Sunday, December 13, 2009
My New Triathlon Ride
Posted by Kel at 7:56 AM 0 comments
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Marine Corps Marathon 10.25.09


Posted by Kel at 7:06 PM 0 comments
Sunday, September 20, 2009
ING Philadelphia Distance Run
Today I ran the Philadelphia Distance Run which is a 1/2 marathon distance run. I ran 4 miles with dad before the race to make it a long training run towards the Marine Corps Marathon on 10/25/09. In total, including the race, distance before and after I ran 18 miles. I finished the race in 2:12:30 which is a 2min, 30 second PR for me. It was a perfect day weather-wise and there were a ton of people on the course for the whole run. I was happy with it and am feeling good after the race! :)
Posted by Kel at 8:21 PM 0 comments
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Nation's Triathlon - Washington DC 9.13.09
I signed up for this race way back in December as a 'destination' race. I didn't realize that by the time the race sold out they had 6,000 people registered. They had about 4,000 finishers so I guess you lose some amount of people to injury, etc.
Posted by Kel at 8:38 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
We're Engaged!
Bryant asked me to marry him! yay! We are in Colorado for the week on vacation and went for a 2 day retreat up in Glen Haven which is right outside Estes Park. He asked as we were stargazing :) I don't think I have seen so many stars in my life! We are both very excited! We don't have any definite plans yet for when or where we're getting married, but we figure we'll enjoy the engagement for a little bit and then figure it out! :)
Posted by Kel at 5:51 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tri Babes Sprint Triathlon. Longmont, CO 8.23.09
I signed up for this race a couple weeks ago when we decided that we would be spending a week in Colorado. It was an all-women's Sprint Triathlon in Longmont, CO.
60/270 overall
F30-34 15/56
Total - 1:24:20
Swim (1/2 mi): 14:38
T1 - 1:48 (couldn't find my bike!)
Bike (12.5 mi) 37:26 (19.9 mph)
T2 - 1:42 (couldn't find my stuff, again!)
Posted by Kel at 5:38 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 2, 2009
SheRox Sprint Duathlon
No photos yet, but here are my results:
Clock Time
01:37:36
Run 1:
00:11:38 (7:44/mile pace)
Trans1:
00:02:27
Bike:
00:54:50 (17.2mph)
Trans2:
00:01:31
Run2:
00:27:07 (8:44/mile pace)
Let's just say we should have called it a day when we got out of bed this morning. Driving to the race the skies looked ominous and the humidity was 100% - the air was thick. Kacy and I wondered if rain would hold off long enough to still make this race a triathlon. We got to the race site around 6:15am, secured a good parking spot for an easy entrance/exit and headed to transition. As we walked to transition, the skies opened up and we got soaked before we even walked down the hill on Black Rd. to get to transition. Body marking was a challenge because we were already wet. Luckily Kacy had her towel handy to dry off the arms and legs.
As we entered transition, they were announcing that they were still planning on going ahead with the race as a triathlon. As time went on and thunder boomed in the distance, they had to reconsider the decision and after a good 1/2 hour to 45 minute delay the race officials decided to cancel the swim because of the current and the amount of debris floating in the river. The race was now going to be a duathlon. I had mixed feelings about this . . . but knew the swim would have been brutal.
Run 1 (1.5 miles):
Kacy and I were in Wave 12 which ended up going off at 9:45am which was just about an hour delay from when we would have originally started. The first run was fine - it was humid, but not raining. The street was a little slippery from the earlier rain, but I was able to keep a fairly brisk pace for the run. Entered transition at 11:38.
T1:
Took me 2:27 which I was a little surprised about . . . but I think it was because my bike rack was at the far end of transition so it was a long run to the "bike out" timing mount.
Bike (15.5 miles):
Mounting the bike went off without incident. Started out averaging around 19mph and passing alot of people along the way. As the bike went on, the rain started again . . . along with thunder and some lightening now. The course was nice with only two significant uphills and a few downhills; however, the course was very slippery and dangerous. I saw a couple really nasty wrecks - 2 women with c-collars placed by paramedics on the scene. That definitely slowed me down because I didn't want that to be me on one of the downhills. One of those times that you say to yourself "is it really worth it to push hard, right now?" The safety answer was no . . . so my bike speed definitely was slower than I could have done if conditions were better.
