I've Lost My Marbles!

OMG! I just did something that I thought I'd NEVER do, something TOTALLY out of character for me!!

But before I get to that, let me give a quick wrap up of what's been going on since I last posted. After the Turtle Marathon I did the Ride for Ronald metric century with Dave end of September.

A week later, I tackled the Health First Olympic Tri (1500k swim, 42k bike, 10k run) on October 3. This was the second of two "A" races for me this year ("A" race means I was targeting it for a peak performance with a specific goal in mind). I'd done this race twice before in 2006 and 2007 but had always had a hard time on the swim and a disappointing run. This year my goal was to knock off 15 minutes and get under 3 hours.

Unbelievably, I ended up finishing in 2:39! This was helped by MUCH nicer weather this year than we've had in the past (2006 was super hot & humid; in 2007 we raced in a thunderstorm). Still, I will not complain about a 36-minute PR or a third place finish (3/13 F45-49) in a race distance that has always been tough for me because of the relatively long swim. Booyah!

The next two weeks I headed north to run the Hartford Marathon in Connecticut on October 9 and Green Mountain Marathon in Vermont on October 17. Both were "C" races so the main goal was to just finish and have fun. But I've had a streak of sub-4 marathon finishes going this year, plus I'd never run to sub-4s back to back (closest was 3:59:38 and 4:00:21 back in 2006). Would this be the year I do it?

YES! 3:51:48 at Hartford (12/92 F45-49) and 3:45:40 at Green Mountain (9/62 F40-49). I think three things really helped with that: 1) good running weather at both races, 2) not a lot of downhill running on either course, and probably most importantly 3) working with a coach and training with a group. I really haven't been running much mileage at all compared to before but did a lot of very focused speed work for the oly tri and am much stronger mentally it seems.

So with all these races that went well why would I lose my marbles???

For those of you who don't know, Bree Wee's has a special project where she's planning to bring Christmas to a group of Marshallese people on the Big Island living in third world conditions. These folks are originally from Bikini Island and were forced to move 56 years ago because the U.S. decided to use their island for bombing tests. To show support for them, she asked her friends to send pictures of themselves yesterday in bikinis for a bikini photo contest. This includes men and women, at work, at school, wherever they are, doing whatever they do on a Friday.

Now I'm the type of person who usually AVOIDS photo contests. Believe it or not, I pretty much avoided cameras altogether until I began blogging in 2006. Very camera shy! I don't usually wear bikinis except to the beach, pool or jacuzzi. I most definitely do not wear them to be voted on by the public!!

But then I thought, wait a minute, this is just another challenge, no? If I can run marathons, do ironman triathlons, jump out of planes, jump into lakes with gators, why can't I do this? So what if everyone just laughs or gasps? I'm not expecting to win, just like I'm not expecting to win races. This is to support a good cause and to help a friend.

Well ... submitting that photo took probably more courage to do than any anything else I've ever done before. So SO SOOOO NOT ME! I was actually relieved when the album was first released for voting without me in it. I figured Bree had gotten her goal of 56 bikini photos and I'd just missed the cut. But, it turns out that a few photos had just been inadvertently left out. I am actually now in it. YIKES!!!

PS - If you want to vote and are friends with Bree on Facebook, click here and just click Like for the photos you like. You can also vote by leaving a comment on her blog post if you have a Google account or OpenID account. Just mention the name underneath the photo you want to vote for (more than one is allowed). Only one day of voting - ends Saturday, 10/30, at midnight Hawaii time!

Ironman Schmironman

Caution: This post may contain some material that may be viewed as offensive to some. If you have no sense of humor or are affiliated with WTC/Ironman, I recommend you skip it.


DC Rainmaker's recent post made me realize how much I LOVE non M-dot (non Ironman brand) races. Gasp! Horror!! Shame!!!

I really do. Why???

Well, besides lower cost, less crowds, hassle and hoopla, and, to me, a more rewarding race experience, I think athletes get much better treatment at smaller, independent races. For example, I recently got two emails from the race director (RD) of the Gator Half Iron, which I'm doing next month:

One had this picture of their trapper doing her job to ensure we have a nice race.

Because we all know gators are a possibility in FL lakes, although in March they are most likely hibernating or inactive and oblivious to any neoprene clad triathletes sneaking into their territory. In late May, however, when the water temps are 80+ degs, well, that's another story (and one you won't likely hear about from the Florida 70.3 RD).

The other had a photo of one of their volunteers to do body marking for the ladies.

