Upon my departure from college and as I approach entering the real world...a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. Although I will be living farther away...you will all be closer to my heart.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Colorado Vacation!

It's funny to think that I'm heading back to my 'home' in Colorado Springs this weekend as a vacation! But that's kinda what I'm doing...I fly out of Orlando on Wednesday morning, through Denver to COS.
I actually arrive earlier than I remember...about 11am I should be back at the OTC seeing all my friends again! I guess that gives me time to get some training done...since it's a bit cold and snowy out there I'm looking forward to hopping on the treadmill again. I have come to like running on a good treadmill because I can check my running form, control my pace, and remember to have good leg cadence.
Anyways...the most important day is Thursday...my day to lecture on Open Water swimming to the USA Triathlon Level 3 Coaching Clinic! I've spent the past couple of days working on a Power Point presentation and writing out all the little details I want to talk about. It's weird to try to think about an action I do naturally and describe it in minute details!
I just got an e-mail from Shannon, the triathlon rep at Speedo, and she's going to take me and some other Speedo athlete's out to dinner on Thursday. Perfect way for me to relax after all the stress of my presentations.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY I'm going to be on the ski slopes all day! It's finally time for my mini-vacation...I've been counting down the days to get back on the slopes and try to remember how to ski. Yesterday I ordered some new ski gear (jacket, pants, socks) and I hope that they will be delivered to the OTC by Thursday...it would kinda be a bummer to get the gear on Sunday! I'm not sure which ski area I'm headed to yet...Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe are some of the shorter drives...my decision is going to be based on whether I am skiing alone or if some of my friends have time to join me.
Sunday is a day of rest...literally...I think I'll be sufficiently worn out and ready to spend all day lounging in my HUGE, SOFT bed at the OTC! I've got some erands that I might venture out of bed to accomplish...getting a haircut, shopping, laundry, etc!
Around noon on Monday I'll be heading back to the airport for my flight back to 100% humidity in FL! I hope my vacation doesn't make you too jealous:)...maybe I'll see you on the slopes!

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Thanksgiving Weekend Thanks

Things that happened last weekend that I'm thankful for:
Dustin came home for the holiday on Wednesday afternoon!
I ran a really good time for the 10 mile Turkey Trot on Thursday morning (1 hour, 11 min, 12 sec).
All my family baked their favorite dishes for dinner.
My aunt Jan and grandma Jane came over to the house for a visit!
We all went to dinner at the airport and pigged out on the huge buffet line.
All the kids in college came to swim practice on Friday morning: Beth, Ryan, Kyle, John, Dustin, etc.
My rear tire was sliced on my bike ride but I had all the tools to replace it.
Mom and I went to a great yoga session on Friday night.
After Saturday morning practice the Grams and McLarty family went to breakfast together.
Dustin drove safely back to Gainesville to watch the football game (I'm not thankful for the early departure, just the fact he made it safely)!
THE GATORS ALMOST SHUT OUT THE SEMINOLES!!! 34-7 was the final score! GO GATORS!
I got to sleep in on Sunday morning!
I was able to finish my PowerPoint presentation for my lecture on open water swimming this weekend.
I ordered snow skiing gear and hiking boots for more adventures in Colorado!
All in all, I'm thankful for the whole weekend...being with my family...training hard...having fun...HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005


AWESOME shirt I saw in NYC...now I totally regret not buying it!! At least I got a picture:)

Tuesday, November 22, 2005


Dustin pushing over the Empire State building from the top of the Rockafeller Building.


Dustin, Me, Elizabeth, and Chip in the limo on the way to the Golden Goggle Awards show! My first time in a limo...very fun.

Hurrah for the Horrible Hundred!

On Sunday morning, my Dad and I were up and in the truck by 6:30. We were on our way to Clermont, Florida for the 26th annual Florida Freewheeler's Horrible Hundred bike ride. This was my first time participating (I had escaped this unusual form of torture by being on the UF swim team for the past 5 years...). At 8:30am, over 1000 people on bikes rolled out of the Lake Mineolla Water Front Park and we were only 102 miles from rolling back in.
Our plan was to hang with the ORC (Orlando Road Club) group...but at the first SAG stop (rest stops with food and Gatorade) they spent too much time resting and I wanted to get the ride over with. So Dad and I went at our own pace for most of the ride (him going really fast and me drafting really close behind).
The weather was very nice for a November day in Central Florida...it was overcast and always looked like there was a rain storm heading our way. The cloud cover kept the sun off us and only dumped a bit of water on us around mile 85. It was a nice little shower before the last couple of big climbs.
Speaking of climbs, we did them all: Citrus Tower, Sugarloaf, Buck Hills, The Wall, Hospital Hill, etc. I knew that once I've lived in Colorado Springs, there would not be 'hills' in Florida anymore...well, they were hills, but I wasn't dying like I use to. Climbing for 2 minutes while standing is a bit different than climbing for 35 minutes (needing to stand the whole way but having to sit for most of it)!
We stopped at all the rest stops, mostly to keep our water bottles filled...munched on a cookie or a PB&J...and then headed back out on the road. I met a lot of nice people on the ride...people from all over the USA.
Dad and I made it home safely...ate some Subway on the drive home...and then slept really good that night! I headed over to swim practice on Monday afternoon to loosen up (my arms and back were even more sore than my legs!).
Now it's Tuesday morning...a cold front came through last night and the air is a bit chilly...I'm attempting to muster up courage to go for a jog. Later in the day we are driving up to UF to watch the swim meet against FSU...go Gators and go Dustin!!

