I'm Hungry!!!!!!!!

I can't get enough.
I want more.
I have had a little bite and find my appetite increasing. I am not getting full.

For once, it's not peanut butter I'm talking about.

I'm talking about running. It's reigniting my engine. It's giving me that feeling again.

The feeling that has kept me in competitive sports for 30 years or more now. It's that feeling you get when your body responds. When it reacts to the training. When it moves smoothly and freely. You might have a pain, you might even suffer, but it feels amazing. It gives you life. It wakes you up and makes you feel strong. You have no limits. You can do anything you decide to do.

I have had bites of that feeling. And it's delicious.

It's not handed to you when you wake up in the morning. Or when you pass by the mile 2 telephone pole. It requires time. Patience. Discipline. Patience. Hard hard work. Yes, most of all hard work. Yes, I said patience twice.

Late fall I fell prey to the dreaded stress fracture injury. So I had to stop. I was forced to be patient. My motivation faltered at times when I wasn't moving forward as I should. Instead of giving up, I waited. And waited. And rested.

I have been unleashed again. The steps were heavy and slow for a long time. Could I get back to the real me?

Hell ya....and then some.

I'm starving now. I've had a taste. This is one craving I am Not going to fight.

They make me Smile

I had a crabby day on Sunday. But I'm much better now. This post isn't particularly inspiring or exciting but I felt like posting a few pictures I've taken at home recently. It's hard not to smile when I'm surrounded by all this goodness.
My husband and I turned 40 about a month ago. Our good friends Nat and Mary-Lou gave us a a personalized bottle of bubbly. Mary Lou is an artist and designed a label. I don't have a photo of the front but it's a picture of me swimming andMark flying over me (he's a pilot) with a banner behind the plane reading GO ANGE. It's hard to read the label on this so I'll write out what it says. (Note: I'm from Cape Elizabeth and he's from Paris.)

Classic Cape and Parisian vintage have aged together, blending unique and lastinag flavors with a genuine robust quality...sturdy, powerful and energetic.
This traditional bubbly has forty years of bouquet faithful to it's roots and devoted to generations of future.
Flavors swim with ease and fly with grace, playing together while continuuing to defy age.
Celebrate and treasure a youthful life!
1970
Isn't that great? We'll save this bottle forever.

Here's Nick hard at work baking a cake for his easy bake oven.

Yum!!!

Cameron chillin' on the chairlift.

Nick getting ready to tear up the ski trails.

Mom with her guys on the Gondola.

This is what a 5 y.o. looks like after playing with his brothers in the snow for 10 minutes. Seriously, it only took 10 minutes.

The green bear takes turns going home with each child from the Kindergarten class. Nick took his job as caretaker very seriously. Tommy couldn't even put his Harry Potter away for snack time.

100th day of school hat.

We had a sick house last week and weekend. Tommy's favorite bear seriously "injured" during the night with a sick little boy. Thanks to the advice of some friends, we saved him. Boy and bear and happy once again.

And with that I'm off to run. This one should be interesting. I needed a little "you can do it" from Coach Jen this morning. She said I could so, here I go.

It's not always easy

Yesterday was a hard day for me. The reasons aren't particularly stunning. I didn't have too much to complain about. And yet I managed to find plenty of things to moan and whine about just the same. My mood was rotten and I wasn't motivated to do anything. Least of all...my run.

Here are a few things that got me started on my bad mood. The kids went back to school last week after their second winter vacation. However, Monday, I had my little one home sick. Tuesday and Wednesday they all went to school but Thursday and Friday they were home again. School was canceled Thursday because of....rain? Slush? Yes, I'm being cynical here. I apologize but this is Maine and we used to be able to handle a little junk on the roads. It was foolish to have the kids home that day. They should be at school learning. We hadn't had snow since it rained on Jan. 18th so it seemed they canceled school quickly when it slushed that night. Grrrr..... Mostly I was upset because my youngest was home throwing up that day. I didn't need all three boys home. Not to mention, I had an important doctor's appointment an hour from home and had to drag my husband out of work to help me with kids. It' was a pain. So I became crabby. I had my little one home again Friday. Poor kid. He was miserable.
Meanwhile...I trained hard. My week was full of juicy intense workouts. I handled it well but the disruption in our home schedule made it trickier and trickier. Ihad a lot of work planned and really wanted to accomplish some important things for my new clients. Having the kids home 3/5 days after a week vacation made it tough. I love all my time with the boys...I cherish it. But they were bored silly being stuck inside on a rainy day and unable to go anywhere with a sick brother. It got tough. They bickered. A lot. And Mom hates bickering.

