Can I run a 5k in 7:50 minute miles?

I really want to become a faster runner, I really want to become faster at everything I am working hard on it but some things just do not seem to be happening like I want them to. The last two Mondays I have tried to run a 5k in the high 7's. The first mile I am able to do at 7:46 then the next half mile I can maintain and then its too much and I have to slow down and my total average pace ends up being 8:10. This is a good pace but I just want my total pace to be 7 something, even if it were 7:59 minute mile average I would be extremely happy.

I have a 5k race, the First Run of the Year on midnight on New Years Eve and I want to PR that 5k so I have about 3 weeks I am not sure if its possible. I have been doing intervals, any advice or is it just not going to happen?

REV3 Half Ironman Portland

Its official there is going to be a Half Ironman race in Portland put on by REV3. I had been planing on doing my first half Ironman triathlon in 2011 but the closet one was about a 4 hour drive away so thank you REV3 for this wonderful gift.

I have found a training plan that I will use I really do not know what to expect but I am thinking it will take me about 6.5 to 7 hours I am not sure how long the course is open for. I looked at the bike map and it looks like it is going to be a pretty challenging course with a fair amount of hills. The bike portion is making me a bit nervous as I do not feel like my bike is up to par, time to start practicing!

As of now my training is focusing on the 2011 Beaver Freezer and the Eugene Half Marathon but my official start date for the 70.3 starts on February 26! This is exciting I hope I am able to finish!

customized girl review

To all triathletes and endurance athletes out there do NOT order anything from www.customizedgirl.com . I recently recieved a present that wqas bought from their company a nice tech shirt with a "triathlon" logo on the front and my name on the back. When I opened the package I was really excited but when I looked at the logo up close I realized that the order was swim run bike. Oh no I thought what happened here, the person that bought it for me must of put each piece in and made a mistake.

I went onto the website www.customizedgirl.com to see what came up when I put in triathlon and to my surprise to logos came up one that was swim run bike and one that was Swim bike run. Unfortunately my brother who does not participate in triathlon, chose the one that they had uploaded in the WRONG order into their system.

I called to try and explain to Customized Girl that the logo they had on their website was out of order. The customer service supervisor told me me that that is triathlon and it is not listed under triathlon but endurance sports so its not their fault. They were willing to offer me the opportunity to re-order this expensive gift with a 30% discount.

I tried to explain to her that she was wroing and it was misleading to call that triathlon, she said he should of done more research and noticed and that is a triathlon. I said well what if you put in a search for marathon and the shirt says 26.1 instead of 26.2? Her response well, that could be a marathon these are just suggestions.

Anyway I got poor customer service from Customized Girl (www.customizedgirl.com) instead of just admitting that they had a mistake on their page they told me they could not do anything for me. Very very bad company let your friends know!

here is a screenshot of their page:

To bike or not to bike?

I last night I was thinking about how I have to get my cycling under control, which basically means stop being so lazy and actually do it. I rode my bike yesterday it was cold with some drizzle but it was fine so I figured I would cycling today before I headed out to the pool to have a nice well rounded triathlon workout.

I woke up around 7:30 today, that is when we get our first glimpse of "light" around here saw how foggy it was, saw how wet the ground was, felt how cold it was and now instead of riddingI am making coffee and writing this. I need to toughen up and need some motivation to get on my bike, I think I am going to force myself o go later after I am done with swimming I really want to do well in triathlon in 2011 which means I have to get on the bike!

I Have to Stay Fit!

It has been a couple of weeks since I started regular training after taking a break after completing the Portland Marathon and I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. In the past couple of weeks I have run 4 miles a few times, run 5 and six miles a couple of times, as well as I have gone swimming. I have also been doing my strength exercises. What I have not been doing however is riding my bike. For triathlon training this is a problem.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, it rains here, it rains a lot and it is just something that one must deal with but for some problem I am having some trouble gearing up and going for a ride. I also have rollers but for some reason I really don't want to ride those either. I want to do well in the 2011 Beaver Freezer so I am going to have to get over this. On todays workout schedule is a running 4 miles and then ride for 1 hour, I am going to force myself to run my bike no matter what. I am looking out the window right now and there is lots of rain, please rain give me a break!

Training Again

I have taken about 5 weeks off from training since I did the Portland Marathon and today was my first day back doing some training. On the triathlon training menu for today was a 4 mile run plus 40 minutes of some strength training, I figured I would go into it easy.

I was a little worried that my knee was going to bother me on the run and at mile 3.5 that is exactly what happened my knee started to hurt so instead of making the problem worse I just walked the last half a mile home. The strength training went well I will probably be sore tomorrow as I haven't done a lot of these exercises in a long time. It feels good to be training again tomorrow is bike ride and swim. I am a little worried about my knee though I would have thought that a 5 week rest would be enough rest for it but I am not so sure now......

I'm still here!

I know I have not been on for a couple of weeks to write about running or triathlon but I am taking a break to recover from the marathon and traveling a nit so access to Internet and computers is very very limited. My break has been good although I miss training very much I will still be traveling for another couple of weeks so I will not be able to train properly until then I am not sure I can handle it!

Thank you to everyone for the nice
marathon coments. Ok o will right again soon if there are any typos sorry it's because I am using my iPod to write this. More posts soon as long as I can find an Internet conection!

Portland Marathon Finisher!

Today is Monday yesterday was Sunday October 10th 2010 the day of the Portland Marathon. The weather was typical Portland weather, POURING rain. I woke up around 4:30 am to get downtown and be able to park without having to worry too much. Everything went according to plan.

Once I was downtown I had a little more food and got into my nice pre race outfit, the garbage bag, to try and keep me warm and dry. I waited around for the race to start and there were gusts of wind and lots of rain! Then at 7am the first wave went, I was in the 3rd wave and off we went a few minutes later.

I ran and ran in the rain there was a drum line at the start that was great, and at mile five I started encountering problems. I had to stop stretch and take some Advil. Then at mile 12 or 12.5 I had to stop and stretch again. This was the story for the rest of the marathon. Go a mile walk a little stop stretch out the IT band and run again.

I did not get discouraged. Once I trekked up to the St. John's bridge (mile 17) I knew I was going to make it, in pain but I was going to make it.

I ran some more, stretched some more and finished in 4 hours 34 minutes. I was aiming for 4 hours but hey it took me 30 minutes longer nothing to be ashemed of, it was a great day!

Two days until the Portland Marathon

The 2010 Portland Marathon is 2 days away! Yes only 2 days away! I am nervous and also worried about my knee I am icing right now due to last minute ITBS problems I have not been running properly in about 2 weeks. Have I lost my fitness level I wonder no I don't think so but I am still nervous and do not know what to expect.

I did go to the Expo today and it was lots of fun and we got some great stuff in the goody bag. A short sleeve training shirt, a finishers coin, a pendant, a poster, all sorts off good stuff and we are still getting more when we cross the finish line!

After the race (I hope I finish) I will give you guys an update.

Bad News Bad News

The 2010 Portland Marathon is 1 week away. I have been training for this for months it will be my first marathon. The training had been going well even with all my triathlon commitments and last week I got struck with some knee pain caused by my IT band. I ran 10 miles las Saturday and when I was done my knee really hurt I aced and stretched and hoped for the best.

On Wednesday the training schedule said I should run 5 miles at race pace which I skipped as my knee was still bothering me. On the training schedule for today was an 8 mile run. I started off ok about 1 mile into it both of my knees started to hurt a little. I stoped and stretched my IT band on both legs and continued to run my left knee which almost never gives me problems stopped hurting but my right knee was still bothering me. At 2 miles I decided to turn around and come home I am currently icing. I can't believe this so close to the Portland Marathon and now I have these It band and knee problems I am not sure what to do! I guess the best option is to ice, stretch, rest, and do the best I can on race day.....

