Brave Mandy - Adventures in Athletic Insanity

It's Official

2010-05-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

From here on out, I'll be updating on BRAVEMANDY - go there catch up with me! Thanks for following!!

Triple-Threat Tuesdays

2010-05-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today wasn't intended to be a triple-workout day (5 if you count riding the pony and lunch with my Grandmother...yes, it is a workout to hear the same story 18 times in a row), but since I opted for wine and girl's night after a brutally stressful (and hormonal) Monday, I decided to kick my booty into shape...sadly that decision came after I realized I lost my keys, gave up looking and gobbled down cookies dipped in dark chocolate. Oops!

Workout 1: Bike - nice 2 hour spin. Banged this one out no problem. I LOVE my bike (well, bikes*, all of them).

Lunch/Horsey Time

Workout 2: Run - 75 minutes, hilly, pushing the pace - and I did just that... in pouring, driving rain. Then I hiked with the dog... in pouring, driving rain. And loved every minute.

Workout 3: Swim - just about 4k yards. and that will be done in time for me to tackle workout #4 - cleaning the house before LOST. Yes, I'm officially a loser. I admit I love that f-ing island. Maybe it's just that I had a hamster named Jacob.

Tomorrow marks the return of bike racing - I'll be racing with the FAST boys at the Bethel Summer Series Criterium. 1 hour, 1 mile loop, and a ridiculously fast pace. Now that I think about it, tomorrow will have a bit of swim/bike/run... with some nice aggravating time spent at the car dealership in the morning. Maybe that will help to fuel the workouts!

Where in the World?

2010-05-17T07:53:00.001-07:00

Wowza - so I've been absent for a while, huh? It's been a busy few weeks. After St Croix I came down with a bit of a cold that sidelined me. Then last week was crazy-time with meetings and such. It was fabulous, but I lost track of blogging completely.

I'm in the midst of designing a new uniform for this year, adding events to the calendar, planning a family wedding (not mine, silly!), redesigning the BraveMandy site and so much more.

The new BraveMandy will be launching soon and I couldn't be more excited.

I've been slowly coming around - slowly being the optimal word here - recovering from St Croix always takes me longer than any other event.

Saturday I had a great ride with Dikran and Sam - Sadly my legs did not come along for the ride!

Sunday morning, fast-girl Joanne came to rock my world. We started with a hard 90 minute trail run and then a 90 minute road ride (with some dirt).

Today I'm sore and happier than ever!

Madre mio

2010-05-08T09:53:00.001-07:00

My mother makes me feel brave, safe, loved, nourished and so much more.

My Mom is one of a kind - selfless beyond measure, she is always there for me...and everyone.

Good times and bad, my mother always helps me to put things in perspective. I tell her everything and we are beyond friends. We are always connected, even when apart.

She even loves me enough to get on death trap airplanes like the one above.

Mom, I love you. Happy Mother's Day. I hope one day I can be even a sliver of the mother you have been to me.

The Next One

2010-05-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

"Done, done and I'm on to the next one." - Foo Fighters

So, as I sit here sniffling with a nice post-race cold (standing, actually... I don't like to sit down at the computer, or well, ever) I just signed up for the next big event before Ironman Lake Placid.

I want my dream (again, yes I've had it once before) and I'm going to get it.

Woot, Woot Woot! I CANNOT wait!

How Do You Measure

2010-05-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

"525,600 minutes. How do you measure a year in life. In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife? " - Rent

A whole year has gone round from first triathlon of the season in 2009 to 2010. The same race, Ironman St Croix is always a marker for me. A staple in my race calendar.

Last year was a trial in so many ways, I was put through the ringer - fighting for my safety, my health, my business, my true friends.

It's amazing what happens in a year's time. I've come back stronger than I ever thought imaginable. Sam and I are quickly approaching our 2 year anniversary later this year. I'm LOVING my bike racing team and teammates and the results are a wonderful bonus. I'm fit, I'm healthy and I'm ready to rock this year.

Our first EndureIT event was a HUGE success, achieving carbon-neutrality, once again! A few days later (oof, that part was hard) I flew down to St Croix with my mom (Happy Early Mother's Day!) to race the hardest 70.3 on the planet.

Despite spf 70, I achieved a total body burn the first day and spent the rest of the time in the shade pre-race. I felt great in all my workouts and just in general. Relaxed and confident beyond measure. I wanted the win and I knew I would get it.

I had a great few days with my mom and she is truly a saint.

I woke up at about 3:30 to eat my patented QT2 SYSTEMS breakfast and it went down easy. At 5:30 the temps were in the 80's and humid, it was going to be HOT!

The race starts on a little island in the harbor - you have to swim there. At 6 AM I hugged my mom and swam to the Cay. Maggie and Duffy and many other friends were there and we all huddled together, trying to think of anything other than the pain to come.

At 6:30, the pro's were off. At 6:50 my wave went off, with no warning. I had a GREAT start and made a nice gap on the field, sadly, I led 3 other girls with me who then overtook me as we hit the traffic of all the men's waves. Ugg. I found the feet of the 4th girl and we swam together. The swim was gorgeous, as usual, but it always seems a bit long. I was aiming for a 25-28 min. swim and came out in about 31/32 min.

I had a quick transition (fastest of the day for both) and settled onto my bike.

Man-o-man are the roads rough in St Croix and exponentially so, since a few years ago. I rode steady, but didn't push too hard. There were many crashes and the heat/wind/humidity combo made for many DNF's. I could have ridden harder and perhaps I should have because I didn't really reel in the girls ahead of me (only a few minutes, since we all came out of the swim together, pretty much).

Coming off the bike, my right foot was killing me, still not sure what happened. That first run lap was pure pain. My chest was tight, my heart rate tacky, chills, nausea and just plain misery. I walked the aid stations and death-shuffled between. I dreamed of hiding in the woods instead of running my 2nd lap. How easy it would be to flag down a volunteer or cry on my mom that I wasn't feeling good. I thought of retiring from Triathlon - just forgetting it all. Somewhere around mile 5 of the run, I got excited. I thought of everyone pulling for me:

Sam watching Luna, My Dad, my friends, my sponsors - everyone sending and giving their all so that I can race triathlons.

As I made the turn to start my second run lap, I saw my mom. I told her I loved her and smiled. The crowds were great. I thought of my mom, waking up at 3 AM, in the sun all day with clipboard and stopwatch. The 2nd lap went MUCH better. I doused myself with water at every chance and walked the aid stations to get in fluids, ice, whatever I could get. I passed many athletes and felt really good about getting to finish (last year I had a mechanical and then a crash that dislocated my knee). Crossing that line was pure joy. So was the ice-cold towel the volunteers put on my back and legs.

I found the girls that beat me and congratulated them all. We had some nice chats and then I found Miss Jodie Ellis who had a FANTASTIC 2nd half-ironman race. Jodie was all smiles (somehow) after the effort and I could not be more proud of her. She will have an AMAZING season!

In the end, I was about 30 min. off my time from 2 years ago, but so were most of the pro women and other competitors. It wasn't my day. Maybe I was too conservative. Maybe I didn't push hard enough. Maybe the other girls were just fitter than me.

Whatever the reason, I'm happy to have the first tri of the season under my belt. A 5th place finish and plenty of beach time with good friends and my Momma.

The season is long and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

In other news, thank you to all of my fantastic sponsors - my personal website will be launching this week at www.BraveMandy.com and will be AWESOME.

I have some new sponsors and they will all be featured there and on my super-sweet kit!

Also, congrats to Alex M and M for his 10th place at Ironman St George and Cait Snow who ran her way into 3rd.

Onward!! I WILL make it to Kona this October. I will.

How do I measure my year? You'll just have to stick around to find out.

Live from St Croix

2010-04-30T05:30:00.001-07:00

It's Brave Mandy!

No computer, so keep up with me via www.Twitter.com/bravemandy

Sent from my iPhone

I've loved you so long

2010-04-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

the fast women of stage1 / fusionTHINK (Joanne, Me and Siri)

I've been away for far too long, my poor blogger followers! It has been a busy week, but I'm back and feeling great!

Ok, so back to the start of it. A week ago Sunday was the final race of the Bethel Spring Series. I had a great run this year taking 5 top-5 finishes. This put me in 2nd Place Overall for the General Classification, behind a multiple-time National Champion. It was a nice motivation and confidence booster. To make things even better, the Stage 1 girls (all 3 of us) took on the larger teams from New England and NYC to take 2nd in the Team Category - WOOT!

Went home with some extra cash and some nice hardware for our efforts.

Then, last week was crazy week for EndureIT. The 4th running of the Nutmeg State Eco-Friendly Charity 1/2 Marathon, 10k and 5k race had record pre-reg and great attendance despite the rainy weather. Record setting times, great friends and volunteers that came out to support the event. I couldn't be more pleased (or grateful).

With all of that, I was worried about getting in my final push of training before St Croix. This is my 4th year doing this race and it is still the hardest on the circuit! Training has been AWESOME and I'm about 1 lb away from fighting weight. The last 2 weeks, Eric added in some track workouts, for fun and speed. The first week, I was struggling to keep a 6:45 pace. Panting and feeling like I could take a nap instead.

Last week, I hammered out the same workout, but held a 5:50 pace. Confidence is HIGH and I am actually excited to race - this is BIG, since I haven't been excited in a long while.

All week I've been thinking about my race plan, about how fit and ready I am. This is my year. It's official. I took 11th in the biggest one-day race in the Nation a few weeks ago on my bike. My swimming and running are feeling effortless and the body is healthy and happy.

I'm flying my Mom down to St Croix with me as an early Mother's day gift (happy mother's day, Mom - we need to fly out of Newark at 7 AM on Thursday haha).

The weather forecast so far is 87 degrees, 87 degrees and 90's and HUMID for race day. I can't wait. The harder the conditions, the better off I am!

Eric has me keeping some intensity this week - short workouts, but a lot of fun.

I promise to keep y'all updated from here on out!

M.I.A

2010-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus y'all - I'll be back, with pictures and more next week. Right now, I'm doing

THIS

If you're free on Sunday, I need volunteers anywhere between 6 AM and 12 PM - Registration, chip handout, Aid Stations, Finish Line - There are jobs for all ages (and time constraints).

Thanks!!

Roses

2010-04-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

"Everything's coming up Roses" - Gypsy

This song has been playing over and over again in my head this last week. Of course I'm not a psycho stage-mother, but you get the idea. For some reason, everything's coming up Mandy!!

Since there is so much good stuff and I don't have a photo to share today, I'm putting this in easy list form so I don't get carried away with details:

1. workouts are going great!!! I've gotten in a lot of intensity and a lot of mileage, good food and lots of rest with early wake-ups.

2. my confidence is SUPER high after some recent results and aforementioned workouts, eating and sleeping habits!

3. I've just inked ANOTHER BIG sponsor deal - to be properly announced when I get logos and items!

4. I'm working with an AWESOME designer for my 2010 race suit... can't wait to show it off!

5. Work is going well - the first EndureIT Race of the season is on April 25. If you want to run, come out and run, otherwise we need VOLUNTEERS! :)

6. I re-connected with long-lost super friend, Christian McEvoy - I'd say he inspires me, but it's so much more than that... he is literally changing the world. It's pretty rad.

7. Did I mention Sam is coming home tonight???

8. It's warm out and my plants are coming back to life!

9. I have been offered 3 new big-time job positions - ooh didleee - decisions, decisions!

10. I was told to treat Luna like an elite marathoner - I LOVE having a Veterinarian with an Ironman Brother. Yes, Luna should be 30 lbs heavier per breed standard, but she's FIT!

11. Today is my friend Noreen's bday - she is the person responsible for this whole Ironman thing entering my life!

12. My only Aunt is getting married this Fall... she's 56 and awesome...and you all thought the 1/2 Iron conflict was for me! Silly!

13. I'm modeling for 2 catalogs and for all of my sponsors... photoshoots galore ... I'm ready for my closeup!

14. I fixed my vacuum. All. By. My. Self. Yay, for clean house!

15. I have the best friends, family and boyfriend in the world!

Yup, life is good!

Carry on!

Speed Demon

2010-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Feeling good and deciding to stretch my legs a bit.

Feeling a bit better than expected... opened a gap!

Gliding right along... thanks for the wheels, love!

That's a multiple-time National Champ and the Overall General Classification Leader chasing me in the yellow.

Making the girls work on the hill. YAY!

Still cruising along, love the girls chasing.

Keeping an eye on the field - those Radical girls are tricky and smart!

The Final Sprint - the field is splintered and going all-out.

I'm in 5th, but just barely behind 1-4

Digging a bit deeper.... Sam was cheering so wildly, he put down the camera.. I threw the wheel and took 3rd, inches ahead of 4th, inches behind 1 and 2.

It was quite a weekend. On Friday night, Sam and I made our way up North for the epic adventure that IS Tour of the Battenkill. This was our third year racing and it was the biggest and best year yet. It is an absolutely stellar event (and one of the hardest).

We had a lovely breakfast at our B&B and then rolled to the start. Lots of familiar faces were found around every corner.

For the past 2 years, I have somehow managed to miss the race start - it's stupid, yes, of that I am aware, but now it's just comical. I left myself 20 minutes to get to the start this year and found - tada- the start was changed! I made it to the start line just as my field was pulling away. Grrrrreeeeeat. I caught on quick, but this meant I was all the way in the back of the field... and baby, I was not going anywhere. With a big field and yellow-line rule in place, it is near impossible to move around. Now, that's fine for the first few miles, but at mile 8 or so, you WANT to be in the front of the pack. At that point in the race, I managed a few crazy maneuvers and made my way up front.

Around mile 15 or so, the field Split - I was ever so slightly delayed behind a slower rider and that small gap defined the day.

I chased for 5 minutes, what felt like 5 hours and then grouped with a few other single riders. We started working together and for the next 30+ miles we could SEE the breakaway pack (and pace car) hanging about 15-20 seconds in front of us. It was brutally windy, from every angle. Ooh, diddleee - it was a challenge! Not to mention the crazy hills, dirt and otherwise, descents and simply demanding terrain.

Long story short, we worked and worked, toward the finish line, a few girls accelerated and I went with them. Sadly, the finish line inflatable blew away, so we were all sprinting blind. Had I thrown my wheel at the end, I would have been in the money. Instead I took 11th. I'm still pleased and had a great time riding with some very talented girls.

We stayed to watch the other events and to grab a bite at a super-sweet all-natural cafe. The drive home was looooong, but we still woke up early the following morning for the Bethel Criterium!

I had a nice time there, no breaks stuck, but I went for a bunch of sprints and pulled it out when I needed to in the final sprint.

11th and 3rd. Not a bad weekend.

After Sunday's race, I ran with super triathlete, race director, runner, momma and now bike racer extraordinaire, Megan! We cheered on athletes at the Danbury 1/2 and it was just a super way to end a super weekend.

In other news - my personal website is being redesigned as is my 2010 uniform - YAY!

A New Series Entitled: Stuff I Love

2010-04-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Check out the sweetness that arrived today from local (outstanding) outerwear company, TrailHeads!

