In remembrance...

I'm reeling from another reminder of how precious every moment is. My twins came home and informed me that their fourth grade teacher died suddenly this morning, before class. We hugged and had a good cry.

She taught three of my seven children. She should have had more years to hug her children, see her grandchild, and do whatever it is she hoped to do. She spent years teaching and training children. The last thing my kids learned from her was how to make a paper-mache frog.

She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered. And maybe this will remind me, once more, what is really important in my life. Thanks for the one last lesson you taught us all, Mrs. Stahle.

Review of St. George IM course

I'm back from training on the St. George IM course. Yeah! Now come all the adjustments to my taining and here is my impression, people.... Please let me know what you think, also, because I would certainly love to hear it.

I really don't know what to think. Will it be hard? Certainly.

I need more hill training and then some more hill training and then maybe I will do some more hill training. I did not underestimate the hills, but it was a great reminder not to take every training opportunity seriously. I don't think you can slide by with just long rides for this one.

I expected more gradual hills on the bike course. The slight down breaks were great on the bike. The area is beautiful. I was watching the old pioneer houses, kilns, etc. and can't wait to see it green up. I don't think the course map is really reflective of how it felt to ride. Elevatuation charts are bizarre! There are some crazy-steep hills that can emotionally get you when you're approaching them, but I felt okay on the climbs. Second time around will be hard. In fact, as I was riding it, I thought they might have a cut-off time half-way through for the bike, and they do. If you don't get the first loop done fast enough, you won't be doing the second one.

I love the run course. It is by far the hardest marathon course I have ever done, but for some reason, I really enjoy it. I can get in a groove on the long assents and just keep plugging away. I am excited to finish. When I ran to the end, today, it reminded me of the last miles of the marathons I have ran on the same road and it brought back great memories. I was almost in tears, anticipating the finish line for the Ironman.

By comparison, the ride is not as bad as the Alpine loop. The assents are further apart and don't last as long, but when you get to a hill, it is very steep. The descent back to St. George is long and straight, and you can let it go. No grabbing of the breaks necessary. Oh, and one other thing... the road out is NOT smooth. It is rough and quite bumpy. It's hard to get going fast when the terrain will allow it.

I can't wait to go back and train. I only did one loop of the bike course because we got there so late and finished in the dark (and cold). It rained this morning and so I only got about 12 miles of the run in, but I know what to expect.

I will add more weight workouts for my legs, less long hills, and more short, power hills for the run and the bike. Hope it isn't as windy and rainy as it was today....

Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe

Here is a GREAT recipe that is easy, takes few ingredients, and is an award-winner with my kids:

2 oz. Chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
4-6 oz. Sun dried tomatoes-soak in water to soften, then chop into pieces
3 oz. Feta cheese
1/2 oz. garlic
1/2 lb. Penne Pasta-cooked
2 Tbs. butter
Salt and Pepper
4 springs Rosemary- chopped

Heat Saute pan to high heat.
Coat pan with 1.5 oz of oil to cover bottom of pan.
Saute chicken until golden brown.
Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Stir, then add Rosemary.
Deglaze with lemon or chicken stalk (a couple of ounces).
Thicken with butter. Use a small portion at first and then continue until desired thickness.
Add cooked pasta and heat through.
Remove from heat and top with feta cheese.

My kids really like this and I can easily make a ton so that their is left-overs in the fridge. (For me, this is a bonus with a lot of kids)

Oh, and if there is anyone out there besides me that doesn't really measure, you can't go wrong on this one. I never measure anything and it always turns out good. You just can't mess it up!

Cross-training for triathlon

Is cross training for triathlon insane? Isn't triathlon itself cross training? Up until now, I thought the craziest thing I had ever done was swim across deer creek and back (2.5 miles) after doing a 3,500 meter swim in the morning, and a 6 mile run.

However, I have a bunch of crazy friends that leave me wondering why I let them get me into certain situations. Today they decided I should take a break from the regular swim, bike, run, and go snowshoeing. Sounds great!

Well... when one was hesitant and then backed out, I should have known it wasn't just a pretty little hike ("just a walk") up the hill to get out of the smog! 3 hours later, 6 miles later, and 2700 feet of elevation gain, blazing our own trail through snow so deep my poles did not hit solid ground when they went down, I was exhausted.

When everyone else showed up with poles, camelbaks and food, I should have been tipped off. We've run up some pretty steep terrain, logging 9 or so miles and no one carried supplies, then. I thought this workout would compare. How wrong I was!

Dear friends of mine, and you know who you are, you are crazy, fun, amazing and inspiring. I would NEVER think of a workout like this on my own. You truly help me push to my limits and yes, I did take a nap this time when I got home!

New Year, New Me!

Did anyone hear that loud crash last night? It was me, breaking my New Year's Resolution.

From what I gather, I am no different than most people. Every year I make the same resolution and never get past the first week. It's not like it's lofty. I used to resolve to get to bed by 10:00 p.m. Since that didn't work, I lowered my expectations and set my curfew to 11:00. This year, I set a time I was SURE would work. By midnight. That wouldn't be too hard, would it? Midnight?

At 12:30, I finally fell into bed, daunted because I set my clock for the usual 4:45 a.m. to go swimming. But like my husband has been saying for years, "Sleep is overrated." (Any one who knows him, knows he lives by that rule.)

So I realize why my resolve is so quickly dissolved. It isn't a lack of will-power, although I have none of that, either. It is because of routine. Our routines are our best friends. They are comfortable and helpful. It takes years to develop a routine that works for each of us. And because it works, it is hard to stay resolved to change.

Routine gets things done. Routine is what we look forward to after all the holiday partys. Routine is what we hope for after summer vacation. We like routine. So if you have been going out to dinner on Friday night and ordering the Chocolate Molten Cake, chances are, when a tough week comes around, you'll go back to your routine.

And my routine is staying up late and eating ice cream. Every night. I just can't seem to buck the system.

I'll give myself a break because all the world champion triathletes tout routine is the winning secret. I wonder if they eat ice cream?

Today's workout: Swim, swim, swim (3600 meters: 16x25 (on 25 secs) 4x50, 2x100, 1x200, repeat 4 times, 30 secs rest between sets, 12x50 kicks on 1 min. Warm up and cool down, included.
Run 6.5 miles. Another beautiful day. I love the crunch of the snow under my feet on the canal road.

I don't know why I decided to do a blog. Maybe just to write down my thoughts and feelings as I prepare for Ironman St. George. I wonder if anyone even cares and mostly I wonder what everyone else is doing to prepare.

I didn't think I'd ever do an Ironman, let alone an extremely challenging one. After years of people saying I should, it finally got to me, but reality is setting in.

Hey, anyone out there.... Are you training for something big? Some lofty goal you want to cross off your "bucket list" (before you kick the bucket!), or do for the New Year?

Well, today I ran another 7 miles, being careful not to slip and fall. I'm getting better at running in the snow and ice and even though it is cold and dangerous, I'd rather do that than be on the tredmill any day.

It was beautiful, peaceful, quiet, and cold, just the way I like it.

I logged my Ironman hours when I got home. The great thing about a journal like that is to validate that you do train. If you don't write it down, you forget what you've done and never have the confidence that you're ready.

26 miles of running. Not too bad for the Holidays.