New York at last!

Last night Brian and I flew to New York. It was an uneventful trip, which is always good when air travel is involved. Before our flight, we met Joey in the Jacksonville Airport - he and Maggie are in Panama City Beach this weekend to volunteer for Ironman Florida which is on Saturday. They are going to register for IMFL 2008 on Sunday and hopefully get me registered, too. We had a nice dinner and hung out for a bit while waiting for our flight. I'm totally bummed that the marathon and IMFL are on the same weekend - I really want to be there!

We flew into La Guardia so we had an awesome view of NY City all lit up at night. We flew over the Verrazano Bridge - the race start, saw the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building lit up Orange and Blue - the marathon's colors. I can't believe the race is almost here.

We spent some time chatting with my sister, Sarah, and her husband, Chalmers, before heading off to bed. This morning has been low key. Sarah and I are heading to the Race expo in a bit while the twins nap. Brian has opted for babysitting detail over the Race expo.

1st Marathon

Here is a photo of Rachel and I at the finish of our first ever marathon. This was the Austin Marathon in February of 2005. It was 80 degrees at the finish - a very warm race with little shade. I can't believe we are smiling, we must have been delusional. Anyway, I thought it was appropriate to share as NY approaches. This will be my third marathon, but the first one I've done without Rachel - that seems odd to me. I'm getting nervous and beginning to wonder what I was thinking. At any rate, if the weather forecast holds, this will be the best weather I've had for a marathon. Current forecast is a low of 44, high of 55, mostly cloudy, and 57% humidity. Excellent conditions! Cross your fingers that the forecast holds.

Gimme a Break!

Okay, this entry is a bit whiny and definitely has some bitch and moan in it, but it's my blog and I'm going to use it to vent a little. Anyone that knows me knows that vocalizing my frustrations goes a long way towards making me feel better.

I have received three emails since Thursday regarding changes in the start of the NY marathon. The first email was to inform runners at the green start - that's me - that there is construction on the lower deck of the Verrazano Bridge and the running lanes will be narrower than in previous years so it may take longer to get across the start line. Mildly annoying but not the end of the world, but considering that I am already getting nervous, it's not want I wanted to hear. Next email - due to major construction around the Verrazano Bridge, it is recommended that all athletes take the Staten Island Ferry. Again this is not a huge deal, and even looks like it might allow me to sleep later. It just requires rearranging my morning plans, but on top of the previous email, and the fact that I am already nervous, it's not what I need. Email #3 - all runners in the green start will be put into waves and each wave will be led up from the corral onto the bridge as soon as the previous wave has cleared. Okay, now I'm starting to get bent out of shape. Seriously people!

Now I'm sure most of you are thinking "What's the big deal? Just some logistical changes. At least they are keeping you informed." All of which is true, and it really isn't that big a deal. It will mean that it will likely take longer for me to cross the start line which has nutritional and hydration implications, and I do have to replan how I am getting to the race start, but mostly it's just adding to my nervousness. Anyway, that's my rant for the day - nothing major, but I feel better already!

Wow!

Unless you are living under a rock, you know that Southern California is on fire. Yesterday Brian got a picture from a friend of his that lives in Huntington Beach north of San Diego. He took the picture from his front porch and the fires are about 25 miles away. Today I talked to my brother Pat who lives in Sugarloaf in the mountains east of Los Angeles. He and Kelly are doing fine except for the smoke. Fortunately the weather conditions are improving and firefighters are starting to get a handle on the situation. I just thought I would take a moment to send some good thoughts to the people dealing with this awful situation.

Track me!

It's less than 2 weeks to the NY marathon. If you want to know exactly how long until start time, check the countdown clock to the right. I'm sure my posts are going to be primarily about the upcoming race so I apologize for going one-dimensional on you. Also, Brian's been working so much lately that there really isn't a whole lot going on - the ocassional happy hour, Saturday dinners, football. The typical stuff. Anyway, this post is to let everyone know that the athlete tracking is up. NY is doing their tracking differently than other races. The athlete has to register the email addresses of people that want to track them. I'm guessing this is the race organizers' attempt to keep the tracking from getting out of hand or to deter stalkers - or both. If you want to track me, just send me an email and I'll sign you up. I'm assuming that if you give me the email address for your cell phone that should work, also. For those of you that are unfamiliar with athlete tracking, basically every time I go through a timing checkpoint on the course, anyone signed up to track me will get an email or text message informing you of my progress. It's almost like being there!

