Marathon Bar

I received super exciting news this week and I've been itching to write about it on my blog, but it seems like, as always, the days get away from me before I have a chance to sit and write.

I got a letter this week that I was selected to be on the 2010 Team Marathon Bar. For those of you that don't know, Marathon Bars are sinful energy bars by Mars. Pretty much they are training candy for athletes. I love them... and now I get to race for them! I'm super excited!!! I'm not really sure what all will be required of me (we have a conference call this week), but I get some gear to train and race in, get some product to eat and share and I just have to tell everyone how awesome they are which won't be hard. Seriously people... if you like candy, you have to give these babies a shot. They have 5 flavors of energy bars and 2 protein bars. Yummo!

Training has been going well. Tom is doing the Race Across America again this year and the race starts a week from Saturday (I'll start my blog updates once they start if you are interested). He's been busy biking an ungodly amount of miles which equates to me riding more than running and swimming. :) It's alright. I don't mind too much! I just looked at my numbers for May and I was pretty happy:

• I biked 438 miles outside. I also took 3 spin classes.
• I ran 80.5 miles which isn't a lot, but I was happy that I averaged 8:35's for the month. I feel like my runs are getting easier at that pace.
• I swam 11,500 meters. I wish that was more, but I didn't do a good job with swimming. I haven't braved the cold OW yet (I'm planning on it this week) so it's been hard to drag myself to the pool. I did swim 1.2 miles today (just a straight pool swim) and did it in 34:09. I was super excited about that!

We rode the Ironman course in Louisville on Thursday ... well most of it. Alright, some of it. We did the out and back twice which was a lot of climbing. We did the loop of the "P" 1.5 times. I think we got 80 miles in. I liked the course - it was hot that day and the course didn't disappoint in terms of hills. I cried once, around 70 miles, but if you know me, that's not bad! :) No, I'm kidding. I think I was just overheating a little and definitely started to doubt my abilities. I turned around and hammered 10 more miles out so I'll be alright! I want to ride the course again in July sometime. We just can't find hills like that here in Columbus!

This week is my 10k. Tom will be home for it so he's going to cheer me on. I'm excited, but it's funny that I'm slightly nervous. I have no clue what I can run it in. I'd like to go around 48 minutes, but who knows...

Oh, and remember how I said that race company went out of business? Well I still haven't heard from them about the race being canceled, but their website is back up but registration for all races this summer are closed. And the courses have been updated. I honestly don't have a clue if I'm racing or not on June 27th. I think a phone call to the race director is in order. If the race is still on, I'll be racing 3 weeks in a row! Yikes!

Really?

So we had brunch with some friends on Sunday and in the middle of the meal they said "we heard Fat Rabbit Racing went out of business today". Um... what????

I'm registered for an Olympic tri with them on June 26th.

I love that tri... it's 10 minutes from my house, on a course that I know so well which is uber fast, and it's always so well organized.

To be honest, Fat Rabbit was probably the better of the two race companies in Columbus (but that's between you and me).

Guess not anymore...

I had to find out for myself though since I hadn't heard from the race company and sure as hell hadn't gotten my $70 back yet.

Sure enough... web site's down. I emailed them and got nothing. Finally I contacted Iamathlete.com who hosts their registration and was told that all participants (there were 94 of us registered already) would be sent an email and would receive refunds in the next 2-3 weeks.

Damn.

That means that I only have a sprint on June 13th and a Half Ironman on July 11th before the Ironman. Not that an Olympic made that much of a difference, but I'm down to two races now. Of course there's not a single tri the weekend of June 25-26th in Ohio.

I found a sprint on July 4th and I think I'm going to sign up for that. And I might try to squeeze an Olympic in the first weekend of August. Racing just gets my confidence up. It's like catered training when you are doing and Ironman. :)

So there used to be 3 good tris in Columbus (Wendy's International and two that offered sprints and Olympic options) and now we're down to 1.

There's a market for a new race company - or maybe an existing can pick up the slack???

My girl's birthday...

I'm a proud momma... My baby girl is 6 today. She's awesome... and she brings such joy to my life. I don't know that I've ever had someone or something depend on me as much as she does, but when she gives me the love that she does day in and day out it's so worth every minute of it. It really doesn't matter if I'm having the best day of my life or if I'm pissed off at the world, she's always there, wagging her tail and showering me with kisses. She follows me around the house... even when I'm doing things she doesn't like (vacuuming for instance!). She goes to bed with me every night, snuggles right close next to me so that she's touching me at all times and wakes up with me. When I come home (even if it's from a 30 minute run), she squeals like it's the best day of her life. She's playful, lazy, curious, smart, and not so smart all in one (sometimes we can tell that she's only part lab!!) She gives great hugs! She cries when she's playing with her squeaky pig because she thinks she's hurting him when she makes him oink. She's a 35 pound full grown lab. She's such a girl... avoiding dirt, but get her near water and you can't get her out (very different than her mommy and daddy!) I'm sure I'm a bit biased, but she's an awesome dog!

