This is a horrible idea...

I'm Alive!

2011-07-26T15:48:00.001-05:00

Wow, how three months can fly.

In May, I had my bachelorette party...

The following weekend, I PRed the Geist Half Marathon...

In June, Ryan and I got married!

Immediately following the wedding, we took our honeymoon in Mexico...

We returned from our honeymoon in July, and only a week later, we bought a house...

Two days after that, I told my work that I want to go part-time. I'm going to use the extra time to focus on my growing photography business...

Overall, It's been a whirlwind of a summer to say the least.

Oh... but you want me to talk about triathlons, don't you?! Well, I haven't done any. In fact... I haven't even been training much. I did my first swim last week, and did my first bike ride today. I have my first race, the Chicago Triathlon, at the end of August. Thankfully, I'm doing to sprint, and not the Olympic (which almost killed me last year).

My weight is holding steady for now. I gained (no joke) 8 pounds during our wedding and honeymoon. Ouch! But I lost a few when we returned, and now I'm back on the Weight Watchers wagon... aiming for that elusive 140. I only have 11 pounds to go.

Hopefully I'll be back soon! I'm still reading everyone elses' blogs religiously!

Four Month Photos

2011-04-30T09:57:00.003-05:00

Technically, 4 months and 1 week.

I've lost a total of 22 pounds since the beginning of the year. Here's the proof...

The side photo is my favorite. I didn't realize how big I was!

We are less than 2 months out from the wedding, and I've got 9 pounds to go until my goal. I don't plan on reaching it in the next two months, but I do plan on having a set-back during our all-inclusive honeymoon.

My Dad and I ran a 5K a couple weeks ago. I was aiming for a PR, but it was 24 degrees with 25 mph winds, so I missed it by a mere 14 seconds. I got 4th place in my age group out of 28 people, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

You Know You Wanna Know

2011-03-06T20:52:00.010-06:00

I like to be like the cool kids. And all the cool kids are doing this...

Age: 25 and 8 months

Bed size: King. And I don't know what we'd do without it.

Chore you dislike: Um... all of them! Worst, though, is probably dishes. The ones you can't go in the dishwasher. Bleh.

Dogs: Our adorable dachshund, Maggie.

Essential start to your day: Breakfast. Seriously... if I miss breakfast for some reason, I am the crankiest person on earth. I will spend the next 3 hours on the brink of tears because I'm so angry.

Favorite color: Green. Kelly green is nice. :)

Gold or Silver: Definitely silver.

Height: 5 feet, 9 inches (or so). I always wish I was a couple inches shorter.

Instruments you play: The flute. I was in band from 4th grade through my senior year in college. I can also play a little piano... but it's at a beginner level.

Job Title: Hmm... I wish I knew. When I call clients, I refer to myself as the "Commercial Producer" because it sounds professional.

Kids: Not any time soon.

Live: in Indiana. Previously: Chicago suburbs; Dayton, OH; Rhinelander, WI; and Rockford, IL.

Mom's name: Karen

Nicknames: None really. A lot of people call me Kel (even people I barely know)... but that's pretty normal I guess.

Overnight hospital stays: Just when I was born.

Pet peeve: I have a billion. How long do you have? Off the top of my head, I'd say bad drivers. I have some serious road rage.

Quote from a movie: "That's the beauty of argument. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong." Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking, which I just finished watching.

Righty or lefty: Right

Siblings: An older brother. I think he's 27.

Time you wake up: Even thinking about waking up early makes me angry. Mondays-Wednesdays, I wake up around 7am. On Thursdays and Fridays, I work the evening shift, so I don't wake up until 9 or 10am. The weekend is a toss up.

Underwear: Always.

Vegetables you don't like: All of them. Err... most of them. Mostly onions, bell peppers, peas, cabbage, and mushrooms. Although they're all good for adding flavor to dishes (I just pick around them).

What makes you run late: I hate being late. It gives me anxiety. But it's usually because I got sucked into an episode of the Bachelor, or my dog refused to pee.

X-rays you've had: Broke my pinky in elementary school, and had a seizure in junior high and again in college.

Yummy food you make: Chicken is our specialty. Tonight we made chicken schnitzel. Although we also enjoy chicken tacos, cuban-style chicken, and other delicious recipes.

Zoo animal: Monkeys. I could watch them for hours.

Does anyone else really not want to go to work tomorrow? I have to go shoot a series of 4 commercials at a car dealership. Gurr. Shoot them yourself!

Two Month Photos and other Stuff

2011-03-03T18:58:00.006-06:00

I hit my 15-pound weight loss mark today, and now my mom is bugging me to see photos. I took these on Saturday, which was officially 2 months into Weight Watchers.

First up is the face picture. Sorry I suck and wore my hair up the first time. That makes it hard to tell the difference...

But now onto the good stuff. Here is the side of me. Check out that stomach!

Lastly, is the front picture. Bulge-be-gone!

I totally wore the wrong shorts too... but I'm sure you can get the gist of it. Overall, I'm feeling great about myself. Yes, I miss gorging on pizza, pasta, and ice cream... but I'm loving how I look. All my work pants are literally falling off me. When all this is over, I'm going to need to do some serious shopping. I'll need all new pants and bras.

I'm halfway to my goal weight of 140. I don't think I'll reach that before the wedding (June 25th)... which might mean a slight set-back (there's no way I'm dieting on our honeymoon!). But I plan on reaching it eventually.

Training

On the training front, I've been pretty bad. I'm basically just working out once a week now. (Ouch.) I thought it was all fine and dandy until I saw my BuckeyeOutdoors account today, and noticed that this time last year, I was already full-swing into half-marathon training.

Eep! I need to get a move on it.

So training officially starts this weekend. Crappy weather or not.

Other

I've been so busy recently. Wedding planning has turned into invitation printing... which we are doing completely by hand...

And I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with my life (isn't that something you're supposed to figure out in college?!). So there may be a career-change in the future.

I hope everyone's doing well. And fear not! Just because I'm not writing much doesn't mean I'm not reading all your blogs!

One Month Photos

2011-01-29T11:34:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to drop in and post these photos. On the left is me at the beginning of the year and 171 pounds. On the right is me today, 10 pounds lighter...

I can't wait to see how 20 pounds will look. Happy Saturday, everyone!

WW Week 4

2011-01-28T08:44:00.000-06:00

I've officially been a Weight Watcher member for a month now. I had my meeting yesterday, and prepared for a pretty meager weight loss (I did a lot of eating and drinking on Saturday). I was bracing myself, and just hoping I had lost at least 1 pound.

Then the number came up on the scale... 161.0

I had lost 3.2 pounds! That's my second biggest week ever!

I'm so thrilled with my progress. I have officially lost 10 pound total, and passed my 5% weight loss mark.

I'm in total disbelief at how well this program is going. I'm not hungry (well... no more than usual at least), I don't feel deprived of my favorite foods (pasta, cookies, ice cream? sure!), and the weight is just melting off. I can't even imagine how much better it will be once I start half marathon training in March.

I have 21 pounds left to my goal weight (140). That's about 1 pound per week before the wedding... which is totally doable if I try hard.

I need to take my one-month photos, but I need Ryan around to take them... so it'll have to wait until Saturday. I'll post them later.

Bring it on, weight! I'm getting ready for bathing suit season!

WW Week 3 and a Race Update

2011-01-20T19:08:00.003-06:00

I went to my fourth meeting yesterday, rounding out week 3 of Weight Watchers. I lost 1.2 pounds this past week, with a total weight loss of 6.8 pounds. It's not a ton... but they say you're supposed to average .5-2 pounds per week, so I'm right on target.

Cue the cheesy high five moment!

I changed my tracking week so it ends on Saturday (it used to end on Wednesday, the night before my weigh-in). I figure I usually eat the most on Saturdays anyway... so now I won't be able to blow through all my extra points at the beginning of the "week" anymore.

In fact... I've been trying to save up all my extra points this week. I've only used 8 out of 49. The rest will go towards tomorrow's trip to Indianapolis to meet up with some friends. They expect some eating out, drinking out, and possibly even drinking in (one of them mentioned something about beer in the hotel hot tub!). So I'm gonna need all the extra points and all the will power I can muster!

In the past 3 weeks, I have tracked every morsel of food that goes into my mouth, and I have never gone over my points for the week... I don't want this week to be the exception!

On some triathlon and running related notes...

1) I signed up for the Geist Half Marathon again. I'm hoping to PR last year's time.

2) My uncle and my cousin signed up for their first triathlon! Don't you just love newcomers?! I think they did it on a dare from my Dad... but I'll take what I can get! Unfortunately, I was unable to sign up for the race with them... but I may have to drive the 5 hours to go watch, cheer, and take some awesome photos.

Weight Watchers Week 1

2011-01-06T19:37:00.002-06:00

I went to my second Weight Watchers meeting today. I weighed in at 166.8, which is a total loss of 4.2 lbs.

That's great for one week!

I will ignore the fact that I was wearing significantly lighter shoes today than I did last week when I weighed in.

I have, in fact, been weighing myself each day at home. I wasn't sure if I wasn't supposed to... but I think it keeps me motivated. Seeing the numbers drop every day gives me that extra push to not give up.

So according to my home scale (which is only more accurate because I weigh myself first thing in the morning, wearing only pajamas), I've lost a total of 3 lbs.

That's still great. I'm very happy with that.

What I'm not happy about are the two women who were sitting behind me in the meeting today. They were chatting the entire time... and being extremely negative.

"I ate all my points and no extras, and I lost no weight this week!"

"This leader is annoying. She's so scripted."

"I already heard this stuff."

... and so on. Gurrr.

It's really frustrating because I'm new at this, and I was just telling Ryan how surprised I was to find such a positive and friendly attitude at my last meeting. These ladies need to take their bad attitudes and leave!

I think I've got my race schedule all worked out for 2011. I will post on that soon.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

This post is sort of a New Year's tradition. Every year I take a look at how I did the past 365 days, whether or not I met my goals, and set new goals for the upcoming year.

Here we go!

Miles Run in 2010: 231
Miles Biked in 2010: 263
Miles Swam in 2010: 6.5 miles

Total Number of Workouts in 2010: 114 (only two more than last year!)

How I did on the goals I set at the beginning of the year...

Run more than 210 miles: I passed this goal by 21 miles. It's not a ton, but I've been slowly adding mileage year after year, so I'm pretty proud of this.

Complete an Olympic triathlon: I did that back in August. Yay! It was a rough race, but I survived, and had a pretty decent time to boot!

Run a 10K in under 58 minutes: I never actually ran a 10k race this year. I had the 10k during my olympic triathlon, but it was a disaster and I ended up walking a lot of it... so I'd rather not count that one. Maybe next year for this goal.

Average 17.5 mph biking in a race: I accomplished this goal at my last triathlon of the year (where I also got my first AG medal). I put new road tires on Reagan... so hopefully 2011 will be even faster!

Lose 20 pounds: Oh boy. I don't even want to address this one. Here have been my weights on January 1st for the past 3 years...

January 1, 2009: 152 lbs
January 1, 2010: 163 lbs
January 1, 2011: 170 lbs

So essentially, I've been slowly gaining weight every year since I started doing triathlons (what?!). That's totally counter-productive. But I'm working on this.

Goals for 2011:

Run more than 280 miles.
Do an olympic triathlon in under 3:49.
Run a 5K under 28:00.
Average 18.5 mph biking in a race.
Weigh 155 or less by next January 1st.

Happy New Year everyone! Go sleep off your hangovers and get your butt in gear for 2011!

My Weight Watchers Welcome

2010-12-30T13:34:00.004-06:00

I've been saying since September how I want to lose some serious weight.

I'm thinking 25-30 pounds.

After gaining and losing the same few pounds for the past few months, I finally did something real about it and joined Weight Watchers today.

Let me disclaimer this by saying it was not an easy thing for me to do.

A) Social situations where I don't know anyone make me extremely uncomfortable.
B) I thought the people there might judge me or think I'm too thin to join.
C) Saying goodbye to an additional $40 per month is hard.

But I sucked it up, put on my big girl pants and went to the meeting. The first thing they did was weigh me in.

My official weight was 171.0 (including my clothes and shoes). As I was getting my information packet, a lady behind me leaned in and whispered, "take your shoes off before you get on the scale!"

I blushed and replied, "Oh... well, I already weighed in." She smiled and said, "It's okay. It just means you'll be even lighter next week!"

Duly noted.

There were about 15 people there... all women... and at least half over the age of 70. Everyone seemed friendly, and our leader seemed very nice (and skinny... which is always a good thing!).

I faced my first Weight Watchers obstacle this afternoon. I thought, perhaps, since I had already wasted almost half of today's points with my on-the-go bagel and juice for breakfast this morning, that I should just scrap this day and start tomorrow.

But that's not what this is about. This isn't an "all or nothing" thing, which I need to remember. Every little effort counts. And even if I end up going over my points for the day, I'm going to try anyway.

So I had half a peanut butter sandwich and an apple for lunch.

I'm pretty excited about this whole thing. I think they have a really great program set up... especially with the new change to PointsPlus. All fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are zero points. Hello, strawberries!

So here goes nothing!

Road Tires for Reagan

2010-12-06T15:54:00.005-06:00

I'm a total idiot who forgot that my Dad got me a gift card to my LBS last Christmas. I forgot about it until just recently.

See, the intended purpose of the gift card was to buy some aero bars. But my LBS didn't really have what I was looking for, so I bought them online.

Hence the forgotten-about gift card.

What does this mean?

Merry Christmas to me! I bought Reagan some road tires!

It was a fabulously easier process than I thought it would be. They were picked out and installed within 10 minutes. The cost on the other hand... that was a tad on the shocking side. I decided to go with some thicker, higher-quality tires in hopes that they'll last a good while.

So today, I hooked Reagan up to the trainer and took her for a spin.

Holy cow! The difference in how quiet my trainer is now, compared to before, is unbelievable.

Yay! I just might have to use it more often.

Chester County Turkey Trot 5K Race Report

2010-11-28T13:34:00.011-06:00

Nutshell: I got a 5K PR (finally!). Now read on for details...

Ryan and I spent Thanksgiving in his hometown, just outside of Philadelphia. His dad and I were registered to run a local turkey trot that morning.

So bright and early, we were outside, waiting in line to register...

They gave us disposable timing chips for the race, and no bibs (that's odd)...

Now, funny story time. Right before we left the house, Maggie saw us getting ready and started getting really excited. I went to pick her up so that she wouldn't run outside when Ryan opened the door. But apparently right as I went to pick her up, she get so excited that her bladder exploded all over the floor, the rug, and... you guessed it... me.

Of course I only brought one running outfit, so I was stuck in pee-covered clothes for the race. There was a small trail all the way down my side. It's hard to see in this photo, but she got it all over the side of my white jacket...

Now back to the race. It was 8am, and we were ready to go...

It was a pretty big race. There were 800 people racing...

Some people showed their holiday spirit with awesome turkey hats...

The race had NO microphone or loud speaker or anything, so suddenly and with little warning, we were off!

