Ironman Coeur D'Alene Race Report

Dear Friends and Family…

I can hardly believe that it’s already been three weeks since my first Ironman. It seems that time is flying by just as fast after the race as it did leading up to race day. I have been so blessed with the support, love and encouragement of so many people…so I’m writing this race report as a “thank you” for all that you have done for me. Without your support, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have accomplished such a tremendous goal.

First off, I’m so happy to report that I was able to raise all the money I needed for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society…over $9,000 will go towards this amazing cause. I continue to be inspired by those battling and conquering blood cancers. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to contribute to a cause outside of myself. It really made this whole experience worthwhile!

Where to start…it’s been essentially an eight and a half month process leading up to June 24th, 2007. I’ll skip over our team workouts every Tuesday at the swimming pool and Saturday bike rides and runs…and I won’t bore you with the daily workouts I pushed myself through six days a week…I think it goes without saying it is a lot of work.

Let’s start with my arrival in Idaho….

Yes, “it’s BEAUTIFUL”…absolutely beautiful in Coeur d’Alene (CDA). I had been told that many times and was quite honestly tired of hearing how beautiful it is. However, it is…the evergreens, the lakes, the rolling hills…beautiful. We (my team) arrived in CDA on Thursday afternoon. Being triathletes our first order of business was finding lunch.

After we’d all filled our bellies, we were off to the Athletes Village.
Visiting an athlete village at an Ironman event is soooo cool! The energy that runs through there is electrifying! It reminded me of the athlete village at the Olympics. We got registered and then picked up our bikes which had been shipped/driven up to the race site the week prior. After doing a little shopping at the Ironman store we headed back to the hotel on our bikes. After a short rest, I joined the majority of our team downstairs for a b-b-q on the hotel patio. (We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express…which was surprisingly nice!) Being exhausted I headed back up to my room to go get some sleep and spend some time organizing.



Friday morning we rode our bikes down to the lake where we had a quick swim. The water was cool and a bit choppy…but I kept thinking it wouldn’t be like that on race day…ha! After our swim we rode our bikes along the run course to scope it out and then took a short jog. During the run, I distinctly remember feeling good…I was ready! That afternoon we drove the bike course, always a good idea so you can better understand what to expect on race day. In true Jen fashion, I fell asleep in the car and missed the better part of the course…oh well! That evening was the athlete dinner which was a very cool experience…over 2000 athletes in one tent. After dinner, I prepped my bike and transition bags.

Saturday started with another trip down to the lake. It was quite chilly and windy, so I opted out of swimming and just chilled out (literally) while my teammates logged a bit more time in the water. I then made a run to the store to stock up on all my race day treats…salt & vinegar Pringles, Swedish fish, gummy bears, and Dr. Pepper. Once back at the hotel, I spent another hour going over exactly what needed to be in my transition and special needs bags.
Transition bags hold all your gear and supplies between each event (swim to bike and bike to run), while special needs bags are available to you approximately halfway through your bike and run. It’s common to fill your special needs bags with treats and notes to keep you motivated, as well as additional supplies such as CO2 cartridges and tubes for flat tires. It is very important to make sure you have ALL your supplies in your transition bags. You definitely don’t want to get to your bike and realize you left out your shoes! So needless to say, I checked and rechecked and rechecked and rechecked… That afternoon I dropped off my bike and transition bags.

Saturday evening we had our team dinner. It was really nice to have all of my teammates and their families and friends all gathered together. Without these people none of us would have been sitting there. It was great to honor our coaches, mentors and team captain.

That afternoon my Mom, Dad, Rob(brother), Kellie (sister) and Dani (niece) arrived and I was certainly happy to have them there with me. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and finished prepping my special needs bags and just hanging out laughing. Of course, I didn’t get to sleep until 11:30pm or so and was up on race day at 3:30 am because I was so excited


Race day is my favorite! I get so excited to race, and I think my excitement prevents nerves. Whoop d’whoop! It’s on!!!!


Race morning was chilly and I was cold, so I decided to put on my wetsuit. The wind wasn’t helping much either. Lots of waiting…around 6:30 we headed down to the water…which looked a bit like a washing machine. I was with my teammates and as race time approached it got more and more crowded on the beach.
There were boats and kayaks and surfboards and all kinds of crafts lining the course. It was a cool site…my excitement was building. A couple minutes before the start an announcement was made, stating that due to the rough water athletes could opt out of the swim and start their bike at 9am. Of course, they wouldn’t be considered Ironmen…but it was their choice. In then end only a handful opted out. I don’t remember the gun going off, but I did notice the collective crowd moving toward the water so I guess that meant it was time to start the swim.