IT Band Troubles

The taper for the Portland Marathon started last week and unfortunately I have encountered some problems. On the marathon training menu I had a 10 mile run on Saturday. I was not too worried about running 10 miles yes it is a long distance but totally doable. The bad news came after 1 mile of running, my knee started to hurt. Sometimes after I warm up a bit the pain goes away but it just kept getting worse and worse with every mile until I decided to head home.

I ended up running 9 miles my knee hurt it is my IT band I am sure of it. I have been icing and stretching but it is still hurting me when I go up the stairs. On the training menu for tomorrow I have a 5 mile run at race pace and then a 8 mile run on Saturday. I am not sure if I will be able to do these. The Portland Marathon is a week and a half away and I am worried my IT band flaring up is not going to be helpful at all I hope I don't have to walk the whole marathon.....

I am very very worried.

Am I Lazy?

Today is Thursday. Last Saturday I ran 20 miles in preparation for the Portland Marathon. The training program had me going for a 30 minute jog on Wednesday which I did not due and then a 10 mile run on Saturday, yes I am into the taper. On Wednesday however I did not go for my 30 minute recovery jog I just did not feel up to it I figured I would do it today Thursday but I am not feeling up to it today either. Since I ran 20 miles on Saturday I have not been running I have gone for about 4 miles walks every day though am I being lazy?

I guess I am just tired from running and want my legs to recover for my next long run then my next long run and then the Portland Marathon. I know its important to keep the legs moving thats why I am walking but is it really important to run even though I don't really feel up to it?

What do you guys think?

20 Mile run! For the Portland Marathon!

On Saturday I did my last "long" run before the Portland Marathon, the dreaded 20 mile run. I woke up in the morning got my breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, one cup of coffee, and a small bagel with peanut butter ready the whole time hoping I would be able to complete the distance. I am currently away from home so my 20 mile training run would have to be in a place that I have been before but that I am not that familiar with for running and this was making me a little nervous.

Anyway once I had digested my breakfast, I grabed my Ipod, Garmin Forerunner, Nathan Fuel belt (which I just purchased) my honey Stinger Gels, and my Endurolytes Capsules and set off on a very very long run.

It was about 60 degrees humid but no rain when I started running I got into a good pace, I was going a little fast so I slowed down. I also took my Honey Stingers and Endurolytes every 5 miles. The running was going fine when I got to about 10 miles I was a little bored as I was running in large circles but it was going fine until mile 16. I really started to feel the pain then, and I cramped up a little and it was a little harder to breath. I kept going and at mile 17.5 there was a large hill so I decided to walk up it. From that point opn it was walk/run for the next 2.5 miles.

I think that my nutrition is a bit off.... Maybe I need more sodium and maybe I need to consume my honey stingers every 4 miles instead of 5 miles which would be about every 35 to 40 minutes. I feel like I will be able to finish the Portland Marathon but I just wish I would of been able to run for longer. Also when I stopped running I cramped up really really bad which again makes me feel like my nutrition was a little off. I hope I can do this! I hope I can also figure out the nutrition aspect ofthe Marathon before the actual event!

Honey Stinger Gels

I have been doing triathlons for many years and I have always had problems with my nutrition. I put Nuun in my water but when it comes to Cliff Shots or GU I just am never able to stomach it. All these products make ma gag. I am currently training for the Portland Marathon so I really needed to find some nutrition that I could stomach. First I tried Sport Beans by Jelly Belly they were fine but after about 10 miles I wanted nothing to do with them. When I was at a store a few weeks ago getting ready to buy some sport beans I decided to look at the GUs and check them out again. That is when I came across Honey Stinger.

The packaging said that the Gold Honey Stinger tasted like honey so I decided to give it a try. I went for a 16 mile run a few days ago and tried the Gold Honey Stinger and I love it! It is great! It tastes good and has good consistency it is easy to swallow and it does not make me feel like I want to vomit. It is great! So if you have the same issues that I have encountered I highly recommend trying Honey Stinger Gold Gel. They also sell bars and chews check them out!

Run Run Run

As I said before now that triathlon season is over I am focusing on running in order to achieve my goal of running my first marathon, the Portland Marathon on October 10 2010. I have never really been a runner, I would just run my 5ks and 10ks for triathlons and leave it at that but slowly over the last couple of years I thought it would be a good idea to do some half marathons and a marathon, I am not sure what I was thinking.....

On Sunday as part of my Portland Marathon training I ran 16 miles at a 9:39 pace which in theory is about a minute slower than my race pace if I wan't to complete my time goal for the Portland Marathon. I am not going to lie I feel like it went well but it was also PAINFUL! Tomorrow I have to run an 8 mile tempo run and on Saturday I have to run 20 miles, my last "long" distance before the marathon in a few weeks.

I have started to come to the realization that I probably will not be able to complete the marathon in my time goal, I am not being negative just realistic, I am not sure I can maintain that sort of pace for 26.2 miles. Under no circumstance do I want to be disappointed when I cross the finish line as that is a huge accomplishment so I am really trying to not worry about the time. Anyway training for a marathon is HARD! I knew it would be and I am looking forward to just doing the marathon.

Eugen Women's Half Marathon Complete!

Yesterday was the inaugural Womens Eugen Half Marathon and I had a great time. The race was well organized especially for a first time race. The day was sunny so I little hot for me but not extremely hot. I did well It was my fastest time in a half marathon, I took 2 minutes off of my previous time! I finished in 1:53:14 that means I placed 154 out of 1,555 so I feel like I am moving in the right direction for the Portland Marathon. It was a great race I recommend trying it out next year. The finishers pendants we got at the end were really nice as well!

Hood to Coast Done!

Yesterday at around 3pm the 2010 Hood to Coast team that I was on finished "The Mother of all Relays" This was the first time I participated in Hood to Coast and it was a fun grueling experience. Being crammed into a van with 6 other sweaty, smelly, tired, hungry people for a day and a half was very interesting. Amazingly we all got along!

Overall it went well, no injuries to report from the team and everyone had a great time. We were able to finish the 197 mile running relay in 28 hours 53 minutes about an hour faster than we had expected. We slept in some interesting places one of them being Mist, Oregon which lived up to its name. We arrived around 5am and set up our sleeping bags on tarps in 37 degrees and lots of mist. When we woke up 2 hours later for our next leg our sleeping bags were soaked!

Hood to coast was a great experience and I am really glad I did it! One week from today, the inaugural Eugene all womens half marathon! Time to get some rest!

Click here to view the 2010 Hood to Coast Video

Hood to coast one day away!

Now that I have completed my lat triathlon of the season, the Portland Triathlon less than a week ago its time to focus only on running. Tomorrow I will be participating in Hood to Coast, "The Mother of all Relays" I had not been planing on doing this event but two weeks ago one of the teams needed an extra runner so I was in! I have not really "trained" for this event but I should be ok, I think I am in descent shape.

This is a race but my team will not be treating it as a race, most people treat it as an event we are estimating it will take us 30 hours to cover 197 miles so there will be some running in the middle of the night and sleeping in fields.

I will be making a video of this and taking lots of of pictures because who knows when I will do this again. Time to get get ready get all my food in order. Talk to you after I'm done with Hood to Coast!

Portland Triathlon Olympic Distance 2010 DONE!

