Life is Good...Team Gregg

Triathlon season is now officially over. As I reflect over the last few months, many things have been accomplished to be proud of.

At the beginning of this year, neither Katie or I owned a bicycle and we had not been in a swimming pool in years.

After encouragement from a few running buddies, I bought a used bike in March and started joining them on weekend rides. I tentatively signed up for my first multi-sport event, the Alabama Powerman Duathlon, the next month. The duathlon went well, and a few minutes after the race, Katie calmly commented that she would like to enter the 2009 race.

One problem...Katie had no bike. No problem! I found the right bike for her and had it shipped from North Carolina. I picked it up from Cahaba Cycles one weekday afternoon in early May and surprised her.

Before I new it she had singed both of us up for our first sprint distance triathlon in late May in Panama City. One problem. I'm not a great swimmer and the idea of swimming a few hundred yards out into the ocean did not sound appealing. Of course Katie did not think of this since she swims like a fish! I increased the frequency of swimming workouts at the JCC in hopes of not drowning.

The triathlon came and went. During the swim I remember wondering if they would ever find my body if I didn't make it. The experience was exhilarating. We were hooked like crack heads on crack!

We went on to complete in a combined 8 triathlons. We did sprint distances, Olympic distances, and a Half Ironman. While most wives spectated, Katie competed and did very well.

I think we both pushed our bodies farther than we ever thought possible, churning out miles for hours on end.

We'll spend this off season running marathons and half marathons. Great way to rest, right!

We both plan on kicking off the season next year with the Gulf Coast Half Ironman Triathlon in, you guessed it, Panama City. Let the count down begin!

J., aka Atomic Man

So, it was only a half--we can't call him an Ironman. But we can definitely call him an Atomic Man!

He survived--and did quite well (finishing 3rd in his age group). I won't rain on his parade. I'm sure a posting entitled "Life is good . . . thighs are sore" will follow soon. But for those of you who can't wait to see J. in mountain man form, here are some pics of the race. Click on this one to go to the slideshow:

Atomic Man

On the running front we're tapering (slowing down finally). Chicago is in two weeks. I can't believe it's already here. I've trained for almost 2 years for this--just to be able to finish it. Nothing like delayed gratification.

Whoa . . .

Who votes that J. should take up sailing or golf instead of ultramarathoning?

Remember . . . life is good . . . slow down a bit to enjoy it, J. :).

Life is Good...Dean Karnazes

I just finished reading Dean Karnazes' book. Dean runs farther than anyone, anywhere. He mostly competes in Ultramarathons, which are races ranging in distance from 33 to 150 miles. You may have seen him on the Regis and Kelly show last week running 211 miles nonstop on a treadmill. It took him 48 hours.

The book was truly inspiring. Dean truly lives by the motto, "Run when you can,
walk when you have to, crawl when you must; just never give up."

I've added the Mount Cheaha 50k (31 miles) to my 2009 race schedule and hope to someday complete a 100 mile race.

http://www.pinhoti100.com/mountcheaha50k/

To the Hills of Tennessee

J. likes to punish himself I've decided. Even though J. is feeling under the weather, he's going to put his body through the wringer this weekend.

On top of all this training for the marathon he's decided to squeeze in a half Ironman distance race this weekend--just because he wants to do a half Ironman distance race before the year is over. Half Ironman distance if you're not familiar with it is the following: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run (fun, huh?). To top it off he's picked a race promoted as having the worst hills in any half Ironman distance race (sections of the course are aptly named: Cry Baby Hills and Quad Screaming Hills).

The scenery (and topography) where the race is--Lenoir City, TN--will look something like this:



Hopefully he will not run into anybody that looks like this:



(don't watch Deliverance before heading to hill country)

So think about us this weekend when you're sipping your coffee on a beautiful Fall Sunday morning. I'll be up in the Tennessee mountains chasing after my half-Ironman of a hubby.

Stay tuned for pics of J. in mountain man form.

Good luck, J.! I'm proud of you :).

We haven't even completed the Chicago marathon and J. is already turning his thoughts to the next marathon. He's gearing up for Memphis in December and a repeat performance of the Mercedes in February. I'm definitely in for the half Mercedes--still pondering the whole. A lot of that depends on how Chicago goes!

But the most exciting news is that the other J. (see birthday gal below)--my J.'s mom has signed up for the BE&K 5K! The Mercedes Marathon weekend will be a lot of fun. O. (my youngest sis--pictured above w/ J. and his brother W.) will be running in the kids marathon (something they complete over the course of the school year and finish that weekend--the last mile of the 26.2). J., J., and I will be run/walking the BE&K 5K . . . and an undetermined number of us--M., J., and I will be running either the full or half marathon. We'd love to have you join us for any, all, or either . . .





Visit www.mercedesmarathon.com to check out the route, festivities, and sign up if you're interested. The more the merrier!

Have a great day and keep moving :).

K.

Wordless Wednesday

Puppy Love--'Nuff said. (Rudi is scared of the camera . . . but Stella and Beasley don't seem to mind)

By the Light of the Moon

It definitely wasn't a pretty process, but 20 miles is now under my belt. I owe a huge THANKS to J. He had to stand in as coach, cheerleader, and storyteller this morning. I don't know that I would have made it without him.

It's been a busy week leading up this run--got the paper done. I got six hours of sleep last night after going to class and studying for my exam this morning. J. and I were determined to squeeze this long run in before my 9 a.m. exam so we could have the rest of the weekend to "relax."

So, when the alarm clock went off at 3 a.m. we rolled out of bed, ate, gulped some coffee, attached our red blinking lights (so cars can see us) and started running at 4:05 am. The moon and stars were beautiful, sprinkler mistings plentiful. It's quite peaceful in the neighborhood back roads of Mtn. Brook from 4-6 a.m. Time seems to pass more quickly when you're running in the dark--not sure why but I'm thankful.

I was strong until mile 16 when my knee began to hurt. J. coached me the rest of the way through--mixing in some walking. It was painful for me--and probably painfully slow for J. I'm sure :). Huge THANKS J. I owe ya! But pain aside, 4 hours later we got back to the car--leaving just enough time for me to shower quickly before running down to UAB for my exam (which I was not necessarily in the best mental state for--but it's over).

For the next 48 hours J. and I plan to watch football, play with the pups, enjoy some good food, and relax in every way possible. Hope you all have weekends full of fun!

Downside . . . it took 4 hours. Upside . . . we have carrot cake left!

And--a quick shout out to Meggie! She got 9 miles in for the first time and joined a running club. You go girl! Looking forward to the H'ville and Seaside Half-M's with you.

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." --Dean Karnazes

Life this September

I know. I'm sorry for the hiatus. We're still here. Now we're running in every facet of life. Here's how it goes for the J. and K. these days:

1.5 hours of running + 8 hours of work + 2.5 hours of school + eating + smidgen of leisure = not enough time in the day . . .

But, as J. pointed out, never fear--football is here. There's a lift in the humidity (however so slight) thanks to the hurricane-induced breezes and it's starting to smell like Fall (sort of) :). I'm craving this:



and this:



although I prefer marshmallows a bit more like this:




Why the missive on smores? Because all I can think about right now is anything other than the 12-pager I've put off until tonight (yes, it's due tomorrow night . . .). We're running 20 on Saturday--last long, long run before Chicago (which is now only 4 weeks away!). More on that at a later date--trying to get focused . . .


I've had coffee and carrot cake; now all I need is a little inspiration (hopefully before midnight).

Downside . . . sometimes I forget where I'm supposed to be going. Upside . . . life is definitely not boring.