It's a mind game

A fun day in the sun: Irongirl Race Report

2010-05-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kian says go mommy go!!

What can I say!?! I had such an awesome time at this race. Finally, three races later! As I mentioned in my last post, I really was excited for this race in the few days leading up to it. I really felt fairly comfortable with the swim and everything else is easy after that :-).

Prerace thoughts and observations:

We got to packet pickup just under the wire. I won't lie...my anxiety was coming through just a little at this point. We were running a little later than I prefer and I was a wee bit grumpy until my bike was racked. You have to drop your bike off the day before and I loved this. One less thing to worry about in the morning.

Irongirl is always promoted as a great first time race. It really is hard to tell how many are first timers, but as far as race organization goes, they do a great job. They try to make it very user friendly. As I was racking my bike, another racer told me that she misread the bike distance and had been training for a 10K bike and just realized a few days ago that it was 30K! Really dude, it SUCKS to be you. As much as Irongirl is a user friendly race, the first 5 miles of this course are not! Plus, can you imagine only training for 6 miles and then going 18 during the race. Wow! I wonder how she did??

Race morning was pretty uneventful, as it should be! Izaac was volunteering for kayak support so we had priority parking and we got there an hour before the start. And somehow, I managed to use the whole hour doing stuff that I can't remember!!

Swim

The race organizers decided to do a time trial start for the swim as they felt the size of the cove to at the start was too small and they were trying to ease up congestion. This actually works very well for me because there are less people around me when I start, therefore less anxiety. I had practiced out here a few times and Coach Jakie told me that I need to line up mid pack to avoid the clutter that happens with all the new swimmers at the back. I really had all intentions of following this rule but I really wanted to warm up and was slow at getting to the beach. By the time I warmed up, the line was full!! I actually lined up about 15 people from the end. Izaac thought I should wait till it started and casually cut in, but I just couldn't... something about manners or not wanting to get yelled at for cutting.

So I lined up...and waited...and waited. We were on the upstairs part of the pool so we got to see the first people start and come in :-). Seriously...30 minutes later and I was finally in the water. Steph mentioned that the line moved fast. That's what happens when you are in the middle. Not at the end. But it was all good. And I wasn't stressed. The worst part is Coach was the one sending you off at the start and I had to pass her, knowing she told me to be in the middle and I didn't listen. I tried to figure out how to avoid her, but it wasn't possible.

The start was great. They had a really long lane line dividing outgoing and incoming so you couldn't run into anyone. It was awesome! However, I quickly realized why being at the back wasn't such a good idea. People were swimming all over the place, every direction but straight! I tried many times to go around but I always seemed stuck in this pack of crazy swimmers. At one point I went to sight and there was a girl swimming perpendicular to me doing the backstroke! Which was also parallel to the shore which was where we were trying to get to! She could swim all day like that and never make it in!

My swim time was very slow but I really had only two goals...no panicking and to enjoy it. I accomplished both so I am happy. I still stop too much to look around and that's mainly because I don't like to touch people so I have to plan my route around swimmers. Izaac also says I slow way down in open water, nice and easy instead of my normal pace.

It was great having him out on the water looking over me. There was more support on the water than I have ever seen at a race. They even had lifeguards on the side and bridge watching people. It was also great not using any of the support!

Total swim time: 29:19 (800M- this is up for debate as Coach said that the course was measuring longer when they were planning it. However, other people's times were consistent compared to the pool so I was probably just really slow. Like a minute slower per 100!)

T1: 7:19

What can I say. It is a really long, uphill hike to transition that I pretty much walked. I don't care. I was having fun and wanted to enjoy the excitement over my awesome swim.

Bike

The bike was awesome! I know this course well and wanted to push it the whole way. One thing about starting at the back of the swim is that I got to pass many people. The first few mile are pretty much up hill and most people were pushing their bike up the first hill right out of transition. While this hill sucks, I know that it will be over soon enough so I just grind away.

There were so many gals that I passed on mountain bikes with mountain bike tires! Not even road tires. While I am amazed and awed that so many different types of people do tri's and they are willing to get out there, I am also aware of how hard their ride is going to be.

Anyway, I just keep pedaling away, trying really hard not to coast on the easy parts. I pass my sis, niece and Kian around mile 10 which is right by our house. It was great to see them! At this point, I slow down a little and am trying to take some nutrition and another biker comes up and tells me I've been setting a great pace and it's helped her. Then she passes me! I was like hell no! You are not going to pass me so I got it together and finally passed her back. I really thoughtI was far ahead, but she managed to sneak pass me just moments before transition! Ughh! Another bad habit, I slow down quite a bit just before transition because I don't want to wreck.

Oh well.

Bike 1:10:58 (18 miles. 15.2 MPH!!! I have never averaged more than 14.6!!)

T2 2:47

I got to see Izaac in the transition! I like him being a volunteer!

Run

The fun has officially ended. This is a hard, hilly, hot course. And it's mainly on packed, desert. Right away I felt like I was going to throw up so I walked a little to bring my HR down. Then it was run/walk from there. I gave myself permission to walk up the hills as long as I ran as hard as I could the rest of the time. The uphills were very long and my calf's kept cramping. It actually felt better to run, but then my HR would soar and I would feel a little sick. I just trudged through it the best I could. Finally, I had a half of mile left and then I was at the finish! It wasn't my best run and I really was hoping to average under 10 min/mile. In hindsight, I probably could have pushed a little harder between mile 1 and 2.

Run 31:36 (10:11 min/mile)

Finish

I was so happy to be done!! This was a great race and I really had so much fun. One of the very best parts... a few minutes after I finished, the girl that passed me on the bike finished so I still beat her. I had actually forgot all about her! She said she killed her legs trying to keep up with me on the bike :-)

Overall time 2:21:59. Which puts me smack in the middle. theaverage time for the race was 2:25:12

** One last thing... one of the coolest things about the race. They had computers set up and you could go right up, tell them your race number and they hand you a little printout of your race results. How cool!!

Almost time...

2010-05-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

In 24 hours, I will be finished with the Irongirl Lake Las Vegas Sprint Tri! For once, I feel more excited than nervous to do a race. But this has only happened over the last week. As my third tri is approaching, I am ready to see how fast I can go versus just getting through the race. I’ve learned to push myself a little more over the last 6 months. To be ok with the burn and discomfort. While my speeds are slow for many, I have gotten faster on both the bike and the run. Let’s hope I can push myself tomorrow.

Last weekend I did three days of open water swimming. Friday night was awesome. It was perfect weather, and I swam for 25 minutes straight, by myself and enjoyed it. Saturday was a mini tri workout. Once again, perfect weather but I had a mild panic attack and cut my swim short. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Sunday morning rolls around, and it was windy. I went to a swim clinic and it was ok. I probably swam 600ish in choppy water and didn’t panic. I did swallow a lot of water since I still only breathe to one side, but I got through it. With wind, chop and people! These three days combined with several more days of swimming 1000 straight in the pool has gone a long way to boosting my confidence in the swimming department.

(I also need to remember that I do much better once the water warms up to the upper 60’s.)

This is going to be a time trial swim start so that should be interesting. It’s first some, first serve. The earlier you line up, the sooner you start swimming. Coach Jackie says I need to be in the middle of the line, not last like I would prefer!! I’ve never done a time trial start so it will be different not knowing anyone’s true place in the race, but whatever!

This is also one of my good friends first tri ever!! I really am torn on wanting to go as fast as I can or doing the race with her. If she is remotely close to me at any point, it will be hard not to stay with her.

I just realized this sounds cocky!! It’s not that I think she is so much slower than me and I am some tri machine, it’s really the fact that she is riding a “normal bike”. Road bikes just go faster!

