6.21.2009

Some Training Pics

Thanks to my TEAMmate, MV, and her husband Jeff for being the unofficial TEAM photographers this season!


5/30/09 - After the first Cartersville brick: 31 mile ride + 3 mile run. Me, Erica, and Tanya.

6/20/09 - Lake Acworth open water swim (before the second Cartersville brick) - I'm in the middle, still wearing the comfy gauchos that I wore for the LOOOONNGG car ride! :-)

6.18.2009

9 Days Away!

OMG. The race is coming up SO fast! I feel a little like a chicken with my head cut off - so much to do in the next 9 days!!! Work is really busy, parents are coming into town on Wednesday (YAY - SO EXCITED to see them!!!), party to plan...and oh yeah, THE IRON GIRL TRIATHLON!!! Thankfully I was smart enough to take a few days off work around race weekend so I am not completely exhausted.

Last night was our Countdown meeting for Iron Girl - we received our race weekend packet with our race day apparel, TNT t-shirt, tickets to Saturday night pre-race pasta party and Sunday post-race victory party, along with our weekend instructions.

This Saturday, our TEAM will do another open water swim, followed by a bike ride and run. What's that, you say? Yes, it does sound suspiciously like we are doing a triathlon this weekend - for practice! Only difference is that we will have to get in the car and drive from the swim venue to the bike/run venue.

Last Saturday, we rode the Iron Girl race course. Wow, it was a tough course - VERY hilly, with one especially grueling hill! After the ride (and a 3 mile run), a group of us swam in Lake Lanier again. The water was much smoother (more like how it should be on race day, unless there is a storm) - and I think we all felt pretty good about the swim!

I'm starting to find myself getting emotional about this journey coming to an end. Even though it's not over yet, I find myself wondering how I'm going to feel:

  • not going to bed early on Friday night because I have to be up at 5:00am on Saturday for a TEAM practice that is likely an hour or more drive away.
  • having to find a new Wednesday evening routine. No more El Pollo Loco salad on the way to Dynamo.
  • not to be able to celebrate the amazing successes of each of my TEAMmates every single week! We've all come SO far in the past 5 months.
  • not to be actively fundraising for LLS. I thought that part would be stressful, but it was such an AWESOME feeling everytime someone donated! It was so touching to hear everyone's story and how they have been affected by blood cancers.
  • not to spend several hours each week in the company of our AMAZING coaches and the AMAZING new friends I've met through Team in Training. Really, there's just no words. My TEAMmates will totally get this.

OK, so it's kind of hard to type with teary eyes... so I'll end this post now... :-)

I'm "TRI"-ing to save lives...want to help?

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

6.14.2009

14 States!!

Yep! That's where my donations have come from....14 DIFFERENT STATES! I think this is really very cool.... and I am so happy to have such great friends and family across the U.S.!

THANK YOU TO:
  • California
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Nevada
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • South Carolina
  • Texas
  • Washington
I'm "TRI"-ing to save lives...want to help?
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

ROCKSTARS...Round 7

Today is the Mac Daddy of ROCKSTAR tributes!! These next 8 people have not only pushed my total donations OVER THE $3,500.00 MARK, but they ensured that I met (and exceeded) my fundraising goal for LLS!! You know how it goes... just like Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, and Round 6, the rules are the same: For each donor mentioned, I'm including the state they sent me their donation from, and how long I've known them. These are listed in alphabetical order by first name - based on the newest donations posted to my TNT website as of today:

Bridget F (Delaware): This is another story about how far my fundraising campaign has reached. Bridget is the mother of a good friend of my sister's. Bridget stumbled upon my fundraising website from a link on Darcy's blog or Facebook page. Bridget supports LLS because she has a good friend whose father passed away from Leukemia.

Carolyn C (Washington): Carolyn is my aunt, who has known me since my birth. She is my mom's sister, and the second born daughter of my grandmother Vera. Auntie and Uncle Wes live in Washington near their 3 grandkids. Auntie will be road-tripping through Georgia with my mom and their other two sisters in July - can't wait to visit with them!