It's been a good week - some good strong rides and runs! I had a 47 minute six mile run the other day and felt awesome. Yesterday I ran a 24:15 three miles and both days went out afterward and rode. I'm feeling strong, lean and so excited to race (my 10k is in two weeks and my first outdoor tri is in three weeks). It's still not quite warm enough for swimming outside so I'm alright with the tri still being a ways away... that water is going to be cold! Too bad that doesn't make me feel obligated to swim in the pool. I'm trying... but for some reason I just can't get on a schedule. I think I've swam 4 times in the last 20 days. Doesn't sound like Ironman training does it??? I love swimming... it's so calming (I'm sure that's why I'm get getting a ton better). Oh well...

No Go

It was a no go on riding the IM course this past weekend. I'm alright with that. It was pouring when we woke up on Sunday morning and well, I'm slightly a wuss when it comes to riding in the rain. I knew I wouldn't enjoy it and we had a fabulous ride the day before so I wasn't too heartbroken. We are going to try to hit Louisville next week and see if we can't conquer the hills that everyone is trying to freak me out about. I guess I'm worried because a few people tell me "they aren't bad at all"... last time someone said that to me was right before the Flying Pig Marathon and that course kicked my hiney!

Like I said though, this past Saturday we got some good hills in. Not a single ride of the 80 miles was on the Ironman course, but that's alright. Tom was scheduled to talk at the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure Louisville so we got up early Saturday and made our way to Norton Commons (which by the way was this amazing neighborhood that reminded us of the Truman Show or the Stepford Wives). They offered a 6 mile family ride, a 20, a 40 and a 60 so of course we opted for the 60. We were the only two on tri bikes which probably should have been a sign (Tom just got a new Kuoto Kredo and probably should have rode it, but he likes to punish himself at times!) After Tom's little shpeal, we took off. The day was gorgeous, the crowd was great, the hills kicked my ass. :)

I'm from Ohio. We don't have hills... the biggest climb I usually do is up my driveway (okay, that's a little sarcastic, but you get the drift). We can find hills in Ohio - southern Ohio is VERY hilly, but we don't do that on purpose! These roads in Louisville were up and down, up and down. And you know what...

I LOVE 'EM!

Did I just say that? It was such a different change of pace. I am not the best climber and I know that, but I powered up the hills, my heart rate cranking, and then flew down like a little kid free of any responsibility. I have to say, Tom and I held our own with all the local roadies too which made me happy. My hands hurt by the time we were done from holding my tri wing, but it was a good day. So good, that I wanted to do another 20 miles when we were done.

Looking at the elevation of this ride and comparing it to IMKY, this ride was definitely hillier. But at least I know what might be in store for me in August. I'm anxious to get the sneak peak next week.

Wednesday ramblings

• I'm riding part of the IMKY bike course this weekend. Actually my bike will cover the whole thing, but I won't ride the second loop. I'm riding 60 miles the day before and riding 112 the next day would probably make me reconsider doing the Ironman.
• The 10k I signed up for in June is having a pancake breakfast afterward... score! :)
• And brats... what a combo!
• I'm heading to my sister's tomorrow for dinner. My aunt is coming in town on her way to pick my cousin up at Georgetown for the summer. I'm making a new dessert - that is as long as I don't eat the whole sugar cookie crust on the way down! Mine probably won't look this pretty, but I'm sure it'll taste just as yummie. Why am I so motivated by sweets???

• So I've mentioned before that my grandparents have dementia (well my grandma does - my grandpa has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's). It's a really crummy thing to watch a family member suffer from. But I still talk to them once or twice a week. And they make me smile - even if they think I'm married to someone named Roger. :)
• And I received a card today for my Anniversary (although it was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Kingery) which happens to be in July. She's just thinking ahead! God I love them! I see that as a good thing!
• I'm running the hospital fundraiser again this year. Last year we raised $25k for women's health at our local hospital. We had 300 attendees and a wait list of people wanting to come who we just didn't have room for! It was amazing! This year, the hoops that I'm being forced to jump through are making it so hard. Hello... we did this once and it was awesome. I think we know what we're doing. Gesh...
• Enough personal life stuff... I swam my 10x100 workout the other day. The first time I did it I averaged 1:38's. The second time, 1:36's. Yesterday - 1:34's! It's nice to see improvement. My goal is to swim 3 times a week until the first tri (although that's not an easy task) and I'm hoping that the speed shows in my racing this year.
• I really struggle with pushing myself during a race and leaving it all out there. Tom and I have talked a lot about this. I'm a slow swimmer... I've accepted that. I'm a fairly strong biker (usually 20.5mph+ for Olympic distances, closer to 18 for HIM distance). I know I could go faster, but I feel like I need to leave something for the run. Then I can't put a good run together. I know I'm capable of running low 8's, maybe even 7 somethings for an Olympic and probably 8:30's for a half, but I freak out on the run and don't. It's such a mental thing... maybe 2010 is my year.
• Plus, I gotta show those ladies in the 30-34 age group what I'm made of - hehehe - I feel old ( I know... I know... I'm not!)
• 4 more pounds to my goal race weight.
• And 32 more days until the first race.
• Gotta stop making fruit pizzas! :)

