Resist the urge!

Nacho's, Shawn, Nacho's . . . You are bad Nacho's, leave me alone  AHHHHHHHH!

Volume 2 - Breakin' the Law

Unfortunately Sunday's weather was not as favorable as Saturday. Despite the cold temperatures (only in the 50's) we decided to make the most of it. After the dog-paddling incident at Jerseyman, I am determined to get some open water swim practice in before Mooseman. I'm sorry, but no amount of pool swimming can simulate the real thing. So after a small amount of persuading, Matt decided to accompany me back to Spruce Run State Park to get in a short swim in the lake. Besides, this could very well be the weather conditions on June 6th. My mom came with us to be our photographer. Who knew it would turn into the adventure it did..... Well, we kinda figured we would get the boot (no lifeguard on duty= no swimming), but decided to press our luck!


We came prepared to try to get 2 laps across the lake and then onto the 5k run course from Jerseyman. As we approached the park, we could already spot at least 2 park ranger vehicles and guys mowing, picking up trash from the grounds, etc. Crap. They must be preparing for opening weekend over Memorial Day. Should we go for it??? No guts, no glory!




So, we parked the car and proceeded to carry our wetsuits, towels, etc down to the far edge of the beach...not too suspicious. We tried to be quick about getting into our wetsuits, caps, goggles, etc while my mom kept watch.



Here comes a car....Duck!!! ok...he drove by. I'm sure he didn't notice our bright yellow heads! There's another park ranger.....quick, pull off the caps and sit on the bench! Nooo, we aren't planning to get in the water officer! He's slowing down.....ok, he drove by. Let's get in the water! Down the beach and into the lake we go. The air was so cold & windy that the water felt warmer than I thought. We waded out, found the green sign across the lake to sight off of and began swimming. Stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe....stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe.... Hey, I just might be able to do this! The came the whistle and siren.....dang it! Swim's over..... I doubt that we even got 50m before we were headed back to shore. (My hair was still dry when I took my cap off!)



We walked up to the park ranger in his jeep and apologized, but explained our reasoning behind our law-breaking stunt. He was pretty cool....said he knows "how crazy you people are....clearly you must be training for something". He then says to me, "Looks like you must have been a swimmer in college." HA!! That's funny stuff, right there! We talked for a few minutes about polar bear swims that he used to do and our upcoming races and then we parted ways as friends.



Back to the car to dry off and then we headed out for the 5k run....at least running is legal! My mom walked, while we ran. Matt was ahead of me by a bit, but was experiencing some knee discomfort and slowed enough for me to catch up. After the "long swim" it took my legs 1.5 miles or so to warm up. I finished feeling stronger at the end, like last week's race, so that was consistent. Good thing...I'll have to keep going at Mooseman.

After we run, we headed back home to spend the afternoon with Kryste and Ian. By last night, the most pain I was experiencing was, well, in the butt. After inten-sati, the long bike and then the run my gluts and hamstrings were just plain ol' sore. What a welcome difference from the shooting sciatica pain! maybe things are moving in the right direction after all....slowly, but surely.

Stay tuned for Volume 3.....Monday's Masters.

I haven't updated you recently on Dinah.  She is doing well.  I understand she looks concerned here, but her big sisters face just disappeared behind the light making machine.  Always a little disconcerning.

The other three are well.  Levi is doing well in baseball, Maddy is enjoying art class and singing, and Eleanor is enjoying the trampoline and won a T-shirt for her egg not breaking during the egg drop contest.

I have picked up the pace on the training.  A good four work outs last week.   I am projecting to partcipate in the Rocky Gap sprint tri.  They have an international race, but two much for me at this point.  This race is June 13.  Otherwise, I don't have any concrete race planned until August.  A couple sprints have popped up the week before the fourth, but I don't know if it would be worth it to do so quickly after the Rocky Gap.  We will see. 

3 week photo journal to Mooseman 2009- vol 1

Many of us out there seem to have been in some sort of a funk recently...Matt and I included. Since the Mooseman is rapidly approaching (3 weeks from yesterday), we have decided to document our training leading into the race. We will be documenting our heightened training focus every step of the way. This will hopefully inspire (or at least entertain!) those who need it. At the same time it will hold us accountable. Alright....truth be told we thought it would be funny and add some "daily thrills" leading up to the race! Anyway, here it is........

