Honeymoon in Idaho!

The yurt, our 'home base', or... Future Vacation Home.
Do you see me? The small creature on the left...skiing 'the burn' they call it...
Chuck taking in the views... (he was one of our guides)
Me - 'Shredding' at Tamarack on fresh snow!
Sunset over a lake coming out of Lick Creek (McCall, ID)

Derick at Tamarack Resort, ID
Hiking up in the 'backcountry'...seriously hiking!

We just returned late last night from 11 days north of Boise, Idaho, at Tamarack Resort. This is actually in Tamarack, Idaho, which is just south of McCall, Idaho. This whole area was new to us (I had been in Coeur d'Alene years ago but just briefly) and we were stunned with the beauty. All we had heard about Boise being a cool, outdoorsey town was true; though we spent more time in the McCall area, somewhere both Derick and I could see ourselves living. This town has it all...mountains, lakes, trails, and genuinely friendly people to top it off. We spent our days sleeping in (which was frequently about 8:00 am, as we were always anxious to get outside), drinking coffee and making breakfast, skiing (usually about 10-3ish), immediately getting into our hot tub, and then either cooking dinner or heading out to a pub on the resort. We got in many days of alpine skiing (downhill) but also tried our hands at classic cross country, as there was a 'free lesson' at the resort one day.

Without a doubt, the highlight of our trip was the Wednesday prior to leaving, when we hired 2 guides, Chuck and Marty from PAYETTE POWDER GUIDES to take us up into the backcountry. We took snowmobiles up for about 1 hr and then stopped at their yurt, where we 'saddled up' (ie: stripped clothing) for our hike up. We probably did 5 or 6 hike up/ski down's' and the hikes ranged from 20 minutes to 1 hr. The snow and the views were simply indescribable...though, I will try to offer some insight via the pictures...(see above, they would not cooperate with me and move around through my writing)...

Some things I came upon during our 11-days in snow-covered bliss ('kellys thoughts' if you will)...

~Cross country skiing is something you can do for hours. Granted, we were not hammering ourselves intensity-wise, but to me, doing this for 3-4 hrs is so much more enjoyable than riding a bike for 3-4 hours....

~I finally learned what this whole 'skinning up' things means. Simply attach sticky straps to the bottom of ones skis, unclip the heel (think 'tele' but different, somehow, not entirely sure) and hike on up. My skins were slightly narrow so I found myself slipping a bit, but it is a cool feeling to hike UP a mtn ON skiis!

~Backcountry skiing is simply where it's at. I have skiied my whole life (not necessarily well, but I have been on snow most years, some years more than others) and the groomed runs do not even compare to backcountry. Especially for one who craves endurance activities. To hike up then ski down, it is as if you are 'earning' your run. And it truly feels like you are skiing on cotton; making fresh tracks is a beautiful thing.

~Change of routine is so good for the soul. Granted, I think that this trip reinforced that both Derick and I's hearts are truly in the mountains, but the power of a change of scenery, pace and routine can never be underestimated in ones life. I think that this type of trip (that being 1-2 weeks in duration) should be a regulary part of everyones life, at least once a year...

~People in Idaho are so friendly! Now maybe we just ran into the ski bums who are so happy living their lives, making some cash and getting to enjoy the snow, but I do not believe we encountered one unhappy, rude or conceited person in the entire 11 days of our trip. We bounced between Boise and McCall...

~There is nothing wrong with making it a goal to simply enjoy life. I feel I live by this each day (I try to...I hope I do...) but it is so easy to get caught up in life's stresses. I think this is one huge thing that makes Derick and I so close, is that we can value the simplicity of 'living'. We do not seek to be rich, we do not seek to impress, but we do constantly strive to be challenging ourselves, awakening our souls and stretching our boundaries. We seemed to sense this vibe from those we met on this trip...always be open to talking to new people and learning from them. We all have something to offer in this world. Figure out for yourself what it is you 'have' and go after it.

That is all for now, thank you for reading...

Fit and Beer ... The Colorado Running Company!

This is very cool! Check out the article below, which recently came out of Mens Fitness. I used to work at The Colorado Running Company in Colorado Springs, an excellent running shop, specialty and did a great job of fitting people for the correct shoes... plus, we had fun and drank beers after every Wednesday night run. I really only ran so that I could get free beer post-run!
Thanks John!
Ya'll keep up the good work, and say 'hi' to Pikes Peak for me.

http://www.mensfitness.com/city_rankings/463?page=1

Racing Without Expectations...

Sometimes, we have to get outside of our comfort zone. Even though we may not feel entirely prepared for something, it can be good for us to 'just do it' in the infamous words of Nike (and so profound) and force ourselves to throw expectations out the window.

I decided a few days ago to do the Jingle Bell 5k this morning. I did this 2 years ago and won it, getting this kick-ass gift basket packed with fun things like fancy sauces, olive oil and a gift certificate for Run Tex to be outfitted head-to-toe! I think I pulled off a 17:30 or something. I am not sure where it came from, as I was far from it today...but, back to my story. I knew it was 'just 3-miles' so I could get through it, and I have been running semi-consistently lately. I am about to go to Indiana for 2 weeks to spend time hanging out at my parents cabin, enjoying the cold, seeing family and doing some nice mellow runs. So, why not go out and hurt myself for 3-miles today? And for a good cause nonetheless, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) sponsors the event.

I headed out there early this morning, solo, as Derick had to go to Houston for work. I ran into a few 'running friends' I had not seen in awhile, which was fun, and saw more dogs in a race than ever before! All dressed up as reindeers and such. I felt mediocre warming up, and just figured if I did something 'slow' like 18-flat, so be it. Oh boy was I in for a surprise!

I saw a good friend Chris Kimbrough right at the start line, who is just flat out speedy. I laughed to myself, thinking "I hope she does not school me too much..." We took off and my first mile was about 5:51. Not bad, but it felt more like a 5:40...meaning, it kind of hurt. So be it! Damn the goals, Kelly! I continued on, a small ways behind the 2nd place woman (Cassie Heinkel, also a pretty speedy Austin-ite) and came through mile 2 at 11:52ish... 6-min for second mile. Wow, this is my 1/2 marathon pace! Awesome! (insert sarcasm here).... We had a slight downhill towards mile 3 and heading back towards the finish, but holy shit did it hurt! It was a particularly humid December morning which made it even tougher, but I pushed on to a painful 18:30, which if I were feeling motivated could have been an 18:25 but I just kind of strolled those last 100 yards... OUCH! What was I thinking, "18-min would be acceptable"? After this, I think I'd change that to 'impossible'!

So...bottom line is I went out there and did it. I enjoyed myself, and I think that it is so good to occassionally go out to compete knowing we may not 'all be there' today. It is like putting your pride right on the line. And walking away saying "Well, if that's the best you've got today, it's the best you've got. So be it."

Big Picture? I am fully aware that an 18:30-5k is a very respectable time. But I seemed to rip of these mid-17's a year ago...from where?! I do not know...but I am glad I went out and participated. It hurt and today, it was the best in me! It was also so great to see a few runner-friends that I had not seen in quite some time. I met Cassie, whom I have heard a lot about in Austin but had yet to meet...a very cool girl. I also saw many kids, parents and dogs all out there running 3.1! Way to go everyone, and especially to Tim, Peggy, Colleen and Kristin Pletcher...the whole family was out there running, even Comet the dog! It was great to see all of the smiling people, along with the spirit of Christmas (despite the 70-degree humid conditions) out there having fun and being active. Yet another reason, Austin is one very cool town.

Thank you for reading, and take-home lesson is, just get out there and compete...let the results fall where they may! It is healthy on occassion... for all of us!

Small Mention in Statesman "Fit City Blog"

I just wanted to mention a nice article (blog) that Pam Leblanc, who writes for the Austin American Statesman, posted this morning on her "Fit City Blog". I met with Pam last Friday at Austin Java, one my my favorite little hangouts, as Derick had mentioned that we should 'meet'. He spoke with her a few weeks back and he learned that Pam is a swimmer. I think that in Derick's eyes, anyone who swims by choice more than 3x/week and has done so all of their life has something bizarre in common and therefore are 'linked' in some way. Well, come to find out Pam and I had more in common than just swimming (mountains, skiing, inability to sit still...) and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her a bit. I felt as though we could have sat there and talked for hours.
Thanks Pam for the little write up. And imagine this, she was so 'accurate' in what she wrote! Not always the case, so it is much appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Muhnday!

Down Time...What you been up to?

I guess you could say I get 'off schedule' with blogging once the racing slows down/stops. In all honesty, since Clearwater, I feel like this is the first weekend I have 'truly' slowed down! What has been going on since November 8?

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Derick, myself, Adam Mills and Joseph LaFico (representing Source Endurance) all headed to Shreveport, Louisiana for a 'triathlon clinic weekend' with the Sunrise Triathlon Club. We took off on Friday, arrived back on Sunday night. It was a good weekend, as we did a 3-hr bike skills clinic on Saturday morning with about 20 of them (in 34-degree weather...they were troopers, and we had to act like it wasn't cold!) followed by a brief transition clinic later that afternoon. The evening consisted of mexican food and a presentation by Derick on 'Specificity of Training'. He is so good at this stuff...it seemed people were just hanging onto his every word. We got out of there at about 10:00, so it made for a long day, but we got to put in a 2.5-hr ride on Sunday morning before heading back, and had a great turnout, probably close to 30 people. I think that people had a good time, learned a bit and came away a bit more excited about their '09 seasons.

The next 'big event' was our Thanksgiving trip to the south to see Derick's family. We took off Wednesday (2 days after Shreveport) and flew into Greenville, SC. If you have not been there, it is a very cool town to check out...almost reminds me of Portland, Maine. But we didn't stop there! We got into the car and drove right to Roanoke, Virginia to see his grandparents, aunts and uncles. So Wednesday was ALL travel! But we stuck there for a few days, to come back on Friday and spend a long weekend with Derick's twin sister Kristin, her husband and Derick's parents. Our plans to come back on Monday night were thrown off, as there were plane delays...so we got back on Tuesday 10:00 AM, which was alright but Derick had 2 exams that week and I took the GRE on Thursday!

On to the GRE. That is the stupidest, most ridiculous exam ever invented. I do not recommend this test to anyone. If at all you can get into graduate school without it, do it. I studied for hours on end just to familiarize myself with what to expect...that is about all the good it did. I knew the 'kinds' of questions to expect but it still throws you for a big loop, no matter how prepared you are. Unless you are like our friend Scott Dwyer, who breezed through it with 2 days notice. I hate people like Scott. (Sorry, Scott)... :) In any case, I did good enough and my scores are now with Texas State San Marcos, and I am looking into other various Health Psychology programs across the country. All in 'desirable cities', of course (some being Burlington, VT - Ft. Collins, CO - Missoula, MT - Boone, NC - Durham, NC - ...we miss the mountains!)

Other than that, life is life as usual. This morning was the Decker Half Marathon. I debated up until yesterday doing it, just 'for fun' (but can I really DO that?!) but after a 2-hour very hilly and very tiring bike ride, decided I was not really in the shape to do it and would just hit up a long hilly run this morning. I have not had the itch to race much lately, but I think that it is good to listen to your instinct sometimes...13.1 hilly hard miles did not sound fun to me, but the Jingle Bell 5k next Sunday kind of does...maybe I'll do that one instead?

I hope ya'll are having a nice holiday season and enjoying it, December comes and goes in a blink each year and it really is a nice time to try to take a deep breath and think back on all you are thankful for from the previous year...so slow down and relax! (and I'll finally try to do the same)

Prepare - Compete - Walk Away - Enjoy...

Well the 2008 Season has officially come and gone! Technically, it was 'shorter' than previous years, not kicking it off until June. However, having trained for the Austin Marathon in February, I guess that my 'racing season' has technically spanned about 10 months. Thus would explain my excitement at the prospect of sleeping in, unstructured activity and a good solid break lying ahead...

Clearwater was a solid day. I felt that I had to 'tweak' my expectations a bit, having had a bizarre and sudden sore throat the week prior. However, absolutely no excuses...I feel that the added rest was good for me, as I ran on Thursday after arriving to Florida for 30 minutes and it was quite nice to feel springy and 'fresh' legs! I then rode Friday AM for about 30 minutes, and again, felt very strong and wanted to ride longer. I felt as ready as I could be for Saturdays race, and I was excited that my parents were both there to support (as they have been in both '06 and '07).

The morning was beautiful, a bit cool but very comfortable. As usual the transition area buzzed with activity, though I cannot say I got very 'amped up'; I rather try to simply keep myself calm on race morning. The nerves start to crop up, and I just do my best to keep it all together until the gun goes off.
We lined up on the beach, and I made a stupid mistake before we even started. I had loaded body glide on my neck to prevent chafing, and for some odd reason, then touched my goggles. I looked through them with a few minutes to go and yikes; it was very blurry! I had to run around asking person upon person to use their shirt to wipe them off. Luckily I found a nice woman with a furry-lined sweatshirt that worked perfectly.

Right at about 6:47 as planned, we were off to the sound of the horn. Beach start and we all ran into the Gulf. I felt I found a decent position, as I could see the quickest few women bolting out in front of me, with some clear water between us. Suddenly I began to have a mild panic attack. Having not worn my Zoot long-sleeved wetsuit much this summer (only in Racine), I think that I felt a bit of 'suffocation'. I really had talk myself out of it, which I did, but only after a quick 2-second 'treading water' stint and a LOT of strict self-talk. I honestly debated stopping and taking it off. It is very scary when this happens...yes, it happens to even strong swimmers...and you really have to be focused and 'realistic' in talking yourself out of it ('I am fine, I can breathe, Just relax, Stop being ridiculous, You are not dying', etc).

I felt even better once we turned back to the beach, and picked up a bit more speed, putting a small gap on a few women I had been swimming with. I exited in 24+ minutes, not stellar, and about a minute behind the lead pack. ,
On to the bike, which simply just FELT HARD today. There was no fixing it; my legs felt quite flat. I acknowledged this early on, and I knew I was in a bit of trouble when standing to change position seemed to induce even more fatigue in my legs (I typically love to climb). But hey, what choice did I have but to just keep on pushing. I exited in a split of about 2:29, unfortunately 3 minutes slower than last years split, but all I could do at this point was to run my ass off and hope to make up a few places.

I grabbed my 4 gels and was off. The sun was heating up a bit but conditions still pleasant, by no means 'hot' and definitely not 'Texas hot'. Since last year I 'cracked' on this course around mile 9, my goal this year was 'control' the whole time until mile 9 or 10 then try to lay out all I had left. I followed my plan well, and was able to finish in a 1:26 run split, again a solid time but interestingly enough, the same time I ran on the Longhorn course which was significantly tougher than Clearwater!
I was a lucky soul who crossed as the 14th pro woman (5th American, doesn't that have a better ring?) and then got yanked for drug testing. Seriously, why do they put us through it if we are (well) out of the money?! But in the bigger picture, I am glad they do it and of course I obliged, which did not get my parents and I out of there for about another 2 hours. We hit up Subway, ate some lunch, and I toted my tired, beat up body back to our hotel where I proceeded to go lay by the swimming pool in the late afternoon Florida sun.

IN SUM? Not entirely the day I had hoped for, a time of 4:24 in 14th place (oddly enough I was 18th in '06 and 16th in '07). I had visions after doing Spirit of Racine in 4:23 of cruising to a sub-4:20 here to end my season. Actually I firmly believe that I can do that. But for whatever reason, it just was not in me on this day.

I have been doing these crazy endurance feats all of my life; and I mean ALL my life. I was racing summer swim meets at age 5, competing with the boys in soccer at age 6. I used to beat myself up at age 13 for a bad swimming race, cried after numerous Junior National sub-par performances in my teenage years...in college I grew up a bit (maybe the alcohol mellowed me out), but I am willing to bet that my college coaches will say I worked my ass off and often still beat myself up after races. I guess that is just part of who I am.

But I feel that today, and even this entire season, I have taken a step 'forward' and I can approach each race as a challenge and an experience. This weekend, it was a challenge against the 'best in the world' (or at least the best who were here!) and an experience of yet again testing my limits, but also spending a few quality days with my parents, who never cease to amaze me in their unconditional support. We enjoyed the trip immensely, despite a performance that was not what I had hoped. I have learned not to let a bad race ruin a quality trip.
I hope that ya'll had the season you had hoped for. And if you did not, by chance, I hope that you grew a bit through the ups and downs, and that you are walking away from it with a new perspective and a light heart. We are likely all pretty hard on ourselves, as conscientious, hard-working individuals. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and know you left it all out there, and there are many more important things in life...and none of us are ever as good as we are on our best day, nor as bad as we are on our worst...and that it all just contributes to who we become, but it does not define it.

One Last Hurrah for '08...

After a week of some ups and downs, I'll pack up for Clearwater tomorrow. I got 'hit' with a very odd sore throat about a week ago. My friend Desiree and I had planned a Polvos Night (my favorite Mexican restaurant nearby, walk there...stumble home) on Thursday and I felt like crap walking down there. Which is odd because typically margaritas and good company make Kelly HAPPY. Needless to say we had a great alcohol-laden evening, however a bad sore throat and some fatigue just persisted for a few days. I trucked on through the weekend but scaled everything back, being a good tapering girl, but the sore throat kept getting worse. It felt like I had swallowed a tortilla chip that scratched the entire right side of my throat. Strange.

On Monday I went to the doctor (after which some severe frustration ensued, due to the bill...) but they said it seemed viral vs. bacterial and would likely clear up soon. Much to my surprise, this evening it is feeing a bit better and I even had a semi-solid run. So; decision had to be made, we'll give it a go! Originally I thought "If I cannot go and be in the condition to put up a solid PR, I'll bail" knowing I have done this race 2x and am not going 'just to go'. But you know, we never ever know how we'll feel come race day, no matter how well things go heading into it...

I think I just worry that if I bailed and felt great by Friday, I'd regret it. So I have to go into it with big but realistic expectations! I think I can do that. My mom said to me (as my parents will meet me there, kind of a tradition for this race, a good reason for them to escape Indiana for a few days), "Kelly you better not be pissed if you don't do well!" She is right; she is good to keep me 'honest', but in all reality, there is a bigger picture...

I have had a great year of racing (that started in February), have enjoyed it all and feel blessed with some big successes. Even more importantly, in September I married the man I have been with for 5 years now...and 2 years ago, that was something I was not sure would happen! So life is very good, and I have everything to be thankful for. If this race goes as good as I'd like it to, just a bit more icing on the cake.

...That being said, I DO like icing... :)
Thanks for reading and Happy November! Best time of the year.