Sunday, November 1, 2009

Tulsa Run

Give me some candy.....



Is candy worth this humiliation, Mom?

He warmed up to it, eventually! I guess so!


I finally got to do it. Tulsa Run is in it's 32nd year. It's a 15K and has a huge turn out. And since it offers some prize money, it's also fassssttttt! This year I finally got to do it! In 2007 my kids were about 6 months old and the furthest I had run in almost a year was 20 minutes (keep in mine that includes a little bed rest stint). Last year it came a few weeks after Longhorn 70.3 and I was still battling some hamstring/hip flexor issues. This year I thought it was the same weekend as Longhorn 70.3. When I went to look up results on Monday, I realized it was Halloween. Woo hooo, sign me up! I knew it wouldn't be pretty 6 days after a half ironman, but I knew I could do it, and all the people I train with would be there, and most of all I really wanted to thank Brian and Kathy Hoover at Runner's World for all their support. So I dawned my Runner's World jersey, went and got Dana (3 weeks since Kona), little QuickTrip coffee, and we rolled up at the Downtown Y at 8. It was like a reunion and the atmosphere is so different than a triathlon. Everyone is so....happy? Relaxed? Not sure, but it's much more laid back. I started getting worried that maybe I should be nervous. I always go into a race with a plan. Earlier in the week when I had a hard time walking, I thought to just try to break 60 minutes. Be conservative and go out the first 5k in 20 min. As the week went on my legs felt better, so my time got a little faster in my head. I saw Sean Stephens in the Y and we're usually pretty close, so I asked him what he was trying to run. "55 and a half." Alright, looks like I'm going to try to run a 55:30. What the heck was I thinking? There are thousands of runners and I found Sean within the first 1k. He was nailing his splits. I asked if I could tag along--it felt effortless. We rolled through 5k at 18:30...dead on. Then, somewhere around 6 to 7 k everything went south. My legs just hurt. No, they freaking H-U-R-T!!! Yes, even my compression socks did nothing for me (yes, I am a dork, but I hadn't taken them off all week, my calves are always a mess post race), Sean ran away in the distance, then more and more people were passing me. 10k--38 minutes. Slowed down a minute. Okay, just hold on to this pace. I wish, each k was a little slower and my legs hurt a little more. Lucas found me at various points in the race and he and the kids were cheering from the car. I really just wanted to go get in the car and stop this pain. Then I see Amanda Erwin and she jumps out, holds her hand out and yells, "Keep it up, only 7 minutes behind!!" Thanks for the comic relief, Amanda! 15k--finish, yes! 58:52--slowed down another minute. Well, I broke 60 at least. I could have done it in a lot less pain if I had gone one with my conservative 20 minute 5k! Lesson learned! All in all, it was a really fun day and I'm glad I didn't stop. Plus, I got a cool "sub 60" mug. One year I'm going to do this race "for real!" I doubt I'll be anywhere close to the 50 minute winning time, but I know I can hit those 18:30 5ks, Sean! I won't be dead weight next time!


As soon as I got home I started making the chili for a little Halloween get together. Lucas raked leaves and the kids darted between us "helping." Rowan would take the leaves and bring them inside. By the time I was finished I had a huge pile to clean up. Too bad I couldn't lean over to get them--Lucas had to take over. The kids were amped all day. They completely understood "you get candy from houses today." What they didn't get is that you are supposed to wait until you get home to eat it. More pictures to come...I can't find the stupid cord that downloads the pics. Here are a few from earlier in the week!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Few Pics...

Gwyn & Rowan hanging out waiting for my return

My Mom saw this helmet and says (totally seriously), "Oh, they designed it to look like an alien!" Yeah, Mom....then a neighbor saw George wearing this and says, "Oh, he already has his alien costume for Halloween!"

George L. Jones is aero. Hence, if you ask him his name he says,
"George Lightening Fast Jones."


Quick Longhorn 70.3 Post....

Okay, more to come...6th place...4:28 something....I'm am more than happy with this! You know, it's a big improvement from last year, and I still have a lot of room improvement. With my training this year I really couldn't ask for more. Most of all, It was a great time with my brother Elliot's family in Austin! I had to leave the kids at home with Lucas. Rowan got a severe case of croup the day before we were scheduled to leave, so I drove solo to Austin. Luckily I was entertained all weekend by my nephews Max and George. Pictures to come--my sister-in-law Emily got some awesome ones from Max's triathlon with Ian Crocker! Oh, and my Dad flatted at mile 30. Bummer. Next year, Pops!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Taking up a new sport

I love this photo--Rowan sticking up for me to my bro...
All my siblings together

cousins...a little blurry...my kids not cooperating....

