So close!

Mr. Fury and I went up to the cabin again this weekend for the third weekend in a row. Yet again, we had rainy, cloudy weather for the third consecutive trip, but at least it was warm this time! It was a nice relaxing weekend (kind of) with just my parents, Mr. Fury and me.

On Saturday morning, I had to wake up nice and early to beat the heat for my 18 mile run. The alarm went off at 6am, and I rolled over to look at Mr. Fury with a pained look on his face. He was struck with a headache with little sleep and poor nutrition the day prior being the culprits. Mr. Fury was out for a long run, and there was no way I was going to convince him otherwise. I got out of bed, went upstairs and popped a couple pieces of bread into the toaster. I reached for the peanut butter, which felt lighter than normal, opened up the top and was horrified at what I found. One teaspoon of chunky peanut butter left on the bottom of the container. There was no way that was going to cover two pieces of toast. What barbaric creature would leave such a measly amount of delicious peanut butter in the cupboard disguised as a full container? I searched through my memory bank to discover it was me. Whoopsies. I guess I had that one coming, didn't I? I made-do with the small amount of peanut butter and slopped some blueberry jam on top. I threw in a banana and I was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying it tasted.

After I got dressed and headed out the door, I walked to the end of the driveway, threw a full container of water under the mailbox, and started my run. It didn't take long to realize that the head and humidity were going to be a factor during my run. I said a little prayer that the sun would stay hidden under the clouds for the duration, and threw on my iPod to help distract me from the boring scenery. On tap today were three out-and-back 6 mile loops, all coming back to the mailbox to replenish my water supply. The first leg went swimmingly, as in I felt like I had to swim through the air more than run. I challenged myself on a very hilly stretch of road for the second leg, and then for the last leg went back to the first leg out-and-back. All I could think for the last 3 miles of road was, "Oh Dear Lord, I have to run 8.2 more miles on race day." It's easy to forget you have been through much worse when you're swunning in ridiculous humidity and heat. Here is my wish for race day: low humidity and 40 degrees. That would be puuuuuurrfect, but we are talking about Twin Cities Marathon so who knows what we'll get. I predict Armageddon-like heat, hail and sink holes near the finish line.

Anywho, back to my run. I ended my run at 2:36 on the dot. I had to do a double-take at my watch. 2:36? For 18 miles? 2:36 for real?? Yeah, 2:36. Track workouts and tempo runs are going to make this the best and fastest marathon to date for me (I hope). I calculated it, and if I keep an 8:40 pace for the full 26.2, I'll finish around 3:45. My goal is to finish around/under 3:55, and now I know that is absolutely do-able. The only frustrating part of all this is how close I am to a BQ! I realize TCM is not the race this year where I will BQ, but it's in my sights!

PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lifetime Fitness Tri was awesome yesterday! Everything went right although it didn't always feel like it. Ok, I'll revise that statement because the swim went OK; Everything went mostly right. My goggles that I love and adore decided to be leaky jerks so I had to stop and empty them about 5 times. Other than that, everything went really well and I beat my goal time of 2:45! Here are my results:

Rachel Holzemer
International Course
Bib #:	741
Age:	27
Gender:	F
City, State:	St. Paul, MN
Nation:	USA
Race Category:	International Age Group - Women 25 to 29
Triathlon Results - International Course
Finish Time:	2:42:47.0
Category Place:	10 out of 65 Women 25 to 29 finishers
Overall Place:	325 out of 1040 International Course finishers
Gender Overall Plc:	50 out of 296 Female finishers
Triathlon Splits
Swim 1.5K
Time:	28:11.6
Pace:	1:52 /100m
Category Place:	9
Overall Place:	226
Gender Overall Plc:	43
Transition #1
Time:	2:16.4
Category Place:	3
Overall Place:	67
Gender Overall Plc:	15
Bike 40K
Time:	1:19:59.5
Pace:	19.1MPH
Category Place:	12
Overall Place:	548
Gender Overall Plc:	79
Transition #2
Time:	1:23.1
Category Place:	4
Overall Place:	60
Gender Overall Plc:	13
Run 10K
Time:	50:56.3
Pace:	8:13/M
Category Place:	12
Overall Place:	394
Gender Overall Plc:	67

I was amazed at my run pace. I felt like I was going so slow and I figured that I was running around 9-9:30s. I was way off mark! Woohooo! My previous best time was 2:55:xx so it felt great to crush that time. I'll probably write more later, but I need to sleep and RICE my right foot. It's not too happy with me this morning. I think there was a little too much dancing at the victory party last night with the team...

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!