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
Sunday, August 22, 2010
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....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)