MiO and airplanes....bad idea

So do you know the stuff....."liquid water enhancer" ....good flavor, no calories and works well when I am tired of plain water but want to keep drinking.  I also use a squirt in my bike bottles etc.   When I last purchased some I decided to get an extra bottle for my travel bag so I would have on trips.... great to have when running, working out etc on the road.  Compact, tightly sealed bottle. 

So I am about 2 hours into my flight and I reach in my backpack for my computer mouse...which is in a large clear plastic bag that holds all my computer stuff, iPod, headphones, ibuprofen, chap stick etc.. as I reach the mouse I realize is has moisture on it, seems odd, I cannot see as it is under the seat.  I pull out the mouse and my hand appears to have been slashed up and is covered in red liquid..holy cow.  So I maneuver the bag out, which is a challenge due to the person in front of me laying in my lap, and into the aisle. As I begin to take out other bloodied items I finally stumble upon the bottle of opened MiO.....leaked all over and is red, red.  Thankfully I have baby wipes and am able to clean up most of it without too much of a science..not to thankfully I am wearing a nice white top.  Could have been a lot worse..but nothing like red spots to add "color"

What a mess.....oh well killed about 30 minutes of my flight.  Thankfully Delta has Wi-Fi so I can be entertained on the web and facebook work the entire flight.

Oh and another keen fact....I am in the bathroom trying to get the stained red liquid off my hands and I notice my shirt is inside out!  thanks honey for not mentioning this key fact on our drive to the airport.....yes the red soaked through.

Loving the obnoxious and out of control adorable kid behind me and his great rhythm in kicking my seat mixed with periodic high pitched screams.

The apple falls really fall from the tree....sometimes

Friday John and I joined the Tri Club for the Mt Baldy Ride....it was part of Stage 7 of the Tour of CA.  The ride was set to leave from Mt Baldy school, which skipped the first 6 miles of climbing and this being a mid season training break, was okay by me.   We did the 67 mile ride as planned!  A few did the final 10 miles which was 5 miles up with over 2000 ft of elevation to the ski area and then back down.  The excuse we had was we had to get on the road and wanted to miss Friday traffic, which was valid....but what was not said was after nearly 70 miles with 7500+ ft of climbing I was tanked.

So much for the epic 100+ milers with 10,000 ft we were knocking out last summer...1- no IM on the schedule until October and 2- trying to not overdo it now so I can kill in come July/Aug in prep for Vegas and Kona.  The ride was sensational....sweeping valleys, beautiful mountains, very little traffic and nice roads.   The ride starts with rollers and then a rolling 14 mile descent with the final 5 screaming fast and moderately technical- quite fun actually!  Then rolling across flats and back up- 7 miles of a serious climb and then 14 miles of what we came down.  John and I rode together and while he is incredibly fit I am not!

We were on the road by 2 and missed most of the traffic....

So back to apple....so that was my Friday and come Monday Riley was doing the annual Westview High School Triathlon.  How cool is that?  All Freshman do the Tri.  Pool swim - 300 yards, 3 mile bike and 1 mile run.  So here is where the analogy comes in...Riley does not ride her bike, in fact she recently sold her bike. Why....ask a 14yo girl.  In any case bike check in was Sunday and she realized she did not have  bike and was going to borrow JD's- I recommend she ride around, practice with the gears, which slip and get familiar with the bike. She did - she rode around the park and home.  Check the tires? No.  I suggest she ride the family, dog walking, mountain bike- she says its too bike, well really the saddle needs to be lowered and she can ride it- no thanks!

Okay so I agreed to ride the bike up to the school to drop it off and run home.  The seat is so low on this bike...picture the Shriner's Clowns- that was how I felt. I must have seen 10 people I know as I am on this ridiculous bike- how JD can ride it I don't know. The gears are slipping and I make a few adjustments and tighten up the brakes.

Monday AM I am very excited for her and she is dreading this...eyes rolling, seriously "this is going to be lame"  I lobbed the idea of watching and that was meet with "No, you CANNOT come. I will kill you if you come." If you have spent any time around a teenage girl....you will take pause at a comment like that.  Committing social suicide is grounds for murder- I am pretty sure of that.

So off she goes.... I see her running shoes and she says my Converse are fine.  Right- no support, heavy shoes- mum is the word.  I reminder her she needs to ride the bike home- the horror- what , seriously??? um yes.

