Teetering is over and other tidbits

Thanks so much for everyone's comments on my Teeter-tottering post.  It was amazing how many of you said to go with the full! :)  Easy for you to say, right?  Now, I'm kidding.  I thought about it a lot and I'm following my heart and gut and sticking with the half.  I really do want a year to just recharge and I have some things lined up for 2012 that I'm super excited about.  Not to mention a crazy fall ahead of me.  So I'll do the half at Cedar Point (which means that for all of you doing the full, oh yeah, my cheering is going to be super obnoxious!), and then I'll run both the Akron and Chicago Marathons.  I'm really excited about things and can't thank you all for your support.

So, for the other tidbits of info...

Today I ran 135 laps around the track at my gym.  Ha, talk about monotony... it wasn't too bad, but holy crap, why do the personal trainers have to be such numbnuts?  Tom and I were running for a while... you knew that. You saw us. Why did you have to do your boxing lesson on the middle of the track?  Really?  It's a two story gym and on a Sunday, you couldn't find a single other place to do that?  Humph...

I have a girl's trip planned to Panama City Beach with Mandy (Caratunkgirl) and Kristin (Ocular Triathlete).  Um...yeah, I'm super excited!  We have already had a blast planning it, got a condo on the beach, will be cheering our butts off at IMFL for our friends and all the complete strangers.  I'm sure there will be multiple adults beverages consumed and maybe even a trio of airbrushed teeshirts purchased.  PCB won't know what hit them when we roll in! 

I ordered a new Road ID last week.  I needed one and they have so many great designs out now.  I decided to go with the Wrist Slim ID and let me tell you, YOU NEED ONE OF THESE!  They freaking rock.  They are simply those little rubbery bracelets with an id tag on them.  Genius.  Best part is, the ID tags can be used on any rubbery bracelet that you already wear (this was a great thing for Tom since he wears one that says "Running On Insulin").  Anyway, I ordered both of us one and got them in the mail on Thursday.  I love them!  Mine is the kids size in pink (don't judge... I have little wrist and I'm damn proud of that).  It's way littler than Tom's:

I personalized it to say the following (I know there's a glare, but do you see the "No Quit in This Body"?  I love my Trakkers girls... thanks Jill and Andree):

Even at the kids size it's a bit big, but whatever (this is my "don't mess with me, I know taebo" pose!)

And Tom loves his:

So we're happy and now a bit safer on the road.  Buy one people.  Here, I'll even help.  Use the code ThanksColleen8164167 and you can take a dollar off.  So it's like $15 shipped.  Can't beat that!

I'm all over the place with this post, aren't I?  :) You know you love my randomness! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Teeter-Totter

Remember the teeter totter on the playground as a kid?  Looking back, now as a triathlete, what better form of exercise for a kid.  I mean, you get a friend to sit on the other end (hopefully someone heavier than you so you fly up in the air) and go up and down, up and down.  Talk about quad workout!  If I had only known that I’d love biking so much as a “grown-up” – chalk that up as a “if I knew then what I know now”. 

Anyway, I’m stuck on a teeter totter of life right now.  Standing in the middle of it like that bratty know it all punk on the playground - balancing.  I’m standing in the middle and the two “people” on either end are fighting for my attention.  But which way do I sway?

On one side, I have the REV3 Full up at Cedar Point.  I signed up for this race back in February after yet another round of the old “I don’t want to do a 140.6 distance race this year”.  My intention after last year’s miserable fail at the distance was to take a year off, regroup if you will, focus on some short stuff, maybe some speed and then pick back up, if I felt like it, in 2012.  Then Trakkers came along, the lure of a 140.6 in my home state, with so many blogger, teammates and real life friends.  How could I pass that up?  I jumped on it and was chugging along just great until about a month ago.  Then it hit.  Maybe I need to refer to the email advice that I shared on this post so lovingly (it’s easy to give advice, but to listen to your own, eh… you know).  I was in a low point something fierce.  It helped that the hubs was with me.  After a few “failed” workouts (it’s hard to call 12 mile runs and 95 mile bikes failures, but I did), we just said we needed to recharge.

