A Swim Only Saturday

What a relief. This was totally out of the norm, and very welcomed.


Lucky me to have Sam need to swim on a Saturday too. And, she didn't have to be there super early either- double bonus. Let me just say that Sam is a way, way better swimmer than I am- as in I tried to keep up with her for a 100 during her last 300 out of 8. And, I came kind of close...kind of. Okay, so maybe one day if I keep working really hard I will- I am not sure what I will do. Be able to keep up with Sam for 1 interval. That is a good goal.

We took a picture to prove that we actually did our swims this morning- then realized that we were in our clothes so we really didn't prove anything. And now we are both at home doing homework. What a random Saturday.

Damie and Sam want to say.......GOOD LUCK to Bree, Eileen, Mira, and Kate! As they say at the races in Kentucky, Go Baby Go!!!!!!

My Hurricane Katrina Anniversary # 3

Dave and I are refugees (or whatever term they finally coined as PC- I think evacuees). Except, we didn't evacuate. Most of you know that Dave and I arrived in Memphis from New Orleans. Dave is originally from New Orleans, and after college, I moved to New Orleans too! So, I had 6 fun years there. :) Most of Dave's family lives in New Orleans too, so we have good ties to a great city.

I will try to make this anniversary story succinct...I know no one likes a long blog post. But, bear in mind that although 3 years have passed, this is the most historical and traumatic part of our lives as we know them. So, to keep it simple, Dave and I stayed through Hurricane Katrina (mainly because his mom was staying and we didn't want to leave her, and also because we wanted to experience a big number categorical hurricane).

So, what happened? Why was this so hard on us? After all, people say Katrina didn't do anything to New Orleans, the flooding did. To those people, I say you have no clue. You weren't there. You will never know the experience.

• We sat in fear and awe for an entire night, listening to a sound you can't imagine of the forces of the earth coming over you. As the dawn approached, you could actually see the trees horizontal from the forces and things of all shapes and sizes being blown down the street. We saw the hurricane- and felt it. It carries a sound I will never forget.

• We had family lose houses- every possession they ever had. Dave's grandmother's house was literally picked up and moved on top of another house. His uncle was stuck in the attic and had to use an axe to break through. We know so may stories like this.

• Both Dave and I lost our jobs. They were flooded with water that destroyed everything. Jobless without notice- try it sometime. Feel the panic of no income.
  

• When we finally tried to leave the city we couldn't. There was no gas. There was no way out. The bridges were collapsed or flooded over.

• We came to stay with my parents with nothing but the clothes we had on our backs. Nothing else. We accepted clothing and food from churches and the red cross. And, the media and other small minded people tried to make us feel guilty for it- as if we were working the system. It was depressing and made us feel smaller than an ant. The hypocrisy is- well, indescribable honestly.

• My parents were happy to have us, but 1 week turned into 3 months since we couldn't get back to our house. Military had our area shut down. My parents love us, but it was a strain on everyone. Oh, and Dave and I were newlyweds sleeping in bunk beds.

• Dave and I were immediately stripped of our friends. Good and great friends- scattered all over the world. Till this day, we still have not seen most of them, and we may never see them again. No proper goodbyes.
  

• Depression/post-traumatic stress- it is all very real. Dave and I were very unhappy for a very long time, but we didn't know why. Things have worked out wonderfully for us- so many good things have happened to us in the past three years and we are living a great life. But, the depression that we both experienced for a couple of years after the hurricane just couldn't be explained. It affected us very deeply.
  

Just this past weekend, we met a lady at a party that was from New Orleans and evacuated here too. It was instant bonding. We share this amazing tie to strangers...it is hard to explain. It feels as though only they can understand the person you are now based on the past- and they don't even really know you.

Just a few pics from the collection. I really wished we had taken so many more-


Pic 1: There were trees down everywhere. One came down on my mother-in-law's home where we stayed the night. Having a tree come through your house while you are there is really scary!


Pic 2: Aunt Daryl's house. She had the most beautiful, well-cared for home. And she had just gotten married. Every gift...everything she ever owned was in here. This is what the flooding did. If you didn't get to see it first hand, it is really hard to describe how it completely destroyed homes.

Pic 3: The day after the storm. Dave and I are smiling- we really had no clue what was going on at this point. Remember, no electricity, TVs, or CNN. So, we thought it was pretty cool we were alive. See the barges in the background? This is less than a third of a mile away from my mother-in-law's home. What we didn't know while we were huddled in the house is that these barges were coming over the levee- threatening to breech the levee near us. There were 5 or 6 right on top of the levee where we stayed. Just 2 more feet of water from the hurricane, and we may have been in really big trouble.

Thanks for entertaining my non-triathlon related post. Dave and I are doing great now. We miss New Orleans, our family, and our friends tremendously- but we are happier than we have been in several years. Happy Anniversary!

Need Some Advice- Please Chime In!

My outfit for Florida- I really need some input from you vets out there.

I generally race in a one piece swim suit (sprints-half IM). I am completely comfortable in my races when I wear one.

For the ironman, however, I had intended to wear some tri shorts and a cute tank/tri top. In my mind, I was going to create a super cute Splish top and combine it with some Desoto tri-shorts. I was going to wear this the WHOLE time- swim, bike run. (I don't want a lot of outfit type changes, and I generally just wear tri shorts instead of bike shorts).

The problem is this- Splish only makes the cute tanks for their sponsored athletes. So....what should I do now?

a. Find some other tri top. I would need to get some sort of crop top bikini to wear underneath for boob support? Plus tri shorts.

b. One- piece swimsuit? How do you guys feel about this for a full IM? (I love racing in a one piece, but I don't know how it will do in such a long race. Will my thighs rub together by mile 20 of the run? I know that would not be the bathing suit's fault, but rather the Taco Bell's fault).

c. Tri-suit? This was my least favorite option because it seemed the hardest to get on and off if I needed to hit the bathroom. But, I am open to suggestions at this point.

So, anyone that has an opinion or advice, please write in!!!

The Weekend Routine

First, a huge congratulations to Bree Wee on her race today. I should've been studying, but I was glued to the computer. Although her ultimate goal was not reached today, she did every single thing possible to get there- never giving up. Between the bee sting, flat tire, and a forced medical DQ, I am not sure if the ironman could've thrown anything more at her.

One weekend down, and how many more to go? I can't remember...I guess I need to look at my ticker. I am now in the 100 mile range for my rides. Last week was my first 100 miler (my previous long ride was a whopping 74), and it was great! As this weekend approached, though, I started to realize the difficulty of ironman training. You see, it is not if you can ride 100 miles, it is if you can do it week in and week out- the consistency of training. So, this weekend I was back out there again- another 100 miles. The kicker was the 1 hour brick run that followed.

One point about nutrition- when my attitude changes about a ride, it is time for me to eat. I am learning that and using it. About 65 miles into the ride this weekend, Joy directed Gary, Deb, and I to what seemed to me to be an enourmous hill. I felt myself get so frustrated. First of all, I had a brick to do and no one else did. Secondly, why did we have to make the 100 miler harder, and who was making up this route? Thirdly, I told Deb if I had a rock I would throw it at Joy.

Then the aha moment hit. When I think I should throw a rock at my friend for making me go up a hill, it is time to eat. Ha ha!!! And, after eating the hill wasn't that big after all. The rest of the ride was fine. The brick was fine. Joy is safe. :)

And yes, after a large portion of Taco Bell (don't judge), I cleaned up and went to the zoo party with Dave. I put on some cute shoes with heels and even wore a skirt. I remembered to shave my legs too! I tried to put the total WAG package together. Unfortunately, my stylist was out of town, and that is really the truth. My sister does my hair and makeup for all of my important events- she is truly my stylist. So, I was left all alone on that one.

Dave and I actually helped close the party down. I was so proud of myself for my staying power! It has been a long time since I have actually closed a bar down. I drank way too much wine- but had lots of fun in the meantime. I came home and passed out on the couch-determined to watch the men's marathon that I had taped. The end of a great date- Damie passed out on the couch. Ha! Needless to say I had to wait till tonight to do my run because it was not going to happen in the a.m.!

This week I will be focusing on keeping up with school- and getting through another week of IM training. I am not sure which one is worse overall, but I would rather run 2 hours than study for 30 minutes. This week I am going to tell myself every day that I love school and I love to study. I do, I do!!!

W.A.G.

Wives and Girlfriends- mainly used in England to describe the ladies draped on the foolballers' arms. I don't think we really use the word over here, but I love it.

To learn more about W.A.G.s, go to one of my favorite websites: (you probably won't like it if you don't care a thing about soccer)

http://www.kickette.com/



Here you will find out all you need to know about the latest gossip and hottest footballers in England and Europe. I am addicted to this website- it sometimes even takes the place of blogging. Ha! So, now you know one of my naughty secrets. My favorite footballer to look at and drool over (I have a couple, but this is the one for now) is Alan Smith (ex Leeds, Man U- now a Newcastle player- but I wouldn't be surprised if he is traded this year or next. More info than you care to know, I am sure).

The abs are self-explanatory. I even like the bleached, spiked hair look. What can I say, I am a soccer girl at heart.

But, Dave has no worries. Lucky for him he is a hot soccer player/footballer too. So, I will just continue to be his W.A.G.

Hope this explains things, Laura. Cheers, mate!

I Am Such A Catch!

My husband is so lucky to have me. I am a great date. He let me know that he had a nice work event on Saturday at the zoo- dinner, drinks, and socializing. My response was something like this... fine I'll go, but don't expect me to be energetic or lively. I have a 5 hour 45 min ride/1 hour run that morning.

I have turned into the ironmanbeast wife. Don't expect me to be lively? Gosh, I bet Dave is so thrilled to have the chance to take me along. Ahhhh, true love....

;)

Top That

No, this is not a post on Teen Witch. Who remembers that one?

Nope, I topped my last post on Olympic Inspiration. Here is the newest, best Olympic inspiration for the week.

Special Olympics!!!!

One thing that is really great about my tri team, Memphis Thunder Racing, is our commitment to the community. Today we hosted the Memphis area Special Olympics with a field day! It was our own Olympic weekend with the most fabulous participants. We played so many different sports with the participants (I would say kids, but not all of them are kids- there are a lot of adults in Special Olympics!).

I love it!


And, I recruited a relay team for the kids triathlon in September. Our triathlon hosts a great kids triathlon, and we wanted to make sure that all of the kids knew they could participate, even if they couldn't do all of the sports-or even one sport! Shoot, we could teach them!

So, here is my relay team. I am going to do the swim leg (Lord help my poor team), Steve is going to bike, and Michael is going to run.

Talk about pressure. I have to start training for the kid's tri, and I am not kidding. I have a 100 meter swim to do- and I am going to get blown away by all of the kids. I may even get lapped- so I have to start training now. Won't that be a site for my team- laughing as all of the kids pass me. You see, in races, everyone can see my time at the end, but they don't actually get to witness my pathetic swims. But- this time I will be out there for everyone to see. So, I need to get on a speed program!

Happy Olympics to all!

More Olympics Inspiration

Besides Phelps- and who doesn't love him! ( I do...I love Phelps!)

Stany Kempompo Nagangola- Congo

Want some inspiration? See if you can find the NBC clip on this 50 meter swimmer. He is a 34 year old swimmer that came in 97th place...out of 97 in the prelims. As he walks to the pool, you can see how nervous he is. He looks like he is 16 years old and he is tiny- he does not have the body of the men whom have trained for decades like the other swimmers. When he gets on the blocks, it is as though he has never even seen blocks. He is not sure how to really get on them. I would not be surprised if he does not have the training facilities that even have blocks. No Lazr suit on him, either.

I always have really strong feelings when I see competitors like Stany. How must that feel to stand next to the big dogs? The 6 ft 7 in men that could lap you in a 50- the world record holders that stroll by you? The men that have been swimming their whole lives under the best coaches and best support- while you have not had that privilege? Their bodies have been formed since young children to be machines- and yours is just learning?

Well, all I know is this man is an Olympian! It brought tears to my eyes to see how nervous he was walking into the swimming arena. And, to come in last of the last- all I know is I felt very proud of his effort. So many times we have an opportunity to just do our best, even if we will be last or lapped. And, that is really what the Olympic spirit is all about. It encourages all of us to go for it and just do the best that we can do. So, be proud of yourselves this week and all of the things you have accomplished.

After all, it is better to try and come in last than to never try and never give yourself that chance. Like Stany, just get out there. Don't feel embarrassed if you are last- give yourself the pride you deserve!

I Lived

Finding out you are having a root canal on the day you have a root canal kind of sucks. But, I lived through it. And, true to form the anesthesia wore off before the procedure was over. Even though we re-injected two more times, it was no good. And, that is why I hate going to the dentist. No matter how many times they tell me I will not feel it, my body metabolizes the meds so fast that I always end up with the dentist staring at me incredulously....."you can feel that?"

Was it the cry of pain that gave it away? Here's your sign. (That was for the Bill Engvall fans).

And today was just part 1. Next Wed is part 2 of the root canal. 4 hours of torture was not enough. But, I did leave with a consolation prize of some pain meds and a request that I not ride my bike tonight as planned. Obviously these guys don't train for the Ironman.

So, see you guys at swim in the morning? How fun is that going to be to wake up bright and early? I'll get the happy cup ready to help me with my medication hang over.

Midweek Hello

Quick update- nothing exciting here. I am in tons and tons of pain right now. Clarification, tooth pain. I have been hurting since Saturday, and I see the dentist tomorrow. I think it will involve a lot of drilling because something is definitely wrong- well, we are pretty sure a root canal, which I have never had. I have cried tonight. Poor Rooney keeps bringing me socks and I just don't want to play. I am pretty good at categorizing pain and dealing with it later- I even got my bike ride in with Joy today. (Nancy, I did big gears in salute to you). But, now I am beyond the point of being tough and I really hurt. I just want this pain to go away. So, I am going to watch the rest of the Olympics and try to sleep. I finally gave in and took some medicine, but I don't know what else to do. I just hope the dentist can make this better for me tomorrow.

Elsewhere

School is fine- the countdown to finish classes are over. I am surviving my last 2 handfuls of weeks in classes. Despite the senioritis I feel, I am making good grades and bringing everything to a close nicely. Let's hope I can keep it up! And, for the days that I feel that I just can't do it anymore- I drink from my happy cup. Check it out!

This is the cup I made a couple of weeks ago to help me get through the rest of school. It has happy thoughts all over, including "think +++" on the handle. I tote it to school on the days when I feel a bad attitude coming on, and it reminds me that it is a beautiful day!

Fit City Triathlon Race Report

My morning started off in hectic fashion.  You would think a local race would be so much easier logistically, but not for me!  I overslept by 30 minutes this morning.  Snooze, snooze, off.  Oh yea, I have a race this morning.  Shoot!  Then I get half way to the race and (thankfully) realize I didn't pack bike shoes.  So, a phone call to my sleeping husband and some coercion to meet me halfway in his boxers, I finally get to the race with everything I need to at least start the race. Never mind that I get the worst spot in the back of transition for being late.  Shoot.  

Then, I get my TT number- 124.  No problem normally, except that all of the girls I want to race with are in the top 20, and I was told I would be seeded up there too.  So, that meant I was starting way behind and would probably never see any of the women I wanted to catch.  On a positive note, it also meant I had a chance to just work on passing people on the bike.  So, I looked at the higher number as a challenge and gift.  

Swim:  We had the option of diving or jumping off of the pier.  I knew I should probably jump, but I was like f* it I am going to dive!  Super fun!  I thought I was working really hard in the swim.  I didn't have anyone to draft, but I felt that I was swimming a great, straight line and I was working hard.  I was bummed to see my time when I climbed up the ladder at the end.  That is not what I wanted to see after all of the hard work in the pool!  But, I quickly shook it off and ran to my bike.  Official time 16:29.  I did not know how fast the other girls came out of the water, but I saw later that I had come out of the water 12th.  I swear I go to swim practice!

Bike:  My legs felt like crap, as usual for the first 20 minutes.  I was hoping to catch at least one familiar woman on the bike, but there were none to be found.  So, I just worked as hard as I could to pass anyone I could find.  The ride was hilly, but I kept reminding myself that I have been riding hills well lately.  I had some fun with one guy, a clydesdale, that kept passing me down hill.  Then I would turn around and pass him going up a hill.  He told me that fat is faster downhill when he passed me once, and that cracked me up.  Then he said he didn't mind riding behind me on the uphills because I have a nice butt.  Sounds good to me, and it made me laugh :)   

On a special note, my papa was the guy on the motorcycle that lead the first bike rider out and then circled the field to make sure no one needed help.  I did give him a big wave when he passed me.  It was his first time to ever see me race, and I don't think he saw much of it!  

But, I made one mistake on the bike today.  As I rounded the corner to the dismount, I saw a photographer.  I immediately looked over and smiled.  Then, I thought shit, shit!  And I looked away.  I hope he didn't get me smiling.  How could I have forgotten so soon!  Dern it!  My bike ended up being my best event of the day 1:05:55.  This was good enough for 3rd place woman on the bike, and I was only 24 seconds back from a really good female rider here in Memphis.  

Run:  I enter the run and still have no clue where I rank, who has finished, or what is going on in front of me.  There are really no out and backs on this course, so I just kept telling myself to push it till the end.  I stopped at mile one, and yes, peed on myself.  I had to go so bad, and now that I figured this trick out, it is just too easy.  If you ever see me stop at a water stop, you know exactly what I am doing.  The run was a 4 mile trail run (4+ miles, I am sure).  It is a tough run, but I love that you are in the shade with the challenge of the terrain.  I fell one time flat on my face when I tried to let someone pass me on the left (too nice of me, I know- next time I won't pull over:)  When I got up, I was at the bottom of a huge hill and the wind was totally knocked out of my sails.  It was so hard to get my legs to run again.  But, I didn't let up the whole run.  I decided that no matter what my splits said, I was not going to give up because the run was probably hard for everyone.  I knew I was not running as fast as I wanted to run, but I kept putting positive thoughts and visions in my head.    

Towards the end of the run, I passed a fellow teammate, Lesley Brainard.  She is one of the best triathletes here in Memphis.  She hurt her ankle on the trail run and had to hobble in with her husband.  It is never fun to see such a great athlete hurt, but I am proud of her for finishing the race no matter what.  

Oh, and this time I pass all of the cameras and do not smile.  But, I had to make such a conscious effort to refrain from smiling and waving.  What is wrong with me!  I am a camera hog!  Final run time, 32:36- 4th run overall.  

So, my reward for surviving the swim, suffering on the bike, and not giving up on the run was....

3rd female overall!  

Damie and Sarah post race.  Sarah won first in her age group- she also smoked the swim as the first woman at 12:14.  Yes, she was a full 4+ minutes faster than me on the swim.  Unreal!

And, I never win anything in door prizes, but today I won a pair of Tifosi sun glasses- I love Tifosi so I was really pumped.  

Today was a good day for me.  As usual, I have a multitude of things to work on, but they are really all long term and I don't expect them to get better overnight.  I am continuing to look at the big picture with my goals (finish IMFL), and I can keep working on the shorter stuff next year.  I am glad that I was able to have a better attitude about competing today and had a little more spirit in me.  And, as usual, I am always amazed at the talent out at the races.  Boy there are some fast women...I am in awe!  

Race Tomorrow- Yippee!!!

I am actually excited to race tomorrow, and that is good news. The past few races have been a little ho hum for me, and I finally okay with that. It is all part of my process as an athlete- the good, the bad, and the ho hum. Recently it seems I have been going through the motions. I have had one or two pretty good races this year, but the rest have left me with a twinge of disappointment. Why? Because I was not happy with my effort. I have won my age group but felt unhappy with my race. On the other hand, I have been far back in the standings but felt that I had kicked ass. It is all in the effort I have given. I am not sure if others think this way or not. I could score 3 goals in a soccer game and then come home and pout. Dave would ask me why?- we won the game- I had some great goals. But, I was upset because I didn't think I was aggressive enough- or didn't dominate the midfield, etc... On the other hand, I have lost games but felt that I rocked. So, results to me are only as good as the effort it took me to obtain them. That is the way I tick.

Some of my best races have moments where I remember kicking ass- or being extremely proud of my effort.

• The time I passed a rider that I regarded as a stronger rider than myself-
• Mile 5 of 6 where a faster runner passed me, but I forced myself to hang on to her shoulder and beat her in the sprint to the line- I held on the whole time and refused to let go.
  
• The race where a very strong rider passed me early on, but at the end of my ride she was right there in my vision because I never quit chasing her-
• The race where I ended up 6th overall and I really wanted 5th. I never gave up. I passed a female in the last half mile to get that 6th place spot. If I had quit working, I would've been 7th. But, I didn't give up even though I wasn't top 5.
• The race where I knew there was some regional competition and I never felt inferior or sub par. I had completely confidence that I was up to the challenge and ready to show them what I could do.
  

I also recall specific moments where I gave up

• The time that girl passed me at mile 2 of the run. Instead of getting on her shoulder I slowed down. Wouldn't you know I let 2 girls in my age group pass me at the end of the race too. Even though I still won my age group (TT start), I was really bummed about my race effort. I should've never given up when the first girl passed.
• The recent race where I saw a girl in my age group in T2- and realized she had started way behind me in the TT start and was 3 minutes up on me. I was deflated and ran my worst triathlon 10k to date. Instead I should've gotten mad!
• Any race where I looked over at the women around and didn't feel confident that I could hold my own.
  

So here is something funny from Jen Harrison that she wrote a while back in July. Some of you may have already read it, but it cracked me up when she pointed me out.

I was talking to Damie today and I was talking to her about her Triathlon tomorrow and I told her, “get mean!!!” “get aggressive” and put on your big girl underwear! I was serious. Stop playing nice. If you wanted nice you would have taken up synchronized swimming. And, wait a second…..before you all freak out….I do not mean BE MEAN…no no no….All I mean is to get that fire burning to just lay it out on the line…get after IT.

Jen, I would never take up synchronized swimming- I know you haven't seen me swim, but there is nothing pretty about it! I don't even think I could float if you asked me to. Ha! But, tomorrow I am going to get after it. I have been training my butt off and my body is strong. I am going to race hard till the end- focus on the process. I plan on making sure I exhaust the swim- no playing in the water-no swimming like a beginner. I am going to really push it on the bike and test my legs and the additional bike miles they have on them this year. Finally, I am going to make the run hurt and NOT back off. I know the pain will come around the mile 1 marker when the race becomes an uphill trail battle for 2 miles. I will not ease up and I will not give up if I look down and see some slower mile splits. There is a good chance that everyone else is hurting too. So, I am going to hold the pace and pick up the pace. No backing off.

Okay, so I hope to get back with you this weekend with a great race report- one that is full of that good kind of hurt where you know you have pushed it! Oh, and NO NO NO pictures of me smiling.

Road Rash!

Does anyone else like the movie The Land Before Time? It is a favorite of mine, especially when Petrie says... "I flied?" and Ducky says, "no, you falled."

I falled last Wednesday. I was at the very, very end of the 40something mile ride. I mean, 2 minutes from being off of my bike. I was behind Charlie and Nancy when Charlie pulled out a huge hunk of concrete from his pocket and dropped it right in front of my wheel. Next thing I know I am no longer riding my bike- it is riding me.

Fine, Charlie didn't sabatoge me. I just didn't see the dern thing. Funny how I can see all of the little nails and pieces of glass on the road, but I miss the huge rock.

Everything is perfectly fine. My bike is scraped, but not cracked- and my body is pretty much the same. Lots of nice people stopped to help me in their cars, so it must have looked worse than it was. I think I wanted to cry, but Charlie was there so I didn't. Then Charlie rubbed alcohol on the open wounds, trying to make me cry- but instead I just yelped and ran in circles like an Indian (American Indian, that is).

This was my first real bike crash, and I am happy it happened. I was just waiting for my first one. Don't get me wrong, I have toppled over learning to get unclipped, but never have I gone down at speed.

And, I still had to finish my brick- time to run! I thought of some advice I had received earlier that day- it was about completing your workout no matter what unless you are injured. I decided I had to do the run because I wasn't technically injured. I didn't have any broken bones or torn ligaments. So, off I went running! Ha! It totally must've been the adrenaline because later that night I was like.......Owwwww!!!!

Joy did some of my T run with me- and we compared road rash scars (she got banged up a couple of weeks ago). Then- we fortunately made our way to the pizza joint to refuel and drink a much needed beer. Nothing tastes better than a beer after a crash. Thank you friends!

Sunday at the Forest

Pic 1: Damie and Angie Pic 2: Angie and Joy


This morning I hit the forest with Joy and Angie. I love the forest. It is the hilliest run in Memphis- with a great 8 and 10 mile option. The 10 miler also happens to be my favorite race. With the 3 little pigs (although I think we only run 2 of them) and the switch backs that have the grim reaper waiting at the top for you, there are no PRs to be had on the course. However, you are offered beautiful scenery and shade- coupled with deer, wild turkey, and armadillo.

Angie is having her gall bladder removed tomorrow. Get well soon and can't wait to see you back in action!

Weekend Thoughts

Great training partners can be tough to find- it requires you to blend personality, talent, work ethic, and goals into some mutual type of partnership. Luckily for me, I have several training partners that are great for me. Today, I had the good fortune to ride with Nancy and Joy, two fellow IMFL training buds. They convinced me to join in on a ride that was a little more aggressive than I am used to. They forced me out of my comfort zone. They convinced me to ride with the boys and set good examples for me along the way with their positive outlooks and kick ass riding.

It is fun to see personalities set themselves apart during training. Nancy rode at the very front of the group for the whole ride. If she moved back even a couple of spaces, she tried to get right back up front. At one point I got a huge kick out of her going aero and pulling this huge pack of roadies. She has the personality to push it to the max- the kind of girl that doesn't have easy days- what a waste of her time! Boy is she tough!

Joy is mid-to back pack, just depending on with whom she would like to talk. She chats the whole way. I decided today that she is a very efficient aerobic rider, even at fast speeds. She must stay aerobic the whole time, because she is talking the whole time. It brings a smile to my face. But, don't be fooled- she is ready to take off at a moment's notice and doesn't deviate from the pack. She can ride with any group, any speed. Confident and fast-she may hurt, but you can't see it through her smile.

Me, I may be in the middle some, but I drift to the back. It all depends on comfort level. With friends, I like to be near the front. But, on a day like today with strangers, I slowly made my way to the back. I am the cautious rider- wondering if I have enough gas in the tank to make it the whole way. I am the rider that makes sure I have something in reserve at all times. I don't truly enjoy the ride until we have gone well past the halfway point, when I know I will be not be dropped. (I can be so illogical too- I have done so many races at the fast pace of these boys, so of course I can hold on- I have confirmation of my abilities on paper! But, I still get worried every time). I am the mother-hen of the rides- the voice of caution. I am diligently practicing my nutrition and ask the girls if they have been eating like they are supposed to. They both reply no- they could care less- they are focused on riding hard!

But, the three personalities somehow mesh just right. You will be happy to know that I made the whole ride without getting dropped. And, I think the boys will be happy to have us back again. Hopefully they weren't sandbagging on us!