And HERE WE GO!

HA!  I just downloaded the March Workout Calendar for Team Z - 140.6 Track - Ironman USA and all I have to say is...STEP UP!

It's going to be a VERY FIT and BUSY SPRING!

Expect the numbers in that little training box on the right (which I know I am behind on updating ....) to JUMP because apparently FEB was a Taper/Race/Recover Month...I'm looking at about 12-13 hours of workouts starting on Monday morning...

My wedding dress is going to be falling off me in 8 weeks!! LOL

Life is GOOD!  LiveSTRONG! 

PS - Check in for more Myrtle Beach Photos and some Video this weekend!

RACE REPORT: 2:02 is closer than you ever imagined!

Myrtle Beach Half Marathon Race Report - Saturday Feb 14, 2009

Up at 5:15AM and out the door by 5:45AM, Heather and I have our Myrtle Beach race morning ritual's down to a science after 5 years.  We got to the race start and sat in the car until 6:15AM, drinking water, talking, taking silly photos and GUing up.  Knowing that Heather didn't get in the traditional training for this race this year, I felt like I had to at least mention that she didn't "have to race " and that she should "be smart and not risk any injury"  but I knew in my heart that if she chose to start the day, she would finish the race, regardless of the finish time.  Her mind was made up so we got out of the car and headed for the start line together.

We popped by the Team Z Tent really quickly and wished everybody a good race and got into the starting area.  Less than 10 minutes later we were underway for our 5th consecutive Myrtle Beach Half Marathon!

Here is what is important to know about my race goals.  I was hoping for a PR (Personal Record) in the Half Marathon Distance on this day.  Every long run since December was indicating that my pace per mile was decreasing as my training increased.  My PR at the Half Marathon Distance was in Feb 2005 at my first Myrtle Beach Half Marathon in a time of 2:43:19.  This PR is solid and it is the only 13.1 mile race that I have run PRE-CANCER diagnosis so to break that PR was significant on many levels.

My race was solid, after parting with Heather at Mile 3, I held back and raced my planned pace (12:00-12:30 per mile) up though Mile 7.  Had there been at timer at mile 10.2, it would show that I PR'd at the 10K distance.  I was feeling fantastic and except for the need for a quick potty stop (keeping well hydrated) I was having the race of my life.

Normally in this race, I fall apart around Mile 8-9 - it's what I expect and so after my brief Port-o-Potty Stop just passed Mile 7 I found myself having to deal with something unexpected...."What to do with my MIND when nothing is going wrong and everything feels GOOD..."

Holly, looking Strong around Mile 6.

Heather, looking strong but maybe a little unhappy with the Photographer...

It sounds ridiculous but the truth is that I had, up until this race, always broken down at Mile 8 or 9 - so I was "expecting to feel bad" and when that didn't come, I didn't know what to do with myself...physically or mentally - I was completely unprepared for a GOOD RACE DAY.  So the struggle was turning off my INNER-VOICE, who was just beside herself with doubt..."When are the wheels going to fall off... Oh man you are going to suffer soon...Hey, um your still going strong, shouldn't you walk a bit..."

My INNER-VOICE just would not shut up and run!  And so the self-doubt piled on and on and as expected, my head did the math and my legs listened to my head, instead of my listening to my legs and my pace for the next 4 miles was an erratic mix.  Slow down Mile 9 because you are not going to PR, speed up Mile 10 because I still feel good and I am within the magic mark....Slow down Mile 11 because "What's the point..." Speed up Mile 12 because if you "HOLD ON you just might make it..."

2009 Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon - C'est Finis!

Heather's 5th consecutive Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon is done!

2009 Myrtle Beach Half Marathon

OFFICIAL CHIP TIME: 2:45:21

Exactly 2:02 separated me from a PR at the Half Marathon Distance.  That is 2-minutes and 2 seconds of Porto-Potty break and INNER VOICE doubt when I should have just listened to my legs.  That 2:02 represents a HUGE LESSON for me with regards to what I need to focus on (besides overall milage) in leading up to IRONMAN USA.

