Race Day arrived finally and of course I don't sleep the night before.  Well I did doze a little but I don't think dozing counts as sleeping.  ;P  So anyhow I decide to finally get out of bed around 2:30.  After taking my   shower I start to organize my stuff and then wake up my hubby and my dog. It takes about an hour to get to race venue from my house, so I wanted to leave early enough to be there when transition opened ( which was 4:30).  Why so early?  Because I'm one of "those ppl".......the OCD side of me comes out in full color on any given race day! ;)  3:30 rolls around and we take off for lake, making one stop at store for some ice. 

We arrive at Lake Mead and drive down to park.  There are only maybe 3 cars/trucks there at this hour with the exception of course of the ppl involved with putting on race.  I hop out and wander around a bit while my hubby and dog hold down the fort in the truck.  At around 4:40 I grab my bike and walk it over to transition.  Since I'm apparently the most OCD person of the all the racer I have my pick of ANY spot....read: I'm first person.  I drop bike on the very end of first rack by the bike exit then walk over to truck to find hubby walking towards me with my bag and headlamp on.  OH YEAH!  Light..light would be good!  I set up my area and say a few hi how are ya's to people starting to show up.  

After setting up I take everything not need in transition back to car and tell hubby I'm going to walk down to see about body marking and timing chips.  As I'm walking around I notice how much warmer it feels than last year, and then that "Oh Shit" feeling washes over me. Relax....Sam...Relax....you did this race last year and you finished, you can do it again.  I know I'm in much better condition this year and I'm a lot stronger but still that 'ol side of  Sam that has an IMMENSE fear of failing always seems to show up "larger" than ever race morning.  Walking around trying to clear my head, I decide to walk over and get my timing chip and body marking. YIKES....now I have sharpie all over my shoulder and down half my leg ( yeah, not sure why she drew it so big)..I guess I'm really doing this thing.  hee hee  :)  Returning to truck where hubby and dog are and I decide to lay down in the bed of the truck and try to relax.  "TRY"!! ;PP

About an hour and half goes by and strangely enough I don't feel quite as nervous.  I get up and take my "Sports Legs" its now about 1 hour till my start time.   Finnster my dog is on ready alert and is more than prepared to suit up for the race.  LOL  Not sure how that might help me, but happy to know I have that option if necessary. :)  Getting up from the bed of truck,  grab & put on my ipod, then walk over to check transition area. Last year someone moved my stuff, so I'm just checking to make sure that doesn't happen again. Tessie looks good hanging there.  She's in the right gear, her powertap is attached and her tires are pumped and ready to get at it.....GOOD TO GO!  Now its bathroom time.  By now I would say most of the athletes are here, although I still notice a few just arriving.  

30 mins to go.  We lock up the car, I take in my 200 calories and walk down to waters edge.   The half iron distance racers are already off in the water and the olympic racers are being called to get ready.  I get my cap on and hit the water.  The water is PERFECT.   Wetsuits are allowed but I don't think the water temp was below 80.  I'm not wearing a wet suit....assuming the time I gain will just be lost taking it off.  I warm up for about 10 minutes.  Water feels good, and its so quiet...it's helping relax my nerves.  Slowly I exit walk towards hubby/dog on beach, then we head down towards start.  The first Olympic wave goes off and then 10 mins till then next, then my wave.  After second Oly wave goes I decide to go stand in water.  I give hubby and dog smooches and as hug hubby... he tells me to have fun and remember how much strength I have inside.  "Just give it all your very best, you'll be great"  Wading out I find my line to the buoy. There is a sea of white caps are around me but I don't know anyone.  I try to make some conversation but no one seems like talking and a few ladies were just plain rude/bitchy.  Ok, I'll shut up now. 

Then we're off.  :) As it turns out we started a few second early but people started swimming so I took off. Started right in the front just off to the left a little bit.  As we all jockey for position I have two people right next to me (one on left one on right) and both of them are swimming into me. WTH?  GET OFF ME!!!  I keep right on moving...the hell anyone is going to get in my way or slow me down.  Finally after practically tangling my arms with the woman on the right I dig in and hit the gas to get away from them. Mission accomplished...feels good, feels strong and I'm passing people and even drafting a little as I go.  Twice I get a little off course because I suck at sighting , but not too bad.  Around first buoy.  In my head I keep repeating..."Strong, Smooth, Strong, Smooth".  Around next buoy..then just back to the beach.  At the last buoy I pass a few ppl from Olympic wave that are just finishing.    Things feel great.  Reaching the beach are start up towards transition.  WOW its seems like forever before I get to my bike.  LOL  Hmm..maybe the very first rack at the bike exit wasn't best idea. (jk) In AG I was the second fastest out of the water. 59th overall out of 309.

