Life in the Big Ring

Building Again

2009-11-11T09:49:00.003-07:00

Here's the latest update......I am building my house again after the "fire" (I really don't want to offend anyone that has actually been through an actual fire)! I picked up my computer yesterday from the data recovery dude in Boulder. And the good news is, I have more data than I thought I would get back! Bad news, I have lost all recently created pages and numbers documents. And all of Isabelle's baby pictures from the first 3 months of her life (but I'm pretty sure my mom can help me out with this one). And I have to reorganize all of my 3000+ emails into their proper categories (I use email as a filing system for personal and business). And I have to re-do all photo events for the last six years. And I lost all of my play lists on iTunes. And for some reason the recovery process duplicated lots (500+???) songs that now need to be deleted. But hey, I have data!!! So even though I am looking at hours and hours of work in front of my computer......it's OK. I can deal with this.

And bless my wonderful husband, he took on the whole "negotiating with Apple" part of the deal. And as of last night, I feel mildly satisfied at what they are doing for us. Of course, it is not compensation because they are not liable for data loss blah blah blah. But they are at least doing something.

Speaking of my husband, a big Happy Birthday Michael!!! You are my rock, my love, and I cannot imagine life without you!! Have a wonderful day:)

Oh, and that other little thing around the corner......Clearwater???!!! Yep, hopping on a plane in the morning and racing on Saturday. I am excited! I'm looking forward to meeting new peeps, and racing in another "worlds" this year. I have my race plan and nutrition plan all set up, now it's just getting to the start line. Of course, I am traveling with my buddies PIC Sonja and Anthony and I know we will have fun:)

I will try to post an update or 2 and I believe you can follow live on www.ironman.com. Just look up my last name and make sure I got out of the water without too much bruising and ego bashing (last world's experience). My start time is 7:15!

Ciao for now!

Apple Burned My House Down

2009-11-07T08:01:00.003-07:00

Or, alternative title...The Things I Lost in the Fire. There was not an actual fire I assure you but the only way to describe the loss I have experienced over the last week is to compare it to that. PIC and I got to ride outside the other day....it was glorious and 75 degrees. As we talked about what happened, she said just that. It's like your house burned down.

It's my computer. My mac. My life. Apple has ruled my world since 2006 and actually before that I think. I am an Apple lover and we are an Apple family (except for Michael's work stuff)....an iphone (my second one since they don't actually swim), 3 shuffles (only 1 currently works), 3 nanos, 2 classics. I need a laptop soon since my kids are taking over the desktop and a macbook pro was at the top of my list. Was.

So what happened you ask? I upgraded my operating system to Snow Leopard about a month ago since I wanted to upgrade my iPhoto and do more things with my 4,000+ photos. Easier editing, better organizing....it all sounded so wonderful. I put more memory in the mac to handle the new OS and at the beginning of October I was up and running! It was great! I love iPhoto. iTunes was pretty much the same and I also changed my mail option to mac mail. For the last month I have been editing, sorting etc. etc. Snow Leopard also prompted me to set up a guest account. Great! I was thinking about having the kids work/play there and not potentially mess up my stuff. But Sunday night my computer went to sleep while I was putting the kids to bed. I came back down to check email and accidentally clicked on the guest account. It took a very long time to log in. Way too long. So I hit escape to try to get back into the main log in screen. Once there I logged into my account.

And it was gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. I did what any person who has had experience with an IT department does. I rebooted. And logged in again. And once again. Gone. I literally panicked. I may have screamed. I freaked out. Michael freaked too. It was all gone. The programs were there but they were empty. iTunes prompted me to start a new account. Same with iPhoto and mail. WTF? The documentation of my children growing up over the last seven years. Years of building a great iTunes. And my mail. All documentation of my work, my business, receipts. Gone. As I type this I am shaking again. Garmin data for the last 3 years? Gone.

After 30 minutes on the line with Apple support on Monday, I get this.....we know about this problem with Snow Leopard and guest accounts but we can't help you. You need to go to a third party data recovery specialist. WTF? I was crying trying to keep my shit together and not rip the Apple guy's head off on the phone.....because I know that as much as that may have made me feel a tad bit better, it wouldn't have accomplished anything else. So I find a data recovery specialist and after several days of him looking into the problem here's what we know. He has found raw data files but it doesn't have any information on it like date stamps or anything helpful like that. He feels pretty confident that he can recover most photos (THANK YOU!!!), all of iTunes, and not so sure about mail and any other documentation. All for the low low low cost of $700. And, more than likely, I will have days and weeks of work to go back in and reorganize all the data.

And what is Apple doing to help us out? Well, at this point, nothing. Nothing!! They keep pointing the finger back at me......because I didn't back up my data. See, because I had the new OS, I was a tad bit lazy getting around to backing up my computer. I was confident that I was OK with Snow Leopard. I have a hard drive. It's just unused and empty. But is this problem really my fault? I think not. This is a known problem to Apple and there are no warnings out there. No one told me at the Apple store....BTW don't set up a guest account you may lose all your data.....no warnings. So tell me, what is your data worth to you? How much would you pay for it? How much should Apple?

I will get my computer back on Tuesday. And we'll see what I've got. I am mildly hopeful but I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking how stupid I was for trusting my OS and not backing up. And freaking out that I may have lost all those wonderful family photos. My children's history......My business.......My life......

Lessons here peeps???? BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!!!!

AHHHHHH

2009-11-04T12:39:00.002-07:00

So last week, I didn't have much to say.....this week I do. But on Sunday night after dancing with the girls to a variety of music on my computer (including Thriller!) I somehow managed to delete everything on my computer. Or maybe not delete. It's just hiding. Somewhere. Every single piece of information on my iMac. You know, like every single photo taken the last 6+ years. My iTunes? Yep, it's gone too. Tax returns, word files and even my mail. Just gone.

I call up Apple Support on Monday morning and talk with "Mark". Mark has no clue what I have done except that it has something to do with a guest account. (I accidentally hit guest account to log in after putting the girls to bed rather than my account) "Mark" put me on hold to talk with someone who apparently knew alot more than he did and when he got back on the line I got the dreaded......"this is probably not what you want to hear but you'll need to try to get you data recovered from a third party"....... Are you f***king kidding me? I go to the wrong account and my data disappears into thin air. Really? Oh, and the kicker - "Mark" tells me that this problem is known to Apple (I just recently upgraded my operating system to Snow Leopard) and they are working on a solution. That made me feel tons better. How about you?

My computer is now sitting with some recovery expert dude and I am waiting to find out how much this will cost. And how long it will take. In the meantime, I have hijacked my hubby's computer while he is out!!! Fun, fun, fun.

Thanks Apple!! Appreciate the support for your f***ked up operating system Snow Leopard. Beware out there peeps and back up your data!!!!!!!! And don't use any sort of guest account!

On the training front, I am finishing up a pretty tough week (snow storm included) and am fried! But should be just enough time to be recovered and rested for Clearwater! I can't wait for the after race margarita on the beach, toes in sand:)

Blogity Blog Blog Blah

2009-10-26T09:49:00.007-06:00

Blogity blog blog blah blah blah. You may (or more likely, not) have noticed that I am taking a bit of a blog break this week. I just don't have that much to say! (Gasp, the shock, the horror!) Life is nice and settled right now and we have cruised to the end of October. As I type this, we are in the midst of a winter storm warning and I think I have yet another foot of snow that needs to be shoveled. Naturally, Michael bolted out of town for business yesterday so it's up to me to get it done. Total bummer. For him.....I decided not to shovel his side of the garage!!!

Where's the bush?

Not much to report on the training front either. Clearwater is a couple of weeks away and I have been getting my final workouts done although the weather is not cooperating. It is only October and me and my trainer have already been spending way too much time together. This could be a tough winter!! I just have to trust in the work I did all summer long, focus on my nutrition and go out there and have fun all day long (well half day)!!

I've been spending lots of time thinking about next season as well as Halloween and all the candy my kids will bring home. But next season is shaping up!! I have my preliminary "A" races and then of course my "A/B" races. There will be races in Arizona, Knoxville, Kansas, Budapest, Alabama and a really, really long race next November either in Florida or Arizona.....

But right now, I have that pre-race build tiredness thingy going on. And the I could eat more thingy going on. And, wow that couch looks way comfy thingy going on too. Less than three weeks to Florida. A quick little trip with my peeps Sonja, Anthony and Steve. Another half-Ironman under my belt.

Here are some fun photos!

Isabelle as the Monkey King in a production of "The Little Frog"

Nana and Iz

Silly Char and Iz at the Fall Festival last weekend

Char the pirate!

Iz the cat!

Denver Half Marathon 2009

2009-10-19T09:13:00.004-06:00

I signed up for this race back in August for a couple of reasons. First, I really like this race - it showcases the best of Denver and it is about as flat as you can get at altitude. Second, I thought it might make some sense to have a half marathon under my belt going into Clearwater, at best this would be a quality training day and I was hoping to PR or it would just be a good training day. And third, I figured if I was going to do it, may as well sign up before the big price increases!

On Saturday I woke up with a scratch in my throat after sleeping 10 hours....not a good sign. And then my tummy turned on me. Not good, but may have been attributable to the mass amounts of coffee I ingested earlier in the day. A PR?? Really, my goal was to beat my 1/2 marathon time off the bike at Kansas 70.3 earlier in the year. But could I do this without the good 2.5 hour "warm-up" of being on the bike? With a cold? I knew I would get up and race regardless of how I felt and I knew that I would do whatever I could with the run with whatever I was "given" on that particular day.

But race morning was kind of interesting! Sure, I still had that horrible cough/itchy throat thingy going on.....got my breakfast down (and yes, it was my favorite pre-race breaky Mix1!!) and then realized that I was indeed a tad bit nervous! Why was this? I am usually not nervous before a running race so this was a bit unexpected. And then I figured out why.....I wanted to PR. I had a time in mind and I knew it was realistic and I really wanted to do it, I'm pretty sure I haven't approached a run race with that mindset before!

Michael and the kiddos got me to the race in plenty of time to warm up (PIC Sonja ran down to the race site even though she wasn't racing and she warmed up with me!!!) and then I got positioned around the right pace group. I felt pretty good at this point but maybe a tad dehydrated so I knew I would need to take in some fluids along the way. No worries though and then we were off!

I was towards the front of the start line so the pace was a bit quicker from the get-go. I kept my eye on my heart rate and the first mile came in around 7:50. Perfect. Next mile was a bit quicker at 7:33 and I had to remind myself that I also wanted to negative split this. So I just kept my heart rate in the range I knew would get me to the finish line. And so it went for the first 6 miles, keeping myself in check so that I could pick it up (or in this case maintain my pace) to the end. As the miles ticked by I knew that I had a good chance at my PR but as I hit mile 10 and that uphill to Cheesman Park, my legs started feeling heavy and my breathing was a bit more labored. Uhhhhhgggghhhh, a 7:54 on that mile. Got to the top and kept pushing on the downhill and then I got a sight for my sore tired eyes. Boo Yah Tyler was at the Park cheering on the runners!! I loved seeing him and although I couldn't speak, I waved to him and that gave me a little lift on the remaining downhill. Now onto mile 11 and I heard Bethie cheering (didn't know it was her at the time!!) and that gave me another lift. And then PIC was there running beside me telling me to watch my breathing, relax my shoulders and hands and that I was doing great and to keep the pace up. That mile clocked in at my fastest at 7:21......I managed to tell her something to the effect of you're killing me but really what I wanted to say was thank you. And then I was in the final mile running up Lincoln. I had no capacity to pick it up but my pace did not slow down. I even passed a girl in the finish chute.

1:41. A PR!!! And 9th in my age group, 68th woman overall. I will not lie, those last couple of miles hurt, but you know what? It is supposed to hurt. I even had those thoughts....you know the ones. The why am I doing this? But then I crossed the finish line and saw my wonderful family. The hurt subsided and I was left with a great feeling of accomplishment. So thank you to my peeps, PIC, and my family for the cheering and everything else. And to Trakkers, it was a great experience to wear the device (didn't even notice it!) and hopefully help them out bringing it to market.

With that report, I have just one more race on the schedule for the year: Clearwater!!!

Racing With Trakkers!

2009-10-16T16:45:00.004-06:00

This weekend I'll be lacing up the ol' running shoes and heading downtown to run the Denver Half Marathon. The weather will be gorgeous and this course is awesome - running through downtown, passing by the Pepsi Center and Coors Field, then running to City Park, then to Cheesman Park. I also really enjoy making the turn towards the finish line for the half while the marathoners go straight!! (No worries mate, I have a marathon on my schedule for January)

But the really cool thing about this race is that I am testing a Trakkers device while I run. Trakkers is a cool company that has developed a GPS device (about the size of a beeper) that you hook onto your shorts. It then sends information about your race to a website and friends and family can "watch" you run from their computer! Because they are still in development, your feedback is critical and needed. I have copied the email I received from Carole at Trakkers about the process. If you are awake at 7:00am on Sunday morning, please give this a try and give some honest feedback - it will be appreciated!

Below is the link you can send to your loved ones to use to follow you on race day. At this point I don’t think our application is compatible with iPhone but we are moving in that direction. I think (but am not 100% certain) this test is only viewable from a computer – and I have heard MAC causes problems. ?

(Feel free to forward this email to your friends and family if you’d rather not take the time to explain everything I am below.)

When sending the link to your friends and family, please ask them to fill out the online user survey they’ll find on race day. We are specifically not giving online user instructions how to navigate the system as this is part of our test (frankly, it’s the primary purpose). We realize not every person who wants to follow their loved one will be computer savvy and we are trying to create a system that is fairly intuitive to navigate. Our online user feedback has been critical to improvements and we truly appreciate everyone’s time they’ve taken to give feedback on their experience.

I thank you (and your friends and family) in advance for any feedback they offer. Ultimately, we are creating this device and website for THEM so they can follow you during your training and racing. Knowing how to make this better for them is our primary objective.

We are continuing to make modifications to URL page until race day, so know the final version will not be ready until the morning of the race. Also, if you have difficulty getting to this page, try copying and pasting the URL directly.

Here is the link they will go to on race day.
http://www.trakkersgps.com/trackevents/event-test.aspx?eventid=16&subeventid=19

Thanks again for your help! We are excited for this test and eager for your loved ones to have an intimate connection to your progress!

K2 Pink Chase Fundraiser

2009-10-07T08:25:00.004-06:00

So who do you know? I'm sure there is someone. Someone you know that has breast cancer. Or someone who has survived. And maybe even someone who has died. 1 in 8. That is the statistic. In your lifetime, you or someone in your circle of friends and colleagues will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That is a frightening statistic. I know many people......my mom, a grandma, a friend's mom, did I mention my mom, and a friend diagnosed at age 39. I also know Amy who was recently diagnosed at age 31 while 35 weeks pregnant. I know women that have died. And I'm only 40....how many more women that I know will have this diagnosis in the next 10 years? 20 years? How many do you know?

Clearly, more research and money need to be thrown at this cause. So I have teamed up with Amy Dannwolf and PIC Sonja Wieck to form Team Bunnies For Boobies and participate in K2's Pink Chase Fundraiser. The Pink Chase raises money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a foundation committed to finding a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by providing critical funding for innovative clinical and translational research at leading medical centers worldwide and increasing public awareness about good breast health.

What is the Pink Chase all about? This is the fun part......teams of three women compete for the most vertical skied, most creative costumes, and most money raised. Amy, Sonja, and I are all over this challenge!! Not only are we badass triathletes, but we also love to ski and rip it up on the slopes! And since we are all not really competitive (hahahaha) at all, we are completely excited to go and rip up Keystone Mountain on December 12 and compete for the grand prize.

How do you fit in the picture? Well, we need your support!! Powder7 and Smith Optics have already committed to supporting our team (remember, that's Bunnies For Boobies) and now we need your help!! Please consider making a donation here, and remember that lots of companies will MATCH your donation!! Amy, Sonja, and I want to make a difference and are committed to this cause. Please help us out!!

By the way, I just mentioned Powder7 and if you are looking for skis this is the place to go! Check them out!

Smith Optics is a sponsor of the Pink Chase and is helping out Bunnies For Boobies out as well, check out these googles we will be wearing (in hot pink of course)!

So please, consider making a donation! And remember, grope your wife/girlfriend and save the boobies!

Worlds Race Photos

2009-10-06T14:08:00.006-06:00

As promised, here are a few of my favorite race photos from Worlds. Thank you thank you to PIC's dad Eric Willis for hanging out photographing all the action that day. If we are elite age group triathletes, then Eric is an elite age group photographer!! These are all of his photos.

Transition. We ran over that bridge out of T2.

Me at the swim start. Sure they all look like nice women.

Just don't get in their way!

I'm on the right being overtaken by a pack of women. Oh, right. There wasn't any drafting....

Run Ford Run!

Running it in

Me and PIC post race. Yep, that's my dad in the background.

Sonja, me and Beth goofing off after the race

Of course, the butt shot!

7.5 Weeks

2009-10-05T08:41:00.007-06:00

I look at that title "7.5 Weeks" and think no, nothing interesting like the movie "9 1/2 Weeks". And while we're on that subject, what in the heck happened to Mickey Rourke? In that movie he was hotness in front of a fridge. And today....did you see The Wrestler? Plastic surgery gone awry? Yick.

But I digress.

Yeah, I've been taking a little break from blog-land. It's the only break I'm getting right now too. So while a lot of my friends and training partners have eased into their post-season fun trail running, mountain biking, sleeping in, staying up late, I am into my last build to Clearwater in 7.5 weeks. Yikes. And the problem is......well, I have to admit the season is getting long.

My first race was back in April!! Rage in the Sage immediately followed by a non-race but big event nonetheless: Rim to (almost) Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. From there I raced Bolder Boulder, then onto Kansas for my first Ironman 70.3 race. Then Boulder Peak, State Games of America, Nationals and Worlds. There was also an 80 mile bike race and a crit in there as well. Phew - that's a lot of racing. Denver Half Marathon for a "training" race in a couple weeks. And then it's down to just one race left....and it's on another "world" stage.

But I'm ready to put in the work. I'm ready for another few weeks of tough training. I'm ready for the mental challenge of a 70.3 race. I know I can put together a sound race strategy and nutrition plan and I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. I know my goals. Sure it could be another tough swim. And I know (doesn't everyone) that the bike is just a big draft-fest (there's a reason it's also known as Cheatwater).

So yes, the season is getting long. But I am still doing what I love to do. I get to be outside even on crappy days (either the weather or me) and watch the season turn into fall - my favorite time of year. I'm running, I'm swimming (more time in the pool!!), and I am on my bike. And I have no shortage of training partners.....PIC, Steve, and Anthony are all headed to Florida with me. And after that???? Oh yeah. I signed up for a marathon!!

Crazy is as Crazy does. 7.5 weeks.

Australia pictures part 2

2009-09-28T12:04:00.010-06:00

So here's how this was supposed to work: go to the Apple store to purchase iLife '09, go home and immediately install new software and the all important iPhoto upgrade (which I have resisted until I saw the editing feature in action), edit all Australia photos while baking cookies and whistling, publish said fabulous, edited photos on blog within days of returning from trip.

And here's what actually happened: accidentally purchased family pack of iLife '09 that I don't need from Apple store, decide to install anyway and return the next day, pop in the disk only to find out that I need to upgrade my operating system to run new iLife '09, also discover that I need more memory to do any of this and order another memory card to install, and since I want iLife '09 and a new operating system Apple made the decision for me that I must also include iWork in the software package. Even if I don't need/want it. Follow? To sum up, I have not edited one single picture. Oh well, here are some highlights from week 2!

We left the Gold Coast on Monday morning after the race and road tripped up North. I was hoping to hit the southern edge of the Great Barrier Reef and force the kids on a boat so Michael and I could snorkel but we didn't make it that far. We can only take so much "are we there yets", "I have to go to the bathroom," "I'm hungry" in a couple of hours!! Our first stop was a cool little town called Mooloolaba and its sister Maroochydore. Great beaches, great food but we only stayed a night and then went to the Australia Zoo. This is the zoo that Steve Irwin founded and it was an awesome place! After visiting the zoo we went further up the coast and ended up in a great little town called Noosa Heads. We found a great apartment 1 block from the beach and a cafe with "free" wifi!! Of all the strange things, free wifi was scarce any where we went in Australia!!!

Isabelle before this trip held her nose every time she went under the water. Well, not anymore....she is now learning to boogie board and body surf!

Charlotte petting a baby alligator at the Australia Zoo.

Charlotte and Isabelle fed Asian elephants too!

Of course, there was a great croc show....Crikey, look at the size of that thing!

There were even pony rides!

These are wombats. Pretty cute and cuddly too but apparently you don't want to pet these guys.

Building sand castles.

Yep, I decided it was time to take a surf lesson! That's me getting yelled at by the instructor.

Wiping out....

Standing up!!!! OK, this surfing stuff is hard work, after 2 hours I was exhausted!

From the Sunshine Coast, we flew back to Sydney where we met up with my parents. They had a few days to themselves (sans kids/grandkids) to enjoy Sydney and then we came in and crashed their "quiet" party. We took a double decker bus tour of the city!

The opera house is just as amazing in person as it is in pictures and movies.

As is the Harbor Bridge...

Some random water fountain that I really liked. Sydney is a lovely and clean city!! We will return some day and run the marathon!!!

Australia pictures part 1

2009-09-22T14:18:00.009-06:00

It is a cold day here in Denver and although I said I would edit my pictures before posting, that means I would actually have to go outside (in the cold) and drive to the nearest Apple store (to buy the latest version of iLife with the way improved photo editing) thus risking an accident since I am still fighting jet lag and would probably fall asleep at the wheel. Phew, what a sentence!! My jet lag seems to be getting worse rather than better and I'm 3 nights in. This is based on my astute observations of every one else in my family sleeping at 12:30am and me watching them! But really, how long can this last?

But I digress (trust me, I'm doing that a lot lately). Here are some great pictures from our trip. There will be more coming and more race photos too!

We stayed at the Q1 on the 54th floor in Surfer's Paradise. This was our view! The beach and waves were great although the water was a bit chilly.

OK, tilt your head to the left. This is the Q1, its design was based on the 2000 Sydney Olympic torch.

14 hours after leaving LA, here's my mom and Michael at the airport waiting for the next flight to the Gold Coast. (Surfer's Paradise is a town along the Gold Coast)

Yes, they are as cute and cuddly as you think! On our first full day in Australia we went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and some of the first animals we saw were koala bears. Oh, they are cute. And the best part.....

Isabelle, Charlotte and I got to hold one! Her name was Par-lay and was 18 months old. Koalas are solid animals - she must have weighed around 30lbs, that is why the girls couldn't hold her, plus Australia has very strict koala cuddling laws!

And then it was on to FEED the kangaroos! The 'roos were everywhere and more than eager to approach you to see if you had food! The girls loved feeding and petting these guys. What a cool experience!

This 'roo really "liked" Michael and got a bit aggressive with him. No worries mate, the wildlife helpers immediately stepped in!

I think the sign says it all....

Naturally, PIC Sonja and I found a rather large croc and we wrestled it to save the children:)

Feeding the lorikeets

It is tough vacation-ing with a wife who is tapering and about to compete and not enjoying a beer or 2. But Michael is a trooper and seemed to handle it OK!

Some of Team USA before a group run

Packet pick-up with Anthony, Sonja, Beth and me. This is the near the start beach. It's true - it was a beautiful venue.

Registration.....guess who's in the picture?

Anthony and Steve at the opening ceremonies

Kind of a strange picture, and yes, editing would help. But remember the thing about the Apple store and driving etc.....Anywho, this is Team Australia leading the parade of nations into the opening ceremonies. They had around 1000 athletes!!

Ummm, OK. We were getting bored waiting to march in the parade!

All I can say is, Oh Tahiti!!!

Me and my Dad.

Dad and Mom at our post-race celebration. It was wonderful having them with us for the race and everything els!

Oh My

2009-09-21T20:49:00.003-06:00

Well, we have made it back from Australia! I have so many photos and fun tidbits to share....but not right now. Jet lag is messin' with my world. And just try to explain jet lag to a kid. The family is getting its bearings and I am downloading and editing photos. So, check back soon! Fun stuff to follow!

Race Report

2009-09-13T17:18:00.002-06:00

I have snuck away from the family to my favorite $2 internet cafe for a bit of blogging and emailing!

This week has been an amazing experience and the race will be forever sketched in my head. In short, I am very pleased with the race. I really had no idea what to expect but had a feeling that it would be the most aggressive competition I have ever been against. And I was up for the challenge. I will post a more complete race report but here's the quick and dirty.

We lined up for the swim on the beach....that's right it was a run/dive start into the water. Gulp!! There was elbowing on the line before the horn even went off. Once it did, I was right in the front pack of girls trying to get to the front and the clear water. If Tuscaloosa was the toughest swim I have ever had, then this one was by far the most aggressive swim. From the get-go I was getting kicked, punched, swam over and even had my goggles almost knocked off. It was unbelievable. I thought that maybe at the first turn buoy it would settle down but it never did. Girls in my face trying to push me off the feet I had in front of me. Tapping the feet I had in front of me and almost getting my teeth knocked out. Wow. I did manage to throw a punch or 2 but believe me it was purely self defense. I was glad to be done with the swim and out of the water. If you look at the results, you can see that I was with about 8-10 women in my age group fighting it out to the end of the swim.

I think I was pretty slow in T1 but really I was just trying to get my crap together after the brutal swim. But I got on my bike and was happy about it. The crowds and cheering were awesome. People just cheering for USA USA and it was me they were cheering for! My legs were tired though and I thought that the bike wasn't going to be good. I was all alone for awhile and then was passed by a group of girls in my age group. One of them being Steph P (amazing and fast athlete). I decided to go with them and see if I could keep up. Unfortunately this pack was all drafting off of Steph. I was watching the action unfold in front of me while trying to stay at the back of the pack and in a safe legal position. Several of my USA teammates and Taggart from Australia were drafting like there was no tomorrow. I couldn't believe it.....CHEATERS!!! I stayed in back for the most part but then at the start of the second loop tried to get around everyone and be in the front. That didn't last long and was at the back again. I was terrified of getting a yellow card (ITU penalty) and eventually the group disappeared. Kudos to Steph for staying in front and out of the draft-fest.

Off the bike and onto the run. The run was tough but amazing. Once again, these random voices yelling go USA and Go Ford!!! I can't even describe the feeling. My legs felt flat and I just had a hard time getting going. But I relaxed my shoulders and just did what I could to get through it. The best part of the day was hearing my family cheering for me, and Helen and Eric, and Steve, Michele and Sarah. Loved it!!

And then it was over. 2 hours and 20 minutes later, I finished 19th in my age group (my goal was top 20!!). I ran my way in on the blue carpet and was finished. It was awesome. I seriously get goose-bumps and tears in my eyes thinking about it.

A huge thank you for all the support from home......it means so much to me to have that kind of support. Hugs and kisses to all!!

So, I must be off.....ROAD TRIP up the coast. I have no idea where we will end up!!!

And, a huge congrats to my Practical Coaching teamies: Bethie was the rock star of the day with an 11th place finish in her age group!! Sonja had a fabulous day with a 31st place finis! Lori D rocked her age group at 9th! Anthony also had a great day!!

Race Info

2009-09-11T03:48:00.003-06:00

G'day from Australia!! Good news for those of you wanting to watch the race from North America.... www.triathlon.org will be showing live coverage of the race tomorrow. So, for those of you in Denver, the race begins at 3:00pm Friday afternoon. I start at 3:29 so start looking for me to finish (and all the other USA athletes) around 5:40ish??!!

Now it's time for sleep zzzzzzzzz!

Gday part 2

2009-09-10T18:18:00.002-06:00

Quick update from the Gold Coast!! Phew, it has been a whirlwind of a couple of days and here we are, less than 24 hours from race time! I am excited and only a wee-bit nervous. Last night we had the opening ceremonies with all the athletes from each country lining up and walking into the event lawn surrounded by friends and family. It was pretty surreal and so great to see all the different countries. Australia, as host nation, has almost 1000 athletes here. YIKES!!! Somoa has 1! Anyway, I am ready to race. I am ready to go. I really think this will be FUN....a flat and fast course. No wetsuits but a relatively cold temp of around 71 in the water. I'm pretty sure this will not be an uphill swim like Alabama.

Now I'm off for a quick massage and then brunch with Team USA. Bike check-in this afternoon, dinner with the family (they are at Sea World today), and a sleep-over with PIC Sonja at her hotel. My start time is 7:29am. I'll try to get another quickie post in sometime after the race.

Oh, and one thing I have forgotten to mention is that I LOVE Australia!! The people are wonderful and nice and I am really looking forward to exploring up the coast next week!

G'Day!

2009-09-08T17:43:00.002-06:00

G'day from Australia!! My mom and I found a $2 high speed internet cafe on our way to the grocery store so we splurged and I get to post a quick update!

We made it here without too much trouble although the Sydney Airport has an extra carseat in its baggage somewhere. The kiddos held up better than I could have hoped on the LONG flight over and we finally made it to the Gold Coast some 20+ hours after leaving Denver. We never experienced Sunday. Jet lag was at its finest on Monday night though and we managed to stay awake until 8.....morning has come early for me at around 4:45!!! At least I am not too used to sleeping in.

Sonja and I rode our bikes on Monday afternoon and the most important thing to remember here in Australia.....when in doubt STAY LEFT!!! It has been interestng to get used to being buzzed by cars on the right side. It is now Wednesday and we haven't gotten ourselves killed yet so that in my opinion is success.

This place is teeming with triathletes! Teams of very fit-looking people are riding there bikes, running along the ocean and this morning at the pool, swimming....we are trying to not gawk at all the fast looking people but it is truly impressive.

Yesterday we had a bit of fun....the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary with the family and Sonja's family. Iz, Char, and I got to cuddle a koala!! It was unbelieveable. At that point I thought I wanted another baby and quickly realized that no, what I really want is a KOALA baby!! SOooo cute! Great pictures will be posted in a couple of weeks. After the koalas, we visited the kangaroos and fed them. Saw many mamas with their joeys in pouches and I was even accosted by a "friendly" teenage boy 'roo who thought I had more food for him. Priceless.

Today we will have more quality beach time and then I go into athlete-mode tomorrow. Team USA run in the morning, a tour of the bike course, Team USA picture and then the opening ceremonies where we will march in our uniform in the athlete parade!!

That's it for now. Will post again next time I grocery shop:)

Countdown

2009-08-31T13:42:00.004-06:00

It's finally time. For almost a year I have had this trip planned. A year. Mind you, I actually only started to plan the vacation part after I got home from Tuscaloosa. Details. But nonetheless, Saturday my family and I leave for Australia. Or Austraia as Charlotte says. I will race in the ITU Triathlon World Championships on September 12. Toe the line with the best of the best. How fun is this going to be? There are so many people to thank that have helped me get here: financially, physically and mentally. You know who you are and THANK YOU!! This is going to be an amazing experience and I am ready to take it all in:) I will send updates from Aussie-land and will have access to Twitter and email and Facebook. But Twitter updates are the easiest so once again......follow me @michelleford6p!

But this week is nutty....training, packing. The process of getting ready to leave for 2 weeks. And I seem to have caught myself a little cold too. So now I have to get healthy to go sit on a plane with recirculated air for 14 hours. The kiddos have DVD players, iPods, Nintendos .....pretty much every conceivable electronics device to make my trip that much more enjoyable. I mean their trip.

In other news, Michael completed his first Olympic distance triathlon yesterday in Windsor! The weather was ccccooooold. For us spectators. But he did great and really enjoyed his race, I am so proud of him! Way to go!

Charlotte and Iz at the swim start. Probably should have been decked out in fleece and wool hats.

Look how grey it was!

Michael coming in off the bike

Finishing up.....he looked a bit too happy!

No question who the star is here!

2009 USAT Age Group Nationals

2009-08-24T14:58:00.013-06:00

Note: This is LONG!

Let me go on record, I love Tuscaloosa. I know, I know, before heading to Alabama for the first time in my life, I could say I wasn't enthusiastic. At all. Hot and humid was pretty much all I could think about. How could USAT hold a race in such horrid conditions. (OK, well horrid conditions for moi) What does Tuscaloosa have to offer??? So I planned my trip with as little time in 'Bama as I could get away with. In to town late Thursday night (although that was due to United and miles), race Saturday, and out early Sunday morning.

Too bad for me. Tuscaloosa is a pretty cool place. The folks in Alabama are incredibly friendly and nice, everyone knew about the triathletes that were invading their beautiful city and we were welcomed with open arms. And the race venue? It was beautiful! Mind you, the water in the river was a tad bit warm, and as a local said...dingy. But it was tree-lined, hilly, good road conditions, and there was some shade on the run. And it was right next to the University of Alabama!

Anywho, I arrived Thursday night and PIC Sonja was waiting for me and we drove the hour to Tuscaloosa. It was late but as always we entertained ourselves with music and fun chatter. Tyler and Beth were our roomies for the weekend and they were waiting up for us. It was late and I'm sure we could have stayed up much longer but we needed to calm down, quit laughing and get some sleep. We are, after all, very serious athletes.

Like I said, serious athletes. Very. Serious.

I missed the "C"

Friday morning we got up and went for a nice warm-up jog on the campus. School is in so we were weaving in and out of students but had a ball checking out the campus. It was definitely humid so we were all soaked after just a few minutes. Oh well. No whining. Everyone is going to have to race in the same conditions. Breakfast at IHop and then off to a meeting with TriBoomer and Athletes4aCure. We volunteered (rather, Son and I volunteered and hooked Beth and Tyler to join us) to do a live twitter cast of the elite race after our race on Saturday. We were planning on watching the race anyway (friend Amy D was racing her first ITU race as a pro!!!) and knew that this would be a fun way for us to give back to the triathlon community and this cause.

Beth, me, Brian aka TriBoomer, Tyler, Son

Then it was time for packet pick-up, bike pick-up, racking our bikes in transition, and checking out the race course.

Tyler was driving so we thought we should wear our helmets....

Paul Mitchell was raising money for its foundation so Priscilla, Son, Beth and I had red extensions put in our hair!

Having fun in the back seat!

Swim finish with the dingy water

Going into this race I felt pretty calm. I had a recovery week and by Wednesday I felt like I needed a workout. I was already packed. Thursday I was jittery....think me on 18 cups of coffee (and I only had 1 cup!). Zowie I needed to get on the plane and get to the business of racing. But I wasn't nervous. I knew the conditions could be tough but there was not alot I could do about it and I had no idea how it would effect me. So I just went with the flow. Maybe I was too focused on what I would wear during the race (the race was not wetsuit legal and my current tri shorts are too big to swim in). But maybe that was good because it didn't give me any time to focus on the race and the possibilities.

The course looked tough! Decent sized hills on the 2-loop bike course and a couple really big hills on the run. Not flat at all except for the run finish. But that is good....

I slept great and woke up right before the alarm.....RACE MORNING! The four of us went about our business of getting ready and we were off to transition. I was able to drink a mix1 (my all time favorite pre-race meal/drink) and ate half an almond butter sammie. Other than that I felt good. I was still worried about what my sciatica might do on the run and, of course, that pesky stomach muscle pull that only shows up when I'm redlining. And I was about to redline for 2+ hours.

The crazy atmosphere in transition

Steve, Tyler, Anthony, Sonja and I went for a little warm-up jog next to the river. We stopped and looked at some of the swimmers already in the water and realized that there was a current in the river. Which was strange because the guy who told us the water was dingy also said that there was no current because they control the flow of the water from the dam.....but there was absolutely a current. And it was strong. We watched some swimmers go nowhere in the water and may have actually gone backwards. Uh oh. When we returned to the start area, the first swimmer was just getting out of the water. In 30 minutes. We heard he normally swam 22 minutes. Huh. There clearly were people in the water that were struggling. And, the long part of the swim course was directly into the current. This will be interesting.....Coach Steve-O had a couple of last minute instructions for me based on the current and a last minute goal (which I just kind of chuckled at) and I was in the water trying to warm-up in less than 6 minutes before my wave start. Not likely.

SWIM

I lined up in my usual position for the swim and we were off!!! I was totally calm and relaxed at the start and just started swimming but not pushing because I knew the big push of the swim wasn't at the start. I let a couple of girls go.......that was kinda hard but I knew there was some work coming up. First buoy everything was going well, my stroke felt great and my breathing was under control. Second buoy was where we saw the stationary swimmers and I positioned myself right where I thought I needed to be for the current. I was swimming straight for the buoy and I thought....this isn't so bad.....and then I took another 6 strokes and sighted again. And I was completely off course!!! Unbelievable. And there was a kayak there trying to point me and another girl back on course. Some corrections in my line and I made it around the buoy but I was pretty surprised at how off course I was in such a short amount of time. Now the hard part. I picked up my effort at this point but I can tell you that the middle red buoy did not seem to get any closer. And I couldn't even see the yellow turn buoy. And that damned red buoy just didn't get any closer. I made a conscious effort to increase my stroke cadence and tried to stay relaxed. But I just didn't feel like I was making any headway. Phew. Finally made it to the red buoy and saw the yellow buoy on the horizon. Are you f****g kidding me???? OMG. My swimming stud friend Cory was in the wave 3 minutes behind me and about this point I saw him cruising along right next to me.....YEAH FEET!!! I did my best to stay in his bubbles but it was probably only for about a minute. I finally made the yellow buoy and now just had to get to shore. I felt like I had been in the water forever. I got out and looked at my watch.....are you kidding me??? I can normally swim a race in 21 - 23 minutes. Today's time??? 29:33. I just kind of laughed and noticed that a girl had been on my feet for at least half the swim. BEOTCH! She beat me into transition.

(Note: because of flooding earlier in the week due to hurricane ???, the dam was opened which caused the current)

Not much to report here except I could tell I had expended a bit more effort than usual in the swim. I got my speedsuit off (thank you Syd!!!) and got the heck outta there.

T1 1:47

Bike

Finally on the bike I knew I was supposed to take the first lap of the 2 lap course "easy". Whatever. The girl on my feet in the swim passed me right away as I was getting my feet in my shoes and it was all I could do not to go after her. Relax and do your own race I kept reminding myself. My heart rate was all jacked up due to the hard swim and I hit a hill before I even had a chance to relax and get it under control. I think the first part of the ride was uphill. I finally relaxed and felt in control at the first dog leg. I saw a bit of drafting and kept out of it. And I felt great every time I passed a rider with a disc wheel. Haha!!! And I really started to feel OK. And I passed the girl on my feet on the second lap. My legs ached but it was all manageable. I felt like I was pushing but in control. I did however feel my silly stomach pull-thingy. For some reason, when I'm redlining in TT position it locks up and becomes almost painful. But I tried to relax and breathe through it. I knew it would be a problem so now I was in manage mode. I stood up out of the saddle each hill and it was all good. I only got passed by a couple of people and I had expected to be passed by many more during the ride. But it never happened. It was kind of surreal! And then it was time for T2....the bike seemed to go by fast!!

Bike 1:06:48 (ave. 22.3mph)

Damn stomach thing really roared to life as I hit transition. But I racked my bike, put on my shoes, grabbed my number and hat and moved on out.

T2 1:12

Run

My main goal for the run was to be consistent and not have a total meltdown like I had at Boulder Peak (not that I may or may not have had control of that). Start out strong but conservative. I had 3 good hills to get through before the flat section to the finish. I grabbed water at the aid station and put ice down my sports bra. So far, so good. But I was in manage mode....the stomach thingy was there in the background. Grrrrrrr. Up the big hill and to the turnaround. And then I saw the strangest thing. I saw PIC. And my race brain couldn't figure out what had happened. I started behind PIC. Why was she behind me now? CRAP, I thought. Was it a 3 lap bike course???? WTF? And it dawned on me that I had passed her on the swim. And then it slowly occured to me that for the first time EVER in my triathlon career that the swim was going to have a major impact on results. I was pretty sure I was top 5. OMG now I just need to hang on and I'm going to have a pretty good result. Steve-O passed me on the third hill and pointed behind him for me to follow.....I tried. But I was breathing pretty hard so I hung with him for a minute and he went on his merry way and told me to relax my breathing. And then a minute later Son was there. I knew it was her, I know her breathing, I have trained with her day in and day out for the last 7 months. Go Sonja...I said to her.....and she told me to stay with her on the downhill.....Oh I wanted to but I was on the edge of blowing up. I relaxed my shoulders and tried to ride the downhill. And away she went. But I was determined. I was on the flat stretch and I figured I only had about 20 minutes left. Can I hold this pace for 20? Sure I can. And my breathing completely relaxed and I felt great. I picked it up a little. And then I saw Tyler's finish line. And I knew I only had a quarter mile to go. This is it. Make it good and don't let anyone else catch you. I finished strong with a bit of kick. Yee Haw!

Run: 44:30 (personal best)

Overall time: 2:23:48

5th place age group

39th female (not bad for an old lady)

Qualified for 2010 Team USA in Budapest, Hungary

I looked down at my watch and saw my time as I was gasping for air. Really?? Even with the slow swim time? Even before looking at my watch I felt good about the race. But I was surprised at the time, I didn't think I had broken 2:30. I left it out there, managed my discomforts and finished strong.

And the best part? Not only did I have a good race, but so did my Practical Coaching teamies. Steve, Sonja, Beth, Lori and I qualified for Worlds next year. Tyler, Anthony and Barry had fabulous races. What a cool day. I love racing with my teamies around, supporting them and vice versa. And just knowing that they are all out on the course.....it is an awesome feeling. I am so lucky to know and train with these wonderful peeps.

Team 1 (me and Beth) at our lookout point for the Elite race

Volunteering for the twittercast was an absolute blast. Sure we were tired. Sure we didn't get the recovery we needed. So we needed to sit down. What overcame all that was the fact that we were out there supporting a great cause and having a great time doing it. I look forward to helping TriBoomer and Athletes4aCure again in the future!!

Me, Sonja, Beth

5th place podium finish (I got a bottle of fish oil!!)

Celebration dinner

Beth, Jacob, me. Jacob won the fastest combined transition time competition. 1:37 for both transitions!

Much about nothing

2009-08-19T17:20:00.005-06:00

I am sitting here with just over 12 hours until my plane departs DIA for the hotbed (literally) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama (well, landing in Birmingham and driving to Tuscasloosa). Home of the University of Alabama and race site for the USAT Age Group Nationals. With all of my training buddies in tow it is bound to be a fabulous weekend!!

For those of you on Twitter (follow me @michelleford6p), a couple of us have signed up to help @triboomer and @athletes4acure cover the live pro race after the age group race on Saturday....a Twitter Cast! Sonja and I will be taking pictures and video and posting current leaders on the bike and run. This will be a blast! Last year we did the same thing but in an unofficial/stalker-ish way. Pictures should be better quality this year with my new phone!

Start of the men's pro race

It was cold in Portland last year. I expect fewer clothing items in Tuscaloosa.

So, I leave tonight and 2 hours later Michael and Charlotte return from their quick trip to California to visit G-ma Nelly. I miss them and won't see them till Sunday....

My little bat-girl

A couple of Charlotte-isms in the last week that make me giggle:

Char (I'm on the trainer): You're riding your bike?

Me: Yes

Char (looking around): Well, where are you going?

Then....

Char (alone in the family room playing a game): Who tooted?

Me, Michael and Iz look at each other: Huh?

Char: Oh, it was me!!!! hehehehehe

So there you have, my random ramblings for this Thursday morning. I need a workout.

Weekly Update

2009-08-14T17:09:00.005-06:00

Monday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Tuesday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Wednesday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Thursday: Thankfully a day OFF!! (but only this week)

Friday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Saturday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Sunday: Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed

Rinse and Repeat.

There's a reason I haven't posted any weekly updates of late. A couple of reasons really. But mainly it is because all I have been doing for the last 2 weeks has been speedwork.

At first I admit, it was kind of fun. I have been waiting all season for some quality speed (not drugs peeps, my abundant use of coffee is legal). All the long swimbikeruns. Hours and hours of distance work. So many hours that I had to remind coach Steve that I am not doing an Ironman at the end of August with the 17 Hour Training Day crew. Well, at least not this year.

So bring the speed work on!! I looked at my schedule and saw nothing but short, intense workouts. What to do with only a 2 to 3 hour session?? All the time left in the day....oh, my productivity will go way up during the day. Loads of laundry, tons of research, looking for new clients, lots of cooking etc. This is gonna be great. And it did, it started out great. I had a couple of fantastic sessions on the bike and run that I felt very good about. And then Steve-O reminded me that you'll probably feel a bit flat for the next week or so......and I did. After the first couple of speed sessions I was flat out exhausted. Drained. Not a lick of energy. All I wanted to do was lay on the couch. And eat. But then I'd have to drag my butt off the couch to get to the kitchen. How badly did I need to eat? For the first time in months, I woke up in the middle of the night. Starving. Had to feed the beast to get back to sleep. 0 to hungry in 3.9 seconds. Oh, and how fun am I? I have yet to be able to watch an entire movie all the way through. Tonight I promised my hubby....we can watch half of Frost/Nixon tonight and the rest tomorrow! But I'm not sure I'll even make it half way right now!!! Good times.

A few of us have also been trying to train for the heat and humidity of Tuscaloosa for Nationals next weekend. This consists of putting on clothes for your run/ride when it's 90 degrees. The first time, I put on a long sleeved shirt for my 1pm run without any shade. I was dehydrated in approximately 30 seconds. The first 2 miles went OK. The last 4? Hot. Thirsty. Need a nap. The next run with a long sleeved shirt I brought the water bottle. At least my brain isn't fried. Yet. PIC and I saw someone heat training at the gravel pond earlier this week. He had on a hat, long sleeved shirt, and sweat pants. I guess I'm just not that serious!

And so it's progressed over the last week and a half. Speed, speed, speed, speed. Another session today that went fairly well. A couple of mini-sessions coming up this week. And then the true test coming up this weekend. Nationals is here, I can hardly believe it's August. And that means Worlds is right around the corner......

"Performance" video

2009-08-13T12:51:00.002-06:00

I just saw this video on Everyman Tri and had to post it....it made me giggle!!! The first rap/cycling video EVAH....

Performance that's the name of the game

If this silly tune gets stuck in my head I am DOOMED.

What A Weekend

2009-08-10T09:59:00.007-06:00

The family did its best to wear ourselves out this weekend! We started Friday night by heading to Boulder Creek to play and picnic with PIC's family and new friends H&B. I don't think I have been tubing in the Creek, well, since college. And though we were a bit tentative at first, it was a blast!! Charlotte sat on my lap and giggled the whole way down even after getting dumped. Isabelle was a wee bit frightened after she went under and decided not to go for round 2. I tried to lose my favorite crocs (x2) but they were rescued. I even got a bit of rock rash on my bum! We all ate, talked, and watched the kids play and the sun set. It was a beautiful evening!

Charlotte is always game for more fun. I may or may not have been dumped off my tube....but there is no photographic evidence!

Michael crossing the creek

My sister's wedding reception was Saturday night (yep, the wedding was in June in Hawaii with just the family). I had so much fun seeing old family friends and catching up with high school friends too. It is so cool to see time pass with these people, I've known them for practically my entire life and they are always around for the milestones. My girls behaved beautifully even though there were no other kids around and we loved meeting Nicole and John's friends.

All dressed up and yes, I am wrestling Iz

Friends and family

Newlyweds Nicole and John

Ummm, table 7 was clearly the place to be

My parents

Isabelle and Mary having a deep conversation

Charlotte and her new favorite "toy" - a Blackberry

As we drove home, we saw a fireworks display and stopped at the side of the road to watch. Nice evening topper!

On Sunday, Michael left the house early to ride Highgrade and the girls and I made breakfast and watched a movie. Very relaxing. OK, it was too relaxing. I needed to get my workout done but needed a bit of help getting out the door. Michael packed up the kids and I packed up my bike and we headed back to Chatfield. I got my ride done and the family played at the "beach" for awhile. A stop at Dairy Queen on the way home and a bbq on the deck wrapped up our fabulous weekend.

No wonder we all went to bed at 8. Phew!!

State Games of America

2009-08-02T08:53:00.003-06:00

On Saturday I drove myself down to Colorado Springs to participate in a little sprint triathlon at the State Games of America. The entire event is pretty cool, something like forty different sports for kids of all ages to compete in. The triathlon fit perfectly into my schedule and after the near "disaster" at Boulder Peak (I know, I know, it wasn't really a disaster, more like a disappointment) I was just wanting to have a positive experience before heading into my "A" races later this month and September.

I woke up in a good mood and had just a bit of tummy butterflies. I could still eat though (Mix1 is the BEST!!!) and had a small cup of coffee on the drive. I was having a good time listening to cool music and watching the sun come up. Even though transition opened at 5:30 I purposely decided to be anti-Type A and I showed up around 6am. I still got a fantastic transition spot! This race was so low key that there were only 6-8 bikes per rack. It made for a long transition area but I was comfy and could have even had a tent popped up in the space I had.

A. Newt ready to go....look at the room she had on the rack!

After setting up, I took a nice long jog around the lake. Surprisingly, after a 100 mile bike on Wednesday followed by a 6 mile run and then a 12 mile run on Thursday, my legs felt nice jogging. I picked up the pace a couple of times and knew I would have a good run. My potty visits were right on time and I was getting excited. The water temp was supposedly 74 degrees and I even flirted with the possibility of going without a wetsuit but Saturday morning the air temp was only mid-50s and I was a bit chilled. So then the question was sleeves or sleeveless. Having 2 wetsuits now is making my life difficult. I made the call - sleeves - because I remembered that last week's sleeveless pond swim really ticked me off because the wetsuit would not behave (kept coming undone in the back, wetsuit hickies, pull string wrapping around my arm etc.).

The other great thing about this race was that there were tons of newbies toeing the start line. I LOVE watching these people because it always reminds me of where I started.......Danskin in 2003 - and it brings back great memories. And because I had people help me out all those years ago with my endless questions, I always try to help everyone I possibly can that are new to the sport. A couple of women had no idea where to put their race numbers and weren't afraid to ask me so I spent a few minutes with them before heading to the beach. Really, the newbies are the coolest.

Time for the swim start!!! As I have talked about before, I hate swimming with the boys. EWWWWWWW! They are aggressive and full of testosterone and ready to hit/kick/swim over anyone in their way. And my wave had boys. I'm pretty sure it was the old fart wave (40+) and the boys were foaming at the mouth ready to go. Normally, I head to the front of the line and swim to the front of the pack. But with these boys???? Nope. I lined up right behind super swimmer Cory with hopes that I could ride his draft through the first couple of minutes of craziness. No such luck. Feet and arms everywhere. Yucky boys!!!! Finally I made it to clear water without too much damage and just tried to get in my groove.

Swim: 12:06

Transition went smoothly but last minute decided to not wear sunglasses. My favorite pair of Optic Nerve sunglasses broke last week and I love love love racing in them. My other pair is too dark and it was still kind of cloudy so I opted out of the glasses. (yes, that was another shameless product plug) Although I raced last week's crit sans glasses without a problem, that may not have been my best choice...

I started out on the ride knowing that there was a downhill and then a decent sized uphill. I hadn't previewed the course but got a glimpse of the hill on a drive-by. And the course was 4 loops so I figured it must be a downhill, uphill, downhill and an uphill. Times 4. Huh. The first downhill was fun except for the fact that I couldn't see!!! The lack of glasses and the cold wind and the downhill speed made my eyes water and my nose run. Hoping there are no pictures because clearly, that would not be pretty. Then the start of the first uphill and I swear it felt like I had a flat because I had slowed down so much. Nope. No flat. Just a big hill with a headwind. Lovely. Up and out of the saddle to the top, a corner, and a fast downhill. The next uphill wasn't as steep but I still got out of the saddle to climb. At this point my quads screamed at me a bit, they were feeling the effects of the last week (ummm, last 6 months). Oh well. It was what I had. And so I just counted the hills to get my 4 laps in. Before I knew it I was headed back to transition and my feet were numb.

Bike: 40:45

Racked bike, and almost fell over trying to put my flats on numb feet. Left transition and noticed a women ahead of me seemingly running at a good clip. Perfect! I had a bogie!! I reminded myself to just get in my groove and slowly reel her in. Whatever. I passed her in the first half mile. OK, here we go! But I could tell by her breathing that she would not fight me on the pass. My breathing was under control and hers was labored. About this time a 22 year old boy toy passed me and I thought he was cruising. But he never got that far ahead of me, I was pacing with him! I saw Cory on the dog leg of the run (well, he saw me I was a bit focused) and then I was at the turnaround. I still felt great. My hammies were a bit tight but I didn't have any of the cement-like feeling I had at the Peak. I could also feel that stomach cramp just a bit but I'm not sure if it was a breathing cramp or related to my stomach muscle pull (blah blah blah). But I managed it and just kept going, tried to pick it up slightly, and tried to reel in boy toy. And then I was done. Sprints tris go by so quickly!!

Run: 21:11 (PR!!!)

I felt great even though I had no idea what my times were. I was pretty sure I had won my age group because no one passed me. And that was wonderful and everything but I didn't care. I knew in my heart I had put together a strong, solid run and that was my goal for the day. I knew my bike was OK, and I was OK with that. I talked with Cory for awhile and then we went to check out our results. 2nd place overall. And all my splits were right in line. Nice!!! But the best part was that I knew before even seeing splits that I had had a good day. The results just confirmed it. What if the results were poor??? I think I would still have been pleased with my run.....I like to think that the results are a by-product of a good day:)

So, here's the fun part. Everyone knows that triathletes are a bit of a crazy bunch. And we all seem to have our own quirks. That being said, I let a few of mine go today:

I did not race with my trademark ponytails (GASP!!!!). And I liked it.

I did not time my race. OK, this was a fluke, I was wearing my watch but apparently did not start it. But it was great. I had no idea what my splits were. And, in fact, didn't care.

I didn't wear sunglasses on the bike or the run.

I showed up casually to transition.

I did a light swim warm-up and a heavier run warm-up.

What does this all mean??? Well, nothing really except that it is always good to try new things and to not get caught up in your own hype/history. Allow yourself to let some things go or maybe try something new. But always with the purpose of not forgetting why we are out there on race day. To push ourselves, to expand our horizons and most importantly, to have fun.

I had fun Saturday!

Strong Survive

2009-07-29T17:45:00.001-06:00

If you watched the tour, you probably saw this commercial. Unless, of course, you are like me and only saw it when I didn't DVR the days events.

When the game is on, all bets are off.

Great video.

The Call

2009-07-27T20:17:00.006-06:00

It's been awhile since I've had a call. You know the one. It's not really a question, more like a statement. Coach Steve: There's a crit on Sunday I'd like you to consider. And then the topper. And Sonja and Beth are doing it too. Because we all know, if Son and Bethie are in, so am I. Really, no questions asked. If they were going to jump off a bridge, I would just say OK. Because it would probably be a kick-ass good time. And who am I to question races or bridges?

So that's how it started. I got the call Friday, the crit was Sunday morning. Which left me not much time to stew over this one. And, of course, this after a conversation with Holle about how doing a crit this close to my key races was kinda out of the question. Oh how things can change. A crit you ask? Criterium. It's a type of bike race but not at all like the Hugo race we did back in May. That was an 80 mile road race. This was a figure-8 type course several city blocks long with 8 turns on each loop. All out racing for 40 minutes. Very aggressive, very in-your-face. Crashes are apparently relatively common for the "novice" women. Yeah.

PIC Son and I rode down to the race from GV, a nice 14 mile easy spin. I've been missing my PIC, she's spent the last month in California with her family so we finally got a chance to just chat. She was pretty nervous because she's seen a crit before and knew what kind of mess we were getting into. I wasn't nervous. Yet. I was blissfully unaware at that moment. That changed as soon as we rode up and I saw the course. We were there early enough to get the low-down from Steve on how to ride the course and most importantly, how to negotiate the turns. He was also throwing down all sorts of f-bombs about the competition and how there are no nice bike racers and things like that. If any of us crashes don't think about it just keep moving. Hmmphf. Clearly, I needed to put my skirt away and grow a set quickly before the start. Only problem was, I only wanted to take a nap. Sometimes this happens before a race - getting a serious case of the yawns. But this was pure tired-ness. I knew it Friday night and after Saturday's workout I was just plain tired. I rolled my legs Saturday, put my feet up, took a nap. Did what I could to start feeling fresher but I woke up Sunday and just wanted to go back to bed.

We lined for the start and I'm really not sure how many of us. Seemed like lots but if you look at the picture there weren't that many. As Cat 4 racers we had the first start time of the day: 7:00am. The gun went off (was it a gun? not sure) and it was game on from the get go. I had to get my foot in my pedal as soon as possible and immediately hit it. There was no gentle roll-up. No gradual acceleration. It was balls out from the start.

Lined up at the start, the PC girls are at the left of the picture

C'mon legs, let's go!!! That was me talking to my legs. But not out loud because once again, we were not allowed to speak to the competition. Ohhhhh, the legs were not happy. Downright pissed if you ask me. But I pushed them. After the second turn I somehow was behind and towards the back of the pack. WTF? Already? So for the next 2-3 laps I worked hard to catch up with my girls. I finally got back on with them and round and round we went. It was really interesting watching the lines of the turns the other girls were making. They were completely different from what Son, Beth and I were taking. For a left hand turn, we would be at the far right of the street and everyone else was in the middle, using the turn lane. I would have to hit my brakes every other turn or so as someone would unexpectedly (or not) veer into my line and I needed to avoid them. I didn't look behind me because whatever was happening there was of no concern to me.

About halfway through the race the unthinkable happened. A PC girl went down in front of me on a left hand turn. White bike, black pony tail, it was Son. Even though we were supposed to ride on and pretty much ignore what happened that was impossible. To see your teammate and PIC skidding on the ground in front of you.....it took a very conscious effort to not stop and check on her. I had to hit my brakes though so I didn't run over her and then Beth and I were flagging Steve that she was down. After I did this I looked up and crap.....there was a huge gap now between the lead group of girls and me. FUCK. I knew I didn't have the legs to get myself back in and I was worried about Son. But I put my head down and kept pedaling. I saw some girls ahead of me and vowed to close that gap but the front group was gone. On the next pass where Son went down, she wasn't there. And Troy was in the exact place as the last time I saw him. That was good, she clearly wasn't hurt badly. And I kept pedaling. My legs still were begging for a break but there was still time left.

After a couple more laps I heard Steve and Holle yell about letting the girl behind me take a pull. Excuse me? There's someone behind me? Are we kidding? I took a quick peak and sure enough, a girl has been riding my wheel for I don't know how long. And I got pissed. I stopped pedaling and she went around me and I took a breather on her wheel for a moment. But she wasn't really in to the whole sharing equal pulls. In fact, she would pull for 2 turns and I would take the remaining 6. Really did not care for this chick at all. We caught some of the girls I had my eye on and then looked up and saw we only had a couple of laps left. I knew exactly what was going to happen - she was going to ride my wheel through the last turn and shoot ahead of me down the straight-away and beat me to the line. She even said something like nice pulls at the start of the last lap. But not today. I was not going to let her do that after pulling her ass around the majority of the race. The last turn she shot ahead and I did everything that I possibly could to stay on her wheel. I caught her and passed and as you can see:

HA! I got her at the line!

And then it was over. 40+ minutes later, 16+ miles, and averaging something like 21+ mph. It was really intense. And I was pissed. Finally, my aggression got the best of me and I wanted more. It's too bad it didn't show up earlier in the race!! I ended up 13th, Beth was 10th, and Sonja 7th. She's fine except for a lovely case of road rash on her hip. Lessons learned? Of course. But I'll keep those to myself for the time being. Will I do it again? What do you think? OF COURSE!!! But probably not until after the big races:)

Later, Michael and I took the girls back to the course to watch some other races. I want to learn more so that the next time I can put myself in a better position in the race. I watched the more experienced racers take the turns, I watched the tactics. It was fascinating.

Charlotte, Isabelle and Annie. Yep, they look like angels. We know better.