Saturday morning our home was healthy. And... there was SNOW!!! Beautiful white snow was covering the trees and ground instead of the ugly premature mud season we had been enduring. Yippy!!! We were starting fresh and we could move out of last week's ickiness. A full ski day was in order! I was up at 6:00 working through my 2+ hour brick so we could head to Sunday River nice and early.
The skiing was fantastic! However, I will admit that my legs were burning by the end of the day. The snow was thick and heavy. After years of hard work on the part of my husband, these little boys are now strong & independent skiers and we hit up all trails including a few black diamonds. Go Nick! My little 5 yo just might be the next Bode. We had Olympic fever....
Saturday night I was done. My legs were screaming and I was ready to chill. We stopped and had a nice family dinner on the way home from the Mtn and then got the kids in bed by 8:00. Things were great. Mark and I were having a nice relaxing night and smiling about the fun day we had had with 'the guys' and planning another fun outing for Sunday.
And then... my 8 yo ran into the bathroom in tears. Oh oh. Not again. Tommy was sick. He had thrown up all over his bed, the rug, his special stuffed bear, his pillows, his comforter, and himself. He was pale and shaking. I hate seeing my kids like that. We were up most of that night helping him. It was sad... Tommy is the most vibrant person I know. He was sparkless that night. A true sign of a bad germ.
Sunday rolled around and of course, we were staying home. No more skiing. Darn.
This was unfortunate...but would be ok because I had a long run on the schedule.
A long run that I drooled over all week. I couldn't wait. I love my long runs. I love long runs with some hard effort mixed in.
right?
Yes.
I love them.
Keep saying it Ange. Maybe you'll convince yourself.
I was NOT in the MOOD!!! Why NOT??? I am not kidding when I said I drooled over this run all week. It was my favorite thing on the schedule. And yet, I did.not.want.to run! Insert little pout face, a girl in a pony tail with her arms crossed and stomping her feet.

I was so groucy yesterday! I was sad for Tommy. My legs were tired. I think my stomach felt bad too. Or was that in my head? I feel like a ticking time bomb waiting for this gastro bug to invade me. At the slightest indication of discomfort I would declare myself hit. And then it would clear. I was fine. I wasn't sick. Not at all. I was just in another person's head.
I came up with every possible scenario to avoid the run. And that is not the real me. Typically I come up with every possible scenario go get the workouts Done at all costs.
I could do it Monday! All I had was a swim and some lifting. I saw the forecast....snow. It would be another snow day if I put off my run. And Tommy...he might still be home sick. That wasn't going to work. Plus, I was supposed to run on Sunday. Period. I couldn't put my long run too close to my next hard run. It doesn't work that way. Don't worry Jen... I respect the order and knew I shouldn't mess with it. But I can't tell you how vehemently I was against that run.
In the end, I changed out of my perfectly comfortable Sunday-at- home- sweats and donned my running gear.
Why was I so so against this run? I just did Not want to do it!
I kissed the kids and Mark and walked out the door.
Fine. Just go.
I ran. I ran pretty slow. And then, I smelled the fresh air. I looked around and the snow covered trees. My legs turned over a little faster. I got pelted with snow clumps falling from the trees. I glided up the first hill.
hey...The legs are loosening up!! Maybe I can do this. Mabye it won't kill me. Maybe it'll actually feel....good?

I was no longer milling around the house feeling grouchy. I walked away from the endless job of cleaning stinky laundry after a sick night. I was outside and you knowhat, it didn't feel good. It felt Great!
As the run went on,I felt better and better. It was a progression run in which I was to run hard for the last 3-4 miles. You know what ? I nailed it. I made the turn at mile 5.1 and poured on the steam. I pumped my arms up the big hills and ran a strong steady faster pace for the rest of the run.
My heart was pumping and I walked in the driveway in a whole new mood.
I knew I loved those runs.
____________________

I have been doing this stuff in one form or anther for years and years. My goals are not the same as everyone else's. However, I struggle at times just like anyone else. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, a person training for their 5th Half Ironman, or a seasoned elite athlete. Some days are Tough!! Some weeks are tough! You will have to reach to a place that is unfamilar to you most days and find the strength to walk out the door. You have to search inside to find the reason you are doing it. Nobody else can find that for you. When you work through that rough patch and emerge on the other side, you will be stronger. And maybe that is why you are doing it.

Kona Memories!!!

