Two years after first triathlon, Puphal becomes… Iron Woman

By Richard Greene | Published Sunday, June 5, 2011
As she neared the finish line at The Woodlands’ Town Green Park more than 14 hours after her journey began, Shannon Puphal summoned the strength to flash a smile.
The pain from the hyperextended knee during the 2.4-mile swim; the heat that drained her through the 112-bike ride; and fatigue from a 26.2-mile run all seemed worth it as she heard announcer Mike Riley’s words.
“To hear him say my name and ‘You are an Ironman,’” Puphal recalled. “It’s a most emotional thing.”
Puphal, the marketing and communications director for Wise Regional Health System, put herself in elite status among endurance athletes by completing the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas event May 21 in the Houston suburb. The 35-year-old mother finished the 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running in 14 hours, 41 minutes and 14 seconds.
She was one of 2,001 finishers who battled through the intense heat and humidity to accomplish a feat that few athletes have performed.
“Half of 1 percent of people can do a half marathon, and that’s just running,” said veteran triathlete and Fit-N-Wise trainer Mike Bowers. “What percent of people can accomplish [an Ironman]? Not that many.”
He said it’s even more impressive considering that Puphal had competed in her first triathlon just two years before.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “She did her first sprint in 2009, and two years later she was doing her first full Ironman. It’s incredible to go to that distance that fast.”
Puphal has always been an athlete, but not always an endurance athlete.
Growing up in Central California, her first love was gymnastics.
“I was 5-2 until my junior year, and then I grew seven inches in the summer,” Puphal said. “That was it for me though I still competed my senior year.”
Because of her gymnastics background, she also did some diving in high school although she was never much of a swimmer.
“The farthest that I ever swam was from the pool to the ladder to get out of the pool,” she said.
After college, Puphal started running a few 5Ks with a friend, who eventually talked her into signing up for a 10K.
“I remember telling her that I was going to kill her,” Puphal said. “It was the most miserable experience. I remember thinking that I’m not meant to run this far.”
But she continued running, joining Team In Training in 2000 and finishing the Governor’s Cup Marathon in Montana.
Puphal moved to Texas, and when she had her daughter in 2008, she took a break from running.
After giving birth, she looked for a new challenge with her friend and colleague at Wise Regional, Michelle Stone.
“I wanted to do the Try the Tri, and we started training as a group effort,” Puphal said.
Even with a running background, it was a big step for her.
“I had just learned to swim freestyle a couple months before and hadn’t ridden a bike much since grade school,” Puphal said.
With the small field at the first-time triathlon event, a nervous Puphal dived into the pool at Fit-N-Wise and swam the 250-yard leg.
“Coming out of the water at the Try the Tri, I was just happy not to drown,” she said.
After that first triathlon and the enjoyable experience at the Try the Tri, she was hooked.
“I just fell in love with it,” Puphal said. “I’ve always run, but with the triathlon you get to mix up your training. It’s more of a full-body workout.”
Bowers said that was one of the goals of the Try to Tri.
“We design the Try the Tri for beginners to make it a great experience,” he said. “We make it fun, and a lot of people have gone on from beginning there to doing more.”
She completed another event in McKinney afterward, then moved up to Olympic distance, completing the race at Lake Bridgeport and qualifying for nationals.
Puphal kept upping the ante, and on New Year’s 2010, she made the decision to sign up for her first Half-Ironman in Galveston that April.
“I remember sitting on the dock thinking ‘what am I doing?’” Puphal said. “Once I got in the water, I took it slow and tried to enjoy it.”
She told her parents who came to the race to expect to carry her out on a stretcher. Instead, her orders were to sign her up for a full Ironman.
“It was a great experience,” Puphal said.
After missing out on registration for the Florida and Arizona races, she got in the first Texas event.
She kicked off her training in October, 30 weeks before the event. Training started with eight to 10 hours per week of work. It inched up to close to 20 over six days.
Most of her lunch hours were spent swimming at Fit-N-Wise or on Old Reunion Road for a 6.2-mile run. She would hit the bike trainer at night after her daughter went to bed.
On weekends, she would get in her distance rides or runs, but she had one rule to keep her from training all weekend.
“I always wanted to make sure I was home for a pancake breakfast with my daughter one day a weekend,” Puphal said.
Since January, the miles piled up. She biked 2,332 miles, ran 367 and swam 150,262 yards.
The training paid off for her second Half Ironman in April as she cut an hour off her time from the previous year.
Then May 21, she woke up at 3:30 a.m. and started preparations for her big day. Finally, the gun went off to start the swim.
“The start was chaos; there were legs, elbows and feet everywhere,” Puphal said. “I had never been in a mass start with men before.”
After an hour and 37 minutes, she completed the 2.4-mile swim.
“The swim was over before I knew it,” she said. “I would swim the full distance every Friday. My goal was to come out of the water and feel like I had not started.”
She hit the bike for the tortuous bike ride as the temperature soared past 90 degrees.
“The first part of the bike was uneventful, and then I started to see the heat cause damage,” Puphal said. “Luckily we had an overcast to save the race from being a disaster.”
Puphal took six hours and 47 minutes to complete the 112-mile ride. Off the bike, she began the three-loop, 26.2-mile run. With the heat, humidity and a leg that she couldn’t fully stretch out after injuring it on the swim, she took it slowly.
“I felt good the first loop,” she said. “You just have to take what the day gives you. I was out there to get it done. It was going to be a PR regardless.”
Five hours and 55 minutes after starting the run and more than 14 hours after she began her long personal conversation with herself, Puphal neared the finish and saw her family members.
“It’s overwhelming,” Puphal said. “You start this whole journey, thinking you can do this. Then you cross that mat. There’s no words for it. It’s an awesome experience.”
The new Iron Woman hopes to return to competition in July at Ray Roberts Lake near Denton. She will be at the Try the Tri June 11 at Fit-N-Wise, where her triathlon career started, cheering on and helping beginning triathletes.
“If it wasn’t for the Try the Tri, I would have never accomplished this goal,” she said. “The support made me want to do more.”

