Snowing....again

Yep, it's snowing again.  Kind of in spurts, sometimes hard, sometimes not at all.  And just a few short miles away, the sun was shinning.  You gotta love lake effect snow.  Good news is the lake is starting to slowly freeze over and when the lake freezes over the lake effect snow stops.  Still a long time but the process is starting.  It's been cold and very windy here this week.  Same story over the whole US.  The snow sure is pretty when you are inside though.  And oh how Asher loves to play in the snow.  It is rather scary when on the morning news they tell you, you will get 1-2 feet, yes feet, of snow like it's nothing.  Odd measuring snow in feet instead of inches.  Stay warm everyone!!

Fun stuff!!

I haven't been very good about updating my blog lately, sorry to my few followers.  I seem to run out of hours in the day.  I have lots of fun posts started so I will finish them soon.  Promise.  I also have lots of really good recipes to post too, I have been doing lots of baking!  Anyway, a quick little update of what's been going on since my last post, the Turkey Trot.  Thanksgiving came and went.  Lots to be thankful for.  Did some early morning shopping with the crazies on Black Friday and went to Canada and did some more shopping at Ikea on Saturday.  The following weekend we took a long weekend, packed up the car and headed down to Harrisburg, PA.  We went to Hershey World, Yuengling Brewery and Gettysburg.  That area, and the drive down there, are really pretty.  Lots of hills and pretty much not a straight road (which Asher didn't care for) but beautiful sights.  This trip would be awesome in the fall.  It was nice being able to run down there with no snow to contend with.  Back in Buffalo, we had just gotten about 20 inches and things were a mess so this was a nice little bit of relief.  This past weekend we took a quick trip to the largest Kazoo manufacturer in North America (who knew this was in our new backyard).  And the UWGB men came to Buffalo to play against the University at Buffalo (UB) so I got to see them play.  That was cool.  I was the only one cheering.  It was kind of funny.  Then that night I got to see my first NHL game.  We had our company Christmas party on Saturday and part of that was a game in our company suite.  We are the energy provider and a big supporter of the Buffalo Sabres so we get some VIP treatment.  It was an awesome experience.  One I plan to repeat again.  Things will calm down a bit now before the big trip back to Wisconsin for Christmas.  Oh and it's snowing here....again.  I think I better get used to this. 

YMCA Turkey Trot

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Yesterday I did a traditional Turkey Trot.  In fact, this was the 115th annual turkey trot, here in Buffalo, NY.   This is the oldest consecutive running road race in North America.  This year they capped the race at 12,500 and it filled a couple weeks ago.  This was a 5 mile race starting north of downtown and you run into down town.  As I usually do, I ran before the race with Asher.  This has been our traditional for as long as I've had Asher.  He usually doesn't get to do the race but I still want him to be a part of the day so I run first with him.  I got changed and we headed to the race.  It was supposed to rain and was very windy.  I had shorts on but there weren't many to brave the bare legs.  We got lined up and the gun went off.  It took us 5 1/2 minutes to get to the start line.  Apparently we lined up pretty far back.  I spent pretty much the whole race running around people.  The race went well.  I felt awesome and had fun.  There were several people dressed up in costumes.  It was fun seeing all the costumes and running along a road I had never run on before.  I got close to the finish, picked up the pace the last two miles and kept passing people.  Got to the finish and headed back to find Jeff.  I found him at mile 4 and ran the rest of the way to the finish with him.  It was just misting but really turned out to be a perfect day to run.  Felt great, awesome company, great run.  Overall a great way to spend Thanksgiving.

Sprague Brook Park

This Saturday we did another new run location.  We headed down to run some trails at Sprague Brook Park.  I did a little research on it during the week and this looked like it should have some good running opportunities and I was totally blown away.  These trails were amazingly awesome.  Super technical, lots of roots, and trees and rocks and bridges made of rocks and trees and hills, oh the hills.  Probably the best trail running I have ever done.  We even did two full water creek crossings, where my shoes and socks were totally soaked.  We saw some white tailed deer too.  Very cool.  There were some amazingly steep cliffs that went down to a creek that we continued to wind around.  I wish I would have brought my camera.  Next time.  I did grab it after the run and took a few shots of the creek we ran around and through. Asher had such a blast and was exhausted the rest of the weekend!  I can't wait to go back.  A few pictures, more to come next time.