Step 2:  The bike and I'm off.....immediately I'm passing people.  After getting up the hill out of transition I drop it into gear and start to move.  The course wasn't flat at all.   Up and down, up and down. Bike feels great I get passed by only one female ( who ended up being in the Oly I think since I didn't see her on turn around)  Even play some back -n- forth with two racers , happily being the "victor" hee hee.  As I approach the last hill WHICH SUCKED, I think COME ON  if you can survive your coach's workouts you can do this hill.  Up and around and then back to transition...flying down the hill towards transition TOUR DE FRANCE pops into my head.  Specifically the part when they ride over copplestones!  UUGHH,  THEY REALLY NEED TO REPAVE THIS road!  Dismounting bike its now to the run. In my AG I was second fastest on bike.  ( thinking..this seems like a theme ;PP)  

Step 3: Run....I slip on my Newton's, my visor and race belt and away I go.....very quickly realizing that I have not had enough to drink.  Its getting warm and my mouth feels like its full of cotton.  I grab some water at first aid station and try to drink it without spilling it. (  have running and drinking issues. ) LOL

Needless to say, the running leg is always my weakest leg of triathlon.  In fact this winter my coach and I are really going to work on my running!!!  I get passed by some people and a few females in my age group. Which honestly I have to admit is very demoralizing for me.  BUT, I'll get faster so.....for now I'm doing my best. I finish up and feel exhausted. Which is good. :)

Preliminary time said 1:27:25, final time said 1:29:25.  I ended up being 6th out of 20 women in my AG, 21st female out of 124 females and total overall 98th out of 309 ppl.  Yippeeeeeeee  :)~

Best of all.....I took about 14 mins off of last years time. I'm very happy with results, now just gotta be ready in three weeks for Pumpkin Man Tri.....TOUGH pretty much an all uphill bike course. Quads gotta get ready to burn. tee hee  :)

If you look at both swim pictures look just a little off middle of pic, front row of swimmers....highest elbow is mine....and to think I was worried I didn't keep my elbows up. ha ha LMAO

Mental Gibberish & Garbage From The Road.

Perhaps some would also call it palaver, babble, nonsense, brain vomit or even prate.  I say its all fun and games until someone looses an eye! 

Well, whatever you want to call it...I had a nugget full on my ride the other day. Its this mental tomfoolery that gets me thru many a workout.  I just sorta wander off in my brain and then before you know it I'm finished with the task at hand.  Seems like a good idea in theory but sometimes it poses problems...Like when you need to count your laps in a swim set.  I HATE loosing count, but it happens all the time because I start thinking about something else then flip turn and think.....now that was 27 right??? Ahhh..HELL......ok this one is 27.  I probably do at least 100 meters extra a workout just because of my crazy brain!!  I of course am not accepting ANY responsibility what so ever.  :PP  I blame my hyper/ADDHD/OCD  Sam mind....it's not my fault, I think they crossed some wires along the way when they were putting me together.  

So here I am going out for little "jaunt" of a workout.  AARRGHHHHHH, I think my coach is secretly trying to kill me.  1.5 hour Time Trial Intervals 3x10x8 @ 280 watts with 90-95 cadence.  YEAH, thats seems like fun.  :PP NOT SO MUCH. Away I go....warming up until I get to the highway, which I know you're saying seems like the ideal place to ride my bike. WELLLLLLLLL.....its not too bad unless its windy, or the traffic is bad, or there are a lot of big rig driving VERY FAST......or even the occasional hitchhiker that wants a ride.  WTH????  

