the rage week 11 recap.

so i know this is a week late, but i couldnt leave you hanging on the last week of my training! it was all about taper and hopefully calming the nerves i had. i pretend like that worked, the nerves part at least did not. but taper week also means carbload!! hands down the best part of the week:)

sunday~rest.
rest

coming back from phoenix didnt exaclty give me my normal rest day, but spending time with friends was perfect!

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles = 44:18 minutes/9:23 min/mile

last group of the my training cycle and it felt good. derrick and i talked mostly gear and timing. soooo glad i had someone to help talk me through it. the weather was a little warm, but cooler than the week before so i couldnt complain too much. last run of the cycle complete!

monday night crew!
a big group, at least for us :)

tuesday~1000m swim.

1000m swim = 56:19 pace

the pool was pretty busy, but not nearly as bad as last week. i felt good and strong, less nervous at least for the day about everything. and i am officially done with swimming! like forever if i wanted. it is a really good workout so i might work laps into another training schedule down the road.

wednesday~15 miles bike.
13.75 mi bike = 1:03:55 minutes/12.9mph
2.03 mi run = 17:32 minutes/8:38 min/mile

i had a plan, but ran out of time a little bit with the my friend the wind at least. the weather kept telling me it wouldnt happen until later but of course it just does what it wants. i kept going anyway and even played a little bit with the gears to try new things. i realize why your not supposed to do that the week of a race, you want to try it then, but what if it doesnt work.
i hadnt done the bike to run thing in awhile and needed to remind my body how to do that. so i hopped off the bike a little early and added a little 2 miler which felt good. i always think i am going as slow as molases and then when i finally do look down im actually going at a decent pace. must remember to give myself some credit.

thursday~rest.
rest

I AM OFFICIALLY DONE with training. and it feels good. i have done all that i can, and must rest up/carb up until race day. :)

friday~rest.
rest

i gladly took friday off to sleep in a bit and just hang out for the day. plus it was a chance to go to packet pick up and i actually ran into my friend teri there! i was so glad to have someone that was just as freaked out as i was to do this crazy thing and have another person i would know there.



bib #463.

 saturday~RACE DAY.
1500m swim = 1:01:00 minutes/65:26 pace
24.8mi bike = 2:36:58 minutes/9.5mph
6.2mi run = 1:25:34 minutes/13:46 min/mile

i made it. i finished. i am officially a triathlete. 5:14:31 finish time.
it was a super hot day and it all seemed to fly by now thinking about it. the race company was awesome, so athlete friendly, and plenty of water/food. read the whole recap here!

total for the week=2500m swam+38.55mi bike+8.23mi run

its a little hard to believe its all over and i really finished. a little surreal it all actually happened. my cycling and swimming career are gladly finished and my running spirit has been renewed! i cant wait to see whats next :)

0 days to the rage triathlon!!

the april foodie penpal.

since i had such a fun time particpating in my 1st foodie penpal in march i immediately signed up for april to get a new pal right away! shopping for someone you dont know has some sort of mystery, plus the excitement of getting a package is so much fun! this month i was paired up with susan to send and erin to recieve. lindsay at the lean green bean has graciously taken on the task of pairing everyone up and helping all particpants along throughout the month! if you havent heard of this fun exchange, here are the guidelines:

*each month you are paired up with a new blogger or reader in a different part of the country.

*on the 5th of each month you will receive your penpal and have 48 hours to contact them.

*now who you send to will be sending to someone else, so it is almost a pay it forward thing!

*there is a $15 limit on the package you send and it is filled with all your favorite things. local favorites, healthy or splurge snacks. emails are exchanged to find out about dietary restrictions (diabetic, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) and if there is anything you just plain dont like. it may be 1 large item or a few small items, up to the sender. and away you go!

*you must also include something written like a note or card or recipe, its up to you.

*by the 15th of the month you must drop it in the mail and at the end of the month everyone posts on the same day!

