Tri and Run Couple

Thats a Wrap!

2011-10-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here I go again, slacking on the blog. I just finished my 15th marathon (SOJO) yesterday and my legs are too sore to carry me off to some other excuse not to blog that I figured I should give an update on the last few months. I've had a really fun year racing. Not a ton of events, but I've stuck to the longer distances which I enjoy. Over the past few years I've decided I really hate spending money (don't ask me how I got into triathlon)! Don't know if it's the fact that I've watched my 401k steadily do a nose dive in this economy or the fact that I'm just a cheapskate. I'd guess it's probably somewhere in between. The fact of the matter is triathlon is not cheap! So instead of shelling out $80 for a sprint distance event that will be over in around an hour I've decided to pay a little bit more upfront for a few more hours on the race course. I'll be back to the shorter races again sometime soon, even if I have to cash out that 401k...maybe I'll get at least one event in with what's left of it at this point. That being said, I have three really fun events to report on...The Utah Half (70.3ish), Stansbury Olympic, and SOJO marathon.

The Utah Half
One of my favorites...probably because it's the closest long distance triathlon to our house. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed and eating your own food before tackling a monster race. I went into the race riding the wave of fitness from IMSG and Boise, so I felt like I'd have a pretty good race. The course is about as flat as can be, so I knew it would be fast. Before the race I felt pretty calm. The pre-race nervousness is starting to ease a bit as I continue to get more experience. Said goodbye to Michelle and Charley (our dog), wished some buddies (Rory, Andy, Spencer, and Cindy) good luck and then we were off.

Charley getting his swim on

My swim has improved a lot this year, but I'm still have a long ways to go with it. I try to push myself as much as possible and hope for the best. My time was decent (31:29), but I think it was a few hundred yards short of the full 1.2 miles. I felt good coming out of the water and zipped through T1 in 50 seconds. My goal on the bike was to beat my time from last year (2:32). I had a new bike and my fitness was much better, so I figured I could beat the time by a few minutes. I pushed hard and felt great. I've stopped wearing a watch during races so I can just go by feel, so I had no idea what my bike time was at the time. Come to find out I crushed last years time with a 2:13:17 split. I know I've improved, but realistically not that much. The course was obviously a bit short, but I was still really pleased with my time. As I hit T2 my body felt great and I was looking forward to a great run. I've struggled mightily with the run at this race the past 2 years, so I was hoping to exercise some demons. I've begun wearing compression socks for the longer races, and this really slowed me down in T2. I just couldn't manage to get the socks on quickly. I cruised out in 1:23 and hit the run head on, I had no idea what a beast this would turn into.

Utah Lake Swim. Nice and calm

By the time we hit the run it had really heated up. My body felt great, but I just didn't have it in me to really push it. I really had to dig deep into my mental reserves on this run just to not stop and walk. I battled those demons after only three miles, and it was tough to hang on. I look back at the long days training for IMSG as building confidence and the ability to push through the tough times. It's really inspiring to know what power the mind has over the body and how hard you can push if you dig deep. I ended up having a decent run 1:34:04, and finished the total race in 4:21:00. To say I was shocked by that time is a major understatement, but of course the race was not the full 70.3. Regardless, I was really please with the overall finish. I ended up finishing 8th overall and rolled up to 1st in my age group...I was actually 2nd to Spencer, but since he won the race outright I rolled up to 1st.

You can't see it but I'm holding a glass plaque.

All in all it was a great race and a really fun day. Congrats to Rory, Andy, Spencer, Cindy, and all others who tackled this beast. Also, a big thanks to Michelle and Charley for providing support...I needed it. Another big thanks to the Duckworth's for the "special" attention I got in the aid stations. My favorite part was the cups of water to the face...it was AWESOME!

Stansbury Olympic
My last triathlon of the year, and for Michelle it would be her one and only. What? Really, for someone as talented as Michelle to only do one triathlon this year? Man she's taking this "being cheap" thing to a whole new level. Of course, she's also finishing up her Master's degree, volunteering 20 hrs a week, and working another 10 plus hours at Costco, managing the household and the children's schedules on top of it all. How would it be to have such a limited set of priorities as she does. I mean not having to focus 100% of her attention on triathlon, how easy does she have it? Seriously, get a hobby or something.

Anyway, back to reality! This is one of the flattest and fastest races around, so we both decided to go zone 5 from the beginning. I'd be doing the Olympic and Michelle would be doing the Sprint distance. We carpooled to the race with the Duckworth's again as Courtney would be doing the Sprint along with Michelle. Might have to re-think that strategy next time since we laughed the whole way to the race and got to the start line already exhausted.

The Olympic racers started about 30 minutes before the Sprint racers. I really tried to settle in and swim comfortably. What I didn't plan for was the longest stretch of the swim being straight into the sun. I couldn't see a thing, and and to "hope" I was going in the right general direction. Fortunately, I slogged my way through the two laps and came out of the water in 27.55. An average time, but still puts me 5 min behind the lead guys. I've got a lot of work still to do on the swim, but at least I continue to improve.

As I headed out on the bike I decided to see how hard I could push. I was with two other guys and we kept passing each other back and forth. It was motivating try to keep up with these guys, and I could tell they we're really solid cyclists. For some reason my body just wouldn't let me push as hard as I wanted. I was able stay with the guys for most of the time even with a near crash at one of the turnaround points (need to pay a little closer attention to the volunteers I guess). I came into T2 5th or 6th place with a bike time of 50:08.

I knew the run would be mentally challenging as it was starting to get really warm, and my body didn't initially feel like pushing too hard. I set off on and hoped to hang on as much as possible, and pick up the pace on the second lap if I was feeling good. Thankfully, after about a mile into the run my body started to feel better and I was able to push pretty hard. I saw Michelle just before the turnaround and set a mental goal to try to catch her before she finished. She was running fast, so I knew it would be a stretch, but fun to try anyway. As I made the turnaround I had moved into 4th place, but I saw the 5th place guy pushing hard on my tail. The beauty of this two lap course is you get to see the immediate competition at the turnarounds and gauge how you're doing in comparison, and that worked to my advantage big time. As I was nearing the turnaround for the first lap, I noticed the guy in 3rd place. As I approached he turned and saw me...he immediately picked up his pace, but quickly slowed again. Just as I was passing him I noticed Michelle was right there...I had just barely caught her before she finished...with a quick slap to her butt I was off to lap #2. As I made the turnaround I saw the guy who was chasing me down had made up a lot of ground and was gaining quickly. I decided I needed to push to get this done and put some distance between us. It hurt a lot, but I was able to do just that and finish the race in 3rd overall. I was really pleased with the finish. If I can just get the swim down a bit I'll be right there with the overall top guys. My run time was 37:18 (6:01/mile). With an overall time of 1:56:42.

Michelle, of course, had a fantastic race as usual. She came in cold for her only triathlon of the year and still finished 3rd overall with a time of 1:18:44. Nice work babes! You continue to inspire.

Congrats to Courtney Duckworth as well on her nice race you can read about it here http://swimbikerunlife.blogspot.com/2011/09/stansbury-tri-race-report-courtney.html

SOJO Marathon
Last year Michelle won her age group at this race and the prize was free entry to this years race. How cool is that? Apparently they award the top 3 racers in each age group free entry to the race the following year. I decided to give it a go and see what happens.

The race started at 7:15 AM, but for some strange reason we had to catch a bus to the start line at 5:05. Seemed a bit early, and it turned out to be way too early. We ended up waiting at the start line for an hour and 40 minutes. I guess that's what you get as the race directors iron out the bugs on a two year old race. No worries though, it was fun hanging with Michelle and chatting with the other racers too. It wasn't too cold either, but we were able to stay warm under the heaters they provided.

As the race began I pushed hard. Probably too hard at the start, but the temperature was nice and I felt great. The first 8 miles of the race is by far the most difficult section of the course. There are several moderate to steep climbs, and it just happened that they were into the wind as well. I didn't want to push too hard up and zap all my energy, so I sat back and embraced the hills. I do a ton of hill running as a part of my training, and I've grown to love it so it wasn't too bad. The race was going fine up until mile 20 or so when my stomach decided to give me a little trouble. I took a potty break and then got back to the running. I was able to push through it mostly, but could definitely tell my pace was probably a minute slower than what I wanted it to be.

As we hit the Jordan Parkway trail at about mile 24 I was ready for this beast to be done. I don't care how many marathons you do, miles 20-26 still hurt...BAD! I really wanted to push through the end, but the body wasn't willing to keep up with the mind so I eased my way into the finish. One last push for the last quarter mile and I was done with a final time of 3:18 (11th overall). Not bad, but not great either. Fortunately I was able to secure 2nd in my age group, so I'll get another chance to conquer this beast next year.

As for Michelle, she had another really good race. She ran hard for the first 20 miles, but then her stomach demons showed up again. She spent the next 6 miles running through some nasty spells of vomiting and dehydration. She's so freaking tough though that she'll never stop until the task is done. She finished in 4:26, and gave her "never again" speech after the race. So we all know what that means...we'll see you next year at the start line babes.

So there you have it...2011 race season is a wrap! It's been a great year, and here's to 2012 being even better.

As always, Tri Hard!

Not tri-ing!

2011-08-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is disappearing right before my eyes! The kids head back to school in three weeks, I begin my internship and life resumes as "normal." I am embarrassed to say that I have not done one triathlon! We have been on some long and crazy vacations which has put us out of town for most of July. Needless to say, we have missed some of our favorite tri's; Daybreak, Herriman, Scoffield and Echo. Shame on us! Why can't we have our cake (vacation) and eat it too (triathlon)?! Last year we had a race every weekend and this year we have fallen off the wagon...err racing circuit.

Here is what we have been doing...

Celebrating our freedoms and great nation by visiting Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. over the Fourth of July.
We have some family that moved to Maryland two years ago and we miss them terribly! So we decided to pay them a visit. We spent a week sight-seeing, playing, hiking,eating crab and racing. Did I just say racing? Yeah, I did. Ever heard of an 8k? Me either. Well, it's a 4.97 mile race and we had the opportunity to do one in Leesburg Virginia. It was called the Run for Freedom 8k and it was scenic, humid and a blast to complete. We usually kick off the Fourth weekend by running the Sandy City Independence 10k so this race took its place. One thing we noticed about "east coasters" is that they are VERY patriotic. Before the race began they played the National Anthem and there was not a sound amongst the crowd. It gives me chills remembering this. These people were so close to the 9-11 tragedy and were greatly affected with the aftermath I'm sure. They spent a moment in somber silence as we listened to the anthem.

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Hershey Chocolate factory. This would may not fit in your tri top!

Kids 200 meter dash in Leesburg

8k completion! Justin took 2nd age group and Michelle 3rd!

Justin eating crab for the first time. YUMMY!

Onto the West coast....

After our week at home from Maryland we traveled to Newport Oregon with Justin's family the following week. We had rented a condo on the beach and planned to spend time visiting light houses, beaches and of course tide pools. Besides the 15 hour drive it takes to get there, Oregon is a beautiful place. We stayed in Bend Oregon for a night before heading to Newport. I LOVE bend! This place is amazing. It is small (but big enough), clean and beautiful. The town is made for the outdoor enthusiast. Everywhere you look there is a bike, kayak or trail. Bike lanes, mountain bike trails, paddle boarding, kayaking and hiking is what this town is all about. The Deshutes river flows through the town and makes it green. Trees are everywhere yet you can still see landmarks (unlike the East Coast where you have no idea where you are). You can see Mount Hood, Washington, Jefferson, Three Sisters, Mount Bachelor and Three Fingered Jack from the top of Pilot Butte (an extinct volcano). Sooooo coool! I think I will move here ;-)!

On top of Pilot Butte with the amazing views of the surrounding peaks

Overlooking the Deshutes River in Bend

We got into Newport the next day and lost about 20 degrees in heat. Burrr... put your jacket on. It was cool and misty yet green and gorgeous. Now, I'm not a cold-weather person at all and consider myself a desert rat. The hotter the better! My expectations for the weather were very low. I expected it to rain most of the time. To my surprise it was sunny most of the days we were there. We went to the beach, played in the sand, saw some whales, visited an aquarium, tide pools, flew a kite and Justin and his nephews braved the frigid ocean waves. We had a great time with our family and took in all the sights. We explored light houses, small beach towns, Tillamock Cheese Factory, Rogue Brewery and even crabbed for the first time. Justin and I took our bikes out for a ride on the Pacific Coast Highway with ocean views and cool breezes. We met a couple who were riding down the coast to the California boarder. They were from Moab and their son (who rode his bike across country: Virginia to California) was supporting them. We saw other riders doing the same trek. Some were taking the PCH to the boarder of Mexico! They had saddle bags and maps. Many camped at the beach or bunked in homes with other cyclists. What an adventure for these folks.

Overlooking the ocean at Newport Coast

Visiting some tide pools

Nap time in the sand...

Justin and the boys braving the cold ocean water

Kite flying but I think this counts as cross-training

Whale watching and light house viewing

So, even though we've missed out on some fun races we enjoyed our time vacationing. We are ready to get back at it. When you go for a week without a hard swim, hilly bike or and interval run you CRAVE to get back out there. We have a burning desire to crush our next race but need to play catch-up on our training. Sometimes taking a break is the best thing that you can do for yourself. You'll come back hungry, ready and grateful for this tri-lifestyle.

Next race report....Utah Half (August 27)!

Michelle

Boise 70.3

2011-07-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post, but thankfully Michelle has been kind enough to remind me of that fact on an almost daily basis. Thanks dear! Rest assured, I do have a good excuse for my lack of blogging recently. It's called laziness! Ever since IMSG I haven't been able to drag myself out of the bed before 7AM. Don't know why, I haven't lost any motivation, maybe my body is just needing a short break. That being said, I did manage to compete in a 70.3 event about a month after IMSG, and thankfully I hadn't lost too much of my fitness.

My race season has been pretty successful. I've been lucky enough to set a PR in every distance I've attempted this year, mostly because of the IRONMAN training I'm sure, but it's not been without a lot of pre-race drama. That seems to be my theme this year. Build up to the race week, have some drama, have a good race day.   Guess it's a good distraction!

Boise was not going to come and go without something. I knew it, just didn't know what it would be. So as I had mentioned before I was having a hard time getting up and going in my prep for this race. The week before the race I started to gain some momentum, and then it happened. I got sick! I mean really sick!! Not to over dramatize it, but I almost died! Now Michelle will be the first to tell you that I'm a huge baby when I get sick. "Fetch me this, bring me that. Yes, I do need a back rub!" I know, it's pretty pathetic. Anyway, this thing just totally crushed me. I was in bed for a day and a half and couldn't move. I was running a fever of 103, sweating like crazy, but also had goose bumps and my teeth were chattering. The only other symptom was a really sore throat. As I started to feel a little bit better I called my mom and described the hell I was going through. She mentioned the dreaded word I hadn't heard in probably 20 years. Strep! Nah, couldn't be. Only kids get strep, right? I finally decided to go to the Dr. just to rule it out. Sure enough, that's exactly what it was, and I hated it. Thankfully, Michelle and the kids did not get it!  After a couple of days on the antibiotics I was back to normal.

Back to normal until I found out I had a business trip to Reno the following Wednesday and Thursday, just before we were to leave for Boise on Friday AM. Not to worry, I'll get home at 8:00 on Thursday night, get a good nights sleep and we'd be on our way! Ha! If only things were that easy. The business meeting went off without a hitch, got to the airport with plenty of time to spare before my 5:00 flight home. After boarding the plane and chilling for about 30 min, the Captain finally tells us there is a mechanical issue and we all need to deplane. Not to worry, it'll be a small fix and we'll be on our way! Ha again! After waiting another 45 minutes I start to panic a bit. Not too many flights leaving Reno heading to SLC after about 6:00, ugh!  After much begging I was able to secure one of the last seats on the last flight into SLC for the day.  By the time I got home it was after 10:00 and I was totally exhausted. Safe and sound, but my race was not going to be pretty.

We had the good fortune of carpooling with Rory (Swim Bike Run - The Life of a Triathlete) and Courtney up to Boise. These kids (they're still in their twenties so I call them kids) are hilarious, and made the drive go by way fast. We got to the hotel (it was straight out of the 70's, but clean and very close to check-in and the finish line) and head to the race checkin.  While wandering around I heard someone mention the water temp was going to 53 degrees. Whoa, that's not what I was expecting. Thankfully, it was only a half-IM and not a full. Got the bikes checked in and had the traditional Cafe Rio prerace meal, and it was time to relax. The race didn't start until noon the next morning, so we were really relaxed that night.

We woke up the next morning and headed over to the race site. Michelle and Courtney drove us up to the swim, so it was nice not to have to ride the bus. The race didn't start until noon, and with 53 degree water temps it was a good thing. Can't imagine swimming in that cold water and then jumping straight on a bike at 7 AM. The only disadvantage to the late start was it was HOT setting up transition. I was sweating like I'd been sitting in the sauna, and then had to put on a wetsuit. Yikes.

Setting up tranisition

Rory and I chatting with some hot babes before the swim start.

Swim

I actually felt pretty good about the swim for once. I know I'm not fast and probably never will be, but I'm showing some improvements so I'm happy. I started in the 3rd age group wave, so it wasn't too congested. At one point I swam right into a group of what seemed like 10 ladies that were forming a wall. What in the world? How do you manage to have social hour in the middle of a swim? I felt bad, but didn't want to try to go around them, so I waited for just the right moment and went right over the top. I don't think anybody got too beat up, but it's never fun to do that. Especially when it's a group of older women...sorry grandma. Had it been men I wouldn't have thought twice about it, and may have even added a couple of punches and kicks for good measure! LOL! Of course I'm kidding. Or am I? Total time was around 34 minutes. My goal was to swim close to 30 minutes, so I missed that; however, I did cut two minutes off of my time from last year. Slowly but surely I'm getting better.

After the swim...heading to T1

Bike

The Boise bike route is pretty challenging, but I think it's really fair. It's relatively flat; however, does have some good hills that sting the legs. I wanted to push it hard, but not too hard that I was drained for the run like last year. We got lucky this year as there was barely any wind unlike the tornado we biked in last year. I'm not a very competitive person (as you may know by now), so I was really surprised to find myself pushing really hard at the start of the bike. HAHA! In all seriousness, I was hammering way too hard and was out of breath after only a few minutes. Was I just going to hard, or was I out of shape already? I had no idea, but decided to back it down a notch and save some energy. After about 20 miles though, I was feeling awesome and decided to pick it up again. At about that same time I realized I was riding basically alone. (Since I started in the early wave, there were very few people in front of me and I had managed to pass a bunch of them. Of course they were all 60 year old men and women, and yes I did feel good about passing them, so just leave me alone about it, okay?) It wasn't as easy riding at the front of the pack as I thought it would be. I usually try to pick people in front of me to chase down, but there wasn't anybody at this point, and the people who were in front of me were much faster than I. I just settled into a solid pace and hope to maintain it through the finish. I will say, by about mile 50 I was really ready to get off the bike. I never felt that way in IMSG, but in Boise I couldn't get off the bike soon enough. Still not sure why, but before I knew it I was rolling into T2. Total time was right about 2:30. Right on my goal.

Leaving T2

Run

The run is a two loop course and is completely flat and shaded for many of the miles. I wanted to run 1:30 or below, but as I trudged through the first few miles I didn't think I had a chance to run that fast. My stomach was not cooperating at all. I never felt like I needed to stop, but it just didn't feel right. I haven't been racing with a watch, so I didn't have any idea what pace I was maintaining, but it didn't feel fast at all. I was still at the front of the pack, so I didn't have anyone around to try to pace myself with. I just decided to settle in to a comfortable pace and try to run the whole thing. On the first loop I had the aid stations virtually to myself. I had my pick of everything and anything from the volunteers, but the only thing I wanted was some Coke! I got Coke at every aid station and then tried to alternate between Perform (like Gatorade) and water at every other aid station. By the time I started the 2nd loop I was feeling much better and my pace picked up considerably. I still didn't think I was going very fast, but it felt good to let the legs loose for a bit. I was shocked when I saw my final run time of 1:30 (right at my goal). I didn't think I'd run anywhere near that fast, so I was really happy.

Out of T2 and then on the course

As I crossed the finish line I felt great, but I was STARVING. I gave Michelle a gross/sweaty hug and then headed for the food line. On my way over I saw Spencer Woolston...a total triathlete stud who happened to win the 30-34 age group. We grabbed a quick picture...still cracking up about this one, and then I got some food. I think I ate all of the food by the way, so I'm sure I won't be invited back to the race next year, and apologies to anyone who started after me. If you didn't get a burger or any pizza let me know and I'll hook you up.

Spencer Woolston (who may have eaten more post-race food than I)

It was fun racing with a lot of good people (Rory, Bart, Dave, Gary, Lance, and others) and everyone did great out there. Boise is just a cool place to race! Second only to St. George of course! We had a great time hanging out with Rory and Courtney and we're definitely coming back next year. The only stipulation is next year all four of us (Michelle and Courtney included) will be racing ;). As Bart Scott would say..."Can't Wait!"

Gary and Bart

Oh yeah, before I forget, the spectators were awesome too. Although I'm not sure about these dudes...I think Michelle was a little more impressed than I.

If you didn't chuckle as you ran past these spectators you are not human

Must be some sour gum

Celebrating after the race at PF Changs

Until next time, Tri Hard!

NEVER AGAIN!

2011-05-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I always say that. NEVER AGAIN! I wonder why Justin always looks at me funny and says "you always say that." I must forget how difficult marathons are. It's kind of like labor. I remember feeling like that when we had our first child. Then during labor the second time.. I said "hey, the pains not too bad" and Justin said "I don't think you remember how bad it hurts." Of course (for the record) he was right. Right about labor and marathons. So I am leaving those life events to him. He will look so cute pregnant!