Ryan watched the guy in first place near the finish line...

But as soon as he saw his time on the clock, he stopped running and walked across the finish line...

That makes me SO angry. What a sore loser! Er... winner. Sorry that 15:35 isn't a good enough time for you!

Gurrrrrr.

Anyway. My race went well. Ryan's dad split off from me right at the beginning (I just couldn't keep up). But after that, he must've slowed down, because I could see him in front of me for the rest of the race.

It was crowded, but not too much so. It was mildly hilly, but there were just as many awesome downhills as there were nasty uphills. The majority of the race was run through a golf course (and believe it or not, there were people golfing on Thanksgiving!).

A short while later, Ryan's dad neared the finish line...

He finished in about 28:10...

Only 20 seconds later, I finished.

But there are no photos.

Ryan said he was looking for my headband... but I had taken it off and wrapped it around my wrist. So I ran right by him and he didn't even notice.

That makes me laugh, because I saw him... and even waved and yelled his name.

But he just totally missed it.

Here is my face when I explained it to him...

Oh well.

Mile 1 - 9:14
Mile 2 - 9:17
Mile 3 - 9:16
Total Time - 28:33

It was a great race overall. I PRed my old time by over 30 seconds, and Ryan's dad did great for his first official 5K ever.

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!

Weight Loss Month 2

2010-11-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I hit my 2 month mark for trying to lose weight. I totally forgot to do an update and photos at the 1 month mark.

The first 2 1/2 weeks were great. I lost almost 7 lbs.

After that, it got kinda bad. Ryan and I went on vacation, we went to a wedding in New York, we had a bunch of events and parties and whatnot. My eating got out of control.

And my weight slowly crept back towards where it started.

So as of this past Sunday, I was holding steady at 164.8 (4.8 lbs lost). Here are my photos...

It's only 5 pounds, but there are a few minor changes. In the front view, it's hard to see any difference, but I think my face is a tiny bit thinner in my cheeks. If you enlarge the side view, you can definitely see a small change in my stomach (especially at the thinnest part).

I know it's all minuscule, but I'll take what I can get! I'm really trying to use these photos to motivate myself to get back on track.

You and me, food. It is so on!

Jingle Bell 5K Race Report

2010-11-09T14:21:00.000-06:00

We arrived at the park around 1:40pm for a 2:00pm race start. I was cursing the organizers of this event, because their website had zero information. It didn't say what time you were supposed to arrive in order to check in. It didn't say whether it was a road or cross country race.

It didn't say anything. It just said the race started at 2.

Of course, my luck... I arrive, and they don't have a bib for me. I'm on the list... but no bib. That's odd.

So they handed me a spare bib, 2 jingle bells, and my bag of goodies, and I was ready to go.

I attached the bells to my shoelaces so I could "jingle all way" to the finish line.

The race was relatively small... about 150 people. So I had no problem getting up near the front for the start of the race.

I mentally prepared myself and got my Ipod ready on my "5K" playlist.

My efforts were fruitless, because my battery ran out about 3 quarters of a mile into the race.

Gurrr...

The following photo doesn't show anything. It's just funny because it looks like I have to go to the bathroom (click to enlarge)...

In reality, I was just anxious and a little chilly. Chalk it up to bad photo timing I guess.

A few minutes after 2pm, and "Ready, Set, Go"... we were off!

Maggie was there, and she cheered me on as I ran past...

The first mile and a half were interesting. I don't like racing and not knowing where I'm going (stupid useless website). We ran up a hill, then around a neighborhood, then headed back the way we came.

Around the 2 mile mark, we ran back down the hill and passed the spectators again.

At this point, I was doing good (under 10 minute miles), but my lungs were hurting pretty bad. I definitely did not train enough for this race.

The last mile was a little bit like "is this over yet?". I felt like I was getting passed by a lot of people. I knew I was slowing down. I knew I wouldn't PR (although, didn't plan on it anyway... but it would have been a nice surprise).

I pushed to the finish...

And came in around 29:35 (I forgot to stop my Garmin).

Overall, it was a good race, but a little hilly for my tastes.

Next time, I'll make sure my IPod is fully charged. That was my own stupidity.

You know what else was stupid? Not staying for the awards ceremony. Remember my last triathlon... where I got 3rd place but didn't know it?

D'oh. I did it again.

According to the results website, I got third place in my age group! I tried to send an email asking where I can pick up my medal, but I'm not sure if I sent it to the right person (seriously... what a stupid website).

So, it wasn't a PR, but it was a great race nonetheless. Only 2 weeks and 2 days until my "A" race (at least where 5Ks are concerned). As soon as this soreness in my legs goes away, I'll get right back to training!

I'll Be There With Bells On

2010-11-05T18:21:00.004-05:00

I did something a little crazy (for me, at least).

I just signed up for a 5K...

... that is on Sunday.

That's the least amount of notice I've ever given myself when it comes to running a race. Plus, I haven't done a 5K since April, 2009.

Wow.

So on Sunday, I will be running the Jingle Bell 5K. You may recall that eons ago, back when I first started running, and still lived in Illinois, I ran the Jingle Bell 5K with my mom. It was my mom's first 5K ever (yay!).

The nice thing about this race is it's in the afternoon. I don't have to miss church, and I don't have to wake up too early. This makes Kelly a happy girl.

The most important question of all is: am I ready?

The answer is undoubtedly "no".

But I'm okay with that. I just started to get back into the swing of things recently, so this race will act as a training run. I'm not going to aim for a PR or anything. I'm not even going to set a goal time. I'm just going to go out there, do my best, and have fun.

I'll be back next week with a race report and an update on my weight loss efforts!

Gambling With My Mileage

2010-10-17T20:06:00.004-05:00

I decided yesterday to get off my lazy butt and get back to running. I mentioned last week that it had been a while, but by yesterday, it had been a whopping 2 1/2 weeks since I had done any physical activity.

Time to do this.

But one question plagued me... How far do I go?

Only one logical way to answer that...

Roll!

I shook it up and let it go...

Gah. 5 Miles? No thanks.

I told Ryan to look away as I re-rolled.

Ok, now I'm angry.

One last roll to decide my fate...

Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease...

Sigh. Good enough. 4 miles it is!

Well, I only ended up running 3.1, but I was pretty happy with it. Perfect weather... a perfect first run back. 5 1/2 weeks until my 5K!

Picking a Race

2010-10-14T07:36:00.004-05:00

I mentioned last week that I was trying to decide which race to do next. It was between a Local 5-Miler and a Thanksgiving 5K.

Well, the 5-Miler is on Sunday, and I still haven't been working out (eek!), so that's a no-go.

But the 5K is in 6 weeks. That's the perfect amount of time to get my butt in gear and strive for a PR. I haven't done a 5K since April of 2009, and I have definitely gotten faster since then... so a PR is not at all out of the question.

So I'll be running the Chester County Turkey Trot 5K.

It takes place at 8am on Thanksgiving Day in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and the cost is a reasonable $20. Why Pennyslvania? Ryan and I will be there spending the holiday with his family. I think his dad is even considering running the race too (which is good, because I don't want to be the only weirdo out there on Thanksgiving Day running in the cold)!

It looks like a trip to the Y is in order.

Tying Up Loose Ends

2010-10-06T19:01:00.003-05:00

We're back from vacation! Yeah, okay... so we've been back since Friday. But I've been busy... or lazy... or perhaps a combination of both.

Florida was good. Nice and relaxing and hot and beachy. :)

I'm sad that we have to wait another 9 months to experience such bliss again (hurray for honeymoons!).

But let's get down to business with all the loose ends...

Did I gain weight on vacation?

Yes, but it wasn't a terrible amount. We had a full kitchen in our hotel room, so I tried to keep breakfast and lunch pretty similar to what I was eating at home. I let myself eat and drink whatever I wanted at dinner, but it never got out of control (okay... there may have been a day where I ate like 6 chocolate chip cookies).

Overall, I gained 1.6 pounds in 5 days, and then another .4 pounds on Saturday after a pizza and fondue night with our church group. Woops! But I'm back on track and counting calories, and I should be back down by the end of this week.

Did I ever get road tires for Reagan?

I realized that I never updated on the road tire debate. I decided to forgo the tires for the time being, and put it off until next spring. First of all, I wanted my Fishers Triathlon to be as similar to last year as possible (last year I didn't have aero bars, but that's the only difference in equipment), so that if I PRed (which I did!), it would be because I have gotten better. Secondly, I just never really got around to it.

How are my workouts going?

Uhh... next question, please. Well, in all seriousness, I've only worked out once since my last race. That's one measly 2 mile run in 17 days. Ouch! That's a big fat "F" for fail on my part. Without any races to prepare for (and with this chilly fall weather!), I've found my motivation seriously lacking. Which brings me to my next question...

Are there any more races in the near future?

I want to, but I'm not sure which one. I really only have 2 options... a 5 miler that is only a week an a half from now, or a 5K on Thanksgiving Day near Ryan's hometown in Pennsylvania. Neither option is ideal. The first race is just too soon, and I'm unprepared. The second option is a little odd because it's in an unfamiliar town and an unfamiliar terrain. I need to give this some more thought.

I'm back for a while, but still super busy (Ryan and I went to the Goo Goo Dolls concert last night, and we have a wedding in New York this weekend!). I'll keep you updated.

Six Pounds Down

2010-09-23T18:31:00.002-05:00

Well, 6.6 pounds to be exact.

That's pretty good for only 2 1/2 weeks.

But I've done this before. I'm well aware that the beginning is the easiest. The first five pounds just melted off. My body was rejoicing that I was no longer stuffing in 2300+ calories per day.

I haven't yet given myself a set amount of daily calories. My average daily calories for the past 18 days is 2011, but that's severely skewed by this past weekend, when I consumed 3000 calories on both Saturday and Sunday (I blame the triathlon).

Generally, I'm trying to keep my calories under 1900 each day. I figure once my weight loss starts to slow down, I'll reduce my calories further, then take it from there.

I'm doing a terrible job working out. I haven't done anything since Sunday's race. I went to look for a 5K or something to keep me motivated, but I didn't find much (plus, Ryan and I are super busy the rest of this year). There is a 10K here in town that I did last year, but it was the only weekend our wedding venue could make an appointment for our tasting. Gurr.

Ryan and I are headed to Clearwater Beach, Florida next week (yay!). I'm sure there will be much food and alcohol temptation. Perhaps I'll just go ahead and bring my workout clothes.

Then I'll feel less guilty about giving in to said temptations.

My Dad's Race

2010-09-21T14:54:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my last post.

My Dad did not race. My mom called us at 6:15 on Sunday morning and said he had been throwing up all night at the hotel. They think he got food poisoning the night before.

My parents met us at the race so I could give him his birthday gifts, then they headed straight back to Illinois.

So technically, yes, I beat him. But not in the way I wanted. (Although, I'd like to think that my time was fast enough that I would have beat him anyway.)

First DNS for my Dad.

Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2010-09-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've ever been so excited to write a race report.

Let's just say... I totally rocked this one. I PRed the bike and the run, and beat my "A" goal time by 3 minutes! (If you click on that link, you'll see my post from Friday where I mocked the impossibility of last year's 8:56 pace. Well... I beat that this year with a 8:53 pace!)

Just like last year, I won 3rd place in my age group. The difference being that last year, there were only 3 people in my age group. This year there were 14!

I have never placed in my age group without it being by default. I'm really excited about that.

The sad news? I never in a million years thought I would place... so Ryan and I didn't even wait around for the awards ceremony. So I missed my chance to collect my medal and stand on the 3-tiered podium.

I can just picture it now. They're calling my name, people are clapping, all while Ryan and I are down the street stuffing our faces with Wendy's.

Oh well. Apparently I need to not underestimate myself at my next race.

Now on to the photos!

The Fishers race is rather small. Transition was small, but there was plenty of room... only about 7 or 8 bikes per rack.

It was a pool swim, so they send the swimmers off from fastest to slowest. Ryan and I sat in the bleachers and waited my turn.

It was 10 lanes in a 50 meter pool, so the swimmers snaked up and down each lane to total 500 meters.

Waiting in line for my turn...

They sent the swimmers off with 3 seconds in between each. I'm next...

And I'm off...

The swim was decent. I passed a few people, and a few people passed me. One problem I had this year that I didn't experience last year was crowding. It's often hard to pass someone in only 50 meters, so swimmers seemed to collect in bunches at the end of each lane, trying to fight for position.

Once, I was in the process of passing someone, when a girl came up from behind and passed between us. She crowded me so much that I had to slow down and let her go. That's just plain rude!

Soon, the swim was over, and I was out of the pool...

Transition was close (maybe 40 meters between the pool entrance and my bike rack).

I should have dried my feet off better, but I was trying to transition as quickly as possible. I recall my socks being extremely squishy during the bike.

Here we go...

Off on the bike...

5 miles later, I looped past transition...

It's rare to get a photo of myself actually biking instead of just braking...

The bike went really well. It was cool and the wind was calm. The course is extremely flat and easy. There are lots of beginners at this race, so I passed a lot of people.

As I passed one man, I hollered, "on your left!"

He responded, "yeah, story of my day. When do I get to say that?!"

That made me laugh. I remember when I first started triathlons and feeling that exact same way.

A short 10 miles later, and I was done with the bike.

Back into transition...

Aiming for another quick transition, I went off on the run with my race belt and Garmin in hand. I need to practice putting this stuff on while I run, because I struggled a little...

All set and ready for my run...

The run was great. Yes, that's a rare word to describe a run. The course is a slight uphill for the first half, followed by a slight downhill for the second half. I was keeping a close eye on my Garmin, and I was thrilled with my speedy pace.

I was tired, but I kept telling myself, "this is a race. You're meant to be tired!"

3 miles later, I was nearing the finish line...

Done!

I didn't know my official time yet, but I was pretty sure I had beat last year's time. I was thrilled with how I did.

Swim 11:05
T1 1:55
Bike 32:26 (18.5 mph)
T2 1:50
Run 26:40 (8:53 pace)
Total 1:13:58

Hands down, my best race ever. It was a great way to end the 2010 triathlon season. I am completely shocked with how fast my run was. I would say it's a new 5K PR for me, but I'm pretty sure the run course was short the final .1 mile.

Thanks everyone for your support. I'll be back later this week with an update on my weight loss. And next week... Ryan and I are headed to Florida! Yay!

Goals for Fishers

2010-09-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, I'll be competing in the Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon. It will be my first time running a race two years in a row.

This is exciting because I can compare my times from last year to this year and, theoretically, will be able to see just how far I've come with my training.

That being said... I'm not sure I can beat last year's times.

The 2009 stats:
2:00 pace for the swim (2:00 per 100 yards)
16.7 mph average on the bike
8:56 mile average for the run

Let me repeat myself. I averaged under nine minute miles on the run. What?! I'm not too convinced that someone didn't slip me some speed or something during transition. Kelly running that fast is absolutely unheard of.

2009: Nearing the finish line at record speed

That is hands down the fastest run I've ever managed during a triathlon. That time even beats my best 5K time.

