In the wee small hours of the morning....

The heat and humidity have me rising *MUCH* earlier than I could ever possibly imagine in order to get my daily runs in. As I slipped into my running shoes this morning, pre-sunrise, I wondered how Wallace and Grommette could possibly be wide-awake and excited at the fact that I was already downstairs.

My iPOD Nano and I stepped out the door into the 70F degree heat and low humidity and off we went for a 5K run.

My neighborhood is very quite at 5AM...but by the time I reached the bottom of my climb home, at mile 2.8 - there were already so many cars rolling down the streets. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. There is not much quiet time here in the hubub of the Nation's Capitol, even in the suburbs...

Still, now it is 95F and they are predicting thunderstorms for the evening, so I made the right choice.

Too bad my body keeps insisting I rest my head on my desk for a few moments, inspite of the fact that I am *at work*...

My thoughts: 5AM IS STILL TOO EARLY but I guess it beats running in the heat of the day! Maybe I should reconsider that 5AM masters swim group at the gym...

Life is Good...Live STRONG!

Back at it...

Oh. Rest. Days. How. I. Love. Thee.

I took the week after Eaglamn off! I did a run and a bike and that was it! It was glorious and relaxing...

Then I pulled myself up by the shoelaces and acknowledged that my LiveSTRONG Challenge Century (Donate here!) is in 9 weeks and the Marine Corps Marathon is just 16 weeks away!

19 miles logged last week with a 30 mile bike thrown in there for fun! Now this week, to get back in the pool at least once a week so that the swim at the Danskin Triathlon in July isn't too much of a shock to my system.

Who me? Busy? Nah... just doing some LIVING!

Life is Good, Live STRONG! Have a great day!

Eagleman Weekend - Video!

While my sister Heather and Rowen were here for the weekend, Heather ran the Lawyers have Heart 10K in Georgetown on Saturday morning. Rowen and I did the 3K family walk since Sunday was a long race day for me. There were 4,500 runners just in the 10K! Heather finished in 51:20, a nice easy relaxed pace for my speedy sister! That pace had her 187 out of 1276 females, 90/601 in her age group (25-29 female). Needless to say, Heather and I always have the front and the back of the pack covered when we go to races together! Keeping it in the family!

She also managed to put together a great Eagleman Video for me! My sister ROCKS!

FUNNY NOTE: As I head into the swim, you will hear a man say "Face in the Water..." That is Jim and that is my swim "mantra" that he is saying! It means "Get your face in the water and keep it there!! SWIM WOMAN SWIM!" I need my occasional reminders....



More pictures from the weekend later...Enjoy the Video!

Life is Good! Live STRONG!

Race Report: Eagleman Ironman 70.3

First and foremost, before I get into this race report, I have to say that there is no way that I could have brought myself back to my current fitness level, in spite of my weight gain, were it not for the physical and emotional support from my boyfriend Jim, my coach Graham, my immediate family and my GWO Gals! Having Jim, my sister Heather and nephew Rowen with my on race day to cheer me on and wait at the finish line, always gave me something to look forward too. I met so many great new people and really enjoyed looking for my good friend Nancy out on the course. Her comments to me on the run, "You are not alone, we are all out here on this course with you" are words that I will take with me to every race and every challenge from this day forward.

My accomplishments mean little to me if I can share them with the people that I love and care about...

As many of you already know, I have "Ironman Dreams." I dream of someday going the full *IRONMAN* distance in triathlon of 140.6 miles. My inspiration for being an Ironman comes from many different places ... a desire to challenge myself beyond my known limits, the known adrenaline rush that follows endurance events, the well being and fitness that accompanies the *triathlon lifestyle* and the inspiring stories of other who have overcome challenges to become an IRONMEN themselves.

One such inspiring story is that of John Blais, otherwise known as BLAZEMAN. I first heard John's story, as most triathletes have, during the 2005 NBC coverage of IRONMAN HAWAII. In October 2005, five months after his diagnosis, he became the first ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - also know as Lou Gehrig's Disease) patient to race and finish the World Championship Ford Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

Hearing John's story, at a time when I myself was about 7 months out from my own diagnosis of Malignant Melanoma and in the midst of treatment and getting ready for the Marine Corps Marathon, I felt an instant connection with this man. Both of us were triathletes, both of us were young adults in our early 30s and both of us were facing diseases that have no known cure and grim long-term prognosis.

Last year, in 2006, John returned to Hawaii to watch the race in his wheelchair as triathlete Brian Breen raced on Jon's behalf to continue the cause, finishing as Jon did the year before by rolling across the finish line. On May 27, 2007, just 2 weeks prior to the Eagleman Ironman 70.3 race, John passed away from ALS and the race director announced that Eagleman Ironman 70.3, which was already raising money to benefit John's ALS Warrior's Challenge, would be dedicated to the memory of John.

Eagleman Ironman 70.3 would be my first time back to the half Ironman distance since 2003. My first half Ironman since my cancer diagnosis and looked to be a long, long day. I wondered how this day was going to feel. I recalled racing my first half Ironman in 2003. My finish was slow - 8:01 and I crossed the finish line completely spent - knowing I had a long way to go in my quest for IRONMAN glory...but I had no idea just how twisty that road to Ironman would be....

