I AM IN!!!!! IM FL 2013!!!

Yes, you are reading that correctly!   I am registered for the IRONMAN FLORIDA for 2013...Just an easy 140.6 miles of the Florida Panhandle to enjoy!!!!

 This morning I finished up a weekend of chores around the house..lets just say my FALL cleaning is done!

Then went off to the the gym...swam an easy 750 meters...100 m warm up, 100 m of drills, 50m x3 with 15 sec rest, then 100 m x2, with 15 sec rest then a nice cool down swim of 100 meters...

Then off to the do a little weight training.( very lite!).  I do all arms and upper back...then a nice work out Coach Tara give me with Planks, forearm and sides...

   Then try to figure out where I was going to pull the money from to pay for this race!

Figuring out bills and already made sure the air fare for the CHRISTMAS trip to be with GRAND BABIES was paid first... OK so here are the latest pictures of the grand sons~~all dressed up for Halloween...Peter Pan and Capt' Hook!

Peter Pan and his Shadow!

Captain Hook getting a helping hand

I am coming for you PETER!

Yeah Well I am too cute to care!

I figured I had just about enough left in my "emergency" monies to pay for the trip ( knowing I have a check coming in three weeks for selling vacation time!)..For those of you who do not know, I went thru a real tough financial time in 2009/10 and after that I got rid of all my credit cards..So if I do not have the cash I do not get it.....

First let me say this IRONMAN races are not inexpensive at all.  I know that I will only being doing one or two "big" races this upcoming race season...I will not be doing all the 5k and half marathons, I usually do.  Cause between the two TRI's I am registered for 2013, (Patriots HIM and IRONMAN FL) has already taken almost all my race budget for the next year....plus there will be the expense of getting to Florida and staying there for a week!!!

Ok so it is 1130 EST cause registration opens at Noon....I am all set up at the laptop, with my iPad and iPhone ready to go as well...I needed to sign into Active.com and have my USAT number ready and my debit card #....  I start to read the page and it is 12 noon CST...so know i have an hour to talk myself out of this....DO I really want to SWIM, BIKE, RUN for 140.3 miles or about 16 hours?  DO I want to spend this money?  DO I have the time to do it all? ( with work, school and life?)

Three times I signed off the Active.com registration site for the IM FL...twice I put my cards away.... but then it was 1215 and I said to myself.  STOP THE SELF DOUBT!!!!!   Start BELIEVING IN YOURSELF....You can and will do this..You are a TRIATHLETE...and in one year you will be an IRONMAN!!!!

As I have said many many times...on July 5th, 2005...I could not walk two blocks!!!!! So  CAUSE I CAN NOW, just over 7 years later, I am going to start my training to COMPETE and FINISH a FREAKING IRONMAN ~~140.6 miles of SWIM BIKE RUN!!!!!!!!

Along the Beautiful Gulf of Mexico in Sunny Florida!!!

SO IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GET UP & MOVING ~~  CAUSE YOU CAN!!!!!!!

Amica Newport Half Marathon Race Report: Does this Shirt Make my Butt Look FAST???

Yes this is ME!!!!!!!!

Here is my race report for the Newport Half Marathon in October 14, 2012....

So the plan is to end the season with a PR for the 1/2 Marathon Distance...In 2010, I ran this same race and beat my PR by almost 15 minutes( previous it was 2:30),,,,I finished in 2:15:01.

The plan Coach Tara worked out for me was to average 10:14/miles.  I have been doing 9:30 to 10 min/mile for 5 k's but can I sustain anything near that for 13.1 miles?

On Tuesday the week before, I had started to get sick...but I kept training all week.





Wednesday was a very emotional day as I had to go to court for my divorce.(As I told you, my life is better then a Danielle Steel Novel!)

Saturday, was an icy swim..Saturday night into Sunday AM: lots of coughing fits, head hurts and chest is banging as well.  I did not sleep well...up every half hour to try to breath!

Finally up and outta bed at 430 am....coffee and peanut butter sandwich as always.. I take some allergy meds hoping it wold kick in enough to making breathing a little easier.  Tried to take a hot shower hoping it would loosen the crap in my lungs.

530 am  I head out to Newport in the Jeep...Still no back window in so I have about 5 layers on.  I am freezing..As I get closer and closer to Newport the more I am thinking I just want to turn around and go home and go back to bed.  Crossing over the Newport Bridge,  I start to see rain drops on the windshield.  Ughh  the only thing I did not bring was rain gear!

615 am  I pull into the parking area and take a few minutes to think, do I really want to do this or not??????  I feel like CRAP, I can hardly breath with out coughing.  Nose is runny and post nasal drip is non stop.  I feel like there is a vice on my skull.

620 am I bet you you can tell by the title of this post I did do the race..or why else would there be a race report....I was thinking to myself I have had a great season, Do I have to set a PR?  I then say to myself "oh just for go it and have fun, walk if you have to!"

625 am On the bus to go to the start...I see Solange and she says I can sit next to her.  We talk the quick 5 minutes to the start line....I go to the port a potty and then go back and find Solange and a few others in the building..Laura then comes up and we all hang out and chit chat for a while...I think this going to be fun...at least it was not raining..but the WIND is WHIPPING like mad.

730 am go check bag and hit the port a potty one more time I see Brad and a friend of his ( sorry do not remember the friends name).  Then I see Norine and Bob.  All three guys are running the full marathon...I have not doubt that these guys will rock it out!

745 am hanging out waiting to the start line...hanging out with Leslie, Laura, Chris and a few others.

8 am standing in the chutes...we are standing there and standing there.   So I am only like four or five rows from the elite runners...the crowd was so thick I could not get back any further.  it is almost 815 before we get started. We are OFF!!!!!

First mile is UPHILL...I can not breath as I reach the top, I am considering DNF'ing...Ugh   I have never DNF a race.  I have DNS one race in the past.  But never DNF.  Oh My GOD, I feel like my head is exploding and my chest hurts with every breath.  With each inhalation, I feel sharp pain on both sides of my chest. I look at my watch I just did a mile mostly uphill in 9:15...REALLY????? 9:15...No Freakin' Way!!!!   Yahoooo.........I can not breath but i just went up that damn hill in 9:15...LOL

So I say to myself ok...Ill just keep going one foot in front of the other at a time....if I have to stop I will.

Mile 2:  small incline..LOL..and another 9:15...WHooo HOOOOooo.

Mile 3-7..lots of wind and rolling hills...i just keep trotting, checking my watch every once and a while  For the most part I am under the 10:14 I need to be to make a 2:15 or less...

1	9:15.3	1.00	9:15
2	9:14.5	1.00	9:15
3	10:03.5	1.00	10:04
4	10:15.5	1.00	10:15
5	10:40.4	1.00	10:40
6	10:01.5	1.00	10:01
7	10:17.4	1.00	10:17
8	9:36.6	1.00	9:37
9	12:16.7	1.00	12:17
10	10:03.0	1.00	10:03
11	9:34.0	1.00	9:34
12	10:22.9	1.00	10:23
13	9:31.0	1.00	9:31
14	2:53.4	0.32	8:55

Summary

2:14:06.0

13.32

10:00

Mile 9 as you can see was a little long... That was a port a potty break after I got to the mile 8 first aid and I wasted 2.5+ minutes there...One of these days Ill be able to run a half with out having to stop and go pee...LOL or as my friends said me "next time just run and go!!!"   LOL   Umm yeah I have the shiest bladder in the world...I do not think I could ever do that.  It has taken me more then two years to be able to do that in the wet suit and no one can tell when you do that!!!!!

Mile 10-12  were awesome....I am realizing I am going to finish and I never had to stop to walk.  I am still breathing and the pain in my chest and head is just about gone....

At about mile 12, I hear a voice I know.  Liz is walking the race with her dad.  He reached a personal PR of finishing 7 miles non stop...WAY TO GO DAD KUHL!!!!!!  Congrats!!!!  So liz runs next to me for a few minutes, encouraging me and making me laugh... Thank you my friend!

Mile 13 is great, I feel good, I now know that If I can keep this pace for another 9 minutes I am going to be able to reach my GOAL OF A NEW PR!!!!!   OH MY GOODNESS: sick as a dog, tired, and mostly likely slightly dehydrated and extremely WIND Blown...I am going to set a PR!!!!!  I see Leslie as I am almost at the finish line...I hear her cheering me on!

Finish Line!!!!!!!  I check out my watch and it say 2:14:06....I DID IT...I took 55 seconds off my previous PR!!!! YAHOOOOOOO!!!  Thank you JESUS!!!

Get in line for a warm cup of soup and some a piece of pizza...Then over to gear bag pick up...over to the port a potty to change my clothes...then to the beer tent to have my "free" beer, not my favorite, but you have to it is free!!!

I drink about half of the beer while hanging out with Scott and Solange and a few other runners.

Then over to the truck with the times listed on it...the official time is 2:14:06...LOL I have never had an exact time on my watch and compared to the official time...

Oh Yeah, I earned the TRIPLE Crown Medal as well, for completing all three half marathons here in RI..The Cox, THe Jamestown and then Newport!

So my race season for 2012 is OVER!!!!  I have had an amazing season....Now it is your turn get out there because if "CAUSE I CAN NOW.....THEN YOU CAN TOO!!!!"  Now get out there and do it!!!!!!

2012 First Fall Frost and End of OWSing, plus Fall Pond Pictures!

Goes for the wetsuit as well!

Georgeaville Pond, Esmond, RI

Last Tuesday, 615 am,  I do my last "long" OWS...it was just about 0.70 miles and the water was just about 64 degrees or so.....Not too bad, full wetsuit, booties and neoprene cap...Chris does the full mile, but I can not.  My face is FROZEN.....and I am getting a twitch on my side..and in a few days I am trying to PR at the United Health Care Newport 1/2 Marathon.  By 9 am, I have a sore throat and my head is starting to hurt.  I am getting a runny nose by noon time.  By dinner time, I am coughing and feeling pretty crappy.

Morning Frost

On Saturday, I meet Chris again at GVP, it was so BEAUTIFUL.  The night before we had the first frost of the  season.  But while I am waiting in the Jeep with the heat blasting, for Chris to get there I am thinking this is nuts... I have my swim suit on and my wetsuit in the back of the Jeep but I am not sure that I am going to swim in this freezing water.  I still have the head cold and I am hoping to be able to run in the race the next day.

Of course when he gets there, I tell him he NUTS!!!  and then I guess I am NUTS as well..cause I guess what I do next....Yep, I put on my wet suit and go for a swim.  

Did I tell you the water temp is 58*!

I do my short swim and get out...  I had started to cough in the water and could not stop. After swallowing a few mouthfuls of water, I decided to turn around and get out.

As I start to get out of the water, I hear Chris yell back at me, "Where did you go?"...I yell back  "I was done!!!"  I strip off the wet suit at the Jeep and change into warm dry clothes.  Grab my camera again and start to take a few pictures around the pond...It was a perfect day for some great fall pictures.

leaves in the water 

a view across the pond

fall is here

another view of the pond

yes a log in the water

I did not go near as far as Chris did, I only went about 800 yards or so....Chris did a full mile!

So the next day I am schedule to finish my 2012 race season with a half marathon...I hope I can do it..I feel like crap!!!! I have decided not to go for the PR but just to try to finish the run!

Now it is your turn to get out there and go for it...Cause You Can!

I can see the Light!!!! And Mud Pics

Hello.  So I CAN SEE the LIGHT!!!  What the heck does that mean.....well to a Former Fat Chick...that means. For the first time in my life when I stand at a normal stance I can see light between my thighs !!!!!!  Yes, I just said that or at least typed it out LOUD!!!!!

Here are a couple pictures from the Rugged Maniac,,,,,,

right after the slide!!!

Finish Line

Bucket List # 38

MUD REPORT...MUD??? Do you say MUD???

Ok so my last Tri of the season was last week...but that does not mean that racing season was TOTALLY over...NO WAY!!!

This weekend was so much FUN.....A mud run, hanging out with a friend and her beau and a great run and homework (ok that part was not fun at all!)

I got up at 5 am..Yahoo...a late start for a race day!

Everything was packed for the weekend the night before like I try to do each time.  But I had to double pack things...First I was racing two and half hours away..... and then driving all the way back and going another 30 minutes the other direction to hang out with a DEAR Friend!

Most of you probably do not know this...but I OVERPACK EVERYTHING and EVERY TIME.... if I need one pair of shoes I'll bring 3 pairs.  Since I knew we were going out to dinner last night, but did not know where or the dress attire needed...Yes I had a backpack, a race bag and a "small carry on" sized suitcase... Hey i needed layers for the race, clean dry clothes for afterwards and then stuff for the rest of the weekend RIGHT?????

Ok back to the MUD Report: up at 5 am...breakfast and coffee, load up the Jeep...and head to gas station ( this is going to be an expensive weekend for gas).  Jeep all filled up..my coffee cup is almost empty so over to D&D!!  EXTRA LARGE skim milk and equal HOT COFFEE.....it is 6 am and I have a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me...Traffic is not bad at all...

Got to Southwick, MA and to the race venue right on schedule..The traffic line to get into the parking area is about 1/4 mile long, there is a big school parking lot , almost completely empty right to my left...I pull in and ask a couple of the guys that were there in the lot, "Can we park here for the race?"  They are like "We are"..ok so am I...Come on it is only 1/4 to the race venue... Why not!

I grab my race bag and water bottle and head out walking...It was a quick 1/4 mile..people were asking me as I walked by where did you park? I said to them "RIght there"..pointing over to the parking lot...they just drive by it.....LOL

Check in is smooth...OH forgot to tell you... I am on a team for this race...The Trumanatiors... a bunch of staff form one of our local ER's and I somehow agreed to do this with them.... I think I have to blame  Adam and Cathy for that...and neither one of them were able to come and play int eh mud with us yesterday....:-(...I did find Bob and Dave though... I was told there were more coming, but I did not see anyone of them.   I rented the video camera..so in about two weeks I'll post what I saw as I was racing....

My wave is to go off at 1045 AM...by the time I checked in and went to the Porta-Potty and then did my bag check and took off the extra layers I was wearing...CAUSE yes I was FREEZING!!! is is already 9 am...I heard over to the race area...Cause a mud race is more about the obstacles then the run!

I stood watching as people jumped in chest deep COLD water and then cargo net climbed out ...

1030 , I pick up my camera rental...I figured if I am doing I might as record it try to remember it later....LOL!  It is my view of the race...

After I get the camera.  I see Bob and Dave getting ready for the
wave.  Bob and Dave work in the ER.  I was not sure who else beside Cathy and Adam that was suppose to be doing the race.  I found out the night before that Adam was not going to be able to race and then the next morning Cathy called me to tell me she was not going to make it there....I felt so bad for both of them.....

ok the gun goes off and we are off....This race is not about the TIME  it is about CONQUERING THE OBSTACLES!!!!!  Not int his order but in the way my mind works: The Following was what I remember of the race, ...There was this AWESOME SLIDE...LONG DARK tunnels you had to crawl thru...on your hands and knees..there are 12 foot high wooden walls to climb over and down on the other side... barbed wire strung out and you had to crawl thru the water and mud!  jumping from logs stuck in the mud, more tunnels and some you have to crawl on your belly to get thru...Walls you have to jump up onto to get over and others you need to climb over..Cargo nets between two huge shipping container that you have to get over....a "fire" to jump over........did I mention everything is COVERED with MUD!!!!  

Bob, Dave and I played "TAG" a lot during the race...I am a "runner" and they are not what they called "runners" but they FLEW over and through the obstacles where I was so much slower on them....But they waited for me each and every time I went over or through one....Thank you GUYS! As soon as I was through with the obstacles I would run ahead and wait for them other times we would run together or walk together.....  we all went down the water slide together,,,we all started with our feet out front and I am not sure how anyone of did not end up on the other side of town we came down so fast,,,,That is one of the obstacles I WANT TO GO DO AGAIN!!!!

We finish up in just under 1:05...I am not 100% sure of my time...cause I was not on the results page...so I emailed the company and told them I finished with Bob and Dave  or int hat time frame and we will see what they give me....But I am pretty sure about 1:05 or less....

BEER TIME::::  Yes one beer is part of the SWAG for the race...Thank you....then grab my bag and go over to the "showers" A pole hung between some trees with hoses attached to it...and there is NO HOT WATER!!!!!  changing rooms are big blue tarps tie to and around trees...enough to make a big communal changing room.....

Thank God I am not SHY!!! 10 - 15 ladies all changing in a open air tarpped wall "room"...I just wanted my pink fuzzy socks on my cold wet feet.....

Changed and ready to walk back to my jeep....SO glad I parked in the other lot and not right near the registration... I was out of the other lot before people in the registration lot were even on the street..

Drive to D&D and yes get more COFFEE.... another long ride to go home... Yes I drive 5 hours to race a 5k obstacle course called the  RUGGARD MANIAC ::::::::  CAUSE I CAN NOW!!!!!!!

Last Tri of 2012!

Wow can you believe it is officially Fall???   Yesterday was my last Triathlon of the 2012 season....

It was a cool rainy start.  My last tri was the Amica 19.7 Newport...this race is all about just finishing up the 2012 Tri Season with a good FUN race!!!!!

I had only slept a couple of hours...I have not slept very well the last couple of days..Not quite sure why...but it is what it is.

Up at 430 am.  I had prepped everything the night before as I always do.  Loaded up the Jeep and headed to Newport.  Pulled out of the driveway at 5 am.

Arrived at second Beach in Newport at 545 am..unload the Jeep and took my running gear to T2...

Yeah this race has two different transitions...One at 3rd beach (T1) where we swim and the other from 2nd Beach (T2) where we run from and finish.

630 am After setting up T2, I pack the "gear" bag the race official gives us so that our gear from the swim will be returned to the finish area for us, then I return the rest of the stuff to my Jeep.

Running around saying Hi and checking with the other Tri NE Teammates! and several other people I know...We all know how I like to chit chat!!!!

645 am:  I take Pippy (for those who do not know this yet: Pippy is my bike) and "gear" bag and walk to T1.  Sparky and I walk over together.

655 am: arrived to T1 and rack my bike and start to wiggle into my wetsuit...wearing the FULL suit cause it is chilly out but the rain has stopped...

715 am: a small swim to get started... the end of the boat dock...is a nice drop off...watch that last step!!!!!

725 am: the race official calls us all out of the water to line up and start the swim waves....

I am in the 5th wave...we are the last ones to go out....even before we start our swim the first swimmer from the elite are already out onto the bikes....

A good swim for me:  18:09 for a half mile, the water was cool but the air was cooler.   I am shivering again!!!

T1 was long at 4:06...I had a tough time getting the wet suit off again and then layering the tops..I wore my team shirt covered by a long sleeve running top.

On the Bike and a nice wet road for the next 16+ miles....There are a few crappy hills and A LOT of TURNS....every time I get up to a good speed, I have to slow down and take turn. Nothing too impressive about the bike.  ( I am going to be working hard on that BIKE form and endurance this WINTER!!!)  Bike is done in 58:26 for 16 miles!!!  T2 is 2:32... off with long sleeve shirt and change helmet for running cap.

Out on to the run..so to see this run you do not think of it as hard run....just a wee bit of a hill to start....turn out on to the road run about a tenth of a mile or so and take a right and then it is all up hill for about a mile or more...  Thank GOD what goes up must come down.... I do not feel like I running at all..it just feels like my legs are solid pieces of cement going up and down.

Top of hill and a quick left then about a 1/3 of mile to the turn around and return to the "HILL". Thank goodness it is now DOWN HILL!!!!  At the bottom of the hill is a left turn to the last bit of a run, I can see the finish line....There is a young lady behind me and her friends and family are calling out her name.."KATIE"..SO I turn my head back and start to call out to her  "Come on Katie, do not let this old GRANDMA beat you!!!!!"  Now lots of people on both sides of the road are call out to Katie....it is so cool...I later find out that she had a goal to finish in less then 2 hours!!!!

Guess what Katie did it....less then 2 hours...How do I know this...Cause my run was 30:55 and my total time was  1:54:07.  That is 3:11 faster then last years time!!!  Yeahhhhhh. Thank you, Coach Tara !!!!!! You Rock COACH!!!!

Now it is your turn to get out there and GET IT DONE!!!!  Cause you Can NOW!!! Pictures to come....