its almost like being at the top of mount everest...

except with less frostbite and cerebral oedema (a quick shout out to my past obsession with people who climb everest despite its more than obvious risks). The reason i draw the similarity is because i am finally reaching the summit of my trainig.,.. my "peak" if you will. from here, i have one final push upwards and then the slow descent, which as those who read "into thin air" can tell you, is potentially the most treacherous part.


This past weekend confirmed the fact that i have lost my mind. when you wake up one morning and say " i think ill run from lincoln square to hyde park today" (for those of you who are not familiar with chicago, the total distance on the lake front bike path from the steps of my apartment to the stoop of the istria coffee shop, my destination ,is a solid 16 miles) you are officially off your rocker. when 5 mile seems like a lame workout, you know you body is only going hold out for so much longer.

the 16 miles went well despite not feeling well at the onset. but i had a gel pack on me, drank plenty of water and honestly had enough nutrients from the day before to keep me going.

my 70+ mile bike ride on sunday is BIT of a different story. Still understandably drained from the day before, i slept through my alarm and embarked on my 4-5 hour bike ride around 7 a.m. The first 50 miles were solid. i stopped to drink water, had a special K bar at the half way point and went on my way. the last 20, however, were an awful awful feeling. I could feel it coming.... the always dreaded "BONK"

its a hard feeling to describe really, unless you have experienced it. I mentioned bonking in a previous post at a race, mainly becuase i had sprinted too soon and too fast at the beggining of a triathlon -turned-duathlon. This however was a feeling of complete and utter depletion. not caused by the distance or my exertion at all. the primary cause was of course my poor nutrient intake after my run, and of course during my bike.


water wasnt cutting it any more and then, thank god, i remembered the clif gel blocks (basically electrolyte packed gummy squares) that i had in my bento box attached to my bike. normally, i enjoy the idea of the blocks, being a gummy bear efficienado myself, but in practice i am always more than dissapointed. sunday however, i downed the maximum reccomended blocks at one time, 6, with more joy than i can ever remember downing hostess zebra cakes in elemetary school (yeah i was chubby, and my parents bought my love with food. ive gotten over it since). i IMMEDIATLY began to feel better. I needed the electrolytes and obviously my blood sugar was down since i honestly had only had a 90 calorie special K bar all day. oh, and coffee... mistake #1.

at this point i was about 10 miles from home. my legs became less wobbly, i felt less light headed and i picked up my pace considerably. then i remembered a little hut on the belmont exit of the bike path that sold drinks and snacks and such. again, luckily i had enough cash to buy a 3 dollare gatorade from the family who owned this fine business, that are smart enough to capitilize on people like me, who are often inadequatly prepared for their "weekend warrior-ing".

anyway, i made it home in one peice. had more coffee some toast with peanut butter and jelly and took a nap all before i had to hit the pool. phew. what a weekend!!!

ok this weekend is my last race weekend before the ironman!!! back to my hometown of virginia for the Nations triathlon in washington DC. The race is perfect timing for my moms citizenship ceremony! Go mom! she will be there with bells, whistles and her american flag.

more to come next time....