And that brings me to the other side of the teeter totter – the Half Rev up at Cedar Point.  I’ve gone as far as changing my registration to the half, convinced that I needed to recharge the batteries.  I’ve been doing a lot of short races and loving it.  I’m seeing huge improvements on my bike, my run is coming along, swimming (wait, that’s part of triathlon???), it’s going okay.  I’m having fun.  The prospect of doing the half has been a sweet relief.  I think I can do it and have a good race.

But lately, I’m finding myself standing in the middle of that teeter totter, wondering if I should go back to the full.  I’m in the best shape of my life.  I’m at my race weight today, 7 weeks out from the race.  I’ve done a century, a 95 mile bike and have a century planned this week.  Heck, by the end of the month I’ll have logged 700+ miles on my bike.  My running is feeling good.  We had a killer run on Saturday and when Tom texted me to say “what’s up” my response was “my confidence”.  It just felt good.  I have a 15, 17, and 19 miler already planned before Cedar Point because of my marathon training (did I mention I’m running Chicago in October???).  So I sit here wondering… if I’m putting in the miles, why not do the full?

How can I be 47 days out and teetering still? I know I can do it, but who registers for a full, then a half, then a full?  What if I have a crappy race and regret not doing the half?  What if I do the half, but see all my friends and regret not doing the full?  The course will be filled with tons of familiar faces, all facing the same struggles that I will that day, but we’d be in it together, cheering each other along.  Then again, I could be plopped on my butt with two Texans (yes, I’m admitting that), drinking some cold ones, screaming like a little kid after my 5.5 hour race.

At some point I’m going to need to take that first step off the center of the teeter totter toward one direction.  And we all know that once you start leaning toward one side of a teeter totter, you must commit to that side.  Trouble is, I don’t know which way to go…

Someone special

I received this in the mail the other day -  a custom made necklace from a lady in Washington.  It had a note that said it was from a dear friend of mine and had been made for me with love.

It couldn't have come at a better time.  Tom and I have had a really horrible week and too many days were spent crying.  I saw this and just smiled.  I knew who it was from...

I think sometimes in life, someone special enters your life for one reason or another and they leave their mark forever.  It might not happen often (if just once, you're blessed) and the answer to "why" this person was put in your life may never be known, but you know when it happens, and know enough to not ask they "why" - it doesn't matter.

When I found out that I was on Team Trakkers, I was super excited for many reasons - I'm on a kick butt team, with 41 teammates, awesome sponsors, great races.  But never in a million years did I think that I would meet some of the best friends that I could have ever imagined.

And one of them in particular has already left her mark...

She and I clicked from the start.  Conversation came easy and our goals were so similar.  We emailed a lot about uniform sizes, bike sizes, which shoes we both were going to order - I swear we were the same on everything.  Soon we exchanged phone numbers so that we could talk for 45 minutes at a time about the season, the team, again our goals, etc.  But then those conversations grew, not only in duration, but also in content - I got to know more about her life, her family, her career, her dreams.  And she got to know more about mine.  She lives 500 miles away, but we have always been just a phone call away.

We finally met in Knoxville.  It was our first race together.  I could pick her out of a crowd.  We hugged like we had known each other for years and were reuniting after a long break.  We carried on as if we had been part of each others lives for decades... when in fact it had only been months.  Our husbands, God bless them, just shook their heads.  I know they were both thinking "oh boy... here's trouble".

People said we looked alike.  We got more "are you twins" and "are you sisters" questions in Knoxville than we could have imagined.  We even had teammates yelling my name as she ran by, thinking they were yelling for me.  Maybe we really were separated at birth like I always joked. I mean, her love for buckeye bars, the white gummy bears and baked cheetos was enough to convince me that we share the same brain cells!

This person, who I met via email a mere 7 months ago, has come into my life, touched my heart, and taught me so much.  Through her, I've learned that under no circumstance should there be judgements in friendship.  Jealousy and competitiveness aren't words that would ever cross my mind when thinking about her.  Support is a given, not a hope.  Laughing should be part of every conversation and the term "I love you" isn't for people who have known each other "x" number of years.  I can have a bad day and she senses it.  She needs someone to talk to, I sense it.  I feel like we've been through so much together... albeit 500 miles apart.

