My 24th Year

What a great start to my 24th year of life...we've got 28 hours of training planned this week!! That's a bit of a jump from the 18-20 hours that we've been busting out for the first 2 months of the year! So, apparently, I'm not in Australia to just hang out:) There's actually a "training camp" going on here!!! And it's Kicking My Butt!
Getting to train in a different location is always a bonus. We've got new running trails, a nice out-door pool that we swim at, new roads to bike on, an ocean right outside the door to go swim in or run on the beach! I've done a bit of everything...the group rides here are INTENSE! I just try to hang on the back of the guys for as long as possible...and then stay with someone who knows their way back to Noosa when I inevitably lose the main group.
This morning we woke up around 4:30am to shovel down some breakfast while it was still raining outside. But we are tough athletes and a little rain isn't going to stop us from getting on our bikes with our swim gear and riding down to the Noosa Heads beach for a 2 HOUR open water swim session! It's 9pm and I have been completely WIPED out all day...even with a 2 hour nap I'm still going to fall asleep in a few minutes. We joined about 80 other athletes of all ages on the beach...surfers, lifesavers, swimmers, water polo players, triathletes...the session was run by the local swim club coach. The waves were awesome...crashing hard core about 100 meters out and perfect for body surfing into shore. We warmed up with one large loop around the far buoys. Then we all lined up on the beach for 4 In & Outs, followed by 2 large loops, 3 In & Outs, 2 more large loops, 2 In & Outs (and this point I could barely stand up), 2 large loops, and one final In & Out that turned into more of a float in the shallow water because I could NOT make it out again!
Basically, it was one of the COOLEST workout sessions I've done in my life! After a short coffee/muffin break at a cafe, I rode easy for an hour with my friends to spin out the legs and then I was officially done for the day (perfect for that LONG nap that I mentioned earlier:).
I've spent some time on the computer during the past 2 hours making plans for my first race of the season. I needed to order a ride to the Brisbane airport on Saturday, a ride from the Melbourne airport to my hotel...and return rides on Monday after the race. Other than that, I've got this weekend pretty much planned...entered the race, got a hotel room, plane ticket, race wheels, printed out the course map, etc. And I sent out my "Press Release" 10 minutes ago so all my friends, family, fans and supporters know about my first race of the season! Speaking of racing, I should get some sleep so that I can kick butt on Sunday...later!

Birthday Down Under

Guess what...in 3 and 1/2 hours...I'll be 24 YEARS OLD! Tomorrow is my birthday, yeah!
Today, in the middle of my mid-day nap, I got a call from the front desk asking me to come pick up a package that was delivered. Ummmm, I'm in Australia and I didn't order anything so I was quite curious and intrigued. Until I walked in and saw this sitting on the counter with a loving birthday card from my Mom and Dad:

This thing is massive...with some of the most interesting and weirdest plants and flowers that I've ever seen! One of them looks like it came straight out of "The Little Shop of Horrors" movie and it should start singing any moment

!

My favorite part are the adorable little birds that are in the branches:

Thank you Mom and Dad for the awesome and thoughful birthday gift...I'm just upset that I probably wont be able to bring much of it home with me in my bike box...maybe I'll pack the little birds:)

Blogging from Noosa!!!

I'm here! I'm in my apartment room in Noosa, Sunshine Beach, Queensland, Australia! I'm typing on my computer via wireless! I'm listening to the waves and the breeze from the ocean! I'M FREAKING HOT!!!
Yep! We got our wish...we are in the SUMMER for warm training! When the sun comes out...and the clouds disappear, and it's not raining...it is BRUTAL! Thankfully, we are right on the coast so there is a constant breeze to cool things off.
I'm all 'moved in' to my room. Everything is unpacked and in drawers/closets/hangers, etc. We took a short trip to the grocery store last night and I've got some food supplies in the kitchen (I had soup and salad for dinner, cereal for b-fast this morning, and a yummy omelet for lunch. At the Sunseeker Resort (where we are staying), there are about 24 units. Each unit is individually owned by a family...so each one is decorated differently, the kitchen is stocked differently, etc. Our kitchen is fully stocked...making cooking for ourselves very easy and convenient.
I've taken some photos of the apartment:
























