Thank You For The Years Chase!

I had a lot of time to think and reflect during my recent trip to Laos and Myanmar. I came back more spiritually, emotionally and mentally refreshed and with that, realized it was time to let go of my race gear from my previous life as an Ironman triathlete. Will I ever race Ironmans again? Never say never but it would take a huge "something" for that to happen. I must admit, luck was on my side as my asking prices probably left some room for negotiation but my buyers never asked. Last week, I let go of my Zipp 404s to a woman in the southbay who will put good use of them. Yesterday was a bit tougher as I bid farewell to my beloved Cervelo P2C. I sold it to a friend of mine who shared the same coach as me. She will be using Chase (bike's name) as a second race bike for her trainer and also as her non-racing travel bike. So, already, Chase is scheduled for some wanderlust adventures! 

I bought Chase from a shop that is no longer in business in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, a shop called Bike Nut. When I brought Chase home that July of 2007, I was afraid of it. Intimidated by it. I did my first Ironman that next month on my old Klein road bike (which eventually went to another owner) but soon after, started bonding with Chase and the rest is history as some of you may remember (this blog started as an ironman training blog logging in all my training hours for many years). This bike has been with me through many highs and lows as I road hours and hours of heart rate regulated intervals along Nicasio road in Marin and my favorite Saturday early morning training loop along Panoramic Hwy, Stinson Beach, Olema, Pt Reyes, Nicasio, Fairfax and back to Sausalito. So, with that, I bid Chase farewell. 5 years, 6 Ironman training seasons, 5 Ironman bike legs finishes, countless training races leading up to the Ace, countless hours and miles, laughters, tears, even a little bit of blood (broken blood vessel in my nose during a compu-trainer class) and of course the flattery compliments it received on the road. Thank you for therapy and good times! A gal and her bike.    

The Aquarius Woman

I recently read an article on Elephant Journal that was mostly right on point...in a walking contradiction type of way. Mostly. Had to share with my fellow Aquarius ladies out in the world!

The Aquarius Woman.

A lightning bolt strikes, the sky clears, and Miss. Aquarius skips out of the smoky aftermath, with flowers in her hair and turquoise mala beads strung around her wrists.

Her long skirt flows in the breeze, and she breathes in, ready to take flight.

The world feels wide open, juicy and full of possibility, just the way she likes.

She strums a guitar and laughs out loud, leaping and twirling and turning down the street.

She appears completely carefree, but—she holds a dripping aquamarine destiny in those delicate arms.

She bears a never-ending jug of water, sprinkling her wistful wisdom and luscious love and gentle encouragement to any thirsty soul that passes by.

How can she move so lightly?

How can she care so deeply?

She’s a walking contradiction.

She’s a social butterfly and a lone-wolf.

She’s a humanitarian and a rebel without a cause.

She’s a mad scientist and a vibrating ball of emotional chaos.

She lives in her head, but has a huge, dripping heart.

She’s hot.

She’s cold.

She’s here.

She’s there.

She’s frenetic, fierce, stubborn as hell, strong and f*cking unstoppable.

Yes, she’s light and airy— effervescent like extra-bubbly champagne.

But she’s electric.

She is god damn electric.

She’s a shock-wave, a lightning bolt, a twirling tornado, a powerful pulse of electromagnetic energy.

She is no joke.

She will change completely in a fraction of a second, growing strange sparkly wings, shedding her skin ferociously to take flight into a whirling gust of wind.

Dare anyone think they own her?

Dare anyone try to keep her?

She’s.

Gone.

She will never stand for a caged life, even if fighting for freedom hurts like hell.

She’s born for the breeze and she knows it.

She is god damn electric.

She will go outside and dance wildly in the world’s sobbing tears, the salty drops soaking her vintage floral dress through and through, as she closes her eyes and drinks it in like nourishing mango nectar.

She knows that pain and sadness and shock and failure are inherently creative forces, necessary as air, inspiring as art.

She’s unafraid of solitude and embarks on solo adventures, spreading her wings wide, breathing in the sacred spaciousness of crisp mountain air and salty ocean sunrises.

She’s a wise woman, a mysterious creature, an intriguing mirage, constantly on the move, always ever so slightly out of reach.

But—behind her cool confidence and wild-child exterior, she’s secretly scared and vulnerable and guarded as f*ck.

She’s secretly a lonely lone-wolf, looking for someone to cherish her unconventional, free-spirited soul.

She will find a fellow adventurer one day and bare her heart; it will be beautiful, like a breezy mountain meadow drenched in sunbeams, bursting with heavenly honeysuckle blossoms and bright wildflowers.

She will love passionately and strangely and freely and unconditionally.

But, she will always—first and foremost—be her own woman.

She will not belong to anyone.

Because she is not meant to.

She belongs to the breeze, to the stormy night sky, to the frenetic pulsing heartbeat of the entire world.

She belongs to starry nebulas and strange circus songs and shocking moments of revelation.

She’s born to fly where lightning strikes.

She is god damn electric.

This Year..I AM Thankful For..

For the past few years, I've been thankful for time. This year, I'm waking up most thankful for the health of my family and friends, laughter, voices of reason that give peace in my mind and the freedom to make choices. Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Post Vacation Glow

I just returned from an amazing two weeks in the South American country of Colombia. You can read about my two week adventure here:

http://theworldaccordingtoyi.blogspot.com/

Colombia, what a warm and down to earth country!

Be Kind To Others

I am not sure where kindness in one stems from. Is it genetic? Is it the way we're brought up? Is it from the friends we choose to associate with? Or is it just innate?

I read an article today posted in the NY Times and I couldn't help but think about my two regrets in life that I still think of often. It involved two people that I will never see again and even if I did, I would not recognize them, so let me throw out a few apologies to the universe and make some extra luck will come their way.

First.. to the boy who I went to middle school with who was walking home with his older sister, I am sorry for kind of kicking you in the stomach when the mean girls I was hanging out with at the time decided to pick on you and your sister. Second, to the man at SFO who left your jacket on the luggage cart (Nov 2008) as you drove away, I am sorry I didn't tell you that you left your jacket. I just watched you leave it behind, mainly because I was mad at your for smoking so close to me. To this day, I still feel awful about these two events in my life and for that, I am send my apologies and hope the universe forgives. I am happy to report that as I've become older, I've also become wiser and have the full ability to make my own decisions.. about love, life and friendships.

The article is a bit of a read but well worth it: George Saunders Advice To Graduates.

Be kind to others.

Life

A few days after watching the Zack Sobierch video, I found out that a friend of mine, who I had met from my old Team in Training days, in her early 30's, has stage 4 skin cancer. My heart broke for her. She told me today that in addition to the tumor is her abdomen, the melanoma had spread to her lungs. When I found out about her cancer, I couldn't help but think about our mutual friend Joe who had passed away this time last time in a surfing accident. While cancer has nothing to do with a surfing accident, the age of my friends at which these tragic events are happening to them is relevant as I think about this journey we call life. She's in my thoughts every day and every ounce of me hopes that her young spirit and health will pull her through, however bleak her chances are from a statistical stand point.

With every sunrise comes a feeling of promise. Treasure it.

Zach Sobierch.. thank you!

Thank you for reminding us of what is truly important in life.

I Heart Sayulita.

Almost two weeks later and I am finally recovered from a week long trip to Sayulita, Mexico for one of my closest friends' wedding. A week full of sun, ocean, laughter and friends. I finally learned to surf.. much easier and enticing in warm waters.. especially waters full of gold glittering sand. Yes, a beach with gold sparkling sand! Still felt some residual neck pains from my November car accident but loved the experience and just being in warm waters! Below is a group photo that basically sums up a great week!

Introducing...my photo blog.

Hello Readers,

Some of you have been following me for awhile now.. since I started training for my first Ironman back in 2007. For some of my new readers, this blog started off as my training blog. Dating back from 2007 for a few years, my weekly posts were about my training progress, the hours of swimming, running, biking, the nutrition, my mental and race reports. Then, this blog morphed into "All Things Yi's Life" and this is what it continues to be today. However, in additional to this blog and my travel blog, I've started a new one to my collection!

Introducing my photo blog! I know, how does one keep up you might ask? So many blogs! Goes along my daily motto... not enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week and not enough weeks in the years to do all the things I have an interest in doing.

Speaking of mottos... those who know me well know that I am almost a walking book of quotes. I find them inspirational. So, here is my latest one: With low risk, low commitment, comes low reward. With high risk, high commitment, comes high reward.

Ciao for now.

One Of the Cuter Notes I've Read

A Daddy’s Letter to His Little Girl (About Her Future Husband)

After stumbling across destructive advice, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Kelly Flanagan writes a letter to his daughter about what really matters in a relationship.

Dear Cutie-Pie,

Recently, your mother and I were searching for an answer on Google. Halfway through entering the question, Google returned a list of the most popular searches in the world. Perched at the top of the list was “How to keep him interested.”

It startled me. I scanned several of the countless articles about how to be sexy and sexual, when to bring him a beer versus a sandwich, and the ways to make him feel smart and superior.

And I got angry.

Little One, it is not, has never been, and never will be your job to “keep him interested.”

Little One, your only task is to know deeply in your soul—in that unshakeable place that isn’t rattled by rejection and loss and ego—that you are worthy of interest. (If you can remember that everyone else is worthy of interest also, the battle of your life will be mostly won. But that is a letter for another day.)

If you can trust your worth in this way, you will be attractive in the most important sense of the word: you will attract a boy who is both capable of interest and who wants to spend his one life investing all of his interest in you.

Little One, I want to tell you about the boy who doesn’t need to be kept interested, because he knows you are interesting:

I don’t care if he puts his elbows on the dinner table—as long as he puts his eyes on the way your nose scrunches when you smile. And then can’t stop looking.

I don’t care if he can’t play a bit of golf with me—as long as he can play with the children you give him and revel in all the glorious and frustrating ways they are just like you.

I don’t care if he doesn’t follow his wallet—as long as he follows his heart and it always leads him back to you.

I don’t care if he is strong—as long as he gives you the space to exercise the strength that is in your heart.

I couldn’t care less how he votes—as long as he wakes up every morning and daily elects you to a place of honor in your home and a place of reverence in his heart.

I don’t care about the color of his skin—as long as he paints the canvas of your lives with brushstrokes of patience, and sacrifice, and vulnerability, and tenderness.

I don’t care if he was raised in this religion or that religion or no religion—as long as he was raised to value the sacred and to know every moment of life, and every moment of life with you, is deeply sacred.

In the end, Little One, if you stumble across a man like that and he and I have nothing else in common, we will have the most important thing in common:

You.

Because in the end, Little One, the only thing you should have to do to “keep him interested” is to be you.

Your eternally interested guy,

Daddy

♦◊♦

This post is, of course, dedicated to my daughter, my Cutie-Pie. But I also want to dedicate it beyond her.

I wrote it for my wife, who has courageously held on to her sense of worth and has always held me accountable to being that kind of “boy.”

I wrote it for every grown woman I have met inside and outside of my therapy office—the women who have never known this voice of a Daddy.

And I wrote it for the generation of boys-becoming-men who need to be reminded of what is really important—my little girl finding a loving, lifelong companion is dependent upon at least one of you figuring this out. I’m praying for you.

http://goodmenproject.com/families/a-daddys-letter-to-his-little-girl-about-her-future-husband-aklap/

Life Is One BIG Self Learning Book

..or one would hope that it is.

Sunday mornings is always one of the best although Saturday is my favorite day, there is something about Sunday mornings. I've been repeating a song, Amos Lee's "Violin" on the ipod.  I've always loved Amos Lee but not until recently did I discover his song, "Violin" and wow am I in love with that one! It just might knock David Gray's "This Year's Love" as my all time favorite song.. we'll see. It will be a tough task. David Gray has been long standing.

Some of my favorite moments, the ones that will be etched in my memory bank are the long and deep conversations had with close friends. One of the best things in my life is having friends like a particular one I met up with this weekend... with whom I can sit on a curb, under the sun and sipping on chai talking about all things life. This person is currently going through some changes in their personal life and it's a situation that I can completely resonate with. I think people and relationships come and go in your life for a reason.  Whether it'd be a positive or negative experience, as long as you walk away having learned something and have become a better person because of it, then that's all that matters. That person has done their job in your life. Manly times, the good ones stay and the toxic ones make their exit. Those who know me well know that I self reflect a lot and at the end of the day, life is just one big self learning book. At least mine is.

So, cheers to friendships under the sunshine curb!

All Things Love

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’d like to start off by saying to the couples out there, I really hope this isn’t the only day of the year you’re showing each other love because you should be honoring each other with TLC every day of the year! Having said that, today, I will honor the chubby kid with the bow & arrow by talking about all things in my life that causes that feeling of love. After all, I am a firm believer that love isn’t necessarily a “thing” but it is a “feeling”.

I love sunshine and how the warmth of sunshine feels on your bare feet.

I love that feeling I get right when I click “confirm” on an airline site to book a ticket abroad.

I love chocolate bread pudding.

I love connections.

I love the feeling after a good run in the rain and ride for that matter.

I love the feeling of knowing someone, your significant other, has your back.  

I love laughter.

I love white chocolate. White chocolate is still chocolate no matter what others say.

I love the feeling I think my dog feels whenever she sees me.

I love peacefulness.

I love lavender.

I love that feeling of being anonymous in a town I’ve never been before.

I love the water and the ocean.

I love Nicholas Sparks movies.

I love creativity through the lens.

I love sports.

I love acts of compassion and kindness.

I love Paris.

I love Kona Brewery’s Golden Ale, champagne and Pinot Noir.

I love the sound of crashing ocean waves.

I love the sunset.

I love the sunrise.

I love the stars under dark skies.

I love tulips.

I loved my time in Africa.

I love putting smiles on people’s faces.

I love simple.

I love kids.

I love Sunday mornings and Amos Lee. Yes, that combination.

I love surprising people.

I love it when I hear my sister use the word “dip shit”.

I love losing myself to a song.

I love creativity.

I love my peoples.

I love the smell of books.

I love, love. 

Merci 2012.. Bonjour 2013!

Last year, my year started with 7:30am mass at KasisisChildren’s Home in the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia followed by a 2pm flight out from LUS to SFO. It was a long journey home that even included being proposed to at JNB by the passport security guy. Cute, those South Africans. Awkward but cute.

Here we are the last day of the year and I showed up to work with my team at 7am because it's PCF Monday- yay (not really)!

Family – my heart.

Friendships- Thank goodness for friendships. Make the effort to keep the connections; being too busy is hardly ever an excuse.

Love – Dear Love: You were really funny the first half of 2012. Seriously, now let's quit the jokes. What I have learned in the past few years is that old school is preferred over new school. Slow it down; there is no rush in getting to know a person or making any decisions. Often times than not, you end up crashing and burning in the fast and furious route. Having said that, there are no rules, be you. 

Work- If you don’t like the course you’re on (with anything), change it. I was fortunate enough to put that into action pretty quickly this year.

Travel – France, a country of depth, you were a pleasant surprise. Movie moments do happen… in Paris. Time will tell where 2013 will take me... Vietname/Cambodia/Burma, New Zealand, Brasil/Colombia, or ?

Life – The world had a way of breaking my heart time and time again this year but it just serves as a motivator to spread kindness even further and deeper than the day before. Like Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” I am not sure when I will be able to make it back to Kasisi but until then, I can spread it locally whether it’s buying that homeless person a hot cup of coffee, doing something a little extra for someone during the holidays or buying a garbage man that made fun of you for eating a soft serve cone on a cold rainy night. I promise you’ll get the BIGGEST smile in return.

Notables – Joe Quartini… Every day, I become less and less curious as to why the universe took you the way they did. I can only be grateful for the friendship that we had. Happy belated 32^nd birthday… I can still see your smile and hear your laugh.

Here’s to taking 2013 by it’s horns! 

Whoa.. December Is Going..!

Hello... where did I last leave off.. ah! yes! I promised to come back to give you my Kona thoughts. Obviously, it's taken me awhile, my apologies, life happens. So by now you all know that Pete Jacobs of Australia put on a perfect race to win the 2012 Kona Champs & Leanda Cave would not let Rinny run her down as anticipated to grab the win. While I am happy for Leanda, I am ecstatic for Pete! I met Pete in 2009 at the Kona KSwiss after party at Huggos. In the midst of all the alcohol and noise stood this soft spoken shy guy who I believe came in 7th that year. MG introduced him to our group and said to watch out for this guy as he was going to win one year. While that was great, I was more focused on what a nice guy he genuinely seemed to be, hence I am ecstatic that a nice and genuine guy took the Kona crown. It's unfortunate I didn't make the trip to Kona this year as I received emails about companies and sponsors wanting to purchase my race photos. So there you have it, my post Kona thoughts, a world that I've stepped away from but still can appreciate it.

December seem to have come and gone. For the first time in a few years, I am home for the entirety of the holidays and I must say, it feels very weird. I can't help but miss being with the kids at Kasisi Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. I landed there during Christmas Eve last year and while I was among 220 orphans, I ironically felt like the orphan that the kids were taking in. I miss them and my time there so much. Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays, but it's also one of the tougher ones to get through. When I was 12 years old, my grandpops passed away at 8:45pm on Christmas Eve in our home. I watched him go through a long battle of lung cancer. I learned pretty early on that smoking is deadly, from taking my turn as the grand child to stay overnight at UCSF Long Hall part of the hospital with him to watching his health and senses decline, I remember all of it like it was yesterday and it's during the holidays that it's a bit more apparent.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays with your families. May you have health in your bodies, peace on your minds, love in your hearts, warmth in your souls and gratitude in your lives. Until next time friends!

Hello World..

Reaching out into the world of blogging. Tomorrow is the big dance in Kailua-Kona (aka Ironman World Champs) and I can not tell you how happy I am to be on the couch in front of my laptop tracking the race vs. being there in person! So friends, I will be unreachable between 930am - 5pm PST time.

There are a few reasons why I decided to not make the trip this year but mainly because last year just tired me out! The thing is, I can't be a half @ss spectator. When I am there, I am all there. I am running around all week, capturing photos, supporting friends, going here and going there and next thing you know, I am sitting on the couch at 3am the day after the race with cankles. Also, I just returned from a 3 week trip in France and well there's only really one of me at work so responsibilities call! Speaking of which... you can catch up with my travels here... a glimpse into my three weeks of bliss in France..

http://theworldaccordingtoyi.blogspot.com/

I'll be back in a few with my Kona race thoughts! Promise.

2012- Ironman Canada Race Report

2012- Ironman Canada Race Report

Swim- 2.4 miles - 2:05:02

I think that's officially my longest IM swim time to date! I swim like a tank but my last Canada swim was 1:30:00. I never get cramps when I train or at races but apparently someone had different plans for me this morning... halfway through the swim.. calve cramps... and now my swim has turned to a pull. Well, that's great. And then I started to bonk.. that's even greater!! Valley- cramps & bonking. Peak - foggy goggles cleared up around the same time cramps started... not sure the trade off was worth it!

T1- 4:17 - T1 PR - yes!

Bike- 112 miles - 7:44:13

Oh the bike.. mentally I was really good.. physically .. not so good. I started to replenish calories early on in the bike and hydrating as well but realized that I had not pee'd during the last 4 hours of the bike AND i wasn't sweating.. just radiating heat. Neither of these has ever happened to me before. I was also starting to feel very sleepy & tired.. instead of being on my bike.. I wanted to just curl up in a ball and take a nap! The last time I did this race, I thought Yellow Lake was the worst of the two evil. It could have been because it was hailing two years ago. This year, I am thinking Richter Pass definitely wins. Valley - feeling like I had heat exhaustion. Peak - Hearing a tire blow and thought it was mine except it was the tire of the van driving next to me- phew! Missing a deer crossing the road by about 5 feet as I was looking down at my bento box trying to decide what I should consume next.

T2 - 4:28 - T2 PR - yes!

Run - 26.2 miles - 6:02:54

The run... got to the first aid station.. stopped to grab my cup of Perform and immediately started having dizzy spells. I've never had dizzy spells at a race before. Hm. By the second station.. I started on the coke, the chicken broth and water. The run was the run.. I had a steady shuffle going on for the first half .. as long as I wasn't standing still I was ok and then blisters kicked in with new orthotics that my foot doctor "doctored" up to help relieve toe pain I was experiencing. The best part of the run was seeing all the familiar faces. It was so great to see friends Jerald Balgos and Bill Shen out there supporting! Saw my friends Pia and Sandy rocking it out on the run course. Saw my friend Jennifer Huston from AZ!! Immediately behind Jennifer, I saw my friend Ben at an aid station. We were at different aid stations across the streets. Ben and I met through Team In Training in the Spring of 2007. I was his mentor. He told me last year that he wanted to do an IM. I had already told myself I am retiring from this but I couldn't let Ben do it on his own!! Anyway, I saw Ben and yelled out, "Hi Ben!" He yells out in return, "I hate you! I hate everything about you! It's your fault I am out here." I yelled in return, "This was YOUR idea! It's your fault!"  I am sure people around us had a few chuckles at our minor aid station spat. Valley - Continuation of the physical issues.. dizzy spells. Peak - seeing my friends and the finish line.

Total - 16:00:54 -- Crossed the finish line with I think the biggest smile I've ever had at a race finish line. Thank you to Sandy for being my post catcher caretaker! And Ben's wife, Joan for picking me up. What a journey today was.. definitely more valleys than peaks.. my mantra was "be brave.. no pity parties.. keep moving forward." The town of Penticton i truly special. I think the volunteers is what makes this race what it is. There is not an event with a community like this one! I wish Challenge Penticton the best of luck!! Ironman #5 was a tough one to get.. and now I sit here consuming sprite and toast due to a queasy stomach..hopefully that subsides as I plan to eat EVERYTHING and ANYTHING I want today!!

2012- Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report

Lake Stevens 70.3


Coach's race plan.. short version.. get through swim, Bike HR stay in Z3 .. can crest into Z4 on climbs but don't stay there..Run... 85% 1st half.. 95% 2nd half. 

And then there's the race plan from my beloved friends who often make me laugh. The night before the race, I was sent this plan from one of my good friends:

Find a mean girl and pass her! Find a muscle man and drop him. Find a hottie and chase him! See a sister struggle and pace her. Remember your smiles and use them! See the hills and roll with them. See hottie you chased post race and pick him up! Then catch up with the Killian's and spill it.

Think that about covers it, have fun!!
xoxo

Like I said, I love my friends!

NIght before race dinner- pasta w/ olive oil, garlic, chicken at 5pm.

Race morning eats- Peanut butter/nutella sandwich + 250 cal bottle infinit + 1 gu 30 min before swim

The great thing about doing a race with a bunch of friends is that you're never really alone. Ben and I drove in together.. with the best $20 bucks I ever spent on a parking pass. Phil & I headed out to the swim start together and then my friend Maureen & I started our swim wave together. Onto the swim.. 

Swim- 54:08 

Definitely swam more than 1.2... it was a little hard to see for me both going out and coming back in. What can I say? It's the swim.. I am a tank in the water.. I just try to get through it.

T1- 3:53 

BIke- 3:43:46 - Avg HR: 157 Max: 169 - Here we go... it's officially raining now.. but also the most fun I've had on a bike course ever. I was able to keep HR in Z3 during the entirety of the ride with the exception of some downhills and uphills but was able to either bring it up or down back to z3. I don't think I've ever done that on a bike course before so that was positive! some dodgy sharp turns here and there but managed to get through and even max'd out at 45 mpg on a descend... scary.. don't look! I took the climbs easy and went for it on the descends + crests + flat parts... bike course was all round fun.. i was mentally in a great place (what rain?!) and maybe one of the hills felt significantly tough towards the end but other than that, great bike course! Notable mentions... 10 miles into the bike.. this guy rolls up next to me and says,"nothing sexier than a woman that knows how to snot rocket!" Ha ha you know it! Don't get so close to me bud! The day before the race.. my friend Ben and I drove the bike course and noticed it was a course full of hairy turns. This was a technical bike course.. one of the turns was a sharp right into a wall of an uphill.. a long steep one at that. Mean! Through the bike.. I was anticipating this one sharp turn into a wall... every right turn we made.. i was ready but was met with many false alarms. It would come towards the end and a lot later than I had anticipated. There were a few folks who were having issues and I tried to give them some verbals encouragement as I pass them. This one woman and I played the cat & mouse game the entire time on the bike. She would kill it on the hills as I took them easy and then she would coast the flats and descends as I went for them. She'd get irritated and grunt every time I passed her... which spilled over on the run.. except I was able to finally leave her and her grunting for good during the second half of the run. 

Bike nutrition- 1 pack of Gu Blocks (200 cal), 1 gu (100 cal), 2.5 bottles of 250 cal infinit (625 cal) + plain water from aid stations.

T2- 2:53 - switched to dry socks and off I go.

Run- 2:37:05 - Avg HR:151 Max: 163 - oy! I had two issues on the run: 1. i didn't feel like i had the "power" to push for faster 2. i have this bunion on my right foot that's getting a bit worse and showing itself on the run.. almost makes the bone that connects your big toe to your foot want to break or that's the feeling. Anyway.. i know i can run faster.. i feel like i can run faster but didn't have that oomph... does that even make sense?? I had a little tough time breathing the first half but figured that was normal. My younger sister showed up to watch me race and I saw her when i started the second loop of the run. My sister who is twice as outgoing as I am, bursted up from sitting on the curb and started excitedly asking me all sorts of questions and I gave her five words, "I don't want to talk." Crazy girl! Looking forward to the day she does her first triathlon!

Run nutrition- 1st aid station half a gu and water, stations 2 -8 coke + water, felt a little hungry so stations 9-12 gu + water.

Finish -- Once you cross the finish line...they hand you a bunch of stuff.. water.. medal.. hat... astro blanket.. I ended up dropping my hat and before I can bend over to pick it up.. this nice man says, "No no... I will do it.. you don't bend over." Nice sweet man!! Thank you! 

Photo below: with my friend Ben and with my sister Tammy.

Overall- 7:21:45 - no PR here but I think it was one of the more fun races and I was mentally in a great race for most of the race. It got a bit iffy on the run and the swim well i just try to get through. No nutrition problems felt. No mechanicals. Stayed upright. Fun good race!

Dear Joe Quartini

While I was in Hawaii, I found out a friend of mine, who I had met during my Team in Training days in 2007 had passed away from a surfing accident while on his honeymoon in Nicaragua. I was heart broken. At 31 years old, the thought of never seeing him again or hearing his voice never crossed my mind. I was bummed that I would miss his memorial and so had my own goodbye moment with Joe in Hawaii while the sun was setting Saturday evening. As the sun was setting I was also asking the universe... what. the. hell? Why take a good guy when there are so many bad ones out there doing bad things? I was on the phone with a friend and he said something that run so true. Life isn’t too short, it’s how you live it while you’re still here. I couldn’t agree more.  

A little about Joe... He loved to surf! He used to tell me about his last minute surfing trips to Costa Rica, his New Zealand adventures among others. He was excited about life! He is one of the most genuine, caring and down to earth guys you’d ever meet with old school Italian chivalry. My favorite memories of him started flashing before me.  Our camping trip at Big Sur… how he wanted to be the protective guy friend and have a moment with the guy who I was dating and wasn’t treating me so well at the time. The way he’d say, “That’s bulls*t” whenever we share guy/girl dating stories. How much fun we had ringing in the New Year with our friend Mary and his friend Ben in Tahoe drinking champagne and watching Tila Tequila. He was a friend who I can always have fun with whether it was being his date to his company christmas party or just an afternoon coffee break. 

Joe, wherever you are, I know your smile is still bright and the ocean waves are still big.

Honu 70.3... a spectator's race report

Race morning, I arranged for the Dkyhouses to pick me up on their way to the race start. Coach joined in and when they rolled up, Bo was in the car as well!  We all arrived at Hapuna Beach.. all walking towards the entrance to T1 when I stopped on my tracks and claimed a rock to step upon right over the Pro area. In case you hadn’t heard, Lance was racing! Yes, I am a Lance fan and have been for over ten years. Lance appears and it’s like being in the presence of a rockstar.. no wonder the guy needs his little posse around him.. dude gets surrounded with a crowd wherever he goes. You can tell that word was getting around that Lance has arrive as you see AGers running towards the fenced off Pro area.

I make my way down to the beach and found Bo, Nat and Kevin. The Dkyhouses and Coach later joined us. They all headed towards the swim start as I made my way towards the opposite end to claim my spot at the swim finish.  Coach decided to stick with me until he finished his swim prep.. he handed me his bag.. I wished him luck and off he went to join the rest. He, Coach, Chris as I will refer to him was a bag full of relaxation and indecisiveness. I think up until race morning he was going to wear the old school blue TYR suit but race morning, he went for the TYR Torque. I think one of the only things he was decisive about was what he was going to have for dinner two nights prior to race when most of us headed to Pau in Waimea. He, alone, consumed a quinoa salad, a big bowl of turkey chili, 6 slices of pizza and 2 beers. Oh, and he was sure he wasn't going to wear a heart rate monitor. Anyway on with the race... 

The canon goes off for the Pros and then a few minutes later for the AGers. About 20 or so minutes later, my camera was clicking away as Tim Marr (Pro a.k.a. Macca’s man crush) was the 1^st to exit the water. Lance came in 3^rd and I found myself relaxing a little bit before I realized Chris was coming towards the swim finish as well. And he said he wasn't fit to be competitive.. not even in the swim. Liar. As he was making his way to T1, Greg Welch, gave the crowd a little back story on him. Chris Hauth...  former Olympic swimmer out of Mill Valley etc etc etc. I waited for Kevin, Natalie, Dykhouse and Bo to exit the water before reuniting with Nicola for a ride back to the hotel. We came upon a little traffic jam to make the turn into the Mauna Lani and I thought I’d have to get our of the old jeep to start pushing because the car would stall from all the stop and go. Luckily, we made it, phew!  I made my way to the run out at which I had to sit down because the winds were so strong that it’d blow me out of stance when I stayed standing up.  It was announced that Lance was in the lead off the bike (duh) and I can see him from afar getting off the bike and running through the tents to get onto the run course. As this was going down, these tri newbies asked, “why is Lance running already?” Referring to the bike off run towards the tent and I was immediately brought back in time when I used to sneak out of work to catch that last hour of the coverage on the then, OLN channel (pre- Versus). The Il Fornaio coffee guys were nice enough to save a seat for my co-worker and I every morning. People use to come in and say… why isn’t Lance leading (during a Sprinter’s stage)?

It wasn’t long before Chris ran through and he looked good.  All the while, I am quadruple tasking between tracking people on my phone, returning text messages, posting race updates on facebook and taking photos. I must have looked like I knew what I was doing because then I had a small group of people asking me to predict when I thought their loved ones would be coming through if they gave me their swim times and the level of their bike strength. Funny, I know. About 20 minutes before the winner would come through, I made my way to the finish line.  Lance comes through first, then Greg Bennett, followed by Lieto for the top 3. From afar, I see a red blurb running and I knew it was Chris so I got the camera ready. He comes through, 1^st AG and overall amateur. I went to greet him at the finish where Greg Welch was interviewing him followed by an intense conversation with Diana, the race director. I asked Chris what happened and he said you saw what happened at the swim? I said no…. and so he tells me about the course cutting accusation.  OOOH.

Nicola would join me at this point and we waited for Kevin, Natalie, Bo and Dykhouse to come through. When Bo finished, I asked her if she saw Dykhouse and she said,”Yea.. he didn’t look so good. He was bent over grabbing his hamstring saying f*ck f*ck f*ck.” Cramps.  A few minutes later, Dykhouse crosses the finish and my time at the finish line is done! All my friends finished, did great and none of them looked all that bad! Time to hydrate and feed myself. I tell ya, spectating is tough!! I head up to the Dkyhouses room to recharge my phone and to rest a little before heading back down for the awards. They started the awards ceremony with a public apology to Chris Hauth. I was shocked and Chris himself was not even here for this. The apology went something like this... "We as race directors, staff need to make sure that all athletes are racing the full course. We don't always get it right and this one athlete got really angry at us. Blah blah blah... I want to apologize to Chris Hauth and ensure all of you that he did indeed kick all your @sses. In fact, he'll kick all your @sses all day any day." I thought.. oh my god... Chris' head and hair is about to get a lot bigger. I got my phone and texted the guy and said … you’re missing your public apology. He didn’t believe me so he called me and all he said was really? Really? Really? I know I can be creative but even I couldn’t have made that stuff up!  From then on, it was like the Chris Hauth triathlon celebrity show.  If you left the AG awards ceremony not knowing the name Chris Hauth, you must have been sleeping. TYR AG swim awards, Chris Hauth come claim your award. Chris Hauth… 1^st AG in Men 40-44. Kona/Vegas slot roll down… Chris Hauth.. are you here? Ok, we’ll skip to the next AG and come back to that one. True story, that happened. We’re making our way to dinner and had to stop many times because now it seems like everyone who’s ever met him wants a word with him. I felt like it was Kona week in October and I am walking down Ali’I Drive with Whit and it takes us an hour to walk from the banyan tree to the Thai restaurant near Lava Java because everyone and their moms wants a word with him.

Next day, Chris Hauth celebrity show is over and we’re sitting at the beach at the Mauna Kea Resort… we get settled and I say to him.. we’re at an old person’s beach.. look at all the pot bellys!

To view photos from the event- click HERE!

Oh, in other news, the OKC Thunder won a road game vs the Spurs while I was flying home. SWEET!! Go OKC! In case you didn't know, it's the NBA playoffs.

It's NBA Playoffs Time

I started watching basketball and football as a little girl with my dad and my cousins. I grew up with all boys so I guess it's not too surprising that I caught the sport bug. It's going to be a sleep deprived month with the Tour de France in July and then the Summer Olympics in August. What can I say... I love this stuff!

Just popping in to say hello.. I am deep into the NBA playoffs... go OKC Thunder!!