Another weekend of Fun awaits!

So its Firehouse 50 weekend again. So soon!

Last year was amazing. I sorta had that combo of luck ( others didnt show up) and speed ( a pretty good time, considering the torrential downpours and wind) and I won the Best of Both.

As you can tell from my outfit it was cold. Northern WI is cold to begin with but that weekend was extra chilly. Anyways...I would love to get another child sized trophy but it all depends on who shows up.

Saturday is the 50 mile TT. A variety of options, 4 person, 2 person, mixed, single gender, and of course the Individual. Which i have done the last 2 years. Then sunday is the 15k run. AFter the run they combine times to award the BEST of BOTH. The kicker is that I could theoretically sit on the wheel of 3 fast men and get a faster time than doing it solo, and then run a 2 hour 15k and still win the BOB. So as i said, my goal is not to win the BOB, but if it happens, then cool. And if it doesnt happen i can blame it on the fact that I actually did the entire distance all alone, no wheel sucking involved:)

Either way its a great weekend, great people ( Rich is racing solo too! 10 min start behind me, so i have to keep the fox away!) a great course, lotsa rollers and some fun fast stretches too, and a good chance to continue to "train" in a race format!

Have a great weekend everyone!

To IM or not to IM, that is the question...

Greetings from MN where we are finally having summer. I couldnt be happier with Open Water swims in my swimsuit with no double cap and no skinsuit or wetsuit. After last summer I really doubted not only my fitness in the lakes but also my mental toughness as i had a hard time getting thru long OWswims bc it was so chilly. Now it may not appear that way, but i have a bit more padding than i did last year, ( A good thing) and also the water temps are warmer. I actually love hanging out at the buoy chatting and i have not had one near panic attack. I know that it will get cooler again since i will be in the lake until early OCT! I just have to get used to a cold equilibrium, and not think about it. But for now I am so happy! If coach JH lets me i want to do another OW race in august.

Ok onto the bigger thought i am having. It isnt a problem and i dont mean to sound like it is. And Yes i need to come to my own decision on this, and not be overly interested in what Y'all are doing and what you think. But:) I still want to throw this out there. Since i process things by writing them here goes.

I have been toying around with doing an IM in 2011. When the Texas IM appeared i really got butterflies. I am not sure why i love Texas. My sister is there, but that isnt all of it. I cant really say for sure, but I seriously thought YES.

JH REALISTICALY told me i was smoking something, and she was right. We have snow on the ground here till April. I know you peeps in Chicago may have snow too, and our temps are also about 10 degrees colder due to our friends Canada and their clippers. Ok it isnt a weather war, that isnt the issue. The issue is that I really cannot see training for an IM on my trainer OR on my cross bike in 20-30 degree temps. Yeah that thing is heavy and good training but, I sure would be miserable riding 5 hours outside if its close to or below freezing. Oh and then running off the bike. On the TM, in the dungeon basement? Ok point taken. Someday, maybe bc I hope we retire part of the year in Tucson. But not yet. So that little rainbow had no pot of gold at the end.

I know that i have to want to do it. And for me, i have to have passion for the race and for the distance. But heck, do you really have passion for that distance. Anyone? I also cannot stand to read or hear or just feel like i am doing it bc everyone else is, and if i dont, well...Man up Chica, do an IM.

Its like Frank the Tank. " EVERYONE IS DOING IT, come on we are streakin' the Quad." ok I love this movie, sorry, hope that doesnt disapoint anyone.

The worst thing i can do is what i am doing, break it down into this conversation:

ME " I think i could swim 2.4 miles, especially with a wetsuit."

Freaky ME " not in water that is below 70 missy, and what about those mass starts UGh."

ME " Ok not that worried i can figure out where to start, and i wont do a race where there is glacial run off water."

Freaky ME " Ok then but then you have the bike. Ha, you whine like a baby when Rich takes you on a route that he says is just around this corner, and it ends up 10-20 miles over the estimated time or route."