She gets me.  I get her.  And I'll forever be thankful that that special someone has entered my life, leaving her mark.

And if she reads this (which I'm sure she will) I hope she knows how lucky I am to have her in my life, and to call her my friend. I'll never ask "why", because it really doesn't matter...

Two races, two places!

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I raced again this weekend (I know, you're asking yourself "holy heck, does this chick race all the time?" - yeah, kind of).  I love racing... and I have the ability to race a lot so I do.  I know it's not the way some people do it, but it floats my boat.  So we had one race on the schedule for Sunday, but on Friday, we went for a run and swim at the local state park and they were setting up for the weekend.  There was a women's only sprint on Saturday and I debated entering.  I had decided not to by Friday night since money was an issue and I didn't need to race two days in a row, but Tom convinced me and I'm glad I did.

Saturday was the Greenswell Tri for Hope benefiting the Stephanie Spielman Fund.  I love women's only events.  There is just a great buzz all day long, lots of "You Go Girl's" which I love, and a great feeling of camaraderie.  You just can't beat it.  And they had a good turn out for it - 179 women.  I like it!  Tom played sherpa (which I secretly love too) and got some great photos throughout the day.  Short swim (.25 miles), short bike (12 miles) and short run (2 miles).  Just the right distance to go hard, but not so hard that I would be toast the next day.  The swim was uneventful - too warm for a wetsuit and a little frustrating with everyone walking and dolphin diving the whole thing, but I was 5th in my AG coming out of the water (and in wave 4 of 6 so lots of people in front of me). On a side note - I like that the swim cap matches my outfit (yep, it's the little things), but that will come back to bite me tomorrow...

I passed a crap ton of people on the bike (this is normal... not saying that I'm an awesome biker, but it is definitely my strength and I know that and I also know that this is a very beginner friendly race).  As a matter of fact, I came into transition after the bike and it looked like this:

:)  Of course I was a total putz and racked my bike, only to have it fall off the rack.  What the heck?  Tom yelled "leave it" but I couldn't and wouldn't leave Papa Smurf laying on the grass (plus I didn't hear him!).  I knew that there were three girls in front of me, (because coach Tom was scouting them), but I also knew that 3 waves went before me so I just ran.  Felt a little sluggish on the run and it might have been a wee bit long, but ended up crossing the finish line in 1:00:51.  Good enough for 2nd overall!  The lady that won was pretty tough (and 12 years older than me... which is really cool... I feel like there is hope for me to get faster as I age gracefully), but she only had me by about 40 seconds.  Maybe I should have left my bike on the ground in T2! Just kidding... I was pretty stoked about second, especially since this race company does overall awards (not all Columbus race companies do that).  And they did an awards ceremony which was cool.  Got a plaque and some organic soap. (Which totally random side note, but why does organic soap smell so bad?  I'm all about doing your thang with natural stuff and whatnot, but I could not wash myself with this stuff and be happy. Maybe it's just me).

Went home and plopped my butt on the couch with a really bad movie and my Recovery Pump.  We'd see how these bad boys helped my legs for the Olympic weird ass distance race I'd be doing on Sunday.

Sunday was the Greenswell Wellness Tri.  I knew it wasn't going to be a true Olympic, but it was close - 1.5km swim, 38km bike and 8km run. With this being a new race and race company, we didn't know how many people would be out there.  Turns out, not too many.  I think there were 47 total doing the "long" race (while 167 people did the sprint du and tri!)  There were only two long course waves - men and women. Fairly simple huh? We all lined up for the swim and it seemed long.  Like really long.  I know that sights can be deceiving and we were all hoping that was the case (but I swim here 2 days a week and knew our hopes were about to be crushed)... all 19 of us women!  I opted to not wear my wetsuit because of the warm water and wasn't alone.  The horn went off and we entered the swim for the two loop rectangle.  Now, I suck at swimming.  I'll be the first to admit it.  I'm usually not last, but I'm much closer to last out of the water than first.  I know that.  I am working on it.  After one lap I looked at my watch and holy hell, either I'm not swimming, or the course is long.  And the sprint started after us and when we were on our second lap it was total chaos.  And the buoys were the same color as the swim caps. Green swim caps and green buoys are all I saw when I sighted, but which was which??? And lots of people dolphin diving again.  The whole swim.  I was so frustrated.  I usually swim between a 28-32 minutes for an 1500m swim.  I exited the water in 41 something.  Totally defeated, I made my way to transition.  Lots of other people were at their bikes, mumbling and grumbling about the swim.  At least I wasn't alone.

