Time for a break....

So what's new? I need a break!

No i dont mean this kinda break:

But i love me some Mickey D's ice cream cones and they DO stay open all winter. And seriously I am not that obsessed with ice cream even tho i tend to write about DQ and now McD:) But here's a secret, I do like Ice cream or Fro-yo MORE THAN CUPCAKES! Shh... I dont want my sister in law to hear that.

I mean this kinda break:

Get me a little beach time, Ok? Safely, not much sun tanning goes on with this body bc of the Melanoma stuff but still will be good to get out of here. This winter is grating on me. I have never felt like driving around the metro has taken so much out of me, but when you are getting snow and cold every day it makes driving tough not to mention running or walking outside. And that is that. I promised to not whine all post about snow and cold, bc I am sick of it, likely more than you are sick of reading about it.

So some fun stuff in the bullet point fashion:

*Still seeing Dr Josh for some hammering of my lateral hamstring and ITB.

It is sore for about 48 hours and makes me feel like i am going backwards but i know I am not. I even ran on the Alter G treadmill the other day. That is pretty darn cool. Hope to use it again soon. If you live anywhere near MSP, you gotta check out Dr. Josh and his amazing staff. You also can rent the Alter-G Tm at a very reasonable rate.

*Work is good. I love my seniors i teach, I just wish more of them would come to my classes. Its hard to teach people who have never exercised in their lives to want to all the sudden start. I cant say this is true of everyone but the people that keep coming back, despite knee pain or some pain are the one's that eventually tell me ( usually more than 3x in one class, hahaha!) That they "used to play golf and walk all 18 holes.." or " used to be a postal carrier and walked the entire route in winter weather just like today.."

To some extent i have no issue with people in their 80-90s who dont want to move. But to some extent i wish they would try, have faith or trust that they MAY feel better after 4-6 weeks of consistently moving a little bit. I Wont go into the entire behavior change model... not for this blog. But I still love those that are willing to give it a try, and those that arent, they just call me " the exercise lady." ha!

*Got some strength things up my sleeve. Not sure how that will play out but stay tuned. I am excited. I wish i had started sooner but... better late than never, I hope. Lotsa hoopla from a few bloggers that are turning 40 this year ( yesterday!) but i plan to be all stealth and turn 45 and pass you at the finish line ( or before). No really I am trying to look at the strength piece as good for me. Forget Tri ( seriously, just for a sentence or two, you can do it) and realize these years 40-50 yo, are pretty critical for strength maintenance.

Losing it? Yes we are. So GET ON IT and keep some strength.

Thanks to Carrie for that one.

*Family is good. I am so lucky to be married to the best husband i could ask for. Everyday his generosity and his love for me and my craziness, blows me away. That's all I can say on that, but trust me i have LOTS to say about him, I just cant put it on the blog.

* And last but not least I am a new aunt again. Cant beat that feeling. Here is my sister in law and my brother in law with their new son.

ACE....

And since we wanted Ruby to be the baby wrapped in a blanket, we let her try too:

I am not sure why she isnt sleeping like Ace?

You Might Live in Minnesota....

Ok i sent this to Angela since she is coming up to visit this month, and usually Mid January is the coldest weather we have all year. Sadly alot of this is true, and sadly its likely true for Iowa AND Wisconsin as well. So if you dont get this post dont worry. Just go enjoy your above freezing temps and get an outdoor ride in, for me.

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,

> You might live in Minnesota ...seriously people have these mobile heated fish houses, they live in there all weekend!

If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation,

> You might live in Minnesota ...sadly, yes.

If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too spendy",

> You might live in Minnesota ...depends on what it is:)

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,

> You might live in Minnesota ..Now for Cheryl, the art of DQ in the winter is that you need hot tea with it. At least it doesnt melt when you drive home with it.

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup, a bit of MN NICE.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead,

> You mightlive in Minnesota At least its not a plumber's crack tan line, yet sadly we see those in sub zero temps, too.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,

> You might live in Minnesota ...And Uggs if you live in Edina.

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,

> You might live in Minnesota Maybe across the street from each other.

If you know how to say...Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Cloquet, Edina , Pequot Lakes....and Shakopee, ...I wont go here, just know they dont sound like they are spelled.

> You might live in Minnesota

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,

> You might live in Minnesota this is a bummer actually if you like it spicy.