Ughh…I should just stop now! She'll probably smoke me tomorrow :-)

If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge?!

2010-02-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Do you remember your parents asking you that when you did something you shouldn't and you said well so and so did it? Apparently things don't change so much as adults. We still have times where we succumb to peer pressure, even if we aren't sure we should do it. Last night I jumped.

I bit the bullet and signed up for:

I would like to blame it on the alcohol, but sadly there was none involved. Just good all peer pressure and A LOT of subtle pushing from Izaac. I swear he has some magical powers to get you to do stuff you normally wouldn't (kind of like alcohol).

Anyway, Stef was over and we had been talking about signing up; next thing I know the computer is out and Stef has just hit enter. Well, I have to do it now!

It wasn't completely out of the blue since I had been debating it for awhile. But still, nothing had got me to sign up yet till Stef did. Thanks girl!

Let's hope that the whole open water swimming thing goes good and I am not back at square one! I already feel the anxiety creeping in.

I then payed it forward and got my neighbor to jump too! This will be her first tri and she's a wee bit nervous. Let the fun begin!

Still here and still trying to loose weight!

2010-01-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I would be surprised if anyone out there still reads this blog because I wouldn't be! I am still going to post because as much as I love the friends I have made through blogging, this is also a semi-diary to myself, a way to look back and see where I've been and how I've grown. Especially in regards to fitness.

Work, motherhood, and class pretty much consume me and have since Sept. I am enjoying it all but it takes a lot of time management and discipline (which I am still working on!). Unfortunately when I'm tired the first thing I skip is exercise. I have been working on this habit because I do feel better when I workout, but man, it is so easy to skip it.

I was working out with my friend/trainer last I blogged. We met once a month. He gave me a months worth of training, emailed me once a week, and that was that. What I realized was I NEED more commitment or accountability. I was not loosing any weight, wasn't running any faster and really wasn't doing the workouts. At this point, I am just not self-motivated enough to get things done. I was still frustrated but it was all my doing.

A coworker (who lost a ton of weight after her baby) recommended a local training group called Real Results Fitness. She RAVED about them. So I checked it out. It was pricey, a little scary and just what I needed. So November 11th, I started my training. It's hard. We meet 3 times a week and I am suppose to do 6 more hours of cardio a week (hasn't happened!), the only time I can go to the location closest to me is 5:30 a.m. and I have to get up at 4:30 to get there and get my warm up in. Have I ever mentioned I hate to be up before 7 in the morning.

But it has pushed me in a way I needed. If I don't show up my trainer, Denny, is texting me. We also have to keep a food journal, eat very clean with limited starchy carbs, and bring the journal to each session to be critiqued.

I have lost weight and inches, though it would be better if I did more cardio, but I am happy with the results. My next challenge is getting in more cardio and setting up an easy training plan for a sprint tri. I want to do this but I can't feel like exercise is taking up all my free time or I will be stressed. The best part is my trainer is a speedy triathlete so he gets it. He gets it too much and wants everyone to be speedy too!

We did a fitness test at the beginning and 8/9 weeks later. I am happy with the results. Overall I have dropped my body fat down to 29.75%, lost 12 pounds, and lost a total of 13.5 inches in total body measurements. Not too shabby! I still have a little ways to go but I am now at my pre-Kian weight and fit into all my clothes again. Although. I still am thicker in the middle than I used to be!

The best thing though- I can now do a 2 minute plank core test versus 1 minute the first time, I can do 30 girl push ups in a minute and 30 sit ups. My flexibility has increased and my resting HR has dropped. I am also eating healthier than I have in a long time. However, I want junk food most of the time still!

Got out of that one

2009-09-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that I might be considering doing a little super sprint tri coming up. Since then I have managed to talk myself out if it and talk a neighbor into it! Izaac and I have managed to have a fight or two over this tri and had to come to terms with not discussing it anymore. I had almost talked myself back into doing it (peer pressure) and decided to check the website to make sure it wasn't sold out (wishful thinking).

What I saw was even better (for me) - it was cancelled. Now that sucks for anyone really looking forward to the event or already had travel arrangements. For me, it's a weight off my shoulders. I temporarily thought about telling everyone I signed up and how disappointed I was that it wasn't happening!! Just kidding! That would be very naughty...besides Izaac would rat me out ;-)

I've also tried to figure out why I refused to go practice swimming but back out of the race because I was afraid to swim in a lake (again). Sigh. How many years till swimming just isn't an issue anymore?! In my defense though, I have really great excuses for not being able to get to the pool: a baby at home, a husband that I want to spend time with, work, 2 online classes, running (training for a half marathon), life, laundry, a glass of wine, "insert your favorite excuse here"! But I believe it boiled down to "I just didn't want to" :-).

One of these days, I will be able to view swimming like I do running and biking. That I will know without a doubt that I could enter a sprint tri tomorrow and get through it. I have this confidence with the other two sports but not swimming. BUT I WILL, someday.

The numbers don't lie

2009-09-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

I can't seem to get my weight to drop below 154 which is 13 pounds heavier than before I got pregnant. Most of the time it's closer to 157. I have spent the last 15 weeks making excuses. Well really it is just one excuse, you just had a baby. However, when is that no longer an excuse? Most say around 9 months after you have the kid...you know the 9 months to put on the weight, 9 months to get it off rule. I've also spent that last 15 weeks not really paying too much attention to what I eat, probably having a few too many beers and only randomly working out. Not exactly the lifestyle that sheds weight. The problem is, I am very scared that this will become my new weight forever. That my body is going to adjust to it and I will adjust to it. That is something I don't want. I just don't feel good about myself at this weight.

So I have hired a trainer/coach. I used to take his athletic conditioning class at the gym and it kicked my behind so I know what his style is. He is also a road bike racer and has done triathlons. Basically I sent out an S.O.S. and pleaded for some help to get my butt in gear. We are only meeting once a month and then from that he is designing a workout plan for the month focusing on what I need the most to start shedding some pounds in the least amount of time since I don't have a lot of free time. The best part is he is also going to incorporate a running schedule to get me ready for the Las Vegas Half Marathon! We also discussed eating... my focus for this month is eating smaller meals more often and not eating after 8pm. We talked about supplements and vitamins. Eating more protein. All very easy things that I can handle for now.

Now comes that icky part... we did all sorts of body measurements and a body fat test. Let's just say, I am not very happy with the results. I have 38% percent body fat!!! Ughh, that is number I never thought I would see. I've always been happily in the mid 20's with my body fat percentage without any effort. Not so much anymore. I am slowly coming to the realization that it's just not as easy to keep the same body I used to have (with very little effort!) now that I am in my mid 30's (heading towards late 30's). Now it takes effort. Boo hoo! My trainer keeps saying it is just a number, a starting/focus point, a gauge on how well (or not) the program (or myself) is working.

I will do my best to incorporate all the advice he has given me, and do all the workouts as planned. We will meet in a month to see how my body has responded and make the necessary adjustments from there. Every time I want to skip a workout, eat bad or have another cocktail... I only have to think of 38%! Put the chips away :-)

Am I really considering this?

2009-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

I came across info for a women's only tri that is taking place at Lake Las Vegas in a month ( http://www.uswts.com). Should I sign up?! The only, only reason I am even considering it is they have a super sprint race. This equals a shorter swim. Yes, I still am at the point where the swim is what will prevent me from doing a tri. After two frustrating and mentally hard swims under my belt, I still get a slight panic attack at the thought of swimming in open water. It's there now, that accelerated heart rate and butterflies in the stomach and I haven't even signed up. Or maybe that's excitment at the thought of doing a race. Hmm...