This is the view from the doorway into my bedroom. I've got a small porch off the back (that's where I get my best cell phone reception to call home:)



























The view from our back porch!!! Check out the OCEAN! And the blue skies...and I got hot from just standing in the sun to take this photo:)


























Say "HI" to Jasmine on the back porch...staying in the shade to read a book. Notice the AWESOME Litespeed leaning on the porch...thats the first photo of my new sweet ride! She currently outside so she can dry off and not drip mud onto the livingroom floor...Why?...Because this morning we went on a 3 hour group ride and it RAINED on us for 2.5 of those hours!

























This is the livingroom...you can see the opening off to the kitchen on the right.

From Japan

This is the first blog from my 2007 Australia training trip!! But I’m actually typing this in Japan! So far, I’ve killed 4 hours of my 6 hour layover…only 2 more hours until I board the Qantas flight to Brisbane. I’ve been awake for almost 24 hours…it will be exactly 24 hours when I sit in seat 48H and we take off…and that’s EXACTLY when I will be falling asleep for the entire flight south.
This morning, checking in was uneventful in COS (surprisingly, because it was at 5:00am and that is when things tend to go horribly wrong)…unfortunately, the lady at the United desk didn’t get my hints that I would LOVE to be bumped up into Business classL. Oh well, I slept most of the way to San Francisco where Jaz and I killed 3 hours in the airport with a meal, some reading, and a coffee break. On the Tokyo-bound flight, I had a great Exit Row seat and spent most of the flight lying on the HUGE floor space to keep my legs up. I drank a lot of water, read most of the book I brought (Pursuit of Happyness…good read, I can’t wait to see the movie), watched some horrible movies, and stood at the back of the plane doing crossword puzzles.
Upon arrival in Tokyo, Jaz and I figured out that we had to get our luggage, exit through customs, take a bus to a different terminal, check in at the Qantas desk, and then go back through customs. As if things actually went that smooth!!!!!
We made it through customs (and I still have some fruit with me…SHHH, don’t tell) and found the bus to Terminal 2. We lugged our 8 pieces of luggage onto and off of the bus without anyone’s help. Unfortunately, this caused Jaz to drop her PASSPORT somewhere along the unloading process…Fortunately, she realized it about 90 seconds later and immediately started the searching process. It only took the amount of time for the bus driver to make the Terminal circle again because as soon as he pulled up, Jaz was reunited with her passport!
Now, we only had 5 hours of layover time to kill. We started with another coffee break for 30 minutes. Then we made our way over to the Qantas counter to check in…where we met some Australian surfer-dudesJ who were in the process of moving items between their bags. I realized that I was in for the same ‘MAXIMUM WEIGHT of 20 kilos’ issue because the combined weight of my luggage is 1 ton (seriously, I have some over-packing issues that I need to get help for)!!!
At the check-in counter, Jaz and I were actually asked for 120,000 yen at one point for our excess 26 kilos of baggage (and we figured that came out to somewhere around $1,200!!!!!) I was about to just start throwing things in the garbage when the Qantas lady asked us if we had come straight from the USA. In about 2 seconds flat, I had my United ticket out as proof that I was in Colorado earlier this morning…the end result was NO CHARGE for any of the excess weight! I still can’t believe that we got out of that BIG problem without any damage…it just goes to show that when traveling internationally, be prepared to go through a gauntlet of emotions!
This blog has managed to eat up another 20ish minutes…it’s now 7:43pm in Tokyo, our Qantas flight is scheduled to depart at 9:30pm. But, I feel the need to point out that there is NO PLANE AT THE GATE! I’ve traveled enough to know that NO airline can turn around an international flight in less than 2 hours…so I’m already predicting a delay…good thing I’m in NO immediate rush…except to get a shower and some exercise upon arrival in Noosa.
Jasmine is stretched out on the chairs snoring…the night-time-airport-cleaning-crew is out in full force trying to vacuum everywhere (even under my current seat on the floor)…and slowly, but surely, people are trickling into this boarding area (which is not surprising because I was told the flight is almost full).
If you can’t tell by now, I have a case of the sleep-deprived-typing-babble mixed with a little got-to-kill-ths-layover-time-syndrome. The combination of those two disorders results in a really long blog that I hope at least entertains ONE person (and I can count on my 2 parents reading the whole thingJ).
Next time you hear from me, I’ll actually be IN Australia and, hopefully, making more sense! Later Gators!

