February 24, 2010
Hiatus
I plan to put together an Olympics slideshow soon and I hope to get back to training and blogging shortly. Right now I'm going through some difficult personal stuff that is keeping me from doing anything normal. I'm taking some time off to rest and refocus before targeting my big goal: Lake Placid. Until then, I'll try to keep reading my blogger friends as I've missed following your adventures while I was busy at the Olympics.
See you all soon!
February 18, 2010
Tourist for a Minute
After enjoying the breathtaking view from the terrace of Canada Place, the home of the Press Center, we strolled over to view the Olympic torch. As most of you have probably read, the torch is enclosed by an ugly chain link fence. It's really a shame. I understand they can't have people walking right up to it, but there had to have been a better way to keep it protected from the masses. Luckily they have cut a strip in the fence so you can capture a photo fence-free.
After looking at pins, taking pictures of mascots on the buses and posing in front of the Vancouver 2010 signs, we headed back to the P&G Family Home for some media interviews with Kristi Yamaguchi. It was another good day work-wise.
I did a little jog this morning. Or rather I tried a little jog this morning that turned mostly into a walk with some jogging thrown in. My feet were achy and my body just beat up. I haven't run for more than a week and I'm battling fatigue in a huge way. I'm disappointed in the toll this trip is taking on my fitness, but committed to fighting my way back when I return to New York. The countdown is on, I'll be home in four days.
February 17, 2010
Olympic Moment
I've seen droves of athletes over the past nine days but today included two particularly nostalgic and exciting ones - Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan. I'll never forget watching Nancy skate in Lillehammer and cheering her for the gold along with the rest of America and I was crushed when Michelle fell in Salt Lake City at her last Olympics. Seeing both of them here today was quite a treat. While I didn't get to spend any quality time with Michelle, I was with Nancy on and off for a couple hours while shooting some Entertainment Tonight segments. During a lull, we captured this shot on the oversize bench in the Pampers Village.
I scored my Vancouver 2010 mittens with the maple leaf on the palm today thanks to my client's cousin who is obsessed with shopping and didn't mind the crazy lines at Hudson's Bay, home of the official Olympics store. If I can muster up the energy, I may head over there myself tonight.
Swim and Mukmuk Pin
And now to the exciting part of my day - the Mukmuk pin. I don't get out and about much so I'm not part of the Olympics excitement on the street. However, I have located a couple guys trading pins near my workplace so when grabbing lunch, I occasionally stop by to see what they have. I took a quick look and didn't see my Mukmuk and the guy said he didn't have the current Visa pins. I was bummed. But as we talked a bit more I said "I can't believe you don't have any Mukmuks." This must have jogged his memory so he flipped through layer upon layer of pins and lo and behold, buried on the bottom was one, solo Visa pin... Mukmuk driving the zamboni. I made a trade and it was mine. Now my trip is complete.
February 16, 2010
Olympic Whirlwind
It's been incredibly rewarding, particularly the personal conversations and moments with the families of athletes. On Friday we raffled four tickets to the opening ceremonies and the winner was Jill Kearney, mother of moguls skier Hannah Kearney. Hannah won the first Team USA gold the next day. She and her family celebrated her victory with us last night, a very special moment.
I, of course, missed it as I was laid up with a stomach bug. I can count on one hand the times I've had it as an adult but as luck would have it, one of the times was here. Luckily it struck quickly and I was back on my feet in a day. I'm feeling the after effects but am hoping another solid night of sleep will set things right.
Here are a few photos of my time here so far:
February 12, 2010
Let the Games Begin
You can finally see what I'm working on by visiting thankyoumom.com and can see the ad here. It's a really special program that has already touched a lot of people. It's something I'm very proud to be part of.
I missed training yesterday and I missed it today. I'm disappointed, but know I couldn't make it work. Hopefully there will be days where I can.
