Race Schedule and Results

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2009 is tomorrow?

Wait a minute... where did 2008 go? I really feel like I'm in a time warp or something and I'm missing days. Maybe the Ironman did something to my sense of time???

In any event, the holidays were great. I was spoiled rotten (like every girl should be!) and I'm starting to get over the holiday blahs of not wanting to do anything but lay on the couch and watch lifetime movies (I should note that my wonderful mother bought be an electric throw blanket for me to use on the couch - OH MY GAWD the things is awesome. Charlie knows that when I turn it on, it's snuggle time. I love it. But it doesn't do good things for my motivation). Besides some stupid sister in law problems over the holiday, all was good!

With my motivation being in the crapper, I've decided to run a May marathon - without the hubby which makes total sense huh? For those who know me, that's a big thing. I'm going to run the Flying Pig in Cincinnati. Tom will be in Cali racing Wildflower and I figured this would be a good goal for me to work for. Plus it should help get me in preseason shape - either that or I'll be spent by May which should be interesting with a November Ironman! :) I'm excited though - haven't decided if I'll have a time goal or not. Should I aim for a 4 hour by myself? That would be a 44 minute PR! :) It'll be a good little get away for me, myself and I.

2009 should be a big year with lots going on:
  • Our company is growing and growing which is constantly keeping us moving and I have big plans for 09!
  • Tom and I are taking on the roles of Associate Editors of an Energy Encyclopedia with my father in law (I'm going to be a published person in a field I know NOTHING on - but don't worry... I'm not writing any of it!)
  • I'm Chairing (alone I may add because my co chair just resigned) the local hospital's annual fund raiser which I'm totally changing from a "gala" type event to a women's only girls night
  • I'm racing tri's locally and for the first time on bigger stage, like Chicago, as well as the Ironman in November
  • Tom's the travel coordinator of his tri team (which means wifey gets to find all the deals for the team - Chicago, NYC, Wildflower, Austin - so who's really the travel coordinator? kidding dear!)

And that's just the start of it! I'm excited.

Happy New Year to everyone. Be safe tonight if you are out drinking (don't drive) or just out (and the other people on the road are drinking)!!!

Monday, December 22, 2008

It's Christmas Week...

I can hardly believe it. I love Christmas... one of my favorite days of the year and it's impossible to believe that it's already here. Our presents are all wrapped and under the tree which is fun - we usually hold off until Christmas Eve bringing them down, but then we don't get the joy of looking at them (plus this year we "splurged" and got the good shinny paper so it's really cool to look at the gifts when the lights are on at night... I'm a big dork like that though!). Christmas should be pretty quiet - Christmas Eve at home, a run Christmas morning on the quiet streets of Delaware, breakfast and gift opening just the two of us at our house that morning and then Christmas afternoon/evening with my mom and dad, sister and brother in law. We will celebrate with Tom's mom and step dad on Saturday or Sunday, although Tom's sister, her hubby and the twins are in town, but that's another story for another day.

Our Disney trip was awesome, besides the fact that Tom had a horrible cold for 4 of the 5 days. Poor thing never fails to get sick on vacation and this was no exception. I give him all the credit in the world for toughing out some long days when I know he would have much rather been in bed. I was surprised that Disney wasn't AS decorated as I thought - guess the hype that everyone had been feeding us was a bit too much. The crowds were minimal (although I should say that it seemed like there were billions of people there, all with little kids and strollers, but wait times were only 15 minutes or so and we lucked out by not having to get fast passes, although some people gave us theirs for rides we were just getting ready to stand in line for. We must have looked deserving - or desperate!) Anyway, it was a great trip - got to the 4 parks and had a great time. Here's us outside of the train station at the Magic Kingdom - it was really pretty and definitely the most decorated part of the parks.

And looking down Main Street USAI thought that this was a great picture of us and the castleWe loved Epcot which was probably our favorite park (although I knew it would be before we even stepped for in it)And then one of my favorite things that we did was go to the German Pavilion and eat at the Biergarten. It was an awesome buffet of all the German favorites, with a live show and well... a lot of beer!

Disney is truly a magical place and even when we got home, Tom said "I didn't even think about all the stuff going on at home when I was there" which is unheard of for him when he's on vacation. There's just something about Disney, I'm telling you.

Hope everyone has a great holiday. Be safe, eat a lot (that's what holidays are for!), enjoy being around family and friends, and remember what the holiday is all about!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Ah, to be a kid again

This time of year is so fun for kids. I remember the holidays as a kid and nothing else mattered from about December 10th on. My mom, sister and I went to see the Rockettes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show last night in downtown Columbus. Although I was tremendously entertained by the show, the kids in the crowd stole it for me - to hear their oooh's and aaah's was so funny and definitely made me smile. All I could think about was how I could get my legs to look like the dancers and these kids were excited by the snow inside the building, the streamers, the dancing bears, the 1,000 Santas, the giant bus on stage etc. As I sat, comparing myself to these scantly clad women, these kids were having the time of their lives. Ah, to be a kid again.

I guess I get my chance this weekend. We're heading to Disney World for 5 days and I'm super excited. Tom's never been and when I ask him to picture Disney, he says it's just a blank screen in his head. My mom and dad are coming (they love Disney and go ever two or three years) so it'll be a great time. I'm hoping that we can just leave the hustle and bustle of the holidays, work, training, family etc. behind us and be kids for a few days. That's what Disney's all about right?

Monday, December 1, 2008

Well hello there...

It's been forever since I've posted. The holidays got the best of me I guess. Let me back up a bit...
The weekend before Thanksgiving we went to our friend's house to cheer on the Buckeye's to a good ole butt kicking against Michigan (just the way we like them!) It was fun to sit around and catch up with everyone as it was the first time we had seen them all after the Ironman. Here's a group shot of the girls... we're a pretty hot group if you ask me!
Then, Christmas came a little early last week for me. I got my wheels and wow... that's about all I can say. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can try them out. Tom loved them so much that he cracked and got a set too. He secretly wants to be like me, but that's alright! :)

We had a great Thanksgiving. Thursday morning, we ran a local race called the Flying Feather 4 Miler which was fun. It was a chilly morning so Tom and I ran 2 before the race to warm up and then maintained 8:49's throughout the race which I was happy about. I'm a huge baby and hate running in the cold. Something about my lungs burning that I'm not real keen about. Hum... They gave us all bottles of Riesling after the race and Cheryl's cookies which was awesome (yeah, I know I said that I'd be on weight watchers... I'll get to that in a minute).

