Category Archives: Triathlon

Dear Lifeguard….

Posted on by
17

As defined by Wikipedia:  A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue……. 

Dear Lifeguard:

I have always had the utmost respect for your occupation.  You stand on the sidelines of the pool/beach watching the masses while everyone else is having fun.  You are always attentive, cautious, helpful and in emergency situations you save lives.  In fact Beach Patrol: San Diego, may or may not be one of my favorite “reality” tv shows that I haven’t seen in forever.

I have been swimming in the same spot for almost a month now.  I go and you are always there “watching”.  Normally, you sit atop your perch, on the opposite side of the pool watching the boys playing water polo and we do not speak.  I like it like this.  I like to go, swim and leave as quickly as possible.  I don’t really want to talk to anyone.  I don’t want anyone to “watch” me or I would go back to swimming at LA Fitness where the body builders sit in the hot tub “watching” the swimmers while they “rest” their aching, bulging muscles. 

Yesterday,  when I entered the pool you were sitting atop your perch watching the boys playing water polo and I slid into the water to swim.  I only made 3 or 4 laps before you came over to sit on MY side of the pool to watch me.  This really bothered me.  First off, I swim on that side of the pool on purpose to get further way from you.  Second, although I know I am not the best swimmer, I certainly believe that I could hold my own in a pool which at any given time, I can stand up in…… even in the “deep” end.   Thirdly, you made me believe that I was GOING TO DROWN!  Although, I was attempting to focus on my “just keep swimming” mantra, you interrupted my thoughts and made me paranoid.  I couldn’t think of anything other than the fact that you thought I was going to drown.  I tried to focus on my stroke but kept thinking I must look sooooo horrible that you had to come over and sit close in order to be better prepared to save me from DROWNING.  I tried to focus on my breathing and choked on a mouthful of water because I was concerned about what you thought about my swimming or lack thereof ability.

It took almost 20 laps of me flailing around in the water for you to return to your perch.  Gee, leaving so soon?  Did I finally develop a rhythm which looked safer?  Or was it the 5th water polo ball which bonked me in the head, forcing me to stop swimming, stand up, and pitch the ball into the other pool, which helped you realize I was tall and could “possibly” avoid drowning if I were to stand up?  Or were you frustrated watching my pathetic attempt at swimming?  That’s it, isn’t it?  Regardless, thank you for leaving but also allow me to thank you for watching “just in case”. I  know your job isn’t easy.  I know you have a lot of responsiblity.  I know you take your job seriously and I thank you…..just please watch from across the pool in the future.

I promise I will become better.  I promise I will become faster.  I promise I will try not to flail around so much next time so as not to disturb your watching water polo practice.  See you next Monday.

Your Tall Swimmer,                                                                                                          Amanda – TooTallFritz

You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF…….

Posted on by
19

Some people call me motivated, others call me crazy.  It really doesn’t matter as long as I am focused and moving toward my goals.  I’d like to think that I am Making It Happen for me, not just out there day in and day out being “crazy”.  In my quest to Make It Happen, I recently just got back to swimming HERE and onto the bike HERE in prep for my 2012 TRI season. One thing that I have realized over the last month, jumping back into TRI mode, is that I didn’t have all this damn hair the last time I had a SERIOUS TRI season.  When I’m in transition, I don’t have an infinite amount of time to try to jam this mop under a bike helmet.  Ponytails & bike helmets don’t mesh well.  And I’ll just skip the details on trying to get a bunch of hair under a swim cap.  OUCH!

So I pulled a pic of me in TRI season…..

Yep, it’s a slightly younger version of me and my baby girl, Aby (now 10) but obviously there wasn’t any trouble shoving that hair under a bike helmet.  So the plan was to chop off my hair as soon as I could manage getting into a stylist amongst the family, training & Aby’s track schedule.  I understand that I look more attractive with long hair that I can actually style but let’s be realistic, I have a two-year old and it’s been since Christmas a while since I styled my hair.  Yes, it has actually occurred to me that you “might” be crazy serious about your TRI training IF you chop off all your hair to be faster in transition.  Then vs Now:

Thank goodness I have lots of PunkeeLove Headbands now to use in my hair for fun & “styling”!  If you need a few stylish, kick ass headbands, don’t forget to use the one time per customer code:  tootall20 for an extra 20% off!