The company is the brainchild of husband and wife team, Ed and Steph Raftery, of Kent, CT.

I discovered their products years ago at Jack Rabbit in Brooklyn and fell in love instantly. TrailHeads has continued to grow and develop - innovating all along the way!

Check out the picture above - why yes, that is a key/chapstick/cash holder on the back of the gloves! And, yes, there is reflective material on everything - YAY safety!

The best part about TrailHeads hats and headbands? The pony-tail holes... Brilliant and oh-so-comfy.

Did I mention they are an eco-friendly and community-minded company? Yup! Part of every purchase goes directly to their designated charities. And you thought there couldn't be more to love!

Check out their website, HERE, and stay tuned for reviews of the budding Summer 2011 line that I'll be testing next week with Super-Mom and Designer, Stephanie!

Ready to Roll

2010-04-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

The super stealth machine is ready for this weekend's 3 races. Full
bike porn pictures to follow.

Busy week prepping here. I'm feeling snappy again and heard from
another friend (also a Hannah) that she too is expecting a baby in
October (on the day of Kona, no less!). I'm, again, overjoyed!! I
love when good chromosomes combine!

Workwise there are exciting new sponsorships in the works... Stay
tuned and if you are free, I need volunteers for the 2010 races. Yay!
Racing!

Weekend Adventures and Exciting News

2010-04-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

First off, since I just can't contain myself - CONGRATULATIONS to Hannah and Jer who announced last night that they will be parents come October! I'm just beyond excited for them!

In racing/training news, I'm a bit tired. Last week and weekend put me over the edge and I've spent this week trying to climb out of the pain cave. Eric ordered a 2nd Full day of rest... phewph, haven't had one of those in a while, not to mention 2! I'm hoping to come around in time for this weekend's races:

1. Battenkill-Roubaix, a 62-mile hurt-fest on dirt and paved roads. Dirt climbs that go up to 20% wowwweeee. This will be my 3rd year racing there and I can't wait to rock it! Also wishing a TON of luck to my teammates who will be out there in a variety of fields, too! Sam and I are headed up tomorrow night and staying with the Devine Duveens at the Hopkins House B and B. Aggy and Charlie have become treasured friends over the years and I can't wait to see them.

2. Topping off the weekend's festivities will be back-to-back Criterium races at Bethel this Sunday. Oh, the pain and the pleasure of it all! Top it off with some running and swimming and well, you've got yourself a winning weekend!

Tonight, however, is the farthest thing from training...though I'm sure my abs will get a great workout! We are lucky enough to see David Sedaris AGAIN! Sam and I saw him last year in New Haven and he's baaaaaaaack for more! Woot!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and I PROMISE to get some photos up here soon... everything is in bloom with this 85+ degree weather...the magnolias and more... just glorious!

The Wheels on the Bus... FALL OFF.

2010-04-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

Training has been going amazingly well for the past few weeks. Getting in a ton of mileage on all fronts. This past week, I got in a total of about 30 hours of training. 15 of those hours over Fri/Sat/Sunday alone.

There was some great riding with my teammates and a whole bunch of Pro/Cat-1 biker boys... There were some long runs and swims and needless to say, I woke up yesterday in all kinds of a funk. I'm a happy, chipper person. Not yesterday. Yesterday, I was irrationally angry and then immediately sad. I then started craving McDonald's french fries. I have not eaten McD's french fries in well over a decade. It was then, I knew it was time to shut things down for not just a recovery workout, but a full-on recovery DAY.

Luna and I sunbathed on the roof for a few hours and after a girl's night, I'm feeling like my normal self!

Today I have 3 wonderful workouts on the plan. This weekend is bound to be a good one... Battenkill-Roubaix on Saturday (a 62-mile, brutally hard dirt/road race) and then 2 back-to-back criterium races on Sunday. WOOHOO!

Happy Birthday, Cass!

2010-04-01T07:15:00.001-07:00

17 Years ago, February, I met my very best friend, partner and essentially, myself in horse-form. I was 8 years old at the time and my first pony, Mimi, was in need of retirement. We looked at a bunch of horses and ponies, with the intention of buying one that I would ride for a few years, then sell when I outgrew him or her.

A cold Winter day in February, a few days before Valentine's day, we ventured to a farm in Massachusetts at the urging of former Trick Rider and friend, Danny - who still owns and operates All the King's Horses in Ridgefield, CT.

Danny told us that a pony club was going to look at this pony and that we should get there first.

There was so much snow hard-packed on the ground that only the top layer of fencing was visible. The barn doors were snowed-shut and the horses were all outside. This adorable little dappled-grey pony came right up to me. He was skinny from lack of nourishment, but he had a certain fire in his eyes. As soon as I swung my leg over the top of him, I knew we were meant to be. We made our way around the field and even popped over a few little jumps. I was in love. We asked to come back with our Vet for a proper check in two days... those days seemed like an eternity. It was love at first sight.

We returned with the vet and the pony passed with flying colors. We asked to take him on a 1-week trial. My mom wrote a check for $2,000 (a pittance in the horse world - you'd earn more at the feed lot) for the little guy and off we went! He was scared of adults, horribly underfed and a bit of a wild man. Only my sister and I could catch him in the field and handle him. I'd barely get on for a ride and we'd gallop around the arena. So much for our meticulous workouts that came later!

After a week, there was no way I was giving him up. The check was deposited and it was tough luck for those Pony Clubbers that would have ridden him into the ground.

Casanova - my little Cass, Poe-Poe, The supernova, Houdini - he has more nick names than I can count! Our success was years in the making. We had a lot of fun and that pony taught me everything I know. He made me the rider that I am and he took away the fear entirely. You see, ponies are little terrors. They've got bigger brains than horses and smaller, more agile bodies. All they think about all day long is how to be mischievous. Cass was the worst - They say horses don't buck on downhills. Little Cass did. He pulled every nasty trick in the book, and I'm glad he did because I learned to spot it before it came to pass.

Of course, it helped that rather than cry at his bad behavior, I'd laugh... I have a special affinity for "hot" animals - ones that are full of piss and vinegar... and personality!

Cass was always talented - at our very first show together, we won - foreshadowing of what was to come. Of course, when I first got him, I was still doing the 4-H circuit. Every summer, Cass and I would pack up and go to sleep away horse camp together. All horses, all the time! We'd both come home dirty, exhausted and happy.

As I started getting interested in Dressage and Eventing, we began work with Kim Walnes, a former Olympian whose horse, The Grey Goose, is in the Kentucky Horse Park. He was named horse of the Century. He also appeared in a few movies.

Kim and I would work together for years to come. She taught me many valuable life lessons via my equine activities. During a lesson, Cass ran away with me. Literally. She yelled out, "Rip his teeth out". I got him to stop, then broke down in tears. I wouldn't even carry a crop or whip (later called the "stick of knowledge") at the time because I didn't want to "hurt" my pony. Of course, when used correctly, none of these tools actually "hurt" anything - they are simply for training.

Over the course of our competitive years, Cass and I trained with a number of prestigious trainers. We competed on the Rated Show Circuit and were ranked Nationally and Internationally in Eventing and Dressage. Both sports were (and are) dominated by large HORSES bred specifically for their respective sports.

Cass was a tiny pony with no papers (tracking a specific bloodline) and we were learning the ropes together. We made our way up through the levels of Dressage and Eventing, competing against what we call "Made" horses - or those that have been trained to the highest levels - and their inexperienced riders. Some judges loved us and rewarded us for our hard work and good performances. Others were biased and gave us poor scores because they did not think a pony belonged.

It was at the Dressage Championships one year, when Lendon Gray, a former Olympian (aboard a Connemara pony that looked strikingly similar to Cass) told me that we had great potential, that I reaffirmed my belief: We belonged there. We went on to great success, competing in Championships year after year in both Dressage AND Eventing. It was the key to our success. Our advanced dressage work meant that the dressage portion of Eventing was EASY! We would start off in the lead with a great score and keep it because we always jumped clean rounds on Cross Country and Stadium.

That pony has a heart of gold - Kim Walnes used to say he had an 18-hand heart (18 hand being a VERY tall horse). He would have done anything for me out there and we trusted eachother completely. Our last Eventing competition was the Eventing Championships in Cobbleskill, NY. It was a challenging course with even more challenging conditions. The jumps were of maximum difficulty, made more difficult by the rainy, windy conditions. We had a stellar dressage round, earning perfect 10's on a number of movements. Out on the cross country course, at fence 2, Cass and I came galloping downhill. We were carried with the mud right into the fence. Forced to circle around, it was counted as a "refusal" - a 20 point penalty. Undaunted, we rode on, making up time and finishing the round cleanly. Many riders crashed and burned on the course, and amazingly, we only fell to 8th place. During that round, the announcer commented that we proved that "size doesn't matter" - it still makes me smile hearing that when watching the video. A clean stadium round left us in 6th place.

After that competition, we had a family discussion with my trainers. We all agreed that Cass and I could compete at a higher level, but that we would risk injury or an early, painful retirement. Pleased with our accomplishments, I decided we would just do Dressage. We continued to move up through 4th level and FEI levels. By the time I retired Cass from Dressage competition, they had created a special award and categories for ponies in competition.

It always made us smile when we'd be approached at competitions by people looking to buy Cass. We were offered $150,000 for him after one of my wins. The guy wanted a "made" pony for his daughter. It was amazing to think that a pony we once thought I'd ride for a few years, then sell became my greatest friend, teacher and partner. We are still inseparable!

Nowadays, Poe Poe and I do Hunter Paces (fun adventure-type trail races). He acted as teacher and mentor to my Mom and a young student when they sought out some lower-level competition. I ride him almost every day and we spend time snuggling and preening eachother daily.

Never one to lose his mischievous streak, Cass still continues to challenge me. He'll squeal and buck - he pushed me over in the snow as I went to pick up a dropped carrot this Winter. He never misses an opportunity.

Cass has taught me so much about who I am, how I react to adversity, how to handle a challenge. Because of him, I was successful on Bulletproof (My Eventing horse) and on West (my Dressage Master). Because of him I have great time management skills. Because of him, I can ride any horse without fear. I can anticipate the actions and motives of others and react accordingly.

Because of him, I know what true, deep, fulfilling love is. I know how to trust completely. I know how to laugh at myself. I know how to pick myself up from disappointment, heartbreak or failure. Because of him, I know how to celebrate. I know how to clear my head and enjoy a view. Because of him, I know what it feels like to fly over 4 foot solid fences at 30+ mph.

Because he is, I am.

I love you, Little Poe. Happy Birthday!

Cass and West, Summer 2009

Photos, top left - dressage competition in New Jersey, top right - dressage competition, MA.

bottom left - 4-H animal Project day - it took weeks for that paint to wear off. And, yes, I grew awkwardly - I was ALL legs for a while :)

bottom center - Dressage competition - MA

Bottom right - Cross Country fence on the Stoneleigh Burnham course. What you can't tell is that the fence is at the top of a steep hill. As you approach it, it looks as though you're jumping off the edge of the earth.

JUMP!

2010-03-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Huge thanks to Joanne for shattering the field, I almost got boxed in and managed to break through, jump on the hill and sprint! The field was demolished, but I didn't bother looking back. Just behind me is the hard-charging Siri... the Norwegian Sensation! Man, oh man, can that girl sprint! She saved me late in the race, giving a nice strong pull and allowing me to recover a bit. I was so happy to look over my shoulder once across the line to see her smiling face! It is unusual to be able to give a leadout and then hang on to sprint for the next spot!

Safely crossing the line!

Happy Stage 1 / fusionTHINK girls, post race! Our unis arrive soon, until then, we're just bundled up and having fun hiding in the field(s).

Big ups to miss Joanne (on the left), miss Legs McGee, herself! Jo decided to launch a few attacks and try to break the current GC leader - sadly, she ended up getting used by her a bit... But Jo's tactic worked...she splintered the field, forcing everyone to chase and get tired on the last 3 laps - it was great!

After the women's race, I warmed up in the car, ate a poptart (sorry coach) and an hour later, warmed up for the men's race. I had Andrea Myers (pro roadie) and Audrey (another pro roadie) join me in the race and we sat in and chatted the 30 fast miles away! A nice 45 min. transition run to top the day off and then it was home for beer and Mexican food with the C-dale crew!

We're all looking forward to Battenkill in a few weeks - and a super hard Birthday ride on Sunday for my girl Joanne! - and a few more weeks of these girls-only races at Bethel. Stage 1 girls WILL go 1,2,3!!!

Onward!

Tired legs

2010-03-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is my running partner. Guess I'm training a bit more! She didn't
budge when I laced up my shoes... Looks like she'll keep warming the
guest bed until I get back.

BIG NEWS

2010-03-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

A huge welcome to my newest sponsor, Adina Holistics!

We finalized and inked our deal over the weekend and I could not be more pleased with our partnership! I'll be monkeying around at triathlons, bike races, trade shows and more! I'll keep you posted on exciting news within the company as well as hosting tastings at various events, including all of the EndureIT races!

Adina is a very cool new company with an even cooler concept: Drink no Evil. All of their products are created with the utmost care and consideration for your health and that of the environment. Organic, Gluten-Free, Kosher and based on the Ayurvedic Calendar all packed into a tasty elixir with - BONUS - recyclable packaging!

Click HERE to follow the Monkey on Twitter or HERE to check out their website!

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter!

YAY!

Sittin' on the Dock

2010-03-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, more like "Sitting on the couch looking pathetic". Sorry for the lack of updates, what I thought were just some pool-related allergies have become a full-blown sickness...courtesy of my lovin' man.

We all get sick and there is really no good time to get sick. I like to say to people that there are "better and worse" times to get sick/injured/go through something crappy, but in truth, there's never really a good time... well, unless it is raining/sleeting/snowing/wind blowing 70mph outside...then it's ok get stuck inside!

It is not, however, ok to get sick when it happens to be sunny and 70 outside.

Ok, enough complaining, I'm on the mend, but I need to let my body do just that. Signing off until I've actually come up with something interesting and noteworthy to write about!

Watch my Stupidity in Action

2010-03-16T16:42:00.001-07:00

I think Eric would say I was making the workout count :)

If you click to the next page of photos, you can see me sitting up, laughing and Miss America waving to the crowd rather than sprint.

Check out the photos from BicyclingImages.com HERE

It Must Be...

2010-03-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tax season. You can feel it in the air. The line of sick people at CVS was overwhelming. The women's field at Bethel yesterday was thick with it and I was obviously not here to blog. Apologies, dear readers.

Training and business are both going well. Life, as usual (how cool is it to say that!?), is fantastic.

Last week I had a few days of really bad headaches...the turn off the lights and pull up the covers kind...This in no way could be related to my accountant calling to tell me that my Business (and Personal) taxes had to be filed by MARCH 15 this year, because EndureIT is now a Corporation.

Yup, excuses, excuses. Fast forward to Friday night - taxes done and good to go - a night out with [many] friends meant a nice late night. We awoke to rain on Saturday and while Sam went to teach Spin, I reveled in my extra hour of sleep.

