MonticelloMan - Kicking off 2013 with some wine!

Racing in Thomas Jefferson's hometown...

Highlight: The hamstring injury is HISTORY! My leg is healed, and although yes, I'm still running with a heel-strike, the pain from my pulled hammie two years ago is no longer!

Grumbles: Asthma/panic attack on the swim (water temps were low 60s!), and frozen feet on the bike.

Cham-WOW: I absolutely, 500%, ain't-no-doubt-about-it, love love LOVE our 2013 gear sponsor Louis Garneau! My previously-prone-to-saddle-sores area was quite happy, and the kits look super sharp!

Ladies of the team jumping for joy in our Louis Garneau kits!

 Omimous Preface: My Attempt to Prevent an Asthma Attack in the Water

Three days before the race, I went to an asthma specialist to decipher what was going on with my recent gasping-for-air mishaps in the water. Last year, I had a panic attack in each triathlon except for the swampy-warm waters at Eagleman. I'd recently been feeling short-of-breath in the pool as well, and Bart diagnosed me with exercise-induced asthma (he is an MD sometimes).

I was so frustrated; I've always loved being in water and sometimes wonder if I weren't a fish in a former life. Now I feel like I couldn't even push the pace in the pool lest I die for lack of air.



Well, the doc confirmed that I do indeed have exercise-induced asthma because "when you exercise and your heart works really hard, your lungs are constricting and when you have your face in the water, this aggravates the situation and triggers your bronchospasm."
I nodded and patiently waited for him to just write me the prescription for an inhaler so I could get my evening swim workout in.

I was sooooo ready to kick these asthma attacks out of my life! Took two puffs from my inhaler in transition to keep the demons away before I headed down to the beach start...

Swim: Wherein the Asthma Attacks and I Drink a Gallon of Lake Water

Teammate Katie and I got in the low-60-degree water to acclimate to the frigid temps and warm up our (broad) shoulders a bit, but after only 3 minutes, we were kicked out of the water to make way for the men's start.

I gave Bart a good-luck kiss (spoiler alert: it worked!!), and shivered waited on the beach for the women's wave to start with Katie and Ellen. The women started four minutes after the men, and I made it a secret goal to beat Bart out of the water. I did not even come close to making this happen!

Sure enough, once my face hit the water after a very ungraceful dolphin dive, the asthma attack hit. I couldn't breathe and suddenly everything felt constricting: my sports bra, the wetsuit, the cold water, people are too close, get away, let me breathe!!!

Survived my asthma attack, which I'm convinced was triggered by my lack of a warm-up and the 64-degree-water, by flipping over and doing backstroke. I struggled to keep up with the rest of the ladies, but I quickly lost the leaders. About 500 yards in, I finally managed to calm my breathing and state of mind enough to stick my head in the water and resume free-styling.

I caught a few of the ones who had pulled away earlier, and found my groove a bit too late. I'm just glad I survived that swim and didn't have to backstroke into the beach exit!

1.2-Mile Swim:
30:32, 4th Female (and didn't catch Bart on the swim, he was long gone on the bike when I got to T1!)

T1: 2:31 - Opted to go with arm warmers and full-fingered gloves. Painfully slow to pull those things over wet arms, but worth it because the bike ride was quite chilly!

Bike: 56 Miles of Rollers and Nailed the Nutrition!

The Mindy-way of racing is to come out of T1 near the front of the wave, then to promptly hear "On your left!" and race wheels whoosh-whooshing by as I get passed by (what seems like) everyone.
Sigh. Such is the life of a double-digit power-wattage midget.

Well, happy to say that I was only passed by one female in the entire bike course! And I - yes, me!!! - actually passed a female!

Nothing much to say about the bike course, except:
1. My toes froze
2. I blew about 129 snot rockets.
3. Nutrition strategy: two bites (~60 calories) of a Clif bar (Coconut chocolate chip, yum yum!!!) every 15 minutes for the first 90 minutes. Switched to Shot Bloks and ate two (~65 calories) every 20 minutes for the next hour. The last 30 minutes I staved off and hydrated with water because I usually run best on a minimally-fed stomach. Oh, and I also had a couple bites of rice cakes that I had made earlier in the week, but those were really hard to eat with my full-fingered gloves!
No liquid nutrition, just good ol' agua.