So now that I cut my hair, I thought it would be fun to do a You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF segment.  I’ll start and then I’d love for you to add to this in the comments below!

You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF

  • You cut your hair to better fit under your bike helmet & swim cap.
  • You own a bike that cost more than some people’s car.
  • You carry your workout clothes in your car “just in case”.
  • You know exactly how many miles you have run this year and how that works into your 2012 goal.
  • You plan “A” races and “B” races (AKA – Practice Races).
  • You spend more $$ on training/workout clothes than you do on your work wardrobe.
  • You don’t mind having black toenails, you can cover them with dark polish, right?
  • You schedule your life around training runs, bike rides and swim workouts.
  • You get up before your children the sun on the weekends to get in some training before “life” gets in the way.
  • You gave up high heels in favor of running shoes to tame the plantar fasciitis.
  • You have dropped all most friends who don’t workout or run.
  • Your social life revolves around your running/TRI friends….. if you have enough energy for a social life.
  • You make beg your mother go on running vacations since your hubby refuses.
  • You adopt/buy a dog based upon whether they will be a good running partner.
  • You consider your GPS watch one of your most “precious” possessions.
  • You start a blog to talk to strangers about running to keep your hubby from being bored from all the “gory” details that you just need to share with “someone”.

How about you, can you add to this list?  Please keep this going in the comments below!

Happy Training,                                                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz

Stealing Time…..

Posted on by
11

I frequently find that I do not have enough hours in the day to get done what I want and what needs to be done.  Therefore, I am always stealing time from somewhere.  I steal time from the sleep column to run.  I steal time from work to run or swim.  I steal time from my commute by driving verses taking the train so that I can squeeze in a longer run.  I steal time from my family by requesting hubby to do the daycare pickup so that I can squeeze in a run, swim or bike……  Or I sneak out of the house in the early mornings on the weekends to put away some miles before the family is really awake and “active”.  There is never enough time but you make time, or steal it if you must, to squeeze in what is important to you.  Fitness is either important or it’s not. 

Wednesdays are my biggest “time” stealing days.  I not only leave work a few minutes early, but I also drive to steal time from my commute, plus hubby does daycare pick up and manages the kids for an hour after he gets home.  I love my Wednesday runs, they are my favorite part of the week.  It is not normal for me to get out for a group run during the week but I have made it a priority on Wednesday’s and the family has flexed to make it happen each and every week.  Thank you, Family!  I normally am able to squeeze in 10 miles on Wednesday nights and that really makes my week.  I don’t run daily, usually only 3 or 4 days a week, so when I get out I try to make it count.

It’s not easy, you have to make the effort to get in the things that matter to you.  How do you steal time from your life to get in those “extra” things to really make it count?

Happy Running,                                                                                                           Amanda – TooTallFritz

25 mph WNW Winds….Increasingly Windy

Posted on by
1

As I was headed home from work today, I could feel my car being blown all over the expressway.  When I got home I grabbed a handful of Easter candy checked the weather as I was putting on my bike clothes to go for a ride.  I was planning to ride a loop on my country roads, technically the plan was to loop it 3x for 25 miles but the biggest issue was getting my ass out the door.  I didn’t want to go; I’d rather be running, right?  Absolutely!  But even a run in this crazy wind would have been a challenge out here.  Since I’m in the middle of nowhere, the 25 WNW winds are even more daunting because we don’t have anything to block or break it.  I should REALLY just stay in the house and eat more candy do laundry.  But alas, if it were race day, I’d be out there no matter what so I motivated myself to try just one loop.

I know, I’m too sexy, right?  All decked out in my $5 add-on arm warmers from Running Warehouse with my cool Team Tough Chik TRI Tank!   Sorry, those are the only arm warmers I have at the moment but rumor is that Team Tough Chik is going to do matching arm warmers when they reopen registration in May.  Make sure you get on their mailing list  HERE to be notified when registration opens.