Ogden was my final marathon. It was my eighth one and boy o' boy it hurt. Lets start from the beginning...

Our friends-cousins-once removed-from anotha motha, Paul and Cindy, were gracious enough to let us stay at their beautiful condo in Eden. Eden is absolutely breathtaking. I guess that's why they named it Eden? It is situated half-way up the Ogden Canyon next to Pineview Reservoir. Snow Basin is nearby and their are pine trees everywhere you look. i know Ogden is known as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and it always ranks high on "The Best Places to Live" list. It is also home to the Dew Tour (snowboarding competition) and the Xterra Championship race.

We made it a Racation and brought the kiddos with us. Since it was Justin's turn for kid duty (he still owes me 7 hours) we thought it would be fun to all be together. After picking up my bib number, shirt and goodie bag we of course hit Cafe Rio' for our pre-race meal. Maybe it is not a good thing to have beans before a race. We have always done this though and it was Justin's birthday so I just couldn't say no. After we downed our burritos we drove up the canyon to Eden. The mile markers were already out along with the portapotties. The course "looked" fabulous..fast and easy, right? I kept thinking...this course is all downhill..BQ for sure!

Once we were settled at the condo the kids and I surprised Justin with a box of cupcakes and sang "Happy Birthday" to their old man. After Ty licked the frosting off half the cupcakes we decided it was time for bed. A 4 o' clock alarm was set to go off soon.

I woke up feeling pretty good, fresh and excited to race. Justin and the pajama laden kids dropped me off at the start (which I felt so guilty about). We pulled in between two buses and I snuck into the swarm of runners. We never break any rules in races but we just couldn't make sense of driving to the bottom of the canyon so I could load onto a bus. Anyways, to my surprise it was not too cold at the race start. I had layered myself with 3 shirts, snow hat, gloves and space blanket. I used the space blanket to sit on and invited other fellow runners to join me by the camp fire. We started singing "Kum buy ya, my Lord...Kum buy ya." and roasting marshmallows. It was so much fun. Kidding. We did have an hour and a half before the gun went off so it was nice to relax, get cozy and share some conversation. I found my friend Callie in line for the portapotties and slipped in line with her (another rule broken). After wishing her and another friend Dina luck I headed back to my camp fire to get ready. I ate a Cliff bar, finished off a Powerade, stripped down to my running apparel and headed for the starting line.

There was no wind, rain and the temperature was perfect! The first 7 miles were downhill so it was easy to "sandbag" some time. I tried to remain conservative but I was getting passed like I was standing still. I was averaging an 8 minute per mile pace. My goal was to stay around 8.30 but going downhill is hard to hold back. I was feeling great up through mile 8. The course was so beautiful. It was like looking at a landscape calender around every turn.

Miles 8-13 were pretty flat and maybe even a slight bit uphill. There was definitely a climb at mile 14 as you approached the damn. I was still making good time even after visiting every bathroom. I kept alternating powerade and water and even took in half a Cliff shot. The volunteers were amazing. This race was so well organized. I did get passed by the 3.30 pace team and felt a little down about it but that's ok, I'm still in the game. I was starting to feel a little thirsty...never a good sign. I also felt like I had to use the bathroom but nothing was happening. It was like my body decided to shut-down and not process anything I was ingesting. I've had this same thing happen to me numerous times. You would think I would know better and have nutrition nailed by now but for some reason I don't! My mind began playing with me and I was beginning to think negative thoughts. Then the 3.45 pace team passed me. I
tried to hang with them but my legs would not respond! I can still make under 4..right? Please!
With my quads toast, belly sloshing and negative thoughts swarming in my head I decided that once I saw Justin and the kids around mile 20 I would call it quits. I imagined myself sitting in the car with my feet up drinking a coke. I saw them at mile 23 (at the bottom of the canyon) and it was like he already knew how I was feeling. Deja Vu...I guess. I told him I was hurting and he just said "you're pretty much done, just head it on in. You can do it." He's so calm and together all the time. Here I was pretty much dying right in front of him, my insides are going to fall out and he just smiles and gives me a hug and pushes me on. I guess sometimes we need people to do that for us. They know us better than we know ourselves and what we are capable of. We need a little push once in a while. So I was off to the finish. I don't know how I did it but I did. I was crawling at a 10 minute mile pace and getting passed by tons of runners. I will be dead last, I'm sure of it. This is not fun. NEVER AGAIN! Then here comes the 4.00 pace team, surely I will be able to hang with them. Just finish, just finish, please let me finish this race and under 4 hours!

Ahhh....time to quit or time to learn how to wear compression socks.

One last kick down the home stretch.

Brittany and I ALIVE!

I knew deep down that I could and would finish this race. That thing on my shoulders is pretty powerful. Although I kept thinking of all the negative things happening in my life and all the doors that have been closing, rejection, hurt, sorrow... poor me, poor me. Never again! Then after I finished in 4.01, I found my healthy, happy family, got my ice cold coke, a massage from Justin and met up with my good friend Brittany (whom runs at least 5 marathons a year). I felt ok again. Yeah, I was hurting during those final miles and I wanted to give up, throw in the towel. Life is so much easier that way. Why put yourself out there, take a chance or risk falling on your face. It hurts too bad. Why not take the easy road?

One of my favorite quotes: "You can live a life of discipline or a life of regret." I knew that I wasn't a quitter and no matter how bad life 'hurts" it is much better to hurt with passion than regret. So this I say to you 2 days post-marathon; you can do it, get out there! As much as I like to be on the sidelines cheering on my favorite people, I love being in the game...even if it means I might get hurt or end up disappointed.

R.I.P- "NEVER AGAIN"

Hello life and maybe the SoJo marathon...

Michelle

IRONMAN

2011-05-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well it finally came…and went. All the buildup gone in what felt like 60 seconds. What a whirlwind! What an experience! What an amazing feeling! What a great day! A huge thanks to my amazing wife and kids for sticking with me through the ups and downs! Couldn’t have done this without the three of you! I love you all more than I can express in words! Thanks to Mom and Dad, Kevin and Lisa, Kourtney, Shaun, Ashton, Keaton, and Carson for making the trip down to St. George and rushing around town all day to try to catch a 15 second glimpse of me as I rushed past. Thanks to Rod, Aubrey, and Alex for watching Charley and for the nice gift when I got home…it was so nice. Thanks to all the rest of my friends and family for the thoughts and well wishes…it meant a lot to me! Thanks to my new training buddies Rory and Andy for pushing me and keeping me motivated through the end. Thanks to all the volunteers…simply amazing what they do for all the racers. They really make the race. Congratulations to all the fellow racers for toeing the line in this crazy race…you all inspire me!

THURSDAY

We decided to camp at Sand Hollow reservoir so the kiddos could play at the lake and the family could watch the swim start, then get cleaned up while all the swimmers were getting out on the bike. Plus Michelle was volunteering to apply sunscreen in T1, so it would make it easier for her as well. (Unfortunately, they wouldn’t accommodate her request to be stationed INSIDE the men’s change tent , but she made the most of her experience anyway. HAHA! ) Thanks for volunteering Love it was awesome to have your support!

In retrospect I’m so glad we made this decision. The kids had a great time and I was able to catch an extra hour of sleep race morning. I also had the advantage of no wait time in the potty line, which I was so happy about.

The only issue I had staying at the lake was by my own stupidity. When I arrived in St. George on Thursday I decided to go straight into town and pick up my packet, get body marked, etc. I wanted to get it done to have peace of mind knowing I had everything in line. Check-in went great. Got my packet, special needs and gear bags, body marked, a few souvenirs, and I was on my way. Late that night I decided to show everybody my numbers…umm where did I put the numbers? Hmm…not in my bag, not in the truck, holy sh&* they’re gone. I’ve lost my race #’s!!?? What am I going to do? How do you lose your race numbers only hours after getting them? This is not getting off to a good start. Oh well, off to bed…nothing I can do about it this late in the day.

FRIDAY

After a horrible night sleep (perfect, the night you’re supposed to get a good night’s rest), I woke up in panic mode. Doing an IRONMAN is stressful enough, then having to pack 4 different bags (bike gear, bike special needs, run gear, and run special needs) without missing a detail it’s almost too much. To add the anxiety of losing your number…c’mon! Completely unnecessary and a waste of energy! I had already planned an early swim and then needed some breakfast. Michelle and her mom decided they needed a break too and headed out on a bike ride…the tension was building. I know I was not pleasant to be around, but inside I was freaking out. I had so much to get ready in a limited amount of time and no number to use to mark my stuff. My phone rang at 10:45…it was someone from IRONMAN. Here’s the quote…”We have your packet. We’re leaving; you need to get down here right now!” Me…”Umm, I’m at the lake.” Them…”We’ll see you at 11:15.” Me…oh crap! For those of you who know, Sand Hollow is a good 30 min drive from St. George. I had the two kids and Michelle was on a bike ride. Thankfully, the kiddos where having fun with their cousins, so I snuck away to the Dixie Center to get the packet. I made it at 11:17 and with packet in hand my blood pressure dropped from 200/120 to normal levels again. Ugh…I hope the rest of the race goes smoother than this!

Michelle made me a M-Dot pancake the morning before the race

I managed to get back to the lake, get all my bags packed, bike to T1, bike gear back to T1, and run bag to T1. A big thanks to Rory for taking my special needs bags for me to drop off race morning since I would already be at the lake! I owe him lunch for sure! Now it was time to enjoy the IronKids race with the family and enjoy my prerace meal tradition of Café Rio. The IronKids race was fun, the kids decided they wanted to do the 200 meter run instead of the mile. It was hot out, so I couldn’t blame them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good photo of them because it was so chaotic, but they did great. Michelle volunteered for this race as well, so it was a family affair. Big shout out to Keaton for coming in 5th in the mile race…nice work. And Ashton too for “pacing” Abbi in the 200 meter run! Cool cousins for sure!! Grabbed Café Rio and it was back to the lake for 4-5 hours of sleep.

SATURDAY – RACE DAY

I didn’t sleep great, but that was expected. Surprisingly I woke up with a peaceful feeling about everything. The work had been done, the cabinets were stocked, and it was time to just have fun! I never once felt any nervousness, not as we got into the wetsuits, not as we got into the water, not as we heard the national anthem…nothing. I was ready, and I was calm. I think it helped that I was at the lake already and didn’t have to rush around at all. It just made everything easier that morning. I spotted my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law and nephews while we were waiting to get into the water. I also spotted Rory and some other friends which was nice. I stood in someone else’s pee, but it didn’t matter. Life was good and the pee was warm.

SWIM

I had a prerace goal of swimming 1:10. I’m not the best swimmer, but I thought that was a reasonable goal. I started on the left side of the line about 5 people from the front. I knew it would be choppy and rough, but that really doesn’t bother me. Two years ago I would have been bawling like a baby, but my swim has come a long way and continues to get better. I geared up for the washing machine, and it wasn’t too bad. As the gun went off I really wanted to find some feet to follow, but it was just to wild. I decided to hug the buoy line and just ride it out. After about 20 minutes I felt a little tickle on my toes. Haha, someone’s tickling my feet…how cute. Whoever it was stuck to me like glue! For the next 50 minutes this person tickled my feet non-stop. I literally started laughing at one point because I couldn’t believe someone would hang that close to the person in front of them for that long. I sped up, slowed down, but I couldn’t shake em. In all honesty, I don’t know if it was really the same person, or if I was delusional but someone or something was playing with my feet the whole swim. I guess it took my mind off of the swim because before I knew it I was done. Came out of the water and looked at my watch…what the…my watch was trashed. Great…no HR monitor on the bike ride. Guess I’m going to have to just ride and run by feel. (I really think this proved to be an advantage, as I’m terrible at checking my watch every two minutes to “see how I’m doing”. With no watch I could just go ahead and race.) I did see the final time as I exited the boat ramp…1:12. Not too bad…I’ll take it.

T1

Not knowing how T1 was going to work I set my goal at 8 minutes. I felt strongly that I wouldn’t need that much time, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too aggressive considering all the unknowns. It was pretty uneventful really, got my stuff on, said “Hi” to Michelle, and off I went. My total time was around 4 min 30 seconds.

BIKE

My goal on the bike was to ride solid, but not push too hard. I felt by doing that I would ride around 6 hours. Since I didn’t have a watch, and I don’t have a cyclometer on my tri bike so I had no gauge of time at all. I had to ride by feel alone. I rode steady through Hurricane and into St. George. At about mile 20 I spotted Rory and we decided to try to hang close to each other for extra motivation. He’d pass me and ride ahead for a while, and then I’d pass him and ride ahead for a while. We’d shout words of encouragement to each other as we went by. It was great. As I started the second loop I still felt really good! My nutrition was perfect, I was hydrated and in a good state of mind…so I pressed on. As I hit mile 80, something happened…I was getting passed by everybody. I felt okay, but I could tell my power was starting to decrease and my neck was starting to ache. I knew that I needed to do something fast or I’d go downhill really quickly (that’s my style). I quickly pounded a Powerbar, downed some endurolytes and a Tylenol (so glad I packed that in my bento box) and pressed on. By the time I got to the wall I had regained my power, the Tylenol had kicked in and now I was passing everybody. I felt amazing again! I flew up the wall, flew up Veyo and cruised through the false flats to the downhill. Only 12 miles left to go…sweeeet!!! I was so happy because it was getting hot out there, and a bit on the windy side. As I started cruising down from Veyo I felt a nice cool mist in my face. I thought how nice it was until I realized the dude in front of my was peeing himself. YIKES!!! That cool mist was his pee hitting me in the face and arms…disgusting. I always tell everyone how nasty the sport of Triathlon is, and I’ve done my fair share of farmer blows and other nasty things, but this was too much. Should have left him a present myself, but thought better of it as I passed him, while the pee was still flying down his legs! I blew by that dude and was gone. Came down to Snow Canyon Parkway, and through the little one way section on the course. As I turned out of the neighborhood I saw Michelle and her cheering gave me a nice boost up the hill and onto Bluff. I cruised into T2 feeling pretty good about myself and with a ton of energy. I saw the time on the clock as I came into T2 (7:01) and in my mind thought I had hit my goal of 6 hours exactly. Only later did I get my actual time of 5:37. I was really pleased with that and could only hope for a good run.

T2

Everybody’s got to make a few rookie mistakes in their first IRONMAN, right? Mine came in T2. I cruised into the change tent and asked the nice volunteer to help me wash my sunglasses as I put on my compression socks. I started putting on my first sock and what…it’s inside out. Oops…so annoying. Thankfully, the volunteer was awesome. He washed my sunglasses and then helped get my socks turned the right way. I put them on and was on my way. I had set my goal time of 8 minutes for this transition as well, and I was way under that at around 2 min 30 seconds.

RUN (the good, the bad, and the ugly!)

I knew this was going to be a challenge! Not only is the course extremely challenging, but running in 90 degrees only makes it that much more difficult. I thought if I could stay cool everything would be okay. The second I overheated it would be over! I made a concerted effort to drink sport drink and water at every aid station, as well as stuffing sponges and ice down my shirt whenever possible. This worked beautifully for the first 12 or so miles. I ran strong, and I ran hard. A little too hard as it turned out! I was pushing 7:30 miles for the first half, feeling great and passing a ton of people. As I made the turnaround I was on cloud 9…nothing could stop me. I was cheerful, friendly, and chatty. When I got to mile 11 my parents, sister and her family were there. I stopped to chat for a second and then pressed on. I saw Michelle and chatted with her for a while until she told me to “shut-up” and keep running. She told me to keep wet 10 or 15 times in a 2 minute span, and then I was on my own again for the long haul. Wanting the heed her advice I asked one of the guys at the aid station with a hose to give me a squirt. Blasto! Right in the face! So much for washing my sunglasses! I just laughed and kept going. I made the turn around point and still felt pretty good. However, by mile 15 I’d lost energy, and my stomach was on fire. I had been eating and drinking on schedule, but the combination of the fast pace and heat took its toll in a big way. I took in some cola, and hit the potty 3 times between miles 15 and 22. I ended up having to stop and walk on a couple of occasions to stop the onslaught of whatever was brewing in my stomach. The volunteers on the run course were unbelievable and made it bearable to be out there! They are so creative and all had a different theme. I don’t remember them all, but I do remember the Tortoise and the Hare which was at about mile 16. I had just reached the aid station when we got a huge gust of wind. They had a balloon tortoise which broke free and started floating away. It moved slowly at first, but with another gust of wind zoomed up and over the mountain. I looked over at another guy and said look at that…his response cracked me up. “I didn’t know they could fly!” I know it’s cheesy, but at the time I laughed pretty hard! As I made it to mile 22 I started feeling better and was able to pick up the pace again. I ran pretty well through the last few miles and by the time I hit mile 25 was back to normal. Not sure if the adrenaline had kicked in, or if I had conquered the stomach demons that were plaguing me, but I didn’t care. I was done! I had done it! I cruised into the finish, did the airplane down the finish shoot high fiving the crowd, and then stopped before the finish line and gave one last look. I was an IRONMAN! I felt great and had no soreness whatsoever. A small blood blister on my foot from the wet socks, but that’s about it. My goal was to run 3:40 and I came in with a final time of 3:47…not bad all things considered. I’ll take it. My final time was right around 10 hours 45 minutes.

Enjoying the finsh with an ice-cold beverage

My finish line catcher was named Cheryl and she was awesome. She took care of everything and even tracked down my family so I could say “Hi” before settling down to a nice post race massage. I enjoyed some pizza and fries with the family and chatted with a few fellow athletes before settling in to watch the race for a couple of hours. Got to see some friends finish and experience a bit of their joy! What a cool moment.

Post-race massage

The whole experience was amazing. The training was hard, but doable. The time commitment was hard, but doable. The race was hard, but doable! I met a lot of great people along the way and learned a ton about myself and my body. I’m a little lighter in the pocketbook, but much heavier in life experience. There can only be one first IRONMAN! Yes, I am a bit sad that it’s over with, but I don’t see this as the end. I see this as the beginning of a new chapter. Not sure what it holds or when, but I do know I’ll be back to IRONMAN. Sooner rather than later!

Even Ironkids need some relaxing!

To anyone who happens upon this, I just want to say don’t be intimidated to get out there and try! Not just running, biking, or swimming, but in anything! Amazing things can happen when we put our minds towards a goal, and who knows maybe you’ll learn something about yourself in the process. Maybe you’ll meet someone new. Life is short, let’s enjoy what time we have here and not get too wrapped up in the minutiae of it all. Who knows, maybe you’ll have fun!!!

Tri Hard!

P.S. There will be more photo's added once we get them downloaded. I just can't give up $130 to get the copyright from Ironman's course photographers...so home footage will be just fine.

Salt Lake City Marathon – Expect the unexpected

2011-05-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with the Ironman blog and realized that I hadn't posted this one....

After a couple of weeks of solid training it was time for the annual Salt Lake Marathon. This is one of the best weeks of the year. It's usually held in mid-April, so it's a sign that spring is here, it's in my home area, and I've done every Salt Lake Marathon since it started in 2004. It's an 8 year streak that I'm really proud of, and hope to build upon. The course has a pretty good drop in elevation, but I wouldn't call it an easy marathon. There are sections of concrete that beat you up pretty good, and then the final stretch is a subtle yet nasty hill that stings the legs at mile 25. All in all though, it's one of mine and Michelle's favorite weeks of the season. She typically does the half marathon and I do the full.
This year has just been an odd one...the weather as referenced above has been unusually brutal and I've tried to do most of my running outside. So the week before the race I've got a 2 hr 40 min run on the IRONMAN schedule. I generally try to get these in Friday or Sunday, but had scheduled it for Thursday that week to give a couple extra days to get ready for the marathon.

As I woke up on Thursday, I heard the wind howling and said forget it and went back to bed...big mistake. When I finally woke up at 7:00 I looked outside and it was pretty calm. CRAP...I'm a big believer in karma, and I blew this run off thinking Friday would be less windy only to find the weather was just fine. Oops...hopefully that wouldn't come back to bite me. As we headed off to bed that night my worst nightmares were realized...BLIZZARD conditions outside. I couldn't fathom the ideao of doing a 2 hr 40 minute run on the treadmill, so I prepared myself for winter conditions...this was going to suck. Needless to say, I drug myself out of bed the next morning and trudged my way out into the snow. Note to self...have a back-up pair of traditional running shoes that DO NOT have holes in the bottom. All of my running shoes right now are made for triathlon and have drainage holes in them. As you can imagine the second I stepped outside my feet were completely soaked. YUCK!

I've been training on a 6.5 mile hilly loop this year and I figured I'd do this once and then hit the treadmill for the rest of the run. As I finished the first loop I thought to myself..."don't quit on yourself...you can't be an IRONMAN if you quit when the going gets tough", so I headed out for a second 6.5 mile loop. Then it would be inside to the warmth of the treadmill. After battling headwinds and snow I finished the second loop...the thought of quitting came to my mind again. I couldn't quit, so it was on to the third loop. By this time my feet were frozen solid, and I was completely drenched. Yet I was determined to get it done! I battled through the worst possible elements and some mental weakness, but came through in the end. It was a real confidence builder and I was home! The problem was I hadn't taken my shoes off yet. Just as soon as I did my feet started to thaw out and I noticed my pinkie toe on my left foot was quite sore. I pulled the sock off, and saw a quarter sized black blood blister on the pinkie toe...CRAP! What good timing this was...and it hurt like a bit*%. I found 3 more blisters on my left foot, and one on my right foot. A marathon in a week and my toes are all wrecked. Not good. I'll spare the gory details, but I strategically popped the blood blisters, and within a day they were feeling totally fine. Thankfully!

When I woke up the following Tuesday morning I felt horrible. My daughter had a minor cold, and it seemed that I was getting it too! Great! I ended up having a couple of days where the head congestion was really bad, but not bad enough to put me out. Although I did sound like Barry White for a couple of days, and for anyone whose heard my voice, that's quite a feat! I didn't let it get me down, and went on with my training and preparation for the marathon and IRONMAN.