 

my apartment complex held my box partially hostage again, mostly because we were out of town, i was super excited to get to it and it even came the week of my race. i pretty much tore into as soon as i could to find it full of goodies and new things i had never heard of!



yum, yum, yum!

the peanut m&ms actually might have made me whoop out loud, especially since they were easter themed :) there were also some russell stover eggs filled with peanut butter and marshmellow which are the perfect easter goodies. the pear fruit butter was something different and i believe local to erin, i am all about new! it is delicious on a bagel :) there was also a local candie called gardners that milk chocolatey cripies and erins favorite treat. plus macademia nut cookies and a box of ferro rocher. i think my penpals are getting that i have a major sweet tooth! :)

 

to top off the box was a very cute card wishing me the best and the perfect hand written piece to top off the whole package! erin really took great time to get to know me through my blog and care to put this box together. seriously if you are not participating, you should be! its so fun :) just head to this page to sign up!

 

 

im a triathlete!!

saturday, april 21st, 2012 i participated in the hardest thing i have ever done in my whole life, a triathlon. now most of you have been avid readers for awhile but if you havent catch up on the back story here. i have been preparing and training for weeks but the day seemed to come all too quickly. wednesday i went to sport chalet to rent my wetsuit, thursday i dropped off the bike at the bike shop for a tune up, friday i took off from work to get some extra sleep and pick up my packet. i figured that the whole event would take right about 4 hours based off my dress rehersal a few weeks ago. my family, richard, a few friends, and i had worked out timing details plus what everyone was bringing, everything was ready.

after picking up my packet i started to get really nervous! i ran into 1 of the girls that runs in our group but hadnt seen in awhile since she was running on the other side of town now. i was so super excited to run into someone i knew that was equally as nervous! as i got home that night for my last minute packing and laundry the butterflies in my stomach were getting bigger and bigger, so much that i almost wanted to throw up so they would go away. i finally calmed myself down enough for a few hours of good sleep and a few more of not so good before the 415a alarm.

now its really for real.

they aged me a year!

richard and i were on the road to boulder beach right on time saturday morning. he had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep but was right there with me asking how i was and making sure we had everything. we got there in plenty of time to set up my transition area and wait for my family a little while later. i made the bathroom stop and watched the half triathlon people start their swim. soon everyone started arriving and i needed to get in the wetsuit and head into the water. it was now or never, i couldnt be anymore ready it was time to go. i was super nervous again and getting really warm, it was planning to get close to 95* that day. i hugged my family and ellen who had arrived then and went in the water to get ready plus listen to the course.

set up and ready to go!

my mom employed her kids to help her make signs!

the gun went off not soon after and i hung in the back to let all the fasties go 1st. there was another girl who seemed to be in the same position so we swam together for a bit. for some reason i just could not get my form together. couldnt put my face in the water successfully and breathe right. soon the wave after us was coming and i needed to speed up or move. luckily they were the last wave so once they passed i was open. very quickly though i realized i was in the back, not where i was hoping for. i saw a girl out of the corner of my eye swimming backstroke and figured that had to be easier, turns out it was! the guys in kayak came over to check on me once or twice and 1 ended up sticking with me to direct me all the way in. it was the longest swim of my whole life and i could not wait to get it over with. the guys kept telling me i was doing great and i asked them just to let me finish, he told me i was doing fine and i would if i just kept going. i have never been so excited to see a boat ramp in my whole life after i rounded that last buoy! i could hear and see my family and friends waiting for me and i tried to shuffle out of the water as fast as possible.

holy crap, i actually made it!

my dad got to me 1st to check on me and i think there might have even been a tear underneath those sunglasses that i was finished:) sandy had arrived and told me i did great and she would see me later that night. richard was right behind me too giving me perfect encouragement! i got into the transition area to head up a huge hill to my bike. richard was right outside the gate directing me, telling me to follow him because he knew exactly where i needed to go. he led me right to everything and i changed as fast as possible. my family kept checking on me and made sure i was feeling ok. i was so excited to get out of the wetsuit and into regular clothes i just wanted to go.

he was there every step of the way :)

soon i was off, up the hill and onto the bike course. there were people who were literally already finished with the whole race and i was just starting the bike. i knew i would be toward the end, but just didnt think i would be that far. i was the 2nd to last person out of the water after all. the bike started out with fairly rolling hills plus i was able to see everyone coming back. i even passed my running partner derrick! i got close to the turnaround point and actually had to get off and walk for a few minutes. it was soooo hot out there with no shade, i had to push myself reasonably. as i was headed up the hill a car passed me and yelled out "quitter" as i was walking. i tried to not let it get to me since i was just under halfway! i saw the turnaround point and they marked me off the list after making sure i was feeling ok. there were a few ambulances circling the course and an official race vehicle out there to make sure all the athletes were safe. i headed back to the start line determined! i did have 1 point where i needed to walk again because the hills out there were kicking my butt. soon i got to the 5 miles left mark and knew there was a water station i could rehydrate. my water bottle was getting low and i knew i needed at least a little bit of gatorade to replenish. just when i was about to leave another girl on the half course came behind me and asked what time it was. the girls told us 1125a and i was in total shock! i thought it would take about 2 hours, but we were getting close to the cutoff. i climbed back on the bike and tried to zoom those last 5 miles as fast as possible.

i turned down the corner heading into the transition area to be greeted by my family! it was sooo what i needed at that point and they followed next to me as i dismounted and hung up my bike. apparently i had freaked them all out quite a bit in taking much longer than i thought. richard guided me right back to my area and i ran into derrick again! my family got to meet him and i knew all i had left was the run. it was a loop and then an out and back, plus there were water stations every mile so i just needed to count them off. my family checked on me again as i put on my running skirt to take off. i felt good and was sooo excited to just run. my head was totally all for it, my body was a bit more rebellious. it was tired and hot, and i know it just wanted to be done.

finally, my true love!

i started out strong and knew my limits right away. i went around the first loop, through the water station when the inside of my knee got so tight i almost cried. so i walked for a few minutes and stretched it out, luckily it felt better quickly. as i headed up the hill i saw my dad and richard waiting for me! they were cheering and even caught my inhaler when i ran by pumping my arms. my mom and cousin bethany were just a ways up the hill and my mom walked with me for a few minutes. she did the mom thing and checked on me to make sure i wasnt pushing too hard. i felt good and passed the sprint course turnaround, i knew that meant i was only 1.5 miles till my turnaround. the sun was blazing at this point and i walked whenever my body wanted. i stopped at every water station and the volunteers were so nice!

yay, family!

as i hit the turnaround i knew i only had 3 more miles, i could do this. as i headed away from the sun and a little bit downhill my body and i started making deals. like i would never do this again to it. and we could eat as much food as we wanted if i could just cross the finish line. and i would promise to go stand in the lake before i left if i could just get across the line. soon i was rounding the corner and saw my family again! my mom jogged a bit with me and richard and my dad where there cheering the whole way. i kept pushing that last mile and thinking this is the longest mile i have ever seen in my whole life. i even had to walk just a little bit more as i rounded the last corner to the finish line.

im so close to done! is it over?

richards sooo cute sign :)

I MADE IT!!

let me tell you that crossing the line never tasted sooo good! i had made it:) i was immediately engulfed in a tent with cold water/gatorade/food, my finishers medal, and a sopping wet cold towel to drape on my neck. my family was standing at the end of the tent cheering with signs and huge grins waiting for me! they hugged and we all cheered together:) it was a moment i will never forget! i grabbed some more water and we headed straight to the lake. they had been out there forever so i knew they were roasting just as much as i was. it felt sooooo good to be in the cold water after the hot, hot heat. we all just stood there for a minute recounting the day. when we had enough we headed up the hill to grab my stuff and get the heck out of there.

my amazing cheering squad!!

we went to one of my favorite places for breakfast after, the cracked egg. i was sooo hungry i didnt even have time to take a picture of my food or the group, ha! it was so great to tell them all about the race and to know i was done. and a triathlete! my parents even brought in a gift from the car, the most coveted running device ever...a garmin!!! i had my eyes on one for months now but had too many expenses come my way to just break down and do it. it was a huge surprise!! they were so proud, it was the best :)

i swam 1500 meters
i biked 24.8 miles
i ran 6.2 miles

the shower i took soon after felt fantastic and i noticed the beginnings of a few sunburns. the nap i took after that though, felt even better. seriously, post-race naps are the best thing ever! that night i went to dinner with a few friends at the firefly that had just opened near us the day before. it was small, fun, and exactly the kind of celebration i was looking for, with those that supported me the most next to my family:)

i woke up sunday morning expecting to be so much more sore than i actually was. except for the sunburn. holy crap it had really set in on my back in the outline of my racerback tank and on the tops of my hands. i laid there for a few minutes almost in disbelief it had all really happened the day before. i found out my times before i went to bed and came in at 5:14:31. not the time i was quite looking for, but i had finished. and in one piece! it was almost an unreal feeling. thank you to everyone for the support! i truly found out the ones who believe in me through this process and am so grateful for every kind and encouraging word they gave:)

im a triathlete!

