Rev3 Cedar Point 2011 photos

Here's a link to my Picasa album of Rev3 Cedar Point. I'll post an updated guide once I recover from the drive home! Great weekend and so proud of everyone who raced.
PS, ignore the time on that clock...still set to pro clock!

Disney Marathon 2012, take 2

I'd had an official 26.2 kickoff run with Cat back in March. Then the wheels came off. I had been sick for nearly a month prior to that short 4.2 mile run and then when I got home I have had a wide array of ailments and issues I won't bore you with. Sooooooo....time to start over.
We've booked our hotel and tickets and will book our flights in the next week or so so it's clearly time to get back in the saddle and start my training. I'm wanting to do it but also, frankly, scared to do it. I am working on a personality transplant to make me less Negative Nancy about things so I'm attempting to go into this new phase of training with a positive attitude, not a cynical 'just don't die' attitude. So far only about a 20% success rate. Baby Steps.
So, I'm buckling down and using my awesome TrekDesk on the days I work at home (I am on it right now, acutally) so I can get extra exercise in during a time I'd usually be totally sedentary. I'm going to follow the Jeff Galloway plan from the Disney site and probably, at least at the beginning, use the run-walk method. I find when I 'run' I'm actually moving at a faster pace then ever before but I tire quite easily. So, using the run-walk to build up will, I think, be helpful and help me with pacing. I suck at pacing. I could go buy all the fancy bells and whistles that help you with such things but I think if I find I need it I'll just steal Mr. TheyTri's Garmin.
So, here we go. I'm putting this up publicly so I'll be shamed into keeping up with my training.

Ironman Texas

This is a long-overdue post. I was so wiped out after IMTX and Rev3 Quassy that I needed a little triathlon down time. But, Herewith, the spectator guide to IMTX.

General:
The Woodlands is a very spectator-friendly venue for a race. There are shops and restaurants all around, plenty of places to rest and recharge. It's not the most spectator-friendly bike course, being on giant loop out into the Texas hinterlands, but the swim, run and finishline areas are all great for watching yoru athlete all day. Go stroll around the finishline area of Market Street before durring and after the race and patronize those great shops. LuluLemon had a great display of all the athlete names. The Cupcakery had yummy sweets. The line for Starbucks will make you want to cry. the H.E.B. also has a coffee bar...the line will also be insane. Chipolte is there for lunch. Go calm your race-day nerves at Tommy Bahama's bar.
The Woodlands is great.

Travel:
Book your hotel *early*. They pretty much all sold out. People from Houston booked rooms in The Woodlands to avoid the race-morning drive. There is a Marriott directly across from venue that is the official host hotel. If it's not already booked for next year I'd be surprised. But there are many others. Don't hesitate. Book and if you end up not needing it, cancel your booking.

Pre-race.
The expo is set up in a big parking lot across from the finish area. It's a nice expo. The check in took no time at all when we were there Thursday morning. Our athletes were in and out. The good folks at World Triathlon Corporaton have apparently taken a page out of the Disney book and the registration tent dumps you out into the merchandise tent. Exit through the Gift Shop, indeed. My fellow sherpas and I couldn't resist the IMTX cowboy hats. Why not? 
My one beef here was there was no 'volunteer' tent. There was no one place you could, as a registered volunteer, go and say "here I am, where's my T-shirt and my parking pass." This caused some stress as we weren't sure what to do race morning. Coordinating with our volunteer team captain was a bit of a pain since he was so busy getting stuff set up but we eventually managed to sort it out. It seemed like if you weren't part of a 'group' of volunteers (like, ours was run by the very nice people from Team in Training) they kind of left you hanging.
There are a million places to eat and shop but we stopped at Rudy's BBQ just off of I-45 after packet pickup for a bit of a chow-down.

Race day:
We drove up from Houston so were up very, very early to make the 45-min drive. It was easy to get into the venue to do athlete drop off. There is official parking in designated parking garages. Do try and use these if you can because if you try and park in unauthorized lots you will be towed. We got a bit lucky by going in a secret side entrance and it worked out OK but there were reports that people who parked at the nearby Mall and by the ampetheater were being towed. That'd be a really crappy end to a very long day so you're better off playing by the rules.


Swim:
The swim start is about mile from transition. Plan for a crowded walk. If you want a spot on the bridge crossing the lake to see the start, get there very early and say goodbye to your athlete at transition. You can also bushwack a bit to stand on the east side of the lake to watch the start. the main Swim in side of the lake will be crowded but there is a lot of room and this is where morning clothes drop off is.
You should have plenty of time to walk back to transition/swim out before your athlete gets there.

Bike:
Bike out has a nice, long road you can stand along to get a shot of your athlete leaving. I'd advise not sitting right at the mount line because it's very crowded. Head a little bit further out and you should get a nice clean shot and they'll also be able to pick you out of the thinner crowd.
The course, as I mentioned above, is one, huge loop. You can get in your car and drive north on I-45 and connct back up with the course in the national forest. HOWEVER, I strongly advise not crossing over the course to the west side. The traffic is terrible getting back across, my inlaws sat for more than an hour to get through one intersection. Getting back into The Woodlands, the greater community, not just the downtown, is very, very difficult from that side. If you miss your athlete in the forrest, cut your losses and head back down I-45 to come back into The Woodlands from the east side.

Run:
The run is a three-loop course along the canal. Plenty of great places to watch your athlete. The finishline goes in  a loop around the Market Street area. There is a park in the middle you can set up camp in.

More General:
Medical was set up in a building just past the finishline along the north side of the park.
The H.E.B. across from transition is a huge win. Having a giant grocery store right there is amazing.
There are 'real' bathrooms adjacent to transition, just be mindful of athetes who need them

We used TriBike Transport to get Mr. TheyTri's bike too and from the race. It was hugely helpful to not have to worry about bike assembly/disassembly. They *are* open in the expo area until midnight the day of the race so you can take bike out of transition and bring it over to them for transport immediately following the race. Note that if bike has a disc wheel, you'll need to take it off and replace it with a spoked wheel before you turn it over to them. (unless you're totally beside-yourself exhausted and look like you're gonna cry and then they'll take pity on you.)

Tri Sherpa Kit

We're gearing up for Ironman Texas here at TheyTri HQ. We leave in three short days so the initial packing phase has begun. I tend to pack first so that I'm nearly 100% by the day we leave, minus the last minute essentials, so that I can concentrate on nagging Mr. TheyTri relentlessly about his checklist. I do it out of love. And OCD. But mostly love.
140.6 distance races are a really, really long day. It's important to plan ahead as much as you can to bring what you may need while simultaneously not overburdening yourself. If you're staying near the race venue or have a car parked nearby you can get away with schlepping a lot more on the day and just grabbing what you need when you need it. Conversely, if you won't be near a stash spot all day, pare things down. Similarly, if you're somewhere busy, like downtown Lake Placid or The Woodlands where there are shops and malls, you can fret less about forgetting something. But, if you're in the Backside of Beyond for 17 hours, go prepared!
So, what goes in my Sherpa Kit? Glad you asked.

1. The bag is essential. I highly recommend a lightweight backpack over a shoulder bag. I have a great mid-sized Le Sportsac backpack with several pockets.  I love it because it's very light (though, some would argue also less sturdy) and it's roomy without being terribly bulky. It's also water resistant, which is great if you're carrying electronics like your camera and mobile phone. I also carry a little wristlet sometimes so that I don't have to carry my whole wallet. Just some money, my bank card, my credit card and my ID. I don't need my Target card or Stop and Shop bonus card for the day so leave it at home.

2. Camera. My camera is fantabulous. I love it. It's a Nikon and it's great for action shots. Do I love that it's heavy, no. But it takes amazing pics and to me it is worth it. Point and shoots are totally great, just be aware that most models don't have fast enough shutter speeds to catch a cyclist going by if they're really moving.

3. Athlete guide or similar. Whatever has the maps, the times and the contact info for the race directors. With the wonders of Evernote, I've actually been able to store the PDF of the IMTX guide electronically so I don't *need* to bring the hard copy but I feel better doing so. Just in case.

4. Chargers/extra batteries. I learned this the very hard way at IMLP in 2009. I now bring a wall charger in case I'm in a restaurant or shop or something that has plugs available to use while I'm on a break. I have a car charger in case I have a vehicle handy and lastly, I just bought a 'solar powered' extra battery. I'm unconvinced that it works but am bringing it to IMTX to give it a go. It also takes a charge via USB so worst case I can charge it before we leave and just have it as a backup battery in case of the predicted apocalypse that day. (May 21, 2011)

5. Snacks and water bottle. IMTX looks to be in a hub of civilization so food should be easy to come by for most spectators. However, I'm volunteering a mile away and want to make sure I have provisions, especially water, given how hot Texas will be. I have my Camelbak Groove, which has a built in filter so I can be ok with tap water from anywhere. I also plan for food. If I'm just watching Mr. TheyTri I can plan times to go grab something but if I have many people to cheer for it can be hard to get away to go grab something. So, I make sure I've got a few calories stashed in my bag.

6. Medical items. I carry a J&J first aid teeny-weeny kit. It has band-aids and alcohol wipes etc...but it's about 4" square. I also carry Neosporin spray and advil. Wet wipes, eye drops, allergy meds, antacid, tampons. Yes. Go to the travel section and buy the teeny packs.  I also sometimes stash tweezers but I can't find my extra pair! A tiny Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool to have tweezers, scissors and a file handy would be good, too.

7. Health/beauty: SUNBLOCK! SUNBLOCK! SUNBLOCK!! I cannot stress this enough. I have a little bag that I keep some of the above medical.health and some 'beauty' items in. Bobby pins, hair elastics, baby powder, a teeny hairbrush, safety pins, chapstick with SPF etc...i even keep a travel-sized deodorant in there. Again...a long, long day!

8. Clothing items. These vary depending on climate, but I always have a visor or hat to keep the sun off my face/out of my eyes. If I have a car nearby I try and bring a change of shoes. I bring my Crocs flip flops more often than not because they're small, light and comfy and if I had to stick them in my backpack, I could. I always wear my running shoes because you're on your feet a lot. I'm volunteering at a water stop at IMTX and so may switch out to my Crocs flops then so that my shoes don't get all wet. But, a change of shoes is nice if you can manage it. As for rain gear...I can't be bothered with umbrellas etc...if rain is forecast, I make sure to dress in clothes that dry quickly/wick.

9. Last, but in no way least: Cell phone! Essential for keeping groups together and Tweeting updates!

There are a few items that don't go in my "kit" per se but if you have a car handy consider: umbrella, chair, cooler, coffee thermos!

Hope you find this all helpful. If there's something I've missed that you simply cannot live without race day,  let me know in the comments.

MacGyver Wife

I tend to be a little worst-case-scenario. I also come from a long line of spit-and-gum handymen. My father's been known to drive golf tees into a wall to hold something up in lieu of nails or brackets (dirty family secret). But, I married into a family of people who actually measure things before they cut and read directions. These bits of Mrs. TheyTri trivia are really just to introduce my list of "Things You Should Put in Your Special Needs Bag So Your Spouse Doesn't Worry." These are things that, 56 miles from home with no support vehicle in sight, you'd want your athlete to have. Be a nag and make them put it in there...those bags can hold a heck of a lot so why not?!

• Duct tape. Duct tape. Duct tape. It fixes nearly any problem. broken cleat? Duct tape. Loose cable? Duct tape. Hungry? Duct tape. (Kidding. but I bet it'd work!)
• Rubber bands.
• Zip ties
• Gels/blocs/calories of some sort. Consider *actual* food, like stuff that grows in nature.
• Extra tubes/C02
• Electrical tape
• Safety pins
• Allen wrenches
• Toilet paper
• SuperGlue (see Duct tape)
• Advil/Asprin/Tylenol

Please feel free to add to the list in comments, we'd love to know what is indespensible when you're out on your own.

The 2011 Tri season is upon us!

The snow has (finally) melted here in the NE and race season is upon us. Mr. TheyTri actually has a very early season Ironman this year, IMTX, so we're on an accelerated schedule this year. Those in warmer climes are already racing. So, I think it's time for my annual "have you had the talk?" post.
Our friend @co2legs reminded me of this the other day when he sent out an email soliciting tips on balancing life, work and training for his Team Continuum news letter. The grim reality is...there is no balance. Something always gives. The questions are, what gives, for how long and what is the consequence of that.
So, that is why I'm a firm believer that you and your athlete need to have a pre-or-early-season talk. An HONEST talk. Most people are willing to sacrifice some things so that their loved one can achieve a goal. But how much and for how long is not something that should be assumed. It's vital to sit down and hash out the race schedule. Then to try and figure out how much time will be needed to train. Compare calendars: what training sessions simply cannot be missed and, conversely, whose wedding/birthday is imperative to attend despite the training schedule. 
I think some athletes get tunnel vision. They focus so much on their A race or their big goal that other things slide to the side. Those of us who are supporters do understand that it takes a lot of time, energy and sacrifice to achieve. But the athlete needs to understand that it's a two-way street-- other people have needs, wants and goals, too. This is why the talk is so vital.
Sometimes athletes get "lifed." And it is in those times we supporters earn our stripes. Right now, Mr. TheyTri is slumped on the couch with his laptop, logged in to work after already putting in a 70+hour work week and only 42 days out from IMTX. It's a huge weight. He is exhausted. So, not to pat myself on the back (though, come on, I'm awesome!), but we're foregoing the date night we'd been so excited about and I mulched the garden and am taking on a bit more of the household load this weekend. After IMTX, when I need help as I'm training for the Disney Marathon in January or I need to drop some of the daily nonsense we 'adults' have to shoulder, it'll be his turn. Try and remember the Golden Rule.

WSJ article on tri widdows

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece on the phenomenon of tri/endurance widows today. Worth a read. I'm surprised by the weird comments posted to it, to be honest. Maybe it's the audience, but they seem to be missing the point. Commenters seem to think it's a criticism off anyone who exercises and there's an odd number of "just run a 10k"-type bits of advice to the Ironman athletes mentioned in the piece. They seem to be completely missing that the article is essentially advocating ballance between life and training. It shouldn't surprise me but it does!
Not gonna lie. Being a tri wife can be frustrating at times. I can understand the issues the spouses in the article raise and relate to many of them. But not all of them. This is why it's vital to have "the talk" before every season so that you can make clear what you are and are not willing to deal with. Support is a two-way street.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116083514534672.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_4

Disney Marathon Weekend Tips

Part II of our Disney adventure!

We took some notes and compiled some helpful tips for spectators and racers alike. Generally we focus on the non-racer but since I participated in this event there's a smattering of both kinds of tips.

Planning Ahead:

• Book your hotel rooms the day you/your racer registers for the race. Rooms fill up quickly for marathon weekend. You can change the reservation without penalty until 5 days before your check in if you find a better deal. Take advantage of this. Better to have something booked than be scrambling.
• All Disney hotels will provide busses to the Expo, to the start race morning and back from the finish to your hotel. But, Polyneisan, Grand Floridian and Contemporary are all on the race route if that's a consideration for spectators. Port Orleans French Quarter abuts the start line corrals, though we're sure Disney discourages people from walking over. (you didn't hear it from us). More on busses later.
• Park tickets aren't cheap. Really think about how many days you'll want to be walking around parks vs the need to keep your feet up. Having said that, adding days is simple once on property and once over 3-day pass it's inexpensive to add days. (e.g., we added a 6th day to our park hoppers for about $5 a piece)
• Disney dining plan is a fine option if you'd like to have everything in one package. We got a bit confused by it (our first time using) and, frankly, had to go off the plan a few times for appetizers we wanted and our drinks. I'm not sure how much it saved us. Like the park tickets, it's a numbers game.
• Good idea to book dining reservations ahead of time for sit-down meals. If you don't, expect a long wait or being told they're not taking walk ups. Better to have them and not use them than searching around for a table.  
• If you book via Disney Travel, you have to CALL them to OK  your booking and to have the ballance charged to a card about 30 days before arrival. They do NOT automatically bill the ballance to the card you used for your deposit. They will NOT call to remind you until after the 30 day mark and at this point they are entitled to cancel your reservation if they can't reach you. Pay attention.
• Orlando International Airport is about a 35-min drive from the Disney property. Magical Express is a good option for people staying at Disney hotels. Recommend it for inbound trip, especially if you'll be arriving early in the day before your room is ready. Book a month out and you'll receive yellow bag tags. Once you have these, ME will pick up your luggage and bring it directly to your room while you can go and enjoy your first day at WDW. However you're on their schedule. This means on your return trip, you will be scheduled for a bus to the airport 3 hours before your flight. ME is good because on some airlines you can check in and check bags at your hotel and receive your boarding passes and then just cruise to the airport without a care, bypassing check in counters entirely. But, if you want to spend more time on property before your flight, a cab is an OK option and costs around $50. The front desk at your hotel can connect you to the cab company to arrange a pickup.
• WEATHER: Could be anything. January weather is highly varriable. In 2010 they had snow marathon morning. in 2011 we had great running weather. Was cool but not freezing at start. Spectators not moving around may find it chilly. Most days were jeans and t-shirts durring the day with a jacket at night but we had one day wearing shorts! Makes packing a pain but plan for anything. If you do forget something, there is a Nike outlet just off property at the Orlando Premium Outlets on Vineland Ave (between I-4 and International Drive). This area also has a ton of chain restaurants and shops.

Race Weekend:

• Get to the Expo as early as you can both in terms of days and hours. If you're in on Thursday, go Thursday morning. Expo opens at 9...try and be there as close to 9 as you can. We were there early and got through the pickup process fairly quickly. Those who arrived after noon waited in long lines, especially on Friday when people were picking up for both 13.1 and 26.2.
• Race brings in a ton more people than would be there otherwise in January. January is also summer vacation for South America/Southern Hemisphere folks so don't be surprised by giant tour groups. If you can live without a bag at parks, it'll save you having to wait in long bag-check lines.

Race Morning:

• Busses. So. Frustrating. A five minute trip to start line at Epcot took an hour and 1:15. Give yourself ample time to get there if you need to check clothing, use the portaloos, have a warm up. Pee before you get on the bus.
• You didn't hear it from us, but you can walk to the start corrals from Port Orleans French Quarter. The corrals are a good 20 minute walk from the Epcot parking lot in any event. Whichever way you walk, be cautious and visible.
• Spectators tips:
• It will be dark until 7 a.m. If you line up along the startline road and want your racer to see you either pick a pre-determined point for them to see you or consider wearing glow necklaces or bring flashlights or somesuch. There are 27,000 runners and you can be hard to pick out.
• Epcot busses and Monorails will be very crowded. Give yourself ample time to get where you're going.
• Bring clothing layers. And snacks. And your cell phone.
• Good observation points:
• Ticket and Transportation Center
• Parking lot of the Contemporary
• Main Street USA (not sure who they let in here or when. Park ticket may be required) check out the Spectator Resources on the Marathon site.
• Road along the Grand Floridian and Polynesian
• Epcot parking lot, close to bus depot
• Set up a pre-determined meeting point following race. Finish line is chaos.
• After race, there's a booth that will engrave your medals with your chip time!

I may update this as more things occur to me but please feel free to add your tips in the comments!

So, I did it! (and had fun...don't tell anyone)

So, that's me. Up there ^. With the ears. Crossing the finish line of the 2011 Walt Disney World Half Marathon. I generally don't go in for tooting my own horn but...TOOT! I'm damn proud of myself for it. If you'd told me three years ago that I'd do that I'd have laughed in your face. It's really kind of amazing what you can do when you stop whining and saying "no" to yourself.
I'm going to divide this up into two posts, one a race report and a separate one on general WDW Marathon Weekend tips.
But, before I go any further, I have to give a HUGE thank you to Mr. TheyTri for all of his support in this. I know he was worried, but he stayed positive and supportive the whole time. Thank you, honey. And I have to give another huge thank you to Cat Webb and Sam Dickey for running with me and making my first half experience fun! I'd not have done nearly as well without them making me smile the whole way! And, last but not least, a big thanks to Jeremy Webb and Dave Dickey for making the trip so much fun with so many laughs! And congrats to Jeremy on his half PR!
So, Thursday we wake up before the crack of dawn to catch our flight to ORL from Westchester County Airport. I love Westchester Airport. It's tiny, efficient and, most importantly, 20 minutes from the house. No problem with flight at all. Our other two traveling parties weren't so lucky out of Houston and Chicago.
We arrived in Orlando, collected bags and then hopped on the Magical Express to Port Orleans Riverside. We took advantage of the online check in to skip the long line and fortunately, a room was ready for us. dropped off our bags and then headed to Hollywood Studios for some lunch and to wait for everyone else to arrive. Good meal then we decided we were too exhausted from the 4 a.m. wake up so we went back to room to crash. After a snooze we met Jeremy and Cat at Epcot for a celebratory drink at the Rose and Crown. Then onward to meet Sam and Dave for dinner at Shula's at the Dolphin. Aside from Mr. TheyTri putting his foot in his mouth within 10 min. of meeting Dave, laughs abound. Drinks abound, too.
Friday is packet pick up at Wide World of Sports. We bus it over, the Mears busses were so efficient (at this point)...way better than the Disney busses which were *painfully* slow from Port Orleans. Our lines weren't very long so we managed to cruise through getting numbers and collecting our goodie bags. We poked around the expo a bit but I wasn't, to be honest, all that impressed by it. It was crowded and nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before. (Though, we all did laugh at the "will run for wine" shirts).
Magic Kingdom for a bit then back to the hotel early for race prep and early bedtime. I had nervous energy but had a glass of wine (ok, 2) with dinner to calm my nerves and then crashed out.

Woke up before alarm at 2:55 a.m. Coffee on. Clothes on. Ready to go. I wasn't sure what to eat, I get nauseous if I eat too early, so I just had 2 bites of a Luna bar and two bites of a Lara bar and then decided I couldn't stomach it. Brought a packet of Justin's Honey Almond Nut Butter for the bus ride instead. (Thank God...hit the spot). Coffee. Let's GO!
Chilly morning, but not bad. Board the bus quickly and we're off. But...not off far...the traffic getting to the Epcot parking lot was *horrible*. It took us an hour and 15 minutes to take what should have been a 5 minute ride. I was so anxious we were going to miss the start. Disney really needs to sort that out...institute a bus only route to Epcot or something. It was all the more frustrating later when I saw that we could have walked to the corrals from Port Orleans French Quarter in about 5 minutes. I'm sure Disney frowns on that but I can assure you people will do that next year if they don't sort out the busses.
Anyway, we get there and we finally link up with the rest of the team. Quick smooch from Mr. TheyTri and then we head to our corrals. Cat and Sam hung back with me in my lame-o F corral so we could all run together.
After all the pre-race stuff, Al Roker, Anthem etc...the fireworks go off and the first corral goes! Go honey and Jeremy! We hang around for another half hour or so until they get to our wave and then...we're off!
I oddly didn't feel that nervous. I was nervous before we left the hotel but the bus situation made me so annoyed that I just wanted to get going!

The course is flat, flat, flat, with only a few 'hills' caused by overpasses. Love it. My kind of course! We shuffle along to the 5k mark and then take a little walk break while Cat and I take our jackets off...was a bit overdressed and was overheating once I was moving. Then, back to the run. Just about mile 5.5, just when I'd ordinarily start to be crabby and wanting a walk break, we enter the Magic Kingdom. How can you be crabby running up Main Street USA with crowds cheering you? You can't, I tell you! We smiled and kept running through Tomorrowland, with a bit of a potty break, then through Fantasyland and through Cinderella's Castle. Again, impossible not to smile. We, of course, had to stop and take a picture. The whole point of running the damn thing!
On through Frontierland and then through the backstage area and out onto the road again. By this time we're getting tired and the road at this point in the race is narrow and crowded. We took a few walk breaks simply because it was pointless to run...too many bodies in too small a space.  We pretty much did a run walk the last four miles or so. With me earning the nickname Captain because I made the girls run the downhills! I felt surprisingly good, though my right side started to crap out on me...hip, knee, pinky toe. I was also surprisingly cheerful. Running with friends is so key!
Finally we spy the Epcot entrance. We agree (or, I command) that we're gonna run the whole last stretch once we enter the Epcot park. It seems like the longest mile on Earth, but we get there and we, all three, cross the finish line smiling. I hear Mr. TheyTri cheering from the stands and I see him smiling with Jeremy and my in-laws, supporters extraordinare!
We joke and smile and make a bee-line for our medals. Then grab some food and meet back up with Mr. TheyTri and Jeremy.
I felt great. I knew I was going to be sore, but I didn't feel dead. I was happy and proud and it was a really remarkable feeling. I tell myself "no" a lot. "Can't." I guess I proved myself wrong.

Almost Time!

Down near the end if my last post I mention in passing that I wasn't feeling well. That was the first link in a month-long chain of health anomalies. I was sick with a terrible cold for about 10 days. Then, just after Christmas, managed to pinch something in my back/neck that turned me into Frankenstein and then I somehow managed to burst a blood vessel in my right eye making it all red. Fortunately all my tribulations are clearing up and I'm healthy got Disney trip!
What I am, however, is under-trained. I lost valuable training time, time I couldn't afford to lose. But, and here's the weird thing, I'm not worried. I know it's going to be harder than it would have been if I'd not gotten sick and if I'd buckled down sooner to up mileage. But, for me anything past the start line is a PR. It may not be the most pleasant morning of my life, but I'll be there with friends and a very supportive Mr. TheyTri and I'll just buck up and do it!
I'm very much looking forward to the trip, despite the race apprehension hanging over me. It is, frankly, why I choose the Disney races. For me, they are events, more than a start and finish line. Because I'm not "competing," it's about the entire experience. We'll be Tweeting from WDW from Thursday on. Stay tuned!




PS, this was thumbed in on my iPhone so hopefully there is nothing www.damnyouautocorrect.com worthy!