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Good Luck Charm
Written by: Jody Lappi
“I am going to sign up to run a 5k.”
This is what my sister, Kellie, told me 8 weeks ago. Never, ever did I think those words would be coming out of her mouth. I don’t mean that in an ugly way. I never had a doubt she could train and run one. Exercising just wasn’t her thing. She has two kids, ages 5 and 3, that keep her plenty active. I visit her in Memphis often. Most of my trips there fall on my Saturday long runs. She watched me exit her front door for my long runs plenty of Saturday mornings. She never attempted to join me. Nor did she seem interested in my routine. Needless to say, I was surprise and excited to hear she was finally ready to become a runner!
The race of choice was the Grizzlies House 5k in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 4th. This event also host a half and full marathon the same day. The full marathon has been on my radar for a couple of years now. Knowing I wasn’t ready to do another marathon (or half marathon) so soon after the Marine Corps Marathon, I decided to join her for her first 5k.
Kellie has been going to her local gym for awhile now. The fitness classes and solo weight training just didn’t have her too excited. Then, she took the leap to the treadmill. She found a joy in this activity. And from there, she wanted to build on it. Kellie purchased the iPhone App Couch to 5k for her training. This app had her running 3 times a week. She reported to me after most of her training runs. It was so exciting to monitor her progress. She started out running and walking most of the 30 minute sessions. One week before race day, she was running up to 25 minutes with no walking.
After 8 weeks of consistent training, race day arrived. The race began on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Oh Beale Street… so many memories the both of us had of dancing the night away there. Now, at 6:30 am on Saturday, we were getting ready to race on it. We took a warm up jog to loosen up the body. I watched her running form and gave her a few pointers. The weather was a warm 55 degrees that morning. Perfect running temperature. We were able to get a good starting position at the front of the line. Kellie was nervous about starting up front. She didn’t want to get run over. As I looked around at the competition, I told her she had nothing to worry about and to keep right since the faster runners keep left. Kellie’s goal was to finish in 35 minutes. My goal was to finish in 24 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
Practice does not always make perfect
Written by: Jody Lappi
Now that I have had over two weeks to let the pain subside, I am ready to discuss my last endurance race of 2010 – The Marine Corps Marathon. The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) took place on October 31, 2010. Yes – it was on Halloween. Yes – I did sport a pirate costume. Yes – it was a trick rather than a treat.
This was the second marathon of my life and of 2010. My first was the Atlanta ING Marathon in March. Being my second marathon, I had a lot more confidence and less fear of completing 26.2 miles than I did in March. The MCM had me really excited about becoming a two time marathoner because I had 8 of my Atlanta Tri Club members in the race with me, the course began near the Pentagon and ended at Arlington Cemetery, and I had 7 months of training to race this one FAST!
My goal was to complete the MCM in 4 hours. All of my long training runs were on target to meet this goal. Training for this marathon went a lot smoother than the first one. My legs were no longer afraid of the long distances that were scheduled each Saturday. They had been there, done that! It was all about making my body comfortable with running at a pace that made me huff, puff and huff some more for 4 hours. My last long training run of 20 miles had an average of 8:53 min per mile. This was under my 9:09 min per mile needed for my goal. Training goal… accomplished! Read the rest of this entry »
Hello Sunday Brunch
Written by: Jody Lappi
This past Sunday I went to brunch!! While probably not a big deal to most, it was a HUGE treat for me. For the past 6 months, I awoke early on a Sunday morning for a long run, long bike ride or a race. Breakfast consisted of a bagel or LUNA Bar with water or Gatorade. No bacon and eggs. No coffee. No orange juice. No Sunday morning paper.
This past Sunday, I slept until almost 9 am. I awoke and felt like my day was almost over. The previous Sunday, I had run 14 miles by 9 am and still had 6 miles to go. That was my last long run before the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31st. I ran on Saturday morning last weekend which left my Sunday morning and day wide open! How was I going to fill an entire day without a swim, bike ride or run?
There are many favorite Atlanta brunch places my husband and I frequent when the Tri season is over. We choose West Egg Café on this occasion. Have you been to their new location on Howell Mill? First and foremost, I ordered the Milky Way Cappuccino! My mouth was watering on the way to the restaurant that morning just thinking about this heavenly chocolate drink. I couldn’t wait for the froth and whip cream to hit my lips. And when it finally did… I was not disappointed! Read the rest of this entry »
Tri Season Rewind
Written by: Jody Lappi
On Sunday, I completed my last triathlon of the 2010 season. I raced in seven triathlons this season. This is three more triathlons than I did in my inaugural 2009 tri season. I decided not to bore my blog readers with a lot of training detail during the season. It is probably obvious I don’t just wake up one morning and race. Miles and miles of swim, bike and run training go into every race. However, I would like to share my 2010 triathlon race journey with you in this blog.
My races were held in Carrolton, GA, Panama City Beach, FL, Chattanooga, TN, Pine Mountain, GA and Augusta, GA and two races on separate dates were held in Lake Lanier Islands, GA.