the phoenix wedding reception.

last friday richard and i headed to the airport early to fly to phoenix for one of my college roommates wedding reception. kristin and her now husband had been married 3 weeks earlier in hawaii with just a few close family and friends, so now they returned meaning it was time to celebrate! we were both super excited to get out of town and be with some of the people we love the most. it turns out that now my best friend and richards best friend now live in phoenix as well so we would be surrounded with great people all weekend. 

my best jessica picked us up at the airport in mesa friday late morning. we flew allegiant air which meant we were headed to a tiny airport on the outskirts. note to everyone, do not ever fly allegiant unless you have to! they have terrible customer service, tons and tons of fees, and that $25 flight they tell you it is will be $130 by the time youre finished. anyway jessica collected us and we immediately headed to my favorite place from college, oreganos! seriously, its like an institution in flagstaff and they have a few in phoenix which meant that was the 1st place we went to for lunch. it was just as delicious and amazing as we remembered! 

alfredo the dark!

afterward we hung around downtown tempe and mill avenue then headed to a bar to watch the suns basketball game. we stopped in a candy store and bought bertie bots to try and gross each other out with jelly beans that tasted like dirt and earwax! it was great to walk around and just hang out with jessica. that evening we headed back to mill avenue with some of jessicas friends to celebrate her birthday that was actually the day before. since graduating college we havent seemed to be in the same place for each others birthday, so of course we had to celebrate. that night richards best friends mike and lora also got to join us! it was seriously fun night:)

happy birthday to my spouse!

cute, cute!

my love.

saturday morning i woke up and got a few miles in before everyone was up. we met jessicas family at a great mexican restaurant not long after for her birthday lunch at a great mexican restaurant. i hadnt seen her family in quite awhile so it was fun to see them again :) afterward we headed to a huge mall nearby to just walk around for a bit. we had such a huge laugh in 1 of the accessory stores where jessica and i, even richard tried on ridiculous headpieces and funny headbands. we may have spent a little too much time there because after grabbing richard wayyy too much chick-fil-a we were a bit short on time to change and get to the reception on time. 

we arrived maybe a couple minutes late, but luckily it didnt officially start for a bit after 5p. none of us were exactly sure how the night would go, i had never been to only a reception before so i was interested to see the whole evening. kristin had made the best guest book i have ever seen and something that was sooo her. she and sean were dressed party clothes and were walking around to greet everyone:) there werent assigned seats so we could sit where we liked and watch all the people come in. they started with a fun game to get everyone going and get the order of tables going to eat where a member from each table had to grab something from the audience like a salt shaker or a mans tie. each time the participants went to grab something a chair was taken away so in the end there was only 2 left. jessica was our representative and lasted a few rounds, but not quite to the end. 

the super cute guestbook!
each person gave a thumbprint to look like a balloon
all to follow the volkswagen:)

dinner was delicious plus we got to see the bride and groom of course. the mood of the whole evening was light and airy plus everyone seemed to have a really good time. dancing soon began which of course always a good idea. we all joined in and danced the night away bringing back lots of college memories:) on our way home we decided to go see american reunion, omg hilarious! it was great to be with 2 of my favorite people to see such a hysterical movie. 

the first dance :)

roomies!

photobomb.

sean, our honorary roomie, hehe.

my date:)

more photobombs, ha!

too cute!

the next morning we met mike and lora for breakfast at the waffle house! it was sooo good and we got to spend time with everyone. we headed back to mike and loras after to spend the afternoon with mike while lora went to work. although we didnt really much, if anything at all, it was sooo great to just hang out. all to soon we had to head to the airport to come home. this weekend was so many things for both of us. spending time with such great friends made both richard and i remember to always make time for the ones we love the most:)

phoenix friends = best friends!

the english wedding.

as amazing as the entire england trip was, we were actually there for a real purpose, a wedding! one of my best friends nate was getting married to an amazing girl named katie he met while studying for his masters at durham university. i had met her for a few hours when they came through las vegas about 2 years ago and knew they would be great together! soon enough we were all across the pond for the big day.

