Smitty's Blog

"Nerd Day"

2011-10-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

So.. I haven't blogged for awhile, and I typically blog about races. But I feel compelled to write today. I have a heavy heart... and need to express my thoughts.

Today, a friend posted what I first perceived as the most adorable picture of her son on Facebook. I absolutely adore my friend.. and her kid.. but as I looked at the picture and read the caption, I became very, very disturbed. The picture was of her son wearing polyester-ish pants hiked up to mid-belly, a striped shirt buttoned up around the neck, with slicked back hair, and thick black-rimmed glasses with a strip of masking tape holding the lenses together at the bridge. The caption said he was "ready for Nerd Day at school".

I immediately reverted to my childhood - to the days when I was ridiculed for being a "nerd." I couldn't help but wonder what teacher - what administrator - would condone such a "Spirit Week" activity at their school.

Make no mistake: this is NOT an issue with this young boy, with his mother (who inspires me greatly), or with the MAJORITY of students who participated in this "Spirit Week" activity. As eleven, twelve, and thirteen year-olds, they are INNOCENT and could never be expected to fully comprehend the bigger issue at hand here. That issue is the negative connotation that surrounds the word, "nerd."

Perhaps I'm hypersensitive to "Nerd Day" because I WAS teased... everyday... when I was their age. I was teased for having greasy hair (because I never had access to regular baths or showers or hygiene products); I was teased for wearing clothes that were too small or too tight (because I came from a single parent home in which my mom had a mental disorder,no job and thus, no money. We couldn't buy clothes and we relied on sporadic church offerings of food and clothing to provide for us); I was teased incessantly for my hygiene, for my crooked and cavity-filled teeth, for my socioeconomic status, for my appearance, for being quiet and for being reclusive (because I was ashamed of what I looked like and the fact that we didn't have money or even a steady home).

I would have been DEVASTATED by "Nerd Day".

I understand fully: I was/am the MINORITY. Most kids (and many of their parents) would never even think that a day so "innocent" would create such discomfort. For these children, "Nerd Day" is FUN... an opportunity to dress SILLY. But for those of us who were or are still picked on, "Nerd Day" is a chance for other kids to be permitted to continue the ridicule. I cannot imagine there weren't other children at the school today who were uncomfortable with or self-conscious about the day's theme.

The definition of Nerd is, "An insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or boringly studious." An alternate definition suggest it is, "an intelligent but single-minded expert in a particular technical field or profession." Neither is very "positive" (who wants to be called "insignificant" or "single-minded?").

As a teenager, I was PROFOUNDLY affected by Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem about a seemingly wealthy, happy and admired person who was quietly (and unbenowst to any other) battling inner demons, Richard Cory. The first 15 lines of this 16-line poem describe this man and his trip to town and how others saw him as being wealthy, educated and mannerly. The poem's 16th line then explains that after that trip to town, he "went home and put a bullet through his head."

I am reminded constantly of the dozens of young people across this nation who chose to take their own lives this past year after relentless bullying.

Like those victims and others, bullied kids are often too afraid to speak. I was afraid. I wanted to be "accepted" - by the popular crowd... by any crowd.

I still live today with the insecurities caused from the ridicule of my adolescent years and I still strive to overcome the feelings of insignificance. Even though I have become an "accomplished" scholar and athlete, I am still heavily moved by the story of Richard Cory today and feel it explains so much that is deeply rooted inside of me. Don't worry... I'm not going to put a gun to my head... but I have to admit it has sometimes been difficult to overcome those latent thoughts. That might partially explain also why I choose not to own a gun.

As educators, we have an obligation to protect our children. Administrators and teachers who condone and promote days like "Nerd Day" have most likely never been the focus of unwanted ridicule themselves. They may be oblivious to the fact that it may not be "fun" or "silly" for everyone. I also realize that some kids embrace the notion that they are "nerds." But we (especially as educators) need to protect those that do not. We must advocate for tolerance of all populations, regardless of gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status.. etc. We also have an obligation to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and to protect them from not only others, but from feelings of discomfort. This MINORITY are the group that need US the most...and that includes the "nerds."

2010-09-11T03:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so wet.

haha.

Where do I even begin this?

This morning I got up at 5am.. got ready... and went down to the lobby to catch the team bus to the race site (about 7K away). It was supposed to take us 15 minutes to get there.. but the stupid bus driver and Hungarian translator/tour guide/bossy woman Judit (there's no H on that) couldn't figure out how to get us close. We'd made the trip with Judit many times this week, but she was totally unprepared for the road closures... so that 15 minute trip took an hour. The Hungarians have absolutely no sense of urgency... and we Americans are entirely unpatient people. So that didn't go well. We finally stopped on this corner ... so that Judit and the bus driver that didn't speak a lick of English could argue with the police about letting us go drop off. We told Judit we needed to get off the bus.. and she told us no... that we could be arrested if we got off in a "no drop off" zone. She said, "i command you to stay". Judit was out there blah blahing with police for a good 5 minutes... and we're all restless in the bus... so I asked the bus driver to open the door... and we all escaped! It was a 2 mile run to get to transition from where we escaped the bus..... a pretty long haul with the gear bag.. and pouring rain. And unfortunately for us.. our bikes were checked in yesterday! By the time I got to transition, I had 10 minutes to get out and 15 minutes to race start. I also had a long line to check my gear bag in (only bike shoes and run shoes and race number allowed in transition). Thankfully, some Americans let me cut in front of the line (which surely would have taken 30 minutes) to check my bag. Then I had 5 minutes... realized I forgot my chip.. so had to run back to transition to get it (it was inside my bike shoe). I made it on the race platform just as my wave was walking down. Phew!

I started on the far outside right on the swim. The swim was shorter than the aquathlon - only 750m. I was glad I did the aquathlon because I knew what to expect with water temp. Freakin' cold! But I didn't seize up today like I did on Wednesday. Water temp was 15 Celcius. So ya... pretty cold.... and I had only my sleeveless wetsuit (note to self: bring both in future events despite what the website says about projected temps!). I felt pretty smooth on the swim. I was definitely in the top half of my wave (40 in my age group wave). I cratered a little toward the end.. got tight... but I sighted a lot better than on Wednesday's race. I was "content" with the swim... and really made a point of it on the last 100m to savor the experience I was getting. Wow... swimming in a bay of the mighty Danube River! (and the water is NOT blue by the way... more like brown... and very cloudy).

Transition SUCKED. It was such a freaking LONG run up to T1. Sand.. gravel.. and grass that was more like mud. But i made it.. and once I did I felt the actual time at my T1 post was pretty quick. ITU has a helmet on and buckled rule before you can even TOUCH your bike... I did okay with that... Opted for no socks with all the rain. Then the LONG run out of transition! haha

Bike was decent. It was soooo wet. 5" of rain in last 20 hours.. Crazy. Three "U" turns on the bike... I did okay with them. Only a couple women passed me (most passed me in that long T1).. and I felt FAIRLY strong on the bike. Avg 20.6 I think... so that's pretty decent for me. Course was pretty sketch.. not only wet but huge deep puddles, manhole covers and several smaller potholes and uneven cracks in the road.

T2 was LONG again.. of course. We had to dismount then run about 100m on the road... then another 300m on the wet muddy grass. I was fairly quick again once I got to my post... Not terrible.. but not super fast.

The run was gorgeous. We ran along the Danube.. and it was just cool. For the first time EVER (I'm embarrassed to say that) I ran the whole way without taking a short walk break. I really didn't even feel tight or anything.. and I had a good kick coming over the bridge over the Danube to the last 400m of the finish. It was pretty cool... the USA Coach was handing out USA flags for us to carry in to the finish once we crossed the bridge.. so that was awesome.

I have absolutely NO CLUE how I finished... or what my time was. I'm pretty sure I wasn't last... which means I met my goal! Really, this course was very conducive to my strengths ... and other than the rain, I felt I had a pretty good race. More than that, the experience was amazing. It was just really cool to look on everyone's chest and ass and see their name and the country they were representing... And even though I wasn't the fastest one out there, I will savor this experience. I met some amazing people... some great Americans that I'll look forward to seeing again at future National Championships. One of the top two USA girls in my age group only beat me by a minute or so... and she beat me by 5 in iowa... so I felt I legitimized myself... and why I was here.

It was a great experience, indeed... but I don't think Budapest in September will be on my travel plans anytime soon!

Thanks y'all!
Smitty

Quad Cities Triathlon (Iowa)

2010-07-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Alright Alright.. I'm like A MONTH late on this race report... but I knew I'd get to it EVENTUALLY!

I decided to do the Quad Cities Triathlon last September after the OKC Redman. I qualified (barely) for Team USA for the Long Course World Championships in Immenstadt Germany at that race... but since I BARELY qualified and since I vowed never to do a long course race again (well at least in 2010), I turned my attention towards something I love... Sprint Races. I found out that the Quad Cities Tri (QCT) would be the Team USA world championships qualifier for 2010. So... I registered and several months later I was hopping a flight to Davenport Iowa.

My buddy Karen came along. Now something you should know about Karen. She's not only the best sport psychologist EVER.. she's the defending Masters National Time Trial Champion - two years in a row in fact - in cycling. She was an Age Group phenom in swmming in her home state of Indiana... and oh ya.. she ran competitively in distance events in college. Yup. She's amazing. Karen's hubby Sam hails from Iowa so she thought it would be a cool race to attend... and I was ecstatic to travel with her!

We flew into Moline IL.. with EPIC lightning shows outside the left side of the plane! We checked in to the ROACH motel... okay it was the Clarion but it might has well have been the Roach MOtel... it stunk.. had serious mold issues.. and our door never worked.. and the next day we went to ride the course (Friday). So there we are.. riding the 15 mile course... in Iowa... with black clouds to the west. Now keep in mind these aren't your typical black clouds... they are BLACK clouds. And we were trucking along at 25mph.. and they were catching us.. QUICKLY! It started to rain on us with about 2 miles left to go... and within 2 minutes, the storm was over the top of us. Now... again... keep in mind with these atypical black clouds came your not-so-typical storm. Imagine if you will 70 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS with gusts to 90 MPH. Yep. This was a "holy shitter". I was absolutely petrified. Karen, being from Indiana an all, was used to some pretty big storms.. but even this one scared her. We still had a mile to go before getting back to our car.. and Karen ducked in to a storage yard with some shelters. I kept riding.. thinking she didn't know where the car was parked. I remember her yelling .. "What are you DOING??" To which I replied, "The car is THAT way!!!!". She came back out on the road and at 3mph we continued to ride forward.. leaning about 30degrees to our left! We got back to where the car was parked and immediately went to a picnic shelter to sit out the storm. Unbelievable I tell you! Craaaaaaazy storm! Hail... heavy heavy rain (3" in all in about 30 minutes)... and very very strong winds. We found out the next day the same cell killed two people in Minnesota (tornados were everywhere in the storm.. but we didn't see any funnel clouds). That night more Tstorms struck the Quad Cities area. Every TV station was warning people to "take cover". I've never seen radar maps that RED and PURPLE.

The next morning was race morning. Perfect weather... although it was quite humid... and hot. And the ground was muddy. haha.

The swim was at West Lake Park. Lots of waves... and a time trial start. I wasn't a fan of this in the beginning. I figured by the time my wave got around, there would be 2,000 obstacles in front of me. But actually it worked out fairly well. It was organized... and I only had trouble getting around a few people. My sighting was pretty good I felt... and my time was fairly decent. For the 600 yards I was under 10 minutes... so I was pretty happy with that. Fastest time in the 40-45 age group and one of the top 5 fastest for all females.

T1 wasn't so great. I think I was 2-somethin... but I was okay with that. Had some trouble getting the new wetsuit off. Forgot the Body Glide! Definitely room to improve!

The bike seemed to go pretty well for me too... It was an out and back... and I seemed to pass a lot of people - men and women. I was only passed by 2 women total... and only one of them was in my AG.. so I was content with 2nd place heading into the run.

T2.. okay... a pretty quick transition at 1:10ish. could be faster.... but it was a pretty big transition area!

Now the run. I suck. I really suck. It was super hot... and muddy... and the trail was pretty narrow in parts.. and getting around the water holes was a task. This dude in front of me totally bit it... huge splash! :) The humidity was totally kicking my fanny too. I did NOT have a very good run .. had to walk a couple times to get my wheezing under control (note to self.. bring inhaler to race!!!!)... 9:10 mile pace. Definitely know what to work on, eyh? I ended up 5th in my AG... qualified for Worlds.

Oh.. and in case you're curious.... Karen kicked ass. She beat a couple of the pros... en route to 2nd in her AG and 5th overall female. Yup... I keep fast company! She's so awesome!

So... I'm registered.. and I'm going to BUDAPEST HUNGARY in September. I figure I had to be top 15... so placing top 5 is a little more respectable. I've got a lot to work on between now and then, though.... I need to get faster... My Budapest goal is to not get last... and to RUN the RUN. :)

One last thing... ERIC SARNO is the BEST RACE DIRECTOR EVER. Period. Period. Period. The attention to detail in this race and the race management was EXCEPTIONAL. This is the MODEL for which I will instruct my students!!!! Safety was a paramount concern... and every detail was directed towards that end.. which made for an INCREDIBLE race experience!

I'm out.

Redman Half Iron Race Report

2009-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well... I'm done railing on the Halfmax people. If you want to read about that, go ahead and read my next entry. After a couple days of thinking about things, I just want to forget Halfmax ever existed. I want to remember what turned out to be my best half iron in a more favorable light....

I arrived in OKC on Thursday afternoon and the race was on Saturday. My good friend Vicki came with me so we figured we'd do a little sight seeing before the race. This trip was really special for me because I was born in Oklahoma and my father is buried there. Even though I have been back for more than three decades, it was something very special for me to go "home".

I picked up my race packet on Friday afternoon and thought it was a little weird that there were no timing chips given out. But the race meeting clarified that the chips would be given out on Saturday morning. Phew. But I really wasn't looking forward to standing in another line. Not sure why they couldn't just have it organized enough to have our chips in the race packet. Because of that, I decided to get to the race a half hour earlier than what I would normally do. That meant getting up at 4 and getting to the race site by 5. Race start was at 7am.

It was a good thing... I arrived at the race site.. checked on my bike (I had left it in transition the night before) and got the tires pumped up by the AWESOME folks at Schlegel Bicycles - who were there to provide race assistance (they also received my bike from Fed Ex, put it together, tuned it and are shipping it back for me!). Then I went to stand in the LOOOOONG line to get my chip. Really, the line moved pretty fast. I only was in it for about 10-15 minutes so it wasn't too terribly bad. I returned to transition, put some finishing touches on my "spread" and then headed for the portapottie line.

Only FOUR PORTAPOTTIES in transition. FOUR. For about 1000-1200 racers (half and full distance events going on simultaneously). I met a fellow blogger, Cody the Clydesdale, in line so I had a nice chat with him while I waited in line. I've been following his blog for a couple years now so it was nice to run into him. The portapotties REEEEEEKED though... I was gagging BAD in there and just held my breath and got out of there asap!

Three minutes before the first wave (full iron distance folks) were set to go off, the RAIN came. I'm talking RAIN! Boise was bad... but this was downright MISERABLE. It must've rained 4" in 30 minutes! It was an all-out downpour. The race director postponed the start of the race and threatened to make it a swim-run-swim after reports that some of the bike course was flooded. We had about an hour delay through all this... brrrr.... but thankfully they were lenient about letting us go back into transition and get clothes. Bad thing is they were all SOAKED. I finally started the race at about 8:36am.... with instructions that the bike course was still flooded in parts and there would be mandatory dismounts at those locations.

The swim was great. I've never tasted water so good. Seriously... that was CLEAN water! It was fairly warm, too... about 74 degrees. Wetsuit legal. I didn't really have a good swim.. but I enjoyed the swim! There were lots of slower swimmers from waves in front of me and I just didn't have a great stroke going.... but I was enjoying the water so much I didn't care. I knew I was going slower than normal.. but whatever. My swim split was 32 something... slow for me, but again I didn't care.

T1 was wet... and muddy. I did my best to keep the feet clean... and off I went on the bike.

The bike course was, well, interesting. Because of all the rain, there was really only one single bike lane to ride in... to pass you had to really pick your spot.. and also to be passed! The rain had left so much standing water than you couldn't ride behind anyone even if it were draft legal... and you couldn't move much to the right because you'd sink! haha. But it eventually got better. There were lots of rolling hills - NOT the 7 foot hills the race guide described... these were pretty decent rollers. I didn't really care about that.. they were just nuissance hills.. not "get out of the saddle" hills. What did bother me was the poor road conditions for for about 20-25 miles of the course. It was ROUGH chip-seal stuff in parts... and a lot of folks lost bike parts, bottles, etc. On the bright side, the volunteers were FANTASTIC... the aid stations were FANTASTIC.. and the cops at every corner were FANTASTIC. My bike split was about a 3:03.. pretty good considering the fact we had to dismount at mile 6 and run on soggy grass for a while (took me about 2 minutes to do that) plus all the other water we had to maneuver around. For as much (little) biking as I had done, I was content with the split.

T2 for me was SLOOOOOOW. I was soaking wet.. muddy... and wanted to just take my time. I put on dry socks... HA.... ate a banana and off I went.

The run for me was super harsh. It was a 2 loop out and back course... very few trees.. around the lake. Hardly any spectators out there.. just the aid stations. I've been nursing my Achilles injury so I knew I probably wouldn't be able to run hard... so I ran very slow and steady. For the first three miles. Then I really began to hurt! I shot my mustard packets... a couple gels.. but really I was bound by the tightness and discomfort in my Achilles. I had to do a walk/run thing.. and the final 4 miles was just miserable. But I kept on going... knowing the finish line was coming.

I finished in 6:08... a PR for me. I had set my goal to break 6 hours in this race... something I certainly would've done if healthy. I was on track to go a 5:50 after the bike... but just broke down on the run. I'm okay with that.

