Hermann Memorial Ironman 2011

Wow what an awesome Ironman Weekend! I’m sitting here utterly exhausted and I didn’t even run the event!

I drove to The Woodlands, TX on Friday after my swim and an attempted failed bike ride due to bad weather. (After 10 miles, the thunder, lightning and rain started in). The drive down to the Houston area was pretty uneventful for the first 100 miles, but the storm caught up with me again and it was relentless for a good 30 minutes with torrential downpours of mixed rain and hail that made me cringe with every pellet that hit my car. The sky was so dark that it looked like it was 10:30 at night. Cars slowed from 80 mph to 40 and had their flashers on. Finally the skies parted and I was back on track to meet my friend, Chris for dinner. Chris was participating in his first Ironman, so I wanted to get him carbed up and see how he was feeling about the next day. We had some great conversation during our pasta fest and Chris was feeling good about his upcoming race. You can read more of Chris’ Ironman journey here: http://www.thejourneytv.com. He is quite the interesting guy! So we said goodnight early because we knew we had to be up early (he wanted to be at transition at 5:00 a.m., while I got to “sleep in” until 5:30).

The following morning I awoke and was out the door in less than 30 minutes. I had to pack up my run gear because I had a 16 mile run on my calendar, which I planned to do as soon as the swim pack took off. With so many competitors and spectators, I had to park a mile away. I decided to turn my Garmin on at that point and count the miles to and from the car as part of my “run”.

There was a bridge overlooking the swim start transition area, so I stood up on a rail for around 20 minutes or so, waiting for the Ironman race to start. The energy was awesome! There were mothers, fathers, kids, grandparents, and all kinds of friends there to support their favorite future Ironman! Lots of them had made t-shirts in support, but I think the best ones I saw were on a wife and her two kids – “Ironman Widow” and “Ironman Orphans” lol So true…Ironman training is so time consuming!

Swim Transition early a.m.

The swim start was a mass start – meaning 2500 athletes (minus the pros who get a 10 minute head start) head out as soon as the gun goes off. This swim start was probably not the best way to start your Ironman experience – everyone had to get into the water and tread until the 7 a.m. start. As you can imagine, it takes quite a while to get 2500 athletes down a ramp and into place. Just prior to the gun start, the music switches to Ozzy Osbourne’s “Iron man” song. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck! Freakin’ awesome!! Then before you knew it, the gun went off and it’s like 2500 birds taking off from the water – a huge wave of swimmers. I watched for a few minutes and then headed back to the car to get my run started.

Mass swim start!

The area around the Ironman had lots of paved pathways that went up and down the canal, so it was pretty and easy to find places to run. At mile 6, I somehow ended up back to where the swim start was. I looked at the clock and knew that Chris should be just about finishing up his swim, so I looked down the waterway and there he was! The timing was unbelievable, so I got my iphone out and snapped a picture of him getting out of the water. He had a great swim!

Chris is in blue!

The rest of my run was mostly along the Ironman run course (they were all either still in the water or out on their 112 mile bike ride, so I wasn’t in anyone’s way). There were quite a few other runners out there as well. I stopped at 15 miles because I had to get to the bike transition where some of my Triathlon team were volunteering for the day.

So in the bike transition, our assignment was to “catch” the bikes from the athletes as they came in from their ride and put the bikes on the racks in the correct location according to their race number. We were given a pink volunteer t-shirt and rubber gloves (some triathletes PEE on their bikes so they don’t have to take the time to stop). Not to mention the seats and handlebars are super sweaty. It’s pretty gross. *I* do not pee on my bike. I paid too much money for that thing to have it stinkified! We waited for nearly an hour before the first Pro came through – Chris Lieto, Mr. BadAss himself! Then more pros started trickling in, but we weren’t really doing much at that point. Probably an hour later, hoards of age-group athletes were finishing up the bike course. There were some points where we could hardly keep up with all the bikes! Some of them wanted to leave their helmet and/or shoes with them (which were also very stinky and sweaty –again, thank god for gloves!). So while I was running bikes back and forth (transition was HUGE with 2500 bikes), I kept my Garmin on, just to see how far we actually traveled. I added another 5 miles just in transition!