Because we all know what a special and sensual experience it is to expose your arms and legs to be tickled by a big black felt marker, and how the person doing it can make or break your race. At M-dot races, chances are that all the hotties are doing the race so that the folks doing the marking are, uh, let's say, less hot.

It's these little things that make a race special to me. That personal touch from RDs, a race shirt or logo that every other triathlete is NOT wearing, the satisfaction of gutting things out when there was NO ONE around to carry you to the finish, that look of awe in others when they find out you went 140.6 (or 70.3) miles just for fun, NOT for a label.

But I have nothing against those who do M-dot races and wear their logos. In fact, I welcome them. Just beware, especially if you're in my age group, I find M-dots to be exceptionally motivating targets when I'm racing ;-)

PS - I also think there are a lot of great marathons besides the biggies: Boston, New York, Chicago, Marine Corps, the RnR series ... EEK, please don't hate!

Tag, Tag, Tag!

OK, I was tagged awhile back by folks and need to come clean. The first one was from Leana. Answer the following questions with one word answers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Bookshelf.
2. Your hair? Thick.
3. Your mother? Japanese.
4. Your father? Hardworking.
5. Your favourite food? Salmon.
6. Your dream last night? Weird.
7. Your favourite drink? Coffee
8. Your dream/goal? Kona.
9. What room are you in? Breakfast.
10. Your hobby? Blogging.
11. Your fear? Injury.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Hawaii.
13. Where were you last night? Home.
14. Something you aren't? Tall.
15. Muffins? OK.
16. Wish list item? Empty!
17. Where did you grow up? California.
18. Last thing you did? Emailed.
19. What are you wearing? Ponytail.
20. Your TV? Off.
21. Your pets? Fish.
22. Your friends? Few.
23. Your life? Good.
24. Your mood? Even.
25. Missing someone? No.
26. Vehicle? Mazda.
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes.
28. Your favourite store? TrackShack*
29. Your favourite color? Teal.
30. When was the last time you laughed? Morning.
31. Last time you cried? October?
32. Your best friend? Hubby.
33. One place that I go over and over? Y.
34. One person who emails me regularly? Dave.
35. Favourite place to eat? Home.
*Not really much of a shopper but I love working there!

The second one was from Maria. Name 10 Things That Make You Happy (I'm choosing to list things that don't happen everyday):

1. New running shoes.
2. Getting back to the pool after a hiatus. But NOT seeing how slow I've become!
3. A firm bike tire before heading out on a bike ride.
4. Having Dave home during the week. He usually travels a lot for work but is actually home this week - YAY!
5. Sleeping in on weekends.
6. Helping/supporting friends and fellow athletes.
7. Seeing "0 new items" in my Google Reader.
8. Coloring in a state on my 50 states marathon map.
9. Hearing the flight attendant say "Welcome to Kona."
10. Getting a $300 airline voucher to be voluntarily bumped from a $10 award flight. This happened last trip!

The third one I tagged myself to Name 10 Specific Goals for 2010:

1. Finish my 50 states marathon quest. (8 7 more marathons to run)
2. Run my first-ever 10K, ideally 46:00 (7:24 pace) or better.
3. PR in a half iron tri, ideally 5:40 or better.
4. Swim 100 yds in a pool in less than 1:40. Fastest to date: 1:43.
5. Work out with more people. (Except cycling with Dave on weekends, I trained alone for the most part last year. This year I want to do things differently.)
6. Help out at a minimum of 10 local races. (Should be easier since I'm not training for an iron tri and having to go so long on weekends; 2 so far)
7. Stretching and/or foam rolling at least 2x a week.
8. Help Dave get down to 200#.
9. Read one book. Eek, NONE last year!!! **
10. Play 2 piano pieces I used to be able to play well. Can I even still read music?!?
**Parts of Trizophrenia or other books I read don't count. Must be a whole book.

Not sure who has done these tags already or not but if you haven't and want to play, consider yourself tagged. I think the second and third ones, in particular, are a great way to kick off 2010, even in February ;-)

Trizophrenia Winner & Random Iron Thoughts

KennY, you are the winner of my Trizophrenia book giveaway! Email me your address so I can ship the book to you. My email address is available on my blog profile. (Please reply by Friday, 11/20, midnight eastern or it will go to someone else!)

