a few months ago.  And if Judi the hard core cyclist loved it, I knew it has to be awesome.  So I decided to order myself some Hoo Ha ride glide to try it out.  You can read my review here - but it is the best stuff ever.  Soooo...I'm going to be giving away a bottle!! 

Ok..I wanted to show off our oil free beaches.

So you are probably thinking "what do I have to do?"  Nothing really - just comment on this post, say something nice or inspirational.  Maybe post someone elses blog you enjoy reading or your own...or maybe even post my blog on yours.  I just really want to spread the word about this great 'HooHa' saver!!  Anything to help make a long ride less painful! 

I will pick the lucky winner a week from today (Friday, AUGUST 6th)

Hope everyone is having a great week!! 

WOW!

Thank you so much everyone for your comments on my last pitty party post!  Our attitude is so much better now - sometimes (as most of you know) we hit those walls and just need some great people to heave you over it.  We are all apart of a wonderful community. 

In celebration of the tour ending - I had my own tour de beaches:

Yep, even had some cobble stones - and yes, I know I need to change out my handle bar tape :)

This is Rosemary Beach which is a crazy beach 'town' that looks like Europe.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Crap attitude

I want to talk about the freaking heat.  Kelly and I had a 16 mile run planned for Thursday.  We started at 4:45am and met at our normal parking lot.  FIRST - when I pulled up there where cars in the lot, which is not normal for that time of the morning.  And the closer I looked - I realized that it was people:

#1 still drinking from the night before

#2 dressed up like super heroes

#3 I knew a few of them

Anyone remember those days?  I kind of do :)  Anyway - it was dark when Kelly and I started off for about the first 45 minutes.  And I don't know about you, but when it's dark, we run faster.  Kind of like we are trying not to get caught.  That was our first mistake - we took off way to fast.  There is no need for us to run the first 5 miles of a freaking 16 mile run at an 8:30 pace.  For us, if we can't chat on a long run, we're going to fast.  And then the sun came up......and our attitudes just got worse and worse.  Kelly is an AMAZING fast distance runner but hates the heat.  I mean hates it more then I hate taking shots.  So with our negative attitudes - our 16 mile run turned into 11.  And the worst part?  We where walking back to our cars...some older guys riding bikes on the bike path say "Good morning walkers - we're coming up on your left".  Walkers?  WALKERS?  Ugh. 

Kelly - No pictures

Yeah.  I'm not feeling it. 

So what is my new mantra? 

"I love the heat.  It makes me faster"

For those of you training in the heat - how do you deal with it? 

When we run, specially long runs, we either plant water or hit all of the fountains...where hydration is not the problem.  The problem is our crap ass attitude when it's hot.  I need to get over this wall really fast. 

* I would like to note that I think this is the first negative post I've done..well, kind of negative...but I was just waiting for it to happen!!*

In other news - I'm going to be having my first give away soon!!  I'm so excited!! 

Heaven?

...nope.  But pretty damn close!  Around mile 50 of our 75 mile hilly/hot/fast ride this morning we came across the springs at Ponce De Leon.  Nothing beats jumping into freezing cold, fresh water when it's 95 out.  Dear Roadies - thanks for letting this tri girl stick with you :) 

Paying the state park fee...$2 well wroth it

And a wonderful pulled pork sandwich from Red Bay Grocery with alittle bit of cucumber salad to go along. 

Every Saturday morning should be this much fun. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Ninja Brick

It was hot today during my long ass solo triple brick.  It was just me, my bike and my running shoes.  The only one to push me was myself.   Sometimes I think to myself - why do I do this?  Why to I put my body and mind through these long, hot training days?  And then I watch this - and it makes me feel better. 



What motivates you when you feel like you just can not go on?  A biggie for me is picturing my family at the finish line at IMFL.  Just picturing the happiness and excitement on their faces will get me out of my pity party and rock out the rest of the workout. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!! 

Simple Iced Coffee

I.  Love.  Coffee.  Not the frappichinos topped with whipped cream, but a nice, normal cup to get me going in the morning.  And in the middle of the day sometimes.  And sometimes I have more then one cup.  Since I don't drink soda, coffee is my weapon of choice when it comes to the mid day 'I've been up since 4:40am and ran 15 miles' pick up. 

My keurig is pretty awesome - specially the choices of coffee they offer.  But this time of the year, hot coffee just turns me off.  That is the last thing that I want to drink coming off a training ride or run through hell.  So I cam across this:

Starbucks VIA Iced Coffee.  Ahhh...heaven in a package.  And it won't put you in dept either.  You can get this package of 10 servings for about $5.00 from you local Starbucks - and they are offering $1 off coupons right now. 

They kind of trick you because there are 5 packets - but each one consists of two servings.  The taste is wonderful (for this coffee snob) and has a hint of sweetness.  All you do is dump the contents into a water bottle, add some water and ice (and some soy if you would like) and shake.  Super easy.  And as you know, I travel a ton for work - so it's perfect for a mid day perk....as well as carrying on the bike for those early ass rides. 