56-Mile Bike:
3:01:10, 4th Female

T2: 1:30 - Thank the Buddhas for getting me off the bike! I'm always happiest in T2 because it means I get to take off my bike shoes and my dorky aero helmet.
I hit the port-a-potty on my way out, which was a relief.

Spermie on my head...

Run: Happy Feet, Sunny Skies and Rockin' Mizunos!

The run...I smile just thinking of those 13 miles of bliss. The past two tri seasons, I've struggled with a hamstring injury. I've done lots this past winter to ensure that 2013 is not a three-peat year. Lots includes aqua-jogging (I lasted 2 months!), elliptical (got to know Robin Meade quite well...), and physical therapy.

Adios, hamstring injury!

A quick shout-out to Snapple's shoe sponsor, Mizuno. My Mizuno Ronins were super-light and fit my feet like a glove. Hallelujah! Plus, they're bright yellow, so it makes me happy whenever my posture slumps and I catch a glimpse of the bright colors.

Took in three gels at miles 3, 6, and 10. The day was starting to warm up as well, so I took in water at each aid station. One cup for dumping on my head, one for drinking. The race volunteers started to notice a pattern by mile 6 :) and handed me 2 cups each time.

13.1-Mile Run:
1:38:52, 4th Female

Monticello Half-Ironman: 5:14:35, 4th Overall Female

Overall, an awesome day. Collected my wine bottle prize for 1st Age Group and crushed some ice cream when I got home, of course!

4th OA, 1st AG!

Lessons learned:

• Figure out how to conquer my asthma attacks in the open water!
• Learn to power up the hills on the bike. It's just pedaling, right?  
• Bring salt tablets, even if it's freezing temps at the start. You never know when that sun's gonna shine and you'll be wishing you had some salt on the run!

The Snapple crew dominated MonticelloMan Tri!

And a huge Congrats to my Snapple teammates!
Bart placed 3rd overall in the Half (and I didn't catch him on the swim...)!
Katie won the Half, finishing 27 minutes in front of 2nd place!
Ellen finished 5th overall, and Chris Morales finished 2nd in his age group in the Olympic!

Next up: Quassy Rev3 Half - ready for some monster hills up in Connecticut!

Week of Nirvana

nir·va·na  

/nərˈvänə/

Noun A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of... Liberation of the soul from the effects of karma and from bodily existence.

Tonight, I baked a crumb cake. 

There it is. It now has a huge dent in it, and the roof of my mouth is burnt, but I'm happy.

So, so, so happy. 

This week has been probably the most stressful week in my ohm-like existence, but for good reason. And I celebrated with a crumb cake because that's the way we roll in the Ko-syth household. Relaxation comes not from a yoga mat, but from baking. Filling the kitchen with the wonderful smell of brown sugar and cinnamon and plodding around in these slippers:

Thanks to Dotty for these slippers - she knows my OCD-self too well!

OK...so why the crumb cake therapy? Oh, let me count the reasons:

1. I finished my last final of the first year of grad school tonight! Feels good to know that after 8 years of no textbooks, I can still get my NERD mojo on. Ask me anything about Bhutan's role in the global economy or NAFTA's failures as an "agreement"; drill me about regressional analysis or the Coase Theorem. I am a nerd and I absolutely love it. Bart calls me boring, but I just tell him it's a two-year phase I'm going through...and I'm now halfway there!

2. First race of the 2013 Tri season! I struggled through an asthma attack on the swim and some strong winds on the bike, but the half-marathon felt awesome and powerful...I was ticking people off who had passed me on the bike and in transition! So happy to be injury-free this year, and looking forward to Quassy Rev3 Half in June already!

1.2-mile swim: 30:32
T1: 2:01
56-mile bike: 3:01
T2: 1:31
13.1-mile run: 1:38:52

MonticelloMan Half: 5:14:35, 4th OA Female, 1st AG!

