Adventures of a Laughing Triathlete, Foodie, and Traveler

2019-11-17T22:35:00.001-05:00

R2R2R2ZA - 44 miles, 12:50 min, 12,244 ft el. gain

“Rapid motion through space elates one.”

james joyce

The Grand Canyon might be the perfect metaphor for fitness. Fitness, especially in my forties, feels almost geologic as constant training engenders imperceptible change that becomes obvious only after a long time. It’s slow, but ultimately amazing.

I’ve been largely “retired” from amateur endurance sports these last few years—burnout, a new job, turning forty, and two small children combined to create inertia. In deciding to join my wife and a group of friends to run rim-to-rim-to-rim-to-pizza (R2R2R2ZA), I was looking for an amazing experience, a challenge, and a chance to return to some semblance of former glory.

R2R2R has become a niche addition to bucket lists for endurance athletes. It involves starting at one rim of the Grand Canyon, running 20+ miles to the other rim, and then running back. I added pizza because I like to feel like I’m running to something.

Most people run R2R2R in the shoulder seasons to avoid high temperatures. Early spring is most common because the weather is cool and both the North and South Rim are open. The North Rim of the Canyon sits at higher elevation and receives considerably more snow and inclement weather. As a result, the Park Service closes the North Rim and all roads leading to it in the late fall. By running in November, we not only risked snow on the North Rim, but also desolation. In spring, the North Rim is a bailout point for those who underestimated the Canyon’s size. In winter, the North Rim is the halfway point no matter what. The choice is to turnaround and run back or freeze in isolation.

So we had sufficient incentive to finish what we started, and my motivation to regain lost form was, at least in part, driven by necessity. I last raced Ironman over 3 years ago and the relative inactivity had, pardon the pun, left me in a deep hole. I gained 20 pounds and lost the fitness base that used to carry me through endurance challenges.

Workouts that had once been routine now seemed unthinkable, but you just start where you can start—commit to pushing your limits wherever they are, recover, and then push things a little further. As complicated as physiology is, it’s ultimately just response to stimulus. Just as the Colorado River slowly erodes rock until, eons later, we are blessed with a truly astounding Canyon, constant work slowly creates a body that can run across the Grand Canyon with enough left to run back. So I guess the metaphor is that motion makes change. It’s true of fitness, life, and giant freaking canyons.

The Run

One truism I picked up as a cyclist is that any time you go down a big hill and then cross water you’re going back up the other side. The Grand Canyon might be the ultimate example of this.

We decided to run South Kaibob to North Kaibob and back. The run divides nicely into three roughly 7 miles segments that you run twice if you make the roundtrip. The first stretch is the South Kaibob trail from the South Rim to the river where you quickly descend roughly 5000 ft over 7 miles to the river. (Bright Angel is the alternative to South Kaibob. It boasts more water sources and a gentler grade, but also adds miles).

Crossing the river, it’s fourteen miles up roughly 6000 feet to the North Rim. The first half is relatively mild, just a steady easy grade for about 7 miles to to Roaring Springs. The last stretch is the steepest of the run from Roaring Springs to the North Rim.

From there it’s down the steep trail back to roaring springs, down some more to get back to the river, and finally back up South Kaibob to the South Rim and some well-earned pizza.

South Rim to River

Kris, a retired Air Force pilot with call sign Sherpa, was battling tendinitis and a last minute scratch for the run. He earned his moniker on this trip by coming out to the Canyon regardless to support the rest of us. We slept in the Grand Canyon village about four miles from the South Kaibob trailhead. The National Park Service shuttle bus didn’t start running until 7 AM, so we options were private taxi or our own personal Sherpa. Kris had the car warm already warm at 4:30, and Mindy, Mikal and I piled in for the start.

The rest of our party had splintered. Zack and Ty had braved Spirit Airlines, and were informed, less than an hour from takeoff with no explanation, that they wouldn’t be flying. The scramble to rebook left them driving to the Grand Canyon pretty near the time we started running. More on that later.

Theo—who we nicknamed Miles because he kept finding ways to add steps to the already long day—wanted to keep things uptempo, so he left down Bright Angel on his own around this same time.

We lucked out on weather. Our phones warned us it would be 18 degrees when we started, but we woke to a relatively balmy 34, so we skipped some anticipated early morning shivering.

The first 7 miles down to the river was uneventful except for the fact that we greatly underestimated the time it would take to navigate a steep, rutted descent at night. The headlight defined my entire field of vision to the degree that it created a sensation that i was wearing goggles.

Slow was fine, though, as the only goal here was to get down to the river safely and not end the day early with a sprained ankle or gushing head wound.

By now, we didn’t need our head lamps and warm clothes, so rather than carry the extra weight and bulk, we stashed them near the first water source with the plan to grab them again 28 miles later before we hiked back up. More on that later.

River to Cottonwood Campground

The run from the river to Cottonwood Campground is a slow climb tracing a small stream through a slot canyon. It is by far the easiest stretch of trail as you run by Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground, you steadily head up a slight grade on well maintained trails with a short steep climb just before arriving.

We crossed the river as the sun rose and felt a rush of exhilaration with the daylight as we made our way up to Cottonwood Canyon. The slight chill off the tight canyon walls made for perfect running weather.

Our mantra here was “keep eating and drinking.” To the extent there’s a secret to endurance sports, it’s making sure not to fall behind on nutrition. Nutrition and a positive attitude can carry you through almost anything.

At Cottonwood, campers were waking up and brushing their teeth as we refilled our water bottles before heading up the long climb to the North Rim.

Cottonwood to North Rim

After Cottonwood the climbing begins in earnest. Here we switched from “mostly running with a few hiking stretches” to “mostly hiking with a few running stretches.” This was our longest stretch without water—about 16 hard miles—so I filled my bottles and hydration pack to capacity at Cottonwood. It was freezing when we stopped running, and the cold water that splashed on my hands while filling my bottles left me left with less dexterity in my fingers than Orlando (our one-year-old).

I think because of my frozen fingers, I must not have fully attached the hose to the hydration pack because water leaked down my back pretty steadily the whole way up to the North Rim. It gave the impression that I was losing an impossible amount of sweat in pretty cold temps. If you look closely at the pic below, you can see it looks like I wet myself.

Just before reaching the North Rim, we ran into Theo. He had beaten us to the Rim and added on extra miles to see an overlook. Seeing us near the top, he turned around and went back up with us (R2R2R2R?).

Pretty awesome to unite more of our group at the North Rim. And it still kind of looks like I wet myself.

North Rim to Cottonwood Campground

The highlight of the descent from the North Rim was seeing Zack. It was pretty disappointing for everyone that the Spirit Airlines fubar kept Zack and Ty from starting with us, and we didn’t really know what, if any, part of the run they would be able to do.

But on our way down from the North Rim, we saw Zack about 18 miles into his run and only about 5 miles from the North Rim. We took a selfie and told him to “go for it.” The late start meant he would have to finish alone, cold, and in the dark, but pretty badass to set off on his own and enjoy the experience despite the setbacks — suck it Spirit, Zack doesn’t need you to fly.

Cottonwood Campground to River

This was our last stretch of downhill on the day. We took advantage of the gentle slope, fell in line, and just kept an easy pace on our way back down to the river.

The trail has frequent stone dividers to take water off the trail. We must have stepped over hundreds of them of the course of the day. Here around mile 30, my glucose deprived brain suffered a momentary lapse of attention. My right foot clipped one of the stones. I tried to pull my left foot through as I tripped, but couldn’t get it over the divider in time and wound up falling hard on my left side.

I was pretty pissed at myself. I cut my hand and elbow and knocked my right quad hard. I knew I would have a solid bruise, but figured the best thing to do was to keep moving so it couldn’t tighten up. So I jumped up and kept running taking extra care and feeling annoyed with myself for my lack of focus.

We had read a lot about the lemonade for sale at Phantom Ranch right by the Colorado River. We debated whether it was worth the stop and finally figured why not? When else would we have the chance to drink lemonade at the bottom of the Grand Canyon? So we toasted some lemon sugar water and sat back and relaxed for the only extended break we took on the trip. And yes, the lemonade lived up to the hype—highly recommend.

Before we started the trek back to the South Rim, we stopped to retrieve our stashed clothes and headlamps. They were gone. Apparently, you’re not supposed to stash gear. Reasonable enough as rules go, but now we also know the Park Service will take your stuff if you do. We were all willing to abandon the head lamps and stray articles of clothing to the Phantom Ranch lost and found, but not Mindy. Anyone who knows Mindy knows that, of course, she ran the half mile back in the wrong direction to haggle and get our stuff back. And anyone who knows Mindy knows that of course she got our stuff back.

River to South Rim

The lost clothes proved to be the last hiccup. As we climbed out I felt more confident and more elated with every step. As I made my way up the Canyon wall, I knew I would finish and finish feeling well. I felt strong and dialed in and deeply present in the Canyon, which easily qualifies as one of my favorite spots on Earth. I kept hiking forward and tried to soak in as much texture and nuance as I could. I studied multiple enclosures hollowed out of the Canyon walls and wondered about the geologic pressures that had molded this rock over eons of time. As I got closer to the top I started talking to everyone I passed. I talked to a woman who turned 60 and regretted never seeing the Grand Canyon, so she drove herself across the country from New Jersey to see it. She followed me up the last 100 meters and asked to take a picture of me as a I finished. She took the first picture at the top where I’m looking satisfied with my hands on my hip.

I’ve been in better shape. I’ve had harder days. But this one meant a lot to me. In part because I got to spend a great day with great friends in a truly spectacular place. But also because of the deep hole I’d dug myself in and the almost geologic change it took to be able to climb out.

And, of course, when it was done. I got to eat pizza. Thanks for reading about my day.

Summiting Mt. Washington

2016-02-25T23:40:00.001-05:00

I love mountains.

I love looking up at them; I love looking down from their summits.
I love smelling them.
I love climbing them, and I love that the higher I get, the lonelier it gets, and the happier I am.
I love hiking with people who enjoy the mountains as much as I do and share their Clif Bars.

Mt. Washington stands only 6,288 feet high, but don't let that fool you. The highest recorded wind speed (excluding tropical cyclones) was recorded at Mt. Washington - a whopping 231 mph! How do you even measure that!?!?

Anyways - Mt. Washington has a lovely auto-road so that cars can drive to the observatory at the summit in the summer and admire all the chumps who hiked up. Summer hikers have a dandy time enjoying the views and scoffing at those lazy people in their vehicles.

But we were attempting Mt. Washington in winter.

"Are you going to get a bumper sticker like all the cars that drive up Mt. Washington on the road?" asked a co-worker when I excitedly exclaimed that we were climbing Mt. Washington.
OK, lad-ee, the road is closed in the winter, temperatures plummet even at the base of the mountain, the winds create near-zero visibility in the winter, and people DIE. This is no pansy walk!
Instead, I laughed and said, "No. That's only in the summer."

Bart, Mikal, Zack, and I scheduled our summit Mt. Washington in mid-February. Email chains started, with Zack laying out all the risks of the mountain, Bart boasting about his previous three summits, and Mikal and I basically acting like bobbleheads. Yay!

My twin sister's boyfriend Jim and his climbing buddies tagged onto the trek - and just like that, we added three doctors to the climbing crew. So - in case any of us stabbed ourselves/another with an ice axe, the MDs could save the day!

Week before: We checked the forecast hourly, but Mt. Washington's weather is so volatile, that it ranged from -90* (no joke!) to 25*. How could we even prepare for that wide of a weather swing? The summit also doesn't forecast past more than 36 hours, so we were left playing the game of worst case/best case scenario.

Day before - Friday, Feb 19: Bart, Mikal and I flew into Manchester, NH. Delayed flight led to 5 beers at the airport bar, and by 11pm, we arrived at our hotel in North Conway with Zack. I highly recommend the place I booked - Merrill Farm Inn: we had a family suite with 3 queen beds, and the hotel had a great breakfast AND cookie hour (basically, my version of Happy Hour)!

We debated whether to attempt Mt. Washington on Satr or Sunday. The weather was forecasted to be warmer and less windy (only 75mph winds, yay!) on Sunday, but the weather on Satr wasn't too bad either: forecasted high of 20* with a low of -10*, and winds up to 90mph. We decided to attempt the summit on Satr, with Sunday as a fall-back in case we weren't able to summit.

Summit Day - Satr, Feb 20: The climbing crew started at Pinkham's Notch, a bit later than intended because it had snowed the night before and created slower traffic, and we had to stop at IME for some rental gear. 10:22am takeoff time.

10:22am: start time at Pinkham Notch

The climb starts gradually, but it's a steady up-and-up, and with the snowfall from the night before, there were some slippery sections. No ice axes or crampons out yet; this was winter hiking at its most leisurely. About 10 minutes into the hike, I shed two layers and was starting to work up a sweat.

Jim, Barry, and Martin ascending - easy going so far!

We reconvened as a group at the base of Lion's Head - see the emergency shelter? That's where you'll want to stop, put on your crampons, get a little fuel in you, take a couple of happy pics, and then turn towards the woods and start the REAL ascent.

Barry, aka Bazzo, eating pizza at the base of Lion's Head.

Getting crampons on and ice axes out at the base of Lion's Head.

One last pic with smiles!

About 200 meters past the base of Lion's Head, we reached what's nicknamed the "Hillary Step". This is the most difficult pitch of the entire climb, and there was a bit of a traffic jam. We waited as a group was descending, per mountain etiquette, and finally got our turn! Bazzo, by far the most experienced of the seven of us, fixed his rope and we each took our turn tackling the Hilary Step.

Jim on the Hilary Step - ice axe and crampons critical here!

At this point, Mikal's crampon broke. Yep, singular. One crampon broke. Luckily, Bart had an extra pair of 6-point crampons, so Mikal quickly put them on.

Bart and Zack waiting at the Hillary Step

Mikal before the crampon fiasco

Bazzo climbing after the Hillary Step

Past the Hillary Step, the climbing was really steep - I relied on my ice axe to help me on this bitch of a section. Up and up we climbed, and a knot began to grow in my neck from staring down at the ice. Hiking with crampons and an ice axe creates strain; and with my laser-focus on each step and putting all my weight on my ice axe as I climbed up, my shoulders were screaming in pain.

No pain, no gain. Up I climbed.

Skies looking good here!

Near the treeline, the views were gorgeous. Check out those skies - it deceivingly appears like the perfect day!

Jim climbing up past Lion's Head

Bart and Mikal waiting for me to catch up

Mountaineering men

Zack climbing up to Lion's Head

Right below the exposed bank of Mt Washington, where winds whipped our faces

The climb was steady, and all of us commented on how warm we felt. Up until Lion's Head, the climb is protected from the infamous winds of Mt. Washington. We gazed out at gorgeous views of Wildcat Mountain and climbed steadily.

The last sight of our crew - Zack sitting down, Jim and Martin climbing, and Barry just behind the curve

Mikal's back-up crampon failed, but he jerry-rigged it so that it (kind of) stayed on.

The only reason our enthusiasm was squashed as we progressed steadily up is the number of groups we saw coming down the mountain. All of the groups had turned back, citing that the winds were tornado-like and the conditions wouldn't allow anyone to summit. Everyone was turning back, and we kept going in the other direction. But Bart, Mikal, and I felt strong, and none of us wanted to end the day without bagging this peak, so we marched on.

Bart, Mikal, and I reached Split Rock, a truck-sized boulder with a gap in the middle that you squeeze through, and regrouped. There was only one final push to the top! I looked back to catch the rest of our group, but couldn't see anyone. Oops. We had made a group agreement that the faster group wouldn't wait for others to catch up past Lion's Head, since we had a turnaround time of 2pm summit. Upward and onward the Three Musketeers went.

