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..."

Weekend of Racing!!

Before I post my own race report, I simply *MUST* give a SHOUT OUT to both my sister Heather and my friend Nancy for their OUTSTANDING RACE RESULTS this weekend!

Heather took 3rd place Woman OVERALL this weekend at the 2007 BROADWAY at the BEACH 5K in a time of 23:51!!!!

Nancy set a new PR in her 5th 1/2 Marathon of the year with a time of 2:19:28 at the Bridge to Bridge Half Marathon!!

WAY TO ROCK AND INSPIRE LADIES!!!
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Now onto my weekend results:

Race: Kinetic Sprint
Date: Sunday, April 22, 2007
Location: Spotsylvania, VA
Race Type: Triathlon - Sprint

Time: 2:23:10
Overall Place: 157 / 166
ATHENA Group Place: 8 / 9

Comment: Executive Summary: Beautiful Day for an Early Season TRI!

SWIM (750m): 24:38
T1: 4:11
BIKE (18 miles): 1:11:58
T2:1:51
RUN(5k): 40:35

The rest of the story:

We drove down to Lake Anna on Saturday evening and met with my friend Keri to pick-up packets and meet her friends for dinner. We had excellent Italian meals and returned to the hotel to relax. The race was scheduled to start at 10AM, giving us time to wake up at our leisure and get down to Lake Anna for around 830AM.

We arrived at the Lake and were stunned to see that the first parking lot was already full. I imagine many athletes from the DC area simply drove in from town (a quick 1 hour drive). We parked our cars and were unloading bikes when Debi B. (TRI-DRS & TRI-RATS fame) pulled in the parking lot! She wasn't even out of her car but I walked up to her open window and said
"We saved you a parking spot!" It was great getting to see her again.

Keri and I headed over to transition to drop off our bikes and gear and get settled. The time flew quickly and soon enough it was time to wiggle my way into my full sleeve wetsuit rental. Just about 9:45, they did the National Anthem and then the race director gave some quick notes before the waves started. During the notes, I listened as I stood in chilly Lake Anna (56F) trying to acclimate to the water temperature. I did a few stokes and got my face in the water so that the start would not be shocking. I left the warm-up session confident that *this* was going to be the first of many good swims this season.

As we awaited the wave start, a tall, friendly blonde asked Keri if she could help her zip her wetsuit. Keri was happy to help and we talked about the water temps and suggested she take a little dip, that it doesn't seem as bad after that first plunge. She said she planned to do just that and then wished up luck and asked our names. When I said "Holly", her response
was "Holly who?" LOL That is the moment that Marie P., a fellow TRI-RAT, and I met in person! Upon recognizing each others names we gave each other a big hug and then off she went to the water!

SWIM (750m): 24:38

I chose to race Athena for this race and our wave was mixed with the 30-34 females in the 4th wave. Our wave started and I was right their in the thick of it with all the hot pink caps right up until the moment that I had to put my face in the water and then it happened. Again, as in the last 2 races of the 2004 season. I went into full panic mode on the swim, in
spite of having plenty of gear (full wetsuit, neoprene cap, ear plugs and wet suit socks). I also spent 10 minutes in the water warming up so it wasn't about the water temps. I really need to open water swim weekly, I think, to get over this issue. It is obviously mental because physically, I am covering 3x this distance 2 times a week and not having any issues keeping my face in the water. I almost gave up but when I got to the first turn buoy, I just kept moving forward in the most pathetic front crawl/doggy paddle...

T1: 4:11

Transition went well. I was happy to be out of the water and getting out of the wetsuit is always easier for me!! As far as my swim, I was able to let it go. It helped that my boyfriend Jim was right there to tell me "Let the swim go and remember to have fun and enjoy the rest of the race." That is exactly what I did.

BIKE (18 miles): 1:11:58

I had a fantastic bike! I really love this course. It is a beautiful rolling course that I excelled at when I raced here in 2005 and I was secretly hoping, in spite of the addition of an extra 40 pounds, that I would do a great job on this course again. I kept my eyes on the road and focused on my cadence and tried not to look at the bike computer at all. At one point I looked at my watch and thought that it must have stopped because I had less than 3 miles to go and my watch said 1:04. I was so upset that I had screwed up my split but I just let it go and focused on how I felt. When I pulled into transition, I shocked my boyfriend Jim with my arrival. As I left T2 I told him that I thought that I had a fantastic ride and he confirmed that "Yes, you just rode in 1:12, Good Job HONEY!"

