The Twelve Days of Christmas

It's a good thing that there are only 12 days of Christmas... I can't eat like this for much longer. There are just too many stinking treats around all the time. I did so well with my diet for a long time, but now it's all gone to pot. Part of the reason is that I've been eating out a lot more lately, rather than just sticking with the stuff I make for my own lunches and dinners. And with all the other stuff going on, it's even harder to keep up with theworkouts. Thankfully, I haven't ditched any workouts or I'd be in REAL trouble!

I have stopped complaining about the weather. It's been actually pretty decent here for a week or so. I did make it outside for another run on Christmas morning. The run itself didn't go very well, but it was still a great way to spend my Christmas morning. There were not many cars out, and I was able to go through a lot of thoughts during that hour.

One other thing has really thrown me off during this holiday season. With all the parties and people coming to visit and days off of work and then days back on at work, my sleep schedule has been far from stellar. This weekend, I just decided to not set my alarm at all and see what happened. I must have really needed it because I slept for nearly 10 solid hours both nights! I'm easing back into it during this week because I'm sure this weekend will be a little strange as well. In a week, I should be back to normal.

Bah, Humbug!

Some days are just better than others. Although not what the title of this post would have you believe, today was one of those days. The temperature peaked at just above freezing today, so I vowed to take advantage of that situation. At 7am, it was still about 5 degrees out, so there was no chance of me going out for a run. By noon when I went to the pool, it felt down-right balmy at 26 degrees, and the sun was shining. However, by the time I got home from work, it was dark (obviously - today was the shortest day of the year) and the temperature was falling, but (on purpose) I didn't bring any running gear with me, so I HAD to go home to run.

I got all bundled up and ready to head out. I glanced in the mirror and decided that I looked more like I was going to rob a bank than go for a run. I'm not sure why, but most of my cold-weather running gear is black. Always thinking safety first, I put on my fabulous new reflective vest. I figured it would not only be great for cars to see me as I ran along the sidewalks and across the streets, but it might come in handy in allowing passersby to see me sprawled out on the sidewalk with a broken ankle from some jerk not shoveling his sidewalk and me slipping on his ice.

Thankfully, I never went down, but I would like to send a hearty, "Bah, Humbug!" to all the lovely Ames residents who don't do a very good job (if any) of snow removal. Granted, it has been one of the top 10 snowiest winters ever here, but that just means you should be well-practiced at clearing your sidewalk!

Icy paths not withstanding, I had one of the best feeling runs of the last 4-5 months. It's amazing how much better I felt outside (on ice and hills and in the freezing cold) than I have inside (on the treadmill, in a climate-controlled environment). And I never missed the music I usually listen to when I run inside. It truly reminded me of why I love to run! I can't wait to get back out for a couple more runs later this week and weekend.

The swim today was also pretty good. I think that some of the good workouts may be partially due to the higher than normal consumption of simple sugars (i.e. all the treats that comeout of nowhere this time of year). One of the downfalls of working out so much is that it is pretty easy to maintain your weight. That, in turn, means that I feel like I can "splurge" with a cookie or six throughout my day. Really all that does is screw up the way my body would rather have it. I know that my body has been reponding very favorably to the healthier diet I've been eating (this week not included).

Today's main set in the swim workout was 20 x 25's with 10 seconds rest. This is not a really taxing workout, but it is interesting when I think back to the other 3-4 times I've done this workout. Today's was much easier. I have become so much more comfortable with the bilateral breathing. I think one of the hardest parts for me to breakthrough was the longer stretch between breaths. As my book taught me, it's not that my cardiovascular endurance has improved so much, it's more that my body is learning how to tolerate the carbon dioxide levels in my blood much better. And, mentally, I've become much more comfortable with the burning feeling that those elevated levels cause. It should be really interesting to see how I feel when my workouts jump up from about 1300-1600 yards/workout to 2600-3000 yards!!

Finally, in response to a comment left on my last post... enough already!! This blog will be the first place I tell when I get my new triathlon bike. My hope is still to get to Minneapolis sometime in January to go check out the big bike store there, Gear West. They have a great selection and lots of experience in fitting tri bikes. And, just for the record, I ALREADY have a road bike. I've had it for 3 years and it's what I climb aboard 3-4 days/week in my basement for my bike training. It is the perfect RAGBRAI bike, but not the perfect triathlon bike.

This week, I am looking forward to getting a couple more good workouts in, having a great lunch at Hickory Park on Friday with my parents, Jerry, his wife Laurie, and their son AJ, then heading back to the Quad Cities for a quick Christmas visit.

If I don't blog again before Christmas, have a great one!!

The End of the Christmas Parties

Even with all the going out and Christmas partying, I have kept myself firmly on track this weekend. I arose early on Friday morning and had a decent 6-mile run on the treadmill at work before I actually "went to work." What a blessing to be able to do that! It's pretty much one-stop-shopping for me when it comes to working and working out!

I only wish that the "Happy Hour" on Friday afternoon with Team Satisfied (and a couple representatives of Team Bad Monkey) had been just that: just an hour. But, as tends to happen with Team Satisfied, things got slightly out of hand. Good thing I jumped at the chance to get a ride home at 10pm, as Sparkle didn't jump at that chance and paid the price most of Saturday...

Although not feeling 100%, I did get an hour in on the bike. Still making my way through the vast collection of VHS movies that I collected over the years. If anyone has any laying around that aren't getting any use because you've switched to strictly DVD, send 'em my way. I've still got a lot of winter indoor training to go!! (By the way, this week's movies were "Days of Thunder" and the "Doors")

Saturday night it was back on the party wagon, this time to the shop Christmas party. This year, instead of just having a nice dinner out, we elected to add a sporting event to the evening! Bowling was the name of the game and the young "kids" got beat by the old guys 451-415. It was brutal. I'm just now getting over it. Actually, the gift exchange which followed was a more heated competition. But in the end, everyone went away with a lovely gift. Satisfied Sid joined us at the bowling alley, and although he didn't bowl, he did try to keep his "claw game" winning streak alive. It wasn't his night, though, and he went home empty handed (except for the NASCAR Uno game he won in the gift exchange).

As the rest of the party departed for the Moose Lodge for some post-party beverages, Sparkle and I did what everyone else REALLY wanted to be doing on their Saturday night - we went grgocery shopping. It's really amazing how few people there are in Hy-Vee at 11:30 on a Saturday night!

Since I didn't have a rest day this week, I took today off. I still managed to do a lot, but working out was not one of the activities. Instead, I baked cookies and wrapped Chrsitmas gifts. I am off to the final Christmas party of this year. My church group is going caroling for some shut-ins, then it's time for a few more cookies and treats... AND another gift exchange! I'll keep you posted...

Keep On Keepin' On

Not much new to report from Ames. Training continues to go well. The weather continues to be uncooperative. I am so stinkin' busy with the holidays so close at hand. Clients are making appointments then breaking them a few hours later. I don't seem to know if I am coming or going most of the time. Shopping is getting done in spare minutes between projects and work. My Christmas cards are not ready to go yet. I'm kinda running out of time!

For the past week or so, I've been allowing myself to sleep a little bit later in the mornings. This is a direct response to the fact that I've been getting to bed a bit later due to the harried pace of the days. I think that I'd still prefer to get up at an hour that allows me to get one workout in before work, so I only have to figure out where to put one other workout later in the day.

My running has felt better this week. I can't wait to get back outside to run, but I'm still having the mental block of going out when it is a.) too cold, b.) too icy, c.) too cold of a windchill, d.) raining/snowing/sleeting, e.) all of the above. The treadmill is treating me well, but I know I really should be hitting the inclines to get at least some sort of hill workout in during the week. None of the other people at the fitness center have gotten mad at me (at least not to my face) for taking up an hour on the precious treadmills during the weekend. We are such a small facility that we only have 3 treadmills. I am big-time breaking the 30-minute rule. I'm sure no one complains just because I work there, but I do a pretty good job of picking off-peak times to double my alloted time.

Swimming has its good days and its bad days. Monday was a good day. Today felt like I was dragging a brick (or was that just my butt??) through the water behind me. I said a thankful little prayer that I signed up for a wet-suit legal Ironman. At least I'll have slightly more buoyant legs on that day! I had to laugh at myself today... after I got out of the water, I thought to myself, "After September, I may never swim again. This sucks!"

The events of this coming weekend may change my usual schedule (barring any changes that my clients choose to make for me). Team Satisfied is going out on Friday night to check out a new restaurant (which may also involve some adult beverages), so the 7 miler I was going to do on Saturday may get moved to Friday afternoon. The shop Christmas party is Saturday. That will have adult beverages for sure, as we will be going bowling after the party (and I bowl LOTS better with beer in my belly), so Sunday won't be a good day for a long workout. Perhaps a long-ish bike ride on Saturday afternoon and Sunday can be my rest day for the week.

Thawing Out

FINALLY! The temperature has risen above freezing for the first time in about 2 weeks. But, that doesn't mean that it has stopped snowing. We've already had over a foot of snow this winter, and it's not even the middle of December yet. It could be a long winter of hours and hours on the treadmill.

I have the training back under control. I got two solid strength training workouts in this week, one good "long" run of 6 miles, and a "long" ride of 75 minutes on the trainer, plus my two swimming workouts and other shorter workouts. I decided to try to be a little less anal about the training right now. My goal is just to just be consistent with my workouts, and I'll worry about getting more hard-core in February.

Actually writing out my program has helped give me a little more perspective. The training will be pretty intense for at least 20 of the 30 week program. So, for right now, I just want to be a little more relaxed - making changes mid-week, taking a day off if I feel like I need it, etc.

