The day has come and gone.
But it came with a lot of laughs, emotion, pain and accomplishment which will most likely never be replaced with anything.
There was just enough room in the Silver Panther (kelly's van) for two of us. But with some quick thinking, we realized that Sean, of teamseandawnkelly, would appreciate a seat rather than riding on top of the panther - although that would be quite interesting. We may have gotten a little lost/turned around looking for the airport and ended up at a dead end militia boarding station with the actual airport just across the barbed wire fence and instead of jumping the fence with the panther, we took the path most travel by - the actual road. But before we made it to the airport, we sat in the middle of the road watching the passers by at MATC and got a little sidetracked by a girl wearing the wrong shoes with the right dress. Hahaha. We then came back into real life and continued the drive.
With Sean in tow, we made it to the "athlete check-in" and signed our lives away and had to get weighed, again. I actually cheered to the volunteer at my station and I am pretty certain he thought I was a crazy person.
The Doubletree Hotel was our next stop and while kelly and I had a ridiculous number of bags and suitcases (kelly's is affectionately called "the coffin") Sean came with a backpack and a helmet (to protect his head during turbulent plane rides). Our stay in the hotel room was short lived as we had to attend the Welcome Dinner and down several glasses of water and soggy noodles and watch an Ironman featured video to get us pumped up. We were pumped up and ready for bed.
Saturday morning came with the meeting of George from Florida and FREE breakfast for 5. The rain stopped us from our "good idea" morning splash in the lake but it DIDN'T stop us from our traditional trip to Urban Outfitters for scarves. There is always time for scarf shopping - even the day before IRONMAN. We had another task that day - drop off our over-organized gear bags and bikes to the Monona Terrace. What a great feeling to get rid of the spandex, bikes, gu, perpetuem and other silly Ironman necessities. We enjoyed a late lunch with the Jansen and Kiffe clan then came nap time while we watched the Dukes of Hazard AND Kendra (go kendra!). After hours of laying and the development of bed sores, kelly and I paper/rock/scissored to see if we would attend the Ironman Kick-Off celebration. I lost. We attended adorning our pink teamdawnkelly shirts. A surprise visit from a couple favorites and it was getting late and bedtime was calling.
teamseandawnkelly was sent to bed with the proper bedtime story and we all awoke at 4 a.m. adhering to doctors orders of eating 3 hours before the swim start. We arrived at race site with BIG gallons of water and the search for a tire pump began. While the sun continued to rise, the Monona Terrace filled with people and the 6:30 mandatory "athlete to the start" time was approaching quickly. And although the swim area started with a broken goggle strap, it ended with the national anthem, many photos and an emotional send-off.
With a perfectly set plan in place, kelly and I unfortunately did not meet up for the 112 mile bike ride but I am confident and certain that we both heard each others comments, f-bombs, b*tching and tears. I was still mad that I got kicked in the face during the swim and I could feel the bruise forming and we were both mad that it was a hot and windy day. The loss of a cell phone and the falling of a chain didn't stop teamdawnkelly from triumphantly finishing that 112 mile bike ride. (THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH TO ALL OF THE TEAMDAWNKELLY FANS ON THE BIKE COURSE!!!) With just 16 miles back to the Monona Terrace and a tailwind the travel back "home" never felt better. And I have also never calculated more minutes/times/pedal strokes in my entire life. The clock was ticking and time was working against teamdawnkelly.
With the Monona Terrace in sight I dreaded climbing up that helix on my bike but all of the horrible bike thoughts left my brain when I heard the news that Kelly was right behind me and just came out of the Alliance Center. I thanked the biking/ironman gods at that very moment.
In the time of packing for the run on Saturday, I was undecided on my outfit and packed 5 different running shirts to wear BUT instead of choosing any of them, I stuck with the Tri Fox jersey and completed it with purple shorts, bright pink shoes and a hot pink bandana tied around my knee Punky Brewster style. I looked pretty awesome. And if we all know me by now, we know that I am the worlds SLOWEST transitioner (is that a word?) and my speed made a complete 180 when I saw another yellow TriFox jersey come around the corner. "OMG! Kelly Jansen!!!" There she was. Thank God. I think I was just finishing tying my last shoe and she was already set to go and we exiting the Monona Terrace on a mission to complete 26.2 miles and put this Ironman in the books.
More family and friends greeted us with smiles and as we set off on our journey, I turned to kelly to kick it off on the right foot. "I feel like a million f*cking dollars right now." There weren't a lot of words exchanged during the marathon. There were a lot of looks, a lot of beeps and a lot of understanding of what we were both going through. We visited porta-potties. We ate chips/pretzels and grapes and thirsted for more and more water and chicken broth. During these several visits to aid stations kelly and I did the math over and over and we ran our 7 minutes and walked our 3 minutes and made it to the 13.1 point at 8:32 p.m. leaving us 3.5 hours to finish another 13.1 miles. This marathon was in the bag - sort of.
My million dollar feeling was out the door and thankfully for kelly's quick steps we power walked and shuffle jogged those last 13.1 miles like it was nobody's business. And we were affectionately known as the hot chick power walkers. Huh, we'll take that. Again the smiles and cheers from family and friends carried us through those last several miles along with the ever-entertaining aid stations.
Mile 22. Mile 23. Mile 24.
Two miles to go. "I wish we only had 1 mile to go." I could no longer run/shuffle jog. Walking was our favorite form of movement at that time and being only 11:15 p.m. we had plenty of time to walk our Ironman asses to that elusive finishline. It was dark. It was late. And there was the Capital. Over and over again we heard "just two more right turns then a left into the finishline." We heard the music. We heard the cheers and we had just .5 miles to go.
Although our marathon was filled with a lot of silence, teamdawnkelly was on the same page. And this is when kelly looked to me and said "It's time to smile now." We made the first right turn. One more block. We made the second right turn and the smiles were no longer forced. And this is the feeling that will forever be indescribable and unforgettable. There were people. Thousands of people. There were lights. Hundreds of bright lights. These people and teamdawnkelly fans were not going to let us finish without the proper greeting. Again, Kelly turned to me and said "Should we run?" And we did. We ran our Ironman asses down that finish chute and it was so loud. It was amazing. Kelly was giving high fives and I threw my arms up in the air.
If we could have, we would have sat in that finishline chute for an eternity. We were Ironmen at that very moment. And we will be Ironmen from every moment on.
teamdawnkelly trained for a 17 hour Ironman finish and that is what we got. We got the best part of the day and the best part of our "fans" standing in those bleachers. We were star quarterbacks coming onto the field and no one will ever take that away from us.
From teamdawnkelly: thank you to our friends, family and strangers who spent countless hours listening, learning, traveling, cheering, searching and worrying. Thank you for seeing us to the end because we would never have made it without you.
From Team Dawn to Team Kelly: I couldn't have asked for a better training partner and Ironman finisher than you. I would have not made it without you and I would not have wanted to cross that finishline with another person. You are an amazing mother. You are an amazing friend. You are an amazing person. Here's to a never-ending bond and to many more trips to Madison to buy scarves...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thank you...
There isn't a creative way to say it any better than "Thank you."
Thank you to the one person who reads this blog. :-) Just kidding - we know there are many of you!
Thank you to our friends who listened and supported us over the past many, many months.
Thank you to our family who are REQUIRED to listen and REQUIRED to support us!
Thank you to the random strangers who ask us how training is coming along and wish kelly the best of luck in Kona! Little does that guy know how much power his little comment will provide on Sunday.
Thank you to our co-workers who we spend the most time with and have lovingly listened to our silly recaps of this adventure.
And thank you facebook, for the consistent countdown until Ironman. It is you that keeps us from sleeping at night.
You all have made an impact on our lives and it is you we will be thinking of on Sunday.
Thank you to the one person who reads this blog. :-) Just kidding - we know there are many of you!
Thank you to our friends who listened and supported us over the past many, many months.
Thank you to our family who are REQUIRED to listen and REQUIRED to support us!
Thank you to the random strangers who ask us how training is coming along and wish kelly the best of luck in Kona! Little does that guy know how much power his little comment will provide on Sunday.
Thank you to our co-workers who we spend the most time with and have lovingly listened to our silly recaps of this adventure.
And thank you facebook, for the consistent countdown until Ironman. It is you that keeps us from sleeping at night.
You all have made an impact on our lives and it is you we will be thinking of on Sunday.
Damn alarm clocks...
Clearly my neighbor is oblivious to what is taking place on Sunday. She has decided to leave home (with her windows wide open) and leave her alarm clock on. So, instead of waking her own self up at 5 a.m., she has decided to wake me up at 5 a.m. with that piercing beeping sound projecting from her window straight into mine.
But what is important here is that today is "let's drive down to Madison and check in for the 2010 Ironman that we signed up for 1 year ago." Sounds like a great idea.
teamdawnkelly did meet one final time to go over packing lists and reach out for a bit of sanity. Over 2 delicious cups of decaf, we were just like Santa Claus - making a list and checking it twice. And if he is listening, this year for Christmas we would like an early present and for it to come on Sunday in the form of finishing Ironman. But aside from the North Pole, we looked over our lists and made sure to stray from the details to check out kelly's pantry and investigate new snacks. (I have been dreaming about those honey cinnamon pretzel twists since 8 p.m. last night!) I think it ended the night perfectly - we went into this crazy adventure concerned about snacks and we went out ogling a box of kashi coconut tropics granola.
But what is important here is that today is "let's drive down to Madison and check in for the 2010 Ironman that we signed up for 1 year ago." Sounds like a great idea.
teamdawnkelly did meet one final time to go over packing lists and reach out for a bit of sanity. Over 2 delicious cups of decaf, we were just like Santa Claus - making a list and checking it twice. And if he is listening, this year for Christmas we would like an early present and for it to come on Sunday in the form of finishing Ironman. But aside from the North Pole, we looked over our lists and made sure to stray from the details to check out kelly's pantry and investigate new snacks. (I have been dreaming about those honey cinnamon pretzel twists since 8 p.m. last night!) I think it ended the night perfectly - we went into this crazy adventure concerned about snacks and we went out ogling a box of kashi coconut tropics granola.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Leaving on a jet plane...
teamdawnkelly will actually be leaving in a silver minivan. departure from "the north" and headed to "the south" on Friday. But we do know someone who will be coming in on a jet plane; Sean (kelly's bro). He is faster and better than we are (which is why we left his name out of TDK).
But in the packing department, we can all be considered equal. I personally need about 7 suitcases and I'm sorry but when I pack that much, I want to be headed to a tropical heaven, not Ironman hell. I know kelly agrees with me on that one.
