Training, Diabetes & Life: Updates! (stay tuned for more)

It has been way too long my friends I apologize. Many BIG things have occurred since we last spoke, I'll try not to let this post be toooooo long ;).

July 3rd:
I had the honor of being a bridesmaid for one of my closest friends Deanna. Let me tell you being a bridesmaid IS as stressful as everyone says but it wasn't because of the bride :). Being a bridesmaid you want to make sure your friend has everything she dreamed of, hoped for, you want everything to be perfect for them. It's there special day. Deanna's wedding was WONDERFUL, she looked beautiful and the entire day went off flawlessly. It was a fairy tale wedding just like their story. She married a great guy but he, well he married a gem. That's my Dee Dee a gem with the biggest heart and always a great attitude. A true friend. I'm glad I could share that day with them. Cheers to Deanna and Frank, wishing you happiness, good health, success, laughter and above all love and friendship throughout your life together.

July 18th: Nautica NYC Olympic Tri
Short of it:

right after I completed my 1st Oly!

It was freaking HOT! 90 degrees, 60 or 70% humidity. HOT. Pretty unbearable. BUT I'm very happy with my times :). My super secret goals were:
Swim: 30 min based on everyone saying current is so fast and it takes me just under 50min to swim a mile.
Bike: 1:30 or 1:40 I wanted my avg pace to be 16. But I wasn't sure I could pull it off cuz that's what I did last year on a flat sprint course.
Run: goal was to try and run straight and walk the stations. Finish in 1:30
(yes I know that's slow).

My results:
swim:19:46 pace 1:11
T1 15:02 (we had 2run just under 1/2 mile 2 T1...I'm just sayin)
bike:1:35:37 avg 15.6
T2 6:47

wearing my t-shirt & medal next day at work :)

run:1:26:04 avg 13:52.
total time 3:43:13
I finished strong and with a smile despite it being so freaking hot and having high BS (blood sugar) since the bike portion (I need to work on BS mgmt while racing). Thank you so much guys for the support!

Long of it:
I competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon NYC Nautica tri; consists of a .90mile swim down the Hudson, 24mile bike on the Westside Highway into the Bronx and back, and 1 loop around Central Park. I had my concerns about the run because its not really my thing and the temps were VERY high with lots of humidity. I was very concerned prior to the race because I had been having a very difficult time training in the heat especially on the runs; plus I hadn't run 6 miles since my half marathon back in April. BUT I did it! It was a very well run race with lots of support although they could have had more run stations. I loved running through the hose. Heaven in that heat. Everyone should do that race at least once and I'm glad that was my first Olympic distance.

On to the next weekend July 23-26:
I went with three friends to Ironman Lake Placid to volunteer. All but one is diabetic and all but one (not same person) will be competing in our first Ironman distance triathlon on July 24th,2011. We were able to ensure our entry by volunteering for this event. The event of all events. One of the most physically challenging and demanding events in the world. Some of you might not know what an Ironman is, I'll tell you:

Ironman distance is the longest distance in triathlon that consists of swimming 2.4miles, biking 112miles and running a marathon 26.2miles. All within 17hours and the allotted time frames for each leg of the race.

Being at Ironman that weekend was inspiring, motivating, thrilling! A complete rush. I had friends and teammates racing at the Placid course so it was great to be able to help them at the aid stations or just cheering for them whenever I caught a glimpse while out on the course. The placid course is a 2 loop course for each leg so while volunteering on the run station I was able to see fresh faces as they made it through the first loop, when it came to the 2nd loop there were a whole other set of faces. Some were wilted, some displayed fierce determination while others just showed a constant smile, there were even athletes forcing themselves to throw up on the course!

Midnight is the 17hour cut off time. Being able to see the last person who made it as an official ironman was nerve racking and exhilarating all at once. The energy of the crowd is ELECTRIC! Volunteering at an Ironman event is humbling and inspiring.

Me right after I signed up for my 1st Ironman!!!! IMLP 2011

The next morning with less than 5 hours sleep feeling like a zombie I waited in line for 4 hours so I could sign up for 2011. Before I even signed those papers and put a small fortune down for the race fee I was committed. Signing those papers only made it official :).