Holy Cannoli!!! I’d never experienced anything like this swim. It was everything you’d imagine a triathlon swim to be like…2000+ swimmers kicking, clawing and some actually swimming, all trying to get through the next 2.4 miles. I tried to draft as much as possible. While drafting I learned two very important lessons:


1. Never draft behind those doing the breast stroke…you will get kicked squarely in the face!
2. Try to stay away from guys…as they generally have nasty toenails and will scrape you with them….ewwww.

Despite the chaos of the swim and being constantly swum over by aggressive men, the swim was quite enjoyable. I spent both laps singing songs in my head and out loud at times…it entertains me and probably those swimming nearby as well. I came out of the water a bit faster than I’d anticipated…1:31:10.

Exiting the water I quickly made my way over to the wetsuit stippers…woohoo! All I had to do was lay down on the grass and two volunteers whipped that suit right off me. Off I headed into the women’s changing tent as a volunteer handed me my transition bag. A sweet volunteer went item by item through my bag to make sure I had everything I needed for the next 112 miles. After 8:35 I mounted my bike and was off for a little bike ride.

I was happy to be on the bike, as my personal goal was to have a strong bike time. I felt good about my swim, so that energy overflowed into my bike. The first 10 miles or so take you through town and all the cheering spectators…it was electrifying. Then the course takes you off into Hayden and up around Hayden lake. Notice I said up? Yep, there was 5,250 ft of climbing. Guess I should have stayed awake on the afternoon we drove the bike course. Oh well, not much I could do about it now, so I decided to get the job done. The course was beautiful despite all the hills. Of course, what goes up must come down, so during the descent I enjoyed flying by everyone who’d just passed me on the climb. My first loop was solid and I felt really good. I was averaging around 16mph which was right on my goal.

I started my second loop by passing my family, coach Paul and my friend Anna. It put a smile on my face and I was ready to conquer the next 56 miles. I was headed back out towards Hayden when I heard my front tube pop and all the air swooshing out. Ugh! A flat! No worries, I’ll just pull over and change it out. Although I’ve only flatted twice in my triathlon career neither of them were in a race situation. However I felt confident I could get it changed and not lose too much time. I was meticulous, making sure I didn’t pinch my tube and that nothing was stuck in my tire that could potentially cause another flat tire. I was putting my tire back on the rim when tech support pulled up and offered a hand. I was on my way in no time only to make it one block and hear my tube pop again. “Seriously!?!” Good thing, tech support was right there…I waved ‘em down and they came running. Turns out, my rim tape had worn through and was popping my tube. Guess what…I’d never even known about rim tape until halfway through my ironman! Super! I guess anytime is a good time to learn about your bike! The tech support guys were super helpful and knew right away what the problem was. They fixed it as fast as they could, but I lost a solid 22 minutes fixing my flats.

My second loop wasn’t nearly as strong as my first and since I’d double flatted there was no way to make my bike “goal” time. Prior to the race I’d done three 100 mile rides. Without fail near mile 80 is where I run out of steam. It was no different on race day. Miles 80 to 95 were the toughest. I was also dreading heading back into town as that’s where all the head winds were hiding out. There nothing like pedaling like a banshee only to top out at a whopping 12mph! However, as I finished my final five miles I started to feel a bit better. Maybe I was just relieved to be finished with my bike which took me 7:31:25.

Coming into T2 I was tired! I sat down and took my time getting ready for the run. I was exhausted, slightly dizzy, and I just wanted to cry. I was fortunate enough to see Christy Noel, our team captain, in the women’s changing tent. She was volunteering so she could be close to all of us. It made me feel so good just to get a hug from her. Generally, I have a sense of urgency during my transitions, but not this time! It took me 10:12 to change my socks and shoes and put on a visor…impressive, I know! j/k


And I was off…like a tortoise…which isn’t so bad if you’ll recall the children’s tale about the tortoise and the hare. I wasn’t moving so fast during my run, but I didn’t care. Running has never been my strong sport and I was sure that wasn’t going to change after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles. So I plugged along. I was able to see my family and coaches and teammates many times during the run. That was great! It took me a solid five miles to find my rhythm…those were the longest five miles! For the next 14 miles I felt pretty good. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, hydrating at the aid stations and fueling every five miles. When my family could, they’d follow me in the car. My mom got out and ran with me for a bit in her flip flops…it was a great distraction.

