Challenge

tomorrow is my 29th birthday!
what does that mean?
the B-Fit B-day Challenge begins!

The Goals:
2 = swim 2 miles
9 = run 9 miles
29 = bike 29 miles

The Plan:
I am trying to keep on my White Lake training schedule and acomplish this challenge at the same time. Between the trainign scheudle and having to work all day thursday (tragic!) I can only acomplish as high as the silver. This gives me 3 days to complete the challenge.
02/14
~ scheduled to run 6 hal fmiel repeats. there's 3 miles
~ scheduled to swim a timed 1.25 mile. I will add on 1200 meters and swim 2 miles
02/15
~ nothing, rest day
02/16
~ scheduled a 2 hour bike ride. I will eb doing this inside on a trainer, so it is impossible to note distance. however, even at 17mph this is 34 miles. So I will go above and beyond my 29 miles.
~ scheduled a 6 mile run. add this to the 3 miles from Thursday and perfect! i'm at 9 miles!

Happy Birthday Challenge to me!

The Little Things

As I sit here and eat my oh so yummy Dannon Lght and & Fit yogurt - vanilla flavor. I think about how much I love the little things!
So far this week I have
~ had this scrumptions yogurt!!
~ I recieved my new ToughGirl Tights. I think I have a crush on them. Granted they went from the packaging onto my boady and then into the drawer. I already knwo that they are going to be worth every penny of the 80.00 I spent on them. Not only will they look super cute and comfy as I do my weekend runs witht he girls, but also I beleive they are going to be my new lounge pants, y aknwo the ones you run errands in! yeah. these are perfect for it. Love them.
~ I also received this week a new pair of cycling shorts. I had to do the inevitable and go up a size. But these have a wide ban for less love handle infiltration and the elastic ont he bottom of the shorts is not the rubbery stuff that is jut plain uncomfortable. And when I got them - the chamois pad is pink - a sign they are made for me!
It's only Tuesday and what natural highs! I love food and shopping!

B-Fit B-Day Challenge

One of the reasons we love triathlons is becuase we challenge ourselves mentally and physically.
TriMom brought a new challenge to my attention - a birthday triathlon challenge!
Perfect timing, too, becuase my birthday is in 3 days...this Thursday!

Guess I better get crackin!

What is the B-Fit B-Day Challenge?
Take your age and:
1) Swim the number of miles in the first number
2) Run the number of miles in the second number
3) Bike the number of miles in the combined number
So a 45-year-old athlete would:
1) Swim 4 miles
2) Run 5 miles
3) Bike 45 miles

The rA Challenge is a simple one. If you choose to accept the rA Challenge you must....
Bronze: Do all three (swim/bike/run) during the week of your Birthday.
Silver: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in the three days before, after, or during your Birthday.
Gold: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in 24-hours to celebrate your B-Day!

Hmmm...let's see.
I will be 29 so...
2 mile swim - Well thursday is a timed 1.25 mile swim, what's another 1200 meters to make it an even 2 miles! So that works out perfectly.
9 mile run - Saturday is schedule an hour ride and a 10 mile run. SO i will tkae your challenge and raise you a mile!
29 mile ride - well saturday's ride is only an hour - i need at least another 30 mintues on the bike. I could handle that.
So I guess I am up for the silver! Here goes nothing!

The Meaning of Friendship

Are you tired of those sissy "friendship" poems that always sound good, But never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship. You will see no cute little smiley faces on this card- Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you plot revenge against the sorry Loser who made you sad. 2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile -- I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.
4. When you are scared -- I will rag you about it every chance I get until you're Not.
5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.
6. When you are confused -- I will try to use only little words.
7. When you are sick -- Stay the heck away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.
8. When you fall -- I will laugh at your clumsy butt but I'll help you up.
9. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask; "because you are my friend".

Friendship is like peeing in your pants, everyone can see it, But only you can feel the true warmth.

Send this to 10 of your closest friends, Then get depressed because you can only think of 4

Not it!

Wow! The flu is really going around.
What a yucky feeling!
Stay in bed and take of yourselves!

And don't mind following you around with a can of lysol.
I am telling the flu "Not it!"
I am not a pleasant sick person.
And Greg is about to leave for IMNZ. I can't be quarantined from him prior to leaving.

Off to go take my Calcium!

Getting Closer

I guess the theme this week is getting closer to my goals.

My swim goal is to swim an IM. This week I learned Breast Stroke. It's slow and needs work, but I got a hand on the basics.

Another goal is to run the Monument Avenue 10k at an 8:50 pace. I was originally thinking I wanted to do an 8:00 pace but with the knee and stitches last year I lost more than ideal. Ho hum. But this morning I ran 4 miles at an 8:53 pace!

Getting Closer!

A Beautiful Bike Ride

It's 77 degrees outside.
Yes. In February. Sunny. 77 degrees!
Oh to be outside on my bike with the wind in my hair. or on my helmet.
What a beautiful day!





And I am sitting behind my desk. Sigh.

Strokin'

Last night was Masters class. However, it was also the monthly RTC meeting. So after teh meeting, two of my friends and I headed to the pool for some laps. Masters was half over so we hopped in our lane and started the Masters class. I mentioned to Coach JP that I am intersted in learning breast stroke and ultimately fly to this random IM goal I have ever since last week's frustration. He suggested I learn fly to improve my freestyle. So halfway through when we were able to spreeeeaaaaaaddd out we decided to detour off the schedule for a workout of our own that I have been wanting...breast stroke.

My new "coaches" Erin and Leigh showed me the stroke. First attempt left us all in stiches laughing at my awkwardness. So I tried using a pull buoy and kickboard to get the motions down. I mean a frog kick? I guess frogs are swimmers (well some of them), really...this is just an awkward motion. And using the pull buoy to get the arms down...yeah I thought I was treading water I was barely moving. back to this funky kick. who invented this concept? And how on earth did they come up with it? I guess from studying frog's. It is just plain weird.

But all in all I got the kick and arms to a point where I can do them together...albeit slowly moving. I fell less retarded so I guess that is a step forward to my goal of knowing how to do an IM!

Afterwards Leigh showed off her fly skills...oh and she was fly. I attempted to dolphin kick. Um yeah. Insert laughter. I will npt tell you what I felt like I as doing to the water.

Next month's lesson: fly.
We decided that since the first Monday of each month we will be swimming after Masters we would do like we did last night. 30 mintues of hard Masters swimming and then 30 mintues of technique on different strokes. I like it.

Frustration

Pardon me while I take a moment to vent. (aka throw a temper tantrum)

Per the previous blog, I am fairly new to swimming. I have been swimming for a year now (well a year in a week). I have gotten the hang of freestyle and have (gasp!) gotten more efficient. I still have lots to learn on my stroke to make it even better. Hence my obsession with Masters classes. I need the butt kicking workouts.

However, there is lots more to swimming than freestyle.

There are flip turns (hey i am learning these!)

Then there is this madness called an IM.

I have never learned breast stroke or fly.

I have no idea where to even begin to attempt faking it. No worries, I will just do freestyle the whole time.

Last night...not so much.

We had to do the IM, not jsut freestyle. I have absolutely no clue what I am doing and where to even attempt faking like I do. I was plannign ons taying after class to continue swimming (I was in the think mode) but with an ending to class like this I couldn't get out of my swimsuit and home fast enough.