Putting the dates into the calendar made me also realize that I'll actually be using a 29-week program, rather than the 30-week schedule I thought I would use. I will be in Colorado during "Week 1" to help out with my soon-to-be-born nieces and do some skiing. It will be a great final "off" or "cross-training" week before I turn into a single-minded triathlete.

Putting it in Writing

This weekend, I took a bit of time to copy my training program onto a calendar. It's one thing to read about what you should do. It's all still theory when you read it in someone else's book or magazine article. It's a whole new ballgame when you put it into your planner and come to recognize that you've got to fit upwards of 20 hours per week into an already busy schedule. There were only a couple times when I had the "Oh, $#!%" feeling. I can see easily how to get a 4 or 5 hour ride followed by an hour run into a Saturday, but when I realize that I have some serious training to do on, for instance, the weekend of my grandmother's 100th birthday celebration in July, that's when I start to get the shakes. I'm sure that I'd much rather be spending time with my whole family who will be trekking cross country to Chicago for the celebration, but I also know how supportive they'll be (and are!). Maybe I'll even talk some of them into riding with me!

I Love the 80's!

Once more the weather forced me inside for the whole weekend. And actually, that is a lot truer than even I am willing to admit. I didn't leave the house at all on Saturday until around 5 to go to church and then again at about 8 for the Team Vardo Christmas party at our neighborhood (smoke-free!!) drinking establishment. The snow finally stopped around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, leaving about 3-4 inches of the white stuff behind. That meant I hit the bike for my daily dose of exercise. Since moving the bike/trainer to the basement (and, thus, away from the DVD player), I have had the occasion to dig out all the old VHS tapes I had stacked away and to reconnect the VCR to the 13" TV in the basement. Time passes oh, so quickly when watching old Tom Cruise movies from the 80's. Yesterday's treat was "Cocktail," the first half anyway. Next up is "Top Gun," then such classics as "National Lampoon's Vacation" and everyone's holiday favorite, "A Christmas Story."

Today, I again ventured out into the great white world, this time to hit the fitness center for an hour of fun on the treadmill. It's especially enjoyable for me, since I have learned the ability to stay upright on the machine while watching folks try their darnedest to kill themselves on the weight equipment. As a personal trainer who emphasizes safety first, that is an aquired skill. For example, the two people who spent Friday morning working out in open-toed sandals. Or the 6'2" guy who sets the hip machine up for himself as though he was a 4'8" little old lady; my back was killing me just watching. Then, there are the classic over-achievers who load about 50% more weight on the machine than they can actually handle and grunt and scream while trying to build as much momentum as possible to move the weight. Clearly, they are getting a great workout... but my all-time favorite has to be the groups of women who think that by simply being IN the weight room, they are getting all the effects of USING the weight room. Sorry, ladies, it doesn't work that way. You actually have to MOVE the machine ALL the way through the FULL range of motion to garner ANY sort of effect. But, I digress...

Today's run actually felt pretty good. Thankfully, the Fall Out Boy CD has not worn out due to repetitive use. It has been a life-saver for me during my treadmill days. I had a great stretch after the run and even contemplated a nap on the mat in the weight room during the stretch, but that probably wouldn't have looked very professional...

Priorities, Priorities

Either the day off helped or I was just imagining that I was very tired. Today's workouts went so much better than the ones from earlier in the week. There were some other circumstances that also changed, but they are out of my control, and I just have to learn how to accept those.

I love my job, because I can workout whenever I have a spare moment. I lifted weights at 3 seperate times today: before my classes, over lunch, and after my post-work run. Plus I did some strength training in my classes today. I haven't been as regular with the weights as I would like, so I am trying now to just fit it in anytime I have a chance.

The weather situation is not improving at all. This morning the windchill was below zero. I just can't bring myself to go in that. Since it is snowing again, I guess I'll still be inside for my bike ride and long run this weekend.

I have made a startling discovery: my body feels better when I eat the right foods! I have been really doing quite a good job on both the quality and quantity of foods that I have been eating. The biggest change that I have noticed is that I can't go more than a couple hours without nurishment. I can't really say that I have a problem with that, but it is hard to eat in the middle of fitness classes and personal training sessions.

I'm still kinda stressing about what kind of bike I'll be purchasing. That really needs to become a priority in the next few weeks. But then again, so does sleeping, stretching, eating well, strength training...

Bilateral is Better

Snow has again returned to Iowa. It's been snowing for a couple of hours here and is supposed to all night. That's great, if I can hang out at home, but tomorrow I have a 3 hour drive to NE Iowa, to the small (REALLY small) town of Elma. When I went outside to pre-heat my truck this morning, I thought that anyone out running in this weather would have to be insane. I gladly accepted my 30 minutes on the treadmill this morning, rather than even consider going outside.

I had a good swim over lunch today. I worked the whole time on my bilateral breathing. It's really going well. That's saying a lot based on the fact that I never thought I'd actually get that accomplished. It has really helped me to slow down and (hopefully) become more efficient in my stroke.

I have also decided that I may need another day of rest. Today's workouts went fine, but I can see my heart rate slowly starting to creep back up, and I am just feeling a little run down. Tomorrow will be a day off and then I think I may shoot for another one on Monday.

Mind Games

I am now in my fourth week of "training to train." I would have thought by now that the swimming would be getting a little easier. But, alas, it is not. I still go out and flop around in the pool like an idiot, hoping that the master's guys in the next lane aren't laughing too hard at my form. I have been trying to do my drills as well as work on some sort of endurance, but I just don't remember it being so hard before. I suppose it may be because in the past, all I've had to worry about is surviving 400-600 yards. It is a bit more daunting thinking about 4200 yards! All my pool time hasn't been a total waste though. It has been great for me to just get used to being at the pool twice a week, whether I like it or not. And I've somehow suddenly learned how to breathe to my right side. I've always been a left side (only) breather. Every time I'd try it in the pool, I'd nearly kill myself from sucking in a mouth full of (nasty) water. Somehow this year it's been much easier. Of course, I'm still so freaking out of breath while swimming that I can barely make it 3 strokes between breaths, so as to alternate which side I breathe on... I guess my only choice is to keep on working on it and be thankful for the little goals I am achieving along the way to the big goal next September.

One great thing I have found at the pool is that I swim on the same days as one of the guys from the tri club. Brad is a multi-time Ironman finisher and did Wisconsin again last year (his second or third time). He has been very encouraging to me all along and he keeps asking how my training is going. Little things like that are a big help in the grand scheme of things!

I've been pretty tired the last couple of days so my runs haven't been that great. I ran outside on Sunday afternoon in the spitting rain and wind. The only good part of that run was that it wasn't very cold. It was a mentally tough day to run, so I have started to work on my mental game during the run. I have found it is pretty difficult to keep my mind on the task at hand when my body doesn't really want to go. An old trick that I use for running up hills is to keep repeating the alphabet backwards as many times as I can til I reach the top. It gives my mind somewhere to concentrate while my legs just do the job of running up the hill. One I just read about (and that has been helpful so far) is for when you just want to stop and walk. The book says to convince yourself to keep running for the next 10 breaths you take, then see if you can keep going for 10 more. Let's just say that Sunday's run involved both mind games... but they did their job and I got it done!

Back to Business

I have finally thawed out from the Turkey Trot and have finally digested my Thanksgiving Day meal. Both took longer than expected, but I am almost back to normal and ready to get back at it. Tomorrow is supposed to be our last beautiful (read: warm) day of the year, so I decided to switch my running and cycling days around so I can get a good run outside tomorrow. That meant I was indoors riding on the bike trainer today. I rode for about 45 minutes while I watched the Iowa State football team lose their 3rd overtime game this season. Good grief! They are so close to being such a great team (finally) but there are just some little things they need to get done.

I will admit I've been a little slack on my strength training this week. And my stretching. So, tomorrow I am getting back on the wagon and getting back down to business. It is great to have these few vacation days from work, but it almost seems as though I am more disciplined when I am busier. So, hopefully, getting a little more structure in my days will overflow back into my training.

Roehr was in Ames for Thanksgiving, so Sparkle, Roehr and I met up for some beverages (of the adult variety) last night at O'Malley's then headed downtown to engage in the decathlon of bar games. We played nearly every game offered in Whiskey River, Sportsman's, and the Corner Pocket. Sunshine came out to join us at about the same time Roehr and I threw in the towel.

Although it's always great to see Roehr, this time she came bearing gifts! She had finally received the last part of my birthday gift: a Sub 17 shirt. The significance of the shirt is that Ironman competitions must be completed in under 17 hours, so for people such as ourselves, anything "sub 17" is our first goal for the race. It is a very cute style and I can't wait to wear it! She also brought a big bag full of other triathlon related goodies. Let's just say I look a LOT like all the other members of her Kraft Multisport Team.

Safe and Sound

I can tell that I am really starting to get serious about my training. Those of you who know me well, know that I do NOT do well in the winter. I am definitely what you might call “cold-blooded.” This morning I ran in the Davenport YMCA’s annual Turkey Trot. I think this is the 4th or 5th time that I have run this 5-mile Thanksgiving Day tradition. Yesterday was a very nice November day; I think the temps were up in the 50-60’s (although it was breezy with winds in the 20-40mph range). But things took a drastic turn for the worse over night. Not only did the temperatures plummet, but the wind was even more fierce than yesterday. At 8am, I think the temperature was around 15-20 degrees and the wind hadn’t died at all from yesterday. That brought the wind chills down to 5-10 below zero!! But, I had paid my $22 and got the shirt (plus I needed a good training run today), so out the door I went (half expecting to be the only fool to actually show up for the event).

