Don't Look Back You Might See Whos Gaining On You!

Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon - June 28 2009

2009-07-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

Day Before Race

Drove to Sun River from Portland on Friday to pick up my race packet and died laughing when I saw I my assigned race number was 420! If you are reading this and do not get it do not worry about it ;-) I bought a neoprene cap (aka "Squid Lid") from my friends at Athletes Lounge at Sunriver village since I was so paranoid about my brain freezing during the swim. Headed up to Wikiup reservoir around noon to set up my bike and test out the water. Brought the shlong suite (short and long) so I could test the water out then have the full body one nice and dry for race morning. Got in the water with my schlong and and it did not feel like a complete ice bath. It was a "balmy" 60 degrees. By Wikiup reservoir standards this is warm. I jumped on my bike for about 25 minutes and did about 5 1 minute intervals to get the legs nice and warmed up. Jumped in the water for 10 minutes just to get into the "open water zone" and to decide if I was going to switch to the duathlon. I was in the Wikiup/Mt Bachelor area that previous Sunday and it was snowing during my bike ride! I got unnecessarily freaked out and contemplated doing the duathlon (just the bike and run portion) instead. For my run workout I did 10 minutes with a few 30 second sprints. My carb loading strategy was my homemade strawberry rhubarb pie the night before ;-)

Race Morning

Woke up Saturday morning at 5:30. Went into the bathroom mixed my maltodextrin and protein/malto formulas. Here is the deal; the Bend Motel 6 is across the street from an adult novelty shop and strip club. My maltodextrin when mixed with water has an EXACT resemblance to a certain male substance.... As I was packing my bottles and my malto flask I noticed I managed to get malto mix all over the counter, floor, mirror and sink. I did my good deed for the day by cleaning up every last bit o the mix so the housekeeper who would be checking my room later that morning would not be completely mortified. About 6:20 I ended up eating my egg whites, ham, cheese and oatmeal with two apples mixed in. I washed down my breakfast with a powerade zero. About 6:45 I ate my 290 calorie protein bar (again I am a weird freak, my body demands protein for endurance events)

SWIM 1.2 Miles

Arrived at Wikiup about 7:45. My swim start was originally scheduled for 9:01 am but due to road construction and one of the buses transporting athletes getting in a wreck we were a half

hour late starting. This would mean even more heat on the run, great.. I ate 15 minutes later then I wanted to so I was glad the swim was delayed or I may have "fed the fish" my breakfast. I had to have someone show me how to put the neoprene cap I bought the day before. Once the horn went off at 9:30 I started heading toward the first buoy and could not see anything, the glare was awful! I had to trust the other athletes I was drafting off of were swimming in a straight line. When we turned to head toward the 2nd buoy it was clear!! Woo Hoo! I was pretty much in the middle of the pack (getting bumped around etc) until we came upon the 3rd buoy. I turned and looked and saw the Red Bull sign; this meant to swim was almost over. At this point I am experiencing calm for the first time in the swim so I become suspicious... I pop my head out of the water, look to my right, and see a steady stream of athletes heading toward the red bull sign about 50 feet from me; of course expletives came out of my mouth; I knew now I was not going to meet my swim time goal of 38 minutes. $%%$#$. I finally got back on course and was out of the water in a little over 40 minutes. I was glad I had the squid lid, this saved me from an ice cream headache. For some reason I had a mini meltdown in transition and was doing a little bit of the hyperventilating thing. As my mom would say "I finally pulled my head out of my ass" and ran out of transition with my bike. My awesome husband Nick was like "great swim" and my reply was "My swim sucked".

Swim Time: 42:40 Women 30-34 18/28 57% Women Overall 83/148 56%

BIKE 58 miles

Once I got on the bike I had to fight to put my disappointing swim behind me (I LOVE to beat myself up) and thought from this point forward I am going to focus on my 3hr bike time goal. My attitude was immediately adjusted when about 5 miles into the bike two little girls were yelling "girl power". This brought me to tears of happiness; it was overwhelming. The first 24-28 miles of the course were nice rolling hills. I kept my HR mostly in the mid to upper 150's on the rollers/flats. From about miles 28 to 36 is a consistent climb up to the top of Mt Bachelor (there are a few very small dips). This results in about 2000 feet of elevation gain. During the climb I kept my HR mostly in the low to high 160s (lactate threshold). Got this pain in my right glute (butt) so I had to massage it on the ride to get it to relax. People were probably wondering why I was feeling myself up. According to my masseur Jacob who I saw 6 days after the race I did indeed "tear my middle right ass". As I was about 1/2 way through the climb this woman yells (get those boys); I smiled and gave her the thumbs up;-) The 80's song "lets hear it for the boys" kept playing over and over again. As I was on the steepest part of the climb a pair of two guys get right next to me (keep in mind I am almost 6000 feet above sea level at this point, and Portland is at sea level so the air is feeling extraordinarily thin and my heart is pumping out of my chest) so I almost lose my balance. I had to keep it real and inform them "Only one person is supposed to pass at a time and be 3 feet away from the person they are passing". I LOVE testosterone! It was pretty warm climbing Bachelor; the sun was really beating down on my back. By mile 38 the climbing was finally done; now time for the descent. As I was flying down the opposing side of the mountain pushing almost 40 mph a deer runs across the road! That would have left a mark. Was a nice steady descent until about mile 52 then the last part of the bike route as a 6 mile flat back into Sunriver village. I pushed my hear rate into about 170 (above my lactate threshold) for this last portion; I was going to meet my time goal of 3 hrs on the bike and I did!!!! This was my proudest accomplishment of the race; the start of the bike was about 4300 feet above sea level and we gained 2000 feet of elevation to the summit of bachelor peaking at 6,384 feet ;-)

Nutrition: Got through 2 1/2 bottles of my malto/protein and four servings of maltodextrin shots.

Bike Time: 3:00:39

Bike Pace: 18.60 miles per hour

Women 30-34: 6/28 21%

Women Overall: 28/148 19%

RUN 13.1 miles

Got into transition and grabbed my flask of maltodextrin (with the equivalent of 4 servings) and off I went! It very warm on the run (mid to high 80's) and most of the run was on exposed pavement/asphalt with no tree cover. In summary the run was flat and hot. I took 1 enduroylte salt tablet about every 20-25 minutes. I kept my hr mostly in the mid 160's. I tried to push harder on the run but my legs were not having it; this was the price I paid for the decent bike split. My legs were not going to move any faster. At every water stop I took in one cup of water to wash down the maltodextrin and endurolytes and another to pour in my shirt (thanks Katie for the tip!!!) By the third water stop my bladder was screaming and there was no way I was going to be able to bend my legs to sit in the outhouse; I had so much lactic acid build up at this point I feared if I stopped I would not be able to start running again. I had no choice, I just let it flow baby! I tried to be considerate as to not splash on anyone around me. I can guarantee I am not the only one who has ever peed myself during a race. By the last two miles of the run my legs felt like they were going to fall off but with the excitement of the end of the race in sight I was able to push to a heart rate of 170 to the finish.

