Found these words posted by a member of the Cleveland Tri Club. A very nice post by a youngster in the sport, he's 26 (I think).
Check it out here........
Thank-you Triathlon
I say thank you all for being part of my triathlon life and Ironman journey.
Game On.
I really need to put my race report to bed. I thought I was done but remembered many other things about after the race that I need to write about. I mean it's only been 8 weeks since Ironman USA. Perhaps the recent Ironman Wisconsin has rekindled memories of my race. I have also had some other questions from people that can be answered with my recap.
So we made it back to the condo after my race. I had talked with my coach about the race and we were both excited about the results. It was getting late in the day and everyone was hungry. We piled into my parents van and Tom's car and drove to Tail 'o the Pup for food. I had my finisher shirt, hat and medal with me to wear. If you remember, this restaurant was pretty cool with live music, picnic tables under a huge tent and a very relaxed atmosphere. My family all had their volunteer shirts on so we must have looked great.
As we sat down a woman at the table next to us asked me if I had just done the Ironman. I sat with her for a couple minutes answering her questions about the race. She was very excited about talking with a finisher and I didn't mind talking with her, but my family was eager to eat and talk with me about the race. I pulled myself away so we could order food. A little while later my sister-in-law, Becky, told me what Amanda had said while I was talking with this lady.......Amanda, "I think that lady is hitting on my dad!" We were probably close in age but I didn't feel she was hitting on me. She was excited about talking with a finisher. It was cute Amanda thought she was hitting on me.
We had a great time eating and recounting the days events. I enjoyed hearing about what happened for my family during their day, especially at the run aid station. Amanda and Becky picked up some hoola-hoops and Aimee and I posed for a picture in an Adirondack chair made of old snow skis. As we started to leave the restaurant, I stopped to congratulate another finisher eating dinner. What an awesome group to be a part of.
As we drove back to the condo it started to rain. I thought of the may athletes that were probably still on the course moving forward towards the finish line. I was glad to be done. At the condo we turned on the TV and found the local Adelphia feed from the finish line. It was now pouring rain at the Olympic Oval. The fans in the stands were still very up-beat and cheering for every single finisher. I saw some people finish that I had seen on the course, they must have had a bad day to finish so much later than I thought. All of my Cleveland friends had already finished, so I wasn't expecting to see anyone finish. I had a beer and everyone around me was starting to fall asleep. Becky had to get up early to drive to Albany for a flight back to Cleveland. Andrew and Amanda were going to leave early because they both had to work Monday night. Tom had to leave fairly early also to get home and pack for work in Houston.
Oh yeah, Becky had been working in New York City the week prior to the race. She flew to Albany, drove two hours to Lake Placid (on Saturday), worked the race on Sunday, got up 2:00AM Monday morning, drove two hours to Albany for an early flight back to Cleveland. She was back in Cleveland before we left Lake Placid. I am forever grateful for her efforts to be at my race.
I appreciated the efforts of everyone who came out to watch me race. I woke up early Monday morning, probably around 6:00Am. I had a lot on my mind because there was quite a bit to do before we left. I started to clean up the condo pulling down streamers and packing my stuff. Amanda and Andrew woke up, ate and left for home. Tom followed soon after that. I had a 9:00AM massage at the Horse Show Grounds so I left Aimee to do some more cleanup. At the grounds the registration line for IM USA 2007 was quite long. Little did I know the race would sell out in 90 minutes. I got my massage and was able to talk with Jen and Bethany, my new best friend massage therapists. I went back to the condo and picked up Aimee and the rest of our gear. We headed back to the grounds to see what else there was to do. The awards ceremony was slated for 11:00AM. We checked out the ASI booth and decided to wait until my pictures were available on-line, which was a very smart move. My parents had the back of my finishers medal engraved with my name and time. I also had a picture taken with Jen and Bethany, I love these two and they were a big part of my Ironman experience.
We parted ways with my parents and got in line for the award ceremony. I had my finisher shirt on so I could eat for free. Aimee checked about a ticket for her and it was $30. We decided that since they weren't serving filet mignon and lobster tails that it wasn't worth it. We bailed and left town. A quick stop at McDonald's for lunch was much better and cheaper. We were on the road around noon, heading for home.
We made our way through the cellular "dead zone", Adirondack Park. Once we got cell service I talked with Becky, TriSaraTops, Coach Angela and Tom.
Becky recounted some great stories about race day.
Sara was excited about my race.
