Big K Video!!!!

Here it is!

Bumps, Scrapes, and Bruises

Ok, so I decided to have a count of how many days I can go with out injury.  Then two days later I forget to change gears when I stop at the bottom of a hill for a chat with my friends, and of course I get back on my bike, and try and start pedaling up hill, and can't even move my pedals because the gear is too high and fall over with my bike on top.  Now I didn't think much about this, but of course Dave had to remind me that I needed to start my count over again.  My knee was bleeding just a little bit and I was trying to argue that if I don't need a bandaid it doesn't count as an injury...although this morning it is black and blue and a little swollen.  And of course I did this to the knee that I scraped up a month ago, so it doesn't look that pretty.  So do I post every single bump and bruise I get?  If I do that I will be posting probably every day-Emily ran into the door again and has a bruise on her forehead, Emily tripped while running and skinned her knee, Emily was cooking pasta for friends and burnt her arm...hm, but if I do post each one then maybe I will start paying more attention so that I stop letting myself get hurt.  I actually work much better with outside motivation...anyone want to bet me a $10 that I can make it a week without hurting myself?

Iron Injuries

So I think it will be a good idea to keep track of all my injuries...and start one of those day counts, you know like they have at your job.  We've gone so many days without injuries.  Let's see how many I can go.  Today we are at zero days without injury because I just slammed my finger in the bike locker after I locked up my bike.  Sometimes I wonder why I am not more careful, I could avoid so many painful experiences.  You think I would learn.  Well let's see...how long do you think I can go without another injury?

Decision Time

So I have been on track to apply to the Masters Entry Program for Nursing at UCSF since more than a year ago.  I spent all last summer studying for the GRE and rocked it.  I took the first half of Anatomy/Physiology, and did great, and now I am in the second semester of it.  But all I want to do is go to bike trainings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Part of me thinks I need to stick with the class because once it's done, I don't have to do anything else before I apply. But the other part of me is having crazy dreams where I get mad at my professor for taking a point away from me on a test for a question I answered correctly, and then I throw my books down on the floor and tell him that he doesn't know anything about AN/P and storm out and never go back.  And when I say dream, I don't mean it's something I really want and think about while awake. These are crazy images that come to me in my sleep.  I have very vivid dreams, often about things that are bothering me. 

So the question is, do I do what I really enjoy and want to be doing (bike trainings) or do I do what I wanted to be doing a year ago?  Not taking the class right now will actually not hinder my application to UCSF, because I can apply without having finished the requirements, and then just take the class next Fall.  Of course then it will be with people I don't know and I might forget all the stuff I learned last semester.  Hm...I haven't decided yet, any thoughts?  What would you do? 

And not to influence your opinion but here are two photos, one of me in class and one of me on my bike:

Half way there....Sort of!

So I am now officially a Half Iron Lady, except that Big K wasn't an official Ironman event, so I guess I am unofficially a Half Iron Lady!  That means I am half way to a full Ironman, right?  Well except I have an entire year of challenges and learning in front of me.  Although I did learn a thing or two yesterday when I did my 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run:

1. When a room full of triathletes tell you NOT to wear underwear with your tri suit, you should listen to them.  The last 30 miles of the bike ride was quite uncomfortable, I guess I am just lucky I am single!  ;)
2. No matter how many times you pee in the morning, you are always going to have to go again, especially once you put your wetsuit on.  It's best to go in your wetsuit when you are in the water, but if you are lined up getting ready to start the race and don't have time to jump in quickly....no one really notices if you just pee right there.  (Sorry to the people who were standing in the sand behind me).
3. If you are really hard core you will also pee on your bike and while running...I guess I have a lot to learn, I'm not quite there yet, had to run off the course to find a toilet during the run!
4. Pray a lot for yourself and your teammates, and everyone will finish the race safe, healthy, and happy!
5. Watching an episode of Jersey Shore in the morning totally pumps you up!  There is nothing like trashy TV to get your ready to swim/bike/run 70.3 miles!
6. Start the after party early, because you'll want to pass out by 8:30pm!

I will hopefully be uploading a video of the day in a week, but my mom took her camera with her on vacation, so I will have to wait until she gets back, until then, here is a picture of  me starting out my run: (Oh and another bit of advice, do all of you walking and crying and limping before you run past all your friends, so they can get pictures like this of you looking totally happy and not miserable).

What did I get myself into?

What is an Ironman you ask? Well it is an endurance event for extremely good athletes and then crazy people like me. You start by swimming 2.4 miles, then you take a short bike tour of 112 miles, and when you are finished with that you only have to jog 26.2 miles to the finish line.  Oh and you have to finish it all in 17 hours, or you don't get a finisher's medal. So why did I sign up to do this event before I have ever even done a Half Ironman?  Please refer the the earlier statement that I am crazy. However, besides my insanity, there is also the obsessive compulsive part of my personality, that has now decided to be completely obsessed with triathlons.  Oh, and I really love Team in Training and the fact that I am helping to raise money to find a cure for blood cancers.

So this Sunday is Big Kahuna, my first Half Ironman.  I'll be swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles, and then running 13.1 miles.  If I can finish this in less than 8 hours, I think I should be good for the Ironman which I will need to finish in less than 17 hours. If I can't finish in that amount of time...well I guess I have a year to get into better shape.  Or I guess I could find another Emily Walton to sell my IM Canada race entry to.  Actually there are tons of Emily Waltons, if you look my name up on facebook you will see. But I wonder how many of them are going to do an Ironman?  Hm...I wish you could put that in your search criteria for friends on facebook!

Well I guess I will be posting again next week when I am half an Iron Lady.  For now, here is a picture of two future half Iron Ladies, me and my friend Steph.  Oh and if you are in Santa Cruz on Sunday, you should come watch me compete!