mondays are normally an off day for us, but i know i won't be able to get any training in on wednesday so i decided to get my run in last night.
we were only supposed to do about a 25 min run, i decided to push it a little further and got in a 30 min run instead. after that i met phil, les, and spell in one of the weight rooms. i got in some weights too. and then i did some work on the bosu. what the heck is that? a bosu is basically half of an excercise ball. it stands for BOth Sides Up. you can excercise with it with ether side up depending on what you want to do. i'm sure you've seen classes for them or seen them laying around the gym. i love that thing. i really want one for the house.
i'll be swimming tonight if my arms don't fall off from my workout last night. =)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Happy Holidays!
first, i want to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone. i'm sure everyone got their fill of food and love from the family, i know i sure did.
here's how my christmas season went:
Christmas Eve:
i was basically a human ping pong ball. that night phil and i went to my grandma's house (mom's side) and ate and hung out for awhile. then it was off to phil's uncle's house. he ate and drank and drank and drank (big suprise =P). i hung out and talked to everyone for a bit and traveled back to my gma's house. ate some dessert and opened gifts. got some great gifts! if you visit my facebook, i'm sure you seen how excited i was about them, i posted them that night! (mobile upload!) and then it was back to phil's uncle's. we spent the rest of the night there before we headed home.
like every year, christmas day was spent at my uncle jr's house (dad's side). uncle jr made my favorite dish of his, shrimp and crab gumbo. i can eat that forever! we all sat around and ate and ate and chatted together. my cousin murielle came home from vegas and brought home my nephew danny. great to finally meet him.
here's how my christmas season went:
Christmas Eve:
i was basically a human ping pong ball. that night phil and i went to my grandma's house (mom's side) and ate and hung out for awhile. then it was off to phil's uncle's house. he ate and drank and drank and drank (big suprise =P). i hung out and talked to everyone for a bit and traveled back to my gma's house. ate some dessert and opened gifts. got some great gifts! if you visit my facebook, i'm sure you seen how excited i was about them, i posted them that night! (mobile upload!) and then it was back to phil's uncle's. we spent the rest of the night there before we headed home.
favorite part: getting to see jonboy and playing with londyn
here are a few of my gifts:
like every year, christmas day was spent at my uncle jr's house (dad's side). uncle jr made my favorite dish of his, shrimp and crab gumbo. i can eat that forever! we all sat around and ate and ate and chatted together. my cousin murielle came home from vegas and brought home my nephew danny. great to finally meet him.
favorite part: meeting my nephew and seeing muyeng
Saturday:
we had another christmas party to attend at phil's mom's house. we ate AGAIN! and had the kids open gifts. they watched old movies and a big group of us played catch phrase for pratically the whole night. it was definetly a good time.
favorite part: seeing darlene sweat when it was her turn and her funny face when she got rid of it! (dar, you're awesome!) and jouzy's clue for the word "homey"
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Training Dedicated to Ulysses Basconcillo
As you should know by now, I am participating in another triathlon called Lavaman. This time not only am I a participant, I am also a mentor. As a mentor, I have a group of people under my wing, and I have the pleasure of guiding them in their triathlon journey and being their liaison whenever needed.
If you don't know anything about Team in Training, we help raise money for all those affected by cancer. Every team has honorees that help help bring a connection to our cause. When I began to think about the season to come, I knew that Uncle Uly would be my personal honoree, and that if training was ever too intense I would use him as my strength. Being a part of the staff this year, I get to work a little behind the scenes. So, took the opportunity of asking Uncle Uly and Auntie Carol if they would like to be a part of our program. I was ecstatic when they agreeed.
Today's training was dedicated to Uncle Uly. As somewhat of a point of contact for Auntie Carol and Uncle Uly, I was able to share some words about him and a little about the treatment he is going through. Everyone at practice shared some kind words with him in cards that will be sent shortly.
Today's training consisted of a swim and bike ride IN THE RAIN. A GIGANTIC THANKS to all of you that were willing to push through the cold rain and train your hearts out today.
Here is a poster board of Uncle Uly for today's practice:
If you don't know anything about Team in Training, we help raise money for all those affected by cancer. Every team has honorees that help help bring a connection to our cause. When I began to think about the season to come, I knew that Uncle Uly would be my personal honoree, and that if training was ever too intense I would use him as my strength. Being a part of the staff this year, I get to work a little behind the scenes. So, took the opportunity of asking Uncle Uly and Auntie Carol if they would like to be a part of our program. I was ecstatic when they agreeed.
Today's training was dedicated to Uncle Uly. As somewhat of a point of contact for Auntie Carol and Uncle Uly, I was able to share some words about him and a little about the treatment he is going through. Everyone at practice shared some kind words with him in cards that will be sent shortly.
Today's training consisted of a swim and bike ride IN THE RAIN. A GIGANTIC THANKS to all of you that were willing to push through the cold rain and train your hearts out today.
Friday, December 19, 2008
facticious
so, bern tagged me on her blog called facticious. what i have to do is post 15 random facts about me that most people don't know. please keep in mind that these are in no order, i'm just writing as it comes to mind.
1) i love watching the ellen degeneres show, she is sooo freaking hilarious. and no matter how my day goes it can always bring a smile to my face. i think of it as a great way to unwind after a long day's work
2) i love watching trivia game shows. i really really want to be on family fued and i must be one the people at the end doing fast money at the end of the show. the other show i really really want to be on is cash cab.
3) i would love to live in new york for at least 2 years. i love that city, and i would love to experience it.
4) sometimes i think of going back to retail, but in the corporate office.
5) if i could afford it, i would dress up everyday to work. i love the business look, pencil skirts and blazers, and ankle heels are my favorite.
5) houndstooth is my FAVORITE pattern, herringbone is a close second.
6) i really really would love to get into the voiceover industry. i actually have some contacts, but am a little scared to ask b/c the person doesn't know me on a professional level and i don't want them to think that i'm not serious.
7) i love helping and motivating people. it gives me such joy.
8) i would love to be a relationship expert and have my own show or radio show about it.
9) i would love to spend time with kimora lee simons. she cracks me up and i think i would be able to learn so much from her.
10) i want to take design classes for fun.
11) even though i've ridden many many many miles on my bike, i'm still aprehensive.
12) visiting japan has been my life long dream and i plan on visiting in oct 2009. a. christine get ready to PARTY!
13) i admire people with pure hearts and calm personalities...T and Sheila, love you guys.
14) i don't like lounging in jeans
15) my dream is to continue doing triathlons and marathons. and one day to participate in ironman AGAIN, but this time complete it.
so who's next...janice, jill, nik...your turn!
1) i love watching the ellen degeneres show, she is sooo freaking hilarious. and no matter how my day goes it can always bring a smile to my face. i think of it as a great way to unwind after a long day's work
2) i love watching trivia game shows. i really really want to be on family fued and i must be one the people at the end doing fast money at the end of the show. the other show i really really want to be on is cash cab.
3) i would love to live in new york for at least 2 years. i love that city, and i would love to experience it.
4) sometimes i think of going back to retail, but in the corporate office.
5) if i could afford it, i would dress up everyday to work. i love the business look, pencil skirts and blazers, and ankle heels are my favorite.
5) houndstooth is my FAVORITE pattern, herringbone is a close second.
