Remote in Wyoming

Excuse the brevity. I'm posting from the road with limited Internet access in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, representing state #48. When I say remote, I am not kidding.  From what I hear there are about 25 entries for tomorrow's race in a town without a name (literally) on a road that closes to car traffic in the winter (only accessible by snow mobile).  But my oh my is it beautiful! Words don't begin to describe it.  I'm in the nearest town picking up my bike and checking emails at about 3000 feet elevation and then it's back up to 9000 feet for the remainder of the weekend.  Obviously there isn't Internet access so this will have to do for now.  Catch you on the flip side. 

#48 and Mixed Emotions

It doesn't seem possible but this week I leave for Wyoming, representing the 48th state of my campaign.  On the heels, the following week I will race in South Dakota, leaving only Hawaii as the final event.  As promised, I am taking it all in and attempting to slam on the brakes; I don't want it to end.  My husband is joining me for the final three states and we are making the WY/SD trip an actual vacation.  Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and everything in between, including a hot air balloon and an 1880 steam railroad adventure... all in an attempt to savor every minute. 
Fundraising totals are just shy of $98,000 so now is the time to dig deep.  If you have donated before, thank you and would you consider another $10?  If you haven't, please do so.  I won't be left short of my $100,000 goal.  I will personally write a check for the balance if I have to but that's not the point, is it? 
There is also a big push for some media attention, especially since September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.  I have three events and two triathlons (extra ones, crazy I know) scheduled for September in an attempt to spread the message and know this is ALL making a difference. Bittersweet... that's how this feels.

Swimming in the Rain

I am fortunate enough to swim and train at the Freeport Recreation Center where they have this awesome, Olympic outdoor pool open in the summer.  Yesterday was a complete soaker but I had a swim workout planned for my lunch hour.  I fully anticipated swimming in the much smaller and less exciting, indoor pool but to my surprise, the outdoor pool was open because at that particular moment it was only raining lightly.  WOO HOO!  Imagine my good fortune.  One other person joined me and although it was quite brisk, it was heavenly.  Jumping into a flat, calm surface with smiles a-blazing we got our lunchtime 1500 meters in.  Swimming in the rain is truly one of my all time favorite things to do.  I love the splatter of raindrops on my face as I rotate my head to breathe.  As luck would have it, the lightning and downpour started as soon as I finished my workout.  The indoor pool swimmers looked disappointed they didn't take the chance outdoors but then they were happy their practice wasn't interrupted to move inside.  I have had Gene Kelly in my head ever since...."I'm swimming in the rain...."

When a Noun Becomes a Verb

Sorry for being out of touch for a while but I was off the grid, literally.  My husband is a boat captain and often transports boats up and down the east coast.  Occasionally I mate for him and last week I arranged my schedule to join him on a four day trip.  Being in the prime of my season with 3 states left to go, I didn't want to lose any fitness so he suggested bringing my running shoes to (at least) be able to keep up with that sport.  One of our stops was Coinjock, North Carolina situated roughly between the Middle of Nowhere and the End of the Earth. 
With 375 gallons to fill the tank of the vessel before moving further north, Don suggested I take the time for a quick five mile trek.  He said the natives were friendly and I wasn't likely to encounter any car traffic.  He told me to go "Forest Gump" myself.  At one point I was running between two swamps and actually did feel like Forest.  It certainly was reminiscent of the movie footage.  But all of sudden I thought about what lives in those swamps and started looking for eyes on the surface.  Alligators?  I saw several snake skeletons so I knew they resided there.  The fear of alligators and whatever else made me pick up my pace and I was able to negative split the run.  To say that Coinjock is a remote location is a vast understatement.
So "Forest Gump" myself, I did.  It became the line of the trip and I even giggle about it several days later and that's how a noun became a verb.

Something New

One of the things I like about the sport of triathlon is the way I can dissect the individual sports and my performance in each.  When race results are posted you can see where you ranked in each of the three legs (swim, bike, run) and each of the transitions (T1 and T2), with a final overall ranking.  Digesting this information makes it apparent which of the sports you are best at and which needs the most improvement. On any given year, I am better at one than the other.  Usually the cycling is my best but not always; it used to be the run.  This year I have put a lot of emphasis on my swim training and have definitely seen the results.  But of course, like everything else...it's a balancing act and usually when one sport improves, another suffers.

In an effort to boost my running performance, I just completed a seven day intensive.  Running each day with a specific goal in mind, I am attempting to jump start myself out of the plateau I've been on for a while.  Today I take a day off from running and see what the results are tomorrow.