TriGirl79

IRONMAN CANADA - AUGUST 29.2010 - PENTICTON, BC

2010-09-02T18:25:00.005-05:00

With your help (and my craziness) we raised $1,836.00 for Snowdrop Foundation!!!! Thank you soooooooo much!!!

Below is my race story:

IF I say I was excited about doing Ironman Canada, I would be lying. I completed my first ironman back in November 2009 and doing that was AMAZING. I was excited for that race for 2 years...count them...2....one leading up to signing up in 2008, after going there in 2007 to cheer on my friends....two the year leading up to the race. Excited....for two years about November 7, 2009.

My friends, did IM Couer d'Alene in June 2009....and then in August, well....IM Canada was open online....and one.by.one...registration.after.registration....I succumbed to peer pressure and signed up for Ironman Canada...BEFORE I ever did Ironman Florida. Something, I told myself I would not do....but everyone was signing up...so how could I possibly not? ...and hence began my double Ironman pursuit. One at a time....but two nonetheless.

I won't make this about Ironman Florida...but let's just say that the Ironman Canada course is "less flat" than the Ironman Florida course.

Josh and I flew into Vancouver on Thursday evening...thinking that we were arriving at 845PM we thought, no prob...about 5 hours later we should be arriving in Penticton and sleeping in our condo....what we didn't take into consideration were the following:

1) Continental's welcoming into Canada by making us wait for at least 1 hour for our luggage.
2) rain...rain...and more rain...
3) unlit highways, mountain passes, and unreflected roads
4) CONSTRUCTION!

So....somewhere between "Chilliwack" and Hope...we stopped for Tim Horton's dinner of wraps and sandwiches and Tim Bits - - - we proceeded along the unlit, unreflected, dark, cold, un receptioned Canadian highway to the little town of Merritt....where we pretended to be truckers and pulled off the road at circa 2am Canada Pacific time (that's 4am Houston time folks)....for a four hour nap, before we headed the rest of the way to Penticton...coming in through, Kelowna, Peachland, and Summerland...

We met our friends at the condos and headed to Ironman Village for a little registration and shopping...bad juju.
****I purchased a sleeveless IM Canada jersey (longish so I don't get a lower back tan) - an Ironman Canada hat and a Visor :) woooo....(refer to this section later)*****

We then had lunch at the recommended Dream Cafe and followed that with a trip to Tri Bike Transport (TBT) to give our bikes a little test ride. or so I thought. I get my bike...and yes...yes...that is definitely a flat...a tubular flat...curse curse!. I have a flat. I immediately go into panic mode. the boys at TBT direct me to "The Bike Barn"(TBB) where I continue my hyperventilation exercise and panic mode....once there...I don't know why...I thought that I would give them my wheel with a flat, and minutes later they would return it with a new tire and I would be ready to go...WRONG.....I forgot that the wonderful tubulars have to a) be stretched, and b) be glued!!!!!!!! OVERNIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FREAK OUT MODE TIMES 9 BIZZILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bruce and Evan (my new best friends at TBB) assured me that all was going to be fine, that the tire would be ready by the time I got there in the morning .... no bike ride that afternoon for me...instead...I proceeded to worry about my wheel and tire for all night....

Shellie and I hit up the town in search of a grocery store...which we finally found :) and shopped for our dinner ingredients...Lisa had similar Continental problems....
We had a delish Hali-BUTT dinner and yummy cobbler for dessert. (ps. this area of BC is like fruit heaven)

The next morning, we headed to get my tire and a swim...CRISIS AVERTED FOLKS>...my tire was great!! woooooooo! We turned in our bikes, swam in Okanagan Lake (what a beaut) and then headed to get lunch. YUM! OH and we saw Sister Madonna! She is the 80 year old nun who was doing her 19th ironman CANADA...she has finished way more than that (she unfortunately did not finish the race, but she put on her volunteer attire and did that instead...wow. I would be sulking and in bed). We then prepared our transition bags and headed back to IM village to turn in our stuff followed by a Drive of the run/bike course. we needed to know what we were in for....gulp.

the bike course looked...well...ridiculously challenging...I was really nervous about the downhills after that drive. We headed back to the condo for our pre-race dinner. And then we were in bed by 9. goodnight.

Race morning + swim:

we were kindly dropped off by our chef and her sherpa at transition...we got body marked and then we lost everyone, josh and I headed to the swim start together. good luck good luck...Oh Canada, and then we were starting right next to each other! Josh took off and I tried to stay calm for my swim. stroke after stroke...I got "caressed" by other swimmers. I followed the buoys one by one...around one house boat...got kicked in the left eye....water in the google...stopped to fix it....around the next house boat and now I am on the home stretch (which is longer than the first stretch) I was swimming in a cluster of yellow caps (mine was red) and then some %%^)(*YIUHAG%#%$ dude in a yellow cap decides that kicking hard is the best way to get to the shore...while doing so, he kicked my right goggle, knocked it off and water came flooding in, I stopped, fixed it, cursed at him, let him go...and proceeded on my merry way. away from stupid men that waste their legs on the swim. oh and I have the eye bruises to prove all this. I arrived at the shore....thinking that I swam like a 1:20 swim...nope....59.27 yeyay!!!!

into t1 I go to see Lisa and Ingrid, who help me get ready for the bike.

off I go....

bike:

leaving penticton...there were a few hills that were challenging. we rode though orchards and vineyards...and as we approached Osoyoos I knew Richter pass was near...Josh passed me between Penticton and OK falls...and here this whole time I was thinking that he was ahead of me....yes...I beat him out of the water. I was the first girl from texas to be out of the water :) go meat! anyway....I decided that I would stop at the aid station before richter pass to take off my arm warmers and use the ladies (port-o-potty) - - - as I arrive to aid station...I noticed something....a FLAT...on my front wheel...(not the one that had gone flat before...the other one) ENTER FREAK out #2 simultaneous with CROCODILE tears. Enter jerk official who proceeded to tell me that the bike SAG was not near, they were held up in traffic, and who told me that if anyone helped me I would be disqualified. CRY CRY CRY CRY = energy wasted energy wasted energy wasted. I kept trying to change my tire and thinking about all the (refer to above) ironman gear I had purchased that I would a) have to return or b) give as xmas presents and never be able to wear. I was so scared that because of something that was out of mycontrol I would not be able to complete this race. And that is when I realized that I really did care about doing this ironman and that I was happy to be there...and that I wanted more than anything to be able to complete it.

A nice competitor helped me (this is allowed) put the tire on my wheel and finally I was able to keep going ... forever later...but I was able to keep going...so I charged on up Richter pass ... followed by the 7 w(read b)itches....which seemed more like 20...these were some tough shorter climbs one after the other....until you finally descended into the town of Keremeos....where you would think that it would be nice, flat, and calm....no....it was freezing (enter arm warmers again) and windy...I passed by some signs that said "windy valley" man were they right when they named that...there was then an out and back where I saw Nicki and Shellie...and where I started to get light headed....I briefly stopped for a half banana and some gatorade...I was not about to become a statistic...only a ride to/from Belin left (with an nasty climb) at mile 90 .... I was there...in the spitting rain...I climbed the 3 miles to yellow lake...crowds all around...cheering me up the hill....it was amazing....I charged up the mountain as if there was gold on top of it...I climbed well and got to the top ... no guts no glory...and my new tire was holding up...all I had left was the descent (eek) and the ride into Penticton. The descent (where Tessy clocked at 45mph....was scary...but I took it calmly and went down at a slow 34.5 mph....I even passed a person :) The rest of the ride into Penticton was smooth but windy....apparently a hurricane was coming through just as I was finishing the bike...but hey key point here is "I was finishing the bike" and from now on....if I didn't complete this IM it would be for things I could control...but that was not my mental game at this point, I was excited to be off the bike and on track to a 4x10K + 2K run.

run:

lisa warmed my feet before the running shoes came on...I had frozen toecicles. I headed out for my run...I ran the entire 10K...the first one...then started getting light headed again...took my gu....started eating some oranges at aid stations....run walked...through mile 8 or 9....then Nicki came along :) what a blessing!!!!!!!!! she and I stuck together the rest of the way into Okanagan falls... helping each other up the hills, down the hills and thorugh the aid stations....we just ran, walked, and talked :) we made the turn around and decided that we were on pace for a great run...we just had to keep it up. so we did...we walked up the hills and down them (if they were steep) and then before we knew it....we had a 10K left...that's 2 loops of Memorial park!! off we went...cheered on by spectators....we ran the rest of the way into town...the last mile was forever long...but we knew we were there...and we were about to finish....and Finish we did...in 14:40 hours....Nicki and I crossed the finish line. a 2 time and first time ironman :)

things I learned:
sometimes you don't know how much you value something until you realize that it can quickly be taken away
my flat before richter ended up being a blessing in disguise...because Nicki and I would not have been running together if I had not had that flat.
this stuff is much funner to do with friends
I am ready to do another.....after I get married
I am crazy
I love BC wine
I feed off this stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ironman Two Timer :)

Thanks for your support!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS....after the race...we toured all the wineries on the bike course....haha!!