Impossible. Plus, the weather was perfect last year. It was cool, cloudy, and started misting lightly during the run. Ahhhhhh.....

So my only chance at beating last year's speedy time of 1:18:40 is if I do spectacular and PR both the swim and bike.

No pressure or anything!

Here are my goals broken down...
A - 1:17 (Beating last year's PR by 1 minute)
B - 1:20 (My realistic goal)
C - 1:27 (If I'm in pain or it's hot and I'm just trying to finish)

And as always, my side-goal is to beat my Dad. Maybe this time...

Road Tires for Reagan?

2010-09-15T08:19:00.006-05:00

This is something I've been battling with for a long time.... whether or not to put road tires on my bike, Reagan.

See, my bike is not a road bike nor a triathlon bike. She's a cyclocross bike. (If you don't know what cyclocross is, check it out. It's a crazy sport!)

Ooooo... Ahhhh....

But that means she came equipped with some rather unique tires. The width lands somewhere between a road tire and a hybrid tire, and amount of tread is somewhere between a hybrid tire and a mountain bike tire.

So why haven't I just bought the dang road tires yet?!

Because I'm nervous.

Everyone's seen the triathlete stuck on the side of a road during a race because they blew a flat and don't know how to change it. Well, that would be me.

I have no problem with blowing a flat during training rides, because I could just call Ryan to come pick me up. But during a race? I would die with sadness. I'm way too competitive to be okay with a DNF.

So what does everyone else think? Has anyone had any good experiences with road tires? How about learning to change them... is it really as hard as it seems?

Muncie 70.3

2010-09-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not signing up for a half-iron. HA! That would be hilarious.

Ironman just announced their newest 70.3-distance race for 2011. It was just announced today that the Muncie Endurathon has officially been taken over by Ironman, and will from here on out be known as Muncie 70.3.

Now I know what you're thinking...

"Why does Kelly care?"

And more importantly...

"Where the hell is Muncie?!"

Muncie is a medium-sized town approximately halfway between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Also known as... the middle of nowhere.

You may also know Muncie, Indiana as the home of Ball State University. Maybe.

But we're here to talk about triathlons. And the Muncie Endurathon was one of the longest-running triathlons in the U.S. Now that's impressive!

So why do I care? Well... because, if you recall, I completed the Muncie Endurathon sprint-distance race back in July. So in essence... my inaugural year was also their final year.

But wait! They will be keeping the sprint-distance race as a part of the new Ironman series. Plus, you get a pasta dinner the night before. Who could pass up pasta?

People are saying this is going to be a really big race and possibly the best 70.3 course in existence. (Okay... so "people" is just me. But it's possible.)

Go check out the article here. And check out my photos from this year's race here.

Yay, Indiana!

This is Serious

2010-09-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

Over the past 2+ years, we've all gotten a good laugh from my blog (at least I hope). Who could forget the time I got ketchup in my eye?

Maybe... just maybe... I've even inspired someone (yeah... I guess it's possible).

But it's time to be serious for a moment.

I'm at my highest weight ever.

And that's bad. Like... super duper bad. Because I don't want to wake up one day and wonder how I ended up in the 200's and hating my body.

I'm a triathlete... who gains weight.

I think I use training as an excuse to eat whatever I want. Nachos every night? Sure! Ice cream for dinner? Why not! An entire bag of Tostitos? Yes, please!

But it's time to make a change. I have had a lot of weight loss efforts in the past.... the last 2 years probably being the most significant.

In January 2009, I was at my lowest point (after a 3 month long diet) with a weight of 149 lbs. But I'm 20 lbs heavier than that today. Which just goes to show you... what good is losing the weight if you aren't going to do anything to keep it off?

So this is starting. I apologize ahead of time if you are all ::groan:: and ::sigh:: "I hate weight loss blogs" but sorry... that is what's happening.

Yes, this is still a triathlon blog... but with the tri season coming to an end, it's the perfect opportunity to focus on some different endeavors. I hope that all my current readers will stick with me.

Here comes a doozy of a goal...

I want to lose 30 lbs. in 9 months.

More specifically, I want to go from 169.6 to 140 before June 20th, 2011 (my 26th birthday).

I'm done messing around. I'm done celebrating good races with high-calorie food and alcohol. I'm done having "free" days. I'm done pretending that this doesn't bother me. I'm done letting other people's opinions influence how I feel about myself.

And to show you I'm serious, I present you with my "before" photos...

I hope to lose some visible weight in my waist, inner thighs, and face.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to post this. And I'm not talking about the photos. This whole thing makes me nervous because if I fail, I'm not sure how I'll be able to live it down.

Side Effects of an Olympic Triathlon

2010-09-07T18:08:00.005-05:00

1) Boo-Boos

This is my neck the day after my triathlon:

That = a super ouchie rash that hung out for over a week. It felt like a bad cut on my neck.

Where did it come from? The best guess is my wetsuit. During the swim, I kept pulling at the back of my wetsuit because it was hurting my neck. Then during the run, with each cup of water I dumped over my head came a searing burn from the back of my neck. I had no idea what the problem was, but when I showed it to my family after the race, they told me there was nothing there.

Well, it was there... it just took 24 hours to show up. This is definitely something I need to worry about for the next time I wear my wetsuit.

2) Burnies

Of course I put sunscreen on before my race.

But of course I got burned anyway...

And of course it is extremely distinctive because of the tight tri suit I wore. My legs even have nice burn lines straight across my thighs.

3) Creepy Crawlies

My bike had been sitting still for only four days, when I found this...

That, my friends, is a spider web. And what do I hate?

Spiders.

But at least he's tiny (and I mean dust-particle size)...

So that's what you get for completing your first olympic triathlon!

That, and a laziness that can only be tamed by a forceful slap in the face...

Chicago Olympic Triathlon Race Report

2010-08-30T14:44:00.006-05:00

For anyone who lives in the midwest, you know that yesterday was a scorcher. Chicago had it's hottest day of the year!

And what was I doing on the hottest day of the year? Why, running my first olympic triathlon... that's what!

You can check out an article from the Tribune here that details some of our struggle. The only issue I have with the article is the sub-headline: "90-degree heat plays big role, but thankfully water plentiful".

HA! Not from my experience! Read on as I chronicle my first olympic race and the worst run of my triathlete career...

The gorgeous view from our hotel room downtown Chicago...

The "World's Largest Triathlon" makes for a massive multisport expo. We went browsing, shopping, went to an hour-long race talk, and even heard some Olympic triathletes discuss their training and answer questions. I was all marked up and ready to race!

Despite my wave not going off until 9:12 am, I had to have my stuff in transition by 5:45 am, so we were up really early...

I tried to smile, but this photo shows just how tired I was...

We arrived at transition around 5:15 am, and it was already packed. This photo was taken way later in the day, but here is a small representation...

When I went to rack my bike, there was absolutely no room. I found a little bit of space, and right as I went to rack my bike in, a girl across from me threw down her towel right where my bike was going to go.

Me: "Umm... I was going to put my bike there."
Girl: "Oh, well, sorry." (She continues to lay down her things)
Me: (Looking around at the full racks) "Yeah, well there really isn't any other place to put it."
Girl: (Sighs heavily and moves her towel over 2 inches)

Gee... thanks. I ended up with about 6 inches of room for all my stuff. I can't even imagine where I would have put my bike had I showed up 5 minutes later.

We headed down to the water to watch the sunrise and the first waves head out.

My Dad completed the Sprint-length triathlon. His wave went off over 2 hours before mine, so as he was headed toward the finish line, I was getting ready to begin my race.

I always get really nervous and feel a little nauseated before races. I think this photo says it all...

My wave was next...

And we're off...

I tried to stay at the back of the pack to begin with because I was panicking a little (not unusual for me). But after the turnaround, I was feeling stronger...

1 mile later, and the swim was over...

Except there was a quarter mile run between the swim finish and transition. Ouch. And for some reason, they counted it as part of the swim instead of T1. Bleh. Way to mess up my swim average.

As I was running to T1, Ryan said I did really good on the swim, but I didn't feel like it. I felt slow, and it took me almost 1/4 of the course to get comfortable and actually start swimming normal.

The bike went really well. That is... except for when I lost my water bottle. I lost it only 2 minutes into the bike. I'm a total spaz and just dropped it while I was trying to put it back into the cage. I cursed up a storm as I saw it fly onto Lake Shore Drive, never to be seen again. I'm just super thankful I had the foresight to install a second water bottle on my bike only days earlier. Phew!

I was flying during the first half of the bike. Everytime I looked down, I was going 18, 19, 20+ miles per hour. Awesome!

I had a minor bonk during the second half of the bike. My average mph dropped significantly, and even minor hills seemed to slow me to a crawl.

The thing I would change about the bike was how crowded it was. There was such an enormous range of biking abilities that there were sometimes 5 bikes across, all passing at the same times.

Along with that, they said we had to pass on the right! I'm not sure everyone knew about that... so there were people passing every which way and weaving in and out of bikes. Gurrr.

A while later, I was off the bike, super thirsty (stupid lost water bottle), and onto my run...

When I saw Ryan and my mom, I practically begged for water...

Ryan ran by my side for a minute or two while I gulped down water. He told me all I needed to do was average 15-minute miles. Normally, I would laugh at such a slow pace, but I just wasn't feeling it for this race. The thought of having to keep 15-minute miles made me start to tear up. I opened my mouth to say "I don't think I can do this", but decided that saying it might make it come true, so I just kept running.

That's were it all went downhill. In short, it was probably the worst run of my life.

It was HOT. It was after noon at this point, and the temperature had gone above 90 degrees with not a cloud in the sky.
I walked. That's right... I walked for the first time during any race I've ever done. Ouch.
They ran out of cups. They didn't run out of water... just cups. But how do you get water to people without cups? They were pouring it directly into people's mouths as they ran by.
I ran with a jug. After I realized the cups would be a no-show, I grabbed a jug of water at mile 2. I ran with the jug for the next 4 miles, refilling it at each water station, and pouring bits of water over my head every few minutes during the scorching run.

I saw so many people pass out, give up, or get carried off the course. By mile 4, almost everyone was walking. To quote another triathlete, it was "a death march".

6.2 painful miles later, I was finally going to finish this race. I threw out my jug and headed for the shoot...

Done!

Swim 39:29 (3233/3859)
T1 7:10 - adjusted to include the 1/4 mile run
Bike 1:28:10 (2944/3859)
T2 4:33
Run 1:36:39 (3662/3859)
Overall 3:56:14

3452/3859 Overall
948/1169 Females
268/323 AG (25-29)

Overall, I felt a little disapointed after the race was over. I thought it was going well, but the run completely ruined it. I didn't make my A or B goal times. But now that I've given it some time, realized just how hot it was out there, and read race reports of other triathletes who struggled just as much as I did, I feel a lot better. It was a good effort for my first Oly.

The best part of the race is that I PRed my bike with a 17.2 mph average (yes... I PRed even thought it was twice the distance I normally do!).

I'm sure there were a million other things I was going to include in this race report, but I that's all I can think of right now. I'm at home enjoying my first day off work all year, which I scheduled months ago. Ahhhhh....

I'll leave you with my favorite post-race activity...

A Milestone Ride

2010-08-23T09:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I rode for 30 miles. Reasons this was such a big ride for me...

1) I was only supposed to go 25 miles, but I felt so good that I went 5 miles further. Because of that extra 5 miles, this ended up being my longest ride ever. I actually wanted to go a little longer, but I ran out of trails!

2) I tried out my shot bloks. It was a 2:15 ride, and I ate 5 of them. They weren't bad at all. Tasted kind of like giant strawberry fruit snacks.

3) Today is exactly 2 years after my first triathlon ever, where I only had to complete 6 miles on the bike. I have come a long way since then.

4) This is my last long ride before Sunday's olympic triathlon.

I am definitely feeling more prepared now than I was a week ago. Of course, the bike isn't the scary part... the swim is. While I have swam race distance, it was in a pool. I'm nervous to swim in Lake Michigan with the cold water and the waves and all the probably-better-than-me triathletes.

I've calculated out my times, and here are my goals...

A - 3:30 (If I somehow sprout wings between now and next Sunday)
B - 3:49 (My realistic goal)
C - 4:00 (If I'm in pain or sick and just trying to finish)

This is probably the most nervous and excited I've been for a race (even my first triathlon).

Bring it on, race!

Kelly the Mermaid

2010-08-18T18:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks for everyone's advice on clothing and nutrition.

On Saturday, Ryan and I went to the local running store. According to their website, they had oodles of triathlon clothes.

Lies.

They had 2 women's tri tanks, 2 women's tri shorts, and 1 women's tri suit. Out of the 2 tanks, only one of them came in my size. I tried it on, and while it was a little better than the one I already own, it still didn't really cut it.

I decided what I needed was a bold move. I cracked open the dressing room door. "Psst! Ryan! Do it. Get the tri suit."

He returned with the Zoot Ultra Tri Suit in Mermaid (yes... Mermaid... seriously??).

I tried it on and... it really wasn't as bad as I thought. Like, not bad at all.

It was more flattering than my tri shorts/tri tank combo, plus I didn't have to worry about the tank riding up during my bike and run. And to top it all off, it made me look like a real triathlete.

Go ahead and sue me for not supporting my local running store (but $140 is a lot!). I went home, logged onto the Zoot website, and bought it for $105.

As for nutrition, I bought some Shot Bloks. I figured they have to be better than gel.

I will give them a try during my next long bike ride, and if they hold up, I'll bring them to Chicago.

You Guys Suck

2010-08-12T19:15:00.005-05:00

The one time I ask for advice... the ONE TIME... and... nothing.

SHAME on you, fellow bloggers. Shame.

But I will not take your silence to be a sign of your hate for me or your secret wishes for me to fail miserably at both dressing myself and feeding myself for my next race... but instead I will take your silence to mean that you, too, are clueless.

So I will provide an obviously much-needed service to the triathlon community by sharing with you what I have learned...

1. Triathlon clothes are expensive.

2. You can pretty much buy the exact same type of top at Dick's for half the price, only it's called a "workout top".

3. Nutrition is complicated.

That's it. What?! You were hoping for more? Sorry... that's all I've got.

I will be making a trip to the local running shop on Saturday to try and replace my too-small tri top with something more fitting (pun intended).

As for nutrition, I'm still clueless. I tried Googling it, but the results just confused me further. "Take a half block 1/4 mile into the bike, washed down with a swig of Gatorade and chased with water. Take a gel at the turn around, swished with Gatorade, then spit out. Take a protein bar when the sun hits the third quadrant and the crows start to fly..." Okay, yeah... so I made most of that up... but you get the point.

I'm just thinking "huh?!"

Truth is, I've never even eaten a GU or gel or whatever before. I pretty much stick to water and the occasional Gatorade (although, unless it's fruit punch flavor, GAG). I had sports beans during my Half Marathon, and those were fine I guess.

Well, unless I get some answers soon, I'm gonna have to just bring some bacon with. Everyone likes bacon, right?

PS: Is it a bad thing to only carry one water bottle on the bike? I only have one cage on my bike, but I guess I could add another.