The MonticelloMan gang:
Chris was 2nd AG in the Olympic;
Bart got 3rd OA in the Half;
Katie (1st OA), the tiny Asian (4th OA), and Ellen (5th OA)
raced our way through a tough field in the women's Half! 

(this one's kinda big)
3. WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! 
Say whaaaaat?!?!

You heard me, Jorge...

I said, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! 
The minute we walked in, we fell in love. With the kitchen. Then with the bathroom. Then OH MY GOD the backyard. And the bidet in the upstairs bathroom. And the office space and the downstairs open floor plan. The garage. The garden. The hardwood floors. EVERYTHING about this new house - OUR new house - is fantastic.
The previous owner put so much love and care and heart into making this place a home and not just a house, and in a weird sense, I'm honored that the torch is passed down to us.

Both Bart and I have no idea how to maintain the garden. I mean, check out (our!!!) azaleas and driveway. The previous owner did the landscaping himself. Just looking at these pictures makes me so excited for our moving-in weekend!

I'll get used to coming home to this every day...

Yes, after long bike rides in the summer we're TOTALLY taking
advantage of our outdoor grill! 

Paradise in our backyard! 

4. I started a new job! 
That's right. My title is no longer "Intern." Goodbye, days of unpaid slavery in DC!
I started with Engility this Monday and am already loving it. My first day, I was introduced to another girl in the office as "someone who loves to eat." And later in the day, she tracked me down to tell me that every Wednesday at Engility, there's a breakfast buffet spread at 8:30 and it's the best part of her week. Oh boy, can't wait for tomorrow!

Life is just splendid right now. All this craziness this week makes me so happy.
Congratulations to all my fellow first-year grad school classmates at American University for our successful kick-off year!
Congrats to Katie, Ellen, Chris, and Bart for their smashing races at MonticelloMan this past weekend!
Congrats to my sister Phebe, who smashed her interviews for a cardiac anesthesiology fellowship!
And a congrats to the person who sold us our beautiful new home, who's opening up this place in Provincetown! 

Happy 52nd, Peace Corps!

Check out my article on American University's International Relations blog in celebration of Peace Corps' birthday: March 1!

Reposted below from the online IR Blog at American University:

Sharing Culture Around the World 

In the Bedouin culture, “you’re a guest for three days. After that, you’re family.” Even though I arrived to my assigned Peace Corps village of Sabha with only ten weeks of Arabic lessons and a brief introduction to Muslim culture that mostly consisted of what I couldn’t do, I was shocked at how warm and welcoming my community was. As a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer, my primary role was to teach English classes at the girls’ school in my village. Soon enough, I was tutoring girls and mothers English and math after school, holding exercise classes (which were held in a giant living room and consisted of attempts to teach my neighbors how to jump-rope), managing the English department at the school, and hosting pizza-making and cake-baking lessons. Peace Corps volunteers embrace flexibility – you go in with a certain mindset of your “assignment” and emerge with the ability to morph any space into a classroom and weave an element of cultural exchange into every conversation.

Village Sheikh with his two sons

Two Bedouins heading home before the sunset call to prayer

Two years immersed in a foreign culture taught me lessons no professor can ever teach in a classroom. I had read about Eid al-Adha and the customs of Islam’s biggest holiday, but when I witnessed a camel slaughter and drove around with the sheikh’s family to deliver camel meat to every Bedouin tent in my village, I understood what “community” means. When my female students explained to me that they wanted to learn English so that they could attend university in Amman or even Dubai, I was thrilled that education was valued so highly. When several older girls suddenly dropped out of school because their families had arranged a marriage for them, I wondered whether education for girls would ever take precedence over becoming a good wife.

Bedouin boy chasing his donkey in Wadi Rum

And during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, I would rush to my best friend’s home (a 55-year old lady with four kids), cook for several hours with her, wait for the sunset call to prayer, and eat a feast with their family. I learned how fresh olives are turned into the world’s best olive oil, how Bedouins will stop you on your way to school and ask you to bring a pot of fresh tea to their fields (and they don’t mind waiting several hours), and how my villagers had based their view of Americans on what they had seen from Dr. Phil and Oprah. It took a while to explain to them that these TV shows were mostly for entertainment, and didn’t define the average American!

