January Totals

It was a pretty strong month of training. I was really on the ball until this week when I went on a last minute vacation and didn't have a way to bike (except on a recumbent) and swim (but surfing was a great workout). I'm looking forward to the challenge of my miles and hours continuing to climb and figuring out how to live real life in the process.

Swimming = 13,900 meters
Biking = 168.61 miles
Running = 52.56 miles
Other = 2.5 hours (this was all on a bosu ball)

Maybe Not the Happiest Place on Earth

Remember in the movie "You've Got Mail" when Tom Hanks's character is trying to think up excuses as to why he didn't show up to meet Meg Ryan's character (even though he did)? He keeps trying to type the sentences but keeps deleting them one letter at a time? Keep that in mind...

We have a friend from college who moved to the Orlando area shortly after getting married. We haven't seen him in about 8 years and got in touch while we were down here to get together for dinner. We emailed back and forth and agreed to meet Friday (yesterday) at 6:30pm at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney. Here's the problem, Dave and I don't have a car while we're down in Orlando and his parents would be taking the car and going down to Tampa on Friday. We asked at the front desk at the resort we are staying if there was a shuttle and yes, there was but it was $18 per person and ran at very limited times. The recommended taking a cab, which was the fastest way, but costs $22 per direction. (You have got to be kidding me!!!). We are within walking distance of the public bus so we decided to look to see if there was a way to take the public bus, which would only cost us $2 per person per direction. Dave researched it and yep, we would be taking the bus.

The funny thing is, whenever we travel we always look up public transportation and ALWAYS take it. It's easy and cheap. We NEVER take the bus at home. NEVER!

Anyway, we left the house somewhere between 3:30 and 3:45pm yesterday afternoon. We were at the bus stop when we decided we were thirsty and went inside the convenience store to get some beverages. When we waited for the bus for another 30 minutes, we were certain we missed the first bus. This was our first mistake. After getting off at the first stop (in total we would be riding three buses), we had to figure out where the correct bus stop was for us to get on. We turned in circles for a while until we spotted it across the street. Again there we waited another half hour. In all that turning in circles, I'm sure we missed a bus. Mistake #2. The third bus we would catch was actually inside of Disney property at the Magic Kingdom. There were several people waiting for the #50 bus when we arrive there. We waited nearly an HOUR for the #50. Every time a bus would come up and it wasn't a #50, the people would get restless and a bit snippy with the bus drivers. Dave and I were quickly discovering, perhaps Disney was not the happiest place on earth. :) Finally at 6:20pm we got our bus and were heading to Downtown Disney.


We finally got to Downtown Disney three hours after we left home. We were a whopping 10-15 minutes late and we were speed walking to meet our friends. But, when we got to the restaurant our friends weren't there. We waited for another hour and a half until 8:00pm and they never showed up. Worst, they don't have a cell phone so we had no way to connect with them. We called their house three times and got their answering machine each time. So, we went ahead and ate and then got dessert afterwards. And two super cute pictures...



We missed our return bus, but luckily Dave's parents came and got us from Downtown Disney. We didn't hear from our friend until this morning when he told us that his kids were sick and his phone and email were out until 10pm. Sure sounds like something out of "You've Got Mail", huh?

I'M ON VACATION!!!

My week started with a little de-icing...



But, now it's looking sunny and bright...

Tag You're It!

I got tagged and didn't even know it. I SUCK at keeping up with blogs!

Anyway, Megan (my Team Trakkers teammate) tagged me with ten things that make me happy. Here we go...

1. Not having to work a full time job anymore. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED studying engineering in school. And if I went back to do it all again I would still choose engineering. But, I really HATED being an engineering. Sure, owning a business has been stressful and financially straining, but I'm so glad I took the leap.

2. Appreciative clients. I know business shouldn't be personal, but running my business well, I think, is a reflection on me personally. I love receiving nice cards, notes, and compliments about the photo booth. I love that we are able to do most of our business through referrals. We strive really hard for good personalized service and I think we've succeeded.

