back in the pool

Skipped swim on Monday....just could not do it and with my schedule Tue and Wed, no swim, so back at Masters this AM. The 6 day swim break was good. I took the lead, well was coerced into leading and it was a cool workout. 1000 warm up and then 5x300,2 times through. Each 300 was different interval, broken up and it went very fast. Ended up doing 9x300@1:35 consecutively, LCM and was able to hold consistently 1:30 for the whole set. Felt good! Was happy about that. After the set we grabbed our kick boards and went 4 across the lane for a sprint 50 kick race, followed by 100 ex x 4. We had a blast, nice to have Pro Kate Major in our lane, laughing along with us. Totally dead legs by the end. Fun workout, fun people and nice way to start the day. It is amazing how motivating camaraderie can be. For being a solo sport I am amazed at the conversations we can carry on between sets and even when we have 10 seconds on the wall.

Ah.... had to see KP for a bit of ART, having some hip issues. Something new for me, but he says common. Again it is somehow related to the IT Band and where it connects. The treatments have great results and provide relief, but the process is oh so painful. Yikes!

Had another great ride on my new bike! Which I love, love, love. I thought I loved the Kuota but I think it was just first tri bike infatuation, this may be true love. How geeky is that. My bikes in my office and when I see my new bike, I smile. Look forward to our next ride. KP and I did a nice long ride on Wed, 5:15 and it was not a hammer fest. Some reasonable climbs but all in control- goal was long ride and not to wipe us out. Felt great to put in the time and come home and actually feel productive and good. Versus falling off the bike, searching for double espresso and wondering how I will stay away for another few hours. Moderation, what concept!

Finished the day with a nice trail run. Loved it and the weather was perfect. Saw what I thought was a huge snake...ah ha just kidding was a rope, but anything round to me must be a snake. Phobic....maybe just a touch. Okay, confession, I am terrified and obsessed with snakes. One time riding last summer I saw 5 dead snakes along the road, still remember where they were and look for them now. Once E and I were descending down Skyline Truck Trail on GW loop and one was ripping across the road, I still imagine it whipping through my spokes and flying up and landing on my shoulders and there I am wrestling the snake, trying to control my bike ....oh I relive it many a time.

Random thoughts...

Rocky is home and actually looks pretty good considering they cut a rectangle out of his lower eye lid. Maybe all that hair is helpfull for concealing wounds, scars..... and wrinkles. That's why dogs don't get skin cancer and have shriveled up skin- all that hair. Not sure I can pull that off... extensive facial hair is very cute on a lab, not so much on a 42 yr old female.

Poor guy is clunking around in his cone collar...but never ceases to amaze me how he can sleep without an issue. Snoring away with his collar smashed on the floor. Lucky for him..

Now if only raising kids were as easy as dogs.....very tough week on the teenage front here. Miserable day yesterday, so very trying for both of us. I remember my mother saying, when she was punishing me as a child, "this is harder on me than it is on you." While I am not sure it was any harder, I can say from experience it is not any fun. As a kid you someone imagine your parents relishing in punishing you, that they are doing high 5's and having a grand ol' time. Well for all the parents out there you know how miserable it is and how very hard it is. In some ways it is so much easier just not to care and to let things go. Everyone is happy and what is the harm....assuming nothing was illegal or harmful to others. Enough said...but I am heavy hearted today.

Any my last ramdonm comment.....I wish I had not worked on my laptop this morning while eating toast and honey. My keyboard is very sticky, all I need is for the ants to move in and jam the keys.

Last meal.....

No more food or drink for Rocky until tomorrow afternoon. He is going in for surgery in the morning. He has a very unsightly mass growing in his eyelid and it needs to go. The Vet thinks she can take care of it without him needed a special Dr due to the complexity of operating near the eye.

