Amy Lynn’s Blog

Fun with family

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:46:22 -0700

We got out to the farm shortly after midnight and pretty much went straight to bed. It’s hot here, yay for summer! In the morning Yancy’s dad cooked us a fantastic breakfast and I had a cup of coffee. :) Later in the morning Yancy and I went out for a bike ride. I took a backpack with extra clothes, shoes, shower stuff... and rode to Tonasket. Yancy rode half way with me then turned around to head back. He is still working remotely for AT&T (it’s not fair that he doesn’t get paid vacation... plus he still hasn’t received any news about his upcoming lay-off... too much stress).

When I got to Mom’s house she wasn’t there so I decided to ride a little longer. Went on the back road to about Janis Bridge and back to Tonasket for a snack break. 22.5 miles in the dry summer air on rough country roads, it’s all good!

I spent some time with Mom before Chrissy came over. She took us for lunch at Rancho Chicko and we had fun making a mess. I totally spit whipped cream all over Chrissy! That’s what she gets for making me laugh right when I’m taking a bite of sopatillo! :O)

In the evening we all went down to Omak to visit Grandma & Grandpa. They cooked fajitas on the grill and Grandma made me a mango margarita. It was the first alcohol drink I’ve had in nearly 7 months, and it tasted great! We started a game of “Mexican Train” dominoes which lasted until about 9:30pm. We were getting murdalized by mosquitos! It was a really fun evening with family and a great day overall. Just like summer vacation should be. :O)

Had a cute little Sprite in Tonasket after my bike ride.

Chrissy being a butthead...

and me attempting the “evil eye” (which I’ve never been very successful with... I usually get laughed at).

Playing the domino game with Mom, Kevin, and Grandma. :O)

Vacation!

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:45:12 -0700

Here’s one last picture from our Victoria trip. Yancy and I had a portrait done by one of the street vendors. I didn’t post this in my previous post because it was a father’s day gift for Yancy’s dad. I kind of enjoyed getting the portrait done, but didn’t really like it at first. Yancy looks 15 and I look older!! (close up shot below) :P But once I stepped back and appreciated it as art, it kinda grew on me.

I’ve spent two days mostly lazing around the house. Gotta love vacation! On Tuesday I went for a short walk to my massage place. I’m so excited that summer has finally arrived! It just made my day to take a stroll in the sunshine. And it was warm enough that I even found myself trying to walk in the shadows! :O) If you know me, you know I love summer! I spend all year waiting for summer, then it just flies by. Well this year I want to enjoy every minute of it I can!

Oh, and I got a cafe vanilla frapachino from “Four-bucks” today. It’s my first coffee beverage in over 7 months! :)

Yancy and I are heading to Oroville tonight. It’ll be a long drive and we’ll get there around midnight, but really looking forward to spending tomorrow with family. It’s been a long time.

Tired!

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:06:40 -0700

Time to head home! I had one of the most restless nights ever! Probably due to that stupid energy drink yesterday. :( Seriously tossed and turned all night long and barely started falling asleep around 3am. Sucks to be absolutely exhausted and yet can’t sleep. Now I feel more sympathy for those who suffer from insomnia.

Yancy and I ordered room service for breakfast. Here’s a word of advice for any friends who stay at the Coast Hotel and order breakfast in bead: get just one plate because the portion size is big and the food is fantastic! We went downstairs for a short swim and hot tub soaking before showering and packing. We left the hotel shortly after 10am and walked to the Victoria Clipper dock. It was a LONG trip home after all the lines, customs, and sailing... Then we had to wait a LONG time for the truck with our bikes. Finally we were loaded up and ready to go home after a long, busy, and emotional weekend.

We stopped for a much needed adjustment at the chiropractor and then dinner at Cactus. One last stop at the grocery store and then home sweet home to one happy cat. :O) I’m now caught up on my blog! And just had to snap a picture of Yancy passed out in his chair. I think he’s adorable and the best husband ever, but he’ll probably hate this pic. :P Good night!

My first HALF IRON TRIATHLON!!!

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:01:30 -0700

FINALLY!!! We got up EARLY to be on the Team bus by 5am. The race started at 6:45am. I wasn’t as nervous about this race as I was for my first few. Not sure if that’s experience, or Yancy’s calming effect. :) I waited a little too long before making my last bathroom stop and ended up rushing to get my wetsuit on and get the in the water in time.

My swim went pretty well. 1.2 miles in 35 minutes. I’m comfortable in the lake and swimming that distance, but having that many people in the water with me is still hard. One particular guy was getting on my nerves because he ran into me several times on the last leg (he couldn’t seem to swim a straight line). Ah well.