I am really trying to improve my swimming. I am halfway up a lane, from Guppy to Gupfish. They added a new lane, Gupfish, so I moved up to the new lane, but not up to the Goldfish lane. I swam with the Goldfish twice and it kicked my butt, but i liked it.

I know to really move up in my swimming progress I need to learn to get comfortable in other strokes. Cross training in the pool so to speak.

Sigh.

I have a new goal. To learn IM.

(a new thing on my to-do list)

Feeling Groovy

Febuary 2007. Swam my first 25 yard lap.
That bring us today. January 2008.
Almost a year later, and I really felt great after a night in the pool.
I never thougth that would happen!
My intervals are not the blazing speed of Michael Phelps.
But - they are about 4-5 seconds faster than a month ago.
Thanks to TG Snells and TG SQ I am enjoying our little swim play dates!

Monday Monday

What a weekend!

Friday night the officers and board of the Richmond Tri Club were invited to dinner to entertain guest speaker Julie Moss. Julie is known for her nail biting finish at Kona. A first timer, she found herself int he lead only to collapse 30 yards from the finish line and finish in 2nd. Julie has such a great perspective on training, racing, and life. It was ncie getting to know her and chatting with her. Greg really enjoyed geting to talk with her about IMNZ coming up! Greg's first full ironman - Julie's favorite and she did some training there, too.

Saturday was the weekly yumminess at Maramarc. This weekend wasn't too bad. An hour hard ride (on the trainers) filled with speed drills, and then an 8 mile easy run, avg 10:00 pace. Now I may have run a marathon, but it's been a few months. 8 miles is easy because of the girls I run with. They make me laugh and keep me motivated and PUSHing.

After this I had to run Princes to the vet, which was traumatic. But I won't bore you with details. My little baby is growing up - she's almost 8!

Saturday night I did not go to the RTC banquet. Nor did I go to the CZC Volunteer Appreciation Party. Both events I helpd with planning. I had other plans. My friend Claire's wedding! she looked gorgeous and she and her lieutenant were married! She is so happy! Although we will miss her in San Diego. But I guess we will just have to come visit!

So far not too bad

I knew I wanted to have a kick-ass training week.
I returned from volutneering at camp and I am ready.
or so I thought...
the week started ot great.
monday Master's swim - totally kicked my butt and I like it.
Tuesday I had a good run - 6 miles at an even 9:00 pace. (would love to hit 8:50 for the 10k!!)
then Tuesday ngiht came - I felt weak during weight training. During the bike, I felt like I jsut wasn't really there.
Wednesday came and man my arms are sore - guess I did bette than I thought on tuesday ngiht.
Unfortuantely I had to miss Masters class to make the name tags for the RTC Banquet - guest speaker Julie Moss! And oh at about 11:45 (but who was looking at the clock) I fianlly was done and ready for bed.
so needless to say I did not make my 5:15 wake up call for this morning's run.
But tonight is back to weights and cycling.

So not too bad so far.

100 days until White Lake!!!!!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We found out in October that my sister and brother-in-law were going to have a wee one! My very first niece/nephew! I find myself perusing the baby books every time I go in target and have even bookmarked the chic baby websites!

Yesterday they went for the big visit! They saw 10 little fingers, and 10 tiny toes, 2 eyes looking around...and all the boy parts, too! It's a boy! This June I will have my first little nephew. I can't wait to play and laugh with him.

For Christmas I gave them 3 little onsies - 2 for a boy, and 1 for a girl. looks like two of them will come in handy - "Daddy's Little Fishin Buddy" and "Golf Pro in Training".

Can't wait to meet you , little baby!

I'm Ready

Last week wasn't the best training week.
But this is a new week.
A fresh start.

After a few days at camp, I'm ready.
Ready to take on my training.
Knowing that I am lucky enough to be able to do it!

ps - GO PATS!
ok and i guess go giants for Greg, too.

Wintry Weather

This weekend I am volutneering at ComfortZoneCamp.
I pretend I am tough. I mean, I can handle a weekend with hiking to the shower.
However....
after seeing the weather repost on TG40's blog, I got a bit worried.

Hmmm...maybe I should have packed thermals for under my jeans!

Good Days and Bad Days

as we all know, triathlons come wtih good days...and bad days.
you need the bad days, to appreciate the good.

after a few days of great workouts, it seems to be on the downhill.
Last night's Masters class seemed to kick my butt. I just struggled. I kept getting frustrated and thinking about what I needed to do after class.

Then this morning were 6 more 1/2 mile repeats. every single one was slower than my slowest on saturday! on sautrday i averaged 3:57 and this morning i averaged 4:15 - yowsers!

Then this afternoon the yuck came and I am at home and not cycling and lifting as I should be.
Ho hum. I know I need to rest.

But it's frustrating knowing that I am missing my weekend workout. I am volunteering at ComfortZoneCamp - an organization that I am very passionate about. I know I will have a filled weeked - personally filling, that is.

So between Masters, bad reapeats, missing workouts - I am ready for next week! There's only one way to go and that's up! See you at the top!

a. recap b. update c. all of the above

So maybe I have been a little slack on the blogging.
Nothing very excited has happened, so I'll recap since I have my arms back.

Wednesday
Holy TriGirls, batman! We are taking over the world one lap lane at a time.
Masters class kick my butt! In an hour we swam over 2000 meters and didn't have time to finish the intended workout. This is a good thing. Maybe I wont be one of the tail end out of the water!
Thursday
I was feeling very lazy, but TG Snells and I went for a bite-sized hill run. I didn't want to get out of bed, so thankfully my butt was dragged out. It was cold out side, and my bed was snuggly and warm. but it was good to get out there and PUSH!
Back to that weights class. I complain, but I love it and go back for more. I did have to drop some weight on my last set because between increasing weight and a hard swim workout my biceps were just caput! Spin class had the sweat-a-drippin! Needless to say afterwards I felt I deserved half a DiGiorno pizza and damn it was good! It's not delivery. It's DiGiorno.
Friday
I did nothing. Well I did watch Superbad. I expected more from it. It was funny, but not as funny as I thought it would be.
Saturday
2 hour ride. Longest Pink Lake training ride. It was a nice ride with a few hills (trainer hills) with good conversation.
3 mile run - decent pace (9:10+/-)
4 1/2 mile repeats - first one was 3:55 (hmm this might be fastest repeat ever). next one 4:05. oops, better kick it back up. third one was 3:52 (oh yeah baby) and the 4th one was more of a scurry to the bathroom. so maybe i drink too much when running. hmmm.
Sunday
much needed massage. I knew my back, hammies, and IT band were tight. I laid ont eh table, the massage therapist touched my shoulders and said "Oh Lord". so yeah, i need to go more than every 6 months - heehee. I purchased a 5 pack and scheduled my February visit so I can start going once a month. With this training I need to suck it up and go.
The massage was followed up with condo hunting.
I think I need another massage.
Monday
Back to masters. we did an intersting 20x50 sprints. with about a 10 second rest in between each one. Shew. Then we did 4x25 sprints "competing" with the lane next to us. Good times and was able to work more on those flip turns. Still sometimes start to early or late. Boo.
And then this morning I hit up the elliptical for my 5 miles run. slower than ideal, but oh well.
And that's all for now folks.

Are you there arms? It's me Fave.

