Livestrong Challenge Picture Overload...

I thought I should dedicate a post solely to the pictures we took over the weekend... you can read the recap HERE


Before the Race - so early it was still dark :)

In front of the capitol

Our whole group...

Dave and Della

Newbs and Zeke

Cay and Newbie

Cayla....

After the 5K - Cayla, Newbie and Me

Newbie and Me after the 5K

Holding our posters of our bf we share....

He loves me more :) j/k

Zeke, Papa and Mama Newbie, and Newbie

The 5Ker's... (minus Ciearra's momma)

Just us girls :) Ciearra, Della, Newbie, Cayla and Me

Newbie and Zeke

Cayla, Newbs and Zeke after finishing

Before the race in the staging area


We look so serious...

Headed out for the ride

Lance Armstrong finishing the 90 miler

Me, Newbie, Ciearra, and Cayla after the ride

Me finishing the ride

Newbie crossing the finish line

Ciearra after just finishing

My Favorites....

AH - MAZING.....

Is the one single word to describe this past weekends events.

I participated in the LiveStrong Challenge this weekend with a handful of lovely friends - we all united together to raise funds for cancer research and the LAF (Lance Armstrong Foundation) and also take on a physical challenge of running and biking.

If you are not familiar (although I presume most of you are) the LAF is a non profit organization, founded by Lance Armstrong in 1997 that inspires and empowers people affected by cancer.

Just a brief overview (I stole from the website)

The LAF believes that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Read LAF Manifesto here. LAF also provides the practical information and tools that people with cancer need to live life on their own terms and also take aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent suffering and death due to cancer.

The LAF unites people to fight cancer and pursues an agenda focused on:

• Prevention
• Access to screening and care
• Improvement of the quality of life for cancer survivors
• Investment in research

It truly is becoming a passion for me; especially after this last weekend.

To see the community of cancer survivors, individuals who are still fighting the battle, loved ones, care givers, etc was truly amazing. The camaraderie amongst this group of individuals is truly a testament to the impact that cancer and the LAF has had on each person that was there. Cancer, like the LAF, not only affects those that are diagnosed... but all.

We (Cayla, Hunter and I) arrived in Austin late Friday checked into the hotel, visited with Della and Dave, Newbie and Zeke and then headed to bed (we had an early morning).

Saturday morning we arrived at the race site at 6:45ish to pick up our packets and get ready for the 5K. There were over 3,000 people there to participate in the run. The support was also unreal. The streets were lined with supporters, volunteers, friends, family, yellow balloons, signs, etc.... It made running a whole lot more fun for me :) (I hate running remember)

I enjoyed looking around and reading all the signs that were on people's back... let me explain.

At the race start they had a table with little signs you could pin on your shirt that said "In memory of", "In Honor of", and "Survivor". You could take these signs and put the name of the person(s) you were competing for. Most people pinned them on their backs so as you were running you could read who that person was competing in the Challenge for. One little boys said "In Honor of My Mom"... so sweet....

Mine said "In Memory of Jessica Gage Bonesio" (pics to come later)

It made the time pass quite nicely to read these; and also read the shirts of the many teams who had them made. Also very inspiring.

After the 5K we headed for a fantastic post-race breakfast at Austin Java... delish! Then went to the convention center to visit the "LiveStrong Village". The convention center was set up with booths, tables, etc for vendors. (It was basically a vendor-expo). There were all sorts of bike shops, doctors, fitness equipment, cancer centers, etc there advertising and giving free goodies... I loaded up on Aquaphor (which I have an addiction to), cliff blocs and bars, LiveStrong bracelets, and water bottles (seriously every booth was giving out water bottles)

Then we headed back for a much needed nap.... then dinner...

Sunday was the 20 mile bike race and probably the most sobering and awe-inspiring event of the weekend.

The race finish was lined with supporters (again) and yellow balloons - as you came across the finish line they stated your name over the loud speaker and how much money you raised. The lines of people cheering you on was crazy!!! It was so motivating and un real. I just kept thinking... I wish Jess was here to see this!!!

The bike course was hilly (hence the name HILL COUNTRY)... it started at Dripping Springs high school and wove through Dripping Springs... there was a 10mi, 20mi, 45mi, 65mi, and 90mi course. Lance was there... he rode the 90mi. course....pics to come of him coming in from the course.

