Race Report: Escape The Cape Triathlon

Webb: Well it finally arrived: the first triathlon of the season. We selected Max Performance's Escape The Cape sprint triathlon to be our season-opener. The race is so named as it is in the quaint towns of Onset and Wareham, just off Cape Cod (a little over an hour outside of Boston). We have done this race every year - which now stands at four.

Elle: Like Webb said, we've done this race every year since it started. It has a symbolic meaning to us in that way, and also because last year, when the weather was awful, and they had to cancel the swim due to dangerous ocean currents, I secured my first ever first place AG podium finish, which was freaking awesome. You can read all about it here. So the fact that I couldn't race this year stung. A lot.

Escape The Cape

THE SWIM: 1/3 mile point-to-point ocean swim

Webb: I set an aggressive goal for myself two years ago to race this course in under an hour. Last year the RD canceled the swim due to the weather. This year with some new speed in my run legs, I liked my chances. Of course, I needed the weather to cooperate in not turning the race into a duathlon again or wind-driven waves pushing me backwards (see 2011).  Both of these were possible with Tropical Storm Andrea whipping up the east coast.

It rained all day Friday and into the night. All of the meteorologists forecasted that the rains would end early and be replaced by winds gusting to 45mph. Great. Wind instead of rain. I'll take rain any day over wind. Thankfully the towns worked with our favorite race director to push the start time from 8:00AM to 10:30AM to allow TS Andrea more time to make her way through New England. By the time 9:30 rolled around, it was overcast, breezy and basically pleasant. No rain. No gusting winds. And the water looked basically flat. Operation Under One Hour was on!

Except that it wasn't. TS Andrea had done her damage the night before. The RD had to shorten the bike course due to road damage and unsafe levels of sand in the roadway. I was disappointed to a point. Nothing says high-speed crash with subsequent infected road rash quite like sand. It was the right decision.

During the 1/3 mile walk down to the swim start, I chatted with a MA-native, NYC resident. He was a super nice guy and good athlete so it helped me not to think too much about my goal. Quite frankly the only strategy was to go hard until I crossed the finish line. If I thought too much about it, I was going to psych myself out.

Thankfully it was a wet start. For many of you a 65F water temp is not so cold. For me, it is horrifying, even in a wetsuit. I waded out in the water and swam head up to the starting point. I know you are supposed to put your head in the water to acclimate, but I just could not do it. It was soooooo cold. After not very long the air horn sent us on our way. Even though the plan was to go hard, I was not going to go hard on the swim. First, I have been a negligent swimmer this season. Second, when I have swam I have noticed a correlation between increased effort and slower speeds. I needed to focus more on technique and efficiency. And third, I needed to swim straight. The two prior swims at this race I have found myself drifting out towards the bay to the right. My remedy this time was to repeat constantly to myself, "swim to the left, swim to the left." I did that and found as many feet to swim behind as possible. The result was a full minute faster swim than my best time at Escape The Cape. I was off to a good start.

T1: Have I done this before?

The Giro Attack Shield makes
its debut on Webb's head.

Webb: A seasoned triathlete is not immune to becoming cocky about the little things. Standing there dripping at my bike, I was confused. I fumbled around, dropped my helmet three times and generally wasn't sure with anything I did. Listen veterans! Do yourself a favor and run through your routine before your first race of the season. I was surprised that my T1 was not slower, and yet, I know that I could have been :10-30 faster if I had taken the time to rehearse.

Elle: I had a lot of time to kill, so I went to the local breakfast place and had some eggs. It was tough watching all the athletes go by, doing their pre-race run/bike. We had parked a bit down the road, so after breakfast I decided to drop off the excess race bag stuff in the car. When I got there, I was just so tired that I reclined in the passenger seat and before I knew it, I had taken a serious, 30-minute nap. By the time I woke up I realized that I had missed the swim, and that Webb would be coming by soon on the bike. I jumped up and ran out to the road to cheer him on.