So next time you are at your local friendly Starbucks (since they seem to have taken over the world) pick a box of this wonderful, simple, portable goodness. 

Small Motivation

This morning I had a long ass hot run.  What a great way to start your Friday right? But mentally this was a tough run for me.  It was just hot and I was ready to get it done.  At list I can check it off the list.  Anyway - around mile 7 of my 14 miles I came across this:

Just a little bit of motivation to get you going in the middle of a long run.  Also, I have not clue what was going on around the beach last night - maybe people celebrating the oil being capped?  But it looked like spring break all over again.  Beer cans, bottles, bras (yes, bras) where randomly discarded all along beach drive.  (Sorry, no pictures)

DONE.  Now it's time to hang out in the AC. 

Oh the oil being capped.  For now.  It's wonderful and I actually had a tear in my eye yesterday when I heard.  But how long will it stay?  And please (for those of you who don't live on the coast) remember that there is still a shit ton of oil in our gulf which is killing our wildlife, polluting our beaches, and making people sick.  I have not and will not get in the gulf right now, even thought the water is clear, blue, and beautiful.  Ok,  I will probably hop in to go pee if I need to but too many people that I know who work on the beach are not feeling too hot.  We can't way it's from the oil...but we can't say that it's not.

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

Oil UPDATE

Ok, so I must have caused some confusion with my last post.  To be honest I'm not sure what the BP 'workers' are doing in our area.  I've seen them all over the panhandle the past few weeks.  (I drive a ton for work, and when I can take a beach road I do)  but we've had no tar balls or slick on our beaches.  Our beaches still look like this:

And you know I would tell you if anything was going on.  I know that Pensacola Beach was hit pretty hard with tar balls a few weeks ago - but thankfully the tides/currents and winds worked in our favor and pushed it away from us again.  To be honest, it just seems that BP is hiring a TON of people to make a 'we care' presence.  Which is a bunch of crap.  Because I know that just 100 miles west of us, they need so much help that it is frustrating.  But now every time you drive by a state beach access, you see a ton of people just 'hanging out' under tents and drinking water against a huge wall of port-o-potties.  And I don't know about you - but when I see a wall of port-o-john I automatically thing race!  And then - why am I not signed up for it?  :) 

Ragnar Relay Anyone?

I am pretty darn excited.  January I will be heading down to Miami with 11 other crazy running friends to be apart of the Ragnar Relay Series Florida Keys.  Never heard of the Ragnar?  Well, this one is a 185 mile relay race from Miami and ending in the Florida Keys.  Each runner does segments, followed by their team mates in a van.  Run.  Eat.  Sleep.  Repeat.  I've never been south of Miami Beach, so what is a better way to see the keys except on foot!?!? 

So the question is - who out there has done one of these?  Thoughts?  Feelings?

Today was track day with coach.  Up and out of the house by 4:45am.  Coach wanted me to bring my bike/trainer today - which made me pretty nervous. 

Princess this is the track.  Don't be scared.  He's not that bad:

But besides the heat - the multi brick/track workout was awesome.  Lots of out of the saddle action followed by a 1200 and then back on the bike....and repeat...a few times.  Half way through the workout the BP workers started to pull into the parking lot.  Gotta love pervy guys at 6am.  Puke-A-Roo.

So I opened my mailbox the other day and THIS was in it:

Thank you Maggs and the other Boca ladies for letting this Florida girl rock out one of your sweet Splish suits.  Why is it that when you get something new - you just HAVE to go out and train in it...that day?  Ahh..the small things that keep you going!! 

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Product Review

I am always searching for something to make my riding just a bit more comfortable, and I think I found the perfect tri shorts - Jaggad Sprint Shorts.  What makes this short so awesome?  Removable chamois.  Best.  Idea.  Ever.  I actually did my brick in them yesterday and they worked out great. 

I know, kind of an odd photo.  But I wanted to show you how it attached to the shorts. 

The pad did not move or shift at all - and I really put it to the test yesterday.  The fit was great and the comfort level was amazing.  And - lets say you are doing an IM and don't want to change shorts after the bike?  You can just pull the pad out.  Jaggad has some pretty awesome stuff on their site, including some great 'kit' options.  Check it out.  If you do decide to order something from this site - let me know!! 

And I'm not going to lie.  I freaking hate gels.  If I don't have to take one.  I won't.  I'll chew on some chomps or shot blocks.  But I decided to give them another shot yesterday.  And this was my weapon of choice:

Pineapple Gu Roctane.  YUMMO.  I think I have finally found a gel that I like.  The tast was good, and it kept me going as I was cycling and running through hell yesterday. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend - and no spoilers on the Tour, but man that was a great finish today. 