Rather than risk: a. Sickness and b. loss of mental toughness early in the season, coach Eric had me ride the rollers and swim. Both workouts were fantastic and I got to catch up on some television while riding the bike indoors - for some reason, it makes it that much more satisfying to do both activities.

Saturday night was a blur, setting the clocks forward is always disruptive and knowing we'd wake up to rain AND darkness was less than inspiring. Add on to that, Sam's sniffles and you've got yourself a household of lackluster Mo-Mo.

But motivate we did! On the bike for a nice long warm-up, I wasn't feeling so bad. The race started and Kim from CVC-Subaru attacked on the rollout...nice. I expected some antics with the weather and depleted field, but I thought I would be the clever one. Turns out I was just tactically retarded (excuse my use of that word, but we used to be able to use that without any sort of bigoted connotation). I pulled everyone through the wind, attempted a few breaks and just had fun. One of the juniors in the field decided to go for the prime (a product giveaway) and we let her take a solo 1-lap flyer and cheered her across the line. The boys watching were dumbfounded by this.

I was hoping to get a few people organized, but no one really wanted to work. With about 7 laps to go, I thought I might launch and a few other girls had the same idea. Kim, who had gone on that solo attack right off the bat, ended up launching Pan Pan Fan off the front. Pan Pan is a friend and super-strong rider from the CRCA Metro team. I was on the opposite side of the field and didn't pick up her wheel in time. She dangled in front of me for the rest of the race. Kim had hopped on my wheel when she saw the break and said, "let's get her and work together". Turns out she meant, "You do all the work and I'll sit in". Tactical mistake number 2000 of the day. I thought she was tired and encouraged her. I told her, "short pulls" - we can reel her in and work together... figure it out in the sprint. Well, Kim decided to sit on my wheel and do zero work for those 7 laps. Well, maybe she did take two 3-second pulls on the easiest part of the course. Pan Pan expanded her lead to between 20-30 seconds and I was happy for her to have the win. At the base of the hill before the final sprint, Kim came next to me and ensured I wouldn't have a good line (or any momentum) going into the sprint. She took off and I half-halfheartedly chased her, until I decided : 1. no one was behind me and 2. I was still going home with money.

4th place last week and 3rd this week - no complaints here...but you can bet I'll be winning soon. Count on it!

A brick run after the race warmed me up...slightly. I opted out of my 2nd race with the guys and cheered Sam who took 10th. While sick, might I add?!

On to the next adventure...pictures to follow!

The Official Start of the Season

2010-03-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Photos courtesy of Frank Navone
A few shots of my 2nd race of the day - trying to close a gap in the men's 3/4 race.

Sunday marked the first race(s) of 2010 for me! The Bethel Spring Series, run by friend and super-fast racer, Aki, are just awesome. The races are affordable, well-run and just great training for the season ahead!

I had pipe-dreams of doing 3 races on Sunday, but after a 5-6 hour training day on Saturday, I opted to not crush myself in the first outing of high-intensity work.

Saturday night, we had a final farewell dinner with Erik and got to bed fairly early. Thank goodness our jet-lag is still hanging on (or has this early-wake-up become habit again?!), because I woke up nice and early, took the dog out and had a leisurely breakfast with my boy.

Checking in at Bethel this year was excellent, well, it's always excellent, but this year, the gracious and talented, Frank Navone, lent his new studio space for registration.

I got in a nice, long warm-up on the rollers - an act that always invites spectators - and a bathroom break before lining up for the women's race. The girls were excited to be out and we had a large field. Anne Marie Miller (multiple-time National Champion) was out with her teammates and I knew we'd be in for some pain. There were many familiar faces and a few new ones. Fellow Iron-athlete (super mom and my Kona racing buddy), Meghan, was out and looking FIT!

The race was fairly safe and despite a few attacks, stayed pretty together. After a prime, Anne Marie got off the front and none of us could organize to catch her, so she just dangled in front of the field. I had ok position going into the final sprint, but had been out in the wind too long and was just inched out and took 4th. I was the only idiot "sprinting" on my hoods, instead of in my drop bars. Oops! Alliances were made shortly-after with other teams for the upcoming weeks. My new teammate, Joanne (a super-fasty Cat 2 racer), and I agreed on some new tactics and that we'll be ready with a few attacks, counter-attacks and tricky moves of our own in the weeks to come. YES!

With 90 minutes in between my races, I opted to get warm, stay loose and take in some calories. Something I love about bike racing (especially on a nice day), is the social aspect. To chat with everyone during and post-race makes you just love the sport even more. The women this year seem especially well-behaved and welcoming - a nice change from some of the shrill whining and catty fights of year's past.

The men's 3/4 race started off quick, but was an accordion race. We'd be chasing a break and things would string out, then everyone would bunch-up REALFAST! OOf, I just tried to stay on the outside line and on "safe wheels". Most of the men were great, but a few were just plain rude - pushing me - LITERALLY - off wheels. Next week, I'm getting more aggressive and not losing my wheels to guys that then can't stay on them.

I had originally planned to go for the final sprint to try and win some cash and points, but opted to avoid potential crashes and slipped out of the field near the end. I changed my clothes, grabbed the dog and we were off for a nice transition run.

The final race of the day, the Pro 1,2,3 was LOADED with my teammates - at least 10 Cannondale riders were out, including the newest Cannondale Employee, Bobby, who absolutely DOMINATED the field of spectacularly fit riders. Making note of their speed, I was super happy I'd opted out of that 3rd race. My lack of high-intensity fitness was evident enough in the previous two.

Towards the end of the race, Lu and I were going crazy cheering. On the last lap, I was looking for Sam and a few other guys and didn't see them. Before I could even hear the word, "crash" - Lu and I were off in a full sprint to see if everyone was alright. It felt like Triage - I checked in with Sam first, who was beaten up a bit, his brand new bike was looking rough, but he was smiling like someone in shock. There were at least 8 guys that were in rough shape - road rash, cracked helmets and more. It happens, accidents are just that, accidents. I was glad to see everyone pretty much behaving themselves. Help came and race officials took numbers for insurance purposes.

Despite a minor heart attack, everything is ok - we had the crew over for Mexican food post-race and then it was early to bed. Sam has some lovely road rash and a nice 6 inch gash up the side of his right quad, but he's managing (self medicating with margaritas).

Today was (mercifully) a recovery day - yoga, swimming and horseback riding. Tomorrow it's back to the grind... a long run to start things off. Woohoo! The racing season is finally here!

Damn you New York Times

2010-03-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm glad we went before the word got out... Check out the article HERE

El Fin de Semana

2010-03-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait for the weekend? Well, I don't think I grew out of that. True, I work for myself and get to set my own schedule, bring my dog to important meetings and do a 5 hour ride during "business hours", but I still look forward to the weekends.

Weekends mean fun, racing, sleep, wine, and so much more! This weekend will be filled with all of the aforementioned! Tonight is the Stage-1 FusionTHINK GNO (girl's night only/out). Talk tactics, drink wine and celebrate in classic cackling style.

Tomorrow is an early wake-up call for a run with the dog, then I'll be off for a nice long base ride with Chris (pro-roadie extraordinaire) and the Stage-1 girls. After that, Sam and I will hit the pool before a pre-race dinner out w/ my 'rents.

Sunday... drumroll please... is the first race of 2010. And not just one race, but three! I'll be doing a nice long warm-up, then racing the women's race at 10:30. At 1 PM, I'll be racing the men's 3/4 race, after that, the men's Pro 1, 2, 3 race and then a nice transition run with the dog.

Sunday night is bound to be filled with a community dinner at Tarrywile where we'll all recount the pain and pleasure of the first race(s) of the season.

No rest for the wicked (er, not so wicked?!) as Monday brings with it a recovery swim and a long run.

With a weekend like that, it's easy to be excited. This blog is a nice place where I can remind myself to appreciate just how good I've got it!

Disfruten su fin de semana! Enjoy your weekend!

Dreams of Italy

2010-03-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

(Above picture of the four of us - Erin was the only one appropriately dressed... I was cursing that long sleeve I put on that day! We would leave in the early AM and ride right into the heat of the day. In running they say, "dress for your race" - I didn't exactly follow it that day and ended up soaked...as did the boys!)

I've been having wild dreams for a few weeks now - some are exhausting, others just plain exciting. Since returning from Italia, my dreams have centered around the experiences I had there. No doubt, it has me nostalgic for waking up to a relaxed Sam, and tea/coffee and early bike rides with Erik and Erin

Since returning home, I've had awesome workouts. It only reiterates that the training I did in Italy was at the appropriate level. Running yesterday, I found that while I ran at the same heart rate as before (my base, aerobic zone), I ran 1 minute per mile faster. It's pretty cool when that happens! Swimming, which I thought would be horribly painful after 10 days off, was oddly effortless. I held my fitness and got in a strong 3200 muscle strength swim w/ short rest in about 40 minutes. I was only a second or two off my training pace and it was encouraging!

I still haven't adjusted to the time being home...I find going to Europe easier (yes, I know it should be easier coming home). I'm still 6 hours ahead and really liking my early wake-ups. Of course, my sleepiness did catch up with me today as I fell asleep for 2 hours this afternoon.

Italy was a blur of total splendor. I'm writhing about in the sheets in the bed of my memory. Thinking of the great conversation, incredible riding and running, the wine, the food; it all was so much to take in, so much to digest. This trip was so good for me mentally and physically.

There was not a single argument (a true feat when traveling with anyone, let alone another couple and your significant other), not a single upset at anyone on the trip. I tend to be a peacemaker, and a worrier (thanks, Mom). So I think about how everyone else is doing, how they are feeling at any particular moment. Sam eventually told me to stop worrying, everyone was having a great time. I can't help it - I read a lot of David Sedaris, and while he is hilarious, some of his travel stories (of other people) are downright horrifying.

That said, getting to spend time with friends from far away (Erik and Erin live in Switzerland) was priceless. It was important to say the things I've been meaning to express, in person. Erin is a real source of inspiration to anyone she meets, without even trying. She is a naturally good and kind person. Erin and I bonded quickly a few years ago when we learned we're twins in a way. We both went to school to pursue the same paths, graduated with the same obscure double majors and then proceeded to take entirely different life directions. Erin and Erik travel a lot. They are frugal, smart and savvy. Having another person fluent in Spanish was fun and helpful in Italy... while my Italian is remedial, at best, my Spanish (and Erin's), made communicating far easier since Italians tend to understand Spanish and vice-versa.

I could go on and on (and I will in the posts to come), but suffice to say, I am as in awe of my friend as ever. Especially in her new athletic prowess. Riding alongside Erin for 10 days was a true highlight and our conversations, ranging from silly to serious, made the hours fly by.

In the days to come, I promise to post about each day - the places we visited, hopefully some maps, details on feet of climbing, etc. if I can figure out how to unload my Garmin.
Sam, Euro-Driver Extraordinaire. This is us in our Fiat Punto...the sweetest, tiniest car you've ever seen.
Early morning start from our villa. Riding along the Pave (hard-packed dirt roads built over original Roman and cobble roads).
Action shot! Eric and I take a taste of some incredible Brunellos, Barberas and Barbarescos at the famous Enoteca Italiana (wine library) in Siena, Italy - a collection of almost every wine in Italy...that you can taste! Located under, yes, UNDER, the Fortress Medicea.
Vibrant greens, vineyards, olive groves, sky, mountains and mountains and mountains!
Same day, overdressed, but happy as can be. That's my Italian supermodel face...although I don't think they ride bikes...

I'm Back, Bitches! (an homage to my friend Dawn)

2010-03-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

Yup! Back on Terra Firma and 6 hours ahead, still. I landed, gave some presents to my lovely 'rents that watched Luna and the pony, ate some General Tso's Tofu (my travel tradition) and crashed out hard.

Up at 6 AM to get back to life, back to reality. A big training week in the Tuscan sun is now over, along with many adventures I plan to share here (and I few I'll just keep to myself!).

I'll get some photos loaded up and then you'll be looking at 10 days of Italian adventuring and some training in there!

Sunday marks the start of the Bike Racing season and I can't wait... the women's race, the men's 3/4 race and the Pro 1,2,3 race, if I'm feeling snappy. That's a total of right around 75-80 miles of RACING every sunday, plus a 1 hour warm-up and running afterwards... oh, and this Sunday? As a bonus, I get to go ice skating with the girls after all of that. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

Slushy

2010-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Today was a jam-packed day - there week before traveling is always mayhem - mine was filled with some fun mis-filings by my accountant. They had me scared that I'd face penalties, but a call to the CT Department of Revenue Services ended up surprisingly pleasant! Greg at the DRS was SO helpful and walked me through the process of doing what my accountant was [apparently] incapable of! Wheph - at least that's a bit of relief. I'm waiting on my accountant for a few more documents and hopefully I'll have everything squared away by Friday (when we fly far, far away for Italy!).

In other news, training is going well - swimming is finally coming along. After a crappy swim on Saturday where I called Eric and told him that I'm fat and slow, things turned around and I was swimming fast (relatively) and effortlessly (again, relatively). I got in a bunch of long muscle strength sets on a 1:15 pace and it was exactly what I needed to get my mind right again.

Today I went for a super run - it was hilly and snowy and beautiful. About 10 minutes in, as I ran in the oncoming lane (on the side of the road, of course), I heard a car coming up behind me (on the opposite side of the road). I didn't think anything of it, until I heard them swerve and just as they passed me; drove through the nasty slush in the center of the road....Soaking me in nasty slush. I was so shocked, I stopped in my tracks and threw my hands in the air.

A few guys in a moving truck were about to pull out of a driveway and saw the whole thing. They asked if I was alright and if I wanted them to go hunt the car down... nice offer, but I declined.

It's amazing what a little empathy will do for a person. Rather than cry about my inadvertent (er, intentional!) shower, the fact that someone took the time to smile and ask about my condition put a smile back on my face. The world is filled with good people, (and a few crappy ones), just as I thought.

Lunch!

2010-02-17T09:32:00.001-08:00

A nice apple with almond butter. Super yum!

No Such Thing...

2010-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

As bad weather!

It's snowing like crazy out here - but should that interrupt workouts? Heck no!

The pool is open, running is more fun in a winter wonderland and as for the bike - well, I got to reward myself with a bunch of DVR'ed programs! Oh yes, that's my reward for indoor riding - some great TV watching (sans-commercials, yes, that is ironic given my ad-history).

You can't say the weather interrupted your workout when you've got rollers or a trainer. You can dress as well (or poorly, depending on your cycling fashion sense) for indoor riding and if you've got a TV (yea, music doesn't cut it anymore), life is even better!

Come Friday, we'll fly far, far away to the land of beautiful cycling. Home to some find cycling craftsmanship and arguably, the best riders in the world. Certainly, the best wines in the world (yup, all you Frenchies are def. going to flame me!).

Ahhh... a few more days... I hope I don't run out of shows to watch!

Yum!