I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold while running before. The race starts out with a steep incline up Main Street in Davenport. Most years I actually walk a lot of this hill… But this year I was able to run the whole thing for three reasons:

1. I think I am in slightly better shape this year than in past years.
2. I had to keep running or the wind would have blown me back down the hill and into the Mississippi.
3. I was frozen so deeply that I couldn’t feel anything; not my nose, not my face, not my fingers or toes, but more importantly, I couldn’t feel the burning of the lactic acid in my legs!

Water stops were a little different than ones I’d seen in the past. They had to put salt down on the road by the water stops so that when you dumped your cup, you wouldn’t make the streets all icy. The water was cold though! Anyways, I ran the whole thing, never got blown over (but came VERY close a couple of times), and was able to finish strong, warm, and with the wind at my back.

This was also the first year that this little Turkey Trot was chip-timed (although I’m not sure why… everyone makes it over the starting line within about a minute), but due to a break somewhere in the chain of communication, I never got a chip, so you’ll not see my name or time in the race results… but I did take a witness with me to verify my time. Just ask Royce if you have any doubts about my performance.

It was great to have a good, solid, pain-free run today. Last night I was wondering if I’d even make it to Davenport to have a chance to run. I left Ames at about 3:45pm and made a 30-minute stop in Marshalltown before heading out for the remainder of my roughly three-hour drive. I estimated that I could ALMOST make it to Walcott on my tank of gas, but decided at Iowa City that I didn’t want to risk anything on the busy holiday travel day, so I stopped to fill up. I hadn’t been back on the road for more than 10 miles when traffic just stopped cold. No movement whatsoever. I glanced at the clock in the truck. It was 6:40pm. I called my mom to tell her that I’d hit a slow down and that they’d better just eat without me, ‘cause I’d probably be there a little while. I didn’t have any idea at the time just how right I was!

I knew there must have been quite an accident to bring the traffic to such a screeching halt. Soon the state troopers and county sheriff’s deputies were flashing their lights as they sped by on the shoulder. Then came the ambulances, probably 4-5 of them. Then I glanced in the oncoming lane and noticed that there were no cars coming from the other direction either. About 30-45 minutes later, the ambulances came by headed back toward Iowa City and not long after that we saw the Life Flight helicopter fly overhead.

We sat and we sat. Thank goodness for XM satellite radio, the rest of the lunch I had packed for earlier in the day, and cell phones. Many thanks to Roehr and Cara who talked to me numerous times during my “rest stop” around mile marker 253. So, I ate, made phone calls, and even contemplated taking a nap, but finally after 1 hour and 45 minutes of not moving a single inch, we got rolling again. The newspapers didn’t have great coverage of the crash. I imagine that tomorrow’s news will have more details, but when I finally made it to the crash sight, things did not look pretty. I’m pretty sure that there were some people who were not quite as thankful today…

Initially, I was really glad that I had stopped to get gas in Iowa City because I would have been in a world of hurt if I had run out while sitting on the Interstate. However, I did realize that had I not stopped for gas, I wouldn’t have been in that part of traffic when the accident occurred. Regardless, I made it home about 2 hours later than I had planned, but safe and sound.

Fire, Fire!

Today's swim workout was 1600 yards - straight swim. I was doing very well, very comfortable, no problems. That is, until the fire alarm went off! Some little punk high schooler pulled the alarm and sent several little, old ladies outside soaking wet. I was smart enough to stall until the "all clear" sounded. We figured that if there really was a fire, we were probably in the right place.

I went to bed early last night. I managed to pull myself out of bed for an early morning run. I do so love watching the sun come up as I run! Tomorrow morning's workout is my second "quick transition" aka "brick" workout. Thirty minutes on the indoor bike trainer followed by a quick change and fifteen minute run. It's designed to start to get the legs used to running after being on the bike. That had traditionally been a tough transition for me... As the weeks go on, the bike and run segments will increase in duration, making the transition more and more taxing.

Tomorrow after work, I am headed to Des Moines to go get some new running shoes and some other gear at Fitness Sports. I'm ready to spend the free money I "won" on Saturday!

Maybe I Should Go Buy a Lottery Ticket!

I got up early this morning and headed to Des Moines with Team Satisfied (and a potential Team Satisfied "pledge" hoping for initiation into next year's team) for the Living History Farms race. It was pretty cool out, so we were well-layered for the race in our "finest" running gear. Sparkle pulled out her Ames High School Golf sweatshirt and I grabbed an old Kappa Alpha Theta sweatshirt. Between the "old school" sweats and my blaze orange railroad-issue knit gloves, I looked good! Last night in the basement I found a really old pair of running shoes that looked like they had one last race left in them.

The trip to DM was more like a trip down memory lane, packed with reminiscing of RAGBRAI 2005 and lots of laughter. We are not sure whether our stories will make Janel want to join us next year or whether it will turn her off of the idea completely!

There were 4500 other people who decided that playing in the mud on a cold Saturday morning in November was a good idea. We joined them all in the starting area and had a chance to look around at our competition. I would guess that at least 50% of the racers are high school cross country runners from all over Iowa and the midwest, ready to burn off some steam since their season ended a few short weeks ago. There were lots of theme costumes - cows, 80's aerobics instructors, the band KISS, you name it. But the guy that takes the cake at every race in the area is the guy who runs barefoot - every race! I've seen him run the Des Moines marathon barefoot, in a skirt, all while dragging a stuffed monkey on a string behind him. Today he was barefoot, in a native American outfit, carrying a bow and arrow. However, his "outfit" was no more than a simple loin cloth. I'm sure there was something under his skimpy loin cloth, but if you were, say, standing behind him at the awards ceremony, you got a straight shot of his buttocks. The dude was shivering so bad that one older woman offered him her gloves. I had to think to myself at that point that a pair of gloves was not going to make ANY difference to the strange guy who ran basically naked in 40 degree weather up and down muddy hills and through numerous waist-deep creek crossings for the last 90 minutes. But, she was great to offer.

The race was allegedly giving away 6 free pairs of Adidas shoes from Fitness Sports at the awards ceremony - just bring a canned good and they'd give you a raffle ticket to be drawn at the end of the awards. Since I wear only Adidas, and Fitness Sports is one of only a handful of stores in the US that sells my favorite model, I was willing to wait in cold temps and breezy conditions to see if I could win. The awards took so long that we figured we might be able to win by simply outlasting all the other participants, as you had to be present to win.

They went through (VERY slowly) and gave away the awards for the overall winners and the age groups. First place got a frozen turkey, second place got a frozen duck, third place took home a frozen chicken, and fourth place got a cornish hen. They all also got handmade pottery plates. However, the overall first through third place winners got gift certificates ($100, $50, and $25) to Fitness Sports. Since they took so long to give out the awards, I took some time to look around. Standing right in front of us was the overall winner and his buddy, the third place winner. I think the announcer said they were from Madison or somewhere else out of state. They compared their poultry and plates for quite some time, then looked in the envelopes they were handed at the podium. They looked in the envelope and then at each other and kinda chuckled. For some reason, I was watching them do all this (and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that they were kinda cute...), but then they looked up at us and asked, "Are you guys from Des Moines?" No one else in my group had been paying attention to all the details of their situation as well as I had, so no one really said anything, except me! "Yes! I'm from Des Moines!" I said. I knew exactly what was going to happen, so I wasn't really all that surprised when he handed me their two gift certificates. "Well, here's $125 worth of gift certificates to Fitness Sports. Enjoy!" Yipee! No more waiting in the cold to see if I won the free shoes! Since these guys didn't live anywhere close to Des Moines, they were never gonna use 'em, but I will!!

This just topped off a crazy week for me. Earlier in the week, I won a $200 gift certificate to a jewelry store in Marshalltown off a radio contest. And I'm still in the running for a diamond pendant necklace from that same radio deal. Maybe I should go by a lottery ticket...

Oh yeah, the race itself was great, too! Everything was pretty wet from all the melting snow from earlier in the week. Team Satisfied ran the whole thing together because it's not really the type of race where you can even try for a PR. The course was so crowded that there were LOTS of sections where you couldn't run even if you wanted to, everything just got so bottle-necked that running was not an option. I felt great the whole race - far, far better than I have in my two previous attempts at this race. I felt strong through all the hills. I think the most remarkable part for me was how good I felt at mile 5 and mile 6. In years previous, I was pretty much done at mile 5. I attribute the strength training I've been more regular with this year. Off to a good start!

Winter Wonderland

Winter has arrived in Iowa. Yuck. It rained, then sleeted, then snowed all day yesterday, and then the wind picked up. It blew at 25-50mph all night long and we woke up to ice everywhere and bitter cold wind chills. Needless to say, I had to do my run inside on the treadmill tonight.

I went swimming again today, but only for about 25 minutes. I had to rush over to the pool in between clients, which meant that I had to run out to my truck with my hair still sorta wet. By the time I made it into my truck, my hair was like skinny sticks, frozen solid. Not a great idea for a girl getting over a cold!

My run tonight was great. My heart rate is way more in control and it actually felt easy to run 3 miles. I give some of the credit to the new CD I was listening to. Sparkle found the "Fall Out Boy" CD on sale at Target for me, and it is perfect to run to. Very upbeat and it rocks!

All that is on my plate for the rest of the week is a quick bike ride tomorrow morning followed by some strength training, then Friday is a rest day. Saturday is the Living History Farms run. I can only hope that the weather improves by then!!

Gettin' in the Groove

I think I’m starting to get back in the groove of swimming. I really concentrated today on slowing down and stretching the most out of each stroke, and I am trying to do something I’ve never been able to accomplish – bilateral breathing! Not the most exciting topic, I know, but it is a skill that every decent swimmer should know. I am still the world’s slowest swimmer, but I feel a little better and think that I can make some pretty decent progress in the next 9 ½ months.

