Stubborn Sarah

(My parents will be thrilled at this title because I'm admitting things that they've been up against for years.) Did anyone else besides me think I was crazy to try to build from 6 miles to 26.2 in such a short period of time? Why didn't you say anything? I wouldn't have listened anyway.

That's one thing I've learned about us TNT athletes. We're dedicated (stubborn), driven (hard-headed), passionate (crazy), I could go on forever...

We are the most dedicated, driven, and passionate group of people I know bonded together with the goal of finding a cure for blood cancers and helping those in our community who have blood cancers right now. We have in common that we like to be active, we like to test ourselves, and encourage each other in our success. I've also learned that we're also a little bit stubborn, hard-headed and crazy... especially around race time.

My back has been a topic of conversation since June. First I ignored it because I thought it was just a self-fulfilling prophecy since the Dr. pointed it out on the CAT scan and if I stopped thinking about it, it'd dissipate. Then I lived with it because I was training for a triathlon and aches and pains come and go, we rub them out with the stick (or a foam roller if you're more coordinated than me) and face our next challenge. Then I favored it and had my kids bend over to pick up anything on the ground, carry heavy things, even my ex was vacuuming my apartment for me - hey, I could get used to this. Then I adjusted and stretched it and finally went into the miracle chiropractor who straightened me out and taught me how to stretch it. Then I succumbed to it - no obviously I've survived this, I just gave into the pain as it's not giving me a choice.

During my good back moments, everyone is looking at me like "Really, I think she was at the beach when she called in sick for back doctor appointments." I even feel awkward walking so upright as if it'll disprove my back issue. During my bad back moments, I can't move or I'll fall over. OK, this is not a good thing.

I have stubbornly resisted calling an orthopedic doctor because I don't want to be told I can't do Nike. I'm probably hard-headed enough that if he said I shouldn't that I would anyway. I'm crazy (at least in my needle-phobic mind) to be hoping that perhaps I can get a Cortisone shot to make me feel good for the event.

I digress, but I've been a needle-phobe (trypanophobic) since I got in my barbed wire accident in 1985 an had to get a ridiculous amount of shots to numb myself for stitches, then it took so long to do the stitches that I was coming un-numb so the choice was, endure a handful of stitches or get a few more big shots, after getting like 30 that day... I think you get the picture.

To cure myself of needle phobia I've tried to donate blood regularly to put a positive association on the needles. Ooh, come to think of it, part of my trypanophobia could stem from the family tradition that after Thanksgiving dinner, my dad used to chase us around to give us flu shots.

FOCUS Sarah.

It was more painful for me to give in and admit that this time, I could only face the 1/2 marathon. I've only done a 1/4 truthfully, but the adrenaline and excellent company will carry me along and the tequila will take care of the pain! :) I SO wanted to see if my Ironteam training would help improve my marathon - which I know it would have. Now I have to try again next year to prove that! I was hurting at the idea that here I'd jumped into this awesome sport of triathlon and now have a wrecked back to show for it. I have my Tri membership card and want to use it! It's depressing me to not be able to ride my bike right now, and to not run as far as I should. Seriously, post marathon/triathlon blues are real when you suddenly stop getting those endorphins regularly. It was hurting to not be able to finish an event this year!

I will be going to the Doctor, I will take his advice (unless he tells me I can't do it - in which case I'll find shortcuts on the course - shhhh! Don't tell!), I'll keep doing the stretches my chiropractor says...

As soon as my back is better, I found the perfect way to reconnect with my kids and strengthen my core. We're going to take Mommy and Me Tae Kwon Do! Now I'm just trying to decide between the classic Korean TKD studio or the one led by the smoldering dark hair, light eyed dude with the intriguing accent.

My friends are IRONCLAD! (& my 26.2 mile detour)

I have been living vicariously through the race reports of my amazing TNT teammates who went up to Vineman a few weekends ago and did the full Ironman distance race or the half - Barb's Race. I cannot even imagine continuing my training for 9 months, doubling the distance that I was originally training. I cannot fathom having the physical strength or the mental strength to wake up and start before dark and finish after dark after swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 miles and running 26.2! I'm excited, I get chills, I gasp, I cry at everyone's race reports because they are SO moving! I'm especially giving a shout out here to my friend Yvonne, who I met through Team In Training during my first season on Marathon team - this was us at the finish of the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll marathon - back when I could keep up with her.



Then she moved away, then thankfully moved back and what a great way to get to hang out with her (and two handfuls of other gals from the South Bay Marathon Team), than to join Ironteam with them. The first time we went to the pool we were all a bit nervous, Yvonne admitted that swimming wasn't her strong point (we all have a stronger sport and a weaker point). By the end of my season back in May, she was passing me in the pool! Well her hard work paid off, and let me just say that despite all the training, the strongest thing about her is her positive attitude and smile! YAY YVONNE! Plus my family loved seeing a familiar face at the local hospital with all the visits we had this year!



We also had another group of marathon friends come to the Ironteam from the SGV team - Kim - another nurse with a tireless smile, Louis - our awesome photo captain; and Gordie - our inspirational and amazing Honored Teammate. I was the one honored enough to get to train with him and get to know him better, and benefit from his words and his presence!



There are so many amazing people that I've met along the way, and each one has their inspirational story, and I'm so proud of each and every one of them and can't wait to hear what crazy thing they're going to try next.

The Ironteam still has 2 events left in its season, the Louisville Ironman MDot - where my fearless mentor Carlos will be racing and grooving across the finish line, and Kona Ironman - where another inspirational beyond words honored teammate Kyle is going to rock Kona this year!

I'm also amazed and humbled by the efforts put forth by some of my teammates who fought hard at Wildflower, kept training, kicked it up a notch, and went and kicked butt at Barb's Race, earning their 70.3 badge! Congratulations Sara and Meghan! I'm in awe and still waiting for pictures!!

I'm still on my journey to 70.3, but it won't be this year. However, not one to like to sit still for long, I've jumped right into training for the FULL Nike Women's Marathon!



A group of my high school girlfriends and I decided to pay it forward at 40! So we all signed up for Team In Training and together will raise $15,000 to fight blood cancers.



As a bonus, another friend who came to visit last year when I ran the 1/2 marathon, is going to join us to run it herself this year! Honestly, I don't have to work to hard to sell this race - here's the finishline...



...and I know where they party afterwards...



Ironically, my training thus far has been sitting still for too long. I had a weekend in the end of June where I had to prove to myself that I was fully recovered from my gall bladder surgery, that I still had it in me, so after a 90 min bike ride and a 60 min run, and working a Triathlon that weekend, I realized I had a quietly nagging injury to my back. Suddenly my mind was swept back to my Gall Bladder Dr. saying "You don't have lower back issues do you? The CAT scan saw something." I said, "No, Dr., nothing more than sore muscles!"

Well I've tried the RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation - method (if I have that wrong, THAT could be the reason why it hasn't gone away), and even a little bit of ibuprofen along the way, but it wasn't getting better. I finally have gone to a doctor this past week and am on session 2 with the chiropractor, plus athletic tape, and biofreeze - so cool it's hot! I'm planning to get back out there this weekend, run 6 miles, then build by 2 miles a week and make sure I get in all my mid-week runs to make up for lost time - aah! Hopefully runnersworld.com's computerized training program agrees with my plan.

