The Beach and the Big Chainring

I try not to complain. I know that I have nothing to complain about. If I'm tired, there's someone out there who is training harder than I am, with a heavier workload, and most likely 7 kids. I get it, my life is not that difficult. But recently I've had a really hard time dealing with winter being here. I know that for other people, they are training in basically the arctic tundra. I understand that to those people weather in the 40s and 30s is nothing to complain about. However, I'm not those people. I LOVE hot weather and the cold just makes me want to cry. Since coming back from Florida I've had a hell of a time getting myself motivated. My training has consisted of strength training, a tiny bit of yoga, running on the treadmill, and swimming (indoors obviously). I cannot get myself motivated to go outside. I do not like the cold one little bit. When I left for Florida it was warm, summer was winding down. It was starting to cool off a little bit, and w

     One thing that Ironman taught me was that if the goal isn't so big it scares you, it's not big enough.  And so, the next big thing isn't so big that it scares me in terms of distance, but it's a huge goal two of my best friends and I are hoping to reach.  And I'll be honest, when we first started talking about it, it scared the heck out of me.  You can read all about our goal  here .        We will be racing Oceanside 70.3 in hopes of raising enough money to put 70 local girls through our local  Girls on the Run  program.  We will be blogging about our journey and about the girls on 70miles70girls.com.  Don't worry though.  I won't be cross posting and bombing this website as a fundraising platform, but wanted to let you know what's up next.         I'm also hoping to keep up with this site regarding my training for both Louisville and Oceanside.  I feel like I've gotten into a good blogging groove in terms of regularity post-IMF

     The big question.  After hearing about my Ironman, the most common question I get asked is, "what's next?" I thought I would wait weeks or even months to decide.  But after a few days of talking with my coach, my family, and a few friends, I couldn't wait any longer.        So now I have an answer.  Louisville is what's next.  I have some big races and big goals between now and then (which I'll talk about in the next few weeks), but I can't wait to head to Louisville in August!

Alternately tiled "One of the Best Days of My Life"             I honestly don’t even know where to start this race report because the entire week we were in Panama City Beach was nothing short of magical.   The race was so well run, packet pickup went smoothly, and the expo made me nothing short of excited for the race to come!               Now, the water, that was a different story. I’m from the beach, I know how to swim in the waves.   I know how to navigate currents.   I’m comfortable swimming without my wetsuit.   But the gulf?   It was a mess on Thursday and even worse on Friday.   The waves weren’t what bothered me. It was the strong rip current pulling in the opposite direction of the swim.   However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that wasting my energy worrying over things I can’t control does no good.   So I went out for a practice swim on Thursday.   Decided that if I had to, I could do it, and prayed that the weather forecast held true and we wou

I did it!!! Race report coming soon...

     I've heard it said that "it takes a village to raise a child."  While looking back over this past year, I've learned that the whole "taking a village" thing is not only true of children.  It apparently also (at least in my case) takes a village to raise and Ironman. Thank you notes and Tshirts going out to my friends and family who won't be there in person.      There are so many people in my life who have gotten me to the point I'm at today.  Whether it's giving me a pep talk when I needed it most, listening to me whine about the 5 hour bike ride on schedule for the next day knowing full well that I signed up for this, inviting me over for dinner and making extra hamburgers because they, as Ironmen, know the hunger of someone training 15+ hours a week, or making laugh when I was laying on the floor with calf cramps.  It really does take a village, and without my village, I most certainly would have no hope of standing on the beach i

           I’ve been pretty silent on here recently.   Not because I have nothing to say, but because I don’t really know how to say it.   I’ve been training, training, and training some more.   I’ve completed 2 70.3s and 1 full aquabike since the last time I logged on.  They all went great, each had some highs, and one of the 70.3s had some serious lows, but each one gave me a little more confidence than I had entering the water that day.    The aquabike being the most recent and being a huge confidence builder.               I have a little motto I've created for myself.  A mantra if you will: Be Patient. Be Brave.  These are the things I've been practicing these last few months because I know I will need to be patient and brave on November 2.  I've been patient, waiting for that day to arrive.  Waiting for my endurance to get to where it needs to be.  Waiting until the right mile of my run to drop the pace.  But I've also been brave, at least for me.  I've t

     A few things about this post.  First, I wouldn't say that a Nike Women's Marathon (NWM) race is really my cup of tea.  I think I prefer more local races, and races where men and women are running. Nothing wrong with other aces, that's just my preference. Second, I really really hate it when people are disingenuous about their training and the work they've put in for a race, and then are like "I accidentally PR'd by fourteen minutes."  I don't want this post to come across like that and I don't believe in accidental PRs. Since I've started working with my coach in November, I have put in lots of long long weeks of training. It's been lots of hard work. It's just that the training has been more tri specific, and not focused on running, and certainly not focused on half-marathon type running.  And now, to the recap.     Quite a few months ago, a friend of mine asked me to do this race with her.  I said "yes" and suckered m

