I Signed up for a Half!!

Coach and I were trying to find a half Ironman to do before Sept. It was to boost my confidence (hopefully not kill it) and see how close I might be to the 17 hour mark. Well, most races I found were in April - too early for me, or June 8th, the day of my 4.4 Bay Swim - And I am not giving that up.

Well, after some searching, I found one in New York, about 6-7 hours away. Not too bad, and perfect timing - July 13.
So, I am pretty excited. I asked Jess if she would be interested in heading up there with me, to practice cheering, and she is up for it! I am really excited. I now feel like I have a nice string of races to keep me focused in the short run and THE ONE long term goal.

Woo-Hoo!!!

Best Run to Date!!!

Woo-Hoo!! My tempo lunch run was better the fastest to date. YAY! I am seeing progress and I am really REALLY happy. I really needed a good run. Actually, it was nice to have a good workout in general.

Roxanne had a shirt on the other day "Running is cheaper than therapy". So true, so true.

I got home after a long day and looked at Carlos again. Why is it so hard to get on that bike?? It is the one event right now that I am most worried on for not crossing the finish line in September. It is the easiest for me to get to, the bike is in my living room! Anyway, I did eventually get on and do my 40 minute ride. It was a good ride with some up tempo hard gears. As usual, I am glad I did it!

Slow day

Not much to report today. It was just a good, solid double workout day.

A good lunch, 40 minute run

A solid 2400M swim. I was supposed to do 2100, but threw in an extra 100 kick and 200 cool down. It just felt good to be in the water and I wanted to take advantage of that moment.

The only really note worthy comment to make was during the swim. I am swimming along, and you know sometimes, you look around. Well, I push off after a flip turn, look to my left, and really wish I didn't. Can you use the term "plumber butt" in swimming???
I guess I understand that if you are a guy, and you push off the wall, sometimes the shorts slide down a bit... but pull them up and tighten the draw string!! I really don't need to see that over and over and over!

Just a little tip from me to you!

A Great Birthday

Yesterday was my favorite holiday - my birthday!! It started off with a 35 minute bike ride on the trainer. Some friends planed a great brunch followed by bowling. Yes, it was neon pins and bowling balls. It really doesn't get much better than that. My first game was better than my second, but overall, it was great.

In the afternoon, I went for little hike/trail exploring in Rock Creek Park with a friend. We had no idea there were so many little trails!! It was really nice way to spend the afternoon and overall, my birthday.

My backside is a bit sore from the long walk yesterday but overall, I am feeling pretty rested and ready to go for 3 more hard weeks. My family got me some great triathlon books and a new log/journal to track everything.

My New Christmas Present

I decided to take yesterday as my rest day. Because last weeks run wasn't great, I really wanted a good run today. It was a bit chilly to start - see the ice on the canal!! I started on my own for my 85 minute run. It was quiet, peaceful and nice to be out. I was having HR issues again, which surprised me. It was cold so I usually do okay keeping it low and in range. Not sure what was going on. But, I finished and felt fine. I was slower than I have been for awhile which was a bit disappointing but I could have easily kept going. I guess that is a good thing. I saw Rose after I on my way back and was good to catch up with her when we were done. She is getting super fast!! Very impressive.

This afternoon I headed to my new favorite bike shop and I purchased my Christmas present!! I am very excited and can't wait to have my bike fitter guy come over and set these up! A huge thanks to Mom, Dad, and Grandma. Every time I drop down on to these aero bars, I will think of you!

Happy Anniversary!!

Can you wish your self a One Year Anniversary??

Guess what this week is??? The first week of spring semester. One year ago this week was my last first week of school!!

Some of my friends are still taking classes and this is the first week. I have hardly noticed that I am not in school. Mainly because when I finished, I just started training for this Ironman. However, a year ago I was taking my last 2 classes on my way to finishing my masters.

