Pedestrian Runner

Friday Lyrics

2012-02-10T14:31:00.003-07:00

Yep, gotta look for a job. I got laid off today. That is all!

FYI, I may or may not have been drunk when I wrote this post.

Monday Motivation

2012-02-06T07:31:00.008-07:00

I thought I would share with you some of the motivation that I have been using so far this year. I must tell you that these sayings have been working very well for me and that really make me happy.

The first one is my word for the year:

source

I have needed this one for some time. I need to believe in me! I need to believe that I am a strong, confident and intelligent woman. I doing great with this one.

The second one came to me one day when I was lifting:

source

I was at the gym and a nice lookin', toned woman came in to workout. I immediately started comparing myself with her and I was not measuring up. I then looked into mirror and reminded myself that I was just starting back and with time I would look better. I told myself that I was a "Work In Progress!" So that is how I stop myself from comparing now.

The third one came to me this weekend after a successful week of lifting:

I finally had gotten my 3 lifting sessions completed. I had a full week of running, biking and cardio. I was feeling good. Again, I started looking around at those strong women that are in my life, Coach J, Dr. C. and another body builder Erin Stern. I want to be like them but know I have a long way to go and even then I will be in different in my build. Again, I am trying to stop the comparisons so this came to me!

The fourth and final one has been in my life for a long time:

Whether it is said out loud or implied this one drives me harder than anything you can imagine. And in most cases, I get to say "Ha, guess you were wrong!" Maybe its the rebel in me but don't tell me I can't do something because I will prove you wrong! That is just how I am wired.

I don't know if any of these will help y'all but they are what is driving me right now. What quotes, sayings or words are driving you this year?

Pikes Peak Road Runners Super Bowl 5K

2012-02-05T12:16:00.005-07:00

Another great race is in the books and I surprised myself yet again. I had a steady pace in the 10's. Wow!

Here are the unofficial details:
Mile 1: 10:14
Mile 2: 10:26
Mile 3: 10:33 During this mile I had to walk a little bit because my belly was not feeling good!
Mile .10: 9:43
Average Pace: 10:23

I am really feeling good with these races. I really thing that by the end of the summer I will be able to knock this down to in the 9's.

Now some great pics from the race:

Me and My Cheerleaders

A Beautiful Start to the Race!

How Can You Not Love This Face!

2012-02-04T12:15:00.004-07:00

Today was a great workout day! I finally did my full week of lifting! YAY! How do you like that Coach Jill!

Friday Lyrics

2012-02-03T08:24:00.002-07:00

Okay, this will be a slight derivation from my usual Friday lyrics, which of late have been very country-based, but I do have very eclectic tastes. Since I have been in a somewhat angry mood at times, I have been listening to the "hard" rock station in Colorado Springs more. Additionally, I love to listen to heavier metal when I am lifting. Thus the choice of my song for today, Get Up by Korn with Skrillex. I apologize in advance for the use of the f-bomb in this song. It is in this video so please don't watch this if you are around young-ins or if you don't like the word.

Get Up
--Korn

I am clearly broken
And no one knows what to do
Pieces of the puzzle don't fit so I pound them into you
Itching is a pulse inside
Creeping out to come alive
It's just doing what it's gonna do

Times are looking grim these days
Holding on to everything
It's hard to draw the line

Shut the f&*^ up, get up [x3]

I can't wait to rip my eyes out and look at you
Peace through pain is precious
Especially when it's done by you

Itching is a pulse inside
Creeping out to come alive
It's just doing what it's gonna do

Times are looking grim these days
Holding on to everything
It's hard to draw the line
And I, I'm hiding in this empty space
Tortured by my memories
Of what I left behind

Shut the f&*^up, get up [x3]

Shut
Up

Times are looking grim these days
Holding on to everything
It's hard to draw the line
And I, I'm hiding in this empty space
Tortured by my memories
Of what I left behind

Shut the f&*^ up, get up [x3]

January Numbers!

2012-02-01T13:10:00.003-07:00

Biking: 35.71 miles
Elliptical: 9.28 miles
Rowing: 5.64 miles
Running: 44.65 miles
Swimming: 0.00 miles
Total: 95.28 miles
Lifting: 6 Sessions
Races: 2 - Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series Race 1 and 2.

I believe this was a pretty good month overall. My intent for the month was to get back into working out with out a lot of pressure. I have done just that. I enjoyed almost all of the workouts and I did what I wanted to do and not what was on a training schedule.

For the month of February I will be looking to continue my success and work more on consistency. I may throw in some swimming but I will only do it if I feel like it. I am going to continue to work towards eating cleaner but I will not put pressure on myself if I don't succeed 100% in this area.

All is looking up so let's make February rock! Who's with me?

Bad Race Photo!!!

2012-01-29T08:52:00.003-07:00

I had a wonderful race yesterday. I did the second race of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series, 4 miler. I signed up for the Series in hopes of finding my love of running again. Guess what? I have found it!!! Yesterday's race was a great surprise. I have been doing my runs throughout the week slower than usual as I am trying to run by heart rate and my hr zones. So I feel like I am walking most often. I assumed that I would be running my race pretty slow also. However, I was extremely surprised. I ran 10 min/miles. And the bonus is that I didn't feel horrible as I was doing it. My breathing felt great and I felt awesome. This HR thing may be good. Here are my stats:

Official Time: 41:58
Age Group: 22nd out of 35.

Anyway, you really came here to see the absolute worst race pic possible. Well, here you go! I have no freakin' idea what I am doing here!!!

Friday Lyrics

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends from the good ole days (like as far back as grade school) has the most amazing and talented sister. Lisa mentioned her sister on Facebook this week and pointed all of us to Amanda's latest video and I was blown away. What a fantastic voice!!! I just had to share her video as today's lyrics.

Please spread the word about Amanda Marissa. She is an up and coming star! And you can bet I will be doing all I can to help her reach her goals. Thanks Amanda for sharing your talent with all of us!

They Like Me! They Really Like Me!

2012-01-25T12:40:00.003-07:00

Kate has tagged me to do the 11 questions again. What fun! I will try to come up with 11 more random things about myself but I am not that interesting! Trust me!

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. ~~No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!~~ I am not tagging people because I have already tagged 11 people in the first go round!

More Randomness:
1. We currently have two of three cars in the shop! I am not happy about this at all because I hate spending money on my cars!
2. I am addicted to Solitaire. I spend ~~most~~ every evening playing it on my phone as I watch t.v.
3. One time when I was running in my hometown I had a SUAR moment and had to run for the bushes. That was not a fun run!
4. I don't really want to have new boobs! That is just what I tell my son I am going to spend his college money on. Oh wait, he doesn't have any college money!
5. I have had a flat tire on my mountain bike for almost a year now because I am scared I will break my MTB if I try and change it. Too many gadgets and crap on it! Yay, I am girlie sometimes.
6. I "farmer-blow" my nose when I run and bike. I find it is very lady-like!
7. For all you girls out there, I had a hysterectomy this fall and I don't miss "that time of the month" at all!!!!!!!
8. I sometimes wish that I was Mexican because I just love their culture so much.
9. I love homemade cookies, which is one reason why I am packing on the extra weight right now!
10. I have taken college classes at 6 different universities and I only have one degree. (Wichita State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Maryland, University of Texas at S.A., University of Colorado at COS and Colorado Technical University)
11. My favorite lifting exercise is the chest press. How is that for complete randomness!

Kate's Questions:
1. Would you rather be told you could never run again for the rest of your life, or you have to wear the same outfit every single day for the rest of your life? Well, since I was in the military I think I will go with wear the same outfit every day. Been there, done that, survived!
2. What is your favorite post-run indulgence? A bacon cheeseburger, fries and a nice micro-brew or two!
3. What song gets you the most pumped up during a run? I know this sounds weird but I really love to run to Prince's Purple Rain.
4. Favorite running movie? I really loved Saint Ralph.
5. Have you ever peed yourself during a run? Maybe a little! But I have yet to pee on my bike. Am I still a triathlete?
6. If you could invite 3 people (alive or dead) to a dinner party, who would you invite? Chrissie Wellington, my mom and Abe Lincoln.
7. If you could trade lives with anybody, who would you trade with? I know this sounds sappy but I really wouldn't want to trade lives with anyone. I am really happy in my life right now and if you know me then you know I haven't always felt that way.
8. If you had the ability to enact any law right now, which would it be? I would make gay marriages legal.
9. If you had $1 million to donate to any cause, which cause would you choose?
10. Who inspires you? I am inspired by the people that I follow on blogs. The normal everyday people doing their best to get by in this world.
11. Cats or dogs? A long time ago I would have said cats but since I have had Reba and Hannah I would have to say, "I love dogs and cats!"

AWESOMENESS!

2012-01-24T12:27:00.003-07:00

I just finished my lunch workout and I am so excited. I had a great workout. In fact, I have had several great workouts and I am starting to "BELIEVE" again! I am starting to BELIEVE
- That I am an athlete!
- That I can train and still have fun!
- That I can do another 1/2 Ironman!

What do you BELIEVE about yourself today?

11 Things Tag

2012-01-23T07:58:00.004-07:00

Ms. Colleen, the IronDiva, tagged me so I shall oblige her. Thanks for giving me something to write about!

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 Random Things About Me:
1. I have lived in Colorado for almost 16 years now. In three years I will have lived in Colorado longer than I lived in Kansas. Who knew when I was growing up I would not live in Kansas my whole life? Not me!
2. I have a B.A. in psychology but I have never worked a day in that field of study.
3. My favorite color is purple.
4. I wish I was lying on a beach right now!
5. I make a mean batch of sugar cookies.
6. I am a Steelers fan and a Spurs fan. I just don't seem to root for Colorado teams.
7. I could watch NCIS all day, every day. Oh wait, I do.
8. I love trail running right now! I may add the Greenland Trail Race to my calendar this year.
9. I can't wait to see the latest Underworld movie and Haywire.
10. I hate winter!
11. I have the cutest Golden Lab puppy ever seen!

11 Questions Asked by Colleen:
1. Where is one place in the world you'd love to travel? Costa Rica
2. What one food could you eat for every meal? Pizza
3. If you were a super hero, what power would you possess? Super Speed
4. If you won the lottery, would you still work? No but I would probably do a lot of work with a charity near to my heart.
5. You are stranded on a deserted island... what three things do you have with you? Beer, bottle opener and a good book.
6. If you could bring one person to the island, who would it be? My hubby.
7. What's your favorite holiday? I don't really care for any of the holidays. I think they have all become over commercialized.
8. What movie could you watch over and over and over? Stars Wars 4 - 6!
9. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? 1
10. Would you rather be really hot or really cold? Really Hot!
11. If you could change just one thing about yourself, what would it be? I think I would like bigger boobs! :)

Now here are my questions for those that I tag:
1. Which actor played James Bond the best?
2. Are you a cat person or a dog person?
3. What is your favorite race to date?
4. Do you prefer beer or wine?
5. What is the first race that you ever completed?
6. Do you have a coach to help you with your training?
7. If you could compete in any long distance triathlon and race fees were not a factor would you choose IM or Rev 3 races?
8. How many blogging friends have you met in person?
9. Who is going to win the Superbowl, New England Patriots or New York Giants?
10. If you could meet one person alive or dead, who would it be?
11. And finally the big question, do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?

Okay now I am tagging the following people:
Alex
Terzah
Christina
Xaarlin
Mom 2 Pippa
Aimee
Becka
Beth
Jim - Detroit Runner
The Black Knight
Tortuga Runner

Friday Lyrics

2012-01-13T07:40:00.003-07:00

This song is awesome! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!

I want to escape reality by sitting on a beach with cool Dos Equix and the warm sun shining down on me!

Reality
--Kenny Chesney
For me it's a beach bar
Or on a boat underneath the stars
Or with my band up on a stage
For a while everything's okay

For some it's a fast car
Moonshine in a mason jar
And everybody has their way
Somehow to escape

Reality, yeah, sometimes life
Ain't all that it's cracked up to be
So let's take a chance and live this fantasy
'Cause everybody needs to break free from reality

Yeah, some days it's a bitch, it's a bummer
We need a rock and roll show in the summer
To let the music take us away
Take our minds to a better place

Where we feel that sense of freedom
Leave our worries behind, we don't need 'em
All we need is a sunny day and an old tailgate
And we'll escape

Reality, yeah, sometimes life
Ain't all that it's cracked up to be
So let's take a chance and live this fantasy
'Cause everybody needs to break free from reality

Everybody raise your hands and voice tonight
Set your soul free, let's take a carpet ride
We'll leave it all behind

Reality, yeah, sometimes life
Ain't all that it's cracked up to be
So let's take a chance and live this fantasy
'Cause everybody needs to break free from reality

Come on everybody, break free
Come on everybody, break free

Triple Bypass.

2012-01-10T07:48:00.004-07:00

Well, I got the news yesterday. I will be riding the Triple Bypass this year. I wish had all the statistics on this ride but I don't. I do know that very few women do this ride and of those that do the ride very few women complete it. Do I have my work cut out for me? Yes! Can I do this? Yes! I am just going to take this one day at a time and practice my mantra of "BELIEVE!" Anyone want to train with me?

Holy Elevation!

