Another fantastic weekend...

What a great weekend. I traveled with my husband, and brother-in-law, Mike to Tahoe this weekend so they could participate in the XTerra Nationals Race. It's an off-road, adventure triathlon. We got there Friday afternoon around 1:00 pm and it was very windy and cold. The sun was out and clouds were coming in. The guys had to register for their event and then around 3:00 pm there was a briefing for all athletes about details and changes of the race. There was also a swimming workshop with a couple elite athletes talking with the crowd. It was fun and I learned a few tips to use in my own training. They informed all that a weather front was coming into the night and there may be 3 inches of snow. You hear it, but never think it's going to happen. After the workshop we walk to the shore to scan the swim course and there's waves, which seemed, about 10 feet tall and 5 seconds between them. In other words it was very ROUGH! We decide to head out to our hotel and check-in. We find a great room and then go to dinner to carbo-load up!! We eat at a great local Italian restaurant. We have bread, pasta alfredo with chicken and a huge salad. The guys eat up as do I (well I am doing a 5K as well, better carb up!!) We head back to the room and turn in around 9:30 pm.

We wake the next morning around 5:40 am and Mike looks out the window and exclaims "Oh my *#&^^ gosh, there's snow!" I was cracking up (only because I was relieved I wasn't doing this race), but then my heart went out to them, because it was going to be miserable at first thought. We get ready and head to the race course. We stop at a 7-eleven to get garbage bags, so they can set gear on top and put some in bags if need be. It's 23 degrees outside, as we travel to the course, the number dips down to 18 degrees! OMG...! As we park, no one wants to get out of the car! It's to dang cold! We get out, my ears are soo cold, I can't feel them. We have to walk carefully due to black ice in spots. I'm glad I brought my gloves and a funky knit hat, but doesn't keep my ears cold. All I'm thinking about is getting to the course, I know there were knit caps there for sale, I'm buying one. While the guys are getting body marked, I sneak off to buy a hat to cover my frozen ears. I find one, it's the last one-it's mine!!

They then set up all their gear for transitioning, that was fun and another personal story!! Then we go to the closest hotel and sit inside on one of the many couches placed everywhere in the lobby. It's so warm, we thaw out and talk and meet people. Race time nears, after an hour we head back out so they can get wetsuits on. The sun finally peaks over the white-capped mountain and everyone is thanking goodness, there's a sun and no clouds anywhere. The race starts at 9:00 am and everything goes smoothly. The lake is cold, everyone's feet and hands are cold, but everyone is racing. It was so much fun to watch athlete's and give words of encouragement along the way. It inspired me to want to do the race, but I knew better. A very adventurous race, a hard bike course. Well, the guys do well. My husband comes in fourth, 7 minutes behind the 3rd, and Mike does well, with a 1st place in his clydesdale division. He gets a medal. And as for me I ran the 5K and got 1st place in my age group as well, got a nice running hat and a medal. On the way home we all talk about the race and people. It was just the best, sitting out in the grass area having an athlete BBQ lunch with the sun warming you up and nice people all around. Another memorable time. Makes me want to train now...until next time, have a great week and get out there and move.
Luv Loni

Daily duties....

It's been awhile since I've been here. A sign of too much going on as usual. I'm going over my agenda for tomorrow in my head. And just realized that I need to fit in a swim and a bike training along with my other life daily duties. All of a sudden, I'm part homemaker, pilates instructor, triathlete and payroll secretary and back to being a mom. So this is what I have to do. Swim in the morning around 6:00 am, come back home and get the boys' off to school. Walk Bosco (my white lab) so he can get exercise too. Go to work by 9:00-1:00 pm. Go to my husband's office and do payroll and other misc., because their secretary is gone for the week. Then teach a pilates class at 4:00 at The Lakes. Come home get some dinner going and go to Analy HS to go to open house at 7:00 to 8:00 pm. That sounds like a marathon in itself. I just hope I can adhere to that schedule, I'd be happy and tired at the same time. The one thing I learned from training for triathlons is that there's always time and you have to be organized and patient. So the moment the alarm goes off, I'll be on my way to the finish line at 8:00 pm that night. Finish line will be my bed! And I can't wait! Not to complain mind you, it's just another lesson that things can be done with some type of organization (and maybe some heavy coffee!). Just kidding. Have a great week and be back soon to see how the life marathon tuesday went! Happy days everyone, fall is just around the corner. Did you hear the forecast with rain on Thursday already! Love all....

Triathlon today...

Just got home from a beautiful morning in Ukiah. Got up at 4:30 am and left for Ukiah at 5:00. We get to Mendocino college at 6:15 to register and set up our second transition from bike to run. Then we head to the dam at Lake Mendocino. There's fog on the lake, looks very pretty. We make the car from parking to edge of lake, we (includes hubby Steve and brother-in-law Mike) set up transition one from swim to bike. This is a hoot. I see many ladies I know doing the same thing. We're all babbling and rushing to get in the poddy line to the wonderful outhouses. We then make our way to the water, we're in our wetsuits. Feel like a small whale, but feel and look good! We hear the speech about the swim. It took me 21 minutes to swim 1/2 mile, then get on the bike. I see many are gone, but I forget that I was second to the last wave of many starting, so I started 20 minutes behind other age groups. I get out of the blubber quickly and get on my bike, I'm excited, because this is my favorite part. I do well, takes 1 hour and 14 minutes to ride 22-miles. Nice ride, no big hills, just some rollers and some bumpy asphalt. Get to transition two and quickly get everything off-helmet, shoes and gloves, switch to running shoes and run 3.1 miles for 27 minutes. I get done and I feel pretty good about it all. Don't feel to tight. My total time was 2 hours and 3 minutes. It's funny when you look at 2 hours, this time frame you could to in a gym or outside biking. But I choose to do 3 sports and meet more people. Overall, a great day and I feel good. Time to go watch the boys' soccer game. Have a good rest of the weekend everyone. Love Loni

Finally getting IT...

Having a good day so far. I finally got my swim down, after all these months of training, I discovered (with the help of my hubby, Steve) that I had been stroking wrong all this time. So we corrected it and IT'S made all the difference in the world. Another milestone down, 20 more to go. Just kidding! I'm all happy now. I swam at the lagoon by Spring Lake and it was great, everyone out there was either running, walking or biking and I had the lagoon all to myself. It was beautiful.

Then the ride was awesome. Met this guy Jim that passed me out on the top end of Chalk Hill road. We chatted for about 15 minutes before parting. He remembered who I was. I said, "hey do you remember me?, I was the girl struggling up the last part of Chalk Hill on my way home from to end my 61-miles and you just flew by as if it was nothing...!" And he said, "oh, yeah, I do remember you and then we struck up a conversation while he was cooling down and I was warming up. Another stranger I just met! Life is good.....

Then I arrive in Sebastopol and while waiting at a stoplight a young mother with her 2 young children in the backseat, she yells, "Hey, you go girl, I'm jealous!" I said, "hey get on your bike, and you can do it too!", she replied, "I can't I got young kids!" She sped off, I caught her at the next stoplight and said to her, "Your day will come, mine did, I have a 15 and 14 year old kids, and when hers get up there, she too can ride!" She said, "thank you very much, you're awesome, I can't wait. " She made me smile as I probably did for her. Another soul touched by the simple art of biking outside, meeting another person and having good conversation is wonderful and makes everything you're doing worth it.....WORTH IT!! Talk to someone today....

Love Loni