Maramarc weight training. I love it. I complain at times (like v-ups and planks), but I love it.

I noticed a difference in my muscle toning last year throughout the winter months, but then took the summer off. Boo. Back to "bye-bye arm".

This year I am going to PUSH harder in class. and last night I did (only b/c Coach M made me!)

One exercise named "alternate arm chest press" is one that always makes me sweat. You lay with you head on the ball in a "table" of sorts position and do chest presses one art at a time (hence the name). I started last year at 20lbs and worked up to 25lbs. This year I was back to 20lbs. I told myself in January I was increasing the weight. So last night I hit up the 25 pounders. wow that first set of 10 was harder than I remember. The second set came around and I picked up the 20's. ho hum. oh no. not with Coach M watching. What did he make me do for the 2nd and 3rd sets - 30lbs! I was lacking faith but trusted him and the are far from easy, but yay! I did it!

The arms are sore, but I like it!

Lucky Seven

Seven weird things about me:
1. I prefer to eat only the inside of a pickle
2. I'm a scrapbook-a-holic
3. I crack myself up
4. I love organization, especially in rubbermaid containers. and they are all labeled. and let's not discuss the order in which my clothes are hung in the closet on white plastic hangars, except for jackets and suits which are hung on the clear plastic hangars. (can you believe my nick name as a kid was Messy Missy)
5. When people fall, I laugh. I am concerend, but I laugh.
6. I don't like the smell of coffee and refuse to taste the stuff.
7. I love playing games. All sorts of games. Cards. Board. Crosswords. Geek much?

Seven weird people to tag (hehe):
1. Diane
2. tea
3. Kate
4. Bethany
5. Shawn
6. Jonah
7. Renae

Athlinks

As I procrastinate this whole work thing, I update my athlinks profile and play aournd and there are VERY few of my firnds on there. and I love the site. So check it out ! your results are already there under your name, make yourself a profile!
www.athlinks.com
Do it!

Pink Lake

Wow! What a night! Over the past month, a big group of us TRIgirls (and TRIboyz) have all been working towards our next goal - White Lake Half. We all arranged our schedules knowing that at 7pm set up events was opening up the registration!!

5:50 I get home from work. Log onto the SetUp website.
5:55 head to target to grab a few things knowing i can be home by 6:30, plenty of time to refresh for the opening of registration
6:10 looking for my face lotion when my brother calls the cell phone. registration is open! WHAT! I am at target! AAAAHHH!!! I scurry over to a corner of the store where I can read him my credit card information and breathe a sigh of relief. By 6:15 I am registered.
6:20 Send mass text message to as many people as I could to let them know it opened early.
6:45 Get home and check the registration. Already 150+ registered! Wow! I look to see how many of my team mates are on there and notice a few missing.
6:50 SetUp Website crashes! Holy half ironman, batman!
The next few hours were filled with high blood pressure and lots of adult beverages (not by me but by all my team mates still trying, i encouraged this behavior) We were all trying to get the girls signed up! We kept receivng a multitude of error messages. It was almsot humorous, had we not been stressing! Please refer to Margo's blog post on this one!
Finally. Everyone is in. And by everyone, I mean there are 20+ of us going!
Move over White Lake, here come the TRIgirls bringing the Pink!

Cheers to 2008

I am going to hop on the resolution bandwagon. I read what these great goals, personal and training, that my fellow bloggers are shooting to accomplish in 2008. I haven't even thought about haveing a resolution or goal.

I used to say i was going to quit smoking, but now I am 2 years smoke free, so I guess I can't use that one anymore.

I always say I am going to lose a few pounds, but well with training I try not to think about it too terribly much.

So in 2008...
~ finish a century ride. There are 3 things i want to do prior to really thinking of doing a full Ironman: finish at least 1 half ironman, run a marathon, and ride a century. I have done 2 out of the 3 in 2007, so in 2008 I hope to ride a century.
~ finish my races with my chin held high - no more being down for not trying harder or doing this or that. Taking each race as it is.
~ I would love to buy a condo in 2008!!! The search is underway, so here's hoping. This may not be directly triathlon related, but indirectly it is. I have to tighten the triathlon toy budget to prove to myself that I can do it.
~ increase my strength in all disciplines.
~ When on the bike push it harder and still "stop to smell the roses". Throughout the season my cycling suffered. I slowed down more and then was bummed when my times showed that. To race fast, you have to train fast.
~ cut back on my shopping addiction. Sigh. I love clothes.

The other part to the new year is the annual word. Last year I used the word "badass". Everytime I felt I needed motivation I thought to myself that I wanted to be badass like my training peoples. Everytime I felt good I said "yeah, i'm a badass - booyah!" So what is my word for 2008. My 'A' races are White Lake Half and Timberman 70.3 finsihing off the season with the Richmond Marathon. So what word will emcompass my goals.
Dream.
Dare.
Balance.
Push.
Want.
I think my word needs to be BALANCE. Balance life. I let myself get caught up in life too much.
But my word is PUSH. Push myself to my limits. Push my friends to theirs.

Flippin Around

This weekend we were scheduled to do a time 1.5 mile. So with the movtivation from Greg we hit the pool to take care of business. I did an easy 100 warm-up and then i knocked it out! I was nervous since my last long swim was at Patriot's and I skipped our timed mile a few weeks ago, but i finished!

The fun part came afterwards. Mr. Swimmer, Greg, helped me perfect the art of flip turns! Now I might go a little off to the side or flip a little early, and i defintiely get water up my nose, but with a little practice (like this morning) I am getting more comfortable doing them! yay!

PS - got my new temporary tooth this morning!

Coming Soon to a Road Near You

Wow! What a ride...literally.

After months of test riding bikes.

And test riding again...

and again...

well you get the point.

I spent my holiday break on a Felt B12 and almost walking home with her. But, I decided to sleep on it and made a spreadsheet to compare my options (dork?) and since I like them all I decided I would go with which one was the "biggest bang for my buck". And...I have made my decision.
The Orbea Ora was nixed first – she had lower end extras on her.
It was VERY hard debating between the Felt B12 and the Cervelo P2C.
I really liked riding both of them. And the Felt is just sexy – I have been drooling over her for months! I felt fast on her! But…she was a size 50 which means 650 wheels and both stores told me when borderline like that then 700’s are better for distance rides. So…

The 2008 Cervelo P2C Ultegra.

She is supposed to be here in mid-February. I am going to change out the aerobars for the S-bend and put a different saddle on her, but I can’t wait to bring her home!

Holiday of Reflection and Remembrance

Christmas.
A time to gather with friends and family.
A time to spoil each other with little gifts to say you care.
A time to fill your bellies.
and especially a time to spend a little extra time in church.

This year's Christmas was a time also of remembrance.

It started out normal. I hit up training on Saturday then hit the road for an extended drive home. I was so excited for this year - my grandma and step-grandfather were flying in from Jersey. I don't get to see her much and she is the cutest little old lady (especially now with the diminishing filter between thoughts and mouth). Everyone was here - even my expecting sister and brother in law.

We sat around the tree and tv the past few days. Hugging and snuggling. drinking tea and playing games. I even went for my christmas day run!