4 days and counting...SHIT.
But in the packing department, we can all be considered equal. I personally need about 7 suitcases and I'm sorry but when I pack that much, I want to be headed to a tropical heaven, not Ironman hell. I know kelly agrees with me on that one.
4 days and counting...SHIT.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Wait until we get over the HUMP...
There isn't actually a hump. We swim and swim and swim; crashing into waves along the way, sucking up water through our mouths and noses, getting punched in the face by white caps and we wait in anticipation for the point at which the waves cease - what we refer to as "the hump."
"It will get better once we get over the hump." - Dawn
"There isn't actually a hump. We are in a damn lake!" - Kelly
Today was bittersweet. In the heart of the spring season we began our serious adventure into the Ironman life and over time, our training entailed many, many trips to Elkhart Lake. Through the spring and summer we swam, had coffee and drove home. As the summer has come to an end, September 1st came storming into our lives taking away our time and our warm and humid weather. Today instead of exiting the lake with the sun beating down, we ran out in search of our yellow Tri Fox towels that soaked up the water drips on our bodies.
With the very chilly air temps, teamdawnkelly suited up for our final Elkhart Lake swim before Ironman 2010. At our halfway point, we stopped to stick our feet out of the water and to take it all in. Just 25 more minutes and we would say goodbye to the lake for the season or indefinitely.
But we did get to say hello to Thyme Savours and enjoy, yet another, Almond Joy Latte and in the spirit of celebration, raspberry and blueberry scones.
With just 8 days to go, teamdawnkelly continues to celebrate taper week. We love taper weeks and kick ass on "off days." Separately, teamdawnkelly will swim, bike and run into the upcoming weekend, with just one final gathering before we head south to Madison. And in true teamdawnkelly fashion, we will meet on Thursday to talk Ironman over a frosty Margarita.
IM Cash Box Update: $220 (this is our last! so i rounded up the additional 75 cents)
"It will get better once we get over the hump." - Dawn
"There isn't actually a hump. We are in a damn lake!" - Kelly
Today was bittersweet. In the heart of the spring season we began our serious adventure into the Ironman life and over time, our training entailed many, many trips to Elkhart Lake. Through the spring and summer we swam, had coffee and drove home. As the summer has come to an end, September 1st came storming into our lives taking away our time and our warm and humid weather. Today instead of exiting the lake with the sun beating down, we ran out in search of our yellow Tri Fox towels that soaked up the water drips on our bodies.
With the very chilly air temps, teamdawnkelly suited up for our final Elkhart Lake swim before Ironman 2010. At our halfway point, we stopped to stick our feet out of the water and to take it all in. Just 25 more minutes and we would say goodbye to the lake for the season or indefinitely.
But we did get to say hello to Thyme Savours and enjoy, yet another, Almond Joy Latte and in the spirit of celebration, raspberry and blueberry scones.
With just 8 days to go, teamdawnkelly continues to celebrate taper week. We love taper weeks and kick ass on "off days." Separately, teamdawnkelly will swim, bike and run into the upcoming weekend, with just one final gathering before we head south to Madison. And in true teamdawnkelly fashion, we will meet on Thursday to talk Ironman over a frosty Margarita.
IM Cash Box Update: $220 (this is our last! so i rounded up the additional 75 cents)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
You want me to get up at what time?
Race the Lake.
5:50 a.m. start time.
4 a.m. wake up call.
Slumber party at casa del jansen.
Armed with my drugs, I arrive for the pre-Race the Lake sleepover. In true Kelly fashion, she has created for me a lovely little space in the basement with mood lighting, snuggly sheets and comfy pillows. And, just to remind everyone, it is ok to go to bed at 8 p.m.
After 45 solid minutes of complaining, our world was suddenly filled with spandex, wheels, tire pumps, grease, body marking, timing chips and coming up was a solid 90 mile bike ride. We arrive in our true form. Just in time to find our team, get our stuff, take our stuff back to the car, find our team again and line up in a wave that is completely inappropriate for our usual speeds.
And can we just say, teamdawnkelly loves draft parties and we were partying like it was 1999 all the way to High Cliff State Park. Weaving in and out of other riders, we smiled from ear to ear at the insanely fast speeds we were able to produce. We were pretty much on target to win the entire thing all together.
Well, that was the thought on the first flat 45 miles. After a quick stop at High Cliff for cookies and pickles (yes, pickles) teamdawnkelly climbed our favorite hill and treked on along the east side of Lake Winnebago. The east side sucked in comparison to the west side, however, we occasionally found new "friends" to ride with a.k.a. pull our asses along.
After we ditched some random girl who was not only useless in our biking adventure but also irritating, we carried on with ourselves and out in East Jesus Nowhere we were finally told by some innocent bystanders that "It's all downhill from here." And it literally was. Thank god because it was the point in our rides that we start to bitch and complain about everything. Literally everything.
We pretty much dominated our bike ride though finishing 90 miles in 4 hours and 56 minutes of biking time. And this is what our finish looked like: we are the only ones coming down the road, we stop, volunteers remove timing chips, we get back on our bikes and say "let's get the eff out of here."
Subway was calling out "teamdawnkelly", along with chips, cherry coke and lemonade to boot. And instead of getting home at 3 p.m., we arrived at 1 p.m. That is speed in it's truest form.
We raced the lake and teamdawnkelly is 100% positive we won. So now we are just waiting for our booty.
And now we are 3 weeks out. Only 2 more weekend of training. We just vomited.
IM Cash Box Update: $209.25
5:50 a.m. start time.
4 a.m. wake up call.
Slumber party at casa del jansen.
Armed with my drugs, I arrive for the pre-Race the Lake sleepover. In true Kelly fashion, she has created for me a lovely little space in the basement with mood lighting, snuggly sheets and comfy pillows. And, just to remind everyone, it is ok to go to bed at 8 p.m.
After 45 solid minutes of complaining, our world was suddenly filled with spandex, wheels, tire pumps, grease, body marking, timing chips and coming up was a solid 90 mile bike ride. We arrive in our true form. Just in time to find our team, get our stuff, take our stuff back to the car, find our team again and line up in a wave that is completely inappropriate for our usual speeds.
And can we just say, teamdawnkelly loves draft parties and we were partying like it was 1999 all the way to High Cliff State Park. Weaving in and out of other riders, we smiled from ear to ear at the insanely fast speeds we were able to produce. We were pretty much on target to win the entire thing all together.
Well, that was the thought on the first flat 45 miles. After a quick stop at High Cliff for cookies and pickles (yes, pickles) teamdawnkelly climbed our favorite hill and treked on along the east side of Lake Winnebago. The east side sucked in comparison to the west side, however, we occasionally found new "friends" to ride with a.k.a. pull our asses along.
After we ditched some random girl who was not only useless in our biking adventure but also irritating, we carried on with ourselves and out in East Jesus Nowhere we were finally told by some innocent bystanders that "It's all downhill from here." And it literally was. Thank god because it was the point in our rides that we start to bitch and complain about everything. Literally everything.
We pretty much dominated our bike ride though finishing 90 miles in 4 hours and 56 minutes of biking time. And this is what our finish looked like: we are the only ones coming down the road, we stop, volunteers remove timing chips, we get back on our bikes and say "let's get the eff out of here."
Subway was calling out "teamdawnkelly", along with chips, cherry coke and lemonade to boot. And instead of getting home at 3 p.m., we arrived at 1 p.m. That is speed in it's truest form.
We raced the lake and teamdawnkelly is 100% positive we won. So now we are just waiting for our booty.
And now we are 3 weeks out. Only 2 more weekend of training. We just vomited.
IM Cash Box Update: $209.25
Aprons, Almond Joy Lattes, Antique Earrings and Antibiotics...
I'm pretty certain we have been waiting for this blog post title for about 2 weeks. And might I add that although the title has nothing to do with training, we did swim as well.
One of the most glorious activities to do in Elkhart Lake on a Saturday morning is to attend their fantastic Farmers Market because they sell aprons. And you can't walk around a Farmers Market without Almond Joy Lattes from Thyme Savours. And then you also can't walk around a Farmers Market without purchasing antique earrings from a woman who offers up a sweet deal. Done. Done. And Done.
But let's rewind. We meet in Forest Junction, a terribly convenient meeting point that just recently came to us, and I am on the cusp of sticking a tube down my throat because I can't breath. Nor can I talk. "You know, we don't have to swim today if you can't breath." - Kelly. But we did, because aside from the swimming, we had to check off the "A's" from our list.
As consistent as ever, teamdawnkelly threw down a quick 2.4 miles because we are sleek and slippery in our newly tie-dyed wetsuits. (Kelly has the best wetsuit drama before each swim. This time, in addition to the divots, the leg was heavily discolored in an tie-dye/alligator fashion.) We get through the swim, disregarding the random bird feathers everywhere, because we know what is coming in the very near future.
Just as we exit the water at 9:30 a.m., the sun came out, just in time for our usual routine. While the sun gods were upon us, so were the parking spot gods. Almond Joy Lattes were delivered and although we were slightly disappointed in the disappearance of the apron lady, we came upon the beautiful antique jewels. "I'll give these to you instead of for $10 each, but 2 for $15." Sold. But alas, we found the original apron lady, to which we each gave our $5 for matching aprons. Could the day have gotten any better?
Yes, it could have for me. I spent a better portion of my afternoon in the emergency room getting cured for strep throat. How does one randomly get strep throat? I got my ANTIBIOTICS and TYLENOL WITH CODEINE. Life was looking up.
Oh, and I forgot to mention Kelly's newly polished toes in the PERFECT RED. Congrats on the pedicure my friend.
Okay, this time for real, up next is Race the Lake.
IM Cash Box Update: $186.75
One of the most glorious activities to do in Elkhart Lake on a Saturday morning is to attend their fantastic Farmers Market because they sell aprons. And you can't walk around a Farmers Market without Almond Joy Lattes from Thyme Savours. And then you also can't walk around a Farmers Market without purchasing antique earrings from a woman who offers up a sweet deal. Done. Done. And Done.
But let's rewind. We meet in Forest Junction, a terribly convenient meeting point that just recently came to us, and I am on the cusp of sticking a tube down my throat because I can't breath. Nor can I talk. "You know, we don't have to swim today if you can't breath." - Kelly. But we did, because aside from the swimming, we had to check off the "A's" from our list.