the bus came to pick us all up from st johns at 1130a to be to the church on time for a 1230p service. it was actually almost warm during the day and the sun was trying its hardest to poke through for a beautiful day. we arrived a bit early and were able to score great seats, i sat with alyses family! nate had taken his rightful place up front and looked cool as a cucumber. when they handed out the orders of service soon after we got our 1st clue this whole day was going to be quite a bit different than we were used to. it began with the bride walking down 1st and the bridesmaids after. katies dress was beautiful and it fit her perfectly:) after the vows there was actually a full sermon complete with hyms. the service was very thoughtful and the hyms went very well together with it (despite the wanna-be opera singer behind us who kept cracking me up, ha!). afterward the bride and groom walked down the aisle hand in hand to there new life. we werent allowed to take pictures during the ceremony, but i of course snuck a few.

theyre married!

once exiting the church i was super surprised to see the bride and groom outside talking to people! some of the boys had given us confetti as we left so i figured we would do that and be on our way. oh no. we did the confetti (which was soo pretty and fun) and then bride and groom mingled with everyone and took pictures with the guests. after hanging out for awhile the wedding photographer started with the official pictures, while we were all still there. it was a little weird, i wont lie. finally it was time to head to the hotel for the reception. we were super hoping for some food because it was almost 3p by the time we got there and we hadnt eaten anything since breakfast at 9a.

the families!

the whole wedding party!

there was full open bar at the hotel for cocktail hour with a super fun punch that was very citrusy and fun. we got the brilliant idea to start adding a shot of malibu to the punch which made it taste even smoother so we proceeded to suck it down like water. there were a few very cute appetizers floating around, a beef and potato puff pastry and a small pancake with a mango sauce and fruit to top. they were both delicios, but after about 2 hours we were starving! the bride and groom had arrived in their very fun car to mingle and take photos on the beautiful grounds, which meant more appetizers and drinks. once inside we formed a receiving line to make our way into the ballroom. that meant chatting with the brides parents, the grooms parents, and the newlyweds. about 45 minutes later we were finally through and able to see the beautiful room that was soo bright and airy.

alyses family!

nate and i :)

i got to sit with most of nates family that i had spent the week with so we chatted away and waited for the food. we discussed the differences in an english wedding and even met katies brother and his wife! the food arrived a bit later after everyone had sat down, starting with potato leek soup. i wont lie, i was a little leary because i had never tried it, seriously sooo good! light even so it didnt fill you up. next was the main course, a full pot roast dinner! complete with popovers, delicious veggies, an amazing potato thing, and of course the beef which was sooo good. we dove right in and im pretty sure i wiped my plate clean :) afterward there was dessert, not cake, full blown dessert. im not exactly sure what it was, but man it was good! then tea and coffee to top it all off. now i should have been stuffed but instead, nicely full. now in america the bride and groom always mingle during dinner, in the uk not at all. everyone sat firmly in their seats until we were all done. afterward they did speeches and cut the cake. then there was a whole second part we had no idea about!

her dad made a beautiful speech.

their speech was so full of love!

yay cake:)

 

we were cleared back into the cocktail area and found out they were changing the room around. now by this time it was about 8p and the bus we found out was actually going to return at 1130p. we had no idea english weddings were this long! once the ballroom was ready we returned to find a disco, haha! and there was a buffet line set up for more food, im not kidding. it was about this time though (830ish) alyses family and i decided we were going to call a cab to take us back a little earlier since we all flew out the next day super early, hadnt packed, and found out it was daylight savings time so they sprung forward! soon the bride and groom came in to do the 1st dance and it was just beautiful to watch them so in love:) 

the 1st dance as husband and wife!

for some reason at this point we actually decided we were hungry. so we would stay for the food and to try catching the bouquet. the buffet was mostly appetizers and cake! the cake was delicious as was everything else that day. we headed out soon after, probably around 930p back to the hotel. we were exhausted! these english weddings are like marathons. and apparently they are all just like it! 

the next morning i headed to the airport to begin my long journey home. i was very excited to see richard and sleep in my own bed. as well as not be cold every i went to use the bathroom and have some american food. but i love england, i would really move if i could. i got to know katie sooo much more and can not believe how either one of them were so amazingly calm all week with the craziness of that many people plus a wedding. i had an absolute blast that week. and i would not have been anywhere else but at that wedding to celebrate their love. i was able to not think about anything and purely enjoy the fantastic people i got to know and celebrate an amazing couple take the next step in their lives:) 

nate and katie
march 24th, 2012