My China Chronicles Vol I

2010-08-10T19:16:00.003-05:00

This is totally old, but I wanted to put it in here. Its from my trip to China back in June...

Saturday or is it Sunday June 5th or 6th - not really sure what day it is...or more like...what day am I in? I think its Sunday morning for me mentally, but Sunday night for me physically...since its dark out. 8:24AM Houston Time - 9:24PM Beijing Time

For starters...flying coach should be PROHIBITED. I flew out of Houston very early on Saturday (Houston Time) at 6:45AM to head west to San Francisco. I've never flown first class before, so it was pretty cool, to board first and get the all star treatment (water and OJ) while everyone else was boarding. Let's see...what did I do...I started reading my book "The Same Kind of Different As Me" and then they were playing "Valentine's Day" so I watched that for the second time ever, it was pretty entertaining. What was not entertaining, was the United Airlines Flight Attendant that kept refilling my GLASS glass with water....needless to say I was hydrated and I missed a few minutes of "Valentine's Day" due to this fact.

In San Fran, we visited the presidents lounge or whatever they call it, where we waited for hours (3), fortunately there were drink coupons and I enjoyed a bloody mary and a very yummy beer which I will have to seek out it Houston called Anchor Summer Ale. We boarded the plane and ... this is the reason why people should not fly for longer than 5 hours on coach. I had my own "Pod" if you will. It was a seat/recliner that extended out to a bed when it was fully reclined. I had a +24 inch screen in front of me where I had my choice of movies to watch, along with music and tv shows and games a three course meal, any type of drink you could think of, and just comfort for the next 11+ hours of flight from San Fran to Beijing.

My meal on board consisted of nuts (pre-meal) with spicy tomato juice, a salad, a cold cuts platter (salami and prosciutto),and braised beef with peppercorn sauce (that came with some spinach and au gratin potatoes that went uneaten), followed by a not so good tiramisu, and quite a few mini glasses of cabernet (how dare they not offer a MALBEC?!). I watched "Dear John" TEAR JERKER!! and "Edge of Darkeness" with Mel Gibson. I read before going to "bed" (they even had a little book light for when you reclined your seat into a bed) and then it was lights out at 7:30PM Houston time. I was awakened at around 1AM for a choice of chicken kabobs or fruit and yogurt...guess which one I chose...and then we landed.

The airport here is MASSIVE and the ceiling looks like the outside of the birds nest that was built for the Olympics, according to Bi, our driver, it was fixed up for the Olympics and man did they do a good job....but they forgot a KEY part...AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Imagine an April post run...yea. it was hot in there. BUT I was lucky, they let me in the country!!! Wooooooo!!!

We got driven to the airport and here are a few things I notes:
1) if I were to drive myself around here...I'd still be wondering where to go 10 hours later...some signs are written in English, but otherwise it is all in Mandarin, so unless you know it, or have a really photographic memory,...you'd be lost!
2) there are Argentine soccer fans in Beijing, I spotted the first Argentine soccer jersey here today, not 1 hour after arrival. Go Argentina!
3) MOTORIZED bikes! Those certainly would come in handy in Leakey!
4) A lot of the taller buildings here have Chinese characters kind of perched up on top of them. But I have no idea what they say! I keep imagining that they say Luxury condo's for sale or Rent here, or some company's name...but it has no logo. It really is very strange to look at places and not know what they are or what their purpose is. Is this what it is like to be illiterate? it is frustrating!
5) just when you think that you are the most secluded from anything you know or are accustomed to...you turn the tv on and you see someone you know...not the typical movie star, but actually someone you know, in the flesh, is on TV. REALLY! So I am flipping the channels to see what the heck I am going to watch when I am here...and there right on my flat screen, is Jane Figuereido, UH Diving and Russian National Team coach, coaching her girls at the Fina Diving World Cup, on my Marriott Philips Flat Screen. Welcome to Beijing. Hello Jane!

The hotel is BEAUTIFUL....See pictures attached. They have some beautiful art and decorations and my room is by far the nicest room I have ever stayed in. the wall between the bathroom and the rest of the room is made of glass and it has a screen you can put down, but I can literally take a bath and watch a movie and see out my window :) Nice!

Last but not least on this Sunday evening/morning...dinner....so they say that Pizza was a Chinese invention...so why not kick it off right....there was no strange Chinese delicacies for dinner tonight, instead, Pizza Margherita and wine....aaah!

I am signing off for today and hope that my friends have had a great weekend and a great run - I have been thinking of ya'll a lot!!!

More to come as my time here expands....

Motivated

2010-04-28T13:06:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I wrote anything...so lets see....first and foremost...
I have finally gotten excited about tri season. Let me tell you, it is about freakin time. I have been draggin myself to workouts for the past 3 months and it may be a combination of

1) how awesome my running is coming along
2) jt's awesome performance @ IMNO 70.3
3) a tri gone du @ lonestar this weekend

it's probably a combo of all of them.
1) Running - i dont know how but all of a sudden, I am a fast runner. how/when/where was I when this happened?! NOT CARING! that's how it happened. It seems like the less I care the better I do. I've been running with the group for over a year now and last summer I struggled to keep up ---- between crazy stomach issues and the intensive heat, i was always straggling behind....but as the weather got colder, somehow, I got faster...and now here I am...I PRd in the Houston half marathon (i know athlinks says otherwise, but the Austin time was messed up (1:45) and the Houston half (the october one) wasnt a half, it was a 20K. So my true 1/2 marathon PR was this year 1:47:53 ---- that was broken just two Saturdays ago when I went for a long run with JR and RP that came out to be 13.2 miles in a time of 1:47:53...which means it was longer than 13.1 miles ---- hence a PR. Go Meat! Also, i ran the Rodeo Run 10K earlier in Feb....2 minutes and 11 seconds faster than my previous 10K PR...new PR = 45.53. THEN...see section 3 below.

2) JT's 70.3 --- this girl is tough as nails. She has come so far and gotten so much faster! She has been so dedicated to her goals and it has been so amazing watching her achieve them. It is trully inspiring. She has defintely had a part in motivating me. see june's excellent adventures.

3) Lonestar Olympic Tri? - no...Du. The wind was so strong in Galveston that it resulted in the tri transformation into a du. i never saw the whitecaps in Offat's bayou, because I was making sure my stuff didnt blow away, but i heard they were bad. Good for the officials for calling the swim...although they did kill my chances in my best event and who knows...perhaps i would have placed higher in my age group!? i did the 40K bike in 1:18 @ 19 mph pretty good for this slow cyclist. and here refer to 1) above.... my 10K was exactly my PR 45.53....but I did 25 miles before it....so wow! I totally impressed myself. 100% shocked at my ability to run at the end of a tri. I was not haunted by stomach issues and i think that i had a lot of subconcious confidence that led me to just keep going and have an amazing run...that resulted in 5th place in my age group. I am so happy with that!

So anyways, it is time to get my act in gear...summer is here and as busy as it is going to be, I need to get in hills and long rides if I expect the end of the season to be as great as the beginning. Oh. one more thing. I committed (verbally and writtenly -- haha that is not a word) to doing California International marathon....fun stuff.

Welcome Home

2010-02-06T18:18:00.003-06:00

After the holidays, i took down my Christmas wreath and wanted to do something new. Didn't quite know what to do, so my branchy wreath sat on its hook naked. Lately I have been reading http://www.centsationalgirl.com/ and have been inspired to do stuff to my house, and well also i got sick of getting home to my naked wreath door. I was looking to do something simple, but classic that totally says ...this is my home... I think i accomplished it. Some may think its really plain, but let some think whatever they want, because i love it. I went to Michaels and searched and searched...first for ribbon, then for satin flowers...is ribbon to little? do satin flowers look tacky? i searched and searched...i found this little bundles of lilac and violet hydrangeas for $1! so i got those and also some great sage green wired ribbon. Did i use those to creat my look? no. But i got them anyway for when I want a change. I bought two sets of these little apples with a wirey stem that worked great with the branches of my wreath. I also purchased some golden wired ribbon...didnt know how i would use it...to wrap around parts of the wreath perhaps? anyways... got home and started playing around. I got the apples placed just how i wanted them...now for the ribbon, i knew i wanted to incorporate the golden color, so .... it looked like crap wrapped on the wreath, so i looked elsewhere...can i hang the wreath from the ribbon?! yes! great idea, but wasnt looking how i wanted it to. so ...i wrapped my brass hook with the golden ribbon and guess what...it looks fantastic, at least i think so, and since i am the one that lives here....then the client is pleased. take a look for yourself!!