Volume 1:
Saturday, May 16th
Inspired and ready to have a good, strong training weekend, I started my day with an hour of inten-sati at 8:00am. That class is my addiction. It gets me focused and mentally prepared to take on any challenges that lie ahead. I highly recommend it. Not to mention it's incredible cross-training for strength and flexibility. I owe my guns to Tiffany! :-)

Inten-Sati: Genine and Tiffany rockin' it out!


Matt making his delicious oatmeal concoction of oats, applesauce &
cinnamon Fiber One cereal.


When I got home, Matt and I had a leisurely breakfast and did a few household chores. Then we met up with Maija for a bike ride around 2:00. Meeting up at Maija's house is always fun because of her enthusiastic welcoming committee.....Cooper and Frito!

Matt with Cooper and Frito.




We did a modified version of the Buckman course thinking it would be a relatively good simulation of Mooseman terrain. It was a little over 27 miles with several good hills. We took our time and enjoyed the sunshine. The course takes you along the Round Valley Reservoir. It is very reminiscent of Kinzua.
Matt and Genine by Round Valley Reservoir


Maija and Genine by Round Valley Reservoir


After the ride, we had to scoot, so alas...no frozen fruit bars or frosty paws for us. We headed to Princeton to meet Scotty to pick up my mom. She had been at my sister's for the week, so was going to be spending the night with us. We got back to Somerville, cleaned up and then it was time for dinner. We treated ourselves to McCormick's & Schmick's. MMmmm.....the cedar plank salmon is delicious!!! And then of course the reward that is deserved after a hard bike day...ice cream!! :-)


Matt driving to Princeton. Genine's having fun in the car with the camera!

Fall Tri-fest

I keep forgetting to mention this. This fall there are 2 triathlons in 2 days both about 25 minutes from my house. Could this be enough to get Craig out here for the weekend? How about Jim?

I'm not suggesting we race both of them. How about race one of them and relay the other?

The events
The Buckman on Sat Sept 12th
Skylands Triathlon on Sun Sept 13th

I should be bummin.

Things still aren't as I want them to be at work. It's close but I have to say I'm disappointed that the network and telcom side of things did not go well. I really don't think I had a chance. I have known for quite some time that this just wasn't going to go well. I just had a feeling.

Since I've been tired, sick, sick & tired, I've been holding off posting because all I was going to do was cry about how disappointed I am in not being able to prepare for these races. Nobody needs to listen to that. Here is something I read a few weeks ago and I've applied it to my situation.

A wise Chinese farmer's horse runs off. When his neighbor stops by to console him. The farmer tells his neighbor "Who knows what is good or bad?"
When his horse returned the next day with a herd of horses following, the neighbor stops by to congratulate him on his good fortune. The farmer again says, "Who knows what is good or bad?".
Then, when the farmer's son broke his leg tring to ride one of the new horses, the neighbor came to console him again. The farmer replies "Who knows what is good or bad?"
When the army passed through, conscripting men for the war, they passed over the farmer's son because of his broken leg. The neighbor stops by to congratulate the farmer that his son would be spared, again the farmer said, "Who knows what is good or bad?"
When do we expect the story to end?

I loosely applied this to me because of my knee injury. If work didn't get so crazy busy for me, maybe I wouldn't have taken enough time away from training to allow it to heal. (I really hope that it's healed).
If I end up not going to the Columbia Triathlon maybe that's just how it is supposed to be.
"Who knows what is good or bad?"

I really enjoyed taking pictures at the race last weekend. If it wasn't for the camera, I think I may have been green with envy. I'm ready to get back out there and have some fun!!

Genine's Jerseyman 2009 Race Report

Strangely enough, I did not feel nervous going into the race that would be my first full triathlon. Unprepared….yes. Nervous…..not so much. The past few weeks have not been what I had hoped for in terms of training, so I was really just racing Saturday as a test run for Mooseman without many expectations other than to cross the finish line.