Coach was telling me about other people and how awesome I did.
Tom was stuck in Rochester, NY with car trouble. His timing belt broke and he was at the auto shop. Problem was he needed to be in Houston the next day. Aimee and I detoured to pick up Tom and get him settled. We grabbed his mountain bike and a couple of bags then took him to a Holiday Inn where he could eat, rest and catch a flight to Houston. He flew back to Rochester at the end of the week to pickup his repaired car.
Except for my hips the car ride home wasn't too bad. At one rest stop I saw another IM finisher and told her congratulations, then I noticed her car license plate, IronChik. I saw that car earlier in the week. I also saw my friend Matt Luck from the Cleveland Tri Club. Matt was a first timer also and we were able to catchup and talk about our races. He had some stomach trouble, puked once and emptied his bowels in a porta-potty. He still finished around 13:30.
The rest of the trip home was uneventful, thank goodness. As we pulled into our drive I was greeted by two signs on the garage from my neighbor Kim. It put a big smile on my face.
Back home and my Ironman experience comes to a close, but the experience and images and memories will last forever along with the bragging rights.
Post race, especially with a 10+ hour drive home, you have a lot of time on your hands to think. Think about what happened before, during and after the race. What could have been better with the race? What is next? What am I feeling inside? So I close with these thoughts.
What could have been better with my race?
I know you are thinking that I am crazy posing that question. I can hear you in cyberspace yelling, "You finished your FIRST Ironman in 11:15:39 and you are wondering how it could have been better!!!!"
Sorry, it's the competitor in me. It's analyzing the day and finding where the weakness was and how I faltered.
Swim, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect swim. The time was 5-10 minutes faster than anticipated.
Bike, probably could have been a little faster and I wavered from my nutrition plan. I didn't recognize where I was lacking and I didn't set myself up for the run like I should have. Still, I was very happy with my bike.
Run....I wasn't sure what to expect here. I had never done a marathon before so I had no base time. I knew what I was capable of and Coach agreed with my goal time of 4 hours. So when I had a 4:04 marathon I was thrilled. But this is where the biggest improvement could have been made during my race. I wasn't setup for the run coming off the bike. I hadn't fueled enough on the bike. I didn't fuel up properly during the first half of the marathon (8:44/mile pace). The second half of the marathon was more of a struggle than I was expecting (9:56/mile pace). I ignored my HammerGel and only took food at the aid stations, (orange, watermelon, grapes, cola, water). I could feel my energy levels dropping. My HR was dropping and I couldn't get it back up. I knew I had to fuel the body but I really didn't have enough time to fuel the body enough for a stronger finish. I just hung on and knew I was going to finish.
About one week after Ironman I found an article written my Jennifer Hutchison. Jen is a nutritionist brought in by Coach Angela for the Cleveland Tri camp so I got to know her during the weekend. Her article was awesome, Attrition by Nutrition. The lack of fuel was affecting me mentally as I was starting to "tunnel" mentally. Maybe I was just focusing on finishing but I began to block out everything around me. I was keeping the rest of my energy to myself, probably a good thing. I was very much within myself. Even at the finish line I was not aware of the people lining the finish chute or the announcer. That is one part of my Ironman that I wish I was more aware of. The competitor in me was focused on the finish line and not the experience of finishing. I should have stopped to give Aimee a kiss. I should have stopped and looked into the crowds. I should have encouraged the crowds to yell and scream. A lot of "should haves" that I will try to remember next time. Next time? There will probably be a next time.
A sense of "eh"
Why do I feel this way? I just completed an Ironman triathlon. Swim/bike/run for 140.6 miles. Why do I shrug it off when someone compliments me about finishing? I think I have a hard time seeing it through the eyes of the "common" man, not that there is anything common about anyone. I've trained with or been coached by "Ironmen". Even the athletes in the Cleveland Tri Club inspire me with their speed, endurance, and determination. My efforts are sometimes minor compared to how other triathletes must train, live, compete. I will say that everyone puts their heart and sole into their sport.
I think my training prepared me so well for Ironman that the day was "easy". I didn't experience any stomach problems. No muscle problems. No mechanical problems. It was a perfect day to race. I was racing well within my limits and according to my race plan. I think my coach and I played it conservative since this was my first Ironman. I think back and realize that the challenge wasn't race day but the training leading up to race day. I remember having difficulty during my long rides and bricks that afforded me the experience during training to avoid mistakes on race day.
So post Ironman I found myself saying, "eh". Yeah it was a long day but I never had any doubts that I would finish. I'm extremely happy with my finish time and how I felt afterwards. But I think the challenge that I was expecting never arrived. Ironman Wisconsin has provided the missing piece to my Ironman Journey. Tracking my friends and reading race reports from the coldest Ironman in history has helped me understand and fill the void in my own IM journey. Like Frazz says in the sidebar, "Why not have trauma and suffering?" To find that personal place where you have to dig down deep and drag yourself up out from the bottom of a pit and will yourself to complete the task as hand. Has my Ironman Journey transformed into a personal journey to find my limits? I think so.
There will be more on this topic later. Let's lighten it up a bit........
Ironman Blues
It was Dante who asked me about post-IM Blues. Diane, my massage goddess, also asked me that question. Did you ever feel depressed after completing this huge undertaking? I think part of my answer is given above. I had also read enough articles to prepare me for post-race. On my sidebar I listed another half IM which is this weekend. I'm not doing that. But I am getting ready for the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 14th. I had this planned since the beginning of summer because Aimee is doing the full marathon. I figured with an awesome base beneath me, proper recovery and some good speed work prescribed by Coach I could whip out a pretty decent half.
During taper before IM USA I had also thought about my 2007 season. What was I going to do next summer? I knew I didn't want another Ironman. So at this point I am going back to sprints and olympic distances to work on my speed for a fall marathon in '07. I'm actually excited about next season. Aimee and I have also signed up to volunteer at IM USA. There will be alot of people from the Cleveland area going and I want to be able to cheer for them and see the race from a spectator side.
So there you go. Maybe I have generated more questions than answers about my Ironman Journey. I think it has become a journey bigger than I ever expected, but I am looking forward to the ride ahead and hope you want to come along. I'll be posting. Hope you enjoy what I have to write.
Game On
I've been reading many awesome reports from Ironman Wisconsin. NO matter what the report or the outcome everyone who started IM MOO is an Ironman. So it is with great pleasure to post about a friend of mine who was at IM MOO.
Kara Kelly is one of the biggest supporters of running in the Cleveland area. Her resume includes
30+ marathons, with many of those being part of her 50 state goal.
7 Boston marathon finishes
A coaching assignment at Craftsbury Running Camp
Founder and coach of the Second Sole Running Group
Founder of In On Time, providing pace groups for half and full marathons
A registered nurse, exercise physiologist and PhD Student/grad assistant at Ohio State University
An to top it all off, an awesome person to boot.
Aimee and I met Kara about 5 years ago when Aimee first got serious about her running. She joined the Second Sole group and met some of the greatest people, TriSaraTops was part of this group also. We have developed many wonderful friendships through the group.
Kara organized the running group into 6 different levels so everyone could train with people of similar abilities and speeds. With all of her experience and training she has training schedules available and often shares information one-on-one with anyone who asks. Aimee has sent Kara questions about her current marathon training and Kara has answered all of her questions eagerly.
I have run in a couple of pace groups for Kara, one half and one full marathon. When I paced the second half of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon it provided me with a great way to give back to the running community. I was more than happy to help Kara fill the gap for pacing a fast group. I wound up with ITB afterwards but it was worth it.
Kara is back at Ohio State doing research work in exercise physiology. This has not stopped her from keeping track of the Second Sole group though. She is constantly posting threads on the message board and organizing activities. Her latest activities revolve around getting test subjects from the Cleveland area for her research.
On Saturday, tomorrow, Aimee and I will be in Kara's testing lab. I will get a body composition test (calipers, water immersion and BodPod) then be subjected to poking and proding while running. I've been calling the treadmill a stress test, which may not be acurate. I will be running at half or marathon pace on a treadmill while hooked up to a breathing mask and electrodes. At regular intervals my finger will get poked to do blood analysis. The treadmill will also be raised at regular intervals until exhaustion.
The results will provide me with my VO2 max, lactate threshold and some training guidelines based upon my max heart rate. I'm excited to learn more about my body (how fit am I) and helping Kara with her research.
Okay, back to Kara. Kara and I were both on an Ironman Journey this summer. Her training wasn't as consistant as mine but she is such a strong runner that once she made the marathon it would be a breeze from there on out. Kara was never sure if she was going to Wisconsin. There was the possibility that she would skip the race completely. I was excited when I saw her in the group picture TriAl V2006 posted from Madison. I had alot of people to track.
