I love Monday!! (well this one anyway)

It's Monday.
Cyber Monday. I won't be doing any shopping today. I am actually ALMOST done my Holiday shopping.
I know. Impressive. Now to wrap it all up :)

I do have a fun HOLIDAY giveaway coming up very, very soon!!
(like, tomorrow-)
My Fashletics giveaway ends 11/30-you did enter right?? 

So yeah, Cyber Monday. 
But more important, it was the first day training with the Coach.
My first training day was today and I have been looking forward to this for a while-
I started the day early (4am) with a little easy running, at 5:30am taught my boot camp class and then hit the pool.
It's fitting that my first day included some time in the pool. Now, I have made NO SECRET of my dislike of the pool as I am an OWS girl for sure!!
But
having a definite plan, a variety of things to do AND having to answer to someone really changed my mental perspective on the pool today.
Dare I say....I actually ENJOYED it??
Shhhhhhh
Don't tell anyone. I have a pool hating reputation to protect.
After the warm up it was time for some faster sets and then a TT.
Before I knew it, I was done and I felt like I actually accomplished something.
I think this is the start to something great!

Speaking of great and speaking of Coach.

check out time line 9:35 of the feed






and then again at 10:06


Hello!!

What a race for the women's 30-34 title - it took a sub-10 to get it!
KENNEY, CHRISTINE 23/8/1 33/Female 30-34 Q 01:06:11 05:30:29 03:14:37 09:57:59
WIECK, SONJA 4/4/2 32/Female 30-34 Q 00:58:22 05:30:39 03:27:16 10:00:33
SYKOROVA, HANA 11/6/3 32/Female 30-34 Q 01:02:39 05:26:49 03:38:18 10:14:41
ZELTNER, TAMARA 10/5/4 34/Female 30-34 Q 01:02:37 05:27:05 03:37:46 10:15:23
ROCHE, MELISSA 25/10/5 30/Female 30-34 Q 01:06:42 05:34:02 03:35:40 10:27:12

How about IM Cozumel in 10:00:33?
How about 2nd in her age group? 
How about another trip to Kona for Sonja?
(wonder if she'll let me sherpa!!??)
amazing....


Also, my friend Erika is now an IRON(wo)MAN!! She did her first 140.6 yesterday in Cozumel too-I cannot wait to hear the details but she promises tales of jelly fish stings, flat tires and torrential rain!! Congratulations Erika!!!

Three Kona Things Thursday

How much KONA can I fit in one post??

Hmmmm-I have lots to say....

Coach's feet post Kona -ouch...but this has got to be the best picture ever!!

Kona Thing #1

First and foremost, CHRISSIE!!

Yes, as in Chrissie Wellington. As you know, we are bff's.

Yes...we are. Do I have to put up pics again??

And you probably know that she freaking KRUSHED IT IN KONA.

Now, on any given day she is an animal. A powerhouse. Just an insanely talented athlete.

This woman is made of pure guts.

Well, if you had any questions just how tough this gal is then listen up.
Remember that "little bike crash" Chrissie had just before Kona? Well, there was some pretty good road rash but she did not disclose the extent of her injuries. (read about it HERE)
but here's a line from the article that will sum it up for you-

"...doctors discovered tearing in an intercostal muscle and her left pectoral...The swim that sent Wellington to the hospital five days before the world championship was her final session leading into the race. She missed several swim workouts that week."

yup, she came from 12 back to fight for the win.

Kona Thing #2
I have to give a big shout out to several ladies who kicked A$$ in Kona over the weekend.

And how about my super awesome amazing COACH Sonja!!

photos courtsey of Sonja Wieck

Hello!! Sonja totally rocked it in Kona and finished in 10:08:44-and just check out that finish photo!!
She's amazing-I love her spirit and energy.
Swim- 1:06:42
Bike- 5:26:36
Run- 3:30:16

I am so psyched & honored to call her Coach!

Then there is Maine great, Angela Bancroft.

This summer she did Lake Placid in 10:19 and then went on to finish Kona in 10:26:00
Swim- 1:04:41
Bike- 5:37:15
Run- 3:34:57
I am so proud of her-she is such an inspiration to me.
If Sonja was not my coach, Ange would be sitting at the top of that very short list.

Then there's Mary-IronMatron- another Maine connection and awesome lady!
Mary finished Kona with a smile and executed her day as planned. She finished strong with a time of 11:21:19. Congrats Mary!!

I enjoyed following the Pro's and those triathlon buddies who were competing in Kona on Saturday!

Kona Thing #3:

I am sure most of you are aware that like the prestigious Boston Marathon, Kona is the "mecca" race for triathletes. And like Boston, you need to qualify to race unless you (Boston) run for a charity or (Kona) get a slot via lottery. This week WTC CEO Andrew Messick announced that you can now get a Kona slot if you complete 12 or more Ironman races. The more IM's you do, you will move to the top of the lottery list.

“We’re changing how our lottery works,” Messick explained. “For athletes who have done 12 or more Ironman over their career – and who are still racing – we are going to make sure that they have a chance to race Kona.

“It might take a little bit of time to cycle them all in but we feel that you should have an opportunity to race Kona once in your life if you’re a serious triathlete, are serious about the sport, are dedicated and are loyal but you just happen not to be fast. I believe that being a long term triathlete and demorating by doing twelve or more fulls…you deserve it as much as people who are super quick.

“We’ll start by the people who have done the most and start ticking them off every year and eventually we’ll get through all of them.

I get it. I really do. I have no issue with those who run the Boston Marathon as part of a charity team. I can see how this gives those triathletes who have a ton of money to spend on 12+ races who are dedicated to the sport a chance to race Kona.It just reeks of another way for the WTC to make even more money (well, they are a business and Ironman is a brand). Remember Access Ironman??

But for ME personally-
these feet will not run from Hopkington to Boylston Street until these feet run fast enough to qualify for it.
and respectively,
these arms will not stroke

these legs will not pedal

and

these feet will not run

the hallowed grounds Ali'i and Queen K until I qualify.

I might be 99 years old but...that is how I feel about it FOR ME.

(feel free to ask me again when I am 60 and still gunning for a Kona slot!! lol)

Speaking of an insane amount of Ironman races...

I have someone to introduce you to very soon.

He is on a mission and looking to break another world record.

Not for his own sake but to help a great cause.

Find out why he is Tri'ing to Give a Dam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you enter my Tough Chik giveaway yet?

There is only a couple more days to enter-

make sure you check it out

Triathlon Rocks! A Giveaway

Before we get to the good stuff, just a quick update. I am still sick but on the mend-I had an appointment for my annual physical on Thursday afternoon and when my doctor heard me speak (well, lack there of since my voice was GONE) she asked if I felt as awful as I sounded. A listen to my lungs answered for me. In her words "your lungs sound junky" and I was at a point where I would either start to get better on my own OR go downhill and as of right now, I was rocking a pretty good case of bronchitis. She wrote up an Rx for antibiotics and told me to get some Mucinex to help get things "moving along".
Her other Rx? Take a break from training for a few days!! (imagine that) I am, by the way.
She is an avid runner and gets the whole training thing. She is even doing her first triathlon this summer so we did spent a great deal of time discussing triathlon (another imagine that moment folks). We chatted about bikes and OWS and fitting it all in with kids.
We also laughed at my electronic medical record photo on file-she said it didn't even look like me anymore. The picture was pre-Lola and even pre-pregnancy so I was freaking huge very fat ginormous a bit bigger back then.
Who knew that an annual visit to your OB/GYM could be such a fun filled afternoon?
So I am taking it easy and waiting until I can breath clearly without any stabbing pain to actually get my heart rate up there. Yesterday I walked a couple miles on the TM, did some core work and mowed the lawn with the push mower just so I didn't feel like a slug. Today I'll lift a little upper body and the rest of the weekend we will be busy planting our garden and splitting/stacking 4 cords of wood. Yup, the good ole WoodB!tch Workout.
______________________________________________________________
Triathlon Rocks!!

I have been reading the blog Irondiva for as long as I have been following blogs. I was anxiously awaiting her race report on Rev 3 Knoxville when I stumbled upon a picture of her wearing a tee shirt that made me laugh out loud.

I had to have this tee shirt!!

I searched for Triathlon Rocks online and they had a site that was under construction. So I searched some more and I found them on Twitter and then I found them on Facebook. I am SO good at stalking people huh??

I tweet to Irondiva (aka Colleen, CBK, @cbkingery) and @TriathlonRocks how I need to get this tee shirt. Agnese responded to my tweet and the e-mail exchange was on from there.

Their site launched and I was able to view all of the other tee's they offered in addition to the NOW FAMOUS "I pee on my bike" tee.
I loved all the tees they had to offer and saw a couple that I need to add to my collection.
Agnese got my two tees out to my lickity-split and before I knew it, my friendly mail man was here with my package.
Of course, I picked

I PEE ON MY BIKE

and

PEACE...LOVE...EXCEPT ON RACE DAY!



so cute with a skirt!

I was impressed right away with the cut and fabric of the tee shirts. These are no run of the mill cheapo cotton tee shirts. The ladies cut is a slightly fitted, super soft cotton. I liked the length of the shirt too-a lot of ladies cut tees I come across are too short on me. It's not like I am LONG or anything but I liked the longer cut of their tees.

I have worn my I PEE ON MY BIKE shirt out and about several times since I got it. I showed it off to my buddies in the tri club and it sparked several conversations and To Pee or Not To Pee--that is the question!!

I wore it to pick up pizza for the family and got some interesting looks from some of the people in the pizza place-guess they don't know about saving time during a tri!

I wore it to the gym and heard a couple chuckles and got lots of questions. Several people (non-triathlete) where grossed out at the thought of peeing on your bike but after discussing the virtues of it, they understood. A friend and marathon runner was all about the pee. She pees on the run (only during a race) if necessary! Yay for pee!!

Triathlon Rocks is Lola Approved!

another winner

Bottom line? I love, love my new tees!!

So do you want to get your OWN Triathlon Rocks tee shirt?? Agnese & Steve are being SO generous as to offer one lucky reader their own tee!! You CAN pick I PEE ON MY BIKE or you can pick a different style--there are several to choose from.

Here is how you can win! As usual, this contest is open to FOLLOWERS of my blog. Not already a follower of Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood? Just click that FOLLOW button to the right side of the screen. Once you have done that, you can enter! Please leave an individual comment for each entry.

MANDATORY: Visit Triathlon Rocks and take a look around their site. Tell me which tee shirt you would pick if you win this fabulous contest and why you picked that design.

Additional ways to earn and entry:

1) Visit Triathlon Rocks on Facebook, like them and then leave a comment telling them that Jen from Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood sent you over.

2) Follow Triathlon Rocks and MilesMusclesMom (me) on Twitter! Tweet about this contest-you can make up your own tweet or send these out:

I PEE ON MY BIKE #giveaway by @TriathlonRocks & @MilesMusclesMom http://tinyurl.com/trirocks

@TriathlonRocks tee shirt #giveaway @milesmusclesmom http://tinyurl.com/trirocks #triathlon

3) Tell me your best PEE story!! There may or may not be a bonus prize for the best one!!

4) Spread the word about this contest!! Share on Facebook, your blog, email your friends, write it on the wall of the gym, hand out pamphlets at your next race, etc. +1 entry for each way you share the Triathlon Rocks love.

Here is Lola's video debut to celebrate Triathlon Rocks!!

I will accept entries for this contest until June 11th at midnight.

From the eligible entries, one random winner will be selected and announced shortly after that.

Disclaimer: I purchased my tee shirts from Triathlon Rocks with a generous discount provided by the company. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and at no time was I asked for a positive review in exchange for the discount.

this, that and a BQ

First, a bit of good news!
My father, the mechanical genius he is, was able to fix my camera in about 4.5 seconds. Well maybe 10...but he fixed it and it is working good as new! Thanks Dad- YOU ROCK!!
(yes, he does read my dribble now and then)

I had a great training week this week-logged 111 miles this week with a majority of those miles on the bike. I am enjoying the early morning spins and it also gives me a chance to catch up on my favorite garbage television. I did DVR the Ironman Kona coverage Saturday and this will be played again and again during spin time!

I wonder who won??

Speaking of which-I think I am going to take some advice from Joe Friel and rotate focus on different things. One week bike, the next swim, the next run etc. I am still working on getting my 2011 training plan together ala JF and all I learned at the clinic.

I did get out for a long run this morning. The plan was 10 miles but once I got going and got out to one of my favorite spots I just went with it and did a 14 miler. I have been neglecting my long run the last couple of weeks and I was really happy to get out. Considering my mileage has been pretty paltry in the run category, I am happy to be feeling great right now.

So here it is Sunday afternoon, the weekend coming to a close and I can say "I have to work tomorrow".
he he he
I have not said that sentence since early October of 2008. While I love being a stay-at-home Mommy, I am looking forward to a couple hours a week working. I will be in the gym and I can't think of a better place to spend time and get paid!

One week from today I will be running the Operation Jack/Train 4 Autism 10k Satellite run! That means there is only one week left to get in on my Big Stocking Giveaway!! *any amount of donation gets your name into the Big Hat to win this awesomely awesome stocking.* Lola will pick the winner sometime on Sunday.
Please see this post for info on the giveaway and the link to make your donation.

Speaking of Operation Jack...Sam ran marathon #60 and BQ'd with a time of 3:14:21! Congratulations Sam!! I am looking forward to cheering you on in Boston!! Check out Sam's race report here.