No Free Passes Between Gutsy Broads

Yes, this is LOOONG overdue. No excuses besides simply not being in a writing mood. *shrugs* What can I say? It's been a whirlwind month.

In Part Two of the Multi-Sport Athlete Exchange Program (Part One: Dam-to-Dam), Danielle came out to the east side of Iowa and joined me for the Lake Geode Challenge.

It should be obvious by now that recounting the minutiae of race day kinda bores me, and during this race I decided on a truncated form for race reports. HOWEVER, this particular day wound up being one of those turning-point kinds of races, so I actually have something to say about this one.

It was my first tri of the season (I couldn't get to the QC tri for the flood) and the first day back from strep. I was going to treat it like a long training day (I was only looking to finish somewhere close to my average paces without being too miserable and/or collapsing).

And then late on Mile 5 of the 10K run, I entered the race.

The Lake Geode run course is mercilessly hilly. I unapologetically walked all the hills -- until the approach to the Mile 6 sign. Here, I heard the footsteps of the two women approaching. I said to myself, "No free passes," and started to run again. They eventually passed me, but I kept them within reach.

I re-passed them as we approached the finish chute. And then, inexplicably, this gutsy broad re-re-passed in a dead sprint, and of course I gave chase! In the end, I ran out of pavement and lost 2nd place in our age group by one foot.

The irony is that she and I were easily 8th and 9th from last in this race overall. I had no illusions about where we were in the pack, and figured placing/hardware was out of the question. But, dammit, neither one of us was going to let the other get a "free pass" especially not that close to the finish line. And even though I "lost," I am so grateful to that woman -- that gutsy broad -- who made me dig deep and enter that race, if even for the last moments, because she lit a fire in me that I had almost forgotten about. We high-fived on the other side of the line as I gave her heartfelt congratulations. Forget Inner Ass-Kicker, she helped me rediscover my own Inner Gutsy Broad -- who is way tougher, hands down.

When I got home I watched this clip a few times, reveling in my renewed competitive, yet appreciative spirit and shed a few tears of recognition at the final voiceover:



To be clear, I don't put myself on the same level as these elite athletes, but stripped down to the least common denominator, their moment was our moment writ large. For me, this drive is part of what makes me an athlete. Yes, triathlon is sometimes about going the distance, other times about the competition, but at its best about digging deeper after you thought you had nothing left.

So thank you, Stephanie May of Somewhere in Iowa for making me dig deep that day and energizing my inner athlete. But thanks especially for helping me re-discover my Inner Gutsy Broad, who admires yours...and is hot on your heels! :D

My New Nemesis

Her name is Triowa.

(I swear I didn't mean to do this...it just sort of happened with the first line. I'll just ask for your forgiveness now.)


She's got hills, wind, and muggy heat.
This chick is gonna be tough to beat.

I've got to improve my Cornman time.
I'll work and train (and even rhyme--sorry folks).

Ahem.

Got out for a ride last night in a shower
And increased my avg speed by a whole mile per hour!

I'll stop this rhyming now, I mean it.
Anybody want a peanut?


Alright, that's quite enough of THAT!

But my big deal is that I got out on my bike yesterday even though it was raining. I live at the edge of town, which makes getting on the road really easy. PLUS: what's prettier than vast carpets of green under a blue, blue sky? When those fields of green are crisp and fresh under a rainy sky.

SUPER-PLUS: I swear Iowa has the smoothest pavement in all the land.

[Break for nap that came out of nowhere.]

Aww crap: I think my little ride in the rain ran me down enough to catch a cold. SONUVA! So I'll take it easy tonight...zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, etc. and just walk the dogs instead of going for a run. :(

Triowa: 2 (For Cornman and the cold.)

KrissyGo: 1 (I deserve something for the ride, don't I?)

We are the Champions...of the Midwest

'Nuff said.

Playing with Fire-Roasted Animals

Growing up, I always felt compelled to keep up with or show up the boys. That's fine if you're playing sports, but when it comes to eating and drinking...recipe for disaster.

Here is a picture of Scott and me in Times Square, circa 1999 (look how thin we both were!). When he and I get together -- I don't know why -- I just have to go toe-to-toe with him (the storm clouds gather). You see from the picture what a ridiculous impulse this is, right? Thankfully, they did the heavy drinking the night before I arrived (though I have held my own in the past -- and why did I feel the need to add that?) But on Friday night, he and the best man each ordered "The Big Feed," which consists of three different BBQ'd meats. I know that a healthy portion is probably half of any single portion of meat on that plate, but what did I do? Krissy: "You guys are getting The Big Feed? Yeah, I can handle that." And the triathlete inside me died a little...from a coronary.

The real question in all of this is why, oh why, does my competitive nature show up for unhealthy events like BBQ and workplace strife while remaining safely tucked away at times I could really use it -- like when I'm embedded in Zone 1 for training and (therefore) racing? I like to fancy myself the Tuff Girl, and on the Tuff Scale, overeating doesn't hold a candle to triathlon. (Apparently, I'm a champion metaphor-mixer too.)

So I'm not off to a very good start. In my defense, the wedding came at a bad time for such things. BUT...it is Monday. My usual "day one." I have a swim and a short run scheduled this afternoon. If I don't do it, I expect a full and complete e-flogging from all of you.

By the way:
I'm off animals-with-feet for a while (fish is still okay). I feel like the kid who was made to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes after getting caught by the principal. You want proof? Yesterday I ate Cheerios, rice, and spaghetti squash. Happily. Today? A blissful can of peaches for breakfast, and much-needed spinach for lunch.

"A magical animal..."