Friday, November 18, 2005

The 'Should Be' Distances

Today, my training was all parts of a triathlon. This morning I drove to the DBCC pool for a bit of a swim practice...swam a solid 6000 yards in the H-O-T pool. After relaxing most of the mid-day (a bit of a cat nap around 11am) I headed out with various family members for some more exercising. First, I rode 25+ miles with my dad...I'll admit I did a bit of drafting because the weather is crap and it was very windy and overcast. As I came down the driveway at the end of the ride, I saw my mom on Buddy (one of the horses we are keeping in the pastures) and knew that I was expected to go for a jog with them. Quick transition from bike to run clothes and I was out the door for a light 30 minute jog while Buddy and mom cantered along side.
Now that I look back on my day of training...I realize that I did the perfect triathlon! 4 miles of swimming, followed by 27 miles on the bike, and topped off by about 3-4 miles of running! Isn't that the perfect distance ratio of all the sports? I say we write to the people in charge and suggest an imediate change...to be in effect next year...when I've got about 6 World Cup triathlon races on my schedule!
HAHAHA! (I'm not laughing about my schedule...that's actually exciting...I'm going to Japan twice, Germany, Switzerland, Canada a bunch, Mexico twice...Hey United Airlines, looking to sponsor a triathlete??)

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Back in the Sunshine State

The past week has been one of the busiest I've had in a while! It all started last Tuesday with the GMAT test. I went to the testing location at about 8:30am...went over all the testing rules...and by 9am I was at a computer typing away on my essay questions. It was actually really hard and the time flew by. At the end of the 4 hours of testing, the computer gives you an unofficial score (it can't include the essay grades)...my score was not fantastic but I'm pretty sure it will get me accepted into the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. On the school website it says that the average scores accepted into the school are between 540-560...my unofficial score was 570. As long as the essay scores can not LOWER that score, I should be okay. (My essay writing skills are miserable!)
Tuesday night I was treated to a 'goodbye' bonfire party in the woods with all my good friends from the OTC. We toasted marshmallows and made some s'mores...until the cops showed up and told us that the bonfire was illegal! Good thing they were nice cops and let us off with a warning!!
The next morning I got a short swim practice in...followed by a rush of packing (because I kinda procrastinated all my packing until 3 hours before my flight!). The OTC shuttle to the airport was going to leave at 10:30...my flight was at 1:30 and the drive is about 15 minutes...I can't thank Jasmine enough for volunteering to drive me to the airport at a more reasonable time so that I could finish packing in a more relaxed fashion. It was sad to leave the OTC and all my friends, but I believe in the saying: 'distance makes the heart grow fonder'.
I got into the Daytona Beach airport around 8:30pm. My dad picked me up in the big truck...good thing because I had a LOT of bags to throw in the back (bike box, checked bag, carry-on rolling bag, backpack, purse, etc).
Thursday morning I started with some training...it was H-O-T! I underestimated how much more water I need when training in the heat and humidity of Florida...I sweat more and it's hotter so I emptied my water bottles a bit faster than I normally do. Friday morning we drove to the DBCC pool (the Port Orange pool has been drained and is being refinished) to swim with the masters group and Coach Steve. I still haven't swam with the age-group team because they have high school state meets this weekend and are all tapered.
On Saturday morning, for some reason I agreed to go on a bike ride with Dad...bad decision. 3 1/2 hours and 67 miles later I coasted back into the drive way and almost couldn't move for an hour. (Again, not nearly enough water in two waterbottles to make it on a 3 1/2 mile ride!) but, I had to keep on moving...really moving because after a shower and some lunch, I was on my way to Clermont for the Ironkids orientation meeting. Of course I almost fell asleep a bunch of times, but I made it there and started helping out with the kids.
unfortunately, the turn-out of kids in Clermont was not very big, but the race was still put on with gusto. On Sunday morning I was at the race site at 5:30am...setting up the last minute details and at 8am, the first wave of kids went off in the pool. I had fun doing whatever it was I was supposed to do...cheering, holding the finishing banner, handing out awards, signing autographs...I can't wait to be in Tempe, AZ at the nationals in December!
I was out of Clermont and on my way home around noon...had enough time at home to get in a bike and run...needed to do some exercise because I wouldn't be getting any for the next two days. On Monday morning, I was up at 4:30am to drive to the Orlando airport. My flight from Orlando to NYC departed at 6:20am...connection in Chicago and arrival in NYC at noon. Dustin was at the baggage claim waiting for me...he had flown from Gainesville to NYC. We grabbed a taxi to the hotel and checked in at the Marriot East Side (very nice hotel)...good thing it was on the Golden Goggle bill! We had about 4 hours to spare before we needed to shower and change for the awards show...so we headed out to explore the city. It was Dustin's first time in NYC and he loved all the sights: Trump Tower, Central Park, the cathedrals, etc. Around 4pm we made our way back to the hotel, got ourselves all dressed up and at 5:30pm the limos were down stairs to drive all the athlete's and their guests to the ballroom for the Golden Goggle Awards show. The dinner was delicious...the show was great...the winners were happy...everyone looked beautiful. We headed back to the hotel for some sleep so that we could start our second day really early.
On Tuesday morning we checked out of the hotel but had flights at 5pm. From 8am until 2pm, Dustin and I walked all over NYC, took the Subway some places, went to the top of the Rockefeller Building for the birds-eye-view, ate at fun cafes, explored the NY Public Library, etc. We made it to the airport with time to spare, especially since there were storms and a lot of the flights were delayed...I finally got back to Orlando and safely drove home around 11pm.
Our good family friend, Sally Gist, was staying with us for 2 nights. On Wednesday morning, mom, Sally and I got up early for yoga at the Drop Zone...but the teacher didn't show up...so mom and I went to swim practice instead. After 2000yards of swimming I did a 50y and a 200y time trial for the lifeguard world championship team. I was surprised with my times (but I have to remember that Coach Steve's watch is about 1-2 seconds fast) but I went a 24.5 and a 1:51, both from the blocks. I guess I've been on a 10 month taper:)
Now I'm back into a normal routine...I travel again in a few weeks back to Colorado for my presentation at the Coaching Clinc...more on that later. I'm off for a bike ride...easy at mom's pace:)