My turkey was AWESOME! We're obviously still eating it because there is no way that a bird that big would be gone THAT fast! We had a great dinner with my mom and dad with all the fixings! The dogs were especially fond of the big meal and were spoiled rotten by my mom and dad. Here's Buddy waiting by the oven which is where he sat most of the day.
And just a picture of me and my little girl Charlie. She does not like when I hold her like this, but she's just to freaking cute not too!
As for me since the Ironman... I dunno - I've been in a funk. Maybe it's the Ironman blues that I've read about. I've gained some weight (like 6 pounds - yikes... and yes, Tom and I both started WW today for real but I did eat that Cheryl's cookie on Thanksgiving and it was damn yummie!). I've been down and out about working out although had a great lift today and a good tough 60 minutes of cardio. I think I need something to help motivate me. Tom has training camp for TT1 and I don't have a race until June. I'm contemplating training my tail off and entering Du Nationals in April. They give the top 12 in each AG spots on the national team for worlds in September, but I just don't know. I am signing up for the Chicago Triathlon Triple Challenge and I'm so excited about it. It's late August when the Chicago Triathlon is. You do a super sprint on Saturday, a Sprint on Sunday (you are the first swim wave) and then you head right back to transition and do an Olympic right after the sprint (you are the last wave of the Olympics). So all in all, I'd be swimming 1.63 miles, biking 44.67 miles and running 10.85 miles. It's totally nutty, but only 37 women did it last year and I keep thinking, "why not?". Should be fun.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Butterball Ain't Got Nothing on my Thanksgiving!

So I'm having my mom and dad up for Thanksgiving dinner. My mom has kind of become not interested in cooking and I LOVE to cook a turkey and all the fixin's. So naturally it's a good fit for them to be with us next Thursday. We'll do a 4 miler that morning and then just hang out until dinner is ready later afternoon. My sister and her hubby will be out of town, as will Tom's parents. So just the 4 of us (and our dogs who are completely spoiled and will eat our food that day). I digress...

So I went out today looking for my turkey (Kroger had them for $0.29/lb with a $30 purchase... that's a good deal!) The Butterball.com website has a little calculator that tells me how much turkey I should buy depending on the number of guests, if we want leftovers (do people actually cook Thanksgiving without the thought of leftovers???) and if your a big eater or not (the hubs will eat all the turkey while carving if I don't watch him). I plugged in my numbers, included a child for the sake of covering my dogs and they suggested a 9lb turkey. Riiiiiiight.

Not in our house. We go big or go home.

We're cooking up a 22 pound turkey.

Take that Butterball!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

EBates

I don't write TOO often about the deals that I get shopping. But, around the holidays, I want to pass along a website that pays you to shop. How great is that? If you buy ANYTHING on line around the holidays, take a look at ebates.com. It costs nothing to be a member, and as long as you go there and click through to the website that you are looking for (no ads or anything crazy like that), they will pay you a percentage back. My latest check is in the mail now and should be $116. And that's cash back on stuff I was already going to buy. Anyway, if you aren't signed up, again, it costs nothing. And if you use this link http://www.ebates.com/refer-a-friend/amb1114.htm?referrerid=UYJaNbFkmEH0%2B5Zi3x4Cuw%3D%3D , you'll get an extra $10 just for making your first purchase. That's not a bad deal.

Things are busy. I can't walk still from the lunges and squats that I did on Friday. Tomorrow's workout should be interesting to say the least. Saturday night Tom and I went to the "Fur Ball", a fundraiser for the Delaware County Humane Society. I was proud of myself for not walking out with a new little furry friend (I'm a sucker for saving dogs). Until we get a bigger house, and a better vacuum, we're stuck with just 2! :)

Oh, and totally exciting news... I just ordered a set of Flash Point 80's for my bike. They are sweeeeeeet and will definitely make my bike look complete. I will post pictures on Flicka when they come. In the meantime, here's a little teaser...

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Where do I go from here???

Everyone keeps asking how long I'll take off and relax after the Ironman - it's been 8 days since I've exercised and I'm starting to go nuts. I wanted to take a week and just have time to myself and I'm so ready to get back in the gym. Tomorrow we'll start our new schedule and I'm super excited. We're going to swim, bike and run, incorporate some speed, some weight training, etc, but it's all going to be at a pace that excites me... slow and steady! On the way home from Florida Tom and I talked about our goals for the next year and tomorrow is when I'll start working toward them. I'm really excited.

My 2009 goals:
1. 135 heavy weight (which means that when I'm feeling fat and bloated, I'm 135. HA! That amounts to 132-135 all the times). I'm starting back on WW tomorrow.
2. Run a sub 1:55 half marathon (My PR is a 1:56:38)
3. Run a sub 24:00 5k (I don't think that I've ever timed a 5k)
4. Run a 4:10 marathon (my PR is a 4:44:48 in Chicago)
5. Run sub 8:40’s at all local tri's (we do at least 3 a year and they are all sprints or Olympics)
6. Swim a sub 30:00 Craig Thompson Olympic (for some reason, I haven't been able to swim under a 32:00 1500k at his races)
7. Do a 6:10:00 half Ironman (my PR is a 6:41:18 - yikes)
8. Podium at least 50% of my races
9. Run a sub 4:50 Ironman Marathon (this year I ran a 5:04:55)
10. Do a real push up (I'm an Ironman but can't do a real push up... sad huh??)

I think they are all VERY achievable and I'll keep revisiting them as the year goes on. Gives me something to work out.

Oh... how do you like the new blog? A little tribute to a cause that I'm very passionate about. I thought it was time for a change!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

IMFL Race Report

So I don't have many electronic versions of my pictures yet which will probably make this race report long and boring, but you'll get the idea! :) As I get more, I'll update them because we have a craptastic amount of great pictures from everyone that was there.


The few days leading up to the race (we got there on Tuesday late in the evening and the race was Saturday) we did all the normal stuff... Gatorade swims, short runs and rides, the expo, the check in, gear checks, etc. Mainly we just relaxed as much as possible. If you haven't been to PCB, it's dreamy. The ideal place to do a race in my opinion! The weather was perfect the entire week too - low 70's and not a cloud in the sky. I knew I'd have a good race because up to this point, I've only raced in crappy conditions so right from the start, things were in my favor! YAY! And with views and sunsets like this, how could I not be happy?
Saturday came quickly. The alarm went off at 4:20, although I had been laying in bed since 3:30. We got dressed, made bagels with peanut butter, grabbed our diet pepsi's (which is our new pre-race drink of choice!), got our special needs bags and headed out. My mom and dad drove us down to the race. We went into transition and did some last minute things – put food and drinks on our bikes, pumped tires, lubed chains, etc. I was racked all the way on the opposite side of Tom and waited for him to bring the pump to my bike. The girls racked near me where so nice. Definitely eased some of my nerves a little. We were super early at transition and it was very cold so we waited inside on the hotel until it got a little lighter and closer to race time. I cried a lot... mainly because I was a little overwhelmed with what the day was going to be like for me. I knew I was ready, but you're never really certain! We put our wetsuits on around 6:30 and made our way to the beach. We said goodbye to everyone around 6:40 and started out trek to the start line. The water was fairly calm, although the wind was blowing. It was still so cold and the water actually felt good on our feet, which at this point were numb from the sand (it was only in the low 50's maybe on race morning!). We watched the pros go off and then made our way into the start area. We only had about 3 minutes there together. I started crying and Tom hugged me, told me that I’d do great. The next thing I knew, Mike Reilly was telling us to have a great race and the canon went off. No time to panic right?

