Tri-Dogmom

Here we are, 4 days into our Mexico vacation and we're sitting at an American coffee shop using the wireless internet. Something is just so wrong about that..... At the same time, something is so GOOD about it as well. It gives us the opportunity to stay somewhat connected without having the constant "ding" of the blackberry.... Plus we can both do a little work then go enjoy the rest of our day! Of course I forgot to bring my camera with some of the pics we've taken so far, so I'll have to share those next time. It's absolutely gorgeous here. A little chilly in the morning, but not a cloud in the sky and it's warming up to about 70 by noon. Can't beat that in December! After a 2 day escapade of driving ALL over the city to visit the families for the Holiday, Shane & I were VERY much looking forward to our trip down here.... Unfortunately for Shane, I volunteered to be the DD on Christmas, since he has been driving me around from party to party for...

I can't believe where this year has gone. I would be lying if I said I wasn't ready for it to be over. While I've had some fantastic things happen, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying it's just been a tough one. Ups and Downs one right after the next... I have every hope and belief in the world that next year will be so much better for all of us! Over the past couple of weeks we've been celebrating. Party after Party. And yes, I am the absolute worst person at bringing a camera with me - so I have no fun pictures. Have no fear though, I am good at drunk "snapping" so I'm sure I'll have plenty o' fun pictures to share when we get back from Mexico. (p.s. the picture of the shoe doesn't do it justice! It's too cute, and actually very comfortable!) Last night Shane & I went to a restaurant called Elements. It's nestled up against Camelback Mountain in the Sanctuary Resort. It's one of those places you hear about, and hec...

Here we are, that time of year again. For some reason I just CAN NOT seem to get into it this year. The last two years Shane, the dogs and I have put aside all family obligations (yes, I said obligations because we felt like we were constantly being guilted into going all over the city for all the celebrations, regardless of what we actually wanted to do.) We tried the one year here, one year there thing, but still it seemed like someone was always mad at us..... We decided we wanted to make our own tradition - go to Mexico! On top of all that my birthday is on the 24th. So, usually on my birthday we were celebrating Christmas somewhere, and having someone else mad at us that we weren't participating in the celebrations elsewhere.... Bah Humbug. I know..... Truth be told I used to ABSOLUTELY love Christmas. I have a very small immediate family. My parents & grandparents always spoiled us rotten as kids, and even when we couldn't afford stuff, somehow Santa always arrived w...

I'll try to make this short and sweet, but in typical Krista fashion, I'm sure I will just go on and on babbling... We all know I signed up for this race after my disappointing DNF at the Soma Half IM. I was so prepared for that race. So ready. But, my body seems to have a mind of it's own these days and this time my perseverance (stubbornness) would not have the last word. So, after only a day or 2 of wallowing, I set up my new Plan B. A 1.2mile swim race, a 109mile bike race & a half marathon. Unfortunately, those races were keep my training for another 5 weeks... and I was mentally and physically ready to be done. I had been training for the better part of a year and we all know we can not just keep on going without starting to see diminishing returns. That said, I asked for some help to get me through the next few weeks and formulated a good plan. With part 1 & 2 done pretty successfully the half marathon was my last goal. I needed a PR... and with the way I hav...

Perfect day. Overcast. 45-50degs. Nice..... 12+ min PR - 1:48:42 I'll write a full race report later.... But, I just looked up my results & was kinda giddy. My knee HATES me.... as it did for 12.5 miles... but It never got to the point I had to stop... Thanks for all your good luck wishes!!!

I decided to join in on the photo posting game.... 4th Folder, 4th photo.... No explanation needed. Except for the fact that when I went into the folder via my computer, my documents.... The order of the photos (images)were different.....Being the non-rule follower that I am, I am posting TWO. First.... the no explanation needed... GO COUGS And next, this is what I found when I went to grab the image from blogger..... It's little miss Abby. She was only about 8 weeks when we took this... So, sweet then...... HA!

