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.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Cool Story and Amazing Adventure

JUNK

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

105 Miles!!!

Ohhhh...that's a lot of cycling! My legs don't like me very much right now.
Lets see...we rolled out yesterday afternoon at 4:30pm for a two hour, 15 minute ride around Cali. It was a great tour through all the aspects of California life. First, we rode to the coast and cruised along the beach watching pelicans and seals diving and jumping through a huge school of fish. From the beach we turned along the coastal road and rode through tons of tiny towns, each with their own big resort or fancy hotel.
We said good-bye to the water and turned inland, following some railroad tracks and passing all sorts of farms and crops in all stages of growth. I could see the strawberries heavy on the vines. There were workers out picking the beans and loading huge boxes into the back of trucks. A few fields had tractors that were going up and down the rows...either planting, tilling, or weeding...I wasn't too sure.
The final turn west to take us home wound through vineyards of all shapes and sizes. There were some signs that claimed 'vineyard' and all I could see was a front yard with some grape vines. Then there were other areas where the whole hill side was covered with rows and rows of immaculately trimmed vines and barely a mention of what delicious wine was being produced behind high walls.
As the sun was setting (right in my face, I might add), we finally rolled back onto Tank Farm road and after 41 beautiful miles, the rental-house was in sight. After a quick shower and an attempt to look presentable, I joined Matt and Jake as we headed into town for some chow at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) where I can highly recommend that you request the Honey Wheat Crust on any pizza that you order!
We discussed the idea of seeing a late night movie but decided that with a ride time of 7:25am the next morning, it was probably a better idea to just get some sleep!
I am SOOO thankful that was the decision!! A little over 12 hours after finishing one ride, I was heading out on another!! This time it was a group ride that met in downtown SLO so we had about 15 other cyclists to roll out with...and first thing we hit: The Grade. Up and over into a massive headwind (of course, I was never less than fourth wheel so the wind wasn't too bad back there:) and then a short regrouping at the bottom. After that, it was pretty much non-stop rolling country roads for the next two hours of my life. It was all I could do to hang on to the the guys wheels as they drug me along some of the coolest cycling roads I've been on...after getting UP to the top of the rollers, the down hills were always lots of fun with twists, turns, corners and no cars!
About the time I was dying for a stop, I saw a "Country Store" sign and the group turned in for a quick refill. I had to keep myself from looking at my speedometer because I had the feeling that if I actually knew how long and how far I'd been riding so far, I might just collapse on the spot! With topped off water bottles, we were back on the road and finally heading in the direction that I was pretty sure was towards home.
I knew I was right when I looked ahead and could see that we were going back up and over The Grade! I think the only reason I'm able to compose this post is because the return climb wasn't nearly as long and steep. The down hill was WICKED though! It was so long and fast that my arms were actually giving out on me in the drops. I was sure that at any second my chest or face was going to be on the bars as my arms dangled uselessly at my sides:)!
This time, after three hours and 40 minutes of riding, Tank Farm road and the rental house came into view and I could finally justify looking at my speedometer to see the final damage...64 miles, 18mph average, 45mph max (must have been down the grade)!! I'm so proud of that number that I feel the need to just mention it again: 105 miles!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hi Marek

Another beautiful day in SLO. This morning's training session was a track workout at the beautiful Cal-Poly Track. Although the day started off a bit chilly and very overcast/foggy, by the time the guys were into the main set, it was sunny and plenty warm!

The 2008-Matty-Reed-Pre-Beijing-Camp welcomed it's third member yesterday when I picked up Jake, Matt's running partner from Boulder, at the airport. At the track session this mroning, I stood on the sidelines, cheered, and called out times while Jake and Matt flew around the track at amazing speeds. I didn't even have time to snap a photo during the workout so I have to post this one from the cool-down/towel-off session.

I also have some photos to share from the late-night visit we had here from the ABC Good Morning America film crew. Matt was on the show this morning for about 10 seconds talking about his asthma attack last year in Beijing. It was fun to watch them set up all the equipment in the house and then the interviewer, Mary, was asking Matt questions via phone (not very personal...but I think she's in Beijing right now).




I got in trouble for taking that last shot because I forgot to turn off my flash and they were actually filming at the time...oops!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Hill Repeats...

My FAVORITE!
Today's training started at 8:30am in the pool. Matty and I did 5000 meters in about 90 minutes. The main set was 5x400 of race specific stuff...we made them all different so time passed very quickly.
After a cold morning session in the pool, nothing feels better than going straight to a local coffee house and getting a scone and hot cocoa. We visited the Uptown Black Horse and I was very impressed with the atmosphere, but unimpressed with their cocoa (yeah, yeah, I know, coffee shops make coffee...but how hard is a hot cocoa!?!).
After lounging and eating some lunch, we rolled out of the house around 1:30pm and pedaled to See Canyon for some hill repeats. The warm-up route was not without drama...no more than five minutes into the ride a construction pick-up truck drove by and at that exact second, a big piece of thin plastic flew out of the back. It was like the stuff painters lay on the floor of a house to keep from making a mess. This particular piece was about 14 feet wide and 7 feet tall...and it was whipping through the air right towards us (and when I say 'us', I mean Matt riding into the head-wind and me tucked in close behind). I could tell that it was going to hit dead-center into Matt's face, torso, and arms (which it did...with seven feet of plastic hanging off both sides of his body) and my only concern was not slamming into the back of him at full speed. I managed to slam on my brakes, veer into the grass/dirt, and stay upright...all while watching Matt because I was so afraid this thing was going to just wipe him out completely, right in front of my eyes!
Of course I underestimated both of our bike-handling skills because we emerged from the plastic wrap unscathed and laughing hysterically! We continued on our way to the BIG hill like nothing had happened (although, I'm pretty sure my body was pumping adrenaline on overdrive). By the time we turned onto See Canyon road, I was determined to prove Matt wrong because he said I wasn't going to have a good time. So...I LOVED it! I thoroughly enjoyed every painful, grueling, and muscle-aching second of the 3 1/2 hill repeats that I was able to finish during Matt's 5 repeats (all under his previous hill-climbing-record, I might add!). I'm pretty sure that my little lower back muscles that were put to the test today are not going to be happy with me tomorrow morning...they don't get used very much on my normal riding routes in Florida:).
So here are the shots of the day...Matty starting the climb, Matty passing me up the climb, and Matty leaving me in the dust on the climb...enjoy!


Sunday, July 27, 2008

My Newest Profession?

Bear with me as I get a bit artsy on you now. I attempted some nature photography this morning during Matty's trail run in Los Osos Park. The scenes were just too amazing to pass up and fortunately, I had my camera on hand this time so I can do more than just write about it.

We rolled out of the house around 8:00am for a 15 minute drive west to the coast. The day was still slightly chilly and there was a thick layer of fog lingering in the hills. As Matt rocked out a long run along the coast (see photo below of the one time I saw him in action) I took the opportunity to slowly walk along the trail and capture as much of my surroundings as possible.
View from the parking lot down to the cove.

The least frightened bunny I could find (meaning: the closest one I could get to for a photo:)

This photo doesn't nearly show how close these guys were flying to me and the edge of the cliff.
Some more slightly friendly wildlife along the trail.

Check out this trail…makes you want to come here and run everyday, huh?


This one is the money-maker. B-E-A-utiful!

Here's Matty zooming along the trails. I was only able to get one photo as he flew by me (fortunately for you, it was a good photo:)!

The coolest wildlife of the day were these adorable birds that I spotted near the picnic area. I have no idea what kind of birds they are (a local might be able to identify them easily...thanks Dad: California Quail) but it was three adults and eight or nine babies! They totally reminded me of our turkeys at home, but in miniature. Anyways, the coolest part was the one bird on the picnic table. He/She was apparently the look-out bird while all the others chowed down on the bugs below. I must have watched them for 15 minutes and the guard-bird never left his/her post…talk about diligence!

So when Matty was finished with his workout, we headed home for some chow, but he took a slight detour and showed me a wicked-cool hide-out-tree. Man, this would be heaven for any kid who loves to play 'fort'!


Bronze in Germany

The 2008 World Lifesaving Championships have come to an end in Germany and now my Brother and Kimmy are officially off on their two week adventure through Europe. After a disappointing race in the pool events (due to loosing his goggles on the dive) Dustin redeemed himself in the Surf Race yesterday (basically an open water swim) and finished third.
My latest email from Dustin came from him at the Berlin Train Station where he and Kimmy were catching a night-train to Paris. Their original plan was to skip the post-race party and try to get to Paris in time for the finish of the Tour...but they chose the party and probably wont see any cycling because the train arrives at 10am. So, after arriving, they are off to the Louvre for their first day of sightseeing.
Dustin also wrote that his competitors were "Olympic caliber" and the rest of the Team USA had a very good showing. While in Berlin, he said they did quite a bit of sightseeing...visited the remains of the Wall and saw the big round obelisk. I will have to snag his camera when he gets home and post some photos (that is, if he actually TOOK any)!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Training Camp, Day 2

SLO is beautiful! I love the fact that it might be the same temperature here as in Florida, but without the 100% humidity, training is just so much easier and much more pleasant (dripping onto your bike, bottles, bars and riding in soaking shoes is not what I consider fun). Anyways, Matt and I just got back to the rental house ('home base' for these 10 days) after a 3+ hour ride around the area. It was actually an 8:00am group ride leaving from the local bike shop, but only two other people showed up so it was quite personal and friendly. I wish I could tell you where we rode, but I was just following the leaders and making turns when I was instructed. I do remember CLIMBING a LOT…which did result in some pretty awesome descents…and seeing location names like El Camino Real, Morro Bay, and finally, signs for SLO again!

Matt's checking out the Tour Time Trial on TV right now and pretty soon we're heading into town to grab some lunch. The plan calls for another swim practice this afternoon around 4pm. I'm thinking up today's workout right now…but it probably won't be as intense as yesterday's! We bust out some sprinting speed yesterday afternoon to finish off one of my favorite workouts. I said we had to do a 100, from a dive, all out, before we were finished with the workout. Well, we dove in and I won by a mile…so Matty challenged me to another one! I'm no slouch, I took him up on that challenge and it was a much closer race on the second 100…we swam something like a 1:02 (keep in mind we were in a 25 meter pool)!

Now, the plan is to do the same workout again, next week, and see if we can both do better! I guess that will be the test to see if I succeeded as a training partner:)!

On a side note, of course there were some awesome views during today's ride but I inevitably left my camera at the house. I have nothing to share with you yet but I made a promise to myself (as I looked down from the top of a mountain on the rolling hills and the ocean in the distance) that I wasn't going to leave home without it again!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Things I Haven’t Mentioned

I have been very focused on my new home improvements lately. Between driving back and forth to Clermont, laying flooring, shopping at Lowes, painting walls, driving home late at night, and sleeping soundly to the next day, I haven't been able to blog about too much else. This has been a bit misleading because news-worthy events in my life have been occurring almost daily.

Let me start with my location right now. I'm typing away in a United plane, somewhere between Orlando and San Francisco. I was awake at 4:30am to load up my bike and drive to the airport for my 7:07am flight. Luckily, I was able to use some upgrade certificates and I'm relaxing in First Class after eating a yummy breakfast (I guess they still serve food if you are flying long enough and close enough to the front of the plane:).


My trip to California will end in San Luis Obispo (SLO) where I am meeting up with Matty Reed for his pre-Olympic training camp. I had the amazing honor and privilege of being invited for a week of training to help Matty get ready for the race in August! I guess I'm just supposed to kick his butt in the pool for a few key sessions...because, honestly, what else am I going to be able to do…break away on a bike ride? Out run him at the track? He's a medal contender in this sport! The Reed's rented a house in SLO as our training base from today (July 25th) until August 3rd…that is when Matt will head to Palo Alto to check in for Olympic processing.


I'll be flying back to Florida that same day…and getting back to work on my home improvement 'Project'. My last trip to the Carroll Street house was yesterday afternoon. First, I was in the Orlando area to see a foot/ankle specialist (that is a story that might be covered in a future blog). From the doctor's offices, I drove to downtown Orlando and found the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. This is where the Gnirss/Parks twins are staying until weigh enough to warrant their release from the hospital and get the 'ok' to go home for the first time. I got to see the beautiful babies and rock Madyson in my arms for a few minutes until she need to go back to her crib and rest with her sister, Paeton.


From the hospital, it was just a few more minutes down the E/W Expressway to C-mont (thanks, Koren, for the abbreviation). I had a meeting scheduled with the amazing Tom Z. about a job at the National Training Center. Yes, you heard me, a J-O-B! For Sara McLarty…I know, you thought you'd never see the day:). Anyways, since I'm going to be a Clermont resident and hope to use the NTC facilities for my training, I thought I would ask about what services I could provide in exchange for a free/cheaper membership rate. Well, discussions turned to the newly departed Master's Swim Coach, the lack of a unified Triathlon clinic organizer, and some other options that were presented. So, not only will I be able to workout in the gym and train with the swim team, I'm also going to be employed! It's all very exciting and promising…I will keep you posted on my hiring process.


Now, if one J-O-B wasn't exciting enough, I have also failed to mention that I have been going through the process of becoming a certified Lake County substitute teacher for the upcoming school year. It was all really easy to research and complete online. I submitted an online application. I took an online class. I have ordered my UF transcript and sent off for letters of recommendation. The only remaining hoops I have to jump through are to get fingerprinted by the county and pass the background check (surprisingly, I don't see any problems there). I think Dustin and my Mom came up with this great idea a few weeks ago…I mean, I live 100 feet from the back side of the local elementary school, how convenient could this be!


So, do you think that is all that I have left out? Nope, during the few, rare moments between flooring and painting, I called our friend Sally to randomly ask if she might have any openings at the end of this season for a swamper on one of her Grand Canyon trips. Talk about coinky-dinky, that morning her husband, Jimmy, had to back out of a trip next month…and guess who has no commitments and volunteered to fill in?!?! MOI! Without any hesitations! I'm going rafting down the Grand Canyon for my third time. My first trip was with Sally, my second was with Irv exactly four years ago (after I missed qualifying for the '04 Olympics), and now I'm going with Sally again (during the '08 Games:). I'm flying to Vegas on the 13th to meet up with Sal, drive to Kanab to pack the boats, and then I will be on the river from the 16th to the 24th of August! I booked my return flight from Vegas a day later (the 25th) so that I can have a chance to see a show and maybe play some slots before returning home.


And now, I have finally finished filling you in on all the latest and greatest events that are occurring in my life. It's going to be very busy soon but I will always find time to write. Along with this being a simpler way of letting all my friends know what I am up to, it's fun for me to go back over the years and remember my past adventures. One thing I realized, during my last dip back in my archives, was that this blog was started after my last trip through the Canyon. I am looking forward to writing about my trip for the public for the first time (no longer just a photo album for myself).


Ahhh, my battery is running low, a perfect sign to conclude my post and say adios!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Color on Carroll Street

More in-progress photos from our hard work at my new house:
Yesterday, Dad and I picked up 24 packages of parquet flooring squares, a 4 gallon tub of mastic glue and got to work laying my solid wood flooring in the south guest bedroom.

A couple hours later, and we are still laying the flooring (in the same room). Only this time, Dad has gotten up to take a picture:)

I took a photo of my half painted Master Bedroom to show my beautiful blue walls. I think I've always wanted this exact color blue in my bedroom...so I jumped at the first opportunity (in my whole life) to paint away!

Here is what the south guest room looked like at 10:30pm! Completely floored...and I thought I'd put some furniture in to make the photo a bit more professional!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

High on Paint

Here's a suggestion...don't spend an afternoon inside a small bathroom painting the walls without some kind of air-flow going! Unless you really enjoy having a pounding headache for the rest of the evening! It's amazing the common sense things that just get tossed out the window when I'm on a mission...like the mission of getting rid of the horrible tan/beige walls in my house and covering them with bright, friendly colors (like Pale Apple 2).
Thanks to a lot of hard work by my Mom and I...all three 'guest' rooms are painted! The bathroom was a tough decision because there is a row of pink tiles on the bath-tub walls. I had to decide if I wanted my color scheme in there to be pink & green. Fortunately, I like those two colors together and that's all that matters:)

Other improvements planned for the guest bathroom are a few coats of crisp, white paint over the vanity cabinet. I usually would choose to leave anything that is already wood, as wood. But this thing has seen better days and we thought we would just try a coat of paint before tearing it out and replacing it.

As the afternoon turned into evening, my Mom was painting in the bathroom, I was prepping the walls of the master suite for painting, and my Dad was outside dealing with the garage door disaster! He spent the better part of two afternoons installing and connecting a brand-spanking-new opener to my garage door. Then, when he's finally at a point where it should open and close automatically...nothing happens. 30 minutes with customer service and still no resolution. Fortunately, after our daily trip to Lowes, where we picked up another (identical) opener, he found the broken piece, replaced it, and now I have an automatic opener hanging in my car!!

We were all too exhausted to continue working today but when I head over to Clermont tomorrow to commence painting Cassiopeia on the walls of my bedroom, I am very excited to open my garage for the first time from my car!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Working Hard?

Or hardly working?

Day two of the Clermont Project has come to a close. My Mom, Dad, and I are in the truck…almost back to the McLarty Farm. We just spent about 10 hours at my new house continuing the 'Project'. That will officially be how I refer to all the work that is going to be done before I officially consider myself 'moved in'.
The Project started yesterday. Dad and I drove over with a truck full of stuff...items included the wrought iron dining room and living room set, boxes of my things, and some cleaning supplies. Our 'to-do' list for the day was to tackle the garage. Dad pressure washed the entire floor and all the walls while I was in the house tackling the cleaning of the guest bathroom.

After the garage was clean and dry (and after Dad and I went to Lowes for supplies and Chipotle for dinner) we commenced painting.

Beautiful, shinny, glossy white walls from roof to floor. Fresh, clean, and pretty. That took the whole afternoon and we headed home around 11pm and I was in bed at 12:30am.
Today it was the three of us…with another truck load of stuff. Items on this trip included the lawn mower to tackle the jungle of grass and weeds in the yard, more boxes of my things, and some painting supplies.

While my Mom and I were in the house cleaning and prepping the guest bedrooms and bathroom for painting, my Dad was out in the garage installing a garage-door-opener. The daily trip to Lowes was our only break from the non-stop work and as soon as we were back with paint I started rolling it onto the walls.
This paint was a bit more important that the white garage. I chose my 'guest' color…which is officially called Pale Apple 2…to cover the walls of both the bedrooms and the bathroom on the East side of the house (the master suite is on the West).

After another 10 hour day in Clermont, I now have one room in Pale Apple 2 and an installed (but not functioning, yet) garage-door-opener. This is going to take a bit longer than I thought!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It's Official!!

As of 5:00pm on July 14th, 2008...Sara McLarty is a HOME OWNER!
Oh my goodness! I own a house! In Clermont, Florida of all places!
My Dad and I drove down to an attorney's office yesterday afternoon to sign all the paperwork. I thought I was going to be walking away with the keys...but they are still just hanging out in the lock-box at the house (I know the code:) so I will pick them up soon (and then get them changed ASAP!).
Now my list of house-related 'Things To Do' can officially commence.
Actually, they've already started, thanks in large part to my family. My Mom has already built shutters and doors for all my windows and sliding-glass-doors. My Dad has already repainted the wrought-iron dinning room and living room set. My Brother has already promised me all his furniture in Gainesville as soon as he is done living there.
As for me, I've just started SHOPPING! Yep, that's what I'm good at so I might as well get started! Lets see...new toilet seats, new kitchen faucet, garden hose, cleaning supplies, cooking supplies, flatware...I've become addicted to online sales and packages are about to start arriving every day.
I am planning to make a trip over to my house some time this week and start dropping off some of the furniture, boxes, supplies, etc. that I have been stocking up in preparation for this move. I admit, in this case, it is a good thing I drive an SUV, Dustin drives an SUV, Mom drives and SUV, and Dad drives a truck...we should have plenty of room! Eventually, we are going to borrow a friend's trailer (thanks Cheryl & Charlie) to tow Dustin's gear from G-ville to Clermont. Hope it doesn't rain on that day!
Speaking of rain...we got DRENCHED today. Ol'McLarty's Farm is soaking wet and loving every drop! It's actually still drizzling as I write this post...still going since 3:00pm when it started as a torrential downpour (I was afraid more trees were going to come toppling over!).

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The Twins Have Arrived!

Doug and Yvonne welcome their new baby girls...
Madyson...

and Paeton.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Pie Success



I made my first fruit-pie on Wednesday for our belated-McLarty-4th-of-July celebration. This is a yummy strawberry-blueberry pie. It went fantastically with my brother's home-churned-vanilla-bean-ice-cream! With some sweet-corn-on-the-cob, pepperoni-pizza, and vegetarian-burgers, and salads...it was a big spread for the five of us (Dustin's teammate, Chris, was staying over during the USA Lifesaving Training Camp in Daytona).

#9

My race number for Saturday's Lifetime Fitness Triathlon is pink #9! My yellow cap says 'McLARTY'. This is all an improvement from 2005 when I was a last minute entry, probably something like #22, and with a blank cap because they had already done the customized order before I got on the list:).
I made it to the race meeting at 4:00pm yesterday with very little time to spare. Instead of landing in Minneapolis at 1:26pm like scheduled, I disembarked the plane around 2:30pm because we had been circling the airport for over an hour. Apparently, there was a really nasty thunderstorm right over the airport and all planes were kept in the air. Right as the pilot was explaining that we were running low on fuel and might have to be diverted to a nearby airport, we were finally given permission to land.
I rushed down to gather my bag and bike box and then speed-walked over to the light-rail station. The train goes right from the airport into downtown Minneapolis for $1.50 instead of a $25+ taxi ride. I only had to lug my bag and box a few blocks from the closest station to the race hotel. I managed to speed through check-in, drop my luggage off in my room, and then head back downstairs and across the street to the LifeTime Fitness Club for the meeting.
Most of the meeting was covering the points-system and the prize-money breakdown for all five of the LTF series races (which I am not going to attend enough to qualify so I kinda tuned it all out) and going over the race course (which has not changed in four years so I kinda tuned that out also). The meeting finished with a swim-start-draw. In order of race number, we were called up to mark a position on the beach where we will start. I chose position #2 between Emma Snowsill (who will be on my right) and Becky Lavelle (on my left).
After the meeting I headed downstairs in the club to find the pool. Since my flight had an early morning departure, I was unable to get any exercise and I was looking forward to a nice stretch-out in the pool. Unfortunately, it wasn't as nice of a 'stretch-out' as I hoped because the pool was only 20 yards long...meaning I was running into walls and flip-turning much more that usual!
I managed a couple of minutes in the pool and then I had to head back to the hotel to make myself presentable for the swanky dinner hosted for all the pros. It was a fun evening, chatting with friends and competitors over good food in a very relaxing atmosphere. After a few hours, and with a full belly, I headed back to my room to fall sound asleep (I am still very much on East Coast time:).

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Enroute

My location is somewhere in the airspace between Chicago and Minneapolis. It is amazing what the airline companies are skimping on to keep scraping by and stay in business. I'm sure that everyone has heard that now most companies won't even let you check a single bag for free. (Fortunately, with elite status, you can still get a few breaks and I am able to bring three bags without a charge…as long as I maintain Gold Status with United!) Bikes…now that's a completely different story. If one my three bags is a bike box, forget the 'free' part…they just raised it to 100 bucks! I actually look forward to traveling internationally because they don't charge that ridiculous fee.

Well, actually, I don't know if that is still in effect. I haven't been overseas in a long time. Flying to Mexico (like my Cancun trip last October) or flying to Canada (Vancouver last month) does not count. I think the official reason the United Rep. gave me was "You have to fly over an ocean for it to be considered 'international'. My counter-argument, that if I need a passport where I am going means it should qualify as 'international,' didn't have the effect that I was looking for…I still had to cough up the fee both ways. I guess I will find out in a few days when I am back in the Orlando airport checking in for my trip to Austria.

Anyways, back to the latest skimping by the airlines. For as long as I have been a frequent flyer, you never got less than 500 Sky-Miles for any flight, no matter the distance. This was great for those silly Colorado Springs to Denver flights when we were in the air for less than 20 minutes. Just being a member and sitting on the plane got you 1/50th closer to a free ticket. Well, 500 miles is no longer the minimum…that COS to DEN flight will now rack up a whopping 50 miles (or whatever tiny distance they claim). So the Chicago to Minneapolis flight that I'm sitting on right now is something like 354 miles. Talk about getting CHEAP. They really don't want to give away those free plane tickets!

Apparently, they don't want to give away the pretzels anymore either. I have just been on two flights in a row where drinks are served without any form of snack food accompanying it. That has got to be a first! I can remember the days when I flew Delta with my family to go snow-skiing. We would call ahead and request a special 'kids meal' for our seat. Instead of the 'adult' food that they served to every passenger, we would get something specially designed for people under ten years of age. Yes…there were actually days when you could fly across two-thirds of the continental USA and get served an entire meal while sitting in the coach section!

I'm not really complaining…I can pay the bag fees, I can live without the miles, and I can bring my own snacks. I completely understand the crunch that the airlines are in with the price of gas these days. Sometimes I have to skip driving to swim practice for training because I can't justify the 50 miles of gas! I am just looking around the airplane and imagining what is going to disappear next…seat cushions? Tray tables? Bathrooms…or will they just charge you another fee to use the toilet at 8000 feet?

Monday, July 07, 2008

LifeTime Fitness Weekend

On Thursday morning, at 8:40am, I will be airborne and heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Saturday morning I will be competing in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon. I had to just look up the schedule of events on the website and it seems that our race start is at 7:03am, three minutes after the pro men. When I raced in Minnesota three years ago, this was still the famous 'equalizer' format where the women got a head start in a 'winner-take-all' format. I guess they have changed the format to an unoriginal (and in my opinion, less exciting) separate women's and men's races.

No matter. I will race whoever my competition is for the day. And in the case of Lifetime, the competition is never dull. It will be a great mix of 22 of the best women from all different distances…Ironman, 70.3, ITU, drafting, non-drafting, etc. It's also fun to see those friends from other formats that I don't usually run into at the weekend races.... friends like Sam McGlone…and Leanda Cave…and the Wassner twins.

**Post Edit: I just looked at the updated starting list and it seems that most of the women on the starting line actually are people I race every other weekend at ITU events!**

I will arrive right before the Thursday night pre-race briefing which leads right into a great dinner party hosted at the LTF club restaurant. On Friday morning there is a bus that goes from the hotel to the race site so that those of us that cannot afford a rental car can check out the race site and do a bit of training. Last time I was there, it was brutally HOT. I remember trying to stay in the shade as much as possible all weekend because the sun was just a killer. This year, I should have no problem conquering the heat because of all my wonderful training sessions at noon in Central Florida.
After the race-site-training-session, the rest of Friday will be as relaxing as possible. Maybe a nap, rent a movie in the hotel room, read a book…all very important pre-race activities. I will also find some time to organize and prepare my race-day bag because Saturday will start early. After racing for a few years on the World Cup circuit, I get very accustomed to a mid-afternoon start time with allows me to have a relaxing breakfast, warm-up session, a stretch, etc. before even heading to the race site. This weekend, I will probably be out of the hotel sometime between 4:30 and 5:00am (Yikes:)!
But first, I've got a few more days of training. A few more swim practices to attend, bike routes to ride, and runs to accomplish. Also, there is the little detail about packing a bike and a bag of gear. Other than that, I'm basically all ready to go!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Why I Race

I race for all the American kids out there that need a good role model. I race to be an inspiration to get up off the couch, turn off the TV, go get some fresh air, and break a sweat!
I race to show that fitness and competition can be fun...exhilarating, actually...and that it can take you all over the globe and introduce you to amazing people.
I race for kids like Frances who are the future of this sport!

Saturday, July 05, 2008

New Records

As I get ready to go to bed for the night, (I've got a hard 3+ hour group ride that requires a 6:00am wake up call), I am reviewing a few things that happened today. First, I set a new personal record at the gas pumps this morning. On my way home from swim practice I stopped to fill up a near empty tank and racked up an impressive $74.01 charge! That's my first time in the 70s! I think it was $4.03 per gallon and I wasn't going to find anything cheaper around here because of all the tourists/spectators in town for the BIG weekend.
What BIG weekend you might ask? Well, that would be the wonderful NASCAR race this evening over in Daytona Beach...the 400 at night. By the way, it's no longer the "Pepsi 400"...and it's not the "Coke 400" either...it's the "Coke ZERO 400" to be exact! Come on!
Speaking of the NASCAR event, that's how I set my second personal record of the day. My parent's returning flight from the Omaha Olympic Trials arrived about 30 minutes ago. I drove over to the DAB airport to pick them up and that required driving right by the track (airport is conveniently situated 200 meters from the track). I can say with 100% certainty that tonight was the closest I have EVER been to a live NASCAR event...and I hope to never get closer:).
Now that some more family is back on the farm, it's back to life as usual. Dad and I are heading to Windermere to ride in the AM and I should be getting some shut-eye!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

USA VOLLEYBALL Short Shorts...The REAL Cut.

Hillarious video by the USA Men's Volleyball team discussing their priorities heading to Beijing!

Depressing Training

I was at the DeLand High School track this morning at 8am for an awesome track workout. It was early, still overcast and cool, and I was running right on pace. But things just can't be all good for me and just through the halfway point of the session and my bum foot starts hurting so much that I can't take another step.
I had to quit.
I didn't want to quit. I felt great. I was happy with the times I was running. I knew that I was going to be able to finish the session strong because it wasn't insanely hot (notice I did not mention that there wasn't any humidity...I still had plenty of that:). I want to be able to run fast in my races so that I can finish respectably (and earn points and win money).
But I just HAD to quit.
This is getting beyond ridiculous. I have no CLUE what is wrong with me...all I know is that I'm getting very mad at my foot and if I didn't have to use it, I would probably lose it!
So, I've been depressed for the remainder of the day...which involves a lot of self-pity, moping, eating, watching TV, and skipping other workouts. One good thing that I have been doing is trying to give my foot some TLC...self-massages, ice baths, stretching, etc. Anything and everything I can think of...of course it's not making a difference! Hopefully a day of mental frustration, followed by a good night of sleeping, will clear all the depressing thoughts out of my head so I can get back on track tomorrow.
I have used the down time in other productive ways...visiting my Grandmother, catching up on emails, shopping for housewares (I just purchased a 65 piece flatware set...yeah, I know, that's really what I need to start with...but wall paint, shower rods, toilet seats, and tile cleaners aren't nearly as exciting to shop for:). At least now I can eat with utensils in my completely unfurnished/unpainted/dirty house. Hey, give me some credit, I've got some class:)

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Wish I Was In Omaha

I can't believe that I wasn't in the Quest Center to watch Dustin ROCK in the 400IM. He had an amazing swim, finished 6th in the USA at the Olympic Trials, and swam a personal best time (4:18)! I was able to watch the race live on NBC (even though90% of the race was focused on those two other swimmers) and get updates from my parents via cell phone...but it was nothing like being there to scream and cheer in person!
Dustin swam the 200 Fly today. He was right on his best time this morning in prelims but it wasn't good enough to make the Top-16 for semifinals. I talked to him as he was heading back to the pool to watch finals tonight and he is looking forward to another day off tomorrow (Wed.) and then he will be ready to rock again in the 200IM on Thursday.
Anyways, I'm here taking care of the Farm, feeding the animals, answering the phone, petting the cats, training my @$$ off, napping, cooking, visiting my Grandma, calling friends, etc. It stinks to miss the Omaha event, but I can catch the highlights on TV every night (don't forget to tune in at 8pm to USA on the weekdays and NBC on the weekends:).
My only consolations are that I am able to accomplish training and work that I would probably not focus on if I were to be in Omaha for a week. Take today for example: 6:00am wake up, drive to PO for swim practice, rock out 5K with the kids, hop on the treadmill, rock out a 75 minute interval session, drive home, cook some lunch, walk over to G-ma's, chow down together, listen to Dustin's race via live updates on the cell phone from my Dad, take a LONG mid-day nap, climb on my bike, ride 75 minute easy while measuring out 10Ks for tomorrow's bike intervals, cruise home, take care of the animals, do some laundry (pheeeewy!), fix dinner, and chow down in front of the TV while watching more amazing swimming in Omaha!
Something similar to that awaits me tomorrow...I should get some sleep:)