Work, Photo shoots & Training

Wednesday was the typical catch up day with a random photo shoot in the middle. Had a little miscommunication with packing up my bike down in San Diego and unfortunately it didn't actually make it back with me for the shoot and there was no way I was going to be able to do it on a Felt or Ben/Trek might bite my head off. Luckily, Jimmy Archer saved the day and brought me a Trek WSD Equinox that he had used as a demo and was sitting in his office...that was a close one. Shoot went well...got a little crazy if you really wanted to know, but will post some of the more appropriate pics when I get them back. The photo/article will be in the June issue of Inside Triathlon if at all interested. More work all night and well, no training for the day...boo.

Today was a little more productive with a 45min shakeout run in the AM, lots of work at the restaurant and then a 2.5 hr interval ride on the trainer since there were black clouds hovering over the mountains when I got home...sorry, no riding outside in 40* and rain. Got a sweet massage from the roommate afterwards and have been cranking out payroll and inventory journal entries ever since.

Now it's time for bed. Night Night.

Timex Team Camp Part 2

The much awaited post has finally come. Sorry for the delay...I always forget how annoying and stressful it is returning to work after being gone for a few days...

Anyway, the rest of camp was absolutely awesome. More fun and learning with the sponsors and staff at Timex and a couple photos to finish up day 3. Laura and I were selected to do the 'running' photo shoot later in the afternoon which turned out to be hilarious. We pretty much couldn't stop laughing and run seriously and I'm almost positive Ben was about to kill us...however, according to Jon (our kick-ass photographer from Colorado whom I will be traveling to Wildflower with), he said that he will be able to use about 30 of the 400 shots he took...craziness. Kinda interested to see them.

Built up the rest of my bike with Tristan later in the evening and watched a little 'Bachelor' with Laura back in the room as we attempted to pack everything we had received from the camp...wow, lots of stuff! Had a killer tempo/interval run in the early morning before the last session of the camp. Hit the pool then hitched a ride from Ben to the airport where everything went smooth sailing from there (well kinda...will explain in next post).

Fun times with fun people and looking forward to a killer race season with a killer team!!!

GO TIMEX

http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/

Timex Team Camp Part 1

San Diego, the team, the sponsors, the training and well, everything has been absolutely awesome the past few days.

Saturday was a blast traveling with Laura on the plane and then meeting all the team members and sponsors for 2007. After a great dinner, I slept like a total baby...how great.

Sunday - long run along the ocean in the morning with Laura and Kim that was sooo beautiful, lots of media and training with the team, a little swim, then a fun Mexican dinner downtown Carlsbad with the entire team. Definitely some good laughs!

Woke up this morning and enjoyed a nice cup of Joe with Laura and then headed out for a nice easy hour run. Went through some strawberry fields, a few random trails, then trotted around Legoland for the last few minutes. Easy 2K recovery swim to stretch out and loosen up afterwards. More media, a little lunch and now it's time for a few photo shoots and team camaraderie.

Lovin' it.

STOP SNOWING!

I am quite aware that Boulder gets an annual cold weather front at the end of March each year, but seriously...coming back from 85 and sunny weather to cold and snow is not so fun.

Luckily I will be heading out to San Diego tomorrow for the Timex Team Camp. Lots of fun with all of our sponsors, managers and teammates! Whoooaaa.

Stay tuned.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

Been quite busy the last week in Florida and getting caught up at work. Below is a recap of the past few days and the fun times that were had :)

Wednesday - Hit the track and the pool at the NTC in the morning (awesome facility). Interval bike in the afternoon with Blake.

Thursday - Beautiful weather in Clermont and a perfect day for an early morning swim, long bike ride with some of the girls from the Timex team and a shake out run in the afternoon...great conversation and look forward to seeing all of them back at camp this weekend. Met up with the parents and grandparents for dinner in the evening. So nice to see each of them.

Friday - First open water swim of the year in the weird colored Florida lake. Went surprisingly well and felt pretty comfortable. Long run in the later part of the morning and then packed up and headed to Auburndale to stay with the folks. Went out on my grandpa's boat later on with my mom and dad to spot alligators on the lake and totally found a 15ft monster sunning himself on the shore. My grandpa had to go like 5 ft from it until he jumped into the water and almost tipped the boat over - okay, not really, but I'm pretty sure my dad had a mini heart attack!!!

Saturday - Headed to St. Petersburg in the early morning to ride the bike course and test out swimming in the ocean for the race on Sunday...again, I thought the salt water would be a lot worse...I think I'm finally getting over this crazy swimming ridiculousness. Chill afternoon with a run around the lake and a fun dinner at my mom's cousin's place in Tampa. Late night, but fun night.

Sunday - Race in St. Pete (750m swim/20K bike/5K run) all women!!! Great swim, crappy bike, decent run...4th overall and only 25 seconds from 2nd place and 4 seconds from 3rd. Long recovery run afterwards which felt really good. Relaxing rest of the day and a good long nap! Packed and hung out with the rents for the last night in town.

Monday - Early trip to the airport and easy flight to Denver. Hit up the 12:30pm masters and then did quite a bit of work to catch up at home...SUPER TIRED.

Tuesday - Lots of work to do at the law firm and then an easy shake out run up the Canyon. Built up the bike and headed out to ride Super James...not too bad and actually turned out to be quite nice outside. In to work for a bit afterwards and a big trip to the grocery!

Today - More work at the law firm in the morning, killer swim afterwards, a little work at the restaurant, then a long and somewhat painful ride out to Carter Lake and back...let's just say I was going 40mph coasting on the way out and well, barely doing 8mph coming back...just a little windy :)

Florida it is!

Arrived in Clermont this afternoon after waking up at 3:30am to catch the bus to the airport. Got the grand tour of the area and the training center and just got done making a great dinner. Ready to be away from Boulder and enjoy a work-free/lots of training week. Looks like great weather is in store for the next couple days so it should be a great time.

Stay tuned for updates...especially you Lara...there might be some secret code over the next few days :) Haha.

St. Patty's Day in BOCO.

Started the morning off with a climb on the bicycle up Super James...absolutely beautiful (73 and sunny), but damn, totally forgot how freakin' steep that climb is after Jamestown...whoa! Because my legs were so shot when I got home, I decided to eat lunch and wait a little while to go on my run...even after waiting, I still felt like I had 20lb bricks in each of my legs, ugh.

Leaving for Florida on Tuesday and have to catch the bus at 4:30 in the morning. Since I have a super hectic day with work and training and Monday, thought it would be a good idea to start packing. Got a few things organized and hopefully after a load of laundry, I will be all set to just throw everything in the suitcase on Monday.

Even though I was completely exhausted, I don't think I would be able to deal with staying in on my most absolute favorite day of the year. If my name, the Irish decor in my room, my four leaf clover contacts and four leaf clover tattoo (which I got when I was 15) doesn't show any indication of my die hard dedication to my heritage, I'm not sure what else will. At any rate, I got as jazzed up as I could and went out for a bit to see all the crazies on Pearl Street and have dinner at Hapa for Losey's 29th birthday :)

A Sunny Day in Boulder, CO!

Billy Edwards is the COOLEST!
Hehe, I knew you would eventually read that :)

Ran to the top of Bow Mountain this morning which was by far one of the most amazing hill climbs EVER! Nice find JZ. Productive few hours at work and then a stellar 3+hr ride on the bicycle in the sunshine. Unfortunately, the evening is going to be wrapped up with some more work, but no worries...get to go play in the mountains again tomorrow! Yippeee :)

Rain?

I thought it was supposed to be 55 and sunny today? Now it's pouring rain and it's not even on the radar...weird. Guess I'll have to rearrange some things on the schedule since there is no way I'm riding Super James in 38* and rain. Boooo!

Anyway, things have been a little crazy on this end. Chautauqua was unfortunate this past weekend and experienced a grease fire which completely destroyed most of the kitchen and the entire roof. Not only does this put a stop on the deal that was going through between the two partners of the business, it makes for a lot of unnecessary added stress for everyone involved...including ME! Working on trying to stay cool, calm and collected about things, but it's not very easy when everyone around you is loosing their minds!