Yesterday was the City of Portland Triathlon. They have two distances, the Sprint distance and the Olympic distance every year I choose to push myself a little harder as this is the last triathlon of the season for me and do the Olympic distance. My expectations of finishing in the top are never that high, I am not being negative I am just being realistic. On top of everything else I have had a bad cold with lots of coughing and phlegm for the last week which as you can imagine I was not happy about dealing with while doing an Olympic distance triathlon in a rather hilly bike course.

The temperature was perfect and there was not much wind until towards the end of the bike course. The swim although I have not been able to practice for it went really well I was 8th out of the water out of 90 women and 4th out of the water in my age group out of 35 women.

The bike ride was not so great my average speed was 16mph nothing to be ashamed of but not what I was going for. On the bike ride my breathing became more labored due to my cold and I knew I was going to be in trouble.

The run was not so great either. My first 5k (there are two loops) was hard and slow for my speed. The second loop involved a little walking for me so it brought down my average pace to 9:40 minute miles. Again nothing to be ashamed of but not what I was looking for.

All in all I placed right in the middle 15th/35 in age group and 41st/90 women. I am glad I did it and glad I finished it. Finishing any of these events is a big accomplishment and something to be proud of.

I have five days left to get rid of this cold/congestion before Hood to Coast come on!

Endorphin Warrior Bracelets Promo Code!

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Endorphin Warrior products. They sell great items with great inspirational items such as bracelets and pendants that say Preserve, Fearless, Tranced, 13.1, 26.2 anyway you guys get the point. Get something from them for yourself or give it as a present to someone who is training or has just achieved a major acomplishment!

The promo code or coupon code is get 50% off when you buy two warrior in training bracelets, great deal! Just enter 2WTB when you check out for your discount. This coupon expires 8-31-2010. You can link to their page by clicking below.

Click here to visit Endorphin Warrior

Can I run 19 miles?

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted, a lot has been going on. It is my last few days of preparation for the City of Portland Olympic distance triathlon (race is on Sunday!) There has also been a really crazy heat wave here, I know everyone has a heat wave but when it usually doesn't get over 85 and the houses and city can't handle the heat neither can the body.

Anyway on Saturday my Portland Marathon training said I should run 19 miles I woke up really early to try and get the run in before the heat wave got me. I started at 6am I guessed it would take just over 3 hours. I ran far, really far, at the halfway point the sun was already fully out blaring on me. I kept going as I was about 7 miles from my house and it just kept getting warmer and warmer and harder to continue. At mile 15 I started feeling like I was not going to make it. I said to myself its all in your head keep going. I stopped at a park to wet my head and try to cool off. I kept going had to start walk/running. From mile 17 to mile 17.5 I was not able to run or walk in a really straight line so I decided it was probably time to stop. I was really disappointed but thought it was the best thing to do. So that was that......

Then the heat wave got warmer and warmer, today is the first day it has let up but I hot a nasty cough on Friday (yes the day before my 19 mile run) and it is not letting up! I want to get my final triathlon training in but I have this respiratory problem now. I don't know what to do! I hope t clears up by Sunday though!

Hood to Coast 2010

Two days ago I was just sitting around thinking about random things when the idea came into my head, I wonder if I should try and do Hood to Coast. I know its only about 3 weeks away but I know that someone I know has a team that has an injured teammate and maybe I can get on. A few emails were sent and about 2 hours later I was on a team.

For those of you who are not familiar with Hood to Coast it is a very large relay race, in fact it is called the mother of all relays. It starts at Mt. Hood elevation 6,000 feet in Oregon and ends at sea level in Seaside, Oregon. It covers 197 miles and teams are usually made up of 12 people sharing 36 legs of the relay. Its a fun event which I have never done, people dress up and your support vans have crazy designs on them.

I have not really been training specifically for this but I have been doing a lot of running so I hope I am prepared and don't make a fool out of myself. My team is expecting to finish in about 30 hours!

Can I run 17 miles

I was hoping the answer to the question can I run 17 miles was going to be yes! It was hard but it was not a huge problem, unfortunately that is not the answer I have today. Todays workout was focusing on the upcoming Portland Marathon so I had to go for a 17 mile run. I woke up ate and was thinking positive as I set out on my run. Immediately I was not really feeling it the air felt heavy and I was having a hard time breathing.

I carried on though thinking that I would be able to get into some sort of rhythm 4, miles, 7 miles, 9 miles, no rhythm no rhythm at all just more and more pain. I can believe this I thought to myself I still have 8 miles to go I am never going to make it I was starting to cramp up. I kept on going and my pace slowed down by about 20 seconds a mile and my knees became more and more inflamed.

At 13 miles I thought ok "only" another 4 miles I can do it. I powered through it and completed the distance but in A LOT of pain! I got home drank chocolate milk ate and went to take a nap. Now I am still sore and icing my knees but I feel a little better. Tomorrow Providence Bridge Pedal!

Last triathlon of 2010

Now that we are officially in August it is time to start preparing both mentally and physically for the last triathlon of the year for me the City of Portland Triathlon. I have been doing sprint distance races all year and this one will be an Olympic distance race. I know I have been having good swim times but my left arm is still really weak after my shoulder injury so I am not feeling very confident about the Olympic distance swim. Also as many of you know running 10k after swimming and biking is hard, very hard to try and maintain my 5k pace for 10k.

Anyway I guess I am just not really feeling 100% confident I am not sure why as I have had a pretty good racing year but I guess that is just what I am like. I think there are about 3 Thursday Willamette swims left before the Portland Triathlon so I will probably go to all of those to try and get my swimming distance in. Ok time to go do some track work.......

Amica Blue Lake Triathlon 2010 Done!

Today was the Amica 2010 Blue Lake triathlon it is part if this new series of triathlons called the 19.7 series I did not find this out until 3 days ago. What the 19.7 series basically means is that the bike ride is 16.1 miles instead of 12 miles. I was a little worried about this and I was also a little worried that yesterday I did the Tour de Cure Ride for diabetes and rode 27 miles. I was hoping my legs were not too tired.

I got to Blue Lake early, and the mosquitoes were out of control. They were so bad I had to put my wet suit on right away after I got my body markings. Another strange thing about this race is that my wave consisted on men 20-30, women 20-30, athenas, clydsdales, and relays. Very strange.

Anyway we got started and I had a great swim 13 minutes 23 seconds. My average bike was 18.1 miles per hour and my average pace for the run was 7:50. When I was done with the race I was feeling good so I waited around for results. I placed first in my age group and 10th overall! Great race. I still have to work on the bike though!

Chrissie Wellington, Lance Armstron, Batman, and Chuck Norris

The results are in in the pole who would win the Ironman championships in Kona between Krissie Wellington, Lance Armstrong, Batman and Chuck Norris and the results were interesting.

Chrissie, Chuck, and Lance tied. Batman did not even get one vote! I wish this pole would allow for people would give their reason as to why they are voting on someone just to make it more interesting. I will be the tie breaker, my vote goes for Chrissie. She just seems to be getting faster and faster. I know it might be hard to beat Chuck Norris but he may get distracted doling out roundhouse kicks. After Lances bad luck and performance in the Tour de France I don't believe he would win and as for Batman we his suit is just too heavy and he would sink to the bottom during the swim!

Thanks to all who participated in this fun pole!

Tour de Cure and Amica Triathlon

This is a busy weekend coming up for me. The Tour de Cure ride for diabetes is only a few days away and the day after on August 1st I have the Amica Blue Lake sprint triathlon. I will be riding 27 miles in the Tour de Cure hoping to be able to save my legs for the sprint race. The good news is that it will be warm but not HOT this coming weekend.

