O Canada!

So much to say, so little time … I’ve been terribly negligent in my blogging and I apologize. I think initially, after the marathon it was because I didn’t really have much to say – everything seemed a little stalled and I was generally feeling lukewarm about the whole contest and my ability to complete an Ironman.

And then the vote was announced and, to be honest, with the pain and difficulty of the marathon still fresh on my mind there was more than a small part of me that questioned whether or not I even wanted to try to be voted into Lake Placid – it’s so soon, and an Ironman is so far – I found myself wondering how I even got myself into this in the first place, and if I really had it in me to do 140.6

Then things changed – I went to an awesome Triathlon camp up in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. I found out about it through the Subaru Race series (I’ve participated in a few of the tri’s & du’s over the past few years and really enjoyed them all). I’ve lived most of my life 30 minutes from ‘the bridge,’ I grew up with Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada as the highlight of our household television week and spent 20 years of summer family vacations in Bobcaygeon, part of ‘cottage country’ a few hours northeast of Toronto, I’m a fan of Canadian music and any excuse will do to head north for a show and come Springsteen tour time I hang with the greatest, luckiest group of Bruce fans, E Street Canada. Is it possible, that through osmosis, or CTV and CHUM-FM and shows at Massey Hall that I’ve become part Canadian?

Ok, so I think you get the picture that I don’t need to be bribed to spend time north of the border. And Kevin MacKinnon’s Mackatak Tri Camp at the Clyffehouse in Muskoka was no exception. Still dragging from the marathon I felt I needed to refocus and could use all the help I could get with this Triathlon thing. The Memorial Day Tri camp, except in Canada it was just another weekend :-), was just what I needed (uh, minus the black flies!!) The coaches, Kevin, Jay & Greg were great! Helpful and encouraging and very on point with their comments and evaluations (except I'm still waiting on some pictures Jay :-).

Along with the great coaches it was so fun to meet and train and hang with ‘my fellow Canadians.' ;-) Everyday folk who also happened to be great athletes; Ironmen, Ironwomen and marathoners galore! So impressive and positive and fun to be around. And a special thanks to my ‘cottage mates’ Mary, Mary, Gail & Jackie for being so inspiring and encouraging (I do believe this fall’s Muskoka 70.3 is now in my future too – see you there! ;-)

Since I’ve been back when asked about the camp, I’ve told everyone exactly that, but also noted that, for me personally, it was a big confidence builder. Everyone, other than myself, seemed to think I had an Ironman in me, and similar to the contest weekend at Cadence, by the time I left the camp I had joined in the chorus.

But as they say, a journey of a thousand miles, or perhaps more appropriately, 140.6 miles, starts with a single step – and that first step is your vote, so send your e-mail to triathletemagcontest@gmail.com with my name in the subject or text and then let’s see how far we've come!!

Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come (video)

When Pigs Fly

From Wikipedia:
>>>"When pigs fly" is an idiomatic way of saying that something will never happen. Pigs are heavy animals, without wings, and cannot possibly fly. So "when pigs fly" is a time that will never come.

The phrase is used for humorous effect to scoff at someone's intentions to achieve or carry out something which is beyond their previous efforts and accomplishments<<<

I'm going to wear my medal everywhere!

Congrats to Becky too on an awesome run time of 4:09:07 (unadjusted)

Yes, there are certain things in this world that are impossible; just never meant to be, and we have sayings for them … When pigs fly; In a month of Sundays; When hell freezes over; When the sun rises in the west; Once in a blue moon; When Mary Lou runs a marathon …

On rare occasion in sport the stars align, ability and determination trumps expectations, the unimaginable happens. People compete beyond their known ability and records are broken, the underdog prevails, miracles happen: Roger Bannister’s 4 minute mile, the ’69 Mets; the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team’s Miracle on Ice, Mary Lou runs a marathon ...

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite all that dramatic, and lord knows it wasn’t pretty. It definitly was far from perfect, but the fact remains, I did, indeed, run a marathon. It played out much different than it had days previous in my head, it hurt more than I ever could've imagined, it didn't go as planned and the downhill running meant I was in trouble by mile 13, and I was much slower than my goal pace.

I've been telling people that in the days immediately following the race I experienced a common phenomenon I've dubbed "PMF" or 'Post Marathon Funk.' Part of it was adjusting to having accomplished something you've worked months for, part of it was dealing with my disappointment in knowing that I did my best on that day but that I can do better.

Between the joy and dissatisfaction there was something else, perspective. I'm posting this with much hesitation, but if nothing else it does help make my case for an unlikely accomplishment. Below are my marathon stats along with a picture of me 5 years ago. When Pigs Fly, when Mary Lou runs a marathon.

Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
May 4, 2008
Mary Lou Hoffman, #2097
Age:44, Gender: F
Distance MAR
Clock Time 4:43:37
Chip Time 4:40:30 (26.45) *
Adj Time 4:37:50
Overall Place 2893 / 4734
Gender Place 945 / 2010
Division Place 154 / 262
6.8M 1:08:13
12M 2:00:33
13.1M 2:10:50
19.7M 3:17:52
25.2M 4:27:22
Divtotal 262
Sextotal 2010
Pace 10:36

I'll spare you all the details of the race, with the exception of the asterisk to denote that a fire on the marathon route caused a detour that added a little over a quarter of mile (just what we needed!).

You Are What You Eat

With this month’s Triathlete Magazine Cadence Challenge Article (May's 25th Anniversary Issue) focusing on nutrition, I thought this was something I knew a little bit about. Having lost over 100 lbs with Weight Watchers, I not only learned how to lose weight, I've also had to keep it off. But the prospect of participating in an Ironman meant I had to learn how to fuel my body as an athlete for performance and endurance. Something I never really considered. Sure, I’ve completed plenty of century rides – however, those were never a ‘race’ and usually involved plenty of support and rest stops. Obviously, this was going to require a lot of attention and far more knowledge about sports nutrition than I had. Fortunately, I have some great resources to help me out and was able to solicit some expert advice from Nutrition Therapist Mary Jo Parker, MS, RD CDN.

Triathlete Magazine asked Mary Jo to address the conflict athletes face between performance and weight loss. Unfortunately, space limits for the print edition severely edited her advice, but since it’s so important to what I’ve had to do in the “4th discipline” of triathlon, nutrition, I wanted to present it fully here.

She acknowledged that “the challenge is to eat sufficiently to power up for endurance training and at the same time limit what you eat to manage weight. Food choices must be balanced to supply sufficient calories and nutrients to support optimal performance and weight loss (or maintenance) simultaneously. This can be tricky as there's not a lot of room for foods that don't serve a specific purpose toward both goals.” So it’s no secret that I have to lay off the junk food but it’s just as important to make the healthiest choices possible. I’ll always opt for a fruit over juice or if it’s pasta, then the nutrient rich whole wheat and high fiber varieties are the way to go. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Mary Jo explains, “for example, balancing the macro-nutrients, (carbohydrate, protein and fat) is critical. Having adequate carbohydrate, and the best types, pre- and post-training, makes a difference for performance, glycogen recovery, and sparing dietary protein for muscle repair. In other words you have to balance not only what you eat, but when, in addition to properly pairing your nutrients. Protein ‘sparing’ means eating enough carbs and calories so that the protein you eat gets used efficiently for rebuilding.”

As my training sessions have gotten longer and more intense this is definitely an area I’ve had to address – working on my nutrition plan and making sure my pre & post training meals work not only to fuel me and fill me up, but they also have to help my aching body recover. When I have 3-4 hour intense sessions on back-to-back days, I think the fact that I can do them at all tells me I’m finally doing something right in the area of nutrition.

Mary Jo also noted that “in terms of micro-nutrients, the vitamins and minerals, we know that calcium and dairy are important for bone health, but I have since learned that there is mounting evidence that adequate dairy intake, a mere 3 servings per day, while widely shown to support increased fat breakdown and decreased fat synthesis, may also aid in the actual destruction of fat cells. At the same time, dairy gives you the type of amino acids that support increased muscle mass and helps regulate your blood sugar. So, a simple thing like adequate dairy may not only help fight obesity but can also enhance performance.”

No doubt you’ve all noted the current trend towards more dairy – and don’t ignore all the research promoting Low Fat Chocolate Milk as a great recovery drink – practical and delicious, not to mention chocolate! But heeding all of her advice, I guess it’s best to skip the ice cream and reach for the low fat yogurt. It really is that simple, but, as I’ve struggled with a lot of this she also provided support and reassurance by pointing out “simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy.”
I certainly agree with that, paying constant attention to your nutrition plan takes diligence and persistence, and is just as important as the other 3 disciplines. While I’ve been far from perfect, I am making progress, slowly but surely, and I’ve managed to attain a healthy weight loss of about half a pound a week for a total of just over 10 lbs since the start of the contest. Similar to the triathlon coaching we’ve received from Cadence, when it comes to your nutrition plan, it’s invaluable to solicit some expert advice!

(More Nutrition info soon - including some gripping information on the importance of your sweat rate and proper hydration and I'll also talk about my favorite nutrition products including the R2 recovery drink from Enervit - bet you can't hardly wait! :)

My ‘Race Report’ for the Virginia Beach Shamrock Half Marathon

To be filed under the 'better late than never category,' finally a training related entry!

On March 16th I participated in my second half marathon, the Yuengling Shamrock Sportsfest in Virginia Beach. When I registered for that race I was pretty excited for it – I wasn’t afraid of the distance anymore and even have quite a few longer runs under my belt. The prospect of getting out of Buffalo and going some place warm was very appealing – also, very inaccurate, but I promised no more weather related entries! – and after having my best per mile pace in a 10 mile race in February I had high hopes for a good showing St Patrick’s Day weekend.