As Friday rolled around we took the kiddos up to grandma's house where their cousins from Maryland were staying. Our kids are so close with these kids that we thought it would work out perfectly for them to have a big sleep over while we did our annual marathon. It was also Michelle's grandma's birthday, so we decided to drop the kids off, go grab our race packets, and then come back up for a small dinner celebration. What could go wrong?

We headed off to the to the expo and the excitement was in the air. I love poking around the expo looking at stuff and taking advantage of the prerace deals on gels and stuff. As we went to get checked in I was informed that all the marathon race shirts were gone! What? That sucks! Apparently they had 400 late registrations and had run out of shirts. I have to admit I was a little peeved. I signed up in April of 2010 for the race, and they're telling me someone that signed up that day got a shirt and I didn't! Oh well, guess they'll mail me a shirt later...riiight! Believe it when I see it!

We head back to grandmas to enjoy a nice dinner. Kissed the kiddos goodbye and headed home at about 10. I never sleep well before a race, so I wasn't expecting to sleep well that night either. Not wanting to keep Michelle up, I ended up in Abbi's room as I dealt with my restless legs (which I usually get race night). I finally fall asleep, but was awakened suddenly when the phone rang. Was I dreaming? Yes...thankfully! Oh wait, I hear Michelle talking to someone...what is going on? A quick glance at the clock and see that it's 12:40. In my sleep deprived state I hear her say “We’ll come get him!” At that point, my heart sank. Ty is sick…race day is over!

Long story short, whenever Ty catches a cold he always ends up having difficulty breathing at night. He’s got a restrictive airway disorder that pops up whenever he is congested. From what we’ve been told it sounds much worse than it actually is, but admittedly, it can be scary at times. Michelle was an amazing mother (as usual) and volunteered to skip her half marathon to take care of Ty and let me run the marathon and keep the streak alive. Needless to say this crushed us both. She missed her favorite race of the year and I ran with a tremendous amount of guilt.

The Race Itself

I’ve always heard the sleep you get the night before a race isn’t that important. Going on about 3 hours myself I was going to put this theory to the test. I left the house later than I wanted and rode up to the start line by myself in a less than happy state of mind. My heart was not into this race…not one bit. With IRONMAN only 3 weeks away I had planned to take it very easy in this race, but now I needed to just get this race over with and get home.

Mile 24....home stretch

When I arrived at the start line I needed to use the bathroom…I had drank a huge bottle of sports drink on the way there and I was ready to explode. Knowing that the race doesn’t start until you cross the start line I decided to just wait for everybody to leave and then use the potty. I didn’t end up starting my race until 12-15 minutes after the official start time. Knowing that I wanted to get home I just decided to settle in at a 7:00 min mile pace and try to hold it as long as possible. One of my IRONMAN training buddies (Andy) was also doing the race, so I was stoked when I found him at mile 9. He’s a great runner and running with him took my mind off of the crappy night at home.

We maintained the 7 min mile pace for the next 7 miles and then out of nowhere my stomach decided to rebel. In my rush to leave the house that morning I hadn’t even thought about trying to use the bathroom, and my stomach was not happy. I needed to go…NOW! I told Andy I had to stop and that I’d try to catch him, but knew in the back of my mind that would be near impossible. Oh well, it was nice to run with him while it lasted. I caught the potty at the next aid station and it was life changing…I felt great afterward. I pushed my pace and amazingly was able to catch up with Andy after about 2 miles. I’m sure he slowed to wait for me, but it was great to run with him again. We got to Liberty Park and I knew we only had a 5K left. A quick glance at the watch and I was on pace to set a PR…oops. Definitely not intentional, but I felt amazing. At this point Andy needed a potty break, we parted ways and I ran strong through the finish setting a new PR of 3:07. As Ice Cube sings in one of his songs “Messed around and got a triple double…today was a good day.” I felt like I’d messed around and set a marathon PR.

I honestly think I could have gone sub-3 hours had I really wanted to push, but knowing IRONMAN was on the horizon I needed to stay in check. I crossed the finish line and rushed straight to the car and headed home. A huge thanks to Michelle for “taking one for the team,” I’m up next! Also, thanks to Andy for sticking with me as I started to struggle with my tummy in the middle of the race! Ty ended up being fine (as expected), but we do have a nice new nebulizer so this won’t happen again. Guess that’s what you get when you have kids. Expect the unexpected.

IRONMAN race report on the way!

Tri Hard!

Seeing Some Results

2011-04-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Justin here...

It's been a little while since the last blog and there has been a ton of activity on the Anderson home front. Michelle is still wrapped up in her schooling, the kiddos are busy with school, art classes, and gymnastics. On top of it all I've been completely immersed in this IRONMAN training for 6 months now, and I think we're all ready to things to slow down a bit. Michelle has been very supportive, but she's definitely at the end of her rope with my training. My "honey-do" list is growing as we speak...."fix kids bath tub, clean out basement, replace strip under door....." shall I read you more? Not sure I could squeeze out any more 40+ hour work weeks and then 8-10 hours of working out on Saturday and Sunday. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, as the heavy stuff is done, and it's time to taper - hallelujah! Of course an Ironman taper consists of 3 hour rides vs. 6 hour.

Although I've missed a few more workouts than I care to admit I do have to say the results of all my training are starting to show. A couple of weeks ago I participated in my first triathlon of the season. It was a short sprint down in St. George, and since I was planning on being down there training on the course I decided to sneak this is for fun. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to practice my transitions with the new babe... I mean bike. One of my training buddies Rory The Rocket also decided to sign up for the race, so it was fun to use each other as motivation to go fast! Since I guess Salt Lake decided to act like Anchorage, Alaska this winter and spring, it was nice to enjoy two days in St. George with temps in the mid 80's. I hadn't seen 60 since St. George marathon, so I wasn't sure if my body would know how to handle this "scorching heat". Race morning was absolutely beautiful, a little chill in the air, but nothing like what I've been training in up here in SLC. Rory and I decided to start right next to each other so we could keep tabs on each other during the race. The swim was 400 yards, and it went by really fast. In my mind I felt like I'd had a decent swim, but as I got into T1 I didn't see Rory or his bike anywhere in sight! Either he had an amazing swim (which he did), or I'm still slower than I want to be (which I was). Not knowing how far behind I was I tried to rush through transition and cost myself a few precious seconds. My bike seat is set really high, and I could not get my bike out from under the rack. There were a ton of bikes and so much stuff that I just couldn't tilt my bike enough to get it out. A little pushing and shoving and it finally came free. Note to self...don't put your back pack right under the back wheel, it makes it impossible to get the bike out! Finally out onto the bike...

Who can say they've done a race with mom AND dad? Not I.

25 yard pool with deck counter.

Like sardines in a can...packed

The bike course was nice because part of it was on the IRONMAN route. It was short, but it gave me a good chance to test out the aero helmet and new bike. As I approached the turnaround I saw Rory. He had about a minute or so lead on me, so I was glad he was still in range. I pushed hard through the first loop, and up through the turnaround again. I had lost a little more time to Rory, but not a ton. As I climbed the hill right after the turnaround some dude latched on to my back wheel, and wouldn't break free. Since this was not a USAT sanctioned race drafting was not illegal, so he didn't do anything wrong. It annoyed the heck out of me, though. I just think it's classless to draft off of someone else in a non-drafting type of event. But that's on him, not me. As I cruised into T2 I really hoped to have a fast transition. Unfortunately, the race was so large there were still people coming out of the pool when I finished the bike. The run from the pool and bike merge as you come in to T2 and I got caught up behind a guy who was slowly jogging into the transition area. I hoped he would go down a different aisle than I did for his bike, but luck wouldn't have it...he shared the same route to his bike as I did. Oh well, another slow transition. Off to the run...

Rory with the fastest bike split of the day

Coming into transition

My run has been really strong this year so far. I've set PR's in every event I've raced, so I felt very confident that I'd have a good run. The bike wasn't long enough to mess up the legs, so I just decided to let it loose. I headed out at a pretty fast pace with intentions of trying to catch Rory before the finish. I had no idea how far ahead he was at this point, but luckily Michelle was not to far from the transition area and said he was about a minute ahead. He's worked really hard on his running and has gotten fast; couple that with his fast swim and bike splits and watch out! The run course was a two loop out and back, so I'd get a good chance to see where I was as we approached each turnaround. As we came up on the first turnaround I was still holding a solid pace, and had a lot left in the tank. I pressed on and was able pass Rory just into the second loop. I kept pushing all the way to the end not knowing where I'd finished, but feeling good about the race. Rory finished about 30 seconds after me and we were both really happy to have had each other there to push against.

After I finished I wanted to get back to the condo and get the kiddos. We were traveling with some friends and had left the kids with them for the race, so thanks to Kassie and Chris for helping out. As I was at home Rory called and told me I was in first place overall, and he was in second. That's cool, I thought, never been there before, but there were a bunch of racers still on the course. I didn't know if it would hold up, but it was fun anyway! When it was all said and done I did end up losing first place, but was really pleased to finish second overall. My best finish ever!

Michelle took this. Pretty cool but not true.

1, 2 and 3; not bad, not bad

Final Times
Swim (400 yrds) = 7:38 (wow, soooo slow)
T1 = 1.00
Bike (10 miles) = 27.01
T2 = 0.54
Run (3 miles) = 16:46

Total = 53.21

Good times...more to come on the SLC Marathon shortly.

Training, drafting and more training!

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I don't need to tell you what we've been up to. I vaguely remember being married to a man whom I could boss around with "honey-do's, he's been replaced with a guy who wakes before me and goes to bed the same time as the kids (8:00pm). We've been to St. George several times this year to race or train. This last time we brought the kiddos and had a blast. While Justin was training I got to play with the kids at a water park, soak up some sun and cheer on all the athletes on the course who where training. So I guess there's been some benefit for me as well. I did manage to sneak in an early morning 13 miler but it's nothing compared to Justin's mileage. Like I tell my kids..."you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" Justin made some deposits last fall when I was out for 6-8 hour rides training for LotoJa and man he sure is taking some withdrawals! I laugh now thinking that I wanted to train for an IM with him. There would be NO way we could both do this at the same time...NO WAY!

Much harder course at this water park. Puts the SGIM course to shame.

Wall? What wall you talkin' bout Willis?

At least there's a 25 MPH limit climbing this hill.

When in Veyo...got to stop for pie. I did see a few other bikers enjoying some too!

That's my man!

Andy the turbo jet.

After the 112 bike ride and 8 mile run. I should have taken his pulse...

As far as races go, I completed the Riverton half marathon last Saturday in 1.43. Not a PR but I sure had a blast. The weather was cold and windy and the course was hilly but the sun came out a bit for the final miles. As we ran into the wind (my ultimate nemesis) I figured it would be good to tuck in behind some runners. This is pure strategy that I learned from cycling. You need to save your precious energy so if you can run about 1-2 feet directly behind someone it cuts the wind resistance dramatically. I'm thinking that people didn't quite get what I was doing. There was one point that I was tucked in the middle of the pack all warm and cozy- I felt like "Alberto Contador" in the Tour of France. Was I running or cycling? There was one point a lady told me "your turn to go in front." Really!? This is when I dug into some reserves and pulled way ahead. I made my go for it in the wind and all. Hopefully I'd win the yellow jersey for the day.

When the sun gave came out it gave me a big enough push to catch my good marathon extraordinaire friend Brittany. We stuck together that final mile and crossed over the finish line at the same time. That was sure fun and will always be memorable.

Britt and I at the finish of the Riverton Half.

Now it's off to St. George for the SHAC race for Justin and some more training on the course. Justin will be hooking up with some superfast buddies (aka. Rory "the rocket" Duckworth" and Uber-biker Andy) whom he's been spending more time with then me :-( boo hoo).

I did tell Justin that he could make it all up to me if he took me to Kona this October to watch my boyfriends Andres and Michael Raelert compete in the IM World Championship. If they go first and second K-Swiss will give them $1 Million dollars! Lance Armstrong will supposedly be there as well. There has not been a better year to go! So go and qualify friends- I need more reasons to go!

Yummy, superfast German-triathlete boyfriends of mine.

Michelle

WINTER Running Series and a New Addition to the Family

2011-03-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Winter Series 30k finishers metal...er wooden block

This past Saturday was the 15K leg of the Winter Running Series. Earlier in the week I thought we'd sneak by this year without a wintery run, but as I slept race morning I was awoken by the one sound that has become more irritating than fingernails on a chalkboard. Snow Plow! Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate the fact that these guys/gals are out at 4 in the morning keeping our streets clear. Selfishly though, it means I'm freezing out there on my run or worse, stuck inside on the treadmill! Why do we live in the cold part of this state? ...St. George is calling yet again.

After clearing the 6 inches of snow off the driveway Michelle and I headed out. Thankfully, the kiddos were with Grandma Lisa so we didn't need to stress about getting them somewhere before the race and were able to take our time and just enjoy each others company. As we approached the site of the race we noticed there wasn't as much snow as expected, and to our surprise the roads were clear! I had envisioned a slushy mess as we left our house, and had just planned on running as hard as possible, but didn't think a PR was in the cards this time. The clear roads gave us hope.

Saltair beach house

The beauty of this running series is regardless of the weather the races will still go on...and it seems like all the people still show up. Over the years we've run in every condition you could imagine...sun/wind/rain/snow/blizzard/COLD/smog or some combination of these elements. This year was no different. For the 5K we had a cold smoggy mess, the 10K was a really nice sunny day, and the 15K was a nice snowy day. Another thing to love about living in Utah, wait 5 minutes and the weather will be completely different.

As we were getting loosened up for the race we did a little "people watching". We hadn't really ever noticed the different ways people warm-up for a race, but when you actually take a step back and look it's pretty hilarious. You see guys doing things they would never let themselves be caught dead doing in any other setting. Others bending over in these positions that I swear would kill me. Jumping, high knees, butt kicks, wall stretches, etc. Watching this gave us a good laugh, so we devised a devious plan to implement some new warm-up routines. Don't be surprised at a race when you see us or someone else implement the Justin Army Crawl, Michelle's cart-wheel routine, or the Anderson running chest bump! Maybe we'll start a trend.

Back to the race...

Coming into the 15K I knew it would be the hardest PR for me to break. I had smashed my half-marathon and 10K times (simply because they were really old), and easily bested my previous 5K time. My 15K time on the other hand was much more realistic as to how my running results have been recently.  My time last year of 101:40 was pretty solid (6:38/mile), so I knew I'd have a challenge trying to beat it...especially with less than perfect conditions. As we headed out I wanted to make a concerted effort not to go out too fast...mile #1 (5:40). So much for that! Michelle always tells me to hold back a bit at first but I just don't seem to listen. Had hoped to got out closer to 6:00/mile.  What can I say? I'm a little thick headed and stubborn. Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess.

For the next few miles until the turnaround I noticed we were running into a steady headwind. Nothing crazy, but enough to make it challenging to maintain the same pace. Time to settle in and get through in one piece...then kick it into gear on the way back!  Yeah, right!  Back to the thick headed thing, but is it just me or does it always seem like the second you turn around after running into a headwind the wind miraculously decides to calm! I know it's probably not true, but it sure feels that way sometimes!

I pushed pretty hard for the second half of the race knowing the PR was going to be tight.  My mind was playing tricks on my telling me to back it off, or even walk..."it's okay, nobody would notice, right?" Yeah, that's a great attitude for someone training for an IRONMAN, but sometimes those thoughts are hard to block out! My body has definitely been feeling the volume of training, and has started to push back a bit! More on that in a separate post.  Fortunately, I was able to block out the negative thoughts and ran hard to the finish. I crossed the line at 59:23 (6:23/mile pace). Whoa...was that hard! I was so happy to have finished! Took a quick break and then started looking for Michelle. I knew she was going to have a great race!  She came in at 1:11:38 (7.42/mile) and crushed her PR, 8th female! Nice work babes!   She even negative split the race...I'm so jealous. I should really start listening to her.

All in all it was a great Winter Running Series. Set some new PR's, met some cool people, and had a ton of fun!

In other news...

We would like to announce a new addition to the family. New cat? New dog? Baby on the way? HA HA! Nope! Only a really nerd can be as excited as I am about this purchase.

I finally begged and groveled enough that Michelle couldn't take it any longer and "let" me purchase a new bike. I've been eyeing this beauty for a while, but just couldn't take the leap! With IRONMAN on the way, I figured the time was now. Say hello to my new friend...a pink beach cruiser!

Check out this beauty!

She's perfect...and check out the sweet bottle holder! I'm so excited, look out everyone, it's going to be a fast bike split for me in St. George!

Okay, as much as I would LOVE that bike, I decided I better get something a little more reasonable. Say hello to my little friend...the Cervélo P2C.

So much for an early retirement...anyways, Michelle how about some aero wheels???

I got a really good deal on a 2010 model at the local bike shop, and just couldn't resist. Can't wait to get the fit done so I can get her out on the road. I'm trying to think of a good name too, any suggestions?

Well, gotta run (or bike or swim)!

Tri Hard!

New shoes, new PR's and some clean air = Great race!

2011-02-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love it when things come together! It's not very often that this happens and when it does it just feels oohhh sooo goood! Yesterday's 10k was that rare and beautiful day where I fell in love once again with running. I decided that after 4 years of wearing the same shoe it was time for a change. I have big feet and I also run in orthotics and when I took my shoes off one day and they felt like 5 pound dumb bells I knew it was time for something a bit lighter. So, I just bought the Saucony Kinvara trainers. They are light as a feather and felt like butter on my feet. Of course I had to special order them because no one seems to carry my size (10.5) plus I get embarrassed when I have to ask the salesman if they have them in my size. One time the sales dude even said "I bet you're a great swimmer with those flippers." I just said "why yes I am, thank you very much." Now you know what they say about girls with big feet....

Saucony Kinvara (10.5)

Anyways, the sun was out and it was a bit warmer than the previous race two weeks prior. Their was no wind and the air was breathable (imagine that). There were quite a few runners too. The road runner club named this 10k the state championship so it draws some fast runners. We just love it because it's fast, flat, organized and the energy is amazing.

Sunny, no wind and Justin

My goal was to run a negative split. I always go out too fast and hurt the last half, so I ran a good pace but made sure I kept some in my tank for the turn around. I hit the 3.1 split at 23:00 which was faster than I had expected and I still felt great. With two miles to go, I made a friend. An older fella who was cruising along at a great pace. He looked at me said, "well are we going to finish this together?" to which I replied "if I can hang with you great but don't let me hold you back." We stayed with each other for half a mile or so and then I swear my nos kicked in and I shot out of a canon (well not that fast) and left my new buddy and even passed a few other dudes and one girl for 10th overall female with a time of 45.47 (7.23 pace) and 3rd in my age group. Yahoo! I did catch up with my friend on our way out and was reminded of the people who are a real inspiration to me. Although impressive, the young and amazingly fast runners don't inspire me like the older racers do. If I can still run a sub 50 min. 10k at 50 or even 60 years old I will be one happy lady; big feet and all!

My long, lost ancestor....

As for Justin; lets just say that that guy is on a mission. He continues to break his old times by minutes. He is FIT. His Ironman training is paying off and these smaller races show it. He had a four hour bike the day prior and swam two miles the morning of the race and was still sweet on his feet. Way to go babes! I love to see him at the turnaround and count the guys in front of him. This time it was 14 and I usually flash him (well not really flash) the number of racers in front of him but this time I just gave him a shout. I told him to try the negative split thing but of course he can't keep his competitive ego under control and always goes out too fast. Fast enough though for 12th overall and 37:45 (6.05 pace). Nice job Just.

Justin on the home stretch

Race on my friends,

Michelle (aka Big Foot)

Winter Running Series and a Warning!

2011-02-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Here we are with our Third and Second place age group ribbons.

As we move through the dog days of winter here in SLC, there is something Michelle and I always look forward to as a way of taking our minds off the yuckiness of it all...the annual Salt Lake City Track Club Winter Running Series. The series consists of three races (5K, 10K, and 15K) spread over a 6 week period in late January and February. We've done this series pretty consistently since we started running back in 2003. We've not always been as competitive about the races as we are now, but we've really enjoyed them as a way to test ourselves and get an early season fitness check. It's also kept us motivated to get out an run...even in the worst of elements. In fact, we've done these races in all of the elements imaginable...beautiful sunshine, disgusting smog (this past Saturday for example), brutal winds, and even a blizzard a few years ago. That's what we love the most about the races...regardless of the conditions, the race will go on. One year we even witnessed cars/trucks/semi's sliding all over the freeway in a blizzard. It's like that commercial you see with the song "slip-sliding away...slip sliding away'yay." It made the race go by a way of entertainment. No worries; no major accidents were witnessed.

Saltair on a sunny day...

The series is run along the frontage road out at the old Saltair by the Great Salt Lake. Yes, it's not the prettiest of runs (and a bit smelly at times), but it's nice and flat and generally pretty fast. It also brings out some of the faster runners in the valley to test their legs, so it's nice to test yourself against some good competition.

As I mentioned before we weren't always as competitive as we are at this time in our lives. In fact, our first year we ran the 5K together, and came in with a smashing 38:36 time. At the time, we were excited to have set such an aggressive PR for the race. Of course, it happened to be our first 5K and we got lost on the way there. (Michelle wouldn't stop and ask for directions...typical female). We arrived at the start line 10 minutes AFTER the race started.   I can hear you all laughing, but yes, we did manage to got lost on the way to Saltair...we have skills.

In past years we would just casually run the races together, chatting it up and going at a very leisurely pace.  Only in the last couple of years did we decide to actually try to get a little bit faster, and our race times have improved dramatically. I've set a goal this year to set PR's for the 3 distances during the series. I'm as fit as I've been in a long time (if not ever) so I figured it's now or never.