Shawn arrived around 9:30 Friday night. After talking and finishing race preparations, I was in bed by 11:00ish, with my alarm set for 5:30am. I slept well. The morning went together easily and we were in the car heading to Spruce Run at about 6:45am. Plenty of time for our 9:30am start. We got there, found parking and I immediately hit the potty for stop number 1 of the morning….there were many! Trying to gauge food & liquid intake over 4 hours prior to starting the race is a bit tricky for a novice. Shawn and I then got our packets, got numbered and then went back to the car to get bikes & gear packed up to take to transition. On the way there, I saw Todd and Chaz in line for packet pickup. And chatted for a minute. Always nice to see familiar faces!

I got to transition and set up. I was the third bike in from the end, hopefully easy to remember. It felt funny setting up my own gear…all of it for ME…I was racing this all by myself! I laid everything out in the order I would be using it and then did a quick mental run thru to make sure I didn’t forget anything. It all seemed to be in the right spot. Todd was heading to the port-potties, so I followed…again. It was about a half hour to the pre-race meeting, so it was almost time to start putting my wetsuit on. Better go again…one last time just to make sure!

My wetsuit went on very easily and comfortably…no troubles. During the process, I was talking with the woman racked beside me. She was quite nice and I shared with her that this was my first full race and that the swim was the part that I had my doubts about. She was a newbie also (her second race) and told me to just relax and go at my own pace. She then said that I don’t have anything to worry about and asks if I have worked out before. I said yes, but not tri workouts (prior to last Oct). To which she replied, “ I thought you did because you look so intimidating with your muscles.” Ha! I laughed out loud! “We’ll see.” I said, “but thank you though!”

Time to walk down to the water. The part of the race I was dreading was upon me. Again, I didn’t feel nervous, but just wanted to be out of the water and on my bike. I chatted a bit on the beach with Matt, Maija, Todd, Chaz and Shawn before the start. The first 2 waves leave and then wave 3 is called…my wave. No turning back now. I walk over the timing mat and wish Maija good luck as she heads to her spot and I go to mine….in the back, behind to the right. Again, my only goal here is to get through the swim and on to the rest of the race. It is a means to an end for me. After a few minutes delay, the horn sounds and I am in the water. I try to find a spot that I am not hitting into anyone…pass 2-3 people… and now it’s time to swim. Apparently my arms and lungs didn’t hear me, as all I could manage to do was dog paddle. I am not joking even a little bit. It was like my brain could not control what my body was doing. I tried to put my face in the water and swim…not happening. So, I went with it. I actually passed a few of the super slow people. Go figure! As I was turning at the first buoy, I began to get angry with my situation. I know I am not a strong swimmer, but come on! Seriously?!? I can’t dog paddle the entire swim! So, I managed to get myself to begin to side stroke on the right. This seemed to be better and most importantly…faster. As I rounded the second buoy, I was on the straight line for shore. It was then I decide it was time to swim. And so I did…with almost every bit of technique I have learned at masters swim flying right out the window. Oh well…I was “swimming”. My stroke felt smooth, but bi-lateral breathing wasn’t happening. No, it was every stroke on the right and that was going to have to be good enough. Just please get me feet back on the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, I was standing up peeling off my wetsuit. Hooray!! Matt was right there coaching, cheering and running beside me back up to transition. It was exactly what I needed to put the swim behind me and shift my focus to the bike. My favorite part! My wetsuit came off without a hitch, rinsed my feet off with my extra water bottle, quick dry them off, bikes shoes on (no socks!), helmet on, sunglasses on and I’m ready to go! I decided to take one quick chug of water from my extra bottle I had on my towel. Chug..…wait, that’s not water! That’s Nuun! Ooops…yes, I did just rinse my feet with Nuun! T2 was 3:20. Oh well…time to bike!

I felt confident on my bike…a welcome contrast from the swim! And since I didn’t kick at all during the swim, my legs felt good now. I got some fluid in me and felt ready to go. I passed several people throughout the course. It felt good! Since Matt and I rode it twice in the past 2 weeks, I knew what to expect. Some good uphills, rollers and the big downhill with curves. I think I hit 42mph before I start to tap the brakes. I had a gu at about half way through. I finished the bike feeling good about my performance and was ready to test my hip out on the run.