So right now, the race for the 26.2 mile race is on! This race is so worth it though! I tell everyone I meet that this is the race I will do once a year until I can't any more! You know what though? The race is amazing, but I love the journey even more!

FREE ways to help me fundraise!

Since I had money from the Wildflower season that I didn't finish, they're letting me roll forward the funds to the Nike event so that I'll be able to go up with the team, do the amazing event weekend activities, and have an amazing race! Check out my new fundraising page with the history of Team WTF! http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf10/sharris

I'm not quite done fundraising, and even if I were, I won't stop 'til event weekend! Now I know you've heard a lot from me about asking for money in the last few months - here are FREE, simple and easy ways to help!

Please share my blog with others that may be interested in any part of my adventure! Please don't forget to click on the ads!

So far the ads have earned me almost $10, so let's see if we can make that grow!

Please keep collecting cans, bottles, and glass for me

I'm still recycling for a cure - you CAN make a difference!

Please put a widget to my fundraising page on your Facebook profile!

Write to me if you're interested!

Nike Women's Marathon magically brings out huge fundraisers because while this is a marathon weekend in the racers' lives, the fundraising fever is contagious and the momentum snowballs as people raise more and more money on behalf of LLS to help find a cure for blood cancers. People return year after year - Legacy Runners - to fundraise on behalf of LLS and run the race! People make HUGE goals and surpass them - last year's top fundraiser raised over $100,000.

Now my goals are not quite as large, but please help me raise valuable money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are racing to save people's lives!

YOU can help be a part of a cure for cancer!

Try Tri Again!

When I first woke up, unable to sleep, the Sunday before Wildflower at 3am, I had a whirlwind of emotions going through my system.

I was EXCITED that this was the week we were going to do it - beat Nasty Grade and complete Wildflower Triathlon! I was excited that training would be done, I'd be able to return to my normal life!

I was STRESSED OUT, I hadn't even started packing and somehow I'd get it all done by Thursday- Tri Gear, Camping Gear, Kids' stuff for their trip to Dad's, oh and while working and shuttling kids to baseball games and practice.

I was IN PAIN, the reason for waking up at 3am.

I was TIRED, partially due to the hour, partially due to the tapering we were doing the week before - less exercise and I'd been sleeping a lot.

I was CURIOUS, was this pain how my body was going to respond to taper? Somehow I'd avoided a taper cold, so perhaps this pain was my body's few last words before I challenged it like I'd never been challenged before that weekend.

I was FRUSTRATED that my body waited 'til the week of to go on strike.

I was SAD, while I was over the early morning Sat. wake up calls and the crazy non-stop training schedule, I would REALLY miss my Ironteam family.

I was HAPPY SAD, every time I pictured in my head just how amazing going through the finisher's chute at Wildflower was going to be, I'd almost start crying and what I'd accomplished in the last 6 months.

So all of these emotions were flying uncontrollably through my mind as I went to Dr. after Dr. Mon. - Wed. but I also got a few more crammed in there...

I was FIERCELY OPTIMISTIC that the Dr. would figure out what was wrong, give me the magic pill and I'd recuperate and get up to Wildflower

I was FRUSTRATED feeling like a hypochondriac because I have a high tolerance for pain, especially for the pains that come with no great big black and blue bruise to show for it. I felt like I was making a bid to do over nothing AND still didn't know if I should pack or not still on Tuesday night.

I was CAUTIOUSLY REALISTIC that the more Dr.s I went to, the more days that passed without normal eating - which is crucial the week before a race - I was realizing I was just adding more challenges to an already challenging race.

I was UNDENIABLY DEFEATED once they told me that I'd better drive myself to Cedar Sinai that day to get my surgery. I had a moment in the hospital where it finally hit me, but I didn't want them thinking that I was crying over my gall bladder, since I'm usually not that wimpy, so I kept it short.

I sat incapacitated with not a whole lot to do except for track the time... Now, they're driving up to the event... Now, they're laying claim to a plot of land for their tents... Now, they're doing a test run in the lake... Now, I'd be taking off... Now, they should be finishing.

At first I wasn't horribly upset that I didn't get to do Wildflower. I did the training weekend, which is more than many people. I found that the Craftmatic Adjustable hospital bed just might be more comfortable than sleeping on the ground for several days and then doing a half-ironman. People were trying to make me feel better about the whole sad ending and it (and the Vicodin) was working.

As my body started feeling stronger, and the surge of unused adrenaline was bubbling to the surface, I started to feel anxious. I wasn't even 2 weeks out from surgery and already I was ancy to finish this. I know what it entails and what will be involved if I sign up for my next one, but if I don't, it would disappear and after the 6 months of training, I didn't want it to disappear.

You don't bring out "Oh I trained once for a half-iron" at a party unless you actually finished it. How would I feel if I didn't overcome this setback and press-on to the finish line? Still, I was already feeling the stress of training on me and the family the last 6 weeks of training, I didn't want to be completely selfish. I knew I couldn't wait til October and sign up to try to break Wildflowers back again (at least not til my kids are old enough to do it with me) because we can't endure another 6 months of training.

But the fact that baseball was ending for the kids, there was another female-only, much flatter 70.3 the same weekend and at the same race where the Ironteam will be doing their FULL and in only 12 weeks, meant that I need to just finish this and put it behind me. AND it's a benefit race to raise money to fight cancer.

SO, I've signed up for the 10th Anniversary (also I love round numbers) Barb's Race http://www.vineman.com/Barb_s_Race.htm

There was one big obstacle that I had in my way. I, along with a handful of high school friends, have signed up to do the Nike Women's Marathon. Since it's our 40th birthday year (see, more round numbers) we decided not just to do the marathon but to do it for charity so the Poway contingent of this group has signed up to do it with Team In Training. Team Titans (alias: WTF - Women, Titans, Fearless!). We were supposed to have a big fundraiser the same weekend of the race and I'm hopeful that they'll forgive me for bailing on it to do the race - it's my gall bladder's fault!

So hopefully it's a lesson learned and that I'll grow from. When you get sidetracked from your goal, try tri again!

Wildflower Send Off Video

Wildflower Send Off Video

Louis, the greatest photo captain of all time, put together this amazing video of the season and I wanted to share it with you!

If you want to do something amazing for yourself and for others, join The Team!

WILDFLOWER EVENT WEEKEND!

Well today the Ironteam swam 1.1 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles. By now at 5:30pm the last people should be across the finish line and enjoying their amazing success, a few happy tears, and their mind-boggling achievement. I haven't heard from anyone because their phones are out of range and I won't get pix and calls til they come down the mountain.

...Wait, does this mean I'm not on the mountain with them?

A little thing called life interrupted my 70.3 plans and put me on the sidelines. I fought it hard all week hoping it was just side effects from stress. Nonetheless, a cute little, and not entirely necessary, organ decided to become an issue this past Sunday less than 6 days before event day.