T1: 1:51

Hmmmpp... 50 seconds wasted in the first T2 of the season, room for improvement!

RUN(5k): 40:35

Run felt good, I took it easy and did 5 run/1 walk. I felt like I was comfortable and could have run further. I didn't try to run faster cause my focus was *FUN* and remembering what it felt like to be out there since this was my first "post cancer" triathlon. The course was rolling and very exposed. I briefly worried about whether my sunscreen has lasted through
the swim and bike (it did!) and then just spent my run cheering other people on and getting lots of cheers from fellow triathletes.

FINAL: 2:23:10

Quite a few people would look at these times, especially the swim and run and never imagine how that could be a good race. But I had only one goal for this race. "TO HAVE FUN" and even after the swim, that is exactly what I did.

Overall, I had fun and I felt I was definitely Living STRONG while I did it! So begins my 2007 TRI Season and it looks like I need to find *allot* more open water to swim in over the next 8 weeks!

Happy Tuesday to you all! Live STRONG!

First TRI of the season is approaching....

My first race of the season is approaching. It's a small race as races go - just 605 people. It is also a short race as triathlons go - sprint distance with a 750m Swim - 18 mile Bike - 5K Run. It's the Kinetic Sprint Triathlon at Lake Anna this Sunday.

The weather seam to be cooperating now with a call for partial sun and a high of 70F which is wonderful considering the water temperature looks to be 55F on race day. BRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

I thought about what my expectations were for this race. It's not an "A" race - heck it isn't even a "B" race - it is a "get back into racing" race so my expectations for times are limited. I would like to finish sub 2:00 but it doesn't seem likely considering my *weight-handicapped" bike and run paces lately.

So I am going for more of an emotional goal than a physical goal.

My goal in this race is to HAVE FUN and CELEBRATE THE FUN THAT IS TRIATHLON!

After all, this race has me coming full circle. Did you know this was *first* triathlon as a Malignant Melanoma Cancer Survivor? And now two years later, I am back to race it again and you know what? I am *STILL* a Cancer Survivor - and a pretty damn lucky one at that. I'll take every year I can get!!

I feel like the little phoenix chick sitting in her shell, tapping gently with my single beak tooth to crack that shell... smell of sulfur wafting through...

Time to rise out of the ash, renewed and rejoicing! Can you hear my cry yet? Well you will on Sunday....

LiveSTRONG!! LiveSTRONG!

My thoughts and prayers to VA Tech

My sincerest thoughts and prayers and sadly, condolences to all those students, staff and the friend and family affected by the shooting today at VA Tech.

Pitty-Party Interuptus

Author's NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure, I am posting this email that I send to my MPIP List because I realized that this is one of the realities of my life that I try to keep private. I'm not always the happy, go-lucky, upbeat Cancer Survivor/Triathlete that you see here. But I suspect you guys already *knew* that... You are all pretty darn SMART that way! Still, it's a side of my *survivor ship* that I tend not to share with anybody other than fellow survivors.

I hope this post can serve as a "been there, felt that, still feeling it now" for those fellow Mel Warriors out there who lurk out there.

I'm with you guys, I am you guys .. I just happen to like to swim, bike and run allot too.

LiveSTRONG! Holly
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So I am coming up on my 2 year check-up. This year has not been quite the year I expected it to be. I guess I thought that once I finished Interferon, everything would be "simply glorious" and I would go back to Life as I knew it, only better!"

Not quite...

Since I finished the Interferon in May 2006, I have struggled with my hormones and my weight. I have gained about 40 pounds, missed multiple periods, gone through they symptoms of early menopause (night sweats, hot flashes) added two more doctors to my roster and after a whole lot of thyroid testing - been diagnosed with Polysystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) (which I am relieved to say seems to have nothing to do with Melanoma or the year of Interferon) and started treatment for PCOS. My running pace is slower now than it was on Interferon!! Chalk that up to the extra 40 pounds of weight I am carrying around these days. Weight that is "very slowly" coming off but not without considerably effort.