As consistent as ever, teamdawnkelly threw down a quick 2.4 miles because we are sleek and slippery in our newly tie-dyed wetsuits. (Kelly has the best wetsuit drama before each swim. This time, in addition to the divots, the leg was heavily discolored in an tie-dye/alligator fashion.) We get through the swim, disregarding the random bird feathers everywhere, because we know what is coming in the very near future.
Just as we exit the water at 9:30 a.m., the sun came out, just in time for our usual routine. While the sun gods were upon us, so were the parking spot gods. Almond Joy Lattes were delivered and although we were slightly disappointed in the disappearance of the apron lady, we came upon the beautiful antique jewels. "I'll give these to you instead of for $10 each, but 2 for $15." Sold. But alas, we found the original apron lady, to which we each gave our $5 for matching aprons. Could the day have gotten any better?
Yes, it could have for me. I spent a better portion of my afternoon in the emergency room getting cured for strep throat. How does one randomly get strep throat? I got my ANTIBIOTICS and TYLENOL WITH CODEINE. Life was looking up.
Oh, and I forgot to mention Kelly's newly polished toes in the PERFECT RED. Congrats on the pedicure my friend.
Okay, this time for real, up next is Race the Lake.
IM Cash Box Update: $186.75
Two Women and a Lake
It all started with an email questioning the possibility of an Ironman activity mid-week. Because we are often switching and moving and taking out (nah, we don't really take out training days???!!!) days on the training calendar, Wednesday offered an early morning swim at High Cliff followed by a lovely 45 minute run. The planning ended with a simple "See you at the beach."
From the time I learned about summer and daylight until my beginning in my 31 years of life, I am familiar with the idea that following June 21st, the days start getting shorter and this was very evident at 5:30 a.m. that day.
After using a non-lit bathroom and running back to my car to save my life for fear of creatures in the dark, teamdawnkelly reunited and without skipping a beat, Kelly looks at me and says, "This was all your idea." It wasn't one of my best ideas.
It was dark. It was windy. It was WAVY! The scene was straight out of a horror film. The sounds of the wind through the trees and the waves hitting the shore and the strange color of the morning screamed "You are going to die right this very second."
Thankfully, we find this funny. And who wouldn't laugh and to amateurs trying to dolphin dive into 4 foot waves. Clearly we suck at it. We got tossed and turned around our own makeshift swim course and certainly swallowed more Lake Winnebago water than necessary. When we finally got comfortable with our water situation, the vultures moved in.
And via a Facebook status comment from Kelly:
"Vultures were flying over head thinking...brilliant!!! two idiots decided to swim in a hurricane in the dark of night....lunch is served!"
As you probably know, we did survive that swim and the run that followed. We'll have to thank the swimming baby jesus' for that one.
Ummm, Race the Lake is just around the corner....
IM Cash Box Update: $177.75
From the time I learned about summer and daylight until my beginning in my 31 years of life, I am familiar with the idea that following June 21st, the days start getting shorter and this was very evident at 5:30 a.m. that day.
After using a non-lit bathroom and running back to my car to save my life for fear of creatures in the dark, teamdawnkelly reunited and without skipping a beat, Kelly looks at me and says, "This was all your idea." It wasn't one of my best ideas.
It was dark. It was windy. It was WAVY! The scene was straight out of a horror film. The sounds of the wind through the trees and the waves hitting the shore and the strange color of the morning screamed "You are going to die right this very second."
Thankfully, we find this funny. And who wouldn't laugh and to amateurs trying to dolphin dive into 4 foot waves. Clearly we suck at it. We got tossed and turned around our own makeshift swim course and certainly swallowed more Lake Winnebago water than necessary. When we finally got comfortable with our water situation, the vultures moved in.
And via a Facebook status comment from Kelly:
"Vultures were flying over head thinking...brilliant!!! two idiots decided to swim in a hurricane in the dark of night....lunch is served!"
As you probably know, we did survive that swim and the run that followed. We'll have to thank the swimming baby jesus' for that one.
Ummm, Race the Lake is just around the corner....
IM Cash Box Update: $177.75
I'd rather be doing a lot of other things...like laying around
There are a lot of other things to do in the several hours of Ironman training. And just to name a few we would enjoy shopping, eating, cooking, baking, watching movies, reading, cutting the lawn, cleaning, laundry, sleeping, making friends and grocery shopping. And keep in mind the list doesn't end there and as you can see we don't ask for much. On this particular Saturday, Kelly should have spent a couple minutes making a pot of coffee. Yum. Caffeine. Right Kelly?
And although not every ride is fantastic, we made it through another 70 miler taking in the usual sights of Kaukauna, High Cliff, Lakeshore Drive and the faces of rusty-truck driving mullet heads who give the death stare. Why are they so angry at spandex???
With hydration replenishing systems lacking, teamdawnkelly also seeks out water refilling stations and as we crept upon the weeks previous sneak-in/sneak-out location, there was no sign of the orange golf cart and the signs had all indications that Candy/Cindy and Dales Cedar Creek Restaurant was CLOSED. NOOOOO!!!! teamdawnkelly was nearly in fear of complete dehydration. But wait, just as we look to the left to cross the highway, here comes a man driving an orange golf cart. "Are you Dale?" "Yes, I am." He welcomed his restaurant open to us and our water needs and wished us a great bike ride. Thank the biking baby jesus' for golf cart driving non-mullet heads who appreciate a little biking exercise.
And orange golf carts weren't the strangest sights that continued on our adventure. Saturday was the day of the dogs. They were EVERYWHERE! Barking on leashes. Barking in fenced in cages. Yipping as they ran along their farmhouse yard. With one dog nearly taking Kelly out from under her wheels, we came upon the happiest, fluffiest and biggest dog of them all and we'll call him Bernie. Bernie the St. Bernard came flying through a field like a white mist and he wasn't out to kill. Bernie wanted to be the "bernie" in teamdawnkellybernie and to this day, teamdawnkelly feels horrible about the look of disappointment in his eyes when we just kept biking without stopping to play. I want a St. Bernard. He would fit nicely in my 900 sq. foot house.
In the midst of the dogs, carts, pedaling and coffee drinkers sitting on their porches, we again pondered the question of what we would rather be doing. And this was the favorite part of my ride. "There are a lot of things I would rather be doing right now. Like laying around." - Kelly Jansen
Stay tuned for a little story about an early morning swim and Race the Lake 2010.
IM Cash Box Update: $172.75
And although not every ride is fantastic, we made it through another 70 miler taking in the usual sights of Kaukauna, High Cliff, Lakeshore Drive and the faces of rusty-truck driving mullet heads who give the death stare. Why are they so angry at spandex???
With hydration replenishing systems lacking, teamdawnkelly also seeks out water refilling stations and as we crept upon the weeks previous sneak-in/sneak-out location, there was no sign of the orange golf cart and the signs had all indications that Candy/Cindy and Dales Cedar Creek Restaurant was CLOSED. NOOOOO!!!! teamdawnkelly was nearly in fear of complete dehydration. But wait, just as we look to the left to cross the highway, here comes a man driving an orange golf cart. "Are you Dale?" "Yes, I am." He welcomed his restaurant open to us and our water needs and wished us a great bike ride. Thank the biking baby jesus' for golf cart driving non-mullet heads who appreciate a little biking exercise.
And orange golf carts weren't the strangest sights that continued on our adventure. Saturday was the day of the dogs. They were EVERYWHERE! Barking on leashes. Barking in fenced in cages. Yipping as they ran along their farmhouse yard. With one dog nearly taking Kelly out from under her wheels, we came upon the happiest, fluffiest and biggest dog of them all and we'll call him Bernie. Bernie the St. Bernard came flying through a field like a white mist and he wasn't out to kill. Bernie wanted to be the "bernie" in teamdawnkellybernie and to this day, teamdawnkelly feels horrible about the look of disappointment in his eyes when we just kept biking without stopping to play. I want a St. Bernard. He would fit nicely in my 900 sq. foot house.
In the midst of the dogs, carts, pedaling and coffee drinkers sitting on their porches, we again pondered the question of what we would rather be doing. And this was the favorite part of my ride. "There are a lot of things I would rather be doing right now. Like laying around." - Kelly Jansen
Stay tuned for a little story about an early morning swim and Race the Lake 2010.
IM Cash Box Update: $172.75
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Medley of Food Obsessions...at Mile 70
And it all began at the third rest stop and a cooler full of ice and cans of Coca-Cola Classic. It wasn't diet. It wasn't caffeine free. That cola was keepin' it real.
"I haven't had a coke in about a century." And I haven't. But that 1/4 can of ice cold, carbonated and fully caffeinated refreshment was the icing on the cake. And thankfully, Kelly indulged as well. It was just like the commercials said it would be. The food cravings didn't end there and we start rattling off many, many, many food needs. Kelly wanted everything to do with dips, specifically ranch. I want hummus and watermelon. And it continued with fresh veggies, black olives, bread and vinegar & oil, pizza, ice cream, donuts, UNCRUSTABLES!!!, and that list goes on and on. So with just ten miles to go, our desire for Einstein Bagels heightened.
But let us all remember, a frickin' ridiculously hilly 80 mile 2 loop adventure on the IM Madison course is nothing like cold coca-cola or a bowl of watermelon or ranch sauce for that matter. It is hot, dirty, disgusting and so HARD! And Kelly puts it best when she says, "we are two tiny dots and that sun is beating down all over us."
The ride down to Madison was as entertaining as ever. And in true teamdawnkelly fashion, we got lost, but thank the lord above we actually made it to Verona without driving 15 miles out of the way and turning around 17 times. Well, actually, we had to turn around once but that was due to our excitement and lack of attention span at the exit stop light. We made it in time and for me at the time the worst part was the apparent pre-ride WEIGH-IN (WTF???) and the fact that we were both going to pee our pants.
With Kelly being a math teacher, we spent a good amount of time calculating our average speed and how long it will take us to finish a loop and proudly, we finished loop #1 in 2:35 (13 minutes faster than our previous Madison adventure.) Rock on. But wait, it doesn't end there. Our first loop was accompanied by John, our training friend from Chicago-land, who noted a couple of our characteristics. Yes, keep reading.
Out in the hills, the wind and the open land, bikers come and go. They eat. They drink. They stretch their stiff necks while still in a silly comfortable seated position. teamdawnkelly does all of the same. BUT, what we add to the mix you ask? Conversation and laughter. John sits waiting at a small intersection and after packs travel past, teamdawnkelly rounds the corner. And at that moment the only way he can tell it is us is via sounds waves. "We may not be fast but we are fun."
