Recovery (Sneak Peek)

With CIM training under full swing and the race just around the corner, I thought I would share the first scene out of book number two, Recovery.  Some of you may recognize this from the back of Transitions — sharing it again here since CIM training has it on my mind.

Transitions - Available on Amazon

Backstory: Tara got a dose of reality in Transitions when she set her sights on the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. In book two, she signs up for her first stand-alone marathon, the California International Marathon. On the bus ride up to Folsom, she learns about another "big" race with a qualification standard she just might be able to attain someday. 

I've done CIM ten times and qualified a few of those times for Boston with one result fast enough to stick. (IYKYK)

Me during my first CIM. Miss a BQ by :04 seconds!
CIM 2013 Race Report

Funny how a qualifying time becomes an obsession once you know it exists. Tara's about to find out.

Urban Cow Half Marathon 2026 - Racing on a GLP-1

NOTE: This is not medical advice or any kind of recommendation. I am merely reporting on my own experience.

Backstory

I am postmenopausal. And let me just say that the weight gain you hear people talk about (if you know any postmenopausal women, or even perimenopausal ones) is real and unrelenting. At first I thought I had it managed, but last year, even in the middle of training for IRONMAN California with the later weeks pushing 20 hours of workouts, my weight barely dropped, and most weeks stayed constant. Thankfully, I rolled right into training for the California International Marathon (CIM) after IMCA, so my weight didn't fluctuate too much. I chalked up any gain to the holidays.

But then the new year started. I did dry January and extended it with a 40-day sugar fast, but my weight kept climbing. I was beyond frustrated. No amount of working out or dieting seemed to do anything to the scale. Something had to give because my clothes weren't fitting and I was miserable.

Then someone mentioned that they were micro-dosing GLP-1. I sat with that idea for a bit. For over a year, I had been listening to fitness and biohacking podcasts about GLP-1s. I had also read plenty of articles about them. I knew the downsides, and I had made snide comments about stars with Ozempic face. But I had also been reading about the positives. So after careful consideration, I decided to give them a try.

I began taking a micro-dose of semaglutide from AgelessRx at the end of June. It was a tiny fraction of a full dose. Every month, the dose increased in a process called titration. Two weeks ago the dose went up to 1.25 mg, which isn't really a microdose anymore. It's about half of a full Wegovy maintenance dose.

On top of the dose going up, semaglutide has a half-life of about a week. Even though you only take it once a week, about half of the previous shot is still in your system when the next one goes in, and it just keeps building like that.

After this last increase, my appetite just crashed. I found myself forcing food down, trying to get enough protein and calories that I could do my CIM training and not struggle through it. Food as fuel became my number one concern. The night before the race, I could barely get a few bites of dinner down. I was starting to worry.

Race Day Morning

After a restless night, I woke up and fixed my normal pre-race/long workout breakfast of apples & cinnamon oatmeal. As it cooled, I poured half a cup of coffee and sat down to eat. I took a few small bites of the oatmeal and my stomach flipped. There was no way I could eat it. I opted for a Maurten 160 gel. It went down easy, but was probably not near enough for a half marathon.

My breakfast still on the counter when I got home from the race.

HS drove me to the race. I hopped out of the car as the line to park was very, very long (note to self, leave earlier next time). As I was walking to the start line, I saw a pair of runners I recognized, Scott and Karyn. They looked fresh and full of energy. I started to worry. The only other time I had done Urban Cow was when Karyn was coaching our running group. I had looked up my time from that race and I was shocked at my pace. How did I run it that fast? I had shown up with a tight back that morning, and about ten  pounds more than I am carrying now, and still ran one of my best half marathons. I knew I didn't have anything like that in me for this race.

Race Results 2023 - 8:34 pace!

Race

I hung back with the 10:00 group at the start and told myself this was just a training run. Maurten 320 was in the handheld. A Maurten 100 + caffeine and a 160 were in my pocket. The plan was a gel every forty minutes. I only got the caffeine gel down. I sipped the 320 here and there, but not nearly enough to make up for skipping my oatmeal.

My people, at least that was the plan

The gun went off and I did what I always do — went out too fast. I had yacht rock in one ear, trying to keep an easy beat, and the beautiful Land Park neighborhood had me looking for "For Sale" signs. As much as I tried to fight it, the sea of runners pulled me along. I checked my watch at the first mile and knew I was in trouble. If I didn't back off, I was going to blow up. I didn't back off.

The caffeine gel went down at four and a half miles. I took electrolytes at the aid stations, which were conveniently placed every two miles. I walked most of them just to breathe.

