FLASHBACK : A YEAR AFTER
IRONMAN LOUISVILLE  2017
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Saturday starts early with a lot of nervous energy & prepping for everything! So much fun being surrounded with so much energy & camaraderie. So many athletes who have worked so hard to get to theis place. All ready for a great weekend. A lot of organization & planning… starting with checking in at IRONMAN Village. You pick up your bag & race info, get your timing chip and race numbers. Then they funnel you out through the IRONMAN Merchandise Tent… convenient, huh?

Enjoying some of the Louisville waterfront along the Ohio River. Amazing bridges crossing the river. Beautiful now… but a bit overwhelming just knowing that tomorrow I would be in that huge river swimming for my life… a full 2.4 miles of swimming in the Ohio River!

And then it was back to the hotel to pack up my gear bags and prep my bike. An IRONMAN race is organized to perfection… and a system of gear bags staged at different points along the way. So you’ve got to plan accordingly… and then hope for the best.

After placing your gear bags, you have put your bike into the Transition Area according to your race number in the sea of bicycles on the pre-numbered racks. Gotta keep track of where you leave your bike… so you can find it later!!! It gets a little hectic during the race with athletes racing in & out scrambling all over the place – coming in, going out, finding their bike & bags!!!

A lot of bikes… 2,000 athletes means 2,000 bikes!!!

With the bridges off in the distance, it was time to go have a quick bite of lunch. So we went down to Fourth Street Live… kind of the hip & happening area of town. Also exciting knowing that the IRONMAN Finish Line would be right here in the same spot tomorrow!!!

So Chris and I  hung out for awhile, went back to the hotel for a nap, and then it was time for a quick dinner. So we went back to Fourth Street Live area for a nutritious dinner that would get me through the race tomorrow. I chose my favorite Chipotle. I know, not too exciting. But I like it. And I know it works well with my stomach with good nutrition for tomorrow. And quite honestly… there was a bit of “superstition” in it as well. I ate Chipotle last year for my first IRONMAN and all went well. No need to change that, right?! So we finished dinner, went for a quick walk through downtown Louisville to work off some nerves… and “maybe” some ice cream… when the sun had set it was time to get to bed for an early night’s sleep. For tomorrow is going to be a  BIG DAY!!!

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FLASHBACK : A YEAR AFTER
So here we go… better late than never, right???

IRONMAN 2017   :   My Second Full IRONMAN.
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So my IRONMAN adventure this time began with a drive down to Louisville with my best biking buddy & IRONMAN Sherpa Chris!!! She came with me last time, and I sherpa’d her IRONMAN Madison 2017… and now she’s coming back for my second time!!!

As we’re driving down through Indiana towards Louisville, we start to see these billboards. We’re chatting, driving, singing… and we keep seeing these billboards for Louisville Mega Cavern. Now I’ve never been in a cave, or a cavern… never been spelunking! Never really thought about it. But these billboards kept mentioning ZIP-LINING!!!…. and even better… UNDERGROUND ZIP-LINING!!!

Chris suddenly hopped on her phone, and before I knew it… we had reservations to go zip-lining that evening!!! Maybe NOT the best idea when I’m supposed to be relaxing & preparing for Sunday’s race. But I didn’t care… I’m in!!!

So we got to Louisville, checked in to the hotel and went out for some dinner before zip-lining. Luckily, the concierge had some great suggestions for food. We ate FAR too much food… ordering a bunch thinking we were going to take some leftovers back to the hotel. Well, we were “carbo-loading” and we finished everything!!!

And then we changed clothes per their suggestion to long pants & closed-toed shoes.
And then we drove over to the Louisville Mega Caverns.

A little disconcerting when you see signs like this along the way…

So then we head over to Louisville Mega Caverns. We parked the car and entered through a tunnel in the side of the hill. Walked through a hallway that look far too much like we were entering the Dharma Initiative. We checked in, signed our lives away with their Waiver.. and then got suited up!!! UNDERGROUND!!!

We got some basic training… they gathered us up for the tour…
venturing further down underground… and then the LIGHTS WENT OUT!!!

And then the ZIPPING began!!!

The first line was easy. Getting you accustomed to the flight. And then each one got cooler & cooler… with ropes, suspension bridges & theatrical lighting to make the place even cooler!!!

And then we finally ended again on terra firma. Another great adventure for me & Chris. I love traveling with her… she’s always up for ANYTHING!!!…. and conveniently, so am I.

So, thanks to our amazing tour guides, and all of their bad jokes (which I LOVE)…. we made it through the course without injury. They kept telling us to lift our legs, be careful not to bang your feet, don’t twist your ankles, don’t bang a leg… all things that would NOT have been good for my upcoming race on Sunday! Oh well… we made it… and we had a AMAZING ADVENTURE UNDERGROUND!!!

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FLASHBACK : A YEAR AFTER
So I’ve been a little busy… one thing leads to another…
suddenly it was the holidays, then art fair season, then Summer Camp…
and all of a sudden before I knew it… it was a year later!!! A year ago TODAY!!!

MY SECOND FULL IRONMAN RACE!!!
But IRONMAN is more than just one day. It’s a full weekend of fun!
That also means I also have a full weekend of photos & stories to share.

So here we go… a year later… hopefully worth the wait… and several posts to go!!!

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THE KICK-OFF OF BIRTHDAY WEEK… Days One & Two!!!

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BIRTHDAY WEEK… Day Three!!!

After pedaling a hundred miles of hills this past weekend… it was great fun to take on a bunch of “different” hills Monday at Six Flags Great America!!! So much fun playing at Fright Fest with my “Cohorts In Coasters”… my sister Jen & niece Taylor!

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So I had to go downtown to renew my Driver’s License today. As I was leaving I noticed the Farmer’s Market across the street at Daley Plaza. So I just “had to” stop by for some Fall fun at the Farmer’s Market. Who doesn’t like fresh vegetables, colorful flowers, LOTS of pumpkins & gourds… and “quite possibly” some pies, cookies and other yummy baked goods!!!

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This weekend is the Ravenswood Art Walk.
A great chance to wander up & down Ravenswood and peek into all of the studios, workspaces & galleries hidden along the way.

And look who made it into the brochure!!! ME!!!
Looks like I was painting last year’s Zombies during the Art Walk when they took that photo?!

Not quite sure about the groovy pattern they overlayed on top of the photo…
makes it look like I have some sort of geometric skin condition???

Seventeen years ago today. One of the most tragic moments in American history.
A day that will forever be burned in our hearts & minds… September 11, 2001.

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to my buddies Chris, Nancy & Rose who just crossed the Finish Line of IRONMAN MADISON!!! It was the first full IM for Nancy & Rose, and the second for Chris! All three of these ladies rocked it today! I just wish I could have been up there to cheer them on!!! But duty called… and I had a great weekend at ART IN THE GARDEN. Some of us had to work… while others got to workout!!

WAY TO GO TEAM CHILLY!!!

Pay no attention to that man in the crazy pink shirt… she’s IN FRONT of him!!!

Shortly behind was Chris…

And then it was Rose’s turn to cross the Finish Line…

Again, HUGE CONGRATS to all three of these amazing friends! They did an amazing job completing the 140.6 ile course…and still all smiles!!!

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My buddies Chris & Nancy rounding the Capital at the halfway point of the IRONMAN marathon. About 13-miles into the run and they’re still smiling! Somewhere at the end of the bike course, Chris & Nancy met up in the transition and head out for the run together. What better way to run the final leg of their IRONMAN together with a good friend to keep you moving. To share a story and a laugh. And to commiserate about the pain. And to share the entire experience together. Great friends with a great experience!