Holy crap, RACE WEEK!

I didn't forget it was race week.  I mean, I've been thinking about it for a few weeks now.  I just got so busy, I forgot to post about it being race week.  :)  Either way, I'm posting now and that means you get two posts from me in a span of just a few days.  You are SO lucky.


Tejas Sprint Triathlon is this Sunday and I'm super excited.  My workouts have been going well and I am anxious to race again.  My swimming feels like it's kind of sucked a bit lately but nothing major.  I need to figure out a good schedule that allows me to start masters again or get in some solid swim workouts w/ others b/c that always helps a ton.  Oh well, a problem for another day. 


Dorina, Keith & Luke will be racing as a relay team this weekend as well.  Given how well they did at OilMan in November, I think they definitely will kick some ass on Sunday.  I get in the water 30 minutes before them so unfortunately, won't be able to cheer them on.  If all goes well, I should finish before Luke....I really hope so.  If a 30 minute head start doesn't help, not much will.  

I stumbled upon the quote above on Pinterest (nope, haven't been on there lately).  Obviously this quote is perfect for the next big race I train for.  As I read it again, I realized it really can apply to so many other parts of my life, not just the racing part.  I wonder if I can stencil this on the wall in my workout room.  Hmmmm, Sunday project anyone?


With that, I'm going to sign off and head to bed.  For a short work week, I sure am tired!!!

Dreams of PRs dancing in my head!

This is post was recorded at an earlier time.  :)

I’ve been telling those close to me that volunteering/spectating at an Ironman is very dangerous.  While the post-race feeling is not as thrilling, I find myself more motivated than I thought I would be to sign up again.  And it’s not like I went into volunteering/spectating sitting on the fence.  Oh no!  I have been telling people for nearly a year that I would be back in 2013.  But being out there Saturday totally cemented it for me.  I will be there come hell or high water. 

The dangerous part though is the crazy thoughts it puts in your head.  I spent the better part of my lunch break today thinking about what I’ve done in races the past few years, how I’ve done in training and how I did at IMTX last year.  Based on all that, I started playing with some numbers to come up with a range of finish times based on various scenarios.  I’ve thought about how I would do if I changed nothing at all.  And believe me when I tell you, I would be happy with how I did last year b/c I felt good all day and I knew I would finish.  I’ve thought about how I would fare if I did in the swim what I should’ve done last year.  Anyway, I’ve come out with a time range that in all honesty, is very doable.  Of course, this will all need to be discussed with my coach before I even think about sharing.  And I may not.  I can tell you that in my head right now I have a super stretch goal that if I achieve, I can guarantee will cause me to need a box of Kleenex b/c I will cry!  And the crazy thing is that I actually believe I can achieve this super stretch goal!  And this is how it all begins.  This is how the crazy obsession starts and then not so slowly, takes on a life of its own.  Oh lord, what is wrong with me?

Before I get too excited, I have to actually sign up for the race and The Woodlands is making it hard for me.  There are so many rumors going around about what is going on.  Last week, the event guide showed there would be onsite registration.  I had fully expected to be one of the first in line, eager to hand over my payment.  Two days before the race, the event schedule was updated and onsite registration was removed.  The reason given was that the permits hadn’t been secured yet.  Hmmmm.  There was onsite registration last year so what’s up dudes?  We’ve been hearing for months that the date might change.  I’m now hearing the event could move to Galveston (oh please no) or Austin b/c The Woodlands Township is about as fun to deal with as a case of the clap.  All of you out there following my blog, go ahead and start wishing and hoping the race stays in The Woodlands as I really need my family and friends to be out there cheering me on.   Yes, I will go to Galveston or Austin if I HAVE to but I’m really hoping I won’t.  Keith is doing some serious “No Ironman in Galveston” rain dance b/c we all know he thinks that place is a sh@t hole and he has made it clear he doesn’t want to spend any more time there than he has to.  If the race IS there, Keith will be pushing me to finish sub-12 so we can get the heck out of dodge.  

I’ll have to change the name of the blog again once I sign up.  I’ve got a few ideas in my head but am open to suggestions!

With that, I’m outta here.  Happy training you guys!

IMTX, it's that time of year again!

So, what do I have to tell you about?  I think a bullet pointed list will suffice!

• CB&I was a success although looking at my time, you may not think that.  I had been sick for a solid 2.5 weeks and debated if it was worth racing.  Well, yes, of course it was.  I did a little better than I hoped and felt good at the finish.  I felt the stingiest on the bike which I had expected.  This race will be on my calendar for years to come I'm sure!
• Baby brother Doug graduated with his Masters from Texas State.  I wonder if we'll have to call him Master Doug?
• Work has been busy which I like.  I'm still learning a ton in my new role!
• Tejas Sprint Triathlon is next up for me and I'm so pumped!  Keith, Luke & Dorina will be racing as a relay team again and should do really well. 
• At the end of June, I'm signed up for Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Triathlon as part of a relay team with Keith & Hannah!  We are so excited!

Yesterday was IMTX and it was an awesome experience.  This year I was a volunteer and spectator vs participant so that was a little tough but I really had such an amazing day.  I looked at these athletes and was so inspired by them all.  It is hard for me to believe that I am one of them.  I looked at Keith at one point and asked him how in the world I did it last year.  After my volunteer gig in the morning along the swim course, I joined Keith & Hannah on the bike course for some major cheering.  Y'all, how many 15 year olds do you know who would want to hang out with dad & his girlfriend all day, cheering on strangers?  Not many!  Hannah is an AWESOME spectator and I know the athletes appreciated her funny antics.  We were busy yesterday!  We made it up to Drifters (off 149) to catch folks as they approached Richards and the 1/2 way mark just beyond.  We then high tailed it down to the 80ish mile mark to cheer folks through a crazy busy intersection.  Temps were hot, winds picked up and the race was ON!  On our way out to Drifters, we saw the lead male pro getting ready to turn on to Jackson Rd (what I consider the home stretch at 80+ miles).  Dude was rockin' that bike course.  He didn't go on to win but he did set a bike course record from what I understand.  I had so many teammates and friends out there and I'm so glad we got to cheer them all on!  We made it out to the 102 mile spot as well and got to see a lot of folks we had been seeing all day.  A girl crashed approaching the turn on to Branch Crossing.  I don't know if they let her continue but hope they did if she was up for it.  You could see the heartbreak in her eyes at the though of not continuing. 

After a quick pit stop home, we made our way to the run course and had the most amazing spot thanks to Spencer Chase (whose wife Val was racing).  Tent, beer, chairs and spectating!  IMTX is a tough course primarily due to the conditions.  We were at a spot where we could see most folks 3 times on the run course.  It was awesome!  And of course, we finally made our way to the finish line where I got to see SO many friends and teammates hear those magical words and join the Ironman club.  We cheered on strangers just as much as friends and to me, there was nothing better to see than a big smile on someones face b/c we were there cheering them on!  It was a truly amazing day and one I won't soon forget!

I was asked more than once if this made me wish I was racing.  Umm, do you know me at all?  Of course it did!  I was smart in taking a year off from Ironman distance races BUT I know now, more than ever that I MUST do another one (or two, or three).  I'm not fast and will probably never see a finish time that starts with 12 (or even 13) but I LOVE this sport and the challenges it presents.  The feeling you get from achieving something you shouldn't be able to is awesome.  I just hope that the rumors aren't true and IMTX will remain in The Woodlands.  More than anything, family support is big to me and especially for a race like this.  I want to have a HUGE support crew next year.  HUGE.  That's right folks, if I cheered you on yesterday, you owe me.  :)  

Ok, so this wouldn't be a "Jenny" post if there wasn't some type of mishap right?  After CB&I, I decided it was time to get really serious and start tracking my calories and slim down a bit for my races this summer (I have 6 coming up that are confirmed).  Not only have I been tracking calories, I've been eating clean.  Energy wise, there is a huge difference.  I have felt really good and have managed to drop 7 lbs since CB&I.  I didn't eat breakfast yesterday b/c frankly, nothing sounded good at 4am.  It was nearly 2pm before Keith, Hannah & I could make our way to food due to our spectating.  By then, I was famished!  We went to Sonic where I had a burger.  I'll spare you the details but let me just say that my stomach has clearly gone on strike.  By the time dinner rolled around, I couldn't touch anything b/c I felt so darn sick.  I looked at Keith and told him that had I known eating clean would cause my body to reject delicious food, I would've never started eating clean.  :)  Ok, that's a lie.  I was able to wear white shorts yesterday that I bought months ago that I haven't worn b/c they didn't fit.  And ladies, you know full well you don't wear white on the bottom unless it fits.  :)

So with that, I'm outta here.  I'm going to make my way to Ironman Village and pick up some mDot stuff.  It's nice being an Ironman now b/c I can buy Ironman stuff whenever I want and know I'm not jinxing myself!  Woo hoo!!