That's right sista'! Bring it on!! This is for not letting me borrow those
Guess jeans!!

Nice move, Jenn...

It helps that I'm an Amazon compared to my sister....


Elliot(bro 1) takes on Jeremy (bro 2)...Trevor (bro 3) watching....

Woahhh! Low blow El! Jeremy protecting his money maker...

Trevor trying to beat Elliot while my neice and sister-in-law heckle....


While I was on break this summer we had a family reunion to celebrate my little brother Trevor's return home. In order to satisfy the Jones competitiveness, we started a tether ball competition. I won the women's division. Granted, I only played 1 person, my older sister, I now have a better winning record in tether ball than triathlon! Hmmmmmmmm..........
In training news, my build going into Longhorn 70.3 has been going well. I love the taper as I'm able to get so many things done! I'm trying not to be too OCD and clean like crazy because really the point of taper is to rest, but sometimes I just can't help myself. The most exciting part of Longhorn is my Dad is doing the race. He turned 65 last month. It's always so much for fun to do a race with someone. Also, it's always fun to catch up with friends! With the end of the year just around the corner it's always an exciting time!
Until next time....




Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Cycling Shorts


Gwyn insisted that she wear cycling shorts. I mean, that's kind of cool. Instead of asking for dolls she's asking for cycling gear? Then she also asked for a cycling shirt. The next think I know, Rowan is chiming in that he wants cycling shorts and shirt. And these kids are demanding when they fixate on something! I better come up with a cycling kit pronto or else massive discord in the Meyers house. Luckily I found their "cycling kits" in a recent gift from our friends in Washington. Whatever you do, do not call these soccer outfits. These are their cycling clothes--I can only fool them for so long. The XMAS list is getting longer...

And yes, Rowan is wearing a necklace. He stole this from his Gramms and has been wearing for nearly 3 months. It's kind of masculine, right?

Monday, October 12, 2009

On our ride...

Rowan's school picture...

Saturday on our ride Duncan said to me, "I stopped reading yer blog. You never write on it anymore." (Yes, I know how to spell "your," this is my attempt to convey is thick southern accent!) Oh, will I get my 3 readers back? I have failed you!!!! To get you up to speed...I took a "break" after Kansas. Partly needed, but partly forced as my kids were out of school and my husband's work forced him to be in the field for a week and then back home for 2 weeks. He did this for four rotations. Training took a hit. While I love Tulsa, it is hard to not have any family near by to help out. Luckily I have an incredibly supportive family and my Mom came up to help the last weekend he was gone. I almost made it!! Soooo, when September rolled around I realized I wasn't in too terrible of shape and decided to stick Longhorn 70.3 on the end of my schedule. I'm excited as last year this was my first half, and I can see if I've improved at all :)
The above photo is from school photos. I'll get one of Gwyn soon. The kids go to a "pre school" at a church here. Last year it was two days a week, and this year it is 3. They go from 9:30 until 2:30 which I found is the perfect amount of time for me to get my workouts in. No messing around if I want it all done! Anyway, the teacher told me after photo day that Rowan really got into it. When I saw the photos I died! This kid is such a cheese! I guess he loves the camera?
I promise to blog better! See you soon!


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Long time no blog....

Okay,
I will keep this brief! I apologize to my avid readers for my lack of blogging. And by avid readers, I mean you, Mom. I raced the Kansas 70.3 the weekend before last. I ended up 7th in just over 4:29, with Chrissie Wellington taking top honors. I wasn't thrilled with my swim and bike, but my run is getting better. The thing about racing Pro is sometimes you end up by yourself, and the bike ended up feeling like a lonely training day. I need to make sure I keep my head in the game, and I know that just takes practice. Also, a better swim always means you're around more people. So, lesson learned! I did get my Clearwater slot--however, I left before I had time to claim it. Gwyn got into household cleaner, "Tough & Tender," which isn't so tender after all. Lucas and I rushed back to take her to Urgent Care, which of course was closed on Sunday evening. So we sat in the ER until midnight. Poor girl had chemical conjunctivitis and a scratched cornea. Then on Monday Rowan got sick...long story short, my "recovery" week was short on sleep, and 5 of 6 days at the ER or Dr.'s office. Ahhhh, the joys of motherhood! This week is the Jones family reunion to welcome Trevor home. Should be fun and full of training partners!

