He's done his first two laps ... done well with pace but talk about sweat monster. There must be 5 soaked shirts drying on the stumps around our makeshift based camp. He also changed out of his new shoes ... yes new shoes on race day - worn in the face of the don't use new equipment on race day!
Jon and Janelle showed up with coffee for the group - thanks to them for the caffeine boost! Shaun and Kelly will be along about the time that Jeff finishes his third loop.
20100327
12.5 in the books
perfectly on pace for this loop ... he'll probably go fast on the second loop ...
got his supplements, gave us an extremely sweaty sweatshirt (which is drying outside before being allowed in the car) ... the new shoes are working out well ...
As Miranda Priestly would say .... "That's all"
got his supplements, gave us an extremely sweaty sweatshirt (which is drying outside before being allowed in the car) ... the new shoes are working out well ...
As Miranda Priestly would say .... "That's all"
and he's off ...
It's 6am and the 100 mile endurance insanity, I mean race has begun. It's dark, it's cold but at least it's not raining. Perfect day to run - at least for Jeff.
We expect him finish the first 12.5 mile loop in 1.5 to 2 hours ... keep an eye out for the next post.
We expect him finish the first 12.5 mile loop in 1.5 to 2 hours ... keep an eye out for the next post.
20100326
One DAY To Go!
I'm here in Raleigh and ready to hit this thing hard! I feel good and I've got all my supplies ready to go. We're just about ready to go to packet pickup and the race briefing, followed by a yummy Italian dinner. 18 hours to go!!
20100320
One Week To Go!
Here we go people!! In one week I will begin another 100 mile journey at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC. I will post updates during the week as the day nears.
So far this year, I've run the Disney Marathon (3:13, 172nd of 16885 overall), the Gasparilla Marathon (3:04 - a new PR, 37th overall of 2090), and a long slow 32 mile run in Tampa with some friends. I'm ready to conquer the 100 mile challenge again! This time I hope to run the race smarter (which hopefully means "faster"...last year I went out too fast and slowed WAY down at Mile 80) and be able to PR. I hope I've learned my lesson!
More details to come!
So far this year, I've run the Disney Marathon (3:13, 172nd of 16885 overall), the Gasparilla Marathon (3:04 - a new PR, 37th overall of 2090), and a long slow 32 mile run in Tampa with some friends. I'm ready to conquer the 100 mile challenge again! This time I hope to run the race smarter (which hopefully means "faster"...last year I went out too fast and slowed WAY down at Mile 80) and be able to PR. I hope I've learned my lesson!
More details to come!
20091231
Bring It On, 2010!!
Here we are, at the brink of a new year. It's been a little over two years since I started this blog and I feel as though I haven't done it justice this year. I will try to change that in 2010.
They say things come in threes. Specifically, "they" say deaths come in threes. I don't know why "they" say this...but "they" have been right so many times.
Early this year, our dog, Sable, had to be put down...she was 19, so she had a long full life, but it was still hard on Brian and me to lose a friend.
Then, in April, my best friend, soul sister, and closest confidant, Terri, lost her 4-year-long fight with cancer. It was a loss I couldn't fathom at the time, and still have a hard time believing. Sometimes I still think of calling her or texting her but quickly realize that it would be impossible. When someone's been a 20-year-long friend, it's hard to let go of the "usual stuff" like calling just to say hi or sending a daily email. It becomes habit.
It never occurred to me that "deaths come in threes". After Sable and Terri, I didn't think anything else would happen. Then, this past Monday, I realized fate still had its chance to make it three for the year. Three months ago, Brian and I adopted our puppy, Savanna, a 12-month-old Catahoula Leopard Hound, from Animal Friends Society, a rescue organization out of Tampa. This past Monday morning, she got away from us. She thought it was play time and started running around. She got carried away with her energy, ran out into the street and was hit by a car...killing her instantly. I still see the event in my head and I keep hearing that crack over and over again. I went temporarily insane I think. I fell prostrate when I heard it, screaming NOOOOOOO over and over. When I brought the car around and saw her, I just fell apart. Her blank eyes just staring up from the cold pavement broke my heart into a thousand pieces. A million. I was unable to move. Brian had to lift me into the car. I insisted on riding with her in the back of the truck. I wanted to be with her as much as I could. As Brian drove to the hospital I held her in my arms as her heartbeat faded away to nothing and she died. My sweet girl was gone. I sobbed uncontrollably. I don't know why Nature, or God, or fate, or what- or whoever saw fit to take our little girl from us but I do believe that things happen for a reason. Maybe this means that now we'll get to save another Catahoula from a shelter where he or she may have died without ever having been loved. That is my hope.
We can never know why things happen. But I firmly believe things happen for a reason. So I'm hanging on to that notion as we pass from 2009 into 2010.
I have experienced a lot of successes in sports, and a fair amount of personal happiness this year as well. I finished my first 100-mile run, a race I'll return to next year. I set PR's in a bunch of running distances and PR'ed in both triathlon distances I raced this year (sprint and Olympic). I achieved my first triathlon age-group win, and my first top-5 finish in a sub-marathon distance race. I ran my first sub-1:30 half marathon...a big step for me since I'm pushing hard for that 2:59 marathon mark.
Brian and I are still going strong, and we've really transformed our condo into an IKEA catalog! We have had some stresses this year with finances but we refused to let it consume us. Luckily now, with Brian's new awesome job based in Canada, we are doing much better. Christmas was a wonderful holiday for us as we, after almost 2 years together, have started wearing commitment rings, bonding our souls forever.
I got to find out what it's like to be a personal trainer. Although, in the end, I wound up going back to engineering full time, I now know what it's like to work in such an exciting field. I will return to it in some capacity, even if it is just doing boot camps and training a few private clients. It was fun, and I really made some great friends. Coach Q is not out of the picture!
People tell me to concentrate on the good and let go of the bad. This is definitely good advice. However, I would really like to let go of 2009, despite its good points. Having lost two animal friends and the closest friend I've EVER had in my 35 years, I'd really like to forget about 2009 and welcome 2010 with open arms. It really just HAS to be better. Although I can't guarantee that, I feel that 2010 has to be a better year than 2009 was. It's time to start a new year, a new decade, a new chapter in my life. I will return to Ironman racing in 2010, and I am hoping a lot of new and exciting things will happen over the next year.
Sure, there will be stress. But I'm stronger now. 2009 definitely built up my mental and emotional strengths. It revealed my weaknesses. But to 2010, I can only say...
BRING IT!
They say things come in threes. Specifically, "they" say deaths come in threes. I don't know why "they" say this...but "they" have been right so many times.
Early this year, our dog, Sable, had to be put down...she was 19, so she had a long full life, but it was still hard on Brian and me to lose a friend.
Then, in April, my best friend, soul sister, and closest confidant, Terri, lost her 4-year-long fight with cancer. It was a loss I couldn't fathom at the time, and still have a hard time believing. Sometimes I still think of calling her or texting her but quickly realize that it would be impossible. When someone's been a 20-year-long friend, it's hard to let go of the "usual stuff" like calling just to say hi or sending a daily email. It becomes habit.
It never occurred to me that "deaths come in threes". After Sable and Terri, I didn't think anything else would happen. Then, this past Monday, I realized fate still had its chance to make it three for the year. Three months ago, Brian and I adopted our puppy, Savanna, a 12-month-old Catahoula Leopard Hound, from Animal Friends Society, a rescue organization out of Tampa. This past Monday morning, she got away from us. She thought it was play time and started running around. She got carried away with her energy, ran out into the street and was hit by a car...killing her instantly. I still see the event in my head and I keep hearing that crack over and over again. I went temporarily insane I think. I fell prostrate when I heard it, screaming NOOOOOOO over and over. When I brought the car around and saw her, I just fell apart. Her blank eyes just staring up from the cold pavement broke my heart into a thousand pieces. A million. I was unable to move. Brian had to lift me into the car. I insisted on riding with her in the back of the truck. I wanted to be with her as much as I could. As Brian drove to the hospital I held her in my arms as her heartbeat faded away to nothing and she died. My sweet girl was gone. I sobbed uncontrollably. I don't know why Nature, or God, or fate, or what- or whoever saw fit to take our little girl from us but I do believe that things happen for a reason. Maybe this means that now we'll get to save another Catahoula from a shelter where he or she may have died without ever having been loved. That is my hope.
We can never know why things happen. But I firmly believe things happen for a reason. So I'm hanging on to that notion as we pass from 2009 into 2010.
I have experienced a lot of successes in sports, and a fair amount of personal happiness this year as well. I finished my first 100-mile run, a race I'll return to next year. I set PR's in a bunch of running distances and PR'ed in both triathlon distances I raced this year (sprint and Olympic). I achieved my first triathlon age-group win, and my first top-5 finish in a sub-marathon distance race. I ran my first sub-1:30 half marathon...a big step for me since I'm pushing hard for that 2:59 marathon mark.
Brian and I are still going strong, and we've really transformed our condo into an IKEA catalog! We have had some stresses this year with finances but we refused to let it consume us. Luckily now, with Brian's new awesome job based in Canada, we are doing much better. Christmas was a wonderful holiday for us as we, after almost 2 years together, have started wearing commitment rings, bonding our souls forever.
I got to find out what it's like to be a personal trainer. Although, in the end, I wound up going back to engineering full time, I now know what it's like to work in such an exciting field. I will return to it in some capacity, even if it is just doing boot camps and training a few private clients. It was fun, and I really made some great friends. Coach Q is not out of the picture!
People tell me to concentrate on the good and let go of the bad. This is definitely good advice. However, I would really like to let go of 2009, despite its good points. Having lost two animal friends and the closest friend I've EVER had in my 35 years, I'd really like to forget about 2009 and welcome 2010 with open arms. It really just HAS to be better. Although I can't guarantee that, I feel that 2010 has to be a better year than 2009 was. It's time to start a new year, a new decade, a new chapter in my life. I will return to Ironman racing in 2010, and I am hoping a lot of new and exciting things will happen over the next year.
Sure, there will be stress. But I'm stronger now. 2009 definitely built up my mental and emotional strengths. It revealed my weaknesses. But to 2010, I can only say...
BRING IT!
20091106
Say The Words. Reflect.
Some day you'll say the words "Fort Hood."
You'll say the words and it'll be like saying "9/11".
It'll be like saying "Challenger".
It'll be like saying "Columbine".
It'll be one of those things you remember forever. You'll remember where you were when you heard it happened. The WORST EVER mass shooting at an American military post.
I'm coming to see a few things that make me feel proud. One of my fellow triathletes is stationed at Fort Hood. As soon as I heard about what happened there, I immediately thought of her. Thankfully, she was not on post at the time, she'd been in Michigan attending the funeral of one of her Soliders. Of course, though, everyone who knew she was stationed there went to her blog to see what she'd experienced, or if she'd seen any of the action. I was one of them. Though I did not comment immediately, I read what people had wrote. The most compelling statements were made by other current or past military personnel. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much caring was involved, how everyone got past the "military tough-guy/tough-girl" attitude and just emoted.
What struck me the hardest, though, was not the caring, not the emotion, not the anger or turmoil the event elicited from everyone, it was the pride in their country and their military service, even though it was so difficult, that they displayed. It made me wish I was part of it. The trip from which Brittany was returning was a difficult one. I can only imagine how awful it feels to attend the funeral of a Soldier she herself sent to war in the Middle East. I want to quote what she wrote because I think it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read in my life.
"I cannot tell you how hard it was to see my Soldier in that casket, to see the anguish of his parents and his wife, and then to see his little girl scampering about not knowing she doesn't have a Daddy anymore. I sent him over there, and while the Army told me to, I still sent him off. I don't blame me, in fact, I'm somewhat surprised at how much this has truly impacted me as I didn't know Brandon as well as one would want to as he wasn't assigned to us very long before we had to deploy him. Before, I would've told you that part of the burden of command was all those middle of the night phone calls when Soldiers did stupid things, but now I know that is just the responsibility of the command. Offering condolences to grieving family members, presenting them with their Gold Star lapel pins, offering a final salute to my fallen hero, and eulogizing his short 23 years, that is the burden of command.
…It is nice to see that there are places in America who, as a community, still know how to honor her Patriots who give the ultimate sacrifice. It's not about the war, nor the reasons behind the war, it's that a Soldier left the comforts of his American life to pursue defending that American life, and in so doing, his life was cut far too short."
I came away from reading her post, not sad…but with a smile. Not a happy smile, but a proud smile. People like Brittany, and the Soldier she sent to war, love their country. They take pride in their service and enjoy what they do. This country has its issues. As a society on the whole, we are pretty intolerant. I deal with it on an every day basis, both directly and indirectly, and it makes me angry, sad, frustrated…and sometimes I feel as though it's hopeless to think I'll ever really be an equal citizen in this great country. THAT…makes me sad. It also makes me wish I was part of something bigger, fighting for the right things.
I hear way too many derogatory words about life here. Yes, it's hard sometimes. Yes, we have our issues. But, maybe someday, the American society will stop to look at what we all enjoy without even thinking about it…thanks to people like Brittany, and Haley, and Jennifer, and Hayley, and Dave, and Mike, and every single Soldier fighting for freedom and for bringing that freedom to the places in the world that do not have it…and maybe they'll all realize we have a pretty fucking awesome life here.
You'll say the words and it'll be like saying "9/11".
It'll be like saying "Challenger".
It'll be like saying "Columbine".
It'll be one of those things you remember forever. You'll remember where you were when you heard it happened. The WORST EVER mass shooting at an American military post.
I'm coming to see a few things that make me feel proud. One of my fellow triathletes is stationed at Fort Hood. As soon as I heard about what happened there, I immediately thought of her. Thankfully, she was not on post at the time, she'd been in Michigan attending the funeral of one of her Soliders. Of course, though, everyone who knew she was stationed there went to her blog to see what she'd experienced, or if she'd seen any of the action. I was one of them. Though I did not comment immediately, I read what people had wrote. The most compelling statements were made by other current or past military personnel. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much caring was involved, how everyone got past the "military tough-guy/tough-girl" attitude and just emoted.
What struck me the hardest, though, was not the caring, not the emotion, not the anger or turmoil the event elicited from everyone, it was the pride in their country and their military service, even though it was so difficult, that they displayed. It made me wish I was part of it. The trip from which Brittany was returning was a difficult one. I can only imagine how awful it feels to attend the funeral of a Soldier she herself sent to war in the Middle East. I want to quote what she wrote because I think it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read in my life.
"I cannot tell you how hard it was to see my Soldier in that casket, to see the anguish of his parents and his wife, and then to see his little girl scampering about not knowing she doesn't have a Daddy anymore. I sent him over there, and while the Army told me to, I still sent him off. I don't blame me, in fact, I'm somewhat surprised at how much this has truly impacted me as I didn't know Brandon as well as one would want to as he wasn't assigned to us very long before we had to deploy him. Before, I would've told you that part of the burden of command was all those middle of the night phone calls when Soldiers did stupid things, but now I know that is just the responsibility of the command. Offering condolences to grieving family members, presenting them with their Gold Star lapel pins, offering a final salute to my fallen hero, and eulogizing his short 23 years, that is the burden of command.
…It is nice to see that there are places in America who, as a community, still know how to honor her Patriots who give the ultimate sacrifice. It's not about the war, nor the reasons behind the war, it's that a Soldier left the comforts of his American life to pursue defending that American life, and in so doing, his life was cut far too short."
I came away from reading her post, not sad…but with a smile. Not a happy smile, but a proud smile. People like Brittany, and the Soldier she sent to war, love their country. They take pride in their service and enjoy what they do. This country has its issues. As a society on the whole, we are pretty intolerant. I deal with it on an every day basis, both directly and indirectly, and it makes me angry, sad, frustrated…and sometimes I feel as though it's hopeless to think I'll ever really be an equal citizen in this great country. THAT…makes me sad. It also makes me wish I was part of something bigger, fighting for the right things.
I hear way too many derogatory words about life here. Yes, it's hard sometimes. Yes, we have our issues. But, maybe someday, the American society will stop to look at what we all enjoy without even thinking about it…thanks to people like Brittany, and Haley, and Jennifer, and Hayley, and Dave, and Mike, and every single Soldier fighting for freedom and for bringing that freedom to the places in the world that do not have it…and maybe they'll all realize we have a pretty fucking awesome life here.
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