First, I want to tell you about the CTC Swim Challenge. My club, Cleveland Triathlon Club, is simply amazing!! It is SOOOO worth the joining fee of $20 dollars! You'll get 5 times that back in discounts with our sponsors and in race registration fees! Honestly, it's the best deal around!! I, of course, ponied it up at our January 1 Polar Plunge! That was a fun day! My hubby and kids joined me and it really was fun. I think next year I'll opt to help out the club and arrive early to help signing up more CTC members and signing a waiver for the plunge. I feel that now I'm ready to take a step and become more active in our club - I'm not a Newbie anymore!! :) So, I will step up - I plan to lead an OWS at Headlands in the summer again, and I'm even toying with starting a Lake County Masters Swim team so that we have some regular workouts over here. There are tons all around NE Ohio, but out in Lake County, it's slim pickins I tell ya!
Anyway, last year I did this and I signed up for THE BIG DOG! 100 x 100 yds .... yes, that's 10,000 yds! I'd never swum further than 4K. So, it's me and 3 guys and I'm sharing a lane with Mark Durno - who's a pretty damn good athlete!!! I hope to just be able to do it. But, before I knew it, (we were splitting the lane b/c there was no way I could swim with Durno!) we were hanging together!! We did it - and I was very, very proud! It hurt, I won't lie. And the aftermath ... Not Good. Honestly, if you factor in how sick I was afterward (probably dehydrated and shocky) - I'd say it was the hardest thing I've ever done! Harder than IM!
This year Mark and I decide we'll tackle this together again and shoot to improve our time. This year there are way more peeps in for the BIG DOG, but Mark and I are going to stay together - or, more realistically, Mark will hit the pace and I'll hang on for dear life! Well, we did it!! We knocked over 20 minutes off last year with a new 10K time of 3:03:43! Next year - we are going under 3 hrs!! (even cutting out that pee break would do it :)
So, I'm feeling very good! I'm in much better shape than last year and I feel SO much better. I had arranged a ride with the Jolliffs, who were kind enough to transport me. Last year 4 vomiting episodes and severe vertigo made me a menace on the road. I planned for disaster, but fortunately there was none. Plus, I was an extra pair of hands to help carry in all the nutrition Danielle was bringing for us. Got to see the Jolliff's new house - Sweet!!! And meet their dogs, Daisy and Hercules. And got to know them both a little better :) They are really great people and I am grateful they allowed me to hitch a ride!
Next, I get a case of Muscle Milk for completing the 10K swim. In the past, I've not been too thrilled with it, but I choose Malt and ... I kind of like it! It's growing on me!! Plus, it's good for my BG.
Got to meet a few new people, see some familiar faces, and had a great day!! I went to change in the locker room then came back out on deck to help carry stuff back to the car and guess what?? Everyone is smiling and hugging me and ... I won the Rev3 race entry in our CTC raffle!!!! WOW!! OMG - this totally great news! :) I've already registered, but I talked to the race director and I've gotten the entry fee refunded! Can it get any better??? Oh yes it can ...
Lastly, I was approached in December about being a featured athlete for Ohio Sports and Fitness - a local publication. A CTC member, Angie Ridgel, suggested me. (Thanks Angie!!) In January we did a photo shoot. I was very nervous, but just felt that this would be great exposure for my charity, Triabetes. Stephanie, the creative director, had a vision that included hundreds of race bibs. Well, I had 22. Most I toss, but the special ones I keep. My BFF Elizabeth has 21. I should be set, right? Nope, Steph wants at least 100. Yikes!! My first call was to Kim Zepp. Kim is so organized and meticulous, I was SURE she kept hers ... and she DOES! But they are all in a scrapbook!!! Yes, most of us dream of scrapbooking our races and re-living our accomplishments, but MOST of us never actually find time to do it - but Kim is that organized!! Oh well. I make a few calls and PMs: Janet Edwards, Jen Collister, Elizabeth Hansen, Ed Slovenkay and Laurie Colon - who individually had between 1 and 10. I was prepared to zoom all over NE Ohio to borrow the bibs ... then I thought, WAIT A MINUTE! Mickey Ryzmek is a race director ... I'll betcha he can hook me up!!! And boy did he! We met in a parking lot in Hudson and he gave me 5 packages of bibs - easily 1000 bibs. I am now good to go!! Thanks to all of you that offered to help, though! I was happy NOT to zip all over NE Ohio for bibs :)
I did the photo shoot and it went well. The photographer, Scott Duncan, did a great job and Stephanie Park's vision came to life. Fast forward a few weeks and next thing I know people are commenting on the cover .. but I hadn't seen it yet! At the start of the CTC challenge, Tim Edwards says he's got it, just not with him - bummer! Next thing I know, he's tossing one to me - they had a stack at CSU! So, I finally got to see the cover:
I'll share a little story that will possibly make you giggle. My oldest daughter Samantha says: "mom, where are your boobs?" That's what happens when you lay on your back with a snug race kit on. But really, when you see the original photo, my left boob is sneaking out the side! See where it says RACE? See how there's that yellow background behind RACE? Um, yeah, that's to cover my boob!! LOLOLOL!!! Oh well - this photo is my favorite of all the one's I saw. I'm happy with how it came out. And again, I feel very honored to be selected - and this is the KEEPER issue ... so you lucky folks get to hang on to this for months and months!! :)
Okay, today is my second SNOW DAY!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love a snow day!! It's a gift from Mother Nature! Keep warm, stay safe, stay home - don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary! My plans for today, run on the T'mill and spin. Those were yesterday's plans, but instead I did a monster SPRING CLEANING of my house and now I feel very at peace!! Those clean and purge days are so mentally helpful ... I just can't emphasis how great it feels to get my house in order. I still got a ton of exercise - a lot of core work - and I shoveled our driveway, which was exhausting! Yes, I shoveled ... and we have a snowblower. Two, actually. But they are in the shed in the back yard ... this would require me to brave the elements to get to the snowblower then get it to the front of the house. I'm exhausted thinking about it! I think I'll just shovel!! I should have paid those kids $10 when they came and asked me if I wanted to hire them. Next time: YES!!!
Kids arrive shortly, so the house will become chaotic and messy again, but I had a full day of a neat home :)
One last topic ... yesterday I posted a video on texting in the car. It was 10 minutes long. I almost didn't watch it. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I knew I'd be bawling. I was. Please, please take 10 minutes of your day and swing over to my FB page and watch this. Then PROMISE ME you will never do this. I have been guilty of it. I admit it - with shame. But I vow to never text and drive, or even read a text while driving. There is NOTHING that important. If you need to reach me, call - I have hands-free Bluetooth technology in my car and I can talk and still have my hands at 10 and 2. Promise me you'll do the same. I never want to attend a funeral for a devastating tragedy that resulted from this. There are enough dangers out there ... too many to list. But this, this NEEDS TO STOP!! I see drivers texting all the time. I wish there was a number I could call to report them. I fear for the lives of my friends, family, and those in my community. PUT DOWN THE DAMNED PHONE!!! These tragedies can be avoided. Talk to your teenagers about this. Have them watch this video. Commit to X the TXT on Facebook, and vow to honor yourself, and your friends & family, by not texting in the car.
<3
Hugs!
Tiff
