Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is usually not a good thing. Kids drink too much to be cool, will experiment with drugs, smoke cigarettes, drive recklessly, etc. Peer pressure can do that to you - make you do things that maybe you shouldn't do. And guess what? Today, I sucommed to the goading. Today was the day of the Frost Bike 50.

The day started out very foggy, but the temperature was nice and cool. After arriving at Cy-Fair College I called Cassie to see where she was. She was already there and ready to go, of course :) We eventually found each other, met up with some other friends, then waited for the event to start. That was a new experience. We waited in the throng of other bikers and then when the event started we slowly edged our way to the starting line where we were sent off in packs of about 50. The fun began.

Biking in fog can be quite the challenge. Cars are not always visible, and of course we are not that visible to the cars! The roads are slick. And the biggest challenge for me was trying to see because of all the tiny water droplets collecting on my glasses!

After getting out of the college we made our way along Barker-Cypress to the 290 feeder road and then it was backroads until about four miles from the finish. The fog gradually dissipated, the sun made a showing and the miles passed quickly. All of a sudden there was rest break number one at mile 9.5. Cassie and I had a break and met up with Debi and Dustin who were already there. I have been hemming and hawing for weeks now trying to decide whether or not I should do 20 or 45 miles. Well, I finally made my decision - 45 it was. At mile ten, Cassie and I wished each other luck and she went left and I went right with Debi and Dustin.

At around mile 16.5 I got a flat. Bummer. But I had a spare tube and air, and eventually we were back on our way. Then there was rest stop number two around mile 18. Potty break. Back on the road and then low and behold it was mile 20. This is where I would go left and finish up my 45 miles, and Debi and Dustin would go right and take the 55 mile route. This is where the goading got a little more intense. This is where I sucommed to peer pressure. This is where I went RIGHT! Yep, I decided to do the whole route, all 55 miles of it! All due to peer pressure! What a frickin nut!

All was okay. I could do this. Then mile 25 rolled around. Where was rest stop number three (the map said there were going to be 5 of them)? The breeze started getting more intense, the pedaling became harder, and the miles kept slipping away. Where was that damn rest stop? I haven't had any nourishment since mile 9.5 and I am getting rather hungry. I suck down a gel and eat half of a protein bar. Okay, feeling a little better. Finally, up a head I see rest stop number 3 - somewhere past mile 35.

I get off my bike and make it over to the refreshment tent where I eat some oranges and refill my water bottles. Debi wants to know if I have been cussing her out because she pressured me into the extra mileage. And of course I say YES! But in all honesty, I was the one who made the decision. I couldn't blame anyone except myself for my sore ass and aching legs!

Off we went again. The roads became worse (they were in some serious need of repaving), the wind was steady and I fell behind. And then I got flat number two. No tube and no air on me. What is a girl to do? Rely on sweet men to stop and help!! They did, and off I was again. Mile 48 appeared along with the final rest stop. Ate some oranges and quickly climbed back on my bike. The home stretch!! Back on to the feeder, back on to Barker-Cypress. The worst head wind yet!! But I struggled through! I had made it this far, I wasn't giving up now! And then there it was, the turn in to the college and the finish line. I had done it. My longest ride to date - 54.5 miles!!

My butt is still a little sore, and my cheeks are a little burnt. But overall - I feel okay. Just tired! MS150 here I come!

Preparing to "Warm Up"

Thursday was the TNT mentor meeting for the upcoming season. The meeting was at 6:00, so I rushed home, changed and took off for the meeting. As I was heading out, I received a message from my friend, Noni, who is taking care of my ferret, Beazer. The vet's office had sent me a reminder that Beaz was due for his distemper so I asked Noni to take him in for me (she works at the vet hospital). So he received his shot that morning, and since the vet noticed he needed his rabies booster - he was given that in the afternoon. Well, he had an allergic reaction (common for ferrets) - so he then got pumped full of epinepherine, benadryl, and dexamethasone! The poor boy!!