So race morning dawned breezey and a little cooler than expected but compared to what I heard about last year swim start, the water was calm. The pros started at 6:45 and the race director noted the rays of light in a parting of the clouds and told us "I think that is Blazeman watching over you!" At about 7:55, I kissed Jim, Heather and Rowen "Goodbye" and got into the corral with the other yellow caps and got ready to start my day....

Pre-Swim Smiles

SWIM - 1.2 miles: 1:04:04

The swim is my weakest event. I have improved tremendously over the last 2 years, overcoming some serious panic issues but I am still slow and have some trouble swimming in a straight line. It seemed that the current for the 8:03 Women's wave had shifted some and I found myself pushed to the right some and worked hard to get to the turn buoys. I was all over the place but just kept doing my "20 stokes then sight" routine. I finally got the turn buoy and there was a current shift and now I was being pushed to the left, inside the buoy line that I was supposed to be swimming to the left of...ARRGG!! I just kept doing my thing and avoided peaking at my watch, hoping that I still had time. The swim cutoff was 1:10 from the start of your wave, I gave in at the last yellow buoy and peaked. 51 minutes. I had some time and I looked to the horizon and saw a break in the clouds with sun shining down and thought "Blazeman if you are out here, watch over me, I just need to get on the bike..." and I put my head down and swam for all I was worth, crossing the T1 mat with 6 minutes to spare....

Look Ma! I got some form!

Out of the water....

T1: 5:38

Jim, Heather and Rowen were right there as I crossed the timing mat in to the long run to Transition One. I got a high five and "We love you! Go Holly" and I jogged over to my bike Sunshine. The transition was a little long but I took the time to put on a second pair of bike shorts over my TRI shorts with a thicker pad. That was worth an extra minute!

...and onto the bike

BIKE - 56 miles: 4:01:14 (avg pace: 14 mph)

My bike was wonderful. Coach Graham had specific instructions that I was not to push on the bike (which is my strength) but to maintain a steady pace and save my efforts for the run. I did my best to keep it free and easy. Even after my long swim, there were at least 5 folks that passed me between miles 15-25 of the bike. Being passed was slightly frustrating because by mile 30, I became the "Last Bike on the Course". This was some place new for me but I knew I could keep a steady pace and come in under the Bike Cutoff of 5:30 on the race clock so I tried not to let the title of "Last Bike" bother me too much.

I was also pretty confident that I would pass one or two people in the last 10 miles. I may not be speedy but I am a consistent pacer on my bike and I was sure that there would be racers out there that would burn up near the end of the 56 mile ride. Sure enough, around mile 40, I passed the first of two men, both my age,(36) and officially dropped my "last bike on the course" title and then I hit the headwinds and I literally said, out loud to nobody," Could you cut me a break here?"

I think in that moment, somebody heard me because as I rounded a turn, I looked up to see a beautiful eagle, playing in the wind currents less than 20 feet to my right. The eagle swooped along to my right and crossed in front of me twice, always headed down the road in the direction of the finish. Coincidence, maybe, but at that moment, my thoughts went to what the race director said about "Blazeman watching over us today" and I thought for sure that his Ironman spirit was right there with me, encouraging me down the road and onto my run. At the moment, I made up my mind that I was going to "barrel roll" across the Finish Line, within the official cutoff - as a tribute to John's life and his Ironman spirit.

T2: 6:27

True to form, my cheering squad was ready and waiting as I pulled up to the dismount line for the bike. More "We love You! and "Go Holly!", the perfect way to put a spring in my step and get me moving as I dodge the hundreds of triathetes who were already done for the day and gathering their gear from transition. A stop in the Port-O-Potty made this transition a long one. It didn't feel that long. Not much more to say about this.

Only 13.1 mile left to go!

RUN - 13.1 miles: 3:07:20 (14:18 mile pace)

My instructions from Coach Graham on the run were clear. "Save everything for the run and I want you to push yourself harder than you ever have." That would prove to be the biggest challenge and Coach Graham knew it. I can endure but I often to it by slowing down, instead of pushing myself to see what I really have left. Today I was expected to make that push happen and I knew it would be my greatest challenge.

I started off with a good strong pace. Miles 1 & 2 came at about 12:30 each with walk breaks of less than 30-40 seconds each. I just kept reminding myself that there was no room for walking in a "hard effort." Miles 3 & 4 showed a shift in pace to 13:00 and about that time I passed my good friend Nancy on the course, well on her way to the finish line just past mile 9. Nancy gave me a big high five and a kiss on the cheer and said, "You look strong, you ROCK! Remember Holly, you are not alone, we are all out here on this course with you." Nancy insightful words and that fact that I had just passed a gentleman with a walkie-talkie, who asked me "Are you the last runner on the course?" combined to bring a swell of emotion that I wasn't expecting and as I moved on the down the road alone, I began to cry. It is worth noting that crying and running do not really mix well, since running requires breathing so I pretty quickly took a little walk break and simply told myself to save it for the finish line.

Miles 5 & 6 were lonely, the majority of the triathletes on the course were well on their way to the finish line and I only saw a handful of runners coming back from the turn around. My pace continued to slow to an average of 13:30 - 14:00 per mile with longer walk breaks. At this point, I realized that I was at a crossroads. I could not allow my pace to go any slower than 14:30 and expect to finish within the race cutoff of 8:30:00 so I put all my focus onto running from point to point. There, to that street sign - walk breaks were only long enough to recover, never more than 30-45 seconds before I would pick a new spot.

Just about this time, I reached the 6:55 turn-around and was asked again "Are you the last runner?" This time, I simply said "Yes, I am..." and made my turn around the cones and stopped into the Port-O-Potty for a little break. Coming out of the Port-O-Potty, for the first time, I spied a triathlete up the road ahead of me. walking. My heart went out to him and I thought "He is having a hard time" and then I assessed myself and thought, "Well I can still run/walk, so I guess I better get going..." and I started working to reduce the gap between us. Ever so slowly, I caught up to the triathlete in front of me and with a gentle nod and a "Hi!" I slowly ran past him and moved on. At Mile 7, I officially dropped my title as "Last Runner on the Course" and just kept my focus on keeping my miles under 14:30, picking point after point to run to.

Miles 8 & 9 were more of the same. Pick a point and run there, recover for 30 seconds, pick a new point and run again. As I reached mile 10's rest stop, I was happy to see Orange Juice on the tables, which I happily drank down (such a nice change from water and gatoraide) and I was surprised to see a triathlete pop out of a Port-O-Potty. Being so close and so set on wasting none of the 45 minutes I had left until the official cut-off, I barely said "Hi!" to the fellow triathlete as I passed her by and struggled on down the road. But I could hear her just behind me, at nearly the same pace and as we passed a tent full of Cambridge MultiSport Triathletes, picnicking out on the course, we were both cheered on and she moved ahead to pass me.

As this fellow triathlete passed me, I thought "Wait, NO! I don't want to be alone any more" and I tried desperately to pick up my pace to catch her or at the very least not let her out of my site. She soon took a walk break and that was all I needed to bring myself up to her where I fell into pace beside her and said, "Only two more miles...Thank Gosh" and put on the biggest smile I could. She smile right back and within a minute we were exchanging names and triathlon stories.

Jen from Ottawa, Canada was here doing her first half Ironman race. We talked about triathlons, and racing and having our families waiting at the finish. We instantly bonded and when I told Jen that I *needed* to keep the pace up, to finish in the cutoff, she was right there with me, running point to point.

As we passed the 12 mile marker, we saw a young woman in the distance running with a jog stroller. I told Jenn I was pretty sure that was my sister Heather and nephew Rowen and then just behind them, Jen saw that her husband and 4 year-old daughter were walking up the road as well. We picked a point and jogged until we came to our families, did mini introductions and then with about half a mile to go, we split up. Knowing the finish was just around the bend, I asked Heather to take my water bottle and my left over gels. I told her that I was planning to roll over the finish line to honor John Blais, as I promised myself on my bike ride earlier. She took my gear and ran off to the finish line, so she could be there when I finished.

I continued on at my slow pace and rounded the corner and there it was, the finish line. There were still a handful of people at the finish and they gave me an amazing reception with cheer and high fives. My sister Heather was there with Rowen, videotaping the ending and she said "I love you Holly!" and I told her "I love you too!" Jim was standing just past the finish line, camera in hand, waiting for me to cross.

I ran down the finish chute, stopped before the timing mat and got on my belly, said a quite little "Thank you for watching over me Blazeman" out out loud and rolled across the mat. BEEP

FINISH - 8:24:40

Coming down the finishing chute!

My roll over the finish line - Thank you Blazeman!

Myself and Ironman Finisher and ALS Warrior Brian Breen

POST-RACE: I knew that some folks from BLAZEMAN's ALS Warrior's Challenge were at Eagleman but I figured by the time I crossed the line, most people would have been long gone, so you can imagine my surprise when I was approached right after crossing the finish line by none other than IRONMAN triathlete Brian Breen, who raced for John at Ironman Hawaii in 2006. Brian thanked me for barrel rolling across the line, told me that John's sister, brother-in-law and niece were still here and saw my roll and were very moved. We took a picture together and he gave me his card and said to get in touch and then I had a chance to meet John's Brother-in-Law and Niece on my way to transition. It was a connection that I never anticipated and at that moment, I had no doubt in my mind at all that, on this day, John Blais was most certainly with us all at Eagleman 70.3.

So Eagleman Iroman 70.3 is officially in the record books and I look ahead to continuing my IRONGIRL LiveSTRONG Challenge with the LiveSTRONG Ride, CheasapeakeMan Swim and Marine Corps Marathon later this fall. I have a long. long road ahead of me toward my Ironman dreams, and I have no idea what other twists and turns fate has for me but I do know that we never travel these path's alone. There is always somebody by our side, if we open our hearts and minds to their presence.

In Memory

James Bowdish
Sept 1934 - June 2007

After 3 years of battling stage IV colon cancer, my Uncle Jim passed away. I will always hold his memory deep in my heart. He was my favorite Uncle and I always looked forward to our visits to the farm when I was little because I knew that I would be getting warm hugs and smiles from both of you. I'll never forget those Thanksgivings, being in awe of the pile of food on Uncle Jim's plate and then watching him snore in front of the TV after the meal was done.

For all his "yankee toughness" there was a gentle and loving side to Uncle Jim that was always there. In the way he looked at you and my cousins and in the way he would talk about the farm and take time to show me the new baby chicks and the cats hiding all over the farm. I will miss him very much.

He is survived by 1 brother, his wife Patricia, son's Bruce and Raymond, daughter's Lisa and Tacie, 9 grandchildren and a large extended family on both sides.

He stayed for as long as he could, cancer be damned and he lived STRONG every moment. He will always be in our hearts.

Where does the time go?