Today I am thankful for a lot of things... My husband and our life together. My friends and my family and perfect 4 legged children. I have a pretty fantastic life, and some of the best people to spend it with..... I couldn't ask for much more. Today, for the first time in about 6 years I was able to do a 10mile run on Thanksgiving. Injury after Injury put a stop to that for so long, but today, with only a few minor body aches I had a fantastic 10mile run, half with Shane & my dogs and the other half to negative split and push myself a little. The last two miles were even in the rain and I absolutely loved it. I'm so very thankful for my body turning the injury page and finally getting to do more of what I love so much. And, last, but not least... I'm thankful for the brand new jug of Bloody Mary mix that Shane just spotted in the fridge. Yes, the Holidays are here... Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Part 2 of Plan B - El Tour de Tucson. Having never participated in any stand alone cycling event like this, I had NO idea what I was in for. I was going into this event 100% blind, and tagging supa along for the ride. Thankfully, she had a few bike races under her belt so she at least had a little bit of experience.... So, after a late Thursday night flight and sushi dinner we were up Friday for a quick run and off to the bike shop to get momo's bike set up for her.... 3+hours later we were on our way to Tucson, just a tad late..... One thing I've learned for sure about the Supa and I. Blonde or no blonde, we are two blondes in a pod... or the blind leading the blind...or whatever, I'm sure you get what I'm trying to say here. Somehow a couple hours later I got us to the packet pickup and we were on our way. I had no idea what to expect from a bike race expo. Would it be like a marathon expo? I mean, I had just been to IMAZ expo the day before so I wasn't ex...

The theme for the next few weeks - Suck it up Buttercup..... I should not have waited so long to post something. I've blogged in my head several times. Sitting on the beach in Mexico last weekend I was going to right all about the trip.... Riding for what seemed like eternity the day before we left...I was going to write all about that... Somehow I just never found the time to sit down and write it all out, so for that I have to apologize in advance for the ramblings I'm about to start. At least I'm warning you. Oh and the 3 huge glasses of iced tea and 10hours of sleep last night won't help... just sayin. Here we are Ironman Arizona weekend. I just got back from the expo with momo. Bless her heart she continued to train after CDA. Yes, so have I, but not the 6hour bikes. I just don't think I would of had that in me. That, or the thought of the "b-line." She's after something on Sunday though, and I have NO doubt in my mind that she will ...

Well, I'm officially into Plan B training. Holy Heck it hurts. Ok, it's not that I'm training any different or harder, I think I was just so mentally ready to take some time off and now my body is mad at me. Of course I'm too stubborn to give in to my body, so it's a few more weeks of "Suck it Up Butter Cup!" Or something like that. I met with a coach last Thursday to help devise a 5 week plan to get me ready for the 109mile El Tour de Tucson bike race, as well as a half marathon a couple weeks after. His plan, totally doable. My pre-plan "plan" STUPID. It started off with easy Wed, Thursday workouts. My lungs are better each day, but last week they were still hurting quite a bit. Then come Saturday, off with the easy in with the kick my own ass. I learned a few things in the 4hours of calf torture that was my bike ride. * No wonder cyclist have killer calves. ROAD bikes are SO different than Tri-Bikes. * Riding 4 hours for the first ti...

It's been 2 days of nothing... well, really more like 10 or so if you add in the taper, then the swim, then rest.... I am ALREADY bored. My name is Krista & I am addicted to exercise. There you have it. I admit it. It's a problem. It's sometimes healthy, sometimes over the top. It's there and I just can't seem to get rid of it. There are worse things I could obsess over, right? I am still indifferent about the whole ordeal. Disappointment is probably top of the list. Not in myself, just in general. I know there is absolutely NOTHING I could have done about my situation. That does stop the "what-ifs" though. I look at those race results and see where I could have been. That's probably the hardest, most frustrating part. My good friend Sara, my medical (NP) expert sent me a very sweet (along with so many other people!!) email that really helped me feel better.. This girl has been around through all of my drama. From IT band injury and surgery to my...

My first official DNF . I pulled out of one other race last year. It was in Vegas. They cancelled the swim, had us jump on our bikes and GO. My hip/IT had been bugging me and I rode HARD - with no warm up or stretching it was really tight. Since the race was already a sham, I decided not to do the run and risk injury. I never showed up on the results, so there wasn't an actual DNF . Yesterday, it was a real true DNF . I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Frustrated, yes. Sad, yes. I'm not mad or disappointed in myself though. I know my body, and as much as I like to pretend things aren't bad or I'm fine - the reality is that I was not fine. I spent 7 days resting. Loading on vitamins and green tea and supplements . I slept 10+hrs a night and did basically nothing. Momo had me convinced (kinda) that I was just over-analyzing and being like her! I convinced myself that the pain in my back was a knot from laying around so much, not my lungs. Deni...