Can you guess what the cute little purple guy shown below is? Please be warned that the following conversation has me talking a lot of crap so if that's not your thing, you may want to stop reading here.

Sunday evening, about 3:30am with a pain in my right side right under my ribs that I couldn't get comfortable around. I tried to massage, stretch, drink water, everything, and nothing would stop the ache. Finally I took Tylenol and went back to bed.

Monday, I went to urgent care convinced that I was either constipated or had a twisted intestinal blockage. Either way, I needed it fixed, we were getting close to event weekend. They took blood tests and urine tests to rule out liver issues just because of the location. Eat as much roughage as possible and drink a lot of water and hopefully it'll pass. I was hoping it was as simple as that and then I'd be able to catch my breath again.

I ate as much veggies, All Bran, drank coffee (not just for the caffeine), and drank a ton of water. So much that I was painfully full - my whole abdomen felt like it'd been kicked - and it wasn't getting better.

Tuesday, I woke up and things must have fixed themselves or redistributed themselves and there was a dull ache but it felt like a miraculous recovery. I kept eating fiber, drinking water and that, mixed with gravity, increased my discomfort again til my 1:45pm follow up where they said, scratch that plan, clear diet only meaning water, chicken broth and jello. Blood and urine came back fine, but let's take X-rays.

Determination is basically you're full of crap and air and I'm going to send you to a specialist because if anyone will have the tools to have you cleared out by Saturday, it'll be them.

Tuesday night, I'm talking to my dad on the phone from TX who immediately diagnoses me with gall bladder issues. No, Dad, I know they already tested me for that, I'm sure it's not that. But FINE Dad, I'll ask the specialist tomorrow when I see him - promise.

Wednesday 9:00am, I went to the specialist in West LA at 9am, who had posters of colon cameras all over his walls, believe me I was keeping my fingers crossed that we wouldn't have to do that. Phew! Escaped with one dignity intact. I told him the silly story of my dad diagnosing me over the phone and we chuckled.

He gave me a prescription for 4 bottles of stuff to drink that once I drink it, within 1-2 hours I should be cleaned out and ready to go. Mentally I'm thinking - do I do this while still during business hours at work just in case it's not effective, or do it after hours and risk losing another day if it's not working?! How much work am I really going to get done if I'm running to the ladies room? Or just if I'm in the extreme discomfort I'm in?

BUT, he says, before you get those filled, let me send you for a CAT scan to rule out larger things like Polyps, or tumors, or Gall Bladder issues.

10:00am, Driving to 2nd doctor for CAT scan. They're telling me to drink two 12 oz bottles of something that will glow when they shoot something else into me to make it all visible for the scan. Lady, I have so much roughage in my body I don't know that I can fit 2 12 oz bottles of nasty drink - way nastier than our protein/carbo drinks - in my stomach.

11:00am, waiting for results. The CAT scan doctor comes out and says the specialist will call me with details.

11:30am, I'm told I should get my gall bladder removed. FATHER KNOWS BEST! I have stones, the gall bladder is infected. I should drive over to Cedar Sinai right now and admit self into ER, the doctor will arrange to get a surgeon either that night or the following morning. I scramble to get someone to pick up and keep my kids overnight, fortunately there is already a plan in place for Thurs - Sun.

OK STOP! So this is where I finally realize the Triathlon is probably out for the weekend. SERIOUSLY!?! These things probably took years pearlizing and they come out NOW?! The back of my head was still hoping that if it's just laproscopic surgery, perhaps I can still go for the camping fun of the weekend and cheer on my teammates!

12:30pm I drive over to Cedar Sinai (where all the celebs go, no I didn't see any), they check me into the ER, why am I coming in through the ER? The nurse figures out that because they don't have enough beds for the number of patients, the Doctor must have known that and sent me in through ER to make sure I'd get a bed to be IV'd with antibiotics and ready to go. I may be in the hallway with my backless gown, but good thing I'm a triathlete and my butt looks better now. OK, not that I'd want that in a million years and fortunately that didn't happen.

4:30pm I finally land in a room, they'll give me as much notice for surgery, it'll probably be the next day.

7:30am the next day, they say they'll be up in about a half hour to get me for surgery. I immediately text my family with one hand while the other hand is having my regular vital statistics gathered. As soon as I hit send, the guy is there early to take me! WOWZA!

I'm taken down to pre-op, the anesthesiologist looks like Michael Vartan without my glasses, which is a great thing.

I'm just hoping I didn't embarrass myself waking up out of anesthesia. Next thing you know I'm back in my room by 1:20pm and my sister is there to keep me company!

So obviously life had plans of its own, and I'm glad my body was in great shape to handle surgery and recovery. Not the Wildflower weekend I was hoping for, but still worth the journey.

The money I raised thanks to your support will still go to excellent use for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and hey, it's not too late to give. In honor of May being Cancer Research Month, please help me get to $4,000!

Thank you all for your support! Special thank you to my friends for all their well-wishes, especially those who had other things to focus on, like their race strategy for the weekend. Special thank you to my family for all their support during training but especially during this recovery time!

This is not the last 70.3 entry, just haven't figured out the next chapter...

WILDFLOWER TRAINING WEEKEND!!

This past weekend, the team all drove 5 hours to visit Lake San Antonio in Bradley (where?!), CA to conquer the Wildflower Long Course over the space of a weekend. We faced a LOT of challenges, most more mental than physical. Not to say that the course is easy - it's not. I've heard it was one of the most "respected" (meaning difficult) courses in the country, but one person dared say it was the 2nd most difficult long course in the WORLD! Did I know this signing up? Maybe. Did I try to remain in denial? Yes. Did I have to face it head on this weekend? Definitely.

First of all, packing... Not only did I have to pack all my Triathlon gear, but did I mention that it's a camping weekend?! Fortunately my sister, Anna, and her hubby, Randy, are big into camping and I am able to shop at their house like a dream REI shop. Because I was 5 hours late getting to camp, my tentmate, Jen, had everything set up - she's a gem!

The first night, about all there was to do (besides gawk at the amazing number of stars) was get used to the lay of the land, get my Accelerade and Power Bar fuel ready for the next day, blow up the air mattress, and get into bed for the early morning breakfast call at 6:30am. Fortunately, I'd had a BUSY week with not a lot of sleep so the crazy Santa Cruz Iron Team did not keep me awake.

6:30am - Saturday - Swim/Bike Day

We woke up, surprisingly not sore from sleeping in the great outdoors. Breakfast was waiting for us because some superstars volunteered to prepare amazing hot meals for us as their fundraiser! They woke up hours earlier, cleaned up, to not attract critters, and still did the crazy workouts.

Then we packed up our tri bags to prepare for a lake swim, followed immediately by a bike ride, and headed down a long hill (that we were hoping to not have to ride up) to the shores of Lake San Antonio.

For all of you who have ever told me to take a long walk of a short pier, I did it.

The scariest part of the swim was jumping into the FREEEEEZING cold water. I won't tell you what we do to stay warm in the water, but it rhymes with SEA! Besides that, once we get moving, our bodies heat up quickly since we're in a huge rubber suit.