I'm going to think about it for a few days and get my butt to the pool to see if I can still swim or if I lost the ability sometime in the last year of NOT SWIMMING...a whole year of not swimming! Lord help me. I wasn't that great to begin with.

Also, there is the little fact that I may be too big for my wetsuit since I'm still carrying and extra 15 pounds on my behind :-)

I'll keep you posted.

New blog

2009-08-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've started a new blog for the fans of Kian and my niece Isabel. This blog will be more about me, life and training and less about Kian. So if you want to keep tabs on my little guy and my niece, the link is on the side.

Enjoy!

Why not?

2009-08-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well friends, I have completed my first week back to work as a new mom and am 1 day into the second week. While everything is fine, and I am glad to be back at work (ask Izaac, apparently I don’t do so well at home with no schedule ;-), last week definitely had me thinking. Thinking about my job; thinking about what I really want to do; thinking about the best way to balance a career and being a mom. Just plain thinking.

If I am honest, this thinking started well over a year ago and came to a head during my maternity leave. Last week just confirmed I was right. Every day I was glad to be working, glad to have a job and to finally have a paycheck again; however, I wasn’t so glad over my job. While I started off loving my job, something has fizzled in the last two years. Last week I caught myself thinking over and over again “why am I leaving my beautiful baby boy for a job that my heart is not in?” I do training and education, this I love, if it was only this. However, my ultimate goal is to do whatever it takes to make more product sales for the company. I am not a sales rep, but most days it feels like that. I don’t want the stress of meeting goals and budgets that are making someone else lots of money. Yes, it allows me to have a nice paycheck but there has to be more.

So where does this leave me? Enrolled in school again! I am going to become a nurse. The medical field has always called to me. In fact, for as long as I can remember I wanted to be a doctor. This plan died somewhere during my sophomore/junior year of college when I realized I did not have the drive or the passion that every other pre-med student had and probably would not make it through med school without it. I did a lot of soul searching during that time, and it was the absolute right decision for me. However, the desire to help people has never left me. I have actually toyed with going back to nursing school on and off since I graduated college (almost 15 years ago!! Gasp) but was never ready to actually go back to school. Now I am.

Because what better time is there to start school than when you have a 3 month old and just started back to work full time?! I am scared, feel slightly insane but never the less, am very excited. I am taking 3 online classes now to satisfy some general electives that didn’t transfer. Start my science pre-reqs in Jan (because science credits only last 7 years) and hopefully start nursing school full time in Aug. At that time, I will have to quit my job for the next 15 months. That is another whole set of problems, one less person bringing in the money.

Why now? Why not! There is never going to be an easier time. Kian will always need me. I figure it is time to bite the bullet and get it over with. Wish me luck!!!

p.s. Don’t be offended if I don’t keep up with your blogs as much :-)

p.s.s. I have created a Kian blog for those of you that want to keep up with him. Dearestgrandparents.blogspot.com

p.s.s.s. I am 90% sure I am also going to run the Las Vegas half marathon in December. Why not!?

Back in the saddle again

2009-07-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well folks, the doc said I am officially allowed to resume all activity and exercise... dang, no more excuses! I spent pretty much all my pregnancy plotting my return. Should I train for one of the late season sprint tri's, start running, biking, hire a trainer, all of it, none of it. What is going to bounce me back.

I basically vetoed any tri's, let's face it, I am not that great at summer (think HOT) training as it is. Without 6 months of any physical activity, it would be the quickest way to end my training program before it got started. Plus, it would be a lot harder to figure out with the baby.

I am still thinking about running because I would love to do the Vegas half or full marathon in Dec, but yet again we have that whole running in the heat thing going on. I would actually have to get out of the house early and while I have great ambitions, when 5 a.m. roles around and Kian has just been fed, the bed always wins! I just am not ready or awake to do anything until 10ish and by then it is already 100+. I have walked 1 mile and back to my nieces school a couple of times and thought I was going to die, and that was slow walking. Maybe when Kian's schedule becomes a little better (as in, sleeps longer than 3-4 hours).

What I have decided on is P90X. I can do it inside, anytime, and it takes about an hour a day to whoop my ass. I am actually doing the P90X "lean" version which is a little less intense (very little) on the weights and a little more intense on the cardio. Supposedly to help burn more fat. Sign me up!! I need some fat burning. I have about 12 lbs of baby fat stuck on my body to get me back to my pre-preggo weight. And that weight was about 8 lbs heavier than I want to be!

So, I have measured myself, weighed myself, taken pictures of myself... then drank a bottle of wine to black out my depression at the results! Seriously, it should be against the law to make a new mom do such things. I also had to take a fit test. Which I did great on with the exception of not being able to do a pull-up and I failed miserably on the ab section (go figure...mine were cut open 6 weeks ago)

Then I started the program...and drank another bottle of wine when I realized how bad I suck (just kidding, it was vodka this time ;-). The first day was core work, bring it on! What a joke. However, I am going to stay optimistic, and be happy that I can only get better because I just cant get any worse. Today, my arms, shoulders and neck hurt but nothing in the core region hurts!! Must have done a lot wrong. Day 2 was cardio, I decided to ride the bike on the trainer for 45 minutes. God, it sucked. I forgot how bad I hate riding on the trainer. But I did it! And it can only get better, right?!

If I develop the body of any of the girls on the DVD, I might post my before and after pictures. For now, they are safely stored away from all eyes, even mine! Yep, I still haven't looked at them. I can only handle so much in one week!

Random pictures

2009-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

We've had a request for more Kian pictures (ahem...RBR) plus here's a few from CDA. I totally sucked at taking pictures at CDA, so we don't have much documentation of my honey's 1st Ironman. I literally have hundreds of pictures of all the other tri's and managed to get only a handful of crappy ones this time! Go figure. On top of that, the flash on the camera doesn't work so I didn't get any of his finish! Enjoy...

HAPPY 4th of July

Just to prove how snug he was at CDA

Oh, and Kian will be six weeks old tomorrow and I will officially not have an excuse to be lazy anymore.

The new man in our life

2009-06-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures in no order because I am too lazy to figure it out right now.

This was taken just a day before I went to the hospital.

Passed out baby

Finally get to hold him

My beautiful niece

The first family photo

The first bath in the hospital

Since I am still not allowed to exercise, I still have nothing left to post about except Kian :-) which is not a bad topic on my opinion!

I can't believe our little guy is going to be three weeks old tomorrow. He was not suppose to be born till this Sunday, yet I can't imagine him not being here. It has been a great three weeks, tiring, but great.

A quick run down of the events leading up to his birth...

I went back to the doctor Tue and my BP was still high and the results from the 24 hour pee test came back with protein = pre-eclampsia (basically my body was no longer dealing with being pregnant)
The doctor came in and told us I was being admitted into the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy for mine & baby's safety. We could go home and get ready, then head to the hospital.
On Wed, the did an amnio to check his lung maturity, I also still needed to get the cerclage out. They drugged me and I dont remember a thing. I actually wanted to see the amnio so I was a little dissapointed, but oh well.

Late that night, the test came back that said his lungs were mature which meant he could be delivered. This is the best option with this condition because things could deteriorate quickly.

My doc showed up bright and early Thur morning to discuss options for the birth. We decided since I was only at 36 1/2 weeks, that a C-section would probably be the best option. We could try being induced but it would probably end in a C-section anyways. The doc said how about noon today! Sign me up!!!
The surgery was fast and easy for me (again due to the glorious drugs they give you) and in no time he was out. A perfect 6 lb 3 oz little boy.
The weirdest thing for me is the fact that I have no idea what labor is like. I missed all those steps, but I don't regret the decision.
I behaved like a good girl and we got to come home on Saturday.
The second best part (other than having a beautiful baby) is we get to go cheer the new daddy on during CDA :-) on Father's Day!
He is also growing like a weed and LOVES to eat! He has already gained about 2 lbs from his birth weight! It amazes me that this is the size he would have been if we went to term. He seems huge :-)

The next poat will be about CDA!!

Whe're in the home stretch

2009-05-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Izaac's counter tells me we have 29 days till my due date. 29 days!!! Holy Crap! 4 weeks from Sunday...too much time and not enough time all at once...

I have spent the last few weeks moaning that I just wish it was over. I'm hot, tired, uncomfortable and am just ready to get this little guy out of my body (sound familiar to all you mommies out there?). Interesting how life works...

I went in yesterday to get my cerclage removed and a non stress test. No big deal. I am excited. It feels proactive finally. We get to see the baby which is always a plus :-). What i got was a high blood pressure reading and a worried doctor. It's weird to see your laid back doctor switch into official "doctor mode". So my BP was worrisome and kept going up throughout the appointment and there is much talk about pre-eclampsia and going to the hospital now.

What!? But I am not ready! Yep, for all the moaning, whining and wishing, when presented with the option that I might be having a baby today... I freaked out. I realized "are we ever truly ready?". We instantly had a long list of things that were not ready... us being at the top.

Despite my "if her BP is over a certain number again, she is going to the hospital" (and it was), the doc decided that my urine test was ok, and he would let me go home for the night and get re-checked today. Today we would have the results of blood work. Ok, at least I can pack a hospital bag :-). There was also a lot of talk about taking me off of work and going back on bed rest.

I also have the pleasure of collecting my pee for 24 straight hours!! I have this great red jug that I get to carry around and keep in the fridge. Joy!

Today's appointment went fine. My BP is still on the high side of normal but it came down. All my blood work came back perfect. I just have to wait to get my jug of pee tested. Oh, and I'm back to taking it easy :-) and waiting. The cerclage removal was rescheduled for Tue and I will get re-checked at that time.

The funny thing is, now I am ready! I had all night to come to terms with the fact that I might get induced today and it's almost a let down not to get to meet him yet. Sigh...

60 DAYS!!

2009-04-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Holy crap! That's all the time left till my due date. It's too much and not enough all at the same time. Every time I see Izaac's CDA ticker, I instantly see the countdown for this baby. Hopefully, he's a few days early so Izaac can go to CDA but it's anybody's guess.

For the record, baby Rowe has been kicking the crap out of my insides for the last hour and it's starting to make me a little queasy :-)

Silverman Documentary from a pregnant view

2009-03-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to see the Silverman documentary last night. I wanted to see how the terrain looked, is it as hard as it seems to us that live here, as brutal, as beautiful. The show did not disappoint. It was a really cool look into a very tough race. Izaac, Stef and the other athletes got to relive the race from a spectators perception. I was once again blown away by the horrendous weather at the swim start. It was very cool to see on film and I think a lot of the athletes didn't realize how bad things were for awhile (they were too focused on racing!)

The desert looked beautiful (just as my mind sees it) and equally as desolate and unforgiving. I am in awe of these racers that can overcome not only the physical toughness of this course but also the mental. It is a very solitary bike ride into the vastness of Lake Mead. Nothing but hills and Desert landscape for the majority of the race.

Anyhoo, I'm sitting there, enjoying the movie for about an hour when slowly, the queasiness caught up to me. I think I am getting car sick sitting in a movie theater!! Have you ever been to an Imax theater where you are "in the movie"...like riding a roller coaster or something similar? Well, that's what I felt like. The constant rolling terrain, the rolling of the bike tires, the rolling clouds in the distance... bam! I am getting sicker by the minute. Finally, I had to leave the movie or face major embarrassment by throwing up everywhere. I would like to see it again, maybe on a normal TV, probably when I'm no longer pregnant! It makes me a little quesy just thinking about it :-) That has been an interesting side effect of being preggers...motion sickness. It is something I rarely experience in "normal" life and I am hoping it goes away.

In other pregnancy news, I am very happy to say that the stitch and rest seem to be working and working well! My cervix is lengthening and staying closed which is better than I could have hoped for. I have one more appt next week and if nothing changes, I should be done with the perinatal visits. I will be officially 27 weeks on Sunday. I think that starts my 3rd trimester!? We also have a baby growth scan next week to see how big he is getting. I can tell by my belly that he is getting big! Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes, they have helped!!

Here are some ultrasound pics of the little one.

26 weeks

23 weeks (3d of his feet and hands. so cool!)

26 weeks again

This is one of my favorites! He was 15 weeks. So tiny yet a complete little human :-)

Have a great weekend!

Everything is A-OK

2009-02-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update.

The procedure (cerclage) was fine on Monday. No complications other than getting very nauseous and puking from having the spinal anaesthesia. I had a few moments of panic in the OR once it was administered. I firmly believed at that point in time that I would never be able to get this injection again, therefore I was going to have to have the baby naturally. I almost cried at that thought :-). (For the record, I have NEVER thought of having the baby without pain meds & and epidural) I manged to breathe deeply for awhile and get the panic to subside, the remainder of the procedure was fine. The baby was so active all day. This was the most I had felt him move and kick. He apparently didn't like the disruption to his home :-)

Then they moved me from the OR table to the hospital bed and starting pushing me. I lost my cookies then. Well, except I hadn't eaten for 14 hours, but you get the point. Note to self: ask for anit-nausea meds when they do the injection for the epidural.

It is very surreal to not be able to feel or move your legs, and to have other people move them for you while watching! It gave me the creeps to have anyone touch them for hours!

I was finally able to stand & walk with assistance after about 4 hours and thankfully sent home.

Since then I have been laying around taking it easy and will continue this till NEXT thursday when I have my checkup. I should be able to return to work then.

I loved all your comments and needed them. Thank you friends!!!

He's giving me gray hairs already!

2009-02-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

It has been an interesting few weeks (actually only one week) in my world. I have debated blogging about it, my mom says it will help to write it out. So here it goes. BTW... this has nothing at all to do with training and everything to do with pregnancy :-)

We have been seeing a perinatalogist (a special baby doctor) for about 10 weeks now because of my "advanced maternal age" (still makes me laugh!). Basically, we had the option of doing some better testing, it was covered by insurance so we jumped at the chance. When we went to that first appointment, I really thought that was the only time we would be there. Boy was I wrong!

I mentioned that I have had continual spotting from day 1 but that everything seemed fine and my OB wasn't concerned. What I soon learned was it is the job of a specialist to be concerned. He suggested that we come in every 3 weeks to make sure everything was ok. What the hell, why not!!?? It was more time to see the little one on an ultrasound. People pay big bucks for that!!

Fast forward to last weeks full anatomy check. Again, i expected to hear only good news and see great pictures. Therefore, I was completely blown away when he said my cervix was shortening and funneling (opening from the inside)! I was instructed to go on restricted activity for a week. This equals the least amount of standing & walking as possible. If I didn't follow the rules, then I have the potential to go on bed rest or worse. WOW!!! Again, stunned. I am only half way.

I was very upset last weekend. Obviously for the thought of delivering too early or loosing the baby but also for the 180 flip my life had taken over the course of one hour.

In an instant, I had essentially became "injured". I talked some to Izaac and Stef (who helped so much, thank you!!) but it took me awhile to come to terms. Isn't that selfish!? I would NEVER do anything to put the baby in harm but I was disgruntled at the thought of putting my life on hold. No shopping, no walking, no swimming, no biking, no cleaning, nothing!! For the rest of the pregnancy. I have to rely on others both at home & work to do so much more for me because I am confined to a chair**. I blame it on "advanced maternal" age!! I have lived 35 years of doing what I want, and now a little boy I have not seen yet and only weighs a pound is calling the shots :-). It won't be the last time, right!!?? I am also a pissed with my body. I want the perfect pregnancy that allows me to exercise up to the day I deliver. Not meant to be.

With that off my chest, I want to reassure you all that nothing is more important than delivering a healthy baby and even though I complain, I will do everything in my power to make that happen. I was a very good invalid this past week and it paid off today at the doctor's appointment.

I have not gotten worse!! Yippee!! What does that mean?? No bed rest yet and close monitoring and continual staying off me feet. I can do that! It also means, that Izaac and I have decided to pursue an option the doctor gave us. I am getting a cerclage put in. Sparing you the gory details, I go to the hospital Monday morning to "get stitched closed." Hopefully, this buys us the time we need to get to full term and keeps me off of bed rest so I can work. I will be on bed rest for 1-2 weeks after the procedure but that's ok.

Remember little one... I will do whatever it takes. I am selfish but not to the point that it would jeopardize you! I just might have a self pity party now & again.

Thanks for letting me vent and be glad I didn't do this last week, it would have been a world class pity party :-)

Good news: I am 20 weeks and 5 days along :-). Over half way.

** this has made me realize, once again, that I am so blessed to not be handicapped in some way. I am constantly amazed at the strong people that are!! They rock!

A GREAT Sunday Ride

2009-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

I had one of the best rides in a long time this past Sunday with Stef. Now, I have not been on the bike since sometime in early Sept. In fact, since finding out I am prego, I have pretty much done nothing in the way of exercise (not as I originally intended but my body and mind decided otherwise).

Anyhoo, Stef mentioned that she had an easy hour ride to do and I decided to join her. Then Sunday morning rolled around and I felt tired and really didn't want to go. Izaac basically forced me out the door:-). I had about a 5 mile ride to the meet up point and I hated every second of it. My legs hurt, I got hot, my sit bones (and other parts) hurt. I was a complete mental mess. Even thought about turning around and skipping it. And this was within the first 2-3 miles! Ughh. I kept trudging (is that a word?) along though and finally got to the meet up.

Then everything changed!! Stef was so excited to see me which always makes a person happy! And it was great to see her. We got organized and off we went. From that point on the ride became fantastic. We had a easy pace and got to chat almost the entire ride with the exception of a few hills that took my breath away. I noticed how perfect the weather was, how blue the Sky's were, how fun it is to do something with good friends and finally how great it felt to move my body! The hurts were all gone and I felt energetic (imagine that). It actually became one of those rides that you feel like you could go forever and you just don't want it to end. Unfortunately it did have to end, we arrived at my turn off and logically I realized that I couldn't go forever or I would pay for it later so I said good bye and headed home with a smile. In the end, I got just under 16 miles in and "put my mood in a better place" as my 6 year old niece like to say.

I did have a few aches & pains after, mostly a tight lower back and very sore sit bones (and other parts)! I'm planning on going again this Sunday and as long as I can before the belly gets in the way.

I've also starting lifting weights again and trying to get 20-30 minutes of cardio in prior. It's a slow start but its still a start :-)

In baby news...

First things first. We have had 2 very clear ultrasounds already that shows what appears to be a very clear boy part. So, it looks like we are having a boy!! I am very excited about this. I love girls and I am a girl and I am surrounded by lots of strong women in my family but it's pretty cool to bring a boy into the mix.

I am 17 weeks and 3 days along. Almost to the half way point!!

My belly finally "popped" out and has gotten firm. I'm starting to look more pregnant and less fat and my belly no longer feels or looks like I had to many beers the night before.

I have gained about 3 pounds total but they all happened in one week! That is not a trend that I can keep up :-) However, I feel like I have gained much more.

Overall, I am doing great. Finally getting a little energy back but it is coupled with insomnia so I won't be energetic for too long. All of our tests have come back perfect so far. I can't really complain.

We have some of the most clear pictures from the 15 week ultrasound. He looks so relaxed and comfortable. It makes my heart melt to look at.

Have a great week!!

Silverman Spectator Report

2009-01-06T16:19:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, Silverman was in November and it is now January so this is way late. However, it's been in my mind since the day and I wanted to share some thoughts and pictures from this amazing race. Besides, I don't have anything else to post in regards to tri's right now.

The day started early and I was blessed to have my 5 year old niece and my mother along to help cheer on Izaac. This was my mom's first event that she has ever attended and let's just say now "she gets it!" Up to this point she was convinced that Izaac should never do something this long, it wasn't natural and she doesn't want him hurt. You have to love mom's! Now she has become one of Izaac's biggest fans.

Anyway, we get to the start and the weather is CRAPPY! It was so windy and chilly. Izaac gets his transition set up and guess who is right next to him? None other than Macca! Apparently he didn't get a special spot! That is Macca in the white shirt and black cap.

As you know, they delayed the start for the half because of the rough water conditions. However, all the athletes were already in the water ready to go, wondering what the hell was going on and pretty much refusing to get out. They wanted to swim! At one point the whole group was chanting "let us swim or we want to start" (can't remember exactly). Unfortunately they couldn't here the announcement that the swim was being delayed and there was no structured attempt to get them out of the water. Finally after 20-30 minutes they got out of the water and all went into the changing tents to warm up. I questioned whether they would cancel the whole race because it was so bad...and got an eye roll :-). Come on Kelly, they dont cancel races for a little rain and wind! Finally the water calmed down enough for the kayakers to hold their position and feel safe and the half began. I don't know about you, but I always get teary eyed watching the beginning of a race. It is just amazing!

We got to see all the people getting "stripped". That may have been the most comical part of the whole day. I know it's mean and it will come back to haunt me some day, but is was quite a site to see all those dazed swimmers flopping around on the ground while volunteers were trying to remove the wetsuits.

By the way, about half way through the swim there was quite a bit of lightening going over the lake. Kinda of scary to us watching but Izaac didn't know it.

Oh, in between all this the leaders were coming in from the full. My mom was shouting I hope it's a girl!! I assured her that its almost always a guy out of the water first and then wouldn't you know it...the first one out was a girl...Amanada Lovato. My mom went crazy shouting you go girl and saying I told you so. Quite a funny memory.

We cheer Izaac off on the bike, then Stef, then we are on our way to follow them on the bike course. It was great knowing the area and where to stop and park. My whole goal was to get some awesome pictures of Izaac on the bike, and I got a few but basically we barely got to the spot when he would come zooming by quicker than I anticipated and I missed a lot of good opportunities.

My mom and niece right before we saw Izaac. Our first almost miss of the day because we were screwing around taking pictures of ourselves!

We drove down about 7-8 miles of the bike course with my mom yelling out the window "you go girl" to all the girls and my niece practically hanging half way out the window shouting "Go Bikers!" This continued all day. I'm not sure if people were happy to see us or tired of us by the end but they sure got to know us!

Here's a great one of Stef. Unfortunately this was the last time we saw her that day. Doesn't she look strong!

This is coming up the first of the three sisters. We started off at the bottom of the hill because I didn't want people to be embarrassed if they had to get off and walk and we were standing right there. This quickly changed and we climbed to the top. Much more fun! There was a lot of walking and cursing and disbelief that they still had 2 hills to go but one of the most amazing things we witnessed was the great attitudes and friendliness of almost everyone on that hill, even in such a hard situation. I love this picture of Izaac. He looks great. Every time we saw him on the bike, he looked strong, had a great smile and was joking with us. I bet he was glad he new these hills so well!

The 1st picture below is what they faced after the first sister. More climbing. There was more cursing going on here :-) The next picture is one of the disabled athletes. This men and women are truly amazing and inspiring. It was great to watch them throughout the day. And they are AMAZING athletes!

We continued to chase Izaac all over Henderson to wave and cheer him on before we arrived at T2. Then it was time for the run. At this point the three of us decide to head over to the Las Vegas Tri Club aid station to help out till Izaac came through. I think it was around mile 7-10. We had a blast. My niece loves to hand out drinks and it was great to see all of our "friends" (you know the athletes you have seen throughout the whole day).

Here is Izaac! We surprised him since it was a last minute decision to go to the aid station. The 1st picture is him showing me that he found some electrolytes after I tried to shove some down his throat. We had forgot them at home, and I was concerned about it. Apparently he can take care of himself :-)

Here are some pictures from the aid station.

After Izaac came through, we hopped in the car and headed to the finish line. I would love to say I got a fantastic photo of him crossing the finish line but I forgot to turn the camera on. What can I say, it was a long day!

Here is immediately after crossing. He is so tired he is hugging the wrong girl!! Umm Izaac, that is not your wife! Just kidding, that is one of his co-workers.

And exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day...a nice cold beer! Mmmmm!!

We had such a great time. And as many have mentioned before, being a spectathlete is tiring! We were exhausted. My mom is now hooked and loves to tell everyone about her awesome son-in-law and can't wait to see the next race.

Congrats honey!

Time to spill the beans

2008-12-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

I have a big secret that I've been keeping from all of you... and it's finally time to fess up.

So you're probably sitting there wondering, has she joined the ranks and signed up for an Ironman?! Is she secretly training like her honey and just completed a marathon?! Has she hired a coach, has she won the lottery, has she fill in the blank?! That would be a hell no, nope, don't have the money and in my dreams :-)

So what could it be blogger friends?

And the answer is...... I AM PREGNANT! Yes you read that right. Izaac and I are having a baby!! I am actually just finishing my 12th week so as you can see, I've been keeping this secret for awhile. It feels good to finally share. We are very excited :-)

However, my training has come to a screeching halt since a week after we found out, not by choice though. I ended up with a nasty cold that would not go away. After three weeks I was hauled into the doctor to find out I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. Ten days of antibiotics later, I am finally starting to feel better. This is quickly replaced by wicked "morning" sickness that was an all day thing and involved a very close relationship with the toilet. Interestingly enough, this did not hit me until I was in my 9th week. WTF! It's getting better but not gone, and I am counting the days till I feel better and have energy. It's very weird to not be able to train and exercise the way I was. I know I am growing a baby and things change but it has been an adjustment. I look forward to starting something though because I don't feel I should be sitting around for 9 months. It's going to be a great time to do weights, get back involved with yoga, ride my bike for as long as I can, and focus on swimming (yipee!)

The other PERFECT thing about this pregnancy is the due date!

Baby Rowe is due June 21st! Now some of you are thinking so what. Others, thinking how nice it's fathers day. But some of you instantly gasped! No it can't be, not THAT day. What is the problem you ask...

June 21, 2009 also happens to be the very day of Ironman Coeur d'alene. IZAAC'S FIRST IRONMAN!! you have got to be kidding me. It's already bought and paid for, all the rest are probably sold out and f-ing Ironman only offers a refund of $150 even this far out (and yes, we have contacted the race director). On top of that, Izaac won a sweet training package from Dave Scott. What the hell are we going to do?! While we are very happy to become parents, the timing is frustrating.

Other than that, I have the usual emotions of not feeling ready (as in "what the crap did I just get myself into"), not feeling old enough to have a baby (this one is funny since I am 35 and "technically" fall into the old lady age group for having a baby :-), and for the biggest part of 12 weeks, not really believing there was a baby in there! (Even though I have had 3 ultrasounds to show me!)

Here's to a new generation of triathletes!!! :-)

L-O-S-E-R

2008-10-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

That's what I feel like this morning. It's 6:30 a.m. and Izaac is getting ready to meet up with Stef and many, many other riders for RTC organized bike ride.

I am laying in bed...WIDE awake!

I decided that 50 miles was too long for me to ride today (still haven't made it past 35 miles and that was forever ago) and $50 was too much to spend to ride my bike.

Now I am second guessing myself.

Ughhh...

I still continue to do as little as I can. I am managing to do 1 long run of 7+ miles on the weekend and then ABSOLUTELY nothing. Nada. During the week. It's just too freakig dark all the time that I am not working and it makes me very, very sleepy.

Such is life :-)

Still alive

2008-09-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

and have not done very much of anything since the last post.

I had a nice hour long run with Stef over a week ago. It felt great and I am glad I met up with her. If left on my own I probably would have slowly walked and jogged through the hour. But she is on a plan, therefore I benefited from her plan!

Thanks Stef for an awesome run and pushing me to do sprint intervals. What came out of the whole thing is that I can still run for a whole hour without stopping and at a decent pace for me. (You know how you always have the doubts that you have lost all you fitness overnight). It set the tone for a very happy day!

That same weekend I also did an OWS clinic and had a blast! The last time I did this clinic was in the spring and I had a panic attack in 4 feet of water and quit the clinic, so any improvement is great! We did some drills for sighting and for getting touched in the water and practiced the start twice. This was the best for me because I realized that even with 30-50 people starting at once, there is a lot of chop and movement in the water. The first one stressed me out but it got better with the second one. There is nothing that prepares you for the start of a swim other than doing it with lots of people. I think this is where a lot of my anxiety comes in during the races. It never feels comfortable, now I realize how much is going on and how much the water is churned up, even in the back. No wonder I am never comfortable! But understanding this now and knowing that it will calm down really helps. We then did another start but continued to swim. We had the option to turn back at anytime but I pushed myself to go the whole way and back. I also refused to "rest" at the buoys and it felt great! I think it was 900-1000 yards and it took me 22-26 minutes. Not speed racer but for me it was fantastic!

Since that weekend, nada! Izaac got sick so I felt compelled to lay around with him. Now it's into another week and I am not feeling so well. Going to take it easy another few days and pray that I don't end up as sick as Izaac. It's only "allergies", right!?

It's got to be fun

2008-09-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, after a gave myself permission to be done training for tri's for the year...officially throwing out the training plan...forgetting about the irritating heart rate zones, I discovered (once again) that I really do like to exercise :-).

To be honest I have not done a whole lot of exercising but what I have done I have enjoyed more in the last two weeks than I have in a long time. What does this mean??

I hate feeling like I have to do something. And unfortunately, following that blasted training plan felt like work. It became a chore instead of doing something because I want to. I realize that I am a long way from being able to train myself, but it was time for a break. Time to go by feel rather than what was scheduled. (On that note, I really need a new training plan to follow if anyone has one they love)
I realized that it stresses me out and takes the fun away when I constantly have to watch my heart rate and stay in zones. I know there is a need for this and it really helps training long term but it pisses me off. Maybe it's because of the summer heat but it still makes me angry to have to slow down to get my HR down. I just want to GO! I also always have a higher HR than anyone else I know even when I'm walking ;-) so I really am only guesstimating what my zones are anyway.
I need to come to terms with the fact I don't really want to do long distance tri's right now and maybe never. It gets a little hard sometimes when everyone around you is training for halfs or more, kind of like you're the looser that can only do a sprint. But guess what?! That's all I want to do and I like to do them. I have no desire to spend 5+ hours every weekend training at this point in my life. Now that I acknowledge that, I can forget about trying to keep up with the Joneses and just do my thing.

Many lessons learned over the last couple of weeks, the biggest one is to have fun!

Since my last post (sept 8th) I have managed to swim twice for 2419 yards, run twice for a whopping 4.3 miles and bike twice for 16.92 miles. Nothing to write down in the history books but my average paces are getting quicker and for the most part I enjoyed doing all of it. Izaac and I even tried to outride the sun one evening and get to Buffalo Wild Wings via our bike before the sunset. Sadly, we had to turn back and drive in the car but I haven't pedaled that hard in a long time!! I guess I just need to find the right motivation (beer and chiken wings ;-)

Congrats to all of you and your recent races. I love to read all about them and you give me inspiration daily.

And...Good luck to my honey on is upcoming race this weekend and next!!

Excuse me, has anyone seen my training??!!

2008-09-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

Beacause it is M.I.A!!

I can't get back into training after my tri. And I really don't have an excuse, it was a sprint for pete's sake! It was a great race, I had fun and most people would be itching to get back in the saddle coming off a good race (for them). Not me. I don't know what the deal is, I just don't want to do anything. While my honey and all the rest of you are racking up the miles, I am sitting on my behind doing nothing.

Well not nothing, I have been spending a lot of time coming up with excuses :-). I had to go shopping Saturday instead of swimming and biking and then I had to watch the Ohio State Football Game with a few cold ones. Then it was Izaac's B-day and I had to clean instead of going on the Silverman ride with him and Stef. EXCUSE me?? Did I just say I'd rather clean than bike ride! What is my world coming too? Then I slaved away for hours coming up with the yummiest selection of mini burgers. Who has time to train.

Hmmm...

I think part of my problem is I don't have a tri I want to do. My training plan is set up to do Pumpkinman here in Vegas. But I don't want to do Pumpkinman!! I don't want to swim in Lake Mead and I really don't want to do the god awful climb out of the lake to T2. Just DONT WANT TO. So, I'm in limbo.

I've been thinking that my tri season might be over for 2007 even though Las Vegas has more to do. Maybe it's time to focus on the half marathon in December or getting my bike miles up to do a century or spend more time in the pool. Lift weights. Sit on my butt (oh, did I say that out loud?)

However, maybe I'm just making excuses because I'm a little bit scared to do Pumpkinman. And I'm tired of hills and heat. Maybe...

Last week out of 6 workouts planned, I got 2 done! But I did them well.
2100M in the pool! Logging my fastest 50M ever at 1.04 :-).
And I did a Superset run (200 L5, 400 L4, rest and repeat for a total of 3 times).
It kicked my behind and I really didn't like doing it. But I did!

Better luck to all of you that are out there training hard and keep a tight hold on your training because it likes to slip away.

Be Sun Smart

2008-09-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

As I finish my yearly Dermatologist appointment to check for skin cancer, I am yet again filled with relief and nervousness. I am so relieved that I get a clean bill of health for one more year, no problems, no biopsies, nada!! However, underlying the relief is always a feeling of nervousness. What if the doctor made a mistake and overlooked something that could be cancer? I know that they are trained for this, but what if! I have yet to feel completely positive after a doctors appointment unless they cut or biopsy some part of my skin. I often wonder if I’m always going to feel this nagging uncertainty or if it goes away with time.

Now, you’re probably wondering why it the heck does she care so much! I care because I was diagnosed with melanoma 3 ½ years ago at the very young age of 31, and have personally known two other women with the same diagnosis and they were younger too.

Fortunately, all three of us caught the cancer in very early stages. For us, it was still just growing in the skin and had not spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body, but what if? Luckily we just had to have surgery to remove it but there are so many people out there not so lucky. Did you know that there are 8,420 deaths per year in the United States due to melanoma? And that UV radiation (aka sunlight and tanning beds) is the leading cause for developing skin cancer? Which means that it is in our control, for better or worse?

That brings me to one of my personal dilemmas, the desire to triathlons versus the time spent outdoors in order to train. This is a sport that puts us in the sun continuously. We all need to be aware of the potential dangers and take measure to protect against potentially life threatening damage. Please, wear your sunscreen, always. And reapply, often. Also, consider covering up more of your skin when training versus baring it all, especially if you’re in higher risk groups. Train early or late when the sun is not so strong. Don’t forget about your eyes and lips. Do regular self exams and it doesn't hurt to have a doctor look at your skin once in while. Be smart and safe out there so we can all continue to enjoy this sport :-). For more information, http://www.skincancer.org/

If that’s not enough of a reason, sunlight also makes us old looking! I leave you with this picture, enjoy!!!

Obnoxiously Long Race Report: Lake Las Vegas

2008-08-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

This turned out to be a wonderful race and a wonderful day. I'm a sucker for pictures so I've included a few :-)
The whole family(me, Form, my sister, my niece, 2 dogs and 2 cats) were up at the crack of dawn (5am) Saturday in hopes of getting us out of the house by 5:40ish, and I think we made it. The cool thing is Lake Las Vegas is literally right down the road from us.

(One of our cute and awesome cheerleaders!)

We were surprised by a long line to get the bike into transition. Apparently, they were body marking and checking bikes on the way in so it was a little slow. But no big deal really. We got all set up and headed down to the beach.

I had a little anxiety but was holding up pretty well. I tend to get very quite and dont really want to talk which makes me about zero fun. Sorry, I just cant focus on random silly things when I'm about to go against everything sane and jump into water with no wetsuit!

The morning was gorgeous but a little humid and Lake Las Vegas is one of the prettiest places to hold a tri.

The SWIM: what can I say...was it better than Danskin Disneyland Tri? I think so but there still were moments of panic and wanting to give up. I started off to the right of everyone and felt OK for about 20-30 strokes then it became a mental game for about 200M. I was not sighting very well and swam way to the right which conveniently put me very close to the dock :-). My chip was also slipping a lot and I was worried that it was going to fall off. I was NOT going to loose my chip in the lake and not have official times. And since the dock was right there, why not hang on, rest and try to fix my ankle strap??

In hind sight, this was a mistake. I did not want to let go of the dock and I really wanted to give up at this point. I really had to fight myself to start swimming again. I could not get into any grove at this point and spent a lot of time on my back "resting". Finally at the turn around point I talked to another lady that was having even a tougher time and we gave each other some support. Then I told myself to stop being silly, put my head in the water and swim back. And I did. No stopping, no resting, just swimming. Guess what? It worked! Go figure :-) I finally hit shore and was off to do the fun stuff.

Iam finally out of the water! I know it LOOKS like I am DFL, but there is 1 other swimmer somewhere back there plus ALL of the Olympic distance people that started after us. This was a great spectator swim course. Also note the line of swimmers and understand that I was way off to the right, basically out of the picture :-). Ohh, also if you look really close, you can see that my swim safety belt matches my swim cap. Beautiful!. Other random thoughts: I really need to loose a few pounds after looking at that picture and I never, not even once thought of my swim belt. WTF! I am the one that will forget I have it and drown myself and people will be shaking their heads and saying if only she'd pulled the cord :-)

One of my great signs!! (My family calls me tia)

Off to transition which was the same distance away that I had just swim (.25 miles). I always find that amusing. It was an uphill run the whole way.

The bike was three loops (somewhere around 3.5 miles each) and I loved it. This is an area that we do regular rides so I am familiar with the hills and descents. It was a tight course with lots of riders but as long as you paid attention it was great. There are some serious hills but then you get to fly down the other side!!

Finally done and off to the run! Which was HARD for the first half. You start out of transition on an uphill then run out in the desert with more hills! I ended up walking up most of the hills then trying to make up time running fast downhill. Are you noticing a theme?? I am working on being as fast as I can on the downhill to make up for the s.l.o.w uphills. Finally once I was back onto pavement I just ran as fast as I could for the last mile (which is not really that fast). We run around the end of the lake which was really cool! And it's finally over! My sister and niece were there cheering me on and I have now finished my second triathlon.

