Swimmin' 'Fast'

I seriously need to start swimming faster.

Last night I had an awesome swim…even given the fact that I had tri-camp the night before and my muscles were trashed. Claudine, my swim coach gave me intervals 5 x 100 on 1:50’s (50 of the 100 backstroke, ugh) and 5 x 100 on 1:45’s and I actually made them (well only a few and I was super close on the others, but still!).

I think I was just showing off for my friend Donna, who is the best swimmer EVER. Here’s how crazy fast she is. She’s kicking…with a kick board…no fins…no goggles…and lapping me (ok, almost lapping me)…What? I was booking it to try to keep her from lapping me while I am supposed to be swimming ‘fast’! I remember thinking to myself, holy cow, I have triceps! Where did these come from? I don’t remember feeling them while swimming before! Did I work them too much the night before?...maybe…was I working them hard during this swim?...heck yes!

I now know the secret to swimming faster…swimming FASTER! (OK, I always knew that, but don’t practice this ‘fast’ too often!). So, I am setting new interval goals (10 x 100 on 1:40’s) by the end of the year, I do want to swim ‘fast’ (steady and confident) at Coeur d’Alene right?

Here’s looking to the next pool session in the manana! Happy Friday!

Screw Training, I am getting one of these!

WOW...what a week!

So it's been a while since either H2 or I have blogged! It's been crazy busy. It starts with Halloween...

Heather as Kat Von D...at our Wednesday night training session!!!

Then it was the 30th birthday madness! Thank you to all of my friends and family. You are all wonderful people and couldn't do what I do without you!

The morning after the big surprise...

Birthday Fun!

So, it's not quite my birthday, but mom has already sent some good gifts. Check out this sweet suit from Splish.




I think this is what they mean when they say 'pirate booty'!!!!


And look at these orange wellies...I haven't been so excited for rain!

Marathon

Wow! What a day for a marathon! Kelly and I ran the Kansas City Marathon yesterday and once again, the Gunn came through strong! She had set a goal to run a four hour marathon and what did she do? She busted her goal and came in UNDER four hours!! I'm telling you, once that woman has her mind set and focused on something... WATCH OUT! she has a will and determination like no other. Kelly consistently shows that that she will finish Couer d'Alene and will finish strong and happy. Me on the other hand, just had a fun race. I didn't look at my watch once and just enjoyed the scenery and the people. In retrospect, I know I could have picked it up and ran a better marathon. Why I continue to doubt my abilities is beyond me. I think I need a serious spanking by my coach- I've been beating myself up too much lately. I really picked it up the last two miles and was feeling good when I crossed the finish line. I wonder what would have happened if I would have pushed in the middle? Funny enough- I was at mile 19 1/2 and looked over at one of the volunteers and was blown away. It was an old buddy of mine from college that I hadn't seen in about 20 years! We chatted a bit and then I remembered I was running a marathon and needed to get my rearend moving! What a crazy thing to happen!
Not only did Kelly PR but one of our sole sisters, Patricia Rosa, qualified for Boston! Way to go, P! All the hard work and focus paid off. We were all so happy, it was almost like we all qualified!
Marathon over.... what's in store now?

Octoginta 2009

So last Sunday was the 2009 Octoginta Ride here in Lawrence. It was dedicated to Dr. Bob Frederick, who was killed in a bike accident earlier this summer. His wife and a couple of his kids were at the start. It was a nice tribute to Dr. Bob.

It was freezing...well not really but it was super cold. Not very comfortable riding weather...at least for me. On my way to meet Heather downtown, I fell. Just like a NEWBIE. Super embarrassing.

During the first 20 miles or so, we both were debating whether we wanted to do the 80 or make it a bit shorter and just ride 60...I just said 'just 60'...how sick is that?! We decided to buck up and go ahead and ride the 80 miles, or so we thought...

We were ready to be done around 60-65 miles. We were thinking where we could get picked up at! 'Keep at it, we'll be done soon' we kept telling our selves. Let's pick off the miles 10 at a time. So we did. Until we get to what we thought was mile 70...'yes! 10 to go!' Oh, no. The volunteer at the aid station indicated the course was long and we had about 15 to go. This same poor guy said to Heather, 'just think of it this way, you have 6 miles until the next aid station and then another 8 or 9 until the finish, easy!' Poor guy...we now have a priceless quote from a not so happy Heather...'we don't go by 6 at a time! We go by 10 at a time!'...and another one, 'well it would have been nice to know, they should have put that on the map!' (that the course was long)

Needless to say, it was a long 15 miles to the finish. But, totally worth it. Yummy minestrone soup for the soul at the finish. AND we had completed our longest ride EVER! Woo Hoo!

Seriously, drivers...

People, quit texting, grabbing for your oversized 240 oz soda (in a styrofoam cup, mind you) and talking on the phone while you are driving. I cannot tell you how many people had to swerve to not hit me today! I was in the BIKE LANE! There is an EXTRA two plus feet for bikers and runners to use! Pay attention! And...do all non runners stare? UGH!

It turned out to be a great run regardless of the inattentive people who should not be on the road!

Happy Sat.!

Sometimes I don't want to talk about training

Ok so what I do want to talk about is my amazing son! That kid never ceases to amaze me and this morning was no exception. We are experiencing his first Homecoming and Spirit Week as a freshman at BVNW ( my tummy gets that good feeling as all the memories of my Homecomings are being lived again ( but not my senior year- that one needs to be forgotten)). It's so awesome to see the whole school get involved- I could count on my hands this morning the kids I saw that were NOT dressed up according to the theme of the day. They start every morning with short dances created by groups of boys in each class and my son, Oliver, was performing today. Two words- fabulous and hilarious! Those kiddos can dance! All those new moves- the jerking and the twitching.. I don't know what they're called but it sure beats the sprinkler for sure!!! The group of seven ended  their dance with Oliver doing a back flip- I was nervous because he was on a cement floor, not a spring floor- but he landed it and the crowd erupted with applause and wild chants of 'Freshmen, Freshmen!'. Now we're on the countdown to the big dance.... I'll be a mess.. my baby is just growing up too fast!!!

Pity Pary is Over...

So let me back up to Wednesday...I had a pity party...all the favorites were invited...wine, cookie dough ice cream... I have been having issues with my left hamstring and the doc told me on Wednesday that I had a small....tear, yes, tear (mind you, this was the second time he has told me this!). So my world came tumbling down (again). Only 3 weeks til my PR race and I go and hurt my leg (again). So after a couple of 'pick me up' emails, I picked myself back up...on Friday.

Friday night...a 3,000 yard swim
Saturday morning...22 miler with the KC girls...thanks girls for the mud run!
Sunday morning...bike ride with Donna and Rafe...thank guys for the great ride!
Sunday afternoon...lake time with Robert...thanks honey!

Ahh, feels so much better after the party is over. Bring on the week!

A Stunt Woman I was not meant to be....

It's the craziest thing- I keep falling on Saturday long runs. Not just a little trip or stumble, but a full-on, down to the ground fall. The first time was in Lawrence and as Kelly said, 'I was a bloody mess'. My arm and leg were scraped up and blood had gotten all over my shirt. Yep, pretty nasty. I was just about healed when, crash!- right on the Trolley Trail where there are of course, tons of people. How embarassing! Same side and everything. This time, I stopped the fall by jamming my elbow into my ribs and as we all know, there's nothing you can do for broken, cracked or fractured ribs but dope up on heavy pain medication. Thankfully, mine are just bruised but don't get me wrong, it's still pretty painful. I choose not to dose up on pills but instead choose sport-induced endorphins. Swimming last night with Kelly was awesome- it was fun to have someone to chat with and to remind each other, WE LOVE SWIMMING!. Tonight is Runner's Edge speed sessions so we'll see how that goes. I have a feeling I won't be leaving anyone in my dust but I'll give it my best. Let's just hope I don't fall.....

Lewis and Clark 1/2 Marathon, Sept. 13, 2009

Where to begin...Saturday afternoon, Heather, Angela, Patricia and I met at...oh yes, Trader Joe's. I am pretty sure that is the only reason the girls wanted to do this race! I have never been to Trader Joe's, so, I was not aware that chocolate covered edamame was like gold! I the four of us bought enough to feed a small army (that's about 33 containers...) Just image the shopping cart. So for those who haven't had it, yes, they are that good.

After Joe's, we went to Clayton for dinner. It was the St. Louis Art Fair, unfortunately, there was not time to browse the art. We were on a mission to eat. We found a place were we all could eat, i.e. vegetarion options, no wait, called Portabello's. We laughed, a lot, pissed off the waiter, and ate some really great food. Oh, and Patricia shared a really YUMMY secret! After dinner, it was back to the hotel to sample all of our Trader Joe goodies. Yum!

Without going into a race report, here's the recap. Patrica PR'd by two minutes, whoo hoo! Angie was right behind her and had a great race. Heather has had better races, weeks, luck etc...and wound up finishing strong. I had a good race, felt very strong and just about ready for KC Marathon...PR or the ER!



It was a great course, great weather and great friends. Thank you to my hubby for helping my parents while I had fun with the gals! I was beat and so were my pups! We all napped on the way back to Lawrence!

"That's what the sign says"

This phrase will go down in our training history.It was coined by the Gunn to some people we were riding with on Sunday who obviously couldn't follow or read signs. We had just passed a huge sign that said Highway 71 and they thought we were going the wrong way, that we needed to be on 71. Kelly let them know we were and they were just perplexed as to how she knew that. Out came the comment... OH BOY! We did have a great ride after getting warmed up and getting past the 'packs'. Even though we wouldn't consider ourselves the most experienced riders, we do know what the term, 'on your left' means and especially, 'CAR BACK'. We were holding our breath as we watched people riding four across as a car was trying to get by. Those are the people that give bikers a bad name and I was getting pretty riled up because some morons were acting so reckless. One woman even had a mirror and she couldn't see or hear me, I guess, as I gave her an 'on your left'- she didn't even budge or try to get over. Yes, frustrating. Other than those few 'moments', the rest of the ride was full of hills and laughs. More time in the seat....

Summer Breeze, August 30, 2009

So the summer breeze ride, was not so summery. The ride started at 7 am and 52 degrees. Holy cow, we were freezing! The ride was put on by the Kansas City Bike Club. Heather and I only did the 45 mile route so we didn't get to see all the SAGs. The first stop was a bit of a cluster, but the second one was the good one (see picture above). Don't get me wrong, it's wasn't margarita, jello shot, slip-n-slide good, but good. Of course we couldn't eat what they had served for lunch, but we made do. I had a cole slaw and pickle sandwich, actually it was pretty good!


After lunch, the weather started to warm up and we had a nice ride and good conversation on the way back to Longview.
Unfortunately, there was no party at the finish....what...no celebratory beer?!

Ode to our coach

Oh Benny boy- how we love and hate you so. We curse you when our legs feel like they are going to fall apart and we love you when the workout is done and we've survived. We hate you as we count lap after lap in the pool and love you when we realize we just swam almost two miles and still feel like we have energy. We hate you when our backs and crotches are on fire even when standing up on the bike and love you when it's time to clip out of our pedals and freak out knowing how far we rode. We hate you when we see the week's worth of workouts and we love you knowing the time you are putting into making us both Ironman finishers. We hate that you are a maniac and will train in any of the curves Mother Nature throws and we love you that you push us to do the same so we are completely prepared come race day.
We are both so happy you are our coach- you bring out the best in both of us, which we love! Good luck to you in Louisville on Sunday- we will be rooting for you!!! You have trained long and hard for this one and you deserve to have the race of your life!

Lance is going to be an IM!

Rest day

Ahh.. what to do, what to do. I have a rest day on my schedule- yesterday was a run and bike- not too bad. Kelly came and joined the girls and I so of course, the run went quickly and was a blast. People always ask runners, "What do you talk about that whole time"? I can't even beging to list the topics but let's just say P Rosa got us started on a doozie of one and our goal pace miles went from 9 minute miles to less then 8:30's. Yes! It was that interesting!! It's hard for me to be not getting ready for a workout and planning my day around that, even knowing my muscles need the recovery. You'd think I would be relieved but actually, it causes me a bit of anxiety. I'm really wondering if a rest day means I don't have to clean my house, either. Now that takes some work! I see all the clothes that need to be washed- where do they come from? I do laundry every day it seems.... the vacumn needs to be run, the dishwasher emptied and filled again, the kitchen floor scrubbed and then there's my pile of ironing- UGH! Does anyone iron everything at once these days? Oh, except my mom?
It's going to be a gorgeous day! I think I'll forget about what to do and get out on the deck and finish my book. Now that's a rest day!!

This WILL make your Day!

Sunrise

Alarm clock goes off at 5:15. I listen closely- darn it! No storm, no lightning. That means there is no getting out of my swim workout. I let the dogs out and am hoping it's going to be freezing which would give me another out. Not so lucky, it wasn't bad out at all. So, I got my swim stuff on, grabbed my bag and off I went. It was my first time swimming at Roeland Park with the masters so I didn't know what to expect. I pulled into the parking lot and already the water was full of swimmers. I knew then that there were no excuses. It actually looked really cool watching people swimming in this lit up pool in the dark. I paid my money, talked to the coach for a bit and got down to business. There were three other people in my lane- all very nice and welcoming. I ended up having a great swim and I've got to tell you, being able to watch the sunrise as it turned the sky a beautiful shade of pink was absolutely spectacular. Call me crazy but being in the water at 6 am is actually not such a bad thing at all.

Our ride buddy Julie, who really kept the pace!

Heather and Kelly at the post ride party!

Amount of rain that fell once we left Bike Source.

Ben on our shoulders

Ahhh, what a beautiful morning for a bike ride... NOT. Text messages started flying back and forth between Kelly and I this morning around 5 am as we woke to pouring rain and lots of lightning. The plan was to ride the Sunflowers to Roses ride and get about 60 + miles on the seat. We had both been looking forward to it all week but it was looking like the ride just wasn't going to happen. Radar was checked with no sign of relief from the rain in sight and we were back and forth trying to decide what to do. I was looking in the race packet to find a number to call and saw in the frequently asked questions section that the ride would take place rain or shine. So, Kelly jumped in her jeep and made her way from Lawrence to meet me at Bike Source, the start of the ride. I arrived and no one had left yet- the parking lot was full of bikers either still sitting in their cars or standing with their bikes under big umbrellas. They pushed the start to 8 am instead of 7:30 and after the champagne toast, a group headed out on the route. Kelly arrived and at this point, we were still debating whether or not to go because it was pouring like mad and the lightning continued. We both knew what the other was thinking but didn't express it until later. What were we thinking? That we would never hear the end of it from our coach, Ben, if we didn't get our butts on our bikes and ride. He doesn't like excuses and expects us to train in all the elements because, as we all know, race day could bring anything. We ended up taking off with a couple we had just met and through the first 10+ miles took a beating with the wind and rain. Finally it stopped and soon we were at our first rest stop to grab a bite, drink, rest, etc. We didn't stay there long and hopped back on our bikes- at this point, the weather had started shaping up and we knew we were in for a fun day. The fun really escalated at the mile 30+ rest stop. The sun was popping out and lo and behold, there were margaritas, beer, jello shots, food and a slip-n-slide. We did not indulge in the slippping and sliding but of course, did not turn down the margaritas! It was a well earned drink, we savored every sip. We loaded up on food and just as we were leaving, our arms were twisted into slamming a jello shot. Wow! I haven't done one of those in many, many, years. We were really ready to tackle any upcoming hills after that! Off we went with a tailwind- FINALLY- and started on the road back to Bike Source. The reward at the end was a nice cold beer at the post ride party and once again, it was a well deserved drink. It's hard to believe, but Kelly and I shut that party down. We were the last riders there- we were having such a good time reliving the day. Both of us, tired as we were, were very thankful for having Ben on our shoulder at all times pushing us and not letting us fall off the line. What a day! Thanks, Ben!!!

H2 and Gunnz in Belize

Heather and I in Belize for my wedding, November 08. What a fun trip! We were on our way to Laughing Bird Caye for a great day of snorkeling.

On Laughing Bird Caye, Heather is watching the diving pelicans.

'Rehearsal Dinner' at the Barefoot Beachbar where Heather learned to Punta. You'll have to look that dance up!

The Non- Negotiable

Direction from Coach Ben- you must join a Masters swim group. NON- NEGOTIABLE. So, tonight I drug myself to the pool at PV to put myself through a grueling workout with the Masters. I guess I was too excited and arrived about 15 minutes early. I sat on a lounge chair watching other people swim- some of the triathletes getting in their swim time, I know very well. I'm just kind of spacing off and who do I see in the water? Coach Ben! I guess I get brownie points now since I held to my end of the non-negotiable. He could see for himself that I was there at the pool and would be putting in my workout with the group. His reason for me swimming with this group makes perfect sense- to get faster in the water, swim with faster people. We chatted for awhile and then it was time for me to get started. I can't believe I'm going to say this but it was actually ok! Having a workout with varied distances and drills seemed to make the time go much faster. It didn't hurt that I was kicking the guy's ass that was swimming in my lane. That never happens to me! I put in 2700 m and am not dead- I'm assuming that means progress is being made. The thing about swimming that perplexes me is that I'm always absolutely starving afterwards! I just can't get enough food it seems. I wonder if everyone else feels this way or if it's just some weird thing with my body. Anyway, another swim behind me.. two more for the week to go!

The Beginning

It all began on a hot night in May 2008. Kelly and I met at EnduraCamp, which was put on by pro-triathlete Ben Schloegel and his gang of top-notch triathletes from the KC area. We were in the throes of training for the Lawrence 70.3- the first half Ironman for both of us and the camp was to be a grueling five days of all three disciplines to get an idea of what we were up against in accomplishing our goal of finishing a half IM. We both made it through and along the way, began to develop a close friendship. I guess those who sweat together, stay together, right? Or maybe it was during the long rides and runs, discovering we both had a great love for drinking wine, animals, the outdoors, the environment, vegetarian food and many other things. We continued to train together to get ready for the big day, June 15, 2008. We were both poised to finish with flying colors but Mother Nature had other plans for us and countless other athletes pouring their hearts out on the swim, bike and run. With two miles left to reach the finish line we were directed, with much confusion and frustration, to the finish chute. The storm that had rolled in was causing too much concern so the race director made the decision to shut down the course for the safety of the athletes. I can't even begin to explain the feeling of being so close to getting something you've worked so hard for taken from you. Many tears were shed, many naughty words spoken and many mad athletes left Lawrence that day with no bling around their neck. The disappointment of that day led Kelly and I to immediately register for another half Ironman in order to reward ourselves for all our hard work and to 'really' cross the finish line. Redman it was and with much excitement, we both made our goals of 'really' finishing. We came down the chute with all the miles behind us- a true finish! We were exhausted but completely giddy as we drove back to Kansas City that afternoon. We celebrated in style with Spin Pizza and red wine at my house with my hubby and son. Since then, we have become like family and my husband and I got the pleasure of attending the beautiful wedding of Robert and Kelly in Belize. Kelly and I continued to talk about the Full Ironman and how we both wanted to someday attempt that feat. Next thing you know, a bleacher workout, a salad from Ingredient, a bottle of white and a registration confirmation for Couer d'Alene. Here we go........