Guess who's home!?!?!?

Hubs is home from deployment!  We are so excited!  We had to get right back into the swing of things because we both had to be at work bright and early but we got to have a little bit of excitement!  Although I have to admit I think Lexi wins in the tail wagging department.

This first video is Lexi welcoming him home:

Then he went back out and brought in the balloons I had given him and she wanted those dead!



I made him a giant cookie with butterscotch chips but it was so sweet we couldn't handle very much of it.

Then I looked at all the pictures he took at places like the Dead Sea and Romania, and Lithuania.  And he showered me with gifts.  I'm very excited to try the olive oil and the bath salts and mask from the dead sea and of course awesome jewelry.  But most of all I'm excited he's home!

Good news I have a 6 mile run planned for this evening so my Ironman training is staying on track!

Cooking Frenzy and a little bit of training..

So as most of  you know my deployed hubs is coming home, still don't know the time for sure, but it's supposed to be tomorrow at some point during the day.  You know they like to keep you guessing until the last minute but I won't get into that.  What I did want to get it into is ALL the food I cooked yesterday in preparation for this.  Not to mention cleaning the house!  Luckily this was a recovery week for me so I had some workouts but they didn't take as long, Saturday I ran 8 miles and Sunday I did 35 in spin class 1.5hr class.  What I am a little nervous about is the fact that he is coming back right in the hardest last months of my Ironman training, AHHHHHH!  Oh and it will be our 1 year anniversary in a couple of weeks.  But have no fear I am fool proofing this :-)  kind of.  I prepped a full weeks work of meals so that I can still get my workouts in after work and all he will have to do is put the meal of choice into the oven for about 20 minutes!  See we're supposed to give them a couple of weeks so they can re acclimate which he is taking to mean he doesn't have to help around the house the 1st two weeks.  So I told him "Oh so in other words things will be right back to where they were before you left"  We only tease... kind of

Can you guess what and how many dishes I'm cooking?

First up was lasagna, made with whole wheat noodles, ground soy meat, and I made a red and white sauce from scratch...

Then he requested that I make green chile enchiladas so I obliged and I figured since I was already defrosting green chile why not go ahead and make some fresh salsa!

I even managed to get my lunch made for the next day, salad, yes there are greens and reds hidden under there!  I have to eat a very big salad for it to keep me full the whole day and through my workouts!

Last but not least broccoli and rice casserole made with some green chile soup mix and nutritional yeast!

 

There is a desert dish too not pictured here so I don't ruin the surprise just in case he actually reads my blog! :-)  Will post later...

This morning on my way to work my dog decided to give me one last heart attack before my hubs came home.  I could hear her sticking her head in and out of the doggy door several times but wouldn't come all the way in.  So as I peaked around the corner it was just in time to see her sticking her head in again to look to see if the path was clear with a dead bird in her mouth!!!!  Luckily this time she didn't get it in and she actually listened when I yelled OFF!  But I almost puked as I had to scoop it up and take it to the trash and there was something little and red hanging from it!!  I don't know how this keeps happening!  Just one more day and I won't be the one having to deal with this.....

Happy Monday!!

Animals and Cycling

When you spend lots and LOTS of time on the road training you tend to see things that you never noticed before or didn't notice it as much.  One of those things is road kill.  On a bike it is a lot more up close and personal than when you see it in a car.

Road Kill I've seen:

• Rattle snakes (I stopped counting)
• Gardner snakes (or little snakes I don’t slow down enough to tell for sure)
• Deer 2  (1 had just been hit by a car and it was in town, 1 was out in the middle of no where and I smelled it before I saw it and when I looked over to see what it was there were maggots oozing out of the middle of it as if something had torn it’s middle out and just left the rest ewwwww I almost puked on this one)
• Squirrel
• Frogs
• A big green lizard that almost looked like an iguana definitely something not native to this area (this guy was so bright green that it made the blood look fake)
• Skunk
• Coyote

I much prefer to see them alive even if it can be scary.  Things I’ve come very close to while riding that was alive and moving

Maybe they just wanted to try out my bike!

• Bear (I tried to get my phone out of my back pocket while riding to get a pic of this guy then I realized what I was doing and figured I should just get the heck out of there!)
• Coyotes
• Fox (I think)
• Cows believe it or not these were the scariest because they were in my way crossing the road and I saw a car coming in the opposite direction I was so scared the car was going to honk and spook them and that I was going to be stampeded!!!
• Rabid dog – It came running after me and I tried to out run it since I was on a downhill and just as I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get away the poor thing hit a rock.  I tried calling animal control and they said they couldn’t come to that part because it wasn’t in their area.