Bart and Mikal grew a bit annoyed as I proclaimed "This is so beautiful!" every 100 meters. I kept whipping out my camera to take pictures, and finally Bart proclaimed no more pics - it was crucial that we made the summit by 2pm. I made Bart take a picture of me, as proof that I was there.

I made Bart take a picture of me - the only one of me on the mountain.

We reached a sign that indicated that we were just 0.7 miles below the summit, and we each got an extra surge of adrenaline. The wind was really picking up now, and we were losing visibility by the minute. We agreed to stay within 10 feet of each other so that our entire 3-person party was visible to each other the rest of the way up.

About a half-mile below the summit, we came across a group rapidly descending. We asked if they made it to the summit, expecting them to say no, but they proudly proclaimed that they had summited! They were the only people that we met along the trail that day who summited - it was possible! Let's get this, guys!

The knots in my neck grew intolerable, but the wind was so strong that I continued to put all my weight on my ice axe as we climbed. Everything in my shoulders was screaming to stand up and stretch it out, and the only reason I wasn't in complete misery is that I was warm. Yep, in 90mph winds, standing near the top of Mt. Washington, I was happily warm! Thank you, REI gear!

We reached the summit, and Bart, Mikal and I danced around for a bit. I was so happy! I must admit that I had under-estimated this mountain - it had given me a good kick in the ass, but we had climbed our way to the top! I whipped out my camera for a summit pic, but the battery was frozen and my camera wouldn't turn on. I put the battery in my armpit, trying to warm it up for just one pic (a trick I learned in the Himalayas), but it was dead. Dammit! No summit pic!

The Descent: Bart, Mikal, and I began our descent. We took the wrong route down, which sucked, so we ended up climbing back up to the summit in order to find the cairns again. haha. Not.

Descending was tough, since our visibility was severely limited and the winds had picked up speed in the last hour. Once we reached Split Rock, we were in the clear zone - visibility improved, we were protected from the winds, and I wasn't stabbing my ice axe into the side of the mountain to keep from getting blown over.

From Lion's Head to the Hillary Step, you can basically sled down on your butt - which is what we did. This was the highlight of my day and by far the fastest way to get down!

Hillary Step was tricky to descend, but a guide for another group offered us his rope, and we gladly took him up on the offer.

Bart descending the Hillary Step

At 5:30pm, we reached Pinkham's Notch, soaked from the rain that hit us just below treeline, happy and satisfied. Zack, Jim, Barry, and Martin were waiting for us at the Visitor's Center, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when we walked through - apparently, they were quite worried that we wouldn't make it down before sunset. They had turned around at Split Rock, after losing sight of us and seeing the winds swirl to create almost no visibility.

We did a play-by-play of our climb, which in hindsight sounds boring but in the moment, is all you want to talk and hear about!

Hot showers, followed by pizza and beers that evening. We also taught Mikal how to play Dominion, which is basically the greatest board game ever.

Pizza, Beers, and Dominion

While researching Mt. Washington in the winter, we realized there weren't many non-guided climbing blogs out there - so to anyone attempting this crazy climb in the winter, here's what I would suggest bringing to Mt. Washington:

Gear to Pack:
Long Underwear
Ski pants
Wool socks (1 pair)
Goretex Hiking Boots (or plastic mountaineering boots)

12-point crampons
ice axe
ski goggles
neoprene face mask
beanie
wool hat or ski hat
sunglasses
chapstick (I didn't bring any and my lips were peeling at the end)

Base Layer (top)
Fleece
HeatGear top
Softshell (water and wind resistant)
Down Jacket

Liner gloves
Down gloves or mittens

Backpack
Backpack Cover
Headlamp
Camera - bring an extra camera battery that you keep insulated and warm!
Phone
Carabiner
At least 1 L water (I only drank about 4 oz the entire climb)
At least 2 Clif bars (I only ate one bar the entire climb; it's too cold to eat)

And don't forget the most important thing:

Great Climbing Partners!

Recovery Day - Sunday, Feb 21: We went cross-country skiing in Jackson. I swear I'm not the most uncoordinated person, but I was so slooowwwww on those skis! What a blast of a weekend in snow-covered mountains, though!

Cross-country skiing at Jackson

The short Asian who everyone had to wait for

White Mountains photo album here.

Next mountain trip planned: Glacier National Park in May with Megan Patterson, my best friend from the Peace Corps!

Honeymoon in Patagonia and Mendoza

2016-01-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

When Bart said that he could take two weeks off in December for our honeymoon, I instantly knew where our honeymoon would be: Patagonia. Southern Argentina and Chile have been at the top of my travel list, and there's a small 'optimum hiking weather' window available because of the extreme temperatures. Ever since hearing about Patagonia from a hiking buddy I met in the Himalayas, I couldn't get this image out of my noggin:

Patagonian icefields: It's absolutely mesmerizing! I could look at this photo for days on end!

*Sidenote: Patagonia is one of the windiest places on Earth, and the north-south orientation of the Andes mountains forms an extensive rain shadow over Patagonia. Add to that its location between the anticyclones of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and you've got a region that sees a ton of precipitation! Raincoats, check!

One of the oh-so-many wonderful things about Bart is that he's completely happy being told where to go and what to do, as long as it doesn't involve swimming in a pool or looking at pictures/videos of babies or a cat on a Roomba. So when I proclaimed to Bart that we would take a flight 21 hours south to Patagonia and camp in Torres del Paine National Park for our honeymoon, he said, "OK. But you have to hike fast so that I don't have to wait."

Then he added a second request: "Make sure I get at least 4 days in wine country."

Done and done. I was so excited about our honeymoon that I planned our Patagonia and Mendoza itinerary before planning the wedding events. Hey, picking trekking routes is so much more fun than being price-gouged by wedding vendors!

Condensed itinerary below:

Full album here.

Highlights of the trip:

1. Hiking to the famous Towers in Torres del Paine.

2. Outdoor rock-climbing for the first time near Salta (in Mendoza province)

3. The W Circuit in Torres del Paine - although it's a long bus ride to get down to Laguna Amarga, the trailhead of the W Circuit, the scenery is absolutely spectacular. It's so far south that the sun set at 11pm and rose at 4:30am. What a treat!

Hiking towards the next campground!

Day 1 of the W Circuit - still smelling fresh

Gaining altitude

Hiking towards Cuernos

The glacial water was so delicious - best water I've had!

Giddy to be hiking!

At a very cold lake

Snow for Christmas!

Our last day, as we were taking the catamaran back, the clouds parted and revealed the peaks!

4. Having a white Christmas - we set out on a grueling 10-hour hike on Christmas morning. The weather instantly turned on us - we were soaking wet from cold rain, which turned to snow at higher altitudes. A white Christmas is magical - but we were soaked, every body part was freezing, and we were combining two days of hiking into one. Even our snow-covered tent was welcoming at the end of the day!

So cold...I couldn't feel my fingers, and our 'waterproof' jackets were soaked through!

Smiling behind chattering teeth

5. El Chalten - magical mountain town host to plenty of day hikes! The best of the best: Loma del Pliegue Tumbado and the hike to Laguna de los Tres.

Vista of El Chalten

We kept waiting for the clouds to reveal the peaks!

6. Steaks and wine - the perfect recovery fuel!

Parilla - this is a carne-lover's dream!

Start of Asian glow at La Garde winery

Malbec grapes

Views of the Andes at a vineyard

7. Glacier hiking and ooh-awwing at the crevasses

Glaciar Perito Moreno - it made us feel so small!

This pic and angle doesn't begin to capture how enormous the ice walls were on Perito Moreno

Hiking on Glaciar Viedmas in El Chalten

Glaciar Viedmas in El Chalten

Viedmas in El Chalten

Ice climbing on Viedmas

8. And finally, even though we'd gone to Mendoza to gorge on vinos and great steaks, we were only an hour and a half away from Cordon del Plata, which many mountaineers use to train for Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak outside of Asia! We had to get in a hike, of course!, and made it as far up Cerro Plata as time would allow, getting to Campo Salto.

The first few kilometers were extremely easy...

but then the greenery disappeared, and the path got steeper.

This was the only time besides the Himalayas when I suffered from the first symptoms of high altitude sickness. Ugh.

But we made it to Salto! Disappointingly, the clouds were completely shrouding any peaks.

Descending back down from the clouds!

The trip was a blast; we spent Christmas in the mountains and a cozy tent, and New Year's with Argentinian neighborhood kids blasting fireworks in the streets. We suffered through wind that nearly blew us off the trails of Patagonia, snow and rain that made me whimper, and altitude that made my breathing extremely shallow - but we were rewarded with amazing vistas, glacial freshwater, steaks and wines that were served with gracious smiles, and a great first two weeks of wedded bliss!

Next adventure planned: We're attempting to summit Mt. Washington in NH with four other burly men. Feb 20 is set as our attempt date! It's a gamble; Mt. Washington holds the record for highest wind speed at 231 mph. Um...don't worry, mom! I'll be safe!

Here's a best-case scenario pic of Mt Washington in February:

and a worst-case scenario pic:

Wish us luck!

Boston Marathon - 26.2 Miles of grit and brief flashes of runner's high

2015-04-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, in a small town called Hopkinton, 26 miles southwest of Boston, a 5-foot Asian chick waited with 27,000 other runners at the Boston Marathon starting line.

OK, I'm not that geeky. I just stuck that opening bit in there because Bart requested that I begin this blog with "Once upon a time." Small things make him happy.

Happy to get to the starting line healthy, ready, and excited!

More than a year earlier, I had qualified for Boston at the Rock n' Roll Marathon in DC. Time to ramp up the miles on this girl's legs again!

My twin sister Phebe, a 2-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier, coached me through one of the worst winters for spring marathon training. Thanks to her, I got in a few track workouts, intervals in the snow, and long Sunday runs! Two days before the marathon, I arrived in Boston feeling antsy, nervous, and full of restless energy - just the way an endurance athlete should feel after a week of taper!

Pre-race Dinner: Whole wheat spaghetti, homemade pasta sauce, and ciabatta bread. Ice cream with warm cookies. nomnom.

Race Morning: Bagel with butter and a bowl of oatmeal. Two cups of coffee followed by a morning dump - always a relief to get it out of the system! Took in Osmo Pre-load just before we left for race start.

Race Start: Boston is extremely well-organized...they've got to be, since this was the 119th anniversary! Everything went smoothly with no pre-race hiccups, and I waited at the starting corrals with my mom, Phebe, and Bart.

Cold enough that I wore a down jacket to the start!

Trying to keep warm with the family!

About to head to the start line!

Did some dynamic stretches, then it was time to shed the layers and meet my fellow runners!

Miles 1-7: Just an extended warm-up for a long run

Easy pace, pretty much settled into a good rhythm. 7:45 miles. Took the advice of so many veteran Boston marathoners and didn't let myself get too excited at the initial descent.
Rain started to sprinkle, but it cooled me down and felt refreshing. Thankful that temps weren't blazing, although I wasn't exactly appreciative of the headwind. Found a few taller gentlemen and tucked in nicely behind them - thanks for the wind block, dudes!
Took in a Clif Shotblock at Mile 6.

Miles 8-12: My Happy Miles (before the pain cave)

Clipped along at a decent 7:40 pace. Legs loosened up and felt better as the elevation evened out. A few decent short and steep hill pitches gave my hamstrings a good wake-up call, and I continued to focus on not letting my hips drop.

Just before mile 12, I heard screams from a few hundred feet down the road. Soon, I was surrounded by screaming college girls from Wellesley holding signs that read "Kiss me, I'm easier than a marathon!" Talk about some motivation! I heard "Go, SNAPPLE!", waved an acknowledgement, and picked up the pace.

Popped another Clif Shotblock at mile 10.

Altitude Chart for the Boston Marathon

Miles 13-16: Bonding with my fellow runners

By now, the runners had spread out quite a bit, and I found my niche with a few fellow runners, one of them an amazing 70-year old gramps who took 1 long gait for every 2 quick steps of mine!

Hit the half-marathon mark at 1:41:00 and was pleasantly surprised that I was clocking in a bit faster than I had planned for.

Wait - faster. Panic set in.

Was I going too fast? Would I fall apart at mile 24? Shit, Phebe and Bart had warned me to hold back for the front half, because the last 13 miles of Boston is where people inevitably fall apart - hills and fatigue are nobody's friend.

I berated myself for over-analyzing. Just focus on the last 13 miles, I told myself. Save your legs for Heartbreak Hill and conquer this bitch of a course.

Clif Shotblock at mile 14.

Miles 17-19: Deep in the Pain Cave

Slowed down considerably to an 8:00 pace as fatigue set in and the hills caused my hip flexors to scream yelps of agony. I focused my mental energy on the upcoming Heartbreak Hill at mile 20...I had to take my mind off my slowing pace!

Took a Shotblock at mile 17.

My only action shot!

Miles 20 and 21: Heartbreak Hill - the dread, the climb, the aftermath

The crowds thickened at the base of Heartbreak Hill, and my mom, Phebe, and Bart later told me that they were screaming on the sidelines, cheering me up the dreaded hill that everyone had warned me about. I was so tired that I didn't even hear or see them!

Well, my training runs with teammate Steph Lundeby in the hilly neighborhoods of Arlington and Alexandria prepped me perfectly for Heartbreak Hill. I trotted along at an easy pace, keeping my eyes glued to the feet of the runner in front of me. Soon, I heard cheers from the sidelines: "You MADE IT! That's the LAST HILL!"

That was it? That was Heartbreak Hill? Yeeaaaahhhhhh!!!! Time to crush the rest of this run. I told myself that with only 5 miles left, I could surely push through 40 minutes of pain in my hip flexors and quads.

Clif gel at mile 20.

Found Finley at mile 23 and the finish!

Miles 22-24: SHUT UP, LEGS!

At mile 22, I reached the point where I thought about slowing the pace down...wouldn't walking for just 10 steps feel so nice? If I could just stop, and stretch out a bit, maybe even hop into one one of the medical tents and warm myself up...

At mile 23, I told myself that this was just a 5K on tired legs. I took in my last Clif Shotblock and locked in on a tall dude in a red jersey who I'd been running alongside for the last few miles. His gait looked strong, so I forced myself to stick with him for as long as I could.

Mile 24 rolled around, and I could feel that my hips were dropping with each step. No bueno! Even hips, even hips, Mindy. I've learned that if I focus on my form and think of what I'm going to demolish post-race (for Boston - CANNOLIS!), it's my best bet to ignoring the pain and cruising forward.

Mile 25: I don't want this to ever end! Can't I stay in this moment forever???

The party was pumping. I felt like a local celebrity. Months of tough training had boiled down to these last few miles, and I was loving every agonizing step! Yeah, a few tears were shed.

Mile 26: Beat the clock, beat the clock, beat the...JUST FINISH ALREADY!

I knew I could break 3:25. It was gonna be close, and I tried to pick up the pace. My Garmin later showed that my last mile was actually quite a bit slower than the previous mile, but I felt like I was sprinting towards Boylston! I didn't quite break 3:25, but happy with the PR!

Relieved to be done!

Mile 26.2: Seizing quads and chattering teeth

3:25:10

Relief! I ran into teammate Maggi Finley at the finish line, and we shivered our way through the crowd. Congrats to Maggi for braving through the cold temps!

I found my sister and Bart at the finish line, then we rushed on over to Mike's Pastries for some cannolis and a lobster claw!

Shivering even with my space blanket.