ME "Yes that is true, but part of that is that i dont want to do junk miles. I think that actually if i have a wko that says do this amount or this amount of time ( which i prefer to miles anyways) i will do it and that will be fine. But yes 80 miles is alot, so to think about doing 112 is well....scarey."

Freaky ME " And you put alot of pressure on yourself so you had better learn to pee on the bike so you dont have to stop. Loser, if you stop you will lose time."

ME "Well i guess I would have to re-evaluate my HTFU standards for this distance."

Freaky ME " Yeah but then you wouldnt do well and you know secretly you would LOVE to do well enough to go to Kona."

ME "Hello, i never said one word about getting a Kona slot."

Freaky Me " no you didnt but you know that you would go if you got it."

ME "Yes i would. So there."

Ok this could go on and on forever and i havent even gotten to the run part:)

I have done one open marathon. I was young and naive, and i got injured right afterwards and couldnt run for like a year. I ran a 3:20 tho so i know i could run another one, and seriously i have said that i will only run another marathon at the end of an IM. Seriously no interest in running another open 26.2

Yet if i can tell you that at Texas 70.3 in the last 4 miles and at KS 70.3 in the last 6 miles i swore i would never do an IM. Part of that shows i stink at pacing and going out running 7 min miles at KS killed me, so my bad. But it brings me to the point that I still feel like i love that HIM distance. I can do it, i think i can do it faster than i have and i can train and compete without it taking over my life. Rich may disagree, but I think i can:) And Kona is not the goal.

Sorta like how BOUS fell into my lap, i would love nothing more than to do one and only one IM, at Kona, but the likelihood of that is slim. As many have said, the luck and skill and more luck that has to go into getting a slot from the few 70.3's that act as qualifiers for Kona is rough.

And since i dont even know which races are qualifiers it seems silly to chase around the country and hunt it, if i dont really have a passion for the race i am headed to. Plus it isnt like i can drive to many races from good ol' South of the Canadian border. Too bad MN doesnt have a 70.3 or an IM:)

So will i sign up for IM MOO in 2011. I dont know. I really dont.

As i said, i have some neat new things happening for the end of 2010 season and that may mean my race focus is a bit more local with more trips to the 70.3 pain cave. I am so new to this it really is a win-win. The goal is to be fufilled and injury free. If i can keep racing and keep getting faster if even by a little bit as i head into the 45-49 AG that will be the best reward ever.

Happy weekend everyone, stay healthy.

Great Prarie Open Water Swim Race

Today i did my first OW swim race! It started as a 5k swim and then they opened it up for 2.5 k or 1 lap, not 2. In addition they had a masters category. Now to me, masters means over 40. I guess to USMS a master is anyone over 18 yo. Ha. that is comical!

Below is the course outline. No we didnt swim with ice on the lake, but nor did we REALLY have that true of a line. There were some buoys out there but after the set them up the RD said " dont pay attn to the big orange buoys bc they are drifting and not accurate."

Um. Ok.

So instead we had one start buoy ( the Apex of the triangle...a RED triangle) and two Red Turn buoys, also Red Triangles. Over 2.5K. I know i am spoiled by the path the 70.3 races give me, but It was really hard to see anything! In addition the racers in the 2.5K race ( and those in the wetsuit division) had grey and white caps.

Um. Ok. again.

IT would have been SWEET if there had been this many buoys, just ignore all but the corners:)

The 5k racers had pink. So maybe they were using us as fish bait:)

Warmed up a bit, wore a super cool new Kiwami Amphib 008 open back, and was ready to go.

I lined up behind the timing mat ( we were on the beach) and realized there were these tiny tiny little girls in front of me. So when we entered the water I debated if i could dolphin dive over them or if i should just be cautious and not scar them for life. I did the right thing, let them get some water and then got my stroke moving. Seriously one of them came out of the water about 3-4 minutes after me. Pretty darn impressive.

