Bella orgins defined!

Last night Christy came over to help get Karen's baby shower invites printed up and addressed. She kept looking at baby Bella and finally she said "I know exactly what she is, she's a puggle!" Christy got on the internet and googled it, and there was Bella! She is a little pug/beagle mix! They have them in brindle markings, although it's rare. She has wrinkles like a pug, but the face, ears, and tail of a beagle. Plus Puggles have BIG heads and everyone is always commenting on her oversized head! Scroll down and you will see a picture of a brindle puggle, it's Bella!

Don't forget, tomorrow NBC will be airing the Ironman World Championship! It's on from 2:30p-4pm, eastern time. Gotta figure out what to do about little Gracie's b-day party which is earlier that day since I forgot that IM was coming on, and thought that it would be on later in the day!

Saturday is also the Navy Seal Challenge here in Atlanta. I would be down for it, but I have to take a CPR class plus I can't do a pull-up. Sad I know. I try and try, but the bottom half of my body currently weighs a lot more than my upper body strength. I will keep trying though! Looks like fun (and it's free!) for the rest of you guys!

Pics are up!

Most of the pics from Ironman Louisville have been posted. Stupid Flickr only allows a certain amount of downloads per month, so you will have to wait on the rest. Click on the Flickr link above for the pics. Dave put together a great video and as soon as I get it, I will download it and post it here too. He got me crossing the line on VIDEO! Too cool!

Not feeling too hot today. Chest congestion for the 5 millionth time. Perhaps I didn't allow myself enough recovery before working out again (took one day off, light workouts, Tuesday and Wednesday, ran Thursday, swam Friday, spin class Saturday). I think I will just take today off-why? Because I can! :)

Tracking IM Wisconsin right now. Super-fast swim times from the Atlanta peeps. Two guys are signed up listing their profession as "smarty pants wannabe" love it!

Ironman Louisville

You asked and here it is: the race report!

Let me start off by saying that doing an Ironman rocked 10 times more than I ever expected it to. This was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I will cherish the memories that I made forever and ever.

The night before the race I started to not feel well. I got flu-like symptoms and got up a million times just generally not feeling well. The morning of the race I couldn't keep anything in (read 6 dukeouts, isn't that like a record?) but I was really ready for the race! Walking down to transition there was actually people getting out of cabs drunk! So funny! They must have thought that we were totally insane.

Before the race I was anxious, but I didn't cry! (I did cry in the shower, but that was more about not feeling well and being so upset it) I got to see my mom, Tat, Steven, Hunter, and Dave which made me feel calmer. There was a lot of craziness standing in the dark getting ready to swim and I kept thinking "I hope the sun comes up soon!" I was lined up with Keith, Bob, and Sue which meant that we were all racing together-awesome! Joe started a little later in the pack. The people that owned the boats at the dock were sitting out there drinking their morning coffee like it was no big deal that 2200 athletes were lined up getting ready to swim 2.4 miles. That's Kentucky for you!

The Swim: Let's just say that I made it through the swim! I am a TOTAL slacker when it comes to doing my long swims and my longest this season was 3800 meters (2.3 miles) and I only did that once about 6 weeks ago. I took a little break from swimming but when I got in the water I was pretty comfortable. Although it was a time trial start, there was still tons of people everywhere and I wasn't expecting to swim into so many people. Made it out of the water in 1:26, I'll take it. Lesson learned: it's okay to just swim 3000 yards.

T1: Didn't feel too hot. Actually, felt really hot, like fever hot. There were some very nice volunteers who wanted to help me out of my bathing suit and into my cycling clothes but I declined. Lesson learned: accept the help, you are wet and it won't take as long with two people!

