tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125851342024-03-14T00:58:53.276-05:00Back off man, I'm a scientist.<a href="http://insertwittyteamnamehere.blogspot.com" border="0"><img src="http://www.thunderlizards.net/pics/WWR/wwr_logo.png" height="135" width="700" align="center"></a>Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.comBlogger522125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-23103518791408574162012-12-14T14:12:00.002-06:002012-12-14T14:12:40.011-06:00Splish Splash...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You guys! So, as usual, it's been a while. My big news, for those who aren't Facebook friends is that I got a permanent position in the UK. In March I will be moving to the lovely town of Bath, where a university finally decided to entrust me with the minds of the young folk, which I hope to corrupt. Bath is all Georgian and Jane Austen-y and almost as ridiculously quaint as Galway. </div>
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In unfortunate running news, I effed up my knee doing too many double-unders and box jumps at Cross Fit and I have been out of commission for two months. It seems to be IT band. I have recently said "Screw it!" and decided to start exercising again, but I can only run a mile before it starts to ache. So an April marathon is not likely, although I hope I can still do the half.</div>
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Well, I'm off to my third Christmas party in a row. I think my 9 months in Ireland have made it so that I can likely drink any American under the table now. And I still get put to shame by my Irish friends. I really think they must have a special stomach enzyme for converting beer to water.</div>
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All in the name of carb loading!</div>
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<br />Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-82389073126174861862012-09-21T16:00:00.000-05:002012-09-21T16:00:26.570-05:00Connemarathon!So it's been six months. I make no pretense of still being a blogger.<br />
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But... I did just sign up for the Connemarathon. Mostly because of the name. I'm doing Hal Higdon's Super Novice Training Plan, which literally starts with 1.5 mile runs and a 3 mile long run. Considering I have been barely running the last six months, this is perfect for me. My friend is signed up with me and it will be her first and she is at the same place with running as I am. Being the (ahem) experienced marathoner I am, I feel like I need to be the rock in this training plan and make sure not to slack on runs, since I really do think for a first marathon you need to stick to a training plan.<br />
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But somehow we already managed to miss our second run.<br />
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That's okay! We'll get on track!<br />
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So on April 7th, we will be running here:<br />
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<br />Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-63306433563913731972012-03-22T09:13:00.003-05:002012-03-22T09:13:44.093-05:00Greetings from Ireland!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, after 2.5 weeks, I am more or less settled in here. It would be nice if I had a clothes dryer that didn't merely make my clothes less damp, but I'll survive.<br />
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Assuming I don't get hit by a car because I have been looking the wrong way before crossing.<br />
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Since I don't belong to a gym here yet, it's been back to ye olde running exclusively for me. I live in a cute little stone house right alongside a canal that goes between the ocean and campus and has a nice path alongside it. I haven't yet run down by the ocean because it is damn windy here, even away from the ocean.<br />
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You know, in the US, I always assumed that bike/pedestrian paths should follow the same rules as roads - you keep to the right and pass on the left. So in theory, here I should keep to the left and pass on the right. But these people! There is no rhyme or reason at all to which side the walk or bike on. THEY ARE DISRUPTING THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE. Just like the Germans who cut in the Portapotty lines. Europe, you are whack.<br />
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America! Fuck yeah!Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-66223529264547116112012-02-13T16:16:00.002-06:002012-02-13T16:16:38.087-06:00Holy crap. Less than three weeks.My time here is Seattle is rapidly coming to a close. I actually haven't been running lately outside (I do intervals on the treadmill after doing weights at the gym) because I have been trying to squeeze in as much playing in the snow as possible before moving to Ireland!<br />
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Skate skiing surely has to be an adequate running replacement! Seriously, I find skate skiing to be way harder than running, both from a cardio standpoint and a muscle strength standpoint. Of course, I look as graceful as these skiers!<br />
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I do have one last trail race near Seattle before I head off. I am signed up for the 20 miler, but I think I shall be dropping back to the 5 miler. Weak! To answer Bertie's question - I'm actually stalled out at 55 minutes since I haven't been running. Tomorrow! I swear! If anything, I need to get a few more runs in my favorite places in Seattle before I go as well!</div>Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-4398660579010028802012-01-26T14:39:00.001-06:002012-01-26T14:39:18.452-06:0055 minutesThat's how long my next long run should be. This whole "10%/week" things is lame. So next time I have to run 61 minutes? And if you start from zero, how do you increase at all? 10% of 0 is... 0.<br />
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But I shall be running none of that this weekend, as I shall be gallivanting in Whistler! Yay snow! I'm trying to smush in as much snow as possible before Ireland, as that is one thing Ireland is sorely lacking in.<br />
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ZOMG, Ireland! I have exactly 21 full days left in Seattle. I will be gone for 13 days in February. Nuts! So much to do! So little time!Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-90810799426356947212011-12-23T12:47:00.001-06:002011-12-23T12:47:26.097-06:00Mysterious Pelvic InjuriesThe area between my pelvis and right leg is hurting. A lot. It doesn't feel quite like the hip flexor, but it doesn't feel like my groin either. All I know is that I am limping all over the place. I ran less than 2 miles yesterday and it is one big hobble fest today.<br />
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In good news, I am trapped in the woods in Vermont and running from our house has two options: Up a big hill and then turn around and go down or Down a big hill and turn around and go up. So I don't love running here anyway. (So the hill doesn't look so bad in the photos, but it is uphill for miles and miles and miles without any true flats, so it wears on you. And add the snow.)<br />
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We have snow here at least! Yay for white Christmas! I hope you all have a good one, while I sit on the couch and have my mom bring me breakfast. I love my mom.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-61372412360812156322011-12-12T21:35:00.001-06:002011-12-19T15:03:34.797-06:00Dublin 2012!Hotel rooms are booked. Dublin 2012! Good times! We'll return later to the question of if I really want to run another marathon...<br />