Alright, I'm going to jump on the trainer and spin the legs out. Hope everyone has a marvelous day.

One more thing - totally peeved that I wasted $5 on a car wash the other day...now all the crap on the roads from the rain is going to make it all dirty again...that's the last time I'm doing that!

Too funny!

Since it was in the 70s and absolutely gorgeous yesterday, I decided to open the sunroof in my car for the ride back from the restaurant. It felt so awesome having the sun shine in the car while jammin' to some tunes on the radio.

Unfortunately, I completely spaced that I had opened the sunroof, forgot to close it, and when I got in the car this morning, the tree that I parked underneath all night had sprinkled little buds ALL over the front seats of my car...how annoying? At least it wasn't rain!

Great track session in the AM and a fun ride in the afternoon with JZ. She is looking mighty sexy and pretty darn fit to kick some booty this weekend in Honduras on her new pink Guru :)

Ahhh, the sunshine and warm weather!

Killer swim this morning in the sun! I love it when that happens.

However, had to work all day at the restaurant playing 'Miss Manager' so Micah could have another full day off. Who wants to sit inside all day when it's 72 degrees outside?!?! At least it's supposed to be this way for the rest of the week!

Well, must get back to the madness of kissing ass to Boulder's 'fine diners'...joy, joy :)

You ask, you get!

Billy Captain 'Pookiesaurus' Edwards is a giant BUTTHEAD :)

Crappy day in the water, wonderful day on the bicycle - 60*, sunny, little wind - doesn't get much better than that!

Run, Erin, Run...

...but not that hard! Ran a little too hard yesterday morning up and down 6th street leaving me feeling a little off/yucky for the rest of the day. No worries - still got in my easy bike and 3500m swim (solo) but definitely didn't feel too great doing it!

Made a delicious dinner after swimming (pita bread pizzas with chicken and pineapple, spinach salad and cappuccino chip frozen yogurt) and played some Mario Golf all night...fun fun:)

Switching the long run from tomorrow to today because it's supposed to rain all day. Hope the legs are cool with that! Long rides in 40 degrees and rain are definitely not something I'm too into!

Epson Salt Baths

A steaming hot bath with epson salts is in my mind, one of the best muscle recovery methods there is. Not to mention it feels REALLY good and is super relaxing.

Had a decent day. A very chill 50 minute run in the am on the Niwot trails, managing at work from 10-2, then a 2.5hr bike in the hills. Although it was freakin' windy as hell, I think I'm starting to get over my insane hatred of it. Realizing how much stronger of a rider I have become riding through it makes it seem somewhat justifiable...or something like that.

Chatted with the little bro for over an hour later in the evening. So random that we both have issues with our eyes the exact same time. I scratch my cornea and he has some crazy eye infection. Too funny.

Busy day tomorrow. Run, work, bike, swim.

Pig Out :(

There are just some days when my endless pit of a stomach, mostly referred to as a 'Garbage Disposal' just never gets full...and today was one of those days. I swear, no matter how much food I consume, even in one sitting, I just can't seem to get full. So unfortunately, my giant pig out was totally not even worth it...darn!

Interesting day - got out of the pool after a panic attack this morning, great ride in the warm weather in the afternoon after a little work and then a decent swim post bike on my own.

Killer Day!

Slept in until 7am this morning, was super productive at the law firm, got some things taken care of for the restaurants with our CPA and lawyer and then went home for a sweet workout.

Warm up run, 3x hard bike/hard run, cool down bike - total workout 2:45min...totally awesome day to throw the trainer outside and run to and from home IN SHORTS!!! Hell yea - it was in the 60s and absolutely gorgeous...I guess that's what happens to those to stick it out and have patience through the crappy times...that sentence does indeed have a double meaning, wink, wink :)

Had a great conversation with Mr. Blake afterwards and delicious protein shake before heading to the pool for a little swim to loosen up the muscles and sit in the hot tub for a bit...ohhh, so nice.

Now I'm back at work for the evening. Closing again, and definitely not excited about it, but I am eager for a sweet meal at the end of the night!

Long Day

Worked at the law firm from 6-8:30am this morning. Attempted to swim at 9am but got out after 1000m because I wasn't feeling so hot. Then headed into the restaurant to play manager for the whole day.

Luckily I was able to escape for an hour to get to my eye doctor appointment which went really well. The eye is all healed up and I can begin wearing my contacts tomorrow morning! YESSSSS!

Now I'm back at work until close so our other manager Micah can have a whole day off. I'm obviously not doing anything worthwhile so I'm playing on my laptop at the host stand...shhh, don't tell :)

Productive Day :)

Great long run early this morning - even though it was 21* when I started and my glasses were annoying the living crap out of me. That was followed by a good swim in the sun - despite the other 7 people in my lane.

After a huge lunch, I went and got a lot of things taken care of with Chautauqua and the issues concerning the change of ownership...huge pain, but I think everything will be finalized early next week...oh I hope so!

Just had a great chat with the coach and have a BIG week ahead of me...it's supposed to be in the 60s and sunny all week!!!! I can't wait!

But what I really can't wait for is March 20th. I will be heading down to Florida to see the fam and Blake and get some super sweet training and racing in....yipppeeee :)

Heading to the trainer to spin the legs out for an hour and annoy the neighbors with my obnoxiously loud music...oh I'm so evil.

Training with glasses is no fun

Especially when the prescription is from 6 years ago, the frames are constantly falling off your face, and your sweat is dripping all over them and fogging them up.

So I was obviously able to get in some training today (3hrs on the trainer and a 35min run) after a great night sleep. I think not sleeping in 48 hours was taking a big toll on my body and even though my eye was still killing me, I think the fact that I needed sleep was totally shutting out the pain.

Feeling a lot better today and hopefully the eye will continue to heal and I will be able to get back to the normal routine in no time.

Early morning trip to the ER

So my eye was absolutely killing me when I got done closing at the restaurant last night and I thought that by taking out my contacts and getting into bed, everything would be just fine. Well boy was I wrong.

I spent the entire night (11pm-4am) getting up every 15min to rinse my eye out with water or solution because it was hurting and burning so badly. After not being able to sleep at all and for fear that my vision was in jeopardy (my eye was truly the color of a bright red apple), I drove my ass to the hospital to figure out what the hell was going on.

Apparently I have a giant scratch on my cornea and it is one of the most painful things in the world...no wonder I couldn't sleep. The worst part is that there is nothing they can give you for the pain except Vicodin or something along those lines, and that the pain will dissipate once the eye starts to heal in 3-5 days...BRILLIANT!!!! So now I just get to lay in bed for the next few days with all the lights off and wallow in agony until the pain goes away.

Seriously, I'm scared to know what the hell is going to happen next...every time things start to get a little better, something ridiculous like this has to happen....AAAHHH!!!!

Boooo!

There is no amount of authority in the world you can have being a manager of any business to justify putting up with the random bull shit and working the long and grueling hours.

Can you tell how I really feel?!?

I volunteered to temporarily help manage the restaurant while we find Micah the 'perfect' assistant. However, this entails dressing up, sucking up to snooty customers and staying late to close up. If I didn't have a full day of training and work to do for my other two jobs, it really wouldn't be too bad, but I'm totally exhausted right now and when Micah leaves in a few, it's gonna take everything I have to pull it together for the night!

This is why I am a bookkeeper and not a manager :)

STOP SNOWING!!!

Seriously...I just don't understand how I can go for a 2.5 hour ride outside yesterday and then swim in a complete whiteout this morning...grrr.

Between the snow, a rough day at work, ripping my pants, and having to ride the trainer for over 2 hours, I am very glad the day is almost over :)

Back on the track

Today was the first time since last summer that I got out on the track for some intervals. I am not, shall we say, the fast-twitch type, so luckily I started out with 4x1 mile with 45 seconds rest in between. Even after a solid 20min warm up, they definitely were not as speedy as I would have liked, but then again, I was feeling totally flat from a hard weekend of training and a complete rest day yesterday. OH well...but what really got me through it was when 'This is how we do it' by Montell Jordan came on my ipod during the last effort...classic. I have been putting my mp3 player on shuffle so the most random songs have been coming up at the most bazaar times. It was hilarious and gave me that last extra kick to finish up the final 800m of the workout!