Oz...Here I Come!

Tomorrow morning at 4:30am...I start my 2-day trip from Colorado Springs to Noosa, Australia! It starts with a 4:45am shuttle ride to the COS airport...a 6:15am flight to SFO...a 3.5 hour layover in San Francisco...11:30am departure from SFO to Tokyo...we arrive in Japan at 3:30pm (on Thursday)....a 6 hour layover in the Tokyo airport...then a 9:30pm departure on Qantas to Brisbane, Australia...arriving in Australia at 7:10am on FRIDAY...lastly, a 1 hour shuttle service from the airport to the Sun Seeker Apartments which will be 'home' for the next 6 weeks!
I'll be in the air above LOTS of Pacific Ocean for the next two days! The first long flight, from SFO to Tokyo, I HAVE to stay awake as much as possible. But for the Tokyo to Brisbane flight, I have to SLEEP as much as possible so that I'm able to stay awake for the entire Friday after I arrive!
Since a lot of the USA Triathlon team has already departed and will be in Noosa before I get there...I'm going to recruit my friends to help me stay awake...games, tours, exercise, etc...anything that will keep my eyes open until about 8pm!
Speaking of sleeping at 8pm...that will be the typical 'bed-time' for everyone. Shocking, I know! But it is VERY VERY VERY warm in Australia right now. So our coach has us training from 5-9am and late afternoon to stay out of the brutal heat. If we're going to be up at 4am to prepare for training...I will definitely be going to sleep around 8pm...party central, I know:)!
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So I took a break from writing this blog to take my friend Haven to the airport. He was suposed to leave for Australia on the 4:59pm flight out of COS. I dropped him off around 3:55pm and headed home to finish packing and go for a jog. Well, I didn't even make it into my room before my phone rang...it was Haven. I answered it with a joke: "So, what did you forget?"
Of course he wasn't kidding when he said that he forgot his PAPER TICKET and they would not let him get on the plane!!!!! So, I turned around, walked 10 steps back to my car and went back to the airport to pick up a VERY frustrated friend.
So he's sitting on the computer next to me and he just bought a new ticket to Australia, same exact itinerary, but 2 days later...and I can't believe that he actually paid LESS than he did 1 month ago! Now, instead of getting to Noosa one day before me, he gets there one day afterwards.
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This has reminded me to go upstairs to my room and physically CHECK to make sure that ALL my paper tickets are PACKED! My round-trip ticket from COS to Tokyo is an e-ticket...but the next leg of the trip, from Tokyo to Brisbane on Qantas, is a paper ticket. And...8 hours ago, a FedEx package arrived at the OTC with my paper ticket for the Ishigaki, Japan trip in April. I'm going to staple those packets of paper to my stomach and then I'll know for a FACT, I HAVE my tickets! Haven...thanks for the 'heads up'!!!!!!

Welcome Aboard Plan B & Litespeed!

