Ski update

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zeKJ-UAX-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYyrMv0X3N4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwLdggTPMKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74SVdmfI6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Xi2fXd02I

I've been putting in my time on the ski trails. This stuff is hard work. I have to admit that I don't really enjoy skiing the way I enjoy running, biking or swimming.
First off, your hands are all tucked away in your mittens which are velcro'ed into your ski poles. So there's no talking on the phone or txt messaging. Even getting a drink is a major hassle of unclipping and retrieving... it all work.



Above is me with a couple Laura and I met on the trails at Baker Park. They are both 72 years old and have ski'ed the Birkebeiner at least 10 times. They've run more than 50 marathons. Most notably, they weren't whining about having to the unnatural things like skiing up hills. Good sturdy Norwegians.

This is how I spend a lot of time out there. I still fall. A lot. Four times in an hour. I am working my butt off out there. Inside of 15 minutes, I am DRENCHED in sweat, and my heart rate hits 171 (my max) every hill. My coach John doesn't let me rest until I get to the top of each one, and then I get an "active recovery" where I have to continue to V1 while my heart rate drops. All I can think of is I wish I could just stop and rest.

This is me with Laura. She's enjoying it more than I am. On this day our goal was to put in two solid hours. The first hour was so hard and boring that we stopped at her car and got her camera and just made videos of ourselves for the second hour. I will hopefully have it up on youtube for viewing on Tuesday.

Afterward we are still smiling. We skied 10.43 miles and did a time trial for a 5k loop, where our pace was 9:04 minutes per mile. We are estimating that we will take about 5 hours to finish (31.7 miles) on race day.

Today I ran long and slow - my favorite kind of run. We had to run through some snowdrifts on the sidewalks, but it was still beautiful. About 15 degrees and sunny. Not a single whining word was uttered. Ahhhhh... back to my old self... at least until tomorrow's long ski at 2:30 p.m... one more month until race day and I can be done with skiing!

Swim Technique and "Ick Factor"

Swimming is all about technique. Spending a lot of time on drills is the best way to smooth out your stroke, and be more fish-like in the water. Some people use an assortment of gadgets like fins and paddles and such. I hear that works, but I usually just do the drills that require no apparati. (is that plural for apparatus?)
Anyway, I had an abbreviated swim this morning because I was on the phone with a friend who was consoling my fuming mind about our school's fundraiser. Here's what I need to vent about.

The Ick Factor

We've been at this school since pre-K for both Bobby and Ally. This is our fifth year; the school opened its doors six years ago. So we've almost been there since the beginning. I've been on the committee for our Spring Gala every year, so I of course volunteered again this year. But it's different this year -- I hate it.

There are several people that are new to Providence that came here from other private schools, and they were on the fundraising committees there. I think they did things differently at their old schools, and I hate that they want us to do it "their" way at "my" school.

Yes, I called it "my" school. I feel that way. Most of the parents feel that way. Even the kids take ownership of the culture here. Each day I walk up that gorgeous sidewalk to that special place and some kid I often don't even know opens the door for me. Kids I do know say, "Hi, Mrs. Moore!" I love the place and I feel like the place loves me.

The founding families - just a handful of people - built this school for us. It was a gift. The generosity around here is mind-blowing. Those founding families don't even know my kids and to look around and see what they have given to US PERSONALLY. I get teary driving up the driveway sometimes. Considering the backgrounds that I and my husband come from - this is just an indescribable gift.... Anyway, the theme of the Gala this year is "We are Family". I love that. I have always felt like family even when I am sitting among some of the wealthiest, most influential parents in the country. One father is one of President Bush's advisors and they talk fiscal policy while flying on Air Force One. Another is #12 in the Forbes Wealthiest Americans list. One founding family owns a winery in Napa - wine you and I drink probably at least once every year. And the guy who invented the bar code system AND that magnetic stip on the back of your hotel room key and credit card? He gave us this place and his kids are here. Big people. Rich people. But if I hadn't been told "who" these people were, I would have never guessed it in a million years. Never once have they made me feel inferior.

But these new people do.

Here's a sampling of what's being discussed in the last three Gala meetings. Try not to hurl if you are wearing anything special:

1). Let's monitor the donated items because we don't want any (insert visual grimace that could only mean "lesser") items. Let's not open it up to just "anything". We want high ticket, good items.