There is only one more day of May...There is only one more day of May?!?!

How did that happen? Where was I? Oh yeah, working, racing, walking, taking care of sick kittens and training...

I want to devote an entire post to the Tamika & Friend's Walk to Beat the Clock that I was a part of on Saturday, May 19th - pre-Columbia Triathlon but for now, here is a link to some photos of the event! Special thanks to Jennifer, Kathy and Kent for joining me on Team Fit_Chicks! Heather R. was sick, we missed you Heather! Hope you are feeling better!

Work is busy, between my regular "9-5" and some volunteer graphics that I have been doing, I am easily filling my daily creativity quotas. There are several side projects that have taken a back seat for the time being.

Half of our Bengal Crew: Wallace and Grommette, namely Wallace, took ill last week. Requiring two visits to the vet, antibiotics, little noses nose spray and allot of TLC. He is on the mend, much to Grommette's delight. She has been wearing us out with constant games of *fetch* since Wallace had very little energy to chase around the house with her this weekend. We really had no idea how much they play together on their own until this cold. We're happy Wallace is back to his active, playful self too!

This weekend was special for several reasons. First of all, it is Memorial Day weekend and it is a time to remember and honor those men and women who gave their lives to keep us safe and secure. Secondly this weekend, is the *two-year* anniversary of my mid-way point through the high-dose round of Interferon Therapy that I did in May 2005.

That weekend, I rode my bike 7.47 miles and here is what I had to say about that:

"MON - Bike Picnic with Jim! I was able to ride my bike approximately 7.47 miles and that was as far as I was going! 37 minutes on the Mt. Vernon Trail. To my credit, we started the ride with the last 3 miles "up" to Mt. Vernon. To my dismay at the turn around at Mt. Vernon (after a short incline of less than 200m) I was hanging over my handle bars gasping like I was when I climbed parts of the 8% gradient of Col de la Madeline in the French Alps last year."

So, where am I, two years out from that very day? Well I am about 45 pounds heavier (it's weight, it will come off when I get *serious* about it....) and even so, fitter than ever!

This past Saturday, I rode my bike 70 miles and followed it up on Sunday with a 5 mile run.

I'd say that is a sure sign that right now, I am doing my best, in my own way, to LiveSTRONG!

Now with just 2 weeks left until Eagleman 70.3, the butterfly's are starting to really kick in. I have no grand illusions on how my performance will be on this course. There is simply no way to drag an extra 45 pounds around the course faster than I did when I raced this distance way back in 2003. (Timberman Half Ironman: 8:01 finish time)

My only hope, my GOAL: is simply to finish within all the official cutoff times which translates into an 8:30 finish time.

It will be me, at the back of the pack, all day and I am okay with that because right now, that is the best that I can do.

Then, as summer blooms, I'll shift focus to taking off this weight and them some, training for the LiveSTRONG Challenge, and running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall with my sister Heather.

Race Report: Columbia Triathlon 2007

This was my third time racing the Columbia Triathlon and it was the most fun that I have ever had at a race. It was also, ironically, my slowest race time by about 27 minutes. Lesson Learned: Sometimes *not starting that watch* is the best way to enjoy your race!

HOLLY G. 37
ALEXANDRIA VA

OVERALL: 4:12:35
AG RANK: 96 of 100

SWIM: 43:02 (1500 yards)
T1: 4:45
BIKE: 1:58:23 (41K)
T2: 2:41
RUN: 1:23:47 (10K)

THE REST OF THE STORY (LONG):

Over the last few seasons of triathlon (2003, 2005) including my first race of this season (Kinetic Sprint), I have been struggling with severe panic issues in the open water. I can cover thousands of yard in the pool but in open water, all bets were off when it came time to put my face in the water. This has been a huge problem that needed to be addressed.

Sunday morning at Columbia was full of the usual early morning race prep. I got to the park about 5:50AM and headed over to transition to set up my gear and pump up the bike tires. With *Sunshine* all ready to go and all my shoes and gear in place, I wandered over to the other side of the transition and found Nancy and wished her good luck then headed over to my car to return the floor pump and squeeze and wiggle into my wetsuit in private. I was lucky that the car was parked very close to the swim start.

Then, wet suit in place, I walk down to the swim start to watch the pro-waves and get about a 30 minute warm-up in the water away from the swim start area. I had hardly stepped one foot in Centennial Lake, following another fellow athlete, when a race official came over and stopped us both. He said that they were not allowing athletes in the water until 6 minutes before our wave and warned that if we disregarded that, we could be disqualified.

Well there goes my open water swim warm-up! With nothing else to do but wait an hour for my swim wave to start. I stood near the fence and watch others on their way out for the day. Nancy came by and I shared my encounter with the official so we stood together and watch and waited. Nothing to do but drink some water, eat a Gu and wait.

Nancy suggested, "As soon as you get in the water, swim around as much as you can, keep your face in the water and get to the right, that way you will have a straight line to the first turn." This was excellent advice.

SWIM: 43:02

"PINK WAVE - First Ladies Wave - Let's get in the water! Six minutes to your wave start."

I stayed in the front of the pack of women so I was one of the first 10 ladies in the water. The more time, the better. I stayed away from the women who grouped together, nervously chattering and treading water in one place and I did 3 or 4 laps forward and back along the back of the holding pen. Then I places myself in the middle of the group far to the right and then...5...4...3...2...1

I just put my face in the water and started counting strokes. In an in-water start, there are so many folks trying to get started that is is a mash of hands and feet and bodies. I spent my time focusing on working my away around the other women who were struggling to find a way to start and within a minute I had some clear water and my swim began.

