Race Day Goals

Today I am running the Willi Whammer Half Marathon up in Willimantic, CT. Below are some of my race day goals for this morning's race:

A) Finish the race and be able to both stand and walk for the remainder of the day.

B) Finish the race and simply survive.

C) Dont crap myself.

Considering I am woefully undertrained and clearly not in race mode, today's race will be taken more as a base training run for the upcoming season. I'm basically using a half marathon as a jump in off point. Clearly a great idea.

But as we all know, I'm really just in this for the beer and there will be plenty of that at the Thread City Hop Fest located at the finish line.

Sign me up!

Cowboy Up

With a little less than three weeks to go until the WilliWhammer Half Marathon up in Connecticut, I am starting to ease into my taper. And by "ease into my taper" I mean that I am running even less than I have been in the lead-up to this half marathon. As it's been since I finished Philly way back in November, my running has been spotty at best and not-at-all at worst. There have literally been weeks where I haven't put on my running shoes. Whole weeks, which is rather unlike me. 

At first, I figured I just needed some time. I had come off a really hard fall where I had an A race triathlon in September, Ragnar Washington DC in October, then two marathons in November. I was beaten up, tired and sore. I had nothing on the race calendar so I gave myself December to rest up and let my body return to a somewhat normal state. I figured that by the time January rolled around, I would be ready to get back into the swing of things. A whole month off - with no real plan of any kind - is unlike me and I thought for sure I would be itching to get back to doing something - anything. 

But three full months into the year and I still haven't found my groove. Even with this half marathon coming up at the end of the month - which we signed up for in January and I thought might jump-start my racing flow - has proved to really be a non-starter. Sometimes I have good weeks where I put in 15-20 miles, but I have followed them up by a week of maybe going for a five miler. Running just isn't there for me right now. I can say it's because the weather has been awful this year and that it's been hard to get outside, but that would be a lie. Yes, the weather has been awful, but I don't mind running in the cold and it would just be an easy excuse. I've had plenty of time to get outside and put in the mileage, I've just chosen not to. I just need a break.

However, the one thing I have been doing is swimming - a lot. I joined a new pool last month and swim with a group of people on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and try and go at least two other times during the week. For what seems to be the first time in a long time, I have been consistently putting in anywhere from 6,000 - 8,000 yards a week. Considering last summer I probably swam 10,000 yards in total, I guess you could say that my groove is coming back. A large portion of the group I am swimming with happen to be coached by someone that I had been looking into signing on with before other life-issues started getting in the way of dropping hundreds of dollars a month on coaching, but I can already tell that I am getting the bug. They are all triathletes, so they are continually talking about what races they are doing, have done or would like to do in the future, and seeing as how I have also not planned a race calendar or even considered what races I would want to do this summer, I am starting to feel the pull. 

Maybe choosing my races will get me back into it? Maybe a little change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered and all this talk about races is what I needed? Maybe I just need to sit down with myself and have a little mental pep-talk and tell my inner whiner that I just need to shut the fuck up and stop complaining - that it's high time I cowboy up, get a training plan together and get my ass in gear. 

Consistently Inconsistent

As the title of this post implies, my training over the past few months has been all over the map. In fact, I don't even know if you can actually call what I've done 'training' and should instead just call it 'activity'. When I was gearing up for the Nation's Tri and the NYC Marathon last summer and fall, my training was spot-on. I rarely missed a day of training, let along went an entire week with nothing planned. However, ever since I finished the Philly Marathon, I've been all over the place.

Usually, after my last race of the season, I'll give myself a little mini-break from running, biking and swimming. I generally don't do a lot of biking during the winter as it is, because the thought of riding outside in 30* weather isn't all that enticing - and the horrific winter that we had this year just put an exclamation point on why I don't ride in cold weather - and the thought of doing indoor rides on the trainer is equally as blah. I'm not a huge fan of spin classes because the bikes are awful so that means a nice long winter break from the bike - but that also leaves me super pumped when those warm weather days start to roll around and I can get back out there.

However, swimming and running is usually my bread-and-butter in the winter. I don't mind cold-weather running - maybe one day I'll write about the reason's why I'd rather run in the winter than the summer - and swimming is inside anyway so there's no real reason to stop. In fact, during last year's season I did way more yardage in the winter and spring than I did in the summer - either inside or outside - so my swimming actually fell off during my peak training times - not exactly an ideal way to train but whatever.