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Getting a Start
The Fit-N-Wise Try the Tri Triathlon for beginning triathletes will start 7 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at Wise Regional Health System. The event consists of a 250-yard swim, eight-mile bike ride and two-mile run. Cost is $30 and is limited to 100 participants. Register at http://www.active.com.

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Racking Up the Miles
Since the calendar turned to 2011, Shannon Puphal piled up the miles in preparation for her first Ironman. Here’s a breakdown:

• 2,332 miles on the bike
• 367 miles running
• 85.75 miles swimming

My friend, Marcy, who is also racing IMTX, sent this to me.  It made me cry.  It was originally written by (Hurricane) Bob Mina.  



The Ironman: Am I ready?

Right now you've all entered the taper. Perhaps you've been at this a few months, perhaps you've been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.

You've been following your schedule to the letter. You've been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until next year to erase. Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.

You ran in the snow.
You rode in the rain.
You ran in the heat.
You ran in the cold.

You went out when others stayed home.

You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.

You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you've already covered so much ground...there's just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lies before you...and it will be a fast one.

Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.

It won't be pretty.

It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:
You are ready.

Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.

You are ready.

Finishing an Ironman is never an accident. It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.

It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.

You are ready.

You will walk into the water with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You'll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone else, but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here.

You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.



The helicopters will roar overhead.

The splashing will surround you.



You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one

.



The swim will be long - it's long for everyone, but you'll make it. You'll watch as the shoreline grows and grows, and soon you'll hear the end. You'll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what happening, then you’ll head for the bike.



The voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero's sendoff can't wipe the smile off your face.



You'll settle down to your race. The crowds will spread out on the road. You'll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.