I focused on counting strokes, popping up to sight and, whenever possible, finding other swimmers to follow. I tend to swim to the right (dominant side?) and so I was sighting every 7-10 strokes. Up to the turn around, I had lots of free water around me and I felt like I was making good time. Most often what was going through my head was "1...2...3...4...5...hey I am doing this! ....7...Sight"

At the first turn buoy, I seem to get caught up in the main pack of woman - someplace I have never really ever been! (I have always been in the far back - drooped quickly) and I found that with swimmers around me, I didn't need to sight nearly as much. Pretty quickly we made the next turn for the long haul back up the lake to the finish. It was here that I think, while I was doing a great job of actually swimming, that I was doing a bad job of sighting. I found myself constantly off the right of the main pack which I had quickly learned, makes swimming much harder - drafting in the swim is powerful, once you have gotten a taste of it.

At any rate, I was doing it! I was swimming just like I was supposed to and making progress to that final turn buoy so I kept on counting stroke and sighting and made the turn for shore. At this point, I was pretty much surrounded by orange and white caps (the two waves behind me) so I new I was on of the back of my wave but I was sure I has just did the swim of my life!

Just 100 yards from the shore BOTH my calf's seized in rock solid cramps! I immediately rolled on my back and wiggled my legs, trying to shake the cramps out since I was supposed to stand in less than 2 minutes! The *wiggle* worked and rolled over, did two stokes, felt my hand hit silt and stood up and wobbled over the mat.

I looked to my watch, anxious to see my swim time...and the chrono read 0:00:00

D'OH!!!! I never started my watch!

T1: 4:45

So my watch started at Transition One and boosted by what I felt was my best swim EVER, I jogged up to my bike, methodically took off the wetsuit, put on my bike gear and got on my bike.

BIKE: 1:58:23

The hilly challenging bike course was wet from on & off drizzle that started early in the morning. Each turn, downhill and climb came back to me as I rode the course. Just about mile 13, Nancy and Buttercup, who started 2 waves and 10 minutes behind me, caught me and with a Looking STRONG!" passed me by! I have not been as strong on the bike as I have in the past, but I had a pretty good idea of what I could expect and my goal was to ride the course in under 2 hours. I pulled in to T2 with 1:58 on my bike computer for a pace of 12.9 mph. I was completely satisfied with that time.

T2: 2:41

T2 was deliberate and not as speedy as I hoped. I had some problems keeping my balance and stepping into my running shoes but once they were on, I was jogging out of transition to the port-o-potties just passed the timing matt.

RUN: 1:23:47

After a much needed Port-o-Potty break, I began the run. As Coach Graham had instructed, I walked the first 200 yards or so then slowly settled in to my running pace. There was nobody around - NOBODY! The though occurred to me that I might just be the last runner to start the course. I had not passed anybody on the bike from mile 15 to the end...hmmmm.

For a moment, I was a little upset but then I though "Who cares! They let me start the run, they know I am out here. So I am last - I will finish!

The run course is as challenging as the bike and very hilly. As you start the run, you can hear the finish line cheers as the announcer gives names and locations of finishers. I listened to the cheers and said a silent prayer that the water stations on the course were still open. I reached Mile 1 in just about 14:00 (that included the Port-O-Potty Break!) and the station was still full of volunteers who handed me water and cheered me on! One of them said my number into their race radio and I though "Yep I am last..." but the pace felt good and I kept going. I settled into a 5/1 run walk pace that was only interrupted by walks up the steepest of the climbs and when my "walk break" was on a downhill, I would skip it until I came to the next incline because nobody should waste a downhill!

Just before Mile 2, I passed my first runner. At first, I though it might be Nancy, because it was a woman with a 50 on her calf and long red hair and a similar body type. As I drew closer, I realized "No that is not Nancy" and I was actually relieved because it would have meant she was having a bad run. (as it turns out, she was having a bad run and was just 6 minutes ahead of me running the same exact pace...)

Passing that runner and then hearing footsteps as a 29 year-old woman passed me, gave me some hope. Maybe I am not quite last. There are still people out here. Mile 3 and Mile 5.5 are the same water spot on this course at the top of a big climb and as I got there, I could see so many athletes on their way to the finish line! Being around others, cheering them on and getting encouragement, AND reaching the 3 mile point of the 10K, was just what I needed. From that point on, there was always somebody around. Runners headed to the finish, one gentleman that I passed just after the 4 mile mark who was run/walking the course barefoot (WOW!) and as it turned out a good 10 people who were still heading out on the front half of the course as I was finally heading back. The last 1.2 miles of the course are downhill and flat and I kept at my pace. Slow and steady. The six mile maker came, I went up the small rise and around the bend and there was the FINISH Line and another Columbia Triathlon Finisher Medal was placed around my neck. Number 3 for the "Columbia Tri" collection!!

Later when I got my final split times, I was dumbfounded by my swim time. I certainly didn't feel that slow. Not starting my watch was a blessing. If I had seen that number, right out of the water, my whole attitude on the race would have changed. As it was, when I crossed the finish line (and even now) I had the perfect race! I wasn't fast but my bike and run and transitions were right where I expected them to be and I had a perfect open water swim experience. So when it all comes down to it! It was the best possible race day so far this season!

