Tri-Fly's

Nope, we're not ready to go Vegan :-)

2011-04-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

The family wanted sliders tonight so I caved and BBQ'd, I guess we all have days like that. Everybody enjoyed them :-)

Today's workout didn't happen, a stomach bug has decided to hit our house, it is nothing that will lay you out for hours, or make you spend the night on the bathroom floor but it is bad enough that when it hits you better not hesitate when you run to the bathroom! It was because of this that I chose not to go out side for my run and thankfully so since I only ran for about 10 minutes total on the treadmill before I was done in. Tomorrow is another day, hopefully I will get my run in then.

I planted carrots, radishes and peas in the garden today! I am beside myself with excitement, I just love to garden, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It is probably too cold but I don't care, the cost of three packets of seeds is totally worth it!

My co-worker among may others will be running the Boston Marathon tomorrow, I have been thinking about her a lot this weekend-what an accomplishment just to qualify! Tina, I'm thinking about you and I hope that this time you have the best race of your life!!

Have a happy day!

Rough trainer ride!

2011-04-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today was rough...2.5 hours on the trainer in the middle of my living room! I didn't plan my nutrition very well, (probably because I was in my living room) and at the 2 hour mark I kind of hit the wall. I don't want to say I bonked because that would be ridiculous since I was in my living room BUT I kinda did bonk! I got off the bike had a bite to eat and was able to finish it but was kinda wasted the rest of the afternoon.

Do you ever just have random aches and pains? I woke up this morning and I could barely walk on my right ankle! It is so crazy, I do not remember doing ANYTHING to it, but still tonight it is hurting, stupid ankle! I am planning a 9 mile run tomorrow, it had better shape up over night.

Made delicious Chicken Seitan Dumplings with rice and snow peas, lets clarify, I thought they were delicious, the grades that I received were A, B and B- so I guess that gives me an average of a B, I'm okay with that :-)

Priced out the materials for a pergola I'm super excited about it, and am now deep cleaning the house, well sorta, I'm typing and JP is cleaning :-).

Have a happy day!

Are we ready to go Vegan?

2011-04-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

It has been mulled over at our house many a night, admittedly by me more than anybody else, but I am slipping more and more Vegan meals into the mix and nobody has noticed, for real! I made "beef" stew, nachos with "ground beef" and sloppy Joe's all with no animal ingredients and nobody was the wiser! For the stew I made seitan with high gluten flour (I know this won't work for everybody because of the gluten) but I was shocked when I served it and everybody gobbled it up! For the ground "beef" I used textured vegetable protein, vegetable bouillon and hickory liquid smoke, again, not even a question! I told JP what I had done and he told me to quit trying to trick him he is on board with what I am doing :-) As long as the food is good, he really doesn't care what's in it, okay that is kind of an exaggeration but still he is pretty easy.

I don't think I am ready to go fully vegan, but I feel good when I can put something on the table, that I feel good about cooking and it happily gets eaten up-in my world that is a good day!

on a second note, now that I have talked about food and eating I will talk about training...it's going okay, pretty good actually! I have to do a long ride tomorrow and a long run on Sunday, I'm actually looking forward to it, I think that is a good sign. One of these days I will actually get into the pool, I cannot believe that I haven't done that yet...actually I can, I wish I loved swimming more!

Have a happy day!

It may not have been my best idea...

2011-04-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

But I thought what the heck...I think I will sign up for a 70.3, and I did...and it is only 64 days away and I haven't been in the water since last August, oh what have I done?!?! It's all good (I think), I have maintained my fitness (thank you muscle memory!) and will now just step it up a bit. I rode my bike 2 hours on Saturday and ran 8 miles on Sunday so I feel like I will be okay, if I can make it through the swim! I think my biggest challenge is going to be to get my time management skills back in order, those have been a bit lacking lately. So...the floor is swept and mopped, the bathrooms are next and then I will call it a night; laundry will start first thing in the morning and hopefully after JP comes home at lunch and switches the load, by the time we hit the hay tomorrow night it will be complete and the weekend will magically open up, I love when that happens!

Vitamin D, I have to comment on it. I have no idea if I was running a vitamin D deficit but I decided to start taking it to see if it would assist me in being a titch more lively and you know what? I think it is working, perhaps it is just a psychological reaction but who cares, it's working! I even slept last night, in fact I think I only woke up once, miracle of miracles! I am not a good sleeper and any night where I only wake up once is like heaven on earth!

I guess that is it. Have a happy day!

It's been a long, long time

2011-04-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a bit lazy with the blogging and have to say I am a bit disappointed in myself but, ah well, that's just the way it is sometimes. Many holidays have come and gone, a new puppy has joined my household, I have a new boss, I have celebrated another year on this earth, I enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation in the tropics and now I am back and focused and in a good place.

I finally picked a couple of races to do this year and have committed to doing my first official marathon! It should be fun! I am loving running right now, I am tolerating the bike and have not been to the pool since last August, I hope I remember how to swim!

Life is good, I am blessed and looking forward to many windy runs and rides this Spring :-)

"I split my pants!!"

2010-07-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

It seems that the only time you really see somebody split their pants wide open is in a movie or sit-com, and for some reason it is always funny, mostly because it is not happening to you.

My sister was dealing with a great deal of drama recently because she was going to be attending an afternoon wedding and just couldn't decide what to wear, she finally decided on a turquoise shirt, white pants and chocolate brown toenails, the outfit was amazing! She thought that the older white pants might be a bit tight and didn't feel all that comfortable so she went and bought herself a roomier pair. The day of the wedding arrives and she puts on her fantastic outfit and heads to the wedding. Becasue it was an afternoon wedding she thought she needed to put a little bit of sunscreen on her son, when she bent down her pants split half way up her rear end! Fortunately she had the "too tight" pair of pants in her car so the outfit was saved. Needless to say she is signing up to do a Half Iron with me next year! She is not chubby, I think the pants were just defective but I am really excited that she and I will be racing together!

Have a happy day!

How do you keep from getting bored?

2010-07-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

My boss asked me this question yesterday and I asked him to clarify what he meant, he said "you trained for an Ironman, how did you keep from getting bored when you were training? My daughter is training for a 5K and she is so bored she can't stand it!" I can honestly say that I didn't really have an answer for him, sure I have my moments when I am bored but they seem to pass quickly, I kinda like the time that I spend with myself and my thoughts. His statement made me think about comments that other people have made about running and how the boredom is what derails them from their training. Maybe that is one of the things that sets those who run (or bike or swim) apart from everyone else, were all okay with the time we spend alone, maybe we even relish it on occasion!

To finish the story I told him that I really didn't have an answer because I didn't really get bored all that often. My co-worker then had to pipe in with "come on, we all know B Sue Fly is a bit unique, do you really want to know how or why she does the things she does?!" It was said with love because she is a good friend of mine but it did make me think...it also made me smile, because deep down inside I like that maybe I am a bit left of center and I am really okay with that!

Have a happy day!

Ironman Blues? Not so far...

2010-07-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have not experienced any of the "Ironman Blues" that I have read about, I am thankful for that! I had few days where I felt a little blah but nothing that was of concern. I think part of being able to avoid feeling like that is that I have an olympic distance triathlon that I am looking forward to in August, so I think that is helping.

Speaking of olympic distance tri's, my husband and I are signed up for the same August triathlon and he has proposed a wager...but he is also proposing that I give him a 10 minute handicap. His logic is that because I have completed an Ironman and he has only completed a sprint triathlon that surely I am faster than him. Let's get something straight here, I may have crossed the finish line, but I surely didn't do it quickly! I am pretty sure that I am being dupped :-) I am going to agree to the wager because I think it will be fun and you never know what will motivate you, I may find that I am far more competitive than I ever thought I was!

I guess I better start doing a little more training or it is going to be painful!

Have a happy day!

I am still being partially lazy...

2010-07-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 3 weeks since my Ironman and while I have done a few workouts I am still being a bit lazy...I didn't get out of bed until 8:50 this morning, that is unheard of! I literally cannot remember when the last time was that I slept in that late, the crazy part about it is that I am still a bit sleepy! My mom thinks I am still trying to catch up from my quest on June 27th, I am going to agree with her for now but we will see..

I keep getting the question "Are you going to get an Ironman tattoo?" I am beginning to think I am the only person who hasn't even contemplated an IM tattoo! I did put a 140.6 sticker on my back window of my car, that counts right?!?!

After falling off the vegetarian bandwagon hardcore after Ironman I am working hard to get back to my blissful, meatless lifestyle. One thing that my crazy cheeseburger craving told me is that I need to eat better, just because I am not eating meat doen't mean that I am a healthy eater. My quest is to find better sources of protein. Made a great salad with cabbage, pea pods, red and yellow bell peppers, petite peas and carrots with an asian inspired dressing, it was really good! I am actually dreaming about eating more of it but have come to the conclusion that even salad in excess can be a bad thing, especially cabbage salad!

Have a happy day!

I am an IRONMAN!!!

2010-07-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

WOW! Hard to believe that after a three year journey toward this goal it is now achieved, what next? I guess I should post a race report first! :-)

I should probably go back to the weekend before the race, the whole family got the stomach flu, yuck! Many tears were shed between bouts of being sick. My mom told me that everything happens for a reason and that I just needed to focus on healing my body rather than worrying about the coming weekend, so I listened to my mom, thanks mom! I still had trouble eating all week, I think I converted from sick to nervous and never quite got back to feeling completely normal, but I think nervous is to be expected.

Thursday night my husband gave me a DVD that he had made for me for inspiration, it was AWESOME!! It was a bunch of pictures that he had taken of me while training set to the song "Something in the air tonight" by Phil Collins, it was really perfect! Then it transitioned to photos that my friends and family had taken of themselves holding signs of encouragement for me, it almost makes me cry thinking about it while I write, it was so very cool, thank you JP!!

So we headed to Coeur d'Alene on Friday morning, I dilly dallied around the house trying to avoid leaving for as long as I could until finally my husband told me that we REALLY needed to get on the road! Once we got to Cd'A the town was rocking, the park was filled with athletes and families and a really great vibe! I headed over to check in and pick up my race packet...holy cow this is really happening!! We settled in to relaxation mode for the next day and a half, this included a few naps. Saturday night we ate pasta, watched the video once or twice and tried to hit the hay early, I was surprised by how well I slept that night!

Sunday morning, I woke up on my own at 4:45 and headed downstairs to make a smoothie, eat some oatmeal and drink a little coffee. Nothing was going down very easily and I didn't eat nearly as much as I should have but, oh well! We headed to the park to drop off our special needs bags, pump up our bike tires and get body marked. I started to settle down, the gun was going off in 45 minutes no matter what, I might as well enjoy myself! I head back to the house, got my hair braided and put on my wetsuit, also at the house are my dad and brother-in-law who are racing with me, the mood is pumped!

