ROAD TRIP!

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
John Muir

You know, the title of this blog is about exploration. And I have not posted about any of the "explorating" we have been doing. That is, until today. You see, it is a Christmas tradition of Josh and I's to make calendars for eachother that commemorate the previous years' adventures. As he flipped through his today I realized that I never did post about our AMAZING Cali Roadtrip. I think that is a perfect way to bid adieu to 2010 and welcome in 2011, a year that is sure to be just as fantastic as it's predecessor (see the optimism here!)

My sister, Tiffany had her baby Aleksander in late October. We were all waiting on pins and needles until we got the "good to go" call to come visit. About two weeks before Thanksgiving it was all systems go and we started looking into airfare. About this same time we realized airfare is not the best and all the good fun about getting groped was not my idea of a good time (RUBBISH you say? I know...) As Josh and I discussed the logistics of a flight driving down US60 we were passed by a Cruise America RV (this is how dreams are made people, pay attention) and yes. LIGHTBULB!

I immediately googled (handy iPhone) renting an RV. And...our roadtrip was born. A few extra vacation days added on to Thanksgiving, some National Park visitations planned (yes we do still have that friendly competition to see who can get the most Park Passport stamps going) and of course - main goal of "see baby" and VOILA a vacation was born.

We penned an itenerary:

- Joshua Tree

- Sequoia National Park

- Yosemite National Park

- Thanksgiving in the Bay Area with Baby

- Back Down through Monterrey, Big Sur

- Hearst Castle

- Santa Barbara

- Santa Maria

- Home

Sounded perfect! Josh had never been to most of the places on the list and it had been a long time for me so we were EXCITED. Not to mention - we were bringing the dogs. So yes, this would be an interesting vacation indeed!

About a day before we set off on our voyage we received word of big, REALLY big storms coming through California (some winter eh Cali) and after discussing it with my sis, consulting my handy dandy weather sites, National Park road sites, etc. It was determined we would probably die if we went our original plan. No worries, we are pretty fly by the seat of our pants (hey it's ADVENTURE) and we merely reversed our route. UP the coast first, down the mountains. More on that later.

Day 1: Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Seals, Big Sur and Hw1 1 to Emeryville

So off we went. We made it to Santa Barbara night one and camped on the BEACH there - a beach aptly called El Capitan. It was a BEAUTIFUL evening and we all slept cozy in the RV. Woke up that morning and ran along this great path they have on the cliffs....ahhh what a perfect start to vacay. Cooked in the RV and headed up the coast to San Simeon, Josh wanted to see Hearst Castle!

And SEE Hearst Castle We did:

I think Josh really enjoyed all of the naked statues the most because there sure are alot of photos of them...

This painting is famous, apparently, all I know is it was on a stamp.

So Hearst Castle was a hit! We ended up eating high atop a bluff and heading up Highway 1 right after our tour. I saw a sign while we were driving and remembered them mentioning something about an Elephant Seal estuary (that is probably not the right word at all). So we stopped, of course! It was awesome and we stayed a very long time. Apparently the seals were just starting to come on land for the breeding season and babies would be born around Feb. I would LOVE to go back and see the babies! :) The dogs were so confused by the seals. :p

Here's a short video of the seals, they were HUUUGE!

So we continued on. I drove Hwy 1 and wow, that was not the best idea in an RV but it was a BLAST! Super curvy and narrow. We stopped in Big Sur (beautiful) and also in Monterrey. Our goal was to be in Emeryville (baby town) by the evening and we made it about 9PM! GOAL!

Day 2/3: BABY!!!

We were up pretty early day two, anxious to meet the little guy. When it was time we had no problem finding parking (yes in the RV) near my sisters place and we headed over!

We spent the next day and a half learning all we could about the little guy! They even let Josh and I watch him for about an hour!!! He was so cute and small and loved to just look around. I cannot wait until I get to see him again. Another nice treat was Dan's parents. They arrived in the afternoon and we got to catch up. I absolutely adore them and it was fun to chat. Apparently "Aunt" in Polish is Ciocia, and it is pronounced similar to "ChaCha" so, somehow, in my infinite desire to learn how to pronounce things in Polish and be a part of their traditions...I became "Aunt ChaCha." Ay. We had a GREAT time and cannot wait for many more visits with my lil nephew!

