Speaking for Safehome

In June, I raced at Ironman Kansas 70.3. I set a PR by 1:30, even in the horrific Kansas heat. I had little time to recover when I had to get dressed up for a benefit for Safehome - Johnson County's domestic violence agency - where I was the featured survivor speaker. I've never been nervous in public speaking situations, but when there is a crowd of 500 in front of you and you've been in the sun racing all day, it's a little different.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to hear my story and get a little better picture of why completing Ironman Wisconsin will mean so much to me. I've come so far in the past three years. I was with Shithead (he deserves no other name than that) when my brother raced at Ironman Wisconsin in 2006 in 50 degrees and a day full of rain. I was too wrapped up in my life with Shithead that I didn't go to support him and watch him race. Something I definitely regret.

Once you hear what I went through, I hope you'll understand why Girls on the Run is such an important organization to me. GOTR teaches girls self-esteem through running - something that definitely has brought me back to life. It has made me the person I am today - one who will complete Ironman Wisconsin in 13 days!!





PS - That means there are only 12 days to donate to help me reach my goal of raising $10,000 for Girls on the Run. Please donate here!!

Hillsdale OWS

I spent an hour in Hillsdale Lake this morning with some fabulous friends/athletes. One who is going to Rock IMOO in a few short days. One recovering from knee surgery and out for the fun of the day. One potentially needing knee surgery who won't give up on her goal of completing the half iron at Redman in 3 weeks. One new to triathlon who continues to amaze me at his improvements and one we the former hoped would be slower than him. (Not such luck.)

We had a great time in the water and out. Watching the Baywatch-esque exit from the water, the inability to master Warrior 2 on the lawn, and the car-aoke of the not-so-famous hair bands of the 80s.

This is part of what this journey has been all about. Sharing it with amazing people who make it mean so much more.

Ah, Taper.

I slept in this morning. Woke up without an alarm. The joys of life.



Too bad the dog wasn't ready to get up yet.

OK, so that's an old picture, but that's exactly what he looks like laying next to me on the couch. He thinks he's part cat and lays on the top of the couch cushions. Silly animal.

The girls and I had a great dinner last night. Homemade calzones and girl talk. You can read about some of our escapades on Lyndsey's blog.

Now, for the important Ironman training talk.... Time to eat and swim. Open water wetsuit practice. I can't believe its August and our high today is 75! Crazy.

BIA Results

I got the thumbs up from Sheryl last night. Wahoo!

I have not lost a bit of my lean body mass. Bonus.

I lost 1% body fat. Bonus.

My intracellular water is up. Bonus.

I'm down 2 lbs of fat.

This photo shows just how much 1 pound of fat is. Gross.

So now to make sure I'm as healthy as possible come Race Day.

Sleep.
Stretching.
Healthy foods. As little processed sugar as possible.
No more alcohol.
Fish oil. Fish oil. Fish oil.

Time for an update

Well, I'm sitting here at The Salvation Army camp in Independence, MO waiting for our staff retreat to start, and what am I thinking about? Ironman of course! Just about 2 weeks until I pack up the car and drive to the Great White North.

The biggest news is that I've been fighting with my bike lately. My last big brick on Sunday was ruined when I finished my swim in Hillsdale Lake and took my bike out of the Jeep to find a flat bake tire. I figured the air had just leaked out, but when it quickly drained, I knew I needed to change it. So I tried. For an hour. I tried. April tried. The random park maintainence guy tried. And FINALLY we got it changed. So I took a pit stop to finish preparing for the 55 mile ride. And while I was in the bathroom the tire popped! Seriously. This must be a sign from the gods. So I called Coach and he said to put it in the "mental toughness" file and get out and ride. But I couldn't get it back in so I figured it was the tri gods way of telling me that I was not meant to be on my bike. Instead April and I had a good 8 mile run. Which Pete really enjoyed... off leash in a state park (shh! don't tell!) and then a short swim to cool off after. Doggie heaven if you ask him.

Then yesterday I had another brick. I wanted to ride my brother's race wheels which he graciously offered to let me ride. I think he hopes I break them so I have to buy him new ones. Unfortuntely they are made for a 10-speed, and my bike is a 9-speed. So I'll have to swap out cassettes after 1-2 more rides on my regular wheels. But luckily I (and by I, I of course mean my heros at Elite Cycling) got the regular wheels on and got a 90-minute ride and 20-minute run in.