Along comes mile 19…my sister Kellie and brother Rob were running/walking with me. I realized just how slowly I was “running” when my brother, who was also wearing flip flops, started walking along side me while I was running. Yeah, that sucked. I was running out of steam and was sooooo tired. I was going down hill and wasn’t sure if I was bonking or just plain tired from the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 19 miles I had run. Turns out I was bonking…mile 20 was very unfortunate. I didn’t want to eat anything, but knew I had to. I started choking down a tangerine powergel while crying, knowing that I wasn’t going to have a sub-15 hour race. My dear sister and brother walked with me until mile 23, where I finally started to feel like running again. So off I went for the final three miles on my way to becoming an Ironman. Those last three miles were awesome. I finally felt good and knew I’d finish strong. It was dark now and I was glad to be finishing.

As I approached the final stretch to the finish line, my dad appeared from the crowd and ran the final quarter mile with me. The cheering crowds were a blur and I distinctly remember enjoying my conversation with my father. Before I knew it there was the finish line tape. After a 5:48:31 I’d finished my first marathon and first Ironman. I was so stoked!!! I just smiled as I crossed the finish line…happy to be an Ironman! It took me a total of 15:09:51.

Will I do another one? I can’t say for sure…some days I say yes, and others it’s a definite no. However, for the rest of my life, I will be an IRONMAN! (BTW, I’m still walking around thinking I’m pretty darn cool!)

Time Flies

Eeegads! I can't believe it's been six weeks already since my last post. Time is just flying by! I promise I'll try to be better...but I won't make any guarantees
;-)

So much has been happening it's hard for me to know where to start. I guess I'll start with a video clip. This clip was sent to me by my dear friend and fellow triathlete Miriam! She is one of my biggest supporters and we did all our races together last year! I love how she keeps me motivated by sending me tidbits like this...I'm soooo pumped after watching this video. So I encourage you to take a minute to watch it and then come back to the blog...

IronMAN Video Clip
http://www.nasports.com/mediacenter/fordvideo/fordvideo.php
Now after watching that clip, I bet you all want to do an IronMAN too!

BIG THANKS to all my friends and family who have supported me in my fundraising efforts. I'm having amazing success with the Cabo Vacation raffle tickets. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...your donations and support are helping a truly wonderful cause. Plus, they're enabling me to focus on my training rather than spending all my free time fundraising. Next Saturday, March 24th will be the drawing for the vacation. I'm hoping one of my tickets is the winner...I think my friends and family are the most deserving ;-)

Last week I trained with my team up in Malibu and the weather was absolutely AMAZING!!! Our morning started off with an ocean swim, and well, let's just say I was completely unprepared (mentally) for just how cold the water would be...it was soooooo cold, I think I only put my face in the water two times! In fact, when I got finished with my swim, I took my swim cap off and my hair was still dry!!! The upshot: Two of my teammates (Maria and Karen) and myself, were fortunate enough to be swimming right next to a pod of dolphins. They were literally about 5 yards away from us in the water. Needless to say, I quickly forgot how cold the water was and realized how lucky I was to be having such a unique experience!


My darling teammate Maria actually sent the team a recap of Saturday's events. It was such a great email, I thought I had to include it for everyone to read. My comments are in parentheses:

Hi guys -

I hope those of you that did Solvang had a great time! We missed you at practice. So just so you don't feel left out, here's a summary of what you missed =)

Everyone seemed to be running late for the 7 am swim, except for Karen, who was ready to swim, bike, run but got shot down by the trainer and Paul (our coach) who told her to sit out the bike/run. (Karen got knocked off her bike last week by the hurricane force winds we had to ride in, sustaining injuries to her knee and arm.) She was bummed. F-bombs definitely flew before the official 10 am start time. Matt (my smart-alek teammate) tried to help out by providing his completely uneducated opinion that there was nothing wrong with her and that she should get her butt on her bike and ride with the rest of us. Paul was not swayed.

The water was a warm 57 degs and it felt like we were putting our faces into a giant bowl of ice water. Karen, Jen and I bitched and moaned like true Ironmen on the whole "swim" out to the buoy. The only good thing about doing the swim is that when we got out to the buoy, there was a huge pod of dolphins just on the other side of a wave from us. cool.