What is not fun? Grumpy folks in big trucks who own the road. Because, as us bikers fail to remember, only people in vehicles pay taxes so they OWN that blacktop. Pardon me. They just hate people in spandex. Those grumps would eat off the backs of grandma and grandpa who are out for a leisure ride on their pink and blue basket adorned bikes. Lame.
But we don't let near-1st-degree-murderers bring us down. There are enough hills out there to do just that. And on that forever memorable loop #2, the hills were still up and in our faces. Hello hills, welcome to the party.
While the hills are the hostess with the mostest, Kelly is the honoree. She counts down, adds, subtracts and multiplies all to figure out time and even counts her pedal strokes up the hills. She also lets me draft when I feel like I may die. She is what anyone needs as a training partner and friend, especially when you feel like your legs are going to burn off. And let us tell you, we know intellectually, that our legs are not actually going to burn off. So we just keep pedaling.
With less than a handful of hills left to go in the ride, we came upon our kindred spirits - "two men in spandex." Nothing says keep your ass moving like a happy, insanely good biker man, say "you ladies look great. rockin' the smiles." Can we put him in our pockets and take him everywhere? The timing was impeccable and his words will never be replaceable.
The end of the 80 miles drew near and we could almost feel the water spewing from the shower heads (and the shower water wasn't an ounce of warm - actually quite refreshing.)
Finally, at our almost perfectly calculated departure time, we head to the trainwreck of a "restaurant"; the Einstein Bagel shop on Verona Road. Our first visit there was a disaster. We went back for a 2nd visit and it was quite pleasant. The 3rd visit was a trainwreck as it consisted of a 15 minute ordering process, followed by a 15 minute check-out process where I swear we got ripped off and came to find out I don't get the entire fruit container? WHAT? I always get the entire container.
A plethora of eggs and hummus and pickles and fruit and carbonated beverages later, we talked with our friend John about Ironman, tattoos, sleep, food and drink and of course, the two old men from the Muppet Show. teamdawnkelly represents those old men which is perfect in our world. And contrary to what you may think, we won't be sitting in the swim to bike transition area chit chatting about how the swim went over a cup of coffee. Although, now that I think about it, if that offers stands, I just may take it.
Bike ride and food time is over. But the drive home still hangs overhead. Kelly doesn't even remember where we are going or where my car is? Mixed into our confusion is more talk of Ironman. It makes us want to throw up everywhere.
And lickidy split...it is Sunday morning. And if there is anything that will get us through the 1 hour swim, it is the idea that when it is said and done, we get to enjoy some almond joy lattes and 1.5 days of NO TRAINING. I'll cash in my chips to that.
Tropical Storm Elkart Lake 2010 showed up for the swim today. We welcomed it to the party, thankfully, because it offered humor. If only we had brought our surf boards. Hang 10 my friends.
Peak week looms ahead meaning dooms day is getting closer...yikes.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $154.75
"I haven't had a coke in about a century." And I haven't. But that 1/4 can of ice cold, carbonated and fully caffeinated refreshment was the icing on the cake. And thankfully, Kelly indulged as well. It was just like the commercials said it would be. The food cravings didn't end there and we start rattling off many, many, many food needs. Kelly wanted everything to do with dips, specifically ranch. I want hummus and watermelon. And it continued with fresh veggies, black olives, bread and vinegar & oil, pizza, ice cream, donuts, UNCRUSTABLES!!!, and that list goes on and on. So with just ten miles to go, our desire for Einstein Bagels heightened.
But let us all remember, a frickin' ridiculously hilly 80 mile 2 loop adventure on the IM Madison course is nothing like cold coca-cola or a bowl of watermelon or ranch sauce for that matter. It is hot, dirty, disgusting and so HARD! And Kelly puts it best when she says, "we are two tiny dots and that sun is beating down all over us."
The ride down to Madison was as entertaining as ever. And in true teamdawnkelly fashion, we got lost, but thank the lord above we actually made it to Verona without driving 15 miles out of the way and turning around 17 times. Well, actually, we had to turn around once but that was due to our excitement and lack of attention span at the exit stop light. We made it in time and for me at the time the worst part was the apparent pre-ride WEIGH-IN (WTF???) and the fact that we were both going to pee our pants.
With Kelly being a math teacher, we spent a good amount of time calculating our average speed and how long it will take us to finish a loop and proudly, we finished loop #1 in 2:35 (13 minutes faster than our previous Madison adventure.) Rock on. But wait, it doesn't end there. Our first loop was accompanied by John, our training friend from Chicago-land, who noted a couple of our characteristics. Yes, keep reading.
Out in the hills, the wind and the open land, bikers come and go. They eat. They drink. They stretch their stiff necks while still in a silly comfortable seated position. teamdawnkelly does all of the same. BUT, what we add to the mix you ask? Conversation and laughter. John sits waiting at a small intersection and after packs travel past, teamdawnkelly rounds the corner. And at that moment the only way he can tell it is us is via sounds waves. "We may not be fast but we are fun."
What is not fun? Grumpy folks in big trucks who own the road. Because, as us bikers fail to remember, only people in vehicles pay taxes so they OWN that blacktop. Pardon me. They just hate people in spandex. Those grumps would eat off the backs of grandma and grandpa who are out for a leisure ride on their pink and blue basket adorned bikes. Lame.
But we don't let near-1st-degree-murderers bring us down. There are enough hills out there to do just that. And on that forever memorable loop #2, the hills were still up and in our faces. Hello hills, welcome to the party.
While the hills are the hostess with the mostest, Kelly is the honoree. She counts down, adds, subtracts and multiplies all to figure out time and even counts her pedal strokes up the hills. She also lets me draft when I feel like I may die. She is what anyone needs as a training partner and friend, especially when you feel like your legs are going to burn off. And let us tell you, we know intellectually, that our legs are not actually going to burn off. So we just keep pedaling.
With less than a handful of hills left to go in the ride, we came upon our kindred spirits - "two men in spandex." Nothing says keep your ass moving like a happy, insanely good biker man, say "you ladies look great. rockin' the smiles." Can we put him in our pockets and take him everywhere? The timing was impeccable and his words will never be replaceable.
The end of the 80 miles drew near and we could almost feel the water spewing from the shower heads (and the shower water wasn't an ounce of warm - actually quite refreshing.)
Finally, at our almost perfectly calculated departure time, we head to the trainwreck of a "restaurant"; the Einstein Bagel shop on Verona Road. Our first visit there was a disaster. We went back for a 2nd visit and it was quite pleasant. The 3rd visit was a trainwreck as it consisted of a 15 minute ordering process, followed by a 15 minute check-out process where I swear we got ripped off and came to find out I don't get the entire fruit container? WHAT? I always get the entire container.
A plethora of eggs and hummus and pickles and fruit and carbonated beverages later, we talked with our friend John about Ironman, tattoos, sleep, food and drink and of course, the two old men from the Muppet Show. teamdawnkelly represents those old men which is perfect in our world. And contrary to what you may think, we won't be sitting in the swim to bike transition area chit chatting about how the swim went over a cup of coffee. Although, now that I think about it, if that offers stands, I just may take it.
Bike ride and food time is over. But the drive home still hangs overhead. Kelly doesn't even remember where we are going or where my car is? Mixed into our confusion is more talk of Ironman. It makes us want to throw up everywhere.
And lickidy split...it is Sunday morning. And if there is anything that will get us through the 1 hour swim, it is the idea that when it is said and done, we get to enjoy some almond joy lattes and 1.5 days of NO TRAINING. I'll cash in my chips to that.
Tropical Storm Elkart Lake 2010 showed up for the swim today. We welcomed it to the party, thankfully, because it offered humor. If only we had brought our surf boards. Hang 10 my friends.
Peak week looms ahead meaning dooms day is getting closer...yikes.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $154.75
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
75 Miles Isn't Going to Ride Itself...
And we all know this, right?
In true teamdawnkelly fashion, our 5 hour ride began with some sarcasm. Because what else do we have to do from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a Friday morning.
Quote #1 - "I can't really see my computer? It is really light. Maybe I need to keep pedaling to rev it up a little." Kelly Jansen.
And thank the biking baby Jesus that Friday early to mid-morning brought some sun and ZERO wind equaling a nearly AMAZING bike ride and according to the last several blog posts, we needed that. (What we didn't need was the sun that created even darker unattractive tan lines. Not conducive for the 31st birthday party coming in 24 hours.)
Our first snack break (it's all about the snacks) came at the end of Lakeshore Drive; which is a typical and frequent snack break location for teamdawnkelly.
Quote #2 - "Well, we do only have 50 miles to go." Dawn Ver Haagh
Starting each ride fully equipped with snacks and even enough to share with one another, teamdawnkelly had to come up with a secondary plan for additional fluids. And like a rainbow in a cloudy sky, the Cedar Creek (restaurant name is a guess) just happened to show a sign of life. This sign of life was the two to three OPEN signs displayed on or near the front door. On the inside, a line cook was in the kitchen running water, chopping carrots, listening to music and clearly not listening to Kelly yell "hello!" As we pointed out the unique "ladies room" sign decor, the light bulbs went off. Why wait and yell for someone who will never hear us when we can just go into the bathroom and leave with filled water bottles. Mission accomplished. That line cook didn't know what hit him.
Four hours and forty four minutes later, we were done. But the end of the extremely long training day still consisted of a 30 minute run. It was probably more like 23 minutes but who is counting.
Success. This 75 mile ride was momentous in my world as it was the first time I ever traveled, by the power of my own legs, over 60 miles. I made it. I survived.
Before the weekend of fun could begin, Saturday still loomed ahead with a 2.25 hour run. No big deal. In a slightly exciting way, I was looking forward to getting the run over and done so teamdawnkelly could celebrate life, and my birthday, on a boat with a lifesize cardboard cutout of Robert Pattinson. Yum. And Saturday brought some rain and cooler temps. Finally, a run that didn't leave us feeling self-defeated.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $129.75
Coming right up: Our first 80 mile (2 loop) ride on the Madison IM course followed by a very LATE lunch jokingly early dinner with our friend John.
In true teamdawnkelly fashion, our 5 hour ride began with some sarcasm. Because what else do we have to do from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a Friday morning.
Quote #1 - "I can't really see my computer? It is really light. Maybe I need to keep pedaling to rev it up a little." Kelly Jansen.
And thank the biking baby Jesus that Friday early to mid-morning brought some sun and ZERO wind equaling a nearly AMAZING bike ride and according to the last several blog posts, we needed that. (What we didn't need was the sun that created even darker unattractive tan lines. Not conducive for the 31st birthday party coming in 24 hours.)