A box full of CALORIES

Hello, doesn't this space blanket look like the next fashion fad?

Congrats to everyone else who ran the race! Teammate and friend Steph Lundeby deserves a tenacity shout-out...she hit the med tent at Mile 17 with hypothermia, and somehow still managed to finish the race! I'm more in awe of her determination to cross the finish line a third time at Boston than anyone's PR!

Thanks to my wonderful team and sponsors! The Snapple Tri Team has been such a wonderful network of friends, teammates, and training partners for the past 4+ years!

Mile splits below.

Mile 1	7:51
Mile 2	7:40
Mile 3	7:44
Mile 4	7:27
Mile 5	7:51
Mile 6	7:33
Mile 7	7:37
Mile 8	7:38
Mile 9	7:36
Mile 10	7:40
Mile 11	7:42
Mile 12	7:34
Mile 13	7:39
Mile 14	7:36
Mile 15	7:42
Mile 16	7:34
Mile 17	8:00
Mile 18	8:04
Mile 19	7:56
Mile 20	8:12
Mile 21	8:35
Mile 22	7:58
Mile 23	7:53
Mile 24	7:51
Mile 25	7:32
Mile 26	7:50
26.2	3:25:10

Trekking through the Alps (and a few days of Italian wine revelry)!

2014-08-31T16:10:00.001-04:00

I'm a bit obsessed with hiking and mountains - I guess growing up in the Rockies will do that to you! Anytime someone suggests a vacation, I don't think of sunny beaches or sandy resorts; I imagine high-altitude peaks all to myself with my trusty red backpack that has gathered dust from the Himalayas, the Cordillera Blanca, and the deserts of Jordan.

>>>

Mountains

Beaches

Bart only had two stipulations for our August vacation:
1. somewhere international (nixed my suggestion for Glacier National Park);
2. somewhere that had significantly cooler summers than DC (nixed my suggestion for Peru).

The Alps were an easy choice after I saw Google images of crampons and ice axes making their way up Mont Blanc and discovered a trek that went from the French to the Swiss Alps - the Haute Route. It was a 190-km journey, recommended to complete in 12-14 days, and had mountain huts, cabins, or refugios along the entire way...Switzerland, here we come!

The great thing about having Bart as a travel partner is that he's game for anything: I tell him the itinerary, he says, "OK." I tell him the route we're doing, how many kilometers we're walking each day, where we're sleeping, and he says, "OK, but you have to walk fast and keep up with me." The only thing he demanded was that we spend at least 2 days in wine country after the trek. Easy enough to tag on Piedmont, Italy after our hike!

The only downside to our vacation was the flight I chose; I had to wait until Bart's work schedule was settled, so I ended up booking RT tickets to Geneva on Aeroflot. Both out-bound and return itineraries had layovers in Moscow. Look at a map and tell I'm not a genius when it comes to mapping out flight itineraries; but it ended up saving me $2200 in plane tickets, so hey, you get what you pay for!

La Premiere Partie: "Stuck" in Chamonix, France

Well, Aeroflot lost our luggage, so we spent our first 48 hours waiting in Chamonix, France. Not a bad place to get stuck! Chamonix is at the foot of Mont Blanc, and I scrounged through our hostel's lost-and-found to uncover some jewels: the next few days, I lived in men's running tights that were 5 sizes too big, an oversized Gap hoodie, and a wool scarf! The best reason to be in Chamonix is Mont Blanc - pics galore below!

Following the ridge to base camp of Mont Blanc

Couldn't get enough!

The valley shrouded in clouds below us...

I could stare at this forever!

Peaks after peaks after peaks...

Freezing at the base of Mont Blanc

Receding glaciers

One last long look before we took off for scree...

La Viande du Voyage: The Haute Route

Once our luggage miraculously appeared on our hostel's doorstep, we immediately sorted through our hiking gear and set off for the Haute Route. Each day took us over a pass (or two, or three) - which is essentially a hiker's route through a mountain range or over a ridge.

For nerds like me who love Excel, our route is detailed below (and in the link). If you're looking to replicate our route, I'd recommend the following changes:

Day 4 - take Col Termin route, which avoids Col de la Chaux. Col de la Chaux was extremely difficult to ascend and descend; wouldn't be surprised to learn if there had been a rockslide earlier this year!
Break Day 6 up into 2 days, sleeping at either Cabane de Moiry or Barrage de Moiry.
If you're pressed for time, cut a day out by taking the train from St Niklaus to Zermatt on the last day - you won't miss any sights, and you're skipping out on the part of the trail that essentially runs parallel to the train tracks anyways.

Day	Route	Distance	Time	Notes
1	Chamonix-Argentiere-Col de Balme-Trient	21 km	8.5 hrs	Easy; shares route with the Tour of Mont Blanc
2	Trient-Fenetre d'Arpette-Champex	14 km	8.5 hrs	Pass is difficult; first glimpse of awesome glaciers. Champex is about 45 min from Champex-Arpette (stopped for a snack)
3	Champex-Sembrancher-Le Chable-Clambin-Verbier-Cabane du Mont Fort	22km	11.5 hrs	One of more pleasant days; saw where the Tour de France climbed Verbier; Cabane du Mont Fort had some delicious spaghetti (and 4-Euro showers)
4	Cabane du Mont Fort-Col de la Chaux--Col de Louvie-Col de Prafleuri-Cabane de Prafleuri-Lac des Dix	15 km	8 hrs	missed turn for Col de la Chaux and went up Col des Gentianes, adding ~3km to the day. Col de la Chaux NOT recommended; difficult pass, especially in areas with ice. Lots of loose screw, vertical climb on ice. Cabane de Prafleuri does not accept CCs and turned us away; had to hike another hour to an ugly hotel at bottom of Lac des Dix, which turned out to have an amazing dinner and hot showers!
5	Lac des Dix-Col de Riedmatten-Arolla-Lac Bleu-Les Hauderes	22 km	8.5 hrs	Chose Col de Riedmatten route because Pas de Chevres has three vertical ladders that are dangerously close to rock face. Happy we chose this route; had ropes and chains to aid us in climbing the loose areas. Les Hauderes was one of our more favorite villages to stay in. Tried raclette (essentially mounds of steamed potatoes with even more mounds of melted cheese) for dinner. Had a fantastic bakery for morning bites!
6	Les Hauderes-La Sage-Col du Tsate-Glacier de Moiry-Barrage de Moiry-Col de Sorebois-Zinal	28 km	11 hrs	This day sucked balls. Col du Tsate - essentially a 3.5 hour climb straight up a mountain. Didn't enjoy it. Glacier de Moiry has two routes - we chose to continue to Barrage de Moiry rather than Cabane de Moiry. The descent from Sorebois to Zinal was grueling and we were starving. To the point of delirious. Thank the Buddha for the kind lady who helped us find a hotel in Zinal; tried croute for dinner and stuffed myself silly.
7	Zinal-Forcletta-Gruben	14 km	6 hrs	"Easy day" relative to past 2 days. Officially left French Switzerland and passed into German Switzerland. Forcletta climb was easy, if only because we had just done 3 passes on Day 6 alone.
8	Gruben-Augstbordpass-St Niklaus	16 km	6.5 hrs	Another "easy" day - view from the Twara was absolutely magnificent. Enjoyed last day at high altitude. St Niklaus is a fairly busy town; bakery, post, bus systems.
9	St Niklaus-Tasch-Zermatt	18 km	5 hrs	Easy day, but the route follows the railway tracks and is extremely boring. No sights until right when you break into Zermatt. If I were to do this hike again, I'd take the train from St Niklaus to Zermatt - you don't miss any sights/peaks/panoramas, and you can do several day treks or trail runs from Zermatt!

Each night, we stayed in a hostel or a mountain refuge. Switzerland is not cheap, even in the high passes; rooms per night were anywhere from 55-90 Swiss Francs/person, but everything was so clean and meals were often included - no need to pack any camping stoves, sleeping bags, pillows, or even water purification tablets!

Some pics below, but see the full album if you'd like to see all the photos of our hike!

Looking out from our first pass, Col de Balme

View from Col de Balme

Water Break!

Our descent into the valley from another pass

From glaciers to cow pastures

Perfect timing - cows let out for grazing for the day!

Cabane du Mont Forte, Day 3's hotel

The tiniest room for 2 people! A cozy squeeze.

View from Col de Louvie

An unusually cold summer in Europe meant that not all the trails were clear of snow...

Looking back on our ascent past a glacial lake

Where there is no trail...make one!

Lovin' this life!

Despite trail markers, we managed to get lost in at least 3 major ways during the trek!

Obligatory picture at another pass

King of the lake!

A rare moment when I feel much, MUCH taller than 5'...

Just before it started to snow...top of Col de Prafleuri

Lac des Dix

We passed through an ibex sanctuary!

Where we're standing used to be alllllll glacier...

Another receding glacier...still beautiful, but quickly receding.

Trail markers mapping my route!

Top of Col de Riedmatten

Jagged peaks for miles and miles!

Lac de Bleu, before Les Hauderes

Passing below the tree line on our way to Les Hauderes

Swiss village that seemed to have only one inhabitant - a cheese maker

Leaving the village of Les Hauderes

On our way up Col du Tsate

Lac des Moiry

Carrots for the donkeys!

Ascent to the Forcletta

Moooooo...this cow became quite angry at how closely I passed!

On the only day we ran out of bread...Bart made a salami sandwich.

Hey, North Face - need a new poster boy?

Town of Jungen, just before the descent to St Niklaus

Unfortunately, once we reached Zermatt, the clouds were so low that we couldn't even get a good peek at the Matterhorn. I was so disappointed! We walked around town, balked at the tourists buying Mont Blanc watches for 2000 Euros, and contented ourselves with the local supermarket. I treated myself to a half-kilo bag of Haribo gummy bears...the wonderful thing about hiking is when you stumble upon a sleeve of Pringles or a freshly baked croissant...so delicious!

Ciao, Italia! Drinking our way through Piedmont

When I told Bart that we were going to Switzerland to hike the Haute Route, his only demand was that we have at least 2 days in wine country. We settled on Piedmont, Italy after my IT director raved about the robust wines from this region.

A 180* change from the first part of our vacation, but 100% in the right direction! The next 3 days were spent eating, drinking, and living out of our flip flops. I discovered my favorite place just 2 blocks from our hotel in Turin:

Our last meal in Italy - at Eataly's pizzeria!

Among our favorite places in Italy that we visited:

La Spinetta in Castagnole Lanze

Bart inspecting the grapes...

What a lovely family-run vineyard! Ended up having our own private tour, since the Brazilian group ended up being an hour late...woot woot! They also make FANTASTIC olive oil!

Bart's first comment when we arrived at the Spinetta winery: "They definitely have a larger production than we do. Definitely." (We're currently making blackberry wine in our basement, which should fill all of 12 bottles).

Ceretto Winery in Alba

A much bigger production than La Spinetta...barrels upon barrels of Barolo!

Some cool vineyard-viewing capsule.

Enoteca Regionale de Barolo

a tourist hot spot, but gave us a chance to sample wines from vineyards all around Piedmont.

What an amazing vacation! The Haute Route went by so quickly, and our whirlwind tour through Italy was a blast! Next up on the bucket list: Patagonia! Life is wonderful! I'm so happy!

We also managed to stuff a suitcase (bought in a luggage store in Alba) and our backpacks full of 16 bottles of wine! We are packing GENIUSES!!!! Only one bottle broke, but not our most valuable :) Our wine basement is now fully stocked!

Lining up our wines-to-be-packed on the last night in Italy...

Full vacation album here!

TJ's backyard: Racing in Monticello's Half Tri

2014-05-12T23:07:00.002-04:00

"Give about two of hours every day to exercise, for health must not be sacrificed to learning. A strong body makes the mind strong."
--Thomas Jefferson

The past 9 months had left me exhausted and sleep-deprived. I wasn't training as much as last year - a full-time job and full-time Master's program aren't conducive to endurance tri training! Still, I came into MonticelloMan thinking I might be able to slip in a sub-30 swim and hoping for a 1:38-ish half-marathon. Not quite the day I hoped for, but the first race of the year always makes me antsy to race more!!

Le Swim: Swimming through sticks and into the sun

1.2 mile swim: 31:29 (2nd female)

Deb Hopkins and I lined up for the beach start with our comrades. Surprised to see how small the field was, and both Deb and I giggled that maybe, just maybe, we might land on the overall podium this year!

Quick start, caught onto a pair of fast feet, and held them until the first turn buoy. Murky waters made it difficult to enjoy the swim, and I kept swimming into clumps of floating sticks. The aftermath of a storm several days before! I found Deb's feet after the first turn and held them - thanks for the draft, Deb! After the final turn, I focused on strong and solid strokes, sighting off of the men from the wave before us. It was impossible to see the buoys or the beach exit, since the sun was glaring right into my squinty Asian eyes. Egads!

Finally saw the dock and exited 2nd female outta the water. Saw Loren - congrats to her on a recent pregnancy announcement!! - and did a quick wetsuit strip. Spermie onto my head; Garmin clicked on; velcro-ed my feet into the shoes. I yelled at Deb that we had a woman ahead of us to catch as I ran away with Penelope to start tackling my weakness: the BIKE!

Post-note: I have this very weird obsession with swimming sub-30s for a half and sub-hour for a full. Swimming is the sport I have the most confidence in, and it makes me pissed every time I don't meet my goal. I could blame the slight choppiness or the sun, but really, if I got my butt into the pool more during the winter, I'd be a stronger swimmer. Can't wait for Haines Point to open so I can find motivation to be a fish again!

The longest bike ride of the year: Hills, wind, and getting dropped

56 mile ride: 3:03:25 (7th female??)

Every year, every race, I vow to myself that I will learn to bike. I will learn to pedal with power. I will learn to attack hills and not fear wind or descents.

But it hasn't happened yet. I'm not sure why I struggle so much with the bike. There doesn't seem to be any real technique; you make the wheels turn faster and you go faster. I still remember when Bart first gave me a power meter; I thought it was broken because it was stuck at 80 watts. Stupid thing! Useless Garmin, I thought, can't even read my sure-to-be-200+ wattage. Sure enough, the only thing that was broken were my short and stubby legs - full of slow-twitch fibers but no fast-twitch power muscles anywhere in this frame. It takes extreme concentration and effort for me to burst through the triple-digit wattage. Sigh.

So for the entire bike race, every time I heard the swoosh-swoosh of race wheels closing in on my 650s, I would pray to the Buddha that it was a male. But as the miles ticked on, the females closed and gave sweet smiles of victory as they pedaled past me.

OK, OK...so they passed you...you'll get them on the run, I told myself. But by the time I was on my second loop, the wind had picked up...and me and the wind are NOT friends on the bicycle. Just get off the bike and run people down, I thought, trying to focus on my calories.

Nutrition for the bike:

This year, the Snapple Triathlon Team picked up a new sponsor: Osmo Nutrition.

Wooohoooo!!! What a fantastic product to work with!!! Preload, Active, and Post hydration mixes all taste fantastic (number one priority). Osmo had been stellar during my marathon, and it worked for the Monti half as well!

2 bottles of Active Osmo mix: 200 calories

1 Clif Bar (Choco Chip, classic!) and one Honey Stinger bar: ~450 calories

3 Clif Shot Blox (athlete's candy): 100 calories

Total liquid cals (200) + Total solid cals (550)= 750 calories

Eating on the bike is always a highlight for me. Let's be honest, though - eating anything, anytime makes me happy.

Into T2 - and spectators told me I was 5th female. Time to run some cyclists down! Mizunos on, tucked my extra shot blox into the bra, and then found my way to the Port-a-Potty to take a leak.