Nutrition: 1 flask with the equivalent of 4 maltodextin shots, sip of water at every stop, 4 enduroylote tablets.

Run Time: 2:00:34

Run Pace: 9:12 minutes per mile

Women 30-34: 7/28 25%

Women Overall: 39/148 26%

Post Race

Immediately following the race I felt a little nauseous (as I usually do after a half ironman) but knew I had to eat within 45 minutes of finishing. Due to the utter disgust of the post race food Nick and I walked to the market and got some tuna fish and crackers. Fish is the perfect recovery food, I swear! That night for dinner I had a big piece of grilled salmon (Omega 3 fatty acids baby) and by the next day I was fatigued (to be expected) but my body generally felt pretty good considering.

Overall Race Summary:

4200 calories burned (you would think I would be eating the wood off of buildings but it took almost 3 days for my appetite to come back) Average heart rate 159 beats per minute.

Finish Time: 5:47:47

Women 30-34: 6/28 21%

Women Overall 26/148 18%

Race Pics: http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=616&bibnumber=420

Blue Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon June 13 2009

2009-06-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

I finally fell asleep at midnight the day of the race. When alarm went off at 4:45 am Nick had to nudge me or I would have slept through it. This was my first race season (since I started doing tris in 2005) for self coaching. In addition, this was my first year of making my own electrolyte/maltodextrin and protein/maltodextrin mixes. Yes, my attempt to make own sports nutrition sometimes resulted in our kitchen resembling a meth lab explosion. I had been feeling crappy and fighting allergy symptoms for a few days leading up to the race so I was not feeling super confident.

I did not eat until about 5:40ish. I had my normal breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and coffee. Yes, I am one of those weird freaks who needs protein even when doing race events. At 6:05 am I ate my Kashi go lean bar and drank a Powerade Zero. My target was to eat 3 hrs before the race but I ended up eating about a 1/2 hr later then I wanted to. Once I got to blue lake I set up my transition area and went out for a 10 min easy jog for a warmup. I came back to transition to take my bike out for a quick spin to make sure everything was working as expected and some super douche took my bike spot! I got a little agro; "April style" but decided immediately the minor indiscretion was not worth the energy; I needed to focus on racing. I was glad I did the warm up for the Olympic distance; this got my muscles nice and warmed up.

Swim 1 Mile
Popped into Blue Lake in my full body wetsuit and it felt like a bathtub! I held a good steady pace and I believe I have FINALLY learned how to swim in a straight line in open water. I hate white buoyes but I managed to find all 6 (or 7) of them. For the first time I started passing green caps from the 30-39 men's wave who started 2 minutes before us 30-39 females. One green cap I passed I inadvertently grabbed his "junk". Thank god for wetsuits! The worse part of the swim was the big glob of food sloshing around in my stomach, I kept thinking "digest damn you". Again, eat 3 hrs before the race and no later! 2009 is the year of the swim for me, it is refreshing to know I do not completely suck in the water. Two years of masters swimming has definitely payed off!

Swim Time 29:53
Swim Women Overall 69/148 45%
Swim Women Age Group 12/25 48%

Bike 24 Miles
During the first half or so of the ride my heart rate was in the high 150’s to mid 160’s range. Did my shot of malto and sipped 1 bottle of my homemade malto/protein mix throughout the ride. Was not feeling that depleted after swim; I think my body was still digesting my breakfast. I tried to get my HR up to 170’s for the last 8 miles but could not, I think my body was telling me to save a little energy for the run. Kept my HR in high 150's to low 160's. My Bike split would have been a minute faster had I not fallen over right as I was coming into the bike dismount area. My right foot got caught in my pedal and over I went. I think some expletives came flying out of my mouth as everyone was asking me if I was okay. Screw me, I thought to myself, how is my bike! My bike escaped wtih just a little scratch on the seat and right peddle, no biggie! It was pretty cool how everyone started clapping when I got up.

Bike Time 1:08
Bike Pace 21:51 MPH
Bike Women Overall 18/148 12%
Bike Women Age Group 4/25 6%

Run 6.2 Miles
During the run my HR monitor was not working right so I relied solely on Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). When the HR monitor would intermittently register my HR was mostly in the mid 160's. It was cool when some of the athletes kids were on the course giving us high fives! I pushed the run and settled in to a nice cruising pace. I did the equivalent of two shots of maltodextrin on run (one in the beginning and one toward the middle). I washed this down with water from the aid stations. At the end of my run I was covered in maltodextrin and my feet were covered in blisters. Another dumb maneuver on my part, running for the first time this season with no socks during a race.

Run Time 48:21
Run Pace 7:47 per mile
Run Women Overall 31/148 21%
Run Women Age Group 7/25 28%

The temperature during the race was about 60 degrees and 70% humidity with overcast. This is about as good as it gets temp wise for a triathlon. My friends from the massage clinic were at the race and had put my on the list without my even having to ask; AWESOME, Jacob rocks! My legs by the next day had felt like they had been beat by a baseball bat, hence my new term "bat legs".

This was the fourth time in 3 years I have done this course and this distance; I had a PR (Personal Record) for this course (beating my 2nd best time by 5 minutes). Woo hoo!

Race Time: 2:30
Women Overall 26/148 18%
Women Age Group 8/25 32%

Race pics http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=612&bibnumber=211

Athlete Resume

2008-09-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

ALL RACE RESULTS

http://www.athlinks.com/racer/38069232/April-Shepherd.aspx

Tri Northwest Triathlete Rankings 2007

Best Overall Triathlete http://www.trinw.com/rankings/07rankings/overalls/Overall-Tri.html

Olympic Distance http://www.trinw.com/rankings/07rankings/overalls/Olympic-Tri.html

OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association)
http://app.obra.org/results/racer/6763

Hulaman Half Ironman - August 17th 2008

2008-08-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 4am and ate my normal meal of eggs whites and cheese along with oatmeal by 4:30. Left the house at 5am sharp to head to T2 (Bike to Run Transition) at the Hillsboro Stadium. By 5:30 had polished off a kashi go lean chocolate toffee bar. Stuck to my proven strategy of getting my gut full an hour and a half before the race started so a) I would have enough calories to top off my fuel tank b) digest all my food before the nerves set in and all systems locked up. Arrived to Hagg Lake at 6:15. The only thing left to do was to pump my tires, take my bike for a quick spin around the parking lot to make sure everything was working as expected and squeeze into my wetsuit. Was relieved to see the sunrise was blocked by cloud cover. Thank GOD it was not going to be a 100 degree race day!

