Ella's 8th Birthday (Wordless)

Wordless Thursday, cause I'm that tired.  

Read More

Dear Ella 2013

My Dearest Ella: 

To my beautiful daughter on your 8th birthday.  It is not the beauty that everyone sees on the outside that I'm speaking of (well it's that too), but rather the beauty you possess on the inside.  Everyone that meets you comments on just how sweet you are.  I hope that you always stay that way.  I never want you to become the "mean girl."  I do think you're learning how to be caring and compassionate to others, while keeping unnecessary/mean comments to yourself. 

With all your sweetness, you still have plenty of sass.  You're a diva for sure.  Not in the true definition I suppose, but in the purse your lips together "ummmmm hmmmmm" kind of way.

Also in the "I must have all the accessories to make me look cool" kind of way.  You really love fashion and all kinds of accessories.  You particularly love jewelry, but you come by that honestly.

My favorite thing about you is your carefree spirit. You just have this sweet, carefree attitude that draws people in.  With your friends, you generally take the leadership role, but you're not overbearing or rude.  You'll compromise easily.

As sweet and carefree as you are, you're also incredibly goofy.  You make strange faces and do goofy dance moves just out of nowhere and you crack yourself up.  I especially love your goofy side because you don't just show that side of yourself to anyone.  You're goofy around those you feel most comfortable around (especially Daddy).

I think I find myself so many times underestimating your abilities.  Well, I guess I should say I used to because I have learned there is nothing you can't do without a little encouragement.  You really are a strong little girl.  I love seeing you try something new or hard and succeeding and being so proud of yourself.  Maybe sometimes you underestimate yourself.

You are also very loving young girl.  You love giving hugs and kisses and will often say... just one more ..... just one more (about 1000 times).

You are extremely sensitive and do not take to having your feelings hurt very kindly.  You also take offense when someone makes fun of someone you care about.  You think it's so mean and often don't find the humor in "teasing".

You are also extremely intelligent and artsy.  I say artsy because I don't have a better term.  You just aren't a normal smart thinker, but are creative and enjoy anything you can make (food, art, music).

Singing, dancing and music are your true loves.  You recently expressed interest in playing the guitar so we bought you your first guitar and you'll be starting lessons soon. I can't wait to see you express yourself and I hope you love it as much as I think you will.

Ella, when I became pregnant with you I was afraid to hope for a girl, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a daughter.  I'm so thankful God chose me to be YOUR mom.  You are an amazing young lady and I hope that I'm a role model in your life that you can proudly look up to.  I'm doing my best every day to be a positive female in your life:  One not obsessed with looks or things (we like them but we don't NEED them), one comfortable in her own skin, one not afraid to speak her mind or the truth.  One thing is for sure, I'm proud of the girl you are today.  I think you're "perfect" in every way.

I hope you'll continue to grow and be the strong, confident little girl you are today.  I love you with all my heart.   Your smile melts my heart and your spirit always lifts me.  Please always remain my sweet Ella.

I love you dearly,

Mommy

Read More

Bailing on My Long Run

Listen, I'm here to tell you all the time, I'm not perfect.  I don't claim to be and I never will be.  I have a hard time finding motivation to workout sometimes and yesterday was one of those days.

I planned to go to my mom's because George was out of town to get in my long run.  George was going to meet me at my moms (about an hour away) and I was going to run and then we were going to have lunch together at my moms.

The good thing is, where my moms lives is almost completely flat.  I was looking forward to running without having to run a million hills.  As I drove up to my moms I knew I wasn't really feeling it mentally.  I just didn't feel like running for close to 2 hour by myself.  I shrugged off my negative feelings, and tried to focus on having a really good (hopefully pain free, because there are no hills) run.

After a self imposed detour (to the donut shop) and then an unexpected detour due to road construction, I arrived at my moms much later than I anticipated.  George was already there waiting for me and lunch was getting closer.  I realized also that I had forgotten my water belt.  That meant, I had nothing to carry my water or phone and I had no fuel.

I decided that not having all of those things were just excuses and I set out to do my 10 miles with a bottle of Dasani in one hand and my phone in the other.  I said to myself, "just suck it up and go, it won't be that bad once you get going."

I started running and looked down at my Garmin the first time I wanted to quit-- it read .29 miles.  So at .29 miles, I said to myself, "Just turn around and go back.  You don't want to do this.  What's the point in doing something you don't want to do?"  Instead I decided to keep going talking myself into this run mentally all the way.

