Race Recap ~ Run

5-P system (prior planning prevents poor performance) is something my Dad always would tell me growing up. Thanks Dad, because I used the 5-P system when packing my T2 bag. I threw in a dry pair of socks and a light running shirt. I knew the weather was going to be cooler, what I didn't know is that I was going to need a full body condom.


As I transitioned from the bike to run, so did the rain. It was a just a light drizzle, which was tolerable. So I headed out of T2 to a crowd that was even more amazing than the crowd at the swim transition. I saw a few friends, family, and of course my hubby. They all were chanting my name. I am not that narcissitic, but it was really very cool and energizing.



Okay Heikkila 13.1 miles left...lets get moving. I started out slow, but I am not a fast runner anyway. I average 10 to 11 minute miles. The problem was despite the clean socks and the extra energy from the crowd, my feet were very numb and cold. I think it took about 5 miles and some warm chicken broth for them to warm up. I jogged the first 6 miles and felt good, but tired. There were a few rays from the sun that my body enjoyed.


The Run was a two loop course. I felt comfortable with the run, because it was on my training ground. The course is on the Greenbelt in downtown Boise, which I have run hundreds of times. I finised the first loop and headed out for my last 6+ miles. I looked at my watch and started to calculate in my head when I wanted to finish and how much time I had till they closed the course. Fatigue had also totally set in. I was tired and I think the bike portion really stressed me out. I was never really in a groove on the bike. No excuses, but I re-evaluated what my goals were for that day. My goals were to finish a Half Iron Man. I knew that I could walk the rest of the run course and still finish. So I did a walk run. It was not my best performance, but I finished!

Race Recap ~ Bike

This picture was me within the first mile going over the Lucky Peak Reservoir where the swim portion was held.

The first part of the bike was all downhill and I was flying. It was a little chilly post swim, but the adrenaline kept me warm. The hill on Highway 21 is one that I have been on a few times. I wouldn't typically go too fast because there are cars on this hill and there is not a ton of room for bicyclists, so it was fun to fly because the road was closed.


As I approached Mile 7, the clouds grew much darker and there was a pretty good head wind. There was a chance of showers in the weather forecast, which was okay. I would rather it be a little cooler in June than a scorching 90 degree day. Keeping the core temperature within normal range or a little bit warmer would be ideal.


Then around Mile 9 there was some booming thunder and bolts of lightening...Holy crap! I am on a bike in the middle of no where and it is going to rain on me. I mean really, I knew I was going to be wet for the swim, but not the bike portion as well. As one can imagine there were several other choice words that came out of my mouth. Then I finally just smiled and told myself that this was the hand that I was dealt and I was going to have to play it if I wanted to cross the finish line. So I just put my mental game face on and literally rolled on...



...the rain started as just a few drops and then progressed into a violent downpour. I was drenched from helmet to pedal, but I just kept pedaling and smiling. People were stopping along the road for either problems with their bike or just frustration from the rain. I just kept on going. The next picture gives you a pretty good idea of what the weather was like.




It rained on and off again till I hit the bike/run transition. If you are not familiar with the Boise 70.3 Bike Course, there are several hills both up and down. The up part was really no problem, I trained on this course and felt comfortable with the gear transition. The part that I was not comfortable with was going downhill in the rain and having the potential of losing control and crashing. I had my mental game face on, but I was still a little fearful of eating wet gravel. Right before I would go downhill I would double check my brakes to see if they were still intact. The bottom line is that I went down the hills with some hesitation probably from the combination of slick roads and tiny bike tires.


Along the way I saw my 3 little angels. They were out in the rain and cheering on their Mommy. Of course it was just a brief glimpse that I saw of them, but it was like a shot of adrenaline. They made me smile that much bigger and I loved hearing their little voices saying "Go Mommy Go".

As I turned off of Highway 21 onto Federal Way, I knew I only had about 6 miles left and it would be downhill. The clouds drew much darker and the water fell on me like I was under a waterfall in Yosemite during the early Spring. I was worried about my core temperature being a little bit too high, in fact just the opposite was true. I was frozen! Despite it being dark, I could see the road ahead of me and a ton of headlights from cars that were coming in my direction. I just kept on going despite the elements. Okay last little hill till I hit T2....where are my feet? They were totally numb.