In about 12 hours my alarm will go off and I will be crawling out of bed, mixing my spark and trying to stay calm. I'm all packed. EVERYTHING. Aquafor, sunglasses (including my Daniella-bella look alikes that will hopefully make me run fast), shoes, chip, hat, sunscreen, gel, nutter-butters, frozen gatorade, post race pringles and peanut M&Ms (nice recovery, eh?), mini-me wetsuit.... I pretty much have it all. And then some. 2 pairs of goggles, 2 caps... Oh - and I did the funniest (or weirdest) thing a minute ago. I hate goggles fogging up, so I bought a new pair. Then I got sick and haven't used them yet. And I certainly didn't want to chance it and get in Tempe Town Lake today... So, I put my cap on, then my new goggles - filled my bathroom sink with water and stuck my head in it. Shane wasn't watching. I'm sure I would have been laughing under water and choked. Thankfully, I do have a spare pair that I will have in some one's hand just in case...

Seriously - what is an ADD girl like me gonna do after this Sunday when the remodel is done, my race is over and it's dark in the morning..... My poor husband :-) And here we go: Before - view from our bedroom. The huge double sink vanity with all the wasted space, as well as the mid 80s retro mirrors and lights.... Sideways view of inside the shower. This was a huge bathtub, but no jets.... Oh - and the cracked fiberglass (or whatever it was)... That is what happens when you take 2 LaPans (present one excluded) a case a beer and no plumbing experience. That was day one in the new house... Another view of the shower door..... My old sink and tiny closet... And the New Improved!! I absolutely LOVE it!!! We still have 2 sinks, and plenty of room - and NO more 80s stuff!! Some of the cool details - The brushed nickel Rosettes (?spelling) on the corner pieces of the mirror frame. Those were NOT easy to find in Plain brushed nickel... The dual lights - we actually had a hard ...

Thank you all for your comments/suggestions. I've been od'ing on Zinc, soup, tea, sleep, vitamin C and water..... I feel about the same today, maybe a little better. I sure do tend to post a lot more when leading up to a race. Prolly cause I'm all up in my head and all. Well, today I read the BEST POST EVER . I am such a self doubter. But, She is an experienced athlete, a pro in fact and a coach. If she says it, well, it must be true, right? So, when it's 90degs and I'm on my second loop of the run - this is what I will be thinking, believing and LIVING. And, if not - I have recruited several friends to yell and scream very mean things to me to light my butt on fire! "If you did it in training – if you got close – you can do it in racing with a proper taper and rest." in case you didn't follow the link - that is from the fabulous blog of Elizabeth Fedofsky, a.k.a. "Elf" Unfortunately the race is here, in my home of the desert. Where, while o...

Ok - I need everyone's help, advice, suggestions.... I thought I was in the clear... I thought getting sick 6 weeks ago was almost perfect timing so I couldn't get sick for the actual race. Then damn it all to hell on Saturday I started feeling like crap. I do think a LOT of it has to do with all of the wind and crap in the air.. It's been relentless lately. My lungs are weak, so any change something can get in there and jack them all up, well... it seems to happen. I used to be able to just drink OJ, overhydrate, Emergency/Airborne and sleep and with in a few days I would be good to go.... So, Saturday I just felt a little tired. Then Sunday I woke up a little achy, mostly in the neck (back & sides). My throat seems fine, not too stuffy. I drank a ton of fluids yesterday and bought some Cold-Eeze and went to bed at 9pm. I actually woke up feeling MUCH better. I had a 35min low HR run on my schedule so I took the dogs out. Kept my HR around 140-145, didn't se...

Wow, what a week! My taper officially started on Monday of this week, and for the first time EVER on a taper, I have had one of my best training weeks to date. I don't feel sore and tired and sluggish. In fact, I feel just the opposite. Loose, and STRONG and fast and energetic. Mark Allen's training plan taper mixes things up the last 2 weeks. Instead of doing 2 workouts a day, with only one rest day - you have 2 days with all three sports done. And 2 weeks out is all about speed and tempo. Between those tripple set days are rest days. Wednesday was my first. I started with a speed bike, followed by a speed run, followed by a swim....more on the 3rd in a minute.... Maybe it's because I trained for Ironman 2 years in a row? I forgot what this not so tired, fired up feeling was like? I don't know, this time it feels SO great! Like, so great that where at the beginning of this training I decided it was "all about the bike" and I completely ignored th...