I swear Beazer has nine lives. He was found wandering the streets and taken to a ferret shelter (this is how I came to adopt him), was bitten by a dog and the wound became infected and he had to go to the vet three times for it, escaped through the dryer vent and was spotted by my neighbor (when I lived in Sugar Land), fell off the third floor balcony, has had surgery for an adrenal tumor (common ferret disease), escaped from my apartment and was found roaming the parking garage 8 hours later. Now I can add anaphylactic shock to the list!

Anyway, after the meeting I came home and found out that my mother had fallen off a chair and sprained her ankle! She is not walking too good and today, when we went to Wal-Mart, she decided to use one of the motor scooters to get around the store. She figured she wouldn't see anybody she knew so who cares. But she didn't count on running into someone I knew! And who did we run into? Cassie and Manny!! Too funny!!

Yesterday, I went to the BP MS 150 Kick-Off party. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't too exciting either. Oh well. After that we went to Niko Niko's for dinner and then got some ice cream for desert. I was feeling guilty about that so this morning I took off for a little run around the golf course. Would have been nice to make it up for the Run The Woodland's 5K, but with my mother here I had to settle for a measly 2.5 mile run/walk. All is good though, spending time with family is always fun!

I also picked up my packet, yesterday, for the the first official warm up ride for the MS 150 - Frost Bike 50 - which takes place tomorrow. The weather report says mostly sunny - boy I sure do hope so, because I do not want to ride in the rain! I will let you know how everything goes.

Jaywalking

Last night my mother and I were driving east on Alabama going to Calico Corners (a decorating/fabric store). Alabama only has three lanes (where I was anyway) - an east bound, west bound, and a turn lane. It was around 5:30 and rush hour traffic was in full swing, and we all know how that is. People are getting impatient, they are tired of the long lines of traffic and want to just get out of the stop and go flow.

Anyway, I was approaching a major intersection (either Kirby or Shepherd), but was still a couple blocks away. There was this lady standing on the corner waiting to cross the street and since I knew I wasn't going to get through that light anytime soon I stopped to let her by. Not many cars were coming the other way so she proceeded to cross the street and then out of no where this car drives by in the center lane and plows into the woman! She hits the hood, rolls up onto the windshield and then is thrown to the ground where she lies in a heap. You talk about freaked out! I put the car in park, get out of the car and grab my phone and head for the poor lady.

Several other people who had seen the incident did the same thing so who knows how many calls 911 got, but who cares. A cop that just happened to be in the area showed up first, then the fire truck, then an ambulance, then I think even more cops and emergency personnel showed up.

The lady was lucid (thank God she didn't land on her head!!) but in a little shock. Her hands were a little scraped up, but the majority of her pain was in her left hip and thigh (shock - that is where the car hit her!). She kept saying she wanted to get out of the middle of the street but none of us would let her. We just told her to stay still and wait for the ambulance to show up.

During this time the police officer was getting names and numbers of witnesses and asking them what happened. My version was that the guy was speeding and passing everyone standing still to get to where he needed to go. The driver's version was that he was turning left onto the side street. Someone else said the driver had his blinker on, but was going fast and when he slammed on his brakes he screeched the tires.. Someone else said they saw the driver passing all the cars at a stand still at a high rate of speed. My opinion, if he was turning - it wasn't at that intersection - he was going too fast and he hit her head on. If he was turning he would have hit her with the side of his car, not the front of it. But this is my opinion and mine only. Only the driver really knows what his intentions were.

There was one comment that the cop made during this time that threw me for a loop though. He said it didn't really matter what the driver was doing, the lady was jaywalking!! And this was because there was not a designated crosswalk at that intersection!! What? I was always under the impression that all intersections had crosswalks - painted or imaginary, unless otherwise noted. And that as long as you crossed there you were okay. Am I wrong? Is Texas law different than Washington law? Or have I always been wrong? I wonder what the final outcome will be. I just hope the lady is okay.

Everyone - drive, run and bike safe!! Watch out for the crazies out there.