The bike was two laps for us.  The first lap I passed a lot of sprint tri people.  At the entrance to the park at 12 miles, they turned in and we went straight.  Then there was no one around.  It literally was like the race had been canceled and I didn't get the memo.  Way up ahead I see a biker so I put my head down and hammer to catch them.  It took a while, but I did, but they weren't in the Olympic weird ass distance either.  Oye ve.  My legs were feeling the second lap a little (although the Recovery Pump was amazing as always in getting me recovered), but I still managed to have a good bike.  I got to T2 and literally lollygagged.  I felt like I was in lala land.  I'm never like that. Maybe my mind just wasn't right.  Ha... The run was a course that we run a lot... the same run that I've done in 2 other tri's this year.  The RD said to turn around at the end of the dam for the 8k.  The 2 mile mark (which was about .3 of a mile short of the end of the dam) is where we all turned around.  There were 3 teenagers volunteering who maybe weren't given the memo that we needed to run past the sign to the end and told us all to turn around.  I ended up finishing the run in like 34 minutes.  My results say I ran a 6:54.  Right.  In my dreams.  I think it was more like 4.1 miles which would make my pace closer to 8:20's - that's more like it.  In any event, I finished the Olympic weird ass distance tri in 2:24:40 and snagged 1st in my AG (by default, the third place overall was in my AG so they took her out, but whatevs).  Woo hoo!  No soap or awards ceremony this time, but a cool plaque.  And Tom won his age group!  Good day for Team Kingery!

We packed up our stuff, hopped on our bikes for another 25 miles and some great greasy diner food the next town over.  Nothing like racing hard, biking 12.5 miles, eating a grilled cheese and biking back.  Nomnomnom!

So like I said Greenswell is a new race company.  Well, kind of new.  The RD has been around a while in Columbus and had a old company (which we honestly loved racing with) that went out of business and started this one.  I really love that there are more options in Columbus for races, but I worry about the "newness" of the company at these races. They are very environmentally friendly (no plastic bags at check in, recycling throughout the venue, etc).  While I'm all for that, the course wasn't marked with paint, only green 4x4 signs with black arrows (which is fine, but we are in a very wooded part of town so you couldn't see them).  So that was a tad frustrating.  Luckily I knew the course like the back of my hand since we train here all the time, but others had a hard time with it.  The swim - WAAAAAAAY long.  A few people said that based on their times, they thought that it was at least 2km, if not a little longer (I would say 2km max). I did a true OLY at this same location three weeks ago so I know it's possible to have a 1.5k course.  And the matching swim caps / buoys is a huge pet peeve of mine (isn't this some rule in the RD bible that you don't do this?).  Tom had a really hard time with sprint waves running into the water to start their race as he was starting his second loop.  I guess some girls bullied him a bit, but being the gentleman that he is, he gave it back to them! I didn't have that as much, but ran into a lot of them my second time around.  The run was definitely less than 8k.  Results are based on that distance. And the results don't match up.  The finish times are right, but if you add up all the portions, they are long by about the T1 time.  Looks like they have the T1 time added to the bike which makes out averages seem lower - a pet peeve of Tom's since he actually biked 23.5mph and not 22.9mph.   I don't mean to bitch and moan, but I'd love for this company to make it. Just some things that need to be straighten out I guess.  They have another event in August (exact same course and everything) and although it's a great training day to get out there and just do it, Tom and I are debating if we will.

No more races for a little while.  I have some massive training in the works!

How was your weekend??? 

