Goodbye 2007

Christmas time has been very busy balancing work, training and family. I've been pretty stressed out lately, and I'm not too proud of it.
They closed the Y for a week and it threw off my whole training schedule. This means I haven't been biking or swimming much, since my usual is to bike to the Y and swim, then run. However, it's probably good they did that and forced me to concentrate on my running for the marathon.
Christmas day Brian and I went on a Christmas light night run and it was awesome. We ran through some neighborhoods and down Chandler Blvd through the festival of lights. Last weekend we did the Tribe group bike ride and ran 15 miles down and back on Pecos Rd. It felt pretty easy.
Yesterday I took my new Felt bike out on the group ride for the first time. It was so easy to stay with the lead group, except for the hills! I love my new bike and am so happy I got it.
This morning we ran to Kiwanis Park to run on the canals with the Gage training group. We were going to run there, run 10 miles on the canal and run home, but we ended up running 14 on the canals totaling 17 miles for today. This was probably not smart considering the marathon is two weeks away, but it is so nice to run with a group and have people to talk to and make the time go by much faster. I haven't felt too good for the past couple days so today and tomorrow I am going to relax and get healthy. Running sick does not feel good, let me tell you!
I am so excited for my parents to come to Arizona on the 10th to see us race the marathon. It will be a different experience for them as they have never been to one. I also just can't wait to spend time with them since I haven't seen them since the Great Illini half Ironman in September.

Well, today ended my training for 2007 and I am proud of my accomplishments in racing this year. In June I qualified for the Boston Marathon and in July I did my first triathlon. Since then have completed two half Ironman's with a 5:37 PR in 100 degree weather. I can't wait to see what 2008 has in store for me! My goal for 2008... to become an Ironman November 23rd!
Happy New Year!

Weekend Warriors

Saturday was the coldest bike ride I have ever done. I had tights, shorts, two shirts, arm warmers, socks and gloves on, but I was still freezing. We left the house at 7 a.m. and after only 5 or 6 minutes I couldn't feel my hands or feet. Only at about 10 a.m. did it warm up enough so I could feel my hands, but my feet were numb the entire ride. Everyone was going slower than normal, so I could keep up with the lead group for the majority of the ride. My legs did not want to move for the entire 70 miles, but we got through it somehow! Afterwards we went to see the Nutcracker Ballet downtown. I haven't biked that far in a while, so my legs were a little tight the rest of the day.
Today we ran 15 miles and it felt great. My hamstrings finally have healed so they weren't in pain the entire run for the first time since Tucson half marathon. AWESOME. Again.. I can't wait until January 13!

Stranded at the Y

Yesterday Brian saved my life.
I biked to the Y and just as I was getting there it began to rain. The clouds were sparatic, so I figured the rain wouldn't last too long. I decided to run my 10 miles on the treadmill in order to avoid being cold and wet. However, after I finished my run, which didn't go to well because I've been feeling groggy the past couple days, it was still raining pretty hard. I ran to the locker room to grab my cell phone to call Brian and ask him if he could pick me up, but after some searching I realized I forgot my cell phone at home! Because of the world's obsession with cell phones, the only phone numbers I have memorized are the numbers I've known since the stone age - my mom, dad and sister. Too bad they all live accross the country! I tried to call what I thought was Brian's phone number from the Y's phone, but some woman answered and I hung up on her right away.
Everyone working at the Y was feeling bad for me because I was the only one stupid enough to bike there that day. I sat staring out the window as the rain came down. Just a few minutes after I situated myself on a stationary bike - I covinced myself I would bike until the storm passed - Brian came walking through the front door. I have never been happier in my life, especially since I had a meeting to get to at 6.
So Brian saved the day yesterday. He is my hero. :)

New Bike :)

Saturday morning we got up and ran 20 miles. Then we drove to Tucson to pick up my new bike from TriSports! My 2007 Felt B2 is AWESOME! From the moment the bike manager fit me to it I was more comfortable on a bike than I have ever been. Sunday morning we biked to the Y and met Patrick, Jorge, Adam and Emma for a group ride. My bike felt like a spin bike on the road. Because of the carbon, I can hardly feel any bumps. The only problem is the seat is a mens seat and after 40 miles it hurt so bad I was in tears.
I've been doing more swimming than normal this past week because our tri group is participating in the USAT club challenge. The first group to 500 miles swimming in December wins, biking in January and running in February. I hate swimming, but this challenge is forcing me to swim more, which, in the end, is a good thing. I ran 50 miles this week and hope to keep that up for two more weeks. I am feeling great for the marathon!