We had to mosy on to stay on track with our itenerary if we were going to get to Yosemite. So we headed out Wednesday afternoon. :(

Day 4: Yosemite

We were off to make the campground so that we would have hookups near the park. With all of the weather they had gotten we NEEDED hookups with the RV or we (it) would freeze. We made good time and parked just outside the northwest entrance. Brr it was cold and there was a little bit of snow at the campground. Thank goodness my sister and her husband Dan loaned us their snow clothes or we would have FROZEN! We figured the little dusting would be beautiful in Yosemite. Ha, little dusting...

We woke up in the morning and had breakfast in the RV, took the dogs for a walk around the RV park and to the petting Zoo. Yeah...there were llamas. OKaaaay. We then loaded up for YOSEMITE!! It was about an hour from the park entrance, it got a snowier and snowier as we gained elevation (funny how that works) as we approached the entrance it wasn't too bad, but as we flashed our annual pass the ranger asked "you carrying chains?" "Nope" "Can't let you in, chains REQUIRED today." Ummm, chains are not allowed on rented RV's. We couldn't turn back though, we had come all this way! The ranger informed us that a man would arrive in about 20 minutes that would be selling chains if we wanted to wait, any 'town' was about an hours drive. Shoot, we were going to wait. Void all warranty, rental agreement, insurance, whatever this was YOSEMITE!!! Man arrives...chains - YOSEMITE here we come!!!

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” – Katharine Hepburn

Little snow

Chains required

Lot more snow ;)

So worth it!

The day consisted of us walking the paths throughout the park with the dogs. We just parked somewhere and walked...all over. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. And dogs were allowed on these paths, but with all the snow we pretty much could let them go EVERYWHERE. It was like we had this place of awe inspiring, unimaginable beauty all to ourselves, it was surreal and I had to blink a few times to get my brain to register that it was REAL.

We ran in meadows, hiked to waterfalls, built snowmen, dug snow caves, crossed frozen lakes and rivers.... It was one of the best days of my entire life. And as the day drew to a close we put the pups in the RV and headed to the lodge for Thanksgiving dinner. A fog descended upon the valley...and we stopped to just take it all in.

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
John Muir

Day 5: Joshua Tree

We left Yosemite late that evening, after and AMAZING Thanksgiving meal. We ended up staying in nowheresville Central CA. We realized with our Yosemite jaunt Sequoia would be a trip for another time. With it being at an even HIGHER elevation it just would not be safe or wise at this point, and in a rented RV. We were also out of time, the RV had to be back by Saturday. So we decided we would be driving straight back with only time for a few hours trip through J-Tree to get a look-see. It was a long haul but we made it. It was afternoon and we stayed an played on the rocks long enough for my hands to get torn up, for me to realize how rusty I am at climbing (and how much I miss it) and for us to plan a return trip! I did not realize how much I would like it or how enchanting I would find those rocks. Easy trip for us Phoenicians, who's in? :)

Explore, Dream, Discover...

~Jen

Revival!

HEY looks like I can revive this blog! Josh and I will be racing IMCDA June 26, 2011! Ironman ROUND TWO coming up. I am thrilled this time goals will be bigger, not just finish but finish faster, stronger. Race smart and not FREAK out prior. I know what it takes this time, and I am so ready. Well, not ready. But I have a year to get there! :)

So what am I doing now? Crossfit, run intervals and mountain biking.

More soon...stay tuned! :)

Ironman St. George Race Report

I love that I get message on Face Book/ LJ asking me to update this, although I may not get many posts I do love that ya'll are reading along so I am happy to oblige! :) This is my race report from my training log so keep that in mind, not that I am too lazy to re-write one. But if anything doesn't make sense or references things pertinent to that, just bear with me. Keep in mind this was written so that people on a triathlon site could reference for the upcoming years to race IMSG and for future Ironman races, its kind of how BT is used - so it might seem weird, don't know. Mainly a stream of consciousness of what happened that day.

Pre-race routine:

Note 1 - This will get long, skip to swim bike run to skip pre-race activities and other non-day of thoughts.

Note 2 - I had nothing but an amazing time, positive thoughts and FUN. Did I have pain, and suffering? YES, and I will talk about that, but do not confuse that with not absolutely loving every second of this adventure.