You'll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It's warmer now. Maybe it's hot. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep riding. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep moving. After all, this is just a long training day with valet parking and catering, right?



You'll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride for what seems like hours. You reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.



By now it'll be hot. You'll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You've been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today

.



You'll grind the false flats to the climb. You'll know you're almost there. You'll fight for every inch of road. The crowd will come back to you here. Let their energy pull you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.



Grind.

Fight.

Suffer.

Persevere.



You'll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come - soon! You'll roll back - you'll see people running out. You'll think to yourself, "Wasn't I just here?" The noise will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air - you're back, with only 26.2 miles to go. You'll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.



You'll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You'll give it up and not look back. You'll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you'll go. You'll change. You'll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer - the one that counts.



You'll take that first step of a thousand...and you'll smile. You'll know that the bike won't let you down now - the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a summer day. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you've worked for all year long.



That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won't feel so good.



That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You'll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You'll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great - some won't. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.



You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep eating. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry - believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon. By remote control. Blindfolded.



How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don't sit down - don't EVER sit down.



You'll make it to the halfway point. You'll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some



won't. Eat what looks good, toss the rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don't. You're headed in - they're not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people headed into town. Share some energy - you'll get it right back.



Run when you can.

Walk if you have to.

Just keep moving.



The miles will drag on. The brilliant sunshine will yawn. You'll be coming up to those aid stations fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.



You'll soon only have a few miles to go. You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you…and puts a medal over your head... all you have to do is get there.



You'll start to hear the people in town. People you can't see in the twilight will cheer for you. They'll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, and when you left on the run, and now when you've come back.



You'll enter town. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you're lucky), but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole day go?" You'll be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.



You'll hit mile 25. Your Ironman will have 1.2 miles - just 2KM left in it.



You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you'll be able to hear the music again. This time, it'll be for keeps.



Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You'll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the night sun made just for you.



They'll say your name.

You'll keep running.

Nothing will hurt.



The moment will be yours - for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.



You'll break the tape at the finish line, 140.6 miles after starting your journey. The flash will go off.



You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.



Someone will catch you.

You'll lean into them.



It will suddenly hit you.



YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!



You are ready.

Ever "Get Walked" from a hotel?   Apparently it's the new industry standard on how to treat guests that make reservations months in advance.  The following are the details/ excerpt from communications with Marriott Corporate and the Woodlands Township regarding my reservations for the hotel we had planned on staying at for Ironman Texas. 

-------

Marriott Residence Inn - Woodlands, TX

I made reservations at the Marriott Residence Inn The Woodlands/Market Street on June 24, 2010 for a block of 4 rooms. I was notified two days ago that the hotel is "overbooked" and that they will be moving my reservation to a hotel that is of lower class (industry practice called "Walking Down") and about 10 minutes away from the current hotel.

My reservations were guaranteed with a credit card - therefore the overbooking would qualify as a breach of contract and that the process of walking my reservations to a hotel of a lower class will stand with most authorities as a constitution of fraud and misrepresentation and is protected legally in Texas under the Deceptive Trade Practices and in article 17.46(9) advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised.

It seems that the reservations that were made before the Residence Inn at The Woodlands/ Market Street was notified of the set date of the Ironman Texas Triathlon (and therefore increased the price in the rooms) are being walked.  And, there is no doubt that the Fairfield Inn's pricing for their rooms will be at an increased price due to the event.  So, technically we are being asked to accept reservations for a downgraded hotel with increased pricing- and since we are now less than nine weeks away from the event, options for lodging are limited. 

It is also become apparent- in discussion with others that had also booked at this hotel-  that the individuals being bumped from their rooms are those that had multiple rooms reserved, rather than the order in which the reservations were made.  No doubt that it is easier from a corporate standpoint to deal with a single contact for four rooms than to deal with four individuals with single rooms.  My reservations for the Residence Inn at The Woodlands/Market Street were made nine months in advance and before the Ironman Texas registration had even opened for registration. 