We hit the beach, I ate a huckleberry Hammer Gel and waited for the gun...BANG! I started my watch and held back a bit, blew a kiss, hit the water and started to stroke. I had a little trouble putting my face in the water at first but I just kept moving forward, not fast, but forward! I finished the first lap in 58 minutes, dang, I really wanted it to be faster! I started the second lap and I was FREEZING! There were a couple of moments that I didn't think I was going to be able to finish...I pushed that out of my head and started to stroke harder to try to warm up. The waves were picking up and I felt like I was swimming in an endless pool! I checked my watch at the second turn buoy and figured that I was going to make it with time to spare, YES!! I hit the beach in 2:04 but I was super cold, I went to the warming tent and spent 24 minutes trying to get warm, this is where is gets good though...my volunteer was none other than SISTER MADONNA BUDER!!! I knew that this was a awesome omen and that the day was going to be a great one! When I finally emerged from the tent my sister and JP were there, we all that this would help to carry me through my tough times during the day. :-)

I made it out of transition with 2 minutes to spare! I didn't plan to cut it so close but there was nothing I could do about it now! I had a plan for the bike, 10 miles at a time, switch out my water bottle at each aid station and sip perpetuem in between; I had a second bottle of perpetuem and a sandwich in my special needs bag. I tend to gulp a lot of water when I swim so I typically carry Gas-X with me, I felt a few pains hit me high in my stomach so I reach for my Gas-X, uh-oh I forgot it, this is not good! On to plan B, wait, I don't have a plan B, this could be painful and it was! All I can think about is my sandwich in my special needs bag, once I get there I will be fine, so I press onward. I hit the 56 mile mark in about 3:30, I can ease up a bit on loop 2 but not much, my plan is going pretty well. I finally hit the special needs bags and at this point I cannot seem to force myself to eat but I continue drinking water and have water belly really bad. I see the fan club again, that is such a great feeling when you are out there by yourself! I hit the 4th aid station (for the second time) and know that I am home free barring any mechanical problems, so I am on cloud nine as I ride those last 16 miles! About 4 miles out I sit up on my bike and try to starting stretching my legs and back a bit for the run. I hit T2 in 7:29, I am very pleased with my time and know that I have the finish in my sites, if my stomach will just cooperate!

If you can believe this, I again have the good fortune to have Sister Madonna as my volunteer, I am truly blessed! Another volunteer comes up to help and sends the sister over to a woman who was in really bad shape, she ended up being carried out of the tent by the medics, I feel extremely fortunate to only be dealing with stomach cramps! I see a friend of my dads who is a nurse and a medical volunteer (I have to add that she finished the race in 2009), we talked about my stomach, what is the first question she asks me...do I have any Gas-X! She is a little bit concerned that I haven't gone to the bathroom but feels that I have had enough water through out the day to be okay. She wants me to make sure to take my endurolytes and drink some chicken broth on the run to make sure I am doing okay with my salts and electrolytes. I take two endurolytes and took two every hour through out the run. I come out of the tent in 17 minutes, man I need to work on my transition time! My husband, mom, sisters, uncle, aunt, and in-laws are there to cheer me on, I was so HAPPY to see them, Ironman is a long and lonely day! I saw many family and friends along the run course it was so AWESOME!

My run plan was to run as much of the first lap as I could and then walk/run (or ralk as my sister calls it). My stomach hurt but I was surprised by how very good my legs felt! I sipped on cola and broth in the hope that there was a magic stomach cure, there wasn't, so I pushed the cramps out of my mind and just tried to focus on finding a good sustainable pace. I saw my training partner at mile 13 and I got a good talking to, she said that the race was all mental now and that I could do it physically, I just needed to keep my head in the game. She also sternly told me that I HAD to eat, even if it was just half a gel every mile. I had a sandwich in my special needs bag and forced myself to eat it, it took me 3 miles but I got it down, I am pretty sure that my body used up the calories in about 3 minutes and wanted more. I ate a few banana pieces and some oranges but nothing would sit well. At this point I met a new friend named Lesley, she was awesome and I knew that I found a comrade to finish the race with! We forced ourselves to run small jaunts but after awhile my stomach wouldn't even allow that. She kept me moving when I though I was going to vomit and I so appreciate it!

We hit the run turn around with 30 minutes to spare and got our heads in the game. All we had to do now was maintain our pace and we would hit the finish chute at about 11:30pm, slower than I had hoped but still fast enough to be called an Ironman! With less than 2 miles to go I see my husband (he was like Waldo, all day he just kept popping up and giving me encouragement), he walked with us for a little bit and then took off so he could be at the finish. We finally made it to Sherman Avenue and it is a straight shot to the finish, HOLY COW, I am going to do this!! Lesley and I have a conversation as to who gets to cross the finish line first since we are in the same division, I tell her to cross first, she was an angel to me! We decided to cross together, until I saw one of my best friends and stopped to hug her, her husband had finished the race about 5 hours before and she stayed out there for me. I hit the finish chute and high-fived anybody that I could, that is an AMAZING feeling, truly one of the most amazing feelings ever!!!

I crossed the finish line in 16 and a half hours, I gathered my medal, my finishers hat and shirt, got my picture taken and started hugging everybody, my mom was one of the first people I saw, she grabbed me and said "I am SO proud of you" and gave me the biggest hug, I look up and JP is right next to her, I get another huge hug! My dad who had finished an hour earlier was there and then I see my mother-in-law and aunt, more big hugs! What a feeling, thinking about it now brings all kinds of emotions to the surface, I am still not sure if it as sunk in!

I had a sore hip and was still nauseated the next day but recovered surprisingly fast! I said when I finished that I was never going to do that again; I think I lied, I am already thinking about the next time...I think I am insane!

I know that not many people will read this but I still feel like I need to shout to the world about what a great family I have!! My husband was such a great sport through out this journey and my family and friends were Ironfans all day while I was out there, I am truly blessed! Thank you JP!!!!!!

2 days until Ironman!!

2010-06-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Oh Dear! I haven't kept up with my promise to document my last month, it has been a bit overwhelming! I got a ferocious stomach bug last weekend and I am still a bit weak from that; the good news is those last 5 pounds I wanted off before the race are gone!

I have had some of the craziest dreams, ones that you would expect; I am at the start and I don't have my wetsuit, the swim has been changed from Coeur d'Alene lake to a meandering stream and only one person can swim at a time. But the one that left me scratching my head and chuckling was the one where all the Pros had to do their swim in large washing machines and they were all complaining that the water was polluted! Where did that come from?!?!

All in all I think I am ready! I have had my demons to wrestle, self doubt, fear, terror(!), but at the end of the day I can usually rationalize it all and remind myself that I have done the work, now I just need to do the race! I also have an amazing husband, family and friends who are all so supportive and encouraging, my husband made me an inspirational video that is just amazing! When I have my dark times out on the course I know everybody will be lifting me up in spirit and that will help to carry me along.

We head to Cd'A this morning, I will pick up my race packet, go for an open water swim and probably spend too much money at the Expo! Andy Potts is racing in Cd'A so I will also be on the lookout for him, he's one of my favorites!

Here's hoping the next time you hear from me I will have heard the words "B SUE FLY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

Have a happy day!

32 Days until Ironman, Yikes!!!

2010-05-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, just a quick post. I swam 3000 yards yesterday with the pull buoy, my lats and triceps were sore today, the good kind of sore, the kind of sore that tells you you worked hard but not so sore that you can't move. I swim 3500 straight tomorrow, should be interesting, I have to travel out of town for work so I found a 24 hour fitness that has a pool near my hotel, nice! It will be nice to just swim without having to get back to work or home, I can just swim for as long as it takes me, then head back to my hotel and nap!

Another quick mention; I love, love, love The Biggest Loser! All of the contestants are so inspiring and look so amazing, and that is all I have to say about that! Go Daris!!

Have a happy day!

It's been waaaayyyyyyyy too long!

2010-05-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I have been a bad blogger lately; but while I have been a bad blogger I would like to think I have been a good wife, mother, friend, employee, gardener, traveler, vegetarian, biker, runner, swimmer, crasher, you name it, I think I have been it!

My Ironman training continues to go well, I am struggling mentally with all of it but have persevered. I think that the training is why I have not had the energy to blog, I truly don't even log on to my computer most nights. I am going to try to re-commit to my blog because I have been experiencing a whole host of emotions that I need to document, I want to remember how I am feeling with only 34 days until race day! Right now I am fairly calm, I got to have the day off which is always good for the soul, so what did I do on my day off? I made cupcakes of course! I am posting a picture of my cupcake because it makes me laugh. I have the "Hello, Cupcake" book and love it, I have made a number of the cupcakes in the book with a reasonable degree of success, today, however was an utter failure! My oldest child will be doing a report on great white sharks tomorrow so we thought we would make cupcakes that looked like sharks coming out of the water, what we got was something between the Alien and a happy dolphin laying on top of the water. All I know is that the kids and the hubby thought that they tasted great and the kids in the class are getting schools of fish that they can pretend to be great while sharks while eating, I am pretty sure that class of second graders won't care!

I hope the photo make you laugh the way that it makes me laugh!

Have a happy day!
B Sue fly

I'm glad I wore my old shoes!

2010-01-31T20:48:00.000-08:00

Snow, slush, mud, rain, you name it we saw it! The picture I posted is of my feet when I got home, it doesn't show how wet they are, but you can see the snow (sort of!), I was really glad I put my old shoes on, I just had a feeling that we were going to see some undesireable elements :-). The weather was far from optimal but I have to say it was a really great run; you see, I got to run with JP, and that doesn't happen all too often. So, we ran together (I chased him a bit) and chatted, I feel lucky that we share the endurance training hobby. Because we are parents we don't get to train together very often, so when the stars align and we get to go out together I consider it a treat. We stayed together for about 45 minutes and then I cut off and headed home. Once I was on my own without anybody to talk to I could really take time to concentrate on my form, pay attention to everything around me (slick sidewalks for instance), and truly enjoy the experience. There is something empowering about a run through the snow, even when cars would drive by and spray up slush and muck, I just had to smile because I felt so great today!

I am struggling with my eating, I don't think I am getting enough protein, I will change that this week, I just have to figure out how...

On a side note, my girlfriend asked my to consider entering a "Masters Swimming Meet", apparently there is a 1650 yard open swim that she thinks I should consider. My original thought was "NO WAY!" but then she made a good point, almost every triathlete thinks nothing of entering a running race or a cycling race but nobody ever enters a swimming race, it might not be such a bad thing to swim for time, I am seriously going to consider it, coming in last in a swim race would be no different than coming in last in a running race, right? That made my stomach flip, I am pretty sure that in a running race I won't come in last, maybe in the last 3rd, but not last, in a swimming race you can almost bet I will come in last, I am slow, slow and slow. Anyway, it is somehting I am considering, we will see how it actually pans out.

My numbers for the week:
Biking     75 miles
Running   19 miles
Swim       1600 yards
Hours     8.7

Have a happy week!

Run Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!

2010-01-28T19:46:00.000-08:00

My new bike has officially been named Shadowfax. I was watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I love those movies) and as Gandolf and Merry took off for Gondor on Shadowfax (king of the horses, I know, I am a dork) I was madly pedaling away on my new bike and it got me thinking...my bike is is white just like Shadowfax and I hope it will show me the meaning of haste, just like Shadowfax, it had to be a sign (yes, I know that I am stretching here :-)). I am still loving my bike, I am still trying to figure out the "lady bit" issue but it is getting better.

I have be successful in getting out of bed early this week, it sucks in the morning but man-o-man, it is AWESOME at noon when I don't have to go to the gym (I avoid that whenever possible) and is is ESPECIALLY awesome when I come home and I don't have to even think about working out after dinner. I really hope I can keep this up and create a new habit, a GOOD habit!!

Tonight I made a really good new dinner, I wish I had taken a picture of it because it turned out really good and kind of pretty. It was called Butterflies with Chickpeas-quick and sooooo easy, 20 minutes start to finish, it would have been quicker if the pasta would have cooked quicker! Here is the recipe:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 plump garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups chick peas or 1 15oz can, rinsed
8 ounces farfalle
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano
1/2 cup bread crumbs toasted in the oven

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet with the garlic, parsley, and pepper flakes. Add the chickpeas and 1/2 cup water and simmer over medium. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to package directions. Drain and add it to the chickpeas. Toss taste for salt and season as necesary. Serve covered with a sprinking of the cheeses and/or the toasted bread crumbs. Delicious!

Tomorrow is an hour run and a 2000 yard swim, I suspect I am going to be tired tomorrow night, lucky for me the in-laws will have the kids, I might sleep in on Saturday, nah I want to get my bike ride out of the way and go to Costco!

Have a happy night!

another morning workout on the books!