Now, coming up on the latest Derm visit and ONC visit and test, I find myself with an "blister" that I can't explain.

At first, I was convinced that it is a blister from the seam of my bathing suit. My other clothes don't rub against the spot in general so I don't imagine that my shirt could irritate my skin enough not to let this blister heal. In the last two weeks it has gotten less swollen and less
red but it's still there.

I know the drill: Call the derm earlier than planned for my follow-up and have them check it out.

Still I will feel stupid AND at the same time very relieved when it turns out to be nothing. I'll be even happier when I get the latest round of CT scans done and I can say "2 years NED".

I am an optimist, overall, and I am trying to find my "new normal" but lately I find myself mourning the "Old ME" and feeling a little cranky that I have so far to go to "get back" to my old state of health and fitness.

BLAH ... Holly's Pitty Party is over... I'm still here, that alone should be enough. I only wish that Kim from Iowa, Heather, Rob in VA and so many others were still here too!

Even when you are N.E.D (No Evidence of Disease) there is this nasty side effect that come with any Cancer Diagnosis. The side effect is "Necessary Vigilance". Every new spot, every unexplained ache, pain or odd symptom must be acknowledge, investigated and ruled out.

If you are lucky, you find a team of doctors who like you and don't mind "ruling out the possibilities" if you are not so lucky, you get a team of doctors who roll their eyes and run the tests but call you "difficult" or high maintenance. If you have the latter, I say "Find a new Doctor! I know I have done that once already this year.

Melanoma Sucks!!!

15 minutes of FAME

Front and Center on the Charleston Magazine Web Sites Photo Pages:
Fete Set / partyscene / Cooper River Bridge Run / Cooper River Bridge Run

Holly and Heather!!

Thank you, Thank you very much! ::insert Elvis voice here::

"I'm in" and the week in review...

Registration opened for the Army Ten Miler this week. I'm in!!

My sister Heather and I plan to run it as *part* of a last long run of 22+ miles in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon, just 3 week later. We are going to run the ATM and then jump on the multi-use trail and head on down to King Street Metro Station. That and a little loop around the Iwo Jima Marine Corp Memorial should give us enough mileage.

I would be remiss if I didn't give Heather the opportunity to run that infamous uphill finish. I am a firm believer in "crossing the finish line of a race" before the race actually happens, if at all possible. Nothing is more personally empowering and it will be a moment Heather can draw on at Mile 22 of her first marathon. Taking away the "unknown" makes your possibilities become realities, more often than not! Just another way to LiveSTRONG on a daily basis!

I don't think I mentioned it before but I have a new triathlon coach. Coach Graham has taken me under his wing, which I am very thankful for since I procrastinated too long this winter and Coach Debi's roster of athletes was full by the time I got back to her.

Coach Graham and I are working on:

- Prepping me for Eagleman 70.3 and my LiveSTRONG IRONGAL Challenge Events this fall

- Getting my weight back down from whence it has climbed (40+ pounds to shed....)

- Prepping me for my 2008 IRONMAN USA race day

The volume of work this week has been heavier than what I was giving myself but I am happy to say that I am tired but not completely spent! At the end of my workouts, I know I have done some work but thus far, recovery has not been far behind. By the afternoon, I am ready for the next workout. Of course, this is just the mid point of a two-week build - so let's see how tired I am next Friday!

All good...it's miles in the bank as Linae would say...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Happy Easter! Happy Spring!
Life is Good!! Live STRONG!!!!

My First BRICK of the season....

For those of you who are not familiar with the term "BRICK" as it relates to triathlon training, a BRICK is any workout that combines more than one discipline of the sport (swim, bike, run) back to back.

The purpose of a BRICK is to train your body to transition from one sport to the other. I think on some levels the term BRICK is used because you are "building" endurance between disciplines, however I believe it is more likely because BRICK accurately describes what your legs feel when you start running after a 20+ mile bike ride!

So last night was the first BRICK of my training season.....

1 hour bike followed by a 2 mile run.