Not me but someone very close to me came home one day from a ride and said they saw a penguin in the river!!  I said no that is impossible they would die in this heat.  Well they swore up and down it was a penguin hanging out in the river.  I said ok there is a zoo right by where you said so I guess call the non emergency police number.  I’m not sure if they were laughing or not but they said they’d look into it.  Then the next day when he called the zoo they said they don’t have penguins.  So determined to find out he went to the same path and told another cyclist.  The cyclist said he thought the same thing but then with closer inspection thought it was a insert bird name here (also not native) but still no penguin.  Thankfully this story didn’t make the news :-)

What animals have you seen while out training?

Weekend Warrior Recap

They have always been my biggest cheerleaders!

My parents were in town visiting which they did often while hubs was deployed and I think they figured they better get one last visit in before he arrives!  So that meant I got to do my long workouts this weekend with my Dad!  On Saturday we went for a 50 mile bike ride which was an adventure in itself.  I took him on a road that for some reason I just assumed went on forever.  But once we got to the furthest point I had been on that road I didn’t know where to go.  I said let’s just go straight.  Well, that dead ended so we had to turn around but not before going through tons of broken glass.  Apparently this was the locals favorite place to break 40s on the road and not just on the side of the road I’m talking all the way across the road!  Luckily no flats, whew!  So we went on to the next route.  Once we got to an intersection we decided to go straight again where another cyclist coming in the opposite direction said it turned into dirt so we took another turn.  Then we were about to go under the interstate and were just 1 mile short of the half way mark and it looked a little hectic and dangerous so we turned around and headed back, we decided to just do an extra mile up the hill on our way back to the casino.  See a bike ride with me is always an adventure, that is the advantage/disadvantage of only relying on your Garmin :-)  On the way back it was pleasantly slightly down hill which we hadn’t realized that the way out was a false flat which made for an awesome negative split!  My dad rode ahead on the way back once he knew where we were headed.  He’s definitely up to par on the bike and I have no doubt he will finish the bike leg of the IM with ease.  I have slowed down a bit since getting my new gator skin tires but that’s really no excuse.  The good thing is I’ve gone three whole weekends without having to change a flat BONUS!  Once we got to the parking lot we strapped on our tennis shoes and ran 1 mile just to get the legs use to transitioning. 

After getting home and cleaned up I took my mom to the mall which I think she had secretly been dying to do!  And we did our own shopping marathon which trust me can be just as tiring….  I don’t normally like the mall at all and it had been forever since I had been there on a  weekend, wow was it crowded and I got a little claustrophobic but if there is anyone I enjoy being stuck at the mall with it’s my mom.  We had fun!

Sunday we were off to our run at the Bosque trail.  I love this trail but this particular day it seemed warmer than it was by my house and the air was stagnant.  I had an upset stomach and have no idea why.  I ate the same pre workout breakfast I always eat (toast with PB&Honey) but at the turn around where I normally take a quick walk break to eat my fuel (usually Shot Blocks) I knew without even trying there was no way I was going to be able to stomach them.  It was HOT and I was illogically using some of my water to pour over my head instead of saving it all to drink.  Then I had to take another walk break at around mile 8 to spew some bile.  Just as I started running again I saw my mom stopped on the side of the trail with two guys who were helping her change a flat tire.  I felt soooooo bad that I had forgotten to put the spare tube etc on the commuter bike!!!  I usually have all that in my pannier when I head to work on this bike and didn't event think to put it on there when I lent her the bike.  She had told everyone passing as she walked the bike in that she was ok.  Luckily these guys didn't listen to her and stopped to help her and gave her a tube and changed it.  I was happy to take a break and help them.  That break is what I needed to be able to finish my last 3 miles.  So even though they were slow, for this heat and an upset stomach, I was very happy with my finish of 1:58 for 11 mi.  My dad wasn't too far behind me.  He says he loves training in all conditions but I could tell the heat had made him grumpy too :-)  I decided to skip the swim that goes after this and took a nap instead I know I should stick to my training but sometimes I just listen to my body and today I feel great again so I'll get the swim in today!

I need to clean my bike it doesn't look like this right now!

The best part about today is that I know my hubs will be stateside very soon!!!

What was your favorite part of your weekend?

PMS vs. Bad Training Day

So often you hear husbands/boyfriends etc complain about having to “put up with” PMS but I believe crankiness from a bad training day is a much bigger risk and this happens to both sexes.  Now what happens if both happen to fall on the same day?  I am not responsible for that one! 