18 mile creek

Since moving, Asher and I have been exploring new running routes all over the place.  Last Saturday we did another new one and ran to a county park called 18 Mile Creek Park.  I found out about this park from a store owner in our town and heard it had great trails.  We weren't planning to run the trails, we'll head back someday and tackle those, but I wanted to see where this place was.  The creek that the route runs along is really cool.  Lots of character to the river which is cool.  I took a few pictures with my phone to share.

Pictures of the really cool creek.  Sorry they are sideways.  Blogger is being dumb and not posting them like they are saved.  Not sure what the deal is. 

Long time....no update

I haven't written on here in a long time, sorry about that to my couple of readers.  Things have been going on I just haven't had a spare chance to write about them.  So I'll do my best to update you and keep you updated in the future.  First and foremost I have a new address and even a new time zone.  On October 24th Jeff, Asher and I packed up our vehicles and moved to Buffalo, NY.  I had a job transfer that I have known about since the first part of the year and this was finally the weekend to do it.  The moving truck came on Thursday and Friday, packed up all of my belongings and loaded them into this huge truck.  The guys were awesome.  Very friendly and helpful.  And best part is they packed everything and had to carry it and put it on and take it off the truck.  That's one of the worst parts of moving, in my opinion.  Jeff and I each drove our cars, Asher with me, to Cleveland on the 24th and the rest of the way to Buffalo on the 25th.  We lived on very minimal items until our stuff came on Thursday, the 28th.  I have never been so happy to see my stuff!  The movers moved everything into the apartment and storage unit in a matter of about 5 hours.  It was crazy and there was stuff everywhere!!  It was tricky getting everything put away and cleaned up.  I downsized from a house, with essentially 3 floors and a 2 car garage to a two bedroom apartment with no basement and a one stall garage.  Thank goodness for the storage unit!  It took almost two weeks but we finally got almost everything put away.  It was nice to be able to use the living room, workout room and kitchen again.  Now that we have everything moved in we have spent our time exploring the area and all there is to do here.  We don't know how long we will be here so we plan to live like tourists and see and do as much as we can.  I plan to write about as many of these as I can.  The weather has been mild so far, so that has allowed us to get in some outside activities which has been fun.  Asher and I have been having a blast finding new running routes around our apartment.  I have been biking on my trainer in our workout room and I found a great pool that is super quiet downtown that I have been swimming at.  The Y pool was hot and had too many floaters for me.  I miss my friends back home but am trying to stay in touch with them as much as possible.  I hope to get involved in some groups here to meet some people, not to replace, just in addition to the great people I have already met on my life's journey.  Apartment life is going okay so far.  I was very worried about how Asher would do with the move but he's doing great.  We have actually worn him out so much he's snoring by 9 at night.  Lots of dogs in the complex for him to check out too so we'll have to get out and meet them.  So I guess......let the journey begin....

Kona

Tomorrow marks one of my favorite days of the year.  The Hawaii Ironman.  I've never been to Hawaii to visit or race but the whole aura of the race and race setting just gets me so pumped up.  I have been known, in past years, to sit in front of my computer all day and watch the live streaming video of the race.  I can't do that this year, I have a super fun wedding to go to, but I do plan to be checking in from time to time.  This year I actually know people racing which makes the whole thing even cooler.  So if you get time, check out the live feed.  Good luck to all.  I hope to join you one day. 

1000 miles

This morning's run marked a momentous day for Asher, my standard poodle.  Today Asher passed 1,000 running miles for the year!!!  This is his favorite activity to do.  If you ask him if he wants to go running, he'll jump about 8 feet in the air just to make sure you understood, YES!!!  I am so lucky to have him as a running partner.  No matter the weather or time of day he is always ready to go whenever I ask.  It's something that we get to share together and is just awesome.  Awesome job little buddy and here's to many more.

M-Dot Cookies

So....what else does one do after they have finished an Ironman???  Make M-Dot Cookies of course. 

Red Cookies

Red Cookies with white frosting

I picked up a M-Dot cookie cutter at Ironman this year and couldn't wait to make them.  They turned out awesome.  Red cookies and homemade white frosting.  They are so cute!  And gluten free of course.