I am hoping to place in the top 5 of my age group in the Amica Blue Lake triathlon so fingers crossed that all goes well. I never feel "prepared" for these races. I am also a little worried that I might be a little tired as I ran 15 miles yesterday. Anyway busy next few days, I have not reached my fundraising goal for the tour de cure yet so if you are interested in helping me out click HERE no donation is too small.

I will post race results on Sunday.

For the Love of Oregon Raffle!

Four days left to enter the free raffle to win "For the Love of Oregon" gear. Up for grabs are 1 men's Runner in Oregon dri-fit shirt, 1 Tree in Oregon singlet, 1 Triathlon in Oregon sticker. Sign up by emailing pucha11@gmail.com and specify which item you are interested in. To look at the logos or for more information visit http://fortheloveoforegon.blogspot.com!

When Should One Stop Training

Many times as someone who spends time trying to become good and fast at three sports I feel sore. Sometimes, I feel tired, sometimes my muscles are sore, sometimes I just don't feel like doing a workout but I do it anyway. If I skip a workout I feel guilty and this is not the way it should be. I mostly enjoy my workouts they are hard work and they help me achieve my goals but sometimes my legs feel heavy or recently my shoulder hurts and the question is when should I just deal with the pain and when should I not do a workout?

To me there is a fine line. Triathlons are hard. Pretty much every muscle in your body gets used therefore most or your muscles are sore when you train. Usually once you get going its fine but other times one "limps" through the workout. Today I did interval work. Tomorrow I will only be able to run because of equipment issues so I am going to do a 30 minute jog. Then on Friday I was thinking of taking a rest day because I have to run 15 miles on Saturday. But I know I will feel guilty on Friday even though I really know I should not. I guess I just have to try to not feel so guilty all the time and just enjoy my triathlon training to its fullest!

13 mile run done!

I just got back from my 13 mile training run for the Portland Marathon and I am very satisfied with my level of fitness. I am not going to say that running 13 miles was easy but I sure was able to do it. After about 4 miles my knees started to bother me a little I just ran through it and then the discomfort subsided. Towards the end of the run I cramped up a little but I was able to finish the run at a good pace.

As I was running today I saw two huge raccoons just crossing the city street, it was very strange and they were walking towards me which freaked me out a little but they just jumped in to a hollowed out tree!

Anyway good run today, Eugene half I am definitely ready for you.

Busy Triathlon Summer

It seems like every time summer comes along I get really really busy between training for triathlon races, running races, participating in the races and just doing summer like things. Last week seemed like a very hectic week. There was a heat wave in Portland so the temperature was in the high 90s, I know not that high compared to other places but for us, really high. Then on Saturday I raced the Hagg Lake sprint triathlon (results in a previous post).

The days are finally cooler so I can go back to my normal training. It just all seems so hectic though the Tour de Cure is 2 weeks away and the day after the Tour de Cure I am doing the Amica Sprint Triathlon at Blue Lake! Meanwhile I am training for the Eugene women's half marathon and the Portland Marathon! I am exhausted just writing about this!

I love summer and I love staying active it just seems like there is always so much going on it makes summer go by really fast. On the triathlon training menu for today, ride to the pool and get some laps in, I hope its not too crowded. Tomorrow 13 mile run!

Enter to Win!

July "For the Love of Oregon" raffle!

Do you want to win some really cool "For the Love of Oregon" gear! Its simple and its free! No strings attached, I promise! The cool items in this raffle are:

One men's size large "Runner in Oregon" Performance Layer 8 black tech shirt (dri fit)
(singlet pictured)

One women's size medium women's "Tree in Oregon" Asics navy blue singlet

One "Triathlon in Oregon" bumper sticker

To enter the contest just send an email with your name and email address to pucha11@gmail.com specify which of these items you are interested in. On July 30 we will have a drawing and contact the winner. At which point the item you have won will be sent to you! To check out more "For the Love of Oregon" products and logos go to http://fortheloveoforegon.blogspot.com

Tour de Cure Diabetes Ride Portland 2010

The tour de Cure ride for diabetes in the Portland and SW Washington area is comming up! It is about 3 weeks away and I need donations! if everyone I know or reads this blog would just donate $10 it would make a huge difference! Please please help me out! Volunteers are also needed for the day of the ride which is on July 31, 2010. So please click on the link below to make a donation or to join my team Tony's Riders http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=7041&px=4081560 Thank you all!

Hagg Lake 2010 Done!

Yesterday was the Hagg Lake triathlon and it was hard and hot! Overall I did well. y shoulder believe it or not is still bothering me but even with that my swim was decent. My run was not as fast as I would have liked and I really need to work on my bike. I placed 21 out of 105 women so not bad at all! One anoyance though as I ran out of the water to transition 1 some of the competitors had some of their friends running with them on the mat. Not cool! It is already hard enough we don't need more obstacles. Here are the splits:

Overall time:1:30:45
Place 21/105
age group:6/25
Swim:0:13:59
Transition 1: 2:18
Bike: 0:46:27
Transition 2: 1:29
Run:0:26:31

It is too hot for triathlon!

Today is Thursday which means that the 2010 Hagg Lake triathlon is in 2 days and it is hot in Portland! It is currently in the mid 90s on the way to the 100s and it is going to be hot on Saturday as well. I am currently hydrating, hydrating, hydrating and just trying to keep cool. I can't even think about trying to do any exercise right now at all! The forecast for the Hagg Lake triathlon is about low to mid 60s when I start my race so that is better than it is now but still warm for someone who lives in Oregon! Anyway I hope all is ok for Saturday, next post my race results!

1 week away , Hagg Lake Triathlon

The time is getting closer and closer. In one week and one day it will be time for me to participate in the sprint version of the Hagg Lake Triathlon. I am a little nervous and unsure about this race. So far I have been able to swim the distance twice but I do not feel strong because my shoulder believe it or not is still weak and is still hurting after about a quarter of a mile of swimming.

Last year I got 3rd place in my age group so of course I want to try and accomplish that again this year but at the same time I do not want to be disappointed if I do not get on the podium. So I guess I will settle for top 5 in age group.

Not much more training can really be done so I guess at this point it is what it is. On the menu for tomorrows training program 11 mile run (for the Portland Marathon)

Track Workout

As part of my training for the 2010 Portland Marathon and just to get faster in general I am doing track work every Wednesday. Yes track work, it is very very hard. I started it two weeks ago basically what I am doing is running 400 meters in about 1 minute 44 seconds and then resting for two minutes. Then do it all over again.

The first week I had to do 6 400 meters and I thought I was not going to make it. Last week it was 8 and this week it is 10. All the experts say that this will help me get faster in general so I am counting on it. I feel like I am getting faster and I guess that is what matters. Ok off to the track I go.

9 mile run (Portland Marathon)

Today was the second long run for my training for the Portland Marathon which will be taking place on October 10. On the menu was a 9 mile run at about a 10 minute per mile pace. The run went well with about half a mile to go the top of my left foot started to hurt which is worrying me a little. I also went a little too fast, my constant problem but I tried really hard to maintain the pace. My average pace was 9:48 as I said too fast but I guess at least I am in the general area.

My body feels good. I hope that this training program works and I am able to break the 4 hour mark on my first marathon! Next Saturday 11 miles.

On a side note with about 2 and a half miles to go I almost got hit by a car as someone rolled through a stop sign while I was already halfway into the street. To be fore the lady was apologetic but come on people stop signs mean stop!

Active Day of Triathlon Training

Today was another beautiful day in the Portland area and I took full advantage of it. Since I am trying to get ready for Hagg Lake Sprint Triathlon I went out on my bike in the morning to try and get some hill repeats in. They were hard.

