What are you doing Friday night?

Happy hour?
Dinner with friends?
Partypartypartying all night long?

Nope.


Went swimming, gonna attempt to catch up on the hydrating I havent been doing, and sit on the couch.

And blog about it. 

Oh and get excited about my s-caps and tinted goggles that came in the mail.
Oh and lay out my clothes and put my bike rack on my bike and pump tires.

Livin' the dream. 

Go TEAM

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The First Donor(s)

This year it was Melissa H., Lillie, Trevor, Mama Floyd and Michele M.

In years past it has been Nick W., Katie, Rocky, Ms. Pat, mom and bro.

Who are these people I'm calling out?  They are my elusive FIRST DONORS.  For all my thinking, considering, kinda training, kinda talking about my century ride, half marathon and now triathlon...

These are the people who make it real.  Who make me think. Oh crap! I need to seriously get into my training.  Because they've held up their part of the bargain, so now it's time to hold up mine.

So thank you first donors for making it real, you can join them here

Now back to training....and GO TEAM!

End of spin class selfie of my knee.  I assume that counts as a selfie

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The good, the bad, the swimming.

So I went to the Y this morning because:

a) needed to swim
b) figured its the least populated time to swim. 

A few notes. 

There is nothing quite like an alarm clock going off at 4:45am to send you into a "WHAT HAVE I SIGNED UP FOR?!?!" rage.  For reals yall.  Fo. reals.

Swimming is not cool.  I mean it is something when you can knock off running as my least favorite sport.  Perhaps they tie.  #1 on land and #1 in water. Straight tedious.  I got there at 5:25 and at 5:30 I was in the pool.  (pro-tip - assemble three swim cap situation at home and put wrap on head to goto gym) So at 5:30 I start with this non-sense. 

at 5:45 I was certain I was swimming so poorly that the Earth was literally moving backward.

at 5:47 I was like 'Ok Christopher Reeves in Superman 1 (1978, yall) is literally turning the Earth backwards to save Lana Lane's dumb a$s, forcing me to repeat this.

Y'all know I just watched this Saturday

at 5:50 I decided to try my swim snorkel. 

at 5:50 and 25 seconds I decided eff this swim snorkel, can't figure it out.

Dear Finis, Your one-line instructions are not sufficient.

at 5:55 I wondered, can I backstroke this entire tri? I mean this freestyle stuff is totally optional.  Let's do a few backstroke laps.

So much more enjoyable when you can breathe at all times.

at 6:00, ok let's freestyle 50m and then get the eff out.  Screw this hour nonsense.

Later at 7:14am I still smelled like chlorine and was dff to work.  And much like 4:45am I'm thinking "WHAT HAVE I SIGNED UP FOR?!?!"

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Leaving first tri swim practice....

There was only one thing I could think of...

Of course my version was more like

 

I guess there's no where to go but up huh? Right after I figure out this breathing thing...

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Are u inspired?

I was asked this last night after a day spent watching the Ironman 70.3 Galveston.

"Are u inspired?"

The short answer is yes. 

The long answer is hell yes. 

But I can hear the voice of my friend/coach/resident badass Tanya when I think of how she would say, "What you gonna do about it?"

Random guy running to transition after the swim

You see, I'm really good at throwing down the gauntlet. I've done it like at least a hundred times before. 

I'm gonna lose weight.
I'm gonna be vegetarian.
I'm gonna workout 5 days a week.
I'm gonna wake up and go running.
I'm gonna stop drinking.
I'm gonna be raw vegan, or vegan, or vegan-ish.

This list continues on and on.  Earlier this year I declared 30 pounds for my 30th birthday. And thus far I've lost and gained somewhere  around 7lbs. And I'm basically at the same place I was Jan. 1. 

So what are you gonna do about it....

Swim start...well as close as spectators could be to the swim start.

The Ironman this weekend was nothing short of inspiring.  I wanted to go to support Tanya and the rest of my TNT pals, but I also wanted to go to watch the race.  To watch these extraordinary athletes push their bodies to the limits to do almost impossible things.  I wanted to see it up close in person.  If I'm going to watch my first tri, might as well be a Ironman. 

Tons of bikes at transition

The elites did not disappoint. But what I didn't expect to feel, is the feelings that the everyday people didn't disappoint either.  The MOST inspiring part was seeing the people who are probably sit at 9 to 5's all day and on this day are crazy beast-mode athletes.   The people who got in right before the cutoff.  The straggler who looked like shit toward the end, but can still say they completed a 70.3 at the end of the day.

But I digress, about badass Tanya. 

Race morning..how did I do all this without coffee

Tanya doesn't like that I call her that, but she is in fact a badass.  Somewhere along all these crazy endurance events I do Tanya has been there for me, coaching me through Hawaii and Vegas.  And even though she wasn't there, San Diego and MS150.  I mean lets be real, I don't remember much of Hawaii training season.  I'm really good a blocking about horrible decisions I make, which includes attempting a century starting at a zero fitness level, no road bike and making about 2/3rds of the practices.  I know I rode with Tanya several times during the training, but I don't remember most of it. 