Then we got on our bikes. I forgot to ask if that was a dead rattlesnake on the west side of the road, north of Zuma. Anyone??? (Yes in fact it was...ewwww)

Jen passed Matt, who was NOT going to let a girl pass him, so he gave chase and apparently dropped his chain just as he was going by. Classy.

The bike ride was pleasant - more for Jen than the rest of us. She picked up a guy out riding, who then waved us all by when Jen flatted and they were stopped to fix it.

The run was uneventful. There might be cameos of us running in the back ground of whatever it was they were filming at Point Dume.

Then we all enjoyed a healthy post-race snack of pringles and carrot cake cupcakes. Yum! Then we walked over to Howie's for sandwiches - leaving Jen in the parking lot to chat up her new boy. We all waved bye to her when we were driving out of the lot AFTER lunch.

The question I have for Jen is, did you have sunscreen on, or did you get burned standing out in the sun so long =) You go girl!

Oh! One final thing. Kate (our team manager), I think a cage match between you and the OC IronTeam campaign coordinator is in the works.....

see everyone on Tues!
maria.

Yep, I made a new friend on the ride...what can I say, I'm friendly! And yes, I got a wicked sunburn, but it was worth it!

In other news, I rode Latigo for the first time four weeks ago. I had heard about Latigo for a long time, but never actually knew where it was. Let's just say what I'd heard about it was scary, so I was never too concerned with finding out where it was. Long story short...it's my new favorite ride. It's up a canyon in Malibu and is soooooo gorgeous! You get this amazing experience of riding up in the mountains while having postcard perfect views of the ocean. I wish I could ride there everyday...it's like being worlds away from everything, yet it's so close.

All right, I'm sure that's enough for all of you right now! Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments.

hugs, Jen

Hi friends! Training is definitely underway and I'm doing pretty well. This week I'm having my lactate test on my bike, so I'm pretty excited about that. Last week was a recovery week, so my workouts were pretty easy. However, on Saturday we had a two hour bike...easy enough...until you toss in the rain! It was my first time riding while it's raining and it was just as unappealing as it sounds. When I got back to the car I found that both my bike and myself were completely covered in sand, mud, and gravel...from my toes to my helmet! I had to cover my car seat with a towel just for the ride home and I didn't even bother taking my clothes off when I got in the shower! We were supposed to go for an hour run when we got back from the bike, but that got nixed. I did both my swim and run on Sunday instead. The highlight of my run on Sunday...as I was crossing the street to start my run I saw a cyclist coming toward me...hmmmm, that looks like Heather...sure 'nuf it was! So of course we stood around and chatted for a good half an hour before continuing with our workouts. Heather was actually riding the same course I was running, so I'd see her every 15 minutes or so, which was a lot of fun. It reminded me of racing and having people cheering for you...it helps immensely!

All right, that's all I've got for right now. I need to start my work day!

xoxo, jen

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wanted to start off this post w/ a pic of me and my Ironteammate Heather. This was taken the day we were riding up in Griffith Park. Yes, this is proof that I'm really serious about my training! Such a good time and even better friends!

Ok, so I know you're all beginning to think I'm a slacker...my blog updates are few and far between. I'm not really a slacker, I've just been so busy training and working that my free time is limited. Hmmmm, if I quit my job and became a professional triathlete then maybe I'd have enough time to blog regularly...ok, probably not.

At any rate, the new year started off I bit rough. I got hit by a nasty virus on new year's day, which basically sidelined my training for 2 weeks. Good news though, I'm now back at 100%, so I figure I'm not due to get sick again for at least another 6 or 7 months, which will safely get me through my Ironman.

I started working out again last Saturday and I'm actually surprised at how good I'm feeling. We're in our last week of "building" which means next week we'll be a recovery week (aka, an easy week!) Then we'll start into our strength training...lots of hills! Yippee!

Ok, so my BIG NEWS (drumroll please)...I finally got my blood lactate levels tested yesterday for my run. I realize this probably doesn't mean a whole lot to many of you, but trust me, it's really exciting, not to mention really cool!

Explanation of lactate: "Lactate is constantly being produced by the body. At rest and in light exercise, the level of lactate produced is small enough that you can effectively remove it without it being a problem. With increasing exercise intensity, lactate production increases and reaches levels that become problematic and that are associated with fatigue" --Coach Gareth Thomas

Explanation of test: Starting out at a low speed you jog/run for 4 minutes, then Coach Gareth pricks your finger, extracts blood and examines the lactate level. The speed is then increased 0.6mph and you continue for another 4 minutes and the whole process is repeated. Additionally, your heart rate is monitored during the whole test and noted at each interval. The result is defined heart rate zones for you to train in. This is the MOST accurate way to derive your correct training zones.

