Sleeping in...

...and totally by mistake. The whole plan for this morning was to get up around 5:30 and meet Kelly (aka - one of the best training partners/ultra marathoners out there!) at 7 at Seaside for a stellar 10 mile run. Well - I shot up and grabbed my trusty I phone to see what time it is. CRAP! Why won't it turn on!?!? Ahhh! It's dead? What!?!? The sun is up! What time is it? I grabbed big J's phone about ready to have a heart attack..and what do I see? 6:38. Ok. I can't sleep past 7 if my life depended on it. But still...I was late.

So I ran down stairs - grabbed my other phone to call up Kelly. Thankfully she was just about ready to jump into her car to meet me. No biggie. She just ran from home - and I did the same. Instead of have stimulating conversation - we where stuck with our I-pods. Oh well :) It happens.

So after that mini-breakdown, I threw on my running shoes and took off. Right now I'm hooked on 'fist pumping good time' house music when I run - which I've found some pretty awesome pod-casts to listen to. I just turn it up and zone out. The weather was perfect - 49, sunny, but there was some wind. Wonderful morning for a run.

I felt amazing. My goal pace was 8:50 avg - but I ended up at 8:40 for the 10 miles, which is my goal pace for ING at the end of the January. I was on cloud nine once I hit home. For the past two years or so, I have always ran with a group of people. But it's amazing what your body can do when you are by yourself. No pressure - except for your own goals.

Anyway - after the run, I had to knock out a few domestic duties before everyone else in Panama City Beach woke up. So I stopped at a gas station hoping for chocolate soy milk for a little post run treat. All they had was chocolate milk...ummm...my body is not a fan of milk. So I ended up getting muscle milk. This is new to me, but it is lactose free and full of protein. Why not give it a try? Gross. Ugh. Never again. I'd rather risk it with the milk next time.



Also - did anyone else watch KONA on tv today? It was great! But also the same old same old. I really wish NBC sports would put just a litte more focus on age groupers. We all know who won...and that they are amazing athletes no doubt! But give us some normal people! :) Also, the guy off of biggest loser? He did finish the race...just over (like by a few minutes) from the run cutoff. I really wish they would have mentioned that. And yes...I did have tears in my eyes!! (and if you watched it...I know you did too!)

Happy Saturday everyone!

My "I Will" List

The new year is right around the corner, what are you going to do that will make 2010 different then any other year? After reading Missy's 12 Challenges for 2009 last year - I was blown away. Why not make a challenging list to start of the new year...but better yet, not only make it a challenge, make it AWESOME.

I was on the 'most expensive yoga/running clothes but I love' web site the other day and came across this 'I Will List'



Wow. What an amazing concept. Kind of puts some pressure on you if you have an 'I will' list. I mean, I wish is one thing..but I will? What would you put on an 'I Will' list to kick off the new year? I have items in mind..but I will need to fine tune a few before I post them. Maybe I can find an App for my IPhone to keep my ass in gear? :)

I found my new guilty pleasure to replace Rock of Love. Jersey Shore. I know I know, cheesey - but they crack me up. I have learned a few things though...one being that I would never fit in at the Jersey Shore and there is no way I could go out until 4am everyday for a fist pumping good time - but I might be able to get my hair high enough. Maybe...

...ok. Maybe not. BUT at least I will have a sweet nick name thanks to this LINK Just call me The Opportunity. :)

Don't forget!! KONA will be on ABC tomorrow (Saturday) at 3:30 central time!!

Old School Ironman

Remember this guy?


Only the COOLEST guy I saw on the bike course in IMFL

Well, I got an E-mail from him. His name is Glen Jusczyk. It ends up that he is the 'Old School Ironman'. Per his WEBSITE this is how he rocks out his races...

Year 3 of Old School.

NO WETSUIT
BMX BIKE FOR RIDE. ONE SPEED.
BAGGY CARGO SHORTS FOR SWIM
NO BIKE SHORTS
MID CALF SOCKS
RUN WITH SAME CLOTHES FROM BEGINNING
BACKWARD TRUCKER CAP

HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THAT?