The race this past Saturday went pretty well.  Other than the nasty inversion, the weather was great. Cold, but calm...very little wind. I had decided a few days before the race that I wanted to get a good endurance swim in early in the morning before the race.  I ended up getting in a solid 2 miles before we headed out. After dropping the kiddos off at Brittany's house (thanks again by the way), we headed out to Saltair.  Not exactly sure why we left so early, but we got there an hour early and believe me, killing time at the Great Salt Lake is about as fun as cleaning frozen dog doo doo off lawn. Fortunately, Michelle was listening to an intense Nora Roberts (or another similar author) book on tape that helped us pass the time....I know what you're thinking and yes, I'm handing in my "man card" tomorrow.

As we toed the line, it was nice to chat with some of the other racers, and we even saw the local Tri Star Leslie Howlett! She ended up having a great race as usual. Then we were off. Let me tell you, I never remember how tough these 5K races can be. I've done 13 marathons, but a 5K still seems to kick my butt!

I decided I wanted to try to go out fast and see how long I could hold it. At the first mile I felt great and checked the watch as I passed the marker...5:30. Sweet...things were looking good. Mile 2 came and I was still hanging in there...had slowed slightly, but was still averaging about a 5:40 pace. As I pushed up to mile 3 I just couldn't hold the pace and slowed slightly. I felt a bit bummed as two people passed me just before the 3 mile mark, but I was glad I was able to hang with them for the last few hundred yards. I ended up setting a PR by 40 seconds and crossed the line in 11th place overall at 18:19 (5:55/mile pace).  Yes, I got chicked this time BUT it was only by 5 seconds.

I still haven't figured out this negative split concept, and it continues to be something I want to focus on, but just can't seem to hold myself back in the beginning.  It's going to be something I continue to work on throughout the rest of the season.

Michelle had another stellar race, coming in with a blazing 22:05 (7:07/mile) 9th female overall. She didn't set a PR this time, but came very close. The sad thing is that she hasn't hardly been training this winter, choosing to focus on school and the kiddos while I spend all our free time training...and she still almost set a PR. Unreal!

In closing, a bit of a warning.  I've received a little feedback about my beans post a few weeks back. I have to come clean, the beans were not at all the cause of my "issues". As much as it pains me to say, I found that the unbelievable protein bars Michelle had me addicted to were at fault! As such, I've had to cut back my protein bar intake! I still continue to consume tons of beans, and things have been going much better. Abbi is ecstatic!

Until next time...Tri Hard!

Sunshine, PR's and not getting "chicked!"

2011-01-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

The three stooges

First race of the season was yesterday in sunny St. George! The weather was great; a little cold in the morning but warming up to 60 by the afternoon. We got in early evening, had our ritualistic-Cafe-Rio-pre-race-dinner and hit the pillow at 10. Justin brought down his bike and planned to ride part of the Ironman course after the race. He was so excited after we checked into the hotel and found out that we had two beds in our room. I thought for sure he was going to put his bike next to him in the bed and let me shiver alone. He quickly said that he wanted me to have a good nights sleep without him wiggling around with his restless legs syndrome. Whatever Just!! The race didn't start until 9 so we had plenty of time in the morning for breakfast and getting ready. We arrived at the Dixie Center with 45 minutes to wait. Man was it cold!!! We all huddled in the Dixie Center and pretended to ignore the announcement to head out to the starting line. At 8:55 we finally got the message and toed the line with the other 1500 racers.

The course was fantastic! So scenic and well-supported. I just love this place. It was mostly flat with one steep climb at mile 6 (which we had to climb twice) but we got to take a steep decent a mile later so it was worth it. You could see where the Virgin River had swelled and washed out part of the trail. The red rock surroundings and blue sky kept a smile on my face. I just wish it was a bit warmer (as always). I held a steady pace most of the run and stuck with my goal of staying below an 8 minute mile. It wasn't until mile 11 that I began to get passed by other runners. I'm thinking these runners had a tube of NOS in their shorts or something because I was hurting and could not give anymore. I was happy with my new PR of 1.42.16 (7.52 pace).

Not getting "chicked"

Justin on the other hand was smokin! Not only did he set a PR of 1.21.57 but he was not "chicked" and finished 24th overall. Way to go babes! Our friend Brittany (who is part Kenyan) did great too; she finished ahead of me by a minute. Nice job Britt! We celebrated after the race with the other racers, chocolate milk and snacks galore. It began to get a little warmer and Justin was ready to hit the IM course (yes, he is crazy and from another planet). Brittany and I went shopping and out to lunch and picked Justin up 2 hours later. He will have to tell you about the course. He did say something about a wall? Yeah, you can't really ride a bike up a wall but I'm guessing he did.

Anyways great race and can't wait for the next one!

PS- Brittany,Trista and Rory and whoever else wants it; my Disappearing homemade Protein bar recipe!

1 cup PB
1 cup honey
1 cup oats
1 scoop whey protein powder (either chocolate or vanilla)
1/2 cup flax seed (if you have it)
chopped up dates, walnuts, coconut, sunflower seeds (however much you want or none at all)

Put everything in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until all mixed together. Spread in an 8X8 pan; press down- sprinkle with chocolate chips if you want (press those into the mixture) and put in the fridge to harden. Cut into squares and watch them disappear!

*I use organic everything with no added sugar. Also, if the mixture seems to runny add more oats; too thick add more honey!

Have a great start of your racing season friends!

Me Hungry!

2011-01-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

Beans, beans,

So it's been a while since my last post. If you ask Michelle she'll tell you it's because I've been too busy eating to post. This time of the year is all about making healthy choices, focusing on portion control, counting calories, etc. Right?...Well that's not happening in my world. I'm totally out of control. I see it...I eat it. Thank goodness I'm training for an Ironman, otherwise I would be pushing 200 pounds at this point.

Michelle snapped this one while driving past in a nice, warm car

As much as she gives me a bad time, I think Michelle is really secretly contributing to my addition. She's been making these protein bars...unbelievable how good these things are. They're filled with peanut butter, honey, oats, walnuts, flax seed, etc. Each bar is approximately 250 calories, and I am going through probably 20 of these things a day. If I ate nothing else throughout the day, these would probably be enough to keep me full. I just wish I didn't like food so much. Add breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 50 other snacks on top of these babies and I'm bringing in 10K calories a day...at least.

the magical fruit,

In addition to my addiction to Michelle's protein bars, it seems that everything else I have been craving has some type of beans. Burritos, chili, more burritos, more chili. Beans in my coffee, beans in my oatmeal, beans in my water. I love beans. I'll spare you the gory details, but you know the saying..."beans, beans the magical fruit..." Abbi our 5 year old is completely fed up with my diet. She's told me I'm gross, disgusting, rude, yucky, and mean too many times for me to count. I stink her out of the kitchen, living room and when it's time for a bedtime story...well lets just say I stink her out of her own room! Ty and I get a good laugh out of it!

In all seriousness, I'm actually trying to make pretty healthy choices. It's just the volume of food I'm consuming that is crazy. I'm constantly hungry...I just can't get enough. I just hope that I can change my ways once I'm done with all this training.

Speaking of the training, it's going well. I'm in the 11th week of training. Some days are better than others, but I feel really good and healthy right now. My run feels great and I've been mixing in some pretty intense hill training so I'm really hoping to see some good results this spring. We're signed up for a half marathon on Jan 22nd, so that should be a good early season indicator of my run fitness.

the more you eat the more you toot,

We've also signed up for the annual Winter Running Series that the SLC Track Club puts on. The races aren't all that long (5K, 10K, 15K complete the series), but they typically have some fast runners to compete against. My goal is to knock out PR's in all four of these early season races to build some momentum going into the SLC Marathon and SGIM.

I'm really not sure how my cycling will be this year. I've spent most of the winter in my basement on the trainer and I really have no idea how this will correlate to the road. I'm hoping I continue to get stronger, it's just hard to say at this point.

Lastly, the swim. I feel good with my swimming at this time. I know I've got a long way to go yet, but I'm miles ahead of where I was last year. I've received some good tips on my stroke that have helped my efficiency. Just need to keep working at it and trying to improve.

Life is good...we're busier than ever, but somehow we both continue to find a way to keep at this/these crazy hobby/hobbies.

Wind, rain or freezing snow; got to get my run in

the more you toot,

the better you feel,

so lets have beans for every meal!

As always, Tri Hard!

We're back!

2010-12-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I have carbo-loaded enough to get me through 20 Ironmans. I have just loved these past few months to relax, no pressure to wake up before 7 to get a swimbikerun in and just plain enjoy life! I do have to say though that when you go from training for hours a day to an easy 45 minute run it just makes you feel like such a slacker. You know what I mean...right? All the articles that I read about off-season training say to "mix it up, try something new." So I have tried eggnog with sprite, pizza for 4 days straight and who can consume the most Hershey kisses contest. Oh, wait. I think they mean try something different with training. I really wanted to get into yoga and weight lifting but man I just can't seem to get myself to enjoy those things. I would much rather be swimbikerunning. I did try pilates and was sore for a week! Which in turn I was unable to do the other things that I really enjoy. Boring me!

With the new year upon us I get so giddy. I love to set new goals, plan out my race season and make resolutions to stop spending/eating/drinking etc. I almost like it more than Christmas....almost. I have updated our race season plan and while Justin with be doing St. George Ironman in May I have decided to take a different route. This fall I went mountain biking with some girlfriends and had a complete blast. My bike is over a decade old and has seen many miles and weighs as much as my dog Charley (105 pounds) so it is time to put her to rest and get a new one. I can still climb fairly well but the decent feels like a massage chair gone awry. I feel like my brain is going to be shaken out of my skull! I need better shocks, gadgets, seat, tires and pretty much a whole new ride. With that in mind; what better way to break it in than by doing an Xterra triathlon? It is time to get off the road and onto the dirt; biking and running. Sure I will still compete in a few road triathlons but my biggie next year will be Xterra in September. I soooo wanted to do an Ironman triathlon but seeing the amount of time Justin has put into training already has me a bit concerned as to how I would be able to fit it in. My new plan would be to do an Ironman 2012. That's when i will be done with graduate school and my kids will be a bit older.

Training for an Ironman should be at a time where you can give it your all. It's a huge commitment and I just don't want to do it half-assed. I also don't want to take away from school and my small kids. I feel like I'm making excuses but my friend Jodee has taught me how to say "no" to things and helped me realize that you can have it all, just not all at once. So I am pacing myself and enjoying the journey.

Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving in California with Jenn. Double rainbow!

Sandman

Charley

Kids playing in the snow

New goal!

Michelle

2010-10-27T18:52:00.001-07:00

2010-10-27T18:49:00.001-07:00

Marathon Mania and that's a wrap!

2010-10-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

I feel so guilty that I haven't blogged! I mean what have I been doing besides eating ice cream and watching Modern Family? We are enjoying some serious recovery time. Sleeping in, staying up late and relaxin' with the family is what we have been about these past two weeks. We had a crazy stretch of three marathons in three weeks. Justin did the Top of Utah and I followed that up with SoJo and then the next week was St. George marathon. It was nice to cash in some fitness chips before the racing season officially ended.

Recap of SoJo: Well it turned out to be a lovely day for a race. They had a late start and I knew right away that it was going to warm up. By mile 2 I was pulling off clothes. The course had a nice, slight downhill at the start for about 6 miles then after the half separated from the full it flattened out. The half-marathoners continued their decent to the finish while the marathoners headed out towards the Oquirrh mountains along 11800 south. I was so lonely! I found out later that they only had 100 people register for the marathon. One bystander even shouted; "You are in second place!" What the... me? No way was I or ever had I been a contender in a marathon. I found out later (after I had been passed by 3 women) that the bystander was lying because he saw me again and shouted; "You're in second place!" He must have been trying to motivate me to go faster. Weird way of doing it though. All I have to say is that marathons are HARD! I don't know what I was thinking. I compare it to labor. You honestly forget how how much they hurt until it's show-time. I ended up walking at mile 23 and seriously considered dropping out. I was getting that intense thirst again (read Boise) and I just didn't think I'd make it. Justin was great and when I saw him and heard his words of encouragement I somehow was able to keep moving. He told me to walk a minute and then run a minute. I did this once I hit the parkway trail and it took me to the finish line in 4.16! I was so glad to be done. I have never got a massage after a race before and with no line I enjoyed one. It was a beautiful day and getting warmer by the minute. The best thing about this race was the prize. I finished first in my age group which gave me FREE entry into next years SoJo marathon. Maybe next year I'll train for it......

Mile 12 feeling good. I'm making the #7 for how many marathons I've run.

Coming into the finish! At last.

Here's Justin!

Michelle is totally right, relaxing has been the word for the past two weeks now. I hate it, but just can't bring myself to get up at 5:00 AM to hit the road/pool yet. I'm in a training funk for sure! I also know how important it is to give the body a break, so I've haven't been too hard on myself yet. The good news is my body is totally healthy and I'm feeling great. Such a change from last year when I was battling that annoying stress fracture. Life is good right now!

As for the St. George Marathon recap...

Having met my goal for the year at the Top of Utah Marathon, I went into St. George with a complete sense of peace. No pressure...I could just run for fun and enjoy the beautiful scenery. That being said, I still had set a challenge of going sub-3:00, just because I think it would be way cool. St. George is also known as a fast marathon (is that even possible?) so I thought maybe I'd have a good chance if everything went well.

One of our friends (Brittany) was also running the race, so it was cool to have someone to hang with on the bus ride and at the start line as we waited around for the race to begin. Congrats to Brittany by the way, she had come very close to qualifying for Boston a couple of times, and I knew St. George was going to be a good day for her. She ended up running 3:31, and gave herself 9 minutes cushion on the 3:40 BQ requirement. Very cool!

Me and Brittany the Grande Slammer!

When we woke up the morning of the race, something just didn't feel right. I know we're in St. George an all, but it's still the desert...shouldn't it cool down a little? Apparently not, cause it felt like it was 80 degrees. Having done the same race last year I should have known it was going to be rough, but I guess the pre-race euphoria had already set in because I didn't think twice about it at that moment. As we got to the start line, I was again surprised at how warm it was. In 2009, I remember everybody huddled around fires in huge packs just trying to catch a little of the heat. This year; however, they hadn't even lit the fires yet, and I really didn't think we needed them. Other than a little wind, it was very comfortable. Yet another missed sign that I was in for a long day!

As we prepared for the start I saw all these people sneaking into the "Elite Runners" area. Wondering how that was possible I asked the guy at the gate how you got in...he looked at my number and said, "You're in." I laughed, cause I've never been mistaken for an elite runner, but I guess you put a "estimated finish time" on your application and that's how they determine your number. If your number is low enough, you're free to join the "Elite Runners" area. Just a tip for any future St. George racers...go low (at least on your estimated time). I'm telling you what though, it was awesome to get to start at the front. With no massive crowds to fight through, you could really settle into a good pace early on.

I decided again to run without a watch, and really just enjoy the run. I really like this approach as it feels more like a Triathlon where you just listen to your body and go with the pace you are naturally comfortable with. I've always had a hard time sticking to a specific pace chart, so sometimes it's just better if I don't know. It helps psychologically for me to have that unknown as well. I think I force myself to push a little harder that way.

As I ran through the first 5 or 6 miles, the temperature was really great. I did notice though that I was sweating more than normal so I really focused on taking in Gatorade at every aid station. The huge Veyo climb comes at about mile 7 or 8, and I really tried to hold back and not try to push too hard. As I crested the hill I felt really good and thought hell yeah, it's all downhill from here. Went around a corner and saw what seemed to be another hill. Okay, don't remember this from last year, but what the hey, I'll push through this one too and then I'll be on my way! When I get to the top I glance ahead...WHAT THE?...another da$* hill. Boy, my memory really has failed me. I don't remember this much climbing at all. Oh well, nothing else to do but keep going. What goes up, must come down, right (and hopefully faster too)? At this point, we're nearing the halfway point and I'm thinking to myself, I swear there was quite a bit of downhill at this race. Almost halfway in and I'm yet to see it! Have to admit, I was a bit discouraged.

As I rolled through the halfway point I noticed that my time was 1:29. I felt really good about that considering the climbing, and was still on pace to go sub-3. My mood perked up and I found a little extra strength in the legs to push the pace a bit. I knew the downhill section was coming and I was determined to find it.

The downhill finally came around 15 miles, and at that time I started to notice a little irritation in my stomach. I've had this feeling a couple of times before (Utah Half), and really thought I could push through it. By mile 18 though, it was really starting to cause some distress, and my pace slowed quite a bit. Some nasty thoughts started creeping into my mind at this point...I even contemplated the thought of stopping at a Porta Potty. Yikes! No way was I going to do that, I can't stand those things! I'm just going to push through this, only 8 miles to go. Crap (almost literally), 8 miles to go still. How am I going to do this?

Needless to say, at mile 20 I had to succumb to the pressure. I snuck into the Porta Potty (not a second too soon), and realized my sub-3 hour goal had gone down the toilet. (Sorry, I had to.) With 6 miles left to go, I just decided to slow it way down and take the unnecessary pressure off myself and just try to finish the race respectably. I'll admit, I did more walking those last few miles than I would have liked, but I really just didn't have it in me to keep pushing. With the heat, stomach issues, and limited recovery time from the Top of Utah marathon, it was the smart thing to do. In retrospect I'm really glad I did that.

I managed to limp my way across the finish line in 3:13, and was really happy with that time. Not a BQ, but still a great marathon time, and I came out relatively unscathed.

The kids enjoying cotton candy and snow cones

Coming down the last stretch...

All in all, it was a great season. Michelle and I were able to do a ton of races and accomplish a lot of goals. We saw many cool places, met and spent time with some amazing people. We couldn't have done it without the support of our family and friends and we thank you deeply for everything.

Fan #1

and Fan #2

We've got Ironman on the brain these days, only 204 days to IMSG. Base build start soon. Oh yeah, maybe I'll blog about my "real" Ironman from last weekend if I get a chance! Mental preparation shouldn't be underestimated...LOL!

Until next time...Tri Hard!

Top of Utah - September 18th, 2010

2010-09-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Gettin "inked up" the night before

I can see the clock....

Boy have we come a long way. Back in 2003, Michelle and I decided to run a marathon. A grandiose idea at the time, but one that would change the direction of our lives. I remember thinking at the time how crazy this idea was, and as we trudged along to a 4:52 finish wanting nothing more than to be done so I could throw my shoes (and cotton tee shirt) away and never run again. Little did I know at the time, I would come back to this race, 7 years and 10 marathons later to accomplish what I never thought possible.

As the weeks led up to the marathon, I was quite unsure how things would turn out. My last marathon (Salt Lake) this spring had been extremely disappointing. With Boston on my mind, I went out way too fast and bonked at about mile 20! Even with 10 marathons under my belt, I'm still as stubborn as a donkey when it comes to pacing and nutrition. Michelle's always told me I'm a poor planner...well Salt Lake was validation for her! That being said, I decided earlier in the week to write up a nutrition plan, and try to follow it the best I could. Now that Michelle has picked herself up from the floor...I'm happy to say that I finally made a plan and stuck to it! Yippee!

I also made a unique decision not to wear a watch during the race. Too often I find myself watching my pace, pushing too hard early in the run, and ultimately losing focus on the prize at the end. If Triathlon has taught me anything, it is to go all out and worry about the time later! I also, wanted to run for the fun of it...no pressure, no problem. Yes, I still ran a bit too hard in the beginning, but the unknown of pace and actual time kept me pushing all the way to the end.

I really think the combination of nutrition and running with a sense of peace, rather than pace really worked out in the end. The course was beautiful, the many colors of fall in the canyon made the first 14 miles go by faster than I could have imagined. I even saw a huge bull moose on the course...seems to be our family theme animal this year! It was an awesome sight. Also loved seeing Michelle on her bike and the kids in the bike trailer at mile 20. It was a huge lift when they pulled over and cheered their little heads off! Made me so happy! Thanks for the support...love you guys so much.

When Michelle proposed the idea of starting a blog, the concept was around us qualifying for Boston as a couple, and finishing an Ironman together. She's the prepared one, and I'm here because of my damn good looks! Unfortunately, looks aren't everything, or so I've heard. I'm happy to report that I crossed the finish line in 53rd place with a time of 3:08! I held up my end of the bargain this time and joined Michelle as a Boston Qualifier! I knew I had it in me, just had a hard time making it a reality. Thanks for the patience babes!

So one major goal accomplished, and on to the next. 2011 is the year of the Ironman! Oh wait, forgot, I still have St. George Marathon this coming Saturday. Whose idea was it to sign up for two marathons in three weeks? Oh yeah, that guy who 7 years ago thought he'd never run another marathon as long as he lived!

The family celebrating after the race

Tri (and run) hard!

How Triathlon Can Save You Money$

2010-09-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of the issue my article was in.

"Please listen to the music while your party is reached...." this is how I feel about this blog. As I wait for Justin's recap on his AWESOME performance at the Top of Utah Marathon this past Saturday I am forced to do a quick blog on triathlon. I wrote an article a while back for Rocky Mountain Running and Triathlon. I then wrote another article that I was hoping would make it into their publication but it didn't so I've included it here...

10 Ways triathlon can save you money.

I was sick to my stomach, I couldn’t eat, my head was spinning….what have I done. You probably think this is how you feel before, during or after a race but it was the feeling I had as we left the bike store thousands of dollars later. We could have taken a 3 month trip to Fiji for what we spent that first year in triathlon. I’ve been trying to justify the expense since that dreadful day so I came up with 10 ways that triathlon is actually saving me money!

#1 All the time that we will spend training for races we will have no time to hit the mall, go out for dinner, or grab a movie.