The Bike: Things heated up pretty quickly on the bike. I felt pretty good and was on track with my nutrition until around mile 20 when I tried to drink some ensure. Bad idea. My stomach totally turned on me. I was so nauseated that the thought of the ensure or my amino vital made me want to puke. I threw out the ensure at an aide station and grabbed Gatorade but couldn't drink that either. So I was relegated to just plain water. Good when it's hot, not good when need to bike 112 miles. I couldn't stomach my clif bar either. Keith caught me on the bike and we played cat and mouse about 8 times until I finally pulled away. Knowing that he was behind me was a big motivator for me to not snivel about my tummy hurting. The bike course was hilly, pretty, and had the best cheering squad you could ask for. There was an odd amount of wind out there....crosswinds...not something that I expected to see in Kentucky. I stopped at mile 66 to get my transition bag and try to use the bathroom. No go. I had two honey buns and ate one which revived me some. I saved the other one to nibble on the rest of the ride. I got passed on the bike by Bree who was winning the race on the woman's side and cheered for her. She was cutting hills in half. 12/27 was a rocking gear choice for me on this race! I was able to get a couple gel packs in between miles 85-100 but then I didn't feel too great so at mile 100 I switched to just water. My back and girly bits were ready for this ride to be over with, but I never really got bored. There was no talking or anything on the bike, just riding, and it wasn't all that bad!

T2: I let a nice lady help me with my running clothes. She set everything up into neat little piles and applied my body glide onto my back for me. The volunteers are the greatest! I spent a couple minutes talking to a nice lady who lost the feeling in her toes. She made it out onto the run and finished!

The Run: Wow it was hot on the run. Really hot. I saw a sign that said 95 degrees when I started. I got to see Brian and Kile as I was starting and they were super pumped up. When I left transition I asked Hunter "Where are Bob and Sue?" For some reason I was really concerned with where everyone else was! I saw Keith as I was running out onto the bridge and he promised that he was going to catch me. I felt okay, just a little depleted and I was surprised that my legs were as fresh as they felt. At mile 4 I ate a gel with some gatorade and then started throwing up! NOOOO!!!! So that started my cycle of jog, puke, walk, jog, puke, walk. Two times the EMT peeps came up to me and tried to get me to come to the med tent. I wasn't falling for it, I was going to finish this race if it meant crawling! It was great seeing everyone on the run, but hard to tell whether they were one their first loop or not. I cheered for peeps when I could but lost my voice around mile 12. I learned that there are some people who can walk REALLY fast and I am not one of them. I tried to use the bathroom a couple of times hoping that if something came out that end I would feel even better but it didn't work. The run should have been called the "speed walk" because every time I saw someone they were walking. Except for Joe. He ran the whole way! Right before the special needs area Keith caught me. He told me that I HAD to get calories in or they would end up carting me off the course. We stopped at the bags and I sat down for a minute and changed my shoes and socks. When I got up I felt a little better so at mile 14 I drank a little coke and didn't throw up! I took one sip of coke at every aide station until mile 19 when I started to get lightheaded. I realized that I was on the verge of passing out and told Keith I needed to stop and get some calories in. I managed to get two gel packs, some gatorade, coke, and a pretzel in before we started back up. Wow, what a difference some calories can make! At that point I wanted to run faster but my legs only knew one speed. I got in one salt tablet and gave Keith my last one. We kept seeing Bob and Sue, looking really strong and in great spirits. It started to get dark around mile 23 and at that point I wanted to keep going, no more stops at aide stations, let's finish this! Hunter and Tat were close to the finish, maybe mile 24 or 25. When I saw them I knew I was almost an Ironman! Hearing the roaring crowd at Fourth Street Live was incredible. I don't even remember them calling my name, but I do remember crossing the finish line and being surprised that I didn't cry. I sprinted as hard as I could and didn't feel a thing. I AM AN IRONMAN! It was an unbelievable feeling!

The craziest thing is that the entire race was so much fun. Even while I was throwing up I loved it because I knew the end result was me crossing that finish line. I was thinking the entire race, I can't wait to do another one! Florida? Wisconsin? Which one? I know I said that it was just going to be this one but I fibbed!