Columbia Triathlon is in my heart. It was the first triathlon I ever did. It is a challenging hilly bike and run - the course doesn't lie to you, it will tell you where your are really at, and this 2007 race was my return to the OLY distance after a 2 year break.

Life is Good! And sometimes...it's better to judge your race day by how you feel at the finish line rather than what your "chip time" says.

LiveSTRONG!

Believe ...

Somebody sent me this link to an amazing group of college students who are riding cross coutry in a effort to raise $50,000.00 in the cause to cure cancer.

Now this is how you LiveSTRONG!

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

Team Believe

"Team Believe is a student-run, not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising money in support of cancer research.

We might be students; however, we strongly believe in our abilities to make a difference now, and we hope to inspire others to do the same.

To raise money and awareness for cancer research, we will traverse the North American continent by bicycle in the Believe in the Cure Tour 2007.

When someone asks what makes us consider undertaking such a seemingly impossible task, we reply with one simple answer:

We believe in ourselves, we believe in our cause, and we believe in the cure.

Belief - sometimes it is all we have. Ask a cancer patient what they believe in, ask their family, ask their doctor, ask the scientists who developed their treatment. They all believe in the same dream - that cancer will one day be cured.

We share in this dream, too. The journey towards the cure may seem long, but - as we hope to demonstrate by our journey - it is far from impossible.

One must only believe."

Happy LiveSTRONG Day!

Today is national LiveSTRONG Day!

200 advocates will be visiting Capitol Hill, thousands will be participating in local LIVESTRONG day events - even the Empire State Building is going yellow!

All over the country hundreds of LiveSTRONG Day programs are going on. To find the one closest to you CLICK HERE

3500 people are diagnosed with Cancer, EVERY DAY...

1500 people will die from cancer TODAY!

Unacceptable gaps exist between what we know and what we do to prevent, screen and treat cancer. It is time to make Cancer a National Priority!

Live STRONG!

Dinner with Friends...

Yesterday was 1600 yds in the pool. 100 yds more than required but I was practicing some sighting for Sunday's open water at Columbia.

5 Days to Race Day!

Last night was the Cyclist Combatting Cancer dinner at Spezie Restorante in Washington, DC. (1736 L Street, NW)

Excellent food and Excellent company ... it was a wonderful chance for a small part of the group to get together!
The smiles say it all!


Life is Good! Live STRONG!

Up and Coming....

This weekend was a wonderful weekend to be on the bike and that is just where I was. Both days. Saturday was a two-hour BIKE followed by a 30 minute RUN and Sunday was a 2.5 hour easy BIKE. Needless to say, my cumulative bike mileage is climbing.

It's a good thing too because this weekend is the Columbia Triathlon. A hard, hilly olympic distance triathlon (.9 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) that just happens to be very special to me. The 2001 Columbia Triathlon was my first triathlon ever! I came into triathlon from a long-distance biking perspective. I saw the bike distance and thought "Hmmmm... I can definitely ride 26 miles, no problem...and I liked to swim as a kid and I have always wanted to try running...I bet I could do this!"

2001 Columbia Triathlon - 3:41:23
SWIM: 38:55
T1: 5:38
BIKE: 1:38:17
T2: 3:44
RUN: 1:19:03

2002 Columbia Triathlon - 3:45:28
SWIM: 39:43
T1: 6:22
BIKE: 1:43:55
T2: 3:25
RUN: 1:14:42

So having done Columbia twice in the past (2001 & 2002) I have some old race times to consider but I have not yet talk to Coach Graham this week so I don't know what his expectations will be for me on race day.

I'd like to see around the same times, but my expectation is that I am slower this year than I have been in years past so quite frankly *anything* under 4:00:00 will be just fine with me. Got to start back somewhere right?

My big race this season is Eagleman 70.3 which my sister Heather and nephew Rowen will be in town for! Cheering section for Holly!!!!

Eagleman is still over 4 weeks away and considered my *A* race for this season. What does that really mean? That means that everything I am doing, including my race day at Columbia, is in preporation of race day for Eagleman and that could mean that Sunday will simply be a "long workout day" wrapped into the convienance of a local race.

So my goals need to be a little different and my times this year will probably be a lot slower than they have ever been in the past...but I hope not by very much. After all it is not like I was ever blazing fast at Columbia in the past.

I guess we'll see what Coach Graham has to say and go from there. In the meantime, I have a full weeks workouts to get through before race day! That should keep me busy enough .....

Tonight I get to indulge in some early pre-race carbo loading. Several CCC teammates are in town for the upcoming LiveSTRONG Day to meet with their respective congressmen/women to demand that our nation's leaders invest in resources, treatment and services for everyone battling cancer. A few of us are going to get together this evening and share a meal. It will be wonderful to touch base with my teammates and see many of them for the first time since the 2006 LiveSTRONG Challenge and the LiveSTRONG Summit.

Life is Good! Live STRONG.

Zoom...Owie

Zoom...Owie

That pretty much sums up my workouts over the last 48 hours.

Tuesday night's workout was a 75 minute BIKE followed by a 15 minute easy RUN (if I felt up to the run...). The bike was an interval UPTEMPO workout meaning that after a warm-up, I was expected to do 30 minutes of hard riding followed by a 10 minute recovery and then another 10 minutes of *very hard* riding and a 15 minute cool down.

