schooled on the bike

Went for an early morning bike ride today with a gang of tri-people. Started off really good...with the wind...chatting and visitng and feeling really super good. A few times my legs were saying "Are you kidding?" as I have been getting some harder runs in lately.

Anyway, as tradition goes with this group, we pedalled all the way to the Aberdeen train tracks and you MUST cross the tracks...I did not know this but did it, as anything to bring me good luck on the bike is needed in my world.

We turned around and holy crap wind!! I got dropped...twice...just when I think I am the shit, I am humbled once again. But this group was super kind enough to wait for me and one of the gals had just gotten back into the country and needed a break as she has not been on her bike for some time and I was secretly thanking her when she said it!!

I did get taught how to properly draft today. Scary. Too many wheels and too close together for me. There were only about 7 of us and I seriously do not know how a big group does this...I was concentrating and focusing really hard and noticed that my willingness to chat and visit had wained considerably. At one point, one of the gals says "Kelly. Kelly!!! KELLY!! Get over on THIS side of the white line! This is a bad accident waiting to happen!!" Oops. I had been trying to keep as close to the back wheel as I was told but did not really notice I was riding too far into the friggin road!! Enough drafting pracitse for me for one day!!

Garmin tells me we did about 52kms. So the positive I am taking away is it wasn't really all that bad and my average heart rate was not all that high so a decent workout before breakfast.

my legs are tired

Amongst all my "super" blogging...(get it?)...I HAVE been running.

Running like a maniac. Cause I have a half marathon to do in one week.

The workout yesterday was a tough one. Warm-up, then three times 8 minutes tempo...or as coach Justin puts it..."as fast as you can run for 8 minutes, then jog, walk, crawl for 4 minutes, get yourself mentally ready to do another one. Do that three times" So, I did it four times.

Why?

Cause I felt like it and I felt like running and do you ever have one of those days where you just feel really good and at the end of the 8 minutes your chest is heaving, your guts are wonky and your legs are crying for mercy? But it feels fantastico? This was me yesterday but BOY I feel it today!!

The good news in all this is that garmin told me after that during those 8 minutes I was holding between a 5:12 and a 5:25 per km pace.

Wha?

And I wasn't even running downhill!!

Three words for that run: totally, freaky, awesome

OHHHH....MY....GAWD.....!!!!!!!!

I get to work today and there is an e-mail from Coach Justin.
I had sent him the pics of us in our silly costumes with a note "This is what some of your athletes were up to this weekend!!"
He thought they were awesome.

Apparently the pics made their way around the Carmichael Training offices.

Right onto the lap of the marketing person.

Who wants to use them on the Carmichael website...

My picture could possibly be within INCHES of Lance Armstrong's picture...and this folks is as close as I will EVER get.

Wha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!

LOVE IT!!

IMC Spectator Report

What a day it was!! Had a blast! Have had zero time to put this report together so here are the highlights:

• Up really early to head to T-Ho's for breakfast and a coffee
• Got to the hotel room just in time to watch the swim start. I had forgotten the detours in Penticton with all the gates etc up and had to re-route twice and ended up running for a whole mile, with my coffee spilling on my hand, carrying my bag, in flipflops.
• Shannon and I got changed into our costumes...Grant did not want to walk downtown in his Superman costume.
• Had our picture taken many, many times as we made our way to my brothers car
• Got up to Yellow Lakes in good time and set things up...cooler, signs, lawn chairs.
• Wasn't too long before the pros came by. WOW! They make it look so easy!!
• The age groupers started to come by and then the fun started.
• Was shocked at how many people walked their bikes up that hill.
• Had a little cute girl want to "meet Wonder Woman"! She was so shy but crazy cute!
• Had the newspapers take our picture and ask some details.
• Saw all of our Saskatoon people and IronGreg (cheered for him but he was looking pretty focused), Julie (ran beside her for a bit asking how her ride was going...she said she needed lipgloss), then I saw Jenna as she was waving to Grant and he was running beside her.
• I had told myself all day, DO NOT cry when you see Jenna!! That is all she needs is some blubbering idiot in her day. But I just could not help myself. I started to bawl!! She was doing amazing.
• Right after she got up the hill, we packed up and headed back to town. Changed into my normal clothes and watched part of the run with some Saskatoon folks. Saw Kelsey and Jenna on the run again. Tried to run beside Jenna but she was hoofing it and I had to pee, so didn't want to "risk" things!!
• My brother had to get back to his house in good time and I had to pick up my munchkins so we left Penticton as it was starting to rain just a bit.
• Overall was a super fun day!

i'm fine....really...

First day of kindergarten today. I was good with it all. Took Matthew to school, walked him into the classroom, got him all organized with his school supplies etc. He was excited but kept it cool...just like his father...heaven's, don't show too much emotion. Anyway, hussled to work, had a meeting, got some paperwork done, drove back at lunch time to take him to daycare. I get there and he says "Mom, I want to walk with the kids. I don't want you to drive me."

Then the faucets let loose. I could hardly see walking to my car, alone, by myself, watching my 5 year old cross the street and head 3 blocks to the daycare. I bawled the entire way back downtown. Something is definitely wrong with me!

You want them to be little for so long and they want to grow up so fast.