My friend just sent me these pictures from Kona! I had to post them because they make me happy. The lady waving is Maine Rockstar Kim Cole! I'm standing in front of her staring out at the course....Next to me is the other Maine Rockstar MaryLou Lowrie. Great Moment..... And here we are at the Finish!!! I was so happy...Can you tell? This is the only picture I have of Mark and I together that day. Thanks Rachel!!!

Another really really great moment that I will NEVER forget.

My View

I went for a nice run today. It was nice because I got to run naked and let loose. What? That means I got to leave the HR monitor home and go fast! That's what Jen tells me, leave the heartrate monitor home and run naked. Gotta love it. I was told to work the middle 4 miles. I was fired up for this run. I've been waiting for this kind of run. I've been on the keep it moderate list for way too long because of this foot but now I've been let out of my cage. This is also a rest week. (sort of a joke because it's school vacation week and I have 3 boys and very little snow to play in and so there isn't a lot of resting going on for this Mama bear.) But in terms of training, yes, the load is quite light. So back to my run. Since I was given instructions to push push hard on those middle 4 miles, I intended to do just that. I had two choices. I could stay in my neighborhood, at the top of the hill (you'll see) and run 1 mile loops to keep the course flat and fast. If I did that...I could report a nice speedy pace back to Coach on Training Peaks. Hmmm. OR...I could make the choice that will make me faster. And stronger. But it's the course that would hurt more and appear slower. The pace that I typed into that little block on TP wouldn't be nearly as impressive. Here's where I ran.

Out my door and UP the hill. It's 1/2 mile up. I start every single run of my life...up.this.Hill.

I decided to finally take some pictures of this running route I love. The pictures really really don't do it justice. But I'll try. After cresting the hill above, I turn right and head down the one flat stretch of road. It lasts about . 3. yippy.

and then I climb this bad boy.

Here's where my photo tour falls apart a little bit. Idon't have shots that show all the hills in between that last one and this down hill. Trust me...it's a continuous game of up and down. The climbs are steep and quite long. It's beautiful and it's unforgiving. It's the best training land around. You can't find an easy 6 miles regardless of how hard you try. Unless of course, you want to run around and around and around in circles.

I took pictures of these downhill areas because the sun was behind me. The shots going uphill were overexposed. But remember, I had to turn around and go back Up these puppies. You know, the pictures aren't that effective...it's hard to get the full picture.

Here's the best thing....our natural spring water stop. The water is tested and 100% clean and safe. It's absolutely delicious on hot summer days. I can stop here for a drink multiple times on my runs on this route. It's perfect.

This is actually the toughest climb on the road. It appears immediately after the water stop. The picture is blurry...but trust me...it goes on and on and on. When I say these are steep, I have to fight to break 11 min miles on these. It's tough stuff... What you see as the top in this picture, isn't really the top. It turns and keeps going. And it's much much prettier with snow on the trees...maybe next year.

Here's the point of this post. Don't take the easy route. We all want to break barriers. We want to be faster and stronger. We want to beat the person we haven't beaten before.

There are lots of ingredients to getting there. You must work hard and keep your eye on the prize. So when you are given a choice, the easy route or the hard route, never never take the easy way out. It won't get you to that new --faster---stronger--place.

Just go for it. Every time.

Polarbear 5K Race Report!!

I ran a race!!!! The time has finally arrived. I was given the green light to put some intensity on this foot and race hard. Yes! I was excited. But was I ready?

I arrived at the race site one hour before the start time. I saw my friend Bob immediately and we headed in for our numbers. From there, we headed out for a nice warm up and pre-race chatter. He noticed that I was nervous...and commented that he hadn't seen me like that. We haven't raced together before since we just got to know each other at the end of the '09 season. For those who have experienced many races with me, I know you're laughing right now. I am the epitomy of the nervous athlete before race starts. I actually thought I was pretty mellow and calm yesterday!
I was surprised to bump into my brother (not racing), his wife Leigh (racing), her sister and neice, Leigh's parents, my neice and nephews and then my parents arrived!! I knew a few friends were running with me but I had no idea there would be all that great family support! It was really fun. My parents are amazing. They have been popping up at races and meets all my life. Of course throughout my childhood and HS, but in college they would even surprise me by appearing in the stands at pools in upstate New York (for example) armed with bags of homemade goodies to feed the entire men and women's swim teams, or driving to Vermont just to watch a mid-week dual meet. They rock. They hinted this past week by saying, "so what time is that 5K? Where is it?" I didn't answer their questions and instead said, "Mom...it's a 20 minute race. I'll fly by for about 12 seconds. It's ok!" But no, they came of course. It made it really fun too. I'll get on to the race details in a minute but I'm afraid I quite possibly provided the worst ever 'end of race face' for the camera.