Race Week?!?!

And just like that, vacation over and it's race week!  I signed up for CB&I Triathlon this year, a sprint tri in The Woodlands.  I've volunteered the past few years and am finally getting to do this hometown race!  #157 will be taking to the glorious waves of Lake Woodlands around 7:30am on Saturday morning. I  just picked up my packet and realized they gave me a mens shirt! Sons of b's!  I'm hoping they will let me trade it at another packet pickup location.  We'll see!

So what's new you ask?  Wellllllll.  I'm back from Disney World and had an amazing time with my sisters, niece & nephew!!!  What a great, great trip.  I swear, if I had kids, we would go twice a year.  If they allowed dogs in the park, I would take Leia.  No, I'm not kidding you.  Why shouldn't my furry, 4-legged friend get to experience the happiest place on Earth?  Exactly!

After a great dinner at Chef Mickey's!

Getting ready for fun at Hollywood Studios!

I was sick for my vacation thanks to a germ infested person at work who shall remain nameless.  :)  I'm finally kicking this funky stuff and just in time...as I mentioned, it is race week!!!!  So this past Sunday was our March of Dimes walk.  Money is still coming in but so far, my team has raised nearly $5,500!!!!! That is the most I've ever raised and I couldn't be more excited.  As you all know, MoD is near & dear to my heart given Cristian's early arrival 5 years ago.  Thank you MoD!  We had a face painter at out tent again and for the first time, I got my face painted.  I asked for something simple yet elegant.  :)

Yes, I am turning 38 this year.  So???

So there you have it....a really quick update!  I'll post one more time before the race this weekend so stay tuned.  Oh, I almost forgot...I was rejected from the NYC Marathon for the 3rd time.  I wish I could say I was sad but I'm not b/c all this means is that I'm guaranteed for next year.  YIPPPPPEEEE SKIPPPPPPEEEEE!


With that, I'm off like a cheap dress on prom night.  :)

The Slacker is Back!

I know, I know, I know.  I've been a slacker.  I won't bore you with the excuses though.  :)   When I'm training for something BIG, I know I'll be on here more.  The good news is that in just a few weeks, we'll know what that something BIG is.  More on that later. 


Ok, I'm not going to try to recount everything missed since my last blog entry so let me summarize the high points.  ;)

• My angel of a niece turned 1 in February!  Oh my goodness.  A year has gone by?  How?  Avery has a funny little personality without a doubt.  I'm so excited to see how she continues to change. Lucky for me, I will get 5 days straight with my niece (and nephew) as I'm getting ready to go on vacation with all 3 of my sisters and those two little angels!  Woo hoo!!!!!
• Keith's grandbaby, Addison, also turned 1....a short month after Avery.  We were lucky enough to have Mike, Heather & Addie in town for her bday.  It never feels like enough time with them but you take what you can get!  Addie is absolutely adorable.  She LOVES her mommy & daddy and definitely prefer them to pretty much everyone.  :)  Keith & I are planning our next visit to Chicago to see them all.  
• Luke & I signed up for Angie's Half Crazy Half Marathon.  The original plan was for Luke to PR and get a time in the 1:30 range.  I didn't necessarily have a goal as I signed up on a whim at the last minute.  Well, my "goal" was to do my 10th half-marathon.  The day before the race, Luke & I hatched a plan to just not give a crap about the race (for some legit reasons) and go out for drinks and just have fun.  Well, let me say that we achieved our new goals VERY well!  We've decided that from this point forward, one race a year (at least) will be dedicated to fun and not a care in the world to results.  That gasping noise you hear right now is probably from my coach. :)
• Sophie has been going to A&M every 6 weeks due to her illness from last year. At the most recent visit, we got the news that she's pretty much stable (finally) and they don't need to see us for 8 weeks!  YAYYYYYY!
• Keith started riding bicycles about 9 months ago and has had the goal to ride 100 miles in one day (century ride).  Well, Keith achieved his goal yesterday!  My absolutely AWESOME training group organized the "GOT 112?" ride, a community ride on the Ironman Texas course.  Keith rode a century + 12!  Let me tell you, the conditions out there were B-R-U-T-A-L.  Winds were 20+ mph pretty much all day.  We heard rider after rider say they would take hills over wind any day of the week.  A to the MEN.  Regardless, Keith hung in there and biked the entire Ironman Texas bike course!!!!!  Now, I was hoping that achieving this goal would make him realize he too could be an Ironman but it hasn't.  In fact, he told me that anyone who runs 26.2 miles after riding 112 is a complete psycho.  Hi, have we met?  I'm psycho.  :)

Addison Irene!

Avery Elizabeth :)

Hannah Taylor - My SAG partner!

Me & Luke post- Angie's Half Crazy Half (Ass) Marathon

My baby towards the end of his 1st Century+ Ride

Exhibit A

Ok, so those are the bulleted high points.  Let me get back to the experience yesterday though.  I'm sure more than a few of you would've guessed the next story would be here in the blog.  Hannah & I volunteered at the ride yesterday.  In the morning we were responsible for going to the riders and giving them important info for the day as well as maps.  Most riders were taking off between 6:50 - 7:00am.  Being the AWESOME volunteers we are, Hannah & I noticed a small group of more "mature" ladies had arrived and were still prepping for the ride.  I would say 99% of the riders were gone and they were the 1% who remained.  Hannah & I were decked out in ORR (Outrival Racing) gear.  We walked over, greeted them and began our speech.  One of the ladies looked at me and said, "Oooooooh, can I see your skirt?  We have the same thighs."  Now, I was taken aback by this b/c I've never had someone say we had the same thighs. I mean, I've heard people comment on my curls before but that's about it.  Thighs?  I looked at this woman and immediately thought, "Please tell me my thighs don't look like that".  I felt bad thinking this but hey, she is the one who drew attention to them (and mine as well).  As she's comparing our thighs (very loudly) she walks over to me and LIFTS UP MY RUNNING SKIRT.  Yes, the skirt does have attached shorts but they are mesh, short and somewhat see through in the right light.  She then pulled on the mesh shorts and asked me if they stayed put or if they rode up.  She asked if they chafed.  As she asked this, she was rubbing her inner thighs, squatting and making a really gross face.  I just thank 8lb 6oz baby Jesus that she didn't rub my inner thighs or she probably wouldn't have made it on the ride.  I handled myself very well mainly b/c I was wearing ORR gear and did not want to embarrass my team.  I smiled, told her the skirt was Athleta and worked really well for walking around and shorter distance running but not as well for 10 or more miles.  We walked away, still smiling and Hannah looked at me and said, "Jenny, you do NOT have her thighs".  Thank you Hannah!  I tried to pretend it didn't bother me but you know what, it did.  I am VERY self-conscious of my thighs.  I have never been skinny (except when I starved myself after breakups).  In high school, I always was told I was "thick" but was always assured that was a compliment.  I don't look as good in my triathlon shorts as others do but I've accepted it.  Obviously my thighs were a topic of conversation most of the day yesterday and I even took pictures of them.  I think I'll probably post the pics on my mirror as motivation.  I got on Google last night to look for quick ways to make your thighs more muscular. I'm fairly confident the lady didn't mean to insult me or anything and I'm kind of embarrassed that at 37 years old, something like this still gets to me but hey, I'm human and I'm still female even if I am older and know better!  So what does this mean?  Well, it means that anyone around me is going to hear me make cracks about my thick, ample, thunderous thighs for the next several weeks.  It means that in every workout, I'm going to ask my thighs (very nicely) to please tone up faster.  It means that I'm going to buy Suzanne Sommers book b/c she loved the Thigh Master and I must too.  :)  All joking aside, this just motivates me to work a little harder.  I will never have long, lean legs and I really do think I'm ok with that (mainly b/c I have no choice). I will just use this for motivation in my workouts.  The chant of yesteryear was "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" (and that worked out quite well for me).  My new mantra will be, "I'll try, I'll try, I'll try to reduce my thigh"!  

Exhibit B

Ok, so on to the something BIG on the horizon.  I will find out in just a couple of weeks if I have made it into the NYC Marathon!!!!  I'm so excited!!! I have entered the lottery for years and really want this to be my first marathon (1st stand alone marathon).  Either way, I need to know if I'm in or not so I can plan the rest of my race season.  Right now, I have a bunch of sprints on my schedule and am holding out until I know more.  Wish me luck!!!!  And wish for smaller thighs.  :)



Talk soon!!!

Racing, Modern Family & The Bachelor.....3 things that have SO much in common.

Keep reading & this too shall make sense.

I’m typically a good blogger but I’ve found that when I’m not training for anything “big”, I tend to slack a smidge.  I feel like I need to give myself a little break though.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have a new role at work and from November – early February, I was doing two jobs. 

So I didn’t do a race report for The Woodlands Half.  While I met the goal of beating my Houston 2012 time, I didn’t beat it by as much as I should’ve…still a victory just not as sweet of a victory.  NBD, I was still happy.    You’ve run a certain time at a certain distance in the past and can’t get back there.  To those outside the tri/running world, who cares about time?  To those in that world, there is so much more focus on improving and getting faster and getting better.  We’re a bunch of A type personalities!  I like to see improvement.  I WANT to see improvement.  I just have to remind myself (more often than I care to admit) that I AM seeing progress from where I was this time last year.  No, I’m not running like I was in 2008 but I’m not the same person or the same runner I was in 2008.  I have no doubt I will see a 2:10 half marathon again and am still holding out hope I will be faster if even by a small amount.  So there you have it, a half-ass half-marathon report!

So what else has been going on?  I’ve officially signed up for 3 sprint distance tris….May, June & July thank you very much!  My training is moving back to a tri focus so I’m running a little less (or at least it feels that way) and getting back in the pool more and on the bike more.  I had the “pleasure” of swimming next to a real d-bag the other day.  I hadn’t been in the pool in a little bit as my work schedule was nuts and Ana was kind to me and had me focusing on running.  I was a little rusty I guess.  The first few hundred felt like I was swimming through a vat of Jell-O or sludge or something other than water.   I felt slow but when I started swimming my main set, I saw I wasn’t that far off my normal splits.  Not bad.  As I finished my workout, I sat in the water at the end of the pool when Aqua Man (I will call him this b/c he clearly thought he was pretty awesome and did appear to be a good swimmer) looked over at me and asked me if I was an “aspiring triathlete” with a bit of a snicker.  I thought for a moment and responded with, “actually, I’ve already done an Ironman”.  Aqua Man chuckled what I still believe was a very condescending chuckle and said, “well, I should’ve asked if you were an aspiring swimmer”.  I looked at him, sneered and then got out and dried my butt off with my awesome Ironman towel.  I thought about this the rest of the day and even tried to convince myself I was over-reacting but I’ve been assured by EVERYONE I’ve told this story to that Aqua Man was in fact being an ass.  Good to know.  Aqua D-Bag Man.  It is now my mission to go to the pool every single Saturday at 6am until I run into him again.  I don’t know what I’ll do or say but I’m sure it will be awesome.  Maybe I’ll wear my Wonder Woman swimsuit and ask him if he’s an aspiring d-bag and then say, “oh never mind, I can see you’ve already accomplished that feat”.  

I’ve been in rare form this week thanks to something I won’t get into here as I know my male audience will never forgive me. I think it’s safe to share that Keith watched Modern Family and now thinks it’s funny to ask me if I’m MONSTERating vs menstruating.  I think he wants to die. I love Modern Family, don’t get me wrong, but I think they are sending a very dangerous message to men.  If you live in Texas, you really don’t know if your wife/girlfriend/significant other is packing heat so to repeatedly bring up MONSTERating is a whole lot like playing Russian roulette. 

I used to write a Bachelor recap but haven’t done it in a few seasons as I just found I didn’t have the time anymore but more importantly, because the women were getting so ridiculous.  Well, I really should’ve watched this season b/c I feel like I would’ve had so much awesome material to pull from.  I watched a couple of episodes and just shook my head over & over.  First of all, Ben was a terrible Bachelor.  Unattractive, boring, unattractive, stupid, need I go on?  Overall, I didn’t find the girls to be super attractive.  They were all skinny & tan which for Ben, was clearly enough.   There were a few who seemed somewhat intelligent and “normal” but the rest….not so much.  So we all know Ben picked the swimsuit (or whatever type of model she is) model, Courtney.  I’m sure him skinny dipping with her had absolutely no influence whatsoever on him.  I’m not going to bash this girl b/c Lord knows it’s been done enough BUT….she was terrible.  From the way she talked to the way she behaved.  Yuck.  I am certain her family is embarrassed.  And while she appears to feel sorry for how she behaved, we all know she is just sorry that everyone else saw her for what she really is…..a hungry model who just needs to eat and everything will be ok.  So that’s my half-ass Bachelor recap.

Since this blog is about training, let me tell you I’m excited for the rest of my workouts this week!  A couple of runs, some more time on the bike, another trip to the pool.  It’s going to be fun as long as the weather holds out!  I hope all of you are having a great week and I’ll be back to blog about my (mis)adventures soon!

So much going on!

I meant to write last week after my race but just got so busy, I completely forgot to sit down to blog.  Now that a week has flown by, I don't feel like typing a race report.  I do have a few things to share about the race though.  (1) Next time I want chocolate after a run, I'll buy it instead of sign up for some poorly organized nightmare.  (2)  I continue to make solid progress with my running and had a really good 1st 15k.  Yay!  (3)  I love my Athleta running skirt so much, I ordered another one in purple b/c the ORR inspired one was so fun!  

Post race, still happy!

While we're on the topic of racing, my next race is in just a couple of weeks and I'm super excited!  For months I was really hoping this would be the race where I break my half-marathon PR but that's likely not going to be the case.  Before any of you start thinking I'm being negative, that's not it all.  There just comes a time where you have to be realistic about where you are.  Don't get me wrong, I'm super focused on having the best race I possibly can and I'm looking forward to it like crazy.  I have come such a long way since the Houston Half in 2011 and have just bee making steady progress.  I'm definitely on track to do better than Houston Half 2012 and that's a big deal.  I have such high expectations of myself, as do most folks I train with, that it can be hard not to have the same success every time you race.  You just have to put it in perspective and race with your heart, not your head.  That's what I did at the Hot Chocolate Run.  I didn't let the chaos from the morning get to me.  As soon as the starting gun went off, I just ran.  More than once I thought about how lucky I was to be able to wake up and go outside and just run with 10,000 of my closest friends.  How cool is that?  I was so pleased when I crossed the finish line.  So many times lately I've crossed the finish line and within a few minutes, started dissecting my race and focusing on what I should've done better and what I didn't do right.  Last week I crossed and smiled and kept smiling.  Instead of dwelling on the fact that I didn't hit some made up number in my head, I kept thinking about where I was 6 months ago and where I am today.  What a great feeling!!!!  


In other news, my sweet little niece turned 1!!!!  Oh my gosh, I can't believe it.  It's hard to believe a year has already gone by.  She has changed so much yet still has the same huge smile she had from when she was a newborn.  The girl came out smiley and really hasn't stopped.  I couldn't believe that the little girl who just learned to crawl a few months ago was walking around the house yesterday.  Yep, she prefers walking to crawling without a doubt and I now know without a doubt that she is a future triathlete.  :)  Happy Birthday Avery cakes!  Auntie Jenny loves you!

Check this little cutie out.  LOVE her!

With Avery turning 1, that means Addie is next!  Keith's first grandchild will celebrate her 1st bday here in Texas with us and we couldn't be more excited!!!  We know we won't get to spend every Birthday with her so it's awesome that the 1st one will be in our own backyard...literally!  The party will be at Keith's and we get to help cook, decorate and everything.  Keith is sooooo excited she'll be here for her bday and I can't wait to celebrate with him (and everyone else). 


Well, I think that's about it.  Happy Sunday and have an awesome week ahead!