Easter Ham...on the move..

I gotta admit...every ride seems to get more interesting..and this morning was no exception. I usually head towards Clermont for my cycling workouts to include the hills and the trails that run through Lake County. This morning, I decided to head the other direction and enjoy the bike routes that run around the Orlando International Airport. Called simply "the airport ride" by my cycling purist friends, I understand why they love these roads early in the morning. These wide, well paved roads include a bike lane and little traffic...

Well except for this morning's encounter with what most people will be enjoying for Easter Lunch...Ham on the hoof!!

As I was coming through some fog at about mile 12 of what turned out to be a 35 mile bike, I saw this quick moving black "blob". It was moving too fast to be a cow...too large to be a dog...and too hairy to be a person. I kept my eye on it as it made its way across the open green space and up to the highway. To my shock...this was a wild pig...crossing the highway. I pulled out my phone as quick as I could and got the best shot possible and kept the bike upright!!

Why did the wild boar cross the road?? To get away from the crazy triathlete on her early morning ride!!

I could also say it was one of my cousins you know. Us large life forms need to stick together and encourage each other in our endeavors. His goal was not to become lunch...mine was to work off yesterday's lunch...and dinner...and any other calories that might have crossed my lips in the last 24 hours.

The ride was wonderful...light wind, good temperature, little traffic and plenty of time to get an attitude adjustment. Sometimes training can really get to your brain...other times it recharges you.

As the sun came up, I started to appreciate the gifts that have been bestowed upon me. Good health, a life free of a wheelchair, cane or walker and the ability to walk into a store and buy clothes off the rack. I am able to keep up with my nieces and nephews...raise money for amazing charities and have the blessing of training for the most grueling endurance event outside of Badwater. Realizing these things as the sun rose over my handlebars brought tears to my eyes...this is when you KNOW there is a Higher Power...for me....God is not only found in a sanctuary...he is found here..every morning.

Life is pretty good...for me...and for my big pig friend who found safety beyond the highway!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Its 500am on Easter Sunday...do you know where your triathlete is?

No, not at church. (I know..my bad)
No, not hiding easter eggs (Murphy just finds them and then buries them in the backyard)
No, not snuggled down in bed (No workout yesterday means...no sleep in today)
Not crying in my beer like I was yesterday..(Thank GOD..arn't you tired of reading about my whining!!!)

My happy self is up...packing up and heading to the airport to do the "airport ride" with Beth at 700am!! Its time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get some work done. Gonna ride 45 miles today!! Update will be added here soon!

Do you ever just wonder....

...why you are doing this??

I guess everyone has bad days and this is one of mine. I saw a picture of me from a race and I wanted to cry. I look so horrible I am starting to wonder if someone my size really should be out there doing this....

I try very hard to stay positive but for some reason, right now, I feel like I can't be. With weight coming off this slowly, do I really have a chance at Ironman??

Who thought a bike trainer and gymnasium could make a morning so much fun

So I get this email from Hector that the team is doing their first "bike trainer" workout at the Y at 5am Thursday morning. Im intrigued and since Tuesdays and Thursdays I don't have to work with Boot Camp, I set my alarm and rolled out of bed at 4am to attend this workout extravaganza!!

I arrived at the Y and found that I wasn't the only crazy one. About 27 others joined me in this 75 minute spin/bike training workout from hell. Now if you don't know the Central Florida Tri Club...trust me...these people are SERIOUS. Most of them are cut, strong, lean and FAST. They have a passion for this sport and I have a tremendous amount of respect for each and every one of them. It is a little intimidating, however, when you know you are the slowest and heaviest in the room.

After a series of speed drill, Hector got to the part I absolutely hate: one legged drills. I am sure this is a drill that I will grow to love and appreciate but right now...I loathe it!! It is proof positive that I need more work on my hamstrings, quads and core but I gave it all I had. I know...Im whining...I don't like it when I whine... it's so unbecoming!!!

After the bike workout, Hector sent us out for a 20 minute recovery run. I jumped off the bike, slipped into my shoes and was the first out the door. From the bright lights of the gym to the darkness of the early morning, my vision wasn't the greatest. As I made a right to head out to the street, I forgot about the speed bumps in the parking lot...and...BAM..before I knew it, I was on my face on the asphalt. I scrambled to my feet with some road rash on my hands, elbow and knee...but most of all...a slightly bruised ego.

As usually, the pack past me on the run but I kept moving. It's at these times I have to remind myself that its amazing that I can run at all. Yes Im slow. Yes, Im getting better. Yes, Im getting lighter .. but Im definitely no where near the speed of these athletes. So I ran in the darkness alone...but it does give you time to think..and time to reflect.

That speed bump in the parking lot...it's was very symbolic of my triathlon experience in the last year. I hit that speed bump at Ironman Florida...I got banged up a bit...I let it bother me for awhile and then I moved on. I went out on that run feeling pretty good about my workout but knowing that there is SO MUCH to do prior to November. I just need to stay focused, listen to the experts, remember that food is not the answer to everything and get this job done.

There are 211 days until Ironman...I have one Olympic and two Half Ironmans between now and then and 26 pounds left to lose. Ive got some serious work to do....and as always...ill keep you posted!!!

Returning to my Alma Mater for my swim workout

I am proud to say that I am a graduate of Lake Highland Prep School. Ok..so I graduated in 1981 ... and I believe dinosaurs were still roaming the earth at that time as our class of 58 students left to face the world. At that time, Lake Highland was just 11 years old and was still working with old facilities left over from the bankrupt College of Orlando. We used old dorm rooms for elementary school classrooms and housing for some of the college faculty was turned into a Home Ec "house".

The pool we used back then was falling apart. I remember snagging more than one swimsuit on the sides as I exited our swim workouts and the water was always a clear but strange color. Things have changed at my old school.

The Highlander Aquatics Center is a state of the art swim venue that is very kind to allow Team in Training to use their facilities. It is the first time I have worked out here since being on the team but it brought back good memories of swimming at Lake Highland. Back then, we had a rag tag little team that did the races for fun. Now, the Highlanders are a powerhouse in the pool sending many swimmers on to college scholarships and possible olympic spots. This multi millon dollar pool was once the temporary pool for the Water Polo Event at the Atlanta Olympic Games. It was permanently reassembled at my school and serves as quite an outstanding facility.

I slipped into the coolish water tonight and wonder how that young Melissa would have felt knowing this old Highlander would return. The workout was just 1500 yards tonight..about a 9/10 of a mile swim...and I struggled. For some reason, I had a hard time breathing and keeping my stroke smooth. Coach Bill could not have been more helpful as he gave me tips on breathing, arm position, stroke and body rotation. I am so blessed to have an additional resource aside from Hector's eyes to tell me what can be done to improve my times in the water.

Bottom line...I think I need a lot more weight training and..of course...losing the weight will definitely help!!

As I left the pool tonight, I was disappointed but I know that I can improve over the next few weeks. My swim may not be the best at Gulf Coast, but by Augusta 70.3, I should be up to speed.

Oh yeah...Go Highlanders!!

Great Clermont Sprint Triathlon

FLORIDA IS NOT FLAT...

Let me lay that out there right now....because Clermont has always been a challenge for me. It is where I do about half my cycling workouts and it was where I did my first triathlon outside of Danskin 10 years ago. Today's race was short and it was hilly and it definitely got my attention.

Ok..for those of you from the northernlands and from hill country who read my blog, cut me some slack here. I AM the quintessential FLATLANDER. I love my bike and run courses flat and fast. This Athena athlete has alot to haul up those hills and today was no exception.

I can blame my exciting morning on my friend Beth (check out her blog at : http://www.rnrgrl262.blogspot.com ). She is the coach for the Central Florida Chapter of Team in Training's Triathlon Team. Although she has an extensive background in running (over 30 marathons and god only knows how many half marathons), triathlon is something that has quickly become her passion over the last year. She is running her first St. Anthony's Tri at the end of the month and wanted a tune up race done prior to our St. Pete's Olympic Distance. "Come on Melissa, do this race with me" she exclaimed on the phone and via messenger. "Come on..it will be fun!!!"

I did my Saturday workout with the team. A 25 mile bike followed by a 3 mile stumble/walk/recovery run and I still wasn't sure if I would do the race. Beth grabbed me at the end of practice and said "Come on..let's go get our packets" and off we went.

If you have read my blog before, you know that I have an addiction to finisher medals. I like'em...ALOT. Beth likes them even more than me I think...heck..she has a sticker on the back of her car that says "Medal Ho"...so you get the picture. We showed up at Lake Minneola to register and grab our numbers and goodie bag and as we walked out of the registration area...what do I see....?? Hmmmmm Shiny..pretty...ribbon accented MEDALS. I inquired with the staff if EVERYONE got medals tomorrow...she said yes. I decided I was definitely doing the race.

Now during practice, Coach Beth took a tumble on her bike and ended up with a bruised leg, bleeding knee and a bruised posterior. I was really wondering if she should do this race..but she was determined. See...she saw those shiny pretty things too!!!

At 5am, I was up and my race routine had begun. Bike racked, car loaded and I was off to 7-11 for my extremely SMALL coffee and some cheerios. I returned and waited for Beth to meet me at my house so we could ride together. I called her and she didn't sound good. She was not feeling the greatest but she really believed that she needed this race to "tune up" for St. Anthony's. We discussed it as she drove to my house and decided upon her arrival that she was going to do it even if she had to walk the run.

We made it to Waterfront Park for a perfect, beautiful sunny day and a dynamite start to a great race. The water was cold (wetsuit legal but I left mine at home..I hate those things) and my swim was slow. I really have to work on my upper body strength.

As I made my fastest transition to date from the swim to the bike, my mind wandered back in time to the early years of triathlon and the sprints I did in Clermont. Oh those damn hills!!!! As I left transition, I approached the first of many, downshifted and made my way up.

I hit a max speed of 32mph on the downhill during the 12 mile bike, dropped a chain on one climb and had to dismount and fix the problem but overall, I had a good ride. Im just so heavy that the hills destroy my overall time on the bike but, as you all know, I am really trying to lose the tonnage.

Back to transition where I caught up with Beth. She was doing ok but you could tell she was in pain. We exited transition together and walked for a bit. She broke into a run and after 1.5 miles, she was feeling like she could run. As for my run, I was feeling the effects of the workout the day before and decided to take it easy. I walk/ran the entire 3.2 miles and had a ball doing it saying hello to other racers, spectators and the like. I thought it better of me to take it easy..this is not my "A race". I want to be strong, healthy, fast and READY for St. Anthony's. Beth finished 5 minutes ahead of me and met me at the finish line!! As expected...the bling appeared after the finish...ahhh one more medal for the collection

We checked the results to find that Beth had gotten 2nd in our Athena age group and I had gotten 3rd. I can't think of a better person to have ahead of me considering all the things Beth has done to help me with my running. We waited for the awards ceremony (something totally new to me) and got our "unusual awards"...a small thermos with the logo of the race and our age group division place on the back. I know its not what I expected but it was nice to receive something for the division finish.

I learned today that its tough to race on tired legs but Im glad that I participated. I was incredibly proud of Beth for pushing through the bumps and bruises and accomplishing her goal. She is going to do great at St. Anthony's!!!

In a few weeks, I have two major races: St Anthony's and the Gulf Coast Triathlon. I feel like I am ready for the Olympic Distance...but Im not sure if I am ready for the Half Iron...as always...i will keep you posted!!!

Become Part of THE ARMY

I was poking around Facebook and came across this video. Although I am no longer part of the LiveStrong Challenge, most of my friends know that this is where my heart is...I am a warrior against Cancer. Cancer is a cowardly disease that took my grandfather, threatened the life of my father and ended the life of my 8 year old Godson.

I use to be embarrassed to ask people for money for this cause, but Cancer has just destroyed too many lives. We HAVE to find a cure. Right now, I am part of the Janus Charity Challenge through Ironman North America. This Challenge is for Ironman Triathletes who want to raise money for their charity while training for the most difficult endurance event of their lives. I have made a huge goal of raising 25,000.00 before November to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Every donor at my site will be listed on the jersey I wear at Ironman Florida 2009: 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running: all for two goals...two dreams...to end this disease...and to be called an Ironman.

I am asking anyone who reads my blog to follow the link below and donate anything you can for Cancer Research. I believe that if we find a cure for blood cancers, we WILL find a cure for ALL CANCER. Whatever you can donate, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! Let's all join the fight...Let's all help save the lives of our friends, neighbors and families. 2

THE LINK TO MY CAUSE:

http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/fl09/mdaly

Thanks!!!