Du-in' the Du

Here is a picture of Julie and our friend Jen after they completed the Iron Girl duathlon on Sunday. Way to go ladies!!

When the Rain Comes

So, today a co-worker and I decide that, since it’s raining, let’s figure out how to take the skyway to our bus stop. He tells me “Paaaat, we can just get on the bus in the Gateway station. It’s huge inside and covered. All the buses are there and we won’t get wet.”

We make our way through the skyway which goes a round-about way, much longer than just taking the streets, but it’s raining out so we decide to sacrifice time to stay dry. His bus leaves 5 minutes before mine so about ¾ of the way there he decides to sprint ahead. That’s cool. No problem. Knock yourself out, I say.

I get to the Gateway station (if that’s what it’s called) and make my way down the stairs, walk through the door, and watch my bus pull out into the rain – making his way to the stop I NORMALLY board at. At this point I look around and see rows of buses waiting to depart, but no people getting ON the buses. Ok, that’s odd, where am I supposed to get on the bus?

At the front of one of the lines is a Southwest bus, but it’s not one that goes to Chaska. I walk up to the door at which point the driver reluctantly opens it and I ask him if people can board the buses here. He informs me “No, you have to board at the first stop. You can’t board here.” Great. So much for staying dry.

Since I missed my usual bus I got on my phone to find out when the next bus is scheduled to leave. After all, I want to minimize my time in the rain as much as possible. By this time it’s pouring outside.

Two minutes later the bus driver I just spoke with yells over to me. I turn around and he’s outside his bus waving me over. He leads me to another Southwest bus and says “This is the bus you want. He stops in Chaska.” I thank him and board the bus, remaining dry the entire time.

So, note to self: You can’t board the bus at Gateway no matter what others tell you, and allow an extra 10 minutes the next time you decide to take the skyway.

Lyric of the Day:
“Can you hear me that when it rains and shines it’s just a state of mind?
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?” – “Rain”, The Beatles

Editors Note: “Rain” by the Beatles is one of their best songs. If you never heard it I recommend watching it here. Most excellent.

Thursday Morning Donut Club

I’ve seen a LOT of ads (billboards, bus signage, bus stop vestibule shelter thingies, etc) that are promoting Meyer’s Cleansers. New? Old? Not familiar.

I like Thursdays. Every Thursday morning at work is Donut Club which consists of everyone that’s in my group and the group that my group is in and the group that that group is in and then the group that that group’s group is in. Get it? Don’t matter. Anyway, we all rotate and take turns bringing in donuts for everyone in the above-mentioned groups.

So every Thursday morning I look forward to sitting in a conference room, eating a donut, and NOT talking about work. That’s one of the rules of Donut Club – no discussions of work. They’ve even gone as far as to provide a list of acceptable donut shops and also ones that are big NO-NO’s. Don’t bring in donuts from a gas station or you will be shot on sight. And, don’t go getting all healthy and bring in things like fruit – also grounds for extermination. Bagels are ok, but that’s pushing the envelope. They must be carb-laden, artery-clogging, lip-smacking pastries from heaven. No exceptions. And God help you if you forget and it’s your day to bring them in. I tell you, this is serious business!!

But another reason I like Thursdays is because it’s Friday Eve, and I really like Fridays. It’s amazing how just being able to wear jeans can have such an impact on one’s disposition. Comfort may not automatically lead to happiness, but it certainly helps. I’m not a big fan of ties, and I know I’m getting no sympathy from you woman who always counter that it’s much worse for you, but I STILL don’t like ties. Target will let you avoid the tie if you wear a red shirt and khakis, the Target uniform if you will. That helps, and some people I think wear red and khaki every single day. That’s cool, but that’s a little too much for me.

Today I have on a red polo and khaki pants, and since I need to go to the store tonight I will definitely change first. I’ve heard stories of other HQ folks, who will stop at a store to do some shopping, wearing their Target shirts and khaki pants, and guests will ask them for help. That’s cool, and I normally don’t have a problem with that, but I’m off the clock. Although, some would say I’m off the clock even when I’m ON the clock. But I digress…

Anyway, bottom line is I like Thursdays and love Fridays. And it’s a pretty good restaurant, too.

Lyric of the day:
"Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln" - "Hot Rod Lincoln", Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen

Old School

The decision to complete an Ironman has pretty much dominated any down time I’ve had over the last couple weeks. As Kimmi can attest that’s been the main crux of our conversations since she crossed that finish line in Madison. But, for those that don’t get it or don’t particularly want to hear about it in another post I’ll try to avoid the subject today. I don’t, however, make any promises.

We purchased a new camera on Friday. We got the Nikon D80 after going back and forth between that and the Canon Rebel XSi. We went to National Camera after work and less than half way through the conversation with the salesman Julie had already glazed over and I’m sure was contemplating ways to extract herself from the situation.

I think we exhausted just about every possible combination of lens and camera body before settling in on our (or my) decision. Cost was the main factor in the decision but I know I couldn’t go wrong either way, which helped.

So, the next time you see me I may have the new toy in hand, and will probably attempt to take your picture without you knowing as I often do. So be prepared, and try to clean yourself up a little. Any bad pictures I’ve ever taken are never MY fault. HA!

The bus has definitely gotten much busier over the last couple months. Sometimes it’s standing room only so I try to catch the bus at one of the first stops downtown on the way home so I get my pick of seats in which to be trapped for the 30 minute ride home. I need my space, people!!!

Julie has her Iron Girl Duathlon this Sunday in Bloomington. She is ready to rock it. She’s been going to a new clinic/chiropractor that is really helping her with the aches and pains she’s had during training. I believe I’ll be going there soon as well to have them help me with my shin splints and other aggravations.

But back to my point, if you’re looking for something to do Sunday morning and you have that uncontrollable itch to scream and dress in wacky clothing (not optional!!) then stop down and cheer our girl on! She’d love to have you.

Julie ordered us some trainers and they were delivered this week. Sweet! Now we can train on our own bikes this winter. We’ll be converting the basement bedroom into a spin room and equipping it with a TV/DVD so we can watch Spinerval DVDs. I hear they can be tough workouts.

Check out this post from Jon’s blog about his daughter. What an amazing girl, or, as Jon says, an amazing little lady.

Give me your thoughts? Do you like the random posts or the more personal, more in-depth posts? Just curious.

Lyric of the Day:
“Stood alone on a mountain top starin’ out at the great divide
I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin’ and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon my heart was singin’” – “Roll Me Away”, Bob Seger

P.S. One of my favorite songs of all time. Awesome.

Dear Friends, New Links

Thanks to everyone who has offered their congratulations to my decision to do an Ironman, and thanks to those who think I’m crazy. I think the jury is still out and the truth is probably somewhere in between.

I’ve made some changes to the blog, mainly with the addition of several new blogs which are now linked to the right. These are all very good friends and fellow TNT alum who have been blogging for a while but I haven’t taken the time to link them. Very entertaining blogs that are worth the read.

We have Marc whom I first met last year when he signed up for the Lake Tahoe century ride through TNT. He’d be the first to say he’s a big man, but will also be the first to tell you he’s getting smaller! He completed that century ride, has since done the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, and has begun to train for his triathlon, which will make him a fellow triple crowner! As you’ll see TNT has changed his life as it has for so many of us. He’s an inspiration to say the least.

We also now have Jon linked. He joined TNT I believe back in 2006 when he trained and completed the Phoenix Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. He’s since moved on to triathlons and I believe a century ride is soon in his future – right Jon? A dry sense of humor and smashing good looks - much like me. Check him out as well.

Kris’ blog is also now linked. Kris has done many events with TNT, most recently the Lake Tahoe century ride this past June. Or was it Life Time in July? Or the Twin Cities Marathon coming up in 3 weeks? You get the point. She’s a TNT and endurance event addict, and has signed up to do the Ironman Wisconsin in 2009, so you can follow her struggles and victories as she makes the Ironman journey. Another dear friend.

Misty. Boy, how do I describe Misty? She’s a freaking ball of energy, a tremendous spirit, a wicked sense of humor, a big heart, a hockey player and a black belt. I’m sure I left out some stuff, but if you’ve met her you’ll know how hard it is to nail this woman down. She also first joined TNT in 2007 for the Lake Tahoe Century Ride and has since become a coach for the cycling program. She’s now training for her first marathon which will be in Phoenix in January. She wears her heart on her sleeve and on her blog, so be sure to check her out as well. Oh, and she’s single. :-)

They’re all fantastic people and dear friends to Julie and me. I know I’ve probably mentioned this a million times on the pages of this blog, but the people we’ve met through TNT have become the dearest of friends. Rarely, very rarely, do you meet someone through this program that you wouldn’t want to hang out with, to lean on, to call “friend”. If you’ve ever considered doing an endurance event through TNT I promise you that you’ll get out of it way more than you put in. It’s not even close.

Flying Without a Plane

Over the weekend I had the good fortune of seeing both Kimmi and Rachel again. Both, as I’ve already told you, are newly crowned Ironmen. And in the back of my mind I’ve toyed very lightly with the idea of doing an Ironman myself. VERY LIGHTLY.

And that started last year when Julie and I watched Safety Bob and Coach Mike complete their Ironman races, also in Madison. But, as I said, the thought of doing one myself was only lightly entertained. That all changed last weekend when Julie and I witnessed the event firsthand.