It was nice too that after signing up for the run it didn’t take much convincing to solicit some company and one of my training partners, Becky, made the trip with me and we picked up my nephew, Nick, on the way down. It was Becky’s first race since suffering a broken pelvis in a bike crash in early November and it would be Nicks first Half and longest run to date – so we all had a little bit to prove.

For my part, I can say my optimism had pretty much vanished by the time I got in the car and headed south. The two weeks before the race I had a pretty hectic schedule (see Springsteen post below) and also got sick with a cold and things were picking up at work. I missed quite a few training sessions and the one week taper was more like three – and far less than ideal.

Since I was committed to doing it, and had friends and family along for the ride I just thought I’d make the most of it but figured I had to shift my expectations. I had originally hoped for sub 9-minute miles – not fast by most runners standards, I know, but a year ago that pace was not even on my radar – especially when dealing with any kind of distance run. I still held a glimmer of hope for finishing under 2 hours, but given how fatigued I was, I knew that was really just wishful thinking on my part … so I set my sights on a more attainable goal that would still require quite a bit of effort – to best my pace from my first half marathon this past October – on a very flat course I finished that one in 2:08:15 a 9:48 per mile pace – so I thought maybe 9:30 min/miles were doable.

I don’t know what happens when that gun goes off and you head out over the start line, but I’m always amazed that I’m able to perform better than I ever could in training … uh, but not quite as well as Becky & Nick! Congrats to them both on their great performances – way to go you guys! … Here are our results and links to the race page.

Place Bib# Name G Age City St Chiptim Pace Guntime Div /Tot Div Gend/Tot G

1480 8251 Rebecca Ashare F 26 Tonawanda NY 1:55:38 8:50 1:59:32 130/705 F25-29 497/2962 F

1783 9911 Nicholas Hoffman M 27 West Chester PA 1:56:39 8:55 2:03:05 190/367 M25-29 1133/2315 M

1755 8407 Mary Lou Hoffman F 44 Lockport NY 1:58:53 9:05 2:02:46 74/346 F40-44 635/2962 F

While I missed the 9 min/mile mark, I did finish under 2 hours and considering how I felt going into it I was very happy with the result. It’s not gonna get me a 3 hour marathon and I’m sure it doesn’t compare to my colleagues in this contest, but a little perspective helps me appreciate how far I’ve come in the last 4 years, not to mention the fact that 13.1 miles is a long way to run!

And as fun as the run was, I have to confess that taking advantage of Yuengling’s sponsorship and tossing back a few with Nick at the post run tent party beat the hell out of having to run all that way! Oh, and Nick, don't worry, we'll discuss your race day 'nutrition plan' in a later post! :-)

Everybody Needs a Hobby

Mine happens to be Bruce Springsteen. Magic, indeed.

If you thought I was gonna say cycling, or running and I hope you know me better by now than to think I’d say swimming, … Well, no, sorry…sorry Triathlete Magazine, sorry Cadence, sorry Ironman, sorry sponsors and fellow finalists – if forced to choose, hands down, every time it’s gotta be Bruce.

He might be getting a little older, but the man can still rock. He can command an arena with the twitch of a finger or by raising an eyebrow. He’s got an amazing songbook and the greatest band and the greatest fans and he never disappoints.

Last week was 3 shows in 5 days (and yes, it may have caused some missed training sessions) – but Bruce and the E Street Band with great friends, both old and new, just doesn't get any better. And a big thank you too to my Toronto Bruce ‘mentors and guardians’ who’ve given me the best luck and kept me in the loop and brought me not only up to speed but also to the front of the stage despite my failure to remain iin the know about all things related to the man from NJ.

My status as a card carrying “Tramp” was in serious jeopardy prior to last week, as my commitment wavered these past few months and I was distracted by all of this training – having attended only 2 shows on the fall leg and giving up tickets to ‘neighborhood’ shows in Albany and Cleveland – I was in desperate need of a large dose of the Boss. Entirely shameful in hindsight, but with the buzz of the contest I think I confused my priorities.

Last week I remedied that several times over, I’ve been to the river and have seen the light, and am now re-energized and revitalized! As for all the training that lies ahead? Well, bring it on! ‘Cause I’m ready to Rock and Roll!!

See the rest of my Rochester & Buffalo pictures here.

(p.s. I promise my next entry will bring this blog back to it’s intended purpose and will actually discuss my training. I’ll be reporting on my participation in the Virginia Beach Shamrock Run ½ Marathon this coming weekend).

Spring Ahead

This weekend brought some sure signs of Spring to Buffalo - a good foot and half of new snow for starters! Really, this is a good thing, it's winter's last hurrah and now it's done. And not only did we lose an hour but the Tastee Freeze and the Drive In Theatre are opening this week too - yes, spring is right around the corner!

(Took this picture today (Sunday 03/09/08) as I went to snow-blow and shovel for the 4th time in 12 hours. At least Gulliver had fun!)

And since I've made complaining about the weather my full time job as of late you'll be happy to know that I will now place a self imposed moratorium on weather related blog entries!