I hit my timer and I dig in to the first interval.  GOODIE, this is going to be fun......then all of a sudden someone is touching my back...YIKES, WTH????  I turn and look and its a friend of mine who is a cyclist. ( she's a stud btw just rode LOTOJA.....yeah have fun with that one- BLECK)  I try not to slow down and we exchange hi's and such.  Then I blurt out that I'm on intervals today and she says OK.   It's flat so at about the correct power I'm suppose to be hitting we're moving at about 26-27 mph.  Heck this doesn't seem to bad.  :)~  At about 5 minutes in we turn a bit on the road (only slightly) and here comes the wind, gotta dig in a little more which immediately pushes up my watts and lights my quads on fire, my friend ducks in behind me and we keep going.  About another min goes by and she says "she's getting light head and she's going to hang back".  As I try to take a deep breath/gasp/choke for air ( ha ha) I mumble something like "Ok, talk to you later..I'll call you" and I keep moving.  All the while I'm thinking DO NOT SLOW DOWN OR YOU WONT BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS UP MUCH LONGER.  MAN, 10 mins is an eternity when you are at a 10 in effort.  Now granted, I'm not a expert triathlete like many and perhaps this might seem like a pedestrian workout for some.....BUT IT ALWAYS kicks my ASS!  

FINALLY, 10 mins is up and I get to recover.  YAHHOO!  This is when the gibberish begins.....

I notice a hitch hiker walking down the road or should I say HOPING and SKIPPING down the road.  Geeezzz, is it a mirage?  As I get closer the gentleman notices me and starts to wave and then what seems to be a wave for me to stop.  HUH???  NO, I don't think so.....what???.so you can bury me in the desert?  HA! I'm not falling for that one. ;)  I'm almost next to him and he's waving his arms wildly and singing....what you ask......well I don't really know but maybe OPERA and in Italian???  WTH?  Now how many times can you say you're going to see that in a lifetime??  Once if you're lucky.  

As I pull away from the Hitch Hiking Pavarotti the sea of nonsense floods my brain.  Why do they call Opera , "Opera'?  Do you have to be slight "rotund" to be an opera singer? Didn't James Brown and Pavarotti sing together once?  What was that about??  Do they ever lip sync the opera.  Lipsyncing, can you say "Milli Vanilli". http://youtube.com/watch?v=GSqV3rWM4iQ  What a random & tragic little pair that was. SO BUSTED and what was up with those outfits?  Speaking of tragic what was up with New Kids On the Block?  The HAIR??? YIKES.  Were they only big in the 80's?  Hey weren't Members Only jackets BIG in the 80's too. I think the band Loverboy wore them, I know Magnum P.I. wore a jacket.....a tan one.  You know what I think I used to have a record of Magnum P.I. intro music that I played every week before the show started?  Where is that record?  Aww, its hiding by all the toilet paper and paper towel my Dad has hidden. Dad.....poor Dad.....he can't hear me anymore.  :(((  I need to write him a letter.  SHIT, I have to get a card in the mail for a friends birthday next week. Birthday cupcakes, need to makes those too.  Geeez, I wonder whether my friend liked the bread I sent.  I sure hope so.    

OOPPSSS....next interval, and its on a uphill.  GOODIE, thats might make it easier.  Watch out for that glass!  Hmm..how do they make glass??  I wonder how much glass is produced and then recycled every year. Why do they color glass?  I think I need to come out here and sweep this bike lane there is too much debris.  Brooms, hey Samantha from Bewitched had a broom but what was the deal with Darrin?  He looked a little pedophile'ish to me.  Television, how do they run all the cables for that for all the neighborhoods?  For that matter, the phone lines, power lines?  How many miles on utility lineage do you think run thru an average metropolis city?

Millions?  Running.....OMG OMG, thats right Dean K is right now running on a treadmill for 48 hours.  He's nuts!!! ;)  Remember to call or text him today to give him encouragement!  Hey is that a happy face sticker on the ground?  Awww how sweet.......(insert car honking sound and yelling) Honk honk......WWOOO HOOOOOOOOOO...... Oh how sweet they must like my .......... bike..............yeah, they think my bike is hot..... thats it, thats the ticket.  