So good thoughts and prayers for Rocky......anytime he goes under anesthesia, which for any of you that know Rocky, has been too many times, I worry. From the rattlesnake bite to the tumor on his leg, his torn paw, getting hit by the car, ingesting rat poison........and the list goes on. After the rattlesnake bike, we pondered renaming him 5K. He is going on 9 years old and has been a reliable and steadfast man in my life. We have had many long runs, a time when he bounded ahead and then patiently waited for me never getting too far from my side and how now how he struggles to keep up and trots along with that special look in his eyes, asking for understanding that he is slow only because he is old, but in his heart he is still a puppy. He still makes the run for the rabbits he used to give chase to and sometimes catch. We once shared a Gatorade on a hot day running up IronMtn and a couple that came along, said, "true love."

His biggest stress will be skipping breakfast (no food before surgery .....the dog lives for food). No worries, extra special recover meal tomorrow night- bacon, hot dogs......something for him to dream about. And I will feel better lifting his groggy body back into the car after he wakes up and is ready to come home.

So you know you are a tri geek when.....

the bikes on the back of your car are worth more than your car! As I picked up my new ride from bike shop after just being built and loaded it on the QX4 with my Kuota as well, I started to do the math. Yep.....bikes are more than the car indeed. Maybe I should put lo-jack on the bikes vs the car.

So the Kestrel Airfoil Pro SL is a sweet ride. Thanks to JT and Cory who were able to get the bike set up pretty darn close to my Kuota, I was able to ride on Sunday. After my previous issues with injury from a new set up I cut my 5.5 hour ride to 3.5 just to be and ease into the new bike. It felt great from the start and the SRAM Red is nice, noisier than the Dura Ace and a more definitive shifting, but worked well indeed. The cassette on the bike is an 11/23 - nice to have an extra gear on the descents but the 23 was a bear up Highland Valley Road, thinking I need to get an 11/25 before we do another 11,000ft of climbing. But all in all it went fine. Would love to be using the Zipp 404's that came on the bike, but I need and love my powertap too much so will stick with the cheap wheels. Train heavy right..... I ordered new tires today because the blue tires and the orange/white bike...please just does not do the bike justice. Although someone did comment blue/orange are the Garmin Chipotle colors- where is my argyle?????

Today is a day off......hard to do but KP called for it and things are going so well I don't want to get greedy, Greedy how.....over training, when training is going well, I and many of my sick friends, want to do more, harder, faster and pile on the time and miles. And then whamo, injury, sickness.....I am letting my body absorb the hard work, as KP put's it. And well a day off of training is good for getting more work done, errands etc and well a massage. All part of training.

Weekend was a good one......bit of lacrosse and a bit of fun. Bike took a lot of my weekend, working to get it set up, hanging at the shop to see it etc. Riley had a double header of lax, one win and one loss. Good games and as always she had a smile on her face and was running hard. JD played in Fallbrook on Friday, did not make that game, and was not back until almost 11pm, as they stayed for Varsity game. Late night for us waiting up for him to return and for Riley from a birthday party. Had to watch a movie, read and have some coffee at 7pm to ensure I was awake until 11.

Some nice family time.... stopped in at Dad and K's on Saturday to show off my new bike and managed to get invited for dinner. Funny thing when you show up at 5:30, it just works out that way. Braman was working on his monster project, kids were busy, so lucky for me. Reciprocated on Sunday with dinner in our hood. Another Paella recipe and this was received much better. Gee maybe because it had chicken and bacon vs just veggies. Maybe Sunday will be our Paella down from now until we got to Spain, how many variations can I make. I particularly like the one dish dinner option. Well I lied, we are wholeheartedly on blackberry kick. I cannot buy enough, Every night we have a bowls of blackberries, strawberries and bananas and each night we run out. So the next night, I make a bigger bowl and the next time, the spoon is scraping the bowl and the kids are asking more more.... could be worse, it could be cookies

Mega ride...new bike and more

Thursday ride was a major one. E has wanted to do this ride for a while and I had not anticipated what it was really going to be. We ride Great Western Loop frequently and we do the Mt Laguna loop as well - but Thursday we linked the rides together.

Met at 7 and were rolling- E, P, M, J and myself. A bit chilly and we headed out Great Western as usual, kept going to Descanso (where we usually stop for Double Shot in a can and turn around) but we kept going through the lovely town of Gutay and then to Pine Valley and then we started the 11 mile climb up Mt Laguna. The climb is long but the grade is quite manageable. Conversation lagged a bit around 5000 ft and we chugged along to the top - 6000 + ft and stopped at the store. For the last 8 miles of the climb we talked about how much we desired and could not wait for the Double Shot's.... We dash in the store and to our decimation there are none. Only bottled lattes, NOT what we dreamed of, pedaled for. We had to fall back on Motivator, the wonder natural stimulant. Oh the disappointment.