A Thousand Splendid Suns...in review

2010-01-24T15:49:00.003-06:00

I picked up this book because I so much enjoyed reading The Kite Runner (TKR) by Khaled Hosseini. Same author different book, both New York Times bestsellers. I wrote briefly about the Kite Runner in a previous post, I took a breather from the Afghan culture and read The Time Traveler's Wife, and I am so glad I did. A Thousand Spendid Suns (TSS) and TKR are both set in Afghanistan. In TKR they move to the US and the story is told from a young boy's perspective ---he becomes a man throughout the book --- I absolutely loved the book although it did have some really brutal scenes.

TKR's brutal scenes are an afternoon tea compared to the scenes described in TSS. TSS is the story of two women in Afghanistan and the way they come into each other's lives. These books are marvelously written. So much so, that I had flashbacks of TKR during some occasions of TSS and i had such vivid pictures that I had to stop and think if I had really seen it on tv or a movie .... but no certainly it was from earlier scenes depicted by Hosseini. The book is engulfing in so many ways. You fall in love with these women, so young, so vulnerable, yet so brave. The book goes into much of the Afghan history, culture, and way of life and it is absolutely intriguing, in sad ways more than anything, but definitely intriguing. How can these people survive all these hardships? They have suffered for so many years, they dont know what life without war is like.

This book really made me appreciate what I have and the way I was brought up, and most of all the culture into which I was born. Being a woman, and reading this book is heart breaking. I literally wanted to jump into the book and knock the life out of this man for doing what he did to them. How can men have so much disrespect for a woman. a wife. a daughter. how can a father not want "his" daughter because she is not a boy?

Anyway, just wanted to spill some of my thoughts about the book without giving too much away - I highly recommend this book, but be prepared to as Joey from Friends would put it "put the book in the freezer" ---- if you have read the book or if you read it, give me a shout when you are done, I would love to hear your thoughts regarding it.

Bookin' It!

2010-01-14T18:32:00.006-06:00

How dorky is the title of my post!!
So I have been really consumed by reading. I really have this list of books that i have read and I think they are ALL good. The list includes:

The Twilight Series ---- everyone else was doing it, but I really enjoyed the books.

Marley and Me ----- A total teer jerker, but so well written, and really just as much a good laugh as a sobber.

The Posionwood Bible ----- LOVED IT. HArd to get into, but kept turning pages based on CB's recommendation. There was a point, where i literally couldnt stop reading. I really enjoyed this book.

The Glass Castle ---- RIDICULOUSLY GOOD --- Thanks JB

The Emperor's Children ---- EXCELLENT ---- Thanks CB

The Lovely Bones --- page turner. Thanks LW.

Eat, Pray, Love ---- I absolutely related to her story!

The Kite Runner ---- absolutely amazing book, it really touched me. Such a great story, really well written, and opened my eyes about the Afghan culture and the country. It is hard to swallow some of the scences that the book paints, but I think they add so much to the story and are a key part in making the book as impactful (is that a word?!) as it is.

The Time Traveler's Wife --- picked this up because my new manager told me it was one of her favorite books. It was tough to follow at the beginning, but once you get the hang of how the book works, it is amazing. It caused me to reflect on JR and my relationship. And really i felt a lot of connections between the character's relationship and my relationship. Needless to say, i really enjoyed the book and would highly recommended it.

I have now started reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is written by the author or The Kite Runner. I must say that is my favorite book of 2009. I REALLY loved it, and have heard great things about A Thousand Splendid Suns. I am on Chapter 4, but will hopefully be writing about it on the blog. Or not about the book, but what I think as the pages turn.

Where have I been?!

2010-01-14T18:06:00.005-06:00

...that's a question you might be asking yourself. So I am here to tell you. Last you heard from me, unless you see me regularly, I had finished my first ironman. Since then, quite a bit has happened....i.e. the new job, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, the big chill. What else?! Probably forgetting quite a few things, but those really are the bigs.

Thangsgiving was wonderful. I went with JR to South Carolina and had a great time. I met the rest of his family and I must say that I absolutely love them. They were very welcoming, and I really felt "at home" with everyone. I can't wait to go back.

On a Christmas note, I am so excited that I did all my Christmas shopping, well, I shouldn't say all, but most of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. I hardly dealt with crowds, but I probably did spend more money than originally intended. Oh well, the best part is seeing my loved ones open their presents, which they appear to have really loved. In particular my mom. I just love giving presents!!! My sister was in town for Christmas, and I realized that I had not seen her since LAST Christmas. That is just way too long. I guess that Ironman training really did take away the opportunities to go off to New York on any random weekend. Runs and Bikes were number one priorities over trips. This year, I definitely need to take some time to head up there to see her. When, i have no idea, since i have reduced vacation at the new j-o-b. I miss my 5 weeks of vacay. Not the only thing i miss btw.

The day after Christmas i ran with my friend @ http://www.stridesacrosstexas.org/. That was so amazing. AND on January 1st, KK finished 482 miles running across Texas in effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer. You can see his website at http://www.snowdropfoundation.org/ ---- I raised money for his organization through my Ironman, and was able to raise over $2K --- so thanks to everyone who donated!!

Now I am getting ready for the Houston Half marathon. That is coming up on Sunday. It should be great! JR is running the full and looking to BQ (Boston Qualify) --- so i will be in full support mode once i cross the finish line.

I am hoping to be a little more frequent with my posts. Especially ramping up with training for Ironman Canada.

Ironman Florida 2009

2009-11-11T07:31:00.018-06:00

This was the event a year in the making. Last November, a group of friends and I took a little trip over to Panama City Beach, Florida to volunteer and register for Ironman Florida. This wasnt something that had just popped in my head...no, it was an event I had been wanting to do, the second after I finished my first sprint triathlon back in March of 2007. I figured 2009 would be the perfect year for it, it gave me the opportunity to get comfortable with the sport, get used to riding a bike for prolonged periods of time, and just gave me time to mentally prepare.

A group of us who signed up at IMFL2008

So the journey began last year at Ironman Florida and continued for a full year. So much has happened in that year! But that is beside the point.

Last year I decided that I would join the Janus Charity Challenge for Ironman Florida 2009 and fundraise money for Snowdrop Foundation http://www.snowdropfoundation.org/ . I began my fundraising efforts early on and had amazing results. Me along with family, friends, and coleagues were able to raise just over $2000!!!! I am so excited and so proud to have been able to help Snowdrop's cause. So thank you to all of you who supported!!

On to training...I began training a LONG time ago...not necessarily the heart of training, but building a base. A lot of my friends participated in Ironman Couer d'Alene in June, so I was going along for bike rides and runs early on (but not nearly as long as what they were doing!) ... Let's just say that I got some reading done while I waited. I was very comfortably doing 50-60 mile routes and running 13 comfortably. The hard core training started in July...adding a few miles here and a few miles there....by the end of August I had done a 100 miler and run numerous miles. My weekends were filled with lengthy workouts that left little time to rest and relax.

Taper finally came around in mid/late October. Wow...it was very difficult to think that there was not much i could let myself do....the training was done, the only thing i could do now is injure myself. So with lots of advice from my friends (and experienced ironmen) I put less miles on my running shoes and less miles on my wheels. Time to put my feet up and rest!

We left for Florida early on Wednesday morning. By early I mean 5am! It was definitely the right thing to do, since we wanted to avoid any and all traffic. We stopped a few times to get gas and use the little girls roon (Josh used the little boys room) and we were well into our trip by midday. We arrived in Panama City Beach right around 3pm! Great time! We decided that I should go ahead and do the registration right then, this way I would avoid long lines on athletes the next day. I walked right up to the registration booth and got my stuff without wasting any time. We walked around at the expo and the Ironman Store...no i did not get a thing! That would have been a curse!

Me at IMFL 2009!

As it turns out, I am SO glad we went as early as we did, it was really nice to get there and get accustomed to the environment and just get used to being there, without getting caught up in all the hoop-lah. Thursday morning, I was of course up before 6am and couldn't sleep another wink...so i read my book "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown which I cannot put down. It was a little chilly so I did not have my fantasy of drinking coffee and reading out in the balcony facing the Gulf. Later that morning, I wetsuited up...and went for a quick swim. I just wanted to get loose and make sure that the wetsuit was in check and ready to go. After that swim, I decided that it would be in my best interest to get in a little warm-up on race morning, rather than just go for it. I felt so much better after having swam a few hundred yards...i loosened up quite a bit.

The rest of the day was spent resting and relaxing...we had lunch and dinner in the condo --- a must have luxury for any future Ironman races...having a full kitchen was the best thing and definitely worth every penny! We read and we watched the Hokies game. Oh and I also started to prep my gear!!! That is so stressful! I am so glad I already pretty much had everything pre-packed :)
Also went to the prerace meeting that night...glad i went! I found out some important info about the transition being in a different location than last year, as well as, found out drop points for special needs bags race morning and most importantly ... port-o-potty locations on the course! Got to see my Tripsy teammates at the meeting as well!