The bike felt good, I even managed to add a mile to my pace. 13 miles in an hour instead of the 12 mph that I have been seeing for weeks now....I'll take it!

The run after *felt* a heck of allot faster than it turned out to be. There were no instructions to take it out fast or push the pace so I just tried to adjust to being off the bike and relaxing my stride. I was just shy of a 14 minute mile.

D'OH! So sloooooowwwwww!!!

Well that is what training is for...to get back to those sub-12 minute miles and eventually faster - off the bike.

I woke up so tired this morning. I gave Jim a kiss and said "Honey, I want to go back to bed!" He smiled and said: "Base mileage is over! Welcome to Training Season.."

He is right... 3 weeks to my first TRI of the season, Kinetic Sprint TRI just 8 weeks to Columbia Triathlon and just 10 weeks to Eagleman 70.3!!

TRI season is coming!! Time to LiveSTRONG!!

Hope you are all having a good week!

RR: Cooper River Bridge Run 10K

So how do you run with 46,000 people?

ANSWER: Very sporadically....

This weekend my sister Heather and I did the 30th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run. It was an experience I will never forget and that I am not likely to repeat. 46,000 people can NOT spread out into an even pace over the course of 6.2 miles and since our race bibs seeded us in the 20,000 - 30,000 Bib section, we were stuck behind 20,000 people who chose to either *slow down* or *walk* the uphill portion of the race. That was very frustrating. How *walkers* end up in the top 20,000 when you are supposed to submit estimated finish times is a mystery to me. I believe some folks **considerably underestimated** their paces!!

When that many people choose to slow down on a hill, just like traffic on the highway, you get a ripple effect and suddenly everybody is walking! But for such a big race, that was my only complaint.

The course was great! The first 1.5 miles leading to the bridge were flat and then you had a 2.5 mile stretch of the Cooper River Bridge. It was about 1.25 mile up a moderate grade at best - and then 1.25 miles down! (WEEEE!!) That downhill was followed by 2.2 miles of flat downtown Charleston, SC.

The water stops were well placed and well stocked and the after-party had plenty of water, fruit and tasty muffins. More than enough food and port-o-potties for runners, walkers and all their family and friends!

Heather and I dress up as "Easter Bunnies" and got quite a few compliments. We may have also gotten our picture published in Charlestown Magazine! With so many people, I would have thought there might have been more runners dressed up but they were few and far between. Even so, we did see the following:

* Several men in Bananna Suits
* Chicken Man
* Cigarette Pack Man
* USO Gals
* 12 Bowling Pins and a Bowling Ball
* Team "Death by Sexy"
* several other Bunnys (though not as cute as us!)

Heather kept track of our intervals (5 run/1 walk) and kept the camera flashing for some great pictures! I kept track of our mile splits but my watch was *full* and I lost them in the end. It took us 10 minutes from the start of the race to officially cross the START line.

Our final time was 1:18:47 - nothing fast but considering that we were at the mercy of the 20,000 runners who started ahead of us, it was just fine. For the record, we passed at least 2,000 of those runners who started ahead of us. We were ranked 18,385 out of 28,640 official finishers. Nice solid *MIDDLE OF THE PACK* pace. Not too bad considering that we didn't even get under a 12 minute per mile pace.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy. All photo credits are Heather except for the picture of Heather ...which I took and the finishing picture with the Chik-Fil-A Cow which a stranger was kind enough to take for us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALLACE & GROMMETTE

It is hard to believe that my darling kittens are now *cats* but Wallace & Grommette both celebrate their birthdays this week! Grommette's Brithday was on March 26th and Wallace's Birthday is tomorrow - March 30th.

They have brought so much additional joy and laughter into our home and it is no exageration to say that neither Jim nor I could imagine what life would be without them now. Yeah, I know you are thinking "Ummm... Holly, you just have two cats..." to which I must correct you. We have "Bengal Cats" ... there really is a difference!

Just looking at these pictures it is hard to remember just how tiny they were. Wallace weighs in at over 14 pounds now ... Grommette is just barely 11 pounds. Still another years worth of growing to go!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Bengals!!!!!