Some days you've got it

Today wasn't one of them.  We decided last minute to race and OLY about 1.5 hours from Columbus.  We like to race way more than training, so why not?  Plus our favorite racing family was going to be there which is always an added bonus! :)

Woke up to 70 degrees and 100% humidity.  Yaaaaaay!  Love the humidity.  And the heat.  So fun! (insert the sarcastic smile any time).

Long story short - the water was NOT 75 degrees and if it is, USAT needs to change their rules on allowing wetsuits under 76.  I found out the hard way that it was WAY too hot to race with my TYR on.  The swim sucked.  I had nothing on the bike.  And then run - let's just say I got through it - hot and hellish.  It wasn't pretty.

Some days you've got it...

Some days you don't.

Today was one of them that I just didn't have it.  Oh well.  Don't have times and quite honestly, that's fine.  I raced naked again and came in 3rd of 4 in my AG.  That was the highlight of the race... trust me. :)

Moving on...

We've gotten some pretty bad news about my grandpa recently.  I won't go into the details, but if you can just keep him, my grandma and my family in your thoughts, I'd be forever grateful!

Oh... and BDD nominated me for an award.  He's cool like that!  I have to answer the following and then make some other people do it too.  I can handle that.  More random facts from yours truly...

My favorite cartoon character is…Wiley Coyote.  But when will he figure out that the road runner is always going to win?

My favorite thing to photograph is…my dogs, and me and the hubs. :)

My favorite thing to cook is… Pretty much anything.  I love to try new recipes and cook just about every night.  I even make meals for my mom for Christmas that we freeze and I portion out for she and my dad to have throughout the winter.  I'm not much of a griller though - that's Tom's job.

My favorite way to exercise is…As long as I'm outside... I'm happy.  For the most part (note, today's race wasn't a favorite).  My favorite workouts are probably the evening rides with Tom in the summer.  Nothing better!
 
My favorite movie is… The Notebook, Elizabethtown, Legally Blonde

My favorite article of clothing is… Flipflops... they count right?  If not, jeans and a fleece.

My favorite flower is…Gerbera Daisy

My favorite breakfast is…I'm not much of a morning person, but I do love me some french toast with extra powdered sugar.


I tag:
Molly from I'm a Sleeper Baker
Anna from Let's Rock This
Aimee from I Tri To Be Me
Melissa from Double Jogger Diaries

You asked... I answered

I loved these questions and hopefully you'll have fun learning a little more about me.  Sorry it's so long... grab a drink and enjoy!!!

Jason asked (and of course Jeff wanted to know as well):  OK, so what happens if you are 103 miles into an IM and you have to poop? Do you push to the finish because it's only 9 miles longer and maybe 27-30 minutes to go? Or do you find that porto as quickly as possible? – I would definitely stop to go to the bathroom. You don’t need the extra weight on the bike! Plus, if you wait, you might end up sharting yourself which I’ve seen happen to others and that’s not cool… not cool at all.

Lauren and Anne Marie asked: How did Tom propose? On our one year anniversary of dating, we had taken a trip about an hour and a half south of Delaware to Hocking Hills.  We rented a cabin in the woods and planned on hiking for a day.  That morning, we got up, put shorts on (Tom had cargo shorts on) and he kept patting his pocket saying “got my keys”.  Weird… I never asked.  We got onto a trail and he kept looking around for a perfect place for lunch.  Finally he wandered off the trail because he thought he heard a waterfall.  We got there and he said that was the perfect place to eat.  He got really close to the waterfall and asked me to get the camera.  I turned my back to get it out of the bag and when I turned around, he was on his knee with the ring out.  After he asked and I sobbed and said “without a doubt”, we finished our hike and then back at the cabin, he had a dozen red roses, a bottle of Champagne and a wedding planning book for me that the cabin owner had put out.  We didn’t have any cell service so I couldn’t call anyone until the next day!

Jaime asked: Most embarrassing moment. Doesn't have to be tri related. :-) – It’s funny because off the top of my head I can’t think of any one instance.  When I was a kid, I remember being totally mortified when I called my second grade teacher mom in front of my class.