This morning started out jsut the same. we got up. i packed the car ready to hit the highway back to virginia. we were meeting my brother for a lunch before all the travelling back to our repsective homes got under way. Then it happened. about 10 minutes before we were to leave for lunch, my step grandfather collasped in the family room. we all knew what was going on. mom used to be an ER nurse and she and i were there when my dad passed. The ambulance, fire, and police flooded the street. About an hour later at the hospital, at 12:13pm, he was pronounced dead.

Merry Christmas, i think. Then i think about it. He was flying tomorrow - imagine if it happened in the air. Imagine if it happened when my grandmother and him were home alone. I am glad I could be there to hold my grandma and cry with her and know that she wasn't alone. He lived 90 long years even being wounded in WWII and he and my grandma were able to share 19 years of wedded bliss together and end it with a fabulous christmas surrounded by family. (they married after meeting at the pool of the "grandma neighborhood". yeah she's a babe in a swim suit)

I might not have the new year's eve that i was looking forward to, but i will be with my family as we start a new year. together.

So it will be a crazy few days and weeks, but this is a time to be with each other.

John,
I will miss your NYC accent and the smell of your pipe. I will miss your jokes. Thank you for being there for my grandma over the years. You will always hold a place in our extended family's heart.

John Richard Casazza
1917-2007

Cheers to all of us being happy and healthy. Having great families at home and our amazing triathlon fmaily. And being healthy to participate is the sport.

xoxo,
FAVE

Bike Search Update

First - I give myself an award for being the most indecisive int his bike search. How many months am i going on now!

So I was leaning towards the Cervelo P2C. I rode it. I liked it. It's a good solid bike. The I added the Orbea Ora to th mix. I still drool over the Felt B12, but I have to drive 5 hours for it. Ugh! Over Thanksgiving they didn't have my size. They had a 48 (i rode) and a 52. I need the 50. Argh. They ordered e one to come in for when I head home for the holidays, but I am doubtful it will be in.

so I am sticking to deciding between the Cervelo P2C and the Orbea Ora.

The I get an e-mail.

My size 50 B12 is in. AAAHHH!!!
So Saturday I am riding the Ora and then Monday the B12.

Let's say a little prayer and cross our fingers I make my decision within the next two weeks! Enough already!

I'm a Star!

I have the bestest boyfriend ever.

Last night we had the Christmas gift exchange after a nice dinner.

My favorite gift - I'm a star!!!!

He remembered me talking about wanting to be a (rock)star but instead the idea of naming a star instead from our first date. So now in the Aquarius constellation (my sign) there is now a star with my name on it!

So thanks to my baby I have fulfilled my dreams of becoming a star!

Happy Birthday to me!

Okay so maybe it's not even Christmas yet. But 6 weeks later it's my big day. Ya know, when they decorate everything with hearts and cupids - yup - they do that in honor my birthday.

Well, I have my gift all picked out already. A Garmin Foreunner 205.
It's Perfect!
tracks my runs, my paces, i liek it.
No need for the 305 - i have cadence and heart rate already.

So Happy Birthday to me...I hope!

Frustration in the pool...Surprise?

Last night was the weekly Masters class. At first it was only Snells and I in the "guppy" lane - I like it! We warmed up with a "quick" 300. hahahaha. I haven't done 300 meters straight since Naylor's Beach Olympic months ago! I finished in 6:15 - not too far off from where I left it. I led the lane for most of class which was good for the confidence since Wednesday night coach asked me to move up a lane. Yikes! I like my guppies. Those are scary shark-like swimmers. Ok maybe more like goldfish but you get my point.

Then the class turned a bit sour for me.

First we had to do this series of 25x50 (ha! get it 25 days of christmas) well our 4th set of 5x50 were to do 25 free, 25 breast. Problem - I don't know how to do breast stroke. sure I can try to fake it - but it hurts these old lady knees I already have. So JP tell me to dolphin kick - um ok. I will try. So the first 25 of breast coems and this plain SUCKS!!!! I sink. every time. About 5 attmpts in and I think I am moving backwards - no mroe leading. I go back to free and at the end I tell JP that I quit on teh breast stroke. Then after 2 moe sets, practice is cut short.

I'm a 3? Ok. Wait a minute. Everyone begins lining up behind the blocks on lanes 3, 4, and 5. Relay race. OH SHIT! And we're off. Man my lane is in the lead. and then we came in last. Yeah. I left with a feeling that I am mad I never did swim team and lerned breast stroke and that I am jsut plain slow. Usually when swimming no one can see me except the coaches. I am hidden int eh mass of other swimmers - whether it be in the pool or in a race. But now - everyone can see me swim. Exposed. for all to see me flail around and go no where. It was fun, but would have been more fun if I could actually benefit the other people on my team.

sigh.

Christmas Lights Run

An annual event - the Christmas Lights Run! A group of us gathered downtown erady to jog an easy 6.1 mile course checking out the Christmas lights throughout parts of the city. IT went by so fast - all of a sudden we were done! Sure, my knees creaked like I was the tin (wo)man, but I think that is due to the subzero temperatures.

Afterwards TG40 supplied her famous Glogg. Unfortunately, I was too cold to stand outside with my weat icing over on my forehead and headed home to finish my "spring" cleaning.

I look forward to next year!

Mother Nature

In my continuing bike search I add to the mix the Orbea Ora. This weekend I planned to pick up the bike for a like ride. They don't have the Ora in my size, but the 2007 Ordu which is similar frame to the 08 Ora so I gently place it in my trunk and head home SUPER excited about my weekend riding! About 5 minutes after I got home - the rain started.

Ok guess I will just ride it Sunday.

sunday morning - still raining.

AAARRRGGGHHH!

It's ok I can still ride in the afternoon. And make plans for a little tour de west creek with the very pretty bike that I will never own.

the sun comes out - with the wind. Wind gusts up to 37mph.

AAARRRGGGHHH!

So now it's Monday. There air is chill and brisk. The sun is out.

And I am at work. Not able to get on a bike and I have to return her today.

Total. Bummer.

Sigh.

Hopefully next Saturday the weather will be nicer and I can take her out for a quick trip before I head home for the holidays.

and the search continues...

New Diet Technique

I have begun the process of getting my new tooth.

The first step is to whiten since it is a new front tooth. So last night was my first night sleeping in the trays.

Holy.

Shit.

Batman.

I was at at 4am yanking those things out and brushing my teeth to get the gel off! Those bitches hurt! the dentist told me it would hurt and to use Sensodyne toothpaste and ACT mouthwash. So I started using those over the weekend thinkg maybe if I started early it would help. Good God! I hope I get used to this. I had to cancel my run this morning because all I want to do is pull my bottom teeth out of the gums. I swear even my dead tooth hurts! and I have 13 more days to go of this.

But. I came into work and there sitting on the break room coutner was a very yummy looking cherry danish. mmmm. tis the season. Then I thought about how much it would hurt to eat it and walked away. As I walked back to my desk I thought "Hmmm maybe this is like a new diet technique!"

Tis the Season...

Ironman Florida Celebration

Oliver's Christmas Party

Joy and Mark's Engagement Party

Starting Block

"It's just a jumping off point to start negotiations" (Clueless)

Saturday morning we had the first timed mile for White Lake Half training.

My last timed mile was in June... 7:19.

I knew I would be slower with marathon training and lots of ellipticallizing.

Making it public for motivation... 8:28.

What are you doing this Sunday?