My two-year Peace Corps service initiated my passion for international development. After working for a few years as a Program Manager of the Middle East and Latin America regions with a non-profit, I decided that the best way to capitalize on my experiences abroad and interest in community development was to pursue my graduate degree. Washington, DC is ripe with first-tier graduate programs in the field of international development, and I ultimately chose American University because, as one student told me, “If you’re wondering where all the RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) in DC are, they’re here. At American.”

My favorite village baby trying to help move the camels out of the road!

And it’s true. At AU’s School of International Service, I’m surrounded by other RPCVs who share my love for travel and cultural exchange stories, as well as professors, who have encouraged me to write op-eds, participate in Arabic conversation groups, and share my experience with undergrads that are considering applying for the Peace Corps. From my Peace Corps role as an educator and teacher, I’m now on the receiving end as a graduate student. As John F. Kennedy, who established the Peace Corps, said, “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”

Mindy Ko is pursuing her graduate degree in International Development with a concentration in Development Economics. She served in the Peace Corps in Jordan from 2006-08 and is currently working with the US Protections Unit at the UN Refugee Agency.  

Just because it's Valentine's Day!

I was the first to say the "L" word, maybe two or three weeks into dating this awesome dude. I still remember when I told my girlfriends - they all thought I had committed the cardinal sin of relationships.

"You never say the L-word first! Mindy! Never!!" 

followed by: 

"This relationship will never get anywhere now. You just admitted you are head-over-heels for him. What were you thinking!?!?!?"

Hmph. I can tell you what I was thinking - I was thinking "say it when you feel it!" And don't listen to your girlfriends who read those relationship advice books written by twice-divorcees. 

I say the L-word about 20 times a day now. I know, mushy, mushy, blah, blah. I promise I won't get too sappy - at least by Valentine's Day standards.

Reasons why I love the one I love: 

10. He dances while he brushes his teeth.  

9. He doesn't care that I plod around in the same sweatshirt and sweatpants every single day. 

8. He's a walking dictionary. Any word I say out loud, he corrects my pronunciation and recites the definition. Brilliant man. 

7. He likes spicy food. His tolerance is higher than mine!

6. A date can be as simple as a swim workout together.

5. He doesn't buy me flowers or jewelry; instead, he gives me wonderful gifts like a Kitchen Aid mixer and a garlic crusher and a power tap hub. 

4. He taught me what "sufferfest" means on the bike. 

3. He lets me cuddle with him when he watches football games. 

2. We never have to bicker about the other dropping hundreds (OK, thousands!!) of $$ to support our love for triathlon because we're both in it together. 

1. He makes me laugh every day with his seriously-not-funny jokes and the way he eats popcorn.

The 2013 season kicks off with a Half-Marathon!

8:45 am, chatting with my supa-star girlfriend Kendra Goffredo. She was pinning her bib on for the Cloud Snapple half-marathon, a low-key race run on the C&O Canal Towpath that started in 15 minutes.

"I wish I were running!" I complained, as I jumped up and down to somehow regain any blood circulation in my toes. I'd been freezing since 6 am that morning, and you never quite thaw out once you're a frozen popsicle. 

"So why don't you?" Kendra asked.

"I didn't register, I'm supposed to be a volunteer, and I don't want to get injured." 

"I'm doing 8:30 miles. You can run with me." 

8:30? OK, I could do that. I thought of another excuse. 

"I'm not wearing a bra and I don't have my Saucony running shoes with me!" 

"I have a bra!" - Kendra whipped out a bright green sports bra out of her backpack. "And what's wrong with those shoes?" 

Problem solved. I wasn't wearing my ideal running shoes, but they were a beat-up pair of hand-me-down Under Armour shoes from my twin sister. Kendra and I ran into my car, did a quick clothes change, and ran to the start line. 