THE SWIM – I started toward the back of the swim start. This was my goal all along since I knew I wasn't a strong swimmer. I walked into the water at 7:00:40 according to the race clock. We couldn’t swim at all since there were so many people walking in. The water was chilly and it seemed a bit choppy. I had to actually walk through some waves which I hadn't see just 10 minutes earlier. I finally was able to put my head down to swim and immediately panicked. I stood up and realized that I was at a sand bar and everyone was walking over it. I heard Mike Reilly say “it is supposed to be a swim but it seems like everyone is walking”. HA! It wasn’t until about the first buoy that we were able to swim. I found a spot and took off. I was super calm and felt great. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sure there were people everywhere, but I felt like I could keep a good rhythm. I had heard that it was usually a battle and I guess I started at the right spot because it wasn't horrible! The first turn came quickly and it was really crowded. The second turn was worse. I got kicked pretty hard in the face, although the goggles stayed on so I was alright. About 5 minutes later, I got punched pretty hard in the face. Men at ruthless! I kept swimming and got out of the first lap in 39 minutes (you have to get out of the water for about 30 yards and then get back in). I was so excited. My neck was killing me from chafe though and I didn’t know what I could do to make it better. I took water from the aid station before going back in and rinsed my lips and my neck. The salt water definitely added a new set of obstacles. I peed, got back in the water and started swimming. This time it was totally different. I was virtually alone. It was pretty much that way for the rest of the swim. There were a few big jelly fish and a whole bunch of small ones, but they left me alone. I was so relieved when I passed the last buoy and was walking up to the wetsuit peelers. I was out of the water in 1:26:57 and felt great. Got my wetsuit peeled, ran up the shoot, found my family, yelled “I lived!” and went to T1. My cousin got some good shots of all the bags lined up before the racers came through.
TRANSITION 1 - What a zoo! That’s about all I can say. I grabbed my own bag and went to the women’s changing tent. It seemed like every single woman was there with me. I found a little opening and just took my time. I dried off as much as I could, changed my clothes (bike shorts are a bitch to put on wet!), put my stuff back in my bag, sun screened and walked out. I had to actually find someone to give my bag to. I ran to my bike rack and there was a guy standing at the end, but he didn’t grab my bike. I walked to the mount line which was at the other end of T1. I didn’t run because I figured it was going to be a long day and I need to just stay calm, plus I probably would have fallen on my butt in my bike shoes! T1 was 8:31 which was completely slower than it felt!

BIKE – I heard my family right when I got on the bike which was great. I knew that it was going to be a long bike because it was fairly windy so I just tried to settle in fast. I drank Gatorade right away but decided to hold off eating anything until I got into some sort of rhythm. It was freezing too - so glad I changed clothes because I couldn't imagine what people in wet tri clothes felt like. I may be an Ironman, but I'm not good with cold weather!!!! The first 10 miles went fast, but I had to go to the bathroom at the first water stop. I got off my bike and there was no where to put my bike. A racer who was waiting to go to the bathroom held it for me!!! People were so nice! Got back on my bike and settled right back in. I ate when I could, drank when I felt like it and just took it all in. The first 45 miles or so seemed to be right into the wind! I was keeping a good pace, but paid for it later! I hit special needs around 48 miles, took time to get my stuff and then got on, happy to be turning to a tail wind about a mile later. My IT had started to really bother me and by the next turn into the wind, I was seriously hurting. I knew I had pushed it a little hard into the wind. I started to doubt things, although keep saying to myself “you are in an Ironman… just do it”, and that’s what got me through, that and the Twix bar I had picked up in special needs... The next 40 miles or so were fairly uneventful. I passed a bunch of people, my IT was still killing me, but I just kept going. My first 76 miles I averaged something like 16.4mph and I knew that was because of my IT. The last miles I averaged 18.9mph and was able to find a gear with the tail wind that my IT felt relatively good in. I was so happy to see the last mile markers. I came into transition to a screaming family in 6:35:47. It felt great to get off my bike.

TRANSITION 2 - This was a much different experience than T1. Someone handed me my bag, I ran to the change tent where I had the most awesome volunteer help with everything. Poor lady got an eye full with me changing and I apologize for that! :) She was so great. The tent was quiet. I quickly stopped to pee, waved to my cousins who were perched on a hill right by T2 and was out in 5:58 - again, much slower than it felt!

RUN – I thought for sure the first few miles were going to be horrible based on the last few of the bike, but I didn’t have transition legs at all! It was a nice change to be running. I kept a smile on my face the whole time, something someone had told me to do before the race. I saw Tom at mile 2.5. I was running 9:20’s or so. He was having a phenomenal day and was on track to finish way under 12 hours which was his goal. He was very surprised to see me smiling and saying that I was having a great time. I felt invincible and was actually having so much fun!! I ran to my family at mile 4.25 and they were probably just as shocked to see me smiling. They had chalked the entire street which was so cool! My cousin got a good shot of it from the balcony of her condo.I talked to them briefly, told them I’d be back in 5 miles and took off. I kept a jog for the whole run which was my goal. I saw Tom again twice and although he was having a great race, he told me that his stomach was bothering him and that his legs were seizing. I just kept running from water stop to water stop. My first half was 2:15 which I was thrilled with. Around mile 17 when I was back to my family, my cousin asked if she could join me for a little while. I hesitated at first because I didn't want to seem like I needed help, but she joined me and we had so much fun running together for a while. I loved running in the dark although was completely bummed when I found out that they ran out of glow necklaces. I mean really??? The last few miles are a blur. I remember being about 2 miles out when it hit me that I was going to be an Ironman. You can't really replay that memory. My run time was 5:04:55, an 11:39 pace.

The finish - You can't explain to someone what it means to finish an Ironman. I'm convinced of that. As I ran into the finish line shoot, I had so many emotions. It was AMAZING. I didn't hear Mike Reilly say "Colleen K, you are an Ironman". I didn't hear anything. I saw my family and just smiled. Tom was standing behind the finish line (he had weaseled his way in to be my "catcher"). As I got closer to the finish line, I saw him and welled up with tears. And that's when I proceeded to trip over the finish line. Yup... I was a hot mess! My time to shine and I trip over the finish line! :) I didn't fall on my face though or anything, but it was shown on the big screen and the only photo that they got was of me catching myself! LOVELY! And even after tripping, it was the best moment of the entire day. I am an Ironman. My official time - 13:22:06.
Although I'd love to post an entire race report for Tom as well, I will just tell you that he had a PHENOMENAL day. His goal for this year was to finish sub 12 hours and he did just that. He had a great swim (beat last year by 8 minutes, finishing in 1:12), averaged 20.1 for the bike (that was the new Ordu hard at work - 5:35:00), and ran 10 minutes faster than last year. He finished in 11:49:48. I'm so proud of my hubby! He's a rock star! :)

I'm still kind of catching up with life. I don't feel any different, but I have a new bit of confidence to me. I guess maybe it'll hit when I toe the line for my first race of next season. We signed up for IMFL 09 so I get to do it all over again next year. This time, I'm going to try not to trip! :)



Sunday, November 2, 2008

I did it!!!