T2:
1:31
This transition was quicker. Ran to the bike rack, took off the bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses, slipped on the running shoes, grabbed the water bottle and took off. Felt good running out through transition.
Run 2 (3.1miles):
This run was great for about the first mile and a half, at which point you could see some really nasty clouds in the distance, towards the finish. Scary and very close lightening along with deafening thunder precluded the most torrential downpour I have seen in a LONG time. Just as you thought it couldn't rain any harder, it just kept intensifying - I had to keep wiping my eyes because I couldn't see through all the rain pelting my face. Luckily I was able to run all the way through and finish the race. Unfortunately for Kacy and MANY other athletes out there, they cancelled the race while I was out on the run - people who were biking had to stop and people out on the run had to turn around wherever they were at that point. Honestly, the only thing that got me through it was the adrenaline from my 'fight or flight" response - I wanted to make sure I didn't get struck by lightening!
Post-Race-
Going back into transition after the race was another disaster. It was still downpouring rain and the transition area was flooded under 3-4" of water. I didn't lose any of my equipment but my bag was soaked as were my towels that had rested on the ground. I decided it wasn't worth keeping the towels because they were submerged in muddy flood waters and weighed about 50 pounds! Nothing else was lost, but I was super soaked. The post-race celebration was cancelled as were the awards. The priority of the race directors was getting people off the race course and on their way home as fast as possible. I give them credit for trying to keep things calm and organized under very bad conditions!
We headed back to the car and racked the bikes and headed home. Some of the local roads were floooded on the drive back, but luckily I figured a way around them.
On the way home as Kacy and I were debating our sanity for sticking with it during the race I said "There is a thin line between being brave and being stupid . . . I think we were pretty stupid today." Kacy agreed.
If nothing else, it was yet another adventure and learning experience. Hoping for better luck next year!
Posted by Kel at 6:20 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
New Jersey State Triathlon - Olympic Distance 7.26.09
Posted by Kel at 7:22 PM 0 comments
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sunset Challenge Sprint Tri - Bridgeton, NJ - 7.18.09
Posted by Kel at 12:12 PM 0 comments
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Nutrition!
So back in April, I decided to consult with a nutritionist who works with all populations but who has a wealth of knowledge working with athletes. His name is Tom Bilella and I attended a lecture he presented to the Jersey Shore Triathlon Club in March. I've known all along that nutrition was a missing link in my training ever since I started getting into this running and triathlon thing. I decided to take the first step and consult with Tom early in April. Without going into the nitty-gritty details my body composition testing showed that my body age was in the 50's!! And here I thought I was at least in decent shape. I'm happy to report that in 3 months of following an individualized program, I have lost a total of 9 pounds, lost 7 pounds of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle and lost 3% of my body fat :) I highly recommend Tom and the people at Nutrition Treatment Center in Red Bank, NJ if you have any desire to address how nutrition effects your everyday life! - Kel
Posted by Kel at 1:36 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Gonna try to pick up the pace!
So, I signed up for a running technique class in hopes of picking up the pace a bit for both triathlon and as part of my marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. It is going to be a lot of track work which I am looking forward to but at the same time dreading because I usually hate running on the track! Hopefully I'll learn something in the process and get some rewards by running at a faster pace!!! I'll keep you up to date :)
Posted by Kel at 1:31 PM 0 comments
Monday, June 29, 2009
Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon!
Just completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon and I'm feeling pretty good :) I finished in 3:05 which was exactly what my goal was for the finish time. The swim was about 28 minutes which was helped significantly by the current pushing me along the Schuykill River! The bike was pretty tough . . . well, tougher than I expected it to be - there were more hills than I thought, but I was happy to make it through. I started to run out of gas during the run and averaged a 10:28 pace - I'd like to improve on that for my next race! Overall, it was a successful day and I felt good during the recovery! Now . . . I'm on to a Sprint race on July 18th and the next Olympic is NJ State on July 26th! Wish me luck! :)
Posted by Kel at 1:09 PM 0 comments
Friday, May 15, 2009
JSTC Time Trial Weekend
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Monday, May 4, 2009
Long Branch 1/2 Marathon


Posted by Kel at 4:01 PM 0 comments
Saturday, May 2, 2009
First Triathlon of the Season!
So I completed my first Tri of the season last weekend. It was the Bassman Triathlon in Bass River State Park in NJ. The race was a 1/2 mile swim, 29 mile bike and 4.2 mile run. I finished in just over 3 hours. Unfortunately, I had set my goal as 2:50 and missed the goal. I fell behind at the very beginning because I had a mini-freak out/panic episode during the swim portion of the race. We swam in Lake Absegami which was not as cold as I had expected (60 degrees) and it was clean and clear. Only problem with being that clear was that you could see all the lake weeds and debris, which by the time I started swimming with the women's wave that went off last, had been kicked up close to the surface. So every time I put my head in the water I saw all of this "stuff" in my face and it just got to me. I thought I was prepared for the swim, but I guess I was not. I can swim over a mile in the pool - easily! But it's a whole different game in open water. The bike and run went well but I lost too much ground in the swim to make it up on either the bike or run to meet my goal. So overall I was disappointed in my performance, but if I learned anything from the first race of the season it is that I have alot of practicing to do in all 3 sports to meet my goals for the races I have scheduled later in the season! :)
Posted by Kel at 7:56 AM 0 comments
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I ♥ San Diego!
I made it back to San Diego (finally!) this morning. Our flight from Newark was relatively smooth, although I forgot my dramamine and still have a dull headache as a result, 7 hours later! We went up to La Jolla to view the scenery and take some pictures! Now, it's off to pick up Steph and Bruce to eat at Pizza Port and drink some of their awesome beer! :)
Posted by Kel at 9:42 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
FARC's St. Paddy's Day 10 miler
I had a great time running the St. Paddy's 10 miler put on by Freehold Area Running Club on Sunday March 22 :) It was a little chilly to start but warmed up as the race went on . . . too bad the wind was a little frigid! Overall it was a great training run in preparation for the New Jersey Half Marathon that I am running on Sunday May 3rd in Long Branch, NJ!
Posted by Kel at 8:05 PM 0 comments
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I'm officially an AUNT!
Here's the official announcement! Luca David Frangella was born at 7:26pm on Friday March 13, 2009 to my sister Jaime and bro-in-law Dave. I was lucky enough to be in the delivery room to witness the birth! My sister was awesome . . . and I was honored to be able to be there. Luca is beautiful and healthy. He weighed 6lb 11oz and baby, mom and dad are doing well. So excited to have a nephew and am so excited to watch him grow!!!
Posted by Kel at 3:13 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 23, 2009
Cleared for takeoff!
I followed up with my Ear, Nose and Throat doctor today and was cleared to return to all of my everyday activities after my tonsil surgery. I am feeling really great and eager to get back to training for a very busy spring/summer/fall running and triathlon schedule. I think it's a pretty ambitious schedule, but I am determined to do it! This is what I have planned so far:
Running with: Jackie, Colleen, Kacy
Dad is running the NJ Marathon
I'm a little nervous about the altitude for this race, but it is a very large field of people and should be alot of fun!
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Posted by Kel at 2:09 PM 0 comments
Sunday, February 22, 2009
MacBook
One thing I've done really well since I have been home recovering from my tonsil surgery is spend money! I bought a MacBook Pro 15" laptop for myself on Valentine's Day. I really, really love my new toy! I'm just learning all the mac shortcuts with the keyboard. I love it for all the media stuff and because it's so great for my photo editing with Photoshop. Can't wait to get really good at it!! Being a PC user for most of my life, venturing to mac is a challenge . . . and challenges are what I love!!!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 2:25 PM 0 comments
Tonsils and Adenoids
I finally bit the bullet and decided to have my tonsils taken out after 15 years of tonsilitis and strep throat several times a year. I had the surgery on Feb 10th. I must say that overall the recovery has been much smoother than I had anticipated. I had expected to be in tears from pain for a few days after, but I went home feeling good and able to eat some ice pops, jello, and pudding all on the same day of the surgery. Days 4-9 were probably the most trying - the sore throat was a little more intense because of the scab that forms in the back of the throat, but as that fell off gradually, I started to feel a lot better. At this point, I'm experimenting with some more solid foods, and it's going okay. The throat still gets irritated, so I guess that solids might take a little longer to feel more comfortable with. Going back to work on Tuesday might be a little tough - I've gotten used to staying up late, waking up 'late' (i.e. 7:30) and watching my fill of reality TV and Judge Shows. Oh well . . . I'm ready to get back into the regular routine!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 2:17 PM 0 comments
Training
I've got the triathlon bug and can't wait for the season to begin! In the mean time, because this winter seems to have been particularly cold and windy, I have been doing alot of indoor training. I swim 2 mornings a week at the pool at work. Those mornings I have to wake up at 5:00 to get going and arrive at the pool at 6:00 when it opens. Luckily there are showers there for after the swim to just clean up, get dressed and get to work. The other 3 mornings a week, I try to make it to the 6:30 am class at my gym - Fusion. If I haven't mentioned Fusion before, it's what you might call a "boutique" gym that focuses on cross-training workouts. Along with the swimming, I have noticed some great changes in my overall stamina, endurance and strength. The interval workouts are making a huge difference in my distance running for sure. I'm looking forward to continuing on this "roll" for the rest of the winter . . . and then getting back outside for running and biking as soon as it warms up! This cold weather stinks!!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 2:09 PM 0 comments
Baby F!