And as to yesterday, thanks to everyone for all the kind words. My friend Nic was right. With all the love sent my way y'all must know something that I don't! THANKS!

News...

2012-01-09T08:23:00.002-07:00

Okay, I have some pretty interesting news. I didn't really think that I would do this but I no longer have a coach. Coach L. and I mutually agreed that she would no longer be my coach. I love Coach L. to death and she will continue to be one of my friends but the coaching relationship was not working for either of us.

What does this mean for my athletic future? Well, right now I don't know. I am in a very unusual situation right now. I am facing MAJOR burnout not only in my athletic endeavors but also in my personal life. So I am not going to declare some fantastic goal and tell you guys that I am going to rock the shit out of it because in reality I won't have the energy to do it. I will then feel horrible for declaring my intentions and then in my mind "fail" as I don't follow through. I only going to say that I am trying to heal the emotional pain that I have continuously inflicted upon myself for years. I am trying to find out "who I am" and "why I am here." I am trying to like myself for who I am and quit being my worst critic. In theory, this should be an easy task. But for all the negative self-talk that I have engaged in all my life I really have to say a lot of positive things to myself to counteract them. So while I work towards healing I will not be focusing on specific goals. Though, if I get picked for Triple Bypass, I will ride it. Anyway, I need to get better before I rush towards throwing myself into the 'triathlon' lifestyle. I have to make sure that I am doing it for the right reasons and not just to run from something.

There you go... that is my reality. I will try and blog but sometimes I just can't bring myself to share. I don't even really know why I shared this post. I guess sometimes we need to let people know how we are feeling even when we aren't in a good place. Athletic Christi will be back. I just don't know when.

And just because I don't want to end on a negative note. Here is a great pic of my baby, Reba!

Friday Lyrics

2012-01-06T12:59:00.003-07:00

This song just makes me laugh and reminds me of a song my friends and I would have written in high school! Enjoy!

Friday Lyrric and Catch Up!

2011-12-30T08:30:00.006-07:00

I don't really have much to catch up on right now. I am still contemplating what I want to accomplish in the coming year. Many things are floating through my mind but nothing has really settled. I know want to be a better version of myself so that is what I am going to do. How I am accomplish that is still up in the air but I will let you know the details once I figure them out.

So in line with my last desire here is my Friday Lyric! Just some back information for this song. Currently, Tim McGraw has released this song and its playing on the radio. However, the song was previously released by Sammy Kershaw and I prefer his version. I hope you enjoy it!

And one more thing Happy New Years everyone! May the running gods smile upon you and may the wind always be at your back!

Sammy's Version!

Tim's Version!

"Better Than I Used To Be"

I know how to hold a grudge
I can send a bridge up in smoke
And I can't count the people I've let down, the hearts I've broke
You ain't gotta dig too deep
If you wanna find some dirt on me
I'm learning who you've been
Ain't who you've got to be
It's gonna be an uphill climb
Aww honey I won't lie

I ain't no angel
I still got a still few more dances with the devil
I’m cleanin up my act, little by little
I’m getting there
I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see
I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get
But I’m better than I used to be

I’ve pinned a lot of demons to the ground
I’ve got a few old habits left
There’s one or two I might need you to help me get
Standin in the rain so long has left me with a little rust
But put some faith in me
And someday you’ll see
There’s a diamond under all this dust

I ain't no angel
I still got a still few more dances with the devil
I’m cleanin up my act, little by little
I’m getting there
I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see
I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get
But I’m better than I used to be

I ain't no angel
I still got a still few more dances with the devil
But I’m cleanin up my act, little by little
I’m getting there
I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see
I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get
But I’m better than I used to be

Versatile Blogger Award!

2011-12-21T06:56:00.007-07:00

I have been called out by TriMOEngr for not blogging more. My bad! Sorry! She and Julie have both given me the Versatile blogger award so I will get on it now.

There are a few basic rules with this award:
1. You have to thank the giver, and provide a link to the post. Thank you TriMOEngr and Julie at "You Just Have to TRI!"

2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
a. I bought myself the coolest pair of cowboy boots this year and I love wearing them. And not because everyone always tells me how cool they are but that does help!

b. I am the "Elliptical Queen!" I have not been running much but I spend generally an hour a day, 5 days a week on the elliptical and right now I love it. I am sure it will change in the future and I will get back to running. However, I do enjoy not being injured!

c. I love my puppy Reba so much! She chews the shit out of everything including me but I know that will pass. In the meantime here is a cute pic of her to distract you from the fact that I can't think of anything to write!

d. I have two brothers and they are both coming to visit over Christmas! YAY!

e. I was born in raised in Kansas. I lived there until I was 19 years old. I do not know Dorothy, Toto or the Wicked Witch! However, tornados do not scare me and I am a "Kansas Princess!" I may not live there now but I will ALWAYS consider it home.

f. Someday I will complete a full Ironman. I may not have the motivation right now to do one but I know without a doubt that I will do one!

g. I may do the "Triple Bypass" ride in 2012! I better get on my bike and start riding!

3. Award 15 other newly discovered blogs the same award.
I award the "Versatile Blogger" award to anyone who wants to be one. Please lean over as I tap you with my mighty writing tool and say with me "I am a versatile blogger and I will uphold the laws and rules of our covenant!"

Baby Steps!

2011-12-07T07:45:00.003-07:00

Expect this crazy girl to come back!

I am so excited to say that I have eaten clean for two days now. I have had no Starbucks and no crap!!!! YAY! I also made it to the gym last night to lift. I know this doesn't sound that big but to me this is huge. These small baby steps mean that I am working towards being myself again. I have kind of missed the crazy dedicated me! I needed to take control in some area of my life and I think I have found that control. Now let's make this thing a habit so that I can focus on a different area in my life.

Remember every day in your life is a struggle, don't ever give up the fight!

November Numbers

2011-12-02T07:47:00.004-07:00

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted workout numbers for the month so I think I will post November numbers.

November

I had a pretty good month and I am pretty happy with what I have been doing. I am not really sticking to a schedule much to the chagrin of my coach. I just want to do what I want to do and right now that is the elliptical and hiking/running with Reba. I have tried to do the elliptical every day during the week and go on long hikes with Reba on the weekend. For the most part that plan has worked out for me.

I don't know what December will hold for me. I have a few goals so I will outline them for you.
1. I want to workout every day even if only for 20 mins.
2. I want to take one meal each day to work be it either breakfast or lunch and by the end of the month work towards taking both meals.
3. I want to start doing some push-ups, sit-ups and planks each day even if only 10/exercise/day.
4. I want to find one thing a day that makes me happy and enjoy that moment.

So please share, what are your goals for December?

Movement on Monday?

2011-11-21T08:15:00.004-07:00

Isn't she adorable?

Hi y'all! I really don't know what to blog about today so this post may be boring. I don't have any grand plans to announce. I am just trying to make it through each day. I don't have much training to talk about because all I do right now is hit the elliptical during the week and walk my baby on the weekends.

A few things of note have occurred. My son is moving home on Tuesday. The social experiment of living on his own was more difficult than he thought at least from a financial perspective. He will come home, get a new job, go to PPCC and start saving so he can try again at a later date.

I think I might have come up with at least one goal for 2012. Yay! I want to complete two back to back century rides. I don't know why. Just to say I did it I guess. If anyone would like to join me, please let me know! Hey KC anything in Florida I could do?

We are off to Texas on Thursday! I can't wait. I hope there is warm weather! I know there will be great company because we are seeing the Keisers! My niece, Tiffany, is getting married. I am so happy for her and John!

I hope everyone has a great T-day! Until later keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness...

I'm Done!

2011-11-09T10:24:00.004-07:00

Source

The cleanse and I were not getting along this time around so I have thrown in the towel. Now excuse me as I go eat that cracker!

Day Two!

2011-11-08T12:46:00.003-07:00

Day one of the cleanse went very well. I was able to run for 20 mins and then walk Reba for 40 mins. I did not have a lot of cravings and the stomach growling didn't start until bed time, around 8pm. Yeah, I go to bed early!

Day two started out okay but right now I am having cravings. I am questioning my sanity and the point of this exercise. Which then leads me to doubt every thing. So I am ready to give up all things triathlon to include no more twittering, facebooking and blogging. That way I won't have to be reminded that I don't have what it takes to be a triathlete right now. I am wondering if I am doing the right thing or if I am just being an idiot. What am I trying to prove? And who am I trying to prove this too? Y'all don't really care right? I know what Coach L and my friends think about this stupidity. I am sure my doc won't be happy. Why then do I do this? I guess that really is the question and right now I can't answer it because all I really want is the cracker staring at me.

Okay that's all I got today. Who knew I would be breaking so early on!

Reset Time!

2011-11-07T09:37:00.005-07:00

Okay, if you have followed me in the past you will know that there are times when I decide to do a cleanse. Well, guess what?! This is one of those times. I have decided to do a 14-day cleanse this time around. I have done 5 days cleanses in the past but I never felt the full effect. 14 days will definitely be a challenge but I am hoping that it will do two things for me:

1. Reset the body. I can tell I have a lot of toxins in my body right now and I really want to rid myself of them.
2. Reset my mind. I know that if I can conquer this detox that I will be able to get myself set right for eating clean. Eating clean means a leaner and healthier Christi which in turn makes me a happier Christi.

I am doing the Master Cleanse. You can find the book at Whole Foods if you are interested. Basically for the next 14 days I will be drinking my meals. I will have 5-32 oz Nalgene bottles of Cran-Lemon juice. The Cran-Lemon juice contains 4 oz Pure Cranberry Juice, 4 oz of Pure Lemon Juice, 3 tablespoons of Grade B Maple Syrup and 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper. I will also drink 5-32 oz water in between the Cran-Lemon juice along with a salt-water rinse in the morning and a tea at night. Based on what I calculated this will be about 920 calories/day. Don't freak on me now. I will be fine with the calorie intake. To keep my need for chewing at bay I will be chewing gum on occasion.

So from now until Sunday, November 20 I will be cleansing. Please wish me luck! I know what y'all are thinking so you may call me crazy if you would like. I don't mind. I think I am crazy also. This is just one of those things that I need to do.

Just in case you are going to start hating on me after this announcement here is another great puppy photo to convince you I am not too crazy! :)

What's up Wednesday!

2011-11-02T08:17:00.015-06:00

1. Snow! Yes, this is the second week in a row when we have had snow on Wednesday. I believe we are going to have a long winter!

Thanks Rebecca for the great pic!

2. I am not losing weight! Yes, it is all my fault and yes I need to get off the pot and stop whining! Can someone kick me in the pants and make me do it?!

Source

3. My workouts right now consist of only doing the elliptical and hiking with the puppy. I see my doc for my 4 week post-op appointment so I am hoping he will clear me to do more!

Queen of the Mountain

4. I am a horrible blogger mainly because my mood is up and down. I don't want to subject you to the roller coaster that is my mood. I, for one, cannot stand the ride so I am sure y'all don't want to be on it with me! So please forgive me for my sporadic blogging!

Source

5. I have the greatest son in the world and I want to tell him one thing. "Things in life may get hard but you will always, ALWAYS have the love of your mom and dad!!!

6. The Jason Aldean concert was freakin' awesome! He is an absolute great performer. I guess my son said it best, "Country music may have balls after all!"

Source

7. I can't wait for the following movies to come out: The Muppets and The Immortals. Disparate taste? Yepppers!

Source

Source

8. Thanks to Julie for nominating me for the "Versatile Blogger Award!" I will fulfill my obligations in the near future!

Julie, I am not worthy!

9. Finally I am going to put in one more public please for help. Please help Mr. Scott Austin in his fundraising for the "Hands and Feet Project!" And good luck at IM FL Scott! I know you will rock!

Source

10. And to everyone else rockin' IM FL - go get 'em! That's you KC!

Yes, KC is a Triathlon Rock Star!

Pictoral Monday!

2011-10-31T08:10:00.002-06:00

Help me Obi-wan Kenobi

How cute are they!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

What's up Wednesday!

2011-10-19T09:24:00.010-06:00

1. I did a nice and easy workout on the elliptical yesterday and it felt great. The best thing is that I didn't have a "workout" dream last night! That is an addiction when you dream about working out when you can't!

2. I have started eating clean again. Result to date and that is only two days but I lost 2lbs! YAY! I have a long way to go but that is a good start.

3. I am back at work pretty much full time. I do pretty well during the day but am exhausted by the time I get home. Yes, if you are at home and counting I went back to work a couple of days early but I couldn't stand the silence at my house. Don't worry I will be fine! I am "wonder woman" after all!

4. My friend Nicola and I are going to start a boot camp workout after my recovery period. I can't wait. I need something different and I think this may just be it!

5. I am going to see Jason Aldean on Friday with my son and two of my friends. I can't wait. I love Jason!

6. My friends got me addicted to the show "Revenge." The acting is terrible but I must know each week who she has taken down this time. How does she do it? Are there real people in the world that do this type of thing? If there are people like that in the world, I sure hope I don't piss them off!

Well, that is all I have for now. I hope everyone is having a great week! And remember keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

More cuteness!

2011-10-17T10:26:00.004-06:00

Healing is going well. I have no pain but fatigue is what gets me. However, that too is improving day to day. I have had the opportunity to hike 3 times now and that was great. I am slowly coming round!

