Muppets on Parade

A Picture Says 1,000 Words…

2009-12-09T16:07:00.001-08:00

I was flipping through my photo files, looking for something specific (bad show photos, for a forum I’m on, and I couldn’t find any!), and I rediscovered quite a few that I’d forgotten about. So, it’s random picture day!

Max at 6 months old, and I still carry him around this way

Cujo at the old water fountain at the high school, waiting for someone to turn it on

Skydiving (I had a HUGE fear of heights) for my 27th birthday

About 2 miles from the end of my first 1/2 marathon (April 2006). If anything, this picture just emphasizes to me those 10 pounds of muscle mass I’ve put on since then! Triathlon really does do a body good.

Formal portrait of my old man. I need to get one of these done for the puppy.

Engagement photos with the best photographer ever, in my favorite state!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Stanley’s first day home.

Favorite photo from our wedding ceremony

Tired show puppy, crashed out in the hotel room

Having fun with peanut butter and dog tongues

It’s a Three Dog Night

2009-12-08T19:13:00.001-08:00

It’s cold here. So cold in fact that the beardie boys made the news. Like their egos aren’t big enough already!

Thanks to Eileen Swanson for sending in her picture from our snowshoeing adventure last January!

What Lies Ahead: 2010 In The Works

2009-12-08T09:59:00.001-08:00

My 2010 season has been working itself out in my head even before i wrapped up 2009, but I’ve had more time lately to finalize it, work out race dates, start looking at dog event dates, and so on.

I’m quite glad I committed before IM AZ that I would be doing all short-course next year. Because I really really want to do another Ironman – despite any and all mentally low and physically slow moments, I loved my race day experience. And I will do another Ironman, but it’s the best choice for me to wait a year and work on my speed and form and try to score some PRs at shorter distances.

Selecting races is another area where I have to do some scouting to find the best choices for me. I could have done more races with friends, in perhaps some new and exciting locations or on courses that I know well, but I decided they were not the best races for me, with my goals for the year and the weaknesses I want to work on. The same will go with my choice for an Ironman in 2011…I really need to do some research and find the best course for my strengths and weaknesses.

Without further gabbing, here’s what 2010 is shaping up to look like for me! I’m looking forward to revisiting some courses I know well and doing races/venues I haven’t tried since my beginner year in triathlon.

Racing

2/7: Superbowl Sunday 10K, Santa Cruz, CA
3/21: Benicia Run for Education 5K, Benicia, CA
4/17: Vineman Showdown Triathlon, Marin, CA
5/9: Rev3 Olympic Triathlon, Knoxville, TN – Tri camp reunion
5/16: Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon, Morgan Hill, CA
5/28-5/31: Camp Go CHICAgo! with Elizabeth Waterstraat and Jennifer Harrison – Just mailed the check out today!
6/6: Mermaid Sprint Triathlon, TBD
7/25: Catfish Open Water Swim, 1-mile, Morgan Hill, CA
8/8: Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon, Santa Cruz, CA
9/26: Almaden New Times 10K, San Jose, CA
10/24: SOMA (1/2 Iron) Triathlon, Tempe, AZ

Sherpa/Pacer

2/13: It’s a milestone birthday for Melissa and I agreed to be her pacer on the way to a new 10K PR at the Mermaid San Diego Run. Then, we celebrate at Disneyland!
7/18: Assuming they all registered before it filled up, I’ll be playing sherpa to a whole group of friends coming out to California for Vineman 70.3! I even promised to be the post-race designated driver when they go wine tasting.
11/21: There’s no way I can’t pop down to Scottsdale for the weekend and cheer for all my friends racing Ironman Arizona!

Dog Events

16 AKC Agility Trial Weekends – Some 1-day, some 2-day, and a few 3-day entries, totalling about 34 individual days of competition over the year
2 All-Breed Conformation Shows – I have picked a couple shows to special Stanley for fun; he’s still maturing but it will be good practice for us both
1 Regional Specialty (Conformation and Agility) – Pending judge selection, I am planning to take the boys to Washington for the Northwest Bearded Collie Club’s regional specialty, show Stanley in Breed, and trial both dogs for 2 days in agility
1 Regional Specialty (Agility Only) – Agility for both boys in the Northern California Bearded Collie Club’s agility trial (I will not show Stanley in Breed because we know the judge too well and it would appear improper!)
1 National Specialty – A big maybe due to work and training for my last big race of the year, but I’d like to road-trip to Colorado for the Bearded Collie Club of America National Specialty and show/trial the boys.

