10 Things that make me happy...

1. That my uncle is doing much better! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. During a time when things didn't look so great, it was good to know that people were keeping my family in their thoughts! Looks like he'll make a full recovery, although it's going to be a long road ahead. :)
2. It's race weekend!!! WOOT WOOT! I'm so excited to finally kick off my triathlon season. I'm kicking around the idea of signing up for the Women's Only Tri on Saturday, but I'm definitely registered for the Wendy's Tri on Sunday. Should be a good race with lots of speedy women which is always fun! Should I do two days in a row of all out racing???
3. The pizza I just ate... there, I said it. It was a California Pizza Kitchen White Pizza from the frozen food aisle at Kroger. Probably one of my favorites.
4. And while I'm at the food portion of this post... my addition to diet coke. I know it's a horrible substance, but it's sooooo good! (hey, I could be addicted to worse things right?)
5. Finding little notes around the house that my hubby left me. He'll be gone for 10 days so after sobbing like a baby this morning when I left him, the notes have definitely brightened by day.
6. Knowing that Team Type 1 is starting the Race Across America on Saturday afternoon. Seems like RAAM just happened, but it's already been a year. I'll start my updated on the team and the race on Saturday. :)
7. Booking a little trip away with the hubster for when he gets home (sure he's working at the conference, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the lazy river at the hotel). And who knows, we might get to hit Disney for a day!!!
8. Doing my first open water swim of the season this week. I know... I have an Ironman in 3 months and I'm just now doing an open water swim. To my defense, I need to limit my exposure to the water. The proof is in this picture, which I snapped as I was entering the parking lot to the lake. And it's where my tri is this weekend. I love Ohio!
9. Getting an email that my 288 marathon bars on being shipped shortly. If you are on facebook, become a fan (http://www.facebook.com/#!/MarathonBars). If you'd like a sample, just let me know! :)
10. That it's almost Friday. Technically I only have 30 minutes until it's Friday. :)

What are some things that make you happy???

The good, the bad and the ugly...

THE GOOD:

I ran my 10k today. I was totally nervous which is funny since it was only 6.2 miles, but I get like that. I had a good transition run this week of 3 miles at a 7:36 pace. I was hoping to be under 8's for this race (or as close to being under 50 minutes as I could). It rained on the way to the race. There was a tornado watch. The winds were supposed to be 20mph. Nothing like adding to my nerves. We got there plenty early, took some pictures of me in my new kit (well part of it at least) said hi to my friends Stevi and Lori who were both running today (and did great) and then coach Tom had me run and do some sprints. My HR skyrocketed. Again, nothing like adding to my nerves. I lined up pretty close to the front because although it was chip timed, there wasn't a start mat (I know, weird, but that's the way they like to do it in Ohio). The rain had stopped, but it was HUMID! I took off at a comfortably hard pace. The first mile was a 7:30. Yikes. The second mile was a 7:32. Yikes. There was no way that I could maintain that. The sun popped out on the third mile and I entered the oven. I got hot. Really hot. I lost track of my splits (and I didn't wear a garmin), but I crossed the line in 48:14! WOO HOO. We grabbed some pancakes and sat on the stairs waiting for awards. Seeing the ladies that I was running with, I had a snowballs chance in hell of getting top 5 (which is what they awarded). My AG was called, Tom was talking to my dad who walked over from his office, and I hear "in 4th place, Colleen Kingery". What? I was giddy like a little school girl. NEVER have I placed in a running race. Now that I'm in the big girls group (that would be F30-34), I know the competition is good. I ended up 4th out of 71. Made my freaking day! :) I got a really cool cup that says "Age Group Hero" on it.
THE BAD:

My uncle was riding in the MS150 this weekend - he does the event every year. Yesterday he called and said that it was super hot. No biggie. Today he collapsed 5 miles from the finish and had no pulse. They revived him, rushed him to the hospital and he is in critical condition. They said that it was a heart attack, but were worried about his kidneys, liver and swelling of the brain. My aunt is not home (in NC), as she's visiting my grandparents in PA. She's flying home as soon as she can, but even that has been delayed. We then got word that he was in Cardiac Arrest and were doing emergency surgery. It doesn't look good. PLEASE say a prayer or at least keep our family in your thoughts. He's a healthy guy, a great husband, dad and uncle.

THE UGLY:

I got bit by a dog yesterday. It was a totally freak thing. I'm a dog person. I was standing in my bff's in her driveway and this pit looking dog (the lady claimed that it was a lab mix... um, no it wasn't) got loose. These little girls were chasing it with a stick and calling for it, but it ran the opposite direction from them. Until it grabbed my dress, ripped the bottom of it and sunk it's teeth into my calf. He didn't break skin, but I have a huge bruise on my leg and three good size teeth marks. Damn dog. The lady needs to be careful - while I won't call the pound, I'm sure my friend's mom will. Being the typical girl that I am, I got more mad that the dog ruined my new dress. :( She paid me for it, but I got it at TJMaxx and if you know that store, they never have 2 of the same thing! Oh well.

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! :)