Real quick (because its 5:30am and I'm hoping to be able to get back to sleep). The race yesterday was absolutely amazing... every aspect of it! I had such a great time. I finished in 13:22:06. My goal was somewhere in the 14th hour so mission accomplished. My family was awesome, my hubby rocked it with a finish time of 11:49:48, and overall it was great. I will write a full race report when I get a chance!

Thanks to everyone who kept up with us all day!

This Irondiva isn't in training anymore!!!!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I'm off...

Well, the time has come and I'm so excited. We're leaving today for Panama City Beach. We'll break the trip up today and tomorrow so we'll actually be at the condo by about noon tomorrow. Mom and dad will be there by then so we'll hang out with them tomorrow, do some food shopping, get checked in for the race and then grab some dinner. I'm just so ready to get the cleebration started! :)

So wish us luck and the next time I write... hopefully I will have some good news to share!

#2061 :)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Vegas Pictures

Alright, I finally have a chance to sit down and catch up on my blogging. As expected the last few days have gone really fast. I think Tuesday (the day we're leaving) will be here before I know it. I'm working on staying calm and being excited for the race. I think it's working... for the most part. I've been fine except for when we watched a replay of the 2007 IMFL last night and I cried like a baby. My poor hubby! :)


I promised pictures from the Pumpkinman. At T1 the day before, I got a picture of what transition in the middle of no where looks like! This was only half of the racks...We got there before the sun was up on Saturday morning. This was a pretty cool sunrise! I think Tom was a bit freaked out by the mountains he'd be climbing!

He had a great swim and looked good at T1. I knew he was ready for the hills! They were 8% grades... and the last one was 6 miles long!I didn't get a good picture of him running or finishing, but here's a good one of he and his teammate Matt. Way to go Team Type 1! You both did great!!!And yeah, I'm a tri geek and was pretty star struck watching this guy come in...I think the guy next to him with the ball cap and no shirt is funny. Bet he didn't know who he was standing by. We heard that Macca forgot his helmet and had to borrow one from a girl in his tri group. Hehehe - even pro's have off days! :)

So that was really the race weekend. This week we've been busy just getting things put away from Vegas, ready for PCB, finishing up workouts, getting work done (oh yeah... we own a company... gotta remember that some days!) and generally just being a little overwhelmed with things. I have lunch plans tomorrow and Saturday, plans with some friends Saturday night for the OSU/Penn State game (GO BUCKS!), and at some point, need to finish everything for our trip. I think the next few days are going to go fast.

Oh boy...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Quick update

We got back from Vegas last night late - like didn't get to bed until 3:00am late. It was a long day. Weekend was good - I'll post pictures and details when I have a minutes. Tom's race was awesome - he kicked ass. The course was a killer for Tom, but he still managed to come in 10th out of nearly 50 in his age group and run sub 8 minute miles for the entire 10k. Take that West Coasters! His teammate did awesome as well (came in 15th in the same age group) and we had a lot of fun hanging out with him and his girlfriend. I saw Macca and got a picture of him - he was racing in Tom's race (he beat Tom though, even with Tom's new bike! Can you believe that??? :)He only averaged 20mph on the bike if it gives you any idea of how long the 8% climbs were over the 24.8 miles! HA!)

We leave in a week for PCB. I'm starting to freak out a little. It's going to be a busy couple of days! Nuff said.

Bibs were assigned - I'm 2061, Tom's 103. How do they assign numbers because that's about as far away from each other as they get? Tom's so close to the pro's... lucky guy!

That's all for now...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I'm in love...

Alright, here she is...
And I just love her. I've named her Flicka. Have you ever seen the movie? It's about a wild house that only a little girl could tame. I thought that was fitting! She's a beaut! Dura Ace crank which is sooooo smooth, all carbon, Bontrager race wheels. I feel so good on her and she's going to do awesome at the Ironman, I can feel it! :) I have Tom's saddle on my bike right now (an Adamo ASI saddle - the funky ones without a nose). I rode on it yesterday for 80 miles and fell in love with it as well. I was having some...um... girl problems while in the aero position (um yeah, that's the only way I ride) and would like to someday have children - this solved it. I came home and ordered one immediately so Tom can have his back! Other than that, she's perfect, although I do have just a slight bit of wheel envy when it comes to Tom's bike. Wow, his is something special. Here's a picture (which doesn't do it ANY justice - and remember that's not his saddle, it's actually mine - he's such a good hubby!)...

So we ended up having a killer weekend in a slightly different order than we expected. Friday we went riding with Tom's mom and step dad (she's finally back on the bike after being hit by a car and just got the same bike as me and well... she's in love too!). We did a quick 42 minute 4.8 mile run and called it a day. Saturday we set out to do 100 on the new bikes, but Tom's aerobars were giving him some troubles. We called it a day at 50 and he spent the evening tweaking with his bike. Sunday we ran a 1:58 half marathon (yeah for another sub 2 under my belt) and then yesterday rode 80 miles and swam 1.2. I was exhausted last night! But it felt so good and my confidence is pretty strong right now.

This weekend we're heading to Vegas for Tom's Team Type 1 Triathlon Team debut (whew... that's a lot of T's). They are racing Pumpkinman on Saturday morning. I'm so excited to get away. We're staying at the Venetian (I go it comped again because I'm good like that!) so we'll have a good time. I'm thinking we'll spend more time at Lake Mead and Red Rock than in the casinos, but that's how we roll! :)

18 days and counting... I'm so excited! Numbers are being assigned on Thursday!!! I hope I get a good one that contains a lot of 5's!

Oh, and this is my 100th post! YIPPIE!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I've been MIA

Sorry that I haven't written in a while. There really aren't any excuses for not checking in... guess I'm just lazy! :)

Things are great here. The countdown is at like 23 days. YIKES! I'm so excited to go to the beach though and I'm really starting to look forward to the race. This is our last LOOOOONG workout weekend. We're doing a 2.4 mile swim tomorrow, a 100 mile bike ride Saturday and a half marathon Sunday. I think it'll re-boost my confidence and be a good sort of "end of the road" for me. I know I'll still have 2.5 weeks after that, but I'll make it.

Swam 2000 meters timed this past Tuesday and had a great swim. I love the new gym and felt awesome in the water. Of course I know that it'll be different in the gulf, but I felt like I was just gliding which was a nice feeling. We're hoping to get one more open water swim in before I head down there... if not, guess I'll get them Thursday and Friday before the race in the gulf.

A funny for you - so we are doing the Dayton River Corridor Classic 1/2 marathon on Sunday. It's an annual tradition for us - a great race, a great time of year in Ohio since the leaves are changing, a great post race celebration, etc. We're excited. So today I get the mail and there's an envelope addressed to each Tom and I. Inside is a letter that reads something to the effect of "Congratulations, you are one of 100 VIP's at this year's Dayton River Corridor Classic because you registered early. You get this Brooks running shirt and a discount at the local run shop, not to mention a reserved VIP starting spot up front if you wear the shirt." We laughed... what a bumble mess that's going to be having totally random 100 people starting at the front. We're not front of the pack people. hehehe... we'll pass on that "special" feature!

OH... and I got my new bike! I know, how is that not the first thing that I'm posting??? I've yet to ride it - but am hoping to get out tonight. It's in the shop being built and it's a beauty! Tom got his too and wow... that's about all that needs to be said. We'll post pictures when we get them back (probably tonight). I'm thinking of naming him Hank... like Hank the Tank, but I'm not going to chose a name until I ride him - you know, kind of like many women don't name their babies until they see them?

Friday, October 3, 2008

Oh my...

I'm having a little "oh shit" moment right now. My countdown on my Google homepage says 28 days until the Ironman. Oh... My...Goodness! How can that be? Wasn't it just June and I was doing my first sprint? Am I ready? Am I going to die? Oh... my... Goodness!!!

And then I snap out of it because there's no use worrying myself to death until at least the week of the race! :)

We joined Urban Active Fitness Centers today. Totally stoked by it. It's a really cool gym (10 million times better than the ghetto YMCA that we usually join - and I didn't see a single naked old lady in the locker room today which proves that it's better!) and we got a great deal on our membership since we locked in for 2 years. Now we just can't sell our house fast and move too far from the gym! :) I'm hoping my off season will be a little more enjoyable with all the new machines, cardio, classes, etc. that I can use!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Superman

Superman is amazing. He saves the world, never ceasing to amaze the average Joe. He's not cocky and conceded. He just does what he does, loves what he does and lives his life not being affected by his awesomeness (yes, that's a word).

I'm married to Superman. Did you know that? I didn't think so.

This past weekend Tom and I went to Akron for the marathon. We've heard that it's one of the top 10 up and coming marathons and I know why. Every detail was perfected, from the water station volunteers wearing gloves and holding the cups by the bottom (that's a big pet peeve of mine - I hate people's fingers in my water) to race director shaking your hand at the finish line. It was high class!

We went up Friday to check in. The expo was great - small, but worth the 45 minutes or so that we spent looking at all of the booths. We were staying about 15 minutes away and went straight to our hotel after the expo to just hang out for the night. The hotel was great - brand new, comfy beds, a continental breakfast for runners starting at 5am... what more could we ask for? We just laid around Friday night, although very unconcerned with the run Saturday morning. This wasn't like us. Were we setting ourselves up for failure? Why wasn't it a bigger deal that Tom was running a marathon and I was running a 20 miler? Why did we think it would be okay to eat Italian subs, calzones and cookies for dinner instead of our normal pasta dinner? Why were we alright staying up to watch the Presidential Debates, even though the alarm would be going off at 5am? Maybe we're just different now that we're training for an Ironman. :)

When I signed up for the race, I registered to do the full marathon, although I knew that I didn't want to run the whole thing. Tom didn't run a full marathon last year and I was a little worried that it would take too long to recover from. There was a 5 person relay team event that had an exchange point at 6.2 miles. They even bused the second person of the team there. Sounded like the perfect way for me to get my 20 miles in while Tom ran the full marathon. Saturday we got up, ate breakfast and headed downtown for the race start at 7. Parking was easy which was nice. I was super worried that I wasn't going to be able to get on the relay bus. I hid my yellow bib and just played stupid, kissed Tom goodbye, got on the bus and got to my spot. Tom had planned to carry my time chip for me so that it activated (although we found out when it was all done that it never activated - oh well). I sat for about an hour a half until the marathon runners were in full swing around me. Still with my bib covered, I waited for him to get to me and I would just jump in and take my long sleeve off like I'd been running all day. Our plan worked like a charm!

Tom had a great first 6 miles. We took off together and were easily running a 9:01 pace. Sure that we'd not be able to maintain that, we cautiously kept an eye on things and kept telling each other that we'd slow down if we felt like it was too fast. Our goal was to run a 10min/mile. Akron was hilly - much hillier than we are used to. Not only ups, but very steep downs. It was kind of fun - a definitely change of pace. The course was pretty - through campus, residential roads, on a crushed limestone footpath. They had great "you might be a runner if" signs the whole way which kept my attention (it doesn't take much). The miles just ticked by.

Around mile 22, my foot was burning a little (something that I'm having problems with and associated with the uphill miles and landing with my toes bent a little). I stopped to fix my sock and told Tom to go ahead. He was on track to PR and I didn't want to stop him. I could feel myself slowing down a bit. He gladly ran ahead of me and that was fine. The last 4 miles were uneventful for me. I felt kind of like a poser when people yelled for me - I had only run 20 miles that day. I felt like if they knew that, they would have been disappointed or something. It's like I was running with a secret. I just kept going though... what could I do at that point?

I got to the finish line and Tom was there cheering. I was about 6 minutes behind him. He ran his fastest 2 miles at miles 25 and 26!! How about that for training! And, he PR'ed by 36 minutes to boot. (that's according to the race time... our Garmin said that the course was 26.56 miles and that he finished the marathon in under 4 hours at a 8:57 pace which would have been closer to a 28 minute PR). From now on, it's subs for dinner, 4 hours of sleep and no thinking about the upcoming race for us. It worked!!!

Tom's superman. That's all I can say. He gets diagnosed with diabetes and proceeds to do amazing things. And the best part - he's the most humble human being I know. Now if he can only get over his fear of public speaking and realize that he's got an amazing story to tell and should be an inspiration to other diabetics, then his speech this weekend in front of 6,000 runners and walkers for the Cure for Diabetes JDRF 5k should be a piece of cake.

Guess my superman is human after all!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Eeee gads

and little fishes - only 40 more days until the Ironman! (BTW, that's a saying my grandma says all the time and it makes me smile!) I can't believe it's coming so fast. Part of me wants it to be here and part of me wants it to stay away for a little bit longer! :)

Had a great weekend. Tom and I have been totally fatigued these last few days and are really focusing on our vitamins, diet, sleep, stretching, rolling, icing, etc. in hopes that it's just late training blahs. We cut a few workouts short (which isn't like us) but we both just feel like our bodies are screaming for a break. Plus with the Akron Marathon this weekend, we figure what better time to just take it a little bit easier this week!