This really doesn't have anything to do with my training, other than finishing and now having the time to train for this experience. And it makes me happy that I finished my master while working full time. If I can do that, maybe I can become an Ironman too!!

Decent Double

Today was a decent day. Not great, not bad. I will take it. Originally, I complained to Coach that this off week had a lot for a light week. So, he said I could take off 1 run. Well, that would have been today's. But, I felt like a whiny wimp, so I did my 30 minute 'easy' run on the treadmill.

Tonight I went to the pool. I really didn't want to go and tried to find any excuse not to go, but I went anyway. I am glad I did - 2000M straight in a decent time. I felt better in the water and felt strong again. It also wasn't crowded and I never had to circle.

All and all, a good workout day.

I treated my self to a really good sandwich. I toasted the whole wheat bread, shredded rotisserie chicken, tomato slices, lettuce, low fat mayo and low fat cheese - melted over the chicken. YUM! I am not sure why I keep talking about food.

Tomorrow - a day off. Woo-Hoo! But, I might change this to take Sunday off as it is a special day. The BEST holiday ever!

Amazing What You Can Smell in a Pool

I know you have all been dying to know how my baked spaghetti turned out. Well, that was my lunch today and it was pretty good! And it's a good thing because I have 7 containers left. This dish contains ground beef, tomatoes, mushrooms, and of course spaghetti noodles - I used whole wheat. It also contains onions and green peppers. Now that tastes good for lunch; however, peppers and onions stick with for a few hours - especially in the pool. I am a lady, so I won't go into details, however, dang... the burping... Luckily there wasn't many people in the pool tonight!

That being said, I did have someone hop into my lane about half way through my workout, so we split - no need to circle until there is a 3rd person. Now normally, all I smell is chlorine as the Y seems to add a bit extra. Well, I took a breath on my right side just as the guy went past and D-A-N-G. I did not think it was possible to smell like that in a pool, so it must have been me - just caught a whiff of something. Nope, I was doing my 100's, taking my 20 seconds rest when he reached the end of the pool and stopped. Lets just say I cut my rest short. I was very happy to see the guy next me get out and free up a lane.

Tomorrow I am doing a run and swim so I can take Friday off. The workouts are short this week and no tempo or anything else, but I still want a day off.

Slow day

That was me today during lunch. Okay, maybe not the spandex - I wouldn't wear those. And my hair is darker, with no bangs. And I would NEVER wear colored socks with shorts.

Yup, it's an uneventful Tuesday with nothing much to report other than my 30 minutes on the treadmill. And if you are wondering how my baked spaghetti turned out, not sure yet. I baked it, put it in containers and stored in in the fridge and freezer. It's tomorrows lunch.

Wow, I am boring...

In Mourning

Well, the positive side is that no one expected the Packers to get as far as they went. But this picture says it all.
Just a bit of disbelief, shock, and wondering what happened.

I tried not to let it get me down all day today. We had the day off in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lauren and I spent the majority of the day volunteering by painting schools for Greater DC Cares. It was a great time and this was almost like a workout! Up and down on the ladder, painting strokes up and down, running back and fourth for stuff. Overall, it was a really good time.

I also got my workouts for the week. Coach realized that the end of this week was a bit tough, mainly because I told him :-) So this week is a 'light week'. HA! It is SOOO not a light week. 2 swims, 3 bikes (35, 40, 45 minutes - but no tempo stuff) and 3 runs (2-30 and an 85 minute)!! I told him that I would do it, but did mention that this seems like a lot, especially because I am just tired. He took off a run, which does make me feel a bit better.

Well, I am off to make some baked spaghetti and hop on my bike - after all, it is Monday and that means American Gladiators!!

I Just Keep Sleeping

Man, all I keep doing is sleeping. I was in bed by 11 and slept until 9 - and that is after my 3 hour nap yesterday. Biked and took a 2 hour nap. Now, I could easily go back to sleep. The only thing that is keeping me awake is the fact that in a few hours, I will head to my favorite bar to watch Brett.I think this week is my off week. I really need it. Regular stuff is piling up: bills (paid, not filed), laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and I still haven't taken down Christmas around my apartment... This whole process is definitely helping me with time management.