2). Let's hit up X-person (I'm omitting his name because he's a professional sports athlete on a team here in Minneapolis) -- last year he only gave an iPod. He needs to be giving more than that.

3). Last year's idea to have the 4th grade students make a cookbook was a good idea, but c'mon - it had spiral binding. It was unattractive. It only sold for $225. It was our cheapest item of the night. [gasp - since when is $225 for a cookbook not good enough???????]

4). Someone suggested we offer internships to upperclassmen. [awesome idea] Does anyone own a business or know someone who does who'd like to have an unpaid intern shadow them and "work" for them for two weeks. My girlfriend, sitting right next to me in the meeting, said her husband is an oral surgeon, and he'd probably love to show a kid what he does. [he once wired back-together the face of another friend of mine who had an accident and fell on his face, breaking his jaw in several places and chipping out most of his front teeth]. Mean Girl looked at my GF, stared blankly at her, and then turned her head away to the rest of the group and said, I meant, like, A.W. is vice president of a bank that her family started. I think that's the kind of internships we are looking for. [gasp - did Mean Girl just tell my GF that what her hubba does is not good enough? besides, I think watching surgery surely would be at least as interesting as attending fiscal planning meetings and lunches and staring over someone shoulder while they read Excel spreadsheets. But really, how rude was that?]

5). Ticket prices. Some parents don't attend the Gala because the tickets are too expensive. [last year they were $125 per person]. So this year we are sending out a "sliding scale" ticket. You will have the option of paying $50, $100, $200, or $400 per person for the party. [I'm sorry, but if I receive a ticket in the mail that offers me a sliding scale, I will be insulted. I'd expect to see that from a social worker at a womens health clinic in the city, but not on my school's party invite].

So it's the "ick" factor that is just unpallateable for me. I love this place and I know I shouldn't let these Mean Girls change that. But I've never seen people behave this way. It's a level of snobbishness that I think is disgusting. So if the cheapest item last year sold for $225, and they want to change up the assortment so that there is nothing that "cheap", then I and "poor folks" like me won't get to have any fun in the Silent Auction. And that's fun to do! Sorry, Mean Girls, but there are a lot of people - like me - who used to feel good about winning even a $60 item, knowing the money went to our school. The Live Auction items can be as pricey as you want, but leave at least the Silent Auction to the "poor folks"!

So if you've taken the time to read this, and thanks if you have, please offer your suggestion: do I:

a). bail out and quit now, or
b). continue with what I committed to do (sew spirit-themed pillows), and just smile and nod and try to fly under the radar. It's so icky to me that I don't even want my name in the book as being part of the committee.

VO2 Test results and TAGGED

I did my O2 Metabolic Assessment today at Lifetime. My results explain why I never seem to lose any weight when I run a lot, but when I bike a lot I do. Now I get it - I am in a lower (fat-burning) zone when I bike. What I need to add to my workout plan are: 2 x one hour walks, where my heart rate is about 116; and 1 x one hour dreadmill workout where I do a 15 minute warmup, gradually working my way up in 2-minutes increments to my Anaerobic Threshhold at 165 bpm; followed by three sets of 8-minute builds from 116 to 165, which I will hold for 5 minutes, cut immediately, and when I get back down to 116, I start the second 8-minute build to 165.

For those of you who pay attention to these numbers, here they are! Analyze away! I will likely forget them after I hit send. But I did find it interesting and will try to fit the extra hours into my regimen to get in some low-zone time.

Heart Rate Zones
Zone 1 - up to 116 bpm
Zone 2 - 116 - 149
Zone 3 - 149 - 165
Zone 4 - 165 - 182
Zone 5 - 182 +

Recovery Information
After one minute, I dropped from 170 to 138 (32 beats)
After two minutes, I dropped to 114 (56 beats)

VO2 Peak - 55.2
VO2 Peak Heart Rate - 171

The VO2 peak of 55.2 was really good, considering anything over 42 is considered "excellent".

Fitness Level at VO2 Peak Information
VO2 Peak (ml/kg/min) - 55.2
AT (ml/kg/min) - 53.2
Fitness Level (AT%) - 96%

(The goal is to have these two numbers as close together as possible. Mine had a 4% difference)

Fat utilization profile
Zone 1 - 52% fat; 48% carbs
Zone 2 - 50% fat; 50% carbs
Zone 3 - 25% fat; 75% carbs
Zone 4 - 1% fat; 99% carbs
Zone 5 - didn't actually measure - probably 100% carbs


Also, I got tagged by RunBubba Run -

Here's how it goes:
1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

And the nearest book is called What Your First Grader Needs to Know, edited by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

pg. 123, Sentence 5 - 8:

Because the Epic of Gilgamesh was written down, we can learn a lot from it and about how the people in long-ago Mesopotamia saw the world. It tells us what they admired in a hero, what gods they worshiped, and how they thought the gods wanted them to behave. Like the ancient Egyptians, the Mesopotamian people worshiped many gods.

What????? my first grader knows this????? I learned this in 8th grade. Oh, my.

I am now tagging http://lifeontherunswimbike.blogspot.com, http://susanoseen.blogspot.com, and http://mastercleansenow.blogspot.com.

Garmin update

Now I know why I don't lose weight running. In this morning's 10 mile, 1:36:42 run, I only burned 308 calories. My average heart rate was 166. A little zone3, a little more zone 4 and 6.6miles at zone 5.

That sucks! Put me on my bike!!!

Stats for my stationary trainer in my kitchen for a 50 minute ride: 686 calories burned; 645' ascent; 702' descent; average cadence 255 rpm. Now that oughta make Coach Troy proud, but I swear I never pedal faster than 90. I have a 55 tooth big ring that I plod along in. And where did the hills come from? My tiles are totally level in the kitchen, I am SURE.

I didn't set this baby up myself, so what did IronNick do wrong?

Please no comments suggesting that I read the directions... that takes the fun out of the whole thing.

I've been busy...

OK, I feel like I need to explain why I haven't used my new Garmin. In addition to ski training, Ironman training, parenting, being a halfway decent wife, and not skipping lunch with my girlfriends, I've been tiling the kitchen in my basement.
Tons of curves and angles and lots of cutting on the wetsaw outside (I'm in Minnesota - brrrrr). The tiles you see in the photo are sand colored, and even have tiny sparkles like real sand. Where you see the tape will be 1" mosaic tiles made from stained glass. That part will look like overlapping ribbons, kind of like a wave. The glass tiles are teal green/blue, light sea blue, and dark sea blue. I think's it's going to rock once we are finished.

I also had to sew a school-spirit themed pillow to auction off at my kids' school fundraiser in April. The rampant lion and the fringe are belting leather, and the background is crushed velvet. I liked the contrast of dressy and casual in the fabrics I chose. I just need to finish cutting the fringed edges and it'll be ready to turn in tomorrow.

NY Resolution update

OK, so my new year's resolution was to start and keep a training log. I am pleased to report that I have stuck with it for 4 days IN.A.ROW. Which means I have surpassed my success rate of last year's resolution (to actually get up and blow-dry my hair, put together a decent outfit, and wear make-up everyday) which only lasted 3 days. Woo-hoo!

I'm using two logs, actually - an on-line log at www.RunAhead.com and a paper log in my Franklin Planner. (Did I ever mention that I love my Franklin Planner? I do. If I ever lost it I'd probably just kill myself because I wouldn't have any friends and I wouldn't have anything to do).

I hopefully will post my workouts from RunAhead to my sidebar, but first I need Trimama, Taconite Boy or IronNick to come over and show me how. I'm not much of a directions-reader, which could explain why I haven't once used the Garmin 305 that I got for Christmas even though IronNick DID come over and set it up for me already...

In the pool today I decided to time myself for 1000 yards to set a starting point so I can figure out if I actually get faster this year. Not that I really care very much, but now I'm just curious. My three IM splits to date were 1:09, 1:08, and 1:10 -- the 1:10 being Florida a couple months ago and it was so rough out there that the beach was actually closed and one athlete sadly did drown. I am very consistent, and I think I am the same speed year in/ year out whether I train much or not. Anyway, I was right about 16 minutes. That's about a 1:36/100 yards. Which makes me wonder why I am so much slower in open water when I get to wear a wetsuit.

Anyway, when I was a kid I was a great little swimmer. I still have all my ribbons and trophies in a box in the basement. Going through them I discovered that at one race I did a 5:35 for a 500yd freestyle; and at the same meet won a silver medal with a 19:33.6 for a 1650yd freestyle. That was when I was 12. Now I'm 44 and things have slowed down a bit! When we moved from Texas to Connecticut that year I also saved a newspaper article in the sports section that announced my sister and me as the "Texas Tornados" who had just arrived and surprised the Connecticut swimming scene... ahhh... my glory days were peaked out by 7th grade.....

Trip to the American Girl store in Chicago with Ally

We arrived in Chicago, checked in and headed out for dinner. Ally is enjoying a perfect Shirley Temple at the Char House.

We got up the next morning to discover that the American Girl store is directly across the street from the Park Hyatt. Ally just stood in front of the display window and watched the animated dolls "perform". She was so excited to be there, yet she could not rush inside ... she really enjoyed the animated window display. (look, Mom! they're really tap dancing!)

Once inside, Ally selected a doll that looks like herself, and got her a cute outfit (which coincidentally is available in real-girl sizes, too).

We were surprised to learn that, in the store's bathroom, they have doll-holders affixed to the wall so that you can pee without having to put your new doll on the floor. How clever!We went to the Theatre Revue - a live show featuring girls acting out roles and stories from the American Girl books. After that we took a carriage ride that took us over to Lake Michigan and back around downtown.

Ally just looked around, pointed out anything that was particularly cool, and sipped at her vanilla steamer. She kept saying that we should do this again next year.

We shopped some more and then had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe...

...and taxi'ed back to the hotel to get to bed. She and her doll (yeah - those are matching pajamas -- I told you before we even left that I was doomed... it's true!)...

And woke up and had room service... took a bath with candle-light and used up all the sea salts and other spa products that were supplied (!), got dressed (in the same outfit as yesterday! So cute! She loved that outfit, and I was glad she didn't ask for another set of matching outfits for the next day...

We had her doll's hair styled at the doll-salon, got Ally's photo taken with her doll for a magazine cover thing they sell... and shopped some more,

(which resulted in a second AG doll named Elizabeth, and an outfit for her - ouch), and then had lunch before heading back to Minneapolis.

Ally looked so grown up shopping in Chicago...... she's only six, and still so sweet... During the day she passed me a note that said, "I love today". I am SOOOO saving that. I may be "doomed" by the AG girl thing, but like I said before, soon she will be a teenager and will hate me.

This weekend was perfect. I love her so overwhelmingly it makes me want to cry.

Thank you, God.

I love life.

All of it. ;-)

Got my Geek On!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

Went to bed early last night just so I could rest up and be fully prepared for the big event. Upon arrival --- first things first -- liquid bravery.


... followed by the mandatory Athlete Meeting. T-Storms, Trimama, and me.


Jeff and I start the swim. Interestingly enough, we covered the 5 yards in record time. Jeff is wearing a stars-and-stripes man-thong. Okay, now I just have to wonder where he got that sort of thing. We'll have to get the skinny on that in Zurich... maybe we can get him to wear it for the swim there in June. It'll be his first full Ironman ;-) .
T1 Team Photo: T-Storms, me, Jeff, IronDia, Siobhan, and Trimama. Taconite Boy did not jump per doctor's orders, but I think that's his shadow in front. It was cold.
Awhile later we ate some non-New-Year's-Resolution-approved food that Trimama baked herself, and placed a "surprise-a-triathlete" call to IronKahuna. (yeah - we copied that idea from your podcast IK and Wil)!!

Official Team Photo after the finish. That's IronNick in the front with glasses on his head. He told us that he just signed up for Ironman Zurich yesterday. Awesome!! I think we have 22 going now. What a blast that will be. Nick, IronDia and I all did Brazil IM together just this spring, so it will be awesome to do another foreign race with him. He's a great travel buddy - so easy going and fun. Has everybody checked out IronNick's websites? He has two. The first one, www.TriMapper.com highlights where all the races are (world-wide); and www.TriJuice.com gives you all the skinny on the goings-on in the tri world. Check them out!

What a fun way to start the year. Kahuna and Wil - this was a great idea! Can't wait to hear how all the other tri's around the globe went. I doubt we did the longest one, but maybe we did the coldest one?

Girl Trip! and X/C ski update

Ally and I are off to Chicago tomorrow for the American Girl Destination Tour. We will stay in a fancy hotel downtown on Michigan Ave., attend the American Girl Revue Theatre Production, and shop at the American Girl store for a doll and accessories.

I've been warned by other moms that once we get that American Girl doll, we can helplessly watch a few thousand dollars evaporate into AG outfits and accessories. It can't be that bad, can it? Any AG moms out there??? If so, I'm doomed!!! But Ally is so excited about our trip that I'm "in". She's only little for a little while and it won't be long before she's a teenager and hates me. But for now, we can get dressed up, go to a fancy restaurant, go to a show, stay in a fancy hotel, shop at the American Girl doll store, and enjoy a blissful mother-daughter relationship. I understand that we can even get her doll a school uniform that matches Ally's. Aye.

I've decided to start a workout log. I've never kept one, but reading so many other people's blogs, it sounds like you all keep one. Yesterday I ran 5.5 miles and then later skied 6.8 miles. I still lack confidence on the skis... I still fall down. Twice last night. This race I'm doing is 31 miles long, and hilly!. Last night I felt like 6.8 miles was plenty. I was soaked with sweat and dying of thirst. I have to start wearing my water belt... I just never thought about it for skiing, but I always wear it for running, and wouldn't dream of biking without water. So I will start bringing it. We were eating snow.

Anyway, IronLaura and I did stop to talk a lot, but 6.8 miles took us 80 minutes. So how long will the Birkie take us? It's so much hillier than our local trail, too. I'm actually open to a DNF, but am going to be at the starting line anyway. Going up the little hills at Elm Creek had my heart-rate pounding out of my chest. I have to hook up my new Garmin 305 (I decided to get the one with a heart-rate monitor ;-)) to find out just how hard this is on me -- especially up a hill that has about 8 inches of powdery loose snow on it. What will it be like in Wisconsin? Those of you who have done IM WI know how hilly it is in that area... It's the same hills, only on skinny little horse trails on skis. I'm doomed.

Bikin' Dirty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJnYVm4iaqc&eurl

I hope this works.

Merry Christmas! (or "Happy Seasonal Celebration"!)

It was a beautiful, noisy, quiet, exhausting, and meaningful Christmas. Yesterday my step-kids Peter and Marnie (and her hubba Ryan) came over. We exchanged gifts and ate a traditional dinner.
That's Ryan with Marnie, and Peter with Bobby and Ally.

After we ate, we all went to church. (Well, not all - Peter is an atheist and is unapologetically intolerant of Christianity, Christians, me (go figure!) - so even though we asked him to come along, just to be with us - he didn't have to pay attention or anything -- he said he had somewhere else to go. Well, OK, then... to each his own!

It was a beautiful sermon. Pastor Dan talked about how Jesus is the light of the world, and how when He came, He shined that light not on Himself, but on God, so that we would understand how great God is and know how much He loves us. One analogy Dan made that hit home for me was this: that lightness has an impact on darkness, but darkness doesn't dim lightness. In other words, the darkness can't make my candle dimmer. But if I walk into a dark room with a candle, the light will change that darkness. Relating that to myself, although I am often "unsettled" by Peter, his darkness can't impact me, and if God's light shines through me upon him, well, so be it. I (and my faith) cannot be dimmed if I am around dark people. But it is possible for my light (my faith) to change "darkness" into light.

After church we drove 50 miles to Wisconsin where Bob's brother was having another dinner. It was great to see everybody. All his neices and nephews are growing up - they're adults with "real" lives now - it's all going by so fast. It was fun to see everybody, but we had a long drive back home to get the cookies out for Santa!

I think the gifts were right on. Ally was most excited to get skates and a digital camera. That's her below hugging her camera. We were out and skating on the pond in the woods by about 9:30 this morning. Thankfully, it was covered with about an inch of snow, and the ice underneath was quite rough, so it wasn't too slick for her.... good to gain a little confidence the first time out! She wants to take lessons again, even though she has taken them twice before and dropped out.

Bob (Mr. Romance!), got me an emergency kit for my car. Blanket, flashlight, tire air, ... all the necessities. It's gotten to the point where it's funny... even to me! But where does a guy learn that girls want this stuff as a gift? After 11 1/2 years I know to put stuff I really want under the tree myself and label it, "For Jenny, From Jenny". So I got some cool boots, a couple of Gwyneth Paltrow movies, and I'm going to get myself one of those Garmins at the after-Christmas sale!


Cheers, and enjoy the holidays, everyone!

Snowy Trails to you

This morning about 15 of us ran 2 hours 10 minutes on wooded trails. It was beautiful!!! It was such a great way to wake up. Much as I love lounging around in the morning, enjoying the smell of coffee brewing, it still can't top running through the woods with my friends listening to the snow crunching under our feet. After you get home, the coffee tastes really, really good. Better, even.

I must admit I am a bit sore now, though! We probably ran 13 miles, about twice as far as I have run since IMFL. So I will admit there must be a fine line between under-training and too-little training. My joints were even getting a little ache-y the last couple miles and that rarely happens. Anyway, it was beautiful out there.

Today I need to buy the last one or two gifts that I have been putting off. My step-daughter got married this summer and I haven't bought anything for her husband, Ryan. He's a pilot about to get laid off, so he's in law school now, hoping to have something to do when the inevitable happens. It's a shame that he was only able to live his childhood dream of being a pilot for a few years. Back in the old days it was a glamorous, high-paying job. Now it's kind of like being a union bus-driver; the only difference being that you're in the air and not on the road. His salary kept getting cut, and now his hours, too, so it was wise of him to get Plan B underway before he's completely jobless.
So much for all those union dues. I'm not a big fan of unions. Kind of think they had their purpose and their day, and now they are just extorting money from the last certain workers that still have any faith in them... anyway - another topic another day. Today I need to figure out what to get for Ryan for Christmas.
Bob's meeting with some buyers today so I can't make him do it. Is a shirt lame? What about a portable GPS? I think that would be fun to have. Marnie (my stepdaughter) wanted walking shoes, so we got her those along with some stylish layering outdoor wear. Maybe Ryan would like to join her on her walks and he can tell her how fast and far they are going? Am I grasping at straws? He is so hard to shop for!

Let it snow!!!

Bobby nails me with a snowball.

Finally, FINALLY! It's December 21 -- the winter solstice -- the days will start getting longer tomorrow... and it finally snowed for the first time in Minnesota. It was a heavy wet snow, too, perfect for snowangels and snowmen.

Bob's up north ice fishing and playing poker and godknowswhatelse with his buddies for the weekend, which means I get to shovel the driveway, which is pretty much the only household chore I actually enjoy. I really should learn how to use the snowblower, because on days like today where there was a half inch of slush under the snow... let's just say I got in a two-fer workout of weights and cardio.

The kids' last day of school was today -- sweet!!!! They keep saying they can't wait for Christmas, they can't wait for Christmas, they can't wait..... Ally really wants a kitty (a real one) so we've been telling her that Bob is allergic, so she started advising us about allergy shots that Dad can get... That's the one big present that she's not getting. Bobby wants a snowboard, and will probably get it, so now I have to figure out how to NOT have Ally all upset that she didn't get her big gift when Bobby DID.... aye, aye, aye. If it were up to me, I'd get the kitty.

Short post today - gotta get out and play with my little treasures...

Triathlon Sign-up Party

I love parties. All of them. Invite me to all of them. I never get sick of them.

Steve and Helen had one on Saturday night which was a blast. Everybody brought their calendars and Steve had typed up a master spreadsheet with all sorts of fun-sounding races. It had the dates, locations, and sign-up dates on it. We could see what everybody else has signed up for, and determine what else we should register for. That's Steve in the background mixing up what sure appears to be a girly-drink.

Trimama and Taconite Boy were there - (in the hot-tub). Everybody's completely sober, as usual. Steve and Helen live on one of the 10,000+ lakes here in Minnesota. They host 6am swims every Wednesday all summer long. They put out real triathlon buoys (the big orange pyramid style ones) and we all take turns driving their pontoon one-way... most people swim across the lake and back for just under two miles.

Anyway, we are all going to Zurich to do the IM there. If you are looking for a late June race, there are still 214 spots left. I will be there along with twenty - that's right - twenty - of my friends. We are going with Endurance Sports Travel. It's a company owned by Ken Glah (he has won a few Ironmans, and he still participates, most recently in Kona just a couple months ago). Now they just take people all over the world to do Ironmans. We went with them to IM Brazil in May '06, and I swear will never do an overseas race without them - they totally ROCK. THey take care of EVERYTHING. Anyway, please join us! Marz-Racer is the only other "blogger" that I know of who is coming, but if you like me, you will love the Minnesotans that make up the Gear West Tri Club.

Temperatures soar today!

Right now it is 41 degrees is sunny Minnesota. I love living here... seems like forever ago I was whining about the cold - it's great here. Today.
This morning I ran with SCS Multisport's "group run". I usually run with Lifetime Fitness' Running Club, but my x/c ski coach is one of the owners of SCS, so I came out to give it a try. We ran on Eden Prairie's hilly trails and park-paths mostly, but got lost and tried to take a shortcut which was actually a deer trail that soon disappeared. So we were bushwhacking and crossing frozen streams, getting covered with burrs from unknown weed-y plants. .. but it was fun - just like exploring the woods as a little kid.
We ended up running for 93 minutes and averaged 9:24's. A little fast for me - I like my comfort zone and I know it as soon as I leave it, but didn't want to get left behind in the woods. I suppose it's actually good for me to leave my comfort zone occasionally. Do many of you pick a comfortable pace and just stay there? Is anything wrong with that?
Now it's off to two kids-invited parties, then a real grown-up party in Excelsior. Trimama and T-boy -- are you going to Steve-n-Helen's tonight? If so I will see you there.... ;-)

Ally and Bobby at the kids tri

Ally starts the run...

Bobby exits the swim...

Ally and Bobby at the finish - the best part is the free plastic bottle, medal and the pizza - just like for us grownups!

The kids did the Lifetime Fitness Kids Tri last summer. Ally was only five, so she and the other "little" kids swam 50 yards, biked 2 miles, and ran 1/2 mile. Bobby (8) had to swim 100 yards, bike 2 miles and run one mile. It was so adorable. These kids are INSPIRING.


During the swim in the 8 lane pool, there are 8 lifeguards - one per lane. The kids are given the option of having the lifeguard stand at the end of the lane, or get in the water with them and stay by their side. Some of the littlest kids that needed the lifeguard with them were the most inspiring because even though they struggled and had to hold onto the lane line a bit, they would NOT give up. Some would rest for what seemed like forever, but with that lifeguard by their side, they just dug in and stayed committed. Made quite a few spectators a little weepy - including me. What determination.


Bobby cut his ankle on his pedal during the bike, so he was all bloody at the finish, but he was kinda proud of it. He kept saying, "it's nothing - I'm allright". I was volunteering in transition, so I didn't even know he had finished (or was hurt) until I heard my name paged - I guess they expect the parents of bleeding kids to come to their aid. Bob (with camera) was busy looking for Ally to come in off the bike course, so neither of us even saw Bobby's finish - oops.

Brrr - temperatures dipped below zero!

Just last week it was warm enough for the kids and I to walk over to the club for dinner. But today, I know winter is really, REALLY here in Minnesota. It dipped below zero last night. And it was only 3 degrees at 11 am today when I was scheduled for my x/c ski lesson, so I canceled it. It that lame? Can I count it as only half-lame since I did get up and swim 3,000 yards this morning at the crack of dawn?

T-minus eleven weeks to race-day (American Birkebeiner) and I finally put my freestyle skis on last night for the first time - it was great! -- I only fell three times. But it was very cold.

I am SOOO glad I bought those roller-skis to practice with on the streets this fall.

I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I am doing this ski thing with a bunch of other Ironmen who have also never skied before - we are all just learning. We figured that since we're Ironmen, how hard can a 31 mile ski marathon be. We'll find out in eleven weeks. Now I am thinking the Birkie may have been a bit aggressive - there are lots of shorter races. Why did we have to sign ourselves up for the grand-daddy of all x/c marathons? Are we really that full of ourselves? What we were thinking? I had to herringbone-walk up the "hills" which at Elm Creek are what is considered "flats" on the Wisconsin course. (Those of you who have done IM Wisconsin -- imagine x/c skiing up and down those hills. It's the same hills. ) How long is it going to take me to finish this thing? Five hours? Six? What if it's really cold like last night? and windy? My fingers and face were frozen.

I'm going to check into some extreme cold-weater gear. Some old timers had on neoprene face masks. Any of you ever used one? Does is adhere to your skin? I felt like my "turtle-fur" neck gaitor that I pulled up onto my chin was "rubbing" my skin.

Ringing for the Salvation Army

This is my daughter and our friend Greg outside of the Cub Foods in "X Suburb" (can't give the name of the town because I don't want to get the manager in trouble). We rang the bell, sang Christmas songs, and dared say..... (OK - please keep an open mind... I could get in big trouble for admitting this, but.....) we said, "Merry Christmas!" to the customers!! The manager of the store said that we could say whatever we wanted because people will complain no matter what you say and frankly he'd like to hear it a little after so many years of this greeting being censored. So we did and it felt good, too! We are clearly (and some would even say "harshly") discouraged from any public mention of God here in Minnesota, so this was quite risky behavior on our parts... but this public display of our faith was making us downright giddy....;-)

But political correctness aside, I was amazed and touched by the generosity of the patrons at Cub Foods. Roughly half of the customers put money in those red kettles. Did you know that? I would never have guessed the percentage was that high. I think it was important for my kids to see that so many fellow humans give so freely. It put us all in such a great mood.... 'tis the season.

Last night Trimama and Taconite Boy, my hubba, and 4 other friends went to the Michael W. Smith Christmas show . We had a fancy dinner at a really cool "French Mediterranean-style" restaurant beforehand in downtown St. Paul, went to the show, and then stopped back at the local tri hangout, Kip's Irish Pub. It was a lovely night - the music was beautiful, the company perfect, the trees brightly lit, the reason awesome.

Wildflower Registration Now Open!

Don't forget to register for Wildflower, registration for which opened this morning. I signed up as a member of Tri Blogger Alliance for the long course.

A New Tradition

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of you.

My perfect Thanksgiving Day went like this: my friends Laura and Greg got up to run the Turkey Trot with me (along with over 8,000 others) around the streets of beautiful Minneapolis. If we had run it as a relay, we could have circled the globe. I am so thankful I live here in Minneapolis. This city is so beautiful, with so many fun things to do, and if you don't really love it there is another one, St. Paul, just across the bridge. Each has its own distinct personality.

On the drive home I received a text from my dear friend Mike (far left), just saying that he was thankful for me. I am thankful for him, too. What a crazy and fun friendship we have had! We've traveled to Vegas, Colorado, Chicago and other neat places for marathons, relays... Once he let me watch while he got 12 stitches in his head (playing basketball in a bar in Chicago). And he was there for me when a dear friendship of mine disolved (over my friend's new girlfriend who didn't like that he had a friend that was a girl - even a happily-married-uber-Christian-totally-square-mom-type like me). It made my day that he thought to text me on Thanksgiving morning.


After the run, Laura and I met Trimama, Taconite Boy, Hyphen Girl, and their dog "A" for coffee. As we left we all voiced that we were thankful for each other, which is just really so nice to hear! I get home and check my email, and there is one from Boomer and his wife! (Thanks!! You, too!)

Then while eating dinner with my wonderful immediate and extended family, I got a similar text from Commodore, (thanks buddy!) and so I just had to sit on the couch for a half-hour, texting my friends, too. At each name as I was scrolling down, I got to think of each person; and each one has brought something important to me. (Trimama, I love this picture of us at the start of Ironman Florida... I found it in my phone yesterday while I was busy texting!) Sorry I didn't go people watching (I mean shopping) with you this morning. After your 4 a.m. phone call (thanks for the invite, though!) I laid my still-drunk head back on its pillow.

Life is so great. YOU are all are so great. I feel so Blessed. I hope I didn't miss too many "letters" in the alphabet in my address-book ---- if so I aplogize. But I am indeed thankful for all of you in blog-land.

So this will be my new Thanksgiving Tradition. Now that I figured out the "duplicate" button it won't take quite as long, but I will truly enjoy thinking of you all when I send yours. Thanks everybody for texting back, too. It was so sweet to keep hearing the text bell ring all night as people would discover their text and hit "reply". There sure was a lot of love flying around the satellites yesterday.

mmmwaaaah!

Jenny