When I crossed the line the lady wanted to know when the last time I went to the bathroom was. I was bone dry and had stopped sweating. I went to the med tent and got a couple bags of IV's and some medicine for my stomach. They took blood and said my sodium level was low and I needed to eat salt. I visited with Bob, Sue, and Keith (also getting some IV's) before heading back to the hotel to shower and get some WHITE CASTLE! Good at the time but now the thought makes me sick. If I even think about anything that made me sick during the race it will make me throw up right now!

I must say how impressed I am with all my fellow Ironman Louisville competitors. There were lot's of DNF's and people on the side of the road with oxygen on, convulsing, and one guy had a major seizure at the finish. So finishing this race was a huge accomplishment! Sue overcame major issues in the water to complete her FIRST triathlon! Sue rocks! Bob, Keith, Joe, Misty, Sandy, Bree, Lee Ann, Rivi, and Jim all finished strong and enjoyed it.

Keith and I hardly said two words to each other while running. I told him to go ahead and leave me but he said "we have a pack". Apparently while I was in the hospital we made a pack to finish our first IM together. I didn't remember it, but Keith did and it meant a lot to me. Thanks.

Iron-spectators: YOU ROCK! Knowing that my mom, Tat, Steven, Hunter, Dave, Kile, and Brian were out there made such a difference! Every time I saw them I got some strength from it. It was a long day for them too and they were so supportive, I will always cherish and remember them for it! Thank you so much for everything!

How do I feel now? Pretty good actually. Walked two miles on Tuesday. Stomach still a little on the upset side but body is okay. Going to spin my legs out on the trainer today for a bit.

Thanks to everyone for their calls, e-mails, texts, facebook messages, etc, etc. Your support was truly incredible and this wouldn't have been the same without you!

Let's do this!

This summer I have really struggled with figuring out if I made the right decision by signing up for IM Louisville. Every time I did a ride in the heat, with a lot of hills I was thinking " I should have signed up for Florida". But being here in Louisville, I realized that THIS is the race for me! The people here are SO happy that we are here racing, everyone is wishing us good luck. There are signs up at liquor stores, Churchs, everywhere wishing Ironmen good luck. The people here are so nice and this town has so much personality, Florida just wouldn't be the same! One of the things I am most excited about is the run, we go through University of Louisville's campus and they are playing University of Kentucky. It's a big game and kickoff is at 3:30. They warned us at the athletes meeting that there would be a lot of tailgating and things might get kind of crazy out there but I say BRING IT! I want the crazy energy!

I meet Bree today at the swim practice! She's just as sweet in person and she is on her blog! Have a great race tomorrow, I can't wait to see you out on the course!

We rode the bike course today. Lot's of little rollers, beautiful though, which makes it worth it. There are some climbs and of course, I am not the world's strongest on the hills, but I am confident that tomorrow I will be conservative and do alright.

It's blazing hot here! 91 degrees tomorrow. Lot's of humidity too. I really wish that Atlanta wasn't so mild these past couple of weeks. But I met a guy from Portland who was TOTALLY unused to weather like this. Felt pretty bad for him because it must feel like he's in a steam room right about now.

I haven't been sleeping well. Last night I was exhausted but there is a Worldfestival going on and they had bands playing until way too late.

Gotta run, Momma's here!

See ya when I am an Ironman!

Gettin' lucky in Kentucky.....

I TOTALLY forgot about this shirt until I read something on Bree's blog about her "getting lucky in Kentucky". (I owned the shirt at one point, but gave it to a cousin in KY) I have to say that I am sorry that both she and Paul didn't have the races they wanted to have yesterday. But they seem like two people who really have a grasp on knowing that things happen for a reason, and that it's not the end of the world, it just sucks when your race doesn't go according to your plans.

That being said, this week is really about me focusing on my attitude and how if I can't make my body feel a certain way, I will really try VERY hard to make my mind feel as good as possible. Totally positive. Totally ready for an Ironman!

I am WAY too emotional right now. When I was watching Bree's interview with Paula Newby-Fraiser yesterday I could sense all the emotions and it made me cry! I am giving everyone a head's up....I am filled to the brim with all sorts of feelings, and I am bound to bust soon! So if you see me crying the morning of the race, don't worry, they aren't tears of sadness!