Running with a Human God

13.1 mile run: 1:42:11 (2nd female)

Since my beloved Mizuno Ronins had worn thin and the model had been discontinued, I converted to the new Hitogamis.

Hitogami translates to Human God, which is a bit too other-worldly of a shoe name for my liking. Whatever. I love this shoe despite its egotistical name.

Love love love. It fits like a glove. It's as light as the Ronin. It has yellow, my favorite color. It doesn't feel like a weight but gives just enough cushioning to sustain my feet for a half-marathon (I think it would work pretty damn well for a full as well!).

I hadn't done any practice BRICK runs - the last run I'd done off the bike was at IMMT last year. How quickly I had forgotten (perhaps intentionally??) what it feels like to run on feet disconnected from my quads!! I couldn't get the turnover I wanted, and even though my cardio/breathing was fine and I focused on picking up the pace, I didn't settle in until about mile 5.

Started to run down the chicks that had gotten me on the bike. Around mile 10, I felt really strong and confident - and spectators told me I was 3rd female. Yeah, man, why hadn't this surge kicked in earlier? Let's chase #1 and 2!!!

Alas, this doesn't have a fairy tale ending, and I wasn't able to catch Ms Long Legs (1st place) or Kendra's look-a-like (2nd place). I look like a midget next to these two!

Final Monti Half:

5:19:52

3rd Female

13th Overall

Best part of the race was the final 1/4 mile. Zack, Munchies, Kraft, Lee, and KGo were there at the corner, screaming at me to put some gusto in my step. Always nice to have a cheer squad!!!

Thanks to Loren Bazualdo for some race pics, and congrats to her and hubby Dan for their recent announcement: a lil' one cookin' in da belly!

And congrats to Deb Hopkins - first place AG and comrade in suffering through work and school full-time. You are a rockstar and I don't know why we're smiling so widely in this pic - especially when we both went straight home and started working on finals!

A shout-out to Kendra (3rd place female in the Oly! - and ran with me for a short stint as part of her post-race workout!!), Munchies (Champion of the Oly!), Kraft, Dez and Holly Tompkins on their MontiMan Oly races!

And the tri community is such a wonderful place to meet new faces with similar passions...Mark and Lee rocked it at the Oly!

OK...so what's next...not too sure! Just basking in the aftermath of graduating with my Masters and now have to figure out which races to sign up for. Most likely Williamsburg Rev3 Half and Wisdom Oak Winery Tri!

I also have a mission to try every Talenti Gelato flavor before the end of summer.

Rockn' and Rolln' through my First Marathon

2014-03-16T15:32:00.002-04:00

I kinda knew what to expect for my first marathon. A "huge" hill at mile 6 up to Calvert, an emotional depression when marathoners peel off from the half-marathon course and continue into Anacostia for the second half of the course, and the inevitable knives in the quads. Race day came around and I felt ready - both mentally and physically!

Race morning was perfect. Low 40s, clear skies, and low winds. Given the tough and extended winter the DC area has had this year, I was running in shorts and a tank for the first time in 2014! Drank my Osmo (best hydration mix ever!) before driving over with Bart to the start!

Socks as mittens and a couple dudes thinking I'm way too excited pre-marathon!

Goal coming into this race was to qualify for Boston. I know, I aim HIGH!!! haha. BQ for my age group is somewhere around 3:35. My twin sister Phebe is moving to Boston in July 2014, and we'd been talking about both running Boston in 2015.

20,000 half- and full-marathoners lined up!

Miles 1-6: Kept it easy at an 8:00 pace that later turned out to officially be 7:56 pace for the first 10K. Phebe had told me to run with the 3:30 pace group, but I moved up a corral and never saw the pace group the entire run.

I saw teammates Bryan Frank, Jenny Leehey and Steph Ewert on a switchback on Memorial Bridge. I think my sudden eruption of their names from the other side of the bridge caused slight heart palpitations to the people next to me.

Hill leading up to Calvert was FUN! Lined with locals and cowbells on both sides and I had expected far worse. Hallelujah, after the ascent came the slow and steady descent!!

Miles 7-12: Tried to keep even at an 8:00 pace and enjoyed the crowds through DC. Legs felt fine, I was keeping reserves in the bank for the last half, and the weather was starting to warm up. Hey! This marathon thing ain't too bad! I'm still enjoying myself and giving 5-year-olds high-fives!

Handed off my arm warmers to Bart when I saw him!

Mile 12.5: The lanes divided in half - the left half for the half marathoners and the right side for the marathoners. Talk about being in the minority. A pack of ladeez that I had been running with abandoned me as they picked up their pace and dug down for their last half-mile. It was just me and a dude whose shirt I kept reading and re-reading for the next 5 miles: some quote from the Bible about Christ and something about the Philippians. I kept looking at that word - 'Philippians' - and made up stories in my head about its relation to the Philippines.

Halfway point (13.1 miles) - 1:43:30. I silently hooray-ed to myself. Slightly ahead of target, but feeling strong and confident!

Miles 13-16: The dwindled race field made things lonely...even boring. I picked up the pace a little and aimed for a 7:45 pace. I felt fine and dandy. The sun was starting to peek out and I was so happy that I'd gone with shorts and a tank. There were a few marathoners with long sleeves or capri tights and I wasn't jealous of them one bit!

Engility reunion...Daniel Head raising the roof
and my heel-strike in full action!

Around mile 14 or 15, I caught up with my ~~lucky leprechaun~~ coworker Daniel Head. He was in full-on St Patty's Day mode...kudos to him for running in a tutu and a wig!

Miles 17-20: Enter the pain cave. My quads started to feel as if they were stabbed with invisible knives. The pain wasn't intense enough to cause me to stop or even slow down, but I did think about whether it'd get any worse and deteriorate into quad cramping issues.

I cursed silently to my quads. They had held up fine in my two 20-mile runs during peak training - and now at mile 17, they decided it was payback time. I mentally blocked the pain by focusing on catching up to a chick in a pink tank ahead of me. Once I passed her, I focused on a girl wearing a Harvard tanktop who was knock-kneed.

Miles 21-25: These weren't dull butter knives anymore; these were full-on, freshly-sharpened Wusthof steak knives stabbing my quads. Youch! I tried to pick up the pace and focus on not letting my hips drop. Just trying to think of maintaining a strong push-off and even hip balance helped me to block *some* of the pain from my quads out. OK, I could do this! I tried to keep a consistent 7:45 pace but my official chip time shows that I actually slowed to an 8:01 pace the last 10K.

The lower the visor, the further into the pain cave I am.

Mile 26: The stadium was in sight! That hideous structure suddenly looked so appealing! I was finito. But then I saw Bart at the peak of a "hill" (more like a highway ramp) and got a final burst of energy. I was gonna do this and finish strong!

Mile 26

Final turn was downhill ("yee-owch!" screamed my quads) and merged with the half-marathoners. I tried to kick it in for the last 200 yards, but in reality I was just swinging my arms just a bit more erratically. But I felt like I was flying through that finish line!!!! I heard cheers of "Go, Snapple!" and I did a thumbs up!

Official finishing time: 3:25:43.
Finished 25th Female!

Perks:

Negative split!
Boston qualified!
Still have all my toenails!

Non-perks:

Can't walk down stairs!
No ice cream at the finish line!
Had to walk a mile and a half back to the car.

No ice cream in the post-race grub but got a Chocolate Milk...has never tasted better!!!

Nutrition: Took a Clif Shot Block every 4 miles. Managed to muster down 2 Clif Mocha gels - nursed them for about 3 miles each. A sip of water at every aid station. Finished a little dehydrated but no stomach issues!

Post-race Interview: A Run Washington staff stopped me as I was chugging water and asked about my race. I blabbered on about how it felt while stuffing my face with potato chips. Some snippets of my interview here!

A shout-out to Phebe - best friend and coach! Little do people know that my twin sister is a 2-time Olympic Trials marathoner...her training plan got me to my goal time!
And, of course, Bart! What a stud - he made me laugh every time I saw him on the course.

Super Congrats to teammate Courtney Fulton and coworker Daniel Head who also ran the full marathon!!! And teammates Jenny Leehey, Steph Ewert, Bryan Frank, Stephanie Brown and Holli Finneren who ran the half!

That night, I celebrated by hobbling my way to a bachelorette party for my friend Dawn Riebeling, who ran the half and PR'ed! A cooking lesson, a four-course meal, and some great wine and conversation was the perfect way to cap off a tiring day!

Mizuno Women's Run Shoes: The Full Monty

2013-11-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it: I play favorites. And one of my favorite sponsors for the 2013 season is Mizuno.

For the past decade, I'd run in Asics. Asics everything: GT 2000, Gel Kayano (Models 12-18; see how loyal I am?!?!), Gel Nimbus, Gel Cumulus, and, finally, the Gel DS Racer. I probably should have invested more in Asics stocks given my commitment to the brand.

I loved my Asics and never wanted to part with them. But after battling a hamstring injury for 2 years, I was willing to try anything different (except aqua-jogging).

Mizuno's sponsorship of the Snapple Tri Team couldn't have come at a better time!

I've ran in and fell in love with the five models of Mizuno running shoes that clutter my closet. It's like a rainbow of running happiness everytime I look at my shoe closet!

Here's the run-down with links to Mizuno's site:

1. Wave Sayonara

Not different colored shoes, Silly! Both Bart and I have the Sayonaras,
so thought I'd show the gender discriminating colors of these great shoes :)

If I could choose just one shoe to train, race, do everything in, I'd pick the Sayonara. As a former (and sometimes current, when I'm lazy or tired) heel-striker, I needed to go with a lower heel-toe drop to train myself to mid-foot strike.

Pros:

The Sayonara has a 10mm drop - perfect for me in the transition from a 12- or 14-mm drop!
Lightweight. 7.1 oz. Meant for the neutral runner. That means severe pronators or supinators would NOT enjoy this shoe and in fact might risk injury. I actually run with Superfeet insoles in all my running shoes, which is supposed to provide more heel stability and help with my very slight pronation.
Roomy toe box and forefoot. Just what I need!!!
Grippies on the bottom toebox of the shoe are PERFECT - you can feel the grab even when running on pavement!

Cons:

Have heard fellow teammates complain that the Sayonaras aren't as well-ventilated as other running shoes. I personally haven't run into this problem, but heavy feet-sweaters, be forewarned!
Wears more quickly than other training shoes (like the Precision, which the Sayonara replaces), but no shoe is meant to last forever!
Pricey at $120 retail.

2. Wave Ronin 5

This is happiness in a running shoe.

Pros:

Yellow. Enough said.
Use these for racing half-marathons or shorter. Absolutely feel like I'm flying when I lace these babies up!
Only weigh in at 5.8 oz, but amazingly my feet have never felt like there's not enough support/cushion/oomph to the shoe despite it's extremely light weight.
Same heel drop as Sayonaras at 10mm - so when I switch between the two, my feet aren't confused.
Same wonderful grippies on the sole as the Sayonaras - except there are more of them! Even on the road, I feel like these have awesome traction.
Roomy all around for my extra-wide feet.

Ran my way to a half-marathon PR in the Ronins!
I told my parents, "Just look for the bright yellow shoes and Snapple visor!"

Cons:

Lasts less than 150 miles. I went through my first pair FAST.
I'd imagine that anyone who severely pronates/supinates or is a heavier runner would need more support than the Ronins offer.
On the more expensive side at $105 retail, given these shoes have a much shorter lifespan than normal.

3. Wave Precision

The bad news: the Wave Precision has been discontinued by Mizuno. Thousands were angry, taking to the streets in riot. Just joking. But I would have if Mizuno would not have followed up with this:

The good news: It was replaced by the Wave Sayonara.

People (especially runners) don't like change. We're used to rhythm and monotony. But the Wave Sayonara somehow successfully improved on the best lightweight trainer (yes, that would be the Precision) and came out with a running shoe that's like a Cervelo frame: something that, quite frankly, can just switch colors every year but nothing - absolutely nothing - about the shoe's biology needs to change.

So! You can't buy the Precision anymore and even if you find it on Amazon or Zappos, you really should be buying the Sayonara.

4. Wave Rider

The Wave Riders took off in sales after Wendy Davis made them famous. Calling these shoes a "symbol of the talisman of feminism and political voice" (that's seriously what the Daily Beast called them) is a poetic exaggeration that makes me puke a little, but I shan't take away from the awesomeness of both Wendy Davis and of Mizuno Wave Riders.

Not my favorite running shoes, so please find other shoe reviews if you are looking for a rosier picture:

Pros:

A favorite among runners! Flexible for nearly all runner types - it's a neutral shoe but due to its internal forefoot overlay and structured support in the heel and midfoot, it works well for pronators and heavier runners.
Great for any distance.
Lifetime is 3-4 times that of the Sayonara or Ronin!
Standard 12mm heel drop
Well-priced at $115 retail and will last the standard 500 miles.

Cons:

Too bulky. Keep in mind that I love the lightness of the Sayonaras and the Ronins, so the extra ounce on the Wave Riders made a huge difference to me. Wave Riders weigh in at 8.2 oz but feel like they weigh twice as much as the Ronins.
Less flexible overall - my foot craves that "in a glove" feeling I get from the Sayonara and Ronins, so I'm a bit spoiled and feel like I'm wearing a box when I put these on.

Snapple Tri Girls sporting our Mizuno Wave Riders!

5. Wave Evo Cursoris

Man, these are the lightest imaginable. Like nothing. Like air!!!

Pros:

6.2 oz.
Designed to help someone transforming to a midfoot strike (me!!) - Mizuno reps stressed that this is NOT a minimalist shoe. Instead, it's a shoe meant to encourage your foot to mid-foot strike by providing more cushion in the forefoot, a 0mm drop, and a wider toebox.
I've only used this shoe for shorter workouts 3 miles or less. To be honest, the weight and lack of structure - you can bend this shoe in half!! - scared me, but after running in this shoe, I'm quite in love. Would NOT recommend these for any longer training runs, but I've worn them in a 5K race and they hold up FINE!
I believe that these have successfully helped me to become less of a heel striker.
Great air ventilation on these as well - I've worn them sockless!

Cons:

NOT for longer distances or heavier runners!
Almost no support
Pricey at $120.

That's it! I love our sponsorship with Mizuno. For the first time in 3 years, I'm running injury free and getting compliments at races constantly on how bright my shoes are!

Magic in Whistler (as a Sherpa)!!!

2013-08-25T23:08:00.001-04:00

Less than a week after we flew home from Mont Tremblant, we were off on another IM-bound journey to Canada. Nasty weather detoured our flight and our journey ended up being more than 24 hours until we landed exhausted in our hotel in Whistler.

Did the usual pre-race ritual of expo (no, we don't need a $50 pair of compression socks) and packet pickup (oh, Bart, we have matching backpacks now!!!) and then a splurge meal because, hey, we needed our iron!

A little meander to Green Lake

A cool bit about Whistler: Mountain Biking! This lil' kid was doing his first off-road ride, according to Proud Dad. And the ski slopes of Whistler serve as mountain biking courses during the summer!

Saturday: Bart was in complete taper mode, which meant movies in the hotel. I have a very unsuccessful record of staying awake during movies, so I decided that I'd go out and explore these beautiful mountains rather than snore and slobber.

During my entire 3-hour hike to Singing Pass in the Garibaldi Province, I saw only four people. It was fantastic!!!

Love getting above the tree line!!

Little Mountain Hut...it was empty except for some empty bottles!

Snow in August!?!?!