Our first snack break (it's all about the snacks) came at the end of Lakeshore Drive; which is a typical and frequent snack break location for teamdawnkelly.
Quote #2 - "Well, we do only have 50 miles to go." Dawn Ver Haagh
Starting each ride fully equipped with snacks and even enough to share with one another, teamdawnkelly had to come up with a secondary plan for additional fluids. And like a rainbow in a cloudy sky, the Cedar Creek (restaurant name is a guess) just happened to show a sign of life. This sign of life was the two to three OPEN signs displayed on or near the front door. On the inside, a line cook was in the kitchen running water, chopping carrots, listening to music and clearly not listening to Kelly yell "hello!" As we pointed out the unique "ladies room" sign decor, the light bulbs went off. Why wait and yell for someone who will never hear us when we can just go into the bathroom and leave with filled water bottles. Mission accomplished. That line cook didn't know what hit him.
Four hours and forty four minutes later, we were done. But the end of the extremely long training day still consisted of a 30 minute run. It was probably more like 23 minutes but who is counting.
Success. This 75 mile ride was momentous in my world as it was the first time I ever traveled, by the power of my own legs, over 60 miles. I made it. I survived.
Before the weekend of fun could begin, Saturday still loomed ahead with a 2.25 hour run. No big deal. In a slightly exciting way, I was looking forward to getting the run over and done so teamdawnkelly could celebrate life, and my birthday, on a boat with a lifesize cardboard cutout of Robert Pattinson. Yum. And Saturday brought some rain and cooler temps. Finally, a run that didn't leave us feeling self-defeated.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $129.75
Coming right up: Our first 80 mile (2 loop) ride on the Madison IM course followed by a very LATE lunch jokingly early dinner with our friend John.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Representin' From Sconnie
That's right. We were "representin' from sconnie" on Sunday at the Chisago Lakes Half Ironman Triathlon in Minnesota. Because of our obvious speed and athletic ability, teamdawnkelly got slotted in Wave 2. Thank you Midwest Sports Events. While waiting in that second wave huddle with our new best friends, we came to discover the Chisago Lakes Triathlon is the 2nd largest triathlon in Minnesota. I found that interesting and it gave me a sense of pride, so I took no time to say amongst our people "that's right, representin' from sconnie." We are responsible for showing those Minnesotan's a thing or two.
For our 2nd Annual (and probably final annual) Chisago City adventure, teamdawnkelly hit the highway and after 5 hours and 1 million stops at Subway, Gas Stations, Scenic Overlooks (just kidding! that would be a bit too romantic), we arrived, had dinner and went to bed at 7:30 p.m. Don't judge us for that. What you can judge us for is that while we went to bed in the daylight on a Saturday evening, we did it watching Ratatouille. Nothing enables a fabulous night sleep like some animation.
In our quest to be the overall finishers, teamdawnkelly was reminded of the intensity and competitiveness of the many triathletes in Minnesota. But it didn't hold us back. And just so we get this clear, we didn't win. But we did have a great swim (and discovered that it may be next to impossible swimming together although I swear I saw Kelly swimming next to me a hundred times). We had an equally successful bike (keeping a close 16 mph average). I'll leave out the fact that at many points we overused our favorite derogatory word (eff) and would have given a body part to get the "eff" out of those bike shorts.
I learned that Kelly is a master at speedy transitions and I like to lollygag, chit chat and lose stuff in my bag. Kelly learned that I get pissed and stop pedaling, but only for a few moments. We both learned that we are equally humorous. But, after the 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike (the bike is where I also initiated unsuccessful freudian beeps) is what remember the most.
Trying to run after the swim and bike of a half ironman is hard. I think it is harder than hard. Just the idea of running 7 minutes and walking 3 minutes became hard in our minds. Those 3 minutes go by faster than the snooze button. But that is what is most important. Running/Walking 26.2 miles after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike will be even harder. We will always tell stories. We will always remember the guy who rolled down to the water in a wheelchair to participate in the exact same event we embarked on. We will always know that we can muscle through. We will always remember Kelly's yellow towel cape she used to stay warm (just incase 55 degree morning temps were too cold.) We will always remember my sweet pink outfit (pink teamdawnkelly shirt, jean skirt, pink shoes, white and pink IM visor, pink drink in my water bottle. WTH, I don't even like pink.) We will always remember the many people (men) who want to make conversation with us especially when they say "you two are doing ironman?" We will always remember how many people call us ladies ("great job ladies! you look great.") And no matter how not great we look or feel, we will always say in a sarcastic tone "we know we look great. we always look great."
Sunday came out to be the awesome, the great, the good, the bad and the effing ridiculous. The AWESOME was the group at mile 3/mile 10 on the run course. They remembered and waited the 1.5 hours for us to come back around and happily serve up a deliciously salty and spicy bloody mary. Did teamdawnkelly drink it? Absolutely.
And let us all remember. On September 12, we have 17 hours and we plan to take full advantage of that. And no matter how long it takes, teamdawnkelly will still be considered "badass". Because doing a triathlon of any distance at any speed is pretty badass in my world.
Coming up next: Friday vacation day for a quick 5 hour bike ride, Saturday morning 2.25-3 hour long run (please note: when given an option, we take the shorter), birthday boat and parties. It will be one hell of a weekend.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $108.50
For our 2nd Annual (and probably final annual) Chisago City adventure, teamdawnkelly hit the highway and after 5 hours and 1 million stops at Subway, Gas Stations, Scenic Overlooks (just kidding! that would be a bit too romantic), we arrived, had dinner and went to bed at 7:30 p.m. Don't judge us for that. What you can judge us for is that while we went to bed in the daylight on a Saturday evening, we did it watching Ratatouille. Nothing enables a fabulous night sleep like some animation.
In our quest to be the overall finishers, teamdawnkelly was reminded of the intensity and competitiveness of the many triathletes in Minnesota. But it didn't hold us back. And just so we get this clear, we didn't win. But we did have a great swim (and discovered that it may be next to impossible swimming together although I swear I saw Kelly swimming next to me a hundred times). We had an equally successful bike (keeping a close 16 mph average). I'll leave out the fact that at many points we overused our favorite derogatory word (eff) and would have given a body part to get the "eff" out of those bike shorts.
I learned that Kelly is a master at speedy transitions and I like to lollygag, chit chat and lose stuff in my bag. Kelly learned that I get pissed and stop pedaling, but only for a few moments. We both learned that we are equally humorous. But, after the 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike (the bike is where I also initiated unsuccessful freudian beeps) is what remember the most.
Trying to run after the swim and bike of a half ironman is hard. I think it is harder than hard. Just the idea of running 7 minutes and walking 3 minutes became hard in our minds. Those 3 minutes go by faster than the snooze button. But that is what is most important. Running/Walking 26.2 miles after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike will be even harder. We will always tell stories. We will always remember the guy who rolled down to the water in a wheelchair to participate in the exact same event we embarked on. We will always know that we can muscle through. We will always remember Kelly's yellow towel cape she used to stay warm (just incase 55 degree morning temps were too cold.) We will always remember my sweet pink outfit (pink teamdawnkelly shirt, jean skirt, pink shoes, white and pink IM visor, pink drink in my water bottle. WTH, I don't even like pink.) We will always remember the many people (men) who want to make conversation with us especially when they say "you two are doing ironman?" We will always remember how many people call us ladies ("great job ladies! you look great.") And no matter how not great we look or feel, we will always say in a sarcastic tone "we know we look great. we always look great."
Sunday came out to be the awesome, the great, the good, the bad and the effing ridiculous. The AWESOME was the group at mile 3/mile 10 on the run course. They remembered and waited the 1.5 hours for us to come back around and happily serve up a deliciously salty and spicy bloody mary. Did teamdawnkelly drink it? Absolutely.
And let us all remember. On September 12, we have 17 hours and we plan to take full advantage of that. And no matter how long it takes, teamdawnkelly will still be considered "badass". Because doing a triathlon of any distance at any speed is pretty badass in my world.
Coming up next: Friday vacation day for a quick 5 hour bike ride, Saturday morning 2.25-3 hour long run (please note: when given an option, we take the shorter), birthday boat and parties. It will be one hell of a weekend.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $108.50
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Separation Anxiety...
I'm not talking about separation from a husband, a boyfriend, a fiance, kids, a best friend, a favorite television show, or whatever it is you get anxiety from. I had some serious separation anxiety from the woman who puts "kelly" in teamdawnkelly. This situation is one of the times I spoke of previously: this summer of training isn't always roses and sunshine.
"Chicago", as I referred to her this weekend, took a MUCH NEEDED adventure to the Windy City for some R&R and alone time. While she was vying for some time away, I was needing a training partner. But I think we both fared very well...
While Chicago was a few hundred miles away, I took to my first loner 60 mile bike ride with a few celebrities; Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, T-Pain and Sugarland, just to name a few. Although they just sang to me through a thin wire into my right ear, I took the majority of my 4 hour trek and thought about a few things:
* I am sick of people saying "you are crazy" when I discuss my Ironman training and adventures. I know we are entitled to our own opinions, but frankly, I think they are crazy for DVRing EVERY television show and putting them on repeat. There are so many better and more stimulating activities than setting up in front of a TV. So, with that being said, I judge those who judge me.
* Is it weird that I am cruising right along to my 31st birthday and I am still single and haven't ever lived with a boyfriend?
* What will it be like if we don't finish biking 112 miles in 8 hours?
* If I had another hour in the day, I would spend it eating soy ice cream. Yum. (I was really thirsty for something cold at that moment.)
* Why does my water bottle constantly over-spill and simultaneously leak all over me?
* Padded shorts - they can range in price, and the $70 ones that are covering my ass right now are not making this ride any more comfortable.
* If I was riding with Kelly right now, we would be laughing at something - like Julie Hintz's husband and the straw that kicked his ass.
And those are just to name a few. What I most certainly thought about and what I do know for sure is that however long, exhausting, mentally defeating or highly entertaining any Ironman Training adventure is, I will always chose the woman who puts "kelly" in teamdawnkelly over any celebrity, any day of the week.
In the coming days: A bit of a taper week leading into our Half Ironman in Minnesota the weekend of the 24th. Taper meaning what? a 3.5 hour bike ride instead of a 5 hour? Hell, maybe we are crazy after all.
"Chicago", as I referred to her this weekend, took a MUCH NEEDED adventure to the Windy City for some R&R and alone time. While she was vying for some time away, I was needing a training partner. But I think we both fared very well...