Other random thoughts: this is a very pretty venue. The fastest Oly guy finished in the same time that I did my sprint. Holy Cow! My honey did great on his race. And we gave up watching the first Ohio State Football game of the season to do this. That is unheard of! We are big football fans. Oh, and it is our 1st anniversary weekend. What a way to celebrate! I LOVE you Izaac.

172 KELLY ROWE HENDERSON NV F3539 18:27 2:22 43:51 1:34 33:46 1:39:59

the swim time included the .25 mile run up to transition. My actual active swim time was 15:35!

which is an improvement over Danskin :-). I averaged 13.9 MPH on the bike and ran a 10:42 min/mile. My Avg HR was 173 and my max HR 185!!

I finished 172/228 overall and 12/14 in my AG.

I was second to last out of the water but managed to pass people on the bike and run. I need to get better at swimming so I dont have to work so hard the rest of the race :0

I couldn't be happier!

(sorry for the bad formatting!! I'm new to this and have spent way too long on this already)

I can do it!!

2008-08-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well after the complete meltdown of my last post and feeling extremely sorry for myself all day and night Wednesday, Yesterday I decided that I either had to get through the swim or I was done with triathlons for awhile. I have already had 1 DNS this year at the Irongirl because of swimming and if I had another, well I just would have to find something else to do.

Guess what? I don't want to find something else to do. It pisses me off that I have such a mental block and I WANT to get over it.

So with the help of a half of an anxiety pill (yes, I resorted to drugging myself) to take the edge off the panic and the help of my wonderful, wonderful husband we set off to Lake Mead last night for an OWS without the wetsuit and out to the buoy line (just over 100 M offshore)

I wish we had a camera :-). I had on my swim safety belt. If you're not familiar, it's is this thing you wear around your waist and if you're in distress you yank on the cord and poof...out comes a blown up floaty: http://www.triaids.com/SwimSafe.htm. Then Form, again being the wonderful husband that he is, puts on fins and grabs not one but TWO swim noodles and a life jacket and putters along beside me. "Just in Case"

And guess what! I made it to the first buoy!! No panic, but I did stop and rest with my good friend the buoy. Then I went another 200M, rest, then I turned around and reversed the course. Yay for me!! It was probably around 700M and i even resisted the urge to stand up early. I swam until my hands were hitting the ground. Then I gave my honey the biggest hug! I finally did it :-)

Then my slave driving husband (no longer wonderful ;-) made me go out to the buoy and back again, one last time, just because.

Here's to a great race this weekend for Izaac and myself!! And yes, I will be wearing the swim belt since it is USAT approved...still got to have some sort of safety blanket. Hmm...Do you think they'll let Izaac follow me with a swim noodle!!

Disappointed and afraid

2008-08-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

I decided to sign up for the Lake Las Vegas Tri about a month ago, Izaac is doing it and I thought, why not? It's time to get into the water again so to speak. (I have a very healthy apprehension about open water if you didnt already know that!)

Now, I knew going into this that there was a chance that wetsuits were not going to be allowed, but so far the water temp has been ok. Even so, I decided to try to swim without my "safety blanket" over the last few weeks. How hard can it be!!?? I only have to go 500M! I've done way more than that. Well, I got my answer... for me, nearly impossible. Every time I try, I am consumed with panic about 50M off shore. Nothing I tell myself makes it go away. The fear wins again and I hightail it back to shore with great disappointment. Try again and again...no luck.

I actually started to feel like I no longer could swim in open water. Decided to go back to the trusty wetsuit and look at that, I can swim again! Fine, I'll just be the dork that wears the wetsuit in the 80 degree water at the tri. Who cares.

Guess what? Just got the email today that wetsuits WILL NOT be allowed Saturday. Fu**!!!

Instantly, I am overwhelmed with panic and disgust because I cant swim in open water without my wetsuit. As I sit here this morning I now have to battle with all those inner demons about the fear of swimming and the fear of failure. How come I cant out talk my mind? What is the big deal? What am I missing that other people have when it comes to strength and determination? Do I just give up now or when I have to be pulled out of the swim at 50M offshore? Is all this disappointment and stress really worth it? Will I feel like a failure if I dont do this or cant do this? Why to I doubt myself? And Why oh why do I fear water so much!?

I just dont know.

The heat wins...

2008-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

So the weekend brings us lots of training...good, bad and everything in between.

I started off with a planned run of 5 miles on Sat. Which I was very excited about doing. My mind has not really been into the other two disciplines so in response I decide I LOVE to run and I am GREAT at it!!

After Saturday, I no longer have a love affair with running. Just when you start to gain confidence in something, this sport quickly brings you back to reality. Form and I started off around 8am (which yet again is TOO late for this time of the year, with the temp already around 90ish and climbing). Then, since I'm feeling so cocky, "honey...why not try a tough, hot, uphill run through the desert?" The first half of the run is uphill but THEN you get to turn around and run downhill, so no biggie, right!? All of this happens in what feels like desert quicksand, sounds great! Yep, Until about mile 2 when my HR skyrocketed to high170's and stayed there for the remainder of the run.

The result was a disaster, I overheated, my legs felt like mush and I ended of crying in the middle of the downhill part and throwing my water bottle (hmm, might need that later) as I stomped out the rest of the mile. How my honey deals with this on a pretty regular basis is beyond me.

On the positive, I struggled my way home and we then added an extra mile for the heck of it :-). However, my stellar pace was 14.32 min/mile for 6 miles Average HR of 167!! High HR of 182 . And don't forget yet another cry fest in the middle of training. WooHoo!!

More to come on the "good" part of the weekend training later :-)

And thanks to all my comments from my new, bloggy friends!!

Jumpin on the blog train

2008-08-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

People all over the world (everybody) Join hands (join)

Start a blog train, blog train

People all over the world (all the world, now) Join hands (blog ride)

Start a blog train (blog ride), blog train

The next stop that we make will be soon

Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too

Don't you know that it's time to get on board

And let this train keep on riding, riding on through

Well, well People all over the world (you don't need no money)

Join hands (come on) Start a blog train, blog train (don't need no ticket, come on)

So I have finally decided to hop on the blog train! There are many reasons I have resisted and many reasons why I finally caved. One of the biggest reasons I have decided to create a blog is because of this great triathlon community of blogger friends that I see developing. There has been a lot writing about this lately (my honey, Stef, Calyx, RBR to name a few). I have had the pleasure of meeting a few fellow bloggers in person and developing a couple of good friends and training partners as a result. What I notice most is the instant camaraderie that we all have with technically "complete strangers". It's like we have known each other for ever, and in a sense we have through their personal sharing via blogs.

I have enjoyed reading numerous blogs since Izaac joined last year and feel like it's finally time to get to know these wonderful people in person (over the computer of course ;-)).

The other reason stems from one of these meetings with Calyx. We were all at dinner and discussing various things one of which is how fast some peoples training times are and how fantastic they are, etc. There are a lot of really good racers out there who have spent years training to get where they are or just have god given talent and they are truly inspiring but what about the rest of us? The average joes. You honestly dont see a lot about those of who are slow and back of the pack and just starting, those of us who may never compete in an Ironman, or be fast at a sprint.

I honestly stuggle with this all the time, I am SLOW, I need to getover it, who cares, right?! Maybe by sharing some of my times and training and struggle I can help someone else out there who may feel like they cant do this because they are slow. In turn, maybe I can help myself realize that it is ok to be slow and possibly last, the point is I am doing it.

So with that thought, I am now officially a blogger. More on my slowness later!

(p.s. I have no idea how to create links to others blogs yet ;-)