In the 2:02 seconds something else pretty profound happened.  POST_CANCER HOLLY almost caught PRE_CANCER HOLLY.  I think it is safe to say that I have made huge strides in recovering and finding a "New Normal" as a cancer survivor.  That is a PR (Personal Record) all on it's own....

Oh and one last note:  

In 2008, I ran 2 official Half Marathons:

Jan 2008 - Disney Half Marathon - FINISH TIME: 3:17:21

Feb 2008 - Myrtle Beach Half Marathon - FINISH TIME: 3:07:58

In less than 1 year I took  22:37 off my Half Marathon time...

Not bad for a BOP Cancer Survivor (Back of the Pack...) I see potential for a wonderful season ahead!  Look out PRE-CANCER HOLLY cause I am COMING FOR YOU!  And I am STRONGER THAN EVER!!!!

Life is Good!  Live STRONG!

Holly

Myrtle Beach Weekend is COMING!

Not only will this be my 5th consecutive year racing the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon; it will be a chance to see three of my favorite guys: (besides my fiancee Jim, of course....)

Rich, Rowen and Kain! 

Rowen (& Thomas the Train and Friends!)

Kain  - a total cutie-pie!

And of course I get to see my sisters! Myrtle Beach Weekend's always ROCK!!

Life is Good!  LiveSTRONG! 

Race Report and Photos on the flip side when I get home!!

JANUARY Ironman USA Training Totals

Holly's JANUARY 2009 Training Totals:

(Dec 29 to January 31, 2009)

• Swim - 11550 yards (7 miles)
  
• Bike - 119 miles
  
• Run - 63.3 miles
  
• Strength Sessions: 5

Total Hours: 36 hours 15 minutes

Time is "Money deposited in the Bank of Ironman"

(*all credit to Dr. Iron Trifeist for Bank of Ironman references)

This seems to have become a habit

Not posting to my blog seems to have become a habit...a bad habit. But I guess in some ways it is a really good thing. I am busy working, training for Ironman USA, getting another season of CANCER to 5K off and running and planning a wedding. (less than 12 weeks!!!)

My life is FULL and I would yell "tilt" except that I am so honestly THANKFUL to have a life this busy again. I am happy that I can get up and swim for an hour, work an 8 hour day, head back to the gym for a 45 minute run/bike and then come home, eat dinner with Jim, play with the Bengals for a bit and then check email and crawl into bed.

I am living my life and right now Life is Good! I look over at my personal definition of what LiveSTRONG means to me and find that it still applies. That speaks volumes because we all know that every challenge we face, self-imposed or unexpected, forces us to use what resources we have, internally and externally, and find a way to move forward.

And afterall that is always the ultimate goal in life isn't it? To move forward...towards a new life together, towards a faster mararthon, towards the next triathlon, towards remission, towards a college degree, towards a new home, the list is endless and unique to each of us. The Finish Line is not always a physical banner we can touch but there is always a metaphysical "Finish Line" that we are all reaching for as we go through Life.

Life IS Good! LiveSTRONG!

My Workout Fairy Gently Reminds Me...

That I have a chart on my side bar that is supposed to be tracking my weekly workouts in 2009 so I have finally got that up-to-date through January 12, 2009.

My weeks are Monday thru Sunday and because I am trying to keep track from the beginning of the new year, I will be recording 53 weeks in 2009 - Week One started with December 29th.

My chart, my calendar, my rules...

Thank you for the gentle reminder and for the html code, SnowWhite!

In terms of volume and actual workouts - all is going well right now. The biggest challenge has been finding a schedule that still lets me enjoy some "Non-Triathlon related" things like spending time with friends, reading some good books and getting another season of CANCER to 5K underway for SPRING 2009.

Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!

May the wind be forever at your back Jim Owens

Cyclist Combatting Cancer saw a great loss this weekend.  Jim Owens (Jim'sJourney.com) passed away quietly Sunday morning after a 10-year battle with a rare brain cancer.  Jim was an amazing guy and I was very lucky to have had the chance to get to know him, meet him in person several times and to call him a team mate.  

Yesterday's 32 miles on the bike outside, I rode in his honor. Every tailwind that pushed me along made me smile and think of Jim Owens.  He is the kind of guy who brought "tailwinds" of encouragement wherever he went and and he touch so many lives.