There is something to be said for hard efforts on the bike because they really translate into some increases in overall speed and that is what I love to see! I love to see the burn in my quads turn into more miles covered over time. This was the fastest workout I have had this spring. I saw a net increase of 1.5 mph over 75 minutes. I covered 17 miles on a rolling course.

ZOOM!

I felt pretty pumped at the end of the bike, so I went ahead and did the 15 minute easy RUN that was optional. While I didn't break any speed records on the RUN, I was consistent with my times off the bike from the past few weeks -which means that I can give more on the bike and still maintain something of a pace on the run.

I finished up the workout with some pain in the front of my right foot. I assumed it was my shoes. I have two pair and I had not used one of the pair in a while and the tongue of the right shoe seems to be bugging my right foot. So we will not use these shoes again because they contributed to an OWIE....

Yesterday's workout called for a 50 minute run. My stomach had been bugging me on and off all day but I opted to at least start the workout and see what my body had to say. I stuck to my coaches rules... 6/1 Run/Walk intervals and it was my right foot and my stomach that conspired against me. I barely did 3.5 miles in 50 minutes but the way I look at it is it was a slow workout but better than no workout at all or so I thought until about an hour after the workout when my right foot began to hurt more and swell just a bit....

OWIE!

I took some Advil and iced the ankle. It is still bugging me today, sore to the touch, with a little bump near one of the tendons but no swelling that I can see of the joint and it doesn't hurt to walk on . I am pretty sure this sore bump is the reoccurrence of a ganglion cyst that I have had in this same foot in the past. So the offending shoes will go in the donation bin.

I plan will get on the bike tonight and see how I feel. If the foot protests, I will invoke a "REST DAY" but somebody needs to tell my right foot that we have two big races: Columbia Triathlon and Eagleman 70.3 Half Ironman in the next 5 weeks.

No time for OWIES....

Life is Good - ZOOM! Live STRONG!

My first Nike + Milestone!

On May 8th, 2007

after logging 27 runs
at an average pace of 13:56"/mi
HollyG
ran 100 mile total with the Nike+ iPOD
CONGRATULATIONS!

All About the BIKE this weekend

This weekend's workouts called for a BRICK workout of a 2 hour bike and 20 minute run on Saturday followed by a 3 hour bike on Sunday. Inbween those two workouts I managed to sqeeze in baking 8 dozen cookies and a Cinco de Mayo party held by friends Keri and Greg.

I am not cut out for rolling into the house at 2AM any more. Sad but true...

The 8 dozen cookies were for a post-Bike Ride pinic that Jim and I had planned to attend on Sunday. Then came the Cinquo de Mayo so getting a full 8 hours of sleep after the party prevented the cookies from getting to their final destination Sunday afternoon. You can imagine how happy both Jim and my coworkers were to find dozens of home-made chocolate chip cookies to snack on this morning! So the cookies found a good home outside of our kitchen, far away from the cookie monsters that Jim and I could potentially be, if given the opportunity.

The workout on Saturday ended up covering about 26 miles on the bike wih a 1.5 mile run. The run felt *SLOW* but the watch said otherwise. Sunday's bike was 39 miles in nothing but WIND! The same WINDS that Nancy suffered through. Needless to say, if I can handle 3 hours in that wind, I might just be okay if the Eagleman bike course is it's typical windy self. At least I know that I carry enough weight on my person not to get blown off my bike. I may not be very fast this season but I sure am stable. LOL

A few more fun things to share -

My sister Heather placed 2ND WOMAN OVERALL this weekend at the Blue Crab Festival 5K in a time of 22:25. She set yet another PR for this distance this year! GO SISTER GO! RUN SISTER RUN! (Pictures to Follow)

My CT SCAN came back CLEAN! Just call me N•E•D !!! I am currently cancer-free for a second year!

According to the photographic evidence here from last weekends Pikes Peek 10K, in spite of a 40 pound gain in weight, I can still put on a fierce "race day face" and yes, I am a heel stiker by nature. But look!!! I am striding not shuffling and it is still early in the 2007 season!

My "NIKE +" Challenge Buddy, Mel ran her first half marathon yesterday!! Way to run Mel!! I will be working to catch up on those running miles you logged this weekend!!

Life Is Good! Live STRONG and enjoy the week ahead!

Advice from Wallace....

For your enjoyment is here...

Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND and LiveSTRONG!

Wallace & Grommette: Begnals on the Move!

As requested.....Wallace and Grommette have their own BLOG!.


And the world was never the same again.....

First Day of May....

Well Happy May Day to you all!

Spring is officially "in the air", May is Melanoma Awareness Month and it is also my two year BLOG anniversary.

May also marks an important time in my own melanoma cancer survivorship. I'm hopeful that by the end of this week I can proudly claim myself N•E•D (No Evidence of Disease) of cancer for yet another year! Two Years, to be exact.

Just two weeks ago, as you may recall. I had a scare with an odd blister on my left hip. I went to my dermatologist, Dr. Peck and he assured me that he thought it was a bug bite that was healing slowly. Since I was already there and due for my 4-month follow-up at the end of May, he took the time to check me over - HEAD to TOES (and under my hair!) and declared that nothing looked unusual and I could graduate to 6-month visits! Yahooo!!

