Welcome to Amateur Hour

...or "First Race Report of the Season," or "Good Morning Brain, Welcome to Race Day! ..Er...Brain? Where Are You??"



Gear West Duathlon was just a couple Sundays ago on May 18th and I definitely felt like I had no business racing. Mr. Fury and I woke up around 5:30 am to pack up the car and head to Orono. It was a much better day, weather wise, than Saturday and I thought I felt prepared for a nice, fun Du. We got to the race site with plenty of time to set up my transition area, warm up, eat a little something and chat with my TNT buddies.

____________________

That is seriously how far I got on my last post that I started at the end of May. I haven't felt motivated to post because I haven't felt like there is anything major to report. My apologies to anyone that reads this and to myself because, really, I do have a lot major going on. Here is a brief (or maybe not so brief) summary of all that has happened:

• Gear West Duathlon - First race of the season, and yes, it really felt like it too. I managed to keep the covers on my clips for my bike shoes and proceeded to not be able to clip-in on my bike leaving T1. In T2, I managed to run two bike racks from my transition wearing my helmet; awesome. I finished strong though, and that's all that mattered. I just wanted to finish knowing I paced myself well througout the race, and I think I accomplished that.
• Gear West Test Team - It's official, we started testing products. So far I have tested the new Accelerade Hydro (it's delicious), Accelerade Orange flavor, Endurox Endurance (er..I think that's what it's called, and it's tasty), Skirt Sports bike shorts (tremendously comfortable), Skirt Sports tank top (it has a cleavage pocket!!! HAHA), Avia Avi Bolt II race flats (meh, not convinced they're worth the money), SLS Compression Socks (soooooo worth the moola), TYR Tracer goggles (I was a Speedo girl until I tried these out. Hands down, best goggles I've ever worn). Next up is a BlueSeventy wetsuit, aero helmet, and a set of Zipps with a Powertap. I'll be working at the LTF Tri Expo at the GW booth so come visit. Not sure what time, but I'll let you know.
• Team in Training - We're almost at the end of our season. It's gone by so quickly and Lifetime Fitness Tri is in two weeks. I'm really looking forward to race day, especially since my friend Isabel will be home from Des Moines to cheer for me and our other friend Erin.
• Wedding Plans - ...are chugging along. We're sending out Save the Dates soon to Mr. Fury's family. It will be here before we know it!!

There's my recap for the past few months. It's been crazy and busy and fun, and crazy busy fun!

Tri on.

Munders

This morning has been difficult, and so the story goes for most people on Mondays. To spice it up a bit, why not post about all the fun business that has been going on lately? I realize I haven't been posting with much regularity, but I hope that will change as I have quite a few races coming up this year (more than normal for me) and that means fun stories about training, I hope.

My biggest, most exciting news is that I'll be racing in the Gear West colors this season as part of the Gear West Test Team. There are 14 of us on the team and we'll be testing products from socks to nutrition to wheel sets. Trent at GW is still working on getting some bikes for us to test, but that's not looking too promising right now. It should be a lot of fun, and I'm really excited about it! We get to keep some of the products we test such as clothing and nutrition. Can you say a-w-e-s-o-m-e?! I can, and I have said it multiple times since they offered me a position on the team. Woohoo!

In other news, training with TNT has been great. The team has been working so hard and we did our longest run to date on Saturday. The other two training captains and I led the workout and I think we had a pretty good route set out for everyone (...if I do say so myself!). We started out at Minnehaha park near the falls and our route went back toward Fort Snelling. The 1/2 Iron team took the short loop around Pike's Island and then came back. The Olympic team ran to the base of Ft. Snelling (out and back), and the Sprint team went out two miles and turned around to our starting point. I love that path back there in the woods. It's on my top 5 list of running routes in the cities. There's nothing like feeling you have escaped the city while you're still in it! The best part of the run was when we got back and two of the ladies on the team said, "That's the longest I have ever run! I feel so good!" Mission accomplished!

Saturday after practice Mr. Fury and I went out for breakfast with a few other people on the team. We went to Grandview Grill which is so fantastically tasty. It's a primo spot to go if you love breakfast. They're only open until about 2 or 3pm each day so get there early. Yum. We had to run out of there in a hurry because I had a massage with Strong Hands Terri. Yowza, she really did a number on me this weekend. My diaphragm is really tight and it's not something I normally stretch (or really know how to), but let it be known that I will now be finding ways to stretch it out. Holy Mariah, I have never felt such pain from muscle tightness! I have been experiencing problems (ie: diaphragm muscle spasms) with my breathing so Terri has been working on it and sometimes I think that is a big mistake. Mostly I think it's a mistake when Terri is working on it, I have tears rolling out of the corners of my eyes and I'm pleading with God, "Please God, if you make her stop I won't ever roll my eyes again and pretend I'm listening when my mom won't stop blabbing on the phone. I PROMISE!" I realize this is not the proper nor most sincere method of prayer which makes it obvious that neither I nor God has held up our ends of the bargain.

So in the spirit of keeping the pain coming, Mr. Fury and I signed up for Twin Cities Marathon on Friday. My goal this year is to not only train but also race TCM. Cheers to not getting sick a couple days before race day again! Does anyone have a good marathon training plan? I've been fishing around for one but haven't found one I like yet.

Alright, it's time for more Monday goodness.

Dear Randall,

I am deeply sorry I did not post this weekend as expected and have disappointed you during your morning coffee. I do hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Sincerely,

Ms. R

Middle School Germ Infestation

I'm back and with another cold to boot. I've actually done pretty well this winter on the cold/sick front. I'm writing today over a nice steamy bowl of taco salad made up of taco leftovers from last night. It's not tasting nearly as good as it did 18 hours ago, but I'm going to make myself eat as much of it as I can. I haven't had much of an appetite since this cold really took hold Friday night. I'm blaming the middle school pool the team swims in that was just infested with middle schooler germs. It was a floating biology project before we jumped in, I'm sure of it!

It's been a pretty eventful winter at the Walzemer's (Walch/Holzemer house). Let me highlight just a few:

• Mr. Fury and I scared my mom into thinking that we actually wrapped up Mr. Fury's deer mount to give to her as a Christmas present for the second year-in-a-row. We scared her with that present last year, which was hilarious. We didn't give it to her again this year for Christmas, but we did hang it up at the cabin over the mantle for a "Just because we love you!" gift. She was so thrilled with the present, she's giving it back.

• Mr. Fury and I are officially gettin' hitched! We're still hammering out the plans, but we've decided on 12/12/09. We're embracing the Minnesota cold and my ensamble will consist of a parka and sorels. I'll be playing the part of the blushing (or frostbit) bride. No horsedrawn carriage here, we're riding in on snowmobiles!
• Mr. Fury said hello to the dirty thirties this past month. We had a huge party at the house to celebrate, and he partied so hard he went to bed before everyone even left. Hey, it was his party, and he slept when he wanted to!

Team in Training started up for the summer season last week, hence why I'm sick from the middle school petri dish/pool. I just need to build up my immune system to middle school strength and then I'll be fine. It's been great to see some familiar faces again as well as a lot of new ones. I'm still trying to recruit another familiar face. You know who you are, Lisa. It should be a fun season. There's a team going out to Sun River, Oregon to participate in the Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival to do the 1/2 Iron and Olympic Triathlons. Of course, we're also doing the Life Time Fitness Tri in July. I can't wait!

I'm just getting my summer racing schedule set. Anyone else doing the Gear West Duathlon? I'll be a first-timer at that race, it would be great to see some familiar faces!

Alright, time to trudge through more of this taco salad. Chow!

Putting my money where my mouth is...

Daytime television is horrible, and I'm reminded of this only because I'm sick at home. I hate it when people go to work instead of staying home when they're sick. It almost makes me convulse like a 2-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. Work can survive without you for a day, so stay home and don't infest the rest of the workplace! We're given sick time for reason! So maybe I stayed home to prove a point more than anything. And now back to your regularly scheduled blog: Instead of channel surfing until Pardon The Interruption is on later, there's no better way to pass the time than catch up on blogs.

Evotri has posted their winter challenge so join-in on the fun! You know you can do Ironman distance in 30 days. 30 DAYS!! Get off your tush, you know you have good reason: your heart, your lungs, or maybe it's outside you and you have little munchkins; be a good example, or so you can raise money for a worthy charity of your choice just by getting off the couch. If those aren't reasons enough, I can come up with more. Just let me know... I just signed up for the challenge, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I know, I know. Everyone says that, but I can't really breathe today so I promise it will be tomorrow.

Speaking of training and working out: the team is getting geared up for the 2009 summer season. I'm super excited because I'm going to be a training captain on the team this year. The full responsibilities have not been hammered out yet, but basically we're there to help the coaches lead workouts, stretching, core, etc. It should be fun and challenging and I'm really looking forward to it.

So, I just received an email from my dad about Christmas gifts this year. I'm so glad that I feel like my whole family is on the same page with exchanging gifts:

Working in the human services area I have been seeing the increasing economic struggles of people over the past year or so as reflected in data that we have on financial assistance, emergency assistance, food shelf usage, etc. This is a very difficult time for so many people and we all have so much more than any of the real people reflected in these statistics.

We have shifted our overall charitable giving in response to these needs and one area we have increased donations to is food shelves in both the Twin Cities and Grand Rapids areas. Given the economic picture that currently exists and likely will for some time, we will be limiting our Christmas gifts to each of you to no more than $25.00 each this year. Our intention is to give the balance we would have spent on your Christmas gifts to food shelves we are already supporting.

We ask that you consider doing the same. We don't want you to spend any more on our gifts than what we're spending on yours, and we would hope that you would then give something to some organization serving those with less, as well. Need suggestions for which organizations to support? Let me know----I just happen to know a few!

I can almost guarantee that our Christmas will collectively be more meaningful than ever if we give more to others than we give to ourselves----that's exactly what J.C. modeled for us all, and he definitely got it right!

Peace and Love,

Pops

So, I extend this challenge to all of you. I work in human services with my Pop, and I assure you the need for support extends further than we could ever imagine. Any little bit helps, and if all you can sacrifice is a can of food to your local food shelf, know that it will go to a deserving family. You can actually go to the IRS website and search for a charity if you need ideas!

Alright, it's time for a little rest because I'm determined to go back to work tomorrow. Daytime television is not worth staying home for another day!

Locks for Love

I did it. I chopped 11 inches of my hair straight off. Ok, well I didn't cut my hair, but a stylist did. A couple of my friends and I went up to the Hugo Health Fair on Saturday where one of the local salons was holding a "hair drive" of sorts. They were giving free haircuts/styles to anyone that would donate 10 inches of their hair, or if you didn't have enough hair to donate they would give you a haircut for a monetary donation to Locks for Love. Nicole, my friend Tammy's sister, met us up there with her two daughters (who are part of a set of 3-year-old triplets!) and they also donated their hair in honor of Tammy.

I debated the whole drive up there whether or not I really wanted to cut that much hair. My friend Christine and I talked about it the entire way up to Hugo, and it's a long drive up there! When we got to the health fair, we went to the Locks for Love booth and got on the list to get our hair cut and me making it very clear that I had not yet committed to chopping it all off. I've never been so nervous or indecisive about cutting my hair! Usually I'm pretty impulsive and cut it on a whim, but I have also never had my hair as long as it was before I cut it on Saturday.

The stylist called me over, and I'll be honest, my palms got a little sweaty. She asked me how short I wanted it and I told her that I didn't want it shorter than my shoulders. She then measured my hair and said, "Well, if we take it one inch above the shoulders, you can donate it." I then blurted out, "Just cut it! Just do it! Hurry, before I change my mind!" Christine just about got her ear cut off because she whipped her head around and said, "What?! Wait, wait, stop cutting my hair. I have to take a 'before' picture of her!" So, here it is:

The stylist put my hair in a pony tail and then chopped it off just above the hair binder. I instantly lost 5 lbs! Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but my head did feel a great deal lighter. The stylist took another inch off to level things out (ha!) and I ended up with this:


By the time it was all said and done, we had donated a grand total of 40 inches of hair and a few bucks to Locks for Love. All for our girl Tam!

Erin, Me, Christine, Cayda, Nicole and Carly (picking her nose).

All of us girls got together to show Tam our new haircuts and to have a "girls night" before her second chemo treatment on Monday. We always have a good time together:

Christine, Erin, Jackie (the next to CHOP CHOP!), me and Tam.

Bloody noses are HAWT!
This is also why Mr. Fury loves me, and I know this because he just told me.

Alright, now that I'm getting the infamous head shake from Mr. Fury, it's time to go to bed. Goodnight moon.

A Rocker and the Chick

Mr. Fury and I went over to my parents' house for the annual Halloween party. Instead of dressing up in the group-type costume that we did last year (Flinstones, meet the Flinstones...), we went in completely opposite directions than each other. Mr. Fury grew out his facial hair and was a rocker, women's pants and all. His brother was in town from Boise, and he wore an identical costume. Can you tell they're brothers?


I had a hard time coming up with a costume. I wanted to make my own, no store bought stuff for me this year. I searched and searched, but nothing really tickled my fancy, until I stumbled upon an idea for an infant costume. Yes, an infant costume. I don't think this thing was meant for people to actually walk around in because the feet were those yellow, rubber gloves you wear when you're using harsh cleaners. I think it turned out pretty well though.


Turns out feather boas keep you very warm. I really don't think I needed the extra long sleeve shirt. When we walked into the house and my mom took a look at Mr. Fury and I, she couldn't stop laughing. Then she looked down at my rubber gloved feet and she started crying. So, I pretty much deem that a Halloween costume success!

My favorite costume was my older brother's, but it's because of the story behind it. I don't know if I told ya'll about this, but my parents were recently in Hawaii. Yes, these are the same parents that volunteered at the World Championships in Kona. Uh, huh, still my parents... So, anyway, while they were there my dad accidentally got pulled over for speeding, and then was asked to do a field sobriety test because Mr. Honesty admitted to having drinks with dinner, and then accidentally tripped on his sandal while "walking the line" and then was purposefully handcuffed and put in the back of the police car, AND THEN brought down to the police station to take a breathalizer AND THEN fingerprinted and had his mug shots taken AFTER he passed the breathalizer. Oh my goodness, I'm out of breath. So, my brother dressed up as his mug shot for Halloween. I now present to you, my father's mug shot and my father:

Yes, those are flip-up sunglasses.

In other news, what's up with this dude? Is he for real?! Cheaters never prosper. Well, that's all for now. Sorry this was completely un-tri related along with most of my previous posts, but sometimes you just need a break. I am thinking about the Winter Carnival 1/2 though. Steve and Borsch, you planted the seed...