The bike went ok for most of the first lap, but this cliff of a hill they added last minute (to avoid a construction zone on the regular course) was just murder!!! I didn’t even make it all the way up the first time and didn’t even try the second time... it was THAT bad! My legs were getting week and shaky about 35 miles into the ride, only 20 left! I did pretty good with nutrition up to this point with my sports drinks and Gu packs. But I think my fatal mistake took place in transition two when I took my second 5 hour energy drink, two salt tablets, and two Tylenol. I went into the first lap of the run feeling ok but was feeling sick about 5k in. The run course was 20k and I walked most of it because every time I started to jog I felt extremely nauseated. I finished a full hour after the time I thought I was going to do. :( And that’s mostly due to the hilly bike course and this nutrition mistake. But I am still proud to be a half iron triathlon finisher and hopefully will learn from these mistakes. When the finish line was in sight my friend Bex was out on the course waiting for me with a sign. She ran/walked me into the finish line chute where a huge crowd was waiting to cheer me in. That’s the loudest cheering section I’ve ever heard, and for me! :O) I came across the finish line with the biggest grin on my face at 7 hours and 42 minutes.

Even sitting here writing about this I am split with emotions. On one hand I am disappointed in my finish time and foolish nutrition mistake. Other the other hand I am so proud to know I finished a half iron triathlon. That’s 70.3 miles!!! I mean, how many people can swim/bike/run that in under 8 hours... and at my size... with only one season of triathlons under the belt? Some of my teammates weren’t even able to finish the entire race. I am trying to practice positive thinking and really need to hold on to the proud thoughts and let the negative ones go.

Here’s my new motto: Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! And here are the photos from today. :O)

Dressed and ready to leave my room at 4:50am

Here’s how my mentors Rachel & Andi decorated my hotel room the night before the race. Fun to walk out into this. :O)

Getting ready in the transition area. The sun was still coming up! Here’s Megan, Jonelle, and Amy.

Getting into the water for the start. I think there were over 700 people!

Yancy got a picture of the start cannon. I never saw it, but nearly had a heart attack when it sounded. A bunch of us jumped with surprise and I heard one of my Teammates even screamed :P

And we’re off!!! I’m happy with my swim time but think I could do even better with less people in my way. ;)

The water was actually not freezing ;)

Sylvia leaving for the bike ride. She is in her 60’s and inspires me every single time I see her. I want to be a triathlon grandma too! :O)

Me coming back in after a long, HARD ride. I need a cycling jacket that doesn’t look so dorky. :)

Happy BEFORE the run.

Yancy took a picture of the transition all a mess.

I managed to jog through the finish line on my first lap and really wanted to stop. It was frustrating to know I was only half way through the run course :(

FINALLY!!!!! The real finish line!

Most of the Team after the race. What an amazing group of people! We raised over $117,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and changed our lives in the process!

Here we are cheering for our last Teammate at the finish. George didn’t make the bike cut-off time but was determined to finish. He’s another inspiration!

Victory dinner! We had a Team dinner at the Blue Crab lounge of the Coast Hotel. The food was fantastic and everyone was so happy to have survived the half iron triathlon. It was another happy/sad moment to both celebrate and say goodbye to friends you have gotten to know over the last 8 months. Not to mention the emotional roller coaster of the half iron race itself!

Sylvia and I

My new friends Teri and Jonelle. Teri wasn’t able to race with us due to medical issues and Jonelle is our Team honoree. Both of these woman are a blessing to everyone they know!

One last photo with my Teammates/friends before heading back to my hotel room. Good night! It was a great day!

The “day before”

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:59:55 -0700

We had some free time this morning so Yancy and I headed out for coffee and some tourism. :) The Undersea Gardens was small, but really neat. I never know how interesting our little corner of the ocean was. We had lunch at a place called Milestone’s (same place we went 3 or 4 years ago) and they were conveniently showing a good world cup soccer game. :O)

For the afternoon Yancy and I parted ways. He went back into town and checked out a famous bookstore, did lots of walking, and took a tour of the parliament building. I jumped on the bus with my Team and went out to the race start area on Hamsterly Beach (Elk Lake). We took our bikes out for a short ride on the race course and picked up our race kits/numbers. We didn’t really get to do the planned swim, but still took some time to check out the water temp... not bad. There was a mandatory pre-race meeting where they discussed the rules. We racked our bikes in the transition area where they would be guarded over night. Then we jumped back on the bus and went back to the hotel to get ready for our pre-race pasta party.

