Time to start talking...

No, I don't have any big confessional, sorry readers :)  But it's been awhile since I blogged.

The end of the school year was a crazy whirlwind of activity, immediately followed by a week-long camping trip with my in-laws, and now here I am a week later, finally "settled."  HELLO SUMMER!!

So here's a little bit of what's going on...I'll write more later on camping and training/racing:

1. My little brother (who I adore), has lived in our house for the last two years while he completed his Masters degree at Illinois State University...after graduation he landed a job working high-end sales for the Phoenix Suns, so he is GONE! :( I feel like an empty-nester already.  I am so excited for him though... and I'm especially excited for reasons to visit Arizona on a regular basis!! Love you Don!    



Mootin' home from graduation!                            

2. I've been getting into wine lately.  First of all, we discovered a NEW winery 9 miles away from our house (yes I've already cycled to/from there...), and I am obsessed with two of their wines.  When you get a chance to visit White Oak Vineyards in Carlock, IL, here's what you can sample to get a taste of my flavah:




The vineyard dogs! And my sweet JHC gear :)

• Bernese Red- Frontenac grape.  Named after their super-friendly Bernese mountain dog!  You can read their "professional" description of it, but I'll tell you that it is a deep, spicy red wine with a delicious and surprising vanilla aftertaste.  YUM.
• Landhaus- Norton grape.  I am in LOVE with Norton wines.  I cannot eloquently describe the flavor... it is very unique, you'll probably love it (as I do) or hate it.  It is dry, tart, and spicy... sooooo good.  Through some very in-depth research (ie google), I found that norton grapes were first cultivated in the Virginia and dominate the mid-western US wine industry... how convenient, because that's where I LIVE!! :)
• For the sweet-wine lovers, definitely try their Golden Days Seyval Blanc... it was named after their other sweet puppy, a golden retriever.  It's a cool, sweet treat on a summer day!
• I have more wine adventures to share... but I'll entertain/bore you with them another day :)    
3. Back in 2003, I started doing triathlons.  I got a SWEET bike for my birthday to race on- it looked something like this:  



Good thing it is a ladies' bike... the "top tube" doesn't affect the dresses/skirts I wear in training, ha! :)

 Needless to say, after my first season of triathlons I upgraded :)  My mom took over the hybrid bike and it's been hanging in her garage ever since :)  I've been looking for a hybrid bike to use for commuting, race-spectating, and getting around town when we are camping with the motorhome, so the blue beauty and I will be REUNITED after 9 years! I am looking to dress her up a little bit with some funs bags, here's what I've been looking at:

Bontrager Funk Trunk: cooler &speakers...perfect for tri spectating or camping!! Attaches to bicycle rear rack.

Bontrager rear pannier...perfect bag for work or the farmer's market! It's pretty big.  Thanks Alyssa for the tip!

What??  :) How did I find that?? :)

cool bike storage in Uptown Normal!

LOVE THIS.  Bike tools and pump.  I have found two in the community! (Uptown and the Triangle)

Of course Winston gets a doggie sundae if we are in uptown!

...and then passes out in the bike shop :)

A Training Funk, my tv shows, and my 3 favorite wines right now

My life in bullet points:

