1st 100 miler!!

I did it! I completed my longest bike ride ever today! To say I am extremely happy would be an understatement!

SO glad to be done!

@runningfrida and I started at 6am at Tempe Town Lake- this place is beginning to feel like my second home! ;) We road the Ironman Arizona route up to Shea Blvd and kept going to Bush Highway. We turned around and came all the way back to Tempe Town Lake and then went back up to Shea Blvd for the last 40 miles.

I know it only looks like a couple inches but THAT is what 100 miles looks like! (loops of it anyway ;))

It took us 6:40 minutes- that's with all the stops at street lights,etc. I'm pretty happy with that time. I felt good the entire time and am still in shock we rode 100 miles!!

After the ride, I came home and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' watched a million episodes of 'Breaking Bad'-- we just started watching it on Netflix and we are OB-SESSED! Such a good show! Anyways... we had a date planned and we were going to get all dressed up and everything for it.

A hundred mile bike ride ('Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' rode 100 miles today too!) and million episodes later... we still went out on our date, we just ended up in race shirts and sweats! ;)

Another lovely iPhone picture! I'm not sure why I look so white either?

We went to Porkopolis and it was amazing! Always a great time with this guy!! Love him!

What's the longest you've ever biked before? 

Anyone have fun weekend plans?

"Barbara"

Today was a CrAzY training day! After work, I hurried and met runningfrida at San Juan- which is a road that leads up part of South Mountain. it's 8 miles to the top, no cars, and I swear at points its like you're climbing STRAIGHT up Mount Everest- it makes everything burn!

We usually bike it 2 times- it's HARD! Well, tonight, it was starting to get dark early but we were still hoping to do it twice. We started our first round and when we got about half way- right when the sun was beaming directly into our eyes, and there was a guy on a beach cruiser and he just kept circling on his bike? He saw us coming and really didn't move out of the way- weird, right?! Well, once we got closer to him (literally about to pass him!) he shouts "LOOK OUT!" and I quickly look down and notice there is a rattlesnake in the middle of the road- like less than a foot away from my bike tire! Thanks for the last minute heads up dude...

I quickly swerved away (almost hitting @runningfrida!) and thought I was going to have a heart attack! We made it to the top and the sun had set, so we didn't have much light left. I was terrified heading back thinking we were going to run into 'Barbara' again. (I named the rattlesnake 'Barbara'-- it makes her less scary if she has a name like Barbara. I feel like I could take a Barbara if I had to... just saying...;)) It probably didn't help that the whole way back I was asking @runningfrida if she had signal on her cell phone in case I got bit to call 911 or what the freak do I do if I get bit and Barbara doesn't let go!? Can you shake off a snake? I'm pretty sure there is no way I could pull a snake off of me...yeah, there is definitely NO way I could do that...

This isn't our Barbara- maybe like a distant relative? And she wasn't this dramatic either- she was just chilling on the road, trying to slither away. (Which is weird that the guy was circling her and not letting her get to the other side of the road?)  

We finally made it back to the cars and @runningfrida asked if I wanted to go again- I told her I was WAY to chicken to go again and we decided to head to her gym and finish our bike ride and run there.  



Too dark for me!



Holy Moly! Her gym is amazeballs! We both go to LA Fitness but hers in a million times nicer/better than mine! They had so much more equipment and it was all brand new!

We headed into a spin class (that was half over) and then did another 10 minutes after. Look how nice the cycle class room is! My gym's cycle class is super small and only has 2 rows of 10 bikes.

Great picture, right?!

Once we finished biking, we headed out to the nicest treadmills I have ever ran on! They each had individual TV's on them, plug ins for your iPods (so you could charge it AND listen to it at the same time!), and super good fans! I got all set up with the TV and my music and started looking around for a recliner or something and then realized 'oh yeah, I'm here to run...'

We ran for just over 40 minutes and I got 4.6 miles in. Between the hair blowing in the wind, my music blaring, and the TV- I was so pumped I kept increasing the speed and was FLYING by the end! (I'm going to need to go to her gym and workout more! It's more like an-awesome-pace-to-hang-out/ forget-I'm-working-out type of place than a gym! Loved it!

Another great, non-blurry picture!

We finally finished and headed home. It's days like today I am SO grateful to have friends like @runningfrida to keep me company (and motivated) on long training days like today!!!

Do you like to train with someone or alone?

Have you ever seen a rattlesnake in person? 

Meeting Grumpy Cat!!

 So after the race, we went to a nearby bar/restaurant to meet some friends, get some food, and watch some football. While we were there, I got the craziest text ever from my good friend:  

 ((Apparently, Grumpy Cat lives in Arizona and had some new books coming out (did you know it had books?!) and was on tour. My friend got a ticket through her work (she's a teacher) and it was for her and one guest. The ticket was $15 dollars! I was so shocked when I found that out- but all the money gets donated to animal shelters so I thought that was pretty cool. ))

 

Of course, I freaked out when I saw the message and wanted to go! My friend said she was in a ridiculously long line and I had plenty of time to get there. We finished our lunch and I for sure thought it was too late- nope! She was STILL in line. I hurried and dropped 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' off at the house and then hauled booty to the bookstore. (There was no time for showering or changing at this point!)

 

I got there and my friend was NOT joking when she said the line was insane! You had to have a ticket and then were put into groups of about 30. We were in group Y.... The groups started at A and went all the way through the alphabet and then to GG. The line was wrapped around the shopping center! I got there when they were at T. So we still had a while to wait together as weaved our way through the book store.

 

Pretend it's not blurry! ;)

These signs were EVERYWHERE in the bookstore reminding everyone not to touch her. (Grumpy Cat is a female and her real name is Tatar Sauce.... I might be grumpy with a name like that too! ;))

 

 

 We finally got up there and there was a couple right in front of us and they each took separate photos with the (sleeping) Grumpy Cat. We handed the worker our camera and asked to get separate photos as well- she told us we only had one ticket so we could only get one photo. ....ooook.... So we hurried over and huddled around the sleeping (super-freaking-tiny/ I-thought-it-was-a-kitten!!) Grumpy Cat and the security guy who... was also dressed us as Grumpy Cat? Not awkward at all...
 

Look- it's face is the same size as the one of the book! SOO tiny!

It all happened so fast, we then made our way to a counter and got a free poster- that they were offering to stamp with a her paw print!). HAHA! I hope one day I am so famous that people pay $15 dollars and wait in line for hours to see me sleeping on a pillow in a bookstore! Craziness!!

 

 

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, who??

Nathan's Race Recap!!

I was a little worried how the race would go today since it was so ridiculously hot yesterday. Luckily, the weather was amazing and could not have been more perfect for the race. I woke up and there was a slight chill in the air and it was extremely cloudy. I got ready and headed down to Tempe Town Lake by myself- 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' decided to meet me down there later on (closer to the start time) so he could get a little more sleep. ;)

I got down there, and made my way back into transition where I dropped my bike off the day before. I got everything set up and went to get body marked. After that, I waited. I ate another Luna bar, helped RunningFrida set up her transition (she was running late), and then found a spot to sit and wait some more.

You see, at all of these races they have a certain time before the first wave starts that the transition area closes- no one is allowed back in, so that it is empty for athletes coming in when the race starts start. Makes sense, right? Well, that's all fine and dandy- unless you're like me and start in Wave 13. That means 12 waves go off before you- WITH 4 minutes (or more) between each wave. That's a lot of sitting around and waiting!! (Which is probably why 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' chose to drive himself and get an extra hour and a half of sleep! ;))

Once 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' got there, it was close to our start time. We waited in line and slowly inched towards the swim start. (The best part about being in the 'Females 0-30' group is we definitely have the most energy! Girls were dancing in line and we sure made it known we were ready when the announcer told us we could get in the water. Then when we all got in the water and up to the start line, we heard one final "30 second warning..." from the announcer- to which we all erupted in screams, cheers, and 'wooohoo'ing-- immediately followed by lots of laughter of our own ridiculousness!) LOVE this part of racing!!

The 'cool' crowd ;)

After the laughter, we all got serious and took off on the 1500meter swim. The swim went well- I got hit in the face for the first time and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think I got hit by a flying elbow right on my check bone and it hurt- but nothing I couldn't handle- hopefully I never get a foot to the face!! I finished the swim in 36:39. I again, was hoping to be around 30 but it just didn't happen.

I quickly made my way out of the water, back into transition- it felt like I had to run a quarter mile to get back to my spot!  I hopped on my bike and took off. I knew the course and felt prepared. It was two loops with NO bee stings or dropped water bottles! Impressive- I know! ;) I think I was most happy with my bike for this race- I finished the 24.8 mile bike ride in 1:23- averaging 17.8 miles per hour.

So happy to see 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter'!!

Before I knew it, I was back in transition heading out for the 6.2 mile run. Right as I left transition, I saw my old friend, Claren, from soccer. We both looked shocked to see each other and quickly said hi as we passed each other. Not long after that, I saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and his friend. It's always so, so, SO good to him when I'm racing.

About a mile into the run, I heard someone behind me say "Come on Kim, pick it up!" and I turned around and it was my new friend Jason. He was already on his second loop of the run and I completely hated him for it. ;) He took off like the speed demon he is and left me trotting along... on my first loop...

My first loop was boring and slow. I don't know what happened, but when I started my second loop and saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' again, I got my second wind and was able to pick it up. I pushed the pace the entire second loop and felt good. I was telling everyone I passed (or that passed me) 'good job' and that they were doing great.

When I finally got close to the finish and made the final turn, it felt like the whole crowd was saying "GO KIM!" so I smiled and waved and tried to sprint to the finish as fast as I could. I had no idea who all these people were that were cheering for me, but right before I reached the finish line, I heard a large group of them shout "GO TIM!" not Kim.... TIM! Yup, there I am waving and smiling at strangers- who aren't even cheering for me! But hey- the way I look at it is: they got a two-for-one cheering deal! ;)

That would be "Tim"

I finished, found 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and was able to immediately see my results on this new APP that they had up on a bunch of iPads- it was crazy awesome! Although, I was hoping to PR and be under 3 hours-- I finished with a time of 3:08- not so awesome.

The answer is no- I really don't ever brush my hair...

Afterwards we headed to a nearby bar to meet some friends, get food, and watch football. I also an amazing text from a friend that lead to me meeting a 'celebrity'.... I use that term loosely. ;) Stay posted for the details in the next post!!


Congrats to anyone who raced this weekend!! 

Have you ever met a Celebrity? If so- who?

Day of Peace 5K!!

Happy International Day of Peace!

 

My friend (runningfrida) came up with the idea to get a group of our friends together and do a 5K today and promote One Day of Peace. We all met at a local park and wore white. I brought a bag of chalk and we stopped every so often to draw a peace sign or 'One Day of Peace' on the sidewalk. (Since we are both racing tomorrow it was nice to take it easy and have a fun run with friends!)

The group!

 

The park we chose was also having some sort of carnival party going on that they were just starting to set up when we got there. I saw this sign....
 

 

I have no idea what the heck a Catfish Rodeo is but I was dying to find out. I've never heard of anything like that. I was hoping I would see someone try to lasso a catfish but they were still setting up when we left. :/ I still don't know what it is.... anyone know?

I hope this turns into a yearly thing that we do and gets bigger and bigger promoting peace. Now I'm off to packet pickup to get my stuff for the race tomorrow and drop off my bike!! Woohoo!! 

Hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend!!

 

 

Anyone else racing the Nathan's Triathlon tomorrow?

Splash n' Dash!

I've been so excited all week for today's Splash n' Dash I could hardly sit still at work today! It was a 1500 meter swim followed by a 5k run- since it's been so hot lately wet suits were not allowed. Sucks, I know!

Great day for a race!

I brought all my stuff with me to work and headed straight there when I got off. When I got there, I got checked in and body marked and hung out with these hotties, waiting for the start.

Before I knew it, we were treading water waiting for the start. A short countdown later and we were off. I'm disappointed in my lack of focus for the first part of the swim. The entire first loop I have NO CLUE what I was doing.... I was literally thinking about spiral curling my hair for me and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's' anniversary?! (Seriously?! It's not for another month and we have NO plans and I have not thought about it once and this is the time I start thinking about my hair for it?!)

So when I started the second loop I snapped out of it and actually focused on swimming (not my hair!) and picked up the pace. The second loop was a LOT fast than the first and way more focused. Time for the swim: 33 minutes- I was hoping to be close to 30 and I think I would have if I would have focused that first loop. You live you learn, right?!

I quickly exited the water and ran into the transition area. We had a great spot in transition since one of my friends got there early. I quickly put on running shoes and took off for the run. (Happy with my speedy transition time of 51 seconds. ;))

The run was great. I knew the course and there was a beautiful sunset followed by a full moon. I doesn't get much better than that. I made small conversions with other runners and that helped pass the time. I saw several friends both racing and volunteering and that always makes it more exciting. I had to stop to tie my shoes four times- FOUR!! I will be making the switch to quick laces so this stops happening- it was so frustrating to have to keep stopping and starting.

The lake all lit up after. So pretty!

I finished the run 30 minutes for a total time of 1:04. Not great, but I'll take it. My goal was to be under an hour and I think I would have been close if I hadn't been daydreaming for the first part of the swim. I already can't wait until the next one to redeem myself. :)


I'm racing the Olympic at Nathan's this weekend. Anyone else racing?!

Have a great Friday!! 

Mountain Man OLY Race Recap!!

This weekend we headed back up to Flagstaff and raced at Mountain Man again. This time I did the Olympic distance and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' did the half ironman distance. It was a blast!

We drove up Saturday and met some of our friends who were also racing at packet pickup. Best quote from the athletes meeting: "there are no hills on the run course except for the one in the middle"

After packet pickup, we checked into our hotel room and then headed out to Outback again for dinner. We both got our usual pre-race meals and then went back to the hotel room and got everything ready for the race. We cleaned our bikes, laid out our clothes, painted nails, and since we had to check out before the race (since we wouldn't make it back by their 11:00am checkout time) we had to pack everything up as well.

We went to sleep early and our alarm went off at 4:00am. Thankfully, 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' had to shower, so that meant I got to sleep for another 20 minutes. ;)

I finally got out of bed and got ready to go. (When we went to check out the hotel clerk was in the back office with the lights off sleeping.... is this normal?) We left our keys on the desk and made our way to the race.

Once we got to down to the lake we went our separate ways like usual and got our transition areas set up, body marked, and picked up our chips. I bumped into 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' again as I was heading back to my spot in transition to put on my wet suit and he was headed down to the start. (Since he was doing the half ironman distance, they started about 25 minutes before the Olympic distance.) I panicked thinking he wouldn't have time to braid my hair-- then I quickly remembered he isn't the only person who can braid hair. So we said our goodbyes and split- with no hair braiding.

I had a transition spot next to my friend Rachel, and after putting on our wet suites and snapping a couple pictures we headed down to the start. We made it just in time to hear Dan sing the National Anthem and see 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' take off in the water.

\

We were in the last wave, so we had plenty of time to braid my hair and find Maria (running frida).

Before I knew it, it was time to get in the water and go. The 71 degrees water felt GREAT compared to the low 50's air temp. I started towards the front and felt good. We had to swim in a large rectangular box and after you hit the first buoy there were none except the turnaround buoy- which was a good 750 meters away. That and the fact that the buoy was green- along with the grass and trees surrounding the lake-- made sighting a real breeze! I basically stopped trying to sight the buoying and just started sighting off of the people in front of me.

I felt like I got a little off course and swung a little too wide, but overall my swim went great. I was hoping to be around 30 minutes and it ended up being 33:49. I was OK with that. I quickly got out of the water and jogged into transition. I quickly took a few bites of a HoneyStinger as I fumbled to get my bike shoes on and then threw my helmet on and took off.

The bike course was fun. I knew the course since we had gone up to Flagstaff so much to train and it was the same course as the "Mountain Man Sprint" except longer. Longer with a HUGE hill towards the turnaround- which we didn't have on the Sprint. That hill was a monster! I'm glad I knew it was coming and had some practice with it so I knew how to pace myself for it.

Once we hit the turn around point I knew there was a slight downhill the rest of the way back- so I tried to push the pace even more. I felt great and was really happy with my 1:27 time.

Back in transition, I quickly exchanged my bike shoes for my running shoes and grabbed a bottle of water and headed back out for the run.

The run was probably my favorite part of this race (minus that hill we've already talked about). I started out at a pretty good pace- I tried not to go out too fast, knowing that the hill was coming. I reached the hill and just put my head down and kept going. The whole way up I kept wishing I was the people on the other side of the road heading down. I saw my friend Jamie (heading down) and we both cheered each other on.

I finally reached the top/turn around point and became ecstatic! I knew I had a huge downhill in front of me and when I reached the bottom of the hill I would only have a mile left. I took off down the hill flying. I looked down at my watch a couple times and was shocked to see my pace at 8:15. (I should run downhill more often! ;))

 When I was almost to the bottom of the hill a guy came up beside me and started making small talk, asking me how my race was going and complaining about the lack of port-a-potties on the course. I was able to keep up with his quick pace since we were still going down hill. Once we reached the bottom of the hill and the road flattened out, that's when it became a little harder to keep up. I let him dominate the conversation- telling me about his first Ironman last year and what I could expect this year. I really struggled to keep up but pushed myself because I knew I didn't have very much further to go.

When we made the last turn towards the finish he took off towards the finish. I dug up everything I had left in me and moved as fast as I could towards that finish line. I finished the run in 1:01- which is a great time for me.

Overall, I was happy with my 3:06 time and came in 4th in my age group (out of 8). My fasted Olympic time is 3:04 and my goal for this race- knowing there were the monster hills- was anything under 3:30. So I was shocked to realize I was 2 minutes shy of a PR on a more difficult course.

Me and Rachel

After I finished, I waited for some friends to finish and then hung out and waited for 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' to finish. It started raining pretty hard and I felt bad for everyone who was still out there running in the rain.

Amazing training partner!

Once he finished we went and got some food at Buffalo Wild Wings and then started the 2 and half hour drive home. It was a quick trip but a great race!

Me and Maria did the OLY and the boys did the half ironman- they're crazy!!

Did anyone else race this weekend??