Anyhow, out the door I went and it was rough!  Thank goodness I ate a shitload some Easter candy or I’m quite certain the wind would have actually lifted my bike and tossed me a few times.  Thank goodness there were not many cars cruising our country roads or I probably would have been hit.  I don’t ride straight when I’m sober on a normal basis and well when the wind is pushing me at 25+ mph from the side, it’s impossible to ride straight, or shift.  Aero is absolutely out of the question and I’m pretty sure that’s when I’m supposed to be riding aero ………… on these windy days.  Yes?  No?   Who really knows, all I know is that I was holding on for dear life, begging to be safely delivered back to my drive before the wind picked me up and blew me on my way.  And I say 25 mph, my ass.  No flippin’ way those winds are only 25 mph….maybe 50, maybe more.  Enough to scare me into only doing one loop.  So I rode my bike an entire 8.6 miles tonight and it was a tough 8.6 miles.  Something is better than nothing, right?  I’m just happy to be back in the house!

Stay Safe,                                                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz

1309 Days……

Posted on by
8

It has been 1309 days since my last non-trainer real bike ride and you probably think that I have been missing it. And you’d be wrong. People laugh when I say that I swim to TRI or I ride to TRI. They think I am joking really don’t understand that the other two disciplines which I practice are done only so that I can toe the line in a Triathlon. I swim and bike quite possibly so that I appreciate the run more. When I swim, I pray to my Lord & Savior to get me out of the water safely and onto the bike. When I am on the bike I am loudly cussing begging to be delivered to my running shoes. Then WHY do I TRI? I do it for the “fun“, for the challenge, and so that I will put my running shoes on a pedestal from which they will never tumble. I LOVE TO RUN. I AM A RUNNER.

So the bike shop laughed when they saw my brand new bike from 2007. I put some serious miles on it in 2008 training for a 70.3 but as soon as the race was over, it went on the trainer and has not come off until its trip to the bike shop yesterday. Why, you may ask? I was trying for Mr. Michael and soon after that 70.3, I got lucky and conceived. I am a restricted activity preggo woman who is allowed to walk. Nothing else, walk. As if you don’t think a normal pregnancy is not an eon, now think of a preggo runner who is not allowed to jostle her little package, at all. I was told I could walk. I asked if I could elliptical and I was told, NO.  “NO! No marathons for you. You can walk. You can only walk!”……Now go back and repeat that quote in a Japanese accent. It almost isn’t the same if you can’t hear the words in the Japanese accent of my 5 foot tall OBGYN. I could walk, I could only walk. Okay, I walked and ate. The two things didn’t go real well together. By now you have probably figured out that what goes into the body has to be somewhat countered by your activity level and your calorie burn. It wasn’t pretty but I had a beautiful baby boy so it was ALL worth it!

On September 7, 2009 my bouncing baby boy arrived 366 days after that 70.3 in 2008. Lots of extra things going on with him so it took me a bit to get back to the run. 2010 & 2011 focused just on my lil man the run and now 2012 brings Triathlon back to me. One way or another, I’m going back to triathlon. I have already registered for two 70.3s this year. You may think it would have been wise to get back on the bike PRIOR to registering for a few races but that would be self-defeating. I knew I wouldn’t get back on the bike without the TRIs already on the schedule. So today was Day 1 of TTF on the bike. All I can say is OUCH. The first 13 miles with the wind at my back was awesome. Cold but awesome. The 2nd 13 miles was good because I was on the trail and I saw lots of my run friends, some of whom were doing their 20-22 milers today for the Illinois Marathon on April 28th. The last 13 miles sucked. Really sucked. Uphill into the wind sucked with tired legs, a sore upper body and a pain in the neck and shoulders. Sucked. Now I am totally wiped out, mad at the bike, and hoping I bounce back so I can get a good run in tomorrow morning.

My number one thought on the bike: I’D RATHER BE RUNNING!!! What do you think about while you ride?

Happy Running or TRIing,                                                                                       Amanda – TooTallFritz

20120407-144340.jpg

Scheduling Conflicts…..

Posted on by
5

I start planning my race schedule a year or so in advance.  I know this “may” seem OCD to some but there are a handful of races which I run each year, mostly because I like the course, or the race director (example:  Palos Half Marathon that Mel from Running For Kicks organizes in May), or it’s a charity event, or it’s close to my mom’s house and gives me an “extra” reason to go for a visit.  Whatever the reason, I certainly have my favorites and I will choose a small event over a big expensive event each and every time. Therefore, I have never delved into real Ironman territory.  I participated in an awesome 70.3 event, the Great Illini Challenge, in 2008 while I was trying for Mr. Michael but it was a generic version of the half “Ironman” distance and a fraction of the cost.  I normally stay away from big name events where you pay for an after party, band, and/or the brand name, etc. with your entry fee.  It’s just not my thing because I participate for the running/TRIing, not the party.  However, as this year’s schedule plays out, I have paid for both an entry into a Rock N Roll event and now I am registered for the Ironman 70.3 Muncie.

