Thumbs up to eating raisons!

brown rice versus a big juicy hamburger!what would you want to eat?! NOT brown rice!

Training program/schedule for Ironman
Ken has planned a good training program for our June 2007 Ironman starting January of ’07.
In the meantime we are using this training schedule:

Monday - ride more then last week
Tuesday - swim a bit and ride more
Wednesday - swim some, run for a while and then ride more then last week
Thursday - rest day - ride a bit, but still more then last week
Friday - swim for a while. run a lot. more then last week and then ride a bit.
Saturday - ride really long - longer then last week
Sunday - run really long - more then last week. and ride some.
next week - repeat.
(Kidding!) Our training schedule is :Ken calls me:"what are we going to do today?" or me calling Ken "What are you doing today and can I tag along?"

I will be examining our nutrition. I have been reading the book by Gordo Byn titled "Going Long" that Ken has. It seems one of the main themes is we should eat more brown rice and not the cheeseburgers that we seem to love and consume during and after long rides. And since I am over 50 - I am supposed to eat more raisins as they help restore my muscle tissue which is harder for us older people to restore.

Toyota Challenge Half Ironman on Sept. 24, 2006
It rained and rained Friday night and Ken and I debated Sat. morn whether to even go up to Ohio for this Half Ironman, but call us Stupid heads – we did . We stopped at PF Changs for some yummy carb fuel and headed up to Mt. Sterling, OH to the Deer Creek State Park. After picking up our packets and driving the bike course we headed to the lodge. If our adventures at the lodge were any indication of our next day triathlon adventures than I was scared! (And it was a foreshadowing of the next day! Says Ken!) First our room at the lodge was a smoking room and they had to put a machine in our room to take the smell out. (which it did not) We had to open the balcony door and let fresh air (and numerous mosquitoes) in. They told us we had to stay out of the room for an hour but us hard heads went back in and I got really light headed so learned a lesson there! There were tuxes and bridesmaid and fancy outfits everywhere (3 weddings going on) and it really confused me until I asked how many weddings were taking place because the color schemes were awful if it had all been the same wedding!
We went to the lodge’s restaurant and ordered pasta and then the fire alarm went off and they made us go outside. We hung around the entrance until we were allowed to go back in. Though our dinner was delicious we did not get any bread even though we had bread plates so I asked for some, received none and had to go find it myself, then asked for butter and you would have thought I had asked for the waitress’s first born child. After some time she threw down the bill and Ken commented that doesn’t look like butter!A good night sleep – NOT .We could hear the wedding parties and cheers for downing shots all night long!

But luckily there was no rain the next morning. JUST Wind! I went from happy about rain (and am still happy cause tri was not cancelled like LBL tri in Western KY that we had considered doing) to miffed about the wind. The water was the roughest I have ever been in and I see that I am stronger than I thought because I made it thru. Luckily I could breath on the side where the waves did not pummel me too much though I had to turn my head completely around to my back to get air and not water. I looked like the girl in the Exorcist! Even the strongest swimmers, agreed the conditions were brutal. Both Ken and I made it out of the water (with a lot of the lake water IN us).
The first lap of the bike was not too bad until I had to turn around on a narrow road and I unclipped on one side and fell on the other! Pride hurt and skinned up knees. I got up and back on and then hit the headwind - a stiff 15mph wind blowing in across the fairly exposed bike course with regular gusts going 20+. I felt like I was on my trainer - going going but not moving! But I thought, well it is only about 5-6 miles of this on the 18.6 mile loop so I can handle it - but no - the wind increased thru out the day and what happened was there was no headwind/cross wind on only about 5 miles of the 18.6 mile loop. I was really happy that I had aero bars and practiced trying to be stable on them! But I rode slower than last year, but I hope I was stronger than last year because of the wind this year. Ken caught me at the beginning of the second loop and took off as he can since he is strong on the bike (He averaged 16.6 in this tough wind!)

The run was better this year as I did not walk. I did stop twice to loosen my laces as my feet were becoming numb and I peed once in the bushes. This was hard to do in my cute new one piece trisuit. And it stung so I had to pull the crotch way down so I could continue to run. I did pass 3 of the big bottom gals that passed me on the bike. On the last mile coming over the dam - wind about knocked me over - I was so over that wind. I saw Ken at the finish (poor guy has to wait over an hour for me) and started tearing up! I came in 2nd as a late registration robbed me of first place! I was the only one in my age group on Friday! But I will take 2nd! And I think I AGAIN was the VERY LAST one in on the bike. Humbling again! So I am going to re-assess my goals and try to be next to last on the bike at my next tri!