See you on the other side of the next big climb, Jim.  Thanks for every moment you took to encourage me.  You will be greatly missed but never forgotten.

LiveSTRONG.

Happy New Year from Wallace & Grommette

May 2009 be full of
HEALTH, HAPPINESS, JOY
and the occasional good NAP!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Life is GOOD! LiveSTRONG!

End the Year with a Fast 5K!

Me and my No#1 Running Buddy, Keri!

Race Report: MADD Red Ribbon Run 5K
Fairfax, VA - December 31, 2008 @ 4PM

This year (2008), through December, among the Triathlons that I raced, I ran five (5) stand alone 5K events and there was one consistent factor to all these races. It seemed that sub 36:00 was out of my reach. UNTIL LAST NIGHT!!

GW Parkway Classic (May) - 36:17
Capitol Crescent 5K (June) - 38:26
Survivor Harbor Seven 5K (June) - 37:28
Rainforest 5K (June) - 37:02
Crystal City 5K (July) - 37:20

On the last day of December on the hilly George Mason University campus in Fairfax VA, in temps of 35F with wind gust of up to 40mph, I FINALLY broke through the 36:00 minute mark for 5K!

MADD Red Ribbon Run 5K: 35:42

I ran the race with my good friend Keri and while I was secretly hoping for a year end PR, I figured conditions were miserable for a hilly course so I might as well just enjoy and have fun and not worry about it. While I started my Garmin at the race start, I chose to ignore it completely. While it did a great job recording my stats and pace, I didn't let it effect my thoughts during the race. Keri and I ran and simply took it little hill by little hill.

Mile ONE Split: 11:16 - It felt like we had gone out fast and the mile race clock said 11:30 - so I asked Keri if she minded a quick 1 minute walk break. She agreed and we briskly walked for a minute to recover from the first mile - that was our only walk break of the race.

Mile TWO Split: 11:37 - "Oh my God, where do these hills keep coming from?" Keri and I just talked and grunted and giggled and got buffetted by the winds as we climbed up and down the hills. We took a brief water stop (maybe 10 seconds) and continue on...

Mile THREE Split: 11:28 - The best quote of the race came in this mile from Keri "That is NOT A HEADWIND, we are just running that much faster!!"

The last .10 of a mile to the finish line was a nice downhill to a gentle blip up to the finish line. As we ran down, I tried hard to "let off the breaks" and just let momentum take me even though I have a fear of falling on my face that usually prevents me from letting go on downhills. It wasn't until Keri saw the finish line clock and said "Holly the clock only says 35:15 - come on let's go!" that I realized how well we were doing and I took in a deep breath and pick up my big flat feet and gave it whatever I had left.

Mile 3.0 to 3.10: 1:21 - According to Garmin we ran that last 1/10 mile at a 8:39 minute mile pace - I didn't even know I could move that fast without a bike! LOL

Besides ending the calandar year with my fastest 5K for this year (2008), I would say the best part of this race was the fact that NOT ONCE did I bitch or moan or complain during the race. Not one negative thought entered my head at any point and other than the walk break at the end of the first mile, which I thought at the time was just smart recovery (and it turns out it was) I never had any desire to walk again. I knew that I could run those last 2.1 miles, regardless of the hills.

I could not have asked for a BETTER RACE to end 2008 nor a better friend to race is with!!

Life is Good! Happy New Year to you all!

How will you LiveSTRONG in 2009?

207 Days...and counting!

I have Thunder Thighs!

KUDOS to my sister Heather for finding this ad and listing as one of her favorite things or I would have never seen this ad and I LOVE IT!

Can you covet a Cake Topper?

Holly is currently coveting this:

Okay seriously...the cake topper is ADORABLE but when your trying to stick to your wedding budget, a $95.00 Cake Topper seems completely unreasonable and excessive!

Seriously, the cake itself is only going to cost us around $200.00. So this "miniature wedding cake topper, handmade in France" is a no go. The piece is detailed in enamel over bronze with a happy bride and groom riding tandem--plus a small white dog in the bicycle basket. 