So here was the turning point, to do the entire loop as planned would get us back to the car at 2:45 and I had to drive to lacrosse at 3:20, not going to make it. So my good friends agreed to sacrifice for the family and we went back the way we came. It is quite shocking to descend in 30 minutes what took over an 1.5 hours to climb. Amazing we were back in Pine Valley before we knew it.

When we approached I8 after Descanso it was like we were home, back on familiar ground. Mind you still over an hour to ride with 3-4 more climbs, but this is the route we know and love :) Mark is still pushing the pace, ugh! Can't we go easy at some point.....please, please

The beautiful thing about parking in the Starbucks parking lot is we know for sure we can get caffeine when we fall off our bikes and peel off our sweaty clothes. And the bonus was Jen, gotta love this girl, brought PB/Honey sandwiches which she make on home baked bread. It was just about the best tasting thing you can have after a ride like that.

Made it home no problem in time for get Riles to practice and all is good.

I am attempting to clean up the house and I cruise by the front door and there it is - huge box in the foyer with KESTREL branded across it. Hooray - my new bike!!!!

Just like a kid on Christmas I tear open the box, carefully inspect it and then realize this is not like putting together a bike out of a travel bike box, this is building the bike......boxes of components, cabling, and pieces I have no clue what they would be used for. John later on starts the process and does a bit but clearly this requires a bike techie....internal cabling and more.

So now the bike is at Moment Cycle and they are working hard to get the fit close to where my Kuota was....I was hoping to get the bike tonight, work on it tomorrow and then ride Sunday. Will have to see if they can get the bike ride ready tomorrow.

Mid week ....

Nice to have an easy day on Tuesday. 1:15 bike ride and mostly to spin out the soreness and recover a bit from the long ride/run. Cooler temperatures on the way, thank goodness. It was 96 when I rode on Tuesday, but waking up this AM, the moisture is back and a nice marine layer keeping it cool. Off to the pool for Masters followed by a run.

Placed my order for the new bike after receiving the final offer letter for sponsorship by Erin Baker's Cookies http://www.bbcookies.com/shop/home.php. The bike is a Kestrel, new to me, but very cool indeed: http://www.kestrelbicycles.com/TRI/AirfoilProSLSpecialEdition.aspx The bike is very different in looks as there is no seat tube. What that means, according to Kestrel " We studied hours of wind tunnel data to learn how to make our bikes faster. By creating a radical, “open” triangle, wind drag created by the rider’s movements was drastically reduced" Looking forward to getting it, hopefully soon!

The team is great - welcome email to all of us, 24 around the US (12 men and women) Everyone has been introducing themselves and talking about races etc. Looks like there will be a good group at IM CdA, so that will be nice to meet some of the others.

Hot, Hot, Hot.....

Holy cow...to go from snow in Denver to what feels like the middle of summer is a sheer shock to the system.

Thankfully I made it home Friday without any weather delay!

Saturday up with the kids and down to Mission Bay Aquatic Center for the 2nd weekend of their sailing class. The sun was out and sure to be a nice day. I had to seek out a school and did the 1st track workout I have done in a long time.....It was great. Last few intervals were tough but it felt great to run hard. Rest of the day we chilled, took the cover off the pool and cranked on the solar and it was 85 by 5pm. Dinner with some good friends and early to bed for me.

Sunday out the door by 6:45 to meet KP and T for a 100 miler. Idea was the ride would be reasonable, nothing hard, from Carmel Valley to Chriastianotos (just North of Camp Pendleton) The pace was set early and it was definitely not IM efforts and were were pushing it a bit. Picked up a few roadies and by the time we hit the base we were rolling. Off the base and KP put the hammer down and we hung on. 52 miles and a break for fluids, fuel and a quick rest. It was hot already and we were only 1/2 way. Good pace back and the coast was packed with beach goers and many cyclists. We played some games with some roadies and paid the price the last 10 miles. Those power surges will get you every time. Back at the house by 1pm, dip in the pool, change and out the door with fluids and the largest turkey sandwich you can imagine and off to Riley's lacrosse game.