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

GMAT Time Has Arrived!

I’ve been to breakfast, now it’s time to get in the car and drive to the testing location! My test starts at 9am…they estimate the test running from 9am to 1pm…I have done some practice tests on the computer and I don’t think they actually take that long. But I’m not going to rush any part of it. This is something that I need to take seriously because I don’t want to take it again.
Wish me luck from 9am to 10am because the first hour consists of writing 2 essays! After that we have 75 minutes of math problems and another 75 minutes of verbal problems. I will get a tentative score when I finish the test…I don’t know if I’d rather wait 2 months for my score like when taking the SAT? I guess I will like getting my score right away if it ends up being good!
Results will be posted soon:)!

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Topic: Everything

Location: desk chair, room 316, building 10, USA Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Weather: Snow from 8:30 to 9:30am; currently sunny and melting all the snow.
Training: 4500m hard swim practice from 8-9:30am; light jog in the afternoon.
What I was just doing: practicing my essay writing skills for the GMAT test.
What I should be doing: more practice for the GMAT.
What I will be doing instead: cleaning my room, surfing the internet, writing this blog.
OTC room update: the world’s UGGLIEST curtains were installed in our bedrooms. (no photo available b/c my camera is broken)
Camera update: my dad said not to take it into a shop and pay $$ until he has a chance to fix it.
Travel update: I need to sign up for a OTC shuttle to the airport because I leave in 4 days!
4 days: I should probably start packing sometime soon!
Packing: it’s going to be hard because on of my bags on the airplane is going to be my bike box.
Bike box: I’m flying Delta and I’m going to have to shell out $80 for an ‘oversized’ bag.
Coaching update: I passed the ‘Safety Training for Swim Coaches’ on Monday.
Requirements: my First Aid and CPR certification along with the STSC test allowed me to take the Level 1 test.
Level 1: the ‘Foundation of Coaching’ test is on the USA Swimming web-site; I took it yesterday, passed with a 95%!
Processing: everything has to be processed by the Florida Swimming LSC and then I will be an official Level 1 Swimming Coach!
Future: I have been given the OK to sign up for the USA Triathlon Level 2 coaching clinic…I’m thinking about doing that next year.
Ending: Later Gators!!!