Just a little note

Saturday I met up with some of my tri friends for some cycling. We did 5 - 4.2 mile loops out at Bear Creek Park. It was fun, but a little tiring. Not sure if I will do 45 miles at the Frost Bike 50 this Sunday. We'll see. I still need to get my clipless pedals put on my bike - I am such a procrastinator!

Sunday was spent cleaning. My mother flew in on Monday, and things have to be extra clean because she is very allergic to my ferret. BTW - I have a ferret. His name is Beazer and he is a real cutie (in my opinion). That is his picture on my profile page.

Monday my mother flew in and we did some shopping and went out to dinner.

Yesterday, we went for a walk around the golf course and I cooked a yummy dinner. It was ginger and pineapple chicken thighs with saffron rice and golden raisins. Scrumptous if I do say so myself! Tonight I will be making shrimp gumbo. This will be my first attempt with this dish, hope it turns out okay.

Last week I went to several TNT info meetings and tomorrow I have to go to a mentor meeting for the new season. Supposedly things have changed in regards to mentor duties and such, hope it is not too bad. I just know that the next several months are going to be a real challenge time wise - what with the MS150, mentor duties, all the running and cycling events and training, America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, various other TNT events, etc. Hope I can do it all.

Pictures

I finally got my film developed and here are some of the better ones!

Waverly and her VERY proud daddy!!


Waverly - You go girl!!


Erica - honestly I tried to get a picture of her smiling, but this is all I could get!!


Miss Erin


Go Erin! Go Erin! Go Erin! Go!!


Adrienne - fellow TNTer.


A marathon would never be complete without Elvis.

Ditz

So last night I headed home all psyched to go running. I pedaled as fast as I could, bypassed the mailbox, and tackled the ramps in the garage. I figured this would get me nice and warm so I could do some proper stretching before I started. I threw off my work clothes and took off my dead running shoes and proceeded to don my running attire. Then out the door I went.

I stopped off at my apartment office for a few seconds then proceeded to walk to the park. Got there, did some stretching – felt good - and then I took off.

All seemed to be going okay, my pace was good, the air was breezy and not too hot, but then this burning sensation hit me. My left shin was saying NO. I ignored it and kept going, trying to run through it. Then my left shin decided it would scream instead, so I stopped and stretched it out some and started up again. Well, it started screaming again. So I stopped again and that is when I noticed I did not have on my running shoes, I had on my dead ones! You think – what is the big deal? The big deal is that my running shoes have my orthotics in them and the dead ones do not! And the reason I got the orthotics was because I kept getting shin splints. Man – I can be such a ditz at times!

Needless to say, that was the end of my running last night. Instead I walked the rest of the loop and went home. I will try again tonight. And after that I will go and get the film from the marathon developed (okay Erin!!).

Needing to run

I haven’t been out running since Friday, and it sure is affecting my mood! Everything is bothering me: co-workers typing on their keyboards, somebody’s smelly lunch, the D.J. on the radio and especially my foul mood. I so need to get out of here and clear my head. I think 4 miles should take care of it; I will let you know tomorrow.

Congratulations Finishers!!

Sunday was a blast! I got up around 6:45, got ready, loaded up the back pack and headed out. I got to Montrose just as the first runner was going by. Boy was he fast!! I proceeded to bike up the road and eventually made it to the TNT tent (I only got yelled at by one cop while crossing over to the median on my bike!). Then the cheering began. At first it was all the elite men, then the elite women finally started to show up – so I cheered a little extra for them ;) Then the masses started showing up and I began looking for people I knew. You know how hard that is? Hard! I was able to get pics of a few individuals that I saw in time and a couple times I jumped into the throng of people and ran with them for a few yards. After the runners had passed mile 8 I went to mile 23 and cheered some more. Then it was off to the finish line. I tried to stay out as long as possible to cheer in the final competitors. I did pretty good, but as I was leaving the Hilton after a celebratory drink with friends I saw one marathoner trying to find the finish line. I directed her as best I could, but I am sure the line was dismantled by the time she got there. Too bad, but at least she stuck it out and finished!!

People I saw on the course:
Full Marathon
Jon Sawoska (03:43:13)
Bill Crews - TNT Honored Patient (03:50:42)
Jamie Dalsing (03:57:55)
Carolyn Kundiger (04:23:43)
Amy McClain (04:38:34)
Dave Smart (05:14:21)
Adrienne Balfour (05:42:37)
Dan Kundiger (started early - around 5:45)

Half Marathon
Consuela Schoenberger (half - 01:42:04)
Robin Mitchell (02:09:50)
Cassie Cowan and Manny Mondragon (02:12:54)
Sarah Graybeal (02:18:34)
Debi and Dustin Riherd (02:26:30)
Jon and Waverly Walk (02:54:06) (awesome job Waverly!!)
Erica Smith (02:56:02)
Erin Nies (03:27:55)
Michelle Dedman (03:58:37)

I saw lots of other people on the sidelines and coaching, but that list would go on forever!!

I have some pics on my camera (some great ones, I am sure, of Waverly) and will post once I get them developed.

On another note - I had my final doctor's appointment with my podiatrist concerning my toe. All is healed. My joint is even trying to overcompensate and grow some extra bone to fuse my joint! Lucky me! It should be okay though - just need to make sure I keep the thing mobile. I do get some pain in the joint when I run, but that will hopefully get better with time and goes away once I am able to take my shoe off and flex/crack that particular toe. I bought some glucosamine/chondroitin on Saturday, maybe that will help. Couldn't hurt!

Getting there

I usually run around the Hermann Park Golf Course (1.98 miles according to the map I have). My warm up and cool down is the quarter mile I walk/jog from my apartment to the park. Well, last night I went for another run. It was somewhere around 70 degrees when I headed out and as I was crossing the road to start my walk to the park a guy ran passed me wearing gloves, a long sleeved shirt with a short sleeve on top of that, and a pair of long shorts. Blew me away! Even though I have become more acclimated to Houston heat since moving here 9 years ago, I do not think I will ever get that acclimated!

Anyway, I got to the park and started my run. It seems it always takes me at least half a mile to get into my groove and by the time I got there I was feeling good. My knee was hurting a little, but I figure losing some weight will help that. I need to try that glucosamine and chondroitin stuff (anybody out there use it?). By the time I finished the loop I had shaved off a minute from Monday’s run. I am getting there! I said I would up my mileage this week so I ran another mile then walked back home. It felt good. I am so excited about getting to run again!

Since I am back running, I figured my diet should change. Less junk and more good for me foods. I will never be able to cut out all the bad foods, but I am trying to limit them and I have already seen a difference in the scale since last Wednesday. I am trying to avoid getting on the scale more than twice a month. I want to be surprised! So the next time I get the thing out will be February 4th. But at least I know what I am doing so far is beneficial. I am getting there!!

Getting Excited

I am just getting so excited for all you half and full marathoners out there. I am nervous, have butterflies in my stomach, etc. It is crazy!! I can't wait until Sunday!! I am so looking forward to being out there cheering all my friends on to victory. I can't decide if I want to ride the bike or drive the car over to my planned veiwing spots (miles 8 and 23). I guess it depends on how much junk I decide to bring with me. The majority of the people I know are doing the half, but there are a couple going the full distance. I know how great it feels to see people you know cheering for you, so I am determined to pass that feeling along.

You all are going to do AWESOME!! Have a wonderful experience!!


Coach Anne (TNT), Jill (me), Adrienne (ran the half, but came back out to cheer me on!) and Coach Ginny (TNT) running for the finish line at the 2005 Houston Marthon.

Gym time

I did another 2.5 miles last night. And even though it was kinda warm, I shaved off 45 seconds from Saturday's run. Pleased me! That is why I like running - the challenge of bettering my times. Wednesday I will increase my mileage by at least 1 mile.

Yesterday I was looking at gyms to join, and kept thinking - I hate going to the gym. I was part of 24 Hour Fitness until a couple months ago, then my credit card expired and I didn't update my info. Now I do not have access to a pool and that is what I need the most. I am not that keen on lap swimming, I would rather get out in the open water and just go. But since that is not an option, the pool it is.

