Did I really just commit to that?

Well, the time has come. After 5 years of volunteering, and now getting paid to work for Ironman, I have decided that I am going to race one myself!

On June 21, 2009, I will embark on racing at Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho! I am in denial that I have committed to this! A 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run! Am I crazy? Don't answer that just yet - I already know what you are thinking! I just got my confirmation that I am registered. Wow!

I decided that I have the time in my life now to train for one so I might as well do it. I won't start my official training until December and maybe not even until January. It will be a solid 6 months of training, but I think I can do it! Good times await!

Grasshoppers and 500k

This morning I was out on a run - shorter than it should have been - but as I was running, there were a lot of grasshoppers. They were quick to jump out from under the potentially deadly wrath of my foot. What I was reminded of as I watched them jump is that FALL is almost here! The mornings have been really nice here in AZ - only to get better! This is why I live here! :) Well, at least a small part!

I run with a nike+ system. This system is one in which I have a transmitter attached to my ipod and a receiver in the bottom of my shoe. With this system, I know how far I've run, what my pace was, and how long it took me to complete the run. It is pretty nifty! Another part of this gadget is that it talks to me! This morning, Paula Radcliff's voice came through my earphones to congratulate me on completing 500 Kilometers! That is just over 310 miles. That has been done over a total of 51 workouts and 46 hours of running! That is a lot of short runs and quite a few longer runs (10 miles or longer when I was training for the 1/2 Ironman back in the beginning of the year!). And to think that is only running - I would be curious to know what those totals would be if I added my cycling and rowing in to the mix!

The Next Adventure...

While there is nothing immediate in the forecast for adventures, I am already swamped with prepartations for the Ironman race which will be held here in Arizona in November. I am the volunteer coordinator for about 3000 volunteers and the 70 captains that manage those volunteers. It is a big project!!! I start meeting with my captains next week and will continue full-speed until after the race! I'm going to need a serious vaction after this one. Any ideas of where to go? :)

Rollin, rollin, rollin...keep those pedals rollin...

I survived LOTOJA 2008! This was my third year doing this race. 206 miles, 3 states, 1000 cyclists, one day. The first year I did all 206 miles myself. The subsequent two years, I did it as a relay - a MUCH better option! So, this year I rode 94 miles of the race and my relay partner, Andy, rode 112 miles. It was a long day with a lot of headwind, but we found the finish line in a little over 11 hours.
This is Andy and I at the start line. We are still smiling! :)

The brief recap of the day is this: we got up at 4:45AM so we could leave by 5:30 to get to the start line. Andy rode the first 80 miles, from Logan, UT to Montpelier, ID. I drove the car to Montpelier, where we exchanged the timing chip. Andy is so fast that he was the third person overall to come in to Montpelier. I was 7 miles in to my ride before the first group came flying past me. I had a 9 mile hill to climb, followed by an 11 mile trek up to the highetst point on the ride - at just over 7400 feet - Salt River Pass. I ended my 47 mile leg in Afton, WY. Andy arrived a little after I was done riding. We exchanged the chip again and off he went, again flying past people. We met up again in Alpine, WY, where I rode the last 47 miles. With about 30 miles to go the wind really picked up. There weren't any groups that were riding at my pace, so I battled the winds on my own. It was all worth it as this was our view of the Tetons as I rode into Jackson - - -

My sister, Jane, as well as a friend, came to see me at the finish line. Jane's husband, Brian, was also able to stop by and see me (after he flew in from a work project). It is always nice to see family and to have support on such adventures!

I had a few other friends that did the ride and we were able to spend a few extra days in Jackson, just enjoying the area. I am attaching a few pictures. We saw one giant moose - 8 points on each side! We hiked around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. It is so beautiful up there!

The moose.
Andy ponders at Inspiration Point above Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.

At the time of departure from Jackson back to Salt Lake, I was transporting 6 bikes and three additional people - for a total of 4 adults. It took the boys over 90 minutes to configure all the bikes so that there was no movement and no scraping of bikes agains other bikes. That is what happens when engineers are in charge of the bikes!!! :) This was a sight to behold! The jetta pulls through once again!

4 bikes on top, two bikes on the back, two wheels on the back bike rack, one wheel on the back window - outside the car, and one wheel in the back window - inside the car.

I was able to stay the night on Monday night with my brother and sister-in-law (Josh and Allison) in Lehi, before driving back to AZ on Tuesday. I always enjoy staying with them!

It was a quick weekend, and yet so long! I'm glad the race is behind me. My 'old' bike held up but the new bike is even closer to being purchased now! I'm pretty sure I will be doing this race again next year!