If vacation means going "up north" for the weekend,

> You might live in Minnesota Cabin? Yes.

If you measure distance in hours,

> You might live in Minnesota ..3.5 hours to the cabin depending on traffic during holidays.

If you know several people, who have hit deer more than once,

> You might live in Minnesota not good, your car is done.

If you often switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again,

> You might live in Minnesota This one i dont agree with but then again i am an open the window's person. AC not so much. heated seats, A MUST. ( Did you hear that Angela?)

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching,

> You might live in Minnesota Um no. 30 mph maybe.

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,

> You might live in Minnesota Nope.

If you install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup. This bites you the first spring weekend when your bikes and lawnmower are stolen. When its below 10 deg if someone wants my shovels, they can have em.

If you think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and Venison,

> You might live in Minnesota not so much. Walleye maybe.

If you carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup.

If there are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time,

> You might live in Minnesota Never been to Mills, I have been to MENARDS and Home DEPOT ALOT!

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,

> You might live in Minnesota or just a huge amount of layering.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,

> You might live in Minnesota Sadly this one is true, come spring its a huge wet drag even more so on a bike.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction,

> You might live in Minnesota Summer and fall are lovely. But yes there is construction.

If you can identify a southern or eastern accent,

> You might live in Minnesota YOU BET-CHA!

If your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next to your blue spruce,

> You might live in Minnesota haha

If "Down South" to you means Iowa,

> You might live in Minnesota I guess i think of down South as where Kari lives:)

If you know "a brat" is something you eat,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup Johnsonville pretty much owns the BRAT rights up here.

If you find -10 degrees "a little chilly",

> You might live in Minnesota That is about right. You get used to it, but it doesnt mean it gets any warmer.

If you actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Minnesota friends,

> You might live in Minnesota And if you devote an entire blog to it, you do it bc?? Winter is long and I need to laugh at it.

Continued...2011 intentions

As i said I wanted to continue "my lobster tail lands in Ruby's mouth happy new year" post and write a bit about my intentions for 2011. I sorta felt like I should organize this post so i didnt just fumble and spew, as i often do. But since the only way I continue to blog is to fly by the seat of my pants( hats off to you all that write down all your hard earned mileages, but that isnt me) I think i need to keep that trend going. I hope this doesnt sound like resolutions, and if it does, well then i am all full of it and like the rest of the world. Come february i will be all "why did i say i needed to cut back on caffeine?"

Family/Personal:

I intend to try to not be a royal pain the backside to my husband as I head into a very exciting but scarey summer training for my first Ironman. He is super busy in the summer with work and we barely have enough time to do anything outside our outdoor seeking bike rides ( add on run and swim) or we are tired and dont want to. He is so good at suggesting we go here ( cabin) or go east to visit relatives and i am so often saying " racing that weekend..." or " Gotta ride my bike x hours that weekend, can we go later?" The catch is that our lovely cabin is 4 hours away. We cant just zip up there for a day. Well we can. and Rich will, but that is not worth it to me.

So intention is to Plan ahead for some cabin time and try to not say NO to plans before i even hear what they are! And to Plan for downtime. That doesnt involve a lake a bike or my run shoes or my new Garmin that i havent even figured out how to use.

At the same time...I plan to say NO to somethings I may not want to say NO to.

Social things. Work things. Family things.

**note we do have a family reunion at Luther College in August 2011, and will be missing our favorite FIREHOUSE 50 TT:( I had my undies in a bundle about it. Rich was like "no biggie..." He is a better Man than I am. ( hahaha, of course he is!)

In addition my nephews are so fun to be with and are playing lots of tennis. I want to see them play more now that they can see over the net, and its really fun to see especially Joe, the oldest, so in love with a sport similar to how much i loved it. Yep, Slept with my racket folks.

Friends/Teammates:

I intend to train with people ( not just Rich) 1x week at least. Its hard. I have great roads to get on right from home, and i really dont want to drive to train. But alas my new team and Gear West isnt near my house. So i want to try to get out there for the ladies ride or at least make an effort to meet up with these great ladies ( and others that arent on the team!) to ride run or swim. Or at least have coffee....

Coffee..speaking of coffee...

Nutrition:

and speaking of all things nutritional. Someone in the pool today said to me..."Yep its january. time to lose 10lbs." I knew he didnt mean me. ( I hoped) Then he said as we were kicking " you. not me." Point is i dont think i have a huge GOAL around weight or nutrition, other than to be consistent, be smart, and eat for fuel 90% of the time, pleasure 10% of the time.