2010-01-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

I hauled my butt out of bed at 5:30 and got my workout done by 7:00am, woo hoo! I am not a morning person, so it is really a challenge trying to reset my internal clock to not only get out of bed that early but to also get my body moving at a speed of approximately 12 mph. I am getting faster in the morning, keep in mind I say faster NOT fast :-)

It is Tuesday, so I am very excited to watch The Biggest Loser tonight, that is one of my favorite shows on TV, in fact, it is the only show that I actually watch on the night that it airs and almost in real time, I love it! While I was running this morning I was watching the local morning news and I saw a preview for tonight's episide, it looks interesting. I wonder what the red team is up to? JP and I are sitting here discussing what we think is going to happen, I personally think that the red team is going to dump a huge amount of weight this week and still try to say that she didn't throw the past two weigh ins-I think we have a new "villian." I know, I am such a dork sitting here discussing strategy on TBL but I am who I am, sue me.

I will hopefully be swimming later, it will be so nice to be completely done with both workouts today before 1:30pm, I hope I have the energy!!

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

last day of my taper week :-(

2010-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

I am sad because today my taper week ends :-( I'm not really sad but I have really struggled with almost every workout this week; well, I guess that is only about half true but still, it has been a tough week :-). I cannot believe that the intensity will ramp up again and that I still have 23 weeks of training ahead of me, oy! I know that this is just a blip on the radar and after a day off tomorrow (and a massage!) I will get my groove back.

I woke up this morning with a crazy pain in my right elbow, I can think of nothing that I could have done except perhaps sleep in some crazy contorted position that could have done this. I had really bad leg cramps in the middle of the night last night so I suspect that I was most likely thrashing about and therefore not particularly nice to myself. I have been very bad this week with my swimming (ie. I have not been to the pool all week) so I know that is not it. Oh well, my massage therapist should be able to help be straighten that out as well, along with everything else, in case you cannot tell I am really excited to see Tom (massage therapist) tomorrow!

I have noticed that some people have a workout tracker on their blogs, I cannot figure out how to do that so I am going to post what my weekly totals look like on Sundays, it will give me good perspective for the coming week.

This week's workout totals
Biking     59 miles
Running   24 miles
Hours     8.3

I am going to try a recipe for homemade Lara bars that I found on another blog, "I Tri to Be Me" I am really excited, I LOVE Lara Bars especially the Cherry Pie bar, hopefully I will have a favorable report soon!

Have a fabulous Sunday!!

Music to workout by...

2010-01-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

I am not really someone who listens to a lot of music when I work out, but occasionally I do, and sometimes I NEED it to get through a workout. If I am running or riding outside I never need music, occasionally when I am on the treadmill at home I will use it, but when I am at the gym I HAVE to have it. The funny part about it is that I listen to music that is completely foreign to what I would normally listen to, for instance yesterday, I was using my Pandora app and I listened to Beyonce(!), and Ne Yo(!) but it was Britney Spears "Womanizer" that actually got me going, really? Britney Spears? Now don't get me wrong, I will listen to Justin Timberlake pretty much anytime and anywhere but not Britney, it was kind of crazy, but I tell you what, Britney is going to be added to my list because it was a great pace song and I really enjoyed listening to it, of course when I was going to bed I kept singing, Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, you you you ah, you you you ah, a Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer...oh great, now I feel like listening to it but I do not feel like working out, this could be a bad sign...

Any other good workout songs out there? I need a few that are upbeat, fun to listen to that have a good pace :-)

60 minute spin at 100+ RPM's

2010-01-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

I had a good workout this morning, it was just an easy spin at 100+ RPM's per minute and my heart rate in Zone 1-2. I had a tough night last night, up for a few hours with a bad stomach, this is day 3 of the stomach problem and I am getting a bit tired of it, I felt good while riding and now the ache is back, hmmmm.

My new bike is feeling better, I am working out the issues with the seat and the "lady parts", my new seat is not a ladies seat so it doesn't have the cut outs that my last seat had and I am sure that has a lot to do with the issues that I am grappling with. I have a 2 hour ride on Saturday so hopefully some of the minor modifications that I am making will make a difference. I hope that the weather holds and I can ride outside, this unseasonably warm weather is so nice for training, I love it!!

I am trying to find a good vegetarian cookbook, one that is realistic and doesn't have 600 ingredients per recipe, I know that I want flavor but really who keeps that many ingredients in their house, maybe I need to, we will see!

Have a happy Thursday!

My legs are dead, dead I tell you!

2010-01-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

It is a taper week, I don't know what I would do if it wasn't, I am barely hanging on here! Not only are my legs halfway to dead but everytime I run I feel like I am going to puke, I have no idea what is going on. So, last night I needed to get in a 60 minute run, I had to do the run on the treadmill because it was late and way too dark to go outside, 30 minutes in my stomach starts acting up and my legs don't want to go any further. So I start walking a minute every 10 minutes, that was the plan anyway...I then had to walk every 5 minutes, then every three minutes and the running that I was doing in between could hardly be called running, it was more of a strange shuffle, I am pretty sure I looked a bit like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was so absurd I actually laughed at myself! The good news is that I made it through and I know that I can get through a little adversity on a run. My brick today was more of the same, I felt like I needed to vomit about a tenth of a mile into the run, oh well. Hopefully this will pass soon.

On a completely unrelated note, 30 Rock was so funny last week, I just caught up on the DVR'd shows and I was laughing so I hard I had tears in my eyes and I even snorted once, "I'd like you all to meet Tom, Tom Selleck", so funny, I can't believe that it didn't win the Golden Globe! I enjoy Glee too, but come on!!!

Initial review of the new Tri Bike!

2010-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

I am writing this review of my new bike because I am super excited and also because I searched high and low and could not find a single review online for the 2009 Kestrel Talon Tri. Yes, I got last years model (better price) plus I liked the color more, black and white v. black and red :-) I had a huge personal debate as to whether or not I should get a road bike or a tri bike, in talking with the bike shop we decided that a tri bike was the way that I should go because that is what I do, I do triathlons, I don't do bike races, I don't go out for rides that aren't training rides, so we settled on the tri bike. He did all kinds of measurements and then I finally got to ride the bike so we could start tweaking my position on the bike. I did not get set up in a super aggressive position, definitley more aggressive than before but not so aggressive so that I feel like I am going to go over the top of my handle bars.

I was able to take it for a ride yesterday!! I struggled through some initial frustrations, I felt like I weighed 500 pounds and all of the pressure was on my lady bits, I felt like I wanted to cry, so I got off the bike, had some coffee, had some lunch, relaxed a bit and then got back on much better! Road trips always exhaust me, I don't know what I was thinking trying to get on the bike right after getting out of the car, I was just so excited though! I was able to ride 2.5 hours on the trainer (too much rain and cold outside) and I averaged 17.97 miles per hour. I still need to get used to the new saddle but that will come with time (oh how I hope that it comes sooner than later!). The bike itself weighs about 3 pounds less than my other one, and definitely feels smaller when I move it around. I cannot wait to get to ride it outside to really get a feel for how different it is. I will write a real review once I get that chance.

The photos I posted are the before and after, you can see on the second photo the difference in the geometry of the tri bike v. the road bike.

On a somewhat related note, because of the road trip and everything else this weekend, I missed my Saturday run. I became very grumpy and aggitated on Saturday afternoon and couldn't figure out why, I was on the edge and it finally occurred to me that my poor body had no idea how to get rid of all of the pent up energy! Unfortunately I had forgotten my running shoes, I won't do that again! Even though it is supposed to be a rest day today, I will be hitting the trail!

Happy Monday!

I actually got out of bed for a morning run!!

2010-01-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I actually did it, I got up at 5:30 and went for an hour and fifteen minute morning run, unbelievable!! The run was extremely slow (slower than usual) but who cares, it was a first step and it felt pretty darn good. I think I have a pretty good attitude most of the time but I really think the morning run contributed to a really great day! Now I just need to get up early enough to have some coffee before the run, it's funny, I drink 75% decaf coffee, so I am pretty sure the coffee is just a mental thing but I guess I man mental because I NEED my morning coffee!

I didn't make it to the pool at lunch because I got an email that my bike is in and that I needed to come and get it fit. Tomorrow my new baby will be coming home with me, oh my goodness what have I done?!?! I am so excited and a little nervous, but so excited!

On an eating note, I have made spring roles everyday this week and I thought I had a few leftover in the fridge, none were there, Neuman!! What a bummer, I don't mean to toot my own horn but my spring roles kick some serious A! I am going to have to make up a few because I am jonesing (sp?) for some.

I will post a report on the new bike after I have riden it and probably crashed once or twice :-)

Nothing much to report

2010-01-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

It has been a quiet week, training has gone well, I had a excellent swim on Tuesday, great brick yesterday, figured out Pandora on my iphone during my spin today, had friends over for dinner; all in all, a good week!

Tomorrow, I think I will get my bike, it might be on Saturday but it looks like I will be riding a new bike for my ride this weekend, crazy. I am kind of getting nervous about it. I just want to be comfortable. Is a tri set up the right way to go? I have been agonizing on this point, yes, no, yes, no, I guess I will find out soon enough... I think about spending 112 miles on the bike and the tri set up seems scary but I don't really know, I am TOTALLY over analyzing it! I am babbling, I just have to stop, it is just that I am going to spend a lot of money and want it to be right!

On a side note, Ironmom posted a link to a great article for the age group triathlete, it is a must read and gives great perspective for somebody like me. I am by no means a gunner but it helps to hear from "professionals" that when I cut things short or postpone a workout to hang with my family, that I am doing the right thing. I am looking forward to reading parts 2 & 3!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I will post more on the bike once I ride it.

Ironman training-week 7

2010-01-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

And this post has little to do with training, oh well! I spent my weekend enjoying my family, playing with the kids, working out, reading and thinking about a new bike. My focus was mainly on how we eat and how I am working very hard to "clean" things up. I am having pretty good success so far, we are pretty close to meat free, I am feeling great and I think JP and the kids are coming around too! JP actually commented to me tonight that he can't believe how good everything tastes, score one for me! I have to say this and you can believe it or not but since I have switched to organics and fresh ingredients my food bill is actually going down, processed food is expensive and when you count the cost of what it does to your body, it is really expensive! I will get off my soap box now, I am just really happy with how I am feeling, physically and mentally-it is an excellent feeling, no pharmaceuticals anymore for me. Tonight I made some spicy tofu, and spring rolls, I didn't quite have my chili garlic sauce to soy sauce ratio correct, it was REALLY spicy, it even made me sneeeze after my first bite; luckily it was just that bite that was super spicy! I took a picture of the dinner because I thought it was pretty, the photo didn't come out nearly as good as I would have liked!

I am owning the fact that I am going to buy a new bike, it was a conspiracy all along between my dad, brother-in-law, and husband they ganged up on me and knew that I would cave in, turds! It is going to be nice to ride a bike that fits me and my dad is going to buy my old bike to park in Kona, the bike that he currently rides while basking in the run is REALLY old so my old bike will be a step up.

It is going to be a good week, not really anything too exciting happening, I will be swimming tomorrow and embarrassing myself with my awful flip turns but I figure I have to practice to get better like anything else, I just appreciate that the lifeguards wait to laugh until I have my face back in the water :-).

The bliss I feel in 2010...

2010-01-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

My excellent outlook was ever so slightly fractured yesterday. Monday, I swear, I could not stop smiling, it was just one of those days, coming off of 12 days of vacation, everything felt right, even as I was driving home I was smiling, often times I have to listen to Laurie Birkner and think about my kids to get my spirits up. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I am a Debbie Downer, it is just that sometimes work gets me down. So anyway, yesterday, everything was making me a bit crazy, my boss was making me crazy, circumstances that I have no control over were making me crazy, people in administration were making me crazy, so crazy I ate four Lindor dark chocolate truffles, I am not usually a stress eater but I guess yesterday was a bit different. I do not like feeling like that so I made the decision that today was going to be different, I had to oommmmm a few times and go to the gym to workout for an hour, but I felt better, I made a conscious choice not to let circumstances that are completely out of my control to make me crazy. I only ate 2 truffles and gave the rest away to my co-workers, I will probably regret that tomorrow, but for now I feel good about it.