Tucson Half Marathon

In one word Tucson half marathon was SWEET! I ran a 1:29 and got 6th female out of 761.
Brian and I woke up at 4 a.m. and drove to Oro Valley from our cheap hotel room that was scary! We drove to Ventana Medical Center where we parked our car and got on a bus to the start line. It was freezing. I wore running tights and two jackets. We got on the second bus and somehow ended up the first people to the start line. It was pitch dark when we got there and the bus dropped us off a mile away. We had to run to the start down a dark desert road. Then when we got there the port-a-potties were zip-tied shut! It was a nightmare. Then we waited an hour and a half in the freezing cold until 7 a.m. When the race started I was not in race mode at all... I sort of just started running! Before the race Brian told me to look at my watch at mile 1 and if I felt good, just keep up that pace. So thats what I did - only I never saw a mile 1 marker. When I got to mile 2 my watch said 12 minutes. My goal pace was 7:40s and I was running 6 minute miles! I felt awesome so I just kept running that pace. I was passing person after person for the first six miles, then my hamstrings started hurting and I had to slow it down. A 16 year old came up next to me and ran next to me for about 4 miles. I tried to hold her pace but ended up just hurting more so I stayed where I felt comfortable, at around 6:50s. A few more people passed me, but I was still running stronger and feeling stronger than I've ever felt during a race. The last three miles seemed all up hill and when I crossed the finish line under 1:30 I was so happy!
Overall it was a fun weekend. Brian ran a 1:20 and he was proud of my 1:29 which made me feel really good.

Thanksgiving tri, training and Ironman 2008

The Thanksgiving Day triathlon went really well. Since the race was backwards I came in first off the run! It was so awesome running into transition having everyone cheer for me. On the bike only two people passed me and I guess I had a faster transition that the girl in second because I placed second overall female! The swim was in a 50 meter pool. Men started the run 5 minutes before women so by the time I got into the pool there were so many people swimming slow it was tough to swim around them. I really wish we had a 50 meter pool to train in at the Y, it makes such a difference.
Friday Brian and I ran 7 miles. We were going to take it easy, but I was feeling good and picked it up to about 7-minute per mile pace and faster at times.
Saturday we did the group bike ride with Tribe, giving us 70 miles on the bike. It was so windy I got blown off the road twice and one person crashed when we biked through the golf course. I had tears in my eyes twice and wanted to give up so bad. This kind of training only makes me stronger though, and I'm glad I pushed through. We had a nice cozy Thanksgiving weekend dinner in Prescott that night, and I was happy to fill up on turkey and stuffing after the long hard bike.
Sunday Brian and I ran for two hours at moderate pace. I think it ended up about 15 or 16 miles. I felt great. I am so ready for the marathon!
This Sunday is Tucson half marathon and my goal is to finish in under 1:40.
Oh... and I signed up for Ironman Arizona 2008 today. In one year I will be an Ironman...or woman!

Long time runnin'

20 miles is a long way to run, but I can honestly say Sunday was my best 20-mile run yet. Brian and I ran two loops from the YMCA to Lakewood Circle and back up to Chandler Boulevard. The weather was so nice that I didn't feel dehydrated. I hardly drank any water and felt fine the whole run. I had gatorade and gel at mile 10 and half a gel at about mile 15. I could have used more gatorade throughout the run, but I hate running with water bottles. We ran an average of 7:30 minute miles through out the run, with some slow times and some faster times. Overall, it felt awesome. I'm ready for P.F. Changs!
I took Monday off biking and running. Brian and I swam 1000 yards at the Y and it felt good to swim the day after a long run. Today I practiced for the Thanksgiving Day triathlon on Thursday. It is a backwards triathlon (2 mile run, then 12 mile bike and ends with a 400 yard pool swim). Today I biked to the Y, ran about 7 miles, swam 1000 yards and biked home. My legs are still a little tired from the 20-mile run so it wasn't my fastest day ever, but it felt good to get out there after a day off. A backwards triathlon doesn't thrill me, I would rather try and beat the turkey at a 10k turkey trot, but what the heck.. why not do something different once in a while?