Fox Cities Half Marathon

So people ask, "what's up next after Ironman?"....well how about a half marathon a week later?!?!  Crazy??  Yes!  But I have a very persuasive running partner, Mark, and it sounded like a good idea while eating custard at Zesty's! And as it turned out, it was a good idea.  We signed up for the Fox Cities Half Marathon before Ironman so I was optimistic that I would have a good race and come out of it unscathed and recover well.  The week after Ironman was good.  I took it easy.  Did some swimming, biking and ran 1 day.  And tons of walking with Asher.  I had no soreness and was ready to roll Sunday morning.  Mark's friend Walter was also running, doing his first half.  He is signed up to do Big Sur with us next May as his first marathon. 

The morning of Tammy, Cleo, Jeff and I all drove down and got a car at the finish and start (the start and finish aren't in the same spot) and met up with Mark and Walt.  Sue came to the start and took our coats and then brought them to us at the finish.  That was a total life saver.  It was cool, low 40's at the start and it got cool after we finish and were sweaty.  We gave Sue our coats and literally ran across the start line.  We were moving along nicely, and all of a sudden we run into a friend of ours, Brian Cassidy.....well actually he ran into me.  Funny.  Ran with him for a bit and chatted then another friend of ours, Julie Petersen came up to us and ran with us.  Awesome, lots of cool people.  So we kept on.  I was feeling good and having fun catching up with everyone.  I ran the rest of the race with Walt, Mark and Julie.  The 4 amigo's.  This course is nice and flat with lots of turns and stuff to keep you entertained.  The last couple miles had some good tunes blasting which really pumped us up.  We went past mile 12 and started the loop for the finish.  Feeling good we ran strong into the finish for a 1:57:24 finish time.  And Mark and I finally got it worked out and had the same exact time.  It was our last race together for a while so it was nice to share the experience with him and so glad he slowed down to run with me. 

The rest of the crew had a good day too.  Tammy and Cleo smoked it....like normal and Jeff rolled in with a 4 minute PR.  Everyone had a great day.  Beautiful weather, fun race and great company.  What more could you ask for.  Happy running everyone!

Ironman Wisconsin 2010

Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles

This year’s Ironman Wisconsin was to be my 4th attempt at the Ironman distance and my third try at the Ironman Wisconsin course. I completed the race in 2005, 2007 and Ironman Louisville in 2008. It had been a few years since I had been at this venue and had some pretty vivid memories of the last time, and some pretty nasty scares to remind me of those memories.

Ironman 2007

Ironman 2007

Because of this “history” on this course I was very nervous going into the day. I was also nervous because this is an Ironman, and that’s big stuff. You know you are going to go through a rough patch and that always scares me. When will it come, can I overcome it and get back on my game, and ultimately, will I finish? On the walk down to the terrace race morning I met up with a few friends and about lost it just talking to them I was so nervous. And if you know me, you know I don’t cry…..for anything….so this was pretty big.

I have had a lot going on in my personal life this year as well, unfortunately not making Ironman the main thing on the brain this year, which when I signed up for it, I fully intended it to be. So I hoped my training was adequate to get me across that line. My race season went pretty poorly this year. I had a bad race at high cliff and then changed a few things. Mike said he would coach me which helped a lot. Door County went better but still not where I wanted to be. So Ironman had no expectations, expect try and get under an hour for the swim and to finish.

Pre-Race

Got up early, actually slept good, which is a huge miracle for me because I never sleep good, ate and headed down to the terrace. On the way I dropped off my Special Needs bags and ran into Randi and Ross. They were doing their first Ironman. Very exciting. Got body marked and headed in to give Griff some TLC before his big day. Touched up my T1 and T2 bags and then had over an hour to chill before the start. I walked down the helix and sat and tried to relax. The time came to put on my wetsuit and get this party started. I saw lots of people I knew walking down.

Erik and I before the swim start.  Check out his shirt.  A "mock up" to the 2007 family shirts.  Awesome!

Jeff and I before the swim start

I am usually pretty anti-social before the race. I like to spend the energy getting my head right for the day. I got all ready and headed for the swim start. There was a large mass of people that had to get in the water and the time was ticking away and they weren’t moving. I eventually started pushing my way through the mod. That was fine that they wanted to be in the back and not get in the water, but I wanted to be in the front and I wanted to get in the water.

Athletes getting in the water

Finally got in the water with about 3 minutes to spare. Swam up to the front, not as far towards the buoy line as I had hoped, and found a spot with no one on the front. Perfect. Got my goggles set and the cannon went off.

Swim

The first part of the swim was pretty clean, really no roughhousing to speak of. I started angling over to the buoy line and then it got a bit dicey. The men had red caps and the women white so I could see what gender was constantly smacking me and beating me up. And not swimming in a straight line cutting me off. Got real tired of all that real fast. The men are relentless in the swim, no question. I started getting aggressive and pushed them out of the way. The corners were tough, lots of fighting there. But I made it around the first two turns and got into my groove. I kept getting a few chops and figured out it was from the other swimmers creating waves. Otherwise the water was as calm as glass. Got around the first 1.2 miles and headed for lap two. I was checking out the Terrace on both laps, so cool to see so many people out and cheering. My nerves were settling down and I was excited for the day. After I turned the second corner and headed down the long back stretch I started passing people on their first loop, me on my second. Some were doing the sidestroke, some the breastroke, some resting on kayaks, crazy stuff. I dodged them and kept in my rhythm. A couple times I saw some white caps come into my view and I was determined not to let them pass me so I would pick up the pace until they were out of sight. Turned the last corner and headed for the finish. I felt really good and strong the whole swim. Came out of the water in 58:10. A new PR on the swim.

T1

Got my wetsuit taken off by the strippers and headed up the helix….in my bare feet. I have very sensitive feet so I was not looking forward to this part. Plus the water temp was 67 degrees so my feet were cold running on the concrete. Not fun. They were sore by the time I got to the top. Headed in the Terrace and got all my bike gear on. Shoes in hand headed out to get Griff. The lady giving me my bike didn’t do a stellar job, she went to take Griff off the rack and knocked both my bottles off the back onto the ground. Oh well, picked ‘em up and headed out. Waved at my parents as I went by them. Shoes on and down the helix. Yelled at Mike as I left the Terrace and I was on my way for my, hopefully safe, 112 mile journey. T1: 10:05.

Bike

Headed down John Nolan, past the point of 2007’s debacle and onto the no passing zone. Already people were getting pushy and it was early. Lost both of my bottles in the back within the first 3 miles. Something to fix for next year. Made it safely through the early miles. I was pretty timid here and definitely took my time. We were now on our way to Verona, hit the first aid station to replenish what I lost and were now on the loop. I cruised through to Mount Horeb. The section from Verona to Mount Horeb is incredibly boring to me. I dread this part….twice. When I got to Mount Horeb I stopped at the aid station to take off my extra shirt I wore out of the swim. I didn’t want to get cold on the first part of the bike so I bought a long sleeve shirt on Saturday to wear until I was warm enough and then throw it. This worked out great. After Mount Horeb I was on my way. Saw Gordy and Linda and headed onto Garfoot Road and the hills. There are some hilly roads between Mount Horeb and Cross Plains that I had to tackle. I was worried about these but when I got to them on race day they weren’t bad at all. I put my gearing in a super easy gear and just tapped up the hills. Passing tons of guys. The guys were jerks all day. They would fly past me to pass me either too close next to me or cut over right in front of me after they passed me and I would have to yell at them. Then I would pass them on the hills because they were slow and they would get mad because a girl passed them and then be jerks back and pass me too close. It was a battle all day. So rude and annoying. I also ran across lots of people riding in packs. Dumb people. Ride your own race. Wimps! Anyway, through the hills no problem, through the technical stuff before Cross Plains and I cruise into Cross Plains. Jeff and my parents were there so I gave them a big wave and was on to the hilly part of the course. Between Cross Plains and Verona there are 3 large climbs, a long windy one, one we call the Lance hill because it is lined with people at least two to three deep on each side and another windy one but this one is shorter and steeper than the first. Got up the first with no problem, now onto the Lance hill (which is right after the first one). I get into my easy gear and just tap up the hill. Saw several people here I knew. Passed some more guys. Now down a huge decent, someone yelling my name, then onto the last big hill. Tap up that and I’m on my way into Verona. Stop at the aid station and then through the huge festival they have. That part is so fun. You get a huge adrenaline rush. Tons of people, music, all really cool stuff. Saw Jeff, my parents and Jeff Z and Mary here. Skip special needs and head out for loop 2. I was feeling good. My neck was getting a bit tight so I needed to make sure I was relaxing. Onto Mount Horeb (made it through the boring part), onto the Garfoot hills, through the technical parts (I saw someone getting hauled off on a stretcher here, must have crashed on one of the technical turns) and onto Cross Plains. Quick stop at the aid station, saw Jeff and then onto the three hills again. The hills on loop two went just as well as loop one. The whole ride I was spinning up the hills, passing the guys. Made it to Verona, saw my parents and Jeff again and headed on home. My neck was getting pretty sore at this point but my legs felt good so I knew I just needed to stay aero and once I got off the bike my neck would be fine. On the stick there is one large hill, made it up that with no problem and headed back into Madison. I was following some girl the last 10 miles or so and I would pass her then she would pass me back and so on. She was caked in salt and looked terrible. She was all over the road so eventually I just stayed back and let her do her thing. If she was going to do something stupid I didn’t want to be a part of that. Up the helix and into T2. I really tried to just let the course come to me, bike within myself and I think I did that. I also ate more calories per hour than I ever have before on the bike. I think that worked out well too. Bike time was 6:16:21. This was a PR for me on this course.