The last quarter mile was incredible. I could see the crowd and I could hear the cow bells ringing. I thought to myself...."I need more cowbell!" Huge smile and goose bumps which we can thank from the weather and the pure excitement! I got off my bike and headed to my transition spot.



To be continued....

Race Recap ~ Swim

Well swimming is not my area of expertise. Last December when I got in the pool for the first time, I could barely make it the length of the pool. I thought to myself, "This is hard...I ran my first marathon and I can't make it the length of the pool." What did I get myself into? At least I knew where my largest deficit was....swimming and that I had 6 months to improve.


Flashback to Saturday, June 13th. I actually slept in Saturday morning and had a good night sleep. I ate my usual breakfast of a Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal and a Grande Americano. Left the house early to drop off my bike/run transition bag and then to head upto the swim start. It was very exciting to get to the start and get your number written on you. Of course I had pre-race jitters, which is totally normal. I think it being my first triathlon ever my pre-race jitters were much higher. The swim was my biggest fear and the pre-race jitters reflected that. I had to go to the bathroom several times before getting into my wetsuit. Note: I started hydrating at least a week before the event. My kidneys were working overtime!



So transition areas were all set for the "clean transition", my wetsuit was on, and my heart was racing. Thankfully I didn't have my heart rate monitor on for the swim because it would be off the charts! In fact, I think my heart was doing all kinds of funny things. At that moment in time, I would have been a cardiologist nightmare. I got into my wave of women 40+ and waited for the elite division to start. Eminems song Lose Yourself was playing on the loud speakers which was making me want to move (good beat), but I needed to find my inner zen and calm my heart rate down. Finally, U2s song....Beautiful Day....one of my workout songs that I know by heart. I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing exercises. My heart started to slow....finally. The elite division were given the cannon. My wave of a 40+ women were called to head for the water, there was about 150 of us. It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away, It's a beautiful day. ~ Touch me, Take me to that other place, Teach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case.



I walked out towards the water, put a little bit on my face and then put my goggles on. I guess you can say I put my game face on, which usually is a smile from ear to ear. I believe in having fun. I like professional tiathlete and Mom, Bree Wee's attitude of smiling, it is contagious! http://breeweehawaii.blogspot.com/


U2's lyrics ringing in my head. I get to a point where I couldn't touch so I did a few breast strokes and find a good location in the school of women. I allow some space between those around me knowing that once we go from treading water to swimming we will be fighting for water to swim in. The cannon goes off and here we go.....


It took me a little bit to get into a rhythm. No one or book can prepare you to swim with a group of people. Sometimes you get run into or you are the one that hits someones feet. Thankfully I wore my goggles under my swim cap and they never got knocked off. Okay so yellow buoys out to first red and turn...good I am so totally doing this. As I was heading to my second red buoy the wind came up and I was surrounded by whitecaps. I didn't prepare myself for this one. Yikes! Breathing was a bit of a challenge. If I did a 3 to 1 bilateral breathing then I got splashed and swallowed a ton of water when I tried to take a breath from the left. Okay adapt....2 to 1 or 4 to 1 and breathe on the right until I can. There was one point that I would put my chin to my chest and swim away, sight for my buoy and feel like I was not making any forward progress. Wow this is really hard. Come on Heikkila you can do this....Failure is not an Option!

So here is my husband waiting patiently. He later told me that he kept on watching the women that had their bikes next to mine come and go. He secretly was worried because he knows that swimming is a weak point of mine. He also knew if I didn't finish the swim then my race day was over. What he didn't know is that wasn't going to be me today. I was motiviated to finish the swim!


