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

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.

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....