Glacier-tipped ranges and lakes

It was quite windy and cold up here!

When I showed Bart this picture, he said, "I've never seen a penis mountain before."

Summit of Whistler Mountain

Cheakamus Lake in the background

Cheakamus Lake - highlight of Saturday!

Red mountains - reminded me of Colorado

Symphony Lake

Harmony Ridge Lake

Got home late from the hike and proceeded to shovel down chicken and rice, popcorn, trail mix, and leftover bagels. Bart kept asking when I was going to stop eating, but I was so hungry! Maybe altitude affects your appetite, too?

We hit the sack early, and the next morning we woke up at 5AM. I snuck onto the athlete's shuttle bus to take to-be-Ironmen to Alta Lake, where green and pink caps adorned the entire beach.

I couldn't pick out Bart from the thousands in matching wetsuits and swim caps, so I stood in the front row of spectators, shivering and sporadically yelling, "Go, Bart! Good luck, Bart! I love you, Bart!"

Tip to Sherpas: when the athletes are all clumped together and you have no idea who is who, just scream your athlete's name. Bart later told me that he heard someone cheering from him before the swim start - I took the credit ;)

Bart out of T1

An hour and change later, Bart emerged from the swim and into the change tent. I pushed through strollers, dogs, and lumbering spectators to rush to the bike exit, and got to see him before he set off for the rollercoaster roads of Whistler.

Looking strong on the bike at 60K!

Bart passing the traffic jam that lined Highway 99!

Cheering for Bart on the bike was a bit of a pain, since Whistler is a one-loop course. I managed to see him twice on the bike before he set off for the run, which was good enough for me. He was quickly gaining ground on the stronger swimmers, and I lost track of what AG place he was in because there were just too many compression socks covering people's calves!

Bart looking happy at Mile 1 of the run!

Still happy during the first loop!

Yeah, kid, I know, my boyfriend's a STUD.

I took a quick trip to Whistler's Farmer's Market while Bart did a very long loop on the run course...

Happy to see that he had passed two people in his AG!

Cloud cover...the guy behind Bart didn't look too cheerful!

"That's him! That's Bart!" I exclaimed to the ladies next to me as we stood near the finisher's chute.

Each time I saw Bart on the run, I was so thrilled with how strong and steady his pace was. I constantly asked fellow cheerleaders to "check 196 on ironmanlive.com" since I wanted to have reliable stats to yell at him.

I had no idea how many Kona slots would be given to his age group of 35-39, but hoped for the best. When I saw Bart come down the finisher's chute, I started to cry. Just a little, not enough to embarrass myself. I (correctly) thought that he had finished 7th in his AG and (incorrectly) thought that there were only 4 or 5 Kona slots in his AG. I crossed my fingers that I had somehow misread some calves and he had finished 5th or higher. I thought to myself that somehow, maybe, we could go to Rolldown and Bart could get a slot to the coveted World Championships.

Official finish time 9:41

Exhausted and ecstatic (the ecstatic doesn't quite show in this pic...)

Three minutes later, I was hugging a sweat-soaked Bart. And then I started crying again when he told me that he thought there were 7 Kona slots in his AG. This time, it was the embarrassing kind of crying.

Although Bart didn't take his Kona slot, the race was a BLAST and it was a huge accomplishment to finish in the front of such a tough field! And, during Rolldown, I got to meet the guy who got a M35-39 Rolldown slot. He was from Salt Lake City!!!! Such a small world :)

Ironman Mont Tremblant

2013-08-21T23:22:00.001-04:00

I've had co-workers and classmates call me weird. Insane. Having a warped sense of quality time on weekends and an insatiable appetite. I've been known to eat three bagels and a bear claw on Bagel Wednesdays at the office. My typical grocery shopping cart would feed a family of 6. I consider a 100-mile bike ride a 6-hour Social Hour with some of the greatest girls I've met in DC.

OK, OK, I admit; triathletes are a bit crazy. But being a part of this sport and a member of the Snapple Tri Club (as well as an adopted-outside-groupie of Team Ignite!) has introduced me to some wonderful fellow Type-A personalities and friends who talk about chafing on their crotches as much as our record number of pees on the bike.

I love us!!

Winter Running with KGo! Despite frozen toes and hands, we're so happy!

Diabolical Double - Fig Pizza Gentleman's Team!

When last year's Ironman Lake Placid left me slightly depressed with my finishing time, resentful of my injured hamstring, and hungry for redemption, I immediately signed up for Ironman Mont Tremblant. Wa-hoooo!!! I immediately started fueling my Ironman training with The Best Stuff on Earth...

Fast forward 12 months, and there I stood, freezing on the shores of Lac Tremblant!!

Chattering teeth, numb toes and hands...thanks to
Xterra Wetsuits for keeping me buoyant!

2.4-Mile Swim: Follow the Bubbles, Try to Avoid the Fists of Fury

My goal for the swim was sub-1 hour. This year's IMMT start was in age-group waves, so I took off in the first women's wave of 34-and-under. Fireworks went off in place of a cannon, and we were off!!!

I started on the far, far left edge of the beach. Far from the flailing fists and even farther from what was the perfect recipe for my recent string of panic attacks in open water swims.

So happy to say my swim got off to a smooth start, and after the initial 100 meters, I settled into a smooth rhythm and found a pair of bubbles to follow! A victory in itself to have avoided the panic attack!

The one-loop, 2.4-mile swim in Lac Tremblant was gorgeous. The water was the perfect temperature with my full-sleeved Xterra wetsuit, and following the 5 waves of male Ironmen made for an extended draft line.

Swimming has always been therapeutic for me. Zen-like. I don't think about anything at all except full extension through my shoulder and the angle of my elbow. That's it. It's the sport I ~~think~~ know I'll continue to do until I'm 98 and shriveled, and I'm thankful that my parents put me in swim lessons when I was so young!

No highlights on the swim except for swimming into a breast-stroker's crotch (pardon me, 55-year-old man!) and getting socked in the eye by an elbow. I pounded a fist back in reflex, not out of spite.

Out of the water and I knew I was pretty far up, because the spectators all said "Yeah! A WOMAN!!!" as I came laughing through. I had no idea what my time was, and all I cared about was knowing whether it was 59:xx. I found out after the race that I had NOT met my swim goal, but overall very pleased with the first leg of my Ironman!

Xterra partners!

2.4-Mile Swim: 1:01:16, 4th AG

Wetsuit strippers helped me suction out of my Xterra Vendetta, and I was off on the red carpet to T1!

The crowd was amazing...I couldn't stop laughing and waving!

Highlight: Finding a good pair of bubbles and holding onto them for 1.5 miles!

Lesson Learned: Panic attacks are avoidable. Steady start, then work your way through the mass.

112-Mile Bike: Don't Mind Me, I'm on the Right

The bike. The most dreaded and longest leg of the race. The part where all I hear is, "On your left!" and get neck cramps from holding my aero position. And foot cramps because my damn bike shoes are too tight and my feet are built wider than a man's. The part where I drop from 4th to 25th in my AG. Le sigh.

I've trained with some really, really strong cyclists. I don't understand how they generate so much power. How they climb hills so much quicker than I do and descend without fear. Is it my slow cadence? Is it my lack of power? I haven't figured it out yet, but Bart got me a power meter for Christmas last year, and I thought it was broken for the longest time because I could never break triple-digit wattage.

Well, it's not broken, and what I really need this year - if I want to erase the frustration of losing so many places on the bike and constantly being passed - is to just dedicate my training to getting stronger on the bike. Squats. Pain Cave. Intervals. Make it HURT.

In general, my mood on the bike was:

The wind on the second loop of the course had increased dramatically...and I did NOT deal with it well. Braking on a highway descent is certainly not the way to race fearless!

112-Mile Bike: 6:33:10, 25th AG

Highlight:

Seeing teammates Ellen and Courtney and DC Tri stud Alejandro doing so well on the bike course!!!

Lessons Learned:

I am stronger than the wind. I shan't fear the wind. I am Xena.
Huge room for improvement: Power, cadence, and confidence.
Peeing on the bike makes me feel oddly victorious. Like I've just cut time.
Honey Stingers Waffle cookies are like crack.
Buy bike shoes that fit. I am going online shopping for men's bike shoes in Extra Wide.

Nutrition: Because it can Make or Break your Race!

Last year, I had consulted teammate Matias Palavecino on my nutrition plan for IMLP and he had given me extremely sound advice. I had some stomach issues at LP when I started the run, in what I now realize was eating too many solids too late on the bike and not consuming enough salt tablets on a hot day.

I basically copied Matias's plan from last year with a couple of minor adjustments, since I've eliminated gels and liquid calories from my bike nutrition. They just don't work for me. In fact, they make me want to puke.

Nutrition Plan for Bike:

1st Hour: ~60 calories every 20 minutes (2 big bites of Clif Bar - Banana Nut and White Choco Macadamia Nut and some Clif Shot Blox)
2nd and 3rd Hours: ~60 calories every 15 minutes (2 big bites of Clif Mojo Bar and Banana Nut and Clif Shot Blox)
4th Hour: ~60 calories every 20 minutes (I could tell my stomach wasn't digesting as well as I had hoped, so I grabbed a Honey Stinger Waffle at the aid station and consumed as much of one as I could before it crumbled in my hands. Two waffles, with more crumbs on the road than in my mouth)
5:00-5:30: ~80 calories every 15 minutes (back to 2 big bites of Clif Mojo Bar)
5:30-6:33: One bite of Honey Stinger Waffle from aid station, lots of liquid

Total Consumption: 3 Clif Bars, 1 Clif Mojo, 2 packs Shot Blox, 5 Honey Stingers, 2 Bananas.

Throughout the bike, I also took in 7 salt tablets. Thank the Buddha I packed those in the bento box! The day was quickly heating up!

The nutrition plan worked perfectly. I ate as much as I could for the first 3 hours then tried to listen to my stomach so that it would be settled for the run. Big thanks to our nutrition sponsor Clif for the calories!!!

Le Marathon: Chasing the 4-Hour Mark and Loving Life

This was it. The last leg! My primary goal, as I had announced to my parents and teammates before the race, was to run a sub-4-hour marathon. I certainly had saved the juice in my legs on the bike, so I came out of the change tent in fresh running shorts feeling ready to tackle the next 26.2 miles!

I had decided to run in my Sayonaras rather than my beloved Ronins, largely because I'd never run a marathon before (last year's IMLP had resulted in me walking 13 miles) and thought the extra cushioning would benefit me in the later miles.

Miles 1-5: The Run out of Town: Hot. Where was the Shade? Luckily, the MT crew was extremely well-prepared, and aid stations came every mile. I horded the water, splashing it on my head and down my sports bra, and took sponges for relief from the heat.

Miles 5-11.5: The Gravel Path: MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PART. The gravel path is perfectly packed and the trees provided some shade. There seemed to be a slight downhill on the way out. I was getting so thirsty that, when I found a discarded Fuel Belt gel bottle on the side of the trail at Mile 8, I desperately picked it up.

The man behind me commented, "Oh, you're so nice. Are you going to run the guy down who dropped it?"

And I said, "NO! I'm so thirsty and it's mine now."

At the next aid station, I promptly rinsed it out, filled it up with Ironman Perform, and carried it with me for the next 17 miles.

It's MY nutrition bottle now!!!

Miles 11.5-13: Run back to Town: Feeling good! Yeah, Man! Spectators lined the course and waved cowbells in my face. I saw Bart and got very excited, and then saw Zoya Schaller from Fexy and exchanged elated high-fives. This race had turned into a party!!!

Miles 13-16: Positive Vibes, Good Cadence: I was starting to feel like I could break the 4-hour mark. I was right on track and my feet weren't tired and my quads weren't screaming! Yeah, I could do this forever! As well, the weather was starting to cool off, and my mood improved as the shade cover increased.

Miles 16-22: Wherein I enter the Pain Cave. Right when I hit Mile 16, my left IT band started to feel twingy. Twingy led to tweaked. Tweaked led to painful. Painful then made me stop, lean down to stretch out whatever the heck was going on with the lower IT band, and desperately hope that it wouldn't get any worse.

The pain in my left IT band intensified and I started to worry that I was causing permanent damage. But then my knees started to ache, and eventually the combined pain of left IT band + both knees caused me to just say "DAMMIT! I'm gonna get you, 4-Hours! I'm gonna beat you and stomp on you and CRUSH YOUR DREAMS!"

So I kept going. I did something that hasn't happened since my days playing tennis. Back in high school and university, I'd get into the habit of talking to myself between points - psyching myself up before a set point or pepping myself if I was facing a triple break point. It wasn't uncommon or weird; lots of tennis players coach themselves verbally on the court.

So here I was, thousands of suffering to-be-Ironmen around me, shuffling our feet to Mike Reilly's voice. And I started to cheer myself on.

"Pick it up! You can do this."

followed by a grunt.

And then, when the pain from my IT band would take over, "Happy Feet! Happy Feet!"

Yep, it was that point in the race where I didn't really care if my fellow racers thought I was crazy or not. All that mattered was that 4-hour marathon.

Miles 23-25: The Final Countdown. 5K left. I can do this. Tried to pick up my feet as my Garmin told me my pace was dropping. I knew that if I ran at least 9:00 miles for the last 5K, I'd beat 4 hours.

The Golden (Half) Mile: The last half-mile takes you on a cobblestone descent through town. Spectators cram their faces as far forward to scream at you and fling cowbells in your face. Little kids stick their hands out in hopes of getting a high-five. This was it. The entire race was worth it for this last half-mile!

I cried. I couldn't help it; everyone was making me feel like I was so much more than someone who trained their butt off for 6 months and managed to stay healthy enough and positive enough to make it through the race. They made me feel like I was their champion, like some village hero.

And as I came to the last fork, where Right means 2nd loop and Left means Finish Line, and I veered Left, the crowd lining that last strip erupted. Yes, I'm probably heavily inflating this but who the hell cares? The finish line was in sight and it's just like you'd imagine - all that IT band and knee pain disappeared; my tired feet skipped; my face held an idiot grin.

And Mike Reilly announced that Mindy Ko is an Ironwoman!!!

26.2-Mile Run: 3:58:43; 15th AG

Highlights: I think I may have improved my run stride! No heel striking in this photo!

And my nutrition was SPOT ON. I took in Ironman Perform when I needed. I drank Coke when I craved it. I ate a total of 5 bites of banana. Basically, I had followed Matias's nutrition plan on the bike to such a tee that my stomach felt AMAZING for the entire run!!!

Lessons Learned:

A run bottle found on the side of the trail is totally legit to borrow. Or keep.
Pain can be ignored. And 26 miles can be worth it for the last 0.2 miles.
Our shoe sponsor Mizuno basically makes the best running shoes in the world!!!

Ironman Mont Tremblant: 11:41:22, 15th AG

Went back out for the midnight finish and cried again. I am constantly amazed by the grit and determination that Ironman brings out in us ordinary folks!

A shout-out to Snapple teammates Ellen and Courtney for amazing races!

And a special Congrats to DC Tri-mates and especially Alejandro for wearing a smile on the course!

And, of course, Thanks to the person who dropped their Fuel bottle on the run course!

And my wonderful girlfriends back home who all did so amazingly well at IMLP three weeks earlier!

And Bart, because he lets me beat him on the swim :)

What's next? I don't know. Definitely some 70.3s in 2014. Possibly another IM. But right now I'm just enjoying ice cream, Caroline's blueberry pie, and a fantastic garden in our new home.

Riding up 16,500 Feet on Two Wheels

2013-06-23T22:34:00.002-04:00

Average people spend Saturday sleeping in until 11AM, eating a long and lazy brunch, watching some TV, and playing Words with Friends on their iPhones until it's dinnertime.