Later on I went for a really nice long one hour walk and then I rode to the Willamette River to get a City of Portland training swim in. People are supposed to meet every Thursday until the actual triathlon but only four people showed up including me. One person left before the other two arrived so then there were just three of us. We were a little worried that there were not enough of us, you know safety in numbers...... so we just swam around the marine and the water was COLD! Anyway that was today not I am tired I just wish more people would have shown up for the swim.

Thursday Willamette River Swim

Ok so last week there was a sewage warning for the Willamette River in the Portland area so unfortunately I was not able to do the organized swim for the City of Portland Triathlon. The rain has stopped and there is no longer a sewage warning so tomorrow I am going to go check it out. This is exciting I want to practice my open water swimming and get my shoulder stronger as it has been inactive for a very long time.

The weather is getting nicer, I just heard on the news that today was the warmest day so far in the Portland area. 82 degrees! yes its true! For the swim tomorrow it will be in the mid 70s and the river water is probably cold but I think its going to be lots of fun. If you are going see you there!

Am I Crazy?!

Training for the Portland Marathon has started, it started on June 14th and yesterday was my first long run day in the training program. It was a 7 mile run at about two minutes slower than what I hope my marathon pace will be. The run went well I was able to maintain my pace pretty well so I was happy with that. When I got home my roommate was getting ready to leave on her 7 mile jog so I decided to eat a bar change shirts and go back out with her!

She runs at a slower pace than I do so I figured it would be fine. It went fine, when I had about 3 miles left in the run my knee started to feel a bit inflamed but other than that it went well. I was good for my morale to get 14.2 miles in yesterday but I don't think I will be running double again as I am a little sore today. My friends and family think I'm nuts!

Great AM Ride on Marine Drive!

I woke up at 5am today so I could go on a 16 mile bike ride before watching the USA vs Slovenia World Cup Match. What a great ride after days of rain and wind it was a great day for a ride. The wind was not too strong, it was not raining, and there was even a hint of sun!

It is also prime time for the airport at around 5am so it was also fun to watch the planes take off while I was ridding! So far a great start to the day. Now if only USA could win the Soccer game. After that off to go hiking, I better enjoy the nice weather while I can!

Willamette River Swim

Starting on June 17 2010 there will be a group of people meeting at the Willamette River to practice their open water swimming, yes I did say the Willamette River! I know I know the river is dirty, you can't believe anyone would swim in it thats for crazy people with no sense but I am going to participate in this "craziness".

I have participated in the Portland Triathlon two years in a row and when I mention that we will me swimming in the Willamette people tend to make a strange noise followed by a strange face. They then ask him why I am doing it am I not scared? No I am not stared, the levels of bacteria are tested all the time if it were not safe we would be told we cannot swim in the river. The Portland Triathlon is a great race that is trying to bring awareness about the river by working with the Freshwater Trust. I am trying to support this and I hope other people do as well. You can swim in the Willamette!

So if you are interested in doing some open water swimming it takes place every Thursday starting on the 17th of June and ending the week before the triathlon on July 23. We meet at 6pm where the start of the triathlon is at Riverfront Marina. See you there!

New Training Program!

Yesterday was the first day of my new training program created by me after reading a few books and magazines. I have a few events coming up and I feel like I want to be really prepared for them and maybe break a couple of PRs so I really have to focus. The events coming up are Hagg Lake Sprint Triathlon, Tour de Cure Ride For Diabetes, Amica Sprint Triathlon, City of Portland Olympic Triathlon, Eugene Women's Half Marathon, and Portland Marathon!

Yes quite a few events, I have never run a marathon and I have lofty goals for it! I was reading a book called 4 months to a 4 hour marathon so I am following the training in that book plus a few extras for my Eugene Half Marathon and Portland Marathon training. According to the book I can do it so I really, really, hope so.

For triathlon I am going to focus and riding a few more hills and getting some swims in now that my shoulder is heeled. My shoulder is still really weak from not using it but I think I am ready to swim. Every thursday starting on July 17 a group of people who are participating in the Portland Triathlon meet down by the Willamete River for a group open water swim it is a great way to practice.

Anyway today is day two every day I have at least two workouts, on today's menu, bike and swim!

My Life on the Run

While I have been gone I spent some time reading some books. The two books I read were Once a Runner by John L. Parker and My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso. Both books were very enjoyable and I had a great time reading them. I have started to buy books that have running stories ever since I read Born To Run and really enjoyed and learned a lot from it. The only problem is that I know compare all books to Born to Run.

I highly recommend these books. Once a Runner is a good story about a runner and what it takes to achieve the highest level of competition. My Life on the Run is a great book about different stories that pertain to running and the different people who run and why they do it. It is a fast great easy read. Now I am trying to find a triathlon book along these lines, I can't seem to find any. Does anyone have any recomendations?

Ready to Train Again!

Here I am back home it has not even been 24 hours but I am happy to be back home and able to train for triathlons again. I also have a half marathon in Eugene and the Portland Marathon to train for.

My next race is Hagg Lake on July 10, I have not ridden an bike or been swimming in at least a month and I have 4 weeks to get ready. I think I am going to give myself today off (there is a lot of yard work to do!) and start focusing on training tomorrow. So much to do! Weather permitting I will have a great bike ride tomorrow. I miss my bike!

Arizona

I am currently in Arizona, have been here for a few days and the heat is just killer. As someone who lives in Oregon it is just so hard for me to deal with 100 degree weather. I decided to go for a 5k yesterday and this morning at around 7:30 am when I figured it would not be as hot.

I was right it was not as hot but it was still very very hot. I guess I am just not used to the heat at all. I was able to run at a decent pace though so I feel better that I was able to get a couple of 5k races in. Once I get back to Oregon I am sure I will really enjoy the cooler weather!

I Wan't to Workout!

It has been a while since I have had internet, I will probably not have internet for a while after this post. For some reason not having internet has also become not being able to get a workout in. I am on a very exciting adventurous trip so no bike no pool, I can go hiking sometimes running but I really miss my triathlon workouts! I finally stayed at a hotel that has a gym so I was able to get some stationary bike riding in and then ran on the treadmill for a bit. I will be travelling for the next 2 weeks and then I have Hagg Lake sprint triathlon a month later and I am starting to get worried that I will not be ready for that!

On a good note though my shoulder seems to be back in business, it feels a little week from not using it for so long but pretty much all of the pain is gone and I am doing some elastic band exercises to try and get it strong again. Ok this is probably it for about a week until my next internet location. Talk to you then!

No Internet

Hello friends,

I will have limited internet for the next few weeks so I will not be posting as much. I will post when I can. Thanks for reading!

Helmet Camera

A couple days ago I was limping around Costco recovering from my half marathon just looking at the electronics out of curiosity. All of the sudden I saw this small little vedeo camera for under $100. I picked it up to take a closer look at it was a waterproof helmet camera! I had always had this perception that helmet cameras especially a waterproof one would be totally unattainable.

I thought this might be a fun little toy to have during a race or a long ride or even to film a swim. I did not get it though because I am trying to save money but I am glad I learned that it is a possibility to be able to afford a waterproof helmet camera!

I like to film events and take pictures, I especially think there is not enough quality triathlon video material on the market and if one does find some it is really expensive so I think its fun to film my own. Anyway when I got home I did some research and there is a wide range of prices and quality for waterproof and regular camera helmets maybe one day I will get one!

Triathlon and Wetsuits

Do I need a wetsuit for triathlons? is a question I hear over and over from people who are just starting off in the sport of triathlon. Well it depends I tell them, where will you be swimming what temperature is the water? How comfortable are you as a swimmer? I hope to answer some people new to triathlon about their wetsuit concerns!