This hotel was booked for the convenient access to the Ironman run course as the family members that are attending with me will have both a toddler and an infant and were expecting to have access to the rooms throughout the day for the kids to have naps, as you know, the event lasts upwards of 17 hours.  The additional drive and difficulty in accessing the hotel with race day closures is beyond frustrating and adds additional stress to me, as a competitor, as well as to my family.

I understand that this is not just affecting me, as I was told by the General Manager that they overbooked by 20 rooms.

I have expressed my disappointment in this situation to Marriott Residence Inn and Marriott Corporate, but as my first impression, as a patron to the Woodlands Township, I am incredibly frustrated.  While Marriott Corporate has offered to provide assistance in offsetting one night of our stay - as a minimum corporate policy gesture - the fact is that the town and the organizations that represent it are very much a part of the overall experience of an event of this magnitude.

Sincerely,

IronTexasMommy

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Note: Please know that this isn't an issue that will ruin my race and I understand that things can't always be controlled- I am frustrated for the inconveniences that this will present to my family on race day.  And, I'm publishing this so that others that may be in the same situation might find it.  I am not at all pleased on how the General Manager handled the situation, which is why I elevated the concern to Marriott's Corporate Communications department.  I included the Woodlands Township Chairman in the e-mail and the contact for Ironman Texas, so that they were privy to the situation, as if I were the race director or in the position of hosting this many people for an event, I would want to know as well- and not just an issue "swept under the rug."  So, thank you social media for my platform. Back to training.



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IF YOU WANT TO SWIM  THE IMTX COURSE- THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE! 

TJ Fry, owner of the Swim Shops of the Southwest, in conjunction with TYR,  is proud to sponsor the Ironman Texas and CB&I Triathlon practice swim. The  swim will be on April 30th and start at 7am. The course is a 1.2 mile swim that will roughly mimic the first section of the Ironman swim (get there early and swim it twice if you want). 

TJ will also be putting on a swim clinic and will cover everything from the mass start to navigating tips, pacing, conditions, and strategies to get you to Town Green Park and off on your bike.

Swim Shops will also be on hand with the WTC legal #1 selling TYR Torque, goggles tri gear, and anything else you might need.

To sign up for the clinic or the swim, go to:http://activenet11.active.com/wcscparksandrec/ and search “triathlon”


Cost is $35 if you are not competing in CB&I.

Visit TJ's blog page, here.  Visit SwimShops of the Southwest here.

Not from today... but this was the wetsuit I donned at the pool

It is COLD here in Texas!  I know for you Northerners, this is probably just a mild Spring, but I'm freezing tail.  A California-born girl, I do not know how to drive in snow or ice and I don't own jackets that are warm enough to deal with wind chills like this! The summer sunshine can't come soon enough! :)

So, today I made some lemonade out of a lemon situation.   The pool heater at my gym is on the fritz.  I swam on Monday and they said it was 76 degrees.  There's no way.  It had to be closer to 74 or below.  I did a 3000yd (with sets) swim and I can assure you it dropped my body temperature, because I could not get warm for the rest of the day/ night.  (snicker, snicker... yes, I'm a pansy).

I was scheduled for another 3,000y swim today.  So, rather than skip the swim, I brought my wetsuit.  It was glorious!  I did a straight swim and finished in record time.  I felt like I was cheating it was so easy, but I pushed hard, so my arms are definitely feeling it.

Anyway... I'm getting the workouts in and done without excuses! 100 days until Ironman Texas!  Someone please get me a paper bag to blow in to!

Girly tough!

I've had a few tough days getting my training in this week, but I was determined to redeem myself in the pool today.  I even painted my toenails blue last night to give me a little extra motivation.  Silly, I know, but it kept me thinking about it all morning and couldn't wait to get to the pool.  Whatever works?!  I'm thinking I'll end up with blue-painted toes for Ironman Texas now, too! :)  And, of course, wore my girly-skull swim cap (available here) to keep things fun.

Blue toes for the pool

So, this was a big deviation from my training plan, so I apologize to Don Fink and accept full responsibility if I crash and burn because of my non-compliance to your carefully crafted training plan.


2.4 miles - 85 laps.   The furthest I have swum to date is 60 laps.  Crazy? Maybe.  A huge mental boost?  Abso-freakin'lutely!  

I had missed a couple of lunch time workouts due to work functions this week, so I used some of that time to get this swim in.

It went awesome!  I was lucky that there were a couple of decently good swimmers that came and went during my swimming time-  thank you gentlemen for swimming with me when you didn't know that you actually were...  The laps went by fairly quickly. I started to feel a little slow at around lap 70, but then I realized that there were only 15 more to go, so I got my head back in the game.  Especially when I knew I was going to finish faster than my conservative guesstimate swim time of 1:30.

I finished in 1:24.  Looking at the swim pace, I think I may have double counted a lap or two, but I'll take it.  When I finished, I was alone in the pool.  I kind of wished I had someone there with me, because I really felt like I did after I finished my first marathon.  A little on the emotional side - because I had just accomplished - what was to me- a big goal.  So, yes, I shed a couple of tears.  Only a couple - and only out of the left eye.  It probably had more to do with the pain that the goggles had caused from sucking to my face for that long, but nonetheless, I was excited.  For someone that had only learned how to really swim 2 years ago (for my first sprint triathlon), achieving a 2.4 mile swim was a big deal.

Can't wait to get a few more of these done and especially some in open water.

Ok, I'll admit it.  I'm going to race with a fanny pack.  Technically, it's called  a SPI Belt, which stands for a "Small Personal Item Belt," but when push comes to shove.. it's a fanny pack.  But, just like the closet Snuggy wearers out there, I kind of like it. 

It's small and works just like a race belt, and has these wrap around pull cords/ toggles that actually hold your race number (sold separately) and the model I purchased has six individual elastic sections to hold gels.  Then on top of that you have the zippered section to hold whatever your heart desires.  (Although the pouch looks tiny, it can actually fit quite a bit.)

I purchased one of these at the Dallas White Rock Marathon expo.  The particular sales lady that I had was umm.. how do I say this nicely... not in a good mood?  I was very close to walking away, but I could see the benefits in having one of these puppies for IMTX.  Since the course is a three-loop course, I think I'll just be carrying my hand held water bottle as normal instead of having some monstrous Fuel Belt attached to me.  I figured I'll have my gum stash, a couple "keep me motivated snacks" and whatever else I deem necessary at that point. 

Plus, they make my abs look good.  See photo.  Alright, I'm lying. Not my abs, yet.

I tried it out at the DWRM and it bounced a little, but I was able to tighten it up and barely noticed it. Overall, pretty happy with the little bugger.  Even if it is a fanny pack.

2010 Race Medals

So, I don't have any more races scheduled for the year, so I figured I'd review 2010.   What a year! 2009 was my first in triathlon and this year was one of some awesome accomplishments and one where I made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot about racing.

This year I competed in:
  - 3 Sprint-distance Triathlons
  - 3 Olympic-distance Triathlons
  - 3 Half Marathons
  - 2 Bicycle Rally's
  - 1 Adventure Race
  - 1 Half Ironman

1.  Supporting first -time races is good for the community and for our sport.

2.  Adventure racing is a heck of a lot of fun.

3.  If you want to race fast, you have to race smart. (And that means slowing down for sharp left turns)

4.  After finishing my first 70.3, I realized that I had the drive, the will  and the sincere desire to tackle a full Ironman.

5. Bike rally's are not to be feared. Personally, I felt they would be filled with a bunch of peloton-riding hard core cyclists.  But, everyone is so friendly and they didn't even laugh at my aero bars (at least not in front of me) And, rest stops every 10 miles... with cookies??  Seriously?  Made me question being a triathlete.