I am relieved on one hand that I haven't been having trouble with my legs in the past like I used to.  My legs still get aggravated on hills, but it is nowhere near as bad.  However, my achilles have been killing me lately.  My achilles gave me all sorts of trouble when I was training for Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon.  Lately they haven't been bothering me unless it is really hot.  Last week and this week, however, they've been bothering me.  I can't explain the pain other than to say my achilles are so tight that it feels like they're going to snap right in half and it's painful.  VERY painful.  Running in pain is not fun and I've been running in pain for far too long.  With my achilles, I know what it is and generally if they're aching they'll warm up and eventually quit hurting.  Unfortunately for me, the pain usually doesn't go away until about the 3 mile mark.

I stopped and stretched several times over the next 2 miles or so and that definitely helped, but the pain was still there.  I told myself to just make it to my sister's house (3 miles away) and reevaluate there.

Mile 1:  11:04
Mile 2:  10:52
Mile 3:  10:58

I decided when I reached my sister's lake house (not where she lives), I'd go back and sit by the lake for a minute and give myself a pep talk.

While I was there I was feeling pretty down about having a crappy run, when all I want to do is be able to run pain free.  Everyday, it's a new ailment and trust me I'm not any happier about dealing with it than you are about hearing about it.

I had set out from my mom's house hoping to do the 5 mile loop around the lake 2 times, but I was feeling so crappy I just knew if I did the loop I'd be back at my mom's house at 5 miles and I'd stop. I knew I'd totally bail.  So I made the decision to go as slow as I needed to and head back the way I came.  I decided then I'd get in 6 miles and that would just have to be good enough.  I texted Tracey and told her I was going to bail on my long run and just run 6.

And so I ran...

Mile 4: 11:19
Mile 5: 11:03

The funny thing is around the 5.5 mile mark my legs started to feel better.  My achilles pain was all, but gone and I started feeling better mentally.  I remember thinking to myself, this is the type of running I hoped for when I set out this morning.  Why couldn't it have been this way from the beginning?  While running back, Tracey responded to my text and told me she knew I had 4 more miles in me and NOT to quit at mile 6.  I remember cursing her, saying I really don't have 4 more miles in me.  I had secretly hoped she'd say, just quit if you're not feeling it.

So when I did start feeling it just before the 6 mile mark, I decided Tracey was right (as I knew she was all along).  I did have more in me.  So I ran past my mom's house and continued on.  At this point, however, I was STARVING.  All I had eaten prior to the run was 2 donuts and I hadn't taken in anything other than water on the run.  I really didn't want to stop and grab something at my moms at mile 6.  I was afraid I wouldn't start again.  So I kept going and made the deal with myself to run to the end of the road (1 more mile) and back and I could then quit.

Mile 6: 10:48
Mile 7:  10:53
Mile 8:  10:06

Total: 1:27:08
Average: 10:53

So there you have it.  A very unpretty long run, but I look at it this way.  I ran 7.69 more miles than I had any desire to run today.  I wanted to quit several times, but I didn't give up.  Yes I was 2 miles short of my original goal, but I pushed myself to do waaaay more than I wanted.  And I'm satisfied (even if I bailed).

Read More

Rev3 Half Iron Tracey's Race Recap: Part II

Enjoy Part II of Tracey's race recap!  

Race day morning, I woke up before my alarm clock at about 5:45. I wasnʼt planning on leaving the hotel room until 6:45, so I checked FB to see about the swim start. Sure enough, it was moved because of a riptide warning. So, I got up, made my oatmeal and ate in the bathroom of all places (I didnʼt want to wake up Nate and the kids) and got ready for the day. All of my gear was packed in the tri bag, so I just had to get dressed. I left the room at 6:45 and headed over to the transition area which was about a half mile walk down the beach. 

As I walked along the beach, the wind was whipping and the water looked like it was getting rough. When I saw that, I was relieved the swim had been moved. Along my way, I met a guy from Toronto who was also doing this race for the first time and we chatted the whole walk down the beach which really helped to settle my nerves. When I got to the transition area, I went ahead getting all of my gear set up for the day. I had to decide whether I wanted to take my sneakers with me to the swim since the new swim start and finish were a good half mile from the transition area. I ended up wearing them over, which was a good choice.

The Swim

I headed over to the swim start and found a spot to get my wetsuit on which was a process in itself! After that, I walked over to look for my friends and family and saw Charlene and Susan walking towards me. I was so excited to see them! 

Then my husband and kids showed up and we posed for some pictures. 