This lake was HUGE compared to Desert Tri so it presented a whole new set of sensations. Visually, it was clearer than Desert Tri. We could actually see people before we would hit them, saving people's feet a little bit of wear and tear at my face's expense. Here is the view under water at Lake San Antonio.

We heard noises and in my mind, I was wondering what wave machine or pool filter?! was operating under water, my friend thought a huge sea creature was coming up from the bowels of the lake. Eventually we realized that it was a boat when we felt the waves sloshed us about. I got smacked in the ear by a wave, and at one point almost felt seasick. After swimming close to a mile, as I exited the lake, I couldn't get my land legs for almost a minute. Despite the cold air, I quickly tore off the top of the wetsuit just to be free of it all.

Then, we ran back to the parking lot to prepare for our 54 mile bike ride which begins and ends with some crazy hills! I had three tops on, my Tri Top, Bike shirt and jacket - it was FREEZING!

For me, I had 2 mental blocks to overcome: 1) I'd never done 54 miles before and 2) NASTY GRADE! Nasty Grade is this 1,000 climb where you climb about 850 feet of it in the first 2.5 miles, then you go downhill for a blip, then climb the rest of the 150 feet within the next 1.5 miles. It's Nasty, and it's LATE in the race at mile 42. For me, the fact that this is a hill with a name, meant it was legendary and my nemesis.

The ride started out with a climb called Beach Hill because you have to get from the beach up to the camp level to get to the course. Fortunately it was NOT the huge one we came down in the morning, but still a large one nonetheless. During the first 12 miles of the race I was essentially shutting down. I'd eaten breakfast, I was fueling along the way, but something was making me withdraw so far into me that I felt like if I blinked my eyes for too long, that I'd fall over and sleep on the road.

I finally stopped at the aid station and needed to check in (get my head checked?!) with someone. I told the mentors that I'd been fueling, I ate right, I slept right, despite having less sleep this week - I'm used to that, I tried to take deeper breaths thinking it was that I wasn't breathing regularly enough - What was wrong with me?! They said it's either a) allergies - Wildflowers everywhere, duh; b) anxiety - Nasty Grade, duh; c) my fueling. I told them I wasn't nervous about this part of the ride though so I shouldn't be going through this. Well, I didn't want to quit at this moment, I figured I'd keep riding with my mind outside of myself somewhere until I either a) fell asleep or b) got to the hill.

Back on my bike, I thought about it and realized that while I was eating enough fuel, I hadn't been drinking enough - I was at about 1/2 what I should have consumed by then. Also, I realized that it was a large part anxiety. I pulled myself back into my head and just took the ride bit by bit until eventually I wound up at this amazing metal bridge which signals the last turn before [Cue: Booming voice with echo] Nasty Grade! It's only 2 miles out of a 54 mile ride, then I'm home free! I went for it - ready to face it.

This is a picture of fellow South Bay, Ellen, working her way UP Nasty Grade. I don't have a picture of myself doing this hill because I'm usually either too uncomfortable, stressed, or unhappy to take a good photo on the bike. About the time I hit this point of the hill, I could see the peak of the hill. I saw some guy in a yellow rain coat at the top as my beacon. My legs were burning, my lungs were burning, my arms were getting exhausted, and I kept pushing, pedal stroke after stroke. I finally hit the point where if I didn't stop, I may fall over, and while they said "Don't stop on the hill!" I clipped out on one side and stopped. Suddenly the guy turned into Picachu and started running down the hill at me. Was I hallucinating?! No, it was my saving grace, Louis!

He came down and said, don't stop for too long! I got my breath back, he held my bike, I clipped in on both sides, and he pushed me for about two strokes til I could continue from there. I made it to the top where it says: The stranger than fiction part is that this is not the end. There is a mini sequel to the hill as you squeak out the top part of the ascent and then you're home free. Being barn sour, I'm always more excited when I know I'm rounding the corner for home, but in this case, home is still 12 miles away! You know, I'm a calm person for the most part, but since I've joined the team, I've received cross-training in cursing. I named a few more hills for the race officials on the way back to camp: "WTF", "Are you F'in kidding me", "Kill me now", and so on.

Still, after 5 hours, I rode up the last hill called "It's about F'in Time" and returned to camp. I was greeted by my coaches and the awesome dude from FLUID, who made us all recovery drink cocktails (ok, not really cocktails, but just as good)! We took decent hot showers, settled into our Gnome Village (thanks to Sara on the right - whose tent was large enough for a Village -Alison her bunkmate is on the left -- Notice the gnomes on the rocks under the flag)

and ate just about everything around - oranges, chips and dip, bananas, mini turkey sandwiches, PB&J - as we waited for dinner to be cooked. It'd been 6 grueling hours since breakfast and we don't really like to eat that much before doing all that, and anything we'd consumed along the course, was burned up.

After dinner, which I didn't eat that much of by that point, we had Fireside Inspiration dished out by the coaches, our awesome Honored Hero, Gordie Lat, and from our Mentors, such as Fouf, who sang the Karate Kid Inspirational Song "You're the Best... AROUND!"

It was awesome and infectious. Today, 2 days later, I still can't get it out of my head. Here, spread the love! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qae_TUTeGo

Another gal's husband, Daniel Craig - we wish it was THE Daniel Craig - made these awesome Rice Crispy squares to cheer us on for the weekend!

While many of the more conditioned team and returning alumni stayed up sharing weird talents and unique facts about themselves while enjoying a cold beer and s'mores, I bundled up and quietly hit the hay by 9:30pm.

9:00am - Sunday - Run Day

Sometime over night, the winds picked up and the gray clouds had become darker. The night had been less comfortable as far as sleep goes, and I was getting whiney. It's really bad when the TNT employee is the one trying to talk people out of the run "Come on, we'll just drive home really quickly and run in Malaga Cove!" I appreciate all the people who didn't say "What are you crazy? It's 5 hours away!" and just went about their morning. In any case, I realized I wasn't winning anyone over to my cause, so we ate, got dressed, but then layered our pjs, jackets, Uggs, and everything to keep us warm. One gal got in her car and turned on her heated seats. Another gal got the reading 46 degrees from her car's outside thermometer. Our ever-faithful training mascot - the rain - was threatening to crash the party.

We closed up camp, downed our ibuprofen, and got down to the lake for the start of our run. The women huddled a la March of the Penguins trying to stay warm and hidden from the wind.

We tried to figure out a way to run like that. Seriously, look at the color of the sky!

We started out on the same rolling hills from the day before on the bicycle and quickly jumped onto a path. Now I've been on paths like these before, but usually I had horsepower moving me, mainly a horse! Here all this time, I'd been worried about the bike ride when really the run is just as challenging!

I have to give it up to the TNT coaches and staff here. For both days, appearing at regular intervals along the course, we were fully supported - even when we didn't want to be. We had Sarah and Lauren from OCIE cheering us on from their vehicle with music blasting and smiles turned up full volume! Rachel and Beth from GLA cheered us on and rooted for us, fueling us from outside the barbwire fence that kept us captive, I mean... on course. Coach Noah, also from OCIE, was like that kid from Better Off Dead, and at every turn where we'd want to walk, he'd show up on his bike "Two Miles!"