Ironman Week - We arrived to St George on Monday the week before the race. My brother, his wife and my sister all came (from Philadelphia and San Francisco respectively). I was THRILLED to have supporters. We rented an AMAZING house (right on the bike course) with some of the most beautiful views. We would sit at the huge picture window and just hang out. I had not seen my brother and his wife (Jessica) in a year and a half! And my sister, despite being 15 weeks pregnant and not feeling so hot made the trip as well! The week was spent hiking in Zion, touring St George and eating copious amounts of food. It was a BLAST!

Wed - Registration was at the Dixie Center and it was so well organized and smooth. It was a pretty large expo. I bought a lot of Ironman stuff. Cannot say I was overly confident, I just liked it. And thought I could give it away if I had to. ;)

Fri - My dad surprised me and drove ALL the way from CA the day before to support, as did my brother-in-law. That was VERY COOL!

Bike check and day before race - was pretty stressful as the wind was GUSTING and the reservoir was white capped. I had felt GREAT all week and this was my confidence hit. It was COLD and VERY VERY VERY windy. Our bikes were blowing all over the racks and I had no desire to ever get in that water. That night I did not sleep AT ALL. Just being real, it crossed my mind to NOT race. I know. ME?! Miss no nerves, "I got this" had a minor melt down the night before. I did all my usual postive self talk and visualization routines and NONE of it was working. You see, I had ridden the course at the end of March in 30+ mph winds and knew if we were faced with that in the swim and on the bike course I was not going to make it. The month before the race was a major mental battle after the pre-ride. I did my best to stay confident, but knowing what I could face out there would get to me. The wind and hills made for some major mental demons at times. I have to admit, this race got in my head - bad. But, thats why I signed up for it. For the adventure, the journey and to truly test my limits. If I was going to do an Ironman I wanted it to beat me up, spit me out and see if I could still make it out alive. ;) I knew that, but at times, I didnt want that and the night before was one of those nights.

Saturday - Race Day - The alarm went off at 3:45 AM and I told Josh my feelings. If I could remember the pep talk he gave me I would record it and sell it. The words he said stuck with me all day. I jumped out of bed thinking "I CAN DO THIS" in fact, he made me say it, and I truly felt that way. I was happy, joyous and SUPER excited to begin the adventure of IMSG (although I gagged up my breakfast about 3-4 times). ;) I was calm, confident and ready to go.

Event warmup:

We got to T2 in downtown at about 0430. It was dark and cold but the Ironman atmosphere was already apparent. We stood in a long line for the bus to T1 but were on a bus in less than 5 minutes. ANDY was on our bus and I said HI! It was really fun to be with a group of all Ironman wannabes (or previous Ironmen) for the 20 minute ride out. No nerves. Got to T1 and prep began.

Pumped up tires and good kharma all around with loaning out the pump Josh brought. The only complaint of the whole day was the lack of porta potties. I get 'super awesome prize' ;) for running to the back of Sand Hollow Park and finding open bathrooms for Josh. We found an great group of people back there and while we waited in a short line (5 or so people) I got in my wetsuit. Calm, cool and collected. Once Josh had done his business we headed back to the swim start, 10 minutes to go. My warm up consisted of about 3 100 meter sprints back and forth that in the parking lot.

It was SO GOOD to see Elliot and Mirg from home in the morning. It felt like any other race. And I saw my family as we walked back. I was thrilled to have so much support!

Swim

Comments:

The talk of this swim was of how cold the water was. I purposely did not feel it the week before because I did not need anything else to worry about with this course. We got in line to get in the water and about 4 minutes before the cannon went off Josh and I entered the lake. WOW its a GORGEOUS setting for a swim. I was in awe. The difficulty of this couse is truly trumped by the beauty. As soon as Josh and I got in, we looked at eachother and agreed it was 'not that bad!' We had been swimming at Lake Saguaro since early March and were comfortable with 50+ water temps. This felt the same. It was fine. It took your breath away but was not an issue. The highlight of this swim was when Mike Reilly told the crowd to give us a cheer and it was SO LOUD from the water. The support, the entire day, was AMAZING. I didnt think there would be so many people at the swim start due to being bussed but it was PACKED! I loved it. Then something that stuck with me, he said "you WILL be Ironmen" and I said "yes I will." And I truly felt it.