2010-02-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

Dark chocolate and nutella blondies. Recipe courtesy of the lovely
ladies of the Expat Kochen. I add protein powder to mine for a little
dose of healthy :)

Happy Valentine's Day, Sam!

2010-02-14T13:51:00.001-08:00

"I've been crazy for you since the day we met..." - The Veronicas

I can't help but love Valentine's day and what's better than waking up to the one you love. What's better? That same lovely person making breakfast...and cleaning up after breakfast as you lazily sip tea (that he has made and served you) while listening to NPR and reading the New York Times Magazine and Sunday Styles Section.

Yes, if I were to believe in heaven, this would be it. I'm blessed with Sam's love, support and devotion every day: His warm smile and comforting embrace.

There's a quote from Marilyn Monroe where she says something to the effect of, "If you can't handle me at my worst, you certainly don't deserve me at my best." - Of course, I'm more of a Mae West girl, myself. "When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better."

During my long run today, I couldn't help but reminisce on what has become my new "normal". And I put that in quotes because it is so far from being average or normal. Sam was there for me before I knew I needed him. He was there for the most hellish period of my life and he has been there for what I believe are some of the best moments of my life. Whatever I give back to him is a pittance compared to what he has given me.

So this is what love's supposed to be, eh? I'm counting my blessings and I'm sure you can guess which one I'm celebrating today!

Happy Valentine's Day, Sam. I love you a bushel and a peck... plus many pecks!

Sorry for the....

2010-02-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hiatus, but it's been a busy week - lots of new and exciting things will soon be on their way to BraveMandy! A new web designer, new sponsor agreements and much more excitement to come! I promise to update soon!

The machine

2010-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Is ready for action. Sadly, this is all you are allowed to see of the
famed Cannondale shop!

Payback

2010-02-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

So, you know how I fell off the proverbial [healthy food] wagon yesterday? Yea, my indiscretions payed me back all last night and most of today. And they did not taste good the second time around.

Sometime around midnight I felt a grumblin' and ran to the bathroom. My lovin' man slept soundly (and the dog, too) as I wretched for hours... Around 2 AM I decided my knees needed a break and I moved the bathmat into position for my repentant act.

This morning, I thought I was in the clear. I took the dog for a hike, put on NPR and proceeded to make breakfast. And then things turned bad again...

I'm not sure what it was that set off my tiny tum, but I know I won't combine that concoction of food for a while! Thanks to the irritation, I opted to shorten today's workouts, but I did get them in... onward and hopefully my food will not come "upward" again!

Falling Off the Wagon

2010-02-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

It happens... sometimes... I'll admit it.

I don't want it to happen. Well, maybe I do.

Who am I kidding? Of course, I do!

I'm a healthy eater. I prefer fresh fruits to anything and if you ask me my favorite food, I'll tell you it's salad. Of course, that's only one of my halves speaking. The other half wants dark chocolate, muffins and cookies. And Wine... lots of really good wine!

I wouldn't say I "suppress" the unhealthy eater in me - I generally don't want or crave any bad-for-me foods... but occasionally, I fall off the wagon in a major way. Today started off well enough - a balanced breakfast before my swim. That's about where the good eating choices ended...

My 1 hour drive home took me past Dunkies and well, that egg and cheese on a croissant with orange juice was just too irresistible...and for the first time in who knows how long, I got a donut. I wanted it. There's no other reason that went into it. I simply wanted it. So I got it.

I didn't feel guilty at that point knowing I had hill-repeats to run, a horse to ride and a dog to exercise. Of course, what happened after all of those activities cannot be reversed: An afternoon snack was in the "healthy" range, until someone decided to offer me a muffin. Forgive me dear readers, but how could I say "no" to a coffee-cake muffin, prepared to perfection?!

I've decided that rather than feel badly about falling off the wagon, I should be happy - I obviously needed to feed my hormonal (or whatever it is) craving. Sugar is not a necessary part of your diet, but it can bring its own happiness...meanwhile, my friend Kate is yelling at her computer screen reading this. :) And I'm sure I'll get a note from Eric reminding me I have a few more pounds to lose.

All in good time, and now that I've rewarded myself by being bad, I can get back to being good again (for a while, at least)!

Trusting

2010-02-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

"You've got to trust your instinct, and let go of regret. You've got to bet on yourself now star, 'cause that's your best bet...The first could be the last, so just get off of your ass." - 311

I was lacking motivation a few weekends ago. Something that is rare for me. I tend to consider myself a highly motivated person. I enjoy my work and my workouts. When I'm not feeling like doing something, there is usually good reason (or some really major fatigue).

A few weekends ago the freezing rain was falling and I was more inclined to curl up with the boy and the dog than I was to go out for my long run. A quick call to Eric got me hopping to!

He reminded me that sitting on my a$$ is exactly what the competition would LOVE for me to do. I've got big goals for the season and in order to achieve those, I need to put in the work now. Eric instructed me to not run long outdoors, but instead, do a speed workout on the treadmill.

Those of you that know me, know that I am not a fan of the "dreadmill", but this would be fun. I always like to see how fast I can go without falling off the back (something my good friend Cappie has done!! :)

Eric's point was that getting in a workout is important. Getting my motivation back was also important. Burning myself out and taxing the body physically and mentally in the rain was not a priority - as Eric put it, "You will have plenty of long workouts to get in while it's raining." Good point - most of my long rides and runs for the past 2 years have been in rain, hail and thunder and lightening. They are epic workouts that leave me pumped up rather than drained, but they also come far closer to my key races.

January is not the time to struggle mentally - it is not the time to overtax your physical and mental capacities. January and February should be base-building, confidence-building months where you make deposits into the piggy bank of race preparation. Making withdrawals now would only serve to leave you with a deficit later on.

Of course, all this talk is useless if you simply sit on your butt. The point is to find your motivation, build and nurture it without over-taxing yourself. As the song says, "You've got to bet on yourself". "The first can be last" and so you better, "get off your ass".

Belgium-Fest

2010-02-01T13:50:00.001-08:00

(Makin' da yummy food)

Belgian Fest was in full-effect on Sunday as the Cannondale crew prepared to watch Timmy Johnson and J. Driscoll (and a few Belgians) race the Cross World Championships. We crowded into the Tarrywile (aka Mantown) and got to work!

Home-made Belgian Waffles (and homemade Belgian brew), whipped cream, blueberry compote, syrup, brownies, homemade frittes w/ sauces, Belgian stew and lots and lots of Belgian Ales.

The race was epic to watch and I cannot wait for 2013 when the World Championships comes Stateside!

It was a wild weekend - birthday parties, charity events, a Uconn basketball game and SO much good cheer... oh yea, and some GREAT training!

This whole "keeping the balance" thing is working for me (so far). Lots and lots of running with swims, bikes and strength fun peppered in makes for a good base-building season!

I also just found a long-lost friend who is now a Dr. living in Oahu... I told him I'm going to be back to the big Island to see him this Fall and I don't break my promises.

(Super-Friend Murray perfects the art of making Belgian waffle batter while drinking Belgian Beer)

Super snack

2010-01-27T11:57:00.001-08:00

These yummy, spicy cashews are my FAVORITE!

How to make them:

First, get:

2 1 lb bags of roasted, un-salted cashews

2 tbsp of brown sugar (or sugar substitute), butter (or butter substitute), fresh rosemary, sea salt and cayenne pepper.

Then:

Set the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the cashews on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Mix the other ingredients in a bowl and when the cashews are warmed, combine them with the mixture.

Let them cool before putting the tops on your containers.

I add some extra cayenne for more kick!

Enjoy!

How Can I be expected to...

2010-01-26T18:58:00.001-08:00

Get out of bed when faced with this?!

Never Too Late

2010-01-25T13:52:00.001-08:00

"It's never too late to start the day over." Michael Franti

I woke up this morning after an epic and excellent weekend feeling a little less than excellent. Maybe it was the gray, rainy sky, maybe it was the 3 AM bedtimes, but whatever the reason, I was lacking mo-mo (aka motivation) in a BIG way.

I puttered around the house finding everything BUT my workouts to do...and then I called Eric. I told him that my brain was telling me to just do it. That I want big things from this year and that in order for that to happen, I need to put in the time now. My brain was telling my sad, pathetic body to get out there on this rainy day b/c I know my competition is out there.

Eric told me exactly what I needed to hear - sadly, not what my body wanted to hear... it kept yelling "take a nap with the puppy!!" - he told me that I need to think 6 months from now - think about what I want on that day. To think about my competition that is just PRAYING that I'll skip today's workout. He then told me, "you'll have enough days training in the rain - today, just go to the gym, hop on the treadmill and do a speed workout - you'll feel better!"

Man, oh, man - that Eric was right! Although I hate running on a treadmill, it was a lot of fun today. Running with music is something I'll only do on the treadmill and I had some great tunes pumping!

The workout sped by and I did Eric's "strength Challenge" of the day - check it out HERE.

The run put me back in a competitive mindset and the day began anew!

Breathe

2010-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

"Let's just breathe." - Pearl Jam

This morning I met a friend at the pool to work on swim form and technique. She's a brand newbie to all 3 sports and is planning to race her first ever tri at St Anthony's.

She's a Mother, a Nurse and one tough chick.

She texted me, frantic the other night - "everything hurts! Not 'sore' hurt, but 'hurt', hurt."

I suggested we get together and do some drills.

Watching her in the water, she has great body alignment, a super strong kick and a fairly strong stroke, but breathing is what's hard... it's also what wreaks havoc on her form.

It's amazing to see how one small movement can have such big effects on the overall mechanics. By pulling her head up and out of the water rather than simply turning to the side in a 45 degree rotation (in line with her body), it was forcing the opposite arm (supposedly in mid-pull) out and straight, dropping the shoulder and the legs, thus disrupting the entire stroke. Dropping the shoulders and straightening out that arm caused stress on the wrong muscles and was causing the pain.

It's one thing to watch a video or read an article. It's another to actually have someone watch you. To direct you, physically and then repeat correct exercises together.

We finished up a successful hour in the pool and it reminded me how such small changes can have HUGE impacts. This is true for all 3 sports. Hydrodynamics and proper form are the keys to swimming - enabling the athlete to use less energy to propel the body faster across a prescribed distance. Isn't this something we all strive for?

Efficiency is necessary before you can even begin to consider speed. You've got to love the process is what it comes down to and, learn to breathe.

Another Plunge Photo

2010-01-19T11:30:00.001-08:00

It looks like we all REALLY wanted to go in the water!

The Polar Plunge ... In Pictures

2010-01-18T13:09:00.001-08:00

So, on Saturday I jumped in 36 degree water to help Eric raise funds for families in need. You can find out more about The Plunge on his website.

We had a big group, as you can see!

Moments before the plunge, I started taking off layers... oooh didlee, it was cold!
Off and running!
Almost in, preparing to dive...
A dunk under and we're OUT!
It didn't feel so bad to me, but the guys around me were howling in pain!
Yum, salt! That's Mr. Alan MacDougal there in the yellow cap. Also, notice the only person going in as we're coming out... that's Eric.
Begging Sam for a towel!
That's better...
A happy pony.
Enjoying the sun and sea...and warming up on the rocks.
Luna didn't plunge all the way, but did manage to cover the car in sand.

Home, Sweet Home...For February!

2010-01-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

This lovely 14th Century villa in the Tuscan Countryside will be home this February for our Italian travel and training! Sam made me BEYOND happy when he said, "I want to come home exhausted, having seen everything there is to see in Rome and Tuscany." - Yes, tall order, but I couldn't be more excited.

If you want to train on hard terrain and get in no culture whatsoever, you can train to your heart's content plenty of places Stateside. But, if you want great training paired with true adventuring, museum-visits, tastings at vineyards and marathon days in cities like Florence and Rome... well, you do what Sam and I are doing with our buds.

Frequent flyer miles were easily used to cover our airfare and this lovely villa? Round-about $60 a night. Oh, and our hotel in Rome? It is less than .5 a mile from the Colosseum and is literally built into Nero's Aquaduct. Yes, it is a dream come true and I'm counting down the days until we fly, fly away!

I'll be updating here daily with maps, photos and recommendations for your own adventure! With all of the fantastic tools at our hands (shameless plugs in future posts, I warn you now), it is bound to be an epic experience.

Our plan is to wake up early daily and head into town for coffee and a bite. From there, train in the morning and spend the afternoons and evenings exploring local cities, towns, sites, food and of course.... WINE!

YAY!

Taking the Plunge...

2010-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow at 12:45! I'll post pictures tomorrow afternoon!

BRRRRRRR!

Thank you all again for your contributions, I am, as usual, overwhelmed by the generosity of those around me. Well, maybe it's not love, and instead a desire to see me freeze my tush off!

Polar Plunge 2010

2010-01-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Howdy y'all!

So this Saturday I'm going to do something really dumb for a really good cause. I'm trying to raise $100 (or more) by Saturday at noon. If I can do that, I'm going to jump into the Long Island Sound with other philanthropic crazies (in speedos, no less)!

Here are the details - if you make a donation towards my "plunge" - just make a memo on Eric's paypal that says "Mandy Braverman Plunge". You can also mail me a check - just leave a note for the address.

Check out the deets from Eric below:

2010 Polar Plunge (Eric's words from here on out)

This year we will be raising funds for Trumbull resident Alex Convertito. On September 6th, 2009, Alex, a member of the Trumbull community, was critically injured in a two car motor vehicle accident on rt. 8. He was ejected from his vehicle and as a result received severe spinal injuries. Alex, 22, has undergone substantial surgeries to stabilize his spine and restore movement and feeling to his lower extremities. For Alex and his family, the road to recovery is a long one paved with extensive rehabilitation. He is about to once again undergo another spinal stabilization surgery. As you can imagine, the costs of this keep building and insurance only covers so much. It would be very cool if we could help offset some of this debt.

The deal is we meet at Southport Beach (directions below) at 12:45pm on January 16th and take a dip in The Sound at around 1pm. If you are taking The Plunge, your goal is to try and raise $100 to donate to the cause we select. The past few years, we have sent a local child battling cystic fibrosis and hefty medical bills to Disney, we assisted two autistic children in seeing one of the top specialists around, we helped pay the costs of a young boys medical bills from his fight against Kawasakis Disease, we also gave some financial aid to a woman cyclist who was struck by a hit and run car, and in the very first Plunge, we sent close to $50,000 to the American Red Cross to aid those in the Tsunami. Let's keep this great thing rolling. In these tough economic times, it's important to still support a worthwhile cause. And at the very least, whether Plunging or not, you will have a laugh. If we raise over $5000 I will do something stupid again. One year I wore a speedo which in January in icy cold water can be quite embarrasing. This year, I will be the first one in and the last one out - if we raise more than $5000.

So here’s the deal:

Meet at 12:45pm on Saturday, January 16th at Southport Beach (directions below).

Alex’s father’s employer, Fletcher Thompson, Inc. has compassionately established a 501c3 account in Alex’s name. Any contributions donated to this fund will be tax deductable and go directly to offset the cost of Alex’s medical expenses and equipment.

