The Beginning of My 46th Year .....

• Woke up at 2 a.m.
  
• Found our "house guest" Mickey crying in the trap in the middle of our family room at 2:25 - as I'm leaving for my triathlon.
  
• 2:26 Wake up the hubby and tell him about Mickey and he (I'm not being sarcastic) happily gets up from bed and goes down stair to escort our guest back home to the field behind our house.
  
• 2:28, my purse isn't in the car.
  
• 2:30, Friends arrive. They got out of their warm beds to drive down and watch me race. I hang with a great bunch of girls don't I?
  
• 2:47, my purse is behind the couch cushion in the front room.
  
• 2:51, hubby kisses me good bye, does the chicken dance and tells me to just have fun. Can you feel the love.
  
• 3 - drink water, 3:30 more water, 4.m. - more water, you see the pattern here ....
  
• 5 - call the girls to tell them I need to pull over to the rest stop that's coming up - 2 miles ahead.
  
• 5:03 a.m. - I'm shaking my fist at the barricades and the closed sign over the rest stop. Total. Complete. Tease.
  
• 5:15 - stop at a gas station about 20 mins from the tri start. Use the washroom, feeling nervous, am so glad Kristin and Caro are there.
  
• 5:51 - Dennis calls. Happy Birthday! Are you nervous? Don't be. You're ready.

6:10 - the girls give me a birthday present .... An Ironman hat, that they signed. I choke up and cry just a little.


• 6:3? - Chip's on, bike's racked. Air is cool. Sun is up. It's almost time.
  
• 6:47 - My mom calls - Happy Birthday. I'm so blessed that she is alive, she is healthy.
  
• 7:03 - I hesitate for some reason during the start. I'm overwhelmed. I'm going to race this race. Leave it all out there. Save nothing when I cross the finish. My day has arrived. It's my turn.
  
• 7:?? - I'm swimming out and see the orange buoy off in the distance. Huh, why is it way over there.
  
• Swim some more, huh, why did the race director put the orange buoy over there?
  
• Swim more and a swimmer cuts across me and then, not 4 minutes before but then I realize I am about 20 yrs out from where I need to be DOH!!!!
  
• 7:?? - Swimming on course. Minding my own business when I .... um ..... violate another swimmer. He wasn't wearing a wetsuit. He did have on tri shorts. The freakish accident did make me swim a little faster ..... eweee.
  
• 7:42? - I'm out of the water. It feels great. Check the watch 0:42. Well, can't get mad. Keep on going .....
  
• 7:42.33 - High five Kristin and Caro
  
• time check ??? - on the bike, somewhere between loving this and hating it, the hate creeps in and takes over.
  
• ??? - realize this is exactly where I want to be. Bye, bye hate. No place other than right here, right now. Life is good. Thank you GOD.
  
• ??? - I am completely surprised at the sight of a tramp stamp, on a man. It's not everyday you see one on a man now is it. Nice distraction.
• See a white catapilar. Not blonde or light brown but white. Actually saw several of them. It's funny what you notice at 16 mph ;)
• ??? - Jockey with a group - Army jersey - 28 a/g, red tri top girl - 33 a/g, colorful bike shirt man - ?, and me. We encourage each other each time one passes the other.
  
  T2 - Finally off the bike, time to run. Very cute young man wishes me happy birthday! Hey, how does he know. Then I see him talking with Kristin! She is a stitch. She's wearing her Warrior Dash hat now.
• Leaving T2 - I hear chants from K and Caro - keeps me smiling even though I wanted to puke. For really, I was feeling like I was gonna lose all my mango and 48 ounces of water.
  
• Run time??? - It's tough out there. Red tri top girl passes me around mile 1.5. She looks awesome. I want that feeling.
  
• ???? - "TOOT TOOT, go go, BEEP BEEP" it wasn't Donna Summers singing or a train going by, and I couldn't blame the runners in front or behind me. My stomach wasn't settling down!
  
• ??? - Turn around for my 2nd loop on the run when this little dog, on a long leash, starts jumping on me. Where did he come from? His owner is yelling at me not to be scared. WHAT?!
  
• Run time ??? - I high 5 Red Tri top girl one more time. She's heading home. She's about a mile in front of me now.
  
• Run time??? - K and Caro are cheering and yelling for me. I'm finishing. I'm crying just a little.
  
• Post Race - I'm feeling happy. Over the moon. I raced. I left it all out there. A lot of it in gas form :) I'm disappointed with my time. It doesn't reflect what I know I'm capable of but I'm happy because I did it. I'm done. HR was good. Support was awesome. I cry, I laugh. I'm blessed.
  
• PR - K and Caro sing Happy Birthday at a picnic table by the lake. We eat a giant chocolate chip cookie. MMMMMM. The sun is shining. There is a cool breeze. (OK is was really windy but this is my birthday rendition of the truth so today it was a cool breeze) And we laugh, and laugh and laugh some more about the day.

Honey

Honey, honey, honey ....

I used to hear about the medicinal effects of honey. Having the kind of allergies I have people tend to throw all kinds of home remedies at me. After trying many as a child I became sceptical of all of them. I would do my best to politely listen to what ever "wonder power, super food or powder or air machine" the person believed in but would toss the idea far back in the closet of my mind.

Scott loves local honey with the honey comb in it. Every fall at at the Frankfort Fall fest I go buy him a couple of jars. S & S Apiaries, on south outer boarder of the all the vendors, right next to a jewelry dealer. Please, if you go, leave a couple of jars for me. :)

OK, so after the whole Graves disease thing I decide I need to change my eating habits. For real this time. I started eating Greek yogurt. I liked it, kind of. The health benefits for eating Greek yogurt apposed to the regular stuff is 2 fold. Most regular stuff is high in fat and carbs. Even the plain flavor. So for a little more money I was buying the large plain Greek stuff. Choking it down was tough, think sour cream. So, I'm riffling thru the cabinets to find something to change the flavor of this stuff and find the local honey. You know what happened next. A table spoon a day with a cup of Greek yogurt. It became addicting! Thankfully Scott forgot we had the honey and I had 2 full jars of it. I ate it all winter and spring. I ran out of it by May but I think the affects of eating had been set in place.

It was a tough allergy season, I barely felt it. Poor Zak really suffered through it. To the point that he was placed on a steroid nasal spray. At first I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so good and he wasn't. Then I remember the honey and how several people over the years suggested that I try it. Wish dust mites created something we could eat ;)

So, if you're suffering with spring and fall allergies I suggest you give a tablespoon of honey a day a try. It has to be locally grown honey, not the store bought stuff. Believe it or not there is a difference in taste. Trying it just might keep you from having to take those over the counter meds that claim they don't make you drowsy when they really do. Oh, one more thing, if you are allergic to bees don't eat the honey. It's likely you will have an allergic reaction. Also, if you get the honey with the comb, be aware that a bee stinger or 2 could be in the comb.