I held my pace until about halfway. Then the wheels came off. My legs got heavy and my left calf tightened. Runners I'd passed early started passing me back. I told myself a slow jog was still faster than walking, and almost as easy, and I kept going.

Around mile 10 I gave up on yacht rock and switched to Sammy Hagar. If smooth and easy wasn't working, maybe loud would. "I Can't Drive 55" came on, and a smile spread across my face. It's a callback to a nod to Sammy in my debut novel, Transitions. Shameless plug, maybe, but the song and the smile got me through about a mile.

Available on Amazon

I finished in a respectable time — my longest and fastest run of this CIM block — and it still felt like a fade. I walked past tables of food with my stomach churning. Nothing doing. I took a banana and ate it hours later.

13.25 mi • 2:03:18 • 9:18. First half too fast. Second half under-fueled.

Post Race

I spent the afternoon reflecting on the day. I know I was under-fueled. I have ten weeks to figure that out before CIM. There is a balance to be struck between race weight and proper nutrition. I may reach out to the doctor to discuss lowering the dose. Yes, running with less weight feels great, but not when my energy is gone.

Finished!

Transitions: Book Release

Just like triathlons, publishing a book came with a learning curve. I was very optimistic after I handed off my finished drafts to my beta readers. I was so optimistic that I hired a cover designer ahead of choosing my copy editor. Then I had to wait. Wait for the final edit so I could tell the cover designer the EXACT number of pages. Who knew that a couple pages would matter.

So my timeline slid from the end of June to the end of September. I uploaded the finished product into Amazon and ordered three proof copies. Even with the "Not for Resale" band across the center, holding an actual book in my hand felt amazing. Almost as amazing as an IRONMAN finish line!

But none of that logistics stuff is really the story. The story started years before any of this — with a question I didn't know how to answer yet.

So Why Write This Book?

If you have followed this blog at all, you know that way back in the beginning I wrote about why I call myself a closet athlete (Read full post here). The excerpt below is what Transitions is built around...

I was an active kid. I took gymnastics and tennis lessons. I played softball for a season, I played on the first all-girl soccer team in Stockton, and I swam on the summer rec team for a few seasons. Were any of these activities on a highly competitive level? Not really. Did I play any of these sports in high school? Nope. Did I aspire to do more? Unfortunately, no. That is, until I had my own kids.

This is probably one of the hardest things to write. Probably because I have to admit that I pushed my daughters to compete, not always when they wanted to, but when I wanted them to. I think I did this because I felt I had missed my opportunity when I was young and I wanted to make sure that they didn't. Would I change anything? Of course. Would I have pushed as hard as I did? Maybe not... but then again, maybe I would have.

Ashley (age 10) at Tiger Memorial Day Swim Meet

My girls' accomplishments became my own and I lived through them. Every first place finish, every high point trophy, every PR, every goal, every save... they all became my own. It didn't matter that I wasn't the one spending several hours a week practicing. It didn't matter that I wasn't the one in the pool getting kicked and scratched during a water polo game. It didn't matter that physically I had let myself go while pushing them to improve.

The end of my daughters' high school careers was bittersweet. So much of my time had been spent getting them to practice and games, now I wasn't going to be needed. 

That tug-of-war — between wanting it for them and wanting it for me — is basically the whole book.

Is It a Memoir?

No, although it is based on many real life stories and anecdotes. The people aren't real and the circumstances are very much fiction. The only thing I tried to remain true to were the races. Although for those of you who may have done Dirt, Sweat, and Beers, you probably remember that the race was at the end of July and not June as I wrote in my book... but I needed the timeline to work a certain way, so I fudged the date a bit.

Is There More?

Books two and three are already taking shape — Recovery is drafted, and book three is starting to come together in my head. More on those soon, once Transitions has had its moment.

Release Date

The official release date for book one, Transitions, is October 1, 2026. I have so many plans to get the word out there... you might even see me out at IRONMAN California handing out flyers and maybe even a few copies of my book.

In the meantime — if any of this sounds familiar, follow along here or on Facebook so you don't miss release day. I'll be sharing more as October 1 gets closer.

Sometimes Things Are Too Weird to Be Coincidences

While I wait for beta reader feedback for my first novel, Transitions: Through Hardship to the Stars, I have a little extra time on my hands, but a mind that is still fully immersed in the story... and thinking "What's next?" So I started outlining Book 2 - Recovery. 

Recovery picks up where Transitions left off, and one of the storylines involves Tara's father passing away and her family gathering in Arizona for his celebration of life. Tara learns that her brother, Brad, was named after a family member who played baseball. 

In early drafts I had imagined this namesake Brad being a major leaguer — someone Brad's father admired from afar. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a real life Brad that fit the timeline so I decided that the namesake would be a beloved older brother who played minor league ball and was a hero to the man who would become Tara's dad.