This season I just can't seem to find the groove. I've been much more consistent in the pool than anything else, getting in the water at least twice a week, but I've slacked off a whole bunch when it comes to running. I've been battling a knee issue ever since my two marathons in two weeks in November, and even with all the time off it still flairs up if I go longer than five miles. Obviously I haven't seen a doctor, because that would be something logical, and I'm just hoping that as I ease back into mileage it will sort itself out, but if it goes on then I guess a visit to the doctor is probably in the cards.

I have a half-marathon on the books for late April, so with only six-ish weeks to go until the race, I am woefully unprepared and untrained. Actually, that's a lie - I know that I can run the 13.1 miles, it will just be at a pace significantly slower than previous half-marathons. And I am actually okay with that. I can't expect to be in the same shape that I was leading up to the NYC Marathon because I trained my ass off for that event, but over the next few weeks I am vowing to at least get my body - and mind - prepared for the race.

And hey, if nothing else I'll get an awesome finisher's pint glass to take home.

A How-To Guide Scheduling Your Racing Season

Well, it's almost the end of February and seeing as how I haven't posted anything of importance in quite awhile - and how my training is not exactly at peak intensity and, frankly, quite boring (hence the lack of training posts) - I figured I would write up a little something on choosing your race calendar and provide some feedback into how I go into planning mine.

In reality, the end of February is pretty late to start planning your calendar. At this point in time, many of the races that have a lottery entrance are already closed (Aquaphor New York City, Escape from Alcatraz, Survival of the Shawangunks (SOS), etc.) and their lotteries have either already been drawn or will be done shortly. These races are, in general, the more popular, large city races and/or have a very limited number of spots available and/or require a qualification time (SOS). However, fear not, because there are still PLENTY of smaller races out there that are not full yet, and might not even be open for registration yet (typically the later season (September - November) races and any smaller local races).

As a general rule (which most of this column will be based on seeing as how I have no quantitative way of measuring any of what I say besides the personal experience of myself and triathlete friends), any race that is fancy enough to have a full-page advertisement in Triathlete magazine will probably sell out in a short amount of time, so if you see a race that looks interesting to you, write down the date registration opens for next year in your calendar (or your phone) and get on it early. Lots of races advertised in magazines are part of a series (HITS, Rev3, TriRock, etc.) that have multiple races across the US and multiple formats (sprint, Olympic, half/full), so if you are early enough - or want to travel - then you'll have your pick of races to choose from.

But what if you don't subscribe to any triathlon magazines? Well, you're screwed.

Just kidding.

There are plenty of different ways to find out about races, the easiest one being to go to Google or Bing or whatever search engine you use and type in: "triathlon races in (insert state/region/country/etc. here)" and there will be tons of different options that arise. A good website that I like to use is called TriFind.com - you can search using different criteria and narrow down options as you go. It's not going to list every race possible, but it comes close.

Another great way is to get in touch with other triathletes. Trust me when I tell you that no triathlete will turn down the chance to talk about races that they've done - ever. In fact, you will probably get more information than you cared to know, some of which are relevant (accommodation suggestions, parking) and some of which are not (their gastrointestinal issues, what kind of shoes they were wearing during their run and their caloric intake). But it's a great way to find out if a particular race sounds appealing to you or not. Sometimes a great race on paper is actually a logistical nightmare that just isn't worth it.

But hold on a second, before you start registering for races willy nilly, you have to do a little thinking - and planning. First and foremost, sit down with your calendar - work, personal, family - and write down every big ticket thing that you have going on between March and November of the year. I'm talking about weddings, vacations, work events/conferences, milestone parties, etc. Essentially, anything that will require the use of an entire week and/or weekend of your time should be included. Now that you have your "important life events" set, you can start to plan your season around them.

Listed below are the criteria that I use each year to come up with my race season. Each season is different, and I adjust things accordingly when I'm planning my racing calendar for the following year and you also have to be able to have some (but not much) flexibility.

Set Your "A" Race

What's an "A" race? It's essentially the race that you want to peak for. It is the race that will come above all others and the one race that you are aiming to do your best at. It doesn't necessarily have to be your longest race or the biggest race, or even come at the end of the season, but it is the race that you are shooting to PR in. You can have multiple "A" races during a season, but I don't recommend having more than two and they should be a fair distance apart to allow for better recovery and tapering.

For example, last year I had both the Nation's Tri and the NYC Marathon as my "A" races, which complicated things, but was not impossible. One was in the beginning of September and the other was in the beginning of November, which gave me more than enough time for recovery after the first and then building and tapering for the second. I just had to budget my training time to ensure that I was logging the appropriate amount of running miles to ensure I could do the marathon, but also not neglect my biking or swimming. In reality, the speed and hill work that I did during my marathon training actually benefited me the most in terms of my 10k splits in the Nation's Tri, so two completely different "A" race events actually turned out to be a boon for my ultimate PR.