Ok, now here is why all this is so exciting for me. I've known about training in certain heart rate zones for years. During base training (the phase I'm currently in), your hr should be very low. Problem, all the formulas for deriving my "zones" said my hr should be much lower than what I was training at. This results in much frustration!!!! By doing the lactate test, it actually shows that my hr zones are higher than what the formulas say it should be. This is very good news, because the lactate test is VERY accurate. Basically, I probably have a smaller heart that needs to beat faster. Unfortunately, the "formulas" aren't able to account for this.

Additionally, my test showed that I have a great aerobic base...which is what I've been focusing on developing during base training. Now I need to focus on improving my time/speed. Luckily this corresponds with our next phase of training. I'm set to have my bike lactate test in a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know how it goes.

On the training front, I went for an easy run this morning and it was fantastic!!! It is finally warming back up, and was absolutely beautiful and clear this morning. I love days like today! I've got to fit a swim in later tonight.

Ok, that's all for now. I'll try to write again soon. Thanks everyone for all your support!!!!

Season's Greetings

Wow, I can hardly believe how December just flew by!!! What a fun month! Between training and the holidays, I haven't had a spare minute to update my blog. Ok, well maybe I did have a spare minute, but I probably used it up on a nap instead!

Well I won't bore you all with the details, instead I'll just provide the highlights...

Highlight 1...TNT camping weekend. We camped with the other TNT teams (Westside, Eastside and South Bay) up at Leo Carillo state beach in Malibu. Despite the torrential rains, I was definitely a happy camper! I love camping, so I'm just happy to be out there any chance I get. We arrived Saturday morning and took off for a long ride of 3 hours. Of course, I had a small incident (aka I fell over on my bike), which was amusing since I didn't sustain any serious injuries. Unfortunately, I put new clips on my shoes, and needless to say, they're a lot tougher to unclip from my pedals. This has resulted in a couple unfortunate "incidents." Gotta do something about those clips! The rest of the day was spent lounging, eating, and also included a quick trip to target to buy a gift for Toys for Tots.

Saturday night was punctuated with a serious storm. When I woke up Sunday morning, only about 1/3 of the original campers were still there. Looking around I noticed several tents sitting in pools of water... bummer! My tent kept me dry and thank goodness I was on "higher" ground so the rivers which ran around my tent didn't form an actual lake. We set off on a run for an hour and forty five minutes up PCH. It was beautiful and windy...just like Saturday. I was actually surprised how great the run felt. Then we all headed home. I was supposed to swim Sunday when I got home, but instead my 30 minute nap morphed into 2 1/2 hours...so I never made it to the pool.

Highlight 2...My ride today!!!! 3.5 hours! I am down at my parents house in Carlsbad, so I opted to bike on my own today, rather than drive the 2.5 hours back to Malibu to bike with the team. While I certainly missed seeing all my teammates, I did have a wonderful albeit chilly ride. I biked from Carlsbad to S. La Jolla and then back past Carlsbad to S. Oceanside and then back to S. Carlsbad. All in all, I was able to log 54.28 miles, just 1.75 miles shy of a 1/2 Ironman bike distance.

I really enjoy biking down here because so many of the roads are bike friendly. It's amazing the number of roads with bike lanes...I love it!!!

Oh, the other big difference...a new cassette on my bike. I had an 11-23 and last night I put on an12-27, which made a huge difference on the hills. Ok, I realize that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to you, but just know, it makes it easier for me to bike up hills without thrashing my legs. I was speaking w/ one of the coaches up at the TNT camping weekend and he made that recommendation...I'd give him a big shout out for revolutionizing my life, but I can't remember his name. (Boo on me!)

It's a really good thing my legs aren't thrashed, because tomorrow I've got a nice long run to look forward to. I will likely get up early and sneak it in. My lil' sis is here in town with my two nephews and I want to be able to spend as much time as possible with them. The great part is that whether I run North or South, it doesn't really matter, because it is so beautiful either way!