As I sat down with Kimmi on Saturday it was obvious she was still on an emotional high and rightly so. I started picking her brain about all things Ironman, and it became even more solidified in my mind that this is something I too wanted to add to my endurance resume.

One thing that Kimmi highly recommended to me was that I keep a journal of my daily experiences, documenting the highs and lows which will be taking place over the next 24 months. I plan to do just that, and some of it I’m sure will appear on this very site.

Today I had an IM conversation with Kimmi, whom, along with the aforementioned Ironmen, I will be continually leaning on for inspiration, advice and support. I mentioned to her that only two months ago I was incredibly happy that I was only doing the sprint distance at Life Time and now I’m making a commitment to complete a half Ironman in 2009 and a full Ironman in 2010. Boy, how things change!

During our conversation I sent out my TNT Quote of the Day and as I searched for the right quote I saw a number of quotes that took on even more meaning now that I’ve made his commitment. One of them is below. This quote really made me think about what Kimmi and Rachel must have been feeling on race day and what they’re still feeling. They both appear to be on cloud nine, and you can’t remove the smile from their faces if you tried.

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” – Charles Lindbergh

I sent the quote to Kimmi and asked for her thoughts. This was her response. “That's a pretty good idea of what it feels like - and how I felt the entire day out there. It wasn't that I was racing - it's that I was truly living for an entire day.”

Sometimes, and not very often, one gets so much adrenaline or endorphins or such a high that it's like your body is straining to contain your spirit - an almost out of body experience. That's what I picture it will be like when I cross that finish line in Madison. I want to do this, to push myself like I’ve never been pushed before. Quite frankly I’m scared to death thinking about it, but I can’t wait to experience it.

Women of Iron, Part 2

This past weekend Julie and drove to Madison to surprise Kimmi and Rachel and to cheer them on as they completed Ironman Wisconsin. The weekend was incredible and I’m proud to say that Kimmi and Rachel are now IRONMEN!!! Congratulations again, ladies!!

We got into town late Saturday afternoon and met up with them at dinner. I was amazed at how calm they were considering the next day they’d be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and finishing with a 26.2 mile full marathon! I think I would be a nervous wreck and not be able to eat, but they were very much in control.

Saturday morning we got up a little after 4AM to allow us enough time to drive into downtown Madison and find a place to park. We ran into Kimmi and Rachel as they were making last minute preparations for the race. The anticipation and excitement was more evident and I tried to put myself in their shoes. I remember how nervous Julie and I were before our first Olympic distance triathlon and yet they had nerves of steel.

We met up with the rest of the folks who traveled down to cheer them on. We went down to the waters edge and watched as the athletes slowly made their way into the lake. The starting line for the swim is actually out in the water – they don’t run into the lake to start the swim – so they have to swim out about 50 yards and tread water while they waited for the canon to go off signaling the start of the race. Some people were standing near the shoreline and didn’t go in until the start, which is just what I would do. Swimming 2.4 miles will be hard enough without treading water for 5 minutes first.

The swim course is a 1.2 mile lap that they do twice. Watching from the shore it looked like a washing machine as all you could see were arms flailing and water flying. According to K & R it’s pretty brutal for the first ½ mile or so as people try to get position. Kim said she was kicked in the face and her goggles were pushed to the side so she had to swim with one eye open until she could get to a place where she could fix it. You’re definitely kicked and punched (not intentionally) as most of the swimmers try to get into position. That’s exactly the reason I would swim to the outside and get away from all the competitive swimmers, but that’s just me.

Once they started the swim the rest of us went to breakfast and grabbed some sandwiches to go. We headed back to the transition area and cheered on K & R as they ran to their bikes. It’s pretty cool how it all works. When they get out of the water there are volunteers there who help them get out of their wetsuits. They yank it off you and hand it to you as you enter the back of the hotel (I think it’s a hotel, or a conference center, heck, I don’t know.) to pick up your first transition bag, move to a ballroom, and they help you change into your bike gear. They have volunteers that slap sunscreen on you and when you get out to your bike they have another volunteer who is holding your bike for you. Pretty slick.

After K & R had started the ride we jumped on a shuttle that took us to the bike course. The bike also has a loop that the athletes have to ride twice around. We were at a spot in that loop – at mile 56 on the first loop and around mile 96 on the second loop. There were concession stands, race officials who where announcing riders as they passed by, and food/water “stops” for the cyclists. In essence the volunteers hold out bottles of water or Gatorade for the cyclists to grab as they ride by; and other volunteers will hold out pieces of bananas, Powerbars or gels for riders to take. They also had a designated spot for riders to throw their empty bottles – a hockey net for them to aim for and a kid standing there with a hockey stick to direct the errant tosses. It was definitely fun to watch.

We got to see them both twice at that section and after they passed us the second time we jumped back on the shuttle to head over to the run course. When the athletes head back in and transition from the bike to the run they head back into the same changing area they were in for the first transition. They have a separate transition bag that K & R each provide that will have everything they may want for the marathon – complete change of clothes, Body Glide, etc. Volunteers are there as well to help them change and re-apply sunscreen before they head out to the run.

The fan support on the marathon course was great and from what we could see fans were lining the course to cheer everyone on. The course is two loops, with the turnaround point at mile 13.1 and within sight of the finish line, which I would think would be mentally tough to handle. We saw K & R right at the start of the run and at miles 6.5, 12.5, 14, and 19. At mile 19 the separation between Rachel and Kimmi was about 50 minutes so we decided the support group should split up – one group heading forward to cheer Rachel on as she crossed the finish line and one group to stay and support Kimmi.

Rachel crossed the finish line at just under 14 hours and Kimmi came in at just over 15 hours. They both did awesome!! Every time we saw them they were smiling and taking in the moment. It was the culmination of months of hard work and training, and they also fundraised to support Janus and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are all so proud of what they have accomplished!!

Julie and I decided to stay around to the end of the race. Midnight is the cut-off time which is 17 hours. There was still a great, energetic crowd there until the very end. Many were Ironmen who had already crossed the finish line and they were staying to see the last ones finish. There was an announcer there who walked up and down the finish chute and would call out the names of the finishers as they crossed the finish line. Music was playing loudly and everyone was dancing and cheering the finishers on.

At 11:45 PM they announced that there were a half dozen people still out there and they had folks out there with them helping and encouraging them to cross the finish line before midnight. As each minute passed the excitement and anticipation would grow, and you couldn’t help but feel the electricity in the air. Three people crossed the finish line between 11:59 and midnight, with the last person crossing at 11:59:56, with 4 seconds to spare. The crowd was going crazy and you could feel the emotions that were being expressed by these amazing individuals as they came down the chute, knowing that they had accomplished their goal, and were going to be part of an elite group of people known as Ironmen.

I can’t explain how amazing it was to be there in person to witness it. Julie and I watched the finish line on our computer last year but nothing compares to being there in person. Absolutely incredible.

We are so proud of you both, Kimmi and Rachel, for having accomplished this amazing feat of endurance, for pushing yourself to your limits, for believing in yourself and trusting your abilities, and for crossing that finish line. Congratulations!!!

On the day after the race they open up registration for the next year’s event. Typically it will sell out within hours, and next year we have 4 more friends who will be doing Ironman Wisconsin – Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean. We’ll be there to cheer them on and support them, and who knows? You might see a familiar face in line for Ironman 2010…

Women of Iron

So much to blog on and I haven’t had the time to do it lately, and I’m not sure how much uninterrupted time I’ll have here so this may be short despite my best efforts.

Item 1: We have two dear friends who will be completing the Iron Man in Madison this Sunday. Unfortunately, we won’t be there to cheer them on in person but we plan to follow them on line. Kim and Rachel are both TNT alumni and awesome people. It’s amazing to think they’ll be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and then running a full marathon!!! Incredible. You go girls!! And smile for the camera and wave to us when you cross the finish line. I’m going to try and figure out how to record you crossing the finish line on my computer so you can see what we see. It was cool watching Bob cross last year, but we missed Mike. If the rest of you out there would like to follow along just visit www.ironmanlive.com and watch the live webcast. Too cool.

Item 2: Did you watch Sarah Palin’s speech last night? Wow. She has really impressed me in so many ways. I think it’s really going to be an interesting election this year and a close contest.

Item 3: Julie will be completing the Iron Girl Duathlon on Sunday, September 21^st here in Bloomington. She is still short of her fundraising goal. If you would like to donate please visit her TNT site listed at the right. You can come cheer her on as well. The site for the event is http://www.irongirl.com/Events/Bloomington.htm. You can also support Julie’s fundraising efforts by buying dinner tickets to our annual Gasthoff dinner and silent auction which will be held on Sunday, September 14^th. Tickets are $25 each and include an all-you-can-eat German dinner buffet. Great deal, great items to bid on, great cause. You can email me at patrickgibsontnt@gmail.com if you’d like tickets.

Item 4: Julie and I headed out for some outdoor fun this passed weekend and she snapped this picture of me. What fun!

Item 5: I can’t believe we’re already into September. Where the heck did the summer go? It’s already getting cooler out and the days really seem to be getting shorter. This year has just flown by.

Lyric of the Day (for our future Iron Man finishers):
“I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waiting down this road
I’m picking up whatever is mine” – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, Tom Petty