Thursday, September 17, 2009

INK



Last night I got the opportunity to see INK. An independent film by Jamin Winans.

I would have to say that this is by far the most amazing movie I have seen all year, and possibly of all time.

Since the producers were unable to get large distribution they have their own film tour of this movie around the country.

After the showing last night the writer, director, producer, and multiple actors were in the audience for Q&A.

They will be showing the movie again on Oct. 9th at UCCS campus here in Colorado Springs. I highly encourage all locals in the Springs to check this movie out.

For those of you not in Colorado Springs, may I suggest you go on the website and sign up for email updates for if the movie comes to your area. You will not regret seeing this film.

It is nothing short of amazing!!!

Also, it is to be noted, not only was the entire movie filmed in Colorado, the director, writer and every person on the staff of the film (including all actors) were Colorado natives. That is pretty freaking awesome!!!

What Happens Doesn’t Always Stay…

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Lenocker
And I can’t forget two of my favorite little rockstars; Avery and Scarlet
The Wedding was absolutely beautiful and magical.
The weekend in Las Vegas was truly an endurance event that consisted of many adventures and non shall be written about on line.
Here is the old gang, minus Steve (who got stuck being sent to West Virginia for work) and Bridget (Bridget was taking this photo)
The wedding cake topper
After a crash the girls came to alert the adults something happened to the cake.
(They really had nothing to do with it, the cake topper just jumped to it’s death)
The headless wedding cake topper. Erin declared even decapitated, it will be displayed proudly in their chine hutch.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

7X’s and a Why?


On Labor Day I ran in my first Marathon Relay.

I was the last person to go and I had the shortest distance to run (4.2 miles).

My team consisted of my friends Sonal, Mark, Jamie—three woman and a man. Get it? 7x’s and a Y (Why?)…


If you don’t get it, talk to your high school biology teacher and ask them about genetics…

All the proceeds from the relay went directly to the charity Pennies for Nioll. Where as the money from the marathon and half marathon went towards administrative costs and prize money.

I was hesitant to join the team considering the relay was happening 2 days after my big triathlon, but once I learned I had the shortest leg I agreed. Although, I did not take into consideration I would be running at the height of heat during the day. I am not used to running in the middle of the day. Most of my runs are at 5:30 am or 7 pm, before the sun comes up, or while it is making its exit.

It was tough. But as a team we did great and had an absolute blast. It also helped there was beer from Bristol Brewery at the finish line. Which btw was totally NOT well marked and the last 2/10th’s of a mile sucked b/c I kept expecting the next turn in America The Beautiful park to be it…but it wasn’t until I ran around the entire park.

I know by know all my readers are thinking “what next?”

What self torture do I plan next?

Well I’ll tell you this much, it is also an endurance event, consists of very little sleep and over a span of multiple days, and of course multiple shoe changes…

Oh yeah, in a desert.

Tune in next week to know what that adventure is…

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Tenderfoot Mountain Triathlon Race Report

The trip to Salida started Friday afternoon with my parents rolling into town around 1:30 and me skipping out of work with no one noticing after my last meeting at 1pm.

We grabbed lunch at Paninos and headed onto Salida for the awaiting 'Adventure in Pain' for myself and the 'Adventure of Support' for my parents. As a support crew they were troopers I tell ya. Not many parents would give up their entire holiday weekend for their crazy, adult daughter’s goal to torture herself for hours on end, and they get to clap and cheer along the way.

I had made reservations in the swanky Circle R Motel weeks in advance to make sure we all had a place to lay our weary heads.

After much deliberation for dinner we decided to go with an old stand by, consistently good, very vegetarian friendly Twisted Cork. I had introduced my father to this gem of a restaurant this past ski season and he was anxious to take his wife; my step-mother Betty, there. She is a Vegan and me being a Vegetarian, and my father a full on Carnivore, we all were able to find delicious grub for our dinner. We all had a busy day planned for the next day. We needed to get to bed early.

I slept alright considering I had a gazillion butterflies breeding in my stomach. My bike was propped next to my bed, I had images of oversleeping and my alarms not going off (note I said alarms—I set three-just in case). The alarms were set for 4 am in order for me to wake up, eat, ride my bike to the aquatic center, set up my transition area, go to the bathroom—three times, and be ready for my estimated start time of 7:55am.

The plan was my dad and Betty would arrive at the pool around 7:35 am and I would hand my watch to my dad to time my swim and he would hand it back on my way to transition.

I was disappointed and concerned that we were not allowed to warm up in the pool before the initial start. Going in with cold muscles did not make my nerves settle one bit. I was used to the distance of swim (1000 meters), I do it 5 times a week, but never in a hot springs pool (~85 degrees), and I knew the lack of warm up, regardless of my morning bike ride would bite me in the end. And it did.

A lot of people must have had issues getting up or making it to the swim start because my estimated start time was bumped up to 7:20, because so many people were late or no shows. This was only 5 minutes after I ate my Gu, which I calculated to eat 15 minutes prior. Luckily, my parents came in as I was heading to the water so I was able to pass my watch off to my dad ready to start the clock.

Side note: I have a thing for needing data. It’s weird. My friends and family have come to accept it about me. I need to have my times as I am doing things. It is what I do. The watch is a MAJOR thing for me.

I started out with a great set of lane mates, I was the fastest so in the first couple laps I passed to the front and we all kept at an even tempo, then by lap 14 I hit a wall, I had to let them pass and the distance between us grew with every lap. By lap 14 I was ¼ of a lap behind the other two in my lane. Not bad, but I could feel the fatigue.