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In other news, we rented this cabin by Mount Rainier for New Year's Eve. You have to ski or snowshoe in (or bribe the ski patrol to bring you up on that stylin' snowmobile). It sleeps 14. Party time! Of course, we do have to haul in all the booze ourselves...<br />
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But it was good times! The race was really well done and we had a blast. Some random Canadian let us stay at their house for free and he slept in his camper. Oh Canada! You're so sweet.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-82318538147217788472011-10-28T14:27:00.000-05:002011-10-28T14:27:46.301-05:00The year in reviewSince <a href="http://reecriff.blogspot.com/">Glaven</a> needs a place to make suggestive comments in response to my comments on his blog, I thought I would pop in and give an update. It's been over a year, so I imagine approximately three people will read this, but hey! I'm procrastinating!<br />
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So I ran Berlin and then proceeded to do nothing for a long time.<br />
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Then I signed up for the Avenue of the Giants Marathon with some Iowa friends, got really sick in February (woah, vertigo!) lost all my fitness, but ran the half anyway, despite having a long run of 2 miles. Gorgeous course. The half is totally PR material. I recommend it whole-heartedly.<br />
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I organized a team for the Epic Prelay from Portland to Eugene. It was a gorgeous course. I can't recommend running in Oregon enough.<br />
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I was going to do the Ragnar Pacific Northwest Relay, but on short notice I got flown to Australia for an interview (for a job I didn't get, but free trip to Australia!).<br />
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Here I will gently suggest that you avoid doing Ragnar races in the future. As a relay veteran, I have done two Ragnars and many independently run relays. If you haven't heard, they started a new relay in Colorado, which runs the course of a long standing relay (simply named The Colorado Relay) in reverse. <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/meyer/ci_18984069">In fact, the Ragnar race organizer was given a free entry by The Colorado Relay as a courtesy, ran the race, and then a week later began the plans to poach the course.</a><br />
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My Ragnar experiences do not trump my independent experiences in terms of organization or support (in fact, Ragnar's Great River Relay has been my worst experience), so this is not a case of the better man winning, simply bullying by a larger organization. There is room for other relays in Colorado (Epic has a new one as well - they developed a unique route and picked a weekend that doesn't overlap with the long established weekends of other races in Colorado). So on principle, I will not be organizing any more Ragnar teams. There are plenty of great races out there without the Ragnar label, so go do those!<br />
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Sorry for the diversion! Anyway, it is all moot, since I am moving to Ireland! So I am guessing there will be no relay for me in the near future, but Dublin Marathon 2012? Anyone?<br />
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Also, I'm wearing the German chicken hat today for an office Halloween party. Best hat ever!<br />
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<br />Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-75360409276068126752010-10-02T16:58:00.003-05:002010-10-02T17:06:52.836-05:00Hmm... currywurst...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Brandenburger_Tor_abends.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Brandenburger_Tor_abends.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">So... The Berlin Marathon...<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">It was a lot of fun! I think not training very hard makes the whole thing more enjoyable since there was no performance pressure. And I PRed anyway!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">Hanging out in Berlin before the race, I drank lots of beer, ate many pastries from the bakery on Lisa's block, and had some German food, which is mainly meat and potatoes in some form or other - It was goooood! I think I broke every pre-marathon eating rule.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><a href="http://lisatheknitter.wordpress.com/">Lisa</a> lives in Berlin, so I ran the race with her and her mom. Although we really only ran the first 12 miles together or so, since I had to stop to use the portapotty and then I lost them.<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">I only walked through the water stops. That was my main goal - to not walk this time. I figured that if I met that goal, that I would probably PR.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">The weather was rainy. That wasn't fun. But much better than the heat!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">Other highlights:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*Germans are totally line cutters, which makes the portapotty line miserable.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*This was the first race ever where I had to use the portapotty in the middle of the race. I am so glad I finished in 5:11 and not 5:03 or something, or else I would have been kicking myself for the portapotty minutes.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*I only did two runs longer than 14 miles - a 15 miler and a 20 miler. So I was ready for the collapse at mile 18 or so. But by then you are so close, you have to finish!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*It was marked all in kilometers. Thank God for Garmin. Too bad Garmin was a half mile off by the end. (And I even got a new one! Not the old crappy one I had!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*We ran past lots of historic things of which I have no recollection. This is argument number one against destination marathons - the city is a blur.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*I do remember running through the Brandenburg Gate. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">That was about half a kiometer from the end, but the way it was described by the race, it sounded like the end, so I totally sprinted through the gate only to see the finish line in the distance. That was brutal. But running through the gate was cool. And there spectators for the last km, even for us slow folks.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*My last 2k were the fastest splits I had all day. Nothing like wanting to finish to get the job done!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*After the race, despite there being a changing tent, everyone just got naked on the grass near the Reichstag and changed there. Oh the Germans! We all would have been arrested for indecent exposure in the US.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*The rain made for some major chafiness. My tank top chafed at the arms holes, by belt thing I put blox in chafed around my stomach, my running skirt chafed in all sorts of unmentionable places that made walking miserable.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">*It's a lot of fun to run these big races! All the people makes it more enjoyable. I am thinking of doing Chicago next year.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;">Er, that's it! I'm off to do an easy 7 miler before I head to Hawaii tomorrow for a conference. Life is rough. I know.</span></div>Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-56661547558984278112010-09-14T14:37:00.002-05:002010-09-14T15:37:13.744-05:00Hellloooo oooutttt tthhheerrreeePeople, this summer has been nuts. Since my last post, it has been one marathon-training destroying weekend after another. I can't even recap it all, so here is the brief summary:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7/17-7/18 Seattle To Portland.