Race Number

Today I got my race registration card in the mail. My race number is 29499. This is the biggest race number I have ever had. There really will be close to 40,000 people running this race. Incredible! My card also tells me that I will be at the Green Start. Because the race is so big, the starting line is split up into three groups, and the first 8 miles of the race are also split. I have the last three weeks of my training from my coach. Two weeks from Thursday, Brian and I will be getting on a plane to New York. It's almost here!

More Cowbell!

I was on YouTube the other day looking for a particular Saturday Night Live clip to send to a friend. I wasn't sure if I would find it because NBC has been coming down hard on YouTube about the whole copyright thing and a lot of SNL clips have been pulled. I have had some luck finding older clips so I figured I'd give it a shot. I found the clip I was looking for and sent the link to my friend. Then I remembered another clip that I had tried to find quite a while ago but it had been removed at the time. It's up on You Tube again- who knows for how long so I thought I'd share.

For those of you that might be wondering about the apparent randomness of this clip, it has to do with spectating with Rachel at Ironman Florida 2007. Here are the things that led me to this post today. Don't try to understand my thought process - it'll just give you a headache or make you afraid of me, or both.

• Looking for a SNL clip.
  
• Registration for Ironman Florida 2008 is approaching.
  
• There will most certainly be cowbells at the NY Marathon.
  
• Thinking about Rachel.

So here's the clip - almost a year after Rachel told me about it, but no less funny. For those of you out cheering for a race - More cowbell, please!

Travel Plans

Yesterday I made my flight reservations for New York for marathon weekend. I guess there really is no turning back now. Not that I was considering backing out, but now it's definitely a done deal. Brian and I are flying out on Thursday evening and returning on Monday. Traveling the day after a marathon is unpleasant, but recovering at home will be better.

After the crazy weather in Chicago, I'm starting to get a little obsessive about checking the weather in New York. It's been so incredibly humid in Gainesville this past month that I am really hoping for the 55 degree start temperature that is the average for this race. Actually, I'm trying to imagine what running in 55 degree temps will feel like. It's unfathomable to me right now. When Brian and I were in New York for Labor Day, it was barely 80 and about 50% humidity and I just cruised through my workouts.

Overall, I feel like my training is moving right along. I've slacked off some the past few weeks on my swimming/upper body work but that's the one part of my training that's been inconsistent this past year, and I'm getting that back on track. My running and biking have been solid, and the plantar fasciitis is nearly non-existent these days. This is my first marathon that I actually have a goal finish time so I am excited and nervous all at once. New York here I come!

Hold On

I've had this song stuck in my head for a few days. It came up on my ipod during my long run on Saturday and now it keeps randomly popping in to my head. It is definitely 80's pop, but I liked it then and I still do, although it could do without the cheesy guitar solos. I figure everyone could use a little 80's pop with some good harmony and a positive message. Besides, if it's stuck in my head, I feel compelled to pass it on.

The Pirate Party

Looks like I'm back to posting once a week. I'll try to do better. The sad thing is that I started this post 5 days ago. I uploaded the photos and put together the slide show and then didn't get back to the post until now. I know - pathetic. I'll be emailing a snapfish link to some of you with all the pictures from the party. If you don't get that email in a few days and want to see the pics, just let me know. Okay, now for the important stuff.

Jordan's 6th birthday party was 2 weeks ago, September 22 to be exact. I was in Austin for the party. (See my previous post for trip details). Jordan decided he wanted a pirate theme party this year so Rachel and Joey put together a pirate treasure hunt for the kids. Joey acted as Pirate Master and led the children on their quest complete with a water balloon fight. The treasure was goody bags. It was really cute and so much fun to watch the kids!

After the hunt, there was yummy food, a pirate cake, and the pinata. It isn't really a party without a pinata, is it? The kids were really swinging hard at the pinata. It was busted open in no time. Then there were presents and the party was over. Everyone had a really good time. I think Jordan opened his presents twice as fast as he did last year.

Joey's parents and Rachel's mom and grandma had come to town for the party. I don't get to see them very often so that was nice. I spent a lot of time catching up with Linda, which was also really nice. I have to do better about keeping in touch.

Overall it was a big success! Rachel and Joey really know how to put together a party!

Motivation

This is my third post in four days. I know I don't usually post more than twice a week so if you haven't checked in a while, scroll down to see what else I've been up to.

Today I headed out for my weekly long run. 5 weeks until New York - Holy crap! This week was not a great training week. Between traveling, not sleeping so well, and dealing with a severe case of jogbra chafe from last week's long run, I had a hard time motivating. I did manage a few good workouts, though.

I didn't sleep well last night and was seriously not in the mood to run. Fortunately, we had a drop in temperature and humidity last night - probably from one of those tropical depressions in the Atlantic - and the wind picked up. It was a balmy 75 with 60% humidity when I got started. It was lovely weather, unfortunately my legs were feeling a little cruddy, and I was having a hard time staying mentally focused, which meant my pace kept falling off. I was really missing running surrounded by all the people on the hike and bike trail in Austin. Even if you aren't running with anyone, there is something uplifting about running while surrounded by lots of other runners. Today I passed one other runner - not so uplifting.

As I'm running along not really finding a groove, my theme song, as designated by Joey, came on my ipod. It made me laugh and put an extra bounce in my step. I said a silent thank you to my awesome best friend who has given me some great running music over the years. I started thinking about motivation and what keeps me going on the days when I would be just as happy sitting on my butt watching football. I was reminded of a conversation Joey and I had not too long ago about Steve Sisson's most recent blog entry. I commented that Steve must have been a Buddhist monk in a former life, and Joey countered that it was the countless number of solitary long runs over the years that had given him lots of time to think. Perhaps it's a little of both.

So as I'm running along my thoughts turn to motivation. What motivates me to get out there and train particularly on a day when things aren't going so well? There are the obvious answers - fitness, health, a sense of accomplishment, the desire to find my limits and push beyond, the fact that I've registered for a marathon and made a commitment to do the race so I damn well better train, even guilt to a certain extent, and of course, enjoyment. Yes, I do actually enjoy this stuff - I know that may seem sick and twisted to some of you. Those things get me started, and on a day when my body feels good, they are usually more than enough to get me through, but on a day like today what gives me that extra push? Where does the motivation and, just as importantly, the inspiration come from? For me the answer is easy. It comes from the people in my life. So here is a list of the people that kept me going today, and on many other days as well. They are listed in the order that they came into my mind today so if you are not on the list or are wondering about your order on the list, it was fairly random.

Joey-he was first in my thoughts because of the music, then I thought of the awesome shirt (to be revealed later) from Running Banana that he had made for me to wear when I run the marathon, and hooking me up with my excellent coach. The shirt is hanging up in our guest bathroom, which functions as my locker room, so I see it every day. Joey has been motivating me to do triathlons for a few years now, and I was fortunate to be present when he completed his first Ironman. I will be attempting my first Ironman in Novemeber 2008, and I'm thrilled that Joey has decided to do the race with me. He is always willing to mock me, harass me, or say whatever it takes to get me through a workout. He will also occasionally keep me company via text message when I am suffering on the treadmill. Thanks J!

Rachel-it's unusual for me to think of Joey without Rachel coming to mind, but in this case, it's more than inspiration by association. Rachel and I completed our first marathon together in Austin in Feb 2005. It was my second year of grad school, and I had no intention of doing a marathon that year. Rachel said she was going to do it so I decided I would try. After all, she has a full time career and a child. All I had to do was attend three classes and get busy writing up my Master's Project. If she could find time to train, I really didn't have a good excuse. Not only did she motivate me to do my first marathon, but I am pretty damn sure I would not have finished without her. We ended up running together for the part of the course that went through East Austin - around mile 20 I believe. There was little shade and it was so hot. I might have given up without her company. When I was visiting last week, I saw her medals from the half marathons she ran last year hanging on a hook on the wall. Last winter, in an effort to PR, Rachel ran four half marathons from December to mid-February. That's four 13.1 mile races in 2.5 months! Today on my run, I was thinking of the dedication and perseverance it took to accomplish that. Thanks Rachel!

By the way, I told Joey that he needed to frame those medals, but really they need a display case for all their combined hardware. I'm thinking something with spotlights, a small disco ball, and a motion sensor that triggers a trumpet fanfare whenever someone gets close. Seriously!

Brian-really there's way too much to cover for one blog entry, but what I thought of today was that this will be the first marathon that Brian has seen me run, and really one of the few races that he's been to so I want to do well. He's not big on coming to my races or anyone else's either-partly it's having to get up so early. He feels like his job is to get me to race day, which he does admirably. Now here's where some of that guilt comes in. Brian will be taking time off work to travel with me, and will likely spend most of our time in NY entertaining my nieces, who think he is the best thing ever. Now some of you might be thinking that taking a long weekend isn't a sacrifice, but Brian is trying to get tenure and has lots of grant deadlines coming up. I've been teasing him that he's obligated to watch me race since both our families will be there to cheer me on so he really can't get out of it, but I am so thrilled to know that he'll be there.

My family in New York-they will be waiting for me at mile 17 after I cross the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan and again at mile 24 before I enter Central Park. I've never had a large group of people ready to cheer for me so I'm really excited. I'd like to look like I'm not ready to keel over when I see them.

Brandon Marsh, my coach-there's the guilt factor again. He has put in the time and effort to develop a training program for me, the least I can do is execute it to the best of my ability. Yes, I known he is getting paid for his services, but that's hardly the point. Also, I wouldn't want to reflect badly on him by having a crappy race.

Maggie-last but not least. Maggie did Ironman Florida with Joey so I got to be there with her for that, which is inspirational in and of itself, but today she helped keep me sane. I finished up my run on the treadmill at the gym. My workout today was 15-18 miles but not more than 3 hours, but do the last 5 miles at a fast pace. I knew I needed the treadmill to help keep my pace up. So there I was trying to stay focused and finish strong without having a mental meltdown - the TVs were showing a religious service, Nascar, and bowling. It was too early for football. Seriously, just kill me! Maggie texted me about her morning workout and we proceeded to have a conversation that got me through the last 3 miles. Yes, I can text and run on a treadmill - as long as it's not speedwork. Thanks Chica! You rock!

So these are the things I was thinking of as I went through my run today. Perhaps this was more of a look into my psyche than anyone really needed, but that's just how it is. Thanks to all my family and friends. Even if you weren't on today's list, I couldn't do this without you. The marathon might be a solo event, but no one gets to race day on their own.

The Mojito

Mojito - a refreshing cocktail consisting of mint leaves crushed with sugar and lime; mixed with ice, rum, and club soda. Like all cocktails there are variations, but what exactly does the word mojito mean? This is what I found myself wondering aloud as Brian and I were drinking Mojitos at one of our favorite local restaurants this evening. Yes, I know, my thoughts are so deep it's scary - or something like that. I speculated that mojito must mean "little" something because "-ito" is the Spanish ending for little. I wondered "Little mojo?" but Brian had piped in that it must mean "Little Mo". I will spare y'all the rest of the conversation. Suffice it to say it was very silly and that for me and Brian the Mojito is forever known as "Little Mo".

So what does mojito really mean? According to the Bacardi website, it does indeed mean "little mojo". Mojo being the African word for spell or charm so mojito means little spell. Brian thinks it's mildly amusing that I was right, but still says "Little Mo" is better. It certainly is funnier.

The origins of the drink date back to English pirates in the Carribean during the reign of Elizabeth I. Cool! I hope this information helps someone win at Trivial Pursuit.

Back to Austin

I know I haven't posted in a while. I was in Austin from last Thursday to Tuesday. I thought I would have time for a post while I was there but it turned out to be busy a trip. Now I haven't been to Austin since last April so I was particularly excited to see Rachel and Jordan. Of course I am always excited to see Joey but he was just here in Florida visiting me and Brian. Saturday was Jordan's birthday party so I thought that would be a good time to visit.

Overall, it was a really good trip. I consider Austin home in a lot of ways. Brian and I moved there together in 1996 so he could pursue his Ph.D. It was really the first time we had lived together without roommates and we were far away from anyone we knew. The experience solidified our relationship and every time I visit Austin I am reminded of that. Also, I just love the city - even with all it's growth and changes in recent years, it is still an awesome place to live. Brian and I would move back in a heartbeat. On top of all that, my favorite people in the world that aren't blood relatives live there.

I am in training for the New York marathon so I had workouts that I could not skip. On Friday, Joey was nice enough to let me ride his bike on the trainer. Later on that day, after I had gone with Joey's parents to pick up the tables for Jordan's party and met Joey for lunch at work; I had a lovely swim at Barton Springs. I love swimming at the Springs! I know the water is cold, but it feels so good, and it always feels so peaceful there. Plus Joey and I used to swim laps there together before I moved so it feels like part of the homecoming ritual.

Sunday was my long run. My coach had me doing 15-18 miles but no longer than 3 hours. I opted for laps on the hike and bike trail so I wouldn't have to worry about carrying too much with me while I ran. I got a later start than I planned - I was feeling a little ooky when I woke up. Fortunately the weather cooperated with me. It was so nice to not have to deal with the absolutely abysmal humidity that is summer in Florida. I started at Auditorium Shores, did Mopac to I35, Mopac to Congress Ave, and Mopac to 1st St. There were lots of people out on the trail, which was awesome. It was so nice to run surrounded by lots of happy, fit people walking, running, biking, and enjoying the weather. When I run in Gainesville, I'm lucky if I pass a single runner. I stopped running when I hit 15 miles and walked the last mile or so because I had jogbra chafe so bad it was bleeding. I still managed to average 11 minute miles. For the first 12 miles, before the chafe got too painful, I was staying comfortably steady at 10:30 minute miles so I'm pretty pleased with how my training is progressing. Barton Springs felt awesome after the run. Joey had gotten me take out from Pok-e-Jo's for lunch, and we had a mellow afternoon watching football.

High points of the trip, and these are in no particular order:

• Seeing everyone - it's a long list
  
• Jordan's Party - a separate entry to follow
• Babysitting Jordan, which involved an excursion to Auditorium Shores. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun that was.
• Amy's ice cream and Plucker's with Jordan and Joey
• Watching UT football with Joey and his dad
• Joey's dad's gumbo and Joey's mom's pie
• Dinner at Chuy's with Maggie
• Lunch at Chuy's with Joey
• Barton Springs
• Running on the Trail
  

There really wasn't any downside to the trip except that I realized that I didn't get to eat at Chuy's with Rachel. In all the years since Brian and I have moved, I don't think that's ever happened. I guess we'll have to double up on my next visit. Also, I didn't get to see everyone that I would have liked. I'll have to do better next trip.

The Cheese Shop

Sunday evenings Brian and I swim laps at our gym. It has become one of our weekend rituals. This Sunday, I had forgotten to eat a snack before we went, and I was really hungry during my swim. Brian had finished his post-swim stretching in the warm therapy pool and was heading to the locker room. I still had cold pool time and the hot tub so I asked him to get me a chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie from the smoothie bar. We still had to go to the grocery store so I wanted to put something in my stomach. When I walked into the lounge area, Brian didn't have my smoothie. He said they were out of bananas. I was a little irate - why didn't he get me something else? I walked up to the smoothie bar and asked for a mango smoothie. They're out of mangoes. Then the clerk starts listing everything they're out of, which was most of what I was interested in. I smiled, said thanks anyway and we left. As we are walking out of the front doors, Brian starts his impression of the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch. Of course, I completely crack up laughing . If you don't get why this is funny, then just watch the clip below.

By the way, I'm a big fan of Monty Python and I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite sketch, but the Cheese Shop and the Dead Parrot are definitely at the top of the list.

Food for thought

In case no one noticed, I have been really lax in posting. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it's just that I've been really uninspired to write. So in lieu of my stimulating writing that I know y'all can't live without, here are some quotes from the Dalai Lama and Buddha that I found in the course of a Google search. How I ended up on these pages is not in the least bit interesting, but the quotes are thought-provoking . No, I'm not a Buddhist but Buddhism is influenced by both Taoism and yoga, and so interests me. I threw in a couple of my favorite quotes from Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching, just for fun.

Lao-Tzu:

• Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.
• Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
• If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
  

Philosophies of the Dalai Lama:

• If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.
• If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion
• Don´t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.
  

Buddha:

• Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
• You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person will not be found: You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
• Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
• As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.
  

Labor Day Weekend

I realize I haven't posted in quite a while. Last week was a little hectic and I just didn't make it happen. This past weekend, Brian and I headed up to NY for a visit with his family and my sister. It was a short trip but lovely. Since I finished my last triathlon of the season the week before, I could get away with just a run workout so that was nice. The weather was gorgeous the whole weekend. The high was 80 and the humidity was low. We won't see weather like that in Florida until December.

Saturday we spent relaxing by the pool with Brian's family. I had to do my long run which was a little rough since I had drank a bit too much the night before, and was a little dehydrated. I sucked it up and got it done, though. On Sunday, we headed into the city to spend the day with my sister and her family. As we were driving down the East River Drive, I saw the Queensboro Bridge and realized that in exactly 9 weeks I would be running across that bridge heading toward mile 17 of the marathon. Holy Sh!t! My coach asked me today what my time goal is and I realized that I hadn't really given it serious thought. I know what I would like to do but I haven't actually taken a serious assessment of what pace my training is indicating. Definitely something that needs firming up in the next few weeks.

Anyway, my sister has just moved into a new apartment so it was a little crazy. In case you haven't been paying attention, Sarah has 4 children ages 6 and under. The youngest are twins, Arwen and Julian, at 15 months. Brian and I spent the afternoon playing with the children while Sarah and her husband worked on hanging shelves. The older girls love their Uncle Brian! Aunt Teresa, they love when they need or want something. Somewhere along the way, Brian become the fun one, and I became the bringer of things and the bearer of gifts. Oh well! I had a blast with the twins. They are hilarious! Arwen's favorite word is baby. She points at Julian and says "baby". My sister says "That's right - and you're a baby too." Then Arwen smiles and shakes her head. Julian says "Daddy". We had lots of fun playing with balls, reading board books, and rolling around on the floor.

That evening we met Brian's parents for dinner at a lovely French Bistro, Brasserie Les Halles, at 28th and Park Ave South. It was quite yummy and we all ate too much. Monday we flew home.

All in all, it was an excellent trip and I am really starting to get excited - and nervous - for the marathon.

Ft. Desoto Triathlon

This past weekend was the Publix Family Fitness Weekend at Ft. Desoto Park near St. Pete's Beach. A while back Joey had decided that this would be a good weekend for a visit to Florida and that we should do a triathlon. Ft. Desoto was the most promising race so we thought we'd give it a shot. I didn't need to do this race - I've already done 4 tris this season and am doing an olympic distance tri, the HOT, this Sunday, August 26 - but I haven't done a race with Joey since last year's HOT. I figured what the heck? After all, it's only a 400m swim, 11 mile bike, and a 5K run. Let's do it!

I was super excited for the weekend. The race didn't have much to do with it. I was mostly looking forward to seeing Joey, and going to the beach - even if it was just overnight.

Joey arrived Wednesday night. Thursday was mellow - we slept in, watched a little tv, Joey did some work, I chilled out, we met my friend Barry for our regular Thursday run, then it was off to the gym for the cold therapy pool and the hot tub. Very nice! We had a lovely dinner out at Cabana Cove complete with fried plantains for an appetizer and $3.00 mojitos. Yummy!

Friday we headed out to St. Pete's Beach. We picked up our race packets, checked in to our hotel, and drove to the race site. Since it was a sprint distance race, we weren't too concerned about checking the course. Mostly we just wanted to know what the drive time was from the hotel to the race site. I do like to see how far the swim is from the transition area, since I have been dealing with Plantar Fasciitis for nearly 9 months and doing anything barefoot is hard. Everything looked fine at the race site including a large circle at the end of the road for the bike turnaround ie no slowing down on the turnaround-wohoo! We headed back to the hotel to scope out some restaurants for dinner.

I have mixed feelings about our hotel - technically a motel. I decided to look for a place in Pass-a-Grille, which is the historic part of St. Pete's Beach. On my last trip to St. Pete's I remembered that area just feeling much more comfortable than the more resorty area. Room rates in St. Pete's are pretty expensive, but most places have rooms with kitchens. Our motel only rents rooms with kitchens for 3-day reservations, but they were the only place that had late check out - 2pm - which was perfect since Joey was considering doing the openwater swim after the tri. The room was clean but small. Since it was only one night, who cares? Not having a kitchen was a bummer especially considering that Joey usually eats leftover spaghetti for pre-race breakfast and I eat my usual eggs, oatmeal, oj, and coffee. I figured since it was a sprint race that we would both make do. I was pretty conflicted about the lack of kitchen vs the late checkout and almost changed the reservations 3 or 4 times before the weekend. I'm still not sure I made the right choice.

Saturday morning was the typical race morning - get up at 5am, get dressed, load the bikes on the car, and head out. Since there was no kitchen, we were on the road quickly. I had a Starbucks frappacino beverage, oj, a couple of powdered sugar donuts, and a banana for breakfast - no I'm not kidding. The breakfast of champions it wasn't. Since I had a good dinner, I wasn't too concerned - other than feeling a little nauseous. We set up our transition area - I racked next to Joey which meant I only had to deal with the possibility of the other person next to me screwing with my stuff - and headed off to the beach.

My goal for this race was to average 18mph or faster on the bike, keep my run below 30 minutes, and finish in under 1:20. I only met the first goal. I thought I was under 1:20 but I must have stopped my watch accidentally during T1 so the time was off. I'm pretty bummed about that because I wasn't really pushing on the run. I kept zoning out and slowing down, but according to my watch I was going to make my overall time goal so who cares. If I had been running the way I should have I would have met all my goals. Oh well!

Here are the high points of the race:

• I had a solid swim
• I was able to jog barefoot between transitions - the PF is definitely getting better
• I averaged 18+mph on the bike
• Since my feet didn't hurt during T1, I decided to leave my shoes on the bike and dismount barefoot coming into T2
• Passing people on the bike turnaround - it's a huge, wide circle, why are you hitting your brakes?

Overall it was a decent race - a nice tune up for the olympic distance coming up. Joey had a solid race - a bit of a rough swim that involved him getting kicked in the face and puking, a decent ride considering the rough swim and not being on his own bike, and a good run. Oh, did I mention he broke his toe earlier in the week and did the race any way? Way to go, Joey!

My coach had put a 30 minute post-race run on my schedule, since I am in marathon training mode. Joey was still feeling a bit yucky and was trying to decide about doing the openwater swim at noon. I told him not to worry about running with me, that he should get some food and water and sit in the shade. It was so hot on my run so I'm sure that was the right thing for him. After my run, I got some food and beverage, and Joey and I volunteered to help with the kids race - a duathlon. It was so much fun cheering on the kids and keeping them on the course. They were so cute!

By this point, Joey was feeling much better and decided he would like to do the openwater swim. No problem! I changed into my swimsuit. There was no way I was going to hang around on the beach in my disgusting tri clothes. While Joey was swimming, I hung out in the water. It was really hot on the beach. The water wasn't much cooler, but it was better than nothing. Joey had a really good swim complete with dolphins hanging out just to the side of the course. Very cool! I was really proud of him for sucking it up and getting back in the water after his yucky swim that morning.

We headed back to the hotel for some very much needed showers and our well-deserved post race meal. We decided to eat at the Brass Monkey, a pub- style restaurant next to our hotel. Now it could just be that I was super hungry but I'm going to say that this meal was the high point of the trip. Don't get me wrong - the race was fun, but this food was yummy! I opened the menu from the back, was glancing at the entrees some of which had names like Chicken Chesapeake and Assawoman flounder. Are the owners from Maryland? Assawoman Bay is a body of water near Ocean City. It's a fairly obscure reference. I turned to the front of the menu and sure enough, the owners were in the restaurant business in Maryland for 18 years. Instead of my traditional post-race burger, I opted for a crabcake sandwich. Joey and I shared an order of wings seasoned with Old Bay. Awesome food, excellent service, and the company of my best friend - darn close to a perfect afternoon!

After lunch, it was home to Gainesville. It was an uneventful drive and we were home by 6pm. Brian was happy to see us. After unloading the car and doing some laundry, we headed out to the Swamp Restaurant for dinner and drinks. I was acting as designated driver so the boys could indulge themselves. We had a good time!

Overall, it was a fun weekend!

Free at Last!

Summer camp came to an end on Friday and I am officially unemployed again. Wohoo! Now before you think I didn't enjoy myself teaching camp - that is absolutely not the case. I love teaching, and I really enjoy camp because you have the same kids all week. In many cases, you have the same kids most of the summer. That being said, camp takes a lot out of you. When I worked fulltime, the end of summer camp was always followed by a vacation. I don't have a vacation planned, but I am getting a visit from my best friend, Joey, which is super exciting.

This summer ended on a bit of a down note. I was teaching the insect field camp for the 5th-6th graders and I had a special needs child in my group. To say this child was difficult is an understatement. I did the best I could, but finally had to ask that the child be removed from camp on Thursday morning. Not only was he monopolizing my time, but his behavior was impacting the other campers to the point that they were starting to become verbally aggressive towards him. If I hadn't had two amazing Junior Volunteers, Ali and Sheri, I wouldn't have been able to keep it together. They are the type of teenager that keeps you positive and hopeful for the future. They will also make excellent camp teachers someday soon. The rest of Thursday and all of Friday were so much fun I really regretted not having him removed sooner. I feel like I didn't have much time to bond with the other campers, but I must have done something right because I got hugs from everyone at the end of the day on Friday - and hugs are unusual from that age group. I also got lots of hugs from the younger campers that I had taught most of the summer, but that wasn't surprising. They've been giving me hugs all summer.

Some highlights from camp:

• teaching 1st graders how to fold paper airplanes for the first time. Way too much fun!
• having my 1st graders help the 5th graders paint murals of Australia
• playing freeze dance
• silly jokes
  
• visiting the new Megalodon exhibit - over and over and over!
• getting 12 3rd graders quiet enough to stalk egrets
• bringing in a special snack on Fridays
• Hugs!

Odd Art

On a recent trip to an art museum, this was one of the paintings Brian and I saw. I commented that it was rather odd looking - both in style and subject matter. Brian took one look at it and stated "Christ the Chickenfighter". I started laughing hysterically, which made him laugh too. Then we had to laugh some more at the way the Christ Child was painted. It really is a strange painting.

St. Christopher and the Christ Child - 1518

Lucas Cranach the Elder

TGIF!

Today was the first time this whole summer that I was truly happy for the week to be over. There is no particular reason for it. This week wasn't any better or worse than any other. I think I'm just suffering from summer camp burnout. Anyone that has ever worked a summer camp knows what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, I still have one more week to go. To make it even more challenging, next week I am working all day teaching a field camp. While this type of camp is what I prefer to teach, it is also more tiring. Cross your fingers for good weather!

Brian and I are heading to Jacksonville for the weekend. There is a race series, The Tour de Pain, going on and a group from the Florida Track Club is going. Brian decided he wanted to come along so we are staying in a bed and breakfast, The Inn at Oak Street, in the historic district near the St. John's River. The race series is a 4 mile beach run this evening, a 5K on Saturday morning, and a 1-miler on Saturday afternoon. If you do all three, you get a medal. Should be fun! I was talking with one of the women in my Stadium group and she called it "a lot of drinking with a little bit of running mixed in." I'll let you know how it goes.