Week 17 Fundraising Success

January 30-February 5
Swim 3600+ yards, Bike 60+ miles, Run 14+ miles

Today I received a super phone call from a representative at USAA, which is my insurance and financial services provider. I contacted them in November to find out about a possible donation and wrote them a detailed proposal in December requesting notification by the end of January. Their committee reviewed my proposal last Friday and chose to become a corporate sponsor for Ironteam at the bronze level! Happily, they will sponsor me and mail a check to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for $1,000.



I have additional proposals that I hope will come through, but in the meantime, my friend Laura and I are hosting a fundraiser at the Northstar Cafe. We are busy planning this event where there will be appetizers, a raffle, and drink specials. Northstar is donating a portion of all proceeds directly to the Society and providing the space for us to hold our event. Local stores and restaurants are providing us with raffle prizes and we will advertise their names on a banner. Although time consuming, the fundraising is important because it will help patients with blood cancer and fund important research. So, it's worth the effort. Here's a screenshot of our Evite:



On a separate note, Ironteam has officially entered the Build Phase of our training where the distances increase. From October until now, we were in the Base Phase when we focused mainly on skills, efficiency, and building an aerobic base. Now we will begin to build lactate resistance and add some higher levels of effort into our workouts.

We are nearly at the half way point in our training as well with a 40 week program and we're already at week 17!

Week 16 Trip to Monterey

January 23-29
Swim 2350+ yards, Bike 55+ miles, Run 10+ miles

Fortunately this week was a recovery week following the Louie Tri with shorter workouts because my sister, Christine, and brother-in-law, Bob, came to visit us from Seattle. I therefore had to motivate to train before their arrival and switched longer weekend workouts to the days before they came so I could spend time with them instead of biking or running all morning.

David took this pic of me on the bike trainer for a spinnerval brick workout where I biked 20 minutes followed by a 5 minute run repeated four times. So, the total workout was 1 hr 20 min biking and a 20 min run. I happily discovered the use of an ipod for training since I received this ipod holder as a gift. It makes a huge difference in biking faster indoors while listening to a great song.



The above photo is proof that I have been training hard (notice I'm sweating)! This was on Thursday, therefore I was able to take Friday as an off day. So Christine, Bob, David and I spent the day driving along the coast through Santa Cruz and then down to Monterey. While in Santa Cruz, we shopped for hats and amused ourselves on the pier looking at the wildlife.







Friday evening we went out to dinner at this cute little Italian restaurant in Carmel that I'd highly recommend called Little Napoli. We were super lucky as a group of eight that evening because they didn't have space for us in the regular dining room, so they put us in their wine cellar which made us feel extra special. It was like our own private dinner party surrounded by wine! My sister's good friend Amy and her husband Bryce joined us from Tahoe, along with their friends who live in Carmel.

Week 15 5th Annual Louie Tri

January 16-22
Swim 5200+ yards, Bike 35+ miles, Run 13+ miles

This week our Ironteam held the 5th Annual Louie Bonpua triathlon on Treasure Island where we raced together to honor the memory of "Shrimp" Louie. The race was an olympic distance triathlon with a 1K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with sunshine to thaw our extremities after getting out of the low 50 degree waters of the Bay! A DJ rocked the island to inspire us all in the transition area.

To learn more about why Ironteam holds this triathlon, please visit Louie's website at: www.shrimplouie.com. Many on our team knew Louie personally and from their stories, it seems he inspired all those who knew him. Whenever a workout seems tough, we can always think about Louie and be motivated to give it our best. This photo shows Louie finishing Ironman Canada in 2001 while battling leukemia.

Week 15 Triathlete Wannabe

I can't resist sharing these pics of David. As I was packing my gear for the Louie Triathlon into my bags, David thought it would be fun to try out my goggles : ) Made me laugh alright because they are kinda nerdy looking as far as goggles go. Anyway, I'm sure he was imagining what it would be like to be a triathlete like me...hehe.

Week 14 Beautiful San Francisco

January 9-15
Swim 5000+ yards, Bike 45+ miles, Run 15+ miles

One of the best aspects of training for triathlon is that it forces me to be outdoors when I might otherwise find reasons to keep busy inside working or checking off tasks from my never-ending "to do" list. I realize often while running or biking that San Francisco is really one of the most amazing cities to live in. The beauty is spectacular and the weather so wonderful being able to enjoy the outdoors year round.

The following photos were taken while returning from a 2 hr training bike ride from San Francisco to Mill Valley and back with my friend MJ. I was lucky enough to be riding back across the bridge to see a gorgeous sunset to the west from the bridge and the moon rising above Alcatraz to the east. It could not have been a nicer evening for a ride.

Week 13 New Year's Resolutions

January 2-8
Swim 5200+ yards, Bike 55+ miles, Run 17+ miles

This year I have many goals and I always like the start of a new year because it gives me a chance to focus on positive change for the new year. Although I usually keep my resolutions to myself, I'll share them in this blog because some relate directly to IronTeam. I decided this year my main resolutions are as follows:

1. To eat healthy, well-balanced meals and avoid eating out too often because this will keep me energized for triathlon training as well as save money. My parents gave me a vita-mix blender for Christmas so I know this will help with including more fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet.

2. To keep my commitment to IronTeam and successfully fundraise, as well as follow the training schedule.

3. To create a new financial plan for the year and make wise spending choices so when the day comes to purchase a home, it will be possible even while living in San Francisco.

Week 12 Trip to Seattle

December 26-January 1
Swim 3000+ yards, Bike 30+ miles, Run 15+ miles

During the drive to my Aunt & Uncle's house for Christmas dinner, we stumbled across this house that deserved a photo. It lit up the whole block and attracted many drive-bys.



Several days after Christmas, David and I were lucky to be able to go see our friends Laura and Eric with their son Logan and newborn daughter, Neah. They were still resting at the hospital the day after Neah's birth. It was wonderful to hold Neah and probably the first time I had ever been with a day old child so it was very special. Here's a photo of their family:



Training this week consisted of one rainy bike ride outdoors, but luckily the rest were either inside or without rain. I swam at a public pool in Issaquah, did a brick run/bike workout at my mom's exercise gym, and a ran a few times either on the treadmill or outside. On New Year's day, David and I ran with our friends Shad and Michelle in Bellingham following a big party at their house the night before. What a great way to start the year!