Revolution3 South Carolina - Working report!

First off.. I must learn to stop and take more photos!! This weekend was - once again - Epic! I can't even begin to describe to you how proud I am to be associated with Rev3. Not just because they put on a good race, but because they are just so damn AWESOME! I really mean that! I'm not just saying it. We show up and work our BUTTS off and manage to have a good time in the process. How is work fun? This is an entirely new concept to me!

Ashley - aka Rev3 EVERYTHING Girl

Chris and Ashley - separated at Birth. I mean ... who couldn't have fun with this group!?

Chris, Charles and Nick - some of the boys/muscle

I rolled into Anderson around 11:30am and jumped right into helping wherever I could with set up until after lunch when my volunteer partner in crime, Jefferson, and I went back to the hotel to 'dial for dollars'... um, basically calling people I don't know to ask them to come out and support us.. when they really weren't 100% sure what I was talking about. 1. I don't like the phone, 2. I particularly don't like to talk to people I don't know on the phone, 3. conquered a huge fear/hurdle and talked to A LOT of people I do not know. And GUESS WHAT! I am alive to tell the tale. It actually was kind of fun after I got rolling and people were fairly nice so that helped!

We rocked that Volunteer thing then returned to the expo for some more set up then off to Applebee's (everyone's favorite place) for dinner! :) I was so excited to catch up with the people I hadn't been able to talk to earlier in the day. After dinner we rolled to DOWNTOWN Anderson to check out the town and unwind...

Kat having a little fun!

The rest of set up is a blur between dialing for volunteers and helping with set up.. laughing uncontrollably and having a flat out BLAST!!! I can't even begin to describe how I feel working with Rev3. They are AMAZING!

Set up seemed to go smoothly and without incident.. well, there are always incidents, but it went really really well!

Race day was much the same! From my perspective it all went really well. I so enjoyed working with the team, the volunteers and the athletes.

One of the most touching moments of the weekend was when the final finisher came across the line. All of the spectators were gone - aside from his Team Z folks and the Multisport Ministry (they always provide a 'last place' finisher to take that 'last' spot) team.

When we all got word of the final finisher getting close we all congregated at the finish line that was STILL standing aside from the snow fencing. Team Z, the Rev3 staff, the 4 remaining Volunteers (that mind you were told they could go, but wanted to stay. I had a great video of them, but lost it.), Multisport Ministries, All3Sports and Recovery Pump all lined the finishers shoot and made a tunnel for him to come through. (I wish I could remember his name.) It was very touching and emotional. I congratulated him after the race and he was so thankful that we stuck around, shared his moment and captured his final words! He had tears in his eyes... as did the rest of us. He will remember that moment for the rest of his life and I'm so honored that I got to be there as part of the Rev3 crew to bring him home!

Getting our line ready waiting for the final finisher.

Getting the interview

My main girl LJ and I at the finish. We wore our pink compression socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Rev3... Thank you! Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the AMAZING Trakkers team and THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of the staff at TWO events. My life - SERIOUSLY - has been changed forever because of you. And I know I'm not the only one. Keep doing what you are doing and I'll see you in 2012. Wild horses couldn't keep me away!

And I can't close without a big HUGE thank you to Anderson, SC and Kathy Benson for welcoming us into there town and giving us a chance. I hope you were not disappointed... I know we were thrilled to be there. As I knew they would the southerns showed us their hospitality and we are forever thankful!

If you have not come out to a Rev3 race yet... you truly are missing out. I mean that from the bottom of my heard. Check them out. You WILL not be disappointed!

Rev3 Knoxville VOLUNTEER Report

I'm injured.. It's official. So I rolled to Knoxville anyway and pretty much decided en route that I was pulling completely out of the race. I had considered doing the swim and bike then just DNFing the race. Didn't really like that idea. If I was going to get in the water I wanted to finish the deal. I taught a spin class on Thursday night and my knee was bothering me (it hadn't previously hurt on the spin bike) so I figured I should just lay off it. I was/am super bummed to not being doing my first tri of the season, but it is what it is.

I'm still so glad that I went down to Knoxville anyway. Not only did I get to meet my TEAM TRAKKERS team mates, but I got to work my booty off behind the scenes with Rev3. They are a top notch crew... and I'm not just saying that bc we're all part of the same family. I watched over and over again as they took care of the athlete first!

Saturday I rolled down for the practice swim and got to swim FOR THE FIRST TIME in my TYR Hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit. DAMN! I was very impressed. It was by far the first open water swim where I didn't feel like I was struggling. Great flotation!

Then Laura, Chad and I went out for a little spin on the bikes.. unfortunately Laura took a spill (as did many other athletes) on some really bad train tracks. Thankfully she bounced right up. And like a good triathlete the first words out of her mouth were "is my bike okay" then she looked herself over. She got some road rash, but rode on!

TACO BREAK!

Kier and Laura W.!

Next up was registration. Kier, Kristin, Colleen and I ROCKED that registration booth. Kier made sure to be in charge of the PRO line when they got done with their course preview meeting and we got to chat up Matty Reed, Julie Dibens, Courtenay Brown (actually got to talk to her a bit and she's super grounded and really cool), Richie Cunningham and many other pros... good times. We broke things down and messed around a bit....

Now it's time for some dinner w/ my Team Trakkers team mates Kier, Mike and Laura. LOVED having this time to chat and get to know some of my teamies!

Race morning got Kier and I going around 5am to head down to transition for final set up and TRISLIDE application! We got to LUBE people up all morning!

Rev3 is a top notch group. Did I already say that!?

The expo was slammin and look at the pro set up!

Expo from up above.

Number 1 was dedicated to Sally Meyerhoff. A fallen Triathlete!

The pro space in transition.

Lubing up my teammie Chad! I think it the TriSlide was cold.

After all were lubed and folks were off to race we finished up getting things going in transition and watched in amazment as Matty Reed came sprinting up after only like 17 minutes of swimming. DANG!

Next up was run course marshaling. I stood in a spot where people ran out and back, up some stairs on the way out and down on the way back. A lot complained about going up stairs post bike, I only saw one fall and a few stumbles. (I'm wondering if this was more prevalent on the half.. I was done when the OLY was almost over.)

Matty Reed rounding the corner on the way to his first place finish - with lucky number 13.

Women's Pro Winner Leannda Cave.

I had a long drive home and had to wrap things up long before my Half Rev Teammies came in and I'm sad to not have been at the finish line to see it all come to a close... and for the celebratory beverages of course. Virtual Cheers to all of you!

It was a long drive home..we hit a snag of traffic that caused us a 10 mile section in about 2 hours. My plans to drive through were smashed and I stayed the night at Kier's only to get up at 3am to drive the remainder of the trip... which thankfully was uneventful.

I'm still drained from all that has transpired leading up to Knoxville and then the big trip down, but I would do it all again. A couple of good nights sleep and weaning off the caffeine has put me on a good path to 'recovery'... yes, volunteering is hard work too!

Perspective: The first tri of the season is HERE!

I've gotten a heavy dose of perspective over the last couple of weeks.

I'm coming up on my first triathlon of the season - as a sponsored athlete!!! - and I've never felt less prepared to race. I feel unprepared physically (I know I'm fit enough to complete the race, but I have major knee / calf issues right now and my taper has basically been TWO work outs over the last couple of weeks and those likely would not have happened if it wasn't my job) and mentally (my mind is elsewhere).

My Great Uncle has been living in Manhattan for the last 60 some years. He is almost 90 and has gotten to the point where he can no longer live on his own. I've been going into the city quite a bit to help with his transition from living in a small apartment off Central Park to an assisted living place here in Newtown, CT. It's been mentally and physically taxing and has taken ALL FOCUS off triathlon and my up coming race at Rev3 Knoxville.

I've really enjoyed spending the time with both my Great Uncle and my dad. Dad and I have been taking adventures into the city on the train and subway and it's been fun to spend that time with him. I'm very excited to have my Great Uncle living close by now so that we can go and visit him and help him when he needs it.

Needless to say I haven't had a lot of extra brain power or energy to worry too much about how I'm going to get to Knoxville (though the details are all worked out), meeting my team for the first time or the race. I'm excited to have a nice road trip with a new team mate and to meet everyone. I'm nervous about the swim (first open water, first in my TYR hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit), bike (first ride on my tri bike since last year), and the run (on my crappy knee). I'm actually considering two options 1. Planned DNF just dropping out after the bike, 2. WALKING the run.

I'm thinking the first option is probably my best. I KNOW myself well enough to know that I'm not too keen on walking in a race and that I would push it and possibly make my knee worse before I even got started with the season. My knee has also been bothering me a lot just with the walking around NYC so walking for 6 miles probably isn't a great option. THIS part sucks. I don't love the idea of a DNF. BOO!

But really this whole thing with my Uncle has given me so much perspective. This triathlon thing (for me) is about fun and the ability to be ABLE to get out there do it. My favorite part of triathlon is definitely the social fun aspect of it... and mostly the training to be honest! I am so lucky to be healthy and part of a family that gets my need and desire to lead a fit and healthy life... thus accomodating my 'schedule'... and FAMILY will always come before triathlon.

So whatever I end up doing at Knoxville is A-OKAY and I need to remember what I've been able to put into my training... the crap my body seems to feel the need to throw back at me... my glute/hammy problem and now my knee/calf. It is what it is and I'm LUCKY to be able to roll to Knoxville AS A SPONSORED athlete to meet my team and spend the weekend geeking out over swim, bike, run.

Let's do this thing! Can't wait to meet the team and CHEER for the runners and at the finish! Go TEAM TRAKKERS!!!!

What's your NUMBER 1 reason you love YOUR sport of choice!? What do you prefer... the training or the racing?

Pretty sure I could live on taco stand tacos - Austin Marathon 2/20/2011 Part I

First of all... I LOVE AUSTIN! This was the second time I had ever been there, but in all fairness I don't really remember the first time. It was a long time ago and I think it was only a quick overnight and there was a lot of drinking involved. Different kind of trip.

This vacation was EXACTLY what I needed THREE days with Mama Marie my BFF from Madison. It was like a little piece of home. We tooled around and were on the same page the whole trip. We wanted to see and do the same things... like rock the local co-op for big salad, sushi and kombucha.

 Yummy Co-Op salad.

 Locally brewed Kombucha... and it was the best I've had! Love it.

She just gets me. We both wanted to walk everywhere, use public transportation, visit the same little grocer/coffee shop EVERY SINGLE DAY and eat tacos and drink margaritas. Nothing says BFF like not even needing to compromise once. We walked all over Austin on Saturday, did the race on Sunday then walked all over again on Sunday just chatting away about life.

Some Austin sites...

 This happens to be a Crepe stand, but there were TACO stands everywhere. 

I forgot to take a pic of the stand where we got the BEST TACO in Austin.

 A cute little dog park right by the river.

 We had to stop by Mellow Johnny's Bike shop.

 I was told that this path was 10 miles. HEAVEN! Where do I sign my lease in this awesome town?

 A super cute hotel right on Congress in the heart of a really cool shopping area. 

Ironically called San Jose Hotel.

Check out this cool pedestrian bridge built a bit lower than the driving bridge.

Austin is so accessible. There are wonderful walking paths and side walks everywhere. The public transportation is stellar... $1 to get almost anywhere and the bus drivers were crazy nice and patient with our 'not from hereness'.

I think that when you sign a lease or buy a house in Austin they give you a card from the local tattoo parlor and tell you you have 30 days to get your first tattoo. And you all know I'm down with that! :)

The expo was huge and they did a pretty good job of hitting their 'green' goal. Our packets weren't stuffed full of GARBAGE that I end up just throwing away immediately.

After the expo we tooled around some more then met my parents, aunt and two cousins for some dinner and headed back to the hotel to get our stuff together and get to bed early.... Thanks to Trakkers, Avia, SBR TriSlide and First Endurance for your support of my race.... more to come on all of that tomorrow!

Sponsor updates and a deal for you!!!

And I continue to be blown away. Not only did we hear of a new sponsor they have offered us a friends and family discount!!!

 All3Sports.com is again an official sponsor of Team Trakkers.  And in addition to that they are extending a discount to our friends and family - to include YOU! So next time you find yourself in need of Tri equipment go to www.all3sports.com and enter this code: GOTRAKKERS for 15% off your entire purchase.  Follow them on Twitter @All3Sportscom.

Rev3 is also in on the friends and family discount action. You can get $10 off your Rev3 registration using this code: Trakkers27.  You'll be prompted to enter as you register on Active.com. If you register for a Rev3 race let me know.. and I'll see you there! To keep up on all things Rev3 please follow on Twitter @Rev3Tri.

Go Trakkers AND all of our awesome awesome sponsors!

2011... are you really already awesome?

I'm working on my next installment of the "Injury Free" series, but in the mean time...

I am so amazed! You put something out there and it starts to come together. You open the door or window or whatever and things start to happen. I said this year was going to be AWESOME.. and I gotta tell ya at the end of 2010 I was doubtful, but it's all starting to come together!

First and foremost I'm still in awe/denial that I am a part of this Trakkers crew! Things are starting to happen, people are talking, Rev3 is ramping up and I just sit back and wonder how I got on the awesome train w/ this crew!

The pro team has been announced (click here to see video of them introducing themselves) and though obviously I've never met any of these people I've been watching them through the years and can't believe I will be part of it all. (we Trakkers Age Groupers really look up to our faster team mates!!!) And you can come out to the Rev3 race series and race with them ... oh and us age groupers too... though we might not have as much draw!

Hillary Biscay:  2008 Ironman Wisconsin Champion; 15-time top-three Ironman finisher
Courtenay Brown: Danskin Tri & Silverman Half winner; Inside Tri columnist
Kathleen Calkins: 2010 REV3 Cedar Point 3^rd place; Top Amateur Kona 2009
Richie Cunningham: 2x 70.3 Champion; 4x Top-Five 70.3 World Championships
Brian Fleischmann: 1^st World Team Champs; 2x 2^nd place USAT National Champs
Jacqui Gordon: Multiple Ironman and 70.3 Top-Ten finisher
Amanda Lovato: 2010 Pucón 70.3 Champion; Multiple Half Ironman Champion; Multiple Top-Five Ironman finisher
Michael Lovato: 2x Ironman Champion; 3x Top-Ten Kona; 3x National Champion
Chris McDonald: 3x Ironman Champion
Jessica Meyers: 2010 Augusta 70.3 Champ; US National Team; Armed Services Champion
Matt Sheeks: 2010 Duathlon Pro National Champion; 2009 Duathlon AG World Champion

Our sponsorships continue to come together. This part floors me too! I've never been a sponsored athlete and I gotta say it seems a little weird, but I couldn't be more appreciative of the time and effort that goes into it all and of the companies for providing us such wonderful product and service. As time goes by I will be talking about all of the products we use and know that what I say is truly how I feel about the product! Of course, all the companies and products are stellar so... well you know!

So far the line up is as follows

Rev3... have I talked about this race series enough? Click HERE to check out Rev3 radio with Bree Wee TONIGHT Wed 1/26/11 at 8pm Eastern time!
Kestrel Bicylces - I am currently awaiting my 4000 Pro Frame set. Tom will be hard at work putting her together ASAP! oh, is it snowing out. Crap. Okay, but I'll be on her as soon as the weather permits! After all... there is a race on the horizon.
Avia Shoes - my Avi Quest Lites should be here any day now. I can't wait. Mama is in need of some new shoes... BAD! :)
First Endurance - I've been super excited to try First Endurance since I first heard of it last year when I found Team Trakkers. I didn't pull the trigger bc I discovered it after I did my marathon and didn't do so much long stuff and didn't feel justified in purchasing it. I did go out and purchase some Ultragen the other day and OMG that stuff is so good I want to do an epic training session every single day so I can have one! I'm waiting for my EFS and liquid shot to come in.... there will definitely be more reviews on this awesome product!
TYR - if you've ever swum a lap you've likely used these products! We'll be sporting TYR wetsuits this year.. full sleeve or sleeveless that is the question!
SBR Sports/Triswim,Triglide,foggle - I've been using the triswim for a while now and it's fabulous! No chlorine smell and now chlorine itch. The product is smooth and luxurious with a nice fresh scent (nothing overpowering). If you can't even imagine that this is possible than I suggest you check it out ... click HERE and get some samples for your very own post swim spa experience. In addition to having a stellar product this company is run by a fantastic athlete and all around good person. I'm happy to be supporting a small business with good people and good products! Her company philosophy jives with Rev3s main goal of putting the athlete first!

To add to the general AWESOMENESS I've just landed a job with Rev3 as the local Volunteer Coordinator. This does mean that I can't race Quassy, but it also means that I get to be a little bit behind the scenes too! When we were going through the Trakkers process of deciding who was going to be on the team I had posed to Carole that I would love to work with Rev3 regardless of my making the team so when this opportunity came up I jumped on it! See... you put it out there in the universe and it all just finds you!

Plans are getting booked for all of my races and I'm once again blown away at how awesome my husband is. He is totally supportive of all this craziness and is on board to pick up any slack in the home front department.. ie watching kids while I go gallivanting around the country to race and represent Team Trakkers. With out his support NONE of this would be happening! Thanks babe! I love you!

I'm back to rockin on my workouts.. who knew switching to the treadmill would make me feel better? Weird. I'm still trying to find balance with three days straight of teaching spin ... over the weekend without frying my legs for my long run. I have a really hard time dogging it in class.

So all in all 2011 is off to a great start. And great is a gross understatement!

201Ironman

No turning back now folks.... the cat's officially out of the bag. Maybe you already knew this, but I think I've been denying it to myself or just ignoring it until I get through the Austin Marathon. I'm doing the full at Cedar Point. (shhh, I still don't like to talk about it too much because it makes me sick to my stomach. I'm scared out of my mind, but really excited at the same time.)

Being that this is my FIRST full (crap stop staying that it's making me sick) I am looking for all the support I can get. I, of course, have my wonderful Trakkers team mates many of which have done not only the full, but the Cedar Point full, and I just joined a great group of bloggers that are all doing a full in 2011. You can check all of us out at 201Ironman. I just added my profile so if you get over there quick the link will take you straight to my details! :) There are seasoned Ironman athletes and newbies there that are all posting to the site. You can also link to all of our blogs if you need some instant inspiration!

This is one of the things I just love about triathlon... we're like family. We're all in this together helping each other out along the way whether it be motivation on a day you just don't 'feel it' or tips on training/racing/nutrition. Blogging has just made this family ridiculously huge! If you think you can't do a triathlon just look out there at all these blogs. If you still think you can't... email one of us. Open the door. We all want to help you all succeed in your tri dreams. I'm amazed every day at the support and communication I get from complete and total strangers as a result of both my blog and reaching out to other bloggers!

You all have numerous ways to check up on me now.... so do so and make sure I'm staying on target with my #1 goal to HAVE FUN! If it sounds like I'm not having fun.... remind me!

What do I want to accomplish with this sport!?

What's my purpose? Ok.. not in life, but here on this blog. Why? Why do I write? Why do I train? Why do I race. I alluded to my questioning my definition of AWESOMENESS for this great year of 2011 in my last post. Originally when I thought of AWESOMENESS I thought about crushing the Boston Goal and achieving my furthest distance at some arbitrarily fast pace. Well, as I've been striving toward the Boston goal I've found that I don't have the drive (my teammie Megan wrote a great post about this) to run FAST. I have the drive to run, but not fast. Not right now. I might come back to it, but right now I feel like my purpose is different than proving to (who?) the world that I'm a speedy runner.

So what exactly is that purpose? What makes me the most proud of my efforts? When others, mom's and otherwise, are inspired by the fact that I just get it done at all. I don't need to be super human... I want other people to see me as a 'regular' person.. a solid middle of the pack age grouper.. who is getting it done in my way. I want YOU to see me and realize that YOU too CAN set those goals (dreams) and find the DRIVE to do it. YOU CAN make the time in YOUR schedule to do it. YOU CAN push your body beyond the point that you once thought you could. Because really... if I can do it so can YOU!!! (Don't get me wrong I won't be slacking!! I'm eat up those hard workouts... I'm just not going to focus and worry about it so much. IT being finish time. )

And that we can ALL do it while having a GREAT TIME!

So have I found my WHY? I haven't drilled down to it all the way yet, but I think it's starting to show me glimpses of itself. I know a portion of that why is YOU! All of you... whether you be team mates, friends or family. I think of all of you during the long training sessions. I think of all of you when I race. And I hope to inspire you to dig deep within yourselves to find those dreams and the desire and to start putting one foot in front of the other to GO FOR IT! All the way. We get one life, one chance... let's do it!

What's your WHY?

One last thing.. I would be remiss if I didn't share the hilarity of THIS post with you. Read it.. you will LAUGH OUT LOUD!

2011 ... ?

2011 is really throwing me for a loop. I've designated it as the year of AWESOMENESS. Okay... what EXACTLY does that mean for me? Well today I figured that out during my run.

AWESOMENESS = FUN!

I recently saw a quote on a blog (that I've been trying desperately to find so I can link to it, but I can't find it... if you read this please comment below so I can link to you!!) that really resonated with me. Found HIM!

"If you aren't having fun, you aren't doing it right!"

I've also been digging deep to find my WHY? around ... well a lot of things, but we'll focus on my goal to qualify for Boston for now.

Today during my (non-stellar) run I was really thinking about this Boston Qualifying thing and the state of my life/running. Why do I want to try to qualify for Boston? Where did this goal come from? It carried me last year, but this year I'm not really feeling it. So where did this come from? I used to be perfectly happy just running - working on improving for sure, but mostly enjoying it. Well, I met some uber athletes... they had all qualified for Boston. So I guess I grabbed onto them and figured - if they could to it, I could do it. Not only could I, but I SHOULD!!! Why? Cause it gives me street cred w/ running friends? What's that all about!? So as I plodded along on my run trying to jack my heart rate up to 175bpm on hills (where my legs crashed way before I got anywhere near hitting 175) I realized I had my ladder up the wrong tree. At least this year! This year I'm not 'in the mood' to work hard in that manner.

So what does all this mean? It means I could give a rip if I qualify for Boston. I have no real desire to run Boston and I need to follow my own goals. So I'm still running Austin, but my approach has changed. What is it that I love about running... just the running. The mental break I get from it the feeling of having given a big physical effort. I can do this w/o a time goal.

When I trained for a half ironman I went into it w/ the goal of finishing and tackling this long distance I had never done. Then I had a conversation with my Brother in Law (who was also doing the race) about how long I thought it would take me. I literally had no idea. Then I started looking into it, then I got caught up in it, then I was all consumed by it and the process wasn't fun anymore. I almost dropped out of the race (which is ironic because I DNFd it due to bike issues). I don't want to walk down that road this year. I want to enjoy the process.

So what does AWESOMENESS mean?

1. FUN (first and foremost) w/ triathlon and all else in my life.
2. Completing the LONGEST distance I have ever done - twice!
3. Epic adventures and road trips with my Trakkers teammies and friends.

So there you have it folks. While this isn't my 'resolution' post.. it's the beginning of things coming together in my mind. I've been all over the map lately and have been thinking about this post quite a bit. I had something all written up... to only be trashed. There are things in my life beyond triathlon that I need to sort through. The FUN aspect definitely translates to those aspects of my life, but I need to nail down my thoughts and ideas around what I want to accomplish and/or focus on in the other areas.

So more to come. Any revelations for you this new year?

2010 wasn't exactly EPIC.

I'm not sure if it's the start of November and Tom being out of town then the sickies or what, but I've just been in a total funk lately. Happy freakin' holidays eh? As I look back at year end for the past couple of years I'm starting to think that this time of year is just a kind of normal lull for me. I should just accept it and not fight it so much. We aren't really ones to pack a lot of stuff in over the holidays so I don't think it's holiday stress or anything like that. It's probably more about a lack of schedule... things are crazy and I'm with kids a lot more.

I normally enter the new year rejuvenated and excited by the perceived clean slate. I know that Jan 1st is really just another day, but I love the energy that people bring to a new year. I love the feeling of being able to look back on the previous year and then leave it behind and move on to the new year. I'm trying to reflect on 2010, but coming up empty handed... or minded. I looked back at some of my old posts and noticed that in my last post of 2009 I said that 2010 was going to be Epic. While 2010 was 'fine' I certainly would not classify it as 'EPIC'. I've seen a lot of blog posts of people doing pictures through the year. I loved this idea and felt I needed it to reflect on the things I have accomplished this year..... so here goes!

2010 in photos:

Miami Marathon. A near Boston, but not quite. A fabulous PR and a WONDERFUL weekend with friends that I won't soon forget.

Danbury Half. Though I feel it is barely worth mentioning .. it was LESS than epic. But I got out there regardless of the fact that I wasn't really 'feeling' it!

P90X. I vowed to start a strength training program and stick to it. I purchased P90X, took some time off running b/c I was burnt out and lifted some weights. I'm not sure I got the exact results I wanted, but I put on some muscle that's for sure. Now I definitely love the weights... but am back to more S,B,R and less weights. For now. I'll get it to all come together.

The Northface Challenge. I actually listened to my body and mind and went from the half to the 10k. I'm glad I changed. I enjoyed the run... while I think I would have hated it had I almost doubled the distance. The drive out and wait to start were less than ideal (though they would have been better if I had had some friends along for the ride), but all in all I'm glad I did the race. Will it be on the schedule in 2011? Nope.

Trip to Seattle. We made a much overdue trip to Seattle and the sense of relief/home that we both felt as we drove into that city was palpable. A reaffirmation of where we feel we 'belong' was good. Seeing family and friends was the icing on the cake!

Pat Griskus Tri. I got back to it. First tri in over a year and it felt good to be back in the game. Despite some racing mistakes! (no wetsuit.. really? What was I thinking?) The finish was great fun though. A little throw down with another athlete. Complete with big smiles and pats on the back.

Danbury HV Tri. Sweet... got TWO races in. ha And brought along a newbie to do her first tri. Swim still sucked, but I managed a first place in my age group. Don't ask how many people were in my AG. I don't know the actual number, but I know it wasn't a lot.

John Hirsch. I hired a coach. Wowza! This better help w/ the AWESOME factor for 2011. I don't want to be sitting here on Jan 1st 2012 saying, "I said 2011 was going to be AWESOME, but it just wasn't!" No pressure COACH!!! I know it's on ME to make it AWESOME!

Spinning. I got a jump start on goals for 2011 and put my spinning cert to use and actually got a JOB (well can I really call it a job... I haven't had one in so long that I'm not sure.)

Trakkers. Okay the close of the year (despite my funk) was pretty EPIC. I had applied to Team Trakkers and found out in early December that I was ON THE TEAM! I'm guessing this will help with the Awesome factor of 2011.

I'm psyched that it's the new year! Since I love it, but I'm still working through what the year is going to look like. I know what I'm doing for races I will be AT, but am not 100% on the distances I will be racing... which really isn't a big deal since I'm focused on Marathon training right now. A 2011 post is forthcoming... working out the details yet.

Happy 2011 to all my bloggy friends. I'm sorry I've been absent. What are you up to in 2011? What's your NUMBER ONE goal this year?

What does it all mean?

A few people have asked what does it mean.. this Trakkers thing?

It means a couple of things.

1. Team mates: I get to be part of an amazing team of athletes! We come from all kinds of backgrounds and locations. We're bloggers, we're triathletes, we're whitty, funny and talented and are quickly becoming friends. Since we got the news the emails have been a flyin'. Plans are being made and we're already playing the games that teammates play. It's great fun already. (I have linked to each and every teammates blog on the right side bar so you can check out these crazy freaks, er, rockin' athletes.)

2. Sponsors: We will be supported by some amazing sponsors. So far we are on board with Kestrel Bikes, Avia Shoes (the official footwear sponsor of the USAT) and SBR (triswim, triglide, foggle). This is all new to me and I find it to be simply amazing. I'm honored to be able to represent great brands. Carole (aka Mama Bear-totally saying I know her... cause yea, I'm cool. I KNOW her. Totally. No, really I do.) along w/ Teammate Michael Lovato (yea I'm totally going to pretend I KNOW him.. cause really I don't) are kicking butt on other great sponsors.

3. Rev3. Check out my 2011 race schedule. I'm all up on the Rev3 Series. We are in cahoots w/ Rev3 and we are PROUD to be representing them as a race brand. You wanna have a high end triathlon experience? Pony up to a Rev3 start line and see what all the talk is about!

This is an amazing opportunity I have been offered and I am humbled by my teammates. They are amazing and supportive and I don't take the chance to be part of the team lightly. I plan to represent them (and our sponsors) to the best of my ability.

So come along for the ride. I promise it's going to be wild and crazy with a lot of highs, lows and A LOT OF FIRSTS!!!! FIRST HALF (I can't DNF all of them can I) and maybe (probably) first FULL at Cedar Point! (there's my big secret. I told myself that if I made the team I would do the FULL... well, I don't want to be a liar and really there is no time like the present right!?)

2011s Awesomeness is already in full effect!

Perhaps you already noticed the little tweak to the blog design? Sportin' a new color!!!

And the AWESOMENESS begins! I am excited to announce that I will be a member of Team TRAKKERS in 2011! Thank you to everyone who sent me such wonderful words of excitement and encouragement! I made some 'promises' to myself IF I made it. Uh, in hindsight I think these 'promises' I made were more to 'let me down easy' if I didn't make the team. So now it's go time and I have some things to figure out! :)

This makes my race season pretty easy! I would absolutely LOVE to do each and every Rev3 race, but reality is likely to slap me in the face as I sit down and review both calendar and budget! :) The for sure races:

June 4&5 Quassy - duh
July 10th Portland, OR (long trip to see family)
Sept 11 Cedar Point, OH (a vaca with the family - Gma and Papa included)

The others are ones I would LOVE to do and WILL do if the calendar and budget align.

May 15th Knoxville, TN
Oct 8th/9th Anderson, SC (right next door to Clemson University)
Feb 19th&20th 2012 Costa Rica (ok this one is a total pipe dream, but it is the year of awesomeness so who knows)

No matter how it all boils down it's going to be an awesome year. Now if I can just get my body free of this gunk so I can get to work on my first race as a member of Team Trakkers! Austin Marathon 2/20!!!!

Sponsors are still being worked out, but one we know about is Kestrel Bikes. So guess what this mama is getting for Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary/Valentine's... you get the idea... a fancy new tri bike!!! Yeah me. There is a rumor out there that there will be a pretty little Trakkers number that looks a little something like this:

Stop drooling. She's pretty ain't she!? We'll see if there will be a green one... if there isn't there are blue, yellow and red to chose from. All totally doable! :)

REV3 Portland!

I am totally jazzed that REV3 is headed to Portland! If anyone wants to know where they can find me on July 10th, 2011... this is it! We are due for a trip to visit family (BIL and SIL are in Portland and my MIL and FIL just moved to Brookings, OR) and this gives us (er, me) even MORE reason to get out there.. to put a date on the trip and make it happen. I know there are quite few PNWers reading this blog... you in? Come on... top of the line treatment at REV3!!! Plenty of time to train and well, I'll be there!

I ordered a pair of Avia Running shoes to give them a test drive. They appeared on my doorstep today. Unfortunately I can't really run in them right now because I'm sick as a dog... but I wore them around a bit and they are nice. A nice snug fit in the heel and a roomy toe box (key to me.. the loser of toenails). And though it doesn't matter (IT TOTALLY MATTERS) they are way cuter in person than they are on the internet. The pink mesh is layered and gives it a really nice texture. The colors are really bright and pretty (for now anyway) and who wouldn't love the skull and cross bones on the back?

Sorry about the cruddy photo (I can't find my real camera...I'm blaming my husbands tendency to just put stuff wherever the hell he wants.) I'm hoping to be well enough to take these up to the gym with me on Sunday for a little TM spin. I'll report back after that!

I've had my head down the last couple of weeks... first staying a float while Tom was in Asia and then dodging the sick bullet for weeks and now I'm sick. BLASTED! I've also continued to clean out the house. We are really trying to simplify our lives and have LESS STUFF! I need things to be as simple as they can get before training starts in 2011.. there will be time for screwing around with a bunch of crap I rarely if ever use. It feels really good! REALLY good. (And my tri/running gear has even gotten a slim down.. a SMALL slim down, but I'm not leaving it untouched. Don't get me wrong we still have WAY more bikes than any family would EVER need, but that's really not mine to downsize if you know what I mean.) If I get the GREEN I'll replace a bike, but I PROMISE I will remove the current bike from the premises... the frame anyway)

So I'm still here... pluggin' along and praying for the sickies to vacate! I'm scared we're just going to keep giving it back to each other. Fingers crossed for health at the Mount household!!!

Catch up Time!

I've had things rolling around in my head to post, but my 'duties' have been keeping me busy.. along w/ this pesky thing called spin class. I have a new appreciation for what goes into planning those classes I've been taking for so many years! Damn... it's hard work. Or perhaps it's just me!

I feel like the last two weeks have just flown by. Seriously... it's going to be December next week? And year end only a few weeks after that. My head is spinning just thinking about it!

I'm still waiting to find out about Trakkers, but it seems things are moving along there and I'm hopeful to know more by the end of the year (hopefully sooner). I've discovered that some of my bloggy friends have applied as well... and while I shouted it from the rooftops for the world to see they kept it a little secret. You sneaky devils! You know who you are. I'm excited about the prospect of maybe being able to meet some of these people AS TEAMMATES in the real world. Yeah REV3! And how could I not be excited about the prospect of calling these two amazing athletes TEAMMATE! Sonja and Michelle just kicked A$$ and took names at IMAZ! Both earning a KONA slot. Sonja's second Kona earn in A YEAR... after going to Kona in October. These women are both crazy cool and excellent determined ATHLETE MOMs! Check out their blogs... they both are working through their race reports for IMAZ!

Warning.. the rest of this blog post is likely to be one huge mess.. but this is kinda how I've been feeling over the last couple of weeks!

I learned in the last week that SLEEP is essential. Okay.. I learned it again. How many times will I teach myself this lesson!? Tom was in Asia and I'm a horrible sleeper when he is gone. Not only do I stay up WAY too late, but I don't sleep well at all. Top that with maintaining my workouts and keeping up w/ two whirling dervishes who, I might add, have really kicked it up a notch lately and I was toasted by the time Tom was due to return home. Well, he got home - AWESOME, sick w/ what we think was the flu - NOT awesome! Three days in bed for my poor husband.. 3 days OUT OF THE HOUSE as much as possible for me and the kids.... If I wasn't fried before I am REALLY fried now.

Unfortunately the quarantine of the virus dd not work and both kids woke up this a.m. with a fever. I'm still standing.... barely. At least I've been going to bed and getting some rest. I'm certainly feeling the affects of my body fighting something and the exhaustion still holding strong.

Goal numero uno during Tom's next trip... GO TO BED already! :) It's a must do non-negotiable to avoid the crash and burn!

When Tom was gone I was thinking a lot about my 2011 Year of Awesomeness. Most of the things that I have centered on this are athletic when really if it's going to be the year of awesomeness it really needs to include all walks of my life! I'm bound and determined to make this happen. I'm going to need a lot of support from Tom and the kids to execute on the athletic endeavors and in return I owe them the best I have to give them as a wife and mother... this blog, afterall, is called WIFE MOTHER ATHLETE. And Athlete is last for a reason. While these goals are important to me they are secondary to my role as wife and mother! If I want to have balance then I need to call out what my plans are regarding my family! I read a blog post not too long ago (was it Goals for the Week?) talking about how we schedule our workouts and THEY GET DONE... shouldn't we do this in other parts of our lives? I believe she was talking about her sex life. :) Hey, it falls into that WIFE category... big time! AM... how's that going? We DO want to hear! So on the list of to do's is to really dive into what this means to me. Instead of just letting the whole family thing 'take care of itself' it's time to get proactive about it. I need to schedule things in that way as well. (and my computer time... I know you all know the time suck that can be. I won't give up my bloggy friends, but I know I can stream line things... I need a "block" like parent block for some stuff... SERIOUSLY!)

Another way that I plan to make more time in my life for my 2011 AWESOMENESS goals to become a reality is to continue to clean my house out. And by clean I'm not talking vacuum and organize I'm talking GET RID OF IT! A quote to be placed on my "vision board"...which will get made as soon as my season is solidified... is "just enough"... it's directed mainly at STUFF!!! What the hell do I need all this crap for!? I mean really. I'm only forced to organize it, pick it up, clean it, move it to clean something else, trip on it on my way to do something... ENOUGH! Really I don't feel like we have a lot of stuff, but I swear I got rid of a CAR LOAD of stuff and I still feel like we have tons of stuff. Just unnecessary things.... I need to keep this in consideration as the holidays come and every time I go shopping ... like to TARGET! Jesus is that place a black hole of buying shit I don't need or what? If I'm finding myself so bored that I am shopping I need to pack the fam up and hit the woods STAT!

I'm also cleaning out our photos. I'm HORRIBLE about backing up my computer and the macbook is acting up. I'm worried I will lose EVERYTHING! In the interest of keeping things streamlined I am going to make annual photobooks. (Got this idea from my friend Erin. They do this every year and it's great fun to look through them.) No ordering individual photos to then need to be organized into a book...which just end up rolling around the house. The books will all be the same size and will look nice on a shelf. I'm using www.lulu.com (at my friends recommendation) It's pain staking to load all of the photos into the software then into the template, but I know I will be glad I did when this computer goes to sleep for the last time!

And the Spinning. Good lord this opened a whole can of worms that I wasn't expecting! I was a nervous wreck about teaching this class. I got my cert YEARS ago .. I think 3 years.. but never did anything with it because I was so paralyzed by it. Well my friend Jill found a place that was looking for spin instructors... she was going to get certified... had just started taking spin classes and was all over this! What the hell is wrong w/me I thought? I've been taking spin classes for years, I've been certified for years.... why wasn't I teaching. I could get paid to get a work out, get a free membership to a place with a pool (albeit a place that is a tad far away). We are approaching THE YEAR OF AWESOMENESS! It's time to start being awesome already! So I contacted the lady, went to meet her and was offered a job. I think she was impressed w/ the fact that I ran right before I was meeting with her, I'm a triathlete and I appear to be relatively fit. Does any of this mean I can teach a class. HELL NO, but she was confident that I could do it. Others were confident that I could do it. I was fairly confident that I could do it. It was to be a week and a half before I taught my first class. I went to work on profiles and play lists. This was no small task for me. I had the same music on my play list for TWO YEARS!!! TWO YEARS! I am not exaggerating. Two years, six days a week... same 20 or so songs. I was all good w that. Needless to say I didn't have a lot of music in my iTunes Library to pull from. I got all my CDs out (mostly purchased in HS and college) and took what I thought I could use and put the rest in a pile to hit the garbage (hey I'm getting rid of stuff!). I came up with a profile and playlist that I figured would kick some serious spin ass. I was told these people wanted to WORK!! Okay then! I can do that! I used a mix of stuff... some Eminem (love him), some Christina Agruilera, some Flo Rida and I took a risk and put Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction and Janes Addiction in there. The Megadeth stuff went over just ok.

Tuesday came and there was no turning back. I felt like I feel the morning of a big race... and this made me feel absolutely ridiculous. I got there early and was able to talk to some of the ladies that were getting set up and it turns out their set up on the bike was all wrong and I was able to remedy that (they said their knees had been hurting). I felt pretty good about this and that made me feel a bit more legit. Once we got going it was fine. I have some things to work on, but I think I worked everyone. It's hard to really tell because while I'm kicking my own ass it's obvious that some people are dogging it. It's there workout though and I can't turn that dial or increase their turn over. I can only offer them some tunage and a workout!!!

These emotions of fear really opened some things up for me ... an insight into my psyche. I SO wanted to call and quit before I had even started. Thinking that I just couldn't do this. That I didn't need to do it bc we don't need the money and I'll certainly have plenty to do as marathon training picks up and then tri training after that. Did I really want to have this commitment to someone outside of my family and my training? When it came down to it I felt like I did need to do this... for a few reasons! I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. I needed to move outside my comfort zone! I WANT to share fitness and the lifestyle with others and this is a sure fire way to do that. I want to show my kids that you can do things you might think you can't. I'm not sure if this job (can I really call it a job?) will turn into anything more, but I guess that's not really the point.

Alright year of AWESOMENESS... I'm preparing for you.... are you ready for me!? Can you handle it!?

What plans do you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone in 2011. It's terrifying, but exhilarating!!! Come on all the cool kids are doing it!

(I warned you that it was going to get jumbled up in here!)

Interesting swim breakthroughs.

Rolled (no pun intended... see below) to swim tonight.. though I REALLY wanted to go to bed. Tom's been gone and I've not been sleeping enough. :(

Our regular coach was busy tonight so we had a sub. He's a highschool swim coach in a neighboring community. Jon was JUST what I needed. We didn't go in and hammer out sets. We did drills... the entire time. It was FABULOUS! We worked a lot on rotation.. also fabulous! He told me I need to swim slower because you can really feel when you do things when you swim slow. WOW! Not that I can work on speed, but I need to spend time FEELING the water.. feeling the balance in the water, feeling the catch and feeling the rotation. When you are FEELING those things you basically sink like a rock when you are going slow.

So what did we do?

1st up:
kick: no board, no fins. Slow flutter kick originating from the upper leg. Arms outstretched in front of you. Lift head to breath then rebalance after your legs sink from breathing.

2nd:
kick: on back, arms at your sides, rotation around the axis going straight through your body. Don't rotate fully to your side. Make sure your hips and shoulders stay in line and keep a nice slow rhythm.

3rd:
swim: use your upper arm to initiate the recovery stage (don't lead w/ your elbows) and have your body rotation bring the arm around and into the water.

4th:
same kick drill above, but practice pushing your buoy to cause your legs/hips to rise. Play with it until you feel like you are floating weightlessly. Not too little push so your hips sink, but not too much causing your butt to pop out of the water.

5th:
kick on side, arms at side. Bring bottom arm up to catch position. Catch and rotate. (both arms back at side, you are kicking on opposite side). Bring arm (under water arm) up to catch position. Catch and rotate. All the way down the pool. Don't PULL w/ your catch arm. CATCH the water and ROTATE.. thus causing your body to move forward over your arm which naturaly flows under your body.

That's all I can remember.

Essentially... BALANCE is key. In the first half of practice Jon was able to take me from a wiggly mess to a nice flowing non wiggling gliding swimmer (I 'rolled', er, rotated. Get it?). I WISH I had had my camera with me to take more video. And I wish he was going to be back!!! I felt like I was getting a lot of what our other coach Rich had been trying to explain. Isn't it interesting how you have to hear the same thing over and over again in different ways before it all finally comes together. (Perhaps this explains a lot about my dad's approach. He is always saying the same thing over and over in a different ways. Could it be that he KNOWS this little thing about people needing to hear things in this manner before we get it. Nah.. I think it's just one of his quirky annoying habits... mom? Thoughts? Dad? Thoughts? You are going to claim that you knew this... at least about me!)

I feel like I didn't do a good job of describing everything we did. I looked for videos briefly, but kids, I'm FRIED. And here we are again midnight and I'm STILL not in bed. Thank god Tom is home tomorrow and I can go back to going to bed at 9:30pm on the dot! Makes for much more pleasurable mornings for all.

Night night!

PS. Only TWO more days until I know about Trakkers!!!! The suspense is just killing me!

2011 is going to be the year of AWESOMENESS!!!

I'm putting it out there right now. You are on notice 2011 you are GOING TO BE THE YEAR OF AWESOMENESS!

Proof of this fact! Big things are planned. I've got myself a rockin' coach! I'm putting myself out there in ways I've always wanted to, but never gone through with! Things like.. the coach, the GREEN, and now I'm working on re-certifying for Spinning and am GOING to USE it (need something to pay for the awesomeness), I'm going for the BQ, putting my hat in the lottery for NYC and am stepping up my triathlon distance! I'm also working on building this blog into something more than just a 'journal' of sorts.  As I've alluded to before there is some other 2011 awesomeness in the plans too, but I'm not at liberty to discuss them here right now. It'll all come out some day...

I'm amped and excited about this. I've struggled for most of my adult life with the "what am I going to do with myself?" question. I've been painfully paralyzed by it. I'm not sure what happened, but I feel like I'm breaking free of it in a big way. I've always been ALL OVER the place with my interest and have really lacked focus, but the one constant has ALWAYS been the training/exercising. Granted it has come and gone, but over the last 4 years it has always been there. So I'm going with it. I'm not ready to really work per se. I am committed to the two little munchkins and being there for them in these years, but once school starts full time I want to hit the ground running with whatever it is I finally settle on. Part of the planning for that is doing the things above to either get them out of my system or ingrain them in my life to carry them on in different (read paid) ways as my time opens up. Word on the street is that kindergarten might be full time next year! Holding my breath and wishing hard on that one. Would certainly contribute to the second half of the year of AWESOMENESS!

I'm excited to take you all along with me for the support, motivation and inspiration. You all really do make me want to step up the game and live this life to it's fullest! Let's do this thing!

What awesomeness are you bringing into your life in 2011?

Inspiration!

Here is another post to provide you with some triathlon inspiration.

Kathleen Calkins ran her first race (an ironman) as a pro at Rev3 Cedar Point at the age of 35. YES 35! How awesome is that!? AND she took 3rd!

I'm still struggling a bit w/ this whole getting older thing. Ever since spending time at the care center (aka old folks home) with my grandmother I feel hyper aware of my age and the future. It's so great to see an athlete taking it to the next level at a stage of life that many feel their best years are behind them. Clearly not for Kathleen!!! :)

Read her race report HERE. And you can check out video coverage of her during the race below.

Kathleen Calkins Highlights - REV3:Cedar Point 2010 from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

It just so happens that she is a member of Team Trakkers. I really didn't know that when I first discovered her.

Kathleen started her triathlon career way back in 2001 at a local sprint race. She had gone down to watch her husband participate in the swim portion of a relay and they both went out the next day to purchase bikes and never looked back. How many of us have gotten into the sport in much the same way?

She rocked that tri of course and continued to compete in both sprint and olympic before moving up to the 70.3 a few years later and then Ironman. Would you believe she went to Kona and had a rough time only to find out FIVE DAYS later she was pregnant. So baby went to Kona with Mama.. thus starting a long partnership. He continued to accompany her on runs after he was born. Apparently anything UNDER 18 miles. I have pushed my fair share of joggers in my life, but I think I maxed out at 6 miles. (well I did and so did the kids) That's amazing to push a stroller that long. She says it made her stronger.. no doubt!

Age grouper Kathleen Calkins broke the overall female age group record in Kona, Hawaii with her 9:46:27 finish at the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships. With that great time she also managed to be the 12th overall female.

In 2009 Kathleen broke the overall female age group record at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona with a time of 9:46:27!!! AND finished 12th overall female.

So 2010 was her first year as a pro and she is rockin and rollin! I love this sport! I love the inspiration you get from this sport. I love how REAL the people are in this sport!

Who's your favorite triathlete? Keep an eye on this lady!

Rev3 Triathlon is going to my alma mater!

Well Team Trakkers HAS to accept me now! Rev3 is going to my alma mater!

Rev3 will be hosting both an olympic and a half iron distance trialthon on October 8th and 9th, 2011 in Anderson, SC. This is just a few miles down the road from Clemson University where I went a million and one years ago!!! I worked at a sweet wings place in Anderson for a year or so! I haven't been back since around 2001 or so. It would be a treat to venture down for a 'reunion' and jump in Lake Hartwell for old times sake!

Come on Trakkers... you can't say no to that!

FIRST training

FIRST (Furman Institute of Running) Training is essentially THREE days of training w/ required two days of cross training. You have one day of speed/intervals, one day of tempo and one day of long runs. You are to cross train two days a week.

I've started this program, but I can't remember if I've ever completed it for a race. I think it's what I used to do the Danbury Half back in May, but I was coming off Miami Marathon and I think I really just kind of winged it / coasted to that race. I was feeling a bit 'over it' at the time.

I was feeling like I was getting faster over the years - clearly my marathon got faster (not quite 'faster enough', but faster), but as I looked back at old race results for triathlons my running times really haven't changed a whole lot. I want to change that.

I know that the speed work WORKS! I did see some improvements and I want to see more.

Right now I'm still teetering on the "KEEP PUSHING, KEEP TRAINING, race the half in Philly and then step it up and do the Austin FULL marathon. Gun for a BQ again. You've aged up, you only need 5 more minutes! FIVE MEASLY minutes. You can do that!" and the "Take it easy and rest before you start a big block of work toward your triathlon goals."

I plan to hit some serious speed training starting in January which not real conducive to marathon training. It's hard to hit intervals on the bike and the run when you just came off a 20 mile run!

Fortunately or unfortunately for me I know and am acquainted with some really amazing fast chicks. Dedicated women that I KNOW would step up and race the half then the full and shoot for the BQ all while absolutely NAILING the speed work!? What the? What are you waiting for? What's w/ the hesitation?

This is not uncommon for me. It takes me a while to come to decisions, but generally speaking after I do the 'inventory' and make a decision I stick to it... though I know that at TIMES there is a fair amount of mental struggle and waiver as we get close to race day.

So what's my point?? Who knows! That's the way I roll! I started w/ FIRST training... and now I'm here floundering in neverland. Typical! Let's see if I can pull this together!

So the FIRST plan has speed work incorporated. Similar to my goals to do speed work in the 'off'season, no? And I'm supposed to cross train. I'll have plenty of speed sessions on the bike for that right?

There are some things hanging in the balance with the whole "will I be wearing GREEN?" thing. IF I'm wearing GREEN I plan to hit the REV3 tri series. Um, two of those races are EARLY season... May 15th and June 4/5th. Surely I can hit an Oly in May after all that speed work right? Right? (I have no idea when I'll know if I'm sporting GREEN or not... the waiting is the hardest part!) Oh, side note: they are adding another race to the series... somewhere down south. Should know by the end of the week. This all has potential to keep me busy and provide lots of fun!!! Keep crossing your fingers for me!

What would you do? Would you (WO)Man up and shoot for the BQ again? Or would you do the half races just to keep yourself out there and continue to MOSTLY/ONLY focus on triathlon?

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS RAMBLING PLEASE 'FOLLOW' ME SO YOU DON'T MISS MY NEXT SCINTILLATING POST!