#2 Speaking of movies… there will be no need for cable, direct TV, or Sunday NFL ticket because by the time we actually sit down after your long day of training we would be lucky to stay awake through the first commercial.

#3 Sell the car! We have a bike and two legs. Commute to work, drop the kids off at school in the bike trailer, or stop at the grocery store for more bananas. This saves the cost of gas, auto insurance, and expensive car maintenance.
#4 With all the tech shirts we’ve accumulated there will be no need for a new wardrobe each year! These shirts are original, authentic and the supply is limited. Our friends will all want one and we may even start a trend.
#5 Speaking of trends… ladies I’ve set a new one. I said a tearful goodbye to my hairstylist, manicure and pedicurist. I have no need to cover my roots (I didn’t have any anyways right?), or get my nails done because my hair is always in a swim cap, bike helmet or running cap. As for the nails you will be changing flats and getting greasy putting your chain back on so no need for a weekly fill!

#6 With all the conversations you’ll start by sporting around all of your race shirts you’ll gain new friends and potential sponsors! Nike, Cervelo and Zoot will be at your door in no time.

#7 Vacations?! No more vacations mean more money in your pocket. You’ll become so overzealous before the season starts that you’ll sign up for a race every weekend. No need to take the kids to Disneyland, Hawaii or local amusement park! Don’t worry everyone will understand….you have a race on Saturday!

#8 With all the added health benefits of being a triathlete now you will never get sick. This means fewer trips to the doctor (can you say “no $20 co-pay!), no need for medicines, vaporizers or tissues!

#9 Home Depot and Lowes you are not getting any of my money this summer! We won’t have the time or energy to tackle the house or yard projects. This means money saved! Again!

and finally….

#10 With all the goodie bags and after race awards that you’ll accumulate consider your holiday shopping complete! Grandma has always wanted a snazzy headband, grandpa a power tri visor and hammer gels make great stalking stuffers.

Are you fooled yet? In all reality triathlon is a luxury sport. Who am I kidding to think that I’m saving money? It would be a whole lot cheaper to buy season passes to Deer Valley and eat at a five-star restaurant (wearing my designer jeans) everyday!

The truth is, I love this sport and can’t imagine my life without it. You just can’t put a price on all of the great experiences you’ll have swimming in a pristine lake, biking through complete gorgeousness and running in total blissful scenery. That’s priceless!

Keep tri-ing.

Michelle

Lo-to-Ja!

2010-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Christina and I at the finish!

I seriously had a bit of doubt that I could ride my bike from sun up to sun down. I did it...well I should say WE did it. You cannot go this race alone. You have to work the draft or you will burn out fast. Where shall I start? We got to Logan in just enough time to pick up our packets and get our legs stamped.

LotoJa stamp

They stamp it with the LotoJa cyclist. This year it was blue (I heard last year it was black). We grabbed some dinner at Cafe Rio and headed to the hotel to get our stuff in order. When I say "stuff" what I should say is food. Food in the form of granola bars, shot blocks, sports beans, power bars, perpetuum, chicken stock (more on that later) EFS, advil, bananas and agave nectar. Seriously, I had about 20 pounds of food that I was supposed to ingest over 12 hours? How was this possible? I had it meticulously planned. I would consume 75 grams of carbs per hour and 500 mg of sodium (bawk, bawk). I had made a list of what I would need at each stage of the race. Justin was kind enough to be my support for this all day affair. He had my "nutrition plan" in a little notebook I had prepared for him. It's crazy how much prep time you have to put into a race of this length. Earlier in the week while at the store I was shopping for some power bars and I would check for carb content. You see, most people who count carbs don't like to have too many in their diet and restrict their intake. Not a weirdo like me! If it didn't have at least 25 grams of carbs it was NOT coming home with me.

Back to the race... We woke up at 5:20, got ready, tried to eat until we were stuffed and then headed to the starting line. My wave of CAT 1,2,3 and 4 women went off at 6:58. It was a chilly start. We rode 30 miles into Preston Idaho. It was mostly flat and these girls were setting the pace around 22-23. I hung on the back and turned on a podcast. I just love drafting. Into Preston I took my jacket off, got a refuel (150 carbs and two new bottle of sports drink) and I was off for the first of 3 climbs. The first climb was very scenic but I was just not ready for it. I missed my friend who was supposed to ride with me. I was feeling lonely and discouraged. When I got to the neutral feed zone at the top I decided to wait for Christina. Even though i lost 15 minutes by waiting it was so worth it. We were together! We could now continue on with our plan and life was good again. We rode into Montpelier Idaho and saw our guys at the third feed zone. I was feeling great and ready and fueled. Onto Afton Wyoming baby! Ohhh wait... another climb! The second one of the day. It reminded me of the backside of suncrest and wasn't extremely steep but we were working. What goes up....must come down. We cruised down the other side and enjoyed a bit of relief before heading towards our final climb. Queen of the Mountain! This climb was like the front side of Suncrest and only 3 miles. Christina and I met up with several groups and continued to work our drafting skills. While we were not crowned Queen of the mountain I settled for princess. It was steep and without Eminem singing sweet melodies in my ear I wouldn't have made it.

Afton "picnic" stop.

We flew into Afton and I was feeling great...and hungry! We pulled into the feed zone #2 and our men were not there. What the? Where are they? Who are those guys under that shaded tree enjoying a picnic?....JUSTIN! They ran over so fast. They "claimed" that they had just arrived themselves. He said they got a hamburger and I said "what? a burger?" So my sweetie let me eat half of it. i was starving! Usually I rarely eat during races so this was way out of character for me. I so want to do a long distance race and not bonk, puke, pass out, forget my name, etc. that my goal was to get it right this time. I did. I ate, drank, ate, gel, pretzels, and banana. I put in my order for a "Cafe latte" (perpetuum flavor) at the next stop in Alpine. We were off again. 125 miles down and 34 to the next stop.

Check out our drafting skills leaving Afton.....

Once into Alpine I was still feeling surprisingly good. I was excited that the finish was coming and the next time I saw Justin it would be at the finish. For this stop I grabbed my latte, 2 advils and chugged down some chicken stock. I think I made a few spectators gag as they watched me drink straight out of the box. Kind of gross, I know but a girls gotta have her sodium!

This next part of the race was through a canyon with the beautiful snake river at our side. Stunning! i saw a few boats full of people who were rafting down the river and having a blast. it reminded me of our second year anniversary when we stayed in Jackson Hole at a bed and breakfast. We did the river raft (2 months prego at the time) and a few hikes (saw a moose of course). I was lost in my thoughts of gorgeous mother nature and how happy I was with my life. Its been a fun year. Busier than ever but so enjoyable. I could not stop thinking about my kids and how I wanted to bring them up here and do the river raft. They are still a little small fro it but one day they'll be ready. i also thought about the three things that I wish for them as they grow. They are; 1-Be happy. 2- Be kind and 3- Be adventurous! I want them to get everything they can out of life. Not material things but experiences, new people and adventures. This is my wish.

Coming into the finshers shoot

Kiddos at Oktoberfest! Happy, kind and adventurous.

We had 36 miles to go and I told Christina "remember our ride last Saturday? That's all we have left. Lets just pretend we are out for a 36 mile ride with fresh legs." We came out of the canyon and along the main drag and then we took a side road through the country. 10 miles to go! We could see the Tetons in the distance and soon the sun would be behind them. My body was feeling good but my mind was ready to be done. I got a little weak these final miles but Christina and Karen pulled me in. We finished 12.10! It was still light out and I have never been so delighted to finish such a long event. It was a great day. So much more enjoyable than I had expected. We celebrated with a burger the size of my head! So happy to have done this, happy to be done and ready for a slight break before my next adventure.....

The next day. Me and my man in downtown Jackson Hole

Outta my way!

2010-09-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Move over Michelle, it’s my turn to blab…I mean blog for a minute. Admittedly, I haven’t been the best at posting my race experiences, but as my tri season came to a close this past weekend I thought I’d get back into the swing of things. Who has time to blog when they’re out there training 40 hours a week anyway? Seriously people, more training and less blogging! (Michelle’s going to beat me for saying that).

I’ve had a blast this season, and learned a lot! Swimming for one was a good start! You Race Directors can all rest easy now...I can assure you, no animals were harmed in my swimming in these triathlons. I also learned that running on a seriously upset stomach is much less fun than anticipated. I don’t recommend it. I also don’t recommend chaffing, especially in the nether regions, but that’s a different story for a different time.

All in all it was a great second season, and definitely one to build upon.

As for the Utah Half (70.3) this past Saturday…I really didn’t know what to expect. I haven’t really had much interest in putting time in on the bike. Not sure what it is, but it seems to be running in the family these days…go Michelle, I know you will rock LOTOJA. My run has been okay, but not great. My swim…well it is what it is, an area for major improvement this offseason. That being said, I just really didn’t have a feel about how this race would go for me. I wasn’t nervous, or overly anxious either, which is somewhat out of the ordinary. Bottom line I had no clue how Saturday would turnout.

On to the recap…

Looking my coolest...NOT!

The Swim

The water was absolutely perfect. Total glass…I was actually really surprised to see Michelle as I exited the water. I was certain she’d have met some ski bums and been cutting it up out on the slalom, but thankfully she was there cheering myself as well as everybody else on. Ironically, I now know why she was the head cheerleader back in high school! Thanks dear…it’s really great to have you out there leading the cheers! Back to the swim…nothing too eventful, the washing machine feeling is slowly becoming less and less intimidating, and I actually like mixing it up with the boys in the front, even if it is only for a few seconds. I’ve really improved in that area a TON since last year. Anyway, the typical elbow to the face, foot to the face, etc. Nothing too crazy, except maybe the taste of gasoline from the Ranger boat….yikes. No worries, couldn’t be any worse that the water in Utah Lake itself, could it? The course did feel a little long, and it seems like everybody’s time validates that. I came in just after 40 minutes, which is about 4-5 minutes slower than I had hoped. Time to kick it in on the bike…

T1

Not bad…wetsuit came off just fine, I was a little confused by the g-string tri shorts I somehow managed to wear without my knowledge. Oh wait…silly me, my shorts had just decided to impersonate something you’d find in the Victoria Secret catalogue I guess. Nice timing for that…oh well, maybe someone got a good chuckle out of it. I know I did! Not a bad time (1:50ish), considering my transition area was on the far end from the bike out. Really need to consider sacrificing the extra 30 minutes of sleep so I can get a good transition spot. Mental note for next year!

Bike

Being a pretty flat course, I really wanted to push it on the bike. My goal was 2:30, which is roughly 22 MPH. It was a stretch, considering I’m not riding a TT bike, and haven’t been putting a ton of miles in, but I really thought I could push it today. The wind cooperated for the most part, a few miles where it was tough, but I managed to push it pretty hard for most of the ride. Other than stopping at three stoplights due to some road construction, I felt pretty good about it. Came in just over my goal, but I’m totally stoked with my 2:32 split. My favorite part of the bike was my nutrition. In the other two 70.3’s, my nutrition on the bike has been terrible…I’ve literally limped into T2 on empty and had to get some calories immediately before I could get moving. This time I had plenty energy and came into T2 strong…or so I thought.

T2

Smokin…nothing else needed here. Third fastest out of the whole field (0.56 sec). To be honest, I don’t even remember T2…it was just so dang fast it must have blown my mind.

Run

I’m really not too sure what to say about the run. Coming off the bike I felt great. By mile 1 though, I felt awful. My stomach was not happy at all and was letting me know it. I managed to get some coke and a little food down just before mile 2, but by mile 4 I just wasn’t feeling it and had to completely stop and walk for a minute. I was having my own little Michelle-Boise moment, and I couldn’t understand why. Nutrition on the bike was great, what happened? I really wish I knew, but I haven’t a clue. Anyway, I told myself enough of this, and I forced myself to jog to the next aid station. A little more walking here and there and finally, at about mile 6 things started to turn. I must have done the first 6 miles in about an hour, because I was getting passed like crazy. It was not going to be a great run split, but at that point I knew I would finish. Michelle was a huge help on the run, and I think the second half of the run was one of the more memorable I’ve had. I went from feeling like garbage, to running pretty hard. Yes, I was sore, and not 100%, but who is 65 miles into a race? I’ve always heard of this strange “negative split” concept, but my egocentric self could never come to grips with what it meant…until now. My first true negative split! I’m kidding of course, but I truly had such an enjoyable second half of the race, and I owe a ton of it to Michelle. She had somehow managed to befriend about 20 people on the course, and somehow over the multiple times I passed them, they remembered my name and cheered really loudly for me. I felt like Tom Brady out there…by the way, GO PATS! Anyway, Thanks Michelle, you really are the best.

Coming into the finishers shoot- 4.56!

Afterward

I always love to chill after a race and just chat with the other athletes. Loved having my parents there to watch, thanks Mom and Dad for coming! Chatted with some cool people, and hope to stay in touch throughout the winter and next season. Final time was 4 hours 56 minutes. Scary, but 11th place (including overall winners) in my age group…19th place overall. The 30-34 age group is just so competitive, but I love it. Great job to all the racers out there, and major thanks to RaceTri for putting on a spectacular event.

Mom and Dad

Until next time…Tri Hard!

Can you train for a marathon in 6 weeks?

2010-08-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

With all this biking I've been doing this past year I am missing my true love...running. I slipped on my shoes the other morning and ran 10 miles! I could have run forever. It was a perfect end-of-summer-cool morning. It was absolutely gorgeous; trees still in full bloom, flowers and of course tons of birds and deer. School buses were out and it reminded me of my long ago childhood. I remember riding my bike to school and feeling my body wake up and the power of it as I pedaled my old blue ten-speed to the schools overflowing bike rack. So I got a little nostalgic and inspired to find me a fall race. Well the race is a marathon so I should be a little more serious about this but I really just want to run long. My mom, sister-in-law and several friends are signed up for the SoJo half-marathon. I love half-marathons and if my 20 miler (in 2 weeks) is a little painful I will do the half instead but my ego says "go big or go home." My second reason for wanting to do a marathon is because of a thing called a "runners streak." This is a weird phenomena that runners create for themselves; like running every day no matter what, running a marathon in every state, or if your Dean Karnazas- running 30 marathons in 30 days. Pretty crazy and weird stuff we type A runners and athletes do to ourselves. I want a streak of my own. So here it is...an inaugural marathon which I can run every year and compare my times, become part of the 5-year, 10 year and 25 year club! YIKES 25 more years and I'll be 56! Hard to think that far ahead but I'll look back at this blog when I'm that age and say "my how time flies...now where are my dentures." Anyways, Justin has a marathon streak. He has run the Salt Lake Marathon every year since its inception. That would be 7 marathons on the same course. His times are as varied as the weather that time of year (April). They range from a 4.25 down to his PR of 3.13 set last year. It has been so fun seeing him over the years. I love to look at the old pictures of us. First there is one baby in tow then in 2007 baby on board. That is why I cannot share the same streak with him. Boo hoo! We do most everything else together as far as races go, so this is my chance to start something of my own. Still love ya babes. I know it won't be a PR this year and that's ok I just don't want a DNF. I'll give it my best as I can for only training 6 weeks and being one week post 206 mile bike race. Next year, however, it'll be time to rein in and focus. Then pressures on! This will also be my 7th marathon so there's a little luck in that.

Seeing stars and leaving infancy...

2010-08-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

With the conclusion of the Herriman triathlon this past Saturday I leave my tri-newbie life behind and enter into toddler hood. My second year complete. I have learned a lot and still need much work in all areas of this crazy lifestyle. One thing remains the same though; I am still having a blast! I have met so many people who share this crazy passion and have been inspired by athletes of ALL abilities. I still have 2 other races I need to blog about but wanted to capture the Herriman triathlon experience while it is still fresh on my legs...er mind.
The weather was perfect! A little chilly in the morning but warming up by the minute. We set up T2 first and then headed up to the lake on our bikes with swim gear in tow. T2 was packed and we ended up in the furthest spot from the exit (not where you want to be). I guess getting there early would have been beneficial. We were in the sand which was a messy and new experience. Once we were set-up I realized that I forgot the swim cap! I went on a search to find one and ran into Brad Gilson (triathlete superstar) and he was kind enough to lend me his coveted Xterra one. I ended up getting another one from one of the race directors shortly after but thanks anyway Brad. What a nice guy. I told him that Justin and I had saved him a spot on the bike rack further down from his first rack position. He kindly declined, offered some swimming tips and was off to claim the #1 title.
My biggest decision was deciding on wearing a wetsuit or not. It was about a 60/40 split with most in wetsuits. I decided against mine which fared well for me and I did the swim with T1 time in 10.08. The bike course was all to familiar. I had been on the same course earlier this year for Daybreak Tri and Goldilocks ride. I was able to push it like crazy up the false flat to the top of U-111 and then fly down to 11800 south and back to T2 for the run. Bike 14 miles with T2 in 43.44 I was surprised that T2 didn't have many bikes (this rarely happens). It's generally full of fancy tri-bikes from the superstars and faster age groupers. My average-non-tri-bike felt a little out of place by herself but I assured her that she did a good job and would be back in 23.41 to take her to the truck. Onto the run! I felt like I was a steeplechaser or reverse Rocky Balboa descending down two flights of stairs before hitting the pavement. My legs felt great and I was happy and ready to push it. I saw the first place gal who passed me on the bike a little up ahead and I hoped that I could catch her. After 1.5 miles with nobody passing me I heard the dreaded fast steps behind me. No worries I'm sure it was a young male track star approaching.... ohhh no I took a look and saw superstar triathlete Leslie Howlett at my side! Where did she come from? Why was she not ahead of me? Did I beat her on the bike? the swim? nice thought for a second. It dawned on me later that she didn't start until 5 minutes after me. So she was able to beat everyone in her wave and now everyone in my wave! Amazing! I told her I would hang with her for as long as I could (which was about 10 seconds). She was just too fast for me. She told me afterwards that she kept "quick, fast steps." hummm maybe I'll change my stride? Finished the run in 23.41. which is 2 minutes slower than last years 5k'S! Gotta rein that in. Living on the bike this year has hurt my running... D#@& LotoJa! Anyways, I am happy with 1.17 finish which put me second female overall. Not a bad way to end my triathlon season. Can't wait for next year!

I still consider myself a "rookie" and can't wait to get a tri-bike and master the 70.3 distance (watch out Boise 2011). I may need a coach and some nutrition advice.

It was so fun seeing and talking to my new and old tri peeps at the conclusion of the race. Honestly, I wanted to finish fast so I could socialize with everyone. My true talent lies is my ability to "talk anyone and everyone's ear off!" Justin says I have the "gift of gab." I think that is why I love this sport. Most triathletes are socialites and love to talk, especially about triathlon. Not to bash cyclists (which is my current focus) but they seem to be a little uptight about racing. At the conclusion of biking events there is little celebrating. I saw my old college buddy Sue and her friend Michelle who this was their first tri. They did great and I told them they would be hooked. Leslie and Brad blew the field away! They are so inspiring, full of knowledge and nice to everyone. I met another superstar earlier this week at the pool. Mr. B.J. Christensen. He is a kind, polite and humble gentleman....ohh and he's also the ultimate fastest male in the state!

Someone was nice enough to do a video of the tri so I will post it here as well as my other pix.

Until next year triathlon-

Michelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioRU8EfXUx4

Listen to trinruncouples Playlist

2010-08-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

Races, places, moose and 8 weeks racing!

2010-08-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

WOW! Summer has been so much fun. I never want it to end! I remember this past winter I was counting the days until summer and now they are in full swing. It has been cRaZy busy. Like my mother always told me growing up; "honey, your burning the candle at both ends!" I don't know how else to live. I have completely overwhelmed myself with work, school, kids activities, races, training and trying to have a date-night once in a while. With that my blogging has been slacking! I have a ton of stories and always an adventure that I would like to share. Where to start... Three weeks ago I raced in the Porcupine Hill Climb. This was a bike race to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is way scenic, I mean total eye candy the whole way. I love to climb and wanted to finish better than I did but CAt 1,2,3 women are amazing and they smoked it. I did place fifth in the CAT 4 women's group which was fine by me. I get 1 point for my UCA ranking. Yipee! The best thing about this day was after the race we went hiking up to Marys Lake with the kiddos and some friends (Christensen Clan) then we had tinfoil dinners after that. We also took a stroll around Silver Lake and finished the night off with Reese's Peanut Butter smores! I had two. They were delicious! On our way home that night we saw three moose. It just couldn't have been a better day. NEXT up! Draper days 5k. I love this fun, fast family event. Justin, mom, Brittany and I met at the park and ran our guts out on the hot morning. I have to remind myself that this year is a "bike" focus year because I was so disappointed with my 23 min. time. Last year I was 1.5 min faster and place 3rd in my age group. Why can't we have it all? Stansbury tri was the following Saturday I was so ready for it. I wanted to do a triathlon so bad after my bike and run races. I love putting it all together. This happened to be on the 24th of July also the day of my brother-in-laws wedding. How in the world I pulled this off I don't know. I had like 5 bags packed into my car as I headed out towards Wendover early that morning. One for triathlon gear, one for wedding clothes, cosmetics, baby wipes, and race packet stuff. The race was fabulous! Water was calm and warm with a slight sulfur smell...gross. Did it in 12.30 (12th out of the water). Not too shabby. Onto the bike which was flat and fast with many turns. Finish in 35.06 for 12 miles. Total lung buster- 5th on the bike and need I remind you I don't have a tri-bike! Finally the run out and back on flat, hot, black asphalt throughout a cute neighborhood. Tried to catch the fourth woman in front of me but couldn't she beat me by on 12 seconds. I was 23.45 which gave me a total time of 1.13, fifth woman overall and second in age group. After I left the real race began. How was I to get cleaned up and to a wedding in 1 hour?! Check out my before and after photos. I did it. Of course I didn't smell too great and a few people asked me what the numbers were for on the backs of my legs but other than that I had made it on time. Freakin' addict! Four more to go... Michelle

Tri-ing for life...