I didn't get to check the race until I finished the Great Lake Escape and got home. When I did check the IronmanLive website Kara didn't have any times. No swim time at all. I figured that a last minute decision to bypass the race was made. It wasn't until I talked to TriSaraTops after her finish that I learned the truth. Kara had started the race but didn't complete the swim in time. Considering the conditions I could understand why. But the story doesn't end there.
Kara and her husband, Tim, went out on the bike course to cheer for the Cleveland athletes. TriSaraTops saw her out there. Then Kara went out on the run course to not only cheer but keep some people company for a mile or two.
Kara is such an inspiration and motivator that her actions really don't surprise me. I know some of the other people who missed the swim cut-off may have called it a day and stayed inside, their option. But Kara was out there in the crappy weather being a part of Ironman.
Coach Angela wrote in my race plan, "IM does not define you, it is just a part of who you are!" Simply finishing an Ironman Race does not make you an Ironman. The journey makes you Iron. The growth from within becomes Iron and the aura is present to those around you.
So Kara, IronWil and others may not have finished their "race". Their "journey" may not be complete. Kara says she will be at Lake Placid in 2008. IronWil will be at IM Wisconsin again in 2007. I know each will have a much better day and will earn the title "Ironman Finisher", but right now......I call them Ironman already.
Game On.
This picture is of Aimee (left) and Kara (right) after winning a duathlon relay. Aimee biked and Kara ran.
I spotted this sign as I drove back and forth to the house for the Great Lake Escape. How can you pass up a picture like that.
Today was the Great Lake Escape Triathlon. This race is similar to the Escape from Alcatraz because the swim start is from a ferry boat. This was my first race since Ironman USA and I had never done this one before. The jumping off a boat into Lake Erie is what makes this race so fun, and it's close to home.
Aimee secured a house in Lakeside, a couple miles from the event site, that we could spend the night at so we didn't have to wake up at some insane hour race day. We drove up the night before and saw many friends and bloggers (DaisyDuc, TriFrog, and JT) at packet pick-up. There was also an athletes meeting to discuss the swim start. The weather on Saturday was very windy. The lake was choppy. The RD was telling us about the possibility of the swim being cancelled. While a total bummer if that happened it was a safety issue. If the Coast Guard issued a small craft advisory the safety boats would not be able to line the swim course. We all hoped that the weather would improve for the Sunday race.
We went to dinner with TriFrog and his wife. A local restaurant had a pasta buffet and was showing some college football games. The big game for the night was OSU vs. Texas. We hit the place way before any crowds then finally made our way to the house we would crash at for the night. I had not been to Lakeside for many years. This gated community was founded as a Methodist retreat and camp. My mom was often a delegate from our church and I had to accompany her since I was still in elementary school. We walked around and Aimee watched me reminisce about the park, pier and downtown. It was pretty cool to share that with her.
We got to bed around 9:00PM after watching the first quarter of the OSU game. Actually she was sleeping and I was reading. I woke up around 2:00Am to hit the bathroom and never really fell back to sleep. My alarm went off at 4:00AM so I could eat and get ready to leave. Transition opened at 5:00AM with busses leaving for the ferry at 6:00. We were very early getting there and I was possibly the 10th person to rack their bike. I managed to find some of my friends in the dark and we talked about the strong winds. The decision to cancel the swim was expected at 6:00AM. The busses arrived and were ready to load up the triathletes. I walked down to transition to hang out with my friends. Then we could see the busses pulling away across the marsh. Problem was, no one was on the busses. We already knew the swim was cancelled. The RD made the official announcement minutes later. It was out of his hands. The Coast Guard made the call. Weather is never in anyones control. There was also an aquabike and duathlon scheduled. So the aquabike became a 40k time trial. The triathlon athletes pretty much joined the duathletes for one big DU, 5k run/40k bike/10k run.
Most people were pretty upbeat about the change. I didn't care. I was bummed that I wasn't going to be able to jump off a boat into Lake Erie but maybe next year. I was a little concerned about two things.
First, my right knee has been slow to heal from Ironman. The ITB has always broken down pretty hard after my big races and takes a while to heal. My run last weekend was on the trails in our local park system and I saved the hills for the second half of my run, but the hills is where I would feel the knee the most.
Second, the winds that kicked up the waves on the lake were coming ashore and would make the bike interesting. Would I be able to maintain a good pace for the entire 40k?
The run course is along the beach and trails of the park. Most of the run would be on hard packed sand, especially at the water line. I love running on varying surfaces like this. Because everything was a duathlon the start was a time trial format sending people off in groups. So you are in a group of people that may not be in your age group, that makes it tough to know how to race. A true race against the clock, only I didn't have a clock to race against. I decided to go low tech at this race. No watch or HRM. No bike computer either. I was going to race on pure feeling. Coach Angela told me that I should be "uncomfortable" the entire time. Not blasting myself, but exerting myself. And I can saw that I was succesful.
The first 5k run I was trying to hold off the people behind me without loosing ground to the ones in front. I went 21:41 for the 5k...that's a 7:00 min/mile pace and I felt good going into T1 for my bike. I slipped on my bike shoes and ran for the mount line. In typical fashion there were two guys stopped right at the line getting clipped into their pedals. I ran past them and did a running mount onto my bike. After the race, Aimee said that TriFrog's wife commented how well I jump on my bike. I have to get video of that.
On the bike it was windy. No matter which way you were riding there was a wind to contend with. On rare occasion I felt "fast". I was pretty much alone the entire ride. I would come up on an aquabike rider or be passed by some young stud. That was fine because I was "uncomfortable" according to my race plan. I came into T2 tired but knowing I was going to have a good second run. My 40k bike was 1:09:07 with an average speed of 21.5 MPH.
I slipped on my running shoes, grabbed my fuel belt and hat, then exited transition. See Bolder, I even wore my belt for a 10k run....I think I was the only one who did but I didn't care. I had two water bottles and a flask of HammerGel. I used it too, especially the gel. I held my position, tried to reel some people in and hold off others. The worst part of the 10k was mile 5. About half of the mile was in soft sand. It was hard to run in but I pulled close to the guy in front of me. Of course someone passed me as well. I wasn't too upset about the "kid" who passed me because he is from the Cleveland Tri Club. Once I left the beach the rest of the course is hard ground so I turned on the afterburners and took it in to the finish. My 10k time was 44:51 with a 7:15 pace.
I was very happy with my splits. The 7 and 7:14 pace is awesome considering I was LSD all summer. I have had very little speed work. I was 19th overall male and 5th in my AG.
Time to put this post to bed as well as myself. I've been watching IM MOO on my laptop and it's almost midnight at home, but only 11PM in Madison. I saw qcmier and TriSaraTops finish which is huge. I'm so proud of each of them. I'm proud of each and every person who toed the line this morning for Ironman. I love this sport.
GAME ON!!!!!!
After Ironman I was cleaning out the garage and had all of the bikes lined up in the driveway. So today I offer you Bike Porn.
Let's see what was in the stable that day.
On the left, bottom to top, my tri bike, Aimee's road/tri bike, my road bike.
On the right, bottom to top, Aimee's mountain bike, Amanda's mountain bike, my father-in-laws bike, my mountain bike.
Maybe I will take individual pictures and provide a brief history on each one. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Game On
This has been a family favorite of mine since the 80's. Now it's one of my daughters favorites as well.
1 chicken cut up
1 can each , Cream of Celery and Cream of Chicken soup
Water to suit consistancy
1.5 cups minute rice
1 package dry onion soup mix
Mix soups and rice together
Pour mixture into greased 9x13 pan
Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix
Cover with foil and bake at 352 degrees for 2.25 hours.
DON'T PEAK because you aren't supposed to. I don't have any modifications to the recipe since it is so freakin' good.
I know. This is a loaded topic. Will I be chatised? Will I loose my female followers? Will I begin to receive hate mail, advice or kudos?
Bear with me as I put my observations out there.
Let me step back to a long run which is the motivation of my post. Aimee and her friends were scheduled for either 20 or 15 miles in preparation for their respective fall marathons. Mind you each person has done at least 2 marathons. I owed them big time because they had come out to help at the Snakebite Racing sponsored road race. They all stood at intersections directing traffic while I sat on my butt driving a pace/follow car with the racers. So it was my duty to provide bike support. Usually bike support is just riding along for some conversation and maybe carry some extra water or a shirt.
Well it was raining that day. It was raining when we started and was intermittant all morning. I stuck with Mandie for most of the run. She is the fastest of the group having run Boston this past spring, she qualified at the Columbus Marathon, sub 3:40.
So I was riding with her chatting about all sorts of things. I rode ahead to get my running shoes on and finish the final 8 miles with her. I needed an hour run anyways.
The rain was not making the run very fun. Wet socks, wet shoes, high humidity, sand/grit in the socks.....Mandie was beginning to have a bad day. "This rain sucks". "These f!@#king socks keep bunching up". "My legs are starting to hurt". I was along for the ride and wanted to provide the silent, mental encouragement she was needing. Each time she started to slow down and stop I moved her forward. "Let's keep walking" I would tell her. I just wanted to make sure she kept moving foward.
I suggested we turn around and call it a day, " I can't." she would say. "I HAVE to run 20 today. I ran 18, then 20 and I have to do 20 today." I could tell she was starting to loose it for the day. I tried to rationalize with her that she has the base. She has been putting in good speed work. I didn't want her hurting herself either physically or mentally leading up to her marathon, which will be Columbus again.
I admired her determination but we had to stop several times, with the final stop half a mile from the trailhead. She had to release the frustration that had been building up during the final 8 of the run. I waited for her and tried to reassure her that it's okay.
That is the recap of my "inspiration" for this post. Now for my observations. And if I am totally off base please let me know. These are just my opinions and thoughts.
Women are hard on themselves. No matter what it is, women are their own worst critic. Of course we have society to blame for that. Women have been at the bottom of the proverbial pile for a long time.
Work: I'm no historian but women in the work place wasn't a reality until the 1970's. Yeah sure they were secretaries and typists and swithboard operators, but what about women in leadership roles? Slowly but surely when the education was provided to these highly motivated women they had to prove themselves in the "good old boy" network. I think that sucks, especially when a woman of equal ability and talent receives a lower salary than a man. I work with two women in my area that I would be potentially lost without. We make a great team because we all bring certain qualities and talents to the table. I feel that they are my equals, if not my superiors in the workplace. And I'm just fine with that.
Sports: Again women are considered inferior to men when it comes to sports. Traditionally thought of as weaker and more fragile, women are proving that they are a force to be reconed with. But why do they have to prove it? Why does anything have to be "proven". It's unfortunate the egotistical, testosterone driven male is somehow threatened by a woman who can take care of herself on the basketball or tennis court, field of play in football, baseball, soccer and on the track or road during running sports. And of course that woman is almost instantly labeled a lesbian because of her talent and strengths. I am just so sick of it all. Sorry I have digressed immensely from my original mind-set.
Back to Aimee and Mandie, two of many special people in my life. These two are serious about their running. If they have plans for a running race, they will plan, train and execute to the best of their abilities. No workout can be missed. No mile can not be run. And no matter what I may say, if it is not up to their expectations they have failed. But I see success. Success in setting a goal and following through with the sometimes difficult training that goes into the effort. Success is sacrificing time from family and friends to become prepared for race day. Going to bed early and getting up just as early to make time for the scheduled runs. The battle is not crossing the finish line, it's making it to the starting line.
And their goal oriented attitudes are not just in sport. I think the workplace also places a great deal of stress on them to be successful, to the point of perfection, in order to be accepted as an equal. Mandie works in information technology which is a male dominated field, but I feel that she puts her best foward at all times. Aimee is fortunate enough to work with people that recognize her contributions and compensate her quite well, both monetarily and emotionally. She is a valued asset in her workplace.
I've tried to make this post flow with some sort of intelligent stream of thought, but often I need to just do a brain dump and hope someone understands where I am coming from. And the longer I sit here the more I can think to add to the post, but then I might as well write a small book.
I doubt if "equality" will ever be realized in our world, be it religious, sexual, racial, economic. But I will make is a reality in my little piece of the world because that is how I put balance in my life. Sometimes the see-saw tips one way or the other and my balance is wacked out, but those around me help me get it back on track.
'nuf said, at least for today.
Game On.
...about Ironman Wisconsin, and I'm not even competing. I was chatting with TriSaraTops yesterday about IM MOO. So it was in my brain. I tossed and turned all through the early morning dreaming about the race. Meeting SimplyStu. Watching the start of the race. Needing to get up so I could check everyones status.
Then I realized....the race is still a week away. OMG! I'm infected with the IM virus. Not only am I an Ironman, but Ironman is me.
Next week I will be competing in the Great Lake Escape. I've been told this race is a blast. I'm going to have fun with my friends at this race and not even wear a watch. Just see what happens. But after that I will be camped out in front of my laptop watching the progress of my Cleveland and blogging friends.
I'm totally geeked about next weekend.
Game On.