This Sunday there is a national candle light vigil for Kyle Fleischmann. http://www.helpfindkyle.com/kyle.php?pg=nationwide_candle For those unaware, Kyle is a 24 yr old who has gone missing from my home city of Charlotte, NC on November 9th, 2007. (He went to my high school). You can check out his story at http://www.helpfindkyle.com./ His story has been on the Today Show as well as America's Most Wanted.

This Sunday marks the one month of his missing and in honor there is a national candlelight vigil being held. I have been in touch with the Kyle Fleischmann Foundation and we are all set to have one in Richmond. It is being held from 4:30-5:30 EST on Sunday with candles being lit at 5:00.

Fairfax Building
10710 Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond, Virginia
The Fairfax Building is an office building located in Chesterfield County on Midlothian Turnpike at Johnston-Willis Drive, directly across the street from the hospital, and due East of the Koger Center Office Park.
Thanks to Steve and Chris Sadler for donating their property!

Check out the website for a location near you!

Please forward this on to keep spreading the word!

Holiday Downer

First there was the awful mall shooting yesterday. Made me think of my family and friends and how easily that could have been anyone. The families that will forever have a scar on the season. I can only hope that they move forwards with their lives the best they can with memories held close.

I just received a phone call from my marmee (my name for my mom). She was out shopping when tragedy struck again this holiday season...
http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-120607-krg-parking.72e4de6c.html
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/14790651/detail.html

I can only hope that things do not happen in threes.
I wish for everyone to have a safe and happy holiday.

Sinker

Sinker. that was me last night in the pool. I went to my first masters class since mid-october. Sure i have been in the pool in the interim - on monday for about 20 minutes!

Man Ironwoman extrodonnaire kicked our butts!

Class was filled with lots of speed drills, pull buoys, and fins...mine were more like duck feet. At one point coach asked if I would be interested in moving up a lane. Flatterd, but i chuickled and said "not today". It's my first day back and was totally feeling it. I was plain pooped! My 25's were in 25 seconds. My 200's - were a little over 4 mintues. Guess I need to get my butt back to class!

OH! but! I did debut the new TRIgirl swimsuit last night. So pretty. One girl even said she wanted one. Join TRIgirls and you, too, can your very own! hmmm I wonder what fun gear is next...pool towels?!

Right. Back on the topic. Masters. I am back in the ball game, folks.

Tooth Fairy?

After griping for the past 3 or so years, I am finally getting my tooth fixed! After my trip to the dentist this morning all appointments have been made and in early January I will have my new front tooth!

Some of you may be wondering what the heck I am talking about. Well my freshman year of college I went for my routine cleaning. I went to my dentist that I had seen all my life since my first tooth. He noticed soemthing wrong with my front tooth. He asked me if years ago I rememeber hitting my tooth really hard. Hmm. I do not. and neither does my mom. Typicl kid, I guess. Well the prognosis was that I have a calcified tooth - so it experienced what they call "tooth trauma" (that makes me laugh) and has a crack down the middle of it and died and gave itself a root canal. So yup - I gots myself one of them dead tooths. The root sealed itself shut (thatta girl) so they can't get into it to do any work. so after years of dealing with it and hating seeing it in pictures and ahandful of dentists later who all tell me about it - um thanks.

I am getting it taken care of starting next week. I start with impressions for nightly whitening for two weeks -which they said makes you teeth sensitive and no red wine for two weeks! Then I go for the crown...dum dum dum. I have never even had a filling! yikes! I have to continue whitening monthly forever to kep my real teeth matching the crown, espcially since it is dead smack in the front! But I am VERY excited (no matter the cost) that I will have a pretty tooth again!

So...before...

But Baby It's Cold Outside

As I look at the window to the parking lot. The white parking lot. The snow has lightened in the last few minutes, though.

I sit here and sing (yeah you know i sound like a whipperwill) "But baby it's cold outside" and "winter wonderland" and think to myself thank goodness tonight is swimming! It's too cold to be outside!

I have to give a shout out to my baby here - he is still training outside for IMNZ! 11 weeks to go!

Off to spend my lunch break at the post office mailing those Christmas cards. Yeah I am a little late this year - oops!

The Bike Search Continues...

I rode the Cervelo P2C a few weeks ago and really liked it. I am not a fan of the paint jobs, but it rode well and I was comfortable on it.

But man, I am drooling over the Felt B12. The stealth bomber. Finally it's the day of my test ride. I get to IOS and they put me on the trainer. She is so pretty. He fits me on it and talks to me about the bike as we compare it to the P2C and I have lots of questions on 650's vs. 700's and more. He said I look like a pro with a perfect fit - it's a 48 with 650 wheels. Then it's time. Time to take her on the road. Woah there nelly. A bit wobbly. Climbing hills isn't bad. I go around the route as instructed. Wait a minute, this is...aw shit! I got myself lost in my home city! I toodle arond and gte back on track. Unfortunately this whole time my knees are hitting my elbows. Sadness. I go back and discuss the bike with the fitter guy (technical description). Although lots of pros and others witll have that happen, I am not an advanced rider and not comfortable with that.

So - the latest.

Waiting to get on the P2C in the Ultegra (gray).

Will try the Felt B12 in a 50. this is a gray zone size. it's the size i would need. it requires 650 wheels, but is at the point where a 700 would be better. so hmmm.

Hopefully over Christmas IOS will have both bikes for me to ride on and I can make my decision. If I decide on the Felt, then great. Sold! If I decide on the Cervelo then I have another dilemma on my hands. Both the local bike store AND IOS carry the cervelo. I think IOS would give me a better price on her, but the local bikle store would be the ones taking care of her along the way so I don't want to step on their toes, but i also need to keep the checkbook in check! so we shall see.

and the bike search continues...

Charlotte Southpark Turkey Trot 8k

So I never wrote a race report...and I am not going to. I would prefer to forget this thing ever took place. It was bad. very bad. They started thousands of runners and walkers at the same time. it was like the swim start of an ironman...but on a road. and in sneakers. my brother had me take off as fast as i could as we dodged people and ran on sidewalks and grass to try to find a clear spot. yeah that wasn't good for me. it gave me a side stitch i couldn't knock the entire time. so between dodging people...the entire time, and the hills that were like a mini san fran, it sucked. my time sucked. my energy level sucked. i left in a bad mood and my brother's advice... "you've got some work to do". yeah. thanks. well there. there's a race report. :)

but we took some good pictures!

It's Business. It's Business Time.

1. View video.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU
2. White Lake Training starts this Saturday, December 1st. 7am. 1 hour cycling. 4 mile run.

Just Kidding

So maybe 2007 is not over quite yet. My brother and I are doing the Turkey Trot 8k in Charlotte on Thanksgiving. This is the month of "off season", right.

Well Brother said he might do handsprings and sommersaults the whole way. In other words, jsut for fun without looking at a watch. Well I have a little bit different plan. My goal is to get down to an 8:00 mile. Since this year I was comforatbale at a 9:00 pace, it's a stretch, but I want it. And since I am a brat, I get what I want! So with the pacing of the brother I am going to run the 8k to see how far away I am from that goal pace. Now please note that the last time I swam was 10/15. The last long run I did was the marathon. Well that basically was my last workout in general...until this week. I have hit the treadmill a few times and will keep it up until Thanksgiving. Here's hoping...

Gobble! Gobble!