2010-07-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

My daughter has a bit of an attitude at times. I love this girl to pieces and sometimes I feel like I'm looking in the mirror when she gives me a bit of "lip." She is smart, independent and witty. She likes it her way and loves to be in charge in anything and everything she does. The other day I asked her if she wanted to go hiking with me to which she replied; "mom, why do you always want to go on adventures?" I said; "Abbi, I thought that you liked to go on adventures." Then she said; "no, mom I like animals." This last comment cracked me up! We all want to be different from others and will not let someone else tell us what we like and don't like. So it is with my precious five year old.

I will never push my kids to do what they don't want to do (household chores, homework, being kind to other etc. are not included). If they are not passionate about the same things that their parents are then that's totally fine by me. In fact, shortly after the "I like animals" comment. Abbi informed me that she doesn't want to be a "triathlon girl" when she grows up. I told her I would love her no matter what she does. My only requirement for my children is that they at least try. Not, try a triathlon but try and do their best in life. Try and find what they are passionate about. Try and be a better person. Try and learn. Try and be kind to everyone (even if they are not deserving). I want them to be happy, happy in trying to find out what makes them happy.

I have learned a lot this year about trying. I believe that you have to "put yourself out there." You have to to be brave and try new things, meet new people and push yourself to try the things that make you uncomfortable. Not everything will turn out how you envision it but hey at least you tried. I have to lead by example with my kids and others. I just recently found out that I won a $1500 scholarship from my work. If I didn't take the steps to complete the application, get a letter of recommend or walk the package to the mailbox I would have never known if I would have won or not. Another thing that I "tried" was that I submitted an article to a local running/triathlon magazine. I had it published and won a helmet! In school we have to present in front of the class all the time. I hate it. I can talk your ear off if we are one-on-one but put me in front of the class and I'm a nervous wreck! I make myself uncomfortable; get up there and try. We cannot sit back and let life happen all around us. We must become participants. There is so much to see, do and try lets not sit idle. Whether you win a helmet or not you'll never know unless you muster up the courage to put in a little effort and TRY!

As a mother, of course I want what I think is best for them but lets face it, they are the decision makers in their lives. They get to choose what they want to do, be, become and try. It is true when they say "your children are not of you, they come through you." They are a gifts from God. I am only a sign in the road that they can choose to follow or not. They can and will make their own path in life. They are in charge of their own destiny. My only requirement is that they are happy and at least try.

Life is precious...

2010-07-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

Life is without a doubt, precious. It seems like we take it for granted and think that we will be here forever. We often tell ourselves; "tomorrow I will do this or that, next year I will do this/that, five years from now I will be here/there." This is just not the case. You must live for today. I was reminded of this on Wednesday.

Brenda and I set out for our usual Suncrest hill climb at 6:15. Yes, we are definitely early birds! We try to make it to the top of suncrest before the sun peaks over. As we got to the top we saw a fire engine and ambulance heading down. We didn't think much about it and continued our ride down the backside and into beautiful Alpine. We came back up the backside and zoomed down Traverse and back into Draper. What a perfect and great ride...for us. Little did we know that it was a nightmare ride for a group of women cyclists who were involved in a horrific accident involving two vehicles. Ten cyclists were involved, 3 suffering minor injuries and one left fighting for her life.

The next day we found out that this 29 year-old mother of two had passed away. Ever since then I cannot get her or her family out of my thoughts. I have prayed for them and still I cannot believe it is real. I do not know this woman but know of her family. I cannot imagine the pain they must be feeling over this loss. It happened on a road that I travel daily; by car, foot and bike. Such a tragic loss for the family, town and entire cycling community.

I think of this woman and how much we have in common. She is a mother who like me most likely had plans to take her kids to the park that day, thoughts about what to make for dinner, projects that needed to be done around the house and what her hopes and dreams were for the future. Her time here was cut short. I pray that her family will be comforted and God will help them through this. I still cannot begin to understand why? Why? Why did this happen? Our mortal minds cannot understand God's reasoning.

As I write this, my son is just waking up for the day. He is curled in my lap with his "Tow-mater" underwear on, head on my chest and blankie held tight. i take moments like these for granted. Never thinking that they could be the last. It makes me think of what is most important in my life and of the people I hold dear. The thought crossed my mind that I should stop cycling. I don't ever want fear to dictate my life. Sure, you need to be careful, cautious and mindful. I'm sure this young mother was all of those. I think she would want others to continue enjoying life and doing the things you enjoy.

Live each moment as if it was your last, love like you've never been hurt and dance like nobody's watching.

When its my time to go, I want to be completely exhausted. Having given it my all in everything. Living to my fullest potential and loving with all my heart.

So, to my family if you don't already know; I love you with all of my heart here, now and always. You are my reason for being. My desire for you is to live your life to your fullest potential and give it all in everything you do. Love and do kind things for others and never take a day for granted. Each day is a gift. Life is precious.

Sandy Classic fourth of July 10k

2010-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I just love the month of July. Hot, hot, hot and coupled with our wet spring everything is very green. Its also not surprising that race season is officially in full swing. We have several more races to do and have begun to think of the races we'd like to do in 2011. I try and not get ahead of myself and enjoy the moment but it's fun to think to the future and all the exciting stuff to come. With that, I'm having some confusion. I am a triathlete now but am drawn towards my bike these days. Of course, i should be on my bike at least 3 times per week with my 206 Logan to Jackson ride coming up in September but I'm finding myself drawn to do more tri's than cycling races. Its a matter of what my mind says I "should" do and what my "heart" say I want to do. I should enter the Porcupine Hill climb for next weekend but I'm wanting to do the Echo tri. I think I will do the hill climb (cheaper, closer, shorter) but I can't help to think how much fun Echo would be. Geez, the problems I have! I am just so happy to be able to have these choices. On another note; my mom and I did the Fourth of July road race yesterday (July 3rd) and once again I was the fourth woman overall. This is the 3rd year that I've done it and I end up in fourth every time! Maybe there's secret meaning fourth and fourth of July? Anyways, I held onto third for a long time and was so close to passing the gal in second. She stayed steady and I could not catch her. Out the corner of my eye "long-legged lareux" glides past me and the second place gal. She took second, bummped her into third and left me for fourth. My time 47.27. Not bad and definitely room for improvement. I'll be back next year! I love this race because you get to start out your Fourth of July day with the color guard and the singing of our national anthem. I cry every time knowing that I live in the best country in the world and have the freedom to pursue anything I wish. God Bless America!

Boise 70.3- Starstruck, sleeping in, wind and puke!

2010-06-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

My new favorite town is Boise Idaho! What a great place. Justin said it best; "small town feel with big city touch." It was absolutely delightful. Of course it helped that the weather was perfect, people were hospitable and we were excited to race. We got up there Friday afternoon and had to check in at the Qwest Arena. We walk into the stadium and guess who's standing next to us? The one and only Ironman Champion (two years standing) Mr. Craig Alexander! I didn't believe Justin at first but when I looked myself and saw those trademark yellow Newton running shoes and that overly tanned face I knew it must be true. He was right there in front of us and we froze like deer in the headlights and couldn't speak! I have never been starstruck before and we missed out opportunity for a picture. So no one will believe us now :-( but I tell ya he was right there! Seriously, I love this sport and what other sport do you get to race/compete with the best in the world? Hmmm...do you get to throw passes with Tom Brady? Shoot hoops with Shaq? Serve it up to Venus Williams? NO! No you don't but in triathlon you get to swim the same course as Chris Leito, bike through the same head winds as Julie Deibens, and run through the same aid stations as James Lawrence (not as famous as the others but more on him later).

After picking our jaws up off the floor we did manage to get checked in and drop $200 bones on Ironman merchandise. Then it was off to drop our bikes at T1. Only 10 minutes from downtown Boise is this fabulous lake. Lucky Peak Reservoir. T1 was HUGE! So many bike racks it was daunting and so many nice bikes adorning them. We were a bit depressed and intimidated by the unreal bikes that we saw....ohhh how we long for a tri-bike. There must have been a million dollars worth of bikes.. or more. I looked at it like my usual optimistic self and said to Justin; " well at least we know that no one will steal OUR bikes!"

After drop off it was time to party! This race doesn't start until 2pm (and that's for the pro's). So it was now 6pm and we had over 20 hours to eat, relax and sleep. We woke at 7 and just laid there and watched the World Cup soccer match until about 10. It was so weird not getting ready early and being in that crazy race morning rush. We headed down to T2 to drop off our shoes and we were starstruck again! This time it was Justin's "man crush" James Lawrence. What an incredible guy doing incredible things. He is behind the "Tri and Give a Dam" project, which is raising monies to build dams in Africa. What a guy! He let us take his picture (with Justin of course) and wished us luck. Not only is he out promoting change in our world but he is an amazing athlete to boot! Go James!

Then it was time for lunch? What! We are eating lunch on race day? You bettcha! We boarded the bus at 12:30 and headed back up the canyon to Lucky Peak. We had enough time to set-up T1, apply sunscreen, get body marked, potty, wetsuit and socialize (my favorite) then it was time to line up with your swim group. Justin was the 4Th wave of swimmers to go and I was 11Th. It was so exciting to see the pro's go first. They are so fast but at the same time looked so human. When Justin's group went i said a little prayer that he was not the guy out there doing the backstroke in circles! It wasn't him but poor guy!

The swim waves were set 4 minutes apart and it was my turn before I knew it. Once the gun went off it was show time. I loved the swim. It was longer than I expected but I felt pretty good. I had no idea where I was at in the field but just wanted stay focused on my swim, form and pacing. Swam in 37.12

Off on the bike with head winds galore! It wasn't windy when we started the swim but now it howled. For 45 miles it was wind, wind, wind! Give us a break. I tried to stay on top of my nutrition but at mile 40 I was thirsty. Uhhh ohh! Too late. This is never a good sign. When your thirsty your already dehydrated and there's no point of return (for me anyways). All I could think about was getting off this damn bike and heading to the med-tent for some TLC. Finished the bike in 3.27.43

While in transition I thought to myself; "why not at least try and walk some of the run?"Maybe I'd feel better being upright and my body could function better at absorbing all the drink sitting in my belly. I walked/jogged the first few miles and felt like complete garbage! I really should just pull out but then why not just walk it and still finish? It was so hard to watch the amazing athletes flying on this pancake-flat course. i know I could rock this course any day of the week, just not this day. At mile five I met my good friend Ralph. I love Ralph! Whenever I'm feeling sick or nauseous all I have to do is put my fingers down my throat and walla, Ralph is here! I did it behind a tree and it felt good so I started a slow jog and finished my first lap. Justin joined me for the second lap. It was very sweet/annoying that he was by my side my final 7 miles. I think secretly he was worried that I'd push myself too hard and end up flat-back on the pavement. I wasn't much company that final stretch and Ralph would show up every other mile. I just wanted to be done. I started beating myself up for not being able to run and for not getting my nutrition straight. All these negative, self-defeating thought popped in my head. Why was I doing this? This is what I do for fun? Why? Why? Why? You'll never be fast. You'll never be good at this sport. I remember looking up at Justin after the 10Th time I puked and hearing him say; "at least this will be memorable." I think I smiled at that and kept chugging my dehydrated body along. Finally, with the sun setting and crowd-lined streets I made it down for my final 100 yards. People cheering and the announcer saying "Michelle Anderson from Draper Utah, way to go Michelle!" It was a feeling I'll never forget. I did it! Wind, snot, puke and tears; I did it! In 7.12.55 that's with a (3.01 half-marathon) YIKES!

The volunteers put the finishers medal around my neck and sweet Deb said "honey, your not lookin' so good. Your not sweating." To which I replied "take me to the med-tent." i spent and hour with great volunteer doctors and nurses who made me drink until it would stay down. I laid on the most comfortable cot and while Justin went to pick up our bikes I fell asleep for about 20 minutes and dreamed of Abbi and Ty running on the beach. It was so peaceful. If this is heaven then I want to stay! But no, the next thing I knew Justin was rubbing my back and dropping keys on top of my head. "Are you ready to go? How do you feel?" Back to reality but I did feel better thanks to the chicken broth that kept Ralph at bay. I thanked the kind medical staff that treated me and we headed back to our hotel at midnight. What a day.

I've always said how triathlon is a lot like life. How you react to things, persevere and push yourself as hard as you possibly can. Life is the same way. What do you get when things don't go as planned? You get an experience. And what is an experience? Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. That is what its all about.

I'll be back next year for redemption and of course another experience...

Daybreak tri! Fun, fun, fun!

2010-06-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Daybreak triathlon was a complete blast! It was a little cold to start but no wind or rain. Last year they cancelled the swim (bacteria in the lake) but not this year. I really needed to get in an open-water swim before Boise half-ironman so this opportunity was huge. Although it was a "C" race for me it fell in perfectly with our training for Boise. We got to the venue around 6:45 and set up transition with ease. Then we found our friends; some that I train with, some that I've met from other races and some that I've known for years. This is what I love about triathlon. Justin says I have the "gift of gab." No doubt about that! I love to talk to everyone or anyone especially people who share the same excitement and passion for the sport as I do.

Back to our race. The swim was great. I hate the cold but there is something about everyone getting in the water that gave me courage to so the same. Once I was in it wasn't that bad, thanks to my nifty neoprene-helmet-thing-a-ma-jig. Once I started swimming and getting my blood pumping I warmed right up. The swim was set in a triangle format and Olympic distance athletes got to do it twice. At first I noticed I was dog-paddling and looking around at what the other swimmers were doing. I got a little panicked and then took a moment to spot the buoy and focus on that. Then I realized that I was sprinting and breathing with every stroke. "slow it down girl" is what I said to myself and it worked. I started bi-lateral breathing and paced myself for 2 loops. Exited the water in 21.43! So happy about that.

I was very familiar with the bike course and was happy to be on my bike. I had no idea where I was at in the field. I kept telling myself "C" race, don't get hurt and don't give it your all. I can't help it though. I'm so competitive. Once I got to the turn-around I started counting the women in front of me. There were 8. Ohhh man! Maybe I could catch them on the run...
Finished the bike in 1.10.50 (1 minute slower than last year-yikes).

The fun was the same 2 loops as last year and I knew I had to pace myself because last year I remember it hurting really bad. The sun started to peak through the clouds as I rounded the corner then some dude smacked me on the butt! "Good job Babes" the hottie said. Who was this smokin fast runner blasting past everyone? The one-and-only-my-guy Justin! He was cruising and passing people like Chrissy Wellington in Kona! I'm happy to say that it was only him and 2 other women who passed me on the run. I felt good though and asked myself if I could double this distance on June 12th, I believed that I could...most definitely.

Finished the run in 50.44 (same as last year) but felt awesome.

Overall time of 2.26.55 which put me 2nd in age group! Can't be upset about that for a "C" race.

The post-race activities were a blast. I got to socialize some more, swap stories and congratulate other finishers. They were giving away prizes (which we scored a few gift certificates). Sadly, the race was over and now it was time to load up the bikes and hit the shower.

Till next year...maybe an "A" race then?

Michelle

No swim, rain, tough chicks, inspiring women and 48 seconds!

2010-05-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say? Women of Steel race today was a blast. Triathlon, like life, throws you things that you didn't plan for. Whether they be good or bad you realize that the only control you have is how you react to them. I am an optimist to start so that has boded me well throughout my life. As we were driving home last night (after picking up our race packets) a big, dark cloud covered the valley; I said to my friend Cindy, "well maybe it will rain all night and be fine in the morning." Cindy gave me that look like "Are you crazy?!" Even this morning when I woke up to a drizzle I thought "maybe down in American Fork it will be warm and sunny." It wasn't of course and there was even snow in the mountains! Not good for race morning. What ever shall we do? Remember like life triathlon tests you and sees if you truly are a Woman of Steel!

They cancelled the swim for fear of hypothermia. I was bummed but we didn't need women athletes ending up in the ambulance so good call on the race directors part. Instead we would do a run, bike, run. Okay so dualthlon style! I like to run so maybe this will be advantageous for me. Lets give it a tri.. or dual. We started out in waves of 100 up to 800 (8 waves), we ran 1 mile, biked 12.75 and then ran again for the 5k. I toed the line in the second wave and gave it my best. I sprinted! I was the first one out in my pack of 100 (uncharted territory). This felt weird. I'm ok at running but there are some smokin' fast women; where were they? I immediately caught up to the first wave and passed most of them. I could feel their eyes on me like "what is she doing?, Who is this chick? She's gonna pay for it later." maybe.....but its a race, right?

I got back into T1 in 7.20. Found my shoes, helmet, and bike and then back out for the 2 loops.I could see a few women with bikes exiting but wasn't sure how many there were. The bike felt good. I made sure I was uncomfortable the entire time (thanks Just for the advice). Two hills to climb...man those are tough #$%^*! I stayed around 19 mph average. Not to bad. I so desperately wanted to beat last races and last years bike split. My mantra; sub 40, sub 40, sub 40. Then this sweet thing passed me! She was so nice too I wanted to curse her but she was just so awesome so I said "good pace babe!" Tip: when your mad/jealous/frustrated at someone send some love their way. Maybe I could get her on the run...

After my final loop another Betty tries to pass me on her fancy bike. I held strong though and made it into T2 (38.30...my mantra worked) then out onto the course for run#2 this time a 5k. My feet were frozen and I was a little wobbly like I didn't have control over my lower body. I always feel like this for the first mile. Where r u running legs???

I was told I was 3rd and about 90 seconds back. Where was that sweetheart that passed me on the bike and what was that dreaded sound coming from behind me? Oh no! I can't get passed again! I said out loud (kind of like in City of Angels when the patient can't see the ghost) "I can't see you but I know your there." I NEVER look behind me no matter what. At mile 2 she matched me stride for stride and at the turn she pulled ahead. "Go for it babes and nice pace!" So much for a podium finish but I'll be happy with fourth and even more happy being able to do this crazy sport with amazing, inspiring women! Finish the run in 21.25 and 48 seconds from third place overall.

I love this race. My favorite part is cheering for all the other women who have overcome God-knows-what to be out here triing. They are the true inspiration to women everywhere. I loved seeing all the dudes on the sidelines for a change. Cheering wives, mothers, and daughters. To my little fan club I am those things. Thank you mom, Just, Abb's and TyTy you are my reason for being.

XOXOXOXOXOXO!

Triathlon Fun to the Second Power

2010-05-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

What to do when your significant other shares the same love for triathlon as you do?

You don't have to quit your job or sell your kids to make time for triathlon training and racing. You may be tempted to when your spouse hogs all of the "free" time (aka early morning/late evenings) used to train while you; care for the kids, work, go to school, keep up on chores, bills etc. There is a better way. You can have your Gatorade and drink it too.

We had our first fight. It wasn't about in-laws, money or who forgot to put laundry soap on the grocery list. Instead it was who about who was going to train on a certain day for a certain time. I remember my husband telling me awhile back that I should "get a hobby." Well honey I not only got one hobby I got three. Shortly after that he decided that he wanted to join me in this crazy tri-lifestyle. That's when we decided to seek mediation.

We sat down one night with a pen, paper, calender and a list of races that we would like to do this season. Then we broke the list of races down to one's that would be "A" races, "B" and so forth. We picked those which would require loads of training, money and babysitters. After much debate, consultation and reflective listening we had a plan in writing and on the calender. We toasted our protein shakes and our marriage was saved!

Its hard to explain to people who don't quite get our weird addiction to our sport. How do you explain to people that our date nights include dropping the kids off at grandmas and hitting the sack at 9:00. Or how about he couple who spends their anniversaries river rafting, surfing, completing marathons in far away lands and biking centuries. How romantic are we? We have shared many firsts together; 5k, marathon, triathlons, 70.3 and now we have have hopes of Boston qualifying and completing our first Ironman. However, these big aspirations will not happen unless we are on the same stroke length er...page.

Here are a few tips on keeping both you and your S.O. happy, fit and ready to race.

1. PLAN- Its easy for Type A personalities (like most triathletes are) to make a plan. You really have to map out every little detail of when, where and what workout you'll be doing. For us it was deciding when we would swim. Since we don't have a pool at our house we knew this workout would require away time. This lead me into...

2. OPTIONS- Since we started training for races that include two-a-days it was imperative that we had options to train at home while the other trained away. We have a bike trainer, treadmill, weight set, and yoga videos at home. This gave one of us the option of going for a "real" bike ride while the other got to watch Sesame Street with the kiddos while on the trainer.

3. PICK DIFFERENT RACES- Grandma and grandpa have a life too. They love our kids but may not want to spend every single Saturday watching them. So we started to stagger our races so one of us would be a spectator and parent while the other raced. I thought I'd have a difficult time being a spectator but I soon realized that watching a triathlon can be a part of training. I learned so much about the sport and was able to watch and cheer for everyone; from the first place male finisher to the first timer. You can also get inside scoop from other spectators as to "whose who" amongst the field of the super-fasts.

4. BE MULTI-TASKED-Asking a triathlete to be multi tasked is like asking a kid to be excited for Christmas. But why not put the kids in the bike trailer and head to the track? They can play in the long-jump pit while you run repeats! How is that for multi-tasking? Or, push the jog stroller up a hill while your child shouts "go mommy go!" Not only does your kid have fun but you get a killer strength building workout.

5. MAKE IT A TRIP- For my 30Th birthday I ran the Catalina Marathon with my husband and then spent the rest of the weekend with my sister and her fiance'. We went golfing, sight seeing and ate until we couldn't breathe! We've also done family trips where after a race we spend time with the kids hiking, swimming and playing at the park. This way the whole family gets a fun trip and you don't spend the time thinking about workouts your going to miss.

