Tri-Dogmom

Just over a year after I moved to Arizona from Washington I started training for my first marathon where I met Shane.  Just a few shorts months after dating Shane was staring to look for a new house and wanted my input in the hopes that sometime in the future I would want to make it my home as well.  This process went pretty much how every other big decision in our lives has gone.  4 months into our relationship, training for a marathon, working full time and raising a crazy (vizsla) puppy we were remodeling and moving into our house.  I figured if a 4 month old relationship could survive the stress of all that, we were golden.... I truly believed our Scottsdale home would be our forever home. We've shed tears of joy, tears of sadness. Raised puppies, started multiple business. Dinner parties and post race parties. Sunday Fundays and lazy hangovers. When my parents moved to Arizona for a few years, my mom lived with us for a few months while my dad closed up and so...

It's been two months since Ironman CDA. The last Ironman CDA. It was a late registration for me.  After a couple stressful and busy years, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tackle another long event or take the year off. But, as per usual, as the training progressed so did my desire to race. About a week after I finally pulled the trigger and registered, the rumors started going around about it being the last year for the event in my favorite town. Denial at it's best, I didn't believe it. They still had another year on the contract so surely they would honor that.... Turns out, choosing to race this year is something I'll forever be thankful for. Being able to run down the finish line on Sherman for the last time is truly a blessing. There are a lot of things that made this year so special. I had 3 athletes racing that day, my BFFs in town cheering all day with Shane and what I felt like was a million people rooting for me. Earlier in the year I set a goal of gettin...

CDA 70.3 has turned into one of my favorite races (shocker) and as long as my body stays healthy I can see it being on my schedule every year. {especially now that the full is going away - big fat thumbs down} This year it was made extra fun as my training buddy signed up to do it making it his official return from his temporary retirement.  It was fun to have someone for pretty much all my long rides, some of my pool swims and some of my runs!   We arrived in CDA Memorial Day weekend. It was GORGEOUS for a few days, then temps cooled off and some storms came in so the first couple weekends of training were pretty darn cold. We also got in the lake for the first time at the beginning of June and to both of our surprise it wasn't freezing! We swam 45' and were both really comfortable.  6 days later after a cold front we got in for another ows and I lasted 25'. I couldn't keep my pull as my arms were getting stiff and my feet were super cold.  Nervous, but tryin...

I planned on signing up for my first Ironman after I successfully completed my first 70.3 in 06 (one year to the day post IT band surgery). I was thinking in 2008 when I would be turning 30 at the end of the year, but some friends convinced me, why wait?!  So,I caved an signed up a year early! We had a group of 7 of us racing, 5 first timers.  I chose CDA as it felt like "home" to me. Growing up in Spokane we spent the summer going to the lake as much as possible. I figured if I was going to swim that far in open water, it needed to be at a lake I loved and felt comfortable in. I had no goals going into the race other than to finish! The bike was my favorite part. The old bike course was stunning looping around Hayden Lake with treelined streets, views for days and rolling farmland. The run course was challenging. 2 loops, 2 out and backs. The first out and back was along the lake towards the river. This is where my childhood memories were! Next you went back through tran...

A few weeks ago Michelle threw out the idea of ordering our famous bat caps. She had these made about 5 years ago, and they were handed out at her choosing to athletes that did something special, out of their comfort zone. This something didn't have to be a swim (and still doesn't), but I did earn mine in the pool. Michelle flew out to AZ to train with a few of her local athletes for the first ever BSC camp. She stayed with Shane and I a few days before heading to Tucson to attend Hillary's SmashCamp so Shane & I got some bonus time with her. On our second swim with her, she learned, in person that I could in fact swim, but I must not be pushing myself enough because my times weren't all that impressive.  I don't remember what the swim was, but I remember this picture being taken after because I couldn't even lift my anything. I earned my bat cap that day. Unfortunately it wasn't silicone and didn't last, but in my head I knew I earned it ;) ...

It's been far too long since I've updated so in an effort to start fresh and hopefully keep updating this a bit more regularly I'll start with where I left off: September: Post IMCDA it was far too much work and not enough play, but the big highlight was welcoming our new baby V to our family. After the loss of Juliette, Zeko was so lonely. Every time we walked around town he tried to meet and greet all the dogs to find friends. We were at a loss as what we should do, then one of those right time right place situations presented itself... In the months after Juliette's passing, I was "mentoring" one of my athletes who was about to get her very first Vizsla baby and well, somehow, as fate would have it there was a special little girl for us to bring home as well...             Juniper, AkA, June-Bug traveled on her first and only airplane from AZ back to CDA to join our family. She's gorgeous, feisty, sweet, snuggly and the most playful tom-bo...