I raced in three sprint distance races (600 meter swim/ 11 – 19 mile bike/3.1 mile run), two Olympic distance races (.9 mile swim/24 mile bike/6.2 mile run) and two half Ironman 70.3 distance races (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike/13.1 mile run). Two of my races were in the rain. The first sprint of the year was in monsoon like conditions. But, there was no lightning so the race proceeded. My last 70.3 in Augusta, GA was in the rain as well. I thought an 11 mile rainy bike ride was tough… um…. try 56 miles in the rain. Forrest Gump would describe it as stinging rain. And if the raindrops falling on my head weren’t enough, I had faster bikers passing me and kicking up water from their wheels in my face. Oh yes – a lovely day for a race it was. Mentally – I was spent. I was ready to just say the heck with this wetness! How could I quit though? Several months of training went in to prepare for Augusta 70.3. I got off the bike just in time to put on soaked running shoes and socks for the sun to peak through for the run.
I jumped into many bodies of dark, murky water as well during the season. The Gulf Coast 1.2 mile swim in the ocean has to be one of the craziest swims. Not white caps, jellyfish, seaweed or maybe even a shark could stop me. The countdown for the swim begins and off I go. All fears suddenly left my body. I did a couple of river swims this season: one in the Tennessee River for the Chattanooga Olympic Tri and another one in the Savannah River for the Augusta 70.3. If my sighting had been off during the Savannah River swim and I pulled to the left as I normally do, I would have crossed the South Carolina state line. How cool is that!! I had a pretty good swim and stayed on the Georgia side though. I saved crossing the South Carolina line until the bike course.
My bike rides took me along new paths in the four states of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Some had hills that brought tears to my eyes. Other courses had cool touristy things to look at and distract me from the race. I was only distracted until I saw someone in my age group pass me. Then, my head was back in the race! Our calves are marked with our ages so you know when you are being passed by an age group competitor.
I ran through three states in my races: Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. Each run course brought a new love for running. Yes – even after a 56 mile bike ride I was excited about the run. This was pavement my Newton running shoes had not yet pounded. How could I not be excited! Do you know how boring it gets training on the Silver Comet Trail, Columns Drive and Piedmont Park???? Race day is a catered long run on a fresh course. And the best part is the people cheering and ringing cowbells! You do not get that when training either.
On September 12th in Madison, Wisconsin, I watched my husband cross the finish line for his first Ironman! He completed a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in 11 hours 38 minutes. Along with several other Atlanta Tri Club (ATC) members and family, I spectated Ironman Wisconsin for 17 hours that day. I saw looks of relief when the swim was complete. I saw tears of pain along the very hilly bike course. I saw runners barely able to pick up their feet to run the marathon. But in the end, I saw a total of 18 ATC members cross that finish line. It was a very inspiring day!
Although I set personal records on two of my repeat races and improved 45 minutes from my first 70.3 to the second 70.3, I have to say… it isn’t all about being a better athlete for me. The journey to get there and the journey of race day is the real excitement to me. Where is the 2011 triathlon season going to take me?
The Mental Game
Written by: Jody Lappi
“Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one.” ~Bobby Knight
People are often amazed at the distances I train and race. I often hear “I couldn’t run to my mailbox and back”. A few blogs ago, I described how running half a mile was challenging for me. At one time it all seemed physical to me. The more I worked out, the more my body wanted to be pushed. I learned to challenge myself by slowly working myself up to longer race distances. Just today, a tri friend of mine mentioned the Beach to Battleship 70.3 was reopening for registration for the November 13th race. I immediately went to the webpage to get more details about it. What a fantastic race it would be!! The race begins with a swim at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. It is a 1.2 mile swim in the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. After a 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run, the race ends at the Battleship North Carolina. This 70.3 mile race would be two weeks after the Marine Corps Marathon. The only thing stopping me from registering was the fact that I had a lot of trouble running after completing my first marathon. So, biking 56 miles before running a half marathon in this race did not seem doable so soon after another marathon. I didn’t register. But, it is on my list for next year IF I don’t sign up for the Florida Full Ironman for 2011 that very same weekend.
Did I just mention doing a Full Ironman? Oh dear… peer pressure is already starting to take over. A Half Ironman is plenty of training. Why in the world would it cross my mind to do a full? It is because I am inspired! I have watched my husband and 18 other Atlanta Tri Club (ATC) members train for the Ironman Wisconsin to take place in less than 2 weeks. I have watched them tough it out in the hot summer conditions we have had. Many of them have done not one, not two, but six Century Bike Rides (100+ miles) over the past three months. A group of them even started at mile 0 on the Silver Comet Trail and rode to the Alabama state line and back on a Saturday. Are my biking skills as good as theirs? I am pretty sure they are. Do I have the mental attitude to bike 114 miles to Alabama and back? NO… I do not. Read the rest of this entry »