SWIM
Wow, Hagg Lake was like a bathtub! It had been around 100 degrees in the Portland area for the 3 days leading up to the race. The swim was two .6 mile laps. The first lap was like glass, the water was smooth. During the second lap things changed; out of nowhere waves showed up. I suck at navigation in the open water anyways (as evidenced by my husband telling me I do indeed zig zag in the water). Hmm, was told this during Ocean Shores by another triathlete as well. I actually got overheated in my wetsuit!!! I had to slow my pace down because I was HOT. Could not believe it; usually I freeze my ass off in the water! I wish I would have worn my shlong (nick name I give my sleeveless wetsuit means sleeveless short on top with full body cover long on bottom get it, huh huh). I swear there was cow manure in the water, I could taste it. I have spent lots of time on farms so I know what this smells (consequently tastes) like. Was out of the water in 43 minutes. Was not stoked with my swim time, I am convinced if I could actually swim in a straight line my split would have been 5 minutes faster. In the pool I do not totally suck, I swear!!!

Swim Distance 1.2 Miles
Swim Finnish Time 43 Minutes
Women Overall 16/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6

BIKE
Thanks to lubing myself up like a slithery snake between the “suite juice” and body glide had a transition time of 2:11 between getting my suite off and getting my bike stuff on. This was the most challenging bike course I have EVER faced in a tri. The course was two laps around hilly Hagg Lake followed by a nice route out to Gales Creek Rd. Then took a sharp right and BOOM, I was met with CRAPshaw, I mean Capshaw Hill Rd. I swear the thing was straight up and down! Got into my lowest bike gear, stood up, and made it up the hill. They should have called about a third of this bike route “The gravely tar classic”. I felt like a human vibrator at times as I was pushing along on my 15 pound bike with the skinny wheels. I must have seen no less then 3 athletes on the side of the road with flat tires. I think my tubeless tires are flat resistant because I have not had one single flat on my tri bike all summer.

During the bike route kept my hr in the mid to high 150’s for the most part (z2). Did go into z3 (163-170) on some of the hills. I did not have my normal HR monitor (had to ship it to a service center in Seattle to have the battery replaced). My glutes (English translation = butt) muscles were on fire! Love the tri bike though, makes me use my glutes so my legs are fresher for the run. The monitor I was wearing did not have an average hr feature. Damn it! Without my trusty ANALyzer what was a girl to do!

As far as nutrition goes, the first hour I got through one hammer gel and one bottle of Perpeteum. Between hour 1 and 2 got through another hammer gel and most of the second bottle of Perpeteum Between hour 2 and 3 got through the 2nd bottle of Perpeteum and about a ¼ of the 3rd bottle along with a 3rd gel shot. Total caloric intake on the bike was 560 calories. It was around 75-80 degrees with cloud cover and about 56 percent humidity.

Bike Distance 56 Miles
Bike Finnish Time 3:00 hr
Average Pace 18.6
Women Overall 10/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6

RUN
As I was heading into transition to get off my bike and into my run gear I was met by cheers from my in-laws, hubby, and nephew. It was so nice to have them there cheering me on. My Bike to Run transition was 1 minute! The run was pretty flat. Two loops basically around the Intel campus and though a park. I didn’t know Hillsboro had parks, I thought it just had Winco and the Streets of Tanasbourne. Around mile 1 stopped to use the crapper. I was not going to leave anything to chance at this point. I knew I would not be able to hold it for then next 1:50 minutes or so. It was at least 80 degrees with humidity (around 60%) at this time so I was getting hot. I must have taken in about 5 endorolyte tablets during the course of the run and 3 gel shots. Felt like I needed the fuel. Of course, legs felt heavy and like bricks. Stopped at every water stop (except last one) and took two waters (one for my mouth one for my head). I started to get really nauseous during the last 25 minutes of the run and knew my stomach was not going to be able to hold anything else so what was in me at the time was going to be it through the end of the race. The HR monitor I was borrowing was not giving me an accurate read so I can only guestimate my HR. When I manually took it at the water stops it was around 170. During the last 3 miles of the run tried to push it but my brick legs were not having it!!! Completed the run in 158:00 (with stops in the crapper and 5 water stations). Average 9 min per mile. Was hopping to be in the 8’s but given the hard effort on the bike and the heat and humidity I was happy!

Run Distance 13.1 Miles
Run Finnish Time 1hr 58 min
Average Pace 9 min per mile
Women Overall 11/28
Age Group F30-34 4/6

Overall Finnish time 5hrs 45minutes
Women Overall 12/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6

After the race was really nauseous and felt like whatever I ate might come back up. Did force myself to eat some pork, salad, and a banana about 20 min after the race. I needed to get some protein and glycogen back to my muscles. I was covered in salt after the race (think from sweating out all the endurolytes?). The salt was so thick it was coming through my clothes. Wonder if nausea was caused by electrolyte imbalance? Felt a little nauseated for the remainder of the day (which is unusual for me). By the time I woke up Monday AM the nausea had gone away. Besides the overall muscle tightness, I felt normal.

The day after the race I had an hour and a half massage and a spinal/neck adjustment from my chiropractor. This is the ticket and what I will do from this point forward after completing every half IM! Three days after the race as I write this my body feels great (although my sinus's are on fire from the extreme weather change)

Race season 2008 has officially ended! I feel like I have met my goals for this year and that had a strong season. Besides cutting my finger with a butcher knife resulting in stitches and a freaky bloody nose resulting in packing and carterization (keeping me out of the pool for a total of 3 weeks) I really did not have any setbacks. I am happy and contemplating what my goals for 2009 will be. A full Ironman? Qualifying for the Half Ironman world championships in Clearwater Florida? I will keep you updated ;-)

Black Diamond Half IM Triathlon - September 22, 2007

2007-09-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Tri season 2007 came to a close on Saturday, September 22nd when I completed my first Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile Swim, 57 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in 5:57:58 (hrs, not days ;-) I met my goal of completing the distance in under 6 hrs. At age 30, having no athletic background prior to the age of 25, I never imagined as recent as 4 years ago I would complete a triathlon, let alone a Half IM distance. I am thinking back to junior high were I was last picked in gym class (not a cliché, this was my reality) and my high school days when it would take me 10.5 minutes to run just one mile. The end result - doubled over in the locker room in a fainty/vomity state. Being a heavy smoker from the age of 16 to 25 also was not conducive with endurance athletics (imagine that).

Sometimes I beat up on myself for not placing in my age group but then my husband, coach, friends remind me I do have a life outside of tris (full time job, husband, friends, having a few too many drinks more then on occasion etc.) After all, I did cover 70.3 miles in 6 hours. Most Americans do not even cover this distance over the course of a month.