T2 went smoothly. I did put on socks to run, swapped helmet for running hat, drank some fluids and off I went. I think my T2 was 1:00 flat. My goal for the run was to finish and not injure my hip any further. The first mile or so was difficult as my legs felt very heavy and my right hip felt like a knife was being jammed in to it every step. I ran slow, but steady. By mile 2.5 the legs were feeling better and the hip was going numb. I’m not sure if numb is good, but I figured no pain was good at that moment in time. So, with only a half mile left, I was starting to feel like I could pick up the pace and was trying to get some push off out of my strides as I crossed the finish line. This makes me hopeful for the 10k Mooseman run……time will tell. I ran the whole 5k, only stopping to walk at the water stations long enough to drink. I averaged a 9:44 pace. The bigger victory is that my hip didn’t break or fall off. At the end of the day, it actually did not hurt any worse than it has recently, so good recovery news there.

I crossed the finish line to the sweetest reward – a congratulatory kiss from Matt! (sorry for the girly talk boys, but hey, what can I say…he’s the best!) I felt that I gave a solid performance for my first race. My total time was 2hrs 5min and change. Which as we found out at the awards ceremony, would have earned me a 3rd pace trophy had I registered in the “first timer” category. Oh well! I know what my time was…don’t need a trophy for that. Ok, it would be nice, but whatever!

I’m excited to have that experience to learn from prior to Mooseman. I am going to make an effort to get some open water swim practice in before then. No dog paddle in Newfound! The day was made complete by having so many friends there racing and cheering for me. To Matt, Shawn, Maija, Todd, Chaz and Bob….Thank you!! You guys are so supportive and fun to hang with! The next 3 weeks will be busy ones, but exciting ones. Can’t wait to be writing my next race report….Mooseman 2009!!!!

Jerseyman Race Report

I'll make this brief. Two things need to be known before I begin. I think I weighed about 280 on the day of the race, and I haven't trained in months. I have not swum since January, and I haven't run since February, and even that month was only once, I think. Add to that the fact that I got a new bike two days before the race, and only rode it about 2 miles before throwing in the car and taking off for Matt's house. That should probably give you a pretty good idea of how I did in this race.

The swim was a very nice half mile laid out as three-sides of a square in a pretty cool lake. I think this was my most comfortable swim so far, that being my third ever. When the airhorn went off, I waddled into the water trying to let everyone else get a lead on me. That worked for a while until I caught up to a clump of guys and got jostled around a bit. This caused me to do the dog paddle a few times to try to get my bearings and avoid getting kicked again. It worked. After the first buoy, it was smooth sailing. My form was not good, but everything felt fine and I started passing people on the third section, similarly to what happened in Morgantown. I seem to either speed up or other people start to run out of gas as we approach the end. I always feel much better by then than I do at the beginning, and I feel like I could swim all day. I came out 206th out of 277 starters. That was my best split by far. I beat 71 people! I should be happy with that, given my Mooseman performance and my lack of experience. Of those 71 people, about 56 of them passed me in the bike, which is a disgrace. The bike is supposed to be my strong discipline. I guess I should stop saying that. It never has been. And as long as we keep doing hilly courses, I doubt it will be unless I drop 75 pounds. The new bike worked great. I was fast on the flats and downs, much more so than everyone else, but the ups, which were numerous and sizable (combined with my commodious fat), killed me. I was 260th on the bike. Pitiful. I then ran and walked the 5K, knowing that there could only be a few people behind me, and most of them passed me there. I did keep ahead of a couple of people, I guess they were all women, though I think there were a couple of guys who ran faster than me but were far enough behind that they didn't catch me. Five maybe. My run was 269th out of 272 finishers. Wahoo!

So this experience has revealed my weaknesses starkly, and informed me about what I need to do by June, July, and August. I have races in all three months. Of course in August is a half-iron, which will just be downright ridiculous if I am in this kind of shape. Thus I have vowed to change myself in the next three months. I'm not going to be winning anything, but I would like to at least keep up some kind of respectable pace in all three parts, given my size. I am going to be doing my own Biggest Loser fitness-fest, and seeing how it affects my endurance and my weight-loss. It begins tonight. First exam is the Mooseman.

