Apparently I won the lottery

AWARD NOTIFICATION:

We are pleased to inform you of the result of UK NATIONAL LOTTERY 2008, which
was held on 22nd May, 2008. Your e-mail address attached to TICKET NUMBER:
74454774, SERIAL NUMBER: 144-66584, with DREW LUCKY NUMBERS: 5-21-23-34-61-72
that drewn a prize of £500,000.00 GBP,ie (Five Hundred Thousand Great British
Pounds Sterling Only).

This lucky draw came first in the 2nd Category of our new year winner in the UK
sweepstake. Please contact your fiduciary agent below for more information with
the following details such as your Name,Address,Age,Sex,Country and Mobile
Number.

Name: Mrs. Claire Kingston

E-mail address: nlclaimsdepartment@hotmail.com

YOUR SECURITY FILE REFERENCE NUMBER IS UKL/K5998/U4. (Keep Personal).

Remember, your winning must be claimed not later than (ONE MONTH OF NOTIFICATION).
Yours Sincerely,

Mrs. Lucy Baines

LOTTERY COORDINATOR.
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Well lets hope in 17 days I have the same luck in the ING NYC MARATHON lottery.

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My decision

Well probably not too much of a surprise but I have decided to drop down to the sprint Tri this weekend at Black Bear. With the mountains of the bike over my head it was my open water swim on Thursday night that sealed my fate. Apparently swimming in a pool with fins doesn't equal open water with a wet suit. I had a lot of difficulties with the 1/5 mile loop. I think I would be able to finish the 1.2 mile swim but I think it would take way too much energy and more importantly too much time. I would need all the time I could get for the bike and run and when I did the math I just didn't see it happening.

So I am happy with the decision and will move on. I will have to now do 750 yard swim, 18 mile bike, and 3.5 mile run. And realistically I need to get some more sprint and Olympic distance races under my belt before I attempt a 1/2 iron. It is a minor let down but I have (knock on wood) plenty of time to reach that distance and hopefully further someday.

Mike over here had a great post about reflection and looking forward that I can so relate to. I have been doing a lot myself and will have some more details after this sprint. Mostly it will revolve around my need to get back to weight loss mode. I need to shed about 30 pounds still to one reach an optimal health and two help me with my training for future racing. I am never going to be fast but I just want to be a M.O.P. athlete and I am not getting there with my current eating habits, and lack of a strict workout schedule.

I do have to tell you one of the worse things about dropping down is the feeling that I am letting down others that had so much faith in me. Trust me I do appreciate all your support and will redeem myself in the future.

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IRONWOMAN MONICA

Just want to give a shout out to Monica over at, (the best name for a tri-blog) I just want the Tattoo. Monica became an Ironman over this past weekend. Her race report is coming and I can guarantee a few things, it will be long, have great pictures, a few curse words, and lastly well worth the time to read. She is a great writer and I would look out for her report.

Great Job Monica.

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN

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Sorry

Had to delete the last two pictures of Kelsey's accident. I can tell you this it looked worse then it felt according to her. To the point that we would tell her not to sleep on the side with the black eye and she would ask us "what side is it on".

She asked that her picture not be on my site. So as Kim can tell you that little girl has me wrapped around her finger. The funny thing is the other kids know this and when they want something they always tell Kelsey to go ask Daddy he wont say no to you.

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2008 Week 20

Week 20

05/12/2008 - 05/18/2008

Swim - 3,400 yards - 1 hr 30 min (3 workouts) 2 pool workouts and then jumped in the lake where the HIM is going to be after my bike ride. Very choppy and cold. First time using the wetsuit and only did about 400 yards and was in the water for about 20 minutes.

Bike - 48 miles - 3 hrs 30 min (2 workout) Got one trainer ride and one outside ride. Outside ride was one loop of the Black Bear bike course. My plan was to do both loops but we messed up and went too far on the first loop and I really was not looking forward to doing the hills a 2nd time. This was by far the hardest ride I have ever done.

Run - 9.2 miles - 1 hrs. 32 min. (2 workouts) Again got out in the morning for two weekday runs. Was supposed to run after the Black Bear ride but decided to swim instead. Hills on the bike took too much out of me.