___________________________

This past week has been weird. No specified workouts, no race worries, no concerns about weather. I've eaten all sorts of crap (leftover Halloween candy and birthday cake) and don't feel one bit guilty. I passed on doing a couple of bike and run events held last weekend that I could have done just for fun. Instead, I allowed myself to be slothful and just pondered some things:

- Signing up for 2 irons 2 weeks apart was the best thing I could have done. They kept me honest in my training and gave me a chance to do both races that I wanted to do. I know I recover quick from long races and would have gone CRAZY if I only did GFT and was stuck "all dressed up with no place to go" two weeks later.

- Some folks run/walked to get through their iron tri marathons, I run/pooped. I came across Top 8 Race Fueling Mistakes Made By Ironman Triathletes and Mistake #3: Eating too much (too late) on the bike and Mistake #1: Mixing Sugars (between my bike & run nutrition) look to be the most likely causes of my GI distress. The only way to know for sure, though, is to do another iron tri :-)

- The next 3: Ironman Arizona (11/22), Ironman Cozumel (11/29) and Ironman Western Australia (12/5) are all sold out, however :-(

- Though training for and doing an ironman does require much more effort than a running standalone marathon, I find it them much easier to recover from. I'd heard this before from several others too. I think it's because swimming, cycling and running a slower marathon don't beat your body up as much. Aside: The current world record for most number of ironmans completed in a calendar year is 15.

- For me, the hardest part about doing an ironman was training in 80-90+ deg heat all summer long. Coach advised against me going to Kona to train because he thought it'd be too cool. He was right. Nothing but training in FL could have prepared me as well for GFT, plus doing so gave me a chance to find out about the major bike course change before race day. B2B was 30-40 degs colder and my main concern was just staying warm enough on the bike after the swim. GI issues at both races, while annoying, were not show stoppers. Two very different races, one awesome training plan to get me to both finish lines. Thanks, Coach Bill!

- Top 10 list of the toughest things I've done so far:

1. 1992, Watch my dad die of cancer
2. 2004, Earn my 2nd deg black belt in karate (bruised ribs, very painful sparring)
3. 2001, Earn my 1st deg black belt in karate (1st major athletic achievement, age 40)
4. 2006, Learn to swim (truly *hated* swimming back then!)
5. 2006, Ironman Florida (first rough water swim, survived but missed swim cut-off)
6. 2004-5, Raise $21K for 2 charities (first FR effort, very hard for me to ask people for $$)
7. 2009, Train for 2 iron tris, GFT & B2B (embraced the enemy: heat)
8. 2007, Olathe Marathon (first time I had major GI issues in a race, nearly DNFd)
9. 2004-5, Run 21 marathons in 9 months (my 21 Run Salute)
10. 2005, Run a hot August 5K all-out with no speed training (21:56 min of agony!)

You know the saying: What doesn't kill you ...

And a couple announcements:

Firstly, Team Hendryx is accepting athlete applications for next year. If you have a running, triathlon or fitness goal you'd like help with, they can help whether you're based in Orlando or elsewhere. My coach, Coach Bill, is the POC for Team Hendryx and can be reached by email at cwenner @ cfl.rr.com if you're interested.

And secondly, I'm going to take a BIG break from blogging and training between now and probably my next race, the Instep Icebreaker Marathon (WI) in January. 2009 has been a very busy year for me and 2010 looks to be even busier. I need to get a lot of stuff squared away in the meantime and apologize in advance for not commenting as often on your blogs during this time but will try to follow along as much as I can. Best of luck to everyone racing, esp. Molly and Jen who are both doing their first ironman (IMAZ) this weekend!

Creator of Frazz Giveaway!

My recovery from the Great Floridian Iron Triathlon has been going great! I am raring to go get me a new iron PR at Beach to Battleship. Of course, my body may have totally different plans but I will be there with a big smile no matter how long it takes to cross the finish line. 2 irons in 2 weeks, what the heck is wrong with me???

Well, a new book I've been reading, Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete, seems to explain it all.

Trizophrenia: Symptoms typically include an obsessive-compulsive need for the rituals of the sport: eat, swim, eat, work, eat, ride, eat, work, eat, run, eat, go to bed early. Delusional spending on expensive equipment, indifference to pain, and hallucinations of future grandeur intensify over years spent in the sport.

Sound like anyone you know?

Well, I had the opportunity to do a Q&A with Jef Mallett, the award-winning creator of the syndicated comic strip Frazz, who in his book unravels the sport's mystery and madness while raising it to new heights of hilarity. To get to know him a little better and have a chance to win a FREE copy of Trizophrenia, read on!