While Chicago was a few hundred miles away, I took to my first loner 60 mile bike ride with a few celebrities; Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, T-Pain and Sugarland, just to name a few. Although they just sang to me through a thin wire into my right ear, I took the majority of my 4 hour trek and thought about a few things:
* I am sick of people saying "you are crazy" when I discuss my Ironman training and adventures. I know we are entitled to our own opinions, but frankly, I think they are crazy for DVRing EVERY television show and putting them on repeat. There are so many better and more stimulating activities than setting up in front of a TV. So, with that being said, I judge those who judge me.
* Is it weird that I am cruising right along to my 31st birthday and I am still single and haven't ever lived with a boyfriend?
* What will it be like if we don't finish biking 112 miles in 8 hours?
* If I had another hour in the day, I would spend it eating soy ice cream. Yum. (I was really thirsty for something cold at that moment.)
* Why does my water bottle constantly over-spill and simultaneously leak all over me?
* Padded shorts - they can range in price, and the $70 ones that are covering my ass right now are not making this ride any more comfortable.
* If I was riding with Kelly right now, we would be laughing at something - like Julie Hintz's husband and the straw that kicked his ass.
And those are just to name a few. What I most certainly thought about and what I do know for sure is that however long, exhausting, mentally defeating or highly entertaining any Ironman Training adventure is, I will always chose the woman who puts "kelly" in teamdawnkelly over any celebrity, any day of the week.
In the coming days: A bit of a taper week leading into our Half Ironman in Minnesota the weekend of the 24th. Taper meaning what? a 3.5 hour bike ride instead of a 5 hour? Hell, maybe we are crazy after all.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Beep beep...beep beep...beep beep...
Running just rose to a new level. All for the price of a $20 watch from Target (another reason why Target is so fabulous)! And listen, we aren't trying to kid ourselves. teamdawnkelly knows that this marathon we have to run after the swim and the bike isn't going to be a walk in the park. Or actually, it will be a walk with a bit of running. With a watch set for 7 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking, we were in "running" heaven. Our lives are now determined on the sound of a beep.
Before the discovery of the beeps, teamdawnkelly ventured out on a 1.2 mile swim across Elkhart Lake and back. It was a boat-free day with buoys set up for our sighting. Although a tri team from some other land intruded on our lake, we still started and finished before them. And the end of our swim/run lead us to our favorite destination - Thyme Savours (the elusive coffee shop) for Heath Toffee drinks. YUM.
Summer school has ended and Fourth of July Weekend has arrived. We celebrated the end of school and the 2nd official kick-off to summer with a 50 mile bike ride on Friday morning. It came complete with ridiculous wind, an odometer that wouldn't function and some other negative aspects that I can't even remember. Once we got to our half-way point, we had a snack to lift our spirits. Because, as we know, "140.6, It's all about the snacks."
Ironman Cash Box Update: $76.50
We have a big weekend ahead of us. Plenty more laughs to enjoy as we swim, bike and run our lives away....
Before the discovery of the beeps, teamdawnkelly ventured out on a 1.2 mile swim across Elkhart Lake and back. It was a boat-free day with buoys set up for our sighting. Although a tri team from some other land intruded on our lake, we still started and finished before them. And the end of our swim/run lead us to our favorite destination - Thyme Savours (the elusive coffee shop) for Heath Toffee drinks. YUM.
Summer school has ended and Fourth of July Weekend has arrived. We celebrated the end of school and the 2nd official kick-off to summer with a 50 mile bike ride on Friday morning. It came complete with ridiculous wind, an odometer that wouldn't function and some other negative aspects that I can't even remember. Once we got to our half-way point, we had a snack to lift our spirits. Because, as we know, "140.6, It's all about the snacks."
Ironman Cash Box Update: $76.50
We have a big weekend ahead of us. Plenty more laughs to enjoy as we swim, bike and run our lives away....
Thursday, June 24, 2010
It's Like a Million...
"How hot do you think it is out here?"
"It's like a million."
Our first "vacation day" was on Wednesday when Kelly and I embarked on our journey down to Verona for a hilly loop of fun. It was fun once we FINALLY got there. Not so fun driving up and down the highway in confusion. So far we are 0 for 2. In our total of 2 adventures down to Verona, we have gotten lost both times; however, Kelly and I are confident that trip #3 will be a complete success. We'll take the correct exits. We'll find the train depot park. And we'll find the course. All in one try. I always think I am correct, especially when it comes to directions and exits. "The exit numbers will just change and we'll be on track." For future reference, exit signs just don't magically change.
Sunshine - a lot of it. Wind - even more of it. Hills - we couldn't even pedal anymore. The Madison IM bike course is crazy hilly. But we had crazy fun. Ants in the peanut butter. My shoes wouldn't clip in. Kelly lost a couple crackers. But after 2 hours and 48 minutes, we biked 40 miles, then put on our shoes to finish it off with a 20 minute run, which we call 2 miles. To finish it off, the biking gods shined down on us as we ventured to Einstein Bagels for a post workout sandwich and fountain drink. After our first Einstein visit we were CONVINCED Einstein was full of slow idiots. Visit number two drastically improved our impression. Bagel sandwiches make the world go round.
The "teamdawnkelly" shirts have made their official appearance! teamdawnkelly participated in the High Cliff Triathlon last weekend with, again, more wind making an extremely rough swim and another tough bike ride. After crossing the finishline (2 hours and 6 minutes) teamdawnkelly made a PB & J and threw on our new shirts. They are fun and fashionable and EVERYONE is going to want one.
Finishing off the past 5 days of our lives was a planned Aloft Wxyz bar Happy Hour which was truly amazing. After an entire day in the sun and on our bikes, nothing sounded better than several Mojitos on the infamous Mojito Wednesday. Yum.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $55
See you at Elkhart on Sunday for a little swim and a little run. Most importantly, delicious Almond Joy lattes from the coffee shop (of which I still don't know the name).
Cheers.
"It's like a million."
Our first "vacation day" was on Wednesday when Kelly and I embarked on our journey down to Verona for a hilly loop of fun. It was fun once we FINALLY got there. Not so fun driving up and down the highway in confusion. So far we are 0 for 2. In our total of 2 adventures down to Verona, we have gotten lost both times; however, Kelly and I are confident that trip #3 will be a complete success. We'll take the correct exits. We'll find the train depot park. And we'll find the course. All in one try. I always think I am correct, especially when it comes to directions and exits. "The exit numbers will just change and we'll be on track." For future reference, exit signs just don't magically change.
Sunshine - a lot of it. Wind - even more of it. Hills - we couldn't even pedal anymore. The Madison IM bike course is crazy hilly. But we had crazy fun. Ants in the peanut butter. My shoes wouldn't clip in. Kelly lost a couple crackers. But after 2 hours and 48 minutes, we biked 40 miles, then put on our shoes to finish it off with a 20 minute run, which we call 2 miles. To finish it off, the biking gods shined down on us as we ventured to Einstein Bagels for a post workout sandwich and fountain drink. After our first Einstein visit we were CONVINCED Einstein was full of slow idiots. Visit number two drastically improved our impression. Bagel sandwiches make the world go round.
The "teamdawnkelly" shirts have made their official appearance! teamdawnkelly participated in the High Cliff Triathlon last weekend with, again, more wind making an extremely rough swim and another tough bike ride. After crossing the finishline (2 hours and 6 minutes) teamdawnkelly made a PB & J and threw on our new shirts. They are fun and fashionable and EVERYONE is going to want one.
Finishing off the past 5 days of our lives was a planned Aloft Wxyz bar Happy Hour which was truly amazing. After an entire day in the sun and on our bikes, nothing sounded better than several Mojitos on the infamous Mojito Wednesday. Yum.
Ironman Cash Box Update: $55
See you at Elkhart on Sunday for a little swim and a little run. Most importantly, delicious Almond Joy lattes from the coffee shop (of which I still don't know the name).
Cheers.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
This frickin' week sucked...
We aren't always very lady like. And on a Saturday morning after a really sh*tty week, vulgar language can be abused and we don't feel bad about doing it.
On a serious note (just briefly) the previous and future months of LIFE and ironman training will probably bring more swearing, some tears, and most likely some pissed off and angry conversations because Kelly and I are human and not every day is rosy. But what is wonderful about the major, minor and life changing drama that takes place in our lives Monday through Sunday, a laugh and a smile and a good friend is ALWAYS guaranteed when we are swimming, biking and running together. Thank you Kelly, for being such a wonderful friend. And on a side note, we are really awesome when we aren't "triathlon-ing" too!
Today was one of those "not so lady-like" days. There were some F-bombs, some hatred in our words, but after about 8 miles into our bike ride, we experienced the icing on the cake. And this aforementioned "icing" actually came to be a blessing in disguise. My tire went flat. It was very silent this time, unlike when my tube and tire blew and I thought I got shot on the east side of Green Bay. All of a sudden I couldn't steer and I look down and say "Shit. My tire is flat." As I struggle to slow down and get off my bike, my brain didn't communicate with my right foot. Needless to say, I couldn't clip out and I crashed in some woman's driveway. I say to Kelly, "My tire is flat." Three seconds later I say, "And I just fell." Kelly says, "What?!" As I lay in the driveway, I threw off my sunglasses and as Kelly wheels around this is what comes out of my mouth. "F*ck. First it's my car and now it's my f*cking bike." (In my head I was thinking that I wanted to cry, and about how I just squished my strawberries.) In true teamdawnkelly form, we look into our "tool bags" to find a way to fix this silly mess I got us into. I have tools and a CO2 cartridge. Kelly has a tube and a million CO2 cartridges. And this combination is what makes teamdawnkelly survive and achieve greatness. Apart, we would have been screwed. And actually, together we were screwed too because although we have the tools, we have NO IDEA how to change a tube.
To make a long story short, while we stand on the side of the road, we are approached by a neighbor trying to offer random services. A woman on her bike inquires if we need anything. But then our magical little bike angel came from the skies. Karma has found us today. A voice from a boy says, "Hey, do you need some help?" And immediately, Kelly picked out the bike logo on his shirt and noticed his "mechanix" gloves. Yes. We need help. He says, "I work at a bike shop." BEAUTIFUL. I wouldn't say this nice young man was any older than 18 years old. He randomly happened to be at his girlfriends parents' house helping to lay mulch. He saved our day when we would have thrown in the towel. Kelly made sure to mention to him that he was a good, good young man for his two good Samaritan tasks of the day. We will never forget our little friend. His name was Taylor. (he wasn't a werewolf, but he was our hero.)