</span> Me and my bike and 205 miles and 10000 of my closest friends. We split it 135/70 and that 135 was tough. I did one century ride in training. Skipped my long run that weekend.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7/23-7/24 (yes, six days later) Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay. </span>My friend Genn recruited me at the last minute for her relay team, which is also entirely composed of scientists. Genome scientists to boot, so I was totally the odd man out. I got the easiest legs (4,4,3) and I hauled ass, running them at a 9:30, 9:10, and 9:20 paces respectively. Van 1 is totally easier than Van 2. I didn't know what I was missing! I was supposed to run 14 miles the day after, but I only managed to squeeze out 12 - long run destroyed again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8/1 (yes, one week after that) Troika Half-Ironman.</span> I signed up on a whim the day before Seattle to Portland. I figured I was doing all this biking and running, I might as well just do it.<br /><br />I did one 1.2 mile swim for training, along with a few dips to get used to my wet suit. It was a small race, so I was one of the last people out of the water (in 50 minutes or so).<br /><br />I brought out Aqua Velva for this race. I had done one 20 mile ride on her this whole season, then I raced her 56. She held up and I caught several people and finished in about 3:25 (16.5 mph or so).<br /><br />My only real goal was to finish under 7 hours. I got off the bike at 4:25 so I had 2:35 for the half marathon. It was doable, but I knew I couldn't walk. So I trudged through it in the heat, stopping at every water stop. I still didn't get enough down (I didn't finish my water in my Camelback on the bike, so I went in low). By mile 10 I had chills and I was beginning to wheeze (didn't bring my inhaler). I told myself I had to do this all again if I didn't get under 7 hours, so I kept going. At mile 12, the volunteer at the water stop started running with me to ask me if I was feeling okay. I told him there was no way in hell I was stopping with 1.1 miles to go, so I wasn't going to tell him the truth.<br /><br />I came in at 6:56 and was immediately swept into the med tent, mostly because I had sprinted to the end and I was wheezing really badly, but then they realized that I was covered in goose bumps so they wouldn't let me leave until I had sat and hydrated.<br /><br />Needless to say, I missed my long run that weekend as well. But I am not sure when I will ever be in this biking condition again, so I decided that the Half-IM goal was more important than a good marathon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8/13-8/14 (wow, a whole two week break!) Spokane to Sandpoint Relay.</span> We had a last minute drop out, so the team was reshuffled and I ended up with harder legs than intended. My first 8 miler was hot and hilly and kinda sucked. The second 4 mile leg was still hot (despite it being almost sunset) and kinda sucked too. The last 3 mile leg was one of those pure bliss nighttime relay legs. I had a sweet downhill for the last half mile as well and pulled out an 8:59 pace on that leg. Our team was speedy and came in 9/56 in our division and 17/100-something overall. The roller coaster in the middle of the night was pretty freakin' awesome. What was not awesome was that a bike escort got killed by a drunk driver during the relay. I feel kind of remiss for not doing a real race report on this, but honestly, it was a month ago and I barely remember shit anymore.<br /><br />Missed my long run that weekend as well. I got back from the relay and the next morning flew out for my first ever faculty interview. I was working on my talks on our breaks during the relay. Good times!<br /><br />Exhale. I have been home since and managed to do some of my marathon long runs. I did 15 the weekend after the relay. I was supposed to do 18, but my hip flexor acted up and I started limping. I think my body was just yelling at me "You need to take a freakin' break!" Never one to actually listen to my body, the next weekend I jumped 5 miles to 20 miles. It was slow, but I got it done with no weird aches and pains. Then I have been tapering. And by tapering, I mean no runs more than 7 miles. Despite the fact that my horoscope says that 9/23 +/- 4 days will be good good for athletic achievement, I don't care at all about this marathon. I'm going to go to Berlin, have fun with Lisa, and run this race with her. If she is in better condition than me (and I think she is, but she has had a crazy training period as well), then I will send her off into her first marathon glory without me.<br /><br />In other news, I beat my 10k PR by almost 3 minutes on Sunday, coming in at 58:25. I was pretty ecstatic about that. I didn't even want to die at the end. My short run times have really gotten faster recently (I usually run about 9:30s-9:45s comfortably instead of 10s these days), so I think after this marathon business, I am going to focus on getting sub-27 on my 5k. Me and the track will become friends.<br /><br />In other other news, Team BOMIAS has been challenged again by Girls Heart Rockets to the <a href="http://www.sinister7.com/">Sinister 7</a> in Alberta next July. Registration fills by January, so I am trying to find 6 other souls to do this with me! Let me know if you are interested. The logo alone is awesome!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2443902639398952934-a-girlsheartrockets-com-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/girlsheartrockets.com/girls-heart-rockets/home/website-files/sinister7logo.png?attachauth=ANoY7cqZl2jbaBXrjzRokiOiJ-iMgWLZCckzGHFE7boUqSwMYpvrxKF6-xcJJdNP_bwga-9iEerNgFs3JViLja6HSuK2QBkeoM5U14VqWg7wFqcdKem5X3R0gt2SoW59XDsOF9l1AjbL7V_8lu1LW6P6gF0QOdvHkz1LyFfSvEUeAb0tbPCOTd019qGUXJYR1R6kQHQB6ZJKWh1KwfZk_s-8YzAZdV3GgChjHyNvrdNyoa8fNDBKzwSs08dnLaHt0SaIK4NlFsQW&attredirects=0"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 586px; height: 398px;" src="http://2443902639398952934-a-girlsheartrockets-com-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/girlsheartrockets.com/girls-heart-rockets/home/website-files/sinister7logo.png?attachauth=ANoY7cqZl2jbaBXrjzRokiOiJ-iMgWLZCckzGHFE7boUqSwMYpvrxKF6-xcJJdNP_bwga-9iEerNgFs3JViLja6HSuK2QBkeoM5U14VqWg7wFqcdKem5X3R0gt2SoW59XDsOF9l1AjbL7V_8lu1LW6P6gF0QOdvHkz1LyFfSvEUeAb0tbPCOTd019qGUXJYR1R6kQHQB6ZJKWh1KwfZk_s-8YzAZdV3GgChjHyNvrdNyoa8fNDBKzwSs08dnLaHt0SaIK4NlFsQW&attredirects=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Pretty soon I will start planning for the next relay season. I am thinking that since recruiting in the PNW is so easy, that I am definitely going to stick with PNW race. That leaves two races at two very different times of year. If you want to do either one of these, let me know! I will pick one or the other (probably by a vote) at the beginning of next year.<br /><br /><table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="style58">6.17-18.2011</td> <td class="style92"> <a href="http://www.epicrelays.com/running-relay-eugene-portland.html">Oregon Prelay</a></td> <td class="style93">Tualatin, OR</td> <td class="style85">177 mi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="style60"><br /></td> <td class="style98"><table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="style60">8.5-6.2011</td> <td class="style98"><a href="http://www.cascadelakesrelay.com/">Cascade Lakes Relay</a></td> <td class="style93">Diamond Lake, OR</td> <td class="style99">216 mi</td></tr></tbody></table></td> <td class="style93"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Okay, time to do some work. I'll try and post more regularly, but life is a lot less boring here than in Iowa.