Volunteer shirt

It was actually quite the experience in there – I had several athletes say “Take it, I don’t ever want to see that bike again” or “you can have it” lol I wish they were serious – there were some NICE bikes! I definitely have bike envy. We saw some odd stuff too – one bike came in with what I swore was POOP on the top tube. I had to go over and look to see what the heck it was. This rider had cut his Powerbar (chocolate) into squares and literally STUCK it to the tube. Of course, the hot sun had melted it and so it looked like, well, poop! I’m glad to know it wasn’t, but also to know that this athlete probably didn’t pee on his bike lol

"Bike catchers" ready for action!

So by the end of our “shift” things were really calming down and I was really tired and sore from my morning 15 miles and then the extra 5 in transition. It was really hot and humid out so we were all soaking wet from sweat (ours, not from the bikes). It was really cool to see my tri-buddies come in and be able to chat with them a bit about how they were feeling and to give them a quick pep talk as they headed out to the run.

I learned a very valuable lesson over the course of the day - it's not the quality of bike that you ride, but the way you ride it. Yes, a nice bike helps, but I can't count how many riders with really nice, expensive bikes I saw come in that barely made the time cut off, and some with really old, heavy bikes that came in with very respectable times.

So around 5:00 I was starving, so I dismissed myself in search of food and water and then to go find my Coach where she was watching the run course.

The run course was a 8.73 mile, 3-loop course. By now, the athletes are really feeling the effects of a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike ride in the Texas sun and heat. Many are walking or doing a slow “shuffle”. Some are almost painful to watch, but some are looking like they just walked out the door. After I finished off my grub, I headed out to find the Ironman store for some souvenirs. This Ironman, I got out the door for much less money than I spend on planning at Coeur d’Alene when I finish my 140.6!

So as darkness falls, I stood by the run course with my friend and fellow CdA athlete, Brian, and his girlfriend, Emily. We stood there cheering for our friends, but also for anyone that looked like they could use a little cheering lol We took a break and got some frozen yogurt and then headed back out. By now, my Garmin read 23 miles on the day. (I turned it off at this point, but was still running around for 4 hours, so who knows what my mile total was for the day. I bet I did a marathon!).

My friend Jim, finished a little before 9 p.m. I believe and yes, he was hurting! His massage with the best massage therapist in Texas, Robin Ray, is tomorrow. Well deserved Jim, well deserved!

We had seen Chris go by once on the run, so kept waiting to see him again. By 9:30, we still hadn’t seen him and I was beginning to get worried. I found his parents in the crowd and they were worried as well. I paced the run course quite a few times, looking for him in the athlete recovery area, the massage area, the medical tent, and couldn’t find him anywhere. We checked the online tracking – still nothing. Finally, around 10:30, we get ahold of him. He had severe cramps and swelling in his wrists and ankles, so he called it a day at mile 13. Still a loooooooooong way to go in one day, so Chris, BE PROUD! His parents and I helped him get his stuff out of transition and to the car, as he hobbled along (using his bike to lean on).

It was a brutally hot and humid day - one that even saw the #1 pro - Chris Lieto drop out during the run.

I got back to the hotel around 11:30, and still had not taken a shower – I felt completely disgusting. I think I spent about 20 minutes in there scrubbing myself down twice. After a few minutes of SNL, I turned the TV off and crashed in I swear 30 seconds.

My grand plans of “sleeping in” were not allowed – damn body clock. I was wide awake at 8 a.m. Unbelievable.