Once the cannon went off I just did what I knew what to do, long smooth strokes. I loved the melee, and embraced it. The swim out was fantastic. It chopped up a bit on the way back. It was so cool sighting to the big rock island. There was a TON of buoys, I truly enjoyed every second of the swim and kept saying to myself "this is fun!" The water was clear enough to see bodies and feet so drafting was simple. I expended no energy. Got out of the water fresh! Loved it.

T1

Comments:

So this is where things got TOUGH. About 20+ people were pulled from the swim for hypothermia so the change tent people were VERY cautious of the health of those coming into T1. I didn't feel cold until I got into the tent and realized my hands were paralyzed. I call it "the claw" I couldn't move my fingers out of this weird cramped position. SO, in true AMAZING Utah volunteer fashion the change tent woman literally dressed me as I sat with a towel wrapped around me. Whoever she was I love her and I wanted to take her home with me. :) She literally put my bike gloves on finger by finger. I saw other volunteers rubbing the arms of women vigourously and holding them wrapped in towels to give body heat. It was amazing. I got my stuff on relatively quick and feeling pretty cold ran out of the tent, got sunscreened and found my bike. This is when I got a little whacked out. I saw a clock that said 1:47. I freaked a bit as I knew I was going to be close on bike cut offs as it was (duh this was the pro clock) everyone told me later that I looked upset coming out of T1...this was why! I was already doing math!

What would you do differently?:

Realize the pro clock was 15 minutes ahead!!!

Bike

Comments:

Ah the bike course. How many nights of sleep had I lost because of you? ;) My main concern was not enjoying this race because I was so concerned about making the cut offs (5 total), but I was in such good spirits that I decided to put my Garmin in my bento (where I couldn't see it) and just enjoy the ride. The day was so gorgeous, and I was having so much fun just doing an Ironman that I knew I would do what I could and no use in stressing.

0-22: From the swim to the bike loop turn. About 5 miles in is a large hill (this is where Andy passed me), I spun up it and enjoyed looking around and the amazing crowd support, as early as this was I knew I was feeling great and it would be a good day. This part also takes you on part of the run course, up another steep hill and I truly felt I would be seeing it later in the day, had fun talking to people on the hills and generally staying within myself.

22-68: Making the turn onto the loop was making the first cutoff, hey a small victory and I was going to take every little one I could get! I knew I was actually quite ahead of it and could just really enjoy myself. I had in the back of my mind that the wind could get VERY VERY nasty outside of Ivins and was a little antsy to get there and see how it was. Again, the crowd support was insane and the miles FLEW by. There was a good wind on 91 but I was with a lot of people and this felt good. Making the way out to Gunlock I didnt see white caps on the reservoir like I had last time, I kept saying in my head how blessed we were to have a day like we did, as I knew it could be so much worse. I knew we were getting close to 3 nasty hills now and as Eagle hill came into view I reverted to my old favorite "they can say whatever, I can do whatever, no pain is forever yep, you know this. Tougher than a lion, aint no need in trying, I live where the sky ends yep you know this." Because, you know - Rihanna has this Ironman thing DOWN! ;) Hey, I was having fun. No doubt, those hills SUCK. But it was doable...and I never disliked it. Shortly therafter is THE WALL and people were already walking it. I didnt, I RIDE bikes I don't WALK them ;) but I wasnt fast, again, lots of crowd support. I was STOKED to make it up as I knew it was smooth sailing from there on out. Alot of people say the hill out of Veyo is tough but I dont mind it. Ah. That was a good feeling. And not having a horrible headwind on the downhill had me hitting 40+mph into town. I hit the timing mat and was STOKED - another cutoff!

66-108: Relatively uneventful. I was still happy as could be. The wind picked up, I climbed slower, it hurt a little (lot) worse, but it was about the same as the first lap. My stomach wasnt loving things as much but I adjusted. I took on more bananas and abandoned my fig newtons. I knew I was going to make all of the cut offs and life was about as good as it could be.

109-112: As we came back into town I felt like a freaking rock star. I had about an hour to spare, I KNEW I was going to finish Ironman. I had NO DOUBT I was just so damn happy. I saw lots of people out on the run and I started slowing down looking for Josh. It had been almost 10 hours since I had seen him and I knew he would be DYING to know how I was doing, and then I SAW HIM! I was coming in off the bike and he was about 2 miles in on the run! He jumped up soo high and was so happy. It was by far the highlight of my day, I knew we were BOTH going to do it. What more could I ask for?