OMG - speaking of Lance... I totally forgot to tell you that we saw him, up close and personal, on his bike on Saturday riding through downtown... he was literally an arm's length away....so YUM-O :)

The bike start was a little hectic.... we were on about a 15 minute delay...but really didn't start riding until about 1.5miles into the course.... it was so back logged with riders at the start that you ended up walking your bike until it thinned out. It was frustrating.... but it is for such a good cause you couldn't get too upset! We had a hectic morning that morning anyways so we may have all been a little on edge...

Our morning started out just fine... drove 30min. out to the course, parked without hardly any issues. Began getting ready for the ride into the staging area (about a mile or so) then I realized I had lost the car keys. While tearing the car apart and every bag in the car I still couldn't find them.... Cayla realized she had a flat tire on her bike so we had to change that.... meanwhile I'm still looking for the keys. I was about to say "f" it and make Zeke and Hunter look for the keys when I realized that I put them in the pocket of my jersey... seriously Allison??? These pockets are supposed to be handy dandy - but I clearly never use them or else I probably would have checked there first...oops! But we found them and were on our way.

The staging area to the start line was PACKED with riders of all levels, a ton of pros that were riding the 90miler with Lance...I wish I could have been up there to see all of them. Then towards the back were all of us 20milers and 10milers. There were riders of all shapes, sizes, and ages... There was one kid who participated in the 10mile ride that I swear had just taken the training wheels off his bike. There were dads that had the carriers strapped onto their bikes in back with their kids in tow... professionals, grandparents, all sorts of people... all riding for the same cause.

Seriously - you should all join my team next year and participate in this incredible event.

Registration opens December 1 for next year and you bet your ass I will be on that list.... Team Tri for a Cure in full effect!!!

OH AND...THANK YOU THANK YOU TO ALL MY DONORS.... PLEASE SEND ME YOUR ADDRESS; YOU WILL BE RECEIVING SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL FROM ME AND OUR TEAM SHORTLY :)

Pics to be posted soon....keep checking back!!!

Dolce...

I finally bit the bullet and bought my new bike... Her name is Dolce :)

I took her for a spin on Saturday morning and we are already in love.... a relationship made at Plano Cycling and Fitness on Friday, August 14 :)

I love her... and so does my body...

Pic(s) of the week

My pics of the week are themed in nature... :)

As you know if you've been reading for awhile, I am a big supporter of the LiveStrong and Lance Armstrong Foundation.

A few months ago the girls and I started discussing participating in the LiveStrong Challenge in October. The LIVESTRONG Challenge is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's signature fundraising event inspired by hope, courage and the perseverance of Lance and the nearly 12 million Americans affected by cancer. We take to the streets on bicycles and on our feet, uniting individuals to stand together to fight cancer. The LAF and LIVESTRONG believes that unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything; which I completely agree.

Jessica was united in strength by her friends, family, loved ones and even strangers; she educated herself about her disease and empowered herself to fight as did her family; her attitude was COMPLETELY unwavering and admirable. I learned more from Jessica and her family than I ever thought was possible; however I do not want others to have to feel the pain that this disease brings not only to the patient but the family and friends as well.

It is important to me to do what I can to "pick a fight with cancer" and help find a cure. I truly believe in this cause and this fight; and I hope you will unite with me to do what you can.

I hate asking people for money - I've only done it one other time; when Jessica was raising money for the angel adventure walk last October; which is another amazing cause. The National Brain Tumor Foundation is another great non-profit group that fights for brain tumor patients and raises money to find a cure.

I hope you can help - any amount is appreciated... $1 will go along away in my book.

Thank you for your support, prayers, love, hugs, flowers, etc over the last 2.5 years. As you all supported me and Jessica in her fight for the last few years; now it's time to unite and fight with those that are still undergoing treatment and fighting their own battle so that we can TRI for a cure!

Click Here to donate and see my personal page: http://austin09.livestrong.org/allie0622

Click Here to donate to either me or my teammates and see our team page: http://austin09.livestrong.org/triforacure

Buffalo Wild Wings made my pic of the week because Newbie has been so gracious and found a sponsor for our team jerseys! One of her friends in Beaumont owns a few BW2 I believe, and he has agreed to sponsor us!!!! That is so awesome and we are so excited!!! THANK YOU RAJ AND NEWBIE!