So today I drove back to Dallas and am so sore and exhausted that I feel like I did the Ironman – makes me wonder how bad I’ll feel when I really do mine lol

All in all, it was a fantastic experience to watch unfold and very inspiring. Just what I needed for the last 5 week push to get me to race day, especially after these past few weeks when I’ve had a serious “I don’t wanna” attitude. Ironman training, as I’ve said before, is grueling and so taxing on not only the athlete, but their friends and family. I am working out 18 hours a week now, and yes, I’m tired of it lol But I also can’t wait to hear “KRIS PARKS! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!” and get that medal hung around my neck. And get my T-shirt. And get my Hat. And get my Tattoo. And, and, and…SLEEP IN!

Texasman X50 Triathlon Race Report

Wow what a day! And it started out as an early one - 4:00 a.m. early. I packed everything up the night before, so I could "sleep in". After rolling out of bed, all I had to do was get dressed in my awesome, speedy tri-gear and make my usual pre-race breakfast (peanut butter bagel). The race site was an hour from home so I met up with two friends to caravan up there. Funny thing about Triathletes - we buy our cars to fit our bikes. The 3 of us each had a SUV to fit our bike - none of us had the bikes on a bike rack. I have one, but it's just more comforting knowing my baby is safe and secure in the back of the car rather than on the bike rack where it is subjected to the elements outside! So we get to the race start and hit the restroom before the lines got too long.

At this point, it's still pitch black dark out and FREEZING. Somehow we dipped down to 51 degrees in May! Transition opened at 5:45 so we had just a few minutes to get our stuff together and get it all up there to set up. I actually put my wetsuit ON after getting body marked so that I could warm up! It helped, a little. So I g0t transition set up, and hit the restrooms one last time. We all headed down to the beach as the sun finally came up, and it got a little warmer (thank god!).

Believe it or not, this is a lake, but they man-made a beach:

(Thanks Ken G. for the photo - I swiped it off your Facebook lol)

I was entered in the X-50 race (1 mile swim, 40 mile bike, 9 mile run= 50 miles). It's an odd distance, but I really liked it. Slightly less than a Half Ironman, but more than the Olympic Distance. This race also offered the Olympic distance as well as the shorter sprint distance. Nearly 800 athletes were there! My race had approximately 200 people in it. I would venture to say that the sprint had the majority of the rest of the 800, but the Olympic was still well attended as well.

The X-50 had two waves of swim starts - 7:00 and 7:05 (which ended up being more like 7:20 and 7:25, but we got there). My wave watched the first wave take off and head straight out towards the sun. As we're waiting for the gun to go off for our wave, we see some of the first wavers standing up WALKING rather than swimming in the middle of the lake! (Apparently there is a sandbar out there!).

So finally, they let us get started. I downed my first Gu just before we got headed out. This swim was pretty uneventful for me, except for a brief moment of panic when I got a huge mouthful of water and couldn't catch my breath. I got myself calmed down and settled back in to a nice, smooth pace. There was a bit of kicking, but for the most part, I did pretty good and stayed on course. I did get a strange cramp in my left calve (more on this later).

The transition area was probably .2 of a mile uphill from the lake, up a cement path. Volunteers were there to help you strip off your wetsuit quickly (boy are they good!) I begged them not to strip my pants off with the wetsuit! So I get to my bike and decided since it was cooler out, that a dry shirt would be a good thing. So I took the time to actually change into my bike jersey.

The first few miles of the bike were brutal - the wind had picked up and the roads were HORRIBLE. I actually stopped at mile 4 to see if my brakes were rubbing because I was going so dang slow! (They weren't). Other than the cruddy road conditions, the course was nice with the exception of the "turn around HERE!" that was sprung on us at the last second. I'm surpised there weren't accidents there. Maybe there were, but I didnt see them. The course was two loops, and the last 75% of the course back into the park was super fast! It was so nice.

So I finished up the bike portion and got back into transition to change into my run gear. It's warm, but not too warm (which really, really pleases me!). This course goes through the paved path in the park and partially on the road leading into the park. There were plenty of water stations and some very friendly volunteers. I did learn that Lime Cliff Shots and Cherry Power-Ade do NOT mix well.

The first mile was a little rough, but I got in a zone and was feeling great! I kept checking my Garmin and wondering what the heck I was doing - it read MUCH faster than I usually run! I did walk through every water stop with the exception of the last one (because it was only 1 mile from the finish line). The last mile I was feeling extraordinary and FLEW through the finish line! It was so awesome!

So my fellow Ironman training friends, Michael and Denise, and I were given an "extra credit" assignment for after the race by our coach. We were lucky enough to get to run 6 more miles! Yay for us! We gathered up after resting for a few minutes and headed back out up the trail while all the other finishers sat around eating and watching the awards ceremony. At this point, none of us cared about the pace lol so we'd run/walk/run/walk/stop at the water stop/walk/run/walk/run/etc. We ran by the man announcing the finishers (there were still others coming in from the run) and he said into the microphone "STOP WORKING OUT" and "Ya'll are SICK!") Denise had a leg injury going on, so she stopped and told us to go on. I think Clean (Michael's nickname - you can probably figure out why) and I ran maybe another mile and were debating the whole way whether we wanted to keep going or call it a day. Just as we decided to keep going and finish it up - my calve cramped big time and stopped me dead in my tracks. A woman walking by saw it happen and she said "Sometimes we need to listen to our bodies" lol (I wanted to say "Yes Mother"). So we stopped at 3.5 miles out of the planned 6.

Unfortunately, by the time we finished our "extra credit", all the booths with food had been taken down! We went up to transition to pack up our stuff so we could find some food somewhere. As we're in transition, Denise is told by a woman that I must have placed in my age bracket, because she got 3rd and there were only 3 of us! Well, for anyone that knows me, I am not a fast swimmer, a fast cyclist OR a fast runner. I am mediocre, but I can go forever. So it's actually pretty pitiful for me to PLACE in anything lol But when you have a small race, anything is possible! So we got all our stuff packed up and headed back to where the timing tent was to see if I actually had placed. I was still in disbelief lol The woman at the timing tent finds my age group print out and says "You didn't just place - you WON!" Unbelievable. And actually pretty pitiful lol because again, I am not fast. I guess it pays to be the youngest in the age bracket, especially when there's only 3 of us lol

So she hands me this most awesome plaque (and the finisher's medal is next to it). I'm still in major disbelief lol It will probably never happen again lol but it sure was FUN!

All in all, I was really pleased with my performance. I'm loving my new bike fit - I think it greatly attributed to my fresh running legs. I feel completely ready for my Ironman race, which is now just under 6 weeks (gulp!) away. There are still some things to work on, but my confidence soared yesterday! Now to just get my calve back to normal (seriously sore today!) and my heel (bruised it running up the paved path to T1). I'll be back in business soon enough!

Despite the crappy road conditions, this race is a great one. The course is very nice and they gave us lots of great swag (X-50 athletic bag, X-50 hat, X-50 tech shirt, X-50 t-shirt, X-50 running hat, X-50 socks, X-50 car sticker, X-50 water bottle and a X-50 towel). If you're looking for a good race - do this one or any of the others over the season that are on this course.

Onward and upward!

Wow, it's been a while since I posted...mostly because I'm so dang busy, I can't keep up with anything these days! If you want to have a life outside of triathlon, DO NOT attempt an Ironman. The training schedule is grueling! When I'm not at work, I'm training nearly every morning and every night. I stand by my statement "One and Done". My friends think I have deserted them. Please friends, don't give up on me! My apartment had been seriously neglected lately until the other night when I missed my workout due to horrible allergies. I took the opportunity to clean the entire place. Hopefully it will last another 7 weeks until the Ironman!

Tonight I actually got a night out (with fellow triathletes lol) at the Texasman Triathlon pre-race social. It was a great opportunity to put some names with faces, and meet some new friends. It's great to compare race stories and training strategies. It's also good to know that there are other crazy people out there that attempt this insane training and race distance.

The Texasman Triathlon is this Sunday. Sprint, Olympic and X50 distances are offered. We CdA trainees are doing the X50 distance, but lucky us, we get to add another 6 miles onto the end of the run so we can simulate our Ironman race. The X-50 consists of a 1 mile swim 40 mile bike ride and 9 mile run (so our run total will be 15 miles). It will be great practice for the big dance!

So one of the bragging rights of doing an Ironman is getting an Ironman M-Dot Tattoo, like this:

It's a right of passage, most people put on the back of their calves.

I have redesigned what I may get to look like this, for a IronWOMAN:

How's that look? I may or may not add the CdA info at the bottom. I have a feeling that would have to be too detailed (which means they have to make it bigger to be legible). Since I know my mother would have a heart attack if I tattooed my entire back with this, I think I'll keep it small lol The location on my body is still undecided as of yet also. I thought it turned out quite well though :) Who knew *I* could be artistic?

Thanks for reading...time for all Ironman trainees to get to bed. I get to swim in the morning and bike hills tomorrow night. Yay me. Goodnight all!!

Preparation and Planning

This is my life - bags and bags and more bags, every single day I have to pack 1, 2, 3 or more bags of STUFF! Today, was my swim bag for this morning, my breakfast AND lunch, my run bag for tonight, my purse and then my bike! It's a miracle that I didn't forget anything in any one of those bags. So much STUFF has to be in each one. The swim bag has all my work clothes, shampoo and soap, makeup, blow dryer, etc etc etc. You get the picture, basically everything I need to get ready for work. The run bag isn't quite as busy, but if I forget just one thing (my shorts!), it doesn't make for a pleasant run. The breakfast and lunch are necessary to keep me from eating CRAP, which I will, so it's a preventative measure. I am my own worst enemy. I freakin' LOVE junk food. The other miracle is that I got all of this STUFF down to the car in ONE TRIP!

Triathletes are planners. I'm learning to be better at it, but it's definitely a work in progress. As I rode with my friend Denise on Saturday, she asked me what I was going to wear for the Ironman (which is still just a little over 8 weeks away!). I was stopped dead in my tracks (not literally, because again, we were riding) because I hadn't even thought about this yet...I can barely figure out what I'm going to wear TOMORROW, let alone 2 months from now lol She has all 3(!) of her "outfits" picked out already lol Apparently, Denise is a much better planner than I am. She also has her nutrition plan mostly honed in, I on the other hand have again, no idea lol and just figure I'll get to it sooner or later.

Hmmm...so maybe I should start planning my Ironman race lol but I think I'll start tomorrow, or next week? Whenever it is, I'll be ready!!

Time marches on...

Here I am at just under 9 weeks until race day (my coach likes to remind me how many weeks are left on my training schedule each week). I'm so ready for it to just be tomorrow! I can't keep up with my house cleaning, my grocery shopping, and even my social life! Last week alone, I worked out just under 17 hours (Swam 6400 yards, ran 24 miles and cycled 160 miles!) The hours will continue to go up and up and up until we get to the taper period. Ugh, I so can't wait for tapering!!!

The weather here in Texas has been really bad this week (hot, humid, extremely windy, thunder and lightening storms!) Not exactly ideal training conditions, but "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", or so I'm told...The wind may be just what I need to get me ready for the hills of Idaho. I just about got blown off my bike on Sunday.

And yes, I'm tired! As a result, I have my first ever black toenail, and another one is mostly missing. After 12 years of running many, many miles, I finally have my badge of honor lol Yay? At least the other 3 toes look nice lol

So today I got a day off from training, to recooperate, and boy did I need it. My fridge is full again, the house is mostly clean, and my car is in the shop for some much needed maintenance. I feel so accomplished as I head to bed early for my first Triple Threat track workout in the morning for some speedwork. This granny wants to be faster!

I also had a great conversation with my coach this weekend...we had been really slacking in the communication department, so it was good to get some things ironed out. This is definitely a work in progress, and I want to get all the information and training that I can so that June 26, 2011 isn't the end of me or my triathlon career!

Last, but not least, my poor roomate MeeMaw bit it yesterday on her bike and broke her wrist! I feel so horrible for her, but it's a good reminder to BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! The good news

is, if they have to amputate, she can become a ParaOlympic athlete!

Lonestar Half Ironman - DONE

It was a tough one, but it's done. I drove to Galveston Friday afternoon, got up early Saturday morning to go watch the Sprint triathlon that was going on. I'm not sure I've ever spectated a triathlon, so this was a different experience for me. It was great to cheer my friends on and watch how the whole triathlon day plays out.

After the race, I explored the race site which included the expo and race store, and packet pickup. I spent way too much money on Ironman paraphanelia, but it's just so cool! I couldn't help it...

A few of us did a practice swim in the salt water, and it went really well. I was hoping between the wetsuit and the salt water, I'd have a better swim time.

Pro-Triathlete (and the ultimate winner of this 70.3 race) Chris Lieto was there signing autographs, so of course I had to snap a picture! He's such a bad-ass! Of course, I never saw him on the course because he started 1:15 before me and I'm sure was completely done before I even got out of the water.

It was a long day and even though it was mostly overcast, I came home with a pretty nice sunburn already. It was just the beginning though...

So Sunday morning, we got up at 4 a.m. and were at the race site at 5 a.m. when transition started. My Granny swim wave wasn't until 8:15, so after getting my number and age marked on my leg, I spent the next few hours setting up my bike and run gear and then chatting with my tri-buddies and watching the other waves get started. I ate my usual pre-race bagel with peanut butter and drank some water. Right before the swim, I sucked down a Gu pack.

Finally, our wave gets started. We jump in the water and tread for a bit until the gun goes off. The water was way choppier than I expected and there were a lot of brutal ladies in that wave! One woman grabbed me by my calve 3-4 times and I swear literally pulled me backwards! Another woman kept zig-zagging in front of me, so I had a tough time getting around her. I swallowed a lot of salt water and had a hard time staying in a straight line with the waves. I wanted to have a faster time, but ended up with 43:56. From what my GPS map shows, I swam way more than 1.2 miles with all the zig-zagging I did! Must work on sighting and swimming straight lol

I finally get out of the water and get down to the wetsuit strippers. They were great and had that thing off me in no time, and even did it without pulling my shorts off! They had fresh water showers to rinse off the salt water, so that was nice. I asked one of the spectators for some shampoo lol

After a little over 4 minutes in T1, I get going on the bike, which proved to be tougher than I expected as well. The winds were over 20 mph and the first 26 miles were all cross-wind and head-wind. My average was only 15.5 mph. I am not happy with that. Coming back, I was 13.5 minutes faster, and ended up with a 16.8 average for the 56 miles. Still not where I wanted/expected to be, but it is what it is. I had 3 Gu's and one Forze bar on the bike. I did stop briefly once to refill my water bottle and grab a quick bite of banana. The course was beautiful, along the seawall in Galveston. It was nice to be at a beach again. I had a slight scare around mile 9.5 when some crazy MeeMaw flew by me on her bike and slapped me on the ass! Paybacks, that's all I have to say...

So after a little over 3 minutes in Transition #2, I head out on the run. The first 3 miles were pretty good...but I may have gone out a little fast and it was really getting hot and humid. I spent the next 10 miles stopping at every rest stop to dump water over my head and ice down my shirt. Some of the rest stops had sponges, so I grabbed one where I could and constantly wiped my face down with it. I think that I actually may have had too much water, because for the first time ever in a triathlon, I had to stop and use the porta-potty. The crowd support was awesome - the course was a 4-lap route which was completely flat with the exception of one small bridge that took us down by where we had jumped in the water earlier to start the swim. Boy was I glad to not have to be swimming again, but on the other hand, the water looked really inviting at that point!

So I finally, reach the finish line and a couple of my friends were there to cheer me in. The finish line picture should be interesting - stay tuned for that. I may have posed. This beautiful medal was hung on my neck and I was handed an ice cold water bottle:

So I go sit down on a curb to rest up a bit, pull off my shoes and socks and find this on the bottom of my foot thanks to soaking wet shoes (from drenching my head at the water stops!):

I sat for a few minutes, stretched a bit and then got up to head over to transition to get my phone and then to the athletes lounge for pizza and beer. Unfortunately for me, the faster athletes at all the pizza before I got there :( so I was stuck with a choice of bananas, pretzels or lays potato chips. Not exactly anything filling, but they promised more pizza was on the way. Total run time was about where I expected, but I know I can do better with more regular runs: 2:30:58.

The highlight of the athletes lounge was meeting Lew Hollander, triathlete-extraordinare! I'm in total awe of this man. He has been featured in the Kona Ironman highlights video a couple of times now, and has participated in numerous Ironman championships as well as other Ironman and half Ironman races. He is 82 years old! Truly amazing. He won his age group yesterday, again. Next up for him? An endurance race including skiing, running, cycling, kayaking, and horseback riding. We could all learn a lesson or two from him about thwarting the aging process! The man is absolutely incredible and an inspiration to all of us. I look forward to following his life for many years to come since he plans on living to be 120! If you're interested in more information, here is his link:

http://lewhollander.com/

Me and THE MAN just before he claims his age-group award!

I was told by quite a few people that they didn't do as well as they expected, and one girl said this race was the hardest Half Iron she has ever done, so that made me feel better about my performance. I seriously was wondering how the hell I was going to get through a FULL Ironman after yesterday's performance. Now to heal the blisters and sunburn:

I now know the things I need to work on for the next race: Nutrition, open water swimming, sighting, more weight training and more runs. I'm sure there's more, but my mind is just a jumble right now.

That being said, I'm going to bed!

Here we go!

So excitement has set in (notice I didn't say nervousness, because I don't feel nervous, yet). I was up late last night and woke up early this morning, an hour before the alarm was set to go off. Why is it that when we can actually sleep in (if you consider 7 a.m. "sleeping in"), we can't? It's natures cruel joke.

The car is packed with all my triathlon paraphanelia and I'll be heading to Galveston sometime this afternoon to make the 300 mile drive. I'll be doing it alone, so hopefully XM radio will have some good entertainment on to make it tolerable. I'm thinking comedy stations! Maybe I'll count how many Walmarts I'll pass along the way, just for grins.

So in just 48 hours, I'll be standing on the beach in my wetsuit, waiting for my swim wave (I'm in the granny wave now - 45 and up lol). In Triathlon, you race at the age that you turn that year, so although I'm still 44, I turn 45 in September, I get to race with the old ladies lol Could be good for me, since I'm one of the youngest in the bracket and people tend to slow down with age! But irritating to have to say that I'm in the oldest bracket they have lol WTF? Then again, I am a GRANNY, so guess it's fitting!

I'm also hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the pros that are racing, like Chris Lieto and Mirinda Carfrae! It'll have to be as they start their swim wave (they are first) because I'm sure they'll be done with their race before I'm even out of the water!

So if you want to follow my progress on Sunday, go to this link:

http://ironmanlive.com/

I've followed people a few times with this and it's actually pretty fun!

Here's the link to the race as well, if you're curious as to what this is all about:

http://ironmanlonestar.com/

Signing off now - training is done, now the easy part - the race! Time to add another medal to my collection! Good luck to all my friends racing this weekend!!