This weekend was so fun - it's definitely fall and I love this time of year. Friday night we had a surprise party for one of my friends at Bucca di Bepo. She was completely shocked which is always a good thing! Saturday we found some open water to swim in! YAY! This has been a huge deal of stress for us because we didn't want to have to join the Y until winter. The water was chilly (thank God for the long sleeve wetsuits that we recently purchased!) but it was calm as could be. I swam what I thought was 2.4 miles, although looking at my times, it was probably a bit short. I'll add another lap next time which should even it out. We're going to do this once a week from now until the Ironman and I think it'll definitely prepare me for the race. I'm completely comfortable with the water and swimming, but I'm just slow and methodical. I'm definitely not expecting miracles in Florida though and would love to have a 1:40 swim or so. :) Look how empty the water is around me on Saturday though - guess people don't swim in Ohio when it's 50 degrees at night and only 70 during the day!
Saturday afternoon, we spent the day doing what we love best - nothing!!! :) Tom watched football. I made a craptastic amount of applesauce (we picked 60 pounds of apples the other day and I'm slowly in the process of making applesauce to freeze for the winter), and we made our favorite cool weather meal - Texas Chili Soup. YUMMO!

By 10pm, I was out cold! Guess I needed it.

This week's it's Tom's birthday and our dog Buddy's birthday (Tom will be 33 and Buddy will be 8) We're not doing a terrible amount of stuff to celebrate - out to dinner with Tom's parents on Wednesday and homemade cake that night for he and the dog (yes, our dog eats cake, among other things!) We're heading to Akron on Friday night for the marathon on Saturday. Anxious to see how that goes. It'll be a busy week!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Pictures from race...

My sister took some great pictures from the race, although they don't do the wind any justice! :) Here's Tom on the bike (smiling because he loves the wind!!!)And him going out on the run
This is one of the laps on the bike (we came into the park 3 times on the bike)

At T2 - it was HOT. I ran out of water on the bike and had this bottle at transition. If I had known that I'd be drinking brown well water for the next 13.1 miles, I probably wouldn't have wasted it on my face!

Okay so I have to explain this. Here I am at the finish, getting my finishers medal. The volunteer and I are standing that way because the winds at this point were so strong that you had to brace yourself. I heard that gusts were up to 75 miles per hour.

That's really it. My sister sent me a bunch more, but they are pretty much the same thing. :) So we went to swim the other day and they took the swim buoys in at the local lake. No biggie, but there were already boats invading the usual swim space so we're a bit uneasy with swimming there in case they wouldn't see us or something. Guess they don't think that anyone's dumb enough to get into the water when it's only 51 degrees out in the morning! That's a bummer since we have 6.5 weeks to go and no where to swim. We are going to try one other local lake before we cave into joining the pool. I'd really love to get my 2.4 mile practice swims in open water... we'll see.

I also just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite little ones, my niece Emily and my nephew Spencer. They are 2 today. They are probably two of the cutest kids in the entire world and my hope for both of them is that they are having a great time. We don't see them much because of some family issues, but I love those little guys to death, so a big happy birthday to them!!!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Auntie Ann, Auntie Ann

Okay so I thought of every tornado like wind reference I could write to describe the race yesterday, but I'm at a loss. The Wizard of Oz reference was as good as I could come up with, yet that doesn't quite explain what happened yesterday! Here is goes...

So leading up to the race, it's beautiful and the forecast is perfect- I'm talking 70's, sunny skies, perfect for a half ironman. What more could I ask for on race day right? Spoke too soon - don't you know that it of course changed the DAY before the race. Hot temps and wind advisories because Ike is moving north. Lovely. And that's just what we got.

The race started at 9:00 so of course my wave didn't go off until closer to 9:30. I was the last group to go - all women in the half. The first lap of the swim was fairly uneventful, but I could feel the current starting to pick up. On the second lap, one of the turn buoys had come lose and drifted away. If you attempted to sight, you got smacked upside the head with a wave. Lots of water was being drank. It wasn't pretty. My swim was slow - 46 minutes but I was alive. That's a good start to the day.

Got up to T1 with no problems and out on my bike. I exit the park for the 1st of 3 laps and get smacked in the face yet again, this time with wind. I thought that the advisory wasn't supposed to be until noon and it was maybe 10:20 at this point. I averaged about 15 for the first 5 miles, made a turn and FLEW for about 10 more miles with the wind at my back. Alright, I can get used to this. The first lap I averaged 19.2 and felt great. Second lap, the winds just a little harder. And it's getting hot. I'm running out of liquid but know that I can get fresh bottles at the 36ish mile mark. 3rd lap - couldn't maintain more than about 13.5 into the wind. It was after noon and the winds had kicked in full force (or so I thought... I would later learn this was nothing compared to what I could soon face!!). At times I actually thought that I might get knocked off. Corn husks were starting to fly and it was crazy. I was actually looking forward to the run at this point because it was just hard. I got off the bike in 3:16 and averaged 17.1 for the ride. Felt good because I knew I had something left in my legs and hadn't pushed it nearly as hard as I could have on a good day.

T2 was uneventful as well... mom sprayed me with sunscreen but it was too late. I was fried! :(

The run started bad. I felt really good but my mind started getting to me. I passed Tom around mile 1 and he was looking great. No matter what I tired, my mind started playing games with me - telling me that I couldn't do this, that I felt worse than I really did, that I shouldn't be attempting an Ironman in 45 days, that this just isn't for me. After about 3 miles of fighting with no one but my mind, I won! YAY! I just figured I was out there to have fun. Very few girls were doing what I was doing that day. And who did I need to impress anyway?? It was windy, people were walking and I wasn't going to let my mind get the best of me. It was like *poof* instant attitude change. That was my biggest success of the day!!! The rest of the run was more of a run/walk, but I have to tell you - it was 95% because of the winds. You couldn't run into them so you walked. And when it was at your back, you ran. By the time I was done, the gusts were upwards of 60-70 mph. Limbs and leaves were blowing off tress and hitting us. At one point, as I was crossing the damn about a mile from the finish, 3 of us dropped to a three point stance just to keep from blowing over. The wind took your breath away and you needed to stop every once in a while just to keep your footing. IT WAS NUTS! I finished in 6:50 - no PR, yet SO thrilled.

When I got back to the finish, everything had been taken down. All of the bikes had been laid on the road, helmets were blowing all over the place. All of the port-a-johns had been knocked over. People were running around picking up wetsuits, shoes, helmets, etc that were just blowing around. It literally looked like we were in the eye of the storm. I've never in my life seen anything like it. When we got home, we found that just about all of the power in Delaware was out, trees/lights/poles/wires were all down, everything was shut down. Still today, things are just weird... very little power (we luckily have power!), almost all businesses and restaurants are closed, and it looks like we went through the hurricane.

It was a race I'll never forget - not in a good or bad way. Just kind of different. My family was there which was awesome, Tom had a great race (he came in first in his division), my mother in law did a du (came in first in her division) and my father in law did all of the half except for the last lap of the run. We all had great days, considering everything. I'll post pictures when I get them.