All in all, an okay race. I just really wish it wouldn't have ended for me so miserably (see next post). I was fine with the race... just not with the terd that ruined it for me afterwards. It's too bad that I'm thinking more about that than the positive outcomes.

Ten Random Thoughts About the Redman:
1. The water was the best open water venue I've ever swam in. Clean, crisp. Could've bottled and drank that water!
2. I now know what a plantation is. Beautiful houses on huge acreages .. green, gorgeous...
3. I peed on the bike. YES!!! I've never been able to do it! Ya, I had to slow down and it took about 9 attempts... but I did it! Coach Kris would be happy.
4. I can blow snot rockets equally well out of both nostrils. There was a lot of that going on during the bike with the weather conditions and all. I'll probably be sick later this week though.
5. Humidity sucks. God it sucks.
6. No portapotties on the course. Not on the bike; Not on the run. No way I was using those in Transition again,
7. Timing Chips... give 'em out with the race packets. We don't need another line to stand in (and stress about) on race morning.
8. Got a massage after the race. My first ever. Not bad... Thanks Chad and Heritage College Massage Therapy students.
9. People in Oklahoma are all nice.
10. Paying the $14 extra for the more spacious seat on the airplane after the race is TOTALLY worth it!

Halfmax National Championship: A Race Summary

2009-09-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I did the "Halfmax National Championship" in Oklahoma City. The race was advertised as the national championships for the half iron distance and would be as part of the Redman Triathlon.

We had to "qualify" to get to race in the Halfmax division. I qualified last October at the Longhorn Ironman 70.3. Afterwards, I received an email notification from the people at Ultramax that I had qualified for the "national championships".

So... excited.... I registered for the race! The nice thing about the Halfmax was that they offered an Athena and Clydesdale division - at least that's what I thought. Why else would they have qualifying times and why else would they say they would have awards to the top three in each division including Athena and Clydesdale?

So. Fast forward to race day.

Nothing out of the ordinary leading up to the race. There was the Halfmax division, and then there were general entry slots. One of the race officials emailed and said the Halfmax would be scored separately... and she also told me that they would be awarding to the top three spots in each age group and in athena and clydesdale. The race guide said the same thing... and so did both the Halfmax website and the Redman website.

It didn't happen.

I talked to the Ultramax/Halfmax guy and he said he didn't have anything to do with it... He said they just sold the naming rights to the people at Redman and that the "national championship" thing is just a naming rights thing... and suggested it's not "real." He started off nice (when I told him my timing chip didn't work - he fixed the problem)... but didn't like my questions about the advertisements of Halfmax I guess. Annoyed and having no answers to my questions, he threatened to disqualify me if I kept asking him questions. Wow.

My view of Halfmax = a SCAM to get people to the race.

I'll post more on my race later. The race was good.. and I need to give props to the Redman folks. More on that later.

I'm out... and about to catch my flight back home!

'09 Pocatello TRIathlon Race report

2009-08-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Another one in the books!

I learned a few things by doing the Pocatello Triathlon! First... I learned that if I take a break once in a while and don't race every weekend, I have more fuel left in the tank. Second, I learned there are a handful of people out there that actually READ this crap I'm writing... so I need to watch my Ps and Qs! Haha!

It was definitely a stressful week before the race! Not only was I hosting my brother's three kids from Texas, Brent and I also embarked on a NASTY project ... re-roofing the house! Although I didn't actually get up on the roof to help out with the tiles, I stayed enormously busy being "mom" to 10 kids .... my brother's three, and the others that were helping with the roofing project! By "being a mom" I mean shuttling kids to and from football practices, going to the store to get snacks, cooking lunches and dinners, taking the kids swimming in the afternoon... Holy Crap I could not do that on a daily basis! A week was enough! Props to y'all out there who do it every day! The roofing project started every day at 6am and didn't end until well after 10pm... minus about three hours in the afternoon where they needed a break from the heat! I'm still tired thinking about it!

So... Needless to say I really didn't train much the week of the race. But that was okay.

I hadn't raced since Boise Ironman in June... and despite amazing urges, I told myself I wasn't going to until the Poky Tri. I needed the break! Last year I burned out bad before I got to the Texas Ironman... so I figured if I just took it kinda easy through July I'd have something left for my big race in Oklahoma City in September. So ... I ran the Sawtelle Fun Run in July (a 5K) but minimized the miles elsewhere in an effort to stay mentally fit. I also have a nasty case of Achilles Tendinitis that I've been nursing so the break was especially necessary.

Race Morning: Up at 5:30... and left the house at 630. I left a lot later than I would usually do because I had talked one of those roofing kids into doing the race the day before! haha! He was talkin' some smack and I had to show him up!

I got to Ross Park and the place was already packed. I couldn't find a good transition spot ... at least one that wasn't surrounded by Mtn Bikes... so I asked the race director if he'd let me transition by a tree that was still inside the transition area. He said sure... and I was set!

The Pocatello Triathlon is a reverse tri... so the run was first. Even though I cannot control my overall place (at least I don't like to set my goals that way b/c I cannot control who else shows up to race!)... I still hoped to finish top 5... or better yet top 3. I cruised out to an easy pace... with the intent still being to have a good "B" race... not to overdo it... and to stay as close to the top 5 as possible - knowing that I would probably make up a little time on the bike and a little more on the swim.

My run was decent... a beautiful and AWESOME course through Upper Ross Park and on the AMI Trail back to the Cheyenne Crossing and then back up 2nd to T1. I felt pretty strong, really... not my best 5K, but good. I entered T1 at 25:30... took about 40 seconds to get my shoes and helmet on and off I went on the bike in 5th place overall.

The bike was the same as in previous years... and out and back towards Inkom. The wind by Century HS was intense.... I struggled to hold on... but I was happy because I was catching #4 and could see #3 ahead. I managed to pass the 4th place girl before the turnaround... and got the 3rd place girl about 1 mile from T2 (although she passed me right back when I slowed for traffic!). I knew that 3rd place girl was a GREAT swimmer... so my task would be to pass #2 in the pool... I could see her ahead on the bike so I figured I had to make up about 2 minutes or so.

Another 30 second transition and into the pool I splashed! I just happened to jump into the lane with the 2nd place girl. It was purely by coincidence but I was happy I did. I lapped her 4 times during my 500 ... and I got out of the pool before her so I was pretty sure I'd wrapped up 3rd place overall. BTW my swim was tiiiiiggggght! Ow. I guess I spent a little more than I wanted to on the run and bike because I was all stoved up and couldn't breathe well enough to insert flip turns! haha! Oh well! It was still a decent swim time even with the open turns.

So... overall I was the third fastest female... and I was 1st Athena. Not bad for a 41 y/o!!!

Even though the Pocatello TRI isn't the biggest out there, I really enjoy this race. It's my hometown race,.. so that's cool.... but I just really like to see all the new people who come out to race every year! Beginners inspire me tremendously because that was me three years ago! By watching them, I'll never forget that exhilerating feeling of crossing the finish line in my first triathlon. It's just awesome to what I felt in each of their faces! I was also incredibly inspired (and continue to be!) by the young girl who won the race. Erika.... a 17 y/o from the Driggs area that I know will someday be an Olympian! It's just spectacular to see such strength from such a young person... Someday I hope to be able to watch her on TV and brag that I only lost to her by 7 minutes in the Poky Triathlon! haha!

Oh... and that kid I talked into racing? I beat him. By 11 seconds!

Ha!

Oklahoma City next month. It's the Halfmax National Championships. I qualified in Texas last year... and I'm looking to EXPLODE on the nice flat course! This is my "A" RACE for the year... the one I've been looking forward to for the past 11 months. My goals are to break 6 hours... and I figure I can do it if I go sub :35 on the swim, sub 3:00 on the bike... and sub 2:20 on the run!

But to do that I gotta train. HARD this month!

I'm Out.

Boise Ironman 70.3 Race Report

2009-06-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Okay. So it's been a week since the race. I've had plenty of time to think about it. And to dry off.

This race was unique with a 2pm start time. I actually LOVED that.. because I really don't sleep well before the early morning starts. Who does? By the time you get the nerves settled and get to sleep, the alarm's blaring and you're in a rush to get to T1. So I absolutely loved the full night's sleep... having breakfast... and mosey'n on up to the swim start!

The swim took place in Lucky Peak Reservoir. Having grown up in Boise, I was quite familiar with what to expect up there.. chilly waters and a bit of current. Really, the temperature wasn't bad at all. Someone said 62 degrees... which is AWESOME! I wore a sleeveless wetsuit and had no trouble at all with body temperature! I did have some trouble with the swells, though. Right after we started, I got kicked or hit in the face... and that made my left eye super sore... not to mention that my goggles on that side filled up instantaneously. I swam about 200 yds before stopping to fix it (or attempt to)... wanted to get away from the mass! By the time I rounded the first of the three buoys the swells were pretty bad. I remember seeing a jet ski out there and blaming the guy on it for causing so much turbulance. But it wasn't his fault.. it was just the stormy weather rolling in. As I rounded the second buoy there was a kayak there "rescuing" a swimmer in my wave. We were the first wave after the pros.... and this gal was ahead of me... so she must've been a decent swimmer... but the conditions on those skinnier girls was probably a lot more than what my big frame had to deal with! I remember her saying "no.. I'm done!" ... and then the guy in the kayak waved for a boat to come over. The 600 or so yards between the 2nd and 3rd buoys was crazy. I just kept getting sucked out away from the straight line I thought I was swimming. Lots of other girls were stopping a lot too so I didn't feel too bad. I figured it would be a lot better on the homestretch after the 3rd buoy but it wasn't.... instead it was much worse. I felt a little sea sick to be honest... just kept going UP and DOWN and UP and DOWN. I kept stopping... to fix my goggle and to get my "bearings". My swim time was pretty icky as a result... 39:02. I'm sure I wasted about 3 or 4 minutes with all the stops. But oh well.. I was just glad to be done with that leg! I kept thinking... I'm gonna quit after this swim... but I trudged on.

Out of the water I ran.. up the carpet to the strippers - stopping on the way to give my puppy Bristol a kiss! The wetsuit strippers did their best to pull my wetsuit off (only one guy went one way with my right leg while a girl when the other way with the other leg giving me a cramp!) and into transition I continued to run. My T1 time was 3:02... not super fast... but not super slow for me either. I was content with that... I didn't sit down and tried my best to hustle through.

Off on the bike. And the adventure! Okay. The initial downhill was not wet. That was the first 4 miles or so. Then it started raining. And the wind started blowing. We had a few climbs... one up to the Birds of Prey area... and they challenged me. There were marshalls everywhere on the downhill sections. Coming down from Birds of Prey they posted no passing zones. People still passed. I was scared to death! By this time it was a torrential rain... and pea sized hail. The water on the roads was pretty significant.. and that road was like a corkscrew at times... so I wanted to be extra cautious. ON the backside of BofP area the rain REALLLLY started coming down. We were riding through a good 1-2 inches of rain on the roads... into thick black clouds littered by lightning! That was a treat. By mile 35 the wind became more of a factor too. By mile 40 I was getting cold. But then we wound back around by the airport and I KNEW we were in the final stretch. The entire run I kept telling myself I was DONE at T2!!! A lot of other people were saying the same thing as we chatted causually on the bike! It was absolutely MISERABLE out there. But something happened as I was riding down Federal Way and then Capitol Blvd. I was getting TOTALLY inspired by all the people.. and my sense of humor was returning. I was SMILING.. and cruising about 24 mph once again! I got to T2.. thinking I would cramp but didn't as I got off my bike. I remember I was pretty bummed because my splits were sooooo much slower than my goal times. By the time I hit T2 I was 20 minutes behind where I wanted to be... and not confident at all because the run, my nemesis, was coming up.

I jogged my bike into my T2 area... where my hubby and Bristol were standing by just outside the fence! I cracked a few jokes about my oncoming cold... possible pnemonia... and then laughed as I put "dry" socks on. Ya. It was still raining! My feet were completely numb! Off I went on the run!

Right out of transition I started running with a guy - Nate. He was running a pretty good slow pace. Now... keep in mind I have NEVER completed a triathlon by running the whole way without stopping. NEVER. not even a sprint triathlon. It's a mental thing... I just know I can't do it. But Nate and I were talking... and kept talking... and he inspired me. And at mile 11 I was STILL RUNNING. We were holding about a 9:45/mile pace.... just right. I wasn't even TIRED! I wasn't breathing hard or anything! I couldn't believe it! My right foot stayed numb for the first 8 miles... and really I was feeling okay. I kept challenging myself to "do another mile..." and Nate kept hollaring at me if I fell behind - which I did at mile 9. But I caught back up at mile 11... by that time Nate was struggling a bit and so hopefully I inspired him a little. We did a little walking between miles 11.5 and 12.5... just to get our "finish legs' going.. and then I finished the half marathon in 2:18... and the race in 6:16. That was a PR for me.... which I was ECSTATIC about because I had such a miserable swim/bike.

So... the crowds in Boise were TREMENDOUS! the streets in BoDo were jam packed with people... and so was the greenbelt for the entire run! There were packs of people on almost every corner on the bike, too.. and the swim start had another couple thousand spectators! What an incredible experience that was! It TOTALLY blew away Florida.. Texas... or anywhere I had been.

If you are looking for an amazing course... amazing support... look no further. I didn't want to do this race because it was in my home town. But it ended up to be an experience I will never forget. Weather and all.

Wow. I'm still glowing.

Rigby Tri

2009-05-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was back in action at the Triathlon at Rigby Lake. This was the third time doing this race. The first year I was just a rookie and it was pretty much my first solo tri ever. Last year I did the race 6 days after Florida Ironman 70.3... and was sooooore.... and the lake lacked water so it turned out to be a run-bike-run.

I have to admit I wasn't "THRILLED" about going to the race yesterday. I've been running a lot lately but the motivation factor just hadn't hit me to be psyched for the bike part. To be honest, I haven't trained well at all yet on the wheels! So... THIS RACE WAS GOOD FOR ME... Because it forced me to get my head straight. And it did!

My swim was decent... a little slower than normal but I'm thinking the course was longer by about 100 yds... because several other folks were saying how their swim took longer than normal. No biggie. I like the longer swims. I was third person out of the water.... and 2nd female. Yes. 2nd. I got beat by a swift little swimmer girl who's 17 and just out of swim team! haha. I'll take it!

My transition to the bike SUCKED. I loathe running up hill after the swim... (or ever) so my legs weren't moving very good. Two people passed me on the way to T1 going up the bank. Haha. Didn't care. But my legs were shot from the run up the bank (and from kicking so hard when some weirdo decided to draft off me the whole time but didn't know how to do it right cuz he kept grabbing my ankles... so I KICKED and he quit it).

I sat down. And put my shoes on. Haha.

Once I was through transition and past the check point (haha) I mounted my bike and actually had a good ride. I did get passed by 2 more women. Oops. One was at the very end. Ooooooops. Guess I should have rode a little harder. But I was just out for a good "C" race... to feel the whole three sport thing once again... and I was more than content with the ride I had. My stupid new aerobars are still not comfortable though!

Once I got back to transition I was "happy" (not) to find that someone had parked his bike in my slot - right over the top of my stuff. I would've parked my next to it... but there was no room. So I laid it down behind my slot... and "cheerfully" changed my shoes and headed out.

My run. Well. Hmm. Not much has changed. It's soooo frustrating to know that I've worked so hard on my run and I just can't get my split down much. Whatup. I know exactly whatup. It's mental. I'm more than "in shape" enough to hold sub 9 minute mile pace on a 5K at the end of a triathlon... but I DON'T THINK I CAN... so I'm quick to accept the excuse and allow myself to walk. So that's what happened AGAIN at Rigby. Note to self: Get over it.

I was third overall woman... until the last 10 yards when another woman passed me. Ooops. 1st Athena... 4th overall. Guess I shouldn't have walked - once. Guess I should've not sat down in T1. Guess I should've pedaled just a tad harder. Oh well. "C" Race. That's what it was all about.

So... on the bright side my bike split WAS faster than I've done before. My swim was strong. My run was a push. My time was 8 minutes (nearly 9) faster than that race 2 years ago. So I AM improving I suppose.

The race was a good one. I'm glad I did it... it put things into perspective pre-Boise IM 70.3 . I have two weeks left before that one.

My goals for Boise:
It's a hilly bike course so if I can get a 6:25 or so I'd be ecstatic.

My goal for the year is to break a 6:00 in OKC at the Halfmax.

Now. I need to decide. Do I want to be GOOD or do I just want to GET BY? If I want to be GOOD, I need to be willing to put the work in.... and not just go through the motions. Quality over quantity Smitty. That's what it's about.

Oh. And we got a new dog. His name is Bristol and he's a border collie. A handful, too.

I miss Scratch! :)

On Losing My Best Friend...

2009-04-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday (at 230am) I lost my best friend. Scratch, my dog of the past 12 years, died. After struggling through a day of work yesterday - one in which I sat restlessly in my office capable of doing nothing but think about Scratch and his last moments on Earth, I decided to take this morning off. I have no classes - just a few office hours I was supposed to do. But with no students on the schedule, I decided it best to take a day to heal.

So that's what I'm trying to do. Heal.

The house is utterly quiet. I miss the rattle of his collar - his constant scratching (that's where he got his name, afterall). I miss the "ker PLUNK" of him laying down on the hardwood floors and the sigh that came shortly thereafter. I miss his eyes, his crooked ears, and his curly tail (that always told us of his mood). I miss him saying, "hello". I miss his smile... and most of all I miss his companionship.

I've had a lot of dogs in my life, but I've never been as close to any of them as I was to Scratch.

Pooter.
Scooby Doo.
Bumble Bumm.
Daddy Dog.
Scratcheroomboni.
Poops.

Scratch had been having seizures for the past three months. The first one was intense - and probably harder on us than it was on him. After a series of blood work, the vet felt that he was okay - that it would be just something we had to deal with. We were given the option of taking him to Boise for a CT scan to see if there was a malignant tumor - but what good would that do. If there was, we'd only be more sad - knowing his time with us was ticking away and there was nothing we could do. So instead we opted NOT to know ... and to just continue to love him with all we have.