THE BIKE: 8.75 miles
The bike leg is normally a 10-mile out and back. As I mentioned above, thanks to TS Andrea the road conditions were unsafe. Luckily the damage was at the turnaround point so we only lost 1.25 miles.

Once I was done fumbling about in T1 and had my bike in hand, I was anxious to ride hard. I hopped on the bike and fumbled around some more clipping my shoes into the pedals. Focus. Focus. Focus. Locked onto my bike, I charged up the short hill that starts off the bike. Down the back side I started to crank away and get some speed going. Pretty soon thereafter a guy passed me easily on the left. Up ahead I placed someone in my sights and worked to reel him in. I was working really hard and was having a hell of time catching him. It was driving me nuts. I could hear his bike making this whining sound and thought to myself, "This guy is out here on a bike in serious need of a tune-up and I can't catch him?" My legs were rapidly becoming fatigued. And that whining sound from that guy's bike. Utter madness! Focus. Focus. Focus. "Wait! Could it be my bike? Might it be a brake?" I stopped and checked the front wheel. Sure enough, my front brake was off-center and rubbing against my wheel. A quick re-centering and I was back on the bike.

I put the brake debacle behind and began making up time. Eventually I found myself riding around (i.e., passing, being passed by) the same group of guys. We were making good time but it lacked organization and became quite frustrating. Obviously drafting is not permissible. However, you can work together by the lead rider setting a pace. The following rider then overtakes the lead rider when he or she begins to let up. It is about forcing each other through peer pressure to keep the pace up, not using someone's slipstream. The wrong way to do it is to surge ahead once you realize that you are being passed only to slow down again once you are back in front. If you are being competitive and can surge ahead and maintain the separation, then do it! You are in race after all. If you surge ahead simply because you can't stomach being passed or are trying to force the other rider into a penalty, then you are just being rude. Surge if you can maintain it, otherwise take the opportunity to work with someone.

I came into T2 with an acceptable time. I would have like to have gone a bit faster, but hey, it is the first race of the season and my focus has been on the run all fall and winter. It was time to put it to the test.

T2: Helmet off, shoes on.

T2 went much better than T1. I gave myself one second to ask, "Helmet off, shoes on. That's it?" Yep, that's it. Time to run.

THE RUN: 3.1 miles
Webb: Running out T2 I noticed something odd: I couldn't feel my toes or the balls of my feet. Hmmm. I I was pretty sure I was running. Feel it? Not really. It turns out that I rely quite a bit on feeling my foot drive through the road. I would guess it was a good mile or so into the run leg when feeling began to return to my feet. When it did, the feeling was mostly pain. You know the pins-and-needles type? Ugh. Anyway, thanks to muscle memory I'm pretty sure it did not actually slow me down.

Unfortunately, I just don't think I had it that day. I ran hard and even tried to push harder into that extra gear that was there - just not presently available. For some reason, I just couldn't get to it. As I crossed the finish line I felt smashed, but not my usual "Is an EMT handy?"- smashed. I suppose I could have run another mile or more at that pace. I should have run faster and felt worse.

I finished a little more than two minutes under an hour. Add back in that 1.25 miles from the bike and I'm pretty sure I would have missed my goal. Subtract the minute or more I should have run faster and now we start thinking about that one-hour goal again. Oh well. It was the first race of the season and there were lessons to be learned/reminded:

1. Rehearse transitions.
2. When taking the bike off the car rack, give it a once-over to make sure all is working order, <ahem> including the brakes.
3.  Pedal with your legs, not your feet, lest they go numb on the run.


