2015 Race For A Soldier

 

 

Kyle Marshall Farr came back home “safe” from Iraq, but no so safe. He had PTSD, which sadly claimed his life. His mom, Leslie Mayne, an admirable woman, decided that Kyle’s death would not be in vain. Her mission was to get the necessary reform to help our military men and women suffering PTSD. She was determined to make Race For A Soldier, an instrument to bring awareness to our communities, military, and government that PTSD is a heartbreaking reality costing the lives of our men and women that have served for our freedom.

Exhausted

I'm not the only one, I've read several reports from other FB people that they just can't get enough sleep. This is when injuries happen so I'm being very careful. This morning I slept in until 9am, unheard of for me lately.
Today the only exercise I got was a 22 minute walk at the YMCA after I renewed my membership. I need a place to swim and the Y in Bremerton is so close to work that I can't go wrong. I'll swim before and/or after work. But I need a new bathing suit, my old one that fits is threadbare and see through, my others are too small since I've gained weight in the last 9 months.
This morning I did weigh in at 149.2, the least amount I have weighed in about 3 months.
I am enjoying having the CompuTrainer, its getting used a lot. The bummer is that if I take my bike outside for a good weather ride then I have to reset the CT and I'm too lazy. So last week I rode the trainer for a 3 hour ride, and I've ridden it several times for 2+ hour rides. They say indoor training is better for you than outdoor.

Ramping Up

This week the official amount of hours my training plan calls for is about 15 hours. So far I've completed 4 hours of training, all running and biking. Tomorrow will be more biking.
Neither of the two wetsuits I picked up from Wetsuitrentals.com will work, both are too big so I'll be returning them for another one or two.
I am also going to sign up for the YMCA again so I can get my miles in swimming. I think I'll be going in tomorrow for that.

58 Days To Go

There are only 58 days until Ironman Arizona. I got in a good 2:28 bike ride today, completed one loop of the IMAZ bike course on the computrainer. it kicked my ass. But I did it in good time. But I won't be able to do that fast two times in a row and I will need to do 3 loops come race day.
I also took one of the borrowed wetsuits to the lake and tried it ut, its too big. Arms too long, just big all over. Rinsed out, drying in the shower. I'll have to get out to the lake in the next 2 days to try the other one.
Tomorrow I'm supposed to run and ride. I'm so far behind in my training, it just sad. I have a full week of work coming up too, Tuesday I'll be working 4:15am -6:15pm. Too stinking long. Tomorrow its just 10 hours, I might have time to run afterward.

Black Diamond Race Report

Black Diamond Half Iron Distance 70.3 miles

 

1.2 mile swim: I chicked a dude and peed in Lindas wetsuit 5 times. FIVE TIMES! Before swim start Lan asked me what my swim time would be, I told him 50. It was 50:12.9.

 

T1:  Its always nice having the whole area to use because everyone else is already out on the bike.  4:48.6

 

Bike 56 miles: I chicked a dude. Stinky dead deer on the side of the road, had to smell it 4 times. I always thought this was a hilly course before but its not, its nothing like the hills we have in Kitsap County, so I was in aero a lot. My neck hurt from looking up so I didn't look up sometimes, just followed the white line. Greg Pelton chit chatted with me for a sec as he passed me at mile 50-ish. (WHY did Greg pass me at mile 50? Could it have been the 4 flats he got?? (Thank God it was him and not me (or I'd still be out there (and I wasn't calling YOU an asshole when you passed, I was calling that truck that honked at us an asshole)))) PR'd for this distance of a ride with 3:39:38.8.

 

T2: Once again I had transition all to myself. 3:09.8

 

Run 13.1 miles: I'll just set this right here, I needed to poop and it wasn't happening. This was my problem at IMCDA and a couple months ago at the See Jane Run Half Marathon. Tummy hurt. I will test prunes soon. My slowest time for a half marathon is 3:29:14 and my fastest was 2:24:28, today I took 3:00:59.5. It wouldn't have taken much to sub 3 hours, shoot.

 

Overall race time 7:38:49.6 was a PR!! and I beat 2 other people, yay, so proud of myself. But it's the only 70.3 distance race I've ever done.  7/ 7 in my age group, 58th of 60 female finishers,  48/60 swim, 44/60 bike and 57/60 run. (additional results not posted online yet).

 

I stole the results sheet off the restroom wall and I see 3 other ladies I know. And I got to talk to Patty Swedberg and Diana Hull.  And Lan ROCKS as a Sherpa, I'd hire him any time.

 

I HIGHLY recommend this course in case you were interested and Raise The Bar did a fantastic job with the whole event, there was plenty of good food at the end and everyone was all smiles, all day. OK, maybe not everyone all day.

 

I lost 1.2 pounds today.

 

 

 

Big Race Coming Up

I've got my first Half Iron Distance race this weekend, the Black Diamond Triathlon.

 

 

I've done a sprint out there, and the Olympic, this is my first HIM. Ever.

 

I've done a few practice halfs so to actually race it will be different. I'm not excited about the swim at all.

Swim- 1.2 miles

 

I AM excited for the bike ride, 56 miles in the countryside. I was out there the other day and tried to ride the course but the road signs don't work very well. I was going to right way but couldn't tell so I turned around and went the other way so I went about 2/3s of one loop. I was surprised because in the past even those hills were very trying to me but the other day I felt great and I got up them easily. They didn't feel like never ending misery mountains.

 

The run is 13.1 miles, mostly flat. I've been out there cheering for other people doing the HIM and it seems like they were always in the heat. I know two years ago it was about 90 out there. The current forecast is calling for 72* in the afternoon so a bit chilly in the morning.

 

The sucky thing about the race is that they will start the spring swimmers first, then the men HIM's & finally the women HIM's. I'm such a slow swimmer that I'll be the last out of the lake and last onto my bike. Its going to suck really bad.

 

Here is some good news:

Lan & I sold the old farm, it no longer is a cause for stress in our lives. We did get into an argument this morning about which bills to pay off because we didn't get all we had wanted and he insisted we pay his parents back. Meanwhile, I was insisting we pay off my VISA that we've been making house payments with. Fucker was up to $13,300 and I've never owed that much on credit cards before. It was freaking me out, especially since the payments were $354. But we didn't pay off my BECU and ALL of that was for fencing and crap over there so I'll still be paying $3300 to them, probably for the next 5 years. Ugh.

 

He insisted that we pay off his VISA and leave me with mine but no fucking way. I am the one who paid the $20,000 down payment for the old farm, I am the one who paid the Voses $15,000 cash plus $7,000 for their back taxes. That came out of the sale of my Tacoma house so he might think the old farm was HIS but we wouldn't have had it at all if I hadn't paid that shit. I also paid off the timeshare that he enjoys every year.

 

So we will get a cashiers check to pay off his parents for the $16,000 they loaned us for the new farm down payment, plus his dad made one farm payment for us $1,300 but after paying off the car and my VISA we are about $1,000 short in what we owe them. So they will have to wait for that last thousand.

 

And his dad will just go squander it anyway and that pisses me off. I mean, they can do whatever with it that they want but it came out of his moms 401k and should go back in to it but his dad will go to all the auctions and buy all the crap he can cram into his car or truck or fuck, why not buy another fucking RV or trailer?

 

They took this thing out ONE WEEKEND and until 2 months ago it was sitting over at the old farm. Now its sitting over at their own farm and its going to be destroyed. He paid $12,000 for it and right now it might be worth $8,000, if he was lucky. On the one weekend they did take it out after they got home they didn't clean it out. just left the blankets half on the bed, the sheets were half off and blankets half on the floor. There were dirty cups in each room and bottles half full of pop all over. They left garbage in it, food in the fridge. WTF?

 

 

 

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I have a half Ironman Distance race this weekend; I'm pretty sure I can do it but what if?? I still haven't gone farther than 60 miles on any of my rides. That's NOT good enough for an Ironman. Tomorrow I'm going out to Enumclaw to ride the bike course, one lap of the 2 lap course. Then I should run for a while too, since my training plan calls for it. I could run around the lake. I'm such a slow swimmer that I'll be last out of the water of all the racers of the day.

Two weeks later I have the Race For A Soldier Half Marathon in Gig Harbor. Its my favorite half because the proceeds go to a good cause, to soldiers with PTSD. At the race, they call it Permission To Start Dreaming. The lady who founded it lost her soldier son to suicide and this helps more soldiers to deal with the bad stuff. One of the ways is by supporting a horseback riding program and it helps a lot of them.

Ironman Arizona is only about 10 weeks away. I don't feel ready. Today I was stressing out about that and a whole lot of other shit.

Like, the old farm hasn't sold. It was supposed to close on the 10th but the appraiser didn't get the shit done in time. Now they need ANOTHER extension. This bullshit is stressing me out and I'm gaining weight.

I've also been working full time and that cuts into my working out time and makes me more tired. We do have a new bid out and I'll find out in a week or so which position I'll be in. They have made two more shifts at my dock, a 38 hour and a 31 hour, both have graveyard shifts, one has two graveyards and 2 swings. All selling hours so they will be paying $25 per hour. Of course I bid on them but I don't really want to get either of them. I also bid for the Point Defiance positions, one of which is Monday - Friday, 11:30-6:30 mom & tues and 1:30-6:30 wed thurs fri. I could ride my freaking bike to work!