6. If the race you're going to ride / run in has hills... it's best to train on hills.  Trust me on this.

7.  No matter how far you are out of your league you feel in any race, you still belong there.  There is room for the person who finished first, just as much as there is for the person who finished last.  Don't let anyone tell or make you feel otherwise.  No one can take the experience away from you.

8.  Always double check the race signs.

9.  Bloggers are a great source of inspiration, motivation and experience!

10.  I can't wait for the 2011 season!!

30 weeks or 206 days.  However you look at it... THE JOURNEY HAS STARTED!!

This last week has been a transition period- from finishing out the 2010 triathlon season and sprinting (!) to beginning marathon training and now this week, I begin IM training.  Not much of a rest period, that's for sure. But, switching gears to start going "long" is an adjustment.

White Rock 2009

I had a great 12 mile run last Saturday morning.  That was seriously double  the longest run I've completed in more than 3 months.. at least?  Nothing like crash coursing into marathon training.  I'm only 6 weekends away from the White Rock Marathon, so I have a lot of running to catch up on. I had a nice invite from Jason over at Life of An Aspiring Triathlete - also running White Rock- to join him for a 16 mile run, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hang.  Trying to take it slow and easy and trying not to get injured, but thanks Jason!  You Rock!  (We'll train together at some point - promise!)  

Ironman training (today) consisted of a 2,500 yard pool swim at lunch and then a 10k run this evening.  The run is more than what is called for, but I'm having to adapt to keep my mileage up.  I'm typically swim between 1,500 and 2,000 during a session, but at a greater intensity, so upping the mileage wasn't too bad- but still seemed like a long time to be water-logged.  My swimming will be dropping from 3 days/ week down to 2 so that shouldn't be so bad.

As always, I have my wonderful swim partners to thank (Blake & Michelle) for keeping me motivated in the water.  I've always preferred being a "wolf pack of one" when it comes to training, but I always enjoy their company.

Hope everyone is having a great week.  :)

Enough abbreviations for you?  I had the pleasure of organizing a Beginner Triathlete Dallas/Ft. Worth Ironman Texas Get Together on Sunday.  What an awesome group of people! (I'm unfortunately the one slouching in this photo.. uggh!)  We ate at Uncle Julio's in Grapevine - I don't think you can ever go wrong eating there. Their salsa and flour tortillas are to die for.  I tried not to make a pig out of myself in front of everyone, but seriously I could probably down a dozen of their tortillas in a sitting and not think twice about it.

Back row: Craig, John, Aaron, Tommy, Shannon, Brandt, Brandon & Ernesto Front Row: Grady, Craig, Marcy & Steve

Triathletes seriously have to be the nicest people around. We traded race stories, training mishaps, travel adventures and the like.  It's fun to be around a group of people who have the same "sickness".. and I mean that with the greatest of sincerity!  Grady shared a story of not going to a high school reunion, because what he could save on travel costs would equate to some new wheels. Umm.. obvious choice, right?  Ha!

My favorite part had to be the Ironman tattoo parade.  I wanted to check out the fabulous ink on these guys who have conquered the 140.6.  From a girl's perspective, Marcy says she's going for the diamond M-Dot pendant instead of ink. I'm on the fence. I think a small-ish M-dot tat with the Texas flag incorporated would be pretty cool.  I've never really had the desire to get a tattoo- nothing really struck as something so monumental in my life (not to downplay childbirth) that I needed to have a permanent reminder on my body to celebrate it.  But, this just might be the occasion. More on this later I guess... still have months to waffle back and forth.

Anyway, while many of the people who attended have met before, it was great to be welcomed as a newbie and I look forward to getting to know everyone better and even happier to know that I'll have some friendly faces to see on the Ironman Texas course on May 21, 2011!