But here is the real reason you are here... More adorable Reba pics. Only 10 more days and she will be home with us. She is getting bigger and her personality is really starting to show through. YAY! Love her!

Yes, I am Paul Atreides

2011-10-10T11:14:00.004-06:00

Okay, that is a very geeky sci-fi reference in the title. I will get to that in a minute. My surgery on Thursday went very well. I got out of surgery and felt awesome! Of course, then the epidural wore off and reality kicked in. Damn I am in pain! Where did that come from?! Then to make matters worse, I could not pee on my own. Sorry TMI! So now I am doing my best Paul Atreides impersonation. They would only let me out of the hospital if I took along a pee bag! Crap! Now I am really an old woman! At least i don't have to recycle what is in the bag! If you haven't read Dune or seen the movie go out and rent or read it now!

I have been sleeping a lot! I set up my computer on Saturday to watch Kona but spent most of the time sleeping. However, you can still feel the excitement even when you are sleeping. Kona really has me pumped up to get better and go rock some great training. But first things first. I must recover from this damn surgery and I have several weeks of recovery to conquer first. Oh yea, Congrats to everyone who rocked Kona this year! I think this year was a very hard year on everyone! Y'all are my heroes!

Thanks to everyone for your kinds words and healing vibes. They really do mean a lot!

Have a great week!

My "Get Well Owls" from the best boys in the world!

Pre-op Day

2011-10-05T08:10:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's true. I am having surgery tomorrow. Don't worry it is nothing too serious. I just need to take care of something that will make my life 100% better so my friends have said. The recovery time is what is going to be difficult. I will be out of commission for about 6 weeks, at least according to my doctor. My coach has other plans but don't worry she is conservative! Please send me some prayers and healing vibes so that I can get this out of the way and back to training! I am ready to start tackling some goals!

And in case you needed it here is another dose of cuteness. This time I have both my babies in the pic! Ty had to come home and meet his little sister!

New Family Addition

2011-10-02T08:17:00.004-06:00

Good Morning y'all, I would like you introduce you to a new family member but first some background. As you may or may not know two things happened this year.

Our dog Hannah had to be put down at the beginning of the year after suffering from renal disease. This was very difficult and heartbreaking for our entire family but especially my husband. Hannah was his baby!

My son took his big boy pants and the keys to his car and moved out of our house to attend school at Front Range Community College in Ft. Collins. Now my baby was gone and NOT very good at calling his mother!!! Just sayin!

Well, I have been working on my husband for sometime now to get me a puppy. As he told my son, "Your mother is trying to replace you with a dog." to which Ty said "Good Luck with that!" Well Tyler, I would like to introduce you to your sister!!!

Please let me introduce you to my baby, Reba. She is a Golden/Lab hybrid and will be home on Oct 26. She is only 4 weeks old right now so she is staying with her momma, Gracie and her daddy, Maddie.

I hope you love her as much as I already do!!! I can't wait to take her on long hikes and chase tennis balls.

Friday Lyrics

2011-09-30T09:17:00.003-06:00

Today's song is dedicated to my husband who had his birthday on Wednesday. I hope he can take a minute and listen to this one because it really does express how I feel about him. I also hope y'all enjoy it as well! Sorry that you to follow a link to view it but they disabled the embed feature on this one!

I may have some exciting news tomorrow evening so don't forget to check back over the weekend!

Ciao for now!

Blake Shelton's God Gave Me You.

"God Gave Me You"

I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
Gave me you

There’s more here than what we’re seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
And I’ll be the flattered fool
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
He gave me you.

Crackers? or Tortillas?

2011-09-27T07:31:00.004-06:00

1. My tortillas were a flop! They were too hard and came out like crackers rather than tortillas. I would like to blame the altitude but the replacement tortillas we bought from La Casita were very good. There goes my excuse!! I will just have to keep practicing because I will make great tortillas before I die!

2. I was in San Antonio all last week. I had a great week at work and learned that I have a lot to learn in my job! The weekend was even better because my Alma mater. University of Texas at San Antonio, won our FIRST homecoming game! YAY!!!! That was so much fun to watch!

3. This week is the week from hell. I have some requirements do for work by the end of the week. I have a website due by the end of the week for my company. I don't know how I will get my workouts done!

4. My leg is getting better but it is taking a long time. I have been able to do the elliptical but I still have some swelling and some residual pain in my ankle. I will give myself one compliment here, when I do something I really do it up big!

5. I realized last week that I am still suffering from my IM Kansas 70.3 "defeat." I believe the scar was a lot deeper than I thought and I am still not mentally recovered from that race. I think that is one of the reasons why this year has not gone well. However, recognition is the first step to recovery so I can now do the work to get over it!

6. I am going to put out one more plea for help for my blogging buddy Austin! Please go check out his latest blog post and if at all possible, please do what you can to help!!! Enjoy The Ride

7. My "Tuesday Hero" this week is Martin from fatsmoker to ironman! He is one year into his transformation and he is doing awesome! He is a constant source of inspiration to me and I hope that you can all give him the props he is due! Congrats Martin! Keep up the great work!!!!

8. I didn't give you a song last Friday so I will give you one now. Here is one of my favorite tunes from Robert Earl Keen. I call him a cowboy poet and he is very popular in San Antonio and throughout Texas. He also happens to be my hubby's favorite singer!

Friday Lyrics

2011-09-16T08:02:00.004-06:00

Hi y'all! How is everyone doing out in blog land. Things are here are better for the moment.
1. My leg is getting better. I had an x-ray and I have no fractures, no soft tissue damage nor clots. I just have some very ugly bruises and sprains in my knee and ankle. Time for me to suck it up and start working out again.
2. I am attempting to make tortillas from scratch this weekend. Wish me luck!
3. I am riding my bike on Sunday. YAY!

Here is the song for the week. I love Karmin! They are just very unique. I hope you enjoy this one.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sporadic Posting

2011-09-12T09:43:00.003-06:00

Bullet points are the name of the game today. Sorry!
- My son came home yesterday for the day. He got a job in Fort Collins and had to come get his social security number. Hey, I will take what I can get!
- My Dallas vacation was a blast but I am injured. I had a little too much to drink one night and fell off a mechanical bull. I mean I fell down some stairs. My leg has been very swollen for over a week and I have some nice black and blue coloring from the knee down to the ankle and wrapped around the leg. I don't have any broken bones but I might have a new stress fracture and my knee is sloppy so that means I am off to have x-rays and an MRI sometime this week.
- Because of my stupid injury I did not do the aquabike race at Harvest Moon this weekend. DAMN!
- My season is officially over. I am not signing up for anything else until I am 100% back both physically and mentally. So much for an awesome 2011 year.
- My weight is way up! Enough said on the topic.
- My enthusiasm is at an all time low. Thus, the lack of blogging.
- That's all I have for y'all today. Congrats to all the people that raced this weekend. I am so excited for each and every one of you!

P.S. Please help Austin by clicking on this link and vote for the "Hands and Feet" project!

Friday Lyrics

2011-09-02T08:27:00.003-06:00

Hi guys! I am back and feeling good. Sorry I was away for awhile again but I was in a funk and trying to get myself out of it. I think the 'empty nest syndrome' hit me harder than I expected it to! But I am back and doing well. I have run 3 times so far this week and have had no issues to speak of. We will see how my long run goes today at lunch!

I am off to Dallas this weekend to hang with my bro-in-law. He has a whole weekend full of fun scheduled for us so I am very excited. I am sure it will involve lots of great food and tons of beer! YAY!!!!!

So in honor of my weekend in Tex-as I am going to share this song by Little Texas! Sorry, my brother BDD, I know you will hate this but you just can't take the Texas out of a girl once she has lived there! I hope you will still love me!!! :)

Tueday's Hero

2011-08-30T08:26:00.003-06:00

I am resurrecting my Tuesday Hero post for a great individual. She has inspired me all summer with her willingness and determination to train for her Ironman. She trained day in and day out because she knew that it would be necessary so that she could meet her goal. And I hope that someday I can be just like her and fulfill my IM dream. Susan, thanks so much for being my inspiration and congrats on a job well done. You are a rock star and I can't wait to see how Kona goes! I know you will rock it!

And yes, I shed a tear or two when I saw this picture!

Friday Lyrics

2011-08-26T08:16:00.000-06:00

Great Contest for a Great Cause

2011-08-24T07:21:00.005-06:00

Please, please, please go check out "Enjoy the Ride." Scott Austin is giving away a pair of H20 Audio Headphones and they are a gorgeous pink color. But the best part is that he is raising money for a great cause, The Hands and Feet Project. Please help with a great and honorable drive to raise money for a great foundation. I know I will be donating and I hope that you can as well!!!!

Friday Lyrics...

2011-08-19T07:16:00.003-06:00

Bubba, this one is for you! I hope you find a '...country cutie, with a rock n roll booty...' just remember she has to pass the Mama test!!!! Oh yeah, one other thing. Notice how he is partying on the WEEKEND! Just sayin'!

Hey Christi, What's Up?

2011-08-18T06:59:00.005-06:00

So I have been really lax in my blogging lately. I don't read as many blogs and I don't comment as often as I used to do. I don't know what has changed. I still love reading every one's stories and great adventures. I guess life has just gotten in the way. Well, if life has been in the way what have I been up to? I apologize in advance if you don't like the bullet thing but that is all I am feeling right now!

1. I had a great one-on-one chat with my boss. He reassured me of some things and now I am ready to really focus on my career for awhile. Great things could arise from this adventure so I don't want to miss a chance. If anyone has any study tips for the Series 7 Financial Exam, please do share!

2. My son has moved out. WOW! This is bittersweet! On the one hand, I am happy that I have my house back. No more Animal House. But on the other hand I miss my boy terribly. He is great company and I miss his sarcasm! Love ya bubba! You are going to do great at Fort Collins. Just remember to be patient and make the right decisions. Everyday does not have to be a party!

3. I rode 100 miles on Sunday! What a great day! Susan and I had great weather. My friend Susan is a parathlete headed to IM Louisville! This will be her first long distance IM and she is going to kill it! Then she is off to IM Kona! YAY!! I am so proud of her and all that she has accomplished. I am also honored that she lets me ride with her during her long training rides. Interesting to note on this ride, we were actually charged by donkeys! They are naying at us and everything. VERY WEIRD!!! Thanks goodness there was a fence between them and us! Oh yeah, have I mentioned that my biking is great this year?

4. Yesterday my hubby and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. Celebrating being a loose term. We had lunch together. Of course, after 22 years together we are used to the simple celebrations. Love ya Brad!

5. I am racing on Sept 11. Yes, you heard right. I am going to race again this summer. I am doing the aquabike at the Harvest Moon Triathlon. I am very excited to do something! My running is still not on track. I am still having shin pains when I run too long and my coach says I pronate all over the place in my new shoes. I guess I should focus on correcting this but I need some more motivation to get there. Does anyone have any to spare so I can conquer this damn running issue?

6. In anticipation of my race, I swam for the first time in a long time yesterday. Wow, I need to get back into the swing of things there. Yesterday, was just to remind me of how comfortable I am in the water. I will work on time and speed in the coming weeks.

7. It's official I have gained back all the weight I had lost earlier in the year. However, I have had a good time putting it back on. I have enjoyed some great food and some great parties. Now its time to get off my lazy ass and lose the weight again!

I guess that is all I have for ya right now. I wish everyone who is racing the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon, good luck! May the weather gods smile on you!

Ciao lovelies!

Hey Steve this one is just for you, MWAH!

Copper Triangle!

2011-08-08T07:55:00.011-06:00

Copper Triangle Ride Profile

I have completed my final weekend of travel until Labor Day. This weekend was a trip to Copper Colorado to hang with my best friends and ride the Copper Triangle. This is a bike ride over 3 mountain passes for a grand total of 78 miles. I have done this ride 2 times previously and I always enjoy it. Well, at least, until we hit Vail Pass! And this time was no different!

We took off Friday night to get checked in and pick up packets. We had a great dinner at this wonderful Belgium restaurant. Mmmmm... delicious!! They know their food and they know their Belgium beer. Too much fun. They also know their American pop culture as they had a lamp just like the one from "A Christmas Story." So yes, my husband had to fondle it!

Saturday after our good meal and conversation we were ready to ride or should I say Nic, Den and I were ready to ride. Brad was there as moral support. The day started out very chilly!!!! And the genius that I am came unprepared. For some reason, it didn't occur to me that I was going to the mountains and may need some cold weather gear. DUH!!!! Luckily, I was able to squeeze myself into one of Nics long sleeve shirts to keep partially warm. The first mountain pass, Fremont, was not easy for me but only from the breathing point of view. I had a wonderful asthma attack and had to stop and catch my breath and calm myself. This, of course, freaked Nic and Den out so they started to ride faster. I needed to slow down to keep my breathing under control. I also had a very nice man help calm me down and get my breathing in check. He just reminded me to think happy thoughts. Thanks random kind man. Before I knew it we were over the pass and hitting a nice descent. Christi was tucking and going...and before I knew it I was back in touch with Nic and Den. Just in time to hit the first rest stop!