Taxes

What a huge pain in the you know what. No offense Dad, but next year will be way easier when you can't claim my ass :) Hehe. Love ya!

Did you know...

That the BANANA: can improve depression, PMS, blood pressure, hangovers, heartburn, nerves, ulcers, stress, strokes, and much more?!?Eat your bananas folks...and if you want to make it super fancy, spread lots of peanut butter all over it. I promise it will taste delicious :)

Yes...funny...haha

Shep thought it would be funny to take a picture of himself with what he likes to call my 'Clown Bike' just to show how miniature it truly is. Just because the frame is half the size of yours and does indeed have 'Circus Wheels' (650cc) doesn't mean I can't make it go super fast :) I think I remember someone having to bail early on a ride this week because they couldn't keep up!!!

Alright, alright...so you were on your mountain bike and I was on my TT bike...but come on Shep, all you have to do in life right now is eat, sleep and train...only joking!

The Big Lebowski

So Andrew and I watched the movie "The Big Lebowski" last night and I have to say...I was not very impressed at all. Yes, I know, I had never seen it until then, but still, I really don't get why people think it's an absolutely hilarious movie and have memorized almost every single line from it.

Hmmm...must be one of those flicks that you have to see over and over and each time it gets better. Guess I'll just have to watch it again sometime :)

2 Notes to Self...

1) Carbon brake pads do NOT work on aluminum braking surface. I forgot to change them out yesterday before I went riding and let me tell you how terrifying it is coming down the back side of Lee Hill when you have hardly any braking control. Yeah, not doing that again.

2) Getting 10.5 hours of great sleep feels freaking AWESOME :)

No new home for me :(

Still stuck in my shit hole taking care of my roommate's dog...grrr

First Ride Outside

That's right...for the first time since November, I rode my bike outside! And it was AWESOME! The weather has been warming up a bit here so cross your fingers that it stays that way :)

Putting in a bid for a house tomorrow...ohhh do I hope I get it...stay tuned!

Holy Winds

Totally did not sleep at ALL last night because of the insanely strong and vicious winds throwing and swirling all sorts of things at my window and scaring the crap out of me. Needless to say, I'm exhausted and a little crabby...but it's okay :) Maybe a little bowling and Mexican food tonight will help out!

I'm actually starting to like the cold and snow...

JUST KIDDING! At this point, I don't really have much of a choice in the matter so I'm just going to have to force myself to like it! At least it's sunny :)

A little nervous to go into the restaurant this afternoon since yesterday was the busiest and craziest day of the year with over 170 reservations and immense amount of hours of food and staging preparation!

What a worthless holiday when you're single...

55 to 15

Degrees that is...and that's exactly what the weather did here in Boulder from yesterday to today...and don't forget the snow that came with the colder temps too.

I know, I know, it's absolutely freezing in the mid-west and you guys are getting pounded with snow too...I'm really not complaining, I'm just telling :)

Man, being in warm San Diego or Palm Springs sounds pretty damn good right about now. Jo - I wish I would have jumped in your bike box!!!

11K Baby!!!

So I know it's been a whole week since I've had anything to say and I know whoever reads this thing on a regular basis is DYING to know what I've been up to (haha...jk), but I've chosen to not jinx myself with the whole swimming thing and wait until the end of the week to write about it.

As you know, I have not been able to swim without being nauseous or freaking out in the pool in over 9 weeks and this past week was the absolute breakthrough week! I was able to swim on 5 different occasions, putting in at least 2K each time!!! Yes, compared to the insane meters I was swimming this summer, it's nothing, but from nothing to 11K this week is HUGE for me. Not only on a physical basis, but a mental one too.

May be a little on the slow side with the posts again this week...I'm trying to wrap up the whole housing issues so I can finally sign a contact by the end of the week. Stay tuned for some pics from the architect who designed the 'soon-to-be' Erin's brand new townhouse!!!!! SWEEEEEEEEET :)

Ohhh, so excited to buy a house :)

Had an awesome meeting with my realtor (who is by far the coolest EVER) yesterday and am definitely looking forward to progressing with the purchase my first home!

Taking the homeowner's classes again this upcoming Monday and Saturday and will hopefully be eligable to starting putting in bids for these awesome new condos that will be built in the summer of 2007...

Hot Stone Massage

Ooooh, doesn't that sound good? Well let me tell ya...it feels damn good :)

Mercedes found a bunch of great stones on the beach when she was visiting San Diego a few weeks ago and decided to try them out on me the other night. WOW...that was exactly what I needed after dealing with all the stresses of work, the stomach procedure, the COLD ASS weather and much more.

Speaking of cold weather....we had another snow storm pass through last night leaving Boulder with about 8 more inches of snow and absolute frigid temps...when I mean frigid, I'm talking about BELOW ZERO temps...brrr.

At this point, packing up and taking a month training trip to a warm climate is looking quite plausible as my motivation to do anything other than drink hot tea and lay in bed is pretty pathetic.

Okay, I'm done complaining, but when it doesn't even reach 10 degrees during the day, it's REALLY annoying!

A day of napping...how enjoyable?!?

I guess, if you consider forced napping fun.

Mark drove me to the hospital this morning at 6:45am, had the procedure (don't remember anything at all) and was back home and in bed by 9:30am. Slept til noon and then ate 2 pieces of toast and could barely keep my head up so I got back into bed and slept until 3:15pm. Found myself starving when I woke up so I had some soup and rice and amazingly, getting back into bed for the rest of the night actually sounds kinda good :) What a waste of a day.

Stay tuned for the results from the biopsies when I get them.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Some people perfer to use alternative terms such as an upper endoscopy, gastroscopy, or EGD.

Honestly, who the hell wants to have a procedure performed on them that looks remotely close to that word? I sure as hell don't, but unfortunately I don't have much of a choice as that's what's on the docket for 7am tomorrow morning for Miss Erin!!!

Upon doing a little research about this ridiuclous test, I found out the following:

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) which is inserted down the throat. You will be given a sedative and an analgesic. A local anesthetic will be sprayed into your mouth to suppress the need to cough or gag when the endoscope is inserted. A mouth guard will be inserted to protect your teeth and the endoscope. Dentures must be removed. In most cases, an intravenous line will be inserted into your arm to administer medications during the procedure. You will be instructed to lie on your left side. After the gag reflex has been suppressed by the anesthetic, the endoscope will be advanced through the esophagus to the stomach and duodenum. Air will be introduced through the endoscope to enhance viewing. The lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum is examined, and biopsies can be obtained through the endoscope. Biopsies are tissue samples that are reviewed under the microscope. After the test is completed, food and liquids will be restricted until your gag reflex returns. The local anesthetic makes swallowing difficult. This wears off shortly after the procedure. The endoscope may stimulate some gagging in the back of the throat. There may be a sensation of gas, and the movement of the scope may be felt in the abdomen. Biopsies cannot be felt. Because of the intravenous sedation, you may not feel any discomfort and may have no memory of the test.

How incredibly unappealing does that sound?!?! What have I gotten myself into? I think the only good part about it is that I get to come home and sleep ALL day...WHOOAA :)

Wish me luck!

Holy Crap...I DID IT!!!!

Not too many people have been aware of the ridiculous problems with swimming I have been having the past couple months so in order to comprehend my excitement of swimming 2K yesterday evening you'll have to understand a few things.

Since the first week of December, I have been experiencing extreme nausea every time I get in the pool. Yes, I did have the flu at first, and yes, I probably shouldn't have been trying to swim through it, but...you know how it goes. Anyway, even though my stomach problems persisted (and still are...stay tuned for my crazy stomach surgery on Tuesday) I have tried numerous times to get back in the water, only to find myself getting even more nauseous, incredibly frustrated, and quite upset. I was creating this giant mental block and psychologically making myself afraid to swim...why? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!