Newborn Wallace with his Momma and Sisters
(he is in the middle under her paw)

Newborn Grommette with her Momma and Siblings
(she is one of those striped babies...)

Wallace - 3 months old

Wallace - 3 months - look at those big paws!

Grommette - 3 months old - Picking Us!
(she was the only kitten in her litter that walked right up to us...)

Grommette - 3 months old
Such a pretty little kitten!

Wallace & Grommette - 4 months old
in their new home!

Wallace & Grommette - Feb 2007
Now as tall as the kitchen table!!

Wallace - Now
King of the House!

Grommette - Now
Our Beauty Queen - she still *loves* that little bed
(don't worry, we bought her a bigger one....LOL)

-------

This weekend is the Cooper River Bridge 10K with my sister Heather! I'll come back with plenty of pictures and good race report! If you happen to be there, say "Hi!" we will be the gals with *bunny ears* on out heads - you won't miss us!

Until Monday ... have a great weekend and Live STRONG!

My sister Heather place first in her age group with weekend at a local South Carolina 5K AND she was 3rd woman overall. Her finishing time: 23:54!!! Did I mention that she stopped at the water stop to take a drink because the volunteers were these adorable little 5 year olds and she simply could pass not them by! Just one more reason why I love my sister ... but BOY OH BOY is she getting SPEEDY! :) Way to go Sister!!

Nancy also has a great race this weekend at the DC National Half Marathon! She ran her second fastest half marathon ever! I now know that Nancy will have to wait for me at the finish-line for Eagleman. It will be great to have her there to cheer me in! I have a long way to go to get back to Nancy's current running pace! Way to RUN, Nancy!


This weekend brought yet another ride "In Memory" ... This time for MPIP member "Rob in VA", who also lurked on my CCC list. Rob was a fellow cyclist so I made sure that I kept my spirits high and enjoyed every moment of the 24 miles I rode on Sunday. I imagine Rob would have wanted it that way! Now you will forever have a tailwind Rob!

THE CYCLIST
A cyclist has spread to the breeze
His CCC jersey, and heads for open roads.
He is an object of beauty and strength
As we stand and watch him, until at length
Like a wind, he is lost from our view
Where sky and horizon mingle in fading hue.

At that moment, someone cries with regret,
"There! He's gone!" "Gone where?" I ask.
"Don't forget:
He has only left our sight. Even now
In frame and gears and wheels from front to rear
He is just as reliable as when by our side
He stood, waiting for the first pedal stroke."

His diminished size is in me, not him;
For, just at the moment we would infer
"There! He's gone!"- voices from that other Home
Are taking up the glad shout, "There! He comes!"
With God the sunset on our western horizon
Is sunrise beyond; a New Day begun.

We too must rejoice and not be sighing!
It's a glad adventure that - dying!

- Floyd B. Allen and Martha L. Jack

Join TEAM FIT CHICK!

I'm trying to put together a small team for this fledgling event that is happening here in DC. The event is called the " Beat The Clock Walk" and it is a 4K walk to help raise awareness about cervical health and important screenings to prevent cervical cancer.

I became familiar with Tamika Fedler when I went to the LiveSTRONG Summit in Austin, TX in October 2006. Tamika is a cervical cancer survivor and all around a great young woman! I was so moved by her speaking at the LiveSTRONG Summit that I volunteered my graphic design services to her "free of charge" to help her with this walk.

Naturally, a 4K walk about the Tidal Basin with friends to help raise money and awareness of any kind of cancer sounds like a good way to spend a few hours to me. We get so few chances to see each other these days, that I thought a Team Walk might be a great chance to get together for some light exercise as a group and support a good cause too.

I have created a team called: Team Fit Chicks .... for no other reason than it seemed like a fun name and because I couldn't find a way to combined Chicks and Cervix without it sounding very odd....LOL

I'd love to get a team of 10 of us together but there is no limit so the more the merrier!! Please feel free to pass this onto any friends or co-worker that you think might enjoy a nice 4K walk for a good cause on a Saturday morning.

So take a look at your calendars (Saturday, May 19th) and check out the Tamika and Friends website and if you can do it, sign up to be on the team and come and join me for the walk!