Scott Erdman, the race director did a great job and Ken and I started off the day with prayer with other participants which was a special touch.
Scott hangs around to the very end and was there as the last participants came in. I would recommend a HFP event, very professional and organized, good volunteers and a race director that cares.

On the way out of Mt. Sterling we stopped at the local Dairy Freeze and ate a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a big ole soft drink! Best part of the day!!!!!!

Bad to the Bone Duathlon on Sat. Sept. 16-
Ken and I drove up to Big Bone Lick State Park Saturday to participate in the first Bad to the Bone Duathlon. As it was dark and foggy , it was a little eerie as we walked our bikes to the registration area. After receiving our numbers we walked to the transition area to set up our bikes and gear, then we peed (outside by an old church outhouse) and then we listened to the race director’s description of the course – challenging. I had told the director that I was very slow and that the shag wagon would be looking at my rear end. I was a bit nervous because they kept saying how difficult the course was and boy was it. We took off 15 minutes after scheduled time because of the fog. The run was cross county thru the many trails in the park. At one point we are running up the hill to the dam and over on one side are stairs so you know how steep the incline is when you see stairs! I thought we could have used a ladder on some of the hills. There was a wide variety of topography and surfaces -from level asphalt, to narrow hilly woodland trails, to flat wide grass trails. I was passed by 2 men on the course but mostly I was out there by myself. I came in around 35 minutes to the transition area. Put my new helmet on and the locks are so sensitive that it was loosened by my touch and I had a loose helmet for the rest of the ride. Would I stop and tighten it – heck no! I was into staying on the bike. The bike route (25.3 miles ) was beautiful with farms and old houses, barns, creeks, and tremendous hills aptly named the “Evil Twins”, through Rabbit Hash (the center of the universe), and along the Ohio River. Challenging and fun! I loved it. Coming in the park entrance there was a huge RV that I had to steer around, but I made it in, clipped out, racked my bike and off on the run again. THIS time I walked up the hill to the dam and up 2 more hills, the last one at the half way mark where there was a water stop. The great volunteers told me I was not the only one walking! I ran the next 1.5 miles, over the bridge there was Ken cheering me on and I ran to the finish. I was not last, I was not slow! We walked up to the shelter and ate a wide variety of food, drank some Gatorade, water and waited for the results. They had door prizes too and we both won one, Ken got a Big Bone Lick visor and I won a Friend of Big Bone tote. Ken’s gage group has the most participants and he came in 4th! I was the only one in the 50-54 so I won! We loaded up our gear and headed to do some sight seeing in the park. Photos to come later. Then we found a Longhorn eatery near Cincy and ate our fill of steak! But the day of training was not over-we stopped at Mallard Point lake on the way home, donned our wetsuits and swam (Ken with cramps) a mile. We are on the road to becoming Iron Men and Women!

Switzer Covered Bridge ride - Saturday training, Sept. 9th
Ken and I both placed at the Born to Run 5K in Cynthiana, Ky which started at 8 am. The weather was pleasant and we ran along the Licking River that runs through Cynthiana. The awards were handmade ceramic rabbits made by the Harrison Co. High School pottery class. After breakfast at Hardees with some BlueGrass Runners we then took off from Midway on our bikes down to the Switzer bridge and then on to Peaks Mill, where we “popped a squat” at Canoe KY. We ate our pb&j sandwich down by the creek and Ken treated me to an ice cream. On the way back we took a side trip up a hill on Sulfur Lick road (gorgeous and long). We kept going up and up and got to the top and had no idea where we were. I stopped a truck with a rebel flag on it for directions and after the driver stated “we were in the middle of nowhere” he tried giving us directions. But as the directions were a bit unclear, we turned around and headed back the way we came . Total mileage was 41 miles on bike, 3.4 on foot (3.1 race and .1 walking to creek, .2 walking to pop machine). It was a beautiful ride and only one dog!

Going to Coeur d'Alene!















Photos: Mary's view of Ken (always!) Ken and Mary w/friend; Mary on KY backroads

"Your entry for FORD IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE has been accepted and entered in our database. Please notify Ironman North America at admin@ironmanusa.com if any information changes need to be made.Happy training and we will see you at the finish line!"

Above email received yesterday says I am really really REALLY doing an Ironman (2.4 swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 run) next June! OMG!! Ken and I both got shut out via the online registration for the Ironman Coeur d'Alene June 24, 2007. After a few emails expressing his trouble with the registration process, Ironman North America Event contacted him and he was accepted as a participant, but I had to apply for one of the community fund spots. I was tense about it after sending my payment in and kept watching the community fund designated slots on the website to see if there were any left. Ken was beginning to think he would have to go out to Idaho by himself but now he has to take me!!!!!

Are we crazy? Probably!