• 4 weeks until Summer Break (and Summer TRAINING!).  April is a rough month.
• Time Trials: HAVE BEGUN!!  I competed in the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial again, and improved my time and effort by almost 2 minutes! I was 3rd overall female again the second year in a row, awesome!  I was really happy with my SUPER consistent power output throughout 10-mile the course.  2 days later,  I participated in the practice-run Tuesday Night Time Trial on my home course, and despite being almost 3 miles longer, I only averaged 10W less. I'm already riding super strong this season, I'm excited to see improvement!
• With all the hard riding I've been doing...I've been going through my Pearl Izumi cycling and tri-shorts like crazy!  They are the perfect length, with the perfect chammy, with the perfect matching cycling jacket, with the perfect adorable cycling tops (you get the idea...)
• LOVING some new product- I'm totally digging my Swiftwick Aspire Zero and 12in compression socks- they are very comfortable and get the job DONE!!  On a 60mile ride my husband, father-in-law, and I did on Easter, all 3 of us were wearing our matching black swiftwick compression socks... so cute!  Here's what Swiftwick had to say LOL:  My husband has been complaining of some serious calf soreness and foot blisters after running...both went away after I bought him 3 pairs of Aspires! Sweet!
• Speaking of hard riding... focusing on HALF-iron distance training is a lot HARDER than Iron-distance training... everytime I get on the bike I can expect to hammer through at least some hard intervals of various intensities and duration... and surprisingly I like it!
• Foot recovery... I actually feel like there is some REAL progress going on...I'll be able to talk more about this a few more runs... but the day-to-day pain is subsiding a little bit, and I can run FASTER with the "same amount" of push-off pain...I've been consistent with PT, at-home exercises and stretching, and anti-inflammatories...
• swimming... I haven't really gotten in a consistent groove in a couple weeks... my own fault...it's going to be important that I get in the water CONSISTENTLY, and not trying to "crash" swim a bunch of days in a row after procrastinating swim workouts until the end of the week.
• SPEAKING OF CRASHING/CONSISTENCY...
• Last week, after a scheduled day off on Monday, I was struggling to get ready for my FAVORITE workout of the week... Tuesday Night Time Trials of course!  But I was NOT into it, I was DREADING it...weird.  Even though the weather was crappy, I usually consider that an "advantage"... so Jen (my coach and I) agreed that I would swim instead... but that swim didn't happen.  Or any workouts the next day.  In fact, in the last week, I've only done two runs.  
• I had NO desire to workout/train at all...I don't feel that my "body" shut down, but rather my "mind" did.  I'm not sure what brought it on...maybe it was the crap weather, a little anxiety about work/home, not sleeping well for a couple weeks,  or truly just needing a "break."  
• Whatever the cause of the funk, I am DONE with it!  I've enjoyed my weeklong break, I feel rested, and I'm ready to get my endorphins and training-high back tomorrow starting with a swim and then, what else?  Tuesday Night Time Trials!! :)
• On a different note, here are TV shows that I love and don't miss an episode (thank goodness for DVR): The Firm. Grey's Anatomy.  New Law & Order SVU.  Modern Family.  The Voice.  Impractical Jokers.
• Wine:  A very important topic.  I am a BIG fan of spicy, dark, and/or unique flavors.  Besides ANY Shiraz, Syrah, or Malbec, here are 3 midwest wines that I LOVE that you should try:
• Acquaviva Winery- Piacere.  I am not a skilled wine taster, so I cannot describe this incredibly unique and awesome flavor!  I bought this wine with my JFTT winnings! :)
• Seven Springs Winery- Norton.  I've been obsessed with and can't stop thinking about this one...even though we bought and drank the bottle in January.
• Lynfred Winery 2009 Pinot Noir Reserve.  This one surprised me!! I am NOT usually a big Pinot Noir fan, but I LOVED this flavor!
• I've been experimenting with a little running/triathlon coaching with a few friends and family members... and I'm super pleased with how it's going!  Here's a few shout-outs:
• My brother Don is going to be racing the Illinois Half-Marathon next week.  He has been prepared for and nailed every.single.workout that I have asked him to do!  He had little expectations of himself going into training, but with his progress he's made over the last month or so I cannot WAIT to see him surprise himself next week!
• My husband Dan and our friend Steve have been doing a lot of training together, and last weekend they raced the Springfield 1/2 Marathon- even though it was on a hilly course, they both PR'ed by a long-shot with a 1:41 !!! They finished 9min faster they predicted, and came with 2 minutes of their FLAT course goal time for the Illinois Half next week!  I'm so excited!
• I would love to add pictures... but THIS is why I cannot blog consistently- it takes me SO LONG!! :)