I would like to send a big WELCOME to my two newest sponsors: Litespeed bikes and The Plan B bike shop in Port Orange, Florida.
Today, my new race bikes arrived in the mail (the Siena for ITU racing and the Saber for time-trial races) and I'll be riding beautiful titanium in '07!
I've got to send a big Thank You to Nate, our resident bike mechanic, who has the undertaking of building my bike before we depart for Australia!
Soon, I hope to have a photo of myself with my new bikes to post...until then, happy riding!

Back On Track

For a few moments on Thursday and Friday nights, it was touch and go. If I wasn't going to die...I was going to fry an egg on my head just to prove that it was possible with my fever! But, I couldn't make it out of bed, let alone down to the cafeteria to actually GET an egg to prove my point:).
But eventually, on Saturday, I started feeling human again and I managed to get outside a few times for some fresh air. I was most happy to feel healthy enough to walk down the road and visit my friend Jessica Meyers (if I felt sorry for myself feeling bad, seeing her flat on her back in a hospital bed for the safety of her twin-unborn-babies puts a lot of things into perspective)! Sam and Cliff had a new-house-party for dinner and it was fun to hang out with people in a different setting than the OTC. They have a beautiful new home that fits them very well.
By Sunday, I was attempting to do some light training, hampered only by my lungs and horrible coughing fits. I tried to get the whole "sick" feeling out of my room with some spring cleaning and about 6 loads of laundry.
Now the new training week has started and I'm back on the training plan. Between workouts today I started getting ready to travel to Australia. I ventured outside in the snow storm to get some shopping finished. I'm not making the same mistakes I did last year during the training camp in Germany...this time I've got extra running shoes, bike parts, vitamins, water bottles, etc.
This morning I had a blood draw at 7am (after fasting from 7pm). Tomorrow I find out what my iron and cholesterol numbers are. Those are the ones I watch closest...we want my iron HIGH and my cholesterol LOW. Unfortunately, with the 7 or 9 diseases that I'm recovering from, some numbers will be a bit out-of-whack...like my white blood cell count will probably be through the ROOF!
I'm officially entered in the Geelong triathlon on March 4th (my first race of '07). I've got my plane ticket, hotel room, roommate (Jasmine, of course:) and my race suit is at the screeners getting some last minute logos. I don't think this race will have any live coverage like the World Cups, but my hotel has Internet access so I will report ASAP!
Speaking of REPORTS...it's about that time again...I'm looking forward to writing my first Pre-Race-Report for my email list of friends, family, and supporters! Expect a little treat in your inbox in early March!

Deathly Ill

I predicted it...about a week before I came back to COS, I realized that I was living in a steril enviornment at home and I would probably catch a cold when I went back to the OTC. Little did I know HOW sick I was going to get. So, here I am, lying in bed, feeling like a truck just ran over my whole body and someone lit my head on fire! I can't sleep anymore and I'm bored out of my mind so I've got my laptop here for entertainment.
I just hate missing workouts now that I'm back with my team...but I'm skipping everything because just walking the 10 steps to the bathroom is enough to tire me out. So I'm focusing on getting better as fast as possible so I'm not sick for the trip to Australia.
The SEC conference swim meet is going on right now in Kentucky...yesterday Dustin swam the 500 free, 4:28, best time in prelims, seeded 15th into finals, another 4:28 at night, 14th place! Today he swam the 400 IM, 3:52, another best time, seeded 6th into finals! Go Gators!
I'm going back to sleep...send some healthy thoughts in my direction!

Actually, It's NOT That Cold

Today the temperature went all the way up to 69 degrees during our OUT-of-doors running workout; yesterday it was so sunny and warm that lots of the snow on the ground and roads melted!
So...I took advantage of the beautiful weather that Colorado was offering...and spent all day Monday on the slopes at Breckenridge! Thanks to my ski buddy Haven for suggesting the 'last second trip'. We talked about it at the Super Bowl Party on Sunday night...and we were skiing the next morning!