Contributions can be made payable to:
Fletcher Thompson Health and Family Services
Memo on check: For Alex Convertito

You can also donate through the Paypal link on my site http://www.hodska.com/paypal.html – if you do this, please note “Alex Convertito Donation” in the subject or notes. www.hodska.com/paypal.html

If you don’t plan on Plunging, come out anyways to support us fools that are and have a laugh!

I'll bring the coffee and hot chocolate. I hope you can make it!

Cheers,
EH

Amateur Versus Pro

2010-01-13T05:57:00.001-08:00

Last night we ventured into the city (after a swim and run, of course!) to see Andreas Staier perform on the Fortepiano (pre-piano, post- harpsichord instrument). It was an incredible concert at the intimate Zankel Hall.

At the end of the performance, Staier returned to the stage for his encore, but he brought a woman out with him... She was his "homestay" of sorts and as he explained in his thick accent, "The best natural horn playing lawyer."

The audience took a collective deep breath, feeling the nervous energy this woman exuded. She stood on stage in towering heels and dramatic dress. A slight nod and Staier began playing. While the woman hit some of the notes (and I give her GREAT credit for getting up on stage with a professional), she was noticeably shaken and it was difficult to know whether to smile or wince.

It got me thinking about the calculated risks we all take in endurance sports. We all line up to take on the same event and perhaps it's seeing the fluidity and grace of the top pros (there are too many pros that don't really deserve the honor and many age groupers that do!) is what gives us some sense of attainability. I don't think pros are necessary for any of us to race - our desires, especially in triathlon, cycling and running come more from a personal goal standpoint.

In the book "Outliers", Malcolm Gladwell (I confess, I loved the "Tipping Point", but found "Outliers" utterly unreadable), the author, discusses what it takes to achieve greatness - it equates out to something like 10,000 hours of practice.

Think of how many hours many of us practice each week - if 10,000 hours were the bar for achieving greatness, than I think many of us have achieved it! Of course greatness is not a matter of just how long you practice or train. It's never that simple.

Seeing the stark contrast between the professional and the amateur was enlightening, but not for the obvious reason. Enlightening because the professional was open to performing just as happily along side the sometimes-musician and the amateur showed considerable bravery in playing for an audience other than her living room couch.

Triathlon plays out the same way - the tides are turning and the amateur races are becoming more competitive and interesting to watch than the professionals that have reached their peak and can do a 4 hour 1/2 Iron man every time (well, some of them!). Eric's race last year at RI 70.3 was FAR more interesting than what happened in the pro ranks (and Eric beat most of the Pro men racing as an amateur).

I do not expect to see amateur musicians on the stage again any time soon, and in fact, I would venture to say it has never happened at Zankel hall before! But I loved that moment of intrigue as the stage hand brought out the music stand and we all sat in awe for a moment, envisioning ourselves on stage alongside greatness.

Be brave today!

Home Sweet Home...for February, at least

2010-01-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Mo Mo

2010-01-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

"Memories and fingerprints, the only things we leave behind" - Pearl Jam

Today Coach E and I sat down to talk about 2010, 2009, New prospects and rehash the last year a bit. Eric is a great listener - something I truly value. I'm a "think out loud" kind-of-person and although I believe myself to be thoughtful in my choice of words, I tend to talk and talk until I hit the right mark.

I've done a lot of reflecting on the past year and what I plan 2010 to be (maybe it's the extra yoga?!). I was not fresh in 2009. I was worn down in a variety of ways and not only was I not enjoying my training, I was not in the mood to race. My heart wasn't in it.

That all changed at Ironman Florida. No, it wasn't my fastest Ironman ever and certainly far from a perfect race, but it was my most positive race. I was happy the whole lead up into it (despite my upper respiratory infection the day before) and I was happy the whole race itself.

Ironman Florida was the turning point - My heart and mind finally clicked and since then, I've been more motivated than ever to get back in the game.

My life outside of training has been especially fulfilling and I'm finding that balance I always desired. Healthy relationships with my family, friends and boyfriend. A healthy social life. A healthy business and more avenues for adventure and growth than I could possible explore!

This year, I'm putting my goals back out there. I'm holding myself accountable to sustain this positivity, this balance that I've struck. I am going back to Kona in October and I'm not going to let myself or anyone else get in my way. Last year, I didn't want to go. Now, I'm ready and I've learned from the mistakes I made leading into the 2008 race.

Laying out the racing schedule with this goal in mind is exhilarating.

The next few months are still building base, then adding in a run speed focus. Combine that with a few more group workouts and I know I can achieve it!

The Cleanse is coming along well - 1 week down and 1 week to go! I've lost 7 lbs, but would like to lose another 3-7 lbs before the end of this.

Tomorrow I'll fill you all in on my long and short term goal setting....

YAY!

My Running Buddy

2010-01-09T09:22:00.001-08:00

Presumably telling me to hurry up!

Hope Springs Eternal

2010-01-08T19:47:00.001-08:00

My beautiful hydrangia plant is coming back to life (thankfully as are
the peace lily, palms and other plants)!

What a beautiful sign here in my home that 2010 is going to be a year
of reinvention, regrowth and beauty.

As Time Goes By

2010-01-07T06:10:00.001-08:00

I'm never really sure how it happens - I was sure I blogged yesterday, but no - that fell by the way side.

It was a busy day and I had a rather exciting meeting followed by a lovely spin and yoga session and even a ride on the pony.

In any event - it's now day 4 of the cleanse. I've dropped 6 pounds since Sunday. I think it's salt weight. Feeling fantastic. My skin is glowing - maybe it's the diet - maybe it's the kick-A$$ "Make-up Optional" Skincare set I got from Philosophy. This stuff is AMAZING. I wonder if they'd consider sponsoring a triathlete.......

The past few days have, sadly, included a lot of driving. Today is was for my daily mitzvah - well, really, it was the least I could do for my fantastic Mother that drags my corpse home from every Ironman. Today she had to go in for her first colonoscopy. The prep was pretty brutal for her, but the procedure was a breeze and it's the first time she's napped since we were in Florida.

It's funny when you realize your parents rely on you just as much as you on them. My mother kept thanking me - but I reminded her that I owe her... she did make me! We had a nice visit since the doctor was running an hour or so late. I've said it before and I'll say it again - my mother is the only person I can spend non-stop time with (even stressful time) and still want to spend more. We're cut from the same cloth and I'm ever so grateful.

Of course, the doctor running late meant I was in the lurch at lunch time.

The Cleanse works - the cleanse works if you follow it exactly - I'm lucky to be getting in some extra protein this round, but I haven't found myself hungry or unhappy yet. Today, I could feel myself fading a bit as 12 PM came and went. 2 pm grew near and it was all I could do to find FOOD! I found a pasta place - it was either iceberg lettuce (w/0 dressing b/c all they had were creamy flavors) or pasta w/ red sauce. I went for the pasta even though it was not whole wheat (Sorry, Coach!) and it was just what I needed. Crisis averted.

Onward to day 5 and more exciting plans!!!

It's a 2 post kind of day...

2010-01-05T08:31:00.001-08:00

Only because (and I promise, this won't happen again for a while) I need to vent.

Today was off to a great start - early morning meeting, yoga and then gym time for a swim.

I arrive, happy as can be to be getting back in the pool. The parking lot is packed with Buicks, so I know what I'm in for. The pool room is also packed, with overweight women from ages 15 (I'm guessing) - 60. They are holding their foam dumbels and floating around the pool.

Now, this pool has 4 lanes. Really only 2 of them are usable. The end lanes are either 1. too shallow and w/ ladders or 2. just crappy with ladders. The lanes are also a bit narrow, so sharing w/ someone who decides to do the breaststroke poorly or scull on their back can be challenging.

No big deal, the aerobic people are using up 3 lanes (including the 2 good ones), but there is an empty lane (the shallow one - about 3 feet deep, with ladders and steps). I make it work. About 700 into my workout, the pool returns to its normal setup.

HALLELUJAH!

I switch to a middle lane and get back into the grove. A few more swimmers arrive and one takes the other good lane. A few aqua-aerobic people waddle into the pool and take the crappy lane and an old woman pretty much falls off her walker into the other crappy deep lane and begins sculling aimlessly. Another swimmer dangles her legs in my lane - "Thank gawd", I think, "someone who knows pool etiquette!"

All is going swimmingly (pun intended!) until I notice the water level rise and a few more dimpled butts appearing in my watery midst.

Reaching the wall, a woman says to me, "Good timing, we're just about to take over this lane for our class."

"Really? There was just a class in here 10 minutes ago," I reply.

I move over 1 lane and now the three of us swimmers share a lane. As I'm finishing my last 500 (barely 150 into it), I notice the lane lines ahead of me are coming to a point. I pop my head up,

"Seriously? I'm just about done. You said your class starts in 5 minutes and I'll be done by then..."

[they continue to move the lane line]

"That lane is for you to swim, we use 3 lanes for our class."

"that lane" that she referred to was the crappy deep end lane - already home to the old woman that fell into it and was now sculling... possibly for her life. Another old man had joined her at some point and I thought maybe, sometime in the next hour they would actually reach one another in a slow-motion collision.

Taking stock: 2 old people floating, 3 swimmers, 2 ladders and one tiny lane. Perhaps the water aerobic people are as bad at math as they are at exercise?

Becoming irrationally mad, especially since I was holding a 1:20 pace for my base-pace workout (and since I haven't been in the pool in 3 weeks), I jumped out of the pool. All I can think of is whether or not these women actually believe this class merits their guzzling down of 800+ calorie peanut-butter and chocolate filled shakes plus a bar!

In one of the most mature moments of my life to date, I throw my flippers and board back in the pile (rather than place them down nicely in the massive garbage-heap-esque pile) and stomp out of the pool room reciting my respectable and courteous, yet direct speech to the gym director.

"Is there any way the water aerobics people can use 1 or 2 lanes rather than 3?"

"Can we please make swim caps mandatory?"

"Can we please post pool etiquette on every door?"

"Can we just ban water aerobics entirely and post a sign that says, 'POOL IS FOR SWIMMING'?

I shower and collect myself, never one to say something without thought.

I walk up to the front desk, ask for the director and find that she's on vacation until further notice. It looks like the battle will rage on...

The Cleanse - Day 2

2010-01-05T07:01:00.001-08:00

Something that I never remember is how affected my sleep is the first few nights of the Cleanse. I forget to drink more earlier and end up waking up 10+ a night to pee.

I suppose things could be worse. I'm finding myself full and happy after meals and snacks, drinking the massive quantities of water seems easier this time around and I can already see my body reacting in positive ways.

Waking up early was no problem today, despite the interrupted sleep. My skin has a nice rosy tone and my fingernails are already outgrowing their polish. The icing on the cake? All that water helped flush out some of the leftover sodium weight from the night before and I'm already 3lbs down from yesterday morning.

I go it alone so often, but thankfully not in this! Sam emailed me this morning and said he thinks his liver is doing the Riverdance it's so happy for the detox!

Today is meetings, meetings, meetings, but mercifully, I'm headed to the pool to break things up and just some yoga later. Really easing into things again to make sure I don't relapse into that nasty bug.

In other good news? My pool is making the switch to Saltwater and I couldn't be happier!

Keep on keepin' on, y'all!

And so it begins...

2010-01-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of The Cleanse. It's here and I couldn't be more motivated to get going. Yesterday, Sam, the boys and I had an indulgence day. We slept in - made a BIG breakfast, watched an episode of Alias (the best show ever) and then went for a 2+ hour hike. A few sled runs topped off the exercise portion of the day and we headed inside for snacks and an afternoon nap.

Knowing this diet was about to begin, Sam and I (against good advice) made some decadent choices - I made a chocolate mousse cake with dark chocolate crust (also known as the Chocolate Indulgence Cake). With 5 boys all over 6 feet tall in the house, I thankfully only ate 1 piece of cake. All of this followed up with some Thai Food for dinner (and wine.... a few glasses of wine) and you can definitely say I was ready to get on the Cleanse Diet wagon.

So where am I right now - I've finally gotten over this nasty bug that those C-dale Engineers brought home from Taiwan (getting all of us girlfriends, wives and coworkers sick, sick, SICK!). My athletic suspension ends today (thanks, coach!)...And I'm happy to get going. 2010 is off to a great start with new sponsors and endless possibility. As is par for the course, I'm about 10 lbs above "race weight" - which, NO, I do not maintain year round and I do not encourage anyone to try and maintain their fighting weight all year long.

Maybe it's because it's just day 1 - but I'm going into this Cleanse ready, willing and able.

My goal for these 2 weeks? No complaining. No whining. I always love the way I feel by the end of this (I did it twice last year) and that's what I need to keep in mind. I'm doing this because I choose to (well, at least that's what Eric wants me to think).

Partyville

2009-12-31T08:40:00.001-08:00

Oh, it's on... don't mind the 3+ inches of snow... the house is ready, the champagne is chilled and friends are on their way here from all corners of the world!

Since I'm on athletic probation until Monday, I've been walking the dog endlessly and doing yoga like crazy. The good news? I didn't go 1/2 as crazy as would have been appropriate at Costco last night!

I'll be sure to post photos and a full recap tomorrow. Going into the Cleanse to make it worthwhile - tonight is sure to be a blast!

Oh, and even better news....stay tuned for some exciting new sponsorship announcements!!

Oof - Da

2009-12-29T14:05:00.000-08:00

That midwestern phrase pretty much sums things up. Despite a brief respite from this nasty bug over Christmas, it's baaaaaaack. So yup, oof da.

I'm now in the process of building back my immunity - Coach Eric has ordered me to cease workouts until Monday and just rest, rest, rest. It's frustrating, but as he put it, "Better to work this out now rather than battle it in May" - Yup, that's why he's the voice of reason.

It's a bummer - I thought I was over the hump last week and got in 4 great runs. The good news is that I'll be EXTRA flexible by the end of this because of bonus yoga time each day. I'm hoping that will help me manage my stir-crazy mind as well!

Tomorrow I meet with another potential sponsor for 2010 - I'm beyond excited!

With that, my apologies, dear readers, for my absence.

Don't worry - once I'm back up and running there will be PLENTY to tell! That, and the Eric Hodska 2-Week Cleanse Diet begins on January 2nd. I can't wait!

Hopefully I can lose the little bit of extra holiday poundage and get on track for 2010 and ITALIA in Febuary!

If you are interested in the 2-week cleanse or the 3-day cleanse, leave a comment and I'll put you in touch with Eric directly.

Carebear

2009-12-20T15:35:00.001-08:00

As if I didn't already appreciate him, my carebear of a boyfriend came
home from the market with not only groceries, but this quarter-machine
gem!

I hope having my carebear around cleans this bug right out of me!
Many thanks for the calls and wellwishes. Somehow having pneumonia
doesn't seem so bad with so many good vibes!

Sadly there is no training news since I get winded walking to the
bathroom. But the good news is that it forced me to finish my holiday
cards!

Oh, and my favorite carebear in carealot? Tenderheart.

KO'd

2009-12-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yup, sorry for the blogging hiatus. I'm KO'd (knocked out) with a nasty bug. Be back for more blogging once I shake this!