In my defense, I got a super deal on the RnR Chicago event when I registered for it last November with a coupon code and as an early bird.  As for the Ironman event, hey, that’s where my friends are going and I want to be there with them, and the timing/location is right.  Plus, my one friend is a kickass great biker, which is my weakest link, so I will just focusing on “trying” to catch her or if by chance I get out of the water first I will be pedaling my ass off fast trying to stay away from her!  I know that she will still crush me on the bike but a little added incentive is worth the price tag.  🙂

Unfortunately, I had to nix a really GREAT race on my schedule to take part in the IM 70.3 Muncie.  I gave up the Evergreen International TRI in Hudson, IL due to scheduling conflicts with family, run & other TRI events.  This event is on July 14, 2012.

If you are available on July 14th, I highly recommend this race!  It is in a great location, great course, plus they offer both a sprint and an international distance so good for everyone in your party.  This is definitely one of my favorites and the course is fast, I will miss it on my 2012 calendar but please partake, take photos and send them to me and I will  post them while congratulating you on your achievements!  Go, register for Evergreen HERE.  As an added bonus, the race director a super cool lady who puts on a series of events under the TRI Mom/TRI Shark name.  In the last event I raced for TRI Mom, I was handed a sack lunch as I was leaving for my drive home.  Thanks, Mom!  I was starved and much appreciated that sack lunch.  Some times it’s the little things, you know?

So how is your racing season shaping up?  Is it coming together smoothly or are you coming across a few speed bumps like me?  I honestly can’t fit in one international/olympic distance TRI this year and will just be focusing on the two 70.3 distance events.  Not ideal and I’m sure my transitions will be slow due to lack of practice but attitude and an over abundance of confidence will make up for transition issues because I plan to totally crush both 70.3s this year.  I only have one time in which to compare and that is the pre-Michael race but the time still stands and counts in my books.  The 2008 Great Illini Challenge brought me a 6:33 finish and I am hoping by drafting off Renee the Muncie race will get me under the 6:30 mark so I can go on to really get after it at the 2012 Great Illini Challenge 70.3 on Labor Day weekend.  BELIEVE!

If you would like to join me at the 2012 Great Illini Challenge 70.3, they offer both an Olympic and 70.3 Distance, so feel free to come and have fun at whatever distance you are ready to tackle!  This course is really user/spectator friendly too as it has 2 loops to each part.  You will be close to your car transition several times during the race in the event that you “need” anything.  I hope to see you out there!

**Disclaimer** – Drafting in a triathalon will get you disqualified.  Don’t do it.  And if you do, don’t tell them that TTF said it was ok cuz it’s not! 

Sidenote:  Let me just say how excited I am for all of you over the PunkeeLove Headband Giveaway!!  I wish I had a headband to send each and every one of you and I will be on  pins and needles doing the drawing on Monday.  Good luck everyone!  Don’t forget to use the one time only code for 20% off:  tootall20   to order the bands that you want on discount.  I’m certainly taking advantage of the code and placing an order today since I don’t need to wait for the drawing!

Happy Running & TRIing,                                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz

Like a Ton of Bricks…..

Posted on by
7

Yesterday was a great day for running in the CHI with temps in the low 50s around lunchtime.  I wanted to head out to see if I could get a few photos of the flowers and trees which are starting to bloom.  This is an exciting time for me, possibly because I am a springtime baby, I definitely love this time of year the most!

My first stop was at Millennium Park because Hubby called my cell as I was passing by.

Soon the fountains will be turned on and you won’t be able to pass this area without hearing the squeals of laughing children playing in the water, awaiting the spitting fountain of water out of the “faces” and then the waterfall from the top of these towers.  It’s a lot of fun for young and old alike and always makes me smile when the fountains are on and alive with activity.There are always various pieces of abstract art displayed in the park.  The art pieces change periodically and add a different flavor to the environment with each new exhibit. 