So in 2010 when people do things that don't make sense, I pledge to take a deep breath and ooommmmmmm before I do anything, then I will remember that whoever made the crazy decision must have had a good reason and I just have to have faith that they know more than I do...this is where I put on my rose colored glasses. I still have a job, my family is happy and healthy, I have a roof over my head, I am probably going to get a new bike, and I went to the store tonight and bought beautiful organic produce that I could afford; people might make me crazy but I could certainly have it a whole lot worse. Tomorrow is another day that I am looking forward to; tomorrow, I pledge to make a difference, even if it is very small, to somebody somewhere, that might mean eating a cheese yummy, but I am okay with that. I also pledge to learn the serenity prayer, I might need it!

The bike saga

2010-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

so a few weeks ago I decided that I didn't need a new bike, my dad (and husband, and brother-in-law) do not agree with me, they all think I need a new bike. You see it all started with the bike saga way back in 2007, I bought an entry level bike that was too big, so I have been rding on and modifying a 56 cm road bike for 2+ years, it is too big, I know that, but I just really don't want to spend the money.

So my dad takes me to the bike shop just to have them "fit" me, tell me what size bike I should have so they can keep an eye out for a good used bike, as it turns out I should have a 54 cm possibly a 52 cm frame, it is no wonder I am never comfortable on my bike! Now I am completely tempted by the Kestrel Talon Tri bike (see the photo.) I am trying to keep my head about me and not lose myself in a pretty new bike, but the idea of getting a new bike and being comfortable is really appealing. This is compounded by the fact that my training partner got a new bike before last season and reminds me often that she had no idea it was possible to feel as good on a bike as she does now, it is not necessary to suffer.

Well, for now I will continue to dream and contemplate and tune out my husband when he tells me I should just go ahead and buy the darn thing! I'll keep you posted...

I took the Polar Bear Plunge, what?!?!?!?!?!?!

2010-01-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

I have too much going on in my head, way too much! I am really excited for 2010, the year has already started out great, aside from a head and chest cold that I am pretty sure I exacerbated with a few of my New Year's activities! We decided to go see my mom and dad for the new year since we had other family here for the Christmas holiday, so we packed up the car and headed to the P's house on New Year's eve. We had a nice low key evening, my sister and her husband came over with their kids so it was cousinville, we didn't see anyone under the age of 8 all night, they were sure they were going to stay up until midnight, luckily for us they only made it to 10 so we could go to bed too!

I woke up late on New Year's day and learned about a fun run that has been held for the past 30 years, the "Hangover Handicap" 5 mile run was starting at 9:30 and they had day of race sign up, so I ate some breakfast, and headed downtown to get into the race. It was slushy and cold but after about the first mile I was plenty warm and very excited to be out running, what a way to start the year! My handicap was not a hangover but rather the fact that I din't have a cup of coffee before leaving the house! When I got home, somebody got a crazy hair and we all decided to head down to the beach for the "Polar Bear Plunge," standing on the beach in 34 degree weather in a bathing suit would not normally be my idea of fun but at the sound of the horn I headed into the water with everybody else, plugged my nose and went under BUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Once we were standing on the beach again it didn't even feel cold! My daughter wanted to do it too but I told her she didn't have enough body fat, I was shocked at the number of kids who jumped in, I don't think I am going to get away with saying no next year...

I told my mom as I was going to bed that I am really looking forward to 2010, 2009 was a very hard year, but I wouldn't take a single thing back, we learned more and did more than we have in previous years and with about half as much money. My mom commented that I seem to be happier than I have been in a long time too, it is interesting what you can accomplish once you figure out your priorites and let go of much of the superfluous stuff that we all hang on to. I love my life and my family and the freedom that I have found, 2010 is going to rock!

Final workout of 2009

2009-12-31T11:52:00.001-08:00

The year in review, unoriginal. I know :-) I have had a pretty fantastic year workout wise! I have made it through without injury, oh sure, I have had my fair share of aches and pains and one or two bike crashes, but no significant injuries, I will now knock on wood as I know that I should not have said anything.

I did decide to set some New Year's Resolutions, they are more goals than resolutions. I track my workouts and the time and distance spent and I am pretty pleased with how things turned out. I originally set my goal at 175 hours, thinking this would be a stretch but better to stretch than to set my sights short, right? As it turns out on 12/29 I have 215.7 hours, I should have gone for 225 but I didn't,I could have cheated a little and put in the hours and miles that I tracked with my Garmin (I know I am a dork) while at Disneyland in early December but decided not to, so I will mention here that we walked 48 miles in 4 days!! Here is what the breakdown looks like:

Bike 1,112 miles - 69.8 hours
Run 385 miles - 72.5 hours
Swim 45,695 yards - 24.3 hours
Various other (P90X) - 49.1 hours

I think I will set my goal for next year at 225 hours, I hope to ride 1,500 miles, run 500 and swim 100,000 yards. Yikes! When I write it out like that it seems really scary but I think it is attainable, the worst that can happen is that I don't make my goal, better to go big!! 2010 is going to be a good year, I am really looking forward to it, I am stronger and healthier than I have been in a long time, maybe ever!

I am going to resolve to get a pair of Lululemon pants this year, they are too cute to pass up and from all the reviews I have gathered they are totally worth the money, perhaps a birthday present to myself, yeah, I really like that idea!

Happy New Year!!

Training week 5 - Brick!

2009-12-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

I actually love brick workouts now, I feel so strong on my runs after a good bike workout! I ran a 9:56 pace today, not too shabby but it was only for 15 minutes...

My great friend and training partner signed up for the Boise 70.3 in June, she sent me an official email this morning. That race is so fun I can't wait to go and cheer her on! It will be strange being a spectator rather than a participant, I will get a great idea of what my husband is going through when he supports me on long races. Hopefully the weather will be kinder than it was last year, rain and 58 degrees, burrrrr!

We were supposed to get a big dumping of snow last night and it never came, I was so excited to go sledding with the kiddos, maybe tomorrow...I will be very disappointed if we go an entire Christmas vacation and never go sledding, it just wouldn't be right!

Finally, we went to a party to watch a football bowl game today, I brought hummus and veggies, the hummus got great reviews so I thought I would share the recipe.

1 can garbanzo beans with half the liquid
1 clove of garlic
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. tahini
salt and pepper to taste

mix it all up in a blender or food processor until smooth, you could add a table spoon or two of plain yougrt for added creaminess. Serve with veggies and a little olive oil on top. Enjoy!

Harry Potter, New Year's Resolutions and Purging my house...

2009-12-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

I am officially in week 5 of my Ironman training, and I am feeling surprisingly good, not run down (probably because I am coming off a taper week) and still excited about it all! I ran for 45 minutes today and got in 4.35 miles, I am slow I know that but I am not too slow, if I was running 14 minute miles I would be concerned! A snow storm is on it's way so the temperatures have come up a bit but now it is just going to be snowy and icy and I will still not be able to run outside, that is okay though because I am passing my time by watching the entire Harry Potter movie series, I know I am a huge nerd but I don't care I LOVE those books and movies!

I don't typically make a New Year's resolution but I am considering it this year, I have already started on a project where I take a picture of the kids everyday, but what else? I have considered donating/throwing something away everyday for a year, I think I might do this, I need to simplify! We have been working to simplify for the past year and it feels so good, I want to keep going and simplify even more! It is amazing how much you gain by eliminating things from your life, but that is a discussion for another day. I would really like to make a fitness/weight loss resolution but I feel that I would set myself up for failure if I did that, if I say I am on a diet, I pretty much want to eat everything! I will have to come back to this one.

Finally, my dad called me tonight (again)o about getting a bike, we are going to visit them for New Year's and he wants to take me into the shop where he buys, ay carumba! I guess it can't hurt t get measured, right?!?! We will see, it is a long time between now and June, the economy might pick up and a bike might be in order, I doubt it, but we will see...

I officially did not gain weight over the holidays!

2009-12-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah! I am not really one to weigh myself all that often but I do weigh myself often enough to know if I have gained a significant amount of weight, and this fall I gained 6 pounds. Here is the crazy part, I decided to do the P90X workouts as a way to get in better shape, to get prepped for "official" training when it started in early December, well I promptly gained 6 pounds! You can say it is muscle (it wasn't) and all that other bull but at the end of the day I was 6 pounds heavier and I am still going to have to haul that extra 6 pounds up every hill on every bike ride and every run and therefore I need to drop it! So I am being sensible and working to slowly drop the ugly 6 pounds (I am down 2,) and hopefully drop a few more, I would like to race at 135 or 136; we will see if 14 pounds is in the cards, I suspect it is not, my hips seem to really like their cushion :-) My sister in law who is in town for the holiday's looks fabulous and she told me that she and her husband had been doing Isagenix (?) since October, I am not willing to go to that extreme (or spend the money for that mater) but it did inspire me, not enough to to keep me from eating a movie sized box of Good-n-Plenty over the past two days however, curses!!

I have been trying to sell my daughter's bunk beds, they were an impulse purchase that really didn't work out the way that I imagined. We thought we had them sold and I was going to use the money to purchase a new camera, the deal fell through because the people who were going to buy it thought the mattresses were included. Am I insane that I wasn't including the mattresses? I cannot imagine wanting to purchase a used mattress, maybe it is just me...it doesn't really matter because the beds are still here and so are the mattresses.

On that topic (sort of) I have decided it is time for a new camera. I bought one a few years back that had all of the features that I wanted, unfortunately, it is the most un-user friendly camera I have ever used, so I am back to the drawing board. I am considering a Canon Rebel XS 1000 or something like that, my mother in law has one and I think it might be nice to have the same camera for learning and teaching each other things. I will probably have to think about this one for the next year or so, apparently I only buy bunk beds quickly :-)

Gotta go clean the bathrooms and make a salad, tonight is the last night with the family from out of town so it could be a late one!!

Christmas is over, and I mean OVER!

2009-12-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

The tree is down, the decorations are down and packed away and I feel very peaceful, very, very peaceful! I absolutely love the holiday season, we break out our decorations and have the entire house decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving, you could say that we maximize the season, but when it is over, it is OVER! My husband and I have actually taken the tree down on Christmas night before, but that was before kids and we realized it was a bit extreme!

Tonight is a good night, the kids are already nestled, all snug in their beds (uh oh, Christmas reference, sorry about that) and I am finishing the laundry, trying to sort through what to keep and what to donated prior to the end of 2009. We have had family in town since the 21st so it really feels great to be hanging out with just my family in my own home. The kids have not been to bed before 9:30 PM in 8 days, they are exhausted and I am exhausted from all of the whining that I had to endure this morning while getting them ready to take a picture with all of their cousins; fortunately they were on their best behavior once we left the house. I love the people who are visiting but we just need to get some rest!

I was very spoiled on Christmas this year, we don't go over the top but we do okay, I got a big 9-quart canner and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, awesome, great for riding on the trainer! I got my husband some compression running tights from 2XU and I am a bit jealous of them, he says they are FABULOUS! He had lots of trouble with leg and muscle cramping last year so I really hope these will help him.

Finally, I did not miss a single workout this week, it felt awesome, even with the holiday, I managed to get the miles in. I am already sick of riding on the trainer in the basement but I just gotta do it since it was 21 degrees here today. I tell you what though, my lady bits are a bit angry with me, my seat and I are not good friends right now. I gotta figure out what is going on and soon because the 3, 4 and 5 hours ride I have ahead of me are going to be torture!

Of course now that the holiday is over and I have the basement biking to look forward to, I want a power meter for my bike. I sound like a bit of a nut with this one but I think it would be really interesting to see if I could match the power output when I am outside to what I am doing when I am inside, or vice a versa. This is kind of funny coming from somebody who just hopes to finish my big race with a goal finish time of 16:59:59 :-)

Well the dryer just let me know it is time for me to get back at it. I hope everybody out there had a wonderful Christmas filled with Peace, Love and Happiness!

Christmas vacation!!!!

2009-12-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yahoo, it is Christmas Vacation!!! I had a long day, didn't leave the office until 6:30 but got everything done to completely enjoy no work until next year!! I have metrics that I need to meet for the year and before I left I checked to see where I was and 6 months in to the fiscal year I am spot on with where I need to be, I poured it on in October and November and today I realized it was totally worth it! The kids are with their dad, grandparents and cousins so I am all by myself finishing up some sewing, trying to finish before they all come home. I made each of the kids and their cousins a fleece blanket (picture to the left) with their name on it, it was a lot of work but they turned out so cute, it was worth it! I seriously considered buying them each a Snuggie or a Slanket but I just couldn't do it, these turned out way better, anyway, I am just a bit tired of sewing them after 9 blankets!

I had a good workout this morning, only had to go for 30 minutes so I pushed myself a bit. I would LOVE to get faster but two good friends who have ended up sidelined with injury told me that slow isn't a bad thing if you are never injured, I think I might agree with them, what is worse a 2:15 half-marathon or not being able to participate? I'll take the slow time, thanks Nicole and Anne, your words of wisdom were heard!

I have to tell anybody who reads this about the soup I made the other night, I already mentioned it but I have to put the recipe out here for all to enjoy, I had leftovers for dinner tonight and it was even BETTER!

Vegetable and Bean Soup (I made mine with organic ingredients and I added up the cost under $10 for a double batch!)
1 eggplant (sliced in 1/2 inch rings then cut into 4 pieces)
2 large tomatoes diced
1 potato peeled and diced
1 carrot cut into 1-inch sticks
1 leek cut into rings (white and light green portion only)
15oz can cannellini beans
3 3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water (only enough to cover)
1/4 cup dried pasta (I used bowties)
3 Tbsp pesto (store bought or recipe below)

Place the beans and their liquid in a large pan, add the vegetables and vegetable broth, bring to boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the basil, mushrooms (with soaking liquid) and past simmer until pasta is done (approx. 10 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in pesto and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you wish. Delicious!!

294 calories; 2g sugar; 11g protein; 30g carbohydrates; 16g fat

I can't believe it is almost Christmas!!

2009-12-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I am pretty much done with shopping and now I am doing a little baking, that is not going very well, I don't know what the deal is but, and I know this sounds crazy, it's as if my flour isn't working, I have needed to use about an extra cup to each of the last two recipes I have made, it's crazy!

My mom and dad came to visit last night, my dad is signed up to do Ironman with me in June so we always have LOTS to talk about. A lot of the discussion lately has been my bike, and last night was no different. My dad feels strongly that I should get a new bike, my bike is not nice, it is a bottom of the line Specialized men's road bike but it works for me, I added pink tape to the handlebars and it looks quite cute! I am not that finely tuned (on somethings, on other things however, I would venture to say I am VERY finely tuned). He has a very nice carbon fiber bike and tells me how great it feels to ride, which is why I have never tried one, carbon fiber is really not in my price range right now, a new bike for that matter is not on my radar. A quick a side note; seeing the bikes that people were riding at the world championship gave me a bit of bike envy then I got over it. I am sure the bike saga has not ended but for now discussions have stopped...

I get the day off from working out today, there is a part of me that wants to do something but I have to remind myself that days off serve a purpose they are not just for being lazy, they are for recovery and if I want to get through an injury free season I need to remind myself to follow the prescribed plan! Perhaps just a good stretching session would be beneficial.

Alright, now I have to go clean the bathrooms, they have been neglected for far too long!

Quick recipe note, I made a bean and vegetable soup last night that as I was making it I was a bit skeptical about, it turned out amazing, super hearty and everyone at the table ate it, inconceivable!

Just watched the Ironman World Championships!

2009-12-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Man alive, if you need inspiration that is the most AWESOME way to get it!! I sooooooo want to cross that finish line, I know that it is going to be hard, I know that I am going to truly find out what I am made of but I am so excited! Watching the age groupers finish is what I find most inspiring, the pros are remarkable and great fun to watch; but it is the 79 year old man finishing his 20th Ironman, the cancer survivor crossing the line, the double amputee getting pulled off the bike but having the guts to go out there and try and every other story that really get me going, many tears were shed today!

All I want to do is finish and if I have to do that by carrying my leg I am going to! For some people setting a goal of 16:59:59 is probably so lame, but when I finish, even if it is only with a few minutes (seconds) to spare it is going to be right up there with the top moments in my life! :-) I am not going to wish my life away however, I need all the time I can get at this point!

Okay, just a quick side note as I finish this post; first and foremost I am a mom and there are times when I just have to laugh at the things that I say, things I could have never imagined myself saying. Just now, as I was about to publish I hear a little voice from down the hall say "K, come here and put your head in the dryer!" to which I have to respond "NO, do not put your head in the dryer, nobody can put their head in the dryer." What response do I get? "Can I put my monkey in the dryer?" Of course, go ahead and put your monkey in the dryer.

Christmas program and an Interresting workout...

2009-12-17T20:15:00.000-08:00

We attended a "Cowboy Holiday" program at school today, the kids were so cute and they put a western spin on the songs, very creative and fun! I also got to leave work early so that was a huge bonus, I love when I gather a little extra time :-)

I find that I cook a lot since I have converted to my new way of eating, luckily I like to cook, my husband is getting tired of cleaning up after me but I am trying to be a little bit neater, lucky for me he supports my new efforts, I can't imagine how hard (impossible) it would be if I didn't have his support!

Tonight I made a great organic quinoa dish that I made up, not at all complicated but really good!
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
vegetable buillion
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas

Put all of the first 4 ingredients into a rice cooker and wait, once it is finished I added the frozen peas. I like radish's so I thinly sliced one and added that as well, not many people like them so I left them out of the "official" recipe.

Okay, so all of a sudden I am seeing a recipe pattern, I guess it is not a bad thing, at least when I forget them I have a place to reference back to!

My workout was a bit taxing, forty-five minutes of riding that took me, oh...about 2 hours, there was a lot of off and on, fortunately the last 22 minutes were constant! One of the distractions was my poor youngest, ,she slipped when she was running into the bathroom and hit her nose on the wall, ouch! I didn't notice any bruising or anything but I think she hit it pretty hard, poor thing, I hope she doesn't wake up in the morning with a black eye because she broke her nose! I wonder if kids can even break their noses? They're so small and I think the cartiledge is pretty elastic. I just hope it doesn't hurt her through the night!

Is there a Santa Claus?

2009-12-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

My eight year old asked me this question at dinner tonight, really? I was not ready, so we talked about how just because we don't see something doesn't mean it's not real and plus Santa always brings the presents that mom and dad can't afford :-). When my kiddos were babies I thought it was soooo hard, not getting enough sleep, etc. that was nothing compared to now, I hope I can handle it!

Did a brick workout tonight, felt pretty good, I ended up on the bike way too late, JP wasn't home and nobody wanted to go to bed. Anyway, I felt great changed my shoes and headed to the treadmill for the running portion of the workout, felt fantastic until I hit 11 minutes, my heart rate spiked to 176 and I had to slow down to 4.5 to get back into Zone 2! I didn't feel weird except for the hammering in my chest but that was a bit strange, hopefully it won't happen again.

Made a big batch of pumpkin muffins, hopefully the kids will eat them if I pack them in their lunch, today I was told that the apple sauce wasn't smooth enough...I figure at some point they are going to get hungry and have to eat, right?

Back from Vacation; Ironman training week 3 begins!

2009-12-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Missed all of last week due to vacation, totally worth it! I got a little exercise in though, I wore my Garmin and walked just under 50 miles in 4 days (betcha can't guess where I was :-)), I call that endurance training!

I have yet to make it to the pool since I got my new fins, I plan on getting there tomorrow; Jennifer probably thinks I am so lame, I won't consider myself lame until I actually miss the workout.

Okay, now I have to comment (again) on my new organic/vegetarian eating, I cannot tell you how fabulous I feel, it is amazing and I am not shy to tell my friends and co-workers about what a difference "clean eating" (I heard this term and wanted to use it) is making. I haven't lost any weight but that is not why I am doing it, although it would be a nice bonus! My only complaint is the bloating, I am pretty sure from the fiber of all the whole grains and the veggies but somebody recommended "Beano" and that is helping things to subside, lucky for me. I think that was an over-share, oh well!

Finally, I had a break through with the kids too, tonight they ate the dinner I cooked with hardly any complaints, woo hoo! With that I will share the recipe that I used to make my own homemade, organic pesto:

4 oz basil leaves, washed, dried and de-stemed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (I like to toast mine)
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil

Pulse in a food processor after you add each ingredient until relatively smooth and let set for 45 minutes to an hour--yummy!!

I have biked 1,024 miles this year!

2009-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

After today's ride I checked my miles and couldn't believe it, 1,024 miles! If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would ride my bike over 1,000 miles in a year I would have laughed at you, now here I am and it feels great!

We are getting ready to head out on vacation, I am going to accept that we will not be able to eat organic and just live with it, there are no absolutes in this world, right?

Off to prepare for a family birthday party. Oh, I have to mention the cake and icing that I made, it is amazing! You can find the recipe at the food network, it is a Barefoot Contessa recipe, I didn't have the instant coffee powder for the frosting but it still tastes delicious! I am glad a I got a work out in so I can truly enjoy eating a piece!

Triathlons and Vegetarianism

2009-12-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

So I am now in full swing of my 30 week Ironman training and I am struggling with the balance of training and vegetarianism since I am new to it. My shift to it was rapid, one day I could eat meat and the next I couldn't and at this point there is not compromise, I am not going to eat meat. The turkey on thanksgiving smelled so good, I thought "I am definitely having a bite of that" and when I went to grab some, I couldn't even put my fork on a piece of it, I just can't do it anymore. I need to find a good vegetarian cookbook, I have found a few but they aren't very practical--very long and involved recipes, I work fulltime, I don't have hours to cook each meal. All of the pre-made vegetarian fare is good enough but over processed is overprocessed, just because it is vegetarian doesn't mean it is made from organic ingredients and isn't full of all kinds of preservatives. I sound like a whiner(sp?), I know that I am a wine-er, ha!

I got my TYR split fins today and I am so excited to add them to my drills! The should help me to be more motivated to get into the pool, 21 degrees and foggy makes it awfully tough to slide into the cool water...

Triathlons with crappy swims

2009-12-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

I get it, there are lots of very active towns out there that want to hold triathlons, and I also get that there are a lot of triathletes out there that just want to race but I have to say that I have to draw the line at swimming in a muck filled "reservoir." I use "reservoir" loosely because I have swam in some nice reservoirs and the one that I am referring to is not nice (I know this only from stories not first hand). My girls friends are trying to get me to travel to "wine country" in Washington state to compete in the "Onion Man", I understand that this is an awesome triathlon (with the exception of the swim) and a little wine tasting afterward sounds great, BUT and that is a big BUT from what I have gathered the swim is atrocious, as in the gals last year were concerned about giardia after they got out of the water and my brother-in-law said he stood in ankle deep muck waiting for the cannon to go off. I am definitely going to have to pass on this one! Let me just throw this out there however, aside from the swim (and I am a huge swimming wimp) that doesn't seem to bother about 90% of the people in the race I understand this race to be outstanding; they sell out every year and I guess the community is awesome!

On a completely different topic, I got new riding pants which I love, love love! Terry is an awesome brand and I am so excited to have some new pads to sit on! Two of the pairs are capris and are a slick type of material, a little tight when putting them on but the compression feels great when riding! Next, I got two new pairs of shorts, one shorter than the other, especially good for those long rides indoors :-) Finally, I have added arm warmers to my arsenal, we will see if I ever use them, my sister picked them up for me and from what I understand they are fabulous to have. I talked to a lady in Kona while vacationing last year and she told me that there is no such thing as a riding jersey with long sleeves, you just use arm warmers. I would expect a statement like that from somebody in Kona where the weather is beautiful and warm year round, in the great white north where I live, not only do we wear long sleeves when riding, we wear a couple of layers of long sleeves, hats, gloves and long riding pants; we also pray that the snow plows have hit the trails be fore we do-oh dear I need to go back to Kona!!

The best of intentions

2009-11-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

I had every intention of swimming at noon today but I had a meeting that literally went almost 2 hours over when it was supposed to end. I was supposed to meet Jennifer, luckily I had my computer in the meeting and was able to send her a note that I was going to be late (or completely absent.) I will hopefully be able to make it tomorrow, that would be a real drag if I didn't make it again.

I have decided not to buy a new bike before Ironman, my bike is not fancy but it is a good bike, I am comfortable on it so I think it will do. I think that the last piece of equipment that I need is a pair of split fins for swim training, that would be crazy if I didn't have to spend too much on training this year!

I went back and reviewed my training log from two years ago and WOW, I am way ahead of where I was in 2008. I HAVE to be more committed to swimming, I think having a swim partner as well as a much greater idea about what it takes will make a huge difference on race day. I am actually really excited to start training next week!

Magic number 200

2009-11-21T16:30:00.001-08:00

Today I 200 hours of workouts for the year, yea!! I set a goal for myself that I would log 175 hours and I wondered if that was even possible, I guess it was since I still have 5-6 weeks left in the year, I wonder if I can get to 225, should I try? I think so!!

Side note, I have started taking probiotics in the morning and really stressing whole foods, I don't know if it is psychological or if it is truly happening, but I am feeling healthier, physically and mentally, something else I should mention is that I have really cut back on the wine. JP and I had a glass last night, it had been a hectic week and it was Friday night so we opened a bottle, I had a glass, it was good wine, but I really didn't miss it, no wonder it was so easy to cut it out of my diet :-)

I gotta get back to the pool next week, I sure hope I can remember how to do my flip turns!!!

improving my eating and some other stuff

2009-11-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

So I have a new obsession, is has been brewing for about 8 years or so but it has reared it's ugly head and I can no longer deny it, I cannot bring myself to eat meat. It is actually going a bit further than that, I am having a hard time eating anything with more than 10 ingredients and it has to be organic. I have been doing too much reading (story of my life) and I just am believing more and more that this is the way to go. Okay, it is kind of a lie, I can eat things that are not organic I just want to eat the right things that are organic, apple, etc. and I really want to feed organic to my kids, now that my daughter is almost 8 I am fearing the early puberty thing and estrogen overload. I know, I am crazy, but this is serious stuff!

Moving on over to workouts, JP and I went out for a run today, it was AWESOME! It was nice to be outside, I definitely felt the pain of being on the road for two days and working two 15 hours days but I don't want to make excuses. Official training starts in 11 days, yikes!! I am so excited and so scared, I have a new motivation though, JP made me motivational videos and made me a hot pink bracelet that says my new motto "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever," rock on!!

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

2009-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling to get the posts that I write in my head when I am driving to and from work, or when I am working out, on to the page. Believe me, they are good posts, but then I sit down at the computer and get distracted by the Huffington Post or some other news source that talks about politics and I get all stressed out, what a worthless use of my time!

Anyway, I am about 3 weeks away from the official start of my 30 week Ironman training program, Yikes!! I am really excited, I sooooooo want to cross that finish line! JP made me a couple of different inspirational videos to watch when I need a little push and he had a band made for my wrist that says "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever" it is an awesome daily reminder of how hard I need to work and that just because something hurts while I am doing it, I shouldn't quit (ie hill repeats.)

Lately, my pre-training has suffered a bit because of my job and all of the travel that I have been doing, I gotta figure out how to balance the work, family and training a bit better. What this really means is that I need to start getting up early to get my workout in first thing, OY! Oh how I wish I was a morning person but I am SO NOT a morning person, maybe my pink bracelet will remind me that even though it hurts to get out of bed and on to the bike it will all be worth it when I hear those wonderful words "...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

How much wine is too much?

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Is a glass of wine with dinner, say 5 nights a week too much? How about a glass of wine with dinner and a nudge more after the kids go to bed, is that too much? Is a glass a wine with dinner 5 nights a week better than 5 beers on Friday night? I think so. Am I justifying my wine habit? Probably. I think in the grand scheme of things, I don't drink all that much, a lot more than some people for sure, but a helluva lot less than a lot of people. I guess it is like lattes for me, I go on a run when lattes taste so good and I want one everyday and then all of a sudden they don't taste as good and then they taste really bad and then it is like torture to have to drink one. I anticipate this coming with wine soon, lately sharing a glass with my hubby is plenty, soon I won't even want to drink any for a while, this will be good when I head into official Ironman training.

Damn, I am going to start training soon! Boy do I hope that my body changes, I want it to get leaner and for my legs to grow longer :-)

Well, I guess I better go clean the bathrooms now! More on my new homemade, green cleaning cleaning products later.

I learned how to do a flip turn!

2009-10-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

So crazy, I was afraid to do it at first! But after a little practice and a few failed attempts it got easier, now we will see how it goes in an actual workout! On another note I was pleased when I was checking out my workout journal and I saw that I had swam the equivalent of 26 miles, I cannot even image when next year will bring, I am REALLY excited!!

I am back at it once again

2009-10-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I really am working out, I just seem to post all of my work outs on Sweat 365, which is an awesome workout community, but I need to get back to my Tri-Fly roots. I read a really great article today on Ironman.com about "Ironman Realities" it was amazing. It helped me to come to terms with my failure at Ironman in 2008. I had actually come to terms with not finishing, but it made me realize that there are a lot of people out there with a DNF behind their name that worked as hard as I did, maybe harder, most likely harder, and still didn't hear the the words "Jane Doe, you are an Ironman!". It also made me realize that just because one of my friends who is signed up for Ironman is a kick ass athlete, it doesn't guarantee a finish; I personally don't doubt for one minute that she will finish, she is just that kind of person, but as Lee Gruenfield says "toeing the start line at Ironman isn't an automatic ticket to a lifetime of bragging rights." Man, I hope that toeing the starting line TWICE will give me the ticket to a lifetime of bragging rights!

I am really excited about training this year and while I know there are going to be times when I REALLY don't want to get in the pool, and the bike trainer in my basement is going to get the best of me, and my treadmill is not going to make me happy, and my kids are going to want to watch The Princess Bride when I want to watch the Lord of the Rings while I am on a 3 hour ride...indoors...in January...it is a means to an end, and that end will be crossing the finish line and hearing the words "B Sue Fly you are an Ironman!" And when I fall into a puddle of tears while my husbands helps me compose myself, it will all be worth it because my daughters will remember me crossing the finish line and that will replace their memory of my not finishing and they will know that no matter how many times you fall, you can always pick yourself up, dust yourself off, probably cry a little and get on with it. Because what you visualize is not always the way it turns out, and you can always learn from it, come back stronger and more determined than ever to succeed!

My friend laughed at me

2009-09-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, I was talking with my friend who is an animal, lets just get that out in the open; she works out more than anyone I know and harder than anyone I know-seriously. So anyway, I was halfway through my bike ride on Saturday and I ran into her at the turn around, she of course had run 11 mile to get to that point and was getting ready to participate in a "fun run" after her "warm up". We hadn't seen each other for a while so we were catching up, in the conversation I mentioned that I had been doing P90X "you know, the one from the infomercial" and she replied "yeah, ha, so-and-so mentioned that you had been doing that". I just let it slide because seriously, I will never be able to be on the same planet as her athletically and it just doesn't matter. I did however get together with so-and-so this afternoon and mentioned the laughing at me, I told so-and-so right then that until she starts participating in the P90X program she was not allowed to laugh, I am pretty sure my point was made. Okay, now the question is, do people really need to make fun of me, just because I am doing an infomercial workout? If you have done the P90X and "brought it" the way Tony Horton (sp?) suggests, you know full well that it is no laughing matter! Anyway, I guess that is it nothing more except, I feel like I need to mention how glad I am that I am starting a recovery week, my muscles are TIRED!

P90X Day 16

2009-09-25T21:57:00.001-07:00

Yoga X. Okay, so I was dreading the workout tonight because my arms were tired from last night’s workout and this afternoon’s swim, but once I got going I was really happy I didn’t skip it. I know that I am increasing my flexibility and I am pretty sure I am stronger. On another note, I was showing off my guns at work today and of the 3 people I showed, 2 were impressed, so I was pretty happy about that

Labor Day - Yea!!

2009-09-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

I love three day weekends for many reasons, but this particular three day weekend is particularly fabulous! We decided to do nothing but stay in town and try to hasten my swine flu recovery :-). I am not kidding about the swine flu-they stopped testing for it because so many people have it in our area and I had all the symptoms and was out of work for a week. My girlfriend made fun of me in an email until she found out I was serious-she apologized, hardly necessary, while I may have been serious about having the swine flu, I am rarely serious about anything else.

So anyway, I told my husband that he gets a reprieve from my usual Monday morning crying until Tuesday morning and I am hoping since it has been such a fabulous weekend the crying jag will be avoided all together. I think part of why I have been off a bit lately is because I haven't been able to workout, things should get better now that I am starting to feel better and I can workout again. I just have to figure out how I am going to find the motivation to get to the pool 2-3 times a week while doing P90X, that is going to be hard! My core is so tired that I have to support my abdominal muscles when I cough so my cough is effective. I am not in terrible shape, I cannot imagine how some people must feel after starting this program!!

P90X-Day 2 Cardio X

2009-09-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

We are doing the lean program. So far so good! A couple things that I really like, the workout countdown clock in the corner of the screen, and there is also a second countdown clock for each of the exercise sets, so it allows you to gauge your effort based on time left. I also like how he mixes up the exercises and he doesn’t do a ton of repetitive movements which I like, I tend to get a little bored with the same circuit repeated over and over. We decided that Monday would be our day off so Tuesday is Shoulders and Arms and the Ab Ripper-I am a little leary about that one!

Boring blogger

2009-09-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

So, I am a boring blogger, I gotta stop that. Today I started P90X, oy! Core synergistics was tough, that or I am really weak! The program can only help my triathlon training, core strengthening is huge!! The kids were participating in the workout with me, I was so proud of them until they started fighting over who got the pink yoga mat, really? It was a peaceful 6 minutes with no fighting, why didn't I buy yoga mats that were the same color? I should know better by now!

I still can't figure out why I do triathlons-last night I asked a good girl friend of mine who is a pretty amazing triathlete and she said it is so she can look good in a bathing suit. I wish I could say first of all, that I looked good in a bathing suit, and second of all, that that was my reason, not so much, still looking...

Ho are we supposed to do it all?

2009-08-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Two things, okay actually three (1) I am pretty sure I have the swine flu, a mild case but the swine flu all the same, every symptoms that I have fits including the stomach part of it, the good news here is that I will not have to worry about it again ;-) I am really wanting/needing to workout but my swine flu is preventing that, makes me truly a pig, ha!

(2)My girlfriend called me to ask me how I do it all and while I was flattered that she thought I could do it all but had to break it to her that I just fake it really well. It got me thinking about doing it all and why we think that we have to. I have been fortunate that my husband has been home all summer with the kids and he is a true help around the house, this helps me to "do it all". But still I try to not let anything drop and when I do I am so disappointed with myself and feel like I am letting my kids down. This is really unhealthy in my opinion however it helped me to identify my first reason for why I do triathlons which is (3) in today's post. One of the reasons I do triathlons is because when I am training I feel like it is okay to say no and take time for myself. I still feel a little guilty but know I am a better mom because of it.

So boring post but it let me sort out some of my feelings on these topics. I would really like to expand on each of #2 & #3 but my swine flu is making me too tired, perhaps I can do that tomorrow. Good night.

I gotta get going on the morning workouts!

2009-08-26T13:00:00.001-07:00

Aarrgghhhhhh! I cannot get my butt out of bed to get in a morning workout and I know that just HAVE to do this to make my Ironman training work. You would think that having kids would automatically make me a morning person, my daughter gets up at the crack of dawn. Why don't you get up when she gets up, you ask? Well that is because she is old enough to make herself some cereal and as she tells it make bacon in the microwave. We are not going to be teaching her to use the micrwave anytime soon but her independance really works against me when it comes to getting out of bed. Now I have a new plan...P90X in the morning. I understand it is a pretty killer program but I think it will be a great lead in to my official Ironman training, I hope. P90X in the morning and swimming 3 days a week at noon, come November I should be good to go.

It has been awhile...

2009-08-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have completed my 70.3 and an Olympic or International distance triathlon. I also signed up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010, woo hoo. Now I need to figure out why I do triathlons...so why do I do triathlons? I have no idea. Talking to my hubby he says I am the least vain person he knows, I am not sure if that is good or bad but I know that it is not to brag about my accomplishments, I can honestly say that makes me feel uncomfortable. I am really going to have to dig deep on this one. Between now and Ironman I will figure it out. For now I am just going to enjoy my accomplishments!

Excellent ride!!

2009-05-20T20:53:00.001-07:00

Picked my bike up after a tune up today and it rode GREAT!!! It actually shifted into my large chain ring on the first try, woo hoo! Now I get to have a glass of wine…

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 05/20/2009
Time: 19:48:39
Total Time: 1:00:06.00
Calories: 947
Distance: 19.74 miles
Average Speed: 19.71 mph
Max Speed: 23.6 mph

Awesome Swim

2009-05-19T20:38:00.001-07:00

Well, the drills are finally paying off!! 1400 yards no stopping except for once to talk to my training partner. She said I looked fluid and fast (that is a relative term I know) but it felt really good too! I am so glad I took the time to stick with the TI drills. Once I get through my race I am going to go back to the drills and really try to improve my stroke but for now I gotta get some yardage in!!

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 05/19/2009
Time: 17:02:22
Total Time: 00:40:00.00
Calories: 315
Distance: 1,408 yd
Average Pace: 2:51.89/100yd

Cycle - 1.2 hours - 05/17/2009

2009-05-19T20:37:00.003-07:00

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 05/17/2009
Time: 20:52:38
Total Time: 1:10:09.00
Calories: 1105
Distance: 20 miles
Average Speed: 17.11 mph

More drills but it is getting better!

2009-05-19T20:37:00.001-07:00

more drills but it’s getting better!

I keep losing count of my laps so I error on the side of fewer, I am not unhappy with how things are going, I am not gassed when I get out of the pool and I am feeling more and more confident. Yahoo!

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 05/17/2009
Time: 15:49:57
Total Time: 00:40:00.00
Calories: 315
Distance: 1,100 yd
Average Pace: 3:37.6/100yd

Run - 1 hours - 05/16/2009

2009-05-19T20:36:00.002-07:00

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 05/16/2009
Time: 13:50:39
Total Time: 1:02:00.00
Calories: 24
Distance: 5.28 miles
Average Pace: 0:11.74/mile

Cycle - 2 hours - 05/16/2009

2009-05-19T20:36:00.001-07:00

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 05/16/2009
Time: 09:21:10
Total Time: 1:59:00.00
Calories: 1562
Distance: 30 miles
Average Speed: 15.13 mph
Max Speed: 31.4 mph

Swim - 0.5 hours - 05/15/2009

2009-05-19T20:35:00.002-07:00

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 05/15/2009
Time: 16:07:21
Total Time: 00:30:00.00
Calories: 236
Distance: 900 yd
Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

Very tough run!

2009-05-19T20:35:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have never run before, tonight’s run kicked my arse, I feel like a gigantic wimp!! Lucky for me it was a point A to point B run or I may not have made it, but I did and I am dang proud!! What got me thorugh tonight’s run was my husband and the thought of all the people who wish that they could go out and run 8 miles but cannot, I am darn lucky!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 05/14/2009
Time: 17:54:05
Total Time: 1:29:00.00
Calories: 1051
Distance: 8.11 miles
Average Pace: 10:58.14/mile

Cycle - 0.5 hours - 05/13/2009

2009-05-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 05/13/2009
Time: 19:19:05
Total Time: 00:30:34.00
Calories: 481
Distance: 9.1 miles
Average Speed: 17.86 mph
Max Speed: 25 mph

Swim - 0.7 hours - 05/12/2009

2009-05-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 05/12/2009
Time: 16:17:51
Total Time: 00:40:00.00
Calories: 315
Distance: 1,200 yd
Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

Fantastic Mother's Day weekend!!

2009-05-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

I know that I am one of the luckiest mom's on the planet!! First I woke up to the command that I could not get out of bed! There was too much going on in the kitchen so I hollered down to see if I could have a cup of coffee delivered, sure enough the cutest waitstaff showed up with a new travel mug full of piping hot coffee with just the perfect amount of half and half added. A few minutes later I am served breakfast in bed; scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, OJ and chocolate chip pancakes, awesome!

I was then treated to the most amazing help while I weeded the garden, was told to go out on my run, it was Mother's Day, take all the time I wanted. After 11 miles I was ready for a little more to eat and a little more coffee so the crew met me at Starbucks for a venti iced coffee and a pumpkin scone and most importantly a ride home!

After a short rest we headed to the pool for some swimming and playing, on the pool deck was a present, my friend got me some serious "bling" for Mother's Day, TYR "bling" goggles, they are pink and blingy and I love them!!! After swimming we were off to Baskin Robiins for some Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream, a perfect day of family and good food!

I sat out on the back patio smiling while I thought back on the day, it was good from end to end. It's funny, my grandfather passed away exactly one year ago today and while I expected to be sad I am pretty sure he helped to contribute to my fantastic day, in fact, I don't think that it was a coincidence that today was the nicest weather day we have had all year, he probably just wanted to be sure that we all had beautiful days, that is just the kind of guy he was; man I miss him...

I may very well be one of the luckiest people on the planet!

Why do I do triathlons?

2009-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a great website, Trifuel, and read a really interesting article that got me thinking (which of course was the point). It was titled "Why Do YOU *Really* Do Triathlons" recently I have wondered what gets me to the pool, when I really don't like to swim? What gets me outside on the trail on Saturday mornings when my bike seat makes my lady-bits feel a little sore? Why did I run 8.25 miles when I was sick? These (plus many more) are all questions that I am going to explore, I think it will be a great exercise and lead me to some reveling things about myself that I may not have known!

Check out the article, it might get you thinking too!

Enjoy your weekend!!

37 days til race time!!

2009-05-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

I knew that the race was coming up but 37 days seems really close! I went in to quick care today and was diagnosed with seasonal allergies and sinusitis; my ear drums are bulging but not infected so that was really good news! I started taking Claritin tonight, hopefully that will shoo all of these aggravating symptoms away; I want to feel like myself again. I have never really experienced allergies and I have to say that I do not like them!!

More than my allergy symptoms, I am frustrated with my nutrition. I am dragging a lot of the time lately and as my workouts get longer and more intense I am finding myself zapped of energy. I had hoped to lose 1 pound a week for 5 week prior to the race but I have put that on hold, I just need to find the right mix of protein, fat and carbs. I think I am eating too much fat because I LOVE avocado (and cheetos, did I say that out loud?), but that is the good kind of fat, right?

Anyway, I hope that this post doesn't sound too negative, I am not feeling negative at all, maybe just a bit overwhelmed, I want to be my best on race day!!!

PS - even thought it kind of freaked me out that the race is only 37 days away, I am also really excited!

PSS - I signed up to volunteer at Ironman, hopefully I will get to be a "catcher" at the finish line!!!

Sick week

2009-05-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is the end of a tough week of training! I ended up getting sick on Wednesday and I cannot seem to shake whatever it is, I feel the same today (if not worse) than I did when I first started coming down with it. I ended up 4.75 miles short on my running distance and so far about 1200 yards short of my swimming distance...I am going to hit the quick care office this afternoon and see if they can help me. Training is getting way too intense to be laid up!!

I hope you all have a great week ahead!!

Tuesday musings

2009-04-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

As I laid in bed last night telling my husband that I was going to be pissed if so and so beat me at the 70.3, he gave me perspective; he reminded me that it really doesn't matter what everyone else dose and that all I can be is my best on that day. People who are older and heavier will beat me, big deal, we are all going to be out there doing it and that is what is most important.

Now on to training, I spent 30 minutes in the pool today doing TI drills, I plan to hit the pool on Thursday and Friday as well. I had completely forgotten all of the good stuff that I learned last year and was happy to find my sweet spot again! I am not going to rush it this year, I am in good shape, I will be able to complete the swim, maybe not in record time but if I can do it and not be dead tired all the drill will be worth it.

I'm tired and think I am going to go and read my new triathlete magazine.

Tough weekend of workouts

2009-04-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

But I am not going to let them get me down because for one, I did them and that right there is reason to celebrate!! My elbow is still a bit sore and I discovered a new bruise on my knee, ouch. I re-watched my Total Immersion video and am re-energized about swimming. Last year my swimming was coming swimmingly (word play!) and then I forgot all of my techniques. So I am switching gears slightly, the drills that I will be doing now are all TI, I will keep you posted on how that goes ;-)

Brutal headwind and a bike crash...

2009-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get anybody to ride with me today, shortly after heading out I figured out why. the temperature was up to 42 by the time I left, but unbeknown to me a 21 mph headwind was kicking up. It was pretty brutal, I can honestly say I felt like I was going to cry a couple of different times throughout the ride. to put a cherry on top of the worst ride I have had in a long time I crashed, then I REALLY wanted to cry! I removed a little skin from my left flank and my left elbow is skinned and KILLING me. I almost called JP to come pick me up but decided to suck it up and power on, the ride was 35 mile and the crash was at mile 30 only 5 miles to home IN TO THE WIND! I am glad I did, but man oh man, it took some serious positive self talk to get through that one, if it is blowing like that tomorrow I am on the trainer!!

We'll see how the run goes...Have a great weekend!

more swimming drills and a bike ride

2009-04-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Drills, Drills, Drills; tomorrow I try out the real thing, I am not looking forward to it...On another note, I had a great bike ride tonight (on the trainer). Now I am tired and must hit the hay.

Good night!

Ran home from work

2009-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

It was good and tough at the same time. I forgot to pack my light running fleece, it was mid 60's and blowing, I thought I would be cold so I borrowed a fleece from a co-worker and headed out; I regretted the fleece decision about 2/10th into the run and really regretted it at about 1.5 miles. If it had been my own I would have ditched it on the side of the trail and went back for it later but since it wasn't mine I spent the next 7.5 miles with it wrapped around my waist. I had wind at my back some of the time so that was a bonus, at times it was blowing so hard I felt like I was expending extra energy to fight against it! I think it is hard to do that long of a run late in the day... I should have eaten more than I did, so I was very happy that JP packed me a little pack of jelly beans in my fuel belt, it was a lovely treat at 4 miles--thanks JP! :-)

Biking tomorrow and probably some swimming drills, if I am going to stay true to this new commitment to swimming I just gotta do it, oy!

More swimming drills

2009-04-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

I think I can just post the same thing over and over, swimming drills...I know they are going to pay off, BIG TIME I hope! Stroke, glide, stroke, glide, stroke, glide; maybe I should look into a masters swimming program?!?!?

How to become a better swimmer...

2009-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, Jen and I are riding on Saturday and she says to me "I've been thinking about your swimming andyou're not gonna like me...do you want to hear what I think?" Of course I do! So she proceeds to say "the only way you are going to get better is to double your time in the pool, if you are spending 2 days a week in the water, you need to spend 4...2 days of nothing but drills and 2 days of straight swimming, no rests and if you have to rest 10 seconds...nothing less than 500 yards per set". WHAT?!?!? Okay, I already knew this, but damn now it is really real and I know that I have to do it! 2:19:42 I have to remember this time and it should push me, the 70.3 is 7 weeks away it's go time!

Pushed my Big Chain Ring!!

2009-04-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

I tried to do the entire ride in my largest chain ring in an effort to get adjusted to pushing a bigger gear. I am the granny gear queen and I don’t want to be any longer! So I spent a beautiful morning ride really thinking about technique and form–pulling and pushing with my hamstrings, or as Jen likes to call it, scraping gum off the bottom of my shoe. It is working! I could tell when I was climbing hills that I was more efficient and climbed faster–yippee!

Moved quickly into 2 miles easy off the bike, no calf cramping, I was grateful for this. The run felt great we purposely took and semi-hilly route so the flat race route will feel easy (or at least that’s what we are telling ourselves :-).

Another brick on the books!

Swiming drills, swimming srills, swimming drills

2009-04-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I did swimming drills today? It was my first time in the water in about 10 or 11 days, I am not sure that my ears have healed completely but I really needed to swim so I took the chance, so far so good; they are a little bit plugged but not too bad. That is not what this post is about, it is about swimming drills and I did my fair share today. Jen is a very good swimmer and gives me fantastic advice, today she gave me new drills to do and do and do, but guess what? I think they are working, slowly but surely, and it is awesome, Lucky Fin might actually be gone by the 70.3!

This was a taper week and I really needed it, I traveled for work and had to do all of my workouts inside, it has been a struggle everyday...my body needed the rest. Tomorrow is 22 miles on the bike and 2 miles off the bike for an easy brick, I am actually looking forward to it!!

7 miles of running in what quite possibly could have been one of Dante's rings...

2009-04-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

That was one seriously hard run! I kept trying to quicken my pace and just could not sustain it, it was a drag because I just wanted it to be over, after 7 miles no endorphins kicked in, bummer! Contributing factors to the pain and suffering include: 30 miles on the bike 6 hours prior, Monsters vs. Aliens (ate too much salty popcorn and refused to pay $3.50 for a 16oz water), waited until 5:30pm to head out AND I knew that JP was at home making chocolate chip pancakes, I don't care how old you are, chocolate chips pancakes are just too good!

I survived and am surprisingly not sore today :-) The Easter Bunny brought wii fit to our house last night, what a wonderful surprise! I have learned that I have really terrible balance and that JP can kick my booty in just about every one of the balance games, I've got to work on that!

Rainy days and bike rides do not go well together!

2009-04-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Three of us were meeting at the bike trail head for a 30 miler today, it was overcast but 42, it was going to be great! I had my jacket on, my left biking shoe was on and my right one was half way on when my cell rang, it was Jennifer and it was raining (I hadn't looked outside in a while) HARD! Now I don't know about you, but I do not have windshield wipers on my glasses and neither does Jennifer so she ducked out and I was left to meet Laura at the trail head; I went without my bike... :-( We decided next week will be better and will try again, such a bummer, but hey I got to drink a second cup of coffee on the way to the trail!

Indoors in the basement on the trainer was brutal, mental strength was the mantra I kept repeating to myself, JP even had to give me a pep talk! I made it through on a wing and a prayer and was happy it was over. Biking on the trainer must be some sort of medieval torture, I loved it last year but it is killing me this year! Off to see Monsters vs. Aliens, should be fun!

If you didn't know the Ironman 70.3 Championship is on NBC tomorrow - I am so excited, JP set the DVR, such amazing inspiration (the race, not JP setting the DVR :-))!!

Running on the treadmill

2009-04-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Might have been a little bit early for a 7 mile run but I had been on antibiotics for 24 hours and I felt considerably better. My run felt pretty good until about 5.5 miles and then things deteriorated quickly, I made it to the end and for that I am happy, tomorrow will be better! It was funny, because I was on the treadmill I was watching a DVD of the Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers and my heart rate kept going up on the battle scenes, I guess they are that exciting, I don't know?!?! Man those Orks sure are ugly, really creepy actually!

Tomorrow is a double day, 30 mile bike and 7 mile run, fortunately it is not a brick so I can drink coffee when I get back from the ride, I sure hope the weather holds, it was absolutely beautiful today, I didn't even wear a coat!

Double ear infection...what?!?!?

2009-04-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure, I always had sympathy for people with ear infections, especially children but now I have even more sympathy, man alive my ears hurt! So needless to say I slept terrible for the past couple of nights and today I hit the wall, I actually felt like I was going to cry at work. So I came home and slept and now I am going to be going back to bed shortly.

This ear situation has total killed my workout for the day, I was supposed to do a 45 minute ride and I made it 12 minutes and gave up--not worth it! I think after 24 hours on the antibiotics I will be back good as new with hope that tomorrow's run is kick ass!

The wheels completely came off...

2009-04-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

so I am sitting here at the computer trying to stay away from the kitchen because I have eaten 4 or 5 brownies (at this point I have lost count) all while watching The Biggest Loser. Are you kidding me? I really want to drop 8-10 pounds by my race in June but the more I think about eating less the more I eat, I feel pathetic! This is why I never go on diets, the less I want to eat the more I actually eat. I think I am just going to try to burn more calories and forget about eating less, something’s gotta give, right? I am now back in control and am drinking peppermint tea, no more brownies!!!

Mostly swimming drills

2009-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

400 freestyle, otherwise it was drills. I tell you what, only resting 10 seconds between each 100 yards is HARD!! I cheated a bit…I justify it by saying “at least I did it”.

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 04/07/2009
Time: 15:10:43
Total Time: 00:30:00.00
Calories: 235
Distance: 1,100 yd
Average Pace: 2:43.64/100yd

Day off!!

2009-04-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

No running, biking or swimming, yea!! I really do enjoy my workouts but the intensity is starting to increase and so is the intensity at work. Getting out of the office and going to the rec center is salvation, it is sanity and sooo necessary! I will be back at it tomorrow, I hope that I can get into the pool, right now my ears are killing me, I am not sure if I have an infection or swimmers ear but oh baby they hurt!!

I am really feeling fat, I know vacation and mai tai's will do that to you but man, I guess I am stunned that I can put in the work and not have the scale change! So today I really tried to think about what I ate, to eat only when I was hungry and think about the diminishing size of my ass. Well, apparently I really like the size of my ass because I ate plenty, including alfredo pasta, bit-o-honey, Costco brownie bites, a regular brownie and 2 poor man's mocha's, I wish I could say that was all I ate but that was just this afternoon. I think I have issues!!

April 5 -- cycle

2009-04-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 04/05/2009
Time: 10:43:13
Total Time: 00:41:25.00
Calories: 649
Distance: 12 miles
Average Speed: 17.38 mph
Max Speed: 22.7 mph

April 4 -- I swear I was going faster than that!

2009-04-06T19:00:00.002-07:00

Only my feet were freezing, it was nice to not have to fight the wind!

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 04/04/2009
Time: 13:15:00
Total Time: 1:55:00.00
Calories: 1502
Distance: 28 miles
Average Speed: 14.61 mph
Max Speed: 31.4 mph
Ascent: 1,289 ft
Descent: 1,157 ft

April 4 -- Running with Jamie and Jennifer

2009-04-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

Great fun! I suggested we run a long hill, not a great idea, I will chalk that one up to experience and not do that again after a bike ride!! It was great to run with Jamie, never have done it before, it was really fun

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 04/04/2009
Time: 12:25:45
Total Time: 1:10:00.00
Calories: 823
Distance: 6.5 miles
Average Pace: 10:46.32/mile
Max Pace: 6:31.3/mile
Ascent: 1,835 ft
Descent: 1,874 ft

April 3 -- JP inspired me to get in a run

2009-04-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was lazy all week, I was just not feeling well so I am playing catch up to a point, I did an easy-ish L6 run while he did the boflex, didn’t want to go too hard I have a 28 mile ride and 6.5 mile run tomorrow, I sure hope the weather cooperates!!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 04/03/2009
Time: 16:39:25
Total Time: 00:29:23.00
Calories: 384
Distance: 3 miles
Average Pace: 9:47.28/mile

April 3 -- Swimming with Jennifer

2009-04-06T18:58:00.002-07:00

and now I am re-inspired! She has completed Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Canada and I admire her greatly, she gave me great advice and reinspired my swimming–great day!

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 04/03/2009
Time: 16:37:16
Total Time: 00:35:00.00
Calories: 274
Distance: 1,000 yd

March 30 -- Cycling

2009-04-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 03/30/2009
Time: 19:24:47
Total Time: 00:35:00.00
Calories: 549
Distance: 11.25 miles
Average Speed: 19.29 mph

March 29 -- Good run, some hip pain

2009-04-06T18:57:00.002-07:00

In my sartorius muscle I think, the pain is right down the front of my right leg right below the pelvic area, very difficult to stretch!

JP ran 13 today, I am so proud of him and so happy that it wasn’t me!!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/29/2009
Time: 12:52:10
Total Time: 1:00:40.00
Calories: 713
Distance: 6 miles
Average Pace: 10:07.08/mile

March 28-- Part 2

2009-04-06T18:57:00.001-07:00

My legs felt good about .2 into it, I was relieved since I hadn’t been on the bike for about 2.5 weeks I thought for sure my legs were going to crap out on the run, I have to admit I was really glad that it was only 2 miles however

Off to buy seeds for the garden before all the good ones are gone!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/28/2009
Time: 11:56:56
Total Time: 00:20:14.00
Calories: 238
Distance: 2 miles
Average Pace: 10:07.08/mile

March 28 -- Brick workout Part 1

2009-04-06T18:56:00.001-07:00

All I can say is thank goodness for the “Fellowship of the Ring”! 42 degrees is WAY too cold for a wimp like me to ride outside so I was on the trainer today and in front of a DVD, an action movie is a MUST!

Workout:

Type: Cycle
Date: 03/28/2009
Time: 11:53:29
Total Time: 1:20:07.00
Calories: 1255
Distance: 25.15 miles
Average Speed: 18.83 mph

March 26 -- Run

2009-04-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

1 mile wu L4 4×400m uphill L9 (jog down for recovery) 1 mile cd L4

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/26/2009
Time: 17:26:23
Total Time: 00:41:42.00
Calories: 490
Distance: 4 miles
Average Pace: 10:25/mile

March 22 -- Great run!!

2009-04-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

I’ve been challenging myself to run faster and it is starting to pay off! today I ran 2 of my 6 miles in 8:56 and 9:00 I was very excited!!

Aloha!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/22/2009
Time: 19:18:19
Total Time: 00:59:39.00
Calories: 777
Distance: 6.25 miles
Average Pace: 9:32.34/mile

March 20 -- Swimming in the bay and a Jellyfish sting

2009-04-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Swimming with my sister on the Kona ironman course, it was fun until I my right arm started to burn, it looks like a jelly fish or some other type of marine life stung me in a few different places - quite painful! The swim however, was fun and inspiring!

Workout:

Type: Swim
Date: 03/20/2009
Time: 23:10:35
Total Time: 00:20:00.00
Calories: 156
Distance: 600 yd
Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

March 19 -- More running with J

2009-04-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

and it is just so fun! We challenge each toher which is so nice. Swimming tomorrow

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/19/2009
Time: 22:39:27
Total Time: 00:29:31.00
Calories: 385
Distance: 3 miles
Average Pace: 9:50.16/mile

March 18 -- Not sure I was feelin' it!

2009-04-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

but I made it through and was darn happy I did! Challenged myself in the last mile and did an 8:25, I was ecstatic, even more so that I could go and put my head under the shower at the pool!

Aloha!

Workout:

Type: Run
Date: 03/18/2009
Time: 20:20:53
Total Time: 00:49:25.00
Calories: 644
Distance: 5 miles
Average Pace: 9:53.08/mile