Anyway, I need to go put on my Packers sweatshirt and head to watch the game.

Go Pack GO!!

The Pretty and Ugly of Training

First of all, Friday's lunch run was pretty good. I did skip out of the bike on Thursday, so I think that helped have a decent jog.

Now, I try to keep my posts fun and light. Not too much serious, gross or overly emotional stuff.

Well, today is going to be a bit different. Jess, Rose, Lauren and I met up at the C&O Canal by Great Falls. A woman coming off the trail warned us that the path was a bit 'crunchy'. So we get down there and it was icy!! We all take off at our different paces and start the jog. It was BEAUTIFUL!! I felt bad that I couldn't take it all in because I spent most of the time looking down at the trail and ice. But the trail, the trees, gorgeous. I took a little detour to the overpass on of the falls and it is so amazing that we live so close to something so great.

Well, I was close to missing all of this. About 15 minutes into the run, I really could have used, shall we say, the facilities. Something wasn't sitting right. A feeling anyone who attempts these types of activities probably knows what I mean. Well, I kept going, attempting to keep my 4:1. I was hoping the detour on the overpass would help. Not so much. Then Jess pointed it out, the ONLY 2 words that anyone in my situation would want to see "Rest Rooms". It was like a glowing sign with the angelic "Ahhhh". Well, lets just say I spent a nice run/walk set in there and decided to head back. Lauren caught up with me and she walked/ran/shuffled back the rest of the way. I would try to run, but within the first 3 steps, it wasn't good. I have no idea what happened. But, I have never been so happy to be back to Marcus.

We headed to brunch after and a bagel did help settle the stomach. I skipped the swim and just came home. I took a 3 hour nap and then moved on to laundry. I really hope this was just something in passing...

Soooo Much Better!!

Tonight was finally better in the pool! I needed a good swim. It wasn't 100% back to what I know I can do, but it was way better. I just concentrated on how I know I can swim. My swim stroke is pretty long with a slow turnover; I like to think it's pretty strong. But tonight I real thought about strong, long strokes, pulling from my back, not my shoulders and arms. It really, REALLY helped. I finally felt a bit more comfortable in the water.

Now, true to form, I am sitting on my couch, in my bike outfit, staring at Carlos. Tonight is my "optional additional" bike. I always feel like I should do those, but I am still so beat. This week at work took a lot out of me.

But, today was a fun day. The class ended and it was snowing here. It turned to rain by the time I went to the pool and back home. But, this morning was very pretty.

Oww

How is it only Wednesday? I am beat and my head really hurts.

Today finished day 2 of my class. We should be done around noon tomorrow. Woo-Hoo!!
After the class today, I was going to take my "lunch" at the gym. Well, all the treadmills were full and there was no way I could get my 35 minute so I went back to the office and finished the day. That is when the headache set in. I still went to the gym and got in my 35 minute run. It was fine, nothing exciting. And, the best part, my headache went away.

Well, as soon as I got on the metro, it came back. I have been home for about an hour and a half, and it's still here. I have had water, a little bit to eat, caught up with a friend via phone, and my head is still pounding. Now, once again, I am looking at Carlos. I have only done 1 ride so far this week. 40 minutes is what I am supposed to do today. I can't push it off til tomorrow because I have to swim and bike tomorrow.

Oh, the debate...

Update: It's almost 11 and I just finished my 40 minutes on the bike. I made my self pay too. I had to do my 'tempo' bike and did 4x3 min up tempo. My quads are so achy - but in the good way. I started to yell at my self "To be an Ironman, you must go hard for 73 more seconds".
It was tough, again, but I am, again, so glad I am getting myself to do these workouts. I know it's going to get harder, but as long as telling myself I am going to be an Ironman, I will keep going.