Once I hit the lakefront, I ran south toward McCormick.  It’s less crowded that way, has more foliage, has a little gravel path at the side for softer surface running and also passes all the museums. 

Monroe Harbor:

Path beside Burnham Harbor:

This last photo is pretty much where the fun ended.  I turned around shortly after this because I didn’t want to run too far.  My legs are still a bit tight and fatigued from the Shamrock Shuffle so I have been trying to get in a few miles this week but not get crazy yet.  When I made the flip, I was back in this same area, running on the left side of this photo, in the crushed limestone area (off of the black top) and I tripped.  I was looking at the ground like always so was definitely focused on the task at hand.  No iPod.  No distraction.  No excuse.  I stubbed my toe on “something” and went down like a ton of bricks.   Since I was in mid stride and was running a decent pace, I was immediately airborne.  There was no catching myself, I was going down.  I put my hands out, one of which was carrying my phone, realized I was traveling to fast for this to turn into anything but a face plant so opted for a tumble roll to save face….as if that were even possible at this point.  The good news, I rolled, got up, brushed off and was unharmed other than a few grass stains on my hands and Aby’s new Fort2Base half zip which I had stolen plus a few clover leaves stuck in the case of my phone, which I did not drop.

Of course, I immediately wondered what made me trip but by the time I brushed off, removed the impacted dirt and clover leaves from my phone took off the grass stained half zip and tied it around my waist, there were people coming down the path.  At this point, I opted to just RUN so that I possibly didn’t have to talk to them about WHY I fell.  Who knows but when Ms. TooTall goes down, there aren’t any ballerina type graceful moves, its full force LIKE A TON OF BRICKS.  Thank goodness for the tumble roll.  Thank goodness I ran south instead of north so I wasn’t swimming in Lake Michigan instead of brushing off a few dirt and grass stained spots!  Thank goodness I wasn’t in a group run where I would have most likely taken out Aurelia and Susan too!  

I would also like to add that through all of these acrobatics, the damn PunkeeLove Headband did NOT move!  No joke.  I knew they were awesome and have been wearing the ones that I bought at the expo on every run but this really made me a believer.  There is your next giveaway:  PunkeeLove Headbands!  The package is in the mail, I’ll post it as soon as it arrives.  Stay tuned because you NEED a few of these headbands!  Here is a pic of my green one below.  I also have a double strand red/gold one which I wore yesterday.  I was told the double strand bands should be up on the website this week.

I also squeezed in a quick swim last night which was much less dramatic.  I just tried to focus on getting my rhythm back and using the full length of my arms to not “short” my stroke (thanks, Jackie!!).  My main swim goal for the year is bilateral breathing but I did not work on that yesterday, just focused on my stroke.  I swam 40 laps which is 1000 yards or 0.567 miles.  I normally swim 80 laps but swimming is like everything else and I need to get acclimated and build my endurance.  It will take a couple of weeks and I should be back to 80 laps per swim.  The 40 laps took me approximately 23 minutes.   The 80 should be right around 45 minutes once I’m reacclimated. 

If you want real details on swimming and proper technique, go over and check out Kelly the Culinarian’s post on her first swim lesson.  My approach to swimming is a lot like Dori from Finding Nemo:  Just Keep Swimming.

“Run & TRI”way fashion for the day:  Fort2Base half zip; Athleta Relay Capri (best capri’s EVER!), PunkeeLove Headband, SkirtSports.com  TRI Tank, Speedo Vanquisher goggles (from SwimOutlet.com), Swim Cap – Freebie from USAT.  I actually never buy swim caps because I get a free one in every race so I just keep them and use those in the pool.  I don’t have a brand preference, just use the freebies.

What did you do yesterday?  Any trouble staying on your feet lately?  Do you fall down gracefully or like a ton of bricks like me?

Happy Running & TRIing!                                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz

Dry Rot Leads to…..

Posted on by
10

Yesterday was an AWESOME day.  It was another beautiful day in the CHI and I somehow managed thanks to hubby doing toddler duty to fit in a run and a swim!!  I met up with a few F’N Runners to run 3 miles in the Hickory Hills extension.  Here is the 4:30 group:  Wayne, Kathy & Me with Susan behind the camera. 