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-8234710924082845972010-06-29T13:53:00.004-05:002010-07-14T19:47:25.232-05:00Lake Padden Tri Race ReportETA: This happened about 10 days ago, but I have been slow to update. One of our faithful readers and commenters, <a href="http://off-the-deep-end.blogspot.com/">Wendy Buckner</a>, passed away after doing a sea swim. I didn't know Wendy personally, just through many email exchanges over the years now. I consider her a friend and she will be missed.<br /><br />Well this was my first race back on the tri scene in two years. The race was a half-mile swim, 21 mile bike, and 5.2 mile run. So the swim was more sprintish, but the bike and the run were closer to Olympic distance.<br /><br />SWIM (1/2 mile in 17 minutes)<br /><br />The swim took place in this pretty little lake. Everyone's opinion was that the half mile swim was short, which is fine by me! The water actually wasn't that bad - I think our "heat wave" last week warmed the water up to 65 or so. I could have done it without the wetsuit if necessary, but it was good practice. On the other hand, I was totally one of those 3 minute transitioners because of the wetsuit. Normally I am under two minutes, but I took my sweet precious time. I wasn't racing this all that hard, as they only gave out awards for the top three men and women, so I wasn't even close to being in the running. It's amazing the effort I'll expend when I might win some bling :-)<br /><br />BIKE (21 miles in 1:24 - really? really?)<br /><br />The bike... was disheartening. I'm usually best at the bike and pass a crapload of people, but it was hilly. I was warned though. I was looking at my Garmin afterwards and I had several miles where I wasn't even hitting 10 mph on average for the mile and several miles where I was averaging 25 mph. But it was a pretty bike ride. And I didn't fall over on my bike on the last hill like I was afraid of doing. I saw a girl do this once on <a href="http://insertwittyteamnamehere.blogspot.com/2007/06/hill-of-death.html">the Hill of Death at the Cornman</a> and ever since, I have been petrified of doing the same!<br /><br />RUN (5.2 miles in 53 minutes)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cob.org/government/departments/parks/projects/images/p000224-padden-gorge-loop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.cob.org/government/departments/parks/projects/images/p000224-padden-gorge-loop.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The run was a trail run on the above trails, which was a nice change. The run was quite nice. I wasn't a huge fan of the two loop course because I got passed a lot on the first loop by people who were on their second loop. But by the second loop I knew who I should chase down and did the second loop a minute faster. The trails were pretty though!<br /><br />SUMMARY<br /><br />The best part though was starting a race with temps in the 50s and ending in the 60s. Back in the midwest, by the time you were on the run, it was in the 80s. <a href="http://insertwittyteamnamehere.blogspot.com/2007/08/sorta-forgot-my-race-was-this-weekend.html">My first Olympic distance race (Big Creek)</a> I crossed the finish line and they yelled "She's dry!" and hauled me into the ambulance because I was apparently no longer sweating.<br /><br />My friend won the women's division. My bike time was my worst performance (back in the midwest I typically did Olympic distance races (25 miles) in the same time I did 21 miles on saturday AND I wasn't riding 50-80 miles every weekend back there). I came in at 2:41 total.<br /><br />I did win a door prize too - a t-shirt from the local brewery (Boundary Bay).<br /><br />I'm also leaning very heavily towards signing up for this Half-IM in August. It is a favorite race of my friend who won this event. And the bike! It's meant for me. 56 miles of rollers with a long downhill into the finish (point to point course). That's what me and my triathlon bike were born to do! (I used my road bike this weekend, since that is what I have been riding).<br /><br />This week I have a 12 mile run on tap tonight, a 50 mile bike ride on Wednesday night, and an century ride on Saturday. Oh, don't let me forget a grueling kickball match on Thursday night. It requires a lot of effort to lose 17-0!Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-23775290018849998552010-06-16T13:08:00.002-05:002010-06-16T13:28:43.806-05:00Team BOMIAS is officially registered!I sent in the money yesterday for the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. Game on! I actually have 8 paying team members and some pretty solid maybes, so I'm not too worried about recruiting this year! That is honestly my biggest concern when being a team captain - as much as I love it when people offer to take on certain planning tasks, I get most excited when they recruit people as that is the hardest thing.<br /><br />On that note, I'm officially nominating Maria as "Awesomest Recruiter Ever!" She brought in three other people besides herself, all atmospheric scientists, so totally in keeping with our team theme.<br /><br />My only concern now is that we may end up in the men's category since we might not have 6 women. There are worse fates for sure, though.<br /><br />Two months away!<br /><br />In other news:<br /><br />* I joined a kickball team for returned Peace Corps Volunteers. We lost our first game 17-0 last night. I generally suck at kickball, but apparently I'm the only one who knows anything about kickball, softball, or baseball. Like you don't run on a pop up. And that you can run past first base. And that shortstop is supposed to cover 2nd or 3rd if needed. Oh well, we drink beer after and that is all that matters.<br /><br />* I've been biking my ass off. Every weekend the miles keep going up. I did a hilly 65 mile ride on sunday. I still hate the hills. But we decided to do 120 miles on the first day of Seattle to Portland so that we only have to ride 80 the next day. So put in the miles I must. My rear tire has flatted out within the last three miles of my ride the last two weekends. On Sunday I was 0.9 miles from the end. Boo!<br /><br />* On a related note, I had scrapped the idea of doing a Half-IM this year, but when my weekends routinely consist of a long run and long ride, it seems dumb not to take advantage of it. Especially since the Troika is flat flat flat (and a point to point bike course that is downhill for much of the second half). I am doing a triathlon on the 26th, so we'll see how I feel after that!<br /><br />* OMG I have a triathlon in 10 days! And I have been in the pool maybe 5 times. I am counting on the wetsuit to float me to a not pathetic finish. Speaking of which, I must go buy or rent a wetsuit and practice in it this week.<br /><br />* Also, I have not used my tri bike yet this year because I do so much hilly riding and city riding and I'll do STP on my road bike. I am thinking that bringing it out for a race for the first time this season is not a good idea. Especially since it is a hilly course. But if I do the Troika Half-IM, Aquavelva will come out.<br /><br />* Oh yeah, marathon training... Well I'm getting in three runs a week at least. My long runs are sloooow. But they are getting done. I have 11 on tap for the weekend. Also a 75 mile bike ride. See! This is why it seems dumb not to do the Half-IM!Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-33350608952878996132010-05-28T12:36:00.004-05:002010-05-28T12:55:07.550-05:00Marathon Training Begins.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHezLla3_gobk4JMkeFfb2WRYknPMbzlrH0rjEm8HDIgpglllNkAvUcN8j80KWZRjQ6Skt175BtckCMQvFPj2vuOK9FzA1Q1S3a5-4Aiu7MGMPQWId82hJMWG-3yRQgluuimaXaA/s1600/Norway+047.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHezLla3_gobk4JMkeFfb2WRYknPMbzlrH0rjEm8HDIgpglllNkAvUcN8j80KWZRjQ6Skt175BtckCMQvFPj2vuOK9FzA1Q1S3a5-4Aiu7MGMPQWId82hJMWG-3yRQgluuimaXaA/s400/Norway+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476376766830893458" border="0" /></a>So this is Week 1 of my 18 week marathon training plan for Berlin, which I am right now signed up to run with <a href="http://lisatheknitter.wordpress.com/">Lisa</a> and her mom.