A HUGE thank you is long overdue first and foremost to my husband for being incredibly supportive of all my weekends consumed with long brick workouts/bike rides and him having to endure many nights of Raisin Bran for dinner (since he cannot grill to save his life). The second biggest thanks is a tie. The first goes to all my wonderful, understanding friends who still talk to me, despite my lack of availability over the last 4 months. The second to my coach for making me the best athlete I can be and being proud of me (despite the elite triathletes she has on her coaching roster – I am not one of these) If you ever need a lesson in humility, become a triathlete. 90% of the athletes at any given event are just as Type A, obsessive, and want it just as bad, if not more, then you do.

The night before the event we rolled into Enumclaw (southeast of Seattle) about 10pm; I was sound asleep by 11pm.

Woke up at 6am and ate piece of ham (from the hotel restaurant), oatmeal and an apple. At 6:30am polished off a Balance bar.

Temperature at the event was about 58 degrees and overcast with slight drizzle at times. Perfect Pacific Northwest race weather! Event start was at 9am. http://racecenter.com/blackdiamond/halftridu/index.htm

Swim
I felt good during the swim (although as I was slow as a turtle and frozen by the end) About ¼ way through this woman grabbed onto both my legs (back of my calves) and started pulling me under I turned around, looked her in the eye, and yelled HEY! I would expect this at a sprint distance event but not a half IM. Who the hell does this at a half IM? Had this women not done a tri before? If my feet were not so frozen I would have kicked her in the head. My feet and hands were ice cubes (tried to find the neoprene booties to go over my feet the week before the event but no avail). I would have been hypothermic had it not been for the full body wetsuit I borrowed from one of my tri friends. Low body fat makes for great running and severe lack of warmth in the water.

Bike
For the bike I took my time in transition (trying to get the full body wetsuit off was tough) and I wanted to be extra sure I did not forget anything (such as nutrition and arm warmers). I did not want to mess around with a 3+ hr bike ride. I was sooo cold after the swim the arm warmers were a life saver. Literally. It took me a good 15 miles on the bike to get my body and my legs warm. I did not wear a bike jersey, just my tri shirt/shorts.

I had 2 16 oz bottles of accelerade on my bike and got through the first one and maybe a quarter of the second one throughout the 3 hr ride. I also took 3 powerbars and cut into 1/3's and rolled in balls and put these in a sandwich bag. I wore the bag o powerbar balls in my bosom inside of my race top. Worked for about 1/2 the ride then the power balls became one conglomerated power blob. Coach says next year when I do this distance (yes, I am doing this again) she wants me to use gels so my stomach doesn’t take energy from my muscles trying to digest solid food. I sipped my accelerade every 10 min and ate a power bar "ball" about every 1/2 hour. Ate a total of about one and a half powerbars on the ride. For the first part of the bike kept HR lower z2 (around 145). During the second half did start building to around 150-155. Toward the last 6 miles did mid z2 to a little z3. I pretty much stayed out of z3 (lactate threshold) because I was paranoid about not having energy for the run. Considering I had to run a ½ marathon after the bike, I thought what I cheezed out on during the bike I would have 13.1 miles to make up for on the run. I was on my aerobars almost the entire time (but do not normally train much this way since I like to have full control of my bike when riding in traffic by myself). As a result, my lower glute/upper hams (English translation: butt and back of thighs) were yelling at me but I kept down on the bars and was glad I did, especially when it came to the run.

My glutes/hams were not the only thing yelling at me when I got off the bike. My hubby was giving me words of encouragement saying “you love the run” to which my reply was “not after almost 60 miles on the bike” His response “you will love the run”. Everyone around him started laughing; if I had one ounce of energy extra energy, I would have started laughing as well.

In transition when I bent over and switch out of my bike to my running shoes my hams/glutes felt like they were going to jump out my skin. This is where the power thoughts/words come in handy. I thought okay, 13 miles w/ a little pain, I can do this! The absurdity of having to run 13.1 miles in pain was too much for me to handle at that moment; I broke out in laughter as I was reaching down to grab the cliff gel shots.

Run
Did a gel shot at the start of the run. I had to pee so I used the outhouse conveniently placed at the start of the course. The hardcore athletes pee on the bike. Yep, you heard right. They stand up, let it go, then rinse off with water. Beings I am not even coming close to placing in my age group, I would look like the biggest jerk/poser/idiot if I attempted this. Maybe in a few years;-) I did 2 additional gel shots on the run (one about every 1/2 hour). Took water at every aid station (had one about every mile) and walked through most. Kept HR around 155 for the first third then for the rest stayed around 165. Pushed into 170-175 the last couple miles (my running lactate threshold). My legs were fatigued and throughout the entire run in addition to my glutes/hams aching but I somehow powered through it. Part of the run course was on trails; toward the end I tripped on a rock (result of dragging my legs from exhaustion) when I was only 1/4 mile from the finish and went flying. In a semi panicked state (from my heart rate being so high) I still managed to pull myself up and make it to the finish line.

Summary of my Results

More race pics: http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=506&bibnumber=67
I loved the half IM distance and will most certainly do this distance again next year! 5 days later I almost have my appetite back and my overall body soreness has almost subsided. I now get to reflect on my season, give myself 6 weeks of unstructured training (run and bike at MY leisure, no training plan) then do it all over again next year. Now I can eat dinner w/my hubby and hang out w/my friends; for a couple months at least ;-)

Hood To Coast - August 24-25 2007

2007-09-27T16:26:00.001-07:00

Hood to Coast is the largest running relay race in North America. The race covers a distance of 197 miles starting from Timberline Lodge toward the top of Mt. Hood ending at the Oregon Coast in Seaside. The relay distance is covered by about 1000 teams (12 people each team). Each person on a team runs 3 legs with a distance of 4-7 miles (usually covering a total distance of 14-18 miles). The total relay takes anywhere from 23 to 32 hours to complete, depending on how fast the runners are! I was on a corporate womens team. I was not super fast, considering I was lucky to be running at all beings less then two weeks before I had the blown up quad from the St. Helens climb and was barely even able to walk until about 4 days before HTC!

Each team is split into two vans; van 1 will go through their 6 runners then van 2 will meet at a transition area (we are at Fred Meyer in Sandy) to meet van 1 when their runners finish. The BEST part of the race is the crazy decorating! Some of my favorites...

Somewhere is a really pissed off youngster after their favorite stuffed animal has been confiscated to be used a hood ornament....

Barbie Orgy!! Mom, if you read this, I NEVER partook in such vile behavior with my dolls....

You could only imagine the nastiness of these puppies, thank god we were trailing the crap sucking machine almost the entire race! Being a slower team had its advantages.....

Handing off where one teammate gets the pleasure of running though meth alley (springwater corridor in east Portland). Watch out, don't trip on tainted needle or a passed out transient!

Seaside at the finish, too exhausted to even think about celebrating. Sick thing is, I will do this again, maybe not until 2009 ;-)

Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour - Aug 12th 2007

2007-08-13T18:56:00.001-07:00

Two days after the Mt St. Helens climb with a strained quadricep to boot , we were heading down to the mid Willamette valley methopolis known as Albany to the start line for the Covered Bridge Bicycle tour http://www.mvbc.com/. Not sure if this is the Albany mascot? German Shepherd sniffing drugs; Chasing crazy hillbilly's...

Larwood Covered Bridge

First bridge we came across during our 75 mile route...

Shimanek Covered Bridge
Bridge #2

The falling bikes lunch stop. Everyone got their bikes knocked over in our group except for me. The worse was when some pre-pubescent boy was aimlessly wandering and knocked over an older gentleman's $5000 Scott. The owner was noticeably PO'd, I am not sure if I had a $5000 bike if I would have been as calm. The boy showed no remorse when scolded by his father. The offenders sister was then crying (for 20 minutes straight) about what I assumed to be nothing. Suddenly I remembered to pick up my birth control prescription on the way home...

Gilkey Covered Bridge

The third and final bridge (we were supposed to see 5 in total).

My competitiveness came out and shortly after I got excited trying to catch a woman who consequently turned off to do the 100 mile route. Result was unexpected climb (which quads needed like a hole in the head) and bike rest stop in Deliveranceville...

Not sure what the yokels in Lebanon thought of the cyclists passing through (note to self - do not EVER, at ANY cost pull off I5 to stop in this town while by myself without toting one or both of the following - Rottweiler and/or hand gun); one guy came up to scroy and angrily asked "is that your bike with the flashing lights". It wasn't but I wanted the light to stop flashing for I could sense a nam or LCD flashback coming on...

Thanks to shortcuts we only ended up adding 7 extra miles to the planned 68. We borrowed hubby's truck, sent on our way with the instructions "to not to lean up against the truck for it might dent the sides". As we were discussing this the guys next to us were making fun of my hubby in his abscence commenting "trucks are meant to be beat up". When we arrived back from our ride this was left as a present for the beloved truck. Happy early b-day Nick!!!

No better place to advertise cock fighting then off the main west coast traffic artery otherwise known as I5..

Stuck in 2 hour traffic jam on the way home; good thing I had my muscle toothbrush.

5th Annual 80's Party Sat August 11th

2007-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

What an amazing tradition this has become amongst us 30 somethings. Brings back nightmares from Junior High. Do not forget to Double Click all images for a full view of like the totally tubular pictures!! I tried to get hubby to leave the house in the cutoff jean shorts but it was a no go. At least I got him to sport the mullet wig and pornolicious historic woodburn tshirt. Sorry Tonya, I think Chad Kroeger has another hair twin ;-)

sHEEMAN, Sheera, and some other random character from the 80's.

Had a 70's party to attend beforehand so went for a late 70's/early 80's theme. Terry cloth and attempted feathered hair were my contribution.

Mt. St. Helens - August 10 2007

2007-08-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

After living in Portland for 10 years I finally ventured up to Mt. St Helen's! Steph had some passes she had pre-purchased months ago (there are only 100 people allowed on the mountain per day). I thought "12 mile hike no big deal". I quickly learned, and am still learning 4 days later with blown up quads that being a reasonably strong runner and cyclist doesn't mean crap when you are ascending over 4000 feet of elevation gain, climbing over boulders, then using muscles you never knew you had to break and descend down the same 4000 feet. am clearly not outfitted for hiking (I am wearing cycling shorts with gator and hiking boots). Nick thought I looked dead sexy!

Started the climb 2 miles from where you see the trees in the picture. At this point we were barely an hour into the hike.

So much energy expended after an hour and a half we had to stop for a snack.

Where the true mountain climbing started. No, the rocks are not background, this is what we crawled over for a few miles as we pushed upwards. I thought I had turrets bad until I met Mark! He couldn't hold back with the comment "Yea, there is a lot of cows up here" as an urban cowboy passed on on the way down (some random guy in a cowboy hat). He retorted with some disparaging remark about my cycling shorts ;-) Another guy was coming down the mountain and when I told him I was from Portland Mark replied "she's from Tigard" I then fictitiously told the man Mark was from Coeur d' Alene Idaho. Since I incessantly joke about "white trash North Idaho" the inner circle laughed as expected. What was disturbing was the 10 year old boy who overheard also started laughing. They must have had white supremacy week during his history class that week.

Here is one of those volcanic movement monitoring thingy's. I was trying to simulate kissing my ass good by in the event this started screaming/flashing while we are on the mountain. For those of you still wondering, Mt. St. Helen's is indeed still an active volcano.

Finally reached the summit about 4.5 hours later. Above the clouds (not steam).

Another amazing view from the top.

Bull Lestor (double click on image to view name)

Found this little treat posted on the window outside of Fat Jacks (where we call the place we sign in/sign out). If you ever bear witness to the area between the Couve and Mt St Helen's running across characters like this is not the least bit shocking. This particular catch had an affinity for 15 year old girls in wheelchairs. Nice.

One of 5 people we saw stop and look at the sign within 5 minutes. We were all hoping this woman was not looking for a baby sitter.

Midsummer Olympic Triathlon - July 22, 2007

2007-08-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 29th I completed the Midsummer Olympic Distance Triathlon (1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) out at Blue Lake. I was powered by my usual breakfast of Oatmeal, banana, and a Harvest Powerbar . It was the exact same course and close to the same weather conditions as the Blue Lake Triathlon I completed June 10th. I beat my 2007 Blue Lake Tri time this last Sunday by a little over 6 minutes! Thanks coach Julie for your butt, thigh, hamstring, quadricep, calf muscle burning workouts! I guess barf intervals do pay off!

My swim sucked as usual (I am currently seeking out masters swim group to join this fall). Nothing exciting to report on the swim; no violence needed; everyone stayed out of my space ;-). On the bike I managed to keep up with Bridget Dawson, an ex pro triathlete (she is 50 now, but still gives all the 20 and 30 something’s a run for their money at any event she chooses to partake in). My proudest moment of the tri was looking down at my odometer and seeing I beat my previous bike time by about 4.5 minutes! Result was annoying perm grin for the remainder of the race. On the bike my average HR was 160-165 for the first 16 miles (able to maintain a higher HR for longer because I am stronger then I was in June). During the last 8 miles kept in high 160's to 170's. Almost finished an entire bottle of accelerade on the bike.

My run was uneventful and consistent. I started off with an espresso 2x cliff shot and grabbed water at the first two aid stations to wash down the syrupy contraption. I kept my hr about 170 for the first 4 miles then the last 2 wavered between 174-180. I beat my Blue lake time by an entire 20 seconds (I say this sarcastically). My goal was to try to run sub 8 min mile in my run portion this year (close but no cigar – hey, every blog is entitled to at least one bad cliché). I guess I have a new training goal for 2008 in addition to not being a flailing fish in the water. Overall this is the proudest to date I have felt about any of my triathlon accomplishments. Especially when I looked at the race results and beat out two women overall (one by 9 minutes and one by 7 minutes) who have whipped me by 10 + minutes in the past!!!

Results Summary for Midsummer Tri (comparing to Blue Lake) - Double click image to expand

Bike Pace 20:85 mph
Run Pace 8:06 mpm

This is my last Olympic Distance Tri for 2007. I am preparing for my first ever Half Ironman Distance in Enumclaw Washington September 22nd 2007. This is the Black Diamond Triathlon http://www.racecenter.com/blackdiamond/halftridu/index.htm (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run).

Event Photos http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=487&bibnumber=108

Central Oregon Coast Trip

2007-07-20T13:58:00.001-07:00

The weekend following the fourth of July my hubby and I were off to the Oregon Coast. Lincoln City and Pacific City; Land O' beautiful ocean meets rows of useless crap souvenir shops. We managed to pass our time by playing "slug tank" (think slug bug when you were a kid, where if you saw a vw bug first you would get to punch the innocent party sitting next to you in the arm). The variation of "Slug Tank" is walking through Chinook Winds Casino and hunting for oxygen tanks in one hand, and a burning cig in the other. Nick had the bruises to reflect my victory.

We also had a contest to see who could find the most white trash souvenir gift for the other person. We had the rule we couldn't spend more then $5; we were to exchange over lunch. We are now net $10 poorer and we are the proud owners of...

Pirate eye patch...

Wolf Dream Catcher

Still in awe this is two hours from our house! Oregon Rocks!

Pacific Crest Triathlon

2007-06-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 24 I completed my 2nd Olympic Distance Triathlon of the season(1 mile Swim, 25.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) in Sunriver Oregon. Nice thing about central Oregon is the chance of rain is almost zero; however the benefits are negated by the extreme drop in temperature at night. It was around 35 degrees when we arrived at Wikiup reservoir! I was excited to swim in a non radioactive, non Portland area body of water. No "Poo Lake" (Blue Lake) or "Vansewer Lake" (Vancouver Lake). Despite the clean reservoir water, I knew the swim was going to be interesting when fellow athletes expressed concern about my sleeveless wetsuit. ..
It was announced the water was 62 degrees and I was one of the few athletes wearing a farmer john wetsuit (full body sans the arms). I think the outside temperature maybe warmed up to 55 degrees by the time we were to start the swim (thank god!) During the last third of the swim my arms and feet were majorly chilled!

When I got out of the water to pull my wetsuit off to get ready for the bike my arms/hands were frozen and could barely move my fingers (note to self, wear full body wetsuit with arms if ever do this event again).

After fumbling and grunting for a few minutes I was finally on the bike.

The bike course was mostly a rolling downhill. As a result of being frozen from the swim and my equilibrium being off (symptom of borderline hypothermia), I almost crashed when I went to get on my aerobars. At this point I knew safety was more important then gaining 1 mph on the bike. Other effects from the mild hypothermia included my heart rate registering lower (150 - 155 bpm) while my RPE being the same as the Blue Lake tri I did two weeks prior (with my HR around 160) and not being able to drink my bottle of accelerade on the ride. My hands could barely grab the bottle. When I was able to finally grab the bottle , my mouth and throat were so cold I couldn't tolerate more then baby sips. After about 15 miles into the bike I finally started to warm up! Due to road construction there were a ton of cars on the road. The peak of the frustration for myself and other cyclists involved was when some stupid camper blocked the course by hanging over in the bike lane while being positioned on the road in a fashion preventing us from going around. I didn't have to say anything (disparaging words and hand signals from the fellow cyclists were flying liberally ;-) During the end of the bike I was freaked out from not drinking my accelerade and feared bonking (muscles shutting down) on the run.

Before the run I did a cliff espresso 2x shot and off I went through the lovely 6 mile paved trail stretch through Sun River Resort. I was told by a bystander I had nice running form! This is something I have diligently been working on for the last three years; I naturally run a little bit like Phoebe from friends (legs flail out to the side) but have been working on keeping my feet straight and utilizing some of the techniques out of the Chi running book. Not long after I passed a little girl who stuck her hand out for me to tag; I felt like a rock star. The run is both the most daunting (after swimming and biking first) and most rewarding part of a tri. Being cheered on and supported by spectators gives the extra motivation needed to survive the last 2 miles of the run. This is the point when you think to yourself you may not be able to take another step. On the run HR around 168-170. Pushed 172 to 175ish last two miles.

The race was a blast! There were 800 of us, including the duathletes. I was happy with my results and I cannot wait to go back and do the race next year!

Overall Time 245:07:00
Overall Women 42/186 23%
Age Group 8/39 21%
Swim 26/39 67%
Bike 7/39 18%
Run 9/39 23%

Bike MPH 20:49 Run MPM 8:20

More Photos http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=473&bibnumber=164

Columbia River Gorge Ride

2007-06-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 16th my two friends and I (the same group did the RTB ride in May) set out to do a 38 mile bike loop (about 3000 total feet of elevation gain) in the Columbia River Gorge. The ride started outside of The Dalles and was put on by the organization “Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway” the http://www.hcrh.org/events.html. It was the windiest bike ride I have ever done (I do not have proof but I believe the crosswinds were 30mph!) Here is a simple math equation

World renowned wind surfing location = sucky road bike conditions

Although the winds were challenging, leading me to almost get blown off my bike no less then 4 times and causing a varity of expletives to fly out of my mouth while repeating “I will NEVER do a ride in the gorge again” the views were absolutely breathtaking and it was worth enduring tornado like conditions (okay maybe I am exaggerating just a little..) to climb and descend Rowena Crest , Mayerdale Estate, Mosier Viewpoint, and the Mosier Twin Tunnels.

View from Rowena Crest

..what we had to climb to reach the top of Rowena Crest

The rest stop at Mayerdale Estate had the amazing fresh fruit Oregon is known for this time of year. I think I cleaned out half of their Watermelon supply and as a result cleaned myself out the next day.

I remember us girls philosophizing when the ride was over about why they didn’t warn us about the wind and then I had this common sensical epiphany. How is this any more logical then someone doing a ride in Portland then saying “I cannot believe they didn’t tell us it would be raining and the roads would be wet” ;-)

HCRH State Trail

Road biking is almost always an adventure, the conditions rarely perfect but with each ride and new challenging condition, you become that much of a better cyclist and learn something new about yourself not only physically, but as a human being. For me it was being reaffirmed when things get tough (like the wind) you just can’t stop, you have to push through it.

Outside Mosier Twin Tunnels

I am looking forward to my next ride in the gorge toward the end of summer when the winds are supposedly a little milder; maybe there will only be 20mph wind gusts ;-)

Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon - June 10, 2007

2007-06-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

I was so relieved to find out there was not going to be a drenching downpour of rain during my first Olympic Distance Triathlon of the season. An Olympic Distance Triathlon is a 1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run all done consecutively. It was about 60 degrees and overcast, PERFECT race weather! I was nervous enough as it was and was NOT in the mood for inclement Oregon weather crap!

During the drive to Blue Lake I was nervous as all get out! Like an idiot (and I know better by now considering this is my 3rd season) I did not get in the open water or use my wetsuit at least one time before the event. I pulled into Blue Lake Park and holy lots o cars! The Blue Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon this year was a qualifier for the USAT Triathlon Age Group National Championship and a TRI NorthWest Club/Team Championship event. This is where Triathlon Clubs from across the NW compete for the boasting rights as the top club of athletes in the region from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Lots of hard core people.

To prep for the swim I got into Blue Lake about 5 minutes before the swim start. I have often referred to it as “Blue Toilet” because quite frankly, it has been quite nasty in the past. This year it wasn’t too bad. My nerves finally calmed after I had been in the water a few minutes! During the swim I was actually in the middle of the pack for the first time during an Olympic distance swim (I know because I got kicked in the head like 4 times!) Water resistance is beautiful! In all years past I had been a back floater. I had to “keep it real” at one point in the swim (means that little redneck side of me came peeking out). This woman kept thrashing into me (she should have either passed or got behind me, I was on a straight path to the buoy and was not going to veer). Finally after the 3rd minute of being kicked and clawed I smacked her one. I think she said something but I didn’t care, at least she backed off; when it comes to the open water it is survival of the fittest baby! My left calf started cramping up on the swim and I was a little nervous, but was able to kick it off! I swallowed about a gallon of blue lake water during the swim; I am still on high alert for anything physically suspicious (weird bowel movements, skin rashes, glowing in the dark, etc.)

On the bike I had some nice cross, head, and tail winds! I was proud; I remained on my aerobars almost the entire time! I passed a ton of people on the bike, which was a huge boost to my ego. My biking was crap until about a month ago; 50 mile rides at a high aerobic pace and hill (also known as “I feel like I am going to barf”) intervals really paid off over the last month! On the bike I stayed mostly around Heart Rate 160 (upper z2, high aerobic/endurance) for the first 16 miles. At mile 16 I pushed to HR 163-167 for the remaining 8 miles (z3, my lactate threshold level). Sipped almost an entire 12oz bottle of accelerade during the ride.

At the beginning of the run did a cliff espresso gel shot. Gave me that final zzzzzzzap I needed for the run! The first 1.5 miles were brutal; legs felt like bricks (yes, this is normal, sad but true!) I finally got into a rhythm by mile 2. On the run I ran mostly HR 168-170 (z3 lactate threshold). My left quad was acting up a little bit and my knee felt a little lose at times. No major issues though. Something has to start hurting at 2 hrs and 15 minutes of racing, right? During the last 2 miles of run pushed to 173-174 range (lower z4, anaerobic zone) Legs were too fatigued to allow me to go “all out” for the last two miles so got passed by a good amount of people. Next time I will dig deep and push it, no matter what! This is where power words come in!

After the race it was then announced for women, the most competitive age group is 30-34. Lucky me, I am 30 ;-)
Summary of my Results:

Overall Time: 2:42:01
Overall Women: 75/172 44%
Age Group Place: 18/36 50% (I’ll take it at an event like this!)
Age Group Swim: 27/36 75% (In the past I have been in the bottom 3)
Age Group Bike: 12/36 33% (Best relative bike leg so far!)
Age Group Run: 20/36 56% (lots of strong runners this event!)

Bike Pace 19.98 Miles Per Hour
Run Pace: 8:08 Minute Per Mile

Had 30 minute massage after race (felt wonderful!) I was beat the rest of the day and barely moved from the couch. Felt like gave it everything I could during the event, and would not have expected to feel any better! I told my hubby if I ever have a ton of energy after an event to beat me, because I obviously did not try hard enough!

Had the support of my two friends from work; I thank them for the photo supply for the blog!

Additional Ph0tos http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=468&bibnumber=341

I do it all over again Sunday, June 24th when I do the Pacific Crest Olympic Distance in Sunriver; cannot wait!

Japan 2006

2007-06-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo Japan twice in 2006 for business. Considering Canada was considered the extent of my foreign country experience before this it was an assult on all my senses. In a good way though!

This is what I refer to as Tokyo's version of Pike Street Market. This is a line of little shops lining the sidewalks leading to Asaksa temple...

One of the shops, up close!

The Pagoda

The worlds largest condom store!

Smirnoff Tokyo Icebar. Yes, a bar made of Ice! One of only 5 in the world. I may have lasted more then 20 minutes had I not been a skirt and toeless shoes

Night before I came home (I was on 6 of about 12 glasses of plum wine that night! Yes, the 12 hour flight back to Portland the next day was BRUTAL!) We were at a Korean BBQ. As you can see they bring out raw food and you cook it in your mini fire pit at your table. I wonder what the USDA would think of this...

Tropical Paradise - December 2006

2007-06-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I went on a 6 night cruise around xmas time leaving from FT Lauderdale then porting in the Grand Bahamas, Grand Cayman Islands, then Costa Maya Mexico.

I felt a little evil when I was in the cabin of the boat with a huge smile on my face as I hear on TV Denver is snowed in. I had my swimsuit on ready to hang out on the deck ;-)

View from a Tiki bar in Costa Maya; in real life the water really is that teal. Amazing.

Legendary figure in Grand Cayman. Supposedly part of the founding history of the country... Glad to know the Grand Cayman islands are known for something else other then money laundering.

Formal Night

Swimming with dolphins in Costa Maya. We determined we need one as a pet.

I couldn't resist.... Cop photos rock; especially foreign country Mexican cops!

WE GOT TO MEET NICKELBACK!!

2007-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, this was like 4 months ago but forgive me for not having a blog site then ;-). This was too cool of an experience not to post; I aein't never met anyon famous befr'. My friend T won backstage passes on Sirius radio to meet the band backstage! A drunken prefunk ensued at T's house in preparation for the big event ...

Once we arrived at the Memorial Coliseum we had a couple more drinks to prevent any potential buzz kill. We had to meet at a designated area where the band manager and a security guard took us down in the pits to meet the band. To our dismay it was announced no personal photos ;-( As we were waiting to meet the band downstairs T was asking the band manager things about the different members. He announced the drummer Daniel's trademark saying is "Party on Bitches" and that my boyfriend (Ryan the guitarist) is a huge country music fan! We then get taken through the metal detectors to meet the band and SHABAAAAM!!!we catch our first glimpse! As we are approaching the band for autographs (we had the band picture they gave us as an item for them to sign) my mind starts going blank and my mouth starts going dry. They were seated at a table and for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I was speechless! I couldn't talk without my lips sticking to my teeth. They were probably thinking "where did the meth addict come from, were we not just in Spokane last night" I wonder if I had any of that dried mucus stuff showing that seems to present itself in these types of situations for me. T on the other hand held it together and was very cool! The first at the table was Mike the bassist then seated next to him was Daniel. T asked the guys, as per the song "Rockstar", if they have indeed ever "joined the mile high club at 37,000 feet". Mike and Daniel laughed and blushed then retorted with "no, but what are you doing later". We then came up to Ryan, the guitarist. I just refer to him as my boyfriend, for future reference. He is by far the most intriguing and handsome member in the group. The only think I could think of to say was "My husband would love you; he is a huge country music fan". He then said "oh yea" and smiled. He was by far the most introverted and shy in the group. Kind of funny for a guitarist, normally they are show hounds on and off stage. The last at the table was Chad, the lead singer. He was definitely sure of himself and very good looking in real life. Prior to meeting him in person I always thought he had an uncanny resemblance to Jesus; TV and Photographs really do not do him justice! We concurred T and Chad have the same hair; Chad if you ever read this, please do not ever flat iron your hair again (not unless you are trying on purpose to look like a level 3 sex offender). Once we got done with the autographs we then got our picture taken with the band! I was able to squeak out a meek "nice to meet you" when we were done, followed by Daniel saying "nice to meet you ladies too" in this I'm not sure if he is really engaged tone of voice ;-) As we were parting T gave the recommended farewell of "Party on Bitches" and the whole band was laughing. Once we left the repressed excitement came rushing out of me like a smoltering couger and I went tearing down the hall hysterically screaming "I MET NICKELBACK OH MY GOD I MET NICKELBACK" followed by a couple of attempted cartwheels, screaming, and hysterical jumping up and downs! The bands manager came and talked to us after the event and said "we were cool ladies" and asked our names. As long as I don't end up on the bands website doing wheelbarrows (I believe that's what they call a cartwheel that really isn't) I will be happy! The concert of course was amazing!!! Definitely a blog worthy experience I will never forget!

Trip To The Dakotas

2007-06-07T10:46:00.001-07:00

En Route to moms farm from Rapid City SD on April 19th! It was 65 and sunny like 60 miles before this!

Mom and husbands farm, pretty incredible. Next time you enjoy your Top Loin in a steakhouse (or if your a hippie your hummus - they do grow chic peas as well) remember city folk, this is where it all starts!

These baby calves are around 1-3 weeks and about 80 pounds. The cows motto is "epidural is for sissy's". They told me.

There were four baby calves who were bum. Means either the mom rejected them, died, or had twins so "kicked" one off. As you can tell this calf does not have very good etiquite. STAY, WAIT!!!! Oh yea, thats right, its not a dog. Here is a buisness idea; Petsmart obedience, for cows!

My mom's pet cow Patty. Mom says she bares a striking resemblance to one of her best friends consequently, whos name happens to be Patty. Good thing Patty has a sense of humor, not sure how I would handle the bovine comparision ;-)

THE FAM (not the FARM)

Mom

Grandpa - Yes in the Dakotas they say Grandpa and not Grand-dad!

Aunt 1 - Another Dakotaism is Aunt is pronounced like the bug, Ant, not Ont!

Aunt 2

Reach The Beach

2007-06-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 19th myself and two girlfriends completed the 55 mile route for the Reach the Beach ride. The ride is a fundraiser for the American Lung Association of Oregon http://www.reachthebeach.org/. With one friend recovering from being sick out both ends as a result of food poisoning, and myself and the other suffering from the wonderful Oregon seasonal allergies of pollen, mold, and 10,000 other types of allergens indigenous to the wonderfully lush pacific northwest; lets just say the three of us were not functioning at peek athletic capacity. We arrived in the town of Amity and were forced to do a double take when we saw a woman in full bike swag SMOKING!!! Did my husband perhaps take a wrong turn and end up in North Idaho? WTF, smoking before a ride sponsored by the American Lung Association; we were all overwhelmed with the irony. The ride itself was wonderful and beautiful! It was my longest ride of the year by 20 miles. The weather was perfect, 60 degrees with overcast, Just the way we true Oregonians like it! The thing that always ceases to amaze me in cycling are the amount of fat old men with beer guts who effortlessly make me eat their dust. Definitely a blow to the ego. I think Jethro and Cleatus sitting amongst the mound of empty beer cans cheering the cyclists on gave my friend and me the final motivation we needed to catch, jockey, and ultimately pull with a head wind a daddy long legs and one of them "older fatties" I am secretly jealous of. My bruised ego from being passed so often earlier in the ride was healed when the two guys we pulled commented “we were strong riders”. Considering I normally get my ass handed to me in a triathlon on the bike leg, this was just what I needed to temporarily inflate myself to think I am some amazing cyclist. After the event I was feeling so crafty I even slapped down 10 bucks for the ugliest bike jersey I have ever seen. It has rats and power lines. I do not believe a further description is needed. My ultimate goal is to own ugliest bike gear of anyone I know! The husband of one of my friends was en route to pick up the female cycling entourage and blew a head gasket (not him, the pickup). As result we had to endure a charter bus ride pack to Portland; an experience that can only be paralleled on a Greyhound. Behind us was some elitist Vocal Diarrheaist from the east coast with a voice about as annoying as a cat caught under a car tire. She was going on about a whole myriad of topics. One being how us simple little Oregon folk are just so darn nice, whether in the city or the country. She obviously has not met me ;-) VD also went on about the different kinds of poop and the effect on the vegetation in her yard. I would have loved to offer up the goods from me and my Rottweiler for her to “try out”. This actually may have shut her up! On a ride my two friends went on a few weeks ago a certain serial killer looking thing took a liking to one of the girls, boring her to tears for FOUR hours straight on a previous 60 mile ride about his cycling glory days back in 2003. Nothing was thought much of the annoying guy with the bad comb over until we ran into him on the “greyhound bike charter”. He kept looking back at my friend the entire time, despite her attempts to ward him off by blatantly ignoring him and mine and my other friends doubled up hysterical laughing when “Lance Bundy” walked back to obsessively attempt, just one more time, a conversation. We also learned to never eat community boxed cookies. “Tinkle treats” went out to take a leak when we were dropping passengers off at the first stop then had no problem coming in with his urine hands and feasting on the shared goods. Nasty. We rolled into Ptown at midnight and that was a day! Cannot wait for our next adventure!!