Monday, June 8, 2009

I take my duties seriously....




I forgot to mention....over Memorial Day Weekend I headed to Louisville, KY for my friend Carolyn's wedding. Carolyn and I went to West Point together and she is one of my closest friends. I was honored that she asked me to be her Matron of Honor. And I proved that I was fit for the challenge...Here I am wiping her sweaty upper lip for the pictures. Now that's showing her the love! I also got to hang out with some other friends from college, my bff Jenn D, my teammate Christine, and Jen C! It was like a mini-reunion! Congrats to Carolyn and Joe!Add ImageAdd ImageAdd Image

Updates!

Becky, Rachel, and Trevor together again

Rachel getting her patriotism on....

I knew that I would be hit or miss with the new blog. In my defense, my kids did learn to crawl out of their cribs, which created a sleep disruption in the whole house for a few weeks. But like anything, with time they are napping and sleeping through the night in their new twin size bed! Training has been going great, it's getting hot in Tulsa, and blah blah blah. I will spare you the details. I'm sitting here sweating and not feeling very witty (but am I ever as witty as I might think? Probably not, ask my husband...) The BIG news is...I'm expecting twins again! Okay, not really. Just making sure you're paying attention. My little brother Trevor is back from Iraq!!! He got back this past weekend! After the race in Kansas this weekend, we're headed for a little family reunion, which will be awesome. It's not often we all can get together, and unfortunately we might be missing my brother Jeremy and his wife Pearl. The other news is that they graduated medical school over Memorial Day Weekend, and they are starting their residency at Vanderbilt. I love calling Jeremy, "Docta Jonez!!" like that little Asian kid in Indiana Jones, do you know who I'm talking about? I think maybe Temple of Doom? Who knows, I'm rambling....One last thing...Duncan, don't kill me for telling this story, but every time I think about it I laugh. Duncan, a retired firefighter and upstanding citizen of Tulsa, is doing his first 70.3 in Kansas this weekend. We were talking about his nutrition for the race and I told him there would be water on the bike course. He then says, in a thick Southern accent, "Shoooot, for two hundred dollars there oughtta give us water, gatorade, (slight pause) and wipe my a$$!" Well put, Duncan!! I'll be sure to pass that along!

Monday, May 18, 2009

I've Missed Mother's Day, B-day, and Race!!

water thief....
hurry up mom

now let's get bbq...


Lucas & Gwyn waiting...



Finally here I come, with no glasses :(

Rowan out of it thanks to Gwyn keeping him up...


Yes, I am cool...and I am in trouble....


I knew this blogging would be tough to stay up with! To backtrack, I had a great Mother's Day--I got the best gift a girl could ask for--a maid for a day! Oh, I am still in heaven! While I'm fairly neat and can't stand clutter, there is only so much cleanliness I can achieve with two two-year-olds running around with grimy hands. We'll see how long it lasts....

On Thursday my old teammate and swim extraordinaire Sara Mclarty got to spend the day with us. She was racing in Oklahoma City so she took the time to stop by Tulsa and chill with us. Poor girl--"chilling" with Rowan and Gwyn are not conducive to pre-race relaxation. We had so much fun and hope she can come back soon! Maybe some swim lessons for the kids next time, hint hint! :) Pictures to come, but Lucas took the camera to work today....

We took off for Memphis on Friday. We made pretty good time and for the first car trip ever the kids were not totally crazy. They got antsy a few times so we actually had to stop and let them out to run around. Now I see why Mapquest directions take so much longer than what I use to think was "real" drive time! We arrived at the State Park and I told the kids, "This is when we find out if Daddy is a big hero or a big zero." I wasn't so sure about staying in a cabin. Lucas and I agree that after being in the Army camping is totally ruined for us. We have no desire to rough it in the wilderness, desert, or even the back yard. Give us a bed and shower and roof, please! Luckily, while the cabin was not glamorous, it had all of this and plenty of space for the kids to run around and they were in a separate room. This came in handy the night before the race as Gwyn decided to scream at the top of her lungs every 45 minutes. Since it was my birthday and I was racing the next day, my lovely husband sat with her at 1 am for an hour until she calmed down. Oh, and my kids also learned a new trick! It's called "Crawl Out of Your Pack-n-Play!" We are doomed. Hopefully they won't be crawling out of their cribs at home!!