I spent my Saturday doing this:

I call it Hell, but it's more formally known as the Diabolical Double, an epic 125-mile ride through Maryland that leaves your quads screaming for mercy and your mouth frothing because you're struggling to get up that f*@ing mountain!

I did the Diabolical Double last year to build up my endurance cycling miles for Ironman Lake Placid. This year, I planned to use the ride as a fun Saturday with my girlfriends - the only all-female team to enter the Gentlemen's Race. We were all so excited on race morning!

Caroline, Sarah, Dawn and me ready to roll!

This ride turned us inside-out. What a beater!

Miles 0 - 19:

Whhheeeeee!!!! We bombed downhill then promptly started to ascend. Feeling good - my breakfast of bagels and bananas was the perfect fuel! The four of us rolled on together and were quite chipper at Aid Station 1, where we stuffed our mouths and pockets with gorp and cookies!

Miles 19-40:

Why are my legs already tired?

Am I already out of gears? I'm not even 1/3 of the way through this ride and I feel this depleted...I'm screwed.

AJ, Sarah and I slowed considerably as we struggled up each of those near-vertical lines. During these charity rides, you always meet great people and strike up conversations with strangers who you end up bonding with over cursing, sweat, and offering each other trail mix from a sweaty palm.

There was a 10-year-old kid, apparently the US National Cycling champ in his age group, who ended up latching onto our trio. I have to admit, he was pretty impressive for such a young age. What I found most amusing was that he was drafting off of me. When I was going 4mph up Old Morgantown Road.

Sarah later told me that The Kid hung onto my wheel for 20 miles. Oddly, my reaction was an excited "REALLY!?!?!" I found myself glowing with pride that someone actually found my wheel/speed attractive enough to draft off.

No need to remind me that The Kid was 1/3 my age.

Miles 40-58:

The dreaded Bowman and Killer Miller came. I was wheezing so hard that I'm convinced people from the base of the climb could hear me. One 60-year-old passed me as if he were out for a Sunday stroll and asked, "Are you doing alright?" with a concerned look on his face.

I just lifted my head up to acknowledge him and let gravity bring the drool from the corner of my mouth down to my handlebars.

Yeah, man, I'm doing great.

Miles 58-84:

From the elevation chart, this leg doesn't look that bad.

What a naive fool you are.

Both Blue Lick and Avilton are horrendous climbs, and then the descent into Westernport from Big Savage Mountain is a nightmare. I don't think I breathed the entire time I descended that last bit. I was braking so hard that my right hand cramped and I had to use my left hand to control my brakes.

I also thought it my duty as the older, wiser 30-year-old to tell the younger, brash, 10-year-old that he should watch out for the descent into Westernport. I scared the crap outta him. Every time we turned a corner, The Kid asked, "Mandy (he never got my name right), is this the descent?" And I'd always say, "No, but it's coming soooooooonnnn."

And then when it came, the poor Kid was so nervous. I'd told him to control his speed and not bomb down the hills like his dad was pushing him to. The poor lil' guy was descending at about 4mph, just a tad behind my 5mph descent.

Hey, it's just that scary!!!!!

Miles 84-101:

I'm over this. Why did I do the Diabolical this year? DO NOT FUCKING AUTO-PAUSE you worthless Garmin, I'm doing the best I can and why isn't there a 12-48 cassette when you really need one!?!?!?!

Let's just say this was not the prettiest side of Mindy that came out. Riding with AJ certainly helped to boost my mood, though!!! Caroline was miles ahead, as she's a pro at climbing hills, and Sarah and Dawn had - very smartly - taken the turn for the 100-mile route.

I ran into Greg Miele, who I'd met last year on this same ride! His legs are about my entire height.

Miles 101-112:

Oh, goody, more climbing. That's the theme of the day. My back was killing me and I was so jealous of everyone on their comfortable road bikes. I was riding my tri bike and my back couldn't decide whether to go numb or scream at me in pain. Increasingly, it was the latter.

Which leads me to a side-story: Last week I had my road/commuter bike stolen from outside my office. I was so livid that I screamed at a nonexistent security camera and growled at the other commuters whose bikes were still perfectly intact. How a bike thief cuts through a U-lock and a cable through both tires in broad daylight at one of DC's busiest intersections is beyond me, but it happened.

So I'm currently working with my insurance company (which has left my officemate supremely scared of every having to file an insurance claim; she has listened to my daily conversations and rants!) to get a replacement road bike. And hopefully I will never have to do the Diabolical Double on a tri bike again!

Miles 112-125:

Our last aid station had cold grapes and pizza. AJ and I were so ecstatic - we stuffed our faces with the wonderful calories and gleefully chatted with the ladies manning the aid station!

The last leg turned me into a different person. On a high from my grapes and pizza, I chatted non-stop with AJ until we hit Wisp. Then we started to climb. I probably looked miserable, but I felt awesome. One more mile and I would CONQUER this ride!

Caroline was out for her brick run (LOVE this girl's work ethic!!!) and ran (she would say shuffled) alongside me as I climbed (I would say barely pedaled to keep from falling over) the last hill. And then I was done. 125 miles and 16,500 feet of climbing in the TRAINING TREASUREBOX!!!

AJ, Caroline, and I chatted with the other folks at the top of Wisp. I crushed some mac n' cheese and a pulled pork sandwich. Then Caroline and I drove down the mountain I had just suffered up, bought 3 pints of ice cream and some Magnum bars (we kind of have an addiction), and headed to the cabin to ~~stink up the kitchen~~ hang out with Sarah, Dawn, Bart, Mike, and Sarah's wonderful and welcoming family.

What a blast of a weekend!

Thanks to Team Fig Pizza: Sarah, Dawn, and Caroline for tackling these mountains together!

and teammate AJ Morrison for riding those hills with me and keeping my spirits high!

and Sarah's family for "hosting" us in a cabin for the weekend and having pizzas waiting when we returned from the ride!

and Congrats to fellow teammates Bart and Sean for crushing the Diabolical Double as well!

Also, a shout-out to all my teammates who competed in Rev3 Williamsburg this weekend...sounds like the swim was a beater!!

The next morning, I went out for a long run with Bart. The other girls checked out of our cabin earlier and headed down to the lake for a refreshing swim. When I returned from my run, I almost dropped to my knees when I saw this:

Caroline had left me the last pint for my post-run recovery fuel!

What a wonderful group of friends I have!

Conquering Fears at Quassy (or: Learning Not to Drown)

2013-06-17T22:02:00.001-04:00

This race report is sooooo late...but that's what happens when you own a house, have to deal with a stolen commuter bike, and are in the throes of the last weeks of summer grad classes...not too much time for blogging!

Quassy is one of my favorite races: great crowd, hills to break up the monotony of pedaling, the chance to catch Carfrae or Wurtele just as I'm leaving T2, and the wonderful Connecticut families who come out with water guns!

I didn't walk away from Quassy with a PR or any podium finishes - no, no, far from that. But I did conquer my panic attack, which is HUGE for me. I've had a string of panic attacks in the past two years of races and OWSs. I feel like everything is cutting off my breathing: my wetsuit, the tri top, the water, the waves, the flapping hands...

It's no biggie; I just float on my back, swallow gallons of lake/ocean water, try to recalibrate my breathing, and curse to myself incessantly. Well, actually...it is a biggie. It's destroyed my self-confidence on the swim, my strength of the three sports; it's become this humongous, looming FEAR that I can't quite shake.

Until Quassy!

Bart could sense that I was all nerves at the beach start.
"What if I get another panic attack? What if I have to stop? What if the other girls get away?"
Bart just tried to make me laugh, but his advice actually worked!
"Just think 'easy, peasy, Japanese-y,' and you'll be fine. Just get in the water, warm-up and get used to the water temps, and then remember 'easy, peasy, Japanese-y.'"

After Bart's wave took off, I splashed around in the warm-up section with Caroline, superwoman and bad-ass training mate. Quassy - and Rev3 in general - is great in that they have a reserved warm-up section open throughout the wave starts.

As soon as the gun went off, I tiptoed into the water. That's right; no rush. I let the fast fishes splash their way into the water and just calmly started with the back of the pack. As soon as I put my head into the water, I followed Bart's sage advice: "Easy, peasy, Japanese-y" - for each stroke, I just repeated that mantra. It worked! Granted, I started out with a much slower stroke rate than normal, but the fact that I survived the entire swim without a panic attack - the first time in six races - was huge!

Thanks to Rev3 Tri for the photo!
Yes, I'm too cheap to pay for race photos!

Came out of the swim ecstatic that I hadn't had to flip over on my back once!

1.2-Mile Swim: 30:45 (4th AG)

The bike - what to say about dropping 13 places in my AG and getting passed by a slew of ladies and 20-something-young bucks from the heats behind me? It's no fun, let me tell you, and would probably be pretty depressing to read. Let's just say biking w/ power still remains at the top of my priority list - and probably always will.

Only highlight to the bike was nailing the nutrition. Thanks to teammate Matias Palavecino for his sage advice in calories and timing! Took in 60 calories every 15 minutes for the first hour and 60 calories every 20 minutes for the next 2 hours. Had 4 salt tablets over the last 2 hours of the ride - the day was really starting to heat up!

Thanks to Snapple's nutrition sponsor Clif for delicious Clif bars and Shot Blox to keep me rockin'!

See the beautiful course in the background!?!?!? I LOVE QUASSY!
and note the traffic cone to keep me from trespassing...

56-Mile Bike: 3:16:50 (dropped to 17th AG!)

I kept trying to adjust that damn race belt throughout
the run...eventually it became a permanent peekhole for my bellybutton.

Onto the run...
HALLELUJAH!

Every step of the run felt stronger. Oh my god, if I could re-create that bliss I felt over that entire 13.1 miles...I'd never stop running. I don't know what made my endorphins kick in at the hottest time of the day, but I'm sure the bathroom stop at Mile 1's aid station was a smart choice.

Took in 3 gels throughout the run and 2 salt tablets. Some may think this is light, but it worked really well for me!

13.1-Mile Run: 1:42:30 (7:50 pace)

and with a negative split!

Rev3 Quassy Half: 5:33:40

(12th AG, ?? OA - oh dear, too far down to count)

Lessons Learned:

I can overcome my panic attacks. Although this may mean starting on the outskirts and in the back when the gun goes off, I just need to keep steady and have a mantra. There's plenty of time in those 1.2 miles to catch up to the lead pack!
POWER on the BIKE. Where do all the other ladies get that speed? I swear I know how to ride a bike, just not fast (especially uphill!).
Matias is a nutrition guru!
Ronins rock!

I love these shoes. Teammate Katie and I had a discussion just today about whether we'd each wear our Ronins for our IM races - Katie at IMLP, me at IMMT. They're only 5.8 oz and although they lack the cushion and support of my Wave Riders, these Ronins have done nothing but treated my feet wonderfully at each race!

And a shout-out to fellow teammates who dominated Quassy as well!

Barry Lewis won his AG by over 30 minutes and finished 13th OA Amateur. MACHINE!

Bart and Sean had amazing races as well - I saw both of them looking STRONG on the run!

And good luck to Chris Nocera as he recovers from an Achilles injury!

And a very exuberant high-five to Caroline Lauver - thanks for great training weekends and so honored to race alongside you at Quassy!

MonticelloMan - Kicking off 2013 with some wine!

2013-05-16T19:24:00.000-04:00

Racing in Thomas Jefferson's hometown...

Highlight: The hamstring injury is HISTORY! My leg is healed, and although yes, I'm still running with a heel-strike, the pain from my pulled hammie two years ago is no longer!

Grumbles: Asthma/panic attack on the swim (water temps were low 60s!), and frozen feet on the bike.

Cham-WOW: I absolutely, 500%, ain't-no-doubt-about-it, love love LOVE our 2013 gear sponsor Louis Garneau! My previously-prone-to-saddle-sores area was quite happy, and the kits look super sharp!

Ladies of the team jumping for joy in our Louis Garneau kits!

Omimous Preface: My Attempt to Prevent an Asthma Attack in the Water

Three days before the race, I went to an asthma specialist to decipher what was going on with my recent gasping-for-air mishaps in the water. Last year, I had a panic attack in each triathlon except for the swampy-warm waters at Eagleman. I'd recently been feeling short-of-breath in the pool as well, and Bart diagnosed me with exercise-induced asthma (he is an MD sometimes).

I was so frustrated; I've always loved being in water and sometimes wonder if I weren't a fish in a former life. Now I feel like I couldn't even push the pace in the pool lest I die for lack of air.

Well, the doc confirmed that I do indeed have exercise-induced asthma because "when you exercise and your heart works really hard, your lungs are constricting and when you have your face in the water, this aggravates the situation and triggers your bronchospasm."
I nodded and patiently waited for him to just write me the prescription for an inhaler so I could get my evening swim workout in.

I was sooooo ready to kick these asthma attacks out of my life! Took two puffs from my inhaler in transition to keep the demons away before I headed down to the beach start...

Swim: Wherein the Asthma Attacks and I Drink a Gallon of Lake Water

Teammate Katie and I got in the low-60-degree water to acclimate to the frigid temps and warm up our (broad) shoulders a bit, but after only 3 minutes, we were kicked out of the water to make way for the men's start.

I gave Bart a good-luck kiss (spoiler alert: it worked!!), and ~~shivered~~ waited on the beach for the women's wave to start with Katie and Ellen. The women started four minutes after the men, and I made it a secret goal to beat Bart out of the water. I did not even come close to making this happen!

Sure enough, once my face hit the water after a very ungraceful dolphin dive, the asthma attack hit. I couldn't breathe and suddenly everything felt constricting: my sports bra, the wetsuit, the cold water, people are too close, get away, let me breathe!!!

Survived my asthma attack, which I'm convinced was triggered by my lack of a warm-up and the 64-degree-water, by flipping over and doing backstroke. I struggled to keep up with the rest of the ladies, but I quickly lost the leaders. About 500 yards in, I finally managed to calm my breathing and state of mind enough to stick my head in the water and resume free-styling.

I caught a few of the ones who had pulled away earlier, and found my groove a bit too late. I'm just glad I survived that swim and didn't have to backstroke into the beach exit!

1.2-Mile Swim:
30:32, 4th Female (and didn't catch Bart on the swim, he was long gone on the bike when I got to T1!)

T1: 2:31 - Opted to go with arm warmers and full-fingered gloves. Painfully slow to pull those things over wet arms, but worth it because the bike ride was quite chilly!

Bike: 56 Miles of Rollers and Nailed the Nutrition!

The Mindy-way of racing is to come out of T1 near the front of the wave, then to promptly hear "On your left!" and race wheels whoosh-whooshing by as I get passed by (what seems like) everyone.
Sigh. Such is the life of a double-digit power-wattage midget.

Well, happy to say that I was only passed by one female in the entire bike course! And I - yes, me!!! - actually passed a female!

Nothing much to say about the bike course, except:
1. My toes froze
2. I blew about 129 snot rockets.
3. Nutrition strategy: two bites (~60 calories) of a Clif bar (Coconut chocolate chip, yum yum!!!) every 15 minutes for the first 90 minutes. Switched to Shot Bloks and ate two (~65 calories) every 20 minutes for the next hour. The last 30 minutes I staved off and hydrated with water because I usually run best on a minimally-fed stomach. Oh, and I also had a couple bites of rice cakes that I had made earlier in the week, but those were really hard to eat with my full-fingered gloves!
No liquid nutrition, just good ol' agua.