For more info on Tamika and Friends go to: www.tamikaandfriends.org

To resigster directly for the walk, go HERE and click on Register Now,

Please pick "Team Registration" when you register and select "Team Fit Chicks"

Hope that you can join me!

Favorite Quote of the Day

"Pink shorts and her pacer accelerated, purposely cutting me off as we were rounding a corner. They almost pushed me into the curb. Was that really necessary? Finish ahead of me. Have a great day but don’t trip me on your way to world domination, OK?"

This came from this weekend's 12K race report by my blog buddy and fellow IRONMAN FL 2006 Volunteer Kitten, Linae, you can read the rest of the report here...

This year instead of volunteering, Linae will be racing IRONMAN FLORIDA 2007. She is doing fantastic work putting in the miles now in order to go the distance in November.

Keep Living STRONG Linae!

A Weekend that ROCKED!

This weekend I drove down to VA Beach to meet up with my sister Heather who was planning to run the VA Beach Shamrock Half Marathon.

I watched my nephew Rowen while she did the run. It was her first *solo* half marathon effort with no other friends or family running with her so she was hoping for a 2:15. We got out to the finish line (it was cold and we had babies....) at around 2:04. We never saw her cross the finish ....we were keeping an eye out for her when she walks up to me, already wrapped in a mylar blanket with a medal around her neck and said "Sister ... LOOK!!" and shows me the chrono on her watch!!

1:59:31 !!!!!!!

Sub 2 HOURS!! WAHHOOO!!! She did AWESOME!

We jumped up and down like a bunch of schools kids, well Heather jumped, I just cheered!! After all, I was holding a sleeping nephew who simply insisted on falling asleep in his Aunt arms just 10 minutes earlier.

Did I mention that my Sister's ROCK? Both of them? Oh yeah... they do!!

Go HEATHER Go! RUN SISTER RUN!

Next race for Heather is a 5K next weekend and then we will run the Cooper River Bridge 10K together at the end of the month!

Hope you all have a good weekend! Monday is here so Live STRONG!

Monday Monday...

Nancy shared this with me last night and it made me laugh hysterically for hours....Somebody posted it on FARK.com. I'm not familiar with the site so I am giving blanket credit ... somebody is funny as hell....

It was the best laugh I had in weeks .... It still makes me giggle... I put in in my desktop at work!

Tonight I shall repeat yesterday's planned 6 mile long run, since it turned into a 4 mile walk with a 1.5 mile jog. It's an Eagleman Training *DO-OVER*!!

IRON-GAL LiveSTRONG CHALLENGE UPDATE:

So far I have 22 people who have joined me in "Going LONG and Living STRONG" by donating $26.20 (or more!) ....It is a fantasic start! I have set a goal to have 100 poeple along for the ride by Saturday, March 24th.

If you have time or the inclination, cut and paste my blog address (http://triandbehappy.blogspot.com) into the next email that you send to family or a friend... Even if they have no interest in making a donation, they will be introduced to the Lance Armstrong Foundation a resource I hope they will never need but is available.

Thank you for considering a donation, spreading the word and for continuing to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation with me!

Happy MONDAY! Have a GREAT DAY! Live STRONG!!!!

Wonky Right Knee

If my weekend could be a caption, it would be "Wonky Right Knee"...In a weekend of workouts, my knee was the "fly in my soup" - so to speak.

Friday night I went for a 1 mile SWIM in the pool. I didn't see any 2:08s though ... I ended up averaging around 2:35 ...Not a care in the world because I was just out for a long swim workout. No records to break just steady and relaxed swimming.

Saturday morning's workout was delayed by an hour but when I did manage to get out of the house, I got in 32 miles on the BIKE. My pace - moderately slow on the way out (13 mph) and stupid, HEADWIND slow on the way back!! ARRG!!

I even had what I can only define as a possible "Ironman Hawaii Wind Gust" moment. The cross winds on the Ironman Hawaii course are known for blowing triathletes sideways and sometimes, unfortunately, right off their bikes. Today, I can only guess that I was at the perfect speed and the wind came at the perfect gust and angle because one moment I was riding in a straight line and 5 seconds later I was say "Whoah" as I watch the pavement moved sideways in front of me. Then just as quickly, I as back in control and rolling forward. Yikes! It was a sensation I hope never to experience again (even though I *do* dream of winning the IM Hawaii lottery some day ....)any time soon!