Kevin asked - I'm sure you probably covered this in a previous post somewhere, but how did you get started in this crazy sport? – I started running to help with the weight loss when I graduated college and started on weight watchers. Working out meant that I got extra weight watchers points each day. :)  I had signed up for a half marathon, with the goal of running and walking it.  Then I met Tom.  He was a runner already and I wanted to impress him.  I ran the whole half (big doings back then).  After a month of dating, he convinced me to run the Chicago Marathon with him.  We did that in October of 2003.  For the next few years, that’s all we did… one race each year.  I started getting really burned out, so my in-laws bought me a bike and I taught myself to swim.  In 2006, I did my first tri and haven’t looked back since.

Kristen (my sister!) asked - What is your favorite thing to do when you are not swimming, biking, or running? – I love to walk the dogs, shop, cook, hang out with friends and family, stalk everyone on blogger, facebook and twitter, nap and I’m a total reality tv show junkie – the trashier the tv, the happier I am.  Nothing wrong with the Real Housewives, 16 and Pregnant, the Bachelorette, Big Brother, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and all of the other train wrecks.  Makes me feel better about my life some days…

Alisa asked three: what made you decide to sign up for your first IM? – I had watched my husband train for IMFL in 2007 and did a lot of training with him that year in preparation for my first half Ironman.  I decided I would make the jump in 2008 if he crossed the finish line without needing medical help and wanting to do it again.  He crossed with a huge smile, I cried an amazing amount of tears, and then next morning we signed out lives away to WTC.
Do you and Tom want kids (Allison wanted to know this as well)? – Possibly… depends on the day. :)  While I think that Tom and I will be great parents, the thought of all that responsibility really freaks me out.  Like, a lot.  I’m worried that I will do something wrong and screw up their life forever and I will have no one to blame but myself. I’m kidding… kind of.  Seriously though – yes, some day I see us having one child.  I can’t tell you when that will be. I have a lot of freedom, being a business owner and triathlete.  My life would do a 180 and I guess I’ll be ready when it happens, but not just yet!
Do have or have you ever considered hiring a coach? If so, what are the pluses and minuses in your opinion? - Yes, I have considered hiring a coach.  But honestly, the money has always stopped me.  Tom and I have a great thing going.  We follow a structured plan that throws a little of everything at us and we keep each other accountable.  We've seen improvements each year and I enjoy it.  If I ever want to take my training to the next level, I'll probably re-evaluate the coach thing. :)  I think there are definitely pluses and minuses - for me, I think it would be great for someone with a lot of knowledge to give me specific workouts to hit my goals, as well as the accountability.  I worry at times that I wouldn't have the flexibility that I have now though and part of me has held back because of this.  I hear about people who's coaches won't let them race or train with other people and that's just not how I roll.  If I ever got a coach, we'd have to sit and talk a lot about what I would want from them! :)

Jennifer asked two: What are a couple things on your bucket list? (does not have to be sports/endurance related) – I want to travel back to Europe with Tom.  I studied abroad when I was in college at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands.  I want to show him the place that shaped a lot of my life.  I want to see a stage (or three weeks worth) of the Tour de France.  I want to sail with Tom to the French Polynesia again because my 2 weeks on a 41 foot catamaran through Tahiti and Bora Bora were amazing, but missing my best friend!.
If you could do ANY race ANY where in the world regardless of cost/logistics/etc. what would it be?  - Hum… this is a tough one!  I’d love to do Ironman New Zealand.  I’ve heard that New Zealand is amazing and what better way to see part of it than by swimming, biking and running the land! :)  The Big Sur Marathon would also be pretty cool

Big Daddy Diesel asked these:
How did you and Tom become such studs on the bike?- T.I.T.S and Intervals. Lots of both.  And always riding with someone faster than you.  I ride with Tom.  He rides with the boys on Tuesday nights.  We both get pushed to go faster.  I like to bike fast in races because I like to chick boys.  There… I said it. :)
If you couldn’t do sbr, what activities would you think you would end up doing as a hobby? – We would never be inactive.  I’d probably buy a kayak.  I don’t know if I like to kayak as I’ve only been once, but we have a lot of water around us and that sounds fun.    I could probably get into hiking too, but honestly there isn’t much to hike here in Ohio.
Do penguins have knees? – No.  That’s why they waddle.