Saturday some friends of ours that Lucas went to high school with came to visit. Nathan and Beth have a beautiful new baby boy and it was fun to see them on my birthday. No cake, though--I'm still waiting for that. Lucas better deliver tonight...

Race on Sunday had the Pros starting after everyone at 1030. While the heat was not a factor this year, the wind was out of control! Memphis in May is one of the oldest, most established triathlons out there. One reason we came back this year is it is always put on so well. This year was no different. I had a blahhh swim, I felt good on the bike although I do feel a bit "slower" since training for the longer stuff. I actually felt great on the run and ended up withe fastest run split. I've been really trying to dial in my run as this is my strength but it hasn't appeared that way in my last couple of half ironmans....slowly but surely it's coming around and I know to be patient. I ended up 3rd behind Pip Taylor and Michillie Jones. I'll take that anyday, they are studs...Oh, my sad news is that I hook my Oakleys onto my bike and put them on while biking. Well, I looked down and they were gone! I am so bummed!! Soooo, if anyone out there forgot my Birthday gifts--as in all of my siblings, yes I say I do not care about gifts but now I actually need something--you know what I need!! Ha ha ha, it will be a cold day in Baghdad before this happens...............I'm putting some photos from the race. Thank you Beth and Nathan for the beautiful photos!!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Ranger That!

Trevor post "Boston Marathon" in Iraq--he's the one with the skinny triathlete legs...

Trevor running "Boston" on the base...


Trevor looking gaunt at graduation with Becky


The Ranger Tower


My Dad pinning on Trevor's Ranger tab.


I come from a large family of five kids and we are each other’s biggest supporters and also biggest critics. My nick names growing up were, “Fat-ica Pig-ica” or a personal favorite , “Oink-ica.” There were coined by my clever older brother Jeremy who we dubbed, “Ugly-emy ” or “Crooked lips-emy ” Oh, and let’s not forget my oldest brother Elliot—“Dumb-iot and Big Head-iot.” My sister Jennifer, the eldest and first to hit puberty had the unfortunate name of, “Big Nose-ifer.” Okay, so are we getting the idea here? Basically pick out an insulting word and tack on the suffix of the person’s name and there you go! Clever, eh? Yes, I must admit the Jones’ had a vast array of insults that could personally brand anyone for life. For the record—Jennifer has the smallest nose of all the Jones’, Elliot grew into his head, I never understood Jeremy’s crooked lips, they looked fine to me (but of course I went along!) and I like to think I grew out of my chubby phase. Now, if you do the math that’s only four kids. The last is Trevor. Trevor is the 5th child and he is 6 years younger than me (I’m the 4th) and 12 years younger than Jennifer. Trevor grew up in an entirely different family. Trevor is, well how do I put this….nice. He says things that make you feel good. Like when I graduated from college he told me I could be a really good triathlete or several months after having my twins he told me I looked great. Meanwhile, random strangers were asking me my due date. It’s like he came from an entirely different set of DNA. I could go on and on about this, and I’m sure I will in the future, but the real reason for this post is to point out one of the best things about coming from a large family: there is never a shortage of inspiration. Inspiration lately is my little brother Trevor Jones.