As of yesterday, I had not swam more than 200 meters in about 9 weeks and was seriously about ready to lose it. I worked so hard this summer to improve my swim when I had a stress fracture in my hip and could not run and I felt like everything I had done was totally gone. It took an amazing and motivational talk from a great friend during our long trainer ride inside for me to finally break the funk I was in and get back in the water. Susanne is one of the most understanding people I know and made me feel so good about myself, even though this whole experience has really put a damper on me.

To check out more on Susanne and her tremendous story as a wife, mommy of two and top notch athlete visit her site below!!!

www.triathletemom.com

Okay, it can stop snowing and being cold Boulder!

After an amazing evening of playing Euchre with friends and getting served a delicious array of goodness by Pete and Brad, I hit the pillow not only very hard, but incredibly satisfied!


However, this morning when I woke up, the first thing I see is another white blanket of snow covering the trees and sidewalk outside my window...grrr!

So on that note, my long bike ride must be completed inside on the trainer for 3 hours...UGH. Luckily I am able to listen to whatever music I desire (even though I have to keep it somewhat turned down so my neighbor doesn't come over and yell at me again...oops) and play Nintendo 64 the entire time!!!

New Computer...WHOOOAAA!

My new laptop finally arrived yesterday and I can now resume working from home as well as access my email on a regular basis!!!

Isn't it funny how a new computer is sooooo exciting?!?! I love it!

Fun with the fam!!!

So it's obviously been a while since I have updated this thing and it's because I was having way too much fun hanging out with mom and pop over the past week! Mom flew out Tuesday night and tagged along to see what her little girl does on a daily basis with work, training, etc and dad flew in Thursday night, just in time to have an amazing dinner at the new restaurant! Mmmm...was it good :)

We spent the weekend in a cabin at Snow Mountain Ranch and did a little of everything - skate skiing, downhill skiing at Winter Park, running in the snow, chillin', relaxin', playin' Euchre with Brad and Pete, and just had a great time! It was unfortunate that their weekend had to end with a 4 hour plane delay back home to Michigan on Sunday evening...eventually getting them back home at 5:30am...just in time for dad to shower and head to work on absolutely no sleep...poor guy!
At any rate, it was a fabulous weekend and so nice to see my family and have them experience a little of what I do on a daily basis out here in Colorado! LOVE YA!!!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr....COLD

Boulder is experiencing yet another crazy effect of this abnormally insane winter - below zero degree temps! Not that 2 more snow dumps this weekend was enough, we also need to have -5 degree weather...ridiculous.

Hopefully it warms up a bit for my momma tomorrow. She definitely won't like coming on vacation to extreme cold :) I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Let's Go Red Wings, LET'S GO!!!

So for any hockey fans out there, I'm sure are aware of the long standing rivalry between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. Being a native of Michigan, I am without a doubt, a HUGE Wings fan...always have been. On Tuesday evening, my two friends from Michigan (Brad and Pete) and I headed down to the Pepsi Center to watch the game.

As we were walking from the parking lot into the building, I couldn't help but notice all the Red Wing jerseys people (including myself) were wearing...it was almost like we were back in Detroit. When we got to our seats, it was even more amazing how many Detroit fans were there. From the third deck, we could pretty much see the entire arena and it was COVERED in red!

At any rate, the game was pretty much the best game were could have ever gone to. Tied 1-1 after the first period, 2-2 after the second, 3-3 after the third and still tied after overtime. Although the Wings were out shooting the Avs 48-24, it was still an exhilarating game to watch and the shootout couldn't have been any more suspenseful. Each team gets 3 shots and it actually came down to the very last shot and the Wings scored to take the much deserved victory! WHAT A GAME!!!

The three of us will definitely be back next year :)

My dad is so right...

This is the email I got from him yesterday morning!!!

'Hi Hon, Is it safe to come to Colorado???? Blizzards, avalanches, high wind warnings, what's next???
Love Dad'

I mean seriously...the entire country is experiencing a complete heat wave, and Colorado is having the most outrageous and random weather EVER...craziness

Still sick...

... another Dr. appointment tomorrow.

Is there anyone in Boulder who is not sick as hell and vomiting uncontrollably??? Geez, I swear the nastiest flu bug is floating around this city and EVERYONE has it!

Winter Wonderland

Yes, that's right folks, Denver/Boulder got dumped on AGAIN...and this time I was actually here for it! Lots and lots of snow, but gorgeous as all can be!

Still working on the 'being sick' issue. Got another set of tests done Thursday and still waiting on answers...ugh...

Grrrr....

Still sick and pretty annoyed...trying hard to get over it...even spent 4 hours getting stuck with needles in the hopsital yesterday...grrr

What a Merry Christmas

I can say that I had the most unusual Christmas I have ever had in the past 22 years of my life :) Did not spend the typical evening pigging out at my grandparents with the rest of the family, but instead flew back to Denver. The flight was supposed to leave at 6:30pm from the most awful terminal known to mankind (the old Detroit airport) and it ended up being delayed an hour...not a big deal. What was a big deal was the fact that there was a child in front of me who I swear probably bursted about 467 blood vessels from screaming so freaking loud for almost the entire flight. I don't just mean screaming people, this kid had the most piercing noises coming from it you would have thought the parents were trying to kill it...oh my god. Okay, could be worse...but was really hard to deal with since I already did not feel so great. So we finally get to Denver and the bags come out in some sort of timely fashion. Time to jump on the shuttle and go to our car which is parked in long term parking a few miles away. By this point, I'm so ready to be home it's not even funny. Brad and I get to his car, attempt to turn it on, and nothing...we tried for about 15 minutes and unfortunately there was nothing else we could do but get back on the shuttle and head back to the airport where we had to wait another 40 minutes for the bus to take us back to Boulder! Let's just say I didn't get back home until about 2am (eastern time) and was here at the law office (the last place I would ever want to be) at 5:30am! I sure hope that your Christmas was a little more enjoyable!!!

Okay - I'm done pissing and moaning...until the flight, I had a great day with the fam. Chillin' and relaxin' and opening presents while eating cinnamon rolls was an absolute blast :)

Can you say...lucky?!?!

Because that's exactly what Brad and I are for catching one of the last flights out of Denver before the crazy storm hit! Can you imagine being stranded in an airport? Oh my goodness, I would FREAK! I sure hope things are cleared up on Monday for us to fly back home!

Michigan is just dandy...40 and rainy...and I'm still sick as hell. I'm convinced I'm either crazy or have caught a never ending and spontaneous case of the flu. Whatever it is, it better go away fast because I'm on a fine line of loosing it...

The entire family (48 people to be exact) will be over this evening for the annual gift opening party. Yes, lots of people!!! Should be fun and nice to see everyone. I just hope I'm feeling better by then!

Stay tuned for more holiday updates...hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable week and that those back in Colorado are staying warm...especially you Jo, better keep those fleece socks on :)

Lions, Tigers and bears...oh my!

It's amazing how fast time can fly during the holidays! Last weekend came and went like a flash in the sky and I can't even believe it's already less than a week from Christmas! Not to mention that after I get everything I need to get done today, I'm hopping on a plane to fly back to Detroit this evening! CRAZINESS!

At any rate, things are going a little better and I finally think I'm on the upswing of this ridiculous sickness I came down with over 2 weeks ago. I was able to venture out on Sunday to see the Zoo lights downtown Denver and will hopefully have lots of fun and exciting things to do while I'm at home...like going to strength training classes at Lifetime with the best neighbor in the world :-)

Well must get back to the grind and get everything ready to leave for a few days! I'll try to stay current while at home, but family time is much more important so please excuse my tardiness if that is the case!

Happy Holidays!

Holy Crap...I'm actually approved!!!

Can anyone please tell me what in the world is wrong with the American Society?!?! Not that I'm complaining one bit, because I think it's pretty freaking awesome, but there is NO way a 22 year old making hardly any income should be pre-approved for a $210,000 loan!!! Yeah, you read that right! WOW...huh?