What Does Your Year Look Like?

Do you have five weddings, two bachelorette parties, work conferences and a two-week vacation to Africa planned? Well, that's going to complicate things when it comes to both the races that you can do and the races that you can adequately train for.

Is your calendar wide open? You should probably get a life, but at least you have plenty of weekends to choose from!

This is where planning comes into play and why it's important to know what big events you have coming up in your life. It's unrealistic to think you are going to PR in a race after being on vacation in the Bahamas for a week prior to the event - your training schedule will more than likely be thrown off as you sip Pina Coladas by the pool and while yes, dancing is a great form of exercise, it's probably not going to get you into peak shape a week before the big race.

So plan your "A" races accordingly. This doesn't mean don't do that race, it just means don't make it your "A" race and instead use it to work on your speed through transition or getting ahead of the pack on the swim or negative splitting the run. Whatever your weakness is, work on it.

Early Season vs. Middle Season vs. Late Season

Again, take a look at your calendar - if you are overbooked in the beginning of the year, but the later half looks open, think about trying for a late season PR. Or if you're second half of the summer is devoted to a family vacation, then try for an early summer race. But be aware of starting too early - I know when it's 25* and snowing outside in December that that early season race in San Juan looks inviting, but just remember that the majority of your training will have to be done either inside on a trainer, or outside in the cold and you're more than likely not going to be able to get any open-water swim training done prior to landing in sunny Puerto Rico. Your body won't be acclimated to the weather, so an early-season PR is unlikely, and might even be dangerous. Unless you are planning on spending a serious amount of time somewhere comparably warm in the month leading up to the race, you're better off picking another race.

Local vs. Long Distance

This is where your personality-type comes into play, as well as your triathlon prowess. Is this your first year of actually scheduling a race season? Are you still somewhat new to the triathlon scene? Do you freak out if plans get changed and you get thrown off schedule before a race? If any of these sound like you, you might want to keep your racing net within a car trips' distance, thus ensuring a relatively stress-free weekend.

Should you choose to fly to a race, there are a number of different factors to keep in mind:

Bike transportation - Will you be checking it, because depending on the airline you take, you could be looking at a $150 fee each way. Check the airline restrictions before you book your flight. There is also the option of shipping it out via UPS or FedEx which means that you would have to give yourself a minimum of a week, or pay the extra cost of guaranteed shipping, to ensure that it gets to the hotel in time. There are also a couple different services like TriBike Transport and Raceday Transport that will do the heavy lifting for you, at a cost.

Flights - Be prepared for delays and know the restrictions for luggage and carry-on bags. The last thing you want is to get to the airport and have to pay an extra fee because you didn't know that your gear or wheel bag would be over the weight limit or count as a third bag. When in doubt, call ahead.

Packing - Triathlons require stuff. And a lot of it. That means knowing exactly what you need on race day, laying it out before you pack, checking it, rechecking it, then rechecking it again as you pack it all. Some stuff you can get when you land, like PowerBars or gels or sports drinks, but if you just have to race with your favorite homemade granola and you can't even fathom thinking about starting the day without your favorite protein shake, you're gonna want to make sure that you can bring it with you. And while just about any major race in America and overseas will have a pretty big convention to stock up on any last-minute supplies, you really don't want to race in new shoes because you forgot yours.

Lost Luggage - It happens, more than airlines probably would like to admit it, especially if you don't have a direct flight (tangent: I coached women's lacrosse at the college level and the airline lost our bag of sticks that they required us to check on the way back from Florida, essentially leaving us stranded in the middle of the season until they found them and got them back to us. It happens.). To ensure that you don't get screwed, pack every essential race-day item in your carry-on. This includes: racing kit, running shoes, bike shoes, helmet and anything that you consider to be "vital" that you can't get at your destination. That being said, triathletes are friendly folks and should you get to your destination and the airline has, in fact, lost your luggage and you didn't heed my advice, just let the race director know and there are inevitably great racers out there that over-prepare and bring extras of lots of different things. No one wants to see someone else's hard work go down in flames before the race has even started.

Obviously, traveling by car has its' issues as well, especially if you are racing around a holiday weekend and you happen to live along the I-95 corridor, but in general, you are a bit less stressed knowing that all of your important items are never truly traveling out of sight or out of your hands. And while destination races are always fun, racing locally has it's perks as well, including getting to sleep in your own bed the night before and also meeting up with lots of other local triathletes.