Thinking about race bikes and marathons!

This week was a rough work out week. I was tired all week, but still went about my normal schedule. This morning we woke up at 5:30 and went on the group bike ride with Tribe Multisport. Biking to the shop and home after the group rides puts us at about 70 miles for the day. I wish it would cool down, but it is still pretty hot today. I wore arm warmers for the first half of the bike, but I probably didn't need them. The weatherman said yesterday that the temperatures are about 10 degrees about average this year.
I won a $100 Tribe gift certificate today as well, which will go toward my triathlon bike fund. I've started researching bikes and have been looking at Felt and Kuota the most. I am SO excited to get a new bike because everyone at the races I do and on group rides has such a nice bike. However, it looks like I will have to save about $3,000 for what I want, not counting the wheels which are also expensive. I want to save enough to get a nice set of zipps or reynolds. I figure if I am going to buy a race bike, I might as well get what I want if I'm going to spend so much money. The only problem is after I get this bike, I won't have any excuses for a slow day anymore!
Tomorrow is a 20-mile run day. I am going to stay at around an 8-minute mile pace for this training run as my goal for P.F. Changs Marathon is to break 3:30. The Tucson half marathon is December 2. I hear this race is all downhill, which will be nice for a PR, but maybe not so nice on the knees. My new Newton shoes have been working out really nice. I have been picking up the pace on my week day training runs and it feels great.
On Wednesday Brian and I swam 2,000 meters together. We did sets of 250 and I would try to finish 200 the same time he finished 250. It's a good way for both of us to push ourselves. At the end of each set we were both breathing pretty hard. I wish I had the urge to swim more. I'm always itching to run, but never itching to bike or swim so I am improving pretty slowly on those two events.
Well, it's Saturday... time to rest!

Blue Water Triathlon

On Saturday Brian and I drove to Parker, Arizona to do Mountain Man Events' Blue Water Triathlon. Let me tell you, there is nothing in Parker, but the race was very fun. The 1000 meter swim was in the Colorado River, which was clean and clear! It was nice not having to swim in Tempe Town Lake where it is so dirty you can't see your arms or hands in the water. I could even see the feet of the people kicking in front of me. The sun was out of our eyes until the last 250 meters where we turned east to swim back to the transition area. The 33 mile bike was very hilly and bumpy. At one point I thought I had a flat tire and almost started crying because I forgot to put my flat bag back onto my bike after transporting it in the car from Phoenix. I didn't have a flat, the roads were just so bad they made my tires start rumbling and making strange noises. I still was slow on the bike, and the hills killed me. I don't know what my actual time was because I forgot to start my watch before the swim and they didn't record my swim, bike or transition time, just my run and finish time. When I finally got back to the transition area, Patrick was already done with the race. He took pictures of me in transition and ran with me taking more photos during the run! He also took photos of his girlfriend and Keith! I ran a 34 minute 5 miles and I had the 17th fasted overall run split with both men and women. I am always happy to get to the run! What I learned from this race- get faster on the bike!
Overall time - 2:52. I got second in my age group.
Click here for photos

Feeling Good!

Yay! I am finally feeling better today. I swam at the Y and ran a pretty fast (7:30 pace) 7 miles today. My legs are finally feeling good again!

Two days ago I received my new Newton racing flats in the mail! They are awesome! Bright pink, super light and fast! I actually almost kept up with Brian on Tuesday when we ran and today I felt awesome. I know most of it is mental, but man I love these shoes! They are designed by runners in Colorado and aren't sold in Phoenix so I had to order them on the internet. They are super expensive, but well worth the money!