Elle: Watching a race that I've always competed in was an interesting experience. The only woman to pass me on the run last year (an elite) was clearly there to settle a score this year. Remember her? I saw Kim readily passing men today, looking fresh as they looked like they were on death's door. I also saw Kyle Damon run by, team director of TEAM Water.org. We've been involved and are members of the team ever since we saw Running the Sahara, a movie I can't recommend enough. And today Webb was sporting the TEAM Water.org triathlon kit. When I saw Kyle run by, I shouted out, "Go Water.org!!!", and even in his exhausted state, Kyle clearly was happy to hear the support. A short time later, Webb came by, looking great, as always, but said to me, "I'm dying a little...". Yup, that's about right.

I made my way to the finish line, and who do I see but our good friend Beth Allen (who took first in her age group that day). And there were other triathletes there who we knew, it's kind of a smallish community and it's always nice to see familiar faces. It's one of the fun parts of racing - seeing old friends, meeting new ones. Oy, that sounds really cheesy. Anyhoo, the weather turned sunny and nice and it ended up being a beautiful day. Webb chatted more w/ Kyle (who finished 4th in his AG) and Bill (also from Team Water.org, who won his AG!).  It was a good day - sad that I had to sit this one out, but I'll live to race another day.

Blog about a blog

The Bike Snob Comes to Boston. (This blog is really late, sorry folks.)

Elle: So here's how I learned about The Bike Snob. Webb's mom bought him the book for his birthday. And I just picked it up and started reading it. I fell into it right away. This guy was hilarious. And also kind of a jerk. I loved it. He had written the book after his blog became ridiculously popular. So I started reading the blog. Good stuff. When I heard that he (Eben Weiss) was coming to Boston on Saturday, May 18th, I was excited to see and meet the man behind the blog.

Webb: I was reluctant to read the book. I love bikes and I want more people to ride them. For me, the more people who ride, the more bicycling will be accepted on the roads. The idea of a bike snob is antithetical my bicycle-beliefs. There should be no snobbery, no elitism, no judgment. Bicycling should be about what makes you happy on the bike. I decided to read the book because Elle was raving about it while she reading - as in she would stop reading a page momentarily to tell me I had to read it. So I gave it a shot. And I loved it. There is a bit of irony in The Bike Snob nom de plume. It turns out he too has the same view of cycling as I do: Whatever gets you on the bike, so long as you ride a bike. Love it but don't take it too seriously.

"To Elle, Sorry you didn't win a
better prize. - Bike Snob"

Elle: As with many a Landrys event, the beer was plentiful. I may have gotten a little tipsy, I'm pretty sure the guy interviewing The Bike Snob had a few too many too. However, in my buzzed state, I got "blurty" during the quiz portion of the interview and ended up winning a prize - The Bike Snobs latest book, which he graciously signed for me (see photo ->).

Webb: The interview/presentation went well. The emcee had done his homework and prepared an interesting slide show. The Snob was great, played to the slides and called shenanigans a few times, in his own fun and witty way. There was no doubt he would be cool to sit down with while having a pint or two. We picked up two more of his books, The Enlightened Cyclist and Bike Snob Abroad. I'll be reading those soon.

The Bike Snob signs my book
and secretly wishes I would
stop talking...

Elle: We stayed to get the book signed. And of course I was the last in line. By the time it was my turn, The Snob must have been exhausted, and probably just wanted to go to his hotel room and crash. But I was so excited to be talking to this famous blogger, that I just had to chat with him for a little bit. You can just see the enthusiasm in his face (see photo ->).

Karen Smyers Visits the South End Fitness Center

The pool @ SEFC

Elle: So we've been going to SEFC for 4 years now. I found out about it from a lovely man I met while sitting at a bar. That's how you find out about this place - it's a hidden gem in the city, no one knows about it. It's the most affordable gym in the city - it has a full size basketball court and the only public 25 meter pool. And the pool is glorious. It has high, cathedral ceilings, and often there aren't many people there, in fact, sometimes I have the whole pool to myself. When that happens, I say out loud, on the pool deck, "I'm so glad I reserved the pool today." But there is a down-side, they are thinking of tearing it down to build high-end condos. Seriously, it's like an 80's movie. The big, bad, rich contractors are coming in to displace the local, fun-loving neighborhood folks. So there is a movement to save this unique, local fitness facility. But if no one does anything, the big, bad contractors are going to come in and demolish it.
(Cue 1980's neighborhood folks doing a, 'Hey, let's rally and save this place!' montage to the tune of "I'm Walkin' on Sunshine.")