Check out his site because he also raises money for some great non-profits.

As Glen says..."Ordinary people can do extraordinary things" And Glen's next extraordinary thing? IMKY.

In other news...Big J totally hooked it up with the most amazing dinner tonight..

Why won't the car start?

Before I dive into what happened over the weekend, I would like to thank everyone for the help with my 'tight ass' issue from my last post. I have been focusing on my stretching and my runs have felt better. You guys are awesome!

So Big J and I headed down to Lake Mary (Orlando) this past weekend for my work Christmas Party. It was great to meet every ones significant other and see everyone all dressed up senior prom style. But since I do live in 6 hours away, it's a weekend ordeal. So after drinking all weekend (did I mention that our company also owns an Irish Pub...that is walking distance from the hotel that we always stay in) and having a good time.



Anyway, Sunday we where cruising home and we stopped at one of those weird turnpike rest stops. For those of you who live in Florida, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who don't, it a stop in the middle of the turnpike where you can get anything from gas to KFC to a bag of oranges and even tickets to Walt Disney World. So we hop back into the Jetta, and it won't start. Are you kidding me. We are 5 hours away from home.

So Big J has me go in to the 'wal-mart of gas stations' to get a coke. Who knew that coke would eat away corrosion on a battery? Gross. I'm never going to drink a soda again. Ever. Anyway, that did not work. Crap. So we go to the gas station 'section' and the attendant calls some super secret guy. And this guy shows up...

Ahh! The sky opened up and the sun shown down on this blessed man. He gave us a jump...and we where on our way!


Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Running Question

Ok, I've been very lucky to have never have any major running injury. And I've been playing this game for quite awhile now. But lately, right below my hip bones (side butt area?) I've been stiff/just a bit of pain, in both legs. Not so bad that I am unable to run, but it's just really annoying. Anyway, it used to hit me around mile 12 or so. But yesterday, it kicked in around mile 5 of a 7 mile run. Anyone else have his tightness? I'm going to start up yoga again, hoping that this will help out. :)

Random picture of the day -




You KNOW you are in Panama City Beach when you see this awesomeness! Business in the front...party in the back!

The princess will be happy

For the past year or so that I've been 'biking' I have taken the old school route of shoving my bike into the back of the Jetta or the FJ. Well, it's becoming more and more of a pain. And I don't want to crack the princess. So Christmas came early for me...

Bike rack! Whoohoo! Thanks UPS man! And how do you like the fuzzy Christmas tree with the sweet fish ornaments? And as you can see, Jason was pretty excited about putting the bad boy together:

So now the princess has a new chariot.

But not only was there a bike rack in the box...but also a sweet Splish suit!


Thanks Santa!

Small Rant...very small...

I love lululemon. LOVE IT. I have a few jackets that I purchased off of E-bay before they opened up their online store which I wear all of the time. I'm a huge fan of stretchy pants and tops that I can wear all of the time, wash 100000 times, and it still looks good. Specially since I live in FL where it does not get really 'cold' but it does get pretty darn chilly. But really. Does it have to be so expensive? $98 for a pair of pants? Ugh. I just want to cry everytime I look at their site.

BUT if you are looking for some pretty sweet hair bands to run, bike, or just to wear all of the time ...check out BondiBand. They have so many fun designs...hello Christmas gifts for almost everyone!

I finally got over my mental '17 mile' mark. I've been dealing with the guy for awhile. I have no issues with running 17 miles. None at all. My long run for the past 3 months has been anywhere from 15-17 miles. But I think boredom sets in...and I'm ready to be finished. So. I decided to break through that wall like the freaking Kool-Aide man. And I did. Rocked out an awesome 20 mile run yesterday with a 9:09 avg pace. Whoohoo! Take that wall. I came though you with ninja force!

Here are a few pictures from our last fishing venture...now our freezer is filled with some fresh fish goodness!!