It was hot as hell but a few raindrops started to fall as we were getting ready so I threw on a hat to shield my eyes.  Then it never did rain, which would have been nice to cool off the temps a bit.  We just did an easy 3 miles, which wasn’t so easy between the hills and the heat but we put it in the done column.  We also saw a ton of F’N Runners on the trail as there was also an early bird meet up for those who could start at 3:30.  I really do love seeing so many friendly faces on the trail.  I also met a triathlete named Kim who I am hoping will eventually join us for some fun runs!  Email me, Kim!!!

After the run, the real fun began as it was THE day that I was scheduled to get my ass back in the pool.  To be honest, I haven’t been in the pool since the completion of the Great Illini Challenge 70.3 in September of 2008.  To be honest, I would never get in the pool again if it weren’t for triathlon. To be honest, YES, I love triathlon that much that I got a tattoo forced myself to get back in the pool.  So after a long pregnancy/baby break for Mr. Michael,  I feel as if the family he is now mature enough for me to get back to what I really love.  And it all starts in the pool (stock photo, not me):

So that I can make it to the start line:

So that I don’t let those bitches swimmers swallow me up:

So that I can meet the first goal of making it OUT OF THE WATER:

So that I can hit the bike:

So that I can thank my Lord & Savior each time I am able to get off the bike, back on my own two feet, RUN (my favorite part by far) and most of all, FINISH:

I knew it would take a little acclimation to get back into the swim.  I’m not a fast swimmer but somewhat consistent and my major goal for this season is bilateral breathing.  This will be very beneficial in hopefully helping me swim straighter, more efficiently and allow me to be more flexible when the water is rough as I will be able to breathe on whichever side has less wake.

In order to facilitate some of these new goals, I got a small group together for a beginner swim clinic with a young lady I know who first and foremost is an awesome person, but who also swam competitively in High School and is a former lifeguard.  Thanks, Jackie!  This forced my accountability and made me dig out my swim gear when I would have been content to put off swimming for a “couple”  more months.  It was a joke at the pool that my swim gear was so old that everyone was surprised my google straps weren’t dry rotted.  When I took my goggles out of the box, they were in fact in intact.  Well, they lasted most of the session before the straps broke.  The new blast of chlorine did not agree with their age.  So apparently I need new goggles.  Ok.

Well, then the real “giggle” was when I got out of the pool and realized that my TRI top which was fine when I got into the water had basically disintegrated in the chlorine.  Thankfully, there was a solid panel in the front, and the “issue” was with the mesh on the sides and back.  The mesh DID NOT hold up to the new blast of chlorine either and when I got out fo the pool the top was VERY threadbare.  Thank goodness for my new Team Tough Chik TRI top which just arrived, and does NOT have mesh panels! 

I basically filled the garbage can at the pool with about half of the gear with which I started.  Good times and thank goodness for solid front panels in TRI tops. 

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction? 

Last call for the Aspaeris Pivot Shorts winner Bridget Walters.  If you know Bridget, tell her to contact me soon or I will have to draw another winner.

Happy TRIing,                                                                                                                 Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                                 amanda@tootallfritz.com

 

 

 

Reset on Speed…….

Posted on by
2

This week should be my 3rd week of speed sessions.  The goal is to get back to running 22 minute, or faster, 5Ks.  After the long miserable stint with Plantar Fasciitis, I lost a lot of speed.  The initial plan was to do 2 speed sessions per week in an attempt to boost performance for the Warm Your Heart Indoor 5K at McCormick Place at the end of the month.  However, it hasn’t worked out that way.

  • Week 1, 10x200m – CHECK
  • Week 2 – Session 1 – Sick baby – Didn’t happen
  • Week 2 – Session 2 – Should have been 6x800m but I couldn’t hang so I limped thru greatly modified the session to a sub par workout.
  • Week 3 – Session 1 – Didn’t happen – Late/Hard run night before and I wasn’t recovered.

So today was Week 3 – Session 2 and as I looked back over the folly I called “speed” work, I decided that I need to push the reset button and start over. 

At the beginning.  Fresh.  At a point where I had the confidence I could nail the workout and move forward. 

So back to the 10×200 I went.  I’m a sprinter at heart and that works well for me and fits well into the middle of my workday.  I can hang, no matter what.  And I did.  Great workout.  Not easy but I made it.  Success!  Now let’s see what next week will bring.

