Shoulder Separation - OUCH!!!

Well - a little less than fortunate and bad timing pretty much sums this one up! On my ride out to RAGBRAI I got into a fight with a tree and it apparently won. I separated my shoulder (to what extent I'm not sure yet) but enough for it to hurt like holy you know what! Hoping to get into my physical therapist yet this week to see how to start rehabing it. I'm positive so far with the hope that I will soon be able to get back swimming. I can still bike and run, but lifting my arm above my head is very painful. With only 6 weeks before the Ironman I'm praying for a very quick recovery! More to come after my PT appt... Duh...

MEATBALLS...

I survivied... Ran 16 & biked 20 miles on Saturday, then a group of us went up to Madison to tackle the bike course. We got in 80 hilly miles there. I better think about adding more gears! Here's how Cale (one of the guys I was with described the course)...

My first two loops around the course...I like to think of it as flat as a pancake. A nice, fluffly pancake with a circumference of 40 miles. With big meatballs mixed in. Gigantic, steep meatballs that you have to ride up. Actually, I like to think of it as a bunch of meatballs in pan, with a jet engine on one side blowing across the pan. But not a pan of meatballs, that isn't right - more like walls of blacktop. With gravel.

I think that there was a flat spot in Verona.

Here's a map of the bike course and elevation... Check out those meatballs! :)




It was a long weekend with lots of miles, but I felt pretty good. Gotta stay on top of it as the weekends for the next month keep getting bigger. Here's a look ahead at the next 2 weekends... RAGBRAI sandwiched in the middle is going to be a nice break!

Saturday -- Bike 5:15, Run :45, Swim :30
Sunday -- Run 1:45, Bike, 1:00, Run :45

Saturday -- Bike 4:00, Run :50, Swim :30
Sunday -- Run 2:00, Bike :50

Oh by the way... We broke $10,000 in our fundraiser! Go check it out www.140milesforsmiles.com

Upcoming weekend in Madison, WI

I'm getting very excited to head up to Madison this coming weekend to get my first taste of riding and being on the course. My plan is to spend one day biking and the next day if possible doing some open water swimming and a 13 mile run. Anxious to see how the legs hold up with a 100 mile bike ride. Also excited to test some nutrition ideas as well as get a better feel for the hills. Should give me a real good idea of what to expect. Big Day = 59 days and counting!

This weeks workouts have been long, but productive. Better than last week as I was feeling pretty sluggish. I think being home and getting back into a rhythym helps. For something to look forward to and a good shout out to one of my friends Jenny Lorenz... This is a pic of the mass swim start and a video of her finishing her 1st Ironman back in 2006! What a rush! She's on board and going for Hawaii this year I think! :)

4th of July Weekend

What a weekend. Just getting home from Idaho and then off to Chicago for some fireworks and boating. I knew we were in for a surprise with my friend Austin's new boat... The 50' Nor-Tech named Warbird II gave us quit a ride... You can see more pic's of it by visiting: www.turbinemarine.com/project_warbird.html



Also included is a video... This is us cruising at 80mph, we later got it up to about 110mph... It can easily go 150mph, but I think I'd want smoother water before attempting that! What a ride!



As for the workouts... I really enjoy biking and running along the lake shore! Chicago is so pretty by the lake! I decided to do Sat & Sunday's workout back at home due to the time... 5 hrs on Sat and another 3 on Sunday. What did I get myself into?!?! The next 4-5 weeks are getting pretty intense, however that's good, cuz then it's tapering and finally the big day! Be here before you know it!

Idaho Trip

Awesome trip out to Idaho. Was there for a wedding which might have been the prettiest wedding I've ever seen. Got to do quite a bit of MTN Biking and loved it. Check out the basketball size boulders on the trail. Also included is our cabin on the Salmon River along with a great video of Sara's spill in the water. She was ok, and got up immediately laughing... It might have been one of the funniest biking events I've ever witnessed... She's a great sport! Think you will agree that the views are breath taking! I want to go back soon!