The seizures kept coming... about 7 to 14 days apart. They were relatively short by seizure standards: about 1-2 minutes in length. Each time, he'd recover... and we'd learned to laugh at the vision and balance disturbances that would result right afterwards.... it was kind of funny to see him run into the walls. OK.... really it wasn't, but if we could convince Scratch that it was funny, maybe he'd laugh, too instead of be scared.

Other than the tenseness during the seizure itself, he didn't appear to be in any pain. Sure, his hips had been bothering him for quite awhile (he was 12 afterall), but he had to be the happiest dog on the face of the planet otherwise. We spoiled him. In the last three months, he'd done it all.... Boise, Seaside, Jackpot... Island Park. That dog had THE LIFE.

And then came Monday.

Dad had taken 1/2 day off and we had to drive to Island Park to talk to a guy about our well. Mom and Scratch went along.

It was spectacular up there... 60 degrees... sunny.... and still snow. Scratch LOVED Island Park. that was HIS cabin. He sat on the deck... soaked in the sun... smelt the great smells that only IP could offer. He watched for his buddies Frisky and Clyde (two squirrels that live in the trees at our place). He laid on the snow. Mom went for a run... and right afterwards Scratchey got to go for a walk... without the leash. Those were just some of the things he loved so much about going to the cabin. A typically finicky, methodical and slow eater (I would be too if all I ever got was hypoallergenic potato flake dog food!), Scratch ate dinner at the cabin (leftovers from our last visit). He ate more in the car on the way home... and a third dinner once we got home to Pocatello that night. Yup. Three dinners. What a feast for the little guy.

At 10:00, the convulsions began. It was another short one. About 1:20... nothing too terrible. We stayed up with him for the next half hour or so... as we always did... just to make sure he was doing alright. Then, once he plopped down and went to sleep, so did we.

A little after midnight, we heard the rumble of another seizure. Brent got up and went out in the other room to be with him. To hold him... and to talk him through the ordeal. It was another short one... and Scratch got up and stumbled around. But then he had another one. And another. And another. And another.... 9 in a row.

After the 8th one I called the emergency line to the vet. Brent and I knew it was time.

We loaded Scratch in the car. I sat in the back seat with him and held him close.

It was 2am. The streets were bare. It was dark. The drive to the animal hospital was silent.

We got there and carried him in to the vet. By this time he hadn't seized for a good 20 minutes. We laid him up on the table and the vet convinced us that with some drugs, he could end the cluster of seizures he was having that night. Brent and I, sensing hope, agreed. The doctor went in the back and got two syringes ready.... phenobarbitol and diazepam (valium). He came back in the room.

Scratch looked at the doctor, looked at us... and then seized again.

He was telling us no. He was telling us it was his time to go.

I looked at Brent... and then the doctor and said, No. I think it's time. We need to let him go. This time the pain in Scratchey's eyes was too much. He was telling us he needed to go.

The doctor went back, got a new syringe of drug... and I left the room. Brent held Scratch as the doctor injected his front leg with the drug. I wept in the other room. Brent wept with Scratch.

Brent would later say that went Scratch passed, he felt a calmness and a peace - because for the first time in months, Scratch was able to finally relax.

So I sit here today. Convinced I'm supposed to go for a run on this gorgeous day, but not having the heart to do it. I sit here in this quiet house, looking and longing for my best friend. for his eyes. his ears. his tail. It sounds so cliche, but Scratch unconditionally loved me, and I unconditionally loved him.

I will miss him.

BENGAL Tri and Stuff

2009-04-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the first ever BENGAL Triathlon. When we started the Pocatello TRI CLub at this time last year, I wanted to promote the sport here in Pocatello - and hopefully plan a few new events. The BENGAL Tri was part of that effort.... and it went great, I thought!

First of all, turn out was spectacular! We had about 75 people participate - which is awesome! My students at ISU were tremendous, too! They ran a top notch race. We had excellent sponsors... excellent course support... and just overall GREAT attitudes! I felt pretty good and am optimistic about the future of triathlon in this community! We will also continue to do our Pocatello Kids Triathlon in September. That event went well, too, and so we'll keep that up. With what we learned by doing the Bengal Tri, we'll make that one improve by leaps and bounds!

I coordinated the race yesterday and then left it to my very capable students to manage so that I could participate. My swim was alright... perhaps a little slower than I would have liked to go, but I was content with the 9:24 for the 700 yds. I can knock that down another 30 seconds or so in the future, I think. My bike was... eh.. I don't know really. I felt okay, really, but having only been on the bike TWICE (ugh.) since October's Longhorn IM probably wasn't smart. I paid for that on the run when my right calf - then left thigh - seized up. I had to walk quite a bit on the run because of that. But it's early in the year... and I'm GOOD with how I did. I have good room to improve before the Boise IM 70.3 in June.. and I'm motivated again to get things going after the long and brutal, injury-filled winter (foot/back).

Hey... check this out. This was the POCATELLO TRI CLUB turnout at the Bengal Tri! We're growing so much! We have more than 60 members now... and these are the ones that came and raced yesterday!

SaaaaWeeeeet! Dang we look good!

Alright. I'm out. Bother me if you don't see me working out. I need to lose 10 lbs before Boise and 15 before Oklahoma City and the Halfmax Nat'l Championships. Oh ya.... that's the other big race on my list this summer!

Three more weeks of school! Phew!

WTF. Where Have I Been?

2009-01-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Okay. So it's been awhile. I haven't actually been l a z y but I have procrastinated writing in my blog. To be honest, I know no one actually reads it so why does it matter? Ha.

I signed up for Boise IM 70.3 the other day. I needed that. I need something - a target to work towards. That race is in June... about 4 hours from where I live. Boise will be good. I'm also going to do the Halfmax Nat'l Championships for the Half IM distance. That'll be in Oklahoma City in September. Traveling there will be mighty fun for me. It's a trip "home" so to speak... I was born in Oklahoma (Lawton) and am looking forward to seeing the place.

I also want to do a marathon. I think..just to do the distance. I know I want to do a full IM .... in 2010... but I haven't decided what one to do. You know, I could do CDA since it's here in Idaho... but CDA in June is reaaaalllly unpredictable. The winds and cold weather - even snow - could still be around. I'm going to be miserable enough as it is... I don't want to worry about the weather, too. I'd like to find a course that (a) does not have an ocean swim (don't want to be a part of the food chain, you know), (b) is relatively flat, and (c) presents a new "view" for me.... somewhere I'm not real familiar with and get to travel to. It would be nice to have a training/travel partner to keep me motivated. Any takers? (well, since no one reads this what's the point of asking?@!!&&^!!)

I had the foot surgery just before November. It went well. At least so far! I'm running again... about 4 miles a day is all, but so far I don't have any pain - other than the typical soft tissue discomfort from the surgery incision area. I think things will turn out great. My back is bothering me though.. from the HORRIBLE wedge boot I had to wear for three weeks. It's all a part of the bigger problem - which is lack of leg and core strength. My "resolution" is to work on that this year and improve. I'm seeing a physical therapist and he's helping me with it. I'm also going to get a friend who works with ISU's athletes to help me once I graduate from PT.

That's about all I got for now.
I'm Out.

Longhorn Ironman Race Report

2008-10-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Phew. It's done.

Going into this race I was very skeptical of my chances of finishing! Not only have I been battling injury (foot), I wasn't training properly (I did less than 100 miles on the bike in the past 5 weeks!) and I wasn't mentally prepared. To be honest, I didn't want to do the work before the race. I figured I'd just "wing it." So... my mindset was WHY I TRI instead of HOW I tri. Get it? It doesn't matter if you do.. I understand what I mean! Haha.

So off I go to Austin with my buds Kelly and Gina. My goals:

#1: Keep things in perspective. It doesn't matter how much time it takes or where I place.. all that matters is that I ENJOY what I'm doing.

#2: Don't hurt myself any more than I'm already hurt. If I feel crappy.. pull out of the race with no regrets. Think of the bigger picture.

Pre-Race:
The day started off crappy. We got up at 4:15.. left the hotel in downtown Austin by 5pm.. and GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC for 53 minutes. 53 MINUTES!!! There was no one controlling the rush of 2400 athletes and the howevermany spectators into the Expo Center... so we sat there on Decker Road (or whatever its called) for 53 MINUTES. Irritating. Then the busses were not too plentiful... so we waited some more. The stress level was high... because we knew our time in transition would be significantly limited.. even with them starting the race late.

I pottied at the plentiful portapotties (my English teacher would like that use of alliteration) and down I went to the shore for the swim.

I was in wave 10... and it was wetsuit legal. Yah. Right. That water was WARM.. probably 84 degrees or so at the least. But I suppose it's easier to allow wetsuits than to listen to all the non-swimmers complain. I wore the wetsuit (sleeveless) so I wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

My swim time was somewhere around 26 minutes. Smoooookin for 1.2 miles.. but it wasn't that far! Oh well. It was a decent swim.. I felt "ok".. not my best... and getting kicked in the face a few times by the slower swimmers in the pink, green, dark blue and yellow caps didn't help much. One slow guy decided to grab my leg. I ended up with a huge cut oozing blood... what? fingernails in a triathlon? interesting idea (weapon.)

My T1 sucked. I knew my swim time was faster than I anticipated.. so keeping in mind Goal #1 I pretty much walked up to the transition area... and took in the view! haha. There were lots of spectators and that was cool! Many more than Florida.

THen... the dirt. Yuck. Now my feet were filthy. I had to take a little extra time to clean them off. So... my T1 was like 4-5 minutes or something. Oh well! Perspective.

Off on the bike I went. I immediately saw my bro and his wife which was REALLY COOL.No one in my family has ever seen me compete in anything so I was stoked they were there. Especially cuz their kids were there. That was just flat out special.

I realized I had to pee... BAD.. at about mile 1. No lie. Now.. Kris the cycling godess would tell me to pee.. on the bike.. but I tried about four or five times during the course of the 56 miles and just couldn't muster up the strength! I couldn't get passed how gross that was.. and how my inner thighs that tend to touch would burn for miles afterwards. So.. I held it. For 56 miles. 3 hours and 10 minutes. Haha.

The bike course was hella hilly and weallly windy (20-30 mph). Now, in Idaho I'm used to climbing mountains so really these hills were no big deal. but they kept on coming.. which got a little irritating. There were very few straightaways so not a lot of opportunity to get into aero position for long. That didn't bother me though because my left arm rest was bent down so aero wasnt' exactly comfortable. I also had to pay ATTENTION on the bike because the road was mighty shitty. I recall somewhere in the longhorn tri literature of them bragging about how great the roads were. what? no. i don't think so! There was asphalt splatters everywhere.. major road patches.. and cracks that could swallow a bike whole! There were some cracks in the road that lasted for meters... and were 4-6 inches wide! I'd go around them... look down.. and never see the bottom of the crack! Unbelievable! There seemed to be a lot more cyclists than in Florida. The ride never got boring that's for sure. I tried to talk with lots of the people I encountered. That was kind of fun. Some people weren't too prepared for me riding up along side them and creating conversation. Hell.. I was just having fun.. and taking my mind off the fact that I was riding more that day than I had since May and the Florida 70.3! haha. My foot did okay on the bike.. didn't really start hurting bad until about mile 50. By that time I knew I was going to make it.

On the bright side, the number of volunteers out on that course was EXCEPTIONAL. Way to go, Texas! Great aid stations.. good handoffs. Oh. Thanks to that guy on the bike at the last aid station who gave me the rest of his water! Whoever you are.. props!

T2 was fine. Oh. I still had to pee. But there were only 4 portapotties in transition and all of them had lines. So off I went.

The run was hillllly too. I don't like asphalt like that I've decided. The first 3.5 miles absolutely sucked. My foot hurt reaaaalllly bad.. and the asphalt was hot.. and painful. I walked a lot... figured I'd walk up the hills and run down them. So that's what I did. I waited for the pottie at mile 3 and then I felt A LOT better. The last 10 miles was much, MUCH better. I loved the backside of the run.. the dirt was nice on the feet! "Quadzilla" the hill wasn't bad.. of course I walked it.

I do have to give a shout out to the SUPERHEROES at the aid station at the base of Quadzilla! Those guys and gals were great! Their signs were funny, too... "We have Drugs" and "Eagles soar but weasles don't get caught up in airplane engines" or something like that. Thanks for the efforts.. the enthusiasm... and the costumes Batman, Superman, Buzz Lightyear (my personal fave), The Joker, Flash Gordon... etc etc etc.

BTW I was 22 minutes faster on the second 6.5 mile loop than I was on the first half! Cool! Total run time was 2:37.

I finished in 6:23. A minute faster than I was on the flat course at Florida... WAAAAY beyond my expectations. 3rd place Athena. And a sunburn.

I loved the race... especially seeing the family! I still have dreams of doing a full Ironman someday. Not sure if I'm patient enough. BUt this race was good for me. I know that I can break 6 hours someday... I've got to get faster on the bike... and be more consistent on the run. But ... it doesn't really matter I suppose!

Time now for a BREAK from HAVING to workout. I'm going back to WANTING to work out.. just for the hell of it. I have surgery planned for my foot on Nov 12th... then 6 weeks off from running... and then I suppose I'll decide what to do next.

I may try to get in IM Arizona for 2009... and I may just go do Boise IM 70.3. We'll see.

Yay.
Yay for me.

Why I Tri.

2008-09-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Think about it. I have.

A little over five years ago I experienced a tremendous amount of health problems. Those problems led to five surgeries in a two year span. First... it was just an ovarian cyst that was out of control. Really.. that was supposed to be no big deal. But after rupturing twice and reappearing, the doc decided to open me up and take my right ovary. Once inside, she found a mess. The diagnosis: endometriosis. Certainly something I could live with but something that would probably cause me problems down the line (i.e., more cysts!).

Four months later I went back to my doctor. I was having some significant "pulling" in my lower right groin area... just above my pubic bone. She did a pap smear and immediately found a tumor. This one was a little different. It was large.. and my doctor said she was scared. I could also see it in her eyes. Now... I was scared. That appointment was at 4:30 on a tuesday afternoon. The next morning, she had me in the O-R at 6am to remove the tumor. She told us to prepare for the worst. She told us she had only seen vaginal turmors like this in med school - in pictures - and that her instructors had informed the students they'd "probably" never see anything like this in their practice. But she had. And I was scared.

After surgery my doc came to my room to see how I was doing... and she informed me the problem was bigger than she thought. She urged me to have a full hystorectomy... and we scheduled it for two weeks later (enough time for me to heal a little).

After that... another bump in the left groin led to another surgery.. and the gall bladder was removed a few months after that.

I was a mess. Did I mention that during all this I also had my thyroid nuked... because my family doc (not my ob-gyn) said my heart was going too fast and I had "graves disease". Wonder why.

So now...here I am... five years later...

Yesterday Barrie, a friend, asked me why I do triathlons. The only answer I have is "because I can."

This sport is about my health. It has been my salvation. Deep inside I am still scared to death about what might be growing inside of me. I have not gone to the doctor for three years because of it. Triathlon training makes me feel healthy... and the aches and pains I get I can attribute to the training.

Sure... I know I'm stupid... that I should go back to my doc... but for now, I'm feeling good... and healthy.

I TRI because I CAN.

Next week I'm headed to the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 in Austin. I'm not as "in shape" as I was for Florida. There's also that "pressure" to beat my time... to get an award like I did in Florida... blah blah blah. I HATE that pressure.

I want to just remember why I'm there in the first place.

I Like To Swim, But...

2008-08-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was my third experience with the Pocatello Triathlon. Really, the race has improved by leaps and bounds in the past three years. Lance, the guru that runs the race, has just done a phenomenal job with the cards he's been dealt.

To be honest, the Pocatello Triathlon isn't one of the best around. It's a RUN BIKE SWIM race - bassackwards in triathlon terms. The problem is that the swim is in a pool - and because of that, Lance and Co. are limited with what they can do. This year's numbers were considerably down from year's past, I think. But those that were there were rarin' to go, including me.

So.. let's start out with the run. Lance cut about 400 yds off the run this year to make it an easier start. In the past we've had to hike up the road a ways to start in order to get the official 3.1 distance. This year, we started right at the edge of the parking lot. I wasn't complaining about that... but it made for a swifter time.

I was off fast on the run. I tried to stay within reach of the top females. That would be Karen, Heather and Kris! THe problem is they were maintaining a pretty good pace - and I held it for the first 2 miles just fine. But then I kinda blew up a bit... so I had to slow it down. My run time was 20:02. Pretty fast for me.

Last year I lost this race in T1. This year I did not. I hustled through... and felt good about it!

The bike... what can I say? I suck. Nuff said. 38:30 or something like that for 12 miles. That includes T1 time. Wind... plus heavy Smitty = Crap. Ugh.

T2 was good, too. My neuroma was BAD and my left foot KILLED coming off the bike. I limped it to the pool though and felt fine once I was wet.

The swim. Last year, as you'll recall, I swam TOO MUCH. This year = ditto. There is NO WAY my swim split would be 2:00+ per 100!!!! I typically hover around 1:20 - and even with the fatigue I wouldn't have been over 2. I actually felt GREAT in the water. My stroke was strong and efficient.

Overall, I finished in 1:07. Not too shabby... but not exactly pleasing. I did knock 7 minutes off my time from last year. The run was faster (thanks for the bonus 400 Lance!) and the bike was probably faster - but I think shorter, too!

ALl in all, a good race. I was 4th overall (Karen, Heather and Kris!) and 1st athena.

Next up: Bear Lake Tri. I've got to miss the Rush (dang!) because I have some PR stuff to do with my concussion awareness campaign.

School office hours start in a week. Classes in 2 weeks.

OH. Did you see the 4x100 mens free relay win last night? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? PHENOMENAL!!!! The best race EVER EVER EVER!!!!. Phelps leads off with an American Record and Lezak finishes with the fastest split ever! That kind of comeback in the last 15m JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN IN SWIMMING!!! GO USA!!!!