I also managed to grab a half hour on the bike today.  Not exactly what most people would call a “brick” but it’s about a close as my schedule will allow.  I also need time in the saddle to get used to riding again since I don’t ride with a chamois before spring comes and I roll her out for some real miles.  I know it’s as exciting to see me on my bike, on the trainer, in the same spot in my dining room gym as it is for me to ride there but alas, here I am:  I was very excited that my new Athleta Relay Capris came today!

I had ordered these in the fall and they were back ordered til December 15th so I canceled the order but I recently caved ordered them again, in the only color that was available for immediate shipment…..blue.  They are awesome!  They fit perfectly, are long enough (I did order the long), have a small zip pocket in the back, don’t move and feel like butter.  Nice!  I find myself with very few capri tights and will definitely order these in the other colors and wait for the backorder to ship.  Aby wants a pair too.  I can’t even tell which are my running clothes/shoes/socks/sunglasses, etc. now because she is creeping up on me in size and then she wants the same things I have so we have doubles of everything.  And it all looks the same.  And it’s not cheap buying my 10 year old clothes from Athleta & RunningSkirts.com, they should have a half price racks for kids.

“Run”Way Fashion:  The Athleta Relay Capris (above), and both workouts were in Tek Gear performance tops.  I purchased the Tek Gear at Kohl’s on a super sale, last season.  The shirts are cute, have nice material, have a small pocket in the back and I think worth the money, especially on sale.  I bought the white (above) and this green one: 

Do you buy any technical gear at bargain prices?  Any good bargain brands you can share with us?

Happy Running!                                                                                                                   Amanda – TooTallFritz

The Art of Customer Service….

Posted on by
7

As technology changes and advances daily, I sometimes think the internet rules the world.   In this new technological age, it is harder and harder to get good customer service.  Any information we can find on a company is provided thru the internet and there aren’t readily available phone numbers in the “contact us” section.  Most of the time, if I have an issue, I resort to emailing customer service and/or doing live chats with a representative.  The results tend to be mixed and I honestly, do not have high expectations that “issues” will be resolved in a positive manner. 

However, I was more than pleasantly surprised with the customer service I recently received from Under Armour.  For the record, they are not one of my sponsors but I would certainly be open to a proposal!  I contacted Under Armour because I had purchased a heavy-duty 3.0 Base Layer exactly 1 year ago.  Although, I have had the product for quite some time, I only pull this bad boy out when it’s REALLY cold.  I believe I wore it 2x last winter and it’s been sitting and waiting since.  I have only had to pull it out for one run this year.  Here is the photo of Joe, Julie & I in the freezing temps on Jan 2nd.  I believe we also had a little rain & snow, and the wind was atrocious but I was warm! 

However, upon my return home and washing my beautiful 3.0, things went bad.  I’m not really sure what happened as this was the 3rd wash for it and I didn’t have problems before but it came out of the washer like this: 

Absolutely Ruined.

I admit, I was upset.  I decided to contact Under Armour, not because I thought they would do anything but because I wanted them to know.  I sent an email to customer service and attached these two pictures (above).  Within 2 or 3 days, I had a response and an apology with instructions on how to return the merchandise for a refund/exchange.  I opted for an exchange and it has arrived!  I noticed immediately that the product has changed over the last year.   The material is thinner and less plush.  I anticipate it will be just as warm as the other but probably less issues with machine washing and pilling.  In fact, I have noticed all brands of technical, cold weather gear within the last couple years to have become thinner and less bulky.  They still provide the same warmth but we have less to haul around while running, jumping & playing in the cold.  Three layers now, isn’t what three layers was 2 years ago.  As with everything, gear technology is also moving forward at an amazing rate.  As a result, my outer layers are becoming baggy cuz trust me, I’m not losing any weight, so I will need to start buying a size smaller.  Win!

Thank you,  Under Armour!  You have certainly made a lifetime customer out of me.  I had even been considering trying one of your running shoes for my triathlon adventures this year and think I’m going to place that order very soon.  Look for Ms. TooTall “TRI”ing in these UA Charge RCs……

Have you had any positive customer service interactions where you felt they just went above and beyond to help you out? 

Happy Running,                                                                                                               Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                               amanda@tootallfritz.com