However there are a few parts of Hawaii I remember vividly. 

-Going up heartbreak hill and thinking 'fuck it' and walking.  And I remember Tanya coming up behind me saying something along the lines of 'I know that isn't Brittani walking up the hill!!"And me thinking fuck...of all the people to be behind me...Coach Tanya.

-Somewhere in the last 20 miles or so when I rode with her and she talked about the ride next year.  I remember my response being somewhere along the lines of 'There's no way in hell I'm doing this shit again'

-And then clearly I forgot all that again because I remember deciding to do Vegas at the TNT happy hour the next spring, shortly after my grandma has passed away.

So it was definitely role reversal for me to be the spectator cheering her on this weekend.  And I kinda got it.  Because I couldn't have been more proud of my friend when she crossed that finish line about 6 hours after she finished that swim and I saw the look of Holy Shit on her face.

note - that swim did warrant that look.  It totally looked terrifying.

I've never been concerned about Tanya in a endurance event, but for a moment there my faith was a little rattled.  But after that, when we saw her on the bike

and the run, she looked like her normal self and I knew it was just a matter of time...seriously these Ironman 7+ hour events are no freaking joke.

So totes proud of my badass (own it!) friend and coach, and inspired to do something more.

Crossing the finish...like a boss.

So what you gonna do about it Brittani?

I'm not entirely sure yet....but Go Team.

Jesus be a disco nap.  Spectating is hard.

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One week from now...

I'll be in Las Vegas, probably on a training ride.

I just had a mild panic attack.

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Anderson Loop - 86miles

....I know I should write something, but I'm still unsure as to exactly what.  So this could be long.

86 miles...did that!

A year ago, coming up to the Honolulu Century Ride, I wasn't confident that I'd make the entire 100.  I dreaded going to the rides, and when I went I sagged out towards the end. 

What a difference a year makes.  I loathe failing.  One of my bigger regrets is that last year when my grandma was around, I didn't finish.  So I knew if I signed up this year, it would be round two of some sorts. I knew I was in a different place, and I knew I had to finish.

Yesterday, I actually felt like "Ok, I can do 100, how about that 122 route?" It's a great feeling.  A crazy indescribable feeling. A oh-wow-maybe-I-am-a-cyclist-feeling.

I'm just gonna break it down...because it's my blog and I can write whatever I want. 

Mentally: 
Going into this ride.  I had some conflicting emotions.  I'm fully committed to no-SAG 2012. But I only went to one spin class this week, ran twice? and biked maybe 2.5 miles on Wednesday before I a)taught Andrea how to change a tire and b) realized I was supposed to be dogsitting and sped off to my bro's house.  I did hydrate pretty well Wed-Fri.  But Sat morning I couldn't sleep because I was nervous about the ride and I wasn't at home in my normal surroundings

So because I wasn't where I wanted to be training-wise this week I thought about it as a mental exercise.  Vegas week won't be perfect.  I won't have the greatest training schedule leading up to with with traveling, team events etc.  I won't be on the best diet leading up to it, and I'll be in a hotel room.  So this week...and the next 2 weeks of dogsitting will be my mental exercises.  Because I love for everything to be the exact same way, clothes laid out the same the night before, cheerios and pb&j on the drive up, etc etc.  And it will be impossible to replicate that at the actual ride, so I need to get out of my rut now.

But since this was a loop ride it helped me out a lot mentally because I hate surprises.  Hate.  And I knew kinda which hills were coming or at least the big ones.   And with a sag stop at each end of the loop, it was easy to break it down to 10-ish miles at a time...8 times.

Physically....broken down by loops:
Miles 0-21.  
And at every ride, I feel great until mile 3.  Then my brain wakes and and screams WTF ARE YOU DOING?!? And I feel crappy miles 3-10.  And then I settle into normal in miles 10+. Same thing happened today. It was nice and overcast though.

Miles 21-42ish. 
Feeling great.  Music is on, though I'm mostly talking to teammates on the ride.  Still overcast...looks like rain...getting excited.  Wasn't feeling the 82 miles I thought it'd be...definitely wasn't feeling the 86 miles.  4miles=huge difference.  Rain delay would be super awesome.

Miles 42ish-64ish. 
No rain.  Dang it. Gotta make another loop!  First ten out I listened to music and cursed speaker adapter for coming out of my ipod several times in the middle of songs I was singing.  Particularly my kanye songs.  I need to channel kanye's arrogance and bravado right now. 

Because I know whats coming on this loop.

"Now that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
'cause I can't wait much longer"
-kanye, stronger

The Wall.  Last year it used to happen around mile 30.  This year it pops up somewhere in 50-60.

The Wall or rather the faux Wall.  The Wall and it's faux counterpart is a total bitch.  Last season I hit the wall,
the faux wall,
deaths doorstep,
and probably a frog or two.  Several times. 

But I didn't really hit the WALL until Honolulu.  Somewhere right after I'd missed the cutoff and I was dead crazy tired, sad and disappointed in myself.  I knew to do this in 2012, I'd have to make the wall my bitch.

It's still easier said than done.

Luckily miles 50 on were me and coach Tanya.  Things Tanya is great at:

-general badassery. Why yes it is a word according to urban dictionary.  Definition is pretty accurate.

-distracting me.   I don't think I was much of a conversationalist last season because I was...well breathing.  But this year I can talk! About all kinds of stuff! Talking on the bike is super exciting.

-knowing that I'm just bitching in general.
Eff you rainless clouds!
Eff you wind!
Eff you hills!
What the...! Those fake deer all just moved.  Are hallucinations a symptom of heatstroke!?!
And that while I'm tired and I'm not going as fast as I started off at, I'm not actually tired enough to sag out even though I'm bitching. 

Miles 64ish-75ish.

It occurs to me that the advantage/disadvantage of this loop situation is that I have to say goodbye to my car yet again.  Oh sweet sweet Jean Grey (don't judge my car's name), I miss/love/really appreciate you. 

There was a stop and breathe break right before the final-giant-imported from Chappell Hill, hill, right before the final SAG stop.  It was glorious.  

Miles 75ish-86ish.

Last ten.  Lately my 'eff it!' surge has been failing me, but not today.  Or rather, I just went to hell with what I'm supposed to do:
-high cadence, granny gear pedaling up hills. 
And just did:
-big gear, power up the damn hills separating me from my car. 

So maybe it was the 'eff it!' surge, re-imagined.

It was a great finish if I do say so myself.  I don't remember exactly what we were talking about riding into town, but I remember I was laughing as we rode into the team.  Definitely not like last year.  But reminded me of the pic I put on my thank you letters from last season

I'm totally fake smiling.  Upon deaths door last year. 

 Go Team.

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$769.67

Donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/vbvegas12/brittani

Dear Friend,

Saturday I conquered 65 miles rolling fun in the infamous Chappell Hill.  With the temp topping 101 degrees and 13mph winds I admit it was not a fun experience.  But cresting the hill to the cheers of my cancer survivors and recently diagnosed cancer fighters made me remember that the pain I was feeling then was pretty insignificant to what you have to go through to take on cancer.

I’m $769.67 away from cresting that final hill this season.  Last year you were able to donate to the cause, could you help me over that hill and do it again?

Thanks in advance!

Brit

Read about my weekly misadventures in cycling, running and all the fun stuff in between at www.britdoeslife.com

 

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Chappell Hill Long - 65miles.

Today hurt.
Mentally.
Physically.
But more mentally
and physically will probably last through tomorrow when I'm laying in bed thinking about icing my knees or something.

Processing some of the bigger things that happened today are still ongoing, but to sum up. They hurt.  They Suck. Karma, God, Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever has a wicked sense of humor sometimes. 

So with all that brewing, there was no way I was gonna SAG out today, but I sure did think about it a couple of times.

Last hill in million degree hear.  I swear drawn to scale. Horrendous.  Clearly I'm not an artist.

I mean it was HOT for one.  2011 summer drought hot.  My ipod overheated hot.  I'm pretty sure the hottest practice this season.  Secondly, I didn't hydrate as I have in past weeks.  I was going into this at a deficit, but determined to continue my no-SAG 2012.

So yea hills there were alot of them, otherwise I assume it'd be called Chappell Flat, and they sucked.  I mean I know I've improved over the last season, because I wouldve died out there last year.  Vultures would've been circling me the ENTIRE ride.  

Go Team!

But alas despite the heat, my ipod dying, not being as hydrated as I needed to be and a few muscle cramps, coaches Tanya and Alan were able to distract me enough from riding so that first 60 miles weren't completely awful.  The last five however, sprang up from the fiery depths of hell.  Much like Athena sprang up from Zeus' head. Depths of hell yo.

Athena from Xena: Warrior Princess. You need to be well versed in greek mythology to read my blog.  

The more you know..

I was gassed.  Burned out.  Done.  At the point I'd already hit 171 on my heart rate monitor (supposed top limit for my age, 164) No longer had the ability to use my big chainring.  Just thinking about how biking is stupid and evil.  I was at the point of 100% mental, because I was beyond done physically.

It's at this point that I thought about two things:

1.  My Grandma.  Because that's why I'm doing this and fighting up a hill is nothing compared to cancer.
 2.  "It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything." -Tyler Durden, Fight Club

It's this point when you gotta dig deep, and just pedal to oblivion. And by oblivion I mean, my car and glorious A/C.  And riding in to the awesome TNT team doesnt hurt either.  They're super awesome.

 

Go Team.

And go Case Keenum and his NFL debut in a preseason game! Got to catch the end of that game.   Go Coogs!

Dear NFL Commentators.  Yes his name is Casey.  However he goes by Case.  Stop calling him Casey, that's ignorant.

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