A possible solution to the swimming monotony is a SwiMP3. It is a neat little device that conducts sound through your cheekbones to your inner ear. It sounds great to me, but I just wonder. I will think about it and by the time I decide a better, more improved version will be out!

The training has begun

I did another 2.5 miles on Saturday. Everything went well, so I was happy. I was even a little faster than the last run. Sometime this week I will bump up the mileage. I am so envious of you half and full marathoners!

Sunday, I woke up fairly early and figured I would go out for a bike ride. But then I got caught up in this book I have been reading - The Devil in the White City - and did not get out the door until a little after 11 am. Not the best thing, because I think the wind picks up more as the day progresses and it was windy going out. I ride along Braes Bayou and if you do the complete loop it is between 27 and 28 miles. I did 21.3 of those miles on Sunday, and to give you an idea of the wind factor. Going out I did 10.7 miles in 58 minutes (avg 11 mph), took a gu break, then did 10.6 miles in 41 minutes (avg 15.5 mph). My top speed going out was 17 mph and my top speed coming back was 24 mph (and this was not going down a hill)! It sure is fun to ride with the wind vs. against it! Next weekend I plan on doing at least 30 miles on the bike, and I am going to get my clipless pedals put back on the bike (couldn't use them while the toe was healing).

I thought of running another 2.5 miles last night, but I went to the grocery store instead. I am trying to get out of the habit of buying lunch at work and get back into the habit of preparing my meals. Saves money and it is usually healthier.

BTW - in a previous post I accidentally said my pre-injury speed was around 11 mph. NOT SO! More like 11 minutes per mile. Sorry about that! I was having a blond moment!

2006 BP MS 150 Registration Closes

"Registration for the 2006 BP MS 150 Bike Tour has closed. Registration reached the goal of 13,000 participants on Friday morning, Jan. 6, more than a month ahead of last year's record registration pace."

WOW!! I am so glad I registered early!

Famous Baby

My new nephew - Zachary Thomas - was the first baby of the New Year in Douglas County, CO, and made the front page of the local newspaper!

You can read a little more about him here.

On another note - Thank you for all the welcomes!! I appreciated it!

First run of the New Year

Well, I finally got out there and did some running. Only 2.5 miles total, but still I am out there. I am taking it slow (scared of hurting my toe) so I am starting with 3/1. Before I broke my toe I was at 6/1 for long runs and for 6 miles and under I usually just walked at the water stops. Also, my mph was around 11 minutes and getting better. Not so anymore. Oh, well - I have done it before, I will do it again!!

I am going to try and get into the NYC marathon. It is in November so that should give me plenty of time to get prepared. I was thinking of trying to train for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, but that might be a bit much. Especially since the BP MS150 is the weekend before! Maybe next year.

There are so many events that I want to do, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time to do them all! My ultimate goals are the 50 states or 50 states & DC club, a half-iron distance triathlon (not sure about doing a full), and the final is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The last goal might be a bit unreal, but what the hey - it's my wish list of things to accomplish in this lifetime!

Starting it off!

Well here it goes, my first post on my first blog. Kind of exciting, kind of intimidating! Let's hope I can keep it up.

A little about me. Currently I reside in Houston, TX, but have lived in numerous places prior to this (to name a few - Washington, California, Wyoming, Iran, Egypt, Bahrain). I ran a little in high school and college, but did not do any serious training until August, 2004. That is when I joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.

On January 16, 2005 I completed my first marathon (HP Houston) and on February 13, 2005 I finished my second (Freescale Austin). On May 30, 2005 I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon (Capital of Texas Triathlon, Austin). About a week after that I broke the 3rd toe of my right foot at the metatarsophalangeal joint. Very bad break, and after 6 months and a bone stimulator my doc finally gave me the okay to start running again. Yeah!! I have done a little running since then, but with the holidays and such - no major training has taken place. But the New Year is here and the new shoes were purchased last night. I am ready, so lets go!!

ps - the next running events I plan on doing are the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run on February 25, 2006 and the Blue Bell Fun Run on March 25, 2006.