Holly J (California): I've known Holly since 1989 when we played high school softball together. She is now the mother of 2 beautiful girls, and is still a rockstar athlete and skater girl! ;-)

Julius P (California): Julius was my boss for the 4+ years I worked for Pier 1 during high school and college. I've known him since 1991. Julius now works for REI, which is SO fitting, because he has always been into the outdoors - hiking, biking, camping, and "Jeep"-ing. Julius just completed another summit of Mt. Whitney.

Kathy D (California): Kathy and her family lived next door to us in the house I grew up in. She has known me since I was just a little tot. While not related, we grew up calling her Aunt Kathy. Kathy is a dear friend of my mom's and while not an everyday neighbor, she is still a "river" neighbor of my parents.

Melody M (California): Melody deserves some special recognition here... she had already donated and been recognized by me in an earlier ROCKSTAR post. Melody came through with ANOTHER donation when she saw that I needed a little extra push to my goal! What a GREAT friend!

Patty C (Oregon): Patty is my aunt (my dad's sister), who has known me since my birth. Aunt Patty now lives in Oregon with her husband Will - and near her 2 little grandchildren.

Scott B (California): Scott is my brother, who I have known since his birth in 1977. Scott is a talented musician with the driest sense of humor of anyone I know! Scott also knows the pain of watching our grandmother fight Lymphoma and have her taken away from us far too early.

THANK YOU all for your continued encouragement and support!! You have made this all possible - and we have raised so much $$ for cancer research!

6.10.2009

NEW DATE & TIME - Set Your TiVos!!!

Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon to Premiere on NBC
Press Release
For Immediate Release


June 9, 2009 (Tampa, Fla.) - Today, Iron Girl, the premiere all-women's event-based brand, announces that the third annual Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon will be televised nationally on NBC Sports. The broadcast will air on Sunday, Aug. 2, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. The telecast will showcase a highly competitive professional field as well as a diverse group of athletes varying in age and fitness level.

"The partnership with NBC will highlight tremendous athleticism alongside stories of incredible personal achievement," said Jeff Charney, Aflac senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "Viewers will be inspired by these amazing women and will find their own motivation to live healthier lives."

The broadcast will be shot on location on June 28, 2009, 45 minutes northeast of Atlanta, Ga., at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, situated on the shores of Lake Sidney Lanier. Featuring a 1/3-mile swim, 18-mile bike and 3-mile run, the sold-out event will take more than 1,200 women into pristine Lake Sidney Lanier, transitioning them on to a scenic, yet challenging bike course of rolling hills through Buford County. The run will lead athletes along the natural beauty of Lake Lanier Islands Resort, one of Georgia's most visited resort destinations.

"The team at NBC is excited to televise the Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon and is happy to continue growing its relationship with World Triathlon Corporation and Ironman Productions," said Jon Miller, NBC Sports' executive vice president. "We are pleased to add this exciting event to our telecasts that also include the Emmy-award winning Ford Ironman World Championship and the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3."

Viewers will watch stories of athletes who have overcome adversity, as well as gain inspiration from women who have adopted healthy, active lifestyles, served in the military, survived debilitating conditions and more. In addition, the following world-renowned professional athletes will be vying for the first place title:
  • Michellie Jones: An Olympic silver medalist, Jones has mastered a variety of distances. Boasting top Ironman and 70.3 finishes, she placed second in her debut at the Ford Ironman World Championship in 2005 and returned the following year to win the title. In 2007, Jones won the title at the inaugural Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon.
  • Kate Major: Major's talent at both the Ironman and 70.3 disciplines, coupled with her natural athletic ability, make her a formidable opponent. With multiple Ironman and 70.3 titles, and three Ironman World Championship podium finishes on her race resume, Major is often deemed part of "triathlon's next generation."
  • Samantha McGlone: The 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 titleholder, McGlone has earned multiple Ironman 70.3 victories, as well as a second place finish at the world's most challenging endurance event, the Ford Ironman World Championship.
  • Mirinda Carfrae: Carfrae is a multiple Ironman 70.3 champion, as well as the winner of the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3. In 2008, Carfrae won the inaugural Aflac Iron Girl Las Vegas Triathlon.
  • Pip Taylor: With a swimming background, Taylor has earned top placements at well-known events such as the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon, Eagleman Ironman 70.3 and the Aflac Iron Girl Las Vegas Triathlon.