I guess now it's time to find a 3 bedroom place for that amount and 2 other roommates to rent from me! Sounds so simple, yet realistically could be a complete disaster. Yes, I have a ton of thinking and reflecting to do about it, but for now, it's kind of exciting! Stay tuned...I'm taking a 6 hour homeowner class on Saturday so my current 'Grand Idea' might not seem so grand anymore :) Haha...we'll just have to see!

Ski Waxing Clinic

Not much else to mention about yesterday except that Kristin and I attended a Ski Waxing Clinic last evening at Neptunes...nice to brush up on the skills that are necessary for a good time on the slopes :) Now I just need to get my butt up there and start skiing!!!

Buying a house...me?!?

Yeah that's right people, Erin is in the market to buy a house in Boulder!!! Can you believe it, because I can't! Anyway, I embarked on the first step in the process by attending one of the three homeowner classes offered by the city last night. Wow, there is a lot more to this whole deal than I thought...but I'm still totally interested. Also, for the first time in my life I looked up my credit rating online...pretty cool! After I take the second and third courses all day Saturday I'll let you know if I'm TRULY going to get serious :) Until then, keep your eye out for any homes available in Boulder under a million bucks...it might be hard!!!

Did I say a million, I meant $200,000...do those even exist in Boulder?

Oh my goodness...so sick :(

Nothing much else to say except the fact that I am sicker than a dog and can't do anything else except sit at the computer and sleep all day. The worst part is that I totally missed out on Pete's birthday, Wolfgang's Holiday Party and seeing Michael for the first time in almost a month...grrrr. I'm on day 2 of this shit and going crazy...guess better now than in mid-season.

So I did forget to mention how much fun I had on Friday evening meeting up with my 'favorite cousin' Jeff and his girlfriend Erin who is currently working in Aspen. It was so great to see both of them while listening to Mercedes' boss's band play at the Foundry. I definitely think Jeff needs to get a job out here and hang out for a bit...I think he'd like it a lot more than he can imagine :)

Drinking lots of tea and coffee and eating lots of soup and honey...yummm! Until my throat un-swells and I can talk normal, STAY CLEAR...I am not going to be responsible for getting anyone else sick!!!

Really Random

So I was super sick (flu-like) on Monday, totally awesome Tuesdsay, sick again on Wednesday...now I'm on my way up to the mountains with Kristin to get in some great skate skiing at Breckenridge and hit up the 2008 Burton snowboard demo in Vail. I really hope I feel much better today...if the cycle continues as it has, then I should be golden!!! So weird.

More on this later, we're about to head out :)

Holiday presents and birthday presents, oh my!

I'm usually pretty on the ball with gift giving except this year seems to be quite the opposite. When I mean on the ball, I mean I'm usually done with my Xmas shopping close to August :) For some reason, I'm just not getting any brilliant ideas like I normally do. Oh well...still have 20 more days, right?!?

Not only is it the holiday season, but today is my roommate's birthday and December 10th is my good friend Sara's birthday!!! Yippee for celebrations :)

On a totally random note, it's starting to get a little warmer here in Boulder and pretty soon the roads will be melted so I can finally get off the stupid trainer and ride outside...I CANNOT WAIT!

The party ROCKED :)

Not much else to say!

As Brad, Pete and I know, all that attended had a great time...the food was delicious (thanks Bradford), the sangria and jello-shots were awesome (thanks Zeigers), and the 'White Elephant' portion was an absolute hit (thanks EVERYONE)!

Definitely feeling a little 'after-math' today, but just got a long massage from the roomie which hopefully pushed all the toxins out...or something like that!

Holiday party #1 down...ugh, too many to count still left to go.

First Ski Day of the Season

Yeah Baby - time to get back on the skis and get rockin'...luckily everyone and their mother loves to skate ski in the wonderful town of Boulder so our local parks are all groomed up and free of charge to skate for as long as you want. Or more like 45 minutes if it's your first time of the season. Either way, it's an absolute blast and great cross training :)

Crazy party to plan for tomorrow and I've gotten about 5 hours of sleep a night this week. NEED TO REST UP!!!

Winter has hit Boulder

Oh how I love white winters!!!

Boulder got nailed with about a foot of snow over the past two days and it was AWESOME! Despite the inability to go ride/run outside, it's still amazing...espcially when you're swimming outside and the flakes hit your face everytime you turn to take a breath! I LOVE IT! Just means more skiing, right!!! Of course, but it needs to be a little warmer than 5 degrees for me to do that :)

Busy, busy getting ready for the big Party this Saturday!!! WHOOAAAA.

Back to the Grindstone

The first round of Holiday fun is over and now it's time to get crackin' with work and all the other random things that need to be done before round 2 of the craziness!

From Christmas shopping and party planning to doctor appointments and getting caught up at work, I will be one busy girl over the next month :)

Stay tuned for updates...

No more pumpkin pie...please

I can officially say that I am finally full. Yes, I know that doesn't happen very often and my father truly does believe that I am a human garbage disposal when it comes to food, but Thanksgiving dinners are one of the few meals that can do the trick!

It's been a super fun and enjoyable last few days with the family and friends. On Thanksgiving day, the Detroit Holiday Parade was a little chilly, but very enjoyable and the Lions game was a blast even though they are the absolute shittiest team in the world. We were pretty much boo-ing at them the entire time...kinda mean, but couldn't help it.

Today I met up with a really good friend from high school that I had not seen in almost 4 years. It was so great to finally catch up and see how well both her and her family are doing :) My Momma also cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for us and her parents who drove up from Kalamazoo. Again, so nice seeing the family and just hanging out!

Locks for Love BABY!!!

It's been since June of 2004 that I have had a haircut and boy did I need one :) For those of you who aren't aware of my scraping-by budget, cutting over $350 a year in haircuts is a pretty big savings!

At any rate, I feel that donating hair to the 'Locks for Love' foundation is a great and fun thing to do too. Any organization that collects hair to make wigs for cancer patients is just amazing and if I can help out, I'm in! This definitely isn't my first time tackling this adventure and it most certainly will not be the last! I never know what length I want my hair and this way I get to experience all of them...cool!!!

Check out the before and after pics from the big cut today...please just look at the hair and not the ridiculous expressions on my face...

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanksgiving Week!!!

It's finally here! Tomorrow morning I will be flying back home to Michigan for the first time since May...I can't wait! We have a lot of very exciting things planned and most importantly, lots of quality family time to enjoy!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find time to post things during the week, but I will try my best. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for a good Thanksgiving Day football game for a the Lions because that is where we will be!!! Yes, I'm aware they have been in the crapper all season (as usual), but maybe they'll get it together while I'm home :) How cool will that be?!?

Don't forget to eat lots of turkey. and mashed potatoes. and corn. and cranberries. and pie. and everything else you can fit into your tummy!

I had to do it...

You never think it will actually happen to you, and then, it does...

I got a huge gash in my tire and triple flatted on my bike yesterday and had to call Mercedes and Aaron to come pick my ass up because I was totally stranded on the side of HWY 36 :(

The only reason I didn't feel TOO bad is because there are many times in which I have been the person on the other end receiving the phone call to come get someone!!! I was pretty annoyed since it was absolutely gorgeous and I was having a really enjoyable and fun ride. Oh well, at least I was able to get a ride home, right!?!?

Bowling!

There's nothing better than getting a huge group of people together from all over Boulder with ages all across the board, personalities from all walks of life, but all inthe same place to have one hell of a time!

Last night was an absolute riot and a perfect kick off to the holiday season. People are definitely getting pumped for Brad, Pete and my First Annual 'I look hot in my speedo party' in a few weeks, which should honestly be one of the most hilarious things in the world...more details on that later!

Anyway, it's the weekend and only a few short days before I head home for Thanksgiving! Wow, it's been a while...6 months to be exact! I CAN'T WAIT!

Off to go play on the bicycle...you can't beat 50 and sunny out here...lovin' it :)

I am NEVER having children...

...okay, maybe someday, but no time in the near future.

Watching my boss's 2 year old twins last night confirmed my pre-conceived notions that children are a LOT of work and I definitely do not have the patience for anything of that nature!