Tired, Tired, Sooo Tired

That is two weeks in a row! I got up and was in the pool by 5:30 am. For SPRINTS! 1400 of my 1900 M workout was "hard". And it was! But I did it. I got home, took a shower, got dressed and feel asleep for about 30 minutes (or as my dad would say, naeep (nap/sleep)) before I rushed off to work for the class.

I am not going to talk about the training class I am attempting to teach.

So, the reason I did my workout this morning was because I had dinner plans. It's one of the best weeks in DC, Restaurant Week. A bunch of really nice restaurants do a price fix 3 course meal, $20.08
for lunch and $30.08 for dinner. So Merissa made reservations at 1789 for Jess, Kate and myself.
I have to say, it was one of those great 2 hours were you have no idea what you talked about, but it was great. We chatted about the basics, and somehow moved to other things I will not post.

But, it totally made getting up at 5 to do my workout very worth it so I could enjoy this dinner.

I am off to bed!

Oh, I almost forgot. To get to the restaurant, I finally climbed up the Exorcist Stairs. Something I have always wanted to do. That was a workout all on it's own!!

What a Day!!

I don't have the type of job where I work from sunup to sundown and I am very thankful for that. But there are times where it happens. Today was one of those days. I have mentioned before that I travel at times, teaching a few class. Well, this week the course is here. Now I have a certain level of, I don't know, I guess expectations when it comes to my co-trainers. When it's not met, I don't let it slide, I just do it my self. That is why I had a 10 hour day today. It's a big pet peeve of mine (I know, I have around 1,417 of them) but if you are going to do your job, do it! If not, fine, let me do it right instead of wasting both of our time.

BLAH!!!

So by the time I got home, I hopped right on my trainer for a 40 minute ride, watching American Gladiator of course. About 20 minutes into it, I started to feel my 40 minute tempo run from lunch (which, by the way, went pretty well). But I did the entire ride and that is 2 out of the 11 I need to do this week.

I am eating my surprisingly tasty chicken and veggie over wild rice stir-fry while I write this and then going to bed. I know I shouldn't eat this late... but it was now or never and it really needed to be now. I am going to bed early because my goal is to get up and swim before work and teaching my seminar. Coach is hoping that giving me 2 swims instead of 3 this will help me get my rhythm back. That and sprints...

Great... sprints...

Go Pack Go!

My bike ride today was not nearly exciting as yesterdays Packer game.

That first 2 minutes, I was ready to walk out of the sports bar. Than it turned around, in the best way. My favorite part was the snowball Brett threw at receiver Donald Driver. Good times.


Watching the snow did make me miss Wisconsin. Then I walked outside today and it was 45 degrees. I could have done my bike outside, but did it on the trainer. I am happy to be where I am for this training process!

Update: I didn't even realize - this is my 100th post!! Wow, who knew I had so much to say??? HA! Please keep your comments to your self on this comment :-)

A Little Better Today

First of all, I did move my butt from the couch to the new saddle last night. 35 minutes on my trainer. It felt fine and I was glad I did it.

This morning I woke up and headed to the run destination for my 75 minutes. Merissa, Rose and Lauren were there ready to go. Kristin called, running a bit late, but I am so glad we waited for her. I think she is putting together crazy outfits just to see my reaction. Good thing she is fast and I don't run with her... Poor Lauren. Just kidding! This outfit had blue, green, orange, and pink. It was impressive.

I finished up to everyone waiting for me in Merissa's new car. It wasn't just me who had a tough run. All 4 of them said the same thing. But once again, I was glad that I kept a 4:1 and kept going. I managed to only have to walk a few extra times and wasn't too disappointed in my distance. It wasn't as far as last week, but this trail a few little hills. AND, I didn't realize that I had the wind at my back the first half. That was a very unpleasant surprise when I turned around.

But a tasty brunch of a really good egg sandwich on a bagel made up for everything.

Also, I just got off the phone with Coach. It was nice to touch base and see what items I really should be concentrating on. Overall, he seems pretty pleased with me and the progress I have made. The most disappointing part of the conversation... he is from Illinois and therefore has it in his blood to root against the Packers. Boo! I told him I would try not to hold that against him and still keep him as my Coach... for now. HA!

Let's go PACKERS!!!

I've Lost My Rhythm

And I am not talking about dancing - which I can't do...

But, I don't know what is going on. I just had another bad swim. I had no rhythm, couldn't breath, and it didn't get better. Usually, I warm up after 500 or so, but this time, not so much.

FRUSTRATING!!!

I am trying to drag my self on my bike. But I have had bad workouts since Tuesday and am tired. I already decided I am staying in tonight and have a 75 minute run tomorrow at 9 am.

Blah!

Not A Good Run

Today started rough. I woke up really tired and new it would be a hard day. I got ready, packed my run bag and headed to the metro. When I got on a train, I realized I left my bag sitting on my sofa. I got to work and never really woke up. I am sure you all know what I am talking about. So, I go through my drawers of workout clothes and find something that kind of matches.

Now in these drawers in my desk contain dirty workout clothes that I haven't taken home to wash. So, I felt like I was that smelly girl at the gym. Good thing I went outside! It was 35 minutes and supposed to be an easy run. It wasn't. I never found a rhythm and just had a hard time breathing. For once, my heart rate wasn't the issue. It went up when I wanted it to, went down when I wanted it to. This was the first time that my heart rate went down and I still felt out of breath and didn't want to keep going.

I did it and made it the 35 minutes. And made it up the big hill on the side of the Capital. Even on these hard days, I am still happy that I make it the amount of time Coach has me do. And, I am still faster than I was 2 months ago on a good day.

I Invested in My Tooshie

It was actually nice to not have to run to the gym today during lunch. I had 27 hours off where I didn't workout! I can tell I am getting towards the end of my second hard week because I am TIRED!

Anyway, today I headed to the bike shop for a new seat and stem - this was the recommendation of my bike fitter. So, I got to the store about 1 minute before they closed. They changed their hours and didn't post that on the web site. But, they were super nice and by far my best bike shop to date.

I have said before, I know nothing about bikes. They brought out 2 saddles and asked which one. Of course I went for the one with more of a cushion. The more knowledgeable guy explained that for a long ride, I would want a firmer one. It was more than twice the price, but I took his advice. After he put everything together, I was on my way back home to test it out.

This is what I just spent the last 30 minutes on.

It's not very comfortable. The new super padded shorts helped, but not enough. And the cute flower print on the seat really did not make it any more comfy on the booty. I really hope it gets better soon. I have 35 and 75 minute ride left this week...

My New Running Coach

Yesterday I was tired all day. I think it was because I got up at 5, but I won't dwell on that topic. I did manage to get out at noon for my run, which was my tempo/higher HR run.

Now I am a sucker for marketing, stuff in general and impulse purchases. This also includes late night purchases on iTunes. Some of you may heard of this guy, Lance Armstrong. Well, he put together a "run longer" continuous mix, that happens to be 40 minutes long. Yesterday I tried it. He talks you through the warm up, intervals, tells you to keep going, and my favorite "Pain in temporary, quitting is forever". I really couldn't do what he was asking but it was fun to have new music to keep me going and Lance telling me I could do it.

Thanks Lance! I am looking forward to more 40 minute runs with you.

Today my goal is to finally make it to the bike shop for a new seat and stem. And a 35 minute ride.

I Did It I Did It I Did It!!

Yes, I got out of bed and went for a swim! I roll out of bed at 5, put on my suit, sweats, hopped into my car and drove to the pool. I did my workout out and came home. It was a new strategy and I think it worked okay. I didn't have the best swim, but that's okay.

I just hope I can do my lunch run. There is a high of 71 degrees.

Now, I do have a question. I came back, showered and sat on the couch. I might have fallen asleep for a bit, or an hour. Is that still considered a nap if it's before the sunrise???

Food is Really Important

I just finished my 40 minute bike on my trainer. Dang, that was harder than it should have been. I think it has something to do with my poor eating. Today I was distracted by my new food obsession - the meatball sub. That replaced my salad for lunch. It was sooo good!! AGAIN!

On my way home from work, I stopped by the store to get the basics: milk (I checked this morning and the one in my fridge expired 12/18/07 - oops), cheese (it was moldy - all over; gross), eggs, and butter. My plan was to get a snack, bike, have a small dinner. Well, that snack turned into a bit more. I am not going to admit to what it was, because it is soooo not healthy. Let's just say it was in the potato family and from a bag. And there was some type of dairy based paring to go with that form of potato. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't until the bag was empty and I was very close to licking the container.

When I put on my biking shorts, it wasn't good. Neither was the next 40 minutes. But, I still did my time. What helped was watching American Gladiators. I used to LOVE watching that as a kid and am not embarrassed to say I was excited to see it coming back. That was entertaining to watch as I pedalled away.

What a GREAT Workout!!

I have mentioned the ups and downs of living in DC, and today was definitely a great day to live in DC. It's January 6 (a special day I will get to in a minute) and there was a high of 53 today! I couldn't pass up the chance to bike outside. It was raining in the morning, but made plans to go biking and running at 2. I loaded up Marcus (still so great to just throw Carols in and go) got to Hains Point and was ready to go. Rose was going to meet me, but was running late, so I started.

Now this is the first time I have been on my bike, not on the trainer, since I had it fitted. During the fitting, the seat was raised. Wow, I almost bit it just trying to clip in!! EMBARRASSING because about 5 'real' cyclists flew by right when I wobbled around trying to start. I realized that clipping out was not going to be easy. So, after my first lap, I went back to Marcus and thank goodness because I would have wound up on the ground if I did not have the car to balance on. I lowered the seat just a bit and practice clipping in and out. I didn't fall, but I would not use the term 'gracefully' to describe how I look. (You will see this image again when I do fall... and I know I will eventually) I met up with Rose for 3 of my 6 laps. She took a outfit tip from Kristin and was dressed in head to toe black.

I finished my bike and took my time changing and getting ready for my run. When I started, I did not think there was any way I would be able to go 40 minutes. Then something happened, I just kept going. I started with a 3:2 and kept adding to the running and taking away from the walking until I hit a 4:1. I felt so good. This is the first time I realized I might actually be able to do this Ironman. I know I can do this mentally, but my body is the only thing I am not sure of. After doubles on Friday and Saturday, this was awesome. An amazing feeling. Woo-Hoo!!

I mentioned earlier that today, January 6, was a special day. It is my wonderful mommy's birthday. Mom I hope you had a great day!! I love you much!

Enjoyable Run

It was 28 degrees at 8:30 this morning when we started our run. There was ice on the little river (not the Potomac, but this stream does lead into the Potomac) where the trail was on. ICE!!. Anyway, Jess dragged her roommate Kate along, and Kristin and Lauren were there too. Kristin, afraid of being teased about her outfits, came dress head to toe in matching blue. The shoes were blue, pants, shirt, vest and even the hat - all blue. Nice job Kristin!!

We started and Lauren and Kristin took off with their speedy selves. After awhile, I split from Jess and Kate. I didn't get very far before Rose came up behind me. She was great and ran the rest of the way with me. When we were finished, Jess and Kate were waving and cheering. Very cute.

Rose and I headed back to the car and Kristin and Lauren had the car nice and warm for Jess and Kate when they got there. The 6 of us decided that brunch was needed after our wonderful run. I didn't know it at the time, but I ordered the last omelet sandwich. Sorry Girls!! It was even more annoying because by the time Rose ordered last, more omelets just showed up... after they said they were out. Whatever... now we know not to go back. But we have a good time, chatting and catching up. As much as I like how I feel after a good working, my favorite part is the brunch after!

Yup, It's Friday Night and I am blogging

But I have a good excuse... I am trying to fight off ANOTHER cold. I started feeling off on Wednesday night. I am blaming this on the change in the weather. It goes from 48 to 18 to 32. It's annoying and the extra stress on my body from the working out, I just think I get will get anything that comes around. Stupidly after my swim on Wednesday when it was about 20 out, I forgot my hat. I did wrap my scarf around my head, but don't think it helped much. So all day yesterday, my nose was running and I used about 15 boxes of tissues. Not really, but you know what I mean.

So after a horrible night of sleep, I took today off to rest and sleep. It helped, but am still feeling a bit off. I did hop on my bike and had an okay ride. Tomorrow morning we are meeting for a run, 75 minutes. Hopefully it will go okay and Jess grabbed my running shoes from my cube at work...

Finally, I want to wish my FAVORITE (and only) DADDY a wonderful HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
I love you Dad!!

Back to 2 a Days

Today was a hard, but good day. At lunch it was around 30 degrees but still made it out side. 15 minutes easy, 3x2 minutes at a high heart rate with 2 minutes walking, and finish with 15 minutes easy running. It started off going into the wind and it was tough. Trying to 'sprint' for 2 minutes, head into the wind... Not my idea of a good time. But, after I turned around and had the wind at my back, it's like a little hand giving you a push. It felt great. Overall, I was pretty happy with the run.

And then I went to the pool. See, I didn't notice all the people with the New Years Resolutions earlier because I didn't actually go to the gym. I ran outside. But, apparently, EVERYONE decided to start swimming today. Not fun!! Mainly because people don't know how to circle swim; which is one of my biggest pet peeves. Anyway, I did manage to get in a good 2300M, including 8 x 50 sprints. It took longer than it should have, but oh well. That's what happens when you have 5 people to a lane.

First Workout of the Year!!

I just wanted to post again that my 2008 is starting off right. Just had a good bike with Carlos with a set of 1 legged drills and 10x1 minute up tempo with 1 minute rest. It felt pretty good for a 45 minute ride. Watching The Office really helped too.

Oh, and I forgot to mention last night. I went to 2 small gatherings and had a good time at both. Kept it low key and didn't wake up with a headaches or anything else :-) At the second party, I ran into the guy that finished IM Florida and I had a hard time with his comments about how 'easy' it is to finish an Ironman. After chatting with a few people and my resolutions for the year, I had a different attitude about it all. We kept it light and I realized that he just has the best intentions. We were talking about wet suits and bikes. He confirmed everything the bike fitter said as well as the bike shop to go to. Now I feel a bit bad about how I reacted before and what I posted. I am just sensitive to my speed and it's something I am working on. But overall I am glad I have another person to ask about Ironman stuff.

Haaaaapppyyy NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 2008!!! For me, and a lot of my friends and family who are part of this journey with me, it's the year of Ironman. Woo-Hoo!!

But this is not my resolution. People talk about not keeping their resolutions and this year, I did a pretty good job with my 2007 one, so I am hoping I will have the same luck. My 2007 one was to stop over analyzing issue in my life and just take things as they are. That included my job, school (at the time), family, friends and my fitness/weight level. I have spent (wasted) a lot of time worrying about what is going to happen, try to plan for every possible situation (usually the worst) and have used a lot of energy.

This year I am building off this and want to work on just letting things go, not taking things so personally and stop expressing my opinion about everything (especially when I am not asked). This is the Forget-me-knot ring. They don't sell them in my size, so I keep a picture on my cube wall. It helps.

What does this do with my training? Well, not too much, but I felt the need to post this anyway. Part of the theory that when you write something down, you have a better chance of remembering.

Happy 2008!! Hope everyone has a safe, wonderful and happy year!!