GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

Wishing a safe, fun filled, fantastic, super speedy race to Kathy Miller and Greg Mathe who are participating in IM New Zealand today!!! Both are first-time Ironman competitors! (You can read about Kathy's journey to IMNZ here: Kathy's Ironman Blog)

As of right now, (2:30 a.m. NZ time) it's RAINING there with 13 mph sustained winds!! I'm going to go outside and do my anti-rain dance!!

Good luck guys! Go kick some ass!!!

PS - Can't seem to find Athlete Tracking for this race!! ARGH!!!

Spongebob Arms . . .

If I haven't said this before, I only swim during races. I don't really train at all. Pretty much a complete slacker. I only got in the pool something like 5 times (with the exception of during races) for the entire year prior to Ironman Florida. How stupid is that?!? I have often told people that this way of training has left me with Arnold Schwarznegger legs and Spongebob arms. Last night, it was proven beyond a doubt.

My mother got the kids a Wii for Christmas but it was backordered. It arrived last night.

Today . . . I'm embarassed to admit . . . my arms are sore . . . . from playing virtual boxing, tennis and baseball!!! I'm a FREAKIN' IRONMAN for God's sake! I can't believe I need a recovery day after playing a video game!! Needless to say, you will see me at a few more swim practices this year.

Hmmm. Perpaps this is a sign that I should re-think my whole "don't ever lift anything over 12 ozs." stregth-training plan.

Go TEAM HIGH ROAD!!

The Tour of California is taking place right now and it holds a very special place in my heart. Mostly because it covers roads and routes that I have travelled so many times growing up in Cali. And one stage goes through the town where Derek and I were living right before we moved -- almost right by our house. Ahhh, if only the tour was around when we were living there. . .

Anyway, this year I am 100% backing Team High Road. Not only do they have a woman's team (YEAH!!), but they are an amazing team that is trying to bring back the respect that true cyclists and cycling teams deserve. With all the recent doping scandals, it's hard to believe in the skill and amazing athleticism associated with cycling. But Team High Road was started in order to be "transparently drug free". I mean, listen to this:

"Our teams are founded on the principles of clean and fair sport, personal commitment, and placing ones goals beside those of the team. We strive to create an environment of success for our athletes using the best methods, technology and personal development tools found across the world of sport. Our goals are to make change happen, to win by fair means, and represent the best aspects of sport."

HELL, YEAH! They actually test their riders more often and under stricter guidelines than are required. George Hincapie is their main "name" but they are filled with great riders and one of our guys is currently in 3rd place.

Check them out at www.highroadsports.com. They're worth watching. In the meantime, send some good ol' mojo toward Team High Road!!

Here comes the sun . . .

I realize it has been just over a month since my last blog but life has just gotten crazy. And with things that are just not bloggable -- at least not enjoyably bloggable. But, today. Today was fantastic. Today it was sunny and I got to train outdoors. I forgot how much I missed being on my bike while enjoying the sunshine. Sure it was a bit windy. And, yes, a 3 hour bike ride followed by a 6 miles run may not sound like "fun" but, God, it cleared my head and cleansed my spirit.

I want to remove my hat, close my eyes,and feel the sun, warm and intermittent, on my face.”
William Collins


Today was a good day. Filled with sunshine, love (I was riding with my wonderful Derek) and friendship (my friend Jenn joined for a lap or two and I even ran into TG SanDee). Thank you Mother Nature for giving us this wonderful day in the middle of February!

My word. . .

I have been thinking long and hard about my "word". The TRIgirls have been given an assignment to come up with one word that they will use as their focus for 2008. Choosing a word has proven be much more difficult than I initially thought. There are so many words that partially define what I'm aiming for but and it was really very difficult for me to find one word that fully encompassed everything that motivates me, encourages me and truly inspires me.

Then suddenly, I figured it out. My word is:

APPRECIATE

I know. Initially most people will think, what the heck? It's not the typical inspirational word like "courage", "confidence" "believe" or "persevere". But, when I thought about it, it really seemed to fit what I was focusing on this year.

The official Webster definition states:

appreciate

1. to be grateful or thankful for; I need to remember this more often. I am thankful and completely grateful to be on this journey. When I find myself complaining about waking up early, or the social plans I may miss or the difficulty involved in training I need to remind myself that I am truly fortunate to be able to do this. And, I need to show my family and friends how much they mean to me. I am so lucky to be surrounded by the people I have in my life. I want to give back to them this year and show them how much I appreciate having them in my life.


2. to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: ie: to appreciate the dangers of a situation. this, too, is something I need to focus on this year. Whether I'm running, biking or swimming I need to be fully aware of how significant every moment is. These are not moments to be wasted but should instead be cherished. I also need to appreciate what my body can -- and can't -- do at any given time. I want to really concentrate on how to listen to my body and to train smart this year.


3. to raise in value. In doing all of these things I want to raise the value of myself as a friend, a wife, a mother and an athlete. By the end of this year, I would like to know that I have become better in my own eyes and in they eyes of those that I love.

So, that's my word. APPRECIATE. Tomorrow as I'm sitting on the bike, I'm sure I will have to remind myself to appreciate the experience more than once!!

Margo has tagged me to list seven weird things about me! HAHAHA!! Seven!! More like seven HUNDRED!!

1. I love peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Really. Try it. You'll love it.

2. I pick my toe nails constantly. I know. Gross. But, I swear, I never bite them. My daughter, Booger, however, bites hers all the time.

3. I like to read the Dictionary. Words are just cool.

4. I'm scared of the dark. Totally, completely petrified.

5. I'm a wee bit scared of midgets. I know it's wrong. And, there's no reason for it. I have no excuse. It's just a flaw of mine.

6. I have a tic. I "sniffle" my nose. Sort of like Bewitched but not nearly as cute. I don't know why. My nose doesn't itch and it's not running. I just sniffle it.

7. I can wave my pinky toe. Without moving any other toes on my feet, I can make my pinky toe stick out and wave. On both feet, too. I know. The talent is endless.

But I'm okay with my weirdness. In fact, whenever I do something weird and Derek looks at me funny I tell him "Yeah, I'm weird but these are all the things you'd miss about me if I were dead." And, he would! Where else is he going to find some girl who eats peanut butter & pickle sandwiches while running from midgets waving her pinky toes?!?

Okay, so now who to tag??? Everyone's already been taken!! So, I'll just go ahead and TAG Derek (who has no blog but reads mine so he can post his weirdness for all to see!) and Kathy from NZ. So let's hear it! Bring on the weird!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!

Sing with me "It's the most wonderful time of the year . . ." Okay, I know. That's a wacky way to follow up my whole "I hate winter" tantrum but last night I registered for the first tri of the season. Woohoo!! I can feel it coming. The training that we say we hate but we secretly long for, the comraderie of being on an awesome team, the setbacks, the PRs, the excitement of race day. Woohoo, again!!! I get excited just thinking about that moment right before you start a race when your adrenaline is pumping and your jumping out of your skin!! Toeing that line and thinking, "will my training payoff? is today a good day or will I struggle?" and, really, "will I do myself proud?" I just LOVE race day! It totally makes up for all those days of waking up at the crack of dawn just to drag your sleepy butt out of bed to run in -1,000 degrees!

There will be 33 of us at the first race and it's going to be FLIPPIN' AMAZING!!! I can't explain how awesome it is to see that pink on the course -- high-fiving, encouraging one another, and cheering eachother on. It makes the race such a great experience.

Woohoo, for a third time!!! Bring on the tri-season!!!!!