Karen speaks

Webb: The Friends of South End Fitness Center invited Karen Smyers, Hall of Fame triathlete to talk to members. (Readers of our blog know that we have a knack for crossing paths with her: see here, here and here.)  I was floored to learn that she trained at SEFC in 1995 when she won her historic Ironman World Championship in Kona. I see a lot of water bottles on the pool deck with local triathlon races decorating their sides. It makes me wonder, Am I swimming next to a future World Champion? Or maybe a former world champ.

Obviously we are big fans because of the pool; however, this really is a community fitness center. There are many basketball leagues that use the court. The strength and cardio areas are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-economic/class crossroads that would make any sociologist drool. If I were to guess who the most represented group is it would be hospital interns and residents. I  want them to be healthy and sharp. Don't you?

State Rep. Byron Rushing,
Karen Smyers and
Dr. Robert Simms

Elle: So the take-away here is that this is a special place, it's not fancy, but it's affordable, and for a lot of the people in Boston and this particular area, that's really important. And to take that away would be not just sad, but somewhat of an injustice. It's a small place that doesn't have a loud voice, but I'm hoping that by posting this, we're doing our part to bring this issue up to a larger audience. Hopefully to bring more media and voice to the local community that needs this space so much. Here are some links for those interested in supporting the cause:

Residents rally to save the SEFC
Save the South End Fitness Center
Friends of SEFC hold open house
Demolition of fitness center at odds with public health

And of course, come visit!
http://www.southendfitness.org/Pages/home.aspx

Thank you to the town of Wellesley, Dan from SEAC and Specialized (my bike helmet)

Elle: Well, 2013 has been rough so far, and today was another test. My knee has been feeling pretty good, and Webb and I have gone out on some nice, long, easy-endurance building Sunday bike rides. Today we headed out on the tri bikes to get them back on the road, and shake off some cobwebs before next Saturdays sprint triathlon, Escape the Cape. The ride was going well, it was a tad bit hot, but besides that, a good ride.

Webb: It was important to get out today to ensure we still know how to handle the twitchy TT/tri bikes. I didn't spend that much time in aero because I found myself getting caught up in the fun and pushing too hard. I also needed to reacquaint myself with a 39T inner ring. My road bike has a compact crank and rear cassette with bigger cogs. The tri bike is built for flatter, faster courses. Big gears. I needed today to remember what tools I would have at my feet at the race next Saturday morning.

The course we rode is about 35 miles with the last 15 or so featuring the last half of the Boston Marathon route. At mile 20 we turned right onto Washington Street in Wellesley, headed for the Firehouse on Commonwealth Ave, where we turn right to take on the Newton hills (and the famous Heartbreak Hill) and then head home. That was the plan anyway.

Elle: Yeah, that was the plan. That's what we did last Sunday, and everything went swimmingly. This week, not so much. So, I don't really know how or why it happened. We were at the bottom of a hill; we had gathered some speed. I'm usually pretty good at anticipating what Webb is about to do next. But today, for some reason, that didn't happen. I guess I had too much speed. I consider myself a pretty good bike handler, but today maybe my luck ran out. I saw that I was approaching Webb much too fast. Cars to the left, high curb sidewalk to the right, nowhere to go. So I crashed into Webb. I don't remember specifics except my head hit the road pretty hard and my body went skidding across the pavement.

Webb: I don't know what was happening behind me. We were cruising down Washington Street and there is a part where the two lanes merge into one and the former right lane becomes parking. I began to slow as there were cars queued up with negligible room between the moving and parked cars. I then hear Elle shout something like, "Webb, wha-why aragghhght aahhhhhhhh." Then she hit me. My first thought was, keep control of the bike, don't panic. There was an irresistible pull to the right and that was when I accepted I was going down. I was able to unclip my right shoe and brace my fall.