Maybe pleasure isnt the right word, but what i mean is that I do intend to eat and drink in a healthy way. But that can get out of hand if you analyze every thing that goes into your mouth.

Rich has requested that i make banana bread and other homemade items WITH GLUTEN:)

I was experimenting with GF things, and tho its fun to have some of that I am lucky i dont think i eat alot of white flour processed stuff anyways so I dont need to obsess on GF. Some of you may disagree.

Booze/Wine/Beer: Well, I have never heard anyone say " I am really worried about Julia. She isnt drinking now." Wheras I have heard ( in my head) " I seem to be having a few more g of wine than i thinki need to, and with increased training you may need to lower that or omit it." Point is I dont think it does me any good. I enjoy it. I am lying if i didnt say I like a glass of Cab Sauvingnon in the winter with a good steak. And i like a cold beer in the summer after a hot day. But It's not a food group... Again I am not judging anyone who does drink daily. I just cant do it and dont want to do it.

And back to Coffee. I am still going strong on half decaf capps. But i am thinking my higher than high morning heart rates may be eased if i just went to decaf. Again. Winter. In the summer i dont crave that hot foam. Yuk, actually. Green tea is marvelous but there is nothing creamy about it. So again, no rules, just caffeine isnt always my friend ( cold hands, sore boobs, sorry TMI) Oh and there is a term for that. Fibrocystic Breasts, and yes, google it. Caffeine is no good for that.

The rest of the diet is great. Lots of kale, beets, turkey, fish, steel cut oats, nut butters,greek yogurts, some meats, salads, and fruit. We are in the dead of fruit season. Blah. I am buying organic frozen berries and living on pinneapple ( which is remarkably good right now, thanks Hawaii) and oranges and grapefruit. The blueberries and strawberries we had lately have been so bad and mushy and conventional that they tasted like nothing.

Oh and who knows this : other than tasting sorta good why is Coconut milk and coconut milk kefir etc...the rage now? It doesnt have as much protein as cow milk or yogurt and i know it has good fat but is it just a good alternative if you are lactose intolerant?

Training/Racing:

Sorta covered this but my intention is to complete "IN ONE PIECE" my first IM on 9/11/11.

I have to say I have had my doubts about this. November was rough on me. I did start back to training ( runs and harder bikes) in December. But i feel behind.

Now If i step back and say "Julia, why do you feel behind? Your goal race is in sept. That is 9 mos away!!!" silly. I would say:" Yes that is true. But the reason i feel behind is that LAST year at this time i was running x pace, x distance and doing hills and speed and..."

Despite being nearly 45 yo, last season was really the only season i raced a full season like i did. And I have nothing to compare it to. Winter 2008 was likely alot like winter 2010...nothing magnificent about it. Just getting the miles in, and staying up right in the snow and cold. So when i DONT COMPARE to where i was last year, all is well with the world. And the good thing is that the trend is I am getting stronger. I am consistent and I am putting in the work. It's hard to trust that being consistent is really that important. I mean, being consistent in your training is ...well. Boring. Sorta like doing the dishes, brushing your teeth, making dinners for the week, its not exciting day in and day out. But then, when you look at the Training Peaks and see all those colored boxes and you see you did all that, well then maybe it starts to make some sense.

So my intention is to not get caught up in the day to day " Oh i swam 10k today." bc really, in January i dont need to be anything more than boring.

As for "What is your goal for Madison?" I have to say "FINISH"

Yesterday a guy i really respect in tri said "oh you will be buying a ticket to Kona." And that made me feel good. He believed in me. But at the same time I cant really think like that. It's my first. It's one day. Break it up and see what happens at the finish line.

I have a few 70.3's on there, and maybe a few local du's in May. But no Texas 70.3 this year which is too bad, but its earlier and its a week after Tucson, too close and too much since I am not where I was last year ( hahaha, slam slamslam, kidding, really) As long as my body allows I am headed in the right direction. Still seeing some people for bodywork on that stubborn Lateral Hamstring. I know I called it my butt, but it was my lateral hammy. And it still is wanting to overwork, so we are just trying to get it to chill. I get to run on the Alter-G treadmill this week, I will post about that. Pretty cool machine, I am quite lucky!

