Yep. I'm a Taurus...

Huh...I generally feel like horoscopes and astrology are just bunk, but I have to say that this one seemed a lot like me...weird. I'm also not happy about the big-bones, weight-gaining thing, but now I can blame that on my sign, apparently.

Strong, dependable Taurus leads the way when it comes to reaping the rewards of hard work. Stable and conservative, Taureans are among the most reliable of the Zodiac. While sometimes viewed as stubborn, this sign will plod along on a task until the very end, ensuring that everything is up to standard. They're highly creative and thoroughly enjoy making things with their hands.

Domestic affairs are very important to the Taurus. Values surrounding family are usually strong and fixed to the point where the Bull will do anything to protect them. Intelligence and a good sense of humor make this sign great company, and Taureans are often sought for advice on the practical way of doing things. Once a friend is made and trusted, this relationship will last for a lifetime. They're loyal and always willing to lend a hand. In fact, many friendships for the Taurus start in childhood. Promises and oaths to others are taken seriously. Time spent with family members is also prized. Taureans adore children, and will be the first at family events such as reunions and holiday gatherings. They love to entertain in their own homes and don't think twice about having a house full of friends and relatives to celebrate life's events.


TAURUS TIDBITS:

Ruling Planet
The ruling planet for Taurus is Venus. This planet's action is gentle and harmonious. It governs beauty, charm, emotional contacts, possessions, unions of all kinds, singing, art, culture, sweets, and moral character.

Color
The color of choice for Taurus is pink.

Gemstone
Taurus' star stone is the emerald.

The Perfect Gift
Soft fabrics, floral scents, cookbooks, flowers, candy

Likes
Gardening, cooking, working with hands, music, romance, high-quality clothing

Dislikes
Sudden changes, complications, insecurity of any kind, synthetic fabrics

Best Travel Destination
Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia

Charismatic marks
Solid, big bones, tendency to gain weight

Best environment
A secluded home close to nature. Good food is also important. Beauty and comfort are a must.


What do you think? Do you match your sign?

Half Marathon Report

The half marathon was great. The getting up early, not so much. Missy remarked to me, "Wow, I am never up when it is this dark," as we drove to the marathon start at 4:30 in the morning. On the other hand, I very rarely wake up when it is light, and when I do, it's with panic in my heart that my alarm didn't go off, even if it's Sunday and I get to sleep in.

We arrived in time to get in the giant porta-potty line, a race tradition for me and Chad. I always choose the line that has lots of pretty girls in it, as opposed to the sweaty chunky guys. Trust me on this. We got the nice girl ahead of us to take pictures of us just before my ex-fiance walked by. That is why I put on a little waterproof mascara before a race (even though he didn't see me, you just never know who you are going to run into). We ran into a lot of my tri friends, some who didn't know I was a twin and was very perplexed at sighting me and Missy together.

Finally, it was time to shuffle to the starting line, and we were off! Chad was off faster than us, even though he wasn't wearing a unitard. Next year we want him to wear his Cousin Eddie swim outfit, flippers and all. He had a PR to get this year (which he did, 1:42...AMAZING!), but next year I think he should aim to get on the news, and a leopard-print speedo and flippers could do it.

Missy and I had fun, most of the time. I think she was annoyed with me when I told her we had to go faster to get under 2:00. Hey, she appointed me time-keeper and gu-giver and I take those tasks seriously. I was getting a little nervous as we hit the hill heading up towards the Capitol, but she kicked it into gear and made a triumphal 1:57 finish into the Gateway. WAY TO GO!

It was a fun event, made even more fun when I got to share it with family (and not run those extra 13.1 miles). Thanks for a fun race, fam!

Salt Lake Half Marathon

This Saturday, Missy and I will run the Salt Lake Half-Marathon together, even if one of us runs like Phoebe. Chad is running it, too, but I'm pretty sure he'll be ditching us in his quest for a PR, hopefully while wearing a spandex unitard.


Who else is running Saturday?

I love to find other running friends...it's really what running is all about for me. Well, that and running away from Satan.

70.3 miles...because 70.4 would be CRAZY!

I am an Ironman! Well...half an Ironman! I finished Oceanside in 6 hours and 21 minutes...I did not get eaten by a shark, and I did not crash my bike.

My race day started at 4:45am...waking up...eating a delicious breakfast cookie...making some last minute preparations...and riding a half mile to the transition zone. It was fun and festive ... meeting new people ... especially the lone 40-year old guy racked with the 30-34 year old women. We think he was lost ... or very very clever. At 7, we sprayed ourselves down, squeezed into our wetsuits, and headed to the water. As I bobbed about in the harbor waiting for the starting horn, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" was playing loudly enough to wake those neighbors who had managed to sleep through the bull horn announcements starting at 4:30 a.m. I felt oddly calm as the horn went off, Eminem's poetic words ringing through my head for the next 40 minutes. I was even amazingly calm when the men's group behind us were let loose and I got an up-close and personal reenactment of spawning salmon, thanks to some over-aggressive men who like to swim over others rather than around them. If you can pick me out in the picture below, I am dang impressed (I'm wearing the yellow swim cap).

Back at the boat harbor, strong-armed servicemen from nearby Camp Pendleton pulled us up the boat ramp and I ran into my transition. I threw in some liquids to wash out the salt, grabbed my helmet, sunglasses, race belt, and threw on my shoes. I was feeling great on the bike. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed looking around at my fellow triathletes. A word of advice to any of you considering this sport...stay away from the white one-piece suits. This may seem obvious to us girls, but a big guy flew past me on the bike, soaking wet from the swim, and as see-through as if his only covering was sunblock. Not exactly the scenery I was expecting...there are rules against public nudity, but apparently his see-through suit is just fine. This pic is like a "Where's Waldo" in transition one...but I think you all can spot me.

The bike course was great...we rode through Camp Pendleton (oorah!) and had a couple of big hills and some wind just to make it fun. My favorite thing was the "Tank Crossing" signage. All-in-all it was really pretty and my 3 hours and twenty minutes on the bike just flew by. Before I knew it, I was spinning back into transition. You can check out my cute spandex-bedecked backside below. I surprised my support crew by coming in early and they managed to get this pic.

I have some pretty good stories about peeing on the bike (not my personal stories), that I will be happy to share with you sometime, but let's just let it be said that I cannot go while riding my bike, and so I used transition 2 to take care of that business. I knew I just had 13.1 miles to go, and if I could get through the next couple of hours, I would be done! I took it easy...walking through the aid stations and enjoying the ocean breeze and coke (I was on vacation after all). I had a bunch of tri-friends on course, so I passed the time looking for them and cheering as they passed. After an hour, I hit the turn-around and knew I was home-free...6 miles to go! And then finally...finally...the finish line!

It was a great feeling to cross the line and hear my name announced (the Australian accent of the emcee made it even more special)! I spotted my mom and her giant flock of balloons easily. It was really a great day and I felt awesome the whole time. So awesome that I celebrated with a big cheeseburger and two baskets of fries.

Thanks friends and family for supporting my crazy hobby! Seriously...if you had told me 10 years ago that I would swim in the ocean, ride a fancy bike, and run in spandex in front of strangers, I wouldn't have believed you. But I'm so grateful for a strong body...there were so many amputee athletes in this race...just watching them persevere through the pain made me so thankful for what I can do.

Oceanside...this will be fun, right?

So, I'm heading to the beach this weekend. That's what I keep telling myself to keep from freaking out when actually I will be 1) swimming 1.2 miles IN THE OCEAN 2) biking 56 miles on a course I have never been on and then 3) running 13.1 miles. I've been having nightmares about swimming in the ocean, with my face actually in the water. I wake up at 3 in the morning, worried about being fast enough to finish the bike before the time cut-off. I'm trying to remember why I signed up for this...and really why I signed up for the full Ironman in a little more than a month. So, here are 70.3 reasons why I am doing this...just kidding...I don't think I could think of 70 reasons...instead, I will just leave you with some of my favorite inspirational quotes...and if you could toss up a little prayer for me on Saturday morning, I could use all the help I can get.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."
-Les Brown

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."
-Muhammad Ali

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."
-Jesse Owens

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."
-PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
-Henry Ford

My Running Buddy...

Apparently there are a lot of people out on nice Saturday mornings...running errands...doing yard work. And apparently you all saw me running...not by myself. Quite a few people came up to me on Sunday, wondering about the guy I was running with. He's my BROTHER, people.

But, just because he's my brother, doesn't mean I would want to run with a totally hot guy unrelated to me. Chad is my perfect running buddy. He is nice enough to meet up with me for runs and Jamba Juices, because sometimes I just don't like going by myself. He runs on my right side so if a car swerves into us, it will run into him first and his body will slow it down before it hits me (chivalry is not dead). He will run at my pace and keep me company when I get tired. We don't get embarrassed about bodily functions with each other...sometimes they are pretty funny (especially at mile 18). He will listen to me blather on when I feel like chatting and pointing out weird things in the gutter. He lets me be the running boss so I can get the workout I need, and he just goes along for the ride.

His wife Jordan is awesome and lets him come run with me and lets him do the races that I talk him into so I won't have to go by myself, even though she could definitely put him to work around the house.

Thanks Chaddie...you're the best...around! I'm glad we are buddies, even though I crane-kicked you in the face when we were kids.

What Can I Eat for 24,705 Calories?

I work out...a lot. My online training program not only logs my workouts, but also the calories I burn. Apparently I burned 24,705 calories last week. So, I wondered what one could eat for that many calories...

I could eat 14 Double-Double meals from In-N-Out along with fries and a chocolate shake...

or 20 1/2 pints of Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.

or I could eat 353 cups of spinach.

I'm anticipating that during my Ironman, I'll burn approximately 11,275 calories. I don't think I'll celebrate with spinach.