Happy Halloween!

I wanted to get this post up on Monday but with the whole hurricane Sandy thing, it just did not happen. We had a lot to do to prep our house for the storm and we figured my husband would be dispatched out since he works in the tree industry. 

We live on the coast and lucky for us, this storm hit a more southern route than they first predicted and it saved us from a huge impact. We lost power for quite a while but nothing major. I am just in awe to see the devastation to New York and Jersey. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you who have been impacted by this horrific storm. 

I want to just hop in my car and drive to NYC to run the marathon now!! New Yorker's and strong and resilient  I know that the damage will not hold them down!!

Happy Halloween!

I had to share some of my favorite costume's I have come across with friends. 

This is my friend Keith. Keith is dressed up as....
Lance Armstrong.
I actually don't hate Lance even with all the hype lately but I found this quite hilarious. You have to see his sponsors to appreciate it...



His bottle of HGH is little candies!

Moving right along to another favorite of mine:



This is the lovely Oberg Family. Eric (right) is an avid Rev 3 racer and his family did the Rev3 adventure race in Maine this summer. The entire family is rocking some Rev 3 love dressed up as a Rev 3 race.

I stumbled across this article at BikeRadar.com from several years ago. It's 8 costume suggestions for cyclists. I found it quite funny...

As a cyclist, you are much, much better equipped for Halloween than the average person. Why? Because youalready wear outrageous costumes on a daily basis.

Think about it. Even though you are a (presumably) sane adult, you wear a shirt that would look much more at home on a superhero. You wear shorts that are much, much too tight, as if you were on your way to lead a jazzercize class. You wear a hat that belongs on an alien.

And, to top the whole look off, you wear what sound and look like tap-dancing shoes.

It's no wonder, then, that cyclists tend to be pretty lazy about dressing up for Halloween parties. Instead of putting time and money into it, you just show up in the outfit you rode to the party in. Hey, why not? A little sweat completes the effect, right?

What you don't realize, though, is that all your friends, family and co-workers are rolling their eyes at your lack of imagination. "There goes Tim," they say, "pretending again that his cycling outfit is a Halloween costume."

It doesn't have to be that way, my friend.

By spending just a few extra minutes, you can alter your cycling outfit for the evening, making it so you're not just "a cyclist" at the party, but a very particular sort of cyclist. Simply follow these easy instructions.

Doping Cyclist: Dress up in full pro kit. Use a marker to draw needle tracks up and down one arm. Tie a length of surgical tubing above one elbow and leave a syringe sticking out of your vein. Wheel around an IV tower for the duration of the party. Stuff your jersey pockets with bottles of drugs. When anyone asks what / who you are, respond that you are a professional cyclist. When they ask what all the needles and drugs are for, say you have no idea what they're talking about. No matter what, do not admit you have any drug-related items on hand.

Mountain Biker (If You're normally a Roadie): Prepare for the party by gaining 10Kg and getting 20-30 tattoos. Wear baggy pants -- baggy enough that they keep falling down. Arrive drunk at the party and continue to drink once you get there. Insist you have mad skillz.

Roadie (If You're normally a Mountain Biker): Prepare for the party by putting a stick in your butt. Wear uncomfortably tight cycling clothes for the party, drink nothing put thrice-filtered water and tell everyone exactly how many calories and fat everything they're eating contains.

Triathlete: Don't come to the party, because you've only done four workouts today and still need to get in one more and you don't want to break training, no matter what.

Project X

I have been working on a project for a little while now I finally feel that I am able to discuss this openly on the blog--Now, in order for you to understand the absolute impact of this major life change, I must back up many years for you to fully appreciate the scope of change that has occurred. 

As you know (or you may not know...) I used to be FAT. While I was walking around all "large", it was my husband who was the athlete. He was always an athlete, from his youth well into adulthood. He excelled at sports, especially football and hockey, and continued to play hockey in college. As an adult, he kept his passion for hockey alive by working as a referee for all kinds of levels of hockey-from high school up to collegiate levels. His job also kept him physically active and fit. He would also workout daily. 
Me...not so much. (ok, let's be honest...I did NOTHING)

Fast forward a few years and due to a change with his job, he was not able to travel for hockey like he could in his other position so he gave up reffing. 
When I discovered my love for fitness and it seemed that the roles were reversed.

I was now the athlete and the pounds were starting to creep onto him. 

Now, when you have any kind of drastic change in your life (ie wife loses a ton of weight) it is also going to change the dynamic of the relationship. Of course there was new stress and strain put into our relationship with the "new Jen". 
I train a lot of hours and that can mean a lot of hours away from home and family. 
Resentment towards my training schedule and "my new life" was starting to build and it was certainly creating a wedge in our marriage. For years I held out hope that Hubby would join me for a run or a bike ride but there was not a shred of interest there...again, only resentment for the sport I had grown to love. I know first hand you cannot force anyone to change, it has to come from within. 

Sometimes life gives you lemons and sometimes life just throws 'em right at you sooo hard it leaves a bruise. So after a series of events it seemed that life was about to take a dramatic turn of events and I feared that we had reached a boiling point. But that is when life--the same life that is chucking lemons at your head-- spins you around and hands you the unexpected.

While Hubby was schlepping around our daughter at the Rev 3 Maine race-and getting to meet some of my wonderful triathlon friends-something sparked a fire in him that weekend and he was ready to make some changes in his own life. 

A couple of days after the race, he told me that he has been INSPIRED by what he witnessed at the race and wanted my help. He was ready to seek out a healthy life.

*picking jaw up off of floor*

I was a little apprehensive at first and to be completely honest, I doubted that he would even stick with a program longer than a few weeks. I mean, football season was rolling around and it would be back to the weekend beerfest-TVwatching-junkfood-eating-crap I had been dealing with for the last several years. 

But here we are now, at the end of October and he is still going strong. I know he is serious because I can count on one hand how many beers he has consumed since late August. THAT right there is an epic change. I believe that he is committed to making long lasting changes and I love that he is making both short-term and long-term goals that are not scale focused.

He has lost 20 pounds.
He is running or biking almost every day (of course, a good coach monitors their athletes and Rx's rest days even when said athlete protests!)
He is running up to 4 miles now and ran a 5k (not race, just distance) in a tad over 30 mins last week. 

We have run together a few times-something I dreamed of for a long time.
I was coming in from a bike ride the other day and saw a familiar figure up ahead of me, running towards me.  To my surprise, it was him. He has decided to get out for a quick run after work (Lola was with my parents while I was out riding). 

So now that I see that he is serious about making a change and he has given me some specific goals for the future, I have agreed to take him on as an athlete. He is doing fantastically well and I will be chronicling his own journey here as PROJECT X. 

Box Checked: 26.2 Miles-The BayState Marathon

wow, what a great day. 
I actually did not expect running a marathon to be so "nice"
...if that word is even the word I am looking for. It's hard to describe in words how I feel about yesterday's marathon but let's just say there was not a single negative thought in my head the entire run. It really was a great day and I had plenty of happy in me the entire time.

My focus this season was the half-distance triathlon and when some late season plans changed, I decided to run a marathon since I am doing my first full next season so, why not, right? I was initially concerned that I would not have a lot of training time for this but I figured I had a pretty strong endurance base with triathlon training and I just needed to get some miles on my legs to get the distance. Coach was pretty reassuring that I could do this no problem. So she put together a run plan for me and things went pretty smooth. It was all easy (low heart rate) running and my body handled the miles quite well. I knew I would not be fast for this marathon but I was confident that I would have a good day.

Saturday we made the drive to Mass for packet pick up and Lola and I played parking garage ninjas.

Be Afraid 

The first few days before the race things were not going my way; Lola got sick with a head cold (que the Zicam, Emergen-C, and ChuckieTea) and I did not sleep much. I did get a chance to nap on Saturday and I assumed that Saturday night, my sleep would be restless. 
au contraire
I slept like the dead. 
I am always a restless sleeper before a race but I think because I felt so prepared to run and I did not have any big goals for this race other than to run 26.2 miles, I was so CALM.
I am NEVER calm...especially before a race! 

I ate my usual chicken, rice & veggie dinner that I have been eating before every long run and then laid my stuff out for the morning. 
I have been training in my :gosonja: kit (aka Coach) from Kompetitive Edge and it's been so comfy! I wanted to show my Rev3 love so the obvious choice was my Cedar Point visor-CP will be my full race next year! Pockets full of Powebar gels and a funky dubstep playlist to rock out too on the course.


It was also time to get tat'ed with some Punk Rock Racing love.

Lola loves Punk Rock Racing! She's giving me the "give it some Grrrr" peptalk!

Let's do this!
I was so chill race morning, calm, happy, smiling...and just ready to run. 
I was going down to the race with my athlete/training partner, Marc who was running the half. We got there with plenty of time to spare. Got dressed and went to warm up. 

pumped and ready to go!

I warmed up for some easy miles with a few surges thrown in, peed a couple times and lined up to run between the 9 and 10 minute mile corrals. All of my long runs were around the 10 min mile pace and this is pretty much what I expected to average for the race. A couple days prior, I had a conversation with Coach about pacing, MAF, etc. that crept into my head and stayed there for several days before the race....

My plan for the race was all easy the first half, pick up the pace after the first loop and then GO time the last 6 miles. All my training for this race has been easy and I did not want to take any gambles on race day by pushing too hard and blowing up. I wanted to have a GOOD day...and as I stated, there were no goals of BQ'ing today!

Nice and easy out of the gate and I was just trotting along, heart race nice and low, settled. No spazzing out, I did not let people passing me get into my head...it was just me, the road and the sunshine above (and a ton of other people running). I ran for quite a while without music, just taking the environment in and enjoying running and then it was a nice little mix of some dubstep and dance-a new music choice for me! It was nice to just kind of zone out and run. Before I knew it, I had reached the halfway point (2:04) and I was feeling good. This is also when I stopped to pee...ahhh, good stuff. I lost about a minute and a half at the squat stop but it was sooo worth it. 

Run, run, run...things were just smooth. I was happy, I was feeling good and it was turning out to be a good day. Around mile 18, I started to see the start of the marathon carnage...walkers, lots of stopping, people on the side of the road stretching their calves/hamstrings/quads/etc, one gal was in a medic van, one guy was done for the day with his shoes off and sitting on the side of the road. People who passed me earlier in the day were now coming back to me as I passed them. My paced had slowed a tad but I was going strong and there was not an ounce of quit or negativity in me. 

This is a two loop run course and there is one section that the road is sooo slanted, it was actually very uncomfortable to run like that. I got as far into the road and off the shoulder as safely as I could, but it was still very slanted. I noticed it way more the second loop when my right side was starting to "talk" to me.  

Mile 20 came and I was still feeling good and it was time to pick up the pace. My legs were really feeling it now but it was OK. I was ok, I was not in distress and I was still happy. I just could not hit the pace I wanted but I was able to let my HR get a little higher now. No more watching the Garmin, no more watching stats...JUST RUN. 
And run I did. 

Next thing I knew, I was rounding the corner to the final stretch. I passed about 5 people in the last half mile or so and saw 8's flashing on the Garmin. 

Based on my training, I figured I would finish around 4:15:00...and when I rounded the corner to the finishers chute, I saw 4:15 on the clock! Go Jen!! Then just before I crossed, it ticked over to 4:16. 
Oh well! 

I had a fantastic day, I did not walk one step of that marathon and I had positive, happy thoughts and energy all day. I am calling it a success!!

My right quad/hip was pretty tight those last 6 miles and I did not realize just how tight till I stopped. Oooooops. DON'T STOP! Stopping hurt more than running...

Once I recovered a bit and was moving again, I checked my official results and to my surprise-

Oh yeah...GUN time versus CHIP time...looks like it took me only about 30 seconds to cross the starting timing mat!

What did I learn?
I liked running 26.2 miles and I can't wait to do it after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112.
I definitely want to do some run focused training and chase that BQ time, I KNOW I can do it!

Big props to Marc too! He PR'd by over 3 minutes and had a fantastic race. I am so proud of how far you have come in the last year and you make me one proud Coach!! Congrats Marc and thanks for always being my cheerleader!

Photo Friday: Ode to Charlie

As you know, I am a die hard Rev 3 girl and just love all that they stand for. I have had an absolute blast this season with the Rev 3 Team and all that are part of this amazing race series.

Today I would like to take a moment to honor "the Man behind Rev 3"...the one and only Charlie Patten.

Charlie at Cedar Point. The man has heart!

Charlie puts so much of himself into each race-here he is "racing" Pro triathlete Viktor Zyemtsev at the Cedar Point race in Ohio. As you can clearly see, Charlie is doing just fine while Viktor seems to be struggling to keep pace. 

"Vvhaaat are you doooing?" Viktor

Again, in Anderson South Caroline, Charlie made sure to keep Andrew Starykowicz on his toes...

...and as you can clearly see by Andrew's expression, he is concerned about being maintain such a blistering pace. 

This has got to be one of my favorites though. This picture is from the HalfFull race in Maryland earlier this month. 

Yes, that is Charlie passing Lance Armstrong on the run. GO CHARLIE GO! Even Lance knew he got spanked.

Thank you Charlie for all you do.

We love you, man!

PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Wynn
all images hijacked with love from CP'sFB  page

OFF

After this marathon I am taking some time OFF from scheduled training.
Not a break from training-- just having a schedule. I need and want some downtime to do whatever I want to do when I want to do it before things go crazy with training loads for next season.



I want to try mountain biking.
and cyclocross (probably not the right time to try it! lol)
and I want to hike
I want to run on trails
I want to hit the weights again-6
just do different stuff

With an aggressive race plan for next year, it will be a lot of time in the Pain Cave over the winter months and lots of time in the pool so I am really looking forward to the break for a while. Come December 1st though...we are back at it!

Meanwhile...

I started a little challenge with one of my buddies, Scott, to eat clean for 30 days straight. My eating has been pretty good these days--more so since OperationX started--but I am ready to really stick to it for a bit and see what happens to my body. All the endurance training (and lack of weight training) took a lot of muscle off my body and left me a little softer than I am used to being. I'd like to take some fat off, put back on a bit of muscle and see how I respond.

Honestly, I was not all the strict with my eating this season and pretty much has what I wanted. I know that there is plenty of room for discipline there...plus, there is this little Rev3 ab challenge I am doing with some of the team members and staff. It'll be interesting to see if I can sprout a 4 pack for spring!

Are you taking a break from training this year?
What are your "off season" plans? 

How far is that marathon?

don't you just love that question?

anway

so

wow, in just a couple days I'll do this

yup, miles
not yards
not inches
not feet
and
not meters.

I was ready to tackle this distance in 2010 and then triathlon took over my life and it became something that I would do later on. I was completely content with waiting until I tackled 140.6 miles of triathlon awesomeness but since the opportunity seemed to present itself...why not.

Plus, I get to add another sticker to the car!

Happy Wednesday

Scandalous!

Ahh, I love my little small town Maine life but if you watch the news lately, you have probably heard of a little Zumba scandal that is the talk of the town...the State of Maine...and now it seems all over the country. I has to start laughing when I saw this featured on the Today Show on NBC this morning.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Needless to say, these days ZUMBA is taking on a whole new meaning in my neck of the woods since Alexis Wright was working as a prostitute out of her studio right here in the quite little sea side town of Kennebunk, Maine.

"The prostitution charges and ensuing publicity, which reached across the country and beyond, came as a shock in the small town of about 10,000 residents, which is well-known for its ocean beaches, old sea captains’ mansions and the neighboring town of Kennebunkport, home to the Bush family’s Walker’s Point summer compound.

The list of names was delayed Friday by legal action by an attorney representing two of the people accused of being johns. The lawyer, Stephen Schwartz, said releasing the names will ruin people’s lives, even if they’re acquitted of the misdemeanor charges against them." ~Boston.com

What has blown this story out of the water is the court battle that has taken place over the last week to keep "the client list" hush-hush and out of the papers and news. Apparently, there are several "big names" on this list and they are fighting to keep their name out of the news. Last night, 21 of the 150 or so names of the "John's" were released to the public.

Bottom line, if these "John's" were so worried about it being known to the public, they should have thought about that before going to "Zumba".

Monday Motivation: The Morning Blend

My Fat to Finish Line team mate and Team Captain, Rik was on the Wisconsin show, The Morning Blend today.
Check it out!


From Fat To Finish Line 

Monday, Oct 15, 2012

http://www.themorningblend.com/videos/173511951.html

click the link to view Rik's interview with The Morning Blend-I am not able to upload it here. 

      Many people who are overweight do not think it is possible to get in shape. Formerly overweight, guest Rik Akey joins us to encourage folks struggling to lose weight not to give up - and he says running is key to making the change possible and even fun.

     Rik is part of a team of 12 who were all obese and who have gotten into shape and lost a significant amount of weight. In January 2013, the group will run a 200 mile relay race in the Florida Keys as a camera crew follows their journey to make a documentary about it.

     For more information on the team and the film, visitwww.fattofinish.com. Join their Facebook community of inspiration and fitness tips at www.facebook.com/FatToFinish.

     Rik and his team are in the midst of raising funds for the film. Until October 23rd, if you pledge anywhere from $5 to $5000 dollars, you can obtain great rewards such as the movie on DVD, signed posters, unique fitness experiences, and more! Visit www.indiegogo.com/fattofinish.

Swift Kick

LADIES!!

Do you know GOTRIbal?

If yes, awesome.

If no, what's stopping you? Check it out...

GOTRIbal is a community of women empowering one another through sport. 

I discovered the GOTRIbal community when I started triathlon and I am happy to be an Ambassador for such a great (and growing) community. 

GOTRIbal isn't about a race.

Or a training program.

It's about transforming a person. A family. A society. A world

Forever.

It's about paying forward the gift of health, adventurous living and strength.

I just love the positive message that GOTRIbal is sharing with the WORLD!!

As someone who has turned her own life around and discovered passion in endurance sports, GOTRIbal's mission is one close to my heart!

Last year the gals at GOTRIbal did a little Q&A with me you can check that out here

GOTRIbal empowers, engages and excites women through the journey of endurance sports, and offers members the connections, mentorships and resources to realize their toughest goals. Whether those be ON or OFF the race course, in or out of the gym -- it doesn't matter.

GOTRIbal's members will collectively impact the health epidemic of obesity in America and through their healthy, active lifestyles turn the tide on deaths resulting from low cardiac fitness.

Now GOTRIbal is launching a program that I really get a kick out of...

GOTRIbal announces their newest offering for women:

Swift Kick!

The Kick in the pants you need, with the tools you require, and meaningful connections you crave,  to rock the Commitment Day 5K,  in 35 cities in the U.S. on January 1, 2013.   

This is YOUR community. Your support system. Your new BFF's that will become part of your journey to a healthier, fitter, stronger YOU in 2013.

Besides, what else will you be doing over the Holidays that will be better for you?

(Drinking another sugar-laden cocktail at the office party?)

In The Swift Kick [in the ass!] 8-week program, you will receive:

•  A formal training program, beginning Oct 29, that is designed to help you commit to doing something you’ve never done – Run/Walk 3 miles, or run the whole 5K!  This program will get you there with our Expert Coach, Wendy Mader!

•  Access to a GOTRIbal Expert Coach to get your questions answered during the first week, middle week and last week of the program.

•  A 24/7 exclusive online Tribe where you can meet and communicate with other women in the program; including your Coach!

• Weekly Tips and inspirational notes from elite athletes like ultra-runner Dean Karnazes GOTRIbal Ambassadors, and women just like YOU.

• Special surprise gear for you to wear during the 5K event on January 1!

Check out the GOTRIbal website for details on joining this awesome adventure!!

Wordless Wednesday

sorry for the F*BOMB, photo via Facebook






Ahhh, those car stickers

Love 'em
or
Hate 'em

Getting close...two open slots...one to be filled soon!

LAR24

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or just know me in real life than you are familiar with one of my favorite acronyms
L A R 
which stands for Long Ass Run or Long Ass Ride
typically, LAR(ide) is my favorite of the LAR's but cramming for a marathon has brought several LAR(un) into my life the past several weeks. These LAR's for the most part have been successful and I have learned something on each one.

Today was my last LAR before the marathon in (less than) two weeks and my training plan called for 24 miles. This would be my longest run ever completed to date and to say I was not a little nervous about it would be a lie. I mean really, 24 miles is just shy of a marathon...just another 2.2 miles and I could claim the distance! But I am happy to wait until the big day...

Today's run was a good one, it gave me a chance to train in some cold weather gear. Last week's 21 miler was done in warm weather gear since it was soo nice out! Today...not so much. It was a cold morning-in the 40's-which is totally typical for this time of year in Maine. The weather report has been spewing "sunny and sixty" for the last several days and I was pretty pumped that the weather was going to cooperate with my planned run. Well, it WAS sunny when I hit the road, until about mile 4 when the black clouds moved in, the wind picked up-especially on the coastline-and then the rain showers started. Oh well! There are never any guarantees on race day so roll with it.

A majority of my running is done at low heart rate, so it's slow and easy miles and today's run was basically the same but I was given a little HR leeway for the final 12 miles. The wind ate some of my heart rate as well as some of the gentle rollers on the run route, but all went very well and I felt pretty dang good that last mile! I even had gas in the tank to kick it up a bit! WIN!! There were a couple moments of "uggh, am I done yet" but for the most part I felt great!

There has been none of this on training runs but we can chat post race! lol

Now, I have been getting a lot of comments from all kinds of folks about the miles I am running.
You only ran 19 as your biggest run pre-marathon? That's great!!
You don't think I should run more than 20 miles because those last 6.2 miles are sacred? Ok, that's a pretty cool thought.
Your cousin's uncle's friend's neighbor runs marathons and HE says that anything over 21 miles is not necessary? Good for him.
Paul Ryan ran a sub-3:00 with no runs longer than 15 miles. Suuuure he did ;)

Here's the thing, I have a Coach that I trust and she knows my goals and my fitness level better than anyone (including myself! lol) so I just do what she says. If I have questions or don't understand something, I ask her but a majority of the time, she explains it so I understand the point of the workout in the first place. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

I am injury free and have been for a LONG time, I enjoy training and things are going well. I am learning to be patient and look at the bigger picture. Trust me when I tell you that the bigger picture is HUGE and there are many things down the line...

Will I try to qualify for Boston as this marathon? HELL NO
This is not the race for me to do that but trust me, that is on the "short list" of things to get done in the near future. This race is to finish and get the distance completed.

Today's run was the last of the big ones before the race. I have some shorter runs to still get done and some cross training but it's time to start chillin'.

Speaking of chillin'

Guess what I did yesterday??

OPEN WATER SWIM at the pond.





The water was amazing. I can't wait to sneak back this weekend!! The weather man says it's going to be nice...but we all know what a liar he is!

Happy Training!!

F-O-U-R

Oct 6th, 2008

How is it even possible that it will be FOUR YEARS tomorrow? It seems like time has put on fast forward 
I have been blessed with the best thing I've ever had in my life.
My little girl is growing up...
here's a look at three

She's playful and a fashionista!

She's goofy like her Mommy

...and she will be one tough chick!!

Happy 4th Birthday Lola! 

You will always be my baby xo

Let's Run a Marathon

As I have mentioned, I had to take the HalfFull race off my schedule this season. I am sad that I am going to miss this event-it has been on my planner for a while and it was one race that had so much meaning beyond triathlon. My bestie was going to travel down to Maryland with me and we were going to do it together...but important family stuff has come up and I had to back out.

So what is a girl to do?
Add a freaking marathon to the schedule.
Yup, I subbed in a marathon. I can train for a marathon in a hand full of weeks, right?
(apparently, I can)

I consulted Coach with this idea and things have been going well for the most part.
A very smooth 17 miler, a 19 miler that was good to 16 miles and then it was a death-march to the end. 19 is my favorite number so I thought for sure this would be the most amazing run, not the worst!
Last week I nailed a 21 mile run and felt fantastic. I was really nervous about that run because it has been a LONG time since I was running big miles like that...but having a smooth 21 mile run was a big confidence builder for sure.
Now, let's be clear here. I will NOT be qualifying for Boston at this marathon, that is for sure! While my miles are getting done, they are getting done slowly and at a very happy (low) heart rate with some peppier miles thrown in for fun. My only goal for this race is get across the finish line with a smile...and as quickly as possible.

I had an interesting convo with Coach about the methodology about my specific running plans and I could literally talk to her day about this stuff. I get so geeked out learning...anyway, I'm training smart and after my run, I was able to participate in my own Boot Camp class the next day. I could squat and lunge with the best of them...meaning MY LEGS WERE FLIPPING FANTASTIC!

I recall the days of my long runs (before I really knew anything about running and I'd just GO) I'd be so sore, especially the next day. It's nice to be laying down big miles and feeling so good after.

The week before last it seemed that every person I ran into was sick with something, then Lola was sick...then hubby was sick...then my father-in-law was sick (he watches Lola often)...my Dad was sick...my Mother-in-law got sick (NOT good, she has MS and a little chest cold can turn into pneumonia easily)...then my husband was sick. I was popping Zinc, Vit C, drinking ChuckieTea (Coach's secret recipe), eating well, getting rest and I really thought I dodged a bullet! Everyone was on the mend and then
WHAM!
It hit me Friday. Sore throat, watery eyes, sneezing, sniffles, stuffy nose and then just the thing I was hoping would NOT happen.
COUGH COUGH COUGH
ugh
this bugger moved into my chest. 
I can deal with stuffiness and sniffles and the like, and my rule of thumb is to train through it.
Above the neck, all systems go.
Below the neck, umm NO. 

So the last several days has been either resting, pulling back on the effort for short, easy runs to keep the HR low and emailing Coach to have her change my schedule (I feel soooo annoying doing that).

Today was supposed to be a 24 mile run -- my longest ever-- and I just felt like I needed a few more days before tackling this one. I am still coughing a bit and I really want to nail this run. Coach actually bumped the run out a couple of days and at first I was like "whaaaat?" but she reeled me in and I needed to remind myself to be patient.
So I am being patient.

I woke this morning to pouring rain.
Honestly, I am very happy I am not running 24 miles right now.

Wanna Be on Team Rev3??

I vividly recall this time LAST year, when applications for Team Rev 3 went live and it was my year to apply. I had been following the Team (when it was Team Trakkers) for two years and had dreamed of "someday" making the team. I figured it was longshot (or so I thought) but it was a goal I had placed on my "Believe List" for quite a while. It was my plan to apply-year after year, if necessary-until they got sick of me and let me on the team. Needless to say, when I found out that I had actually made the team, I was overjoyed, overwhelmed and OVER THE MOON excited.

Proud to be Rockin' the R this season

My excitement about being a part of Team Rev 3 has only grown in the last year and I have come to love all that Rev 3 stands for even more than I did a year ago. I have had the pleasure of racing and working with such amazing people in 2012 - I am honored that I was able to be a part of it this year! I, of course, have thrown my hat back into the ring for the 2013 season (why wouldn't I??).

So if you have been following my journey with the team for the last year, I am sure you have been asking yourself "How can I become a part of Team Rev 3", right?

Are you a big a fan of the Rev 3 series?
Do you sweat awesome? perspire positivity? exude energy? 
Do you want to be a part of THE MOST AWESOMEST team ever ever??

Now is your chance--Team Rev 3 applications are now being accepted for consideration for the 2013 season! The applications are being accepted until November 1st, 2012

You can find the application here: Team Rev 3 Application

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
You can email me (jsmall14(at)maine.rr.com), hit me up on Facebook or Twitter!


No, I am not taking bribes for a recommendation (but thanks to those who offered).
No, I do not have a say in who gets picked for the 2013 (but thanks for thinking I have any power! lol).
No, I can't tell you how to answer the questions on the application (it took me a long time too).

But what I can say is
BE YOU
Tell Rev 3 why you think you should be Rockin' the R in 2013.
Tell them what you are passionate about!

Best of luck to all applying! I am sure 2013 will be an amazing year!!

Toilet Paper Tuesday

I'm on a roll....

In my house, the proper way to hang toilet paper has been a point of controversy for years. I have my way (the RIGHT way) and then there is HIS way (the wrong way). While Hubby says that he pays no mind to which direction the paper rolls, he always puts it on the wrong way and I have to flip it around.

This is especially frustrating in the middle of the night...searching for the end of the roll.

Finally, something really useful on Pinterest!!

So I need to know, how do you roll???