Uh Oh. I Did It Again.

2008-07-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

well. nuff said, huh? Thanks to Kelly and Gina, I'm headed to Austin. Peer pressure sucks. Guess I'd better get over the workout blues!

I actually had a good run today (before I knew I was going to Austin). That made 5 whole days in a row of running! Holy crap! That's a record for June-July! Haha! I'll be okay. I needed to go through the "rest" period after Florida. I burned out pretty bad - and with all the summer races going on, I just didn't have time to relax. I DID relax, though... and used the races as workouts. I felt pretty good at times during all of them, but my times reeeeaaaaaaallllly sucked compared to last year. A couple of weeks ago I did Blacktail. That dang hill KILLED ME. I was going so slow up it I hit some gravel, spun my wheel and FELL OVER! So, with a scuffed up knee and a little blood running down my shin, I said #%^@ it and walked up the rest of it. I DID NOT CARE that I was getting passed by every mountain bike in the world. Ha!

So... after a couple of weeks of R&R in Island Park, I'm ready to get busy again. I've got to get my biking legs. Period. I don't know if it's the herniated discs in my back or what but my leg strength is soooo bad right now. I have a tremendous amount of atrophy going on in my quads. And this has been going on for about a year - even with all the training I did for Florida. It's quite frustrating! I'm going to have to hit the weights in the "off season" (what's that?) and see if I can restore some of what I know I should have.

Since I'm doing Longhorn, I've decided not to do a marathon this year. However.... next year's goal:

Ha Ha! And I'm serious. Kelly and Gina are going to owe me!

I'm off to McCall, Boise and Twin Falls to do three concussion presentations in the next week. I'll workout! I promise!

Ta ta.

Redfish Race Report

2008-06-23T12:17:00.001-07:00

I was pondering the idea of not going. Boy that would've been a big mistake.

I wasn't in shape, really, to do this triathlon. I've been struggling since doing Florida IM 70.3 - burnout really. So I did Rigby... and Blackfoot... and now Redfish... on nothing more than one 3 mile run and a mile swim the week before to prepare! But I signed up for this race... and I wanted to do it more for my buddy GIna than for me! I really wanted her to experience her first real triathlon... and she did! More on that in a bit.

On Friday night Gina and I headed up to Redfish for the mandatory "wetsuit wash". We wanted to do this Friday night so our suits would have ample time to dry. Afterwards, we drove back to Sun Valley to take care of a little business. Then... after a spectacular pizza at Smoky Mtn Pizzeria in Ketchum, we crashed at Wathne's place in Elkhorn (after some struggle getting the code to work!).

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early at 5am and drove the 70 miles to Redfish. That drive is absolutely spectacular! I have to say that the Sawtooths are the most beautiful mountains anywhere! Those jagged cliffs impress me everytime I see them! We also saw quite a bit of wildlife on the drive that made it extra special!

Now the race. The water at Redfish was cold.. 52 degrees, so they shortened the swim. Gina was doing the "olympic" length and I opted for the sprint since I haven't really trained much. I figure by now I can wing it with the sprints! The water there is CRYSTAL clear! You can see a mile ahead of you... and that can be pretty spooooooky! It's odd to see every swimmer around you... and the rocks on the bottom of the lake! Gina struggled on the swim - she's a GREAT swimmer but she really had trouble with the "panic" that every triathlete experiences on that first open water swim. My swim was good. I enjoyed it... and the cold was nothing to be bothered by. I wore a sleeveless wetsuit and had no trouble at all.

I was second out of the water.. by three seconds... and first out of T1. It didn't take long to get passed. The first girl passed me at mile 1 (haha) and three others passed me in the last 2 miles. The bike was fabulous... pretty flat.. and gorgeous!

T2 was smooth. I really felt a lot better on the run that I typically do. I just kept it slow and steady. I did have to walk 4 times for about 20 steps each to pound my left foot and wake it back up. Damn neuroma! I'll get that fixed after tri season!

I finished as the 5th woman overall. I was 1st in my age group - but I was scored as the 1st Athena. Yaay.

After struggling on the swim and hailing three boats to puke 3 times, Gina was impressive on the bike and run and finished 2nd in her AG. yaaay for her. Other Poky TRI clubbers did great, too!

I'd HIGHLY recommend this race to EVERYONE.. beginners to seasoned vets. You can't beat the view.. and the post race meal was craaaazy good (prime rib, stuffed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, elk meat balls... and much more!).

Now it's time for some R&R. I have Blacktail in 3 weeks. I'll probably rest a week then start training again.

Blackfoot Triathlon - Round 3

2008-06-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made my third trip to Blackfoot for the good ole' Pride Days Triathlon. The Pocatello TRI club had quite the showing... about ten of us! So that was cool. I really didn't want to go! I was sick all week coughin' up some serious flem. My lungs were awfully tight... the THREE mile bike ride on Friday just about killed me! But Friday night at the rodeo, we had a kid get really seriously hurt. I rendered the initial care on the kid and it didn't look good by the time I went to bed. So I figured I needed the Blackfoot TRI... to get my head clear!

So off I drove... coughing and all... to Blackfoot for what typically is the most unorganized triathlon in Idaho!!!

When I arrived... HAHA.. the traveling carnival people had taken over the area that was supposed to serve as the transition area. When the race officials arrived (yes.. I beat them there by a good 20 minutes!) the master plan had to be rewritten. Their improvisation was pretty good, I have to admit... we just worked AROUND the carnies' big OLD trucks and even OLDER school bus (of course they were no where to be found!).

A good laugher.... rather than keep track of the number of competitors who showed up at race registration, they had us COUNT OFF (3 times to be exact) so they'd know how many were in the water. They wanted to make sure they didn't lose anyone! haha!

The water was pretty chilly. Some Poky TRI clubbers and I swam Jensen's Grove a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a little colder yesterday. Still... it was a decent swim. I wore a sleeveless wetsuit. I went through the typical "on the verge of panic" about 100 yards in but I eventually calmed down after exhaling really heavily through my mouth in the water. I think I was about the 5th person out of the water. It was by no means a great swim for me... I was pretty stiff and my lungs weren't working too well.... but at least I made it out feeling "okay." Here's a hollar out to that guy who didn't make it out of the water so well... Hope you're feeling better! And keep TRI-ing... just wear a wetsuit! (he had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital after the swim!).

They changed the bike and run routes... for the BETTER! The bike route was great. Pretty much the same route only we cut off about 1.5 miles of it and just headed out on the greenway immediately after the swim. I didn't like the shortness of the course... but the directiion change was MAGNIFICENT! They also had better support at the turns... and thanks to Bob Marcinko, the far turns were covered too!

After a nasty transition in which I was suuuuper dizzy (Barrie put my socks on for me and somebody else - not sure who - held me up from behind or I wouldv'e been down for the count!) I was off on the bike. It took a couple miles before I started understanding where I was and that my legs were not on battery power. I had some G2 in my aerodrink... and took a sip or two at about mile 4. Then I immediately threw up. Not a good idea! But I actually think it helped me feel better! And no... no vomitus on my nice P2C! Sweeet. I labored through the rest of the bike... holding between 19 and 22 mph for the most part. No women passed me... but about 7 guys went sailing by.. including Dean and Johnathan!

T2 was much better. The dizzy spells were gone. Michael's dad took my bike, Bill McNabb made sure I didn't fall... and I actually hustled through and started off on my run!

The run sucked, as usual. I did the ole' run walk run walk thing the whole way. Three women passed me, OF COURSE. So I ended up 5th overall woman and 3rd in my age group. No athena class.

As soon as the race was over, I hugged my Tri clubbers... and off I ran back to Pocatello for the rodeo.... with my mind much more at ease.

By the way, the kid is still in a coma. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

I'm off to St Louis tomorrow morning for a meeting. Then I've got Redfish Tri next week. Maybe.

I May Not Be Smart But At Least I'm Having Fun.

2008-05-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today... on just 5 full days of rest... I did the Rigby Lake Triathlon. What in the world was I thinking? I'll probably pay tomorrow... my legs are a little sore right now. But what can I say... I'm addicted to these things!

My legs have felt pretty cruddy all week long since returning from Florida. Being cramped up in the plane all day on MOnday certainly didn't help. I went from REALLY SORE, to sore... to spongy.. to intermittently wobbly. I swam a little on Tuesday - just to get some blood circulating to the sore areas and to loosen up my stiff shoulders and back, but other than that I've done nothing all week.

I really wanted to do Rigby. It's part of the East Idaho Challenge Series and I really want to win that again this year. This race was crucial for that because I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do Blackfoot with the State Rodeo and all.

So.. up I got at 6am and off I drove to Rigby - against ALL advice from Coach Kris (don't tell her I went! haha).

There was no water from some odd reason (they're flooding up river right now so I can't understand why the powers that be wouldn't fill the lake at Rigby to ease some of the pressure!) so we had to do a run-bike-run.

The first run was a tad painful. I definitely felt it in my muscles. It was supposedly 2 miles... and my time was about 18 minutes - about 5 minutes slower than I likely would've been out of the water, but that's okay.

I WENT SLOW THROUGH TRANSITION! I was in absolutely no hurry. NO need to compound the issues with my body!

Once I mounted the bike I REALLLLY felt the pain in my thighs. It was obvious to me pretty quick that I wasn't going to have much power. So.. I put the Cervelo in an easy gear and just spun - no power, but no problem with me! I only got passed by one guy - so that was good. But my ego took a hit on the last 5 miles when I wasn't able to pass a guy on a Mtn Bike! Haha! Too funny. Oh well.

A little quicker through T2 and off on the run. Again, I was in NO HURRY. I just wanted to run-walk the 3.2 to the finish.

My legs were pretty spent when all was said and done... but I honestly don't think I sweated much at all. I was pretty dry.. and I wasn't even breathing hard at the finish.

My time was 13 minutes FASTER than last year - so that's another testament on how well Kris has trained me. I won Athena but I don't even think I was top 10 overall (darn runners had a great advantage here! :) )Hopefully this conditioning will last through the season.

The race was really well organized this year. It's no fault of theirs that there was no water. The adjustments were good - the course was well marked - and the atmosphere was festive. Good job to Michael at PB Performance and his crew.

BTW Poky Tri did great. Gary won it all (Sprint) and Dean took 4th. Emily faired well in her first Olympic... and Erica was RAD in her first tri ever! A few other faces I saw there too.... can't wait to get 'em all involved in our little club!

Now.. I'm off to Island Park for a little fun. The Sea Doos are gonna get wet. I don't care about the weather! I'll also bring the wetsuit and take a nice dip in that chilly water! Can't wait to do some good ole' fashioned IDAHO open water swimming!

The Most Fun I've Had in My Life!

2008-05-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

So earlier this afternoon I competed in and finished my first ever half Ironman. Wow! What an EXHILERATING experience! I had more fun that I would have ever imagined! I was so scared before the race. I was so doubtful that I could complete such a distance! Prior to today, I'd NEVER biked 56 miles continuously (without taking a break) and I had only ran 13.1 miles ONCE (Salt Lake Half Marathon). But thanks to Kris Walker - and my training buddies Kelly Wathne and Gina Katsilometes - I did it! I surpassed the goals I had set for myself - overwhelmingly - en route to a 6:24 finish. AND... icing on the cake... I won the Athena under 40 class and got an amazing plaque and prize bag. I'll post pix of that when I get back to Poky.

The swim was phenomenal! The water was warm! I tried to size up the field on the beach. I started with all the women 35-39 class. There was about 60 (?) in the wave. I wanted to be on the outside (on my favorite breathing side) and in the front. I had no trouble seizing the spot. The buoys were WAAAAAY out there. I never felt rushed at all. I felt a steady pace and I was unbelievably relaxed.... more so than ever on an open water swim! By the time I reached the first buoy, I had already passed people in four waves in front of me. I found a nice line to follow so that made the swim nice. After rounding the second buoy (triangle swim) I ran into some big guys that were about 6 waves in front of me. These guys were pretty big and they didn't want to let me pass. Luckily I found my way around them after about 200 yds. From there it was smooth. I was 5th (i think) woman out of the water in the 35-39 age group... stunning!

T1 took me forever! Over 7 minutes to be exact. There was a looooooooonnnnnng run from the beach to T1. I kept a steady jog. My plan was to be smooth through transition and not to hurry. Considering the length of the race and my experience level, I knew this would be critical for me.

The bike was awesome. My new Cervelo P2C has got to be the smoothest ride ever! I also enjoyed my new Flashpoint dish wheels. They hummed.... and made for a smooth ride. We rode through Disney and out around the north (?) part of the county. We passed through some commercial areas, some golf courses, some really scary looking (alligator infested I'm sure) swamps... orange groves... you name it! It was very pretty. About mile 25 there was quite the rainstorm. I was nervous about it at first, but then I learned to just ENJOY the rainfall. It felt great... and my slick wheels never had any issues. There were some good rolling hills surprisingly enough. At times I slowed to 12mph and was standing to get up them. But I powered down the hills. My friendly neuroma on my left foot (he needs a name!) was AWFUL on the bike. About mile 30 the pain was realllly intense. It disipated by mile 30 and returned HARD CORE about mile 45. I'm definitely gonna get that thing fixed after the tri season. I can't believe how much pain that awnry thing causes! Fueling was great. I had Gatorade in my aero drink... drank two of those (refilled at an aid station)... drank 24 oz bottle of H20 and two additional bottles (less what I spit out to cool my body) at aid stations, and a bottle of Nuun Orange (fizz! but surprisingly good!). I downed two GUs... and 2 packets of Mustard (great electrolyte!). My bike computer had me at 19.2 mph avg on the bike. The official results have me at 18.2... but I'm told that factors in T1 and T2. I'm MORE THAN happy with that!

T2 was good. Don' t really remember anything. I took a gel... a drink.... and a CLIF bar... blueberry! OH THAT THING WAS SOOOO GOOD! I highly recommend them!

The run was a three loop treat. The first 1.2 miles were asphalt through the woods of Ft. Wilderness... and the next 2 miles were KILLER grass covered trails... next to a stagnant creek and ponds. Holy cow was that HOT... especially for the third loop! Aid stations were GREAT! Thanks to all those volunteers. The sponges were incredible... and the "showers" were even better. The fourth aid station was my favorite.... it was a veritable smorgasbord! Overall I had plenty more fuel along the way...bananas, pretzels, grapes, cola, gatorade, water, PowerBar gels (that tasted nummy - like vanilla frosting!) ice... you name it! I ALWAYS ran with a cup of ice in my hand. It was tremendously helpful. I would nibble from mile to mile. I also put ice in my hat and down my bra/jersey. I can honestly say I never had trouble with overheating or dehydrating... and my spirits were TREMENDOUSLY high the entire way! I definitely had the run/walk thing going... but by the finish I felt STRONG! And I was still smiling.

Overall, as I said, it was the most spectacular thing I've ever done. I'm still not quite sure I want to do an Ironman. That might be a little much for me. But that's what I thought about this race, too.

Hey Anna & Dean... if you're reading this... ROCK IT in Boise! You are AMAZING! Go out there and have the time of your life. Take EVERYTHING in.. ENJOY every moment! And perhaps someday I'll train with you to do a full one. Perhaps.

Thanks to all my friends for such great text messages and emails of encouragement!

The Luck is Changing!

2008-05-17T14:40:00.001-07:00

So... after all the bad luck we've experienced here in hot and humid Florida, finally some good things happened today! We decided to go to the Wilderness Lodge for our pre-race meal this afternoon... but more bad luck... the sit down restaurants were closed for another two hours! Not wanting to wait and NOT wanting to eat the chow line food... AGAIN... we asked the concierge where a nice restaurant would be outside of Disney (all the food in Disney refuge is the same, you see!). She suggested a place called Bahama Breeze. So we hopped a cab and 30 dollars later we arrived!

We waited for our server for 20 minutes! It seemed like forever! Finally we asked another server if someone had been assigned to us, which no one had. He was very apologetic and got our drinks for us and took our order. Then... more bad luck... we waited 45 minutes for our food. BUT THEN the luck started to turn...

The manager came up and apologized for our wait and offered to give us our entire lunch for FREE! Yes.. for FREE! Wow! Nice Floridian! We ate eventually and then we walked up the street a couple of blocks to a Walgreens and purchased some Gatorade (for the aero drink) and stuff for the race tomorrow! Then we hopped another cab - this one driven by a really nice Indian man - and he jetted us back "home" to the Port Orleans Riverside... for $15 bucks! YAY! That's the cheapest cab ride we've had yet!

Earlier today we checked our bikes in to the transition area. We also listened to a panel discussion put on by a few pros that are racing here.

I won't be winning this race (haha!!!). Heather Gollnick and Nina Kraft are here! Wow! I'm thrilled to just see them and I'll look forward to seeing how fast they are out of the water.

My swim time is now 7:03am gun time. I'm hoping for a swim time around 35 minutes. The buoys are out there... it looks pretty far! Some people who did the race last year said their swim time was a good 4-5 minutes slower. They are convinced the course is longer than the 1.2 miles advertised. We'll see.

I'm hoping to sleep well tonight. I've hydrated up all day... and I'm eager to start the race. It was VERY hot and VERY HUMID today. It was tough to just walk around. I'm hoping for less humidity tomorrow... probably won't get it...

Send good vibes my way around 10:30-10:45am EST (that's 830 in Idaho!). That'll be when I should be coming in on my bike and starting off on the dreaded run!

My goals are still the same. To finish. To finish in under 7 hours (although it's realistic for me to get 630). To experience the race and the surroundings.

Thanks to everyone for the text messages of support! I look forward to tomorrow...

I Hate Mickey Mouse.

2008-05-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

I know. The title is a little harsh. But let me explain.

I've been in sunny, humid Orlando now for two full days. I'm eagerly awaiting the race on Sunday. But there definitely have been a few interrupters to the enthusiastic side of Smitty. Everything around here is said to be "magical" (you hear that from EVERY store person, hotel person, bus driver, etc! I HATE that word.)