MEN, :0)~~  Shesshh, if you put long blonde hair and pair of long legs on a goat they'd probably honk at it.  BUT THANKS, nice to know something looks good because I feel like I want to DIE right now! Hmm..how would a goat ride a bike?  Could it use the aero bars??  Nahh........:)

Time to recover again........( and for the record yes I still had one more interval but I figured I was possibly giving people nightmares, so I left the last batch of craziness out)

Are you NERVOUS YET?  Heck I would be,  but you had fair warning.  I think by now you have figured out I was dropped a few times as a baby!! tthhrrrpppptttt.  But seriously, you see the ABSOLUTE NUTTY CRAP that floats around in my brain!!!!!  WHY IS THAT?  OK, maybe you shouldn't venture a guess.

Does anybody else do this or am I apparently the only living brain donor left in the world???!!!

I do promise however that "WHATEVER" I have, its not contagious. (wink-wink) 

Isn't that a pretty picture of my brain........

"Houston, we have a problem"

What problem could that be?  It's Sunday, its a beautiful day..what could possible be wrong? Well I will let the evidence in "said" picture be the proof.

"Put the Nutella down ma'am and step away from the jar"!  These are the words that are echoing in my head and what I envision the police would be saying to me if they saw me with my "hoof" aka my hand/fingers stuffed inside that little jar!  OK, so YES I might be slightly addicted but REALLY I SWEAR... I never eat THAT much of it!

For all my scrapping and finger dragging today I maybe got 1/4 teaspoon worth.  WOW, all that effort for such a small amount...but you know what.....SO WORTH IT!  As I look at empty jar I begin to cogitate on when exactly am I going to get to the store to get more of this delicious, ambrosial, scrumptious jar of nutrients.  :PP Most definitely today!

Feasibly some might not consider Nutella "brimming" full of nutrients...but I protest.   It has HAZELNUTS!  Hazelnuts contain a high proportion of essential oils and supply a well-balanced mixture of vitamins and minerals. Additionlly, they also contain a high concentration of Vitamin E which prevents oxidation of the polyunsaturated fats, and it is also one of the few nuts which contain vitamin A, which is a natural antioxidant and has cancer-preventing properties.  

(YESS!!!!!!)  And as if that wasn't enough, the B-group of vitamins are well represented in hazelnuts, particularly vitamin B5 and B6.  Morever, hazelnuts are an excellent source of minerals, particularly the minerals manganese, selenium and zinc.  Now tell me you aren't adding Nutella to your shopping list right now.  Ok, maybe not.

The real story is the history behind Nutella. ;)  Nutella , in its original form, was first created in the 1940's by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company.  At the time cocoa was in short supply because of rationing due to World War II, which of course caused chocolate to be very limited.  Mr. Ferreo used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont region of Italy, to extend the chocolate supply.  Now the story goes on...but I'll let you read that yourself if you feel so inclined.  http://www.nutellausa.com

Its USA made, delicious and they have a monthly drawing for a free case of Nutella.   WOW WOW WOW, I think I like Nutella even more now. ( note to self, sign up for monthly drawing)

Yes, yes....I still realize I MAY have a problem with my abnormal possibly obscene liking of Nutella but heck doesn't everyone have "SOMETHING" they are slightly, non-harmfully addicted too??

Come on.......if you're sitting there reading this and saying.....nope not me! All I have to say to you is, " YOU'RE LYING THRU YOUR CAPS"!  Liar Liar pants on fire!  

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

Not playing well with others! - My adventures at the pool.(RANT)

I wonder....is playing well with others something that we learn as kids?  Or as adults are we "open" enough to adapt this trait! :)

I would like to think that as adults we have the ability to play nice, share with others and not get nasty/crabby when we don't get our way.  This morning I was proven WRONG!!!  I arrived at the pool at my normal time to find the "aqua" class forming.  Now first let me say I think its great that people are getting out and exercising in the pool when other forms of movement prove to be too stressful on their bodies.  With that said....OMG OMG OMG OMG, do you really need the entire GD pool?  You have your 3 lanes one of which is a wide end lane.  Why must you pout and fuss demanding a fourth lane because you feel crowded??  For the love of pete, how much room do you need to move? Ok, so I'll give you the fourth lane and MOVE right in the middle of MY set which I WAS timing. AARGGGGGHHHHH! Can't we all just get along???  