<br /><br />The last time Lisa and I ran together was in Norway. Gosh, we look pretty gross in this picture. But anyway, that was a half-marathon. This will be her first marathon. Her mom and I are bad influences.<br /><br />Anyway, Week 1 started after having the plague the week before. I ran a 5k on Sunday, in which I clocked a not-so-good 29:48. I signed up for a series of 5ks in the spring with the idea that I would use them to track my improvement. This was not an improvement over the last one in April. I guess I can blame being sick the week before, but on the other hand, I was well rested.<br /><br />I already skimped out on one of my runs for the week. I ran three times, but I didn't do the 5 miler I was supposed to. But I also biked 4 times this week, including a really hilly ride in the neighborhoods in Ballard and down to the water. My legs were shot after 20 miles. I hope to God my triathlon isn't as hilly. I doubt it is as steep as we were winding through some pretty minor roads through residential areas. But who knows? I actually got off and walked on one hill, mostly because I was afraid I was going to tip over from going so slow.<br /><br />My race is in a month!<br />And Seattle to Portland is in 6 weeks or so!<br />Eeep!<br /><br />PS I have dropped the ball on relay recruitment. Right now I have a check from Lauren. The price goes up on June 15th, so I'd like to get at least 9 of us total on board before then! So if you want to run with us, let us know! We are doing the <a href="http://www.spokanetosandpoint.com/">Spokane to Sandpoint relay</a> on August 13-14. It will be good times!<br /><br />PPS Al is moving to Seattle! Down at sea level, those Wyoming lungs will kick some ass I think. Al, you better sign up for a race or two real soon to take advantage!Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-65533573821426019822010-05-15T11:57:00.002-05:002010-05-15T12:40:16.345-05:00Race Report: Al Finishes Second... Again!This time the race was the <a href="http://www.codyyellowstoneopener.com/">Cody Yellowstone Opener</a>, and I finished over a minute behind the winner. The course was similar to the other 10k races I've run here in Cody, but instead of starting and finishing at the Rec Center, up on top of the ridge that runs through the middle of town, it started near the Chamber of Commerce, down at the bottom. Also, we took Meadow Lane Ave. to the reservoir instead of the dirt trail. Both changes made the course hillier, and would have made it longer, so we turned around short of the cattle guard and ran the cut-off version of the reservoir loop. Overall the course was something like <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wy/cody/763127394304566282">this</a>, except with the turn-around a bit sooner (I don't know exactly where it would be on a map). For additional intrigue, this race carried a $300 prize for the male and female 10k winners. I wasn't really in great shape, but I figure I'm always a threat to win a race in a small town like Cody.<br /><br />I actually led up to the turn-around, so for almost the first two miles. The eventual winner then turned on the jets and built a prohibitive lead almost immediately. He had clearly measured his pace for the first couple miles to observe the field. Another runner passed me as well, and built about a 30-meter lead. But at 14th St. he took a wrong turn; along Meadow Lane Ave. we had joined up temporarily with the 5k runners, who took a left at 14th, and he followed them all the way to the finish, cutting the whole reservoir loop (about 1.5 miles). I had studied the course and knew to take a right. The hill up to the reservoir took a lot out of me, and I didn't recover to my normal pace as quickly as I would have liked, but once I did I kept my turnover up and ran strong on the reservoir path. I think I would have had a reasonable chance to catch the second-place guy on the path had he taken the correct turn, but I'll never know.<br /><br />Since the big climb was at the beginning of the race, and the climb up to the reservoir was steep and short, I think the critical parts of this race were recovery after climbs and downhill running. My recovery after the initial climb was fine but my pace between the turn-around and the climb to the reservoir didn't feel very fast. On the other hand, I really took advantage of the short downhill sections early in the race to pick up my turnover and extend my lead. I used to be awful at that, and it's become a real strength in my racing. As I mentioned above, after a slow recovery from the reservoir climb I felt like I got my pace and turnover up to a good level (I have no data to back this up). Coming down from the reservoir I did fine with my form and settled back into a nice pace before the final descent. That was a little dicier; my stomach started to hurt on that stretch, and as it's a pretty steep decline I wasn't really able to open it up. I lost a little momentum toward the bottom of the hill checking for traffic before crossing to the left side of the street, but there was enough residual hill to get my speed back up. If there had been anyone on my tail I might have tried to kick harder, but as it was I settled for a moderate pick-up at the end.<br /><br />So I came in second, for the hundredth time, and with a time of 37:02, which was a pleasant surprise. Since my cats hid my watch I've been training blind and my mental energy has been diverted by my job search... I was afraid I'd lay an egg like I did at the Soroptimist's run in October. But I managed to put all the stress away and run about as well as I should have, given my training.Al Dimondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05356410883740760010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-62267674593810944912010-04-20T13:01:00.002-05:002010-04-20T13:35:24.535-05:00How did it get to be April?No really!<br /><br />This year has been flying by already. I can't believe April is almost over. I have race reports and race plans to report.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Can Do 5k</span><br />So at the end of March, I signed up for a random 5k. I decided to make this my baseline 5k, so it was okay if I totally sucked - that just makes running faster easier! It was a pretty nondescript 5k, except that the bastards totally made the race 3.2 miles instead of 3.1. Now I don't trust my Garmin all that much to that accuracy (Forerunner 101 - old school). But the 5k and 10k courses followed each other for the last bit and the 2 mile marker and the 5 mile marker were very close together.<br /><br />Now, one could argue that maybe the 10k was short, but I came in at 30:19 (9:47 pace) and I passed the 2 mile marker at about 19:19. I could have dropped my pace that much in the last mile but I was sprinting at the end. Stupid organizers and their focus on the special needs families they were raising money for.<br /><br />(I hope the sarcasm was apparent in that last line.)<br /><br />Anyway, like I said - baseline race. I decided to do a 5k a month more or less, just to track improvement and because I only did one race last year so I'm not worn out on them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Seahawks 12k</span><br />The weekend before last I signed up for a 12k race that runs along the lake and through the Seahawks training facility and back. I really mostly signed up for it for the incentive to start making my long runs in the 6-8 mile range, instead of the 3-5 mile range I had been poking along in. I didn't bring Garmin, just my heart rate monitor, and made my goal to stay in Zone 2.<br /><br />The race was moderately hilly and fortunately my knee held up. I am discovering it is mostly the really steep inclines that give me the twinging. Unfortunately, running in Seattle involves many of these sharp inclines if you don't run along the water. So to the water it is! Berlin is flat, so I don't think this will affect me all that much.