6) i really really would love to get into the voiceover industry. i actually have some contacts, but am a little scared to ask b/c the person doesn't know me on a professional level and i don't want them to think that i'm not serious.
7) i love helping and motivating people. it gives me such joy.
8) i would love to be a relationship expert and have my own show or radio show about it.
9) i would love to spend time with kimora lee simons. she cracks me up and i think i would be able to learn so much from her.
10) i want to take design classes for fun.
11) even though i've ridden many many many miles on my bike, i'm still aprehensive.
12) visiting japan has been my life long dream and i plan on visiting in oct 2009. a. christine get ready to PARTY!
13) i admire people with pure hearts and calm personalities...T and Sheila, love you guys.
14) i don't like lounging in jeans
15) my dream is to continue doing triathlons and marathons. and one day to participate in ironman AGAIN, but this time complete it.
so who's next...janice, jill, nik...your turn!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
great swim tonight
with the weather being so gloomy and now wet, it's been really hard for me to get a swim workout in. i usually swim at the gym at my work, but the pool is outside, and to be honest with you, the way work has been, once i'm done with my day, i just want to get home ASAP!
today, i decided to tag along with phil, les, and spell at 24 hour and finally get a swim in. i haven't swam in awhile, so i was a bit aprehensive. when i first got into the pool, i was set in only doing the beginers swim workout. as i finished the warm up for the beginers set, i realized, the whole swim routine was only for 600 meters and I would be done quite fast. so, i decided to push myself and do the intermediate set. the total set was for 1200 meters. as i finished the main set, i decided i had more in me so i did a couple more laps. i finished with the cool down set, and now i feel great.
i know i'm going to feel this in my arms tomorrow, and especially the day after. being in the pool made me realize how much i miss it. i think i just might have to find a way to get a membership b/c i'm super broke right now! hint hint, christmas is almost here. =P
today, i decided to tag along with phil, les, and spell at 24 hour and finally get a swim in. i haven't swam in awhile, so i was a bit aprehensive. when i first got into the pool, i was set in only doing the beginers swim workout. as i finished the warm up for the beginers set, i realized, the whole swim routine was only for 600 meters and I would be done quite fast. so, i decided to push myself and do the intermediate set. the total set was for 1200 meters. as i finished the main set, i decided i had more in me so i did a couple more laps. i finished with the cool down set, and now i feel great.
i know i'm going to feel this in my arms tomorrow, and especially the day after. being in the pool made me realize how much i miss it. i think i just might have to find a way to get a membership b/c i'm super broke right now! hint hint, christmas is almost here. =P
is it so bad to live in the grey
i haven't ever done a philosophical blog, so please excuse my randomness and my rambling.
life right now for me is one big grey area. is that so bad? when i was younger, or let's say less expreienced, every decision seemed to be soooo easy for me. it has always been easy to make up my mind. not that i didn't ever have an difficult decisions, just everything seemed to be in black and white. i weighed my options, made my decision, and that was that. now that i'm a little older and have experienced a little more, i've learned to accept that not every decision in life can be black and white. there are sometimes grey areas in life that we have to learn to live with. i think being in the grey areas are the times when we learn more about ourselves, the decisions we make, and the world we choose to live in and make for ourselves.
i've always been optomistic, in that when an obstacle is in my way i can somehow get over it, under it or around it. now, not only can i handle the obstacles that come in my path, but i've learnd to adapt to them. here in this adaptation, is where i think the grey area is, and here is where i feel i can learn and make more wise decisions. ultimately, i think the grey areas in life are what help you make some of the morst important decisions.
so again i ask, is it so bad to live in the grey?
life right now for me is one big grey area. is that so bad? when i was younger, or let's say less expreienced, every decision seemed to be soooo easy for me. it has always been easy to make up my mind. not that i didn't ever have an difficult decisions, just everything seemed to be in black and white. i weighed my options, made my decision, and that was that. now that i'm a little older and have experienced a little more, i've learned to accept that not every decision in life can be black and white. there are sometimes grey areas in life that we have to learn to live with. i think being in the grey areas are the times when we learn more about ourselves, the decisions we make, and the world we choose to live in and make for ourselves.
i've always been optomistic, in that when an obstacle is in my way i can somehow get over it, under it or around it. now, not only can i handle the obstacles that come in my path, but i've learnd to adapt to them. here in this adaptation, is where i think the grey area is, and here is where i feel i can learn and make more wise decisions. ultimately, i think the grey areas in life are what help you make some of the morst important decisions.
so again i ask, is it so bad to live in the grey?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
oh it hurts so good!
so before i add this post, i have to add my disclaimer. things have really hectic at work and then there's the holidays. and, i've just returned from a work conference in vegas. so, it's been really hard for me to get my training in. but, i made sure that i got the training in yesterday.
yesterday we did another circuit workout on the track. i did it alone at skyline b/c honestly if i wait to go to kezar it's not gonna happen. not to mention, i had made plans to have dinner with my friend. anyway, here's what the workout was:
RUN: 10’ Run/Walk Warm up
CIRCUIT TRAINING:
Complete each circuit with 1 Lap@LVL3-4 (run, run/walk) between each circuit.
Circuit #1
Squats 8-12
Plank Position 5 (Hold 20”)
Circuit #2
Leg Raises x 8-10 (Hold 10”)
Push-Ups 10-15
Circuit #3
1 Leg Squats 5 Each Leg
Opposite Arm/Leg Raises 5 each side (Hold 10”)
Circuit #4
Mule Kickers x 10 Each Leg
Side Plank Position 5 each side (Hold 15”)
Repeat Above once more or until 60' has expired.
Cool Down: Walk 1 Lap
i did soooo well. i thought that i wasn't going to be able to last, but OMG! i felt soooo good after. later last night, i was feeling a bit stiff and sore, so i stretched out a little more. and i'm feeling it all over today. but, that's how you know you had a good workout. ALL SMILES for me =)
yesterday we did another circuit workout on the track. i did it alone at skyline b/c honestly if i wait to go to kezar it's not gonna happen. not to mention, i had made plans to have dinner with my friend. anyway, here's what the workout was:
RUN: 10’ Run/Walk Warm up
CIRCUIT TRAINING:
Complete each circuit with 1 Lap@LVL3-4 (run, run/walk) between each circuit.
Circuit #1
Squats 8-12
Plank Position 5 (Hold 20”)
Circuit #2
Leg Raises x 8-10 (Hold 10”)
Push-Ups 10-15
Circuit #3
1 Leg Squats 5 Each Leg
Opposite Arm/Leg Raises 5 each side (Hold 10”)
Circuit #4
Mule Kickers x 10 Each Leg
Side Plank Position 5 each side (Hold 15”)
Repeat Above once more or until 60' has expired.
Cool Down: Walk 1 Lap
i did soooo well. i thought that i wasn't going to be able to last, but OMG! i felt soooo good after. later last night, i was feeling a bit stiff and sore, so i stretched out a little more. and i'm feeling it all over today. but, that's how you know you had a good workout. ALL SMILES for me =)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
scrapbook
I just recently finished a scrapbook that i did for my friend. she did the avon walk for breast cancer last year and added my mom and my aunt to a sash of names she was walking in honor of. so i volunteered to do a book for her. here's how it came out.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Gizelle's Passion Party
I want to say thank you to everyone that came. I'm sure you all had just as much fun as I did. For those of your who paid with credit card, your order has already been processed and shipped as of today! You should be receiving your goodies soon! If you paid with a check, I have depostied your checks and once they clear, I will put your order through.