      Here are some signs Ironmates can look out for:

       

     1. You hear the keys jingling uncontrollably as they panic to get in the door, the door flies open as they run by throwing sunglasses, mp3 player, keys and run straight to the bathroom.  Be careful at this point they may not even remember to close the bathroom door.  Your best bet is to leave the house for a couple of hours and wait for everything to clear.  Also do not offer to do the laundry that week in case they earned their SMP sticker.

      2.  You come home and see a bike lying on the garage floor, you walk a little further and see a cracked helmet (at this point you start to panic) then you see shoes thrown, and just as you are about to call 911 you see your missing rider sitting on the back porch step with their head in their hands.  No they did not just have an accident instead they had a flat, followed by a nutrition malfunction, a bonk, being dropped, puking and all during a peak training week which caused them to throw a temper tantrum when they got home.  Remedy: give them some advil, a bowl of carbs, and send them to the shower.

  

      3.       You hear a barely audible sob or you walk in to see their eyes wide open in dismay then you hear the beep of scale turning off.  Oh Oh they are about to have an “I’m not at race weight!” moment.  Instead of saying what you’re thinking “Is 1-2 lbs really going to make you that much faster? Come on it’s not like you’re a pro”  or  “Come on have a slice of pizza I think you look great”  just slowly back away and make sure they don’t see you.  Don’t bring it up ever and possibly take the batteries out of the scale for a couple of weeks.             

      

      4.      You get the call.  “Can you come pick me up?” Just say yes ask for exact location and give them an estimated time of arrival.  Once they are in the car it’s best not to speak.   Give them some advil, a bowl of pasta, and send them to the shower.

      5.      Race Day.  Don’t take anything they say personally, they are a ball of nerves and aren’t thinking clearly.  The more seasoned triathlete knows how to mask their emotions with that teeth grinding smile and an overzealous wave that says if I wave hard enough and smile big enough they will think I’m fine.  But there may be bouts of crankiness for no apparent reason especially right before the race and if they think they are not leaving the house on time or if you forgot something at the house that is not race related for the love of all that is holy leave it! 

          

          Happy Training!  And a special thank you to all of you Ironmates out there that have put up with us!

A case of the Mondays?

I have to admit as I get in the car first thing Monday morning I usually have this sense of sadness come over me and a feeling of dread, which most people would call a case of the Mondays.  I try to listen to some Sinatra on my way to work to lift my spirits.  But then  you get the feeling like it's the music they play in a movie while playing a happy scene in slow motion right before something really bad happens to the people in the scene.....  On most Mondays I have a weekend hangover, no not the kind you get from drinking too much but the kind from having so much fun and enjoying life so much that you don't want it to end.

But this Monday I woke up excited for a new week!  Forget about work that's just something you do to be able to enjoy your weekends right?  I was excited at the prospect of a fresh week of training.  Each Monday I have a chance to be better, to go for that one perfect week of training that we are always striving for.  See I was a little disappointed in my run yesterday.  I only ran 7 of the 10 miles I was supposed to do and REALLY slow and as soon as I got home I fell asleep for 3 hours which never happens to me.  Luckily my ride on Sat. was awesome so I didn't get too down on myself about it.  I feel a little more resilient about having a bad workout than I have in the past.  So this morning I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle this weeks worth of training.  I'm going to make it count!!  Happy MONDAY and Happy Training!

Some random side notes:

*  I got to try jousting on Saturday :-)  No not the real kind but the kind they let you rent for a party that has a bouncy floor and foam things to hit each other with!  Lots of fun! 

* What was your favorite part of the closing ceremonies for the Olympics?  I liked Fatboy Slim, Queen would have been pretty awesome if they hadn't had that other girl sing.

* What was your favorite part of the actual Olympics?  I loved that the U.S. women ruled!  I also liked watching the finish to the Women's Marathon and the finish to the men's 150 mi bike.  I have to say watching the men's swim wasn't so hard on the eyes either :-)

*  We had some nice rain last night but with it came lighting and thunder.  The lights when out for some and my brother captured it on video.  When you watch it be patient, you think there's nothing but wait for it, wait for it.....