Not much to say about this other than swimming w/o a wetsuit is really awesome. Even if you are slower its just so natural and how it SHOULD be. Yea, your ego takes a beating i know, but heck when the water is 74-75 ( air was 70!) how can you wish you had a wetsuit on? So back to the race...

The upside down triangle was, as i said, interesting. Swam straight and ignored the BIGGER And BRIGHTER orange balls that were drifting all over the course, and finally saw the little red triangle.

Right Turn. At this point you would think that swimming straight would be super easy. And all you had to do was find that 2nd red triangle. But when you are alone, and the caps that are anywhere near you are grey and white and its cloudy ( which may have been better for sighting, maybe not?? I have great tinted Blue Seventy Siren goggles btw, get em) but i am determined to not breast stroke. So i see some red and start going for it. I dont see anyone to my left or right. And then i realize that my straight line has gone left and i am sighting on a boat with a dude in an orange vest. Ok then. I take about a 75 degree turn IN and all the sudden see a pack of swimmers about 100 yards behind me in their oh so not visible grey caps. Back on target.

Other than that I think i had a pretty good swim:) Who cares if i swam about 200 yards extra I am guessing that i was not the only one who took a few detours. And made that final turn in and headed home. Again, i would have been LOST if i hadnt had the yellow timing tent on the beach to sight on. I hammered it home pretty good that last stretch and came up out of the water well worked but not shelled. I found out later i was 2nd female ( in the 2.5k) and 4th OA.

A 22 yo gal won the womens with a time about 4 minutes faster than me. So great race!

I hung out a bit, saw the Steve's finish, Kelly who won the prego division with baby rogo, ( we made that division up) and her cousin Meghan in town from FLA! Steve H and I headed out for an EASY run. Saturday was a double brick, that i mistakenly made a bit harder due to some lack of oxygen ( making my bike intervals longer )and some poor map my run use, so my legs were pretty happy to trot trot trot around the lake and laugh at where we were in that lake just a few minutes earlier.

My goals were to have fun ( Check ), not swim on around or with any dead fish ( Check), sight well or at least practice sighting an unfamiliar lake ( sorta, Check) and swim HARD without my wetsuit! ( Check!) Oh yeah and hopefully not get some random bug of infection from a city lake. Stay tuned. Those usually show up about 12-24 hours later after an incubation period. Ugh.

Congrats to all the racers 5k AND 2.5k, I think I will be back for this next year with hopes that i will get a shiny bright cap..NEON anyone? and that there will be 3 more buoys to lead our way!

And once I got home, watched the TDF ( Go Andy, you gotta get more than 31 seconds dude or you will lose it in the TT) and rested it was time for recovery tennis with my favorite partner: DAD!!!

What fun! Har-Tru tennis, and lotsa laughs!

PS sorry for my POOR iphone video skills!

Pics from Triple Bypass

Loveland Pass

Vail Pass

Yes I was starting to get into the Hurt Locker and i was cursing the camera's for being at the tip top of these little 12% pitches with switch backs. And at this point I was hot, but wanted to be done so didnt want to do another wardrobe change.

Earlier this week Active Cyclist sent out a list of things TO NOT DO on a group ride. Things that make you a pain in the rear to ride in a group. Stuff like approach on the left and slide by without announcing yourself, etc...Scott, Rich and I said that next year we would work on those skills to be better group riders. Kidding. We made alot of noise out there with our ON YOUR LEFT. Sometimes even announcing others as they went by bc their mouths must have been full of Fig Newtons.

Wait, who said NEXT YEAR?

2010 Triple Bypass Ride Report

Well we did it! We conquered the Triple on July 10, 2010 and I had my longest day in the saddle ever! I had my doubts, and tho i cant say i felt like it was a race, I sure had that frame of mind that i wanted to get it done ASAP:) While of course admiring the scenary. But when yourpretty steadily climbing around 8mph you do have time to look around:)

The boys got started early, bikes in giant truck, they took off thru South Dakota, the Badlands, and had a great time riding some trails along the way.