We had Rich, from Fluid, riding alongside cheering us on! Our awesome GLA coaches, Coach Rad and Helmetted Coach Paul (does that speak to Rad's driving?! or is Paul always ready to ride?), were in the car more on Sunday yelling words of wisdom! And Coach Brad, (below) from GLA also had the ability to sense when we may want to slow down and he'd pop out from behind a tree - I never did see his mode of trans(tele)portation.

Needless to say, Mary and I got each other through the half-marathon. For me, after about mile 6, I was warmed up and knew we could do it. For Mary, the magic mile was mile 10.

As we rounded the corner, to the home stretch, we could hear the music, cheering, whistles, and the WIND. As it blasted us one last time, we raced for the largest Tunnel I've ever seen.

I have to point out that this is my kids' favorite part of any soccer game, getting to go through the tunnel at the end of the game, for me, it was equally as amazing!

We got blown around in the parking lot while cheering in the last few participants, and took a moment to realize what we'd just accomplished! We finished off with a huge "GO TEAM!"

and sealed the deal on an amazing Wildflower Training Weekend!

I emerged from the weekend with a few new bumps and bruises. I didn't have any major spills, just fell over YET AGAIN while standing completely motionless. I have a "V" for victory scratched into my calf - ironically where most of the Ironmen have their MDot tattoo upon completing the Ironman races. I have a new bruise on my thigh which is developing with true beautiful Polaroid color. I also developed a few new bumps on my arms - triceps!

Oh, before I end this entry, I have to pay homage to the wild animals we saw along the way.

To Bambi and her mother that tried to take out my friend Meghan, and a fellow rider, as they were following the rules of the road - shame on you!

Learn to watch for moving vehicles on 2 or 4 wheels like the coyote did. RIP to the little Garter Snake that wound up under my tire causing me to scream and wobble on my bike.

Kevin shows that some wild beasts just can't be tamed. To the Wild Turkey who flew over my head, thank you for taking my mind off of the Pit I'd just climbed out of at mile 12 of the run. To the many beautiful birds and flowers native to the area, thank you for the scenic and monumental weekend!

The back of Wildflower and Nasty Grade have been broken! In just three weeks, we'll kill it! Sorry to be so harsh, but that's about how raw and savage this weekend felt! We all emerged victorious!

Thanks Ironteam, we couldn't have come this far without you!

Words of Inspiration from Gordie...

The training is building again, hence I've been so busy I haven't posted much recently. We've had two weekends in a row with 50+ bike rides, 10+ mile runs, and 2000+ yard swims. We conquered such hills as Latigo (I missed that workout but kudos to my teammates), Encinal, Mulholland/Los Virgines - training where Lance Armstrong has trained! I have to admit that this is the part of the season where my ADD kicks in and I look forward to the end and getting back to "normal" weekends. I can tell that this time, it's not going to be as easy to lose the habits of swimming, running and cycling - although I may ditch steep hills, rolling hills are ok.

I'm just an ordinary person trying to accomplish and extraordinary goal - to help find provide valuable funds to find a cure for blood cancers - and any advancements in the field of blood cancers can only mean a few steps forward in other cancer treatments - and to finish a half-ironman triathlon. I don't know why, i've been saying it all season, but suddenly, the size of the task is really starting to hit me!

Every Team has honored teammates, people from the community who are in remission from or going through treatment for blood cancers, but this season, having 2 honored teammates on our team - the IRONteam - is beyond inspirational. Kudos to Meghan and Gordie for being such Rock Stars! For the rest of this entry, I want to give the "stage" to one of the honored teammates, Gordie Lat. Here is just one of the many posts that he sends out to the team to keep us motivated and focused on the goal to find a cure! I chose a goofy shot because besides his inspirational words and his presence on the team, Gordie's best feature is his smile!

“The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.”
— Stephen King

Many have heard me thank you and tell you what SUPERHEROES I think you are and how I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for people like you (countless of times). And I often feel that it sometimes diminishes theTRUE, DEEP feelings of gratitude I have for what you all do (just as the quote says) because to many of you, it may be just words. So I want to share with you a few things that you might already know. Now, I’m a bit STUPID-stitious about talking about my health condition, I think it’s bad luck to do so…much like coach Paul is superstitious about wearing his tri event shirt BEFORE the actual triathlon…lol. Anyway, it’s time for me to get rid of this STUPID-stition that I have so I’m changing it now.

In June 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia that has no medical cure except for that of a perfect bone marrow match transplant. (What this means is that the only cure is a perfect match bone marrow transplant) And unfortunately, searches in the worldwide database have resulted in no usable match for me. (not even my 3 sisters who seemed sure to be a match) So, NO CURE FOR ME! My bone marrow continues to produce the DNA that produces cancer.

However, breakthroughs in medical research and technology have come up with a miracle drug named Gleevec that makes my disease “manageable” as opposed to fatal. And in fact, I reached the “manageable” state of the disease after only a year of treatment. So, I went ahead and told the world how happy I was that I was FINALLY in the “manageable” state and I was sure that I would follow in Virginia Garner’s footsteps and remain in the “manageable” state for as long as her (more than 10 years now). But soon after I sent the message out (like one month soon…) I became resistant to Gleevec, that very same drug that was saving my life. (which is what actually started the whole STUPID-stition of mine) So I was in a precarious position because I had no bone marrow match and the new drug I was taking wasn’t working. What is even worse is the Research Doctors couldn’t find a reason why I became resistant to Gleevec in the first place. And that could mean that there’s something about me that has the propensity to become resistant to the drugs that are saving my life.

But after many ups and downs, I am now taking a drug called Sprycel that seems to be working. But the fear of becoming resistant to this drug will always be present in the back of my mind. Despite this predicament, my family and friends continue to assist me in my fight for life as I strive to maintain my health and be there for my wife and 2 daughters. By looking at me, it’s difficult to see the struggles I go through. But the struggles are there and fear demands its presence in my daily life as I evaluate every pain, cough, and breath I take…but I continue to press on.

So all of the verbose rhetoric I write is an attempt to expound on the simple words you hear me so often say…THANK YOU, SUPERHEROES, WHAT YOU DO IS SAVING MY LIFE!!! I hope you never get sick of my thanks to you as this message is merely the tip of the overwhelming gratitude I feel for what you are doing.

Holy Sheet, I'm a Triathlete!

On a stormy and windy day in the small, quiet town of La Quinta, CA, I swam 3/4 of a mile (28min), biked 24 miles (1hr, 49 min) and ran 6 miles (1hr, 22 min) in one day to officially become an International-distance Triathlete! It was a challenge going through the day without knowing what to expect or if I'd even finish, but now that the anxiety of the day has subsided, and I didn't have nagging sore muscles, I'm excited at the possibility of doing more! The idea that I only have 6 weeks left til I do one twice as big freaks the padded tri pants off me, but I'm excited to do more of the same size on the other end of this Ironteam experience.

I will have a full Triathlon experience email (which may take you as long to read as it took me to do!) with TONS of photos coming soon!

