tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81822239971836054522024-03-14T02:49:20.506-05:00Swim, Bike, Run-One Day at A TimeThe AEROMANDY daily log for all things that involve swimming, cycling, running, and a little bit of everything else!AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-77987981799582947972008-08-10T11:50:00.002-05:002008-08-10T12:03:18.378-05:00The ShiftGood Morning everyone from good 'ol Texas,<br /><br />It's supposed to be around 100 degrees today, but for some reason I expect to walk outside and feel a fall like weather. I think since I am gearing up to head off to school and I am used to the midwest weather, that's simply what I expect. It's been a good summer for me, and I have a lot too look forward. Good news is that I still have a few races left in the season and then some time to recharge and refocus so next year will see some progress. <br />The olympics are on and the only way you would not know that I suppose is if you were hiding under a rock or too busy seeing "The Dark Knight" for the third time(I have seen it twice haha). Anyhow, despite the less than favorable political conditions surrounding China's hosting of the games...I am still a sucker for watching them. I remember watching them for the first time when I was 6 years old in 1996 when they were held in Atlanta. My friends and I would make up obstacle courses in my living room and trying and "compete" againest each other for the gold. Of course we all wanted to be from the USA. I remember even cutting out paper medals to give to the winners. I am happy to watch cycling, triathlon, swimming, and some other high stakes contests and this is one of the few times you actually can on televison. I was watching Phelps swim last night and I swear my heart rate was in the 120's, it is amazing to watch him swim. He has a very interesting back story as well. I feel bad for future olympians who will have to try very hard to beat his records...or any of the 1,2,3 swimmers' records. <br />I am going to keep training and racing in triathlon, running, and cycling and if I could even compete in the international military games or make the Air Force triathlon or cycling teams, that would be one of the biggest accomplishments of all time in my life. <br />Well, until another day and time...have a great rest of the weekend and Tri On For Life!<br />-MKAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-55662781613126157712008-08-07T17:21:00.004-05:002008-08-07T17:24:44.420-05:00Video ViewingAfternoon everyone!<br /><br />You can check out the little video I put together this afternoon at this URL...<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br /><br />http://www.bfitbday.com/video/video/show?id=1985135%3AVideo%3A8722AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-68084134687934046922008-08-07T11:30:00.002-05:002008-08-07T11:37:13.699-05:00B-Fit B-Day-Completed!Hey all,<br /><br />Alright so here's what happend...I went out for my run and at about four miles in, i began experiencing severe heat related issues, my legs didn't cramp they just began to ache and each step became quite painful, I wanted to drink more water but if I did it just sloshed in my stomach, so I sent out a distress call and got picked up. I promised myself I would finish the rest of the run within the 24 time frame I set and this morning I did along with my 1 mile swim. I think I disrespected how hot it really was yesterday afternoon but I paid the price for it the rest of the day. <br />Anyhow, the good news is that I finished.<br />Here are the times...<br />Swim 1 mile 32 minutes 14 seconds<br />Bike 18 miles 1 hour 10 minutes (hills)<br />Run 8 miles 1 hour 18 minutes (hills, heat, and trails!)<br /><br />You know what, kudos to anyone who completes the 4 mile swim for the gold challenge...wow!<br /><br />It was a lot of fun and I will definately make this a tradition from now on! :-)<br />Pictures and a video slideshow soon to come...<br />-MKAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-82795035091225420212008-08-06T12:36:00.002-05:002008-08-06T12:41:12.080-05:00B-Fit B-Day!Hello everyone! It's Wednesday August 6th 2008 and I am finally eighteen. So I can vote, sign my own forms where a legal guardian would have been needed, and buy a lottery ticket! Woohoo! So I got everything ready and heaed out for the bike (pool is sadly closed today so that will be bright and early tomorrow!)...hammer nutrition gels, check, water and infinite drink, check, clothes helmet shoes, check check check...and I was off!<br /><br />Alright so I am finished with the bike now I am headed out for the run! I took some pictures of my bike and I and some video when I was riding, so look for all that to come together with the results of all three events tomorrow morning/ early afternoon!<br />Weather is still doing alright for the time being, it might be scattered storms later this afternoon so I best be running fast! <br /><br />Here we go (again...)<br /><br />-MKAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-22912921346417387132008-08-05T15:45:00.005-05:002008-08-05T16:06:04.839-05:00Birthday Triathlon RoutesThe one mile swim will take place at my neighborhood lap pool, which would equal 36 laps. The bike and run will take place on the road, the run might have some off-road parts but otherwise is generally on the road.<br />Here is the link to mapmyride and my birthday ride route.<br /><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/san-antonio/437026778">http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/san-antonio/437026778</a><br />The 8 mile run with the biggest hill in Stone Oak (San Antonio) <br /><br /><br /><br />Alright....here we go!<br /><br />Oh and I will take some new pictures of my road bike since I have taken any in the past fews months and I fixed a few things on it, the bike is quite hilly so the road bike it is!<br /><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/san-antonio/570844763"></a>AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-83846608483674687262008-08-04T20:57:00.004-05:002008-08-04T21:24:04.217-05:00Ah crap....Sorry everyone, strangely enough...working at a Bike Shop is slightly time consuming but here we go. My birthday is the 6th (Wednesday) and I will be doing the BiFit B-day and I am very excited because I have been waiting all year to finally get to do it. Pure fun involving my three favorite sports! Hmm...only bad thing is that it is going to potentially rain so I will have to make it work to land the Gold challenge in honor of the olympics starting soon. <br /><br />So I will respond on my earlier post of reviewing my bike purchase review. <br />Okay so bikesdirect are alright people to work with, there is no face to face support though, so that is a down side. The bike I ordered was the Motobecane Immortal Force and I am sure the guys at my bike shop just laugh at me behind my back, but you know what...now that I have gotten the bike to my liking...it really is a great bike...just does not have the name to go with it. The bike is full carbon, and full ultegra components. Now I have spent enough time looking at the Trek Bikes we carry at the shop and I will admit the frame structure makes a big difference but man does the cost go up. The comparable trek model would be the Madone 4.7 at $2700. That frame is still made in China and mine was made in Taiwan...so isn't that interesting? Mine cost roughly $1499 no tax, but I dumped $300extra into the fit, bars, stem, and build up, and cable length reduction. However, a another female such as myself might have to do the same thing. It is nice to have an LBS back you up though if you should need help. The bike rides very smoothly, and the ritchey wheels are not too bag, but I might upgrade them at a later time. <br />Oh, BikesDirect sent me the 2008 model and not the 2009 like they were supposed to, but they refunded me the $100 difference no problems and I like to ultegra crankset and ritchey wheels better anyhow. So, what is my overall verdict...okay so the motobecane bikes might have some lame arse names and not look as flashy as the Treks or Specialized or whatever...but if you are in a pinch with cash and really want a bike...you can get a mid range model and go to Bike nashbar.com and find some upgraded parts and keep the cost down...just don't get ripped off by your shop...all of the will charge labor no matter what so be ready for that. They have to eat too you know. However, always compare and please check out your LBS and other shops before buying on impulse or you will have the hassle of returns and that can be a mess. Good luck! <br /><br />Okay my silliest newbie mistake was when my first triathlon had seen rain in the morning. It was about 45 degrees outside...I decided to use my cycleops trainer to warm up instead of taking my bike out on the road that in 30 minutes I was going to be riding anyway. Smart idea right...I mean I went to a MTB race before in Lajitas, TX and they were using them, and hey they use them in the Tour right? Well...just leave that sucker at home...I learned that quickly. My mom stills make fun of me for it, but hey I was 15 and oh well right? :-) <br /><br />Well I will be sending updates and pictures to here via my phone as I cover my B-Fit B-Day. Anyone think I should go for an on/off road one? 1 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8 mile run. I am going to make a video following any shots I can get during my birthday triathlon, sound good?<br /><br />Tri on and keep going...<br />-MKAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-54743558702302821942008-07-11T18:37:00.002-05:002008-07-11T18:39:33.271-05:00Quick post!I love this video, watch it before you head out to bike and it's sure to stick in your mind while climbing those hills! <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GHJErrp4eOw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GHJErrp4eOw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's a nice quote for the day as well:<br /><br />"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.<br />AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." <br /> - Nike adAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-58598333588203126452008-07-11T17:18:00.003-05:002008-07-11T18:24:51.301-05:003 a day keeps the doc awayHowdy! <br />I can say that now that I am in Texas again, though not many folks say it around here in SA. Well let me give a run down of today's workouts...(I did not have to work today so I took advantage of the time I had to really give myself a great dose of tri training). <br /><br />Morning: 1250m in the lap pool. I am so excited to have moved into a neighborhood with a lap pool and it's literally 300 yards away from my house so I just trot over there in the morning and swim. I also bought a waterproof housing for my ipod shuffle...the only downside to the unit is that the headphones don't channel sound very well. It's from h30 audio I think...it's still a good product and cheaper than a swiMP3 player.<br />Then I decided the tackle the steep hill outside my neighborhood on Knight's Cross road on an out and back 3 mile run. Nice little pace and my third day of running in a row. Wednesday I did a 6 miler and Thursday was a 5.5 miler with a long steep hill back to my house, quite hot outside as well. <br /><br />Afternoon: After refueling with HEB marathon rolls (mmm good), a little bit of pasta and a chicken sandwich...it was out for a nice 27-30 mile ride through the roads outside of the SA city limits. I don't know the exact distance because my garmin battery died on me. Avg heart rate of about 140 for 2 hours. Lots of good hills, some steep and some long. I think I took a wrong turn at one point and ended up on highway 281 until I got back on Borgfield road which goes back to canyon lake road back to my house. I did stop to by some water along the way, lots of little gas stations so I always keep $5 in my seatbag in case I need some water. Today that was quite helpful. <br /><br />Alright, so I just thought I would give little insight into something I think all endurance athletes should do if they are not already. CORE WORK! Best thing for anyone who values maintaining proper form while swimming, cycling, and running. I like to do it about 3 times per week and what I would reccommend would include: yoga (flexibility is soooo important for obtaining full power on the bike and staying relaxed and fast on the run) pilates (you can buy books and DVDs on this, I reccommend windsor pilates DVDs) and I bought the P90X dvd set (don't laugh they will kick your arse I am not joking) and the core synergistics is by far the best core work I have ever done and has made me a much better athlete, it's and hour long and the set also comes with an abs workout which is pretty intense the first few times. If you can ebay these items (and look for the P90X yoga 1.5 hours long and a very hardcore workout, trust me), I say grab them because they would be the most useful to you as an endurance athlete. For some good workouts that emphasize form and effeciency over size and bulk, buy the Abs Diet workout book, it has lots of circuit style workouts that are very useful during the off-season...oops I mean "very few triathlons available months" and I believe it's much more suited for a triathlete to do those exercises over a meat-head's muscle workout. Plus it has some great ab exercises that give you more variety which is so key to improving your strength and visible defintion. If you are an experienced athlete, you probably already know what I am saying, but if you are realitively new...then I would definately add core work to your training schedule for certain. It will make you a much more balanced and confident triathlete when training and in racing. <br /><br /><br />I am really glad to have hills where I run and ride, I feel so much more gains in my training and I have to share a little story really quick. I don't like boasting, I hate triathletes with big egos...it makes me laugh and shake my head in disgust that's for sure. So please don't take this the wrong way when you read it. I was coming home from work on Wednesday and I came to an intersection where another cyclist was in front of me. I said 'hello, how are you' and he said the same. When the light turned green he took off down the road like we were going to race or something. I let him go because the road is under construction and quite rough at certain points, plus I have a 15+ pound bag full of clothes, magazines, shower stuff, shoes, etc. in my work bag on my back. So I keep riding and turn up Wilderness Oak (which has a loooong climb to the next light and then where I turn to head home) I have ridden it a lot so I am getting better but it's still rough. Well I see the cyclist (who has a spongebob jersey on so I will call him Spongebob man) slowly climbing up the hill...and I thought to myself.."I am going to catch him, heck I am almost home I might as well try as hard as I can to catch him" So I take off up the hill spinning my legs as quickly as I can. I see myself start to gain on him and then I came up along side him while taking a drink from my bottle and passed him without saying anything because well I thought it might just be a little rude. He thought he was better than me back at that stop light and I figured that well... being a girl, with a huge pack on her back, drinking from a water bottle while cresting the top of a hill might be word enough and nothing more needed to be said. I made my way back home and did not see him pass by again so I do hope he made it home okay.<br /><br /><br />So I have to say, for the first time in over a year I feel really good about my training and racing. I love living in Texas again, even though I am an AF brat I do consider Texas as my home so please don't trash the trails and roads and drive your car less, ride your bike more and love being alive! By the way, how great is the month of July right...the TOUR is on! Hooah! Take care and God Bless until the next post!<br /><br />In the next post... I will review my BikesDirect purchase of a road bike and my sweet awesome and new HP laptop! Plus, I will try and tell some goofy newbie stories from my first race and pass on some "What I wish I knew then, that I know now knowledge".AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-7326152303519092932008-07-11T00:13:00.002-05:002008-07-11T00:15:32.176-05:00Whoa---where have I been?Hey, sorry for no update for like...ever. I will post more later but here's a run down...moved to Texas, got a job with Bike World at the 1604 location, training for triathlons throughout the summer, and preparing to go to college! Alright well more to come if you are interested in following along!<br />-MKAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-35583550923297790132007-11-21T11:06:00.001-06:002007-11-21T12:49:35.184-06:00My Self-Supported Half-Iron Distance Triathlon<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ha5Vo8Zqo6g&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ha5Vo8Zqo6g&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Hey, phew it's been a while, sorry for no update. The last few months have been extremely busy and eventful for sure.<br />I kicked my rear-end into gear and spent 2 months since August building myself up to the half-iron distances. I have a video but I'll go a bit into what went on that day. Oh by the way this was a reverse triathlon, the pool didn't open till noon and I did not want to start that late. The weather...well about 65 degrees but windy beyond all belief 20-30 mph with gusts higher than that. Made it very challenging indeed.<br /><br />Run- I hadn't run 13 miles since April, my longest run in the summer was 7 or 8 miles. The 3 weeks before my "race" I did 13 miles at least 3 times. I had to build my mileage quickly which isn't always a good idea but I did it anyway. The run was fine and I held an 8:30-9:00 min per mile pace, i faced some serious stomach cramping though but pushed on.<br /><br />Bike- oh man, extremely windy and quite hilly for being in southern Illinois. It took me a while to finish but I was just happy not to get hit by a car and make it back in one piece. Oh within the last 15 miles I had such a severe leg cramp in my left quad I thought I was tearing the muscle out of my knee, I didn't realize it was a cramp because I don't cramp in my legs ever. That would plague me in the swim. I took my endurolytes, but I had been training in 50 degree weather so that 15-20 degree difference really increased my sweat rate more than I had planned. Plus the weird thing was I had Hammer heed and water, but all I wanted was water for the most part.<br /><br />Swim-My leg would not help for pushing off the swimming pool wall, it locked up with even the slightest pressure, so you can see in the video I had issues with pushing off the wall because I look like an idiot who can't swim in a pool. :-) Overall I swam what I had in practice months before the race day and it worked out fine except for the intense leg pain.<br /><br />I was happy to say I did the distance and I was extremely suprised that I recovered in two days. I did it on Sunday and on Wednesday I was at the gym working out. I am planning my off season workouts now and will maintain the fitness I gained the past few months, I feel like my oldself again. :-) You know, these are fun to do and it seems like Ironman brand is making it more difficult to get into their races, I hope to see more non m-dot races coming up so everyone can challenge themselves, the distance is the distance the pain is the same, no matter where you are doing it. I know they are opening up more 70.3's, but registration is just crazy, you need a lottery just to sign up for a regular IM North America. Well, I hope when I am ready to do the distance I can choose the race that is right for me. If you go the 140.6, you're an ironman, hands down.AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-88723684851122294382007-09-11T21:47:00.000-05:002007-09-14T06:49:11.523-05:00Announcing...Hey whoa it's been a little while since I've posted. Well a lot has happened.<br />Starting with me having a swollen lymph node or cyst type thing the size of your thumb tip growing the whole summer in my groin region. I was really worried, I was tired all the time, felt horrible. So I went to see a doctor and had to get some second opinions, I had no clue as to what it was. So I start worrying a bit needless to say, and I was finally going to get it biopsied a few days after school began. Well I really hadn't looked at it much and then when I went to see the general surgeon, it was gone or at least mostly shrunk. It was the most unexplainable thing I have ever encountered. It really defied all logic, but I guess you don't need to ask questions and just move on. So now I feel a lot better, but the rest of my season really went down the drain in August. Yet, I am finding some fun races to do just to redeem myself. I am trying to drop some weight (like 20 pounds) so I can rock next year. I have felt a lot better about training now that the pool is closed and I am not guarding right now. So between school and everything else, I am planning on a self-supported (well my family will help :-) ) half-iron distance "race" against myself. I am currently planning routes and nutrition plans. It will be a great thing for me, and if I keep my running up I will try to run a half marathon somewhere warm in the winter so I can get a better time than I did this year. I really feel like this year is serving as motivation for the rest of '07 and 2008. I don't want to be the person I was earlier this year, it wasn't me and it won't ever be again. It's time to get serious, have fun, and make my the rest of my triathlon career the best it can be. I have all I need now it's time to make it happen.AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-64753715949202618852007-08-20T10:30:00.000-05:002007-08-20T10:39:05.529-05:00Triathlon Dreamin'Ever <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">um</span>...dream about triathlon, specifically racing? I do, in fact last night I had a dream about a half-iron, except I remember only the bike and that it was too fast and I thought I didn't go the correct distance (which actually happened in a race this year to me) and then every time I dream about the run it ends up in some completely ridiculous place, like a house or a school. I think it's interesting how I don't dream about triathlon training, only racing. Maybe because racing is much more of a highly emotional/ impressionable event so my mind tries to recreate different scenarios within the dream realm.<br /><br />Well on another note, I have had to learn a tough lesson as a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">teenage</span> triathlete this year. I guess with me going off to college next year I feel like I will be limited with what I will be able to do triathlon wise, more specifically long distance race wise in the following four years. Yet, I have to remember that there is time, I have many seasons to come and have time to improve and get better and learn, most importantly never stop learning and always strive to set the bar higher...so there is hope for me <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">after all</span>.AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-86733083704224722532007-08-19T11:01:00.000-05:002007-08-19T11:08:42.843-05:00How the rest of the year looks...Well it was not easy for me to just give up my dream of doing another half-ironman this year, it's just not in the cards right now, I didn't train the way I needed to and it's no one's fault but my own. So this is what I have planned for the rest of the year...<br /><br />Early September- A biathlon not too far from where I live, something like a 5mi run and 20 mi bikw, mostly for fun but should get some competition legs back into me.<br /><br /><br />October 7- St. Peters Rec-Plex Fall Triathlon 500 meter pool swim, 21 mi bike mostly flat, 5 mi run.<br /><br />October 13- Midwest Long course duathlon championship 5mi run 40mi bike 5 mi run (Also the day of my senior homecoming but I'm not letting that stop me)<br /><br />November 11- 50.5 Tri One o One course in The Woodlands Texas .93 mi swim, 40.3 mi bike, 9.3 mi run should be the coolest race I have done, I really wanted a race in my senior year that was out of the midwest and this one will be great<br /><br />After that or in between I may find something else, and then it's going to be offseason work time and this year it's not getting away from meAeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-70838191886957898842007-08-18T22:42:00.000-05:002007-08-18T23:02:24.051-05:00FRS-Free Radical Scavenger<a href="http://www.pacelineproducts.com/products/productsimages/FRS/FRS_Products.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.pacelineproducts.com/products/productsimages/FRS/FRS_Products.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Hey...do you need some energy before you go workout? If you are anything like me, you do. So I ventured into my local GNC, tried some different stuff and then came upon FRS, I've tried every version they offer, chews, cans, and concentrate bottles. I prefer the concentrate, because it's cheaper when you buy more and easy, and takes up less space in my fridge. Plus, if this is your first order you can get a free week's worth trial and just pay shipping. It really does work, I take it 30-60 minutes before I work out and it tastes good ( I've tried so many things that taste like a science experiment) but this is different, I love the orange, the low cal kind. I really can feel a difference in my energy levels and how I feel the rest of the day even. I use one dose before workouts, and later in the afternoon if I am working out again or plan on some sort of activity late in the day. This is the only amount of caffinated items I use so I do not have issues sleeping at night. If you need any other selling points check out what Lance Armstrong has to say about it. :-) </div><div> </div><div>Check it out at <a href="http://www.frs.com/">www.frs.com</a></div>AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8182223997183605452.post-59696842291846702132007-08-18T18:44:00.000-05:002007-08-18T19:33:24.838-05:00My Return<span style="font-family:arial;">Hey,</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Remember me? I've kinda been M.I.A for a while, but it's been an interesting year 2007. Starting with the end of my '06 season, I got my wisdom teeth extracted...didn't go so great... and I still had racing plans after that september...well it got easier and easier to take time off and not train. Not a good idea. Then later I got really sick starting with sinius issues and it turned into bronchitis stuff, again it was easier to take time off and not get back into a normal training regime. Well that led to not training properly in the off season, I pretty much lost the drive I had to train and race like the previous year. I got a job as a lifeguard this summer so 7 and half hours at a pool kinda put a damper on my training, but it's just something I have to work around. So I raced a 10k in Feb., it went okay but the next time I raced, a half-marathon I barely made it to the finish line. Infact i was 18 minutes slower than my 'o6 race time for a similar course. It was a wakeup call basically. I raced the Terre Haute Triathlon and actually posted a PR, and then I almost won a short sprint triathlon but got caught by a 30 year old with a mile and half left to go. Then I did my local triathlon and it was very disorganized this year, not really my fault but my run pretty much sucked it up. The next race was .60 mi swim, 28 bike, and 6.5 mi run. It was seriously hot that day, and I did great on the bike, but the run completely demoralized me. I had to my humble myself and actually walk the water stops, definately not me, it was not easy to do. That was the last time I raced this year...okay so 2007 hasn't been exactly what I hoped for. If the last year version of me met this year's version of me, she'd be pretty disappointed. Yet, I have found a race I think I can do and have enough time to train for. So now starts a new time...I think things sorted out, and now it's time to be more optimistic, stop feeling bad for myself, and move on. I can't be thinking about the 5 hours I put in everyday last year and the few hours I scrap together a day this year, I just have to accept it and move on. So now this will serve as a daily log as to what's going on in the junior tri life of AeroMandy. Until next time, tri hard and live free. ;-)</span>AeroMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07102662106240890403noreply@blogger.com0