This post is dedicated to my buddy and former coworker, Gordon Lindsay. I got an email from Super G this week and he actually requested that I get back to blogging. Nice to know that I have at least one reader. Thanks Gordon! ;)
If you recall my first blog of 2013, I set a goal of creating 52 blog posts over the course of the year. I think I'm going to have to rescind that goal as it is already mid-March and this is only my third or forth one. I've come to terms with the fact that I am never going to be an interesting or avid blogger.
So, here's the quick and dirty of what's been on my mind lately:
-I own a 2005 Nissan Altima and it has been about the most AMAZING car EVER. 212,000 miles and it has never left me stranded or had any major mechanicals. I've been soooooo lucky. However, all good things must come to an end and I have been trying to warm up to the realization that it's probably time to retire my baby and buy a new car. Ugh! I'm not ready for this. :(
Since I've turned into a little biking fanatic, I am probably going to go with something a little bigger. Perhaps the Nissan Murano, or maybe a Hyundai Tucson. It would be nice to throw my bike in the back without having to take off the tire. My only other requirements are that it has A/C and heat. I'm a pretty simple person :)
-I have been working out - a lot. Pretty much twice a day every day except Wednesdays which are my rest day. I wanted to remain off the radar for a few months regarding workout stuff because I made some changes in that regard. I wanted to make sure they stuck before I started talking about them. So far so good, so I guess I'll spill some of the beans (not all of them, of course)
First, I started working with a new coach in late November. This was not due to any negativity with my former coach, Scott Welle, but rather just an opportunity to try something new and change life up a bit. My new coach is Scott Penticoff. That will be easy for everyone to keep straight, right? "you still working with Scott?". "Yep".
So far it has been a great fit. He has thoughtful and challenging programming which has kept me huffing and puffing every week (and making some good gains). He's encouraging, positive, and is always quick to be reasonable in any situation. He's one of the nicest guys I know and he's very highly spoken of. Lucky me. :)
I really enjoy the accountability and camaraderie of having a coach. It takes away some of the guess work of training, and it's nice to have the feedback and kick in the pants when you need it.
-So, training: what am I training for, right? First and foremost, I'm really enjoying Triathlon and I'm just trying to find balance and make this a lifestyle, not just a one-off goal that I am done with after a couple of races. That being said, I do have several races planned this summer including two half-iron's and... wait for it... Ironman Wisconsin, again. What can I say? I had a GREAT experience last year, and I want to see what else I can bring to the table this year. I've got a big personality and so it takes BIG goals to keep me captivated and motivated. This lifestyle has proven to be a good fit for my personality.
-After Ironman WI last fall I went back to Crossfit. I was in the gym 3-4 days a week and LOVING it, but unfortunately it got to be a bit too intense. I had to stop going in the middle of February. I miss my crossfit buddies and my awesome gym (crossfit tangletown) but I do NOT miss my jacked up neck and nerve damaged foot (still healing, ugh!). All things Swim-Bike-Run seem to be going better since I quit, so I know it was the right decision.
-I had a VO2Max test done a couple of months ago. It was probably the best training tool I've ever received. The test was about the most brutal 20 minutes of my life, but when it was done I had some powerful data. My VO2 is 53, which is nice to know, but doesn't mean much. The most helpful thing was seeing how much fat vs glycogen I'm using at various heart rates. This data helped redefined my heart rate zones and it gave me a whole new understanding of what is being asked of me in various workouts. Plus, I confirmed what I had always suspected: I have a high heart rate. My zone 1 (where I'm still primarily burning fat) goes up to 165 bpm, and my threshold heart rate is 180-185 bpm. This data has made my training much more productive.
Heart rate training is complicated and everyone seems to have a different understanding or interpretation of what is "right". For as long as I've been training I've always been frustrated that my heart rate seems so high. I would be instructed to do a zone 2 run (which historically is a heart rate of below 130) and I couldn't even run because my HR would jump above 130. If you are at all frustrated with this kind of thing, I highly recommend doing a VO2 test.
I think that's all the updating I have for now. When the mood strikes me again I'll try to share something noteworthy with you all...or at least with Gordon, who may be my lone-reader ;)
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
I owned a fish...
But he died on Saturday.
Amongst friends we used to refer to him as my illegitimate love-fish and every morning when I would feed him, he served as a teeny-tiny reminder of a really hard lesson I had to learn a few years ago.
Amongst friends we used to refer to him as my illegitimate love-fish and every morning when I would feed him, he served as a teeny-tiny reminder of a really hard lesson I had to learn a few years ago.
Some of those closest to me will recall that back in 2009 I briefly dated a guy from Oklahoma. This guy and I had a little joke about a tropical vacation, so, in honor of his first trip to MN I purchased the closest thing to a tropical fish I could find.
The fish outlived the relationship by a solid three years as the dude only lasted a tumultuous 9 months. . :)
The fish outlived the relationship by a solid three years as the dude only lasted a tumultuous 9 months. . :)
When Mr Oklahoma finally decided that I was a bit too whatever for him, he started the process of trying to separate himself from me. In that process, he got stuck in that "I still love you" limbo where he decided that I was still lovable and so he tried to convince himself that he could be my friend. Oh but being my friend meant still telling me he loved me and that I was so wonderful... all these things, even as he was trying to dump me.
Sounded good to me.
Hey, I was heartbroken, lonely, and still clinging to the promises he had made about our future. Judge if you must. Just know that it's not who I am anymore... but it was who I was at the time.
I eventually realized (after much misery and emotional distress) that the "I still love you" limbo is BEYOND effed up, and that what he was doing was gross and disrespectful.
So I cut myself off.
I said goodbye, I stopped sending him emails and asked him to stop contacting me. We disjointedly and dysfunctionally moved towards healing. It hurt like hell but slowly I realized that it was exactly what was meant to happen.
When you end a relationship you are always faced with a giant chasm: On one side of the divide is an unhealthy relationship to which you are desperately try to cling, and on the other side of the gap is something called healing for which you are are desperately reaching. You (hopefully) quickly learned that you can't straddle that kind of divide and continue to reach for both outcomes. You also learn that you can't walk across it slowly. It's all or nothing. There is no such thing as moderation when it comes to crossing a chasm.
Ready, set, JUMP.
So I cut myself off.
I said goodbye, I stopped sending him emails and asked him to stop contacting me. We disjointedly and dysfunctionally moved towards healing. It hurt like hell but slowly I realized that it was exactly what was meant to happen.
When you end a relationship you are always faced with a giant chasm: On one side of the divide is an unhealthy relationship to which you are desperately try to cling, and on the other side of the gap is something called healing for which you are are desperately reaching. You (hopefully) quickly learned that you can't straddle that kind of divide and continue to reach for both outcomes. You also learn that you can't walk across it slowly. It's all or nothing. There is no such thing as moderation when it comes to crossing a chasm.
Ready, set, JUMP.
The point of all this rambling: Every morning when I would look at my fish I was reminded of my discovery about the chasm and how there is not really no such a thing as moderation when it comes to being your absolute healthiest.
Yes, you can have moderation in your life, but if you're striving for excellence then it is my opinion that moderation had better take up very little shelf space.
Could I have maybe kept Gary in my life in some capacity? Sure, but if I wanted to make myself 100% healed, available, and committed to my future, then it was best to let him go.
Can I have moderation in my diet and eat things that I know are going to undermine my health or my fitness pursuits? Of course, but I must take ownership of the consequences.
By the way, I HATE the expression, "all things in moderation including moderation", but it's actually kind of true.:)
I feel a little sad that my wise little budda-fish is gone. He was a neat little guy and he did a great job educating me and making me wise in the things he thought I should know.
Yes, you can have moderation in your life, but if you're striving for excellence then it is my opinion that moderation had better take up very little shelf space.
Could I have maybe kept Gary in my life in some capacity? Sure, but if I wanted to make myself 100% healed, available, and committed to my future, then it was best to let him go.
Can I have moderation in my diet and eat things that I know are going to undermine my health or my fitness pursuits? Of course, but I must take ownership of the consequences.
By the way, I HATE the expression, "all things in moderation including moderation", but it's actually kind of true.:)
I feel a little sad that my wise little budda-fish is gone. He was a neat little guy and he did a great job educating me and making me wise in the things he thought I should know.
As with all of my blog posts, I only share what I have learned through my own experiences. Some of you may disagree and say that there is such a thing of moderation and that you can be happy and successful with it. That's fine and I'd love to hear your points and examples.
I do not claim to be wise, all-knowing, or in any way qualified to teach anybody anything about, well, anything. I only know what I know (which isn't much) and most of my lessons I definitely learned the hard way.
I do not claim to be wise, all-knowing, or in any way qualified to teach anybody anything about, well, anything. I only know what I know (which isn't much) and most of my lessons I definitely learned the hard way.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Some Fresh New Goals for 2013
"A life without goals is like a race with no finish line. You're just running to nowhere."
It is the dead of winter here in Minnesota and, as a result, everything seems a bit stale to me right now: It's not only below freezing, but the temperature is currently below ZERO, The holidays are over and so the merriment and festivities are dying off, fresh produce and green grass are but a pipe dream...It's all around just sort of meh. Not bad or insurmountable. Just... meh.
At this point of the winter I always struggle to keep my positive attitude and to keep moving forward with the same amount of vim and vigor that I usually have. I never see the sun and mostly all I want to do is sleep.
It's a short-lived issue, but the winter-funk is painful to live through and a worthy opponent with which to battle.
Anyone with me here?
There is at least one thing that is fresh at the moment. THE YEAR!
It has been 2013 for 16 hours and 23 minutes already. Man time flies! :).
As with every year, I have decided to choose some goals that I wish to accomplish in the next 365 days. I refrain from calling then "resolutions" because that word seems to have developed a negative connotation. People (myself included) often make resolutions that start on Jan 1, and by Feb 15th they are off-track, losing motivation, or have already "failed".
There is something about the word "goals" that makes me feel much more in-charge of my results and my destination. It has more determination about it. A resolution seems like a suggestion. A goal seems like a destination. I have to arrive there. How can I get there?
Maybe it's just fancy semantics, but I like it, and I have had success with it, so criticize if you wish. I really don't care.
In the past couple of years, the goals I set for myself involved things like finishing college, signing up for and completing an Ironman, giving up chewing gum (you think it's weird, but try it. It has more power than you think!), giving up alcohol for a year and reading more books, to name a few. I was honestly feeling kind of stumped about what I should do for this year's goals because I'm not sure how many more things I wanted to give up or invest 20+ hours a week in. There are only so many hours in a day.
But as with so many things in my life, once I took a breath and relaxed a little the answer seemed to just naturally reveal itself to me. So here's what I will be doing, and NOT doing in 2013.
1) I will NOT be active on Facebook or Twitter. If you try to find me on there, you'll already discover that my profiles have been hidden and they will remain that way until 2014... or maybe longer.
Why did I do this?
Didn't I just say that there are only so many hours in a day? I've been wasting too many of them on Facebook. Even if you don't think it's harmful, it's not entirely harmless. You are what you think, and your thoughts are influenced by those around you. Period. You can't think negatively and act positively.
Though I see a lot of positive behavior on FB, I see much more snark, sarcasm, bitching, whining, negativity, and criticism. I want to take every opportunity possible to make my mind healthier and stronger.
I also see lots of information being tossed around on FB, and then I see that same information being refuted and deemed false, all in the scope of about 5 minutes. The Facebook world moves too fast for my emotions and for my mind.
In giving up FB, I am not worried about become "disconnected" from my social circles. If I'm only connected to someone by facebook, it probably isn't that strong of a connection. There are ways to find me, and there are ways that I can find others. Facebook has become a lazy way for me to keep in touch. Guess I'll have to start picking up the phone and sending emails to learn what my friends and family are up to.
I'm really excited about this goal.
2) I will be going a second year alcohol-free. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage since sometime in 2011. I made it through 2012 without even a sip of booze so I figured I'd let that carry forward one more year and see where it gets me.
I love that people think I'm nuts for doing this. :)
3) 52 blog posts in 2013. No promises to blog at least once a week, but somehow I'll cram 52 of them in this year.
4) 52 weeks with God. Going to Church every week is not a good goal for me. But making sure I etch out some structured time to surround myself with a positive message is necessary. So on the weeks I don't make it to church (crossroads in Woodbury), I will watch the message online.
For those of you that I have had a chance to chat with about spirituality, you know that I am connected to a higher being, and that my world view is defined as that of a Christian. Faith means something different to every single person, and i not only respect that, I HONOR that. Find God and find goodness in any way that you are able. It's necessary for happiness and for success. I believe that and I try to live that.
I've had some great conversations this past year with friends about how we connect with our spirit. Some of my friends feel the most connected when they are in church kneeling, praying, speaking incantations which have been defined to have meaning and significance. Other friends feel the most connected when they are serving others. Yet others feel the most connected when they are memorizing scripture. There is no wrong way. That is my firm belief.
As for me, I always feel the most connected with God when I am performing physical activity. When I'm on a run or swim, I see God in everything around me. I see Him in the sunrise, I see Him in the landscape, I see Him in the people I meet and in the thoughts that enter my mind. During physical activity is where I often plot and scheme ways that I can honor my friends and family. It's where I ask God to keep them safe. It's where I pray.
Obviously with all of the exercise I did in 2012, I feel that I had some amazing spiritual growth, and it's time to take it to the next level. Yay god!
5) semi-secret, kind-of-not-really Triathlon and sport goals. I'm not trying to "hide" my actual goals from the masses, but it's too early to begin speaking in specific terms of what I want to accomplish athletically this year. I know. The people who need to know, know.The rest of you will know as I reveal specific goals in my blog and in person as the year unfolds. Stay tuned!
Wishing everyone a happy and safe new year.
What are your goals this year?
Friday, November 23, 2012
Misty Williams, YOU are an IRONMAN!!!
...said Mike Reilly at 8:09pm on Sept 9th, 2012.
After 13 hours, 9 minutes and 55 seconds, I crossed the finish line at Ironman Wisconsin. I did it, and I am now an Ironman!!
I remember pretty much all of the details from my race. I also remember everything after I crossed the finish line and was met by my entourage, but honestly, about the only part of my actual finish that I vividly remember was that I got to see and high-five all my friends and family as I ran down the chute. The rest was just a blur.
You see so many crazy videos of people stumbling down the chute, crawling, sweating, grimacing in pain. It's hard to envision what you may look like when it's your turn to shine. I thought I would look miserable. I figured I would look like I had just exercised for 13 hours!! As it stands, I looked pretty good. I FELT super good. After struggling for the last couple of miles on the run because my lungs hurt, I was blessed with a second (er, more like 10th or 11th) wind and I came blowing down the pass, whooping and hollering the whole way home.
Immediately upon crossing the finish you are met by a hoard of volunteers who line up two by two and "catch" you. It's pretty common at the end of the race to have one final energy surge as you cross and then totally collapse. Fortunately I didn't need to be caught, but I was greeted by two people anyway who started to help walk me through the finish area... but they were quickly pushed aside by my friend Alex Rasmussen who took over those duties. He gave me a hug, took me over to his cute little wife, Bonnie, so I could get a hug from her, then he
brought me a tinfoil blanket for warmth,
walked me over to get my hat and t-shirt,
took me to get my picture taken
and then escorted me out to see everyone and celebrate.
The picture on the right is a little hard to make out, but this was a bunch of the crew right before I walked through the exit of the finish area and saw everyone for the first time.
I was recently at a get-together and someone made a joke that it looked like a celebrity was exiting the area because there were so many people and so many camera flashes going off. I thought that was kinda funny, and actually pretty touching. I have some awesome people in my life, for sure!! :)
Upon finishing, I took a bunch of pictures with everyone,
went to the recovery tent and ate some food,
went back to my hotel and showered, and then I came back to the finish line to watch more friends finish, celebrated,
got my post-race massage, danced and partied until Midnight and then waddled back to my hotel room.
In the blink of an eye, the day was done and I was laying in bed, being punished for the pizza I ate earlier... er, I mean, reflecting on the day and already beginning to dream of what my athletic future may hold.
So what does my future hold? My greatest accomplishments from last season are wrapped up in the reawakening of self that Ironman training provided, and I think it would be foolish to try and replicate that exactly. I did not neatly organize my plan last year. I basically took whatever life handed me and just made the best of it. Using that same philosophy I intend to keep working hard and setting new goals going forward. I have some new goals picked out and I'm already working towards them.
For now I'm keeping private the specifics of next year's goals, so sorry that I won't be telling you them all right here and now. I'll share more if and when the time is right, but for now I'll just give you a little teaser...
I do have some tri's planned for next season
I have a new Scott in my life
Health and wellness will continue to be paramount
In closing I guess I'll say this: If you have a tug in your heart to attempt something big, even if you aren't sure you can do it, go for it. Sometimes the lesson may lay in the failure, but sometimes you can't even fathom what kinds of amazing lessons and growth, and reward the journey will have in store for you. But you'll never know if you don't try.
Your goal doesn't have to be Ironman in order to be deemed worthy. It could be a 5k, or writing a novel, or changing careers, or doing 5 unassisted pull-ups. Anything that challenges you and moves you towards change is worthy of respect.
Whatever you choose to do, do it with all of your heart, and invest in it totally. If you do, you'll learn some invaluable lessons and you'll be forever transformed.
The goal I chose helped me remember that I if I change my attitude I can change the game. It helped bring me closer to my friends and family and it taught me that if you respect your goals and trust your leaders then nothing can stop you from accomplishing what you set out to do.
So, I guess that pretty much completes my journey to Ironman. Thank you to everyone for taking this trip with me and for offering so much love, support and encouragement along the way. You always knew just when to offer a word of support or a random thought to let me know you believed in me. I'm touched and honored that I had so many people in my life who never doubted that I could do this, even when I wasn't sure I could.
:)
After 13 hours, 9 minutes and 55 seconds, I crossed the finish line at Ironman Wisconsin. I did it, and I am now an Ironman!!
I remember pretty much all of the details from my race. I also remember everything after I crossed the finish line and was met by my entourage, but honestly, about the only part of my actual finish that I vividly remember was that I got to see and high-five all my friends and family as I ran down the chute. The rest was just a blur.
You see so many crazy videos of people stumbling down the chute, crawling, sweating, grimacing in pain. It's hard to envision what you may look like when it's your turn to shine. I thought I would look miserable. I figured I would look like I had just exercised for 13 hours!! As it stands, I looked pretty good. I FELT super good. After struggling for the last couple of miles on the run because my lungs hurt, I was blessed with a second (er, more like 10th or 11th) wind and I came blowing down the pass, whooping and hollering the whole way home.
brought me a tinfoil blanket for warmth,
walked me over to get my hat and t-shirt,
took me to get my picture taken and then escorted me out to see everyone and celebrate.
The picture on the right is a little hard to make out, but this was a bunch of the crew right before I walked through the exit of the finish area and saw everyone for the first time.I was recently at a get-together and someone made a joke that it looked like a celebrity was exiting the area because there were so many people and so many camera flashes going off. I thought that was kinda funny, and actually pretty touching. I have some awesome people in my life, for sure!! :)
Upon finishing, I took a bunch of pictures with everyone,
 |
| Amy, Tito, Jen and Karen |
 |
| Mary "Bacon" Sellke and Jackie "JDZ" :) |
 |
| My coach, who also raced that day :) |
 |
| Clowning around with my medal |
 |
| Brittany |
 |
| THB! Julie, Ang, Teresa and Pat |
 |
| flirting with cute boys in the recovery tent |
went back to my hotel and showered, and then I came back to the finish line to watch more friends finish, celebrated,
 |
| sharing some pizza with Karl - Lady and the Tramp style :) |
In the blink of an eye, the day was done and I was laying in bed, being punished for the pizza I ate earlier... er, I mean, reflecting on the day and already beginning to dream of what my athletic future may hold.
So what does my future hold? My greatest accomplishments from last season are wrapped up in the reawakening of self that Ironman training provided, and I think it would be foolish to try and replicate that exactly. I did not neatly organize my plan last year. I basically took whatever life handed me and just made the best of it. Using that same philosophy I intend to keep working hard and setting new goals going forward. I have some new goals picked out and I'm already working towards them.
For now I'm keeping private the specifics of next year's goals, so sorry that I won't be telling you them all right here and now. I'll share more if and when the time is right, but for now I'll just give you a little teaser...
I do have some tri's planned for next season
I have a new Scott in my life
Health and wellness will continue to be paramount
In closing I guess I'll say this: If you have a tug in your heart to attempt something big, even if you aren't sure you can do it, go for it. Sometimes the lesson may lay in the failure, but sometimes you can't even fathom what kinds of amazing lessons and growth, and reward the journey will have in store for you. But you'll never know if you don't try.
Your goal doesn't have to be Ironman in order to be deemed worthy. It could be a 5k, or writing a novel, or changing careers, or doing 5 unassisted pull-ups. Anything that challenges you and moves you towards change is worthy of respect.
Whatever you choose to do, do it with all of your heart, and invest in it totally. If you do, you'll learn some invaluable lessons and you'll be forever transformed.
The goal I chose helped me remember that I if I change my attitude I can change the game. It helped bring me closer to my friends and family and it taught me that if you respect your goals and trust your leaders then nothing can stop you from accomplishing what you set out to do.
So, I guess that pretty much completes my journey to Ironman. Thank you to everyone for taking this trip with me and for offering so much love, support and encouragement along the way. You always knew just when to offer a word of support or a random thought to let me know you believed in me. I'm touched and honored that I had so many people in my life who never doubted that I could do this, even when I wasn't sure I could.
:)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Ironman Wisconsin in Review...Part Deux
Transition 1 Time 11:21
As you go into transition from the swim, you have to run up a parking ramp and into a convention center. And then, on your way out of transition you have to ride down the parking ramp on the other side. The ramps are lovingly referred to as the "double helix". Since transition encompasses such a large area, and because I did a complete wardrobe change before mounting my bike, transition took quite awhile.
As a spectator, all you see is your athlete running up the helix, and then, miraculously, they emerge all fresh and dry and ready to bike a few minutes later. But as an athlete, you wouldn't believe the awesomeness of what happens "inside"...
I ran into the convention center where there were volunteers running back and forth, grabbing transition bags for us. Then, once I had my bag I ran into a huge ballroom that had been designated as the women's changing room. Waiting for me as I entered the room was a line of female volunteers ready to grab my bag and assist me in changing into my bike gear.
I was prepared for this part and so I had not modesty. I stripped down to my naked ass and bad tan-lines as my volunteer dumped out my bag and organized my stuff. Then she asked me what I wanted, handed it to me and helped me with whatever I needed. I swear to god she offered to help me put my chamois butter on, but I declined... and for you future Ironman peeps, that is not something I would expect out of other volunteers. I think she just got carried away with being helpful and didn't realize what she was offering.
Though I appreciated her immensely, I didn't spend too much time with her because I had a race to finish! I left her to gather up my wetsuit and swim stuff and sprinted out the door. Helmet on (and clipped. didn't want to get a penalty!), sunscreen on and shoes in-hand, I made a quick stop at the porta potty and then ran through the parking garage and to my bike. There is a walking bridge over the bike area and it was there that I got my first glimpse of team mofo/honeybadger. I waved emphatically and kept on hustling.
When I got to my bike, another spectacularly helpful volunteer took my bike and staged it for me as I bent over and put my shoes on. When that was done, like I've done a million times before, I got on my bike and started riding.
Ironman Bike 112 miles Time 6:25:32
The bike course is fairly technical, and pretty hilly, but I found that it wasn't much different than any route I ride in Minnesota.
When I bike, I don't mind suffering. I find that I'm a slow climber on the uphills, but hell-on-wheels on the downhills, so Madison was a fun course for me. I enjoyed the suffer-fest on the many climbs, and then I let 'er rip on the way down, staying lazer-focused on what was in front of me as I let the wind sting my face and bring tears to my eyes. I enjoyed every minute of it!
To switch gears a little bit: I had some digestion issues on race day. I rolled with the punches and just tried to listen to my body and I was just fine. It didn't affect my mental game at all, and I really just saw it to be par for the course. Honestly, is there anyone out there who doesn't at least get a passing tummy cramp or a funny feeling once in awhile? That's probably about what I would say I had, especially when I think of how bad it COULD have been...
I took in quite a bit of water on the swim.
No one ever means to drink the lake, but there is no way to avoid it. I did the best I could, but as I was resting in my aerobars on the bike I definitely noticed I was a little bloated for it. I had never experienced anything like that, so I decided it was best to just start executing my nutrition plan and let it work itself out.
It did, eventually, and I stayed well hydrated and well fueled for the whole ride.
Early in the ride I had a side ache and I couldn't figure out why. So after about 40 miles I stopped at a potty and that seemed to take care of it.
Otherwise the ride was pretty fun. I saw familiar faces at all the right moments, (both on the sidelines and also as I passed or got passed by my ironfriends) saw lots of funny signs, and got to experience first-hand all of the crazy things that I had only heard stories about.
There are a few big hills in the race where people line both sides of the street and basically have a party as we go crawling through. On one of these hills I was going about 8 mph and this guy looked at me (with a beer in his hand, of course) and said, "I know, I know. We're ALL tired." I totally laughed!
The wind was pretty blowy as we biked. No big deal, but it was definitely part of the day and you couldn't pretend it wasn't blowing. Just grateful it was wind and not rain. :)
Before I knew it, the deal was done and I was swooping back up the helix and into transition. My final happy dance before dismounting came in the form of J&G Ditto Shitto, as they cheered super loud at the top of the ramp. I was smiling ear-to-ear...and then it was back into the building for the last part of this crazy threesome...
Transition 2 Time 5:36
pretty uneventful and much quicker than the first one because we only had to run out of the building and down a mini ramp to get onto the course. I had to pee SO BAD that I probably tacked another 2 minutes on to my T-time as I went potty. Then I blinked and I was running... in the freaking Ironman! So surreal.
Ironman Run 26.2 miles Time 5:13:02
The run is where champions are made.
I'm not just talking about the Pro athletes, blazing through the marathon in under 3 hours. I'm talking about everyone out there, doing their best and discovering what they're made of. The ironman marathon is where you dig your deepest and fight your hardest.
At first, you don't really think about how close you are to finishing, but then as the miles tick off you start to actually picture the finish line. Then, at mile 13.1 you actually get to within a few hundred yards of it before you turn around and do your last lap. At that point you know it's the home stretch.
So close, but still so far away.
I won't share details of the marathon with you because there are just too many. It was challenging, but I'm always up for a challenge. I had to dig deep and work through lots of "issues" such as GI issues and some issues with my lungs, but the rest of my body held up surprisingly well. My legs felt fresh for the entire run, I felt focused, composed and confident with every step and I was always able to put a smile on my face when I'd see a familiar face.
For the record, I was not "all smiles" for the entire run, nor did I care to be. I wanted to conserve energy. I didn't really respond to the cheers of strangers, I didn't high-five random people and I didn't smile at every person I saw. I thanked the volunteers as I passed and I stayed in good spirits but mostly I just kept to myself until I saw my crew. Inside I was happy, but on the outside I looked fierce.
...until I got to the finishers chute. Then I was smiling from ear to ear.
and I'll talk about the finish and wrap this thing up on another day. I need to get to bed!!
As you go into transition from the swim, you have to run up a parking ramp and into a convention center. And then, on your way out of transition you have to ride down the parking ramp on the other side. The ramps are lovingly referred to as the "double helix". Since transition encompasses such a large area, and because I did a complete wardrobe change before mounting my bike, transition took quite awhile.
As a spectator, all you see is your athlete running up the helix, and then, miraculously, they emerge all fresh and dry and ready to bike a few minutes later. But as an athlete, you wouldn't believe the awesomeness of what happens "inside"...
I ran into the convention center where there were volunteers running back and forth, grabbing transition bags for us. Then, once I had my bag I ran into a huge ballroom that had been designated as the women's changing room. Waiting for me as I entered the room was a line of female volunteers ready to grab my bag and assist me in changing into my bike gear.
Though I appreciated her immensely, I didn't spend too much time with her because I had a race to finish! I left her to gather up my wetsuit and swim stuff and sprinted out the door. Helmet on (and clipped. didn't want to get a penalty!), sunscreen on and shoes in-hand, I made a quick stop at the porta potty and then ran through the parking garage and to my bike. There is a walking bridge over the bike area and it was there that I got my first glimpse of team mofo/honeybadger. I waved emphatically and kept on hustling.
 |
| TAXI! TAXI, WAIT! |
Ironman Bike 112 miles Time 6:25:32
The bike course is fairly technical, and pretty hilly, but I found that it wasn't much different than any route I ride in Minnesota.
When I bike, I don't mind suffering. I find that I'm a slow climber on the uphills, but hell-on-wheels on the downhills, so Madison was a fun course for me. I enjoyed the suffer-fest on the many climbs, and then I let 'er rip on the way down, staying lazer-focused on what was in front of me as I let the wind sting my face and bring tears to my eyes. I enjoyed every minute of it!
To switch gears a little bit: I had some digestion issues on race day. I rolled with the punches and just tried to listen to my body and I was just fine. It didn't affect my mental game at all, and I really just saw it to be par for the course. Honestly, is there anyone out there who doesn't at least get a passing tummy cramp or a funny feeling once in awhile? That's probably about what I would say I had, especially when I think of how bad it COULD have been...
No one ever means to drink the lake, but there is no way to avoid it. I did the best I could, but as I was resting in my aerobars on the bike I definitely noticed I was a little bloated for it. I had never experienced anything like that, so I decided it was best to just start executing my nutrition plan and let it work itself out.
It did, eventually, and I stayed well hydrated and well fueled for the whole ride.
Early in the ride I had a side ache and I couldn't figure out why. So after about 40 miles I stopped at a potty and that seemed to take care of it.
Otherwise the ride was pretty fun. I saw familiar faces at all the right moments, (both on the sidelines and also as I passed or got passed by my ironfriends) saw lots of funny signs, and got to experience first-hand all of the crazy things that I had only heard stories about.
There are a few big hills in the race where people line both sides of the street and basically have a party as we go crawling through. On one of these hills I was going about 8 mph and this guy looked at me (with a beer in his hand, of course) and said, "I know, I know. We're ALL tired." I totally laughed!
The wind was pretty blowy as we biked. No big deal, but it was definitely part of the day and you couldn't pretend it wasn't blowing. Just grateful it was wind and not rain. :)
Before I knew it, the deal was done and I was swooping back up the helix and into transition. My final happy dance before dismounting came in the form of J&G Ditto Shitto, as they cheered super loud at the top of the ramp. I was smiling ear-to-ear...and then it was back into the building for the last part of this crazy threesome...
Transition 2 Time 5:36
pretty uneventful and much quicker than the first one because we only had to run out of the building and down a mini ramp to get onto the course. I had to pee SO BAD that I probably tacked another 2 minutes on to my T-time as I went potty. Then I blinked and I was running... in the freaking Ironman! So surreal.
Ironman Run 26.2 miles Time 5:13:02
The run is where champions are made.
I'm not just talking about the Pro athletes, blazing through the marathon in under 3 hours. I'm talking about everyone out there, doing their best and discovering what they're made of. The ironman marathon is where you dig your deepest and fight your hardest.
At first, you don't really think about how close you are to finishing, but then as the miles tick off you start to actually picture the finish line. Then, at mile 13.1 you actually get to within a few hundred yards of it before you turn around and do your last lap. At that point you know it's the home stretch.
So close, but still so far away.
 | |
| what I looked like to my friends and family |
 | |
| what I looked like to stangers and cameramen |
For the record, I was not "all smiles" for the entire run, nor did I care to be. I wanted to conserve energy. I didn't really respond to the cheers of strangers, I didn't high-five random people and I didn't smile at every person I saw. I thanked the volunteers as I passed and I stayed in good spirits but mostly I just kept to myself until I saw my crew. Inside I was happy, but on the outside I looked fierce.
...until I got to the finishers chute. Then I was smiling from ear to ear.
and I'll talk about the finish and wrap this thing up on another day. I need to get to bed!!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Ironman Wisconsin in Review
Ironman Wisconsin 2012 is quickly fading in the rear view mirror and life is all but back to normal...
Sigh.
It has taken me awhile to get around to this. Event weekend was so emotionally charged and action-packed that I needed to just step away from it and recharge for a little bit before I attempted to sum it all up. Besides, you guys pretty much lived through event weekend with me minute-by-minute via facebook anyway!
Every single thing I have to say about my race, the event and race weekend is nauseatingly positive, so if that kind of thing bothers you then I suggest you stop reading...now.
I'm going to break this blog up into a couple different posts, because I just can't fit it all in to one. So for this post I'll talk about the general race experience, recap the events leading up to the race, talk about my awesome CHEER CREW!!! ... and then I'll talk about the swim. Next post I'll cover the bike, run, finish, and volunteers.
General Race Experience
I would like to give massive accolades to World Triathlon Corporation, which is the company that runs Ironman Wisconsin, and any of the other 140.6 mile races that feature the well known "M-dot" logo.
I've heard much griping about how WTC events are very expensive ($625 to register, last year) and that people don't feel they get their money's worth. I can't disagree that it's a pretty huge financial investment, but I felt that I got my money's worth, and then some!
I'm not sure what people are thinking they should get for that kind of money, but I hear cynical remarks occasionally about how we pay so much money and all we get is a finisher t-shirt and a medal.
If one stops to think about how many moving parts are required to run an event of this caliber, and run it essentially FLAWLESSLY, then maybe they'd better see the value.
It's not just about the schwag we get as athletes, though we did get a pretty sweet backpack with the event name and location embroidered on it, and we also got a great medal, a finishers hat and a finishers t-shirt. A lot of that money goes into securing the permits that are required from multiple cities and counties to allow the course to be closed and safe. it also involves paying for police force to be on the course, and EMS, and also getting the equipment to properly block roads, and then organizing all of the 3,000 volunteers to help get the event set up, and then torn down. Not to mention renting out the Monona Terrace convention center for 5 days. The behind-the-scenes costs are HUGE.
Another part of our entry fee went into providing a lot of great amenities for the athletes, There was a tent with chiropractors performing free Active Release Therapy (ART) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I got a free post-race massage from a masseuse that was provided by WCT, and I also got a free dinner on Friday night for the athlete pasta party, and free breakfast on Monday morning as I waited in line to buy my finisher gear.
Am I over exaggerating the value? Being too grateful? I'd pay that amount of money again in a heartbeat to have the kind of experience that I had.
The Days Leading up to Race Day
I have never felt as cool, calm and collected as I did on race weekend. I was focused but not nervous, energized but not jittery. I. felt. AWESOME! That is said completely without boastfulness or arrogance. I really was just lucky enough (and well prepared enough) to have a super positive experience. The weekend started on Thursday with a little jog in the morning with fellow Ironman candidate, Sara Frandrup, and then it was off for the 5 hour cruise down to Mad-Town. Beautiful, bright blue skies, perfect temps and great music made it a quick drive.
During my drive, I also had a rare opportunity to have a phone call my long lost friend, Betsy, who has been living la vida loca in Colorado. yay!
I swooped into Madison at about 3pm for athlete check-in, grabbed my neat-o schwag bag and then headed over to the hotel where I dumped my stuff and proceeded to take a 1/2 hour nap!
My crazy-cool (think TLC) support crew, Team Honey Badger, was about 3 hours behind me in getting to Madison, and from there it was dinner with some of our phenomenal friends and hanging out for the evening.
Friday and Saturday are honestly kind of a blur, but a couple of things stick out in my memory:
first, I was overwhelmed and beyond grateful for the amount of support and friendship that surrounded me all weekend. I was not the only Ironman-attemptee in our crew. There was a whole slew of us, and all of our friends and family seemed to converge into this massive ball of encouragement and energy. The above picture from dinner on Thursday is only a small portion of our friends, and it doesn't even include most of the cheerleaders, as most everyone in the picture raced on Sunday!
Second: Same as the first - I was overwhelmed by the support. I can't say it enough. wow. That also included the support back home in the days before the race, as I was getting emails, texts and facebook posts left and right with lots of positive thoughts, luck and love.
Aside from that, the days leading up to the race were restful, relaxing and uneventful. I walked around Madison, had dinner with friends and family on Saturday night, shed some tears with team honey badger and got ready to race!!
Speaking of team honey badger, they get a special shout-out in the blog today. Yep. They're that awesome. Read on...
Cheer Crew
I
continue to marvel that I have friends and family that would drive
almost 5 hours each way (and in one case, 9 hours each way!!) to stand
around on a race course for who knows how long, in uncertain weather
conditions, all while continually staring into the distance, hoping to
catch a glimpse of me as I go flying by them. I am so blessed. Let me
say that again: I AM SO BLESSED! And so grateful. My race experience
would have been way different, and wouldn't have meant nearly as much if
I didn't get to share it with the people that have supported me along
the way.
I
was pleasantly surprised at how much I got to see everyone out on the
course. At the most unexpected moments, I would hear my name and
suddenly there would be some of my friends cheering their faces off for
me!! It always came at just the right moment and would lift my spirits
and my energy.
Chief among my cheer-crew and at the center of my success in becoming an Ironman was team Honey Badger. THB consists of Julie Gibson, Pat Gibson, Teresa Drexler and Angela Lim (Karen Boatright and Tito Cruz are also honorary members, and also comprise my other very important crew, Team Mofo!!).
I don't mean to minimize how amazing and supportive everyone else was in my journey to Ironman and on event weekend, but Team Honey Badger has been my behind-the-scenes crew from the very beginning of my Ironman quest.
Back when I had foot surgery, Pat and Julie drove me around when I couldn't drive, fed me dinner so I wouldn't have to try and cook on crutches, and even did my laundry and made my bed. Pat iced my foot when it would get all swollen, and they were basically at my beck-and-call for 3 months.
Then over the course of my training and races, THB would randomly just show up and surprise me at races, offer encouragement at just the right moments during training, understood when I said I was too tired to come over for game-nights, and listened to all of my trials and tribulations (and whining. Let's face it, there was some whining) as I faced injuries, eating challenges, sleep deprivation etc.
I really don't know how I got so lucky to have such a fun, supportive, encouraging crew.
On race weekend, They were collectively known as my iron sherpas. Again, they executed their (self imposed) job duties flawlessly. I really just wanted my closest friends around me in case I freaked out, or if I woke up at 3am with a leg cramp or something, but I got so, so much more than I ever could have imagined.
These guys took 3 days off of work to come hang out in Madison with me. They prepared and hung door decorations for me and all of our other race-friends so we would wake up on race morning and know we were loved. They secretly made fun cheer signs for the race course, enhanced their cheering efforts with cowbells and cheer goodies, and were the first ones at the finish line to hug me (and weep with me. We wept like little bitches).
Man,
I could go on and on about the thoughtful little touches: I walked into
my hotel room on Saturday afternoon to a bouquet of flowers,with some
little THB gifts accompanying them. I had door decorations hanging on my
hotel room door on race morning and the funniest letter ever (that also
made me cry) taped to the bathroom mirror. THB wore matching shirts
that said "Team Honey Badger" on the front. The list of thoughtful
gestures, gifts and actions just goes on and on and on. We laughed, we
cried, we ate animal crackers with Biscoff...
Purely
Fantastic!
Ironman Swim 2.4 miles Time 1:14:24
The swim was pretty wet. I'll never get used to that... ;)
I was very happy with my swim. Not just the time, though I was about 6 minutes under my estimate, but also with my positioning, race strategy, mental state and overall experience.
It's
no secret that the swim at Ironman is world-renowned for its violent,
chaotic, mass open water start. I've watched it from the shore several
times and it looks so crazy. But in the water it wasn't as bad as I
thought it would be.
I started at the very farthest inside of the group and I was only about 4 rows back from the start line. Everyone was just sort of hovering around, trying to save energy and stay calm. We all knew it was closing in on 7am and so when the cannon went off there was nothing left to do but start moving forward. You get so occupied with trying to notch out a little space that you don't really have time to freak out. Or at least I didn't. I'm very comfortable in open water, and I avoided the dreaded "middle of the pack" that I was warned about, and I think these things made a big difference for me. I also am used to a little physical contact since I grew up doing karate (and getting kicked in the head for a living!) and so I didn't get freaked out when people touched me.
I've heard horror stories about some of my friends getting punched, grabbed, and swam over, but I had none of those things happen. I had one elbow slightly graze my nose, and I had people touching my feet and legs, but that was it.
Before I knew it, I was out of the water, having my wetsuit ripped off my body, and running up the helix towards transition. On my way up, I yelled hello to Scott Penticoff, who was the only familiar face I saw, and then I was in the convention center, grabbing my bag and heading into the changing room.
Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for part two. :)
Sigh.
It has taken me awhile to get around to this. Event weekend was so emotionally charged and action-packed that I needed to just step away from it and recharge for a little bit before I attempted to sum it all up. Besides, you guys pretty much lived through event weekend with me minute-by-minute via facebook anyway!
Every single thing I have to say about my race, the event and race weekend is nauseatingly positive, so if that kind of thing bothers you then I suggest you stop reading...now.
I'm going to break this blog up into a couple different posts, because I just can't fit it all in to one. So for this post I'll talk about the general race experience, recap the events leading up to the race, talk about my awesome CHEER CREW!!! ... and then I'll talk about the swim. Next post I'll cover the bike, run, finish, and volunteers.
General Race Experience
I would like to give massive accolades to World Triathlon Corporation, which is the company that runs Ironman Wisconsin, and any of the other 140.6 mile races that feature the well known "M-dot" logo.
I've heard much griping about how WTC events are very expensive ($625 to register, last year) and that people don't feel they get their money's worth. I can't disagree that it's a pretty huge financial investment, but I felt that I got my money's worth, and then some!
I'm not sure what people are thinking they should get for that kind of money, but I hear cynical remarks occasionally about how we pay so much money and all we get is a finisher t-shirt and a medal.
If one stops to think about how many moving parts are required to run an event of this caliber, and run it essentially FLAWLESSLY, then maybe they'd better see the value.
It's not just about the schwag we get as athletes, though we did get a pretty sweet backpack with the event name and location embroidered on it, and we also got a great medal, a finishers hat and a finishers t-shirt. A lot of that money goes into securing the permits that are required from multiple cities and counties to allow the course to be closed and safe. it also involves paying for police force to be on the course, and EMS, and also getting the equipment to properly block roads, and then organizing all of the 3,000 volunteers to help get the event set up, and then torn down. Not to mention renting out the Monona Terrace convention center for 5 days. The behind-the-scenes costs are HUGE.
Another part of our entry fee went into providing a lot of great amenities for the athletes, There was a tent with chiropractors performing free Active Release Therapy (ART) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I got a free post-race massage from a masseuse that was provided by WCT, and I also got a free dinner on Friday night for the athlete pasta party, and free breakfast on Monday morning as I waited in line to buy my finisher gear.
Am I over exaggerating the value? Being too grateful? I'd pay that amount of money again in a heartbeat to have the kind of experience that I had.
The Days Leading up to Race Day
I have never felt as cool, calm and collected as I did on race weekend. I was focused but not nervous, energized but not jittery. I. felt. AWESOME! That is said completely without boastfulness or arrogance. I really was just lucky enough (and well prepared enough) to have a super positive experience. The weekend started on Thursday with a little jog in the morning with fellow Ironman candidate, Sara Frandrup, and then it was off for the 5 hour cruise down to Mad-Town. Beautiful, bright blue skies, perfect temps and great music made it a quick drive.
During my drive, I also had a rare opportunity to have a phone call my long lost friend, Betsy, who has been living la vida loca in Colorado. yay!
I swooped into Madison at about 3pm for athlete check-in, grabbed my neat-o schwag bag and then headed over to the hotel where I dumped my stuff and proceeded to take a 1/2 hour nap!
My crazy-cool (think TLC) support crew, Team Honey Badger, was about 3 hours behind me in getting to Madison, and from there it was dinner with some of our phenomenal friends and hanging out for the evening.
first, I was overwhelmed and beyond grateful for the amount of support and friendship that surrounded me all weekend. I was not the only Ironman-attemptee in our crew. There was a whole slew of us, and all of our friends and family seemed to converge into this massive ball of encouragement and energy. The above picture from dinner on Thursday is only a small portion of our friends, and it doesn't even include most of the cheerleaders, as most everyone in the picture raced on Sunday!
Second: Same as the first - I was overwhelmed by the support. I can't say it enough. wow. That also included the support back home in the days before the race, as I was getting emails, texts and facebook posts left and right with lots of positive thoughts, luck and love.
Aside from that, the days leading up to the race were restful, relaxing and uneventful. I walked around Madison, had dinner with friends and family on Saturday night, shed some tears with team honey badger and got ready to race!!
Speaking of team honey badger, they get a special shout-out in the blog today. Yep. They're that awesome. Read on...
Cheer Crew
 |
| Shittos! |
 |
| My Mom and Ed |
 |
| Team Mofo and Some of Team Honey Badger |
 |
| The beautiful 2B ladies |
Chief among my cheer-crew and at the center of my success in becoming an Ironman was team Honey Badger. THB consists of Julie Gibson, Pat Gibson, Teresa Drexler and Angela Lim (Karen Boatright and Tito Cruz are also honorary members, and also comprise my other very important crew, Team Mofo!!).
I don't mean to minimize how amazing and supportive everyone else was in my journey to Ironman and on event weekend, but Team Honey Badger has been my behind-the-scenes crew from the very beginning of my Ironman quest.
Back when I had foot surgery, Pat and Julie drove me around when I couldn't drive, fed me dinner so I wouldn't have to try and cook on crutches, and even did my laundry and made my bed. Pat iced my foot when it would get all swollen, and they were basically at my beck-and-call for 3 months.
Then over the course of my training and races, THB would randomly just show up and surprise me at races, offer encouragement at just the right moments during training, understood when I said I was too tired to come over for game-nights, and listened to all of my trials and tribulations (and whining. Let's face it, there was some whining) as I faced injuries, eating challenges, sleep deprivation etc.
I really don't know how I got so lucky to have such a fun, supportive, encouraging crew.
On race weekend, They were collectively known as my iron sherpas. Again, they executed their (self imposed) job duties flawlessly. I really just wanted my closest friends around me in case I freaked out, or if I woke up at 3am with a leg cramp or something, but I got so, so much more than I ever could have imagined.
These guys took 3 days off of work to come hang out in Madison with me. They prepared and hung door decorations for me and all of our other race-friends so we would wake up on race morning and know we were loved. They secretly made fun cheer signs for the race course, enhanced their cheering efforts with cowbells and cheer goodies, and were the first ones at the finish line to hug me (and weep with me. We wept like little bitches).
 | |
| TEAM HONEY BADGER!!! |
Purely
Fantastic!
Ironman Swim 2.4 miles Time 1:14:24
The swim was pretty wet. I'll never get used to that... ;)
I was very happy with my swim. Not just the time, though I was about 6 minutes under my estimate, but also with my positioning, race strategy, mental state and overall experience.
 |
| where's waldo? |
I started at the very farthest inside of the group and I was only about 4 rows back from the start line. Everyone was just sort of hovering around, trying to save energy and stay calm. We all knew it was closing in on 7am and so when the cannon went off there was nothing left to do but start moving forward. You get so occupied with trying to notch out a little space that you don't really have time to freak out. Or at least I didn't. I'm very comfortable in open water, and I avoided the dreaded "middle of the pack" that I was warned about, and I think these things made a big difference for me. I also am used to a little physical contact since I grew up doing karate (and getting kicked in the head for a living!) and so I didn't get freaked out when people touched me.
I've heard horror stories about some of my friends getting punched, grabbed, and swam over, but I had none of those things happen. I had one elbow slightly graze my nose, and I had people touching my feet and legs, but that was it.
Before I knew it, I was out of the water, having my wetsuit ripped off my body, and running up the helix towards transition. On my way up, I yelled hello to Scott Penticoff, who was the only familiar face I saw, and then I was in the convention center, grabbing my bag and heading into the changing room.
Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for part two. :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
My Final Thoughts as a (hopefully) Non-Ironman
A video for some Ironman Inspiration
As I sat on my couch last November icing my surgically repaired broken foot, I would watch the above video and try to wrap my mind around the idea that my Ironman season was still going to happen. As I looked at how swollen my foot was, and as I thought about how I wasn't going to be cleared for any physical activity until February, it almost seemed impossible.
But as Muhammad Ali once said, "Impossible is Nothing"
I'm not one to use excessive swearing in my blog, but I just have to say: HOLY SHIT!!!! Ironman Wisconsin is less than three weeks away and I am so FREAKING excited and happy and...ready...and... actually not really all that nervous... That surprises me a little, but then again not really.
I have spent so much time studying, practicing and planning for what i have to do on the "big day" that I haven't really left anything to chance. I've never been one for excessive worry and I always kept the big picture in my head.
As Tony Robbins says, "know your outcome". All season long I knew my outcome and I acted intentionally and accordingly to bring my plan to fruition: I declined plans with friends, I went to bed at 8:30pm some nights, woke up at 4:30am most mornings, said no to cookies, said yes to broccoli, said "I can do this" to myself every day and I trusted the people that I felt God called me to trust.
Most importantly, I trusted God with it all. Still do. I have had an amazing season and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cross the finish line on Sept 9th, but if my lesson lies in failure, then I will take what the day gives me and what God has handed me and I will make myself a better person with that experience.
So, if I'm not nervous, what exactly am I feeling? I think the best way I can describe it is to say that I'm preparing to suffer. I'm topping off my mental energy-stores now so that I can fully draw on them on race day and dig deep into my mind and get the motivation to not give up, to not be a quitter, no matter how bad I wanna just fall...flat on my face....TILL I COLLAPSE!!
Sorry, I had a little Eminem relapse there.
One of the reasons I am feeling so great about race day (I know, I know, it's still three weeks away, plenty could change in that time. I could break my toe while brushing my teeth...) is because my body has not only made it through all of the injuries and setbacks that it has encountered, but it suddenly seems to be thriving on this crazy diet of long workouts. Silly body.
I finally figure out that my body and I are in a relationship. It hasn't always been a healthy relationship, but it's getting better.
Historically, my body and I don't fight "well". We usually fight to win, not to work towards a common resolution. My body would do something stupid, I would be unforgiving and unrelenting in my punishment, and then I would accuse it of never being there for me and saying things like, "I know it wished it was with another, prettier brain".
But just as I am working on having better relationships with closest friends and family, I have also chosen to work on having a better relationship with myself.
In September of last year, my brain-body relationship got about as bad as it has ever been and so my body and I enrolled in this crazy therapy class called Ironman. It has been a rigorous and demanding 12 month program, and not always with pretty outcomes, but now as the sessions are winding down I can see how much better it has made our relationship. My body responds more readily and willingly to what I request of it, and I, in turn, try to be a much better listener.I've even started trying to have dinner on the table every night when it gets home from work! ;)
We still have our moments, but I now believe we are in this together and we will be together for the rest of my life.
After so many years of asking my body to help me, and time and again being rejected, this year I have a new trust in my body that it will do what I ask it to do. I asked it to bike 105 miles and it gave me a 110. I asked it to run 20 miles and it gave me a sprint at the finish (and an extreme demand for animal crackers afterwards, but I'm not holding that against it). I asked it to tell me when it needs a break and it has gently pushed me along, saying, "let's go. let's do this".
Now if I could only find a husband that's that awesome :)
In closing, I guess I'll leave this as my final thought for anyone that is in the throws of IM training, has been there, or will be there in the future:
I acknowledge that not everyone who has embarked on the journey to Ironman has had as positive of a journey as I had. Some people will fail or have failed before the finish line (maybe even me!!), some people have failed in their heart before the race even began and some people have sustained injury, illness or other circumstances that have pulled them away from their ultimate destination. Regardless of whether the journey has been positive or negative, no one can set a goal as big as Ironman and remain unchanged and so I can guarantee that none of us will remain unaffected. I just pray that regardless of how it may end or how it has ended that you can still see the worth and value of it all. Remember, positivity is a choice. You can find it in any outcome and in any situation.
The big race day is September 9th and the race starts at 7am in Madison, WI. If you're going to be in town let me know, and if you are at home you can track my progress throughout the day at http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php
My race number is 589
yikes!!
But as Muhammad Ali once said, "Impossible is Nothing"
I'm not one to use excessive swearing in my blog, but I just have to say: HOLY SHIT!!!! Ironman Wisconsin is less than three weeks away and I am so FREAKING excited and happy and...ready...and... actually not really all that nervous... That surprises me a little, but then again not really.
I have spent so much time studying, practicing and planning for what i have to do on the "big day" that I haven't really left anything to chance. I've never been one for excessive worry and I always kept the big picture in my head.
As Tony Robbins says, "know your outcome". All season long I knew my outcome and I acted intentionally and accordingly to bring my plan to fruition: I declined plans with friends, I went to bed at 8:30pm some nights, woke up at 4:30am most mornings, said no to cookies, said yes to broccoli, said "I can do this" to myself every day and I trusted the people that I felt God called me to trust.
Most importantly, I trusted God with it all. Still do. I have had an amazing season and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cross the finish line on Sept 9th, but if my lesson lies in failure, then I will take what the day gives me and what God has handed me and I will make myself a better person with that experience.
So, if I'm not nervous, what exactly am I feeling? I think the best way I can describe it is to say that I'm preparing to suffer. I'm topping off my mental energy-stores now so that I can fully draw on them on race day and dig deep into my mind and get the motivation to not give up, to not be a quitter, no matter how bad I wanna just fall...flat on my face....TILL I COLLAPSE!!
Sorry, I had a little Eminem relapse there.
One of the reasons I am feeling so great about race day (I know, I know, it's still three weeks away, plenty could change in that time. I could break my toe while brushing my teeth...) is because my body has not only made it through all of the injuries and setbacks that it has encountered, but it suddenly seems to be thriving on this crazy diet of long workouts. Silly body.
I finally figure out that my body and I are in a relationship. It hasn't always been a healthy relationship, but it's getting better.
Historically, my body and I don't fight "well". We usually fight to win, not to work towards a common resolution. My body would do something stupid, I would be unforgiving and unrelenting in my punishment, and then I would accuse it of never being there for me and saying things like, "I know it wished it was with another, prettier brain".
But just as I am working on having better relationships with closest friends and family, I have also chosen to work on having a better relationship with myself.
In September of last year, my brain-body relationship got about as bad as it has ever been and so my body and I enrolled in this crazy therapy class called Ironman. It has been a rigorous and demanding 12 month program, and not always with pretty outcomes, but now as the sessions are winding down I can see how much better it has made our relationship. My body responds more readily and willingly to what I request of it, and I, in turn, try to be a much better listener.I've even started trying to have dinner on the table every night when it gets home from work! ;)
We still have our moments, but I now believe we are in this together and we will be together for the rest of my life.
After so many years of asking my body to help me, and time and again being rejected, this year I have a new trust in my body that it will do what I ask it to do. I asked it to bike 105 miles and it gave me a 110. I asked it to run 20 miles and it gave me a sprint at the finish (and an extreme demand for animal crackers afterwards, but I'm not holding that against it). I asked it to tell me when it needs a break and it has gently pushed me along, saying, "let's go. let's do this".
Now if I could only find a husband that's that awesome :)
In closing, I guess I'll leave this as my final thought for anyone that is in the throws of IM training, has been there, or will be there in the future:
I acknowledge that not everyone who has embarked on the journey to Ironman has had as positive of a journey as I had. Some people will fail or have failed before the finish line (maybe even me!!), some people have failed in their heart before the race even began and some people have sustained injury, illness or other circumstances that have pulled them away from their ultimate destination. Regardless of whether the journey has been positive or negative, no one can set a goal as big as Ironman and remain unchanged and so I can guarantee that none of us will remain unaffected. I just pray that regardless of how it may end or how it has ended that you can still see the worth and value of it all. Remember, positivity is a choice. You can find it in any outcome and in any situation.