OH YEAH! I almost forgot! We got into St. Anthony's!! Whoohoo!! I've never been so exctied about a triathlon!! If you are planning on rocking it out as well.. LET ME KNOW!!

I am blessed!

I woke up this morning and headed over to 30A to meet up with one of the greatest woman ever, Kelly. She is one of those training partners who you can call and say 'I'm running 20 miles today, and I really don't want to go by myself.' and with no thought at all, Kelly is all over it. She is an amazing ultra marathoner - and I am so blessed to have her in my life.

ANYWAY - as I'm dropping off the water stash at a trail head to the state park, I'm pulling out and see a BLACK BEAR crossing the road. A BIG black bear. Needless to say, we decided to stay out of the state park for this run. So I met up with Kelly and got in a stellar 10 miles at an 8:49 avg. Met up with Karen (who did IMFL in a Sub 13!!) and we ran the last 7 miles ending up with an 8:53 avg. I really did not know I had that in me. My running is feeling so amazing, I can't help but have a huge grin on my face.

When we came back to Seaside and I ran into my good friend Em that I have not seen in awhile. So we ate an amazing breakfast of black beans, plantains, and an egg - which was amazing:


After that - we cruised the farmers market and got WONDERFUL fresh veggies. Ahhh..could this day get any better? YES! Phone call from a friend that her boyfriend (finally!!) proposed. So congrats to Dawn and Brian!
Halloween 2009 -


I have Will's number for IM Cozumel!!! 1931!! So, if you feel like stalking tomorrow - please do!!

Happy Saturday everyone!!

Wedding fotos make me cry..in a good way!

One of my best friends was married over the summer - here are a few 'professional' fotos - hope they put a smile on your face! I don't know what it is about fotos of great times, with amazing friends and making wonderful memories that seem to bring a tear to my eye. Give a good friend a call today. :)

Happy Sunday!

Yule Log on demand? Who would have thought?

Good luck to everyone racing IMAZ on Sunday! If you are stalking people online - check out some fellow training partners:

Missy: 2598
Lisa: 2664
Burk: 1326
Michael: 1044 (1st one!!!)
Kent: 1709

IMAZ Crew:



We decided to have a 'tri' training girls night the other night (aka - eat good food and drink a ton of wine) and Kelly decided to make some posters for us to post on The Face for our friends:





And in other IM news - as everyone knows, my homestay Will was not able to compete in IMFL due to being sick. Well, he did get into IM Cozumel! I do not have his number yet - but I will post it as soon as Will forwards it on. (side note - Bree Wee is racing (my FAV pro!!) I told Will to tell her hi for me!)



Random News:

So I ran Draggin' Tail 18 mile race today. It's held in the ONLY part of Northern Florida that has massive hills. No lie. But it's a great training run and put on by a very fun group of people. My whole goal was to keep with a 9 min pace and then the last four miles pick it up to 8:30. I was rocking out about an 8:50 pace until mile 11. When my tummy said STOP! YOU WILL NOT GO ANY FURTHER! Well, when the tummy talks, I have no choice but to listen. And this run it literally in the middle of no where. No 'emergency' stopping areas. Needless to say - I only completed 12 miles. So my focus the new few weeks will be my DIET so I don't run into that issue again!

Yule log - I found that channel today. For some reason it's on demand. So starting next Friday - I know what our big tv will be on!

Yet there is another 'Little Chloe' out there - (who would have thought!) and she raced in the regional cross country meet today! Stop by her mom's BLOG check out her season!

Good luck to everyone else who is racing this weekend!

Chloe vs. the Treadmill

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job. But I do have to travel. So once a week or so I'm in a constant battle with this guy:


The treadmill.

Why is it that I can run 20 miles on the road with no problem - but it's like pulling teeth to get a measly 4 miles on the treadmill. All I can say is thank goodness for my Ipod. And why is it that hotels seem to think it's an excellent idea to put the treadmill right in front of a full length mirror? I really don't want to stare at myself while I'm going through this torture!! Well, I can check four miles off of that big guy last night.

Right now I'm watching the Today show and I noticed two things:

1. On Al's weather map of the West Coast - Forks, WA is listed. Is he secretly hooked on the Twilight series? Is he a closet addict? Why else would that small town be listed?? Hmmm...

2. Crazies holding 20 hostages at a TJ Maxx in Florida? Why does all of this crazy stuff seem to happen in the sunshine state?

Happy hump day everyone!

Florida IRONMAN!

Wow! What an AMAZING weekend! I freaking love when IM is in town. Hot guys everywhere along with people who enjoy (or obsess - whatever you want to call it)running, biking, and swimming.

Drafting was not as bad as it was last year - but people STILL complain about it. Seriously people - ride your own race. But we did see some pretty awesome things on the course such as this guy:

Yes, he is on an BMX with bottle cages on the back. We just HAD to talk to him. We chatted for a bit and he had the BEST attitude. That bike was actually sent to him a few days before the race - and he MADE THE CUTOFF! I was so excited to see that when I got home - that he did complete the whole race.

I need to brag a bit for my awesome training partners who rocked out the race:

Karen - beat her goal of sub 13 hours by 9 min with a 12:51:08! One of the BEST training partners ever. I'm so blessed to have her (and her family) in my life.



Jeff - he calls himself a 'B' triathlete since he likes to drink :) but he's been swimming, biking, and running for over 20 years. This year he jumped to the IM race distance - did IMKY and raced in IMFL. Finished with a 12:21:44 on his birthday. And yes, he wore that hat the WHOLE marathon.



Alan who has been having knee problems the week prior to the race - still had a great time of 12:44:05



And Brett - who is a prostate cancer survivor. He was diagnosed last December and is now doing IMFL in 11:39:10! He's a huge inspiration to anyone he talks to. And after the race - he looked like he just finished up a 5 mile run!



And a few more random pictures...






A huge congrats to everyone who raced! Everyone is so inspirational!

FINALLY back in town!

It's Ironman time! I've been in Orlando since Monday for work and just DYING to be home! I'm back today and SO exicted to go with my friends today to help them check in their bikes as well as check out all of the 'stuff' at the expo. Oh yeah - check out the smoking hot guys as well wondering around!

Sad news about Will, our homestay. He's sick. He went to the doctor yesterday - got some meds and ordered not to do any training for 10 days!! BUT being the awesome person that he is, he's already signed up for Cozumel which is Nov 29th to reach for that Kona spot. AND it just so happens that Big J knows a ton of people down there what Will is able to stay with. I'll keep you posted on how this rolls out. I am SO bummed he's not racing - but if he's not 100% he made the right decision to opt out. But other then that - Will is awesome. If for those of you that are reading and have an IM in your area - DO A HOMESTAY! It was such a great experience and I can't WAIT to do it again next year.

I'll no doubt be stelthy with my photography skills the next few days - hopefully I will get some interesting pictures :)

Happy Friday everyone!!

"My, it's humid here"

Will, our homestay, got here safe and sound. We decided to go and check out the gulf first thing. Right when we got to the end of the boardwalk, Will looks at me and says "My, it's humid here". Yes. Yes it is.

I'm afraid to say that it's going to be a hot one this year. It's about 3:30 right now, and about 85 outside. Hot, sunny, and humid. Awesome. So Will decided that to acclimate himself to the weather, all of the vents in his room are closed, the fan is off, and the windows are open. Needless to say, his room is like a sauna!

But he is an awesome homestay and we're having a great time. I think he's enjoying the fresh fish and stone crab claws which Jason has been cooking every night as well as meeting my tri friends. He was surprised of how large of a group we have and how friendly everyone is. Well, we tend to dis-associate ourselves with assholes - so I guess we did a good job. Just kidding. Kind of.