Pre-departure they were all set. Our rides were well secured and they left me with plans to meet met at DI on friday. Worked just great. I flew in ( heck, that is a nice flight, about 90 min from MSP) and to be travelling with a knapsack and no bike, was the best. Thanks guys. As we know, flying with a bike, especially on the BHA's is no fun. ( Bike Hating Airlines, not you Southwest, the others)

JH always has us do a pre-race routine to get our legs going so i did that in downtown Golden on our way to dinner:

Hope it helped.

We had a nice dinner, nothing exciting, and went back to the hotel to get our gear ready. We had no idea what to expect other than this: rain, sun, wind, mountains, hot, cold, gravel ( yes they warned us that there was a stretch of unpaved road for about 4 miles), I 70 riding ( that was icky) and well..since i wasnt riding with paniers and wanted to carry all my stuff I had to really be creative with pocket stuffing. I even put a Bento Box on my bike, and i really really hate those. My legs rub on them espcially when i stand up. But desperate times mean desperate measures and i was glad to have it, truth be told.

We woke up too early ( at least on MTN time i got an extra hour) and i was all ready for my altitude headache and took an aleve. I had packed my gels and bars and more stuff ( sunscreen, chapstick, little packs of chamois butter and a new one called DZnuts. ha, Dave Zabriske has his own line of chamois products.) I know this is boring but it amazes me i carried all this stuff over 122 miles and 10k of climbing. We started in full leg warmers and toe covers, and truth be told at 6 am it felt good. Climbing i got a tad hot but when you get to the summit, you cool down mighty fast. I Was too lazy to keep putting them on and off so i just kept em on.

Base layer on top, jersey, vest, arm warmers and yes full fingered Gore Gloves. My hands did get hot, but again, it was amazing how quickly the temps would change. Plus i had a Salsa rain slicker ( what i called my sausage casing) in my back pocket and a full beanie, short gloves, and also a headband for descending. Oh and 5 bars. Oh and my phone and money and...

that's alot of stuff!! And yes i actually did use it all at one time or another.

Ok so now that you know I added about 10lbs to my frame :) plus a powertap hub, I was ready to get up those mountains!

So here are the mileages:

Juniper Pass: 16 Miles

Idaho Springs: 32 Miles

Georgetown: 44 miles

Loveland Ski Area: 57 Miles

Loveland Pass: 61 Miles

Summit CO H.S: 77 Miles

Copper Mtn: 87 Miles

Vail Pass: 92 Miles

Vail: 106 Miles

Avon: 120 Miles

July 10, 2010

The first climb was ok, it wasnt too bad and just felt like Lemmon. I think i bored Rich and Scott bc i kept saying "this is like Lemmon, this is harder than Lemmon, this is easier than Lemmon." If I hadnt spoken in a bit, One of them would say "how does THIS compare to Mt. Lemmon?" I will say that i did set down one hard rule, DO NOT consistently say " Oh great, 20 miles down, 100 to go." etc.. I cannot stand it when we are doing a long ride and someone has to say " So how far have we gone?" GEt a computer if you dont know. It's just that mental thing for me. I want to suffer in silence:) ha, no I just figure it makes me head crazy bc a ride like this hurts and if you are like me, I dont need to know that i am hurting like a dog on climb 1 and i still have 100 more miles of this to go, oh and yeah lets recall that i did NOT get that altitude tent i posted in the last post. ha, So anyways....we all bantered about but luckily nobody was ticking off the mileage for me.

So Aid station #1 was just past Squaw and Juniper pass. The fans were great, I mean volunteers, but heck i felt like i was at the TDF! I didnt know we would be greeted with so many great people and cheers and food. Yummy. I had geled along the 1st climb and i had little packets of infinit ( yes we were accused of putting coke in our bottles, lol) but that was so nice to have our own drinks, and you could just put water in and you were good to go. They had lots of orange, bananas, bars, peanut butter sandwiches, yum! I also saw my good buddy Darcy at the 1st stop. We knew we were going to be both be there but figured that the post ride beer maybe where we met up. Just like old times we gabbed long enough that i got the LETS GO, from Rich, and i said goodbye to Darcy! Oh and BTW this studette lives in Snowmass, we played tennis togehter thru juniors and high school, and she had just done the Ride the Rockies WEEK LONG tour last week and jumped into this on a whim when her brother came out. Rockstar!

So from Juniper and Squaw we headed on...We didnt stop long at Aid #2, it was basically at the base of the descent ( and um, i had alot of thoughts about how i was happier climbing than descending. Ouch, my hands got soo cold and i lost feeling in my fingers) I was NOT riding the brakes but i still topped out at 41 mph, call me chicken, but when i dont know the line of the road i pull up.

We rode on...and before we could even get TO the road to climb Loveland pass we had to ride on I-70 ..that was a bummer. Of course you had some of those guys ( yes sorry, no gals) that had this need to hammer on the highway. And do you know how to say LEFT? In a few instances there were some narrow misses and with traffic screaming by about 10 feet away i was pretty content to be cautious and just ride and get off that freeway. Then we got to the climb, and it was brutal. At one point we stopped to re-group and then we realized that Rest #3 was about 100 feet away. But when you looked up you knew that we were actually just at the BASE of the Loveland Climb. Oh Crap.

This was the scene at most rest stops....A bike sit-in.

Once again turkey sandwich and pb was inhaled. Porta pottie lines were waited in, it rained, we all got dressed to warm, the sun came out, we undressed, etc...repeat repeat repeat.

So anyways we went up Loveland. HardA$$ climb. I was super glad when that was over, and i really did feel like i was on the top of the world.

I kept asking Scott and Rich about the map bc I really really did NO recon on this ride at all. Luckily we were all blissfully ignorant:) Darcy had told me that she thought Loveland was the hardest and i trusted her. Phew. Down we went, thru Keystone and then we knew there was a little blip ahead, Swam Mountain. Maybe 2 miles. I got to the top and waited for the guys ( Scott climbing, my bad camera skills)

but decided to go ahead since they beat me down all the descents. It was a short one, that would end us at Summit Co High School in Frisco. I got down, Scott appeared soon after, and there was no Rich. We waited. I got nervous. I went to get water, and then we saw it. The sag with the Moots on the back. Honey had crashed. I knew exactly where, I just knew it. There was one corner that was tight, and even i had overcooked it going 30 mph. I knew that was the corner he had hit too fast. He got out and was holding his arm, ( his bike looked ok, actually!) and his helmet was cracked. I teared up. He said " I think i broke my arm." I cried.

We woke up the EMT's in the med tent and they did a thorough triage job of the vitals, and what not, and at this point it appeared visually that is clavicle was intact, he had full ROM of his shoulder joint, and his elbow and wrist ROM and strength was 5/5, strong and painfree. He had no pain with palpation of his radial-ulnar joint and resisted muscle testing into supination and pronation was fine. Those EMT's were busy asking him what he ate last " a gel" and told him his BP Was high. Um 120/80? high? ok. Anyways....he has a sore hand but he was cleared to go, no headaches, etc...and if his helmet hadnt busted i knwo he would have finished. ( um, smart or not, he would have) At that point i knew I had to finish. I am just so relieved that he is ok, he has had so much stuff to deal with and trust me, he does not need more stress in his life right now. We sent him in a sag and Scott and i were off. ( After Scott's wife got me on the phone to promise to lasso him in on the descents, LOL) I said i would try:)

