Let the taper begin!

Riding the bike course in CDA over Memorial Day Weekend

Rob and me in front of Lake CDA

This is me being bored on I-90 as we strolled at 3 mph. We could have biked home faster than driving. Well maybe not :)

What I eat before and during my workouts. Oddly enough, I'm still not sick of chocolate gu!

This is where you can find me during late nights or rainy days. Joined by my fiance sometimes, which is great!

Well, the race is now only 20 days away and I get to start tapering down my workouts. I've been awaiting this beautiful taper for the past 8 months, and I've finally arrived. The past month has been the peak intensity of my training and I'm excited to slow down a bit. I've had some long training days amidst my travels to California, Idaho and my fave state down south... Arkansas!

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3 weeks ago, I enjoyed my training runs along the beautiful beaches of Monteray, CA. I left behind my long spandex and running gloves at home and enjoyed running in shoes and a tank top! It's been a rough spring in Seattle. It was a great change of pace, scenary and climate. And the beaches, hills and sunsets were absolutely incredible.

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The next weekend I headed to C'oeur d'Alene in order to prepare myself for the bike portion of the race. This weekend called for my longest ride, so it was the perfect opportunity to ride the course, which is highly suggested. After some major frustration at a detail-lacking course directions page and lack of road signs, God blessed me with an ANGEL, named Lou, who let me ride along him. We rode the entire course, and now I know the task at hand! It was quite hilly and a bit challenging but definitely scenic. And FUN! The climbs allow for some fast downhill speeds approaching 35 mph. After 100 miles, I called it a ride! My first centennial ride. A happy moment for me!

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Then I ran a quick 2 miles. Felt great. So hopefully the remaining 24.2 will feel as good as those did. Right. All in all it was a successful day. I made a new friend, Lou, who has raced before and gave me some good pointers. I also got to finish the ride with Rob, which was the perfect way to end the long day. Being in CDA got me excited for what is to come.

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Last weekend I was in Arkansas, so my trianing was skimp. However, I did some training in advance which helped. Rob and I rode the South Lake Washington loop, which always makes for a fun ride. We had a sunny day to enjoy Rob's birthday and then enjoyed some delicious salad, pizza and gelato from Tutta Bella to replenish our bodies.

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My one training sesh in Arkansas took place in good ole Eastgate II, and left me a sweaty (and apparently stinky according to my mom) mess. Man, I miss that Arkansas HEAT! But let's just say I'm glad my run I'm about to take will be in about 68 degree weather...

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Otherwise, my preparation has been lots of reading from a triathlon book and lots of making lists for the big race day to come. So much to plan and prepare for.

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And now here I sit with less than 3 weeks to go. I only have 15 hours of training this week, and it will cut down over the next 2 weeks. The bulk of it is over, praise the Lord! I feel blessed that God has kept me strong, motivated, inspired and dependent on Him.

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Furthermore, I feel blessed to be surrounded with such generous and loving friends and family who have been supporting my fundraiser for UVP since day 1. Thanks to you, I have reached my goal over $5,000.... and am well over it... and it's still climbing! God always exceeds my expectations. I have no words to express my thanks to you. This will be the crank inside my body on June 27th. A sincere thank you to all who have supported the cause and myself through words, prayer and financial support.

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And if you haven't donated and still want to, it's not too late! http://ugandavillageproject.org/racing-for-relief

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Alrighty, well off I go to enjoy a 12 mile run. Until next time!

110% HEART

I went to a documentary titled "Running the Sahara" a couple months ago. It's the true story of three men with one goal: to run across the entire length of Africa's Sahara Desert. They ran roughly 50 miles a day for over 100 days... all the way to the Red Sea in Egypt. Absolutely ridiculous!

Well the documentary was very impressive (and funny) -- you should watch it if you are at all curious. There was a lot of interviewing and commentary from the runners. When asked how one can do something so challenging, one of the runners commented that doing this sort of thing is "90% mental... and 10% mental".

While I am not doing anything near as imcomprehensible as runnning across the Sahara Desert, those words have definite truth in what I've been facing in my training. As race day approaches (less than 50 days away), the workouts get longer... and longer... and longer! And I can say that I am as mentally exhausted as I am physically. It takes a lot of will power not only for the long weekend days, but for also for those workout sessions that come after a long workday.

Last weekend consisted of a 2.5 mile swim followed by an 81 mile ride on Saturday. Then Sunday was an 18 mile run broken up with a 15 mile ride after mile 11. This definitely was a physically challenging weekend; I can vouch for the fact that weekends like those take lots of will power and mental strength. I've found that what I put my mind to, my body can accomplish. I've also found what drives me deep down. My heart: God in me and being my strength as I Race for Relief.

So this brings me to this realization... it definitely is 90% mental, 10% mental.... and 110% heart. I learned at Camp Ozark growing up that we are to give 110% to all that we do. 110% heart. And what gives my HEART that energy and passion and what drives my mind is GOD. Christ alone has given me the heart to do this, the mental capacity to do the trainning and the strength in my body to get to this point.

So for me it's 90% mental, 10% mental AND 110% HEART!

Doesn't really make sense mathematically but it makes sense to me :) And the cool thing is I can apply this to the training, to the future race day, and all aspects of life. It's amazing to experience God in my life as He intertwines my heart for Uganda, UVP & His people with my passion for fitness. He really knows what he's doing...

That's all for now. Back to enjoying my "rest day"!!!

3, 270

Ugandan woman and child with malaria net.

Ugandan woman with child at a Uganda Village Project Family Planning & Safe Motherhood Seminar

The first clean water drops from a shallow-well.

3, 270

That's the number of miles trained so far. Phew!

105.7 miles in the water
2,601 miles on the bike
563 miles in my running shoes

And if you multiply 3, 270 x 10,000 that is the population of Uganda. 32.7 million

Now here are some more numbers/stats that explain the reason why I am a part of Uganda Village Project and why I am raising money for this organization.

51% -- Probability at birth of not surviving until age 6
76% -- Ugandan population living under 2$ a day
50% -- Ugandan population living under 1$ a day

11, 772, 000 -- # of Ugandans not using an improved water source. This means 36% of Ugandans do not have clean drinking water. Over 1/3 are at risk of water-borne diseases. According to the World Health Organization, the objectives of a safe water plan are to ensure safe drinking water through good water supply practices, which include: 1. Preventing contamination of source waters, 2. Treating the water to reduce or remove contamination that could be present to the extent necessary to meet the water quality targets and 3. Preventing re-contamination during storage, distribution, and handling of drinking water.

UVP's Healthy Villages program supports these goals through the following methods: 1. Protected shallow well construction, 2. Installation of community level chlorine dispensers, 3. Improving hygiene awareness and behavior change through education and 4. Providing access to household level safe water storage. UVP strives for sustainability through local community and government resource contributions and expertise.

12, 792, 759 -- # of reported malaria (thousands go unreported) in 2007. Uganda has the 3rd highest death rate from Malaria in Africa. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, malaria “currently poses the most significant threat to the health of the [Ugandan] population.” Between 25 and 40% of outpatient visits at health facilities in the country are for malaria. For Ugandan children, malaria is the primary cause of death. Pregnant women, the elderly, and HIV-positive individuals are also extremely vulnerable to the disease.

Uganda also has the third highest rate of fistula in the world. You are now likely saying, what is fistula? I am going to take some time to describe this, as it is a huge problem in Subsaharan Africa and most of us are unaware of it's reality. If I hadn't ever travelled to Uganda, I would remain naive.

As a young American woman, I do not have to be concerned with fistula. However, if I grew up in Uganda, I may have unwillingly been forced into a situation where I was giving birth at the age of 13. That is 1/2 of my current age! I may at this point in my life already have 5 children and given birth to them in settings we could not even imagine having a baby. I may have died during childbirth, or if I survived I may have a continual fistula problem that takes away my ability to live a full life. I could be ostrasized due to the outcomes of my labors and experience a daily lack of confidence, employment, community and health.

Virtually unheard of in wealthier nations, obstetric fistula (Latin for hole) is an affliction of the very poor, and is predominantly caused by neglected, obstructed labour. If the obstruction is unrelieved, the baby usually dies, the prolonged impaction of its head against the mother’s internal tissue resulting in a fistula. The loss of the baby, the persistent incontinence and rank odor that follows, along with many other possible complications such as infertility and chronic infection, may all conspire to isolate the woman from family, society, and employment. Though a simple surgical repair can mend most cases of obstetric fistula, most women go untreated, afraid to admit to the condition or too poor to afford the repair.

Through UVP's outreach to traditional birth attendants and other healthcare workers in the Iganga district, we have learned that there are widespread misconceptions about obstetric fistula – that it is uncurable, and that it is caused by a sexually transmitted infection. UVP works to combat these misconceptions through birth attendant education, through community educational outreaches, and through community drama group performances about fistula. Drama groups are a natural source for education on health issues, and are commonly utilized by Ugandan village communities.

In order to repair women with fistulae, UVP partners with Uganda Childbirth Injuries Fund. We first identify women with obstetric fistula though a number of avenues – village outreaches, health center referrals, radio shows, and simple word-of-mouth between women. We then transport women bi-annually to “repair camps” at Kamuli Mission Hospital, where they are repaired by surgeons from Uganda Childbirth Injuries Fund. In Uganda, all hospital patients must arrive with a friend to feed, attend and nurse them, and so we also transport one attendant for each patient. After surgery, UVP transports the women home (an important step, because if they go home by motorcycle taxi, or walk long distances, they risk re-opening their healing fistula).

I wanted to share this information with you so you can see a glimpse of one piece of work that Uganda Village Project is doing in the Iganga district. Recently I have been reminded of what a blessing it is to be a woman in America -- To have a job. To have the freedom to make my own decisions. To be able to choose when I want to bear children. To be able to choose who I marry and be in a loving and genuine relationship. To feel respected and loved as an individual. To have a healthy body, healthy enough to compete in an Ironman.

Furthermore, I have 2 sister-in-laws who recently gave birth. Both of them had a long day of labor, with 1 of the babies (Molly) being positioned not ideally for birth. If that happened in a third-world country, the outcome would most likely have been bad for mom and baby. This horrible and unnecessary outcome is a reality for many women in Uganda and Subsaharan Africa.

All this to say, if you decide to partner with me in Racing for Relief, you will be joining a cause that is fighting for sustainable fistula education and treatment in communities in Eastern Uganda. You will be a joining a cause that is rolling out education programs to decrease cases of malaria in the Iganga district. You will be joining a cause that is drilling wells and implementing safe water strategies so that more people will have access to clean drinking water, just like we do.

I have less than 2 months left with still $2,000 more to raise to hit my goal of $5,000. Every single donation helps and will make a difference in the projects named above. A sincere thanks to those who have already contributed. If I can raise $5,000, over $35 will go towards UVP for every mile I complete in the Ironman! I am so excited to run this race and hope you will join me in it.

Visit http://ugandavillageproject.org/racing-for-relief to make a tax-deductible donation UVP.

I truly appreciate the support, and I absolutely love thinking of the positive outcome that will result from all this training. All thanks to YOU!

No pain, no gain.

Always Running - Women's Open team

Mt. Si Relay Run

After the races.

No big deal.

No pain, no gain. Such truth in that statement. I took off for my ride early last Saturday morning. I was going to follow the path of the Always Running group ride to Fall City. I was hoping my ride that day would be at least by 60 miles, but ideally more.

It was 36 degrees when I left my house, with a windchill of 31. Add more wind to that (I usually ride between 15 and 22 mph) to create my very, VERY frozen and throbbing fingers. Let's just say the pain was bad enough to force me to stop at Starbucks only 8 miles in. I thawed out my digits and enjoyed a hot cocoa and scone. An hour later I took off again, as the temp had risen to a lovely 38 degrees.


From there on, the ride was great! I rode and rode... and rode... almost all the way to Snoqualmie Falls, where I was to turn around so Rob could catch me sooner than later. It was a great ride on the Sammamish River Trail and then through Fall City and back. 88 miles later I was back at Greenlake. And dreading the run to come. Deep down I wanted to keep riding and go 112 miles... because why not? But I knew I had a hard Sunday run ahead of me, so I stopped myself and biked into the drive of my house.


I threw on my running shoes, ate a banana and chocolate gu (yep, that's right!) and hit the lake running. My legs were JELLO. That's a tough transition. Finally by mile 3, my legs were feelinng quasi-normal. By the time they felt normal, my run was over.


So all in all a really great workout. The perfect boost of confidence I needed right now in my training.


And then the pain came. Again. Not frozen fingers but frozen legs. My loving fiance graciously escorted me to Greenlake where we icebathed our muscles. For ten whole minutes. Ten looooong minutes. The cold water helps to decrease inflammation in the muscles and speeds recory. Again there we have it. No pain, no gain.


But do not fear, there is still more to come! Sunday morning I woke up at 4:15.... PAIN! ;) I ran with the women's team of Always Running in the Mt. Si Relay in the Snoqualmie Valley. And lucky me... Tony so kindly assigned me to legs 5 (6.5 miles of uphill) and leg 10 (anchor). So good to me!

Turns out it was a really fun day. I had fun meeting new people and oddly enjoyed pushing myself up a big hill and then again to the finish line. My temporary pain in my extremely fatigued quads was TOTALLY worth it when I was presented with that beautiful 3rd place ribbon. Looks just like the ribbons from St. John's Track and Field days :) I mean, what a prize!

And topping off the great weekend was a delish dinner with Rob. It included veggies, fresh fish, and toasted sourdough bread. YUM. And then I hit the bed hard!

And now I've finished my post-work powerbar. Time for Greenlake...

T minus 80 days!

Jambo (the way Ugandans say hello)! I'll start off with a couple of pics. I figure I must put in a picture of the most epic run of my life! At the end of a 10 mile run at Discovery Park on March 13th, Rob dropped a knee! And my mouth dropped. And we are getting married!!!!

BUT most workouts aren't that exciting. And probably will never be ;) Usually they are about like this. Me on a trainer at L.A. Fitness going for miles but moving nowhere... well at least moving to the beat of some Michael Jackson or featured artist of a spin class.

Now time to write. Hello my long lost blog. Turns out when you are training for an Ironman, planning a wedding and busy being a resident... you don't have much time to do things like blog. But here I am :)

Well, the good news is I haven't been pantsed again! Praise the Lord! Bad news is that I got really sick last week and only worked out 3 times in the whole week :( BUT more good news... I'm better and back on track!

Here are my most recent tallies as of last Sunday, April 4th.

6 months of training has lead me to:

88 miles of swimming
2, 121 miles of biking
464 miles of running

I guess it seems like a decent amount of mileage put in so far... but the thought of waking up in less than three months to do an Ironman still is quite an incomprehensible thought. My feelings & thoughts about this whole thing currently are a nice little combination of fear and excitement. Luckily, I tend to be more excited than afraid. Yet in all reality, I have those moments where my stomach turns into a huge knot when I think about the task at hand. Moments of fear take over my whole body when I'm on a bike with a huge stomach cramp and thinking... 112 miles... and THEN a marathon. It seems impossible.

But thanks be to God, it's not. What reminds me that I can and WILL be an Ironman is knowing God has me in His work for a reason. He reminds me of why I'm doing this: His people in Uganda. Friends in Uganda who will have clean water. I mean CLEAN water that is CLOSE to their homes! Water that will not take life away but give life and hope.

And... people in Uganda, in far away villages, will be provided sustainable means and education that will empower them to live longer and healthier lives. I've experienced and seen the fruits of the work of UVP, so recognizing that and hoping in what's to come... is powerful. Powerful enough to get me to train like a madwoman. Powerful enough to take away my fears.

So, that's me as of today! I'm ready for a weekend ahead of a loooong bike ride in the sun and some running in a Mt. Si Relay with the Always Running crew. Should be good times!

And if you haven't checked out the Racing for Relief website, you should! Spread the word about Uganda Village Project and to those who you think may be interested. I only have 3 more months to promote His work and the amazing work of Uganda Village Project!

http://ugandavillageproject.org/racing-for-relief

OH and one more thing I would like to annouce to the world, to God and His people. I am giving up drinking diet coke. WOW. That is the heart of an Ironman. No more cool, crisp, rejuvinating diet cokes at 3:00 in the afternoon when I'm getting that wave of tiredness. Instead I will have water. I decided I need to be more hydrated for my workouts -- they are getting long and intense. And water is free and we have it available :) And it will better prepare my body for race day! Ok, I said it. Now you can all hold me accountable!

Full Moon at Sunrise

If you happened to be on Aurora by Greenlake at around 7:30 last Friday morning, you may have caught a glimpse of my BOOTY!

So, I took off for a quick 6 mile jog before work. Nothing out of the ordinary -- 2 laps around the lake I know and love. I left my house around 6:45 as the sun was rising and Greenlake was looking beautiful as the sun reflected off its still waters. I don't run with earphones or music these days, so I was enjoying my run and time of reflection and prayer.

I was about 5 miles in and really feeling my pace. I was on the outside trail of the lake and had just passed the crew/boat house and started to run beside the magnificent 99. When all of the sudden, before I have time to react... a man is right behind me and PULLS MY PANTS DOWN! That's right. He pulled my spandex running pants down to below my knees. My buns exposed to the world!

True story. So, I yell "OH MY GOSH!!!" as I'm pulling my pants up (alongside 99, mind you) and idiot/creeper man yells "OH **** I thought you were somebody else" and took off sprinting the other direction. Sprinting. My mouth was wide open as I watched him fade into the distance.

So, there I was. Pants pulled back up and confused/shocked... and well, continued with my run. That man better thank his lucky stars my ninja fiance did not see that. I wish SO bad he did! I hope that man goes to sleep every night knowing Rob is hunting him down...

I kind of just assumed this pants-ing man was just a normal man (yet obviously lacking proper judgement and decision making skills) who assumed I was his girlfriend or friend and thought he would be funny and play a practical joke. Turns out he could indeed be a creeper, so I'm actually going to file a police report.

So, there you have it. The adventures of an ironman in training! Let's hope that's the last time my booty makes an appearance on Aurora :)

Bike Rides!

Thought I would document some fun and scenic rides I've had over the past month thanks to the BEAUTIFUL weather.

Last week I was on the Centennial Trail in Lake Stevens, but unfortunately no photos. I think it was the farthest I have ever ridden - 50 miles - not even 1/2 of the race distance! Scary but I guess I trust the training schedule... and my body... and the good Lord....

Back to the rides. A couple weeks ago, Rob and I headed out to La Conner to enjoy wide open roads, sunshine, barns, daffodils, and the potent aroma of cow and horse dung! We had a good time and ended up getting in about 41 miles and finished just in time for sunset. We topped off the evening with a short run and some delicious pork tacos with Seth and Tana. Thank you, Rob!

daffodil field

about to take off
journeying
Watch out for tractors. And share the road! ;)

Beauty.

Going back further in time...

The first "spring" ride was a beautiful Sunday a few weeks ago. I took off with Rob and Phil... a little nervous I'd be playing catch-up with the boys, but it was indeed a good time. We headed to South Lake Washington and then across the I-90 bridge. We followed alongside I-90 for awhile and then turned around and hopped onto Mercer Island for a quick jaunt. Then we headed back and enjoyed some Arboretum action before riding up through the UW to get back home! I was definitely leading the way the whole time ;)

In the Porch basement before we took off.

Phil's doin the gu!

Rob owned the camera.

I-90 bridge - so fun

UW

This pic makes me laugh bc I look serious.

Well, that's all for now! We shall see what this weekend brings. I've really been enjoying riding (and running and swimming) and thinking of the funds that have already been donated to UVP and the changes that will happen because of that. Thanks to you out there who have already donated. You are amazing. Webalee!