Week 1

Hey Everyone!

This week is week 1 for lots of things.
1. Week 1 for the new TNT season. This season I am training a team for the TriMiami Triathlon.
2. Week 1 for my official IMFL training with Team Hendryx.
3. Week 1 for my new diet.
4. Week 1 for the Nth time trying to get in a steady routine with my Advocare products.
5. Week 1 for my new business builder plan.

How am I doing so far?

Well the TNT kick-off was great. I have 16 people on my team that span every level of experience from someone who has not exercised in a while to an Ironman. While I am nervous, I know this is going to be a great season. Our first practice was Monday night. It was a swim workout in the pouring rain. What a great start! Tuesday night we had our first group run. The participants completed either a 2 or 3 mile run and then we headed over to Fleet Feet for a clinic presented by the owners Stacey and Eric Bartos. This weekend is our first group ride. I am very excited.

How is my Ironman training going then you ask? Well I have been able to do two gym workouts and one short run of 3miles since Coach Bill sent my workouts to me on Sunday. UGH... I have to get my schedule better organized. Not exactly what Coach Bill had in mind. Coach Bill said I am in the prep phase which is to build a strong muscular base and make sure my shoulder is healed. I have not got into the pool yet. To be honest I am scared. I am afraid I won't be able to swim with my shoulder and that would just kill me. Yes, Coach Bill, I will get into the pool before Sunday. I promise.

Diets, ugh, we all hate them. However when you are training for an Ironman and you suddenly stop working out, your body kind of goes a little bit wacko. So yes I have gained weight. Wow that sucks seeing it in print. However it is the truth. I have gained weight. I know that starting a regular training routine will help but I want to jump start my metabolism and maybe get a few extra pounds off in the beginning. No fad diets for me. I am trying to make healthier choices, stop eating out so much (which by the way is a losing battle since I am never home) and finally take my Advocare supplements with more regularity.

Which leads me to my Advocare supplements. I seem to be on track on work days. Weekends or holidays however, I forget to take them when I am supposed to. So I have to try harder.

Off to Success School on Feb 20th. I know this will give me the motiovation and a huge push to work harder at building my business. I want to have a successful plan B!! You can view my microsite here: http://www.AdvoCare.com/0807148. I love the products and I know they are changing my life.

Hmm what else has been going on? Well Kelsie competed in the Oration finals at her school. While she did not make the top 3 and move on to the next level, she did make the top 6. Hopefully I can figure out how to post a link to the video so everyone can see the AWESOME speech she gave about Winter Vinecki. Kelsie is also testing for her Red Belt this weekend so I will try and post some pictures of that as well.

Hannah has been having a bit of a harder time since she returned to Florida from the Holiday break. I am not sure if she is upset over something that happened or upset because she has more rules here than in NC. We are working through this so if you can keep us in your prayers and send positive Karma, we can use all the help we can get.

Both kids want to race in the Kids Winter Duathlon in Clermont at Lake Louisa State Park next weekend on Valentine's Day. It is a 1/4 mile run 3 mile bike finished with a 1/4 mile run. Hopefully we can make it out there for this race. They got their new running shoes at the clinic on Tuesday night and are really excited to get the season started.

Well I guess that is it for today. I will blog again soon!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Quote for Today:

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love, time is eternity."
Henry Van Dyke

Kids In Their Team Winter Shirts!

Here are the girls in their shirts. Thanks Dawn and Winter! Kelsie is so excited for her speech next week.

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Girls and Their New Glasses

Time to focus

Hey Everyone,

Well so much for my New Year's Resolution to start blogging regularly again. Kelsie was sick this week and Hannah well let's just say she was a handful. Hopefully I can get into a better routine soon.

My new Team in Training season kicks off on Jan 31st. It is not too late to sign up. I will be coaching athletes to complete either a Sprint or Olympic Triathlon or an Olympic Duathlon. The event we will be training for is the TriMiami Triathlon on May 3rd. If you would like to join this amazing team, post a comment or send me a PM and I will get the information to you as soon as possible.

On other news, Kelsie finally got her wish and is getting glasses. As most of you know, she cried last year for three hours after her eye appointment when the doctor told her she had 20/20 vision. This year, he said she has a minor minor minor correction in her right eye. Since I have vision insurance, I let her select glasses. Both Hannah and Kelsie will get them this week. I will post new pictures when they do.

As far as me, I am fine. Trying to get on a set schedule so I can get my training done. On my calendar are the following events:

Wildman Triathlon
Disney Princess Half Marathon
St Anthony's Triathlon
Ironman 70.3 Augusta
Ironman Florida

Obviously I need to get a marathon in there somewhere but I have yet to figure out which one. Any suggestions? Remember I hate the heat. LOL.

Well I am off to get the kids to bed and get my gear ready for the morning. Talk to everyone soon.

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

My Daughter Keslie

I am so excited to write this post. In the state of Florida, 5th graders are required to write a speech and compete in an oration contest. The topic this year is "A Person Who Has Touched Many Lives." On Wednesday, Kelsie was selected as one of the 9 finalists in her school to move on to the Level 1 contest. She will present her speech on Feb 5th. I am so proud of her for many reasons.

Kelsie appears on the surface to be very outgoing and social. When she was first given the assignment, she told me that she would present a speech for her class but she even if she was chosen to move on with the contest she did not want to. I told her to focus on writing her speech and we would cross that bridge if and when we got to it.

Kelsie did not tell me at first who she had chosen to write her speech about. She said she wanted to surprise me. The night before she was to give the speech for the first time, I was finally allowed to read what she had written. I figured she had written the speech about one of her grandparents or someone she had learned about in school. I was wrong. She wrote her speech about Winter Vinecki.

If you have read my blog in the past, you will already know who Winter Vinecki is. However for those of you who are reading this for the first time, Winter is a 10 year old girl who completed the Athletes for Cure Triathlon at Walt Disney World last September. This is an Olympic distance triathon which consists of a .9 mile swim followed by a 25 mile bike ride and finished up with a 6.2 mile run. If completing the race was not amazing enough, Winter was racing in honor of her Dad who had been diagnosed with Prostate cancer a few months before. As of race morning, she had raised over $31,000 and I think as of this blog, her fundraising has crossed over the $100,000.00 mark. After completing the race, Winter and her family were gracious enough to sign autographs and this is where Kelsie met Winter.

I had written in my blog about how seeing Winter start the race and then run across the finish line changed both my life and the life of my two daughters, Kelsie and Hannah. As you all know, I race and coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. Kelsie and Hannah have been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders since they were born. They come to practices, help my team fundraise and provide moral support and encouragement on the race course for the participants.

The day of the AFAC triathlon Kelsie, Hannah and I cheered Winter and her mother along the race course. As they ran across the finish line into the waiting arms of their family we were all cheering and crying harder than we ever had before. After the race, I wrote in my blog how seeing Winter had impacted our lives as well as how my daughters see the world and their place in it. Both of my daughters have vowed to complete a triathlon this year as part of Team Winter and are so excited to move forward to reaching this goal. They are going to compete in the Meek and Mighty Triathlon at the St Anthony Triathlon in April of this year.

At any rate back to the speech. Kelsie wrote an amazing speech about Winter and how she had been inspired by Winter. She talked about how Winter's determination and focus spurred the same in Kelsie. I was so proud of her that night. I could not wait to hear how she did in class.

After 3 days of speeches, the kids were sent home for Christmas break and Kelsie went to her dad's house for the holiday. A few days before the kids were to return back to school for the new year, I received an email from Kelsie's homeroom teacher stating that Kelsie had been picked as one of the 6 children in her class to move on in the contest but she had told her teacher she did not want to move on. Her teacher asked me to talk to Kelsie. She said that Kelsie had written an great speech and she hoped that Kelsie would decide to continue on.

When Kelsie came back home from her Dad's house, we talked about the speech. She told me she had been thinking about it over the break and what Winter would do if she was in Kelsie's situation. Kelsie said that Winter would not be scared, and even if she was scared she would give the speech anyways. Kelsie said she had decided to ask her teacher if she could continue with the oration contest. To tell you that I am so proud of her is a moot point. To tell you I was crying that night when I went to sleep is the understatement.

Kelsie went back to school after the break and presented her speech to the entire 5th grade. On Wednesday, they announced over the school PA system the 9 finalist that had been selected to move on. KELSIE WAS ONE OF THE NINE!!

I am so proud of you Kelsie! I love you! I will be there on February 5th to hear your speech. You are a winner!

I also want to thank Winter and her family again! You are all amazing and such an inspiration to my family! Thank you for coming into our lives!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

P.S. As I completed this blog, I wanted to post an update on Winter and her mom, Dawn's facebook page. When I went to Dawn's page, I saw that she had updated the blog about Winter's father, Michael. As I write this addendum to my blog, it is with a sad and heavy heart. Michael found out that he has metastasis (spread of his cancer) not only to the liver but the lungs and lymph nodes as well. He has decided to continue his fight against this horrible disease with the hope that even if the treatment does not cure his cancer, that the clinical trial he is joining will help find a cure for those that are diagnosed in the future.

On January 31st, I will start coaching a new season with Team in Training. We will be training to complete the Tri Miami Triathlon on May 3rd. While these amazing people are raising money to fight the battle against blood cancers, I know that the money they raise to fund the research will progress the fight against all cancers not just blood cancers. Every dollar counts!

Michael, you and your family will be on my mind as I help my team move forward on their journey. I will pray for you as you continue on your journey and for your family as well. My journey to the become an Ironman has taken on new meaning this year.

Thank you again!
Elizabeth

New Year! New Beginnings!

Hey everyone! I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season and your wishes and resolutions all come true.

Sorry I have not blogged in months. After I broke my shoulder, I just could not get up the energy. I am sorry.

Good news however, I am back! LOL. I will start by posting some of my resolutions.

1. Be good to myself and my daughters.
2. Get rid of the "box."
3. Get my Advocare business on the path to where I want it to be.
4. Begin my training plan for the IMFL '09.
5. Be a good mother, friend and coach.


There are many more resolutions but I will start with these.

The new TNT season kicks off on Jan 31st. My IMFL training officially starts on Feb 01st. So lets get the ball rolling.

Happy New Year!

IRONMAN (old entry from 11/04)

Well it has been forever since I have blogged. I have to say that sometimes life just gets in the way of what we want to do and what we have to do.

This past weekend was Ironman Florida. The weekend was an AMAZING, bittersweet, awe-inspiring event. Because I was unable to race due to my broken wing, I decided to volunteer. I am glad that I made that decision.

Reality Check - Warning you might need tissue!

This weekend my friends Missey and Rick raced in the Athletes for a Cure Triathlon at Fort Wilderness on Walt Disney World Property. Rick set a new PR by 20 minutes and Missey had a great training race. She had specific Heart Rates and zones she had to maintain and did so with flying colors! It was awesome to see my friends race and for a moment I had another pity party for myself while walking over to the race start. However it only lasted a moment.

The Athletes for a Cure Triathlon was the innaugral event to raise money for the fight against prostate cancer. Athletes from all over the world competed while raising money to fight cancer. As you all know I coach for Team in Training and have been either a participant or a coach with TNT for over 10 years. Fighting cancer is near and dear to my heart.

So at any rate, as I was standing at the starting line with my friends and feeling just a little sorry for myself, I saw this child, a nine year old named Winter Vinecki, walk up to the swim start. She was with her mom and as she walked to the start I wondered what was going on. They were in front of wave 1. Wave 1 is the wave where all of the elite and professionals athletes start. The announcer asked us all to sing the national anthem, the horn sounded and mother and daughter started to swim.



I need to interject here that it was just after 7am, the sun had barely risen and there was fog over the lake, watching them swim out into the foggy water was just mind boggling. As I watched them swim, I noticed a man with three boys standing inside the start area as well, watching these two swim off. While I tried to figure out what as going on, I saw that the man had a urostomy bag on his leg. Suddenly the lights came on. This man was somehow related to this child and he had prostate cancer. Just as the fog was lifting from my head, the announcer started to explain the story. Here is what he said.

In May of this year Michael Vinecki, husband and father of 4 was diagnosed with a very agressive form of prostate cancer. His nine year old daughter, Winter, decided she wanted to help and decided to contact the AFACTri to register. Team Winter was formed. Her goal was to raise $10,000 in for cancer research. In the end she raised $31,000. What an amazing feat! And now she was competing in a Olympic Distance Triathlon.

For everyone that is not a Tri-geek like me, the distances are a .9mile swim, followed by a 24 mile bike ride finshed up with a 6.2 mile run. It was incomprehensible to me that a 9 year old would finish the race much less even want to start. Just amazing. I saw Winter and her mother finish the swim in just over 50 minutes. Then I saw them leave on their bikes. I did not see them again until the were running to the finish line. Winter was running with a past Ironman World Champion, Karen Smeyers, past Olympic Distance World Champion, Simon Lessing and her mother.


Winter crossed the finish line in 3:59. I was crying, my daughters were crying. Everyone was screaming and cheering. In my life I have never seen anything so amazing!!! Michael and the boys were waiting just across the finish line where they were handing out medals!

Shortly after this, Winter was signing autographs with two world champion triathletes, Simon Lessing and Karen Smeyers. My daughters and I went over to meet her. What an inspiration to our family! We all have racing hats signed by this amazing child! If you would like to read more about her story, please review this article. You can also keep up with the family by reading their blog or signing the guestbook.


My daughters are ready to start training to battle cancer. They have even promised to be nicer to each other and quit fighting. Wow! We will see how long that lasts. Even if they fight with each other tonight, I know that seeing Winter and her family has made a lasting impression on me and my family.

God Bless you Winter to sharing your family's story with my family. Good luck. My prayers are with your father and your entire family as they continue on this difficult journey. Thank you for doing what you are doing to raise awareness and fight this terrible disease called Cancer.

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

MRI RESULTS = NO IRONMAN FL 2008

Well folks, I just returned from the doctor's office. Would you like the good news or the bad news first? Personally I want to hear the bad news first and the good news second so I can focus on the good news. It is interesting to me that the title of my blog is "The Journey Has Just Begun." No truer words have been spoken to me lately.

Bad News: I have a nondisplaced fracture of my humerus bone (Translation: broken arm) and I won't be doing Ironman Florida with Missey this year.

Good News: I don't have to have surgery and this is nothing that time and some physical therapy can't heel. Also, I can be in Panama City cheering Missey on and supporting her on November 1st! This will also give me more time to design my custom Ironman tattoo.

How do I feel? Well of course I am not happy. Completing the Ironman is a life goal of mine. I am very disappointed and honestly a bit depressed. I know this is a relatively minor problem. I am not dying, I will get better and I can try again next year. I know all of these things and I believe them. I just need my five minutes to cry and get over it. My friend Missey says that everyone gets 24 hours after an upset to have a pity party for themselves. After 24hours, you have to shut up and move on. So my 24 hours started at 4pm today. I know after a good night's rest, I will feel better, I will be able to face this disappointment with a smile on my face and set my goals for moving forward.

I think this quote by Robert Kiyosaki sums everything up nicely:

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”

I will move forward. I will complete the Ironman. It won't be on November 1st, 2008 but I will complete it. Ironman Florida 2009 watch out! Here I come......

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

My Shoulder

As I write this post, I realize that in the grand scheme of things, a shoulder injury is not the worst thing that can happen to someone. But right now for me, I am devastated.

During my half marathon in Va Beach, somewhere between mile 1 and 2, I tripped and fell. I am not sure if someone stepped in front of me or if I tripped over an invisible crack but I crash landed. I knew as I was falling to get my arms out of the way so I would not break my wrists. However I never thought I would land literally in my arm pit. When I got up after falling I did not realize that my shoulder was injured. It was not until a few minutes later, trying to re-attach all of my water bottles and watch, that I realized I had done something to my shoulder. I could no longer move my left arm. Now I was freaked out.

I decided to continue running as the nearest first aid tent was mile 3. I stuck my hand in my running bra, sorry folks no pictures of that although they would be funny, and pushed on. YES, YES, I know I should have stopped and been transported to the finish line but you guys know me I am stubborn. So I kept going. My sister and I had started the race but I had sent her on. I knew this would slow me down and I did not want to ruin her race. Good thing I did as she set a PR!

I made it to mile 3 and went to the first aid tent. Of course the paramedics wanted me to stop. Of course I said NO! So they put my arm in a sling, made me sign a paper saying I refused transport and off I went. Let me tell you this was not any fast race. I was moving in a forward direction. I called my coach and left him a voice mail. I was very glad he did not pick up because I knew he would say stop and I was not going to do that.

I ran/walked until mile 5 where I had to stop at the medical tent again. The way my arm was wrapped, was not helping and I was getting chaffed around my neck. They re-wrapped my arm, tied some gauze around my shoulder, put an ice-pack on as well and after signing the refusal of transport again, off I went. This time I made it to mile 8 before I needed the first aid again. The paramedics at this stop helped adjust my arm and at this stop I did not need to sign another form. Thank goodness.

At this point it had been about 2.5 hours since I started the race and I knew that I was not going to set a pr, so I just did the best I could. Thanks to the help of my friends Missey, Debbie and Joy, I made it to the finish line in 3:29 and some change. Definitely not my best race but I finished. The whole crew running for my birthday finished as well. Kimberly set a new PR by 45 minutes! AWESOME.

Now I just have to find out what my injury is and what it means for the Ironman.

Wish me luck!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Virginia Beach 1/2 Marathon

For my 40th birthday, some friends and I decided to head up to Virginia Beach to run the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon on Labor Day weekend.


Talk about an embarrassing weekend! Enjoy the photos.

Dinner at Aldo's the night before the race! YUMMY!





Dinner after the race. Notice the sling on my arm?


Yes Ms Coordinated fell at mile 1. Not sure what I tripped over but my shoulder is all messed up. More in a later post.

I just wanted to post some pictures and say thank you to all of my AMAZING friends.

Missey - Thank you so much for organizing this trip!
Debbie - Thanks for helping and decorating and running the last mile with me.
Joy - Thanks for everything the night before the flight and for the totally embarrassing crown of peanuts on the flight.
Aimee - Thanks, Sis!
Jackie - Thank you so much for being part of my "crew"
Sandi - Thanks for drying my back
Alan and Kim - Thanks for coming and taking such lovely pictures on the flight.
Kelly and Bob - Thank you for coming, thank you for packing my clothes for me.

I love you all!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Quote of the Day 8/28

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Reflections On My Birthday!

Here is an awesome quote that I thought was very appropriate considering the contemplative mood I am in today.

"Dying is fairly easy. Little choice is involved. Living well is much more of a challenge. We have choices every moment, and we have to live with the results of our decisions."
- JackIsIn from Rules of Thumb

Today as I cross another generation boundary into my 40's, I am reflecting on where I have been, what I have done and where I still have left to go. To be honest, I don't really feel like I am 40. I am sure that everyone says that, but I am serious. I really don't feel like 40 years have passed since I took my first breath and I certainly don't feel like I have accomplished everything I was put on this Earth to do.

I was going to write a blog the other day entitled "Holey Smoke I am Pregnant!" But LIFE as usual has a way of interrupting my plans. NO! for anyone who is wondering, I am NOT pregnant. I am however an emotional wreck. What I have realized is that training for the Ironman (or not training for the Ironman as has been the case for me lately) is a very very emotional process. Much to my surprise exactly like being pregnant.

Every day brings us options and challenges. Some days, we get the luxury of making a choice other days, the decision is made for us. Last week, my kids came home after 7 weeks of Mom vacation and it was back to the real world for me. I did not realize until I had them in my arms just how much I missed them! It was honestly excruciatingly painful seeing them again, seeing how much they had grown and changed as well as what I had missed over the summer while they were visiting their Dad and his family. I understand that I am extremely lucky that my kids are able to spend several weeks during the summer with their father which gives me a much needed break from being a single mom but do regret I missed some milestones in their lives. Like their trip to see the Jonas Brother's concert, and the first time they were able to ride their ripsticks without help.

It is funny what you miss when they are gone. The morning hugs and kisses when I wake them up, hearing them say Mom I love you and I missed you so much. It is also extremely funny what you DON'T miss when they are gone. Mom, you are the worst Mom ever, It is not fair, she has more than I have, Don't touch me you have cooties......

At any rate, getting the girls back has been a drama filled challenge. The first day of school was Monday, August 18th. The first bad weather day was Tuesday, August 19th. Thanks to the Tropical Storm Faye the rain and possibilities of high winds school was out. So the kids and I were home all day stuck in the house. Back to school for Wednesday and Thursday and then out again on Friday due to the storm. By the end of the week I was pulling my hair out. I had missed several workouts, and was frustrated about that. The kids had not left the house in days so they were getting on my last nerve.

I am scared, very scared. Now is the prime time for my Ironman training program and I cannot get all of my training done. I am so happy my kids are home with me again. I am angry because being a mom is limiting my ability to train. I am angry at myself for being mad about not being able to train. I am sad because I should be over the moon happy that my kids are home, not upset that I cannot train. See I told you I am pregnant! Not being able to train prevents me from having an outlet for all of these emotions, not being able to train causes alot of these emotions. What to do?

I spent a long time on the phone with Coach Bill the other night. The reality of the situation is that I am a single mom with limited options as far as training goes. I am NOT training to win, I am training to finish with a smile on my face. I have to take my training one day at a time and do the best I can. That is all I can do. There will be days where I will miss my workouts because I need to stay home and be a mom. There will be days when I have crappy workouts because I am a mom. BUT... the MOST IMPORTANT thing is that I AM A MOM! When I cross the finish line on November 1st, 2008 and I WILL cross the finish line, my daughters will be waiting there for me! They are my biggest cheerleaders and I could not do this without them!

I am pasting my quote of the day in here again for reinforcement:

"Dying is fairly easy. Little choice is involved. Living well is much more of a challenge. We have choices every moment, and we have to live with the results of our decisions."
- JackIsIn from Rules of Thumb

We make choices every day. Some days our choices are the right choices and some days they are not. What matters most is how we live with the decisions that we make. Completing the Ironman will be very painful for me. I know that but the decision I made to become a mom is going to be worth every bit of that pain. My daughters will learn from me that they can do anything they want. They can be anything they want to be. Yes there are sacrifices I have to make, a faster time, a less painful journey, but when I cross that finish line and run into their arms...

EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WILL BE WORTH EVERY STEP!

I love you Kelsie and Hannah! Thank you for allowing me to be your Mom!

Have a great day my friends!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Quote of the Day 8/12/-8

"You can quit, and no one will care if you do. But you will always know."
~John Collins, Ironman founder~

Terlits and Tribulations

Wow it has been forever since I have written a blog. Sorry to all my fans! HAHA! I have been crazy busy and just have not had time. However today I decided that I need to catch everyone up on what has been happening with me.

It is Monday, August 11th. My 40th birthday is August 26th. I cannot believe that I am almost 40. Time flies when you are having fun! I am going to run the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon on August 31st to celebrate my birthday. Yes I know why run 13.1 miles to celebrate my birthday? Well just to say I can and I did? To spend some quality time with my closest friends? To get back to my running roots? Well I say Yes to all of the above. It is going to be a blast. I don't think the race is sold out yet, so if you are not doing anything Labor Day weekend, sign up and run/walk with us!

What else has been going on with me? Well I am still training for the Ironman. Everyday is a challenge. Some days are a step or two forward and other days are a step or two back. Recently there have been many days when I question both a.) my sanity and b.) what I was thinking when I signed up to run this race. I vacillate between knowing I can finish albeit slowly and thinking there is no way in Hades I will ever get to the finish line. This weekend was one of the latter days.

The "Iron" crew headed to Panama City Beach for what was supposed to be a race simulation long bike ride and run with a little open water ocean swimming thrown in. Well as par for the course for me lately, I was completely nervous and had a terrible ride. I did not make the distance I wanted to make and could not keep any food down. Great start to my training weekend. On top of everything else that was occurring and not occurring that morning, I had a great experience at the first pit stop.

For those of you that have known me for a few years, I have a redneck magnet somewhere inside my body. As a matter of fact, if there is a redneck within twenty miles of me, they will find me and ask me out. Forget waiting on Brad Pitt. LOL. My dream guy apparently likes to drink Milwaukee's Best from a brown paper bag on Saturday morning at 9am. So while stopped at the BP pit stop, and while puking my guts up, I was asked on a date! Oh well, I must be a closet redneck and not even know it. Either that or I have a sign that says - "Please ask me out I am desperate!" written on my forehead.

On Sunday, I did not even attempt to run, my stomach was still sour from the day before. I decided that I would just get in some swimming instead. Rick and I got dressed and made our way down to the beach. Guess what the first thing that we saw upon stepping into the ocean? A JELLYFISH. This was no little stinger either. It had to be 8-10 inches long. Of course I freaked out! Rick being much calmer than I told me not to worry it was probably just a one-off and to go ahead and swim. Well so much for that idea. By the time we made it out to the third buoy, we had seen quite a few jellyfish, one that was at least 4 feet long. At the buoy, Rick made the executive decision to swim back to the shore and cut our distance short. While I was a bit disappointed, he was right to do that because no sooner than I had started swimming in, I felt a sharp sting to my wrist and a couple of feet later one to my knee. Yes FOLKS! I had been stung. What luck I tell you. I swam to shore as fast as I could and got out of the water. We quick went to the hot tub and to get a bit of relief to my stings and NO RICK DID NOT PEE ON ME! Although I have heard this is a great remedy, I was not in the mood to be pee'ed on.

After a quick soak we made our way back to the hotel room, showered packed and headed out to begin the drive back to Orlando. We all were exhausted. None of us more so that my partner in crime, Missey. For some reason she seemed to think she was still on her bike and was driving down the bike lane on the side of the road. Of course I had to give her a hard time which ended up backfiring on me as she pulled over at the first gas station and handed me the keys. Yup! I just teased my way into driving back to Orlando. Woo-Hoo!

Since we were stopped, I decided to make a quick run to the bathroom. Of course Missey had to give me a hard time and ask me if I needed a "terlit"? This I have since found out, means Toilet in Redneck. LOL. "Terlit" became the new joke for the next 200 miles or so. Needless to say, Missey had better watch her back this Christmas. You never know what might end up under the Christmas tree if she is lucky and I am so inclined.

Of course paybacks are hell and for the next couple of hours every time I passed a semi-truck I had Debbie roll down her window and make the universal sign for truckers to HONK. Missey was MORTIFIED. We were laughing HYSTERICALLY. It was awesome. A perfectly good Range Rover loaded to the gills with expensive bikes and bike equipment getting semi-trucks to honk at us. I am not sure that any of us will ever forget this trip home. Can a Range Rover driver be a redneck? LOL.

My daughters come home this weekend and school starts on Monday. I have missed them dearly and cannot wait to see them but WOW another thing to juggle. Some days I have no idea how I can do it all! Thankfully their grandparents have done most of the pre-school shopping and I will just have to pick up and few odds and ends. I will post pictures when they get back so you all can see how big they have grown while they were gone.

Wish me luck this week as I continue on my journey! I will keep you all posted. Hopefully a little more frequently than I have been able to do lately.

Take Care!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Quote of the Day

`Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won`t feel insecure around you... And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.`...Nelson Mandella, 1994

Missing My Training Partner

This weekend Missey is in San Diego. So for the second weekend in a row, I will be training alone. YUK. The reality is that Missey and I are two completely different athletes and that even when we train together, we are not really right beside each other. But there is something reassuring about knowing that she is out there with me on the trail. I know I am not alone and someone will come looking for me if I don't show back up at the car.

Last weekend, our schedules were completely opposite, she had a Lactate Threshold test and I had a long ride so we were not able to sync up. This weekend she is doing her training in beautiful San Diego while I am heading over to Lake Minneola in Clermont to train with the Central Florida Triathlon team. Now I realize that I won't be alone but I have only ridden with a couple of the CFT members once in the past and that time I was with Missey also. The only person I will know is Coach Hector, who is also Missey's coach and the one who invited me out to ride.

Invited, lol, that is an interesting description. I had actually emailed him to get the UCF route since I was planning on riding alone or with Karen and I needed directions. His response to my email was "Call Me!" So of course I called. Coach Hector said that I needed to plan on being at Lake Minneola in time for a 6:30 start. He did not even offer directions for the UCF ride. So tomorrow at 6:30 I will be at Lake Minneola. I am scared not to show up. Don't want to face the rath of Coach Hector. However I have heard a nasty rumor that we are riding Sugarloaf!



This is a picture from the bottom looking up! I AM TERRIFIED!!!!! I will post when I am done and let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Randy Pausch Died Today

If you have never heard about Randy Pausch you are missing out. The Carnegie Mellon professor and author of "The Last Lecture" passed today of pancreatic cancer. I watched his lecture when he was a guest on Oprah. I laughed and cried along with every member of the audience.

If you have not had a chance to watch the video of his "last lecture" please click on this link. It will change your life. You can also go to his personal website for additional videos and information.


XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Live Like You Were Dying In Honor of Lucy

Tim McGraw sings a song entitled "Live Like You Were Dying." As I get older, I think more about the "To Do List" that I want to complete before I die. Today, this song takes on a new meaning.

I belong to an online community called Beginner Triathlete, BT. This community has tips and tricks, forums, race reports, gear reviews. Essentially anything that a newbie getting into triathlons for the first time or someone that is just trying to get better at their even would need. One of the greatest things about this community is all of the support you receive from people that you have never met.

One of these amazing people was Christine aka "Lucy". She passed away from a brain hemorrhage on Monday and left behind a husband and two boys. When the members of BT first heard that Lucy was in the hospital with what appeared to be a brain tumor, a call went out on the forums for prayers and support. Immediately the forum was flooded with well wishes, prayers and offers of help. Many of the posters like myself had never met Lucy, but had been the recipient of her support and well wishes. The forum became a place to post all of the things Lucy had done to help each of us.

Back in May I had completed my first Ironman 70.3 here in Orlando. Although I thought at the time I was prepared, when I finished what ended up being the worst run of my life, I was very discouraged about continuing my training towards the Ironman. I decided to post a race report on BT so that maybe just maybe someone else had an experience like mine and would post as well so we could commiserate. The second person to add comments to my race report was Lucy. Here is what she said:

"It was brutal out there . . . I think we ALL wanted to just stop, sit in an ice trough and then go running in the many shady running spots that we weren't routed through!!

Excellent way to tough it out tho...and who knows when the added mental strength from making it through this horrible run will help you out in another, more important 'A' race?

Thanks for hanging around to cheer on the last few of us stumbling through!! If I remember correctly, I think I high-fived you just before I finished?"

Even though I don't remember seeing Lucy, she remembered me. She posted on my race report to tell me what a great job I had done just finishing. And as I read the posts from other members who had been touched in similar ways, I started to cry. I wish I remembered meeting Lucy. I wish I could do something to help. Over the rest of the weekend, every time I had a chance, I logged onto the computer to check for updates. I was praying for the best realizing that the worst was yet to come. On Monday, Lucy died.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow all over America, other BT members are running a virtual 5k to honor Lucy. The local running store in her town held a 5k in her honor, Hit the Trails XC Classic. All of the proceeds are going to Lucy's family. Many of the members of BT registered for this race even though they live hundreds of miles away, just to support the family.

Tomorrow I have a 13 mile training run. The first 5k of this run will be for Lucy. I know she will be there with me just as she was with all of us on BT. The rest of the run, I am sure will be spent checking off my "To Do List."

I want to thank you Lucy for making me remember that how you live you life is important. Thank you for reminding me that we don't know which day will be our last and we should appreciate what we have been given, what we have accomplished and what we have the ability to do. I am so thankful that I am healthy enough to train for an Ironman. I am so thankful that my daughters, my family and all of my friends are there to support me and lastly I am thankful that I have my "friends" on BT who support me as well.

I think that Pericles says it best, "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

Christine has left behind a legacy of support and accomplishment that her family can be proud of! My only wish is that I leave behind a legacy as wonderful as hers.

This weekend no matter what you are doing whether it is spending time with family and friends or training or just relaxing, Live like you were dying in honor of Christine!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

Inspiration from Sarah

Here are some inspirational quotes that I read on Sarah's blog. Her blog is linked to mine so you can read them in her motivation section as well. Thank you Sarah!

XOXOX,
Elizabeth

• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain
• I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. -Red from Shawshank Redemption
• Our biggest challenge isn’t someone else. It’s the ache in your lungs. The burning in your legs. And that voice in your head that yells “CAN’T,” but you don’t listen. You just push harder. And then you hear that voice whisper, “can” and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the person you really are.
• The reason you want every single thing that you want, is because you think you will feel really good when you get there. But, if you don't feel really good on your way to there, you can't get there. You have to be satisfied with what-is while you're reaching for more.