We soldiered on, and it was all on a bike path which after mario's crash was fine by me. The clouds rolled in and we knew our luck with scattered drops was over. So on went the rain slickers. I seriously LOVE my Salsa slicker, but man that thing does NOT breathe, and even tho we were wet and it was raining HARD we were still climbing. So you can imagine that slicker around me ( with all my pockets stuffed to the gills) i seriously said to scott that i felt like the jacket was sausage casing and i was the little dumpling inside. Finally it stopped raining and at the first chance we had to jump off the path we got those jackets off and the greenhouse heating was over! Phew. We continued up the Vail pass climb( on the path) and tho it was easier, in some ways there were all these little switch backs where you had to get out of the saddle and make a quick 20-50 feet pitch to the top. ugh. At no time did i really think i needed anymore gearing. I rode a 12-25 the entire way and think it was fine, but these quick short rises made me wish i had a 27.

Of course the photo people were conveniently at places like this. "SMILE. YOu look like you are dying:)"

NICE. Not sure i want to go find those pics!

When we finally go to the aid station at the top of VAIL we were done! Or so we thought.

the crowds had thinned out. Rich later said that the sags were full from Summit HS to Avon, the finish. We blew thru this one at the top and kept rolling. Gels in hand.

The descent was also on a path, and it was WET. Very twisty and turny. we later learned that after we had gone thru this two other men had wrapped themselves around a guard rail and were taken by ambulance. Ok. well. that is really too bad. But we made it into Vail and were SO ecstatic. Everyone was yelling and clapping and cheering and saying "Almost there!" Yeah. I was getting READY to be done. I looked at my watch and said to Scott. IT IS 4:00!! we have been on our frickin' bikes since 6am! I had not looked at my watch at all. And sadly my PowerTap computer had died at the top of Loveland pass. In looking at the data to that point i had ridden 6 hours, and 74 miles. And put out some good watts, all staying in zone 2! woot! But now, at 4:00 I was ready to be done. I had phantom foot pains, where i felt this burning in my arch, not a morton's neuroma but just a cold wet foot. My crotchal region needed some air, and my neck stung in that trigger point area betwn my shoulder blades. MY triceps hurt and my wrists and forearms were tight and ready for a break. I was bonking in Vail. I needed another gel to get me to Avon which i told Scott, felt like we were riding to Idaho:)

15 miles later, we rode into the finish, Rich cheered for us and we hit the finish line. I laughed bc in Vail they had a sign up that said "Watch for bike RACE" on the road. I told Scott that this changed EVERYTHING. RACE? really? so i rolled into the finish line at about 6 mph, out sprinting Scott by at least a bike length. Ha! He owed me a beer:)

In hindsight its good to look at how i did that. I always wuss out on 80+mile rides. I think the extra food was the key. I had 5 gels, 6 bottles of Infinit ( at 230 KCal bottle) plus some water and 2 powerbars on the bike....Then..,5 pb and banana or J sandwich halves, 3 turkey and cheese sandwich halves, and various random things like orange slices and pretzles at stops. I tolerated the orange slices better than the watermelon for some reason that watermelon made me burp and there is no way i could have run on that . ( Not that i had to, but good to excperiment)

And there you have it. Alot more post race, but will either save that for later or forget about it and move on. I will say this...I have been going back and forth about doing an IM, and tho the entire time i was riding i kept thinking "Julia, this is great, you dont have to run!! when you are done" Now hindsight is 20/20 bc when i did see a guy running afterwards, and yes there were alot of people training for IM there, I did feel lucky to be drinking a beer and eating a burger.

But what was sore sunday after our meager 4 hours of sleep and today, monday, is not my legs....

Ok that is off the bucket list.

And we are off!

That is how it feels at least. We returned from a GREAT weekend up north. I mean Tony the Tiger GREAT!!! Weather was lovely and the company was even better. I was bad with the pictures...just too busy!

Never short on words, what i was going to say was that the Lake was 56-57 degrees or so, WARM for Lake Superior...so had i had a wetsuit on and one of those hats with ears. ANd the sun was out, And there was no wind. HA, Dont think you will catch me at St. George, but anyways...