The second pass was much easier. First we had an AWESOME descent into Leadville and then we killed it up Tennessee Pass. This time my breathing was controlled and I felt like a bike god. Plus, the sun was coming out and so we were starting to warm up! In fact this is my favorite part of the ride so I was having a great time. However, it was soon to be tempered by the dreaded Vail Pass!

Vail Pass and I have a storied past. The first year I did this ride Vail was the site of my undoing. I walked much of it and was actually passed and beat to the finish line by a guy on a unicycle. Devastated does not even come close to how I was feeling. I was crushed particularly since they were taking down the finish line when I finally finished. However, the second year, I came back with a specific mission, to make Vail Pass my "b8&(*&!" I succeeded! I had a great ride that day and finished strong. My goal for this year. Just finish and that I did. Vail was hard but not as hard as it has seemed in the past. My biggest problem was that my knees were killing me. I didn't want to pedal at all but I had to so each pedal stroke was agonizing. However, I knew if I could just get up the Pass that the last 6 miles were all downhill and that I would not have to pedal! Well, I did it and I did not pedal but maybe three times on the downhill! Thank you Jesus! I crossed the finish line, turned immediately around and found my hubby at the Belgium restaurant where I proceeded to celebrate the ride by drinking this fabulous Belgium beer made by monks with an alcohol content of 11.3%. Yes, I napped after that!

I had to borrow this pic as we don't past this on the ride.

All and all the weekend was great. I got to spend time with my favorite people doing things we all love to do. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. I am, however, very excited that I am not traveling again for a couple of weeks because this girl needs a vacation to recover from all my traveling as of late!!!

Oh yea, I want to give a big shout out to my bro and niece. My brother not only finished his first triathlon but he also placed 3rd overall. You go boy! My niece had a hard time of it but she prevailed and finished. That is awesome little one and I love ya!

My bro killin' it on the bike!

My niece running her heart out!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-08-05T07:22:00.003-06:00

I was in Tex-as this week! Yee Haw! I had such a great time hitting my old haunts and going to some new ones. This despite the heat that has settled over Texas. Personally, I thought it was refreshing but then I didn't spend a lot of time in the heat because I was working in the office. The trip was VERY productive and I can't wait to go back in September and November! Someday Texas I will move back, I promise!

The songs I am going to share today were brought to my attention by some of my colleagues. The first song is a rock-a-billy type group. I really love them and have downloaded their album. The second song is a cover for a Chris Brown song and I just love the video. Each song is very unique and I am really digging them! I hope y'all do as well.

I also want to give a big shout out to all my friends that are doing IM Boulder 70.3 this weekend! I would list each of ya but there are too many of y'all and I don't want to miss anyone! Good luck and have a great time! I also want to wish my brother and niece good luck. They are both doing their first triathlons in Kansas this weekend. Git 'er done!

Friday Lyrics

2011-07-29T07:09:00.005-06:00

25th Reunion - No '80s fashions for Us!

First, thanks for all the great comments on my last post. I am sorry if the post came off like I was despondent. I was not and am not. I just needed a reminder and that is what that post was to me!

Second, I am traveling like crazy right now so I haven't been able to update this post as often as I would like. However, things are going well. I am working out and considering some new challenging goals! Announcements may come in the future!

Third, I have no lyrics in mind for today. I haven't really been listening to much new music but this video is hysterical. And since the hubby and I just went to his 25th high school reunion this seems appropriate! Gotta love those '80s inspired fashions!

Finally, Congrats to Jon, Mandy and Kim!!! You guys totally rocked IM Lake Placid and absolutely inspired me!

Only You...

2011-07-21T08:15:00.005-06:00

That is the thought that came to me last night as I was trying to fall asleep, "Only You." I am not happy were I am right now and I am speaking as far as my nutritional habits and some of my training. Let me explain...

1. I am not lifting every week like I should. I am not swimming like I should. My training life is not in balance.
2. I have gone back to eating crap and my body has let me know I have. I don't feel as well as I do when I eat healthy and I have gained back all the weight I had lost. And for those who think I am obsessed with my weight. That is not what this is about. This is about feeling good!

But does any of this really matter? Well, to me yes it does and I am really the only one that counts in this equation. So how do I get back on track? Well, I could try my short-lived motivational agenda again by reinventing my "Operation Iron." Unfortunately, that did not work out so well for me. I could go to my coaches and say "Hey, I am lacking motivation. Please snap me back into shape." But that has never worked either. So what do I do... Well, that is where "only you" comes into play.

I am the only one that can make myself change. I am the only one that can motivate myself to make the needed changes and stick to them. I am the only person that really gives a shit if I succeed or fail. So it is only me that can take this solitary journey toward my life goals. So it is only me that can decide to quit making excuses and get on board with what I want to do. We all know that training is a solitary pursuit but in reality much of what we do in life is a solitary existence. We have our friends and family to support us but in the end we are the captains of our destiny. So now I am going to step up and do what "I" need to do.

It's only me or "only you," are you ready?

Ride For the Cure

2011-07-17T07:31:00.004-06:00

An early morning to avoid the heat!

Yeah, I look like a dork!

I had a great ride. I am becoming a faster biker and that makes me very happy. In fact, I compared my Ride time from IM Kansas 70.3 from last year to my 56 mile time yesterday and I cut off about 19 mins! Boo Yah!

I am sorry if you are my Facebook friend and have seen these details but I just love them I have to share again!

Here are the hour by hour details:
1. Hour 1: 16.4 avg speed with 16.41 miles covered.
2. Hour 2: 13.9 avg speed with 13.84 miles covered.
3. Hour 3: 16.2 avg speed with 16.18 miles covered
4. Hour 4: 17.3 avg speed with 17.28 miles covered.
5. Last 1/2 hour: 16.4 avg speed with 8.91 miles covered.

All data is just ride time.

Overall Average speed: 16.0!!! Boo freakin' Yah!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-07-15T08:23:00.003-06:00

Wow, it is Friday already?! Okay, I would like to say that I have a song in mind for this post but in all honesty I still don't have one picked out as I write this! What should it be? Let me pause a moment and think!

Should I go old-school because next weekend I will be attending my husbands 25th high school reunion? Should I dedicate a song to my son because he actually unintentionally made me smile yesterday? That is so much better than dropping the F-bomb and threatening to kick him out! Should I dedicate a song to all my fellow "Ride for the Cure" riders. I mean we will be out in the hideous heat tomorrow sweating for a cause. (Have you donated yet?) Yep there it comes... My inspiration has been found.

This song makes me smile and is tangentially related to biking. I hope you enjoy it!

I hope you all have a great weekend! I am shooting to ride my bike 100 miles again over the weekend! That would make 3 weeks in a row! Did I happen to mention that I LOVE Summer?!

Another Weekend of Riding

2011-07-11T07:50:00.010-06:00

Good Morning y'all! I am sitting here at work trying to recover from a weekend of long rides. What a great weekend! On Saturday I went riding with my "besties," Nic and Den. We dubbed this one the "ice cream" ride because we started and finished near an ice cream shop so we could treat ourselves at the end. The ride is one I have done a lot this year but we started from Palmer Lake rather than Castle Rock, thus saving us some driving time. I love starting from Palmer Lake! I had a lot more time to warm up before we hit the nasty hills so no Darth Vader breathing!!! I did great on this ride. I clocked just ride time and I did the loop in about 3 hours and 15 mins with an average speed of 15.7 miles per hour. YES!!!!

Here are some pictures from Saturday along with the ride profile.

Sunday I rode with Susan. Susan is a parathlete (hand-cyclist) that qualified for Kona at Buffalo Springs a couple of weeks ago. My job on Sunday was to help her get through the first loop of her 100 mile ride so that her friend could take over at the second loop. The ride for me was a nice recovery ride on a great day with great company. Keep your eyes open at Kona because Susan is going places. I can feel it! Her attitude with training has been great and she has been making some great strides. I know she is going places! I love her! Anyway, I wish I had pictures but alas I do not but I do have the road profile for y'all!

I am loving my bike ride now. Sadie and I are really dialed in and we are doing some great rides. Next weekend I am riding the Bike for the Cure in Southeast Colorado. This will be a 72 mile ride over the areas that I rode on Sunday. I have that area pretty much memorized now so it will be a great training ride. And if you feel inclined. Please help me support breast cancer research. I am doing this ride in honor of my new friend Moni Monk, a breast cancer survivor! She is an awesome fighter with a great attitude! I am so happy that God brought her into my life.

One more thought and I will wrap this post up. This thought came to me this morning. As you may or may not know, I have decided not to race the triathlons I signed up for this year. Yes, you may think I am doing the wrong thing but that is okay. I know that I am not were I need to be mentally and it was causing me a lot of distress. I have decided to enjoy the summer and try and get my love of the game back. However, I did decide that I might do a 1/2 Ironman on my own and over a weekend. I am thinking that I will do the swim on Friday, the bike on Saturday and the run on Sunday. I really like the idea of this so I will give you more details about it as they begin to coalesce. Right now I am just in my planning stages. What do y'all think of that idea?

Friday Lyrics

2011-07-08T07:38:00.005-06:00

Howdy ya'all! I have another great song for you this week. Unfortunately, it is another country song. I am sorry if you are not a country fan. But right now there are some really good country songs coming out and I have not heard any really good pop music in some time. If you have any, please let me know! I need some need up-beat music to workout to!

Anyway, the song today reminds me so much of growing up in Kansas. We did many of the things that Jason sings about so it takes me home. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! Plus, Jason is not all that bad to look at! Sorry Brad but you know I love me a cowboy!

Oh yea, I am training. Well, I wouldn't call it so much training but more like working out. I don't have the motivation to race so I am just working out so maybe I can lose some of my vacation weight before we take off to the hubby's 25 year high school reunion in Waterford PA. Yep, I am heading to Pittsburgh and Waterford in 2 weeks. I can't wait to see some of the in-laws and the people my hubby went to school with back in the day. Should be fun!

Have a great weekend and if you are racing "Get 'er done!" That means you Julie , Kathleen and Melyssa!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-07-01T07:00:00.003-06:00

I love, love, love this song. The song is very serious and is a love song but the other day I heard it and it made me laugh. Why, you ask. Well, because I imagined myself singing it to my daily (YES, DAILY!) lemon loaf from Starbucks. I wish I had video talents because I would so make a video of me lip-syncing this song to my lemon loaf. But until God gives me those great video talents you are just going to have to use your imagination! Imagine me cradling my lemon loaf in my hands like a baby!

I hope everyone has a great long weekend! In turn form, I have lined up two days of long rides. I can't wait!

I am running again!

2011-06-30T07:05:00.005-06:00

Yes, I am so happy that I referenced Ren and Stimpy!

I am so excited! I have run twice this week and I have had no pain whatsoever. Well, other than the normal DOMS that occurs when you haven't run in awhile. What changed to make this feat happen, you ask. I got a new pair of shoes! I am now in a neutral shoe with my orthotics and it is working wonders. This turn of events has really made my week. I hope this is the start of a beautiful running experience that does not end with another injury. Please keep your toes and fingers crossed for me!

My gorgeous new shoe, New Balance 890

My Vacation in Pics!

2011-06-28T07:53:00.009-06:00

I had a great time in Florida even though my genius son missed his flight and did not get to come with us after all. All I can say to him is that I hope it was worth it and I will take the plane ticket money in singles if necessary! Damn Teenagers!

Anyway, we had a great time and I got an awesome tan. I am now back at work and I survived an unexpected lay-off yesterday. I am ready for some calm. Do you think it can be arranged?

Enjoy the pics!

Enjoying Starbucks from the Balcony

Lots of this was consumed!

Which explains my showing off!

And my hubby's NASCAR look!

We got conned in South Beach!

But we had our partners in crime!

We saw some wildlife!

And I really want to do this when I grow up!

Friday Lyrics...

2011-06-17T07:26:00.003-06:00

Today I am getting ready for my Florida vacation so I am going to leave you with some fun summery music. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for all the feedback on my tattoo idea. Now I am really am stoked to get it done. I may even get serious and start talking to tattoo artists!

Steve, I am a totally bad ass tattoo chick! :P

Adios mi amigos!

My Tattoo Vision

2011-06-16T06:49:00.003-06:00

Many of you have asked what I want as a tattoo. Well, here we go... I don't have a picture to show you because right now it is only in my mind. I want a bicycle chain around my ankle and then off the chain I want "charms" if you will to highlight many of my "big" races. One charm would be "bones and a cupcake" for my "Suck it up cupcake!" mantra. I would also like something to remember my first 70.3 race in Kansas. Something to remember my first marathon which was in Chicago and so on... I have had this in mind for several years but have not followed through because I have to find the right tattoo artist. Making a bike chain has to be done just right. I want it to appear like it jumps off the leg and not just a flat design. So there you have it... I hope ya'all are not disappointed! Plus, if you know of any great tattoo artists, please let me know!

FYI, after my first 140.6 race. I will get a totally separate tat for that on my other leg!

And since I want you to think I am a "bad-ass" tattoo chick. I am going to leave you with one of my favorite songs. Yeah, I know its not Friday! So what!

Weekend!

2011-06-13T08:06:00.003-06:00

Well, this weekend I did not go too crazy! Saturday was spent cleaning our yard. Yes, we had to clean it up because we were "that" neighbor. Luckily, we are not as bad now but we still have a long way to go.

