Can thoughts be meandering or is that for creeks?  Clearly, it is too late in the evening for me to BLOG.  This post should come with a warning.  Although, I now come with a warning — I’m taking a little break after Buffalo Springs 70.3 last weekend, and I’m probably already crazy. 

Buffalo Springs 70.3 was the first 1/2 I’ve done for awhile.  I jumped in the race because my husband, Michael, prepared for this race… and I was going to be his support crew, so why not jump in.

It sounds so casual; however, it was a major production.

1.  Autumn

First, the caregiver for Autumn (8-year-old daughter).  A few months back, I signed up my Mom to come visit us, then take Autumn to Chicago with her for a couple days until I got there.  I had to work this with Autumn, too.  The apple didn’t fall far from this perverbial tree, and she’s as high strung as her mother.  So, she doesn’t always warm immediately to any new idea.  She has her own opinions.  Imagine that.  After some massaging of the parties, it was set.  I booked flights for my mom, Autumn, and finally me.   

As a side note (of which there will be many because it’s late and I’m feeling verbose), I had this secondary agenda.  I thought… hmmmmm, I’ll race in AZ, do some local short races, go to Lubbock, so I’ll be ready for a break right after Lubbock.  Hey, I can sneak an extra day in there and ‘get stuff done’.  This is a key phrase for all first-born (almost only child), intense, high-strung, over-achieving, OCDish people.  Or mothers (don’t have experience as a father, so I mean no disrespect).  The challenge is that my ‘get stuff done’ list exceeds the time available.  No advanced math will help that calculation.  I have 5 hours left in my time availalbe and still need to sleep, so we had better get on to item 2 and attempt to limit the number of items.

2.  Michael

After IMAZ, Michael took ‘priority spot’ for workouts, as Buffalo Springs 70.3 was his priority race.  I actually thought I was giving something up.  Alas, his perspective, “Juls, we adjust to you.  We don’t mind.  It is what it is.”  It’s good to know how he sees it.  But, I did miss a few swim practices.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael prepare for this experience.  He became more confident; he enjoyed the journey. 

Michael had a FABulous day at Buffalo Springs — he exceeded his expectations.  He stayed in the moment.  By the way, this photo is not in Lubbock, sorry.

3.  Peaceful Warrior

I forced Michael to watch Peaceful Warrior.  He ended up liking it — usually when I’m that insistent, he prepares to fend off chick-flick or British-flick or Subtitled-flick.  Mostly the latter 2.

This is the best pre-race movie on the planet.  If it’s your birthday, I might send it to you.

4.  Food

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I bring my own food everywhere.  This was no different.  Food prep surfaced my organizational and short-order cook skills.  I prepared lunches and dinners for Autumn as well as organized and pre-cooked (to the extent possible) for Michael and I.  We were set.  I even secured a plug-in skillet to heat things up and cook eggs in the hotel.  However, I reached max capacity and didn’t plan for after the race.  My stomach is still jacked.

I also did remember to pack my TP Massage stuff — which I used every day, including post-race.

5.  Race nutrition

Still sticking to the rice bars and Clif bloks.  No distress! 

6.  Race day

Yee Haw!  Always so fun and an adventure. 

A few ‘out of the ordinary’ things:

- Run then swim?

There was a bit of a run in the swim, which was amusing.  There was a shallow section on the right, so the waves before me ran and ran before swimming.  I asked Tim Hola what he was going to do… I hadn’t seen anything like it.  I think my heart rate was a zillion.

- Where’d my bottle go?

There are three 180-degree turn-arounds on the bike.  At the first one, physics were at work, and my not-so-secured Profile Bottle launched out of its home and flew into the scruff.  I dismounted and took the Trek through the rough-grass-weeds-whatever to rescue it. 

- Am I supposed to stop so many times?

Ok, I have come to a complete stop on my bike once in all my racing experiences — and I stopped three times in this race.  The first (above) to rescue water.  At the second 180-degree turn, a rider totally wiped out.  If you read Tim’s blog, you know that the 100 degree Texas heat took a break and it was raining hard.  Since I have better manners than to just run her over, I did stop.  Karma!  At the third and final 180-degree turn, a participant unclipped, stopped, and pushed the bike around the turn.

- Sliding and flats

Ok, I knew that the bike would be an adventure, as we were just barely not the last wave.  The course is mostly flat with a few big hills.  On a couple, where we had to descend, there was some serious carnage.  On one hand, I was amazed at the number of people who crashed right behind someone who just took that same line with a similar rate of speed… but then again, only a few hours prior, I ran down the side of the lake because others did.  Didn’t look like any serious injuries, just a bit of an obsticle course.

- Friends and Michael

Seeing Michael on the course was the BEST.  He was so happy.  I think part of this pleasure was derived from the fact that I didn’t catch him on the bike.  Oh well.  He even shaved his legs for the first time the night prior.  He rode his speedy TREK and wore his TIMEX bodylink — he was totally dialed into heart rate for the race.

