TuTu Trivas

I left out a few key points in part 1 that made this race a marathon I completely plan on running again next year! The Course:  beautiful, even when running over the draw bridge (I don't like bridges), the volunteers are SUPER, there are 3500 runners together on the first loop and it makes you feel such a rush of being part of an important movement of bodies and sweat. The Crying Opportunities: this course had plenty of places to cry, after the half and full split, where you were spread out enough that emotional breakdowns and supernatural visits from family members can be experienced without judgment. I am an EMOTIONAL runner. I cry a few tears in every race, happy, sad, hurt, it doesn't matter I cry. This race had 3 crying experiences (that is pretty average). Crying spell 1: Mile 19ish, my hamstring is killing me. Same thing happened in WG Marathon but it is so intense and unwavering it can be hard to bear, which leads to a few angry tears. Crying spell 2: Mile 2...

The week before a big event your mind and body do some strange things. First your body begins to ache all over. Second you are an emotional nightmare of emotions and completely irrational. Third your​ mind is an uncontrollable barrage of must do this, must get this, do not forget this which is why the kitchen sink ends up being part of your luggage. Travel day finally arrives! Hopefully you have a huge vehicle because the kitchen sink is going in. Your mind has played out every possible "what if" scenario resulting in at least 3 bags of items being packed. The night before.... Now you would think you would like to get a great nights sleep on this night but it is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Hopefully you have had some sleep the week before because you will lie in bed miserable tossing and turning all night and may even have some very interesting or terrifying dreams. This particular race my dream was that we were being chased by a human size chicken during the race...

PSA: There may be some language that is not suitable for children, for what marathon is completed without a little bit of that! (I do plan on posting about my taper and the rest of the week in a different post but plan to keep this one simply race report related) Race reports should always start the day before the race because we all know that is definitely when the race begins. Friday Morning: 5am- Alarm is blaring..... I am so excited for the day ahead emergency bathroom stop is immediate when my feet hit the floor. Having already packed my bags, my food, and the kitchen sink, all I really need to do is wake up get my special socks out of the drier and make sure to pack the cooler before I depart. What ends up happening is 2 huge cups of coffee, clean kitchen, clean bathroom, run around the house like a crack head after the 2 cups of coffee, and fold every single piece of anything in my house that could possibly be folded in any way, shape, or form. 7:30am- Depart the house...

This post was from 3/18 - technical difficulty kept me from posting until now. So there was a local 5K/10K this weekend. The weekend before marathon #2. But our marathon #2 is also our dear friend Renee's half marathon #1!!!! Her first!!!! So she wanted to run through race ettiqutte and do a pre-race drill with this 10K. So I signed up. I also signed up my youngest daughter Danielle for the 5K. Danielle's training consisted of 1 0.25 mile run followed by a 0.75 mile walk. That's it. She had side stitches after 0.25. I had knee swelling after out precourse run the previous Saturday which resulted in an Orthopedic visit and cortisone shot. So the plan was, make Renee comfortable, keep the knee safe! We started great! Ran 0.5 then started 1 min run 30 sec walk intervals as planned. It was WARM! Way warm!! Sunshine beating down warm.... In MARCH were last Sunday we had snow flurries. Anyway we ran and got to a point where I saw an arrow pointing left but no person . Until t...

Today I am so excited and ecstatic about the marathon I can barely contain myself. Although I know this is how I will feel as soon as we start: With the countdown at 2 days until race day the eating habits change a bit. I personally have to make sure I keep my carbs high enough (not a common problem) and make sure I take the time to slow down the workouts ie. yesterday being limited to one 1 hour workout. When you go as hard as we do slowing down is HARD! Mentally the slowing down is the biggest challenge because now all I think about is what if I roll my ankle walking down the hall, or trip over a curb, or bang my knee, or trip over the dog in the kitchen. Our minds are such funny things. We go 16 weeks if not more training for these races and you get down to the last two weeks and think about everything under the sun, even alien abduction, as being a threat to your race day. The stir craziness of preparing this week has made my mind a mental madhouse. Cook food, wash clothes, ...

After the CPR incident last Tuesday, the rest of the week flew by including: 4 new tires, a 6 hour training for work, and going to see Beauty and the Beast with a sweet friend and her son for his birthday. The one question that keeps lingering in my mind is, "How does it feel that you saved someone's life?" Well..... It feels like I got to help someone cherish their family a little more. It feels like I made my members feel more comfortable and safe at the Y. It feels like I helped a few people think about their health a little bit more. But most of all it really makes the statement "You aren't promised tomorrow" ring hard in my mind. Cherish your moments.... Today was a normal Tuesday + a 35 mile bike in the afternoon. What a release! I needed a push and a challenge to cleanse my soul in the sun and my mind in the wind. Now to slow down and prepare for this marathon that we are so ecstatic about we decided if we started walking now we could defi...

The last week of being 22 was hell. In general, I've never been so glad for a week to end in my entire life and there is no real reasons for that feeling other than I was just over it completely. Excited about the new adventures that 23 will bring and the goals that will be met in this year that will trump all the others. Turning 23 did lead to some butter pecan cheesecake consumption, along with Mexican food, dark chocolate gelato, and a few drinks. Probably not the best decision but it is now out and we are back on the right track. Aerial yoga on Sunday was AMAZING! For some reason I get this unremarkable feeling of power and strength when I do aerial yoga. I LOVE it! It gives me a different kind of challenge than what I'm training for, it is a mental, balance, soul challenge. It's Tuesday and out of shear desperation I share some of my deepest, heartfelt thoughts for today. Life is precious. I appreciate this sport because it keeps me healthy, it keeps my mom hea...

2 swims in one week! 2 swims in one week! This truly needs celebration since the boycotting of the pool had become out of control and I was convinced drowning was the only option I was going to have when I jumped into the cold Michigan water.  The hunger this week has been out of control! I cannot get enough food to feed the monster that my body is trying to create with all this training.  Here is the 2nd part of my blog. In orange I wrote Saturday, but Sunday has been much more eventful and calls for its own piece of the post.  3:40am- Alarm #1 3:45am-Alarm #2 I need 5 more minutes  3:50am- Alarm #3 I still need 5 more minutes  3:55am- ok I seriously have to get up  4:25am- I pull out of my driveway and head north bound to run 20-24 miles. Last long run before marathon.  5:02am- Oh s*** I think I have a flat tire 5:03am- I definitely have a flat tire Needless to say, there will be no 20-24 mile run today. I did sit safely on the side of ...

If only CW- X pants had existed when Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, they could have put him back together with them!! This is not an advertisement or paid solicitation. This is just my true feelings about these pants. I love them. They have been holding my legs together during both marathon trainings. The other day I learned they make Tri shorts!!! How did I not know this? I scoured the internet to find them. Sold out on all sites. Then I found them on eBay - BINGO! I ordered 2 pair (slightly different). I wore them today for the first time. It was a 2 hr trainer ride inside. The new bike (hereto referred to as BMC) and I have been trying to get along in Aero position but it's been difficult (on my but!). So I put on my new CW -x Tri shorts and climbed aboard BMC. FABULOUS ride!! Love the shorts on my bike just as much as I love the pants running. Part of me dies wish they were capri's but other than that FABULOUS. Another great product from CW-X!!