Sunday was long ride day. Woo Hoo! I rode about 53 miles with some of my riding buddies and some new ones. My garmin decided to crap out before we started so I don't have all the great info about the ride but that is okay. I still had fun. The weather was great. We had sun, very little wind and some warm temps. Unfortunately, I have forgotten how to properly use sunscreen. I now have a nice splotchy burn! As my friend at work said, "I have a piece of art work!"

Speaking of art work, isn't this a great tattoo for "Team Suck it up Cupcake!" Maybe I need to get this tattoo! Nah, I have a better one planned out but it really does fit my mantra!

I hope ya'all have a great week! I only have 5 days of work and then I am off to Ft. Lauderdale for a week. Yeah baby!

Friday Lyrics

2011-06-10T07:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the 25th Anniversary of one of my favorite movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. So today I am dedicating this song to "Saving Ferris!" I loved this movie and did many a crazy thing to this song. Specifically, driving the wrong way down a one way street in my best friend's car with this song blaring. Thank Goodness we lived in a small town and it was in the middle of night!

Good luck to everyone who may be racing this weekend. I would also like to wish Jill, Kathleen and Julie the best of luck at the Denver Century. May the biking gods smile on you with winds that are always at your back!

Ouch!

2011-06-08T08:04:00.008-06:00

Saturday I did the infamous Incline in Manitou Springs. I went up the entire way sounding like death warmed over. FYI, asthma, the incline and Arizona wildfire smoke do not go together but luckily this time my hands did not turn purple! I ran all the way down Barr Trail and at one point sprained my ankle. Sunday, I started the Elephant Rock Ride with Jill (see her race report here) but things did not work out. So I raced home and did some hill climbing up the hill that leads to NORAD. You know the one from War Games? We did 3 hill repeats. My total riding on Sunday was about 20 miles.

So why the ouch? Today is Wednesday and I still have that burning sensation in my quads and a swollen ankle. Walking up and down stairs is a chore to be avoided. To add insult to injury I have a weird tenderness on my left upper back. Don't know how it got there. Am I bitching about this? Nope, just stating the facts ma'am. I am still sore from the weekend. I hope it clears up soon because I intend on abusing myself again this weekend. But you can mark my words, I won't be doing the Incline!

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I appreciate it more than I can say!

FYI, I touched the "holy grail" this week! I actually held the trophy for the 1985 Boston Marathon. That was exciting! I still haven't washed my hands! Just joshin' ya or am I?

From 0 to 60 and then back to 0...

2011-06-06T09:20:00.006-06:00

I am the coyote right now!

Every have one of those moments when you are cruising along and everything looks great and then BAM! you just stop and nothing looks right? Well, let's just say that is where I am right now. I am not going to go into details and probably won't ever. Let's just say I don't know what I am doing and I am back to questioning everything. And so you don't think I am totally obsessive about my training, this is not really related to training nor weight-related. Because we all know I have weight issues. This is just stupid bullshit that brings on tears for no reason. Luckily, I have great friends and family so this to will pass. Let's just hope it happens soon!

Congrats to all who raced this weekend, especially Mandy at Rev 3 Quassy and BDD at Warrior Dash!

Friday Lyrics

2011-06-03T06:57:00.005-06:00

Bet, you think that is me!
Hi Ya'all! First good luck to everyone that is racing Rev 3 Quassy! I am very excited for ya'all and can't wait to read the race reports!

Second, today's song is one that I really love right now. Yes, it is a country song so I know Jim will love this! The song is "A Little Bit Stronger" sung by Sarah Evans. I know the song is about a break-up but it really reminds me of training and it is a mantra I use when the training is getting hard. I know that each session is getting me "A Little Bit Stronger!"

A Little Bit Stronger lyrics
Songwriters: Barker Aaron Gayle; Harbin Ronald Steven;

Woke up late today and I still feel the sting of the pain
But I brushed my teeth anyway
I got dressed through the mess and put a smile on my face
I got a little bit stronger

Riding in the car to work and I'm trying to ignore the hurt
So I turned on the radio, stupid song made me think of you
made me want to speed up
I listened to it for minute but I changed it
I'm getting a little bit stronger, just a little bit stronger

And I'm done hoping that we could work it out
I'm done with how it feels, spinning my wheels
Letting you drag my heart around
And, oh, I'm done thinking that you could ever change

I know my heart will never be the same
But I'm telling myself I'll be okay
Even on my weakest days
I get a little bit stronger

Doesn't happen overnight but you turn around
And a month's gone by and you realize you haven't cried
I'm not giving you a hour or a second or another minute longer
I'm busy getting stronger

And I'm done hoping that we can work it out
I'm done with how it feels, spinning my wheels
Letting you drag my heart around
And, oh, I'm done thinking, that you could ever change

I know my heart will never be the same
But I'm telling myself I'll be okay
Even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger
I get a little bit stronger

Getting along without you, baby
I'm better off without you, baby
How does it feel without me, baby?
I'm getting stronger without you, baby

And I'm done hoping we could work it out
I'm done with how it feels, spinning my wheels
Letting you drag my heart around
And, oh, I'm done thinking that you could ever change

I know my heart will never be the same
But I'm telling myself I'll be okay
Even on my weakest days
I get a little bit stronger

I get a little bit stronger
Just a little bit stronger
A little bit, a little bit, a little bit stronger
I get a little bit stronger

Have a great weekend! I will be Rockin' the 62 mile ride with Jill at Elephant Rock. And yes, Jill I am riding with YOU! Check out this profile! Can you say hills! Good thing I ride these alot!

Did you see that over 3,000 ft of elevation gains!

May Recap!

2011-06-01T07:15:00.008-06:00

May was a great month of training. I had some great training and my attitude through the month was very positive. The mental attitude alone is enough to make this a great month! I wish I could have had more running miles but the body is just not cooperating on that front. But, I am not worrying about that. Coach L. is having me focus on my swim and bike so that I get stronger in those disciplines. Once the body is ready then we will slowly focus on the run.

Here are the monthly numbers:

Month Totals:
Type Distance Duration
Bike 206.1 mi 15:03
Elliptical 55.0 mi 06:56
Hiking 9.3 mi 03:42
Run 15.4 mi 03:00
Swim 28650.0 yd 11:12
Weights 01:00
Total Duration: 40:53

And because I am a sucker for graphs here is the graph for my year to date. Aren't the colors pretty! :)

I also had a great thing happen to me last night. A friend from my old job offered me a free entry into the inaugural Silverthorne Tri. I will be doing the International Distance. Woo Hoo! I get to race again and for free. That totally rocks!

Have a great week everyone!

Holiday Weekend Equals Training!

2011-05-31T07:06:00.010-06:00

I love long weekends. That means I get to kill myself even more than I usually would with my training and this Memorial Day weekend was no different.

Saturday started out with a nice ride out in Fountain, Colorado. Nic, Den and I did the Fountain/Hanover loop, which was about 42 miles (with my slight detour). The weather was gorgeous! We had sunshine, warmth and a little wind. All the rattlers we saw were dead, the prairie dogs were abundant and the longhorns did not charge!

Sunday we went North to ride. Nic, Den, Jill, Susan and I decided to do the Castle Rock Frontage Road Loop with Tomah Road thrown in for some hills. Again, we were blessed with great weather. The sun was shining, the temps were perfect but the wind was little more annoying than the day before! However, we knocked out 44 miles and had a great time with great company!

Sunday I dragged my husband out for a hike. I convinced him to do Waldo Canyon. Little did he know that this is a 7 mile hike. He might have known but I don't think he really knew. But he sucked it up and did the whole hike. He even ran the downhills with me which is totally amazing. However, I was completely on my own when I decided to run the final 1.5 miles. I just couldn't hold the horses back any longer!

Now I am back at work so that I can relax and prepare for this weeks workouts!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-05-27T08:04:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone has a great long weekend. I will be riding long on Saturday and Sunday and I can't wait! So raise your glass... to the long weekend!

Oh yeah, good luck BDD!

Wednesday What's Up?

2011-05-25T07:44:00.005-06:00

Isn't my son gorgeous?!

Hi guys! I am going to give you a quick run-down on what's happening right now bullet style:

At work, I am still testing our beta website. Not fun! FYI, it takes forever to click on every link on a web page. Just in case you were wondering!

My training has it ups and downs but mostly ups!

I swam a 1:45/100 yards last week. Woo Hoo!

I have started lifting again. About damn time!

My son finished his first semester of community college and supposedly got all B's. I say supposedly because I have not seen actual proof!

I love biking! And this weekend I am biking Saturday and Sunday! Woo Hoo!

I had a brief "Black Swan" moment last weekend but I managed to pull myself out of it before it became a full blown event.

I am working on a business proposal for another website redesign. Of course, an outside project to be accomplished during my loads of free time. Yes, that is sarcasm.

I am struggling with my diet again but this time I am not obsessing. Well, at least not as much.

Only 29 days until my vacation in sunny Fort Lauderdale!

I was so tempted by all the great IM Texas race reports to sign up for next year's race. However, cooler heads prevailed because I know my body is just not ready yet for the training that would have to take place. That and the fear that Coach L. would totally kick my ass if I signed up. And she could totally take me!

Congrats to all the graduates in my life. Way to go Jasmine and Morgan! Coronado High School will not be the same without you next year. Congrats Emily! Uncle Brad and I are super proud of you. Congrats Merle! Uncle Brad and I are so glad that you graduated from UTSA! Go Roadrunners! Oh yeah! I can't forget my ~~best friend~~ sister, Nic congrats on your MBA! You are and always will be my idol!

Well, that is all I have for now. Take care my blogger peeps! And until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Busy....

2011-05-18T07:33:00.002-06:00

I am sorry that I have not updated the blog consistently lately. I have been very busy with work. The ebbs and flows of IT work! Anyway, I am trying to keep up with blogs but just can't seem to update my own. Mainly because there isn't much to talk about.

Take care all! And I will see ya when the calm returns!

Operation Iron - Week 18

2011-05-09T06:43:00.004-06:00

A solid week of training was completed and for that I am very happy! The running felt good and I suffered from no pain. The long bike ride for the week was done in glorious weather! The swim was comfortable despite attempts from the pool weirdos to disrupt my swimming mojo. I am very excited to see what this week brings!

Bike: 56.5 mi 04:10 min
Elliptical: 14.8 mi 01:58 min
Run: 7.4 mi 01:29 min
Swim: 10200.0 yd 03:55 min
Total Duration: 11:32 min

Congrats to BDD, Chloe, Uli, Kenny, Libby, Annie and Colleen on their races this weekend!

Friday Lyrics

2011-05-06T07:47:00.006-06:00

This song came to me on the way to work today and yes it is another eighties song. I just like how up beat it is and after the mental week I have had I need that up beat mojo.

What is wrong with me you ask? Well, pretty much the usual negativity or dark cloud that sometime plagues me. I spent most of the week doubting myself and my talents. I am not proud of this but thanks to the great friends that I surround myself with I have been able to conquer this fugue much quicker than usual. I had No Black Swam moments this time around! I am slowly coming back around to believing in myself. And I am sure it will get better as the days pass.

Anyway, back to the song for this week. Here is "Pop Goes the World" by Men Without Hats. Can you believe the styles from the eighties? What were we thinking!

Finally, a shout out to Emz! You got it girl! And good luck to all that are racing this week! That means you BDD!

Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Tuesday Hero Award

2011-05-03T08:22:00.004-06:00

I don't really think I need to say much for the winners of the award today. I think one word can sum it up best. THANKS!

Operation Iron - Week 17

2011-05-02T08:42:00.006-06:00

I had much smaller number this week so really nothing to write home about. Though, I did run and that is awesome! I am getting back on the horse.

Elliptical: 13.9 mi 01:49 mins
Run 3.2 mi 00:38 mins
Swim: 2500.0 yd 00:55 mins
Total Duration: 03:22 mins.

The highlight of the week was watching my brother run a PR at the Oklahoma City Memorial 1/2 marathon and see is girlfriend, Jamie, run her first 1/2 marathon. They are rockstars and I am glad that I was there to see it all happen. Okay, maybe not see it all because the weather sucked. There was a lot of wind and rain but they stuck it out and that makes it all the more memorable for them! Congrats guys!

Here are some pics I took from the race.

Oklahoma City Here I come...

2011-04-29T08:29:00.002-06:00

I know I have not been good this week about posting. I wish I had a valid reason but alas I do not. This week has been slower than last week so my numbers will be down but that is okay. I think I am slightly down because I am headed to OKC tonight but yet I am not running the 1/2 marathon as planned. I am about ready to blow this whole year off and it is only April, well soon May. Anyway, my brother and his girlfriend are running the 1/2 marathon so I will don my best cheerleading skills and cheer them on from the sidelines. I wish them both the best of luck! Plus, if anyone else is racing this weekend. You go get 'em!

Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Operation Iron - Week 16

2011-04-25T06:51:00.005-06:00

I had a great training week. I saw improvements in my swimming. As mentioned in another post I was able to swim a 1:48/100 yards. I also posted my biggest swim mileage to date with 10400 yards. Woo Hoo! But I also had some great workouts on the bike and wait for it... I also ran 3 miles pain free! I was able to get on the bike twice. I did one trainer workout and I also went riding on my day off. I met Jill from Run with Jill and we hit part of the Elephant Rock Ride course. The wind was hideous but the company was awesome! Though, I don't know if Jill will want to ride with me again as I did take her on one of the hilliest rides and I did take us on a slight detour when I missed one of our turns. Whoops! Sorry Jill!

Overall, an awesome week and I can't wait to see what this week holds!

Bike: 51.4 mi 04:28 mins
Elliptical: 17.4 mi 02:16 mins
Run: 4.0 mi 00:48 mins
Swim: 10400.0 yd 04:06 mins
Total Duration: 11:38 mins

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T09:54:00.003-06:00

Happy Easter to all my family, friends and bloggy friends!

Friday Lyrics

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

I heard this song on the way into work on Thursday and I was impressed by the lyrics. I think many musicians think way to much about the money and the bling. I am not going to pick on any specific genre because I think it happens across the board. So I was very happy to hear these lyrics. There message is positive and I think we need more influences like this for our young people. Okay, now I am sounding like an old lady. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this song ( Price Tag by Jesse J)

Price Tag
--Jesse J with B.O.B

Seems like everybodys got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and
Smile

Why is everybody so serious!
Acting so damn mysterious
You got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good
Time.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
Were paying with love tonight...

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

(Listen, Okay.)
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all UNITE!
And it wasn't low blows and video Hoes,
Am I the only one gettin... tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can't buy us happiness.
If we all slow down and enjoy right now
Gurantee we'll be feelin
All right.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
We'll pay them with love tonight...

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six streams and a half stack
And you can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I...
Yes all I need are keys and guitars
And guess what, in 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars
Yes we leaving across these undefeatable odds
It's like this man, you can't put a price on life
We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice everynight
So we aint gon stumble and fall never
Waiting to see, a sign of defeat uh uh
So we gon keep everyone moving there feet
So bring back the beat and everybody sing
It's not about

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Delete Cancel

Celebrate the Small Things!

2011-04-20T08:27:00.003-06:00

Yeah! I was this happy! - Source

I went swimming yesterday and I came out of the swim with a big win. Let me go back a bit. In my mind I am not a good swimmer. For a long time my 100 yard time was 2:00 mins or more. I have worked on my stroke, tried Masters Swim and listened to my Coach L about correcting my form. I knew I was getting better but consistency didn't seem to be falling in place. Well, last Saturday I was swimming with Coach L. We were both doing our own thing. But at the end of my workout I had to do a timed 100 and Coach L happened to be watching me do it. She asked me at the end what my time was. I didn't really time my 100 so I had no clue. She said "Well, it looked like about a 1:45." Immediately, my first thought was BS! I didn't believe her so I just blew it off. I should point out that Coach has been swimming all her life and swam at University of Michigan in college. Guess, what she has experience in this field.

Now fast forward to yesterday. I had another workout that required a timed 100. Well, now my curious was peaked and I had to time it. I swam the 100 in 1:48:54. YES!!!!!!!!!! You read it right. I am now an average swimmer and not a slow swimmer!!! I was so stoked. So I am going to take this win and add it to my portfolio and revel in the victory that is mine. Woo Hoo! Guess what maybe I will do that open swim series up in Denver this summer!

Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness and remember to celebrate the small things!

Tuesday's Award Hero

2011-04-19T08:09:00.003-06:00

I don't think I really need to say anything about why today's hero was chosen. She is one of the greatest marathon runners in the sport and sadly she has passed away today. My heart and thoughts are with Grete Weitz's family and friends. Grete will be missed!

Amby Remembers Grete

Operation Iron Week 15

2011-04-18T08:23:00.003-06:00

I had a great solid week of workouts. I need to get the weightlifting back in the rotation but with the craziness of work it just isn't happening right now. I will try again this week to change that situation.

Bike: 11.3 mi 00:48 13.9 mph
Elliptical: 25.8 mi 03:50 6.6 mph
Swim: 4000.0 yd 01:32 02:19/100yd
Total Duration: 06:10

In other news, Coach L and decided that I will not be running the OKC 1/2 marathon this year. I am going to defer my race until next year. But have no fear! I will be in OKC rooting on all the runners! I also asked Coach L why my biking speed is so slow. She indicated it is probably because I don't get out on my bike enough. So I will be spending more time on the bike. YAY!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I had a great time with the girls. We had great food, great company and a great day at the spa. My toes are now purty and ready for sandals. Now bring on the spring weather!

Good luck Boston runners!

Friday Lyrics

2011-04-15T09:35:00.004-06:00

Wow, another great weekend of racing is on tap. IM NOLA 70.3, Boston and many other races are occurring. So many people are racing this weekend and I am so happy for ya'all. I wish I was racing. I had every intention of racing IM NOLA because the race falls on my birthday. Unfortunately, my body and my pocketbook had other ideas. But don't worry about me. I am still celebrating my birthday in style with my best friends! Can you say girls weekend?!

But anyway, I wish I could list everyone that is racing but there are so many of ya'all and I would feel horrible if I missed anyone! I will just say "Good Luck and Kick Ass!" I will be cheering you on from the great state of Colorado and waiting ~~patiently~~ impatiently for your race reports. And without further adieu here some music to get ya pumped!

Remember The Name
--Fort Minor
Songwriters: Shinoda, Mike; Bashir, Takbir Khalid; Maginn, Ryan Patrick;

You ready? Let's go
Yeah, for those of you that want to know what we're all about
It's like this y'all come on

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

Mike, he doesn't need his name up in lights
He just wants to be heard whether it's the beat or the mic
He feels so unlike everybody else, alone
In spite of the fact that some people still think that they know him

But fuck 'em he knows the code
It's not about the salary it's all about reality and makin' some noise
Makin' the story makin' sure his clique stays up
That means when he puts it down Tak's pickin' it up, let's go

Who the hell is he anyway? He never really talks much
Never concerned with status but still leavin' them star struck
Humbled through opportunities given despite the fact
That many misjudge him because he makes a livin' from writin' raps

Put it together himself, now the picture connects
Never askin' for someone's help, to get some respect
He's only focused on what he wrote, his will is beyond reach
And now when it all unfolds, the skill of an artist

This is twenty percent skill, eighty percent fear
Be a hundred percent clear 'cause Ryu is ill
Who would've thought he'd be the one to set the west in flames?
And I heard him wreckin' with the crystal method, name of the game

Came back dropped Megadef, took 'em to church
I'm like 'bleach, man, why you have the stupidest verse?
This dude is the truth, now everybody givin' him guest spots
His stock's through the roof I heard he fuckin' with S-dot

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name
[| From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/f/fort-minor-lyrics/remember-the-name-lyrics.html |]

They call him Ryu the sick and he's spittin' fire an' mike
Got him out the dryer he's hot found him in Fort Minor with Tak
A fuckin' annihilist porcupine he's a prick, he's a cock
The type women want to be with and rappers hope he gets shot

Eight years in the makin' patiently waitin' to blow
Now the record with Shinoda's takin' over the globe
He's got a partner in crime, his shit is equally dope
You won?t believe the kind of shit that comes out of this kid's throat

Tak, he's not your everyday on the block
He knows how to work with what he's got
Makin' his way to the top
People think it's a common owner?s name
People keep askin' him was it given at birth
Or does it stand for an acronym?

No, he's livin' proof got him rockin' the booth
He'll get you buzzin' quicker than a shot of vodka with juice
Him and his crew are known around as one of the best
Dedicated to what they doin? give a hundred percent

Forget Mike, nobody really knows how or why he works so hard
It seems like he's never got time
Because he writes every note and he writes every line
And I've seen him at work when that light goes on in his mind

It's like a design is written in his head every time
Before he even touches a key or speaks in a rhyme
And those motherfuckers he runs with, those kids that he signed
Ridiculous, without even tryin', how do they do it?

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

Tuesday's Hero Award

2011-04-12T09:44:00.004-06:00

I am sure everyone in the blogging world would agree that the person I am honoring today definitely deserves it! I have only been reading her blog for a short time but I am enthralled. She is a generous person, awesome mother and a rock star of a runner. You guessed it I am talking about Run EMZ!

She is going above and beyond her rock star status real soon. She will be a mega star because she is doing a 24 hour run for charity, the Sojourner Center. The Sojourner Center's tagline is "Overcoming the Impact of Domestic Violence One Life at a Time." I can't even begin to imagine running 100 miles and doing it on a treadmill, well, that is unthinkable! Emz, I take my hat off to you.

Please get out there and spread the word and if you can, please donate!

Emz, I am also posting this video just for you. Say the words a couple of times and then you will understand why! Or if you are a faster thinker than I, you may have already figured it out!

Operation Iron

2011-04-11T09:15:00.002-06:00

Week 13:
Bike: 10.0 mi
Elliptical: 19.9 mi
Hiking: 5.0 mi
Total Duration: 04:54

Week 14:
Bike: 28.7 mi
Elliptical: 25.1 mi
Swim: 3000.0 yd
Total Duration: 07:07

Yesterday was a big day of training for me. I don't know what came over me but I decided I was going to swim 3000 yards. Mainly, just to prove to myself that I could do it. And yes I did do it and I loved every minute of it. I am really starting to love swimming. Did I just say that? There is something very calming about the way the water envelopes you and shuts out the world. After my swim I still had to do my bike ride. I was scheduled to do 2 hours but the wind was horrid. I tried to back out of going outside but Mike called me out on Facebook. So I packed up the mountain bike, Rizzo, and headed to the Santa Fe trail. I was hoping the trail would shield me somewhat from the wind. Yeah, not so much. So I hopped on the trail and headed south. I made it past El Pomar park which is 15 miles in an hour. Rockin' time for me especially on my big girl. However, I was aided by a tailwind and the way back was difficult. I had a head wind and cooling temps on the way back. My total ride time was 2 hrs and 20 mins but damn I had a blast. Just me and the wind fighting it out. I am shredded today but I am happy! I love training! Let the week and training begin because I am ready to kick ass!

Congrats to all my blogging buddies who raced this weekend! Everyone killed it! You guys are awesome!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-04-08T08:09:00.006-06:00

Today's song is technically a love song but some of the words just really remind me of what you have to do during a triathlon. Plus, this song was used for the Olympics so I must be onto something! I am dedicating "Unstoppable" by Rascal Flatts to everyone that is racing this weekend!

Annie, don't worry girl you have got this!

Jeff, stick to the your plan!

Jon, you are going to kill the swim!

Go Shannon Go!

Liz, stay loose and easy and enjoy the day!

Kenny, Emily and Kelly, go kill that small race in Rotterdam!

Branden, go show them what Coloradans can do at Xterra!

I am sorry if I missed anyone!

Yeah yeah yeah..
Hey

So, so you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Cracked a rib when you hit the wall
Yeah, you've had a pocket full of regrets
Pull you down faster than a sunset
Hey, it happens to us all

When the cold hard rain just won't quit
And you can't see your way out of it

You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Love, it can weather in a storm
Bring you back to being born again
oh, it's a helping hand when you need it most
A lighthouse shining on the coast
That never goes dim

When your heart is full of doubt
And you think that there's no way out

Like a river keeps on rolling
Like the north wind blowing
Don't it feel good knowing
Yeah

Love is unstobbale
So you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Love, love is unstoppable

Catch Up Thursday!

2011-04-07T07:18:00.006-06:00

The Real Miss America! She protect us and looks good doing it!
1. I have been really busy at work but my test plans are done. The downside is that I have no website to test!
2. I have started the "Balanced" approach to eating. So far so good! As of today, I am down to 134 lbs which is a lost of 6 lbs. Not to mention the stress has been released and I am feeling so much more relaxed.
3. My workouts over the last 2 weeks have been mostly on the elliptical. One, because that is the best equipment we have in the office gym that I can use. Two, I haven't had time to make it the pool. Three, my husband has infected me with some kind of sinus infection and that is all I can bring myself to do.
4. I am too old to go out drinking and dancing! I just hurt too much the next day! Upside, I had an awesome time!
5. I have loved all the great Oceanside 70.3 race reports. Wow, you guys are awesome!
6. I have received some great presents in the mail the last couple of weeks. I will be doing my shout-outs real soon!
7. A little over one week until my birthday and my girls weekend at Blackhawk. I can't wait to hang with the girls and hit the spa and the video poker machines!
8. IM Boulder 70.3 is 122 days away and that freaks me out! I don't know if I have it in me?!
9. So many great people are racing this weekend. I want to wish you all the best of luck! For those racing in Texas, I hope the winds are not as bad as predicted. For the Training Goals athletes (WCAP) athletes racing in Rotterdam, go get those "A" Olympic marathon standards!

Until later, keep riding, running (elliptical) and swimming to your personal greatest! And don't forget to "Ignite the Light!"

Friday Lyrics!

2011-04-01T08:08:00.002-06:00

I am going to be lazy today because I am very busy at work. Sorry guys! Have a great weekend and know that I love ya'all!

"1985"
-- Bowling for Soup
Woohoohoo
Woohoohoo

Debbie just hit the wall
She never had it all
One Prozac a day
Husband's a CPA
Her dreams went out the door
When she turned twenty four
Only been with one man
What happened to her plan?