Notes - I rested Friday and Sunday this week. I would have called this a good week but not doing all 56 on Saturday was really a downer to me. At this point I am about 80/20 still doing the HIM but part of me feels like I should drop to the Sprint. I kind of wish there was a Olympic distance option, but there is not.

Two weeks out from the Black Bear Half Distance Triathlon. Still healthy and injury free but not confident after riding the one loop. Not afraid of getting hurt but just not being able to finish in the time limit. I have a lot to think about in the next two weeks.

Counting Laps or the lack there of.

When it comes to counting laps I am the world’s worse lap counter. Just take my word that I am the worse at it. I am constantly questioning my lap count. So the other day at the pool I saw Carol, (she is a reader) who was swimming in the lane next to me, after each 100 yards she moved a coin (the pool we use is 25 yards I should mention). I thought that was the greatest thing. Yeah I know it doesn’t take much to entertain me what can I tell you. I told her I liked that and I was going to incorporate that to my swimming. So when she was at the other end of the pool I stole all her coins. Just kidding I just brought some the next time I went to the pool. So at this point I didn’t know the proper strategy to the coin/lap counting so had to make one up.

I brought with me 2 dimes, 1 nickel, and 4 pennies (basically my whole allowance that Kim gives me each week). So the plan was that for every 100 I would move a penny from the left to the right and then at 500 yards I would move the nickel to the right and bring back the pennies to the left. And after 900 yards I would have a nickel and four pennies and then I would bring the dime for 1000 and put the nickel and pennies back to the left. Yeah I know not rocket science but lets not forget it took me 11 years to get my Associates Degree (I wonder if that is a record)?

That plan was going great until about 150 yards (yeah I get that, that is only 6 laps) when now I couldn’t remember if I was coming back for 150 or 200. What can I tell you I think about other things when I am swimming, like basically anything other than swimming. So here is where I incorporated the “DAN TWIST” to the whole coin/lap thingy. After 50 yards (down and back) I would only move the coin half way between the left and right pile. It’s thinking like that that made me not have to go back for a 12th year for the Associates. I know you think that it is really slowing me down but really as slow as I am as a swimmer the extra 1.5 seconds it takes is not going to make that much of a difference. So this "trick" with my 7 coins is only good for 2900 yards but for me that is more then enough. If you are going longer bring more dimes.

Yeah I know I could buy one of these things below for a mere $30.00 but really isn’t technology already taking up enough of my time?

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2008 Week 19

Week 19

05/05/2008 - 05/11/2008

Swim - 3,100 yards - 1 hr 20 min (2 workouts) Last week with fins then I will ditch them two weeks before the race. I do love the fins.

Bike - 45.5 miles - 2 hrs 51 min (2 workout) Got one trainer ride and one outside ride. Outside ride was a nice easy pace with a few from my Tri Team.

Run - 15.43 miles - 2 hrs. 35 min. (3 workouts) Again got out in the morning for two weekday runs.

Lifting/Core - 0 minutes ( 0 workouts)

Notes - Not a bad week for giving myself two days off.

Three weeks out from the Black Bear Half Distance Triathlon. Feel good at this point, under trained but (knock on wood) healthy and injury free.

This is a big week as I am going up to the course on Saturday with about 7 others from Tri Team to ride the full bike and run about 40 minutes after the ride. Some are even talking about jumping in the water while we are up there. I may give myself off Wed, Fri, and Sun. this week. Friday I may just go for a swim at night.

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2008 Week 18

Week 18

04/28/2008 - 05/04/2008

Swim - 4,900 yards - 2 hrs (3 workouts) Going to continue with fins for two more weeks and then ditch them two weeks before the race.

Bike - 41.5 miles - 2 hrs 30 min (1 workout) Only got one ride in but I made the most of it. Got to ride some hills (not like the hills I will see at Black Bear).

Run - 14.25 miles - 2 hrs. 25 min. (4 workouts) The good here is that I did 2 weekday morning runs. I found a running partner in the morning so that helps.

Lifting/Core - 0 minutes ( 0 workouts)

Notes - Four weeks to the race. I feel better about it this week then last. I will try to go hard (or long) for 3 weeks and taper the last.

The ride I took last night (Sunday) matched my longest ride ever. The difference this time was I felt good, and felt I could go longer. I could have even run when I got done if I had to. I remember the first time I did that distance (last September) I was dead after that ride.

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