We are now in the final stages of training where things are speeding up and stacking up! Every day except Friday, the day before our long workouts, we are working out with not one, but two sports a day! You're probably thinking "Hey, at least you get Friday to relax and party with friends!" Nope, Fridays are my day to stay up and worry about Saturday's workout - as if the worrying I already did since Wed or Thurs of the week wasn't quite enough. "Saturday night?!" Nope, I'm usually so exhausted that I fall into a sleep coma by 9pm.

Last week when I was working a Century bicycle ride, I did hear a tip that if you do one shot of Tequila Friday night then it takes the edge off enough so ou can sleep but not drain your energy the next day. Problem is... Who can stop at just 1?

So I'm a Triathlete! I never til last year even considered the possibility and now look what I've done! It feels amazing to have helped myself get to this point but even more amazing to be helping others with m fundraising! I'm still a ways away from my goal so for any of you with that Jog-a-thon mentality that will only donate after I do my "laps" - I did it!! Every single dollar helps, so please donate!

If you want me to do the triathlon in someone's honor I will put their name on my body for race day!! Thanks all!!

Calculating, Experimenting and Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Here's a fun Friday idea, when you go to work tomorrow, at 9am sharp, stand outside the office door and have someone fire a cap gun, start swimming through your emails, wading through the things in your inbox, and keeping your head above water in the sea of voicemails. At 10am, get up, see if you can find your favorite ritual morning person to head over to Starbucks, but if you can't find them, go yourself anyway, you'll need the fuel to get through the rest of the day.

After getting enough coffee for your team, transition onto that deadline-based project that you and your co-workers have been working long, hard hours while getting everything to this point. Balance between leading the group and following their decisions, pedal slowly and steadily on the uphill battles and fly downhill with the success of any breakthroughs. For the first hour until 11am, keep the coffee coming. As the hours wear on, make sure you provide substantial nutrients to keep everyone focused and nourished - work through lunch if necessary, eating smaller tidbits of food at regular intervals rather than stopping and losing momentum with a big meal. Success will reach you by 3pm and you will realize that you still have plenty of time to transition to what is left of your own job responsibilities.

Hit the ground running! While this is the most familiar of your jobs, doing it after facing such a large and daunting task could leave you drained. If you're lucky, you'll be able to fly through this part of your day because you've done it many times before, you can zone out and just do your work well. By 6pm, you will be exhausted, but successful - you finished! As you leave the office, have your friends put up a big ribbon at the exit door that you can run through with your hands in the air as you successfully complete your day! Then go hit up happy hour!

You know, this may sound like a wacky exercise, but I've suddenly done the math and figured out that this half Ironman triathlon is going to take me potentially 9 hours! The amount of time you'll spend at work tomorrow! Think about that as you travel through your day. Could you imagine swimming for 1 hour, biking for up to 5 hours and running for up to 3 hours?

Just for fun... Bordering this entry, you'll find the maps here of the bike portion [left] and

the run portion [right - which also, if you look closely, shows the course we'll swim at the start]:

Triathlons obviously require a great deal of training. We've been in training since October, and still have 2 1/2 months til our event. The obvious reason is the conditioning that we must do to get our body to the

level to complete an event which could take a full work day. The other part is to experiment with things so that we learn what works for us and what doesn't. You don't want to do anything new on race day, you want to know what works best for you!

Some of the lessons I've learned so far are:

a) Don't eat a burrito 15 min. before you jump in the pool no matter how hungry you are.

b) Perpetuem drink mix is to be mixed with Gatorade or something, not straight up water - blech!

c) Perhaps sleeping the night before my Saturday Training rides is a better, more efficient use of my resources than staying up all night worrying about the ride.

d) I really do like riding my bike, I just don't like uphill rides because if I go too slowly, I fall over. If I fall over, I have to start again on an incline. If I try to start again on an incline, I fall over. Uphills = fall over.

e) I have to focus more when Triathlon training.

For running, it's a great thing to get in the zone and forget about what you're doing.

For swimming, if I get in the zone - or even think about the great form I see on the swimmer in the next lane, I forget what lap I'm on, and I'm too paranoid to guess so when in doubt, I add an extra lap. That adds up quickly!

For biking, if I get too caught up in the amazing view, or fantastic architecture on the homes in the neighborhoods we've been riding through, I may miss a car door opening in my path or a rock under my tire.

f) It's crazy to me that after a bike ride, my arms hurt more than my legs!

g) The body is an amazing thing and usually the obstacle isn't your physical ability, but your mind and its objections.

I find that the physical changes come easier than the mental ones. I'd always heard that to be in the best shape, do a tri. They hit all the problem spots - the saddle bags, the jiggly arms when you wave. I've been reunited with muscles that I thought I'd lost touch with forever and as a bonus they've brought along a few friends to join the party! I don't know why, but I still allow the mental tricks to have a voice in my head - I let them muddle up my focus. Things such as suddenly changing from "Carbs are bad" to "Make sure you eat enough carbs" =or= the fact that clothes are fitting a lot loser although the number on the scale hasn't dropped.

This has been a tough few weeks for me because I'm coming off a week and a half of not training a lot due to work, and having the kids off school for a week. I know too that me not having a road mid-week ride makes a huge difference in how far I've come compared to the rest. I know that missing a few crucial rides too, has me behind the pack on my weakest sport. I'm really looking forward to trying our first tri in a few weeks in Palm Springs which will be a flatter, shorter International distance, but I'm really getting freaked about the Wildflower weekend and "Beach Hill" - a deceptively tough 1 mile climb; "Nasty Grade" which tops out at "Heart Rate Hill" - complete with people to actually take your heart rate at the top.

This is the point where the end starts approaching at a much faster pace. Training is ramping up, my time is becoming scarce, how will I successfully fundraise the $ so that I can actually do the event, I'm trying to not spend all of my $ on babysitting, not to mention the guilt of missing their first baseball games is a huge thing. I start to wonder what the hell I was thinking.

On the Team, when we're down and people are struggling we take a moment to and reflect on why we're really here - the blood cancer patients and their families. Reminding ourselves of the bigger picture helps bring us back to reality and regain focus of why our training is so important.

Here are some lessons learned from our amazing honored teammates.

a) I chose this for myself, it didn't choose me - as cancer would.

b) My pain is temporary, and much easier than chemotheraphy

c) My first goal is not just to cross the finish line, but to fundraise $4,000 to provide valuable research to find a cure by 2015, to provide patient aid to current patients and their families in the form of education, support groups and financial aid. Plus, as a fundraiser, I'm also an advocate, helping spread the word on LLS and all that it's trying to achieve.

d) Yes, the economy sucks, people are losing jobs, houses. Let me tell you, it could always be worse - someone could tell you that on top of all of those challenges, you have cancer. In this lowered economy, donating $5 to blood cancer is money much better spent investment than treating ourselves to Starbucks, or movie rentals, or the drive-thru. Plus, the good feeling from a $5 donation lasts a lot longer than a 45 min. coffee, 2 hour movie, or 1 hour lunch out.

e) While I do have challenges to overcome in my training, I am training alongside honored teammates who not only have battled "Nasty Grade" but CANCER! Who am I to give up with such great role models beside me?