Do I need a wetsuit for my triathlon?

If you are swimming in a pool no! If you are swimming in a lake, river, or ocean and the water is cold at about 73 degrees or less I would recommend a wetsuit. I have a sleeveless (farmer John) one because I have found that the sleeves make me feel like I have heavy arms.

Will a wetsuit help me in the swim?

At first I thought this was a myth but a wetsuit makes one float a little more so in theory it can make the swim a little "easier" as your body will become more buoyant. However when you reach transition taking the wetsuit off can be a bit of a hassle!

What wetsuit do I use for triathlon?

There are triathlon specific wetsuits and I recommend buying one of these if you are getting a wetsuit. They are designed in a way that is better for swimming than say a surfing wetsuit. When you put the wetsuit on it should feel tight but not uncomfortable, when you get in the water you don't want a whole lot of water to come into it, this will make you sink!

I hope this has answered some questions regarding the whole should I wear a wetsuit in my triathlon debate! This would have been helpful to me when I first started. Good Luck!

Half Marathon Recovery

The 2010 Hippie Chick marathon was 2 days ago and so far for recovery I have had lots of food and have slept a fair amount. I also gave myself a semi ice bath. I really can't bring myself to have an actual ice bath but what I have been doing instead when I am done working out is just taking ice packs and putting them all over my body for about 10 minutes while I watch tv. This really seems to be working.

Also yesterday I got a massage which was really nice. I also just took it easy went on a 2 mile walk instead of having a "real" workout. So now the question is what should I do today. My left hamstring is a little tight especially when walking so I figured last night that today I would probably ride my bike but of course this is Oregon and it is raining it not loner sounds as appealing. But I will probably end up doing that anyway.

Now start focusing on triathlon again, next race is in July Hagg Lake Sprint triathlon. Looking forward to that!

Hippie Chick Half Marathon 2010 Done!

Untitled by pucha11 at Garmin Connect - Details

Today I completed my first ever half marathon the Hippie Chick! It was a lot warmer today than it has been so I was a little worried about that being a factor. I did well placed 4th in my age group and 68 out of about 600 women (official results are not in yet).

It was a hard run, 1 mile into it I had a side stitch, 4 miles into it my knee hurt and I was never able to quite get a good rhythm going. I talked myself to keep going and I am glad I did. Overall I did not feel like the actual running went well but I am pleased with the results! I am posting my splits and map courtesy of my garmin forerunner 310xt!

2 mile run

According to Hal Hidgeon who I have been following in preparation for the last week of training for the Hippie chick half marathon on the training menu for today was a 2 mile run. I thought to myself easy, and headed out the door. I am not sure what the deal is because I felt pretty winded while I was running 2 miles. So of course at this point I start to think well if I can't run 2 miles how will I run 13.1 at the Hippie Chick.

I know I know I am in shape I have been training and I should be fine but why was running 2 miles so strenuous?! I will try to stop thinking about it and just think positive. Since its not raining I think I will go for an "easy" hike in the forest to clear my head.

Unicycle?!

I was driving home about a week ago and it was garbage day as I pulled up to a red light I looked out the window and there I saw a unicycle! I noticed that this unicycle was leaning up against the garbage can so what this means is fair game! I pulled over grabbed the unicycle and put it in the car. The next day I looked at it put some air in the tire and cleaned it off.

Since then I have only sat on it once! I really do not want to experiment too much with it because with my luck I will fall and not be able to participate in the Hippie Chick Half marathon. I think that today I will try it a little though, I think I have to bring the saddle up some. Anyway this is not really an entry about triathlon or sport although maybe one day I will do a triathlon on a unicycle!? No I don't think so, probably not. Anyway I will keep you posted on my quest to learn how to ride a unicycle!

Hal Hidgeon helps me!

As you may have read in my previous post I have been having some doubts about how to train during the last five days leading up to the Hippie Chick Half Marathon. I decided that I should treat myself as just a runner this week instead of as a triathlete so I did so research online and came across some training plans written by Hal Hidgeon.

According to his plans today I should do a 5k run then do a 2 mile run tomorrow and then rest for the two days before the actual race itself so I think I am going to do that. For the two days before the race I will probably just go on some long walks to make sure I just keep my legs moving! So I hope this is the right thing to do I hate how I always start having doubts a few days before the race but I am sure I will be fine, or at least I hope so!

Half Marathon in 6 days!

I am 6 days away from participating in the Hippie Chick Half marathon and I must admit that I am getting a little nervous about it! I have started to taper, my last long run was last Tuesday 11.5 miles. Today instead of running or biking I am going to go on a very long walk because my legs feel a little tired. I think that tomorrow I will probably go on a five mile run and go from there.

I am a little lost now that I do not have a coach, I seem to have become dependent on Larissa for coaching and advice. I did not have a coach before and I made all these decisions by myself before so I am not sure what my issue is. Anyway I am off for my long walk now. I hope I am making the right decisions 6 days before my half marathon!

Plantar Fasciitis

I am going to dedicate this post to plantar fasciitis a problem I encountered some time ago and was unaware it existed until I did some research on the internet and figured out what it was.

About a year ago I woke up and I had foot pain on the bottom of my foot like in the arc that was hard to reach when massaging. When I tried to go for a run the pain was persistent so when I got back home I one again tried to massage it but I really was not able to get to it. I thought this was really weird and decided it was a problem so I started to do some research on the internet.

After some research I discovered that my pain was probably a mild case of plantar fasciitis. I learned that it is basically an inflammation and there were ways that I could help myself. The two ways that have worked the best for me and that I wold recommend to people is to massage just above your ankle bone on the inside of your leg that really really helped me. Something else that has done wonders for me is to roll my foot on a tennis ball or something similar to massage the foot. So if you have a strange foot pain it might be plantar fasciitis. I hope this helps!

Volunteer Day!

Today is volunteer day for me, I will be helping out with the Community Cycling center in Portland. Todays project is to give about 70 bikes away to families who need them so I am looking forward to this. I have to go over there pretty soon part of what we do is give the kids helmets and teach them bike safety as well.

I came across this opportunity because the Community Cycling Center is the bike shop closest to me so one day I wondered in there to buy a tube and I realized that they were a nonprofit that did cool bike things for the community. So here I am going to do my firs tmajor project with them. I am looking forward to seeing all the smiling faces when they get their new bike.

Triathlon Coaching Over

Today is the last day of the month of April and what this means is that as of tomorrow morning i no longer have a triathlon coach. I no longer will be having a triathlon coach because I cannot afford one anymore. I have had a coach for about 6 months and I have really enjoyed having a coach so it really is too bad. I really liked just knowing what my workouts would be and being able to get back to someone to get feedback on the workouts.

I have learned a lot and I hope that sometime soon I will be able to afford a coach again but as of now no coach. I think I am going to get some workouts written out in a log about two weeks in advance so I can still follow a similar system, only that now I am my own coach. I am sure it will be fine, she still wants to know how I do in the Hippie Chick half marathon in a week so thats nice of her. Anyway its the start of a new way of training or back to the old way I guess......

Fun Day!

Lots of stuff going on today for training. I first went on a 45 minute run aka 5 miles then its 45 minutes of strength and then for fun I am going on a 2.5 hour "easy" hike. As of now the weather is holding up there is even a little bit of sun! But the weatherman says hail and rain for midday, surprise, surprise, yes I live in Oregon!

Overall it will be a great day for outdoor activity with lots of fun on the hike. If I take some nice pictures I will post them. I hope you guys enjoy your day as well!