I know, have you ever seen two freezing girls so giddy to start a half-marathon race?! 

Oh, and a second yes: Kendra is wearing a hijab. Apparently it is the ideal running headscarf - peripheral vision flexibility and light fabric!

Race Course - snow that provided a good cushion!

We started out slow and chatty. We were those two girls who run side-by-side, blah-blah-ing, oblivious to other foot and bike traffic on the trail. I'd say about 50 runners passed us within the first half-mile. We put in a little sprint effort when a guy (with extremely white thighs, I might add) passed us- Kendra and I chased him down with her camera phone, exclaiming, "Hey! Aren't you cold?!?!? You're wearing shorts! And they're so patriotic!"

Mr. America was not amused - he shot a glance back at us giggling girls while Kendra snapped a picture of his arse. No smile - why so gloomy, sir? 

There's nothing thrilling to report in this race. No PR (in fact, we probably set a PW). I don't think any mile ever broke 8:30. Throughout the run, Kendra's HR read 170-200, which we attributed to the freezing weather on no basis other than that HR monitor was just plain lying.

One highlight was discovering this toilet at Mile 5:

Yes, we pee'd side-by-side.

I was ecstatic that my endurance is still there! 13.1 miles, and although it took us over 2 hours (yes, it did. Blame it on the bathroom break and frequent stops to chat with our aid station buddies), it passed by as quickly as one of my 6-mile loops through our Arlington neighborhood!

AND I just registered for my 2013 races. So psyched to have the schedule nailed down!!

May: Monticello Man Half
June: Quassy Rev3 Half
July: Diabolical Double
August: IM MONT TREMBLANT!!!!

So excited, I could do a handstand on a mountain!

How to FAIL at a handstand

OK, not really. I never really mastered gymnastics class, heehee! 

A January summer in South Africa!

Photo Album from South Africa here! 

I was a bit burned out from the past 4 months. Since August, I had no races in the near horizon to look forward to, so my training was going through a blase-motivation phase. Hopping on my trainer and swimming 4-to-a-lane with all the other resolution-setters just lost all sense of fun, and winter training is always a bit cold and depressing.

I made one of the best decisions in 2012 and went back to school - but 7 years out of school is enough to make anyone forget how to study, write anything academic, or conduct regressional analysis! My brain was utterly fried, and it didn't help that my part-time job was spent trying to figure out some data-mining software that I wanted to smash with a hammer when it wouldn't pop out clean numbers.

Man, did I ever need a reason to escape for a couple of weeks! 

Visiting Africa Jam in Khayelitsha

American University has a great program called Alternative Break trips - immersion programs that allow students to partner with community initiatives.

South Africa was a no-brainer: the program studied the social justice issues of gender equality, youth empowerment, and HIV/AIDs.

Plus, I could spend my first 2 weeks of January in summer bliss! Yes, please!

The first two days in Johannesburg were filled with museum visits and basically gaining a solid understanding of apartheid and the culture and history of South Africa. Jo'burg isn't particularly appealing - I spent most of my 2 days there hot and sweaty, wishing I could just dive into an ocean, and slowly overcoming jetlag.

South African cuisine at its finest: springbok!

By far, the highlight of Johannesburg was eating at Moyo. Fantastic flavors and I'd splurge there on a meal again and again!

I'm not particularly keen on museums and big, boring cities, so I'll fast forward to the fun part...

Samaki Kavu (fish in Malay curry) with a side of some creamy concoction of peanut-pumpkin mash!

Moved on to the wonderful city of Cape Town. This is what I'm talking about! Cape Town has an absolutely gorgeous setting - Table Mountain in the background and a nice sea breeze (or tornado-like gusts, if the wind picks up!)...boy, I am starting to sound like I'm in a Nicholas Sparks book!

Table Mountain - towering over the entire Cape Town!

You can't see the pain on our faces, but that sand
ripped our skin apart! 

First day in Cape Town, we went to Cape's Bay Beach. Someone reported that the winds reached 60mph!

It was so cold, and absolutely horrible conditions for a relaxing day at the beach, but a few of us braved it and tip-toed in!

