Captain Cartwheel

In less than two hours I'll be sitting in my doc's office getting tested for mono.  I've been sick since Saturday and was convinced it was strep.  At least until Sunday when I got tested for strep and learned it wasn't it.  The doc told me to wait it out, the tender, painful swallowing and swollen glands were likely just a virus and would go away on their own.  UNLESS, and yes there was an UNLESS,  I was told if on Day 5 I didn't feel much better I should get test for mono. 

No worries right?  I would totally get better in 5 days!  Day 3 was terrible and Day 4 started terrible.  Today is Day 5 and I now feel like I am swallowing whole tortilla chips rather than glass shards, an improvement indeed but not exactly amazing either.  At this point I don't really think I have mono b/c I am not in a constant state of fatigue.  I do get tired faster but not nearly as much as I would think I would with mono.  I was exhausted this last weekend but that was purely (in my mind) situational for lack of sleep nights prior.

Thinking happy healthy thoughts here!  Friday through Saturday I am signed up for a race called RAGNAR.  It's a 12-person relay that starts in Winona and ends in Minneapolis.  It's over 200 miles of running in two days and one night...yep we run straight through the night.  I have 3 legs totalling 15 miles and I am super excited fo the race.  My friend and fellow Ironman Laura Lou is flying out tomorrow to do the race as well. 

Dr. B had a 'come-to-Jesus' moment with me last night when she brought me dinner.  She wanted me to mentally prepare myself for the slim possibility that I have mono and what that would truly mean, including but not limited to no running.  Especially in RAGNAR.  She told me about how the spleen can swell and and if I were to fall the spleen could burst and bad things could happen - so mono = no running or contact sports.  She had a really fancy name for this condition (being a smart doc and all) to which I suggested that perhaps she learned about it in a Harry Potter book and not in medical school/practice.  I still maintain the proper name has an HPish feel.

Happy healthy thoughts.  Should mono be the diagnosis I may have to go back to therapy post haste.  No physical activity makes me go NUTS!  Alas I shall wait and see, think happy healthy thoughts and hold off on booking my stay in the Crazy House - although padded rooms would be fun to bounce around in!

On a VERY HAPPY NOTE: Congrats to my bro and Michelita!  They are officially home owners.  I got to see the place yesterday and it is UBER cute.  Congrats!!

Today I headed to Valleyfair with my brother and some friends for a day of fun and catching up.  I learned pretty quickly that my body doesn't take to spinning, coasters, and rides quite the same way I used too.  I still had a blast though.  It was a gorgeous day and I got some much needed sun and added yet another tan line to my collection on my back and shoulders.

Today also served as a reminder that I represent the rule.  Perhaps tomorrow I will be proved wrong, but I'm not holding my breath. 

I just got back from a totally entertaining, tiring and rewarding trip to Madison with my friends who are doing IMoo on September 13th.  I had an amazing trip - I laughed so much that my cheeks hurt, felt such pride supporting these friends, and such joy being back on the course I can't even rightly explain it.  The best I can say is there is a magic to this course and this event that I've missed.  It's a magic that fades with distance and time away, but upon returning to its embrace it is just as powerful.  

Each of these people have fought their own demons in the past 8 months, many which I am sure I don't even know about.  But riding the course and truly experiencing the triumphs and tribulations I think they learned a lot about themselves and what they need to work on in the next month and 11 days.  I supported them in the only way I know how, getting them water & fuel, listening to their aches and saying get back on the bike and go.  Just being there for them meant so much to me, being a small part of their experience reignited the fire and reminded me why this sport and this distance is so damn rough.  It's not just about the miles themselves, its about the sheer volume of emotions you filter through on the journey. 

I only ran support and SAG for them on the bike, but this morning I ran the course loop of 13.1 miles with them.  I was amazed by how much of the course I remembered, the feelings or things that were said or done for me on the course, the exact location of my friends when they cheered and hugged me, the spot where the porta potty stood that reminded me "this is not your happy place, keep moving!" and kicked my rear in gear to finish the race running. 

Upon getting back to my room I text messaged Team G and Laura Lou to thank them again for the memories and doing the race with me.  I am very excited for my next one...though I still have not set a date or location.

I go to bed tonight with a light heart and a smile, not to mention crossed fingers that my moment of bravery this weekend is rewarded with a phone call...

Today's race went way better than expected (Chisago Half-Iron, 1.2 m swim, 56 m bike and 13.1 m run).  I didn't really feel like I was racing until after mile 26on the bike.  The swim went ok - I didn't really want to do it so I dedicated it in memory of GeeRocket's grandmother who passed away early last week.  I finished the swim in 34 and change.

The first part of the bike was pretty miserable - my legs were less than pleased about the task I set before them.  My head wasn't fully committed mentally, I definitely had negative thoughts about the longest feeling 20 mile stretch of road but I managed to shut my brain off and let the muscle memory take over.  Around mile 26 the head wind became a tail wind thanks to the course's direction change and the feeling of being fast and capable came upon me.  Later Dr. B and I would reminise about how the headwind is to blame for slowness but our legs take all the credit for speed.  I finished the bike in 2:56 and change.

I adheared to 9:1 run/walk, so I ran for 9 min and walked for 1 min, repeat.  It is consistently amazing to me how that 1 min of walking makes my running so much faster and more feasible!  I had my best half marathon time ever - finishing in 2:01:08...so close but so far to being 2 flat.  No worries though because I realized with just under two miles to go that I was going to set a new personal best for this distance.  I finished the race in 5:35:06, beating my time from last year (and ever) by 12 min and 12 seconds.  SAAAAWEEEEET! 

Nearly everyone had a good race day.  I achieved both of my goals and even one unspoke goal - having not realized it was a goal until today while biking but still very pleased to have accomplished it.

And now it is bed time.

It appears tomorrow is race day again, not exactly sure how it got here so fast.  I am packed up and by most physical standards ready.  I don't feel like I’m racing tomorrow.  I don't even feel like I have a long workout planned.  My bike training dropped off dramatically since Liberty – partly b/c I was out of town over half of the weekends, we had lots of rain and I actually needed my car for work during the week- a perfect storm of excuses.  I’ve been way better about getting runs and even swimming in, but still I had no schedule.  I think it will take me between 6 and 6 ½ hours and I should be starting just after 7 a.m. 

Truth be told I guess I only have two goals:
1  To not forget my bike this time.
2. To have a good time & work hard (ish).

Relatively simple goals, especially since I will have exceeded my first goal by 5 a.m.

I don't feel mentally prepared for this race so I'm planning to rely on the old muscle memory to get me through…the brain is a muscle right?  I have an excuse for this too (do you notice a pattern?) I’ve been preoccupied.  See, I've been reading Harry Potter books. 

I started HP5 way back when and then gave up on it b/c of all the teenage angst.  I figured I was dramatic enough and didn't need any extra in my life.  I'd attempted reading it once or twice a year ever since 2006 and never got further than 150 pages.  On the trip to Arkansas I started it again and was determined to finish it.  Two weeks later I succeeded and was hooked.  I immediately started HP6 and one week later (today) I finished it! 

I've been totally swept into the HP world – begging my friends to tell me what happens in book 7.  Only the really nosey part of me wants to know though  – the rest of me wants to take a couple days off work and hide in my apartment reading obsessively only to surface to order take-out.  I will be starting 7 this week and reading it a ton over next weekend when I’m sagging for my friends in Madison as they prepare for IM. 

I've been all geeky about HP and have sort of checked out in other areas of life, like being social, training regularly, etc.  I've also decided to terminate my Match.com account b/c online dating is just not for me.  Once I emerge from the world of Harry Potter I'll restart my social life and try some new activities hoping to meet people in the old fashioned way…we shall see.

Anyway, that's what I’m up too; I'll try to post about my race sometime before the next month!

It's been awhile and I feel like I've been around the block and back multiple times since I last posted.  And literally speaking I have been as I have walked Harley 3x per day every day since I was last on here.

So what have I been up to?  Well, I was up North for a weekend, down in Arkansas for a weekend, worked for a weekend, and lots of other stuff in between I guess.  Up North was fun.  Arkansas was interesting and I am sad to say I am not - in fact - the king of the world in pinball, I'm terrible at smoking and mediocre at poker.  I still have souveniers from my trip South though, not sure what kind of bug bites they are but they itch and are annoying the shit out of me.

Also, point of fact, I have no idea why this blog doesn't have a spell checker included.  Disser please work on that.

I read a great article today about swearing.  All I have to say to that is damn straight mofos!

I have lots of stuff on my mind - semi heavy stuff indeed.  But honestly not interested in sharing it with the net right now.  Not that I don't love you all - I don't - but it's just not ready to make its way out my fingertips yet.

Hmmmm, what else is going on?

I am nearly done with Harry Potter #5 - it is my third or fourth attempt at reading it and am within 250 pages of finishing it.  Farther than I have ever been before.

I saw The Proposal (twice) and loved the sappy cheese factor more than I should probably admit.  Also watched Austraila, and Stardust.  Loved them too.  I am excited for The Ugly Truth b/c let's face it I love rom-coms more than fat kids like Twinkies.

I bought and wore a purple and green tutu to two work functions and loved it.

Hmmmm, I think that's about it for now.  Perhaps I shall write again soon - within a month or so.

I have more than few things to say about Liberty so there will be a longer post sometime in the near future.  For now I will give you this quick and clean run down.

Finished 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13 mile run in 6:04:35.  It was my second fasted half iron distance...Timberman ('07) took me 6:24 and Chisago ('08) took me 5:48. 

It was a gorgeous day and my shoulders and shoulder blades got hella burnt thanks to the Tri Slide I put around the edge of my wetsuit.

Puffy TGood finished in a phenomenal 5:49 and looked amazing as ever.  Seriously Puffster you should consider modeling athletic attire.

Being on the course felt like coming home.  It was this feeling of elation and belonging that I missed without realizing what exactly I was missing.  I realize now this is the reason I signed up for this race.  I knew I had to combat the burnout of last year by racing without time goals or pressure.  It's the reason I didn't really tell my friends about it (other than on my blog).  I needed this race to be about me, about what I wanted to do.  After riding the course a few weeks ago I knew I wanted to do it.  I was scared and unsure of myself, but I knew I would be disappointed if I bailed.  I am so happy I did it, I had so much fun and my body felt great (relatively speaking...there were definitely moments of pain and again I sacrificed some toe nails but all in the name of fun). 

Anyway, that's how it went in a medium sized nutshell.

Race packet is picked up and I am really getting excited.  I cleaned and lubed my chain.  I examined my tires and removes tiny pieces of glass and rocks that were wedged into them. 

Tomorrow night I will pack up my bag and get my food/nutrition stuff ready. 

I am looking forward to seeing how my body and mind react to being on a course again, racing myself.

One year ago today I crashed in Afton.  I realized this while brushing my teeth and preparing for bed.  All day I kept thinking "June 7th...what am I missing?  I know this date means something to me...but what the heck is it?"  Then it hit me, crash.  I pulled out my personal journal and sure enough there is was - "Hurt like hell but trying not to worry about it too much."  

I then logged onto my old blog site and read my post on that day and am amused how much more I write online than I do in my personal journal.  Perhaps my hand gets more tired from writing than from typing...or maybe I just bore myself sometimes...or maybe it's because I typically blog before I journal and don't like repeating myself...either way the point is there was a double confirmation.  I crashed last year.  And I celebrated this year by running 12 miles with Dr. B and Rae-dawg. Go me!

My excitement for Liberty is building.  I am excited to find the rhythm of the race.  I am trying to acknowledge that it may not be the rhythm I am used too, but there will be a rhythm nonetheless, and it will be mine.  I look forward to finding that focus - the one I know is there somewhere and I occasionally glimpse on long workouts.  Maybe I will even find some of the spunk I had my first year racing.  The spunk that allowed me to push faster even when it was painful b/c it's a mental game. 

This event is for me because I can.  NPA and all that jazz.

One week and one day away from my first race of the season.  After this race my tri season is halfway done.  I was considering backing out b/c I haven't followed a training schedule.  I've been very active but not nearly as anal about training as previous seasons. 

I guess this will be a small (ok - big) test.  Have I been able to keep myself in good enough shape to finish a half-ironman distance race without living with the training schedule under my pillow or tucked behind every thought I have each day.  Can I do the distance I wanted to do without DNFing.  I guess I'll find out in a week and one day. 

Liberty Half-Iron Distance
June 13th - 7:30 am
Bake Park Reserve, Maple Plain

If nothing else the park is gorgeous and I'll get to race with Puffy TGood.  Granted she will finish way ahead of me - hell she will probably be home, showered and napping by the time I finish - but at least I will get to witness her first half-ironman experience.