Has anyone done Door County half? or what about Muncie? Muncie is NOT easy for me to get to, but i am thinking about it. Sounds like the Pigman of Indiana, from what i hear. Not much going down there, other than heat and corn eh?

Ok I think i have rambled enough with my intentions. But biggest of all I intend to keep believing in myself. The other day I had a friend tell me to have faith in myself. He said " We have faith in you, you work harder than anyone i know." That hit home. If other people believe in me, why should i not believe in myself?

Good stuff.

New Year's Eve and 2010 recap

Well 2010 went out with a bang and so far, other some bike time, pancakes for brunch and windchills that made me happy to be inside for now, 2011 has been wonderful!

Last night we went to my parents house for dinner. This has become a nice tradition where we have lobster and have an early dinner and then go home to watch a movie and fall asleep in the middle of the movie. Last night didnt disappoint in the excitement for a few reasons...

1)The weather was iffy. They had forecast freezing rain but really never happened and other than scaring all the people who watch the news 24-7. The driving was fine, temps dropped and it got cold! When we woke up today windchills were -10 and temp was 2. hmm..

2)Luckily the weather held so my parents had4 live lobsters that they didnt have to try to eat alone..we cooked them up and sat down to dinner. My dad did a lovely job of draining them and cutting the claws and the tail so all we had to do was use our crackers and dig out the meat.

Somehow I was struggling to get the tail out of it's shell and when it did pop out it popped right off my plate and into a waiting mouth next to the table:

Yes Miss Ruby was planted next to the table and when that tail went airborne she did not miss a beat, and before i could even say "NO!" it was gone.

Happy 5th Birthday to Ruby! I didnt starve, and it wasnt her fault. We had a laugh, we shared the rest of the lobsters and Ruby was quite thrilled with her birthday feast. Even tho i dont think she even chewed it. And no butter:) To be honest Rich reminded me that I had let her smell the lobster and he thinks that she was ready to pounce and figured it was for her anyways:) Maybe she was right.

Then as if that was not enough i broke a glass, then while carrying it out ( the clean up) I managed to drop it again and more glass went flying. Yup. Butter fingers all night long.

To top it off I hugged my dad good night and said "Happy 2007!" WAIT?

two thousand seven sounds like.....

two thousand eleven???

And really, I had 1 drink before dinner and 1 glass of champagne...um....hello lightweight. I think i was just giddy and excited. I love ruby I love my parents I love my husband and we had a blast! ( and I do love Lobster!!!)

I have a longer post to do on 2011 and my intentions for the year. I dont do resolutions and have learned that when I "give something up," it makes want it that much more. Rules dont work for me. Goals and a path as to what I want to have happen in 2011 are far more valuable to me, and i like the idea that there can be a trend to how i live my life.

It isnt "At the end of this day, Did i fail or did i succeed?" It's more about the big picture and my overall happiness and health. It just works for me even tho, YES. I have to be reminded just like anyone else of the big picture. Like anyone I do get caught up in the little victories or the little defeats. But really that is all those are, in my opinon, my ego needing to be stroked for short term gratification. I know some people need to go cold turkey on stuff, but that never sticks for me. Seems like the right thing at the time but come 3 days i go "So why did i say i would do/not do that?"

As for 2010: Lots to be thankful for. It was a busy year. I wont be racing as much in 2011 which is ok....I trust the plan and the coach:)

Good friends and fun travels:

Pink Sox rock!

Tennis with the best and fittest dad out there:

A new team to play with, hang out with, and a great store that supports the local and national triathlon scene in so many ways. I cant wait to wear the GW colors in training and racing.

Ok that got a bit into 2011!

To Be Continued!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

It always makes me sad that we say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and then POOF! It's all over. I try to not let it just come and go like that. For example, lets leave the tree up for another month. Seriously. I love the lights, Why not?

And of course still wishing your loved ones, family, friends and co-workers a happy new year and good health...does that have to end on Jan 2? I hope not.

Anyways....lotsa fun pics....Pre holiday swims: And I forgot my phone so you dont get to see this suit on me, but i love it. It has gingerbread on the butt ( um, and spritz and sugar cookies and m and m's and...oh wait... you know what i mean) and Peace and Happy Holidays on the back side too. I may even wear it this week again.

This is why we arent grilling outside. Or swimming, for that matter.

Where's Waldo? Scroll down to find Waldo ...