We had company last night and I was fading fast.....double espresso around 5 and I went to work on making a recipe out of Bicycling Magazines. A Paella recipe from Catalon (where we will be going this summer in Spain) Lots of prep work and my devoted Sous Chef (JD) was terrific helping me out. Turned out marvelous- we all loved it, even Riley despite the numerous wild mushrooms.

9pm and I am in bed and happy about that! Up Monday and it is going to be scorcher, I can tell and I have a long run to do. Not real excited- I am starving and am trying to fuel up and get out the door. It is over 80 by 8:30 and I am tired, sore and hot. Enough complaining, crank up the music and get in the mindset of running off the bike. If I can run a marathon off the bike in an IM I can do this run. Will it be easy, no, will it be hard, yes......I can suffer and be negative or make peace with the run (stolen from Bree Wee) So I make peace and appreciate that I can run, that I am actually feeling pretty good despite the hard weekend of training and begin to visualize my Ironman in June. Before I know it I am nearly done, but out of water. Thank you to Mobil Gas station- huge bin of ice, keeping all the beer cold, but I dunk my hand in and fill up my top and put a handful under my hat. Aaaah. Such a treat and I work my my home.

Cool dip in the pool and to work....well after I almost sat in the refrigerator or a while, drank gallons of water, green tea and Gatorade. Almost topped my massive sandwich efforts from yesterday and it was good. Then, I settle in for a productive afternoon.

It's all good....the dogs are like reptiles, when it heats up they slow way down. Actually kind of nice...peaceful sleeping dogs.

Snowing in Denver

So here I am in Denver for business. I arrive around 11:30, an hour late, due to horrible weather. One of the scariest flight I have ever been on. About 100 miles to DIA the pilot warns of wind and turbulence. The next 15 minutes were major drops and sideways movements. Peoples computers flew off the tables, drinks were tipped, it was downright scary.

We finally arrive, after flying around for an hour, looking for a safe way to get on the ground. Yesterday is was nearly 70 in Denver and I am excited to sneak in a nice run before getting down to work. Exit the plane and through the breezeway is freezing! Literally, snow flurries. And here I was complaining about San Diego yesterday.

Since of course all I have is shorts and a t, I am forced to the treadmill. Nice run, even it was inside. Gotta love the altitude. Showered and changed and off to work.

Legs are feeling good today, despite the suffer fest on Fiesta Island yesterday. I woke up tired and not motivated to swim, let alone to intervals on Fiesta Island. I make it through swim. Sickie announces are are doing an 800M time trial and I let out a groan so loud he makes me repeat is in case the entire pool did not hear my complaint. I just did a 1.2 mile time trial..okay it was a race and it was a few weeks ago, but close enough. Oh and did I mention how cold it was yesterday in SD. So cold that Rocky was shivering on our morning walk. Finish the pool work out and I was happy!!! Took a long, hot shower. Checked my phone twice to see if E cancelled our plans to ride. I even sent her a text asking if she sent me a message canceling....NO! So off I go. We leave from her house and I am still complaining about how cold and tired I am. Enough, enough...we ride to Fiesta and it is by far the windiest day I have ever experiences and was confirmed. We got to work and an hour later the intervals were done and I was soooo glad we did them, They were far from easy, but nothing like a good friend and training part er to push me and to suffer with. And only the two of us can manage to cover pretty much all topics while huffing and puffing in a head wind. I was feeling great and was not too stressed about the ride home UP MT Soledad.

Now I was feeling good!!! Hard word is done and I am off to Starbucks.....love it, love it. Got home and was productive at work- awesome! On a roll.

Hubby called about dinner out with a client....ah, cannot do it. I have to be out of the house Thursday but 5:45 for my flight to Denver. Need to pack, want to be home with the kids and of realize I will be tired soon. So he invites my Dad and step Mom, gotta love that! I was in bed before he came home and out the door before he was up. Hope they all had fun.

Short trip to Denver- home tomorrow afternoon, assuming the snow does not pile up. Back to work.....thankfully dinner is inside the hotel.

IM Training....

So the week of recovery is over and we are 10 weeks from Ironman CdA and time to step up the training.

Monday was a long swim- 4500 yards and a 1 hour bike ride, nothing too serious. Today, started with another swim 4000 meters and then a 90 minute run. Between the swim and run, we paid a visit to the CPA, nothing like the last minute, to get a few final questions answered and then home to run. I decided to do a long trail run and ended up running up Black Mountain. Love the view from the top, all the way to the ocean on a clear day. Today....well it was windy and cold and threatening rain. It is April right????? Feels like December. Run was great until last 15 minutes and I was bonking......ugh, not a fun way to finish. So what happens when we bonk, we are sooo low on calories so upon arrival at home the eating began. Oh my....started out well with Vegetable/Pasta Soup and whole wheat crackers. Not satisfied so moved to the Animal Cookies - they are organic and not minimal processing, not too bad. But then the downhill slide began as I raided the kids Easter Baskets! Yes, jelly beans and malted eggs.

Finally satiated I am not overwhelmed with fatigue.....Work, right I have to get some work done to continue to support this highly expensive habit of triathlon. What to do, coffee!!!! Yes and I am good to go. Power out some work, 25 prospecting calls and then I have to, just have to take a nap. Power nap of 20 minutes and all is good.

I helped with a team LAX dinner at the high school for JD's team and for Varsity as well. Pizza, Caesar Salad and brownies, rice krispie treats etc.....Watching 50 + boys blow through 20 XL Pizza's, 7 salads and a cooler of gatorade and water in about 15 minutes is something to marvel at. Few boys showed many manners, very sad indeed, but the ones that did were quite endearing and much appreciated.

Looking at the clock....it is 8:10 and I am ready for bed. My kids are doing homework and my husband is giving a geometry lesson.... I may just have to slink by and go to bed.

Oceanside 70.3

So in the rush to get out the door and off to skiing......I failed to do a race recap. And why do I feel compelled......so next year I can look back and relive the anxiety, exhiliration and remind myself that I go trough the same emotions for this race.

Race week- feeling sluggish, worried about the nagging injuries, execution - what is the right plan, am I rested enough, what do I do this week. So basically I did 30-45 minutes of swim/bike or swim/run or bike/run each day- good maintenance and keeping the blood flowing. All easy, few fast 50's in the pool, 30 seconds running and 60 seconds on the bike. Sunday before the race, rode to LJ for breakfast and home- 3 hour ride, but no strong efforts so it was good.

Biggest fear is water temperature.....58-59 degrees. So the dilema is do I get in an ocean swim prior to race day??? E and I go on Thursday and it was cold, cold....We did a 45 minute swim and we settled in and just as I was thinking all was okay we turned around and the chill set in. It was cold and really set fear in me for race day. Not sure I need to do that in the future- note to self.

Friday, day before race day, it was windy and chilly. So the debate is again....what do I wear for the race. First off, my race kit is not here from BB Cookies, so I have to figure out what to wear. The idea of laying down a lot of $$ for 1 day is ridiculous since I will my race kit for future races, but still what is a girl to wear. I settle on a TYR top, reasonable and my PI tri shorts. The dilema is what I will need on the bike....arm warmers, jacket, gloves....so I pack it all.

Race morning...up at 4am to eat! 2 massive pancakes - organic TJ's pancake mix with blueberries- took in 800k per coaches instructions. Eat and take the pups out for a walk, may as well, have 30 minutes before I need to leave. It is very dark and very cold, 49 degrees. Pack up an double check the gear and head to O'side.

Great parking spot and on the bike in the dark and coasting toward Transition. It is cold, cold. Racks are NOT marked but I am early enough to get a reasonable spot for my bike. I set up all my gear and I have it all.....laid out in case I really need the warm clothes. Off and find E and we get marked and stand in the 15+min line for the potty. Of course as we come out the line is even longer and I wonder should I just get back in line?

Before I know it, the Pros are coming out and we need to line up. I spot a familiar face but cannot place her, I approach her and turns out she is a former swimmning mate from my age group/high school days. Too funny. She make a go at being a pro in the early 90's and now she is back racing. Great.......

We are in the shute waiting for our start and before I know it we are in the water. 59 degrees but does not feel all that bad. I see KM from Masters and I know we are about the same pace and assume HB will be right there as well, former swimmer as well. Of we go and sure enough I see them both- one guy takes off (W40-44) go off with (M55-59) and I cannot get on his feet. First 1/2 of the swim is great- ez to site and very few people but as we approach the turn around, the chaos begins as then is when I am catching the slowe swimmwers from previous waves and it gets worse, more and more people and we are now swimming into the sun so siting is hard as well. But we are on the home stretch.... Out of the water and into T1.

T1- did not think twice about what to wear - nothing, just my tri top and shorts. Our of T1 and on the bike. Feeling good and starting to roll. First 10-15 minutes were freezing but then warmed up. Settled in and followed my coaches plan, watched the power and stayed right on track. Held back and kept right on track. As we approached the first climb, was feeling good and strong. All was good and I felt great. Picked it up a bit on the 2nd 1/2, not too agressive, but feeling strong. I rode with a great group of guys and it was really fun. Mind you we had to keep our distance but riding about the same pace, we saw each other many, many times and ecnouraged each other. HB was in the mix as well, so I knew hte competiiaon was going to be on in this race.

Before I knew it we are on the final stretch coming back to Transition and after the last climb I am now in 1st place. At mile 55, I kid you not, my chain totally locks. I cannot pedal one stroke, I am changing small ring/big ring and nothing. I have to coast to the side and figure out how to get off the bike without falling or not being able to pedal. I slow, jump off and then cannot figure out what is wrong. I am pulling and yanking the chain and nothing....I am fuming now and starting to freak out, there goes my race. And then I take a breath and realize that the chain has jammed as it had come off the small ring and was stuck. I pulled with all my might and thankfully I did not break the chain and wham it came loose. Meanwhile I see HB go by and not sure if anyone else in my AG has passed. I jump on the bike and power to T2. My HR is high and I realized I need settle down and get ready for the run.

Into T2 and I run out right behind HB and she is running faster than I want to and am not sure what to do. Do I follow her, I decide no and stick to my coaches plan and keep my HR where it needs to be. I settle in quickly but the issue is I had not turned on my Garmin and it does not track sattelites well while you are moving so I am fussing and mussing with my watch.....aaah what is my HR, what is may pace. Okay I forget the pacing aspect and just go by HR. Follow my plan and lap one is over and I am starting to feel the toll of the race, but hey only 6.5 miles to go. Oh, did I mention the sand portion...this is new to me, 4 times we run down the sand, soft sand on a camber- what fun, onto hard sand -not an issue, and then up the soft sand. But the 3rd time it was not all that fun..... Lap 2 I am seeing the aid stations as a buffet, coke- yes, gatorade- yes, gu- yes, no, yes, I know I need it but don't want it, oh maybe a banana, or maybe not, I am literally on some guys heels, can you draft in running. I am counting steps to 100 and starting over again. I look ahead oh my gosh do I see her, am I gaining on her, uh no, some other blond in a black racing kit. I cannot see her and now assume she is miles ahead and we hit the final turn around and she is about a minute ahead of me. I did down, can I gain on her.....ugh apparently not but I draft of the guy for the 2nd lap we hit the final sand, I am complaining, he is laughing and we are in the final stretch so I take the lead and tell him come on, come on, I will pull you in. He looks at me blankly...this is almost as bad as asking a non pregnany woman when she is due.....He then tells me this is his first lap, he has 6.5 miles to go. I tell him how sorry I am and wish him good luck. Run in....no idea what my time is, no running clock.

My family is there- cheering me on. Love them all for coming out for T2 and the run. My sis in law was awesome, she was on her bike and kept popping up. I would see her neon yellow jacket and here her loud yell "goooooo Juuuuuliieeeee" Loved it, loved it. My mom with her Go Julie shirt on and my Dad and K! And of course John- my number one fan and devoted tri- hubby.

So happy to be done and P tell me I broke 5 hours. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! I did it.... and well you know the rest, HB took the Kona slot. So I accept 2nd place and am heading to IM CdA with a lot of confidence.

Good Times....

So after I finished my race, we came home, I showered, ate and ate.....and hit the road with Riley and headed back to Oceanside for the awards ceremony in hopes that the 1st place winner would NOT take the Kona slot....but well she did. So I grabbed the nice award and we hit the road. Oh, we stopped at one of those awesome yogurt places, where you serve yourself. Riley was dying when she saw the size of my yogurt....still hungry after burning all those calories for 5 hours.

And we headed to Bakersfield....why Bakersfield? JD's soccer team was playing in State Cup and he went up the night before with another soccer family. 4 hours later....2 Grande Latte's and we arrived in the ever so lovely city of Bakersfield and the charming Courtyard Hotel. So seriously, the room had a king bed and fold out couch and it was so small that with the couch folded out, we had to move the desk chair out of the way and put all our luggage on the desk. We collapsed into bed and I was out and as usual post race night I was wide awake at 2am.....except I could not read or go on the computer as did not want to wake up the kids. Thank goodness for the iPhone...I looked up everyone I knew who raced, look at splits, agonized over my race, read the newspaper online on a small phone and created a massive headache. Around 5 I passed out, only to get up at 6:15 for an 8am game.

Off we go and the boys lose 1-0. Argh!!! Now we have 5 hours to kill before game 2 and there is NOTHING to do in Bakersfield. JD is in bed asleep, not feeling well and Riley and I are shopping....don't get too excited as all we can find is Costco and Longs Drug. WooHoo.

We return for game 2 and I kid you not, the winds are 30 mph, chairs are blowing away. The field has a big dirt spot which becomes a dust bowl- our faces are gritty, my lips are caked in dirt since I have on chap stick. Can I tell you it was horrible and they lost....1-0!

On we go to Mammoth!! Hooray... I am now operating on no sleep, post race and we have a 5 our drive. This time we go to Vons and I buy 3 Starbucks double shot's. Down the caffeine and I actually feel pretty good, only had to drink one of them. Listening to the audio version of the book Roots! Surely a story that is riveting and kept my attention and I was wide awake. I remember the mini series as a kid and being horrified. Hearing the book it truly depicts the evils of slavery but also gives you a great reminder of what strength family can be even under such horrid conditions. The book goes into great detail abut Kunte Kinte's life in Gambia, prior to his capture and his deep Muslim religious beliefs. This book is rich in heritage. It is rich in dialect. It is rich in every human emotion possible, and dreams.

10pm we arr rive at the Westin!! Hooray a Heavenly Bed and a nice hotel room. JD is very sick now, coughing and sneezing. Med him up and he out and I totally crash. We all sleep 10 hours and are not in a rush to hit the slopes in the morning....a total abnormality for me. I am generally pacing the floors, rushing everyone to ensure we are on the slopes when the lifts open.

Maybe post race skiing is good for my family. We have a nice breakfast- full kitchen in the rooms, love that! Especially since now 48 hours post race I cannot stop eating... cereal, banana, toast, coffee and more coffee. And we are out the door on the Gondola by 10. Spring skiing big time, but great fun. Riley and I hung together and JD hooked up with a buddy on the Mountain. I was happy for a leisurely day. We met up with Pat and E and did some great runs and pushed Riley a bit.....headed home around 3:30 and jumped in the hot tub and it was grand. I was thankful that E was complaining about her legs as well. She too commented that post race skiing boded well with her family. What does that say about us, we need to race and suffer for 5 hours to be calm and civil?

The real fun started Tuesday afternoon because it started snowing! Yeah...we came of the slopes very excited in anticipation of a great day on Wed. Enjoyed a nice chardonnay and the hot tub in the snow and it was wonderful. (Kids had Root Beer for the record) Something about sitting in water when it is snowing! Watched a hilarious movie- Meet Dave with Eddie Murphy. We were belly laughing it was so funny.

We were up early with anticipation on Wed... all of us ran to the window and threw open the blinds and hooray!!! it was still snowing and it was covered in white! In the lift line at 8:30 waiting for the lifts to open and up we went. The downside was 30+mph winds but there was powder. I had to take my own route down and agreed to meet the kids at the bottom. I took off and found first tracks all the way down up to my knees in some spots. After the run JD was freezing and needed his face cloth so I sent him on his way as I had to get in another blissful run. Powder brings out a selfish side in most of us....the calmness of post race was gone. Nice while it lasted, I was eager to get as much powder as I could before it was gone. Kind of like drug, give me more, more, more...... RM checked in for snowboard school at 9 and was moved up to the Advanced Group- go girl!

JD and spend the morning off lift 22 on the steep black and double black runs in deep powder. It was a near white out and when it cleared, standing at the top, JD looks down and says he cannot go down that run. I am perplexed, why? I tell him he has done it twice and he is shocked he is going down such steep slopes. Something about following me in a white out....It was great! He was on some of the toughest terrain on the mountain and doing quite well. We ventured into the trees and the snow was even better. The wind just made is unbearable and it was so cold, 10 degrees. We took a long lunch in the hotel and headed back out as it looked to be a bit less windy, wrong. But we made the most of the rest of the day enjoying the terrific snow and seeking our fresh tracks where we could.

Powder takes toll on the legs...JD headed down around 3 and I went to pick up RM. Down she comes on the instructors tail and she is covered in snow with a huge smile on her face. She was riding blacks. linking turns no problem, learned how to effectively ride in powder and to navigate the trees. I was freezing and tired and she was dying to go so up we went and squeezed in a few more... she led the way and took the black runs and did not flinch about the bumps and powder. She will be keeping up with her brother next year no problem!

Great few days, but had to come to an end...Happy Hour at the Westin with another family we knew and it was great. Kids were off in a snowball fight within minutes and the adults continued to let our weary legs recover.

Rocked It!!!

Oceanside 70.3 was outstanding!!! Broke 5 hours and got 2nd place. It was the race I hoped it would be. My swim was right on 27, ride was 2:43 and run 1:43- the ride was where I was looking to make the biggest improvement and I did it successfully and was able to run as well.

Only regret....well was 2nd by 1:00....and that cost me the Kona slot. So, so close.

I am taking it in stride and using the race as a major confidence builder for IM Coeur d'Alene.

As for recovery....skiing in Mammoth with the kids!

Feeling good.....

So either the Power Meter is off or my legs are finally rested! Fantastic ride today and it was all easy and was so nice. Bike it tuned up and race wheels are on and it felt great. The lingering fatigue seems to be going away and my cold is 95% gone. So all should be good by race day.

Tapering is such a funny thing.....I so look forward to it and then struggle with it. Less training, extra time, time to worry that maybe I have not done enough. Eating....am so used to eating all the time, getting enough calories and now with less training, need less calories, but my body wants to eat the same. All the worrisome thoughts.....don't gain weight before the race, that is just extra weight to carry for 5 hours, but am I getting enough fuel this week.....ah it is crazy!

Weather seems like it will be good! No rain....was really windy today and if is like that Sunday could be quite a day on the back side of Pendleton. So the other dilemma is what to wear.....since my sponsorship, more later, just came through I do not have a race uniform. All my race gear is the Her Sports from last year and seems weird to wear that, but then don't want to lay down $$ for one race. So I think I will be a mix matched, sacrifice some fashion for some common financial sense.

The cool news is the Erin Baker Cookies called and offered me a spot on their Triathlon Team! 24 people in the US and I am really excited. Most of the team raced in Kona last year so I better get a move on and qualify!!! Seems like a great team and I look forward to meeting the liaison for the team tomorrow at the expo tomorrow when I race. I will surely be outfitted and part of the deal is that we ride Kestral.....so I will be forced to buy a new bike (at a wicked good deal...) How exciting is that! The team will be great and I am honored to have been selected. My husband definitely raised his eyebrow about the bike.....surely thinking, " great you get sponsored and you spend more money???" That's how it works babe!

Going to get in the Ocean tomorrow, better take a dip before race day......yikes, I think the water is 60. Going to be chilly, but then again it always is for this race and I have survived.

Off to bed, gotta store up the sleep now.