Cheers to 2007

Where do I begin? 2007 has been quite a year...
~ January: I conquer indoor cycling and weight training at Maramarc...Yummy. (little did i know i would soon crave this torture!)
~ Febraury: I learned to swim thanks to Som's Total Immersion class
~ March: I learned to swim in open water - scary!
~ April: I competed in my first multi-sport event - the 3 Sports Duathlon produced by RTC. And...it was snowing.
~ May:
~ June: I finished my very first triathlon - Powersprint Triathlon...in a tropical storm!
~ July: I finished my first open water triathlon.
~ August: I raced in NH with lots of family there.
~ September: I finished my first half iron distance triathlon...then 2 weeks later did my first Olympic distance triathlon.
~ October: I participated in my first full marathon in San Francisco - a weekend I will never forget.
~ November: I watched my team mates complete their first full ironman.
~ December: 2008 here I come!

I look back and wow! I am not sure what "clicked", but I like it! I have met some amazing people. Team mates...and the new boyfriend, too. I feel like I have the world of opportunites waiting. All I need is the dedication and determination and I can do anything.

As I take a few weeks off to catch up on life. Where did all this filing come from! I also have the chance to look back at where I was and where I am now...and where I can go.

Goals for 2008...
~ Off Season Training at Maramarc - December-March: Now that I have less unknowns, I know more on what to focus on and take away from each session as a real opportunity to improve...and hang out with the girls (you coaches are part of the girls!) I need to improve all 3 disciplines of the sport. Mainly the run and bike where most improements can be seen and felt all while really focusing on my knee.
~ Monument Avenue 10k - April 5: I would love to magically average a 8:00 pace. This is going to take focus. It is a challenge, but I want it.
~ White Lake Half - May: I would love to finish this race with a significant increase from Patriot's. I will have my brother participating in the event with me, so I know it's gonna be good!
~ Powersprint - June: This was my first race in 2007. My jumping off point. I am intersted in participating in the event again as my annual event. Where I started and where I am now.
~ Timberman 70.3 - August: The air was electric. This will be the largest race I will participate in. With family and this year having team mates, there, too. This year I will make those hills my bitch. Yeah I said it. Bring it hills, bring it.
~ Nike Women's Half Marathon - October: This event was amazing. The most positive and inspirational event. I look forward to just being a part of such an amazing event again. And hopefully I can convince some pinkies to join me out west!
~ Richmond Marathon - November: I enjoyed the challenge (and agony) of 26.2 miles. I love the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. This year I will mix up the scenery and have a new perspective on my city.
Then...Ironman New Zealand Training...anyone? anyone? Bueller?

Cheers to 2007.

Monday Monday

talk about a case of "the Mondays"

I walk up to the front door of the office this morning to see it is plywood and the small window next to the door is shattered. yup. you guessed it.

yesterday my boss came to the office to find that we had been robbed. the police came - guns drawn - to make sure he could enter and check out the damamges. it was not "kids at play", but people who knew what they were doing. all but one computer is gone. server. printers. autocad sofware discs. one printer was found by the front door. and one office had been rummaged but the computer was still there, so we are assuming they got startled and took off without finishing the job.

as the partners roll through the process, we are all filing witht eh credit agencies. the acounting information was all taken with all of our personal information. although it is password protected to you and me. a hacker can get through most anything so we are taking precautionary measures. sucks.

i had to file about a year and a half ago when my wallet and checkbook were stolen out of my purse at work at my old office. which a police officer found about 2 weeks later in an alley a few blocks from teh office. everything was in it except the cards that were used.

so - we are dealing with the motions today. as i sit here with an old laptop one of my bosses had at his house. i can't get to any drawings, but at least i can blog, right!

congratualtions to IMFL girls.
way to go, Du-chicks.

send happy thoughts to my office!

Margo made me do it...

~ Disney Trifecta: 76%
~ My cadaver would be worth: $4,175.00
~ Me body produces: 261 watts (This is 4% MORE wattage than the average person, You could light up 3 light bulbs, You could power 65 iPods, You could power 1 Xbox 360, 4 of you would be needed to keep a refrigerator running)
~ Can I pass 8th grade Science?: 73% C
~ How Geek am I?: 22% - but i think more for wasting so much time playing these darn things!

back to those deadlines...

GO IMFL GIRLS!!!!!

TRIgirls
+ wine and cheese
+ pizza
+ art supplies
---------------
Kickass IMFL Posters!

Priceless

My friend Alison told me about this awesome race that she has participated in the past few years - the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon. Registration day comes and before I can log on - within hours the half marathon is sold out! Nuts! There is still room in the full marathon, though. What the heck - I'll sign up. And although rumor is that you can sign up for the full, but only run the half - no way - I am doing the full.

Fast forward about 9 months.
After months of elliptical training - due to knee issues and stitiches. I knew this race was the end of my 2007 season. Should I do it on the knee? I have to. The disappointment would be too great not to. So here goes.

Days before...
packing and re packing. stretching. eating. hydrating. iPod drama (see previous post). look slike I am all ready.

Thursday...
Katharine and I head up to DC to fly Virgin America to San Francisco. VA is such a new airline that when we booked our flight they were still waiting for FAA confirmation to fly. We walked on teh plane and it was like a party - pink and purple mood lighting, all "leather" seats (first class are massagers), and the best part part were thes little screens on the back of he seat in front of you. Although they came by with the normal beverage service, you can order food and drinks by the touch screen throughout the flight. need more water? touch water and voila! there they are with your water. now these did more than just order your food. you could watch movies of your choise (some pay through the handy credit card swiper) and some free, you could watch direct tv (unfortunatel they did not get abc do we missed grey's) and you can also play games. there wasn't much sleeping on he way there b/c we were so entertained playing games, watching tv movies and doing crosswords. oh and the staff - SO nice. And there we are - in San Francisco. We get a cab and head off to meet the girls at the Hotel to get some much needed sleep.

Friday...
We are on east coast time - we are up awfully early. after a short 15-20 minute jog around town to acclimate ourselves to the weather and altitude, etc, we put on our walking shoes and headed off to catch the trolley, cable car, whatever they're called! we venture to Coit Tower and pier 39 to see the sea lions - man they are smeeeellllyyyyy! In the distance you can see Golden Gate and "The Rock". Then it's time to hit the expotique. Pick up our packets and check it all out. At one station we made buttons to wear during the race in support/honor/memory, etc. The race was to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - the race raised over 18.5 million dollars!!! I made a button in memory of my dad to wear on race day (he passed away 15 years ago from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). There were all kinds of goodies - Ghiradelli was constantly passing out chocolate. Clif/Luna was passing out Luna Moons. Massages. Manicures. Nike+ testing stations. iPod engraving. The backdrop to the stage was a screen of dedications. We sat there for awhile waiting for the dedication I sent in and we all just let the tears flow as we read the amazing stories of loss and of survival to the different diseases that were being played. After composing ourselves we headed off to Nike Town!!!! on the outside window wall was a list of every name of all the participants - all 23,000! We walked in and the place was bumping. A woman DJ had the place dancing and singing as we shopped the 3 floors of workout heaven. On the 2nd floor there was a station where you could have your newly purchased shirts custom screen printed. A few hours later we are all done. 7 women in nike town and man you can get your shop on! Next thing we know it is time for dinner. We headed off to Little Italy for a nice carbo filled feast. Even though our waitress was a bit of a stinker - we enjoyed getting to know each other (2 groups of friends coming together). And the public transportation was great - confusing at first - but entertaining none the less.