SO, in the spirit of calculating, experimenting and changing, I'm going to work on the mental battles for the next week and see if calming down, focusing and pressing on will work me through this rut. I truly try to learn something from everything that I do so there are lessons hidden in this when I just slow down enough to take the time to see them.

Please share my blog with anyone that you know who is considering doing a triathlon or joining Team In Training so that they can hear from someone firsthand. Share my blog with anyone battling blood cancers so that they know that there is an army fighting blood cancers on their behalf and that there are resources available to them. Share my blog with anyone looking to challenge themselves, better themselves, or give back.

To make a donation, no matter how big or small, please visit

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wildtri10/sharris

I'm trying to raise $4,000 by April 1st.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Think training for a Triathlon is tough? Try Chemotherapy!

Every 4 minutes, someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes, an adult or child loses their battle with blood cancer.

Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

Believe it or not, these statistics are much improved from the death sentence that blood cancers would have given you earlier in my lifetime. But, I believe we can do better.

Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes are diseases that can affect the bone marrow, the blood cells, the lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system. An estimated 912,938 people in the United States alone are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL or myeloma.

I believe I mentioned it before, that when I first found Team In Training years ago, I had no personal tie to blood cancers. Back then, my only experience with big scary cancer was losing my amazing god-mother after her valiant fight with breast cancer, my beloved grandmother who battled several cancers before succumbing to lung cancer, and a young second cousin who endured a lot in his short life. But at that time, my naivety lumped all cancer together, just that it happened to land on a different body part. So when I found Team In Training, the signature fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I believed that any progress made in relation to any cancer would help in the long scheme of things.

To learn more about Team In Training's 21-year or LLS' 60-year histories, click on www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/

We just kicked off another season for Team In Training, and as usual, the high-energy event was inspirational, motivational, and just nothing that I can describe. You just have to go to one, even if you aren't there to sign up. It's an amazing, humbling experience. This one in particular was especially moving because we had an honored teammate reception before the kickoff. Honored teammates are people from our communities that are either in treatment for or remission from blood cancers. Their stories will break your heart, give you hope, and amaze and inspire you all at the same time. Having so many honored teammates in one room was a beautiful occasion. However, we also recalled that for every honored teammate that was present, there were others that were in the hospital, too sick to attend, or who were absent since they had recently lost their battles.

Now as I mentioned, the statistics have improved in the recent past thanks to LLS's efforts to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

LEUKEMIA: The relative five-year survival rate for leukemia patients has nearly quadrupled since 1960.

LYMPHOMA: The relative five-year survival rate for Hodgkin Lymphoma patients more than doubled since 1960 to just over 86%. During that time the relative five-year survival rate for NHL patients rose as well from 31% to nearly 69%.

MYELOMA: Overall five-year survival has increased from 12% to 37% in the last 50 years.

While reading that there are 912,938 people in the US are living with a blood cancer, it's a bittersweet statistic. While the number of cases still keep going up, part of the high number means that people are surviving the disease so more people are living in remission, not dying because of blood cancers.

Since LLS was founded in 1949 they have invested more than $680 million in research for blood cancer, much of which takes place at local hospitals like USC, UCLA, City of Hope and Children's Hospitals. One amazing result of such research was the development of Gleevec which has changed some forms of blood cancer from a death sentence to a very manageable, livable disease. They also put money into patient services to provide free patient aid in the form of support groups, mentors for newly diagnosed patients, financial aid.

I believe in the Society's mission, in their vision to find a cure by 2015, and see the results of everything that they do in our community. I run, bike, and swim because I can. Please help find a cure, every $1 helps!

Different Strokes

Three months ago, when I first cannonballed into the pool after 21 years, I felt like I'd come home! I love the feeling of splitting through the water, floating on top, existing underwater. I love how energizing the fresh air feels after you've spent the last hour fighting to not breathe in the water. My old strokes were coming back easily, the muscles were waking up, all I had to do is build up my endurance, oh and change everything about my stroke! Honestly, it may have been easier for those people who started from scratch, than to have to reprogram everything.

I won't go into every detail because it's hard to picture if you don't have the awesome coaches showing you how it should be done - and you certainly won't see such elegant strokes out of me. In a nutshell, we're trying to reach farther with each stroke, glide more, and use less of our legs to save them for the 2 sports that follow our 1.2 mile (or 2112 yard) swim.

I still remember the first time I got in the pool and just how bad doing 100 yards (4 lengths or 2 laps) felt. My arms screamed, my lungs burned, it was terrible! Well tonight (3 months later), I did my first non-stop 1,500 yard swim (60 lengths/30 laps) and I actually liked the last 500 best! Then, I rested for about 30 seconds and decided to do a 100 yard cool down before getting out. About 40 yards into the lap, I started feeling yucky. So I walked the last part! Yes, I was walking the last part of the lap in the pool - my kids thought this was too funny! Hey, you know, 1,500 yards non-stop, I don't feel bad about stopping afterwards. As with any of my mishaps, I learn from it - I didn't fuel or drink as much as I should.

We've been instructed to have water bottles poolside so we can consume 1 bottle an hour. Now in my defense a) the workout that used to take me an hour only took 45 min. tonight since it was non-stop so I felt I'd steered clear of that time chunk (I know Coaches, the goal is not to drink it all in the end of the hour); b) if I'm swimming 1,500 for time, I'm not going to waste valuable seconds to drink more fuel or water. I had nobody on the team swimming with me tonight, yet I was still being competitive. I had no other time to beat, besides Tuesday's "warm-up" when I swam 1,000 straight, so if anything you think I'd slow down this one to show a big improvement next time... but NO!

It's a real mind-flip that in this society all of a sudden I'm being told - make sure you get enough carbs! We're supposed to take what we weigh, divide it by 2.2 and take in that many carbs per hour when we're training. Not calories, carbs! Like in the Ironteam world, Wonder Bread is a good thing! We no longer eat Gu (which goes in and out looking just as the name implies - things that make you go Hmmm!), we are now hardcore and should try stuff called Hammer (or were they telling us to get hammered?)!

I still am not consistantly graceful in the water, I have to work very hard to put my head down lower so the water goes over my neck and back, and then turn far enough to breathe well. I sometimes feel very fluid with my strokes, and other times feel very floppy. Still, any frustration that I had over my strokes was washed away when I finished the 1,500 feeling great!

P.S.

I never did find out who the mystery photographer was who shot me in action flying down the hill, but I did get one happy photograph from the ride (after my first 20 mile loop) and I didn't look dazed or confused! Next to me is my awesome mentor, Carlos (in the red) who is training for his second full Ironman, the MDot Louisville! W*O*W*!