I walked over to drop my sneakers off in the pile (they were in groups of 50 numbers) so I could put them on when I got out of the water. From walking over, I knew the run to the bike was all pavement and I could not even think about doing that in bare feet! I went back over to say bye one last time to everyone and then lined up with all of the other lavender swim caps (40-44 Female age group).


Since we were starting off of a boat dock, they had us go by twos every 2-3 seconds. I got in the water, expecting it to be cold and it really was not that bad (I heard it was 72 degrees). I started to swim, looking up to wave to Susan and Charlene and my family and then I was off. 

The swim itself was good. It had been moved into the boat marina, so it was still in the lake, but it was more sheltered from the wind. We had to swim around an island and I really wasnʼt too sure how far the buoys were because you couldnʼt see them from the start. I did getting bumped into a few times (especially by the men who had started earlier and could not swim straight), but overall, it was a very uneventful swim. I remember rounding the last corner and seeing the blue banner and realizing I was almost done. It really went by quickly.

1.2 mile swim (Goal time- 45 minutes)
Actual Time: 40:33 15/45 in my age group and 68/246 total females

Transition 1 (Swim to Bike)

This transition started as soon as I got out of the water. There were wetsuit strippers, which was awesome! I sat down and a volunteer pulled it right off of me. Then I had to get my sneakers on, run half a mile carrying my wetsuit and get all of my bike gear on. I did stop to use the bathroom before I got on the bike.

T1 time- 9:10 (I would like to believe that if the swim was not moved, my transition time would have been a lot faster, but it is what it is!)

Bike

I headed out on the bike course and immediately saw Susan, Charlene, and my family. They were all cheering loudly for me. It really made me smile. 

The first 20 miles of the bike were great- I was seeing numbers I never see on my bike! (I am not the fastest biker, so anything over 15 mph and I feel like a champ.) Then mile 20 came and the headwind was just insane. I felt like I was cycling into a brick wall. Miles 20-30 were awful for me, but I just keep thinking to myself that I had to get to mile 40 to see my friends and family. Sure enough, before I knew it, there they were. I saw my daughter, Megan, running to the corner just as I was coming up one of the few hills. I yelled her name and then everyone saw me. I only saw them for less than a minute, but it gave me the strength to finish. 

I have to say that the last 8-10 miles were pure torture. The wind was so bad that I felt like I was riding sideways. I was so relieved to get off of my bike.

Nutrition on bike- three Quaker Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip granola bars. I drank at least 40+ ounces of water.

56 mile bike (Goal time- 3:30)
Time: 3:12 17.43 mph 20/45 in my age group and 110/246 total females

Transition 2 (Bike to Run)

I walked my bike into the transition area, changed my shoes, put on my hat and Garmin and then took off for the half marathon.

T2 time: 3:10

Run

The run started out great. I felt strong and I knew I would be able to finish. I stopped at mile 1.5 to use the bathroom and then I saw my family and friends at mile 2. I stopped to kiss and hug my kids and it was such a wonderful moment.

Susan shouted that she and Charlene would be in that spot when I came back and I was so happy to hear that. The first half of the run was good. I felt good, felt like I was passing a lot of people and my watch kept beeping sub 9 min miles. I felt that way until about mile 9. When I got to mile 9.5, I just wanted to be done. I was hot, my legs were tired and I was so scared that my calves were going to cramp up. I knew I needed to get to mile 11 to see Susan and Charlene. I stopped every mile at the water stations to drink water and Gatorade.  I finally made it to mile 11 and saw my friends. 

Seeing them made me so happy! I told them this was the hardest thing I had ever done. They said I was doing great and they would see me at the finish. I kept running and of course, the only hill on the course is between mile 11-12. Charlene and Susan drove by honking the horn and waving and I knew I was almost there. I had to walk twice during this mile for 10 seconds each time. Then I told myself to suck it up and finish. Thatʼs what I did. I finally came around the last corner and saw my kids. 

They were able to run through the finisherʼs chute with me. It really was one of the greatest moments of my life when I crossed that finish line. 

I immediately saw Susan and Charlene and Nate. He hugged me and I was crying. He said, “You did it!”. I couldnʼt stop crying. I still cry when I think of that moment.

Nutrition on run- about 10 gummy bears and a lot of water and some lemon lime Gatorade.

13.1 mile run (Goal time-2:00) 1:59

Total time: (Goal time 6:30)
6:04:49 13/45 in my age group and 82/246 women

Overall, my experience with my first 70.3 was awesome. Yes, it could have been less windy, and yes, the swim could have remained the same, but things happen and you have to be able to deal with them. Rev3 did an awesome job having an alternate plan. The volunteer support on the course was unbelievable- aid stations on the bike every 10-12 miles and on the run every mile. And the fact that that my kids could finish with me was priceless. I would do a Rev3 race event again in a heartbeat.
Of course, I never would have been able to do this without the support of my husband, Nate. He was so supportive of my goal. My friends were really supportive also. I got so many calls, texts, and FB messages wishing me luck and congratulating me after. I am truly blessed.