T2

It was nice to get my bike shoes off. I was getting hot spots on my feet so I was ready to get those off. Some girl came into the change area barely able to walk. Not sure how the marathon went for her. She looked rough. Got all changed, stretched my piriformis and was ready to go. I told my change tent lady I wanted to run the whole marathon, which was a goal from day 1, so here I go! T2: 7:10

Run

Got out of T2 and headed up towards the capital. Saw my mom, said hi and kept on rolling. Saw Erik at the first aid station and I got some ice in my handheld bottle (I wanted mixed berry Powerbar drink but they only had Orange Mango….yuck….which I eventually had to settle on….double yuck). My mom then came racing around the capital and we talked again. I said my hamstrings feel a bit tight but I’m just going to take it easy and see how it feels, and keep running. Headed out and was running strong….actually too fast. I kept trying to slow myself down but I felt good. I would walk through the aid stations and run in between. Ran into Jeff on his bike about mile 2 and he followed me for a bit. Through Camp Randall, which was boring…no music, no excitement, nothing. Lambeau is much better to run through. Kept on running. I was also walking the hills. My hamstrings wanted nothing to do with the hills. Saw Mike and Sue around mile 4.5 or so. I asked if he had any new hamstrings for me and all I got back was a bunch of super encouraging words….but I wanted hamstrings…oh well. I’ll take the encouraging positive words and head out. On to the State Street turn around. This place is hopping. Tons of people here and the water station before and after is always bumping. Came through here about 1:08 or so and thought my goal of under 5 for the marathon was do-able. Saw Ivy, chatted with her and I was back out. Was with Jeff on his bike, then we picked up my mom on her bike, past Mike and Sue again and headed back towards the terrace for the turn around. I was doing okay until about mile 10, then I started breaking down. The next few miles were ugly. I met Erik again at the mile 13 water station and almost started crying. My hamstrings hurt, my hip was bothering me, my foot hurt, the drink tasted terrible, I didn’t want any calories, it was lots of negative and it just consumed me. Erik said they would grab their bikes and get me to the finish. So now I had 5 people on bikes someplace on the course. Maybe that would help. I ran up, did the turnaround (which is steps from the finish, total mental thing happening there) and headed back out. Mile 14 was good, but then the next three miles were ugly again. About mile 18 I started getting my shit together. I looked at my watch and figured out I need to do this. I was still walking the aid stations and running in between but the walking at the aid stations got longer and longer. It actually felt better to run so I kept telling myself that. My whole body was sore and tired and I just had nothing left but I had to keep going. My friend Randi passed me totally trucking with about 7.5 miles left and I could not even closely match her pace. She looked awesome. She had such a great day! So happy for her and Ross for completing their first Ironman. I made the State Street turn around and headed back. Did this crappy out and back section and got my message from Jeff at the Ford Motivational Mile....."Leave it all on course" (25 character limit)....I did that...believe me!  This section is not fun, it’s boring, and rather pointless but the distance matters. Saw Mike again (Jeff was also with me on his bike). Mike was so supportive the whole run. He asked me if I wanted any gum and I said “NO, I have some”. I think I kind of yelled at him which I didn’t mean to do but I just wanted to be done. 4 miles left. Keep on it. Headed back downtown. Jeff left me with a couple miles to go so he could go to the finish, at which point Erik and Kira picked me up. Erik was talking to me and I didn’t like what he was saying so I kept my head pointed forward and kept running. At one point I looked over to him and said, “Do you know how deep I am digging for this?” and he replied back “Yes”. He knew how serious I was. Several times on the second loop I would almost start hyperventaliting, just wanting to burst out in tears. Not sure what that was all about. And I had a massive headache. Ugh. Erik and Kira left with about a mile and a half to go so they could go to the finish with Jeff and my parents. I got up to the capital and saw Jessica and Dave. They were starting their second loop. They looked great. So happy for them on finishing their first Ironman as well. Saw Jeff Z and Mary at the water station, said Hi and confirmed I was not pulling a Jeff (puking during every Ironman he has done) and ran for the finish. Came up to the chute and I was all alone. Mike Reilly called out my name and said “This one is for you Alicia”; “You are an Ironman”. I made it!!! I was so pumped! Run time: 5:18:53. Disappointing, to say the least.

Final Thoughts

I accomplished my goal of finishing but have lots to work on for next year.  So many positive things came out of this race and I can't wait to build on them for next year.  No pity party on the run next year.  Mark my words.  I hope to simplfy my personal life in the next couple months and get back to focusing on the things I love to do....swim, bike, run.  I want to thank all the people that put up with this lifestyle and training all year.  Jeff and Asher, thank you for dealing with my insane daily schedule.  Mark, thanks for all the yards in the pool and miles on the road.  Erik and Kira, for pushing me on race day and every day in between.  My parents for supporting me and my crazy dreams.  And of course Mike for his excellent coaching and positive energy.  So glad he took a chance on me.  Ironman 2011 here I come!!!

Ironman

Well it's finally here.  Ironman Wisconsin.  I signed up a year ago and spent the last year with this on my mind.  Training for it.  And all that goes along with it.  The training is all done now.  I'm all checked in, checked Griff in, and checked my T1 and T2 bags in.....so now all that's left is to be nervous.  This will be my 4th Ironman and I am just as nervous as the 1200+ newbies doing the race.....yes 1200+ newbies.  That's an incredibly large number.  I think there's around 2900 registered, which is a lot to all start the swim together.  So yes, I'm still as nervous as if it were my first.  I know how long the day is.  I know things can not always go your way and I have had something go wrong in each one of my 3 previous, so the unknown makes me scared and nervous.  And the known for that matter.  I just hope and pray that the day goes well. 

If you want to follow me during the day, Jeff will have my cell phone so you can text him or he will be posting tweets on twitter all day.  You can follow me on twitter here.  My twitter name is: @trigb21. 

The weather looks awesome for tomorrow.  So in true Ironman fashion.....let's get it on!!!  :)

Bayshore Park

Jeff and I took the kayaks out on Sunday for a beautiful paddle.  It was a perfect day on the water.  No wind, calm as can be.  We put in at Bayshore park and paddled north past Dykesville. 

The bay is very shallow where we paddled so we saw quite a bit of wild life either sitting on rocks or docks.  On our way back we came across a pile of rocks not too far off shore.  It was about 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun was just right that all you saw of the birds on the rocks were their silhouettes.  This is possibly one of my pictures from any of our kayaking experiences.  Nature at its finest.

Here are a couple more of the same birds:

Asher's 7th Birthday

Yesterday, August 23rd, 2010 was my baby Asher's 7th birthday.  I wanted to make the day special and do something that he loves.  So I planned to take the day off of work and take him swimming.  Jeff also joined us which was a lot of fun.  I decided to take him to Point Beach State Park.  We had never been there before but they have a dog approved beach on the sand dunes so I thought we could check it out.  It's about 45-50 minutes from our house so it's really not all that far.  And wow was it nice.  This is one of the nicest parks I have been to.  The water is very clear and clean.  The beaches are very clean as well.  The white sand beaches and clear blue water made it very beautiful. 

Asher had a blast swimming.  He was so tired at the end he could barely stand.  He swam and chased his ball for about 3 hours!  We literally almost had to drag him out of the water to go home!!