I made another trip into the bike shop today to talk about my next bike. I didn’t learn a whole lot more than I already knew. I need to go visit some bigger shops (in bigger cities) to get some more information. It’s not that I can’t get good information here, but I just need a second (and third and fourth) opinion.

I’ve been sleeping better lately, and that has really made me feel a lot better. The only troublesome thing that I have going for me at this point is that I have not yet taken a day off. Now I know that I’ve only been going at this for about 10 days, but I should have put a rest day in somewhere already. My first rest day is to be on Friday. The following day is the Living History Farms Race.

It’s the largest cross-country race in the country. I’ve done it twice in the past and it is pretty fun – cold, but fun! Sparkle, Sunshine and the rest of Team Vardo will be competing. It’s a pretty challenging race, but really more fun than anything. The first half reminds me of my high school cross country days, but it’s the second half where things really get interesting. It’s literally “over the hills and through the woods,” including at least 7 creek crossings. They remind everyone not to wear anything they’d like to ever wear again. I think the funniest is that the prizes for winning are things like ducks and turkeys! When all is said and done, it’s a 10K, so I’ll just try to write it off as a training run…

Team Vardo

My training group from this summer has continued to run since the end of the program in early October. They are still meeting about twice a week (or more) for group runs. It's great because it's such a great group of people and it gives me a group to continue to train with on a regular basis. The funny thing is, they decided to name the group Team Vardo! I even learned tonight that there is now a Team Vardo website and there will soon be Team Vardo t-shirts!

I met Team Vardo this morning (8-10 people and 2 dogs) at 7am for a run at Ada Hayden Park in Ames. The weather was very mild this morning (relative to what one would expect out of November in Iowa) at about 50-55 degrees. We did 2 figure-eight's of the quarry for a total of 10K.

This afternoon I settled in on the sofa to watch the IM Hawaii "re-play." About 30 minutes into it, the local TV station started breaking in with weather reports. After cutting in and out for another 15 minutes, they just took over because there were multiple tornados popping up all over the area, including 3-4 within just a few miles of here. Instead of watching the IM show, I had to head to the basement after the sirens were going off. I was glad I was at home and not at the Iowa State tailgate...

They had to evacuate the stadium and get everyone up the road and into Hilton Coliseum while the lightning and wind was getting crazy all over the place. To top it off, the game was sold out, so there were tons of people to deal with. There was some talk of some damage, but it will be tomorrow morning before we know the extent of it all. Who would have thought: temps in the 60's and tornados in November?

Sleepless in Iowa

Today was a very interesting Friday. It was full of ups and downs. I won't get into the details, but let's just call it interesting.

Although the cold still will not let loose of my lungs, the really bad part is that is that I am still not getting very good sleep. I think that sleep along with lots of OJ and water will eventually take care of this thing once and for all.

I made it back in the pool again today. I was able to swim for about 35-40 minutes today, but I was a lot more tired than on Wednesday, so I only covered about 1300 yards. I think my swimming needs a lot of work. I say that I think only because I'm not totally sure exactly what it should be feeling like. You can only read so much about swimming - then it's all tweaking of technique. I think the tri-club is trying to set up a swimming clinic with one of the Iowa State swim coaches to get us some help.

Tomorrow NBC is showing the Ironman World Championships. I'm looking forward to watching it although the coverage is not typical to how TV generally covers sporting events. It's more like an "up-close and personal" look at the athletes and the event rather than the "sport" itself. Regardless, the emotion of the event is fully 90% of the allure of the IM. I am looking forward to watching it this year with the added knowledge that I'll be doing (nearly) the same thing in exactly 10 months from yesterday!

Domestic, Light and HOT!

Before I get to the training portion of this post, I wanted to share some photos from this weekend's concert: Dierks Bentley in Waterloo. Steve and Tina helped get Meet & Greet passes for Sparkle and I before the show:

The other people in the Meet & Greet were a little jealous because he actually spent some time talking to me, rather than the quickie photo and quickie autograph. It took Dierks a second after I introduced myself to figure out who I was and why I was there. I didn't really have anything in mind for him to sign, so Sparkle suggested I take a picture of S&T's dog, Cooper, because Dierks has walked Cooper and knows him well.

He looked a little tired and run down when he came into the room, told me that this was their 41st show in 45 days! I think he was a little homesick for something familiar because his eyes lit up when he realized who Cooper was and who I was. He said he wished he had known that we were coming; he would have had me get his email address and he would have met up with us before the show to hang out. Oh well, there is always next time!

The concert was great (although I do notice that I am getting older...)! McElroy Auditorium / Barn is not the world's greatest concert venue, but if you are on the floor the sound is just fine. Dierks seemed to have a special place in his heart for Iowa. Hopefully he'll be back soon...

And now back to the regularly scheduled blah-blah-blah:

Two very exciting things happened to me today: First, I went swimming for the first time in a VERY long time and things went well. Second, after I ran tonight, I was stretching and I was actually able to reach my toes for the first time in a VERY long time! While these may seem pretty minor to all my loyal readers, let me assure you, I am pretty fired up about it! Actually, besides sleeping pretty poorly last night due to an annoying cough, I had a pretty good day. I am glad to see some of the results of all the stretching I've been doing. I don't usually set a very good example for my clients, but it has just become habit now for me. I don't even think about skipping it, I just automatically stretch for 10-15 minutes whenever I am done with a workout.

I swam for about 30 minutes today. I was a little disappointed when I was done, though, because I only swam about 1200 yards. That was about 600 yards short of what I had planned to do, but I had an appointment and had to get out of the water before I was through. I forgot how fast time flies when you are in the pool.

Things are going well: my hamstring seems a little better, I think the cross-training has a lot to do with that; I am enjoying getting back in the weight room (for me instead of someone else's workout); my diet is pretty good so far, it's helped that I've been able to eat at home a lot more rather than eating out all the time; and as soon as I kick this cold, I should be groovy!

Still Kickin'

I am still alive. I'm in to Day 2 of the training and so far, I haven't missed a single workout! I am a little sore from starting back in on the strength training, but nothing I can't survive. Tomorrow I get to get back in the pool after a LONG hiatus. I think that it's been more than 9 months since I set foot in a pool. All the swimming I did last year was either in a triathlon or during one of the very few open water swims that we did as a club. It should be an interesting day...

Happy Birthday to my mom! I didn't get a chance to talk to her today, but it turns out that she is in Chicago, so all my calls to home were in vain anyway!

I've still yet to kick the never-ending cold. It just keeps on hanging on! I think everyone says that it lasts about 3 weeks, so I should be done with it soon.

I've got some photos to post tomorrow from the concert on Saturday night, but first I need a good night's sleep tonight!

Where am I? What Day is it?

Nothing like a week in Las Vegas to really screw up the body's internal clock. Add to that the end of daylight's savings time and two time zones, and I am a wreck! Everything that we did seemed about three hours off of "normal" to me. The first night we were there, I woke up at 3AM... my body thought it was 6AM, my usual wake-up time. I managed to sleep another hour... At 4AM, I was WIDE awake and Sparkle was not pleased. She MADE me go back to sleep for another hour after that. At 9AM, I was starving and ready for lunch. By 8PM that night as we were meeting a friend for dinner and drinks, I was ready to pass out from being so tired! It was WAY past my bedtime!

We got a lot of work done at the show. Three days of walking on concrete in dress shoes was near torture. We did get a couple of workouts in, though. Tuesday and Thursday mornings we got up and went for a run up and down the Strip. I was amazed at how many other people were out running! Nothing like a couple lungs full of carbon monoxide to get the blood flowing in the morning.

Some highlights of the trip:

1. Dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Sparkle's friend Matt, has a friend CJ who is the Director of IT for Caesar's. He took us out for dinner (and to some clubs after). I ordered the fish. It was a WHOLE fish, eyes, tail, mouth, the whole carcass. It was great though. Sparkle was not pleased that I wanted the fish to look at her the whole dinner...

2. Following dinner, we went to the Palms to the Ghost Bar (as seen on MTV's the Real World Las Vegas) on the roof. Awesome view of the whole city. Saw Hulk Hogan in the lobby. CJ had us on "the List" so we got to march past all the "little people" waiting in line and just head right up. Had to tip the bathroom attendant. I hate that. But, it could be worse... you could have a job that involved hagning out in the bathroom all night handing out paper towels...

3. Fremont Street. We went to watch the light show and arrived a little early so we headed into the casino to play some penny slots. Sparkle and I lost our dollar quickly, but CJ very quickly got into the bonus round and converted his twenty into $212! Sparkle MADE him cash out at that point (she went so far as to hit the "Cash Out" button against his wishes).

4. I made $20 on the penny slots!

5. Ninety-nine cent Coors Light bottles at the Westward Ho casino, just a block from the CrapDust (StarDust) where we stayed.

6. Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I had the fish again. So good! Dessert was so good too, but I'd eaten too much of the fish and appetizers...

7. Speed-mingling (Hermannizing) with Rick at the SEMA banquet cocktail hour. Meet 300 people in a matter of minutes. I don't know how he does it...

8. Blues Brothers at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. They were just as good as they were last year and the beer was just as free as it was last year, too! But, again, the stupid bathroom attendant thing... I can get my own paper towels, thanks!

9. Walking up the strip from one end all the way to the other end. I think we hit at least 30% of the casinos on the trip, either to get a drink or use the bathroom or play some penny slots or just check out some cars. It was a LONG trip, but WAY cheaper than a taxi and we got to see...

10. Drag-racing on the Strip!! Might have been one of the last things I thought I would have seen at 3 in the morning. The cops shut down one side of the road and two rice burners tore down the road. Too bad one blew up at the start of the second run... smoke everywhere!