The death of me

I swear, this Ironman might be the death of me. That or I just need to get used to the long days of training really fast! :) I'm telling you - it's totally kicking my butt. I love the training, I'm feeling strong and fit, but I can't keep my eyes open! And with 111 days to go, that's not a good thing! :)

I did something cool this weekend - I ran a 5k with a first time runner. I remember my first race. I was nervous as could be. I didn't know where the number was supposed to go or how to attach the chip to my shoe. What do I wear? What do I eat? I'm telling you, it was so stressful! My BFF's husband has been following a training program to get him to the Mother's Day 5k. About a month ago, he asked if I'd run it with him and from then on, I kind of played the check in role - he'd check in with me, I'd check in on him. He was doing great and I knew that the race would be no different.

Saturday came and Gabe was a little nervous. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous to. I've never paced someone. What if I run too fast and he dies? What if he hates racing and never wants to speak to me again? We lined up at the start and I told him that we'll keep about an 8:45 pace and to let me know how he feels. He agreed. The siren sounded and we were off. First mile... 8:12. YIKES - I'm not meant to be a pacer, that's for sure - pure rookie mistake of getting caught up in the excitement and the downhill portion of the course! Poor Gabe, but I looked at him and he was doing great. I kept telling him that. He didn't answer. Asked him how he was doing and he muttered fine. We slowed the second mile down and got into a groove. Around 2.5 he turns to me and says "I might need to walk". And then it happened.

I looked at him and sternly said "No, you won't walk. We're almost there. You can do it."

End of discussion! :) And you know what, it worked. He ran the whole thing, finished in 26:30, and when asked about the race, tells everyone "I wanted to walk but Colleen wouldn't let me". Hehehe... that's what I'm here for! He wants to keep running which is awesome, but I have a feeling he won't be asking me to run with him again! :)

I came home and ended up signed up for a 10k. A stand alone 10k. The only 10k's I've ever done come after a .9 mile swim and a 24.8 mile bike. I'm excited, although I have no clue how to pace it out or what I should be able to run. It's in a month so I have time to work on it. Then tri season starts!

Hopefully between now and then I feel rested! Shouldn't hold my breath for that one! :)

Back to reality

I am so out of the loop right now. I flew home from Hawaii (which made me want to cry) on Thursday night. My flight left at 7:20 their time (which was 1:20 in the morning here in Columbus). I didn't get to my house until 2 in the afternoon on Friday. I slept maybe 4 hours total. I came home to a boat load of work (yay and boo at the same time), a yard that I didn't know if the mower would go through, and an impending half marathon on Saturday morning.

I slept 11 hours last night and forced myself to get up. And as I sit here now at 5 pm, I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. YIKES...

In any event, I had a great race yesterday. My legs were still little sausages from flying and I could barely keep my eyes open at the start so I wasn't expecting any miracles. That and I had run 37 miles in Hawaii and had cross trained 2 hours, not to mention walking probably a gazillion miles each day so I was anything but fresh. I started out the race with my friend Stevi. This was her second race and she was so excited. :) The course was crowded for a while (because someone had the genius idea to start the half marathon and the 5k at the same time and on the same course, with 1/2 of the road open to traffic). I ended up losing Stevi in the crowd after about the first mile. I settled into a pace that I could hold, but didn't have my Garmin. I stopped looking at my watch at my time by mile 3. It didn't matter what I ran.

It was a gross day... rain was pending, I just didn't know when it would start. It was humid, although luckily I had prepared for that in Hawaii (I knew my running there had a purpose). The rain didn't really hit until mile 11 so I was good to go... by that point it felt good. I just ran. No head phones. No Garmin chirping off the miles. Just me and the road.

I finished in 1:50:06!!! Didn't see that coming. Nice way to start the weekend.

And now that I'm sitting here trying to stay awake, I just keep thinking that I'd give anything to be back in Hawaii. I love that little state! :) Here are some pictures of our fabulous week!!!

Tom and I got "leid" right when we landed! :)

The view from our room:

Waikiki:Somewhere along the shores of Oahu:The JDRF group that Tom spoke to - they were all so amazing!

Amazing sunsets: