On again, off again

So once again I've let too much time pass between my blog posts. You know what that means? I will probably have a post a day for the next week. I don't know why I can't seem to post more regularly - oh wait, yes I do. I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seats to hear this illuminating fact about me. Well, here goes. It's actually not anything that special. It just takes me a long time to write something that is publicly presentable. Heck, it even takes me a long time to write an email, and I don't edit those nearly as much - as a few of you are quite familiar. I'm not a slow writer, quite the contrary. I write way too much, and then I have to edit. I've always written this way, and when I was in school and writing scientific papers, the editing was easy. The important stuff just kind of jumped off the page after a read through. I find that editing personal essays written for a specific audience is a bit more difficult. I want to share the details I think everyone wants to hear without making the post so long no one has time to read it. Is this what it's like to write for People magazine?

Anyway, things have been status quo here in Gainesville. Training is good, Brian is good. The weather has been all over the place, but I'm not going to complain about it now. I was feeling a bit under the weather this weekend after yet another cold snap on Friday, and decided to skip running the Gainesville Half-marathon on Sunday. I'm a little bummed, but not too much, since I was basically using it as a faster training run. I slept 9 hours Saturday night after sleeping all afternoon on Saturday so I'm ok with missing the race. Hmmm...I don't think I've got anything else to report right now. Oh, if you are interested in my training check my Twitter updates - I'm going to make an effort to tweet more about it. More later.

Racing fun

A few weeks ago I was in Austin to visit some of my favorite people and run the 3M half-marathon. Last year I set a PR at 3M, and several months ago I had been hoping to beat that time. Joey ran with me last year, and I had been hoping that would happen again this year, but he was recovering from a surgical procedure and wasn't quite ready to start running. My run has been so inconsistent that I re-evaluated that goal, and decided that I would just go for a steady pace, and see what happens. 3M is always a fun race and Joey and Maggie were planning on coming out to cheer me on so I was looking forward to it no matter what my time.

It was really cold on race morning, 37 degrees, and I found myself happy that I had brought my heavy fleece ear warmers, and bummed that I hadn't brought my heavier tights. I do not like the cold and I never really warm up when it's that cold. Most long distance runners think temps like that are perfect for a race. I don't and I never will. It was 55 and party cloudy when I ran the NYC marathon - I think that's pretty darn close to perfect.

Joey got up at 5am with me and accompanied me to the race start. If you are thinking "What a great friend!" you are right. It was dark and cold, and he was tired and not feeling great, and I was really glad he was there with me. We met Maggie at the start - she and Joey were going to travel the course and cheer. Again, another great friend - especially since Maggie hates the cold as much as I do, and standing out in the cold to cheer is much worse than running in the cold. Thanks guys! You are the best! Joey had his sombrero ready to go. I knew I would be able to spot him wearing that hat, and I did. Brandon and Amy - my coach and his wife for new readers - were also out to cheer, but I totally missed them. Bummer! Thanks for being out there in the yucky cold! It wasn't my best half marathon but the race was still fun. Here's a couple of pics. By the way, finding a good hamburger in Austin at 10am on a Sunday is not an easy thing.

This should be on a T-shirt

If you are looking at this picture and don't get it, that means you didn't read my previous blog entry so scroll down and then this will make sense. This painting was done by an artist, Cisco Manzo. Liz Hatch thought it was hilarious, and so do I.

Wear your helmet - just do it!

A few weeks ago, pro cyclist Liz Hatch had a nasty crash. Here is how she described it:

I was participating in the “Ride the Route” fundraiser for the Women’s Tour Of California Criterium. It left from Santa Rosa and went to Calistoga and then doubled back to Santa Rosa. I arrived a bit late due to traffic and was attempting to catch the main group with few friends. On the last descent into Calistoga I was a bit off the front and enjoying a great time down the hill when I came up on a corner full of pine needles a bit too quickly (understatement) and my only choice was to try to lay the bike out or hit the guardrail… Apparently the second choice was better (???) and I went head first into it at 45k. Specialized helmets, THANK YOU! Also, ROOLY glasses!!! I am so glad I was wearing those things, they kept my eyes protected and all of the dirt and pine needles that ended up in my mouth, nose and ears, yes ears, didn’t touch my eyes! Not only that but they look like new post crash, cannot believe it.

Liz is not shy and had no problems with sharing photos of the crash. I'm not going to post them, my husband occasionally reads my blog and he is already unhappy that I go on long rides alone. The thing is I can't promise that I won't be going downhill at 25-30 mph - that's not all the fast for a downhill. I can promise that I won't go that fast on a curving downhill, and I always wear my helmet and bikeglasses. Here is a photo of Liz's helmet just in case you wanted to know what it looks like when helmet meets guardrail at 45kph.

Liz was fortunate not to have any broken bones and seems to be rehabbing well. I am quite sure she is thankful for all the research and development that has gone into bike helmets over the years. While I hope to never experience it first hand, it is a comfort to know that my helmet really is capable of saving my life. Ride well and ride safe!

Flashback

Liz, one of my roommates in college, posted this picture of me and Brian from when we all lived together at the Berwyn House - so dubbed because it was on Berwyn RD in Berwyn Heights. There were lots of good times living in that house. It's where I was living when I met Brian, and it's the first place Brian and I lived together.

I thought this picture was funny because on any given evening, you could walk into our house and find a similar scene. I guess some things don't change even after 15 years. Brian sometimes complains that I am smothering him so when I showed him the photo, he laughed. I told him he had his chance to nip this behavior in the bud years ago and now he was stuck with it. He laughed some more.

By the way, I'm wearing long underwear in this picture. I am very happy that I live in a place where long underwear is not necessary.

Update

So apparently I let another whole week go by without a post. I didn't mean to do that. I actually had a couple of thoughts for some posts this week, but never got around to writing them. Of course now I can't remember what they were so I figured I'd just dash off something quick to let everyone know that I'm still writing.

This week has been pretty low key. The weather was a bit less than perfect. Cloudy and rainy a couple of days and then downright cold towards the end of the week. It's warming up, though. That's the great thing about winter in Florida - even if there is a cold spell, it's always very short. My training has been consistent, but a little on the lackluster side. It's ok, though. Every week can't be awesome - the body just doesn't work that way.

I'm heading to Austin soon for my first race of the season, the 3m Half-marathon. This is always a fun event. Last year I set a PR, and a few months ago I was planning on beating that time, but my running has not recovered from my Ironman training the way I would have liked so I don't think that's likely. It's okay, though. The race will still be fun, and really, it's the trip to Austin that matters - not the race. I plan on running the Gainesville Half next month, and I feel confident that I can get the time I want.

I still haven't decided on my first tri of the season. I am registered for two tris already, but neither of them will be my first. I am waiting to see how my March calender develops before I make any decisions. This is Florida and tri season started last weekend. There are tris going on all over the state every weekend until the end of November so it's not like I have to decide right away. I am thinking a long weekend trip to the Miami area for a race and visiting some family and friends might be in order at some point, but we'll see. I definitely want to race more this year if I can get it all scheduled.

That's all for now. I'm sure as soon as I hit post, I will remember the things I really wanted to write about and so will end up with several back-to-back posts. Oh well!

Resolution fun

Here's a funny take on New Year's resolutions from one of my favorite comic strips of all time. Enjoy!

Welcome 2009

I just realized I haven't done a blog post in a week - that's craziness! Usually I do my writing in the evening after Brian goes to bed, but I've been trying to stay off the computer at night so I can get to bed earlier, and get up earlier. I'm not a morning person, but my day seems to go much better when I get up early. Somehow I manage to get more done. Besides there might be a chance for a nap later - you just never know.

In case you've been meditating in a buddhist monastery or have a calender phobia, the new year started last week. It's 2009! Wow - seriously, where does the time go? So what are my plans for 2009? Well, 2009 is going to be a repeat of 2008 in a lot of ways, although hopefully with better results. I'm not sure I'm off to a great start, though. I'm running the 3M half-marathon in Austin in a few weeks just like I did last year, but I don't think I'm going to make my time goal. I'm not even sure I'll hit my time from last year. I'll do my best, though, and I'm ok if I don't make my goal. I've been consistent with my training, and I feel really comfortable with my routine, and that's very important. The ultimate goal is Ironman Florida so if I miss my goal at 3M, it's not tragic. I will be running the half-marathon here in Gainesville a month after 3M and I feel confident that I can make my time goal for that race.

So I've already mentioned 2 races on the schedule, there's also St. Anthony's Tri at the end of April, and Gulf Coast tri in May. I haven't decided yet on my first tri of the season - I'm still waiting to see how the month of March shapes up. You'll just have to tune in and find out.

On another note, I'm adding a 2nd yoga class at the Veteran's Hospital. I am looking forward to continuing to work with my current students, who are progressing quite nicely, and will hopefully add some new students.

I'm a generally optimistic person and rarely look back on a year and am grateful that it is over, but 2008 had a few big disappointments, and I must say that I'm glad to move on.

One big goal I have for this year is to be so well trained for Ironman Florida that I could ride on a completely flat tire and still make the bike cut-off. Of course, I am going to have a nice set of race wheels so tires should not be an issue.

Happy New Year!

Last year's New Year post had an Irish blessing and a toast. They are two of my favorites so I was thinking that I would do something different this year, but then decided against it. The Irish comes from my father and December 23 is his birthday so it seems appropriate to honor my Irish heritage at this time of year. Also I realized last month that's been 10 years since my father passed away so I think I'll stick with the Irish blessing. Incidentally, December 23 is also Festivus Day. I think my father would have approved of that.

In case you are wondering why a blessing and a toast, why not one or the other? Well, I feel that sharing both reflects something interesting about the Irish. They are very caring, thoughtful, and emotional, and yet mischievous and full of fun. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year surrounded by the people you love.

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.
-Irish toast

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!
-Irish blessing

Happy Holidays!

Driving, driving, driving

Saturday afternoon, Brian and I headed out on our annual Christmas trip to Maryland. This year we decided to drive from Florida to Maryland, since we are making it a longer visit. I figured the drive would take us about 12 - 13 hours, which is totally doable in one day. It ended up taking us 14 hours but that had to do with the freezing rain we encountered when we got to D.C. There's not much you can do about the weather. Fortunately the salt trucks were out doing their thing and the roads were pretty good.

Overall, the drive was fine. There were the typical issues with Virginia drivers. I don't understand it, but VA drivers don't seem to understand the concept of the left lane as the passing lane. I don't usually make blanket statements about a group like that, but in this case I've had nearly 7 years of experience driving through VA, and it is a consistent thing. There could be three lanes and the right two lanes will be empty and there will be a VA driver in the left lane driving below the speed limit. Seriously! and they won't change lanes when you come up behind them. This occurrence is so common that even Brian has noticed it. Considering he doesn't drive, that's kind of a big deal. I can only assume that the Driver's Ed courses in VA are somehow deficient. At least it was late at night when we were in VA so the amount of drivers on the road was minimal. That really is my only driving rant. For the most part, everyone was driving reasonably well. Considering it's holiday time, I was surprised.

Pros - Brian getting silly/punchy due to sleep deprivation - always good for a laugh - and getting to use my new music player. It was awesome! I think I'll write a separate blog entry/review, since I just realized I can't write about my shopping adventure today without revealing my Secret Santa. That story will have to wait until after Christmas.

Cons - freezing rain, VA drivers, closed interstate due to an accident, and road salt all over my bike. I'm so glad I brought the bike, even though I will likely be confined to the trainer all week - the high temp today was 22 - but I was very unhappy about the thick coating of ice that was on it by the end of the trip AND the crud that was caked on it after the ice melted. I was especially annoyed because I had the drive train cleaned and a new chain put on it and a full tune up done last May and then I only rode it for 2 more months while the tribike was MIA. Before the trip, the bike was as spotless as it's been in a long time. The components were so clean they looked new. Now - not so much. I spent at least an hour cleaning and lubing. Oh well!

I will say that driving is definitely the way to go if we are staying for a week. I don't know if this will become a regular thing for Christmas, but it's not off the table. Whenever I get around to doing Eagleman 70.3 - maybe 2010 - I will definitely drive.

Grossology

Last Saturday, Brian and I went to the Florida Museum of Natural History to visit the Grossology exhibit. The official exhibit title is "Grossology: The Impolite Science of the Human Body". The exhibit is based on the book "Grossology" by Sylvia Branzei. We had gotten this book for my niece Emily a few years ago. As I'm sure you've guessed, the book and exhibit are all about bodily functions - explanations about burps and farts, boogers and poo - and are directed at children.

The exhibit was a blast! All the slang terms that children are used to hearing were used as well as excellent scientific explanations on everything from burps to zits. There were lots of games to play and giant models of the nose and stomach, and a small climbing wall that depicted the skin. Just in case you were wondering, we played all the games and did all the activities that we weren't too large for. We couldn't go down the esophagus slide or climb through the rectum tunnel - that was only for the small children. Dang! I did beat Brian at Grossology trivia - yes, I know more about disgusting bodily functions than my hubby. That really shouldn't surprise anyone.

Here are a few pictures.

Laugh, Think, Cry

My next post was going to be on something completely different, but last night, as Brian and I sat down to watch the Texas-Villanova game, ESPN aired the Jimmy Valvano speech from the 1993 Espy Awards. The game was part of the Jimmy V Basketball Classic played annually at Madison Square Garden to help raise money for the V Foundation, which is dedicated to funding cancer research. In between games, ESPN was doing segments about the Foundation and cancer. I walked into the living room just in time to see "1993 Espy Awards" flash on the screen. I told Brian "They are going to show the Jimmy V speech. Is ESPN trying to make me cry?" Sure enough they showed the speech. Sure enough, I cried. ESPN followed the speech with personal commentary by people who knew Jimmy V, and I cried some more. Dammit! Then the game started and everything was good. Texas won - yay!

Now maybe you are wondering, "Who the heck is Jimmy V and why would he make you cry?" Jimmy Valvano was the men's basketball coach at NC State from 1980-1990, which included 1 national championship in 1983, won by a basket at the buzzer. In July 1992, he was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer. In March of 1993, he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural Espy Awards. He died the next month. He was 47.

I've included the speech in this post. It's about 10 minutes long, but if you've never seen it, it's worth watching. If you have seen it, it's worth watching again. Laugh, think, cry - thank you, Jimmy. I did all three just watching your speech.

Twitter and things

Again I've been light on the posting. It's been a bit on the slow side here in Gainesville. Brian and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday in Rockport with our Texas family. There was the usual delicious food, lots of pie, and lots of love. It seems like everyone is doing well there, and we enjoyed the visit.

Since we've been home, we've been enjoying our regular routine. I find it's nice to have a few weeks of same-old same-old before the Christmas craziness begins. Brian especially enjoys the routine. He doesn't particularly travel well, and by that, I mean he doesn't really enjoy it. He loves visiting new places, and he always enjoys visiting family and friends, he just doesn't enjoy the process of getting there and back. I keep telling him he needs to build a transporter. Then we can visit whenever we want and still sleep in our own bed - wouldn't that be great! We have decided to drive to Maryland this year for Christmas, since we are going to stay for longer. I'm hoping that driving will make travelling during the Holiday more tolerable for Brian - and me. It will certainly make packing easier, and I am considering bringing my bike. How bad can biking in 30 degree weather be? After all, I have a ninja mask from my days in NC. Actually, I think all the hills in MD will kill me before the cold does. Maybe there'll be a warm spell.

In case you haven't noticed, I've made a couple of additions to my sidebar. The new countdown clock is for the 3M half-marathon in Austin. This will be my next big race, and I really need to focus more on my run. Right now I've just been going through the workouts, but haven't really been giving it my all. It really is time to put it into high gear.

The other addition is a Twitter Update box. What is Twitter, you ask? It's a microblog service that allows you to post 140 letter updates. I call it FaceBook Lite, but I actually think it could have a broader appeal than FaceBook. Anyway, it's a nice way to provide short updates to the blog on events that don't necessarily warrent a full post, and it's supereasy to do updates from my mobile phone. That way if I haven't posted in awhile, you can always check the Twitter Update.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I've been a bit light on the posts lately. Truthfully, I haven't been much in a writing mood. Nothing bad, just a slight post-ironman hangover. This Thursday is Thanksgiving! I thought I would announce it for those of you that haven't been paying been attention. I love Thanksgiving! Aside from the traveling, which doesn't really bother me, I view Thanksgiving as a low stress holiday. Of course I might feel differently if I were hosting Thanksgiving, but I doubt it. I love company and I love cooking - just as long as someone else washes the dishes. Some childhood scars never heal. At any rate, Brian and I will be heading off to Texas for a lovely visit with our adopted family in Rockport, and I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Love you all!

I thought I'd share a little classic Saturday Night Live with you to celebrate the occasion. Enjoy!

Adam Sandler - New Music - More Music Videos

Follow-up

I just wanted to let everyone know that Serena is doing much better. She has most of her tubes out, is starting to eat solid food, and is even out of bed and moving around. She has had several visitors besides family and has enjoyed them all. As soon as a bed becomes available, she will be moved out of the PICU - it may have already happened. Becky has Guard duty this weekend - she is an Airforce reservist - so there won't be any updates until Monday, but it looks like Serena is well on her way to being fully recovered. That is great news!

Good Thoughts

If you have some moments today when you are sitting around doing nothing or just zoning out at your desk, please take some time to send some positive thoughts and energy to Serena, who is in Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore recovering from cancer surgery. Serena is the daughter of my friend Becky. She is three years old and was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma last June. She had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, and has been undergoing Chemo since July. Friday she underwent the second surgery to remove the rest of the tumor. The surgeon was able to get all of the tumor, but it took 8 hours instead of the expected four, and was an incredibly intense surgery that involved removing some of Serena's organs to get to the tumor. She is having a difficult time in recovery and had to be moved back to the Pediatric ICU last night. She is recovering but the danger of pneumonia is very high. Becky has been keeping everyone updated via her online journal. Hang in there, Serena and Becky!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Last month was my sister Sarah's 10th wedding anniversary. She scanned in a bunch of the wedding photos and posted them up on her Facebook profile. I thought I would share them here. I didn't do it sooner because I was in the middle of Ironman frenzy. It was a truly wonderful wedding. Everything was perfect and we all had a great time. Great company, great food, great music - and don't we all look fabulous? Happy Anniversary Sis!

IMFL 2008

I guess since I am now officially registered for IMFL 2009, it's about time to share what happened. As most of you already know, I did not finish or DNFed. Here are the details. It's still hard for me to talk or think about because I'm so mad at myself.

Leading up to the race, I was very concerned about making the bike cut-off; not because I didn't think I was capable of riding 112 miles in the allotted time - I knew I could do that - but because I was worried that the swim might take a lot out of me, and would impact the bike more than I anticipated. IMFL is in the Gulf and water conditions are variable. When I was there in May for the Gulf Coast Tri, the water was horrible. I was worried that if the water was like it was that day that I would be really tired, and if there was excessive wind then I might be in trouble. I was never worried or concerned that I could finish the entire race - for some reason running a marathon after all that wasn't bothering me. It was going to be hard, and it was going to suck, but I knew I could do it. However, if I missed the bike cut-off then I wouldn't even get the chance to suffer through the run.

Well, the weather leading up to the race was perfect. The Gulf was like a lake, and the race day weather prediction was more of the same so I was starting to feel good about everything. I had put in the training - a lot of it in pretty crappy conditions, and much of it by myself - and I was ready. I was surrounded by my friends from Texas, and my husband and my brother, Chris. Of course, I was nervous, but also excited, and ready to see what I could do.

The weather on race morning was just as predicted, and the water looked great. I've swam in lakes with more chop. I stuck to Joey and Maggie like glue before the swim started. After all, they've done this before. I stuck with my swim plan, which was to be conservative, but steady. I wanted to be out of the water in under 2 hours AND feel good. I did both of those things. I could've swam harder, but I was less concerned about the swim time, and more concerned about feeling good when I got on the bike.

I went through transition where I had two lovely volunteers, who were around the same age as my mom and whom I've never met, completely undress and redress me. Good thing I'm not shy. Oh, and they fed me, too. Actually, they wouldn't let me do anything for myself. I had put a bunch of different things in my T1 bag - some of them I likely wouldn't need - and it was really funny listening to them go through and tell me what I needed to take with me. They even stuffed my bike jersey pockets for me. I wonder if that's what royalty felt like back in the day.

I exited the tent to see my awesome bike waiting for me. I grabbed the bike and headed out of transition. I was riding well to start, but stuck with my plan. On shorter races, I like to start off fast to get my legs warmed up and get moving, but for IM I knew I was going to be hungry exiting the swim so the plan was to start eating soon after getting out on the ride. I felt really good on the ride, and the weather was gorgeous, so I was really puzzled when my speeds were not reflecting what my training indicated I should be doing. I kept thinking maybe the wind is stronger than I thought, maybe I'm more tired than I felt, all kinds of things started going through my head. Around mile 30 when my pace was starting to concern me, I thought maybe there's something wrong with my rear tire. Now that may seem like a random thought to have, but the day before when we were riding our bikes up to bike check-in, I noticed that my rear tire was overinflated and had a bulge in it. I let out some air and everything seemed fine. I thought about changing the tire, just to be safe, but in the bustle of check-in, it didn't happen. So now I'm thinking maybe it's the tire. It didn't feel flat - it's easy to tell when you are riding on a flat tire - so I just kept going. I figured I'd check it at the special needs stop, since I'd be getting off the bike anyway. I hurried through special needs - only taking the time to scarf one of my PBJ sandwhiches. Time was really starting to become an issue. I almost forgot to check the tire, but remembered at the last minute and squeezed it, and started cursing - very soft. I gave it a shot of CO2 and headed out. I was going to have to stop soon for a bathroom break so I opted to just give it some air as opposed to changing the tire. If it was low again when I stopped, I'd change it. Well as soon as I started out, I could feel the difference. I was flying. I started cursing - I hadn't been slow, it had been the tire. When I stopped, the tire was low again so I changed it, and was back on my way. I haven't changed a tire in forever, but I remembered what my coach said about staying calm, and got it done fairly quickly.

I rode as hard as I could, I knew it was going to be close to make the time cut-off. Around mile 85 or so, the road got really crappy, and started slowing me down. By this time, I had a motorcycle escort so I rode close to the yellow line to find smooth road. It's not like I'm going to get hit from behind with a motorcycle behind me. I'm sure that police officer never expected to hear such language coming from a woman triathlete, but I can swear with the best of 'em, and every time I hit a patch of crap road that dropped my speed below 18mph, I let one fly. I was also crying at the same time because I was doing the math and I was pretty sure by that point that I wasn't going to make the 100 mile cut-off time. I was so mad at myself for all the things I could have done to prevent the tire from slowing me down.

Around mile 95, I spotted my car. Mike had used it to spot the female pros out on the bike course, and had an official race vehicle sticker so he could go wherever. Brian had been tracking me online and when he realized I was close to missing the cut-off, the guys piled into the car and came out on the course. They followed me until I got pulled off the course at mile 100 and then pulled in to pick me up. They totally confused the guy telling me I had to stop, but when he realized they were going to take me, I think he was relieved to not have to deal with an upset athlete. I handed him my bike, and climbed in the car. No one really knew what to say, and I think I suprised everyone by babbling on like a crazy person. I had already cried and cursed for the last hour, and my endorphins were crazy from all the exertion. Mike commented that I needed some sugar. He was probably right.

Once we got back to the house, I changed and went out to cheer for Joey, Janice, and Maggie, and everyone else, too. I was extremely upset, but I also had a ridiculous amount of energy, since I was suposed to be running a marathon. Being able to cheer on my friends made me feel so much better even though I really wanted to be out there running with them. They all looked fantastic even if they felt like dying. Watching them finish was so wonderful, and so disappointing for me at the same time.

The next day, I got up and registered for IMFL 2009. If at first you don't succeed... Mike was registering, too, and Janice decided, as we were standing in line, that she was in again, too. Joey and Maggie are coming as support, and my brother, Chris, is coming back, too. My sister Sarah is also coming next year so it will be a lively group.

I will be mad at myself for a long time. The tire issue was completely avoidable - if I had changed it before the race, if I had stopped sooner, if, if , if. I even questioned my training - I have an awesome coach, and I never questioned that I wasn't doing enough, but when something like this happens, it does creep into your thoughts. I pulled up my training schedule from the summer, and it made me feel good. I put in a lot of work, and I'm really proud of my effort. A few days ago, I saw the professional photos from the race. You can clearly see the low tire in one of the pics. These pics were taken pretty early in the ride so it definitely wasn't my training. I got mad all over again. Right now I'm dealing with it okay - after all, in the grand scheme of things, it's not the end of the world - but I am quite sure when I am training through next summer that I will be mad at myself all over again. Brian assures me that it's not wrong to wish for a drought so I don't have to deal with excessive rain and 95% humidity, but then again, he hates rain.

Ironically, awhile back Joey and I had been talking about the ridiculous amounts of money triathletes of average ability will spend on bikes. He had been in Jack & Adam's when a guy had spent $2500 on race wheels. I had mentioned that I would not mind having a set of race wheels - not because I think they will make me faster, but because it would be nice to have wheels that don't get ridden everyday. I ride through all kind of craps on the road, and it would be comforting to know that I had good tires for races. I had no idea how prescient that conversation would be. Yes, I am getting race wheels. No, I am not spending $2500 - that would be ridiculous.

Even with the DNF, this was a great experience, and I had a great time. When I line up on the beach next year, I may technically be an "Iron Virgin", but I know full well what to expect - at least for 2/3 of the race. I still can't decide what it says about me that my first ever DNF is an Ironman - any thoughts?

My Birthday Present

This was inside the birthday card that Brian left for me that morning. I started crying. It was a very sweet gesture. I know I haven't posted my race report yet so for those of you that don't know, it was a problem with my rear tire that caused me to not finish.