Which reminded me that my own uncle played minor league baseball in Sacramento.

Sacramento Solons - Uncle Ron is in the first row, bottom right

So I looked him up. Just to get a little more detail, a little texture for the story. I found his obituary and read. I stopped midway. 

My uncle's nickname was Ironman. 

Proof for when someone thinks I made this up just for the novel

He was given this nickname because he could pitch both games of a doubleheader and win. Our family's first endurance athlete.

I sat with that for a minute.

I have completed multiple IRONMAN triathlons. I have crossed finish lines with that word on the banner overhead. I have worn that word on my hats and shirts. Hot Stuff even bought me a Dooney & Burke IRONMAN purse. IRONMAN has been a very visible part of my identity for years. And my mother — his sister — never once made the connection. Never even mentioned it. 

One of my favorites gifts from Hot Stuff

I scanned the obituary again for any more family secrets and stopped cold for a second time. My uncle's birthday... April 30... the same day I was reading it. Chills! 

I sat floored at my laptop trying to process what I had just learned. 

I didn't know what to do with that except write it down and share it. Some things are too weird to be coincidences. Some stories were always going to find their way to the surface. Maybe the outline was never really about Book 2. Maybe it was just the excuse I needed to go looking.

Happy birthday, Uncle Ron. The original "Ironman" in our family.

I Am Done with the Algorithm Too

When I read Kristin Mayer's April 14th blog post — I Am Done with the Algorithm — my first thought was "Exactly!" While her post was about the goals of her clothing brand, Betty Designs — I recognized what she was saying in terms of my book. The goal is to make people feel something. She went on to explain that she's not chasing likes or changing who she is to keep up with the algorithm. Amen! I don't want to chase it either.

Following the algorithm only makes you feel crazy and often drags you further away from your goal. I know. I lived it during the last five years of trying to get my novel Transitions out of my head and onto paper. I read countless books on writing a novel. Listened to podcasts over and over trying to find the secret sauce to telling a story. I couldn't write. Paralysis by analysis.

I fretted over how many words each scene had, the average sentence length, was I showing or telling. In the meantime, my story sat stagnant.

Early this spring I did a 40-day social media fast. Part of me hated the idea. Any social media momentum would be gone. A chunk of time with no posts, no talking about the book that wasn't even close to being finished.

And then it happened. With my nose not pressed to my phone, scrolling and scrolling, I had time. Time to sit in front of my computer and actually focus on my book. Scenes that were short — or more specifically didn't meet the ideal word count — were left as is. If a scene only needs 900 words to get to the point, why stretch it to 1500? There was freedom in that one small concession.

My extra time also allowed me to go back and look at the story as a whole. Certain scenes got moved to different places in the novel and it changed my whole perspective of what I could do as a writer.

Throughout the story I've worked to incorporate real races, real bikes, real gear. Two examples are my nod to Betty Designs, Kristin Mayer's company. Her kits were some of my early favorites, and I've featured them in the novel.

The first kit appears before Barb's Race 2015, Tara's first big race toward her ultimate goal.

I glanced down at the red and black swirl of my teal kit — the little skull-and-crossbones logo grinning up at me from atop a butterfly hidden amidst the curling design. Appropriate, I thought. Shiver me timbers.

Me and Hot Stuff

The second kit is what she chooses for IRONMAN® Vineman:

I took off my jacket and tossed it into the back seat of the truck. Pink helmet, matching shoes, kit that actually fit — for the first time in years I looked like I belonged on a bike. A "real" cyclist. The white sleeveless tri top with its chevron in mint green, bubblegum pink, dark pink, and black hugged me just right. The matching shorts felt compressive and breathable at the same time. I stood a little taller. I might be forty-five, but I didn't have to dress like it.

Barb's Race 2014

In real life I wore this kit at Barb's Race 2014. Tara saves hers for the IRONMAN® Vineman finish line. Kristin didn't only dress me, she dressed my characters. 

Her post closes with a promise of what to expect from Betty Designs moving forward — real athletes, real photography, and a brand voice that is unmistakably Betty.

That's exactly what I am trying to give people with this novel. A story based on real athletes, real races, and a narrative voice that is unmistakably Tara.

Stop scrolling. Go finish the thing.

My SwimRun Confession: I Ghosted the Start Line

Here's my confession: I signed up for a SwimRun and ghosted it because it scared me. An IRONMAN finisher scared of a race she didn't know or understand. 