6. BALANCE- As obsessed as we are about training and racing we know how to keep our lives balanced. We would never miss a soccer game, dance recital or birthday to satisfy our cardio needs. There are also other things to talk about than tri-bikes, gear and nutrition. We have to put the new Triathlete/Runner magazine down and pick up Dr. Seuss sometimes.

By finding the right balance will make you a better athlete, friend and parent. It will keep you grounded, humble and eager to give it your all in everything you do. Isn't that what life's all about?

A little therapy...

2010-05-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Aghhhh! Its been one of those weeks. Things just weren't going right and I needed something. I thought about drugs, drinking, and decided to run away. Literally I ran and ran and ran and up, up, up I went. I've been meaning to do some hill work but just needed a bad mood and a little anger to get me there. I did it and man I feel much better. I didn't take the garmin. It was me and the road. I was surrounded by my beautiful city. The mountains looked spectacular! Once I reached the top of the 1.5 mile hill I could overlook the entire valley. What a sight! I a had made it. Running like life is hard yet rewarding, humbling yet exhilarating. Sometimes you feel like your not going to make it, not going to finish or persevere but then your there and you made and and your ok. You did it and now you feel alive, inspired and renewed all over again.

No need for drugs (unless you consider running a drug),

Michelle

First X 2

2010-04-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well we both had firsts this past Saturday. It was the first triathlon where I was a spectator. I tried to be a spectator last year at the Shark Attack tri but decided to enter that race when Justin picked up his packet the night before (I won that race by the way). Anyways, I was just as nervous/anxious as someone watching the race as I would have been as a racer. I had the kiddos in tow so I definitely got a workout that morning pulling a wagon weighed down by 15 blankets, 2 pillow pets (bunny and monkey), 2 granola bars, 3 water bottles, 2 chocolate milks and a partridge in a pear tree. It was a beautiful day! A little chilly at the start but it sure beat last years wind and rain. Justin looked mighty fine in his standard tri get up. We watched at the waters edge as he did some sort of dive-flop into the pool for the 400 meters. We cheered for him as he passed us 3 times in the pool. After he exited the pool onto T1 was the perfect time for me to unload our wagon and head to the playground. When I walked back towards the park I had to pass the pool again. There were still around 40-50 people who were finishing the swim. You could tell from the pace in the lanes that this was the group of the beginner swimmers. The people who just wanted to "survive" the swim and rock the bike and/or run. I felt a bit of pity for these swimmers and their awkward pace and strokes...then I smacked myself in the face and said "Michelle! These people are triathletes and they GET to swim, bike and run! They are the inspiration and the one's who are out there DOING and TRIING. We all have to start somewhere and they were tackling something that many people will go their whole lives never experiencing. I had one of those moments when you get washed with emotion and I teared up a bit by thinking of their courage! What an amazing moment.

Just before Justin returned from the bike leg I hear sirens. I can't explain the nervousness I felt. The same emotions when I didn't see Justin at 3.10 last week. I wanted to puke. Where was he? Then as if God could sense my angst here he came. The worry disappeared just as fast as Justin exited T2 with his smokin' fast legs for the 5k. It was so great to watch these amazing athletes of all abilities, shapes, sizes and ages. You could see the joy in their faces as they crossed the finish line. Way to go! Way to TRI! I am so happy to be part of this sport as a spectator and competitor!

Justin's first.......Gold medal that is!

Justin says...

Ahh...the taste of redemption sure is good. After last week, I'll admit I was discouraged. I had worked harder than ever before and the results just weren't there. I was left to wonder what I had done wrong. Thankfully, I had this next race scheduled to get my mind off of the marathon.

The week leading up to this race was a typical Utah spring week. To quote Forrest Gump..."it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get." Needless to say, Friday was a nasty windy cold and rainy day. I thought about this race last year and the lousy weather...here we go again! I guess I'm just destined to race in the slop. Oh well, no worries, it couldn't be colder than the Icebreaker weather, could it? My toes, and other extremities (to go nameless) hoped not.

I woke up Saturday morning expecting winds and rain. To my surprise, it was an absolutely perfect day! I was also surprised at how calm I was...I don't ever recall being this calm before a race. Maybe I was still numb from the marathon, or the Icebreaker...who knows. So far, so good!

When we arrived at the race I couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot. How many crazy people were doing this race? (Come to find out, the race had doubled in size from last year.) I kissed the fam and headed to set-up my transition area. Who do I pass? Only the #1 ranked age 30-34 Triathlete in the State of Utah. What the hell is he doing here? Great, I'm going to get crushed in this race.

As I start setting up my transition area, I start looking around. All these sweet Tri bikes, and athletes...amazing. I look around even more, I see people of all kinds...young, old, short, tall, big and small. That's what I love the most...the camaraderie.

As I start to head back to the truck, Michelle flags me down. Wow...she got two kids ready, a wagon packed, and walked all the way over here, and all I did was set out my shoes and helmet. She's pretty amazing!

Of course, in only the way Michelle can, she brings a little humor to the atmosphere. "Here," she laughs, "Let's get a picture of the first aid tent, just in case you're here later." Thanks dear!

On to the race...

I positioned myself in the second wave of swimmers...not the elites, but better than average. This was a big step for me considering I was one of the last ten swimmers in the pool last year. Anyway, the swim went well...my favorite part was getting to the wall each lap and hearing "Go daddy/Justin!" from three cute smiling faces. It's one of the best things I've ever seen! I promise to return the favor many times over.

Swim was done 8:41 for 400 meters. Not too shabby for a "tug boat" as I've been called in the past. On to the bike...

Ugh...boy did I block this out of my memory from last year! I swear the bike was up hill both ways, it was brutal. I pressed on has fast as I could, but there were times where I was going as hard as I could and could barely keep 10 MPH. I remember thinking, my legs are toast, there is no way I can run after this. Fortunately, the last mile is gradually down hill, so I was able to spin my legs out. Into T2 and I see the fam again, cheering loudly...just what I needed for my legs.

I start the run, feeling pretty tired. It's only a 5K (allegedly), so I should be able to push through it. I remember this run, but again forgot about the hills. I guess I do have a selective memory...Michelle must be right! The last 400 meters of the run is inside the Olympic oval, which is cool. I come into the building, and see the fam...Michelle gives me one last boost of motivation and across the finish line I come. Ahh...I love triathlons, but boy do they hurt! Time to mingle...

So as you can tell, Michelle and I both love to race! However, I think both of us enjoy the people and the atmosphere even more. I met a really inspiring person while standing in the swim line. A cancer survivor himself, and the parent of a young child who passed several years ago, his story is pretty amazing. I also saw a guy we met at a friends Christmas party. We talked triathlon for a long time at the party, and he mentioned he might give it a shot this year. Well, not only did he give it a shot, but he completed it! Sounds like he's hooked now too! Gotta love it.

So as the final results came out, I had expected to finish somewhere in the top 15. As I started to scan the results, I kept looking for my name...to my surprise, I had finished 6th overall (out of 278 finishers) and 1st in my age group. I won my age group for the first time by a whopping 0.20 seconds. Wow, that's pretty cool, glad I ate that bean burrito on Friday to give me a little extra power (gas power that is...LOL). What a fun time.

My favorite part though (by far) was seeing the family at every turn. Thanks babes and kiddos. You'll never know how much it means to have your support! I'm up next, and I'm sure you'll rock the Women of Steel!

Salt Lake Marathon=SPRING TIME!

2010-04-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic weekend! Spring is finally here. It was a taper week which ended with our annual marathon and half marathon. The weather was just perfect and the people were great. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. We set the alarm for 4:30 and woke up without a problem. Justin had his usual oatmeal and I ate my gronola bar and a small cup of java. We all rode to the race together (mom, Denise, Justin and Brittany). What fun is that! Sharing prerace excitement with friends really wakes you up. The race itself was spectacular. I just love running through our amazing city. There were 4,000 participants in the half and 1,000 in the marathon. I felt great and passed some and got passed. My pace stayed consistent so consistent that I finished in almost the exact same time as last year. 1 hour 43 seconds. So I'm not dissapointed or overly elated.

As for Justin...

Well, it's back to the drawing board for me. I know I haven't posted for a while, but that doesn't mean I am no longer in the game. In fact, it's the complete opposite. I'm as focused and motivated as I've ever been, and looking forward to an awesome season. That being said, I

came into the 2010 SLC Marathon with extremely high hopes of nailing down my Boston spot. Everything was set-up perfectly, fully healthy, excellent training, perfect weather...I couldn't have asked for more.

Couldn't have asked for more than...hmm where to begin? Let me just say, I love the SLC Marathon. It's by far my favorite. In my home state, close to home, great crowds, fun/challenging course. It's a great race. I've got a 7 year streak going as of yesterday (completed all 7 SLC Marathons), bottom line I just really look forward to this race. Given all this, for some strange reason, yesterday was just an off day.

Here's a summary of my race, and some of my thoughts.

I felt great at the start, but at about the 9 mile mark I noticed I still had goose bumps. That's odd, never had that happen before...oh well, I thought, the sun isn't up over the mountains yet. They'll go away, just keep pressing on, no worries. BAM! Oh sh*#, what the...my left calf just locked up! What the...? That was strange, never had that happen. Okay, must be these compression socks I'm wearing...no worries. Ahh, halfway home...1:31 minutes for the first 13.1. At this point, I've run the perfect race (or so I think). Got myself a four minute cusion for the second half. Let's see if we can hang on...

Mile 15. Ouch, what is going on here? My left calf has been giving me fits, and now my right calf is starting to lock up. I still have these goose bumps...what is going on today? Alright, only 11 miles to go, maybe we can hang on. Check the watch, sweet...3 minute cusion. I'm still on pace.

Mile 17. Pace is dwindling...I have no thrust. Everytime I try to push my pace to 7:15 my calves are locking up. I'm now running about an 8:00 mile pace. I'm still on track, but I'm starting to wonder if today is the day. Take in a few of my favorite treats...some delicious sport beans. That should help, four little jelly beans, the perfect solution to every problem.

Mile 19. Oh no, this isn't good. I've lost my cusion, and I'm not able to keep the 7:15 pace. He*#, I can't even keep an 8:15 pace. This is hilarious.

Mile 20. I'm here at 2:30, I could push the last 10K in at my PR pace and still make it. Let's do it...time to focus. What's this? My legs are responding? Sweet...I've got this, I knew those sport beans would do the trick. Here we go, it's going to be close, but there is still a chance. Umm...that doesn't feel right, and why do I have goose bumps still?

Mile 23. Off the pace...darn it. Time to finish this baby and regroup for another shot at my BQ time.

Mile 25. Damn up hill section of State street! As Ty would say..."Dat's nawt bewy nice!" :(

Mile 25.5. Ahh...wifey Michelle. She's got this look on her face, oh no, is she feeling okay? I know she was pushing it in her half...did she go too hard? She's fine...it's me she's worried about. I'm cool...time to push it into the finish.

Mile 26 - 26.2. Complete joy...love the finish at the Gateway. What a spectacular atmosphere...great crowd. Huge thanks to all the volunteers, they're always amazing. Final time 3:26.57.

In closing...

I have a goal to qualify in 2010, and join Michelle at the 2011 Boston Marathon. I know I will get there. In reading the above, you probably think I had a miserable experience with this race. That couldn't be further from the truth. I had an amazing time. I love to run and race, and I'm not disappointed at all. I will be back again next year, and the next, and the next...and hopefully until I'm in a box. Life is good.

P.S. - I tried to sign up for 15 Marathons yesterday, but Michelle (the greatest wife ever) gave me some perspective. We do this for fun...just get out there and run!

Run Happy!

Feeling guilty...

2010-03-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today I was in painful labor with my first child. Fast forward to today (March 27, 2010) and I'm climbing Suncrest in my first EVER TT (timed trial). I was so nervous! Why I ask myself? I know how to race, I've Boston qualified, done a half-ironman and trail marathon, it can't be more nerve wracking than that...right? Being at a bike race has such a different atmosphere than running races and tri's. These people were so serious. They were warming up on their trainers in the parking lot, had all sorts of gear that they were stripping off and way to serious looks on their faces. Wasn't this supposed to be for fun? For underprivileged kids who needed bikes? Or was this a qualifier for the Tour de France? Lighten up people! Seriously! My warm up was around the parking lot (which actually cooled me way down with a little frost bite). Forget warming up! So I headed back to the truck and talked to the kids who were munching on Burger King french toast...YUM.

Then it was time to "tire" the line. Weird! Some dude was holding me upright while I clipped in and counted down to my official start time of 9:05 (just about the time 5 years ago when I was pushing). The hill climb was a lot harder than I expected and I got passed by 3 women and 1 pro man. I did pass 2 women so a net of 2 was okay by me. Justin and the kids kept cheering me on from the truck and where ever they could find a pull-out. As I climbed to 1300 feet I was starting to feel some pains..not the labor ones but pretty close. Then I started to feel guilty that I was doing a race on my baby girls 5th birthday. I should be at home making her pancakes and watching her biff it on her new roller skates. Then I had another thought....what better gift could I possibly give her than the gift of determination and courage. She can watch her mom literally "climb a mountain" with a smile on her face and know that she can too, one day, accomplish anything!

Happy Birthday Baby!

I love you,

Mom

Icebreaker Tri...umm do you guys know how to ride a bike?

2010-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Frost on the ground.....Justin setting up transition

Happy times running

Second and third place finish...nice medals!

Today was our first triathlon of the 2010 season. It was FROSTY! We had such a blast doing it. Justin was smokin' fast. He had a decent swim, good bike and killed it on the run. He was the 4th fastest runner on the field of 230. The only thing separating him from the top guys was his bike split. Way to go babes!

Let me just say that I was disappointed in my total time because it was almost identical to my WOS time from last year. I was a bit faster on the swim and EXACTLY the same on the bike! What? Didn't I just spend $350 on a 4 month cycle camp?! Its so unnerving I mean what kind of R.O.I is that?! I've been beating myself up over that all day and decided to give up...just kidding. I am still going to make this a bike focus season. Let me just say about the run..ahhh it felt like warm apple pie. I was so at home with it. It felt soooo good.

What a great way to kick off the first official day of spring.

Justin 1.01.47 (second place age group and 8th overall)

Michelle 1.11.56 (Third place age group)

Where to begin!

2010-03-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our family at the Winter Running Series 10k. It was a little cold but we warmed up right away. Neither of us hit a PR but we were close to our last years times.

Wow! I feel like a blogger slacker. So much to say. First off, I am trying to redo our home page. I have some newer pictures I'd like to post from some road races we have done this winter. We have our first triathlon this Saturday! It's the Icebreaker sprint triathlon in American Fork. It should be OK weather. Definitely chilly in the morning. We are so excited to see how we are doing and if all this winter training and base building will pay off.

Stay tuned

Michelle

Happy New Year! We are back!

2010-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Michelle says...

Ahhhh....the holidays are over and that means that we are half way to summer and racing! Well in my book anyways. I love the holidays and we had a great time enjoying family, friends and of course eating and drinking to our hearts content. I love to eat. Its good that I also love to train or this blogger would be a blobber! So your wondering how cycle camp is going? Let me tell you I'm in love! We have been at it for 7 weeks (one week off on Christmas week). I never thought it would be so much fun. I have met some great people; triathletes adn crazy LOToJA freaks. Its amazing how much more respect I have for the bike. Lets just see if it pays off in races. I go 4 times/week for 1 to 1.5 hour sessions. We work on cadence, strenghth and speed all within prescribed heart rate zones. I was asked to join Team Revolution Cafe Rio by a fellow classmate. Now this is not a fancy sponsership or anything like that but more like a fancy club. I have to pay to join and buy one of their jerseys. I think it would be fun to get to know a few women who I could ride with this spring and summer. If you participate in 10 events you get like a $20 Cafe Rio card---so you see its not like I'm making anything here. It does sound pretty cool though. My running has sloughed off a bit and I get in at least 2 per week. Of course swimming is delightful and I could do it everyday but 2 times seems to be working out okay. Its all about the bike right now. If I get better on the bike I will have more energy for the run and so on...Once we are 12 weeks out from Boise 70.3 we will begin tracking our daily training.

On other news...we decided not to sign up for an Ironman this year (pending a destination wedding, school and the fact that we'd both be training for it). We just can't commit this year. So it looks like Ironman St. George 2011 will be our goal...unless we get a wild hair/spandex string up our butts and decide to suck it up and go for Ironman Vineman in Sonoma. I'll keep you posted of course...

Happy end of winter summer coming soon training,

Michelle

PS-Justin has turned into a crazy man with regards to food. He's reading the Abs diet book, cooking great food, and shopping wisely! I love it because I hate to cook. He's on a mission to get a six-pack! Good luck Babes-

Off seaon...

2009-11-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are still here and still training. We have entered the off season, so plans are less structured. I will begin cycle camp on Monday. This program will take me to a new level on the bike. I am way excited. I have been running 3 days per week, swimming 2 times and weights 1-2 times. Its nice to do "what feels good," without a rigid-mapped-out plan.

Justin is healing well and has been kicking butt in the pool and on the spin bike. He just ordered a bike trainer (to use during Sunday football). He plans to ride for 2+hours on it each Sunday!

We have registered for Boise 70.3! That will be in June 2010- stay tuned for that crazy adventure.

Happy off season,

Michelle

P.S. We have earned our right to eat all the turkey and holiday goodies- this is the best thing about being a triathlete. I love food!

Michelle says...one down one to go!

2009-10-07T13:47:00.001-07:00

I didn't get any pictures from race day, I'm so bummed but I did take this one. I hung my finishers medal with my final time sticker at the bottom of my garage stairs. It will remind me every time I head out to train how hard work pays off.

I did it! i qualified for Boston with 1 min. 17 seconds to spare. My final time was 3.49.43. I was surprised considering at mile 23 I totally bonked. Runners were flying past me and I wanted to do nothing more than stop. I hurt sooooo bad. I started the race a little ahead of my goal pace 8.23 so I was able to "sand-bag" 2 minutes. These precious 2 minutes were the cushion I needed at mile 23 when my pace slowed down to (I'm guessing) 9.30 min. pe mile. As for the course-stunning, volunteers-first class, weather-superb! I couldn't ask for more. Well, I guess a 3.20 would have been nice. I did wake up feeling great and thought that I'd love to blow my goal (3.40) out of the water but I am happy meeting my goal. I stayed with the 3.40 pace team up until mile 23 when my pace fell. There were 7000 racers and 5700 finishers. I came upon a good-looking guy at mile 16 and felt bad that he was walking. I knew he was an A plus racer and was capable of a much faster finish time. I was proud that he didn't get a DNF on his racing resume. Soooo Justin- you can BQ next year- Boston will still be there in 2011 and so will I. We do things together!

Happy recovery-

Michelle

Justin says...

2009-09-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

We've all heard those three words of encouragement - "Break a leg". As you can tell from my prevous posts this is pretty da$% relevent to me right now...and I'm not happy about it. Ten months of planning, preparing, training, and it comes down to the fact that my leg is still far from 100%. I've run 1 mile in the past five weeks. So do I plan on running the marathon? Hell yes I do!

I mean, why not? Last race of the season, leg is feeling "better", insert lame incoherent reason here, etc. It makes perfect sense for me to give it a shot. Yes, I hear you...I'm like the alcoholic justifying why he needs just one more drink at the bar. I'm sorry, I just can't help myself. I'm addicted to the race day atmosphere. I love it, I crave it, I need it...would someone please get the bottle away from the crazy drunk guy?!

I know...I know...it's pure craziness, but I'm determined to get through this. What doesn't kill us will only set the healing process back another 8 weeks, or something like that.

So to all you crazy people like me, a little piece of advice. Get another round, it's last call...err wait...good luck on your next race. Do as I do and "Break a leg".

Go get em Michelle. Next stop...BOSTON.

5 days to go! Michelle says...

2009-09-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Less than a week until all of my training, resting, eating, thinking, planning and obsessing will come to a conclusion. Will or will I not Boston qualify? I feel so good. I am going to try and keep a positive attitude all week, sleep well, eat healthy and try to find an outlet for all of this extra energy from not training so much. This is my A++ race. I want to make 3.40 more than I ever thought possible. It looks like the weather should be ideal (mid-low 50's? in the morning and not too hot by mid-morning). I have my outfit picked out and nutrition plan. As you can see, my son Ty is also all about nutrition! This is where I found him one morning. Help yourself son!

Systems ready for launch!

Michelle

Michelle says.... swim,run,bike, run? What the?

2009-09-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sad to say that the triathlon season has ended here in Utah. The weather will be turning cold here in a few weeks so my final triathlon was the Inaugural Daybreak Olympic triathlon on Saturday. It was a great race except that the open water swim portion was cancelled due to 3 cases of roundworm reported in the area. Part of me wanted to risk it and swim in the lake but then I really thought about it and decided I didn't want worms in my butt. The race directors were as disappointed as the racers so they made a "make-shift" swim in a private pool 1 mile from transition. We swam 75 meters (3 laps) then ran 1 mile before we mounted our bikes. The bike route took us up 2 large hills before turning down a hill and cruising to turn-around at 11.5 miles. What comes up must come down though, so it was back up the hill we just came down and once up to the top it was smooth sailing back to transition. Once my shoes were on it was onto the run (again) this time 2 laps around Roundworm...I mean Daybreak lake. My legs weighed a ton and I just couldn't get them to turn-over fast enough. I passed a few women in the Olympic race and was pleased at that, thinking I may have a top 3 age-group placing. Justin was there to cheer me on when I crossed the finish line in 2.12.49 which gave me a 6th woman overall and 1st in my age group! Not bad, not bad! Of course I'm a bit greedy and want a top-three overall but I'm not too disappointed with my performance.

Goodbye tri's (for the season),

Michelle

Justin says...Stressed out - literally

2009-09-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well it's finally time to get back on the saddle. I figured I'd take 4-6 weeks off of training just before the last A race of the year - St. George marathon (3:10 goal). Why you may ask? It's simple...my fitness was at such a high level I decided training was not needed. I'm sure I can simply roll out of bed and cruise to a sub 3 hour marathon. Easy as pie, right?