So why does Trevor inspire me? Okay…all 5 kids in my family went to service academies. Jennifer went to Annapolis (yes, we still love her) and the rest of us went to West Point. I graduated in 2000. Trevor went in 2002 and graduated in 2006. I think it’s incredible that after 9/11 and seeing his older siblings deploy he still wanted to go. On top of it, he was a freaking bad a$$ junior triathlete. For two years Trevor was ranked #1 for Junior (U19) Triathletes by USAT. Back then USAT didn’t have the developmental program like it does now. Even if it did, I doubt Trevor would have gone this route because he was so committed to going to West Point. While there, he was on the triathlon team but he always talked about the “Real Army” and what he needed to do to be the best officer possible. When it came time to branch, despite both my older brothers trying to talk him out of it, he chose infantry. He graduated and triathlon took a far back seat. That summer he started the Infantry Officer Basic Course and also prepared for the big test: Ranger School. Ranger School is a grueling school and probably the most difficult in the Army and one of the hardest for all military branches. It’s physically difficult, but on top of it you add a severe lack of food and sleep. Elliot and Jeremy are both Rangers and I think it was really important to Trevor to keep the tradition alive. He got married to his long time girlfriend, Becky, and a week later started Ranger School. At the time it was January and cold at Fort Benning. At the end of the first week they had a 12 mile road march. Trevor took off at a brisk pace, hoping to erase some demerits he earned earlier in the week. Midway through the march he started “bonking” but worse. Now, Trevor is a little guy. He’s about 5’9” and he “bulked” up for Ranger school to be a whopping 155. During this bonk he collapsed and really doesn’t remember much, except for being pretty much naked and another pretty much naked man on top of him in the middle of nowhere. It turns out this bonk was actually hypothermia. The naked man on top of him was the medic trying to get his core temperature to rise while waiting for the MEDEVAC to take him to the hospital. His temp was under 90 degrees and once he missed more than a few hours of Ranger School he got medically dropped from the course. Now most who have been to Ranger School, graduates and non-graduates alike, will tell you that if it’s a choice between going back to Ranger School or a deployment, they would chose the deployment. However, Trevor refused to concede that he would not get his Ranger Tab. He never gave up. He got better and tried every option to get back in the school. They really pushed for him to go on to Fort Hood, but he was on a mission. He studied, “bulked up,” and trained all over for the school. Finally he got the okay, re-entered the school, and in 2007 he earned his tab. He epitomizes putting your head down and getting to work.

In 2008 Trevor deployed with 4th ID one week after his daughter Rachel was born. He went over as a Platoon Leader in an Infantry Company. He has done countless patrols, lived in a soccer stadium, lived in a random Forward Operating Base that receives none of the civilian contractors in Iraq. He earned his Combat Infantry Badge, acted as Company Commander, and is now the Executive Officer of his company. This past week he ran a half marathon in conjunction with the Boston Marathon. This is quite a feat for him because his hamstring has been hurt since the first time getting ready for Ranger School. When there are times I don’t feel like training, or I want to throw a pity party, I think of Trevor. He’s never complained, he’s never whined. He’s got so much talent it’s unbelievable. And while he is over there missing the entire first year of his daughter’s life, I get to do this—be a Mom and a Pro Triathlete. He teaches me to not take anything for granted and to be thankful for what you have. Yes, I might not live in the most desirable location for triathletes, but you can make anything work if you want it bad enough. We’re counting down the days until he gets home. Just a few more months. And watch out, maybe he’ll catch that triathlon bug again!

















Sunday, April 26, 2009

Runnin' In The Hood

So I've run in some scary places. I mean, I am from Houston after all. Seriously...in college we raced several times at Van Cortland Park. While the park is nice, once you venture out I affectionately called it, "Rumble in the Bronx." Oh, and how can I forget that special place...good 'ole Baghdad. When we would run around the "lost lakes" at Camp Victory I would race around as quickly as possible in the case of indirect fire. Talk about speed work! In any event, I expected it there. I was in a combat zone, isn't that what happens there? However, today took the cake as far as bizarreness...
I met up with Rob for a long run. He's doing St. Croix so his long run stopped after an hour. I continued north around the river, but decided to go on the other side in order to hit up the bathroom. As I'm headed south my stomach is upset and I immediately know I'm not going to make it to the bathroom. (Sorry, gross I know, but it happens). I pop a quick squat by the river and then get going again. Suddenly I notice a few cop cars. I think, "Man, I'm busted!!" But wait a second, would they need half a dozen cops to bust the indecent blond river runner ? At this point I run into a few runners coming the opposite direction and they say, "You have to turn around! The police are blocking the river. There's a man with a gun in the bushes!" What?? I'm confused, annoyed, but strangely not scared. So I turn around and start heading back and sure enough I hear gun shots. No one warned me about Tulsa being the hood! Turns out a suicidal guy was hiding in the bushes with a gun. The police got him--no injuries to anyone. I am really lucky that I decided to hit up the bathroom or else I would have run right past him! And what if I popped a squat in his bushes? Okay, that came out totally wrong, but I think you get the point....

Monday, April 20, 2009

Spring Fever!!