1. When is Miss Plainwell going to do her first tri?
I don't have any plans to get Miss Plainwell into a triathlon, but that doesn't mean a thing. My characters are always doing their own thing without my permission. Seriously, characters do that. Ask anyone who tells stories for a living. You create them, you think you control them, but no. Which raises some seriously disturbing theological questions, if you want to go there. I'll say this, though: Miss Plainwell somehow looks a little like my wife, and she just did her first triathlon this year.

2. As a triathlete in the colder climates, how to you stay in shape and motivated in the dark cold months?
Well, I'm a middle-aged triathlete who's constantly behind on his deadlines, so even dark, cold months whip by remarkably fast. So motivation is not the problem. I have plenty of indoor swimming options, and you can run in just about anything. The one change I've made is that I hardly bike at all over the winter. In recent years, I've found that if I concentrate on the other two, do a few masters meets and aim for a spring marathon or something, the bike comes back almost seamlessly. And my gear isn't all covered with salt (from the road or from me on rollers).

3. If Frazz doubled the value of the car when he put his bike on the rack, wasn't the Chevette over-priced or did he just use his old bike that day?
You know, that's a very good point. Maybe he had his gym membership receipt in the glove compartment.

4. How do you train your mind to overcome the pain when you do this silly stuff?
I just watch golf on TV and suddenly everything else seems painless. No, seriously, I would NEVER watch golf on TV. But I have certainly compiled a handy list of bad days for comparison's sake, and that works nicely. Beyond that, it's just habit. Every time you push through pain, the easier it gets. And then there's the real motivator: It probably works the other way. Every time you back off, the easier that gets. And I don't want to experiment with that, so I press on.

5. Frazz seems to have the most problem with the swim. Is that your case too?
It might be. Or it might just be where it's most evident. I can hold my own in a triathlon swim, but I go to a Masters meet and compete against specialists and I'm thoroughly fed my own lunch. There aren't so many casual Masters swimmers, where you go to any given marathon or 5K and you're not likely to come in last, let alone come in last several times in the same meet. Make no mistake, though: I love it.

6. How do you maintain your drive over the years and face the fact that you aren't as young / fast as you used to be?
I'm only not as young as I used to be. I'm still getting faster. That's the beauty of never being particularly elite when you were younger. And it's also the beauty of a sport where there's always somewhere new to improve. I am less fast on the bike. But that's the discipline that had me closest to elite status (which, not close at all) when I was young. And a few years back, I realized I needed to decide if I wanted to be a cyclist with a wetsuit, or if I wanted to back off that and be a triathlete. So I'm not as close to the top of the bike split list anymore, but I'm a little more of a threat by the end of the race.

7. How many bikes are too many?
Well, you can only ride one at a time. But it's nice to have a choice. You know what's the best thing about too many bikes? You can lend them to people to try out. It's the evangelist in me.

8. We have read that Frazz could be cast a grown up Calvin. If that is the case, wouldn't Caulfield be Hobbs?
That gets debated a lot, which, is OK. Like all cartoonists my age, and smart ones of any age, I learned a lot from that strip, and feel no compulsion to hide it -- or copy it. I think Frazz developed Calvin's hair -- messy hair never goes out of style, and it fits his personality -- but I think his personality falls closer to Hobbes's. Hopefully not too close, though. Who could re-paint the Mona Lisa?

9. How do you balance work, family, and training?
With mixed success. I have better days and worse days. But it all ties together. Training makes me better at the other two, and being fit makes me more efficient, so an hour spent training is not necessarily an hour lost in the other areas. And obviously I couldn't race without an income or support from my wife. We don't have children, the cats don't care, and the dog would run with me all the time if she could. Everybody gets 60 minutes an hour, and hardly anybody thinks it's enough, and yet it all gets done. Best I can tell is that when you have time to waste, you learn to waste time. Maybe the inverse follows.

10. What was your parents reaction the first time they saw you in bike shorts?
My parents bought me my first pair of bike shorts when I was a teen-ager. I'm more worried about how they feel when they see me in a tri-suit at 47.

To have a chance to win the book, leave a comment and name your weakest sport if you are a triathlete or were ever to become one (even hypothetically). To get an extra entry, let me know you're linking back to this post (http://humbletriathlete.blogspot.com/2009/11/frazz-giveaway.html). Comments will be accepted until Friday, 11/13, midnight Eastern time. US-based and non-U.S.-based friends are welcome to enter.

Good luck, everyone, and I'll see you on the flip side of B2B!