Torment Trifecta: Tears, Terror, Turning point

This was the first time I was considering quitting Ironteam. The idea of going out and riding in the blustery rain, on the beautiful CLIFFS of Malaga Cove, for 40 miles was just about enough to send me over the edge. I was so scared of what could happen, anytime I told friends the rest of my weekend plans, I finished with the line "It's worth trying to survive Saturday for." If it weren't for the fact that I promised the babysitter that I wouldn't cancel (after wimping out on another Rainy Saturday), and knowing that biking is my worst sport in this Triathlon, I'd have called it a day. But when I got to the cove and they said, "The hills you'll encounter on this ride are very similar to the ones 2 weeks ago [You've got to be kidding me!] only longer [instantly burst into tears]!" Because I'm an irongirl now, I didn't actually burst into tears, but my eyes definitely became wet and threatened to spill over. Dang, why didn't I put on my sunglasses before the big talk?!

I looked across the sunny parking lot looking for an escape - maybe if I was lucky my bike would get stolen and I could quit right on the spot - but then looked back at the group I was standing in and when I realized that many of them were in the same emotional puddle that I was. My emotional humiliation would hurt worse than these hills would.

We started out on the familiar route which felt great - only backwards from the direction I was used to. It was fantastic seeing people from my Marathon team days along the route and we exchanged "Go Teams!" which gave me a boost! The rolling hills are beautiful along this route, and being in a large group, the cars were steering clear of us. We started our first small ascent near the golf course, passing through some random freezing cold patches (ghosts of previous Ironteam cyclists?!) and at the top, entered horse country. I had no idea how we were going to cover 20+ miles for our first loop and stay on Palos Verdes Dr. the whole time (just the East, South, whatever routes of the same street) because this was waaaay farther than we ever ran on that road. I was also in denial that we'd see such crazy hills because I had never encountered such hills while running. Perhaps (my denial preached to me), the coaches were lying and the hills weren't that bad.

A lot of the next 15+ miles were a blur, just riding along, trying to obey traffic laws, and enjoy the scenery. Then we got into a neighborhood and the ascent started. I put my bike into granny gear, which I believe one person said is not the best idea, but at this point, I'd do whatever it took to get to the top of this hill without stopping, crying, or falling, and work on fixing it later once I conquer one hill!

I settled in on a pace that was steady, comfortable, and only focused on the 10 feet right in front of me. Once I got to the horizon, I glanced at the next horizon, and the next, and the next, but returned my focus to just 10 feet in front of me. During the tough parts I kept chanting "Auntie Carole, Auntie Carole" who was a loved one to a friend of mine, who was recently lost to cancer. Her memorial was on this beautiful day, and I know she helped get me up those hills.

I'm fortunate, too, that fellow Irongirl Tracy and I have a comparable pace, so we encouraged each other up the never-ending hill. At one point, she took a little break and I told her I'd stop at the top of the hill. After that hill turned into the next, and the next, and still the next (really it was THAT big), I felt bad that I wasn't stopping, but I was on a roll, and stuck on making it to the top without stopping, surprised that I wasn't feeling bad, so I didn't want to interrupt that groove.

When I got to Crest Drive I prayed that this was the top of the hill and celebrated for a second before the challenge switched gears as we started

f

l

y

i

n

g

down the back side of the hill! I am a bit scared of heights, and at the drop off point it was confirmed - I was at the crest of a very big mountain. I caught a glimpse of about 3 switchbacks below me, took in the view of the Harbor and knew that if I didn't pay attention, I'd be flying on the bike off the cliffs straight toward Catalina! I alternated between free-falling terror braking, seriously thinking I was going to slide off my bike towards my handle bars, and sheer exhilaration of the blue sky downhill thinking I'd better not smile any wider because my lips will dry out and bugs will crack my teeth upon impact. A Tracy blur flew past me at one point, and I did try to smile for the random photographer out on the hill because I'm determined to get one good picture of me on the bike not looking dazed or confused.

After that the terrain went back to primarily rolling hills. As my mind and body settled into a new groove, a few random thoughts flew in one ear and out the other: I didn't know THAT part of my body would hurt more than my legs; I need to learn to train with my mouth shut - although the coaches said if we're lucky we might catch a fish during our swim which is great fuel; I don't know if I can make it around the whole course for a 2nd round - ironically due to how tired my arms got on the downhill, not my legs; I can't believe there are so many dang Bruins riding out here at Malaga - note to self, get a USC riding jersey; what a beautiful day; I'm wearing funky thigh-high leg warmers; I've never been happier than this moment to see the lighthouse!

As I entered the driveway (victorious!) to meet the group, the sharp turn/ascent stopped me dead in my tracks and I almost didn't unclip in time, but I did! I walked the bike up and my celebration ended as we were again practicing changing tires. The goal here is to change the tire quickly and get back out on the course. I won't lie, I took some time with this, the bike helped, then peeled off my leg warmers, hit the girls' room. I was telling myself that I'd better hurry myself up because I had like four people in four places counting on me that day to be home on time, but I wasn't that eager to do the full 2nd loop. I asked the support (awesome volunteers) staff if there was a shorter route but the answer I got was "I got lost last time I did that and wound up hitting major hills!" Ack!

When I finally got to the mental realization where I settled on the fact that I'd be riding 40 miles, the coaches said "Y'all are doing a different course for the 2nd loop..." and a big sigh of relief was heard (or was it my deflating tire?).

We did another 10 miles on the bike to get us to 31+ miles and called it a day, on time, and in a GREAT MOOD! I had a great bike ride! I didn't fall, I didn't die going up or down the hills, I survived, I was still walking well, I had feeling back in all the numb parts (they happen anywhere!), and now I had a beautiful sunny day to enjoy after a week of relentless rain!

I packed a lot into Saturday, covered many more miles in my car, got to catch up with a bunch of friends, and got home and ordered pizza with the kids to celebrate a full but fruitful day. At 9:30pm, my switch flipped and I was going downhill so fast that I actually turned out the lights before my kids did because they weren't brushing their teeth fast enough.

What a difference 11.5 hours of sleep makes! The next day, as the fun of the Pinewood Derby wound down, I was trying to convince the kids to go for a bike ride. I shared my own cycling psychosis with my daughter who is going through her own struggles learning how to ride her bike! I told her how scared I was on Saturday but that I did it anyway and I felt so happy afterwards that I did! She said "Well you're bigger!" and I said yes, but that means I have farther to fall, and my feel are locked to the bike, I can't fly off and try to land standing. Myself and Menchie's (frozen yogurt) convinced her to give it a try. The goal was to have them ride while I run a steady 90 min. or more.

The run turned into fartleks - Run trying to keep up with the kids, slow down to push them through the sand-choked bikepath, stop and pick up Lauren, brush her off, kiss boo boos and REPEAT! Lauren fell way more than I ever did in one run and she kept getting back on, with a little persuasion.

As I tucked the tuckered out kids into bed, Carson told me that one reason he liked me for his mom was that I didn't used to be a runner, but then I became one and ran 2 marathons, and now I'm trying a Half-Ironman Triathlon! I said why is that, and he said because it makes him want to try big things! I told him it's true, no matter how crazy your dream is, you can accomplish it! His goal is to be the first man on Jupiter, but that because it's a gaseous planet he'll have to invent special shoes first so he doesn't just fall through the planet and back into space. Then he said that perhaps next thing you know, I may be trying a full Ironman! My response was, not til I can do one on Jupiter!