First. The hotel. We're staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Really, it's a roach motel... nothing fancy as far as the rooms go. Something like an old Travelodge, I'd say. But it's part of "Disneyworld" and the amenities on the grounds are nice - for kids. There are some pools.. restaurants... rental four seater bikes... even a kiosk where you can have your hair beaded (Kelly keeps trying to convince me to do that... but no.). The "resort" is one of the host hotels for the Ironman race. The not-so-funny thing is that no one at the hotel seems to know it. The Ironman people said there would be shuttle service from here to the race start. No there isn't. You CAN ride a disney shuttle... which is why I hate Mickey.

You see... you get on a Disney bus here at the hotel. You ride to one of the theme parks... where you have to get off and transfer back to the Ft Wilderness resort. That's a pain. Sounds simple... but it isn't. Today's "commute" took us about an hour and forty minutes... in a sea of screaming kids excited about going to Animal Kingdom! uuuuugggggh! Every time you want to go to the next resort hotel (which is a lot in our case), you MUST go to a resort first... and that ALWAYS leads to a long ride... and armpit to face comfort. The bus driver today was CRAZY! He kept loading the bus with more people. He ordered us all to stand three deep to the back of the bus. It was like a friggin sardine can. We were so glad to get off that [unsafe] bus!

A cab you say? been there done that too. $20 bucks to Ft. Wildnerness... and we still have to get on a bus to get us back to the race start --- about 1.5 miles from where the cabs have to stop! Ugh. We've spent over 100 bucks on cabs in 2 days just going to Ft. Wilderness. THANK GOD for the VERY NICE girls in the disney work vans at Ft. Wilderness Cabins. They've snuck us a few rides around on several occasions. THANK YOU!

Oh. I forgot to mention that Ft. Wilderness is 1.5 miles from Port Orleans.. next door, actually. We'd walk. But we're not allowed. No sidewalks. No trails. Just a very busy highway and a whole lot of trees.

So I hate Mickey.

NOW ABOUT THE RACE...
Today was race registration. Finally! The shopping at the race is pretty cool. I bought some cool stuff that I would never have been able to buy in Idaho. Like my Newton running shoes! I'm actually EXCITED about running in them... and yes, I'm going to use them Sunday. I don't care! (it won't make me any slower!). The water (which we're not allowed to enter until Sunday) is WARM (yah. I cheated and dipped my feet!). And there aren't any alligators (contrary to Kelly's threats! haha). The bike will be fast. The road surface is nice and smooth... except that we are sharing the HIGHWAY (yes highway) with regular traffic. Uh oh. Stay to the right Smitty. The run will be HOT.. through the wooded trails of Ft Wilderness (it's a rustic campground... something out of a disney character book for what they think the west is all about. I'd take Buffalo Campground in Island Park any day).

I bought some other stuff, too. I bought a new aerodrink container. cool beans. And I got a fuel belt that I can put my Gus on. Hopefully my brain will handle the Gus this time (last time I had one in a race I thought I was stoned! ooooh.). I've put 4 Gus on my belt.. and I'll stash another 2 at T1 and T2.

There are abouty 25 waves for the swim. I'm in wave 15. The pros start off at 620am. All the waves are 3 minutes apart. My wave (dk blue caps!) go off at 7:33am! I wish I could start earlier... but oh well. I'll be pulling up the rear... as always! Kelly starts at 6:33... lucky duck. Now she'll finish 2 hours before me! Haha!

I'm feeling pretty anxious really. Nervous... but excited. I'm still scared about the long run... but the new shoes will help me with the excitement come race day! I'm gonna be color coordinated with my bright orange Pocatello Tri jersey! Even my swim cap will match my dark blue shorts!

Florida 70.3 Forecast

2008-05-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Could be interesting....

But on the IRONIC side... Pocatello's forecast is calling for sunny skies with a high of 84.

Thanks for the nice weather... but it's a little late for that!

Summer Fun.

2008-05-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

oooooooooooooooooooooo.
aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Got two today! Yay!

ATHLETIC trainers

2008-05-12T11:50:00.001-07:00

Ok. I'm on a soapbox. For anyone that reads this... UNDERSTAND who ATHLETIC trainers are and what we do. (We are not personal trainers, paramedics, EMTs or bobblehead dolls). Any by the way.. EVERY HIGH SCHOOL NEEDS AT LEAST ONE!!!! And yes.. that's me up there with a former bball player who decided to tango with an opposing player!) Cool pic, huh?

All certified or licensed athletic trainers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited college or university in order to practice athletic training. Degrees are complementary to accredited athletic training majors and include established academic curricula. Athletic trainers’ bachelor’s degrees are in pre -medical sciences, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, exercise science or physical education. Professional content of academic coursework for athletic trainers includes study includes risk management and injury prevention, pathology of injury and illness, orthopedic examination and diagnosis, acute care of injuries and illnesses, administration of therapeutic modalities, rehabilitation, pharmacology, psychosocial interventions, nutrition, and health care administration. Academic programs are accredited through an independent process by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Once students complete their college coursework and graduate from an CAATE-accredited institution, they become eligible to sit for their national exams. The independent Board of Certification Inc. (BOC) nationally certifies athletic trainers. Athletic trainers must pass an examination and hold an entry-level bachelor’s or master’s degree to become a certified athletic trainer. To retain certification, credential holders must obtain 75 hours of medically related continuing education credits every three years and adhere to Standards of Professional Practice.

Most athletic trainers are not satisfied with an undergraduate education. Nearly 70 percent of ATC credential holders have a master’s degree or higher advanced degree. Reflective of the broad base of skills valued by the athletic training profession, these master’s degrees may be in athletic training (clinical), education, exercise physiology, counseling, health care administration or health promotion.

Once certified, athletic trainers work in a variety of settings. Athletic trainers are most noticeable in their positions with high school, college, and professional sports teams, but they also are working in rehabilitation centers, alongside physicians, in business and industry settings, and even in the military. Athletic trainers don’t just work with athletes, either. Anyone who is physically active can benefit from the expertise of an athletic trainer.

While practice act oversight varies by state, athletic trainers practice under state statutes recognizing them as health care professionals similar to physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care professionals.

2008-05-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

OK. I'm sick of this weather! It's MAY 12TH and I'M ON SUMMER VACATION. Why is it that I think I should be getting my snowmobile out and spinning a few laps rather than hitting the open water for a nice swim?

Here's what the weathergods gave us this past weekend here in beautiful Idaho...
Friday: 38 degrees and rain/snow.
Satuday: 39 degrees and 45mph sustained winds with gusts to 60mph
Sunday: warmer...43 degrees, 30 mph winds... snow flurries and rain.
Today: snow flurries in the morning... sun poking out now. Ugh.

I'm ready for SUMMER!

I leave in 2 days for Florida! Whoo hooo. My bib # is 1671 if you'd like to follow me online! I'm hoping to finish, first of all.. then in under 7 hours. I think I can do it in 6:30 if I hustle, but you know... I've never been to Disneyworld before so I might just want to slow down and take it all in! 7 hours sounds nifty.

Holla.

Uh Oh.

2008-05-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

I leave in 5 days for Orlando and Ironman 70.3 is in 8 days.
Today I found out I have shingles.
Crap.

Half Marathon Race Report

2008-04-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm finally STARTING to STOP hurting I'll give you my race report!

Saturday I did the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. This was epic for me because a) I've got the half ironman in four weeks, b) I've never done a half marathon race before, and c) I've never even run that far in one attempt! So... off to SLC!

The start was intimidating. There were about 8,000 people on the starting line... all the marathoners and half marathoners. THat was quite the site. By the time I actually crossed the starting line (a slow walk across it due to all the congestion!) the clock said 6 minutes and something seconds. I got to take my first running steps about a hundred yards later... and I was off!

I felt GREAT as I weaved in and out of slower traffic... My stride was consistent at about a 9:15 pace... slow and steady! Really, I never got cardiovascularly fatigued... but my muscles starting feeling the wear about mile 6 (race clock said 1:01 at this point, but remember I started late!). By mile 7 my wonderful neuroma started hurting so I had to incorporate a little walk 100 yds to knock some sense into the foot .. and then run 1/2 to 1 mile... then walk again to pound the foot on the asphalt.. etc. Muscularly, I was feeling the most fatigued at about mile 9... but by mile 10 I was feeling happy cause I only had a 5K to go and I knew at this point I was going to make it. I kept my walk-run thing going... walking only short bits - enuf to get the feeling back in my foot and make the sharp pain subside.

The last 1.5 miles was windy as all could be. WOW. But it was neat to see the crowds along the sidewalks.

When I was driving down there to the race, I was joking with my friend that if I played my cards right, I could finish my half marathon at the same time the Kenyans finished the marathon... and perhaps even be in the photo finish! Haha! WOuldn't that be funny.. it would look like the Kenyans just beat me! Haha. Well.. with 1/2 mile to go.. I hear the motorcycle cops coming... with the marathon race leaders...

When I took the final turn into the Gateway mall... the dang Kenyans PASSED ME with 100 yards to go! There would be no Smitty in the winners photo. Damn!

On the serious side.. WOW can those Kenyans run! You know.. you see them on tv winning all the big events and you just don't appreciate their stride... until they blow right by you... and finish 26.2 miles faster than you finish 13.1!!!

My final time - according to my trusty stopwatch.. was 2:17.52. A 10:32 mile pace (or something like that). Not too terribly wonderful.. but for my first half marathon, I was pretty happy that I just FINISHED. Plus.. cardiovascularly as I said I felt good. I definitely gained a little confidence!

So.. the race is ON. I leave three weeks from tomorrow! I'm - Nervous. Scared. Anxious. Excited. Curious. Doubtful. Hopeful. Anticipating.

The typical stuff.

Oh. I took Sunday off from the workout scene.. due to PAIN. I swam a light 2000 yds monday...trying to see if my legs had the potential to bend ever again... then biked 2.5 hours today and bricked it to a measley 2 mile run. A 4000 yd workout in the pool is in store for tomorrow morning and a nice 2 hour bike sometime in the afternoon.

It's All About the T-Shirt

2008-03-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

OKAY. So I've been asked a few times lately why I'm going ALL the way to Florida for my half Ironman. Some, including my very own dear husband, have pointed out that Boise is offering a half iron this year... and Burley always offers one. So here's the deal.

Burley:
Why NOT: The swim is downstream in the Snake River. The river doesn't bother me. The current does. That's not fair. It's not a real half ironman if the 1.2 mile swim can be done in 10 minutes!!! I LIKE THE SWIM... it's the ONLY advantage I have.
Why else NOT: It's Burley. Have you smelled that place?

Boise:
Why NOT: It's hilly. Since this is my first half iron, I need a race I'm comfortable with. Big girls don't climb well. I absolutely LOVED my Spudman race there last year (Olympic distance). The climb wasn't that bad at all. But for 56 miles? I just need to feel confident this first time. If they do Boise again next year, I'll be there.
Why else NOT; It's Boise. It's where I grew up. If I'm going to do a race of this proportion, I don't want the tshirt to say Boise.

Florida:
Why? Flat course. orange groves. Mickey Mouse. A long ways away!

One Month.

2008-03-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

In one month, everything I've been doing this winter will matter.

In one month, I will do my first half marathon.

One month later I will do my first half ironman.

Last Sunday I ran farther than I've ever had the patience to run. I did 13 miles. I know - it's pretty stupid that I've never gone that far considering the two races above. But it's not because I can't do it; it's because I haven't wanted to. I just don't have the patience for those long runs. But last Sunday was a different story. It was nice. Even I pulled my soleus and suffered through the run, I wanted to run. So it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do.... I'm realizing that now. But it was such a beautiful day... and I was so disappointed when the dang thing popped after the first 2 miles. I had two choices: I could either turn around and hobble home and be pissed off, or I could slow up the pace... and hobble through the rest of my route. So I did the latter. And I felt proud that I did the miles!

Throughout the week my calf hurt. But I'm an ATHLETIC TRAINER. I knew what to do. Lots of ice.. ibuprofin... whirlpool treatments... and ice massage.

By Tuesday it started feeling a little better so I went to my spin class. The leg felt pretty good. So Tuesday afternoon I jogged an easy 2.5 miles.

Then Wednesday. Ouch in the morning... the foot is REALLLLY starting to hurt. The distal insertion of the peroneus brevis muscle (that's on the side of my foot between the heel and the metatarsals). I did my swim workout - a long one (2 hours!) and it loosened up a bit. But I didn't run.

Thursday came. Foot still hurt... calf feeling better just tight. I did a great spin (1.5 hours) and then bricked it to a 30 minute easy run. Foot hurt. More treatments.

Friday. Nothing. Foot still hurting. Is this thing EVER gonna feel ANY better?

Saturday. That's today. I biked it for 2 hours. No run. Can't. Foot hurts like heck.

So ... what's the answer? The "textbook" says ice, REST, and ibuprofin. I can handle the bookends.. just not the rest.

I've got a month until the race that will determine whether or not I can do my 70.3. I need the CONFIDENCE to know I can go the distance, and my DAMN foot is blocking me from being able to challenge myself right now.

I've got the Boise Super Sprint Tri in two weeks. Tri season is here. Now if I can just get my body to understand that.

Cabin's Done. Half Marathon Coming Soon!

2008-01-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

Sawweeeeet. The cabin is 98% finished. All that's left is putting up the deck rails (they're stacked on the deck right now) and hooking up the kitchen faucet. Supposedly the faucet will be done by this Friday and then we'll get the "occupancy permit". Brent and I went up last weekend and moved in... er, decorated. It looks lovely and we're quite thrilled. We're headed back up this Friday and hopefully we'll get a little snowmobiling in. I also want to try out a little snowshoeing to see if I like it. If I do, I'll purchase some and leave them up at the cabin so I can get a few workouts in while up there on the weekends!

I signed up for my first Half Marathon. It's in SLC and it's April 19th. I figure this will be a good thing for me to do before Ironman 70.3 Florida. Kelly is most likely going to do it, too.. and so is Vicki. That'll be cool. Kelly will BLOW through the race... while Vicki and I struggle to finish. Still, it's a good goal to look forward to!

the workouts are going well. My back has been giving me fits - I got my second injection last week and it apparently did no good! I'm struggling to find comfort - especially in the pool right now. It's very frustrating not being able to go from SLIGHT extension (freestyle swim) to flexion (flip turn) without pain.

That's about it for now. I'm out.

Pocatello Triathlon Club

2008-01-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

We're up and running! No pun intended!

www.pocatellotri.com

All you multi sport enthusiasts out there... come join us!
free tshirt and window decal for all you who join!

Black Toes and Running

2008-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ok. I know. My feet are ugly. But those black toes are PROOF that I'm actually doing something that's supposedly good for my health. I'm told they're the sign of a RUNNER. yes... a runner... those creatures I've always associated with being 80% physically fit and 20% absolutely nutts.

For so many years I've said I HATE RUNNING. It's pretty much been torture to me. It probably goes back to those days from high school basketball practices when I'd do something to tick the coach off so she'd yell, "run a lap". Or, it could be all the pressure Coach Stroud put on us to run the 1.1 mile loop around CSI in under 7 minutes. I never made it... 7:13 was my best and it just wasn't good enough. I tried soooo hard and wanted it soooo badly! There were also those basketball practices in college Coach would get pissed off at us for one thing or another and hollar at us to "get on the line." Haha.. one time it was pretty funny, actually. He was really pissed at me for not having any arch on my shot ... (why he actually cared that I had no arch was funny in itself because I never saw the court until the last two minutes of the game when we were up by 40!)... so he paced up and down the court for what must've been 20 minutes just talking (loudly) to himself about Smitty's shitty shot! At first I was kind of bothered by it - you know, I kind of got my feelings hurt. But then some of the other girls on the team started laughing about how Coach was so obsessed with the fact that I had no arch... and really I think they were laughing at Coach because he was so animated about the whole deal and just couldn't let it go. So after about the first ten minutes I started laughing about it too. Coach didn't laugh. "LINE UP!!!!" crap. the next 40 minutes was spent doing one set of lines ("suicides") after another. It wasn't funny that night... but the next day and these twenty years later it was DAMN funny! Hahaha. Thanks for the memories Coach!

So...I've come to a realization.

I LIKE running.
I like running in the cold... and the snow... and even the ice.
I like running when it's 10 degrees outside.
I think I even like running up hills.
I like my new Nike + iPod shoes and sensor - even though it's not calibrated correctly.
I like running on the uneven icy trails - like the ISU cross country trail I ran on today.
I still don't like getting off the couch to go run... but once I'm out there I like that biting-fresh feeling.
I like my new UnderArmour pullover - with the iPod pocket on the sleeve.
I like it when I take my winter fleece headband off when I get done and I'm completely sweaty.
I like the fact that my ass - with all that fat - is downright chilly to the touch.
I like it when my nose drips.
I like it when my upper left molar stings from the cold breeze (although I'm gonna get that fixed!).
I like it when my sunglasses fog up.
I like my $2 girly purple fuzzy running gloves I bought at the Ashton Hill truck stop.
I especially like it when my hands and fingers (the same ones that start out sooooo cold) get so damn sweaty they're hot.
I like it that the minus 5 degree windchill does nothing to cool those same hands and fingers off.
I like running with my friend Vicki. She keeps me honest.
I like feeling sticky for an hour after I run.
I like it when it's snowing when I run and even my eyelashes get a little frosty.
I like the rutts on the Hiline Canal bank - they make me pay attention.
I like the fact that my TOES are BLACK.

I LIKE RUNNING!

(i'm crazy, I know).

And by the way, I like the fact that I'm completely exhausted tonight. I like it that I couldn't run the whole 6 mile hilly loop today over American Road because I was dead from the pool 5 hours earlier. I like it that I didn't turn around and just quit - that I kept on going... and just walked a little to come back around.

I'm excited about tomorrow. Another run - and it's not even on Kris' workout plan for me. I'm running because I WANT TO RUN.

And when I'm done... I have an hour and a half on the bike.

Now... I DON'T like the bike - especially on the trainer.