How It Started

Back in 2023, I saw a post by TBF Racing about a six day sale with heavily discounted race entry fees. That year I raced the Dirty Duathlon (relay team "Hot Flashes"), the Lost Trail Half Marathon, Chanoko 30k, and Ice Breaker Triathlon. There was a fifth race, but I didn't do it. Maybe the cheaper entry fee made it easier to walk away from, to pretend I didn't sign up. Whatever the reason, race number five, the Folsom Swim Run, got dropped. Race day morning, I felt a pang of remorse. Maybe a little FOMO. But I stayed home.

Exhibit A: The TBF Racing post that started all this trouble.
Notice the "👍 You and 3 others" —
Yes, I liked it. Yes, I signed up. No, I did not show up.

Maybe I should have signed up for the short course race instead of the long course, but my pride got in the way. I was an IRONMAN for crying out loud, there could be no short course racing for me. 

As they say, pride goeth before a fall — or in my case, before a no-show.

How It's Going

This race has been living rent-free in my head ever since July 2024. I still want to do it. It still scares me. But I am humbled enough after the "no show" to be willing to sign up for the short one. To give myself a chance to figure it out. This is going to be my own little graduation race. 

Follow My Adventure

So here's what's coming. I'm dragging you along for the whole ride...

• What is SwimRun? - Time to do some research and figure things out. I have a basic idea, but it seems to be a whole other subculture of racing.
• The Gear Spiral - This is what really freaked me out...what to bring. Maybe I was just lost without transition or a bike.
• Finding a Partner - You who know me know this was coming...Trisha, James and Emily!
• Training - Time to start thinking about this.
• Race Week - Stay tuned. It's a race a few miles from my house that's only 3.5 miles long... how much drama could there possibly be? 😄
• Race Report - Of course there will be a race report! The payoff. Win, crash, or crawl across the finish line — you'll hear about it.

I still can't believe I ghosted a race just because it scared me. But I'm back, and this time I'm showing up."

Meet Buster – The Dog Who Got Me Out the Door and Into My Novel

There's a Welsh Terrier named Buster in my novel. He belongs to Tara Fisher, my protagonist. He is there for the downfall — completely clueless that her world just fell apart. He goes absolutely crazy when Mason comes home from college the following summer. He gets left at the kennel for all the big races.

He is every dog I have ever loved.

Buster: Headed home from the kennel after a race weekend

He was the easiest character to write. He was also the hardest.Here's something I haven't told anyone yet.
The real reason I started running was a Welsh Terrier named Buster.

Burning off some energy Cesar Millan style

Humble Beginnings

Cesar Millan said the key to a calm dog was exercise — daily, consistent, purposeful. So Buster and I started walking. Then we discovered he liked running. And slowly, without either of us planning it, so did I. It wasn't the whole story — P90X and a Facebook post about a triathlon class and a coach named James Cotta would come later. But Buster got me out the door first.

NOTE: I even wrote about it at the time — What I Learned About Running from My Dogs — though I had no idea then where those miles would eventually take me.

I think James and Zoe feel the same way about running

After a few miles I would bring him home. Drop him at the door. And then I would keep going.

He would have kept going too. I knew that. But somewhere in those first solo miles — door closing behind him, road still open ahead of me — something shifted. Those were his miles first. Then they became mine.

Waiting for me to get home from a run

I didn't know it then but that moment...Buster done, me realizing I wasn't...was the first threshold I ever crossed as an athlete. Everything that came after, the triathlons, the marathons, the IRONMAN finish lines, started at that door.

Novel Buster doesn't know this yet.

Story Change

As written, Buster is a domestic presence. He reads the room during arguments. He retreats when things get heavy. He licks Tara's face at exactly the right moment. He is a barometer, not a training partner.
But soon he will...

Somewhere in the early chapters, there will be a scene, maybe just a sentence or two...Tara dropping Buster back at home and then her continuing on her own. Her first solo miles. The unremarkable moment that started everything. It belongs in the book because it happened in real life, and the best things in this novel did.

To All My Pups

I have had five dogs who made a real impact on my life. A Welsh Terrier named Buster was one of them. And here is the thing about dogs — our dogs reflect us. So it is not a surprise that they all seem like him. 

NOTE: The bernedoodles would like me to clarify that they do not share Buster's enthusiasm for running. Or his and Hannah's enthusiasm for barking at absolutely nothing, each other, and everything in between. Cesar Millan's training plan was put to the test by the Welsh Terrorists (as they were called at the kennel).

The Bernedoodles: not fans of running, but they do enjoy a walk

Tara's Buster reflects Tara. Which means, in the way that all fiction works, he reflects me too.

He was the easiest character to write because I have known him my whole life.

He was the hardest because you only get so many dogs like that. And every time you write one you are writing all of them.