What now??  Ah yes of course,  your floaty barbelly things drift into my lane so I have to stop and move them, to which I get yelled at and told to leave "your stuff" alone.  ARE F'ING KIDDING ME??  Ok Sam, deep breaths......just swim, relax, breathe......OUCH.....WTH?  Did I just get kicked mid lane?  Now how is that possible???  OHHHHH, I see you're hanging on the lane lines and kicking into my lane because you need to hang that way so the sun isn't in your eyes?  OK, THATS IT!!  We need to talk.  I politely explain that I'm trying to swim my workout, and that there are only 3 lanes left for lap swimming(even thought there is suppose to be 5) so I'm trying to finish up quickly.  The actual reason being that with all of you bobbing up in down I feel like I'm in an OWS with wakes like a washing machine.....you even submerged the line lines with the waves......thats impressive!

What's that?  You say I need to be more accommodating and that people "my" age ( so I'm considered young @ 42 - YIPPEE!!) have such a sense of entitlement, then on top of that you add that swimming is the ONLY way that you're able to feel good everyday (although quietly in my head I disagree,  you aren't actually swimming you're BOBBING).  Next sentence without stopping to breath...you accuse me of being selfish.  Ok, I've had enough!!  Since when is everyone under the age of 70 a piece of selfish crap that apparently only exists to make your life troublesome!  Ah, thats right I remember now.   I didn't walk thru the snow as a child,  with bare feet to milk the frozen cow and then have to carry that milk to the general store to sell so that my mom and dad could put food on the table and pay for my education, clothing etc. Geezzz you're right.  MY BAD!  Now get the hell out of my lane SHUT UP and if you kick me again I'm going to make sure you test out this months co-pay with MEDICARE while you're at the broken foot doctor!

Ok, so maybe I'm kidding about the broken foot thing, but SERIOUSLY??? Go away, I've been nice enough.  You obviously do not SHARE WELL and you definitely DO NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS!

Hee hee

So my fun today:   2900 in the pool ( wu200, drills 4x50, 6x250-30, 6x150-15, cd100), 45 min ride easy, 40 min run easy 

 

Fighting and Flying

Now I suppose you are expecting a long version of the "fight or flight" response, which is our body's most primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from perceived attacks, harm or threat to our survival.  BUT , thats not going to happen today!!

FIGHTING:

What I'm talking about is the fact I was fighting my entire run last night with my Amphipod water belt!  Ok, what's up with hydration belts.  I dislike wearing them around my waist so I "try" to push them down just below my hips BUT THEY NEVER STAY PUT!  I don't have a super small waist, 28 1/2 inches but I feel like I'm being squished around the middle when I wear them on my waist.....plus I always seem to get a bad belly ache when I do so.  When I try to wear them around my hips they just either slide up towards waist or off completely.  OK, maybe thats because I don't have hips (LOL)  but WTH???? Now I realize I'm whining a bit but I don't like to wear packs and I can't stand carrying anything in my hands unless its small...so what's a girl to do?  I've tried them all btw...Fuelbelt, Nathan, Amphipod.  Anyone figure out this obviously "ANCIENT CHINESE SECRET" of wearing the belt with out causing intestinal distress or tripping over said hydration belt as it falls off you?    

The one thing I do like about the Amphipod is that you can turn the bottles sideways, no more hitting the bottle with your arms when it is at your waist.

(Geezzzz, I'm a cranky b***h aren't I)  

FLYING: 

Well, thats what my Road Id Firefly Supernovas did last night. I have no idea where it decided to go AWOL, but as I was finishing up run my hubby walked out to meet me at community entrance gate with the dog ( Yeah hubby!) He looked at me and said "Where's your light on the back of your belt?"  To which I replied "OMG...I have no idea must have just come off when I pushed belt down".  So off  the family went.... Hubby & Finn went to get the truck and I started looking on foot.  Finally after driving almost my entire route we found  the little lost solider.......as it turns out it jumped ship about half way thru my run, but it was still laying there on the pavement waiting to be picked up.  YYIIPPEEE, so glad I don't have to buy yet ANOTHER one, since I've already lost 2 of them the same way. I mean really those things aren't cheap - 12.99 a pop.  Ummmmm....note to self find another place to put them on body so they don't fall off while running. 

I've tried on my running top/sports bra but that was WAY to close to my eyes, thought I'd taken the "red" pill for a moment there.  :) 

Anyone have any ideas?