Yes under that white fluff is Waldo. Our pool. Sweet, just named the pool. I am all about naming things, makes them more personal. Notice the diving board and the grill. No, we arent currently grilling much.

We had family pizza on the 23rd and hung out with Ruby. She had fun..or we did. Dressing her up in my scarf, and laughing way more than was warrented. A year ago she wouldnt have gone for this, and we are happy to say we think that Ruby has forgotten her depression days as a RAGOM pup when she was in a kennel with two other dogs and never had anyone to love on her.

Finally she gave me the "Where is my mom?" look. Her mom ( my mom) was out to dinner and i think Ruby was crying "uncle." And really we werent abusing her, she just loves it when we get down on the floor and hang with her, so I did:)

Christmas eve was fantastic and full of extended family at my parent's house. Lots of good humor, fun, giggles and memories of our family members that we miss so dearly. We try to keep those traditions alive:

Orange Jello ( with cool whip)

Christmas tree socks

Chocolate chip cookies for dessert ( in addition to the sugar cookies of course)

Beef Tenderloin...wait...not this year! Honey baked ham won out!

Red wine...wait...Julia made Cosmo's too...Just call me the " Enabler" and my cousin Ann who introduced me to the phrase " I want a tiny --TINI" cute! Ok, got it Ann!

Me: Ann: Heide ( my oldest sister)

Ruby got a flashing necklace....

Sisters!

Chippy's au apair, Janis, is from Bogota, Columbia and has never seen snow like this before. She ice skated, went sledding, and gave Ruby her fair share of love. Janis is fantastic, Chippy and Heide are so lucky to have her.

Kitchen Aftermath:

So....xmas eve was a success...we woke up and did it all over again.

Crack me up: the boys cant contain their excitement for the gifts Heide brought from her international travel, Eyeflaps, ear plugs and likely some booties for comfortable travel. Chippy put his headlamp on to better get a view of the loot:

Joe has found a new way to make it thru the school day:

His mom is the cupcake chef. I sent this pic to her and said we had her son hostage and she had tobring us cupcakes or we wouldnt let him go. Hmm. We havent heard from her yet. Anyone else feel that way about their 6 and 8 yo son's?

Willie in the background thinks the idea of his older brother being kidnapped is JUST FANTASTIC!!!

Brunch back at my folks...lots of fun stockings and presents and then back to our place for Xmas dinner with Weisbeckers and Mairs. What a great day! I hope you all had a restful weekend and Santa was generous to you and your's.

Saturday's Shenanigans

What do you get when you put this:

In a bag, carry it up the stairs:

Put it in here: ( You know where this is going)

Sadly remove the down jacket, the Lulu shorts, put on the designated "warm" shorts and...

In we go...

But its too cold! I think the tap water was cold enough. Water shoes are mandatory.

This expression pretty much says it all: HOLY COW!

I guess taking an ice bath means that either I really did some work that required it, or we just have so much snow I figured why not. A little bit of both I guess. Working back to some lunges, squats, etc with the TRX coupled with some hard(er) rides and a few miles on the TM meant when i got up in the middle of the night to go use the bathroom I could barely walk! oops.

But maybe not oops. Now is the time to be sore I guess, even tho I wince thinking about increasing the strength sessions in the future.

So another exciting day in Minnesota.

The Aftermath and Cupcakes in a Jar

I Realized I should have done a vide of sunday, when it had stopped and It was light outside. But it was too cold, and even today i went out and took my mittens off and my fingers were so cold. It took me about 4x as long to drive what usually takes me 10 minutes. The sidestreets are nutz, people are stupid, they just stop and try to park in the middle of the street when there are snow drifts as high as:

If i had another person i could have shown you to scale that this is about 12 feet of snow.

But my other hand had this in it:

So far my quest to cut back on coffee is going ok. But when Caribou has $2 spicey mocha's, its hard to resist, even tho i dont really like chocolate. I get it home, sip it and go "ehh" and make tea ...I keep trying to love that chocolate. But not yet. I have lovely tea choices, So far my faves are green tea with mango, green tea melange and Jasmine. All loose leaf.

In other non weather and non caffeinated news:

The Dome collapsed.

Farve gets another day to pretend his SC joint isnt killing him and he is not in excruciating pain. IT makes me cringe to think of snapping that football when your SC ( Sternoclavicular) Joint is in jeoprady, but then again maybe he can pass it underhand, get a few shots to the joint and still keep his record, whatever it is. Kari, you know what it is dont ya? :) You are such a fan. NOT.