A lot has happened since I last posted.  A lot with training, and I've just had a lot going on in my life.  Every time I sat down to write a post, it just didn't feel right and I didn't feel up for writing about what was going on.  But over the past few weeks, things have gotten better, I've returned to my training schedule, and I feel happy.  Happy to be swimming, biking, and running my heart out. So now, back to this blogging thing.  I have two race reports that I want to write.  Hopefully I'll get those done this week. If you're wondering how my training is going, it's going something like this: the swims are getting longer; the bikes are getting longer; and the runs are getting longer.  But I'm enjoying it.  I feel like I'm in a good place with my training, and training is making me happy! I'll update more soon! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

I just wanted to share something my dad wrote reflecting on the tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday: So what do we do now? We still don’t know who set the bombs. Or why. But we do know this—no marathon can ever be safe. Twenty-six miles. Thousands of runners. Hundreds of thousands of spectators. If every TSA agent in the world had descended on Boston this morning, they couldn’t have prevented it. Evil is like that. It only takes one twisted mind, one person who thrives on the  suffering of others, and suffering will follow. So what do we do? We pray for the victims and their families. We honor them and the heroes who helped the injured. We hunt down the person or persons responsible. We vow not to let this stop us from pushing ourselves to our limit and experiencing the joy of honest hard-work and achievement. I could never qualify for Boston, but I do love to run. When my mind gets stuck and I need creativity, or when I’m frustrated and need to pray, or when I just want to drin

     Sometimes I have so much to say, but instead I just sit here and stare at the blinking cursor.  I don't know where to start, and that's kind of a weird feeling because I always have something to say.  Is it weird if I write it in list form?  Ok well, since about 5 people read this blog (that's generous, I know...moving on), I'm going to assume you all agreed to a bulleted post: Spring.  This weather.  I literally could not be happier.  Rides outside without a million layers.  I may even have to start breaking out the sunscreen.  (I'm not going to rant on this right now, but sunscreen, people, wear it.  When I swim, bike, or run outside, I wear 45+.  No skin cancer for me, please).  And running in shorts and a tank top will be happening today.  I'm a summertime girl through and through.  All smiles.   My bracelet.  Oh my goodness!  My amazing friend  Erin  Leigh, also of  this post  fame (as if there is any fame to be had by being in a blog post of ming

     Tomorow morning, I'm putting on my big girl pants.  Actually, if we are going to get technical about it, tomorrow morning I am putting on my big girl bicycle shorts.  But that' really a matter of semantics.      When I started running, I did it by myself.  I trained for my first half marathon and then my first marathon alone.  And I loved it.  Because, if I'm being completely honest, I like being by myself.  I heard and read about people involved in great running groups.  But truthfully, that never appealed to me.  I like being by myself.  Running was my time to think.  I think best when I'm running.  I solve life's problems when I'm running.  I clear out my head and get a fresh perspective when I'm running.  If I'm trying to talk to other people, or trying to speed up to keep up, or slow down so I don't ditch them, I'm thinking about that and can't get into my running zone.  So running clubs?  Not really my thing.      Then, I start

     As March Madness is winding down, I'm sure you've heard someone say "survive and advance" at least once in the past week.  And I throw the phrase around a lot, not just in March.  It's not that I don't want to do my best, or that I don't want to work hard.  It's just that sometimes, all you have in you is enough to get past that day and move onto the next.  Whether talking about March Madness or a workout in training, it signals that it might not have been pretty, but you got the work done.  You did what you needed to do to move on.  Sure, you didn't blow the workout out of the water, but you're still in the hunt.      This past week has been a great week of training.  I've seen significant progress in my running.  I was hitting all my heart rate zones on the bike, and nailing my swim paces.  I take pride in making sure that all my boxes on Training Peaks turn green.  If a box turns red it haunts me.  I get down on myself and let tha

Ithaca When you set out for Ithaca ask that your way be long, full of adventure, full of instruction. The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops, angry Poseidon - do not fear them: such as these you will never find as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare emotion touch your spirit and your body. The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops, angry Poseidon - you will not meet them unless you carry them in your soul, unless your soul raise them up before you. Ask that your way be long. At many a Summer dawn to enter with what gratitude, what joy - ports seen for the first time; to stop at Phoenician trading centres, and to buy good merchandise, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, and sensuous perfumes of every kind, sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can; to visit many Egyptian cities, to gather stores of knowledge from the learned. Have Ithaca always in your mind. Your arrival there is what you are destined for. But don't in the least hurry the journe

     Yesterday was one of my favorite days in a long, long time.  The things that I accomplished as well as the things I learned watching others accomplish big, BIG goals will stick with me for a very, very long time.      The back story.  Several months ago, one of my very best friends, who had been contemplating running a marathon for a while decided she was going to do it.  But she wasn't going to do it the normal way, she was going to do it for a cause and accomplish some major things along the way.  Those major things being sponsoring the education of 26 girls in Nepal.  Here's a post by my friend, Erin Leigh, about the race, about the money she raised, and about She's the First, the organization the money went to.      I don't know about you, but if you are like me, when one of your best friends is about to accomplish something huge like this, especially if it's endurance sport related, you have to be there.  So, I planned a trip and made my way to Atlant