On the Move

In just under 2 weeks I will once again be moving. I have moved about 8 times in the past 4 years and I am hoping to stay put for a little longer this time. I am not moving very far from where I live now, only about two miles, but the area is quite a bit different.

I currently live in a part of Minneapolis known as Uptown. It is a vibrant area just southwest of Downtown that boasts tons of small shops, coffee houses, art galleries and restaurants. It is a fun place to live with so much going on all within walking distance. The only trouble with living in Uptown is the cost of living here. Ben and I don't get to experience Uptown the way others do because we are always on a budget but it's fun to be around it all.

Last year Ben and I were lucky to get our current apartment because they needed an on-site caretaker. We had a huge reduction in rent but the work was pretty hard and sometimes really gross. When we heard, after a year of living here, that they no-longer needed us to care-take we knew immediately that we couldn't afford to live here! So it was time to move elsewhere.

Our budget is pretty tight so we ended up searching through tons of apartments and most were too much for us. I finally found the perfect spot last week! We had a list of criteria that we were looking for but most important was the price.

It is an upper unit in a duplex located in the Harrison Neighborhood of Minneapolis. We now have a big backyard, a huge basement, free laundry and the ski trails are a block and a half from my door! We will care-take at our new apartment too so we will be saving some on rent but doing some extra work too.

With Theodore Wirth Park (the site of the 2011 XC Junior Olympics) outside my back door there are countless recreational activities available. I will be contacting the local high school called Harrison Academy and will begin working with their students this fall. I will update soon about what the plans are for the upcoming weeks.

I am also happy to report that my symptoms have subsided and I am back to feeling like myself. Training has been going well and my energy has been great!

MN State Fair

I have lived in Minnesota for almost 5 years now and except for the first year I have visited the fair every year.

My mother, who was also born in NYC and lived there most of her life, lives in MN now too and this was our first MN State Fair together! We laughed and joked about what was the most important part of the Fair if you are a true Minnesotan. We decided that just going was the most important part and now we had to schedule this in as a "must do" every year if we want to feel like true Minnesotans. We lived it up at the Fair and enjoyed good food, expos, games, and people from all over the state. My Mom and Me waiting for the Bus to the Fair Some nice looking Ears!

A Clean Tractor

It was awesome! We walked forever and saw almost everything the fair had to offer! The biggest disappointment of the Fair was that the Cow, Pig, and Chicken barns were not open by the time we stopped by. We remedied the need for livestock by visiting the baby barn and got our fill of newborns from the farm world! Everything from bunnies, piglets, new born calves and baby chicks. This was by far my mom's favorite part of the fair!

Pull up contest! My kind of Fair The Fair's BIGGEST PUMPKIN The Fair's Tiniest Peppers! These are so cute but HOT!!!

My mom was pretty exhausted by the time the evening was over and I was a little worried about her. When I called to check on how she was feeling the next day she said she was in the best mood she had been in for months! It's great that a simple Fair can bring so much happiness to so many people this time of year. Even Lahti was psyched to get his new chew toy octopus when we got home.

Lahti Vs. Stuffed Octopus

The Octopus was such a hit he only lasted about 5 minutes before the apartment was covered in stuffing and tentacles.

POTS

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome is what the Cardiologist told me I have.

I have been struggling with fatigue since the beginning of the summer. At first it was between my training sessions, then it was while I working with the kids, then it was on my off days and then it started to affect my training as well. I was so busy I figured that the fatigue would end when I had a little break between programs and a rest week of training. It didn't!



I couldn't figure out what was going on and, I was way too busy to see it coming, but once it did I knew I had to do something. After a few days off and a number of easy sessions I started to feel better and shrugged it off as just a period of too much going on in my life. I started the next week feeling alright but by the end I knew something was up. I entered a local 5k and was 1-1/2 minutes off my usual pace for this time of year! I immediately began to review and rethink what I had done leading up to these feelings.



I couldn't figure it out. Nothing was different from a typical summer of training for me. As I proceeded with a cautious attitude I focused on my training zones and other daily routines. I thought it was hydration so I started drinking more sports drink, I thought it was hunger so I started eating a bigger breakfast, and I stayed very low in my training zones at all times. Then one day out of the blue I was lifting at the gym and after a set of squats I felt the world begin to spin beneath me.



I quickly removed myself from the gym and put my feet above my head. I managed to avoid passing out and got a ride from my boyfriend to the ER. After a lot of tests I was sent to see a cardiologist. What! How could there be something going on with my heart?



The Cardiologist preformed a number of tests as well and determined that my heart was showing signs of Orthostatic Intolerance, which means that when I stand up my pulse jumps over 30 beats but my blood pressure also drops significantly! It is this drop in blood pressure that causes me to feel light headed and pass out!



I told him it was probably just over-training! Unfortunately he shook his head and told me it wasn't. He said no one knows for sure what POTS is from but it wasn't from training. I have few more tests this week, one is on a tilt table where they will try to make me pass out (or come close anyway) and a few other tests to rule out anything else more serious.



So for now I have the all clear to train as usual and just ignore my heart rate. I have taken a number of days off now and I am feeling really fresh. I went for a fun urban rollerski with Jojo Winters and Brian Gregg today and although the pace was very easy my heart rate was easily 150+. I have to learn to train by feel and leave the monitor at home for a while. I did some lactate testing with a coach and sure enough I am in the right zones just not the right heart rates. This is so strange and after years of hearing about the importance of heart rates for training it will take some time to get used to.



