Did I mention we have a weiner dog?!

Yup, it runs in the family...racing that is! Our little noodle, or Sophie, as she's more commonly known, is about to take part in her 2nd Weiner Nationals race! She'll take on the best of the Bay on Sunday, July 29th in the running of the wieners. (I just love saying that!) In her first run at the wiener national title she finished 3rd! Not bad for her freshman endeavor...check out the pics! :) We'll keep you posted on her training and competition, but in the meantime, wish her luck!

IronMan Coeur d’Alene…and the beat goes on...

Words can’t accurately describe the pre-race morning of an IronMan. Thousands of focused athletes walking through their rituals, friends and family all carrying cameras and wearing brightly colored clothes, water bottles and powerbar wrappers everywhere! It’s remarkable!

The Swim: Holy Beans! Not for the faint hearted. I’ve heard it described as a washing machine, an LA traffic jam, spawning salmon,, a boxing match but in water. Anyway you look at it, its insanity! 2300+ athletes all running and jumping into start zone all at the same time. Everyone swimming the same 2.4 mile path around a set of buoys. I was kicked and hit in the head…I kept thinking I am soo glad I put my goggles on under my cap! Got ran over. I ran over a few people. All this by the second bouy…this was going to be a wild ride! Finally, I made it to the first turn. I was swimming on the inside lane and needed to cut in to make it around the bouy (myself and about 400 other people!). When I had just about reached the bouy I looked up to spot and saw a guy breast stroking around the bouy. I thought “say away from him or I’ll get a swift kick to the chest.” I put my head down to maneuver around him right at the moment he was flailing his arms and got the hardest elbow to the mouth I’d ever experienced! Dude, did my teeth go through my lip?!? All I could taste was blood and my head was spinning. DON’T stop or I’ll get mowed over. I made it back to the beach for the first loop and my lip was already swollen. The second loop was a better, not quite as many kicking legs and flailing arms. DONE…finished the swim…but…

The Bike: Through T1 was I spitting blood in the transition area, the sweet helper didn’t wince at all. She just kept handing me things out of my bag. As soon as I got on the bike I took a sip of my Amino…OUCH!!...the cut in my mouth screamed at me! It was going to be a HOT day, so I knew I had to keep the fluids coming in, but I thought I would give my cut a bit longer to cool off. On the way back in from the out and back I saw almost all my teammates. That was a great boost and I almost forgot about my situation...I took a sip of Spiz this time, OUCH!! Man, if I can’t get on my plan, I’m going to have issues. As we approached the second climb Mike came cruzing up behind me! Yippie, he was looking strong as ever! I told him about my accident and he got that worried look on his face, I told him I’d be fine and I’d stick to the Spiz since eating food was out of the question. He actually offered me his Spiz, I told him, no way!!! A few more short rollers and I told him to go get ‘em! The temperature and headwind on the back side of the course were tough and I knew I was falling further and further behind on my nutrition plan. The first loop went well, but I knew it wouldn’t last if I didn’t take in nutrition. Finally, made it to the special needs area of the bike, looked in the bag and there wasn’t much that could help…a PB&J, more pretzels, some gummies and more Spiz. I took the Spiz and quarter of the PB&J…one bite of the sandwich and my cut was bleeding again. Man, I’m trouble. Back up the the second climb and the sun was cooking, made I through the rollers and that’s when I lost my ‘cookies’ for the first time. Trouble, trouble, trouble. Okay, try again, drank some Spiz, OUCH!!! Then it was time for the big climb at mile 80…that climb was miserable, it’s not very long, but my body was done…I gave it everything, made it to the top and puked again! This is not my day…try again…more Spiz, OUCH!! 3 miles later, another puke! This is insane, my body won’t let me go any further. My speed was dropping , my stomach was turning, and my lip is killing me. Made it to mile 85…and that’s when I puked on my bike for the last time…I had no choice but to pull over broken hearted.

All things considered, I'm still very proud of myself!!! after all - let's put this in perspective:

I’m training with a team of committed athletes who believe in something better than today
I’m healthy and happy
I have a wonderful husband and unwavering supportive family
I made it this far!

All things considered I'm a very blessed girl and one bad day only makes the good days better! I once heard someone say, if it was sunny all the time, we'd all be sunburned! :) I loved that and it seems to resonate with me now.

On the drive home from CDA, Mike, Danny and I spent a night with my Aunt Diane and Uncle Chuck at their adorable B&B. They hosted us for breakfast and dinner. It was fabulous. I ate pancakes the size (or bigger) than my head! J If you’re ever looking for a great B&B in Idaho, I have a wonderful recommendation! From Idaho, we made our way to Reno where Rye-the-Guy hosted us for the night. The boys ate more ice cream, and Dan finally got his chocolate dipped soft serve from Dairy Queen! All was right in the world. One final stop in Folsom on our last day of travel to see my beautiful nephews (check out Blain doing his imitation of a flying squirrel!) I love this picture!

We spent the 4th of July weekend reconnecting with our bed, pooch, and friends. Now it’s back to the grind! Oh, and always remember, 1 scoop = 3 worms!