Always willing to help out in a pinch, but he owes me BIG time :)

Holy Niwot Trails and Mansions

For those who are not from the area, Niwot is a small town just outside Boulder...it's actually where the new restaurant I'm working at is located!

Yesterday I went on an exploratory run on all the new trails around the city and not only found some amazing running terrain, but also stumbled across all the incredibly monstrous houses/mansions everyone has always talked about in the area. Oh my goodness...not much to comment on...too crazy :)

Warren Miller

Another year, another incredible movie. It amazes me how each film can cover a new part of the world's skiing/snowboarding terrain, especially after 37 years of production...it's just awesome.

So obviously I went and saw Warren Miller's 'Off the Grid' last night at the Boulder Theater with some friends. If that doesn't pump you up for the ski season, I'm not quite sure what will. Seeing all the fresh powder and beautiful places totally gave me chills. I love winter and after last year's debacle with the blood clot, and therefore no skiing, I'm sooooo ready to hit the slopes :)

And to make things even cooler, with your entry into the film, you receive a free lift ticket to both Winter Park and Copper Mountain...SWEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

Check it out:

www.warrenmiller.com

Bike fits are kinda fun!

So apparently the fits on both my road and TT bikes were totally off which was causing all the problems in my back and leg...of course it is...duh!

Friday afternoon I spent a few hours with the coach and Chris Solano of Pro Peloton getting both bikes completely dialed in. We completely re-built the front end of my TT bike, changed pedals, adjusted both the saddle height and angle and lastly replaced the seatpost on my road bike since the carbon fiber had a huge crack in it...according to Wolfgang, I have been eating WAY too many cookies and my fat ass is the reason the seatpost cracked...nice coach huh?!?! What would I do without his crazy German sense of humor :) Yes, I am a little chunker right now, but hey, it's off-season...I'm supposed to gain some weight, right?!!

Just got back from an awesome easy ride with all the new changes and couldn't be happier. If you ever need a bike fit, go see Chris...Wolfgang and I were totally impressed with everything!!!

Summer and Winter - All in the same day!!!

Let me just start by saying that yesterday was November 8th...and as a matter of fact, 8 is my favorite number, how ironic! Let me also just tell you what the temperature was yesterday...82 degrees!!! Unbelievable. Although there were insane winds, it was still a great day to jump on the bike for a few hours and enjoy the last minute heat wave.

On the winter side of things - went to the Boulder Nordic Ski Swap in the evening with just about everyone I know in Boulder and picked up yet another pair of skate skis...$400 skis for $140!!! You really can't beat that. I also got a transferrable 10 time punch card to the Frisco Nordic Center up in Breckenridge for Kristin and I to split. Bob has promised to bring us up there once a week for some long endurance skiing! We are gonna be skate skiing machines by the end of this winter, I can't wait :)

Holy Weather

You know you're in the right place when it's almost mid-November, in the 70s, sunny, gorgeous and driving to the mountains to get your ski on is less than an hour away :)

Just means more time for the boss and I to go duke it out for an hour or so on the bike between lunch and dinner!!! Haha...remember, this is the dude I helped out with a flat tire a few months ago...his ego is already shot! He'll never live that down!

The Flu???

I am blaming getting the flu this weekend solely on the fact that I was out of town the day the law firm had flu shots done at the office!!!

Ugh, what a shitty weekend. I haven't had the flu in a long time and napping, feeling like crap and sitting around the house when it's 65 and sunny outside is not what was on the agenda. GRRRRR...

Feeling much better this morning, but still not 100%. Guess I just have to let it run its course. How annoying?

Off Season

Tis the time to drink, party, get crazy, go wild, and well, just have a lot of fun!!!

Friday evening with the crew was that and a whole lot more. Let's just say that without Joanna's out of control humor, the great group of people out that night and the giant pizza cookie devoured at Old Chicago's, it wouldn't have been the same.

Definitely looking forward to lots more interesting evenings and fun times with awesome people!

I LOVE BOULDER :)

SOMA and more!

Yes, Yes, Yes, I know...this post is long overdue and my mother has been giving me lots of grief about it so here it is! I finally took a morning to sleep in a little (well til 8am), drink a good cup of coffee, check my email/blog, and then start my day...yes, that is today. I definitely have lots to write about, but I'll start with the later events and then move forward.

The Race - What a trip. I couldn't have asked for a better time with better people. Kristin and I stayed with our friend Jeff and his parents in their brand new mansion in Phoenix (by new, I mean they had just finished building it 10 days before we got there!) His parents fed and treated us like queens and were such wonderful people. As was their son of course, he didn't race because of an injury, but drove Kristin and I around everywhere and was the BEST cheerleader ever during the race - thanks Jeff!!! The race itself was really fun as well. Since I was the last wave to go off, it was pretty crazy trying to swim through all of the slower swimmers, but definitely had one of my straighter swims than in the past. The bike was pretty interesting as well as it was a 3 loop course with 6 U-turns per lap...let's just say it was a little congested and drafting was a little too prevalent...but lots of fun and great for spectators. The run was the one part of the race I was really looking forward to and unfortunately it was a little disappointing. As with my race in Wildflower earlier this May, my left leg lost feeling only a few miles into so I started freaking out and slowed way down. The coach thinks it's only a pinched nerve but we're still doing some investigating...I have some appointments over the next couple weeks so I'll keep everyone informed. At any rate, I did finish the run with a decent time and was semi pleased with it considering the circumstances.

1st Age Group 18-24
8th Overall Amateur Female
4:57.02 hrs (swim 31, bike 2:42, run 1:40)




Alright, just realized I have to meet someone to go running in 10 minutes...oops! The pics took a little longer to upload than I thought. I promise I'll post some more stuff in the next couple days!

The taper is on!

After a solid full day off yesterday, I am recovered, semi-rested, and definitely feeling ready for a good taper and fun/fast race on Sunday :) Still super busy with work, but doing what I gotta do to get what needs to get done! This may be the last post before I leave for Arizona on Friday so stay tuned for a race update early next week!

One Week

Yes, I know, it's been an entire week since I've let anyone know what I've been up to! Honestly, you really don't want to to know...I promise. I'll give you a little hint, just in case you're desperate...it involves A LOT of working!!!!

Switching topics, it is exactly one week before I leave for the Soma Half Ironman in Tempe!!!! Yipppeee. I know I have completely slacked in my training due to the insane amount of hours I have been putting in at these new jobs, but I have confidence that my training from the summer will kick in and allow me to have a super fun race! Not only do I have an exciting race weekend to look forward to next weekend, I also have a lot of fun events that have been scheduled over the past couple weeks:

1. Lions Thanksgiving Day Football Game (family zone tickets - apparently that means no boozing or swearing!!)

2. Red Wings/Avalanche Hockey Game (really crappy tickets - but going with 2 awesome fellow Michiganders)

3. Cabin in Snow Mountain Ranch for 2 nights in January with parents and friends (there will be lots of nordic skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, running, swimming, and of course eating and drinking...duh)


I've got a lot a great things to get me through these last couple weeks with the crunch at work and I'm definitely looking forward to all of them...including a less intensive work schedule!!!

14

That's the average hours a day I have worked this week...nuff said.

What have I done!?!?

So not only am I currently working anywhere from 10-13hrs a week at the law firm and this new restaurant, today I am taking over the books for my new boss's other restaurant (Chautauqua Dining Hall - for those of you who know what and where that is)! Yes, I know...attempting to do all this work and train full time is not exactly the most ideal situation, however, once the off season hits and I get a good system rolling, hopefully it will all work out for the better.I will keep everyone posted as much as possible, but for the next couple weeks, please bare with me on the lack of updates as I honestly don't even have 5 spare minutes to sit down and write at the current time. And yes, I would like some cheese with my 'whine'...just kidding, I don't mean to complain, I really do enjoy everything I'm doing, just a little overwhelmed right now...that's all :)

T-3 weeks

I can't believe how fast time is going by. In less than 3 weeks, Kristin, Brad, Pete and myself will be down in Arizona gettin' our last race of the season on...well everyone except Kristin - she's got World's 2 weeks later! It was a beautiful weekend, but the 40 degrees and rain with a possibility of snow today is definitely a sign that winter is on its way! SOOOOOOO excited for ice skating, skate skiing, snowboarding, etc! I'm totally ready for a change of pace.