I guess the good news is that I felt fine afterwards. I was not exceptionally beat or sore. So I think there must be something leftover from before. I hope to build off whatever that is. The other good news is that I don't have to run in the Mooseman! Yay! I'm hoping with a little practice, my swim might fall into place. Practicing the bike and losing weight will be the key for the first month. I will certainly be swimming and running too, but probably not as much at first. And that's all I have to say about that.

Sympathy sickness.....

To say Matt's work schedule this past month was insane is a huge understatement. He has been so focused on making C5's move a success, that his own well-being has suffered greatly. Not only has the workload reduced his workout schedule significantly, but he is now so run down that he is sick with a nasty sinus infection that has settled in his lungs and vocal chords causing laryngitis. Even though the work hours are easing up, his health is still not where he wants it to be. therefore workouts are still non-existant. I feel badly and wish I could do something to make it better. I think that's partially why my workouts have been so lame the past few weeks as well. One - I feel guilty going to workout when Matt can't (when I know he wants to) and Two - I like to workout together. I'm not putting any blame on Matt for my lack of motivation. I take full responsibility. But, it's just not as much fun by myself....especially swimming! I can talk myself out of going to the pool in less than 2 seconds....and have the past 2 weeks for masters swim. So when Maija called at 7:15 tonight to tell me she was going for a short run and then to masters, it was exactly what I needed to hear. So, I threw on my run stuff, packed a swim bag and met her at the Y. We did an easy 2mile run and then went to swim. I only swam for an hour of masters, but it's more than I would have done on my own. Let's hear it for work out buddies.....hip - hip - hooray!! Thanks, Maija, for saving me from my own apathy tonight! Much appreciated...and needed!

And please send healthy vibes Matt's way this week. I am hoping that he will feel well enough for the Columbia race this weekend. Even if it ends up only being a "training race" to prep for Mooseman. It's time to move forward with healthy bodies and spirits.

Jerseyman Triathlon 09 pictures

Here is the link to the pictures of our group.

Here are the shots of other people.

Link to Jerseyman Triathlon 09 Sprint Results

2008 Tango Video

Tango Video

A link off of the Tango site sent me to this You Tube video.

Check out the first run 1:30 or so a shot of Maija then Matt.

4:30 ish a good shot of Genine and Maija then a quick shot of Matt and Craig shortly after from a distance and behind us..  

Didn't see any of Shawn, but might have miss him.

Time to get back on track.

You know things are looking up if I have time to sit and write a post.

Today was the 2nd move of the week and tomorrow we should be able to handtruck the last of the equipment to the new location and be done with the office move!
I am completely shot and am fighting a bit of a cold. (Mucinex is awesome stuff). But I think I can have a 2 day weekend if all goes well Friday.

Over the last couple weeks, I've learned that lack of sleep hurts more than a half marathon. There is no way you will ever be inspired to be physically active if you are constantly sleep deprived. Obviously it can be done, but I can definitely say it's not going to have the same effect physically or mentally.

So step one to getting back on track in time for Mooseman. Get back to a normal sleep schedule.

Step two: Stop eating so much. I've put on weight. I don't want to know how much. I'm just going to go about fixing the problem and not look at the scale. (why rub salt into the wound?)

Step three: Training. I went from 2 workouts a day to 2 workouts a week. So much for that awesome winter of base training. I'm hopeful that my time off has allowed my knee to get back to normal. I guess I will find out this weekend. I will probably run Saturday or Sunday, it depends on when this junk gets out of my lungs.

I also found out that my co-worker Doe, her hometown is where the Columbia Triathlon is next weekend. So she's going to tell us all the good places to eat! Wahoo!

I'm looking forward to Shawn being here this weekend and taking pictures at the race this weekend. It should be a great weekend. (I really hope this cold doesn't take hold)

Swamps of Jersey, Here I Come!

I have officially signed up for the Jerseyman, so it looks like I will be heading out there Friday evening. I think for the race I need to get an orange shirt that says "Caution: Slow Moving Vehicle." I signed up as a Clyde, so my new age group doesn't really matter. I know they are trying to offer an additional category, but I am still not happy that I might have to go up against a guy who is 20 years younger than me and 70 pounds lighter. Can anyone remind me why I do this sport?

Day trip, anyone?

Who's up for a one-day tour of beautiful northern PA?
Pine Creek!

Diesel Golf

I haven nothing much to report here other than the first studio at work is up and running. It's a nice room. Glad to be in a new space.

On top of the Move and Studio work, I'm trying to get the Golf to a point where it will pass inspection and we can keep it going for another couple years. I figure both Craig and Shawn would applaud this decision.
So I've ordered up a glow plug wiring harness and relay and scheduled the windshield to be replaced on Saturday. If all that goes well. The engine light should stay off long enough for it to pass inspection.
The transmission error will happen again. Every so often it doesn't shift into 5th gear. That's the issue. Not a big deal really, I'm told I should continue to drive it until there is a real problem. Let's hope this all works out. Otherwise I'm fixing this up to trade it in?? Which would be a losing venture.

Who's the man?

I'm thinking "Jersey-MAN" and "Moose-MAN".......ahem, Shawn??

I figured since you were warming up with the kettlebells last week in preparation for kicking it into high gear this week, I thought I would let you know that Matt & I rode the Jerseyman bike course today. I think you are going to like it...a lot. It's not too crazy with hills, but enough to be challenging. The best part is the long, steep downhill complete with a couple good twists in it and a sharp right at the very bottom, over a one lane bridge and then...bam!...right into a short, but steep climb. Your crazy, mad bike skills will rock this! Ok, have I pumped you up enough to make sure you are signed up for the race?? Just checking! :-)

2nd run test

I tried a longer run this morning. I ended up walking a large portion of it. Including a mile at the end. Hopped into the pool immediately after. Swam like 1200-1300. Wasn't feeling that either.
Then I caught a train into the city to go to work. Walking down stairs in Newark... my knee was very tight.
Not sure what I'm going to do. I didn't run for about a month leading into Mooseman last year. Maybe that's what's going to happen again this year.
I've dialed back my enthusiasm about being competitive at the 3 Olympic distance races this year. Looks like I blew it with the timing of this injury. I still plan on having fun doing them.

That's the news. Now I've gotta get to work.

Almost there

I broke out the kettlebell yesterday and did a fair bit of swinging while the kid was at soccer. Lots of traditional swings, a bunch of one-handed bell flipping, some spins around the waist and some snatches. I also jogged a little and walked a little more. It has been a long time. Today I can feel it all over, but in a good way. I don't think I overdid it. I just want to get some kind of tiny little base so when I kick it into high gear next week, I am not starting from scratch. I don't want to try to do a three-hour workout if I haven't done anything in months. It might take a little while, but I am feeling good about the possibilities.

Short run to test the knee

Run/walk for about 1.5 miles tonight. Whee!
Honestly, I'm not sure if that's far enough to be a test but it's better than nothing.
I guess everything is feeling right. I've definitely noticed that my walking is back to normal. I guess I should use that as my guide more often.
I was thinking of hopping on the bike but honestly. I'm tired. I'm looking to be asleep by 9:30 tonight. I need to get caught up on the zzzzz's.

That's the news. Hopefully more running Saturday AM... before I go to work.

Tired of Being Sick!

My third cold in TWO MONTHS!  I am Tired, achy, and hacky!  I never get sick, three times in a season, unacceptable.  

I have stopped training, believing maybe I have not become healthy due to one long continuous sickness.  I go to bed by 9 pm and drink gallons of fluids, vitamin C, and have resorted to a nightly does of NyQuil.  

If my cough doesn't go away, I may have to see a doctor (ugh).  I don't like those guys, they look down on me about my herbal, hippie remedies (I know NyQuil isn't in that category, but I have to stop the cough!)

I even stopped push ups the last four nights, partly because I want to feel good, but I am also too tired by the time I have to do them.

My family hasn't been sick (knock on wood, even though I don't believe in superstition).  

Thanks for listening.