My sister in law had an emergency cupcake delivery saturday mid snowstorm. She gets a call asking for 6 dozen cupcakes in a jar. Lets back up.

CC in a jar =

1/2 a cupcake baked in a glass jar

topped with frosting

another 1/2 like a muffin top ( cooked separately) put on top of the cupcake and then more frosting.

They are then eaten with a spoon, out of the jar.

*** And having just seen the originial Gene Wilder "Charlie in a Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl, dont you think Aimee would be on to something if she were able to create a jar that then could be eaten? Like when they are drinking tea near the chocolate river right before the blueberry girl explodes?

Turns out she could only turn around 2 dozen in the short timeframe she was given, but the customer was insistent. So Aimee drops the 2 dozen CC in a jar off in a snowstorm saturday morning, and Mrs. #4 has her party favors for that night's party. Wonder if the party took place of she was trapped in her house with 2 dozen of the best buttercream frosted cupcakes known to humankind?:)

I rode my bike on the trainer alot this weekend. I mananged a short T run, and no butt pain. and when is say butt pain gotta just trust me it isnt piriformis and maybe i will write a post about what it is/was but for now its too long a post and too much that i will lose Kari, and i want her full attention since i have included all her favorite things thus far except

Yorks. There, now i did it.

YORKS are better than Junior Mints. I agree.

Ok that is all from the winter wonderland, but really this is going to make my outdoor riding a bit tough for the next few weeks.

What Did You Do Today?

MN Tri Awards Night Plus Dick Beardsley

Last night we had the MN Tri awards banquet. I have never been to one of these and was not sure what to expect, other than the promised good food and of course seeing some nice people. We were excited to hear Dick Beardsley talk about his 1982 Boston Marathon duel with Alberto Salazar. Wow. What an incredible tale, and vivid memory Dick has of that day. He said he remembers it like it was yesterday. I knew Dick had returned to his farm in MN and had a terrible accident with some farm machinery, that nearly left him dead. I also knew he had struggled with addiction to Pain medication and Narcotics. But until you hear someone recount it, you cant even imagine the grip that addiction holds on someone. If you want more information on Dick, or his foundation please see his foundation website.

http://dickbeardsleyfoundation.org/

Dick now lives in Austin, TX...smart guy. Funny that he comes back to talk to us on the coldest and snowiest night we have had all winter:) If you get a chance to hear him speak, by all means take it. He was funny, emotional, honest and most of all he is real.

As for the rest of the night, well there were alot of awards to be had. I was nominated for Master of the Year and Most Improved. Tho i did not receive either award, and I had some really nice shout outs from my peers telling me that i deserved one or both, it really is fine. Every one of us is deserving, and honestly? If you had told me in April, 2010 as i lay in bed in Galveston TX before my VERY First Ironman event, the Texas 70.3, FREAKING OUT, that i had no idea what i was doing....if you had told me i would be on the dream team TEAM MN or even nominated for either of the two awards i would have said " Ha, funny."

When i come full circle, I woke up today the same person, with the same little ache in my Right hamstring and butt, ( that is getting better btw) and the joy of having a loving husband, super nice friends that love me, and even some super nice friends i have met thru racing that i didnt know at all this spring. I would be lying if i didnt THINK i deserved to win one of those awards, but at the end of the night I was sure happy to be there to support Cathy, Julie, Jenny, and those people that attended. Men and Women, we really have a great talent up here in MN.

The Committee that organized it did a fantastic job and if any of you are reading this. THANK YOU!! WELL DONE!

So, do i have the inner fire now in my belly to come back and PROVE that i deserved to win? Nah, not really. That isnt what really motivates me to be honest. I have my own goals, many of which involve racing out of state and seeing my camp friends and friends i have met thru my fantastic coach Jen. It's all good, we have to remember that people. I can tell ya, how quickly running a certain pace seems like H- E- double hockey sticks right now. Granted the snow isnt helping. But my point is you can have it all taken away so quickly, so enjoy the ups and try to weather the downs as well. Hopefully we have alot more of the ups to come!

And i think we have more snow and sub zero to come so i am gonna have to wear my new bracelet the nice K Swiss Sisters gave me that says WYAO. Its not quite HTFU. But any guess what it is?

WORK YOUR ASS OFF