The bloody Specialized helmet
that may have saved my life,

I think I twisted my torso and landed in a push-up/plank position. Immediately I looked back to check on Elle who was inexplicably still in the midst of her crash. I saw her hit the pavement as she cried out. I jumped up to get her out of the street and onto the sidewalk. The whole time I was weighing/debating whether I should move her at all. She wasn't unconscious, yet, I wasn't confident either of us was in a position to know how injured she was. I just wanted her out of the street.

Once onto the sidewalk I began assessing the situation. From the right a young guy in a blue polo came jogging up the street. Then from my left came a young woman who was on her way to rowing practice. The guy began assisting Elle, asking her if anything was hurt. The young woman told us she keeps a first aid kit in her car and left to get it. The three of us surveyed Elle's visible injuries. She had a noticeable patch of road rash on her right shoulder and a nasty injury to her elbow. It was bloodied, lumpy and swollen. I liked it not. I wanted to get compression on it as quickly as possible. Both of our good samaritans directed me to a CVS about 250 feet up the street. Off I went for more first aid supplies.

Elle: I don't remember too much right after the crash. I knew it was kinda bad, but I was pretty

sure nothing was broken. The craziest part was that it seemed like within seconds there was a 'team' assisting me. A support vehicle couldn't have been this fast! Webb was moving the bikes. A stranger was running to get a first aid kit. This guy out of nowhere was holding my head up, asking me questions about how I was.

          Guy:  Is anything broken?
          Me:  Yes, I think my sunglasses are broken.

My head was hurting from the big contact with the road, and at first I didn't feel comfortable moving at all. But slowly, I did, and internally did a check - nothing seemed broken. Good. I think a third person showed up with water, pouring it on me (it was hot, and there was a lot of gravel stuck to me) and telling me to drink. I was dazed, for sure. Are the bikes ok? ARE THE BIKES OK?!?!?!?!

Webb: What I remember most clearly after we moved to the safety of the sidewalk was Elle responding to every question with, "I'm fine. Are the bikes ok?"  I would always say, "they're fine, we'll deal with any problem they might have." That was an unacceptable response for her as she urged me to check them. Male Good Samaritan and I worked together to extract Elle's aero bars from between my spokes and drivetrain side chain stay. I checked out her bike first. Everything worked fine. And a feel test did not reveal any obvious cracks in the frame. She just needs new bar tape. Then came my bike. Frame first. Whew, no noticeable damage. Then the rear wheel. <Deep breath> I took my race wheels out today as I just replaced my brakes and wanted to be sure everything worked great. Not surprisingly the wheel was out of true enough to render my bike unrideable. The front wheel is also a little out of true, but not so bad. With Elle's elbow looking pretty bad and inadequate to provide control on the notoriously poor roads of Massachusetts and now with my bike not rideable, it was time to call in the cavalry.

I called Dan, shoe-slinger, coach and provider of emergency roadside assistance. He interrupted his day to drive his van out to collect us and the bikes and take us home. If he hadn't come through, I'm not sure what we would have done.

Elle: I'll try to wrap this up. First, huge, immeasurable thanks to Good Samaritan guy (who

also stopped by later with a friend in a truck to see if we needed a lift anywhere), rower girl with bag-o-first aid who called her coxswain to tell her she'd be late for rowing practice, due to helping me. Also, random guy who drove by later, had seen the crash, went home, and came back with ice packs. If you're going to crash, do it in the town of Wellesley. The good will of the citizens was freaking heart warming. And of course, Dan of SEAC, for schlepping our sad butts home. I feel lucky that nothing worse happened, that the kindness of strangers was mind-blowingly present and amazing and that friends, in times of true trouble, drop everything to come to your aid. I may not be able to race next Saturday (cringe), but today was a true display of humanity.