Now if the basket had two Bengal kittens in the front basket - ALL BETS WOULD BE OFF and the money would be spent cause that is the way I roll but since it does not have two Bengal kittens in the basket, I am on the search for another cake topper!

C'est La Vie! (That's Life!)

This past week Jim and I spent the week in Jackson, Mississippi, celebrating a "Early Christmas" with his family and interviewing and hiring vendors for our upcoming nuptials. There are still a lot of decisions that still need to be made but at least now we have an Officiant, a Caterer, a Baker, a Photographer, a Florist, a Tent Rental Company, AND we have bought and paid for the wedding bands. Of course we could not have gotten all of this stuff done if it were not for all the hard work that our Wedding Planner - Deborah Simmons did before we ever got into town.

Let me tell you - if you are planning a wedding OUT OF TOWN, you really ought to consider adding a Wedding Planner to your overall budget. Deborah has been fantastic so far. Not only has she been able to stick to our budget and find us good vendors but she has some great ideas on little things to add to our wedding that will really make it special (and IN OUR BUDGET!) and she really seems to understand exactly what Jim and I are looking for in terms of the "Wedding" to be refereed to from this day forward as Le Tour du Coeur 2009 (The Tour of the Heart 2009)

We managed to send out almost all the "Save the Dates" (still a few to go out...) and a lovely side effect of that is the nearly finalized guest list. Getting those "Save the Dates" out before the holidays was a personal goal. Does getting them out between the major holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas mean I kind of met my goal? In this case - HECK YEAH!

Just before Jim and I left town for the week, I made another big decision. On Friday night, Dec 5th, I put down the money and joined a local TRIATHLON training group called Team Z. 

While this is a step away from the one-on-one coaching that I was doing, I believe this will be the right kind of IRONMAN training for me. I have always done better training with other people and while on race day, everybody is on their own. the idea of having fully supported training rides and long runs over the winter, spring and into early summer leading up to Ironman USA, really appeals to me. 

So this week I am going to drop in on several week-day Team Z workouts and see which ones work best with my week day schedule. I may still find myself training alone during the week but the support on the weekends and at local races throughout this coming 2009 Season will be worth it!

There is more that has happened in the last 2 weeks...Much more but I am going to have to save it for later in the week.  I'm gearing up to get back to regularly blogging.  I have a feeling it will keep me SANE over the next 12 months...or at least it will provide me with a safe place to be CRAZY...(Much closer to the truth!!)

Life is Good!  More later this week!

LiveSTRONG!

FUTILE!!!!

I wasn't going to post about this but I am so pissed that I have to...

RANT ON!

I AM A GROWN WOMAN 

YOU TOOK PICTURES OF MY BODY

YOU EVALUATED THEM, YOU HAVE RESULTS

GIVE ME THE DAMN RESULTS!

Don't give me this "You have to get the results from your Dr." crap....Last time I checked, you had the letters "MD" after you name Mr. Radiologist.  That makes you a Dr. too...and if you read my films that makes you a Dr. evaluating MY BODY so therefore I think I have the right to know the results IMMEDIATELY!  Especially if you are going to make me sit around while you read them....

RANT OFF!

(By the way, as far as "I" know without official confirmation from my Dr., everything is probably fine or else "they would have called you yesterday" according to the Nurse who sounded annoyed to even have to be pulling my medical records out of the pile next to the fax that nobody had bothered to look at yet....)

ARRGGGG!!!!!!

The BACK YARD BURN Series of Photos...

The sequence of these photos was too fun not to share!

ENJOY!

RR: Back Yard Burn Race #2 of 4

Keri, looking good and forging the way...

Holly, looking good and having fun!

This year I decided that I wanted to try some trail races. I have some running friends in Canada (Karen and Dawn!!) who do 75% of their races on trails and I love reading their race reports and kept thinking "I have GOT to try this!" Doing the Muddy Buddy race in Richmond, VA this past June with Nancy Toby just solidified for me that there was MUCH FUN & FITNESS to be found in off-road cycling and running - so with some excitement I signed up for the entire 4-race fall series of the EX2 BackYard Burn.

Race #1 was a NO_SHOW for me because my newest Nephew insisted on making an appearance 1-week ahead of schedule. It was a DNS (Did Not Start) that I was very willing to have. I would not have missed his arrival for any race!