PPS: I just like this photo...

Hmm... which should I eat... an apple or a donut...?

Nutrition and Clothing Advice

2010-08-09T08:27:00.006-05:00

Apologies for the minor absence. I had a crazy work schedule last week, which left little time for blogging.

But I'm actually here today to ask a favor of you, my lovely followers.

That favor...?

HELP!

I'm slightly freaking out about my upcoming olympic triathlon (only 3 weeks away!). Just the shear length of the race is enough to give me a heart attack. I don't think I've ever worked out for 3 1/2 hours straight before. And definitely not to that intensity.

So, my first question is... nutrition.

Everyone says "nutrition is a personal choice". But let's say... just saaayyyy (for argument's sake), that I haven't been experimenting with nutrition. Perhaps because the majority of my workouts are only about an hour long.

Even my half marathon was only 2 1/2 hours. My nutrition plan? I got suuuper hungry and ate sport beans that I had stuffed in my back pocket. Not exactly what I'd call a "plan".

So what do I do for the triathlon? Does anyone have any nutrition advice? Like... how many calories should I be taking in? How often? What types of things? etc. Really any advice will help.

The next thing I'm not sure about is what to wear. Man, I feel like a newbie all over again. I've been wearing the same thing at triathlons for the past 2 years (one-piece bathing suit with a sports bra underneath, bike shorts for the bike and run), but I feel like that really won't cut it for this longer race.

So I went online and bought myself some actual triathlon clothes.

Sugoi K-Scope Tri Tank

Pearl Izumi Women's Tri Shorts

Cute, right?

Well, when they arrived in the mail, I couldn't believe how impossibly tiny they were! "This is a large?!" I exclaimed. "No way."

The shirt is a total joke. It is so small that it won't even stay down over my stomach (eww). The shorts are unflattering, but bearable. I've already worn them a few times on bike rides. My biggest fear is that they will turn see-through when they get wet (but they wouldn't possibly do that to me, would they?!).

Does anyone (mainly girls, I guess), have any good suggestions for triathlon clothing? Especially something that is forgiving of an extra 20 pounds (or so)?

How Garmin Changed Me

2010-07-27T14:28:00.000-05:00

Since getting my Garmin, a lot has changed in my training. It started after a couple weeks of using my heart rate monitor during my runs. I would come back home, plug in my Garmin, and see that my average heart rate was somewhere around 190. My maximum heart rate was hitting up to 205!

I sent an email to Ray asking if maybe my Garmin was broken. He kindly responded, and shocked me by informing that no, it wasn't broken. And yes, my heart rate is just that fast.

Oh.

This led to some Googling. I found an article written by a triathlete explaining how one would go about lowering their heart rate. He said you must train consistently at a low heart rate. Over time, the speed you are able to run at that same heart rate will increase.

In a nutshell, you must run slow in order to run fast.

Well then. That seems counter-productive. But run slow I did.

Since that day, I've been doing all my training runs with a "heart rate alarm" set on my Garmin. It beeps whenever my heart rate goes over 165 bpm. Let me tell you right now... this is often. My training runs are now between 14-17 minute miles instead of the 9-11 minute miles I used to do.

It is hard. It is painfully slow. At my slowest points, I could probably walk faster than I'm running! But I keep going. Because I have the end goal in mind.

On the plus side, I feel more refreshed. I'm not all "death, dying, exhaustion, and sweat" at the end of my runs. I'm all "ooo, that was refreshing... is that a little sweat on my brow?" when I'm done. Since my runs are less exhausting, I'm less scared to do them. But the time it takes to do my long runs sucks... there's no way around that.

I'm hoping that over the next month or 2, I'll start to see some results. All I need are just a little results... just enough to give me confidence that I'm doing the right thing.

Turning 25

2010-07-26T13:15:00.001-05:00

I turned 25 last month.

It's time for my quarter-life crisis. What if I want to be a zoologist instead of work in TV? What if I want to drive a Ferrari instead of an SUV? What if I want to live in Italy instead of Indiana?

Yeah... none of that. I hardly noticed when the clock rolled over and I was suddenly 25 years old. Meh. I can rent a car now (cue the sarcasitic "woooo").

But what was awesome about turning 25, is that a bunch of people came over to help me celebrate with poker, flip cup, and beer pong.

Half the crew, gearing up for another round of Flip Cup

Plus! I received a lot of awesome triathlon-related gifts!

Ryan wrapped his presents in Christmas paper...

What could it be?

A Garmin Forerunner 305!

I was very excited to take it out for a test-run. I wore it while Ryan and I walked Maggie around the block. I "oooed" and "ahhed" at it's fanciness.

As I mentioned in my last race report, it was absolutely instrumental in helping me stay under 11 minute-miles during the run-portion of my triathlon.

I love you, Garmin. Let's never part.

But with new-found heart rate knowledge came a lot of heartache (okay... that was totally over dramatic, but I had to give you a little tease so you'll come back for more, right?!)

Stay tuned for the story of my beating heart...

Kelly the Photographer

2010-07-22T18:45:00.004-05:00

Totally not related to triathlons, but a) I promised, and b) Adam asked.

My town, if nothing more, does a really great job at catering to its younger, more musical and artistic citizens. They hold free concerts at least twice a week in the summer time, they constantly have beer and wine tastings, traveling art galleries, and the like.

Back in April, they held the second annual Bright Night photography contest. They instructed downtown businesses to keep all their lights on so local photographers could take pictures at night (it is held each year on the night of our minor league baseball team's first home game).

So, even though I had to work until 10pm that night, I grabbed a coat and my camera and headed out. I got a lot of mediocre pictures... but it only takes one good one.

(Click to enlarge)

This photograph won 2nd place in the contest and a hefty $300 prize. You can see the other winners here.

After the check had been cashed and the excitement had worn off, I received a call from a woman who's company wanted to buy the license to the photograph and use it on their website.

Um... yes, please!

So now my photo can also be found here!

It's amazing how 20 seconds of photography and 5 minutes of Photoshop could be worth so much money. I can now consider my expensive triathlon "habit" paid for this year!

Muncie Endurathon Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2010-07-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

The weekend before last, my Dad and I competed in the Muncie Endurathon. It's name derives from the fact that it has a half-iron, 2 duathlons, aqua bike, and sprint tri all rolled into one event. The sprint distance is actually one of the newer events, so the field was pretty small (192 triathletes compared to the 663 doing the half-iron).

So on with the race report!

We woke up at 4am and had to drive almost 2 hours to the race, so we were all a little tired.

The race took place in and around a reservoir in central Indiana.

The first race I've ever been to where I had my own spot on the bike rack!

All set up and ready to go. I always use my pink striped towel for races because it's the only way I can spot my bike as I come running into transition.

This was my Dad and I's 3rd race together. My 6th triathlon ever.

Ryan came along as official photographer, dog-watcher, cheerleader, and gear check.

Maggie came along as official race mascot and to distract people from watching the race with her cuteness.

It was such a small race that all the women doing the sprint were in the same swim heat. I'm in the middle (in the black bathing suit and gray sports bra) putting on my goggles...

And we're off!

The swim course was in an "L" shape, which helped lessen the usual congestion at the turn-around.

Story: About 1/3 of the way into my swim, I look up to site the buoy, and there is a man swimming in front of me. But he wasn't swimming with the crowd. He was swimming perpendicular to the crowd. Not only that, but he didn't seem as if he was in any rush. He was just FLOATING on his back! Right as he floated in front of me, I gave him a good shove. He jumped up, looked around in shock and confusion. I yelled, "watch out!" (what? It was the only thing I could think of at the moment), and slithered around him.

He was wearing a blue swim cap (the color for men doing the sprint triathlon), so I'm not sure if he got lost maybe? But he didn't seem to be in any rush to find his way to the finish line.

A little while later, I was finally done with the swim. It was an unusually short swim (only 400 meters), but I hadn't done as much swimming this year as I should have, so I felt a bit winded as I climbed onto shore.

I found it extremely hard to concentrate during transition. My bike rack was positioned right next to a gigantic speaker blasting pop music. It was so loud that I could feel my brain rattling. I couldn't think straight long enough to figure out what on earth I was doing.

Eventually, I got all my stuff together and headed out on the bike.

The bike wasn't too bad. It had hills, but for every torturous uphill, it had an awesomely steep downhill. This was the first race with my aerobars, and I felt like my speed was really good.

In second transition, the speaker was still blasting. "SHUT UP!" I yelled at it...

I headed off for my run. I had a hard time getting my Garmin on my wrist, so I fidgeted with it as I left transition...

Once I got my Garmin on, I realized I had forgotten to turn off my heart rate alarm. It was set to beep if I went over 155 bpm. Ha! I was over that within 30 seconds of my run. The beeping was annoying (to others more than myself, I'm sure), so I had to flip through the menus mid-run to get the alarm turned off.

The run went pretty well. I loved having my Garmin with me. I always knew exactly how far I had run, how far I had left to go, and how fast I was going. It was extremely helpful in keeping me under 11 minute miles for the majority of the run.

The run course was an out-and-back, so when I passed my Dad (he was on his way in), I timed myself to see how far behind him I was (his swim wave started 5 minutes before me). When I passed the same spot again, it was 8 minutes later. Ouch. So much for beating him this race.

When I neared the finish line, Ryan, my mom, Maggie, and my Dad were all there cheering for me. There's my Dad on the right...

Done!

Post-race was good. They had water immediately when you crossed the finish line. They also gave you a ticket for free lunch (catered by Noodles & Co... yummm!), and a free ice cream (from Baskin Robbins). All that along with the regular post-race snacks, drinks, and even a finishers plaque!

My Dad and I compared our times. He was the obvious winner...

So here are my stats...

Swim 11:15 (115/192)
T1 2:47
Bike 44:54 (149/192)
T2 2:10
Run 33:29 (161/192)
Overall 1:34:32

149/192 Overall
51/85 Females
12/19 AG (25-29)

How do I feel about my race? Well... I was slightly disappointed the bike wasn't faster. It said I had a 16.4 mph average. I really thought it was over 17 (which would have been a PR). But I was so close that I know if I just had a slightly flatter course, I could have done it.

The swim was good. It's obviously my best leg (at least compared to everyone else). I definitely could have gone through transition faster (stupid speaker!). If I had cut a minute off each transition, I would have been neck-and-neck with my Dad.

Side note: One of my coworkers did this triathlon also. It was her first one ever, and she was in my age group. She beat me by 40 seconds. Being beat by a newbie is a hurt that only hardcore training can take away. But don't worry, I was perfectly nice and congratulated her when I saw her at work on Monday.

What's next? The Chicago Triathlon!!! My first olympic-distance triathlon, with a whopping 1 mile swim!

Kill me now.

Bad Blogger!

2010-07-20T12:10:00.003-05:00

Shame on me! It's been almost 2 whole months since my last post.

Here's what I've been up to...

Planning our wedding (less than a year away!)
Training
Trying (unsuccessfully, of course) to lose the extra 20 lbs I've managed to pack on
Winning a photography contest
Freaking out over my upcoming triathlon
Turning 25
Receiving (and then learning to use) a Garmin Forerunner 305
Buying my first triathlon outfit

So there you have it. A short list of poor excuses. But I vow, over the next week or two, to turn that list into new posts. I also have a race report from last week's sprint triathlon.

Valued readers, I will disappoint you no longer! Stay tuned...

Geist Half Marathon Race Report

2010-05-23T17:49:00.012-05:00

It's been a while, but I know you all still want to read this (at least, that's what I tell myself).

So, as a refresher, this is my first half marathon. Back at the end of 2009, I wrote:

I don't want to put this one on the goal list, because I'm not sure it's really possible right now... but I MAY possibly consider trying for a half marathon this year.

Well, it's crazy how quickly a far-off dream can turn into a reality.

So I ran the Geist Half Marathon... a lovely run around a large reservoir outside of Indianapolis. Here are the stats:

Overall place: 2060/3191
Age Group: 86/146
5 Mile: 53:46 (10:46 pace)
10 Miles: 1:49:16 (10:56 pace)
Last 5K: 35:50 (11:34 pace)
Total: 2:25:05 (11:05 pace)

My main goal was the finish the race without walking. Check! My secondary goal was to finish in 2:15, which I knew was a little lofty.

Now onto the pictures!

I had to work until 11pm the night before, and the race was 2 hours away, so "exhausted" doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

We left the house at 4:30 in the morning.
We met up at packet pickup with my college roommate, Jess, and her boyfriend, Ben. They were apparently exhausted too...

Ryan acted as photographer and gear-check.

I was a little nervous, but mostly just excited to finally do this and get it over with.

Jess and I were rearing to go!

This is how we practice...

At 7:30am, we were off!

The first 3 miles went really fast. I spent most of that time just concentrating on running around all those people! I've never been in a race with that many people before, and it was a challenge to pass groups of people when you're running with someone.

At the 3 mile mark, we ran past Ryan and Ben. Feeling good!

About a half a mile later, Jess decided to start walking. I had told her before the race that my only goal was to finish without walking, so she told me to go ahead and keep running. It was hard leaving her, but I knew it would be better for both of us. I didn't want her to feel pressured to run harder than she felt comfortable.

The next 5 miles were great. The only problem I encountered was some ridiculous sports bra chafing. I had to stop for a moment and apply my spare bandaid. Oh, that, and I got REALLY hungry! All the nutrition tips I had read said to eat 2 hours before the race, so that's what I did. But somewhere around mile 4 or 5, my stomach started to growl. I feared an epic nutrition fail, so I started downing sport beans, hoping the 100 calories would tide me over until the end of the race.

My legs held up for the most part until mile 8. At that point, my left foot started to hurt... a shooting pain with every step I took. I stopped to stretch it once, but stretching just gave me a charlie horse. Ouch!

A little bit later, my knee started hurting. Miles 9-12 were rough. I was just limping along, wishing it would be over sooner. I was frustrated, because I had my 2:15 goal in mind, and I REALLY wanted to go faster... I knew I had more in me, but my legs just wouldn't cooperate.

Meanwhile, this is what Ryan and Ben were doing...

After 13.1 long and painful miles, I finally neared the finish line.

Jess finished a little bit later.

After I got over the PAIN and EXHAUSTION (and hunger!), I was very pleased with my time and how I did overall.

Ryan and I enjoyed a lovely lunch at Noodles (we don't have one in Fort Wayne, and it's my favorite!), then we drove the 2 hours home.

I was so proud to have accomplished this goal. Just 2 years ago, I couldn't even run a quarter mile! My fiance was amazingly supportive. There were times when he even drove out and met me in the middle of my long runs to bring me cold water. Now THAT is husband material!

I'll leave you with a photo of how I spent Saturday afternoon...

Happy Sunday, everyone!

I'm Drowning!

2010-04-26T18:40:00.002-05:00

I haven't run in 8 days. Normally not a big deal, but I'm kinda sorta training for this little thing called a "half marathon". Eeep.

Problems:

Last time I ran (7 miles... my furthest distance ever), my knee hurt BAD. I could barely walk afterwards, and it hurt for DAYS. To make things worse, it hurt in a place that is not normal for me. This makes me super nervous for the month ahead.
I've been SO busy! Wedding planning, Ryan's parents visited, and we are moving... so my afternoons are filled with packing, packing, cleaning, and packing!
I'm lazy and NEED down-time. I can't be one of those people who is go-go-go all week long. When I get a moment, I want to watch TV and eat junk food, not go for a long run.
I still haven't figured out why my long runs are making me sick. It happened again last weekend, and I thought I was going to throw up while out to dinner with Ryan's parents.

So I apologize for the lack of blogging and lack of blog-commenting. But give a girl a break!

I need a vacation bad.

He Proposed

2010-04-05T05:33:00.007-05:00

Well, how can I leave anyone in suspense with a title like that?

Ryan and I are engaged. He proposed Saturday afternoon... dropped down to one knee right in the middle of our shopping trip at IKEA!

I totally thought he was joking. a) I had NO idea this was coming. I mean... I knew EVENTUALLY, but not any time soon. And b) it was IKEA!

I thought maybe he had found someone's ring on the floor, and picked it up jokingly like "marry me!" or something. It took me at least a full minute to realize he was serious.

Right after I said "yes".

What's funny is when I see that picture, all I see is the fact that I haven't showered. He and I had just spent 4 hours in the car driving from Indiana to my parents' house in Illinois. When we finally got there, I said, "Wow, I'm gross. I think I smell." Ryan said, "Well, maybe you should go shower." And I replied, "Nah... I'll shower before church... after we get back from IKEA."

D'OH!

Oh well... he tried. And the smelly girlfriend became the smelly fiance.

He totally ruined our shopping trip. We were on a major roll and had a list of things to buy for our new place, but after the proposal, my brain stopped working. I was just wandering the store in shock. I even left our list of what to buy back at where he had asked (right in the middle of the Marketplace, in case you're wondering!).

Here are some pictures of the ring for all you ladies out there (guys... go get a snack or something)...

We went to church Saturday evening, followed by dinner with my mom. Then back home to make phone calls and go to bed early (not like anyone could sleep after something like that!).

On Sunday, a bunch of my family came over for Easter. We had a big dinner and a big easter egg hunt (even though there was only one child under the age of 21).

The first thing everyone asks is "have you set a date?" No we haven't set a date! We just got engaged TWO days ago! Plus, before we can set a date, we first need to figure out what state we'll have it in.

Running Makes Me Sick

2010-03-31T12:22:00.003-05:00

No, seriously.

If I run further than 4 miles, I feel nauseous afterwards.

This is kind of a problem because 90% my runs from here on out will be further than 4 miles (only 52 days until my half marathon).

I don't usually feel TOO horrible... just a little queasy. But this past Saturday, after my 5-mile run, I was curled up in bed for an hour, resisting the urge to throw up.

That's not fun.

So what's the deal? Should I be eating before my runs? Should I be eating right after my runs? (which I tried Saturday... that obviously didn't work.) Am I dehydrated? Do I need electrolytes?

Does this ever happen to anyone else?

Houses, Shots, and Chicken Casserole

2010-03-24T08:42:00.012-05:00

It's always hard to come back to your blog when you haven't written anything in a month. I've missed talking about so many things that it simply seems overwhelming.

Weight Loss

As punishment for losing the Weight Loss Contest to Ryan, I took Maggie out and did the dishes for an entire week. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be (plus, I think my awesome boyfriend was secretly loading and unloading the dishwasher while I was at work).

Maggie loved all the attention I was giving her.

The other thing Ryan won from our contest was a dinner made from scratch from me. Well, I'm not the best chef on earth (I tried to cook a whole chicken for Valentine's Day, and it ended up raw and inedible). So Ryan picked something pretty fool-proof: a chicken broccoli casserole.

Yummmm...

I was doing good losing weight up until this past week. Three of my college roommates visited this past weekend, so I ate (and drank) WAY too many calories.

Shots! At a dance club Saturday night.

Then, to make matters worse, I got a nasty cold which kept me inside with a food-filled pity-party for a few days. Ouch. But, I should be back on track soon.

Moving

We got notice in the mail that we needed to renew our apartment lease by March 24th. Ryan said, "You know... we don't HAVE to stay here." I had never given it even a moment's thought... but that was all it took to have me scouring Craigslist for new places to live. We love our current apartment... but we wish we were closer to downtown and the bike path. There is NO good place for me to ride my bike around here, and it takes a good 20-25 minutes for us to get from here to downtown.

We saw a total of 7 rental homes in a 2-week period. We have decided on an old duplex in the heart of downtown. It's an area filled with young professional couples with dogs (perfect). Our new place has 3 bedrooms and 1 bath (ouch) and is only 3 city blocks from the bike path (woohoo!).

Our lease isn't up until the end of May, but we get the keys to our new place mid-April, and we are very excited to move.

Half Marathon Training

Despite my week off from running, my overall training is going well. I am up to 4 miles, and the runs are pretty much a breeze. I do wish the weather would cooperate a little bit better. We had a few days with temperatures above 60, but this week has been chilly and rainy. My biggest struggle in training is motivation and time. I would MUCH rather sit and watch an hour of television than go run for an hour. Bleh.

Other

I bought aero bars! I'll give a full review once I get them installed and try them out, but I'm very excited.
Earlier this month, Ryan and I celebrated 2 years of dating.

The beautiful roses Ryan gave me.

I dreamed the other night that I was doing an Ironman, then running a 10k the next day. I was going to pick up my registration packet, and it didn't hit me until then that it might be a REALLY bad idea... especially since I didn't even train for the Ironman! Woops. Good thing I'm smarter than that in real life.

I hope everyone is doing well. I am going to try to blog more in the near future, but I can't make any promises. We have a busy month coming up... and an exciting move to prepare for!

Final Weigh-In Results

2010-02-27T11:01:00.002-06:00

It hurts to have to admit this to the blogger world... but, I lost.

I know what you're thinking: "WHAT?! No way!"

Yes way.

Well... here are the official stats:

Ryan
Beginning Weight (1/2): 165.6
Mid-Way Weight (1/29): 155.6
Final Weight (2/27): 155.4
Weight Loss: 10.2 lbs (6%)

Kelly
Beginning Weight (1/2): 163.6
Mid-Way Weight (1/29): 158.2
Final Weight (2/27): 157.8
Weight Loss: 5.8 lbs (3.5%)

Yeah, so I got beat PRETTY bad! Although, I'd like to think that I tried WAY harder than Ryan. I think it's much harder for girls to lose weight, and Ryan didn't work out at ALL to lose those 10 lbs (jerk).

So what's my punishment? Ugh. I'm in charge of taking Maggie outside for 1 whole week, along with doing the dishes for 1 whole week. And I have to make Ryan any dinner of his choice from scratch. Oh boy... it's going to be a LONG 7 days!

But I have much bigger goals in mind. This is my official announcement that I would like to lose 18 more lbs by the Chicago Triathlon in late August. That's 18 lbs in under 6 months. Scary? Yes. Doable? Totally. I've even joined eDiets.com to assist my weight loss efforts.

What else is new? Half Marathon training starts TOMORROW! Woah, that's exciting (and terrifying). Why can't it be all sunny and warm out? I want to run outside!

Go Team Kelly!

PS: Tri Dave and his girlfriend are doing their own weight loss challenge, but theirs ends next week. I'm not really worried about them having more time than Ryan and I, cause I'm pretty confident we kicked their butts!

Aero Bars?

2010-02-11T10:19:00.002-06:00

Hey all you triathletes out there! I'm lost.

I really wanted to get some aero bars this year. I am signed up for my first olympic triathlon in August, and I'm ready to take my cycling to the next level.

My parents even gave me a $50 gift card to my LBS to help with the cost.

I want to have them bought and set up before spring gets here, but I don't know where to begin.

I'm afraid to walk into the bike shop with NO idea of what I need because I don't want to overpay or get the wrong thing.

Here is the bike I have...

It's a Giant TCX.

Do I need different aero bars because I have a cyclocross bike and not a tri bike?
What should I expect to spend? I don't need anything super fancy or expensive... just something that is comfortable and gets the job done.

Any suggestions or advice? Much appreciated!

Mid-Way Weigh In

2010-02-07T20:12:00.006-06:00

In case you're out of the loop, Ryan and I are competing against each other (along with Tri Dave and his girlfriend) to see who can lose the most weight.

Last week, we had our mid-way weigh in. It was 4 weeks after we began.

And... drumroll please!

I lost 5.2 lbs. Ryan lost 10 lbs exactly (Psh. He would.)

Sorry, Dave. You guys have some catching up to do. But now is MY perfect time to strike. Ryan has stopped the calorie-counting and is set on just maintaining his 10 lb weight-loss for the next 4 weeks.

As I write this, he is sitting on the couch eating nachos and drinking beer (ok... maybe I'm doing that too. It's the Superbowl after all!)

Our trip to Cleveland last weekend went great. It was exactly 2 years after we had our first date in Cleveland, so I took him back as a birthday present.

We went bowling (I won of course)...

We ate junk food (how else to you celebrate weight-loss?)...

We went to a dueling piano bar...

We went tobogganing (scary!)...

And we ended the trip with lunch at the Applebee's where we had our first date...

Good times had by all (except Maggie who was stuck in the kennel).

I haven't been working out too much recently. I know I should, but I just don't want to get burned out before half-marathon training begins at the end of February. That, and I loathe my trainer. Gurrrr.

Winter Does Not Agree With Me

2010-01-22T18:02:00.009-06:00

I hate running outside when it's cold. I figured running on a treadmill at the Y is a far better option.

That is, until I fell off the treadmill going 6mph.

You read that right... I fell completely off the treadmill, first-week-of-Biggest-Loser-style. And it was at the peak time of 5:30pm. And everyone within a 20-foot radius stopped and stared. And the 2 women next to me squealed, "oh my god, are you okay?!"

Yes. Fine. Just a little bruising of the ego, that's all.

I gathered my things and finished my run outside in 40-degree weather.

I've been a little squeamish of treadmills ever since. Every time I step on one now, I feel wobbly and like I'm not running straight. I'm afraid I will get too involved in whatever show is on TV and forget what I'm doing and end up with a face-plant this time. Ouch.

_____________________________

My side of Ryan and I's weight loss bet isn't going so well. I don't know how much he has lost, but he told his Mom on the phone recently that it was "a significant amount". Ugh.

I, on the other hand, have been losing and gaining the same pound for the past 2 weeks.

Top = Me, Bottom = Ryan

And I've discovered why all weight-loss attempts in the past have failed: Each time I GAIN weight, I think I worked out and stuck to my calories, why did I gain weight? At least if I'm going to gain weight, it should be for a good reason... like ice cream or pizza. And then I go eat ice cream or pizza. Sort of like a reverse bad decision. Like my body OWES me junk food after putting on the pounds.

Um... stupid, I know. But it makes sense in my head.

So I'm trying to change my thinking. I trying to be like all those NORMAL people who actually use weight gain as a motivation to work harder the next day.

We have only 1 week until our HALFWAY weigh-in, and I'm confident that Ryan is going to beat me big time! He may be a boy (stupid boys, losing weight easier...), but I have workouts on my side, and I hope that next month, I'll be able to catch up to him.

______________________________

Ryan's birthday was on Wednesday. He is now a whopping 24 years old! I couldn't think of an actual GIFT to get him for his birthday (it's way too close to Christmas), so I will be taking him to Cleveland next weekend.

Next weekend will be 2 years from our first date, which was in Cleveland.

Story: It was 2008. I lived in northern Illinois. He lived in eastern Pennsylvania. We decided on Cleveland because it was almost exactly halfway (7 hour drive for each of us). We met at Applebee's for dinner (it was technically a blind date), then tried to go bowling (but the alley was closed). The next day, we went to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and headed to our respective homes.

Actual photo from our first date... in front of the Rock Hall

So we will be staying in a hotel downtown Cleveland. I'll take him bowling at the alley that was closed, then we will spend Saturday night at a dueling piano bar. On Sunday, we will go to the toboggan chutes, then lunch at Applebee's. Yay weekend trip!

I Must Be Killing Brain Cells

2010-01-11T15:47:00.003-06:00

It's the only way to explain the insanity.

Today, I signed up for a half marathon.

That's right... my first half marathon and my first olympic triathlon all in the same year. GAH.

I'll be running the Geist Half Marathon on May 22 with my college roommate, Jess. This is super scary for me because I have NEVER in my life run further than 6 or 7 miles. It's scary because I have no idea if I'll actually be able to do this.

Training starts at the end of February. Only time will tell if this will happen. In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate on building up a little distance, and trying not to injure myself.

On a different note, Ryan and I's weight loss challenge seems to be going well. I'm not sure how much weigh he has lost, and I can't officially post how much I've lost, but I think we are both going steady. Plus, Tri Dave and his girlfriend have decided to join the fun! Now it's not just a competition between boyfriend and girlfriend, but a competition between bloggers from halfway across the country!

Bring it, Ryan. Bring it, Dave.

I've Lost It

2010-01-06T16:17:00.001-06:00

I just signed up for the 2010 Chicago Triathlon. My Dad and I will be competing in it together (his 4th triathlon ever, my 6th). It was my first triathlon ever back in 2008 (a supersprint), so it'll be nice to return 2 years later and gauge my vast improvement.

But I'm not doing the Supersprint...

I'm not even doing the Sprint...

I'll be completing the Olympic Distance race (for all you non-triathletes, that's roughly 1 mile swimming, 25 miles biking, and 6 miles running). And I'll be doing it all at the world's largest triathlon in the middle of a sweltering Chicago summer.

Here's where my stupidity comes in: I've been going around telling people the swim was a HALF mile. That's what I thought. I swear I checked and double-checked. I think it's a giant conspiracy, and the moment I clicked the "Register" button, they made the course longer. And now I'm really nervous.

To put this in perspective, the longest I have ever swam without stopping was 875 yards. And that was in a pool. For the triathlon, I have to swim TWICE that far... in Lake Michigan... with hundreds of other flailing triathletes around me.

Oh... and boats.

Apparently there are BOATS I have to avoid also.

This was a horrible idea, but it's done and the money (an exorbitant amount) has been paid. So it's time to go big, or go home. Time to put my money where my mouth is... and all those other inspirational sayings.

I have 7 1/2 months to prepare for this, and a 5-month training plan to get me there. I definitely think I'll be putting off my intentions to cancel my Y membership. I have a lot of pool hours ahead of me!

Goodbye, Decade!

2009-12-31T11:20:00.000-06:00

Wow, I've only blogged once in December. And I completely missed Christmas. Woops. Well, Merry belated Christmas everyone! (Training loot I scored: running shorts, 2 water bottles, a hat, 2 pair of running socks, and a gift card towards aero bars!)

December is over... and with that, 2009 is over, along with this wacky decade.