56-Mile Bike:
3:01:10, 4th Female

T2: 1:30 - Thank the Buddhas for getting me off the bike! I'm always happiest in T2 because it means I get to take off my bike shoes and my dorky aero helmet.
I hit the port-a-potty on my way out, which was a relief.

Spermie on my head...

Run: Happy Feet, Sunny Skies and Rockin' Mizunos!

The run...I smile just thinking of those 13 miles of bliss. The past two tri seasons, I've struggled with a hamstring injury. I've done lots this past winter to ensure that 2013 is not a three-peat year. Lots includes aqua-jogging (I lasted 2 months!), elliptical (got to know Robin Meade quite well...), and physical therapy.

Adios, hamstring injury!

A quick shout-out to Snapple's shoe sponsor, Mizuno. My Mizuno Ronins were super-light and fit my feet like a glove. Hallelujah! Plus, they're bright yellow, so it makes me happy whenever my posture slumps and I catch a glimpse of the bright colors.

Took in three gels at miles 3, 6, and 10. The day was starting to warm up as well, so I took in water at each aid station. One cup for dumping on my head, one for drinking. The race volunteers started to notice a pattern by mile 6 :) and handed me 2 cups each time.

13.1-Mile Run:
1:38:52, 4th Female

Monticello Half-Ironman: 5:14:35, 4th Overall Female

Overall, an awesome day. Collected my wine bottle prize for 1st Age Group and crushed some ice cream when I got home, of course!

4th OA, 1st AG!

Lessons learned:

Figure out how to conquer my asthma attacks in the open water!
Learn to power up the hills on the bike. It's just pedaling, right?
Bring salt tablets, even if it's freezing temps at the start. You never know when that sun's gonna shine and you'll be wishing you had some salt on the run!

The Snapple crew dominated MonticelloMan Tri!

And a huge Congrats to my Snapple teammates!
Bart placed 3rd overall in the Half (and I didn't catch him on the swim...)!
Katie won the Half, finishing 27 minutes in front of 2nd place!
Ellen finished 5th overall, and Chris Morales finished 2nd in his age group in the Olympic!

Next up: Quassy Rev3 Half - ready for some monster hills up in Connecticut!

Week of Nirvana

2013-05-07T23:25:00.000-04:00

nir·va·na

/nərˈvänə/

Noun

A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of...
Liberation of the soul from the effects of karma and from bodily existence.

Tonight, I baked a crumb cake.

There it is. It now has a huge dent in it, and the roof of my mouth is burnt, but I'm happy.

So, so, so happy.

This week has been probably the most stressful week in my ohm-like existence, but for good reason. And I celebrated with a crumb cake because that's the way we roll in the Ko-syth household. Relaxation comes not from a yoga mat, but from baking. Filling the kitchen with the wonderful smell of brown sugar and cinnamon and plodding around in these slippers:

Thanks to Dotty for these slippers - she knows my OCD-self too well!

OK...so why the crumb cake therapy? Oh, let me count the reasons:

1. I finished my last final of the first year of grad school tonight! Feels good to know that after 8 years of no textbooks, I can still get my NERD mojo on. Ask me anything about Bhutan's role in the global economy or NAFTA's failures as an "agreement"; drill me about regressional analysis or the Coase Theorem. I am a nerd and I absolutely love it. Bart calls me boring, but I just tell him it's a two-year phase I'm going through...and I'm now halfway there!

2. First race of the 2013 Tri season! I struggled through an asthma attack on the swim and some strong winds on the bike, but the half-marathon felt awesome and powerful...I was ticking people off who had passed me on the bike and in transition! So happy to be injury-free this year, and looking forward to Quassy Rev3 Half in June already!

1.2-mile swim: 30:32
T1: 2:01
56-mile bike: 3:01
T2: 1:31
13.1-mile run: 1:38:52

MonticelloMan Half: 5:14:35, 4th OA Female, 1st AG!

The MonticelloMan gang:
Chris was 2nd AG in the Olympic;
Bart got 3rd OA in the Half;
Katie (1st OA), the tiny Asian (4th OA), and Ellen (5th OA)
raced our way through a tough field in the women's Half!

(this one's kinda big)
3. WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!
Say whaaaaat?!?!

You heard me, Jorge...

I said, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!
The minute we walked in, we fell in love. With the kitchen. Then with the bathroom. Then OH MY GOD the backyard. And the bidet in the upstairs bathroom. And the office space and the downstairs open floor plan. The garage. The garden. The hardwood floors. EVERYTHING about this new house - OUR new house - is fantastic.
The previous owner put so much love and care and heart into making this place a home and not just a house, and in a weird sense, I'm honored that the torch is passed down to us.

Both Bart and I have no idea how to maintain the garden. I mean, check out (our!!!) azaleas and driveway. The previous owner did the landscaping himself. Just looking at these pictures makes me so excited for our moving-in weekend!

I'll get used to coming home to this every day...

Yes, after long bike rides in the summer we're TOTALLY taking
advantage of our outdoor grill!

Paradise in our backyard!

4. I started a new job!
That's right. My title is no longer "Intern." Goodbye, days of unpaid slavery in DC!
I started with Engility this Monday and am already loving it. My first day, I was introduced to another girl in the office as "someone who loves to eat." And later in the day, she tracked me down to tell me that every Wednesday at Engility, there's a breakfast buffet spread at 8:30 and it's the best part of her week. Oh boy, can't wait for tomorrow!

Life is just splendid right now. All this craziness this week makes me so happy.
Congratulations to all my fellow first-year grad school classmates at American University for our successful kick-off year!
Congrats to Katie, Ellen, Chris, and Bart for their smashing races at MonticelloMan this past weekend!
Congrats to my sister Phebe, who smashed her interviews for a cardiac anesthesiology fellowship!
And a congrats to the person who sold us our beautiful new home, who's opening up this place in Provincetown!

Happy 52nd, Peace Corps!

2013-03-06T09:56:00.003-05:00

Check out my article on American University's International Relations blog in celebration of Peace Corps' birthday: March 1!

Reposted below from the online IR Blog at American University:

Sharing Culture Around the World

In the Bedouin culture, “you’re a guest for three days. After that, you’re family.” Even though I arrived to my assigned Peace Corps village of Sabha with only ten weeks of Arabic lessons and a brief introduction to Muslim culture that mostly consisted of what I couldn’t do, I was shocked at how warm and welcoming my community was. As a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer, my primary role was to teach English classes at the girls’ school in my village. Soon enough, I was tutoring girls and mothers English and math after school, holding exercise classes (which were held in a giant living room and consisted of attempts to teach my neighbors how to jump-rope), managing the English department at the school, and hosting pizza-making and cake-baking lessons. Peace Corps volunteers embrace flexibility – you go in with a certain mindset of your “assignment” and emerge with the ability to morph any space into a classroom and weave an element of cultural exchange into every conversation.

Village Sheikh with his two sons

Two Bedouins heading home before the sunset call to prayer

Two years immersed in a foreign culture taught me lessons no professor can ever teach in a classroom. I had read about Eid al-Adha and the customs of Islam’s biggest holiday, but when I witnessed a camel slaughter and drove around with the sheikh’s family to deliver camel meat to every Bedouin tent in my village, I understood what “community” means. When my female students explained to me that they wanted to learn English so that they could attend university in Amman or even Dubai, I was thrilled that education was valued so highly. When several older girls suddenly dropped out of school because their families had arranged a marriage for them, I wondered whether education for girls would ever take precedence over becoming a good wife.

Bedouin boy chasing his donkey in Wadi Rum

And during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, I would rush to my best friend’s home (a 55-year old lady with four kids), cook for several hours with her, wait for the sunset call to prayer, and eat a feast with their family. I learned how fresh olives are turned into the world’s best olive oil, how Bedouins will stop you on your way to school and ask you to bring a pot of fresh tea to their fields (and they don’t mind waiting several hours), and how my villagers had based their view of Americans on what they had seen from Dr. Phil and Oprah. It took a while to explain to them that these TV shows were mostly for entertainment, and didn’t define the average American!

My two-year Peace Corps service initiated my passion for international development. After working for a few years as a Program Manager of the Middle East and Latin America regions with a non-profit, I decided that the best way to capitalize on my experiences abroad and interest in community development was to pursue my graduate degree. Washington, DC is ripe with first-tier graduate programs in the field of international development, and I ultimately chose American University because, as one student told me, “If you’re wondering where all the RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) in DC are, they’re here. At American.”

My favorite village baby trying to help move the camels out of the road!

And it’s true. At AU’s School of International Service, I’m surrounded by other RPCVs who share my love for travel and cultural exchange stories, as well as professors, who have encouraged me to write op-eds, participate in Arabic conversation groups, and share my experience with undergrads that are considering applying for the Peace Corps. From my Peace Corps role as an educator and teacher, I’m now on the receiving end as a graduate student. As John F. Kennedy, who established the Peace Corps, said, “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”

Mindy Ko is pursuing her graduate degree in International Development with a concentration in Development Economics. She served in the Peace Corps in Jordan from 2006-08 and is currently working with the US Protections Unit at the UN Refugee Agency.

Just because it's Valentine's Day!

2013-02-14T10:22:00.004-05:00

I was the first to say the "L" word, maybe two or three weeks into dating this awesome dude. I still remember when I told my girlfriends - they all thought I had committed the cardinal sin of relationships.

"You never say the L-word first! Mindy! Never!!"

followed by:

"This relationship will never get anywhere now. You just admitted you are head-over-heels for him. What were you thinking!?!?!?"

Hmph. I can tell you what I was thinking - I was thinking "say it when you feel it!" And don't listen to your girlfriends who read those relationship advice books written by twice-divorcees.

I say the L-word about 20 times a day now. I know, mushy, mushy, blah, blah. I promise I won't get too sappy - at least by Valentine's Day standards.

Reasons why I love the one I love:

10. He dances while he brushes his teeth.

9. He doesn't care that I plod around in the same sweatshirt and sweatpants every single day.

8. He's a walking dictionary. Any word I say out loud, he corrects my pronunciation and recites the definition. Brilliant man.

7. He likes spicy food. His tolerance is higher than mine!

6. A date can be as simple as a swim workout together.

5. He doesn't buy me flowers or jewelry; instead, he gives me wonderful gifts like a Kitchen Aid mixer and a garlic crusher and a power tap hub.

4. He taught me what "sufferfest" means on the bike.

3. He lets me cuddle with him when he watches football games.

2. We never have to bicker about the other dropping hundreds (OK, thousands!!) of $$ to support our love for triathlon because we're both in it together.

1. He makes me laugh every day with his seriously-not-funny jokes and the way he eats popcorn.

The 2013 season kicks off with a Half-Marathon!

2013-01-28T21:44:00.004-05:00

8:45 am, chatting with my supa-star girlfriend Kendra Goffredo. She was pinning her bib on for the Cloud Snapple half-marathon, a low-key race run on the C&O Canal Towpath that started in 15 minutes.

"I wish I were running!" I complained, as I jumped up and down to somehow regain any blood circulation in my toes. I'd been freezing since 6 am that morning, and you never quite thaw out once you're a frozen popsicle.

"So why don't you?" Kendra asked.

"I didn't register, I'm supposed to be a volunteer, and I don't want to get injured."

"I'm doing 8:30 miles. You can run with me."

8:30? OK, I could do that. I thought of another excuse.

"I'm not wearing a bra and I don't have my Saucony running shoes with me!"

"I have a bra!" - Kendra whipped out a bright green sports bra out of her backpack. "And what's wrong with those shoes?"

Problem solved. I wasn't wearing my ideal running shoes, but they were a beat-up pair of hand-me-down Under Armour shoes from my twin sister. Kendra and I ran into my car, did a quick clothes change, and ran to the start line.

I know, have you ever seen two freezing girls so giddy to start a half-marathon race?!

Oh, and a second yes: Kendra is wearing a hijab. Apparently it is the ideal running headscarf - peripheral vision flexibility and light fabric!

Race Course - snow that provided a good cushion!

We started out slow and chatty. We were those two girls who run side-by-side, blah-blah-ing, oblivious to other foot and bike traffic on the trail. I'd say about 50 runners passed us within the first half-mile. We put in a little sprint effort when a guy (with extremely white thighs, I might add) passed us- Kendra and I chased him down with her camera phone, exclaiming, "Hey! Aren't you cold?!?!? You're wearing shorts! And they're so patriotic!"

Mr. America was not amused - he shot a glance back at us giggling girls while Kendra snapped a picture of his arse. No smile - why so gloomy, sir?

There's nothing thrilling to report in this race. No PR (in fact, we probably set a PW). I don't think any mile ever broke 8:30. Throughout the run, Kendra's HR read 170-200, which we attributed to the freezing weather on no basis other than that HR monitor was just plain lying.

One highlight was discovering this toilet at Mile 5:

Yes, we pee'd side-by-side.

I was ecstatic that my endurance is still there! 13.1 miles, and although it took us over 2 hours (yes, it did. Blame it on the bathroom break and frequent stops to chat with our aid station buddies), it passed by as quickly as one of my 6-mile loops through our Arlington neighborhood!

AND I just registered for my 2013 races. So psyched to have the schedule nailed down!!

May: Monticello Man Half
June: Quassy Rev3 Half
July: Diabolical Double
August: IM MONT TREMBLANT!!!!

So excited, I could do a handstand on a mountain!

How to FAIL at a handstand

OK, not really. I never really mastered gymnastics class, heehee!

A January summer in South Africa!

2013-01-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

Photo Album from South Africa here!

I was a bit burned out from the past 4 months. Since August, I had no races in the near horizon to look forward to, so my training was going through a blase-motivation phase. Hopping on my trainer and swimming 4-to-a-lane with all the other resolution-setters just lost all sense of fun, and winter training is always a bit cold and depressing.

I made one of the best decisions in 2012 and went back to school - but 7 years out of school is enough to make anyone forget how to study, write anything academic, or conduct regressional analysis! My brain was utterly fried, and it didn't help that my part-time job was spent trying to figure out some data-mining software that I wanted to smash with a hammer when it wouldn't pop out clean numbers.

Man, did I ever need a reason to escape for a couple of weeks!

Visiting Africa Jam in Khayelitsha

American University has a great program called Alternative Break trips - immersion programs that allow students to partner with community initiatives.

South Africa was a no-brainer: the program studied the social justice issues of gender equality, youth empowerment, and HIV/AIDs.

Plus, I could spend my first 2 weeks of January in summer bliss! Yes, please!

The first two days in Johannesburg were filled with museum visits and basically gaining a solid understanding of apartheid and the culture and history of South Africa. Jo'burg isn't particularly appealing - I spent most of my 2 days there hot and sweaty, wishing I could just dive into an ocean, and slowly overcoming jetlag.

South African cuisine at its finest: springbok!

By far, the highlight of Johannesburg was eating at Moyo. Fantastic flavors and I'd splurge there on a meal again and again!

I'm not particularly keen on museums and big, boring cities, so I'll fast forward to the fun part...

Samaki Kavu (fish in Malay curry) with a side of some creamy concoction of peanut-pumpkin mash!

Moved on to the wonderful city of Cape Town. This is what I'm talking about! Cape Town has an absolutely gorgeous setting - Table Mountain in the background and a nice sea breeze (or tornado-like gusts, if the wind picks up!)...boy, I am starting to sound like I'm in a Nicholas Sparks book!

Table Mountain - towering over the entire Cape Town!

You can't see the pain on our faces, but that sand
ripped our skin apart!

First day in Cape Town, we went to Cape's Bay Beach. Someone reported that the winds reached 60mph!