From what I have been told POTS often develops after an illness or trauma and will progress for months getting worse and worse before it suddenly begins to subside. The last time I was really sick was at US Nationals and if I have been through the fainting period and other symptoms I should be in the clear! Right? I am keeping my fingers crossed and spirit high. I have to admit that this would be a lot harder if I didn't have other team members and ITA members who have faced adversity and set backs and climbed right back up to keep me inspired and optomistic! So I guess now it is my turn to just stay positive and focus on the process.

The Dog Days of Summer Training

This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It's hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo's! It's awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70's he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don't have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60's yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn't a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

One Week Left!

Only one week until the City of Lakes Tri-Loppet event (and urban off-road triathlon) and everyone is gearing up for a great event. Over the past two and a half months 30 kids from the Anwatin and Anderson middle schools have been meeting three days a week to train for the race.




The entire program was free for the kids and a number of local businesses and organizations donated time, products, and educational info about staying active and healthy throughout life. Many thanks to all who helped!




So after many days of running, orienteering, obstacle courses, canoing, biking (and mountain biking), swimming, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee and rollerskiing we are ready for the race.




The most challenging obstacle for the Tri-Loppet group is that it was an after school program at Anderson and Anwatin Schools which means that when school is over the buses are too! This means that two weeks ago was the last day of school and after school activities but not the Tri-Loppet group. So the goal was to try and get as many kids to continue meeting at the training times and locations as possible. The turnout has been great and the volunteer drivers have been very appreciated.The next goal is to get as many kids early on Saturday morning to and from the event with smiling faces and a sense of accomplishment. Margaret (my CSD) and I have been orchestrating an incredible schedule that will pickup all the kids who are registered, pick up all bibs and race info, assign and fit them to a bike, and bring them to the start where a canoe and paddle will be waiting. Again there has been a huge number of volunteers who have offered to paddle, bike and run with a kid to help them along!

Mini Triathlon in Minneapolis

Last Week was one of the busiest of the spring/summer for the Tri-Loppet Group. We had a bit of a mini-triathlon within our daily activity. This wasn't intentional but rather a necessity due to a lack of bus transportation. So we used our resources wisely and had a great time! The biggest accomplishment was getting everyone really tired but happy when the day was done.

Thanks to the great location of Anderson Elementary School and is close proximity to the Mid-Town Greenway we could walk there in less then ten minutes. The Mid-Town Greenway Coalition once again leant us bikes to use. We took the bikes West on the Greenway to Lake Calhoun where we used canoes provided by Wheel Fun Rentals. We had a number of volunteers who came out to help for the afternoon. With two kids, and one adult per canoe we headed out to Lake of the Isles. We made a loop around the perimiter of the lake, and headed back to get on our bikes. The weather was perfect and the wind calm, the highlight for me was making it off the lake without getting soaked with water. Two years ago, I ended up swimming to shore because of a tipped over canoe. We biked back to the bike rental in time for everyone to catch thier rides home.

Snow and Rattlesnakes

My training camp in Bend was very successful. The US Ski Team was great with helping me find a place to stay and offering training opportunities while I was here.

After 7 beautiful and 1 cloudy/snowy days of skiing I couldn't be happier with the progress I have made and the new focus of my training for the next year. The skiing was almost perfect (especially if you like klister!) and the trails were filled with skiers from all over the country so the company was great too. The focus of the camp for me was on testing skis and getting in some early season volume. I was able to participate in a few interval and testing sessions with the Methow Valley Olympic Development Group and the US Ski Team which was great! It is always great to hear feedback from a different perspective from time to time.

Towards the end of the week an old NMU teammate, Melissa (Orem) Shwartz came to visit with her growing family. It was great to catch up with her and laugh about the "good old days." I hope to see her again this year and especially come race season!

Yesterday I took a hiatus from Mt. Bachelor and traveled north to Smith Rocks. This is a beautiful State Park that is a rock climbers paradise! I brought along some bounding poles and found the nice paths perfect for some bounding work!

I quickly realize how much of a city slicker I really am! Cruising around the city alone at night... not a problem! Running alone with Cougar and rattlesnake signs...Big Problem!

I asked a few people if there were really rattlesnakes and cougars in the park and everyone seemed to think the signs were not necessary, but as I ran along the path I couldn't help but think how perfect the dry dessert landscape would be for a backdrop to a snake!

I followed the path (headphones off! so I could hear if something was nearby) and made my way up and over the ridge! I met some great folks and saw some amazing scenery! The skiing was probably great again but I had the best time cruising through the volcanic cliffs and river valley.

Just when I was happily cruising along the trail near the river, a man ahead held his hand up to stop me. "Rattler he said!" Of course as frightened as I was to encounter one unexpectedly this was a great opportunity to see one up close. So I carefully walked over and stood next to him as we watched the beautiful snake slither away. It was AWESOME. I tried to snap a few photos but they do not capture how cool the snake was. The man told me it was coiled on the side of the trail just moments before.

So now I am leaving Bend, which has become my new favorite training place, for the concrete jungle of Minneapolis!