Ironman Arizona Course

So for the non-triathletes that have heard about the Ironman when they hear me say I'm doing an Ironman their first question is "Oh so you're going to Hawaii?!"  I chuckle to myself and think if only!  Most people don't realize that the one in Hawaii is the championship.  So it is so anticlimactic when I say "No I'm doing the one in Arizona."  They are also even more confused when I tell them I've done that course once before.  The thing is going to the IM is expensive and I have to pick one that is close enough to drive to and that I don't have to spend more time there than is absolutely required.  I know it may not seem as exciting of a location to some people but I figure hey if it gets me to the IM finish line I'll take it.  Do I wish I could do one in a more exotic location?  You bet!  But trust me that feeling of accomplishment when you cross the finish line is just as awesome there as anywhere else!  Besides, me and the Tempe course have become good friends :-)  I had done my 1st half iron distance there too!  I went and took pictures at last years IM also if you missed those pics you can see them here or here.

So then I found this article about the IM AZ course: 

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/7-Tips-for-Racing-Ironman-Arizona.htm?page=2

I have to say I'm glad I didn't read this article before my 1st IM there in '08 because it would have scared me.  I've always gone into races not knowing what's coming other than the basics, I know the distance I have to make and I know if there are major elevation changes.  That's just so I train appropriately.  But I kind of like having the rest be a surprise.  I find this actually makes me over prepare.  So let me tell you the one big surprise I did have on the IM AZ course was the false flat on the bike.  I thought something was wrong with me because why else would I be going so slow on a flat course?  Then when I got to the top and started going slightly downhill I realized, ohhhhh it was a false flat!  Wooo Hooo!

I didn't have any problems with wind and I hope that stays the same for this year because that is one element that is hard to prepare for.


Ok last item I will be adding to my Shop is in!  Stickers are in!  Check them out!                                                                








How about you do you know every inch of the course before you go?  Do you ride or drive the course ahead of time?  Or do you prefer a surprise?

But I must!

Hello blog world!  I had a great weekend of workouts and some cleaning then more workouts then more cleaning and a little more vegging in front of Netflix than I'd like to admit!    On Saturday I had a great time riding with an old friend of my mine that during my first IM training four years ago use to ride half of my training ride with me then I'd finish the rest out on my own.  We have reconnected and it was great getting to catch up!  It makes it feel like IM training is official now!

On Sunday I got up and did a solo 9 mile run and felt great although my pace was a little slower than I thought.  Then I got home and knew I had to do 1700 m swim and as I stretched and sat down it felt sooooo good I could feel myself, slippping into rest mode.  I thought how bad do I really need to do that swim?  Then all of a sudden I thought of that old SNL skit making fun of Antonio Banderas

NO! NO! Antonio! Too sexy! Too sexy. . . .Ahhh but I must.

So I got up and said outloud (I don't know why cause I am by myself) "BUT I MUST!"  And proceeded to change into my swim suit.  The only problem is it wasn't any where near as sexy as if it was Antonio saying "But I must!" and unbuttoning his shirt.  :-)  But the point being I went for the swim!  

What tactics do you use to get yourself out there when you don't want to?  Me, humor obviously! and the thought of being sexier!

Am I the only one that thought that skit was funny?  Or worse am I the only one that remembers it?

Random Friday

August seems to be my month of anticipation and anxiety for me :-)  So all night and day I have random stuff flying through my head.

1. The countdown has begun, it's almost time for hubs to come home!  & be thrown into the wonderful world of being an Ironman Mate :-)  I'll let you know if he thinks that's harder than his deployment was J/K!!!!

2. How did I not realize what a pain in the butt refinancing a house would be?  The fact that I had to try 4 different places before finding one that was tolerable should have been a hint... I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end when I can get my payments down!

3.  It's my doggies birthday month she is officially 2 now!  I think this means I give her the majic pill that calms her down right, now if I could only find it!

4.  It is always scary not knowing what is going on with your job...

5.  But it does make for good workouts getting all the frustrations out...

6.  I found this link: 

Your Olympic athlete body match

just for fun I tried it, and it told me that my body matched closest with two current Olympians: 

1. 
   Sofya Konukh
   Russian Federation

   Water Polo
2. 
   Suyeon Back
   South Korea

   Swimming

    

   Hmmm maybe I've been concentrating on the wrong sports :-)   

    

   7.  I reached my goal and raised $1,200 for Special Olympics and will be participating in the Over the Edge event repelling off a 16 story building along with some of the athletes!  Thanks sooooo much to those who so generously donated!!!

    

   8.  Last but not least I got some fun shirts in and you can get them on my Shop Cautiously Audacious page along with my greeting cards!  Just sayin'   :-)  IM may not be cheap but no one said it couldn't be fun!  So gotta be creative when trying to get myself there!

   
   

   
   

   

   Women's V-neck both are tech moisture wicking material

   
   

    

    

   

   Men's scoop neck

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I survived the work week, barely!  Can't wait for training all weekend!