Its True my Shoulder STILL Hurts

It has been five weeks since I fell and injured my shoulder since then I have only been able to swim once and it was will doing the sprint swim of the Beaver Freezer in Corvallis. When I did that swim my shoulder still hurt and my coach advised me against racing but I just had to do the Beaver Freezer! Anyway I was able to "limp" through that swim but it inflamed my shoulder and I think the injury regressed a little.

Now its about five weeks since the fall and I still have not been able to swim even though my shoulder is much much better. Now I am debating should I just ignore the little bit of pain and go swimming or wait patiently for another few weeks until I am closer to pain free? The later is probably the best idea this is just so frustrating. I want to get all of my triathlon training in!

Very hard 11.5 mile run

The Hippie Chick half marathon is less than 2 weeks away and today was my last of the longer runs before the race as I am starting to taper a little bit. I ran 11.5 miles and it was really really hard. I woke up and it was POURING rain but as I had breakfast and a cup of coffee the rain died down and a little bit of sun came out, it was warm enough to run in shorts and short sleeves!

I got my Garmin Forerunner 310xt, ipod, Nuun, and Luna moons and headed out. After about one mile I could tell it was going to be a hard run. I felt a little heavy and tired and was not having the easiest time breathing. I tried to think as positive as I could and at mile 4 my side started to hurt. I tried to breath through it and it eventually went away.

With 3 miles to go I had a even more painful side pain. Again I tried to just breath through it telling myself only 3 more miles you can do it. I managed to finish my run. I am glad I did it without stoping it was very very hard. I hope I do not suffer this much during the Hippie Chick. After an hour and 45 minutes of running its time for a shower and some food!

Runner in Oregon T-shirts and Stickers

So as promised I have spent many hours coming up and perfecting a new logo for all of Oregon's runners. This is a unique fun logo for all who love Oregon and love to run. This Runner in Oregon t-shirt is available in short sleeve, long sleeve, women's and men's styles. It will be available in sweatshirts soon! Runner in Oregon stickers as well! Just send me an email and let me know what you are interested in.

Here is the pricing:

Runner in Oregon t-shirts $9.99 plus $3 s/h

Runner in Oregon long sleeve t-shirts $14.99 plus $3 s/h

Runner in Oregon Stickers $2.50 plus $1 s/h

Runner in Oregon sweatshirts to come!

Also available with the same pricing Triathlon in Oregon and Tree in Oregon logos.

New Blog for these products is ForTheLoveOfOregon! Check it out!

Bike Route Edgefield to Vista Point

Untitled by pucha11 at Garmin Connect - Details

Today I had a great training ride with the people form the Tour de Cure ride for diabetes Portland, Oregon. It was about a 22 mile ride with some climbs. I had never ridden in this area before so I was really looking forward to going on this ride with people who knew the route. I had a great time and I mapped the route out with my Garmin Forerunner 310xt so that if someone is interested in doing this great ride you can look at the map.

We got some typical Oregon weather for this ride, some sun, a fair amount of wind, some rain, and some hail. It was a great day with some fantastic views! I think that next year when I am training for the half Ironman I will come on this route for some training rides to get some hills in. In the summer I might even try Larch Mountain!

Can I eat chocolate while running?

Yesterday I was at Champoeg State Park where the Hippie chick Half marathon will take place so my workout was to do a 11.2 training run on the path and test out the half marathon route. The night before I had a terrible night sleep as it was very very cold in my tent and when I woke up I was really stiff. I convinced myself to even though I felt tired and brought a Reeses peanut butter bunny along with my trustworthy Nuun electrolytes.

At about 5 miles I decided it would be a good idea to start eating the chocolate for some energy. It is really hard for me to eat while running so I basically force myself to do it and when I took the first bite I could just not swallow it! I forced myself to swallow the chocolate and I almost choked. I coughed a little and then washed it down with some Nuun and carried on with my run.

I ate more chocolate the run was really hard but I am really glad I did it as now I have practiced most of the Hipppie Chick course close to the race itself. Another bonus was the wonderfull scenery of the Champoeg State Park.

Rudy Project Customer Service

I have been a fan of Rudy project and their glasses and helmets for a long time now so when I recently ordered a new helmet, the Slinger I was really looking forward to it. When the helmet arrived I unpacked it and unfortunately the padding from the inside of the helmet was not secured on the helmet properly. A couple of the pads were falling off. I reattached them as best I could and wore the helmet. Other than the pads having come off in the shipping process I was very satisfied with the Rudy Project Slinger Helmet. A few weeks later however when I went to get the helmet for my ride I noticed the padding had fallen off again.

I emailed Rudy Project telling them how I was a customer love their product but just want to let them know that the helmet I had bought a few months earlier was not 100% up to standard. I got a very quick response telling me that they would be able to send me some pads but they needed my order number. I no longer have my order number I told the customer service rep at Rudy Project. He asked for the credit card I had bought the helmet with and I told him that I no longer had it as it had been involved in fraudulent activity. I did give him all my other information and asked him if this was enough to send me the new pads for my helmet. He said no unfortunately I can't I need the order number or credit card number or it will cost you $5 for shipping. What?

I know $5 is not a lot of money but Rudy Project sent me a helmet that had pads that were falling out, why should I have to pay anything? And really they can't see that I ordered something by looking at my name address and phone number?! this does not seem right. The customer service rep at Rudy Project was very nice but he was unable to help me and if it is company policy to not satisfy a customer after they have received a defective problem then to me this is a huge problem. I am not sure if in the future I will recommend or buy form Rudy Project.

New Triathlon in Oregon t-shirts!

New Blog for these products is ForTheLoveOfOregon! Check it out!

I have been working on my design a little more to try and sell my Triathlon in Oregon t-shirts directly instead of through cafepress. So the image has been cleaned up and I have put the Triathlon in Oregon logo on a few long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts. There are also women size t-shirts available for the Triathlon in Oregon t-shirts. If interested let me know, I might even be able to make hoodies. T-shirts are selling for $9.99 plus $3 s/h and long sleeve are $14.99 plus $3 s/h. I still do not have a price on hoodies but email me if you are interested in them. Here are some new pictures. My email is pucha11@gmail.com.

No more training with a coach

As most of you know I got a triathlon coach about 6 months ago with Personal Best Multisport coaching. The coach that got assigned to me was Larissa Herold and we were able to develop a good online training relationship. Over the months I was able to learn about heart rate, nutrition, and just training in general thanks to her. Unfortunately I have run into some financial difficulties and I am no longer going to be able to afford my coach even though I was on a sponsored program. What the sponsored program means is that I got 50% off of the price of coaching.

So as of May 1st I will no longer have a coach and I will have to use what I have learned in the past 6 months to create my own workouts. I am sure this will workout fine but it was so nice to be able to check in with someone and have my workouts emailed to me every night. It was also nice to be able to ask questions about training. Anyway Larissa will get me trained up until the Hippie Chick half marathon and then it is all me by myself again. They did tell me though that I can come back to them in the future if I am interested, which was really nice of them. Anyway that is the update on my triathlon training life.

Bike Ride on Marine Drive Path NE Portland

Today's Morning ride took me on one of my favorite rides on Marine Drive in NE Portland. This path is closed to cars for a long segment and is right next to the Columbia River and right behind the Portland Airport. It is a nice ride and entertaining as you are able to watch the plans land and take off. The only problem with this is that sometimes I get so distracted watching the airplanes I have almost ridden off of the path a few times!

Todays triathlon training bike ride went well. I did 16 miles in one hour. Marine drive was a little on the windy side but it was pretty warm. It felt great to just go ridding in my bib shorts and short sleeve jersey. I was even a little warm at one point. Now it is raining so I am glad I went in the morning. On the triathlon training menu for tomorrow a run and and some strength exercises. The Hippie Chick half marathon is only a few weeks away!