Kovas asked: I'd like to hear about Team Type 1 and the run across the states! Maybe a guest post and then you don't even need to do the work. :) – I told Tom that you’d like to learn more about this and I’ll definitely have him do a guest post.  In the meantime, Team Type 1 is a group of professional and amateur cyclists, triathletes and runners, men and women, living and racing with diabetes.  They travel all over the country spreading the message that Type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to be a limiter.  Their mission is “We strive to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. With appropriate diet, exercise, treatment and technology, we believe anyone with diabetes can achieve their dreams”.  They have a pro men’s team (not all of them are diabetics) based in Europe, but you see them in races like the Tour of California, Tour de Suisse, and Tour de Beauce, racing with the big names.  Their goal is to get a diabetic rider in the Tour de France in the next few years.  The team started when they formed an 8 man team for the Race Across America.  They raced RAAM 5 years, won 3 years, set the world record for the fastest average speed (23.41mph) and fastest time  (5 days, 9 hours and 5 minutes) and these weren’t the pro guys.  My hubby did the race two years (when they set the WR!!!) and after talking to the founder, decided to dabble in something new.  So Tom formed a running team, found 10 guys who thought it would be fun to run from California to New York City and will start the trek in October.  They are hoping to finish in 15 days and will finish the race in NYC on World Diabetes Day.  All 10 runners are type 1 diabetics and will be managing their disease as they run the 2800 miles in a relay fashion, 24/7.  If you’d like the check out their website, it’s www.teamtype1.org (the web guy that designed the site is a pretty cool hubby guy too!)

MattyO always has great questions: I asked a bunch of questions at dinner earlier this spring... let's see... ... ...
Is training and working with your spouse difficult? Do you ever feel its TOO MUCH time together? (My honest answer is I love it... curious though) – I love it.  You can’t be kind of ho hum about working and training with your spouse.  You either love it or like most people we hear from, absolutely couldn’t do it.  Now I’m not saying that there aren’t times when I just need some “me” time without the hubs, but it works for us 99.9% of the time!  It was an adjustment (I quit my job to work with him one week before our wedding).  We have separate duties/jobs though, and two desks, so there are many days that we sit down and don’t really say much to each other until our work is done.  As for training…we’ve always trained together. We have our separate goals and Tom probably pushed me a bit more than I push him, but it works.  We do everything as a team – we fight the hard days together and we celebrate the victories together.
I like Jason's question... – I figured you would…
Where do you see yourself right now had you not gotten into triathlons? – I would have been injured.  For sure.  And burned out of running.  :)  I’m just not a person who absolutely gets lost in a run.  It’s a mental battle many days and triathlon helps to mix things up for me. 

Why do you still live in Ohio (I know Miss Zippy and Jeff both want to know this too)? I don’t know.  I like it during May, June, and October.  But, I can take my business anywhere that there is a post office so we often find ourselves wondering why we put up with the other nine months that we dispise.  I guess I’m too much of a family person and haven’t found the courage to move away from my family.  Although I know that they would visit and would only be a call away, I just haven’t been able to accept the distance yet. Maybe someday soon…
Do you ever feel pressured to perform well in events because Tom is a speedy McSpeederson? (not saying you AREN'T Ms. Speedy, since he is a machine does that affects your competitive drive). -  I have one goal this year and it’s to beat him in just one discipline of a tri… transitions don’t count.  I’m getting closer in the swimming, but since he only swims on race day and I swim 2-3 times a week and he’s still beating me, the future looks gloomy.  No pressure though… I know he’s a stud and I would never want him to lose confidence in his abilities if his wife beat him.  He doesn’t get chicked all that often…

Marci asked: Being the bookworm I am I have to ask... What is your most favorite book you've ever read? -  I have to admit that I didn’t get the English teacher genes that my sister inherited.  I  think one of the best books I ever read was The Last Lecture.  Just such a good story.  I will admit, I love me some Chick-Lit books though – like reality tv… the trashier the better.  I really like Jane Green’s books.  And Meg Cabot. Nothing real intellectually stimulating there… but good reads!