So yesterday was the famous World Championships of Claremore, the annual Spring Fever Sprint Triathlon. We're going old school here with a 400 meter snake swim at 10 second intervals, 12 mile bike, and two mile run. This is a fun race because it is low key and you get to hang out and talk trash with your training partners and get the legs moving fast! This year my goal was to try to come within two minutes of the men's leader, which I knew could be tough since Chuck Sloan would be there. Anyway, I was seated 9th, Amanda R. 8th, and then Duncan Wise and Dana Chance 12th and 13th. I passed one swimmer and caught up to Chuck, had a quick transition and was off. I noticed once out on the bike there was only one guy in front of me--I must have had a really quick transition! The bike was a bit hilly and out and back, so you got to see everyone. At the turn around I knew I could catch the guy in front of me, the problem is Chuck passed me, and he was on a stinking road bike! Thanks for adding insult to injury :) Dana looked super strong on the bike, Duncan speedy on his new bike and trying to hold off the fast charging Larry Krutka. And Amanda, super swimmer, was charging along. I was so proud! Remember, she was my crew in New Orleans and if she ever really decides to do triathlon she is going to kill it! Anyway, coming back into transition I'm pulling my feet out of the shoes, look up and see this giant white truck coming the opposite direction turning right in front of me. All I'm thinking is, "This is not happening, really? I'm going to break my neck at Spring Fever." I slam on the brakes and begin to turn my body so that my I will hit the cab from the side rather than my head. Oh, and I'm yelling quite a few explicatives that hopefully my children or other small kids did not hear!! I guess the driver heard them because he accelerated so I just missed his bumper. Needless to say this was the highest my heart rate got the whole race. My adrenaline was so high I came out of T2 sprinting and I think I had a pretty good run--but there are no splits posted yet so I can just believe that for now....

I did come with 2 minutes of Chuck (yes!) and Dana took home the overall 2nd, Amanda won her age group, and Duncan just missed Larry. Larry and Donna Krutka are such studs it's hard to be upset when they beat everyone. But we will be working on Duncan's transitions for next year. I think it might be time for him to ditch his bucket!

Afterwards my kids were mad at me. As I started the run Lucas was pushing them in the jogger. Gwyn sees me, puts her hand up and yells, "Mama!!" This isn't a happy "Mama" but a, "What the heck are you doing, you forgot me, come back here immediately!!" They got over it with the free pizza and granola bars. Is that bribing your kids?

All in all a great, fun day. Oh, but maybe a bit more traffic control for next year!

Monday, April 13, 2009



From New Orleans. Thank you Runner's World Tulsa for keeping shoes on my feet and Chuck Zoellner for keeping the feet healthy!

I really do like you....

Okay, so when I first started dating my now husband I thought it was really cool he was such a great swimmer. We met at the Olympic Training Center (me-triathlon, Lucas-pentathlon) he had returned from Iraq the week prior and still could bust out a 1:00 100free long course meters at 6000 feet. This is after not swimming for an entire year. I was impressed. Most of all, I was hoping he could help my swim a little! Well, it never really worked out. You see, he says things like, "You just need to...." or "Just put it in another gear" or "You're making it too hard, it's easy." Hello, if it was easy, wouldn't I have figured it out a long time ago? And I am trying!! And you just need to shove it!! Let's just say I tend to get a little sensitive....This past weekend my parents came to visit so we got to swim together. We had a nice group at the pool, and Rob was there so I knew it would be a good workout. Lucas killed us and then decided to "help" my swimming. He sat on the end of the pool while I "played" swim golf. It wasn't pretty, and I got more and more frustrated, which means I turned into a giant baby snapping at every helpful hint. Finally Rob piped in with, "He's just trying to help you!" Okay, I feel bad now. I really do like you, Lucas. But for now, I think it's best we do not swim together. Or if we do, you owe me a run so I can "help" you with your form :) Seriously, I am so lucky to have someone that knows what he's talking about. But I get the remote....

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

My First Blog....

Man! I'm new to this blog thing--I just wrote my first one, clicked on a tab to "preview" it, and then it was gone! So, to sum it up again...I just got back from my first triathlon of the season, New Orleans 70.3. This is only my second half ironman and I'm on a steep learning curve. The field was very competitive and my goal was top 10. I ended up 10th so I was very pleased despite blowing up on the run! I had a great time with the Amandas and hope we can do it again. Most of all, I survived my first trip ever away from my twins, Rowan and Gwyneth, age 2. I really missed them race day and was ready to get home. Lucas did a great job and even cleaned the house a bit for my return. Now that's the way to a woman's heart! More to come....