I am getting excited to head out to Parker for Blue Water. I want to get out of Phoenix for a while! Plus, a little colder weather would feel too bad as it is still in the 90's here.

Training sick

So for the past couple days I have not been feeling too good. My throat hurts, my head hurts and I have been sneezing like crazy! Tuesday I biked 20 miles, swam 1500 and ran about 8 miles. Wednesday Brian and I moped-ed to the Y and did 7 miles of run speed work. My stomach cramped up from eating a giant bag of dried cherries before the run and I didn't feel like swimming, so we went to Ausler's! Today I biked to the Y and home (20 miles) ran 10 miles and swam 1000. I still feel tired and I hope it's just because I've been sick. I'm going to take it easy until Blue Water on Sunday.

Ironman 70.3 World Championships is on Sunday. That would be fun to qualify for and I hope I do someday! I always get jealous when I hear local athletes talking about amazing races they qualified for. Someday I will be doing those races, but for now I will concentrate on building my base without killing myself!

Weekend after

On Saturday I biked about 70 miles with the Tribe Multisport group. I was surprised I could almost keep up this time. At one point I was even biking 27 mph and keeping up with the lead pack! On Sunday morning my legs were feeling the pain from last weekend's race followed by the long bike, so my 12 mile run didn't feel too great. Next weekend will be a little break with Blue Water, then I will start doing 20 mile runs (2 or 3 of them) every other week for the P.F. Changs marathon.

Brian's birthday weekend was fun. We rode the moped (which he named Piglet) around everywhere. We only ran out of gas and had to walk it to a gas station once.

I am not feeling too good today. My throat hurts, I have a runny nose and I keep sneezing all over my desk. I might skip the bike today and just swim and run after an interview at 4. We'll see!

Happy November

I think I am finally almost recovered from SOMA. Yesterday I biked to the Y, swam 1,250 yards (I know, I was feeling ambitious), biked home and ran (more like slowly jogged) about 6 miles. I was feeling it on the run, but everything else felt fine.

Blue Water Triathlon is coming up on November 11. This is a bikers race (1000 swim, 33 mile bike and 4 mile run) Too bad I still SUCK at biking. I don't know how much my run will save me with only a dinky 4 miles to catch all the fast bikers. How the heck are people so fast on the bike? For now I will blame it on the fact I don't have a $4,000 race bike yet. Someday... :)

Grey's Anatomy is an hour and a half special tonight. I am excited! I am going to swim 1000 yards at the Y and run 7 miles before it starts. Happy Day after Halloween. My office is overflowing with everyone's leftover candy!

SOMA highlights

There is only one way to describe how SOMA was yesterday - and that is HOT. My overall time was 5:37. I was on track for 5 hours until the afternoon, when we reached record temperatures of 97 degrees and it killed my run.

The swim was long, everyone's times were a lot longer than 1.2 miles should have taken them. Starting out swimming West was a breeze, until we had to turn around and swim East into the sun. I couldn't see anything and I'm sure I zig-zagged all over the top of the 70-year-old men that were in the wave ahead of me. It was probably my favorite of the three events though, considering it was cold and somewhat relaxing. My swim time was 40 minutes by the time I got pulled out of the lake, almost broke my leg when the guy dropped me on the platform and ran around to the transition area. I averaged 18.6 mph on the bike, which is slow but still an improvement for me from my last race. There were tons of u-turns and the hills slowed me down a lot. After a three-hour bike I was so excited to start the run. I kept saying to myself, "you are going to kill this run!" Heading out of transition I was running under seven-minute miles and people were warning me to slow down, but I was feeling awesome so I kept running strong. They had aid stations every mile and I kept pouring multiple cups of ice water over my head at each one of them. That is, until mile 4. No aid station at mile 4! All of a sudden my body started to heat up and I felt like I was running through an oven. It was hard to breathe and it drained all my energy. After mile six I started dieing. Every time I drank gatorade it came right back up, but I knew my body needed electrolytes, salt and calories or I would be face down in a mile so I kept drinking. By mile 8 I was probably running 9 minute miles. I have never ran that slow during a race. I passed Ted, then Jorge and realized everyone was suffering from the heat, not just me. I could hear sirens in the background and could see ambulence lights flashing on the road by the finish line. I finished with tears in my eyes and muttering "I want to die" as Brian ran next to me to the finish. My half marathon time was 1:51 by the time I stumbled over the line. I couldn't hardly eat or drink for some time afterwards.