February 11, 2010
Home Away From Home
There is a pool in my building that is quite nice. It's about 31 yards in length and situated under a glass atrium so sunlight streams into the water. I'm used to swimming in a basement so it's a real treat for me. I squeezed in a decent swim yesterday before the madness ensued.
Today I ran. And not just any run, but an inspiring run along the river and through the Olympic venues. There were flags from every country imaginable and Olympic rings everywhere I looked. I passed other runners, most wearing the numbers and logos of their media outlets or the flags of their countries. Can you imagine a more incredible place to be training? I did a 5'/1' run walk with six minutes of running at the end. I am looking forward to my longer runs this week so I can explore more.
On a non-training note, the culinary adventures in Vancouver are extraordinary. We started at Salt Tasting Room, a wine/charcuterie bar last night where I samples sherry marinated dried beef, fennel pollen salami, decadent triple creme and blue cheese, along with assorted condiments including marinated cippolini onions, marcona almonds and cornichons. From there we ended up at Boneta where I had incredible steelhead trout tartare followed by the best scallops I've had in quite some time. I promised myself I'd enjoy the food here even if it was at 10pm each night. I intend to keep that promise.
February 9, 2010
Vancouver Bound
Friday was a very big day. I did my longest continuous run in nearly six months and it was issue free. I ran 40 minutes and covered 4.34 miles. As I’ve thought about my return to running over the past few months, I worried I’d be forced to run an 11 minute mile indefinitely, a slower pace than I’m used to. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I had recently done a 10K in just over 45 minutes and was consistently running faster and faster. I was feeling as though something had clicked and I didn’t want to lose it. While my inaugural continuous run wasn’t a blistering pace by any stretch, it was enough to plaster a smile on my face for days.
Saturday ended up being a forced rest day in order to pack for Vancouver. Preparing for a 15-day business trip is incredibly tricky, plus my personal life and home were in total disarray due to how busy I’ve been. I was on my feet all day and felt I’d accomplished nothing in the end. So frustrating. So when the opportunity arose to do something normal on Sunday I jumped on it. My boyfriend wanted to get out of the city for some hiking and I needed to clear my head. We stayed a little closer to home this time to minimize the car time and spent the afternoon near Bear Mountain. The last time I was up there I was on my bike and had 4cc’s of packed platelets freshly injected into my heel. I’ve come a long way.
It was a cold but beautiful day with so much sunshine I could barely see. I wanted to close my eyes and capture the feeling to carry with me over the next two weeks. I’m excited about the journey I’m embarking on, but sad about everything I’m temporarily leaving behind. My training is totally derailed and I feel about as far away from Ironman as I could be. Lake Placid is just around the corner, I need to start being more serious. What better place to jumpstart my fitness than the Winter Oympic Games? I have an entire suitcase filled with training gear and my fingers are crossed.
Here is a sneaky photo I captured while waiting to board the flight. A majority of the passengers were media or others traveling to the Games for work, including the Today Show's Matt Lauer.
February 3, 2010
Physical Limits
I talked a bit about it with my coach and while he whole-heartedly feels it's possible to be a long course triathlete and be injury free, he also acknowledges the fine line we walk as we push ourselves to train and compete with our best ability. We are asking our bodies to do so much more than the average person.
But physical limits are pushed by more than just physical activity. As I'm discovering through my hectic pre-Olympics schedule, mental strain and stress take a physical toll as well. I have been sick and run down for a week and am just emerging to semi-normalcy. After battling the worst cold I've ever had, I broke out in some sort of mysterious rash and realized today it has to be stress related. I'm literally just days from my Canada departure and the weight of it all is very heavy. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
This was not meant to be a "whoa is me" post by any means. I just wanted to capture my thoughts and put them out here as I imagine I'm not alone. Most of us don't have the luxury of being full-time triathletes. We have jobs, significant others, families and friends that demand our time and attention. We do this for fun and sometimes we get obsessed because the reward is so tremendous. I wouldn't change a thing. Instead I'll continue to find a balance and will most certainly look forward to March.
Swim - 23:54, 1,200y (Tuesday)