Dr. Peck also took the time to reassure me that I should come to him "ANYTIME I FOUND ANYTHING THAT I WAS UNSURE OF"... no matter how insignificant I thought it was or how dumb I felt asking about it. I thanked him for saying that and his response was "You have had Melanoma, nothing is too small to look at. I would rather see you 8 times this year and be able to tell you it is nothing than have you stay away and find out after six months that it was something."

I *heart* Dr. Peck!

Yesterday was a 4-month follow-up exam with my oncologist, Dr. Butler. He poked and prodded and we chatted about triathlons and running (he is a runner too!) and summer and being healthy. He said I looked great, initial blood counts looked good and agreed that it was time for my yearly CT scans to determine that I am still N•E•D.

I was hoping that after two years, I would graduate to *six month follow-ups* with him as well but alas, he wants to see me in 4 months! I think he just likes to hear about my races....HEHEHE. It's okay though ... I still *heart* Dr. Butler too.

So tomorrow afternoon, I'll leave work early and go to get my CT scans done. I get to drink the most disgusting apple juice ever, get an IV line attached and have iodine injected in to my bloodstream. Then I have to hold my breath for a full second longer than I think I can hold it and wait for the gentle female CT SCAN computer voice say "Breathe". All of this to take pictures of my brain, thorax, abdomen and pelvis.

These appointments and tests have become a part of my regular rites of spring. I wonder if you can wrap an IV line around a Maypole? Hey, whatever it takes to be called N•E•D.

LiveSTRONG!

Weekend in Review

This turned out to be a great weekend! Great Weather, Great Workouts AND Great Quality Time with Friends! As I said to Jim, "Weekends like this ARE Quality of Life!!"

Saturday: I DID IT! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE...

I attended an Open Water Swim practice at Lake Anna, site of my swim meltdown last weekend. This time the swimming was much more successful! I feel redeemed...

I worked first on being calm and relaxed with my face in the water. I took some advice from fellow Triathletes about breathing and watching your bubbles in the water. I decided that I would dive in shallow and then come up and start my freestyle stroke and that seemed to work well for me. I'm not sure why but it gave me some sense of release.

After the first 5 minutes, of stopping and starting to swim. I felt completely okay with being the water. Then I was able to concentrate on counting my strokes and practicing open water sighting. I asked a fellow TRI guy nearby how often he sighted and he said 7 breaths. Sounded good to me so I modified it and started with every 5 breaths. I tried 10 but found that I tend to pull to the right so then I tried 7 and found that got me moving forward without making for too many stops and without getting too far off course.

I also got a chance to meet some fellow TRI folks and as usually, everybody was super friendly and cool. That is something I love about this sport .... I hardly ever meet total jerks, LOL.

So... I estimate I spent about 35 minutes swimming from buoy to buoy and marker to marker with some 10-15 second rests in between. The confidence boost of a successful open water practice was wonderful and having a good first session has me very encouraged to get out as much as I can between now and Columbia and Eagleman.

6 weeks to Eagleman ....Practice, Practice, Practice ...

SUNDAY: Pikes Peek 10K Race & Book Club!

Sunday I did the Pike's Peek 10K in Rockville, MD (about 45 drive from my home). Just because it sounded like a local race I'd like to try. This was a rolling course, predominately downhill. I had a good time and the weather was good. I wish I could have kept up the steady 12:00 but toward the last two miles, I struggled a bit with resuming my pace after walk breaks.

The last 2/10 were a long downhill and I used that moment to catch the people I had been seeing just barely ahead of me the whole run and pass then by. Weeeeee!! :)

My knees are a little sore this morning but considering the down hills, I am not surprised. I was surprised to see that Coach Graham gave me today as a REST DAY. Yippeee!! I was fully expecting a swim in the pool. Looks like I am going to do some shopping!

No where near the 1:10, I was hoping for but when I looked at pace calculator, I realized 1:10 wasn't really realistic considering my paces lately so I am moving that goal to later in the summer. I'm still satisfied. The seconds are coming down...ever so slowly!

Here are my watch splits from Sunday's 10K. I would have liked to at least have come in under 1:15. That will be the goal for next time. I don't think the chip time will be off by much.

Mile 1: 11:30
Mile 2: 12:04
Mile 3: 12:11
Mile 4: 12:02
Mile 5: 12:39
Mile 6: 12:49
+.2: 2:04

Total: 1:15:23

After the race, I drove home, took a quick shower and headed back out for some quality time with my gals! We had our monthly "Share a Book" bookclub and gormet lunch! I always look forward to these Sunday meetings because it is a chance to really sit down and catch up with some good friends, eat some wonderful food and talk about what we are reading.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! I have regained some confidence in the swim, I am slowly chipping away at my running times AND I spent time with friends I don't see nearly enough!

AND today I got an unexpected "REST DAY" from my coach! I am going shopping after work!! FUN!

What can I say? Life is GOOD! Live STRONG!

Kinetic Sprint Pictures

The first triathlon of the season is in the books!
Now onto Columbia Triathlon!!

Speed Work Makes My Face Beet Red...

but I got it done! 9:40 pace for 400m x 6 - I didn't even know I could go that fast (unless being chased by scary monsters, of course...)

Now some pictures ... why, because I want to! Enjoy!

Kiss Us! We could be Irish!


Aunt Holly and Rowen play Peek-a-Boo!


America's Next Top *Falling* Model?


America's Next Top *Leaping* Model!!


Straight from the Freezer - Grommette


You wish you could hide in socks this well..


Wallace: "I think she's been in the catnip again..."