Today I felt like I could swim. My breathing is still labored, but now things are starting to break up, I am coughing more and there is some rattling around in my chest. Seems like that is a good sign. I am also sweating like crazy. Did about 1500 yards non-stop. Left shoulder was killing me, stupid ghost pains! When I got home there was a package for me and with a good luck message for me and Keith this weekend. I got so excited thinking it was a care package and when I opened it up it was just "Advanced exercise prescription" textbook. I was confused until I remembered that Henry (fellow triathlete) works at the post office! Thanks Henry!

I appreciate everyone's well wishes and I can assure you that if you can will yourself to wellness, I am going to do it!

Bree- I don't think you need any "luck" in Kentucky!!!

I. Am. Sick.

Yes. It is true. Approximately one week away from the most important athletic attempt in my entire life and I am sick. Today marks the fourth day in a row without training, and the other days I "trained" last week were pretty lame. Ugh. If I was super-organized I would be looking back on my training logs and reminding myself of all the glorious hours I have logged on my bike and assuring myself that I am not turning into a big bowl of jello. But I gave up on the training logs (takes too much time to record everything) so instead I am having to rely on other things:

What exactly is wrong you ask? Well I feel like my lungs are filled with fluid, it hurts to breathe (in my chest and back area) my throat is killing me and I can't do anything for more than two hours without being totally exhausted. I am armed with an inhaler and some anti-inflammatories that aren't doing anything, but I haven't given up on them yet. Everyone keeps telling me about their cousin's best friend's husband Billy Bob who was sick and didn't train for five whole days and then PR'd their IM. I believe it. But right now I just want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without being winded. That's my primary goal for the day.

In other news my left leg has gone totally ape on me. After months of nearly pain-free running the bone is swelling up and my knee hurts even when I walk! Some peeps have suggested phantom pain because I am tapering. I abandoned two runs last week due to it, and let's just hope this "phantom"clears out by next Sunday.

I am throughly enjoying watching all the coverage of Ironman Canada today. I have professed how "over it" I am, but today I am starting to actually want to do this Ironman! I typed up a three-page packing list, re-taped my bars, and will get my bike cleaned up and race wheels on soon!

Rubbed raw!

Yesterday was my first ever three hour run. I went as terrifically splendid as a run can possibly be when you are on the verge of a stomach explosion at the end and just plain uncomfortable. I think that I was drinking a bit too much water and that was the reason my tummy was upset, because I only ate three gels and had 24 ounces of gatorade. Water? That's another story. LOTS of water. I was super hot and was sweating like I have NEVER sweat before! In fact at mile 13 I took of my socks because they were soaking wet (I can't stand having my feet wet!) and ran the last 5 miles with no socks and wet shoes. But I didn't get blisters so it looks like my 8 remaining toenails are safe! But I was having a ton of discomfort where my sports bra was rubbing me. I knew that it was rubbing me raw (this sometimes happens when I sweat a lot) but what I wasn't expecting was this:

It's kind-of hard to tell from the pic, but it's actually quite painful. Today it looks even worse. It looks like a blister and hurts worse than road rash. There's a lot more but it's not in places that I can show 'ya! During the night it got all oozy and was stuck to my shirt when I woke up this morning. Nice. I was concerned that the water in the pool would burn really badly so I pulled over on the way to my swim and squirted myself with my water bottle to test it out. Bearable so I went to the pool. Probably not the best for the sanitation of the pool, but the chlorine needs to kill something right?

The good news is that I have learned that I need to 1) use body glide and 2) not wear that sports bra for IM. I already turn my bra inside out on a suggestion, so if you ladies have any other tricks let me know 'cuz this burns!

I am late posting the pics from the huge storm we had on Sunday. Lightening stuck a tree in the courtyard and it went down over cars, a gate, and literally stopped at someones front door. If the tree had fallen the other direction it would been right on top of a house and destroyed it. The people who live 8 feet from the tree were truly blessed!

On staying cool and ground chuck feet.....

The Covington Century was one seriously misrepresented ride. Well, actually, not really. I was told it was hot, that part was true, and it was flat. Ummm.....the beach is flat, not this ride. To those of you who kept insisting it wasn't flat? You were right. It was 98 degrees when we finished with a heat index of 104. My nutrition was WAY off balance because I had an upset stomach. Someone claims that hot perpetuem makes your stomach upset. Don't know if that was the cause, I was thinking it had more to do with the 10 or so bottles of water I was guzzling down. Either way, my tummy was not really hungry, just thirsty, and I wasn't able to take in the nutrition required to ride 110 miles (we tacked on some at the end). The result? I was hot, cranky, half-bonky, and slower than anticipated. The fierce headwinds after mile 75 didn't make things any better. Congrats to Tat and Steven on their first century, to Reger for blowing it out like always, Sarah and Allen for rocking it, KP, and everyone else who had the sense to stay far, far, away from Covington. All in all, I felt really great after the ride and an ice bath....kind of surprised my legs weren't feeling more of the ride. I managed to stay cool today, see?


Oh, and Nat, I read your post about hamburger feet. Interesting. My mom cuts out articles for me too. But they mostly pertain to things like 50-somethings that are still able to have kids. She wants to make sure I know that there are like countless years left in my fertility. I was thinking about your reasons to not partake in ultramarathons and Ironman. Me? I am not too concerned with hamburger feet. Remember Joe's pics of his feet he posted after his 100-mile run? I was still intrigued and thought: I wonder how far I can run before my feet look like that? That's not the reason why this stuff is no longer appealing to me. I realized today while I was reading that my deal-breaker is time. I am SO stingy with my time. I am hyper-sensitive to how valuable it is (to me obviously my time is important) and there is nothing in the world that irks me more than it being 5'oclock in the afternoon and you realize that all you've done is ride 110 miles, bathed, and....well that's it. Laundry? Nope. Reading? Nope. Groceries? Not yet. Target? Maybe tomorrow. If I had an assistant who was willing to take care of all my business (including paying my bills) I would be more than happy to take on these endurance challenges. Until someone can clear off 9-months of my schedule? Not gonna happen. I get too worked up when things aren't done, and hate the feeling that I don't have time. Now if you can create a time machine? Then we might be talking........

The beginning of the end....

With August 31st approaching pretty quickly, I am finally in the beginning of the end. End to what? Missing toenails, eating gel packs instead of lunch, laundry three times a day, getting up early everyday, I could go on and on forever. Can you tell that I am ready for this Ironman to be over with?

This weekend's training put me over the edge of loving Ironman. Saturday was a 100-miler with Keith at the Silver Comet. I didn't know that it was so beautiful once the trail ends! It opened up to these fields and farms and we saw skydivers (we learned that one died later that day, very sad). Things were going quite nicely on the ride until we went around a sharp corner and there was a break in the trail followed by some railroad tracks. These tracks were curved with the road, and I didn't realize it until it was too late, and I was on the ground. My right hip and left hand took most of the fall. I was in a less than enthusiastic mood at that point. Keith wouldn't accept any sniveling although I thought that my thumb was broken. The tracks won the battle but not to war because I was smart enough to dismount and walk over the rest of the tracks. Finishing the ride (55 miles) in pain wasn't my idea of fun and set the mood for the rest of the weekend.

Sunday I woke up and my hip was killing me. It has a huge knot and bruise on it. I hobbled around and finally made it out to the Hooch around 10:30 am for my 2:30 run. Brilliant!!! It was humid and VERY hot! I saw Pee Wee out there. The 100 miles and fall were still fresh in my legs and the run was pretty slow, but I finished all 2 hours and 30 minutes of it. Knowing I had a cold YooHoo in the car made me want to get it done. At QT I picked up some ice for my ice-bath and the guy asks "Were you just working out?" I told him yes, and he said "In this heat? Are you crazy?" I am starting to think that I am!

Although this weekend was really difficult in terms of training, it taught me that I can suffer a lot. And something tells me that come August 31st, being trained in the art of suffering will come in pretty handy.