Highlight 3...Two weeks ago at our team practice, I swam 100 yds in 1:40 min...so I'm pretty stoked on that! While I love the water, I'm not the faster swimmer. In fact when my coach said I was to swim 10 100sX2mins, I was like "yeah right!!!" Of course, when I finished protesting, I swam like a fish and to my surprise actually pulled it off. Not sure if/when that will happen again, but I'm glad my coaches were there to vouch for me!

Ok, I'm off to bed now...truthfully, I'm just too tired to write any more.

Happy New Year!

My First Half...

I almost forgot...I registered for my first 1/2 Ironman. I'll be doing the "Ford Ironman 70.3 California Triathlon" on March 31, 2007. Oh my goodness, that's less than four months. My coaches promise I'll be ready so I'm trusting them! Wish me luck!

A Month In...

Wow, I can't hardly believe it has been nearly four weeks since my last post. Sincere apologies! Well, the past few weeks of training have been going really well. I think I've been able to fit in all my workouts except one or two. This is quite a feat, considering I have six to nine workouts a week and I still have to work full time, as well as travel occasionally. Speaking of travelling, I'm in Miami right now. It's really nice down here...very humid though! I tried to get in a spin workout today, but to no avail. I tried a couple different gyms near my hotel but one wouldn't let me spin without a spin instuctor (liability blah, blah, blah) and the other didn't have the right clips for my shoes. Boo! Oh well, I give myself an A for effort! Tomorrow I have a run and a swim on the schedule, which should be enjoyable.

My Ironteam...Oh my goodness, my Ironteammates are so great! I'm really loving all of our group workouts, especially our Saturday rides. Thus far, we've ridden up in Griffeth Park, Santa Monica/San Vicente (my backyard), and Westlake/Agoura Hills/Thousand Oaks area. Last week our ride was in Westlake etc... and I logged about 43 miles. We when started out it was very cold...I'm talkin' low 40's. However, by the end it was in the high 70's and nearly perfect weather, except for the wind. Yep, there was some crazy wind up there. At one point I was going downhill at 37.6 mph and the wind was blowing so hard, I was sure I was about to become roadkill. So scary, but oddly fun at the same time!

Good things...So I was out on a run a couple weeks ago and I ran past the Arrowhead Water Man making deliveries. I smiled and said "good morning" as I ran by. About 20 minutes later I passed him again on my way back home. Well, there he was holding out a bottle of water for me. My own personal support crew ;-) It was such a simple thing, but it was so thoughtful and kind. People like that definitely make this world a better place. I hope we can all be as thoughtful and kind.

Really good things...Well this week I got GREAT news!!!! I'm working hard on fundraising, but $10,000 is a lot of money. My dear friend Richard Magleby called me this week to let me know that the Savage Foundation (a family foundation) would be making a donation for $1000 to my cause. I couldn't hardly believe it! I was sooooooo ecstatic! Every contribution makes such a difference and I am so grateful for all the contributions I've received thus far regardless of size.

Upcoming excitement...This weekend is our TNT camping weekend. I'm really looking forward to training up in Malibu this weekend as well as camping. I LOVE camping! And I'm sure I'm going to love camping with my very cool teammates. I will definitely post an update with pictures.

Veteran's Day!

Well I've been working on the East coast this week, so my workouts have consisted of running. Yesterday I actually logged 4 miles on a treadmill, because I'm in Boston and it's chilly out here!!! Oh my goodness...it has literally been years since I've run on a treadmill. I used to run on a treadmill everyday, but a few years ago, I started running outside... Needless to say, it was very weird to be running on a treadmill, but I did get to watch Ellen and The View.

Well, today I was determined to make is outside for my run. Luckily the woman at the front desk of my hotel recommended a nice cemetery near our hotel for my run. I love cemeteries! I know that's kinda creepy and maybe it's because I was raised right next to one (it was our playgroud!), but I really, really enjoy walking through cemeteries. Well, the one out here was very cool! All the fall leaves were vibrant colors and the wind was blowing them all over the place. On top of the beautiful fall colors, the cemetery was peppered with American flags because it is Veterans Day. It was truly the perfect day to run in a cemetery! Here's my top five list from my run (in no particular order):
1. Favorite tombstone: Higgenbottom - reminds me of a name I'd see in a Harry Potter book
2. The marine in uniform visiting his friend's grave
3. The sun lighting up the beautiful stained glass in the mausoleums
4. The skunk smell...I don't ever smell that in LA
5. The amazing fall leaves blowing all over the place and sticking to my shoes.

I get to head home tomorrow. Yippee! Hopefully I'll be able to resume my training schedule.