And since we're on the topic, I hope that when you ride or run when its dark you have a light(s) and/or reflective something on AND that you carry some sort of ID.  I wear the Road ID wrist band all the time, and even though I have yet to have needed it....its nice to know I have it handy.   If you get one from http://www.roadid.com I would suggest not getting the shoes pouch.  First responders are not going to go looking for your shoes if they get knocked off in a high MOI accident.......better to have it on your person!  ( wrist or dog tags)

Dailies for Moi:

50 min tempo run ( 2x10x4 ) and swam 2000 in pool just to loosen shoulders up.

Wrist ID:

FireFly Supernova ( should be a band with that name)

First of many posts to come. :))

EUREKA, I finally took the plunge into the blog world! YAHHOOO, YIPEEEEE!! From Fat to Fast you ask??? Well its a long story but I'll run it thru the Readers Digest wash so that you don't fall asleep on your keyboard. ;P

I was born in a jungle and raised by a pack of wolves......OH WAIT, wrong story! My bad.

As a kid I was first fat then I became athletic when I hit my growing spurt. I ended up playing softball, running track and finally landed on volleyball up thru college. ( of course seeings how I'm almost 6'1) After college sorta fell off the "organized sports" wagon when I entered "Adultland" better know as the full time working world. I received both my BS in Exercise Science and MS in Athletic Training so like many I figured I had the world by the tail! Eh...maybe...maybe not. :) Life progressed as it has a tendency to do sometimes and I "woke up" one day about 3 years ago and realized I had a great job with a ideally great life but was really slowly dying inside. I was depressed, sad, tired, miserable, I felt like crap, and even though to most of the outside world I seemed great. I was screaming to get out of my head, to get out of my body!

Surprisingly one day, my hubby and I just decided to move. Where?? Well someone at his work was talking about Texas............so Texas it was! No jobs, no plans but we did manage get a mortgage. (oops) We packed the moving truck and the car and hit the road for the Lone Star state. It was from this point on that my life would take a turn for the better...towards the happy!

Now generally being as big as I was most would think I had been sitting on the couch eating bon-bons and chips but it was actually just the opposite. I had been working out like a fiend and had just gotten bigger and bigger. In fact to this day people see me and say WOW, I barely recognize you but still they can't believe I was ever as big as I was. Believe me..... being over 6 foot tall has its advantages when it comes to hiding weight. At my biggest I was a size 20 - 22, XXL! Nowadays I'm a size 4, S/M. Who would have ever "thunk" it! As it turns out the reason I had achieved the ASTONISHING "fighting" weight of 280 lbs was that I had a thyroid problem. Yeah, yeah we've all heard that before, but this time it was actually true! I had been working out and eating right all for NOT! Sadly enough, due to this "little" issue called "Hashimoto's Disease", I had gone from athletic and energetic to 280 lbs of unhappiness. Upon arriving in Frisco, Texas (North of Dallas) I made it my job to find a doctor. Eventually I found one and surprisingly a doctor that even thought "outside the box" so to speak. This was step two in the process of returning to HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY SAM. The Dr. started me on Synthroid and Cytomel adjusting the dosages as we went until finally we got down what seemed to work for me. Next step was working out.

I attacked working out with the intensity of a hurricane and slowly the weight started dropping off....then a little faster....and a little faster. During which time my husband actually started working back in LV between 4-6 days a week so I was alone a lot. Which is good for working out but bad for becoming lonely. Finnster my adorable Dachshund puppy and I spent many hours together......walking, running ( yes he CAN run 5 miles without stopping) and just hanging out! What came next was nothing short of an EPIPHANY. Nothing else matters in life but happiness. NOTHING, no car, no house, no shoes, no vacation time share or any one "thing". NOTHING!!! What matters to me is feeling good about myself and feeling "happy" in my heart. So I grabbed the phone and called my husband to tell him I wanted to move back to LV to which of course he laughed because he was just about to call me & let me his old job had asked him to come back! PERFECT! We still had the house in LV, so it was a no brainer. I left Dallas......happier, healthier and 100 lbs lighter.

Once back in LV I was worried I wouldn't find a good doctor, but happily I did! Probably the best guy in LV. I also didn't know what I was going to do for a job. Hmmmmm, what to do what to do????........PERSONAL TRAINING! There's any idea. I can help people feel better about themselves! YATHZEE! I think we have a winner.