I didn't fight too much with my legs so I'm hopeful that my work with Synergy and The Sport of Massage is paying off! Combine their awesome work with my favorite chiropractor and I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy!

Tonight I'm doing BIA testing with Sheryl and I'm really excited to see how my body has changed during this journey. Hopefully I can make a full report in a few days.

In the meantime, I hope everyone can make some sort of a contribution to my fundraiser for Girls on the Run. There are about 2 weeks left to make a donation and help me reach my goal of $10,000 for this amazing organization! So PLEASE IF THERE IS ANY WAY YOU CAN, MAKE A DONATION TO HELP GET GIRLS RUNNING!!

Feed me Seymour!

This is how I feel.

Seriously, I wake up in the middle of the night. Growling. Starving. Famished.

I guess this is what it feels like to be in the peak of Ironman training!

Many the miles!

It's kind of like my old self talking to my new self....

Thanks for sharing my feelings Sara. And you didn't even know you did it!

Cocktail Party and Auction a Success!

We raised $2,863!!!!

Many thanks to everyone who attended and bid on auction items. Dave and Mike were amazing on the mic and guitars. Very entertaining. Thanks to my brother for being our auctioneer. Thanks to Dr Meagan, Alex, Billy, Denise, Dan, Mike and Dave for closin' 'er down with me and giving me some of the best laughs I've had in ages.

I still have 3.5 weeks to get to my goal of $10,000 for Girls on the Run. Please, if you can - make a donation today!


Alex and Meagan had a Total Eclipse of the Heart.

We had a great crowd!

My coach trying on an item up for bid!

Mike, Alex and Dave.... totally entertaining for the whole night. And, best of all, I learned that I can't overdo it on salt in Wisconsin. Dave told me the story about his attempt at IMOO 2006 in the 50-degrees and rain. He kept drinking water, but not gatorade or salt tabs. Four miles from the finish line, he collapsed, broke 3 ribs and was in a coma for 2 days. I have learned from him - and will be enjoying many salt tabs during the race!

A little karaoke never hurt anyone!

Tim and I on the mic encouraging high bidders!

IT Hell

Well, my IT Bands hate me. Its official.

I spent an hour this morning with Tom Teter, getting seriously beat up. I noticed several good sized bruises after my shower tonight. Man, I hope it helps. Luckily, he's always fixed me before so I have every confidence he will fix me again.

I had a time trial/heart rate test on my bike tonight. Drove to the downtown airport where I got to load up my bottles with ice since a friend offices down there. (Have I ever mentioned that pilots are hot!? Apparently its a pre-requisite, at least at this company. I will be visiting again.) I did two laps as a warm up, trying to get my heart rate up. Then it was on. 30 minutes all out. Wow. That is hard. I had trouble getting my HR up as high as I thought I could, but my legs were burning. I went 9.68 miles in 30 minutes - an average of 19.2 mph!!! My heart rate was 140 bpm average. I do feel like the fastest person in the world. Lance, eat my dust.

It was a great workout and I had a ton of fun - jammin' out and working really hard. Felt great until the very end when my knee started to hurt.

So now, I'm laying on the couch icing and hoping I can run my 7 in the morning without pain.

Last LONG weekend!

Well, I made it through my last LONG weekend.

Friday: Long Open Water Swim at Lake Quivira. What great water and great place to swim. I figure it was just shy of a mile that we swam. Felt great. Except for the banging my knee and shin on the rocks. Twice. Woops. Oh, and I coulda sworn I took a stroke into a fish or a snake. I hope it was just a leaf. It had to have just been a leaf right!?

Saturday: My last century and short run. Ugh. This started off horrible. My alarm didn't go off so I didn't get up when I wanted to. My iPod broke. I had a special visitor that I was hoping wouldn't visit this week. Had to pee about 4 times before I got on the bike, 45 minutes later than I wanted to. I rode down Metcalf to Louisburg, into the wind on loose gravel. I thought I was going to wreck a couple times. Then that worst nightmare came closer to being true than it ever has before. I was riding west in Louisburg, near the Casey's on K68 when a red hatchback driving east either didn't see me or thought she could beat me to turn left into a coffeeshop. Keep in mind its 7am in tiny Louisburg, there was little traffic and I swore she saw me. We both slam on our brakes. Hard for me to do going downhill. EEEK!!!!!!! My heart rate rose substantially and I got royally pissed. She continued to the coffeeshop and I tried to keep riding. I made it about 20 feet before my body really reacted and I started shaking and crying. I sat on the curb at Casey's and almost quit. This day was not going as I had planned. But I got up and shook out my nerves and kept riding towards Hillsdale, Gardner and back to my landing pad. I met a friend to ride the final 40 together. Unfortunately, she's been struggling with her knee and on Saturday, the knee was winning. So was the wind. Strong from the south and west, it was a rough ride all day. But I kept pushing a big gear and on the flats of 179th could hold 18-19 mph fairly consistently. I was pleased. We turned around a bit too short, so I had to do another loop after making it back to the house. Turned out a 95.5 mile ride and then quickly changed shoes for a short 1 mile/10 minute run. All I could think was "HOW AM I GOING TO DO 25.2 MORE OF THESE!?!?!?" Good thing walking is allowed! Next time, I'll eat a little more on the ride so I have the energy needed for the run.

Saturday evening: Very successful fundraising event. More on that later!

Sunday: Slept in. Wow. This felt fabulous!!!! I can't remember the last time I didn't have to set an alarm or could lay on the couch watching reruns. I love it. Went to lunch with a great girlfriend and got new shoes at Gribbles, along with GU and an adorble new running top that I gladly sported when I went out for my last 20-miler of this journey. Hit the road about 5 pm. Ran 4 solo and then met another great training buddy to run 6 together. She is always so encouraging and keeps talking to keep me moving. Ran 3 solo to Coach's house to fuel up on salt, gu, gu brew and motivation. He gave me a route that he thought was about the distance I needed to finish up my 20. Well, when I hit 17 miles, I knew I was plenty more than 3 miles from home, so I turned back. I was feeling great. A little bored and lonely, soaked to the bone from the intermittant downpours, but mentally was feeling really strong. I even practiced my IMOO finish line moves in the dark on Lee Blvd. Then I used a little walk break to make it up a baby hill, and when I was ready to start running again, I couldn't. I knew my IT Band was angry at me for all the hell I've put it through over the past days, weeks, months, but I really thought we had come to an understanding. I was flustered, tried to stretch and walk in hopes I could make it home, but had no luck. Then I realized where I was and how close I was to my hero's house! After Aleve, water, puppy kisses and chocolate cake, Sheryl drove me home. That hot shower felt amazing, as did dry clothes. Ah, and leftover pizza from a friend. MMM. Then it took me about 2.5 seconds to pass out. Man, I was beat.

And I can't wait to see the man who will help me win the war with my leg. Tomorrow can't come soon enough. I'm 4 weeks out from the race. I know I can do the distance, now I just need to keep healthy enough so I can do it with a smile on my face and a dance down the finish line.

Thats the name of the game

What Gloria says, goes...

UltraHOT Kansas 50

Well, it was a hot one.

That pretty much sums up the entire race experience for the first Ultramax Kansas 50 at Hillsadale Lake on Sunday.

The high on Sunday at the lake was 98 degrees. And I'm not talking about the band. By the time I finished, the heat index was 103.

All things considered, it was a great race. Mark and crew put on a stellar event. Unfortunately, to do so, he had to start everything later than we all wanted. My heat got in the water to start at about 9 am. Yikes.

I started up close to the front for the first time, confidence was high I guess. I did a pretty good job of sighting and swimming straight. At least this time I didn't veer totally off course to my left like I usually do. A few mouth-fulls of water later, I was still feeling strong, but hating the wind. I passed a few boys and even made it out of the water before Chelsea. This is a monumental victory for me. I never beat Chelsea at anything!

Took my time in T1, since my heart rate was so rediculously high. Tried to spin easy on my way out of the park to get my HR down, but wasn't having much luck. When the first hour on the bike ticked by, I had gone 17 miles. Man, I think to myself, I'm the fastest girl in the world. But then I turn the corner and hit the wind. Or maybe I should call it a wall. Either way, I was going really slow. I keep telling myself to stay hydrated. Drink more than I think I should. I went thru 3.5 bottles just on the bike. It woulda been 4 but I spilled a bunch coming out of T1. Woops. My Garmin kept messing up too. It turned off a couple times on the bike and during the run it somehow switched to "multisport" which is a setting I don't even know how to get to. So I have no idea my average on the bike. I'm guessing like 16.2-16.5, but I'm not sure. Of course the official timing mats didn't pick it up either.

I made the best decision of my life in T2. Grabbed a bottle to take with me on the run, and filled it with ice at every aid station. I have no idea how much I drank, but I know it was a TON. And the other ton went over my head about every 10 feet. Whatever it takes to keep moving right!? I know I could have run faster, but I kept reminding myself that this wasn't my A race and IMOO is much more important, so I need to keep staying healthy as my #1 priority. So I took my time and chatted with fellow racers along the course. I'm still not sure how I feel about the packed gravel trail we ran on, but I guess at this point it doesn't really matter. Looking back, I wish I would have pushed it a bit more at the end, and passed the one girl in sight. Turns out she was in my AG too. Ah, sigh.

The finish line was a welcome sight for sure. And the shade under the food tents was wonderful. And the showers in the park bathrooms were fabulous! And I didn't have to drive to Red Robin for my delicious burger all grimy and salty. Love it.

This was definitely one for the books. And it filled up my account with the Pain Bank. A good character builder. And it proved that I am tougher than all those suckers who quit when it got too hard.

5:29:25 total race time.

Major props go out to:

My brother Tim, 2nd in his Age Group!

Chelsea, 3rd in our Age Group!

Amy, 2nd overall Octomax woman!

Alex, first triathlon!

And everyone else who suffered through, did not quit and can wear the title "finisher" proudly!

Thoughts on Scott

You know those people who make a significant impact on your life, but aren't around for long enough to be considered one of THE significant people.... well, I've been thinking about one of those lately. He and I met while I was watching my first Ironman, when my brother raced in Panama City Beach Florida in 2007. We spent most of the day cheering on the athletes and having a ball. Even though he lived in North Carolina/Ohio, we stayed in touch. We weren't exactly "dating" but we did have a close friendship. For a while, we talked pretty much every day. Then over time we lost touch. A few months ago, I thought of Scott and sent him an email to say hello, which was promptly kicked back undeliverable. I thought that was a little weird, but I guessed he just got a new job. Well, yesterday I came across the business card of his coach so I got in touch in hopes of reconnecting with my friend. Instead of the easy response with the new email address, I got an unexpected phone call.

Sonni explained to me that Scott had a very successful day at Ironman Florida 2008, finishing way ahead of his expected time. He fell and broke a finger, but got up and kept moving. The rest of the crew had a run in with a 4-foot shark during a pre-race practice swim, and that was the most eventful part of the trip. Until 3 days later when Scott was having trouble breathing. He went to several doctors, worried about a few lymph nodes, and at the beginning of December - a month after completing Ironman - he was diagnosed with Stage 2 Lung Cancer. Wow. He moved home from Ohio back to family in North Carolina (Which he always said with an adorable southern drawl!). And at the beginning of February, he passed away.

I'm not sure how to react to this news, or how I'm supposed to feel. I know I wasn't one of the most important people in Scott's life, and he knew the same could be said for mine. But at the same time, I often think about him while training - how he used a dog collar around his ankles when swimming, riding through the cold and rain and loving it, adjusting to triathlon in a new place without his coach and training buddies, and how much he was looking forward to finishing IM Florida and telling Lake Placid where to shove it. We had a bond that can't really be put into words.

Its so hard to believe that you can be in the best shape of your life, completing all 140.6 miles of the IRONMAN TRIATHLON for crying out loud. And not knowing that during the entire ordeal, you are sick. Something evil has invaded your body, and you can't do a damn thing about it.

I have to believe that everyone has a purpose and when we've done all we are supposed to do, we move on. Maybe completing Florida was the last thing Scott was supposed to do. He'll be on my mind in 5.5 weeks when I race, that's for sure. As inspiration to live life to the fullest, take advantage of every trial and every gift, and enjoy the ride.

He would always say that its about the journey. And while much of this journey to Ironman Wisconsin has been hell, its taught me a lot about who I am and what I'm capabale of. And what I can be to others, even when I don't know it. So I'm going to enjoy every sweaty, hungry, exhausted, jubilant, bored, salty moment of the next 38 days.

Inspiration Station

I hear quite often of people looking for good stuff to add to the IPOD, so here's a great list I found from IRunLikeAGirl.com


The Warm Up – songs to remind you why you are doing this

I Run For Life by Melissa Etheridge
If I Wanted To Melissa Etheridge
A Change Would Do You Good Sheryl Crow
Born to Run Bruce Springsteen
Ready to Run Dixie Chicks
Bring it On Seal
Let’s Get it Started Black Eyed Peas
I’m Coming Out Diana Ross


The Run – songs with a good beat, good feeling to keep you going

Sweet Emotion Aerosmith
Soak up the Sun Sheryl Crow
Delicious Surprise Beth Hart, also done by Jo Dee Messina
Feel Good Tony! Toni! Tone!
Ain’t Nobody Chaka Khan
Extraordinary Liz Phair
Got To Be Real Mary J Blige
I Feel For You Chaka Khan
It’s My Life Gwen Stefani/No Doubt
Make It Happen Mariah Carey
Family Affair Mary J Blige
Lady Lenny Kravitz
Into the Groove Madonna
Vogue Madonna
Runnin Down A Dream Tom Petty
Fly Sugar Ray
Beautiful Day U2
Vertigo U2
Runaway Bon Jovi


Speed it up – fast songs to GO

What You Waiting For? Gwen Stefani
Bring Me Some Water Melissa Etheridge
Yeah Usher
Gettin’ Jiggy with it Will Smith
Hey Ya! Outkast
All I Want For Christmas Mariah Carey (good no matter what season!)
Where Are We Runnin’? Lenny Kravitz
Elevation U2
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme Nerf Herder
Pump It Black Eyed Peas


Almost done, feeling tired, but need to run a little farther?

It Keeps You Runnin’ Doobie Brothers
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor, also done by Diana Ross
Harder to Breathe Maroon 5
You Can Do It Ice Cube
Keep on Movin’ Soul II Soul
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Diana Ross


The Cool Down – relax and be proud of your accomplishment

Outstanding The Gap Band
Dreams Fleetwood Mac
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
I’m Alive Seal
Take It Easy The Eagles
Lovely Day Bill Withers
I Believe I Can Fly R. Kelly
Jamming Bob Marley
Main Theme from “Chariots of Fire” Boston Pops Orchestra
Favorite Things Beth Hart
Feels Like Fire Santana and Dido
We Are the Champions Queen
Fireflies Faith Hill

100

Its such a significant number...

It is the sum of the first nine prime numbers, as well as the sum of 4 pairs of prime numbers (47 + 53, 17 + 83, 3 + 97, 41 + 59), and the sum of the cubes of the first four integers (100 = 13 + 23 + 33 + 43). Also, 26 + 62 = 100, thus 100 is a Leyland number.
100 degrees Celsius is the boiling temperature of pure water at sea level
100 is the atomic number of fermium.
A 100 year old person is known as a centenarian. George Burns. Bob Hope, and United States Senator Strom Thurmond were among those who had lived to 100.
The number of tiles in a standard Scrabble set
The denomination of the U.S. hundred-dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin's portrait; the "Benjamin" is the largest U.S. bill in print
In Greece, India and Israel, 100 is the police telephone number.
"The First Hundred Days" is an arbitrary benchmark of a President of the United States' performance at the beginning of his or her term.
NASDAQ-100 is a stock market index of 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange
100 Grand Bar (formerly known as $100,000 Bar) is a candy bar produced by Nestlé
Pope Valentine succeeded Pope Eugene II to become the 100th Pope in August 827
Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born (Gen. 21:5).
Pop 100 is a chart created in 2005 and released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It measures mainstream radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Pop 100 chart.
100 episodes, generally the point at which a TV series becomes viable for syndication (often reached during a prime time series' 5th season)
The number of runs required for a cricket batsman to score a Century, a significant milestone
The record number of points scored in one NBA game, set by Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962
The Freedom 100 is an Indy Pro Series auto race held the Friday before the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The 2004 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals was the 100th Fall Classic
San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 100 touchdowns on November 19, 2006
Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies became the fastest MLB player to reach 100 home runs on June 27, 2007
The minimum distance in yards for a Par 3 on a golf course




It is also the distance from my place in KC to:
Chanute, KS
Past Emporia
Maryville, MO
St Joe and back

And the approximate distance from:
Denver to Cheyenne
Indianapolis to Louisville
Chicago to Milwaukee

And most importantly - how far I rode my bike this weekend!

The Cider Mill Century was a great success. All 103 miles of it. So proud of myself and my great friends that I shared the day with.

Now, just 35.2 more miles and I'll be at the IMOO finish line.

Sigh. 39 more days!