Shannon, Stephanie, and me trying to brave the cold Atlantic waters...

We also made sure to celebrate New Year's Eve in style with some Appletiser, South Africa's bubbly beverage of choice :)

I spy Desmond Tutu! 

Our two weeks in Cape Town were spent visiting communities, implementing small projects, and learning about South Africa's social justice issues in the wake of apartheid. 

A visit to Desmond Tutu's in Soweto! 

Visiting Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto township! 

We rocked the dance floor and got to jam out to some good African drum music on our visit to the Khayelitsha township, where we spent the day with Africa Jam!  

Taking a stroll around Robben Island, the site for political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma:

Of course, our van had to give out on one of our journeys to a township...while waiting for the van to be towed off, I got to join in a pick-up game of soccer with some 5-year-olds who used an empty 2-L soda bottle as their soccer ball! 

Soccer game in the streets! These rascals had some skillz! 

And, then it suddenly hit me: I turned THIRTY. The big third decade crept up on me, and there I was, sitting in my boxers in our Cape Town hostel and recovering from a hike out to Cape of Good Hope, when that wonderful aroma of chocolate cupcakes with warm vanilla icing wafted through the air...

Thanks to my wonderful trip-mates for staying up late and baking me mini cakes!

and although this message wasn't written for me, I thought it quite serendipitous that on my birthday, as I hiked from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope, I stumbled upon this "Happy Birthday!" message written in the sand!!!

From the sea to MEEEE!!!!

   

Our South Africa group! 

My new coworkers...enjoyed scooping out the pints!

I also must mention that I was hired for a (very) short-term, temporary position at Haagen-Dazs in Cape Town.

I was thrilled when the manager said that he had never seen someone smile so much at the sight of ice cream at 10am! 

Township visit in South Africa

I have to admit that I didn't miss tri training one bit. I found a running trail about a 1/2 mile from where we were staying, and found solace in going for a run before everyone else had woken up. I also got to spin the wheels on a rusty mountain bike in a township!

The saddle kept twisting, so I couldn't really ride it without an awkward clinching of the thighs, but I don't think these boys had ever seen a girl ride before! They told me I would fall off, and I was proud to prove them WRONG.

After all, as H.G. Wells said: "Let me tell you about bicycling. It has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." I absolutely love that quote, even though it's more than a century old!

I'm not going to ramble about our township visits, short-term work with the communities, or learning exchanges with organizations that work on the ground with those affected by HIV. But maybe this video of some grannies from the organization Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA) can show the welcoming hospitality of the entire South African community!

A few more highlights from the trip:

• Shannon Carey and I were absolutely obsessed with doing yoga poses everywhere we went! 

Table pose at Table Mountain! 

At Oudekraal beach!

Shannon at Lion's Head!

Crow pose at Lion's Head! 

• I found my life motto at a market in Cape Town...

• Oh my...utter bliss and sugar highs when we found this bakery! Charly's Bakery had the most colorful cupcakes and cheesecakes! 

    

• A Xhosa cooking lesson from Ivy, who attempted to teach us the clicks of the Xhosa language (which just left me slobbering all over the food)

• My three favorite South Africans I met on this trip:

A grannie I shared a conversation with
that was pure laughter.

Chris taught me South African hop-scotch,
and Gracie gave me the best hugs ever! 

•  And the vistas of Cape Town are absolutely stunning, whether you're hiking or paragliding or trying not to pee your pants! 

Our flight back took 44 hours. No joke. 44 hours, but I at least got to escape into Paris for 2 hours during our layover! 

Opera House in Paris

Almost...as tall...as the Eiffel! 

Sunrise over the Seine! 

Hey! Capital Bike Share in Paris! 

Croissants and Cappucinos, wi wi, bonjour, nom nom! 

We match!

And now, I'm back in DC! Spring semester has started, and I'm working for my dream organization, the UN Refugee Agency, this semester! I have to admit that I was quite thrilled to come home - I always miss my bed, Bart, and cooking and baking in my kitchen!