Food, Bricks, and Food

Big J's parents have a huge, wonderful garden in their backyard.  And when ever I head up to Pensacola for work, I always call ahead so they have a big bag of goodies ready for me to pick up.  And what was in the bag this week?  Canned tomatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and homemade pickles.  Minus the pickles - I knew what was going to be cooked for dinner.  Pasta:

Yum.  Yum.  And Yum is all I have to say about that.

This morning I had a killer triple brick on tap.  Thankfully Burk joined me for the party at 5:30am.  Burk has been doing triathlons for awhile and is going to be my partner in crime for Augusta.  The first brick was awesome, the 2nd was good and the third I thought I was in hell.  Literally.  Checking my Iphone when I got into the car, the temp said "92.  Feels like 104".  Awesome.  We really focused on hopping off of the bikes and running like we where racing.  So what do you do with your bikes in the middle of a parking lot?  

Lock them to the car :)  But we both felt great and happy to put this workout on the books.

After the run through hell, I headed over to Seaside to meet a very good friend, Em, for brunch.  After brousing the farmers market to pick up some blueberries, we headed over to Raw and Juicy for some WONDERFUL food.  I settled for black beans and rice while Em was all over the greek food offered from the Greek food stand.  YUMMMM:

Needless to say it was a great day filled with amazing friends, great food, and a stellar workout.  All before noon.

Ninja Training

Solo training can get boring.  Specially on the bike.  I always carry my Iphone with me when I ride (hey, you never know) so I decided to put this devise to good use.  There is an amazing free app called Pandora's Radio.  I'm sure some of you guys have been using this sweet app forever, but it's new to me.  You just type in what kind of music you want to listen to and it develops a radio station for your listening pleasure.  So today I jammed out to my 'Bob Marley' station, cruising down the road, with my Iphone in my bento box.  Perfect.  And somehow princess steered me directly to this place:

Think she's trying to tell me something?  :)  We need a trip.

Anyway, we cruised around the airport and started to head back to my house.  As I'm pumping up the 79 highway bridge I see a cop car pulling someone over (literally at the very top of the bridge) and a biker hanging out looking over the edge at the bay.  And to my pleasant surprise, it was Bob!

What great company to finish off this great 40ish mile ride with.  Plus he lives right down the street from me.  So we cruised back into town and caught up. 

What a great way to start the weekend!

On tap this weekend is a killer brick and some open water swimming (oil free!)  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! 

YEAH!

This is how I feel right now:

(photo thanks to SOWAL.COM)
Per the news...and the word on the street, the oil is moving away from our area. Thanks to the tide,currents, and wind the oil is actually pushing away from our perfect white beaches. I have yet to see any with my own eyes (and I would no doubt tell you and take pictures if I did). We're not going to totally write this oil issue off by any means, but any news is good news.

I had an excellent ride on Sunday with Coach Scott (tri coach) and Coach Chuck (swim coach). They are both amazing riders and I was SO happy to hold on to them for the two hour ride. Even when it was my turn to pull and the wind hitting me like a wall, I kept the speed about 20mph. When the boys pulled we kept around 22mph. So I was pretty excited about that. Sorry I don't give much draft boys...but at least I can hold my own!

Somehow my spare bag/back bottle holders broke in three places. So I took my bike to my local bike shop. Which I love. They are so nice and helpful. Not only did they replace the piece for free, but they gave the princess a bit of a cleaning. I was kind of embarrassed to bring her in - since it's been raining and gross here the past week. Rain + living by the beach = very sandy roads. I think Steve summed up the condition of my bike pretty good:
"My Chloe, the princess looks like she's been rode hard and put away wet"
I'm going to take that as a compliment :)

TDF: Holy cow! Is this Nascar or what? Crashes left and right. Cobble stones on right now, can't wait to see how this section turns out!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Fins will always beat me.

Humidity? Where did you go? Better yet - DON'T COME BACK! This morning we had a WONDERFUL humidity free ride. Some head wind - but a head wind out, you get a tail wind back in. Fist pump. I was suppose to do an open water swim followed by a two hour ride this morning - but since Big J was excited about surfing, that means the water is a bit to rough for me to get a good workout in. So after the ride I hopped into the pool.....

...and I got my ass handed to me by an old man. An old man who swam around the Keys a few months ago, but still. Oh yeah he had on fins and a 'swimming' snorkel as well. Come on now. But I do hope that when I'm 70 years old I'll be able to still do a few thousand meter swim with the kids.

Tomorrow I have a brick which my tri coach AND my swim coach are going to do with me. Party time.

Pictures from todays ride - Diane and I on top of the highway 79 bridge. If you've done IMFL, you know it's the ONLY hill in the area. :)

How do you like my freaky arm vein? It's only on my right arm. Weird.


So I'm finally back to normal after being 'on' for a week. My diet is back on track as well as my sleep schedule....and I'm feeling AWESOME. Thank goodness.

And is anyone watching the tour?!?!? It's going to be a good one!!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th!