Goodnite.

Back at It.

2007-12-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

OK. It's back to it. Time to FOCUS. Thanks Kris...Here's my workouts for next two weeks:

January 1-6
Tues--my choice
Wed--Bike 1:15, fast pedal 10 x 1 minute with 2 min rbi (fast pedal is high cadence, LOW pedal tension, probably your lowest gear. this is a neuromuscular effort)
Thur--1)swim 30 min, drills. 2) run 30 min easy
Fri--core and/or stretching. maybe just some stabilization exercises or isotonic core, do not stress your back
Sat--Brick: bike 45 min, cadence 90+, then run 15 min at tempo pace (heartrate 145-150)
Sun--bike 1:30, stomps 4 x 10 seconds, rbi 5 min. (can do the stomps on the bike and cross train the rest)

January 7-13
Mon--1)swim 1 hour, 1 x 300 easy, 6 x 50 drills, rbi 40", 5 x 100 mod, rbi 30", 8 x 50 tempo pace, rbi 30", 2 x 100 tempo pace, rbi 30", 5 x 100 mod, rbi 50", 1 x 300s 2) run 45 minutes
3) upper body weights/core/stretch as tolerated
Tues--Bike 1:30, fast pedal 5 x 2 min, rbi 3 min, 1 leg intervals 2 sets 4 x 30 seconds
Wed--Brick, bike 30 minutes--warm up 5 minutes, then 5 minutes tempo 160-170 watts, followed by 5 min easy pedaling at cadence of 95-100. repeat 5 min tempo, 5 min rec, 5 min tempo. Then 2) run 30 minutes
Thur--core and/or stretch
Fri--1) bike or cross train 1:15 2)run 45 minutes 5 x 8 min run/1 min walk (or you can cross train for the whole 2 hours.
Sat--bike 45 minutes fast pedal 5 x 3 min, rbi 2 min. cadence over 100
Sun--bike 1:30, ok to cross train

Xmas 2007

2007-12-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Well... there she is. The most beautiful place on Earth. OK. I might be exaggerating a little, but it's just about the coolest place on Earth - to us! The cabin is nearly finished! What's left to do -

mud the walls
finish the electrical (install outlets and turn 'em on)
tile and carpet the floor
put up the rails on the loft and deck
counters, cupboards and sinks
sit the toilet
move the appliances in
give smitty and brent the front door key!

It's just amazing how fast it's all been going... although we did have to wait what seemed a lifetime to get to the building phase! I'm so happy with our builders - Burt and Company from Utah. They are such great young men... with bright futures! I'm thankful for all their hard work during less-than-ideal weather conditions.

The hot tub and the DISH tv were installed this past week. I really wish we could be spending Xmas night there.. but we'll be in within the next couple of weeks so I'm taking consolation in that. What an amazing Xmas present!

On Wednesday we will head back up there to ride the snowmachines a little and gawk even more. We have to stop by and pick out our appliances in Rexburg on the way up. I think they're getting installed next week. Wow. I still cannot believe that place is ours. It's so beautiful - the Mercedes Benz of little cabins!

The workouts have been few and far between.. but I'm starting to get a little amped up about starting back up on Jan 1. The new semester brings a new, less flexible schedule, but I think that will end up being a good thing.

Happy Holidays to whoever (doesn't) read this. Let it snow!

Fall Update

2007-12-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

Well. Most important things first. The cabin. It's coming along.... Yaay!

Brent and I have been making the 2hr trek to Island Park at least once or twice a week for the past four weeks now. Last weekend we even got a little snowmobile ride in. Saweeet. Since last weekend it's snowed another foot up there so I can't wait to get back up there. Brent will have to go without me this weekend, though. I'm off to Dallas for an NATA PR Committee meeting.

It's supposed to be all done by Xmas. I'm sooo excited. It's a good thing because I don't know that we have any more room in the house on Moonglow for any more log furniture. I've been a building machine! I made the coolest chair! Can't wait to see all of it "fill" the new cabin!

Now the workouts. Kris has me going strong but I've been slowed quite a bit this past month with a sore back. I've got these weird neuro sensations going down both legs.. numbness... so I had to have an injection last week. I'm feeling much better... no weird stuff... but I know I need some time to heal up! I've decided that's a good thing... I'm getting close to burn out so I want to heal up mentally, too.

That's about it for now. More later.

Wow. Short entry!

Training in Progress

2007-10-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well... Kris has got me going now. I have to admit, I'm still a little burned out. But at the same time I've gained 5-10 lbs and so I know it's time to get back to business. The hardest part for me right now is not running everyday. Kris and Karen think I need to space it out... so my runs are more "quality" than "quantity." I agree... but getting the psyche up for a run 3 times a week as opposed to 6 or 7 isn't too productive.

Kris did make me get a PowerTap... and Cycling Peaks software. That software is pretty cool, but it just about took an act of God to get it loaded on my Mac. First, I paid 99 bucks for the software download. Then, I saw that "it works with Mac" but ONLY if you install a virtual Windows desktop. So 89 more bucks and I acquired a Parallels download.... only to find out that THEN I needed a Windows XP cd and serial # to make it work. Hmm. And those stupid Dell disks that come shrinkwrapped with your new PC just don't work. Another reason to hate Dell! So... lucky for me a friend at the university let me use the ISU site license and load it up. I do have an ISU issued computer so it wasn't against the rules, even! Yay for me. FINALLY I was able to get Cycling Peaks to open.

The program is pretty sweet. I can log all my workouts... ANYTHING... swim, bike, run.. core, weights, ultimate frisbee! Ha! And working with watts is something I think will be pretty cool (once I figure it out!). The heart rate monitor doesn't work real well on the Powertap, though. I went and bought a new battery tonight. Hopefully that'll make it work. But I'm more inclined to blame the problem on my big boobs. Damn!

The cabin progress is coming along. We have a HOLE now on our property and a few less trees. The timeline is still around Xmas. it's a bummer that it won't be done by Thanksgiving, but at least we'll be able to enjoy the majority of snowmobile season up there in Island Park! The logs will be delivered Monday and it should be weather tight by the end of October. I'll probably head up there again that last week in october... just to take more pics and get my hopes up again! Right now it's not much fun being up there... well, it's always FUN... but it's just a little scary. There's a bear problem up there... and a Grizzly and her two babes have been camping out in and around our pad. Not nice. Damn tourists need to stop feeding the damn bears and leaving their trash out! Ugh. Don't they realize the bears will keep coming back for more... and that's NOT a GOOD thing??? besides, what in the world do those damn people think the bears will do for food on their own when the humans are NOT feeding them? it's sad that the bears are all out of berries and food up high... but if they're treated to watermelon, burgers and chips down low, they'll never look very hard when their up high! Rants.

That's about it! I gotta get off my soapbox.

Blacktail. The Return Trip.

2007-09-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last year I quit the Blacktail Triathlon after the swim. It was 32 degrees at the start... windy... and snowing. No lie. Snowing in September in E Idaho. Who would've thunk it. (haha) I'll have to admit... 'THE HILL' scared the hell out of me too, and so there was no way I was going to be freezing cold, miserable, AND in pain. That whole race has haunted me throughout this year (see that picture? that's not too far off the memories in my brain!), so I was shocked to see myself on Active.com a month ago signing up to do it again. Must've been a schizophrenic moment...

So, this morning the alarm sounded at 5:30. The husband rolled over and I stumbled into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later I was on the road... driving towards Blacktail. What in the @$%Q was I thinking? Actually, I was having second thoughts the whole way... still haunted by last year's experience... and 'THE HILL.' Plus, I'll admit I've been feeling incredibly burned out. So I wasn't too thrilled about doing the race in the first place.

But... for some odd reason I kept driving. Lincoln Road turned into Blacktail Road and I was looking at all those "rolling hills" (those aren't rolling hills.. they are big hills to a big woman) and I started thinking, "this isn't that bad. It's not as bad as I remember it looking last year!" Then, I drove down 'THE HILL' to Ririe Reservoir. As I started the descent in the hubby's nifty minivan with the Orbea strapped to the back, the sign pointed out the obvious: 12% grade. Here's how the conversation in my head went after I saw that sign:

"The reservoir is waaaaaaaay down there."
"I can see Rexburg!"
"Damn. There's the Tetons. Straight across from me."
"Uh. That reservoir looks pretty small. It looked big on the map."
"Ok Smitty. Stop it."
"Now."
"The glass is HALF FULL, not HALF EMPTY".
"There are a few more switchbacks than I remember from last year."
"Look at this spot right here... a nice little area with only an 8% grade or so. I can rest here. It's about half way."
"Hmm. The bottom. It's only a little over a mile."

I got to the bottom. I thought...

"OK. I'm gonna do this. I did Spudman. That was a big hill. I can do this."

Besides... the weather was certainly a whole lot better than last year. The sun was out... and you could actually see the surrounding mtns (last year all I could see was the snowflakes hitting me in the face!).

One problem... Not much water! Well... enough to boat on, but it was a ways away from transition area. It'd be a short hike through the deep mud, across the rocky shore, through the stickerbrush and up on the grass. Oh. It was also pretty shallow in parts. That helped a few "non-swimmers". One dude in the Olympic race must've walked half of it! Haha. Good for him! Attaboy. Me? I like the swim. I need the swim. I need the headstart. Unfortunately for me, I think the course was "a bit" (OK, a lot) shorter than 1/2 mile. I'm thinking it was about 500-600 yds. Oh well. I was 2nd person out of the water... in about 7:30. Up to T1 in 8:45ish.

T1 was smooth. I passed the person ahead of me.. and off I went on the bike... up 'THE HILL'. Holy bejesus. About 1/3 way up, I got a NASTY cramp in my right calf. Ooooouuuucccchhh!. I dismounted, stretched... walked about 50 yards... and pounded my fist against my rock hard calf (wish I could say it was natural muscle... but it isn't. still got that fat!). I hopped back on and pedaled my way to the top. The girl and two guys passed me on that walking fit... and then one more dude slowly went by me after I remounted... but then no one else passed me on the bike. I was happy getting to the top of the hill, but the work had just begun. The rest of the bike portion was literally up and down... but I felt good. I brought the Orbea so I had some good bike control. There was a pretty good headwind going out - nothing too serious, just annoying. I even PASSED a guy on the return trip! Yay for me! hahaha. little things make me happy. My bike split wasn't too great, but I didn't DIE coming DOWN the hill so I was happy! Oh how I hate speed!

T2 was good. I felt it was pretty fast for me. The run was an adventure. Around a parking lot... up part of 'THE HILL' and then UP a trail and DOWN (oh that was steeeeeeep) the trail, up and down and around the sagebrush, rocks, rattlesnake holes (ok. I didn't see any. But I sure imagined them there. Kept me running, actually), through the tall grass and ruts from last week's rainstorm.. and back to the transition area. Three loops. You know... it wasn't bad. I typically don't like running loops. But I actually liked this run. I had "targets" I looked ahead to (like that steep decline) and that made the run go by faster. Yah. I still walked a bit. But I still hovered around a 9:30 mile pace so I was happy with it - especially considering the hills. A girl passed me in the last 400 yards... I didn't care. I was actually surprised the finish line was coming up so quick!

End Result: 1:31 time. 3rd overall female. 1st Athena.

Blacktail isn't so bad. I actually LIKED it.

HA!

AND... I WON THE GRAND PRIZE IN THE RAFFLE! A 400 dollar DeSoto T1 wetsuit! What every swimmer needs! SaWeeeeet!

That's it for the 2007 Tri Season. I'll think of some marvel thoughts and post 'em later. Nascar's on. Gotta watch TV.

Pocatello 10K and a MONUMENTAL Decision

2007-09-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Quickly. I ran the Pocatello Marathon 10K today. My second time. 56:30 was my time. 2nd in my age group. Felt GREAT for the first 4 miles... first mile I went out in 7:19... second mile was about a 7:30.. third mile a 7:45... fourth mile at 8:10...then my foot reaaaaaalllly started hurtin'! I had to do the walk/run thing for the last two miles. That sucked. I was on pace to hover around that elusive 50 minute barrier.. but BAM. The neuroma strikes again. And once it started hurtin it really got in my head. Oh Well. I'm gonna have Urfer help me fix the issue... and I'm going by ISG on Monday to order some bigger shoes! Damn. It's gotta be that artificial hormone that's making my feet grow so damn much the past few years! I'll be up to a 12 mens! Whoa.

Blacktail Tri next Saturday. Oh that hill scares me!!!!!

Okay. Now the MONUMENTAL DECISION part. On Thursday I registered for Ironman 70.3 in Orlando. It's May 20, 2008... and I'M GONNA DO IT. I have to admit, GeekGirl is really motivating me. I don't even know the chic, but her conquering Ironman LouAville (as she writes) really put that cattle prod in my ass. I also know I need something to keep me going over the winter. That's it!!! Not doing the athletic training anymore for the Rams is really taking a toll on my emotional wellbeing. I'm tired of crying myself through every afternoon and evening that I'm home - and not with my Rammies - and I really don't think I should be watching Oprah as much as I have been. No lie. I've been watching Oprah. Now how's that for damaging my reputation!!!

Anyway.. back to Ironman. Kris W and Karen A are gonna coach me. Their first directive was for me to get a PowerTap. So Sam is ordering one in for me. I'm stoked. I know that my run was much stronger last year over longer distances (I'm faster on shorter distances now tho) and I attribute that to how much more biking I did last year. While I'm faster on the bike now, my cardio level isn't where it was this time last year, so I need to hit the trainer hard this winter. PowerTap - once I figure out how to use it and interpret it - will definitely help. Kris is gonna help me with workouts and Karen's gonna dub some videos for me, too. I've done a few bricks this week (bike to run) so I'm gonna do more of that, too. Plus I'm gonna do some sprint work to enhance my pure speed! Hahaha. Speed. hahahahahahha. I'm gonna start doing longer runs, too. I get bored on the run. So I need to alter my courses. I'm gonna try to find a good course around ISU that's about a 10 miler. I need to do that once a week or once every other week.

By the way. Brent did awesome on the 10K today. He beat me. Ugh. Hahaha.. no it makes me proud to say that. He's doing great!

And THE CABIN IS GETTING STARTED... I'll believe it though when I see pictures of trees gone and concrete footings in the ground!

What a RUSH

2007-08-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well.. better late than never. I did the RUSH Triathlon in Rexburg last Saturday and boy was that a spectacular race! The swim was at Rainbow Lake... the run up the hills and through some farmland along the east bench of Rexburg, and the run... ugh. More on the run later.

This tri offered a sprint or Olympic length course. I opted for the sprint. Here's how I figure it. I know that I can do an Olympic length race, but I guess I just don't always want to. I was a sprinter when I swam competitively. In fact, I was so strong at the 50 free but the 100 (quite honestly) bored me. So with that mentality, I'll stand by my decision to concentrate on the sprint tris. I like them. I don't get bored. And they're still challenging for me.

Going into this race, I knew I had some competition. There's this other Athena chick around here - a 29 year old - that wins all the time in the class, but she and I have never been in the same races... until now. Her times are always very close to what I'd estimate mine to be in those races... so I figured I'd have my work cut out for me.

I knew I'd have her in the swim, tho. And I did. I had a decent (not great) swim in Rainbow Lake. I was #8 out of the water (#2 female) and I thought my T1 was much improved over Pocatello. No... I didn't screw around on this one. I learned that lesson (cough cough thirty seconds cost me the win shit cough cough). Brent was out of the water just in front of me so we got to transition together. I beat him out of there tho by a good 30 seconds. I even chugged a vanilla Gu before taking off. Not bad! Definitely didn't get the vertigo feeling I got when I chugged the one in TF!

Because the course was hilly and because I'm still not feeling great on my tri bike, I decided to bring the Orbea. I like the feel of that bike on hills because it's so light. I also like the high hoods - which help me pull a lot. The bike course was pretty (minus the temple view) and once I got on top of the bench, the rest of the rolling hills were great. I averaged 17.5 on the bike.. not bad considering the first 5 miles was uphill.

I hurried through T2, too... felt pretty good... and started off and running UP into a neighborhood behind Madison HS. A pretty slow pace.. but I kept running.... until... I was forced to go off roading. Are you kidding me? Already I've been climbing... and NOW you expect me to climb THAT? I kid you not it was a single wide trail... 1.2 miles in length... up hill (steeeeeep in places)... rutted terrain... and HOT HOT HOT. Crap. I walked. And I walked. And I walked some more. Didn't feel bad about it either since everyone else was walking too. I eventually made it to the top, grabbed a water and a slice of orange at the aide station and then ran the hill (via the asphalt road through the neighborhood) and back to the finish line.

The other Athena? She was 150 yards back. 150 YARDS. Whew! That was close!

I won the Athena class... but I was even prouder to know that I was leading the womens overall going in to that run. Wow! I'm improving! But I still suck on the run! Hahahaha.

I really need to do some brick work over the winter. Brent thinks I'm crazy for wanting to do a half Ironman next May in Florida. But I think it'll keep me honest with my workouts over the winter. If not Florida, there's a rumor that Boise is getting one so maybe there. Kris and Karen are wanting to coach me.... so I'm all in on that one! I just want to keep improving. ANd with my competitive side really coming out, I want to keep winning, too.

Blacktail tri in 2 weeks. Pocatello Marathon 10K next week. Right now I'm headed downstairs to get on that Orbea to ride about 20 miles or so on the trainer.

Oh ya. I start my new gig at ISU tomorrow. Wow. A college professor. I'm finally there.

Pocatello Triathlon`

2007-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Pocatello Triathlon. To make the long story short, I was SECOND PLACE Athena division. That didn't make me happy. But there were bright spots...

As the nontraditional triathlon story goes, the run was first. I felt pretty good through 3/4 of the run. The last 1/4 killed me. I paced it at 7:40 mile - which is definitely my fastest for a 5K. The problem was I was spent at the transition, so I walked through it and definitely tried to recoup before mounting the bike. I figure the transition was 2 minutes - one that should have been around 45 seconds max (all I had to do was put my helmet on and swap out shoes, after all!).

The bike was OK. It was fairly windy going out - until I got to Century HS. Then it was reaaaallly windy. Wow! That was fierce. After the turnaround though I cranked it up. My other athena competitor was about 1.5 minutes back at the bike turnaround so I knew I would have to push it because she's faster than me in the pool. I was going 32mph at times so I thought I held onto my lead.

Then the pool. This transition was pretty good... off to the pool. The first 200 was good. At the 300 mark I was starting to hurt... lungs wouldn't open up. Had to do a couple open turns just to recover. But but I finished strong... or so I thought. I got to the wall after what I thought was 450.. looked up just so the counter would recognize me when I told him I had two lengths to go. He said, "ya.. 2 to go". I swam my two. Then he said again... "2 more!" What??? I thought, well maybe I was off by a couple... so I did another 2. Then he said AGAIN.. "2 more!". You've GOT to be kidding! I hurried and did another 50 and this time got out before he could tell me to do another two ... and crossed the line - 30 seconds behind the other athena. His damn counting problem cost me the 1st place medal. I was mad... and even the race director knew it was crap. Realizing my swim split was a whole 2 minutes slower than last year's, he asked me how much time I thought it meant because he was willing to change my time, but I didn't feel right about that, either. So I took the time and the red ribboned medal. My time IS my time... and I'm the one that lost the race - not the counter - because I sucked on the first transition.

At the awards, I saw the results once they were posted and I got some consolation when I saw the athena that beat me was actually 2nd in her 25-30 age group. But then, when they announced the results, she was the winner - because she had them change her after the race was finished. Apparently she was scored in the wrong division. Now THAT sucked!

I still took solace knowing that I beat this stud woman from IF - Anna - by about 40 seconds. That was the first time EVER I beat her! Er.. wait. Another mistake. Her time was wrong so the race director changed it and she ended up beating me by about a minute and a half. Bummer!

DAMN. Maybe I should've had him take the 1:30 off my time for the extra 100 yds I swam and then I would've had two more good things. He offered - but I know that's not the way I would've wanted to achieve either of those goals so I'll take it.. with the lesson to HURRY UP in transition 1.

Rexburg RUSH triathlon in 2 weeks. Just got back from a 2.5 mile run... kept the pace at 7:40... I'm getting faster on that part... but I need to do some brick work so I have the stamina to run after the swim and bike legs. Hopefully this will be a productive two weeks.

Oh ya. Got a new road bike. Saweeeet. Climbed Scout Mtn in 39:12. Yoowhoo! Also, the final crit race for ICE is this tuesday. Just gotta score points and I'll win the leaders jersey for beginner women. Haha. There's only been a couple others... (see Gate City Grind blog entry... same kind of award!).

Goodnite.

12 Seconds

2007-07-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the Twin Falls Triathlon. Last year, TF was my second ever triathlon. I finished in a time of 2:16.28 which I knew was definitely improvable. In the year since that, I've thought numerous times about how I could - and would - improve on that performance. Last year my swim was "ok" ... the bike was "a tad slow".. and the run was "horrible." I figured if I put in some good off season effort I could certainly cut at least ten minutes off that time. So all winter long I ran - knowing that was my slowest leg (10:49 mile pace with a whole lot of walking going on!)... and this summer I even raced the Grind - hoping that would strengthen my bike legs.

This year... 2:16.40. Yup. Twelve seconds SLOWER than last year. Embarrassing... but even more depressing. This year's swim still hovered around the same time... the bike was a minute and a half slower... and the run was 2 minutes slower. My transitions were faster.... but big whoop. Overall time = regression.

Here's the deal. I started this blog in an effort to keep me honest with my exercise. I know I'm in a lot better shape than I was this time last year - but I'm not in good "race shape." This past month has been extremely hot here in E Idaho, and rather than tuff it out and go outside to workout, I've been taking the easy road. I've been slouching significantly on the run - settling for the 2.35 mile DeKay loop to cover the obligation. I've been swimming only once or twice a week... and BIKING??? Well that's waaaay behind last year. I did the Grind, true.. but that was the ONLY thing I've done in the month since Bfoot. Truth be told... I'm lazy and I didn't deserve to better my time.

Perhaps TF will be a wake up call for me. I hope so. I'm going to go on a run tonight and then bike to the pool tomorrow. I have Pocatello Tri in 3 weeks and then the Rush two weeks after that. I need to get motivated... to WANT to defend my Athena title at Poky... and to IMPROVE. Anna P from IF (that stud woman from Bfoot Tri) suggested I do some sprint work, too. So I'm going to add that in, too. I'm tired of being just a swimmer. I want to be able to say I'm a triathlete, too. I just can't do that now.

Gate City Grind

2007-07-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

OK. I'll probably never do that again.

I did the Gate City Grind this weekend. Really, the race is not all that bad - on paper. I mean, I raced in the Masters 35+ division... so I didn't have nearly the miles to do as most everyone else. But it still sucked.

The road race was a 35 mile venture. Really, it's a beautiful course out and around Arimo and McCammon. It's pretty hilly... but it was Saturday's wind that killed me. I wanted to quit after the first lap.... but I decided to stay with it and "pedal" the second lap. There were times I was fighting to go 8 mph. Yes... more affirmation that I'm not a very good cyclist. I finished the race, though, and I was pissed. I just wanted to go home - and cry the whole way there.

Once I got home I had 3 hours to prepare for the TT - and decide whether or not to actually continue with the stage race. I took a nap in the hot tub... and decided I'd do one more stage. The TT wasn't too bad. The winds were quite calm and I managed a 17:42 for the 6.2 mile sprint. That's a 21mph average - and 20 seconds faster than my previous best.

The next morning came early and I rode the crit. It was 40 minutes around the loop at Holt Arena. That's 20 minutes farther than I'd ever rode that crit before. I got lapped by the Cat4 womens field 3 times. But I made it. There was a MORAL VICTORY!!! I even got a nifty trophy - because there were only three in my field. Check out my video, though... at www.trimedidaho.com. Then, scroll down and click on the Gate City Grind link! It's pretty cool!

Even though I felt like that poor, pathetic person that finishes the Ironman at 11:59pm, I was proud to finish that stage race. I probably will do it again, but I'm going to actually get on my bike a few times in the weeks before the race! yes... hadn't ridden my bike since Bfoot tri and I was spent to begin with.

By the way.. I'm paying for the lack of preparedness. I'm pretty sick... bad head cold. Feel like crap!

Twin Falls Triathlon in less than 2 weeks. GOTTA TRAIN.. but have no energy!

Blackfoot Triathlon

2007-06-16T16:42:00.001-07:00

Today was the Blackfoot Pride Days Sprint Triathlon. My goal was to knock twenty minutes off my time from last year...and depending on who/what you ask (me and time clock reading when I crossed the finish line OR the penciled in result sheet), I accomplished it...barely.

First of all I should tell you about Pride Days. This has got to be the biggest event the people of Blackfoot see all year - next to the State Fair. Tiny little Jensen's Grove is filled to capacity with vendors, people and their baby strollers. And there's a couple Sheriff's Deputies ushering them in... but no one taking care of all that mess once their inside.

The swim is in the Grove. It's supposed to be a half mile swim but it's quite a bit further, I'm sure. I know my swim.... and I certainly know it doesn't take me that long to swim a half mile. I'm judging it's about 1000 yards. The return trip was quite the clusterf$%@. There's only one buoy... and they said to go around it counter clockwise. Yah. Right. Slower inexperienced swimmers don't have a clue how to do that. So I had three collisions and about 6 more near misses. I was first woman out of the water - 3rd person out overall at just over 14 minutes.

The bike had me go through those vendors and out of the park to the Rose/Firth area and back. Not a bad ride. Pretty smooth, really. I was passed by 7 people including two women. That sucked. But they were strong riders so "OK." Now the fun part.. back to the transition area. Through the vendors again... the people, the baby strollers, and the bazillion small children without a leash (did I mention how many colorful inflatable rides and toys were around??? Sure attracted those wayward children-- right into my path!).

My transition was good... then off on the run. They improved the run course from last year. No more "two loops" - which helped to prevent the cheating that happened last year (and the bad timing). I absolutely SUCK on the run, you know that??? I wish I could just run and not have to walk. That's what those stud women do. Sheezh. Two more women passed me as I cruised (ok runned/walked/runned) along.

I crossed the finish line, hollared "16" (my race number) and the clock said 1:31.56. They wrote it down.

The awards... and all of a sudden I'm at 1:33 and a place lower what I thought I was. Guess I was delusional. No medal. Darnit. But the snowmobile races across the Grove were a treat to watch!

Either way an an improvement from last year's time (1:50) and a decent workout for a Saturday morning in Eastern Idaho. But still frustrating. I'll improve!

Spudman

2007-06-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the Spudman Triathlon in Boise. This has been my goal for the past year.... to complete an Olympic length tri. I wanted to do the Spudman because I did it as a team more than 20 years ago. Boiseans are racers. They are real swimmers, real bikers and real runners. I knew this wouldn't be the typical Eastern Idaho triathlon - where so many hobbyists compete. The race absolutely lived up to those expectations. It was first class all the way.

I have to say I was intimidated, at best, before the race. There were about three hundred participants and about 99% of them looked like triathletes. They were all lean, cut, perfectly proportioned bodies.... and obviously serious about the sport (as attested by their $5,000+ bikes at the transition area). This being my first Olympic length tri, Brent advised me to just set the goal to finish.... and to relax throughout the entire race. That really helped me. Still, my goal going in was to break 3 hours - and to finish.

The mile swim was at Lucky Peak. What an absolutely AWESOME swim. I loved every second of it. I never got cold... nervous... nothing. My arm stroke felt good and was as strong at the finish as it was at the start. The buoys were easy to spot. There were a couple swells that bounced me around, but overall I was comfortable. The water was clean and fresh... and even though others complained about the temperature, I never once thought it felt cold. I finished the swim in just over 21 minutes so I was happy about that...but I know I should break a 20 next time.

Next.. the bike. We started out with a three mile out and back along the reservoir. What a beautiful ride. Then we hopped on Hwy 21 for the ride into town. First the climb to Hilltop... a three mile climb. It was long, but it really wasn't too bad. Don't get me wrong... I was tired and about two dozen people (at least!) passed me, but I kept chugging along and by Hilltop I still felt pretty good. Then the descent. OK. Now I'm bothered. I was flat out FRIGHTENED. I don't go fast on my bike. I don't like to go fast. Those guys who brag about going 50... ??? I brag about seeing my speedometer hit 30.... then about how I quickly hit the brakes to get it back down to a "reasonable" speed. Oh but yesterday! I was on my new tri bike... Damn I wish I wasn't. I was going so fast (38mph) I didn't dare let go to shift. I didn't pedal. I braked the whole way down. The cross winds were throwing me to the right - then to the left - then back to the right. oooo. I was glad to get down into town. Other bikes were SCREAMING by me... especially that BobsBicycles.com with the disc wheel. OK buddy... have at 'r. I'm riding just to finish here and I'm not going to get road rash along the way. Big girls aren't supposed to climb hills and they aren't supposed to ride fast down 'em. Overall ride = pretty lousy. 1:27... or about 16.8 mph avg. Definitely room for improvement there. I should avg 19 mph at least.

I survived the bike... and headed out on the run. A 10K along the Greenbelt and the Boise river. I should tell you that I dislocated the cuboid in my right foot a week ago. Two visits to Dr. Bray didn't really help but I was determined to do this race so I embarked on that run despite the pain. The foot was tolerable... until about mile 3 when the surface turned to dirt and gravel. Ouch. Then my left foot started hurting too... neuroma. Ouch again. I did the whole run walk run walk thing. My time for the run sucked the big kahuna but I FINISHED and I'm a happy camper today. Run time = 1:03. That's a little over 10 minute/mile pace. I need to take off at least a minute per mile.

Time - 2:58.

I know I have a lot of ways to improve on the bike... Could take 10 minutes off that split and could certainly take about 10-15 off the run time. That 25 minutes would make me one of those respectable triathletes at that race. Still, 2:58 is good for me and I'm happy with it.

Blackfoot tri this weekend. Back to the sprint. My goal is to beat last year's time by at least 20 minutes.

Rigby Tri

2007-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

I did my first tri of the season on Saturday. It was the Rigby Lake Triathlon. A beautiful day... but it sure started out wrong! I left home at 6:15... arrived in Rigby at 7:30 for a 9am start. Good thing I got there so early... I got one of the last parking spots there! I got my bike off the car and started pumping up the tires... only to break the valve stem off the rear wheel. Shit. I don't know how to change a tire. Luckily for me two things were going my way. One - Brent had stashed a spare tube in the car (actually, he won it last year at Blackfoot and never had put it away). Two - Dean Rose was there and he fixed my flat!

The swim went well. It was COLD. The guy said it was 60 degrees but NO WAY... It had to be in the fifties. I'm guessing 60 was at the shoreline. Thank goodness for that new wetsuit! I finished the half-mile swim in 13:25 then trucked up the long bank through the stickers and grass.... through the playground (with a lot of kids playing) and into the transition area. A "stripper" pulled my wetsuit off for me (that was waaaay cool) and by the time I got to my bike I was at about 16 minutes.

Off I went... on the long walk with the bike through the staging area and out of the parking lot... about 300 yds before they'd let us mount up.

The bike started off rough. I lost my bike computer in the first half mile... Damn. It was brand new! Then... following the four people who beat me out of the water and the one guy who passed me in transition.... hunkered down on the aero bars and rode right PAST THE BIKE TURN and ventured into town... a THREE MILE unnecessary excursion. Yup. We were lost. But we turned around and found our way back... only to have most of the field in front of us by this time. SHit again. I pedaled my way past 24 people though on the bike course and actually felt pretty good by the end of it.

The run took us around the lake and back onto those country roads. I did BETTER on the run than I did on most of my tris last year, but I'm still not to the point where I can keep the pace I want. I finished in 1st place overall - Athena division - and about 5th place overall for women. I'm not too disappointed with that... especially considering my bike detour. I know I'll be better next time. Plus, the woman who won the overall - A REAL STUD - was only about a mile ahead of me so that was waaaaay cool just seeing her still on the course halfway through the run! :)

Even with the mishaps, I had a lot of fun... so much so that I'm wanting to do the Boise Spudman (Olympic) on June 9 (my anniversary!!!)... but gotta talk the hubby into going with me. Perhaps he'd be willing to do it... He's in pretty good shape right now and he'd do well. Otherwise, the "wonderful" Blackfoot Sprint Tri is on June 16. Perhaps it will be more organized this year.

Ground Hog Day

2007-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

I took an Ass't Professor job at Idaho State University! I'm very excited about the future. I think I'm really going to enjoy the change. I'll be teaching Sport Science... so that will be waaaaay cool! I cannot believe I'm actually going to get to teach something that I consider so much fun!

I'm gonna miss my broadcasting kids at Highland... they're amazing! But at the same time I'm not going to miss the bureaucratic BS of high school teaching. You know... I didn't think much of the high school scene in the 1980s and it hasn't changed much. The caddiness is still there - even at the professional level. Plus, it's like "Ground Hog Day". Ever think about that? Everything is dictated by the bells... which ring at the same time every day. The same thing happens at the same time... kids walk in the same way... in the same order... and sit in the same place (regardless of whether or not there is a seating chart, which in my class there is not). But I will miss the personalities... of some! I certainly won't miss teaching English... and (dare I say) I won't miss the complaining parents ("My kid would never deserve that grade!").

Over the weekend Brent and I ran a 5K here in Pocatello. I didn't know this community actually sponsored a few fun runs, but apparently if you look hard enough you can find 'em. This one had 155 runners... just a 5K but there is a 10K coming up next month. They do one run a month...in a series. I held the 5K in about 7:40 mile pace so I was happy with that, although I didn't feel my best. Even though I'm improving, I'm still on the slow side... but for my size I guess that's pretty good time.

OH! Brent and I also have really big news! We're building our MAIN cabin this summer in Island Park! Yooo whooo! Too many hoops to jump through for the guest cabin we were gonna build so we're just biting the bullet and doing it right the first time! I'm stoked! We met with the builder last week. He's gonna start building in late June... and it'll take 90 days! Wow! And yes... it's LOG so it'll be beautiful!

Other big news! I won the Kole-McGuffey Prize at ISU. It's quite an amazing cash prize ($10,000) for my work on researching and promoting educational efforts driven at adolescent concussion in sports. Cool. But I have to wear a skirt tomorrow night for the awards banquet... so I gotta go now to go shopping. No. I don't have one. Those of you who know me well already know that. Oh Well. It's worth it for 10,000 bucks. Now if Pocatello just had somewhere I could buy a skirt! Not much of a shopping community, you know!

I'm outta here.
Only 15 more ground hog days to go.

Smitty

To the Dark Side...and beyond!

2007-04-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went and helped out at the Tax Day Circuit Race for ICE. That was motivating! Those bikers are so smooth! I'd kill (well not really) to be that good on a bike! Actually, I'd just settle for being able to do that Hoot Owl climb ONCE and not fall over dead afterwards! I'm gonna work on that! But big girls can't - and shouldn't - climb mountains.

I have my first tri on May 26th. That's just a little over a month away! I'm hearing "stories" about the swim... how cold it will be, that there will be blood sucking leeches, etc. You know... the swim NEVER scares me. I'm NEVER bothered by cold... or by waves... or by anything else. I LOVE that portion of the tri. But this time people have me psyched out... so I bought my first ever tri wetsuit and I plan to wear it! WHAT HAVE I DONE... I'VE GONE TO THE DARK SIDE! I figure with H20 temps in the low 60s... and blood sucking leeches along the shore.... I'll put up with the discomfort! But I'll be damned if I'm wearing it many more times! I actually got a great deal on it. I had ordered a 2XU sleeveless from EXTREME PERFORMANCE but they didn't end up having my size... so the owner called and apologized about a thousand times and gave me the Orca PFlex for the same price! That's about 90 bucks difference, too! I'll always buy from EXTREME PERFORMANCE now... what great customer service. Their website is http://www.gearandtraining.com/index.asp Check 'em out.

My other big purchase happened today. After MUCH deliberation and internal debate, I bought a new tri bike. I was actually pondering a new carbon roadbike, but Karen the rad cyclist told me I should get a tri bike and keep my reliable Cannondale for crits and training (I just love that bike!). So today I ventured down to BARRIES SKI AND SPORTS and ordered a Specialized Transition Expert. Again, the forces were at work for me because I had planned on getting the Elite model for $1400... but nowhere on the planet, it seems, is that bike available in a 58cm... and neither is the next model up, the Comp. So.. Barrie threw down a deal to sell me the Expert (MSRP $2500) for waaaaaaaaaay less. He's so good to me and Brent on deals! BUY AT BARRIES!!!! http://www.barriessports.com/ Great Customer Service!!! The bike will be in tomorrow and then I'll give 'em a few days to put it all together. It's UGLY GOLD but perhaps it'll make me go fast! The picture is up top.

It's raining so there will be no bikin' today. The running will be on the treadmill... boring... but if it clears I'll head out for a 4mi jaunt.

Totals so far for 2007:

Swim: 9000 yds (this month only)

Bike: 116.2 miles (this month only)
Run: 234.04 miles

TIME TO CRANK IT UP!!!!
I'm out.
Smitty

Spring is Here

2007-03-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yay for Spring and warm temperatures! It's been a good two weeks! Today I hit the bike for the fourth time in the last week... got another 15 miles to help get the legs going again.

Last week we ventured to Vegas for the NASCAR Race. The gang rented a great house in South Vegas area near Silverton. It was amazing! So much more comfortable than staying in a hotel - especially on the strip! We did go down to the strip for a short bit... to visit the Apple store in Fashion Show mall. But... I held strong and didn't buy that Macbook Pro I wanted so very badly! The race was pretty good, too. The weather was much better than last year. For the Cup race it was 90 degrees! Yay again! I got a tad bit sunburned... but hey, it was NASCAR and a red neck is a prerequisite.

I haven't heard yet on the ISU job and I'm pretty bummed about it. I've been assured that my name is still in the hat, but I'm not too optomistic right now. If I have to live my career at HHS I'm going to be reaaaaaallllly depressed! I want so badly to teach at the U level... and ISU is my only hope since we're not moving anywhere! And I WON'T teach at that silly school up in Rexburg. No chance!

Did I mention that with all this sun... I even went snowmobiling this past weekend! No lie... it was 65 degrees in Island Park and just enough snow to have a little fun on that new Arctic Cat M8! FABULOUS sunny skies and no gloves needed. What a view of the Tetons it was from atop Two Top!Brent and I are getting ready to build a cabin this summer. We're just doing a guest cabin for now... something to get on that land before we're ready to build the big one. Our plan is to build a 14x20 guest cabin. I'm so excited! I've been building log furniture in anticipation! No... REALLY! I've build a log bed and three tables so far (end table, coffee table and a tv table). There's not going to be any room left in that little cabin! :) I bought a toilet, too! :)

That's about it for now. Brent and I are headed to Vancouver, WA this weekend for Northwest Athletic Trainers' Conference... then Spring Break next week. I hope the weather stays nice so the rides can continue. Otherwise it's just back to the boring runs!

I'm Out.
Smitty

Heaven on Earth

2007-01-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

There aren't many places in this world I love more than Island Park, Idaho. The beauty and serenity of that place are amazing. I can be the most stressed out person on Earth at home... take a two hour drive north... hop on my snowmachine and WHAM! ... problems resolved! Brent and I are eagerly awaiting the snowmelt so we can pour the foundation for our new cabin. Even though it's just going to be a small guest cabin, it'll get us by until our main cabin is built in a few years! I'm so thankful we had this inspirational thought! Waiting a few more years for the main cabin would have been excruciating... but now, heaven will be accessible anytime we feel like it.. and Scatch can come, too!

Last weekend we took the Parmleys up to IP for a little recreation in the snow! It was great to see them enjoy themselves so much! Those Texans fell in love with the place and they've invited themselves to go along with us again in mid-February! That's so wonderful! Hopefully this time we'll be able to take them up Two Top for a spectacular view.. and maybe up to Henry's Lake. I know Madeleine wants to go into the Park for a ride, too. Perhaps we'll buy a guide for a day so he can drive us through (you know those damn new rules prohibit us from riding through Y'Stone w/o an overpriced guide these days! Oh well.. damn tourists kept going off the trails where they don't belong so it's a good rule!).

This week, Brent and I are headed for Tampa, FL. I've got an NATA PR meeting there. It'll be a nice WARM trip. It's been -20 here at night so I'm not sure I'll know how to handle those mid 70s in January. Still, I'd probably rather be riding my new Arctic Cat up a mountain range somewhere in NE Idaho!

That's about it... First semester of school is over! I'm looking forward to a quick second semester! I have a student teacher... a guy named Russ Wood. Look out world.. he's a very talented film producer so he won't be in education long! Lucky guy!

I'm out. Go Colts.

Happy Halloween

2006-11-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

So... I haven't written in awhile! Probably thought I was dead, huh? Well... looking at that picture, the husband and I just might be!

Things have been pretty busy with school and all. School first. Classes are going well. It's nice only teaching one English class. Grading those essays takes a lot less time! Only thirty a week! That's sweet! Ram TV classes are going well, too. More kids keep asking to get in... that's a good thing, I suppose! Hopefully we'll get some more video editing computers to handle all the kids!

The Rams are doing well, too... a lot better than I'll admit to thinking they'd do. They play those darn Centennial Patriots this friday night. I'm not real confident about that game, but hey... they've surprised me a lot already so they might as well keep doing it!

I'm still running quite a bit - not as much as in the summer (about 20-30 miles less per month) but still a lot for a big girl. I'm trying to get in 70 a month. This month I'm on track for more... so I'm going to try to keep it up. I haven't used that new bike trainer I bought 2 MONTHS AGO.. But hopefully soon!

I can't wait for snowmobile season... I'm getting itchy! Almost time to chill in Island Park!

Enough for tonight... I'm out.
Smitty

Black & Blue and the High Desert Duathlon

2006-09-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last night was the annual "Black and Blue Bowl"... Highland v Poky in football. The game was scheduled to start at 8:45pm... but we actually didn't have kickoff until 9:27pm. That made for a long night....and an early morning! By the way, my Rams won 17-6.

The morning came early because of the High Desert Duathlon. This was the race I've been looking forward to because I really want to do an Olympic triathlon to start next summer off, and this one was that - minus the swim. The swim doesn't scare me a bit, but running 10K on top of a 24 mile bike might be a bit of a task for this chic!

It was a tad chilly at the start - and pretty windy. The race order was 3.1 mile run, then 24 mile bike, then 3.1 mile run again. The first run went well. I think I finished in just over 23 minutes - a personal best for 3.1 miles. I felt good about it because it was pretty windy! The wind played much more into play on the bike! I was pretty spent (legs) for the first 6 miles on the bike, and the wind didn't help matters much. I chugged along... passed a couple girls at the turnaround and cruised home. On the way out, there were times I was struggling to maintain 10-12 mph! The wind and the hills were a chore. But on the return trip, I was holding 22-24 mph with a top speed of 34, so that was much more enjoyable! The second run was a challenge... I felt okay cardiovascularly but my legs were really fatigued. I combo'd run/walk through the whole thing. One gal passed me but I managed to hold the rest off with my pattern approach! Ha! I finished in 2:18 - three minutes off the goal time I set for myself. I won my age group - but was 20 minutes behind the top female (a STUD from Idaho Falls that wins EVERYTHING she enters!). My time was a bit of a bummer - but it was because I was walking so darn much! Still, the run plagues me! But, I gained confidence that I can do that Olympic length tri next summer! I'll continue to work on the run - especially after the bike - over the winter.

Time to go to bed. Out again!

RAM TV is cool!

2006-09-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well.. I found out last week that Teresa, the gal from Newtek, nominated me for a national teaching award and that I got it. It's an award that recognizes innovative use of technology in education - and my Broadcasting program was chosen. We're not the best program like this BY FAR.. but we've been able to do quite a bit in only one year of existence so I guess it's pretty cool. Now, ordinarily, this award would be a great thing. I really appreciated that someone thought so highly of me that she would consider me worthy, but I can't say I'm too ecstatic about winning the darn thing. There's two reasons... the biggest of which is that I really don't teach - I "facilitate". The students are the central focus.. always..and things should remain that way. The second is because I know with the award will come unbelievable resentment from certain colleagues (that shall remain nameless!). People are intimidated by others.. so I would just as soon the whole thing would be kept quiet. THE Magazine will be profiling me in their December issue - with the 14 other teachers chosen. My kids are up top.... They're awesome and I love 'em all! We're broadcasting the Homecoming football game next week! That'll be FUN! Boys soccer, too... that's coming up this Thursday!

I'm still not so sure I'm cut out to be a high school teacher. Fine time to figure that out. I really like the kids and my Broadcasting classes... but I sure don't like the politics. You know... they never teach you how to play those bureaucratic games when you're in college! Oh well... I just need to keep things in perspective!

I have another race this Saturday. This time I checked the weather forecast BEFORE signing up! It's the High Desert Classic. A duathlon - 5K run; 30K bike; 5K run. Should be pretty fun. My goal is to ACTUALLY FINISH THIS ONE and to place in the top three in my age group. My back has been really sore lately so I just hope I'm feeling good on race day.

Time for heat and stim...then bed. I'm out.
Smitty

10K and Stuff

2006-09-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well... Today I ran my first 10K race. It was part of the Pocatello Marathon. My original plans called for running the half marathon, but last night's football game IN Great Falls, Montana kinda made me change my plans. We won, by the way... 14 to 3. Go Rams. Back to the run. Vicki and I have been preparing for the race all summer. I was disappointed in not running the half marathon, but since I've never done a 10K before either, I was still pretty excited to do it. Running just ISN'T my thing... so it wasn't hard to adapt my goals. I'm dedicated to the run all fall and winter though... It'll help me in the tris next summer, for sure!

Going in to the race, I had hoped for two things that were within my control. First, I wanted to run the whole way without stopping. Second, I wanted to break one hour... which shouldn't be hard if I take care of #1, right? I also had the pipe dream of getting on the podium... which really I couldn't control because that depended on how the other ladies did.

Well... I got all three! I ran the whole way in 52:47.... averaging 8:29 per mile, says Spondoro. Vicki made hers in 8:23 per mile and finished in just over 52! Vicki won her age group with the time, and I placed third! So... a good day! It was a tremendous boost to the confidence... not so much the trophy but much more so the time. I have come pretty far this past year and I'm satisfied with where I'm at... but still I want to do better. Next year I want to improve my time... and maybe (hopefully) upgrade to completing the half marathon.

School's in full session. I'm still not so sure I like it... but I'll perservere. I'm excited about my broadcasting classes... I have some great students in there and I think they'll give me a good year! Not teaching 2 English classes will be a stress reliever, too. One's enough.. especially considering how large the class is (32).

That's about it. Margarita?

I'm out.
Smitty

LASIK!!!

2006-08-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again!
Well.. the big news this week is that I had LASIK surgery yesterday! I was near blind (it felt) to begin with, so any improvement would have been well-appreciated. I was pretty nervous about the procedure. I've seen the video! I see how they suck your eyeball forward and then cut the cornea, fold it back and then zap the eye! It doesn't look too fun! Pretty scary, actually! But, as it turned out, I was amazed at how simple it was! The worst part was the clamp they use to hold your eyelids open! After that, it was a cinch. I thought I'd be scared about the picture going to black for those few seconds. That was no big deal. It really was a slick trick. Each eye took about 1 minute and twenty seconds total. Wow. And today I can seeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Sweet. I went in for my follow up... things look good but the vision isn't quite perfect... but close. So I'm pretty happy. Dr. Gardner might do a touch up in 6 mos if I'm still a little blurry in the right eye... but hopefully things will improve on their own! And Yes... that's my eyeball!

Football is in full swing at HHS. The freshman and JVs are going at it and the varsity will begin on Monday. Vball also started today. I'm not very excited about it. I really love those kids... but the work hours are crazy. I'm going to miss my free time. Athletic trainers have hard gigs.. especially at Highland HS. We are expected to do every sport and every class... which is physically impossible. I make less than $1 an hour when all hours are done ... but have never really done it for the money... Now I'm thinking my sanity is more important. We'll see... I may just cut back a lot this year and if the boss doesn't like it, I'm fine to not do it at all. I've got to have my sanity.. and my health. I feel good about how much my fitness level has improved this past year and I'm not willing to sacrifice that.

I'm also excited about Island Park. Can't wait for the snow! I'm also excited to get a cabin built on that land we purchased! That's pretty exciting!!!!

Time for practice #2 of the day. I'm out.

Post Tri

2006-08-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well.. the Pocatello Triathlon is over! What fun! They started the ladies 10 minutes after the guys and teams. I knew from the beginning there was going to be a cluster @#&$ in the pool by the time I got there! I was right... That picture is from the Twin Falls Triathlon...

It was a weird tri with the run starting things off. We ran from Ross Park out to the Cheyenne Crossing and back. 3.1 miles in all. I felt pretty good. Jenny Downey was way up there... I knew she'd be fast and furious... but I felt good about where I was at. I was really happy because there were skinny runner girls in front of me - just about 100 yds - and behind me the whole way! That makes a 160 lber very, very happy! I was the sixth or seventh woman to finish... and I held 8 min mile pace so I was pretty happy about that. The transition went pretty smooth, too... I was much faster than my previous two tris this summer. Not changing clothes and taking the laces out of my bike shoes helped! That velcro is TIGHT! :) (I know... I'm just stupid to have had them in in the first place... but I PAID for them so I might as well USE them, right??).

The bike was cool. I was pretty spent from the run so I coasted for the first 4 miles to recover a bit. What a headwind we caught after Century HS... we got under the Interstate underpass and BAM.. there it was! Those spokes became SAILS (credit to Bodily on that one!) pointed the WRONG direction... I passed three chicas on the bike... but one of them got me back on an incline coming back... I think she really liked having me break the wind for her in the gap (hell.. I'd like me breaking the wind, too!) I kept her in my sights, though after she passed me. Averaged 18.6 on the bike... not too shabby, I suppose.. and I think my total bike time was 39 minutes.

Now... the swim... LAST! Only 500 yds in the pool! My GOD my arms hurt! Whatever! THe pool was a disaster area... all the slower guys and teams finishing up their races... all over the place! The race organizer's master plan of two to a lane didn't work... I was #3 in my lane and no one was circling up... I had to dodge a double arm backstroker on one side and a dude I'm convinced was drunk on the other. I navigated to about an 7:30 water finish... Not bad for sore arms. Add the transition time and I finished the whole deal in 1:14. I was pretty stoked! I won the Athena class... cool. I like racing against women my size! I was 3rd woman overall.

Brent did AWESOME! This was his first solo tri in about 12 or 13 years. He used to do them all the time... He was such a stud! He just picked up running again a couple of weeks ago... He darn near beat my run time, too! Give him another month and I won't be able to keep pace with him! His bike was rad, too... and his swim time was the EXACT same time as me! That makes me laugh! I wish we could've started at the same time... we could've stayed together and finished together... Too funny!

My friend (running partner) Vicki did good, too! She ran a 23:40... which is awesome! She was on a womens' team and they won, too! I'm excited for her because she watches her daughters do sports all the time and now this is her time to shine! I still don't know about joining her for that half marathon next month, though... still might be a little much for me!

My friend Karen's husband, Sam won the whole thing in 55 min. He's such a stud! He CRUISED on the bike... to be expected!

Time to eat dinner now! Burger and a margarita. Don't want to lose my ATHENA status!

I'm out!

My First Blog

2006-08-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hello...
Well, I'm finally tired of reading all my friends' blogs and not having my own, so I finally caved and decided to make the commitment. We'll see how long it lasts! The picture is me and my hubby Brent at the NASCAR race in Vegas this past spring with 150,000 of our closest friends. "Go Smoke #20."

So I'll begin the journey by filling you in on what's happening in my life! It's Thursday... and I have a triathlon this Saturday. It's the Pocatello Triathlon, and ordinarily I'd be pretty excited about racing, but I'm a little bummed because the deal doesn't seem to be very organized and I'm thinking the race might be a joke. It'll still be a good workout, though, so I'll get pumped up by Saturday around, say, 7:45am! The race is a weird tri. It's pretty short, too. We'll start out with the RUN - about 3.1 miles, then to the BIKE - about 13.5 miles, and then to my favorite leg, the SWIM - a measley 500 yds in a pool. The swim is my strongest leg and ordinarily I can get out to a head start over everyone else...only to see all of them... and many more... pass me in the run! Perhaps the run being first is a good thing! I dunno! I just race against myself anyways. This is my first year doing the things. I always wanted to do them but never had the dedication to commit to training for them. The run always scared me - as it should at my size! But I've lost quite a bit of weight training and I'm happy that I have! This will be my third tri this summer... and I may have one more in me if my buddy Karen can do the one in Rexburg on the 19th. She's a stud... way out of my league, but it'll be fun to go up there with her and get one more dose of athleticism in before school starts.

This past Tuesday I did my first criterium race on my bike! Well... actually, I didn't RACE... I rode. Karen helped me a ton. I think doing those will help me become a stronger rider. Bob and Kris Walker helped me out, too.... Bob made me remove the reflectors from my bike and my saddle bag so I wouldn't look so stupid! :)

Speaking of school. Ugh. Football starts Monday. Two a days. I'm an athletic trainer...so that means we're busy. Classes don't start for two and a half more weeks, but it doesn't matter. Full time work starts Monday so summer is officially "over" - at least in my mind!

I'm working on a deal for ISU... an athletic training education program. Hopefully that will fly. I'd love to get out of HHS... Love the kids and will miss it, but I feel I need something more to stimulate me! :) Happy days!

I'm out.