Welcome to my blog!

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog. Please forgive me as I stumble through my first post, and as I navigate my way through what is foreign territory for me. I need to thank my daughter Rachel for helping me set this up. What a wonderful Mother's Day activity!!
I will be using this as a forum for sharing with you this incredible journey down the "Iron" road to Ironman Wisconsin. Associating this event to a fund raising effort is also new for me, but it's something I'm very excited about! I will also be setting up a Face Book page and I will have a link on this site as soon as it is set up.
I will try to summarize my short athletic history and all that has taken place to get me to this point. Seven years ago I ran my first race. It was the Crazy Legs Classic, a five mile run for UW- Madison athletics. Prior to this I hadn't run more than 3 miles. I HATED running! I ran the race as a response to a challenge from a friend. Something happened when I crossed that finish line. It was at that race my obsession started. I HAD to run a marathon!
I spent the next year running my self into the ground and making every newbie mistake that one could ever make, the biggest being too much mileage too soon, in a 36 year old body that was screaming, "What the heck are you doing to me???" By mid-summer I was injured and couldn't run for four months.
I have learned much since then, and I continue to learn every day. I think one of the most incredible things that I have learned from all of my experiences so far is that the human body is so complex and powerful and has tremendous capacity to perform under the most challenging circumstances. It is no surprise that it also houses the heart and the brain, whose influences are beyond measure. I've also learned that the heart and brain respond very positively to the love and support of family, friends, and even strangers. I definitely did not get to this place alone!
Since that first race, I have run eight marathons, six triathlons, and many other short course races. 2008 was my busiest year so far. It included running in two marathons, including my first Boston Marathon, and three triathlons. I was able to finish my first half-ironman distance triathlon last August. So, when you ask me when my training started for IM Wisconsin, I would tell you, "seven years ago"
In the middle of all that, the road got a little bumpy with the consequences of a ruptured CAVM, and treatment of a PAVM, but that's another blog. This first one is already too long! So much for a summary! ;-)
Fast forward to the present. This morning I ran my last 11 miler in preparation for the Green Bay Marathon which I will run next Sunday. This week I will be dealing with what I have started calling, "taper madness" week. It's the week or two before a big race where your drastically cut your training volume to rest up for the race, and at the same time continue to eat like you will never see food again, aka "carb loading"! When I said before I hated running, now I HATE taper week! I struggle with it mentally and physically. By the end of it I feel sluggish, tired, and heavy. When your body and mind are used to going, going, going and you tell it to slow down and rest, it feels awful. If you would have told me seven years ago I would feel this way, I would NEVER have believed you or understood.
After this marathon I will be focusing more on the bike and swim. I have continued to bike and swim while training for this marathon, but my attention to those disciplines will increase while the running miles will decrease slightly. If your wondering what is my least favorite thing to do? It is the swim....more on that later.
Thank you again for visiting! I hope everyone had a great Mothers Day!! :-)