Whatever Florida throws at me, I think I've trained or raced through it. Hopefully I'll survive that race too.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

It's race time again -

I am stoked! Tomorrow is the Toyota Challenge Half Ironman. For some reason, I'm not nervous at all about this race. I guess I've put in so much time that I'm just ready to go and have fun! It's still a training day for me, but I'm ready to race!!!

The weather is changing daily for tomorrow - it was supposed to rain, then be sunny, then be cool, then be hot. Who knows... as long as it's not 92 degrees with blazing sun, the conditions will be better than my previous 2 halves!!! I'll fill you in when we're back in town!!!

And just another little side note -

GO BUCKS! BEAT USC!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Earning my stripes

One workout at a time!!!

Saturday I did a 112 mile ride - 60 with Tom and then 52 alone. It went really well. I averaged 16.9 (with all the stop signs, red lights, potty breaks and whatnot) so I was real happy with that. Felt good the entire ride and got off feeling like I could run if I had to! :) Nutrition seems to be in check which is a relief!!!

Sunday we got up and did a 16 mile run. What a great training day for me. I was tired from the bike and my legs were pretty fatigued, but I mustered up the energy to at least shuffle through the very last mile. I averaged about 9:48/miles and was very pleased with that. Definitely slower than I've been running this year, but all things considered, it was a good run. That would have been a fantastic run last year so that's encouraging!

My butt was then planted firmly on the couch where I remained the rest of the evening!!!

It was interesting to go through the ups and downs though that everyone talks about, especially during the 50 miles I biked alone and during the run. I felt good, I felt bad, I felt alright, I wanted to do it, I didn't want to do it, I was proud of myself, I doubted myself, and in the end, I finished with a smile. I'm sure that's a lot like what November 1st will be for me so I consider it all a very good weekend!

This coming weekend we're racing again. The Toyota Challenge Half Ironman. I did it last year and it was bad. I'm hoping for a better outcome this time around.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

I'm behind

I know that I haven't been doing a good job of blogging lately. Guess that's what happens when everything is changing around you. It's been a crazy week, with the potential of even more craziness coming soon! I'll keep ya posted (and guessing! - no, I'm not pregnant!)

Training is going well. Tom's foot is feeling better which means that he's able to run again. I ran 10.5 alone on Saturday and then 11 today with him (he did an extra 2 alone). This coming weekend I will ride my first 112 with 50 of it being alone which will be good practice. We will follow the next day with a 17 mile run. These are the weekends I'll remember... that's what he keeps saying! :)

I had a little bit of a freak out session yesterday. We volunteered at the finish line on Sunday at IM Louisville. There were A LOT of people who were not doing so great after the race. Granted it was in the 90's and these people were the first finishers (we were there from the eight and a half hour finish time to about twelve and a half hour finish time). Lots of blank stares, throwing up, passing out, eyes rolling back, loss of other bodily function, etc. I'll be honest... it FREAKED me out. A lot. Like where I had a big ole' breakdown on Monday morning. These people weren't looking like they were having fun or that they were happy to be done. Most of them looked happy to be alive and I just don't know if I'm ready for that mentally yet. I have 60 days until my race and a lot to work on. But God bless Tom - he's my saving grace and I know I'll be ready.
Plus I'm going to be a studette on a new bike! :) That's some of my big news! Tom and I just got new Orbea's. He got a 2008 Ordu and I got a 2008 Ora. It's pretty fly. I'll post picture when she (or he) gets here. That's gotta save me some time on the bike right? :) Mrs. Felt Good understood when I broke the news to her that she'd be training indoors soon. Gotta love personal relationships with inanimate objects...

Monday, August 25, 2008

Great Buckeye Challenge Race Report

I won't bore you with too many details. :)

A couple of words to describe the race yesterday - BRUTAL, hot, not fun, but definitely worth every step!

The day started out with a 1.2 mile swim. I've become slower and slower at the swim and I've accepted that. Seeing the quarter mile run UPHILL to the transition didn't make me want to even get out of the water. And to top all my happy feelings off, I knew the day was supposed to top out around 90 degrees, and my wave was the last to go. In good ole' Ohio racing fashion, we started about 20 minutes late and my wave went off close to 9am. It was going to be a long day. I had a few goggle problems at first, but got into my slow and steady groove. I felt really good throughout the swim, although my time was nothing to write home about. Swim time with the run to transition = 51:19

Had a good t1 with no major problems. In and out in 1:50

The bike was a tough 56. We're used to flat road and by flat I mean NO INCLINE WHAT-SO-EVER! This bike was hilly. We'd ridden it before though so knew what we were in for. The hills seemed even bigger the second time around too! (Gotta love 2 loop courses!) It was starting to get hot by the last 10 miles, enough that I knew it was going to be a tough run, but I felt good. I had some problems with my back right off the bat, but I think it could have been from my positioning in the swim maybe? I dunno, but my hamstring and lower back are killing me today. Anyway, the bike felt good. I was able to drink a bunch, eat and keep my speed consistent. I was hoping to average 17.5 mph with the hills and came out with an 18.1 average. Success! Total Bike time - 3:02:33

Took my time at t2 - knew that I needed some Potassium, put my socks on, put on a visor and walked out to the mat. time = 2:27

Ah the run. I don't know what it is about me and half Ironman runs. I've not had much luck. I started out slow, but there was no relief from the sun and heat. By now it was nearly 1:00pm. There wasn't a cloud to shade the sun. There weren't a ton of trees. The course was a 2 lap out and back. People were walking everywhere! I shuffled along until mile 2.5 where I saw Tom (he was at about 4.25 miles). He was walking which isn't like him at all. He was having a hard time breathing I knew that he was getting ready to hit a water station so I told him to walk there and get help. I kept shuffling along, but my pace was getting slower and slower. All I could think about was Tom and how he was doing. I hear sirens of an ambulance and convinced myself that it was him they were taking away. I started walking. At the water stops, I was taking water, ice, anything that they could give me. I wasn't peeing, but I was still drinking. Where was it all going? :) I met up with Tom again around mile 6.75. He had continued walking and felt better. We walked together for a little while and then started jogging. At one point we crossed a road that was manned by a police officer. As we were coming up to it we noticed that the officer was not there. He was tending to a girl that was out cold in the grass. We ran over to help him because we both had ice in cups. She started coming to and the cop called a squad. She didn't know where she was. Her eyes kept rolling back into her head. That's the kind of day it was. Tom ended up being able to run again, I kept walking. Around mile 10 I gave in and started shuffling again. I was going to get through this come hell or high water! And I did just that.

I finished, with a run time of 2:43:10 and an overall time of 6:41:18. Not anywhere near the 6:15:00 I was aiming for, but looking at the results today from the website, I think there were a lot of people who were not anywhere near their goal times. I was alright with things. It was incredibly hard. I finished 14 minutes faster than the last half Ironman and didn't need medical attention this time (which is always a good sign).