Robyn asked: Since it's 95 degrees here... What's your favorite winter workout? – We are gym rats in the winter.  I love doing spin classes and have often thought about getting my certification to be an instructor.  We usually do bricks in the winter… run on the track a few fast miles, hop on the spin bike for an hour and then run another mile or two.  Great two hours that keep us ready to compete when the season starts!

Molly asked: I always have food on the brain....so what would your last meal be?!?!? – Mmmmmmm food… I knew I loved you for a reason Molly.  My last meal… well, it would definitely involve Mac and Cheese.  I think I’d probably want to start with an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip (with chips, not bread to dip).  For the main course, I’d want mac and cheese, a cheeseburger and a side of crispy salty fries.  For dessert… a sugar cookie cake with icing, all to myself. I would drink diet coke.  Note… veggies wouldn’t be involved in the last meal.  At all.

Allison asked: I was actually going to send you a message about this. Just starting running, as you know, and yesterday I had my first day with really lead-filled legs. Seriously just couldn't get moving after our walk (supposed to run 10 min., walk 3 min., run 10 min.). How do you get through this? Any tricks? – First off, I’m loving that you are running and yes, I’ve been through many many runs with the deadlegs.  Actually, most runs start that way! :)  Not what you wanted to hear is it?  Someone once told me that the first three miles are the hardest and that most people don’t get past that point because they don’t have the patience.  I agree.  For me, it takes about three miles to really get in a groove (some days it’s faster than that… some days longer)  If I really have dead legs, I just tell myself, make it 10 more minutes.  If I still feel like crap, maybe my body is trying to tell me that I need to rest.  I would say 98% of the time, I’m totally fine to keep plowing through after 10 minutes.  There really isn’t a trick, but hopefully you know that you aren’t alone!!!!  Remember… you are getting stronger every step you take!

Chris had some good ones (and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write these answers):
What is the meaning of life? – Hell if I know what the meaning of life is, but I live by the motto of “he with the most toys wins”.  You learn that in Kindergarten.  That’s why I can’t let go of my bikes…
What is the secret to being happy? – Cheese and diet coke and iced sugar cookies
What is the secret to a good relationship? – My mom reads this blog so I’ll say honesty and open communication.
Can I steal this idea for my blog? - Of course!
If the answer to #4 is yes, can you tell your other readers that only I can do it? – No one can steal this idea unless Chris gives you permission to do so. :)

Richelle asked: How did you and Tom meet? – Match.com.  Seriously… he’s the best $24.99 I’ve ever spent!  My friend and I joined as a joke because it was fun to come home from the bars, call each other and compare the nutjobs that would write to us, trying to woo us with their cheesy lines.  My friend was “matched” with Tom (the site would tell us who were good picks for us).  She totally wouldn’t have been his type, but forwarded it on to me with a note saying “seriously… this guy is perfect for you”.  I emailed him, he wrote back, we ended up having some common friends, I waited 3 weeks to give him my phone number (because he could have been a psycho), but on the night of our first “blind” date, I knew that I’d marry him someday.

Wes asked: how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll tootsie pop? – The commercial says 4.  It usually takes me more, but I don’t like the candy getting stuck in my teeth when you bit into it.  By the way, only the chocolate ones are good. :)

Rebecca asked: When are you coming to Italy ?! – I would fly there tomorrow if I won the lottery.  I’ll keep playing!  Maybe we can do the 70.3 with you there next year (wouldn’t that be awesome!!!)

Lindsay asked: what was your first race?! EVER! – I think I ran the Race for the Cure, but I don’t remember.  I know my first race that I trained for was the Indy 500 Festival Half Marathon.  I was planning on walking/running it, but then ran the whole thing to impress Tom. J  I finished in 2:12:18.

Thanks for playing! :)

Answers are coming tomorrow...

Sorry, it was my anniversary this weekend... oh... and a holiday so I haven't been on much.  I can't keep my eyes open, but my answers are coming tomorrow... I promise!