Dubbel Belgian Brew

2009-12-13T12:21:00.001-08:00

All bottled and ready to drink in 2 weeks!

Presentation is everything!

2009-12-11T13:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Chanukah!

2009-12-11T13:21:00.001-08:00

The Truffle - Factory is in full swing! It's a holiday tradition and it's growing. This year, I've made 4 types of decadent vegan truffles and Sam has expanded his brewing capabilities from the basic set I gave him in the Spring. Another activity on the list this weekend will be
bottling and corking his Belgian Brew!

The Luna Pale Ale (LPA) was a hit and this one is even better! The
hardest part isn't the brewing... it's drinking all those Chimays and
others for bottles!

Thanks...

2009-12-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

...XTERRA and Runners Edge for the pre-Channukah goodness!!

Juice Me!

2009-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

"Posing. Posing with my leg. Posing. Posing a threat!" - Flight of the Concords

Why yes, those are 3D glasses. Thank you for noticing!

A few weeks ago I put on a fundraiser for the Steep Rock Association in Washington, CT

Before the race, I bought a traditional post-race food item: Cookies. I'm a cookie purist - it's all choco-chip, all the time for my people (yes, even on Passover we do choco-chip macaroons).

As I wheeled my overflowing cart of cookies towards the register, a woman stopped me and said, "girl, you must really like you some cookies!?"

"Yes," I replied, "I'm on a cookie diet and it's working great, don't you think?"

The conversation went on, but it stunned me that the woman didn't catch my facetious tone...in fact, she believed me!

Well, she believed me for good reason, apparently. A cookie diet is not so far from my lifestyle over the off season. Yes, I am admitting it:

Hello, my name is Mandy and I'm an addict. I first started eating cookies 24 years ago.

It's been a day since my last indiscretion and I'm ready to change.

Sadly, there are no yummy cookie tokens for resisting the sweet-temptations.

There is, however, a juice-fast diet option to break me of my bad habits in 3 days. Purge my body of that oh-so-evil sugar craving that is the real root cause of my addiction to cookies.

This by no means is a weight-loss technique, although that is sure to happen as a side effect. This is a pre-new years bad-habit break.

You all know what comes after the New Year...(cue scary music)...the CLEANSE DIET! Now, that is 2 weeks of super strict habit breaking.

So, since I'm starting to train the rest of me, it's time to start training the mind and well, for lack of a better word, my diet.

3 days of home-made juices:

Orange/Grapefruit, The Green Monster, Lemonade and Cashew/Almond Milk. Can't wait (and believe me, that's not sarcasm - it's pure, unbridled enthusiasm!).

Make New Friends

2009-12-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

"This is my life, it's not what it was before" - Staind

Life is good - great actually! The first week of exercise after a 3-week break is in the books!

You can tell it's December without even looking at the calendar. The social schedule goes thru the roof! Saturday night was a get-together with a whole new group of girls in my life. Moms, single ladies, wives, girlfriends and all cycling and/or triathlon enthusiasts (even if only by spousal association!)! It was a fantastic time - my throat was sore from the cackling that emerged throughout the evening.

I am most happy now - in training and life - because I've finally found my balance. I have a supportive, dedicated and loyal boyfriend. A stable, healthy and enthusiastic family. The greatest, biggest group of crazy, varied, lovely friends I could ask for and a healthy body (yes!).

Finding the balance between working hard, playing hard and training hard has been difficult for me (and I'm sure many others). I used to think I had to close myself off from others, but then I realized that I get that when I need it. There are plenty of times I have great company for training, but other times when I forsake the comfort of jokes or the motivation of a feisty training partner to train alone and build the beast within.

It helps to have things put in perspective. My girlfriend, Joanne, is a mother of 2. She is a wife and she works. She is also a pretty speedy marathoner, cyclist and now she's tackling swimming. She 'makes it work', as Tim Gunn would say! Seeing her success in her own personal goals made me realize just how selfish I used to be when it came to training and racing. Maybe it wasn't a conscious decision, but it was a decision nonetheless.

A decision to take the attitude that you can't do it all or that "something's gotta give". It's that same defeatist attitude that causes burnout in my opinion. I race happy, so why not stay happy in life AND training? What a concept, eh?

Coach Eric jokes about "do as I say, not as I do" and I suppose in a way, we're all guilty of that. I tell people all the time that they should stay social. That doesn't mean getting fall-down drunk every weekend, but your life should not suffer because you've decided to train for and Ironman or a marathon.

This past year, I feel like I've finally been able to rediscover my friendships, to build new ones and to shed that attitude that training comes above all. It is important, certainly, but so is having a glass of wine or beer, cackling with the girls and then returning home late at night to ride a WD-40 lubed sled with the dog, the boy and even more friends.

Yes, you can do it all. For 2010, you can bet I've got some extreme goals and you can also bet I'll achieve them while holding up my end of the other bargains in my life.

Treasure Hunting

2009-12-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's back to the grind around here - lots of work and now, exercise (well, still not so much of it).

After a lovely run yesterday, I moseyed over to my 'Rent's house to help clear out some old bedrooms, closets, trunks and soon....the basement. We've been on full-on cleaning mode recently - tearing apart family storage spaces and showering the local VNA, Goodwill and Social Services with unwanted treasures.

While sorting thru an old trunk (in my old room), I found some real gems. Notebooks from my Montessori days. One of the entries was about Mesopotamia. I wrote (in script b/c they never taught us how to write in print) that it was the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and is now known as Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. I wrote that in 1989 at the age of 5. My mom and I started cracking up that a number of modern-day politicians that probably would not be able to provide such information.

Some other finds include a plethora of teeny, tiny leotards and tights... and slightly larger ballet shoes to pair with them.

The best find's of the day were hippy sticks - you know, a long stick w/ fringed ends and two drum-stick like instruments you use to toss the longer stick, without dropping it...and the VERY best find of the day was a MINT New Kids on the Block fanny pack. Awesome.

I'm debating about who will appreciate the fanny pack more:

1. my friend Robin who is a CRAZY nkotb fan.
2. Goodwill
3. Ebay crazies

Decisions, decisions.

Ok, enough BS-ing, it's time to hit the gym. While I like to use Eric's phrase, "My strength is my strength" - it wasn't enough of an argument for me to get out of lifting this base season. No complaining - time to slap on that makeup, push-up bra and fitness sneakers and get to it! Gym girl tirade will have to wait for another day.

Seriously, why wear makeup and useless clothing to the gym?!

Cross, of course!

2009-11-30T14:09:00.001-08:00

Well, dear readers, I finally did it. I got off my butt, put down the cookies and exercised. Yes, I've been staying "active" or "exceedingly active" according to my doctor, but if you ask me, I've been completely sedentary. Walking my dog, doing yoga and going out for trail rides on my horses are all enjoyable activities, but not strenuous (not that riding isn't strenuous, but relaxed trail rides are a pleasure).

I can't say I've missed my all-day workouts, but I do have some pangs of fitness memories, especially when I realize just how out of shape I've become. It's not a bad thing - in fact, it's precisely what I needed - time away from swimming/biking and running (or as far away as I can get, since I talk sbr daily for work).

Yesterday was different. Yesterday I finally christened my beautiful new birthday cross bike. I can't decide if it's a he or she yet, but I do know that it's awesome! Sam and I went riding from the horse farm for about 2 hours. We practiced technique (of which I have none) and etiquette.

I LOVE hopping back on my bike (a flying mount). I LIKE dismounting, riding uphill, downhill and everything in between. But I HATE carrying the bike - my poor bony shoulders are not a fan of top tubes.

It was a blast and my cross master of a boyfriend was a great teacher - he kept smiling even as saying, "you might want to brake" as I careened down a rocky path.

The verdict: Sam told me that I'm "Ignorantly aggressive...and that's a good thing!" Translation: I tackle scary, dangerous terrain and obstacles without thinking about them.... sounds like a cross mindset to me! Sweet!

Guess what's for Channukah?

2009-11-25T09:02:00.001-08:00

Holiday Behavior

2009-11-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

You could say I started the holidays a bit early. Most people over-indulge, eating much more than they should and making poor food choices in general. I'd like to think I just "over-indulged", that there was some lack of knowledge associated with my poor eating habits, but I can't... I CHOSE to eat cookies, ice cream, chocolate and copious amounts of wine and beer. Yup. I take full responsibility for my actions.

Of course, this has all taken place in the 2 weeks following my final Ironman and race of the season. It's the time to walk my dog, ride my horses, do yoga for 90 minutes instead of 30 minutes each day, sleep, party and eaaaaaaaat!

All was well, I only gained 4 pounds, which is about par for the course in my book, but what I didn't realize was the monster growing inside.

Oh no, this monster doesn't weigh anything, the monster doesn't eat anything, it just craves exercise. I completely tuned out this monster, but apparently, my "selective hearing" of it's pleas were heard by none other than Sam.

Sunday was a great day - filled with fun and sun and activities. Sunday night quickly became your worst nightmare. Sam was running late, almost 2 hours late for dinner making. He called (like the wonderful boyfriend he is) and asked what I'd like for dinner... and so it began:

Hungry Monster (HM): Uggggggggggg, I don't know, I'm uninspired.

Sam (the hero of our tale): Well, how about I go to the store and I'll grab some stuff to make pizza and salad. How does that sound?

HM: ooooooof, uggggg, whatever, I'll just get dressed and go to the store. There's nothing at the house. This is going to take forever. Maybe I should just order Chinese... What do you want from there?

Sam: What do you usually get?

HM: GENERAL TSOS TOFU!!!!

Sam: And sides?

HM: they don't have sides....ugggggg....it's not NYC..... they don't have veggie steamed dumplings or anything good, god, I don't want CHinese food, I want something healthy. Whatever, I'm just going to not eat tonight, I feel fat and I uggggggggggggggg.

Sam: Ok, well, how about I go to the store?

HM: uggggg...silent for several moments.... I'm just going to go to bed, I want to have 1 early night, just hang out with the boys.

Sam: I'm going to the store, I'll be there as soon as I can. Ok?

HM: ok.

Yes, this overly dramatized scene did occur and yes, the Hungry Monster Within was responsible for those snide comments, extended huffing sounds and l0ng silences.

As soon as Sam walked in the door, the monster was sated - a hug and it was almost gone... I apologized for my physiological freakout (they are always related to 1 of 2 things: lack of exercise or hunger) and then Sam said this:

"Get on your bike tomorrow. I don't care what you do or how long you do it, ride to Dunkies and home. Just get some exercise....Seriously."

So, yesterday, I put my big girl undies back on (figuratively of course!) and went for a 20 minute run with the dog. It felt SO good.

Sam the hero helped me slay the Monster (for now).

What to do today? Perhaps a ride on the fixie?!

NEW!

2009-11-23T15:17:00.001-08:00

The new and improved EndureIT site is up!!! Check it out HERE!!

The new Bravemandy site will launch before the New Year...stay tuned....

Ani!

2009-11-20T15:17:00.001-08:00

What better to inspire and uplift than Ani DiFranco live?

It was truly cathartic and healing. Thank you to my lovely friends
for arranging that evening!

Dance all night

2009-11-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

"I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night... " Bye Bye Birdie

My Uncle Joe. Joe DelGatto to be exact. No, I'm not related by blood to a feisty Italian Catholic. Our bond was deeper than that.

I last saw Joe two weeks ago after getting a phone call from him that the he was not longer a candidate for a new Parkinson's treatment, due to Cancer found in his brain. With the two diseases ravaging his body, he wasn't sure how much time he had left. So I got in the car and made the same pilgrimage he made 3 years ago...

He left his rent controlled apartment in New York City (in the Upper West 60's, mind you) and, despite his declining health via Parkinsons, he went to the city of his youth, Rochester, NY to visit his ailing mother. Her Alzeimers was steadily worsening and he went there to help her (and relieve his siblings). Sadly, he never returned to the city he loved so much.

Joe, the son of immigrant parents, grew up in Rochester, NY in the heavily settled Italian section of Manchester, NY. He was the first and only member of his family to attend college and leave the area and his Mother and Father could not have been more proud of him. She told him regularly that he was her favorite - probably not the best move with 2 other sons in the house, but she told it the way she saw it. And he was everyone's favorite...not just hers.

Joe began a successful career, moved to New York and while a marriage didn't last, his love affair with the city never waned. I don't know anyone more appreciative of New York, than Joe. Every night of the week, he would attend a concert at Carnegie Hall or an Opera, a reading at the 92nd street Y or Shakespeare in the park. He took full advantage of the food, art, culture and people around him and drank it all in.

Joe was a catalyst in the the success of my parents relationship. My mother met him at 17, my father at 22 - Joe was the driving force behind their move to Ohio - for my mother to become a Principal Dancer with Cleveland Ballet and for my Father to do his Residency at Case-Western.

Joe was always like that... caring, kind and compassionate - whether he knew you for 30 seconds or 30 years.

Joe was a part of my family before I even entered the world and when I finally did make an appearance, he was one of the first to welcome me. While it may sound cruel to my loving parents, my earliest memories are not of my mother, father or sister, but instead of my Uncle Joe. He would put on music and we would dance around the living room. I remember the feeling of his soft, curly gray hair in my hands as a child...the hair that felt the same when I last touched it 2 weeks ago. I remember the feeling of him scooping me up and putting me on his shoulders while ice-skating. I remember spending hours searching for the perfect Fall leaves...and rating them on a 1-5 scale.

For years, when moving books, I'd open them, only to have pressed leaves fall out of the pages.

Not a single holiday, birthday, chorus concert, musical or riding competition was missed. Joe was a part of my Batzmitvah ceremony and celebration, my travel companion thru Spain as a teenager. He was my opera buddy and the one that would always take me to Il Vagabondo in the city where we'd order Spaghetti and Meatballs (even though it wasn't on the menu) and watch the old men play Bocci.

Joe was always there - I'd save mementos for the times he was away - individual truffle boxes from Teuscher chocolatier - the card from flowers sent for my birthday - and the advice he would leave me to figure out as homework.

Joe was the man in my life for many years. He was the one I was close to, especially before my Father and I bonded. He was the one that encouraged me and retained interest in my activities - my business, my racing and every adventure in between.

Two weeks ago, I said goodbye to my friend. While everyone around us was moping and writing him off, I chose to take his mind off his ailments. He lit up and we talked for hours straight. I hugged him and kissed him and told him how much I love him. I told him what an incredible force he's been in my life and that I am me, because of him. I told him I would forever find beauty in the simple, because of him. I told him I will always strive to love and live better, because of him. Some part of me knew I wouldn't see him again, but I found comfort then and I found comfort this morning when the call came: My last words to him were, 'I love you'.

As I went to leave, he smiled and reminded me to save a dance for him at my wedding.

I like to Oat, Oat, Oat.

2009-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

So I've gotten a number of emails in the past few days about race nutrition. I'm happy to share my nutrition plan and what I actually did on race day. Each day is different and like anything with Ironman (or life) you need to be flexible and adaptable. It's science, but it's also trial and error. My original plan called for gels, caffeine and a variety of other items that I can't use or tolerate.