Tag About Threes

Saw this fun tag on Wendy's blog. I am not going to tag anyone either but if you want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

Three names I go by:
1. Shirley
2. ShirleyPerly
3. Muffin (Dave's nickname for me)

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Computer consultant (now)
2. Oceanographer/Computer Scientist (out of college)
3. Waitress (first-ever job)

Three places I have lived:
1. Orlando, FL (where I am most of the time)
2. La Jolla, CA (where I attended grad school)
3. Richmond, CA (where I grew up)

Three favorite drinks:
1. Coffee (usually only in the mornings)
2. Diet cola (not picky about brand)
3. POM Wonderful pomegranate juice*

Three TV shows that I watch right now:
NONE - I don't have time to watch TV! (no cable either)

Three places I have been recently:
1. Kailua Kona, HI (June-July)
2. San Diego, CA (June)
3. Fargo, ND (May)

Three people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Hubby Dave
2. Coach Bill
3. Karen (work associate)

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Grilled salmon (a rare treat, maybe 2-3 times a year)
2. Strawberries (an occasional treat a few times a year)
3. Jalapeno bagels (when I fly through Chicago-ORD)

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Moving to Hawaii full-time
2. Being able to swim 100 yards in 1:30
3. Doing a race with my grandkids (when I have some and they're old enough)

*I got some samples of POM Wonderful recently -- WOW! I really like the taste of it (kind of a tart grape-cranberry flavor to me) and it's loaded with anti-oxidants, great for me because even though I eat a lot of fruits & veggies, I know I don't eat much foods high in antioxidants. And I know I should but I'm a LAZY eater who's content to eat the same ol' foods unless a change is obviously needed (say, I'm getting sick or feeling weak). This makes it easy, though. Thanks POM!

_________________________

Workout-wise, another tough weekend but I nailed my nutrition and all went well:

Fri - 3000 yd swim (3x1000, new 1000 yd swim PR of 19:41) + strength training
Sat - 12 mi run (11am, 91-93 deg HI, 9:46 pace, neg split, AHR 151 - low Z2)
Sun - 70 mi bike (17.5 mph, 81-96 deg HI, flat course, low wind, neg split, AHR 140 - hi Z1)
      + 8 mi run (noon, 96-94 deg HI, 9:16 pace**, neg split, AHR 157 - Z2)
**About 30 sec faster than my iron marathon goal pace (see blue box to the right) but felt great and was trying to beat a thunderstorm that was moving in.

I'm not sure why Coach scheduled this week's long brick workout the day after the long run but it was a nice change and I'm not gonna complain :-)  I will talk more about my nutrition in an upcoming post. That and dealing with the heat are probably the two biggest challenges in my iron quest this year.

Rewarding Yourself

This is something I'm not very good at, really. Rather than give myself a break or some treat for achieving something, I'm more likely to simply raise the bar higher and jump right into my next challenge.

It's nothing new for me. I never attended or celebrated my college graduations either, opting instead to go straight into grad school and then a full-time job after that. Most of my "rewards" in endurance sports, come to think of it, have been signing up for new races, getting new equipment to replace or augment old ones, seeking out better ways to train, etc. -- all stuff that could lead me to do more, more, MORE!

And while that may sound good, it can also be like supplying heroin to a drug addict. So I've been practicing rewarding myself differently while here in Kona, just to mix things up. Here's some proof of my recent debauchery:

I bought a new kit from Bike Works (top only shown here). I really didn't need one and it's not going to make me go any faster but it was just so darn cute. Total splurge!

Before the race award ceremony, we chilled and just gazed upon some tranquil tide pools. After several minutes, we realized that some of the rocks in the water were actually sea turtles! Nice not to always be in a hurry. (Click for a closer look at one)

And this one sunbathing seemed to be sending me a message. Hmm ... (Clickable)

Just for grins, we tried out a nearby surfer's snack shop despite having a fridge full of much healthier options back in the condo. Gorgeous view and great company.

My first whole hot dog in something like 30 years and Dave's second-ever Loco Moco plate dish (white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy). No fear! No regrets!

Saw some 4th of July fireworks, another first in years. Usually we don't do much besides ride our bikes on holidays but this only involved stepping out onto the lanai. It's a start!

How do you reward yourself?

Big congrats to everyone who raced last weekend, in particular, Cliff and Leana, who both completed half iron tris, and RunningGeezer262 who ran as a first-time guide for a blind runner in a 5K event and the guy also happens to be training for an Ironman. Click here for RG262's great read!

This past week's workouts:
Swimming (3) 7450 yds
Cycling (3) 125.66 mi
Running (2) 13.36 mi

Booty Haul

Hey, who knew Christmas would come first week in February?

Two new tires for Buffy, my travel bike. She loves new shoes!


Zoom Yah Yah Indoor Marathon race medal and long sleeve t-shirt with race results printed on the back. Unknowingly, I beat the other woman in my division by only 16 secs!


Souvenirs Dave brought home from Singapore: Silk scarf and gold orchid necklace/earrings. They're actually gifts for Dave's boss and admin (I wouldn't know what to do with them).


What he brought home for me: Free slippers from the Intercontinental Hotel and United Business class slippers and snacks. These I can put to good use. In fact, I'm wearing the white slippers right now and there were originally 3 of those airline snacks :-)


Another cold spell from Mother Nature. Coach Bill cancelled the 6am group swim today because it'd be below freezing outside so I got to sleep in and then hauled my booty down to my local Y pool around 11am when it'd warmed up a little. The pool is heated now but still deserted.


WIN Sports Detergent and a stinky workout shirt of Dave's. He brought it back from Singapore all rolled up and still sweaty (Yuck!). It will continue to ferment and ripen along with our other workout clothes until laundry day, usually Sunday. Stay tuned for my WIN Detergent product review next week!

A New PR!

No, not another race. 40 comments on my last post -- THANKXOXOX!!!

Seriously, two years ago when I started blogging, I had no idea what I was getting into. It's so unlike me to write about myself and I didn't really even like taking pictures much. I think the number of photos of me from high school until my mid-thirties is probably less than 10!

Too busy working and so self-critical all the time. It's a wonder I made it to my 40's ...

Here's a couple things from the life of an older, much wiser woman :-)

1. My photo tag (4th photo in my 4th folder). Sorry, it happens to be running related.


Explanation: Photo that appeared in the May 2005 issue of Runner's World in reference to my 21 Run Salute. It was taken in downtown Orlando near Lake Eola. The photo shoot took 2-3 hours and the photographer and his assistant had brought all sorts of lighting equipment and props, including crumbs to get birds to fly around me. Who knew getting one good photo could take so long!

2. My blog style (thanks to Spokane Al for pointing me to the Typealzer site):

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

I find this pretty funny because I once took a Myer-Briggs Type Indicator Test and got an INTJ result. So either I've really changed or am a schizo blogger.

Added: My other blog, EnduranceSportsBar.com, came up as "ISTP - The Mechanics" so maybe I do have split personalities.

3. More family time - After the Route 66 Marathon, I went to Austin for a couple days to meet up with Dave. He ended up arriving late and leaving early but I got to see Marathon Chris, who was attending the same conference as Dave, and visit my sis Jade Lady and her family, who live in the area.

L to R: Dave, Me, my niece and brother-in-law. Sis, who took this photo and the one below, was added to the top left.

And I got to swim in beautiful Barton Springs.

Four birds with one stone!

Now, time to catch up on what you all have been up to. My Google Reader says 30 new and exciting posts to read.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

More Montana Trip Photos

Yes, the camera was busy this trip! I actually flew into Salt Lake City, UT, and drove 7.5 hours up to Missoula, MT. Why? Because I enjoy driving and haven't seen northern Utah, much of Idaho or Montana before. Plus, my (step) daughter and her husband live in the SLC area. So it was a chance to see them and more of that part of the country, all while escaping FL heat and humidity for a little longer :-)

Unfortunately, husband Dave couldn't come along, though he wanted to, because he already had business trips to San Diego, Washington DC and Seattle (in that order) during the same time I'd be gone. Here's what he missed:

Hello Montana!



Pretty Clark Reservoir. Where's my wetsuit?



Bison?  Bull ... It was in the same spot on the return trip too.



Rolling pastures.



Clark Fork showing me the way to Missoula.



A famous festival held July 30-August 3 this year. Darn, I would miss it ...



In Missoula, Clark Fork gets pretty big and goes right through town.



A closer look at the river after picking up my race packet at the expo nearby.



Guys trying to paddle UP rapids in short stubby kayaks. Man vs. Nature and Nature was usually winning.



The fish I caught on this trip. Really big ones, too.



Me and the kids who both tower over me so best to be sitting down. Last time I saw them was last Thanksgiving. Great to see them again!

Official Missoula Marathon race photos are now available and can be found here, if anyone is interested. Sorry, looks as if I took a Happy Pill that morning.

6-Point Meme

Well, it's been a while since I've been tagged but TinaGirl finally caught me. And it's about time I wrote a new post so here we go, 6 more random facts about me:

1. Without contacts or glasses, I'm blind (seriously, my vision is something like 20/600+ in both eyes). One of the many reasons why I didn't swim much when I was younger is because I didn't know about swim goggles.

2. My husband says he's never seen someone so little snore so loud. Maybe that's why all his jobs seem to involve so much travel?

3. The hardest thing about teaching for me was remembering student's names. In fact, I can forget a person's name almost immediately after meeting them. (OTOH, if their names were numbers, things would be different).

4. I look forward to crossing the finish line of a race someday with my grandkids. I want a race shirt that says "Grand Mama Jama" written on it.

5. Recently I've been thinking it wouldn't be all that bad to have a boring part-time job that allowed me to read/write blogs and surf the Internet to look busy.

6. Nowadays I rarely drive more than 5mph above the posted speed limit. But today, in Idaho, apparently I'd missed seeing a sign that dropped the speed limit from 50 to 40mph. Damn.

And like many others, I'm not tagging specific people but if you wanna play or have got nothing else to write about, consider yourself tagged!

Tagged Twice

Man, both PlanetT3rry and Jade Lady have tagged me! I need to work on getting harder to catch ;-)

OK, here are 7 more random/weird things about myself. I'm not tagging anyone else this time since nearly everyone seems to have been tagged recently already. If you wanna play, consider yourself tagged.

1. I remember countless useful numbers largely by muscle memory, e.g., how my fingers move on a keyboard, the same way I remembered music when playing piano.

2. On average, I watch probably no more than an hour of TV shows a week. For many years, I never even plugged my TV in.

3. It took me nearly 2 years to get used to the idea of having a cell phone. If I remembered to bring it, I often forgot I had one and wondered whose phone was ringing. Doh!

4. Despite being a math major in college and a Type-A person, I find it a chore to keep track of my workouts and have little desire to analyze day-to-day performance data.

5. The heaviest I've ever weighed is 130# C&S (clothes & shoes on) at a doctor's office. At my 1/2 iron events, I've weighed in at 120-125# C&S. I can fluctuate +/- 5# pretty easily and don't usually weigh myself at home unless I feel unwell.

6. I've never eaten a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

7. The only diapers I've ever changed are those of my dad when he was dying of cancer. He passed away at age 64 and perhaps the most valuable lesson he ever taught me was that life is short.

Happy Leap Day Everyone!!

PS - Today is the last day to vote for one of the 4 final contestants in the Evotri contest. If you haven't yet done so, please vote by 11:59pm PST.

Evotri Blooper Reel!

My lovable Sis, Jade Lady, has gone dumpster diving on her Mac and created a blooper reel of my Evotri video. Enjoy a laugh on me. It's quite painful!

Ho Ho Ho! A Christmas Meme

Growing up in a Buddhist family, Christmas was something we celebrated just to go along with everyone else. My parents put up a tree and decorations and wrapped gifts for us when we were little, but by the time we were teenagers, we were often just given cash to buy our own gifts (less work, less fuss, wrapping optional). And as we got older, the tree and decorations came out less and less.

Then I married Dave, who used to have "BAH HUMBUG" strung across his office doorway at Xmas. I decided I'd better take charge before it became just another day!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Neither, most of our gifts are shipped/given directly unwrapped (but usually in a box or envelope) or sent via email.
2. Real tree or artificial? N/A
3. When do you put up your tree? N/A
4. When do you take down your tree? N/A
5. Do you like eggnog? Nope. Eggs, milk and me don't mix.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Not sure, but I remember having a blast playing with a Hot Wheels set one Xmas. Or was it my brother's?
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Not that I know of.
8. Hardest person to buy for? No one. Everyone we know loves gift cards.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Moi :-)
10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? I once got a coconut bra and grass skirt at a Secret Santa gift exchange. At the time, it seemed pretty useless.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. It's tradition.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Die Hard. Yes, it qualifies. Yippy-ki-yay!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever the right gift comes to mind but usually when I have a deadline to meet.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Recycling is good.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sees Candy if I'm lucky to get any.
16. White or colored lights? N/A
17. Favorite Christmas song? Snoopy's Theme. It's not really a Xmas song but it reminds me of the Peanuts show I used to watch as a kid around Xmas.
18. Traveling for Christmas or stay home? Usually we travel and often to get out of having to go elsewhere.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Umm ...
20. Angel or Star on top of tree? N/A
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People getting stressed over it.
23. What I love most about Christmas? Dave takes some time off from work.

And to keep things mellow, I'm not tagging anyone else but feel free to do one if you want. That's what I did :-)

PS - The poll below will stay open until I figure out how to close it.

Crazy Cycling

No, it's not my next bike but I just had to share.

And what's even more odd is that this black and white photo was at Running Funky amidst all that bright colored stuff below.

Weird.

Run Fun

OK, obviously, I'm having some after-effects from running the Las Vegas Marathon. Namely, the desire to have more fun by wearing fun things while racing.

But perhaps also to go faster too. I mean, Sweet Baboo destroyed his previous marathon PR by 50 minutes(!!!) running a 3:56 at Vegas while dressed as Elvis. INCREDIBLE.

And being only about 5'3", Dave has always told me to wear bright colors during a race so he could spot me easier. But now it seems that many are doing the same so seeing a person wearing yellow, red or orange is not as unusual as it used to be.

This calls for drastic measures, Running Funky measures, which, BTW, also does custom orders. More fun!!

Splish Splash

Bree mentioned a company called Splish that makes cool swimsuits. I thought this one might be good for me since I've improved this year but still have got a long way to go.

Here's the idea behind it: Turtles are really quite speedy. I mean, if you look at the sloth, which moves at 4 inches an hour, I'd say the turtle is basically a rocket ...

I like the idea of being a rocket, if only to a few :-)


Some of the suits are pretty funny like this one. Can you imagine some guy wearing this? If I didn't drown from swallowing so much water laughing, I'd probably have to get out of the pool before I peed in it.

There was no description or explanation provided. Maybe it's something like: Wear this to discourage your competition from drafting behind you or even getting into the pool with you. By default, you'll be a winner.

And you can also design your own custom swimsuit too. How fun!

10 Reasons to Love Family Thanksgivings

10. While cleaning I found some things that I had lost.
9. It's not just me who got up early for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner workout.



8. We all came home hungry. (The kids ran a 5K, I ran a 10-miler, Dave rode 50 miles home from the race.)



7. Everyone knows I don't cook often so I got lots of help in the kitchen.
6. We found out our stove still works.



5. It was a good chance to see who's still alive and healthy.
4. I got a new family photo for my blog. (Couples L to R: Dave's mom & dad, Dave's sister & husband, me & Dave, daughter & husband)



3. We saved on shipping by giving Xmas gifts early.
2. It was a great excuse to go see the Blue Man Group.



1. I got a cool t-shirt from my mother-in-law!

Meme, Say What???

Lisa, who recently completed her first marathon and is an awesome graphics designer, tagged me to do a meme.

What's that, you say?

As near as I can tell, it's a fun chain-letter like way of getting to know others better and making new friends. But don't ask me why they call it a meme.

Fortunately, this one does not ask you to provide as much details about yourself as I've seen on some blogs. Here are the basic rules for this meme (cutting and pasting from Lisa's blog):

• Link to your tagger, and post these rules on your blog.
• Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 5 people at the end of your post by their names and links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

My 5 facts:

1. Orlando is the furthest inland I've ever lived for any length of time (about an hour from the Atlantic Ocean). Other places include the S.F. Bay Area, San Diego and Monterey, CA.

2. I have a masters degree in Oceanography but am very prone to motion/sea sickness and until very recently did not even like swimming. I was into the physics and computer modeling side of things.

3. I used to play piano competitively until I was 16 (started around age 7) and enjoy dabbling in drawing, painting and computer graphics (photo above: my electric piano, painted wine glass, fish and flower murals, tri t-shirt graphic). There just never seems to be enough time to do all my hobbies.

4. My wedding was pretty weird. Dave and I got married on top of the Naval Postgraduate School building where we met and both worked. I selected the music: Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries as the processional and Star War's The Throne Room as the recessional. Dave made our wedding cake.

5. I was a 2004 Balance Bar Grant recipient and appeared in the May 2005 issue of Runner's World for my crazy 21 Run Salute campaign in which I ran 21 marathons in 9 months to raise $21K for families of fallen service members and to support our troops. Now I'm just a slacker (but keeping it fun). Added: Fundraising is one of the hardest things I've ever done!

Lastly, I'm tagging the following five fantastic females:

MarathonChris - marathoner and master of juggling 20 things at once!
Christina - my cute little niece who's always on the go!
Molly - a fleet-footed, four-footed female with her own blog!
Petra - marathoner and an Alicia Silverstone look-a-like!
Bree - super mom and a sub-10 2007 Kona Ironman finisher!

GO GIRLS!!!