<br /><br />Anyway, the first three miles I was sub-10s (while in Zone 2) but then I had to slow down to keep my heart rate down. But then at Mile 6, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLsQ_8PwwDs">Crystal Frontier</a> came on and I can't hold back during this song, which is kind of weird since Calexico isn't exactly running music. So I booked it the last mile and a half. The end of the course was evil. You went past the finish and then had to wind around parking lots for almost half a mile. Apparently the number 12 has some significance for the Seahawks, thus why they didn't just make it a 10k.<br /><br />My burst at the end brought me in at 1:14:45, which was a 10:01 pace. I was quite happy with that and I felt good for most of the race. I'm starting to wonder if I should always be racing with heart rate since when I keep it low, I am generally not miserable.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Earth Run for Water 6k</span><br />In my continuation of doing weird distance races, on sunday I did a 6k. The 6k is supposed to indicate the average distance a woman in the developing world walks to fetch water. As a water person, I felt like I should do this race. In another post, I'll describe how I intend to fuck up my marathon training by spending two weeks in Bolivia this summer working on a water project.<br /><br />Anyway, I wanted to get a long run in on sunday, so I decided not to race this race either and just do a Zone 2 run. I parked my car downtown (about 2.5 miles from the start), ran to the start, then ran the race. It was a gorgeous day, with Rainier being all obnoxious and big and white and a clear view of the Olympics for half the course.<br /><br />They actually marked the race in kilometers, so I mentally switched to "It would be nice to run sub 10-min miles" to "It would be nice to run sub 6-min kilometers." First k was 5:15, so I dialed it back, especially as it took about 1k for my heart rate to catch up and then shoot over my Zone 2. My heart rate monitor never stopped yelling at me to slow down from that point on. It wasn't way over my Zone 2 (it was in the high 150s and my Zone 2 ends at 156 or so), but I felt like if I ran any slower I would be shuffling. I didn't feel like I was running a hard pace, so I just let it go.<br /><br />The middle ks clocked in about 6 min/k and then I picked it up for the last one and did another 5:15k, coming in at 34:45 (9:21 min/mile). I'm really starting to think of ditching my Garmin - I run just as fast but I'm way less miserable!<br /><br />After the race, a nice couple gave me a ride back to my car (in retrospect, probably not my most brilliant move to get in a car with strange people in Seattle - this ain't Iowa!).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miscellaneous<br /></span>I was going to write more, but I think this is long enough. A few notes:<br /><br />1. My next 5k test is next weekend - I hit 5k at 29:30 on sunday, so it shouldn't be a problem to beat 30:19. Aaaannnndddd.... brilliant me didn't realize that the course this weekend is THE SAME EXACT ONE as the 6k course (although short 1k). So at least I know I am a rockstar there...<br /><br />2. I might be doing the skate ski leg of <a href="http://www.skitosea.com/">Ski to Sea</a>. Good times!<br /><br />3. I still hate swimming. But I am signed up for a pseudo-Olympic tri in June, so in the water I must go.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-58642672694225082072010-03-22T17:36:00.005-05:002010-03-22T18:13:15.955-05:00Is this a bad idea?Okay peeps, I am trying to figure out my summer schedule. I am signed up already for the Berlin Marathon. And I signed myself up for the Seahawks 12k in April to get my ass running more than 3 or 4 miles at a time.<br /><br />Here is my current question (and I'm sure I'll have more):<br /><br />1. Do you think it is a bad idea to sign up for a sprint triathlon (500m/12.4 mi/5k) the weekend before my marathon?<br /><br />ETA: I already have another question:<br /><br />2. Would it be a bad idea to sign up for an Oly Tri the weekend after I have a 100 mile ride on my STP training calendar?<br /><br />ETA AGAIN: One more:<br /><br />3. What about signing up for a sprint tri (1/2 mi/18 min/3.2 mi) the weekend after I have a 20 mile run on my marathon training calendar?Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-54377770067727282122010-03-18T17:17:00.002-05:002010-03-18T17:39:05.653-05:00Seattle to PortlandSo my friend Jessica, who I did the Birkie with (and by "with" I mean she did the 55k and I did the 23k and she only took 45 minutes longer than me), has convinced me to do the <a href="http://www.cascade.org/eandr/STP/">Seattle to Portland </a>ride in July. I'm so susceptible to peer pressure!<br /><br />So I wasn't planning on biking this summer, seeing as I have a marathon in September to train for. But now that I have someone who will ride with me... well, it will be fun! Jessica and I will ride bikes, talk about boys, and drink beer afterwards.<br /><br />So once I started thinking about training for a double century (didn't I mention it was a 200 mile ride over two days?), I realized... this should be the summer I do a Half-IM.<br /><br />I'll hopefully have my run base up from marathon training and I'll be forced to put in saddle miles to train for this and really, getting in the bike miles is the main reason that I have been hesitant to do a Half-IM.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.troikatriathlon.com/">This</a> race is two weeks after the STP ride. I figure that puts my big ride two weeks out and then I can taper. And then I have August and September to finish marathon training.<br /><br />What could possibly go wrong? It's not like my knee does start killing me every time I run uphill or anything!<br /><br />At least the bike ride is apparently pretty flat, for better or worse (no climbing means no coasting). I actually think the days of RAGBRAI that I have done might be hillier than this course.<br /><br />Hmmm, I wonder if there is pie in every town like on RAGBRAI?Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-12674770338575022372010-03-09T21:19:00.002-06:002010-03-09T21:23:20.998-06:00Long Distance Relay TrainingI got this from the MC200 yahoo group, which for some reason I am still on, probably because I feel the need to put my two cents in every once in a while. It is sadly only attributed to someone named "Chris" but I think there are some wise relay training tips to be found.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Long Distance Relay Training</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">General Training:</span><br /><br />1. At least one day a week, live on bagels, bananas, and some form of energy drink.<br /><br />2. Practice rapidly entering and leaving a van without banging your knee or any other part of your leg or anatomy on the van. Work up to at least 23 of these in a row, one for each exchange. A variation of this would be to jump out of the van while it is moving and run to some imaginary starting point several blocks away. (Make sure the van is not moving too fast and you are not the driver.)<br /><br />3. Practice bladder control. We will need some semblance of order for this during the race. For the experienced relay runners… practice waiting in line while exercising bladder control at the porta-potty, add some jumping around, fidgeting, and holding yourself while waiting.