Anyways, it was a great trip and now that I am starting to get back on the right sleep schedule, I am almost ready to start the big training program! But tonight I have one last thing to do! We are heading to Cedar Falls to see Dierks Bentley! Steve and Tina's friend Vanessa hooked us up with Meet and Greet passes. Satisfied Sid's brother and sister-in-law will be hosting us for the night. Should be a great night! Although if I'm not careful, I may lose my voice again!

I Need a Vacation!

Tomorrow I am headed to Las Vegas for the SEMA show. Sparkle and I are the only ones going again this year. I suppose it is because we did the best job last year! I think I am just about packed, but what a pain. Packing is the WORST part about going anywhere! We'll be there Monday thru Friday and then we get next weekend to recover and do more laundry.

I rode the indoor trainer again this morning. I got about 45 minutes in before I had to get ready for church. It wasn't the best ride I've ever had, but it did what I needed. Just before I got the trainer, Sparkle had (finally) hung a mirror that we'd had sitting on the floor for (literally) years. Turns out she hung the mirror in the perfect place, without even trying! I can be contantly checking on my form while I ride. And, that is something that I really need a lot of help with...

Because Las Vegas isn't exactly the fitness capital of the world, the goal for this week is to get a workout in tomorrow morning before we head out and then get at least one more "workout" in out in Vegas, be it walking or running or whatever. Then, get another workout in on Friday when I get home. The other goal for next weekend is to finish up my training plan, so I can get to work on Monday! Finally!

Running Scared

This morning's run was one of the scariest runs I've ever been on. I didn't get hit by a car, or see anyone else get hit by a car. Nothing like that at all. My hamstring has still been bothering me off and on, but since I haven't really been doing much running lately, I haven't taken too much notice of it lately. And usually when I start running, it only takes about 3 painful steps before I am able to run with relatively little discomfort. Well, not today!! I ran about 4 blocks (limped really) with my hammy tied in knots. It hurt more today than it has hurt all year. THAT is not what I wanted to experience at this stage in the game. I stopped to stretch and was able to make it through the rest of the run. All in all, I ran about 3.7 miles home from my training session this morning. My heart rate is still out of control, so I decided that today would be a "mental training" day.

I just concentrated on staying relaxed and keeping my stide steady. I ran as slow as I needed to in order to maintain my heart rate under control, and just focused on keeping moving. I put some ice on my hamstring when I got home, I think I'll try to do a little more cycling in the next couple days to work on maitaining some sort of fitness and not bother the injury any more.

Yesterday's workout was about 2.5 miles of running outside followed by 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer. And 10 minutes of stretching.

Tomorrow is another day and hopefully my body will soon start to cooperate!

Then Again... Don't We All?

Here I sit, in front of the computer, happy, in my indoor cycling clothes, still with a little bit of sweat on my forehead from the 30 minute spin I just completed on my new indoor bike trainer. I bought a Kurt Kinetic trainer (thanks for the help Mom/Dad and Curt/Dottie) and it works like a charm. The cats are pretty skeptical (and that's good because kitties and Kinetic trainers do NOT mix), so they just sat back and watched me work. I think I'll really like being able to ride all winter long without ever having to leave the house. I can watch the snow falling outside my door and still be in a tank and shorts. It may get a little crowded in here when Sparkle gets a trainer, too!

Actually, it just felt good to move, becasue I have taken the last 2 days off of working out all together. My voice is still shot and I am still pretty tired, but the workout felt great and I'll probably do something tomorrow morning again as well to ease myself back into the groove of working out.

My sister emailed me today asking if there was some special diet I would be doing during training. A timely question really because I am tempted to blame some of my fatigue and sickness at least partially on diet. For my training diet, my plan is to concentrate on eating more fruits and veggies (which will come as a surprise to anyone who watched me eat my way through childhood and adolescence) and work on eating more whole grains and less refined sugars. But that is only as a general rule... because thankfully, athletes need (at certain times) some sources of quick fuel, i.e. sugar). Basically, I just need to start eating better overall. But then again, don't we all???

Not Again!!

Once again, I have found myself in the unfortunate position of being sick. This time, however, it is not a full-blown, wanna kill yourself, kind of sick. But, my voice is basically shot. Not good for someone who talks and teaches for a living! I am back once again on the OJ diet, drinking that and water as much as I can. This better not be a sign of the year to come, or I am in BIG trouble! Consequently, I have not been working out. I am opting instead to focus on getting well and feeling better.

On Roehr's blog, she's been sharing about how tired she is. I think there is a really nasty rash of that going around to everyone I know, me included. I've been getting pretty decent amounts of sleep, but am just DRAGGING when it is time to get up. I need another vacation. Oh wait! I get one next week!! That's right, 4 nights in Vegas. I will have to work hard at getting to bed at a decent time and still getting a little exercise worked in somewhere along the way. As if walking nearly 30 miles of convention hall isn't enough...

Still no forward progress on the bike trainer. Tomorrow Skunk River is open late and I get done with work around 6, so hopefully I won't have any time to blog tomorrow night because I'll be riding!

Not There Yet

I thought that after an afternoon of holding the couch down and a good night's sleep, I would feel better about facing Monday morning. But, when the alarm went off, I did not have much get-up-and-go. The workout turned out to be okay, but I am already starting to realize how much I hate working out indoors. My next resolution is to start taking my runs back outdoors, even if the weather is less than cooperative. Once the time change takes place, I'll get (for a little while anyways) a little more sunlight earlier in the morning. I also need to get back in the weight room. My schedule has been so crazy lately that I haven't been making time to get that done.

My program research is going well, and I am starting to get a better grasp on exactly what I want to do. As one of the Carmichael Training System coaches told me last weekend, "It takes about 20 minutes to figure out the basic outline of how to set up a program, but hours and hours to actually get everything tied together."

I tried to go buy my new indoor trainer today, but Ronn said that he has another brand coming in on order tomorrow, and I need to try both of them out before I make my decision. That Ronn, he's so smart and always watching out for my best interest. He's been a great resource for me for years. He sold me my Raleigh road bike, which I love!! I think because he got me into a bike that is really perfect for me, I've enjoyed riding 110 times more than I could have with a mediocre bike. Plus, Ronn is very encouraging and we work well together.

I've developed a bit of a cough today, just a tickle in the back of my throat. I've been slamming OJ and water all day because I'm NOT getting sick again. Even though I had a bit of a rough weekend, I think I can pull through before this gets too out of hand.

It's Hell to be OLD!!

This was not what I would call a good training weekend, but it was a good weekend for getting some things out of my system! I was greeted in my classes by a big batch of black balloons and candy. Both classes sang to me and my boss made cupcakes for them as well. Team Satisfied headed out to dinner and drinks at O'Malley's and to G$'s house for a party. Sunshine got called out to work, so she dropped us off at the Whiskey River for some final evening activities. Saturday my parents came to town and we had the traditional Hickory Park BBQ lunch, complete with the singing wait-staff and ice cream sundaes in honor of Dottie's and my birthdays. I did require a brief nap prior to the main event: the 30th birthday party at Curt and Dottie's house.

It was a very festive time with friends from all over coming to help me celebrate. The highlight of the evening was the "Tippy Cup" battle-of-the-sexes that was held in the garage. The men dominated, led by Royce, but I think the women really held their own. Most of the matches were decided by mere seconds. I guess you could call that an athletic event, but not really very cardiovascular in nature...

I did get a couple of gift certificates for Skunk River Cycles, so tomorrow I will be going in to get my bike trainer! Soon, my living room will be "Cycling Central." I also got another training program (Mark Allen), so I will be putting my program together soon!

The End of an Era

Today is my last day as a 20-something. It's been a little easier transition than I thought it would be... I have been working a ton since I got home - and some VERY early hours. I am pretty tempted to sleep in tomorrow and just take it easy, but I'm sure that I won't be able to sleep in. Bummer. My workouts have been a little random lately:

Monday - I ran 4 1/2 miles, but couldn't ever get my heart rate into a manageable range. Consequently, I did the last 2 miles just run-walk. I think I was just really low on gas. My diet kinda sucked on Sunday night and all day Monday.

Tuesday - I got on the elliptical trainer at work, but only lasted 20 minutes before giving up. I still had no go-juice and I wasn't about to push it, so I spent another 20 minutes stretching and called it a day.

Wednesday - I made it 30 low-level minutes on the elliptical trainer without any problem. Stretched for 15 minutes.

Today - I walked for 10 minutes on the treadmill, ran for 10 minutes, walked for 10 more, and ended with 10 good solid (FAST!!) minutes running - then 15 more minutes of stretching.

I am ready to start the next phase of my life as a 30 (GASP!) year old. I am very thankful to have a goal like this to help me cope with the trauma of it all!

Rants from the Road, Part Two

After two amazing days in Estes Park and RMNP, seeing hundreds of elk, a few fox, and one very small (but very frightening) snake, we made our way south to Colorado Springs via Friday-rush-hour traffic. After a VERY quick shower, we headed out to the Outback for dinner (and beers) with my friend, Nick, who lives in CS. The next two days I spent learning all the latest, greatest stuff about endurance training from the best in the business - the guys from Carmichael Training Systems and some other experts in the field. Roehr spent the days hiking and running in Garden of the Gods and met up with a 2-time IM Hawaii finisher to "talk shop."

I was really pretty wiped out after the week, so coming home was actually welcomed. But heading back to work was a bit more of a challenge!

Rants from the Road, Part One

Wow! Just returned from the big trip, and it was great! It was VERY relaxing and much needed. Roehr and I laughed a lot and learned that we are able to travel together well.