Race Report: James Joyce Ramble 10k

JAMES JOYCE RAMBLE 10K - Race Report

Webb: Most people in Boston mark the coming of spring with the first Red Sox game, others with the running of THE Marathon, or simply Boston. For me, it is almost always the last Sunday in April (and in rare years, the first

The guys, post-race

Sunday in May) when the good people of Dedham host The James Joyce Ramble, a challenging foot race over 10km. (This year it acted as the USATF Masters National Championships.) The end of April is by no means a predictable month. It could be high 30's with rain or 80 degrees with an unrelenting sun. We've ran in both.

This year was to be different. I've placed special attention on running in the off-season with definite neglect of my swimming and inconsistent and infrequent attention paid to my bike. There is no question I feel stronger and fitter in my running shoes. I decided the Ramble would be my first test. I have not run many 10k races and if I added up all the non-Ramble 10k's I have run they would number less than the times I have run the Ramble. It is not a race one typically chooses for a PR. There are hills. Neither mountains nor rollers, they make a poor choice for setting personal bests. That said, this is less about capturing time as besting myself. This is my measuring stick. If I can run a good hard race here, I can run a good hard final leg in an Olympic triathlon.

Elle: This year was different for me too. Really different. Super different. In that I didn't run.
The 'Ramble' was my first ever race. I remember how nervous I was 13 or so years ago. That morning I

Justin rockin' the hula hoop

was truly doubting my reasons for doing this crazy thing. I was never a runner, I had never run in a race before, this was all just nonsense! But Webb, the uber supportive training partner that he is, totally pumped me up, assured me that I could do it, and even ran the whole way with me, sacrificing his own race to make sure I had a good experience out on the course. I ran 9-minute miles that day. Since then we've run the Ramble around 8 times. The last time I ran I did so at a 7:40 min/mile pace. Needless to say, this was going to be a tough day for me. To watch everyone else go out there and crush it on the course while I sat on a picnic blanket, watching everyone's stuff. It did sting a bit.

Webb: This year was also different because I had two boon companions to lead me on my way. Justin and Jason, two fellow members of SEAC>Elite, offered to pace me. Both guys are strong runners who could easily sit out in front of me to make sure I was staying on form. Neither was totally confident how they would feel on race day. Justin just ran Boston beating his goal time. Jason ran 20 miles the day before. I did not have a good taper week myself. On the Sunday prior I did a brutal on-bike/off-bike strength routine. Lots of big gear sets interrupted by a variety of squats, lateral-squats, dumbbell deadlifts and bridge-ups. I followed that with a SEAC>Elite workout on Tuesday that involved 4 miles of intervals at 5k pace. Ouch.

Mimi - the hula hoop master

Thursday saw light speed work on the track. Saturday's shake-out run felt terrible, which is a good thing - best to run the terrible out before the race. Or so I thought.

At the sound of the pipes (the race always commences with the playing of bagpipes), we lurched forward with the masses. Through the first mile I was about 15 seconds ahead of pace. Justin reminded me to keep it cool. The second mile marker rolled up and I was about 20 seconds fast. I felt pretty good and was glad I was closer to getting on pace. The first climb is between miles 2 and 3, that is where Justin and Jason separated from me. I let them go and allowed the hill to be what it is. After all I had banked 20 seconds - all the better for the second half of the race. Mile 3 is at the foot of a descent and just before the most difficult segment of the course. I was perfectly on pace and ready to die.

Miles 3 to 4 featured two climbs or one climb with a bit of mischief in the middle. The first part of the climb takes you through a serene area with some not-so-serene grade. Thankfully the climb is not very long and the top is a visible goal. Oh the "top." You crest the hill and drop down for about 30 meters and take a right at the stop sign. The right turn takes you to what I consider the worst part of the course. It is less steep but longer hill that takes you to Mile 4. There is always welcome water at the top on the left side of the road. While everyone was headed to the left I noticed a volunteer on the right with one cup of water. Oh how I wanted that water. My throat was dry and constricted. As I approached him, one of the runners headed to the left suddenly changed direction, crossed in front of me and took my water. Yes, my water. The volunteer looked at me and apologized. He knew I had locked onto him. I knew he had no choice but to give that bastard the water. Another insult awaited me shortly at Mile 4 where I learned I had fallen well off my goal pace.

The next two miles were about hanging on to my pace. You can't coast your way to a PR, you have to earn them. As much as I wanted to cash it in and say it wasn't my day I knew I had an opportunity to practice running through pain. I decided no matter how I was doing, at Mile 6 I was going to give everything to the final .2 miles. It hurt. It hurt a lot. I crossed the finish line and immediately collapsed on someone's lawn.

Next thing I know Justin or Jason was telling me Good job and handing me a bottle of water. I ended up running a PR that day. Even though I was disappointed I ran :15/mile slower than my goal, I still took about 2:00 off my old PR. Both Justin and Jason had great races too. Neither had run the Ramble before and did not know what to expect. I think they may have both set PRs also. Given Justin's performance at Boston and Jason's 20-miler the previous day, that is pretty damn impressive. SEAC>Elite-3, PRs-0.

Elle: Even though I was a bummed out in the beginning about not running, after the race was over, we all lounged on our blanket in the grass, and enjoyed the sunny, gorgeous day. Some other running friends joined us, and we had a fun time hanging out, drinking beer, and even got to see a real, live hula-hoop champion (who declined a photograph and mention here). It was a great day, and for me, there's always next year...

In the water they can't see you cry - A book review

In the water they can't see you cry - by Amanda Beard

This is the first book I've read on my new kindle (a birthday gift from my dad). I was skeptical at first, since I'm a little old-school - I was hesitant to read a book that wasn't on old fashioned, traditional paper. Holy crap, now I freaking love it. I don't want to read another traditional book again. It's so light, thin, and easy to tote around, I just love it.

I haven't ready a book that's kept my attention like this in awhile. I don't want to give too much away, but I've been amazed by Amanda's complete honesty and frankness. [Webb: I'm glad you guys are such pals now that you are on a first-name basis.] She doesn't hold anything back, and that's what makes this book so compelling. You get to see what it's like to be a kid who grew up to win an Olympic medal at age 14. Which, as an athlete, is totally interesting and inspiring. But she doesn't try to hide her flaws, she is just like the rest of us, she just swims faster. That makes her story so powerful. She just tells it all like it is. And I loved every minute of it. Her honesty is refreshing and kind of therapeutic. I didn't want it to end.

From her early beginnings as a fun-loving girl in idyllic Irvine, California, you follow Amanda Beard through her intense swim practice schedule that start at a young age, as well as her difficulties in her academic studies. You get a glimpse of just how much work, and how many hours go into the life of an athlete who is destined to compete in the Olympics. You see her through the tough adolescence years that we all have to face, but for her, it was even worse, since her changing body affected her award-winning swimming. One aspect that brings this story closer to home is that Webb grew up in Arizona and went to the University of Arizona [Webb: Beardown! Go Cats!], where Amanda ended up going on a swim scholarship. As a huge UofA fan, Webb was well aware of Amanda Beard, and totally into the fact that I was reading this book. I didn't think anything could make me want to move to Tucscon more, but congrats Amanda, you did it.

As a woman and an athlete, I found this story moving and enlightening.

Yes, she has a natural talent, but she shows how she's also a normal person too. I highly recommend this book.

The mystery of the wonky knee..

Elle: A little history: About a year and half ago I was (probably) over training. I did a tough Sufferfest bike workout in the morning, and then a hard speed workout on the track after work. The next day I woke up and couldn't bend my left knee. I had never had knee problems before, this was a first.
My doctor took a look, ruled out any major problems, and told me to rest for a month. Which I did. Then back to training. I had another episode in January  2012. Over the next year and a half I saw two physical therapists. I rested, I did PT exercises, I stretched, I rolled, I saw a chiropractor twice a week. And spent a full season doing races, wrapping it up with a 1/2 Ironman. Then, at Thanksgiving, I did a 4-mile run: 2 miles downhill, then 2 miles back up the hill. After that, everything went to crap. The pain in my knee got increasingly worse. In the morning it wouldn't hurt, but by the end of the day, I'd be limping. And after six months of going to the chiropractor's office one to two times a week, even he said it was time to get imaging. The x-rays showed nothing. The MRI, however, was a different story.
And finally I had an answer - the MRI showed a torn meniscus and a big 'ol cyst.
After much thought and discussion with the surgeon, I knew what I had to do. So I scheduled the surgery for the day after my return from Miami.

The Surgery

Knee wrapped up in ice

I was told not to have any food or liquids (no water or anything) after midnight the evening before surgery, which was super tough. Not having food, that's no problem, but not even a sip of water? Damn.
Webb was great to take the day off and was with me the whole way. We got to the hospital around 8am, and things went fairly smoothly from there. Before I knew it, I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. I barely remember being rolled away to the operating area. And the next thing I know, I'm kind of awake, and it's all over. As I gained consciousness, a nurse would occasionally pop by to see how I was doing. And after a bit, I was rolled to the post-op area. I was pretty groggy, but anxious to get dressed and get on with things. Then the best thing happened - a woman walked over and told me I had a visitor. I assumed it was Webb, so I asked, "Is he bald and cute?" She gave me a funny look and replied, "Um, no. It's a runner. He has.... dreadlocks?" I thought for a minute, then it hit me: Shawn! I had told him a while back about the surgery, but I can't believe he remembered, and actually came to visit! Not only that, but he gave me the most beautiful 'get well' card ever. It was really great to have Shawn there, with his uber-upbeat attitude and energy, it made me feel tons better. He even stayed with me until Webb showed up, and walked with us as I was wheel-chaired through the hospital to the front doors. Webb brought the car around, I gave Shawn a big hug, and we were on our way home.

Good knee vs. Bad knee

Post-Surgery
So here's something I didn't know: You're not supposed to try to go to work two days after surgery. If you do, you may experience the following:
- Nausea & dizziness
- Hot flashes
- Extreme lack of mobility
- Difficulty concentrating
and if you're a weirdo like me ...
- Massive and uneven pupil dilation

That's right, I didn't get the memo that I was supposed to be totally resting my knee for about a week, so I attempted to go to work. Which resulted in a huge 'work fail'. I left pretty shortly after I arrived, and took a cab straight to my eye doctor. In my dizzy, sweaty state, I had looked in the mirror and saw that my eyes were completely funky: both super dilated, the left much more dilated than the right. Since I had iritis a couple of years back, I freaked out and went straight to Dr. Laura, at South End Eye. I walked into the shop, and Dr. Laura said, "Hey there, googly-eyes!" I love Dr. Laura.
The eye exam came out fine, there was nothing wrong. Dr. Laura suggested that I probably pushed myself too much, too early, and that I should go home and rest. She was right. And I spent the rest of the week on the couch, working from home.

The Recovery Plan
Ten days after the surgery I had an appointment with Dr. Lars Richardson (my surgeon). He said everything was looking good, and even showed me photos that were taken during the surgery. (Super cool! I saw my patella!). Apparently I (along with 3% of the population) had a discoidal meniscus (aka, an abnormal meniscus), which they discovered once they were 'inside.' So the surgeon proceded to fix it. Which is pretty awesome. I plan on swimming this weekend, and slowly amping up my workouts. First with biking, then the elliptical trainer, and lastly - running. It's going to take some time, and I'll have to increase intensity and duration slowly, but at least now I'm on a clear path to recovery. Which feels pretty good.