Saturday...
the day before the race. holy running shorts, batman - time is nearing. Go get a pre race back massage. walk around expotique a little more. I signed up to run with a pace group to hit my 5 hour goal - an 11:27/min pace. I am hesitant that this is being a little overambitious with the knee issues, btu go for it anyways. they told me i can always drop back if i need to. i get my protein smoothie courtesy of jamba juice and a new running top (orginially 45 got it for 23!!) thanks to the wonderful discounts from macy's (ps all of this was within 2 blocks of the hotel). I spent the afternoon with my 1.5 liter bottle of water, large protein smoothie, and turkey and avocado sandwich. yup you guessed it - nap time. stay off the legs and watch chick flicks. then we go eat more pasts at a much closer restaurant with a very nice server. I have my traditional pre-race glass of wine with my pasta. and off to bed very early.

Sunday...
race day. 4:30 alarm clock. as expected, none of us slept very well. to keep tradition going i grinded my teeth all night. we got our outfits on and snapped a few pictures (what do you expect from a bunch of chicks - we take pictures!) Alison and Courtney were running with Club Nike; Katharine and Karen joined me with the 5 hour pace group. Our fearless leader - Geo - my marathon heroine. After an amazing star spangled banner was sung, the gun went off. the race was here. Group hug! We went across the start line waving to our #1 cheerleader, Mrs. Sizer - watching her 2 daughters and 3 adopted daughters for the weekend. Katharine was runnign with the assistance of "Robert" her podcast hunk, so after 5 minutes he had her do a short walk and we waved as Karen and I trucked on forward. Geo was great - she was giving us hints on how to best run up the hills and our gait/form. Around mile 4 we lost Karen to some knee problems. I don't know how I did it, but with the help of the group I ran up ALL the hills!!! Geo had us tell where we were from, our stories of inspiration (i pointed out the button i made on my race belt), jokes, etc. She reminded me to keep my chin down and that I was a little hard on my right foot. We kept right on track. We headed up a hill and around a curve and bam! the cliffs! the waves crashing! breathaking. At mile 17 I slightly tripped over my foot as it skidded across the ground - calf cramp. nooooo. Luckily a water stop was ahead and i could take one of my ecaps. man i love thsoe things. Then came mile 18. Brakes. Although I had water and gatorade at every water stop I got a little dehydrated and had to hit the ole port-o-jon. Geo told me not to sprint back to the group afterwards, but to take my time with a slightly increased pace and after a mile or 2 I would be back in the group. I did that and it worked - within about 1/2 mile I was back in the groove. Then it hit again...worse...the stomach. this time I was unable to kick it up enough to find the 5:00 pace group again. I was sad that I didn't have my group, but i turned up the iPod and kept trucking. Then I realized that no, I didn't have the pace group, but I had friends with me through the songs...
Shake That Ass For me - you should see my roomie and I dance around the living room to this one.
Shoebox - Karen G/R
Dont'cha - the brother - the one song he told me not to get in my head.
Pour Some Sugar on Me - my Missy - shall we sunchronize dance?
Save a Horse - cousin....we love bob.
Stagger Lee - a favorite of me and mom's
Footloose - makes me think of my Greg.
and more...
I found it ironic that all of these played on the new iPod that had a playlist made without much thought. and after skipping through the holiday songs and the slow tunes, these are some of the ones i heard. and every time i heard one i thought of someone and smiled and knew i had to run for them. So i would pick it up.
Next thing I knew I only had a 5k left to go. Eyes fill with water.
Mile 24 - 2 miles left. man this water keeps getting in my eyes.
Mile 25 - only a mile left. really? it's almost over? am i really doing this?
man there are a lot of spectators aorund all of a sudden.
OH MY GOD!!!!!!! I am in the finisher's chute. There's the finish line.
A few tears.
Then cramp - aaaahhhhh!!!
take a literally 2 second wak to kick that calf cramp. I wouldn't let it ruin my finish.
Then I looked ahead as I gave it everything i had left - I heard my name - it was my friends: Katharine, Karen, courtney, Brenda - all cheering me in. More tears. I heard the beep of the timing mat and I finished. I walked on through as the men in tuxedos handed me one the the blue boxes with a white ribbon off their silver platter. He looked at my teary eyes and told me it was ok - that I finished. I walked through and held on to the pole as they cut my chip off. handed me the bag for my new necklace and picked up my finisher's tee.

I walked around and just looked around taking it all in. As the girls and I found each other - we all did it...together.

Sunday evening...
shower. cheeseburger and fries. beer. (sounds good at least)

Monday...
Katharine and I don our new finisher's tees and necklaces proud as we head off to the airport. Thank goodness she was with me. helping me carry my luggage, etc. I never realized standing, sitting, and walking would be so hard. I found a new respect for the grab bars in the bathrooms! We walked around the terminal waiting for our flight. We got to pre-board thanks to my slowness. This time I did not play too many games and such - much more sleeping with the new pillow i got in the airport! Landed smoothly in DC and drove back to the RIC and back to the norm...as a marathon finisher.

Nike Women's Marathon entry fee - $95.00
airfare to/fro San Francisco - $270.00
Hotel in Union Square - $200.00
Finishing my first full marathon with friends - Priceless.

Final Time - 5:13:38 (pace 0:11:58)
5k - 0:35:36 (11:27)
10k - 1:09:40 (11:12)
15k - 1:47:24 (11:31)
half - 2:29:37 (11:24)
25k - 2:56:48 (11:22)
30k - 3:32:15 (11:23)
35k - 4:12:17 (11:36)
40k - 4:56:21 (11:55)

Me, Katharine, and Karen at the finish line.

The San Francisco Treat - by Katharine H.

Katharine's name on the big board of participants
The San Francisco Treat...
Well, this time it was not Rice-A-Roni, but it was the Nike Women’s Marathon and half Marathon.

I went out to San Francisco to run the half marathon with two friends and met up with three others. I flew out on Thursday night with one friend on VirginAmerica (highly recommend it!). We got to the hotel Palomar which was close to the race start in Union Square and most of the group was already there.

Friday, we spent the morning touring around the city...riding street cars and trolleys, visiting my Dad’s uncle’s old neighborhood around Coit Tower, and saw the sealions at Pier 39. In the afternoon, we went to the race expo to pick up our race packets.
This race was to benefit the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and many of the runners had lost someone to the disease. They had a tribute screen which played peoples stories...and the tears for the weekend began.

Overall the whole theme of the race was so positive and so encouraging. After getting everything we needed for the race, we went to Niketown. Niketown was hopping, there was a DJ and the whole store just vibrated.

Saturday was a day to relax. I got a message, ate a yummy lunch and then just rested in the hotel. We went out for a tasty prerace dinner and then off to bed pretty early. I was nervous for the race in the morning and had a dream that I was late to the start of the race because I couldn’t get my sports bra on!

Sunday: Race morning...we were up at 4:30 am! After dropping off our post race clothes, we got in line around 6:30 and chatted with the other runners and then the race started at 7:00 and then we didn’t cross the start line until closer to 7:30.