As we move into week 4, teamdawnkelly is proud to announce the t-shirt delivery has been made (a thank you to Kelly for organizing everything with the shirts. i have to admit i just sent my check, Kelly did all of the work) and also we can put in a total of $26.50 into our Ironman boxes :-)
On a serious note (just briefly) the previous and future months of LIFE and ironman training will probably bring more swearing, some tears, and most likely some pissed off and angry conversations because Kelly and I are human and not every day is rosy. But what is wonderful about the major, minor and life changing drama that takes place in our lives Monday through Sunday, a laugh and a smile and a good friend is ALWAYS guaranteed when we are swimming, biking and running together. Thank you Kelly, for being such a wonderful friend. And on a side note, we are really awesome when we aren't "triathlon-ing" too!
Today was one of those "not so lady-like" days. There were some F-bombs, some hatred in our words, but after about 8 miles into our bike ride, we experienced the icing on the cake. And this aforementioned "icing" actually came to be a blessing in disguise. My tire went flat. It was very silent this time, unlike when my tube and tire blew and I thought I got shot on the east side of Green Bay. All of a sudden I couldn't steer and I look down and say "Shit. My tire is flat." As I struggle to slow down and get off my bike, my brain didn't communicate with my right foot. Needless to say, I couldn't clip out and I crashed in some woman's driveway. I say to Kelly, "My tire is flat." Three seconds later I say, "And I just fell." Kelly says, "What?!" As I lay in the driveway, I threw off my sunglasses and as Kelly wheels around this is what comes out of my mouth. "F*ck. First it's my car and now it's my f*cking bike." (In my head I was thinking that I wanted to cry, and about how I just squished my strawberries.) In true teamdawnkelly form, we look into our "tool bags" to find a way to fix this silly mess I got us into. I have tools and a CO2 cartridge. Kelly has a tube and a million CO2 cartridges. And this combination is what makes teamdawnkelly survive and achieve greatness. Apart, we would have been screwed. And actually, together we were screwed too because although we have the tools, we have NO IDEA how to change a tube.
To make a long story short, while we stand on the side of the road, we are approached by a neighbor trying to offer random services. A woman on her bike inquires if we need anything. But then our magical little bike angel came from the skies. Karma has found us today. A voice from a boy says, "Hey, do you need some help?" And immediately, Kelly picked out the bike logo on his shirt and noticed his "mechanix" gloves. Yes. We need help. He says, "I work at a bike shop." BEAUTIFUL. I wouldn't say this nice young man was any older than 18 years old. He randomly happened to be at his girlfriends parents' house helping to lay mulch. He saved our day when we would have thrown in the towel. Kelly made sure to mention to him that he was a good, good young man for his two good Samaritan tasks of the day. We will never forget our little friend. His name was Taylor. (he wasn't a werewolf, but he was our hero.)
As we move into week 4, teamdawnkelly is proud to announce the t-shirt delivery has been made (a thank you to Kelly for organizing everything with the shirts. i have to admit i just sent my check, Kelly did all of the work) and also we can put in a total of $26.50 into our Ironman boxes :-)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Lattes and Aprons
The love of lattes in our world has been around for quite some time. However, the love of almond joy lattes came to be last summer and their popularity hasn't ceased. Thankfully, a sunny and warm Saturday morning brought on the above. And some additional fun activities mixed in between.
Our great minds thought alike on this most recent Saturday. Throwing down a quick 5 mile run separately, Kelly and I joined forces for our first Elkhart Lake Open Swim (which was just added to our training schedule the weekend prior. No need for premature planning on our worlds.) After swimming just shy of 1 mile, we took a stroll to the coffee shop at the old Feed Mill building (the name of the coffee shop is still a mystery to me) to enjoy a very delicious lattes. And lucky for us, the Farmers Market was in full swing - creating a new need for fun aprons. Another latte and new aprons will be in our possession on the next Elkhart Lake adventure.
To date, Kelly and I have logged in a 56 mile bike ride and 1 open swim, which brings our IM money box total to $19! We are going to be so rich, so soon.
Upcoming this week is the delivery of our "teamdawnkelly" shirts and a 3 hour ride on Saturday.
Here's to IM Training Week #3.
Our great minds thought alike on this most recent Saturday. Throwing down a quick 5 mile run separately, Kelly and I joined forces for our first Elkhart Lake Open Swim (which was just added to our training schedule the weekend prior. No need for premature planning on our worlds.) After swimming just shy of 1 mile, we took a stroll to the coffee shop at the old Feed Mill building (the name of the coffee shop is still a mystery to me) to enjoy a very delicious lattes. And lucky for us, the Farmers Market was in full swing - creating a new need for fun aprons. Another latte and new aprons will be in our possession on the next Elkhart Lake adventure.
To date, Kelly and I have logged in a 56 mile bike ride and 1 open swim, which brings our IM money box total to $19! We are going to be so rich, so soon.
Upcoming this week is the delivery of our "teamdawnkelly" shirts and a 3 hour ride on Saturday.
Here's to IM Training Week #3.
Monday, May 31, 2010
I'm just keepin' it real...
It is inevitable. A group ride will have a mixture of abilities of riders. But it is also guaranteed to offer up a bit of humor. Or a lot, depending on who you are with.
As riders keep a NORMAL and average pace, there are others who will speed ahead. And sometimes you can even count on them to wait for you at a stop sign. At this particular instance, and actually the first stop sign, a relatively important question was raised by DK, "What is everyone's plan for the ride?" My humored response was, "I'm just gonna keep it real." What that really means to those, specifically Kelly, who know me is "I just want to pedal, laugh, snack and get through this 56 mile ride without racing the deer running along the side of the rode." I'm pretty simple.
The Annual 56 Mile Memorial Day Bike Ride (newly named the "teamdawnkelly" bike ride) went off without a hitch. And what these riders don't know about teamdawnkelly is the importance of snacks - and these snack breaks were genius-ly scheduled at 15 miles, 30 miles, 45 miles and then we are done. But "done" also means a blanket and medley of snacks at the end. It is lovely and delicious.
We, teamdawnkelly and the other riders, finished in a respectable 3.5 hours and soon parted ways. Others chose to go home and take a nap, or spend an afternoon with family. teamdawnkelly finished up that 56 mile day with a trip to the Regal Cinema to take in the just released SATC 2.
Everything about today was amazing - including our immense speed and desire to soak in hours of shoes and fashion.
As riders keep a NORMAL and average pace, there are others who will speed ahead. And sometimes you can even count on them to wait for you at a stop sign. At this particular instance, and actually the first stop sign, a relatively important question was raised by DK, "What is everyone's plan for the ride?" My humored response was, "I'm just gonna keep it real." What that really means to those, specifically Kelly, who know me is "I just want to pedal, laugh, snack and get through this 56 mile ride without racing the deer running along the side of the rode." I'm pretty simple.
The Annual 56 Mile Memorial Day Bike Ride (newly named the "teamdawnkelly" bike ride) went off without a hitch. And what these riders don't know about teamdawnkelly is the importance of snacks - and these snack breaks were genius-ly scheduled at 15 miles, 30 miles, 45 miles and then we are done. But "done" also means a blanket and medley of snacks at the end. It is lovely and delicious.
We, teamdawnkelly and the other riders, finished in a respectable 3.5 hours and soon parted ways. Others chose to go home and take a nap, or spend an afternoon with family. teamdawnkelly finished up that 56 mile day with a trip to the Regal Cinema to take in the just released SATC 2.
Everything about today was amazing - including our immense speed and desire to soak in hours of shoes and fashion.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
It's the Eye of the Tiger
It isn't every day that a person can frequent a local city festival AND watch Survivor do their rock n' roll gig - for just $5. This new SURVIVOR obsession began with a phone call, a conversation with Frankie Sullivan and an article. All of these acts transpired into a perfect TRAINING opportunity for teamdawnkelly. The training portion being getting margaritas and guacamole and then seeing the show.
Of course, of the 6 band members, my man, Frankie Sullivan, had to be the most "hardcore" looking of them all. Striped pants. Opened button down shirt. Blond stringy hair. It was meant to be. Although we didn't roll into the presence of their backstage activities, we did watch from just a handful of rows back, the band sing all of the songs we know, plus a couple of surprises mixed in.
Ironman fits well into this mix. Kelly came fully prepared with calendars and training schedules. I came with myself. We did lay down some serious swimming, biking and running into our weekend lives. Along with planning a long bike ride around my "boating birthday fun". That is VERY responsible of us.
Just two days until the teamdawnkelly Memorial Day 56 Mile Ride. We are in heaven.
Pictures to come! Congratulations to teamdawnkelly for actually taking photos.
Of course, of the 6 band members, my man, Frankie Sullivan, had to be the most "hardcore" looking of them all. Striped pants. Opened button down shirt. Blond stringy hair. It was meant to be. Although we didn't roll into the presence of their backstage activities, we did watch from just a handful of rows back, the band sing all of the songs we know, plus a couple of surprises mixed in.
Ironman fits well into this mix. Kelly came fully prepared with calendars and training schedules. I came with myself. We did lay down some serious swimming, biking and running into our weekend lives. Along with planning a long bike ride around my "boating birthday fun". That is VERY responsible of us.
Just two days until the teamdawnkelly Memorial Day 56 Mile Ride. We are in heaven.
Pictures to come! Congratulations to teamdawnkelly for actually taking photos.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tires, T-Shirts, Shoes..Rest Day!
As previously mentioned, Monday, May 24th marked the first day of training. During the day of rest, I was updated by Kelly at how well she felt during her "rest day" and her deep love and skill during this day. I felt the same...
I experienced, for the first time in 5 years, a got a flat. And because of the time frame and miles ridden on the same bike tires, I didn't have any hard feelings towards my Giant. Instead, I took it in for a new tube and ended up with two new Bontrager TIRES! I am going to be so fast. On my high of speed, Kelly informed me of her hot new open toe sandals. She wins!
And keep your eye out for the pink teamdawnkelly t-shirts coming to a store near you. Well, not really a store, but they are going to be awesome and everyone will want one. Wear it year round!
This week also marks the coming of Survivor and Frankie Sullivan, the Memorial Day 56 Mile Ride and SATC 2 Matinee...Ironman training is AWESOME.
More to come...
I experienced, for the first time in 5 years, a got a flat. And because of the time frame and miles ridden on the same bike tires, I didn't have any hard feelings towards my Giant. Instead, I took it in for a new tube and ended up with two new Bontrager TIRES! I am going to be so fast. On my high of speed, Kelly informed me of her hot new open toe sandals. She wins!