Miles Run in 2009: 183.6
Miles Biked in 2009: 217.4
Miles Swam in 2009: 3.9 miles

Total Number of Workouts in 2009: 112

Notes: I passed my goal in miles run by 13.6 miles. Phew, that was close! However, I passed 2008's total by a whopping 85 miles. Hurray! I biked 80 fewer miles this year than last, and I only swam half as far as last year. Ouch. But it's okay, because I was really concentrating on improving my running this year... which I definitely feel I did!

How did I do on the rest of my goals? Technically, I DID get my sprint time below 1:35, but mainly because the bike course was 2 or 3 miles shorter than a typical course. I did NOT get my 5K time below 27 minutes, but I only ran 1 of them (without much training, mind you). And lastly, do I weigh less now than at the beginning of the year....?

HA! In fact, I weigh ELEVEN pounds more, which brings me to my next bit...

Ryan and I are engaging in a friendly weight loss wager. This is how it's going down:

On Saturday, January 2nd, he and I will conduct our official weigh-in.
We then have 8 consecutive weeks to lose as much weight as possible.
We are allowed to weigh ourselves during the process, but we may not share our progress with each other.
After 4 weeks (the halfway point), we will have one official weigh-in to gauge how it's going.
Then, on Saturday, February 27th, we will conduct the final weigh-in.
The person who has lost the largest percentage of weight wins.

The Prize: The person who loses has to cook dinner from scratch for the winner. They also will be in charge of taking Maggie out for an entire week. I'm sure there will be other prizes added as the competition grows, but this is it for now.

My goal for the competition is to lose at least 8 lbs. Bring it, Ryan!

But it doesn't end there. Because THIS is the year that I cut the crap... figuratively, and literally cut the CRAP out of my diet. Plus, I'm going to try to make working out a routine. It shouldn't just be for when I'm training for a race... it should be ALWAYS. At least 4 days a week. So my ultimate goal for 2010 is to lose 20 pounds. Do you think I can do it?

Other goals for 2010:

Run more than 210 miles.
Complete an olympic-distance triathlon.
Run a 10K in under 58 minutes.
Average 17.5 mph biking in a race.

And I don't want to put this one on the goal list, because I'm not sure it's really possible right now... but I MAY possibly consider trying for a half marathon this year. SHHH! You didn't hear that from me!

So Happy New Year everyone! Drink a lot, eat a lot, take a cab, then sleep a lot. It all starts in 2010!

I'm About to Make You Jealous

2009-12-14T10:18:00.004-06:00

While you were all dealing with snow and frigid temperatures, I was in sunny, 80-degree Maui!

Here is the photographic summary:

Watching the sunrise on top of a volcano...

Then we biked down the volcano...

A glimpse of the beach by our hotel...

Watching surfers...

Royal Lahaina Luau...

Going on a whale-watching tour...

View of Maui from the boat...

Whale!

Last night in Hawaii...

Beautiful sunset...

So I succeeded, right? You're all totally cursing the past week you spent trudging through the snow and going to work every morning like total suckers.

Overall, it was an awesome vacation. We did a lot of laying around in the sun. I'm rocking a nice tan and an extra 5 lbs.

But today, it's back to work (NOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!). I need to get back to the Y soon (perhaps tomorrow), so I can reverse this 5 lb gain as quickly as possible. Only 11 days til Christmas. I actually get Christmas OFF this year, so I'm totally excited!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T15:32:00.004-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Of course, I'm at work. The TV business is so much fun.

Maggie and I are hanging out by ourselves this weekend cause Ryan flew home to be with his family. So here is the game plan:

Thursday: Do nothing. Work. Drink wine.
I'm trying to ignore the fact that one year ago, I wrote on my blog "It's been 2 years since I've had a real Thanksgiving. Maybe next year." Woops. Well, definitely not THIS year... so maybe NEXT year. Although, this year does top last year (corn and 2 biscuits during my 30 minute dinner break) because our News Director brought in dinner for all of us. I just finished my turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls. Perhaps it's time for some pumpkin pie.

Friday: Unpack Christmas decorations. Decorate!
This is one of my favorite days of the year. I love spending all day listening to Christmas music and breaking out all the decor. The difference from last year being that I now have a larger and nicer apartment to fill with Christmas cheer!

Saturday: Buy everyone's Christmas gifts.
Due to our upcoming Hawaiian vacation, and the fact that I work a lot of nights, this weekend appears to be the best (only) time to do all my Christmas shopping. I'm avoiding Friday's madness cause I would like to keep my limbs and sanity, thank you. I've only bought one gift so far, so I have a long day of shopping ahead of me.

Sunday: Ryan will be home!

I hope everyone is home and enjoying family and food. I'm not upset about spending today at work, because I get Christmas day off for the first time since college. That, and I'll be on a beach in Maui in only 9 days! Be jealous!

P.S. My Dad and Brother ran a 5k this morning. My Dad PRed, of course, with an awesome time (don't remember exactly... but somewhere in the 25:00s). So congrats to them! I'm trying to will my toe to heal quickly so I can get back to running ASAP.

I'm Slightly Pathetic

2009-11-17T12:39:00.007-06:00

I haven't run in 2 weeks. My toe is definitely hurt, but I'm refusing to go pay some doctor $150 just for them to say "yep, it's broken" or "nope, just jammed", followed by "stay off it for 3 more weeks". Lame. Thus, I'm on a running-hiatus until the pain subsides.

Naturally, all this laziness means I've slowly been gaining back the 6.2 lbs I lost. Ouch. That does not bode well for me strutting around Maui in a bikini. I can still bike and swim with my injury... I've just been too lazy (and cold)... but mostly lazy. There are 2 1/2 weeks until our trip, which means I could lose another 2-4 lbs if I really start trying. I need to start trying. Tomorrow.

Either way, I'm frustrated over my current status. 4 weeks ago, I was running a 10k. I told myself I would NOT let my running fitness fall to the wayside this winter. But that's a little tough when I can't run at all!

On a more positive note, Ryan and I have been spending our freetime being all "domestic". We bought a brand new couch and chair from our living room (photos to come). We are in the process of selling our old couch and loveseat, but our new couch won't be in for another 4 weeks... so we might be hanging out on the floor for a couple weeks.

Old couch (like 14 years old)...

Meanwhile, Ryan got to meet a portion of my extended family this past weekend at my cousin's 4th birthday in Chicago. Of course I ended up as cameraman haha...

My cousin ripped her presents open in record-time. Everyone seemed happy to meet Ryan, but I think they were just trying to cover their disappointment that we didn't bring Maggie.

Side story: Maggie had her first kennel experience over the weekend. We are unsure if she's ever stayed in one before, so we thought it would be a good idea
to give it a test-run before we leave her there for an entire week in December.
Well let me tell you... kennels have become POSH. She was in a "suite", not a
cage. It was a large room with a glass door, raised bed, and television airing
Animal Planet 24/7. The price included 3 potty-breaks per day, but you could pay
for extra perks like playtime, walks, snacks, and a storytime (EXACTLY what it
sounds like). How could any dog NOT enjoy their time there?!

It's sweeps month, so work is CRAZY. That, plus something is going around (I had to take last Tuesday off due to feeling-like-death), so we are all constantly covering for our coworkers.

One of my college roommates is visiting this weekend with her chihuahua, Daisy. Then after that... Thanksgiving! I'm not too excited about the actual holiday because I have to work and won't be going home or eating any delicious turkey, but I'm excited to start shopping and decorating our apartment for Christmas!

Wow, that was a lot of nonsense. Sorry! (If you made it this far.)

I'm going to the Y tomorrow. Swimming... or biking... I swear.

What Happened to My Toe?

2009-11-07T20:44:00.008-06:00

Friday morning, I dragged myself out of bed and to work at 8am. When I got there, I was told to go home and come back at 4pm because someone was sick and I had to cover for them 2nd shift. BLAH. I hate when that happens. I could have slept in!

I blame my job... because if I had been at work, I wouldn't have jammed my pinky toe on the couch leg that afternoon.

And I know, I KNOW my family and boyfriend think I'm a total drama queen. But it hurt... BAD. And it hurt all day yesterday. And it hurt every time I took a step. So it wasn't just your normal stubbed toe.

Today, it STILL hurts. I had intentions of signing up for a Thanksgiving morning 4 miler, but now I'm not so sure. I need to wait this out for a bit and see just how serious this is (it would NOT be the first time I broke a toe). I'll wait for the swelling to go down, then take it for a test run.

My Dad ran another 5k this morning (I've created a monster!). He finished somewhere around 26:20. That's faster than I've EVER run 3.1 miles! Congrats, Dad!

I need to get back in the pool. I haven't swam or biked since my last triathlon (September!). Ryan and I might take advantage of the nice weather and go for a ride tomorrow.

I'm realizing that if I ever want to run an olympic distance triathlon, I need to keep my momentum during the Winter. That's way easier said than done. But I did ask for a lot of training gear for Christmas (including road tires and aero bars!), so what better way to motivate a lazy triathlete?

But for now, I'll stay inside with my swollen toe elevated. Stupid couch! (One of many reasons Ryan and I went couch shopping this evening (where we realized that comfort is WAY more important than style.))

TGIF Photo Friday

2009-11-06T19:08:00.003-06:00

It's a little late, but I here are my photos!

They are obviously from Halloween.

My college roommates came to visit...

We got ridiculous...

Good times had by all.

Speaking of good times, I'm going to write a REAL post... tommorrow! I bet you're all just peeing yourself with excitement.

Get ready!

River City Rat Race 10k Race Report

2009-10-26T18:50:00.013-05:00

I'm back!

Well... kind of. Even in my most scrupulous efforts to not blog, I couldn't resist posting my latest race report.

On Sunday afternoon, I successfully completed my first 10k.

It was sunny, mid-50's, and there were 700 other runners like me just itching for the gun to go off.

Being so far back in the crowd, I feared not hearing the gun go off (it seems like that ALWAYS happens). But this time, you couldn't miss it... because the "gun" was a cannon.

POW!

I started off a little on the slow side... mainly because of the heavy crowds. I dodged potholes and runners in ridiculous Halloween costumes.

When I hit the first mile marker, I couldn't believe my 9:12 time. My recent training runs had produced paces no faster than 10 and 11 minutes. Am I going too fast?

Half a mile later, someone's friend on a bike decided to ride next to him while he ran. The streets were still crowded with people, and having a bike in front of me made me nervous. The bike stayed there for over a mile (how frustrating).

At the halfway point, we saw the crowds. The halfway point was also the finish line, so our friends and families were there anxiously waiting and taking photos. I saw Ryan's face hidden behind my camera lens.

3 more miles to go?! I forced a grin...

The 4th mile was the hardest. The crowds had finally spread out, so every person that passed felt like a failure. At this point, we were running on a pathway along the river downtown. The constant up-and-down hills brought dozens of runners to a walking pace. I gritted my teeth and charged on.

Ice cold water at mile 5 was my savior. Not much further now...

My mile times slowed with each click of the "lap" button on my watch. I was determined to pick it up for the final mile.

There was only 1/2 mile to go. On my left was the finish line across the river. I could hear the cheers and see the finishers tumbling across the mat. On my right was a girl throwing up in a bush. Some spectators stood by and awkwardly tried to ignore it.

200 yards later, a teen on a bike darted across the path in front of me... missing my lead foot by inches. I yelled "HEY!" with the only breathe I could muster, and cursed him in my head.

At the 6 mile mark, I was passed by a woman in a roman outfit. She had run the entire 10k with a sword in her hand. It made my exhaustion seem foolish.

With the finish line in sight, I sprinted as fast as my legs would take me.

My time was 1:01:08 (taking into account the time it took to cross the starting line at the beginning).

Overall, I'm happy with my time, pace (9:50), and total effort. I placed 13th in my age group out of 29, which is far better than I expected.

I think this will be a great gateway into longer races. I want to keep running this winter to keep up the momentum. I'm looking forward to signing up for my first Olympic distance triathlon in 2010. Last night, I even dreamed I was doing an Ironman (although, I woke up before I could finish).

This break from blogging has been nice, but there are days when I miss it. I'm still reading everyone else's blogs (even though I don't comment much). The rest of 2009 is going to be crazy busy (did I tell you I'm going to Hawaii in December?!), so blogging will continue to be scare. But thanks to everyone for sticking around!

Hmm...

2009-10-13T17:17:00.002-05:00

I haven't even posted once since October began.

I'll be honest... I'm thinking about taking an indefinite break from blogging.

I'm just out of things to say (okay, that's a huge lie. I have plenty to say, but no time to say it). I find myself with far less free blogging-time than I had before I moved to Indiana.

I don't see my boyfriend very much during the week, so I'd rather hang out with him than blog. Maggie would also prefer I hang out with her over blogging. And my body (which is training for a 10K in less than 2 weeks), would prefer I go run than blog about running.

Conundrum, no?

So I'll think about it. Meantime, I'll run when I have time (right now, only about 2 or 3 times per week because of my crazy work schedule), and I'll write when I'm bored or guilt gets the better of me.

Outraged All Around

2009-09-28T17:48:00.003-05:00

My dad completed his 3rd triathlon yesterday. Their swim took place in an indoor pool, 3 people per lane with similar swimming abilities. So my dad was the second swimmer to go in his lane and had a woman who started after him. He said she was trailing him pretty close and kept hitting his feet with her hands.

Now get this... when the swim ended, this woman comes up to my dad, angry, and says, "Why didn't you get over? I kept hitting your feet for you to move out of my way. You were supposed to stop and let me pass."

What?! She wanted him to STOP and let her pass. In a RACE. Right.

My dad said the organizer even told them "stay on the right, pass on the left" before their swim began. I would have been seriously angry if someone got mad at me for that.

________________________________

So my running has been slow (training-wise, not speed-wise (...okay, that too)). My 10k race is in less than 5 weeks, and all the training plans I find have me running 4, 5, or even 6 miles right now. That's just too much for me. I haven't run 4 miles since May when I did my marathon relay.

Thus, I'm taking it slow. And today, when I was supposed to be outside running 4 miles, I was instead curled up on the couch wrapped in a blanket (I'm sure you all heard... it's cold and windy outside).

________________________________

My weight loss has also been slow. I've been tracking calories during the week, but as soon as the weekend comes around, my numbers go out the window. On Saturday, Ryan, Maggie, and I were down in Indianapolis at a party (yeah, I'll say it...) getting drunk.

Well, beer + rum and coke + jello shots + cheese cubes + more beer = a lot of uncounted calories. My punishment for my lush behavior? Gaining 2 lbs. Ouch. If I really expect to lose any weight, I need to stop giving myself a free day (or two).

Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2009-09-20T19:21:00.009-05:00

Today, I ran the Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon. I won 3rd place in my age group, and I PRed in EVERY event.

Yes. You read that right. I'm AWESOME.

Need I say more? Oh yes... my race report. Duh.

Well, Ryan and I arrived at the race before the sun was up. Bleh.

I was ready to just get the race started.

The swim was like nothing I've EVER seen before. Instead of going up and down our own lane 10 times, we had to go up and down ALL the lanes.

Has anyone else done this? We started at one corner of the 50 meter pool, switched lanes at each end, and finished at a different corner of the pool.