The big race day is September 9th and the race starts at 7am in Madison, WI. If you're going to be in town let me know, and if you are at home you can track my progress throughout the day at http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php
My race number is 589
yikes!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Chisago Lakes 70.3 Race Recap
On Sunday July 22nd I
attempted and completed The Chisago Lakes 70.3 Triathlon.
For my un-triathlonish friends, a
70.3 mile race consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.
It’s also known as a half-ironman. This was my first race of this distance, and
only my second triathlon ever. So far I have survived my new life as a
triathlete. The big one is next!
I have some mixed emotions about the
day and, as always, I have my experiences and takeaways to share, so let’s get
started, shall we?
Swim:
As I reflect on my swim, I can
really be nothing but pleased, especially if you know how far I’ve come since
last year.
As of last July I knew I wanted to
do an Ironman, and I knew I had some work to do on the swim, but I didn’t
realize just how much work until I decided to show up at an open water swim
training with some friends. I didn’t own a wet suit, and I had not attempted to
swim a lap in a pool in about 4 years, and even those attempts were largely
unsuccessful. I got in the water at that swim training and I could barely put my face in before I felt
like I was suffocating! I like to think I had trouble breathing because the
water was so so cold, but I’m pretty sure it was because I was so freaked out
and afraid I was going to drown.
At that point I thought, “note to
self: better learn how to swim”. So I signed up for the Hopkins Masters Swim
club and decided that pride go-ith before a swim, so get swimming!
I sucked.
I sucked
I sucked!
I actually sucked so bad that the
deck coach invented a special lane sheet just for me (Lane 1*) because I
couldn’t complete the lane 1 workout (ok, in all fairness, what lane 1 swimmer
can just hop in the pool after God knows how long and easily swim 2600-2800
yards in a workout?! How many freaking yards are lane 5 swimmers swimming?!?).
So, short story long, I don’t
totally suck any more, and I’ve managed to somehow make myself not only
proficient in technique, but also quite comfortable in open water (even without
a wet suit!!) and so I had a really relaxed and not too terribly slow 1.2 mile
swim. My chip time was 40:20. I can do better, but it was a great
start!
Random swim observations:
I felt great the entire swim and didn't over do it at all
the lake was gross and super weedy.
I had a little hitchhiker-seaweed
stuck to my timing chip for the whole swim and it was so
annoying!
I got smacked in the face and experienced the feel of a
super-suction goggle. I thought my eyeball was going to get sucked out! I didn’t freak out though and I just loosened it and kept
swimming… and I didn’t even get mad at the guy and try to punch him. I was so
calm for the whole swim. Almost an out-of-body experience. (luckily for that
guy!)
The swim was really wet. This one always catches me off-guard ;)
Transition 1
I came out of the water and started the process of disrobing. I declined the wetsuit stripper and made my way up the hill into T1. The hill was grassy and kinda steep and so I slipped a couple of times in the muddy patches. Got some mud in my toenails. Good thing I need a pedi.
My T1 was an unimpressive 2:53. I was ok with that though. I forgot to pack a little towel so I had to sit down and dry off my feet with my socks before I could get my footwear situated.
Bike
I have come to the conclusion that even if I totally hated biking I would still do it, because I do it fairly well with pretty minimal effort. It is definitely where my natural strength and talent lies. (I do like it, BTW).
The bike portion was pretty uneventful... except at about mile 30-ish. I was cruising down a hill going about 30 mph when I see this huge black bug flying at me. As I'm watching it ascend on me, it flys right down my tri top and into my bra!!
I some how managed to freakout and beat the crap out of my chest (I was so afraid it was a bee!!!) to ensure that I killed it, inspect the carnage, and scoop it out all without crashing! (Thank you, thank you very much!!). I'm glad no one was around me. that must have looked pretty weird.
This course was mainly flat, and that was fun but a little wearing on the body because there weren't really too many hills to take advantage of. I pushed pretty good for most of the ride, with only two spots where I had to slow down and regroup.
I know exactly where and why those regroups happened: There was a water "exchange" at mile 20 and one at mile 32. But they weren't really bottle exchanges, they were 20 oz bottles of water that they were handing out. Super awesome, but they don't sit in a bottle cage very well, and I refuse to get an aero bottle on the front of my bike.
You only have about 100 yards after the water stop where you are allowed to drop your used bottles, so you either have to slam the water and dump the bottle, or try to carry the bottle with you. It was too warm on race day to miss a chance for water, so at each stop I slammed as much as I could and then dumped the bottle. That was kinda hard on my tummy and I had to take a few minutes to digest.
Time on the bike was 2:49. Averaged 19.8 mph over the 56 miles. I'm pretty happy with that.
Transition 2
7:20. Had to strap on the mega ankle brace and then wait for the porta potty. nuff said :)
I did have some awesome company in T2. My wonderful teammate, Mary (aka Bacon or Bob) only did 2/3rds of the race, so she turned into our team cheering section. She came and kept me company while I strapped 50 pounds of Velcro to my foot!
She even took a picture of me!
I have mixed emotions about my run. I think that is because I always have mixed emotions about my run. I am a bad runner, I don't know how to suffer on the run, and it seems that no matter how fast or slow I go, my heart rate is always fluttering like a humming bird. I thought that losing some weight would help, but I don't seem to have gotten any faster. I suppose I have to remember that I have only been cleared to run again for like 3 weeks, but still. Looking at objective data is discouraging. In both of my tris this year, it has taken me almost as long to do the run as it has to do the bike. My run time for the 13.1 miles was 2:28.
Serious disparity: 56 miles in 2:49, 13 miles in 2:28. I know that it's not a direct translation, but if this trend keeps up, it's going to take me 7 hours to do the marathon for Ironman!! (note to self: learn how to run!!)
Finish line!
and then I was done! This race was hot, and I was pretty tired by the end, but my ankle held up nicely, my nutrition was rock solid, and I stayed as well hydrated as I could. Even cooler than all that? I had awesome friends waiting for me at the finish!!! man I have great friends. Thanks for sticking around after your own hot races to cheer me home. I would be lost without my Honey Badgers!!!
a surprise gift in my schwag bag. Paper plates. how...nice...
WTF?!
Closing thoughts on this race: A lot of my friends denounce this race as being poorly organized and badly managed. They say that the course sucks and the accommodations are bad. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into, but throughout the whole process I was much happier than I thought I was going to be!
I didn't think it was poorly run at all. The course was very well marked. The volunteers were abundant and helpful. The distances were perfectly accurate and I felt safe and well taken care of... especially for a local race with a pretty reasonable entry fee.
My only three observations: the bike racks were a bit unstable, transition area was a little crammed, and the shirts were super ugly.
I'm not sure I'd do the race again, but only because it is pretty far away from the cities. I don't like waking up at 4am to get to a race.
ok that's all for this race report. The next race report you get from me will be sometime after September 9th!!!!!!!!
holy crap. I hope I enjoyed my "rest week" I just had, because things are going to get ugly real quick. :-/
Friday, July 20, 2012
Some lessons from an unqualified teacher...
I walked
into the bathroom a couple of days ago and as I looked in the mirror I almost
didn't recognize the person standing there. My first thought was, "when did my
hair get so long?" But even beyond that, I think it was the first time that I
really noticed how much I've changed in the past couple of months. My once-snug
workout clothes now hang loosely from my shoulders, my face is thinner and I
have a healthy glow on my cheeks. Up until that point I think I had seen it in
small ways, but never as such a... transformation.
It's no secret that I made a choice to tackle my nutrition head-on a couple of months ago, and I guess you could say that my hard work is really starting to pay dividends. I have lost 28 pounds since that time and I'm feeling better and more settled into my choices every day. I think people can see my story unfolding every day.
I feel like this blog has sort of turned into my own personal trumpet, however: Sounding off about how great I feel and how amazing my journey to health, wellness and fitness has been.
It's all true, but I don't want to just make people envious of my accomplishments. I want people to have what I have. I want people to have more vibrant energy, a better attitude, optimism, hope, determination, discipline... Most importantly, I want people to create their own amazing story. I want everyone to have chapter after chapter of amazing self-discoveries, relationships strengthened, goals reached, lessons learned and missions accomplished.
It's no secret that I made a choice to tackle my nutrition head-on a couple of months ago, and I guess you could say that my hard work is really starting to pay dividends. I have lost 28 pounds since that time and I'm feeling better and more settled into my choices every day. I think people can see my story unfolding every day.
I feel like this blog has sort of turned into my own personal trumpet, however: Sounding off about how great I feel and how amazing my journey to health, wellness and fitness has been.
It's all true, but I don't want to just make people envious of my accomplishments. I want people to have what I have. I want people to have more vibrant energy, a better attitude, optimism, hope, determination, discipline... Most importantly, I want people to create their own amazing story. I want everyone to have chapter after chapter of amazing self-discoveries, relationships strengthened, goals reached, lessons learned and missions accomplished.
So, what kind of advice would I give people who want
what I have? I'm not sure I have anything profound to say, but here are some of
the lessons that I feel have been instrumental:
1) Improvement is not made in a linear progression. It
truly is a journey and your journey probably started long before your latest fad
diet.
I was sitting on the floor the other day, stretching,
and I was looking at the titles of the books in my bookcase. It contains titles
like: "The 5 Love Languages", "When Life's Not Working", "Do Hard Things", The
Bible... There are lots of fiction titles in there too, but I noticed a pattern
of books that are meant to stimulate thought, improve attitude and help people
change directions. My journey didn't start on May 3rd with a 24 day challenge;
it started years ago when I felt a pull in my heart to be a better person. Since
that time I've made some improvements and at the same time experienced a lot of
setbacks and failures.