What would you do differently?:

Be stronger physically, otherwise nothing.

T2

Comments:

My family was right at the bike dismount line. They had "highlighter" color shirts that sais "Sportybot Crew" and carried signs of the like "Gaga Says GO GO GO" and "Dont Stop Make it Pop" I mean come on, how cool are these people? I was so damn happy when I saw them, I was cheering and jumping around. I then grabbed my T2 bag and went into the "Igloo" (AKA worlds largest change tent). I had another amazing volunteer who asked how I was and I said "I am GREAT I am just so hungry" and she said "OH we just had pizza delivered you want some?" HELL YES I WANT SOME! So she goes and gets me pizza, helps me out, and I move along.

What would you do differently?:

Nada...I like transitions in IM's.

Run

Comments:

So I take off running ever so slightly, this big slice of pizza in my hand. The streets are PACKED with people as the first 2 - 3 miles are downtown. EVERYONE is like "that girl has pizza?" I'd wave it around. Yeah. ;) It was pretty uphill so I walked a bit and ate my pizza. My heart rate was going crazy. I made it to the first aid station and used the restroom for the first time that day, yeah I NEVER got off the bike. That felt amazing to finally go pee. I grabbed a handful of cookies and kept walking. I decided then and there that I would be walking all uphills. I felt GREAT, was having a BLAST and just decided that would be my plan. There would be other Ironmans to go fast on and today was obviously not that day and this COURSE was obviously not that course. I PROMISED myself anything that was flat or downhill I would run. This course was brutal. The run climbed 3000 feet and the bike had just climbed 7000. I was pretty toast.

Again the volunteers were insane, the amount of people on that course was phenomenal and the entire vibe was like a PARTY out there. I was having too much fun to be doing an Ironman. Did I hurt? YES. I hurt BADLY, the hills on the bike took a major toll and the hills on the run were just MEAN. I wont even try to describe this run, but cruel pretty much describes it. I have to admit I saw Robin and Dean out there running it and was so impressed. To run those hills after the bike takes a ton of fitness - good on you!

What is great about Utah is it stays light until almost 9PM so I was only running in the dark for about 2 hours. I loved this. I also loved the out and back aspect as the athletes would support eachother and you would get the aid station support double time! I finally got to talk to Josh about 5 miles in and we both congratulated eachother, gave hugs and chatted a little. As I came back in from the first lap Elliot, Mirg and my whole family were there cheering. I was stoked to only have on more lap until I would become an Ironman! I headed back out confident it would take me about the same time. Lap 2 was pretty much the same, I saw Sanchez, Andy coming in to finish and Josh again. I could not believe he was headed in!!! That alone gave me so much motivation. I never once hit a low. Sure I had stomach pain, my legs hurt so much, it was so hard, but never once did I not love every second. Heading back in I took the last 6 miles to just reflect and be thankful for the journey.

I had ran with a gentleman for the last 6 miles but I fell back to just be alone for the last 2 miles and be in my own head to think about it all. What an adventure, what a day.

I made the turn and the streets were still lined with fans! All day long I was told how "inspirational" and how we were all "heroes" - St George LOVES their Ironmen and I was minutes away from becoming one. I felt numb, I really could not believe it. It's a long finishing chute and I slowed down to really soak it all in, the bright lights, the people, the kids, Elliot and Mirg, and then - Josh, my family. High fives, hugs. Arms up and a finish line. It could not have been a more perfect day.

What would you do differently?:

Not a damn thing.

Post race

Warm down:

My finish line catcher was amazing. He could not believe how happy and "perky" I was. I thanked him and told him how fantastic the people of Utah had been to us. He talked to me for a little while, got me my hat, shirt and had my picture taken. Walked me over the where my family was. I sat and chatted with them and then...left. I stayed up that night until after 1 just high on excitement. I never wanted the day to end!

Event comments:

If it's not already obvious I kind of loved this race. After months of dread, fear, etc. to come and experience it in this way, I could not have asked for anything more.

If you have not already check out the amazing pics Jess took of the week!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2510839&id=6011113

"What happened to you?"