Check out my Christmas present ski-helmet...I'm so glad that I got one opportunity to wear it on the slopes before I pack it away at the back of my closet for a few months (like 10 months until the next winter:(!
I'm enjoying being back at the OTC with teammates and training partners all around. As I mentioned earlier, we had a group running workout on the trails (which were VERY muddy from the melting snow...my shoes are currently in the tub drying out:). Tomorrow we will be cycling outside as a group and I'm very much looking forward to that!
In other news, I'm finally heading to the orthodontist tomorrow to repair a broken retainer...it broke 2 days before I left DeLand and of course my orthodontist was on vacation! So I found a place down the road here in COS and I'm headed there in the morning after swim practice. Hopefully I wont swallow the loose metal strip in my mouth before 10am tomorrow!
Speaking of the Super Bowl...I was cheering for the Bears, and they lost. Oh well. It was actually predictable after they ran the kick off for a touch-down...kinda reminded me of a BIG (Gator) game on January 8th where the same thing happened and that team (Ohio State) LOST! What I DID win was 2 out of 4 of our party's betting board. The team scores ended in 4 & 6 fo the first quarter (I had that box) and for half-time (same box)...so I walked away with an extra $20!

Freaking Freezing!

Day 3 back in Colorado Springs...I flew back here from Florida on Wednesday...and I haven't been WARM since I got on the plane in Daytona Beach!
Well, actually, it was kinda warm today. A lot of the snow was able to melt and I can see the ground in some places:)
It was a nice sunny day for Jessica Jones/Meyer's baby shower at the Raven's Nest coffee shop. She looks beautiful and very healthy...with a BIG belly! We had lots of good eats, especially the blue and pink cupcakes in honor of the boy and girl twins that Jessica is incubating. She opened a ton of baby clothes, shoes, toys, and blankets...which will be about 1/100th of what she actually needs to raise twins.
I'm getting back into the mental state that is required to do all my training INside. The pool is indoors (of course), all my runs have been on the treadmills (which can require patience while waiting for one to be available), and my bike is sitting in the basement compu-trainer room in front of the TVs.
But I've also got my ticket to AUSTRALIA! I leave COS on February 21st and arrive in Brisbane on the 23rd (via Tokyo, Japan...long story but it has to do with going to a race in Japan during my travel home from Australia). Right now, it looks like my first triathlon of 2007 will be in Geelong on March 4th: the Oceanic Championships and Australian National Champs. Does Geelong sound familiar to anyone? Last year I competed in the Lifesaving World Champs in Geelong (that's where I set my World Record in the 200meter obstacle swim:) Closer to the race date, I'll send out my first Pre-Race Report to my mass e-mail list with some fun stories about how training and life has been in Oz.
Tomorrow is the Super Bowl...yeah-ha. The only football game that I care about this winter is already over...and if you've been living in a cave for the past month...the GATORS WON! But I have to pick a team to root for so I chose the Chicago Bears. And since I'm a girl and I don't follow NFL, let me explain to you how I came to this decision. Rex Grossman is the Bear's quarterback and he used to be our Gator quarterback when I was in school (before he left and went to play for silly Miami). Oh yeah, most importantly, the Bears colors are sort of "orange and blue" so I can sport my Gator gear and kinda look like an actual fan! Very scientific conclusion, I know...people in Vegas are changing their betting strategy because of my decision here!!
By the way...in my haste to escape Florida for this lovely Colorado weather, I forgot to mention that my parents successfully completed their entire 'Round the World Vacation' and returned to the US of A on Monday night. My brother drove down from G-ville to surprise them and we got to see photos, video clips, and souvenirs from each of the 8 countries they visited: USA, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Kenya, Egypt, Italy, Greece.
The unanimous favorite stop on the trip was the 4 day safari they took in Kenya...they saw (and my mom took video of) every-single-imaginable-African-animal: elephants, cheetahs, lions**, etc.
**Coolest video of ALL time!!