2) In keeping with #1, I think lesson #2 is: don't think
in such “absolutes” (or maybe “be gentle with yourself”). If you are at point A,
and you take 2 steps towards point B but then one step backwards, Why is that considered a failure?
I've heard it said that it's the direction, not the
intention that matters. I agree, but that can be misleading because a step back
sounds like it's the wrong direction, right? But I think that the step back is
where the learning happens and it is essential for forward progress. Pretty soon
the steps start carrying you forward with greater momentum, and there are fewer
steps backwards.
3) You won’t make the progress you desire if your
biggest concern is being comfortable. The discomfort is where the magic happens.
I’m often times hungry, tired, overwhelmed and stressed. I can’t tell you how
much I want to turn my alarm off and go back to sleep some mornings. But I
don’t. I gently pull myself into the day and I do what I have to do to reach for
my goals. It’s uncomfortable.
I hope that if I continue to view comfort as a luxury
instead of a necessity, I will not take it for granted. I firmly believe that
you can let comfort turn into a gluttony. That’s the plateau I was stuck at for
the past couple of years. I wanted to achieve big things, but I wanted to live
an unstructured life. I wanted to lose weight, but I wanted it to be easy and
effortless. My journey has been none of those things.
4) Don’t desire to have exactly what I have. Want your
own journey. I think it’s tempting for people to want to replicate exactly what
I do, what I eat and how I work out, hoping that they will see the exact same
results. But that will never work. There are so many things that happen inside
of me that I could never communicate. I have 33 years of life wrapped up in my
actions.
I definitely think you should seek advice from people
you admire and try to replicate some of their behaviors, but don’t grade your
success or failure on someone else’s scorecard.
5) You have, have, HAVE to invest in your nutrition if
you want to make changes. Nutrition is not just a concept for weight loss.
Nutrition is the foundation for wellness, energy, motivation, stamina, mental
clarity. The list goes on and on. If you don’t eat right, you are automatically
setting yourself up for failure in whatever you are trying to accomplish.
You must learn to eat healthy and consistently and well.
I also believe that you have to supplement correctly, especially if your goal is
an athletic endeavor.
I can help you find some resources if you feel like you
are struggling in this area. But again, I’m not an expert. I have just found
what works for me. Hopefully you can find what works for you, too!
I think that about covers it. Hopefully that helped kick up some brain dust
Happy Friday, people. Happy Friday!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
hello?
hello my dear readers. Sorry for the long delay in between posts... Let's see: do I lament the fact that it has been almost a month since my last post, or rejoice in the fact that I'm finding a little time to do this blog now?... since I've been a little beyond what you'd call "busy", lately, I think I'll celebrate. Queue the balloon drop and confetti!!
The start of IMOO on September 9th is only 62 days and 14 hours away. Training is starting to get pretty looooonnngg. Yesterday was an 80 mile bike and today was a OWS and a run... only 6 miles for me, but if I was "on schedule" it probably would have been about a 13 miler. Not that I'm happy to be having ankle issues, but if it saves me from having to run 13 miles then I say "bring on the Tendonitis!!". Just kidding.
Quick ankle update since I haven't really shared what is going on: I had a major flare-up of peronial tendonitis back at the beginning of June. So bad I thought my ankle was broken and had to go get an MRI.
Since then, I have been doing PT twice a week, not running (elliptical instead. booooorrrriiiiiinnnggg), icing and stretching, and now, a month later, I FINALLY feel like I'm making some progress. At least as of this week I'm able to run again, and I have a fancy new brace to wear on my foot. It's big and bulky and not really comfortable, but it seems to be doing me right, so far...
And with that, now the real work begins. back to 3 days a week of running (if it continues to be tolerated), culminating with my long weekend runs of 6 miles this week, 8 miles next week and then my first 1/2 Ironman (13 miles) on the 22nd. Technically I'm not signed up for it yet, but I am planning on doing Chisago. Suppose I should sign up for that one of these days, huh? :)
As some of you know, I had been working for a video game distributor for the past 2 1/2 years. Many of you also know that I never really quite found my fit there and basically started looking for my next career opportunity as soon as I sat at my desk the first day. :). Well, fast forward to last month and I finally found the right fit, and so I left my boring, un-challenging, albeit sorta stable, job, and launched into my new, exciting and interesting job as an insurance adjuster at Travelers Insurance.
I think starting a new job is fun, I wouldn't want to do it every 2 years, however. The different commute made everything weird for the first couple of weeks but now I'm settling in to my new routine.
I am now located in Downtown St Paul. It's nice to be back in civilization again, but it took a little getting used to. Let's just say that for the first couple of weeks I never seemed to make it to bed before 11pm, only to be jarred awake at 4:45 am so I could try and squeeze in all my workouts, appointments and social things. It's better now, but I almost ripped my hair out for a bit.
A couple of more random things before I sign off:
-I'm super excited to report that I got a proper fitting on my tri bike and now I am finally seeing some progress and actually enjoying being on my bike. Things were touch-and-go for awhile. My girl parts were always in pain, my shoulders were tired, I felt super stretched out and I was sloooowww. At one point, I was averaging about 14 mph, and was about one bad decision away from picking up my bike and throwing it into the ditch on one of my rides.
But since I visited the bike fit guru, my comfort level is up, my speed is up (way up, averaged 17.9 over 80 miles yesterday), my ankle feels better on the bike, and my attitude is much better all around. yay!
-I got attacked by a dog on my ride last weekend. I was out on Wisconsin Hwy 35, in the middle of nowhere, when some yippy little thing came barreling at me. I'm still not sure if I ran over him or if he just yelped because he skidded to a stop so hard as he was about to plow into my bike. Either way, I wasn't stopping to check because he was trying to bite my leg. Little asshole. It's a common country hazard that I've been fortunate to avoid up until then. :)
- I have raised $1,220 so far for my Breast Cancer fundraiser. If you haven't donated yet, or just want to learn more about what I'm doing, check out the link:
http://ironman.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1004760&supid=356319422
signing off. It's time to go eat hamburgers :)
The start of IMOO on September 9th is only 62 days and 14 hours away. Training is starting to get pretty looooonnngg. Yesterday was an 80 mile bike and today was a OWS and a run... only 6 miles for me, but if I was "on schedule" it probably would have been about a 13 miler. Not that I'm happy to be having ankle issues, but if it saves me from having to run 13 miles then I say "bring on the Tendonitis!!". Just kidding.
Quick ankle update since I haven't really shared what is going on: I had a major flare-up of peronial tendonitis back at the beginning of June. So bad I thought my ankle was broken and had to go get an MRI.
Since then, I have been doing PT twice a week, not running (elliptical instead. booooorrrriiiiiinnnggg), icing and stretching, and now, a month later, I FINALLY feel like I'm making some progress. At least as of this week I'm able to run again, and I have a fancy new brace to wear on my foot. It's big and bulky and not really comfortable, but it seems to be doing me right, so far...
And with that, now the real work begins. back to 3 days a week of running (if it continues to be tolerated), culminating with my long weekend runs of 6 miles this week, 8 miles next week and then my first 1/2 Ironman (13 miles) on the 22nd. Technically I'm not signed up for it yet, but I am planning on doing Chisago. Suppose I should sign up for that one of these days, huh? :)
As some of you know, I had been working for a video game distributor for the past 2 1/2 years. Many of you also know that I never really quite found my fit there and basically started looking for my next career opportunity as soon as I sat at my desk the first day. :). Well, fast forward to last month and I finally found the right fit, and so I left my boring, un-challenging, albeit sorta stable, job, and launched into my new, exciting and interesting job as an insurance adjuster at Travelers Insurance.
I think starting a new job is fun, I wouldn't want to do it every 2 years, however. The different commute made everything weird for the first couple of weeks but now I'm settling in to my new routine.
I am now located in Downtown St Paul. It's nice to be back in civilization again, but it took a little getting used to. Let's just say that for the first couple of weeks I never seemed to make it to bed before 11pm, only to be jarred awake at 4:45 am so I could try and squeeze in all my workouts, appointments and social things. It's better now, but I almost ripped my hair out for a bit.
A couple of more random things before I sign off:
-I'm super excited to report that I got a proper fitting on my tri bike and now I am finally seeing some progress and actually enjoying being on my bike. Things were touch-and-go for awhile. My girl parts were always in pain, my shoulders were tired, I felt super stretched out and I was sloooowww. At one point, I was averaging about 14 mph, and was about one bad decision away from picking up my bike and throwing it into the ditch on one of my rides.
But since I visited the bike fit guru, my comfort level is up, my speed is up (way up, averaged 17.9 over 80 miles yesterday), my ankle feels better on the bike, and my attitude is much better all around. yay!
-I got attacked by a dog on my ride last weekend. I was out on Wisconsin Hwy 35, in the middle of nowhere, when some yippy little thing came barreling at me. I'm still not sure if I ran over him or if he just yelped because he skidded to a stop so hard as he was about to plow into my bike. Either way, I wasn't stopping to check because he was trying to bite my leg. Little asshole. It's a common country hazard that I've been fortunate to avoid up until then. :)
- I have raised $1,220 so far for my Breast Cancer fundraiser. If you haven't donated yet, or just want to learn more about what I'm doing, check out the link:
http://ironman.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1004760&supid=356319422
signing off. It's time to go eat hamburgers :)
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