Yeah, right. I wish this was by choice...you might have thought I was clinically insane with that training plan, but at least I'd have been able to run around my padded room. Instead, I can't even manage to run down the hall right now. I think someone mentioned something about a drunken horse?

If you haven't guessed it, somehow, I've managed find a way to give myself a stress fracture in my lower left leg. Oh yeah, that's right, I'm out of action for 4-8 weeks, and St. George was only 5 weeks away at the time of the injury. PERFECT TIMING. Kiss that 3:10 goal goodbye...I'll be lucky to even finish.

Needless to say, I'm none too pleased right about now. At least the NFL season has begun to take my mind off of the lack of training I'm doing. Maybe I can be like the New England Patriots in week 1 against the Bills, and pull out a miracle. That's my only chance in St. George...

I'd write more, but I'm too busy stressing about how the he$# I'm going to keep from snapping this leg at mile 12. Man that last 14.2 will be a long way to walk...

Good luck Michelle...cheer me on at the finish line!

Michelle says...

2009-09-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh......I finished my last 20 miler. It felt pretty good. My left foot has plantar faceitis which is annoying but I think I can run through it. My nutrition strategy has been working great. I drink a-little-bit-often to stave off dehydration. I have been drinking gatorade at all of my "aid stations" and carrying H20 with me and sipping often. No more gels/gus! I may pop a underolytes pill of a few sport beans but nothing big. I'm doing my stomach a favor by having the substance already broken down into liquid form.

Time to taper,

Michelle

Michelle says..4weeks to go!

2009-09-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

We are coming up on St. George so fast. Justin would love to halt the race for a few extra weeks. He is still down with a stress fracture with small signs of improvement. He is quite bummed out but still holding out hope. He changed his next triathlon from an Olympic distance to a sprint distance in hopes that he will be able to run 3 miles. As for my training, I'm feeling more and more confident. I have one final 20 miler this Saturday and then I will begin to taper. My 15 miles this past Saturday was great. It rained on my for 5 of the miles which made me smile and kept me cool. My nutrition seems to be working out okay. I will try again this weekend with just gatorade, water and shot-blocks.

Get better Just!

Michelle

Michelle says...the good, the bad, and the broken!

2009-08-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

My Dear Jutin has a stress fracture! He's limping around the house like a drunk horse. He is absolutely distraught about the whole matter. The Doc said it was caused to "overuse, which is common in runners." Yeah for him. He should be back in the saddle 3-6 weeks. We do have a B race coming up in 3 weeks (Daybreak Olympic triathlon) that he will hopefully be able to do. It has been bitter-sweet for me. I have been doing enough training for the both of us. This past Saturday I completed a 20 miler, followed by a 23 mile bike ride with a friend and then went hiking with the family (4 miles) on Sunday. Ohhh and did I mention that I get to do most of the running around the house, chasing kids, fetching this and that, and so on? I know I would not trade places with Justin for anything. It sucks to be side-lined. This will be a test for both of us.

Happy healing Honey,

Michelle

Michelle says.... its good to be back!

2009-08-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

My first week back into training! It feels great. I have missed my track workouts and swimming intervals. I'm getting so excited for St. George! I need to figure out my nutrition strategy. This weekends 20 miler should help. I am going to meticulously plan every mile! When I eat, what I eat, what I drink etc.

Never puke again,

Michelle

Michelle says...

2009-08-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh...... my legs still work! Well after 4 days of sleeping 10 hours, eating everything in sight, and sitting on my you-know-what, I am ready to get back in the pool, saddle and pound the pavement. Like taper week, the week after a race is the same-rest, rest rest. I am really bad at rest (just ask Justin). I love to train constantly. The only thing that gets me to rest is knowing that I could get faster by doing so. I will be ready to hit-it-hard come Monday! I can't wait.

St. George Marathon here I come!

Happy training (and resting)

We did it!! But not without some drama...

2009-08-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

The Utah Half Triathlon Entry Fee's = $280

Wetsuit Purchase/Rental = $200

Gym membership fee's = $1000

Getting our asses kicked by mother nature for 70 miles = PRICELESS!

You've gotta love this picture of Michelle. It sums up how I assume everybody felt after finishing this race...and I quote, "Holy sh&*, am I done yet? Excuse me, where is the bathroom, so I can puke my guts out?" Man oh man, what a race...

We've all heard those stories that seem just a little to dramatic to be true. You know, the one where your grandparents had to walk ten miles to school with no shoes. Up hill both ways in six inches of snow...blah blah blah. Yeah whatever, I was born at night, but not last night. Well, we now have our own version of this story! You decide how much of it to believe...

Let me begin by telling you that Michelle and I are a couple of tough cookies. Rain, sleet, snow, does not deter us from our training. (That or we're on the verge of going postal...forgive the pun.) Seriously though, we do 99% of our cardio training outdoors. It doesn't matter if there is 6 inches of snow on the ground and a 20 mile training run awaits, we're out there trudging along. Well I thought we were tough, until this Saturday.

It all started so peacefully. Awake at 4:45 AM, on the road by 5:15. Weather was calm and clear. It looked like a beautiful day for a race. Living in Utah though, if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes and it'll change. Had we only known then we could have faked an injury, called in sick, called in dead, whatever.

After setting up our transition area, getting the body markings (which we both still have days later), and standing in line for the porta potties, we were pumped and ready for the swim. (By the way, let me mention, there is nothing worse than a pre-race porta potty. I'm so glad I'm a guy, yuck!) As we begin to walk to the swim area, not even 10 seconds after leaving transition, the wind starts to pick up. Not too big of a deal, at least there is no lightening, right? Still pumped for the swim....whimper! By the time we get to the swim start, the wind is howling, at least 80 MPH. Okay maybe only 20-30 MPH, but bad enough to wreak havoc on the swim buoys. So much so that we couldn't start the swim. The wait begins...second whimper.

15 minutes...oh boy. Watching the wind blowing, white caps start showing in the swim course. With my swim skills it was like showing a little kid a horror movie, and then asking them to sleep in the basement alone that same night. Ain't happening...

30 minutes...are you kidding me. I had totally pumped myself up for this 1.2 mile swim, and now waiting 30 minutes in the cold wind was more than I could take....double whimper.

The swim begins...

Finally, after a 40 minute wait, we are instructed that there is enough time for 1 loop of the two mile course. In total maybe 3/4 of a mile. I mustered up enough of my strength to convince myself it wouldn't be that bad. Big mistake. About three minutes into the swim, I'm going strong. Front middle of the pack swimming strong. I go to take a breath right at the same time one of the waves decides to crash down on my head. I know, I'm not a strong swimmer, but I'm not dumb enough to breathe while my head is still underwater...at least not usually. Oops...that hurt. Okay, time to regroup, I can do this. Just need to get my composure, flop onto my back for a little regroup. Bam...next wave smashes me. Now I'm ticked...can't swim in this crappy water, can't float on my back, how the he$% am I going to survive this swim? Ahh...I realize we're in Utah Lake. Shallow enough in certain spots to walk. Must find shallow water. Much to my relief, I find a small shallow spot. I know what you're thinking...sorry to disappoint, but no I'm not too proud to walk during a swim. Anything to survive. Yet another strong swim...outta the water in 223rd place, out of 258 participants. But at least I'm alive. On to T1.

Pull the wetsuit off, socks, shoes, and helmet on. Grab the bike, and look who it is...Michelle. She started 10 minutes after me, and she's almost passed me already...brutal. Oh well, at least I'm not floating like that dead carp near the swim entrance. Grab the bike and I'm off...wait a second, my right calf is completely cramped up, the da%$ swim strikes again. Ugh!

No time to waste, 56 miles of peaceful asphalt ahead. Peaceful? I guess if you were one of those people who chase tornado's for a living you might have considered this bike peaceful. Forty mile an hour winds the entire time. Of course, riding into the wind the entire time. C'mon - what do you mean you don't believe that? Okay, fine...we did have that little stretch into the side wind. In all seriousness, the wind was whipping the entire ride. Although shorter than the Tour De Park City, this ride was 10 times tougher. I remember laughing to myself several times during the ride..."What the he$% am I doing? This is craziness." To top things off, as we turned North to head back to the race hub, we caught a glimpse of the "Storm of the Century" that was causing all this havoc. I'm talking about the biggest, blackest, nastiest looking storm I've seen in a long time. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that we were riding our bikes right into the teeth of this sucker. I can only imagine this is how the soldiers in the Civil War felt as they were heading into battle. You can see the enemy and you basically just run right into the middle of the scrum. Sounds appealing, huh?

Well, of course this race wouldn't have been complete without the rain. With about 10 miles to go, we finally hit the rain. By this time, everybody looked absolutely drained. Fighting the wind had just sucked the life out of us. On a scale of 1 to 10, had I been asked to rate myself, I would have given myself a 2. Not good considering I wasn't off the bike yet and still had a half marathon to run. Things were looking bleak, not to mention I was completely out of food, water, and gatorade. Big mistake...and on top of it all, I was soaked to the bone, and cold. Yes, cold in August...in Utah. Oh well, at least I can put on a nice pair of dry shoes for the run. Oh sh*%, my shoes are in the transition area, completely exposed! They're drenched too...

Somehow I managed to limp my way in on the bike...got a little burst of energy seeing some family at the transition area. Grabbed some food for the run and was off. For all you seasoned racers, you've all heard the warnings...DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY!!! Well, that's exactly what I did...and it was great! Of course, nobody has said I'm the sharpest knive in the drawer. Plus, I'm getting older and my hearing isn't that good anymore, just ask Michelle. What was that? Did someone say something? Huh, oh well...back to the story.

The run for me was actually the most enjoyable part of the race. I ate a 12 course meal...bananas, pretzels, Nilla wafers, gummy bears, M&M's, granola bars, it was great. After having been wiped on the bike, my body responded well to the fuel and I ran a strong race 1 hr 41 minutes. Not a PR, but a good run regardless. The run course was odd...to say the least. Someone described it as a spider. Run out for a leg, come back to the middle, run out to another leg, come back to the middle for two loops. It was actually refreshing, as we were able to see friends and family several times and that is HUGE for moral. The highlight of the run though, came about 5 miles in. A guy was about 200 hundred yards in front of me, but I was closing fast. Suddenly, I see a stream of water shooting to the right...what the he&*? This dude is peeing mid-run. He didn't even slow down! Amazing...I'm just glad I was still behind him. Yikes.

All in all, after a shaky swim, I was able to ride and run strongly and finish in 27th place overall. Breaking the 5 hour mark by 45 seconds. Although the swim was cut short, I think the wind and rain made up for it. The race director made an attempt at humor before the swim began, and I quote, "The two lap swim isn't important, you're going to get more wet on the bike and run." HA HA HA...shut up! Boy was he right.

Michelle was strong as usual. 19th female overall, 5 hours 30 minutes...and looking stunning as she came across the finish line. She's one sexy triathlete. Nice job babe!

So there you have it. Our first 70.3...or or 69.8, whatever! I'll leave you with this...I've now done four triathlons this year. The first had rain and temps in the forty's, the second had rain and wind, the third was unseasonably HOT, and the Utah Half...see above for weather description. MOTHER NATURE HATES TRIATHLON. LOL...at least the ones I choose to do!

Tri and Run a little this week. You'll feel much better, don't let the above scare you. We can't wait for our next race.

The dreaded taper! Michelle says....

2009-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Justin in the kitchen. Look closely those are garden tomatoes which he used to make homemade pizza sauce! Very healthy, immune-boosting and delicious! Love the apron Honey!

I really have a hard time tapering for a big race. I feel lazy and a little sluggish. I heard somewhere that during a taper you are more likely to get a cold (knock on wood). I've been lucky this season to not have contracted any colds or the flu (knock on wood again). I attribute it all to training and eating right. During training your immune system is working very efficiently. I also believe that you are constantly "flushing" toxins out of your body during a hard sessions. Combine that with taking in a ton of fluid (h20) and its no wonder why athletes are less likely to get sick (K on W). So there you have it. I hate to taper for the above listed reasons. Two days to go!! I'll try not to worry myself sick!

Tour de Park City- Michelle says...

2009-08-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here we are after the ride. A trip on a gondola to a concert to celebrate 7 years together!

Ages and ages hence three roads diverged into Jeremy Ranch and cyclists took the one with the dead end. Although the tour took...well... a detour to start, it did turn out to be an enjoyable ride. We had perfect weather. The morning was a little chilly but once you started riding you warmed right up. We are so lucky to live minutes away from absolute stunning scenery. After our first 10 miles we headed out of town and towards the Jordanelle reservoir overlook which was a slight climb to our first refuel station. After that we headed into Francis. Talk about farm country! Cows, horses, barns and fields everywhere. Absolutely gorgeous! We then began our slight climb toward Wolfe Creek Pass. The scenery turned into a small, winding road with a creek bubbling next to us. We could see large pines in the background and an occasional cabin sprinkled about the greenery. Now this tour is considered one of the toughest because of the elevation change. Up (no pun intended) until this point it was an easy ride. We began our accent up Mount Everest ooops... I mean Wolfe Creek Pass. This was a 12 mile climb with the last 6 at 90 degree vertical. We made it to the second aid station with the feeling of an Olympian crossing the finish line. Only, we were at 50 miles which meant 50 more to go.

After refueling we sped down the canyon at 35mph with bugs hitting us with such force that I now know what a windshield feels like. It leveled off and now we enjoyed some flat roads and more farm country. I just love small towns. Kamas is one of them. They have cute little diners, and dairy freezes. It took me back in time to when life was more simple. Before Blackberrys, I-Phones and video games. We saw kids out playing baseball and riding their bikes. It was kind of weird. We approached our final fuel stop and loaded up on more power bars, PB an Js, rice crispy treats and topped off our water bottles. (Since we are mainly runners it is very odd to us that you get to stop for 5-10 minutes and stuff your face. You would never do this in a marathon. If you did it would take you 10 hours to finish and you would poop your pants.)

Anyways, we left our all-you-can-eat buffet and headed out onto a flat road with our climbs behind us or so we thought. A piece of advice for new riders: never talk to another rider who has done this same ride before. I did just that and found out that we had another mountain to climb with not one but two peaks!! Yahoo! I really wasn't too sore at this point but we were approaching 6 hours in the saddle and my butt bones were a little achy and I was tired of sitting. This is where you need that mental strength they talk about. We just kept plugging along. Then the wind came to make out climb even more challenging.

When my cyclometer read 90 miles. I was done. Where was the finish!? We were now climbing on the highway! Did we take a wrong turn (again)? We were being passed by those crazy peleton groups who were completing the 170 mile tour. I tried to join them but they were going 25mph and I felt like a champion at 12mph. The finish came in a very unclimatic manner. Unlike marathons where you get a finishers metal, free food, more grab-bag goodies and such, we were welcomed by food, bikes, and jerseys all...... for purchase! O'well. What an experience! We needed to get used to 100 miles in the saddle if and when we conquer an Ironman.

Happy Anniversary Jus!

Justin says...

2009-07-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Spudman Recap

I guess I should start with an apology. In my last post I took a stab at some humor involving a rock...you know, I swim like a rock...blah blah blah. Boy did I pick on the wrong group to pick on. So here goes...

"I'm sorry for saying I swim like a rock. It's absolutely false. In fact, based on my experience in the Spudman, I'd have to say any rock would swim quite a bit better than I ever will." That being said, let me explain my apology. Before I do though, a small tangent...who decided swimming would be the first leg of a triathlon? I can think of many, many events that would be more appealing...pie eating contest, competitive snorkeling, fencing, chess, etc. Just my opinion, but these are much safer bets.

and now, back to the story...

After one of the most epic of swims ever...I'm cruising along in 578th place. As I choke my way out of the water, BAM, my toe gets obliterated by a rock.. Coincidence? I think not! Did I mention how much I love swimming?

After limping my way through the first transition area, my wet and blood sock and all, I head out on to the bike. I've never felt so many eyes on me during the bike ride...they were everywhere. Get it...potato, eyes, LOL. I know, I know...lame one, but how often can you get in a good potato joke these days. By the way, isn't the peleton supposed to be at the Tour De France right now? Who'd of thought we'd have spotted one in Idaho. So much for the no drafting rules. Creeping into the top 100 after the bike.

My apologies to the poor saps who crashed on that da*$ shoe in the second transition area. Remind me to tighten up that clip? Oops...

Finally onto run. Ahh the run...what a run. Nothing like a hot, flat, dry, shadeless desert to make the run hard as he*%. Again, the eyes were penetrating...sorry, I couldn't resist. Definitely not a PR, but good enough to get me into the top 50 overall (42/1346 finishers). I'll get over the fact that I got passed on the run by FIVE runners...sometime this winter.

All in all, it was a great race. Congrats to my beautiful wife on her great finish (19th woman finisher)!

Way to go E.L., I won't let anyone know about the snoring episode, it's our little secret!

If the Spudman didn't team me anything else, it left me with a new triathlon saying...

"ROCK ON!"

Spudman

2009-07-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Before (with E.L) and after with Justin

Michelle says...

Spudman was like that song "Hurt so good." The swim was great except for the fact that me and E.L. were in the 5th wave which set us up for a 90 degree run. I was out of the water in 16.56 which was way better than I'd expected. Of course it was a down stream swim so I won't get too excited about my next Olympic triathlon. When I got out of the water I felt like I weighed a ton! I just kept thinking "get this wetsuit off of me!" I ran as best as I could while yanking my cap and goggles off (2.13min for T2) and then onto the bike. The course could not have been any flatter. All I have to say about that is there is not a shortage of potatos in this world. Everywhere, everywhere there was nothin' but potato fields. Well there was a farmer who yelled "welcum' to Idaho!" So this race was deffinetly not USAT- talk about drafting! I never thought I would hear the word "Peleton" in a tri. There were no officials out on the course so if you rode your mo-ped it would have been just fine. I finished the bike in 1.08.44 (not bad for 24.8 miles), got my running shoes on in (.54 sec. #1 time for the women>>>yahoooo). Then... the run. Talk about hot! I ran so slow (50.11) 10k! OUCH. I was very dissapointed at that but I am just glad I survived the heat. I dumped h20 over my head, ran through sprinklers anything to keep me cool. I was way thirsty so I must have been a little dehydrated so I just told myself to not stop and that I was almost there. Crossing the finish line was spectacular! I gave it my final push as they said my name. After that I drank like 3 bottles of water, 1 chocolate milk, 1 gatorade and a partidge in a pear tree>>>>just kidding. It was a great race, I just wanted a top 3 age group finish, instead I took 7th out of 110 in my group. I guess God is keeping me humble. Now I am even more motivated to train harder and get faster!!!

Justin says...

2009-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well, since this is my first ever attempt at this "blog" thing, let me start by talking about some of the other "firsts" I've experienced this year. Where to begin...

How about spandex. Are you kidding me? I thought this sh*% was gone in the 80's, but alas here I am wearing spandex again! The scary thing is that it's almost a daily occurrence anymore.

Tour De France - zzz...zzz...zzz. That's what I used to think. I'm totally addicted. In fact, I never thought I'd be a roadie, but here I am leaving the house at 5:30 AM to "squeeze" in 50 miles before work. 50 miles? By the way, what the he*% am I doing awake at 5:30 in the morning?

Swimming laps. Seriously, could anything be more boring? I mean, we're talking about swimming? It's kind of like AI talking about "practice". "Swimming...we're talking about swimming". I was once told, "...you swim like The Rock". I say, "Really...I didn't know he was a good swimmer". He says..."No...not like The Rock, like A ROCK!" You catch my drift...I'd rather be golfing.

Again, what am I awake at 5:30 in the morning?

Body glide - what is this stuff? I found out in a quick hurry. It's amazing how water seems to wash all the oils off your body when you swim. I found some very interesting places to chafe that I'd rather not relive.

But in all seriousness...what a good time we're having! We've run several marathons, and afterward I've always felt burnt. So tired of just logging mile after mile. And I love to run...

Triathlon, on the other hand, has been completely refreshing. It's almost as if there isn't enough time to get burned out, there is just too much to do.

By the way, it helps to have someone to enjoy the new adventures with. From our first 5K to our first Ironman..."We do things together." Or so I've been told...

Michelle says...

2009-07-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

It's getting darker earlier. I got a small taste of fall this morning. Sure, its 95 degrees out today but when I woke at 5:30 it was still dark. This makes it that much harder to wake up and train. I love the long, hot days of summer, when you feel that the day will never end. Race season is half way over and we still have our two "A" races (St. George Marathon and Utah Half Tri). I need to live in the moment and try not to think too far ahead. Although, Vineman Ironman is looking good!! I mean who wouldn't want to spend their 8 year anniversary doing an Ironman with their Love? Plus, it's in Sonoma one of our favorite places!

Here we go...

2009-07-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I would ever do a blog. Then again I never thought that I would run a marathon, do a triathlon, or attempt to qualify for Boston. I guess I have changed. At least I have become more open to trying new things, challenging my mind, body, and embracing technology.

I love to train. Whether it be for a short race, long distance or anything in between. This past year it has become my obsession. I cannot seem to get enough! From gear, races, podcasts, to anything and everything related to triathlon. I am on a mission now to complete my first Ironman next fall.I won't be doing this alone but with my best friend, (also known as my husband) Justin. We have been running/training/racing together since we met 9 years ago. We have come along way. Since then we have completed 5ks, 10ks, 15ks, half-marathons, full marathons, sprint triathlons and we will be doing our first Olympic triathlon this weekend. For our anniversary (August 2nd) we will be riding our first Century tour together (Tour de Park City). We are also registered for our first 70.3 triathlon on August 15. Whats left to do? IRONMAN! This blog will be record of our journey to the finish line of an Ironman and more.