After swimming we went home and got cleaned up.  After dinner we were having a birthday party, of sorts, at Zesty's with Mark, Sue, Maggie and Ruby.  Asher had a pup cup and Sue sang Happy Birthday to him.  It was great.  He did better eating his ice cream this time.  He let me hold the cup while he licked it out.  I still had to wipe up his face with napkins after he was done though.  Which was a difficult task to say the least. 

Check out that stance.....serious stuff!

All I got were butts

Asher, Maggie and Ruby (all with ice cream on their faces)

Rain

Last Friday night, August 20th, 2010 we got some of the craziest weather I have seen in a long time.  It was warm and humid so a perfect recipe for storms.  Some storms started brewing and moving across the state.  About 3:30 things started to get pretty dark.  Right around 4:00 it started raining and hailing the hardest I have possibly ever seen in rain.  It rained for about 30 minutes and caused some major travel issues.  Most roads were blocked because the storm sewers couldn't keep up.  Here are a couple pictures of the water on my street and a couple streets near me.  Overall in about 30 minutes we got just under 3 inches of rain and there were over 13,000 lightening strikes. 

Ash St.

Ash St.

Ash St.

8th St.

Spruce St.

(yes, that car is stopped in the middle of the lake in the middle of the road)

First Endurance Article

Interesting article on training, or rather over training and how important proper nutrition and recovery are. 

Weekend Warrior #2

This was my second weekend in a row of trying to do "almost" an Ironman in 48 hours.  This was an intense and exhausting 48 hours, let me tell you! 

Friday: Swim

It was kind of storming all day and I had a long ride the next day to logistically get ready for so I opted for my swim at the Broadview Y pool.  Boring but easier and the weather didn't really warrant an outside swim.  I did 3700 yards which is 2.1 miles.  Felt good. 

Saturday: Brick

Saturday I got up early and headed out for an epic ride.  My plan was to ride from my house down to 7 hills road, ride the road out and back with little break and then head back home.  This ride is very rural with no gas stations directly on the route so Jeff volunteered to be my sag support for the ride, bringing me water, Gatorade and food.  He was going to do his long run along the way and I would meet him at places on the course.  So I headed out.  The goal today was to eat as much as I possibly could, see how much my body could actually absorb.  This was tricky.  I felt like I was always eating.  But my energy level stayed pretty constant the whole time so that was a good thing.  I rode down pretty conservative.  I was very nervous about 7 hills.  These hills are crazy steep, like some are literally straight up and down.  So I was nervous I wouldn't make it.  I was even a bit wobbly in my stomach before starting 7 hills I was so nervous.  The road is 8 miles long with 600 ft of elevation gain, one way.  So out and back, 16 miles with 1200 ft of elevation gain.  So off I went.  The hills were tough but I tried to spin up them and then fly down the back side.  I got to the end, ate and drank something real quick (this is so rolling that you can't eat or really drink on the road) and headed back.  I made the 16 miles in just under an hour.  I was very relieved and proud of that.  This road is difficult to capture in pictures but here are a couple Jeff took:

The ride back home went well and I pushed it more than the way there.  The total distance was 125 miles and ride time was 6.5 hours.  After the ride I immediately went for a 2 mile run.  Ooohhh, I could feel those hills then. Plus it was hot.  I got it done though.  Run 2 miles.....done.


Sunday: Run

On the schedule for Sunday was an 18 mile run with Mark.  I met him at 6 and we started out.  I was exhausted.  It took me a bit to get going.  But then we settled into a groove and it felt pretty good.  The humidity and temps finally dropped for this run and that helped a ton.  You could actually breathe.  We picked up Asher part of the way through and Jeff rode his bike by us and chatted with us.  It turned out to be a really nice run.  18 miles....done. 

After the run I took a nap.  I totally needed it.  And then Jeff, Philip, Asher and I went to the Tall Ships downtown Green Bay.  They had sailed in late last week and were here for the weekend for people to view.  Some even had cannon's on them.  They were pretty neat looking.  Here are a few pictures of some of the ships:

And there is a new water fountain that Asher had to play in.  He's trying to catch the water as it falls.

Recap: 2.1 miles of swimming, 125 miles of biking, 20 miles of running.  Good solid training weekend.  After it all I needed a big scoop of custard from Zesty's.  Nice way to top off the weekend.