3. Swimming. My parents wanted my sister and I to know water safety and be competent swimmers, but I don't think they'd ever envisioned that we would be the fish we turned into. I LOVE to swim and I'm so glad I finally get to incorporate it into my daily workouts.

4. Successful workouts. Don't you love finishing a run or any other workout and feeling like it all clicked and that you could continue working out for another hour or more?

5. Sloopy! I didn't know how badly I wanted a dog. She melts my heart. Yes, I might have a candy hard shell, but inside I'm mushy gushy!

6. Kool Aid. I gave up soda when I was 14 and don't drink coffee either so I need a vice. For me, it's Kool Aid. I LOVE the stuff. I know it's just sugar, but come on! You guys put sludge (coffee) in your body! My favorite flavors are black cherry and lemon-lime.

7. My nieces and nephews. I may never have children of my own and I certainly won't have as many as my sister has (4) but I have really enjoyed being in my nieces' and nephews' lives. They each have unique personalities, unique strengths and potentials, and their hearts are full of love.

8. The kiddos I teach. I know not everyone can tolerate little kids day in and day out. I certainly wouldn't have pegged myself as a person who could do it. But how can you not smile and be warmed inside walking away from a day of teaching gymnastics to a 3, 4, or 5 year old? They say the cutest things! And it's so rewarding to watch them learn and perfect new skills.

9. Dave. Duh!!!

10. Sleeping. I've got to admit, I sleep A LOT! I usually sleep at least 8 hours at night and I try to take a 2 hour nap every afternoon. I think it's good for my recovery and keeps my healthy. But let's be honest, I just love to sleep.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but if you'd like to participate, please leave a comment with your blog name so I can go out and read your list!

Bike Ride Pictorial

I know I've been tagged and I'M WORKING ON IT!!! But for now, here's some pictures of Dave and I riding our bikes this evening. Oh yeah, I'm heading to Florida tomorrow!!!

I Can't Win Them All

Those who know me in real life know that I am highly, highly competitive. The person I am most competitive with: ME! I take every workout very seriously and want all of them to be successful. I was having a GREAT week of workouts peaking yesterday with an awesome swim. I was cranking 200s in the same interval as my last swim test 100s. I was rolling!

Today was to be my long ride. I was all ready. Dave and I got together our nutrition last night; wrote down our intervals; and set our alarm mighty early. We had dinner with some friends Friday night, but did not stay out late and did not drink. We were taking this seriously. Around 5:00am Sloopy woke us up. As we tried to go back to sleep we both turned to each other and said, "I don't feel very good." We both had headaches and some serious heartburn. We both took an Advil and a Zantac and decided to do the ride later in the day. After some good family time, we finally got on our bikes around 4:30pm.

Dave must have felt better after taking the pills in the morning than I did. As we got on our bikes, I had very little energy and my stomach was still very crampy. I tried to put it out of my mind as we cranked our intervals and watched a little Mythbusters. Around the one hour mark things started to unravel for me. I couldn't get comfortable at all. My belly felt pudgy and drinking and eating was just making it worse. My stomach cramps kept me from getting aero which made everything feel longer. Side note: The OCD me must do everything with counting and times. Therefore, I ride one minute in aero, 30 seconds with my hands on my aero elbow pads, and 30 seconds with my hands on my handlebars. Seriously I have problems. :) Back to the point, I was starting to lose it. I stopped at around 1:07 and told Dave I couldn't make it anymore. I hopped off the bike and took off my shoes. He said, "just try to spin it out and then see if you can fall back into the intervals." I got back on the bike and tried to spin. I couldn't even get my RPMs to what would be considered spinning. My heart rate was high. I was just feeling awful. At an hour and 11 minutes into the ride, I called it a day.