The dinner party was really nice. We had a fantastic spread of salad and pasta and chicken. There were some great speakers (very motivational), and some good prizes awarded. You could almost feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. We’ve all trained together for about eight months and tomorrow is finally the big day... a roller-coaster of emotions, it’s difficult to describe.

Yancy and his coffee. We really liked this coffee cafe and it’s right across the street from the Blackball ferry and Victoria Clipper docks. One of my Teammates was there too so we had a nice time visiting.

Getting ready to tour the undersea gardens. I keep getting a silly song stuck in my head... from the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. “...Under the sea, down where it’s wetter, that’s where it’s better, under the sea...” :O)

These crazy fish live here in the Pacific Northwest!

I got to be a kid again in the petting pool :)

Blurry picture of Diver Dave displaying a wolf eel, now that’s a creepy looking fish!!! I think I’d have a heart attack if I ran into one of these while swimming!

Here’s a cool picture of an octopus. Apparently the world’s largest octopi live in the Pacific Northwest.

I had to stop and talk to Diver Dave. The poor guy looks really tired.

Sitting at Milestone’s watching the soccer game. Yancy had a beer. Brunch there was fantastic and we highly recommend this great place to eat right on the waterfront.

We took the scenic walk back to the hotel. This is the view from the harbor. The Coast Hotel is on the left with the red brick.

You know me... had to take a picture of the duck.

On the bus, Coach Wade was talking about our schedule once we reach the lake.

Note the empty transition area... not for long.

Before our little warm-up ride. And it was warm. :)

Teammates hanging out... lots going on.

I took this picture during the pre-race meeting, a good crowd huh?

I’m ready for the pasta party. Showing off my new sweater from the race. This the the 15th annual New Balance Half Iron Triathlon in the Subaru race series, so that’s why my sweater has a 15.

The TNT “welcome” into the pasta party. The coach, captain, and all the mentors line up and make a TON of noise as the team walks through. You kinda gotta be there to appreciate it. :O)

This amazing group of ladies has each raised over $20,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!!!

Coach Wade giving an inspirational speech and some awards to some of my amazing teammates.

Jonelle (our team honoree) just happened to sit next to a sign for her. Her parents were there and she gave a fantastic speech. This girl has survived cancer and is such an amazing woman. She is so inspirational!

Most of our team taking a group picture for another honoree. We are such a cool group of people! :O)

Fun in Victoria :)

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:57:22 -0700

After the busy and stressful few weeks Yancy and I have had, we’re so ready for vacation! Plus it feels good to be at the final stage of this event that I have been working so hard for over the last 7-8 months! I stayed up late last night packing my bags... leave it to me to wait until last minute. We were up and showered before 5am. Breakfast from Starbucks. Then parked a ways from the Victoria Clipper dock and rushed over to meet my team.

The ride was fun after Yancy and I started playing card games. Before we knew it, we had arrived in Victoria! The two of us walked to the hotel and got there the same time as the teammates who had ridden the bus. :) We got to our room, unpacked and rested up a bit before going back out on the town. We had lunch at the Huntington Manor, watched some entertainment on the streets, walked around doing tourist stuff, went grocery shopping, out to dinner with teammates, and then for a dip in the hotel pool & hot tub.... And that’s just the first afternoon. :O) Gonna sleep well tonight!

My friend and teammate Sarah.

Yancy and I on the Victoria Clipper

I went out on the deck for a bit of fresh air and it was WINDY!

Our hotel room is comfortable and roomy.

The indoor/outdoor pool at the Coast Hotel. We went swimming in the evening before bed.

A hot tub with a view.... gonna be back here again after the race! :)

The Parliament building

Yancy posing with a Darth Vader character who was playing a violin on the street. What next? :)

Our hotel (Coast Hotel) is behind the squarish building on the far right. Towards the left (white blob in the water) is the Under Water Garden attraction which we plan to visit tomorrow.

Another teammate and friend, Katie, getting a self portrait.

Looks beautiful!

This guy puts on a pretty funny show complete with audience participation. At one point I nearly had a heart attack when I thought he had set his hair on fire, but it was just his hair product smoking. :P

Dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. We had a lot of fun sitting and chatting with teammates... who up to this point I have mostly only seen at practice. We’re different people when not in our swim suits or bike/running gear. :P

ICE CREAM! Poor Cat couldn’t have any due to a lactose restriction diet. At this point I am tired and stuffed, but still ready for a swim at the hotel. Then off to bed before it’s too late because tomorrow is another busy day.... and the day after? RACE DAY!!!

When it rains...

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:19:47 -0700

It was a stressful start this morning. We left the house a few minutes too late with lots of busy work to do... and got a FLAT on the freeway. It wasn’t even the wheel that needs work (that’s another long and frustrating story). So Yancy fixed that flat like a pro and I stood there stressing out watching the cars fly by, mere feet from his head. I was only half an hour late for work, but there were patients waiting already. Then I found out that our friends who were going to cat-sit for us won’t be able to so we had to hurry up and find someone else. Luckily my coworker and friend Melissa will come to the rescue. :) Oh, and Yancy had to go to his dentist appointment and then drive to downtown Seattle on the doughnut to drop my bike off at the TNT office (so it gets on the truck for Victoria). Then he went and got the tire fixed... thankfully covered by the warranty since they were only about 2 weeks old.

It was a busy morning at work and then a slow afternoon... giving me too much time to get antsy. FINALLY I got to leave work and am officially on vacation! :O) Yancy and I went out for dinner and then ran to REI to pick up spare tubes for my bicycle and gu snacks for the race. Now I’m sitting on the couch procrastinating the huge packing session I have to do. Waiting for laundry to get done. Starting to get a tiny bit nervous. But still feeling optimistic about the event. I got a nice send-off from my coworkers and seriously can’t wait for race day!

P.S. My race number is going to be #242, I like that number :) Supposedly you will be able to track my race progress at this website: http://triseries.ca/results.php The race starts at 6:45am on Sunday, June 20th.

Hurry up!

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:05:08 -0700

Today I was a mess of emotions: stress, nerves, excitement, motivation, and just plain tiredness. I am getting so excited for this weekend’s race. After my 10 hour work day, I had a great training session, the last one before my Victoria trip. Yancy picked me up from work and drove straight to Mercer Island where I rode my bike around the “loop” (13.5-ish miles)... but first I had to change my front tire because the nozzle had broken somehow.

Considering that it’s been rainy and windy for two days, it was a surprisingly nice evening for a bike ride. I even got to enjoy some sunshine on the west side of the island. As soon as I got back to Luther Burbank Park I struggled into my wetsuit (with Yancy’s help) and went for a swim with my Team in frigid Lake Washington. I wore a different pair of goggles which I don’t plan to ever wear again in a lake... They were “prescription” goggles so I got an amazingly clear view of the weeds I swam through and lots of fish that kind of freaked me out. Coach Wade was out swimming with us and practicing stressing us out. At one point he was swimming next to me and pushing me left. Later on he actually ran me over! I think he was having too much fun! But, I don’t mind. Actual racing conditions are brutal for the swim and it’s good to practice keeping your calm when struggling past other swimmers who can’t go in a straight line.

After the swim it was time to grab a Subway sandwich and head home to relax just a little. Have to clean the bike chain and make sure my bike is ready to be loaded on the truck for Victoria tomorrow. Yay, I’m getting so excited!!! :O)

Picture above is me after my first triathlon. It was an olympic distance in Hawaii and I have lots of good memories from that race, as well as a few lessons learned. (March 2009-see old blog entry for the whole story) I just love to the look on my face in this picture. That’s another mixed emotion day.

Stairmaster master!

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:11:38 -0700

Today was just another normal day at work... Only 2 more until vacation!!! I went to the Weight Watchers meeting after work and it was nice to get encouragement from some other ladies working on getting healthier. I’ve kind of slipped off my diet lately and really need to get back to it. Weight Watchers has really helped me because I have to record the foods I eat and spend a little more time thinking about what I am putting in my body. Now I just need to stick with it.

After the meeting I went to the gym and did 45 minutes on the stairmaster at level 5. Wow! I actually felt really good doing it too... I’ve come so far in my fitness! 45 minutes was enough to burn 488 calories, climbs3.15 miles, and 150 floors! Plus I got to watch the first half of the Ivory Coast vs Portugal world cup game. :O) Life is good!!!

9 minutes left on the stairmaster and I was sweating up a storm!

Here’s a photo momento, to remember the first time I did a straight 45 minutes on the stairmaster. :O)

Monday, Monday

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:37:30 -0700

Well it was back to work today and I’m still tired from a busy weekend. I’m not complaining though, it was a lot of fun... just wish the weekends were longer. :) Yancy had an interview at the University of Washington this morning. He’s trying to get a system administrator job in their electrical engineering department. It’ll probably be a day or two before we hear anything. Wish him luck!

We had a much appreciated massage this evening. Now I’m all relaxed and feeling good. The picture above is the swim area at Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island (where I did my practice triathlon on June 5th. :O)