Ammonoosuc Amble

My first race of the season went awesome!! Although its April it was about 20 degrees at the start and the start was at 11:00am! I carpooled so we met in Randolph which welcomed me with 3 inches of snow! Winter has not given up in the North Country.

Most of my races start before 9am so things were a little off for me. We arrived at 9:30 and picked up our race packets. An hour and half until start. Glad they had a raffle going I needed some distraction for my nerves. I put my tickets in for running shoes, a 60 minute massage and Red Sox tickets- an hour and fifteen minutes until start.

I've been doing a lot of running through the winter but not at this distance. I needed a goal, either a finish time or a pace time. I talked with my coach and he figured 7:30 per mile would be good for me and if I felt good pick up the pace the last two miles, and run fast as I thought I could. The last time I raced more than three miles was in 2010 At the PumpkinMan Half Ironman. (1.4 mile swim, 56 mi bike and 13.1 mi run). I know I have the fitness but running for that distance, at race pace, this early in the season was a little unnerving. The walkers went off at 10:30, Regina and Sue were ready!

I used the bathroom and saw a girl who looked pretty fit, blue shirt black tights, she was competition for me I could tell. I headed out on my warm up; 10 mins easy/10 min telephone pole surges to race pace/10 min easy running. Came back with about 10 minutes until start. I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear my vest knowing that if I took it off I'd have to carry it. I left it along with my windbreaker and put arm warmers on under my long sleeve. Side story: As I was walking out, I noticed a guy with a National Triathlon Championship shirt I asked him if he raced the Sprint or the Olympic distance he raced the sprint, I told him I had raced it as well. He asked my name and we realized we've exchanged a few emails! He works for Northway Bank. We went to Northway for sponsorship and to set up an account to accept donations. The Gorham branch manager emailed all their locations asking them to keep an eye out for Team Skidmore donations. Armand is a personal banker. We walked to the start together and discussed our strategy. He wanted to run a 33 I figured I wouldn't see him until after the race.

The first mile was all uphill not steep but gradual. I put myself in the second row and the countdown began. We started and I had to dart around a father and a five year old I wondered why they put themselves in the front. The front group started so fast but I kept up with them knowing a few would slow down. They did and I passed three people. I ran the first mile in 7:35! I knew there were three girls ahead of me.

Half way through the second mile, that girl I saw in the bathroom was approaching and wanting to pass. I stayed with her and on the uphill I didn't slow down as much as her. The next flat she caught up but then I pulled away on the following hill. Finished that mile in 7:41, it was hilly.

Before she tried to pass me again, another guy succeeded. I kept him in my sight. We finally started descending and I was feeling strong. We stayed together for mile three and thats when I saw Armand. As I passed the mile marker I got a flutter in my stomach, that's been my distance for the past three years! My watch read 22:17! I felt great and had completed the third mile in 7:01.

I picked Gina and Sue out of the group of walkers I was approaching, I knew they'd yell words of encouragement. They sure did! The third place female was about 100 feet out in front of me, Gina knew that and she yelled and pushed me to chase third place even harder.

I rounded the corner with about a mile and a half to finish. I distanced myself from the guy I had been running with and was so tempted to look back for the girl but I resisted. I heard the last mile was uphill so I was prepared. Armand was getting closer and closer. I caught him just after the 4 mile marker and said "Come on let's do this!" He tried to stay with me but I had to catch third place. 4th mile-6:23!

She wasn't getting closer and I was running harder. I pictured myself on the podium with a huge smile. I pushed a little harder and felt like I was going to get sick. I've never pushed hard enough to get sick so I didn't know if I would with out missing a step or I would have to stop. I cry when I throw up and didn't want that. My race was going so well I didn't want to discover what would happen. The finish line was getting closer and I knew I wouldn't catch her, I was sort of ok with that. I crossed the finish line 14 seconds behind her in 35:26. I ran the last mile in 6:53!

I left almost all of it on the pavement and it felt amazing. I went inside the school to get my wind jacket for my warm down. In just those few minutes my legs got very sore and almost cramped. It hurt to run but after a few minutes of jogging my hamstrings loosened up. I went unti I saw Gina and Sue, they were a quarter mile out, I jogged to them and turned around with them to the finish. They were walking fast! As we waited for Tami and Rosemary, I elevated my legs to drain the lactic acid. We saw Tami first, I got my phone out for finishing shots. There was a three second delay so I missed her. Ro came through and same delay, bummer no finish photos. We all congratulated each other and went inside, it was still pretty chilly. There were massage tables set up which I never take advantage of. Today I decided I would. I didn't realize there was a line. Most were in the never ending line for food. I waited and stretched and waited and stretched. It was a dollar a minute with the first five minutes being free. Gina checked on me a few times and brought me a cookie. It was totally worth the wait I need to do this more often!

I think I was the last to get food. Cooked veggies and chop suey, delicious! They started what we thought were awards at 1pm followed by the raffle. After 5 speeches an hour had already gone by. We were ready to leave but had to be present to win for the raffle. I also didn't know how I placed in my age group. They announced first overall male/female runners and walkers, I was surprised they didn't recognize the top three finishers. The age group awards were announced next, "female age 20-29 in first place Meg Skidmore" I was surprised but felt I earned it. They continued up through the age groups and Ro got called for first place too! She was even more surprised than I was and didn't believe it.

Remember that father and daughter I had to go around at the start? Well she got an award too She didn't want to race with the kids so she asked her dad to run the 5 miles! She ran in 1 hour and 14 minutes! Very impressive.

Finally they started the raffle. So glad we waited because I won a one hour massage! We packed up our stuff and headed out. We had to pose for a group picture but Ro had to fix her hair first. I guess the wind had other plans.

11th runner out of 111, 4th female, and 1st in my age group, very happy with my finish and a great way to start my racing season.

The temp read 34 degrees as we drove out of the parking lot.

Team Skidmore Updates!

Great news! I've made it easier to help me reach my goal of raising enough money to race in London, you can now donate online via Paypal. Click here or see the link displayed on the right sidebar and feel free to share this blog with anyone!

I've also added the option to subscribe to my blog, this way you'll get an email when I post! See it on the right sidebar. 

We've set a date for our first fundraising dinner! It will be at the Shannon Door Pub in Jackson, NH on Thursday May 16th-SAVE THE DATE and tell everyone you know!! Any pizza sold that evening will benefit Team Skidmore, even take out! Plus there will be great raffle prizes and a sign up for Team Skidmore t-shirts and more.

I've spent some time changing the logo check it out! 

The revised logo

Last years logo

I'm often asked how training is going and my response is always "good" or "great" but sometimes I don't have time to elaborate. Training is awesome! I'm learning so much about my body, understanding the different zones I have to work in, how to push myself-finding something else that works, and becoming more familiar with the power tap computer. I take time after every workout to stretch but I know I need to make more time. The most valuable trick I've learned for better recovery is to elevate my legs for 3-5 minutes immediately after a workout. This keeps the lactic acid from pooling in my legs which causes them to be more fatigued the next day. I also drink a mix within 30 mins, Hammer's Recoverite Chocolate really does it for me! I am always fresh for the next training session.

Training in zones: For each workout I can use technology, a heart rate monitor or a Power Tap to make sure I'm in the right zones. The goal is to steadily increase my zones to get faster, stronger and to tolerate more. My current training zones are:

Recovery Miles- Heart Rate: 85-118, Watts 60-102
Endurance Miles- HR: 110-154, Watts 91-148
Tempo- HR:149-152, Watts 162-173
Steady State- HR:155-159 Watts 175-183
Climbing Repeats- HR161-169 Watts 193-197

During all workouts I am in at least two of these zones. It has been interesting having to focus on numbers while riding indoors on the trainer.  I do watch TV but most of the time I'm staring at the numbers making sure I stay in the right zones. It will be challenging when I start riding outside. I'll have hills, wind, and traffic on top of focusing to stay in my zones. All winter I've been on the trainer with none of these variables.

I've really made great progress in the pool, I learn something every session. When I am swimming sets I am usually descending, meaning each one is faster than the previous one. Steve has taught me when I get tired to find something else that works, I can glide a little more or kick a little harder, just by changing one or two elements I can get through with the same results. It's similar to having gears on a bike. I've used the Erg a few times and that helps with power and form. Steve has looked at my pool times, figured them into the 1/2  mile I swim in Triathlon and projects I've taken 4-5 minutes off! It is so exciting and I still have two months until my first Triathlon. I can't wait to get in the open water and race.

Steve and I have nearly finalized my race schedule for this season, you'll see it on the right sidebar. It's pretty exciting. Instead of  focusing on Triathlons I'll be mixing it up. I'm racing the Maine Time Trial Series roughly 15 miles of all out bike racing. This will help me find my pace and get me more comfortable in the aero bars. I'll also be using these races as bricks where I transition to a run immediately after I'm done riding. This will prep my legs and nail down my T2 (bike to run transition time). Along with time trials I'll be doing quite a few 5k running races. Great Glen Trails has the Salomon Spring Trail Running Series -registration is open ;) as well as a nine week series offered by the White Mountain Milers at Whittaker Woods. I will use some of these as bricks too. I have chosen to race all new Triathlons this summer, I won't know the venue, the course or the competitors. This will really prepare me for London and teach me to race a little out of my comfort zone. In prior races I have always made time to at least drive the bike and run courses so I knew what to expect on race day. I'm super excited for the new challenge!

2013 sponsorship is underway! Karen from Peak Health Sports Massage has joined the team again this year and taken very good care of my muscles! Smith and Town Printing has also joined Team Skidmore. In order to spread the word about fundraising we need materials; letters, envelopes, business cards, raffle tickets, etc and Smith & Town will be doing all the printing for us!! Thanks so much Rachel and Micheal!
 
I'll be posting another blog with more dates and details of this summers fundraising events!

Spring is right around the corner and I can't wait to hit the open road!

Organizing all this takes a lot of time and effort I am so thankful to have a team behind me and leading that team is a great friend of mine Regina Ferreira! She has volunteered so much of her time and has taken on an incredible role, I can't imagine doing any of this without her, thanks Gina!!

45 Minutes of Bliss

The day began at 4:15 am like most days and I really didn't want to get out of bed, which honestly doesn't happen that often. I had a late night the night before, didn't get home until 9pm and had a 45 min spin (bike workout on the trainer) but I'm not whining here..that will come later.

Swim class this morning at White Mountain Aquatic was tough, long, but fun. With the warm up, drill set and the main set, we swam just about a mile in a 40 foot pool! I was totally feeling it, I felt strong and efficient. We swam three double 50's to finish the workout-Butterfly, Breaststroke and Freestyle. The class is five swimmers strong; Leah, Jess Nat, Steve and I. We are all pretty competitive so when the drills are done at a fast pace it's a race in all of our minds. So the 50's were a race, it was great! I am not so great at the Butterfly but my Breaststroke is pretty strong and I'm steadily improving on the Freestyle.

Work began at 8am. I did a photo shoot to help Ernie Mills the photographer get back to capturing Nordic skiers for an upcoming race. We found a small jump and I just had to hit it! Great shots Ernie!

Wanted to work through lunch and leave a little early to get my afternoon 45 minute run in before dark, but that didn't happen. The clock read 4:30 as I started my car. The roads were slickery and I was concerned about my safety running at dusk. I don't mind running in snow I just didn't know how drivers would react.  I arrived home at 5:15, shoveled the walk way and had to eat, I was starving! While I was making my pb & j my roommate Leah asked what my plans were for the evening. I looked at her with a scowl on my face and said "a freaking 45 min run". I was just frustrated with what time it was and I never complain about training but I sure whined about this one. Leah and I exchanged how our days went and the light was dwindling. So was my motivation.  I zoned out while in the rocking chair, bad idea to choose that seat. I debated skipping or shortening my workout but I know how guilty I'd feel if I did. It was now 6pm- dark. I suited up for the snow; layers, running gaitors, my new reflective vest and headlamp.

Love my new running gaitors! I feel fast
Running Funky.com

The second my face hit the cool air I knew I made the right decision to run. Started my watch and hopped through the deep snow at the end of the driveway. It was still snowing. There was hardly any traffic on the road! Less than 10 cars passed me giving me plenty of room. The snowflakes weren't the big fat ones you stick your tongue out for, they were the ones that sting your face when the wind blows.

On the way back I had a steady hill to climb and it felt like I was running on mashed potatoes. I was running and looking at the trees not going by. I had slowed down and was almost running in place. I giggled out loud as I mushed my way up. As I climbed the next hill to my house my watch read 41:27, I still had 4 minutes left. I could have easily turned home, but I didn't. I continued on, peeking at the warmth and the light extending from the windows of our living room. I looped back and stepped onto the porch at 45:03. Perfect!

It was perhaps the most peaceful and rewarding run I've experienced. I'm elated I didn't miss out on spending the evening outside. This will give me more motivation the next time I think about skipping a workout.

Tomorrow I will not have to be up before 5 am, that hasn't happened in more then two weeks!
Powder day! Snowboarding at Wildcat, lifts open at 9am, meeting a friend for breakfast at 8.  It will still be a long day, another 1 hour spin on the trainer with hard intervals and hockey at 7:30pm but I love powder, can't miss out on freshies!!

My First Swim Meet!

The only time I wear nail polish is when I race so last night I made them look good! 

The day started at 4:45 am and when I didn't receive the 5am email telling me that the race had been canceled I got out of bed, super excited. The plan: Steve to my house at 5:40, Gina, me and him meet Maury and Jess at Whittaker Woods at 5:50 and then jump in Leah's van at the Maine border at 6. I double checked my bag, made breakfast and we were off. The roads were slickery; slippery and slick, it's the new word for bad conditions. The drive to Freeport, ME was beautiful, the trees were completely covered in snow. It took us just under two hours to get there thanks to Leah's great driving. We arrived so early the YMCA wasn't open yet!

Getting our warm up in before the doors open

Me, Jess, Leah and Maury ready to swim!

Warm up started at 8:30 and the meet began at 9:30 so we had plenty of time. It was hard to judge when to warm up because I didn't know how much time until my first race. I didn't know how long each race would last and didn't know how many heats each race would consist of. I jumped in and shared the lane with Jess and Leah. Steve hopped in just to get some laps in, he wasn't registered..or so he thought! After warming up and chatting with Maury and the girls we began convincing Steve to register. After very little coaxing he agreed and registerd for the same events I was racing. 200 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 50 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. We practiced our diving starts and my goggles fell of a few times. The blocks here are higher than what we use at the Aquatic Center. We improvise with benches that we practiced on last week. My goggles got pulled off just about every practice dive but once I adjusted my head I felt confident.

Checking out the timing touch pads.

We are so happy to be here!

Steve and I after he registered, so confident

We checked our heats and lane assignments. Steve and I were in the same heat for all four races! I wasn't really nervous about how I'd do, I was more concerned about counting my laps. Swimming a 50 in our pool is two laps, in this pool it's just one, dive in, swim, flip turn and back. My first race was the 200 free, eight lengths or $2.00 each length being .25 cents.

At the start of each race it's your responsibility to be at the block and there is a series of whistles. Some for standing near your block, a few for getting on your block, then a voice command to take your mark and the horn to dive in. I didn't really know when to make my moves so I just watched the swimmer next to me.

There were just three of us in the first heat, and Steve wasn't comfortable diving in so he started in the water. I felt much more relaxed vs seeing six or seven swimmers on the blocks. Just before the horn blared I hoped for a good dive. Success! I was in and swimming with no goggle issues. After .50 cents I was out front then lost track of the money I spent. When I was coming in at what I thought was the last lap I tried looking at the clock on the wall at every breath. If I was close to 3:20 I should be finished at the next wall. I couldn't see it behind the flags. They hang above the pool for the backstroke swimmers as a guide to see how close they are to the wall. I was either going to be really embarrassed or no one would know. I guessed right and finished in 3:19 one second faster than what Maury had sent in. One race down three to go.
 
My next event was the 50 free. Steve and I were next to each other. We obeyed the commands, dove in and swam hard, just one flip turn and hammer back. Time: 37.43 three seconds faster than my seed time. 

The best part about the meet is being there with friends and talking about our races. Gina was taking pictures and recording times, Leah's dad helped with timing, Jess' husband and son were cheering us on and Maury had a constant grin as he introduced us to everyone he knew. He was so proud to have all of us racing!

The 50 breaststroke was my next race I couldn't wait for this one. It's super fun and I've excelled at this style over the last few weeks. I dove in and my goggles slipped up off my head, I grabbed them and slung them around my arm. I could still see the black line and the T marking the end. Every time I pulled, the chlorine rushed into my eyes. I didn't want this to ruin my race so I just kept my form. On the turn both hands must touch the wall, I executed that and just had to make it back. I finished in 46.36, four seconds faster than my seed time! My eyes were burning but I was first in my heat!!

Watching my friends race was amazing and seeing other techniques was pretty neat. As I was waiting for my next race one of the staff came to me telling me I was racing the 200 relay at the end of the meet. My eyes widened and I responded that I didn't sign up for that. He asked, your Meg Skidmore right? As he showed me the hand written relay races I realized he was right, I was leading the team of Steve, Jess, and Maury. I guess Maury signed us up for the relay. Cool.

Second to last event was the 100 free. On the blocks, ok get your chin down and look at your belly button I told myself. Dove in and goggles slipped down, should have pulled them off and let them hang around my neck but I didn't. Maury said they could twist and choke me. I wasn't turning my head as far to the side because they were going to slip off so every breath was half filled with water. I could barely see the line and had no idea where the T was. I didn't want to hit the wall so I flipped where I thought I should have and went to push off, nothing! I kept swimming and made do on the second lap but I did the same thing and missed the wall again loosing precious time. I finished in 1:34 not my best 100 time.  I was asked by the judge after the meet if I had actually touched the wall, I answered no. She should have disqualified me but it was so close she couldn't tell and didn't signal the officials at the time.

The only event left was the relay and we were all pretty pumped for it. We changed the order because Steve wasn't diving. He was first, then me, then Jess, then Maury. Leah was swimming with another group. It was so fun racing with my teammates and cheering everyone on. I dove in as soon as Steve touched the wall and my goggles stayed on! Jess swam hard and Maury finished it strong. We took 1st in 25+ Mixed!

I really couldn't ask for a better experience at my first swim meet except maybe for some super glue for my goggles. The support we had for each other was awesome. We grabbed lunch and compared times showing off our result cards.

I can't wait for the next meet!

Fundraising, Splitboarding and Team USA Jersey!

Well it's really starting to hit me how much support I have leading up to my first international race. Team Skidmore is growing and it's very humbling to know so many people care about me and want to support me. We had a round table discussion about fundraising for my trip and it brought tears to my eyes.

Last summer I asked local businesses in Gorham to support me and sign a contract for three levels of sponsorship. During the meeting I was asked if I had contacted any businesses in the North Conway area for their support. I hadn't because I was living closer to Gorham. I have since moved to the area so that's why the question was raised.  Paul Surette spoke and said we need to start asking North Conway businesses. My first thought was I don't really have a lot of time. Working 40 hrs a week and training between 10 and 16 hours doesn't leave much time to sleeping or eating never mind going out for sponsors. He said we'll do it, we'll go out and get support for you.  I started tearing up I was so surprised and excited to have someone want to do that for me.  A few people chimed in and said it would look much better if others were asking on behalf of me, true but still unbelievable to me.

Another avenue to explore was being interviewed on the local tv station Outside television. We want to get the word out about Team Skidmore and my quest to race in London. Now most of you know me and I'm not one to go around talking about myself and asking for support so this will be a huge step for me. I've been on Outside TV talking about what Great Glen Trails and the Mt. Washington Road have to offer so I know what to expect. It was easy talking about work activities but having a camera on me was a little uncomfortable, as it is for most of us. I just have to get over it and get used to attention and talking about myself. Another fundraising idea is to set up a display to get my story out. My boss said it was ok to have this set up at work and at some of our big bike races. Again I couldn't believe it! Thank you Great Glen. I am also exploring the Kickstarter site or how to make it possible to donate online at my Blog.  Various fundraising ideas are falling into place as well as a long term raffle with some big ticket items. The meeting was a huge success now ideas just need to be implemented.

Changing sports here, my friends enjoy backcountry skiing and all have the equipment to skin up the trail through the woods. This requires a different binding set up allowing for the heel to be free, like teleskiing and skins to grip the snow.  Skins are similar to velvet, smooth one way and rough the other, this lets the ski slide up and when weight is on the ski it doesn't slide back down. Well I don't ski, I snowboard so I asked for a splitboard for Christmas from my mom. I sent one of my snowboards to Alaskan Custom Splitboards. They cut my board, put an inside edge on it so it's sealed all the way and makes for better traction when climbing, they installed the Violé split kit and shipped it back. Now I can skin up and snowboard down! Check out this video from K2 Snowboards.

As you can see, I was super excited to get it! Now I don't have to hike and carry my board on my backpack. 

Yay it arrived! Now to get the bindings on the sliding plates

Skinning up Saddleback with Leah, Beth, Michael and Keith

Riding down after skinning up at Saddleback

Cold windy awesome day for Gulf of Slides with Leah and Keith

Skinning up Gulf of Slides with Leah and Keith

After 2 hours of skinning we arrived at the base of the slides

Looking down Gulf of Slides (Keiths dog Espresso)
Now we get to ride all the way back down to the parking lot!

Ok now back to tri, I ordered a Team USA cycling jersey its getting more official now. Really can't wait for my official triathlon suit, it will have my last name.

My friend and manager, Regina

I registered for my first swim meet, the Casco Bay Toughen Up Challenge in Freeport ME. I'm really excited but super nervous. I'm racing four events the 200 freestyle, the 50 freestyle, the 50 breaststroke and the 100 freestyle. Steve, Gina and I went to check out the pool last weekend. It's really nice and quite a bit longer then the Aquatic Center.  A few swimmers from my Masters Class are also registered and we are carpooling. It's going to be fun watching experienced swimmers and spending the day at the pool.

Now if only this snow storm doesn't cancel the meet we'll all be happy. Wish me luck!! 

Back at it!

After being sick and not able to train for over two weeks during the holidays, I'm just starting to transition back to where I was before. It was hard to not workout and for some it may have driven them nuts but I really didn't get frustrated because it was something I could not control. I've been feeling pretty good over these two weeks but can tell I'm a little behind. I'm not worried, the big race is still eight months away.

I've looked up a few swim meets to compete in and I'm excited to race, especially knowing I won't have to bike and run after! I'm already really nervous and the first one is not until the end of February. I know I'll do fine but it's a whole new world for me.  I was talking to my coach today about registering, it's only $20 compared to $70-$100 for Tris. I told him to completely change my training plan and that I'm only go to swim it's much cheaper! He had a good laugh and was probably thinking it would be easier to coach one sport instead of three.

Gina and I had dinner at the AMC last night. We got to talking with the folks at our table about London and where I train. One women couldn't believe I swim in a 40ft pool I told here it's all we've got up here.  It doesn't bother me; one because I don't know any different and two I just get in the pool and swim. I'm improving my technique every class and I'm getting stronger and faster so that's all that matters. The swim meets are held in Olympic size pools, the length is 50 meters, about 164 feet. I'm going to need binoculars to see the other end!

This morning we did some medley races; Butterfly, Backstroke, Breathstroke and Freestyle. It was fun to use different techniques and the most challenging part were the turns, switching from my stomach to my back and then to stomach again. It was hard to focus on the technique knowing making the turn was so crucial but I got better by the third race.

Team Skidmore will be meeting soon to discuss fundraising and 2013 sponsorship. And I just received an email from Team USA regarding registration, travel packages and uniforms!

Hello Team USA athletes!
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a happy and healthy new year! The Team USA Department is back in full gear and working on what will be an exciting 2013 season. Congratulations to everyone who is new to Team USA and welcome back to our seasoned veterans. We look forward to a very successful year!
We are forging ahead with planning for the 2013 World Championship season and we hope many of you are too. Details are starting to come in for our 2013 World Championship events.......

30 days in less than 500 words

Well it's been about a month since I last posted. I could write five pages but I will just sum it up briefly. I will be dedicated to Blog at least every other week if not every week.

Leah and I found a place, we move in this weekend! 18 people applied for the apartment and they chose us. Just about everything is included even the heat!! I'll post pictures soon It is a great place on a quiet road and minutes to the Aquatic Center, where I am swimming three times a week; taking masters classes Monday and Wednesday and a one on one on Friday with my coach, Steve.

Training is going really well and I'm seeing great improvements all thanks to Steve giving me a very detailed training schedule every week! After my field tests three weeks ago my training zones have increased and I'm becoming more comfortable spinning indoors in the trainer. My swimming has improved since I joined the Aquatic Center last month. In October 100m took me a minute and 45 seconds. Wednesday I swam 100m in 1:23! I love the classes, every one is different and Maury has so many tools: Fins, pull bouys, snorkels, paddles, kickboards, etc and a VASA Ergometer. These all allow us to focus on the many aspects of swimming one drill at a time.
One cycling technique Steve has me working on spinning at higher cadence. When I first started using the Power Tap, which measures cadence, wattage and whole lot more, I was spinning at around 85, now I'm comfortable at 95. Spinning at a higher cadence is a more efficient use of your strength and energy vs mashing the higher gears. This is a spin workout I had last week:  

A 15min warmup spinning at 90-95 cadence then 6 x 2 min Fast Pedal (ramp up cadence to spin 120+ last min)/2 min easy recovery (cadence can be slow at first, but recover it to 90+ for the rest of the 2 min) followed by a 15 min warmdown spinning at 95-100 cadence.

It was a challenging spin to up at 120+ but I liked it and now spinning at 95 is much easier.

To wrap up my 2012 racing season I thanked all my sponsors by hand delivering a thank you letter with plans for the next year along with a photo of myself thanking the business for their support. It felt great to show them how I did this summer and most couldn't wait to support me again.

I can't wait to sit down with Team Skidmore after the holidays to plan for fundraising for London. Ideas are welcome! Just leave a comment below or email me at megskidmore@gmail.com

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!