I especially wanted to congratulate Gizelle on her successful party. On top of all the free goodies you all seen her get at the party, she was able to get 25% off one item of her choice and $35 credit to apply to her order. I also want to congratulate Christine, as she won a prize for being the biggest spender! (Gizelle has your gift.)
If you want to receive goodies for yourself or want to see what all the excitement is about, please visit my website at passionateadventure.yourconsultant.com or simply email me at passionate.adventures@gmail.com.
And please feel free to comment on how you thought the party was or any reviews of the products once your receive them.
Friday, November 14, 2008
training has officailly started
wednesday night was the first night of training for me. we were supposed to do a marker set, where we basically run for a certain time and see how far we go. kezar, however, was closed, so instead we did some circuit training. =) boy, did i need that. we basically had to do an excerise at one station, for instance push-ups, and then run a lap around the perimeter. when we got back we had to visit another station and then run a lap. there were 4 stations total.
i took it slow considering i haven't done an physical activity since i hurt my hip running lake merced. and, i was talking some participants, being the great mentor that i am. =D
i had a great night, and i'm looking forward to training tomorrow...even though i have to get used to waking up at the butt crack of dawn on the weekends.
i took it slow considering i haven't done an physical activity since i hurt my hip running lake merced. and, i was talking some participants, being the great mentor that i am. =D
i had a great night, and i'm looking forward to training tomorrow...even though i have to get used to waking up at the butt crack of dawn on the weekends.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
BIG DAY TODAY
my day started off quite early. today was our KICK-OFF for the Team in Training Winter '09 season. i finally got to meet with all of my mentees and i'm really excited to start the season. i actually start training tomorrow. =O no worries...we are starting off really really slow and since the distance is so much shorter than ironman, i'm not going to be soooo MIA this season.
jess and christina, thank you for bringing your additional guests, it definitely added to the fun.
ladies, please feel free to send me any comments that you may have about the party. and when you receive your items, i would love to hear any feedback that you may have. you can comment here or email me at passionate.adventures@gmail.com. and if you know of anyone who may want to have a party, please pass along this email address.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
sooo excited!!!
i'm soooo excited to be doing my next triathlon. if you haven't heard i will be doing this in KONA, HI...even more specifically WAIKOLOA. i talked to my coworker terry, who was raised in hawaii, and asked her about waikoloa. The expression on her face and the excitement in her voice only reassured me that i would NOT be disappointed.
andddd...one of the friends i have just reunited with, bern, has just decided to join me in my journey. i'm sooo excited for her to experience what team in training is all about. and moreso, i'm excited to be able to guide her on her own journey.
the triathlon that we will be doing is called lavaman. This is only an olympic distance, so it will be a 1.5k (.93 mile) swim, 40k (25 mile) bike, and 5k (6 mile) run. and we are doing all of this to raise money for the LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY. if you would like to support me and donate to the cause please visit my donation site.
if you would like to mail me a check, please contact me and I will give you the information needed.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
i'm backkkkk...
ok guys...I'M BACKKKKK!!! today was the first information meeting for the Team in Training 2008 winter season. we have a couple of new people who have signed up for our tri team, who will be doing an olympic tri in KONA, HI! I'M SOOOOO EXCITED. if, anyone would like to come and join me let me know. we have a great coaching staff who has 100% of the people who start and train cross the finishline. and if you would just like to be a part of my cheering squad, i would love that too!
please support me and help find a cure for cancer. click here to visit my new donation page
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
update
i swear my life seems sooo boring and i have nothing to talk about since i finished my ironman season. not totally the case...i just haven't really had time to write about what's been going on.
i've now had the chance to catch up with my patient patient friends and family. i've become an auntie again to my cousin murielle's baby.
i've joined facebook! hahaha...i know another myspace, but not so intrusive, at least i don't think so. so, if you know me find me and add me.
and i've become my jamaican self again and picked up another job. this one is not sooo demanding and will be really fun. I'VE BECOME A PASSION PARTIES CONSULTANT! soooo, if you know of anyone having a birthday, a bachlorette party, or maybe you just need to update your toys, please feel free to let me know. you can visit my website at http://passionateadventure.yourpassionconsultant.com. Please feel free to email me with any questions at passionateadventures@gmail.com.
and you didn't think i would just leave the world of triathlons behind me after ironman did you. i'm actually going to mentoring for the winter season. our team will be going to Kona, HI for lavaman. woo hoo!
i've now had the chance to catch up with my patient patient friends and family. i've become an auntie again to my cousin murielle's baby.
i've joined facebook! hahaha...i know another myspace, but not so intrusive, at least i don't think so. so, if you know me find me and add me.
and i've become my jamaican self again and picked up another job. this one is not sooo demanding and will be really fun. I'VE BECOME A PASSION PARTIES CONSULTANT! soooo, if you know of anyone having a birthday, a bachlorette party, or maybe you just need to update your toys, please feel free to let me know. you can visit my website at http://passionateadventure.yourpassionconsultant.com. Please feel free to email me with any questions at passionateadventures@gmail.com.
and you didn't think i would just leave the world of triathlons behind me after ironman did you. i'm actually going to mentoring for the winter season. our team will be going to Kona, HI for lavaman. woo hoo!
Friday, October 3, 2008
guess who's in triathlete magazine
i received a call the other day from liz, one of my teammates from ironteam. she said that she was given the newest issue of "Triathlete" magazine, and that we were in it. so, i went on a hunt and tried to find it. finally, rei said they had the issue. sooo, i had do it. i bought all 5 issues they had.
as soon as i got there, i flipped right to page 176 where she said it was. and there we all were. janice, who got us that close, has her back to the camera talking to the gentleman sitting behind us, liz has a full shot, and i have most of my face in there. WOO HOO!
can you see me? that's the side of my face!
update post ironman
i haven't written a blog since ironman and sooo much has already passed. besides me catching up and now maintaining a constant work load at my full-time job, i have been able to spend more time with the ones i love.
the weekend after ironman, my parents invited my family over to watch the videos they got to see in louisville. one was a video that was put together by our loving team in training staff (mike kyle, if you are reading this, that includes you). the other was put together by the ironteam. they were able to get a better idea and feel a little hint of the emotional weekend.
i was also able to spend time with my sister and cousin jessica at the "scrappinescape" scrapbook crop. it was a great weekend. i added pages to my ironman scrapbook and am currently working on the second book. along with having fun in each other's company and working on our scrapbooks, we all won prizes. jessice won lots of "stretching game" prizes, janice won the 1st GRAND PRIZE, and i won the 2nd place grand prize, and "the last cropper standing" prize for both nights.
here are some of the pages i did:
on saturday night, jessica and i took a break from the crop and went to the JANET JACKSON concert. she is one of my VERY FAVORITES. and jessica discovered just how big of a fan that i was when i was screaming out the words to every song, even when no one else knew them. =)
here are some clips from the night:
HAPPY HAPPY CONCERT GOERS!!!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ironman Race Report
My morning started off at 4am. Suprisingly, I woke up with all the energy in the world. I got dressed and made sure for one last time I didn't need anythging else in my special needs bags. So, me and Phil left to get my bagel. Standing in line I see Larry and Bobbie. They tell me that I'm the only one out of the room...woo hoo kudos for me! I'm in the lobby with more Ironteamers now, but my parents are still no where to be found. I don't have my phone so I call from Bobbie's. I tell them that I'm going down to the transition area to drop off my bags. So, on we (me, phil and other Ironteamers) go.