While he was waiting I was using that Mental Mantra that I had been practicing over the past couple of months. You can be physically strong, but if you didn't bring your mental game, you might as well go home. The bottom line is the mental game is a huge part of triathlon! So my Mantra was Dory from the Disney Movie Nemo...."just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." I was thinking that to myself. Finally the second Red Buoy and the orange ones that bring us to the end of the swim. From the 2nd Red Buoy to the 3rd Red Buoy it was awesome. Totally in my groove, back to swimming a 3 to 1 and bilateral breathing. Of course I noted more colorful swim caps around me. The other waves of age groupers passing me. I am okay with this....I get around the red buoy and can see the swim finish. A huge smile appears on my face and I know I am totally there. I look at my watch, yeah I'm slow, but I am almost there. I figured an hour for my swim. It took me a little longer. Doesn't matter....just keep swimming, just keep swimming....


I get upto where I can touch on the boat ramp and try to walk. Wow I am a little wobbly. The crowd is roaring...oh what a feeling! I spot my brother and sister in-law in the crowd and they are yelling my name. I felt like a rockstar. Run up the hill a bit to the wetsuit strippers....which by the way is totally cool.....run to my bike. Start my transition. I didn't have the under 2 minute transition like the elites, but it didn't take me forever either. Something I can work on in the future.


"Clean transition" doesn't allow you to lay everything out. You have a bag and you pull from the bag what you are going to need. In addition, you need to put everything from the swim into the bag and leave it on the ground next to where your bike was. Since this was my first triathlon and first real transition, I had nothing to compare it to. It seemed pretty easy.

Helmet...check, bike shoes...check, Garmin watch with heart rate monitor...check, everything back in the bag...check. Hustle out with bike to the bike mount area and start my bike portion. I passed my husband and shared a few quick words with him. It was something along the lines of...."I didn't drown!" of course with a smile.

To be continued.....

My New Bling.....

....my finishers medal for the Boise 70.3. Wow what an afternoon! The Boise 70.3 started at 2pm in the afternoon. The planners did this with hopes to have an exciting finish around the dinner hour. I did not see it in person, cuz I was still on the course, but is was an exciting finish between Craig Alexander and Chris Lieto. I saw the very close finish the next morning on the news and it was amazing.

The temperature was perfect for any race, however there was a 70% chance of rain. A 2pm start in Boise could mean that it would be a very hot day, however it was an unusual day in June and the heat did not provide an obstable for athletes.

So I ask myself am I a Triathlete or Endurance athlete? Perhaps both?

I starting training for this journey last Fall, but really started training hard in January of 2009. As I reflect back to my training....what was I thinking that I would do a Half IronMan? I really should have had at least 12 months of training before I tried to conquer the distance of 70.3. In addition, I should have done at least a sprint or olympic distance before moving to the 70.3. The problem is that I set goals for myself and I usually achieve my goals. Not only am I motivated, but also very stubborn. No one was going to tell me that I was not going to do this race. I was doing it!! Heck I registered for the race last December and told myself then that I was finishing!!! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!

I accomplished my goal of finishing. Having no other triathlon to compare to, that was the most obvious goal. I had an idea about where I should finish, but still had never participated in a triathlon and did not know how the afternoon would play out. In TRI-HIVE, a paper for some of the western states there is an excellent section called Couch to Triathlon and there is a paragraph that states the following: Remember: DFL>DNF>DNS. This means that finishing "dead-freaking last" (DFL) is better than " did not finish" (DNF) is better than "did not start" (DNS). I was pretty close to "dead-freaking last" but I finished!

I have really enjoyed the journey to completing my first triathlon and plan to continue my training. I am currently planning on doing an olympic distance on August 1st in McCall, Idaho. I will push myself a little harder and improve my times. I know my slow twitch fibers are working. I was out on the course for the same amount of time that an elite athlete is out for a full length IronMan. I am slow and steady. My new goal is to see if I can work on recruiting those fast twitch fibers.

So the answer to my question is both....I am not only an endurance athlete, but also now a TRIATHLETE!

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!

What a Wonderful World....

....by Louis Armstrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP4Y0M7cClI

This is a great video and it is also my wedding song. 13 years ago....I was married to my wingman, Steve.

Happy Anniversary!

Proud to be an American....