All the while I was running a lot, and even "attempting" ultra distances which sadly didn't pan out as well as I envisioned but like so many things... I guess "things" happen for a reason.

One of these reasons being having the opportunity to meet a fantastic person that I now consider a friend, Dean Karnazes!! I had signed up to do a local 12 hour run so I decided to turn it into a 12 hour run to raise money for Dean's charity Karno Kids (fighting childhood obesity)The best part of the day ended up being that Dean came down and ran with me! WHAT A THRILL and might I just add what I wonderful man he is and his family also. After all was said and done I ended up raising a couple thousand dollars but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control my knee blew up into the size of a watermelon during the run so my hubby had to finished the 12 hour time period for me.

It was from this moment on that I started thinking that maybe "running" wasn't to be my only option. One day as I sat on the couch practicing R.I.C.E. ( don't all athletes dread those initials) I thought to myself....."Self, what about a triathlon?" "You've always wanted to try one!" "No, no, no I could never do that I'm not strong enough! Then I yelled at myself ( in my head of course) WTH??? You just lost the size of a supermodel with a coke, you can do anything you want"! Hmmm....well why not....what's the worst thing that happens? I drown?? :PP

Now anyone who knows me or has known me for at least 5 minutes, knows I have a problem with doing "anything" half way. So I jumped into triathlon training and the deep end of the pool literally. :) I started training with a local coach/now a friend who is a IM athlete/ultra runner and by the end of Oct '07 I had completed 2 Sprint triathlons. They weren't pretty (EECCK, was I moving in reverse??) but I started and I finished!!! Then came the off season and I felt like I had no direction. One day my hubby called me and said, call this person and talk to him... he's a coach with CTS and I like him. I called, I spoke with him...and I had a coach! His name is Nick White, he works for Carmichael Training Systems and he is SIMPLY AWESOME!!!!! I adore him and look forward to working with him for a very long time.

When I started training with Nick in early March and knew immediately things were going to be different. He pushes me harder than I have ever been pushed and his workouts challenge me to new levels! The best part of it being that I am doing it all by myself! Nick works for CTS in Tucson, AZ so to this date I still have not met him in person, but hopefully will get to this Oct 18th @ BBSC's Pumpkin Man triathlon. With each workout I develop a new sense of accomplishment and confidence. ( both of which I lack....but thats a WHOLE other story where either medication or alcohol is MANDATORY) The other key to the puzzle was my running shoes. I had, had issues with my knee previously and was a BAD heel striker. A fellow local triathlete in town recommended I try Newton running shoes. He said his friend was having the same issues I was having and they seemed to help her. So I made the call, talked to Anne Klein in customer service and ordered my first pair. Well let me just say....Newton's might not be for everyone but I WILL NOT RUN IN ANYTHING ELSE. Since switching my shoes and my stride I have had ZERO knee problems despite the fact that according to my latest MRI, I should be wheeling myself around in a wheelchair or using a scooter. ( thinking..HEY THAT MIGHT BE FUN, I could put a basket and a bell on the front.....oh no wait wait!! OOPPS jk) I am officially a NEWTON JUNKIE!!!

I week ago I did my first triathlon of the year and I did pretty well. I got 4th in my AG, and was 65th overall out of like 250 ppl. I was 2nd out of water and on the bike in my AG and 31st out of water overall. Not bad Not bad. NOW, if I could just run a little faster......I'll be stylin. My run was slow but didn't seem that slow. In fact I was disappointed because it was slower than ANY training run I had done to date. Now yes, it was a bit hilly but still I can do better than that. Also my transition from bike to run was slow. I must have stopped for a Latte and some Dunkin Donuts. Hee hee But enough of the negatives. I did great, and I will continue to do well..learning from my misteps and remembering the right stuff I've done. Even signed up for my first HIM next June. Boise 70.3 here I come!!!!!!

As my hubby said the other day "bloods in the water eh?".....My answer was...YES SIR!

I'm ready and looking forward to next races. AND... I'm looking forward to showing myself just how good I can really be with all my hard work!

So there it is....the Reader's Digest version. Thanks for being patient enough to read my diatribe. I promise the residual brain damage from the reading will be short lived.

If you go out for a run or ride RIGHT NOW.....it will be even shorter! :PP

Before-280LBS: ( Literally in "Hell")

After-144LBS: