Numerous loud thunder struck a few minutes prior to my 5:55am alarm rang
this morning. My not awake mind jumped to conclude that our long run workout
was canceled. Once 6:00am came around, I regained consciousness and texted Coach
just to make sure the workout was in fact not going to take place. With
surprise, his text said “yes, we are running!”. I also contacted Oriana whom I
had promised I would go to training and again to my surprise her reply state “I’m
already on my way…” So I gathered my will power and told her I would get out of
Bed and get my behind over to the meeting point. Meanwhile ,Gene texted “uummm
lighting outside” followed by “It’s nasty out there” but afterm commiting I was not going to let HIM slack… I told him there is no excuses we
are going to do this! His later reply stated that he was on his way! :)
After a friendly 11.7 easy run, I am very thankful Oriana motivated me to get
up and get going and that I consequently returned the favor and got Gene out there. That's a great reason to smile! :)
Aaaaaah the power of positive influence!!!
Moral of today’s blog post:
I rewarded my body and mind with a heart friendly breakfast loaded with protein, fiber and antioxidant: Greek yogurt, blueberries, and wheat and barley cereal.
First, I must say Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon was one of
the most amazing and most painful experience of my life!
Since I completed St. Anthony’s triathlon on April 29th,
my eyes have been on successfully escaping from Alcatraz. Over the past two
months, I have been training rigorously to get myself ready to climb the Hills
of San Francisco doing bridge repeats and stair climbing. I live on the 32nd
floor and it seems that the elevator has been out of service ever since!
Throughout my training, I worked my way from climbing the building (44 floors)
in 8 minutes to climbing in 6 minutes. Great progress but was it enough?
Here’s my elevator speech taken 3 days prior to the race:
My pre race training went well although the ocean was
terribly cold. My face was burning and felt as if it was going to pop out of my swim cap. My hands and feet? Felt like a shark ate them... I wasn't sure they were still attached to my body....
Thank you Alina and Gave for lending me your Go Pro… I did put it to use. Check
this out:
The day went well. The expo was exciting! The check in was fast and pain free. I did drive the bike course and it was terrifying... Good thing I don't get sea sick because it was up and down and down and up.... and turn and up and turn and up some more and down and turn... All that just does not fit in one picture!
I felt ready and
happy to have my friends and family with me although I did miss the Tri 2 One pre
race gossip! J
I promise to publish the actual race report shortly!!! J
I just completed a 3.5 hour bike ride and feel amazing! I felt like a little kid in a playground playing with my bicycle!
Tri 2 One athletes gathered together at 6am in order to beat the Miami heat! The workout was ½ hour easy, ½ hour hard and so on… when I say hard, I mean we went hard. I pushed my teammate Cynthia to exhaustion… She is probably dead asleep right now! ;) Our speed averaged 20.6 mph against the wind and 24 mph with the wind and up to 25. So much fun! My favorite part: the sound of those wheelsVoom Voom Voom Voom.. I am sure triathletes and cyclists reading this are thinking “ooh yeaaaa, love that sound”!
Climbing the Miami Mountain! Almost there, you can do it girl!
I once in a while looked back to make sure Cynthia was still there and to my gratification,there she was, right on my back wheel. Very proud of her! During the easy ½ hour, she was very concerned about her heart rate making sure it was down to the acceptable zone Coach Marcello recommended. But during the 3 x ½ hour going hard, she had no time to look at her watch! There was no time for whining!
I am very pleased with today’s workout! My first workout back on the team's regular traning schedule since Alcatraz. It was fun, tough and most importantly, seeing Cynthia’s face and hearing her comments to coach and other teammates was rewarding! I love to push athletes to their limits and Cynthia was no disappointment! I am very proud of her! Bring it girl, show the world what you are made out of!
Now time for a healthy breakfast! Eggs, onions, lots of spinach with a little pepper! YUUMMM!!!
I know all
of you can't wait to read my race report! ;)
But tonight,
I would to share with you a new way of challenging myself with hope of also challenging you!
I am extremely proud of what Under Armour has produced: Numerous women
challenging themselves and motivating other women to believe in themselves and
show the world they are beautiful!
Tri 2 One’s training plan for today’s
pre-race week workout stated:
Hello Julie Lucas, Your workout for Thursday June 8th is RELAX
My plan was to do just that: RELAX!
Sophy has never been
to San Francisco, so I decided to take her to Point Reyes, relax in the car, and absorb the beauty
of North California various sceneries and natural world. It was mesmerizing.
The panorama of the Natural Seashore Park was breath taking.
As much as we were cherishing the moment and beauty in front of our eyes, we were eager to
see more. We ran up the path and down the 600 stairs to catch sight of Point Reyes famous lighthouse.
Here's a little glimpse:
The cold gusty winds gave us chills and in order to warm up we ran up the 600 stairs. Climbing those stairs reminded me of though training I have been doing to get ready for Alcatraz!
We then went to visit our first oyster farm and got to enjoy
some fresh delectable oysters.
As if the landscape and wildlife were not enough, as we started
to drive back to the city, we decided to stop by the Red Woods and go for a
hike. The, what we thought was a 30 minutes walk, ended up being an almost 2
hour hike up and down the mountain through the sky-scraping trees. We got lost in the woods, met this bizarre women hiking by herself who ran off, and had a great time being silly singing, dancing, taking loads of pictures and most importantly admiring the beauty in front of our eyes.
The day might not have been as relaxing for my body as Coach
suggested, but it was crucial for my soul. A little nature goes a long way. I
feel refreshed, sane, and balanced and ready for a good night sleep! (and ready to give my legs some time to rest and recover)
The preparation is over. We made it to San Fran. It was an adventure on its own getting everything ready in time but we did it!
Bike in box in pictures:
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
I packed the bike so well that I ended up being overweight at 68 lbs and consequently needed to re-arrange the baggage in order to avoid paying an extra $50. Although it was a disaster near the counter for a few minutes, the strict Virgin representative left and I ended up not having to pay for the bike - No overweight, No oversize, No bike fee - Thank you Virgin.
Flight went well. Arrived in San Fran. Bike made it safely. Happy to see my parents. All in all a positive experience so far.
However, it is COLD in San Fran! Not the ideal environment for a race... I should have thought about this a few months back. I am sure seeing all my fellow triathletes in a few days will get me in the mood!
(For those wondering... I, of course, "checked out" lean tall woman in the airport wondering if they could potentially be my competition! Shocking! )
I just finished the last bridge repeat
training before I conquer the hills of San Francisco.
Last Friday night, I went to dinner for
Gene's birthday, one of my close teammate. Lots of laughter and storytelling
among triathletes: the recipe for a great evening!
The cherry on top of the cake was to be able
to seat close to Craigypooh. He escaped from Alcatraz last year! I asked and
therefore got all the unnecessary details of the race! The imagery of the bike
start is already painted in my mind. "As you mount the bike, the crowd is
screaming and going wild, you can feel the blood pumping through your veins,
it's a straight flat shot out to a memorable bike journey. Take it in. Enjoy
the moment because after the first turn you will be faced with this hell of a
hill... somewhere around a 45% elevation..." His immense evil smile says
it all! Excitement, fear, and nervousness reside in my mind at this moment!
But I am ready! I will conquer!! I will
escape proudly!!!