Building Distance

If your "A" race is a half or full Ironman distance, I recommend building up distance as you progress through your training. For example, let's say you're racing Timberman 70.3 in August as your "A" race, I would try and race an Olympic race in both June and July, a sprint event in mid-to-late May, and begin the season with some road races to get your legs going, as well as add a 5k or 10k in June and July for some added speed work.

After your (hopeful) PR is set in August, then you can either relax and take some time off, or continue racing other events but at a more casual speed. This isn't to say that you won't be racing those later events hard, but just know that a PR is not necessarily your main goal. If you felt the burning desire to add a second "A" race to the calendar, I would shoot for a late September into October race, giving yourself plenty of recovery time, especially if you are racing a longer distance, or even switching gears entirely like I did.

Athletic Supporters 

By this I don't mean "cups" or "bras", I mean your cheering section. Do you want one? Because don't expect friends and family to follow you to those exotic racing locations, no matter how many pina coladas you promise to buy them. And especially don't plan on them traveling anywhere along the East Coast during any holiday weekend. If you have an amazing significant other (shout out SJ), then yes, they will probably be waiting at the finish line waiting to give your sweaty, nasty smelling body a giant hug - as well as a cold adult beverage - no matter where you race. However, if you want to pack the house with friends and family and generally have the loudest cheering section at the event, stick to local, easy-to-get-to or fan-friendly events. Just remember, triathlons usually start at ungodly hours before most normal humans without infants or toddlers are even thinking about waking up or, in my case, before some of my friends have even gone to bed, so you may have to entice people to come with the promise of post-race booze and food or, since they aren't racing, pre-race Bloody Mary's and mimosas, too. And it never hurts to bake fresh banana bread!

There you have it friends. I'm sure there are things that I have missed and things that I will think of to add, and if so then I promise to edit this list, however, as a general guideline I think I've hit all the important parts. Just remember, your season is only as good as your training plan, so no matter how meticulous you are in planning your racing calendar, if you don't train you won't get the full benefit of that meticulous schedule anyway. If you have any questions then shoot 'em at me and I'll try my best to respond with something witty and useful!

And, as always, don't forget to tell your triathlon widow how much you love them and appreciate all of the delicious meals that they cook so you don't get the runger pains, or how the yard looks amazing because while you were out tooling around in your spandex for three hours they mowed the lawn AND trimmed the hedges. Or you can always add up the cost of your bike, triathlon registration fees and hotel costs, multiply it by two, and then buy a diamond of similar cost - that usually does the trick.*












*Note: I have never done this, but I'm sure SJ will be waiting now.

It's Going Down. . .

It's been a few days since my last real training post, but in all honesty, this has been a pretty quiet off-season. Seeing as how I really don't have anything in the books as far as races go this year, I can't really say that I've been really killing at getting in my base mileage. Not to mention the fact that this winter has been giving us a steady stream of winter storms, which means that a fresh round of snow arrives just as the previous one has melted away, leaving some not-so-great roads to run on.

However, seeing as how I have dedicated the first few months of the year to getting my ass back into the pool, this winter has been perfect for actually forcing me to do it. I've had a steady stream of three and four day weeks in the pool the past few weeks, so I've started to slowly - oh-so slowly - see my swim form come back as my yardage has picked up. And with winter storm Maximus hitting us like a ton of bricks yesterday - and winter storm Nika fresh on its' heels - I don't really foresee myself getting outside anytime soon.

This past weekend was a bit of a boozy one as well. Fifteen girls packed a ski chalet at Hunter Mountain to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of a certain crazy someone, and I'm pretty sure the town of Hunter has warrants out for at least three of us. I'd be surprised if they let any of us back in. Here are some pictures for frame of reference:

It's hard to get on the training wagon when you're having that much fun. Needless to say, it was an epic weekend, although I did get a day of snowboarding in so at least I feel like I did something productive besides destroy my liver, as well as all sense of dignity that I previously had.

Here's to a good time! Cheers, bitches. . .

Race Recap: Sayville Running Company Run to the Brewery

Shockingly, I actually ran a race last weekend. Considering the lack of training that I've been doing - and by "lack of training" I mean "none" - the shocking part is predominantly the fact that I made it the full ten miles without collapsing. It's also shocking that I didn't collapse after the beers that I consumed post-race, but we'll get to that later.

Blue Point Brewery is probably one of the best sponsors of local races on Long Island than any other brewery on the Island. It has developed a pretty loyal following among triathletes and runners that I know, simply because they are at the center of every great post-race party. Now, on to the recap!

Pre-Race

You had the option of picking up your packet - or the packets of others, they aren't too strict on security here - on either Thursday or Friday or directly before the race on Saturday. If you picked it up at the Sayville Running Company prior to race day, you were given an extra raffle ticket as well as the enjoyment of wandering around their giant tent sale, spending money on things that you probably don't need but buy anyway "because they're on sale, duh."

We picked our packets up early so that we wouldn't have to worry about it Saturday morning and went straight to the parking lots designated for the race. Since there isn't enough parking at the brewery itself, they have various parking lots within a half mile walk of the starting line, so it's not like you're really hiking to the start. We slyly parked at the Patchogue Y (no line in the bathroom!) and walked down the street to drop our bags off in the tent and head to the starting line, which is pretty much right outside the brewery.

Piece of cake.

The Race

The race itself is ten miles long and takes place on the flat, flat, flat streets of Patchogue, Blue Point and Sayville. It winds through the neighborhoods, meanders along the Great South Bay for a few and then takes you parallel to the train tracks for the stretch back to the finish, roughly a half mile from the Brewery. As far as races go, this one is pretty boring. It's essentially doing a training run through your neighborhood, only you don't know any of the houses and aren't quite sure where you are going. There is literally nothing interesting to see, unless you are a real estate agent and like to see the local property listings in different areas.

However, the course is flat and it's long enough that not everyone and their grandmother can do it, which is nice. It's capped at 1500 entrants - mostly because of the free beer - and it sells out pretty quickly. Ten miles is a decent distance - or at least a distance that gives some people pause. I mean, another 5k and you've got yourself a half marathon, so it limits the applicant pool a good deal.

Neither SJ or I had actually trained for this race, and I literally hadn't run ten miles since the Philly Marathon - not at once, I mean hadn't run ten miles IN TOTAL since then, so this could have gone horribly wrong for the two of us. But, seeing as how we are both so awesome, we started at a decent pace and kept it up for just about the whole run. There were a few times during the course where we slowed down and grabbed water or Gatorade or took a potty break, but we weren't going out there to crush it so neither one of us really cared. . I mean, really, we were only doing it for the free beer, so the whole running thing was just a bonus to make us thirsty to drink more beer.

Post Race Party

Seeing as how the whole point of this run is to get back to the Blue Point Brewery, the post-race party is one giant party. They stick a big tent out back of the actually brewery and set up their portable keg system (which is awesome and I wish I had one) and everyone goes to town. There was a live band, so much food you didn't even know where to start and everyone was hanging out and having a great time. If it wasn't for all the spandex, you would never know that thousands had literally just run ten miles in the (slight) rain and mid-twenties temps. It reminded me a lot of Aspen, a place where the beer flows like wine.

There were plenty of bathrooms, which is always a concern for any after-party that involves unlimited beers, and at some point there were raffles that were drawn. The crappy part was that you had to be present when they drew your number, which, considering the number of people inside the tent, the live band playing and the general overall noise-level, I'm amazed that anyone even heard them draw the tickets. I, for one, didn't even know a raffle was being held - but that could be for multiple reasons, and they all begin with Hoptical.

The beer is open till noon, and after that they brewery is actually open so you can move inside to order food and have some more beers. There isn't a limit on the amount of beers that you can take each time you go up to the beer truck, and the line is pretty long if you are a middle of the pack finisher, so it's best to stock up. Or just stay until the lines thin out and then take as much as you want so that you have multiple back-up beers for when they kick you out!

Wrap-Up

There is absolutely no reason to do this run. It was absolutely horrible. Don't sign up for it next year, regardless of what you hear from friends or relatives. They clearly don't know what they are talking about.*

Just finished ten miles - now it's time to start they party. At 9:30am. 

This is what happens after ten miles - and an equal number of beers!

*This is totally not true. I just don't want to advertise the fact that this race is amazing because it already sells out in less than a week so I need to add to the number of people looking to sign up. But in all honesty, this is one great run, and I highly recommend it! While the run itself is nothing to write home about, it's flat and a great training course. If you are looking to do a spring half-marathon or marathon, then this is a great gauge at your fitness level. And the after-party is really a great time and one of the best reasons to do the run. Even if you don't drink or are the DD, there is so much great food and so many fun people to hang out with that it's easy to have a good time. And the great thing about a run like this is that everyone is there to have a good time - and runners are some of the best people to hang out with. By far. And even if you're not a runner and just an athletic supporter, you can come volunteer and drink and hang out afterwards for generously donating your time - but even that gets filled quickly so act fast next fall!

Snow-pocalypse Part II

We had another snow storm up here in the northeast. Everyone naturally freaked out and decided that the end of the earth was coming and they needed to prepare themselves by buying everything on the shelves in the supermarket. It was like mass chaos around the entrances and exits of grocery stores. Police were called. The National Guard had to bring in tanks and helicopters to control the rioting.

By this morning, all major roads were cleared and everything was back to normal.

I hope all that bread and milk doesn't go to waste.

Getting in Line

I don't make New Year's resolutions as a general rule, mostly because I don't really feel the need to make arbitrary rules for myself. If I really want to do something then chances are I'll do it, and if I don't do it then I probably didn't want it that bad to begin with. And some things, like trying to stop biting my nails, are just unrealistic so I don't even bother - if I could stop biting my nails I would have done it a long time ago. But I digress.

However, I have vowed to get back in the pool and spend more time with the black line. And I mean actually get back in the pool and swim - not just swim once a week and give myself a pat on the back for getting wet. I plan on making chlorine my everyday scent. I plan on turning my hair green. I plan on embracing my goggle marks. I plan on swimming so much even Missy Franklin would be put to shame - alright, that last part's a lie, but I do plan on making swimming my new priority.

I spent so much time last summer focused on running because of the marathon that I let both my biking and swimming take a serious backseat. Now that I'm back on the triathlon bandwagon and have left my marathon days in the past - at least until Boston training comes around next year - it's back in the water to get some serious gills. I've made it a point to swim at least twice over the past few weeks, and I hope to slowly increase both the daily and weekly yardage as I start to get my form back. The last thing I need to do is go in a bang out 6,000 yards and destroy my shoulders - so this is me, easing back into it.

Pool. Chlorine. Black line. Wall. Flip turn. Oh, hair ball! Repeat.

I'm not a huge fan of swimming, per se. I always feel so much better after I've done it, but I don't particularly enjoy the actual activity of swimming. It is far and away my least favorite of the three, but it's also something that I've done the longest. Every since I can remember remembering thing, I could remember swimming. It's a love/hate relationship. Swimming is a finesse sport, and finesse isn't something I do particularly well. I don't think anyone has every looked at me and said, "Oh yeah, she's got finesse". It's more along the lines of, "Hello, bull-in-a-china-shop alert!". I am not smooth. I am not graceful. I am not elegant. You want to see smooth? This is smooth:

I do not look like this. I don't look like an active drowning victim, but I definitely don't look like that.

So making this a priority is not something that I am necessarily looking forward to. However, in the long run (ha! pun NOT intended but so good!), I also know that being in the front of the swim pack puts you in a much greater advantage over the rest of the field than trying to play catch-up, so if my obsession with the black line pays off with front-of-the-pack views in the bike and run, then I guess I'll have to just dive in (that pun was intended).

The Arrogance of the Athlete

With this whole Alex Rodriguez situation unfolding around us, punctuated by the fact that I just read a great book titled Wheelmen, that could only be described as a "companion story" to It's Not About the Bike and Every Second Counts, Lance Armstrong's two "biographies", I can't help but think about the role that doping plays in our sporting society, and it plays a larger part than I think many people realize. Doping is prevalent in every sport, regardless of the mainstream status of that sport. Don't think so? Just read this article. 

This is not meant to be an argument for or against drug testing - at this point, it's a part of our sporting culture regardless of whether or not you think it's a basic violation of personal rights or that it's creating an atmosphere of "guilty until proven innocence". And frankly, if you aren't doping then you have nothing to lose by submitting to a drug test and everything to gain. If you aren't doping, then you should welcome drug tests for the simple fact that they catch the cheaters - or at least they do in theory.

As a college athlete, drug testing was an inevitable part of my five years (yep, five - thanks medical red shirt!). I signed waivers declaring that I was okay with being tested - and I was. As a women's lacrosse player, I hardly ranked high on the drug tester's list of "people who are possibly doping" - you were more likely to bust college athletes playing sports like lacrosse, field hockey and volleyball for recreational drug use than you were for doping. It was a necessary evil, but one I didn't think much about because of the sport I played.

However, now that I'm out of college and competing in triathlons, drug testing has taken on a whole new meaning. I went from playing a sport that was low on the totem pole of drug testing because, let's face it, lacrosse players are more concerned about where their next thirty rack of Natty Light is coming from then meeting their dealer for their latest ass injection of HGH, to one where performance enhancing drugs are a true factor. I like knowing that the major players in triathlon are being drug tested, and not just during Olympic years. Athletes at the elite level in all major triathlon disciplines - sprint, Olympic, half and full Ironman distances - are tested if not regularly, then at least randomly enough to not know exactly when and if they will be tested. Even though I am not now, nor will probably ever be, on the same level as those competing at the professional level, it's nice to know that it's not because they have better drugs than I do.

But are we heading in that direction? Triathlon, and professional triathletes, are still relatively new compared to other professional "leagues". It takes money to dope, and the more money that professionals earn - through sponsorships and race winnings and appearance fees - the more disposable income they have. This might translate to flashier cars and bigger houses, but it could also easily segue into doctors and doping regimens, especially if those sponsors expect you to podium and those appearance fees hinge on your race results. It's frightening to think, but it's not an unlikely trend, especially for events as physically punishing as the Ironman distance race.

After reading about what can only be described as the biggest sports conspiracy and cover-up if not ever, then at least in our generation, it's hard to separate the two very different, very polarizing faces of Lance Armstrong. On one hand you have Lance Armstrong the cancer-survivor and subsequent cancer-crusader, the incredibly dedicated and highly regimented endurance athlete and by all accounts great hands-on father to his five kids, with Lance Armstrong, the narcissistic, pathological liar, the arrogant playboy and the willing cheater.

He's wiping away the tears of sadness brought on by getting caught. 

Arrogance at its' finest. 

The lengths he went to defend himself from his detractors is almost absurd in hindsight, and his fall from grace has been neither elegant nor remorseful. You could even say that he is more arrogant now that he has finally admitted - or at least acknowledged - his past drug use than he was in the years leading up to it. His lack of contrition when it comes to his past drug use to win the Tour de France is appalling, and his half-hearted apology on Oprah was stilted and indifferent. To say he lacks remorse over his discrepancies is giving him more credit than he deserves. (For a more detailed look at Armstrong's transgressions, read the USADA's cycling investigation and reasoned decision here.)

And that's what I don't get about Alex Rodriguez - how he can look at the downfall of so many popular athletes who have lied about using performance enhancing drugs, only to be found out later and subsequently demonized:

Marion Jones was stripped of three gold medals and two bronze medals - two of those medals (one gold and one bronze) were earned for her role in relay competition, meaning that all three of her teammates on those relays were forced to return their medals as well. Imagine the excitement of winning a medal in the Olympics, only to have it stripped away for something you had no part in years later. Talk about a slap in the face to her teammates - the very people who stood by her. At least in Armstrong's case, his teammates were probably doping right along side him for his seven victories and are thus equally guilty (I won't get into the discussion of whether or not those teammates were forced into doping or did it willfully to stay on the team - that's a whole other story).

The story is still out on Barry Bonds and his steroid use, but I would imagine that, as a whole, the general public with some knowledge of the situation believes that he is guilty of abusing steroids during his career. However, the very fact that it was never proven that he took steroids and yet he is still considered a cheater should raise very large, very bright red flags.

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers faced a 50 game suspension for an elevated level of testosterone in 2011, fought it, won on a technicality in 2012 and then two years later was found out to still be using steroids! He got off on a technicality and then had the audacity to continue using performance enhancing drugs and was suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season.

I could continue for another ten athletes just off the top of my head, but would rather not. You can look up doping scandals here if you have five hours to kill - or are just looking for something to do while pretending to work.

In the case of Alex Rodriguez, all the facts are against him, and while he doesn't have the smoking gun of many of his former teammates turning against him and providing insider details, there is the testimony of Tony Bosch - founder and owner of Biogenesis. You can argue that Bosch isn't exactly the best character witness, considering the numerous times his story has changed, but when you are dealing with illicit and banned substances, is anyone really a good character witness? How many morally, upstanding citizens do you know that deal in illicit drugs? Lance Armstrong was considered the savior of cycling, the hero of America and we see how that's turned out. Even the most seemingly upstanding people have their flaws.

See kids, this is what a cheater looks like!

There is also the fact that Alex Rodriquez himself isn't exactly clean. He denied for years that he used performance enhancing drugs before finally admitting it on national television (Armstrong must have thought this was a good idea, seeing as how he went on Oprah to "confess"). And really, if Bosch is such a bad guy, why was Rodriguez so involved with him? Why were they in constant contact with one another? Upon hearing the outcome of the arbitration panel, Rodriguez claimed that it relied on the "hearsay testimony of a criminal" - but Rodriguez himself is an admitted drug user! Here pot, I'd like to introduce you to kettle. Rodriguez, you have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs - which are illegal in the United States - in the past, so does this not make you a criminal as well? Why are you so much better than Bosch? Because you play baseball? Because you are the user and not the seller? I don't understand.

Throughout the Communist Era, the East German athletes were on drug programs that were unheard of in American sports. While steroids were a known entity to athletes around the world, the East Germans doped in a way that could only be called systematic and extensive. As world records fell and medals accumulated, suspicions rose but no proof of wrongdoing was ever uncovered, meaning that many of the medals earned during that twenty year period from 1968-1988 were never stripped. Are we, as Americans, turning into a society like the East Germans during this period, where every victory, every medal, every championship, is cheered and celebrated, with a blind eye turned to how it was earned, just so long as it's ours?

Here lies the biggest issue with performance enhancing drugs: you can't create a test for a drug that doesn't exist. This means that drug users and doping will always be one step ahead of those who wish to compete clean, to race unaided. However, until we as a sporting society choose to change, until we choose to turn our backs on champions who have turned out to be villains, until we choose to celebrate those who try and yet fail cleanly, rather than worship those that try and succeed under false pretenses - we cannot complain when our heroes let us down. They were only doing what we expected of them.

Reso-losers

It's that time of year again, folks. The time when everyone decides that this is their year. This is the year that they're finally going to lose those fifty pounds and fit into that pair of jeans they bought ten years ago in the hopes that they would some day get to wear them. This is the year they're going to run a 10k - or maybe even a marathon! This is the year to get back to their college weight - assuming they weren't an offensive lineman or put on thirty pounds when they came in freshman year. It's a new year, and a new you!

Congratulations! You are one of the 70% of people that make a New Year's resolution about health and wellness. You, and about 5 million other people in the United States, all hold a special place in the lives of those of us who actually go to the gym (or work at one) - mostly for the fact that we can't wait for you to leave. You with your khaki pants and Velcro shoes. You, with your sweatbands and cotton tee shirt, taking way too long with the dumbbells because yes, all you need to do to lose weight is pump out a few bicep curls and suddenly we'll forget about the fifty extra pounds that are packed solidly into your midsection because my don't your biceps look amazing. You, with your matching track suit from 1989 - which also happens to be the last time you worked out.

And then February rolls around, maybe it's snowing outside, the weather isn't super great and man this bed sure does feel comfy. Why don't I just hit the snooze button and settle down into this here down comforter for just a bit longer. Next thing you know, you still haven't run a 10k - so a marathon is definitely out of the question - those jeans are still hanging in your closet and your college weight is still, well, back in college.

I can't wait until February.

2013 - The Year in Athletic Pursuits

As I write this, I am currently still sitting in my sweatpants - and not because I am eager to pursue anything "sweat" related - and drinking my roughly fifth cup of coffee, as I let the day slowly unfold around me. I had plans to go for my first official run of 2014, and my first run since a short three miler at the beginning of December, but my laziness has taken hold of me on my day off and I haven't managed to work up the desire to go out in the cold, let alone change out of my pajamas. Instead, I would rather sit around watching various sporting events on television and justify to myself that by watching sports, I am indeed exercising. That first run of 2014 still may happen today - but it won't be long and it won't be pretty.

When the year 2012 turned into the year 2013, 365 days, 14 hours and 50 minutes ago, I promised myself that it would be full of adventure, full of fun and full of completing long-held goals. Contrary to popular belief, adventure doesn't have to be about world-travel or jumping out of airplanes - it can be as simple as embarking on a new job or career path, or setting lofty goals, or taking a calculated risk. With adventure comes some pretty spectacular highs, but also some pretty abysmal lows - that's what makes it worth it. I took some pretty big leaps in 2013, some of which worked out, some of which didn't and some of which are still in the process of unfolding.

Whether it was in my personal life, professional life or athletic pursuits, 2013 was an epic year. I celebrated my first wedding anniversary, I ran my first - and second - marathon, and qualified for Boston, I switched career paths and started a new job, I helped coach St. Anthony's Varsity Lacrosse team to a number four spot in the country and its' sixth straight Catholic League title, I joined the fire department, I qualified for the 2014 Age Group National Championships with five top ten finishes, I drank some really great beers, I trained hard, I PRed in a couple of different distances, I traveled, I relaxed, I gave myself time off, and, more importantly, I continued to grow as not just an athlete, but as a wife, a friend, a person.

Here's to 2013 and everything that it brought - the good things, the bad things and all the things in between. And here's to making 2014 - and everything that it brings to SJ and I - even better. . .