ODD.

Here is a photo of me about to jump in the pool and start my swim...

Here I am swimming...

The pool was big and new.

The swim went well. I got passed by 1 person, but then I passed at least 4 others. The layout of the swim made it a little odd (swimming under the lane lines every minute), but it made the time go quickly, and I didn't have to count laps like usual.

One thing I would change is they need a ladder or something to help you out of the pool. After swimming that far, my arms were too weak to pull me out...

T1 was uneventful.

The bike was nice. A flat square course that you looped twice. I got passed by quite a few people, but I got my fastest average ever... 16.7 mph!

The bike was short and sweet... only 10 miles. So before I knew it, it was time to run!

The run was decent. It went up a bike bath, then back down through a neighborhood. I hit my first mile at 9:20 and was in disbelief. I don't usually run that fast... especially during a triathlon. I pushed hard during mile 2 because I didn't want to lose momentum. About halfway through the run, it started to rain. Meh, mildly refreshing.

3.1 miles later, it was time to finish this thing.

Swim 10:58
T1 1:53
Bike 36:07
T2 1:54
Run 27:48
Overall 1:18:40

I'm very happy with my times. I compared my pacing to all my previous races, and this was my fastest race ever. Yay me!

What shocked me the most, though, was when I saw the number "3" next to my name. What? What is this 3? Ryan and I had to study the list a few times before finally confirming that I did indeed win THIRD place in my age group. (Disclaimer: There were only 3 of us in our age group, but I'll take what I can get!) Now I'm sad that we didn't stay for the awards ceremony. I'm hoping they will mail me my medal (do they do that?).

Overall, a GREAT final race. It felt fast and EASY. It sets the bar high and gives me new goals for next year (dare I say... an OLYMPIC distance, perhaps??).

For now... I rest. Ha. Rest. That was a joke. I actually have decided to run a 10k. I ran on a marathon relay team in May, so I know I'm capable of the distance, but I've never done an official 10k before. We'll see how this goes.

Training starts tomorrow!

Being a Tourist

2009-09-14T10:09:00.005-05:00

Six days until my next race. I'm a little under-trained, but I'm working hard this week, and I have good faith that I'll be able to finish just fine.

Ryan recently bought my Dad's bike (after 4 months and 2 triathlons, my Dad decided to ditch his hybrid for a cyclocross with clipless pedals). Having been ages since Ryan's owned a bike, we had to do a little shopping to get the necessities.

Ryan came home with a helmet, water bottle, and cyclocomputer. I came home with a pair of glasses...

And a new Ironman watch...

I'm excited to have a watch that can take laps. I just tried it out running 3 miles with a pretty nasty positive split.

Yesterday, our town held it's annual "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" event. They open up 10 different downtown museums/attractions free to the public. So we grabbed our bikes and were off for the afternoon...

First stop, the science museum. I knew it was for little kids, but these types of hands-on places used to be my absolute favorite when I was younger. I just couldn't resist.

We learned all about physics, aerodynamics, optical illusions, and the human body...

And I got to be an astronaut!

Next stop was the botanical conservatory. They had some weird Wizard of Oz theme (which Ryan and I both agreed was a creepy movie)...

I'm sure it would have been nicer to visit without hundreds of other tourists crowded around. Ryan and I rushed through the hot greenhouse rooms pretty quickly.

Our inner tourists were spent. So we rode a few more miles along the river bike path then headed home for grilled chicken, corn, and roasted red potatoes.

My weight loss is going pretty pathetically. I thought it would be much easier at the beginning (last November, I lost 5 lbs in my first month of counting calories). So far, I have lost and gained back the same lb about 3 times. I would like to have someone to blame it on other than myself, but Ryan is counting calories also... and he's beating me!

Well, Maggie is bored because I'm blogging instead of paying attention to her. So off I go!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T11:18:00.003-05:00

Friday

Got off work at 3pm (yay!).
Took Maggie to the dog park.
Saw a dog fight and a guy's hand get bitten.
Grilled some chicken.
Watched Traffic.

Saturday

Drove to Cincinnati.
Checked into the hotel and got ready for the wedding.
Realized the wedding wasn't for another 2 hours, got undressed and went to Rock Bottom for food.
Got redressed and left for the wedding.
Got lost (because I didn't bring directions, and Ryan's iPhone was taking us to the wrong place).
Frantically drove back into town and made it to the 6:30 wedding by 6:28pm.
Beautiful wedding. Fun reception.

The bride, Kim (my roommate from college), and I

Me and my other college roommates, Megan and Katie (who were bridesmaids)

I had 2 chardonnays and 3 rum and cokes (more than I've drank in ages)
Ryan drove me and my 2 roommates back to the hotel where we all promptly passed out.

Sunday

Delicious (but noisy) breakfast at Waffle House in Kentucky.
Stop at my favorite store, IKEA, on the way home.
Long drive back to Indiana.
Set up our new IKEA bedroom.

Duvet cover, bed skirt, and ottoman (for Maggie to sleep on) all new.

Laziness, laziness, laziness.
Bought over $100 in groceries.
Watched Atonement.

Monday

Laziness, laziness, laziness.
Went to see Inglorious Basterds.

END WEEKEND.

Overall, a good one. It's been ages since I've had a long weekend. I usually don't get petty holidays off (or major ones for that matter!). I have less than TWO weeks until my next race. UGH. I'm definitely not ready for this. Plus, just yesterday, I caught wind of a triathlon at my alma mater, the University of Dayton. What?! REALLY? I'm SO there. It's October 4th, and now I'm wishing I hadn't signed up for the one 2 weeks from now. Oh well. I'm not going to let regrets prevent me from doing my best at this race.

TGIF Photo Friday

2009-09-04T14:47:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted.

To answer all your questions (well... question, singular, since you all asked the same thing), this is what we bought Ryan's niece for her 3rd birthday:

It's a Fisher Price digital camera. HOW COOL IS THAT? Ok, maybe I'm a little over-excited, but I didn't have a camera when I was her age... much less a DIGITAL one! It's waterproof and practically indestructible (perfect for a toddler). I'm pretty sure she liked it. She immediately took a bunch of photos of all of us. Although, her aim needs a little practice.

We had a great whirlwind weekend on the east coast. It's crazy that Ryan and I have been dating for 1 1/2 years, but I had only ever met his parents.

It goes without saying, however, that I didn't track my calories while we were away. But I got rolling again when we returned, and I'm a WHOPPING 1/2 lb down. (I'll pause for your Oooos and Ahhhs...)

We are going on ANOTHER trip this weekend... this time down to Cincinnati for my college roommate's wedding. And because Maggie is on medication, and because we feel guilty boarding her, she will be coming too! Yay!

Training? What's that? There are 2 weeks and 2 days until my final triathlon of the season, and I've been lazy (or busy? Yeah... I'll go with busy). I've only worked out 4 times since my last triathlon almost 3 weeks ago.

So, I really don't smell any super duper PRs or anything. I'll just aim for finishing in one piece and not hating myself.

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! See you on Tuesday!

Head East

2009-08-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

That's an old rock band, right? Either way... that's what Ryan and I will be doing this weekend.

We're flying out to NY for his niece's 3rd birthday. We'll fly out of Philadelphia on Monday morning just in time to enjoy another work week (yay!).

I bought his niece the BEST present ever. If I were 3, I would definitely want this. Actually, I'm 24, and I STILL want it.

My mom is awesome, because when she heard we would be sending Maggie to the kennel, she volunteered to come out and dog-sit. So instead of spending 3 days stuck in a small cage, Maggie will get pampered to death with a thousand walks.

I have been bad about my workouts this week. The weather has been CRAP (which I know is no excuse), and I've been busy covering for someone at work and preparing for this weekend. I haven't lost any weight yet, but my calorie counting is going well. Ryan tried counting his calories yesterday. He said, "this is really annoying". Yes... yes, it is.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Oh Boy

2009-08-26T09:51:00.003-05:00

Last November, I started my own personal Weight Loss Challenge. My mom challenged me to lose 15 lbs before my cruise in January. How did I do? I was awesomely successful. Ryan and I cruised to the Bahamas and I felt great.

It's now 7 months later, and I have gained back ALL 15 lbs... plus one more for good measure.

Ouch.

I was doing so well. After my cruise, I stopped counting calories and gained back about 3 lbs. But I was able to maintain that weight until May, when I moved here (stupid Indiana!). Over the past 3 months, I have gained about 10 lbs. I'm going to blame living with Ryan.

Either way... my clothes are snug and I'm unhappy in a swimsuit.

I recently stumbled across a post from December 31 where I listed my goals for 2009. One was "weigh less at the end of the year than I do at the beginning". I weighed 153 back then (12 lbs lighter than I am now). Oh boy.

So I've officially hit my limit. And today starts a new chapter. I'm going to start tracking my calories again. It's annoying and obsessive, but until I can find an easier way to manage a healthy weight, it's my only option.

My long-term goal is to be able to run in a sports bra next summer without dying of embarrassment. My short-term goal is to be 153 by Thanksgiving.

I'll try to post my daily weight loss in the sidebar. GO TEAM!!!

Thoughts From My Couch

2009-08-24T09:56:00.002-05:00

I took a whole week off. It wasn't really recovery... it was laziness. But I think I earned it, so there.

I've got 4 weeks until my next race, so it looks like it's time to start moving again. I ran a little yesterday and was a bit sore afterwards (it was only a WEEK off!).

So, I'm watching the Today show right now. Hoda is talking about how her and Natalie are training for a triathlon. I think they are doing a sprint (although Hoda said "the swim will be a half mile or full mile... I can't remember", so I could be wrong). Now, I've had this discussion with my mom and boyfriend recently, but I'd like to open it up to the community...

Is it just me, or has the sport of Triathlon seen a major leap in popularity over the past year/ year and a half?

My mom thinks I'm just noticing it because I started doing them around that time. Thoughts? Opinions? Do you enjoy the attention the sport is getting, or does it bother you that people are making it into a "fad"?

You Know You're a Triathlete When...

2009-08-18T17:47:00.002-05:00

... you don't even wait for the recovery period to be over before you're signed up for the next race.

I'll be doing the Fishers Area Sprint Triathlon on September 20. It's a 500m swim in an indoor pool, 10 mile bike, and 5k run. It should be a nice fast race to end the season on.

Yesterday was a rough day. I was tired and sore and had a headache. Today has been better, but I had to swap my 4" heels for flats during lunch. My Dad said he's been having really bad pain behind his knees. Ouch.

I'm enjoying my time off from training, but it's making me feel lazy. My mind has been churning about how I can improve for next time. I shouldn't let the run hurt my time as much as it did on Sunday.

One thing I forgot to mention about my race was how slow my transition times were. T2 was over TWO minutes. That's insane. I'll chalk it up to having to change shoes again. Before my next race, I'd like to learn how to get out of my shoes without unclipping. I'm sure I'll write an entire post about that somewhere down the road.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm ready for Friday to be here already!

Tri Indy Race Report

2009-08-16T19:48:00.011-05:00

We drove down to Indianapolis Saturday afternoon. Ryan and I met up with 2 of my old college roommates (yay University of Dayton!). I haven't seen them in over a year, so that made me really happy. Poor Ryan had to sit there and listen as we reminisced about the old days and told embarrassing stories.

We headed downtown for lunch and to check out the canal I would be swimming in (yes... a CANAL).

The canal is a decent size and about 4 feet deep. It's a little murky, but I didn't see too many weeds or fish.

Saturday evening, Ryan and I went out to dinner with my parents.

My pasta was delicious, but my stomach was being angry. It always gets that way before a big race (and staying in a different city doesn't help either).

My nerves kept me up all Saturday night. I got MAYBE 3 hours of sleep (is this an issue for other people??). I couldn't get my mind to settle. Even when I DID sleep, I was dreaming about the race and what could go wrong.

Sunday morning came quickly.

Good morning, Indianapolis!

Transition, ready.

Me and Dad, ready.

Maggie, ready to cheer.

The canal was an extremely unique place to swim. It allows race-viewers to walk along the swimmers and cheer them along the entire way.

There are a bunch of pedestrian bridges you can stand on that provide a great view.

Around 8:45, my heat was ready to go. They were sending us off by estimated swimming speed, fastest to slowest.

I'm the one in the middle grinning like a fool...

I was a little nervous, but the water was calm, my heat was small (about 30 people), and the canal was shallow.

My Dad's heat was about 10 minutes behind mine (he's below in the purple cap).

We were counted down and OFF we went!

The canal made it's intentions very clear...

To be honest, I've never had a race swim so good. I started strong, I stayed strong, I ended strong. It was 99% freestyle, .5% breaststroke, and .5% "did I just smack that girl in the face?".

My cheer squad walked along the canal and followed my progress. They said I passed a bunch of people and ended up at the front of my heat.

500 meters later, I was done.

Transition 1 was a little slow. I put my shoes on before my shorts (woops).

The bike went surprisingly well. I pushed it harder than ever before. Any time I got below 15 mph, I said "NO!" and made myself go faster. Yeah, it hurt. But I finished with my fastest race bike pace ever.

Before too long, it was time for the run (groan).

It was aweful. The crappiness of the run completely made up for the awesomeness of the swim and bike. It was almost 90 degrees outside, and there was zero shade. I shuffled along for 3 painful miles and runner after runner whizzed by me. I fought the urge to walk by imagining my head in a freezer, or my body in an ice bath.

36 LONG minutes later, I finally neared the finish line.

FINALLY!

After I finished, my body debated between collapsing and crying. Where is water when you need it?!

Overall place: 349/463
Age Group: 21/25
Swim: 13:47 (246)
T1: 2:50 (232)
Bike: 48:12 (274)
T2: 2:35 (351)
Run: 37:12 (372)
TOTAL: 1:44:38

Well, my goal time was 1:38, and I might have made it if I didn't totally bomb the run (but come on... 90 DEGREES?!). But besides that, I'm happy. Because I totally rocked the swim and the bike.

So I know what you're ALL wondering. WHO WON?

Well, once again, I'm sad to report that my Dad beat me (by FOUR minutes!). Man, I'm pathetic. How did it happen? He ran his 5K FOUR minutes faster than me. Sigh. Maybe next year.

Here is my final picture. It's my college roommates and I. Even though it wasn't their original plan, they decided to come and cheer me on this morning. They powered through the heat and stayed til the very end. Yay, friends.

Yesterday, Today, and the Day After Tomorrow

2009-08-14T19:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday

I went for my final 5k run before the race. It was 85 degrees and sunny. I completed it in 32 minutes, but felt like I was going to die when I finished. It made me a little nervous for Sunday, but I know I can do it.

Today

Ryan held my bike while I experimented with my Swim/Bike transition outside. I quickly learned that keeping my shoes on my bike will NOT work. It was hard to get my feet in them, and when I took my feet out, my shoe got caught on my front wheel. Bad.

My only option is to put my bike shoes on in transition and wear them while I run with my bike. Boo.

