This is great...
Why is the fear of long words called hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?
3.27.2008
It's gonna be a long year
The Giants lost to their Triple A affiliate team in Fresno yesterday. Triple A Fresno is the minor league team that grooms players for the major league. I can only roll my eyes and laugh. What else is there to say? The G's are pretty much already slotted for last place in the National League and let's just hope they don't embarrass themselves too much this year.
Thank goodness for the Warriors!
Thank goodness for the Warriors!
3.25.2008
My Morning Friends
I have these friends who keep me company on my daily morning walk with Lucy. While Lucy sniffs, explores and chases squirrels in the dark, I am entertained by my friends. They are with me from start to finish, at my command. I don't have to wait for them ever. They each have a unique personality, with different types of humor. I have been known to LOL (at the amusement of other trail walkers, I'm sure) at times. I don't have to talk, just listen and laugh. I know what to expect from each of them and the beautiful thing is I can do no wrong with these friends and they never ask a thing of me in return.
These friends of mine are the crew of the "Murph and Mac" morning show on KNBR 680. They don't know me of course, but oh, do I know them!
There is Brian Murphy (Murph), my favorite and who over the years I've developed a mild crush on. He's a man full of heart and personality. Paul McCaffery (Paulie Mac), is a fun loving, passionate guy with a talent for recording current event appropriate musical renditions for the show. Dan Dibley (Dibs) is their utility guy who does everything from report the daily traffic conditions to running ultra-marathons. Patrick Conner (P-Con) is their ultra talented producer who has a knack for inserting the most perfect sound bytes to complement Murph & Mac's witty dialogue.
My day is not complete without having spent 1 1/2 hours listening to their show. I know the timing of every segment: Top 10 news stories, business, traffic. Of course KNBR is a sports radio station so the majority of the time they are talking about a topic I love! I will have a pretty good idea of topics they will be discussing, based on how the various bay area sports teams performed the day before. If the Warriors win by 1 point at the buzzer, it's gonna be a fun day. If the Giants lose 15-0, it's gonna be a day filled with ranting and raving.
How lucky am I? How many gals can say they have such a great group of boypals?
These friends of mine are the crew of the "Murph and Mac" morning show on KNBR 680. They don't know me of course, but oh, do I know them!
There is Brian Murphy (Murph), my favorite and who over the years I've developed a mild crush on. He's a man full of heart and personality. Paul McCaffery (Paulie Mac), is a fun loving, passionate guy with a talent for recording current event appropriate musical renditions for the show. Dan Dibley (Dibs) is their utility guy who does everything from report the daily traffic conditions to running ultra-marathons. Patrick Conner (P-Con) is their ultra talented producer who has a knack for inserting the most perfect sound bytes to complement Murph & Mac's witty dialogue.
My day is not complete without having spent 1 1/2 hours listening to their show. I know the timing of every segment: Top 10 news stories, business, traffic. Of course KNBR is a sports radio station so the majority of the time they are talking about a topic I love! I will have a pretty good idea of topics they will be discussing, based on how the various bay area sports teams performed the day before. If the Warriors win by 1 point at the buzzer, it's gonna be a fun day. If the Giants lose 15-0, it's gonna be a day filled with ranting and raving.
How lucky am I? How many gals can say they have such a great group of boypals?
Hello my name is Sheila. I am an Internet Junkie.
This made me laugh today,
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/87251
It is actually a notion I've thought a lot about and even pondered if I might be afflicted myself. I do have that intense need to be connected at all times. I feel genuinely lost without my "Crackberry" and it makes me crazy if I haven't checked email in the past hour.
Who knows what nuggets of information may be sitting in my inbox as of yet undiscovered?
The reality is, we're usually talking about a marketing email inviting me to check out the newest gadgets at Crate and Barrel or another "MyPoints" email presenting me with yet another opportunity to add 5 points (just for reading!) to my growing loyalty program account.
There is no better feeling than to receive an email from a friend inviting me to lunch, or an email from my favorite "email buddy", Kathy, with an update on what's going on in her life. Akin to winning a hand at BlackJack, I feel like a winner whenever I check for new mail on my cell phone and see the note "inbox: 1 of 5" signifying 5 new messages are coming in!
So, what do you think? Do I need to start thinking about going to Internet Junkies Anonymous? Maybe... but can we meet online instead?
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/87251
It is actually a notion I've thought a lot about and even pondered if I might be afflicted myself. I do have that intense need to be connected at all times. I feel genuinely lost without my "Crackberry" and it makes me crazy if I haven't checked email in the past hour.
Who knows what nuggets of information may be sitting in my inbox as of yet undiscovered?
The reality is, we're usually talking about a marketing email inviting me to check out the newest gadgets at Crate and Barrel or another "MyPoints" email presenting me with yet another opportunity to add 5 points (just for reading!) to my growing loyalty program account.
There is no better feeling than to receive an email from a friend inviting me to lunch, or an email from my favorite "email buddy", Kathy, with an update on what's going on in her life. Akin to winning a hand at BlackJack, I feel like a winner whenever I check for new mail on my cell phone and see the note "inbox: 1 of 5" signifying 5 new messages are coming in!
So, what do you think? Do I need to start thinking about going to Internet Junkies Anonymous? Maybe... but can we meet online instead?
3.24.2008
House with the pointy roof
Went out with friends last Saturday. When I asked one of the husbands if they might be interested in meeting up the following day (Easter Sunday), he shook his head and said, "we have the house with the pointy roof tomorrow." Love it! This friend has the best sense of humor and I still laugh when I recall his words.
Yesterday, Amy and I hiked the ridge at the Lafayette reservoir. This is a pretty challenging 2 hour hike. We love it cause it is close to our homes and we can get the hike done in the morning and still have the afternoon for ourselves. Neither of us celebrates Easter so we were glad to have each other to share the day.
At one point in the hike, we noted that being out in the fresh air, breathing, taking in the beautiful scenery, while doing good for our bodies and souls is like being at church for us. Our house with the pointy roof....
Yesterday, Amy and I hiked the ridge at the Lafayette reservoir. This is a pretty challenging 2 hour hike. We love it cause it is close to our homes and we can get the hike done in the morning and still have the afternoon for ourselves. Neither of us celebrates Easter so we were glad to have each other to share the day.
At one point in the hike, we noted that being out in the fresh air, breathing, taking in the beautiful scenery, while doing good for our bodies and souls is like being at church for us. Our house with the pointy roof....
Be good to yourself
I am kicking myself today, feeling disappointed. I made a promise to myself that I did not keep. There is definitely no worse sense of disappointment than feeling disappointed in yourself. I need to be stronger and stick to my commitments.
I just read my horoscope too, which actually makes me feel a bit better cause it's almost like it was meant to be, although I am not really much of a believer in astrology. Here it is:
"There is a lot of heavy emotional energy around you today and it could make you start feeling moody and slow. Don't worry about it. So what if you take a little longer to get ready this morning, or you're not quite as talkative as you usually are? The people who know and respect you aren't going to get upset about it, so why should you? Drink all the extra cups of coffee you want, your situation won't change. But in a few days, it will be over."
Guess the best I can do is apologize to myself. As we forgive, forget, and move on when it comes to friends and family, I gotta do the same for myself.
I just read my horoscope too, which actually makes me feel a bit better cause it's almost like it was meant to be, although I am not really much of a believer in astrology. Here it is:
"There is a lot of heavy emotional energy around you today and it could make you start feeling moody and slow. Don't worry about it. So what if you take a little longer to get ready this morning, or you're not quite as talkative as you usually are? The people who know and respect you aren't going to get upset about it, so why should you? Drink all the extra cups of coffee you want, your situation won't change. But in a few days, it will be over."
Guess the best I can do is apologize to myself. As we forgive, forget, and move on when it comes to friends and family, I gotta do the same for myself.
Carrie Fisher
We went to see Carrie Fisher at the Berkeley Rep last Saturday. What a treat! I had no idea she has led such a crazy life.... check out her bio .
The show was well presented and they did a great job of making you feel like you were a guest at Carrie's home listening to her tell her story. The stage was made up like her living room and Carrie dressed in lounge type attire strutted the stage chain smoking clove cigarettes and drinking diet coke. It was an entertaining aut0biography of Carrie's life. It is really quite amazing how sane and positive minded she is in light of all of the tumultuous and destructive events of her life.
At the end of the show, Carrie threw out a few quotes to leave us with. My favorite was: "resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die". Good stuff.
The show was well presented and they did a great job of making you feel like you were a guest at Carrie's home listening to her tell her story. The stage was made up like her living room and Carrie dressed in lounge type attire strutted the stage chain smoking clove cigarettes and drinking diet coke. It was an entertaining aut0biography of Carrie's life. It is really quite amazing how sane and positive minded she is in light of all of the tumultuous and destructive events of her life.
At the end of the show, Carrie threw out a few quotes to leave us with. My favorite was: "resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die". Good stuff.
3.21.2008
Happy at Home
I have been a homebody this week. For some reason I haven't had much desire to go out and be social. Instead, I've been holed up at home pretty much all day (except for "walkie" with Lucy at 5am OF COURSE).
It's been great.... I had a chance to get this Blog more current and I created a website today, with the help of my smart, savvy husband.
Maybe I just needed some rest after a fun but busy week in Maui. But I also know I need to start taking better care of myself, eating well, limiting my alcohol intake and getting lots of rest.
I know myself, I go through phases. No doubt, in due time, I'll be out and about, booking engagements on the social calendar left and right.
It's been great.... I had a chance to get this Blog more current and I created a website today, with the help of my smart, savvy husband.
Maybe I just needed some rest after a fun but busy week in Maui. But I also know I need to start taking better care of myself, eating well, limiting my alcohol intake and getting lots of rest.
I know myself, I go through phases. No doubt, in due time, I'll be out and about, booking engagements on the social calendar left and right.
Angry
It is Friday. I should be in a great mood but I am mad. Why? I feel silly even writing this but I am angry at the Giants management. Pete and I have given them so much money over the past 5 years and what have we gotten back? I know... it was our stupid decision to buy the season tickets, but their actions (or lack of action?) especially in the last year is despicable. At least when they were in playoff contention, we could overlook the expense. Lately, it seems as if they are trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of their fans... fans who are at the moment being quite patient with them during their "rebuilding" (floundering?) phase.
Here's an example: We previously owned 4 season tickets - note: not only did we have to purchase all of the tickets up front (payment due in December for a season that begins the following April), but we had to fork out $6k per seat initially in "charter license" fees (basically the right to continue to buy the tickets). Major rip off, I tell you. I digress.
We decided prior to this season to unload a pair of season tickets. The Giants offer an online marketplace for folks to buy/sell their season tickets and charter licenses. Pete posted the tickets on sale for $10k/pair. For months we didn't hear a peep. We started to lower the price... lower, lower. Finally we had a taker at $2k/pair. Uggggggh. We were happy simply that we found a sucker to buy our seats and would not have to pay out the fees for this season's tickets, but oh were we bitter.
Oh, by the way, in the event you don't buy the tickets for the season, you automatically lose your charter license rights...
The Giants online marketplace offers an e-commerce system so buyers can submit payment to the sellers and makes the whole transaction easy and quick. BUT, get this. They actually deducted a 10% service charge, not only to the seller but to the buyer too. Thus, the Giants made $400 out of our transaction just like that. %#$@!
Okay okay.... we made a bad business decision. Let's move on. The boys on the field should be our focus, right?
Well.... I'm listening to the radio this morning and learn that virtually everyone on the team is injured: Richie Aurilia, Durham (of course), Benjie Molina, Kevin Frandsen.... oh yes and Omar, (although he is a stud I'm not worried about him). Furthermore, they have not a clue who will be playing at third base. It is a joke. They have a few of the best pitchers in baseball but they can't figure out how to get players (who aren't ancient) to support them.
My heart goes out to the young stud pitchers like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. They bring a fresh faced, optimistic, yet competitive edge to the team, a sharp contrast from the aging, injury prone, tired Giants we've seen too much of over the past few years. These kids should be pitching for the Red Sox or the Yankees, earning their chance to win the Cy Young doing their thing with the assurance that the hitters will bring in the runs to gain the win. Instead, I fear that this year will be even worse than last year... I can't tell you how sick to my stomach I felt watching these two pitch their hearts out only for the Giants to lose the game 2 to nothing (of course the two opposing team runs would come in the 9th when one of the Giants' "pseudo-closers" would come into the game).
I'm not saying I know the answers but I do know that my interest in this team is waning quickly. I think the kicker for me is that Giants management is doing nothing at all to retain the sentiment of the typical fan. It wouldn't take much.... could you possibly send us coupons for $1 off a $9 beer? perhaps they could relax the season ticket rules so that season ticket holders don't feel so gouged year after year?
I get that they are rebuilding. There is no doubt in my mind that the Giants as a team will come back strong and someday be back in contention, but in the meantime, work with us!!
3.20.2008
I confess I am a bore!
My husband has slowly but surely turned me into a sports geek. I vowed never to become such a "bore".... sadly I've become my worst enemy.
I never thought I'd choose to stay in and watch a crazy number of basketball games back to back than get together with friends for dinner. Shockingly, that happened to me today.
It started with the Giants in 2002 (come on we all remember the 2002 World Series)... lately, the Giants have just not been doing it for me. Don't get me started...They are still looking for a third baseman and the season starts next week!?!?!??!
Last year I got into the Warriors (Baron Davis, yeah baby!) and this year I could barely stand to miss a single game.
Noone was more surprised than me when, earlier this week, I found myself printing out NCAA Tourney brackets then researching the teams (and picking the brain of my lifelong sports geek hubby) so I could intelligently fill out my bracket picks. I filled out three different brackets and I can't say money is my objective cause I'm not betting on any of the games.
I just think I'm becoming a boring sports geek.
Wonder what's in store next year?
I never thought I'd choose to stay in and watch a crazy number of basketball games back to back than get together with friends for dinner. Shockingly, that happened to me today.
It started with the Giants in 2002 (come on we all remember the 2002 World Series)... lately, the Giants have just not been doing it for me. Don't get me started...They are still looking for a third baseman and the season starts next week!?!?!??!
Last year I got into the Warriors (Baron Davis, yeah baby!) and this year I could barely stand to miss a single game.
Noone was more surprised than me when, earlier this week, I found myself printing out NCAA Tourney brackets then researching the teams (and picking the brain of my lifelong sports geek hubby) so I could intelligently fill out my bracket picks. I filled out three different brackets and I can't say money is my objective cause I'm not betting on any of the games.
I just think I'm becoming a boring sports geek.
Wonder what's in store next year?
Blogging? My next addiction?
I have spent all morning working on my blog (please don't tell my boss!) --- I see now why Ayelet is so into it - I thought "how disciplined is SHE to write in her blog so regularly!" I am seeing now that it is fun and addictive. I am planning to attend the BlogHer Conference in SF in July. As I peruse the http://www.blogher.com/ site, I'm discovering that there are so many talented women out there who have created masterpiece blogs. Mine is pretty lame in comparison. Must change that. I CAN write SOMETHING at least once a day, right?!?!
Watch this space...
Watch this space...
3.19.2008
A Bold Move
I need to blog about this otherwise it won't happen. I'm giving up booze for a while.... for how long, not sure. But assuming giving up booze helps me become fertile/preggers, it could be a year or more! Yikes. Can I really do this? Timing is not good as baseball season is about to begin, then come the spring parties, then summer parties... The bottom line is no time is a good time so best to jump in with both feet.
That's right! no more Dierberg pinot noir binges with my favorite girl.... (SOB!)
That's right! no more Dierberg pinot noir binges with my favorite girl.... (SOB!)
Madness in Maui
What is it about the mother daughter relationship that is so.... um, special? I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but it always fascinates me that when I'm around my mother I am a completely different person than I am around my husband and friends.
I recently took a trip with my mother and my sister to my favorite destination : Maui, Hawaii.
Reflecting on the trip now, I feel very fortunate that we got to do this. It was a great trip and I have no regrets. There were some moments however...
I won a trip to Maui (my funny boss calls it the "Presidents Club" -- the reality is in a 4 person company, it doesn't quite hold the same meaning as it does when you win the Presidents Club at AT&T for example). Pete could not join me due to lack of vacation time and project demands. It has been COLD in the Bay Area. Thus, the decision was made.... Mom, Laura, we're going to Maui!
Laura and I started off quite nicely at the airport where we enjoyed two bloody mary's apiece -- at 10am to boot. What a fine way to start the trip.
I love flying to Maui cause everyone on the plane is in such great spirits and I really enjoy all of the conversations: "where are you staying?", "what's your favorite restaurant?", etc, etc. I love the energy. Laura and I sat next to two men who proceeded to DRINK (I counted 10 abolut vodka bottles before I lost count!) Turns out one of the men had just proposed to his girlfriend 15 hours prior. The girlfriend was seated up at the front with the other man's wife and a whole group of family members and friends traveling to Maui together from Wisconsin of all places (That is a LONG flight people but I get it - it is crazy cold in Wisconsin). They ended up buying Laura and I a couple of drinks and we got to know each other a bit. At one point, one of the women from the front came back to "inform" the groom the wedding had been fast-forwarded to a beach wedding in Maui! The guys drunkenly invited us to attend. We exchanged numbers and left the plane with promises to attend the wedding and act as witnesses. Btw, they never called!
Aaaaaahhhh.... Maui. Just love it. Mom had arrived two hours earlier and greeted us with lei's so we could get right into the spirit of the island. Mom is a sweetie.
By the time we settled in, it was well after 7pm and we were starving (or at least I was). We decided to eat at the restaurant at the resort and before too long we were seated at a perfect table overlooking the koi pond. This is when the "fun" begins. I have to say I haven't met a woman without food issues of some form.... but my family takes the cake. Backtrack 5 hours at the airport: we greet my mom and ask if she'd eaten lunch yet. Her response: "no, but that is good cause I will lose weight" WTF?!?! We are on VACATION, lady. As another side note, Laura is a bit sensitive at the moment cause she's put on some weight. So fast forward to dinner, Laura and I are pushing food on my mom like you won't believe, "appetizers immediately, Mom!" Mom pushes back saying, "oh, I'll just eat some oysters". It all pretty much went downhill from here. I love my mom but she just doesn't get it sometimes. The biggest buzzkill is when you order fatty fatty, greasy food and your dining companion orders a green salad. I'm exaggerating a bit, but #1. we are on vacation and #2. that just ain't cool. We managed to order some apps that we could all agree on thank god and dinner progressed. It gets worse. At one point, my mom says to Laura, "is your back pain due to the car accident you had 5 years ago, or is it.... (fill in the blanks, you KNOW what she was thinking). Again, clueless. Needless to say, Laura stormed off, my mom didn't want to eat and I became piggy wiggy eating the remnants of the food on the table. Not a good start to our girls trip.
Next morning, everyone seemed to have forgiven and forgotten. It was a gorgeous morning in Maui. We all went for walks along the beach (true peace), then decided to head to Whaler's Village for some shopping -- gotta get cute sundresses for the trip right? After a couple of hours of damage to our credit cards, we realized it was noon and we were hungry. We settled in at the Rusty Harpoon (this place always brings back awesome memories from our honeymoon). the second we sat down, I realized we were in trouble again. Laura looked at the menu and decided to order a cup of soup. Meanwhile, my mom orders a salad. I'm eying the pork sandwich with french fries. HELP ME! I gently ask them, "aren't you hungry?" Tears stream down Laura's face and she manages to say that she "can't eat" around mom. Yikes. At that moment I got really mad. What the hell?!? I chose these people to accompany me on the trip cause my husband couldn't. I was really starting to regret not inviting my favorite girlfriends instead. The rest of lunch was silent and after lunch, I opted to walk along the beach back to our resort rather than take the shuttle. As I walked along the sand (peace) many thoughts crossed me head, "should I go home and spend the week on excursions with Lucy instead?", "should I ship them home and make my friends fly out?", "should I get my own room and have a peaceful vacation all by myself?" I decided to clear my head and do my own thing at least for the afternoon.
I went to the pool bar, watched some basketball and enjoyed a tasty sugary Hawaiian cocktail. Later that afternoon, I came back to the hotel and gave them a piece of my mind. I have always been the agreeable daughter who nods her head and goes with the flow. It's funny how easy it is for us, even as grown adults, to revert back to our childhood comfort zones. I felt that last night and again this morning, I had become that quiet child who blends into the background, as I had been as a child. Meanwhile, Laura became the emotional, dramatic, ubersensitive child while my mom bent over backwards and did somersaults to smooth things over, trying at all costs to make amends with Laura, leaving me feeling empty and disconnected.
As like much of my childhood, I had begun to feel invisible on MY vacation. Unfortunately it is what it is. Those are the dynamics of this threesome. No matter how much we all try, the force lurks below the surface.
After an afternoon clearing my head and getting a grip on the fact that I'm a successful, mature adult, I realized I needed to stand up for myself. It worked wonders. Both of them apologized profusely and swore to me that the rest of the trip would be smooth. We all put the events of the first two days behind us.
From that point on, the trip was a major blast. That night at dinner mom even drank two Lava Flow drinks (of course she had no idea of the caloric count involved!)
The next day we went for a drive up north to see the beautiful beaches above Kaanapali. I realized that day that Laura and mom have much more in common than I'd thought. The two of them bonded in their own way over the beautiful flowers we encountered at every juncture. They decided to take pictures of the exotic flowers and create a screensaver slideshow to remember the trip. Very cute. To be honest, I was terribly bored during that process! We had a fabulous lunch at the Plantation House (note to self, must yelp). We all agreed that everything we tasted was the best we'd ever had: spicy pepper bloody mary (made with Absolut peppar), the grilled romaine caesar salad (heavenly), mango flavored ice tea. Their selection was not great. They had mahi mahi ONLY for their fish. You could get ahi but it was only available as part of a tuna melt. We then drove up the coast and hiked over to the Blowhole. The highlight was on the way back we passed a couple of locals hanging out in a pickup truck and they offered us marijuana for sale. After a bit of shopping in Lahaina (oh yes, there was an episode there, ask the lady who works at the ice cream shop - it's a secret so unfortunately I can't reveal what happened!) we ended the day with a fabulous sushi feast at the Hyatt Regency. I still have dreams about their amaebi, the best I've ever had.
Day 4. We had planned to drive to Hana. The concierge suggested we leave between 7 and 8am. Because we are freaks, we woke up at 5am and left the resort at 5:30. We made great time, and true to word, there were some beautiful sights along the drive. But I have to say, Hana itself? No. Complete waste of time. I am guessing we missed some turn off that would have led us to the fabulousness that Hana is known for, but we got to the end called, "Hana Beach" and it was a dinky, rocky beach that featured a dilapidated looking snack shack where a big Hawaiian mama dished out items like spam sandwiches and ice cream bars. Luckily we got there so early that we were able to bust outta there quickly, completely avoiding all of the tourists and bad traffic. We managed to drive back to the West side by noon -- just in time for lunch in Lahaina! Yipeee! We also made reservations to come back to the area for dinner at the Lahaina Grill (formerly called David Paul's) -- I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant, it was hands down the best meal we had in Maui. My mom, the foodie, could not stop raving. She must have informed us "this meal is FABULOUS, I tell you" 10 times (yes alcohol was involved).
Day 5. We decided that for our last full day, we should take advantage of our great resort and stay local. Laura and I had talked about possibly going snorkeling, but the day got away from us. After more shopping in Lahaina for those last minute gifts and souvenirs, we ended up lounging by the pool.... that's the life!
For our final dinner, we dined at The Hula Grill -- another favorite from our Honeymoon. What a perfect ending to our trip. The sunset photo shown at the start of this entry was taken from the Hula Grill. I will miss the sunset at Kaanapali Beach. Our dinner was fabulous and the service was perfect. They did screw up my beef order (I had asked for medium rare and it arrived quite overcooked). Our waitress took one look at my steak, whisked the plate away and promised to replace it. Unfortunately, they were out of that particular cut, so they brought me an even nicer steak cut for dinner. It was delicious.
The next morning, up at the crack of dawn. I don't think any of us ever quite adjusted to the Hawaiian time zone. We got to the airport at 8:30am, crazy early. Laura and I were supposed to leave at 11:30am and mom to leave at 1:30pm. Well..... first we found out that our flight on ATA would be delayed 13 hours! (I immediately started to make mental plans for myself to stay another night and leave the next day, cause I would not have minded one bit!) The folks at the counter told us they were researching alternative flights and the good news is that since we were the very first in line, we would get first choice. So, we waited. Fortunately (unfortunately?) there was a handy dandy airport gift shop right across from where we had to wait in line. So Laura and I took turns going in and we each got suckered in to buying all the stuff that we'd avoided buying during our trip up until that point (macadamia nuts, flower leis, soap that smells like pineapple) -- dang that sales girl was good! Finally we learned that we'd been placed on a flight on Aloha Airlines leaving at 1:30, perfect.
Meanwhile, mom had gone to the United counter, smiled and batted her eyelashes at a sweet elderly Japanese man and gotten herself switched to a flight leaving at 12:30pm. Go mom!
We decided to head through the security gate and wait upstairs. At this point, things do get a bit, shall we say.... interesting.... but yet again, it's a secret and I'm not allowed to talk about it on a public forum. Needless to say, we had a very extraordinary lunch at the upstairs bar & grill. Ok, so we almost got kicked out of the restaurant.... but now I'm saying way too much and must end this blog entry very very soon. Email me privately and I'll fill you in. : )
We did get home safe and sound to our wonderful families.
I can't speak for Laura or mom, but as for me, I have simply the best memories of our trip to Maui. Truly an unforgettable experience.
Lucy gets SKUNKED
Middle of the night... 1/2 asleep I sniff. P.U.! What is that? Oh no..... SKUNK. My peaceful dreams ruined by putridity. Pete had let Lucy out to "do her business" and the crazy dog managed to get skunked. Not so much fun at 1:00 am. 1 hour later after madly researching "how to get rid of skunk smell", a 1/2 hour bath I try to get back to sleep. Unfortunately the smell of skunk lingers.... Life with Lucy. Never dull.
3.17.2008
Lucy for Mayor
Why can't Lucy run for mayor? I have never known anyone who has more popularity amongst a wide array of people from all walks of life. She certainly does not discriminate based on race, sex, financial status or any other criteria.
Like most politicians, Lucy is quite happy to accept bribes and gifts from the public.
Lucy is committed to the cause to eliminate squirrels from the town of Alamo. Unfortunately, she has yet to actually catch one (she would have no idea what to do if she actually caught one) but she sure ain't gonna stop trying.
Lucy is also committed to doing her part to keep the trails clean. With her nose to the ground, she'll find that last piece of garbage or scrap of food and make sure it is "disposed" of.
Lucy can work a crowd. If presented with a group of people to greet, she is quite adept at ensuring everyone gets a "kiss".
Lucy for Mayor!
Like most politicians, Lucy is quite happy to accept bribes and gifts from the public.
Lucy is committed to the cause to eliminate squirrels from the town of Alamo. Unfortunately, she has yet to actually catch one (she would have no idea what to do if she actually caught one) but she sure ain't gonna stop trying.
Lucy is also committed to doing her part to keep the trails clean. With her nose to the ground, she'll find that last piece of garbage or scrap of food and make sure it is "disposed" of.
Lucy can work a crowd. If presented with a group of people to greet, she is quite adept at ensuring everyone gets a "kiss".
Lucy for Mayor!
4.15.2007
The drug called sports
I'm sitting here on a BEYOOOTIFUL Sunday afternoon listening to the Warriors/Timberwolves game on the radio - how pathetic is that? I feel a bit lame, but it is what it is.
The Warriors are in the "playoff chase". As a die hard Giants fan, I ain't experiencing such an occasion anytime in the near future...
So what does the addictive personality do? Find the next best thing -- basketball in the Bay Area. It's pretty exciting I have to admit. I found myself tempted to purchase tickets to Baron Davis' bday party, to occur tonight at Mezzanine in the city. Of course as a person who listens to the radio at 3pm on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I have no idea what Mezzanine is but I'm assuming it's a hot night spot in the city. If I weren't so old and didn't have to wake up for work at oh 4 AM, I'd go. Seriously. I am tempted.
Instead, I will be good. I have plans to walk with a friend in a local suburban area, maybe enjoy a glass of wine on a patio somewhere then prepare for yet another OH SO FUN work week (the caps are an attempt to demonstrate the sarcasm in my voice!) - but how much fun would it be to dance and get down with Baron Davis and his teammates... grrrrr!
Ok the Warriors just won the game, but icing on the cake will be the moment when the Kings beat the Clippers, with whom the Warriors are neck and neck with in the chase for a Playoff berth.
Thanks to Ayelet who re-introduced me to the world of blogging. It is quite therapeutic indeed! Time to refill the wine glass.
The Warriors are in the "playoff chase". As a die hard Giants fan, I ain't experiencing such an occasion anytime in the near future...
So what does the addictive personality do? Find the next best thing -- basketball in the Bay Area. It's pretty exciting I have to admit. I found myself tempted to purchase tickets to Baron Davis' bday party, to occur tonight at Mezzanine in the city. Of course as a person who listens to the radio at 3pm on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I have no idea what Mezzanine is but I'm assuming it's a hot night spot in the city. If I weren't so old and didn't have to wake up for work at oh 4 AM, I'd go. Seriously. I am tempted.
Instead, I will be good. I have plans to walk with a friend in a local suburban area, maybe enjoy a glass of wine on a patio somewhere then prepare for yet another OH SO FUN work week (the caps are an attempt to demonstrate the sarcasm in my voice!) - but how much fun would it be to dance and get down with Baron Davis and his teammates... grrrrr!
Ok the Warriors just won the game, but icing on the cake will be the moment when the Kings beat the Clippers, with whom the Warriors are neck and neck with in the chase for a Playoff berth.
Thanks to Ayelet who re-introduced me to the world of blogging. It is quite therapeutic indeed! Time to refill the wine glass.
4.12.2007
it's gonna be a long season
boy oh boy. 2 wins - 7 losses. It's gonna be a LONG season for me and my G-men.
4.10.2007
Okay, here I am 2 years later. Can you tell I can be a bit absent minded when it comes to this blog?!
So, let's see. What has been occupying my time? Well, I switched jobs in June 2005 (I now sell IT Monitoring software to companies on the East Coast) and I've been pretty happy with the change, except recently I've started to feel restless.... there are some pretty major flaws in how my company is set up and I question the capabilities of Management. Of course every company has it's issues, but they are stacked pretty high at this company.
Also, how BORING can you get? Really.. monitoring software? I sell to the geekiest of the geeks -- Sys Admins, IT Directors, and C-Level technical management.
Pete and I got ourselves a little bundle of joy. Yes we GOT a bundle of joy, we did not CREATE one. Although, I've been dragging my feet for likely a bit too long... the boy is getting restless for one of those bundles of joy that like to scream, cry, suck boobies, and interfere with all the fun and independence I've gottten quite used to. Then there is the whole 9 month dealio. WHY can't they figure out a way so men can have babies?
Where was I?? Oh yes. The bundle of joy is our precious, adorable and absolutely hilarious Boston Terrier who we named Lucy. She was born October 19, 2005 and we picked her up in December, 2005. She's pretty much the love of our lives. Like all bundles of joy, our lives revolve around her. No more Happy Hours in the city after work as I gotta go home to let Lucy out and go for a walk. Weekends away? We couldn't POSSIBLY leave Lucy with a dog sitter. She rules our world and we're pretty happy to let her.
I'll write more in my next posting (hopefully it won't be in 2009!) Perhaps I'll figure out how to post pictures on this thing...
So, let's see. What has been occupying my time? Well, I switched jobs in June 2005 (I now sell IT Monitoring software to companies on the East Coast) and I've been pretty happy with the change, except recently I've started to feel restless.... there are some pretty major flaws in how my company is set up and I question the capabilities of Management. Of course every company has it's issues, but they are stacked pretty high at this company.
Also, how BORING can you get? Really.. monitoring software? I sell to the geekiest of the geeks -- Sys Admins, IT Directors, and C-Level technical management.
Pete and I got ourselves a little bundle of joy. Yes we GOT a bundle of joy, we did not CREATE one. Although, I've been dragging my feet for likely a bit too long... the boy is getting restless for one of those bundles of joy that like to scream, cry, suck boobies, and interfere with all the fun and independence I've gottten quite used to. Then there is the whole 9 month dealio. WHY can't they figure out a way so men can have babies?
Where was I?? Oh yes. The bundle of joy is our precious, adorable and absolutely hilarious Boston Terrier who we named Lucy. She was born October 19, 2005 and we picked her up in December, 2005. She's pretty much the love of our lives. Like all bundles of joy, our lives revolve around her. No more Happy Hours in the city after work as I gotta go home to let Lucy out and go for a walk. Weekends away? We couldn't POSSIBLY leave Lucy with a dog sitter. She rules our world and we're pretty happy to let her.
I'll write more in my next posting (hopefully it won't be in 2009!) Perhaps I'll figure out how to post pictures on this thing...
2.17.2005
I keep forgetting about this thing... I really should write more. It's a nice way to process the events and day to day "ho hums" in life. What better way than in a Blog?
I just found this when I googled myself:
http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/ppv/athlete.php?rid=32&bib=1713
Hopefully they will keep archives for a while. How cool would it be to show my kids, "yes, mommy DID really do this".
I just found this when I googled myself:
http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/ppv/athlete.php?rid=32&bib=1713
Hopefully they will keep archives for a while. How cool would it be to show my kids, "yes, mommy DID really do this".
7.06.2004
Ironman Coeur D'Alene 2004 Race Report (SHORT VERSION -- race day only)
Sunday, June 27 RACE DAY
I woke up at 4:30am. Sandhya, bless her heart, had brewed some coffee, set out my breakfast, laid out my water bottles filled with HEED (High Energy Endurance Drink from Hammer - good stuff) and was pretty much ready to attend to my every need. I gobbled down some Teddy Grahams and a bagel with cream cheese, some coffee, and juice. Then we had to wake Pete up. Surprisingly he woke up quickly and were in the car by 5am to start our 30 minute drive into town. The sky looked ominous and sure enough, on the way, the sky opened up and it started POURING. WHAT?!?!? I was concerned but not as panicked as I thought I'd be. I guess the reality is, I am doing this race regardless and, at least, everyone would be in the same boat. By the time we got to town, the rain had stopped and it started to look like it would be a nice day, thank goodness. We parked the car at the CDA Resort, got some coffee at Starbuck's, then headed to the transition area. I went to check on my bike and pulled off the plastic bags. I noticed an Inside Out Sports Support guy with a bike pump. He was very popular amongst the women near me. He pumped up both of my tires and Mr. Guru was good to go. Next, I found Sandhya and Pete again and they helped me put my wetsuit on. The energy around the transition and start area was awesome. Athletes were spending their final moments with loved ones, stretching, eating, focusing. Suddenly it was time to head to the beach. I didn't want to go just yet so I stayed with Sandhya and Pete for a while, trying to prolong the time. At about 6:40 I said my goodbyes and entered the beach area. I went into the lake mainly to pee and get a feel for the water. Damn! it was cold. I paddled around a bit and then they blew the whistle signalling it was time to get out and wait on the beach. The PROs get to start in the water while the age groupers are all on the beach and everyone starts at the same time. I had never done a mass swim start before. Man was I in for it! The last fifteen minutes standing on the beach was quite memorable for me. I actually felt very calm. It seemed like most of the athletes around me were also pretty calm and I'm sure that helped me to relax. There was lots of joking and commentary amongst the athletes. I truly expected to be having anxiety attacks at the start but instead, I felt great and simply ready to start the race. I have done quite a few Olympic distance and a couple of 1/2 IM distance races and the start of an IM distance race seems to have a very different feel. Normally, I feel like you can cut the tension with a knife. Perhaps it is because I was in the middle of the pack and Ironman athletes know that it's not so much of a race per se, but more like a long day of exercise. I imagine the atmosphere is a bit different towards the front or in the PRO pack. It was truly an awesome experience standing on that beach while a group of women sang the National Anthem, and helicopters and planes circled above. Wow! Then the cannon went off.
I had positioned myself in the middle of the crowd thinking, I'm a decent swimmer. Hahahaha! Collectively, we made our way to the water. I tried to start swimming. Ohmygod. I could not swim. There were arms flailing, feet kicking, water splashing everywhere. I couldn't see beyond about 3 feet. My heart rate shot right up. As hard as I tried to swim, the harder it became. I felt myself climbing over others just to keep away from people climbing over me. I was continually being slapped, kicked and pushed. The best description I can make is that I felt like clothing in a washing machine, constantly jostled with no control whatsoever. My heart rate monitor must have been on the verge of exploding. I recall thinking, "I am going to die in this water". I was winded and I hadn't even gotten to the first buoy! This is not good. I found myself swimming breast stroke or "doggy paddling" much of the first loop cause it was easier to breathe as well as sight the course. Somehow I made it through that first loop. I exited the water, walked through the timing chip and back to the water for loop #2. An athlete next to me commented, "here we go for more fun". I chuckled. God, I don't want to do this. The second loop was significantly easier. Swimmers were spaced out by then and I actually swam the whole way. I was also able to find to some fast feet to draft off of. What a lovely feeling to cruise along in a nice little current generated by a strong swimmer. Yeah! My breathing normalized and I felt good the entire 2nd loop. Okay, I can do this. I forced myself to pee while swimming which isn't a very natural feeling. Finally, I got back to shore. I was soooo happy to exit the water.
Ironically, my first loop split was faster than my second loop split, go figure! That is a mystery to me.
1st loop = 39:09
2nd loop = 41:10
TOTAL swim = 1:20:19
I walked out towards the transition area. I heard some people screaming my name to the right and I remember seeing the green sign that my 9 year old nephew, Austin, had designed for me. He couldn't make the trip but everytime I saw that sign I thought of him. I walked over to get my swim-to-bike bag but I was stopped by two wetsuit strippers. I had forgotten about them! These two women had me sit down and a second later my wetsuit was off. Normally I'm sitting there for a good minute or so tugging away. Yipee! I grabbed my bag and went into the women's changing room. Immediately, a volunteer sat me down and dumped the contents of my bag, asking me what I needed. Wow, this is cool. First things first, get my prescription sunglasses on so I could see. The volunteer started to put my socks on for me and handed me my bike shorts and singlet. I didn't even have to think. I got my camelbak on and this wonderful woman had already packed up my wetsuit so there was nothing else for me to do but get my bike and head out. As I walked to my bike, a volunteer smiled at me and said, "you are soo cute". That was unexpected, and it put a smile on my face. I grabbed Mr. Guru and walked over to the mount line. I was very conscious of making sure both wheels were past the line so I don't get DQ'd.
Transition time = 6:50
I felt great immediately when I got on my bike. There were spectators everywhere, cheering, waving. I felt like a rock star. I wanted to go fast but I made a conscious effort to preserve energy. I rode through town, I'm sure I had a big smile on my face. Riding through town was just a blast. The bike course is like a figure 8. First you head out of town and ride for a few miles along the lake. I saw my mom and Bert hanging out in the shade under an overpass. Coeur D'Alene is a really pretty city. We rode out to a turn around then headed back into town. At around mile 10, we passed the very enthusiastic CDA High cheerleaders. I started drinking my HEED drink but wasn't at all hungry. I knew that I'd have to start eating soon. I skipped nutrition at the first station. Back in town, I looked around for my little fan club. I didn't see anybody but that's okay, there were plenty of spectators to wave and smile to. Exiting town again, we headed out for the long loop of the bike course, out to the hillier area towards Washington. The first climb up Riverview road really wasn't too bad. I went somewhat slow. I never felt the need to come out of my saddle. I was very conscious of staying out of the drafting zone. I was really worried about inadvertently getting a penalty. The problem was that, especially on the first lap, we weren't very spread out. Cyclists would pass me and pull in front and suddenly I'd be in their draft zone. I felt like I should slow down a bit to get out of the draft zone but obviously I didn't want to. After the hills we hit some flat parts that were perfect for getting in "aero" position (using the aerobars). That is when I started seeing referees watching from their motorcycles. At one point, I was cruising when I noticed that right in front of me was a cyclist was moving slower than I was. I looked behind, and sure enough, there was a referee on his motorcycle. I remembered the 15 second rule and immediately pulled to the left, passed the cyclist and moved back to the right. The referee passed me and made a point to look at me. I thought that I'd blown it and was certain I had a penalty. But there were no deductions to my time, so I guess not! At about mile 30 or 40, I went to go in my aerobar position and found that my left aerobar pad was missing. What the...?!?? A minute ago it was there. Dang! Oh, well, not too much I can do about that now. There are significant flat stretches the last section of the loop so I really missed that aero pad. I tried to position myself by putting most of weight on the right pad but it wasn't comfortable at all. I ended up using my handle bar drops instead. Definitely not the same effect, but it would be nice to have a different position to ride in from time to time. Finally I was heading back into town before heading on my second loop. Yipee, I was excited to see people again. I saw Michelle and Laura in town and waved wildly at them. I felt great. Psychologically, the two loop set-up is great. You know exactly what to expect the second time around. I like to pretend like I'm just starting out on the bike. At the turnaround, I stopped to get my extra bottle of HEED from my Special Needs bag (I was getting really sick of Gatorade). I also grabbed a Snickers bar I had stashed. It was melted and mushy, but it hit the spot. Back in town, I heard Kathy yell my name and I saw the gang out of the corner of my eye as I sped past. This is fun! The aid stations on the bike course were awesome. The volunteers would stand on the side calling out what they had to offer (water, Gatorade, bananas, Snickers). I'd pretty much eaten bananas, Gatorade, HEED and water for the first lap. The second lap I ate more Snickers bars, pretzels that I'd carried and some Endurolytes. The second lap of the bike was nice because the cyclists were more spread out and I didn't worry so much about drafting and penalties. Doug passed me around mile 70. He looked great and I figured I'd never see him again. I still felt pretty good. My legs were getting tight and I worried a bit about how my legs would be during the run, but I figured I'd just keep on going and see what happens. By mile 80 or so, I started to count down the miles. I know I was slowing down. My neck hurt and my back hurt and I was very irritated that I couldn't use my aerobars. The support out there is just amazing though. In the city of Post Falls, the residents were out cheering us on and spraying us with their water hoses. I made a point to smile and say thank you as much as possible. These kind people helped to make this race tolerable. Around mile 100, as I was heading out of Post Falls back to CDA, a man on the side took one look at me and said, "You are IT, Girl. Rock Solid!" That is all I needed. Feeling a new surge of energy, I smiled, thanked him and pushed ahead. Finally, I was on the stretch headed back to the transition area. I picked up the pace and rode hard. What an awesome feeling to see the hordes of people lining the road that leads to the transition, cheering and screaming. I rode in and being very conscious about dismounting before the disqualification line (another one of those rules that scared me), I dismounted too early. A volunteer ran up and said, "the line is up ahead, but let me take your bike. Go and run up to the line". So I did and I didn't have to rack my bike or anything. Gotta love it.
1st loop = 3:24:43
2nd loop = 3:31:39
TOTAL bike = 6:56:22
I ran to grab my bike-to-run bag and a bit disoriented I almost went in the men's changing tent. A few volunteers stopped me and I joked, "darn, I thought I could have some fun" and they laughed. In the women's changing tent, again a volunteer grabbed me, put a cold towel on my head and helped me change out of my bike clothing into my run clothing. She made sure I had everything I needed and voila! I was ready to run. I grabbed some pretzels and gummy bears sitting in a pile by the exit and off I went.
Transition time = 4:43
I started out slowly. My legs were tight. I was really happy to be off the bike, however. I knew that this would be one long, hard run. Almost immediately, I saw Pete, Sandhya, and Kathy. I waved and blew kisses. There were aid stations at every mile on the run. At the first aid station, there were 3 women dressed in colorful 70s attire, waving around rainbow colored mops, dancing to YMCA and other disco hits. I laughed, they were so funny. I almost wanted to dance. Almost, but not quite... Before the first turnaround (1 1/2 miles) I heard Doug's voice behind me. What? I must have passed him somehow. Turns out his legs had started to cramp and he was stretching. I wished him well and carried along. My breathing evened out. Usually it takes me a few miles before I can get into a groove while running. I passed Pete, Sandhya and Kathy again and I carried on into town. I saw Michelle and Laura a few blocks away. They were screaming and I gave them high-fives. Many people were walking even at that point. I knew that if I would be better off running, no matter how slow. I pretty much ran the entire time, choosing to walk through some of the aid stations. The run aid stations offered gatorade, ice, water, coke, pretzels, Snickers, and at a few stations: chicken broth. I got in a pretty good groove and for the first loop, the miles disappeared quickly. The "Degree of Difficulty" stretch (Degree deodorant designates a part of the course that is most difficult as a sponsorship opportunity, I guess that is where you *really* sweat and wish you used Degree?!) wasn't too bad, it was a short (maybe 1/4 mile?) climb and I ran it both times. At the turnaround after that hill, a volunteer said, "DeStefano, is this your first or second loop?" I laughed and said, "I wish! It's my first loop, I'll see you later". She laughed, cheered and told me she'd look for me. A realization hit me as I ran back into town: I didn't feel as bad as I felt when I ran Boston. I ran the Boston Marathon back in April and it was hands down the worst race of my life. The weather was in the mid-80s and very humid. For much of the race, I tried to breathe but it seemed like there was no air coming in, and I blew out my quads early on (dummy went out too fast on that crazy course where it is downhill for like the first 14 miles). For the first time in my life, I actually thought I might not finish a race. In hindsight, I'm actually very glad I did Boston now, as it was great training for IMCDA. For much of the run, I found myself thinking, "hey! I don't feel as bad as I felt in Boston! yay!". This comparison tactic helped so much. I also took lessons I learned in Boston and made sure I didn't make the same mistakes. I had left my Endurolytes behind, so I ate lots of pretzels, drank gatorade at the aid stations to get as much salt and electrolytes as possible. I was cautious on the downhill part after the "degree of difficulty" hill. Back in town, I saw Michelle and Laura, then Pete, Kathy and Sandhya in the same place as before. I found out later that they had gone away to drink margaritas while I was out on first loop and simply returned to the exact same place... grrrr! I felt "okay" but knew that it was gonna get tough. I had seen Doug on the course and knew he was cramping bad. I really wanted to just keep running (more like shuffling actually). I always have this mindset like if I stop, I might not start again. Back out through town, the little hills and turns through the neighborhoods were starting to really bug me. Then out along lakeside I saw many people walking. I was sick of drinking. I felt gassy and I am sure I left some fine odors behind (my secret weapon, ha!) I didn't want anymore liquid so I started chomping on ice. At one point, I poured a cup of ice under my running hat - ack! brain freeze... forget that. I plugged on. Up the degree of difficulty hill again. The volunteer didn't remember me, but that's okay. I wasn't nearly as cheerful as the first time through. Back along lakeside, I saw an athlete sitting on one of the park benches. It looked like he was searching for some "inspiration" to keep going. I saw a woman who was walking with tears pouring down her face. I was really happy to get back to the neighborhoods again. Then, I was at mile 23, then 24. Oh my gosh, I am going to finish this thing. At mile 25, I picked it up a notch. I knew that I wanted to sprint (if you can call it that) to the finish line. I turned a corner and a volunteeer told me the line was 9 blocks away. Then I heard 5 blocks and I was heading downhill toward that beautiful sight: the finish line. It was the most amazing feeling high fiving people as I headed down the chute. As I got close, I heard them call my name "Sheila DeStefano, you are an Ironman". There was a man right before me who broke the tape and I thought, "bummer, I don't have a tape to break". In the blink of an eye, a volunteer stepped forward with a new tape just for me. I raised my arms and broke through. I finished! Immediately, two volunteers rushed to my sides, placed a finisher medal around my neck, told me I was an Ironman and asked what I needed. I said, "I feel okay" and I did. I really thought that I'd be a bawling emotional mess when crossing that line, but I shed no tears. The volunteers asked me if I wanted to go to the medical tent. Did I look that bad?! I said, no. They said that they had to either take me to the tent or leave me with family. I started to argue, saying that I had seen my family as I ran in and we were meeting at the "family meeting area". Suddenly, Laura was there and she rushed in and gave me a huge hug. I said goodbye to the nice volunteers and Laura escorted me and we walked around and around. I was shocked that I felt as good as I did. Don't get me wrong, we walked very slowly.
Run Time:
1st turn = 1:07:11
2nd turn = 1:12:24
3rd turn = 1:17:34
4th turn: 1:05:14
TOTAL = 4:50:45
Final time = 13:18:58
Place in age group = 45th out of 116
I was so happy to see my family and friends. As we waited for Doug to come in, Shawn Chapler came up to me. She looked great. I ask her how she did. She tells me "I think I won the age group". I roll my eyes, okay, what was your time? "Oh, 10 hours , 27 minutes" OHMYGOD. This girl finished 3 hours faster than me. If she weren't so darn nice and modest, I'd have to hate her!! Incredible. Doug finished a short while later and we rested on the lawn, eating pizza, sandwiches and cookies. Laura brought me a beer. Yay! I chugged it. I could not bear the thought of drinking another ounce of Gatorade. Eventually, we picked up my bike and transition bags, then headed to the car to go home. I am still astonished by how good I felt.
The next few days after the race, over and over, I heard the question: "will you do another?" At first, I shook my head vehemently. Hell no! I've done what I set out to do. My goal was to finish an IM and I had done just that. At the awards banquet, they acknowledged us first timers and suggested that we may have caught "the bug". The more I thought about it (and of course as time goes by how quickly you forget the pain!) I found myself thinking about other possible IM race candidates for myself. Canada? Florda? When I got home, I checked the IM Arizona website (IM Arizona is a brand new race that will be held on April 19, 2005). There were less than 100 slots left. I thought about it for approximately 2 minutes and signed myself up! I admit, I thought that I'd retire from triathlon after IM CDA. I guess my interest has been revived. I'm not quite ready to hang up my IM hat! Participating in this race was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I am still basking in the afterglow of the event, and I am proud to belong to the exclusive group of individuals who can call themselves an Ironman.
Thanks for your time everyone... until next year!
Sunday, June 27 RACE DAY
I woke up at 4:30am. Sandhya, bless her heart, had brewed some coffee, set out my breakfast, laid out my water bottles filled with HEED (High Energy Endurance Drink from Hammer - good stuff) and was pretty much ready to attend to my every need. I gobbled down some Teddy Grahams and a bagel with cream cheese, some coffee, and juice. Then we had to wake Pete up. Surprisingly he woke up quickly and were in the car by 5am to start our 30 minute drive into town. The sky looked ominous and sure enough, on the way, the sky opened up and it started POURING. WHAT?!?!? I was concerned but not as panicked as I thought I'd be. I guess the reality is, I am doing this race regardless and, at least, everyone would be in the same boat. By the time we got to town, the rain had stopped and it started to look like it would be a nice day, thank goodness. We parked the car at the CDA Resort, got some coffee at Starbuck's, then headed to the transition area. I went to check on my bike and pulled off the plastic bags. I noticed an Inside Out Sports Support guy with a bike pump. He was very popular amongst the women near me. He pumped up both of my tires and Mr. Guru was good to go. Next, I found Sandhya and Pete again and they helped me put my wetsuit on. The energy around the transition and start area was awesome. Athletes were spending their final moments with loved ones, stretching, eating, focusing. Suddenly it was time to head to the beach. I didn't want to go just yet so I stayed with Sandhya and Pete for a while, trying to prolong the time. At about 6:40 I said my goodbyes and entered the beach area. I went into the lake mainly to pee and get a feel for the water. Damn! it was cold. I paddled around a bit and then they blew the whistle signalling it was time to get out and wait on the beach. The PROs get to start in the water while the age groupers are all on the beach and everyone starts at the same time. I had never done a mass swim start before. Man was I in for it! The last fifteen minutes standing on the beach was quite memorable for me. I actually felt very calm. It seemed like most of the athletes around me were also pretty calm and I'm sure that helped me to relax. There was lots of joking and commentary amongst the athletes. I truly expected to be having anxiety attacks at the start but instead, I felt great and simply ready to start the race. I have done quite a few Olympic distance and a couple of 1/2 IM distance races and the start of an IM distance race seems to have a very different feel. Normally, I feel like you can cut the tension with a knife. Perhaps it is because I was in the middle of the pack and Ironman athletes know that it's not so much of a race per se, but more like a long day of exercise. I imagine the atmosphere is a bit different towards the front or in the PRO pack. It was truly an awesome experience standing on that beach while a group of women sang the National Anthem, and helicopters and planes circled above. Wow! Then the cannon went off.
I had positioned myself in the middle of the crowd thinking, I'm a decent swimmer. Hahahaha! Collectively, we made our way to the water. I tried to start swimming. Ohmygod. I could not swim. There were arms flailing, feet kicking, water splashing everywhere. I couldn't see beyond about 3 feet. My heart rate shot right up. As hard as I tried to swim, the harder it became. I felt myself climbing over others just to keep away from people climbing over me. I was continually being slapped, kicked and pushed. The best description I can make is that I felt like clothing in a washing machine, constantly jostled with no control whatsoever. My heart rate monitor must have been on the verge of exploding. I recall thinking, "I am going to die in this water". I was winded and I hadn't even gotten to the first buoy! This is not good. I found myself swimming breast stroke or "doggy paddling" much of the first loop cause it was easier to breathe as well as sight the course. Somehow I made it through that first loop. I exited the water, walked through the timing chip and back to the water for loop #2. An athlete next to me commented, "here we go for more fun". I chuckled. God, I don't want to do this. The second loop was significantly easier. Swimmers were spaced out by then and I actually swam the whole way. I was also able to find to some fast feet to draft off of. What a lovely feeling to cruise along in a nice little current generated by a strong swimmer. Yeah! My breathing normalized and I felt good the entire 2nd loop. Okay, I can do this. I forced myself to pee while swimming which isn't a very natural feeling. Finally, I got back to shore. I was soooo happy to exit the water.
Ironically, my first loop split was faster than my second loop split, go figure! That is a mystery to me.
1st loop = 39:09
2nd loop = 41:10
TOTAL swim = 1:20:19
I walked out towards the transition area. I heard some people screaming my name to the right and I remember seeing the green sign that my 9 year old nephew, Austin, had designed for me. He couldn't make the trip but everytime I saw that sign I thought of him. I walked over to get my swim-to-bike bag but I was stopped by two wetsuit strippers. I had forgotten about them! These two women had me sit down and a second later my wetsuit was off. Normally I'm sitting there for a good minute or so tugging away. Yipee! I grabbed my bag and went into the women's changing room. Immediately, a volunteer sat me down and dumped the contents of my bag, asking me what I needed. Wow, this is cool. First things first, get my prescription sunglasses on so I could see. The volunteer started to put my socks on for me and handed me my bike shorts and singlet. I didn't even have to think. I got my camelbak on and this wonderful woman had already packed up my wetsuit so there was nothing else for me to do but get my bike and head out. As I walked to my bike, a volunteer smiled at me and said, "you are soo cute". That was unexpected, and it put a smile on my face. I grabbed Mr. Guru and walked over to the mount line. I was very conscious of making sure both wheels were past the line so I don't get DQ'd.
Transition time = 6:50
I felt great immediately when I got on my bike. There were spectators everywhere, cheering, waving. I felt like a rock star. I wanted to go fast but I made a conscious effort to preserve energy. I rode through town, I'm sure I had a big smile on my face. Riding through town was just a blast. The bike course is like a figure 8. First you head out of town and ride for a few miles along the lake. I saw my mom and Bert hanging out in the shade under an overpass. Coeur D'Alene is a really pretty city. We rode out to a turn around then headed back into town. At around mile 10, we passed the very enthusiastic CDA High cheerleaders. I started drinking my HEED drink but wasn't at all hungry. I knew that I'd have to start eating soon. I skipped nutrition at the first station. Back in town, I looked around for my little fan club. I didn't see anybody but that's okay, there were plenty of spectators to wave and smile to. Exiting town again, we headed out for the long loop of the bike course, out to the hillier area towards Washington. The first climb up Riverview road really wasn't too bad. I went somewhat slow. I never felt the need to come out of my saddle. I was very conscious of staying out of the drafting zone. I was really worried about inadvertently getting a penalty. The problem was that, especially on the first lap, we weren't very spread out. Cyclists would pass me and pull in front and suddenly I'd be in their draft zone. I felt like I should slow down a bit to get out of the draft zone but obviously I didn't want to. After the hills we hit some flat parts that were perfect for getting in "aero" position (using the aerobars). That is when I started seeing referees watching from their motorcycles. At one point, I was cruising when I noticed that right in front of me was a cyclist was moving slower than I was. I looked behind, and sure enough, there was a referee on his motorcycle. I remembered the 15 second rule and immediately pulled to the left, passed the cyclist and moved back to the right. The referee passed me and made a point to look at me. I thought that I'd blown it and was certain I had a penalty. But there were no deductions to my time, so I guess not! At about mile 30 or 40, I went to go in my aerobar position and found that my left aerobar pad was missing. What the...?!?? A minute ago it was there. Dang! Oh, well, not too much I can do about that now. There are significant flat stretches the last section of the loop so I really missed that aero pad. I tried to position myself by putting most of weight on the right pad but it wasn't comfortable at all. I ended up using my handle bar drops instead. Definitely not the same effect, but it would be nice to have a different position to ride in from time to time. Finally I was heading back into town before heading on my second loop. Yipee, I was excited to see people again. I saw Michelle and Laura in town and waved wildly at them. I felt great. Psychologically, the two loop set-up is great. You know exactly what to expect the second time around. I like to pretend like I'm just starting out on the bike. At the turnaround, I stopped to get my extra bottle of HEED from my Special Needs bag (I was getting really sick of Gatorade). I also grabbed a Snickers bar I had stashed. It was melted and mushy, but it hit the spot. Back in town, I heard Kathy yell my name and I saw the gang out of the corner of my eye as I sped past. This is fun! The aid stations on the bike course were awesome. The volunteers would stand on the side calling out what they had to offer (water, Gatorade, bananas, Snickers). I'd pretty much eaten bananas, Gatorade, HEED and water for the first lap. The second lap I ate more Snickers bars, pretzels that I'd carried and some Endurolytes. The second lap of the bike was nice because the cyclists were more spread out and I didn't worry so much about drafting and penalties. Doug passed me around mile 70. He looked great and I figured I'd never see him again. I still felt pretty good. My legs were getting tight and I worried a bit about how my legs would be during the run, but I figured I'd just keep on going and see what happens. By mile 80 or so, I started to count down the miles. I know I was slowing down. My neck hurt and my back hurt and I was very irritated that I couldn't use my aerobars. The support out there is just amazing though. In the city of Post Falls, the residents were out cheering us on and spraying us with their water hoses. I made a point to smile and say thank you as much as possible. These kind people helped to make this race tolerable. Around mile 100, as I was heading out of Post Falls back to CDA, a man on the side took one look at me and said, "You are IT, Girl. Rock Solid!" That is all I needed. Feeling a new surge of energy, I smiled, thanked him and pushed ahead. Finally, I was on the stretch headed back to the transition area. I picked up the pace and rode hard. What an awesome feeling to see the hordes of people lining the road that leads to the transition, cheering and screaming. I rode in and being very conscious about dismounting before the disqualification line (another one of those rules that scared me), I dismounted too early. A volunteer ran up and said, "the line is up ahead, but let me take your bike. Go and run up to the line". So I did and I didn't have to rack my bike or anything. Gotta love it.
1st loop = 3:24:43
2nd loop = 3:31:39
TOTAL bike = 6:56:22
I ran to grab my bike-to-run bag and a bit disoriented I almost went in the men's changing tent. A few volunteers stopped me and I joked, "darn, I thought I could have some fun" and they laughed. In the women's changing tent, again a volunteer grabbed me, put a cold towel on my head and helped me change out of my bike clothing into my run clothing. She made sure I had everything I needed and voila! I was ready to run. I grabbed some pretzels and gummy bears sitting in a pile by the exit and off I went.
Transition time = 4:43
I started out slowly. My legs were tight. I was really happy to be off the bike, however. I knew that this would be one long, hard run. Almost immediately, I saw Pete, Sandhya, and Kathy. I waved and blew kisses. There were aid stations at every mile on the run. At the first aid station, there were 3 women dressed in colorful 70s attire, waving around rainbow colored mops, dancing to YMCA and other disco hits. I laughed, they were so funny. I almost wanted to dance. Almost, but not quite... Before the first turnaround (1 1/2 miles) I heard Doug's voice behind me. What? I must have passed him somehow. Turns out his legs had started to cramp and he was stretching. I wished him well and carried along. My breathing evened out. Usually it takes me a few miles before I can get into a groove while running. I passed Pete, Sandhya and Kathy again and I carried on into town. I saw Michelle and Laura a few blocks away. They were screaming and I gave them high-fives. Many people were walking even at that point. I knew that if I would be better off running, no matter how slow. I pretty much ran the entire time, choosing to walk through some of the aid stations. The run aid stations offered gatorade, ice, water, coke, pretzels, Snickers, and at a few stations: chicken broth. I got in a pretty good groove and for the first loop, the miles disappeared quickly. The "Degree of Difficulty" stretch (Degree deodorant designates a part of the course that is most difficult as a sponsorship opportunity, I guess that is where you *really* sweat and wish you used Degree?!) wasn't too bad, it was a short (maybe 1/4 mile?) climb and I ran it both times. At the turnaround after that hill, a volunteer said, "DeStefano, is this your first or second loop?" I laughed and said, "I wish! It's my first loop, I'll see you later". She laughed, cheered and told me she'd look for me. A realization hit me as I ran back into town: I didn't feel as bad as I felt when I ran Boston. I ran the Boston Marathon back in April and it was hands down the worst race of my life. The weather was in the mid-80s and very humid. For much of the race, I tried to breathe but it seemed like there was no air coming in, and I blew out my quads early on (dummy went out too fast on that crazy course where it is downhill for like the first 14 miles). For the first time in my life, I actually thought I might not finish a race. In hindsight, I'm actually very glad I did Boston now, as it was great training for IMCDA. For much of the run, I found myself thinking, "hey! I don't feel as bad as I felt in Boston! yay!". This comparison tactic helped so much. I also took lessons I learned in Boston and made sure I didn't make the same mistakes. I had left my Endurolytes behind, so I ate lots of pretzels, drank gatorade at the aid stations to get as much salt and electrolytes as possible. I was cautious on the downhill part after the "degree of difficulty" hill. Back in town, I saw Michelle and Laura, then Pete, Kathy and Sandhya in the same place as before. I found out later that they had gone away to drink margaritas while I was out on first loop and simply returned to the exact same place... grrrr! I felt "okay" but knew that it was gonna get tough. I had seen Doug on the course and knew he was cramping bad. I really wanted to just keep running (more like shuffling actually). I always have this mindset like if I stop, I might not start again. Back out through town, the little hills and turns through the neighborhoods were starting to really bug me. Then out along lakeside I saw many people walking. I was sick of drinking. I felt gassy and I am sure I left some fine odors behind (my secret weapon, ha!) I didn't want anymore liquid so I started chomping on ice. At one point, I poured a cup of ice under my running hat - ack! brain freeze... forget that. I plugged on. Up the degree of difficulty hill again. The volunteer didn't remember me, but that's okay. I wasn't nearly as cheerful as the first time through. Back along lakeside, I saw an athlete sitting on one of the park benches. It looked like he was searching for some "inspiration" to keep going. I saw a woman who was walking with tears pouring down her face. I was really happy to get back to the neighborhoods again. Then, I was at mile 23, then 24. Oh my gosh, I am going to finish this thing. At mile 25, I picked it up a notch. I knew that I wanted to sprint (if you can call it that) to the finish line. I turned a corner and a volunteeer told me the line was 9 blocks away. Then I heard 5 blocks and I was heading downhill toward that beautiful sight: the finish line. It was the most amazing feeling high fiving people as I headed down the chute. As I got close, I heard them call my name "Sheila DeStefano, you are an Ironman". There was a man right before me who broke the tape and I thought, "bummer, I don't have a tape to break". In the blink of an eye, a volunteer stepped forward with a new tape just for me. I raised my arms and broke through. I finished! Immediately, two volunteers rushed to my sides, placed a finisher medal around my neck, told me I was an Ironman and asked what I needed. I said, "I feel okay" and I did. I really thought that I'd be a bawling emotional mess when crossing that line, but I shed no tears. The volunteers asked me if I wanted to go to the medical tent. Did I look that bad?! I said, no. They said that they had to either take me to the tent or leave me with family. I started to argue, saying that I had seen my family as I ran in and we were meeting at the "family meeting area". Suddenly, Laura was there and she rushed in and gave me a huge hug. I said goodbye to the nice volunteers and Laura escorted me and we walked around and around. I was shocked that I felt as good as I did. Don't get me wrong, we walked very slowly.
Run Time:
1st turn = 1:07:11
2nd turn = 1:12:24
3rd turn = 1:17:34
4th turn: 1:05:14
TOTAL = 4:50:45
Final time = 13:18:58
Place in age group = 45th out of 116
I was so happy to see my family and friends. As we waited for Doug to come in, Shawn Chapler came up to me. She looked great. I ask her how she did. She tells me "I think I won the age group". I roll my eyes, okay, what was your time? "Oh, 10 hours , 27 minutes" OHMYGOD. This girl finished 3 hours faster than me. If she weren't so darn nice and modest, I'd have to hate her!! Incredible. Doug finished a short while later and we rested on the lawn, eating pizza, sandwiches and cookies. Laura brought me a beer. Yay! I chugged it. I could not bear the thought of drinking another ounce of Gatorade. Eventually, we picked up my bike and transition bags, then headed to the car to go home. I am still astonished by how good I felt.
The next few days after the race, over and over, I heard the question: "will you do another?" At first, I shook my head vehemently. Hell no! I've done what I set out to do. My goal was to finish an IM and I had done just that. At the awards banquet, they acknowledged us first timers and suggested that we may have caught "the bug". The more I thought about it (and of course as time goes by how quickly you forget the pain!) I found myself thinking about other possible IM race candidates for myself. Canada? Florda? When I got home, I checked the IM Arizona website (IM Arizona is a brand new race that will be held on April 19, 2005). There were less than 100 slots left. I thought about it for approximately 2 minutes and signed myself up! I admit, I thought that I'd retire from triathlon after IM CDA. I guess my interest has been revived. I'm not quite ready to hang up my IM hat! Participating in this race was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I am still basking in the afterglow of the event, and I am proud to belong to the exclusive group of individuals who can call themselves an Ironman.
Thanks for your time everyone... until next year!
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