The broadcast will also feature participants racing in support of pediatric cancer research, the Aflac Iron Girl National Event Series charitable cause for 2009. Participants are raising funds to be donated to the Aflac Cancer Center, located in Atlanta, Ga.

"Iron Girl is an example of ordinary women accomplishing extraordinary things through events," said Judy Molnar, the vice president of Iron Girl. "Our athletes include not only those whose livelihood depends on performance, but also those women who may be your mom, neighbor or sister. Their passion and dedication exemplifies the mission of Iron Girl."

6.08.2009

How Was Your Weekend?


Me and my bike... 5/30/09 - in the parking lot of the Budweiser plant in Cartersville, GA.

The past two Saturdays, our TEAM rides have been over 30 miles. Follow that with a run of 30-40 minutes (3-4 miles). And follow that with a nap. :-)

Follow that with two Sundays in a row of lake swimming.

How was my weekend? AWESOME!!!

I'm "TRI"-ing to save lives...want to help?

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

6.01.2009

Open Water

Ever since our coaches published the May training calendar in late April, I had been nervously awaiting Sunday, May 31st... our first open water swim!

As you may know, we've received a record (much-needed) amount of rainfall in Georgia over the past couple of months. And the weather didn't really get terribly warm until the past couple of weeks. Needless to say, I was TERRIFIED that the water was going to be freezing cold!

On Saturday morning, when driving over Lake Allatoona at 7am on my way to our TEAM bike ride & run in Cartersville, I looked down at that water and just shivered thinking about what the next day would hold. Sunday morning at 8am, I was parking at the beach at Dallas Landing, shaking in my flip-flops. As I paced the parking lot, eating my protein bar, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY did not want to get in that water! For no other reason than water temperature. The rest didn't really intimidate me too much - I just HATE being cold!

Coach Lee jumped in the water to try to show us that "it wasn't that bad." Now, I have total faith in my coaches, and trust what they tell me (I mean, they've just about finished turning me into a triathlete!) But, honestly, I didn't believe him this time. Here we are getting ready - I'm dipping my feet in and putting my goggles on (I'm directly in the center of the picture, pink swim cap, black & white top, facing the water):





Our first task was to swim out to a buoy and back. Said buoy was maybe 150m out from shore? So, three lengths of a 50m pool. Easy.

HA!

OK, so the water temperature was WONDERFUL! Nothing to be concerned about... probably 75 degrees, and with the warm sun beating down on us, it actually felt FANTASTIC! Here are the real things I should have been concerned about:

Issue #1 - when you open your eyes in the lake, all you see is green. Solid green. Like, can't see your own hands in front of your face, because all you see is green. You don't realize that you're swimming into someone until you've climbed halfway up their legs (yeah, our team is close like that). You have no point of reference for where you are going, or where you SHOULD be going. Which brings me to:

Issue #2 - I cannot swim in a straight line. This should come as no surprise, because I cannot even walk in a straight line. Our coaches have been trying to get us to practice "sighting" in the pool (looking up out of the water every few strokes to make sure you're going in the right direction). Sounds silly? Well, in the pool, it is silly. The pool is the shape of a rectangle. There are lane lines on either side of you, and lane lines painted/tiled into the bottom of the pool. It's kinda hard to get off course in the pool. It's also hard to sight in the pool, because there's really not anything to look up and focus on.

The lake (or river, or ocean) is an entirely different beast. You completely lose any point of reference in open water. Without looking up frequently, you will find yourself swimming in a completely wrong direction! I did. More than once. It was just crazy! In a somewhat non-funny way. I mean, do I really need to add more distance to my swim on race day? Something to work out in the next few weeks.

After the swim to the buoy and back, we re-grouped on the beach to simulate an actual race start:



This time we swam out from shore to one buoy, across (parallel to shore) to another buoy, and then back to shore again. And again, if we wanted. Here's what we looked like:



Here I am coming back in:




Shut up. We all look like that. Were you in that lake with me yesterday? I didn't think so. (And if you were, I will go find your picture where you look like this!) ;-)

And, here is my AWESOME Summer 2009 TRI Team - Team in Training, Georgia Chapter!!!


I'm "TRI"-ing to save lives...want to help?
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson