~Swim~Bike~Run~

Bad attitude

2009-02-22T17:34:00.002-06:00

So I thought I was finally going to have my first week of doing ALL my workouts...until I woke up Saturday morning. My week had gone great with my workouts, and besides a little fatigue, I actually had felt good pre and post workouts. Saturday morning I had clients from 8-noon and when I got home it was like I hit a brick wall. So instead of doing my bike test, I opted for a nap. Bad Robyn.

Saturday nights I teach Sunday School at church. First graders. JOY. Actually I love them. I usually have the same kids every week and it is a lot of fun. Except this week. I almost went to jail for child abuse. Seriously. I'm not sure if it was because I was tired, or the kids were absolutely whacked out last night, or both. Normally I have anywhere between 12 and 16 kids attend my class. I'm the only teacher. It is really hard to recruit teachers on Saturday evenings. Last night, I had 14 kids. Not bad, until I tell you that TWELVE of them were boys. Not to mention six of those twelve were regular problems. GREAT. I have never been so frustrated with a class in my life. I like to think I can control children well, but I had one kid trying to take off his shirt, two kids wrestling, and one kid throwing his bible in the air like it was a ball. That was just during the bible story. They started out the night building swords out of tinkertoys and trying to stab each other. Welcome to CHURCH!

I almost walked out and just let them injure each other. I was so frustrated. I didn't even know what had happened in the bible story. The sad thing is, one of the parents volunteered to stay and help me and I'll be surprised if she ever brings her son back. I had a nice long chat with one of our children's ministry director's and something will be changing by next week. Hopefully that change won't be a new teacher because the current one is in jail for child abuse charges.

Today wasn't too much better at church because my mood was already destroyed by my class last night. I tried to be in a good mood and I think I passed it off, but I was totally not "there". I've been trying to detox my attitude all day. So far.....nothing. But I did get a solid nap.

Training will be amazing this week...I feel it. Tomorrow is a new day!

Random thoughts (I have a lot of these)

2009-02-12T10:00:00.003-06:00

There are a few certain things I do that Junior has associated with going outside. These include, but are not limited to: Putting my shoes on, turning on the coffee maker, putting my hair in a ponytail, putting a jacket on, and getting out of bed. I think the weirdest one is the coffee maker.

I miss diving. A lot. And I still wish I could do it. Sure, I can dive, but I can no longer do a front 2.5, or an inward 1.5, or a back 1.5/1.5. Only divers will be able to tell me what that last one is. And my mom.

I just paid all my bills....on time. That's huge compared to the last few months. Living paycheck to paycheck sucks...and I can't wait until I'm a PT in 3 years and don't have to worry about finances...as much.

When I graduate from PT school (because I WILL be getting in), I will buy myself a new shiny tri bike. And then do another IM.

Junior is the cutest damn dog in the entire world. No other dog compares.

I'm OLD

2009-02-09T08:18:00.002-06:00

So I'm currently talking to Hannah Mac on facebook. She's a diver at KU. She was my favorite freshman when I was a senior. I took her under my wing and showed her the ropes. I've kept in touch with her since I've left, and have only been able to go back to watch her compete once. I should have tried harder to get back more, but alas, life gets in the way.

This weekend was senior meet at KU. And Hannah is a senior! I cannot believe it. Where has the time gone? I was just telling her that I felt like those 4 years at KU were sooooo incredibly long, but at the same time, I felt like I arrived on campus for my freshman year....blinked....and all the sudden I was moving to Memphis.

It makes me miss KU, diving, and my team. Those were an incredible four years, but also the hardest and most rewarding four years thus far in my life. Well, besides the year I trained for Ironman, which sometimes felt like four years. ;)

I remember being a freshman and looking up to our seniors and thinking "man, it will be forever until I'm a senior!" But alas, it came and went. I learned so much about myself as a person and athlete at KU. I also met my best friends there.

I just cannot believe that Hannah is a senior now, when it felt like yesterday she was on her recruiting trip. Shelby, Casey, and I took her to Mass St. where she found her prom dress. Next thing I knew, she was on our team and making a name for herself.

Just makes me realize how life goes by very fast and sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy it. Like the bible study book I'm reading. It talks about being Mary in a Martha world. I'm considering going to Columbia, MO for the zone meet to watch Hannah's last meet ever! I hope it'll work out logistically. I'd love to live my old life again for just a weekend!

Random thoughts on a Tuesday

2009-01-27T20:41:00.002-06:00

Tiger Balm ROCKS
I want to be Jillian from the Biggest Loser
I'm getting closer because I was so close to making a male client cry yesterday
I love love love my new devotional book
I have enjoyed two straights days sans napping
High maintenance clients annoy me
I almost punted a beagle last night for trying to eat Junior
I should really fold the laundry on my floor
I'm sick of getting medical bills in the mail. Why won't my effing insurance pay for SOMETHING
I'm pissed that my two late clients canceled tonight
I'm happy I got to watch all of the Biggest Loser
Junior's paws smell like people feet
I miss my sister and brother
...and my 'rents
I talked to my Gram today and it was glorious
My new coffee is delicious
I think its hilarious that Memphis freaks out over "winter weather"
Junior has been staring at me hardcore ALL NIGHT. Creepy
I just got a text asking me to sub for my 24SET class at 5:45am tomorrow.
THAT'S EFFING EARLY.
I said yes
I need to learn to say no
I'm going to stop typing now so I can write the workout.
Goodbye.

Update

2009-01-26T13:25:00.002-06:00

I've had a weird couple of weeks. Just busy, yet I have nothing to show for it??

In other news, today could be the first day I make it without napping! I've been feeling good lately, but have always had lack of sleep for one reason or another, but I got lots of sleep this weekend and I'm feeling good today! YAY!

Junior's doing well, thanks for asking. We get to dog sit this weekend for Bailey. He's excited. Today he chased birds for a straight ten minutes. He probably sprinted a mile and a half. Last week he went running with me for a couple miles. He's getting a lot of exercise in. But to him its never enough.

I had a mini melt down triathlon-related last week and just couldn't do ANYTHING. I wrote a rambling email to coach and she said take a few days off. So I did. I'm feeling better this week and already had a great swim this morning! It will be a much better week this week.

I'm currently making meatloaf...that's exciting.

I just made a spinach salad and its delicious. I find it very entertaining that Junior likes spinach leaves. I ask him "do you want a leaf?" and he jumps up for it and eats it! It's great. He gets his iron that way.

I'm pretty boring right now, so that's all I got.

Puppy Play

2009-01-07T16:31:00.004-06:00

We all know how much I love my dog, right?

Well, today I loved him a little less than usual.

I've had a solid chunk of the afternoon off, and prior to my bike workout, I decided to take Junior out and let him play. I took his favorite flimsy frisbee out so we could toss it. Or, as Junior likes to think of "toss", Robyn throws the frisbee and Junior runs around the field with it while I chase him to get it back.

This is what it looks like:

Had I remembered that it rained the last 3 days, I would have definitely rethought the whole playing in the field idea.

I threw it once, and of course Junior took off with it. He found the BIGGEST puddle in the field (which to him was a small lake) and played his favorite game: Sink the frisbee in the middle of the field and stick your head in the puddle to get it.

This is NOT my favorite game.

Half the time, he either leaves the frisbee at the bottom of the puddle or just can't get it because the water is too deep. I'm a loving puppy mommy and all, but I am NOT going in after it. We usually wait about 2 days until the water dries up and then retrieve the frisbee. Today he was all about sinking the frisbee and shoving his head into the cold, smelly water to get it. In fact, it was a little funny watching him frolic through the water.

Finally, he either got cold or bored and made his way out of the water. I was trying to stalk him to get him back under my control (with little luck) when all the sudden, I found LAST year's frisbee! You see, I bought him a frisbee for the last 2 Christmas's. This year, it was to replace last year's that we had lost in the field. And by "lost in the field", I mean Junior sunk it in a puddle and didn't want to get it. We must have forgotten to go back and look for it.

I picked up last year's frisbee and it looked like it had been run over by a lawnmower at least three times, and I'm thinking it probably had. This was the only way I got Junior back because he was all about last year's frisbee.

So now the issue is, I don't want to give Junior a bath because he's getting groomed tomorrow. What a waste of time. So I'm going to have to deal with a smelly, more poodle-looking than usual dog (because of his curls).

Oh well, at least someone had fun.

Things I think of on a run

2009-01-05T21:29:00.002-06:00

Last night I ran. Literally, it was dark. Maybe not the best idea I've ever have, considering I do live in Memphis. But I did. And I survived. So here are some random thoughts from my run:

-It is very peaceful to run at night.
-I hope I don't get mugged.
-This new sports bra is kind of tight.
-At least my ta-ta's aren't bouncing everywhere.
-I can't see my freakin' Garmin unless I keep pressing the start button so my light turns on.
-I think I should have done this run earlier in the week like it was scheduled.
-I can't wait to put my compression socks on.
-LOW BRANCH!
-I feel fast, but am slow.
-The weather isn't too bad.
-Yay! Time to turn around.
-Ok, apparently I had a tailwind before because now I'm freezing.
-Am I done yet?
-I feel pretty good still, though I'm still going slow.
-That smells...I hope I didn't step in whatever died back there.
-I can't wait to eat.
-Oh! I love this song.
-I wonder what Junior is doing.
-Almost there...it's getting colder!
-*(%!#@ It's raining!
-Get me home now!
-Yeah thanks dude who just stared at me in the car...I am crazy.
-So...close...yet...so...far.........away.
-Well, while I'm up here might as well get the mail.
-SHITE its raining harder now.
-And my cooldown just turned into a sprint to get to my building!!!
-Done...and done.

And that's how a 5 mile run goes.

I heart my Puppy

2009-01-03T22:16:00.006-06:00

Doesn't it kinda look like he just fell over?

Good news! Today was the first day I took a nap since my return to Memphis. That may sound impressive, but it's only been 5 days. However, that IS pretty impressive for myself.

Also, training has been consistent since returning also (minus new years eve). Again, pretty good for me thus far. Things are looking up in that department.

Now if work would just pick up a bit so I actually have a paycheck, that would be spectacular. Although, all the free time is really awesome. Maybe one day I'll get caught up on laundry. Probably not though, and it'll be the next time my mom comes in town and does it again (hint hint Mommy).

Surviving the Holidays - Karlage Style

2008-12-30T21:48:00.002-06:00

I'm back in Memphis, but its not like Christmas didn't try to kill me. Seriously.

I drove home early Christmas Eve morning, though not as early as my dad would have liked it to be. Thanks for that text message at 4am, Dad. It was raining...HARD. I would rather drive in snow than rain. You see, 3 years ago in Kansas I was driving on K-10 towards Kansas City in a horrendous rain storm. Apparently my tires sucked because I hydroplaned and pulled a winning Nascar move; I spun across the approximate 50 foot grass median and by the grace of God landed going in the correct direction on the other side of K-10. I never found out how many times I did a complete 180, but I'm thinking somewhere around.....18. Anyway...ever since that awesome maneuver, I drive white knuckled with raised blood pressure in rain storms.

I got home about 3:30 and had to face the biggest wrestling match of all: Junior vs. the Great Dane. Junior loves other dogs, so he hopped right out of the car and sprinted towards Heilyn, my sister's new dog. So Junior is, what, a foot off the ground? Cute, cuddly, fluffy, etc. Heilyn is a HORSE. He's 120 pounds of big pansy dog. But when he plays, he likes to swat with his paws. Junior being 20 pounds didn't stand a chance. So Junior runs away growling. Neat. It took an hour and a half to finally get them comfortable around each other...then we progressed inside. We had bets on if the Christmas tree or new 48 in flat screen was going to tumble first.

That night was Christmas with my Mom's side. And that's where it started. BUCKEYES. COOKIES. DELICIOUSNESS. And I even found room for dinner that night. After being miserable, opening presents, and hanging with the fam, we went home for our Christmas. New tradition for the Karlage's...having Christmas on Christmas Eve! Usually we do Christmas morning, but all Dad had to say was "you'd get to sleep in an extra hour"....SOLD! Sign me up!

It was an AMAZING Christmas....I got way spoiled (I said it Mom). I was set up with new bike pedals and lots of winter cycling gear! Got a few other things...and lastly I opened THIS:

Yep...that's Junior. Not just a picture framed, no. That would be easy. This was months of slaving each night under fluorescent light and magnifying glasses (my poor blind mother). It's a cross-stitched pictured of JUNIOR! What better than my own pup-a-lup sewn into history. Or something like that. He's so darn cute. Then I got the whole story about how my Mother took this project with her everywhere and now everyone wanted to see the finished product. Pssh. You just want to see my awesome dog. Someone nominate me as President of the "Creepy Dog Mom" club...cause I just passed all y'all. Liz, this includes your shopping at Whole Foods for dog food.

Christmas Day arrives complete with an extra hour of sleep, and an aching back due to the futon I slept on. We headed to my Gram's house for the Karlage craziness that is Christmas. After gorging ourselves on unhealthy amounts of food (including goetta!), we opened more presents. CROCK POT! Yay for awesome gifts. Happy birthday 8 pound, 6 ounce sweet baby Jesus. I really did intend on running this day, but then Gram pulled out the buckeyes. And the slippery slope just turned me upside down. If you do not know what buckeyes are, then a.) I feel sorry for you, and 2.) google the damn things and BE JEALOUS. After consuming approximately.......too many buckeyes, I felt ill and decided running would not be a good idea. Christmas night was filled with yet another delicious meal and finally it was home to sleep all of the food off.

The next day was awesome, cause I didn't get out of my pajamas the whole day. Food hangover might just be worse than alcohol hangover. And that night, my body either revolted or I licked the wrong floor because I got the WORST 24 hour flu bug EVER. I will not go into details, but I lost 10 pounds in 18 hours.

So after no training because my body was shot after the food I consumed, and then un-consumed, I felt like total hell. What else would make a woman feel better? SHOPPING! Mama and I went to the mall and I spent some Christmas money.

That night, my sister, brother, mother and me stayed up until 1:30am playing rockband. I was the drummer and I got mad skillzzzzzz.

All the sudden, it was time to return to Memphis. I swear my drive was twice as long on the way back. Maybe it was because Junior hated me even more for making him do that drive twice in one week...I don't know. I finally made it home last night at 6:30pm. I may have lost a few battles, but dammit I won the war on Christmas.

Oh, I also found out that I'm infected. With the epstein barr virus...aka mono. COOL. I wanted to blame it on being a stressed, obese, broke, caffeine addicted dog owner suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but its just mono. Although, if it last for another few months, then it really will be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome! I don't know why that excites me, because it just means there really isn't anything they can do for me. Awesome. I'm taking stock in Rockstar Energy drink. Or coffee. Or both.

Return of the Swim Test

2008-12-22T22:26:00.002-06:00

This week is test week #1 of the 2009 season.

I know what you're thinking...How does this work when it's still 2009? The answer to that? My coach has magic powers...or something like that.

Anyway, today was swim test day. You remember me writing about this before...10x100's with 10 seconds rest in between. At first glance, 10 seconds seems like a decent amount of time to rest, right? Well you do this damn test and tell me how 10 seconds feels. Yeah, that's what I thought.

I warmed up and already had a bad feeling about the test. Call me Miss Optimism. You see, until 2 weeks ago, the last time I had swam was the last stroke I took in the might Ohio during a little event I like to call IRONMAN LOUISVILLE. But I digress.

So here's a short recap of the test:

#1 - Ok, let's get back into this...I feel ok.

#2 - A little bit harder, and seriously? I have 8 more of these??!

#3 - Ok this SUCKS. Lactic acid is building and I hate triathlon...I quit. That's it.

#4 - GET WITH IT ROBYN. Nearly half way. Suck it up, you did a damn Ironman for Pete's sake.

#5 - Once I finish this one, I'll be halfway! YAY! Wait...ONLY HALFWAY?!?!

#6 - Ok over halfway, here we go. I wonder who came up with this damn test anyway? I'm going to ask Coach because - CRAP I was thinking so much to myself that I nearly swam right into the wall...must...remember...to...flip....SOONER.

#7 - What's this, like 75% done? Wow am I ever optimistic. I'm dreaming of my Brownie Batter Protein powder...yes that DOES exist.

#8 - Ok this one actually feels good! Hey, one out of ten isn't bad, right? Ok, it is.

#9 - Oh man, I'm about to DIE. My heart is beating out of my chest, I sound like a 2-pack a day smoker when I touch the wall, and it's kind of embarrassing for people to see the personal trainer nearly drowning. Am I there yet?

#10 - LAST ONE! Only 4 laps. Anyone can do 4 laps. Hell Junior could do 4 laps if there was a Tiny Squeaky Tennis Ball at the end of it (see previous post). Ok, now 3 laps left. HOLY HELL my lungs are about to burst. I hope that dude I'm supposed to take the body fat on isn't here yet...ok 2 more laps...a 50! I can do a 50! Keep pulling...dammit woman get your stroke together; this is highly inefficient. Last lap. Kick kick kick. I think I just dislocated something that shouldn't have been dislocated...and DONE!

As I leaned against the cool pool gutter (spitting into the drain nearby with people looking at me like I was disgusting even though there were not one, but TWO band aids right next to the drain) I was so thankful to have a large lung capacity. It took me so long to catch my breath and I felt so out of shape, but also good that I was finally done with that. More importantly, I was very very happy that my watch didn't magically stop like it had done last week during a swim.

So, thank you Coach for finding this ridiculous swim test that makes my head want to explode. Next up...bike test. Another super fun "try to kill yourself in 20 minutes and tell me how close your heart came to exploding" test.

P.S. This is what happens when you give your dog a bath when its like -385 degrees outside...you must swaddle him....in a pink blanket.

Tiny Tennis Balls

2008-12-17T15:46:00.002-06:00

Apparently an Elf game of tiny tennis broke out in my living room.

Now, I know my dog is spoiled, but really? 8 tiny tennis balls between two rooms?

He keeps walking past them, sniffing them, and going about his merry way. I say "Junior, get your ball!" and he looks at me like "which one woman...damn there are EIGHT OF THEM!!"

You see, buying tiny tennis balls are like buying shoes, or travel coffee mugs, or socks...you can never have enough. The real reason is that Junior likes things that squeak. I buy the tiny squeaky tennis balls. I suppose I could buy the bigger ones, but really, the tiny ones are just too cute! Especially when he tries to fit two in his mouth at once because he REALLY doesn't want me to have one. But I digress.

The tiny squeaky tennis balls (which I will now refer to as TSTB) come in packs of three. We all know good things come in threes: three wisemen, three bean salad, three stooges, etc. Anyway, Junior has it down to a solid 4.5 minutes of desqueaking all three TSTB's. Once they're desqueaked, he looks at them like a car that has just been driven off the lot: they just lost half their value. Sure, he'll play with them. But I think he does it just because I had just bought them. Soon enough, they'll be laying around with the rest of the TSTB's, looking like a TSTB machine had been serving tennis balls to Barbie Doll's.

I actually bought a set of TSTB's a few days ago for Junior for Christmas. When we got home, he looked at me and gave me the look of "I know what's in that bag and you better give them to me so I can break my desqueaking record, or I will pee on your pillow while you're gone". Ok, so maybe he just looked at me like "are you going to play with me or what?" but I took it the first way. So, like any good I-stand-my-ground-no-matter-what doggy mom, I gave him the TSTB's. I'm not sure if it was a record, as I was not timing, but they were desqueaked in no time. Now, they are laying in the living room along with the 5 or 6 others.

I'm either going to take stock in TSTB's, squeakers, or enter Junior for the Guinness Book of World records for number of TSTB's desqueaked in under 5 minutes. The dog has a talent, and I'm going to profit from it.

Did you know...?

2008-12-14T20:09:00.008-06:00

That Baby Jesus had a mohawk...

...And Joseph had a handlebar mustache?

Just ask the first graders in my Sunday School class, cause that's how they drew Jesus and Joseph at the First Christmas.

I mean, I guess we can't really prove them wrong, right?

zzzZZZzzzzzzzZZzzzzz

2008-12-12T15:08:00.004-06:00

For some reason for the past two weeks, I have been tired. Let me rephrase that, for the past two weeks I have been MORE tired than usual. I get it. I'm a triathlete in training, who works odd hours and has a physically demanding job. I'm allowed to be a little rundown. But the past two weeks have been nothing short of ridiculous. Example a. Today, I came home from one early appointment and took a nap, for two hours. I went back to work from 10-12pm, came home, and fell asleep AGAIN for an hour and a half. Even then I had to drag myself out of bed, mostly because I was hungry.

Today, I took things into my own hands and googled "reasons for fatigue". Google has all the answers, right? I'm sure to find a reason for my extreme fatigue. So here is a list I compiled from a website as to why I may be tired:

Anemia. -I've been tested and retested since high school. Unless this is something you develop overnight, I'm not sure this is it.

Stress. -I can blame some fatigue on this, but really? My job is NOT stressful. It pretty much goes like this: Hi I'm Robyn, your personal trainer. Lift this. Lift it again. Repeat. Keep going. You get the idea.

Depression. -Don't we all suffer from a little depression? Ok, yeah the holidays are upon us and with the onset of winter, it tends to get a little worse, but again, this was an overnight change in fatigue levels.

An eating disorder. -Only if you count "I eat what I see so don't get in my way" as an eating disorder....

Obesity. -Well, according to the BMI, I am considered obese. Maybe I should check into this...

Malnourishment. -See two answers above...definitely not malnourished.

Poor eating habits. -I have my "cheat" days, and yes they may be more frequent than they should be, but I still get my 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies, which is more than apparently 90% of Americans can say. I read in Time this week that's the percentage of Americans that can't remember the last time they had a salad. SERIOUSLY?

Underactive thyroid. -I feel as though the thyroid is a scapegoat these days. When I have 3/5 clients tell me they have a thyroid problem, I begin to wonder. No, you cannot blame your holiday weight gain on your thyroid. Nice try.

Certain medications. -I know this becomes an issue sometimes, especially with allergy medications. This could be part of the cause, but I have had no changes in medications lately.

Infection. -Of what? Well, I do work at a gym with an average of 7,000 members. I'm probably infected with way more than I'd like to admit. BLARG.

Low blood pressure. -I actually am probably the only person in my family that can even admit to this. I do tend to have lower blood pressure than normal, but not low enough to make me incredibly sleepy.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. -I've been saying for years I have this. I'm still blaming it on CFS.

Financial worries. -HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Enough said.

Environmental pollution. -I do live in Memphis. Memphians are not necessarily #1 in caring about the health of the environment.

Hormonal changes. -Well, I'm not going through puberty, pregnancy, or menopause, so I certainly hope this isn't it.

Caffeine abuse. -Fatigue + caffeine = only slight fatigue. Fatigue + coffee + energy drink = energy, for at least a little while! Ok, I admit this one....

Lack of exercise. -Not even touching this one.

Divorce. -Not as of this time. I hope not in the future either (Boys, take note).

Small children. -Small dog, yes. Small children, no.

Certain illnesses. -That's a little too general for me. I'm going to go with no.

So basically, what I've come up with from Dr. Google is I am a stressed, obese, broke, caffeine addicted dog owner suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Damn. It's worse than I thought.

I give myself less than a week to live.

So true, it's not even funny

2008-12-11T12:49:00.002-06:00

Best thing I've heard in a while.

My facebook status right now is "Robyn is drinking out of my Ironman coffee mug and it makes me very happy".

A friend messaged me and said:

"I purposely tried to kill myself and all I got was this lousy mug"

Like I said, so true it's not even funny.

Robyn vs. Pomegranate

2008-12-10T11:54:00.006-06:00

I lost today. To a fruit. Well, technically in the end I won, but it was a hard fought battle.

I've always wanted to try a pomegranate. I have a thing for exotic fruits, even though I don't know how to eat them. I lost to a mango several months back, but in my defense, I believe I waited too long to cut it and it was just mush in my hands.

I was talking to a client on Monday about fruits and I was telling him how I wanted to try a pomegranate but didn't know how to eat it. He explained it to me and I came home and googled it as well. How did we eat fruit before google? My client told me he'd bring me a POM today (Wednesday) so I was so excited!

Today, I came home and began the battle. You cut the crown off and then score the POM. This is where I tend to have trouble, and where trouble did in fact begin. I probably should have scored it at, say, a place where the membrane was, but no I went right thru the seeds. With a brilliant hue of maroon on the wall, the score was Robyn - 0, POM - 1.

I got it scored (incorrectly, apparently) and put the pieces in a bowl of cold water like google suggested. Walked Junior. Came back and began taking out the seeds. I vaguely remembered google saying something about taking the seeds out UNDERwater (hence the bowl of water) but I disregarded that. Refrigerator and coffee pot are now spattered said shade of maroon. Robyn -0, POM - 3. DAMMIT.

I finally became smarter than the fruit and took the rest of the seeds out underwater. TWENTY minutes later, I had pomegranate carcass all over the counter, maroon splotches all over my hands (Robyn -0, POM - 4), but a de-seeded fruit. FINALLY!! Robyn - 1, POM - 4.

I may have lost the battle, but won the war on POM.

A few tips for next time...set aside a solid 20 minutes for prep and do not wear work shirt. Got it.

Triathletes do wear dresses!

2008-12-06T12:43:00.004-06:00

See? I can prove it! Went to a cocktail party last night, hosted by the other lady in the picture, Leslie. She's the boss's (well, ex-boss) wife. It was a blast! I was just glad to wear something other than spandex, a bike helmet, or a 24HF shirt.
(For those who haven't met me, I'm on the right)

Trail Running

2008-12-05T17:13:00.003-06:00

I just went trail running with Junior and I forgot how terrible hard it is! But also, how much fun it is! So much better than staring at chewing gum and random bits of car on pavement. However, now Junior smells like dirty park.

In other news, I picked up my Christmas cards today. It's a good one this year! If you're lucky enough to receive one, expect these in the mail next week.

Tonight is Brian and Leslie's Christmas cocktail party. I'm just excited to dress up for once, and now have my hair in a ponytail with a 24 Hour Fitness shirt on. Then I will be seeing Boy's band play. YAY for having some sort of life again!

I'm baaaaaaaack!

2008-12-03T20:19:00.003-06:00

Yes, it is true. My computer is fixed!! Thanks to my mom's computer guy. He remotely fixed it from Kentucky on Saturday and I've been enjoying the 21st century ever since.

Everything is pretty much the same. Still working at 24 Hour Fitness, and, well, that's about it. I work, I sleep, I eat. Repeat. And Junior is still Junior. Currently he is growling at the vacuum cleaner because he thought it jumped at him while playing with his ball. I love my dog :)

This is an exciting and perfect time for my internet to be and for me to be blogging again. I started training again on December 1 for my tri season. Here's an outlook for next season:

LOTS OF CHANGES.

First off, I have a new team. Though I'm technically not a part of it yet (waiting until Jan 1, because that's when team dues are paid every year), I will be racing for:

I think this will be so much better for me than my previous team, because I will have people to train with (and race with) and they are involved in the community which I LOVE. I am excited to represent them!

Let's see, more changes:

NEW age group (not excited about moving up to 25-29);

NEW outlook on the season (now that I've done an Ironman, I'm a totally different triathlete...and person);

NEW races (hopefully I'll get to go to some new races that I've never done!)

Things that are the same:

COACH - Liz got me through the toughest thing I've ever done so I can't let go of her! She'll be coaching me all season to hopefully some very good finishes at one (or two) half Ironman races.

BIKE - Unfortunately a $2500 bike is not in the budget this year. Maybe it won't get cut next year....maybe.....

LOCATION - Still in good 'ol Memphis, TN. And there are currently plans being worked up that would guarantee me to be here for another 3 years. More about that to come....

Until then, I'm off. I'm getting sleepy and because I get up at the crack of dawn...I mean BEFORE the crack of dawn everyday, I must start getting ready for bed.

I'm happy to say I'm back to blogging :)

Long Lost Robyn

2008-11-16T21:14:00.002-06:00

I am here, in the flesh...borrowing the roomie's computer. I really really really hope to get my computer de-bugged here in the near future, because frankly I'm going insane. Once I stop napping for so long on the weekends (4 hours today!!) I'll get it done.

Dec 1 I start training with coach again. I'll update soon on my schedule for next year, my team change, and overall life, including how I made a client throw up in the middle of the workout floor the other day.

I hope you're happy with my newest post, E!

An open letter to the people at my (and probably all) gyms

2008-10-02T09:21:00.002-05:00

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is me, a personal trainer at the gym in which you workout. You may think no one is watching you, but I see you. I'm very sneaky about it, but while I train others, I can see what you're doing. I'm going to point you out specifically in this post:

To the woman who talks on her cell phone while "working out" - I noticed your favorite machine is the ab crunch machine. First of all, this machine is CRAP. Almost no one can do it right to get a good workout anyway, and by you just leaning on it with about 20 lbs of resistance WHILE talking on your cell phone about "how fly he was", the only maximum you're reaching is your max number of words used per day. I've also noticed you are not the trimmest of individuals, which is why you are at the gym - good for you. So hang it up, lock it up, and SWEAT already.

To the dude who shows up at 6am still drunk - while your attempt to become healthier and really watch your weight is well noticed, I believe you have other issues you must first deal with before hitting the gym. Like laying off the sauce. First off, the empty calories will kill your nutrition plan, thus nearly eliminating any benefit you could receive from the gym. Also, you kinda smell like booze...all the time.

To the dudes (plural) who constantly check me out while I'm demonstrating exercises - get over it. I will be demonstrating almost every time I'm working with a client. That's how I roll. So quit staring at my ass and get back to your workout.

To the dude who does an ab workout with the pulley system - I think you may also be the drunk guy, which would explain this interesting "ab workout". Can I tell you, I'm about 96% certain that you are not actually getting a workout by doing this crazy thing on the pulleys? I can't even explain in words what you do, but I've never seen anything like it, and I think you should just pack that up, and head over to the swiss balls. Or better yet, you may actually get more out of the ab machine, which I NEVER recommend (see above). But do not talk on your cell phone while doing it.

To most of the women on elliptical machines - Take your hands off the rails, and go faster. I'm not sure I've seen many of you sweat before. FYI - you're not going to burn many calories by NOT sweating. Newsflash...working out isn't easy, and usually you have to sweat.

And finally, my favorite thus far - to the individuals I've never even met, but have purchased training and still have not used it. When I call you, don't act rude or surprised that I am calling you. YOU used YOUR money and purchased personal training. So when I call you to set up an appointment, do not yell at me, act rude for no reason, and even hang up on me because if I could, I would just take the money you paid for the PT and put it right in my bank account. I haven't figured out a legal way to do this yet, so until then, deal with my phone calls.

Sincerely,
Robyn, Personal Trainer

Well...

2008-09-30T15:06:00.003-05:00

...it's safe to say I'm suffering from post-IM don't wanna work out.

On top of the fact that my job is now working people out, I'm a little "worked out". By the end of the day, I'm so sick of the gym, I run out of there. It's safe to say that's why I'm always behind on my client folders. Shh! Don't tell my manager.

I've lifted a few times, but all in all, I'm sooooo not in the mood to swim, bike, or run. Although I have been itching to get on my bike. However, since it is currently located behind two couches post-move, I haven't been able to go for a ride yet. I'm HOPING this weekend is the weekend to ride again.

Also, I've been working like c-r-a-z-y. For example, tomorrow, I have a solid 15-hour workday with 2 1-hour "drive to my next job" break. If you want to call that a break. I have two clients from 6-8am. Then I go home and take Junior to my neighbor's apartment before I go to nanny. Nanny from 9-3. Drive back to gym. Clients from 4-9. NEAT. Not sure how much longer I can hold up the 2 jobs without going completely insane.

This weekend it really hit me. I have NO time. Well, actually the problem this weekend was I did have some time, but because I normally have no time, I didn't have anything to fill it with. No friends to hang out with. Nada.

I did, however, get promoted from Nursery worker to Sunday school teacher at church. That's kind of exciting, though I'm really going to miss my 2-year olds.

Also, the computer at home is still not up and running. That again goes with the no time thing. UGH. Someone please send some motivation my way! Thanks!

I swear I'm alive!!

2008-09-27T15:32:00.002-05:00

Ok, dead computer + moving apartments + working 2 jobs = no time to blog!!!

I'm currently at Brian's (old boss) using his computer and watching him change my oil and spark plugs...oh and trying to fix my leaky power steering fluid. I hope he can! Thank goodness for Brian.

Let's see....definitely have no motivation to work out as of late. I've worked out 3 times since IM (officially tomorrow, it will be 4 weeks!!) All 3 times I have lifted weights. The only cardio I've done is I ran around the track 3 times last night with my client....FYI that's less than a half mile. Oh, I did run while I was in Denver, and almost died. Elevation + post ironman = bad run.

Other than that, I'm still job searching for something better than what I'm currently doing, however with the terrible economy, this is proving very difficult. I'm trying to unpack my apartment. That's all I have time for. UGH.

BLARG

2008-09-15T10:31:00.001-05:00

I really am alive, I swear. However, a nasty virus has taken over my computer and I"m unable to do anything except use it as a dust collector....for now. Also, I leave in a few hours for Denver until Friday for my 24 Hour Fitness training blah blah blah crap.

I'm excited, can you tell?

Actually I'm very excited that it'll almost be sorta a vacation. At least I won't be working 50 hours....

Post Ironman Life

2008-09-09T11:48:00.002-05:00

I wish I could say its glorious.

However, in becoming a "normal" human being like I so wanted to become, I've actually become a tired but no time for naps, overworked, no time for workouts (not that I want to at this point!), never get to see my dog, can't remember what day it is NORMAL human being.

I think I liked training for an Ironman. At least I knew what day it was. Granted, my training peaks told me based on what my workout was, but I still knew the day of the week!

You could say its hard adjusting. I'm working 2 part time jobs, which equals more than a full time job, with driving in between. Not getting paid what I should. Fitting in eating when I can (I remember when this used to be THE priority!) Talking to/seeing friends LESS than when I was training (is that even possible??). Still not getting to sleep in past 6:30.

But I supposed once I get into a groove (or get new jobs), it will all be better. I'm already thinking about my race schedule for next year. No IM, but possibly 2 70.3's. And I can't believe I'm considering IMFL '10. Didn't I want to kill myself during THIS one?

Know what makes it better though? Wearing this shirt today:

"Oh, you ran a marathon? That's cute. 140.6"

Rock on.

Ironman Louisville 2008

2008-09-03T20:59:00.007-05:00

Swim 1:14:28

I actually came out of the water about 1:13, but whatever. Coach said, "don't overdo the swim. It's just a warmup." Normally, I rock the swim. I held back a little here. After all, I was swimming 2.4 miles. Getting out from behind the island was somewhat brutal. It seemed to take forever. We swam 3/4 of a mile against the current. I glanced at my watch and I believe it said something around 28 or 29 minutes to get to the turn around.

After the turn around, there seemed to be people piling up on top of each other. I would have guessed the opposite. I only really punched one dude. And he totally deserved it. I started getting delirious when I was passing under the 2nd to last bridge. While breathing, I looked over and swore I saw a seal sitting on the pillar holding the bridge up.

"Are there river seals?"

Then I looked a few more times, and realized it was a large piece of metal. Guess I was getting dehydrated? That should have been a sign for the rest of the day.

Finally, I could see the swim exit! I got SO excited and picked up the pace. Also, because I got passed by a chick, and I wasn't about to let that happen. Jumped out of the water and felt pretty decent. I saw my parents and heard them yell for me. Barb was there snapping some pics:

Apparently, I was having THIS MUCH FUN:

Transition 1 8:36

I really hope from now on I have a personal clothes changer...if not, I'm bringing my own! The volunteers were SO helpful. Took me a little longer than I wanted, but I also used the restroom. Saw Mike on my way out. My parents were also at the bike exit. I was off.

Bike 8:30:56

WOWEE. This bike course was H-A-R-D.

The first 12 miles or so were flat. Great! I was trying not to go too fast, and just get a good solid warmup. People were blowing by me like I was standing still. NEAT. I knew I had to hold back, though. Then.....the hills came. There was a semi-short out and back that was absolutely insane. I hit 40 mph on 2 of the downhills, and 38+ on several others. There are NOT hills like that in Memphis to train on. My legs were feeling it. I saw one guy (or girl...people said it was a girl) getting carried out on a stretcher into an ambulance. (S)he crashed off to the side of the road. That always scares me.

Finally, I was heading toward LaGrange. This is where the spectators are. Luckily, the spectators were on a slight downhill so I looked awesome when I passed my parents. They had a sign and yelled really loudly for me! That gave me a boost of energy. But then I still had a second loop.

On the back part of the loop, it got really hot. I was going up some hills at 5mph, which made me feel like I was baking. I got to the part of the loop where you either take a left for your 2nd loop or go straight. The guy in front of me went straight, which was sad because I was far, far behind him. I turned left and started the loop all over again. Just before we hit LaGrange, we were in a strong headwind, pedaling DOWN a DOWNHILL going 10mph. Talk about frustrating!!! I wanted to cry. But alas, I had no extra salt reserves for tears. All the sudden, a girl came up on the left of me, and goes "Oh thank goodness! I have to cuss to someone! F****** S***!!!!!" I was cracking up. 'Cause I felt the same way! Ugh that was a hard part for sure. Probably the first time I wanted to pull over and quit.

We went through LaGrange again, and the crowd had thinned out. But, of course, my family was still there! They cheered so loudly like I was winning the race.

Then, it got REALLY lonely. By now, probably 2/3 of the field that started after me, had passed me. I was seeing less and less athletes out on the road. It got so difficult mentally (and obviously physically). I wanted to quit so many times. Why did I sign up for this? I pressed on.

I should mention, my nutrition went rather well on the bike. Probably 10-11 bottles of gatorade, 3 bottles of water, and 2 salt tabs per hour. Though it was hard to tell how much liquid I was drinking because I would throw the warm half drank bottles to get colder full bottles. I thought I was doing a great job hydrating.

FINALLY, I was off the loop and heading back to L'ville. When I got to the flats, I knew I was only about 12 miles from transition. My time was brutally slow. I wasn't happy with that, but wanted to do whatever I could to get off the bike! Finally, I saw transition. I unvelcroed my shoes and was ready to jump. I heard my parents cheer for me when I came in and it felt amazing to be on my feet.

Ok...NOT HOT picture.

Transition 2 7:59

Again, I'm so glad the volunteers were there! One lady even got me cups of water to wash my feet with! I lubed up and put my tri shorts and shoes on. I was off! I ran in and out of transition, which gave me confidence. I could run after 112 miles on the bike!!

Run 6:32:14

I have NEVER been so happy to run a marathon. Granted, I've only run one other marathon before, but still! Even if they told me I could ride the marathon, I still would have run it. I definitely broke up with my bike, far too many times to count.

My family was again there to cheer me on out of transition. As I passed them, I said "This was a terrible idea!!" I felt really good running. I saw Barb when I was turning to go across the bridge. I said "Where's your husband??!" She said just up ahead. I said "Good, I'm going to catch him and trip him!" Apparently I get kinda bitchy when I'm exhausted and dehydrated...

The first mile of the run...I look happy here!

Saw Mike on the bridge and he said his legs were cramping. I told him to suck it up and run, or I'd catch him! (Please see previous comment)

I ran the first 10 miles (aid station to aid station) and felt great! That is, until the dehydration caught up to me. About mile 10, I started getting GI issues. I had left my salt tabs in transition, which would be a bad thing! I couldn't get in enough fluids to counteract the dehydration, so what I did take in, just sloshed around in my stomach. I couldn't stomach any more gels, so I ate pretzels and drank coke.

My stomach issues came and went. One minute I felt great and was running with a smile on my face, and the next I was practically doubled over in pain, feeling like I was going to vomit. Again, I wanted to quit. I'm done, I thought. But obviously, I had come this far, I was going to crawl across that finish line.

Possible the worst and best part of the day were actually the same instance: coming up on the finish line, but having to turn for my 2nd lap of the run. I got really emotional because I knew I was so close. And then, I turned and headed towards a whole lot of nothing. I saw my family again, and reiterated how bad of an idea doing an Ironman was....They kept me going, though.

I ran with a girl at this point for a couple miles. It was so nice to get my mind off of how badly I was hurting. By now, my back was tightening up and everything hurt, even my hair. She was having the same GI issues I was. She started to feel better, so I told her to run ahead. I never did catch her, though she was only about a half mile in front of me the rest of the race.

Finally, I came to the last turn, where I only had 6 miles left. I wanted to cry. There were very little people left on the course (compared to the 2300ish that started). It was lonely...I was hurting...but I knew how close I was. I had already come about 134 miles, and only had about 6 to go. I walked a lot the last few miles, and I was worried about making the time cutoff. I knew I'd probably make it, but hey, you never know! I was forcing myself to run, and it was VERY VERY SLOW. But I was running. I was repeating my mantra "Strength and Perseverance". I thought about what coach said "If you can walk, you can run". So I ran as much as I could.

Finally, I had two miles left. I glanced down at my Garmin, and it had shut off! UGH. It had been a long day. I saw the "25" mile marker and got incredibly happy, though this was going to be the toughest mile. I came up to the last aid station, and saw my dad waiting for me. I started to tear up.

"Daddy! My body is shutting down."

"I know babe, but you WILL finish this race."

I am tearing up thinking about that now. He ran with me (ok so he power walked while I ran) the whole last part of the race. He kept telling me how everyone kept calling to see where I was. He said how his side of the family was all at my aunt and uncle's house following me all day and calling in. Just knowing I had SO much support at the race and all over the country made me smile and got me through that last mile.

Once I turned the corner and saw the finish line, my dad said I took off. He said "See you at the finish." I was blinded by the spotlight and everything was kind of muffled sounding. That probably could have been due to severe dehydration, or because my emotions were getting overwhelming. Finally, I was at the beginning of the chute. I heard the announcer say "It looks like we have another Ironman coming in, and this one is an IronGIRL!" He said my name, but I barely remember it (sorry Dawn, I know I promised to really listen!) The hundreds of people at the finish were cheering for ME. 99.9% didn't know who I was, and they were cheering for me! I started to cry and finally, after 16 hours, 34 minutes, and 13 seconds.....

ROBYN KARLAGE, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!!!

A lady put a medal around my neck and asked if I was ok. Um, no, I just did a freakin' Ironman lady. I'm nuts!!

They took my finisher picture, and I found my family. I was crying, my mom was crying...and probably everyone else was too. I got many, many hugs and congratulations. We headed to get my morning bag of dry clothes, and I SHOULD have gone to the med tent for an IV, but I just wanted to sit down in my hotel. (I'd pay for that decision later)

THANKFULLY, my dad had gone to get my bike and transitions bags during my run so they already had them. I feel so sorry for anyone who had to go get their own post-race! My family walked me up to my room, and my cousin and dad got me bags of ice for an ice bath. After reading my hilarious text messages from Alissa and everyone congratulating me, my family went back to sleep. They deserved it as much as I did!!!

I sat in the ice bath, got a shower, and collapsed in my bed. After answering some facebook messages, I was OUT at 1:30am. Nearly a 24 hour day, 16.5 of those RACING.

It was the HARDEST thing I've ever done, by far. I'm pretty sure it will be harder than childbirth. I'll let you know when that occurs. I have to admit, there were times I doubted myself, and then quickly realized that I couldn't be so negative. I wanted to quit. I wanted to cry. I hated myself at points. But....I didn't fail. I didn't get the time I wanted, but given the obstacles I had to overcome (including a 103 heat index), I think I did a pretty damn good job.

BIG THANK YOUS

-My family FOR SURE gets the most thanks. I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome it was to have my parents, brother, cousin Holly, and Step-Grandma Martha there. I'm not sure I would have finished...especially without my dad. I will remember that last mile for the rest of my life. Hey Dad, remember when you destroyed me in that first 5k we ran? hahaha.

-All my tri friends at the race: Mira, Mike, Barb, Mary Sunshine, Eileen, Kate (and her family), and all the new people I met!

-My coach! Without you, coach, I would have NEVER made it through. And you even answered your phone after midnight to talk to me :) THANK YOU THANK YOU

-Volunteers....these races would never happen without volunteers. And they stayed out there ALL DAY for those of us who finished very late into the night

Some random things I'd like to comment on:

1. Dude at the swim start. We are waiting for the start of the race, and everyone begins to talk about their Sherpas. He says "My Sherpa is drunk in the hotel! So much for a Sherpa!" That just made me laugh...cause my Sherpa was drunk too, at a lake in Missouri...dude at least yours came to the race!!!! (Love you Corky)

2. To the 14 year old boy at one of the last bike aid stations who said "Gee, they must be really tired by now".....to you I say "DUH YOU IDIOT"

3. To the 12 year old boy at one of the run aid stations, while I was waiting for a port-a-potty who asked me if I was "at least having fun"...I LIED. At that point, no I was not having fun. But I lied to you so you'd stop talking to me. Sorry.

4. I'll go ahead and apologize to the guy I punched in the river. Sorry, man.

5. To the guy on the run who eavesdropped on a girl telling me I looked good running, but I said "It's fake", and then he said "You're the only woman to ever admit that"....all I have to say is WOW. Keep those comments to yourself, dude.

6. To Alissa who sent my favorite text message "Dear Lord, please put a man with a cute butt in front of Robyn for the run", THANK YOU.

7. To Gary Z who apparently told EVERYONE and their mom to track me online, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH.

8. To Corky..thank you for my AWESOME MDOT cake!!!

8. I'm sure I have other things to say over the next few days...and MANY pictures to add...so stay tuned!!!

The Best Worst Experience of My Life

2008-09-03T11:42:00.006-05:00

That's now what I'll be referring to Ironman Louisville 2008.

Pre-Race
The night before I left, triathlon vomited on my floor:

Junior knew I was leaving :(
I left good 'ol Memphis about 11am. I first had to drop Junior off, visited with a friend, and then saw Chrissy, Evan, and Madison before finally hitting the road. The drive was uneventful, I just wanted to get there!

Once I arrived, I checked in and found Mira right away. She thankfully took my big suitcase upstairs so I could go back to the parking garage to get my bike. I checked in before taking my stuff upstairs so I could get that out of the way. Checking in for an Ironman is SO INTENSE. They sort of interview you, I suppose to make sure you're sane enough (or insane enough) to do the race. I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to figure out all the bags with their various colors and what not, but I think that was checking in nerves. Like....holy hell I'm actually going to attempt an Ironman.

Got all my stuff upstairs, and then Mira and I went to dinner with lots of people, including Eileen Swanson! What a sweetie. We're like best friends now. Ok, not really, but it was so awesome to get to meet her.

After dinner, Mira and I headed down to transition to take a look around. I was getting kinda nervous...I'm actually here!! We met a very nice couple, and the woman (Erica I think was her name?) did the race last year. She was giving us all the info on where we would be entering and exiting transitions and things of that nature. She was very helpful! She's actually done a lot of the same races I have because she's from St. Louis. I hope I see her again at another race.

Slept OK thurs night...I didn't sleep very well at all this whole WEEK. But we had a really nice hotel suite :)

Friday morning, we woke up and did the Gatorade practice swim. I was kinda nervous to swim in the river, but it was actually better than some lakes I've swam in! I only swam for 10:30. I swam against the current for 6 minutes, and the same distance on the way back only took me 4:30. After the swim, I headed back to the hotel and showered to get the river funk off of me. Mmmmmmm river funk.

I napped, of course, but only after getting coffee. Usually, I either nap OR have coffee, but this is Ironman, so I opted for both. Later in the day I found Target and carefully chose Ironman supplies (i.e. lots of carbs). We went to dinner that night with Eileen again, and the Kate Monster family. They were awesome! After a glass breaking issue, we left full of carbs :)

The family arrived during dinner, so I drove over to the campsite to visit for a bit. I'm soooooo glad they came.

Saturday morning....IRONMAN EVE.

Holy crap, it hits me. I'm going to be doing an Ironman tomorrow. Who told me to do this? Who do I blame???

Gatorade swim practice #2. Found my girl Barb who was working the "we'll watch your stuff" tent. She hooked me up with extra water bottles and gatorade...Thanks B! Swam the same route as the day before, and finished in nearly the exact same time. Though this day the water was much rougher. Found Mike (Barb's hubby) afterwards and we walked back to the hotel. Then we rode together for about 20 minutes. It was nice to be on my bike...hadn't been on it in a few days. Mike decided to run, and I opted out...I'll get enough of that tomorrow, I thought.

Tried to take a nap, but was far too nervous to sleep. I was having dinner at the campsite. The 'rents were making me my normal breakfast dinner. Pancakes and sausage! It was delicious. I didn't stay long, because it was hot and I wanted to stay out of the heat. Headed back to the hotel, and Mira and I prepped our stuff for race morning. We were in bed at 9:30 but we watched tv for a bit because we were too nervous to sleep!!

Race Morning

The future 2x Ironman and Ironman on Race Morning:

Our wakeup call was at 3:45am. I went to the 24 hour coffee place on the 3rd floor and got some coffee. Came back, ate a bagel and peanut butter and packed up our last things. We headed down to the transition area: about a 1/2 mile walk. Good warmup, right??

It was so strange to not set up my towel and put everything out for my transitions. We just racked our bikes (after airing up the tires), and gave the volunteers our special needs bags. Mira, Doug, Susan, and I walked down to the swim start (about another 3/4 of a mile). Then...we......waited, and waited and WAITED. I honestly felt like we were waiting in line for concert tickets. Only, in a swimsuit. We waited for nearly an hour, until finally the pros were off! OH MY GOSH. I'm really about to race for 15+ hours. It's going to be a looooooong day.

BIG DAY is fast approaching

2008-08-26T14:49:00.002-05:00

WOW. I freaking leave in 2 days. So much has to be done before then, and all I really feel like doing is nothing (i.e. resting). I'm getting my hyper taper energy, but its always at the end of work at 24 hour fitness. Weird.

I have had SO MUCH on my mind these last few days. Originally I was supposed to move apartments tomorrow...that's right, the day before I left for the race. Well, when I say move, I mean GET MOVERS. But it looks like we may just be moving buildings within our complex, which means I can push the move back until after the race...Thanks goodness!!

Other than moving, bills bills bills have been bombarding me. I am currently working two jobs, which when I get onto a normal schedule will probably have me working every bit of 45-50 hours per week. But for now, its not enough. It's just hard to concentrate on this race knowing how much money is going into it, when I can't even afford the necessities!

But aside from all the stress of normal living...I am getting excited for race day. Once I'm on the road Thursday, I will feel much better and much more focused on it. So, in honor of the BIG DAY coming up, here are a few things I'm looking forward to in my post Ironman life (in no particular order):

1. Getting my hair done! It hasn't been done since March, mostly b/c of the $$ issue. I look AWFUL, but at the same time when your hair is under a helmet 67% of the week, it doesn't matter much.
2. Eating like a normal person.
3. For that matter, sleeping and overall acting like a normal person.
4. Not having to train past 4pm on Saturdays (unless I start at 3pm).
5. Having the energy to clean my apartment on a regular basis.
6. Not having to rest going up a flight of stairs due to leg fatigue (at least not as often).
7. Reconnecting with my friends.
8. Weightlifting again, how I want to do it.
9. Playing things that don't involve a pool, a bike, and running shoes.
10. Not waking up hungry at 3am.
11. Not crying in the middle of a 115 mile ride.
12. Not talking to annoying people at creepy gas stations 40 miles from my apartment.
13. Stay awake all day for once.

There's about 63 more things I could add, but I won't bore you. Stay tuned!

Junior's Ready...am I?

2008-08-24T17:43:00.001-05:00

If you look closely, they're Ironman brand glasses...cause that's how we roll.

Bib # 174

2008-08-22T14:04:00.001-05:00

I guess its official....I'm going to do/be an Ironman.....

Who told me to sign up for Ironman?

2008-08-21T21:28:00.001-05:00

I dont know if you know this, but I'm 9 days out.

WTF

Product Plug

2008-08-16T20:15:00.003-05:00

Obviously this will increase sales for this product by at least 148.7%. Scientifically proven.

First off, I enjoy frozen vegetables. I mean, come on. What could be better than vegetables (good for you and delicious).....frozen (so easy all you have to do it heat them up...no washing, no nothing). Back in the day (ok, so like 4 years ago), I used to steam vegetables on the stove EVERY NIGHT, with my favorite kitchen product:

Does anyone else think this is cool? I used to just get it out of the cabinet and open it...close it...open it...close it...etc. It's just fun.

Cooking with this got old...there's the time it takes to steam the veggies (10-15 min). Sometimes I'd get impatient and end up eating partially cooked frozen veggies. Not good. Then there's cleanup. If you didn't clean right away (which I usually didn't because I was so impatient to eat), then the veggies would dry to the sides of it.

So when I found this product, it was my lifesaver:

What could be easier?? Put frozen veggies in bag. Push buttons on microwave and 3 min later, you have perfectly steamed frozen veggies! Cleanup? Pssh. What cleanup? Just throw it away! I thought nothing would be easier.

Until tonight. Even though the Zip and Steam bags are super easy, sometimes I'd end up putting too many veggies into the bag. There wasn't a great way of eye-balling the amount I was putting in. However, my NEW FAVORITE PRODUCT takes care of that for me:

HOLY MOLY. So now let me get this straight...all I have to do is remove bag from freezer, put in microwave, and open bag? Perfect portion size?! And it takes about half the time as the Zip and Steam bags?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

*Side Note* I'm an easy to please girl...if you can't tell.

So now I'm set for life on vegetables. I highly recommend this product, and to the Birdseye company: When you see a dramatic increase in sales, you can send a cut of the check to me. Thank you.

Conversations with a gas station attendant

2008-08-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday was my last HUGE workout before IM. It consisted of a 45 min swim, 6 hour bike, and a 45 min run. My own little triathlon.

Went for my swim. It was decent. Nothing spectacular. Since I had swam the day before, my shoulders were quite tired, but I ended up doing 2350 yards.

After lagging around a bit at home, I finally got out on the road at 10am. I can tell when I prepare myself mentally before a huge ride. It makes a HUGE difference. I was ready to go. I did the same route I did the last long ride, but cut out the loop through Arlington. It ended up working out perfectly for my time. About 30 miles before arriving back home, I made my last stop at a small gas station in Moscow, TN. The name should give it away. I always get stares walking into a little gas station in my riding gear. And I ALWAYS get asked "Is that your bike out there?" or "Have you been riding?" The smartass in me wants to say "Nope, I just like to drive around in bike shoes and a helmet, just in case I see a bike on the side of the road that needs to be ridden........here's your sign". That's for my dad.

Anyway, this time, not only did I get that question, but I had quite the interesting conversation with the Gas Station attendant. He probably doesn't get out of Moscow much. Went something like this:

Dude: Looks like you've been riding. How far have you gone?
Me: (looking at my Garmin) I'm on mile 60.
Dude: Oh my gosh! Where did you come from?
Me: East Memphis.
Dude: Wow, that's a long way!!

gee you think?

Dude: What are you training for?
Me: An Ironman. 3 weeks in Louisville.
Dude: An Ironman! Don't beat me up!

WTF does that mean?

Dude: So what is your biggest fear?

Is this in general terms? Something like death, spiders, the dark? Or in regards to the race? I'm going to go with biggest fear of the race, because he just asked about it. But seriously, will he even understand what I'm talking about? Should I really get into it? Explain in detail what my actual fear is. Or should I just say something simple and obvious so he'll leave me alone.

(Side Note: By mile 60, I'm apparently really crabby)

Me: Well, I'd have to say my biggest fear will be my nutrition going all wrong and having stomach issues or bonking with a significant part of the race left.

Dude stares at me.

Should have gone with the simple obvious answer...but hey, he asked.

Dude: That's not what I meant!

THAT'S WHAT YOU ASKED

Dude: What is your worst of the three sports?

That is DEFINITELY not what you asked. Two completely different questions. I'm just going to go with a simple one word answer so I can take my gatorade and leave.

Me: Running.
Dude: Oh, well good luck!
Me: Thanks.

I will NEVER get those 5 minutes back. Ever.

Made it home. I was pretty antsy to get off my bike. I hate that.

The run went pretty well. This was the longest brick I've done so far in this season. I usually just run for 15-20 min off the bike. To get the brick feeling out. So I was a little nervous for this run. Also, by the end of my ride, I was dehydrated, even though I drank a lot of fluids and took 2 thermolytes every hour. I can never win. After laying on my floor (and Junior licking the salt off of my legs) for a good 5 minutes, I knew I had to get out and run.

The run went SO WELL under the circumstances. I felt pretty good. I could have run longer, but didn't want to push my luck. Also, by this point it was nearly 6pm.

I was so happy with this workout. However, I think I'm paying for it now, because I woke up this morning not feeling so hot. Sore throat, headache. I slept all day. Coach gave me today off, and possibly tomorrow. She said its not unusual to get sick about 3 weeks out. You're just past your hardest training and your body is broken down. I figured that's what it is, but I just want to be READY TO GO in 2.5 weeks. I know I will be.

I can officially talk about it

2008-08-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

My job. YES....I have a job. Shocker, I know. No longer will I be living the life of a bum (professional-yet-unpaid-triathlete). No more two-a-day naps. No more facebooking until my fingers fall off. No more visiting friends on a daily basis.

I guess I knew it was coming.

Well, I officially (as of yesterday) work for 24 hour fitness. I am a personal trainer. Let me rephrase that: I'm the ONLY female personal trainer at this location. Which pretty much makes me awesome.

I am actually excited because apparently there's a lot of people just waiting for a female personal trainer. I don't blame them. I'm a pretty big deal.

I'm really not that into myself, but I do think I'll do a really good job. 24 hour also seems like a great place to work. In September, I'll be going to Denver for 5 days for an "intro to the company" type deal. Paid for! So that's cool. Actually, they wanted to send me to an earlier class, but guess when it was? August 25-29, meaning I'd get back in town the 30th. NOT GONNA WORK. The head fitness manager said to the club manager "Oh, she can't do that, she has that thing"

That thing....that little thing...yeah. That 17 hour day, 140.6 mile journey...that little thing takes place on August 31st. Can't miss it.

Anyway. That's what will pay the bills for now. And tonight, I witnessed the power of a pretty woman (me, obviously) in an athletic setting. I was running (if you want to call it that), and I see a guy STRUGGLING a few hundred feet in front of me. Kinda looked like the type of dude that finally mustered up the will power to go out and run. He was slightly overweight, and like I said, struggling. Sweating profusely, beat red face...everything. All the sudden, he saw me. After he passed behind a tree, he all the sudden pepped up and was running. Smile on his face. Standing really tall. He passed me, gave me the biggest smile and said "good evening!" After about 10 seconds, I turned around to look at him, and sure enough, he was walking again, hunched over looking like death.

That's why female personal trainers rock. The guys want to impress pretty girls. Thanks mom and dad for making me pretty :)

Who says shih tzu's can't do anything cool?

2008-08-05T21:57:00.002-05:00

I will not tell you how many takes this took to capture on film. But of course, when he's on camera, he won't do it!

Long run report.

2008-08-04T14:19:00.003-05:00

After a so-so 3 hour ride on Friday, I was not really looking forward to a 3 hour RUN today. Especially, considering it is going to hit 100 degrees today in Memphis. I decided very early on, that I would get up FREAKIN early to do this run, because I did not want to be running in the heat. I thought it was funny that last night the weatherman said "Do not do anything strenuous in the next few days outdoors". Oops!

So, my alarm went off at 3:50am. I got up about 4 and was on the road by 4:30. I must say, it was AWESOME running that early. No traffic, peace and quiet, and it was actually quite cool. Well, for Memphis heat it was cool. I tried not to look at my Garmin for the whole first hour, except to check my HR. I did a pretty good job. I got to a gas station about 4.5 miles away and decided to fill up my gatorade. I was off again, and actually feeling pretty good. I took a different route than I had originally planned, but it actually ended up being the same distance. I stopped at the same gas station on the way back and filled up again.

During the 2nd hour, my hips got pretty tight, so I stretched at the gas station and it actually helped a lot. For the first 30 min of the 3rd hour, I was supposed to run in zone 3. I was a little nervous about this, since it will have been my longest run since the marathon last December. I ROCKED those 30 min. I was just in the zone, and my legs were turning over so quickly, with no pain. My HR had a little trouble getting back down to zone 1 for my last 30 minutes, but all in all, it was a SOLID run. I was motivated, didn't feel bad, and was finished with 14 miles by 7:30am. Can't really ask for a better start to the training week, eh?

SO happy my motivation was there for this run. I really needed it.

ONE MONTH

2008-07-30T10:42:00.006-05:00

Holy Crap. It's getting close. But due to my lack of motivation (though it is getting better), I decided to post pictures of Junior instead.

He's been really enjoying his kennel lately, which is odd because I almost sold it. He never used it, up until the last few weeks. He's so dang cute!!

He makes me so happy :) So freakin cute!!!

Post bath time. Which Soccer ball do I play with???

Crash and BURN

2008-07-28T09:41:00.002-05:00

This quite accurately reflects this week of training.

It was my biggest training week of the entire IM training (19.5 hours) and I....BLEW.....IT.

In the past few months, I have had so many ups and downs of job hunting, and I've traveled A LOT...well, a lot for me. I think it all finally caught up to me.

My motivation is MIA. Physically, my body is doing really well. My legs are recovering rather nicely after long workouts, and *knock on wood* no injuries. Not too many aches and pains.

I've always been very good at staying motivated. At KU, I was always the one my teammates turned to when they needed some motivation, or just a good uplift to get them through. Now, however, training solo for an Ironman is proving to be very difficult. This is a whole different area than I've ever experienced. And it's HARD. Physically...mentally....you name it.

I sent coach a long email yesterday when I got back from my 7.5 hour workout-turned 2.5 hour workout. That is, after I cried in the shower :) She wrote me back: You're training for an IM. It's not supposed to be easy. But know what - Ironman requires you to really DIG DEEP and be tougher. It will be a LONG day out there and you will need to fight your head for 140.6 miles. Your body will do it. But your head will say...maybe not. So, I want you to try chalk this past week up as a lesson learned and move on.

My coach is AWESOME. So very understanding, but also knows when I need a swift kick in the a$$. This will, I will rest hard. I'm very good at resting. Next week I will jump right back into being motivated and be ready for the final push to the race. 5 weeks from yesterday...it's coming up!

Also, after today, I will be able to share JOB NEWS. That's right...soon, I will no longer be a professional bum.

I frickin' LOVE my dog

2008-07-25T23:33:00.002-05:00

When you hear a commotion from the other room...it is almost certainly something like this.

Monotony Takes Over

2008-07-25T11:28:00.002-05:00

Well...I'm 5 weeks out. 5 weeks from now I'll probably be walking around the expo with my new friend Mira. By the way we're now going to be roomies for the weekend in Louisville! I can't wait.

Monotony has taken over my training life. I'm to the point of 2+ hour workouts per day. Its not necessarily the time involvement, but I have learned how lonely Ironman training can be. Last Saturday, the only people interaction I encountered was a passing of the roommate, and a few creepy dudes in the middle of nowhere Tennessee gas stations. It was the day I did my nearly 8 hour ride. When I finished, the last thing I wanted to do was go visit with people, let alone get out of my bed.

It's the summer, and that means people are out and about doing their own things. My friends from school are moving (or have moved already) so they're busy prepping for moving. Or they are finishing up their theses (meaning they're living in an office or library). Or they're working (wonder what that's like?) Basically what it boils down to is that I spend a lot of time alone. Even when my friends are doing something, I'm usually training. Take for example this Sunday. Apparently everyone is playing in a fun softball tournament. I was invited to play, but alas, I have a 7 hour workout. Don't get me wrong, I knew it would happen, but it just hasn't truly hit me until this week.

Enough "feel sorry for Robyn". OK, wait not quite yet. Last night I was doing a 90 minute recovery ride, when I hear "CLANG!" Dang, ran over something medal. DANG! Flat tire. I get off to change it, and I have a nice gash in my tire. COOL. I knew I could change the tire, but I wasn't sure how damaged the tire was. I didn't want to go a half mile down the road and have another flat. I was still about 6 miles from home, so I decided to call my roommate to come pick me up. Avoid the chance of another flat, and a wasted tube.

I just got back from the bike shop, and I'm the proud owner of 2 brand spanking new tires. He said I could get away without buying new ones, but he wouldn't take that chance in an Ironman. I didn't want to be on mile 84 of IM and have a busted tire and not be able to finish. I've invested far too much time on this race. So I bought the tires.

ANYWAY, now enough of feeling sorry for Robyn. I have a 3-ish hour ride and a run off the bike today. And....it's....................HOT. Go figure. Solid weekend of training ahead of me, too. HAPPY TRAINING!!

Agenda for the next two days

2008-07-20T23:11:00.002-05:00

I will be traveling to Baltimore tomorrow. Not for pleasure, though I wish I could say it was. Job interview. PLEASE pray for me.

I get to see my sister! She lives there and will be picking me up from the airport, hemming my dress, and just overall taking care of me like a good big sister for the whole 2 days I'm there.

I come back Tuesday late, and unfortunately don't get to pick up my puppy til Wednesday morning.

Other than that, I survived my SOLO 7:40, 107 mile ride on Saturday. I actually didn't want to kill myself, though my body was definitely rejecting me by the end. I had a terrible stomach ache after I got home. Laid in bed for about two hours, and then went to Perkins for a solo much needed HUGE breakfast dinner.

This week is my longest training week of IM training: 19 hours. YIKES. I know I'll be fine. Just seems like a lot at this point.

Ok, finish packing then off to bed. I have an EARLY flight in the morning!

I really am alive, I swear

2008-07-17T21:57:00.005-05:00

Just have not been in the blogging mood as of late. Way too much stress (un-tri related). Still no job..though I'm searching like crazy. I'm going to Baltimore on Monday and Tuesday for an interview at the VA hospital. I get to see my sister! We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, training has been AWESOME this week. I've hit all my time goals (besides swimming...I always get my workouts done before the scheduled time). AND everything has felt really good. I've accepted the fact that I'm not fast, but I can do the distances no problem. Ok, maybe ask me that when I am on my 8 hour ride on Saturday....I may tell you differently. I usually quit the sport a few times when I'm on a workout longer than 5 hours.

Junior got groomed today...he looks STUPID. I hate it. Can't wait for it to grow out. They cut his tail, and I don't know why they did that. I love his fluffy long tail. Oh well, it'll grow back. And I'm sure he feels much better with nearly a pound less hair in the Memphis heat.

Here's a picture of him:

Also I was in Vegas last weekend for a conference. Good times with all my people from school. Here's some pics:

Brian showing me how he can successfully make it through a conference without rupturing a tendon in his thumb. And that creepy guy in the background is one of his best friends. :)

My love Andy who is now at Ball State...and why do I STILL have man arms???I also met a professor from Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia) who had told me I can come study under him. He does triathlon and endurance (cycling) research. His latest studies have to do with the benefits of cold water immersion (i.e. ice bath post long workout)...he didn't need to spend money on that...I could have told them how much ice baths ROCK.

Anyway, he told me that I'd be very competitive in getting the international scholarship for the 2009 school year. So I'm actively pursuing beefing up my vita and applying. It's all in God's hands...wherever He wants me, I will go.

That is all for now.

I'm alive

2008-07-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

Bear with me....LOTS going on...well actually no, that's the problem. There isn't a lot going on....

What am I supposed to do with THIS?

2008-07-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

I got my mail today and had a package containing this:

Um..... ????????????????

For those of you who live under a rock and do not know what happened, I (among numerous other athletes) did not get to finish this race. Had I truly finished, I would have had a ridiculous run time of 5.5 min miles, or something ridiculous like that.

Any other time in my whole triathlon life, I would be walking around with this thing taped to my forehead. But I didn't actually get 4th place. I was the 4th female 20-24 to run through the chute, but there were a few girls who came in after me that actually did the whole run. So you can see the issue.

Now I'm taking suggestions as to what to do with this. Doorstop? Paperweight? Wallpaper smoother? Let me hear it people.

Swim Test Today!!

2008-07-07T13:24:00.001-05:00

My last swim test before IM. 10 x 100 all out with 10 sec rest in between. I feel a bit of puking coming on....

If at mile 10 you want to stop....keep going

2008-07-06T22:25:00.002-05:00

So Saturday was a 7 hour ride. Let me preface this story with my mom randomly came to town on Wed night.

She's been retired for 2 weeks...she's already visiting. HELP.

Kidding...LOVE YOU MOMMY. She helped me get organized, do a billion loads of laundry, and we went to Target...twice. :)

So she was going to leave Sat morning once I got out on the road. I originally planned a 104 mile ride (see post below), but found out about a charity ride up near Bartlett. After hearing about a cyclist getting hit by a car the day before, my mother insisted I ride with the group. FINE.

I set out on my 20 min drive to Canada Rd. and was there standing in line to pay the charity at 7am. Finally, after getting out my 18 bottles of fluids and stuffing my back pockets full of gels, bars, Sharky's, and fig newtons minis.

I had to chuckle to myself when people were like "oh man I'm not looking forward to 62 miles, today". You see, there were 3 loops you could do: 20 miles, 40 miles, or 62 miles. Obviously I was doing 62. And then some.

We started off a few minutes late, about 7:45am. I had people whizzing by me, but I was able to hold myself back. I had 100 miles to do, I wasn't going to blow up in the first 10. Well, after those first 10 miles...I really really wanted to pull over and just sit on the side of the road. Maybe someone would come pick me up? There was NO way I was going to make the full 100 today. I pushed on, and soon I realized I was riding alone. What the heck?! I paid money (to a charity, of course) to ride with PEOPLE. Where are they all? I know the ride started out with 300+ riders!

Every so often, a rider would pass me. Again, I couldn't push it (though I was holding a decent pace, for a hilly course). I knew I couldn't go crazy. I've made that mistake before. Even though I told coach my nutrition wasn't great, thinking back on it, it wasn't terrible just not as good as it could have been. So, coach, please don't be that mad at me :)

After about 20 miles or so, I had been following this guy for a few miles. Well, that was a mistake. Apparently, he missed the turn. I take 25% of the blame for this, since I should have been paying attention too, but I blame him for 75% of it. The group of 3 behind me had been following me, apparently, because they missed it, too. We all ended up at a fork in the road and were all scratching our heads. We decided to go straight, maybe they just didn't put a marker here? Bad idea. Note to self: don't listen to others on a long ride.

After a few miles in the wrong direction, we decided to turn around. We back tracked and figured out where we went wrong. After a few more miles, we found a SAG and soon the split off for the 40 or 62 mile rides. Of course, the people I was with were doing 40. Once again...on my own.

I slowly but surely finished the ride, as the sun came out to fry me up. When I left it was overcast and didn't look like it would break at all. And unfortunately I forgot to apply the sunscreen. OOPS. I now have my amazing farmers tan, again.

Back to the ride. Once I made it back to my car, I realized my 62 mile ride turned into 71 miles, thanks to my directionally challenged friends. It's ok, though, because I still had 30 miles to go.

I decided since I didn't know my way around up north, and because I needed 30 miles (not 20 or 40), I would head home to my normal 28 mile route.

Well, sitting in the car was a mistake. But I didn't even go up to my apartment because I knew I wouldn't finish the ride. I hopped on my bike right away and peddled the most miserable 2 hours of my life. I did not want to be on that bike anymore.

After 98 miles, and 6:56...I...was....DONE. I was supposed to run for 15 min off the bike, but I couldn't even move. I know, I know. But you say "Robyn, you have to run a marathon after that in a few weeks". Yes...I realize this. Give me a freaking break!

All in all, it was successful, but not at the same time. I definitely know what to do differently for my next super-ridiculous-extremely long ride...coming up in two weeks! 8 hour ride scheduled, probably about 115 miles. Who's in???

Saturday Ride

2008-07-01T11:40:00.001-05:00

Ok people....who would like to join me for this ride on Saturday? Either the whole thing, or just an hour here or there? I already have one friend meeting me around Arlington for an hour, but any other times would be great! Let me know :)
Century (+3)
Find more Bike Rides in Memphis, Tennessee

Long workouts = dead legs

2008-06-30T12:16:00.003-05:00

First of all, mother nature and I are NOT on good terms. I woke up Saturday at 6am prepared for a 6 hour ride. I was ready to go! I guess as excited as you can be to do a 6 hour solo ride. I took Junior outside to see dark clouds. Uh oh. I came in and checked the radar. It pretty much looked like this: (Drawing not to scale)Seriously, that's what it looked like. The weather man said it would be in Germantown (where I ride to) in 45 min. Well GREAT. Can't go ride just yet. I wouldn't mind a little green, but that big red blob was what worried me. Emailed coach...we decided as long as I got it done this weekend I was ok. I decided to go back to bed :)

Woke up at 10, and it still hadn't rained, but the sky still looked like it did at 6am. The radar still looked the same, but the storms were hitting everywhere BUT Memphis. It was like there was a force field around the city and it was breaking up the storm. It still looked like it would pour any second, so I decided to just go for the run. I decided that at 1:30pm...the heat of the day.

It started off pretty well. Until my asthma (which has been bad lately) started getting worse. I was hot. My legs hated me. Did I mention this run was supposed to be 2:15? I had mapped out an 11.5 mile course. After 5 miles, I stopped in a church parking lot and called Corky. I did NOT want to run. Scratch that...I kinda did, but my body didn't. I wanted to cry but conserved the salt. Corky said run 2 more miles and call her back. I ran a mile, and decided to stop at the gas station to use the restroom. I also talked them into letting me have a little espresso shot cup of coke. They were probably very confused why a runner was asking for coke, but it works every time I tell ya!

Back on the road, after the shot of coke, I was feeling much better. I ended up cutting the run about another mile short, so it was 10.5 miles. About 3 miles from home, I saw P$ in his truck. He pulled over and said hi, while trying to give me the toaster oven he's been trying to give me for a week. His excuse was "oh come on you're not THAT far from home".

Once home, I wanted to collapse, but instead had to babysit.

Sunday, church day obviously. Worked in the nursery and then attended 9:30 service. Normally I make my Kroger run right after church, but I was so tired I went straight home and laid down for an hour. I knew I had my ride to do. I was up and on my bike by 1:30. I was trying a new route, so I was a little nervous since I wasn't familiar with the roads. It actually turned out pretty good! This is the route I took:84 mile ride
Find more Bike Rides in Memphis, TennesseeI did the loop twice, and it totaled 84 miles. My legs were just tired of moving by the end. Plus, doing it solo was not so fun. But I do know that when I get to IM, it will all be solo for the most part. So suck it up!

Also, I would like to speak to the two d-bags I came in contact with on my ride. To the first guy, on highway 64 with the ridiculously large truck who said on his intercom system "Get off the road, its for cars dumbass!" - you are not cool. You're truck is large, and gas guzzling. That wasn't even funny. However, I did pray for you, so I hope you experienced something post-yelling at me.

Also, to the man who drove up next to me while I was on Houston Levee Rd. and just stared me down - was that really necessary? I was already working my butt off, trying to stay as fast as possible so I don't make drivers upset. 99% of the people passing me did it correctly by going into the other lane to give me plenty of room. So did you really have to be a d-bag and drive next to me staring at me like I didn't know I was riding my bike in the road?

All in all, my nutrition was good. Though I did get dehydrated, even though I was taking my thermolytes (2 per hour) and consumed over 150 oz of liquid (100ish of those gatorade). Next Saturday, I have a 7 hour ride. PLEASE someone ride with me, even for an hour?

Where have I been?

2008-06-27T19:14:00.007-05:00

Don't worry, I've been asking myself that too. Got an email from a friend today:

How am I supposed to know what is going on if you don't update your blog?????? I feel lost....alone....wandering in the wilderness of despair.

I feel the same way, Bill.

Well, what I've been doing for the past week is VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. It took over my life for a whole week. I think I would have been less tired if I had trained for 4 hours a day rather than be with those kids. I was the "professor" of 22 four-year-olds. You heard that right. Twenty-two. Four year olds.

The theme of the week was Powerlab. Which is why I was the "professor". Didn't even have to get my PhD! Every day I came home and crashed for about two hours. It was EXHAUSTING. But how could you not be happy seeing these smiling faces everyday, talking to them about Jesus?

Also, I love what 4 year olds say. Some quotes from this week:

Anna: Miss Robyn, your shoes are kind of big.

Robyn: I know.

Anna: It's ok, you'll grow into them.

----------------------------------------------------------

Class leader: Kids, have you ever done anything wrong in which you can ask Jesus for forgiveness?

Emma: I never do anything wrong. But my brother does!

----------------------------------------------------------

Lisa (talking to her daughter): Molly, tell Miss Robyn what Jesus gives you the power to do.

(Molly stares at me)

Robyn: Molly, what does Jesus give you the power to do?
Molly: EAT CAKE!!!

This is why I LOVE KIDS.

Training is going well, surprisingly after this week. I have a 6 hour ride in the morning...SOLO. Here's to success at that.

Race Report: Kansas 70.3 (well, 63.8ish)

2008-06-19T21:18:00.008-05:00

After getting yelled at by Dawn this morning, I’ve finally sat down to write my race report. I guess the reason I have yet to do it, is because of the debacle that was Kansas 70.3, or in my case Kansas 63.8ish. So here goes:

Pre-Race

I should have known this weekend wouldn’t be very good when I got a 3 hour late start due to bank issues. Finally, I was on the road around 11ish for an 8hour drive. I had planned to leave at 7:30 right after I dropped Junior off. But alas, things happen. Originally I was going to drive all the way into Lawrence so I could visit with people. Once I realized what time I was going to get into the KC area, I just decided to stay with Corky in Blue Springs, and save myself the long drive to Lawrence. Plus she offered to drive to Lawrence the next day, which saved me gas! Thanks girl!

We ate a fantastic dinner provided by the future Mr. and Mrs. Staton and pretty much went right to bed. Woke up Saturday morning, ate some food, pottied the cuddly pit bulls, and we were off to Lawrence. We went straight downtown to the expo. It was great being in downtown Lawrence and the atmosphere really was great. However, I agree with most athletes and think the expo should be at the race site. Just makes it easier all around. P.S. Downtown Lawrence is really awesome in the day time…i.e. not at 1am while you’re drunk, which is how I spent most of my days in downtown Lawrence ;)Since we got in and out of getting our race packets so quickly, we had plenty of time before bike turn in started at 2. After walking around the expo a bit, we decided to have 2nd breakfast/brunch outside at Milton’s. It was PERFECT outside, and Milton’s is always delish. I ate waaaaaay too much, but it was so good, I just couldn’t stop. Bad idea.

(Yes Corky is putting tightening her goggles while sitting outside at Milton's)

Next we were off to the race site for our last workouts. We both rode for about 20 minutes, and quickly determined it would probably be windy during the race. We made it back to the TA, and Corky went to swim while I ran. Well, Milton’s and the overeating came back to get me, and I ran a total of 10 minutes because I felt like I was going to hurl. I thought I would have enough time to digest, but apparently not. I walked down to the beach to try to find my partner in crime, but didn’t see her, so I went back to the car and started putting stickers on my bike. Biggest.......Gatorade Bottle........EVER

Cork finally made it back, and we got in line to turn bikes in. All the sudden Corky said “I see an opportunity approaching”. She went to her car to get her Trisports.com handouts. I was stuck holding both our bikes and trying to move with both of them as the line quickly moved. I kept looking back and seeing Corky mingling and passing out her handouts…good for her, but I was going to drop her bike right there and fend for myself! Good thing when I got into the chip tent, Mark Livesay was the one giving me mine. He looked at me and said, with the dumbest look on his face “why do you have two bikes?” I said “This is Courtney Crutcher’s, she’s handing out trisports stuff”. He just looked at me, looked at the bikes, looked at me again, and said “Ok I trust you”. Great! Finally Corky realized what was going on and ran up to get me (aka her bike, at this point we were already talking sh*t with each other about who was going to win).

We found our spots in TA and headed back to the car. We had been at the race site for nearly 3 hours so it was about time to head back to rest. We went back to Alyson’s house (thank you for hosting us!). We were doing the normal race prep stuff and I had several visitors (Beej and his girl, Dennis, and Sexy Mike!), which it was great to catch up with people!! Finally we thought we should get our stuff together for the race, since we had a 3:45am wakeup call! Earliest race I’ve ever done! Then it was time to snuggle with the Corkster all night long. She claimed I spooned with her in the middle of the night, but it was actually because she was laying in the middle of the dang bed!

Ready to Race!!

Be glad we didn't do this to YOUR bed the night before the race...Thanks POPE!!

Race Morning

3:45am is E-A-R-L-Y. At this point, I was also thinking how glad I was I left Junior at home, even though I missed the wittle guy. We got all our stuff together, put our race gear on, and headed out the door. We stopped at BP for some gas, and much needed (though not very tasty) coffee. We ventured to Clinton Lake, rocking out to some old school Nelly with the sub on. We were reverting back to high school. Quote of the morning was Corky: “only triathletes would wake up at 3:45am to race for 6+ hours and sh*t on themselves”. Totally true.

After a “short” walk to the TA, we started setting up. I always forget how long it takes me to set up my TA. I was able to meet a teammate I didn’t even know would be there, and BARB!!! Her husband was obviously way too busy to come meet me, though. Finally it was time to head to the swim. On our way, though, we got to look up and see some dudes jumping out of airplanes to land on the beach…and they call US crazy!

Swim: 36:57 – 1:45/100 yards

First off, this time included a 5 mile run from the beach to the TA…ok not really, but it was every bit of 250-300 yards…a long way if you ask me! Also, EVERYONE has said the swim was measured too long. My pace says so, I think. I know it was choppy, but the half I did last year, I was about 8-9 min faster. Even the pro’s were about 3-4 min slower than their usual times. Corky and I started up front. We were the first two swimmers to the first buoy. I just kept swimming, thinking to myself “holy crap, why do I do this?” I did a decent job of staying near the buoys, but could have done better. Overall, I felt really good on the swim.

T1: 1:39

Not bad, probably should have been faster, though.

Bike: 3:53:08 – 14.4 mph

UGH. It was so damn hilly. Who knew there were hills in Kansas?! I thought the only one was on campus. It was tough, but it also made me feel that much better when I finished it. Though I wish I would have paced over 15mph. The worst was my hamstrings tightened up again, and about 3 times as worse as at MIM. I wanted to get off my bike and stretch, but I also didn’t want to stop. Well, God must have been telling me to, because about mile 30 I dropped my chain. Going up one of the biggest hills! I stopped, put the chain back on, got my hands extremely greasy, and stretched out a bit. Much better! Took me forever to get clipped back in because I was going straight up it seemed like. I passed NO ONE on the bike…very frustrating. I got passed by EVERYONE. Dropped my chain AGAIN about mile 45. Not cool. Saw Dawn cheering for us right at the Iron Cross. That was so awesome and MUCH NEEDED! Thanks so much Dawn for coming out! Finally I made it back to TA.

T2: 2:11

WTF?! Why so slow?

Run: ???

I did what coach said to do on the bike, and it WORKED! Maybe she knows what she’s talking about. My run felt pretty good. The first mile wasn’t so fun, but after I got loosened up, I was cooking. Probably my fastest longer tri run to date! Yeah, it was hot, and hard, but I felt great all things considered. That is until the clouds rolled in. They looked bad, but I thought “they don’t cancel tris for anything.” Well, I was wrong. The run was kind of a figure 8 and you passed the finish right at the cross. I was coming back after finishing the first half of the run (after about 6 miles?) and they pointed me to the finish chute. I said “no I have another lap!” They said “we’re calling the race for weather, go into the finish”. I was so confused but ran thru. I felt like I just dreamed that it happened. I think my legs were happy to be done, but the rest of me wasn’t! The guy gave me my medal and said “congratulations on finishing a half ironman”…I said “but I didn’t” and walked away. I just kind of stood there in disbelief. As my friends came across the finish, hardly any of them finished, and they were all pissed…including Corky who was crying. It was so disappointing. The worst part is it rained for a few minutes, then let up. The sun came back out! In hindsight, I guess they made the right call because apparently the radar looked pretty bad and KC ended up getting hail and thunder and lightning. Still…very disappointing.

According to the results, I finished 4th in my AG, with a run pace of 5:40 min/mile. Well…I don’t think I could drive that fast, so obviously they just took my run time and put it in for 13.1 miles. Still no word on what they’re going to do about awards, times, etc. It was so nice to race with friends and teammates and to see some of my Kansas people I haven’t seen since last year! Wish I could race with them more often, but this weekend was fun.

That is until I got a flat tire in Festus, MO on the way home…but that’s a whole other story.

Race Report

2008-06-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

I finished it just now, but I'm not posting until I get home so I can add the pictures! Look for it in a few hours.

Again, I can't make this story up!

2008-06-12T13:43:00.002-05:00

Last night, I went over to one of my former professor's (Rick) house for some pool time and dinner. It was leisurely pool time, which is somewhat foreign to me at this point. They have two children. Evan is 2 1/2, and Madison is 4 months tomorrow! His wife's name is Chrissy. Beautiful family. I regularly babysit for them.

After some play time with Evan in the pool, he was sitting on my lap on a lounge chair. We were just talking when Evan said, "Robyn do you have boobies?"

Somewhat surprised by this, and knowing Rick and Chrissy are very open about these type of subjects, I said "Yes I do".

Evan said "Can I touch them?"

From the background, I hear Rick say "EVAN!"

Evan started laughing, obviously knowing this is wrong. I was laughing hysterically at this point. I later told Chrissy about it and she explained that the other day they were teaching him that touching other people's "private areas" is inappropriate. She said he must have been testing this "theory" with me.

Wow...the things that come out of a 2yr old's mouth! Love it!

Travel Day Tomorrow

2008-06-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

I leave tomorrow!!! I really am excited...but not to pay $85 per gallon of gas. Ok, so its not quite that high, but jeez... $4 a gallon!? Actually, I'm pretty excited to be a southerner because I heard on the news yesterday that the cheapest place to get gas in the entire country is East Memphis, Arkansas! It's also the cheapest place to buy gas for a reason....

I'm not sure if I'll be taking my laptop with me or not this weekend, so don't expect any updates :) I'll have my race day game face on, and I'm fully focused on my goals. Coach and I will discuss while I'm on the road tomorrow. Hopefully I don't go through too many black holes and lose phone reception while I'm doing it.

Junior is also excited I'm leaving because he gets to hang out at Bailey's and play with the doggy door. He thinks its a toy. He's a very simple dog. That's why I love him!

Also, keep praying that I hear about the job soon...STILL WAITING! Argh....

Good luck to all of those racing this weekend! And if you're going to be at Kansas 70.3...I'll be whizzing past you (at least I can dream).....

TAG! Running Q and A

2008-06-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Corky...and since I have nothing to do at work until I go swim in about 20 min, what a way to kill time!

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago? Let's see, 10 years ago I was 14...and I didn't run. Ever. Actually I didn't run until about 2 years ago. So 10 years ago, Robyn and Running never EVER occured in the same sentence. Unless it was something to the effect of "Robyn was running away from a killer bee".

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience? Best and worst run experience are actually the same...go figure. It was last year during my first olympic distance tri, Memphis in May. I ran the whole run (10k) which was the longest I had ever run non stop. I was so proud of myself!! The bad part, you ask? Well, I competed on a stress fracture, and officially at the end of the race my leg was broken. Basically I couldn't stop running or I would have never started again...it was a wee bit painful. No one said athletes have common sense.

3. Why do you run? I'm going to have to agree with Corkster on this one: because we have to. Running is the most difficult for me, and it's really not that fun (unless you have a good run day). Although it is difficult, and most of the time I don't like it...I do enjoy getting better at it. Seeing how much I've improved in the past few years is kinda worth it.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running. Best piece of advice: tuck your butt under (thanks Coach). Worst piece of advice: why don't you try running a 5k?

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know. I'm pretty sure everyone knows just about everything about me. And I don't want to get too crazy with this question, because my mom reads my blog :)

6. Tag Somebody. Meg H., RunningJayhawk, OutofShapeGuy, Seth, MarySunshine, Jen in Budapest, ALISSA!

I can't make this stuff up

2008-06-10T14:24:00.002-05:00

I was conversing with Corky this morning via email, as we do pretty much daily, and the subject of being poor came up...again a daily thing. This is verbatim:

Corky: Do you have anything to sell?

Robyn: Hmmm...I can check my roommmates room? I'm not selling Junior. Myself?

Corky: FOR SALE:

5'7 medium build athletic woman. Knows how to change bicycle tires, can poop in woods. Doesn't mind eating liquid food from silver packets for nutrition days at a time. Can live in garage with running shoes. Dog available for extra charge.

So there ya go folks. Look for me on ebay in the next day or two.

Also race numbers are up! I'm #319 yay!!!

Race day is near!

2008-06-09T09:38:00.003-05:00

First off, I'm jealous of Lawrence, KS right now. I just looked at the weather and its currently 65 there! Yeah, its already 84 here with 70% humidity, making it feel like 90!! NEAT.

Well, T - 4 days until I leave for Kansas! And T - 6 days until RACE DAY!!!

I'm very confident that I can do this distance and do it well, however with nearly half the field dropping out of Eagleman yesterday (due to heat, I assume), I'm kinda nervous about the weather. I've been training in the heat lately, and it SUCKS. The forecasted weather for Sunday is high of 86. That's like the temperature outside here right now. So I'm hoping it won't get too hot!

Although it is good training for Ironman Louisville. Kentucky in August is NOT pretty.

Congrats to everyone who raced (i.e. braved the heat) yesterday! Liz rocked Eagleman and placed 8th in the pro division! YAY! Seth competed at the Lancaster Half, and even though his bike revolted against him, and the heat was brutal...he finished...which a lot of people can't say they did!

And everyone racing in Kansas next weekend...get ready! Race day is near!

Sometimes I think Junior hates me....

2008-06-06T13:12:00.002-05:00

I put his ears in a "Bam Bam" ponytail!!

Ahhhhhhh

2008-06-04T10:58:00.002-05:00

For the past 2 weeks, I haven't been sleeping well at night, which means I usually end up taking a nap the next day, which means I do not sleep well that night. It's a vicious cycle, really. Since I've been babysitting my weekends away, I decided I really needed to get a massage. I truly think this is part of the reason why my hammies cramped up so badly during MIM. I hadn't gotten my normal 4-6 week massage, due to lack of funds.

So, I set aside some of the money I made this weekend and yesterday I got my massage! 45 minutes of heaven. My arches feel tons better, my legs feel refreshed, and my back is no longer tight. I think my back grows about an inch in length when I leave Pam, because she releases all the tightness. Not that I needed a bigger back/shoulders, but at least I feel better.

I knew it was an amazing massage for two reasons: 1.) I fell asleep on the table, which I never do, and 2.) I slept sooooo well last night. In fact, I almost feel refreshed today! Almost being the key word. Let's not get carried away.

Last night was The Loop and we started a new series about the Proverbs. If you are in Memphis, you need to check this out! It gave me a very refreshed feeling about where I am in my life right now. I feel like good things are heading my way :)

Saturday's Ride

2008-06-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

I had a 5 hour ride + 20 min run planned on Saturday.

I decided to hit up the group ride at RB's Cyclery in Bartlett, and when I called the shop Thurs, the dude said they were going to do about 50 miles. I knew I would need about 75 for a 5 hour ride, so I decided to ride there, and hopefully ride back. Getting there was about a 12 mile ride.

Friday night I packed all my stuff up and made 4 bottles of various drinks: Gatorade, Accelerade, and GU20 just so I wouldn't get bored. I was in bed by about 10:30.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6am, to depart by about 6:45. Made some coffee, walked the pup and ate a peanut butter sandwich. Yummy! I finally got everything ready, dressed and was out on my bike departing at 6:55am. Only ten minutes off. It's probably because I laid in bed exactly 10 minutes too long. Oops!

The 12 miles to the shop wasn't bad. I used it as an easy warm up. I had to ride on a busy busy road unfortunately, but at 7am on Saturday there aren't that many cars out. Well, less than normal anyway. The ride was leaving the shop at 8am, and I arrived at 7:45am.

When I got there, there were already about 30 riders getting ready! With more and more cars pulling in every second. It was already hot, as I was dripping with sweat and my eyes were burning from sweat and sunscreen. It was hot...AND humid. Finally the ride was departing. About 50 riders were in this group. WOW. This is the "B" ride that averages about 17.5 mph. Before we started going, the dude leading the ride said "remember this is a 17.5mph ride, so don't drop my ass like you did last week". GREAT. I hoped they were listening to him!

He said we were going to do 55 miles and we were off. It felt pretty good at first since I was already warmed up. We were probably averaging about 16 right off the bat to let everyone warm up. I was right in the middle of the pack chatting with some older gentleman. Then, we hit the first few hills. I kept up at first, until we got to a much bigger one. Then, I fell out of the middle of the pack like I was riding a unicycle. I ended up riding in the back with one other guy (who was 63, that was his excuse). We were several bike lengths back, when after about 10 miles we pulled over to a rest stop to let everyone use the restrooms. Since it had been about an hour and a half, I figured I better go because who knows when I'll get to go again. Of course I was the last one out of the restroom and as soon as I got to my bike, they said "Let's go!" I jumped on my bike, chugged down a gel and was off.

I held on for about another 10 miles, and then the hills started again. I had been in the middle of the pack when we hit a pretty big one. I was pushing and pulling like my life depended on it, and I look over at other women, who appear to be in the same gear riding at the same cadence, not exerting much energy, and they dropped me like I was standing still. SO FRUSTRATING. Once again, I was in the back of the pack. My legs felt like jelly, and when I tried to stand up on the hills, I felt like I had had a quadectomy (that's the medical term). I had NOTHING. I managed to keep at least one rider (the 63 year old dude who was kicking my ass at this point) in sight, but I started to lose him because I had nothing in the tank. I guess I wasn't recovered from my long run on Thurs. I saw a guy circling back up ahead and immediately felt embarrassed that he had to come back for me. When he pulled up beside me, he said "is anyone behind you?" I said "I don't think so."

He circled around and rode with me. His name was Wes. I was so thankful he came back because I had NO idea where we were or where we were going. We chatted a lot, and I felt like we were crawling, so I kept apologizing for him having to come back for me. But then, I looked down at my computer and realized we were going 19mph! Wait...first of all, we're flying and we're still this behind? Secondly, this is supposed to be a 17.5mph ride! WTF?! The hills are what really killed me. Anytime I hit them, I would end up going like 12-13mph but I felt like I was recruiting every last muscle fiber in my legs. How is this possible?! I wanted to blame my bike, and the heat, but knew it was just me. Which was super frustrating.

We finally made it to "cat pee", a small convenience store in the middle of nowhere, TN. Wonder where it gets the name Cat Pee? Just take a whiff when you walk in...A few things that gave away the fact that the Saturday ride that stops there every week is the biggest day in sales for them:
1.) There were products (dog leashes, fishing equipment, etc.) that had about an inch of dust on them and the packaging was obviously from the 1970's.
2.) It smelled like cat pee.
3.) They don't take credit cards.
4.) When I bought a coke and a bottle of water, the woman at the front looked at me, looked at the drinks, and said "$1.25". Since when can you buy a soda AND a bottle of water for that cheap?!

When we walked about, Wes said "We're pretty sure they just make up prices". haha. Great. Once I chugged the coke, and filled one of my bottle with the water, we were off again. The coke worked...for about 8 miles. Then, once again, I found myself getting dropped on the hills. This time, however, since I had about 50 miles already put it, I was quickly falling behind. I was hoping Wes would come back and get me, but at the same time I felt bad and wanted him to get a good ride in. I was so frustrated and wanted to cry, stop, and call someone to come get me. I had actually been considering this since the first time I got dropped about 30 miles ago.

Finally, I was starting to lose sight of the even the last rider. I needed to eat, and finally decided to just pull over and grab a gel and rest my legs. I found a little side street and pulled over. I ate a gel, and pulled out my phone. Thank goodness for GPS!!! I looked up where I was in relation to RB's. Great! Only 12 miles away! Then I realized that was if I took the interstate. Probably not the best idea on two wheels.

At this point, I just decided to follow the road I was on and then look at the GPS in a few miles to see where I could go. I started praying, hard. God, just get me back to the bike shop. I had Heather on call to come get me if I needed her to. I had text messaged her the night before telling her I might need a ride back! She had texted me at this point to ask if I needed a ride and I said yes! She left to meet me at the shop.

God must have been watching over me, because I got to a T in the road and either had to go left or right. I pulled out my phone, only to realize since I was in the middle of no where, the GPS couldn't find me. I started to try to move around a bit, hoping that would help, when a rider that wasn't with our group, flew past me and turned right. He said "Hey how's it going!" as he passed me. I thought... "Thank you GOD!" I decided to go right and try to follow him.

As soon as I turned, I started seeing markings on the road for an annual ride that RB's does. They put the markings on the road so that if anyone gets lost they can find their way back. Good thing! I followed the markings and had ended up being about 12 miles away when I stopped. Heather came to the shop and picked me up. Thank goodness for that!

I found Wes on facebook, due to my amazing facebook stalking abilities and thanked him for coming to get me the first time and to let him know I didn't die. He said some people were worried and tried to go back and look for me, but couldn't find me. OOPS! He said not to worry, and this group ride is hard, because a lot of people are between the "A" and "B" groups abilities, and tend to start taking off after a while.

I emailed coach in frustration, and she said not to worry also. Group rides are hard, especially when riding on trashed legs.

All in all, it was a learning experience, and I will do it again. Just not for another few weeks :) Thanks to all those who rode with me, and especially Wes for saving me!! At least the first time....

Y'all thought I was kidding

2008-06-01T21:27:00.003-05:00

Apparently it's official. I thought it was just me, but no: Memphis is one of the worst cities for cycling. And all along I just thought I had a huge target on my back!

I just hope it makes me a better cyclist?

No Title Day

2008-05-30T20:59:00.003-05:00

I can't think of a creative title for this post, so deal with it.

First off, I just made a KICK A$$ LASAGNA!! It's about as healthy as lasagna can get: Whole wheat pasta, Turkey meat, and low fat ricotta cheese, among other things. I've gotten several compliments from people including my roommate and his girlfriend, myself, and Junior. I'd say that's pretty solid.

Had an almost 9 mile run last night. It was actually 8.6. It was pretty slow, but my legs felt great. I ran a pretty hilly course for Memphis, so I guess I had to feel pretty good about it. What I was most proud of is the fact that I listened to my coach, and recovered SMARTLY. Can I say that? I don't care. That's what I did. I woke up NOT SORE for the first time in a loooong time after a long run. As the day wore on, my hips became a bit sore, but nothing compared to what I usually deal with. I guess Coach is right sometimes ;)

Tomorrow....I have a 5 hour ride. I'm actually a bit nervous, because it's the longest training ride yet. Should be approximately 75 miles or so. That's a lot of freakin miles. I'm planning to ride up to Bartlett (about 12 miles away) to a group ride. I called the bike shop and they're planning to do 50. Then I'll ride back home and that should be about my 5 hours. I have a 20 min run off the bike. Then...after a shower and some major chow, I have about 7 hours of babysitting for an 8 month old (thank goodness I won't actually be chasing around a toddler, as I will be recovering smartly) and also some work thrown in there since I'll have time and I'm much behind on my work. But don't tell my boss that...

Also good news today: I'm a finalist for the St. Jude job!!! YAY! I actually knew this yesterday because I contacted the doctor I interviewed with and she told me. But today made it official with them asking for my references. They said they'd probably make a decision by late next week or early the following week. So best case scenario I have a job by the end of next week. Worst case scenario...I'm not even going to mention it.

So that's the last few days (and tomorrow) in a nutshell ("Look I'm in a nutshell!" -that's for you Corky!)

My Dog is a Pimp

2008-05-28T21:06:00.001-05:00

Enough said.

Pics from Daddy-O

2008-05-26T10:25:00.008-05:00

My dad was the official photographer of MIM for me! He took some good ones, and here they are! Enjoy your Monday off!

That smile won't last too long!!

Already passing the chick in front of me

Dismounting (falling off) my bike

Running into the finish. I tried to look strong!

Nass and I looking hot (literally, not figuratively) post race

I'm baaaack!

2008-05-23T09:59:00.005-05:00

Well Florida was a yes and no success. I'm glad I went to check out this job (though it costed a lot of money...not even mine-thanks mom!). However, its not looking like I would take it, if they offered it to me. It's too soon to say for sure, but there are a ton of likes and dislikes. I'll get to that more later. I'm tired of talking about it! Meanwhile, I still need your prayers on the St. Jude job to come through....

They posted pictures of the race! Man, I always forget how UN-HOT people look when they are racing. Check it out....

Memphis in May Race Recap

2008-05-19T11:07:00.001-05:00

Pics to come soon!

Swim-22:27-1:22 pace (per 100 yards) Last year-25:29 Time dropped=3:02

I was so happy with my swim! Major improvement from last year. I credit this to 1.)more consistent training, 2.)wetsuit, and 3.)staying as close to the turns as possible. Besides swimming over a guy (and accidently punching him in the process), the swim was pretty uneventful. It was very consistent. The only thing that went wrong was that after the last turn, when I was headed back to shore, I was trying to spot the huge, inflatable arch of the start/finish for the swim. Apparently (I found this out after the race), right after I went in for the swim, they lost all power at the start! This included the pump that was keeping the arch inflated! So it slowly sank down and volunteers had to stand and hold the arch up until they figured out the power issue. When I didn’t see the arch, I freaked out and thought I got turned around and was heading back out to swim it again! Quickly, I realized this didn’t happen, stopped and treaded water for about 5 seconds so that I could figure out where I was. Then, I laid the hammer down and swam as fast as I could to the finish.

T1-1:37 Last year-1:26 Time added=:11

Though I added a few seconds from last year, this wasn’t bad by any means. The added time was probably for the fact that I had to strip off a wetsuit this year. Maybe I should practice that?

Bike-1:18:21- 18.8mph pace Last year-1:19:21 Time dropped=1:00

This started off bad because coming out of transition is a small hill. I do quick transitions, with my shoes banded in place, so I jumped on my bike, and obviously any forward momentum I had was sucked up by this hill. I immediately fell over, but luckily I wasn’t in my shoes so I was able to catch myself. It took me 30 seconds just to get on my bike! So annoying… I thought I would have dropped more time from last year, but I suppose not. I was talking to Seth, and we decided that it is a little harder to drop time on a flat course…you can go fast with little training on a flat course! Which was me last year J I felt more consistent on the bike. I wasn’t fluctuating in my speed or cadence which was definitely good. However, about mile 10, my hamstrings started getting tight. I tried to stand and stretch whenever I could, but they just kept screaming. It didn’t hurt too badly, so I just ignored the pain and kept pressing on. Mile 16, I passed a turtle in the middle of the road: a little confidence booster…I’m faster on my bike than a turtle! YAY! Mile 18, a car backfired right behind me and I thought I was getting shot at….Hey…it is Memphis! Once I hit mile 20, I knew I was close so I just pedaled it hard to get back to transition.

T2-2:24 Last year-2:37 Time dropped=:13

This started off with me running into my corral, and some guy going out for the run running behind me with one of my bike shoes…apparently it had fallen off right when I got into transition. Thanks random guy! Since my hamstrings were on fire at this point, after I racked my bike and bent over to put my shoes on…my hamstrings completely seized up. I almost fell over. I got my shoes on, put my hat and number belt on, and hobbled out of transition. I tried to look strong when I exited transition because my parents were there taking pictures and cheering me on. I wanted to look like I wasn’t dying…though I think my hamstrings were dead at that point.

Run-1:06:43- 10:45 min/mile pace Last year-1:09:13 Time dropped=2:30

It took me the first half of the run to get my hamstrings to stretch out. When I was running, I had to be going about a 10 min/mi pace. I had to walk up 3 short, steep hills because the flexion in my foot caused my hamstrings to stretch and HURT. Once I got past the halfway point, I was able to run it home, though not completely pain free. I knew I only had 3 miles left, so I just pushed through it. My nutrition was completely off during the race (I was too focused on going fast), so by the last 2 miles, I had no energy. I still beat last year’s time, however, with my training this year, I definitely expected to go faster. Oh well, this year I’m kind of training for distance and not so much speed. It’ll get there!

Overall time: 2:51:30 Last year: 2:58:05 Time drop=6:35

I’ll just go ahead and round that time drop up to 7 min J I wasn’t as happy with my race until I saw my splits. Basically my run is what killed me. I ended up 11/29 in my age group, though my swim rank was 7th, my bike rank was 10th, and my run rank? Freakin 20th!

To keep it optimistic, which I am an optimistic person, I found 3 things I was very happy with:
1.) Swim split. You cannot be upset with a 3 minute drop! Plus I felt good doing it!
2.) I much improve my age group finish from last year (14/26).
3.) Though I was hurting during the run, I was still determined to finish, and finish by leaving it all out on the course. I definitely could not have put forth much, if any, more effort. I completely exhausted myself by the finish.

Now for some improvements:
1.) Regular stretching! I think this is the reason why my hamstrings acted up. I have been fitted for the aero position on my bike, so that shouldn’t have been the reason. More stretching is in my future.
2.) NUTRITION!! I tend to forget during a short race to stay on top of my nutrition. I’m too worried about racing. I feel like taking a gel slows me down so much, but in reality, it slows me down much more to not take a gel, and slow my pace down for quite a while.
3.) Longer speed workouts on the bike. I felt pretty consistent, but I feel like I can be consistent at a faster pace. We’ll see.

I’m happy my parents got to watch me race for the first time! It was definitely exciting to see them experience what I do now! Also, I FINALLY got to meet my coach, and a teammate! Leslie was there representing DFT/QA3 also! It was so nice to meet her and see her out on the course. Having a teammate there made it extra fun! Thanks to everyone who came out and cheered me on (including my roommate!). Next up…KANSAS 70.3!!!!

New Year's Resolution (starting May 16th)

2008-05-16T21:10:00.003-05:00

I came up with my New Year's Resolution today. You see, because Nass and her Mom are staying with me for the next two days, and because my parents will be seeing this apartment for the first time (and I move out in two months, maybe less...ha!) I had to clean my room, bathroom, living room, and kitchen.

What's that? Why am I complaining about this? Well, because it took me TWO DAYS to do it all. Why is that you ask? Simply because I SUCK at keeping up with cleaning. I'm so much happier, and even sleep better, when my room is clean. However, when training and life takes over, and all I want to do is come home and rest/recover, cleaning is the last priority. Also, because I only share a room with Junior, who doesn't seem to mind the mess and may actually prefer it, there's no one else to bother.

So back to yesterday and today. I tackled the kitchen first. After 3 loads of the dishwasher, wiping down counters, and mopping the floor, it looked fantastic. The reason the kitchen is such a mess is because my roommates and I are constantly in and out, and sometimes there's just no time to empty the dishwasher, thus dishes pile up. Since I'm the one home most of the time, I end up cleaning up. If I get behind on it, then the kitchen gets disgusting.

Next was the living room. This didn't take long to pick up, but then the vacuuming...OH MY GOSH. I started by emptying the vacuum cleaner. By the time I finished just vacuuming the living room, it was COMPLETELY full again. One word: Disgusting.

Next, today, was my room and bathroom. It was crunch time. Nass and her mom will be here in an hour and a half, so I stayed home from work today to get it done. I knew it'd be a big project. Throughout the day I did laundry...about 4 loads. And I even folded them, too! Sometimes, I'm good about doing laundry, but then clean clothes sit in a basket and I pick them out of there for the week :) I finally cleaned up, dusted, swept, and I could see my floor! Junior took part in his ritual back scratch in the middle of the floor right after I swept (I still love him).

Next, was the bathroom. First, I had to pick up the erupting volcano coming out of my closet that are my dirty clothes. I cleaned everything, including the shower, which still had dirt prayed up the walls from Junior's "rolling in the mud fiasco" of last week.

Finally, the place smelled of clean. A sigh of relief. And now I wait. For what? For Junior to pull toys out. For Junior to bring sticks in without my knowledge and mulch my floor. For a huge air mattress to cover my floor while Nass and her Mom are here. But, until all that happens, I am content. And my New Year's Resolution is to keep my room like this. I swear I will try this time. Because it takes so much longer to clean like this, and you have to miss work. Good thing I don't have a real job yet. They probably don't understand staying home to clean.

Oh yeah, T - 1 day until Memphis in May!!!!

T - 2.5 days and counting

2008-05-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

2.5 days until MIM! I'm so excited! I have had a very weird week for me. I have been in and out of the office due to interviews. Yesterday, I was at St. Jude for 8 hours...interviewing. Who has an interview for 8 hours!?! It was a long day, but completely worth it. In a nutshell (look, I'm in a nutshell! That was for you Court), it sounds like this job would ROCK. Plus it would put me in a good spot to get my PhD in a few years. So, best case scenario, I'll have to choose between this job and the Florida job. Please say some prayers!!

Needless to say, after being on my feet for 8 hours yesterday, mentally exhausting myself, and to the point where I was tired of talking, I came home, took my bike to get worked on (thanks Bike's Plus for staying late to work on it!) and came home and collapsed. I fell asleep for 90 minutes and woke up wondering what day it was. Those are the best naps! But, that meant I didn't get my quick run and bike in. Coach wasn't mad, she said I could benefit from the rest. Today I will swim and do yesterday's run. I'll probably jump on my bike for a few minutes, just to check out the improvements! Then, I'll clean as tomorrow Nassly and her mom are coming to stay with me for the race!

I have quite the busy weekend, looking something like this:

Thurs: "work"; swim; pick up bike; run; bike; CLEAN
Fri: "work"; babysit; welcome Nass and her mama; (off day of training)
Sat: go to race site, pick up packet; swim, bike, and run at race; drive course; possibly babysit for a few hours; church; welcome parents to Memphis; pack for race; EARLY TO BED
Sun: Wake up super early..........RACE!!!!! ; Graduation party! ; Collapse
Tues: FLORIDA

So, if you don't hear from me until after the race, that is why. Plus, all I really have to talk about at this point, is the race!!!

Good luck to everyone racing here on Saturday and Sunday, and to all my friends racing in other states. It seems like this is a huge race weekend!

T - 6 days and counting

2008-05-12T10:38:00.002-05:00

I've never been so excited to race as I am for this year's Memphis in May tri. It was my first olympic distance race (last year), and I'm looking forward to destroying my time from last year. Here's the top ten reasons why this year's race will be so awesome (compared to last year).

10. I have a coach this year who has trained me so well
9. I get to race with my coach
8. My parents and brother are coming to the race, and its their first triathlon
7. I know the course, since I competed last year, so I'll feel more comfortable
6. I know SO MANY people racing (Liz, Leslie, Nass and her mama, and numerous others from around Memphis)
5. I'm literally miles ahead in my training of where I was last year at this time
4. I had the BEST brick workout ever on Saturday
3. It's freakin Memphis in May..one of the best races in the whole country!
2. Bike's Plus managed to squeeze me in for some bike maintenance on Wednesday, even though they'll be building all kinds of bikes being shipped in for the race. So I will be racing on a tuned up bike!

And the number one reason why this year's Memphis in May race will be so much better than last year's....

1. I DON'T HAVE A BROKEN LEG.

That reason in and of itself will make this weekend so much better. I won't be limping to the finish line! YAY! I had a dream (more like nightmare) about the race last night. In true Robyn fashion, it was a whacked out dream, so its not like it would really come true, but when triathlons creep into your dreams...its a little weird. At least that's what Patrick just told me.

!!!

2008-05-09T09:50:00.002-05:00

The title of this blogs describes my last 24 hours.

So you remember how I didn't get the job that I pretty much thought I had? Well, I'm beyond over it.

I applied to approximately 735 jobs on Monday (give or take) and have/had 3 initial interviews set up. One was yesterday (we'll get back to that), one next Thursday, and one yet to be scheduled.

Next Thursdays is for a teaching position at a personal training school in Columbus, OH. While this sounds like a job I'd really like, it's in Columbus, OH. Need I say more? If it were the only job that I could get, then I'd be more excited about it.

The interview yet to be scheduled is for a position here in town at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It's for an exercise specialist, where I'd be exercise testing various populations. This is very similar to what I've been doing for the past two years getting my masters. I'd get to work with a former grad student from Memphis that just graduated last year. Again, this sounds pretty cool. I could do it.

BUT- yesterday's interview, if you read the previous blog post, was for the place in the Florida Keys. It's at a Wellness Center and I'd be an exercise specialist, though for this job, its a bit closer to personal training in special populations. Plus, its in the KEYS! I know my mom is probably like "Robyn, there's more to a job than location". And I agree. This job sounds so great for me. I'm not going to go into details, but it includes just about everything I need (i.e. BENEFITS...mother...). This morning, I came in to work to see I had an email from them asking me to come down for a personal interview! Sounds more like a vacation to me....kidding. Hopefully in the next couple weeks (once Memphis in May is over), I'll be heading down to check it out. I think they really like me (I mean, who wouldn't? Kidding, again). So please pray that either this job, or another one for that matter, works out for me.

If you need me, I'll be here:

Nothing new

2008-05-07T12:42:00.003-05:00

Not much to report here. Its recovery week, so pretty easy on the training. Monday was a run, and it went surprisingly well. I felt pretty good, which is awesome because lately my runs have felt awful. Yesterday was 2800 in the pool. I'm doing more speed work to get ready for Memphis in May. My arms felt a little fatigued, which is odd because I haven't swam in 5 days. No reason for them to be tired! Today I have an hour ride with some spin ups-again getting ready for the race.

In other news, the job that was supposedly "mine", is no longer. Long story short, someone more qualified applied, which was completely unexpected. So back to the drawing board. I'm surprisingly ok with it, because I know God has bigger and better things planned for me. I just wish he'd hurry up and tell me what they are! Yesterday I applied to probably 10 jobs, and I already have two phone interviews set up. Tomorrow, I'm interviewing for an exercise physiologist position. Look where it is! That's right...in the Florida Keys. It wouldn't suck to live there. But we'll see what happens...its just a phone interview! Can't get excited about anything, yet.

Long Ride by the Numbers

2008-05-05T13:32:00.002-05:00

Saturday's Long Ride

Miles Traveled = 69.77
Hours Ridden = 4:38
Estimated number of leg rotations = 23,630
Ounces of drink consumed = 90-ish
Gels consumed = 4
Bars consumed = 1
Salt tabs consumed = 3
Dead snakes = 5
Dead turtles = 2
Dead possums = 2
Dead frogs = 3
Dead armadillos = 1
Dead birds = 6 (one just looked like it fell straight out of tree...it hadn't been hit or anything!)
Chicken wings (yes, like one you get at BW3's) = 1
Number of squirrels attempting suicide by running in front of my bike = 4
Times I repeated "I love my Coach. I Love Ironman" = 2
Times I wondered who I would call if I crashed 25 miles from my house = 7
Number of sunburnt shoulders = 2
Number of hours babysat on Saturday alone = 9 (not good for recovery)

Just deal with it

2008-05-02T11:27:00.003-05:00

I was reading my friend's blog today and it made me think of so many things. First, let me preface this story with what happened yesterday:

I have pretty much all guy friends in Memphis. It comes with the territory of the exercise science field: Very male dominated. I can deal. I don't mind being a standout woman amongst a field of men! But, what happens when you get a bunch of guys together? They tend to regress in maturity. Sorry, guys, but you know its true. Most of the time, I can handle this. We are all very joking/sarcastic people, and I don't mind. I grew up in a sarcastic family. I've got tough skin. But sometimes, being the only one around with two "X" chromosomes...it really begins to where on you. I'm still a woman. I still have days where I just don't feel like dealing with the immaturity. Between last Friday and yesterday was one of these times.

Remember last Friday, I was D.D. for the guys. No big deal. I never go out with them so it's nice when I get to. Whenever something is going on, we send a mass email around, and everyone responds by "replying all" so everyone is on the same page. Well, after some miscommunication about who D.D.'ed last Friday, one of my friends replied all and proceeded to rip on me, pretty badly, to all of our friends. I was done. I sent him an email explaining how he's taking it a bit too far, and I was sick of it.

That was a long story short, basically to talk about how I'm starting to feel the impacts of IM training:

1. I'm poor. That comes with IM and transitioning from student to big girl.

2. I never get to hang out with my friends. Most of the time, I'm ok with this. As my officemate just came in saying he got home at 4am and how he feels like crap today, I kind of chuckled and said "Reason #492 why I don't go out."

3. Sometimes, it gets pretty lonely. I don't have a specific training partner for IM LOO, so doing solo 2 hour runs (yesterday...ouch) or Saturday rides, or just being home for several hours with no one to talk to but Junior, I get lonely. There's nothing anyone can really do. Comes with the training really. Because if I didn't have to run yesterday, and then lay in my bed to recover for an hour afterwards, I probably would have been out doing something else, involving real live people.

4. Want to go visit a friend somewhere? PAH! Yeah right. Between wanting to visit my sister, Seth, peeps in Kansas...that's a lot of money and TIME. Neither of which I have. Well, actually I have time next week since I won't start my job yet, but no money...which is pretty important. But even if I did have the money, I'd have to load my bike wherever I'm going, and make sure my workouts get done. That becomes more difficult when you're on the road.

With all that said, I go back to my friend's blog. Yeah, you make sacrifices. Such as me not going on vacation with my ENTIRE family because I'll be doing Kansas 70.3...an extremely important lead in race to IM. One of my aunt's said "So she'd rather drive to Kansas, swim, bike and run for 6ish hours, and drive back all in the same weekend. She'd do this rather than lay on the beach with the family?" Well...simply put...at this time in my training, yes. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to meet my goal of crossing that finish line in Louisville come August 31. I'm not super excited about not getting to lay on the beach with an adult beverage in hand with my crazy family around me. But its what I have to do. IM is not just a month commitment. Its a YEAR long commitment, in some cases more. Its a complete lifestyle change that you and your family and friends must be willing to deal with.

I'm there. I've committed. Which is why sometimes your friends rip on you for staying in on a Friday night because you have to get up early and train. Or why you must miss an amazing family vacation. Or why sometimes you get lonely. But when I cross the finish line on August 31 and Mike Reilly says "Robyn Karlage, YOU are an Ironman!" all of it will be worth it. All the negatives will disappear and I will only remember the positives. I can't wait.

Can I get *NSYNC already???

2008-04-29T10:24:00.004-05:00

I really hope my mind and body sync up for my "A" races. Isn't that what's supposed to happen? So that you have one sweet, fast race?

So last week was all about how my mind was in the game 110%, and my body was about 10 feet behind me. This week...strike that, reverse it! (Name the movie for bonus points). My body feel really good. Legs are fresh, though I don't know how that happened. However, my mind is just TIRED.

I think its because I'm finished with grad school. Two years of hard work, and it just ends...like that. *SNAP* you're done. Here's your piece of paper that says your a Master. Now, it just didn't happen, I put a TON of hard work in over the past two years. Which is why, all the sudden, my mind is just tired. Its like riding up a really long, steep hill on my bike. The build up of two years...up and up and up, spinning at 50rpms, going 6mphs...and finally, after hard work, sweating profusely, legs and lungs burning, you get to the top. Then what? Then you get to speed down the hill at 40mphs into the real world.

Back to yesterday. I had a swim. 3000. Not bad by any means. And it was actually my favorite workout... 200's!! Main set was 8x200's. I started at the interval of 3:15 and went down by 5 seconds each time until I ended on 2:45. I held about 2:50's the whole time, and the last one I rocked right at 2:45. Before even getting to the pool, I just did not want to go. All I wanted to do was sleep. I knew I had to do it. So I went, and it ended up being a good workout.

Then I had my one and only final of the semester. Did way better on it than the midterm, even though I started studying for it at 9:30 yesterday morning..oops! I went home and all I wanted to do was sleep. Are you seeing a theme? I layed in my bed, but my body (or Junior) just wouldn't let me fall asleep. Junior saw a doggy friend outside and got excited, so we went out for a bit and played. We came back in and I laid down again. Talked to Mom for a bit, told her how I didn't want to run. She said "yeah you're probably tired", but I knew she was really saying "get off your butt and run, cause you'll never finish an Ironman by laying in your bed." And she was right. But I still wasn't convinced.

I text messaged Seth.

"I don't want to run. Too tired. Can I do it tomorrow?"

He called right away.

"No you can't do it tomorrow. Get off your butt and run. Just do it. You know you need to and you want to, now DO IT!"

Ok, ok. I'm going. So I did. And I'm so glad I did, because it was beautiful outside. Perfect running weather. The sun was going down, it was about 60 degrees, and just overall nice. I didn't take my ipod because I just wanted to soak up the end to the beautiful day. And better than that, I had a great run. 4 miles...paced a 10:18. Pretty good for me, and considering I wasn't supposed to push the run all that much. I was very happy I went.

More importantly, I'm so happy I have people in my life that are so supportive of my crazy life. I couldn't be happier that my parents completely support me in my crazy endeavors as of late. I only wish they could see more races. They will get to witness their first triathlon at Memphis in May in a few weeks! I'm so excited! Also, I have great friends (Corky, Seth, Coach, Barb, Mike, Dawn, etc. etc. etc.) that keep me going. Without any of you, it would not be possible!! THANK YOU ALL!

Anyway...I can't wait for my body and mind to decide to work together for once!

Best...Workout....EVER

2008-04-28T08:48:00.002-05:00

Saturday, that is. I had scheduled a 3 hour ride and 20 min run. Let me preface this story with I was the D.D. on Friday night for Corey's birthday. Another tidbit of info, I never go out, and if I do, I don't stay out much later than 11pm.

However, on Friday night, we were in West Memphis at the Dog race track. West Memphis is probably a solid 45 min from my apartment...about 30 from Corey's place. All 6 of us piled into Corey's SUV and I drove. The dog track was fun, but horse racing is better! I just wanted to pet the dogs :) Also, I wanted to adopt a retired greyhound. But I'm probably allergic to them, and Junior would get jealous. We ended up staying at the track until the last race, and left about 11:30pm. Corey and Andy wanted to go out on Beale St. and everyone else wanted to go home. So I dropped the boys off on Beale St. and took everyone else back to Corey's. By the time I got home and in bed, it was 1am!!! I text messaged Lisa and said I wouldn't make the group ride at 8am. There was no way I was going to ride 3 hours on 5 hours of sleep.

I felt bad and was disappointed I didn't go to the group ride 2 weeks in a row. But I knew I needed a quality workout, and if that meant doing it on my own, then so be it. I woke up about 9am, and started getting ready. I took my time to let it warm up a bit outside. I had to babysit at 4:30 that evening, so I finally got outside at 11:15. I started with a 30 min warmup, and followed that with 4x20 in HR zone 3, holding above 80rpms. After each 20 min, I had a 10 min easy recovery. Wow...I ROCKED THIS WORKOUT. This was probably the best ride of my life. I just felt so smooth. I was holding about 90rpms, in my big ring, perfect HR zones, slight headwind, and my legs weren't burning...that much. Obviously by the last interval, I was fatigued, but I still kept good numbers. I couldn't have had a better ride!

With that said, I really didn't want to ruin my perfect day with a bad run. But I knew it needed to be done. Besides the fact that I just didn't want to run, my legs were near toast at this point. I had to do it. I quickly changed into running clothes, as Junior stared at me with puppy dog eyes (which I could actually see) saying "Jeez can't I go, too???" I knew I only had 20 minutes. 10 minutes out, 10 minutes back. I started off and felt OK, but not great. Then I looked at my Garmin and realized I was running at a 9:30 pace. Ok, nevermind, this feels good! I ran down the street my apartment is on, turned left and over the bridge. There were guys working on finishing the sidewalk, and its not fun when they stare at you when you run by. Oh well, I was over it. I ran past the bridge until I got to as far as I could run. Normally, this would take me 10+ min...not today! I got there in about 9:30...exactly one mile from my apartment.

I turned around, passed the creepy bridge guys again, and headed over the bridge. Once I turn on my street, I always feel better knowing I don't have much further to go. But today, since I was flying, I'd have to run a loop inside my apartment complex to make my 20 minutes. I did and finally finished at 20 minutes. 2.1 miles! 9:30 pace! YAY!!! This is actually pretty good for me, especially as of late. I've had trashed legs for the past 3 weeks, so running a 9:30 pace felt amazing to me. I'm not a runner, so this is pretty close to Olympic speeds for me.

I started the day with a great ride, finished it with a great run. The real challenge of the day was not falling asleep while babysitting...good thing the parents got home right when it was getting close to my bedtime!

Another great week ahead. However, in my future is a 2 hour long run (Thurs) and a 4.5 hour ride (Saturday). Kinda nervous about those....

Extreme Makeover: Shih Tzu Edition

2008-04-25T10:31:00.006-05:00

Before:

After:

Total inches lost: 3ish.

Number of female dogs who have paid him more attention: 3

Number of female humans who have paid him more attention: 2

Perks: Smells better, doesn't shed anymore, looks like a real dog, eyes and face are noticeable, WAY CUTER.

An Open Letter About Training Etiquette

2008-04-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Hooligans in which I came in contact with last night,

I am writing to tell you about training etiquette. I realize that you were only at the pool for fun, but I was there to train. To train, and sweat, and cry, and hurt, among other things. I realize you may not know the rules of a pool, so I'm here to tell you.

1.) Do not stand in the lane I'm swimming in. I will not stop to ask you to move, I will simply continue to swim and if you are in the way, too bad.

2.) Do not stand against the wall where I will be doing a flip turn. Again, I will not stop, I will actually flip harder and closer to you to send the message that you're not supposed to be standing there.

3.) Do not hang on the lane line and kick your feet in my lane. See number 1.) for what will happen.

4.) If you choose to swim across my lane to reach another lane, do not do it when I'm only feet from swimming at that spot. I will run into you because, again, I will not stop my set to wait for you.

5.) Most importantly, when you figure out that you are bothering me, do not purposely stand against the wall right where I will flip turn, and move only seconds before I do. This is rude and next time I will aim for you.

I hope you take these tips and consider them the next time you are playing with your 12 girlfriends in the pool. While I was very annoyed yesterday in the pool, you actually made me swim faster. However, next time, let's just avoid this.

Sincerely,
Robyn

P.S. If you happen to be the hooligan riding his bike in the park last night as I was running, please be aware that you ride/run on the right side of the path, not matter which way you are going. This way, we do not run into each other. Also, if you see that I'm running on the right side, do not move from the right to the left side of the path so that you will hit me. I do not appreciate it, and it works better if we just stay on our sides.

List of thoughts

2008-04-23T08:24:00.002-05:00

1. Got to school this morning and realized I forgot all my swim stuff...now I have to go back home before I come back to school to swim! Wouldn't be a problem if gas wasn't $4.98/gallon...

2. School is almost over. I am almost a MASTER (of the universe).

3. Job stuff is looking up...more to come as soon as I can talk about it.

4. Casey called me last night. I miss her.

5. My mind and my body are still fighting, but making some efforts to communicate.

6. Did 4 loads of laundry to celebrate Earth Day yesterday...I've probably got about 4 or 5 more to go.

7. I need to clean out my closet and get rid of some clothes.

8. My bike needs a tune up...badly.

9. I'm poor. Very.

10. Junior needs to be groomed. Refer to #9.

Body vs. Mind

2008-04-21T15:23:00.002-05:00

It's finally hot in Memphis. I'm not excited that it went from late winter to summer in a week. Spring is my favorite time of year, and I think I slept thru it.

Saturday was my longest ride of the season so far: 4 hours. How did it go, you ask? TERRIBLE. First off, my nutrition plan was off from the get go. I won't get into details, but it was completely my fault. Secondly, during my 3rd hour, I went south, and the fourth hour was coming back north. I felt GREAT the 3rd hour...because apparently I had a 15 mph tail wind. Which means....I had a 15 mph headwind coming back during the 4th hour. I cursed the wind, myself, my coach, the earth, Ironman in general-the whole time. I was almost driven to tears twice, simply because my legs were on fire and I was averaging 11 mph the whole last hour. I think I quit triathlons 3 times, and, in the words of Coach...broke up with my bike about mile 42. I ended up going just under 60 miles, which I wasn't happy with, but its miles in the bank. I ran 10 minutes off the bike...well actually 9, and my legs were screaming the whole time. Not fun.

Today wasn't much better. Like I said, its finally hot. I think I woke up to 75 degrees. 75 degrees is awesome, unless you have a 1:45 run scheduled. My mind was ready to go. I was super motivated to go run! However, my body/legs thought otherwise. I just felt SO SLOW. The more my mind told my body to "move!", the more it resisted. I think I averaged around an 11:30 min/mile. TERRIBLE. The longer I ran, the better I felt, but I was still miserable. The good news is my nutrition plan was really good after the fiasco on Saturday.

I just wish my body would cooperate! I'm hoping after tomorrow's easy 1:30 recovery spin, I'll be ready to go Wednesday with my swim and run.

Also...the great news is that I met an April goal! I not only met my training time for the week...I surpassed it by 10 minutes! 12 training hours last week, and 11 this week. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but when your body and mind are currently in a fight and are not speaking, it makes things a lot more difficult.

Going the extra mile 100 yards

2008-04-18T12:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was a swim day. I had 3150 yards planned. What if I told you I added an extra 100 yards? Not impressive? What if I then told you that I added 100 yards of no breath fly? That's what I thought.

It was superfly day! 500 total yards of fly, and also some IM. What's even crazier is that I asked for it. Swimming is my strength so I feel like I should kick my own a$$ in the pool. I was tired, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. So after my 2x25 no breath fly...I decided to add four more on, just because.

Then I went home and thought "Before I tackle my paper, I'm going to lay down for 30 minutes". Two hours later, I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in, drooling. I always know its a good nap when drooling occurs. I must have turned off my alarm, too. Then, as I was eating dinner, the arm I was holding my bowl with started shaking from fatigue. Either the salad was denser than I thought, or the superfly was coming back for revenge.

Yesterday, clearly not recovered from superfly day, I had a 1:05 run scheduled. Apparently the devil is messing with me this week, because I misestimated my run course and ended up running 1:15. Again, an extra ten minutes isn't necessarily bad, but when you're tired and hurting, and extra ten minutes might as well be an extra 10 hours. Luckily I had grabbed an extra gel "just in case"...good thing. I may still be passed out on the trail otherwise.

Last night I was so proud of myself. I came home from class and all I wanted to do was eat and sleep. I had a 30 min recovery spin planned. I knew I had to do it. Only 30 min! So I called my sister and talked to her the whole time while I spun.

Remember my April goal of doing every minute of workouts planned (unless the swim takes me less time)? So far for the week, I'm +10 minutes! Due to the extra run yesterday ;)

YAY for me! 4 hour ride + 20 min run tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Random Wednesday Thought

2008-04-16T13:44:00.002-05:00

I was just looking at pictures of me on Facebook (yes, I'm at work) and I looked through my pictures from Halfmax last year, and it made me REALLY excited for Kansas 70.3. Yes, its a long and grueling race...but I LOVED that race last year! I can't wait, especially to be in Kansas, and know so many people racing! Plus that distance, its not necessarily that you are super fast (well, except for those who are trying to win), but its about being consistent. Consistent speeds, transitions, nutrition, EVERYTHING. And if there's one thing I am in athletics, its consistent. Well, for the most part. Can't wait!

Stop the Presses!

2008-04-15T12:03:00.004-05:00

I have trained two days in a row! I know, I know. Pretty amazing, considering the past week I've had with little to no training. Yesterday I had a 30 minute recovery run...pretty comical considering the only thing I had to recover from was walking in to the rec center. Then a swim. A 70.3 lactate set. Not my cup of tea for the first swim back, but it could have been way worse.

Today I got up and did a 1:30 ride on my trainer, including 30 minutes in zone 3. My HR might have been in zone 3, but I'm pretty sure my legs were somewhere between zone 12 and about to fall off. I wanted to stop so badly after 10 minutes of it, but I knew that would be the absolute wrong thing to do. The devil on my right shoulder said "my excuse is that I'm getting over being sick and I need to ease into it". The angel on my left shoulder said "that was yesterday, suck it up". Then the angel ripped off the halo and threw it at the devil. This is what happens when I've been alone training all morning.

I had a 15 min run off the bike. I was kind of nervous, because although it was BEAUTIFUL outside, there was still a bit of a morning chill. With the way my breathing has been lately, with the sickness and asthma, I was nervous. But I went for it. Go hard or go home, right? I had a pretty fantastic run. It wasn't super fast, like I normally feel off the bike, but it didn't feel as bad as yesterday. I ran pretty close to a 10 min/mile pace, even though I can't confirm that (didn't wear my Garmin). I'd like to think it was a steady pace.

So I just read on my friend Running Jayhawk's blog that she and her husband drove the Kansas 70.3 bike course this weekend. Apparently it is kind of hilly. I thought, and was hoping, they were kidding. So...I suppose its hill training for me from now on. *sigh* And apparently I have to train extra hard because Barb plans on me pulling her up the hills. Catch me if you can Barb!

The weekend

2008-04-14T10:02:00.005-05:00

The good news is...I'm finally better. It only took an ENTIRE WEEK! That's pretty frustrating. Normally, I probably average about 10-12 hours of training per week. Last week? 2.5 NEAT. But I'm right back on it this week. I haven't been so excited to train in so long. Especially since seeing teammate Leslie cross the finish line of Ironman Arizona yesterday! Way to go Leslie!

Besides being tired, things are good. I was in Lawrence/Kansas City this weekend for my first college roommate's wedding. It was beautiful...but very cold! It was an outdoor wedding...normally not a problem in mid April in Kansas. It was definitely snowing on Saturday morning. Nonetheless, Cara was a trooper and had a beautiful day. Here we are!

It was so nice to see all my girls this weekend. But now back to training, because my next trip will be back to Lawrence for Kansas 70.3! But not until I rock Memphis in May. And my 'rents are coming down for it! They've never seen me race and this should be a good first race to watch!

Today I have a swim and short run planned. It'll be nice just to be active again. Ok, I suppose I should get some work done??

It's official.....

2008-04-10T19:22:00.003-05:00

I'm signed up for it!!!

After going back and forth, mostly for financial reasons, I asked God what to do. Silly, I know. But he answers. I had a dream today that I was talking to a friend from Kansas (haven't seen him since graduation day) and he is signed up for the race...in real life he is. He's a really good triathlete. In the dream, he asked if I was coming back for it. I said "well of course I am! How could I not!" I woke up and knew I had to do it.

It's not just a half IM race. It's practice for IM. It's in my old stomping grounds. I know tons of people who are racing. I have a FREE place to stay. I just have to get there. Now granted, its not going to be easy, seeing as how I will have only been working at my new job for about a month.... "see ya boss! I'm off to race!" That only goes over well with my current boss.....

But nothing in life is easy. This whole year is about testing my limits. Seeing how far I can go. I'm graduating (again), starting a big girl job (where I will actually work 40+hours per week WHILE training), moving (again, again), and doing a freaking IRONMAN. I have two quotes I live by, and while they're somewhat silly in nature, its true:

That's how I roll....

And

Go Big or Go Home.

So, I am going big. And I got a job in Memphis so I'm certainly not going home. So right now I just need prayers that everything works out financially, which I know it will, because everything is in God's hands. I'm just going to work my butt off for the next year. Because.....wait for it.....

THAT'S HOW I ROLL.

Health Update

2008-04-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling better...a MILLION times better than yesterday. I think it was the retail therapy that helped a bit. But don't worry..it was a birthday gift card!

I'm leaving for Kansas City/Lawrence tomorrow morning! My first college friend/roommate is getting hitched! I can't believe it. We used to sit around our kitchen table and guess who was going to get married first...because that's what girls do.

We hardly every guessed Cara would go first! In fact, sometimes it was me! Pah!! That's just funny now. Although, high on my list was Casey eloping in Vegas. I still see that happening, but she only has 2 days to beat Cara.

So it'll be nice to see all my girls from college again. Though I'm upset, because its going to SNOW while I'm there......SERIOUSLY??? I remember laying out on my birthday (April 3) 3 out of 4 years I was at Kansas. Well, its now April 10th, and its supposed to snow???? Jeez. When I left, it all went to hell.

I'm going to spin today...how long is yet to be determined. Tomorrow is a spin and Saturday I have a longer run. I'm sure it'll be slow, but I just want to put the time in.

Swimming and Running Efficiency

2008-04-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

I know I just posted something, but I had to add this. My officemate, Lucas (who is a really good swimmer from Brazil), is doing one of his class projects on the efficiency of swimming compared to that of running.

He just told me that he found an article stating that the efficiency of running is between 70-80%, meaning anywhere from 20-30% of the energy you expend doesn't do much for you! What is swimming???

5-8%

WHAT?!?!?! That means that over 90% of what you do in the water, is useless! You are just accelerating the water! How frustrating is that???

I guess that explains a lot about the mentality of most swimmers I know.....

April Goal

2008-04-09T09:27:00.002-05:00

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!!! Once again, I am sick. Bronchitis. It's not nice. Not a fan. At least I went to the doctor pretty quickly and got some antibiotics. Hopefully by tomorrow I will feel near 100%. Coach said no swim today, but I can spin if I want. I'll do that, so I don't die on my longer ride tomorrow...because that WILL get done.

Seth and I talked about goals for this month last night. His goal is to run every day for the rest of the month. He asked mine and I thought "I don't really have a goal for this month". But then I thought about it. I did have one.

"To actually meet my time requirements from Coach".

You see, for the first few weeks, I actually exceeded the time goals, because I only had 6-8 hours to do per week. I felt great about myself! But every since those first few weeks passed, its been more and more difficult to get my time requirements in. On almost all of my swims, I get them done faster than Coach schedules. For example, a scheduled 1:15 swim usually takes me right at an hour, give or take a few minutes. But sometimes, it happens where I don't get a lift in, or I don't get to run as long as I should because of class, sickness, fatigue, life, etc. This worries me, because how am I supposed to get my heaviest training weeks done once I start my job??

So my goal for the rest of April is to meet my time goals. However, this will start NEXT week because I am sick this week and have already missed a whole workout....dang!

ROCK CHALK

2008-04-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

BOOYAH. Wipe your tears Memphis.

A Jayhawk living in a jungle of Tigers

2008-04-07T09:35:00.002-05:00

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK GO KU!!!!!!!!

So I've only been threatened twice so far today, and its 9:30. I'd say that's pretty good. Rocking my Jayhawk stuff, surrounded by Memphians who are all the sudden excited because their team is doing well. I'm not trying to call Memphis fair weather fans....but I am.

I definitely wish I was in Lawrence today. I guarantee you can't get into any bar in Lawrence at this point. I know that, because I was in Lawrence the last time the Jayhawks went to the championship game. It was a BLAST.

Training this weekend was good and bad. Saturday, I decided to go on a group ride. I show up and there's nearly 200 other cyclists. Is this a normal group ride??? I asked someone, and turns out it was actually the spring kick off ride, which was a benefit for Livestrong. Sweet! I paid $20, got a nice shirt and lots of free stuff (well worth the $). You could ride 35 or 75 miles. At first I thought, ok I'll do the 75, but once it became time to go left or right, I decided to go with the group I had been riding with because I was able to keep up with them. They were doing 35 (thank goodness). I met a nice lady named Lisa, who is doing IM Florida this year. We exchanged numbers and are going to start riding together.

*Note* Apparently there ARE hills near Memphis, because I climbed 1400 feet in those 35 miles. So that's good news. Bad news, I have to drive 25 minutes just to get to them. But worth it.

Sunday, since I had missed some training during the week due to a birthday celebration, I decided to get a solid 3 hour workout in. That is, until, my body thought otherwise. Sunday is normally my slug day...where I don't do anything that requires my HR to go higher than, say, 120bpm. I rode to school (about 7.5 miles) and thought I was going to die on the hills (note: the hills are really not even hills, I was just riding on trashed legs). Got to the pool and started to swim. I felt like I had 100 lb dumbbells tied to each limb. My moderate pace all the sudden was my normal slow pace, and my fast was my normal moderate pace. I felt like I was swimming through pudding. Kinda kinky, but not good for the training. Knowing I had to ride home, and I had a decently rough week ahead, I called it quits only 1/3rd of the way through the workout. 1,000 yards. NEAT. What's funny is coach had a similar swim this weekend. That makes it ok, right??

I got home from the S-L-O-W ride back, and collapsed on my bed for an hour. Last night, Brian, Leslie, J Row, Corey and I went to Joel Osteen. I love being refreshed like that. Its just a good day today. Well, besides the fact I just looked at my bank account and determined I'm very very poor. When does my real job start????

Relief

2008-04-04T10:43:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to report I know where I'll be residing for at least the next two years. Good 'ol Memphis, TN. I have a job set up, but it isn't finalized so I can't give details. As soon as it is, I'll make sure to post it!

Until then, I'm definitely happy to nail down a race schedule, excluding finalizing Kansas 70.3 (ahem...MOTHER). Supposedly that may be my birthday present??? We'll see.

My birthday was yesterday!!! I'm the big 2-4 now. I know, still a baby, as they refer to me around here. One more year until my quarter of a century birthday. *sigh* Because it was my birthday yesterday, and since I woke up not feeling well...I didn't get my run in. I'm going to do it today before my swim...at least that's the plan as of right now. It's been pouring rain for two days, so I'll most likely be hitting the treadmill. It sucks, because its fairly mild outside (63). Oh well...such is life.

I've had a fantastic birthday week, so thank you to all who made it special!!!!

Good News Bears

2008-04-02T11:35:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to report that getting back to my training post first race of the season is much easier than last year at this time. Last year, I felt like I had done my racing, and I needed a solid two weeks of practically no training just to recover. This year, I'm right back at it and I don't feel too badly. I definitely didn't feel like a million bucks this morning during my 1:30 ride and :15 run, however, it could have been worse.

Also, yesterday was the 20th annual Student Research Forum here at Memphis, where over 100 undergraduate and graduate students present their research. It is sort of set up like a science fair, where you have a trifold board with your research on it (my poster (thesis) for the NSCA conference served as my research) and judges walk around and judge you. Historically, our department has always done well at the SRF. Last year, however, I was the only one to represent the department, and unfortunately chose the wrong category, because the judges had no understanding of exercise and its impact on many areas of life. I didn't get a dang thing. This year, however, 5 of my classmates and I showed up strong. We were in the Life and Health Sciences category. This was probably the largest category in the graduate division, with 14 projects. One of my good friends and classmates Heather, won 2nd place, and Andy (another classmate) and I TIED FOR FIRST PLACE!!! We won a nice plaque and $150! I was so excited because I love every aspect of research, especially presenting. Both the judges in our category were so interested in my research on Parkinson's disease and that made me fired up to tell them about it. It was great to get recognized in front of the most important people on campus related to research for something my advisor and I have worked so hard on. This definitely made me think about what I want to do in the future..more to come on that in the next few days.

Also, tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Rebel Man Race Recap (finally)

2008-04-01T14:55:00.003-05:00

I know this is late, but I've had a crazy time catching up at work. So here goes:

My friend Seth was competing with me Saturday, so we started off the day at an early 4:30am. It's about an hour and a half to Ole Miss, so this was unfortunately going to be an early day. Pack everything up, take Junior out, and on the road. When we got outside, I thought "there's no way in hell, it's like 45 degrees!!" But I knew what I had to do. It was a long drive to the race, but once I got there, I was ready to go. We got there a little later than I would have liked, but that's what you get for standing in line at check in. We got our transitions set up, and only had time for about a 100 yard warmup! I was pretty mad about that.

Overall time: 1:20:32

Swim: 6:54 (400 yards)

I was not very happy to find out minutes before swimming that we were NOT allowed to do flip turns. In the words of Courtney "but that's what makes us better than everyone else! They can't take that away from us!" Oh, but they did. Last year, I remember going all out and getting really tired at the end, not to mention having a ton of trouble climbing out of the pool. So this year, I decided to take it at a steady, but fast pace. This worked out nicely, except I think I could have pushed a bit harder. I looked at my watch when I touched the wall, and it was right at 6:30. About 15 seconds slower than last year. I decided this was probably due to the lack of flip turns. Also, we were not allowed to run out of the pool to the outside...did they realize this is a RACE?!?!?! Apparently not. That's where the extra 24 seconds comes in! WALKING. There's no walking in triathlons!!

T 1: 2:43

This SUCKED because I had to put on as many clothes as possible because it was only 52 degrees at race time! Arm warmers were a bit tricky, so that really slowed me down.

Bike: 46:36 (13.5 miles)

I thought I blew this out of the water compared to last year, but last year I went 17.3 mph last year, and this year I went 17.4mph. Coach told me to take it out at a decent pace, but save more for the way back. I thought I did that, but in hindsight, I went out way too hard. Every time I looked at my computer on the way out, I was going around 20mph. So that means on the way back, I was going.....slow. The headwind on the way back was much more than on the way out, and it was a bit hillier on the way back in. I wish I would have paced it a bit better, but overall, I at least FELT like I was in better shape this year. I felt better on the hills, which I was happy about. See the elevation here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=203431

T 2: 1:05

EXACTLY the same as last year. I pride myself on my transitions, and this one ROCKED.

Run: 23:17 (2.5 miles)

This was originally supposed to be a 5k, but they shortened it the MORNING OF and did NOT tell anyone. They just expected us to figure it out when the little freshman looking girl said "go straight" instead of doing a short out and back like we did last year. The first 3 guys actually ended up doing this part of the race, because they knew it was part of the course. I was still looking for that out and back, when all the sudden I saw the finish line. Had I known I was going to have a half mile LESS to run, I would have pushed harder and not saved myself up. But alas, hindsight is great isn't it? I went a 9:19 pace, which was around the same as last year, so I suppose its ok.

Overall, I thought I would do better. I compared it to trying to drop time in the 50 free, though. Its hard to drop significant time in a short race. I think I'll see much more of a difference during Memphis in May. But, at least I FELT better and more confident during this race. I only dropped 17 seconds from last year, but its hard to compare due to the course changes (additional 1.5 mile bike, and .6 mile less run). I also realize I enjoy olympic distances better because you are not going all out, HR not less than 170, for over an hour. That just HURTS.

Also, something I would have done differently....NOT sign up for the collegiate division. Those chicks are good, and I finished 15/20. I wish I would have signed up for age group, because if I did, I would have been 3rd!! Man!

Seth and I demolished about 3-4 pieces of pizza at the race, then more pizza for dinner, followed by ice cream. That's the best part about race day :)

In other news, training resumes this week and I'm looking forward to getting back in significant training time. Now if spring would just hurry up and get here, and more importantly, STAY HERE!

RACE!

2008-03-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

Race on Saturday! YAY! I'm so excited. So ready to race. I've been training for 3 months now, in preparation for IM, and I want to see how my training is paying off. Sure, I can determine this by my test weeks, but its just not as fun! It's a sprint tri down at Ole Miss, but I am determined to blow my time out of the water from last year. I went a 1:20ish last year, and I'm looking to drop nearly 10 minutes. Which for a sprint is dang good. I think my swim will be about the same, hopefully faster (since I practiced flip turns under the lanes lines yesterday), my bike should be phenomenally better, and my run should be pretty solid. The only thing is, I got an email yesterday saying they lengthened the bike course from last year to have an easier turn around, so I think its an additionally 2 miles. Ok, maybe cutting 10 minutes may be asking too much with the lengthening of the course, but I'm excited nonetheless. I can't wait!!!

Character Building 101

2008-03-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

"Good work on the cold ride. These are the rides that build character - NOT the rides when it's sunny and 70. Those are no brainers. These are brain freezes. You don't forget them." That's what Coach's email was to me when I told her about my ride today.

Brain freeze was an understatement. More like entire body freeze. This includes my phone and Garmin which were working slower than normal upon my return. First let me start out by saying I am home in Northern Kentucky for Easter weekend, and for a mini training trip. I surprised my parents and came up last night. I had a 3:30 hilly ride scheduled. Perfect! I'll be in KY where there are rarely flats. Then I woke up to 40 degree weather. It hit a max of 42 degrees and I finally told myself JUST DO IT.

I put on practically every piece of clothing I brought, and borrowed clothing from my family, and I was off. I mapped out a ride, as I don't normally ride here. Originally I was supposed to go up to Cincy to ride with Mary Sunshine, but we decided it was too cold and windy. Plus she had already ran 16 miles, so I guess I could cut her some slack ;)

Anyway, starting out, it actually wasn't too bad. I mean, yes, I was cold. But not nearly as bad as I expected. I rode the route I mapped out and was pleased with the hills I was riding. They were much more than I'm used to in Memphis, and I was actually riding them pretty well, despite having pretty trashed legs. I got to the point where I didn't know where else I could go, so I turned around. Then the headwinds began. The hills are a bit tougher with a headwind. Soon after, I noticed I couldn't feel my toes. I frequently wiggled them just to see if I still had toes. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. About halfway back is when I started contemplating calling my family to come pick me up. I thought to myself "what happens when I hit mile 80 in Ironman? I can't call anyone...I just have to do it". I pressed on. About a half mile later, I wanted to call again. At this point, my toes were completely numb and I wanted to cry. But I realized the tears would instantly freeze.

I toughed through it and finally reached a street that was only about two miles from my house. Those were the longest two miles I've ever ridden. Of course I hit every red light during those two miles, lengthening my ride even more.

So back to Coach's email. Though the ride was cut nearly 2 hours short, and I only got 22 miles in, it was monumental for me. I ride nearly no hills in Memphis, and never in anything less than 55 degrees. So when I get to mile 80 of the bike, I'll be laughing thinking about this ride today. It will probably be 90 degrees and 100% humidity at that point. I'll be wishing I was on this ride today.

By the Numbers:
Number of snot rockets: 17ish
Number of times I wanted to call for a ride: 459 +/- 13
Number of dogs that barked at me: 5
Number of dogs I thought were going to attack me: 5
Number of gels: 2
Number of water bottles consumed: barely 1...aka not enough
Number of toes I still cannot feel: 1
Number of socks I'm still wearing: 4 (2 pairs)

Bye Bye Fat

2008-03-20T08:10:00.003-05:00

When I started training for Ironman, and my tri season altogether, it was December 31st. I weighed myself that day, and as soon as I got back to school, I had one of the other students take my body fat percentage via skin folds. Yesterday, about two months later, I had him take them again. I've only lost about 6 pounds since beginning training, which was beginning to frustrate me a bit. But, as of yesterday, I'm down a whole percent! That's pretty good for two months, and being female. So I'm having a little celebration in my head :)

Go hard or go home

2008-03-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a hard workout day. First off, its my long week. Next week is rest/recovery week! I had scheduled an hour interval run in the morning and an easy hour spin at night. The run went well, besides feeling like I wanted to yack at one point because of the intervals, but that's to be expected.

Today I had a crazy busy day, and I had many things to do while the pool was open, so I had to do my scheduled swim for today, yesterday. I'm not being wimpy for doing two workouts in one day by any means, but when they are two intense workouts...then yeah, they are hard! It was a sprint workout, essentially. My main set consisted of 8x25 stroke non-free on the :35, 50 easy back, 12x50 FAST on :45, 50 easy back REPEAT. Reading this before I went to the pool, I thought, "ok not too bad, obviously I'll do backstroke for my non-free stroke".

Then I read coach's blog for the day. She was talking about pushing yourself, and training with people that are faster than you so you can learn to push through the pain. Go beyond yourself, and what not. This truly inspired me. Triathletes are used to training solo, for the most part. We get excited for group rides and runs! With my team mostly being located in KC, I train solo EVERY DAY. Long rides where I end up talking (or singing) to myself, lap after lap in my own lane, and hard runs with only the sounds of my feet pounding the pavement. Though for the most part, I push myself every day (it's the drive in me, the passion of the sport), some days are hard. Some days the motivation is just not there. It can't be 100% perfect everyday.

Today was not that day. I was going all out balls to the wall, FLY for my 8x25's. Now, that's only a 200, but STILL. Who voluntarily does fly? Ok, let me rephrase, of those who are not swimmers, and swimmers only...how many of us normal people CHOOSE to do fly? Besides my coach, and other crazy people she trains with, and Corky, I don't know any other triathletes that would choose this torture. The first two=solid. The next two, a bit more difficult...getting harder to breathe, but I was half way. The 3rd two...why did I choose fly? The last two...stay strong..its only two more! I did it. 8x25's fly. I pushed through and proved to myself that I was tougher than most. Training solo, where no one was watching me (besides the bored lifeguard, trying to stay awake), where my coach wasn't watching me to make sure I was pushing myself (except sometimes I feel like she can see me). Only ME. I was the only one seeing my times, knowing the pain in my upper body, and the deep breathing just to stay conscious. But you know what? I'm the only one crossing that Ironman finish line in August. And for that reason alone, I'd do it again.

*Note* I did end up doing the 2nd time thru backstroke because my shoulder almost fell off. Next time, though, its fly and fly only. WATCH OUT Ironman Louisville competitors..I'm swimming the whole thing fly.

Hello, my name is Junior....

2008-03-16T20:12:00.002-05:00

....and I live a "ruff" life.

Sponsor Shout Out

2008-03-14T10:08:00.002-05:00

We have a deal through my team with RunningWarehouse.com. They are such an awesome company with things like 2 day FREE shipping and great deals on products. I had the ultimate experience with them in the past few days.

I usually order my gels and GU20 thru them because I get free shipping, and that way I do not feel obligated to purchase in bulk, because as we know, I'm poor. So Tuesday, I ordered 2 boxes or Powerbar Gels and 2 canisters of GU20. I received them yesterday (yay for 2 day shipping!) and when I opened them to empty the gels into my huge tub 'o gels, I realized a few of the vanilla gels had burst upon transit. Not only were my gel packets covered in goop, but I couldn't get about 10 gels out of the box because they were glued to the sides. I immediately emailed the sales department, explaining my situation, and even included pictures for proof. (I always feel like people try to cheat the system, so I wanted them to know I was telling the truth). I received an email overnight, saying they were very sorry for what had happened and they were mailing out another box today. I didn't have to return the other gels, which means I get to keep the ones I can actually get out of the box! Not only that, but obviously I will not be charged for the replacement and it was sent out today!

I couldn't be happier with this company. They are truly the essence of how people should run a business and I highly recommend purchasing your running products from them.

Habit Breaking

2008-03-13T12:31:00.003-05:00

Hello my name is Robyn, and I've been nap-free for 5 days now. Tomorrow doesn't look promising for one either.

I cannot believe it. First of all, I'm actually sleeping at night now, even with Junior crawling all over me, chewing on a bone on top of my back and what not. But I actually seem to get things done during the day...imagine that?

I hope this behavior continues....ok but weekends are still acceptable napping days.

What the....?

2008-03-12T12:56:00.004-05:00

Last night, I came home and Junior was extremely excited to see me, per the usual. When he's excited and hyper, he'll grab something and run around the apartment trying to get me to chase him. It can be anything: a sock, a bone, a ball, underwear, etc. Doesn't really matter, but he does have a knack for grabbing things that seem to be somewhat important....then he knows it'll get my attention for sure!

Usually, I don't mind and give in and play: "Oh Junior, you don't know how badly I want to chase you around the apartment just to get that disgusting bone you've been chewing on for weeks! Here I come!!"

So, when he proceeded to play the chase game, I thought, alright, I'll let him bait me for a second. But then I was so hungry, I didn't want to chase and I just wanted to make my dinner. Well, Junior didn't like this. He jumped around, ran at me, trying to get me to chase him. Finally, I thought "He must have something pretty important if he's continuing to do this".

And so the chase began.

I got smart and decided to try to barter with a treat. Well, he wanted no part of that! Because what he had was so much better: dirty, slightly crispy, and most important of all - Mom wanted it back.

Eventually, his dog instincts kicked in and it was like I was holding a large steak...Junior thought "TREAT!!!!" And he dropped the thing he had been ripping apart. And there it was:

I no longer want to claim this dog because I would NEVER condone ruining money. Even if it was a dollar. Alas, I woke up this morning to two large, brown puppy dog eyes and I couldn't help but laugh :)

Rockstar Status

2008-03-11T17:05:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I had a paper and presentation due. Guess when I started it? Sunday at 10pm. I know I know...probably not the most appropriate time to even starting my research for it. But as I mentioned earlier (I think), I feel like I'm in a time warp. I feel like I go to bed one night, and wake up days later, with nothing accomplished. I blame it on the shorter, winter days, but I can't blame them for much longer (thank goodness for that).

So back to Sunday night. It was the end of spring break, and as I did nothing productive over break (except train, eat, and sleep), there I sat with my laptop on the couch. Currently, my computer desk is covered by random things: mail (openend and unopened), empty gel packets, numerous HR monitors, water bottles (empty, and half full), etc. Not the best conditions for writing a paper. So I took my laptop to the living room. Then I realized I couldn't steal the neighbor's internet connection, so I was finally forced to set up our wireless, which I've been putting off for weeks because I thought it would be a hassle (Believe me, with the first two routers it was). So I guess the 3rd router was a charm...30 minutes later, we had wireless!

So now, it's nearly 11pm. I still had a paragraph I wasn't even sure I could use because I took it from a paper I had written last year (yes, on a related topic). I was finally ready to get something done. I was reading through books, looking up papers, and between Junior wanting me to throw his ball and emailing my sister about how I didn't want to write the paper (only to get responses back from her, doing the same thing I was), my roommate came home who I hadn't seen in days. We proceed to chat for about 20 minutes, until I realized it was approaching midnight. Cool. The last time I was up this late, I was either babysitting (so falling asleep at that) or attempting to revisit my college days of partying (but again, resisting the urge to fall asleep at the bar).

With everyone in the house in bed except me (probably the first time this has happened), I began actually writing something. Approximately 45 minutes pass and I had several hundred words on paper. Yes! However, this only equaled about a page and a half. And our minimum word limit was 4,000. I wasn't even sure I was writing coherent sentences because it was 1:15am. I do not function well after 10pm, and not at all after midnight. I called it quits, emailed sis to tell her I gave up for the night, and headed to bed.

I made sure to still get 7 hours of sleep. There was no sense in waking up extra early, just to sleep through the whole day and STILL not get the paper done. I came straight to work, coffee in hand, ready to work. I didn't even read my daily blogs. I checked email and got straight to work. I proceeded to write, complain, drink coffee, write, use the restroom, check email, complain, etc. for six straight hours. I was actually exhausted from SITTING. My eyes were strained, my fingers cramping up, and my butt was slightly numb. Similar to a 50+ mile ride...I would have taken the ride over the paper writing.

Finally, at 4pm, I finished. I didn't read it to see if it made sense, but dammit I had 3900-ish words and 14-ish pages. Yeah, not 4,000 but who's counting? I had exactly one hour until class and my roommate informed me she wouldn't be able to let Junior out for me, like we had planned. So I rushed home, literally was home for about 8.4 minutes, and jumped right back in the car. I made it to class 5 minutes late (the stairs slowed me down..my legs were still tired from last week). Another girl in the class was presenting before me, so I would have time to read over my paper before presenting (Note: our prof doesn't teach with powerpoint, I think he's the only one left in the universe, so I didn't feel it necessary to prepare a powerpoint presentation...aka I ran out of time). Well, said girl in class was late...later than I was. So, the prof said "Robyn, you're up!"

Robyn --> WHA?!?!?

Ok, no problem. I just got up and essentially read from my paper, like I was reading them in bulleted notes format, and added my thoughts and comments afterwards. All in all I spoke for an hour and 15 minutes (we were supposed to talk from :45-1:00...oops) and one of my classmates said he couldn't tell I was reading from my paper.

Afterwards, I found out I had until next week to turn the paper in. Great, I went thru all of that for NOTHING. I could have just stood up and presented, and written the paper later. But I'm glad its done. So now, I'll actually read it before I turn it in.

Lesson Learned: Start assignment much earlier than the day before it is due.
Thing Realized: I'm a rockstar.

Also, I'm giving a nutrition talk specific to triathletes tonight at Whole Foods! I'm pretty excited. Also, I started making up the presentation about 2 hours ago.....Maybe I didn't learn my lesson.

I'll be waiting

2008-03-07T14:35:00.002-06:00

I'm just going to say it: I'm a rockstar today. I've been having pretty frustrating training this week and finally today I had a great run! My shins have been bothering me, and I had NO pain today. That was a positive all by itself. But also, it was pretty cold outside..right at freezing. That's not so bad, but add on 30 mph winds, and you've got yourself a good time.

Not only that, but it was SNOWING. Yes snowing in Memphis. But it wasn't just snowing...it was like small pieces of sharp ice blowing into my face at 30 mph. I'm pretty sure my face was bleeding. The bad thing was, I slightly overdressed so I was sweating. I think that made me colder.

But I felt GREAT. The whole time. I could have ran for hours. I didn't want to over do it, so I only added 5 minutes to my run. The awesome thing is, though, on my way back, a great song came on my ipod (can't remember what it was now, though) and I was running at a pretty fast pace for me, at a low HR, and I felt awesome. I felt like I was flying. I just had to smile and thank God for all he has given me.

I thought about all the people that wouldn't have chosen to train outside today. They probably thought "it's far too cold". On top of that, I got numerous stares at people thinking "That girl is CRAZY". Considering I was the only person out running, I guess I can see their point. Well, to all those athletes who chose the treadmill instead of outside, and to all those drivers who only wished they could be doing what I was: I'll be waiting at the finish line as you finish after me.