Ah, yes. Where did I go? And literally - what happened to me? A few questions I have gotten from some people. I am finally ready to answer.

I lost my sh*t. Sorry for the language but thats about as blatant as I can put it. You know, when I signed up for Ironman I thought the time was right. My endurance experience was pretty extensive and it was just the time to make the jump. No matter what situation Josh and I find ourselves in we always have some experience to fall back on:

- Years of 24 Hour Mtn biking racing

- Backcountry multi-day snowboarding trips

- Rockclimbing

- Backpacking

- Marathons

- Road Racing

- Triathlons

- Work

- School

- Life

It all makes sense when you are going to put your mind and body to the limit. I can always go to some place where I have felt pain, or fear and focus and get myself through the tough spots. I can always say "remeber that time when you were hanging upside down off a 100 foot cliff and had to get rescued? Yeah, this isn't as bad! Remember not making that clip on a climb and free falling? Yeah, you were fine! Remember carrying 40 pound packs up 10,000 feet? You got this!" life experience ALL COUNTS, it ALL helps when your mind needs to go somewhere else for a little while. And I always liked having this "filecabinet" of sorts or experience to draw from.

Until now the end of March. I was in new territory. I had trained my body to pure exhaustion and still, was no where near making a goal. I have to say I am pretty lucky in that I have not had to deal with a lot of failure. I either don't put myself out there for failure, or I am just really really blessed. But one incident in years of training really shook me and I honestly, almost did not recover. This was a huge mental hit for me - and I struggled to regain composure to race Ironman St. George.

I think it surprised everyone. I am quite active on the Arizona Beginner Triathlete boards, have a good amount of friends in the sport, and many additional friends and family that have been alongside many of these races and adventures. So when we went off to Utah for a weekend, and then literally went DARK for the next month or so - yeah - it was weird. I stopped logging on BT, I stopped writing in this blog, probably posted 10-20 cryptic status updates on FB about being lost, unmotivated, SCARED. I felt like I was in this fog - and no matter what I did, I couldn't shake it.

What happened?

You know, no matter how I explain it, it will not make sense, and it will sound pretty rediculous or pathetic. But for someone who hinges alot of confidence on her abilities, this was a real terrifying, eye opening experience. It all stemmed from convincing myself that I COULD NOT do something. No matter what, I could not shake this from myself. And I know, deep down, that the ability to DO something is so much more mental than physical. I lost my edge, like I said, I truly lost my sh*t. I felt everything spiraling out of control, myself, work, friends, family. I couldn't keep any of it together. And then, I stopped trying. And the days before Ironman became a countdown to DOOM. I went from being completely thrilled and excited to train and experience this race to being absolutely terrified...I could step outside of myself and see how irrational it was but I could not shake my experience that caused this and it stayed with me, every single day and in everything I did.

Friends were supportive, and provided a lot of good motivation and "you can do it" type encouragement. And I spent countless hours reading and meditating on getting my head right.

And then it was time to go. If I did not have my amazing family coming, I may not have gone. I always love that Josh and I choose difficult challenges in everything we do, but for the first time I questioned this "adventerous spirit" and longed for a life of quiet normalcy. One I had always HATED the thought of. An Ironman was bad enough, but this one? I just could not imagine myself going through it. I focused on the trip being about seeing family, and not my "impending doom" (Yes I often referred to this race as such).

The week leading up to IMSG was a BLAST! Being around my brothers and sisters (wifes and husbands count in that classification) was amazingly relaxing and I found myself not really thinking about the race for the first time in MONTHS!

And then, the night before. I did not sleep a single minute. I could not get the negativity out of my head, the fear, literally a terrifying fear. Not necessarily of not finishing, although that is what fed it for so long, but just putting myself out there. I could not FATHOM doing it, getting in the cold water, climbing those hills, PAIN and FEAR of not making cut offs for 10 or so hours. It wasn't that I worried about not being able to handle it, it was that I DID NOT WANT TO. I had spent so much time questioning WHY I was doing this...for what good? And like everything you do that is meaningful and perhaps, life altering, often times the reason does not come to you immediately.

In the morning I told Josh, I couldn't/ I wouldn't do it. I think my attitude the last month shocked the hell out of him. WHO was this person? Where did confident, fearless, conquer the world Jen go? It was a hard time. And this morning 3:45 AM on race day, I was no different.

Like I have told some people, if I could bottle the words he said to me that morning laying in the dark - I would and I would sell it for lots of money! ;) I just remember him telling me how much he believed in me. And how he KNEW I could do it, how I needed to SAY it and truly believe it. I did - and in that split second, for the first time in a month, I truly believed it.

It's all about believing in yourself - truly believing AND having other people who do as well. True support is the most amazing thing anyone can have. Without it, this race meant nothing to me. But having my family, and my husband have SO MUCH faith in me to accomplish (whether its an Ironman or ANY GOAL you have) it was an overwhelming feeling. I WANTED more than anything to make them proud. To show them their faith in me meant the world, and that I would not let them down.

And I didn't - because I didn't let myself down. The race was a celebration of overcoming a dark point in my life where I doubted myself. I am lucky to have people there to bring me up - and coming out on the other side - an Ironman finisher means that much more to me. I honestly could not have done it out there on my own.

You all truly were - my reason.

Another half & St George info!

Sorry I have not blogged in a while! I usually take time on the weekends to reflect on the weeks' training and such, but we were out of town last weekend for the 6 Tunnels to Hoover Dam Half Marathon and a little birthday celebrating in VEGAS! So I have a few things to update on:

1. The Race
2. Vegas
3. St. George Accomodations for my "Entourage" ;)

6 Tunnels

We ran the Run for Ryan House Half the weekend before purely as a training run (Heart rate Z1 - Z2 only) with decent hills I still ran a solid 2:08. I felt good about that and thought that maybe I could go for a PR at another race the next weekend (sub 2 hours). We like running races as part of our training because it motivates me to get up and get stuff done. When every weekend consists of a 2 hour plus run, a 3000 meter plus swim and 5 hour plus ride its nice to have one of those be a race or something different.

So we left work on Friday at about noon and grabbed the dogs, bikes, running gear and one nice outfit for heading into Vegas. We got there about 6PM (5.5 hour drive). We stayed in a house in Henderson so we could have a yard and leave the dogs while we were out and about. Again, VRBO rocks! We had our usual pre-race meal of cheese pizza that night and stayed in. ;)

Early Saturday morning we made our way towards the Hoover Dam. We had to park about a mile from the race site and literally HIKE to the start. We like this though as we have learned the importance of a GOOD warm up. We got there, got our numbers and schwag and went for a 2 mile warmup run. The wind was HOWLING. If you know me, I HATE wind. I think my ears stick out funny or something because I CANNOT hear when the wind is blowing. Josh was nice enough to say he would pace me to my sub 2 hours, and in that 2 miles I told him it was just not happening that day, not in that wind. I felt I was running uphill on flats. I think it was 25-35 mph winds that day. But he told me we would see how the first half went and reassess at 6.5 miles.

The race started on a bike path, pure chaos, people walking, dodging with no where to go. GRR. And then a GOOD uphill. The course ended up climbing 600 feet. I need a flat race one of these days. 600 isn't a whole lot but enough when going for a PR.

It was also an out and back, so you ended up going against the stream at one point. OK? Anyway, it was tough on me mentally. But I have to say Josh paced PERFECTLY. We hot the halfway point at 59:00. So if I could hold my pace I would make my sub 2:00. BARELY. This last hour would be tough. At this point it changed from the bike path to the railroad path of dirt and gravel. I am slower on trails but the amount of people and narrow path was no longer an issue. Once again this part was an out and back that climbed gradually for 3 miles. I knew the last 3 miles I would have to BOOK it downhill. I didn't even see the Hoover Dam because I was so focused on making this goal.

I followed Josh's heels the ENTIRE race, I knew running sub 2 is easy for him so if I could stay with him I should be okay.

When we finally hit the turnaround and downhill it was absolutely brutal, all of the training of the last few weeks hit me and I felt like I weighed a ton. My legs didn't want to move but I was so close, only 3 miles, and I had worked so hard I couldn't just let it go. So we MOVED. In the last mile we knew we had a little bit of a cushion and we actually ran next to eachother and chatted a bit, I was able to look around and realize it was a pretty cool course, next to Lake Mead, out to Hoover Dam, on an old railroad bed. Up until that point I pretty much hated it! :p

We crossed the finish at 1:57:42. Wow. I was shocked. I was so thankful for Josh's help, without him I would have thrown that PR goal out the window. I immediately started wondering how well I could run on a flat course, all road. ;) Always a new goal! :) Always moving forward.

Vegas

That night Josh took me to see Phantom of the Opera for my birthday!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to see that. It was AMAZING, even better than I imagined. The Venetian has a theater built especially for it, a 5 million dollar chandelier for the show and despite how picky I was going to be about the acting/ singing (how many times had I listened to that CD with Kent on the way to the beach?) They were AMAZING! Even Josh was super impressed. The special effects were amazing! *Sigh* I loved it.

We then ate at Wolfgang Puck's Postrio, and stayed out late (for us!)

Ironman St. George Info

Alright, ROCKSTAR ENTOURAGE here is the info. Since this race is in (OMG) 6 weeks (BREATHE) I wanted to have this here so you know the plan:

House:

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p142360?cid=E_OWNERINQUIRY_DB_O_20100131_thumbnail_image_LPROP

Dates:

April 25-May 2

Come when you can!

Race:

The race is May 1, and yes, it is ALL DAMN DAY! 7AM to 12AM although I will be done by about 4:30 PM (I kid I kid). I do not expect you to sit out there all day, but just the fact that you will be there at all means the WORLD to me!

Other activities:

If you come out early I hope to do Zion, and ANY other cool stuff. Think there will be snow? ;) I do not plan on sitting around - let's check the place out. OH and of course - Dinosaur/ Robot/ Barbie BIRTHDAY!

Run for Ryan House

Less than 60 days until Ironman! Training has ramped up significantly and we continue to find ways to keep it interesting and purposeful. Today we did the Run for Ryan House Half Marathon:

Every stride will benefit Ryan House, the first of its kind in the Southwest that will provide respite and palliative care for children with life-threatening conditions in a home-like setting.

Not only a GREAT cause but a perfect training run for the IMSG course as the elevation profile and gain is almost identical! The course climbed a good 1200+ feet through the beautiful backdrop of the McDowell Mountains in North Scottsdale.

Our plan called for a 3 hour run today so we ran 2 miles before the race, and I ran 1 after (I think Josh did more). Lined up at the start about 10 minutes before. The run started at DC Ranch, a beautiful community, we have ridden bikes here plenty and knew from those rides it would be a hilly run.

The goal of this run was to practice Ironman marathon pacing and keep the heart rate in low Z1-2. I did a great job of this and have to admit it was the smartest race I have ever run. I didn't let the atmosphere get in the way of my goals as I knew if I pushed too hard on this course I would pay dearly in the days to come. With big swims and rides on the backend of this, I couldn't risk big recovery.

The course climbed steadily for the first 6.5 miles, I felt phenomenal. Maybe this "training" stuff really pays off. :) When we turned onto Happy Valley Road we were met with a steady headwind and a large, long climb. I tucked in behind someone larger than me and met his stride. My goal was to hang onto a 10:30 pace on the long uphills, and run 9:30's back for a net pace of 10:00 flat. I was pacing perfectly to plan and keeping within my heart rate goals. I followed my pacer until the turnaround at 6.5, I passed him on the downhill and he said "you're welcome!" HA! He knew I was drafting him. :p I told him I would buy him lunch at the end! Once again, I smiled at my smart tactics (staying out of the wind) and enjoyed the tailwind and the LONG downhill all the way back!

I was careful to take on nutrition throughout the run as well. Normally up to a half I can sustain on just water. This time I traded off between H20 and Accelerade. This works well for me. The last aid station the sun had come out and I was feeling thirsty so I took both, nope, that doesn't work for me and I ran the last mile with a nasty side stitch. Oh well, thats what training runs are for - to learn pacing, nutrition, etc.

Came into the finish, saw Josh and a bunch of adorable kids handing out medals. Came in at 2:08 which means I paced a net average of 9:45 ish so I was a little faster than plan but considering how I felt it was a success. Not a PR race, but that was not the intention. I think with hills like that, and having to do it 2X for IMSG I will be happy pacing closer to 10:30-11:00 for the marathon. Then again, that will be on legs that just biked 112 hilly miles too. :p

If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.
Will Rogers