Everyone is so excited for the new addition to the family coming to a hospital near you in March - so of course we had to have a Baby Shower in preparation and celebration! Jaime is due March 20th . . . and everyone has taken bets on when the new baby will arrive and whether it is a boy or girl! Can't wait! The shower was a success with lots of people, gifts and non-alcoholic punch! It was a FREEZING cold day though . . . only downside :)
Keep an eye on the blog for the announcement of the arrival of Baby F!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 2:01 PM 0 comments
Birthday 2009
My birthday this year (Jan 8) was a good one . . . it's always so tough having my birthday 2 weeks after Christmas. I always wished I had a birthday in the summer, this way you had something to look forward to later in the year and you'd get gifts away from the holidays. Oh well, we're stuck with what we have there! This year my birthday was on a Thursday - translation: work night. We stayed at home and relaxed and just opened a bottle of champagne which has been our "kick" lately. I must say that just relaxing and enjoying a bottle of champagne is right up my alley, so my birthday was perfect! Forget all that getting older stuff . . . you're definitely only as old as you feel!! :) - Kel
Posted by Kel at 1:57 PM 0 comments
Holidays 2008
The 2008 Holidays were amazing, but they came and went way too fast. Seems to happen alot nowadays. Everything was pretty low-key this year - Bryant had to work Christmas Day and New Year's Day, so we took it easy, stayed at home and just enjoyed being together. I got some really great things in preparation for this year's running and triathlon season with some new gear for my bike, a transition bag, laces that I don't have to tie in my running shoes and winter gear for running. It was great to see everyone on Christmas Day at my parents and later that weekend with the annual family party where extended family and friends come by to celebrate. It's an exhausting but rewarding time of year!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 1:46 PM 0 comments
Jingle All the Way 10K Race Report
Race Day: we woke up very early, and I emphasize the "we" because even though Bryant wasn't running the race, he woke up with me anyway to be a spectator and take some pictures while I was running. It was pretty chilly for the race start, my guess is that it was mid-20s. I think I bundled up enough - I did warm up as the race went on, but there was a pretty brisk wind so that made it tough. The race itself was an out-and-back 10K course along the Potomac River, right by where you would go to see the Cherry Blossoms in the spring. I felt really great during the race. I would say I ran pretty consistently at an 80% effort, which translated into a 9:19 pace and a finish time of 57:50. I was pretty happy with this since it was one of the faster 10K's I have run in a really long time. I felt good after the race and we walked back to the hotel with cookies and refreshments in hand. While I ran the race, Bry took some pictures around the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. Here's one example of his work:
After getting showered and eating breakfast at a cafe across the street from the hotel, we decided that since Bryant did his part in being a supporter while I raced, we'd go to the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia - a much larger facility than the one on the National Mall. I must say that it was amazing, even for someone who isn't an aircraft mechanic, like Bry.
We headed home after that - overall a great weekend and great race. I think I'll plan on doing that one again next year!
- Kel
Posted by Kel at 1:22 PM 0 comments
Absentee
So I've been away from blogging for a couple months . . . not sure what happened, I think things just got busy and I forgot about it! I'm going to attempt to add some posts on things that have been happening in the past couple months, and then try to stay on top of it! Wish me luck!
Posted by Kel at 1:16 PM 0 comments