So, here's how race day broke down for me at Ironman Florida. Keep in mind, you need to eat for the race in the days leading up to it. Race day at Ironman Florida was 79-80, clear, sunny skies, wind and humidity. I added extra salt to my food the days before and stayed hydrated.

Saturday:

3:30 AM 2-3 cups of applesauce, 1 scoop protein powder w/ milk, 8 0z sports drink (with extra salt) and a banana.

6 AM - 1/2 power bar and 8 oz of water

7 AM race start

8 AM on bike and a bit of water to clean off and get the salt out of my mouth

Every 10 min. on the bike I take a sip of water and gatorade.

Every 30 minutes I eat 1/2 a powerbar (later on in the bike, I'll switch to either sharky's chews or clif bloks).

Every 1 hour, 1 thermo-tab salt tablet

I switched to jelly chews with about 90 min. left on the bike and I spread out my bar-eating to about 45 min. rather than 1/2 hour to settle my tummy.

On the run: swig of gatorade and water at each aid station. I like to chew on ice, stuff some down my shirt and use a sponge on my face, chest, head and arms. I try to keep my feet as dry as possible.

So there you go, it's not the scientific breakdown, but it is what I did and I did not take any bathroom stops on the run, I peed a few times on the bike (yea, it smells great... and it's for sale!). Walking the aid stations helped my tummy settle and I read myself correctly - on the bike and the run. Listening to your body for what it wants and what it needs is key.

Photos!

2009-11-13T09:42:00.001-08:00

At the start line, waiting for the pain to begin. Just me and 3,000 of my closest friends!
Onto the bike - somehow, this is my only bike picture. A bit of a funny camera angle. Ah well! Love my sweet ride and can't wait to present the 2010 ride and tricked-out components!
Looking tough in front of some K-swiss banners, EH?
I have no idea what I'm doing w/ my arms here, but it kept me going thru the 2nd lap!
Happy to be done. I didn't even look at the clock when I finished and yea, based on my prep, I was planning on being an hour faster, but you take the day you're given and like I said before, I enjoyed every second and every step of this journey to number 8.

Next challenge? Choosing which ice cream to have after dinner.

Ironman Florida

2009-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

Wheee - somehow the days have escaped me - so here it is, finally, my report and review of Ironman Florida.

Ironman starts before the race even begins. The travel, waiting in line and just general stress effect everyone's race. This year, I tried something different and flew from small airport to small airport - Westchester to Panama City Airport. To limit stress further, I shipped my bike down to the hotel, so I got to travel light!

American Express helped me offset my carbon emissions from the trip and rental car - and we even got the sweet Prius I asked for! 15 minutes after landing, we were in the hotel and changing into some clothes made for an 80 degree sunny day.

We mozeyed over to check-in and I hit it just right, it all took less than 10 minutes. A little walk thru the expo, a visit with Lawrence and Matt (my guardian angels at Inside Out Sports) and it was back to the beach for a little run and swim. I felt great, combine that with an extra hour of fall-back time and I was just peachy. Some yummy Asian Fusion capped off an early night.

Thursday came and went with a nice morning swim and bike. The bike went together like butter (Thanks, C-dale!) and little beach time and then it was off to the Ironman Welcome dinner. Nothing get's you more amped to race than that first IM video.

That night is when things went downhill - a scratch in my throat got me worried beyond belief and I didn't sleep at all. I woke up to a full-blown upper respiratory infection. God bless my Father who called in a prescription right away.

I checked in my gear and just took the day easy. Amazingly, I slept really well the night before the race. I had a great talk with Eric and he reminded me that this race is a celebration - I've done the training and there is nothing I could do about the sickness, I'd just have to ignore it. I'd just have to keep going. He reminded me that I survived a lot worse this year and this was the time to turn the tide. He told me to take the swim easy, back off the bike and just run. I was happy and relaxed going into it.

Race morning came and I downed my assigned QT2 Breakfast of applesauce, banana, protein shake and gatorade. I got my gear together and my mom and I realized just how good we're getting at this Ironman thing - I was all set to go within 10 minutes... unfortunately, the race wasn't for another hour and a half, so we found a nice warm, quiet spot in the hotel and just relaxed, stretched and chilled out.

Mom and I said our goodbyes and I made my way to the front of the start line, prepared to swim under an hour. I looked over and my mom was right there! Standing in the water, she gave me one last hug and we both had tears in our eyes.

The water was ROUGH! With the fast approaching hurricane, combined with the sandbars, it was an interesting event. Lots of jellyfish were out and dolphins, too! Many more people were swimming on the inside line this year and as usual, it was rough (as evidenced by the bruises on my face and chest). I came out of the first lap slower than usual, but decided that it was slow going for everyone. Trying to get back in the water for lap 2 was comical... I'd dolphin in and then get tousled back to shore... again and again. Finally, I started cracking up and just waded into the water.

Transition was changed this year due to the extra athletes (nearly 3,000 in all!). Transition was nearly a mile, up from the beach, thru the hotel, into the bag area, then across transition to the hotel ballroom, into the ballroom, out off the ballroom, back across transition, across transition again to get bike, then out. Oof, it was mayhem!

Onto the bike, I could not wipe the smile from my face - The wind was at my back and I was going about 26 mph with a low HR. I squirted myself down with water and just settled in for the long day ahead.

Florida is notorious for it's packs and drafting. This year was no different. About 50 miles in, I got so fed up with either pulling a group along or being passed by packs of 50 riders, that I finally called out " Ironman is an individual event, you cheaters!"... Not 5 minutes later a guy comes up along side me. He says he and the guys behind me were happy I said something and that I should race Penticton. Next thing I know, a ref is next to us and he holds out a red card... We both got penalties. Tears filled my eyes and I just was burning. 8 Ironmans and countless other races... here I am, the only idiot not drafting and I get a penalty as I watch 6 girls in my age group go time trialing by with a big pack. Argh!

I let myself feel it, fester for a minute and then I decided that it would be an advantage. I would get a 4 minute break in the bike to stretch, loosen up and hydrate. I just kept positive.

I was moving well along at about a 20mph average, until the last section. That headwind came up and us small people just suffer in that. My pace dropped off, but I made the executive decision to go easy and save my legs. It worked as many people were walking out of transition, my legs felt great (for an Ironman).

My tummy was not very settled, so after a few miles, I decided to walk an aid station. That went well, so I decided I would walk the aid stations and get in my fluids. Although is cost me 30-45 minutes in the end, I think it was worth it.

I got to see my mom out on course 4 times during the run and it gave me such a lift - that and all of the other atheltes, volunteers and spectators. I was happy. The ENTIRE race! This is the first race where I can truly say, I had no demons to battle, no negative thoughts, no wanting to stop. I just enjoyed every step. I thought of Sam, Murray and my Dad watching the animals so I could be there. I thought of my Mom who flew down and gave up days to do things for me. I thought of the 3500 volunteers on course feeding me, encouraging me and keeping me safe. I thought about the spectators. I thought about Eric and his belief in me. I thought about the finish and I thought about the future.

There is a reason that older athletes excel in the sport and I think it comes from their appreciation, their patience and relaxation. They understand that it's a gift to be able to do this.

Post race, I felt great and changed my clothes (myself, for the first time!) and made my way to the exit before being stopped by a medical professional. He led me back into the med tent where they took my vitals. They were not so good, so I lay back and took in 4 bags of IV fluid. The massage tent was empty and I was treated to a massage by 3 therapists! It was heaven and exactly what I needed. I woke up the day after with no soreness, only a bit of bruising and chafing. .. and a BIG SMILE.

While it wasn't my fastest race, it's not always about that. Sometimes you don't get to podium or be the star. Of all of my races to date, I can say that #8 was the most enjoyable of them all. I found my inner peace, my inner OM and I finished out the year on a positive note. I rediscovered why I love the sport and Ironman in particular. It's not about battling demons in those solitary hours, it's about discovering the love in your life. That was my transformation - finally getting passed the hurt, the ups and downs, the excitement of the distance itself and discovering that I can do this because of love. That is the purpose that emereges from the simplicity of swimming, biking and running.

It gives me renewed hope for 2010 and as Eric said, "We'll get you that 10:30". And now I know I can, I will and I am going to do that.

Hip Hip Hooray!

2009-11-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

I've just been selected to represent NUUN Hydration as one of their elite athletes - Doing a little "Woot! Woot! Dance" as I sign my contract. I'll keep y'all posted (and hooked up) with all the great deals!

Many thanks again to all of my fabulous sponsors that have stuck by me since the beginning: My loyalty is a reflection of yours:

Xterra Wetsuits
The fastest wetsuits on the planet. Email me for a great deal on wetsuits and how/where to get fitted. Any time!

Cannondale Bicycles
USA made - top bikes at Kona! Hey, if it's good enough for World Champions and King(s) of the Mountains, it's good enough for you! Also, they make a variety of sizes and take their women's products just as seriously as the mens... yes!

Bear Naked Granola
Mmmmm- granola. Founded in CT and just as good as it was when I first sampled it at Stew's all those year's ago.

KIND Bars
5 ingredients or less. Pure YUM! Nuts, fruit and honey. Nom, Nom, Nom - sooooo good! They also promote random acts of KINDness - yea, they are very cool!

Athletes for a Fit Planet
Helping athletes, race directors and the world be more eco-friendly. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Harney and Sons Tea
BEST. TEA. EVER. Also, a local CT company for generations. What could be better?! They also have a bunch of pretty (and tasty) gifts for the holidays on sale right now!

SRAM
SPEEEEEEEEED. Need I say more?

53x11 Coffee
Organic, strong and with names like "The Chain Breaker" you better not turn it down!

Coach Eric
9-Time Kona Finisher with a PB of 9:10 at that race, Age Group records at Ironmans and a penchant for kicking many pro-athlete tuchus' at races all over the world. Dedicated, determined and driven, Eric is at the top of the coaching heap. Eric goes beyond what is expected - he is attentive, and not just to training, but to overall health, wellbeing, livelyhood and the occasional athletic neurosis.

Thanks also to Modulus Custom Carbon wheels, Teany cycling team and my new cycling team, To be announced!

HOME!

2009-11-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

....and I promise to write a proper blog post soon! Another 3 AM wake-up means I'm a tired pony, but I picked up Luna-girl (thanks Sam and Murray!) and am making my way to go take care of horses. Race report coming soon.

It's almost time...

2009-11-06T14:11:00.001-08:00

To race Ironman! Big thanks to my mom, support crew extraordinaire!
Thanks to Sam, Murray and my Dad for taking care of the animals. To
coach Eric for being awesomely supportive this whole year and this
morning when I woke up sick and freaking out. Thanks also to my super
fabulous friends and last, but not least, to all of my
sponsors....more on that next week! Great changes for 2010 and I
can't wait to usher this year out with a rockin race tomorrow.

Those of you following online, if my transitions look shockingly slow
for me, don't worry, they've changed the whole transition layout
because there are almost 2800 athletes competing tomorrow, nearly
50percent of those are 1st timers!! Wowza!

I'll be thinking of you all tomorrow and all the time, energy and care
you spend in allowing me to feed my ironman habit. Much love and I
promise a report tomorrow night!

Oh, and ps we are 1 hour behind here! Yay sleeping in!

Looks like I'm not the only one that dislikes most birds

2009-11-05T09:48:00.001-08:00

Getting my OM on pre race

2009-11-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

I found a really big monkey

2009-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home

2009-11-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

...at least for the next few days. Feeling relaxed and ready for
Saturday. Many thanks for all of the well wishes! I'll carry them
with me on race day! Now time to find food and wine.

I get by with a little help from my friends

2009-11-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, meets up with Aeon Flux.

Michael Phelps was spotted with a "roadie cup" - I'm guessing it was Gatorade.

...And there's Borat about to "maka sexy time", opening his famous green man-thong-kini.

These are a few pictures from Saturday's madness, I'll be sure to post more, just after I'm done getting reamed out by my coach for partying a bit too hard. In other news, Sam woke up with a black eye. That's what you get for messing with Lara Croft!

I should take it as a good sign that my energy is returning and I was able to last the night! A few more days until Fla... hopefully I can detox my system by then!

My Life in Fruit

2009-10-28T16:10:00.001-07:00

My Life in Fruit

2009-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a healthy eater, ironman being a little over a week away doesn't change my eating habits much, save for the fact I'm eating A LOT!

Lots of seasonal fruits and veggies (and a few splurges in there -raspberries) and plenty of carbs, protein and good

fats. As y'all know, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (eat eggs, milk), but I'm also anemic and b12 defficient. So to combat those deficiencies and the sleepiness they bring, I do a lot of combining of food. OJ with iron rich foods and well, b12 shots don't exactly fall into the food category, but they make me feel better instantly!

Onward for this last bit of training!

Sent from my iPhone

Horsin' Around

2009-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Despite some heavy training leading up to Ironman, I got the OK from Coach Eric to do a Hunter Pace on my pony. Now, a Hunter Pace is not an easy event by any means - I'm sore as heck today - but I think Eric acknowledged that it was important for my mental wellness more than anything.

We packed up the horses early and made our way to the pace. So, now you're wondering, what is a hunter pace? Well, let me first describe Equine sports from a cycling/triathlon perspective:

There are many equine disciplines: Dressage, Western, Equitation, Eventing and so on. Hunter pacing generally takes place in late Summer and into the Fall, much like Cyclocross. Like Cyclocross, there are those of us that treat it as fun competition - bonus to the year we've completed. For others (notably Hunt Clubs), it is cut-throat competition.

Hunter Paces themselves are essentially trail rides. The course is marked with arrows and signs and there are between 1-2 aid station stops along the way where you can get a drink, hydrate your horse and pass thru a vet check. You do not know the course before you complete it and you ride at your own pace. Riding at a good clip, you will cover the course and its obstacles anywhere between 1 to 2.5 hours.

At some point during the day, a designated team will go out and do the course. Their time is the "optimum time" for the competition. No one is aware of this time (sealed up in an envelope) until awards are presented. As with cycling and triathlon, anything can happen: A horse can lose a shoe, forcing the team to walk the course. A team could cheat and cut off parts of the course and so on.

As with any competition, there are different categories: Hunt (the fastest and most competitive), Pleasure (slower and more for beginners), Western (pretty obvious) and Juniors (18 and under).

There are also bonus awards at certain competitions for oldest horse/rider competition, peanut awards (which I used to miss by days as a kid - I was 6 when I did my first hunter pace - yesterday the winner was 10!).

After the rain on Saturday, the course was quite sloppy in certain areas. Getting to ride with my parents was a throwback experience. For one reason or another, I haven't had the chance to ride a hunter pace in many years. My pony on the other hand has enjoyed a healthy schedule of hunter paces over the years with my mother on board.

We just enjoyed the day, and passed 10 teams along the nearly 90 minute route. We were held up a bit at the aid station, but just laughed and reminisced about previous paces.