Hooters, North Richland Hills is also a pic of the week, because my friend Chris is the GM there and he has awesomely agreed to host a car wash and bake sale and all the proceeds go to our fundraising efforts!!! We are hoping that car wash will be in August and the bake sale in September! I am so excited that Chris has graciously offered this to us and is helping us out to raise money for this event. THANK YOU CHRIS!!!!

Thank all of you again for your support, love and prayers!

Have an awesome weekend!!!

Tri #2 - "Control the Freakout"

Well this weekend marked tri #2 .... Here are the deets (details for those of you who don't follow my lingo)

Who: Me and Cayla....
What: Playtri Festival - included My First Tri, Sprint, International distances as well as swim races
When: Sunday, July 5, 2009 - 7:03am start time
Where: Las Colinas, Texas - Marriott Las Colinas
Why: Because we are dumb, crazy, and just plain stupid... but we love it...well after we are done we love it!

Sunday started off early.... 3:45am my alarm went off. As my darling friends were just going to bed after a long night of drinking games and celebrating the 4th of July - I was waking up to "Boom Boom Pow" on the radio/alarm clock.

I jumped out of bed... jumped in the shower... I know who showers before a 2 hour workout... but it's a must for me on race day for two reasons:
1. It wakes me up... did you see what time my alarm went off
2. I need my hair wet to french braid it

After my shower - I outfitted myself in my new tri-gear. Same shorts as last race but new improved and super cute top :) See to the right...

I loaded my bike rack and bike on my car on Saturday night so I wouldn't have to worry about it on Sunday morning. I still did though and checked to make sure I didn't miss a strap to secure it and make sure I had my lock, etc. etc.

I tripled checked then double checked my check list... I'm a super list person so I had to make sure I had everything from toilet paper to my race belt.... and I was out the door at 4:20am.

There is not very many people on the road at 4:20am...

I got to the race site, parked, got my gear, put in my ipod and headed to the transition line. I waited for Cayla to get there so we could rack together... supringsly she was race #59 and I was #58 so we rack together.

Cayla got there we got body marked, racked our stuff, and frolicked in the rain. Oh yes my dear friends, it started raining. As if I wasn't nervous about this enough... it started raining and continued to rain right up until we jumped into the water.

We waited in the parking garage while it rained and until we had our pre race meeting. While we were waiting we saw, not ONE but TWO cars, try to attempt to drive up the ramp and lost their bikes and racks into the rafters of the parking garage. Finally after the second person hit the rafters with their bikes the race director posted someone at the entrance to stop people from driving up the ramp if their bike was mounted on the roof. I felt so bad for these people... their thousand(s) $ bikes ripped off of their car and hanging in the balance... ugh what a way to start a race day!

We had our pre race meeting...and headed to swim the start.

CONTROL THE FREAK OUT...

I said on multiple ocassions as we overlooked the swim area... "Cayla I don't want to do this".. "Cayla why do we do this"... "Cayla are we stupid"...

500m looks alot shorter in a pool

We jumped in - heard the gun and took off...

The rest is history... but I'll explain anyway :)

The Swim was good ... I freestyled probably 80% of it... which I was proud of. I have said on multiple occasions that I DID NOT and still don't think I was prepared for this race. I should have trained harder and trained more... but I finished and that is what mattered. I hadn't been in a pool in I can't tell you how long until Saturday. I swam a quick 500m at the gym just to make sure my new googgles worked. Other than that it was about training in open water rather than for distance.
Time: 13:54 500m
Goal was under 15min
ACCOMPLISHED! :)

The bike - felt great! My bike is old and slow and heavy so I could have performed better on a new bike... which I am still contemplating buying... but overall I was proud of my performance. It rained the whole time we were on the bike so that sucked. Between getting splashed by the puddles and the constant spitting from the sky it was not the most favorable conditions but it could have been worse I guess!
Time: 46:10 - 12miles
Goal: under 53 min.
ACCOMPLISHED! :)

The Run - I hate the run...I felt like shit during the run actually.... and my time showed it. I am not even going to make excuses... it was awful
Time: 36:59
Goal: 32 min.
FAILED :(

Total Time was 1:40:09 - not to shabby I don't suppose... I wanted to be under 2hours and so my overall goal was attained!

I'll have pictures soon!

weather update...

Now the high for Sunday is 99 - but partly cloudy - so this could be good... I'm hoping for high 70's low 80's during race time...

Water temp was at 90 degrees on June 25th... it will be nice bath water temp.... anyone wanna throw some bubbles in???

Here's where I'm going to swimming: ICK....

awesome...nasty...run off lake... ICK ICK ICK

No crashes...Yet...knock on wood

Cayla and I went for our weekly workout together on Saturday and I survived... no crashes in clipping in and clipping out.

We are down to the week before my 2nd tri and I am more nervous about this one than I was the first. I felt fully prepared for my first tri but this one...not so much.

Swim: 500m
I haven't been in a pool in like forever... Cayla and I have been swimming in Grapevine lake which has been good to "control the freakout" but bad because I haven't really been focusing on distance - just not freaking out in the water. I think I should be ok - but 500m is almost double what the first tri was so naturally I'm a little freaked out. I hope to freestyle the entire 500m but I'm not above resolving to breaststroke if needed.... even backstroke for that matter... it's what got me through last time and hopefully will get me through this time.

Bike: 12miles
Well what to say here except I'm super scared that I'm going to crash either coming out of or into transition. With my clip in pedals/shoes it makes the whole bike ride a bit more scary for me. This past weekend while riding with Cayla I realized that while I'm clipped in it totally uses different muscles that I'm not used to so I'm afraid I may tucker my poor little legs out if I am not careful and have nothing left for the run.

Run: 5k (3.1 miles)
The run ... well I can do 3.1 miles on any day alone...and even after I biked in the 103degree heat a few weeks ago - but I'm super nervous about it too. The high is 105 this weekend so I could literally blow myself up if I'm not careful! :) j/k.... The good news is I won't drown or crash on this part... I just would begin walking if I needed to.

I don't know - I feel like I'm stupid and haven't prepared well for this... I want to cry actually... I wish I had a few more weeks... this heat makes it awful to train after work and I certainly don't get up at 4:30am to work out - I love training but I heart sleep more (I'll be honest)

Hopefully I can concentrate this week and get focused in time for Sunday...

The Tri is in Las Colinas if you want to come out and watch me drown, crash and walk ... should be a good time :)

Graduation Day.... = Crash Day = pic of the week

I did it... I bought clip in pedals and cycling shoes today! YAY - I feel like a real cyclist! I'm super excited but now I have the new bike bug MORE THAN EVER... I totally want to go back and buy a new bike.. and I just might!

Here are my new shoes:












They are Specialized brand -they are a three strap Velcro cycling shoe. They can change between SPD and road pedals and I'm SUPERLY DUPERLY EXCITED about them.. not only are the pretty...they are comfy and will hopefully help improve my ride!

My pedals are just normal Shimano SPD pedals... basic clip pedals but I can change them out to have a road pedal if I need/want to.

I am totally prepared to crash on my face multiple times before perfecting the art of the clip in/clip out maneuver.

We'll see... I seriously want a new bike now.... and I may just do it!

Keep checking back :)

2nd and 3rd Tri - should be 3rd and 4th but whatever...

I have officially signed up for my 2nd and 3rd triathlons! I'm super excited! This should be my 3rd and 4th but I'm still ticked at active.com for not letting me register for the one this past weekend that I should have done with Cayla. But oh well...

My 2nd one will be over July 4th weekend in Irving... a Sprint Distance this time... 500M Swim, 12Mi. bike and a 5K (3.2 mile) run... The 3rd will be in Rockwall in August 300M pool swim, 14 mile bike and 2.9mile run

I 'm super nervous about the swim ... again because it's open water and I freaked out last time... and haven't really been in a pool in about four weeks. Tony and I semi-swam yesterday...but I'll be honest I was way more interested in laying out than working out...

The bike - I'm always nervous about... this will never change... I feel so uncomfortable on a bike it isn't even funny... I'm going to go today and get a new saddle... I think that may be the reason I'm so uncomfortable... I also want to buy a bike rack for my car... I'm tired of having to basically take my bike apart to get it to fit in my car.

FYI - This sport is freakin' expensive...

The run - I'm most confident it. A 5k is nothing to me anymore...well alone a 5k is nothing... compound it with a swim and a bike and it may be another story...

So it's back to the training program... I found a 13 week training program that I took the last 5 weeks of and I'm going to work off of that. I should be fine... but you never know and I don't want to get too confident... b/c then I will drown in the swim, crash on the bike, or fall during the run...

I went last week and got "officially" fitted for my bike. The guy at the bike shop said my craigslist road bike wasn't too terrible after all! He said it was probably a '93 or '94 model ... which is old but has really good working components. I was excited to hear that.. but I do have the new bike bug now.

They have some pretty nice bikes for not too terribly expensive for a road bike. I've decided I don't want a tri-specific bike... I think I would enjoy a road bike more and I would rather add the tri-components to my bike than have it designed specifically for tri's.

I hope to start enjoying cycling more.. I think a new saddle will definitely help. I also think a good pair of cycling shorts may do the trick too. The only bad thing about cycling shorts is I can't wear them when I compete. The padding is awesome for long rides but if you try and swim in a pair of cycling shorts you are basically swimming in a diaper and will chaff on a run like nobody's business. My tri-shorts are much more friendly for competition. They aren't very water absorbent which is good and the padding isn't very thick so chaffing isn't a problem during the run and they provide just enough cush on the tush to be beneficial.

I'm also thinking about graduating to clip-in pedals and cycling shoes... Apparently it helps alot with speed and non-fatigue...however I'm still nervous about this because I'm afraid I'm going to crash when trying to clip out...
That would make for a good blog post...

Wish me luck as my training starts again...

Lots to blog about on this Monday...

Monday's are notorious for being sucky...right... at least I wake up and say ... S$%t it's Monday again?? Where did my weekend go??? This Monday however; was different...

I woke up promptly at 5:40am and was on the treadmill running at 6:00am...

So - I was worked out, showered, made up, dressed, and was at work by 7:45am... wowza! That's a days work and it wasn't even 8am...

This weekend was a whirlwind... Friday night I had a graduation party for a friend, she graduated from UTA with a bachelor's in Interior Design...so if you need some interior decorating I know the person to call!

Saturday I celebrated graduation's for Cayla and Hunter... Hunter finished law school!!! He graduated Friday at 2pm and Cayla graduates from grad school at 7pm tonight! YAY for both of them!

Saturday Cay and Hunter threw a great graduation party in Ft. Worth! Blue Mesa catered... YUM-O... I think I ate the whole tub of sweet potato chips...

We took lots of pictures but they haven't been downloaded off the cameras yet - but when they are I'll post pics...

On the athletic front:

I signed up for another tri in Agust ... August 23 to be exact! YAY... AND...Newbie is doing it with us!!! woot woot!!! So excited! This will be Newbie's first tri and I'm so excited to be competing with her and I think Cay is going to sign up to.

So between now and then I'm on a waiting list for a tri on May 30, but it's not lookin' so good.... they only took 150 registrants and I'm on a waiting list of 12 people... which means nearly 10% of the registrants would have to drop out and as of today not one person has dropped out. Cayla isn't going to be happy with me....

Here was my dilema and why I'm on the waiting list in the first place. I tried to register a few weeks ago and the active.com site was down for two days and wouldn't let me register so I tried again the third day and finally go through... however after I inputted all of my info it gave me a big red warning label that said "EVENT FULL" or something irritating like that...

So I have emailed the race director every week asking if anyone has dropped and every week it is a "No Sorry" :( ... and he puts the sad face...

UGH!

On a happy note... My other SUPER TRI FRIEND CHRISTY finished 3rd in her triathlon this past weekend! Way to go lady - IMCOZ ain't got nothin' you!!!!

Back in the saddle again...

Well it appears that possibly 50% of my motivation has returned. If you remember... I blogged HERE about losing every ounce of motivation, want and joy of working out. Well two Sunday's ago it came back and all it took was a good 2.5 hour workout with Cayla. Last week I worked out three times - still not back into my six days a week routine... but better than zero.

This week I worked out Monday - I did cut it short because of this pesky bladder infection that crept up on me. I got off the bike twice to pee... ouch... uti + stationary bike = sucky workout...

Last night was girls night (our monthly BYOB dinner at a local restaurant) and I didn't make it to the gym since I went to the dr. for the bladder...but no worries... we are back in the saddle again today.. hungover and all.

I will work out today after work if it kills me - and it might. I'm sick at my stomach, have a headache, and uber tired..