Race #2 - Sunday November 2 - 5.5 miles - Hemlock Overlook - Clifton, VA

Time: 1:26.17

Pace 15:45 per mile - power hiking only - no running

I have been having some on/off issues with my left achilles this fall. It seems no more serious than some tendentious but Coach Bob and I are trying to back off the volumes and intensity of my runs lately to see if I can get this issues under control before the big Ironman training volumes come into play. I was pretty bummed that "running the race" was not an-option and while I had some very good, sane advice from fellow runners to look at the big picture and possibly skip this race, I was pretty sure that my achilles was doing well enough for me to power hike the event.

My friend Keri, who recently finished her first off-road Half Marathon, was my race partner for the day. Keri, who also signed up for the 4-race series, had an excellent time in Race #1, exceeding her expectations and decided to hang-back with me for this race. Knowing that at any point mid-race, I could stop, if necessary without being stranded 2.5 miles out from the finish, made the decision to start an easy one.

The course was set up as three trail loops that returned each time to the finish/start area. The woods and trails were simply stunning! The Fall foliage, the warm 50% temperatures and no wind made for the perfect race day. The loops themselves were fun and very challenging with 3 steep, long climbs, several rock scrambles, a few water crossings and lots of technical trail full of roots, rocks and fallen trees to step, leap or straddle. (depending on your pace)

There was a mix of everything you could imagine, open fields gently sloping down hill, narrow paths winding along a lazy river, steep rocky downhills that had me VERY THANKFUL that I had trail shoes on and long stair-stepping climbs that looked "almost done" until you reach the top and the trail veered off to the right and UP just a little more. Keri and I had a great time, we set a quick pace and eventually caught up to and passed about 3 people on the course. As we got close to the finish, we were lapped by the top 10 men and top 5 women racing the 10-mile distance race (two times around the course). It was stunning to watch these men and women fly through these woods, seemingly on that edge between control and being a victim of gravity.

It took plenty of self-discipline not to break into a run in the moments when the path widened or cleared a little but I kept "July 26, 2009" in the back of my head and reminded myself that a brisk hike was still getting my heart-rate up and working my core and legs without risking injury. I had a great time and found the "off-road" running folks to be friendly and laid back and a fun group to hang with on an early November morning.

Life is Good! Even when you have to back off the pace...

Do you civic duty...

if your registered, Get out there and VOTE today!

and if you choose not to vote, then don't expect ME

 to listen to you complain for the next 4 years...

Are we clear on that point?

OK, Good! Have a Nice Day!

Raise a PINT....

JIM:

Here's to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A pretty girl and an honest one.

A cold pint-- and another one!

May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I LOVE YOU!

Something to make us smile...

I found this in my IN BOX today from my Mom...I'm easy to pick out since I am the only one in the picture who would be under the age of 15 or so...

I'm guessing this is somewhere between 1978 & 1980 based on the "Holly Hobby" dress and my Dad's perm... (I loved me some Holly Hobby stuff - we had the same name, after all!)

I would estimate my age to be between 8-10 years old.

Welcome Kain!

On Wednesday afternoon, October 15th , we welcomed my newest nephew Kain Ezekiel T. into this world. Both Mommy, Baby, Big Brother Rowen and Daddy are doing well and I am enjoying the week playing pirates, blocks and occasionally watching Noggin (Nick Jr. TV) with my newphew Rowen.

Heather and Holly in the delivery room...I was a very lucky Aunt to be able to share this moment with Heather and Rich and they honored me by letting me cut the umbilicle cord.

Kain, just a few minutes old and on the warming table...

"Are you my mommy?"

"Aunt Holly holding her new nephew for the first time?"

Introducing Kain Ezekiel, 8 pounds 2 ounces, 20.5 inches


Rowen and Aunt Cathy play tent in the soft and colorful blankies that Carlene hand-made especially for Rowen and Kain!

Rowen and Aunt Holly are having a pirate battle in their Mr. Potato-Head Hats!

"Arg, Maities!! Shiver me timbers and walk the plank!"

LOLcats RUL D WRLD!

more animals