She arrives later than I suspect and she is pushing the bike....really that embarrassing to be seen riding the bike?  "No Mom it is broken. It broke on the 1st lap of the tri and I had to walk it back."  Broken....okay not really the chain fell off.  She stares at me blankly- I explain she could have put it back on.  Blank stare....really,  I show here - she is amazed.  I make her try it.  She worried about the bike grease and that she has to put down her snack.  "Really I don't need to learn I wont be riding a bike again....."

Sometimes I really do work.....

Today was a serious work day, for me anyway.  Not so serious that I had to swim at 6am but serious enough that I had to pack my clothes for business meetings and bring them to swim.  And not so serious that I could not swim and then run before meeting a client at 10:30.  But before you shush me away...I was working last night from 7-10:30pm on my presentation so I could play a bit in the AM.

So I packed up last night- swim gear, run gear and work clothes- took me 3 trips to get all my gear as I kept remembering things I forgot, like underwear, but I finally had it all in the car.   See I used to do this every day, back before I had kids and had a real job in a real office and had to be at my desk by 7 or 7:30 so I was up at 4 and to the gym and off to work.  I was good at it then, well I do remember buying random items at Rite Aid or wherever on the way to work.

But I digress...less than 1 mile from my house in the stop and go school, work traffic I am stopped and the lady behind me was go and WHAM right into my bumper....I swear the car did a bunny hop.  Holly crap that was loud and scared me big time!  I had a cup of coffee in the cup holder, no lid and holy cow that coffee traveled all over the car and all over me. Thankfully I was drinking iced coffee.  I fly out of my car, in a rage, until I see the girl who hit me and she is freaking out on the phone with her husband who is clearly yelling at her enough for the both of us.   Argh....exchange insurance, take photos- nothing too major, car is driveable, but my baby is not damaged....sniff, sniff.  Once I do the accident work it takes 5+ baby wipes to clean up the coffee and milk ALL OVER my car.  I am getting a full detail job out of the insurance company because there is coffee in  places I cannot access and I know the next hot day, my car is going to smell!!

I have a headache but all in all I am feeling fine and go on with my day. I am feeling good about my planning and having all my stuff ready for a long day of work. Well that is until I realize I don't have a towel to dry off with....nothing like a shower and using a hand dryer and paper towels- you know it is a really good friend when you friend offers a towel- Thanks Jen!

I am just about dressed for work and I pull out my shoes and think something is wrong...terribly wrong. I have 2 right shoes....2 different right shoes. Oh crap...I am thinking can I wear them anyway, my pants are long- but wait I cannot wear a right shoe on my left foot-  Ahhhh panic.   Wait I have 30 minutes and Jen says there is a Marshalls near by.  Off I go and discover DSW....holy cow, thousands of shoes and 99% of them have stiletto heels and are suicidal to an earthy chick like me. I ask the sales woman, where are the Born, Clarks etc kind of shoes. She takes me to the back corner where 5 pairs of shoes sit gathering dust....this tells  me how un-fashionable I really am.  And to make it worse...I own most of what is sitting there. She suggests some nice sandals- right suicidal all of them.  Another sales person checking me out leads me to one pair of Born Sandals and they have my name on them!  Success Zoot pink running shoes off and sandals on and I off to a day of work.....

Great day. 3 meetings and I was home by 6:30 for dinner with JD and Riley!

Locker Room etiquette.....

There was a great write up in Triathlete magazine this month on this subject...and well since I have been back in the gym for a few weeks I have a few to add!

• lounging on the bench (where my bag and clothes are supposed to go) buck naked is not acceptable
• using a pedicure foot file and allowing your dead skin to fall on the floor is horrifying
• clipping your toenails and allowing them to fly about is not okay
• plucking your eyebrows and leaving your hairs about is gross
• trimming hairs in discreet places and not cleaning up is worse
• stretching after your shower and before you are clothed has no benefits to anyone
• the pool is for swimming not walking 
• do pee in the shower
• blow dryers are for the hair on your head or so I thought anyway
• Conference calls while naked and in the middle of the locker room? 

That’s all for now....I am sure more to come after my next visit

Planes, big cars, hotels oh my......

2 cities, 2 cars, 2 hotels, 4 meetings in less than 48 hours!   Off to Seattle early Monday morning and thankfully the flight was on time and I was on my way.   45 degrees, windy and cold- oops should have brought a jacket.   So I head to get my rental car and mistake #1- did not book the on site car, so had to take the shuttle and wait in more lines...dang it.  I always rent the cheapest car- small car, mechanical windows, am radio- you get the picture- just not where I spend my $$.  When I made my reservation this time and booked the economy car and option for Wild Card popped up- save $10 and they assign you whatever car is not reserved.  I decided why not....I will tell you why not!

Yes you got it....Crown Victoria full size luxury.  Wait, wait I tell the clerk- I cannot drive a tank like that....never mind I will take the Ford Festiva- okay she says for an additional $30- what???? Seems the small cars are now a premium with gas at $4.50/gallon.  So I agree. Okay this car was massive- the truck was so big and deep you could have put 2 bike cases in the trunk + 4 suitcases.   Huge front seat where at least 5 people could fit, well if they had enough seat belts.  I could hardly reach the radio dial...I felt like a little kid.  

Off on my adventure...Garmin Nuvi was not responsive and as it was acquiring and acquiring satellites I managed to head the wrong way on the Freeway.  No worries I have time..... soon I am following my directions and "had arrived at my destination" and there was I was in a run down neighborhood in front of a dilapidated house.  Hmmmm  my client did not mention that NaanCurry was in a house.... so I call and double check the address -oops seems the SW makes a difference.  I still had 10 minutes and rolled my big daddy car up to the real NaanCurry just in time- except holy cow, parallel park this boat????  Luckily there were 2 spots so I could get in - I only took one, but it was not easy.  Delicious lunch....mixed curried greens, tandoori chicken, something hot and spicy with lamb...all soo good! 

Next up downtown Seattle- usually I will find alternate parking in a city vs the $40 valet parking fee, but well, parking a boat in a city was not my cup of tea! Afternoon meeting was on foot and that was a blessing but I really wished I #1 had a jacket and #2 was wearing shoes suitable for 5 hilly blocks in Seattle.  I made a quick stop looking for a nice coat but no luck and the second stop was at Walgreen's for band aids.   Business done and I really needed a run....I had a long sleeve shirt and vest, not for running, but considering the weather I was running in the gear.  Headed down Pike Street to the waterfront and had a sensational run along a path that went forever..I suddenly realized I had been running for 40 minutes and I still had to turn around and go back- perfect weather, chilly and new scenery.  

Quick change and off to dinner at Palomino.....delicious food, nice wine and an absolutely perfect way to end the day!  

Up early for a meeting and off to Portland.  I snuck in another chilly but wonderfully scenic waterfront run.   I was doing really well on time when I realize I had miscalculated and was off by 30 minutes and booked it back to the hotel and in my rush I hip, well thigh checked a cement planter and screamed the F work. The 100+ year old doorman says..."wow, honey sloooooow down."  Right he was... nice cut and big bruise on my leg. 

Showered, dressed and packed in 10 minutes. Called down to Valet to find La Bamba and I rushed down and no La Bamba...okay few minutes goes by, nothing, the valets are saying no worries, just another minute. Okay it has been 15 minutes and my flight is taking off in 1 hour and I am in downtown Seattle.  Can you say F!!! Finally I say where is my car?  " well ma'am awe are looking, are you sure you parked it with us?"  I am now basically screaming the car is as big as this hotel is white and how can you possibly miss it!   The valet takes off and I follow him to the basement where there are 30 parking spaces and what looks like 200 cars.  You know the puzzles where each piece can move one place to get the puzzle undone?  Well that is what the garage looks like and there she is La Bamba in the middle of all the cars....they move and move cars and the clock is ticking.

I fly to the airport and drive up and jump out, throw them my keys and run down a bus and make it an express bus to Alaska Airlines.  I am dropped off and running, OJ Simpson style and skidding as I see the 50+ person security line, I now have 20 minutes until take off.  I charge to the front, flash my ticket, strip off my belt, shoes, scarf, unload 1/2 my bag and briefcase and fly through security. Running to my gate holding my shoes, belt and scarf and am on the plane as they are closing the door.  Nothing like an arrival like that-  HR had to be 170 and then I get dressed in front of the passengers and roll into my seat for my 40 minute flight to Portland. 

Just as I am settled we are landing and here we go again with the Wild Card Rental....Crown Victoria this time?  NO....here is what they give me

Nice....15 passenger van.  I protest and am willing to pay double for  Ford Fiesta or  Yugo at this point....sorry all sold out.  So they kindly accommodate me with a Minivan...I'll take it.  Thankfully my day in Portland was absolutely lovely- delicious lunch at a local Farm to Table Restaurant and great client meeting.  Business always gets better when we can talk bikes, saddle sores, gear etc....she is doing a big ride this summer and has got the cycling bug! 

Nothing nearly as dramatic as I return to the Portland airport and actually have time to relax and do some work in the airport.  Home by 8:30 to a clean house thanks to my Mom, darling kids and husband...... dinner and in my own bed and happy by 10:00.

Felt like I was gone for a week..... 

Mothers Day, the actual day

Sunday AM I woke without an alarm! Bonus....read the news online and took Zen for a walk.  Geared up for a Mothers Day/Birthday ride for Cathleen.  Rolling from Peets and I was ready to go early so headed out on my own and enjoyed a nice NF latte while waiting for Cathleen, Amy, Andy and John.  Really a civilized way to start the day.

We had a sensational ride on a new route for all of us.  We all seem to do the same rides all the time so I shook it up a bit and off we went.  The sun was threatening to come out so we were optimistic and headed West,   The longer we rode, the more the clouds rolled in and temperature was dropping- the only downer of the ride.  We cut it short a bit but still rode a respectable 2:45 and ended back at Peets for more coffee and birthday celebration. Amy and Any could not stay and eat...they are in the thick of Ironman training so had to log more miles and tack on a run. The rest of us...no plans and happy about that.  Johan and Sandy joined us and we had an absolutely delightful Sunday morning. Good friends, a nice ride..hard to beat that! 

After the ride we enjoyed the day, helped my dad get his iPad dialed in and then the kids came home.  They had spent the afternoon with their Grandmother (on their dad's side) at a Padre Game.   We topped of the day with flowers, cards and sushi at Love Boat Sushi!

We had a splendid time laughing and eating.....lots of food, lemon sake (yuck) and a smashing day indeed!

Mothers Day.....

Such a  perplexing day when you are a mom but are still fortunate enough to have your own mom.  Is it my day or is it my job to appreciate and pamper my mom?  I suppose this is multi- tasking at it's best.  Or you simply have to make it a 2 day event.

Our plan was Saturday was my mom's Mothers Day and Sunday is my Mother's Day.  My mom wanted to go and see the play Ramona.  Ramona is the longest running outdoor play in the US, this is the 88th year.  Fortunately for our sake, the actors and actress's have changed since it's inception, although a few may have been originals.

The play takes place in the booming metropolis of Hemet!  The Ramona Outdoor Play, formerly known as (and still commonly called) the Ramona Pageant is an outdoor play staged annually  in Hemet, California since 1923. The script is adapted from the 1884 novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson.  The production features cast of more than 300, made up largely of local residents and amateur actors.  This is a love story of sorts but really is a depiction of the Americano's brutal takeover of the Indians land in California.  In  3 1/2 hours we watch the budding romance, celebration, family drama, marriage and a child birth, pillaging of homes and finally death of the male lead.  This all takes place outside in the Hemet....quite a day indeed.





Riley and I a picked up my mom and Gail (a long time friend of my mothers) and we headed to Hemet and enjoyed a delightful picnic in the park before the production.  The play was  bit long but we had an enjoyable afternoon and it was after 8 by the time we got home...phew, exhausting this play going can be. A wonderful pre-Mothers Day celebration with my daughter and mom! 

no schedule.....really

I love having a specific training schedule.....and I love not having one!  In the build up for O'side and the WF it was great- no thinking on my part, just follow training peaks and get it done.  But now that I have a mid- season break I like seeing the schedule each day and I like that really it is optional for a bit!   Oh I am still training daily but take today for instance I had short ride and swim on the schedule and instead rode to work with my husband, stopped for coffee, rode to the bike shop and in all rode over 2 hours - nothing hard, nothing planned just enjoying good company and wonderful weather!

Swimming....well after my great swim at WF I was thinking- yea I can do this swim thing on my own, but really...I cant.  Okay semantically I can, but I don't have the drive to get the yardage in necessary for an IM swim on my own.  A 1.2 mile swim is one thing...but a 2.4 miles swim.  And I am going to swim hard in Kona and to do that well, I need to be super fit in the swim department.   So welcome back UCSD. I know I complained about the gas, the parking and the stroke work- but well I love that we are now long course, that my good friend Jen is there and it makes it easy for run or bike after we swim and there are other good peeps there as well!   It was great to see Sickie, Terry, Kim etc....I may do 2 days UCSD and then slog out one on my own at Frogs- get the long swim done so I can be more patient when we are doing short stuff at UCSD and swimming at Frogs works well for my home life too.  It's all about balance....

So what is the plan from here.....May is play month for me.  Nothing forced, other than KP says I have to let some fitness go.  I hate that part-  we work so hard to get fit and want to maintain or improve on it.  But I know October is a LONG way away and I do not want a summer meltdown like last year.  So......easing up now.   I have 2 business trips in May so that works out well- as training and traveling is tough and stressful anyway.   Then we hit it June!  Well for a week anyway and then JD, Riley and Mom head to Cancun for a week of super fun in the sun! Just mom and the kids.  As much as we will miss John it is good for us to do this once in a while and plus we have other fun planned where we want John to be with us for sure. Since he has a "real" job and does not have unlimited vacation we have to make choices.  As for the rest of the summer...still working that out! 

Wildflower.....goals accomplished!

Polly and I representing NYTRO well !

Sharing the podium with my good friend Marion 

My goal for Wildflower was to have fun and enjoy the day!   Check.....I did both and manged to win my age group along the way.   After so much training and race prep and stress for Oceanside I headed up to WF with a totally different mind set.

We drove up Friday, day before the race, normally would totally stress me out, but was not worried.  We rolled in around 2 and I picked up my packet around 4 and we set up camp. Thanks to Jodi and Ken our tent was pitched in a premier spot near their mega trailer and Darcy. We were amongst the Tri Club of SD mayhem but that was okay.   Dinner was on our own and we had a cold Quinoa pasta salad with veggies and GF PB cookies.   Even had a few beers.   I was tired, the campfire was blazing and the tri club was partying.  I took a sleeping pill, popped in ear plugs and was asleep by 9pm!  Only woke up twice and slept amazingly well on the air mattress- definitely a must have for all future camping excursions.

Up at 5:45 with the light and the announcer saying "good morning athletes" over the loudspeaker. Solid night sleep and 5:45 is sleeping in vs 3:30 wake up  time for O'side.  Coffee was brewing and I made GF pancakes and we were in good shape.  Light wind and it was cold...although I knew that would not last long so I tried not to complain, too much.

With the pros going off at 8 and W40-49 at 9:25 there was no rush to get to transition.   Around 7:45 Riikka, Jodi and rolled down there- very casually and set up our gear.  Jodi and went for a short run, scouted out some empty porta potties and watched the pros go odd.  Hung out with Liz and Marion for a bit and then strarted getting ready. 

 

My plan for the swim was to swim hard- all out and see what I could do. It was a land start so I up front ready to go- off we went and 3 steps and I dove and started sprinting. I fully expected to be alone but no there was another pink cap on my right and she was going fast. I did my best to drop her and by the first buoy realized she was pulling ahead of me so I did the next best thing and tucked in behind her.  I was swimming hard to stay in her draft and once I figured out she was a good spotter I focused on staying behind her.  We rounded the buoys at the turn around I was not sure I could keep up the pace but she seemed to slow a tad.  And we have major chops and waves hitting us... Around the 2nd buoy I started feeling guilty sitting on her feet so I sprinted and as soon as she saw he she picked it up and we swam side by side all out for a bit, I was trying to get in front and then she paused to sight and I did but she went right around me and pulled ahead.  Okay....I tried to pull her back but she was not interested.  So I sway alongside and then tucked back in and hung on as she hammered in.  26:48- PR for me by over 1 minute!   And my arms are feeling it today.

T1- my bike was racked in the worst spot ever....all the way at the opposite end of bike out and bike in. Usually bike out and bike in are in different spots, so no matter where you are racked you have to travel the same distance with your bike either in or out.  But not here...so I was flying through T1 and my helmet buckle was stuck inside my helmet and I was fumbling to get it on, took me a  while to realize what what happening. Pulled off my helmet, glass fall off - lenses down of course on the pavement and I nearly tear my ear of getting it back on.   Finally I am off and can see the girl I came out of the water with mounting her bike and riding off...good 30-45 seconds ahead of me.  At this point, I am thinking she is in my AG. 

Goal for the bike was to ride, have fun and not worry about power.   Took me while to settle in and we were climbing in no time.   I rode like I train and was not hammering and was waiting to feel better.  When my stomach settled I reached for my nutrition and took a swig and promptly spit it out-  I had mixed it in San Diego Friday AM and put it on the cooler - along the way the cooler was knocked open and when I pulled it out Friday night it was hot.  I did not worry too much but the taste worried me so I tossed it.  Oh boy...nutrition will be fun.  It worked out okay- I had 1/2 power bar and 5 gels- so got my 600k and even drank some Gatorade without stomach upset.  The issue was i want for over an hour without any calories as all the aid stations did not have gels....I was not stressing, okay maybe a bit, but just coped.

The ride was fun....but very soon I realized how windy it was.  I was bummed, O'side was windy and now WF was wickedly windy- I did not want to get depressed, after all everyone in my AG had the same conditions.  The course is beautiful and challenging for sure, but with all the GWLaero bar has jimmied out and was about 2 inches longer than the right one and had swiveled upside down,  Oops....  I was able to shove it back in but could not tighten it while riding and thus had to hold it in with all my might- possibly the sorest part of my body is my left forearm from holding on so tight.  It definitely affected my descending as I had to hold the bar in and manage the bike.... anyway stressful but could have been a lot worse.  I was a bit of  a sissy on the descents with the crosswinds - my wheels were a bit deep and I was getting blown about and after I say the 4th ambulance and the Life Flight Helicopter I decided the minute or two I may have sacrificed were well worth finishing the race on my bike.

So mile 40 is the infamous "nasty grade" I was prepared for Highland Valley Road and yes it was steep - it is a 4+ mile climb and nearly 1000 feet -not nearly what I feared and I was feeling good so just kept riding up the hill- here is where the 28 was awesome!  After nasty grade I was beginning to think about the run... I was feeling good, did not ride too hard  and suddenly it was T2.

Long run back in and decent transition.  Almost immediately you hit some stairs and within a few 100 yards you are climbing up and out of the lake area.  This is when I realized this would be a hilly run and took it very conservatively.   Here is when I knew this was a B race...I was not willing to go hard now and hang on.  So I had a comfortable pace and figured if anyone came up on me, game on, I will pick it up.  After mile 1 we are off the roads on the dirt....up  and up and up.... hot and dusty but my HR was low and I was feeling good- after looking at my Garmin post race, well I should have been feeling good- I was running slow.   Any who.....I was enjoying the day and running along, passing a lot of people who were suffering already.  A few times I forgot I was racing and had to kick it up a bit....there was a lot of climbing, did I say how hilly it was. In any case at mile 6 I decided it was time to get serious and I picked it up and raised my HR 5-8 bpm for the next few miles and was thinking I really am feeling good, should I take it up a notch?  I ultimately decided to stay steady until mile 10! Okay so mile 10 is so cruel...you run down hill for 1 mile turn around and slog back up-  so on the downhill some 30 something K-Swiss athlete blows by me, I mean blows by me- and woke me up.  I picked up my downhill running and on the uphill could see her up ahead and I made it my goal to catch and pass her with the same speed she blew by me...mind you I am going up hill- so maybe the overtake was not so speedy but I caught her attention and she picked it up, so did I and then it got hard. As we crested the hill she says thanks for the motivation and takes off.....uh excuse me??  So I pick it up after her and as we approach the final small hill I cruise right past her and then the final mile, steep downhill and I knew she had me here- her downhill running skills far surpassed mine so I did my best to stay on my feet and run downhill like a kid with whirly bird arms.  At the bottom I saw 3 boys and ran hard past them all for the finish!

I was pretty sure the girl I swam with was my AG and since I never saw her again I was fairly sure I was 2nd.  A tad bummed....but was complacent with that.  Meanwhile I tell everyone I was 2nd so they then calculate their places based on that.   I hung at the finish for a while to watch Marion, Polly, Molly, Mimi and a few others come in and we chilled for a bit.  Finally got my gear and turned on my phone to the many texts and messages..."way to go 1st place"  Oops....guess the other girl was younger than me :)