I learned a lot about my mental capacity yesterday and what my body is really capable of. I could have given up. I could have walked the entire 13.1, but I knew that's not what I'd do in the Ironman and I've always been taught to train the way you want to perform. So I have another half in 30 days. Maybe then I'll hit my goal time of 6:15. Until then, I'll keep training like I mean it!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Definition of burnout...

Wanting nothing to do with my scheduled bike and run today. Wanting to lay on the couch, with a pizza and do nothing. Feeling blah. Really really blah.

Hehehe - but of course, that's not what happens! I guess I'm not really burnt out, just have a case of the Monday's and it's Tuesday (being away this weekend kind of threw me off a little). We went to Cincinnati with my parents and had a great time. It was way hot at the baseball game, but still fun and then we went to Belterra in Indiana for some gambling. Not quite Vegas, but it did just fine in satisfying my slot machine withdrawal! We finished the trip with a stop to Ikea. Can't complain about that. Here are some pictures of the weekend:
Before our ride on Saturday - it was actually pretty chilly when we started and we needed our arm warmers!!!
Our view at the ball game and a random picture of Tom and I (maybe a little bored at the game???)

Belterra is a river boat casino and my dad's the "King of the World"

Just Brady and I on the boat before we lost some money! :)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Ironman Training

Now I feel like I'm training. I don't know why exactly I feel like this is the first "real" weekend. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm totally beat and keep going and going like the Energizer bunny. I dunno.

Anyhoo, I haven't posted my workouts in a while. Give you a glimpse into my world for a minute -

Friday - Ran 10 miles. 10 hard miles to be exact. We averaged 8:48's which made me really happy, especially since our usually fast first mile was a 9:12. I felt great and was happy to see the progress I'm making.

Today - Biked 73 miles in 4:10. I think we averaged 17.3 which was good - between all of the 4 way stops, traffic lights, the stop at the dog park and the stops to pee, that was a decent average. I would like to be able to maintain that for the majority of my training rides and have found that the last few long ones have been over 17.2 or so. We never will be able to just ride out here - too many stops and whatnot so I know that kills my average. After the ride, we went for a short 2 mile transition run and my legs felt good about a half mile into it. Also I trained yesterday and today with Gatorade Endurance which is served on the Ironman course. Both Tom and I have decided that's the way to go with nutritional drinks. It's really high in sodium which is good for me and today was the first time that I haven't been a complete salt stick after a bike and run. And I like the taste which is always nice!

Tomorrow - we're planning a 6 mile run and a 1.2 mile swim. Should be a good end to a busy week. Oh, and we're heading to Cincinnati to see the Reds play and then heading to Belterra for a night of gambling with my mom and dad. I guess that'll be the really good end to a busy weekend! :)

One week is my first half of the season... gosh I hope I'm ready!!!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Our secret lives...

Tom and I have secret lives. I thought that it was time I shared them with you.



Wednesday, August 13, 2008

It's been a while...

I know that I haven't posted in a while. That's cause I'm busy. Story of my life right? :)


Actually this past weekend was a little vacation for Tom and I. He was in Washington DC for a conference starting Wednesday but met me in PA on Friday night to visit some family. I drove in by myself on Thursday. It could quite possibly be the most boring drive ever, but it was well worth the 8.5 hours in the car! I was going to see my cousins, their families, my aunt and uncle and my grandparents. We had a busy weekend, but it was so much fun. Tom and I definitely wish that we lived closer and although I've written over and over about not being a fan of the hills, I could see us living there if we needed to move out of Ohio! :)


One of the main reasons that we were there was because my cousin Carolyn was doing her first triathlon (my other cousin Chris was also doing his first Olympic distance tri) so we decided to be cheerers instead of racers. It was so fun. Carolyn did an awesome job, coming in 14th out of almost 40 people in her age group. She was smiling every time we saw her and although she said that she might sign up for another next year, I knew that she'd be hooked. She ended up signing up for another one in September. Next year... September... it's all the same. See... tri's are like crack - very addicting (not as bad for you though!). Anyhoo, here are some pictures of her - I'm so proud of her, not only for rocking her first race, but also for being the first person I know to say that the swim was her favorite part!!
Chris did awesome in his Olympic, although we didn't expect anything different. He's the kind of fast that Tom and I dream of. I'm talking 5:50 miles in the 10k part of the Olympic, only to later say that he didn't feel like he was running that fast. He took 3rd in his age group. Congrats! You're unbelievable.


The remainder of the weekend, we just hung out, caught up, worked out, ate, shopped, etc. It was great to get away!!! They are all coming to IMFL so I'm anxious to have them there and know that they will all be great cheerleaders for Tom and I.


As for Tom and I and our training - all is well. I can't believe that I'm down to about 80 days until the race. I'm starting to freak out a little - more for the swim than anything. I guess I'm under the impression that if I can make it out of there alive, I have a good chance of finishing! :) We have a tough week of training this week and then next weekend (the 24th) is our first half IM distance race. It's described as a "challenging" course so I'm just hoping to beat my pathetically slow race from last year when the heat got the best of me. No other goals than that. :)

Monday, August 4, 2008

It's fun being me

I have to say... I have a lot of fun. My weekend was no exception. Saturday we did a HARD 104 mile bike ride. Did I mention it was hard? Wowzers - it was hot, a little windy, bumpy roads that shook your brains a little, not much water, etc.! It was an organized ride by a company called Columbus Outdoor Pursuits. You sign up in the morning, they give you a map with different distance options, mark the roads with little arrows and send you on your way. It was definitely a true test of my mental ability because I thought that I might die at one point - wasn't feeling it. But obviously I lived to tell.

From there we went to Wendy's where I enjoyed a monster nugget and fries (a true recovery meal of a champ).

That night we headed to some friends for an annual party that they throw. This was our first year going. I have to say, it's going to have to make our calendars every summer. So the people that were there are mainly girls from a chat board that I'm on and their hubbies. They are an awesome group of women and I'm so glad that I can call them friends! You girls are so fun! Here we are at the beginning of the night (yeah, I have REALLY bad tri top tan lines):
And here's me by the end. No, I had surprisingly not been drinking. The one who got me to actually do this had been though and told me it didn't hurt. Last time I believe a girl who's been drinking!

Sunday was a little bit of a recovery day for both of us - Tom had drank for two on Saturday night and I was pooped from the ride. We just hung out and I started my latest and greatest project - knocking off a Vera Bradley purse. I am so excited with how it turned out! And SO much cheaper than buying the real thing (which I was going to do the week before but couldn't stomach spending $67 on a tote that I knew I could make for $30). Here's the final product:
And just for kicks, here's a picture of my babies. They are the love of my life.
Have a great week everyone. Tom's heading to DC with Team Type 1, I'm heading to PA to visit some family, Tom's meeting me there, etc. It'll be busy!