The first 6 miles were great. Each time I passed another mile marker I couldn’t believe it. The race started along the bay to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Miles 6-10 for the most part were pretty much up hill and HARD. Once I got to mile 10 and started down hill the Pacific Ocean was in view and amazing, I just had to smile. The race then ended on the Great Highway right along the beach! I couldn’t believe when the race was over and I didn’t feel like I was going to die. I ended up walking more than I wanted to, but I was also happy with my finish.

So, people have asked why I run (well more run/walk).
I do it because I love it. I love being so sweaty that my skin tastes like salt. I love be so physically exhausted after a long run, but still having the most amazing sense of euphoria. I love talking about training with friends. I love the electricity of race day. Running/walking is a way to challenge myself. I am by no means fast and will never place at a race but I will always win because I will finish, even if it is hard.

So Just Do It...

Last night - the night before I leave. Final preperations. I prepared a yummy dinner and put the last things in the suitcase. (side note - i am not a light packer. not even close. i barely closed my suitcase. but then i realized that i had to take some thigns out...so i can have room for shopping!!) Sp now that the bags are packed and my belly is full, it's time to make the playlist. Yes I thought about doing this earlier but was convinced that last night was the time to do it. So...

as we sat in front of the computer for over an hour...the computer is not reading the shuffle my brother passed down to me since my mini has gone to a better place. Ok it is now 9:43 and I have no iPod. I can't have this. I need sing along songs. you know the cheesey pop and rap songs, the solid gold oldies - all the tunes that just get you going (well gets me going at least) - yeah i got nuttin. Ok - target closes in 17 minutes, come on baby we are going. and i am driving. now i am not the best driver under good conditions- add stress - yeah i am surprised i still have a handle on the passenger side door! what a trooper! but we got to target and like a light shining from the cabinet were the shuffles. and one pink one left at that. it's a sign. but before she opens the cabinet she bring sto my attention that i can get the pink shuffle for 89.99 or I can get the breast cancer pack with the shuffle and a 15.00 itunes card for 89.99. hmm tough decision there! 9:59pm and we are on the way home with a new iPod in hand. (man i am a spoiled brat! but well that goes along with being american right?!)

we get home and GASP! my computer is not reading this one either. i can behind the controls...aka the mouse. i fidget around reload the driver and poof! i have an iPod! now after figuring this out clearly this would have allowed the other shuffle to work - d'oh! but the playlist has been made. 9 hours of tunes - that oughtta do it.

midnight struck and i turned into a pumpkin.

so i guess my glitch for this race is out of the way. smooth sailing form here on.

Gearing Up

The coundown is almost over. This weekend is the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. 26.2 miles of big hills and a bigger goal with 3 awesome girlfriends. I can only trust that my time on the elliptical will have benefitted me properly as I attempt for my very first full marathon...with knee problems alogn the way.

We are flying out on Thursday. Friday we can go for a 10 minute jog to acclimate to the weather conditions. Then check otu the sites and eat lots of yummy carbs! Saturday we will rest and not do much of anything. Sunday we will have an amazing day - wish me luck! I will have my iPod hopefully fully charged and loaded with sing along songs to bop down the road to while chowing down on delicious gu's (?). monday I will return home...a marathoner!

Until then...

Poor Farm

This past Saturday I fianlly tried something new that I have been wanting to try. Before I starting training for triathlons, I thought I wanted to do mountain biking. But it never happened. with experts Greg, Erin, and Jenn and fellow novice Derek, I did it! My bike might not be the best - steel frame, no shock on the front fork - but it got a tune up and away we went! I can't wait to go back...nad maybe one day I will get a real bike and learn how to go over logs, too. But for now I will continue to carry my bike over!

Recovery and Training

As I wind down my body from a long first season. I have lots to think about. Now keep in mind that I still have my first marathon in 2 1/2 weeks - which I want to do NOW! I am ready for my time off. I am ready to stand at my own finish line look back and see how far I've come - what got me here and where else I will go.

This week is recovery from Naylor's - which my knee desperately needs - as well as continued training for San Fran. Hmm how do I acomplish both? With wine? Why yes, that is correct.

Sunday night - post race hummus dinner and a glass of wine. Then asleep around 7:30.
Monday night - sushi and a beer.
Tuesday night - get a phonophoresis treatment on my knee - will be doign this regularly until san fran. and then what? 2 hours on the elliptical! what? no no no. I mean I do need my new marathon outfit to train in and new sneakers. So I head off to road runner with one of my san fran running mates, katharine. and i mean 3 monkeys is right there. my as well just skip the training tonight and do it in the morning instead and have more hummus and wine. yes. that sounds good. but mmm those monkey fries sound awfully tasty! ok hummus, fries, and a glass of wine. ahhhh. now that's more like it.
Wednesday morning - 4:40am. Alarm clock goes off. um gross! why did I skip training last night? Ok ok - katharine and i meet at the gym at 5am for a 2 hour elliptical session. i sure am regretting those fries right about now!

But - I have been able to have some wine. and then today I get lunch at a new client's restaurant Osaka! ok - twist my arm! I love having all star clients like this!

See ya on the elliptical, don't mind the bottle of wine in the cup holder!

Naylor's Beach

Let's say...it was not a good day, but not a bad day. I was mentally not with it beforehand. The hour start delay due to serious foggage did not help.

Swim was alright - went slow. I knew I was participating and not racing, so I aw MArgo and popped up a minute to say hello and then the next kayak was RCAT! gave him a shout out as well.
Distance: 1.5k
Time: 45:43 (goal 40-45)
Age Group: 8/10
Overall: 42/53

The bike I wanted to quit before even getting on. I fought mentally on did I even want to do this? I just didn't feel strong mentally or physically. Then...I fell going uphill at mile 8. I got up brushed myself off and stood there wondering how close a water stop was so I could quit. After losing time putting my chain back on and giving up trying to get my brake away from my wheel which i couldn't so it rubbed the whole race, I decided I would be too disappointed in quitting (thought about you KO!) and knew I had to get my game face on and do what I set out to do. I finished the bike with minor injuries to my body and bike, but big injuries to my confidence.
Distance: 26 miles
Time: 1:38:43 (goal 1:31:00)
Pace: 15.8 (goal 17)
Age Group: 7/10
Overall: 40/53

Pushed through the run in a run/walk to save the knee. It always takes me a good 2 miles to get into my rhythm. I decided I would do a 4 min run/1 min walk to give the knee some time off in there. Around mile 2.5 some guy asked me if I was nursing an injury and I had to say yes - darn knee! This was his first triathlon and we decided to finish the run together. Unfortunately around mile 5 he was havign a real hard time and needed to do a good bit of walking and I lost him. After the second turn around I saw him and he said he was running so I didn't see him walking - haha good for him! All of a sudden I was at the finish line...didn't do my traditional final kick as early on as I would have liked, but oh well.
Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)
Time: 1:08:20 (goal 1 hour)
Pace: 10:59 (goal 9:30)
Age Group: 8/10
Overall: 44/53

Finish Time: 3:36:37 (goal 3:15-ish)
Age Group: 8/10
Overall: 42/53

So after going into the race without having my mind with me it showed and I felt it. This was the first time I walked away from a race without a smile and a sense of accomplishment. Why? because I didn't try as hard as I could have. Admittingly there were some tears at my lack of performance. But I can only take this with me. I know what I need to do for the future and I have to say as always, it was AWESOME having all the pinkies with me.