Speaking of change of pace, I don't think I've worked the amount of hours I have been since my high school summer days! 8-13hrs a day plus training full time is freakin' HARD! It's almost over and I'm ready to settle down a bit. The restaurant is going SUPERB and is going to do some seriously awesome business! I can't wait to bring everyone in for a big dinner that Mr. Brad has promised to make for all my friends :)

Still Chuggin' Away

I'm still living in a world of mad chaos with all of life's necessities, numerous jobs and intense training! However, as much as I enjoy complaining about it, I really do love it! The only part I don't enjoy is the lack of sleep I am getting which is really starting to catch up with me!

So hopefully with the grand opening of the restaurant today, things will begin to slow down just a bit. Very doubtful, but I can always hope, right?!?!

On the training side of things, I have been feeling very strong running lately, but having to do most of my riding indoors in the evening because of the lack of daylight...I wish it was like Alaska and it was light all day, everyday! How cool would that be?!?!?

Yes, I know...

It has been a very busy last couple of days so I'll just go through and re-cap on what has been going on!

Saturday - long, beautiful climb up to Peak to Peak Highway on the bicycle. I've honestly never seen so many changing aspens and amazing colors. For those of you in Boulder, you better get up there fast if you haven't already!

Sunday - I honestly counted inventory for this new restaurant ALL day. I counted thousands of bottles of wines, chairs, frozen food, plates, you name it! Yeah, not so much fun, but hey, it's gonna pay the bills!

Monday - Another long day at the restaurant setting up vendors, payroll, and physically helping out remodel the building before we open again on Thursday.

This whole restaurant thing has been a great learning experience, but it's definitely taking away from my training time which doesn't set so well with me...so if I sound cranky, that's probably why!!! Alright, I'm off to swimming and then learn how to manage the new POS system...Yippeeeee

Michael Stone is my Hero :)

If Michael's story doesn't motivate you, I'm not quite sure what will! This guy is AMAZING. Not only do we share the same coach, I am fortunate to hang out and train with Michael on a daily basis. Check out this video from CBS news to find out more!

http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=22283@kcnc.dayport.com

If you would like to learn more about what Michael has been up to, follow his progress, or make a donation, please visit his personal website below!

www.fightblindness.org/ironman

Michael - you are an ispiration to us all!

Happy Hump Day!

Haha. I have nothing else to write about and Wednesday is the official hump day of the week for all you 9-5ers out there so Happy Hump to you all :)

I, however, don't have any distinguishing factors that make certain days different than others, but like most, I do still have days where I just need to get through them - and today is one of them.

Had a brutally long, hard swim this morning and then a 2.5hr ride with 5x12min. LT efforts in it...yeah, I barely made it in the door and now I'm totally vegging at work trying to stay awake. If I manage to compose myself in the next hour or so, I'll head out for my easy 45min. run, but right now that's not looking so good!!! Oh well, not going to overdo it again...learned that lesson the hard way :(

What a blast!

Ahh, soooo good to see the family this weekend. It's been almost 4 whole months since I had seen everyone and it couldn't have been more perfect. It's crazy to think that you grow up with the same 3 people your entire life and once you to go away to college you only get to see them a few times a year! CRAZINESS. I miss them so much, but definitely love the feeling when you finally get to reunite :)

Well anyway, we all had a great time together just hanging out, touring Purdue's campus (which is totally awesome) and going to the football game! I am so proud of my brother and I think that he is in a perfect place. Yeah, it's no Colorado, but Purdue has so much to offer too! I can't believe my little brother is growing up so fast, but I also am super excited because that means we can start going out and partying together too (not that I do much of that, but hey)!

All together it was a short, sweet, and perfect weekend getaway! Thanks Mom, Dad and Jerry, I love you guys :)

NOT GOOD.

Until yesterday, I never thought I would be using the words 'saddle' and 'sore' back to back in the same sentence...especially when referring to the 2 large welts on my ass :(

Okay, I know, probably way more information that anyone needed to know, but if you're a cyclist, it's just life. Anway, it's a damn good thing I will be gone all weekend hanging out with my brother and the fam so my bum can rest up a bit. Because at this point, there is NO way I would be able to do any kind of long riding which is usually on the weekend agenda....whhewww.

Alright, I'll be back Sunday night with a full report of what it's like to be a student in the great state of Indiana at Purdue University!

P.S. Did I mention I have to be at the bus stop at 3:30am tomorrow to catch a 6am flight...wtf?

My dad is HILARIOUS

This is the email I got this afternoon from my father in response to the conversation I had with my mom this morning regarding spinach and the monthly boxes of goodies she sends me...my, how information travels fast among families. Anyway, what a kick...he totally made me fall out of my seat at working because I was laughing so damn hard!!! I love you Dad!

"Hi Hon,

Just talked to Mom and a few thoughts to relay:

1) There is NO FRICKING SPINACH IN THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW! It is all COVERED WITH ANIMAL POOP that does not set well with the human body! If you really need to eat something green just go grazing on somebody's lawn (but make sure they didn't just fertilize it with the same animal poop thatis on the spinach).

2) How dare you BARGAIN WITH THESE RIDICULOUS BOXES MOM STILL SENDS YOU AT22 YEARS OLD? Did you really try and trade one in for money for a bathingsuit cover-up? How low can you go??? That's like someone putting their own child up for trade! Why don't you come to your Dad with these kinds ofrequests - I'd love to answer one!

All in jest and just kidding - but couldn't resist!!!!

Love Dad"

How Ridiculous

What are the chances that the only food I eat on a daily basis and pretty much cannot live without gets affiliated with a life threatening disease!?!

I mean seriously, I can barely go a day without eating almost a bag of spinach. Now I can't even buy it because they've freakin' pulled it off the shelves of every grocery store...GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

How bad can E-coli be anyways? It makes you shit a lot, right? Isn't that what I'm trying to accomplish with my extreme coffee habit?!?! Okay, okay...I'm done, but I'm still pissed about the whole situation.

CRASH FREE!!!

Hell yeah!!! Completed my first criterium this morning without any problems...thank goodness! And might I add that it was freakin' AWESOME! Totally have no sprinting ability right now, but came in second on each of the prime laps and 4th overall! Definitely need to work on the gear shifting as I kinda forgot to shift down for each of the sprints, and well, you know what that feels like!

Anyway, great day and fabulous weekend. So glad I chose this event over the Harvest Moon Half Ironman I was planning on doing. It was barely 40 degrees at 7:30am this morning when the race started and there is no way I was going to bike 56 miles in a wet bathing suit in those frigid temps. Plus, I totally found something new and exciting to look forward to doing more of in the future! And to make things even better, I not only finished without any troubles, I also made some extra cash on the side...fun, fun!!!

How come triathlons don't have prize money like cycling?!?!

2 down 1 to go!!!

Yeahhhhhh...got through my very first road race this morning and had an absolute blast! Totally didn't know where the finish line was until about 20 meters before I went through it, but hey, who cares. I probably could have out-sprinted the 2 girls I was working with the entire race to get some extra points, but it's all good...now I know why they all of a sudden just randomly took off...duhhh!

VERY different from triathlon racing. Group riding is also very nerv-recking...especially when you start the race with the CAT 5 men and when you hit the first climb they all start falling back leaving you struggling for dear life trying to bridge the 2 girls who were lucky enough not to be behind those dudes. At any rate, I've never worked so hard together with other people during a race and it was super cool and a lot of fun too. Met some great girls from Denver and am definitely going to continue on this bike racing bandwagon :) Bet some of my friends are excited to hear that!

Sooo...crit tomorrow. Could be interesting. Hope I don't crash! Until then.

First Stage Down...

This morning I completed the Time Trial portion of the Parker Mainstreet Omnium. Placed 4th, but definitely wasn't too happy about it as I could have gone a lot harder...life goes on.