We lined up and prepared to suffer. Last year, I actually won this race. It was a total surprise to me. I had never won a road race. I have actually only raced in a 5K about three or four times now. It's not my favorite distance. (it's really really painful!!!!) So I said to my friend, "I wonder who my competition is this year." I scanned the crowd and saw this tiny woman in front of me. She had 'that look.' I hit Bob and said, "oooh,she looks like she could be good." He looked at her and very confidently told me, "yes, she'll beat you." Thanks Friend!Ha! It was true though. He was right. This lady won the big 10 mile race last week in 60 minutes! She represented Maine in the Olympic Trials for the marathon too. She is a top elite runner. Ok. So my goal became to hold off anyone else.
That's about all the pre-race prep I had for this! Next thing I knew, "GO!"
And off we went. Bob and Mike were with me. We flew out of the gates and headed down a hill. Bob was hysterical. Within about 75 seconds I was already gasping for air but impressively, he had enough to rally off our pace every 15-30 seconds or so. It seemed that way but I was unable to look down at my watch to actually know. I was appreciative of his help... but I was utterly mystified at how he could Talk!! Seriously? I couldn't even breath! I know, we were only .7 into the race but I was already emptying the tank. We hit mile one 5:51!!! (he said 5:56 but my garmin says 5:51 so I'm going with that :o) ) I did muster up enough oxygen to mumble, "PR!" How funny. We did have a lot of down hill assistance to get that sub 6 mile but still...that's crazy. I had decided to run as hard as I could the entire way..no pacing involved...and this was proof.
Right around that time, Bob hollered out, "Mike, is that you back there?" and he answered, "yes! it's me but barely!" Again, How can they TALK?? My husband is like that. He chats away. I choose to breath. Impressive boys.
Shortly after we passed our first mile mark, Bob edged away from me. I couldn't get back to him. He was wearing a yellow baseball hat so I just focused on that hat and tried to keep it close. Mile 2 was long. At least twice as long as mile 1. It was mostly flat and it was Hot! I desperately wanted to rip my gloves and headband off but again, I had no extra energy to expend on such unnecessary movements. It was all about going forward and going forward as fast as possible. I was gasping for air loudly. I felt like all others around me were in complete control and quiet. I was making quite a racket. But I must say, all the others around me were Men! Ha!!! That's right.....women were not allowed to get me. That's all I cared about. Holding my pace and keeping the women at bay.
Finally, mile 2 was done.
Mile 3 was cruel. It started with a Big big climb. I slowed to an 8:00 pace during the one moment I looked at my garmin. I was hurting so much. I was suffering harder than I've suffered in a long long time. I crested that hill and began the final stretch to the finish line. I am quite sure they were moving that line back further and further as I went down that road. It took hours to get there. I had visions of Ironman bliss. Did Ironman hurt this much?
Was I crazy? It was a 3.1 mile run! But I ran my heart out! I pushed my body so intensely! I was determined to run fast and start the season off in true form.
I ran past my family cheering and smiling! I don't even think I managed any form of smile. Poor little Griffin held his hand out for a slap and I couldn't do it. I was working myself into a pile of mush.
And then...just in time...DONE.
I staggered around the little chute and tried to catch my breath. I think a few guys moved in past me and handed the bottom part of their # to the official before I did. That's ok. I lost a few spots but no women slipped by. 2nd place. Not bad. I think the next woman was 1:40+ behind me.
20:19, 6:31 pace (my splits are kind of funny...5:51 (with downhill), 6:35 (flat), 7:06 (big climb) 2nd woman -19th or maybe 16th overall. I think there were ~300 runners.
2010 season is officially here.

FIND YOUR INNER MOXIE

MOXIE =


COURAGE ---- DETERMINATION

ENERGY---- SKILLL----- GRIT---- FORTITUDE

GUTS----- BRAVERY----- TENACITY


TRIMOXIE MULTISPORT COACHING

www.trimoxiecoaching.com

If you're interested in hiring me, or my business partner, Mary Holt-Wilson, for individualized coaching in Triathlon, Running or Swimming, please contact us at

angeandmary@trimoxiecoaching.com

We have been preparing to coach athletes of all abilities for quite some time. We have found our Moxie and we want to help you find yours. We will offer individualized training plans for all athletes. We promise you great enthusiasm, fresh perspectives, ample motivation, and loads of support. We are excited to share our love and knowledge of these sports with you.