Frustrated with myself, I sent Coach a note about my disappointment and my woes. She sent me a great reply that could have been interpreted as "good, I want you to fail every once in a while." But really, I think she was saying that it's best to listen to my body and to know when to fold. I have a tendency to push, push, push and either getting hurt or wearing myself out to the point of sickness. In my 8+ years of endurance sport, I am still learning and evolving. Although I'm not happy with the way this workout turned out, I learned something new about myself and am ready to start fresh again.

Thursday Thoughts

Did you watch "The Buried Life" on Monday? It's a show about 4 guys who created a list of 100 things to do before they die. For every item on their list they do, they help a perfect stranger do something on the stranger's list. I too have had a life list for several years and have accomplished many, many things on it. But now I've gotten down to the really hard stuff that doesn't seem to easily come off the list. I've been thinking more and more about expanding the list and adding on with things that would be substantial and rewarding but maybe aren't quite the life changers that I currently have on my list. So I challenged Dave and now I'm challenging you...

...what are three things on your life list that you could accomplish in 2010? And let's add on to that. What could you do to help someone else on their list? If a comment on here catches your fancy, how could you help that person?

So here's the three things on my list this year...

1. Finish an Ironman--this was the very first thing I put on my list when I created it years ago.
2. Get an article written about me in the local newspaper. It could be about my business or my athletic pursuits and accomplishments. I have struggled greatly at this one while other, let's just say not-so-athletic individuals, have gotten their marathon stories published. Ooooh, it makes me mad!
3. Pose nude/semi-nude for art. I figure, if my body is going to be rockin' for this triathlon, then I want to have it photographed to look back on. I'm hoping it have it done like the ones in ESPN or in "Athlete" by Howard Schatz.

What do you want to do before you die?

That was the hardest workout I've ever done...

Man, I thought marathon training was tough. But with each new day of triathlon I find myself say, "man, that was the hardest workout I've ever done!" Today was no exception. Dave and I started off the day with a challenging Bosu ball routine and ended the day with the hardest swim workout I had ever done. :) Seriously. It started at long meters and ended with short fast meters. A LOT of short fast meters! And the send off was ridiculous. I was barely making it down the lane by the send off. I thought my arms had fallen off in the first 800 meters. I literally stopped in the middle of the lane at one point and cursed my coach. I was sharing a lane with Dave and he just kept splashing me in the face. I couldn't get a breathe; I kept getting water up my nose; and my arms wouldn't pull anymore. I was never so happy to be done with a workout. These workouts are getting harder and harder. I can't even imagine what's going to happen in the coming months. And tomorrow I have to wake up and start all over again.

Thank goodness Reece's peanut butter eggs were only 50 cents at the grocery.

Until tomorrow friends...

Running Inside

One of the best things about not going to Boston this spring is that I don't necessarily have to do all my training runs outside. Yay! And with the yucky weather we've had so far this winter, I've learned to embrace treadmill training. Yesterday I had a hilly mid-long run on the schedule. Normally I would do this at one of the metro parks but we've had snow for two weeks and the rain we had over the weekend created nothing but yuck. So I took the run inside to the treadmill. I created hills by varying the grade and I kept my heart rate in check by changing the speed up and down. Sure, I can't quite get the same miles in as being outside but I'm still getting the workout done and I'm able to stay healthy by not being outside. I plan on getting outside as soon as I can, but for now I'm enjoying being on the treadmill.

Team Trakkers Mascot

I think my dog, Sloopy, would make the perfect mascot for Team Trakkers.

Foto Friday

I posted this yesterday to my photo blog. Can you tell me what this is a picture of?

Thursday Thoughts

Let's get serious here for a minute....

Team Conan or Team Leno?

My Heart is Broken

The day after I graduated college in 2001, Dave and I (before we were married) along with a group from our church went on a week-long trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We spent the week learning about Haitian culture, caring for sick children, and being immersed in a third-world country. The week was rough for me. It was HOT and it smelled and I really struggled to eat as the smells and sights were too much for me to handle. When we arrived back in the U.S., I kissed the ground and knew I could never be a missionary. Although I knew I wouldn't be spending my time in Haiti, Dave and I did spend our money as we sponsored a child there for nearly 10 years. My heart has always been in Haiti.

Yesterday I was at the gym and on the TV they showed devastating pictures coming out of Port-au-Prince. An earthquake had hit and it was really bad. Today we've gotten word that the home we stayed in there has been totally destroyed. And the street where the hospital was where we worked has also been leveled. This morning I watched the news and just cried. My heart is broken.

I found this picture today of Dave and I in front of the Presidential Palace.



I pulled this picture off MSNBC today. This is what the Presidential Palace looks like now.



This picture is pretty tame compared to the rest of the devastation. If you can help, please do.

Surprise at my Doorstep

There was a nice surprise waiting at my doorstep today. I kinda joked that it was my team uniform and lo and behold, it kinda was. Inside the package was 3 new visors and a hat from Trakkers.

New Challenges

The thing that scares me most about Ironman is the bike ride. For years it's been my dream to do an Ironman but I've just been scared to sign up because of the unknown. Now that I have signed up, it's time to work. And because I have chosen a hilly Ironman Coach is working me HARD! This past week I had one of the hardest workouts I've ever done (although the hardest workout was probably the 20 miler she gave me at pace last year). This was 2 hours of bike riding, uphill. My legs were on fire!!! And to top that all off, she had me run afterwards. I tried to watch a movie while riding, but it just wasn't catching my interest. Dave had been sick all week and didn't ride with me either. It was everything I could do to keep my booty on the bike. But, I finished it and it went well. This training is truly challenging, both mentally and physically. I'm really enjoying the challenge, though. And I really look forward each week to what is new.

Fail!

On the first day of the new year, I resolve to do....not cut my bangs! What did I do on Saturday? Cut my bangs! Here's the thing...I know it would be really convenient for my activities if I didn't have high maintenance hair. But the truth of the matter is, I like my bangs. I think it's finally a hair style that suits me. And I receive more compliments about my hair now than I ever did. (Thanks Mary!) So, resolution number 1 is broken. Who cares?

And, if you didn't notice, I finally broke last year's resolution and did not blog yesterday for the first time in nearly 380 days. It's my own fault. I fell asleep at 9:00 with all the lights on. Bridal shows are so exhausting! The funny part is that I woke up at 11pm and I guess I told Dave that I was ready to get some seriously sleep now. Ha ha!

Snowy Sloopy

We've had A LOT of snow in the last week (for Central Ohio). My little dog is so little for all this snow. But, she's so cute...

Thursday Things I Shouldn't Admit

Back in 2005 I joined my friend Michelle in taking a belly dancing class through parks and recs. Yep you read that right. BELLY DANCING! The class wound up being just three people and the teacher was mean and strict. Michelle became pregnant with her first child and I totally made a fool out of myself when I announced that no, she wasn't pregnant. (Remember that, Michelle). And I wound up breaking my foot (from running) and luckily was able to get out of the class with a boot and crutches.

Next time I take a dance class, it won't be belly dancing!

I <3 the New Year!

I don't know if it's the energy of the New Year or the fact that I'm making myself go to bed earlier, but I'm having an absolutely AWESOME week of workouts. It started on Monday with a 55 minute run speckled with bosu ball exercises every 10 minutes. I tore it up! Then I did a brick on Tuesday of bike/run. I felt so good on the run, I went several minutes longer than assigned. This morning I hit the trails for another 55 minute run. I've owned a pair of Yaktrax for years and have never used them, until today. I LOVED them. They allowed me to focus more on my heart rate zones and less about the snow on the ground. In the afternoon I went to the pool and had a FANTASTIC swim. I had a nasty workout that included 8 X 100 kick on a certain interval. I made all the intervals with plenty of time to spare. There are still several more workouts remaining and I'm hoping this enthusiasm continues. For now I leave you with a picture I took with my self-timer today. It's also the picture of the day on my photography blog, but I thought it deserved some time here too.


I should note...after I took this picture I turned back around to get my camera and mini tripod and there was a giant deer staring at me. I'm scared to death of deer. It stopped me cold in my tracks. :)

50 State Challenge

One of the items on my Life List is to run a race in all 50 states. No, this is not the marathon 50 state challenge. I'll take any distance of a race. I was thinking about this challenge today and discovered I don't really have that many states for as many years as I've been racing and as many races as I've done. It was even more surprising to me how few states I have that border Ohio. Here's my short list:

California - Nike Women's Marathon
Illinois - Chicago Marathon X 2
Indiana - Muncie Endurathon X 2
Kentucky - Maysville 5K
Massachusetts - Boston Marathon X 4
New Hampshire - Reach the Beach Relay
New York - Manhattan Half Marathon
North Carolina - Crystal Coast Half Marathon
Ohio - pretty much every, freakin' race :)

Nine states. That's only 18%. Geesh! This summer I will gain Kansas and Tennessee. That will still only get me to 22%. I should really find a small, short race in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Michigan since they are close. Maybe I can qualify for Halfmax, which will be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? Or maybe I can vacation somewhere awesome like Hawaii and find a race there? I like that idea.

How many different states/countries have you raced?

Me and My Girl

Ugh! I was really thinking today would be the day that I would stop blogging, but I just can't. I really feel guilty about it and yet, I've accomplished my goal. My friends on Facebook asked for more pictures. So, today I will post a picture of me and my Sloopy. I've been taking a lot more pictures personally and for myself as a photographer. Hopefully there will be a lot more to come in 2010.

2010 Goals and Resolutions

People who say they don't like making resolutions are crazy. Everyone sets goals and longs to have do-overs, so what better opportunity than the start of a new year. I LOVE New Year's. I love starting over and trying to do things better even if it only lasts a few days. This year's goals are a little more subdued...things that I can do while still training for Ironman and running a growing business. You might think they're silly, but I find that if I don't write them down, they don't get done.

• Grow out my bangs
• Get organized (mail, papers, business, etc.)
• Eat dinner at a table
• Clean 1/2 hour to one hour per day
• Work at my desk
• Keep a photo journal
• Get up to an alarm every day
• Go to bed before 11pm unless working
• Less Facebook, more real life (be a better friend / make time for friends)
• Eat better, cleaner, smaller portions more often

What small things will you change in 2010?

Snow Tubing

My sister got the family a great Christmas present this year...gift cards to the "local" ski resort. With those gift cards we all decided to go snow tubing together. I'm not sure I will ever go sled riding again as this was too much fun for the price. I might always go snow tubing!

Second Month Measurements

I've now got two full months of triathlon training behind me. I'd like to say I did all the workouts and they were all great, but I spent a great deal of time sick and no matter how I try, I just haven't figured out the magic combination to get all my workouts done in a week. Maybe this week! Dave and my friends have really started to notice the changes in my body. A friend of mine at lunch the other day told me my shoulders were looking bigger. Dang right! I've been working hard in the pool. But despite what they see, my measurements don't seem to be changing.

Weight = 116.4, basically holding steady
Quads = L - 19.5", R = 19.5", no change, but I swear they look bigger. I've even begun to get that tear drop over my knee.
Biceps = L - 10-3/4", R = 10-3/4", they sure seem bigger than that. :)
Waist = 27-3/4", no change

Today I also took my body fat percentage on my parents' scale. It said 24.5%. I actually think that's pretty good. Last time I had it done, which was years ago, it was more than that. I hope to continue to see that falling. I think body fat percentage will be a better gauge of how fit I am getting.

Hope you all had a great New Year. My year has certainly started off right with a Buckeye win. Rose Bowl Champs! Here's to a great 2010...