We started out on Tuesday (driving a 4-squirrel Hyundai Accent) traveling to Vail in the sleet/snow/rain. We stopped in Minturn to see the "Pope" and his bicycle shop. He spent at least 30-40 minutes discussing the in's and out's of carbon fiber vs. titanium and his thoughts on various bicycle manufacturers. Then we got a little off track talking about his favorite places to eat and drink in various cities across the continental US. You see, the "Pope" weighs in at a mere 300 pounds and yet still claims to ride the bicycles in his shop. He was out of tequila during our visit, so we'll be sure to stop into see him next time either one of us is in the area. Vail was (no surprise) very dead when we headed back to town. It was 4 o'clock and not a soul to be seen. Not even a place to have a beer. So, we did what all red-blooded triathletes on their first day of vacation would do... we went to the C-Store and bought a 6-pack! We enjoyed some cold beverages at Steve and Tina's while we became friends (tough job...) with Cooper! After S&T got home we headed out for a great dinner and then home to crash for the night.

The following day was to be a quick drive to Estes and head out for a hike. We managed to get a little sidetracked, between the outlet malls and the Coors Brewery, we never quite got the hike in. We were greeted the following morning with elk RIGHT outside the condo balcony. It was a taste of the day to come. We did 2 hikes totaling 13 miles, 2500 feet of elevation, and, thanks to our heart rate monitors, about 2700 calories each. We were both pretty sore, but managed to make it out for a big (not low-cal) dinner. Be sure to ask Roehr about the murder she committed that night!

A Blank Slate

Tonight I am faced with a blank slate, a white canvas, if you will. It is that time of year again, a time for introspection, reflection, and the chance to make something out of nothing. No, I'm not speaking of the start of a new decade in one's life (although that day is NOT very far away, I'm scared to say), but that hallowed of all holidays: Halloween. Sparkle picked up a couple pumpkins at the store this afternoon and even did the dirty job of cleaning them out. Now, my job is to carve something out of the orange flesh. What to do? A portrait of my cat (she's the perfect scary Halloween black cat, you know)? Perhaps a birthday cake with 30 candles (now THAT would be a lot of work)? No, I think this year it will have to be the symbol that I'll be thinking about for the next 11 months:



When I'm done I'll try to post a picture of the masterpiece. Anyways, the blank slate of the pumpkin is really a metaphor for my life right now. In less than 2 weeks, I'll be entering a new decade of life. For those of you really good with math, you'll appreciate the fact that although I'll be turning only 30, I'll be entering the 4 decade of my life. On my run with Roehr yesterday, I decided that is another reason why undertaking this adventure in the upcoming year is a good thing. When I was 26, I ran my first 26.2 mile race. I'm funny like that; I like to do challenging things in landmark years. I can only wonder what I'll be doing in the decades that follow!

Head to the Mountains

Just returned from an 8 mile run with Roehr (and part of the running group). We saw lots of people out training today as well. It's kind of funny how once you get into a scene, like running or triathlon, just how many people you meet and are able to build friendships with. We ran part of the run with Dale, a tri club member and IM Canada finisher. He was frank about the challenges of completing an IM, but also provided some encouragement and words of wisdom. We also saw Lara and her husband out running and just exchanged greetings as they flew past us...

It was great to run a distance like that again, but it was lots more fun just being able to run with Roehr. I didn't really expect to go that far, but once we were moving, it just felt too good to stop. I didn't go the full 12 that Roehr was going, however. That would have been a mistake and I'd have probably been too sore tomorrow to want to do anything. Roehr and I didn't do a very good job of HR management. We were too busy gabbing about the IM and our upcoming trip to Colorado (in 3 days). Whenever I get to talking about fun stuff like training and traveling, my pace picks and pretty soon, I am huffing and puffing. But that could have been the fact that I haven't been doing any longer-type training in a few weeks...

I am looking very forward to the trip for a number of reasons. First, I am just needing a break from work for a couple of days. Secondly, I am excited to see my brother and Tina (and their house and dog, Cooper). But, I am enough of a geek that I am really looking forward to going to the NSCA Conference on Endurance Training. It could not have happened at a better time for me. I've got so many questions and will have some of the fore-most experts in the world to ask! Plus, there is the added bonus of the side-trip to the Coors Brewery for a tour one day...

X is for X-Ray

Another busy day... and I am tried. But I got a lot accomplished and I feel pretty good (although I will still probably go to bed around 9:30 tonite...). I did get my first adjustment at the chiropractor today. Good golly, I sounded like I was popping popcorn in my back and neck. The x-rays were pretty amazing. I have a pretty decent side-to-side curvature in my thoracic region and my neck is WAY out of place. All that time I've spend working on posture with the seniors is NOT paying off for me. But there is nothing like an x-ray to show you exactly how screwed up you are!But, there is just something about a good adjustment that makes me feel all good! Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm going to pay for all the wonderful care!

I did run again today, this time 3 miles on the treadmill. I didn't go very fast, but I still got it done and feel okay. And, I did my stretching for 15 minutes when I was done, plus I was trying to sneak some stretching in anywhere else that I could throughout the day.

My meeting last night with the tri club was very helpful. They had some good recommendations on training programs and bike trainers and lots of resources. Just the kinds of things I was looking for... And, as I suspected, the team will be behind me 100% the whole way!

Forward Progress

I finally feel like I am doing something to start this train rolling towards Wisconsin. Last night I ran 3 miles with the group! I didn't feel 100%, but I wasn't a slacker either. It felt so good to be running again! It took me about a mile before I really felt like I was good and warmed-up, then I felt more comfortable about lengthening my stride and going after it a little bit. I was able to finish 3 miles feeling really good! The hammy is a little sore yet today, but all in all, I feel much better having run.

I also went an visited a chiropractor today. We took some x-rays and other tests and I go back tomorrow to see what can be done about my freaky back. He's a Palmer graduate and comes highly recommended from a lot of people, so we'll see how he works out. It's too bad that my Ironman friend/chiro works in Story City, otherwise I'd be there. But this guy I saw today seems pretty cool regardless.

In preparation for the Colorado trip (and with the help of an Amazon gift certificate a friend sent me) I bought a couple of training books online today. Hopefully they aren't full of the same stuff just puked back out in a different form. Roehr and I should have lots to read about on the trip.

Tonight I have a tri club meeting. My goal tonight is to try to start talking to people who may want to train together this winter, figure out what kind of bike trainer I want to get, and get some practical advice on how many tri's I should be thinking about doing next year. One of the great things that I love about my tri club is that it is full of people with all levels of experience. I think there are about 4 people in the club who did IM Wisconsin this year - most of them have done multiple IM's and are a wealth of info.

My training has been a little strange these last few days due to my schedule. Yesterday, I did 15 minutes on the elliptical (as a warm-up) then about 30 minutes of upper body strength work, with 15 minutes of stretching in between. Stretching has to be the new leaf that I turn over this year, even if it is the only thing I change about my training. I hearby vow to do at least 10 minutes of stretching per day from now til September 10, 2006! I ended yesterday with the 3 mile run with the group. Today is a rest day for me. Except for the stretching which I will do as soon as I am done blogging!

Sore Back

I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I did 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning, then some core work for about 15 minutes before my classes. I taught 2 classes (one woman tried to commit suicide in the 8am class - 80+ year old tripped on the carpet and did a total face-plant), then trained 2 clients, then took Sparkle's Core & Strength class. All that by 1pm and I still had to go to work for the rest of the day!

My back was pretty sore after all the core work today - actually I couldn't do all the stuff in the class because it hurt so bad. I have got to get in to see the chiro!

Tomorrow will be another adventure. It's the last night of my running group. I'm gonna run with them if it kills me - which it may, but I'll forge ahead!

Here Today, Gone to Maui

I have found the cure for the common cold!! You'll never believe it, but mahi mahi will do the trick! Friday, I still was struggling pretty bad with the cold, like I was living in a fog. After work, I went to eat with the females of Team Satisfied and G$ and ordered the "Here today, gone to Maui" mahi mahi sandwich at Wallaby's. When I woke up at 5:45am on Saturday, I was cured! I still sound like a crack addict, but all else is well!

I gained a new appreciation for mothers yesterday. I babysat for Payton from 7:30 til 3. I'm not sure how a mother gets anything else accomplished during the day when there is a one year old scooting all over the place, getting into everything. After Payton had his morning nap, I strapped him into the jogging stroller and we went out for about 45 minutes. I even tried running for the first time in 2 weeks. I was less than successful, partly due to my hamstring still not feeling right and partly because I'd been sick for the previous 4 days. So, most of our time was spent walking around Boone, looking at squirrels and enjoying the beautiful fall day. But let me say, I have NO idea how a single mother can survive. I was wiped out by Payton's energy and curiousity.

Last night I went to a good ol' fashioned kegger. It felt just like high school! However, between the cold and the babysitting, I wasn't really in the mood to get all crazy. Good thing... because Sparkle and Sid decided early on that they were gonna tie one on! Sparkle was doing her fair share of smack talkin' about how she is a "Tippy Cup" ringer. We didn't keep an exact total, but I am pretty sure the women beat the men 2 times out of 3. Today was spent catching up on laundry. I never thought that my new schedule of getting up early to work out would have the undesirable side effect of producing lots of extra laundry! I think I got a good workout huffing the dirty and clean clothes up and down the stairs fifty times today.

I also wanted to spend some quality time working on a training plan for next year. Every time I sit down to work on it, so many more questions come up. This week's list:

a. Should I try to schedule the same disciplines each day of the week (at least for the majority of the schedule)?
b. Should one day per week be an off-day or should I try to do something everyday, even if it is just an easy recovery workout?
c. Should I "taper" for any of the other races I'll be doing during the summer or just train through them?

I'm so anal. I'd love to have an order to everything so that I would just automatically know what workouts come on what days, but I know that isn't always feasible. And weather is so unpredictible, I'll need to learn to roll with the punches as they come. The added difficulty that I will face next spring is trying to incorporate my running club workouts with my training schedule.

This week is just going to be another "recovery/rest" type week. I'll lift 3 days and do a good core workout 3 days with at least 30 minutes of cardio each day. Next Tuesday, I go to Colorado with Roehr to see my brother and very pregnant sister-in-law, hike in Estes Park for 2-3 days, then to the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Conference on Endurance Training. It is a double bonus for me: first I get CEU's for my certification AND I get to meet and talk to some of the best trainers in the nation and pick their brains about the best ways to train for the ultimate endurance event! Whenever we get a chance, Roehr and I will be making plans for next year!

Cold, In More Ways Than One

Fall is starting to set in around Iowa. The farmers are harvesting and the talk is ALL about the weather - at least among the seniors I work with... That's ALL they talk about! But, anyway, the weather is getting cooler, I think we had our first frost yesterday. But not a "deep" frost - not enough to kill the @#$% mosquitos! I still haven't ventured back into the realm of running, but I think tomorrow may be the day. I volunteered to babysit a one year old tomorrow morning and his mom runs with him alot, so I may give that a try. If nothing else, it will give Payton and I a chance to get outside and get some fresh air. All that in hopes that he will take a long map sometime in the morning!

The "other" cold in my life is the never-say-die cold I've had for 4 days. I HATE being sick and I think I HATE it more than the average person because I get sick so rarely. I still managed to workout with the hockey team this morning (our last morning together - bummer...) and do about 20 more minutes on the elliptical trainer. I feel great after that, but not good, by any means. Probably the worst part of the whole deal is that I haven't felt good enough to even have a beer. Beers are about to become few and far between for this tri-chick and I need to load up while I can. Those of you who know me well know that me going without beer for any extended period is virtually unheard of, but that is the kind of rugged determination that I will be taking into this training! Granted, there will be some exceptions to the "no beer" rule (obviously), but I don't want to put all of my hard work to waste - even for some fine amber love straight from heaven!

On that note, I am headed out for some dinner with the rest of the XX-chromosome members of Team Satisfied and G$, and maybe even a beer.

Moons Over My Hammy

I slept for nearly 10 hours last night, which I think greatly contributed to the fact that I feel a little better today. I can't get 10 hours of sleep tonight, so my goal is quality, not quantity.

Today's exercise program consisted of little more than 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I didn't push myself at all - my heart rate topped out at 135bpm. It was actually kind of an interesting "ride." I was reading Sports Illustrated and listening to Candlebox (my workout CD of choice for years and years) and when I got off, I hardly remembered being on the machine at all. Blame it on the cold if you want, but it was just such an easy workout, I'm glad I took the time to do it, even if it wasn't the most beneficial to my fitness level. I did manage to sneak in a little working out with my clients. We all did a lot of lunges and squats today (one client did about 150 squats and I did them with her!).

My hamstring is feeling MUCH better. I am even thinking of running with my group on Saturday for their final run. I think I may be having massage on Sunday as well. The massage therapist is a trainer/instructor friend of mine who has worked on my hamstring in the past and should be able to do some stretching and sports massage techniques to get this hammy back in action!

Water Logged

It sucks to be sick. I came down with some nasty cold 2 nights ago. It's one of those annoying types that keeps you up at night, even though sleep is the best thing for it. And then, as soon as it finally lets you fall asleep, your alarm clock goes off and you have to get up and try to face the day.

I am not usually the type that gets sick very often, so I am hoping that this is the big one of the year. I won't be able to afford getting sick next year. The worst part is that I don't even feel like I can workout. Actually, I feel pretty good when I am moving, but as soon as I stop, it's worse than ever. I didn't work out today and I'm thinking that I may just sleep in tomorrow morning and try to get some rest and kick this cold. I don't have a client til 9:30am, so in theory, I could sleep til 8! I bet my body won't allow that!

I've been working especially hard today to drink LOTS and LOTS of water. I am basically trying to keep my eyeballs afloat and it's working. Too bad that means I'll be up many times tonight to remove some of that water.

Just Because I Can't Run...

Just because I can't run doesn't mean that I've been sitting on my butt. Today started out with 20 minutes on the bike (crappy stationary thing at the gym). I worked on cadence - funny thing, at 95rpm I couldn't get my heart rate even up to 60%MHR. So, I hit the elliptical for 25 more minutes (much better luck with a therapeutic HR), then some back and abs before I taught my two classes. For my sake more than anything, I put them through some stout (for 70-80 year olds) core work. I know I was hurting at the end, so they may never come back to my class, but that's another story altogether... I trained a client, then dashed home for a quick shower before returning to work to take "Core & Strength," with my requested additional ab work. I had a quick lunch, then worked at the other job til 5 when we screamed out of there to get in a bike ride (a REAL bike ride) for another hour! That is my kind of day! And I get to do it all over again tomorrow!

It's starting to get cooler out and I'm slowly starting to think about what it is going to take to train through the winter for this big event. Mostly what I've been thinking about is how much money it's gonna cost me to workout in relative comfort. Yikes!

My other thoughts have been on how to best care for and maintain my body through this grueling process. I'm gonna have chats with a chiropractor and massage therapist and see what I can get worked out for the next year. I've had mild success in the past trading personal training for their services and that would be OPTIMAL, but hard to get done. It is most important to me to have someone in those positions who is an athlete themselves and can relate and fully understand what is going on. At some point I may need some consultation with a dietician as well. I am actually viewing this whole IM training as a way to see just what the body is capable and I want to be at my best for the race, but also for the rest of my athletic life.

Seven Days Without Running Makes One Weak

Today marks 7 days without being able to run. My hammy is not feeling any better, so that makes it all the more discouraging. On Friday, I found a message board where people can ask questions of a physical therapist, and just the day before, someone had posted my very same problem. I'm anxious to hear any suggestions at this point.

I did 35 minutes on the eliptical trainer, 10 minutes on the rower, and 30 minutes of upper body weights today. Everything (save the hammy) feels good. Tomorrow will be a core day - workout before work and then a lunch-time class. If the weather improves, maybe a bike ride after work.

I spent some time this morning trying to put together a training program. I've got a couple programs that other people have used, but I need to make some sort of composite that fits me. You'd think with my background, it would be a lot easier than it is. My current questions are:

a. How many races should I try to fit into the summer? I think that I can do 3-5 races as long as I treat them as workouts rather than races. The "brick" aspect is the most appealing part of doing races as training.
b. How much running should I be doing at the beginning of the program, knowing this is the part that is both the most challenging part for me but also the most injury-inducing. And I think that is the the discipline that runs the biggest risk for burnout and overtraining for me.
c. How many (if any) days per week should be complete rest days? Is it better for me to rest on the same day every week, or a different day each week?
d. How much strength training should I be doing and how many days per week?
e. What role should RAGBRAI play in my training? How many days should I go on RAGBRAI? How on earth will I fit running and swimming into that week?

Needless to say, I have some questions that need some answers. Loyal readers, any answers?

Oktober in September

Last night I spent some time with two Ironman Wisconsin finishers (Tom-2004 and Matt-2005) and Sparkle. We were all blowing off a little steam and enjoying some fine German beers at the Oktoberfest, one of the last few chances that we have to get out and cut loose before the hardcore training begins in a few short weeks. As it often does, the conversation soon turned to triathlon. They continued to drill into my head the need for a nutrition plan. And a mental game plan. I kinda feel like a tri geek talking so much about this stuff, even when we are out doing other stuff, but I think that I need to absorb as much knowledge as I can. If only I hadn't absorbed so much beer...

Needless to say, the fine German beer (and the "Sparks" energy malt beverage and the VERY strong screwdriver which followed) is great on a Friday night, but not so great when you have to be up and at 'em by 6am the next day. I met my (very small) running group at 6am for their run, even though I would have MUCH rather been still tucked into bed. After all the struggle to get up, they couldn't even run - too much lightning. No rain, just lightning. So, it was back to bed after all. They ran a little later in the mroning. It is increasingly tough to watch them run and not be able to join them. But, as the rain started about 5 miles into the 10 mile run, I was rather thankful that I wasn't out running with them. I'm pretty sure I'll have enough runs in crappy weather, so I'll be thankful for what I have when I have it.

Swimming Strategy

Things are looking up for me. All the soreness from Sunday is gone, my hamstring is feeling better, and the black toenail is not causing anymore problems in my day to day life - except it's still pretty ugly.

I hit the eliptical trainer for 35 pretty intense minutes this morning, followed by another 45 minutes of weight training. It really feels good to get back into the weight room. Generally, I take the summers off of strength training, just because I can't bear the thought of "wasting" a perfectly good summer day inside (unless I'm being paid to train someone). I like the challenge!

I started scoping out a plan for swimming. The pool situation in Ames is worse than horrible. There is really only one "public" pool and the hours are not my idea of convenient. The other option is to use the university pool. Technically, you need to be a student, faculty, or a family member of same to use the pools - and even then, the hours are equally crappy. I am not, I repeat, NOT going to give my money to the private club that just opened a lap pool in my neighborhood. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing that @#$%&! man is using my money for his existance. Plus, the pool is heated too warm for lap swimming. Or at least that is what I tell myself. I'm just going to have to get in the habit of swimming at the lunch hour. After the high school swim season is over, I can go to the early bird swim in the morning. That will work out best for me.

Black Toenail

I made it all summer long, through training for a 20K, 3 triathlons, and training for a half marathon without a black toenail. Then, my last race of the season rolls around and then it hits! At least sandal season is over!

Today was another 30 minute session on the eliptical trainer. Not as much as I'd like to be doing, but no pain in the hamstring... I did try to jog for about 15 steps today. Not a good idea. No change in the pain. I'll continue to try to be patient and keep icing and resting. Not gonna try running again for at least a week.

Spent some more time online today researching bikes. I'd like to ride a Cervelo Dual, and maybe a QR. It's hard to find a good selection of bikes in stores here in Iowa. Not exactly the triathlon hub of the nation. On my next visit to the Twin Cities or Chicago, that will have to be a priority.

An Adjustment of Sorts

It's wierd. It's wierd to look at your week and not think about when you are going to run. Today I rode the eliptical trainer for 30 minutes then lifted weights for about an hour. Being with my running group tonight was wierd, too. I feel different when I don't run. It's okay when I chose not to run, but not being able to run is a whole different story.

My hamstring feels a lot better today, but I've still got a bit of a limp. I think in a few more days, I should be okay, but I think I'll wait at least another week before I try to run. Until then, I'll be trying to ride my bike and the eliptical trainer to maintain some sort of fitness. I think the break will do me good.

On the other side of things, the strength training is going well. This is week 4 and everything is good. I'll take any good news that I can get!

Recovery Day

Today has been rougher than I had hoped it would be. I am pretty sore from the race yesterday. My hamstring is pretty much fried. I limped through the day, but I did take a “Core & Strength” class today, as one of my off-season goals is to improve my core strength. I work a lot on core stability, but the strength part has always been my weakness. The hardest part of right now is figuring out what I can do, can’t do, should do, and shouldn’t do. I’m hoping to get at least one good bike ride in this week, if the weather holds. Maybe I’ll get back into the weight room on Wednesday and Friday, too.

Saturday I hope to get down to the bike shop and take the Cannondale for a ride again. The owner suggested taking a test ride on the Cannondale and my Raleigh with my heart rate monitor and see how my heart rate reacts on both. If I can gain some economy on a new bike, it just might be worth it.

Funny story: I’m teaching my class this morning to the 60-80 year old women who are starting to know me pretty well. They ask me about the half marathon and are just amazed that anyone can run 13.1 miles, let alone a whole marathon. One woman explains to the class about her neighbor who does Ironman Triathlons! She explains the distances to the rest of the class (with a little clarification from me…) and they about fall apart! I am just laughing under my breath. Of course, they ask me if I ever want to do something crazy like that. I simply explained that it takes a lot of time and commitment to undertake something like that. Technically, I never said yes or no, so I think I’m still okay!

Des Moines Half Marathon 2006

This morning was the Des Moines Half Marathon. It was not as successful as I had hoped, but I still survived. My hamstring started out feeling really pretty good. I ran the first 6 miles at a 9 minute pace (pretty good for me!), but things went south shortly after that. First my stomach started cramping after some Powerade (I think that was the cause anyway...), then my hamstring started cramping. That moved into my butt and then down into my calf. I was walking every 5-10 minutes or so and having to stop to stretch. I watched my goal time (2:00) slip away and ended up finishing around 2:11. Not bad, but with the faster start, I thought things would turn out better in the end.

Some of the running group came down to cheer the rest of us on. You'll just have to ask me about the nipple tassel sign that they made for George... There were some other friends along the route encouraging me, even though I didn't look so good. One of my fellow runners thought that the cheers of "Go, Sassypants!" were pretty funny (I did too!).

Yesterday was a pretty slow day. The runners in my group who are training for a marathon had their 20-miler yesterday morning, then we had breakfast at my house. The rest of the day I spent relaxing and trying to get "up" for the race. After getting the race packet, we went to a friend's 30th birthday party. There were at least 4 other people running the race, too! Lots of waters all around! We all had fun telling everyone that we weren't running the whole marathon, "just" the half. The non-runners in the group found that amusing.

College Flashback

Today I had a flashback to my days in college. I was the one who never stayed up late cramming for a test. Everyone used to think that I was crazy. I always prefered to go to bed and have a good night's sleep over losing sleep trying to learn something I should have learned much earlier in the semester. That thought hit me as I was running up the final hill in my last short run before the half marathon. I didn't have a good run and was very tired and working a lot harder than I felt I should at that point. I decided that rest would probably benefit me more at that moment than any more running. So I walked the last 200 yards.

It was (almost) a 3 mile run and I finished in about 27 minutes, including the walking. I think the other thing I had going against me was that I ran at 11:30am after having a really light breakfast at about 6:15am. I was literally running on empty. My hamstring was not bad all morning - I even did some of the plyometrics with the hockey team this morning (again, not a good idea). It didn't really bother me again til I left the house for my run. Of course, that's when it got bad. It started to feel like normal after about 2 miles, so I should be okay for most of the half marathon. It'll just be tough getting started.

I'm having a lot of trouble getting psyched for this race. I'd really just rather have it over with. I hope this is not how I'll be feeling next September!

New Bike or Upgrade the Current Ride?

Tonight I went to my favorite local bike shop to look for some new toys. I rode a 2005 Cannondale Ironman 600. I've got to do a little more side-by-side comparison with my current bike. It's really tempting to get a new bike, but my financial situation may not allow for that, at least not right now. I'm fairly confident that an undertaking like this will not be cheap either way, but no one ever said triathlon was easy on the wallet. There is a very real possiblity that my current ride will just get a slightly less expensive upgrade. Unless all the extra work I've done this fall makes me rich!

I didn't do any running today. I wanted to give the hamstring a whole day off. It never felt really good today. Actually, I was pretty sore all over today. I think that I've been doing a lot more working out with my clients this week than I usually do. I must have done some of the plyometrics with the hockey team on Wednesday. I'm no personal trainer (oh, wait... yes I am!), but I'm pretty sure that plyometrics on a bad hamstring are a bad idea! I'll try to do better tomorrow.

I am starting to really look forward to being done with racing for this season. There are some smaller 5K and 10K's this fall that I will want to do. I guess it's all based on my hamstring.

One Step at a Time

I left the house for this morning's run at about 7:45am. I was pretty suprised at how much cooler it was this morning, compared to yesterday. Temp in my truck said 52. Time to break out the long sleeves. Although I really enjoy running in the heat, my favorite time of year to run outside has to be the fall. Long-sleeve t-shirt and shorts can't be beat! I decided to try the neoprene sleeve that I used in previous years to support the gimpy hamstring. I think that my legs are a little smaller than in years past and I'm not sure that the sleeve really helped anything. Acutally, if anything I think that it may have hurt more than without. Regardless, I still ran right at 28 minutes for the three miles. Ice right after the run and two more time (so far) tonight.

I got an email from a friend (and member of the Ames Tri Club) who finished well at IM Wisconsin last weekend. He shared his biggest struggle: eating during the race. This has been a recurring theme in everything that I have read. Slowly, it's starting to sink in just what a commitment this will be. Not getting any more nervous, just getting more and more used to the idea.

First, THIS Year's Goals

Before I get too carried away by the anticipation of training for an IM, I've got some unfinished business from this year to take care of. This weekend I will be racing in the Des Moines Half Marathon. I've been leading training groups for the last three years and this is my fifth group. I've been struggling with a bit of a hamstring "problem" the last few weeks. I had a similar problem a few years ago in the other hamstring and that took 2 years to heal. I've got to concentrate on getting this one dealt with ASAP so that I can be fresh for 9 months of IM training. I'm feeling a little bit of burnout from this year. I love to run, but coaching and running is more of a challenge. And, with all the running, I didn't get to spend as much time on my bike as I would like. And, swimming was basically non-existant in my schedule.

I didn't do many triathlons this summer because most of my time was spent leading the training groups. Long, slow running is not great training for sprint distance triathlons, but I did manage to fit a few into my summer. The first was the Logansport Triathlon in Logansport, IN. It was a VERY long drive, but it would be my friend's first tri, and I was NOT about to miss that. I was actually very glad that I did that one, I brought home second in my age group - my first hardware! The following weekend was the Quad Cities Triathlon in my hometown. I missed the registration dealine but the race director was kind enough to let me in anyways. Improved my time by four minutes over my 2004 race there. Lastly was the Iowa Games. It was a blistering hot day and I struggled with the run because of the heat.

Anyways, today's run was 3 easy miles at 6:30am. It was about 70 degrees and still pretty humid, even though it's mid-September. Time was right at 28 minutes. Not blistering fast, but not too bad considering the hamstring ailment and a not-so-good night of sleep last night. My hamstring started out better than it has and seemed to warm-up quickly. I iced it right when I got home and have been doing lots of gentle stretching on it all day long. One more application of ice tonight, then we'll see how it feels after another easy run tomorrow night.

I Finally Took The Plunge

As of 1:15pm today, I am officially entered in the 2006 Ironman Wisconsin. I always thought that I would do this in a few years, but something today told me that this was the year. Two years ago, I started a five year plan that I thought would culminate in an Ironman event at the end of those five years. That plan flew out my truck window on the way back from lunch today. I was talking to a friend who signed up at the event this morning and promised her that I would be there to cheer her on next year, along with a bunch of our friends. Subconsciously, that made me think that it would be a great year for me to be there competing, rather than just as a fan. We'd both have tons of fans on hand to cheer us on, and I know of more than a couple of people who will also be participating. We'll struggle through the training together - that is what I think truly makes one an Ironman, not the event itself, but the journey of getting there. This blog will document my training and preparation. I hope it will be a reminder of what I've done, what I could have done better, a tool for accountability, and a training journal. I can only hope that through this blog, my friends and family will have a better appreciation for what triathlon is to me and why I am doing this. Let me just say that although signing up today was a bit traumatic, the overwhelming emotion I feel at this time is excitement, not fear. I am very excited to see what this next year has in store for me. I can't wait to see what I can accomplish when I put everything together for one goal: Ironman Wisconsin. Here I come!