Suffice it to say, it’s going to be a fun-packed year. I think 2010 will yield a better balance between training, racing (more races = yay!), my dog hobbies, and work (yes, the bills have to get paid somehow).

Giggles

2009-12-06T19:23:00.001-08:00

It’s been a nice weekend of giggles…margaritas, laughs, and relaxation. We capped it off today with Jeff’s very first gingerbread house.

First we make the icing.

Then basic, albeit not-up-to-code, construction begins…

Beers and a sugar high lead to goofing off along the way.

Once the basic structure is completed, decorative details must be added.

Stanley had high hopes we would drop something…anything…

The finished product!

And finally, a rare Cujo on the blog sighting!

10 Bad Things About The Off-Season

2009-11-30T15:41:00.001-08:00

No matter how many times I open Training Peaks, everything in my calendar still says “END OF SEASON BREAK.”
The weather is cold and just screams “running season” to me. I should be out there doing track workouts and long runs in this.
10 weeks till my next race – that seems like a million years right now.
Knowing that my body isn’t remotely ready to start training, but still…kinda…looking for something to do. Right now I’m channeling that energy into Cyber Monday shopping but the bank account won’t last forever.
Get a tattoo. Don’t get a tattoo. The debate rages on and time runs short as eventually I will have to start swimming again. (Mostly this boils down to I want to do it but I’m a giant wimp about going and doing new and strange things by myself)
When work takes up more of your time than training (by about a gazillion percent as there is no training), and training has been your mental escape from work all year…where do you escape now?
No more shirking household chores with excuses like “I have to get going on my workout” or “I’m really tired and sore” or “my training plan says I have to keep off my feet today!”
Total inability to stay awake past 9pm and I can’t even blame training
All those people taunting me outside riding their bikes and running. Sorry, seeing you people swim doesn’t make me jealous at all :-)
Post-IM depression. Going from the euphoria of “I did it” to the reality of “I should have done it better.” I’m working on getting past this one, as everyone has reminded me it’s normal. At least it gives me some motivation for next time (oh yes, there will be a next time). And that’s exactly why it’s better for me to not do an IM next year but instead build my confidence again and work on improving form in short course racing.

30 Great Things About The Off-Season

2009-11-29T07:28:00.001-08:00

Sleeping in.
Time. Loads and loads of free time to do anything and nothing with.
Beer, margaritas, and mai tais.
Going to hockey games without worrying about early morning workouts.
Not having to ride my bike in today’s incredibly gusty winds.
Gluttony (food). At least for 1 week after Ironman, I will not feel guilty for this.
Energy. For things OTHER than training.
Only having to take 1 shower a day, instead of 3 because of all the workouts.
Did I mention beer?
Nice soft skin that isn’t dry or scaly from chlorine exposure. If you ignore the parts that appear to be somehow contaminated by Tempe Town Lake.
I don’t even know what state my foam roller is in.
Significant smaller laundry volume due to non-usage of workout clothes
Catching up on new Pay-Per-View/DVD releases – Star Trek and Up (loved them as much as I did in the theater), Transformers 2 (possibly one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen), Hannah Montana: The Movie (just kidding!)
Having an off-season that overlaps with the holiday season = perfect timing for a holiday eating binge
No urgent need to go out and run in the cold weather
Spontaneity. No scheduling of life outside of work, hockey, dog classes, shows and trials…OK, well *some* spontaneity.
I’m going to Hawaii in a few weeks!
Difficult decisions involve which article of IM AZ finisher gear to wear each day.
Duh. Beer.
Catching up with friends
Being excited about the next racing year but not feeling any rush to start training for it yet
Napping on the couch all afternoon can be justified as a “deep recovery” activity
Eating at Taco Bell and Mexico Lindo in the same day without having to worry about how that will affect the next day’s workout
I haven’t worn spandex in 7 days.
Wearing my wedding rings again. I won’t wear them biking or swimming, so they spent more time in the box than on my hand during heavy training periods.
Seeing my husband outside of long bike rides and dog walks
Lucky Charms, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Hostess Powdered Donuts…all these items are gracing my kitchen cabinet for the first time in months. Only 24 more hours to enjoy such forbidden delights.
Lower grocery bills
Running the dogs on the high school field on a weekend morning instead of rushing the dogs through a short neighborhood walk so I can get a long workout started
Reflecting on the hard work put in this year and looking towards the next year with hope about how much harder I will train!

Video Saturday!

2009-11-28T16:18:00.001-08:00

We’re not going to talk about the small mammal party that took place in our house while we were gone, or how we spent hours cleaning when we got home from the 11 hour drive back from Arizona. It turned out my first words upon entering the house (“It smells like something died in here”) were more accurate than I realized at the time.

Instead, let’s look at nice videos, mmmmmmmmkay?

Here is Stanley on a jumpers course at a fun match today. It was not a simple course and I’m pleased he handled the difficult parts so well.

In Standard. At least he hit his contacts nicely – we had some difficulties along the way but it was also a harder course than the Novice level he’ll be competing at.

And my mom just dropped off some of her videos from race day!

The swim start from my family’s perspective on the Mill Ave Bridge

My swim exit (I come out right behind the guy in the sleeveless green/black suit). Note that everyone getting out around me looks awfully cold. Other than the wetsuit strippers taking forever to get my sleeves off, I was feeling great!

And heading off on the bike – right as I went to mount the bike, my song started up!

Various clips on the bike – each time they only saw me for a few seconds, hours apart, as I looped through town. At the end of the bike, I’m telling them “finally the fun part!”

And then a few clips from the run! I was telling someone today at the fun match that I’m still shocked to say the marathon felt like the easiest part.

And finally, the Muppets’ parody of Bohemian Rhapsody. I think I spotted one of my dogs around the 1:59 and 3:43 marks.

Random Ramblings

2009-11-25T20:13:00.001-08:00

I’m looking forward to going home to California after 3+ weeks away.

My dogs don’t cut me a break because I did an Ironman. I do love them for that but I sometimes get tired on these long walks.

I don’t know how I forgot to mention the guy that peed on me during the IM AZ bike. He couldn’t have, you know, stayed BEHIND me while he peed on the bike – he had to pass me in a headwind, pull RIGHT in front of me, and then let loose with his spray. I think the nicest thing I screamed was calling him a fucking prick.

I’m glad I brought my own paparazzi to the race, because my official race photos were disappointing.

Some were OK and some were downright bad.

Is that guy peeing in the bushes behind me?

Oh, don’t bother getting the shot when my arms were OVER my head in joy, get them after, that’s not an awkward look at all.

At least I can see Jeff in red in this one.

Really? This is the only shot you could get of me running a 5-hour marathon?

My appetite is back. As is my thirst for beer. It’s been a nice day. Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

What Now?

2009-11-24T21:34:00.001-08:00

3 weeks of deep rest and recovery. Possibly a few margaritas and beers in there, but lots of sleep and no training!
More agility trials with my dogs! First up is the Bay Team USDAA trial in 2 weeks.
Maui! Jeff and I will finally go on our long-delayed honeymoon (like, delayed by 2+ years!) in mid-December. Maybe some nice OW swims in my future there?
Short and speedy. I think it’s nice and healthy to take a year off between Ironmans. I have no plans to go this distance next year, though based on the “fun” I had out there I certainly intend to race Ironman again. Next year will be all about getting faster in short races – 5K and 10K runs, sprint triathlons, one Olympic, some OW swim races, and a 1/2 IM at the end of the year.

I think all of that will help me stave off any post-IM blues nicely!

As I look back on the race I had, I can’t help but smile again. For me, it was all about willpower. 4 years ago this week, I couldn’t run 1 mile straight and suffered through my first 5K (the local turkey trot) in misery. I couldn’t swim in the pool with my face in the water 2.5 years ago. This entire journey has been a lesson not only in what I’m capable of if I push myself but in what an amazing group of people I am lucky to share my life with – friends, family, training partners and my husband who pulled, pushed, nudged and held me up as needed the whole way.

So, for now…BRING ON THE OFF-SEASON!!!!

Ironman Arizona: The Aftermath

2009-11-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

I wheezed a little.

I got my official finish photo done.

I got my finishers shirt and hat.

And I found all my people (and babbled incoherently about all the things that happened during my day)!

I sat for about 20 minutes and just caught up with everyone. The family and some of my friends were tired and needed to get to bed! I hobbled back to the finish line, congratulated Susan’s husband Alex, and climbed into the bleachers.

And then I got my 19,000th wind!

I danced to the music, I cheered for the finishers, and I screamed my head off when my wonderful friend Barb became an Ironman!!! It felt like the biggest, best party I’ve ever been to.

Around 1am I showered and went to bed. Surprisingly I slept like the dead but alternated sweating and shivering all night.

At 6:30 am, while I was still in bed, my super-sherpa of a husband went back to Tempe and bought every article of finisher gear that came in my size (or so it seemed). Honestly, how amazing is this man?!

The house looked a little scatterbrained when I got up in the morning. Garmin on the kitchen counter, finishers medal on the dresser, space blanket on the nightstand, heart rate monitor on the toilet…

Mai tais!!!!! No, I did not drink that whole thing – not even close – but just sipping a little was nice.

Ironman Arizona: The Run

2009-11-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

112 miles gives you a long time to think about how to handle the next step of the race. When I ran into T2, I knew precisely what I needed in what order and began issuing orders to my nice volunteer (pink shirt first! now the shorts and Body Glide!). I didn’t notice that she untied my shoes (I had them set to slide my feet in without tying) until it was too late but still…I did manage a 3 minute T2. In Ironman? That’s pretty good!

And then I was off with just 26.2 miles of foot power between me and the finish line!

Telling my peeps that THEY ARE THE BEST!!!

I knew that so many people were going to have pushed too hard on the bike and blow up on the marathon. My plan for the day involved not doing the same. My bike time may have been slow but it was well paced for my running legs to take off from there. I headed out on the marathon – OMG, let’s say that again, shall we? THE MARATHON THAT I WAS GOING TO RUN AFTER SWIMMING 2.4 MILES AND BIKING 112 MILES – feeling fantastic. While I was feeling zippy and carried on the wings of my spectators’ cheers, I knew I needed to dial back the pace early to have legs later so I slowed myself to the planned run pace. It felt like I was jogging in place, it was so slow. But I was moving forward – forward IS a pace – and I was passing people left and right.

~3.5 miles in and happy to see my crew!

The first loop of the run course flew by fairly comfortably. An Ironman run course stocked with spectators is a wonderful thing – with your name on your bib, EVERYONE is saying a little something encouraging, cheering for you, making you smile. It’s one way to feel like a total rock star.

I was still really happy when I went off on the second loop. “Just a little 17 mile run from here!” At no point did my legs ever feel tired, but I had some minor GI issues in the 2nd lap and worked a run/walk strategy (something like walk 2, run 8 and so on) to get through it and let my stomach settle. Eventually I decided to switch off from taking the Gu gels and find something at the aid stations that would be compatible with my stomach. Sucking the juice out of orange slices ended up working perfectly.

On to the third and final loop and I knew it wasn’t that far to the finish! I was getting some nice cheers from spectators, encouragement from athletes who were walking and amazed I was holding a strong pace, and more than a few dirty looks from people who had bonked hard. My spectators said I looked happy and strong throughout and that’s pretty much how I felt. Even walking, I was power-walking at a fast pace, pushing to get to the next mile marker or aid station and that much closer to the end. Of course I was also constantly doing the math trying to see when I would finish, if I could make any specific times, etc.

Even 2 miles out, I wasn’t sure I would make 15 hours. But I picked up the pace and ran like I only had 2 miles left to finish an Ironman! No more aid station stops, no more time to thank the spectators, just bust ass to the end McNamara!

When I finally took the turn To Finish Line instead of To 2nd/3rd Loops, I outran 2 girls in the last 1/4 mile to make sure I got to the end by 15 hours. Around the corner and suddenly from the dark it’s bright lights, cameras, bleachers full of cheering people and there…just up there…the most beautiful sight ever: the finish! I had the biggest smile, I was too happy to even cry like I thought I would. This was it – I WAS DOING IT, I HAD DONE IT, I WAS DONE!!!

Ironman Arizona: The Bike

2009-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

As I zipped into the changing tent at transition, I knew from all the planning I’d done exactly what I needed to do to get out onto the bike. I had a wonderful volunteer who helped me pry the bike jersey onto my wet body and run out fully equipped for the long ride. One quick stop at a portapotty and I was headed out to grab my bike.

Just as I mounted the bike, I heard the DJ start one of my favorite motivational songs, my Ironman song if you will – All These Things That I’ve Done by The Killers – and I smiled and hoped that would carry me through the day.

The weather forecast for the day had been fairly mild with no winds above 4mph. Unfortunately it seemed the wind forgot to read the forecast! As soon as I got out of Tempe, I hit a strong headwind. The first hour of my ride, the plan had been to go out very easy, let my heart rate settle and get going on my nutrition plan (all along thinking, how will this affect me at mile 18 of the marathon?). So I continued to spin easy and keep my heart rate down in the strong gusts up the Beeline. What this meant though, was that I averaged 12mph over the first 18 miles to the bike turnaround.

Melissa had so kindly braided my hair on race morning but it turned out that when jammed under a bike helmet it gave me a raging headache. I had to stop an hour out when the pain had not diminished and rip the braids out in a hurry – aaaahhhh, much better.

Thankfully, I had a tailwind on the return trip and made up some time, all the while doing calculations to ensure I would make the bike cutoff without a problem. Again, *I* knew I would, but it seems I made a few people a little nervous along the way :)

I was quite happy to head down Rio Salado after the first loop and see my crew!

A cheer and a comment about the wind as I flew by and it was off for loop #2.

As I began the next loop the wind had shifted and I had some tailwind heading up the Beeline and headwind returning downhill. Not enough to affect pace too dramatically and I rode the second loop 20 minutes faster than the first one.

I continued to stick to my nutrition plan without a problem and, just as important, drink tons of water. About once per loop I would stop at an aid station and use the restroom while they refilled my water bottles so I’d be set for the next lap. Every time I crossed the timing mat at the far turnaround of the course, I’d wave in my head to all my online friends cheering, though it turned out they were only putting up the splits when we crossed the mat back in town. This was only disappointing because I’d hoped my coach in particular would see my splits both ways and understand that I had strong winds in one direction, not that I was riding too slow!

Back through town, 2 loops down, 1 to go!

Heading out on the final loop of the bike course was both exciting and challenging mentally. The vast majority of athletes were headed inbound to finish the bike, the massive peletons of drafters were gone, and there were far less of us on the road. For many miles, I was alone. I just kept counting down the miles, reminding myself how little was left (“20 miles – that’s just a ride to Morgan Hill and back!” “15 miles, that’s barely anything to you!” and so on).

When I finally hit turnaround and headed back to town with a bit of a headwind, my spirits began to lift. Bit by bit, the miles ticked away until I was cruising back on Rio Salado and into Tempe Beach Park!

I handed my bike off to a total stranger (volunteer) and headed to transition. I realized I’d move a lot faster without my bike shoes, so I stopped for 10 seconds to pull them off.

Now it’s time to run a marathon – yayayayay! I think I hollered to my crew something along the lines of “I can’t believe I had to go through all of that to finally get to the GOOD part!”

Ironman Arizona: Team Molly

2009-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

The spectating/cheering crew deserves a post entirely devoted to them. My people were UNREAL!

Some could not attend the race in person and still did something special to be with me in spirit. Many posted words of encouragement, videos and notes on Facebook all day – I got home Sunday night to 500+ notification emails, you guys!

My cheering squad even went across species lines.

And the Iron Crew who were there in person…they really took the cake. Spectating an Ironman is one seriously long day in the cold, the heat, the sun, the wind, waiting waiting waiting to see your athlete come by for 15 seconds.

Chris, Nigel and Melissa flew out from San Jose! Kirsten drove from Salt Lake City!

My family drove the entire way from California.

Waiting at the swim exit, trying not to look nervous

On the sidelines of the bike course

There was no missing my herd of gnomies! How cool are they?!!!

Spectating is even dangerous. Kirsten suffered a cowbell injury.

And on the run course, right up till the finish line, they were there!

It’s possible they were not so popular with this sign later in the evening as other athletes tired…but it made ME smile!

Ironman Arizona: The Swim

2009-11-24T09:11:00.001-08:00

Barbara and I had set up about 30 seconds back from the start, near the buoy line. For me, this worked out beautifully as I had virtually none of the heavy body contact that I’d heard reported in an Ironman mass start. 2500 bodies all starting to swim in the same space and other than a few hands slapping my legs I always had my own space to swim.

Heading off into the sunrise

I will not mince words here. Despite all my training in much colder ocean waters, THE SWIM WAS COLD. The unusually cool weather the last couple weeks really let Tempe Town Lake chill and the water was about 62-63 degrees at the start. I was shivering early on in the swim and in the later parts of the swim – you know how my scientist brain works – pondering what the symptoms of hypothermia were.

I was quite surprised to find the farther out half of the swim to be very choppy. Tempe Town Lake is essentially a dammed up body of water (surrounded by dry riverbed on both ends) and I suppose all the boats zipping around for the swim race had the same effect as one would imagine in a bathtub. As a result, I felt like I was riding the waves out by the swim turnaround and especially on the return trip. Boise this past June proved how easily I can get tossed around in chop and the same appeared to be true at Arizona. Despite decent sighting and a fairly straight line from buoy to buoy, I was slowed down significantly over my expected time. I was shaking non-stop and my left shoulder was sore so I wasn’t pulling as hard on that side. I just tried to focus on that fact that I needed to be using the swim as a warmup (ha!) for the rest of the day.

I know I made my people a little nervous but I had no doubt I’d make the cutoff, even if I had expected to be in much sooner. When I hit the last turn buoy and aimed for the exit stairs, I picked up the pace and swam hard to get some blood back in my extremities. I could hear the crowd, the announcer, the music and it helped a lot!

The volunteer lifted me out of the water and onto the steps and I sprinted the rest of the way up to the mats and wetsuit strippers.

And then I was off on the long sprint to transition running as fast as possible. There were a lot of jokes from spectators wondering how I could move that well after the long swim. HELLO? I clearly move better on land than sea, people!

1 leg behind me and it was the one I’d been most nervous about! Next up, 112 miles of biking!

Ironman Arizona: Pre-Race

2009-11-24T06:50:00.001-08:00

I’m breaking this up into multiple segments. It makes it a little easier to read, I think. Plus I just don’t have the energy to write it all at once!

I was up at 4am on race morning after a pretty solid night of sleep. [Only exception to this was when Jeff rolled over to cuddle and asked, “Are you getting any sleep at all?” Uh, yeah, right until you woke me up with that!] We gave the dogs a quick walk around the neighborhood and I worked on loading nutrition bottles into my bags and eating breakfast while Jeff, Chris and Melissa got ready.

Once down to transition, I finally met Brandy, who was racked right next to me.

Got body-marked in the cold and dark.

I said my last goodbyes to Jeff, who would be coordinating all my other spectators when they arrived, and started putting on my wetsuit.

From there it was time to wander down to the swim arch and cross the mat with everyone else. Then we all stood around on the boat dock putting off jumping into the cold water as long as possible. Thankfully just a few minutes before I had to get in, I found Barbara and we hugged and shared our nerves.

Then we hopped off the dock together and swam up to the swim start. The excitement was contagious and we both floated and shivered at the swim start and screamed a bunch of “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”s together. The next thing we knew, Mike Reilly said, “We’ll see you all at the finish line!” and BOOM! the cannon went off. Ironman Arizona 2009 had begun.

And here it goes…

2009-11-21T18:40:00.001-08:00

Fun Race Facts:
*Of the 2,884 athletes entered 747 (26%) are women.
*There are 518 men registered in M40-44 and 453 in M35-39.
*There are 56 men competing who are 60+
*The largest women's age category is W35-39 with 138. There are 133 in W40-44, 131 in W30-34 and 122 in W45-49.
*There are eight women 60 or over.
*There are 36 countries represented. After the US (2600 registered), the largest country represented is Canada with 112. There's an athlete from every one of the United States.
*The youngest competitors in the race are William Dunn Jr. from St. Louis, Missouri, who is 20. Moraga, California's Evelyn Hoover is 18.
*Edwin Wolfgram, who is also from St. Louis, Missouri, is our oldest competitor – he's 77. Pewaukee, Wisconsin's Cheryl Wood, 66, is our oldest female competitor.
*There are 1,140 participants who are competing in their first Ironman.

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Swim practice in the lake today

Shivering at brunch

Checking the bike into transition

Mixing up nutrition bottles

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It’s time! I’m ready. There’s nothing else to be said. Just send me good swim vibes for tomorrow and I’ll take care of the rest!

Less than 2 days…

2009-11-20T12:09:00.001-08:00

I might be having my first real freakout about this whole Ironman thing. Being forced to stay off my feet all day, while nice in theory, is really boring, even with aids like a television and a Kindle. It’s left me with way too much time to think and ponder what I’m about to undertake. And darned if I’m not thinking just a little bit “OH SHIT!” along with just a little extra pitter-patter of my heart.

But really, I know I can do this. None of these distances is new. I’ve swum 2.4 miles in one stretch. I’ve biked up to 120 miles! I’ve run 3 marathons. And when you add up all my training in 2009, I’ve covered this distance over and over again (completely ripped from Trishie’s blog).

This year, I have swum 143.59 miles. That means I’ve done the 2.4 mile Ironman swim 60 times.

This year, I have biked 3,371.67 miles. That means I’ve done the 112 mile Ironman bike 30 times.

This year, I have run 723.5 miles. That means I’ve done the 26.2 mile Ironman marathon 27+ times.

As my legs complain and ache and yearn to do something, I know all this waiting and resting is only for a little bit longer. The big day is nearly here.

I’ve Been Banded

2009-11-19T15:32:00.001-08:00

I’m officially marked with the M-Dot from now till it’s all over on Sunday.

The day started out with a short run in the cold and dark. After that I grabbed my gear and headed to Tempe for the first Gatorade swim of the race weekend.

People seemed so nervous when they announced the water temperature was 64 degrees – and moaned and groaned their way down the stairs whereupon they shrieked upon jumping in the water – but I was glad I had done so many ocean swims with low 50-degree temps. This water felt perfectly comfortable to me.

I was in and out of the water with a quick 20-minute swim and happy to be finished before most people started.

From there, I dashed to the car wrapped in a towel and raced home with the heat blasting at 80 degrees (if I’d gone straight onto a bike, I’d have been fine but just standing around was not a warming activity) to shower and change.

An hour later I was back in Tempe and in line for athlete check-in roughly 10 minutes before they opened.

One hour after THAT, I was near the head of the line.

USAT check-in was easily the slowest part of the process. A few additional volunteers in that area could have saved time and moved things along a bit faster.

After signing my medical life away in a waver, it was on to the fun stuff of getting my chip, swim cap, gear bags, numbers, and so on.

From there, I took advantage of no lines at the ART tent to get a little tune-up done on my calf/shin before race day. Jeff finally got to see the torture I go through to stay healthy!

A little zap with a laser for good measure

After a long time spent waiting for my new tires to be put on my wheels (dropped off before we ever got in the check-in line), Jeff and I escaped the expo madness for home.

While waiting for the athlete check-in line to crawl forward, Jeff had held my spot in line and I made a dash for the Ironman Store to snatch up some race logo gear I’d eyed last year and promised myself this time when it was my turn. I won’t wear it until I finish the race, but there was no way I’d wait till they were half-sold out on Monday to buy some – and besides I have a spa appointment that morning!

Bike kit – I opted for the teal one over the orange. Orange is SO not my color.

A brown t-shirt, a purple running shirt and a visor

I took all the gear I’ve had sitting on piles on the kitchen counter and sorted it by gear bag, then walked through each step of the race and all associated articles of clothing to ensure I wasn’t missing anything. And then of course double-checked with my race plan and gear bag lists.

Damn, that reflective tape really IS reflective.

The bike has fresh tires, race numbers, and is ready to GO.

In case there was any doubt about who I am…

The rest of the day and most of tomorrow, pretty much will be spent in this position!

Not a creature was stirring…

2009-11-18T14:59:00.001-08:00

EXCEPT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so darn twitchy with energy and achy legs that want to do something, I can’t believe I have to wait another 3.5 days!

Holy Crap, They’ve Set Up Transition!

2009-11-17T17:18:00.001-08:00

It’s all becoming a bit more real. I had my pre-race chat with Coach and went over the plan. I feel ready and I was glad to hear what she had to say.

And then Jeff and I thought we’d take the dogs down to Tempe to walk. I was NOT expecting to see half of Ironman Village set up when we drove over the Mill Ave Bridge! I figured they’d start on it tomorrow. Holy sheeeet, it’s really happening!

Bike racks and rows of portajohns!

Bike racks are not labeled yet though, so I can’t tell you where your spot is.

The stairs into the lake are installed!

Future site of shopping, check-in, and med tent

It’s almost time!!!!!

You Guys Are SO Lucky

2009-11-16T13:59:00.001-08:00

The things I do for my friends, so that together we can all have a little laugh at those “dog show people.”

First of all, I’ll have you know that I do NOT wear sneakers with a skirt in the show ring, or appear to be missing major support garments while running the dog. I actually try to emulate most of the pro handlers and wear nice comfortable but nice dog show clothes.

Exhibit A: Stanley and I at the BCCA National last year

But occasionally at a show, there is someone who pushes all those fashion boundaries to the limit. You can’t help it when your jaw drops as this person walks by. Yes, the judge will never fail to notice them in the ring, but is it the dog they are noticing?

D, this one is for you.

Exhibit B: Dreadlocks past her waist, full length FUR COAT, walking a male bloodhound in a sequined pink snood

Exhibit C: The front view. Please note her full length sparkly evening gown and – it’s hard to see but – PINK sunglasses.

I’ve seen her at shows before and every outfit is more outrageous than the last.

So there you go, a little Best In Show moment from me to you :)

2333 in the house!

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s true, come race day, I will be athlete #2333.

Live tracking instructions:

On November 22nd, go to http://www.ironman.com- right on the front page will be an Ironman Arizona box with some links. If you click on Athlete Tracker, you can track me via last name or bib number (#2333). Just refresh to see updates. The race begins at 7am Arizona time (6am Pacific) so there likely won't be an update from my swim until a couple hours after that.

You can also click the Live Video link to watch as they follow the pro race and show scenes along the way. Once the pros are finished, they will switch and leave the camera running at the finish line all the way until midnight. Once you see on the athlete tracker that I'm on the last leg of the run, it's a good time to turn on the video and see me finish. :)

Also, please please please cheer and send out vibes for my blogger friends doing this race as their first Ironman also – we’ve supported each other all year and we finally get to celebrate!

Barbara: 2240

Susan: 2884

Brandy: 2334

7 Days To Go

2009-11-15T17:17:00.001-08:00

In which I am a lazy bum…

Hmm. I’m pretty sure there were workouts on my schedule for this weekend. Oops.

I’m going to blame that on the 8 hours spent between Saturday and Sunday driving back and forth to Tucson. Plus the 3 hours spent sitting on the interstate waiting for fatality wrecks to be cleared off the road.

Oh heck, at this point, it’s not like it will make or break my race, right?

We have had fun at the dog show in Tucson the last 2 days. Stanley and I accomplished all of my goals – have fun, get back in the groove of showing and behave well in the ring. He free-stacks and moves so nicely, I can’t possibly complain no matter who the judge picks!

Stanley LOVES shows! Cookies and running around with my mom? Fun stuff.

His coat just sparkles!

Today we had the pleasure of meeting rockin’ Jen Lynn and her awesome kiddos. Seriously, I haven’t seen kids this well behaved at dog shows in a long time! They were a hoot.

So, um, I’ve got this whole race thing next week. By my calculations I’ll be out there running a marathon right around now. The dog show has been perfect, because I’ve been too distracted to really think about it. We are going back to Tucson for one more show tomorrow, so I don’t really have to face it fully for another day. Sweet! I am getting the impression my support crew has a lot of fun stuff planned. Note to friends: if my husband wears a cheerleader costume, that might carry me for miles. Just sayin’ :) Anyway, it’s going to be a very exciting week and I can’t wait for friends and family to arrive, to see the Ironman village be set up, to check in, to get weighed and see how many pounds I’ve packed on during taper, all of it. Bring it on!!!

Training totals for week 47 (November 9-15):
Swim: 2800 yards
Bike: 23.6 miles
Run: 10.3 miles
Total time: 4.5 hours

Friday Thoughts in Pictures

2009-11-13T19:01:00.001-08:00

See, I wasn’t joking, even the pool was blah yesterday

Baths make us sad.

This had better be worth it.

We’re all feeling a little lazy around here.

Half-dry is an awkward look.

Dear Dog, please tell me today’s bath means fun tomorrow?

Yes, Stanley, we have a dog show tomorrow.

The boys and I are off to Tucson in the morning for Stan’s first dog show since the Beardie National in October 2008. Wish us luck!

Taper + Thursday = Random!

2009-11-12T16:05:00.001-08:00

Taper blahs in full effect today. Add in unusual cloudy weather down here and I’ve been completely unmotivated.
I got my 2000 yard swim in but it took an embarrassing amount of effort. I almost bailed twice in the driveway. Then I sat in the car at the pool parking lot debating it again. And about 1100 yards into the swim I pondered just going home. *sigh*
Fantastic commentary on being a hockey fan in California.
I’m sick of food. At least, all the food I’ve been eating for weeks or months. Everything I bought at the store looks gross to me right now. I am hungry, at least I think I am, but I can’t figure out what I want. I’m going to go out and browse the food court at the mall in the hopes that something looks appealing.
Yesterday I took Stanley to visit USDAA Nationals and today I took Max. Both boys were quite perturbed that they were not entered and didn’t get to run. At some point I probably need to acknowledge I have working dogs who don’t care about socializing when there is a JOB to be done.
Speaking of which, apparently we will NOT be doing USDAA Nationals next year. They’ve had it in Scottsdale, AZ for years, which is wonderfully convenient for me with the house here and all. But they announced last night at their awards dinner that it would be either in Louisville or Philadelphia next year (with no mention of what would happen the year after). Good luck to you, USDAA, because I won’t be driving cross-country with my dogs and spending money on a hotel just to be the token bearded collies at Nationals.
On the positive side, I suppose this means I can throw us full-force into AKC trials next year in the hunt for Stanley’s first titles and Max’s MACH2. He already has 13 QQs and ~12 points towards it (20 QQs and 750 points required).
My family is coming out to Arizona a day earlier than originally planned. I’m excited about that since now they will have time to hang out and check out town a little more.
10 days till Ironman. We go to single digits tomorrow morning. HURRY UP AND GET HERE ALREADY!!!! I’m bored with training, I’m bored with waiting, I’m bored with resting!
Hmmph. Bipolar Ironcrankiness indeed.