We all need a little bit of inspiration and help out there some days right? Well, here's some for you. You all remember my dear friend Tonsa , right? The one who was diagnosed with breast cancer less than 2 years ago while training for the Ragnar Relay? Well, not only has she been "cancer free" for several months, she has also since celebrated her 50th birthday, ran and placed in her age group in several local races and is currently training to Boston qualify at the Tucson Marathon. And you know it, I will be there to cheer here in! However, probably one of her most proud moments happened last Sunday at the Komen Race for the Cure. I'll let you read what she sent out! Dearest Friends ……………………………………………. Howdy and Happy Monday --- here is the Race Report ………………….. Over 34,000 people stepped to the start line on Sunday morning ------ they only gave out three medals to the top three survivor finishers and WE won one of them!!!! Running for all that each of you have me...

Remember this? Well, seems things are looking up for the other discipline. The one where I've just been "wingin" it. I've avg'd about 15miles per week over the last 12 weeks. Babyin' the IT band like crazy. Epiphany. RICE works people!!! Oh, and less is more... who would have thought? Not me that's for sure! I try not to talk about running as much as the cycling cause it's easier for me to put my money where my mouth is when I can actually control my body. I can ride hard if I push it. Running, that all depends on my body. And the stupid weather, I suppose. ON the run, I tend to ugh, give up in races. Get tired, walk. Let people pass me cause "they're just faster!" Well, since I haven't been running all that much, I decided I could at least push the runs that I have been doing. So, on my long runs for the past month I've been negative splitting the last part. Letting my HR go into zone 3. I think it's helping....

Well, I'm pretty sure that title grabbed a few of my fellow shoe whores :-) Unfortunately, this isn't a post about some really cool new shoes , or boots I purchased, or received... or even HAVE for that matter. Boo hoo. I would love me some new shoes though. Something about fall and cute new pumps that go perfect with Jeans. You know, for all those time I shower, and actually blow dry my hair.... and try to remember how to put make on and all. Whatever, you get the point. No cute new shoes. Blah. Bet Shane read the title and thought I ordered myself something online... again :-) Anyway, this post is about RUNNING shoes. Boring, I know.. but, probably one of the single most important things to being a successful, injury free runner (you know, cause I'm all of that and all - ha!).... I've been thru it all. Several running assessments, orthotics, Adidas, Nike, Saucony, Brooks... you name it, I've probably tried it (remember, shoes we are talking about here people). In...

And DON'T come back every single day... PLEASE! Jeez. It's not like it's April in AZ. And, isn't hurricane season about over? Apparently, not. I mean - really.... Can you imagine what Momo, all 90lbs of her and Malibu Barbie, and myself (eh..not quite as light as momo - but mini-me's lightness making up for that difference) out there on our long rides holding on for dear life with those cross winds? I'm sure we look pretty funny. But, funny it is not when you are on your bike for 4-5hours with 25mph crosswinds going down 9mile hill. Let's just say our rides have been eh, sub par. I'm trying to keep a good attitude about it though. What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, no? Sure hope so! Although, I swear a couple of those gusts WERE going to kill us! We actually modified our route Saturday because we were going DOWN HILL at some points only 14mph - usually we are going about 22-23 at that point. The wind was just too strong. But, enough about the ...

I've been analyzing and over analyzing my training like never before lately.... I guess because I put a pretty specific goal out there, which I've never done before. It's a challenge, and it's SO incredibly hard to put training times, paces, HRs into perspective with = race pace. My bike rides have been pretty incredible lately... avgs are higher than my entire history of cycling (ha - that makes it sound like I've been riding forever!). But, in the end how do you make an 18.3mph training ride = 20.5+ race day? I keep going back to the fact that the first time I did Soma I trained at about a 16mph pace and pulled off a 19mph race pace - 3 years ago.... I have come a lot further on the bike in that time. And, running too - although my miles are very very minimal (had my peak running mileage this week of 19.5miles) they are getting faster. I actually negative split my long run this week by over :30 (sub 9min pace) for the last half of the run. But, since I have nev...