Oh I did take these pics:

Ruby looking longingly at the river. Until she got in and had a panic attack bc the rocks were slippery and i had to lift her out. Poor girl. She JUST learned to swim this summer!

And modeling my mom's glasses. I may wear them in my next race.

We did do a race this weekend. WE. Rich did his first race! He did so well, I am so proud. And he even finished the entire run, and wanted to run again this weekend at the cabin. Whoa.

I asked if he would do another one. And despite saying "next year, maybe," i did catch him grabbing his goggles to go swim in the Lake and also talking like he really MAY do another.

I have a few more short races this summer, so we shall see.

And i have to post this picture. CY texted me that Kerry ( the fantastic eye behind the lens of Yndecam!) had a pic of me trying to put my helmet on backwards. Yup. I did. So for all of you readers ( or all 2 of you) that think i am the old pro, um..not. 2nd year racing. Yup I am a dork. So dont be embarrassed when you do this. Just PLEASE dont ride out of T1 with it on. I realized pretty darn quick that it was backwards but in my defense it was windy and so it USUALLY sits nicely on my aero bars, facing the correct way. I do have a bottle holder on my Aero Bars so it kept blowing off. Obviously i set it down and didnt really pay attn to the orientation of the helmet. Yup, Always something isnt it :) So Laugh at me. I continue to do so!

Here are a few more typical race photos...

Thanks Again to Kerry and his crew for the photos:)

So up next...road bike cleaning, Triple Bypass cramming, and more family fun. I am not doing a tri all of July. That is pretty weird.But Ok, lotsa bike stuff and even an OW swim race. Sans wetsuit.

Yippee for summer!

HAPPY 4th of July!

So just a quick "hi" and "bye," before the weekend gets going! In a short hand form here is what has been going on and what will be going on this weekend!

- I accepted the Bous slot. I sorta knew i would, bc I had 95% of me saying "what an honor, and how cool is this? I cant say no!!!" while only 5 % of me was relating this to a tennis analogy, where i have been, where I beat the top seed in the semi's and then when the reality of the great match hits me i am destroyed in the finals by an opponent who was very much my equal. Tisk tisk for thinking this, mainly bc I dont really feel like ANY of the girls i race WITH are my opponents. I am honored that they push me and i hope i push them to be better athletes and to enjoy the sport for the right reasons. I dont mean to make a huge deal out of it but i had my heart set on one more 70.3 and i just had to decide. We are doing alot of cycling in july, I am not even racing a Tri in july, and i just cant race back to back weekends doing longer stuff:(

-Rich does his first Tri tommorrow! I am SO EXCITED. He is in the last wave, and I am in the first wave so i will be home in time to watch him finish. GO RICH!!! I sure hope they dont allow wetsuits, its soupy out there and the lake is super shallow. But we all know how that goes., Ahem. Those lakes seem to drop a gazillion degrees overnight. Voila! ( NOT)

He doesnt have a wetsuit so not like i am going to derail his efforts in a 1/3 mile swim.

- I am also racing. But as i have told many, it is all about Rich. I had my fun last weekend. Which means i am gonna look at this as a SUPER DUPER HARD wko! I may run out of real estate with such a short flat course on the run but i sure will try to run down a few of my speedy bike friends.

-Then we are hopping in the car to go to the cabin where ice bathes are free and Dairy Queen grows on trees. Well not quite but it is a daily event. ( or should i just call it a food group?)

May have to try the new DQ flavor, Pecan Pie. Or make someone else try it so i can get a taste:) sneaky...

These are old but July 4 means picnics, water ballon tosses, 3 legged races and just good old fun. Oh and my dad's jestor hat:)

chippy may kill me for using these photos from 3 years ago but they still make me smile.

- Have a great weekend everyone. We come back from this weekend, then we leave the next weekend for this:

GULP....

IT makes me wish i had one of these:

If you dont know what that is. No it isnt a mosquito net:)

Happy 4th!!!