Drop my bags off, put the bottles on my bike, and look around for where we get body marked. Finally, someone knows and tells me it's at the swim start. I find Phil, who has since connected with my parents (thank lord) and off we go again. This time to the swim start. We get there and I see the line to get marked and just yell nonchallantly "OK, BYE!!!" I'm so anxious I don't even hug or kiss anyone bye before I go off into what seems like to me the darkness. I get maked and walk towards the swim start...WOO HOO! I FOUND JANICE (my teammate, not my sister)! She is 8th in line, so that makes me 9th in line. (I told all of you I would be one of the first ten!) Thank you Greg for driving Janice to the start. So we get settled and Liz comes to join us. They move us down the pier and then down the pier again. It's coming close to the start, so I take in my Cliff Shot. Someone sings the national anthemn and shortly after I put on my swimcap. Oh no! It's almost time. The cannon goes off for the pros and we watch them all swim all over each other. That means only 10 minutes left until our turn. The count down begins and in seconds, Janice, me and Liz get in. My heart is racing and there are too many people near me, I side stroke and back storke until I am ready to really catch my groove. My dad later tells me that when he seen me side stroke he said, "Oh no, side stroke ALREADY! She's tired already?!" Little do they know... I finally calm myself down and catch my groove, there are people around me but I'm pretty secure in where I am. People touch, kick and splash water on my face everyone once in awhile, but I don't let that get in my way. I just think keep moving forward, head down, elbows up. I get on my back several times, and have to get back on track b/c being on my back has made me go crooked. I even look at my watch a couple of times, thinking ok if the last person got in at 730am, and+ I'm already almost half way there, I'm good. I see the bridge and think, should I be swimming out to catch the current, but I feel the current of all the people around me and decide to ride that instead. Sooner than I expect, I look up and see the people on the shore. I get to the second to last bouy and think, you are almost there, just keep it strong and steady. I get out of the water and am soooo elated, I look everywhere to see my parents and Phil. Instead, I see flames and wave soooooo happily. I got out in 1:44:12. WOO HOO! My parents and Phil are no where to be found. I find out later that they are waiting at the swim finish worrying b/c there are only a couple of people left in the water. They ask Larry, and he tells them I've been out for almost an hour. HAHAHAHAHA!
So off to my bike. Get my transition bag, tell the volunteer just dump it all out. Get my stuff together, and off on my bike I go. I keep thinking to myself, slow and steady, you don't want to be future roadkill. Like all the coaches say, everyone is passing me. That's fine. There I go happily on my bike, so elated by the fact, I finished my swim soooo well and I'm really doing this. I just keep going. Mile 11 here come the hills, but bring it on, I'm ready. Ok, sorry after that, I have no reclection of milage. I know I'm going on the out and back, woo hoo there's a big down hill, got to love those. As I'm speeding down hill, passing all the people "on your left, on your left" the people coming back are hollering at me to slow down. Grrrrrrrrrrr, although I don't know why, I do. Shortly I see an ambulance in the middle of the road. Go around slowly, and try to get back into my groove. Sadly, my groove never fully came back. But, I still went on. Just keep moving forward. The heat was getting to me, so I pulled off the road more than a couple of times, to douse myself with water and catch my breath. Is it me or is it kindda hard to breathe? And then on one of those hills in the middle of the trees, somehow my chain gets stuck inbetween gears and I can't push my pedal down. Damn, here we go! I fall over and get another nasty gash on my leg. The blood is streaming down, but it's so hot, it dries in place. Sorry, I know that was gross. Who cares, done this before get up! I get up but notice my left handle bar is crooked. Thankfully Brian sees me and helps me pull it back into place. Deliriously, I say "Thanks, Kevin." And, as he says, "It's Brian," I'm already thinking oops that's Brian. Get on my bike again, dammit, my seat is crooked. I think "eff it" just go, but it's soooo crooked I have to get off and fix it. So, off I go again, omg serioulsy, my damn brake is rubbing. So I get off again and fix that. Finally I'm, on my way again. I'm going and going and trucking along, stopping every so often as little as I can to pour some water on me and catch my breathe. Really, is the air that thick?! And here comes that same hill, why does my chain drop. Get off and fix it. Off we go again. It's getting later and later, and everyone on Ironteam has already passed me if not twice already. At the transition areas, I aske what the cutoff is, when did the last person get in the water? No one knows. I see people under the trees laying down. People walking their bikes. People that have defeat written all over their face and movements. I think, just keep moving you don't know when the last person got in. After the last hill, a race official rides next to me. "You have 10 mins, gooooo you can make it, the bike cutoff is 630." I hustle even more, it's flat now so I'm in my arrows and just gooooo. He comes back to me and says "5 more mins, you have just beyond that bridge, spin those legs, you don't want to cramp up on the run." I see the bridge and hustle harder. I make the turn around into transition and see the clock 6:28, yessssss. Get off my bike and the race official says, "Give me your chip." Confused, I give it to him anyway. I turn to my parents and Phil standing next to Bobbie and Larry. I must've had the look on my face, b/c Bobbie said, "the cut off was 615pm. Booo! My feet hurt, but I'm still energetic. I know I could've given such a good effort on the run. Still, I'm happy that I tried, I gave it my best and never gave up. This experience will always be with me, I have no regrets...I wouldn't trade this day for the world!
Drop my bags off, put the bottles on my bike, and look around for where we get body marked. Finally, someone knows and tells me it's at the swim start. I find Phil, who has since connected with my parents (thank lord) and off we go again. This time to the swim start. We get there and I see the line to get marked and just yell nonchallantly "OK, BYE!!!" I'm so anxious I don't even hug or kiss anyone bye before I go off into what seems like to me the darkness. I get maked and walk towards the swim start...WOO HOO! I FOUND JANICE (my teammate, not my sister)! She is 8th in line, so that makes me 9th in line. (I told all of you I would be one of the first ten!) Thank you Greg for driving Janice to the start. So we get settled and Liz comes to join us. They move us down the pier and then down the pier again. It's coming close to the start, so I take in my Cliff Shot. Someone sings the national anthemn and shortly after I put on my swimcap. Oh no! It's almost time. The cannon goes off for the pros and we watch them all swim all over each other. That means only 10 minutes left until our turn. The count down begins and in seconds, Janice, me and Liz get in. My heart is racing and there are too many people near me, I side stroke and back storke until I am ready to really catch my groove. My dad later tells me that when he seen me side stroke he said, "Oh no, side stroke ALREADY! She's tired already?!" Little do they know... I finally calm myself down and catch my groove, there are people around me but I'm pretty secure in where I am. People touch, kick and splash water on my face everyone once in awhile, but I don't let that get in my way. I just think keep moving forward, head down, elbows up. I get on my back several times, and have to get back on track b/c being on my back has made me go crooked. I even look at my watch a couple of times, thinking ok if the last person got in at 730am, and+ I'm already almost half way there, I'm good. I see the bridge and think, should I be swimming out to catch the current, but I feel the current of all the people around me and decide to ride that instead. Sooner than I expect, I look up and see the people on the shore. I get to the second to last bouy and think, you are almost there, just keep it strong and steady. I get out of the water and am soooo elated, I look everywhere to see my parents and Phil. Instead, I see flames and wave soooooo happily. I got out in 1:44:12. WOO HOO! My parents and Phil are no where to be found. I find out later that they are waiting at the swim finish worrying b/c there are only a couple of people left in the water. They ask Larry, and he tells them I've been out for almost an hour. HAHAHAHAHA!