- Results

I ended up 2nd in my age group, although I didn’t feel it was one of my best efforts.  Run down with a few miles to go and beaten by a mere 40 seconds.  I am taking some positives from the experience.  Amazingly, I think I like the IM distance best.

7. “Get Stuff Done”

Well, this is going to be the last thing on my ’get stuff done’ list that I accomplish – need to sleep for a few hours before I get in a quick easy swim and catch my flight to Chicago. 

OMG - you made it to the end.  Enjoy your day.

-          Avery Visser

Avery is a 15-year-old intelligent, responsible, and talented young woman.  Last month, we raced together in a little local race called The Rookie.  The name of the race may lull you into a false sense of what’s really going to happen as there are always some speedy locals out for the sub-one-hour & over-LT effort.  Three Austin-area short-course pros showed up, so that left me and the girl who is young enough to be my child to battle it out for 4^th.  Yeah, Avery took me with apparent ease.  It was wonderful.

-          Desiree’s marathon

Desiree Ficker went to the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston in April.  Autumn and I cheered her on from our seats at my laptop.  We were SO inspired.  Des could have shown up, run a PR, and gone home.  Instead, she went for it.  She put herself at risk and ran with the top group for more than 2/3 of the race.  Wow.  Autumn wants to say that Desiree’s dog, Pandora, is cute and energetic – good perspective. www.desireeficker.com

-          Jen and Ally

Speaking of speed, my friends Jen and Ally have been whooping it up this spring.  When people say, “wow, you’re fast on the bike [for your age, gender, experience]”, these 2 keep my head fitting through the door (yeah, I know I’m not that fast).  Seriously, Ally (at 30 years old) has an enormous, powerful, engine – she is responsible for getting her team’s sprinter(s) 300meters from the line.   Jen (at 40 years old) is one of the best sprinters in the world (yes, world) and just took 4^th at the infamous “Philly” race – she is responsible for getting on the podium.  Ally races for Cheerwine; Jen races for our sister Advil-Chapstick (also a TIMEX-sponsored team).

Here we are (Ally, Jen, Jen’s girls Elle and Henna, Autumn and I)

-          Autumn Amanda Fiocca’s contribution

Thinking about inspiration, I have to hand it to my own child.  Yes, I am so severely biased; however, indulge me for a few moments.

Autumn is the queen of “Reuse” and “Recycle” (struggles with “Reduce” like any other 8-year old who wants webkins, Wii, and a new Trek road bike).  We haven’t used plastic shopping bags in over 2 years; we use bio-degradable pet waste bags; Autumn plants and cultivates her garden (local farming, good for critters, oxygen for Earth); we have an elaborate recycling station in our garage (thanks to Ecology Action http://www.ecology-action.org/index); we’re trying to figure out composting for our household – more on that some other time.

So, it didn’t surprise me when she decided to donate her hair.  10 inches of beautiful hair will go to make a wig for a child suffering from hair loss – read more:  .  http://www.locksoflove.org/

Thanks to David Prasifka at Capelli in Austin, Texas  http://capellisalon.biz/ for the great new do!

When I was a girl, my mom used to take me to the public library.  The ‘original’ Palatine Public Library was housed in an old home in the historic district of the Chicago suburb.  As the town grew, so did the investment in the town, and thus a new library. 

We went about once a week; the impact of the books struck me intensely.  The memories of the books lead to the memories of “Book Group”.  I acquiesce that now “Book Clubs” are commonplace, but at the time (early 70s), the concept was fresh.  Women were coming together – perhaps with similar energy as Elizabeth Caddy Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, or others – those who exemplify Gandhi’s powerful, “Be the Change you wish to see in the world.”

With gratitude, I thank the women in Mom’s Book Club.  They let me be the fly on the wall; sometimes hanging out and listening to their discussions.  They invited me to their outings – experiencing programs, speakers, artists, musicians.  They included me and spoke to me as a young woman, shaping my ideas about what is expected and what is possible.  They came to my piano recitals, read my papers, talked about soccer, listened to my perspective.

Fast-forward.  The change that these women inspire through their actions leaves its mark.

I was teaching Girl Scouts earlier this year (2^nd graders); the theme, “Your Body”.  The girls drew 4 pictures: their vision of themselves as an adult; the hygiene-activities they will do to support their vision; the nutrition decisions they will make to support their vision; the activities they will do to support their vision.  Fantastic results – these 8-year-olds see themselves as a veterinarian (my daughter), a dancer, a doctor, a scientist and artist (my daughter’s brilliant best friend), a teacher – they expect themselves to contribute to theworld.  Further, they have clear and unencumbered expectations about what they do to be healthy and fit.  Granted I’m ‘dating’ myself here, but frankly, many of their mothers grew up in the 70s when active girls were ‘tomboys’.  These barriers are changing.  Progress.