On the 1 and 3 year "Anniversary"...

It was one year ago today I wrote my very first blog post. Happy birthday blog! The header needs to read more like "2010 is the year I became an Ironman!" Re-vamping the blog is on my 'Top 10 list of things to do in early 2011'.

It was three years ago today I lost my Dad. I woke up feeling SO sad this morning, just knowing what this day means and looking back to remember the whole horrifying experience of watching my hero, role model, best friend and most important person in my life, pass away. I started looking through a stack of sayings and poems that my Mom has sent me over the last few years. Reading those always help to enlighten the soul. This is one of my favorites:

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not meant to be,
So he put his arms around you and whispered "Come to Me".
With tearful eyes we watched you, as we saw you pass away.
Although we loved you deeply, we could not make you stay.
A Golden Heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

I re-read my first post again and it is fun to see how far I've come from one year ago. Going into Ironman training at this time last year, I wasn't certain it would be something I'd be able to do, nonetheless if it was something I would truly enjoy. Little did I know, I would be beyond committed and I have never enjoyed anything SO much! I'd always wanted to do an Ironman, but the fact that it was also a goal I had shared with my Dad, made me even more determined to make it happen. One of the last things he said to me was how proud he was of me and to "just keep doing what you're doing". It brings a smile to my face to think about that as I can still hear him saying it.

Now that the Ironman #1 is accomplished, I want MORE! I won't be doing an Ironman in 2011, but 2012 is another story, that may be the year for Ironman #2. I am currently planning out my 2011 season, and am training with the same coach and team, but this time around I'm going to train harder, smarter, and work on the nutrition piece. Whatever I put into my mouth has to fuel me for performance and keep my energy up.

My 'A' race for 2011 will be Ironman Steelhead 70.3. I've heard it's a great race (as long as the waves in Lake Michigan aren't too big and the swim gets canceled! *Gulp*) and it's a fairly flat course. After a bike course like IMWI I'm looking for a flat bike for my 'A' race this time. I plan to race quite a bit this year. (My schedule is coming in that blog re-vamp I mentioned.) :) I'll be racing more than last year, since I don't feel so strapped to only Ironman training on all of my weekends. I may add a few running races into the mix which I totally bagged last year.

I'm really looking forward to the new year. Having new goals to work towards, a supportive and awesome family, great friends, great teammates, a great job, and my heart in a good place. I feel that losing my Dad, although it was the hardest thing I've ever gone through, has opened doors as well. I can see that out of tragedy comes triumph. When you think your situation is the worst in the world, there is always someone, somewhere going through much worse.

Bring on 2011!!

This is my Dad and I at the last race he ever attended, the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon, just two and a half months before he passed away (before we even knew he had cancer).

Friday Laugh - Training for an Ironman

This was posted on YouTube just a couple of days ago, and since it has blown up on Facebook. I had to share it here. So hilarious, and so true!
(Foul language warning for those of you faint of heart.) :)

Race Report - Gobble Gallop 5k!

Whoa. It's been awhile. I have not had a ton of excitement to share in the off season, and that's probably fine, as it's the OFF season. And it's winter. And it's COLD out. And it's the holidays. And it's time to shop! And oh boy, have I gotten some shopping done this fall/winter. I think I made up for not being able to step foot in a mall the last 9 months... I have done enough damage the last month to have made up for 9 months and then some. But I digress...

I realized I didn't want to drop off the face of the (blog) earth and not post a race report about my last race. A 5k people! I completed a 5k on Thanksgiving Day! It felt funny when I "toed the line" to head off on my 25 minute journey to look back to two months prior and think that the last race I had lined up at a starting line for was an Ironman. I was home in Duluth for Thanksgiving so of course had to run this race. I have done it the last 3 years and it always feels good to get in some exercise before getting lots of delicious food in the belly!

The day before had snowed quite a bit so the conditions were definitely not ideal. The race course is an out and back on Superior St. in downtown Duluth, so for those who are familiar know that means running on some cobblestone. Cobblestone seems to get extra slippery with fresh snow/slop on it. It was also COLD! Like wind chills below zero, freeze your toes, freeze your fingers within a minute or two if not covered COLD.

I started the first mile running like a bat out of hell. I do this EVERY time I do a running race, you'd think I would learn one of these days. The second mile I hung on, then the third mile I felt like I was barely moving. I didn't wear my Garmin, so I don't know how exactly I paced any of it, but my overall time was 25:06, which is a 8:05 per mile pace. I would have liked for it to be under 24 and under 8, but I also haven't been training for a 5k. For 7 weeks of XP2 we worked on a LOT of stairs, a LOT of standing on our bikes, and just overall strength. (That also included running with medicine balls, in downtown St. Paul. I can imagine how funny we all looked to passersby.) I have another 5k on New Year's Day so I better start training for that one. :)

I love being home in Duluth as I always get to see a bunch of friends and family. I was also able to cheer on one of my friends from high school who did the the Gobble Gallop 2 mile walk the same morning. He just started doing some 5k's this fall season and now he's hooked! Here he is finishing the 2 mile:

My Mom and I also went to Bentleyville while I was in town. If you are ever in Duluth over the holidays, it's an amazing tour of lights, and it just gets bigger and better every year. YOU HAVE TO GO! Just a little spoiler for you... Here's the Aerial Lift Bridge, a ship, a 120 foot Christmas tree (made of iron) all in lights, with the "real" Aerial Lift Bridge in the background:

Bentleyville. Another reason, on top of the already 8 million, that I LOVE DULUTH.