After washing down the horses with some nice linament for their muscles, we made our way to lunch and awards. As they began presenting awards, I had an incling that we would be close, and we were! 2nd place by a tiny margin. While it would have been nice to take home the win, 2nd place was a nice bonus to the glorious reward that was riding a pace on my off day!

Today is a long run, no more horsin' around until after Ironman...well, maybe a bit!

Mmmm breakfast

2009-10-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Flying Solo

2009-10-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not single, although the boy is out in Seattle for work, so....... Hah! Just kidding, babe!

No, I'm talking about training solo. Long hours biking, running and swimming - SANS-IPOD thank you very much! Nothing makes you tougher or keeps you on program like training alone. While I love my buddies, I think it's important to train alone - especially in the final weeks leading up to Ironman. I need to get my brain used to the quiet. I need to battle the "bad voice" demons on my own - banish them - and ride on.

Sunday morning brought snow and sleet and I ran anyways. Early. Alone. In silence. It was tough and pleasurable all the same.

While I sometimes wish for the safety of Greg, Matt or Sam's wheels, it's important for ME to do those interval sets, to take it easy when I have to and go hard when I have to...all on my own power.

Today was a fun day and during my run, like anyone, I had a few ups and downs. There were moments when I thought "I can take that shortcut and be home early - I'll call Eric and tell him I woosed out" - But then I think of what one of my riding teachers used to say, " If you don't do it ('it' being practice, the work, etc) you are only cheating yourself".

How unbelievably true and applicable for Ironman! It is a solo effort and in the end you can say well, "everyone else was drafting", "I didn't get good feet in the swim", "I bonked on the run" - it's you that makes everything happen, it's your training and preparation that defines success. True, things happen along the way that may alter your day, some things are even out of your control, but it's a long day and one way or another, you can get thru it.

I'm not cheating myself. I'm kicking my own butt... and my reward? Sugar free/fat free chocolate jello mini pies and a glass of wine with Amelia!!

Going Long

2009-10-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

"[S]he's going the distance. [S]he's going for speeeeeeed." - Cake

A few more weeks left in Ironmanland. You know, that lofty place where no work gets done, social opportunities are limited to a single drink and the body completely forgets what it's like to NOT be sore? Yea, it's heavenly. It's magical. It's Ironmanland.

It has been a busy few days... filled with some great long workout, spectating my spectacular boyfriend racing Cyclo-Cross and visiting the man I call my Uncle Joe - the man that I consider another Father figure.

More to come on this weekend's pilgrimage to visit Joe up in Rochester, NY, but for now, suffice to say I have a whole new inspiration and motivation for racing...and it's not just for it to be over with so that I can see him again.

Last night, after a full day on the road, I made a b-line for the pool. After Sunday's long run in the snow, I wasn't sure how I'd feel, but I got in the pool and it felt so natural. Simply wonderful! I was in a great mood for the whole workout. Some of you asked to know what the workouts are exactly, so here's what I did:

1500 warm up on 1:25 pace
200 kick drill
2000 continuous set as 250 swim, 250 fins, 250 pull, 250 swim with no breaks
then 3 x 50 FAST
then 50 cool down.

4,000meters just flew by!

Today was a 5 hour ride to a 45 minute run - covered a lot of ground around CT and NY State - then took the dog with me for a run in the sun. Not that I could feel the sun on my skin as I'm heat acclimating and wearing winter coats everywhere...even on today's 60 degree day!

Countdown is coming on!

Mmmmm bagels

2009-10-15T13:57:00.001-07:00

I love me some swimsuits!

2009-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

What better to inspire swim workouts (and training buddies) than some
new suits!

25

2009-10-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

As unoriginal as this may be, I thought I'd share with you all the 25 things you may or may not know about me... guilty pleasures, random crap and the occasional gem. Since my brain is now in full-on Ironman Mode, I can't promise a whole lot of intelligent writings, but entertaining? Yes. Picture filled? Hopefully!

1. My favorite color is Orange - bright, beautiful Orange.

2. Despite my favorite color being orange, I painted my bedroom red. The bathroom and kitchen are orange...tough break.

3. I speak Spanish better than a speak English.

4. I did a whole variety of things early: (I had my Bat Mitzvah early, graduate from college early) yet it took me an eternity to start walking... I'd scoot around on my butt instead, earning the
nickname "scoots"

5. I have a picture of Dara Torres on my fridge, but I put the magnet over her face. What can I say, she's an awesome athlete....buttaface?!

6. I'm pretty sure I used to have a problem with obsessive compulsive behaviors as a kid - I'd wash my hands excessively.... I still wash my hands a lot, but I don't think I'm obsessive when I do things in 3's, refuse to use pens or pencils besides my own or check that the door is locked repeatedly.... What of it?

7. I have traveled all over the world, but no places more times than Spain. My heart has always felt most at home in Sevilla, Spain. The Gypsy culture, the people, the FOOD! I say Sevilla, but really, anywhere in the Andalucia region.

8. I am the kid everyone hates, I grew up with pony's and horses and I still have my pony. He is 25 (just like me!) and is still as spunky as ever. His name is Casanova and Sam still won't ask me who I love more.

9. I love a whole variety of [vegetarian] foods, but when left to my own devices, am a rut eater. I grew up on bagels (real, Jewish, BOILED bagels) for breakfast, water during the day and pasta and salad for dinner. I still follow this method, but now I eat a lot more of it.

10. I grew up believing I could do anything - with that, I spread myself thin: Riding lessons, Ballet classes, Violin lessons, voice lessons, sitting in on my sister's Spanish tutorials - anything I could learn, I wanted to. To this day, I still believe that I could enter any of those careers: Become a translator, open a bakery, audition for a broadway musical. Lofty? Yes, but aren't all of our fantasies?

11. I will only eat dark chocolate...immediately afterwards, I'll chow down a piece of fruit to make myself feel less guilty.

12. I always line up in the longest grocery store line so that I can read the trashy magazines without buying them (because I have self control. Or something).

13. Bodily functions are funny and appropriate dinner conversation [at my parents house]. That's what happens when you are the daughter of a gastrointerologist and the only non-lactose intollerant member of a family.

14. I appreciate Sam (my boyfriend) only because I've had such crappy boyfriends in the past. Had I met him a few years ago, I probably would have horribly mis-treated him. Now that I know he's the prince among frogs, I try to be well behaved!

15. When I first started riding my bicycle, I had to ask someone if you wore underwear under cycling shorts.

16. As a child, I dressed up as the same things over and over again: A cat and the Grim Reaper.

17. I don't feel like myself if I miss a day of NPR and the NY Times.

18. I read. A lot. Although, not as much as the woman in the Times who read a book a day for a year. Maybe when I win the lottery or stop, um, having a life I can do that. For now, I'll settle for a book every few days or week.

19. I worked on an Organic farm in High School and College. I also had a pixie cut. One day, despite working in the field in my bikini, sunglasses and flip flops, a woman in town walking bye asked my boss, "who that cute boy" was in the field. Horrified, I started growing my hair out immediately AND wearing victoria's secret push up bras. Once the hair grew out I abandoned bras again.

20. I hate dried fruit. Except for mangos.

21. My mom is 55 and I think she has better legs than me.

22. My Dad is a very reserved man and not very demonstrative (I'm the exact opposite and force-hug him at every opportunity). He still listens to the recordings of me singing the Mozart Requiem and the Schubert Mass in G at Carnegie Hall. It melts me when I find the CD's in the player of his car.

23. I'm scared of my 5 year plan.

24. While I can't remember the names of some of my last college professors, I can remember the name of my Kindergarten, 1st grade and Montessori teachers (although only the 1st names of my Montessori teachers... God, I love Hippie school!).

25. I'm finally starting to realize that none of us every really figure life out... we just do the best we can, moment by moment, day by day.

Whewph - you all know waaaay too much about me know. Go on - nothing to see here. Keep on movin' right along!

Ready to get dirrrrrrty!

2009-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Custom paint job and it just gets better from there. Looks like I
don't have an excuse to skip cross racing this year... That and sam is
tired of me rising my road bike on dirt all the time!

Many, many thanks for all of the birthday calls and wishes - the 25th
anniversary year is off to a good start! :)

Baking!

2009-10-09T17:03:00.001-07:00

And We all Fall Down

2009-10-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not us, but the leaves for sure!

Usually, my birthday weekend means the height of the Fall Foliage coloring here in CT - not so much this year. Rain and crazy wind has dimmed the colors on most trees, but you can find a few beauties out there!

Things are returning to normal training-wise after last weekend's 1/2 Iron tri - a massage on Tuesday brought me right round, I'm even napping less this week than I was last week! By napping less, I mean that I nap on purpose...once...not multiple involuntary naps.

Someone asked me this week if I was sad to not be racing Kona this year and all I could say was "Thank goodness I'm not racing Kona this weekend!" I don't think he understood my excitement at NOT racing, but perhaps watching it this weekend online will inspire me to go back again...

Lots happening this week with race prep, Ironman prep and PARTY prep! This weekend marks my 25th year on this earth - woot!

After finishing 'The Lost Symbol' this morning, I decided to do a bit of cleanup for celebrations this weekend. It got me thinking about where I'm going, what I'd like to do, who I'd like to be and where I've been. I decided a long time ago to stop feeling regret, anger or upset about anything in the past. Even something horrific can be looked at in a positive light if given enough distance (and overused cliches).

At (just about) 25, I all of a sudden realized that my new 5 year plan includes some major life changes. It is pretty likely that in these next 5 years, I will finally want to settle down, start a family, buy a house. Gosh, I'm just not ready to be that adult yet! (Of course, the other part of my 5-year plan is to build my business, race and win a 100 mile running race, travel a bit more and climb a mountain - maybe not Everest in 5 years, but sometime!).

Chatting with a friend when out for a run this week, I asked her when she started her retirement fund, a fund for children and so on. I should preface this by saying that she is one of the most "together" people I know - her reply to me? "We didn't start any of that until well into our 30's - relax already, Mandy!"

Oh yea, Relaxing, why didn't I think of that? I remind myself to do that when training, racing, enjoying time with friends... why didn't it occur to me as I had this life-flip-out?! I suppose like a long distance race, we just need to take it one step, one moment, one feeling at a time.

Happy long weekend y'all and GOOD LUCK to everyone racing in Kona, Hartford and Chicago this weekend!

Sooooo fast

2009-10-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I Felt the Air Rise Up in Me

2009-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a test of sorts - a benchmark in this "new year". I loaded up the car - with pillows and blankets in case I could not find a place to crash besides my car - and made my way to dirty Jerz to RACE!

With test after test behind me and a nice 25+ hour training week in the books, I was looking to cap the week with a 1/2 Iron. The race seemed a good match, cold, long swim, windy long bike and long run.

What I got, beyond bonus fitness, was a lot of fun and a nice confidence boost. Sure as heck wasn't my fastest race, but on that day, it was good enough. A field of over 500 athletes made it that much more fun and a different crowd of competitors - mostly from the South, DC, Philly and Baltimore area.

My arrival on Saturday was pretty uneventful, I checked in and asked for suggestions on where to stay... "umm, there are a few 'lean-to's' open"... yea, I don't think so! The race is in this beautiful and massive park, but there's nothing else in the area, except Atlantic city a few stops down the Garden State. Back on the road, it occurred to me, all through the meeting I was looking at people, men and women and thinking, "I am going to kick her ass. I'm going to crush him. I'm going to win."

Yea, not the kindest thoughts, but there was a recognition there - FINALLY - after feeling so crummy and some dissapointments this year due to health or technical failures, I'm getting my groove back. That competitive edge usually shows up when I'm well rested, not suffering from Lyme, Mono and a faulty ticker simultaneasouly - and after a big training week.

Needless to say, I was amped. Comfy hotel, good food and a few chapters in my book later accompanied by some vino (yes, I drink wine before all of my races) and it was sleepy time.

The morning came fast, but I was eerily relaxed. Driving to the race site, I missed the exit - still no anxiety. Traffic at the entrance - no problem!

7 AM rolls around and the Sprint athletes are still mulling around. 7:30, they still haven't started. Some volunteer asks me why I don't have my wetsuit on and I smile and tell them, "if the sprint is 30 min. late, so are we - and my race doesn't start until 1 hr after the sprint!".

We ended up being delayed by about 90 min. and boy, was I happy for that extra comfort I got from my kick-around clothes. Some athletes were still soaked and freezing from the 62 degree water - they chose to get in the water early and it just looked painful.

The swim was uneventful - a 4ft deep pond was a better description of the "lake", but who cares - the course was long and we all swam slowly - I just laughed when I saw my swim time. A group of girls had dropped me early on as we started overtaking the men's swim waves and I never reconnected with them. They exited the water about 1:30 ahead of me, but I beat most out of the sandy transition.

Onto the bike, the wind was howling and - pop! - damn, my bottles fly clear out of the cages. I pulled the bike off, knowing the water stop wasn;t for another 29 miles, I ran back, grabbed the bottles and moved on. Better to get the bad luck out of the way early!

A lot of athletes were grumbling "I thought this course was flat!" - to which I could only laugh in response - there was maybe 80 feet of total climbing on this bike course. The one hill on the course, I didn't even notice. It was a lot of fun and a great prep - to get in 60 windy miles never leaving the aero position.

Onto the run, the sun was out and I was excited at how well my legs had performed on the bike. I picked people off the whole time and was in a happy space. Tummy felt good and so I skipped the first few aid stations to let it empty a bit.

The run was a blast - an xterra style off-road/on road mix of trails and paths in the park. I was feeling happy, just letting the legs come around for the first few miles and then things turned bad as I tried to speed up a bit. The tummy was all puffed out and distended and I was not feeling good at all. A few puke spurts later and I felt 5x5 again! I apologized to those around me for my "unlady-like" behavior and turned on the gas. The last few miles didn't "fly" by, but they definitely went by quick!

Across the finish and it was straight to a hose for a shower. I spoke with the RD and gave him my congrats on a fun event and told him I was heading out. A quick peak at the results made me smile, but I didn't feel the need to stay for the trophy.

While this was a strong race, it is just a stepping stone for the biggie. With a bit more focus, I"m ready to tackle the last training for Fla and really shine when I need to. Big hugs and many thanks to you all!! It is a happy new year already!!

Multimedia message

2009-10-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

I could get used to this pre-race routine!

TGIF

2009-10-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, how'd that happen? All of a sudden, another week has gone by! It's been a busy one - in the middle of a BIG training block ending this weekend with a race - FINALLY! I am determined to kick this mono in the arse! Yea, I keep waking up from involuntary naps - in parking lots at the super market, working in my kitchen and so on, but the good news is that I'm getting in my training and it's going well.

Last night, I was swimming on a base pace of 1:25 and doing my speed sets on a 1:10-1:15 pace - yeeehaw! Coach Eric and I have backed off the swimming a lot this year. In the scheme of things, I was looking to improve my bike and run even more. Yea, I could swim 5x a week, but we've found swimming 2-3 times a week has kept me at a steady level, with maybe a bit of speed loss, but I'm not worrying about it.

The sun is finally shining, I'm getting to race and I will be 25 next week - Turnin' the tides, y'all!