I Tri To Be Me

What More Could I Ask For...

2012-01-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

..then to be able to run on the trails around these...

the beautiful red rock formations near Morrison, CO. Seriously, it is sooo beautiful out there.

I met up with the Denver Trail Runners this morning at 8A for a trail run. I am embarrassed to say that I have never actually run on any of the trails around Red Rocks. But, I will say that after my run today, I will definitely be going back!

The run was awesome! The trails had everything...hills, downhills, technical parts, and nice flat sections where you could really fly.

Source

And, because it IS winter, there were actually parts that were completely iced over. In fact, at one point, we had to slide down a hill on our butts so we wouldn't slip and fall!

Source This isn't the actual trail, but it was really similar to this, only A LOT steeper!

Although this is technically only my 4th trail run this year, I felt like I had been running trails my whole life. I loved it! Trail running is just so much more technical than road running and you constantly have to be aware of your surroundings. Sometimes on long training runs I get so bored because, let's face it, it IS sometimes pretty boring on those longs runs. BUT, today, having things to concentrate on, running through the trees, grasses, and rocks just made the miles and time fly by.

But, one thing that I am learning that I need to do is LET GO of the numbers. Keeping track of your pace, time, and distance is just so DIFFERENT. You cannot compare your road running pace to your trail pace..you just can't. In fact, I stopped looking at my pace on my Garmin completely because it just wasn't useful information for me. So, from now on, I'm going to stop focusing so much on the numbers (which is kind of hard coming off of IMAZ training where it's ALL about the numbers), and just focus on enjoying myself out there. :)

Happy shoes...Dirty Floor! :)

You have NO idea what kind of images pop up when you type "happy trails" into Google...YIKES..ha ha! :)

Tagged!

2012-01-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yay!! I was tagged by Joy [HERE] and Christi [HERE] to do the fun random things post that seems to be taking over the blog world at the moment! I always think these posts are so fun because I get to learn a little bit more about all of you out there that I ~~stalk~~ follow! :)

Anyways, here are the rules:
1. Post these rules

2. You must post 11 random things about yourself

3. Answer the questions set for you in their post

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them

6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

So, here are 11 random things about me!

1. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I think the reason I love it is because it's more of a "season" than a 1 day event. I love the lights, decorations, the excitement in my boys' eyes, and the family time together. I just love it all!

2. I REALLY REALLY want to hike the Appalachian Trail someday. It is on my bucket list and I WILL do it!!

3. I have a major sweet tooth and could NEVER give up sugar...nor do I really want to! :)

4. I used to snowboard before I had kids, but now, thinking about flying down the slopes makes me freak out a little bit. I don't know why I have this fear, but it's there. Maybe I'll take up cross-country skiing this year! :)

5. I hate shopping! I just never seem to find things that fit me right, especially jeans, and I end up getting frustrated and irritated. Ugh!

6. I am COLD all the time and can usually be found wearing a sweatshirt/fleece jacket throughout the day!

7. I can't wait until spring so we can plant our garden!

8. My head is so SMALL that I have a really hard time finding hats that fit me. In fact, I've resorted to raiding the kids' section to find one that fits! Ha ha!

9. I love being an elementary school teacher, but I would LOVE to be a high school cross country coach someday.

10. I need a new hair style. Wearing my hair back in a ponytail everyday is getting a little old!

11. If I could, I would wear my workout clothes every day!

Alright, here are my answers to Joy's questions:

What are your go-to excuses? It's too cold/windy/rainy/snowy to run outside.
What’s your favorite WOD or running workout (distance/tempo/speedwork)? I love tempo runs
Do you track your dietary intake? No
What’s your favorite healthy meal? This is a tough one because honestly, I try to make all of our meals as healthy as possible. But, I really like this vegetable pot pie I make...it is sooo yummy!
What’s your favorite cheat meal? Probably a pastry from Starbucks
Any nagging injuries that worry you? Not at the moment, but I'm always afraid my ITband injury will come back
What book would you recommend? Born to Run
Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, how were your nurses? Only when I was giving birth to my boys. The nurses were amazing!
What look is more appealing to you? Designer well put together chic or a fit body dressed in workout clothes? Definitely a fit body dressed in workout clothes
What’s your resting heart rate? Have no idea
If you had no financial/physical limitations whatsoever, what would you do? Hike the entire Appalachian Trail

AND, Christi's questions:

1. Which actor played James Bond the best? I'm kindof embarrassed to admit this, but I don't think I've ever seen an entire James Bond movie!
2. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Dog
3. What is your favorite race to date? Ironman Arizona
4. Do you prefer beer or wine? Wine
5. What is the first race that you ever completed? My first tri was Tri For The Cure and it was awesome!
6. Do you have a coach to help you with your training? No
7. If you could compete in any long distance triathlon and race fees were not a factor would you choose IM or Rev 3 races? Probably an IM race b/c I could do a destination race
8. How many blogging friends have you met in person? Only a handfull
9. Who is going to win the Superbowl, New England Patriots or New York Giants? GIANTS!!
10. If you could meet one person alive or dead, who would it be? I would love to meet Chrissy Wellington and just talk with her over a good cup of coffee
11. And finally the big question, do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars

O-kay, I know I'm supposed to tag 11 people, but honestly, I think most of you have already done it! So, I'm going to skip that part...sorry!!

It's FRIDAY everyone!! Woohoo!!! I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Two Months Too Long

2012-01-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make...I have not been on my bike since Ironman Arizona! It's not that I didn't WANT to ride it, it's just that between our schedules and the winter weather, there haven't really been any opportunities to ride outside. And, the thought of riding on my trainer just didn't seem appealing to me in the least bit! BUT, last week, I got a notice that a group of girls, including Julie and Kathleen, were going to meet up for a computrainer ride at Peak to Peak Training on Saturday morning.

Source

I've never used a computrainer before, but I heard that it is pretty cool. So, I decided to break my 2 month streak and sign up for the session. The only problem was that it started at 5:30AM, which meant I had to get up at 4:30 to be there on time to get set up and going. I have not woken up that early since IMAZ! With IMAZ training, I was always getting up at the "butt-crack of dawn," but since my race, I have to admit it's been nice sleeping in till 6:45ish every morning.

My 4:30 alarm totally woke me up from a deep sleep, but I crawled out of bed, got dressed, ate a PureFit bar (review coming soon), and headed to the session. There were 7 of us total, and we all looked like we just crawled out of bed, but none of us cared...it was awesome!

All of our bikes set up! How awesome are the fans?!

One of the owners of Peak to Peak Training got all of our bikes hooked up and set up to do the Ironman St. George course. Now, not having ridden my bike in 2 months, I didn't know what to expect of my body/legs and knowing we were doing IMSG, one of the hardest IM bike courses, kind of scared me!

BUT, once we started, I was surprised at how good I felt. It seriously felt like I hadn't taken 2 months off from riding at all. I felt strong and although there were some hills I had to get up out of my saddle to power up, my legs responded pretty good to the crazy hills. :)

Here is what I thought was really cool about the computrainer:
1) The resistance automatically changes depending on whether you're going uphill, flat, or downhill so it is almost like you're riding outside.
2) You can track your progress throughout the course and see when a hill is coming up
3) It gives you tons of data including speed, avg. speed, watts, avg. watts, distance, etc. I actually really liked watching the data and can definitely see why people buy these over a regular trainer to train with.

Drenched with sweat after the ride

Overall, I REALLY liked the session. I liked it so much that as soon as I got home, I got online to see how much they cost! WOW...they are expensive! I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon, but I WILL definitely do another session with the girls! It was challenging, but fun, and the setting was WAY better than riding my trainer by myself at home. I got to chat with Kathleen and Julie throughout the session, and it made the time fly by. I am so glad I decided to do it because I think this was just what I needed to kick my butt into gear and get back on my bike. Woohoo! :)

Tasty Tuesday - Kale and Bean Soup

2012-01-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the yummy soup recipe, I wanted to show you a shirt I bought over Christmas. I don't know if any of you heard about this or not, but there is a guy in Vermont who has been making "Eat More Kale" shirts for years. You can read about his business HERE, but here's just a little blurb from his website about what he's all about:

I'm also about eating locally, supporting local farmers, bakers, famers markets, farm stands, CSA's, community gardens and restaurants, sustainable lifestyles, social commentary and community. Most importantly, I'm about printin' Vermont's one-at-a-time orginial design t-shirts. Have fun and remember: eat more kale!!!

Recently, Chick-fil-A threatened to shut down his business because they felt it was too close to their "Eat Mor Chikin" phrase. RIDICULOUS!! So, I decided to buy a shirt 1) to support his business, 2) to help him fight Chick-fil-A and 3) because I LOVE kale! :)

If you're not eating kale yet, you should be! Here are just some of kale's wonderful benefits from webmd:

Kale is a Nutritional Powerhouse
One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.

So...EAT MORE KALE! :)

Kale and Bean Soup

This soup is SUPER easy to make because it does not require a lot of ingredients. It is really yummy and is the perfect soup for a cold winter's night. It can also be frozen and reheated for future meals! Plus, if you're looking for ways to make a good homemade meal on the cheap, like Jason has been doing in his $50/wk challenge, this soup is under $2/person! Woohoo!! :)

Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings

* 1/4C water
* 7-8 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 4C kale, stems removed and chopped
* 4C vegetable broth
* 2 (15oz) cans Great Northern beans (or any white bean such as Cannellini or navy) undrained
* 2tsp dried italian seasoning (or, make your own with 1/2tsp. oregano, marjoram, basil and 1/4tsp. sage)
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Wash and chop the kale and onion.
* Note: If you've never cooked with kale before, here are some easy prep tips:
A) Remove the stems by pulling the kale away from the stem.

B) Place all the kale "strips" in a pile and chop them up into bite sized pieces!

2. In a large pot, heat the water over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until soft ~5-8minutes.
3. Add the kale and saute, stirring frequently, until wilted ~3-5minutes
4. Add the broth, beans, and herbs and simmer for 15-20minutes. EASY PEASY!!!
5. Ladle into bowls and enjoy! :)

** Note: we ate them with Maple Cornmeal biscuits from the Happy Herbivore cookbook! You can find the recipe on her website HERE. They are sooo good and have a slight sweetness that makes them good for dipping in soups or for breakfast with some jelly! :)

A week in review and other things too

2012-01-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Training:
* I got some new books in the mail! Woohoo!

1. Relentless Forward Progress: I just started reading this and already I am loving it! I cannot wait to get further into it. It is full of great tips/information and gives you training plans for different distances and training levels.

2. Thrive Foods: I have Brendan's book (Thrive: A Vegan Nutrition Guide to optimal performance in sports and life) and really enjoyed it. While this book has some of the same info. in it, what I like is that it comes with 200 plant based recipes! So, it's a guide and cookbook in one book...kind of like a 2-in-1! :)

* One of my friends teaches at Corepower Yoga and she sent out a flyer advertising a free boot camp class. Now, I haven't done any type of strength training in a long time, but I thought it would be fun, so I went. Let me just say that IT KICKED MY A**!! It's so interesting how you can have the best swim/bike/run fitness, but when you do a strength workout it kills you!

This is basically what we did for an hour:
There were 10 stations set up and we did each station for 1min. After completing each round of stations, we did push-ups for 1min. I think we ended up doing the stations 3 times. Then, we did some core/ab work followed by some yoga stretching poses.
1) Tricep pushbacks using a resistance band attached to the wall
2) Elbow plank while alternating touching a block in front of us with each hand
3) Ice skaters between 2 cones
4) TRX- squat with pull-ups
5) Squat with side kicks while holding a medicine ball
6) Hamstrings-while on your back, put your feet on a balance ball and lift your butt up, then pull your feet towards your butt
7) Step ups onto a bench with knee ups at the top-alternating sides 1/2 way through
8) Mt. climbers while holding onto a bosu ball
9) Wall sits with bicep curls
10) Jump rope

This was a great workout and I actually really liked it! Sooo...instead of paying over $200 for the 2 week class (YIKES!), I am going to set up my own boot camp stations in our basement! I pretty much have all of the stuff, and it's FREE! Woohoo! I figured I could rotate doing the boot camp with my TRX workouts on different days in order to get an all around great strength workout. What do you think?

Other Things Too:

* I got this awesome shirt from Run Pretty Far and I love it! The material is soft and almost silky and it is super comfortable! Plus, I love the sayings on this shirt..if you click on the picture you can see them up close.

* Our oldest son is not one to just put Lego sets together and be done with it. The things he creates and comes up with are amazing. So, for Christmas, we got our son the Lego Master Builder Academy program. Is is AWESOME! He gets a new kit every month and it comes with a Master Builder book that teaches him Master Builder techniques. I've been doing the kits with him, because he can't read it all by himself, and we are having a blast! I'm not very creative when it comes to building with Legos, so I'm secretly loving it because it's teaching me things too! :) Plus, I'm able to get that special one-on-one time with him in a fun way.

* Yes, I bought some Bronco's shirts. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge football fan. BUT, when your home team is in the playoffs, it's pretty cool! GO BRONCOS!!

Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Humpastry Day - Ginger Snaps

2012-01-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ginger Snaps

Sooo, I know that everyone is probably done with all the sweet treats that seemed to be everywhere over the holidays. BUT, I had to post the recipe for these because THEY ARE SO GOOD!! I made these for Christmas and I was amazed at how good they turned out. Seriously, everyone loved them and couldn't seem to get enough of them. They are spicalicious (I know that's not a word, but it should be) and I LOVE how they're made with whole wheat flour and less fat then traditional ginger snaps! AND, they are the perfect consistency with a semi-crunchy outside and a chewy middle. Yum, yum, yum!!

Ingredients:
Makes ~3 dozen cookies

* 1/4C Earth Balance Butter
* 1/4C unsweetened applesauce
* 1/2C br. sugar
* 1/4C raw sugar/white sugar (*Note: I'm posting the original recipe, but when I make these again, I am actually going to decrease the raw sugar to 2Tbl)
* 1 flax egg (1Tbl. ground flax mixed with 3Tbl water)
* 1/2C molasses
* 2C whole wheat flour
* 1 1/2tsp. baking soda
* 1tsp. baking powder
* 1 1/2tsp. ground ginger
* 3/4tsp. ground nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice (*Note: if you like a lot of spice, feel free to do heaping amounts!)
* raw sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silpat, parchment, or grease lightly.
2. Make your flax egg and set aside while you do the next step.
3. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, and raw sugar.
5. Mix the flax egg into the wet mixture. Then, add the molasses and mix until combined.
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just blended.
7. Using a spoon or Tablespoon, scoop out the dough into small balls. Place on the cookie sheet 2" apart.
8. If you want, sprinkle a tiny amount of raw sugar on the top of each cookie before baking.
9. Bake for ~9minutes, until the tops are cracked. *Note: you can bake them longer for a crispy cookie, or for less time for a chewier cookie.
10. When the cookies are done, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Enjoy!

A run, a coyote, and a jog strap??

2012-01-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, even though it was only about 30 degrees outside, I decided I had had enough of the treadmill and decided just to bundle up and run outside! I am sooo glad I did because I ended up having a great run!

During IMAZ training I took a break from running in my VFF Bikilas. But, now that training is over, I've been wearing them on every run alternating them with my Brooks Racer ST5 in order to slowly build up my mileage. I started with just wearing them for 1/4M, then adding 1/4M more each run. Now, I'm up to wearing them for 2M. So, for this run, I wanted to try out my New Balance Minimus trail shoes.

I drove to the Cherry Creek State Park, laced up my trail shoes, and hit the trail for a 1M out and back course. IT WAS AWESOME!! I LOVE those shoes! They are really comfortable and I cannot wait to take them on longer trail runs.

Don't my feet look happy?

As a side note, back in my high school days when I ran cross county, this is how I would do my shoe laces to keep them from coming undone. It works like a charm! That was WAY before I knew anything about Yankz..ha ha!

Anyways, after my 2M trail run, I laced up my Brooks and set out for another 2 miles. This time I decided to run on a paved trail. About a 1/2M into my run I looked over to my left and saw this:

It stopped me DEAD in my tracks! Coyotes around here are known for attacking small dogs and even runners, so I was a little scared. But then, I noticed that it was NOT moving. I starred and starred at it, but it did not move! WTF??

So, I looked just a little bit closer and noticed that it had a stick down the middle going into the ground. WHAT?? I was soooo confused and thought that some high school kids had put it there as a prank.

Here's a close up...can you see the stick in the middle??

I started running again, and I started seeing more and more of these coyote signs! WHAT was going on? Then, I saw 3 hockey fields covered in geese. Were the coyotes a way to keep geese away? At first, I thought it must have worked because there weren't any geese by the coyote I saw. Then, as I ran longer, I noticed that there were geese even in areas that had a coyote sign.

So, I have no idea about those coyotes!!

Although this has nothing to do with my run, I thought I'd share one last thing that I thought was hilarious!! Enjoy!! I hope you all have a great weekend!

New Year - New Focus

2012-01-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2012!!!

Before I get to my goals, can I just say that I cannot believe that it's the beginning of the new year already. Where did the time go?? So many wonderful things happened last year from selling our house, buying a new house, my oldest starting Kindergarten, and finishing IMAZ!!! It was definitely a crazy, BUSY, adventurous year!

Source

This new year is going to be a little different for me. Usually, I pick an "A" race, figure out a training plan, and do races throughout the year that won't interfere with the "A" race too much. This year however, I'm not going to really have an "A" race. Plus, last year it was pretty much ALL about my training, and my husband didn't get to do some of the things he wanted. So, not having a big "A" race will allow my husband to do some of the things he's wanted to do. Yay! SO...my goal for this year is to HAVE FUN doing the things that I may not have been able to do in the past.

Here are some of the things I'd like to do this year:

1) Trail Running: I LOVE trail running. But, in the past, I could never really do it for fear of getting injured and blowing my racing season. This year, I want to do a lot of trail running and attempt a 50k, maybe even a 50M (YIKES!!!). Here's what that may look like:
* May 5th - Greenland 25k [HERE] (This is to get "my feet wet" in the whole trail running experience)
* June 2nd- Golden Gate Dirty Thirty 50k [HERE]
* June 15th- Fibark Trail Run [HERE] (My husband and I did this last year and we'd like to make it a yearly tradition)
* Sept. 30th - The Bear Chase 50k OR 50M [HERE] - This is still up in the air and will just depend on how the summer goes.

One of my Christmas presents were these awesome shoes:

The New Balance Minimus Trail Runners. They are light and super comfortable, and I can't wait to take them out on the trails!

Source

2) Sprint Triathlons: I really like the sprint distance! It's fun, short, and super fast. Plus, you can do the race and still have the rest of the day to enjoy with your family. This year, I really want to do some of the sprint tris that I haven't been able to do in the past. In CO, there are several sprints every month over late spring/summer, so I have A LOT of options.

3) Camping/Hiking: With selling our house, buying a new house, and IMAZ training, we didn't get to do a lot of camping last year. So, this year, we really want to go camping/hiking as much as we can! Not having a big "A" race will let us do this whenever the mood strikes us! :)

4) Spending lots and lots of time with my three guys! With IMAZ training, I missed out on a lot of family time with my husband and boys. Don't get me wrong, I am sooo glad that I did IMAZ because it was an amazing experience. But, they sacrificed a lot in order for me to do that race. So, this year I am going to focus on them and support them in what THEY want to do, and the thought of that makes me very, very happy! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I have no doubt that 2012 is going to be an amazing year for all of you!

Souce

A week in review and other things too

2011-12-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Training:
* Ummm...what training? Ha ha! IMAZ training was so intense and such a huge part of my life for so long that it's just really nice not to have a training plan to follow right now. I am LOVING doing my own thing! Plus, when I get my schedule figured out for next year I know I'll be back to training before I know it. So, for now, I'm taking it easy and enjoying time with my family. :)

Other Things Too:

* My secret blogger gift came in the mail!!! Woohoo!! I have to admit that when I saw it was from Beth at SUAR, I got a little nervous...ha ha. But, her gift was awesome! It had lots of goodies in it plus a great ornament for my Christmas tree that says, "Do one thing every day that scares you." LOVE IT! Thanks Beth! :)

* We got a pretty good snow storm today. The snow was the kind that falls gently and peacefully and just covers everything in puffiness! It was beautiful.

Ian drew a forest and Owen drew himself with lots of colorful trees
around him. You gotta love kid's drawings! :)

* My boys did their Time Capsule sheets this week too. Every year I have them answer some questions about things they like and draw a picture of whatever they want. Then, we put it in the Time Capsule tube with all of the ones from years past. We all love going through their sheets and seeing how they have changed over the years. They are getting so big and growing up so quickly...sigh.

* We finally made our gingerbread house! The boys had so much fun decorating it this year. Plus, I think they ate enough candy to last them through the rest of the year! :)

* Peanut Butter Gu!! Jon [HERE] was right..this stuff is good! I actually prefer Hammer Gels over Gu, but this Gu will definitely be part of my training/racing nutrition from now on! YUM!!

And finally, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend full of happiness, love, and peace. :)

Humpastry Day - Apple Pie Bars

2011-12-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

Apple Pie Bars

I know it has been a LONG time since I did a Humpastry post, but now that IMAZ is over and the holidays are upon us, I am in full on baking mode! Woohoo!

At first I thought I would do a post about some yummy gingerbread cookies I made, but then I thought about how lately everywhere I look I see recipes for sweet treats. So, I thought I'd do something different. I wasn't sure what to call these, but the end result is really a cross between apple pie and apple muffins. These are GOOD! My husband and boys literally gobbled these up! Oh, and did I mention that they are pretty healthy too??? :) The flavor is really nice and subtle, but if you like more spice, feel free to do heaping measurements. They are yummy cold or slightly warmed and make a great breakfast or snack. I hope you enjoy them! :)

Ingredients:
Makes 12 bars

* 2 flax eggs (2Tbl ground flax mixed with 6Tbl water)
* 3/4C brown sugar
* 1/4C raw sugar
* 3/4C applesauce, unsweetened
* 3 apples, cored, peeled, and diced (you can make your pieces bigger or smaller depending on what you like)
* 1C rolled oats (not quick cook)
* 1C whole wheat flour
* 1C all purpose flour
* 1/2tsp. salt
* 1tsp. baking powder
* 1tsp. baking soda
* 2tsp. cinnamon (plus more for dusting the apples)
* 1/2tsp. nutmeg
* 1tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.
3. Make your flax eggs and set aside until thickened ~5min.
4. Peel, core, and chop your apples. Having one of these makes it so much easier.

Place them in a bowl and toss with some cinnamon.

5. In a mixer bowl, cream the applesauce, sugar, and flax eggs.
6. Add in the vanilla extract.
7. In another bowl mix the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats.
8. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet and mix until just blended.
9. Fold in the apples.

10. Spread the batter into the pan and bake for ~40-45min. or until a knife comes out clean.

11. Let cool, then cut into 12 bars.
12. Enjoy! :)

Christmas Carol 10k Race Report

2011-12-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know what made me register for this race, but I guess I've just been having a hard time finding the motivation to start working out again after IMAZ and I thought this would be a good kick start!

This was an inaugural race at City Park, one of my favorite places to race, and it had a 5k and 10k option. I have done sooo many 5k races that I just finally decided to do the 10k. I have actually never really done a 10k race (except a local race in college), so I was kind of excited about it. But, the fact that I had only ran twice since IMAZ added a little bit of nervousness too!

The temp. on race morning was supposed to be in the low 30s, so my husband decided to stay home with our boys. Because I didn't know how long this race would take me, this was the best option because I didn't want my boys out in the freezing temps. for a long period of time.

So, I headed to the race dressed in my warmest gear.

I love how the stripes match my shoes..ha ha!

I had to park about 1/2M away, so walking to the start was COLD, COLD, COLD!! I could see my breath and wondered why in the world I had decided to run a race in these temps!

I got to the start, and was looking for the packet pick-up, when I saw this gigantic line of people waiting to pick up their bibs. Are you kidding me?? At this point, it was 8:45 and the race was scheduled to start at 9A, so I jumped in line and waited. It took about 15min. for me to get my bib. It turns out there was only 1 person handing out bibs for the 10k race. I felt really bad for that volunteer, but really it's the race director's fault. That was just ridiculous!

So, I pinned on my bib, did some business at the port-a-potty, then went to line up at the start. They ended up starting the race a little late because of the line, but I seriously waited in line for ~1 minute before the gun went off! YIKES! This wasn't a chip timed event, so it took me awhile to get to the start line with all the people/5k walkers (we all started together).

Within the first 100 feet, it started to thin out and I quickly found my groove. Before I left for the race my husband said, "You better run sub 8 miles!" He was joking of course, but a little voice in my head said, "What if??"

So, here I was, running in the cold, and I felt AWESOME! My legs felt fast! I looked at my Garmin and I was running around 7:30. At first I thought, "You better slow down!" But then, something inside of me changed and I started believing that I COULD keep up a sub 8:00 pace and I wanted to try and give this race my all!

The miles kept clicking by and I couldn't believe how great I felt. I was passing people who started the 10k really fast, then before I knew it, I was passing people who were walking the 5k course (the 10k course was 2 loops of the 5k course). I was working hard to keep up my pace, but I was having a BLAST at the same time!

Finally, I hit mile 5. There were these 3 guys running in front of me who had been ahead of me the entire race. They were losing steam though, and before I knew it, I was right next to them. Well, I don't think they liked the fact that a girl was going to pass them, because all 3 of them totally picked up the pace and sprinted really fast the last 1/2M to the finish. I couldn't keep up with them, but part of me wished I would have been able to match their speed and pass them at the end...ha ha! :)

I reached the finish line and saw a 47:50 on the time clock! Woohoo!!

Even though I was freezing, and my legs were killing me at the end, I am sooo glad I did this race! I pushed myself, set a PR for a 10k race, and had fun while doing it! I can't ask for a better race than that! :)

Results:
(I'm going off my Garmin, because it wasn't chip timed and I had to wait awhile to get to the start line.)
Time: 47:40
Pace: 7:41/mile WOOHOO! :)
30-39AG Place: 6/65
Overall: 39/264

Holiday Fun!

2011-12-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

IN PICTURES (mostly)! :)

Our Christmas Tree! Some of you already saw this on FB, but that's o-kay!
We went to visit my sister/brother-n-law who live up near Salida, CO and they had to clear some big trees out from around their property. SO, they cut this one down. Of course, it was about 20 feet tall, but we were able to cut it to the perfect size! :)
It's not as full as traditional Christmas trees, but I just love it!

AND, on one of the branches sits my new ornament for the year!! Instead of buying a pre-made one, which by the way is outrageously expensive, I just decided to make my own! One plastic bulb and a sharpie paint pen make a great homemade ornament...don't you think?
The other side has the date and my time for IMAZ on it!

So, I don't know if all you moms and dads out there know about this, but every month the Lego stores have a free mini figure build. Well, the December one was this nutcracker. I was excited to take my boys, but had no idea what to expect. The event started at 5pm and we got there around 4:35, thinking that would be plenty early! NO!! There were already over 100 kids/families in line and IT WAS CRAZY! There was no way that we could wait in line for 2hrs, so unfortunately we had to leave. My oldest started crying because he was just really looking forward to doing it, and I felt sooo sad for him.
SO, what did I do?

As soon as we got home, I set the boys up with a game and I snuck into their room. I spent probably 40min. in there trying to find the right pieces to make my own version of it!

Obviously, it's not the same, but it's not bad...right??!! I think I did pretty good considering I didn't have all the right pieces. AND, the best part, my boys absolutely loved it and thought it was the coolest thing! :)

Mmmm...Frambozen! My husband and I wait all year for this to come out during the winter months because it is so good! I am not a beer drinker, but I'll drink this!

Taking our boys to see Santa! :)

Our "Elf on the Shelf," or Candy Cane as we call him in our house! Seriously, whoever came up with this idea is a genius! Plus, it's fun for our boys to try and find him every morning (like hanging from a random hook on the ceiling!) ha ha!

I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

One More IMAZ Post!

2011-12-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

O-kay, I know I've already done A LOT of IMAZ posts, but I wanted to do one more. I thought I would do a bullet post about some of the things that made my experience so awesome! Oh, and I promise it's a short one (unlike my race recaps..ha ha)! So, here ya go! :)

* I told my husband that I would love it if everyone that came to cheer me on had on a bright colored t-shirt during my race so I would be able to pick them out of the mass of spectators. So, a couple of days before my race, my husband and I went to JoAnn, bought bright green t-shirts for my entire family for about $2 each and fabric markers. Here are the results!!

These are the shirts my boys and husband did. Of course my boys only wanted to write their names and draw animal pictures..ha ha! But, I LOVED my husband's shirt!

This is a close up of the design my husband did! I don't know if you can see my eyes on the swim picture, but I look pretty terrified (exactly how I felt about it!)

These are the shirts my sister did for herself, her husband, and my 2 nephews! LOVE THEM!!

Yes, my sister calls me pumpa..hence the "Go Auntie Pumpa!"

A close up of the design she did on her shirt! How awesome is that?!! :)

I think they stand out...don't you?? Seriously, the bright green shirts were such a great idea! Every time I finished a loop on the bike I saw the shirts, every time I started a new loop on the run, I saw the shirts...it was AWESOME!!

* Fun things I picked up at the Ironman store! Seriously, it was a mad house in that tent, but I came out with some cute shirts!

* Adding new magnets to my car! Yes, I'm one of THOSE people! :)

* Getting this finisher medal! LOVE IT!

* Spending some quality time with my parents! We only see each other 1-2 times a year, so it was nice to have this time with them.

Watching all of the cousins playing together! They played with that nerf football for hours! The temp. in AZ was in the mid 70s, so it was perfect for being outside!!

* Going on a hike with our boys and spending time with my sister!

Pies, pies, and more pies!! I made the one on the bottom. I called it "Pumpkin Pie with a Chocolate Twist!" Notice that it has more gone than the others..ha ha! AND, we ate them with my mom's homemade whip cream! YUM!

We actually used this picture on our Christmas cards this year! :)

* Making new memories with our boys! They had a great vacation and really enjoyed spending time with their grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins. Being there 2 weeks was kind of a lot, but it was great for them, which is what really matters!

Ironman Arizona - The Run

2011-12-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

*Note: This is the longest post yet! I tried to keep it short, but I just couldn't! :)

For those of you doing IMAZ in the future, here's the low down on the course.
The run course consists of 3 loops of a little over 8 miles each. The loop makes kind of a crazy figure 8 that goes up and down the tempe bike path and up, over, and down 3 bridges. While many people say this course is pretty flat, I would totally disagree. To me, for the most part, it felt like I was either going up or down with a few flat parts in between. While the "up" parts are not major hills (with the exception of Curry Rd), they still take a toll on your legs and you can definitely feel them, especially towards the end.

The Run:
LOOP 1:

I headed out of the change tent and ran to the run start and right away the crowds were amazing! Everyone was ringing cowbells and cheering and it was just a great way to start the run. As I headed out, I could hear people shouting my name and it took me just a split second to realize that my entire family was straight ahead! My eyes focused on one person though...my mom.

I haven't mentioned this on my blog yet, but my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer. After having a double mastectomy a month ago, she started her FIRST chemo treatment on the Tuesday before my race. She had a really difficult time with the chemo and actually spent 4 days in bed battling nausea and being sick. It was really hard watching my mom go through that, especially since there was nothing we could really do for her.

So...when I saw my mom, standing there with my family, cheering me on, I immediately started crying (I told you I was a complete mess this entire race!)! I ran right up to her and said, "I can't believe you came," and gave her the biggest hug I could without hurting her! Then, I hugged my sisters, my dad, my niece, and my nephews, and tried to wipe the tears away from my eyes, but they just kept coming. Then, my youngest sister hugged me again and said, "You can do this! This is what you do! Erik and your boys are right up ahead!" I hadn't seen my husband since the swim start so I was excited that he was here with my boys and I took off running!

I was scanning the crowd and pretty soon I saw them!!!

I started crying again because I was just so happy to see them! My boys ran up to me and I gave them the biggest hugs I could! Then, I kissed and hugged my husband and took off again!

I stole this pic from her blog. You can read her post about it HERE!

The first part of the loop consists of a steady incline up to Priest Dr, where you turn right, cross over the bridge, and head back on the other side of the lake. As I was coming up to the bridge, I saw non other than the famous EMZ. She was saying, "Aimee, it's me Emily!" I thought that was so cute because I totally recognized her before she even said anything! I was so excited to see her in person that I went up to her and gave her a hug (Sorry Emily if I got smelly sweat on you!)

Then, I saw Peanut next to her and gave her a hug too! :)

So, I was running along when I looked at my Garmin and realized I was running at a pretty fast pace. I slowed it down and told myself to take it easy because I still had a LONG way to go. My plan was to get water at every aid station and sip on my EFS every other aid station. Well, when I took one sip of my EFS I immediately regretted it. It tasted so gross and my stomach kind of grumbled when I drank it so I knew I needed a new plan.

As I was running, I was in complete shock about how great I felt and just hoped that it would continue. I was taking in water and my endurolytes, and I took my first gel at the 45min. mark. As I choked it down, I almost immediately threw it back up! OH NO! I knew that was not a good sign, but hoped that it would pass. Then, about a mile later, my stomach started really hurting. I made it to an aid station and immediately went to a port-a-potty. I ended up being in there for about 5minutes..no kidding. My stomach was so upset and it was not pretty! After I was done, I felt much better, walked to get some water, and tried to run again. Immediately my legs started screaming at me! It was like they were saying, "Hey, we just got a break and you want us to run again??" Seriously, my legs felt like they were on fire and they HURT so bad! My calves, my hamstrings, my quads all burned and I had never felt anything like it. I started walking the "ups" and trying to figure out what to do. My running pace had slowed significantly and I started getting really hot. I took off my arm warmers, stuffed them in my tri pocket, and just kept plugging away at the miles. Then, before I knew it, I was ready to start my 2nd loop!

LOOP 2:

My dad, niece, and sisters waiting for me to pass by

As I ran by the transition area, my family was once again there, cheering me on! Seeing them again gave me a complete energy boost! My mom wasn't there this time because she needed to go home and rest, but it was great to see everyone else. I told them I didn't feel good and my stomach hurt, and they said, "That's alright, you're doing great!" Even though I knew I wasn't doing "great," it was nice to have their words of encouragement!

As I ran further down the path I saw my husband and boys again! I told my husband how I was feeling and he said something like, "It's o-kay, this is what it's all about! You can do it!"
It was so awesome to have them there, supporting me along the way. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without them there. Seeing them after every loop was just amazing. And for some reason, when I would see them, the pain I was feeling would just go away...even if it was just for a couple of minutes! :)

The second loop was much harder for me than the first. I really was NOT feeling good and I had no idea what to do about it. The only thing I could think of was that swallowing all the Tempe Town Lake water was reeking havoc on my stomach. At the next aid station I decided to try eating a banana. A short wile later, my legs started feeling better and I got excited! BUT, it was short lived because my stomach was not happy with me. I started getting really nauseous and I started getting that metallic, sour taste in my mouth and had to walk. I was hoping that it would pass, but unfortunately it didn't. As I was crossing over the Mill Ave. bridge I got the urge to throw up. I tried to hold it until I was over the bridge, because it was a narrow walkway, but I just couldn't. Without going into too much detail, that banana came straight back up, and pretty soon my stomach was completely empty. Amazingly, I felt MUCH better after I threw up and I started running again!

My stomach continued to feel a little wonky, but I was happy to be running again. Granted, I was running pretty slowly, but I was running!!

source

Here's a funny thing about this picture. The guy behind me, in the blue suit, was with me throughout the first 2 loops. I have no idea how he did an IM in that suit, but he did and it is pretty amazing!
After I threw up, I passed him on the course and he said, "There you go pink! Way to get back in the game!" He must have seen me throwing up on the course. I did a little fist pump and just kept going.

From that point on, I just tried to stay at a level where I wouldn't throw up again. I tried to drink water, but even that wasn't settling well in my stomach. I would run when I could, then walk when I needed to. I kept getting cold, then hot, then cold, then hot again. I was constantly taking off and putting on my arm warmers. I felt like you do when you have the flu with a fever and how one minute you're shivering and the next you're burning up. It was really, really annoying!

Finally, I made it to the beginning of the 3rd loop.

LOOP 3:
ONE LOOP TO GO!! I was sooo excited to finally be on my 3rd loop!! As I passed by transition again, I heard someone say, "Go Aimee, I tri to be me!" I turned around and tried to see who said it, but I couldn't tell who it was, so I kept going. It definitely made me smile though! :) Then, I saw my two sisters sitting on the sidelines and they were like, "Aimee, Aimee, you're here!" I knew I had taken a long time to do that last loop, longer than my family probably imagined, so I thought that's what they were talking about. I ran up to them and told them I had thrown up and I just didn't feel good. They just kept saying, "We know, it's o-kay, you're almost finished!" I asked them if everyone else had left and gone to dinner and they said yes, but that they'd be back for the finish. Because I wasn't using them and was sick of carrying them around, I gave my handheld water bottle and all my Hammer gels to my sister, then headed off for my last lap.

**As a side note, it turns out that there was some kind of delay on Ironman.com for tracking and my family didn't know where I was. They thought I had either dropped out or was in the medical tent. Apparently, my dad tried to find me at the med tent and my husband had left to head to his parents house to drop off our boys so he could come back and find me. They were all really worried about me. So, when my sisters saw me, that's why they were soo excited!! After I left, they called my husband and my family and told them I had just started my 3rd loop. Everyone was so happy that I was o-kay!

A couple of miles into the last loop I had to pull over again to throw up. My stomach was pretty much empty at this point, so I started dry heaving. It was so painful and I was just so tired of feeling sick. Another girl came up to me and said, "How ya doing mama?" I mumbled something like, "Not so good." Then, she proceeded to tell me that she had just thrown up too. She asked if I wanted to walk with her for awhile and I said, "Yes." So, we walked and talked. She told me this was her 7th IM, but that it would probably be her last. I told her this was my first and then she said something that stuck with me. She said, "Enjoy that finish shoot. My first IM I just ran right through and I didn't get to really experience it, so take it all in and just enjoy it!" I made a silent promise to myself that no matter what, I would take her advice.

About a mile later, I started feeling better and told her I was going to try and run. I thanked her for helping me through that rough patch and wished her luck on her finish. During this time, just like with the bike, I stopped looking at my Garmin completely. At this point in the race I did not even care about my time. I had no idea how long I had been out there and that was o-kay with me. All that mattered was that I kept moving forward towards the finish. I KNEW I would be an Ironman that night, even if it wasn't the way I had hoped it would happen.

So, for the entire last loop, I vowed to thank as many of the volunteers as I could. The volunteers are truly amazing. They are there...all day and night...helping us along the way. At several aid stations, there were girls that seemed to know who I was. Every time I walked by, they would say, "Good job Aimee" or "I'm proud of you!" It was nice to have some personal encouragement out there. So, thanks if you're reading this and you were one of the ones that cheered me on out there! :)

There was one particular aid station that had lots of people dressed in drag and there was this guy that was dancing and cheering everyone on. His energy and encouragement was amazing and I looked forward to seeing him every loop. At the last loop, I walked right up to him, grabbed his hand, and said, "Thank you for being out here for us. You are amazing and it really means a lot!" He said, "No, YOU are amazing! You're the one out here doing it! You can do this and you WILL be an Ironman!" It was awesome!

Giving my boys one last hug before the finish!

Right after that aid station, I was greeted by the biggest surprise! My husband, boys, dad, and sisters had crossed over to the other side to cheer me on for the last half of the loop. IT WAS AWESOME and just what I needed!! I gave my boys the biggest hugs and told them that I would see them again soon!

I had 4 miles to go and I wanted to try and run as much of it as I could without getting sick again. Then, before I knew it, I only had 1 mile to go. I could not believe it! I got so happy and knew that with every step forward it was one step closer to the finish. At the last aid station, I stopped to give a young boy, who had been volunteering there all day, my glow necklace. I didn't need it anymore and thought he should have it! It was fun to do that and he had a huge smile on his face as I ran away!

With 1/2M to go, I saw Kathleen walking up ahead of me. I was soo excited to see her because I hadn't seen her all day and was wondering how she was doing! I ran up to her and said, "Kathleen!!" It turns out she was on her 2nd loop! We walked and talked for a couple of minutes and I said something like, "We're doing it! We're going to finish!" It was really neat for me to share that moment with her! I wished her luck with her last loop and headed to the finish!

Finally, I came to the point where you can either go straight to do another loop, or turn left towards the finish. The same guy that had been at that junction all day was still there! I had given him a high-five every time I passed him to start a new loop and this time I went up to him, gave him a huge high-five, and said, "I finally get to go left! Yay!" He said, "Right on! Woohoo!" It was hilarious, because woohoo is something I say all of the time! :)

As I turned left, I suddenly realized how dark it was. I ran through a parking lot and there was no one around. It was actually quiet and I LOVED it because it gave me a chance to really absorb the fact that I WAS FINISHING my first Ironman!! I ran about 100 more yards, and the finisher shoot came into view! I remembered what the girl had told me about taking it all in and enjoying the moment and that is just what I did.

IT WAS AMAZING! Everything that you read and hear about the finisher shoot is true. It is loud, it is exciting, it is emotional, and it is amazing! I heard my sisters and dad cheering for me and gave them high-fives as I passed! Then, as I ran through the shoot I gave EVERYONE high-fives that had their hands out.

My husband took this picture. I know it's blurry, but I love it!

Then, I heard it..."A teacher from Denver, Colorado. Aimee Youngblood, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

I DID IT! I really did it! I finished happy and did not need to go to the medical tent...that was my goal and I met it! I was grabbed by some catchers, wrapped in a blanket, and brought to the line to get my finisher picture.

It's true what they say about the finish too..after you cross that finish line, you don't feel anything but pure JOY. My stomach didn't hurt, my legs didn't hurt, and I just felt so completely happy!! I could not believe that I just finished an IRONMAN!!

My younger sister, me, my older sister!

These are my biggest supporters! I know it was a VERY long day for them out there, but seeing them on the course meant more to me than they will ever know. My husband is truly amazing and I COULD NOT have done this without him. He is my support, my rock, an amazing father to our children, and the love of my life. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have him in my life. And, I cannot thank him enough for all he has sacrificed and done for me in order to complete this crazy IM adventure.

My sisters were there ALL day cheering me on! Their support and encouragement throughout the day was just amazing and they gave me the "pick me ups" I needed to keep going! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also want to thank all of you out there in bloggy land for your support, advice, and encouragement throughout my journey. And, after the race I was taken aback by all of your emails and FB posts congratulating me. It was overwhelming and just awesome! Thank you! :)

So, I'm not going to say that I'll "never" do another Ironman, but it will definitely be AWHILE before I take one on again. The training and time commitment is just a lot, and it took away so much time from my family. BUT, the experience was absolutely amazing!! Although the day didn't quite go as I would have liked, I met my goal and I did it!! I finished!!! And, knowing that I did something millions of people will never even attempt to do feels AWESOME!!

Out of all the shirts I got for this race, this one is by far the best! :)

Ironman Arizona - The Bike

2011-11-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Bike:
After seeing my family out of T1, I headed to the mount line, which was sooo crowded! Because I had tears streaming down my face I actually waited a couple of minutes to mount my bike because I really didn't want to crash right off the bat!

1 loop of the 3 loop course

Finally, I was on my bike and headed out of town for my first loop. Right away I was thankful that I had my wind jacket on. I was still a little chilled from the swim and when a breeze or shady part of the bike course would come around I would get a little cold.

LOOP 1:
The first part of the course consists of several different streets before you actually get on the beeline highway. It was a nice way to ease into the long ride ahead of me, but before I knew it, I was on the beeline. While the beeline is not a "hill" by any means, it is a steady climb to the turn around with about 500ft. elevation gain. For the first loop, I was still trying to get my "bike legs" and I was surprised at how hard heading out the beeline felt. It wasn't like it was a huge climb, but I was only averaging about 14mph going up, which totally surprised me! I just tried to keep my cadence up instead of pushing the big gears because I knew I still had 2 1/2 loops to do and I DID NOT want to burn out my legs right away.

Finally, I came to the turn around and I knew it was mostly all down hill from there and I got really excited! I FLEW down the beeline! I felt so fast and it was awesome! I definitely had my "bike legs" at this point and I just cruised back to town. At one point I looked at my Garmin and I was going 28mph! Woohoo!

As I came back towards transition people were lining the street on both sides! Everyone was cheering and it was just amazing! I didn't think I would see my family at all during the bike because we had talked about how difficult it is to really know where an athlete is on the bike and when they are coming. BUT, to my surprise, as I headed to the turn around, I saw my sisters, dad, and niece/nephews on the side of the road screaming at the top of their lungs! I was sooo surprised to see them and so excited that I started to tear up AGAIN! Seriously, I was a mess this entire race! Ha ha!

This is kind of hard to see, but I'm the one on the other side of the road in my blue jacket! That hand is actually my sister's hand..ha ha! I waved and blew kisses to my family as I went by and I just got so excited! Seeing them definitely gave me a burst of energy as I headed out for loop 2.

LOOP 2:
At this point, I started getting hot! I stopped on the side of the road, took off my jacket, and stuffed it in my tri top pocket. Then, I was off for another loop! Once again, I got on the beeline and started cruising. BUT, this time, heading up the beeline felt a lot easier and I found myself averaging around 17-18mph. I chalked it up to finally having my bike legs and I got visions of having a fast loop!

Well, my visions faded pretty fast when I reached the turn around to head back down the beeline. Right as I turned around, I was greeted by a major HEADWIND! I immediately thought, "That's why riding up was so easy...I had a tailwind the entire way!" Then, my next thought was, "CRAP..I'm going to have this nasty wind the entire way down!" There goes the 20+mph miles downhill! I was sooo bummed because I HATE the wind! But, training in CO, where there is almost always wind, really prepared me for it. I decided at that point that I was NOT going to let the wind ruin my day! I knew what I had to do, so I just stayed in aero, put my head down, and just kept on going forward.

Finally, I made it to the Special Needs area (around mile 67). I stopped and an awesome volunteer gave me my bag and helped switch out my nutrition bottles. Honestly, I didn't even want them. I had actually started feeling a little nauseous on my bike and wasn't sure what the problem was. I was taking in my EFS, eating my Honey Stinger waffles and chews, and doing everything the same as I did in training. BUT, my stomach just felt off and a little queasy. I started wondering if maybe swallowing gallons of Tempe Town Lake water was the culprit. I had no idea what to do, so I just kept going, hoping that it would pass. Unfortunately, a short time later I had to make a pit stop...ugh!

Finally, I was winding back to transition and I was sooo glad to be at the end of the 2nd loop. Again, I didn't expect to see my family, but as I got closer to the turn around, THEY WERE THERE! WOOHOO!! My sister actually got this shot of me as I rode by!

She even got a little video of my fly by too, but I can't figure out how to upload it! Again, seeing them gave me the boost I needed to forge ahead for my last and final lap!

LOOP 3:

source

The good thing about doing a 3 loop course is that you know what to expect. The bad thing about doing a 3 loop course is also that you know what to expect. The wind, oh the wind...have I mentioned that I hate wind? Ha ha! At one point, the wind was blowing right at me, then it just stopped and it was calm for about 3 seconds. "Oh no," I thought! Then, this huge gust came from the right just as this guy was passing and we almost crashed into each other! I'm not going to lie, it REALLY scared me! Seriously, the wind just kept getting worse for the rest of the 3rd loop and it just wasn't fun. I was starting to get tired, my neck hurt, and I really wanted to be finished. I actually stopped looking at my Garmin because what I saw was just not making me happy, and I didn't want those negative thoughts in my head. BUT, I was on my 3rd loop, and I was getting it done! I just kept moving forward, getting closer and closer to the finish!

This was taken by someone on beginnertriathlete.com. It turns out he was out there taking pictures of as many BT athletes that he could! How cool is that!?

FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY I came to the fork on the bike course where you could either head to the finish, or continue on for another lap. I was sooo happy to make that right turn into the finish shoot! The volunteers were motioning me towards the dismount line and I pulled up, swung my leg over, and clipped out. The volunteer said, "There you go, that's how to dismount!" I passed my bike to another volunteer who would rack it for me, and headed to the run gear bags. I was surprised at how good my legs felt! I thought they would feel like mush, but they didn't! A volunteer already had my bag out and ready to hand to me...it was awesome!

All the run gear bags in nice little rows!

I ran to the change tent, found a seat right up front, and a volunteer came up and asked if I needed help. As I sat there, amazed that I had just finished the second part of my adventure, I told her that I just needed a minute. She asked me if this was my first IM, and I said yes. It turns out her son and daughter both did their first IM in Austria and it was such an amazing experience for her that she decided to volunteer at IMAZ. How cool is that??

After taking several deep breaths, I took off my helmet, gloves, and bike shoes and started to put on my running stuff. I got my compression socks on easily, slipped on my shoes, put on my visor and race belt and thanked the volunteer over and over again for her help. I took one last long breath, then headed out of the change tent for the last leg of my awesome adventure!

Ironman Arizona - The Swim

2011-11-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Swim
After I said goodbye to my husband I managed to wipe away my tears as I made my way over to the large area where all of the AG athletes were corralled. The air was filled with nervous energy and you could just feel it all around you like a thick fog. Being surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of athletes all at once was just so crazy. I was standing by myself, trying not to think about what I was about to do, and I just started SHAKING. It wasn't that I was cold, but just extremely NERVOUS!

Every once in awhile an athlete would catch a glimpse of someone they knew on the other side of the fence and they would start screaming and shouting to each other. And every time that happened I would get teary eyed all over again.

Suddenly, I heard a cannon go off and I knew the pros had started! Everyone let out a massive cheer! Then, we all just started moving forward. I had no idea where I was going, but I just let the huge crowd take me with them. Before I knew it, we were at the edge of Tempe Town Lake and the announcer said we just had to jump off into the water. I panicked for a minute thinking about having to JUMP into the water, but then more and more athletes kept coming and I knew I had to just do it!

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I jumped in and amazingly, the water didn't feel that cold. I honestly think I was in SHOCK! We had to swim under the bridges to make our way to the start, which was very interesting. I don't think anyone was actually "swimming," but more like just doing whatever they could to move forward. Finally, I came to a point where people were just wadding in the water and I stopped and waded too.

What I saw at that point was just so SURREAL! I could see hundreds and hundreds of green and pink swim caps all around me. I looked up at the bridge and saw the massive amounts of spectators lining the edge. IT WAS AMAZING! Again, I was overcome with emotion and started getting teary eyed again. The problem though was that I was wearing my goggles and they totally fogged up! Ha ha!

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I remember hearing the crowds cheering, hearing the sound of cowbells ringing, then a LOUD cannon ! The start came without any warning and suddenly we were off! My plan to wait awhile after the cannon went off before starting to swim totally went out the window and I JUST STARTED SWIMMING! Right then and there I vowed to just keep moving forward whatever happened.

(I got this video off of YouTube! My favorite part is right at the beginning when there's a girl in the background that says, "Holy F*ck!"...ha ha! Then at the end, this girl says, "That just looks like it sucks!" I love the comments!)

Right after the cannon went off it was just mass chaos. I could feel hands/arms/fingers on my feet and legs and it only made me want to swim faster. When I would come close to someone in front of me I would veer to the left or right to try and move away from them. The only problem was that there really was nowhere to go because people were EVERYWHERE! But, I didn't panic and just kept moving forward.

At one point, some big guy wrapped his entire arm around my head, knocking my goggles off of my face, and pushing me under the water. I swallowed a ton of water and came up choking. It was not fun! He stopped to apologize and make sure I was alright, which I thought was a nice gesture, and I told him I was fine. Thank god I put my goggles on UNDER my swim cap. **If I have any advice about the mass swim starts of triathlons, it is that you should always put your goggles on under your swim cap. That way if they get knocked off, you can put them right back on instead of trying to find them in the water!

After that incident though, there were few times when I came into contact with other athletes, and would swallow tons of water, but for the most part I found myself swimming in open water. IT WAS AWESOME! I couldn't believe it and was just sooo happy!

At the buoy turn around, all of a sudden I heard a guy screaming at the top of his lungs, "Help, help, help!" I stopped swimming and noticed that EVERYONE around me had stopped swimming too. We all looked towards the direction of the guy to make sure he was alright. He was totally panicking and screaming! Then all at once, the hundreds of us around each other all started shouting for someone on a kayak/boat/canoe to help. Finally, a kayak came and the guy grabbed on. I hope he finished the race, but I'm not sure if he did. BUT, that moment was just amazing to me. The fact that all of us, hundreds of us, stopped and worked together to get that guy help was awesome. Although we were all swimming our own races, I truly believe the majority of us were looking out for each other and it was a great feeling.

The swim course is a big rectangle and once I made it around the turn-around buoys I started heading back to the start/finish. For some reason, the swim back seemed to take A LOT longer than the swim out. But, every time I would sight, the Mill Ave. Bridge kept getting closer and closer and it was amazing! I just kept saying, "I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" and I KNEW I was going to finish!!!

FINALLY, I made it under the bridge, around the last turn buoy, and saw the big red TYR flags marking the finish! I was sooo excited and got a huge smile on my face!

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I finally made it to the swim exit "steps" and literally could NOT get my leg up to the top step. It was sooo high! Two volunteers grabbed my arms on each side and pulled me up! I thanked them a ton and ran up to a wetsuit stripper. I have never had wetsuit strippers in a tri before, so it was a totally new experience for me! IT WAS AWESOME! The volunteer whipped my wetsuit off of me soo fast and it was just hilarious to me! I grabbed my wetsuit and headed down the swim exit path towards the bike gear bags. That was the first time I actually felt cold. It's weird how afraid I was of the cold water, but I didn't even notice it until I got out!

I WAS SO EXCITED!! I just kept saying in my head, "I did it, I did it, I did it!!!" I had NO idea what my time was, but I honestly didn't care. All that mattered to me at that point was that I FINISHED! I made it through the part that I was TERRIFIED of and it was an awesome feeling. I started getting emotional again as I ran down the path. The crowd lined the entire path and they were AMAZING! Everyone was shouting and screaming and it was just awesome!

I got to the bike gear area and a volunteer already had my bag out and ready for me! Seriously, the volunteers were amazing! I grabbed my bag and headed to the change tent. There were women everywhere, but I was able to find a chair. I sat down, looked around me, and took a deep breath! Then a volunteer came up to me and helped me get into my bike gear. I put on my arm warmers and a light weight wind jacket because I was so cold! I knew I could always ditch them if I needed to, but I would rather be warm then cold.

All of the bikes waiting for us after the swim!

I headed out of the tent and towards my bike and volunteers were yelling ahead of them, "365, 365!" Before I knew it, a volunteer was handing me my bike and I headed towards the bike exit. AND THAT IS WHEN I SAW THEM! My entire family was there, right passed the bike exit, and I LOST IT again!! I went right up to them, kept saying, "I made it, I made it!", gave them all hugs over the fence, and I was bawling. COMPLETELY BAWLING! They all said good luck, and I headed towards the mount line, wiping the tears from my eyes, ready for the next leg of my adventure!

I'm in the blue jacket. If you click on the picture and make it bigger you can totally tell that I'm crying! I was such a mess!

Ironman Arizona - Pre-Race

2011-11-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
The day before:

I seriously waited until the day of mandatory bike/gear check in to get my things together. It was less stressful for me that way. Getting everything ready and checking off the items on my list as I went was just a crazy process. It is just amazing what goes in to getting it all ready!

These are all of my bags and gear layed out in my room. My mom and sister came in while I was getting everything organized and went "Oh my God! It really is a huge process isn't it?" They really had NO IDEA what was involved in getting ready for my IM. I don't think anyone truly understands the extent of preparation until you've either gone through it yourself or spectated at an IM. I know I sure didn't!!!

My awesome bike ready and waiting!

We headed down to the race site and I was surprised that I didn't have to wait in line at all! I guess we picked a good time to go! I racked my bike, said a little goodbye to it, then headed to gear drop off.

This is a picture of the bike gear bags. I put a strip of bright blue tape on all of my bags so it would be easier to find on race day. Lots of people had the same idea, and those bags definitely stood out!

I have to say that the people that put on these IM races really have it down to a science! It's a good thing too because basically, you don't have to think. You just go where they tell you and do what they say. Everything was just so organized and because I tend to be an organizational freak, it really helped keep my stress level down!

Before we left, I took one last look around knowing that Sunday morning things would look a whole lot different!

Run Gear Bags lined up so neatly

Race Morning:
My husband and I stayed at a hotel close to the race site the night before to alleviate some of the stress of race morning. It was awesome. We got up at 4:15A, I ate my pre-race breakfast of overnight oats (recipe coming soon!), checked my gear bags one last time, and headed out. As we went through the lobby, we saw a group of athletes waiting for the shuttle to take them to the start. We all wished each other good luck, then we got in our car and headed out.

I was kind of nervous at this point, but it hadn't hit me yet that I was doing my IM today! I was just going through the motions and trying to stay calm and relaxed. We got to the transition area and I had to enter the "athlete" only gated area while my husband waited outside. I put my last minute stuff in my gear bags, checked in my special needs bags, and headed towards my bike.

The line to use the pump was sooo long and I was grateful that I brought my own pump with me. The only problem though was that my husband had it and I didn't know where he was. I ended up borrowing someone's phone to call him and eventually we found each other!! I pumped up my tires, shared it with some other athletes around me, then went back to find my husband. I was soo happy that he was there with me. I was a little scatter brained and he was my "rock" that morning, keeping me calm and on top of things. I don't know what I would have done without him there! I left him briefly to visit the port-a-potties, which took FOREVER! You would think that with 2800 nervous athletes they would have tons and tons of port-a-potties, but I guess there are only so many you can fit in a certain area.

Before I knew it, it was time to get into my wetsuit. It was at this point that all of this was becoming REAL! I got my wetsuit on, grabbed my goggles, swim cap, and ear plugs, and put all my morning stuff in a bag, which I handed to my husband. Over the fence he wished me good luck, gave me a kiss, and then I JUST LOST IT!! I just started crying. I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't stop. All of the training, time, and sacrifices had finally come down to this moment and it was just so overwhelming. I was SCARED, anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time. All of those emotions mixed together just made me a HUGE MESS! I was scared of the swim, scared of the cold water, scared of the kicks/punches/grabs that I knew I would experience during the swim, and just scared of the unknown. BUT, I was excited to finally get it going! I didn't know what lay ahead of me, but I DID know that I WAS going to be an Ironman at the end of the day...no matter what!

I'm All Checked In!

2011-11-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of athlete check-in, so my husband and I headed down to Tempe Beach Park to get things started.

This was one of the first things I saw:

The bike transition...completely empty! I definitely got some butterflies walking by that area!

Check-in was scheduled to start at 10A, which is roughly when we got there, and there was already a line. Fortunately, it went pretty quickly and before I knew it, it was my turn to check in!!!

I started getting more butterflies as I moved through the different tables. BUT, it wasn't until I got my wristband and actual packet where the volunteer pulled everything out and walked me through it all that it REALLY hit me that I WAS DOING AN IRONMAN!!! Although I had tons of butterflies at this point, I also got really, really excited!

I walked out, found my husband, and of course had him take my picture! Ha ha!

I have my wristband, my goodie bag, and the warm sunshine on my face! :)

We headed to the bike area to find my bike spot, #365.

Then, we dropped off all of my stuff back at our car, and headed out for a 40min. run. We were able to do 1 section of the run course and it was awesome! I was so happy to be able to preview part of the course before race day. People had already started writing little notes of encouragement on the path, and I have no doubt those will help me through the run!

When I got home I laid out all my bags, took a picture, and quickly put them away. Ha ha! I figured I still have one more day to get things organized, and I just didn't want to stress about it...yet!

An impromptu OWS!

2011-11-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

First let me just say that WE MADE IT TO ARIZONA!!! Woohoo! The trip actually went really well and our boys did so much better than we could have imagined! :)

So, Sunday morning I was looking up some information about places to do some open water swimming and just happened to see an advertisement for an OWS race in Tempe Town Lake, where the IMAZ swim will be. It turns out that DCB adventures, which hosts a lot of open water swim races throughout AZ was doing a make-up race!!! I got so excited and contacted the race organizers right away to see if I could do it last minute and they said, "Come on down!" Woohoo!

I thought this was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up because 1) I'd get to swim part of the IMAZ course 2) I'd get to test out the water temp. and see if I needed to purchase a neoprene cap/booties and 3) I'd get to practice swimming in my wetsuit again, which I haven't been able to swim in since Sept. b/c all the open water swim places close in CO b/c the water just gets too cold.

I got all of my stuff together, packed up some shovels for the boys to play with in the sand, and headed towards Tempe Town Lake. My husband got the boys set up in the sand while I registered. It was a little pricey ($50 for the race and $15 for a 1day US master's pass), but in my mind it was well worth the money!

I was # 173

The race had a 4000m, 2000m, and 1000m swim. I would have liked to have done the 4000m, but it started earlier in the morning and I couldn't make it to the lake on time. So, I opted to do the 2000m swim. Before I knew it, it was time to get in the water. The announcer said the temp. was around 62 degrees! Brrr!!! I stepped in and it was pretty cold at first. I didn't want to put my face in the water, but knew I needed to before the race started. So, I just went for it! It was a shock at first, but it actually wasn't that bad. In my mind I thought it was going to be soooo much colder than it was, and I was so relieved that is wasn't.

There were about 15-20 people doing the 2000m race and we all made out way out to the bouys. The announcer counted down from 5, then we were off! Everyone pretty much took off in front of me, but I eased myself into the swim. One thing I DID NOT want to do was go out too hard because this was not a "race" to me, but just a practice swim. It felt weird swimming in my wetsuit, and again I was thankful to have this opportunity.

Overall, the swim went pretty well! I didn't really feel that cold during the swim, but my little toes did start to go a little numb towards the end. Since I'll be doing 2X this distance on Sunday, hopefully my toes won't go completely numb, but I don't think they will (fingers crossed!). :)

Happy to be done! That's the Mill Ave. bridge behind me where I'll be swimming under on Sunday!

Oh, and look at the cool stuff I got! I was just happy being able to swim at TTL, but getting cool swag is always fun! :)

* A great bag
* A new water bottle
* An awesome pint glass that we got when we finished!

Arizona Here We Come!

2011-11-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your comments on my stomach bug blues. :) I did end up resting, and I think it was definitely what I needed! It really sucked being sick, but I'm happy to say that the stomach bug has passed through our entire household and moved on! Woohoo!

Now, onto THIS post! :)

I have been crazy busy getting everything together and our house is in utter chaos! Not only do I have race stuff to pack, but I have to pack for a 2 week vacation too...for me, my husband, and our two boys!! Granted, my husband packed all of his stuff in like 5minutes, but for some reason, it just takes me longer to pack up the rest of the stuff. I think it's because I never know what I'll need, so I tend to pack more rather than less.

Anyways, here are some of the piles we have going on in our house right now!

* Race day nutrition
* Water bottles
* Snacks for our road trip
* Gadgets galore!
* Activity books for the boys

* All of my clothes and racing gear

My husband's pile was like 1/4 of mine! Ha ha!

* My bike and my husband's bike (I'm dragging him along for some training rides!)
* Racing wheels
* Bike stand/tools
* Suitcases
* Our boys' scooters and helmets (Yes, this might be a little much, but the weather in AZ is going to be in the 70s which means they will be outside ALL day!)

Phew..that's a lot of stuff! The drive is supposed to be around 12 hours long, but with 2 young boys, we know it will take us MUCH longer! We're leaving tonight after my husband gets off work and hoping to make it 3-4hrs. down the road. We just want to at least take a small chuck of time out of the total trip. Hopefully our boys will do well with the long drive, but I know there will be some "moments!" One thing is for sure though, it will definitely be an ADVENTURE! :)

Stomach Bug Blues

2011-11-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

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Both of my sons have been sick this week with some sort of stomach bug. It hasn't been pretty! I was praying and hoping that I wouldn't get it, but unfortunately, I did. Last night was pretty rough because throwing up is never fun. I think I spent more time in the bathroom then I did in my bed. Ugh!

But now, my stress level has totally increased! Because my boys were home sick and basically just laying around when they weren't throwing up, I couldn't get in any workouts. The only thing I've done this week was my last long run on Monday. There is NO WAY I can do anything today...I'm barely able to sit up let alone swim/bike/run. I could potentially do something tomorrow, but it all depends on my stomach. So, I'm kind of freaking out!!

What should I do? I feel like I should and need to work out because I have an IM in 11 days! BUT, I also feel like I need to let my body rest and get rid of this stupid stomach bug! I'm afraid of overdoing it and getting even more sick. This is just really cruddy timing. But, I guess getting the stomach bug next week before my race would have been even worse, so maybe I should be grateful that I got it now? Ugh!

I know I usually keep this blog pretty upbeat, and I'm sorry if this post sounds like a bunch of whining...I just needed to vent.

It's Taper Time!!

2011-11-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

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I have officially started tapering for IMAZ which is only 13 DAYS AWAY!!!! OH MY GOD!!! Seriously, didn't I just register for this race?? Ha ha!

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Last weekend I had my longest ride and long run consisting of a 6hr ride and a 20M run. I have to tell you that I was NOT looking forward to doing it, but I got it done! In fact, my run was one of the best runs I've had throughout my entire training. I felt awesome and finished knowing that I could have definitely ran 6.2 miles more! I know at IMAZ my marathon will be following a 2.4M swim and 112M bike, but I'm feeling ready...I really am, and it's an amazing, awesome feeling!

Taper crazies?? Not me!

I know a lot of people tend to go a little crazy during taper week, but I have to tell you that I am actually really enjoying it. Training for an IM is HARD! It's hard on your body, hard on your mind, and hard on your family. I haven't had a full weekend day with my husband and boys in a LONG time and I'm ready to have that time back. I am tired of the long workouts and am just DONE at this point.

Plus, the weather is starting to get really sketchy here with COLD temps (30-40 degrees) and snow so it is making it harder to do workouts outside. I did a 4hr. trainer ride on Saturday and it sucked. The only thing that made it doable was the fact that I watched the 2010 Ironman World Championship that I recorded last year. I can't wait for NBCs broadcast of this years race!!

I have a 2hr. run to do today, then it's all swim/bike/runs 1hr. or less from this point on. I am soooo looking forward to NOT having to go long anymore.

Well, not until race day! :)

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What I AM stressed about though is getting everything packed and ready for our trip. We leave THIS FRIDAY night for a long road trip to AZ. We are driving the 12hr. trip in 2 days with our boys, and it should be very interesting!

I'm glad I'll have a week before the race to ride and run some of the bike/run course because it's always better when you know what to expect. But, I'm just starting to get a little freaked out that my race is 13 DAYS AWAY!!! I keep having these little panic thoughts where I just let out a long sigh. At first, my husband would ask me what was wrong, but now he's so used to them he just ignores me. Ha ha!

All in all though, I am ready. I'm nervous, anxious, but mostly just really, really excited! IMAZ here I come!!

Humpastry Day - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2011-11-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I know it has been a LONG time since I posted a Humpastry Day recipe. With all of my IM training, I have been cutting down on the amount of "treats" we have in the house. So, when I feel like a treat, I've been baking things that I know I love, instead of creating knew things.

BUT, when I woke up to this:

I had a strong desire for something warm, gooey, and comforting. I didn't want cookies, chocolate, or anything overly sweet (I've had my fair share of Halloween candy....ugh!). Then, I got a flashback of eating my mom's cinnamon rolls that she would make us. They are awesome and delicious and just what I wanted! BUT, they don't have the best ingredients in them. Plus, there's no way I can make them as good as hers...there's just something about HER making them that makes them so yummy!

I looked in my pantry and saw my rows and rows of canned pumpkin. I MAY have a problem with buying canned pumpkin every time I see it on sale! Ha ha!

Anyways, I suddenly got the idea of making pumpkin cinnamon rolls! YUM! I got on my computer, googled it, and there were tons and tons of recipes. I looked through some of the ones I thought sounded good, then decided to tweak the recipes to make them a little bit healthier.

The result is a cinnamon roll that is not too sweet, has a hint of pumpkin flavor, and brings out all the smells/tastes of fall. AND, I have to say that they were better than ones I've had at pastry shops where you can taste all the butter/oil in them. The pumpkin puree makes them a little more dense than traditional cinnamon rolls, so they are not as light and fluffy, but they are still pretty good! Warm, gooey, yumminess! :)

*Note: These do take quite a bit of time to prepare, but most of it involves just waiting for the dough/rolls to rise. This is a perfect thing to make on a cold, winter day..or a snow day, as was my case. My boys loved helping me, but they loved eating them even more! :)

Ingredients:
Makes roughly 15 cinnamon rolls

For the Dough:
* 1/4C warm water
* 2 1/4tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 package)
* 1/3C warm almond milk (you can use soy or regular milk too)
* 1 flax egg (1Tbl, ground flax mixed with 3Tbl. water) (or you can use 1 egg)
* 3/4C pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
* 1Tbl. melted Earth Balance butter
* 1 1/4C whole wheat pastry flour
* 2C all-purpose flour
* 1/2C brown sugar
* 1tsp. salt
* 1Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

For the filling:
* 1Tbl. melted Earth Balance butter
* 1/3C brown sugar
* 1Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

For the Glaze:
* 1/2 -1C powdered sugar (I always start with 1/2C, then add more depending on taste)
* 1/2tsp. vanilla
* 1Tbl. almond milk

Directions:
1. Stir yeast into the warm water and set aside. In another bowl, mix the ground flax and water together and set aside. Let both sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix almond milk, salt, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4C whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the yeast mixture and flax egg and beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
3. Slowly add the all-purpose flour, 1/2C at a time, until the dough is stiff and ready to knead.

4. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. *Note: during the kneading, I am constantly flouring my hands and the surface to keep the dough from sticking.

5. Place the dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides.

6. Cover with plastic wrap/wax paper and let rise in a warm spot for 1-1 1/2hours, or until dough has roughly doubled in size. *Note: I did this on a cold day, so I actually placed my dough in the oven set at 100degrees.

7. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it into a roughly 16"x12" rectangle.

9. Mix the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl. Spread the melted butter onto the dough. Then, sprinkle the dough with the brown sugar mixture.

10. Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log.

11. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 1" pieces and place in a greased 13"x9" pan. You should get around 15 pieces.

12. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise one more time until doubled in size, about 45min.

13. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
14. While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting. Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Mix until smooth. Like I mentioned above, I start with 1/2C powdered sugar and add more to taste.
15. Let the rolls cool slightly before frosting.
16. Serve warm and enjoy! Yum, yum, yum! :)

Going Long Again and Advice Needed

2011-10-25T10:38:00.000-06:00

...bullet style

* Once again, Kathleen and I ventured out for another long bike ride. We decided to meet a little later b/c of the cold temps, but it was still cold enough for ear warmers, arm warmers, jackets, and knee warmers. Brrr! The ride went really well for the most part. However, after about 4hrs, the winds started picking up. It was so strong and we ended up having to ride in a headwind for over an hour! Ugh! But, we finally made it to our cars 5 1/2 hrs. and roughly 90M later! Woohoo!

* After we got to our cars, we went our separate ways. Kathleen had a little longer to ride, and I needed to do an hour run. I was cold after I got off my bike and completely sick of the wind and debated whether or not I wanted to do my run. I called my husband and told him I didn't know if I was going to run and he said, "Go for your run. You need to do it. It's good training for you." He was right, of course. Thanks to his words of support, I headed out on my run. I had my tri top on and arm warmers, but I was still sooo cold! The winds were crazy and blowing me all around. I felt good on the run, but after 40min. I called it quits. I was freezing and just done.

* For my brick I had on a pair of tri shorts that were probably 5 years old. My other ones were dirty (With all this training I just can't seem to keep up with the laundry!), so I figured they would be fine. WRONG! On the entire bike ride, my shorts kept riding up and up and up and I was constantly pulling them down, which is not easy to do while riding. It was sooo annoying! Then, on my run, they did the same thing!! I was so sick of those shorts, which is another reason why I cut my run short. As soon as I got home, I threw the shorts in the trash!!! I don't know how long tri shorts are supposed to last, but I figured getting 5 years out of them was good enough!

* On Monday I had my long run: 2:45. Although I have my nutrition figured out for the bike for IMAZ, I have been stressing over what to do for the run. I have been training with water, EFS, and gels, but I've also been using my Nathan 4bottle waist belt where I'm able to carry all my nutrition with me. I know I DO NOT want to wear my hydration belt for IMAZ, so I've been trying to figure out what to do. I have a little 8oz. handheld that I'll be using, but it's just not enough to make it to the run special needs bag to refill my EFS.

SO....I experimented on my long run yesterday. What I decided to do was just use water and take an Endurolyte pill every 30min. and a gel every 45min. IT WORKED PERFECTLY! I did not miss the EFS at all and in fact, I had the BEST run of my entire training plan! I felt strong and smooth, and felt I could keep going! It was awesome!
So, I need some advice: Do you think that's a good plan? Is there anything wrong with just using water and Endurolytes for the run? I figured I could always get a cup of Perform/coke if I felt I needed it during IMAZ, and I am still planning on having some EFS in my 8oz handheld to start and in my special needs bag. So, what do you think? Any advice/ideas/etc. would be greatly appreciated!

* I have a new love...Strawberry Banana Mix 1. I have a REALLY hard time eating anything after my long bricks and long runs. Sometimes I can't even get chocolate milk down. BUT, I won a case of Mix 1 drinks a month ago and they are AWESOME! They are the perfect recovery drink for me after my bricks/runs.
Here are some facts about them:
~ It is an all natural protein drink
~ Free of lactose, gluten, soy, and caffeine
~ Has 3 servings of fruits/veggies
~ Full of antioxidants

They are kind of pricey, but I only use 2/week, so I figured it was a good investment because it allows me to get something into my body to help recover from my long workouts. Plus, they are super yummy!! I love them!! Do any of you drink Mix 1??

My Long Run - In Numbers

2011-10-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd switch things up a bit with this post!

49 - the temperature when I started my run....brrrr!

1 - pair of hot pink CEP compression socks that I'm planning on wearing at IMAZ. I know the colors totally clash, but I have my reasons for wearing them (a post to come).

5 - the number of house painters that completely starred at me as I left my cul-de-sac and headed out for my run

2 - the number of dogs I encountered on the trail that I thought would jump on me/bite me because their owners did not pull their leashes tight! Ugh!!

75+ - the number of beautiful fall trees I ran by. The red, orange, brown, and green colors are sooo beautiful this time of year!

2 - the number of bathroom breaks I had to do because I didn't make the best choice for breakfast...ugh!

2 - the number of snakes I came across on the trail

1 - the number of snakes I almost stepped on because I was looking at the other one! I saw it at the last minute and did this crazy jump/skip thing over it because it completely freaked me out!

1 - the number of times I may have screamed because of that snake!

2 - the number of Hammer gels consumed. Yum!

5 - the number of Honey Stinger gels consumed. Yum, yum!

1 - the number of hours I had to run without my ipod b/c it died! I guess it's good training for IMAZ, but I really missed my music!

2:30 - the total time of my run! Woohoo!

365 - my bib number for IMAZ! For some reason, seeing my bib number made this whole thing "real." My heart seriously skipped a beat when I saw my number and I got goosebumps all over my arms!

Confidence Boosters!

2011-10-17T13:56:00.000-06:00

wordle.com

Have you ever had one of those workouts when everything just seems to come together? When your nutrition is spot on? When your body feels strong? When you end the workout feeling great instead of worn out?

Well, this past weekend, I had an absolutely awesome training day! I had a 5:15bike/1:00run brick to do. The weather was going to be perfect, unlike last weekend, so I was excited to do this outside. I met up with my friends Bine (she's doing IMFL), and Kathleen at Dare to Dream. Bine brought along another girl, Julie, who is doing IMFL too. It was a little chilly when we headed out, but non of us complained because we were just grateful to be outside riding.

I have really been focusing on my nutrition for my long bricks because they're really the only workouts that kind of simulate race day. I am pretty positive that I have my nutrition down and I'm sooo happy! I know that nutrition will be a MAJOR factor for me at IMAZ!! So, one of my goals for this workout was to test out my nutrition again.

We were all keeping a good pace and having a great ride! We basically did an out and back, and the ride was going really well until the turn around. At this point, the winds really started picking up. The place we were riding is basically out in the middle of nowhere. PLUS, there is no shelter from the wind because there are just wide open fields all around us. So, when the wind picks up, it's tough! Julie started dropping further and further behind. She was just having a really difficult time with the wind. At first we were riding at a slower pace so she could kind of keep up with us, but eventually, we had to make a decision of what to do. Bine had a little powwow with her and Bine, Kathleen, and I just decided to keep going. On one hand, I felt bad leaving her behind, but on the other hand, these bricks are my big training days and there's a point when you have to do what's best for you. Plus, the whole reason why I get up so early to do these bricks when the sun comes up is so I get home at a reasonable hour and still have time to spend with my family. I still felt really bad, but we all knew going into the ride that we would be dropped if we couldn't keep up. But still.... What would you have done?

Anyways, we kept on keeping on and I felt really strong! We were pushing the pace, because we all needed to get back, but it was tough out there! At some points, we were pushing it and only going 13mph!!! The last 10miles were the worst! We had to climb lots of rollers and my legs were really feeling it! I was a little worried about how my legs were going to do on my run, but I just tried to focus getting done with the bike.

Finally, we reached our cars! Woohoo!!! Now, it was time to get ready for the run. I did a semi-quick transition and headed out for my run.

Right from the get go, my legs felt great! I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was running around an 8:00 pace. Woah...better slow down! BUT, I tried to slow down, but my body just wanted to go! So, I stopped looking at my Garmin and just started running by feel. I could tell I was pushing myself, but I felt good! I got to the 30min. mark, then turned around and headed back to my car. I kept waiting to hit some sort of "wall," but that never happened. I think I had a smile on my face throughout my entire run. :) I got back to my car and just spent a few minutes soaking it all in!

I felt great. I felt strong. I felt confident. It was an awesome feeling! :) These types of workouts make all the cruddy ones soooo worth it!

Indoor Fun!

2011-10-11T09:46:00.001-06:00

This past weekend, we had a cold front move into Colorado, so I knew I would have to do my long brick inside. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but I knew I just needed to get it done!

My alarm went off at 4AM and I DID NOT want to get up. It was so warm and cozy in my covers, but I managed to drag myself out of bed, get dressed, and head to my basement.

Here is where I would spend the next 6 hours!

Yes, that is a concrete wall! Our basement isn't finished yet, so it's a little creepy. BUT, it makes for a great workout area!

This is my "Motivational Wall" This is right next to my treadmill and I love it!

Here I am at the beginning. A little sleepy eyed, but I'm ready to go!!

I started my bike workout by doing the IMAZ spinerval. Coach Troy is awesome! My husband and I have quite a collection of spinervals and I have to say I really like them.
The IMAZ spinerval was roughly 2hrs. long, and basically did 1 loop of the 3 loop IMAZ bike course. Doing the spinerval actually made the first 2hrs. go by pretty quickly. Coach Troy had a lot of great tips throughout the workout that I plan on incorporating at IMAZ. One of the big things was that because the course is relatively flat, you'll be able to go pretty fast. He said a lot of people will go super fast, because of their egos, and end up burning out their legs. Instead, he suggested really concentrating on cadence during the first part of the 1st loop to make sure that you don't go too fast or try to push a bigger gear, which will kill you legs pretty quickly. Overall, I liked the spinerval and thought it would be a good resource for anyone doing IMAZ.

I was originally planning on doing the spinerval twice, but decided to put in a movie instead. I ended up watching 2 movies, which really helped the time go by. BUT, I have to say, after 4hrs, I was dragging. I was ready to be OFF of my bike and I was tired of being in the basement. Because I was home, I could have easily quit, but I pushed through those thoughts and continued on!

FINALLY, I was done! WOOHOO!

73 miles isn't too bad for a 5hr. trainer ride! Besides, it's all about time in the saddle..right??!

SOOOO glad to be done with the bike! I don't know if you can tell, but my hair and shirt are completely soaked!!

After a quick change of shoes, I was onto the treadmill for my 1hr. run!

I started off at an easy pace for the first 15minutes and my legs felt great! Gradually, I increased my pace and just kept on going. Before I knew it, I was almost done with my run! I couldn't believe the time went by so quickly! Then, I looked down, and this is what I saw:

YES!!!

5 hours on the trainer....DONE!

1 hour on the treadmill...DONE!

Woohoo!!!

I went upstairs, and this is what I saw:

Are you kidding me? BRRRRR!!
I am soo glad I decided to do my workout inside!

I was pretty gross and I'm pretty sure I smelled awful, so I took a shower, and pulled on my favorite Zoot recovery tights. I also put on my favorite warm and cozy slippers. :)

For the rest of the day, we hooked up our laptop to our TV and watched the live streaming of KONA! What an awesome race! AND, I cannot believe Chrissie ended up winning! She is just simply amazing!

A week in review and other things too

2011-10-07T16:39:00.000-06:00

Training:
My training volume for IMAZ has REALLY started getting intense!! With only 6 weeks left, my long bike rides are getting into the 5-6hr. range and my long runs are nearing the 2:30 mark. So far, I am feeling good. I haven't had any problems with my knee (woohoo!) and I feel like I'm getting stronger every week! :)

BUT, there have been times when I'm relaxing with my boys on the couch reading books and I feel myself starting to fade. I know that if I could, I would be able to just lay down and take a nap! Ha ha!

Source

But, like this picture, if I did that, who knows what kind of mischief my boys would get in to! :)

Biking:
Last weekend I did a 90M bike/6M run brick and the weather was perfect!! This weekend, not so much! Check out the forecast for the weekend:

Umm....I was supposed to be doing a 5hr/1hr. brick on Saturday outside. BUT, that WON'T be happening!! I am a cold wuss!! Plus, I don't really like the idea of being outside in freezing temps and rain! Sunday is clear, but don't let that fool you. The temps. in the AM will still be COLD, COLD, COLD!!! So, because of the weather, I have decided to do it on my trainer/treadmill! I'm going to aim for getting up at 4AM and just knocking it out!
I'll be watching this, twice, which I've been saving for a long trainer day.

Hopefully I'll make it through!!
Have any of you ever done a 5hr. trainer ride??? How did you survive it??

Other Things Too:

Remember this ugly blood blister I got? Well, after reading all of your comments, I was all set to pop it, lube it up with ointment, and put on some mole skin. BUT, the next day, when I woke up, it actually wasn't that bad. So, I decided to just let it be. Now, it still looks pretty gross, but it's healing nicely!!

The other day my son came running downstairs as proud as can be because he had gotten dressed all by himself. (Normally we still have to help him with his shirt)! This is how he "dressed" himself!! His pants were inside out and his shirt was on backwards!!! Ha ha! My husband and I tried so hard not to laugh because he was so proud of himself, but he was just a complete mess! :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!!!
I'm excited to watch some of the live feed from KONA! I think it's going to be a really exciting race this year!!! :)

Should I pop it??

2011-10-04T09:22:00.000-06:00

Last night, my husband pointed out that I hadn't written a post since Sept. 20th! Yikes! Seriously, I do NOT know where time is going. My IMAZ training is really ramping up and I just feel like with my training, my boys' school stuff, housework, etc.. I'm barely managing to hold it all together. Plus, there have been some things going on with my mom that I don't want to get into now, that has been occupying a lot of my time as well. Anyways, I'm a total blogger slacker. Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly soon!

Back to the point of THIS post. Yesterday, I did my longest run to date for IMAZ training, 2 hours. Woohoo!! Last week, when I did my long run, I started getting some pressure pain on the balls of my feet, so I thought that I would try a more cushioned sock, that is known to be a good running sock, this time around. BIG MISTAKE!!! At the 30min. mark, I could already feel a blister forming on the side of my big toe. I thought about going into a school and asking for a Band aid, but I figured they would think I was a freak, so I just dealt with it and hoped for the best.

Well, by the end of my run it hurt really bad. When I got home, I immediately took off my shoes and socks and this is what I found:

OUCH! No wonder my toes hurt so bad! AND, yes, I know my feet/toes are ugly....I'm training for an Ironman...what do you expect??! Ha ha! :)

So, here's a question for you: Do I pop it? Or, do I just let it be?

I'm thinking about popping it just because I know the next time I run, which is tomorrow, it will probably pop on the run?! RIGHT? But, I've also heard that if you pop it, it can get infected leading to a bigger, more painful problem. What would you do???

On another note, I had an awesome run! I did a 90M bike/6M run brick on Saturday and felt great. But, I didn't know how my legs would do on my long run. Well, I was actually surprised at how good I felt. Maybe all this training is actually starting to pay off?! Woohoo! :)

A Handful is all you need!

2011-09-20T10:07:00.000-06:00

Source

For as long as I can remember I have been on a search for the perfect sports bra. I have tried sooo many in hopes of finding "the one," only to be disappointed time and time again. They either chafe, don't fit right, don't give the right amount support, or give us the dreaded uniboob! I don't know what most sports bra manufacturers are thinking, but women DO NOT want a UNIBOOB!! Support...yes, uniboob...NO!

Now, I will be the first to admit that I have never been a "well-endowed" woman. But, after having 2 kids which I nursed, what I did have pretty much disappeared. And, I know there are many women out there that have experienced the same thing. So, it became even more difficult to find something that worked for me.

Enter the Handful...

I was given the opportunity to try out a Handful sports bra, and I was ecstatic! I had read so many great reviews about it, but to be honest, I had my doubts.

BUT, this sports bra ROCKS! It is cute, flattering, supportive, and super comfortable! And, I have had ZERO chaffing issues with it, which is key.

PLUS, you can wear it for any and every activity! I have worn it for yoga, biking, running, hiking, and during tris, and it is awesome! I have even worn it as an every day bra because it is just sooo comfortable!

Oh, and I thought that I might be able to see the cute ruching on the front under my shirts, but you can't see it! It's awesome!

My husband took the pics and made me flex...ha ha. Seriously though, if you put this bra on, you would flex too because it just makes you feel like a strong, powerful woman!

I have had this sports bra since June and I have to tell you that it still feels like it's brand new. After repeated use, the straps haven't stretched out, the seams haven't fallen apart, and I can just tell that it was made to last! To me, this is important because as an active athlete that works out pretty much every day, I need something that will last. I cannot afford to buy a new sports bra every 6months!

Plus, it comes in this cute mesh bag that doubles as a laundering bag for your washer! How cool is that??

You can find out all about the Handful from their website HERE. Seriously, if you have been searching for the perfect sports bra, you should give the Handful a try. :)

*Note: Although I was given a Handful to try and review, these are my own thoughts and opinions based on my own experience.

Harvest Moon HIM Race Report

2011-09-13T10:18:00.000-06:00

Or otherwise known as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly....

I was excited to do this race again because it was my first HIM I ever did! Plus, there were 3 other TriBella teammates doing it, and we were all in the same wave, so I thought it would be pretty fun!

I'm going to do this race report a little different than my other race reports because I just didn't feel like this was an actual "race," but more of a LONG training day for IMAZ. So, here goes...

THE GOOD:

The swim:
Time: 41:18 (Not too bad considering it includes a LONG run from the beach, up a hill, into transition)
If someone would have said that the swim would be the best part of my race, I would have laughed uncontrollably! But, they would have been right.

My husband actually came with me to watch the start, and it was so nice having him there! I was surprisingly, very calm at the start and was just READY to go! The funny thing about IM training is that what once seems like a FAR distance, no longer seems so bad. After doing the 2.4M swim race last week, looking out at the buoys for the 1.2M swim seemed completely doable and I LOVED that feeling!

The start was a little rough, but after awhile I was able to find my own space and just get into a nice groove.

I finished the swim, and saw my husband! Yay!! I gave him a kiss and headed towards transition.

THE BAD
Bike:
Time: 2:58:59 (18.8MPH Avg.)
I hopped on my bike and headed out. Right away I felt kind of weird, but didn't think much about it. I got into aero and just made it my goal to ride at a good pace, but not push it too hard. I didn't want to "race" this because I didn't want to risk having a long recovery and not be able to get my training in for IMAZ.

Source

THE WIND....OH, THE WIND!!! Mother Nature played a MEAN trick on all of us during the bike. The course is pretty much in the middle of nowhere on country roads that have absolutely no cover. So, when the wind blows, you get blown around, and I got blown around A LOT! There were times that I actually got out of aero because I wanted to have more control of my bike because I was afraid of crashing.

I got a huge HEADACHE that was pounding pretty much the entire time. It sucked! So, with all the focus on the wind, not crashing, and my head, I forgot to hydrate! I don't know what happened, but I just wasn't paying attention to the time, distance, or anything. In my mind, I thought I WAS drinking enough, but after the race, I looked at my water bottles and realized I ONLY drank about 48oz. of fluid! WTF????!!!

I got into transition, felt like a TRUCK had run over me, and took my time getting ready for the run. I almost thought about stopping, but that's just not in my character, so I kept on going.

THE UGLY:
The Run:
Time: 2:31:13 (11:33 avg. pace)
Right when I started running, I knew this was going to be really tough. My head still really hurt, and I just didn't have any energy at all.
The aid stations were roughly every mile, and THEY SAVED ME! Normally, I don't even need/have to stop at every aid station, but this was not a normal day.

I decided to do a run/walk strategy where I would walk the aid stations, drink what I could, and run between them. I thought this would get me through alright, but by mile 3 I realized I had stopped sweating. My head was fuzzy and I began to think that I may not be able to finish. It was soooo hot and the sun was beating down on me and I could feel my skin burning.

Then, my entire torso started to tighten and cramp up. My stomach muscles ached and I felt like I was on the verge of throwing up the ENTIRE time! IT WAS HORRIBLE! So, instead of running between aid stations, I just started walking as fast as I could and running whenever I could.

Finally, I had 1M left. People were cheering and shouting, "You're almost there!" but I COULD NOT run. It was so bizarre. Then, I saw the finish line and started running, but my stomach hurt so bad! I just wanted it to be OVER, so I pushed through the pain and finally crossed those mats.

My husband took this picture as I came in. He said he barely recognized me because my "running" form was do different. Look how tight and scrunched my upper body is...

THEN, the best part....THE SLIP-N-SLIDE!! It was awesome! The water was cold and it was just what I needed. I got out, found my family, and immediately sat down. I wanted to wait for my teammates to finish, but my family had been there waiting for me a LONG time, so after I felt a little better, I just got my stuff and we headed out.

When I got home, guess what I realized?

I got completely BURNED out there! I did put sunscreen on before the swim, but obviously, it wasn't enough. I should have reapplied after the bike to avoid this. It hurts sooo bad and totally could have been prevented!

All in all, it was a pretty tough day for me. I'm glad I did it, but there were some pretty low points during that race. I don't know what happened on the bike with my nutrition. I KNOW how important it is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, but my head was out of it...it was weird.

So, while I didn't have the best race, I did learn a some very important lessons!
1. I just CANNOT get behind on my hydration/nutrition because there is no way to make up for it. I think from this point on I am going to set my Garmin to beep every 10/15min. That way even if my head gets fuzzy, that beeping will keep me on track.
2. I learned that I'm a little tougher than I thought I was. It was a total suck fest on that run, and I was in pain, but I pushed through as best as I could and finished! I am proud of myself for finishing, even if it did take me a very long time. :)

A week in review and other things too

2011-09-10T11:11:00.000-06:00

Training:

This week has been all about the taper! I am racing in the Harvest Moon HIM tomorrow! This race was the first HIM I ever did, so I am super excited to be racing it again! The temps. are supposed to be perfect for the race, so I'm praying to the weather gods to keep it that way! There is a slip-n-slide at the end that I'm also super excited about!!! It should be good times! :)

Check out the goodies we got!! Lots of great stuff, an awesome women's cut tech shirt, and a PINT Glass!

Look at how cool this pint glass is?! I LOVE it! :)

* Park to Park 10M:
Well, I was supposed to do this race as an easy training run and had every intention of doing so. BUT, once the race started, I just started RACING! I don't know what it is, but in a race, my body just goes! With all of my IMAZ training, I don't really get to run FAST a lot, so it actually felt really good to speed things up a bit. I wanted to know what I could do. So, I just kept running at a pace that felt not too hard, but not too easy either. I felt awesome the entire time and finished strong! I ended up finishing the 10M in 1:21 with an average pace of 8:06!! WOOHOO!

I was worried about being sore and jeopardizing my "taper" week, but I wasn't even really sore the next day!! Seriously, I am continually amazed at what bodies can do with proper training!

Other Things Too:

When we moved, we couldn't take our dog house with us because we just didn't have room. So, my husband built a new house for our dog and it is awesome! Our boys love it! AND, I have a feeling they might be using it more than our dog..ha ha!

So, what do you do when you have a new dog house? Paint it Fire Engine Red of course!!!

The finished product! :)

* I hope you all have a great weekend!
I'm completely behind on reading blogs, but hopefully after my race tomorrow I'll have some down time to get caught up! :)

I DID IT! My longest OWS to date!

2011-09-04T16:42:00.000-06:00

Saturday I participated in the 3rd annual Racing Underground 1.2 & 2.4M Open Water Swim Race. This is a pretty low key event, with no swag and no awards, but we did have timing chips, which was nice. There were about 100 other people doing the race, which was the perfect amount for me to practice not panicking in a mass start. Plus, with the 2.4M option, it was great for my IMAZ training.

The race was supposed to start at 6:30, which is a good thing, because lately the sun isn't even coming up until then (hello Fall)! I got to the reservoir around 6 and it was still really dark out. AND COLD!! In the last couple of days, we've had a "cold" front move in which has dropped our daytime temps into the 80s. It's awesome during the day, but Saturday morning it was in the 50s and there was a crazy WIND that made it feel even colder. The water temp. was in the 70s, so it was actually nicer to be in the water then out of it! :)

Here's a map of the race course. It was this huge rectangle that pretty much spanned the entire reservoir. It is 1.2M, so for the 2.4M swim, we did two laps. I thought the buoys looked really FAR away and got a little panicked about the distance.

As I was putting on my wetsuit, someone behind asked, "Is that Aimee from I Tri To Be Me?" I was really surprised as I turned around and said, "Yes.." It ended up being a guy named Steve (hi Steve!) that said he recognized me from my blog! I was a little embarrassed, but we got to talking and he was super nice! He helped keep my nerves at bay before we started! We went down to the start together, then I lost track of him as we were warming up. He was doing the 1.2M swim, so I hope he had a good swim! :)

Before I knew it, it was time to start! We started on the beach, but the water level has dropped so much that I'd say the first 50ft. was only up to my knees/thighs. The timing mat was on the beach, but honestly I didn't even start swimming for awhile, so I started my watch as I was walking through the water.

source

The mass start wasn't bad at all and I had almost no contact, which was great! BUT, the one bad thing about the race starting right when the sun was coming up was that we were swimming right INTO it! Seriously, I could NOT see a thing! I got off course so many times it was insane! At one point I went to sight and was swimming diagonally into the wrong direction and I almost ran into a boat! OOPS!!

Other than the sun, the first lap went pretty well, but it felt really LONG! I just kept seeing buoy after buoy and I was glad to finally go around the final turn back to the start. I came to the end of the first lap and had to walk through the water again in order to start my second lap. I'm not going to lie, it was a nice little break! :)

Again, on the 2nd lap it was into the sun...ugh! It was soooo hard to see the buoy and it was really frustrating. AND, again, I kept getting off course. It was a little choppy, so I don't know if it was the waves, or not being able to see the buoy, but I just COULD NOT get my bearings and swim straight for the life of me. Seriously, I think I added another couple 100 yards to my total swim distance! Ugh!

But, as I was swimming and swimming the whole time I was thinking, I CAN DO THIS! Then, as I got closer to the finish, it was I'M DOING IT! All I could think about was how awesome I felt knowing that I can swim the distance at IMAZ and it just made me sooo happy!

I got out of the water, happy as can be, and headed towards the bathrooms to change. As I was getting my stuff, a girl asked, "Are you Aimee from I Tri To Be Me?" I said, "Yeah!" and she said, "I follow your blog!" It was so cool! Her name was Jennifer (Hi Jennifer!) and we started talking all about the swim. She was super nice too!

Anyways, according to my watch, I did the 2.4M swim in 1:28!! Now, I know I am NOT a fast swimmer, but considering the walking and swimming off course a ton, I didn't think that time was too bad! At least it's good enough to make the swim cut-off time at IMAZ. :) And, I still have 2 1/2months of training left!

* Next up...a 10M race tomorrow! Woohoo!! :)

I hope you are all having a great Labor Day weekend!

I Did My First Century Ride!!!

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I rode in my first century ride, Venus de Miles. It is an all women's ride with distances varying from 32-100miles. There were around 2000 women that came out for the ride and IT WAS AWESOME!!

Check out the t-shirt we got! It is super cute and really soft! I'm not a huge "yellow" fan, but I love this shirt!!

While I think the majority of women were out for a fun, leisurely ride, I wanted to use it as a training ride for IMAZ. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to test out my bike nutrition and push myself almost as if I was in an actual race.

From the get go, I felt like I was an odd man (woman) out. I think I saw maybe 5 other tri bikes! When we were waiting to start, all the women around me started asking me questions about my bike and about triathlons. It was pretty cool. AND, I think I convinced several of them to do their first tri next year! :)

Before I knew it, the whistle blew and we were off. It was a little chilly out, but I knew by the midpoint I would be HOT, so I didn't dare complain about it. Right off the bat I felt fantastic and just started cruising! It was just so awesome to be out on the open roads and surrounded by the mountains. It was sooo beautiful.

Around the 30M mark, another girl started riding with me and we got to talking. It turns out she was a triathlete too and did IMLP this year! She shared some IM tips with me and we rode together pretty much the rest of the way. It was great!

Suddenly, as I was riding, I saw someone running on the other side of the road. I was looking and looking, and thinking, "That looks like Chrissy." Finally, I got almost right next to her and sure enough it was her!! I yelled, "GO CHRISSY..WOOHOO!" and she raised her hands in the air, said, "Woohoo!" and had a huge smile on her face! IT WAS AWESOME!
All these women around me were like, who is that? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? Then, the other triathlete and I started talking all about her to these other girls..it was pretty funny! I seriously thought about turning around just to see her again, but didn't. It was definitely a highlight of my ride!

Finally, we hit the 50M mark, only to be faced with a 7M climb. I have to admit, I suck at climbing! I just don't do enough of it, even though I know I should, so it was definitely challenging for me. Here is the profile map of the whole ride. Nice to have that climb right in the middle huh?!

I just kept chugging along and finally I made it to the top at Jamestown! I was sooo excited! There was a much needed aid station at the top, so I grabbed some watermelon slices and rested for a bit. The best part of climbing that hill though was going DOWN it on the way back! It was fast and fun, but a little scary too. There were a lot of turns and sight is limited, so with all of the traffic I just didn't feel comfortable riding in my aero bars. BUT, I was still able to fly down the hill! Weeeeeee!

After that, we just had a couple rolling hills, then the last 10miles were pretty flat and fast! It was a perfect way to end the ride. As I came into the finish chute, I think I had a huge smile on my face! Up to this point, the longest I had ridden was 62 miles, so going 100 miles was just awesome to me. I felt strong on this ride and it was definitely a HUGE confidence booster for IMAZ.

After the ride, I checked out the expo and got a new jersey! I loved the design, colors, and just thought it was a super cute jersey! :)

Then, as I drove home, I had one more stop to make:

Seriously, I never drink these, but for some reason a carmel frappuccino was calling my name. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! Plus, with all the milk and chocolate in there, it's a pretty good recovery drink...right???!!!

The Heat Is On!

2011-08-25T13:47:00.000-06:00

I don't know what is going on with Mother Nature these days, but it has been HOT! We've been in the mid-upper 90's all week and we're supposed to have a high of 97 today! WHAT? 97? Yikes!

Well, I needed to do a 1:30 run today and normally I take my boys to the Kids' Club at 24hr. fitness and run on the treadmill. BUT, today my husband had the day off, so I had the opportunity to run outside. Woohoo! Because it is supposed to be 97 today, I decided to go right after we dropped our oldest off at Kindergarten, around 9AM. I got dressed and we all walked to my son's school. I got some pretty strange looks from some parents. I have to admit with my Garmin, Visor, Nathan Speed4 waistbelt, and my flashy new shoes I didn't look like ANYONE else there, but whatever!

Check out my new shoes...the Brooks ST5 racer! They are sooo bright it's crazy! But, I still LOVE them!

I said goodbye to my boys and husband and headed out in the midst of minivans leaving the school. It IS pretty funny to see so many SUVs and minivans in one place.. ha ha! The weather was already HOT, so I decided to run an out and back route that I knew would be shaded. I have also been taking it easy on my runs b/c of my IT band incident last week and wanted to be close to home in case it flared up again.

Well, I have to say that my run today was HOT, but AWESOME! I didn't have any pain...yay!! Towards the end it was super hot and I was sooo glad to be done! I literally came inside, laid down on the floor, and let the cool AC in my house cool me off! At least it makes good practice for IMAZ.

You know it's hot outside when my face turns the same color as my shirt! Ha ha

I hope you're all having a great week!! :)

Tasty Tuesday - Homemade Instant Oatmeal

2011-08-23T12:40:00.000-06:00

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

So, I know this isn't a dinner/lunch recipe, but I thought I'd share it with you for Tasty Tuesday anyways! The last time we went camping, we brought along store bought instant oatmeal packets for our breakfast. I was looking at them thinking there had to be a way to make these, AND make them healthier. A little Google searching gave me tons and tons of results! So, when my husband said he wanted me to get him some instant oatmeal packets for his backpacking trip this weekend, I knew what I had to do...make my own!!

Seriously, this is SOOO EASY to make! And, what I like about it is that once you have the base you can add whatever your heart desires into the mix to make it your own. The options are pretty much limitless! All you need to do after that is add hot water, and voila you have a yummy, nutritious, FAST breakfast!

Not only will these be awesome on our camping trips, but I am planning on making a bunch of packets to have on hand for quick, easy breakfasts when we're rushing about trying to get the boys to school on time! I hope you like it! :)

Ingredients:
Makes 1 packet

For the base:
* 1/4C quick cooking oats
* 2Tbl. oat flour (*Note: I just grind up 1/4C oats to make my own flour...easy peasy!)
* 1/8tsp. salt
* snack bags to store it in

For the Mix-Ins:
Raisin Brown Sugar Oatmeal
* 2Tbl. raisins
* 1Tbl. brown sugar
* 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
* 1tsp. chia seeds (or more if you like)
* 1Tbl. chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Take 1/4C oats and grind it up until you have a flour-like consistency.

2. Mix together the oat flour, salt, and quick oats into a bowl. This is your base!

3. Now, you can add whatever ingredients you want! I made the Raisin Brown Sugar one listed above, but again the possibilities are limitless!
4. I put all the ingredients in snack sized baggies that my husband could bring with him on his trip. I made another batch and stored them in my pantry for easy breakfasts.
5. When you're ready to eat it, just add some hot water (more or less depending on how thick/runny you like your oatmeal). You can also top it with fresh fruit (bananas, berries, etc.), more sweetener of choice, peanut butter, almond butter, etc.... YUM, YUM, YUM!!!
6. Enjoy!

I know this isn't the greatest picture, but I forgot to take a picture before I started eating it! :)

A blogger meet-up and other fun things too

2011-08-21T19:47:00.000-06:00

Alisa and me. I really need to do something with my hair!!

Last week Alisa was in town on a business trip, so we planned on meeting Tuesday morning for coffee. I was able to drop my boys off at summer camp and meet her downtown, which was perfect! I was so excited to meet her!! She is so nice, like I knew she would be, and I had a great time talking to her. Before I knew it, an hour had passed and she needed to go. I wish we could have talked longer, but I am so glad that we were able to meet up! Thanks Alisa!! :)

My son is the one in the green shirt. Don't you love those tricycles in the back??

On Friday, my youngest son graduated from preschool! I didn't even know they had a graduation from preschool, considering he'll be in Pre-K next year, which is just another year of preschool. I thought it was kind of silly and debated taking him, but I am so glad I did. IT WAS ADORABLE! And, it made me realize just how big he's getting. He's 4 now and I just can't believe it!

This is what happens when you mix BOYS + WATER + DIRT. They were outside playing and I was inside doing laundry when I heard a lot of laughing. I went outside and this is what I found. They had pretty much covered themselves in the mud!! They thought it was hilarious!!

I have been parenting solo this weekend because my husband headed down to Salida, CO to watch the first stage of the Pro Cycling Challenge!! I am so jealous!! I wish I could have gone with him, but it would have been CRAZY bringing our boys, and this is the first week of school, which is kind of important! I can't wait to watch it on TV. Hopefully it will be successful and we'll continue to have it every year, which would be awesome!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend! :)

Humpastry Day - Choco Cherry Chia Granola

2011-08-17T16:45:00.000-06:00

Choco Cherry Chia Granola

I know it's been like a bazillion weeks since I last did a Humpastry post...sorry! Unfortunately, with all of my training, I haven't had much time for baking. BUT, I have been craving chocolate like crazy!! Chocolate chip cookies? Yes, please! Thin mint frozen yogurt? Yes, please! Spoonfulls of peanut butter covered in chocolate chips? Yes, please! While I haven't been going crazy with this chocolate stuff, I have let myself indulge a couple of times. Everything in moderation is my moto!

Anyways, because I've been on this chocolate kick, I decided to tweak my Homemade Granola recipe and make it chocolicious! I think the end result turned out super yummy! It is great on yogurt, ice cream, or even eaten by the handful right out of the container! :) I hope you like it!

Ingredients:

See that HUGE bag of choco chips?? I told you I was craving chocolate! Oh, and ignore that almond extract in the picture...I didn't end up using it.

* 2C old-fashioned oats
* 1/2C chopped almonds (or nuts of choice)
* 1/4C ground flaxseed
* 1/4C chia seeds
* 2/3C grapenuts (or other nugget like cereal)
* 2/3C dried cherries (you can use any dried fruit here, but I like the choco cherry combo best!)
* 1/2tsp. cinnamon
* 1/8tsp. salt
* 2Tbl. coco powder

* 2/3C brown sugar
* 1/3C water
* 1Tbl. agave (or other sweetener)
* 1/2C choco chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a big bowl, combine all of the ingredients except brown sugar, water, agave, and choco chips.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves (~2-3min).
5. Remove from heat and add agave and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
6. Pour the choco mixture into the dry mixture and stir until the dry mixture is coated.

7. Spread the mixture onto the cookie sheet.

8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooking.
9. Let cool completely (if you can wait that long!). The granola will harden as it cools.
10. Once cool, break into chunks and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
11. Enjoy!

An all too familiar pain!

2011-08-14T19:24:00.000-06:00

Right now I'm sitting here completely annoyed, frustrated, upset, sad, and just angry. But the day didn't start out that way. I was happy and excited about going out for my long run today because the weather was beautiful and I had decided to revisit my old favorite running trail, the Highline Canal.

I headed out for my run and there were so many people out on the trail running, walking, riding their bikes, and it was just nice to be out and about. I had to do a 1:20 run, so I decided to do an out and back. I felt great all the way out, but once I turned around at the 40min. mark, I started to feel a little twinge in my right knee.

Source

Immediately I got paranoid because that is the knee that I had that horrible IT band injury that sidelined me for months! I decided to slow it down a little and just try not to think about it. But, unfortunately, the pain started getting worse. At the 50min. mark, I decided to stop running. Memories of not being able to run flooded into my mind and I knew that if I kept running I could be right back there. Stopping, instead of finishing my run, just seemed like the best thing to do.

I walked the rest of the way to my car almost on the verge of tears. With only 3 months left until IMAZ this is just NOT something that I need nor want to be dealing with. I thought I was done with this stupid injury and I don't understand what caused it. But, I am thinking that it might have been the trail I was running on. I have not run on that trail since I had my injury this spring. It is a packed dirt trail that is pretty uneven. So, maybe running on an uneven surface was the culprit???

All I know is that I really, really do not want to go down the path of PT appointments and not being able to run. It sucked! I'm not scheduled to run again until Tuesday, so hopefully my IT band will get its act together and be right again! If you can, please send positive healing vibes my way! I can use all I can get! :)

A week in review and other things too

2011-08-13T14:42:00.000-06:00

Training:
This has been a pretty good training week for the most part. Because we went on our camping trip, I missed several days of training, but it's all good and it was totally worth it! :)

Swim:
I did my longest OWS to date this morning...2 MILES!!! Woohoo! I felt good and it was a great confidence booster! :)

One thing I noticed though was that I got sooo thirsty. I swam two laps, and during the second lap my mouth was so dry. You don't think I could stash a water bottle in my wetsuit do you? Ha ha.

Oh, and I got new goggles! My old ones finally gave out and started leaking, so I went on the search for a new pair. I ended up getting the TYR NEST PRO and so far I like them! They fit a lot differently then my old goggles, but I think they're going to work really well, especially in the open water!

Bike:
I did another long brick this week and tested out a new nutrition plan. Since I know I don't want to do all liquid nutrition, I did a mix of EFS drink, honey stinger waffles, and honey stinger chews (thanks for the idea Mandy) They are sooo yummy and A LOT easier to chew than shot bloks. I think it worked well for the most part, but I think I need to tweak the amount of EFS I take in next time.

Other Things Too:

* I took my boys to our local dollar (technically $2.50) theater to see the movie Rio and it was awesome! It was such a cute movie with a great story line and my boys loved it! Jon [HERE] did some of the feather animation and I have to say it was beautiful! Great job Jon!

* I got a new cookbook and I absolutely love it! It was created by a mom of two adorable girls and it is full of delicious, easy recipes! I'm planning on doing a full review of it soon! In the mean time, if you want to check out her blog, which is awesome, you can check it out [HERE].

I broke down and ordered a t-shirt from Beth [HERE] and I LOVE it! It is super cute and will be a great addition to my running wardrobe! Thanks Beth! :)

By the way, I had my 6yr. old take the picture. It's a little crooked, but not bad! :)

* My husband has had a pretty long week at work, so I thought I would help out and mow the lawn for him. I'm a little ashamed to say that I've only done it a handful of times, but it's just something "he does." Anyways, I actually liked it. Dare I say it was even relaxing?
Well, needless to say, the yard looked great! BUT, I totally annihilated one of my dog's tennis balls. I totally didn't see it in front of the mower and I mowed right over it! OOPS!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!!!
Hopefully I'll be back with the Tasty Tuesday and Humpastry Day recipes soon! :)

Camping Fun!

2011-08-09T16:56:00.000-06:00

We had a complete blast this weekend on our camping adventure! This is the perfect time to go camping in the mountains because the weather is in the 70s during the day and 40s at night....just perfect!! And, we were reminded just how perfect it was when we got home and it was 92 degrees..ugh! But, that is one nice thing about Colorado. You can leave the heat of the city for the cool of the mountains! Anyways, I thought I'd share some of our adventure with all of you! :)

Here's my husband at the end of the Copper Triangle ride. He did awesome! I swear, he drives me crazy with how good of a climber he is though. He is just built for climbing. If I were to attempt that however, I would be sucking wind and probably have to walk!

We loaded up his bike, grabbed a quick lunch and headed towards the campground. Because it was already Saturday afternoon, we hoped there would still be a camp spot left, but knew we were taking a gamble. After about an hour drive, we got to the campground and found it completely packed! We went into the Holy Cross Wilderness which is absolutely beautiful and probably why it was so busy. After driving around for awhile, we finally found a campsite in the National Forest. It didn't have facilities, but we didn't have a choice at this point.

Now, normally NOT having facilities is alright, but with a 4 and 6yr. old we quickly learned that IT IS A MUST. Needless to say, the boys got their first lesson in how to poop in the forest! Ha ha! And, my husband and I decided that tomorrow we would move camp when all the other campers headed home.

Our lovely new campsite. Do you see the stream in the background? It was awesome! The boys loved throwing rocks/twigs in it and my husband loved fishing in it. Plus, at night, the sound of the water made the perfect background noise.

We drove up the road to a reservoir and the views from the top were so beautiful!

The boys even got to "fish!" We didn't catch anything, but they had a blast anyways! :)

That night we had a new campfire desert instead of smores. You take a banana, peel away the top part of the peel, cut it in half, then stuff with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Then you wrap it up with aluminum foil and put it on the campfire for about 20min.

The end product is an ooey, gooey, marshmellowy, chocolatey desert. And, the best part (beside the deliciousness) is that you can eat it with a spoon right out of the banana peel for a mess free desert! YUM, YUM, YUM!!

The next day, before heading back home, we decided to go on a hike. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! The wildflowers were amazing and literally covered the mountain sides.

It was a perfect end to a perfect weekend. :)

Nature is calling!

2011-08-05T10:21:00.000-06:00

This is what my living room is currently filled with:

Sleeping bags, therm-a-rests, a tent, chairs...

Bins full of fishing stuff, food, cooking stuff...

WE'RE GOING CAMPING! WOOHOO!!!

My husband is doing the Copper Triangle (78M bike ride cresting 3 Mountain passes) tomorrow, so we decided to make it into a weekend getaway! Because of moving and my training we haven't been able to go camping yet, so we are super excited about this weekend! Our boys are going crazy with excitement too...I love it! It should be a fun time!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
AND, I want to give a huge shout out to all of you racing Boulder 70.3 tomorrow!!! YOU CAN DO IT!! You are all going to ROCK and I can't wait to read all about your experience when we get back! Good luck, good luck, good luck!! :)

You asked for it!

2011-08-01T13:28:00.000-06:00

O-kay, so I know I'm a little late in posting my answers to all of your questions. But, better late than never right?! Sorry about the weird spacing...I'm not sure why it turned out like that!

Here goes!
Cynthia O'H asked: What is your greatest fear about The Ironman?

THE SWIM!!! Seriously, I am scared to death of that mass swim start with 2000 other people. I know I can do the distance, but I am afraid of being kicked, swam over, punched, and mostly of drowning! I will definitely be the one standing back and waiting a little bit after the gun goes
off!

BDD asked: If you couldn't do triathlons or running races, how would you stay active?

Hiking, backpacking, and running around playing with my boys! All the things I do in my "spare" time! :)

- Besides cooking and endurance sports, what are your other hobbies?

I don't know if I have any real hobbies. I love to read magazines and books, but I don't know if that's really a hobby. I do know how to crochet though! I'm still working on this big blanket that's been about 6 years in the making...ha ha! Someday I'll finish it!

- If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

Ha ha...good one BDD! :) But, for the life of me I cannot think of a clever answer!

Christi asked: Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Source

Brad Pitt...all the way!!

Jill asked: What did you do with the sweat bees? I'm not sure I could sleep knowing they were in my backyard! Ha.

After reading all about the sweat bees, we actually just decided to leave them alone. They really aren't malicious, they just want to make their home and live in it. So, we let them be. We check up on them every once in awhile to see if they're still there, but other than that I try NOT to think about them. My boys play in the yard every day and they've never once gotten anywhere near them. So, for now, we have sweat bee pets! :)

Now that we're practically neigbbors (I run 99% of my runs at CC park), when are we going to go for a run together? :)

Hopefully next week! :)

Miss Erosion asked: If you could give 3 pieces of advise for someone transitioning from running to tri's what would it be?

Hmm... 1) Take is easy at first. Going from only running to adding biking and swimming will take a toll on your body. You will be sore in places you've never been before b/c each sport uses different muscle groups!

2) Get a good bike fit. This is very important! If you don't have a good bike fit, you will be uncomfortable on the bike and it will make the workouts really tough! I never realized what a difference it makes until AFTER I got a fit done! Wow!

3) Find a training plan that works for you, your family, and your schedule. It's a lot easier to find time to run 5 times/wk then it is to run,bike, and swim 3 times/week! Finding a balance with life and training is key. And, know that it is O-KAY to skip some workouts and change the plan a bit! :)

What has been your favorite race?

Honestly, my favorite race was the Muddy Buddy I did with my sister! It was soo much fun and soo different then running races/tris and I absolutely loved it! I would love to do it again!!

Velma asked: you seem to be such a good cook. How do you manage family cooking, planning meals, etc. I want to get better so suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for the "good cook" compliment! :) I am an organizational freak (seriously!), so every week I sit down and decide what I want to cook for the week. I go through the ideas/recipes and on a piece of paper I write the meals down for each day. Then, on the other side I write the grocery list of all the things I'll need for the week. I don't like going to the grocery store, so if I can get it all done at once, it's awesome!! For me, I want us to have healthy meals, so planning them in advance is key for us. Also, it makes it less likely that we'll look in the fridge, see nothing to eat, and end up going out to dinner.

I also look to see what's on our schedule for certain days and make sure that if we have a lot going on I plan a dinner that's fast and easy to cook. Actually, most of our meals are done in less than an hour, so that makes it nice. Also, I have to say that I do stock our freezer with frozen veggie burgers, veggie raviolis, etc. just in case I don't feel like cooking or something comes up and we need a quick meal!

Funderson asked: Did you know your house came with weird bees?

No...no, we did not! :)

Angela and David asked: Do sweat bees make honey in the ground?

I wish! Wouldn't that be cool!!!

Colleen asked: I know you love to swim, bike and run. Do you think your boys will follow in Mommy's footsteps at some point?

I REALLY hope they do! They always talk about wanting to go running/biking with me. And, my oldest talks about doing triathlons with me when he gets older. So, we'll see! I would love it if they do, but I just want them to find something that makes them happy whether that's running, triathlon, soccer, etc. :)

What is your favorite distance to run?

Actually, I don't know if I have a favorite distance. It's more of like my favorite amount of time running. I really like running for an hour...weird right?? But, running for an hour is just enough time to feel like I get a good workout, de-stress, work through whatever problems I have, and get back home to my family.

Phew...that was a lot! :)

I hope you are all having a great Monday!!!

Training Firsts and Nutrition Questions!!

2011-07-26T09:38:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I had a great training day and completed my longest open water swim and bike ride to date! Woohoo!

It all started at 4:45AM as I headed to Grant Ranch for an early morning swim. My husband had the day off, so I was able to get in a longer swim because I didn't need to rush home so he could go to work. I ended up swimming over 1.5M and I felt great! I don't know the exact distance (do you ever know in open water??) because one of the swim bouys had drifted causing the course to be longer than it normally is. It would have been nice to know the exact distance, but honestly, I was just happy that I swam 1.5+ miles without panicking or freaking out in some way. :)

My bike loaded up and ready to ride!

Then, after we dropped our boys off at summer camp, my husband and I headed out for a 4hour bike ride. Normally, I do my long rides solo, so it was awesome having someone to ride with. Our plan was to head downtown for an hour, turn around towards the start, head south for an hour, then turn around and head back home for a total of 4 hours (I hope that makes sense!).
The first hour was great! We headed towards downtown on a bike path and the weather was perfect. But, when we turned around it was basically a LOOONNNGG gradual uphill for the next 2 hours. We gained about 1000 feet within those 2 hours, which started to wear on us after awhile. Plus, the wind started picking up so we had a nice headwind the entire way! Ugh!!

BUT, when we turned around it was ALLLL GOOD! It was downhill, the wind was behind us, and we just flew! It was like we were on a roller coaster! It was soooo much fun and a perfect way to end a long ride.

Onto the Nutrition:

So, I decided to give the First Endurance products a try on my ride. I filled 2 -24oz. bottles with EFS for a total of ~400cals. I also had 1 liquid shot with another 400 calories and a bottle of just water to "chase it down" and drink throughout my ride. I brought along a Honey Stinger Waffle just in case I thought I needed it (160cals). All together, I had rougly 960 calories with me, which would be around 200-240 cal/hr.

So, how did it go??

I think it went well for the most part. I did NOT end up eating any of the Honey Stinger waffle, so I had roughly 800 cals over the 4 hr. ride (200cals/hr.). During the ride I felt fine, but I also missed chewing on something, if that makes any sense! AND, I kind of felt a little "off" after my ride. I didn't feel like eating anything and actually felt like I could throw-up...yuck! I think it was because 1) I'm not used to just drinking my nutrition, 2) I think doing the EFS drink AND the liquid shot only was too much of the same tastes AND 3) I think I took in too many calories.

Normally, on my long rides, I have 1 bottle of water, 2- 24oz bottles of NUUN water, then a mix of a cut up clif bar (240cals), honey stinger waffle(160cals), and some shot bloks (90cals) that I chose from depending on what I feel like eating. On my last ride, which was 3:30, I think I took in between 160-180cals/hr. and I felt fine and was able to do a 30min. run after without any problems.

So, what do you think? For those of you that have done IMs before, how many cals. did you take in?? I'm 5'4" and weigh anywhere between 115-120, so maybe I just don't need that many cals??

I definitely need to figure out my nutrition for IMAZ and I'm glad I still have 3 1/2 months to do it. I'm doing a Half Ironman in Sept., so I'd like to have my nutrition figured out for that so I can dial it in for IMAZ.
I think for my next long ride I'll try a mix of liquid nutrition and bars/waffles to see how that works. I do have somewhat of a sensitive stomach, so only certain products work for me. I know it's just a matter of trial and error, but I really want to figure it out sooner rather than later, ya know? So, any help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!! :)

P.S. I want to give a big shout out to all of you that did IMLP this past weekend!!! WOOHOO!!! I can't wait to read all about your experience!

A week in review and other things too

2011-07-23T08:18:00.000-06:00

Is it the weekend already?? I felt like I just wrote this post last week! This summer is FLYING by!! Seriously, where is the time going?

Training:
* This week has been my most successful week of training so far! Woohoo!
I did all of my key workouts, with the exception of one. BUT, it was replaced with a fun day with my boys swimming, playing, eating frozen yogurt, watching a movie with popcorn, and just enjoying a summer day...it was awesome! :)

Swim:

Wednesday morning I met up with Kathleen at Dare to Dream at 5:30AM for an OWS at Grant Ranch. It was an absolutely beautiful morning for a swim and the water temp. was perfect! I felt great in the water and felt like I could keep swimming, but I needed to get home so my husband could get to work. Usually, I swim alone, but it was nice to have someone to swim with. Hopefully we'll be able to get together again! :)

Nutrition:

I have heard and read so many great things about these products, that I have finally decided to give them a try. With only doing Half Ironman races or shorter in the past, I have never really felt the need to have liquid nutrition, but now that I'm training for IMAZ and my rides/runs are getting longer, I am intrigued by it. I'm going to give them a try this next week and will let you know how it goes! I know many of you use these products, so any input/advice about it would be great!!

Other Things Too:

* Hello, my name is Aimee and I am addicted to frozen yogurt!! OMG...what do they put in that stuff to make me crave it every day??? It's crazy!! I don't eat it every day, but I'm pretty sure we've gone once a week for the past month! But, here's the thing, we don't over do it. Yes, they give you those big cups thinking that you'll fill it up (and believe me, some times I'm tempted to fill it to the top). But, I just do a little layer on the bottom, add some toppings, and it's the perfect amount for a sweet little treat on a hot day. Is that so bad???!!! :)

* I just finished this book, and I have to say I really liked it (don't cringe BDD!) I just found it to be a great read that I couldn't put down! And, it was full of some good tips and advice. He is definitely a very confident person, and I honestly think he has gotten a bit of a bad rap.
If you've read it, what did you think about it?

Amazing Blogger Award!!

2011-07-20T11:49:00.000-06:00

* Colleen at IRONDIVA [HERE] nominated me for this award! Woohoo! Thanks Colleen! The rules are that I have to answer the following questions, then pass it on to some of you!

So, here goes:

Favorite Cartoon Character:

I used to love Goofy when I was little. He was always so crazy and silly and made me laugh. What's funny now is that I picked up a couple old school Disney DVDs at the library with the old Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck/Goofy cartoons (which by the way are so much better than the ones these days!) and my boys LOVED them! They were laughing the entire time and thought they were the funniest things!

Favorite Thing to Photograph:

Before I had kids I loved to take pictures of wild flowers that we would come across on our hikes/backpacking trips. NOW, however, I LOVE taking pictures of my boys! I like capturing the little moments that are sooo priceless! :)

Favorite Thing to Cook:

As you all know, I love to cook! BUT, I love to bake even more. One of my favorites is my heart healthy chocolate chip cookies! Yum!! If you haven't tried them, you can find the recipe on my "Humpastry Day" page [HERE]

Favorite Way to Exercise:

Although I do triathlons, I am a runner above all else! I love to run..there's just something about it.

Favorite Movie:

Love Breakfast Club! I watch it whenever it comes on TV, even though I've seen it a million times!

Favorite Article of Clothing:
I have a pair of yoga/PJ pants that are super soft and comfy! I wear them all the time b/c they are the perfect lounging pants!!

Favorite Flower:

Wild flowers are by far my favorite flowers! They are just so beautiful!

Favorite Breakfast:

Of course I like to eat homemade oatmeal and cereal loaded with fresh berries. BUT, when we go out for breakfast, which isn't that often, I LOVE berry crepes! Yum, yum, yum!!

O-kay, now to tag some of you! :)
1. Kathleen at Dare to Dream [HERE]
2. EMZ at If I Can't Convince You - I'll At Least Confuse You [HERE]
3. Kevin at Ironman By Thirty [HERE]

A week in review and other things too

2011-07-17T13:33:00.000-06:00

Before I get to my post, I just have to say...GO TEAM USA...right now the USA/Japan Women's World Cup Final game is on and I am so excited!! Woohoo!!!

Training:
I've had a great training week and I am pumped! It was so nice to get back to a training routine after not being able to do a lot with all the moving we did! There are only 4 MONTHS left until IMAZ and I'm freaking out!!

Running: I went for an awesome 1:15 run the other day! I found a great trail system through my neighborhood that leads to the trails in Cherry Creek State Park and I was so excited. BUT, with all the rain we have been having, I ran into a lot of mud. At one point I came to this little wooden bridge that was completely flooded. I literally stood there for 5 minutes trying to figure out if there was a way around it. NOPE! So, I walked through the muddy water and ended up running with squeaky shoes for the rest of my run. It was pretty funny! I was worried about getting blisters, but my SmartWool socks ROCK! They got wet, but my feet stayed relatively dry and blister free! Woohoo!

Other things too:

* Guess what we found in our yard? Do you know what this is? WE SURE DIDN'T! We were all standing around looking at it when all of a sudden, we saw this:

Both of my boys screamed and I totally ran away! Then, I went straight to the computer and looked it up. They are called sweat bees. And just like their name implies, they are attracted to human sweat! WHAT?? Are you kidding me! They can sting, but I guess their sting is pretty harmless. Still..how freaky are flourescent green bees that like sweat?!?

* Julie from You Just Have to Tri [HERE] tagged me for this fun idea! Thanks Julie! I'm sure you've all heard about it by now, because it's spreading like crazy! But, the deal is, you get to ask me ANY question you want about ANYTHING and I'll answer them! So, ask away! :)

Now, to tag some of you! Have fun!
1. Kurt at Becoming An Ironman [HERE]
2. Amanda at Runninghood [HERE]
3. P at Adventure of an Average Athlete [HERE]

Just Brick it!

2011-07-14T08:34:00.000-06:00

My schedule called for a 3hr bike/30min. run brick on Tuesday, so after I dropped my boys off at summer camp, I got ready.

Now, we have been having these CRAZY thunderstorms every day for the past week. They aren't just any rain storm, but have tons of lightning, hail, thunder, and massive amounts of rain falling in a short period of time. So, when I looked at the sky and saw this, I was a bit worried.

This picture really doesn't do it justice, but the sky was completely dark gray with ominous looking clouds all around me. For a brief minute I thought about bagging the ride and doing a long run instead, but then Jon's post [HERE] rang through my mind. NO bagging the ride for me!!

I quickly looked on weather.com and it said the rain wouldn't start until 1. It was 8:30A, I had a 3hr. ride...I was good to go!

I decided to stay close to my house in case the skies decided to open up, so I found an hour loop around the Cherry Creek State Park. It ended up being a pretty good loop, but there are several hills throughout the loop and my legs REALLY started to feel them by the 3rd loop.

The rain never came during my ride, and by the time I got home the sky looked like this:

I was happy to be done with the ride and so glad that I didn't bag it earlier because it ended up being perfect riding weather!

Then, it was time to run. The sun had come out and so had the humidity! It was SOOO humid and hot! I only had a 30min run to do, so I took off from my house and just started running. My legs felt so wobbly, but after 5 min. or so they started feeling a little better. But, I have to admit that those hills on my bike ride really took a toll on my legs and my running pace wasn't too great! Ugh! Plus, I was so stinking HOT! But, I did it!! Woohoo!

First OWS of the season!

2011-07-11T13:04:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...you're probably thinking, "It's mid July and you're just now getting in some OWS?" Well, the places to go here in CO don't really open till late May/early June and even then, the water can be FREEZING if the weather isn't great. On top of that, moving out of/into places has really been eating up a lot of my weekend time. BUT, now that we're finally into our new home I was able to go yesterday morning! Woohoo!

I got all prepared by:
1. Soaking my wetsuit the day before. I don't know if any of you ever tried this, but trying to squeeze into a new wetsuit that hasn't been worn for a LONG time is asking for trouble. Believe me...I know!

2. Cutting my fingernails. I don't want any accidental rips in my wetsuit b/c of my stupid nails! I don't paint them anyways, so it's not a big deal for me to keep them short during my tri training.

3. Grabbing my lube. Wetsuit lube that is! :) Trislide is awesome. You just spray it on and you're good to go!

The place I swim at, Grant Ranch, is awesome! It is a lake that belongs to a housing community so it is always clean, well maintained, and warmer than the other places around Denver. Also, I have access to the locker rooms and showers, which is great for when I'm done swimming. There are buoys set up for a 1/2M triangle and a 1M triangle, which is great for training.

Some swimmers getting ready to head out into the lake

So, I headed out and got to the lake at 7A when it opened. There were a lot of other swimmers there, which is always nice when you're swimming in the open water. I got my wetsuit on and headed to the lake. I was expecting the water to be cold, but it was the perfect temperature! Yay!!!

Originally, I had it set in my mind that I was only going to do the 1/2M loop because it was my first time doing an OWS AND the first time in my new wetsuit. For the last 2 years, the first time I did an OWS I almost always panicked in some way. But, on this day, I felt the calmest I have ever felt. I WAS READY!

I started swimming and immediately found my groove. I never panicked, not once!!! I got to the middle triangle of the 1/2M loop and decided I was going to swim the whole 1M loop instead! I know this sounds lame, but I was sooo excited for myself! I was so happy and was literally swimming with a smile! :)

I made it back to shore feeling awesome! And, although I only swam 1M, knowing that I didn't panic and didn't have to stop to compose myself, gave me a little flicker of hope that I WILL BE O-KAY for the 2.4M swim at IMAZ! I cannot wait till I can get out there and swim again!!

Moving and other fun stuff!

2011-07-08T16:03:00.000-06:00

So, once again I have been MIA for the past week. It was been a CRAZY last couple of weeks!
But, WE MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE! Woohoo!!!!

source

Instead of boring you with all the details of moving, I thought I'd share some of what went on with pictures!!

This is a picture of the last row of "stuff" in our storage unit. What you can't see is that all of those boxes and crates are stacked ON TOP of a 3ft. tall cabinet. Ummm...our storage unit had a 15ft. tall ceiling and we used as much as that room as we could!

I used my husband as a reference for just how tall things were. He's almost 6ft. tall! We actually had to use a ladder to get the boxes up and down!

It was a LONG day, but my husband and I managed to get everything out of our storage unit in ONE day! Our boys were total troopers and did awesome throughout the whole day. But, being able to ride on rolling carts over and over again didn't hurt! Ha ha! :)

And, our boys thought the 16ft. Budget truck was soooo awesome! We let them sit in the cab while my husband backed it up from the loading dock, and they thought that was the coolest thing! :)

I am sooo happy to finally be in our new home! We've already met most of the neighbors, and they all seem really nice! We still have A LOT of unpacking and arranging to do, but we're in, we're getting settled, and all is GOOD! :)

Things are slowly getting back to normal. Yay! But, I have missed so many blog posts, and although I'll try to get to them, I know I can't read all of them. :( But, I can't wait to catch up with what's been going on with all of you! :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!

A great weekend!

2011-06-29T12:03:00.000-06:00

I know I've been MIA for awhile, but lots of things have been going on!

For one, my best friend Erin, who moved to St. Louis, came to visit this past weekend. I was so excited to see her again because it's been 2 years since she moved! We had a pretty low key weekend, but we did get to do some fun things.

We decided to participate in the UNDY 5000 5k race Saturday morning. Erin was recovering from bronchitis, so it was a pretty low key event. Instead of a race t-shirt everyone got a pair of boxers. Here we are sporting our boxers...ha ha! Actually, they do make pretty awesome summertime PJs! :)
Anyways, we jogged a little bit throughout the race, but for the most part we walked most of the 5k and just chatted and tried to catch up on our lives. It was great!
Usually when I do a 5k it's all about speed, speed, speed. So, this was nice to just hang out, enjoy the beautiful scenery in City Park, and spend some time with my friend.

The next day, we decided to go for a hike up in Evergreen. The weather was absolutely beautiful! The hike was 2 miles up to a waterfall, making it a 4mile round trip. We didn't know how our boys would do, but they ended up doing great! We didn't make it all of the way, but we did find a great stream to hang out by. My boys were totally into throwing sticks, pine cones, and whatever else they could find into the water and watching them flow downstream. Who needs a waterfall?? :) Overall, they ended up hiking for about 2 hours, which is awesome! They got a little tired towards the end, but they were total troopers! :)

Gotta love family pictures! Ha ha! I have NO idea what face my youngest is making!

The trail was beautiful and there were columbines everywhere!

Columbines are so pretty!

Another great thing about the hike was that I got to try out my Merrell Pace Glove trail shoes. They were awesome! Bye bye chunky hiking boots! These will now be my go to hiking shoes! They are light, comfortable, and did a great job on the rocky terrain!

All in all, it was a great weekend! I didn't do any training, but I was fine with it because I got to spend some quality time with my friend. And for me, it's all about priorities, and being with my friend takes priority over training.

Erin and me!

P.S. WE CLOSE ON OUR HOUSE TOMORROW!!! We are sooo excited! Hopefully everything will go smoothly and we'll be moving in this weekend! Woohoo!!! I'll be MIA for a little while longer, but soon I'll be back into the swing of things with training and blogging! :)

FIBARK 10k Trail Run Race Report

2011-06-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

Pre-Race:
My husband decided to do the 10k trail run too, so we got up early, dropped our boys off at my sister/brother in-laws house (we were staying in a hotel) and headed to downtown Salida. The weather was absolutely beautiful and was probably in the mid 50s when we got to town. We got to town about 30min. before the race start, registered my husband, and headed to a local cafe so my husband could get a cup of coffee. He's pretty addicted to the stuff...ha ha!
Check out our race swag:

We dropped our stuff off back at the car, grabbed our hydration belts, and headed back to the start. This was a pretty low key event, and the announcer said there were 77 registered runners, so it just made for a really relaxed atmosphere. I was a little nervous, but more excited than anything. I had decided that I was just running this for fun, but part of me really wanted to know what I could do (that's my competitive side..ha ha).

Before we knew it, it was time to line up at the start line. The race director went over some rules (follow the flour arrows, pay attention to the signs, etc..) then said that we would be following the "expert" mountain bike course! WHAT?? EXPERT mountain bike course?? That is the first time I got a little nervous. Then, she said that there were no aid stations on the course. I looked around and noticed that hardly anyone had water with them. WHAT?? Now, I could probably run a 10k without water on a treadmill, but on the trails where there's no shade?! NO WAY! I was sooo glad that I had my Nathan waist belt with me. Finally, it was time to start!

The Race:
Or, what I like to call a story of ups, ups, more ups, and a SWEET downhill!

We took off, crossed some railroad tracks, then turned onto a dirt road that went straight up. In the first half mile I was already sucking wind! The road just kept going up and up and I wondered if it would ever end. I knew that we had to go up in order to get to the actual trails, and I just kept hoping that the end would be soon. I actually passed a lot of people on that road, which was nice because once we got on the trail, there wasn't really any room to pass without stopping and getting out of the way.

Those are the train tracks we crossed and the road we ran on before going UP the mountain. You can see in this picture how far up we will go!!

Once we got on the trails, it would level out, then go up, then level off, then go up some more. There was some little downhill sections, but I swear we just kept going up. But, here's the thing, I LOVED IT! I was having so much fun even though I was totally sucking wind! It was soo beautiful running on the trails. A couple of times I wanted to stop and take pictures, but then my competitive side would kick in and I'd keep going. :)

I was able to run the entire race with the exception of one part. We came to this section of the trail that was literally straight up and totally sandy/rocky. There was no way to run up it. I had to pretty much use my hands to climb up it. That part totally zapped my legs and when I started running again I could feel my QUADS! OUCH! But, then there was this nice little downhill section that totally made up for it. Except, I tripped on a little rock and fell. It could have been worse, but I caught myself with my hand and escaped with just this: Phew!!

Finally, I came across a volunteer directing the runners and she said, "It's all downhill from here to the finish!" I said, "Woohoo!" At first I was a little afraid of going fast on the downhill because of my little fall, and the little fact that I'm training for an IM and don't want to jeopardize that. But then, I found my footing, found my groove, and just started booking it! It was AWESOME!!

This was part of the trail heading back to town. It was all downhill from this point on!

Finally, I could see the finish line! I was so happy to have done my first trail run!! I crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face! Woohoo!

I got some oranges, talked to some runners, and waited for my husband to finish. He was really nervous about this race because he hasn't run more than 4miles since his marathon in Jan, but he did awesome!

Here are our stats:

For Me:

Trail 10k Time: 1:03

Division Place: 3rd in AG!! :)

For My Husband:

Time: 1:20 (I'm so proud of him!) :)

So, what shoes did I end up wearing???

An old pair of my trusty racing flats! I am sooo glad I wore these because 1) The VFF Bikilas and the Merrell Pace Glove trail shoes are both minimalist shoes. I was only up to 4.5miles on those and I just didn't want to risk getting an injury. 2) The terrain wasn't bad at all. We ran on a dirt road, and the trails were basically packed dirt with big rocks.

My shoes did awesome, even on the downhill! :)

But, look how dirty my feet got, even with socks on: BLAH!

And, check out my lovely salt stains from my visor. Usually, they look like rocky mountain peaks, but after that race, it's just disgusting!:

Geez, sweat much?? YUCK!!

All in all, it was an awesome race! I am so glad I decided to do it. If anything, it was just really nice to do something different-ya know? I've gotten so used to running my same routes, that this race kind of made me fall in love with running again. I foresee A LOT more trail running in my future! And who knows, maybe after IMAZ that will be my new focus?! :)

A week in review and other things too

2011-06-17T17:14:00.000-06:00

Training:
I had an awesome week of training this week! I feel like I'm finally finding my groove with scheduling my workouts! Hopefully this will carry through my training when the volume really ramps up!

Me, Doreen, and Bine

Biking: I went on a great ride with 2 of my TriBella teammates on Sunday! We did one loop of the Harvest Moon HIM course (which I'm doing in September) and it was awesome! The course is a great mix of fast flats, rolling hills, and much bigger hills. We finished 48 or so miles in about 2:45, so it was pretty fun. Usually I do my training rides solo, but I have to tell you, I loved riding with these two! They are doing IMFL in early Nov, and I'm doing IMAZ at the end of Nov., so we should be able to do a lot of our long training rides together! Woohoo!

Swimming: I had a great swim this week where I had to do 100m intervals. Now, normally I don't time myself because it usually depresses me. But, for some reason, after my 4th 100 I decided to just see what my time was. I swam the 100, hit the wall, stopped my watch, and looked....1:46!!! I was soooo excited! Now, I know that's not fast compared to some of you out there, but it made me feel fast and that's all that matters! :)

Running: I had my longest run volume week and I felt awesome! I haven't had any IT band pain in awhile now and it just makes me happy, happy, happy! Woohoo!!

And Other Things Too:

* Look what came in the mail this week! My replacement aero extensions! Woohoo! They actually sent me an entire new set, so I was super happy! I brought them over to the TriBella shop and had them reinstalled. He put bike tape on it too, but I'm not sure I like the BLUE. I know it goes with the color scheme of my bike, but what do you think? Should I keep it, or go back to BLACK??

BLACK or BLUE??

* So, after my boys' music class the other day we drove next to a van that had huge pictures of cupcakes on it and it read, BIG FAT CUPCAKES! My boys pleaded and begged to get a cupcake. We rarely get sweet treats like that from places, so I decided to cave. We followed the van hoping it would lead to their store. It did, and this is what we walked out with: 3 BIG FAT CUPCAKES.

They were huge! Seriously, look how big they are in my boys' hands. YIKES!

Well, I wish I could tell you that they were the greatest things we have ever tasted. BUT, they were a BIG FAT DISAPPOINTMENT! In fact, we ended up throwing most of the cupcake away. AND, I felt sick for the rest of the night....seriously, sick. Ugh...next time we're craving a sweet treat we'll just drive the extra few miles and get some of that yummy self serve yogurt again!

* The IMAZ bike course is relatively flat, so your legs just pretty much spin constantly. One piece of advice I got from a teammate that did IMAZ a couple of years ago was just to get on the trainer and ride for 4hours to get used to just that constant spinning. So, I decided to order this Spinerval from Amazon. It is the IMAZ bike course led by Coach Troy himself and I'm actually really excited about it! Am I excited about sitting on my trainer for 4 hours??? Umm...not really, but I am excited about being able to "practice" the course. We'll see. It might completely suck, but hopefully not!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Good luck to all of you that are racing this weekend!! :)

Advice Needed!!

2011-06-16T13:50:00.000-06:00

So, this weekend my husband and I decided to take our boys down to Salida to visit my sister/brother in-law. They just moved into a new house, so we haven't been able to visit them recently because they've been crazy busy moving. Our boys love their aunt and uncle, so they are super excited! AND, we get to see our dog, Sidus, again! They have been watching him for us since we're not able to have him in our apartment.

Anyways, this weekend just so happens to be the FIBARK festival (HERE) in Salida and they have some pretty fun events. One of the events is a 10K trail run Sunday morning. Here's what they say about it:

Join us on the NEW trail run course utilizing the new Arkansas Hills trails that Salida Mountain Trails has been working so hard to build. This is a 10K course around and behind Tenderfoot Mountain that will put you to the test after a weekend of festivities.

It will put you to the test??? YIKES! So, what do you think I did??

I registered for it! YIKES again! Am I crazy? I haven't really done any trail running recently, but it is something that I love to do. In fact, I'd like to get more into it next year after IMAZ.

Anyways, here's where I need your advice! I don't know what shoes to wear! Basically, here are my options:

1. Wear my VFF Bikilas. I've run a little over 4miles on them and have been fine, so I don't think another 2 would be THAT big of a deal? BUT, I know that overdoing it in minimalist shoes can be dangerous.

2. Wear my Brooks ST4 racers. Ummm...these things are racing flats and have no traction! I don't think this is a great option because I don't really know what the terrain will be. BUT, if it says it will "put us to the test" I'm assuming there's going to be some hills...with downhills...which makes not having any traction on my shoes very tricky!

3. Wear the Merrell Pace Glove trail shoe I just got. This would seem like the obvious choice because they are trail shoes, but here's the thing. I have only run 3 miles in these shoes and my calves were KILLING me by the end! My body is no where near being used to running in these shoes and I think wearing them could lead to some type of injury.

So, what would you do? HELP!