I'm way too old to be gallivanting around town drinking on a work night. I should be given a curfew... Mom... wanna re-instate one???

Motivation anyone???

I'm not sure what has happened to me... I was seriously motivated from November until April 19... now I can't find an ounce of me that wants to work out and considering I just signed up for my second tri ( a true sprint this time) I better dig down deep and find my motivation soon.

I didn't work out once last week because my pink eye returned...ICK and my throat was killing me. It hurt to swallow anything but hot tea and advil. I worked from home three days last week because I didn't want to infect my office with the lingering matted eyes and huge tonsils. I figured I should hole myself up in my house and try to not infect people with what I am now convinced is "pig flu". I went to the dr. on Thursday after 4 days of painful swallowing and basically a hot tea diet for him to tell me I have had a "lingering virus". It rested the few days leading up to the tri when I was finally feeling better and then reared it's ugly head again after my body recouped. AWESOME!

So last week I rested.... not a single lap in the pool, loop on the bike or short run and secretly I loved it! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME!!!! I was uber-obsessed for 5 months and now I want to cry.

I am a "Monday start person" if I have a goal I have to start on a Monday... no matter what. It's like life starts over on Mondays...so I time everything to a Monday start.

When I first started training for the King Tut I upped my distance on the bike and run every Monday - on the swim every other Monday... when I started trying to loose weight I started on a Monday with all the girls. When I tried to log everything I do in Livestrong.com I started on a Monday (that has been a failure by the way - sorry Erinn). So Sunday I was like - tomorrow is Monday - tomorrow starts training again.

Cayla and I decided we are going to compete in another tri at the end of May. May 30 to be exact. This one is a sprint - same swim distance (300m), double the bike from last time (12miles or 20K) and almost double the run (3.7 miles or 6K).

So yesterday I leave work (with a packed gym bag) and decide I was going to go for a nice ride on my bike. I don't know if it is me, my bike, my non working legs or what but it killed me! Usually a tiny six mile bike ride (in comparison to what my other tri friends are doing) should be nothing... and considering I just did this a week ago (after swimming and 90% uphill) it should be cake. But I thought I was going to die. Literally - it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I could collapse at any moment. It was horrific and scary - because now I feel like I am weaker than I was when I started training in the first place and couple that with ZERO motivation and you have yourself a real winner.... UGH!!!

I hope it's just the lingering effects of being sick and I can work myself out back into motivation - I guess we'll see.

On another note - I am an official USAT member now - crazy.... and exciting. Here's a line up of possible events Cayla and I are talking about doing. OOOOO- and I think we talked Newbie into doing one with us in October! YAY for Newbie!!!

May 30 - Paddle, Pedal and Pound the Pavement Grapevine, Texas (Sprint Distance)
October 4 - Benbrook Women's Tri Benbrook, Texas (Sprint Distance)
October 25 - Livestrong Challenge (5K and possible 10 mile bike ride)

I would like to look at participating in a sprint in July and August as well - but who knows I guess we will see; I don't want to wear myself out!!!

I'll keep you posted on the motivation factor - hopefully it returns soon or I am going to gain back every ounce of every pound I lost....

Maybe Biggest Loser tonight will put me back in the saddle.....

Tri Pics

Oh the joys of the iPhone!

I figured out how to take screen shots on my iphone awhile ago.... this little trick came in handy today!

I can't access facebook at work... but I do have the fb app on my iphone... so I pulled up the pics... took screen shots... uploaded them to my computer at work and VOILA!!!! See below...

**Captions under each picture***

Cayla was very nervous about getting DQ'd for not having her helmet on.... Note... this is us walking to the race site... we haven't even entered at this point... and we are WALKING!!! The boys took care of our bikes for us...Love you Cay!

It was a very early morning...here we are entering into the race site... approx. 5:15am

Pre-Race Pic...

Our wetsuits are SEXY!!!

Getting our game face on.... more like the OH S$%T face... what did we get ourselves into...



This is one of my favorites....

One last HIGH FIVE before we take the plunge

And we're in....



The Beast....



Finishing the swim.... I look rather manly here....but still with a smile!

Starting the bike...



Finishing the bike... action shot

Starting the run... Last 1/3 of the race!



Almost to the finish line!!!!

WE DID IT!!!! (With our medals/key chain...yes our medals turn into key chains)