Wednesday, June 22, 2011

3 Days and Counting!

This is it folks, I’m heading to the airport for the big “I DO’s” on Friday morning! Now don’t let this confuse you, the big day isn’t until July 2nd, but I wanted to get a head start on my tan! I may or may not still have a very visible racer back tan from Boise 70.3 the other week! My check list for the week has FINALLY started to dwindle down:

  1. Dentist
  2. Tux pick-up confirmation
  3. Wedding Dress last fitting and pick-up
  4. Wedding band pick up
  5. Thank-you cards for bridal party
  6. Facial
  7. Laundry
  8. Pack
  9. Buy deep tanning sun oil!!!
  10. Buy a new book for the beach! (Any suggestions?)

GOSH I hope that is it, I’m sure I’ll remember something else by the end of this post!

So some people have asked “What are you doing for your Honeymoon” and “will you be posting while on your honeymoon”? Yes, I’ll be posting, but from where I do not know! Honestly I was a little fed up with some of the planning a while back, and when the Boss started asking/telling ideas for the honeymoon I just said that he needs to book something and not tell me about it. I didn’t want to have to keep having the conversation of where and why we were going a certain place; and these days we just don’t have enough surprises in our lives! So that’s it, I have no idea where we' will be spending our big H.M. all I know is to have my bags packed for the morning after the big day ‘cause we be goin’ international!

Lastly as promised I would leak a few more pics from the Bachelorette party to my loyal readers, but believe me, the “good ones” are in the vault! hahaha Just kidding wr had a very Classy evening!

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The night started out with some innocent Dinner and Drinks Action!

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That was all fun and games until they brought my Man into it! (You can see my lady friend Lauren is showing off having “claimed” some Ray in a game we were playing all night!)

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Then we went back to the house for some very tasteful bridal “under garments”

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Well that was until “my REAL present” arrived!

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You have to understand that I do understand that this is not my best picture, but I HAD to post it to get the feeling of screaming, laughter, and embarrassment that ensued once this gentleman decided that it was too “hot in here” for his coat!!

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After the entertainment left, we headed out to the National Harbor for the night… it really was a shame that the mechanical bull was out of service because I think those could have been some great shots too!

Hope you enjoyed the evening, we sure did!!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Purple Zebra Surprise Cake!

I am going to keep this post EXTREAMLY short on narration! I am exhausted from my weekend events (you’ll know exactly why when you see the last picture of this post!) and am currently still in a “recovery” phase!

A few weeks back a good friend asked me if I would be interested in creating a cake for his friend’s daughter’s 13th Birthday. Shortly after I said that that would be fun I was in touch with the Mom who requested the theme, flavors, and color themes for the cake!! The cake was marble with chocolate ganache, and chocolate buttercream frosting!

Now scan the pictures below and enjoy! Be sure to not miss the last picture…. that is a lead up to tomorrow’s post!

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And that is all I can stay awake for tonight! I have been in recovery mode all day, and although “recovery” for me USUALLY means I raced over the weekend, this time there is an exception… we did something a little different this weekend :)

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See you back here tomorrow for my weekend events “in depth review!”

Monday, June 13, 2011

Ironman Boise 70.3

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Yup, there it is in all of its glory! My little M-Dot trophy!   :)

Now before anyone gets too excited, there is a LOT of back story to this event, and although I am super stoked to be adding this podium finish to my resume (and please don’t get me wrong during this post, I am SUPER stoked about the AG finish), June 11th- Boise 70.3, was certainly not my dream race.

So to get things started, we left Dulles International around 4pm on Thursday afternoon expecting to arrive in Boise via Denver around 7pm mountain time. In theory this was perfect, we would arrive, eat, rebuild bikes, and sleep! Friday we would take the bikes for a quick cruise around to make sure all is good after travels, and then basically eat and rest the entire day! So like I said “in theory”. Upon arrival into Denver we were notified that our connection to Boise was delayed, then delayed again, then the flight was just outright cancelled. I’m going to keep this part of the journey pretty short, but basically I was sitting alone in the airport until after midnight (the Boss had access to a priority lounge where he went to use the executive customer service agent to fix our flights) not really sure if we would make it to Boise at all the following day, that alone make it to Boise in time to check in our bikes for Saturday’s race. Also at this time we were unsure of where the rest of our luggage was since somehow our bikes made it on board the plane in DC, but our suitcases did not? After several hours of working some magic at the customer service counter, the Boss finally snagged the last two seats into Boise for the following day, everything else on every other airline and via many other airport connections was sold out. Anyways, now that the time is well past midnight (2am eastern time) we found ourselves in a cab enroute to the airport hotel. The following morning our flight, none to my surprise, was also delayed, and delayed, and delayed again. By the time we landed in Boise (5pm) we had 1 hour to get to packet pick-up, and then out to the “Lucky Peak” reservoir to re-build our bikes, ride the bike for 10 minutes, and then check the bikes into transition for the night. Shhhheeeeesh. Not the “relaxing day” I was hoping for.

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I would like to take a second and showcase this picture for all of you sitting there saying “how bad can sitting at the airport be?”, I get it that some of you “fully grown” peeps don’t mind hanging out in the airport, you know, listening to music, watchin’ a DVD on your computer, reading a book, etc. etc., but for people of my “stature” sitting in the airport terminal chairs STINKS!… since my feet don’t actually reach the ground, after 2 hours of just letting your feet “hang” it seriously stresses out your knees and pulls on your back. After about 30 minutes of me squirming, whining, and tapping the Boss on the shoulder he eventually caved in and helped me pull in the entire row of double chairs (that were too heavy to inconspicuously drag on my own) that was across from us!

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:)  I win!

Anyways, I survived, and by the time we got to the reservoir we even took the time to take a few candid shots at the bike check in at “Lucky Peak”.

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Finally the bike is dealt with, now go check in to the Hotel and relax!

The next morning came faster than I ever imagined. Before I knew it I was checking my run bag, and lining up for the shuttle bus to the start of the bike! (The course was a point to point, so there were two different transition areas and all transitions were “clean”)…

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So after our $16 shuttle down (or I should say “Up”) the road we departed the bus and headed to the transition area to prepare for the “clean T1”.

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Pink is ready to Rumble!!

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SWIM:

So I’ll get straight to why I said Boise 70.3 was certainly no “dream race”. The picture above looks like a “normal” swim start. Except “Lucky Creek Reservoir” should simply be named “Frigid Creek”, period. I SERIOUSLY underestimated what 52 degree water would feel like. Basically when I hopped into the water off of the dock my whole day changed. I have to say I like swimming, I may not be the fasted swimmer in the pack, but generally I am a good swimmer… not today. Immediately hyperventilation kicked in, my entire chest tightened up like boa constrictor had gotten hold of me, and this is all before the horn went off. Once we actually started swimming it was pure carnage in the water. People couldn’t get their faces in the water and I was no exception. Every time I put my face in the water and took a few strokes I would have to sit up and gasp for air; this has never happened to me before, and I was really struggling to breathe. I thought that that was the end for my day and I started to make my way over to the Kayak to get pulled out of the water; half way I stopped myself and told myself to pull it together. By now the entire pack had left me, and I started side stroking. Eventually I mixed the side stoke with a few free style strokes, and soon enough I was in full swim form. The only problem was at this point (other than I am at least 4 minutes behind where I should be) is that I still couldn’t get my chest to relax and take full breaths. This paired with being so tense from the water temperature I could feel a serious stitch building in my abdomen, which eventually lead to a pulled muscle in my ab. Honestly… I would rather break my knee cap again over pulling an abdomen. You can’t do ANYTHING with a core muscle in sheer pain. 37 minutes later I had amazingly caught up with and passed most of my wave and headed to the swim ramp; here I found my cold, cramped body being pulled out of the water by the volunteers. It took a few moments for my legs to cooperate with the upright position and I don’t think my abs ever did! (10th AG out of the water)

 

BIKE: The bike, oddly enough, ended up being my favorite part of the day! Not only was areo-position the most comfortable position for my poor ab muscle, but I actually felt GREAT on the bike! I was able to hold 170+ watts for over 2 hours, and averaged close to 20mph for the 56 miles! Seriously I couldn't have asked for any more from my little chops! At mile 45 I started doing the mental math and with the swim as poor as it was, and the climbs of Boise, Idaho slowing my “goal” bike time, I knew that a sub 5 hour race was now out of reach. Still staying positive and knowing I was having a great bike, I pushed on!

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THE RUN:

Hmmmm, the love/ hate relationship. Kind of an unfair relationship actually, because I LOVE to run, I would run 3 hours a day if my body (and Coach) would let me! And I LOVE to run fast!!! However, I feel as though my body and running do not love me so much? The run for me I would like to categorize as a “BONK”, although my Coach would disagree as I nailed my nutrition; in hindsight the run was greatly effected by the physiological stress of the ab muscle and the rest of my chest tension not allowing me to take full breaths. The goal for the run was to stay sub 7:30. Which I did for the first 3 miles :)  Then things started to fall apart a little. The goal slipped back to sub 8. Then around mile 8-9 the “sub-8” was out of reach and the new goal was to simply keep running!! NO STOPPING, NO WALKING. Then comes mile 11… ahhhh me and mile 11. Here I would like to describe my little ol’ legs as pudding! At mile 11 I found a good looking park bench and used it to just hold myself upright for a while (because at this point, my abdomen was so painful that it certainly wasn’t doing the job). At this juncture, my “NEW” goal was “no crying” hahahahahaha seriously, is this too dramatic? This is actually how it all went down. From here, something clicked in my head that said “get off of your sad pony and get running” (in reality I cannot tell you what I said in my head because I try to keep my cursing to minimum on this blog, and the things I said in my head were not very nice). So I did. I started running again, and actually pulled out some 8:10ish paces for the last 2 miles… all the way into the volunteers arms at the finish line. Once my eyes saw the carpet that lined the finish line, that was quitting time for my legs. Final run time… a whopping 1:48… 8:21 minute mile. Not my best show.

 

THE CONCLUSION:

I did not by any sense of the matter accomplish my “set goals” for this race. A 5:24:04 was a far cry from and about 30 minutes longer than what I had hoped. However, to sit back and put it all in perspective, you can’t set the same “block time” for every 70.3 race. Every venue is going to have its different challenges, and it’s really how you deal with those challenges that you should judge your day by. Sub 5 hours was simply not in the cards for me this race. In fact, I question if finishing the race was really in the cards. Looking back on it all now, I sure am glad that I did not make it all of the way to that kayaker; my day would have been over before it ever started. So for that I AM REALLY PROUD of my day! As for picking up that slot to the world championships in Las Vegas… my age group only allowed for the top 2 competitors to pick up the entry slots, so 3rd place just wouldn’t do. It’s okay, the two girls who placed 1 & 2 had exceptional races and my hat goes off to them both!

 

THE PHOTO SHOOT:

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If you were wondering why we all look like turtles with no necks, it is because by the time awards happened the winds had picked up and the temps dropped dramatically! Sun and wind burnt, we were all freezing!!!

And for one of the most rewarding parts of my day…

1102Oh man, what I would have done for ice cream while on the bike course! I wonder what my Coach would say if I asked him if we could change up my nutrition regime for the bike from now on?? hahaha

Well folks, thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed my story of the battle field. I really appreciated all of the comments and e-mails of encouragement!!

Check back soon for what’s up next this week:

Training Wise: Monday we turn around and head BACK to West for a couple hour group ride in the mountains of Golden, Colorado!

At the bakery: It involves 4 tiers with black and purple Zebra stripes!

 

By for now…

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Boise 70.3… the Count Down!

Wow, so the house has been… well, the house has been an absolute MESS lately. I have about seven different wedding projects sprawled around the kitchen and seeping into the living room. My goal in life (for the past few months) has been to have ALL wedding projects completed and packed up ready to ship BEFORE I leave for the Boise Ironman 70.3. Well, since I’m always so honest with you guys I have to say… fail. I’m pretty close, but not compete. Further more I’m seriously blown away that I’m leaving on an airplane this afternoon to depart for the big “A” race! Scheeeze. I still have to pack! On a positive note, things are feeling G.R.E.A.T.! and it’s about time I’m going into a race feeling good! After illness plaguing my half marathon and first tri of the year, and shoulder issues messing with me through out the spring, I’m ready for some throw down action!

A good friend of mine found out just how “deep into race thoughts” I was tonight when she came by.

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A week ago I lent a fellow triathlete my carry-on suit case, and tonight she was returning for my upcoming trip to Boise. Well, the Boss and I waited until after 9pm to do the short brick workout because of the wonderful 97° in DC today, and I forgot she was coming by with the suitcase. So apparently she spent a prolonged amount of time at the door, knocking, ringing the bell, all while standing and watching in awe that we were not aware of her presence. Finally she just took a picture as proof of attendance! After we got off the bike and returned from our run I discovered my suitcase at the back door… still, unaware she ever came to the door! Anyways, this picture was on my phone and a “good luck” message commenting on my evenings “focus” and that I must be race ready!  So that was nice :)

Other than that, the only other news of interest for the upcoming race is that water temps are lingering around 49°…awesome. So in recognition of the lovely conditions the Boss ordered for me (and himself) the ever so stylish Blue Seventy Booties and Cap!

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NICE! Never did I think I would actually ever don these items… especially both simultaneously! 

Well that’s about all I have going on! Leaving tomorrow and hopefully when you hear from me on Monday I will have done at least one of two things. 1) Broke 5 hours for my race! Since my last 70.3 was a 5:14, it would be really nice to go under the big 5! AND 2) Picked up a slot for the 2011, 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas! These are big goals, but hell, go big or go home.

Thanks to everyone who have sent good luck e-mails and support! I promise to update after Saturday's race!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A Blueberry Bunt Breakfast

Well I woke up this morning and had a hankering for some blueberry muffins! But since I already made Blueberry muffin’s for y’all then I figured I should go ahead and make a new blueberry creation!

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So I scavenged around some recipes that I had for blueberry breads, scones, muffins, and cakes; this is what I done come up with!

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Blueberry Bunt Cake with Lemon drizzle is a really nice way to start your Monday morning! But I’ll save you all of the pictures of the cracking the eggs, and sifting the flour and get right to explaining my over use of “country language” y’all! (But don’t worry, full recipe is on at the end!)

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That’s right you can read the banner yourself… “Kenny Chesney ‘Goin Coastal Tour’ ”!!! My sister and I planned this concert WAY back in January and agreed that we would need this day to ourselves to take a break from the wedding planning, Ironman training, and her state championship playoffs!! Oh man was it worth it!

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Not sure how “up” you are on your country music, buuuut that right there, that’s the man! Sure the tour headliner was Kenny, but I‘m telling ya, Billy Currington… Mmmmm. That’s my boy. Sorry Boss, I know we’re getting Married and all, but unless you start belting out songs in his deep, gruff, country voice, he’s always going to hold a special place in my heart!

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Anyways, all I’m saying is that well… maybe I’ll just leave it at that!

Back to the Blueberry Bunts… the only cooking picture that I want to call out is with the blueberries themselves. One thing with fresh blueberries that I like to do is rinse them off and then toss them in a light coating of flour. This seems to help them stick to the batter when the recipe is cooking and keeps all of the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan while it’s sitting in the cooker!

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Rinse, flour, then fold into your batter! Here is the recipe!

Blueberry Breakfast Bunt

2cups Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Salt

2/3cups Vegetable Oil

1/2cups White Sugar

1/2cups Brown Sugar

2Lrg Eggs

h2/3cups Milk

1tsp Vanilla

1tsp Cinnamon

1/8tsp cloves (optional)

1/8 nutmeg (optional)

1 1/2cups Fresh Blueberries

***Pre-heat oven to 325***

 

1) On medium speed mix your oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla around 2 minutes.

2) In separate bowl sift together your flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

3) Once the sugar mixture looks light in color combine the flour and milk in 3 alternating parts.

4) Once all ingredients are well incorporated, fold in your blueberries (lightly floured). Be sure to fold the blueberries into the batter rather than stir them; you are trying to avoid bursting any of the berries!

5) Scoop batter into lightly greased pans (I liked the mini-bunt, but you could easily substitute that with a large bunt or muffin tins)

6)  These mini bunts took ~24 minutes to cook. Obviously cook time will vary with the size of you bunt pans. Bunts are done when inserted toothpick comes out clean!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY!

No, not today silly! But on no other day than December 15th! Do we all need to take a journey back to what also IS December 15th?? I will tell you this much, for once in my life… I was speechless! Smiling relentlessly, but speechless! And because of my still uncontrollable excitement and feeling of “fate” is telling me something, I will just leave you with these advertisements that I found!!

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… yes, I am still smiling!

 
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