So off to my bike. Get my transition bag, tell the volunteer just dump it all out. Get my stuff together, and off on my bike I go. I keep thinking to myself, slow and steady, you don't want to be future roadkill. Like all the coaches say, everyone is passing me. That's fine. There I go happily on my bike, so elated by the fact, I finished my swim soooo well and I'm really doing this. I just keep going. Mile 11 here come the hills, but bring it on, I'm ready. Ok, sorry after that, I have no reclection of milage. I know I'm going on the out and back, woo hoo there's a big down hill, got to love those. As I'm speeding down hill, passing all the people "on your left, on your left" the people coming back are hollering at me to slow down. Grrrrrrrrrrr, although I don't know why, I do. Shortly I see an ambulance in the middle of the road. Go around slowly, and try to get back into my groove. Sadly, my groove never fully came back. But, I still went on. Just keep moving forward. The heat was getting to me, so I pulled off the road more than a couple of times, to douse myself with water and catch my breath. Is it me or is it kindda hard to breathe? And then on one of those hills in the middle of the trees, somehow my chain gets stuck inbetween gears and I can't push my pedal down. Damn, here we go! I fall over and get another nasty gash on my leg. The blood is streaming down, but it's so hot, it dries in place. Sorry, I know that was gross. Who cares, done this before get up! I get up but notice my left handle bar is crooked. Thankfully Brian sees me and helps me pull it back into place. Deliriously, I say "Thanks, Kevin." And, as he says, "It's Brian," I'm already thinking oops that's Brian. Get on my bike again, dammit, my seat is crooked. I think "eff it" just go, but it's soooo crooked I have to get off and fix it. So, off I go again, omg serioulsy, my damn brake is rubbing. So I get off again and fix that. Finally I'm, on my way again. I'm going and going and trucking along, stopping every so often as little as I can to pour some water on me and catch my breathe. Really, is the air that thick?! And here comes that same hill, why does my chain drop. Get off and fix it. Off we go again. It's getting later and later, and everyone on Ironteam has already passed me if not twice already. At the transition areas, I aske what the cutoff is, when did the last person get in the water? No one knows. I see people under the trees laying down. People walking their bikes. People that have defeat written all over their face and movements. I think, just keep moving you don't know when the last person got in. After the last hill, a race official rides next to me. "You have 10 mins, gooooo you can make it, the bike cutoff is 630." I hustle even more, it's flat now so I'm in my arrows and just gooooo. He comes back to me and says "5 more mins, you have just beyond that bridge, spin those legs, you don't want to cramp up on the run." I see the bridge and hustle harder. I make the turn around into transition and see the clock 6:28, yessssss. Get off my bike and the race official says, "Give me your chip." Confused, I give it to him anyway. I turn to my parents and Phil standing next to Bobbie and Larry. I must've had the look on my face, b/c Bobbie said, "the cut off was 615pm. Booo! My feet hurt, but I'm still energetic. I know I could've given such a good effort on the run. Still, I'm happy that I tried, I gave it my best and never gave up. This experience will always be with me, I have no regrets...I wouldn't trade this day for the world!
Monday, August 25, 2008
less than a week to go
it's now august 25, i have exactly 6 days left until i race my very first ironman. i leave thursday morning and race bright and early on sunday. so while everyone will be still sleeping in their bed, i will be jumping in the water to start my race (starts 7am louisville time).
everyone keeps asking me if i'm ready, and all i can say is "we'll see!" i guess i'm as ready as i'll ever be. i have to take it all one at a time. so first be out of the water in 2 hours and 20 mins. next obstable is be off my bike by 530pm. after that, i can just do the best i can to make it the finish line in the shortest time possible.
so wish me luck, and pray that i make it through each obstacle.
everyone keeps asking me if i'm ready, and all i can say is "we'll see!" i guess i'm as ready as i'll ever be. i have to take it all one at a time. so first be out of the water in 2 hours and 20 mins. next obstable is be off my bike by 530pm. after that, i can just do the best i can to make it the finish line in the shortest time possible.
so wish me luck, and pray that i make it through each obstacle.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Team Hoyt
My co-worker came across this father/son team that has done a number of endurance sports together. They've completed marathons, triathlons, and even a number of Ironmans. Being that I am currently training for Ironman, Louisville, she thought of me. She passed along a video that truely INSPIRED me. You see, the son is quadripleic with cerebral palsy. So, the dad, Dick, swims with the son, Rick, attached on a raft, has a bike with a place for Rick to sit, and pushes him on the run.
This is definitely a video worth watching:
This is definitely a video worth watching:
7/30 training
so normally on wednesdays, i take elaine's first spin class and then i go out for an hour and run. work has been soooo hectic lately, that i swear i'm brain dead. i forgot all my workout stuff at home. so i made up for this by running 2 laps at lake merced. each lap is about 4.5 miles, so i got in a total of 9 miles.
the first time i actually ran the whole lake was last week. i took it a little easy, and ran it in 1 hour and 10 mins. last night when i ran my first lap took me 1 hour and 4 mins. i knocked off a whole 6 mins. WOO HOO! feeling as good as i did, i decided not to stop at the car and just go ahead with the next lap. at 1 hour and 43 mins i made it about 7.5 miles, and decided that i needed to walk some. so i did a walk/run (for instance you walk 2 min/run 8 min) the rest of the way. my second lap ended at 2 hours and 10 mins. good run...but am slightly sore today.
the first time i actually ran the whole lake was last week. i took it a little easy, and ran it in 1 hour and 10 mins. last night when i ran my first lap took me 1 hour and 4 mins. i knocked off a whole 6 mins. WOO HOO! feeling as good as i did, i decided not to stop at the car and just go ahead with the next lap. at 1 hour and 43 mins i made it about 7.5 miles, and decided that i needed to walk some. so i did a walk/run (for instance you walk 2 min/run 8 min) the rest of the way. my second lap ended at 2 hours and 10 mins. good run...but am slightly sore today.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
7/27 Triple Brick = 10.5 hours of training
today's training called for a triple brick, a 30 mile bike ride and a 50 minute run x 3. so in total i did 90 miles on my bike and ran (well, i walked) for 2.5 hours. if you keep up with my blog or even think about what i was anticipating for this training, you would know that i was NOT looking forward to this AT ALL!
well after today's workout, i feel GREAT! i was feeling sore after my ride from yesterday, so today's ride was not as pleasant as i would've wanted. not to mention the headwind that was fighting us, especially going up the hills. but, i powered through the pain and took each 30 mile loop one by one.
today was about milage, so i didn't try to kill myself at every single loop. i just wanted to make sure that i was able to finish and finish strong, which I DID! THANKS MAI for riding with me and introducing me to that great cream. i'm definitely going to get me some.
on a funny note, i've added to my collection of tan lines on my body. if you haven't seen me lately, i am a plethora of colors with tan lines all over. i have tan lines from my swimsuit, bike jersy, tank top, and bikes shorts. with the great danville heat, i added another bike jersy, a watch, my bike gloves, socks again (after i've just even that out), and more bike shorts, annndddd i look like a damn raccoon! sorry no pictures will be posted of this!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
bike training 7/26
today i woke up bright and early to get in my bike work out. it called for a 40 - 70 mile ride or 4 hours max.
mike and elaine had us meet at the corner of edgewood and canada in redwood city/san carlos. they mapped out about a 51 mile course. and, it was a great day for a ride today! if i had taken any longer though, the heat might have gotten to me. good thing i've gotten faster. =) as you can tell, i'm pretty happy with the ride i got in today.
normally, i ride just about 10 miles an hour, really slow! when i got to the turn around point at about mile 31, it was a little after 2 hours, which means i was going just under 15 mph. woo hoo! big difference for me. and, i didn't let myself get too apprehensive when i seen the hills. you see, normally, when i see a hill, small or big, i tend to settle in wayyyyyy too soon and go REALLY SLOWLY, thinking to myself "slowly but surely." this time, i attacked each hill pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone. and i reminded myself on all the straight aways, that "the flats are n0t for resting." i think that deserves another smiley face. =)
on the way to our turn around point, coach mike reminded me that we are going to have a very big day tomorrow and to take it fairly easy. so i slowed down a bit, and didn't attack the hills as hard as i was during the first half. in the end, i averaged about 12mph, so still i had a great ride.
can't say i'm looking forward to tomorrow. we are doing a triple brick that will be lasting 10 hours or more. =/ so please pray that i can make it home. hahaha! i'm sure i will, but will be in great agony on the drive home. wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Good Luck, Jonboy
My little cousin, ok not so little...my younger cousin Jonathan, known to us as Jonboy has planned to further his life endeavors by joining the military. Like his father, he decided to join the Marines.
This past Saturday, we were all able to celebrate with him on his last night of being a civilian. On Sunday afternoon, he was taken to San Jose, where he and the other recruits would stay before being shipped off to San Diego for 3 months of training. Luckily, he is in good company, as his good friend Jerald has also decided join.
JonBoy, good luck on this special journey. Although we won't have much contact with you while you are in training, know that we are always with you. You have the physical strength to endure all that will be thrown at you, and the menality to withstand all the yelling. Come on, you've trained for this your whole life, look who your dad is. LOL =P I love you and good luck. Let me know when you come home, we'll have a cousin dinner for you.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
swimming triumph 7/15
this is what my workout called for:
Warm Up
-300 (G2=400, G3=500)
-6x50 (CU,s) 10” RI
=4x50 (CFS,s) 10” RI
Main Set
-10 x 100 L5 10”RI
Do not go faster than L5 which is your Ironman pace and the pace you will maintain on the next swim. Do these with 10”R rather than on an interval and keep track of your total time. Think about how this pace feels so that on race day you will know the feeling you are trying to maintain – long – strong - relaxed
-1000 L5
Your goal is to swim this in a time that equals the total time of the previous set less 1 ½ minutes (the 9x10seconds of rest you had)
Warm down
-200
Totals: G1=3000 (120 laps total)
i'm sure most of you don't know what your are reading above, but basically i was swimming in a 25 meter pool, so if i am to swim a 300, i will have to swim 12 laps. now that i have that little tid bit out of the way, i can tell you why i'm sooooo happy. the second part of my main set call for a 1000, 40 laps non-stop. now, usually if you need to rest while you are swimming, and you cannot stop on the wall, you can do a resting stroke. a resting stroke is like the side stroke or a back stroke, so you can take the time to breathe a little deeper, if needed. I WAS ABLE TO SWIM 38 TOTAL LAPS WITHOUT EVEN DOING A RESTING STROKE. lap 35 and lap 38 were my resting stroke, but i'm sure if i pushed myself harder, i could've done the whole set with out resting. =)
i've never gone so far without taking a resting stroke before. WOO HOO!
Warm Up
-300 (G2=400, G3=500)
-6x50 (CU,s) 10” RI
=4x50 (CFS,s) 10” RI
Main Set
-10 x 100 L5 10”RI
Do not go faster than L5 which is your Ironman pace and the pace you will maintain on the next swim. Do these with 10”R rather than on an interval and keep track of your total time. Think about how this pace feels so that on race day you will know the feeling you are trying to maintain – long – strong - relaxed
-1000 L5
Your goal is to swim this in a time that equals the total time of the previous set less 1 ½ minutes (the 9x10seconds of rest you had)
Warm down
-200
Totals: G1=3000 (120 laps total)
i'm sure most of you don't know what your are reading above, but basically i was swimming in a 25 meter pool, so if i am to swim a 300, i will have to swim 12 laps. now that i have that little tid bit out of the way, i can tell you why i'm sooooo happy. the second part of my main set call for a 1000, 40 laps non-stop. now, usually if you need to rest while you are swimming, and you cannot stop on the wall, you can do a resting stroke. a resting stroke is like the side stroke or a back stroke, so you can take the time to breathe a little deeper, if needed. I WAS ABLE TO SWIM 38 TOTAL LAPS WITHOUT EVEN DOING A RESTING STROKE. lap 35 and lap 38 were my resting stroke, but i'm sure if i pushed myself harder, i could've done the whole set with out resting. =)
i've never gone so far without taking a resting stroke before. WOO HOO!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
fundraising update
my fundraising website is a bit off, due to various reasons. but, i've just recieved an update of my account and with all the checks i've just sent in, I CURRENTLY HAVE $9090. WOO HOO! =D
so, i've reached my minimum, and am on my way to my personal goal of $10,000. only $910 to go.
if you would like to donate to please visit, http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/MLopez
Thank you all for donating and coming to my fundraisers. Your support is very much appreciated.
so, i've reached my minimum, and am on my way to my personal goal of $10,000. only $910 to go.
if you would like to donate to please visit, http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/MLopez
Thank you all for donating and coming to my fundraisers. Your support is very much appreciated.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
the scrapbooking continues
my very last fundraiser for my ironman just past. b/c i got so many requests i did another scrapbooking fundraiser. i hope everyone had fun. i know i definitely took advantage of the time i got and got some really good pages done. here they are:
Monday, June 16, 2008
clearlake training weekend
this past weekend was a really big weekend for me. friday afternoon, i hitched a ride with my mentor, john, to clearlake for our training weekend. saturday morning started really early. we had to be at a former teammate, jeff's house by 630am. we were in the lake by 7am. we swam course they set up for us which was supposed to be about 2miles, but everyone thinks it was a little over 2 miles. they didn't give us our time as we came out, but i was right behind my teammate janice, who thinks we came out in about an hour and a half. =) big smiles from me b/c if i keep swimming like that, i'll definitely make my swim cutoff. remember, on race day, i have to finish 2.4 miles in 2 hour and 20 mins.
so after the swim we transitioned to our bikes. the bike course was about 96 miles, broken up into 4 parts, with water stops along the way (thank lord!) so i got my bike stuff on and reached my first stop. i was feeling really optimistic so i started to head out to the second stop by myself. i'm really slow on my bike, so i figured everyone behind me would catch up. after awhile, i realized i was back at the street we hit before, so i took out my directions and was going the wrong way! so, i headed back to the first stop and started my second part all over again. i was waived down by my coaches and was told to meet up with helen and coach alex and to finish out that part of the ride with them. i had a really hard time on part 3, it was about 100 degrees out and the sun beaming off the cement made it feel even harder. i tood some really long breaks but somehow managed to muster up the strength to finish out my ride. anyhow, b/c my my little detour i did an extra 12 miles! so when i finished my bike course i did a little over 100 miles! big accomplishment for me. WOO HOO!
sunday, we got to sleep in an extra hour. we had to be at our meeting spot at 730am. i ran my 12 miles and came back in to one of the best smoothies i've ever had. i don't know if it was b/c of the heat and i needed something cold in my system or what, but it sure felt good.
to my coaches, thank you for the support and the opportunity to join you for the best training weekend i've ever had. to the volunteers, thank you for the all the encouraging words. your bells and whistles made it all much easier too!
GO TEAM!
so after the swim we transitioned to our bikes. the bike course was about 96 miles, broken up into 4 parts, with water stops along the way (thank lord!) so i got my bike stuff on and reached my first stop. i was feeling really optimistic so i started to head out to the second stop by myself. i'm really slow on my bike, so i figured everyone behind me would catch up. after awhile, i realized i was back at the street we hit before, so i took out my directions and was going the wrong way! so, i headed back to the first stop and started my second part all over again. i was waived down by my coaches and was told to meet up with helen and coach alex and to finish out that part of the ride with them. i had a really hard time on part 3, it was about 100 degrees out and the sun beaming off the cement made it feel even harder. i tood some really long breaks but somehow managed to muster up the strength to finish out my ride. anyhow, b/c my my little detour i did an extra 12 miles! so when i finished my bike course i did a little over 100 miles! big accomplishment for me. WOO HOO!
sunday, we got to sleep in an extra hour. we had to be at our meeting spot at 730am. i ran my 12 miles and came back in to one of the best smoothies i've ever had. i don't know if it was b/c of the heat and i needed something cold in my system or what, but it sure felt good.
to my coaches, thank you for the support and the opportunity to join you for the best training weekend i've ever had. to the volunteers, thank you for the all the encouraging words. your bells and whistles made it all much easier too!
GO TEAM!
Monday, May 26, 2008
NO PAIN, NO GAIN...
My training this weekend was pretty hard. It tested my endurance, my strength, my commitment, and most of all my mental toughness. My weekend training started on Friday afternoon with 2 spin classes back to back. I actually only did about one and a half classes. I caught the tail end of the first class and stayed for the second. If you know Coach Elaine, you know taking one of her classes is already brutal! To top off the 2 spin classes, at the end of the second class, she had us do walking lunges.
Needless to say, my legs and butt were on fire on Saturday morning. But, we are now in "Race Phase" and I'm only about 3 months away from race day, so missing training is not an option. Saturday's training called for a 10 mile run. Coach Elaine and Coach Mike had us meet in Oakland for a trail run. The trail had some pretty tough hills so I jogged/walked, and the hills of course added to my legs and butt that were already on fire. Woo hoo for pain! =P
Needless to say, I needed some coercing to get to training on Sunday. Sunday called for a swim and a 90 mile bike ride. With my legs about to fall off, I didn't know how I was going to handle this. Thank Lord I have Phil to kick me out of bed and remind me about how close my actual race day is, anddddd cook me breakfast. =) So my training started at 8am with a swim in a lagoon in Redwood City. I swam only for a little while as I wanted to save my legs for the 90 mile ride. Although I only finished 60 miles of the 90, this ride was the toughest ride I've done BY FAR! In my estimation at least 80% of this ride was climbing. =O With my legs already feeling the pain which was even worse by now, I already was feeling defeat at the start of the ride. But, I rode through the pain and got through some of the toughest hills of my riding life. The hardest hill had a 6 mile climb. Can you imagine riding a bike on a STEEP incline for 6 miles? I'll admit I had to get off and walk a couple of times and I even cried b/c this hill had really killed my spirits. But, we got to the top of the hill finally got to the turn we were looking for b/c this hill really seemed like it had NO END!!! We had to get home so we kept going, Coach Mike and Coach Pete picked me up about mile 60 since it was getting cold and about to be dark. I got back to my car at almost 7pm. So I trained from 8am to 7pm, rode from Redwood City to Saratoga and almost back! Although, I've done more miles than this before, like I said, THIS HAS BEEN THE TOUGHEST RIDE BY FARRR!
Although this ride had me thinking some really negative thoughts, I know all this pain will ultimately help me in the end. All the pain I'm suffering from now will only help me on race day. Phil, thank you for being my annoying reminder b/c my lazy ass definitely needs a kick from time to time. And, mostly thank you for supporting me with all the talks when I start to second guess myself and knowing what do to get me where I need to be. Elaine, thank you for the talk this morning. I definitly needed the support and the encouragement after yesterday's training. And it means a lot b/c you know where I'm coming from. And, I'm glad you all can see that I'm definitely pushing myself past limits I've never thought I had. I never would have imagined doing any of this and to know all that I've accomplished already makes me feel even more determined to finish my IRONMAN!
Thank you everyone for understanding why I'm so M.I.A. and supporting me with all your encouragement.
Needless to say, my legs and butt were on fire on Saturday morning. But, we are now in "Race Phase" and I'm only about 3 months away from race day, so missing training is not an option. Saturday's training called for a 10 mile run. Coach Elaine and Coach Mike had us meet in Oakland for a trail run. The trail had some pretty tough hills so I jogged/walked, and the hills of course added to my legs and butt that were already on fire. Woo hoo for pain! =P
Needless to say, I needed some coercing to get to training on Sunday. Sunday called for a swim and a 90 mile bike ride. With my legs about to fall off, I didn't know how I was going to handle this. Thank Lord I have Phil to kick me out of bed and remind me about how close my actual race day is, anddddd cook me breakfast. =) So my training started at 8am with a swim in a lagoon in Redwood City. I swam only for a little while as I wanted to save my legs for the 90 mile ride. Although I only finished 60 miles of the 90, this ride was the toughest ride I've done BY FAR! In my estimation at least 80% of this ride was climbing. =O With my legs already feeling the pain which was even worse by now, I already was feeling defeat at the start of the ride. But, I rode through the pain and got through some of the toughest hills of my riding life. The hardest hill had a 6 mile climb. Can you imagine riding a bike on a STEEP incline for 6 miles? I'll admit I had to get off and walk a couple of times and I even cried b/c this hill had really killed my spirits. But, we got to the top of the hill finally got to the turn we were looking for b/c this hill really seemed like it had NO END!!! We had to get home so we kept going, Coach Mike and Coach Pete picked me up about mile 60 since it was getting cold and about to be dark. I got back to my car at almost 7pm. So I trained from 8am to 7pm, rode from Redwood City to Saratoga and almost back! Although, I've done more miles than this before, like I said, THIS HAS BEEN THE TOUGHEST RIDE BY FARRR!
Although this ride had me thinking some really negative thoughts, I know all this pain will ultimately help me in the end. All the pain I'm suffering from now will only help me on race day. Phil, thank you for being my annoying reminder b/c my lazy ass definitely needs a kick from time to time. And, mostly thank you for supporting me with all the talks when I start to second guess myself and knowing what do to get me where I need to be. Elaine, thank you for the talk this morning. I definitly needed the support and the encouragement after yesterday's training. And it means a lot b/c you know where I'm coming from. And, I'm glad you all can see that I'm definitely pushing myself past limits I've never thought I had. I never would have imagined doing any of this and to know all that I've accomplished already makes me feel even more determined to finish my IRONMAN!
Thank you everyone for understanding why I'm so M.I.A. and supporting me with all your encouragement.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
my new loves
Say "Hello!" to my new loves...hahaha =P This past weekend we spent time in San Diego for Joni and John's wedding (I don't have pictures for this yet, so I can't post them). But, I got to spoil myself just a little and bought these things from Betsy Johnson. I bought a few other things, but these were my favorite purchase. Aren't they cute? Don't be jealous!!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
janice x2 = inspiration
on saturday, i rode a trail that was a total of 60 miles. it was a pretty demanding trail and i definitely had to push my limits once again, especially when you are climbing up a long and tough grade with the wind pushing against you. but, i do feel myself getting more comfortable on my bike and keeping track of my nuitrition. and i don't feel so anxious when i see hill anymore as i've learned to take it "one pedal stroke at a time." =)
on saturday, i had two janice's in mind keeping me going. janice, my teammate, is a mom on seven, a grandma and an awesome teammate. she was smoking me on the trail and i kept thinking "keep up with her." one, b/c i knew we both needed to end as soon as possible, we had places to be, and two, b/c i didn't want to get lost! she's awesome!
the other janice, is my sister. i was trying to be done and race back to the school as soon as possible b/c i did NOT want to miss my sister's black belt ceremony. so i kept my eye on my clock and my milage and kept calculating in my head..."i've gone this many miles in this amount of time, i should be back by this time"..."more than half way there"...anyhow, i made it right on time with my birght sign and all!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
on saturday, i had two janice's in mind keeping me going. janice, my teammate, is a mom on seven, a grandma and an awesome teammate. she was smoking me on the trail and i kept thinking "keep up with her." one, b/c i knew we both needed to end as soon as possible, we had places to be, and two, b/c i didn't want to get lost! she's awesome!
the other janice, is my sister. i was trying to be done and race back to the school as soon as possible b/c i did NOT want to miss my sister's black belt ceremony. so i kept my eye on my clock and my milage and kept calculating in my head..."i've gone this many miles in this amount of time, i should be back by this time"..."more than half way there"...anyhow, i made it right on time with my birght sign and all!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
71 miles on my bike
training this weekend was pretty hard. i actually did the most mileage on my bike yesterday. i was supposed to ride out 82 miles, but i ended with 71 miles under my belt. =) the ride had some rolling hills, which i've learned to love b/c i can speed down the hill and almost ride about half way up my next hill, which means less work for me. =P i'm not sure what my highest speed was yesterday, i'd have to check, but the last i checked, i hit up to 25.1 miles per hour. funnnn! but, there were many many huge hills on this ride, i tackled all of them on the way to the turn around point, but coming back was a bit of a challenge. i fell coming up a hill b/c i was a bit fatigued and got some more war wounds. really, my knees are all bruised, i was malled by one of my gears, and i have a nasty bruise on my hip. but, i got up and rode out to 71 miles. coach mike and coach pete saved me at mile 71 b/c the course was a little too hard than they anticipated. and, i've learned i REALLY need a new bike seat b/c after 71 miles my rear is NOT happy.
overall, i'm really glad i got to tackle this ride and am happy with the mileage i put in.
overall, i'm really glad i got to tackle this ride and am happy with the mileage i put in.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Scrapbooking Fundraiser = SUCCESS
I wanted to say thank you to everyone that came out to my fundraiser this weekend. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Che, thanks for doing that one page for me, and for hanging out even though you forgot your pictures...hahahahaa! Auntie Rose, Cecily, Sabrina, Annette, and Grace I hope you got to add a couple of pages to the books you've already started. Auntie Cynthia, Ashley, and Mae welcome to your new addiction. Jimbo, thank you for being a sport and chilling with us. Mom, thanks for coming out to support! And a special thanks to Vivien for helping me put this together and teaching the class. Everyone loved it and we got a couple of more people hooked. I have some more victims to introduce you to as well. =)
Monday, March 31, 2008
even more accomplished
as my training goes on, it keeps getting harder and harder and i keep progressing =). this weekend we camped out at lake san antonio and we had our half iron distance race on saturday. soooo...essentially i would have to swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles.
the swim was quite pleasant, as it was in a lake, and not the COLD & SALTY bay. the water was cold but definitely not as cold as aquatic park and we didn't have the waves fighting us. my swim went quite well, i finished in 54mins, and i beat my projected time by 4 mins =)!!! i would've been faster if i could swim straight and swam more by the shore, but that's something i can work on.
we all know that biking is my weakest point, so when everyone was warning me that this was one of the hardest bike courses for triathlons, i was not looking forward to it AT ALL! as i said this was a 56 mile course, so this weekend was the furthest that i rode my bike ever! not to mention all the hills and the biggest one of all called "NASTY GRADE." trust me it was VERY NASTY! i had to take a rest a little before getting to the top (and i was soooo exhausted that i couldn't clip out in time and fell over), but i finished it....and i didn't walk my bike up like some people. i was determined to get this done. although the ironman bike course is double the distance, it is not as hard as this course, so if i can conquer this, i'm sure to conquer the ironman course.
here is a picture of just the bike course and an elevation map so you can see what i'm talking about when i say it one of the hardest triathlon courses and you can see the elevation of "NASTY GRADE"
the swim was quite pleasant, as it was in a lake, and not the COLD & SALTY bay. the water was cold but definitely not as cold as aquatic park and we didn't have the waves fighting us. my swim went quite well, i finished in 54mins, and i beat my projected time by 4 mins =)!!! i would've been faster if i could swim straight and swam more by the shore, but that's something i can work on.
we all know that biking is my weakest point, so when everyone was warning me that this was one of the hardest bike courses for triathlons, i was not looking forward to it AT ALL! as i said this was a 56 mile course, so this weekend was the furthest that i rode my bike ever! not to mention all the hills and the biggest one of all called "NASTY GRADE." trust me it was VERY NASTY! i had to take a rest a little before getting to the top (and i was soooo exhausted that i couldn't clip out in time and fell over), but i finished it....and i didn't walk my bike up like some people. i was determined to get this done. although the ironman bike course is double the distance, it is not as hard as this course, so if i can conquer this, i'm sure to conquer the ironman course.
here is a picture of just the bike course and an elevation map so you can see what i'm talking about when i say it one of the hardest triathlon courses and you can see the elevation of "NASTY GRADE"
i also got to meet one of the cutest honorees. his name is TYLER. he's only 5 years old and he has the courage to fight with cancer. this is why i fundraise.
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