Training is going well here. My running is still feeling awesome and my biking is as well. But I did find a new nutrition drink, FRS. I guess they have it in several different forms - but I have the powered mix. They come in small packets and are great 'natural energy' boosters. It has ZERO sugar and only 10 calories per serving. I just like the way they taste and how good they make me feel - plus Lance is all about it so it must be good. Right :) Check it out if you are looking for something new to sip on mid-afternoon besides ...ugh...coke or something like that.

Home Stay!!

This is Will Alexander Franc - well, an old photo I stole from the good old Facebook:



Ok - this is him now:


He's a Swiss Pro who is going to rock out IMFL this year and hopefully qualify for Kona. He should be flying into good old Panama City Beach sometime tomorrow. Jason and I are so excited to open our house to someone from another country and hopefully make his IMFL experience an amazing one. I'll post his race number as soon as we find out what it is.

I know I've been a non blogger for the past week - but my mom came into town! We not only saw Willie Nelson (yes, it was awesome) but we saw several amazing local bands the whole time she was here. One quick question - have I just not been to a 'big' concert in a long time - or is it common for people to record the WHOLE concert on their cell phones?

Anyway - we had a great time while she was in town. Not only did we hear some great music, drink a ton of wine, got in a few good runs, but she also helped me 'decorate' the new place (which she loved). I can't wait to see my family Christmas. I know, I'm a total dork, but I love my family :)

Heat wave no more!

Yesterday morning I woke up - hopped into the F-J Cruiser to meet everyone for a ride, and saw this:


Are those arm warmers? Why yes, they are :)


When the gulf is warmer then the air - the water is such an amazing color:


HELLO FALL! I welcome you with open arms! What a great ride we had (minus the hurricane force winds) not sweating our asses off. I don't know about you - but I run and bike so much better when the humidity is low and the air is cool. Ahhh...let the marathon training come into full force!

Speaking of marathon training - if you are looking for some amazing music to run with check out Tiesto's Club Life It's a weekly podcast that I've been loading onto the trusty pink I-pod and rocking out to. Each pod cast is about an hour long and has an amazing tempo to get lost in while cranking out the miles.

Ok - so I went and saw Paranormal Activity this past week. Scariest movie I have ever seen. But I loved it! If you are thinking about going - DO!! No one left the theater until the lights where on. It was that good.

Congrats to anyone who raced this weekend!!

Heat Wave!

Dear For Those Of You Up North:

PLEASE stop hogging all of the cold weather and send some down here!

Love:
Chloe (and the rest of Florida)

Yes, it's been very hot and humid here. So much so that I've been getting mad on the long runs. Seriously. This is what my car said this morning - at 4:30:



I really wanted to punch something (or someone) when I saw that. Thankfully this morning it was overcast - BUT STILL! It's freaking OCTOBER! I really hope it cools down from IMFL in three weeks! Ok. I'm down with my rant about mother nature.

BUT I have been loving coconut water. What? You've never heard of it? It is probably the best recovery drink ever. I'm not huge on sugary goodness (aka Gatorade) - so this is right down my alley. These bad boys are chalk full of potassium with nothing artificial. Just 100% coconut water. There are several brands out there - but so far all of them have been just fine with me. If you have not tried it - grab one (available at health food stores)and enjoy it after a long hard workout.

Here is the current selection in the fridge:


In 'healthy habit' news:

My week of revving up my training and eating healthy - I have not felt better! The salad thing worked like a champ and I really think taking iron supplements have really helped with my energy level. So - if you are at wal-mart, pick one of those salad guys up. Well worth the $5.00!!

Good luck to everyone racing in Kona and Chicago this weekend!

Biggest Loser to Ironman

Check this out... IRONHOOVER Be sure to read the last paragraph. Thoughts? Feelings?

I'm not trying to bash anyone by any means - but I would be scared S***less to be in that position! There is a pretty big difference between a 70.3 and a full! But I hope he does well and is able to make the cut-offs and hopefully have a positive influence on people who are watching!!

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow!!!