The Day After Tomorrow

is the race. I'm a little nervous, but I feel better about this race than my last one. It's 500m swim, 12.4 mi bike, and 5k run. My goal time is 1:38:00 (or... one second before my Dad!).

Have a good weekend everyone. We're all headed down to Indianapolis. I'll be back on Sunday with results!

Lesson Learned

2009-08-10T18:05:00.003-05:00

I should listen to myself.

My inner-Kelly knows that training should be the VERY first thing I do every morning... especially on days when I work the evening shift.

But I don't listen to her cause she's stupid and talks too much.

Instead, I eat breakfast. And I watch TV. And I read blogs. And I try to make a doctor's appointment.

Then what do I realize? Oh. Right. That I no longer have TIME to train. Or that it's now 15 degrees hotter and 90% more humid. Or that I'm lazy and full of cereal. None of which would have been issues if I'd just done it when I first got up.

So that's today's lesson, boys and girls... training comes first.

Only six days until my next race. I feel unprepared (but can't determine if it's more or less prepared than I felt for my last race). I know I can finish the race just fine. Now, I'm just getting nervous about the weather. It's been VERY hot and humid here the past few days. I don't want to see that in Indianapolis.

TGIF Photo Friday

2009-08-07T08:17:00.009-05:00

(Theme courtesy NikeMom.)

Last weekend, Ryan, Maggie, and I drove up to Michigan to stay at a cabin with some family. We thought there would only be 6 or 7 of us up there... but at some points, there were more than 15 people at the cabin. Phew!

So here is our weekend in pictures...

"Are we there yet?"

A view of the cabin from the dock.

One of my cousins braved the water... but it was 60 degrees out, and so windy that there were white-caps.

The rest of us stayed warm and dry.

I forgot pants, so I had to wear borrowed sweatpants all weekend.

We are a family who likes to eat.

Maggie loved the cabin and the wonderful smelling woods surrounding it.

On Saturday night, the power went out. We played Balderdash in the dark.

It was a little warmer on Sunday.

My Dad insisted the water wasn't that bad.

But my mom knew better. She stayed on the dock.

Sunday afternoon, it was time for Maggie's swimming debut. I bought her an adorable life vest so she wouldn't drown.

And she's off!

We even tried it without the vest, and she did pretty good (but headed straight for shore).

Despite the chill in the air, it's not a weekend on the lake without a little boating.

Maggie loved the boat. So peaceful and windy.

It was nice and warm in the sun.

My Dad jumped off the boat and went for a little swim.

It was his open-water swim training.

Maggie saw my Dad in the water and it peaked her interest.

In she goes.

Swimming like a pro.

And she gets to wrap up in a big towel on the way home.

Overall, it was a fun weekend. And I'm proud to say that I DID workout while I was up there...

On Saturday, we went biking. I used my mom's hybrid, which was hard to get used to. I thought we would be biking along the roads, but next thing I know, my cousin has led us straight into the woods. I officially had my first mountain-biking experience. How was it? Horrifying! It was hard to go up hill, it was hard to go downhill, and every time I hit a patch of sand, I was DOWN. 7 miles later, I was totally exhausted.
After the bike ride, someone convinced me to go for a run. So, in keeping with the Michigan-style of working out, I went for a 3-mile cross country run in the rain. WOO!
On Sunday, Ryan and I went for a leisurely 8 mile bike ride around part of the lake.

My overall training has been going really well. I finally stepped it up and I'm starting to feel better about where this is headed. I've done 9 workouts in the past 9 days (not every day of course). We only have about a week until our race. My only goal is to beat my Dad!

NU Dolphin Waterproof MP3 Player Review

2009-08-03T09:22:00.009-05:00

Back in June, I got 2nd place in a triathlon essay contest. My prize was a NU Dolphin waterproof MP3 player. I was super excited about trying it out, because I always get SO bored while swimming!

So when my MP3 player arrived in the mail, I was thrilled.

Here is everything it comes with...

Clockwise from the top: waterproof MP3 player, sport headphones, waterproof headphones, drying cloth, and instruction manual.

I went straight to the Y to try it out in the pool. The design is pretty ingenious. The MP3 player has straps on it, so it easily connect to your goggles and stays put the entire swim.

The waterproof headphones stay waterproof by screwing into the MP3 player pretty tightly. They have little blue earbuds that are made to keep the headphones in your ears during the swim. Lastly, there are clips on the headphones that can be clipped to your goggles so the cords aren't flying around during the swim.

So how did it go? Pretty badly. After only a lap or 2, my headphones started falling out of my ears. I kept having to stop and push them back in. But in order to get them to stay in, I had to push them in so far that they hurt. Not good!

After I finally figured out the headphones, I kept swimming. But a couple minutes later, the audio in one of my ears went out. I thought maybe the earbud was just falling out, but no. I kept swimming, and the audio was cutting in and out in my right ear the entire time.

By the end of my first swim, I was frustrated and angry.

I went right home and called the NU help line. I talked to a robot-sounding man who apologized and said they would send out new headphones right away. Excellent.

About a week later, a package arrived with new waterproof headphones. YAY!

But wait...

They're broken. The two pieces are sticky, so it looks like they were glued together, and the glue just didn't stick. Definitely NOT waterproof. I fiddled with the one good earbud, and it fell apart also.

GURRRRR.

I said "screw this!" and went swimming again with the original headphones. This time, I wore a swimcap, which definitely helped with keeping the earbuds in my ears (but they still hurt!). The audio sounded great for the first 5 minutes or so, then the right earbud went out again. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal on paper... but when one ear goes out, it suddenly makes it REALLY hard to hear the music.

Overall: It's a great idea and I wanted it to work SOOO badly, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. If I didn't have issues with the headphones, I might feel differently, but the earbuds are still uncomfortable and difficult to keep in. It's just way too much of a hassle during my swim to make the payoff worth it. It's more disruptive than helpful.

I'll be back later this week with photos from this weekend's trip, and details of my training, Michigan-style.

Work Hard, Play Hard

2009-07-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

I DID go swimming yesterday. I only made it 400 yards. I feel like I'm a relatively strong swimmer... but I get worn out really quickly. I take a breath every stroke and it STILL doesn't seem to be enough.

The surprise of the week is that I got up at 5:45 this morning and went for a run. My runs are usually 2.3 miles, simply because that's how far the jogging path near our apartment is. I need to plot out something a little longer, though.

Ryan, Maggie, and I are headed to Michigan this weekend. We'll be staying with my parents at a relative's lake house. I'm excited to do some boating and water skiing and maybe even a little open water swimming (!).

I'll be back on Monday with a review of my NU Dolphin Waterproof MP3 player (it was my prize for winning 2nd place in this essay contest).

18 Days?

2009-07-29T09:28:00.004-05:00

Really?

That's IT?!

Oh boy. I better start pushing it harder.

Last week was a rough one on me. I used my cold as an excuse not to workout. I went 6 days without doing anything. I haven't run in 2 weeks (I haven't swam since June). What?! I'm just trying to be honest here!

On Saturday, instead of working out, Ryan and I went to the zoo.

I met some goats...

And I got to feed a giraffe...

It was a lovely day, but no training. So Sunday morning, I skipped church and went for a 9 1/2 mile bike ride. I'm still absolutely loving my new cycling shoes. Clipping in is getting easier with practice.

Yesterday, I was dressed with my helmet, bike shoes, and IPod on. The moment I walked outside, the skies opened (despite what Weather.com said) and it began pouring (lightning and thunder included).

I know if the race was tomorrow, I'd be okay. I would finish just fine. But I want to be BETTER than just okay! I want to be great. And I want to beat my Dad this time!

Tonight, I'll go to the Y and swim. Even though it's been a month since I've swam, I can't hold back. I need to go further than race-distance. Overly-ambitious? Perhaps. Necessary? Yes.

TGIF Photo Friday

2009-07-23T17:53:00.000-05:00

I Googled it.

Question: Googled what?

Answer: "How to use clipless pedals"

That's right. I didn't know what I was doing. I naively assumed it would be easy and self-explanatory. But when I arrived home after Reagan's tune-up, I was baffled.

I sat on the ground trying to force my shoe onto the clip. It just didn't look like it would ever fit.

So what did I learn from my Googling? The only way to get your shoes onto your pedals is to put them on your feet.

Hmm... seemed simple enough.

So Reagan and I hung out in the garage for a few minutes... clipping in and clipping out. Clipping in and out. In and out.

I was surprised to find out that it's harder to clip in than to clip out. Despite the horror stories, out seems to be the easy part.

So we went for a mini test-run.

(My lovely boy, Ryan, was there to document the whole thing.)

Clip in. Clip out. Clip in. Clip out.

Obvious question: Did I fall?

Surprising answer: No.

Truthful answer: Almost. I unclipped my right foot with every intention on leaning to the right. But gravity had other plans, and pulled me left. With my left foot still clipped in, my life flashed before my eyes (actually, all I could think was, I hope Ryan is getting a photo of this!). But he DIDN'T get a photo... because at the very last moment, my left foot magically unclipped and I saved myself from a concrete face-plant. WOO!

And that's the story of my extremely uneventful first time using clipless pedals.

A few days later, I went for a nice 10-mile bike ride to REALLY test them out.

Verdict? Crossing busy streets now scares me more than usual. With my inability to clip-in on command, I often find myself flailing and riding too slow in front of speeding vehicles (plus, during a street-crossing attempt yesterday, my chain fell off!).

Also, my feet got sweaty. Gross, I know. I took a mental note to wear socks next time.

And speaking of my feet, I found that after about 7 miles, my toes starting getting numb. Not sure what's causing that... maybe the vibrations from my shoes? Who knows.

But overall, I'm thrilled about all this. I feel more powerful going up hills (although, it also hurts a little more... I'm using muscles that I didn't know I had). I can't wait to ride more and see how this impacts my overall abilities.

Sick in Cincinnati

2009-07-19T17:43:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been 9 days since I've posted anything.

I just got back from my college roommate's bridal shower in Cincinnati. I can't believe I'm getting to that age where my friends are getting married. Crazy!

What I learned from this weekend is that I need to throw a fake bridal shower. My roommate hit the kitchen appliance-lottery (there is such a thing, right?).

But on sadder news, I am officially ill. I hate getting sick in the summer, cause I feel like I'm missing out on all this nice weather. Stupid cold! So my training has been non-existent for the past 3 days, and I'm totally okay with that.

Reagan is ready to be picked up from her tune-up, but the bike shop is closed today. I'll pick her up tomorrow, and if I feel up to it, I'll give my clipless pedals a test-run. So stay tuned... I'll post photos, of course!

A Big Week for Reagan

2009-07-10T15:34:00.006-05:00

On Friday, I took Reagan to the local bike shop. She's been dying for a tune-up, and I don't know enough about bike maintenance to do it myself.

But I had secret motives behind this trip.

With only 5 weeks til my next triathlon, I knew it was now or never... to try out my clipless pedals.

(I'll wait for the applause to die down.)

So I asked the bike shop guys to give her a good tune-up, and reattach her god-given pedals (which I replaced with straps when I bought her last summer).

Then I went shoe shopping. I was sad to learn that triathlon shoes won't work with Reagan's pedals. Booo. So I tried on some regular cycling shoes. The sales-guy seemed to be pushing me towards a shoe with more tread on the bottom (possibly a mountain bike shoe?). He thought it would help me run easier in and out of transition.

My thought is... don't most triathletes just leave their shoes on their bike and run transition barefoot? If that's the case, tread wouldn't matter. So I asked to look at a road shoe instead.

I left the store with these...

Here they are at my house...

(Note the pink ribbon inside... 10% of proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen foundation.)

So I'm REALLY excited to try these out. Only problem now is... I don't have a bike! Reagan won't be done with her tune-up until NEXT weekend. Gurrr.

Hurry up, week! I'm sure everyone here wants to hear about my awesome first try (I WILL fall).

TGIF Photo Friday

2009-07-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

(Topic courtesy Nikemom, and guest-hosted by Michelle.)

Even though this was a week ago, I got my hair cut!

As a girl, I'm liking it. But as a triathlete, I'm cursing the decision because my hair no longer goes in a pony tail (at least not without 1,000 bobby pins also). This is quite annoying.

On a different note, I began Maggie's training yesterday to learn to sleep on the floor (HA!).

I practiced with her yesterday afternoon, and she did quite well. I only had to pick her up and put her back in her bed twice.

But when nightfall came and we tried it for real, she would have none of it. I don't mind her up and walking around so much as I mind her whining and barking (especially when Ryan needs to be up at 6:30 in the morning).

So after an HOUR of monitoring her and keeping her in her bed and keeping her from barking, exhaustion got the best of me, and I caved.

She slept soundly in the big bed again. Curses.

Maybe I can do this every night, and she will eventually get the hint and stop freaking out. MAYBE.

Trying to Make Some Changes

2009-07-08T08:04:00.005-05:00

I did 1/2 mile bike intervals on Sunday. This is me trying to improve my cycling (my weakest leg). I was averaging 17-19 mph, which is a good start (but not totally impressive).

I actually ran yesterday. I haven't run since my last tri, so my legs were aching a little bit. I did something new afterwards... I iced my knees. I haven't done that since high school, and it felt really good (numb the pain...).

I'm trying to start counting calories again, but it's not going so well. I usually make it about 2/3 of the way through the day, then give up and eat 3 cookies and a cheese quesadilla. I'm thinking of buying a food scale. I'm wondering if that would make my calorie tracking easier. I would like to lose 10 lbs by Labor Day, but that seems a little unrealistic for me right now.

I need to give Reagan a tune-up. I would also like to look into buying some cycling shoes. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where on earth I would even begin doing that? I'm nervous to leave it up to a local bike shop, cause they might try to sell me something I don't need.

That's about it. I've been busy. Well... not busy, necessarily, but just not bored like I was in Illinois. I have a boyfriend and a dog and a challenging job now. I have far less time to blog.

I've been working 8am - 5pm the past 3 days, so I'm totally exhausted. I can't wait to get back to my 2pm - 11pm schedule. Stupid crazy television industry.

Recovery Week

2009-07-03T15:21:00.002-05:00

Recovery for most triathletes involves shorter distances and lower heart rates.

Recovery for Kelly involves sitting on my butt and doing nothing.

WOO!

Well, I also worked 4 days, went grocery shopping, and got my hair cut. That's productivity, right?

So what did I learn from my last race?

My Dad is faster than me. His run/walk/run technique is better than my slow jog.
Seaweed is HORRIBLE. I spent the entire swim barely able to catch my breath because I was slightly panicked.
Biking is not my strong suit. Even though I set a personal record for speed, I got passed by a lot of people. I had the SLOWEST time in the entire Athena group. Eek.
Training is a good thing. This time I did not train, and I definitely felt the difference.

But I have an announcement.

My Dad and I have signed up for our next race. We will be competing in the Tri Indy Sprint Triathlon on August 16. The entire race takes place downtown Indianapolis (our swim is in the canal!). So it should be interesting. That's 6 weeks from now, so I need to get moving.

I'm just surprised that my Dad wants to do another one. I think he must've caught the bug!