...got side tracked this past week and went to Washington DC. No not for pleasure, but work. One of the many hats I wear is the Idaho State President for the Nurse Anesthetists. We go to Washington DC every year for a conference and to lobby on capital hill. It is a wonderful time to tell the legislators about our profession and ask them to continue supporting us. In Idaho, Nurse Anesthetists are the sole anesthesia provider for 20 of the 23 Rural hospitals, impressive if you ask me although I am a little biased.

In addition to our hill visits and hours of power point, we did get to play and visit the amazing sites that DC has to offer. On Sunday we did our Political Action Committee fundraising event that brought us to Madame Tussauds. It was actually very cool to see movie stars in wax. Well they were not in wax, just replicas of them. We took several pictures with us amongst the movie stars. Here you can see some of the Idaho Board with the Kennedy's.

One of the visits that really moved me was our visit to Arlington National Cemetary. I served in the ARMY for a total of 8 years and was deployed 4 years ago to Landstuhl, Germany to take care of our soldiers that were returning back from Iraq. I wanted to visit Arlington not just because I am a citizen, but also because of my military service.

We walked through Arlington National Cemetary and it is just an amazing place, that it is really difficult to put words to it. I watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was fascinating how well trained the Honor Guard is. What really brought me to tears though was the wreath placing ceremony that took place after the changing of the guard. Once the wreath of flowers was placed, taps was played and I totally lost it. I had flash backs of all the soldiers I took care of in Germany. Our minds are so incredible in what they can retain even after 4 years. The bottom line is at that moment I realized how Proud I am to be an American and was so glad that I had an opportunity to serve our country!

It has been a couple of days since returning from our nations capital and I am unpacking and getting back to the real world. Workouts went okay....the gym and pool at the hotel were not so useful. I did have the opportunity to get a few runs in and the day it was pouring I ran the stairs a few times in the hotel. So I got my body moving, but didn't really stick to the training schedule, which is okay.

Planning on getting a brick in later today. I have been trying to workout later in the day to get my body conditioned to race at that time of day. I know it is weird but the Boise half IM starts at 2pm. I think they want to finish the race in downtown Boise around dinner time to attract more spectators. We shall see how that works out for them?

So I am going to finish off with a secret of mine....drum roll please.... I know we are all just a little bit narcissistic, well I always thought it would be cool to be the First Women President of the United States. Yes, if I wanted to work hard I could make it a reality....but highly unlikely. So here I am just pretending I am Madame President Heikkila! Watch out Hilary and Sarah.....

Train hard and smile while doing it!

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.....

....thinking to self..."hey with that motto, maybe I could be President?"

Happy Easter!

Easter Sunday....hmmmm...I came off a 24 hour OB call at 7am this morning. I put in a few epidurals in the morning hours....which is okay. Hey I get paid to work, not to sleep. Problem is that I was a bit sleepy this morning. Went to breakfast with the family that was +2 kids, because my brother in law was bike riding with friends in Yellowstone. It was great having an extra set of hands to deal with kids, but made me wonder how people do it, meaning stay sane with 5 kids. Not to mention going out to eat gets a little bit more expensive. Anyway it was a good morning. Breakfast followed by an easter egg hunt and then 4 hours of sleep for me. I have to say that I am amazing....in the sense that I can sleep anytime and anywhere. The sun was shining in the bedroom, kids were playing and yelling....and I was in dreamland. Hit REM sleep fast and was having vivid dreams about being in the ARMY....weird? I guess a bomb could have gone off in my room because I was dead asleep, not to mention I was dreaming being in the ARMY.

Yes, I was in the ARMY, but it has been a couple of years since I have drilled or did 2 week summer training. Don't know why I was dreaming about ARMY? It was pretty cool because we were training in obstacle courses, jumping from helicopters and setting up ORs in the field. It was training, but not the type that I have been doing.

Anyway, spent the afternoon with the kids and enjoyed every minute of it. We did a picnic dinner at the park and watched them play on the play set. My husband and I chased them on the play set and had fun laughing. What a great day and it was beautiful. I am so happy that it is getting warmer. I am looking forward to biking and running more outside. In addition, I need to start some open water swims. There are a couple of places in town that will work well. Still need to get a wetsuit....hey then you can water me down and send me to Sea World....little humor.