And keep your eye out for the pink teamdawnkelly t-shirts coming to a store near you. Well, not really a store, but they are going to be awesome and everyone will want one. Wear it year round!
This week also marks the coming of Survivor and Frankie Sullivan, the Memorial Day 56 Mile Ride and SATC 2 Matinee...Ironman training is AWESOME.
More to come...
Friday, May 21, 2010
Almost Here - Official Training Start
I have been informed, by a friendly outsider, that the blog is not up to date. For this, I apologize.
But what perfect time to get back to business with just 2 days between now and the official start of Ironman 2010 Training for me and Kelly. This isn't to say that we have been laying on lawn chairs sipping margaritas and eating chips. teamdawnkelly stays true to our training ways year round.
Over the past couple months Kelly and I have endured a couple bike rides, possibly a run and most definitely another 60 minute massage. What is interesting (or maybe not that interesting at all) since our IM 2010 Kick-Off in January, is that teamdawnkelly has stuck to the promise of monthly massages, more than our penciled in training on our infamous Audrey Hepburn and Robert Pattinson calendars (Kelly with Audrey and I with R Patz). And we have to admit that Kelly's calendar is MIA and mine is collecting dust on my never used coffee table. But who really needs a calendar.
Monday, May 24th starts the 16 week build, peak and taper into IM 2010. Thankfully, Monday is a "rest day" of which Kelly and I truly excel. We know nothing more than how to snack and how to rest. However, our week will progress and climax into a stellar Memorial Weekend complete with dinner and margaritas prior to a Survivor concert - complete with backstage passes and a chat with Frankie Sullivan, and the annual Memorial Day 56 Mile Bike Ride at High Cliff. This year we are doing it right with snacks from all parties involved. And in 2010 the Memorial Day Ride will end properly with a matinee showing of Sex and the City 2. Life really doesn't get much better than that.
Coming up - teamdawnkelly fan shirts AND the official tracking of our cash boxes.
But what perfect time to get back to business with just 2 days between now and the official start of Ironman 2010 Training for me and Kelly. This isn't to say that we have been laying on lawn chairs sipping margaritas and eating chips. teamdawnkelly stays true to our training ways year round.
Over the past couple months Kelly and I have endured a couple bike rides, possibly a run and most definitely another 60 minute massage. What is interesting (or maybe not that interesting at all) since our IM 2010 Kick-Off in January, is that teamdawnkelly has stuck to the promise of monthly massages, more than our penciled in training on our infamous Audrey Hepburn and Robert Pattinson calendars (Kelly with Audrey and I with R Patz). And we have to admit that Kelly's calendar is MIA and mine is collecting dust on my never used coffee table. But who really needs a calendar.
Monday, May 24th starts the 16 week build, peak and taper into IM 2010. Thankfully, Monday is a "rest day" of which Kelly and I truly excel. We know nothing more than how to snack and how to rest. However, our week will progress and climax into a stellar Memorial Weekend complete with dinner and margaritas prior to a Survivor concert - complete with backstage passes and a chat with Frankie Sullivan, and the annual Memorial Day 56 Mile Bike Ride at High Cliff. This year we are doing it right with snacks from all parties involved. And in 2010 the Memorial Day Ride will end properly with a matinee showing of Sex and the City 2. Life really doesn't get much better than that.
Coming up - teamdawnkelly fan shirts AND the official tracking of our cash boxes.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Gaga, Gangstas and Gordy
Although we have had a running trend of typical titles for blog posts, after our adventure on Saturday, a new title was in order.
An early morning wake up call brought Kelly and I to the YMCA for our 3 hour IRONRIDE. As we stood in the foyer, a gentlemen joked with us and thought we were 18. We laughed. He wasn't kidding.
We were entertained with snacks (being of the utmost importance), music, great spin leaders, and ourselves :-) We are highly entertaining and easily entertained. What threw us for the biggest loop was our 3rd and final hour when our dear friend Gordy hopped on the spin bike, microphone in front of his face, and his spin hour title track was, of course, LADY GAGA. Simultaneously, Kelly and I looked at each other and said "Well, when I think of Gordy, I think of Gaga." But it didn't stop there. The next track hinted into Gordy's ghetto side with a bit of gangster love, and the song had plenty use of the word "gangsta." To top it all off, Gaga hit the high note again. The 3rd and final hour was probably the most entertaining.
Gaga, Gangstas, Gordy.
p.s. let us not forget that i locked my keys in my car outside the YMCA. Tracked Kelly down at her shopping adventures. Called a locksmith. And was soon sent home safely. We did get parking tickets and photos to prove the shenanigans. Ha. That stuff "would" happen to us!
An early morning wake up call brought Kelly and I to the YMCA for our 3 hour IRONRIDE. As we stood in the foyer, a gentlemen joked with us and thought we were 18. We laughed. He wasn't kidding.
We were entertained with snacks (being of the utmost importance), music, great spin leaders, and ourselves :-) We are highly entertaining and easily entertained. What threw us for the biggest loop was our 3rd and final hour when our dear friend Gordy hopped on the spin bike, microphone in front of his face, and his spin hour title track was, of course, LADY GAGA. Simultaneously, Kelly and I looked at each other and said "Well, when I think of Gordy, I think of Gaga." But it didn't stop there. The next track hinted into Gordy's ghetto side with a bit of gangster love, and the song had plenty use of the word "gangsta." To top it all off, Gaga hit the high note again. The 3rd and final hour was probably the most entertaining.
Gaga, Gangstas, Gordy.
p.s. let us not forget that i locked my keys in my car outside the YMCA. Tracked Kelly down at her shopping adventures. Called a locksmith. And was soon sent home safely. We did get parking tickets and photos to prove the shenanigans. Ha. That stuff "would" happen to us!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Birthdays, Miss America...TeamDawnKelly
If anyone wonders what Miss America has to do with IM training...it has everything to do with it.
In celebration of Kelly's birthday and an intelligent ploy to get her most sarcastic friends to wear evening gowns and have some cocktails, Kelly planned a Miss American themed celebration post birthday.
There were tiara's, heels, ball gowns, wedding dresses, sparkly dresses, earrings, up-do's...the whole nine yards. That doesn't mention the 6 foot table filled with delicious snacks and a tub filled with homemade sangria. Yum.
Miss America is on for the following 2 hours - and we continue to bash the girls - too much makeup, she annoyes me, big teeth, big forehead, etc.
Then they prance out in their swimsuits adorned with 6-pack abs.
We have 6-packs too...We just don't dance around on national TV to show them off. Ha.
In celebration of Kelly's birthday and an intelligent ploy to get her most sarcastic friends to wear evening gowns and have some cocktails, Kelly planned a Miss American themed celebration post birthday.
There were tiara's, heels, ball gowns, wedding dresses, sparkly dresses, earrings, up-do's...the whole nine yards. That doesn't mention the 6 foot table filled with delicious snacks and a tub filled with homemade sangria. Yum.
Miss America is on for the following 2 hours - and we continue to bash the girls - too much makeup, she annoyes me, big teeth, big forehead, etc.
Then they prance out in their swimsuits adorned with 6-pack abs.
We have 6-packs too...We just don't dance around on national TV to show them off. Ha.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Some Day in January
Ah. This is our thought process. "We have pushed back the official date of our IM training, however, we will not push back the luxuries of massages..."
Exactly. Getting into the IM spirit, TeamDawnKelly took to the streets, briefly with Molly, and then alone to tackle a pre-massage 7.5 mile run. It may have been a tad chilly and mildly slippery, but we pushed through knowing the end result.
60 minutes of "heated" massage time later, we were wobbly standing up and ready for a nap!
Successful adventure. And what we also learned on this trip:
1) our IM cash boxes for Madison/Chicago will accumulate only during our time together training
2) we will stick to 3 hours of Strong Kids spinning instead of 6. No need to start out too strong and embarrass everyone. Ha.
Until next time...
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It is really only January 8th? IM WI 2010 - Team DawnKelly
To those who question our attendance of swim clinics, ironman clinics, how to get faster by moving your arm this way clinics, we say...
"We are going to spend the least amount of money possible on people telling us how to get faster." We have 17 hours. We have been slow and steady for 30+ years, no need to start the silly speedwork now.
Kelly and I also participated in our first 2 hour spin of 2010. First words to come out of both of our mouths, kind of in a jinx situation was, "I think I am going to try harder today since I don't have to run 13 miles tomorrow." Did we try harder? I think so.
We also learned at spin class: 1) Dawn can get through IM and a spin class with just 1 functioning pedal - because she is bad-ass. 2) Kelly can successfuly put on a bandana to ward off those tiny little fly-away hairs. 3) Our first massage of the year will be at the end of January (basically because if we do it any earlier, we'll have accomplished nothing so far. 4) We will partake in the Strong Kids 6 hour spin class (again, because we are bad-ass) 5) Our training dollars are set for the cash box: $5 anytime we swim, $.25 a mile for biking, $1.00 a mile for running. Magnificent Mile (or State Street) here we come!
On to our next adventure...
"We are going to spend the least amount of money possible on people telling us how to get faster." We have 17 hours. We have been slow and steady for 30+ years, no need to start the silly speedwork now.
Kelly and I also participated in our first 2 hour spin of 2010. First words to come out of both of our mouths, kind of in a jinx situation was, "I think I am going to try harder today since I don't have to run 13 miles tomorrow." Did we try harder? I think so.
We also learned at spin class: 1) Dawn can get through IM and a spin class with just 1 functioning pedal - because she is bad-ass. 2) Kelly can successfuly put on a bandana to ward off those tiny little fly-away hairs. 3) Our first massage of the year will be at the end of January (basically because if we do it any earlier, we'll have accomplished nothing so far. 4) We will partake in the Strong Kids 6 hour spin class (again, because we are bad-ass) 5) Our training dollars are set for the cash box: $5 anytime we swim, $.25 a mile for biking, $1.00 a mile for running. Magnificent Mile (or State Street) here we come!
On to our next adventure...
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Official Day 1
OMFG. Today is the day kids. It is now 2010 and in 9 months we could have a baby, or partake in the 2010 IM Wisconsin. I'll take the later.
Kelly, what do we start off doing? I will start with a quick 3 mile run and then a nap. And then think heavily about swimming and biking.
During the next few days, let's get geared up for the January 8th spin class.
We'll remotivated after that? :-)
Cheers to 140.6
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