Untitled by pucha11 at Garmin Connect - Details

Triathlon and Tree in Oregon products

Today is Sunday so it is my day off from triathlon training so I am taking some time to give you guys some updates on the products I am trying to sell that I have designed myself triathlon in Oregon t-shirts and tree in Oregon t-shirts. So far the response has been good. I have been able to sell two items in one week so that is not bad at all. Also I was able to download a lot of my designs onto CafePress and they can print even more of my designs on lots of other products. So far on CafePress I have Triathlon in Oregon, Tree in Oregon, Runner in Oregon, Bike in Oregon, Swim Bike Run, I run Portland, I run Oregon, I run Seattle and I run Chicago and these can be printed on t-shirts, sigg bottles, and so much more. I will put the links below so you guys can check out these cool designs!

Click here for:

Triathlon in Oregon t-shirts and more!

Tree in Oregon t-shirts and more!

Bike in Oregon t-shirts and more!

Runner in Oregon t-shirts and more!

I run Oregon t-shirts and more!

I run Portland t-shirts and more!

I run Chicago t-shirts and more!

I run Seattle t-shirts and more!

Tri it t-shirts and more!

Tri it with logo t-shirts and more!

So Check out these unique designs for runners, triathletes, cyclists and Oregon lovers! Email me with questions!

7 mile run with no nutrition

On the menu for today's triathlon menu was a 7 mile run. Now as most of us now 7 miles is a good distance but today when running I made a mistake. I have been running longer distances so running for about an hour seems like a "short" run now. unfortunately today I underestimated the 7 mile training run.....

I woke up had a cup of coffee and some chocolate (weird I know I am not sure what I was thinking about today) and headed out for my run. After a mile I realized wait, I have not had any food and I have no water and still have 6 miles to go this is not going to be fun. My workout called for the three miles in the middle to be at a faster pace and I felt it for sure. I am pretty sure it was the lack of breakfast. I started to feel a bit dizzy when I was forced to stop at a red light with only about 1 and a half miles to go. I powered through it and when I got home I was lucky to be done. I cannot believe I made such a rookie mistake. Seven miles, is seven miles.

Riding to the Tour de Cure in Spring!

Yesterday I went to my monthly Tour de Cure Ride For Diabetes meeting in Sellwood. Its about a 11 mile ride to and from the meeting so about a 22 mile ride total with a big break in the middle. The weather was wonderful and the Springwater Corridor and Esplanade were packed with cyclists, walkers and runners spring was in the air! The preparation for the diabetes ride is going well and we seem to be on track and meeting our goals which is excellent news.

One of the goals we talked about last night was to try and at least one person registered for our teams or just for the diabetes ride in general. I feel like I have not been able to meet my goals this year, I am reaching out to everyone I know I am not getting a great response. I am not getting enough donation or people to sign up for my Team Tony's Riders.

The ride takes place on July 31, 2010 and will start and finish in the Hillsboro stadium just outside of Portland, Oregon. There are many distances available to ride ranging from 10 to 100 miles. So please please join my team or just give me a donation any amount would help! Click on Tour de Cure Portland, Oregon below to link to my donation and team page.

Tour de Cure Portland, Oregon link.

Bike Ride Through North and Northeast Portland

I woke up this morning and the sun was shinning! Yes the sun was shinning and the ground was dry! Spring is here and its going to be a good day for triathlon training! On the menu for today a bike ride through North and Northeast Portland. I have to ride for an hour so when I factor in the few traffic lights that I will have to stop at it should be about a 16 mile ride.

The ride I am going on today is one of the reasons I like Portland for bike riding I will be going through the city but the whole time I will be riding on nice safe roads. I will ride on one of my favorite streets for running nad biking Ainsworth I will also be on Willamette ave which has a very nice bike lane. So time to eat some breakfast get so riding clothes on and enjoy a beautiful ride in PDX! Training for triathlons can be so fun sometimes!

Triathlon in Oregon Products!

New Blog for these products is ForTheLoveOfOregon! Check it out!

In a post a couple of days ago I let you know about the hand made triathlon and tree in Oregon t-shirts I was making. Well now I have managed to get some of these products on cafepress. To link to cafepress triathlon in Oregon products click here!

The triathlon in Oregon t-shirts and products through cafepress are designs that I hand made but they will be printed on the product that you choose. If you prefer to purchase one of the actual handmade t-shirts that I mentioned in my previous post contact me and I will let you know what I still have available. Happy shopping!

11 mile Portland Training Run

On the menu for today's triathlon training was a 100 minute run. The run went well and I am thinking I am getting more and more ready for the Hippie Chick half marathon, it is coming right up! I am not going to say that the run was easy but I felt really really good during my 11 miles. My coach will probably not like this but during the last three miles I got over excited and my pace was faster than it should have been, about a minute a mile faster.

A couple of interesting things happened to me while I was running today. The first was that when I left to go running it was rainy and then it was just cloudy with a hint of sun. When this happened I thought to myself wow its a beautiful day. I then thought I must have been living in Oregon for a long time to be so happy to see a little bit of sun! Only Oregonians think this way!

The second thing I was thinking while running today was that I think I am fit enough to complete a Half Ironman. Now I don't think that I would be great at it but I think I would be able to complete it which I think is a great accomplishment. So I think I am seriously going to consider a 70.3 Half Ironman for 2011.

Long runs, they give you so much to think about!

Tree in Oregon Triathlon in Oregon T-shirts

New Blog for these products is ForTheLoveOfOregon! Check it out!

For all my Oregonian blog friends out there I am trying to get a new product going that is hand made by me! It is a tree in Oregon t-shirt and a triathlon in Oregon t-shirt. As I said these are made by me and they are the first prototypes so I am selling them cheap! I am also working on more designs but these are the only two Oregon t-shirts I have right now. I have short sleeve t-shirts and long sleeve t-shirts that for some reason are hard to find. I am selling them at an introductory price of 9.99 for short sleeve and 14.99 for long sleeve cotton t-shirts. Shipping and Handling is only 3 dollars!

The two t-shirts are pictured here! What do you guys think anyone interested?!

Volunteering for the Tour de Cure, Portland

Today I went to the Portland Bike Show and Expo to volunteer at the Tour de Cure booth. The idea was to try and recruit some bike lovers to sign up for the Tour de Cure which will be happening on July 31 at the Hillsboro Stadium in Oregon.

I feel like it went well. Some people were not aware that this ride existed so I am glad that at least now they know about the Tour de Cure. I was able to get some people who have been diagnosed with diabetes or have friends or family with diabetes to become interested in participating in the ride or being a volunteer for the ride.

So a very successful day! Again if you live in the Portland area think about signing up for the Tour de Cure on July 31, 2010. Also if you are interested in joining my team Tony's riders or supporting me with a donation click here.

Thanks again!

Endorphin Warriors Products!

I was reading the April issue of Runner's Magazine when I came to the last few pages where they have all the advertisements. I always look at all the advertisements in Runner's Magazine and Triathlete Magazine because among all those little squares of products in the last couple pages of the magazine one can sometimes find some real interesting and good products. For example this is how I cam across the great safety product www.RoadID.com.

Anyway I came across something called Endorphin Warriors. I went to their website to check it out and they have lots of great products with inspiring messages on them. T-shirts and hats that relate to messages about endurance, triathlon, half marathons, and marathons. They also have really cool bracelets and other sort of jewelry with inspiring messages. Its a great place to get a gift for yourself or for someone who is inspiring. Check it out!