She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake her ass
On the hood of Whitesnake’s car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
And nothing has been alright since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

Woohoohoo
(1985)
Woohoohoo

She’s seen all the classics
She knows every line
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink
Even Saint Elmo’s Fire
She rocked out to Wham
Not a big Limp Bizkit fan
Thought she’d get a hand
On a member of Duran Duran

Where’s the mini-skirt made of snake skin
And who’s the other guy that's singing in Van Halen
When did reality become T.V.
Whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows
(on the radio was)

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

Woohoohoo

She hates time make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop!
And bring back

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 1985

Woohoohoo

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV (woohoohoo)
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

Tueday's Hero

2011-03-29T07:41:00.004-06:00

As much as this will pain me to say the Tuesday Hero for today is the VCU basketball team and their coach. I know I know, they beat my team, Kansas, and I am still mad about that. But as a Kansas fan you get used to having your heart broken in March! Anyway, why does VCU deserve this award? Well, despite their seeding in the tournament and the odds against them they are in the Final Four. And they are there because they and their coach BELIEVE, are CONFIDENT and are having FUN!

“It comes from our personalities and coach (Shaka) Smart,” forward Bradford Burgess said. “He wants us to be out there loose and confident and aggressive. We’re out there playing with nothing to lose. It’s just been a fun ride and I think we showed how much fun we can have on the court every game.”

As athletes this is something we should try to emulate. We should be out there because we want to have fun. That really is the ultimate goal. So fellow bloggers let's just go have some fun!

Operation Iron - Week 12

2011-03-28T07:07:00.004-06:00

Okay, this is a whirlwind of a post so please bear with me. Let's start with the activities for the week. I embraced the swimming this week and it was great. I managed to get 4 days of swimming completed with one day being instruction. I am working on my flip turn again and hope to incorporate into my workouts sometime at the end of April. I want to perfect it before I use it all the time!

I cannot run, more on that in a minute, so I was on the elliptical. I managed to do some great workouts on the elliptical. I did not get on the bike and that was do to time and being ill one day. So actual numbers:

Elliptical: 20.5 mi hrs.
Hiking (Snowshoeing): 3.0 mi 01:38 hrs
Swim: 6400.0 yd 02:58 hrs
Total Duration: 07:17 hrs

Now, why was I relegated to the elliptical? Well, as I mentioned last week I have been having problems with my left calf. Well, after having an ART session and chatting with Coach L it appears that I might actually have a stress fracture on the inner side of my left leg about 1.5 inches above my ankle. No, I haven't been to get a bone scan but to be safe we are going to assume that I do. Thus, the elliptical. Does this frustrate me? Hell to the yeah! I have a 1/2 Marathon on May 1st. I won't be running that but now I am just hoping I will be able to walk it. (Don't worry Jim and Michael I will be at the race no matter what!) This year is not starting out like it was supposed to but I am trying not to dwell. I am just focusing on those things that I still can do, like swimming. That is why I have so many hours in the pool and hope to increase that number this week!

Okay, I need your help with a question. Since many of you have been reading my blog for awhile you are aware that I believe I have a very high BF%, 32.6% to be exact, and many of you don't believe that it is true. Don't worry many of my real world friends don't believe either, including Coach L. However, that has not stopped me from trying a very high protein diet to try and lose the body fat. I have been off and on this diet since about October. However, over the last two weeks I have been very faithful to the diet but I have had issues. I don't have consistent energy and my mood is somewhat sporadic. I am not as moody as I was when I was off my meds but Coach L says I don't have my normal spunk. And my bestie, Nic, says that I am not as happy because I am always trying to make sure I eat on time and the right food. And just to be fair, I have been on my period the whole two weeks. Sorry guys! I know you all don't like hearing that! So what does my diet entail. Here it is blow-by-blow:

6am: 2 protein pancakes with 1 tbsp of Nathan's Chocolate Peanut Butter and sometimes an apple. I also have a cup of Decaf Green Tea.

9am: 6 egg whites, 1 1/2 cup of broccoli and cauliflower and 1/2 cup of blackberries

12pm: 5 oz turkey burger, 1 1/2 cup broccoli and cauliflower and 1 carb-free tortilla

3pm: 32 oz protein shake (made with water, 1 banana, 1/2 cup of blackberries, 1 scoop protein, 1 tbsp flax seed oil and 1 scoop of glutamine.)

6pm: 7 oz. pork chop, 1/2 cup of starchy carb (generally baby potatoes or sweet potato), 1 1/2 cup veggies (either Stir-fryed broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini with mushrooms, sweet peppers and chives.)

8pm: 2 protein pancakes with 1 tbsp Natural PB and 1 tbsp Natural Jam. I also have a cup of Decaf Green Tea.

Total Calories: ~1700

Starting weight: 141.4
Weight as of Today: 136.0

Other important facts: I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol which are controlled by meds. Currently, I am low on iron and Vitamin D.

So here is the deal. Coach L and a second nutritionist (who happens to be a nutritionist at the USOC) believe that I am not getting enough carbs for an endurance athlete. They also believe that I am not on a diet plan that will give me the habits and balance to last a lifetime. They don't believe that I can maintain this rigid schedule without breaking at some point. I mean I do have to carry my cooler with me everywhere I go so I can eat on time and with the right food. Since I am offering full disclosure. I got my advice for this plan from a Coach J (a body-builder and my strength coach/ART gal). She does not have an education in nutrition. She does all her plans based on her on experiences and what has worked for her and some of her other clients. I followed her advice because she said she could help me cut my body fat down. Why I am so fixated on my body fat %? I won't delve into that, let's just say I have issues!

So having said all that what do I want from you? Well, I am going to place a poll on the side of my blog and I would like for you guys to decide if I should stick with Coach J's plan or move to a different more balanced plan. I can't make this decision on my own because I have some underlying issues that are making a clear decision very difficult. I promise to follow the will of ya'all because I believe you guys will think this through better than I. Oh yea, my ultimate goal is to be healthy and strong with better performance being a secondary goal!

So now I will open commentary... Please feel to express your opinion. I only ask that if you have a lot of questions and opinions that you email me (christikeiser at yahoo dot com). Thanks in advance guys!

Old pic but is my best WTF look!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-03-25T08:50:00.003-06:00

Yea, I look that good sporting a cowboy hat too!

I chose this song because Spring is here which means as athletes we are not getting outdoors and really rockin' the workouts. That means we are going to be gettin' dirty! We will be sporting the dust, grime and sweat of a good workout every weekend from now until next winter. And there is nothing as fun as "gettin' dirty!" So without further ado here is Friday's Lyrics!

Rock the workouts my lovelies!

Dirty Girl
-Terri Clark

~~Four~~ Two wheels churning up a fresh ~~green pasture~~ blacktop road,
throwing ~~mud pies~~road dust everywhere.
I'm ~~beside~~ behind you yellin faster faster,
wind whippin through my tangled hair and you know, you know, there's nothin like it in the world.

when your out there underneath the sun
and I'm a dirty girl,
i like it when we get cleaned up on Sunday,
feel my skin against a string of pearls
and when we hang out it's, it's just a fun day,
you know i love it when i get to be a dirty girl

You'll be workin on that ~~El Camino~~ Orbea Orca,
bustin knuckles with a ~~monkey~~ allen wrench,
i'll come sneakin up and whisper real low
what you really needs a ~~3/16ths~~ pedal wrench,
and you know that there's nothin like it in the world,

when were underneath the ~~hood~~crank and i'm a dirty girl
I like it when we get cleaned up on Sunday,
feel my skin against a string of pearls
or when we hang out it's,
it's just a fun day you know
i love it when i get to be a dirty girl

and you know, you know that there's nothin like it in the world,
it might be axle grease and ~~mississippi~~ Colorado mud
but when you touch my cheek and leave a little smudge
I'LL BE YOUR DIRTY GIRL

i like it when we get cleaned up on Sunday,
feel my skin against a string of pearls
or when we hang out it's,
it's just a fun day
you know i love it when i get to be a dirty,
get to be a dirty girl

I get to be a dirty girl

Stylish Blogger!

2011-03-24T08:41:00.008-06:00

Not the best pic of us but a great pic of the scenery!

I am sorry that I did not update yesterday like I said I would. I got an opportunity to go snowshoeing and well just couldn't pass up that chance! FYI, I had a great time. We couldn't have asked for better weather! Plus, after the snowshoeing we went swimming and well, now I am Miss Cranky Tired Bottom!

But enough about that. Let me get back to my most recent Stylish Blogger Award! Thanks so much to fatsmoker2ironman for nominating(tagging me)! The rules are simple:
1. Thank the person who nominated you. Check!
2. Nominate your own stylish bloggers.
- Tiffany at Tiffany's Spartanette Training. I absolutely love her blog and plus she is a fellow UTSA alum and my Texas sista!
- Kathleen at Dare to Dream. Kathleen is training for IM Arizona and she is a fellow Coloradoan. She has the most adorable puppy. You really should check out here blog for the puppy pix alone!
3. Finally, I must tell you 7 things about myself:
- I am a clutz! If it is possible to trip over an invisible line then the I will do it. When I was in basic training I tripped over the same door stop every day for 8 weeks when we marched by it going to the chow hall!
- I am a tv addict. When I am not working or working out then I am probably watching tv. I love crime dramas! Not a productive use of my time but hey that is me!
- I spend way too much time with my Android phone. I am lost without it. And no I don't spend time talking to people with it. I am mostly checking my Twitter and Facebook updates. I need to cut the cord!
- I used to play basketball and softball growing up. I was not good at those sports either. I also played football with the neighborhood boys and they would kick my ass. But I would get back up and do it all again the next day. I was a huge tomboy!
- I want a Harley! I bought one but it was for my husband's 20th wedding anniversary present. I want my own!
- I want to train with Coach Liz, Tiffany and KC because I think it would be so much fun to have them kick my ass on a daily basis!
- I have never met BDD in person nor have I seen a picture of him but I think he is my long lost brother from another mother!

And because I also missed my Tuesday Hero Award, I will also bring that up now. This weekend was a glorious weekend for Professional Women's running. Shalane Flanagan won at Bronze Medal at World Cross which with along with strong showings by the other US womens' runners allowed us to score another Bronze!!! Additionally, Kara Goucher had a very strong showing at the NYC 1/2 marathon with a third place finish. This after just having a baby! The US is making a comeback and I am so proud of all these great ladies. I love that we are not backing down to competition anymore. This is what has inspired me this week! What about you?

Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Operation Iron - Week 11

2011-03-21T07:45:00.006-06:00

A great week of workouts but not really with the running. I am still having problems with the calves so I will be relegated to the elliptical this week. If its not one thing it is another. This does not bode well for my 1/2 marathon on May 1st. Oh well, I will just keep focusing on eating clean and working on my swimming. Plus, the weather is a changing which means more time outdoors on the bike. YAY!

As to my clean eating, I have gone one full week of eating only veggies, fruits, lots of protein, a little starches and NO Starbucks!!!! I only have about 120 more days to go! I sure hope this helps me drop the body fat! I did lose weight during this week but I believe it was water weight. I went from 141 to 138.8.

Here are the numbers:
Bike: 24.3 mi 01:53 mins
Elliptical: 3.7 mi 00:45 mins
Run: 12.7 mi 02:38 mins
Swim: 3200.0 yd 01:17 mins
Weights: 01:24 mins
Total Duration: 07:57 mins

I have been tagged as a "Stylish Blogger" again so please check back in on Wednesday when I wax poetic about myself! Thanks Fatsmoker2Ironman! And please check out his blog if you have not done so already!

I will leave you with the some bike porn!

Friday Lyrics!

2011-03-18T07:27:00.006-06:00

I am a "March Madness" freak! I love basketball. My son used to play competitively until he decided he liked to hang out and drink beer more. I am a huge Kansas fan because of course I grew up there. I was not fortunate enough to go to school there. I was a "poor child" and didn't have the ability to come up with the required tuition. I chose the military path. But I did finally get a degree at the University of Texas San Antonio. And guess who is in the big dance this year? Yeppers, that would be my alma mater, UTSA! We were one of the first four and we won our first game against Alabama State. We now have the great fortunate of taking on the number one seed in the tournament, Ohio State. Yes, we will get out butts handed to us but we made the dance!!!!! And we will have a football team in 2011! Things are so lookin' up for us!

So today I am dedicating my Friday Lyrics to my alma mater. The song is Toni Basil's Mickey. Why? Because it is the only song I know of that has cheerleaders in the video! What better way to cheer on my favorite team! GO RAWK IT ROADRUNNERS! I will be watching you this afternoon and praying for a miracle! And miracles can happen because this is March Madness!

Here I am representing. I am wearing my tee to work and flashing my roadrunner!

Tuesday's Hero Award

2011-03-15T09:53:00.004-06:00

I don't have words to express the impact these images have made on my life so I will just say that I am dedicating today's Hero Award to all the Japanese people who are suffering from the earthquake and tsunami. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Here is a video of one survivor's tale.

