I know, I know...I'm not a good blogger. It's been weeks (ok, months) since I've had much of anything to say.  Sorry.  The big news is that on Sunday 11/9 I made my dream of being a 1/2 ironman a reality!  The race was long with some ups and some downs, but I finished healthy and happy!  That means I'll have lots of time for more blogging as we all prepare to transition into cold weather training.

Wow – big weekend at Kona!  For those who didn’t see it here are the highlights:

 ·         Craig Alexander won for the men – running a wicked fast marathon at the end.  It was emotional to see him with his daughter and wife at the finish line.  I’d have to check the exact stats but I don’t believe Craig was even top 10 off the bike but he certainly made up all his time on the run. Macca didn’t have the race we all expected (I heard an issue with gears on the bike).  Torbjorn Sindballe was fun to watch on the bike – he had a huge lead!

 ·         For the women, Chrissie Wellington won again – despite a flat tire!  I think it was an incredible example of sportsmanship that Rebekah Keat gave Chrissie a CO2 when she needed it.  The easy way out is to feel good that the top seed is out of the competition.  Kudos to Rebekah for wanting to compete against the best of the best.  That’s what being a female athlete is all about. 

I'd like to thank Janelle for her comments on my last blog (the J-Lo blog).  I'm a humble enough blogger to admit that I neglected to give Jennifer credit for raising money for the Children's Hospital, something I agree is awesome.  I also admit I was a bit snarky in my post - 20 hours a week of training coupled with a full time job, house cleaning, family duties, and limbs that hurt everyday can do that to you.  Thanks for pointing out the good things J-Lo did with her race Janelle.

The point I was trying to make in the blog was that the things J-Lo did (raise money for charity and compete in an endurance event) aren't all that special - ordinary women do them every week.  Yet you don't see these ordinary non-celebrity women getting much credit for the amazing athletic and philanthopic things they do. While it takes incredible courage and determination to compete in a race of any length, I imagine it's easier when you have Gunnar Peterson coming to your house daily to train you (not to mention an entourage of people to help out at home).  What about the women who don't have those luxuries yet still find a way to follow their athletic dreams? 

Sunday I had the privledge of racing in the Athletes for a Cure Triathlon here in Orlando.  In this event I saw a 9 year old girl named Winter compete.  Now, a 9 year old competing in an Olympic distance race is an amazing thing...but a 9 year old girl who also raised nearly $40k for prostate cancer is nothing short of phenomenal.  Sadly this story didn't even make our local paper - let alone People Magazine or Us Weekly.

Everyday ordinary women navigate the obstacles of life, family, and job responsibilities to accomplish amazing things in athletics.  My blog on Jennifer Lopez was an outlet of frustration that these women are only recognized when they're giant celebrities.  What about the single mom with twins who just completed Ironman Louisville?  Or Paula Radcliff who won the New York marathon 10 months after having a baby?  To me, they're the celebrities worthy of a front page article.

At the end of the day cheer for any woman you want - celebrity or non-celebrity.  Just cheer for someone!  As for me, I'll be cheering for the non-celebrities.  As my friends Whitney and Debbie (who are currently training with me for the 1/2 ironman - only they're also juggling 5 kids under the age of 6 between the two of them) say - "It's not about how fast you run, it's about who's waiting for you when you're done."

I hate it when celebs invade my sport.  Don't get me wrong, I love the publicity it gets for endurance sports...but the media coverage just kills me.  If you haven't heard yet Jennifer Lopez competed in the Nautica Triathlon in Malibu on Sunday.  She finished the 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile ride, and 4 mile run in 2:23:38.  A good respectable time for a first timer - though if you read the news you might be led to believe she won.  Some headlines I've seen today are as follows: "Jennifer Lopez's triathlon success!" "All in under 2 and a half hours" "Great Job Jennifer."  I'll spare you the rest.

Don't get me wrong, I know your first tri is hard and I'm glad to see J-Lo giving it a shot.  But on any given race day I promise you...you can find someone with a story more motivating, moving, and celebratory than that of J-Lo.  Yet that person gets no press, no fanfare, no private trainer, no special VIP race tent, and no fanfare.  That person might have a friend or family member cheering for them...but their accomplishment won't be published in the paper or googled by anyone. 

In other news, I'm excited to now add Jennifer Lopez to the list of celebrities I feel I could beat in a race (Katie Holmes is the other on the list).  So J-Lo, please sign up for the AFAC Tri this Sunday at Disney.  I'd love to pass you :)

As an avid Lance Armstrong fan (both for his athletic abilities and what he has done for the fight against cancer) I can not tell you how excited I was to leave the pool tonight to find this message on my blackberry:

AUSTIN, Texas – September 9, 2008 – Today, Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and cycling champion, released the following statement regarding his return to professional sports:

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma. After the passage of Proposition 15 in Texas, a $3 billion investment in the fight against cancer which is helping to make this disease part of the national dialogue in America, it’s now time to address cancer on a global level.”

Mr. Armstrong will discuss his cycling program and an international LIVESTRONG strategy on September 24th in New York City at the Clinton Global Initiative.

In just a few weeks I'll be headed to Lance's hometown of Austin, TX.  Maybe we can go for a ride together now that he's officially back in the saddle.

Yesterday in Madison athletes from around the world met to face the ultimate challenge...an IRONMAN.  For those who don't know, that's over 140 miles of swimming, biking, and running.  As someone training for half of that distance I simply can't imagine a race like that.

Chris Macdonald and Hilary Biscay took first place with breakneck speeds of 8:43:29 and 9:47:25.  Congrats to all who realized their dream in this race.  You ARE an Ironman.

I should learn to stop promising more updates. I'm training for a freaking 1/2 ironman!  I struggle to find the time to clean my house, do laundry, or grocery shop on any given day...let alone update this blog.  So be sure to leave me lots of comments to remind me to get on here.

Question: How am I?  I'm great!  I'm 9 weeks away from a life changing goal.   I hurt everywhere, everyday.  This morning I sent my better half the following text message: "No matter what I say or yell or scream at you tonight, I need you to make me go swim."

I bought this sticker (in girlie pink of course) and am anxiously waiting until 11/9 to put it on my car.

So like most of you, I'm totally glued to the TV watching the Olympics (with a very sick pug on my lap).  Michael Phelps - what can you say?  He's now a 3x gold medal holder for this Olympics alone...with more to come.  He's also set 3x world records this Olympics.  Oh, and let's face it ladies...he's delightful to look at.

I read this week that Michael swims at least 4 miles a day, everyday.  Um, I did 1800 meters (just over a milke for those of you who don't Get Moving in the pool) and I thought I was going to die.  He looks to take in 10,000 calories a day.

A typical breakfast for MP?  3 Sandwiches of fried eggs, lettuce, tomato, cheese, fried onions, and mayo. One omelete, a bowl of grits, 3 slices of french toast with powdered sugar, and wash that down with 3 chocolate chip pancakes.  Sounds delicious.