I haven't been doing any type of speed work and that's probably why I wasn't able to push as high of a gear up the hills as I would have liked, but that's okay. Also, the whole first half of the course was uphill into the wind and the last half downhill with a tailwind, how convenient...

So what really sucked was the fact that I almost crashed 5 times going about 30-40mph because the insane winds kept catching my disc wheel and flinging me off the road and practically pushing me sideways. Yeah, let me tell you how freaky it is going that fast in aerobars (no braking access) and getting thrown around like that. Unfortunately I did get a little too freaked out and had to stop pedaling a few times to get my composure back...which totally costed me a shitload of time on an 8 mile course.

Whatever, it's the first one and it was fun...couldn't have done it without Mr. Aaron Brown though. If it wasn't for him helping me drive down there, coaching me through a sweet warm up, pining my numbers on and totally supporting my ass, I wouldn't have had a clue what to do...thanks buddy!

No worries though, the road race is tomorrow and I'm ready to attack with avengence!!! Stay tuned.

What have I done!!!

Triathlon out, 3-day bike race in...That's right, I'm racing in my very first bike race this weekend.

Temperatures on Sunday morning are predicted to be in the 3os and only go up into the high 50s throughout the day. Getting out of the water and riding 56 miles in a wet bathing suit in 40 degree weather does NOT sound like a good way to come back from a major injury...the coach didn't think so either.

In that light, there just happened to be a 3 stage bike race in Denver this weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) consisting of a time-trial, road race and criterium. Had it not been for the fact that I have several friends who are pro cyclists who will be there to help my completely clueless-ass out, there is no way I would have even thought about it! However, they're gonna be there and I'm gonna do this thing; I just can't crash or my coach might seriously kill me...he's not too hyped on the idea!!!

Alright, more to come on the TT tomorrow morning...wish me luck!

P.S. Katie - thanks so much for the card! I love getting fun mail like that! Tell everyone I say hi; I miss you guys so much...

http://www.parkeromnium.com

Ouchy.

Finally got around to getting a lactate threshold test done on the bicycle yesterday. Not as bad as I thought, however, still need to keep training efficiently so I can boost that watts/kg ratio!!!

Anyway, they do a series of 8x4minutes at a harder output everytime and then prick your finger after each 4 min. effort to test your lactate levels...yes, that's 8 pricks in the same finger within a half an hour...grrr!

Needless to say, my finger hurts today.

Coffee Anyone?

Alright all you crazy coffee addicts out there...until about 3 months ago I wouldn't have been able to comprehend your ludicrous obsession. However, with the amount of coffee I have been drinking over the past month makes me think that I might have fallen into the 'coffee addiction trap' too!

I don't even like the taste of coffee, well at least not without a pound of sugar and cream in it, but you know what - the fact that it's a "mover" makes my day much more enjoyable. For those of you who know the stomach issues I face, it would only make perfect sense. I think that my new motto might just be as so...

...A cup of coffee a day takes the pain away!

Okay, okay, I'll stop there, but I think it's official. If I wake up craving coffee almost every morning, I think it's a pretty good sign that I'm not only hooked, but totally addicted!!! AHHHH, what have I done?!?!

What a day

For the first time in I can't even remember...maybe even a few years, I slept in until 11am!!! Oh my goodness did it feel AMAZING. Woke up, had some delicious coffee, a banana and an english muffin with peanut butter and strawberry honey, then proceeded to relax and work on sponsorship stuff all morning - it was soooo nice.

It rained all morning, but at 2pm when I finally got in gear to get out on the bike for my 3hr ride/75min run brick session, the sky had totally cleared and it was absolutely gorgeous. Had a fabulous ride and great run...randomly saw three people I knew on my run and almost ran over a snake crossing over some railroad tracks. I saw it in the last second before I stepped on it so I tried to leap over it. However, as I was mid-air, it was startled and moved as well. Needless to say, I was seriously about a millimeter from crushing it or being bitten. Haven't seen the 190s on the heart rate monitor in a while, but that definitely made me freak!

There's always gotta be something, right! Otherwise life would just be plain, simple and well, kinda boring!

AHHHH!!!!

Remind me to NEVER go into the locker room at FAC from 11:30-noon EVER again.

I'm usually out of there by 10:45am after swimming at 9, but I went for a 45 minute run right after swimming and needed to shower after my run so I had to go back into the locker room.

Okay, long story short, the women's water aerobics class ends at 11:30am and I have never in my life seen so many naked old women in a one place. I mean seriously, the last thing I want to deal with after a good training session is fat, flabby, old, wrinkly, and shriveled bodies EVERYWHERE...oh my god. It's a good thing I can shower in less than 2 minutes because I was seriously on the verge of freaking out.

Geez, I hope I never look like that...yikes!

Oh Baby

The words 'Get on the table, bitch' never sounded so good until last night...the massage table that is - geez, get those dirty thoughts out of your head!!!

So I didn't realize how spoiled I've been with Mercy giving me massages multiple times a week until she was gone for a whole 8 days! When she screamed at me from her room to get on the table last night, WOW, it was like heaven to my ears. After serious training, 60-90 minutes of massage at a time can honestly make such a huge difference in your recovery time. I'm not saying that the massage actually feels as good as I would like (as I almost fell off the table a few times last night it hurt so bad), but it's definitely a huge asset in preventing injury and relaxing super tight muscles.

So between a good massage and 'Strawberry Lite' Margarita at the Rio, couldn't have asked for a better night!

I Survived!!!

• 4K swim - HARD
• 4+hrs of climbing on the bike - LONG
• 1 hr tempo run - PAINFUL

Completing a 7 hour training day successfully and injury-free...PRICELESS

I have to say this...

For all you men out there who just don't happen to be as fast as some female cyclists, deal with it; it's part of life. I promise that your penis will NOT shrink if you get passed by a chick with a long braid coming out of the back of her helmet :)

Okay...I apologize for being vulgar or inappropriate, but I seriously almost snapped at some random cycling dude who wouldn't get off the back of my wheel. Yeah, it's nice to have someone to draft off of when there's a narly head wind, but it's completely defies all cycling rules to do so when you don't know the person whom you're drafting off of. Anyway, after I realized this moron was doing so, I slammed on my breaks to signal to him to get off my ass and then he went around me. He obviously needed that draft because I proceeded to pass him immediately after I let him go by. What do you know, the little shit was right back on my wheel. I dealt with it for about 4 miles and then finally just stopped peddling for a couple minutes, let him go by me and waited until he was about a half mile ahead of me to start actually putting pressure on the pedals again. Huh, you wouldn't think with all that distance between us that I would catch him again, but sure enough, I did. To make him feel better, I sat about 20 meters back and just cruised in behind him...what and IDIOT! I wanted to scream the inappropriate statement above at him sooooooooooo badly, but I refrained myself. I really should have though, it would have been a good story :)

P.S. I now have a power meter to prove that I was putting out a consistent effort the entire time, so that schmuck has no excuses!

Uh oh!

Yikes, it's been almost 4 days since I've updated this thing...nothing out of the ordinary going on, but definitely had a fun weekend.

Friday - met up with my good friend Jake (who has been traveling everywhere for his med school rotations). Went for a swim, had a great dinner at the Walnut, then we each downed a pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice cream (or at least I did; he finished his the next day)!!!

Saturday - did my first long bike/run brick out at the Aurora Reservoir where I might race in 2 weeks. Unfortunately it was about 50 degrees and cloudy (which we haven't seen here since about March) but still got in a solid 3 hour bike with a 45 minute run right off of it...amazingly I felt really strong on the run; if Jake was impressed, then I did good :)

Sunday - Ohh, slept in til 9am and then tried to go swimming...had a tummy ache so I got out early and came home to take a nap. Then went for a 75 minute run and still felt like shit so I just took it easy the rest of the day and worked on some accounting stuff for my new job!

Monday (today) - AWESOME weather...70, clear, calm and sunny!!! Had a great bike and swim and about to head out for a run! Livin' and lovin' it...