I was happy to get out of the pool and head to my bike.

As I was running out of the pool I heard my friend Tina yelling and cheering with my Dad and Betty.

As I was drying off and prepping for my bike ride my support team was there to talk to me and calm me down. My dad learned in my first triathlon, I don’t mind being talked to, it was nice that the transition area was open and the idle chit chat helped calm my nerves as I raced to get my cycling shorts, jersey, number and shoes on.

Off I went…

The 25 mile bike ride was a two mile loop that we did twice, it had one large climb, one great decent followed by a sharp right hand turn, and a smaller climb towards the end.

It was during the bike ride I realized what an amazing set of athletes compete in this triathlon. Never have I seen so many encouraging people on a course. Everyone was cheering everyone else on. Later I learned this is one of the harder olympic distance triathlons in the state and the camaraderie was amazing out on course.

I am thankful I didn’t know the difficulty of the course when I signed up, I may have chickened out.

Considering there were only 103 participants, there were many times you would go for a mile or 4 without seeing another rider.

It was a neat surprise to find my parents along the route cheering me on. Almost like “Where’s Waldo?” I didn’t know where they would pop out next. Later I learned that they had seen me on the long climb but did not let me know they were watching me from behind, because it was long, hard and brutal, but I did it, in a sick way liked it, and enjoyed the decent in which I earned.
(my dad at the end of the decent pointing me towards my turn)

As I came in from my last lap on the bike I saw my friend Chery standing near the transition area.
Another cheerleader!
She told me later she had JUST arrived and was afraid she missed me.

I felt great!!! Although there was a bathroom issue brewing in my belly that I didn’t know how to deal with. (sorry, TMI)

Once again I came into transition and I am now feeling all the work I have been putting out, I also needed a potty. (again, To Much Information, I apologize)

I got my running gear on and headed back out on course, Chery gave me a hug as I ducked under the tape for the Porta-potty. Yeah, not gonna happen…time to run. (here my dad is again, cheering me along)

Although my legs were having an issue getting into it. So I trotted the first half mile until I came upon a concrete path that would lead me to the boat ramp in town, then up a mountain.
That concrete path was my nemesis and in the end it won.
I could not run on it without extreme pain in my shins and ankles, knowing I had another race two days later and not wanting to get injured, I gave in and fast walked the first and last 2 miles. I did my best to run up the mountain and back to the concrete path, in which I fast walked again. (we ran around the right side and backside of this mountain, to the top and back down via service road)

There was a water station at the boat ramp that sounded like a good idea until I took a small sip (cold water) and almost immediately barfed. Bad idea

Instead I kept going, and going.
Meanwhile, my support team was napping.

Finally, I came off the concrete path and it was 4-6 short blocks to the finish line. I pushed and gave it all I had, which wasn’t much at this point.

But I gave it, like a junkie handing over their last dollars they earned donating plasma.
I handed over all energy to that finish line.

(If you look closely, I am the little runner wearing the purple swim suit and black skirt)

Which I crossed.

Strong

Still running

(sort of)

Then was greeted by my family and friends.

At this point I was Done, Finit, Spent.

And I cried

Final time: 3:59:19

Betty then said to me “well now you have done it, you never have to do it again”

I replied: “well not until next year at least”


(My Cheering Section)
(Do dead people laugh and smile? I think I will be smiling when I die, I smile all the time while I am alive, why not?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Lessons Learned:

This past weekend while competing in my first Olympic length triathlon followed up by a marathon relay race two days later I learned some very good lessons when it comes to completion, personal fitness and performance.

1) When I think I am hydrated, drink more water
2) Carb loading really doesn’t need to begin 72 hours prior, 24 hours would have been fine. Eating too much the day before a race can be as bad as not eating enough. Next time, do not eat a large lunch and dinner the day before the race
3) The glass of red wine the night before was perfectly acceptable, as learned a few weeks before, the vodka martini is not.
4) Breakfast 3 hours before my start time was key.
5) Be at the pool and ready to go 45 minutes before my start time. Many people missed their starts, pushing up start times
6) Swimming with cold muscles in a very warm pool is HARD
7) I need to get my body used to running on concrete in the middle of the day.
8) Running at noon is a completely different story than running at 5 am or 7 pm
9) Next year I will go out the evening before and stash, non-cold water.
10) I have amazingly supportive friends and parents.
11) The Circle R motel in Salida is a great little place to rest ones weary head. The owners Pam and Lee are some of the nicest folks that you will meet.
12) I need new gear: A new bike and Tri suit to be exact if I am going to continue down this crazy path.
13) Triathletes are some of the nicest, coolest people out there. We’re all nuts!

I still have my heart set on doing a triathlon with two of my best friends, Amy and April. That’s right girls, I have my eyes on YOU!
April, there is a fun Iron Girl sprint in las Vegas that I think would be a blast, plus easy for us each to get too. I think it is in the spring time.
Amy, next year, you + me + Salida = FUN!!!

The Results Are In...



More pictures of this weekends activities to follow:

To protect the innocent and keep my identity a little bit obscured. My results are for the name that is represented in Hot Pink.

For the record, my run was super slow on both events and my leg on the marathon was the shortest of all three (4.2 miles). My body was not happy about running in the middle of the day, in the hot blazing sun.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

46:50

My new Incline PR. I am more excited that this is after my last PR I set only three weeks ago.

AND It was after work.

AND after a big run this morning.

I had not set out to set my PR, I only set out to wear the pooch out.

Imagine what will happen next? I can't wait to see...

Stay tuned!!!