The Reveal

Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of things that were pink, sparkly and fast. 

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She told her husband on each of the last two Valentine's Days, that the only carbon she wanted was in the form of a beautiful bike-forget diamonds.
The old saying "Diamonds are a girls best friend" did not fly with this girl.
Her best friend was her bike. 





And she longed for a pink Quintana Roo cd0.1 for an eternity
(or so it seemed).
As much as the little girl loved the pink camo Quintana Roo cd0.1, it's majestic beauty was far, far from her (budget) reach.
But the little girl BELIEVED that some day her "prince(ss) would come" so she continued to hold that deep, deep love for the pink QR.

Then one day, not too long ago, a glimmer of hope sparkled in the distant waters and she thought that maybe--just maybe--she could make yet another dream come true!!
..and with that hope, a new dream started to form.

A dream that was flat black, silver, white with just a dash of pink. 
Could it be that this NEW Quintana Roo would steal the little girls heart?

As fate would have it, she was able to ride this beautiful steed for several weeks and it was LOVE LOVE LOVE. They fit perfectly and the little girl could go so much faster!!
But with a sad and heavy heart, the little girl had to give back the loaner steed and it was back to reality.
No pretty, fast, beautiful Quintana Roo to ride in the weeks that followed.

She rode several other bikes but nothing was like that QR she sooo loved.

Then the little girl's Fairy-Godfather, Fairy-Godmother and Fairy-Uncle (yes-all three. It's my fairy tale!) appeared one day and told the little girl that because she had been very, very good girl they were going to help her make her dream come true.

And so it was meant to be.
A little tweak here and a little more carbon there....and it was perfect.

I am so grateful and thankful for all of the wonderful people who have made it possible for my dreams to come true this year.

First, my Mom and Dad (Rick-O Racing) , I love you and I could not do any of this without you both. Thank you to my husband and my in-laws too! I am so lucky that my entire family supports my crazy triathlon dreams.

To my amazing Coach Sonja- whom I just adore and appreciate so much. Thank you for everything and for  helping me raise the bar on my own dreams. You inspire me daily and I still wonder how I made into your stable :) xo

To Kompetitive Edge and Ryan, thank you for being the dream weaver and artist behind my beloved bike. You will forever be "Uncle Ryan" to my second baby.

To Rev 3 Triathlon, I am so happy and so proud to be a part of the REV3 Family. Being a part of the Rev 3 Team is a giant dream come true!! Thank you for believing in me.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good?

I got a new bike (though if you follow me on Dailymile.com, EnduranceAthleteProject.com or Twitter then this is not NEW news to you)!

I got a new bike (can you tell I'm psyched!).

Being a stay-at-home Mommy with a penchant for gear & gadgetry (HRM's, Garmins, shoes, shoes, shoes, running skirts, headlamps, reflective gear, winter running tights-I could go on and on) I really thought that getting a great bike would be out of my grasp until I returned to work full time. This was sad for me (tissue??) because while I did ok on Bertha, I really wanted to get into something a bit lighter than 150lbs (slight exaggeration)!! Even if I did have something in common with Chrissy Wellington when it came to first season bikes (remember THIS post??)

As things turned out, I had a couple contacts through my tri club and the YMCA to check out a couple bikes, both road and tri specific, but it was a casual running/race schedule related e-mail exchange with an old friend from school that led me to THE bike.

So without further ado, here SHE is...no name yet. And it's not the best pic. I have an appointment to get portraits done, don't worry. I know you like your bike porn classy, right?!

de Luca carbon frame and fork- de Luca is an Australian brand but the frame design is Masi, de Luca just stuck THEIR name on it and sadly, are no longer in business. Do you have any idea how much research it took me to find THAT out??

The components are Shimano-a mix of 105's and Ultegra. The wheels are Mavic Cosmos, Bontrager handlebars and saddle. It also has a Trek Incite 11i computer which is pretty cool now that I a) put a battery in it and b) figured out how to get it off km's.

I think with a sweet pair of Zipps she will be looking pretty on race day. Now to add some clipless pedals and some areobars we will be rockin'!

The Bad

After lots of resting my knee is still bothersome. I ran 2 miles Sunday and 3 miles yesterday and it is a mixed bag of "feels just fine" to "I think I should stop now". With my first (fun) triathlon in 2 months, I need to be running.

So I put a call into the Orthopedic Associates Performance Center and I have an appointment for an evaluation on Thursday morning. Hopefully I will have some good answers very soon as to what is up.

The Ugly

When I got my bike, I also got a trainer in the deal. While I wait for my riser block to arrive, I knew my years working in medicine would pay off eventually.



Lola's checking the tension on the trainer

Say hello to my PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) -- which is holding up the front wheel while I ride the trainer just fine. Ugly but it works!

The 40lb PDR being put to good use--finally!

Speaking of ugly--what do you think of this BIKE THONG I found on TriSports.com?? I love the caption "remote & phone not included" I think I might need this...

I would love to hear from you and your suggestions on what to name the new bike :)

You might be a runner/triathlete

You know you are a runner or triathlete when...

...you know what Yasso 800's are.

Even better - they are a regular part of your training program.

...you know that Crank Brothers, Pearl Izumi, Blue Seventy, GU and Zoot are brands and NOT the name of some obscure punk band.

Even better - you own one (or more) of their products.

...buying coffee you see Kona on the label you think of triathlon.

Even better- you considering buying it just because is says Kona on the label.

...the words transition, taper, bonk, brick, ladder, LSD, and drafting mean something completely different to you than the average Joe.

Even better- you have experienced all of them.

...you know what bike porn is.

Even better- you have posted your own bike porn.

...driving anywhere you are scoping out new routes to run or ride.

Even better- you find a nice, long hill and you can't wait to do hill repeats.

...you plan your family vacations around your racing schedule.

Even better-the race destination IS your family vacation.

...these numbers make your heart go pitter-patter: 13.1, 26.2, 70.3, 140.6

Even better - you have them proudly displayed on your vehicle.

...you know what BQ means.

Even better - you have done it!

...you know what IM means.

Even better - you done done it!

...you see an M-Dot tattoo and can't wait to have your own someday.

Even better- you already have one.

...you subscribe to Runner's World, Inside Triathlon or Triathlete magazines.

Even better- you get them all and read them cover to cover the day it comes in the mail.

...anything on this list made you smile! Happy Tuesday :)