It was so cold, and absolutely horrible conditions for a relaxing day at the beach, but a few of us braved it and tip-toed in!

Shannon, Stephanie, and me trying to brave the cold Atlantic waters...

We also made sure to celebrate New Year's Eve in style with some Appletiser, South Africa's bubbly beverage of choice :)

I spy Desmond Tutu!

Our two weeks in Cape Town were spent visiting communities, implementing small projects, and learning about South Africa's social justice issues in the wake of apartheid.

A visit to Desmond Tutu's in Soweto!

Visiting Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto township!

We rocked the dance floor and got to jam out to some good African drum music on our visit to the Khayelitsha township, where we spent the day with Africa Jam!

Taking a stroll around Robben Island, the site for political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma:

Of course, our van had to give out on one of our journeys to a township...while waiting for the van to be towed off, I got to join in a pick-up game of soccer with some 5-year-olds who used an empty 2-L soda bottle as their soccer ball!

Soccer game in the streets! These rascals had some skillz!

And, then it suddenly hit me: I turned THIRTY. The big third decade crept up on me, and there I was, sitting in my boxers in our Cape Town hostel and recovering from a hike out to Cape of Good Hope, when that wonderful aroma of chocolate cupcakes with warm vanilla icing wafted through the air...

Thanks to my wonderful trip-mates for staying up late and baking me mini cakes!

and although this message wasn't written for me, I thought it quite serendipitous that on my birthday, as I hiked from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope, I stumbled upon this "Happy Birthday!" message written in the sand!!!

From the sea to MEEEE!!!!

Our South Africa group!

My new coworkers...enjoyed scooping out the pints!

I also must mention that I was hired for a (very) short-term, temporary position at Haagen-Dazs in Cape Town.

I was thrilled when the manager said that he had never seen someone smile so much at the sight of ice cream at 10am!

Township visit in South Africa

I have to admit that I didn't miss tri training one bit. I found a running trail about a 1/2 mile from where we were staying, and found solace in going for a run before everyone else had woken up. I also got to spin the wheels on a rusty mountain bike in a township!

The saddle kept twisting, so I couldn't really ride it without an awkward clinching of the thighs, but I don't think these boys had ever seen a girl ride before! They told me I would fall off, and I was proud to prove them WRONG.

After all, as H.G. Wells said: "Let me tell you about bicycling. It has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." I absolutely love that quote, even though it's more than a century old!

I'm not going to ramble about our township visits, short-term work with the communities, or learning exchanges with organizations that work on the ground with those affected by HIV. But maybe this video of some grannies from the organization Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA) can show the welcoming hospitality of the entire South African community!

A few more highlights from the trip:

Shannon Carey and I were absolutely obsessed with doing yoga poses everywhere we went!

Table pose at Table Mountain!

At Oudekraal beach!

Shannon at Lion's Head!

Crow pose at Lion's Head!

I found my life motto at a market in Cape Town...

Oh my...utter bliss and sugar highs when we found this bakery! Charly's Bakery had the most colorful cupcakes and cheesecakes!

A Xhosa cooking lesson from Ivy, who attempted to teach us the clicks of the Xhosa language (which just left me slobbering all over the food)

My three favorite South Africans I met on this trip:

A grannie I shared a conversation with
that was pure laughter.

Chris taught me South African hop-scotch,
and Gracie gave me the best hugs ever!

And the vistas of Cape Town are absolutely stunning, whether you're hiking or paragliding or trying not to pee your pants!

Our flight back took 44 hours. No joke. 44 hours, but I at least got to escape into Paris for 2 hours during our layover!

Opera House in Paris

Almost...as tall...as the Eiffel!

Sunrise over the Seine!

Hey! Capital Bike Share in Paris!

Croissants and Cappucinos, wi wi, bonjour, nom nom!

We match!

And now, I'm back in DC! Spring semester has started, and I'm working for my dream organization, the UN Refugee Agency, this semester! I have to admit that I was quite thrilled to come home - I always miss my bed, Bart, and cooking and baking in my kitchen!

The Decade of (More) Eating, Traveling, Exploring, and Growing!

2013-01-04T16:11:00.000-05:00

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year. But, since I enter my wonderful 30s tomorrow, I figured I better set this decade off to a great start by listing my plans. It may turn into a rambling, exclamation-mark-filled post, but that's the way most of my monologues go, so here's to a sweet 3rd decade in pursuit of more happiness!

During my 30s, I will:

Travel to Argentina and Chile, hitting the Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy treks, Perito Moreno Glacier, and Tierra del Fuego!

Hey Bart, we're gonna wake up to this in our horizon very, very soon!

Learn the perfect balance of masala spices and master cooking Indian food!!

My first chapatti lesson

Not complain about my lack of power on the bike and get some quad power.

Not THAT huge!!! eeeewwwww...

Be more accepting and patient. I get easily annoyed at little kids who whine and people who don't know how to use the self check-out lanes in the grocery store. Frog Man at Washington-Lee pool who uses the whole lane even when he's supposed to share; people who don't offer me a bite of their dessert; dog-walkers who don't scoop the poop; cell phone addicts; FedEx packages that require a signature - all of these make me roll my eyes! Patience in my 30s...I can do this...
Listen to my mom when she tells me not to wear flip-flops in the winter. Apparently frostbite doesn't only happen on Everest.

Back when I was so young and naive...haha!!! Wearing my flip-flops around the Himalayas

Run smart. Too many injuries these past 3 years - and now that my hamstring is 98% healed, I'm loving morning runs too much to risk losing it again!
NomNomNom on Ice Cream!!!!

Embrace Diversity.
Wear more colorful underwear, just because it makes me happy.
Ignore Bart when he tells me to stop saying "I LOVE YOU!"
Tour through Italy and France on a culinary tour!!!
Become an economist.
Call my grandma on holidays, even if I only know how to say I love you, hello!, How are you, I am fine, I love dumplings, Happy Lunar New Year! in Chinese.
Learn how to make Chinese green onion cakes.
Use my ice cream maker more. Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerry's is too easy - ready in a pint - but I need to experiment with homemade flavors!

There's plenty more, but it's 11pm in Cape Town, South Africa now, and I'm crashing. When I wake up, I'll be a withered and old 30-year-old. YAY!!!!

2012 Highlights

2012-12-31T19:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know, because isn't it so original to recap your year in a blogpost and tell the world how lucky I am to have such an amazing life! Some great memories as 2012 closes:

8. Eagleman: SUFFER-FEST and, even though I cursed the boiling sun, the no-hills-highways, and every single step of the half-marathon, in retrospect I am sososo proud of myself for crossing that finish line without wanting to quit triathlons forever. Too bad it sold out in 2013, I'd totally sign up for a suffer-fest repeat!

7. Healing hamstring! The past 2 months have been all about easing back into running - smartly - without letting my overzealousness for pain-free running take over. Afraid to jinx it, but I am quite confident that my year-long injury is history!!

6. Four new countries in 2012

Guatemala and El Salvador for work, surf lessons (or failure of), empanadas and churros, and volcano-hiking
Newfoundland for post-IM recovery and rejuvenation
South Africa for community outreach, gender equality and HIV/AIDS research, and bonding with amazing American University fellow students!

5. New triathlon training friends!! Widening the ever-growing circle of triathlon buddies - girls who eat dozens of cupcakes because we deserve it, people who make me laugh in the 9th hour of the Diabolical Double ride, people who plan their weekends around training rides and runs. We hang out in spandex, we wear underwear less often than we don't, and we write blogs about training and recovery because it's our life!

4. After seven years of putzing about in Jordan and the Himalayas, then finding a home in DC and settling into the monotony of spreadsheets, weekly meetings, and financial reports, I'm back in grad school and loving it. I forgot how much fun learning is, and I'm happy to say that my social circle includes more than just triathletes whose bedtime is 9pm!

3. Finally, finally tried the Lobster Roll truck in DC. Maine style, with a pickle on the side.

2. Bart. Enough said.

1. Ironman Lake Placid: I whimpered through the Three Bears climb on the bike and suffered through the marathon, but LP was an absolute blast. Hungry for more masochistic IM-distance races and even more so for redemption in the marathon. Already excited for next season and IM Mont Tremblant in August!

I seriously, seriously love my life. Can't wait to make even better memories next year! Kicking off 2013 tomorrow by visiting Robben Island, a World Heritage Site near Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held before the fall of apartheid. Then attempting a run to the top of Table Mountain!

Many Reasons to Smile

2012-12-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy.

I mean, like bursting with excitement!!!

OK...so yes, I know, I'm always screaming about something. But life is so wonderful...shouldn't every day be a celebration!?!?! Sometimes I get excited for no reason...but this winter, there are plenty of reasons for Mindy's happiness!

I got an internship with the UN Refugee Agency for the spring! My dream organization!!!

Snapple training camp at the Lost Barn! I should mention that this *may* be the year that my 650s make it up the backside of the Lost Barn. Or not. Either way, it'll get me in gear for the season!
I nailed down my 2013 tri schedule! So excited to race Monticelloman Half in May, Rev3's Quassy Half in June, and IMMT in August! Oh, yeah, and to CRUSH the Rapha Gentlemen's Race in true female fashion with Sarah, Caroline, and Katie...Diabolical Double, get ready for my 4mph hill-crushing speed! ha!

I got published! Here's my article on the Hill's Congress Blog!
I'll be in South Africa next week, studying gender equality, youth empowerment, and HIV/AIDS!

My hamstring is almost entirely healed (actually, it's my pes anserine, according to the chiropractor)!!! Running again feels soooo good.
aaaaannndddd...I'm eating a brownie with ice cream (vanilla bean, the simple life!!) right now - life doesn't get any better than this!

Off-Season Perks!

2012-12-14T12:01:00.001-05:00

Training is such a big part of my life from the spring until the summer that it's often a bit depressing when it's all over. I mean, what could be more fun than spending an ENTIRE Saturday on the bike in 120* heat, eating mocha gels and Lemon Zest Luna bars, hoping that you don't wake up the next morning with saddle sores?!?!? Or waking up at 6am so that you can rush to Master's swim practice, only to be lapped by high-schoolers? I miss those days!

But off-season definitely has its perks. Some habits I've recently picked up that'll be quite difficult to break come April:

I don't set an alarm anymore.

I have yet to swim over 2500 meters whenever I hit the pool since IMLP. My favorite swim set now is the classic 5-4-3-2-100. Done.
My hamstring is 98.7% healed! My weekly mileage is up to 15 miles and I'm impatient for my long runs to break the double-digit barrier!
The grocery budget has shrunk quite a bit since I don't feel the need to be munching on something every 20 minutes.
Scheduling a 2-week trip to South Africa doesn't come with the guilt of not being on my bike or in the pool for 2 weeks!

5 months saddle-sore-FREE!!!!
Did I mention my hamstring is almost as good as new!??!?!
Discovered cupcakes. I am that person who eats the top part with the frosting first, then finds the rest of the cupcake useless.

Haven't dealt with bike grease issues since Penelope is sitting on the trainer and hasn't been outside for 2 months!
The pool man still recognizes me, quite possible because the only Asians who go to my pool are me and an 80-year-old Chinese lady who shoots hoops in the shallow end with a tie-dye plastic ball.
Time to do stuff like this:

Read...and study...

Bake...lots...

Happy Hour with Dumplings and Mango Mojitos!

Plan to visit unexplored territories!

Chinese Idiosyncracies

2012-12-02T08:53:00.001-05:00

Yes, we Chinese are weird.

This is not a typical greeting, I promise!!!

Just reading the morning paper...

We're loud, we burp, we read a book backwards, and we have a habit of taking over neighboring territories. There's more to us than that!

You know you're Chinese when...

You use the dishwasher as a drying rack.
You prefer to eat noodles with sticks.
You slurp up the soup really, really obnoxiously loudly when all the noodles are gone.

You recycle sandwich bags - not for environmental reasons, but because you don't like paying for Ziplock bags.
You know exactly what I mean when I say we tie the "special knot" on our veggie and fruit plastic bags.
You don't allow shoes in the house.
You actually use the toothpicks in restaurants.
You think of fish balls like Americans think of chicken nuggets.

Dessert is red beans on top of shaved ice - and it's delicious.

Shaved ice, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, mango, and red beans...I salivate!

You laugh at American political jokes, but you don't really understand them.
You tip poorly.
You order family style at a restaurant.

You abhor the idea of all flavored teas. Black, green, and jasmine tea solve everything!
You ask the hotel for more of the sample shampoos and conditioners so you can use them at the gym.
You head straight to the clearance aisle whenever you shop.
When something surprises, shocks, or disappoints you, you find yourself tsk-ing and saying "ay-aaaaa."
You buy capris and wear them as pants.
You like fish with their heads on and soup with bone marrow.

Your face turns beet red with 2 ozs of any alcohol.

You'd be perfectly happy eating dumplings every single day of the week.
You think rice for breakfast is normal.
You shave maybe once a month.
You think ping pong is exciting.

You love to gamble, but only at the $5 minimum tables.
When you don't understand something, instead of asking politely "Can you repeat that?," you scream, "WHAAA?!"
Your grandma's house smells like mothballs.
Every event - reunion, Xmas, wedding, funeral - revolves around a multi-course meal.

Running Bliss!

2012-10-29T16:26:00.002-04:00

You want to know pure joy? Look at the runner at 0:33. He is so happy, he doesn't even care that the mud from the guy in front of him has splashed all over his chin.

And guess what!?!?!? I'm that guy now, three times a week!

That's right - I'm running again!

Since the last tri of the 2011 season, I've been devastatingly sidelined with a torn hamstring. After bouts of ART, PT, dry needling, and glute-strengthening exercises, I'm finally back on the running scene!

After Ironman Lake Placid in July this year, I took 7 whole weeks off of running per Bart's orders (he is the closest thing I have to a coach). If anyone needs a detailed outline of the different workouts available on the elliptical or Stairmaster, you know who to come to. I am your Guru.

It's been about 3 weeks now that I've been back on the running scene. No road races in sight; the only goal I have is to be healthy enough to run a marathon for IMMT in August 2013.

I absolutely love running again. Just strap on your shoes and get out the front door. No driving to the pool and sharing a lane with Ms. Pool Runner and Mr. Breaststroker. And no getting the bike ready by pumping up the tires and stocking up on nutrition and then fighting the honks from cars on MacArthur. Running is about simplicity and efficiency.

So happy to officially be a runner again!

The Next Big Adventure: South Africa!

2012-10-22T21:18:00.004-04:00

AAAAHHHHH! I'm so excited! My travel bug has been satiated yet again - and this time, I'm going to...

SOUTH AFRICA!!!

The only tiny negative drawback is that I'll miss 3 milestones with family and friends in the States:

My dad's birthday
New Year's
My and, obviously, my twin sister's birthday!

An authentic South African ice cream truck!

Oh well, they have cake and sparklers and ice cream in South Africa!

So here's the deal: I'll be in South Africa for 2 weeks this winter, studying the issues of gender equality, youth empowerment, and HIV/AIDS in the context of ubuntu, a community-centered approach that focuses on the interrelationships among people.

Yeah, doesn't that sound so much better than freezing my butt off in DC, standing on top of a car, scraping chunks of snow off so that I can drive around at 10 mph on roads that never got rock-salted!?!?!?

Snowmageddon

Maybe these kids will let me ride their bikes
so I can keep up with training?

I could start packing today, I'm that excited! I wrote an overflowing-with-exclamation-marks letter to the Poynter Endowment Fund, thanking them for my big surprise grant for travel expenses! I mean, who doesn't love the gift of grant money!?!?

That's my big news! What's yours?!?!