My only goal for this workout was miles in the saddle so it was a worthwhile workout despite the slow-poke pace and the head and cross winds on the trip home. On the last climb my right knee was talking to me so I listened to her and walk the remainder of the climb (It's a doozy of a climb so I take no shame in walking it...). My knee never bothered me for the rest of the day.

This morning I got up and was out of the house at 7Am for my drive up to Columbia to run the course. Alas, my knee made a big fuss just as soon as I started, so I simply walked the first 5 of a planned 10K. It was probably just as well because at 8AM, there was still alot of frost on the trail around Centennial Lake and even while walking, I was slipping and sliding whereever the was shade. At about 50 minutes into the workout I decided that with an hour drive ahead to get home and other plans for the remainder of the day, I was only staying out for another 20 minutes tops, so I cut the course short (skipped the worst of the hills) and started to slowly run the last 1.5 miles of the course. No knee pain then and I jogged across the finish line that is marked on the park trail in spray paint. It literally says "Columbia TRI finish"...that was a nice mental boost.

So a wonky right knee took away my long run but *only* for today. I am going to try 6 miles again tomorrow after work. Hopefully all the *wonk* will have worked itself out by then!

It is beautiful here this weekend! I am off to take the kitties for a walk!
Live STRONG Y'all!

Going LONG and Living STRONG!

I'm at it again!

This year to celebrate my second anniversary of Melanoma Suvivorship, I am covering the classic IRONMAN race distances over three events to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

As a part of my IRON-GAL LiveSTRONG Challege, I plan to participate in three events to encourage and inspire fellow Cancer Survivors to continue to LiveSTRONG and to raise funds and awareness of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

My IRON-GAL LiveSTRONG Challenge events are:

112 mile BIKE ride on August 26, 2007
LiveSTRONG CHALLENGE in Philadelphia, PA

2.4 Mile SWIM on September 29, 2007
at the CHESAPEAKEMAN ULTRA SWIM EVENT in Chesaepeake, MD

26.2 mile RUN on October 28, 2007
in the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, VA.

My GOAL is to raise $26,200 through 1000 donations of $26.20 each which represents the 26.2 miles covered in the Marine Corps Marathon!

Thank you for considering a donation and for continuing to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation with me!

A Bengal in my Shower

Here in our household, the weekdays are routine and that works well when you have two very smart, precocious bengal kittens. The morning schedule usually looks like this...

O'Dark AM - Wallace begins his morning "meows", to see if he can get us out of bed on *his timeline* - As is routine, he is heard but ignored.

O'D:30AM - Radio Alarm goes off, signaling to Wallace that he may now "MEOW" at full volume and jump around the bed from human to human; Grommette simply yawns, stretches and casually meanders to the bedroom door to wait for Jim to head downstairs.

O'D:35AM - The lights are turned on and Jim heads downstairs to feed the cats, Holly sits on the edge of the bed - mumbling to herself that it is too early.

O'D:45AM - Cat's are eating and Jim and I head for our respective showers.

Now in the past, Wallace and Grommette have both shown interest in the shower. Usually the interest is *post shower* when there are water droplets across the shower stall and tub. But in the last two days, Wallace has discovered that if he stand between the decorative shower curtain and the functional shower curtain (which keeps the water in the tub and off the floor) - HE CAN WATCH THE WATER AN NOT GET WET!

Now, I love my cats but having one of them watch me shower is a little strange. Yesterday when he did it, it was a little unnerving because he did not make one sound, he just stood there and watched the shower head. At least today when he came in, he greeted me with a hearty, loud "MEOW" and then proceeded to chatter to me intermittently.

The funniest part of all of this is that I suspect, with the love of water that is a natural part of the Bengal breed's character, it won't be long before Wallace decides that the shower curtain is in his way and I find him walking around in the shower with me as I start my day. If that happens, you can be sure that you will hear about it!

Wallace is a odd kitten (Well he is only a kitten for 3 more weeks anyways) ... that is why we love him so!