Happy Easter to you and your families. Hope you didn't eat too much sugar, back to the training diet tomorrow.....

Gonna go watch my tivo'd Clearwater 70.3 IM from November 2008....hopefully it will inspire me to wanna train harder or make me realize that I am totally over my head. Probably train harder because...

Failure is not an Option!

Where does the time go?

Time flys....it has been 20 days since my last post. I guess I have been busy.....well yeah I have been, no guessing here. Still procrastinating on my taxes. I am afraid! The Tax Man Cometh. $$$$$$$$$
I wear too many hats and do too many things. I need to stop all of my extracurricular activities so I can train a little bit harder. Although things will get easier after Mid-Year Assembly in DC in the middle of April and when the Airway Conference I am planning is finished on May 3rd in Boise. Life will be good!

Training has been going well. I am spending more time in the pool because that is the event I am most afraid of. It is not like I can stop and walk....although that would be nice. I know it is the shortest event, but it is where I am the weakest link. I am getting there though.

My bike is awesome....spending more time in the saddle, although wish the weather would get a little bit nicer. Don't have a trainer to hop on and I don't really want to spend the extra money. I do like getting out in the open air and really climbing up the hills. Going down should be fun, but I am afraid of wiping out. I just need to get over that, but I don't want to get injured....wimpy wimpy wimpy.

Running off of the bike everytime I am on the bike. Of course it feels weird at first but it is getting better and better. I just need to get past the first 5minutes, that is the toughest time for me.

Nutrition....Nutrition....it is good. I need to take my vitamins though. I keep forgetting and wow I can feel it when I forget. Looking forward to all of the fresh fruits that will be here soon. 6 meals a day is working for me. I do still have some days where all I want to do is eat. But I guess I am expending alot more calories with all of the training.

Be proud, I am getting more sleep and it feels good. I love the afternoon cat nap. I know it it the time where I repair my body and the entire Growth Hormone thing....I get it....I am a health care worker. I do still wish that I didn't need to sleep as much. Then I could get more done in a day. My bad!

11 more weeks until my event is here. I feel great and more powerful! Injury free so far and loving it. I still need to buy a wetsuit and start doing some open water swims. I tried a friends wetsuit, but it was a bit too small. Holy cow....it is like trying to put on a full body girdle. What a PITA. Any suggestions on wetsuits?

This was my fortunue in my cookie last night...yes I ate a fortune cookie and it was yummy! "Striving for the best, will bring you closer to the best." Great quote! I don't feel guilty at all for eating the fortune cookie when it sends me empowering messages like that. :-)

Keep up the Strong Work and remember that....


Failure is not an option!

Who said Santa doesn't come in March?

Well, March is here and we launched forward to Daylight Savings Time...at least some of us did. I think Arizona doesn't play that game? Tell me again why we change time twice a year? For farmers or something? Anyway, I wish we could stay this way all year long! Yes, I love that it stays bright till it is time to go to bed. Great for a night owl like myself, bad for the 3 kids whom I am trying to convince that it is time to go to sleep.
March is also when we have our First Day of Spring....YEAH! Despite these wonderful signs of Spring, Winter is still here. Santa had a delayed visit to our little house in Boise, Idaho. He said something about checking his list more than a few times to see if I was naughty or nice. I prefer to be naughty, but deep down inside...I am really nice....or so I like to think. Now I understand Santa's dilemma???
Long story short, back in December of 2008, I asked Santa for a new road bike. After many deliberations, I came upon a used 2008 Giant Bike, TCR-C1. It was the stores "Team Bike", but it fit me like a glove and road fantastic, even though is has another girls name on it....HMMMM. Anyway, finally got my bike on Saturday. I felt like I was a kid again and rode it up and down the street with a hugh a$$ grin on my face. All I was missing was the little bell and some cute pink barbie ribbons.
So I rode on Sunday for about 8 miles and it felt great other than the snow that started falling about mile 5. I was quickly reminded that it is still March and I live in Idaho, not California anymore. Needless to say, I was a bit cold and snow covered....but I still had a blast...note that my grin was still there, just not as big. :-]
So my bike is pretty cool, although I really have not bought a bike for the last 20 years, so in perspective....anything would have been cool. It is a carbon frame and has Shimano Ultegra components and a Dura-ace Derailer. I still don't have road bike shoes and clipons....I need to have the store order my size and I really am not sure which road shoes I want? Any advice on shoes is welcome.....so in the meantime, I have some regular pedals until I get some new shoes.
Me being a newbie to this entire Tri process. I have many questions??? I rode my bike today again, just because it was a beautiful day. Blue skies with some white puffy clouds and a bit brisk, but I was able to dress warm. I rode a little over 12 miles today and I ran into a few obstacles....DOGS...I love dogs except when the gate that is suppose to keep them in their yard is wide open and they deceide to chase me and bark and continue to chase me as I ride as fast as I can down the street. My heart rate on my Garmin watch kicked up significantly. I hit that fight or flight and my adrenaline was released into my vasculature. The funny thing is that not only did one dog chase me, but two dogs chased me within a matter of 5 minutes. I know that I will avoid that stretch of road in the future. But what would you have done? Idaho is a right to carry firearms state, but that is going above and beyond...not to mention I don't think it would make me so aerodynamic. The bottom line is that I got safe and sound and my biking tights had nothing more that the padding to cushion my butt. Good thing!
Sorry no pictures, not feeling in the picture taking mood, but will try and take some of my bike very soon. Today was the first day of my 10 day stretch of work. Yes, I work everyday from today till next Wednesday. In fact, Wednesday is my in house 24 hour OB call. So don't think I will get to blog until sometime late next week.
I am feeling better and I started to work out once again. That cold I had really kicked my butt. I did get a chest x-ray and thankfully I didn't have pneumonia because that would have kept me out of commission for several months. I got in the pool on Saturday and did about 20 minutes. I didn't want to overdo it. Later Saturday night did some light weights and some core work. Incorporated more push-ups and felt the pain in my pecks the next day. It felt good!
Until next time.....
.....FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!

What Motivates you to Move?

The answer to that question lately is nothing!

Wow....it has been a month since my trip to Chicago...and guess what? I caught the cold and still have it 3 weeks later...YIKES!!! I have to stop frequently to have coughing fits every now and then. In fact, I have been coughing up several shades of yellow and green stuff that is coming out of my lungs....yummy. Basically Mr. Mucus as is pictured has been my worst enemy, a type of tri-training saboteur.


Of course being a nurse...I'm stubborn and have tried to self treat with at first Sinutab, then Mucinex, then Nyquil, then OTC Codeine....and finally got a prescription for some antibiotics which I started on Monday. I still feel like CRAP....but have been trying to do the self talk thing and be positive and think to myself...."I FEEL GREAT!" That is really hard to believe when I find myself short of breath just to walk up a flight of stairs to get to my computer.


If I don't feel better by Friday and the pleurtic chest pain that I have in my right lateral chest area doesn't improve then I am destined to get a chest x-ray and face the diagnosis that I am most afraid of....pneumonia. UGH!!! The bottom line is that it has put a halt on my training. Which is a total bummer! Yes, I have gotten enough beauty sleep to put sleeping beauty to shame. But I'm so done with this and am ready to get back to training. In addition, I can feel my muscles just waisting away. I have probably lost about 7 or 8 pounds....most likely muscle. Truth be told, I am afraid to get on the scale to see that I have lost weight, unfortunately muscle. I know most women would be thankful to shed a few extra pounds, but me not so much. My clothes are more roomy but not in a good and healthy way. Perhaps it is because I don't feel healthy?

So back to my question.....What Motivates you to Move? Normally....it is a beautiful sunny, cool, crisp day inviting me out for a run. A hill with the sun just rising over it, inviting to be hiked. Good music that gets me moving either in the shower or at the gym. My beautiful children and their smiling faces. There are many things that motivate me to move. What motivates you? Add your comments....I'm curious as I sit hear recovering from my cold from hell! Details to follow on my diagnosis.....

Failure is not an option....but I am feeling quite physically challenged

Birthdays...

...a time for cake and candles. A wise person once said..."Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional."

As we age, myself included, we don't look forward to having birthdays. Hell, I'm gonna be 40 this year...yikes....breathe...it is not for another 10 more months. Okay...I'm good!

When your a parent though, birthdays have a special meaning. It was the day that you brought a new life into the world and no matter how long ago it was, you remember it like it was yesterday. Tears flowing from your eyes and grin from ear to ear as you gaze upon your newborn.

January is a bitter sweet month for birthdays. Our oldest turned 6 on the 23rd of January and our youngest turned 3 on the 26th of January....today. We celebrated with dinner, cake, ice cream, and candles. Heck we even spent Sunday at Chuckie Cheese's....you know where a kid can be a kid. This holds true for those who choose not to grow up. Yours truly. hee hee

While our family celebrates these birthdays, we think of our angels that are in heaven, Wayne and Whitney. They are in our minds and hearts on the day that they were born, although it is difficult to celebrate for it was the same day that they departed this world, January 25th. We send them love from their Mommy and Daddy!

So...training....is going great! It's Monday and it is my day of rest. Rest is relative, rest from training but not from the real world. Work was good, didn't work too hard today. Currently catching up on downloading pictures of the kids, blogs, face book, emails, etc. So much to do in so little time. It is a good thing that I multi task so well!

Week 4 of training totally rocked! Balance is probably the best way to describe it. When I did my weekly summary of training, I was proud of all that I had done. I know it is only week 4 of 24, but it is a great start. It is one of those weeks I will have to look back on when I'm struggling in week 18 or 19. Good balance of rest, nutrition, work, family, and training.

This week is going to offer some challenges. I'm traveling to Chicago on Friday following a 24 hour OB call on Thursday. So my plan is to exercise really early Thursday before work which is doable considering it should be 60 minutes on the bike. Friday morning I can swim right after work, come home shower and get to the airport. Friday night I can do some weights at the hotel. I have stayed at the hotel before and they have a decent workout room. Saturday is where I have my problem. I need to do my brick workout of 75 minutes on the bike followed by a 15 min run. However I have a full day of classroom work followed by a group dinner. I will be lucky to get in a 45 minute run. Perhaps I will do my brick workout on Sunday when I get home. Challenges....I can manage it though!

On a final note....It's National Nurse Anesthetist Week....so hug a Nurse Anesthetist and if you are a CRNA....celebrate!

Failure is not an Option!

Brick What?

No not the lyrics she's a Brick House. Brick workout...not 36 - 24- 36, but 75 - 15 - 15. It is basically what is on the agenda for Sunday Morning, a Brick Workout. 75 minutes on the bike followed by a 15 minute run then about 15 minutes of stretching. Normally I would do this on Saturday, but I have 24 hour in house OB call tomorrow. Some stairs and lots of lounging are on my agenda. Hopefully some sleep so I will be strong Sunday Morning.

Overall my Base Training is going well. I feel strong running and feel good on the bike. Swimming NOT SO MUCH. Man do I need work, although I knew this already. I met with my swimming coach today who is a Masters Swimmer in her age group, a mother of 2, and a Pediatric Surgeon. She is awesome and was impressed with my progession since we last met, but we need to work on form. I have strong legs, but I need to relax my ankles and bend my knees less. We did some kicking exercises which really helped me isolate the proper kicking motion. I cross over on my stroke just a bit and need to do less of that, in addition I drop my arms, especially on the right...so I need to keep my elbows bent and use my arms more as my paddle. My coach gave me more advanced exercises to do...so I have a clearer plan when I'm in the pool.

My overall training plan is going great. I really like having Monday's off after a Brick workout. It feels weird to do two other sports in addition to running, but it breaks up the week and offers plenty of variety. My butt hurts less on the bike now....I guess more time on the saddle does help.

The down side to working out more, is less time to do the other things I like to do. For instance, less time to blog, less time on FB....which BTW is so addicting... and less time to leisurely read. A few good things are by the end of the day I'm exhausted. When I can I take an afternoon nap, I hit REM sleep in minutes. Not sure if this one is good or bad???? I'm always hungry despite drinking a ton of water and eating 6 small meals during the day. Maybe I should write down what I'm eating to make sure that I am getting in enough calories? We will see about that one??

It's going well and I'm enjoying it! Thats a good thing. I'm outta here, gotta get some sleep for work in the AM. I liked this quote by Lou Holtz so I wanted to include it....

Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.

Legos are so much fun....

...played legos with my 6 year old...what a blast. I didn't have those as a kid. Maybe it was only a boy toy when I grew up. "Boy toy" hmmm.....

Anyway did hill repeats today. Note to self, don't do hill repeats after a day of weights. I did some stability ball squats with only 8 pound weights and stationary lunges with the same weights. This morning I wasn't so sore, but this afternoon while doing hill repeats, my muscles felt it. It was awesome! I was slow, but it was good to get out in the 30 degree weather and tackle those hills.

Thats all for now, gonna go sit in the jacuzzi with my husband and a large glass of....would love a beer or glass of wine...but my body will feel better with a large glass of water...yummy. I have to keep telling myself that.

outta here!

New Year's Resolutions for 2009

Before writing down my 2009 New Year's Resolutions, I reviewed my 2008 list to make sure that I stuck to the list. In 2008, I ran a marathon, finshed and had fun...check. Hiked Half Dome in Yosemite...check. Maintained overall health and wellness...check. Donated my hair to Locks of Love...check. Yes, I donated 12 inches of my hair in September 2008. I had been growing it out since I went to Officer Basic Course for the ARMY in June of 2003. The picture is me with with my youngest son, Nicholas. He is so cute!

For 2009, I am going to do a triathlon. To help accomplish that goal, I need to eat better and more often. When I'm at work, I forget to eat which I know is terrible. I need to sleep more, yeah that will be a tough one considering I not only have one full time job, but two...CRNA and Mommy of 3. Another resolution for 2009 is to have more fun with my kids. I want to make sure that I can balance my training/work schedule and still have plenty of time and energy for the kids, not to mention my husband. Not sure how I will accomplish that one...but I will figure it out. One of the biggest things I need to do...drum roll...stretch more...I have been injury free...but now I will be using different muscles with each sport, so I want to make sure I stretch not only after activity, but at the beginning. I'm faithful about stretching after I workout, but not so much after I'm warmed up.

January 1st was here and is now gone. I was one of the many people at the gym to workout as part of my "New Year's Resolutions." It felt awesome to go and swim for 24 minutes and then bike for 30 minutes. I even ran a bit on the treadmill...just to work on the transition from biking legs to running legs. Today, I just lifted some weights and did some core work. After having 3 babies in 3 years, my core needs some work! I know where my weaknesses are and I intend on working on them this year and CORE is one of them. My abs are not going to know what hit them.

Another resolution is to drink less...no I'm not an alcoholic, but I do love a nice cold beer. I want to maintain a lean body mass and drinking beer will just make me work that much harder to maintain. My plan is to have an ice cold beer at the finish line in Boise on June 13th! maybe even two or three...hee hee. Basically, if I write it down as a resolution, I have to stick to it, no matter what. It is that Type A, obsessive/compulsive person in me.

So, my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary was awesome. Imagine being married to someone for 50 years? Are people still together for that long of a time? Yes, it still does happen although it is rare. I had a blast with them. In fact the picture above was from that party. The video I put together ended up being 10 minutes long, (90+ pictures with 3 songs) and took several sleepless nights before I had a finished product. The bottom line is that my Mom & Dad loved it and so it was worth the loss of beauty sleep. This is my parents and my older brothers and sisters. Yeah, I'm the youngest of 5.

Well, that is it for now....time to go get some sleep. The problem is I'm not tired. Ugh...

I have one thing to say about my 2009 Resolutions...

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!