<br /><br />4. Learn to live with (while keeping your mouth shut) all forms of discomfort, griping and criticism, especially when you are tired. A possible workout would be get really tired, preferably not running (see Run Training below), then have someone criticize you for being smelly, for failing to pickup stuff that isn't yours, for running too slow, for leaving sweaty cloths around, or needing you to run some more right now, etc. Also have this person consume or hide your favorite food and drink before you get back from the workout. You can vary this workout each week to make sure it has all the elements that piss you off the most. This is probably the most important workout in this training plan so don't skimp on it. NOTE: Married runners should be able to shorten this training.<br /><br />5. Once or twice, stay up all night and act normally the next day. A variation would be to go to a party in some park on the second day and have a few beers without falling asleep.<br /><br />6. Sleep without a pillow. You can substitute a roll of toilet paper or a pile of sweaty cloths, preferably a little damp, if needed. Make sure it is on a hard surface where you do not have enough room to stretch out. If you must stretch out, try an asphalt parking lot on a cool humid night. As an add-on, after a sweaty workout try sleeping without changing cloths.<br /><br />7. Find a traffic jam, or, get a couple of cars running in your driveway and enjoy the gas fumes. You might include this with workout #4 above.<br /><br />8. Open a can of tuna and keep it within smelling distance for at least 24 hours. This is optional depending on the diet of your fellow runners. You can substitute tuna with other odiferous products. An alternative to add into this workout would be to go to the airport (or other public facility), grab a book and head to the "head". Have a seat and ignore the aroma. Resist asking "Who did it".<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Run Training</span><br />1. Borrow or buy running shoes and try them on.<br /><br />2. Find a T-shirt and some shorts you can run in. Cutoff's will work. Get a pair of socks, preferably not black.<br /><br />3. Get up at 5am every other day, turn on the air conditioning to get the temp down to about 45 degrees and spritz yourself with a cold water spray bottle and run a 4 mile fartlek in pitch dark with several cotton rolls tucked into your cheeks. Throw some dust around and bring in some sound bites of semis and cars honking with flood lights flashing to help make you run a bit faster.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-71884150974881667302010-03-09T13:50:00.008-06:002010-03-21T10:11:02.887-05:00Blogless in SeattleI always mean to post here, but then I never get around to it. And then it gets all overwhelming when I think about how much I could write about.<br /><br />So it's been two months...<br /><br />What have I been up to on the training front? In no particular order:<br /><br />* Cross-country skiing twice a week in prep for the Korteloppet, a 23k race in Wisconsin. A friend and I leave the city on Wednesday nights and drive an hour west to the mountains where we gallivant around the woods with headlamps on, along with a bunch of people from a local cross-country ski club. Then on Saturdays, we do a longer ski.<br /><br />* The Korte was two weekends ago. It hurt. There was no blueberry juice like at the Mora. But it was still fun. The hills in Wisconsin never end! Good thing I climbed a lot of mountains in training. Me on one of those mountains:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPra8knrky81EAtcsx6aXBbCINsViplhbUm_m-c0jeW9w7uXxMm94CmzmvaD6NjnTWJR9gWIG5u3w9fBDK-AQYAQSMluT-UHZrfTj3isuAxy_bxZ7YgnNnrCjGa_O82hk-hbSfGw/s1600-h/IMG_0282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPra8knrky81EAtcsx6aXBbCINsViplhbUm_m-c0jeW9w7uXxMm94CmzmvaD6NjnTWJR9gWIG5u3w9fBDK-AQYAQSMluT-UHZrfTj3isuAxy_bxZ7YgnNnrCjGa_O82hk-hbSfGw/s400/IMG_0282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446728228719868546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />* I have been learning how to skate ski. It looks so effortless, but dang, it is really hard. I did the Korte, classic style. Skating also involves things like having to wax my skis, so it is a little more work. But it is fun to go fast!<br /><br />* I took off to Whistler in January on a spur of the moment weekend trip with another postdoc. Literally, we decided on Thursday around noon and got in the car and drove to Vancouver that night. My sister has a sweet hotel hookup at the Westin on the mountain, but to get the cheap rate ($90 for a $300 room), we usually have to book last minute. Fortunately, the postdoc lifestyle is easy peasy and no one cares when I come in, as long as I get stuff done.<br /><br />* Running has been regular, but low mileage (3-4 times per week, 2-4 miles). I am officially signed up for Berlin! But already the injuries are appearing - the last two times I have run outside, I have gotten a sharp twingey pain in my left knee, especially when running up hill. It hasn't happened on the treadmill, so I am hoping it will go away on its own. But there are lots of hills in Seattle. This picture doesn't do the hill behind my house justice:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmtZwj30-0DwcGQSz9W2QCynj16DTI86mliYAJVRhegdKWxwfSqjTZGnPQhMaEyfkKrDZcfr2C0nOaaP4F_TPKWuFt6mqwRIVoGNdMGobSnE2DW_1FrTqOKDMFjUKjzJW9l6fSg/s1600-h/IMG_0281.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmtZwj30-0DwcGQSz9W2QCynj16DTI86mliYAJVRhegdKWxwfSqjTZGnPQhMaEyfkKrDZcfr2C0nOaaP4F_TPKWuFt6mqwRIVoGNdMGobSnE2DW_1FrTqOKDMFjUKjzJW9l6fSg/s400/IMG_0281.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446728420820283138" border="0" /></a><br />* Planning for the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay is underway! Right now I have six definites and nine maybes - I would say my conversion rate on maybes is about 50% so I still need people if anyone wants to join in the fun!<br /><br />* I still drink too much beer. I blame it on hanging out with Australians. Also, leave it is to a foreigner to carry around $100 bills. That we then deface behind their backs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76bwiZmPbwn0S8mnWC4fWFpFjOp6Qu2_cZNqDoTER4DdWT098s_oRNcm48dqbZfkhDjWO0aJ_6FubccTKmfqMWHGQzJuAXJh61s1rVGk594sCZllAPPg0tcWcLTKUu3tuiaritw/s1600-h/IMG_0292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76bwiZmPbwn0S8mnWC4fWFpFjOp6Qu2_cZNqDoTER4DdWT098s_oRNcm48dqbZfkhDjWO0aJ_6FubccTKmfqMWHGQzJuAXJh61s1rVGk594sCZllAPPg0tcWcLTKUu3tuiaritw/s400/IMG_0292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446729009935073218" border="0" /></a>Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-36635966761423051722010-01-11T15:58:00.002-06:002010-01-11T16:12:44.724-06:00Once a month is totally regular updating, right?I'll say it again...<br /><br />Thank goodness for RSS feeds or else I would be posting this into an abyss.<br /><br />So Seattle is pretty awesome. Still. I just checked and I apparently said the same thing a month ago. But it's true! I've been busy, gallivanting around, doing a lot more skiing than running.<br /><br />In theory I'm doing the 23k classic race at the Birkie next month. We'll see if that happens. I wanted to do the 23k skate race, but last Wednesday was my first night out skate skiing and I still have a lot to learn. I have a new ski buddy who is much better than me. We are starting to go to these Wednesday night ski outings where you go into the woods in the middle of nowhere and all of a sudden see all these cross country skiers with headlamps. It's good times!<br /><br />Running... Er, running...<br /><br />Well, my long runs are 3 miles these days.<br /><br />My big running plan for the year is....<br /><br />THE BERLIN MARATHON<br /><br />September 2010. Me, Lisa, and her mom. And hopefully a lot of beer afterward.<br /><br />In the meantime, my next distance goal is the Vancouver Half Marathon in May.<br /><br />And then of course, the relays...<br /><br />The Canadian Death Race is out this year, unless I can find one more person willing to shell out $350 for a race and who is willing to commit this month.<br /><br />As for a more laid back relay, based on people's votes, right now it is looking like the <a href="http://www.spokanetosandpoint.com/">Spokane to Sandpoint Relay</a>. Pretty standard 12-person 200 miler... Except this:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">What makes this Race different from any other event is the fact that at mile 118 your team is going to take the ride of their life aboard Silverwood Theme Park’s Tremors Rollercoaster. Get ready to plunge toward the Earth at over 60 miles per hour when your team arrives at this exchange around midnight.<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-23912945364626721162009-12-07T15:50:00.003-06:002009-12-07T16:07:15.620-06:00Trust me, I'm a doctor.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-13942113699170_2081_44895238"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 489px; height: 326px;" src="http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-13942113699170_2081_44895238" alt="" border="0" /></a>Well, what do we have here?<br /><br />Oh yes, it's a blawg.<br /><br />So, I have officially submitted all the things I need to submit to finally graduate. It's hard to believe! I defended in November. The weekend after, I saw Joe in Portland, and every time I did/said something dumb (which happens quite often), he enjoyed mocking my status.<br /><br />Things in Seattle are pretty awesome. The Official Cliche Committee of Seattle made sure I was issued a MacBook upon arrival into the city and so I am writing this now from my shiny new Mac. I already had a fleece vest, so they didn't need to give me one of those. We have had five days of sunshine in a row here, so apparently the Perpetuating Myths Committee has been doing their job too.<br /><br />Oh and did I mention there is a barrista on staff in my lab who makes us lattes in the morning?<br /><br />I'm not even kidding.<br /><br />Running! What's that again? I jest. I have been running a little, but man am I out of shape. A mile and a half winds me. And these stupid hills! Since it is getting cold, I joined a gym and so have been avoiding hills by running on the treadmill. I started going to yoga again too, since my gym is on the same block and it is so convenient. I am soooo sore. But a good sore.<br /><br />And I need to keep going religiously, because you know what else is awesome about Seattle? The beer. And I swear everyone drinks beer all the time. I haven't had this much to drink, well, ever. I have actually had to declare a beer moratorium, just to detox.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'm in the process of figuring out <a href="http://insertwittyteamnamehere.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-next.html">which relay(s)</a> to run next summer. Jenny can't organize a van for the Cape Relay anymore, so I'm back to figuring out which one I can convince the most people to run!<br /><br />Well, now that I am finally a doctor, I might be posting more frequently again. At least when I'm not out drinking beer.Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-80217399793153065272009-12-03T20:20:00.001-06:002009-12-03T20:51:08.090-06:00Week-Late Race Report: Elmhurst Turkey TrotSince I flew back to Illinois to see my family for Thanksgiving this year I decided to enter the Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot in Elmhurst. It seems that things don't change much in Elmhurst between my visits... the Trot grows steadily every year. Some dude named Ogelthorpe gets some one-liner printed on some shirts and we all wonder who he is and why people think he's funny (this year's entry: "My kind of music? ... Plymouth Rock!"). And there's a race or something.<br /><br />It was drizzling and cold when Dad and I walked over to downtown Elmhurst to register ourselves and my brother Lyndon, who was sleeping in. We got there early, before the crowds really rolled in, and apparently before they worked all the kinks out of their operation. They gave us child-size shirts! The effect was funniest on Lyndon, who was a gymnast and still is muscular and broad-of-shoulder. We were able, fortunately, to get them exchanged.<br /><br />The three of us jogged back downtown for the race together, then split up. I ran into Matt and Dave Montgomery (HS cross teammates) and we started off running together. Matt and I weren't in great shape, and Dave was, having just finished his college cross-country season. Dave was rocking a classic Al Dimond look: a scraggly beard and pajama pants. As usual, we started way too far back in the pack and had to dodge little kids, people with stollers, dogs, cats, and the York High School swim team, which was running the race in Speedos. Splits at the first mile were called out by a guy that was walking back against the flow of the runners. As we approached a turn-around point about halfway through Dave realized that he would have had a shot at winning had he really raced it from the beginning... but that he still had a chance to be the first finisher wearing long pants. So he took off in pursuit of that goal. Matt dropped me with about a half-mile to go because, well, I'm kind of slow right now. A couple blocks before the finish I caught the guy Dave spotted as the first pants-wearer at the turn-around and put him away with my deadly kick. I'm pretty sure that the Montgomerys and I were the three first pants-wearing finishers. And that has to count for something. Final time: <b>17:47</b> (oof).<br /><br />I saw my middle-school cross coach after the race -- he ran a few marathons and was glad to hear my dad was planning to run one. I ran into several other cross teammates as well. And we saw some other old classmates and found out where we were living and what we were doing with our lives. Just like every year at the old Turkey Trot.Al Dimondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05356410883740760010noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-27073760062886111442009-11-18T18:44:00.002-06:002009-11-18T18:46:38.904-06:00"Paging Dr. Danielle"Any news?<br />Inquiring minds want to know!!<br /><br />CarolineUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12585134.post-34740370160096155082009-10-26T19:23:00.004-05:002009-10-27T14:13:48.044-05:00Helllloooo out there<span style="font-style: italic;">*briefly popping her head up for a breath from her dissertation submersion*<briefly></briefly></span><br /><br />I have hesitated posting since there hasn't been much to say lately.<br /><br />Here is a brief list describing the past 2.5 weeks:<br /><ul><li>I have first drafts off all my science chapters!</li><li>I think my entire dissertation sucks.</li><li>I really hope everyone feels this way when they are a week out from submitting it.</li><li>I'M A WEEK OUT FROM SUBMITTING IT TO MY COMMITTEE!!!</li><li>So much work left to do.</li><li>Instead I'm blogging.</li><li>I started running again, yay!</li><li>But I'm only up to two miles, boo.</li><li>Also, the hills aggravate my butt, boo.</li><li>And the hills are unavoidable.<br /></li><li>And they are big ass hills.</li><li>I love my new place.</li><li>Even though sometimes junkies shoot up behind the building and then yell things.</li><li>But in Ames, I lived less than a quarter mile from the fire station and hospital, so my city apartment is overall quieter than my Ames hous.</li><li>I officially no longer have a valid driver's license because this state is a big fat stupid dumb state that makes it impossible to prove residency.</li><li>This is awesomely not a huge deal since I can walk or bike everywhere I need to go quite easily.</li><li>I should probably go back to work.</li></ul>On edit: I think I shall go to<a href="http://brouwerscafe.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-wednesday-28th.html"> this bar mitzvah</a> on Wednesday, in honor of Joe. This bar is like a quarter mile from me and really is like a beer snobs paradise (I'm looking at you <a href="http://mostlyrunningbull.blogspot.com">Glaven</a>).Danielle in Iowa in Irelandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12274576534281164011noreply@blogger.com15