If you read this all the way through, thank you. Sorry it is so long. I usually donʼt talk this much about myself, but this race was so important to me. I worked so hard to reach my goal. I hope it will inspire some of you to attempt reaching yours.

Whatʼs next? I may see a 140.6 in my future. Maybe for my 50th birthday. And only if Susan joins me! 

Read More

Rev3 Half Iron Tracey's Race Recap: Part I

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this recap of Tracey's training and Half Iron Race.  I'm amazed by her and thought you too would enjoy her story.  So.. ENJOY!  

A Half Ironman distance race. Where do I begin? I guess with why I wanted to do this, because that is a question many people have asked me. I have been doing sprint tris since 1999. I did about one a year until last year when I tried an olympic distance tri (.93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). I enjoyed the distance and felt I had more in me when I was done. 

After the Olympic Dam Tri (Olympic Distance) 

So, when I was thinking about this year, I had two goals- to run a sub 4 hour marathon and finish a Half Ironman distance triathlon. Of course, I had to do both before I am 40 (which is in a month). Well, I broke 4 hours in the Austin Marathon in February.  

After the Austin Marathon 

I then signed up for the Rev3 Half Ironman distance tri at Cedar Point. I picked this race because I had read really great things about Rev3 races (and that the course is flat!).


Before I get into race day, I need to talk about my training. I think that the training is way more important than the race itself. You can show up at a race, finish it and possibly finish it well without training very hard. I feel that if I donʼt give my training 100%, then I cheated myself and I should not even attempt the race. So, starting in May, I began the four month training. I followed a plan I found online called, “Super Simple Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Training Program”. It was super simple to follow, but not super simple to do!  These are my numbers:  

             Running      Biking           Swimming     Other (mostly CrossFit)

May     70 miles       178 miles       6 miles           11 hours

June     60 miles       297 miles       9 miles            7 hours

July      64 miles       202 miles       6 miles           5.5 hours

Aug     98 miles       179 miles       6 miles              3 hours

Sept      6 miles          27 miles       1 mile

In total, I trained for 159 hours and covered 1209 miles (which does not count miles on my bike trainer since I donʼt have a computer on it.)  When I look back, I am not sure how I did it. Having my three kids at home for the summer made it hard, but having a very, very supportive husband made things a lot easier for me. I got in a lot of early morning rides and runs on the weekends. During the week, I would go to CrossFit at 5:30 am and then I would get on the treadmill or bike trainer at 10 pm. I took my kids to the Y twice a week so I could swim for 50 minutes. (There was some grumbling from the older ones, but I think now they understand.) 


I also ran the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May,

Me, Charlene and Susan at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon 

rode the MS150 ride in June, 

Nate and I at MS 150 

Me and Susan at the MS 150 

and completed the Dam Tri Olympic distance in June and the Butler Y Sprint Tri in July. 

Me and my friend Tracey at the Butler Y Sprint Tri

I had a lot of friends keep me company on my rides and runs: Susan, Charlene, Heather, Tracey, Christi, Holly, and Katie. 

Christi and I after a 27 mile ride 

Katie and I in Toronto before a 12 mile run

Me and Holly after a 60 mile ride 

Having friends to join me really made the training a lot more enjoyable and I thank every one of you for changing your schedules around to be able to keep me company.  


I think I trained really well for this race, so I felt prepared going into it. My biggest fear was something happening to my bike, so the week before I practiced changing a flat many times. Luckily, my bike held up great.

So, with four months worth of training behind me, my husband and kids and I drove to Cedar Point on Saturday afternoon. I was pretty nervous as I headed to the expo. It was very, very organized and I went down the line checking in, getting my chip, and picking up my race packet. I also had to drop off my bike since the bikes had to stay in the transition area overnight. At 4:00 pm there was a pre race meeting where I learned a lot of valuable information, including that the swim might have to be changed. That added a bit of stress because I would have to wait until the next morning to find out. So, I left the expo feeling a bit anxious, headed back to the hotel and met up with Susan and Charlene, who, being the awesome friends that they are, drove three hours to support me in my race. We went out dinner, Susan applied my race tattoos, and I tried to get some sleep.

Now for race day. 

To be continued... 

Read More