Operation Iron - Week 10

2011-03-14T14:00:00.004-06:00

Well, motivation is coming back around. I still have moments where I lack motivation. For example, on Saturday I chose not to run the St. Patrick's Day 5k so that I could take pictures of all of my Coach's Kids that were running. I should have gone home after that and ran but I chose not to do that either. I ended up watching "Burlesque" and I am happy with that! ("Burlesque" is a good movie but the plot was a little too weak and too predictable. The music was awesome!")

I did have a great week, otherwise. I completed my first virtual race, "I just felt like running a virtual 5K, organized by Jeff at Detroit Runner. I did my virtual 5K as part of my Foundation Run on Friday. I did it at lunch so I didn't have my camera. Darn! My time was 31:03. A little slow but I am cool with that. I am coming off an injury after all. Anyway, a huge thanks to Jeff for organizing this run!

Here are the numbers for last week:

Bike:33.5 mi 02:24 mins
Elliptical: 3.5 mi 00:30 mins
Run:8.2 mi 01:25 mins
Total Duration: 04:19 mins

I am sure that these numbers will come up this week! Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Friday Lyrics

2011-03-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

I found this song on YouTube yesterday and I love it! I hope you enjoy it as well. I mean can you really go wrong with "The Oz-man?"

Life Won't Wait
--Ozzy Osbourne

I watch it all change,
Take the news of the day
And throw it away

Time will kill all the pain,
Fate will cure the decay of all this blind ambition,
The greed brings us together

Stand strong,
Stay true,
Be brave,
It all comes down to you

Try to just let it go,
Know that just is too slow,
But it comes in the end

Rise, the guilty will fall,
Stay, they can't take it all; they want the unimportant,
It's love they leave behind

Stand up,
Aim true,
Keep heart,
The future looks to you

Every second you throw away,
Every minute of every day,
Don't get caught in a memory,
'Cause life won't wait for you,
No, life won't wait for you, my friend

I'm watching the change,
Who will carry the flame?
It all feels very strange

Dreams that men can be good,
Faith to live as we should and know we're all connected,
We give ourselves the power

Stand strong,
Stay true,
Be brave,
It all comes down to you

Every day that you wait, you're falling faster,
No slide of hand,
No twist of fate,
No ever after

When it's gone, it's gone,
I'll fight 'til the bitter end,
Life won't wait for you,
No, life won't wait for you, my friend

Life won't wait for you, my friend
Life won't wait for you, my friend
Life won't wait for you, my friend
Life won't wait for you, my friend

Things Are Looking Up...

2011-03-10T07:44:00.004-07:00

I am happy to report that I have worked out twice in the last two days! I think I am starting to come around. I am taking it one day at a time. I am not focusing on the big picture. I am not thinking about races. I am not thinking about times. I am just doing what Coach L sends me for that day and right now that is what is working! I know that I will be right back on the full Operation Iron bandwagon in no time but right now I need to be pressure free!

Here is what I have done!

Tuesday: 3,2,1 intervals I did 10 mins at 5.6. Then I did my first 3,2,1 at 6.5, 6.8and 7.0 with the rest period at 5.6. The second 3,2,1 I did at 6.6, 6.8 and 7.1 and again the rest period was at 5.6. Finally the warm down was 10 mins at 5.6.

Wednesday: I did a recovery workout on the elliptical. I had the great feeling of fatigue that comes with a hard workout so I just rocked on the elliptical for 30 minutes!

The remainder of the week looks good, especially since I may be able to ride outside today! Please, please, please let Spring be here!

My mantra for this week... "ignite the light!"

Tuedsay Hero Award!

2011-03-08T12:41:00.003-07:00

I love the fact that so many people have made big changes in their lives. I am inspired by those people who are able to change their lifestyles and enjoy the rewards that come with those changes. Today I am honoring a fellow blogger who has done just that. My hero for today is Annie at Retail Runner. Annie decided she did not like the way her life was going and she did the things necessary to make a change and that change has definitely stuck. She is an awesome runner and triathlete. Annie thanks for inspiring me!

And a great shout-out to my Daily Mile buddy, Jessica. I received a package from her today with a great card. Thanks Jessica you are the best!

Finally, one more shout-out to a friend who hit a great milestone today. She has lost 30 lbs to date and is well on her way to meeting her goal. Girlfriend you rawk and I am so glad you are in my life!

Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Have You Seen My Motivation?

2011-03-07T08:00:00.004-07:00

Yep my motivation is missing and I don't know where it is and when it will come back. I just have no desire whatsoever to workout. I don't know if I am over trained or just lazy. All I want to do is lay around and nap. I hope my motivation comes back soon because I am lost without it. Any thoughts on how I can fix this predicament?

My trip to San Antonio was a success. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The food was incredible as always. I hit all my favorite places while I was there. But now I am back in Colorado and we have a wonderful ice storm in progress! YAY! Please Spring come soon!

Well, I guess I will go venture out and try to find my motivation! Have a great day all!

Howdy Ya'all!

2011-03-01T08:57:00.003-07:00

Well, I am in the great state of Texas this week for work so I am far behind on everything! I apologize now for not having my usual posts. I am just trying to make sure that I get plenty of sleep and hopefully get in my scheduled workouts while I am here.

Not much is going on in my training. Last week I was able to do the elliptical on two days. And then on Saturday I was able to run a mile and then walk the rest of my long "run." This week I have some more running planned so we will see how the ole body holds up!

I hope you all have a great week! And remember until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Friday Lyrics

2011-02-25T06:54:00.004-07:00

I was driving home from work yesterday just jamming to the tunes that randomly came up when a blast from the past starting playing. I knew the instant that the smile crossed my face that I had found my song for today. Many of you may be to young to appreciate the hair-bands of the eighties but I jammed to many of them in my youth. This band, though technically not a hair band, was one of my favorites and it always reminds me of some of the crazy things that my friends and I did during our summer nights. So today will be a flashback to my youth and vitality. A look back at the carefree days if you will. I hope you enjoy it!

Here they are now, old and fat!

The Kid Is Hot Tonight
--Loverboy

We just heard of a brand new wave
And we hope it's here to stay
Well have to wait and see
If it's half of what they say
We heard he opened up a brand new door
Well you know that's what Im lookin for
Well have to wait and see
if it makes you shout for more

How do you like him so far?
How do you like his show?
How do you like the way he rocks
and the way he rolls?
How do you like his image?
How do you like his style?
How do you like the way he looks
and the way he smiles?

(chorus)
The kid is hot tonight
Whoa so hot tonight
But where will he be tomorrow?
The kid, is hot tonight
Whoa so hot tonight
( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/loverboy-lyrics/the-kid-is-hot-tonight-lyrics.html )
But where will he be tomorrow?

And we just heard of a brand new fad
And they say it's gonna drive you mad
Well have to wait and see
if it's the best you ever had
And we just heard of a brand new wave
We heard it's headin for an early grave
Well have to wait and see
if there's anything we can save

(chorus)

The kid is hot tonight
Whoa so hot tonight
But where will he be tomorrow?
The kid is hot tonight
Whoa so hot tonight
But where will he be, where will he be?

The kid is hot tonight
Whoa so hot tonight
But where will he be tomorrow?
The kid is hot tonight, whoa...

A, B, C's

2011-02-23T08:09:00.010-07:00

Tiffany at Tiffany's Spartanette Training put up this great list of things by alphabet and I thought I would do the same thing. I hope you enjoy it!

A. Age: I will be 43 in April! You may mail presents at your convenience!
B. Bed size: Queen but I wish it was bigger some nights.
C. Chore you hate: Cleaning toilets.
D. Dogs: Hannah but she passed away in January.

E. Essential start to your day: Grande Decaf Soy No-whip Mocha.
F. Favorite color: Purple but I also like pink and black.
G. Gold or silver: Silver.
H. Height: 5’6”
I. Instruments you play: I played the coronet during middle school and took piano lessons when I was in grade school. I can’t do either one now.
J. Job title: eServices Product Manager
K. Kids: A 19 year old son.

L. Live: Colorado
M. Mom’s name: Sharon.
N. Nicknames: Chrissy-poo. Don’t ask!
O. Overnight hospital stays: I stayed one night in the hospital when I gave birth to my son. I stayed one night in the hospital when I had my jaw surgery.
P. Pet peeve: Stupid people!
Q. Quote from a movie: “You may fire when ready!” -Grand Moff Tarkin, Star Wars Episode 4. I just love his accent when he says it!

R. Righty or Lefty: Right!
S. Siblings: I have two younger brothers.

T. Time you wake up: 0445-0600. During the week I wake up at 445 and I try to sleep later on the weekends but it just doesn’t work.
U. Underwear: Bikini
V. Vegetables you dislike: Peas! Gawd, they are the most disgusting things on earth.
W. What makes you run late My husband!
X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, mouth, jaw, back, fingers.
Y. Yummy food you make: I make a mean batch of veggie tacos and a nice Szechuen Shrimp.
Z. Zoo animal favorite: Penguins! I think they are so cool!

Tuesday Hero Award

2011-02-22T08:18:00.004-07:00

My hero today is Chrissie Wellington. She took a huge step yesterday for the sport of triathlon by publicly posting all of her drug-testing results since she became a pro. As she said, "This is a small step that i feel will help to uphold triathlon’s integrity and reputation, ensure that the competition is fair, and provide proof that athletes can achieve great things without the need to cheat."

You go girl!

You can read all about this step on her blog and see her drug test results here.

Chrissie posing with some IM Kansas Finishers last year

P.S. Operation Iron Week 6 consisted of one swim so there is really no need to recap the week.

Friday Lyrics

2011-02-18T07:22:00.003-07:00

I am late to the whole Valentines' Day thing. I am not a romantic and my husband always forgets anyway. But because my husband has put up with me this last month I am dedicating today's Friday Lyrics to him. Of course, he absolutely hates this song but it really does say everything I want to say to him. Besides he never reads my blog anyway. So naner naner!

I love you Brad!

Oh yea, this can also go out to my two best friends! This was their wedding song! I love you Roarks!

1,2,3,4
-Plain White T's

give me more loving then I've ever had.
make it all better when I'm feeling sad.
tell me that I'm special even when i know I'm not.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
barely getting mad,
im so glad i found you.
i love being around you.
you make it easy,
as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what I'll do.
i love you.
(i love you)
give me more loving from the very start.
piece me back together when i fall apart.
tell me things you never even tell your closest friends.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
best that I've had.
im so glad that i found you.
i love being around you.
you make it easy as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what I'll do.
i love you.i love you
(i love you)
you make it easy, its easy as 1234
theres only one thing two do three words four you i love you
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
thats what ill do i love you
(i love you)
i love you i love you.
one two three four i love you.
(i love you)
i love you
(i love you)

Running Style!

2011-02-17T06:35:00.002-07:00

Everyone is always talking about their running style. The whole debate about whether you are a heel striker or a fore foot striker. The debate also rages between whether you should wear a minimalist shoe, go barefoot or wear a stability shoe. Personally, I run with the grace and dignity of a gazelle. I am so impressed by my running gait that I videotaped it just so ya'all could fawn over my fantastic awesomeness! So without further adieu, watch and weep!

What's Up Wednesday!

2011-02-16T09:45:00.005-07:00

Well, the first thing that is up is my cholesterol, specifically my LDL. However, all is not lost. My triglycerides are way down. So my crazy ass diet is working, I just have an inefficient system for dealing with LDL. Thus, I have been put back on the Pravachol but at a lower dosage than before. YAY!

Everything else is actually down. My iron (22) and vitamin D (32) levels are too low! Wow, that explains a lot! Those two things could be contributing to my crazy mental make up as of late. So I will now be taking a ferrous gluconate for my iron deficiency and a Vitamin D supplement. Finally, because my mental state has been way over the top I will also be back on my anti-depressant. I guess that the world will now be filled with rainbows, unicorns and fairies! ;)

Finally, we discussed my tailbone. She did not do an xray but believes the injury is closer to the sacrum than the coccyx. Finally, she suggested that it will take 6 weeks to heal! Oh shit! I didn't want to hear that. I have a 1/2 marathon on May 1st and I wanted to go sub-2 on that one. Oh well, time to rethink that plan. I guess I need to spend more time at the pool. Fun! Oh wait, rainbows, unicorns and fairies not ogres!

Well, that is all I have for today. I hope ya'all have a great day. Until later, keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!

Tuesday's Hero Award

2011-02-15T07:49:00.010-07:00

Today I am dedicating my Tuesday Hero Award to one of my favorite professional triathletes, Uli Bromme! Here is a great article about her on Slowtwitch. Uli is a third year pro out of Boulder who is steadily moving up in standings with great results. However, like many pros she is struggling in the sponsorship department. She was with Team Sport Beans but this year they lost their major sponsor. All of her expenses related to triathlon come from her own pocketbook and we all know how expensive that can get. Additionally, she is completely self-coached mainly because of the expense. I haven't met Uli in person but I do feel a personal connection to her. She is very open and friendly in her "virtual" interactions with me. As such, I really wish I could do more for her because she is a great athlete and person. Unfortunately, I am not well connected. That is why I am putting this out there. If anyone out there does have connections in the tri-world or world in general, please lets band together and do what we can for Uli! Let's help her get some more sponsorships or whatever we can do because even the littlest things can help.

Uli, please keep riding, running and swimming to your personal greatness!