run this amazing day

Tell me, what is it you plan to do  with your one WILD and PRECIOUS life?   - Mary Oliver My friend Elizabeth posted this quote the night before ironman and, like random voices and words tend to do in the last few hours before a race, it came along for the ride.  One of the many truths about ironman is that taking a shot at it, that is rare.  It isn't a 5K where I can race another one next weekend if I choke.  Months of preparation and many many dollars go into a single day, and I will be lucky enough to stand on this particular line very few times over the course of my life.   Part of my race plan included wearing my little hydration pack.  I did all my long runs with it, I had the idea that if I could avoid aide stations and be entirely self-sufficient, that would be a contributing factor to my success (despite the fact that I feel like a giant dork with it on; as my friend Scott said, you'll be the giant dork that gets to the finish line the fastest ).  It had everyth

The first thing I did as I rolled out was to glance down at my heart rate and it was 150, a number that I almost never see.  And I thought of Sonja saying whoaaaaa okay let's get that puppy down.   I spun easy up the little rollers out of the reservoir road, easy out onto 36, easy easy easy.  I finished the bar I had started in transition, started drinking, got down into my bars and settled into cruise.  My stomach felt a bit off, right away.  Not an off that I recognized, I almost never feel sick on the bike and if I do it's because something is trying to get out the bottom.  This was more of a sea-sick nausea funky weirdness.  I got going into my nutrition anyway, knowing that deviating from the plan could be a far bigger disaster in the sum total of the day and knowing that I've been on the OSMO " food in the pocket, hydration in the bottle " plan for long enough that I trust it, it works, it has never failed me.  My salty balls were repulsive, that was odd,

I am a the biggest extrovert in the world (I hope everyone is ready to see this picture reposted at least a dozen times in the next six months to accompany whatever random thought I think it accentuates). However, despite the fact that I love people and I'm all let's ride bikes and have drinks and go out to dinner do you want to go running with me let's be friends can we be friends , I cannot deal with huge crowds, lollygaggers and traffic and lots of humans, particularly sweaty and wearing too much compression, bunched up in one place.  So the ironman expo crowds always make me crazy.  The fortunate thing about living in Boulder is that I was able to hit packet pickup early on Thursday and then get the hell out of town before I stabbed someone.  Friday was a more relaxed day, I hung out with my beautiful speedo men and annoyed the shit out of everyone with my taper happiness, I had breakfast and a pedicure with my girl, I took a nap, and then headed out to one of the pl

Yes, I am writing a race report for two hours of prancing around Boulder without any pants on.  And by "writing," I mean, "setting a good example as a blogger/coach/athlete/human by posting a lot of carefully cropped photos with some words sprinkled around that no one is going to read anyway." I heard the rumblings of an underpants run about two weeks out from the race.  Being 33 years old, and in good shape, and relatively obnoxious not to mention loud, I jumped on the chance to embrace it.  I pow-wow'd with one of my close friends here in Boulder, Jen - she gets most of the credit for the design and I'll take the hit for the 50-gallon foam cowboy hats.  (This is Geoff, our massage therapist, who was legitimately concerned that all of his clients would find it awkward to be around HIM not wearing much clothing.  That makes me laugh.).   The run started and ended at Boulder Running Company.  We got dressed at the gym and rode over since SOMEONE didn