Belay on...

So, if training for an Ironman weren't enough to fill my time, I have also been going rock climbing 2 or 3 times a week. I learned to rock climb when I lived in Utah. I went once or twice a week up there - always outdoors. Now, 8+ years later, I am climbing indoors. It is taking some time to regain my courage on the climbs but it is progressing nicely. I have a very patient climbing partner who helps me when I need it! That is a bonus! My fingers are regaining contact strength for the smaller holds. It is a lot of fun! There was only one instance of 'not fun'. I almost killed my friend, Mark, when he was coming off a lead climb. (usually we do climbs which are already top-roped, which means if you fall, there is no risk of falling far. On a lead climb, you can fall double the distance of where the last bolt/tie-in is). Mark had gone to the top of the lead climb. I had the rope in wrong and there was no catch on the rope. This means that when he started coming back down, it was only my strength trying to prevent him from plummeting to his death. Fortunately, there was someone close by who helped prevent disaster from happening. We haven't tried lead climbs since then! I got a nice rope burn on my hand which is just about healed - 2.5 weeks later! Like I said - it is a lot of fun! I don't have any pictures of me climbing - yet - so I just added a picture of my gear. Chalk bag, harness, and shoes, and a carabiner that you can't really see!

Back to grade school....

Do you remember grade school, and on to high school for that matter, when you got a progress report every 9 weeks? I used to have a love-hate-relationship with those reports. I loved to see the big 'A' flashing across the paper. I knew I had done a good job. The other letters on those progress reports? Well, those weren't always as fun to see. Fortunately, they were never bad letters (unless you count my freshman year of college - psychology - that was a rough class!), just not as pleasing as was the 'A'.

Reminiscing about those progress reports is actually why I am posting today. I just completed my first 9 weeks of training for my Ironman race, which will be in June! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed! I suppose not all weeks have passed as quickly as others, but it is 9 weeks any way you slice it. To give you an idea of what my training looks like right now, I'll post what a 'typical' week of training is.

• Monday - Run 5 miles/Swim (abt 2800-3000 yds)
• Tuesday - Bike 90 minutes followed by a 4 mile run (fast)
• Wednesday - Bike 30 miles/Swim (2800-3000 yds)
• Thursday - Swim (2800-3000 yds)
• Friday - Long Run - 14 miles
• Saturday - Long Bike - 60 miles with hills

All my swim workouts are specific to form work, speed work, or endurance. Some workouts I like better than others, but they are all typically about 3000 yds - which takes me about an hour with all the variation in sets I do.

Every three weeks, I also do a progress check with running and swimming. The run test is called a MAF test - or Maximum athletic function. For this, I warm up on the track and then run 3 miles in a row, keeping my heart rate at 153 bpm (beats per minunte). When I first started this process, my miles were each about 11 minutes. Now, they are about 8 1/2 minutes. Heart rate training is AWESOME!!! For swimming, I do a pace test in which I warm up and then I do 3, 300 yd swims with 30 seconds in between. I then average the times and calculate a pace based on 100 yds. I have some work to do in the pool yet, but I have improved!

Most days, I really like being on my bike. I am much faster than I have been (not sure if it is the new bike or not but I like to think it is a combination of getting stronger and the bike!). I have been doing a lot of riding with head winds, so I'm getting used to that. I don't care much for the wind, but I'm getting better at riding in it - which is always good preparation for racing!

Overall, I feel really good in my training. I had one really hard week mentally. I still got out and did my workouts, I just had a very hard time motivating myself to do it. I'm glad I've only had one of those! Since then, all has been well. I feel healthy and haven't injured anything!

I will run the Moab 1/2 Marathon on March 21st, then on to Oceanside, CA for a 1/2 Ironman race on April 4th. That will be preparation for the full Ironman in Coeur d'Alene, ID on June 21st!

One of my friends was down last weekend from Utah to do some training in warm weather and he told me a quote, which I really like (and can apply to training AND life!): "The Will to Win is nothing without the Will to Prepare."

This progress report - 'A-/B+'!!! There is always room for improvement!

I finally found the one....

I know you have been waiting for years to hear me declare that I've found 'the one'. Well, it has been a long time in coming, but I found what I've been looking for.

Black with a little bit of silver shining through....likes to go for long bike rides with me...not too tempermental - yet...on the right course...has been molded to be a perfect fit for me...is lots of fun to be with...makes me happy!!! I could go on, but you will have to meet 'the one' yourself! I'm sure you will have the same amount of love and appreciation as I have found!

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tada!!! My new Cervelo P2C! Ironman Coeur d'Alene, here I come!

Ironman Arizona and Thanksgiving

Ironman is finally behind me. We had a great race! I had more volunteers than I knew what to do with, which was a great problem to have! Everything was 'nearly flawless' on race day! I was very happy with the results and am glad that I only have one race to organize in 2009! (we had 2 races this year!)

Just as quickly as Ironman was over, Thanksgiving was here. I spent the day cleaning, putting my life back in order, and eating with Amy's family. It was a nice day.

On Friday, I headed to Magic Mountain in Southern California with 16 other people. (I have gone to Magic Mountain every year for the last 4 years!) Some of them I knew, some were new faces. We loaded up about 4:45AM and drove over to the park. We stayed until it closed at 8 PM! We rode almost all the roller coasters - and some multiple times. One of my favorites, Goliath, I rode 5 times! The fifth time was a stretch but I was coaxed by my fellow riders to stay on the ride. The last three times we rode, we didn't even get off because there was no one waiting in line! It was a great way to end the evening. We stayed in a hotel that night and then headed back first thing on Saturday morning to get people back that needed to be back. It was a great trip! I had a great time and I met some great people!

(I love roller coasters! This is Goliath!)

Now, it is back to life and work. I'm getting ready to put all my Christmas decorations up, too! That is always fun!

Hope you each had time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for and are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Saviour this Christmas season!

(ps - my foot is all better!)

Yes, it is gross.....

So, this may be more than you want to know but I am currently battling with a plantar's wart issue on my foot. This is the third time I have had to go get injections to try to make the virus go dormant. I have no idea how I initally got it but each time it comes back, it gets worse. NOT my idea of fun. So, on Thursday, I went back to the podiatrist for another round of injections. They inject an acid called Bleomyecin in to the affected area. The black areas you see in the picture are just where they did the injections and now those areas are bruised. It is very sore and still swollen. I can't put any pressure on my heel. It should take about 2 weeks to heal. That is a killer for me since I am so active. It drives me crazy not being able to exercise. I'll come up with some alternatives until my foot gets better. In the meantime, I am a bit immobile and, if I am up and about, it is for short periods of time. I guess this is one way to slow me down!!!

Vancouver (BC), Seattle, Ironman AZ

Last weekend, I found myself again in Vancouver, BC to attend another stretch therapy workshop. I really love this line of work and have seen the techniques really help my clients. I am tying to gain as much knowledge in this area as possible. Vancouver is a great city! This time, I stayed with a few other ladies who were taking the workshop. It was a nice change from staying by myself like I have the previous times I have been up there. We stayed right downtown. It is a great city, bustling with life, culture, and energy! It was really nice to get out and do a few runs while I was there.

I made this trip a bit of a vacation as well, spending time with friends in the Seattle area and in Yakima. I needed something of a break from the routine here in AZ. It was nice to get away. I loved seeing all the fall colors! It is refreshing in SO many ways!

Next on the agenda is getting through Ironman Arizona, which is on November 23rd. Hopefully I will have something interesting to blog about before that! I am the volunteer coordinator for the event so I am quite busy with all the preparations. I am confident that we will have all the volunteers we need and that my captains are competent to run their areas well on race day! It is a long day, and actually more like a long week. 4 weeks to go!

Tumultuous Waters.....

i went rowing this morning on Tempe Town Ocean - I mean Lake. Because it is a man-made lake, it has some very interesting patterns of movement. Where we launch our boat, the water was like glass (the picture to the left is right by where we launch - with perfect water!)- the kind of water I always like when I am out wakeboarding! Just a few hundred meters in to the row, the water turned choppy and just proceeded to get worse as we rowed further East on the lake. (I was in a double this morning with one other lady, Helen.) We approached the mile mark, where we usually pass under the Rural Street Bridge. Well, much to my surprise, we had to stop somewhat quickly, as there was a large boat in the way. Boats with motors are not allowed on the lake, which is why I was caught off guard. Well, a passerby told us that there were divers below, looking for a murder weapon. OK - that is not a pleasant thought as I am out on the water. About the time we were discussing this weapon that they were searching for, the wind started carrying our boat quickly to the East. I wasn't paying super close attention, which resulted in an almost-dump of myself and Helen. We ran in to one of the pilings of the bridge - just with our oars, not the boat. It was a bit scary as I had to let go of one of my oars completely. Fortunately, the wind kept pulling us around the piling so we were able to maintain the right balance and I was able to get my oar back. I guess I need some more practice on choppy seas! I really like to row when the waters are calm - and don't like to row as much when the waters are choppy. Hmmm....see any parallels to life in this little scenario? We got back on track and had an ok workout. I did go for a run when I got home just so I felt that I got my heart rate up and so I could burn a few more calories!