The next day...I woke up early, yet again! Agh! Can I please sleep in?!! This was the day before the race...by the way...not a nervous muscle on my body...very odd, since I am generally a stress magnet. Josh and I had a bagel breakfast and then we went to meet the Houston crew for a group picture, it was certainly great to see everyone and chat about how preparations for the race were going.

After the photo, Josh went to pick up our friends at the airport. So excited to see them!!! Them being here made it that much more real! The race was almost here! We spent the day lounging around and Shellie and I went to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. Lisa ended up coming over for dinner as well. So Lisa, Shellie, Randy, William, Josh, and I, had a great pasta dinner at the condo, good friends and good food :) I wish my family had been there as well, but I know they were thinking of me :) That night was I guess a bit short...i think i woke up once in the middle of the night as was so ready...there was no grogginess when i woke up, i was just ready to go! I completed getting my stuff together...force fed a banana down my throat and then I was off to get body marked! Shellie was up when we left so I gave her a big hug and then we were off!

Josh came with me that morning, we dropped off the bags and got me to body marking. I made sure that someone with nice and neat numbers was in charge of writing on me :) She did a great job placing the number 82 on me. I was then off to double check my bike and get the fluids and nutrition ready...there was no stopping time now...the race was fast approaching. We went closer to the beach to get my wetsuit on. I applied A LOT of body glide on my neck before doing the final wetsuit zip up...Josh and I hung out on the beach until about 6:35 ... at which point i went off to through the chute for my 140.6 mile journey. I kissed him bye for now with a couple tears in my eyes and a certain smile on my face.

I went into the chilly water and swam a bit to get loose. I postioned my goggles and repositioned them about a zillion times. Josh had told me NOT to let ANYONE get in front of me when I lined up to swim...so I did not. It was obvious that the other front rowers were swimmers...they all sported their sweddish goggles...haha! I chatted up with a lady from Amarillo and a dude from Austin, cue the National Anthem...cue the count down...less than 1 minute....the cannon goes off!

A sea of people awaited me...if not in the back row, in the front row, on the side in the middle, underneath, and up on top...people...people..people...was I pulling water or body parts?! there were 6 buoys on the out and 6 buoys coming back in...in all the commotion i missed one...so it was great to see the big orange buoy sooner than i had expected. I remained very calm through my first lap...really really calm. Just stay relaxed and get through the swim. I did...at least the first loop. I came up onto the beach and head Josh, I waved, got a drink to get the saltyness out of my mouth (I drank a significant portion of the Gulf on Saturday) then I was off to loop numero dos. swim swim swim...oh wait...there was an enormous sand bar....they should have served cocktails cause i spent what seemed like a lifetime trying to get through it! I finally was off onto the second loop...the water was a bit choppier by now, but at least i had space to swim in now...the crowds had dispersed...or maybe it was my awesome swimming powers leaving everyone behind! as I made the turn to come back, it was very clear that the water was getting choppier...i started thinking that I was getting a bit seasick, but i stayed focused and just told myself to keep going and stay relaxed. I did and before I knew it...i was onshore! Out of the water...on the ground with the wetsuit strippers taking my suit off! I did it! 2.4 miles down!! On what seemed like a marathon transition i saw Josh, William, Jon, and the rest of the crew off to the side...i ran by....with a smile on my face and went on to grab my biking gear...the biggest challenge was just ahead.

I had NO clue how i had done on the swim because in the massive sea of people swim, someone maanged to hit my watch and really i didnt see what my time was...Lisa was in transition and I ran in screaming her name...she was right there ready to help me get my stuff on. As soon as that was done .... i hurried out of there and on to get my bike. I got on it and started my nutrition timer. Nutrition was the key to this race. Staying on top of it. I looked at my watch and I was on the bike before 1:12 into the race...no idea how long i was in transition, but that meant that I had had a pretty descent swim. I knew going into the race that the bike was going to be tough...especially because i am a great swimmer...and all those folks that are behind me on the swim...are pretty good cyclist...they started coming and coming and coming...i was getting passed non-stop...predominantly my men named Michael (the race numbers had the person's names on it). The miles were coming slowly...teh wind was pretty strong, but like I had done many many times before...i just kept pedaling...10 miles turned to 30 and 30 turned to 50...before I knew it i was halfway done with the bike portion. I bypassed special needs...there was nothing special that i needed except the end of the bike course! Just before the out and back, I saw JOSH! I spotted the yellow hat and immediately knew it was him! I was so excited to see him! I had been waiting almost 70 miles to see his shining smile! I rode by and soon after saw Jon and William right around mile 70....the next 4 miles were BRUTAL! The road sucked! there were breaks on in the asphalt or cement or whatever the surface was every few seconds. that and the head wind...agh! I finally saw the turn around! I unclipped and carefully turned (at Redman, I fell on a turn just like that and I wanted to be sure that history didnt repeat itself). After the turn around...it was marvelous! On my way to mile 80 and to see everyone again! I rode fast by (the wind was at my back :)) Saw Randy and Shellie told me to "Focus" so i did...mile 80 came by...and then...that is when the cramp hit. My left calf was screaming at me. All i could do was stop for two secs to take an e-cap...following Josh's advice to listen to my body and the moment i feel a cramp to pop one in. I did and was on my not-so merry way .... the road was long, but fortunately smooth. The miles inched by...I just kept telling myself that all I had left was an out and back ride from Belin...then Just less than a Belin ride....then from fulshear to Belin...I knew that it was 12 miles from the GIGANTIC bridge back to transition...it finally arrived. Only 12 miles to go. Piece of cake. I prepared myself for a slow 6 back in...seeing that the wind was coming from the east, but it must have changed because i was still coming in at 17.1 mph on the way in. It was awesome. I saw the condos where we stayed when we went to watch Sandy, Lisa, Chad and Kevin in 07 and thought to myself...this was only like a 1 mile walk! I am almost there!!! Then...i saw it. The Waffle House and Circle K. I was bawling. Tears were rolling down my face as I rode the last half mile in. It was amazing and no one could have erased the smile from my face.

I gave my bike to a volunteer and ran over to the bags --- i quickly found mine and headed into T2 where i sat next to Ingrid who was doing so great! Lisa helped me again and soon I was off onto the run. I saw Josh right as I was about to turn the corner and I gave him a hug and a kiss and I kept on going...running. I saw the rest of the crew cheering us on. I ran with Ingrid for a bit...and then after about 2 miles...the cramps in my stomach were really making themselves noticeable. I was having trouble taking in deep breaths and the cramps on my right side were killing me. I decided to walk for a bit to see if that would help the breathing and cramping. I took some e-caps to see if that would help. Kept going...tried to run again, but was unsuccessful. I decided at that point that it was going to be a walk for the rest of the way. I didnt realize that I did not train to walk the marathon...i trained to run it...which means ... totally different muscles hard at work. The marathon was VERY Painful. Along the 26.2 i met one of the originators of Ironman. His name is dave. He was one of the first Ironmen in Hawaii. It was amazing to have met him! I thanked him. Out of the park on my first loop, i met Mike. Mike was having cramping issues as well and was walking...so we walked together...all the way. Our goal was to get out of the damn park --- it was soooooooooooo dark! We got out of there and then it was just two loops of Memorial Park...too bad it was going to take twice as long as it normally would! We kept our pace...and soon we saw mile 25! OMG we only had 1 mile to go. We turned right on Surf and with smiles on our faces kept putting one foot in front of the other. My condo! After that the tears of joy started coming...just a quarter mile more...i didnt think i would be able to run...but as we were approaching the chute, i started running, smile on my face, tears welling up....i ran under the ironman sign...soon i heard..."there's a bunch of them coming! blah blah blah, blah blah blah, a butchered Agustina Fogleeeeta, Mike Blah Blah...." did he even say "YOU are an Ironman?!" I have waited so long to hear that and I NEVER did! agh! Josh was coming towards me, someone gave me a shirt and a medal and a hat. Put that on sooooo quickly. Timing chip off. I was done! I was an Ironman! I hugged Josh so hard, tears in my eyes! I quickly got in line for my finishers photo (which turned out great! and is already framed) I realized I couldnt walk any more...but who cares...after a year...countless miles....tears and smiles....Now, I can call myself an Ironman.

I talked to my mom soon after and gathered with everyone! Everyone did so great!!! Congratulations to all the first time Ironmen, Congratulations to the veterans, and most importantly...thank you to all of you who were supporting me from the sidelines or from home. This was an amazing experience that I will never ever forget. THANK YOU!

~Ironman Augie

Its been a while....again

2009-09-30T16:51:00.003-05:00

yea it has been a while...what have i been doing? training! going to weddings! among other things.
So last Friday i had a really great 15 miler --- did it 2:05 before work, talk about efficiency! it was defintely wonderful getting that thing out of the way...if only i could have done the same with that bike ride...

well the kids tri went on so that is why i couldnt run on sat and had to do it on fri instead. Sat night we were at a wedding and we were able to get up the next morning to do the long ride. BUT it was not as long (mileage wise) as intended, but it was just nearly 5 hours (which was what was on the schedule). THere is something to be said about miles upon miles of hills a week after a half ironman...they are HARD! but oh well, you do what you can. I will be ready come november 7th. I am starting to get nervous and feel not ready... but i still have 3 more weeks of busting my ass....so that should get me there.

I've been hitting the water a little more, although these random sporadic thunderstorms dont help. Like the one on Monday that caused me to go swim at the 24 hour where i almost asfixiated. tough to breathe!! but i did get in some water time and that is what counts. RUnning in this changing houston weather has been great, makes up for all those ridiculously hot and sweaty runs that happen during the summer... and definitely makes running a lot more pleasant :)

oh ---- failed to mention that once IM Florida is done, i have a couple months of resting before i have to start training for my next endeavour .... IM Canada....yea ... dont know what i was thinking.

oh and another side note...because of all this crazy training, the total weight loss to date (since March) = 14 pounds :)

Janus Charity Challenge - Snowdrop Foundation

2009-07-31T11:03:00.002-05:00

I finally had time to put this together! I am so excited!!!

I am participating in the Janus Charity Challenge for Ironman Florida and have decided to participate on behalf of Snowdrop Foundation. Check it out www.snowdropfoundation.org

Its going to be great!! My goal was to raise at least $500 but I think i will surpass that goal any minute now! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

You can donate at the link below if you are so inclined!

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=296523&lis=1&kntae296523=F0F0B72CA48C498090C9A42663D6E9CD&supId=256543026

Safe!

2009-02-10T20:56:00.002-06:00

I am not quite in Ardmore yet. I was driving on 35. emergency system comes on. seek shelter now. WHAT?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am not there yet!!!
i flipped out and now i am in a hotel in denton after i turned around 30 miles from my destination. the storm i am talking about has winds 50-60 MPH winds, hail, and tornadoes. and i was in a car about to go through all that! yikes. i am safe and i will be hitting up ardmore in the am!

Workout Regurgitation

2008-12-30T18:18:00.002-06:00

Here Goes.
12/29
Seymore Leiberman - 4 miles and a jog to the water fountain
35:30
1.8:34
2.8:28
Jog to/from water fountain. 1:38
3.8:22
4.8:26

12/27
Ran approx. 8 miles. HORRIBLE Run. Weather SUCKED!

12/26
must have been four miles at Seymore 34.48. Felt like ace.

12/23
44.40 worth of running time. this day was freaking cold. i think around 26 degrees with the wind chill. i ran in the neighborhood.

12/21
I think this was the torcherous circa 10 miles - 3 loops and then some at Seymore Leiberman 1:29 worth of running

12/17
Must have been a loop 26:49

12/15
Must have been a loop at Seymore Leiberman too. 25:07 worth of time

12/14
Prob around 8 miles because it was 1:07

12/8
No clue but 33.58 worth of it

12/7
I cant remember but it was 51.36 worth of running

Mothers

2008-12-22T16:31:00.003-06:00

Today was a sad day for my boss. Her mom passed away.
I was thinking...what an awful time of year to have such an important person go. Granted she was a little older, but i have friends, my age, who have had their mothers pass away due to cancer as well. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my mom. This person, this woman, is more than likely responsible for molding us into who we are. If we are lucky, they are there for birthdays, sporting or other activities, to make you do your homework, and to share at least one daily meal with you, as you grow up. When we get older, we tend to go to them for advise, about guys, about receipes, how to plan parties, how to decorate, when we get sick they are there no matter what your age. If you have kids they are there to help you...These are just a small sample of the things that mothers do...
Anyways, point being that i cannot imagine what my life would be like without my mom, and today especially, i am thinking of all my friends that have had the unfortunate luck of losing such an important relative. My thoughts are with all of you, in all parts of the world, you know who you are.

Pics of the Oven Disaster...

2008-12-21T23:01:00.006-06:00

This is the bottom of the toaster...

Needless to say...this toaster hit the dumpster shortly after its 5 minutes of fame. Santa could bring me a toaster if he was so inclined....

Event of the Day

2008-12-20T18:10:00.003-06:00

I am casually shopping at barnes at nobles today. you know checking out some books, getting the last of my christmas presents, and inching my way over to the cash registers...i am looking at the christmas cards that are on sale...i am looking at this one cute card with a polar bear on it and so goes the conversation:

Guy: "This one is cute too" - showing card with puppy and snow
Me: "Yes that is cute"
Guy: "Are you Brazilian"
Me: "What?"
Guy: "Are you Brazilian?"
Me: "No, no-no, I am from Argentina"
Guy: "Oh, do you work out a lot"
Me: "yes"
Guy: "Well i think you are one of the most beautiful women i have ever seen"
Me: "Thanks"
Guy: "Wow, you just made my day by smiling, can i buy you a cup of coffee?, Im Troy by the way, whats your name?"
Me: "oh no thanks, i just had some"
Troy: "whats your name?"
Me: "Agustina"
Troy: "Wow, thats beautiful, well can i give you my number, so that we can do coffee some other time?"
Me: "oh, sorry, no...i am seeing someone, thanks though" ---- (total lie)
Troy: "oh ok...well it was great to meet you"
Me: "yeah, you too"

It was very odd...but definitely made me wonder who on earth thinks that totally porky me (these days i am feeling very porky) with a super cold, that has my nose guiding Santa Clause, could possibly think that i am remotely close to being the most beautiful woman ever seen....i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But despite it all, it caught my attention and i am here writing about it now. what strikes me as extremely funny, is the commentary from the old woman who observed teh whole scene:

Old lady: "wow, men just are pickin up women just anywhere these days"
Me: "yes that was very strange"
Old lady: "well you handled it very well"
Me: "thanks"
Old lady: "Dotn worry honey, i may be old but if he tried anything funny, i was going to hit him with my cane!"
Me: "Hahaha, Thanks!"

Anyways, all too weird.

Side Note: I think my sister's bf is starting to grow on me.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....or Not, or yes, or no, or yes, or no....

2008-12-20T11:07:00.003-06:00

Yes it is that time of year yet again, again, and again. You might think i am speaking of the little Holiday known as Christmas, but no, what i am referring to is "engagement time" again. It has come in bundles this year. Sporadic ones at the beginning. Then there was the August bunch (about 10 friends) all got engaged in a time span of about 2-3 weeks...then there is my best friend who got the question popped about 3 weeks ago (and i am now officially the maid of honor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and then this week there was about 3 other people i know and am friends with who have accepted to take the plunge. its kind of funny how it happens that way. it just always happens to other people. two of my good friends have found great guys to be with and i am so happy for them (and i had a part in one of those)....but when is it my turn? I love being and living the life i do and i am not in any rush for anything, but i wonder if its even in the cards for me. we shall see. EVERYTHING happens for a reason.

On that note, i wonder what the reason is for this stupid thing i accidentally did, that "happened" to me just a short 30 minutes ago. While i was away on vacation i left my mother in charge of watering my plants and getting the mail and all that fun house stuff. well, she likes to organize and arrange everything. in her effort to "tidy up" she decided to place my george forman grill and my toaster inside the oven as opposed to on the counter. great idea i thought, now i dont have to look at it, and all i have to do is remember to take them out when i turn the oven on....that had been working fine until circa 1030 today when i turned the oven on to put in a quiche. yes i forgot to take the toaster and grill out and when i decided to go put the quiche in the oven because by that moment it was hot enough, i encountered a strange "plasticky" smell as well as some smoke coming from the oven. I now have a very misshappen toaster and a george foreman grill that may or may not work. we'll see. NOT to forget to mention the nice burn on my arm from the things that go inside the oven (the metal things that you place your pans on when cooking stuff). i am a genius. so again, i have to think, everything happens for a reason, but why this? if it develops, ill let you know.

Other things that have been on my mind are the following:
1) i need a puppy - so because i just dotn have the heart to have on in my condo with no place to run, i would have to have it at my mom's all the time. so, i am going to go to this pet adoption extravaganza today and see if i fall in love and one falls in love with me.

2) if you are a kid that has doubts about whether to believe in Santa or not -----it is very easy to google and find out. Thats so sad. i want to believe. i wish i stil believed.

3) girl talk --- i was at work yesterday and my coworker asked --- do runners always talk about each other???? i was like ---- are you a girl? do you not know the code? i mean there is always drama, and its in girls nature to talk about everyone. I just said --- if you are with people that are talking about other people that you run with or are friends with, then you know what, just humor them, but dont say or agree with anything. its what i try to do. that way, you arent bad mouthing. you know? why is it that we do this? my coworker said --- is it because they are competitive? and that completely made me think ---yes. it defintely is. be fast, get faster, get skinnier, get a boyfriend, get married, have kids first....girls think like that and maybe its a jealousy thing...or a competitive thing, but i guess maybe thats a reason why girls sometimes talk about other girls. THAT and sometimes, some chicks dont make the best decisions about attire. i am guilty of making fun for that. i admit it. every girl does.

4) the best ideas, come in the shower --- yes they do, i have had some wonderful ideas on how to test depreciation (i am a dork) but that really happened and i am going to put my ideas to work in the next few months, and how to manage my staff, and how to get organized, and just a slew of other things...but i think the shower is a great place to get great ideas. i know totally dorky, but just think --- in the shower, you are relaxxed, in your element, alone with your thoughts and getting ready for the day --- a perfect oasis.

Great stuff that has happened:
-my friend's husband is in remission!!!!
-it snowed last week~!

Bad stuff that has happened:
-my manager's mom has a few days left --- she has cancer, and my prayers are with her.
-i have a cold, ill take it compared to the above -- i think it is a result of the ever changing weather pattern that we are encountering in this part of the world lately.
-a 29 year old runner passed away during the dallas white rock marathon --- so hard during this time of year.

well i know that it has been a while but i will post more regularly now since i am getting back into the swing of things and getting back in shape. so for all those that were awaiting a post from me, here it is. i hope you enjoyed dipping into my thoughts for a bit.
my work outs and lots on my trip are soon to come. so stay tuned :)

My burn hurts!

Its time to post

2008-11-11T06:32:00.003-06:00

What a crazy past couple of days! Lets see ... ill post my workouts for starters since that is the main reason for keeping up with this thing:

Thursday
6 miles - Seymour Leiberman (ran with Shellie) - no clue on the time because i erased it from my watch.

Friday
sleep

Saturday
I was forced against my free will (yet i registered myself) to do the Rocky Raccoon 25K in Huntsville. I almost fell approximately 100 times. I made it out without falling. Doing this was enough to ensure that i never register for Sunmart, and it reinforced the fact that i will forever (never saying never) be a spectator at trail races. I wasnt really all that sore after it, but thanks but no thanks. I spent the last 8-9 miles of that run wishing it was over because i was afraid of falling and breaking something. Not what i am looking for when i have a vacation planned and an ironman in a year.
Time - 2:41

Sunday
Shopping spree for christmas presents for Argentina. Had my old swimming friends over for dinner and that was awesome. Caught up with Mel and Jen (who i see on a regular basis).
No workout - except for walking endlessly around the freaking mall. i dont want to go to a mall for a very long time.

Monday
Had all intentions of getting up to run, but rocky raccoon left me with a little present. a little painful ankle that resulted from rolling my ankle on a root. So i decdided to let it rest one more day. Ran around like a bat out of hell all day. my windshield wipers decided to quit working in the middle of the rain, i got lost....got stuck in traffic. yea, lots of crazy things. i never get lost. i am pissed that i did.

Tuesday
all i have is a run so far.
3 miles - Seymore Leiberman - 27.59 - nasty nasty humidity. wonder what else the day has in store for me. i think i have to call my sister and apologize, so that she will talk to me. i dont think i can get on teh plane without doing that. how the heck do you apologize for something you are not sorry about??

1 step closer to my license

2008-11-05T20:56:00.003-06:00

i have been procrastinating for approximately 9 months. today i am one step closer to my CPA license! wooohooooo! i have to take the professionalism written test and mail that sucker off. i better hurry and write and get to it! Nothing too exciting today.

Today's workout
6 miles - Seymore Leiberman - 51:13
1. 8:39
2. 8:46
3. 7:54
4. 8:32
5. 8:44
6. 8:03

The future of my stomach

2008-11-04T21:01:00.003-06:00

Believe it or not...this is the future of my stomach. it currently hurts so much that i can hardly bend over to barf over the current 9:06pm results of the presidential election. i did the TOTR ab class yesterday evening, thanks K. my abs hurt so good. i swear when i get back from my vaca, i will become solid in every way. seriously.

so today was interesting, i went to starbucks and forgot to ask for my free coffee. then i figured out that there was a nail (like the kind you build things with) in my right front tire. got to work to a very turmoiled audit room. had a california pizza kitchen pizza for lunch which will stop when i get back from my vacation. left work a little early (its ok i worked while i was in Florida) to get teh nail removed from my right front tire, and then....i went to lululemon cause i got a gift certificate from there for my bday...yea little did i know that i would spend some extra dollars there....

good news though, my aunt set up the vacation within the vacation that i am going on with my cousins...so totally pumped!!! i cant wait!

Today's workout

sleep in....it wasnt supposed to be that way.....

2.4m swim - 112m bike - 26.2m run

2008-11-03T15:32:00.013-06:00

We all did it. IMFL09 here we come!

Its going to be a huge group! There are at least 11 TriPsyclones, plus a whole slew of people from Houston Racing and other Houston area groups. We volunteered over the weekend in order to get a spot for next year, which ended up being no problem at all since registration remained open until today. BUT it was a blast, and i learned quite a bit about how things work at IM as opposed to other triathlons. I am so excited! oI was registering on Sunday and i was just smiles from ear to ear and i wanted to take a picture with the dude that was registering me. I want to document it all so that i can make a kicka$$ scrapbook. Anyways, turns out that the guy registering me was Michael Lovato! It was awesome.

The weekend was just great all around and today has been great just being at home, getting a good run in, and running errands. I am going to a TOTR ab class that my friend told me about. i expect to be so sore in the morning, however, it is going to help in the hardenizing of my entire body in preparation for IMFL. Did i mention i was excited?! There were several friends that were at home trying to register and i was completely nervous for them thinking that they would not get in. Last year the race sold out in 7 minutes, plus the word on the volunteer street was that it was going to sell out quicker. we were somewhere in Alabama or Mississippi when they all finally were able to register.

There is one thing that has me worried....the swim. yea, i know...i was a collegiate scholarship swimmer, and i am worried about the swim. NOT the distance, not because i dont think i can do that much swimming...i can do that much in my sleep, but its the swimming in the middle of the ocean that has got me all worried. I swam with my friend on friday after we got there, and i have to admit that i was freaked out. QUITE a bit. Just something else i will have to get over i suppose. Gulf Shores or Coast or whatever its called half im should help get rid of the fear. i hope.

Thursday's workout
6 miles easy - 59:26 - Seymore Leiberman

Monday's workout
7 miles - 1:00 - Seymore Leiberman and surrounding neighborhoods

I have the power!

2008-10-29T21:38:00.003-05:00

or at least i would like to have it all. i am definitely a type "a" personality kind of girl. can this be fixed?
i want to do everything myself. i like things done my way. i like motivation, but i guess i would be pissed it someone tried to take stuff away from me. agh! somebody fix me!

Today's Workout

WH - 4x 800 - continuous - stay consistent - 17:23
1. 4:12
2. 4:08
3. 4:18
4. 4:23
I went consistently slower.

Temperature - 44 degrees

Nice Legs!!

2008-10-27T21:25:00.005-05:00

well thats the first time i ever receive that compliment. today i wore my new dress. which i love. anyways, theres something to be said about a new outfit. it defintely makes you feel GREAT! i never thought that when i went to the eyeglass place, i would get one of the best compliments! this ranks up there with the "you've got a nice set of arms" comment i got at starbucks one morning. so anyways, i am at eye masters in highland village, and i am waiting for the chick that is processing my purchase. the guy that worked there, says to me "i hope you are not going to take offense to this, but first of all i just want you to know that i am gay, but damn, you have really great legs. you must do marathons or something" i thing i turned just a shade shy of blood red. anyways, i thanked the guy and went about my business. so i got a freaking kick ass compliment and a new pair of glasses that definitely show the studious side of me.....actually i am just excited because i wont be embarrassed to wear my glasses now. its going to do wonders for me during busy season!!

today was trully never ending though. waited for my manager to get back with me on some stuff and it was just kinda later than i originally intended on staying. oh well...i take off early on thursday and i wont see that place until next tuesday. i just cant wait. IMFL here we come! the next couple of weekends are just going to be a complete and total blast. then seriousness will hit and for sure hard core training will begin. with some serious strength training and core workouts and trainer ridesto get faster. I am going to kick the shit out of IMFL 2008.

sometimes i wish i didnt have my shit together. it intimidates people.

today's workout

4 miles - Memorial - 33:20

1. 8:15

2. 8:05

3. 8:25

4. 8:33

Temperature: i think it was like 61 but totally windy. it was saweeeeet! too bad i cant run tomorrow cause i have to be at work at the butt crack. i think its going to be in the upppppper 30s! damn!

The Left Ventricle

2008-10-26T19:45:00.006-05:00

What a great weekend! The weather has been absolutely PERFECT!!! Left work a little early friday, which was great given the late - ER nights during the week. They werent that late just more late than regular. Anyways, watched What Happens in Vegas, which i recommend to anyone who wants a good laugh. it is hilarious and totally awesome because its set in Brooklyn Heights and i have been to pretty much all the places in that they show in the movie. Went to dinner with one of my good friends from work and her fiance, and had a great time. Saturday morning, i ran the Great Pumpkin fun run (5K) which i hadnt run in a long time, a 5K that is. Anyways, i was really undecided about wearing my long sleeve shirt, which i totally overestimated how cold it was outside. it really wasnt that bad. so i ended up nixing the long sleeve shirt and just going in the usual comfort of my sports bra. As soon as the gun went off and we were on our way, i realized that i had a shoe lace that was hanging out and was too long, so it was tapping the ground the entire way and i wasnt about to stop to fix it. at that moment i realized that i would NEVER ever again tell someone that "their shoelaces are undone" yeah, i know. Anyways, my first mile was awesome 6:57, going good, second mile 7:08, and i realized i could potentially PR....mile 3...yeah had some hills 7:20 and the last .1 was in 1:01. i think though i started my watch at the gun and not when i crossed the mat. idiot. anyways, my offical chip time was 22:22. Met some friends after the race and we all went to breakfast which was delicious.
the rest of the day was awesome, went shopping for some new sunglasses which were a bday present from one of my good friends. hung out all day after that...watched football, went to dinner and went out wearing my hot new dress, which i TOTALLY love. Had a blast saturday night with my friends. the pictures are awesome.
this morning was a blast too...i was on the other side of the fence this time, as a spectator instead of a competitor. had a blast cheering for my friends and running/tri buds. went shopping and to lunch with my mom and then headed to my best friend from high school's wedding shower. that was a blast...then that is where i found out, that i got FIRST place in the 5K!!!! in my age group. totally awaesome!

Saturday's Workout

Great Pumpkin Fun Run (5K) - 22:22 - 1st in age!
1. 6:57
2. 7:08
3. 7:20

Temp - 59 degrees?!

Beer and wine Drinking ;)

It feels like Friday and it IS Friday!

2008-10-24T16:23:00.003-05:00

YEY! its friday and it feels like friday! its been friday in my head since wednesday!!!!
today was pretty cool. had lunch at my favorite argentine lunch spot with my good friend, finished a bunch of crap at work and went on my merry way out the door.
I have a 5K tomorrow!! i wonder how fast i'll go. and by fast i mean "slow". PS this is going to be an awesome weekend!
i have been persuaded into doing another race. this one is a trail run. 25K of trails. should be ok. i bargained though, dont think i didnt get something out of signing up. I got my friend to sign up for austin, so that i can kick my goal's ass....i think that if he runs with me, ill for sure get it, cause he's a hard a$$. im pretty excited about austin, not so much about the 25K. ill get there though.

TODAY's WORKOUT

6 miles - 2 loops 51:45
1. 9:33
2. 8:39
3. 8:45
4. 8:25
5. 8:31
6. 8:35

Temperature: 51 degrees

Dunder Mifflin?!

2008-10-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

Guess where i was from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm?! .....

Yep - the office, i left so late that i actually missed part of the actual show. And since i am stuck in the olden age and dont have dvr, i am screwed and dont get to watch the beginning. i guess jim was flippin gout cause pam was out late in nyc. whatev. its my new word. whatev. i stole it from a guy at work. At least we got a lot done at the office today. so thats always good. I am not all too thrilled about getting up in the am to run, but what makes it great is that its supposed to be 48 degrees in the morning. i freaking love cold weather. OH! another very exciting thing, me and one of my manager's other seniors are organizing a potluck christmas dinner! its going to be absolutely awesome. OOOh! i just thought that we could even do a little white elephant exchange....ahhh...back to the old college days of swim team holiday parties! HA!

Today's workout:

3 mile loop with K ~ 31 minutes.

Temp: 59 degrees

My Friend Gregory

2008-10-22T19:46:00.007-05:00

I found this today...i dont know why it popped into my head. For those of you that have no idea what this is...it is my first grade textbook. It was awesome. Its the only book title i remember. Guess it has to do with all the excitement of being a first grader.

On another note, i busted my a$$ at work today. Which means that i did not leave at 530. It means i left 40 minutes ago, and fortunately beat the massive storm! This means that i did not, once again, make it to the Y. BUT i did get up this morning for my run workout.

Oh funny thing happened at work. Turns out that my friend was looking at some pictures at work of this lady's daughter's wedding...well it just so happened that her daughter married my ex that left my heart in shambles. Over it now, but wow...small world.

Today's workout:

Hills - Spots

24 minute continuous. Made it through 4.75 loops of the course.

Temperature: 69 degrees

Tuesday felt like Thursday....

2008-10-21T21:39:00.003-05:00

so i attempted to get up this morning to go run. the alarm went off, and my hand hit the snooze button 1/2 of a second later. 9 minutes later, the alarm went off again. who was i kidding?! this time there was no snoozing, it was just resetting. I had to be at work before eight. meeting with the boss to discuss STRATEGY. by 10:39 am i felt like i should be well on my way to getting ready to go home. needless to say today dragged on and on until about 7:18 pm when i left work. i was supposed to go lift at the y. but that didnt happen either. agh. i feel like a ball of fat. i am hoping tomorrow's rain holds off until i am done running.
off to bed "my friends".
goodevening and goodnight.

Monday, Monday

2008-10-20T06:59:00.004-05:00

Morning
WH - 5x1200 2 min rest
1. 5:40
2. 5:22
3. 5:13
4. 5:14
5. 5:25

Comments: My beef with today's workout ---- people that dont take the alloted rest. Its ok, i kicked their butts in the end. Felt good.

Temp: 59 degrees and a little humid

Bloody Mary, Wine, Mimosas Oh MY!

2008-10-19T17:26:00.003-05:00

story of the weekend is alcohol.
and when i say alcohol i dont mean the substance used to cure wounds, i mean the beverage used to cure wounds. not that i have any to heel, but as much intake as i had this weekend you would think so.
it started friday night with a few glasses of white wine. no harm. i saw "W" and if you are in teh mood to go see hollywood undermine the president, go see it otherwise dont waste your time. the movie actually pissed me off. anyways. saturday evening i thought i would just have a glass or two of red wine. nope...had 3/4 of the bottle instead, really i didnt even realize it.
today's brunch started with a bloody mary which definitely needed more salt. why does everything need more salt?! Then onion creek with two mimosas. goodness. i need some water, soon i will start sweating alcohol during my runs instead of sweat.

Dialation

2008-10-17T20:30:00.002-05:00

i cant see. everythign is blurry. my eyes are totally sensitive to the light. its because i got my eyes dialated. i never thought ieyes could trully be SORE. everything else, yes. eyes not so much.

i hope it goes away soon, although my eyes are like all pupil right now.

ok. weekend is going to suck. i have to work during it.

Another one bites the dust

2008-10-16T22:11:00.007-05:00

yep...its true, one more is gone. gone from the firm. on to bigger and better things. KL is done. BUT not forgotten. I am going to have lunch with her every month at least once. I miss her bundles already!
On another note, i have to work some this weekend. Maybe K and i can get together and work. Fun stuff. If i can get through this, the rest of the month will be home free :)

MuggggggggggGIE!

2008-10-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

that is what it was this morning. gross.
on monday, i forgot to pack my socks for my run after work. it led to a hole on the heel of my foot which i have been having to treat with bandaids. one falls off another one goes on. anyways, i suffered by putting on the very shoes that created the blisters that caused the holes on my heels. not to mention that i had to drag myself out of bed, becuase i made a promise that i would be at wills hills. i walk out the door and yes, i felt like i walked into a bowl of creamy soupy soup. why is it so muggy? it is the freakin middle of october! i should be seeing multicolored leaves on the trees (oh wait --- hurricane ike took them all), i should be wearing my fall clothes, i should be COLD when i walk out of the house for a run!!! anyways, i get in my car and head to wills hills. head over to where the workout is taking place only to figure out that the rain that showered over houston overnight had in fact caused a lot of mud puddles on our run course. i quickly diverted, ran back to the car and headed to the park, where i ran into some people i knew and did a loop with them. twas good, but i was more sweaty today after 24 minutes of running at 6AM, than i was a week and a half ago, after swimming, biking, and running for nearly six hours in teh heat of the day. WTF?!
The rest of the day sucked. my stomach hurt all day. no clue why. it still hurts, and at the rate its going i have no hope of the pain ever ending. i have taken my medicine, and i have drank ginger ale. what more can i do?!
oh, and the milk carton cut me as i carried the grocery bags up the stairs. fun.
tomorrow should be better. happy hour after work. yip.

Some girls have all the luck!

2008-10-14T20:24:00.003-05:00

sooooooooooo....its really great when your staff, gets a call in the middle of the afternoon. The call goes something like this..

Hi!
How are you?
Good.
Just working.
No, no, its ok. I can talk. Whats going on?
really?
Are you serious?
Oh My Gawd.
Yea, well i mean i have to ask my senior, but yea!

You guessed it, it got my attention when she said, i have to ask my senior. so, yes. she got an invitation to go to Ireland.........FRIDAY. As in two days from now. yep. Ireland, like the country that shares the island with England. Yep. and to make things even better, all expenses paid. Oh, and first class airfare.
Catch is.....i have to approve.
I am such a bitch.

No I am not. She is packing her bags.
Thursday is boss's day.

For June

2008-10-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

June,
So that you dont get bored, I have once again posted on my "blog". Take a good hard look, cause chances are i wont update it for a long, long time. Maybe if something cool happens to me. As for now. I am having a cup of tea before i head to bed. GoodNite!

Longhorn 70.3 Race Update

2008-10-13T22:02:00.002-05:00

Well...I was pretty stressed out about a week and a half before the race. On Tuesday, it all of a sudden hit me that i was no longer stressed and just excited. As I am sure most of you know my birthday was on Saturday, so i got up early, drove to my mom's to get her and got me present. (I got cool new clothes :)) Then she and I headed to Austin. We had lunch at the brick oven and then headed to packet pick up. It was FULL of people, but organized and it moved along pretty quickly. I think next year, it should be moved to a bigger venue. Then we stuck around for the race meeting, at which point i almost freaked out when i thought i was going to have to have my torso covered for the entire run!!! (i asked and they said it was ok to wear a sports bra...PHEW!). After the meeting we headed over for bike drop off at the park. It was DUSTY! i let the air out of my tires so that they wouldnt pop while they tanned out there. Everything was nice and ready to go!!! Mom and I headed to the hotel to check in and ran into Lisa and Eric who were going to sneak a present into the room...i got an awesome 70.3 mug (which is now sitting right next to the very computer at which i am typing on. I had my coffee in it this morning and my afternoon tea later today). We watched tv for a while and then headed to the restaurant for dinner with the group. It was a huge group of us and we sat outside, the evening was PERFECT for it. We all chattted about the race and our goals and stuff. You know, its all we could talk about.

Race Morning
I woke up and had to think about why i was getting up so early. I quickly remembered. But i did have a sore throat. Shake it off. I took a wuick shower, braided my hair, debated about which tri top to wear and left by 510. We were waiting in the line to get into the parking lot by 527. Dont know what time we actually made it in there, but i was MAJORLY stressing about getting to the race site. Once we actually parked, then we had to wait in the line to get on a bus to get to the race site. that took FOREVER. I think we finally got to teh race site at 645. talk about being stressed. i was totaly fine after i got transition and everything set up. As it turns out the parking situation is what caused the race to be delayed about 20 minutes. The only other complaint i had besides the parking and busing situation was that there wasnt enough lighting in transition. Other than that ...Awesome.

The Swim
so i am walking over to the swim start to get in and warm up, and low and behold, my hot pink 25-29 swim cap rips!!!!!!!!!! dont worry, i was a hot pink cap at river cities, so it was ok. i had a back up. I warmed up and then froze a little when waiting. I was wave six. watched everyone go and then it was my turn to get in the water. (in the water start). we had three minutes between waves, i got my watch all situated and i just kept telling myself not to get caught up in the start and to just stay relaxed for the swim. which i did. I felt great in the water, except for this one chick that kept rubbing on me. she litterally was attached to me and i have the wounds to show it, she took a chunk out of my arm with her fingernail (which i didnt realize happened until the run...more on this later). After the last turn for home, there was this disturbing tapping on my feet. i figured it was one of these eager beavers trying to draft from me on the swim. i was so pissed that i kept kicking harder that way she/he would stop. at one point i was about to stop, pop the individual, and then keep going. But i didnt. i just kicked harder. they disappeared. i finished my swim in an amazing time of 25 something. WOW! i had beaten my goal by 5 minutes! (the swim was short).

T1
Run to the bike (G section) there is dirt all over my feet. and i didnt bring a squirt bottle to clean that. so...i just wiped my feet as best i could with my towel. on to the bike...as i cross the bike out...I see a bike pedal on teh ground and think to myself "poor soul who lost their pedal, i dont know what i would do".... (refer to Brian Cook's story). On to teh bike.

The Bike
I'll keep this section short. I dont want to bore you guys with 56 miles worth of my thoughts. But most of it was oh yea, been here before, ok. watch the grooves on teh ground, and wow there are so many freaking people, i hope i dont get penalized for the 4 bike distance. I did end up walking up the very hard hill at like mile 4. i was switching gears and i swear it sounded like i broke the freakin crank. i got off and ran up the hill. no big deal, i shook it off and went on my merry way. i saw sexy lisa on the bike course. there were some hard sharp turns but felt pretty good. my calf started cramping around mile 35 or so, but i kept stretching it on the downhills. Oh according to my bike computer, at some point i hit 39 mph! Eat your heart out Lance! :) I felt great on teh bike and when i realized that i was very close to my original goal of 3 hours, i was super pumped. I had adjusted my bike goal after i went to austin to practice to 315. I ended up coming in at 305. the last two hills, were BRUTAL. Thanks Keith. I saw simon lessing finishing up as i was on one of those hills and i remember thinking, wow, he is done and i still have the entire run to go!

T2
off the bike, bike on rack, helmet off, sunglasses off, shoes on, water bottle, go. crap, my rumber broke and is now hanging by one hole on the race belt. quickly fix that by poking a hole. ok good go. The winner just won.

The run
who in god's green earth decided to grow hills in texas. shoot em. i never found my pace. my 2 mile run, 30 second walk went out the door before the first mile was even over. new plan. walk the uphills, run the rest. the first loop was very difficult and hot. remember the hole that was created on my swim by someones nail, this is when i realized i had it. i thought oh i need new arrowbar pads, yea dont know why i thought that, the scratch is on the bottom of my tricept. i must have been loosing it. at mile 4 i saw my mom who was taking pics. ! yea!!! i saw several peopel on teh loops and cheered and high fived and hugged. i thought for sure by this point that 6 hours was out of the question, when i started to do teh math, i guess this part of the brain wasnt gone yet, it turns out that i could make it. the second loop felt much better than the first, but i continued to walk the uphills. PS. there is this massive hill that i dont wish upon anyone. it hurt to walk up it. enough said. as i went up it the second time, i kept calculating...ok when i get to the top, ill be at mile 12 and that means only 1.1 miles to go after that and i have 15 minutes. ok doable. i got my butt in gear and finished it off....i got tears in my eyes as i came down the shoot, but you better believe there was a smile on my face. the announcer said look at that smile and here she comes Agustina Foglietta from Houston. (not you are an ironman, that comes next year) but i did hear one woman say yea 791, you are an ironman, i thought, not yet, but i am halfway there!!!!

Finish

my belly's full

2008-05-08T23:12:00.002-05:00

i just had a yummy steak from fleming's at a recruiting dinner. it was pretty fun and the food was delicious. flemings has to be absolutely one of my favortie steakhouses in the houston area. i think the only other steak that is better is from morton's. now i have to go to sleep so i can get up early to run off the calories. i hope tomorrow my clothes fit. good nite :)

exercising in the morning totally makes the difference

2008-05-07T20:48:00.003-05:00

i love having the energy to make it through a 12 hour workday. granted i probably wasnt 100% productive for 12 hours (during one of them i was eating). BUT i think it has everything to do with getting up early and getting a freaking awesome workout it. this morning i did wills hills and teh workout was 4X1 mile my splits were awesome for the shape i am in 715/716/708/715. not too shabby. if i keep it up no one will be able to keep up with me in austin on oct. 5th.
pat on the back for me.
now i am going to go finish my first glass of wine and hopefully watch jason castro get kicked off american idol. david cook should definitely win.

so i have been a little busy

2008-05-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

i was obviously too busy to write anything....but now i hope to be back. i think this will be a great way to stay up to date with things. for my own sanity.
tonight i went to the Volunteer Houston Awards Ceremony and i have to say that i feel like i only focus on me. this people give so much and i have to wonder ---- what warped world do they live in that has more than 24 hours in a day?! i dont even have time to get the mail let alone make it to a hospital or food bank to offer my services and time. i guess that is what makes it special. i made myself a promise to devote more time to the community and charities after i passed teh CPA exam. now that i have i need to follow up with my promise.

And now I have a page....

2007-11-15T22:43:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my page. I created it to help me keep track of me. I hope i am not too busy to keep track of it...