So all in all, this race was an experience. I knocked off almost a half hour from my time at the Great Illini half Iroman, which is very surprising considering the weather. As they say, no pain, no gain. Give me a year or two, I'll be killing everyone out there! As for now, I think I'll just lay around for the next couple days!

SOMA tomorrow!

So SOMA is tomorrow. I am pretty nervous, but more excited. They changed the direction of the swim, so we are now swimming West first and turning East to head back with the sun in our eyes. it looks far, but to me it always looks far. There are 10 swim waves and I am in wave 9. Brian is in wave 5. I will start at 7:21 a.m. behind almost everyone except the 35-70-year-old women. My goal is to swim under 40 minutes, which was my time at the Great Illini Challenge. They have changed the bike course a few times over the last couple weeks. It is very confusing with lots of u-turns and out and backs. My biking isn't yet where I want it to be, but I hope to average 19 to 20 mph for the day. That would be a huge improvement since the September race, but we have been doing 70-mile rides on the weekends so hopefully I can bring my game. The run will be a hot, yet flat, run. We will run two loops clockwise around Tempe Town Lake. My only concern the run is the temperature.
It is 8:22 p.m. and everything is packed and I am ready to go early tomorrow morning. We had a birthday party for Brian at his mom's house tonight and we brought spaghetti. I had sweet potatoes and pineapple as well. Hopefully my stomach holds up for tomorrow.
So it's a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

It's Friday

Today is Friday. It is pay day, which I like, but an off day, which I don't like so much. I am getting nervous for SOMA, and when I get nervous I always think I should have trained more. I have the urge to just leave work and spend all day swimming, biking and running until all my limbs fall off, but I know that's not the best idea because I probably wouldn't do very well on Sunday. So today I walked to the office, as I do every day, and will walk to an interview I have today as well just so I don't go crazy!

When I got to the office this morning, one of the ladies in distribution had a litter of 10-week-old yorkies by the front desk. I'd say every employee here huddled in a circle around these adorable dogs. They were probably the cutest dogs I have ever seen in my life. It also made me think of my cat, Madison, who I miss a lot. I can't wait to have a pet again.

This afternoon I am interviewing a 10-year-old girl who is collecting "gently used" halloween costumes and distributing them to less fortunate children. It's amazing to me how charitable the young people are in this community. When I was that young all I cared about was who's house I was going to sleep over at on Friday night and the latest Mariah Carey hit.

SOMA is Sunday. It will be my third triathlon. I am excited for it because I did a half ironman in Illinois in September and the conditions were not as expected. This course should be easier, but hotter, and I am not good in the heat. I started swimming in the Spring and biking in the Summer, so I will not be too upset if my times are still not up to par. It is frustrating, though, being slow when I am so used to being faster than the average woman when I run.
Taper weeks really bother me. I love long workouts and they are stress relievers for my busy days. Today I swam 1000 yards in 250-yard increments. I tried to swim 200 before Brian passed me on his 250, but that is still really hard to do. Running was awesome tonight though. I ran about a 5-mile loop from the Y at 7 minute mile pace. It felt awesome.

Hello World

My name is Corinne Frayer. I am 22 years old. I graduated from Arizona State University in May 2007 and currently am a health and education reporter at the Ahwatukee Foothills News. My life revolves around writing, my amazing boyfriend, Brian, and training for running and triathlon events.

The passion I have for being active changed my life. I am so thankful for all the experiences and people brought to me through racing and training over the past couple years.

I created this blog so I can share these life experiences I charish. Welcome to my life!