When you are smiling...

(forward by Kathi Matthews - my friend and colleague in the Great West)

Hi Team,

While I normally don't forward (or even read) this kind of email, I thought this one was especially relevant to our work. I challenge you to complete for yourself, in writing, the five sentences in the next 24 hours. You'll be astounded how much the exercise will impact your "joy factor" and will be even more surprised how often you hear yourself using the sentences in conversations with everyone you come in contact with.

I actually attended one of this guy's seminars in the 80's. I still remember everything he talked about that day and when I've put "sales materials" and training together for ACS, I've used in part the info I learned from Chris Lytle. Enjoy & keep smiling! -Kathi

When you are smiling
by Chris Lytle

Salespeople need to smile more, and not forced smiles like Arthur Miller envisioned in Death of a Salesman: He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine.

It takes much more than a smile and a shoeshine to succeed in sales today. Still, they are a good place to start.

I sell speeches. A few years ago, I participated in a speakers' showcase held by a speakers' bureau. I paid the bureau a fee, and they invited meeting planners to see speakers, including me, deliver speeches. We each got 15 to 20 minutes to perform some material in front of this live audience of buyers. It's like a battle of the bands. Each speaker tries to wow the audience to win business. When it was my turn, I did my 20 minutes and then yielded the stage to the next speaker.
Out in the hotel hallway, I ran into another speaker. "Wow, you really looked like you were having fun out there," he said.
"If I'm going to pay my own money to speak, I'm going to enjoy myself," I replied.
"I'm too nervous in front of an audience to have fun," he told me. He was a college professor who felt comfortable facing his students but not in front of the corporate market. "I wish I felt the same way about speaking that you do.
Here's the point: People can tell when you're enjoying what you do, and they can tell when you're not into your job. How does your customer experience you?

These are the three vibes you must give off when with a prospect or customer:
1. I'm glad to be here.
2. I know what I'm talking about.
3. I love what I'm doing.

Work is not a punishment for not being born rich. It is critical you find joy in your sales job. The great author Elbert Hubbard put it this way: "Get happiness out of your work, or you may never know what happiness is."
Not only that, if you don't have passion for what you're selling, the prospect won't either. So working on your belief and attitude is critical for sales success.
The following exercise will help you identify what you love about your sales job. Once you have discovered what you love, share it with your customers.

For example, you could say, "One of the things I love about my job is to see customers get the outcomes they want from the products and services I sell. It's even more fun when I get a letter from a happy customer who was skeptical at first."

It is energizing to focus on the good things about your job, and when you share your enthusiasm, you may find the meeting has a different dynamic. When you're glad to be there, your customer may be glad you're there too.

Completing these five sentences will get you started:

1. One of the most exciting things we're doing at our company today is…
2. I get a great deal of job satisfaction when…
3. The best thing a customer ever told me about our company is…
4. I took this job because…
5. The reason I'm doing this -- besides the money -- is that it offers me the opportunity to…

As you complete those sentences, you develop your own sense of what is important about your job, and you discover some things to share with your customers. Whether you make the sale or not, one of the impressions you want to leave with a person is:

That salesperson really loves what he is doing.

When you're at your very best in sales, you are happy. You feel important. You get great satisfaction. If you're not getting great satisfaction from your work, customers will know. It's the vibe. They will wonder why you're not enjoying your job -- maybe your product is inferior or your company is undergoing a tremendous upheaval. They will wonder if they'd be better off with your competitor's product.
So start smiling.

Random Quotes for the New Year

"We can choose to be teachable and continue to learn..or we can be closed-minded and stop growing. The decision is ours." - Unknown

For Long you Live and High You Fly. And Smiles you'll give and Tears you'll cry. And all you Touch and all you See...is all your Life will ever be. (Pink Floyd)

Hang on to your dreams, reach for your star.
Know you can make it, no matter how far.
Expect to succeed; vow NEVER to quit.
A dream only comes true if you hang on to it.

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer sombody else up". - Mark Twain

"Risk nothing, have nothing, are nothing" - Anonymous

Before you agree to do anything that might add even the smallest amount of stress to your life, ask yourself: What is my truest intention? Give yourself time to let a yes resound within you. When it's right, I guarantee that your entire body will feel it.
Oprah Winfrey

The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.
- Dan Millman

If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is a law, and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.
- Dan Millman, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Moderation? It's mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It's the devil's dilemma. It's neither doing nor not doing. It's the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It's for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation...is lukewarm tea, the devil's own brew.
- Dan Millman, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Mountain High

When I was living in Colorado I fell in love with this piece of art at a gallery in Frisco... I am a proud owner of 2 of these beautiful metal art pieces by Ken Scott out of Washington; "Mountain High" and "Nature's Cathedral". I found his website and decided to post on my blog a little of this information for others to discover his work. This and my limited edition (they only made 500) "Cup of Joe" Debusk were my first ever pieces of art and I am so happy to have them with me at our home in Belchertown. Enjoy!

This piece is named "Brothers & Sisters" by Ken Scott and here is a link to The Courtyard Gallery in Conner, WA.

This is a Debusk that kind of looks like my "Cup of Joe" that he calls "Joe to go". Joe is a very soothing piece of art and shows a love for coffee and the finer things in life.

Oakley

My running partner
My cross country skiing partner
My snowshoeing partner
My runaway - doggie jail bound dog
My hairy - can't vacuum enough....
I love this dog...
Can't you tell?

Images from Jackal Hut April 2007

Backcountry with Jana, Dahl & Aaron last year has yet to be blogged, but recently I have been thinking about these images and framing for our home here in Belchertown. The view was just amazing from the hut and the darker sky were taken just before sun down on the first night we were there. Jana had a trip scheduled for this year too and I contemplated joining in, bringing my true love for the experience - - but with the craziness of getting use to this new and fabulous life, I opted out. Since then Jana and Dahl have married and are expecting their first baby, so I think the trip is off this year. Can't wait to do this again - the peace and the beauty, along with the great skiing make each run a memory in itself. One must experience the 5000 foot climb, the overnight with no running water or fridge - the hike with skins each run to explore more, with the shovels and beepers in case of avalanche. It was a great trip!

More to come (promise)

My favorite Challah bread

I love the striated texture of this incredible bread and have made it for my girlfriends who also love it. I shared the recipe with one of my colleagues Arlene at ACS and think of my favorite friend Susan when I make it. Her true spirit and sharing of traditions are some of my favorite memories of my time in Boulder, CO.

This morning I decided it was time to bake it for my love - after we plowed the driveway of the fresh wet snow.... later snow men with Schuyler and a New Year's eve party with our friends Alex, Betty & Harrison in Clifton Park.

CHALLAH

From Wikipedia: Challah, hallah (חלה), also known in different parts of the Jewish world as barches (German and western Yiddish), Berches (Swabian), barkis (Gothenburg), bergis (Stockholm), khale (eastern Yiddish) and kitke (South Africa), [1][2] is a special braided bread eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays.
It is customary to begin the Friday night meal and meals eaten on Shabbat with a blessing over two loaves of bread. Challah (plural: challot), an enriched, braided bread is usually used. The loaves are covered with a cloth or napkin during the blessing.
The blessing, "Hamotzi," is the same blessing recited over all bread: "Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz" (translation: "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth".


My favorite of all recipes from the King Arthur Flour site is the challah bread.:
Rich with eggs and butter (or oil, to keep it kosher with a meat-based meal), shaped in various braids and coils, and often gilded with a sprinkle of poppy seeds, this bread is a Sabbath staple. Though not quite as rich, it's similar to French brioche; and, like brioche, it makes wonderful toast and French toast.

It's prepared for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah; for that occasion, challah is formed into a round coil, symbolizing the continuity of life.

Christmas Dinner with FRIENDS

Sue Ann and I have been best of friends since the beginning of the Cancer Control at Relay Catalysts in the NEDIV. Boy - is that a funny name of a WORKGROUP or what? Sue Ann is a twin of a family of five girls. Julie is her very cool twin sister and I have spent some good times with the 2 of them together. Schuyler is the fortunate one to have "Sue Sue" as his god mother and she is always so wonderful to have as a friend to talk to about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I really treasure her.

She met this really cool guy (enter Jeremy) a few years ago??? It seems like forever ago - - but probably was a 2 years - I think? I just remember his calming and caring nature and how he makes her smile. I have one other pic of them that I took at Samantha's birthday party - but you can see the love radiate when you look at photos of them together. Steve's sister has proclaimed them a "match"! That means a lot! : )

Steve and I have spent a few nights having dinner at our house with Sue Ann & Jeremy, who have been so great to "welcome" me into the Southern NE neighborhood... ha ha... that goes a long way girlfriend! WE CAN'T wait for the wedding!

Dinner Menu at the Cook Home 12/27/07

Wine: Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Sunce Meritage 2003, and Terra Aringa (from Chile) 2003 Merlot

Aps: Olives and Almonds (oh how mediterranean!)

Salad: Caprese (Steve's wife special recipe, including the expensive balsamic)

Dinner: Salmon (garlic & thyme) wrapped in Phyllo dough, baby red potatoes with MONTREAL sauce / EVOO and steamed asparagus.

Dessert: Lemon Squares - (see my fave recipe for this scrumptios number!)

YUMMY!


P.S. Oh ya - it was Jeremy that recommended the Boston Marathon Chili below! Can't wait to try it out!

Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares
Makes 24 squares

Lemon square aficionados swear by this recipe. This one is the most lemony of them all. For easier cutting, let the bars sit for several hours after baking.

Crust
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
6 ounces (12 tablespoons) cold
unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch pieces

Filling
6 large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
About 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the flour and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until mixed. Add the butter and continue to mix until the butter is the size of small peas, about 30 seconds. The mixture will be very dry. Gently press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and then the flour. Pour the filling on top of the crust.

Bake until the lemon filling is set, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then put in the refrigerator for 1 hour or keep at room temperature for 3 hours before cutting. Cut into squares measuring about 2-1/4 inches and dust the tops with the confectioners' sugar.

I LOVE this recipe and have made it several times. Having a party with Sue Ann, Jeremy, Kelli & her husband tonight - - hoping to put them together this morning

White Christmas?

GET OVER IT!

From Tom Suddes - WOW email 11/6/07
I love the magazine Selling Power (mostly just because I love the idea of sales). Gerhard Gschwandtner is the founder and publisher of Selling Power and has had a tremendous influence on my thinking. The subtitle of the magazine is "Solutions for Sales Management", and they provide a lot of solutions!
I was skimming an old issue (May 2005) looking for more stuff on PROSPECTS and I came across this article called

GET OVER IT!
Post-9/11 Everything Changed EXCEPT THE NEED TO SEE PROSPECTS!
(Those are my caps and my exclamation point.)
The article was by Geoffrey James.

Here are the guts of the article:
1. "It's never been more difficult to get through to an executive to make a FORMAL APPOINTMENT."
In our For Impact World, we deal with that in a number of ways. Most importantly, we don't look for a "FORMAL APPOINTMENT"... but rather a VISIT!!!
'APPOINTMENT' (especially a 'FORMAL' one) immediately triggers your synapses to think 'DOCTOR'! Or, worse, 'DENTIST'!
2. "You have to do a better job of making prospects want to see you."
The way we do that is making a big, big deal of PREDISPOSITION!!!
3. The absolute best PREDISPOSITION for all of us in the For Impact World is to actually bring the 'prospect' to where you deliver your service. Let them SEE, TOUCH, HEAR, SMELL WHAT you do. Make it palpable. Make it memorable. Make it an experience.
4. "Once you do get in, however, you'd better be prepared to build a LASTING RELATIONSHIP."
WOW! As most of you know, our GOAL with all of our PROSPECTS is to create a RELATIONSHIP... ideally a LIFETIME RELATIONSHIP... and, then
MAXIMIZE THAT RELATIONSHIP... AT EVERY GIVEN MOMENT!
The article goes on to talk about working to get a 'VISIT'.
I love their "warning":
"Working this system requires PREPARATION and PERSISTENCE."
I couldn't have said it better myself.
BOTTOM LINE: Your goal should be to get a VISIT (with a QUALIFIED PROSPECT... to MAXIMIZE THE RELATIONSHIP... at THIS GIVEN MOMENT.) Doing so requires PREPARATION AND PERSISTENCE.

Grama Jan's Frosted Orange Sugar Cookies

When I was a child with my brothers, Matt & Chris and sister Laura - - mom would make these cookies and we would have such a great time decorating them and giving them to our friends and family. Since Schuyler was a baby we have made
them together with his friends- or just the 2 of us. We have shapes for every holiday! This is our first experience at our home in Belchertown - - what a GREAT kitchen for baking! (can you taste the M&M's? Schuyler's decoration of choice!)


3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Orange Peel
3-1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat eggs and orange peel into mixture. Sift dry ingredients; add 1/2 dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Mix well. Add vanilla and milk and then remaining dry ingredients. Chill.

Preheat oven to 375º

Roll chilled dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Frost

FROSTING

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 TBSP cream
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix frosting ingredients together and spread on cooled cookies. Decorate. (or take the lazy man's way and buy Pillsbury Frosting in the can) :o)

MORE Christmas Music

Great music to listen to after putting Schuyler to sleep last night - - I was cruising the web and found this gem... just released from Mindy Smith - 10/2/07 called My Holiday. Her voice is a beautiful alto/soprano that I can sing along with - - and I just love it! I bought the album on Itunes for $7.99 and then stumbled on her site - - great voice -- and I really love the acoustics in the background.... I have a feeling I will be buying another CD from her soon!

Christmas Love Playlist

Creating CD's for friends with all my favorites... digging into my music collection and finding some great stuff from Barenaked Ladies and Placido Domingo - - I LOVE CHRISTMAS music... it is the best part of Christmas. We don't have a church here yet to go to, so I hope we can find a great place for Christmas Eve....

Here is the favorites... Playlist that I made for Steve. My friends all got the expanded version! : )

Relay - looking back - Rohert Park, CA

Nancy E Photography travels to Rohnert Park Relay For Life - home of my friend Becky Lunders and family! This was a fun trip! Great people, great weather, great spirit!

Lange World Cup 150 flex!

My new boots have arrived and I LOVE them! Skiing like a ROCK star at Mt. Snow this past weekend they make a HUGE difference. Life on the slopes is very good. Schuyler starts in the Development Program this weekend and I get my group assigned as training center coach. The first couple weekends were interesting, getting used to the new environment and the new people, but this past weekend was great! The snow was fabulous and I met a ton of new people and skied with some good skiers. I even managed to get in a few runs with my new husband and Head Alpine Coach! Looking forward to the winter!

ACS photo favorites!

Sue Ann and I at the Hope Lodge in Tampa


Karen (Wal-Mart), Mark (BAE), Jeanne and at St. Christophers in NYC



From Tom Deal - great picture of the choir at closing!

Race Resume - November 2007

Race Resume
2007 Race Result Highlights
70.3 World Championship, Clearwater, FL 33/63 in age group - 5:18 finish time (11/07)
70.3 Timberman 2nd in age group, Gifford, NH - 5:15 finish time
Chicago Marathon (3:26:13)- 896 overall - 128 female - 15th in age group (10/07)Boston Marathon 7th overall master woman. 1626 overall(4/07)
4th master ING Atlanta, Georgia 1/2 marathon (3/07)
1st overall woman - Swanzey, NH 1/2 marathon (9/07)
4th woman, 1st in age - Greenfield Triathlon USAT Club Championship (8/07)
Ranked 144 USAT for 40-44 female age group (2007)
USTS National Olympic Distance Triathlon Championship (6/07) 191/475 in age)


2006 highlighted results:
Chicago Marathon: (3:14:38) – 2161/38,000 overall – Gender 263 – Division 35
Tufts 10K for women, Boston, MA: (42:23) 88/7000 overall – 14/1348 age group
FIRM MAN ½ Ironman, Narragansett Bay, RI (5:09:51) – 9th woman – 3rd in age – 118/641 finishers
Swanzey NH Covered Bridge ½ marathon – (1:31:01) – 4th woman – 1st in age – 21 / 311 finishers
CIGNA 5K, Manchester NH: (20:04) – 16th woman – 2nd in age - 4260 finishers
Sea to Summit (12 mi kayak, 90 mi bike, 9 mile run up Mt. Washington) – 10:36:24 – 2nd woman
NETS Fairlee, VT: (1:47:12) – 4th in age – 117/ 467 finishers


4 time Iron man competitor
Iron-man Triathlon –swim 2.4 mile, bike 112 miles, run -6.2 miles
PR – 11:52:01
1990 - Sunapee, NH (12:59)
1991- Sunapee, NH (12:36:41)11th female
1994 -Martha’s Vineyard (12:15:42) 9th female
1996 -Sunapee, NH – 11:51 – 2nd place female


Marathons – 26.2 miles
Competed in 19 marathons including:
Chicago - (October 2007) -3:26
Boston (April 2007) - 3:05:59
Chicago (October 2006) – 3:14:38
Montreal, Canada (3:35)
Cape Cod, MA (3:45)
Hartford, CT – (3:40)
Disney Marathon, Orlando, FL (3:53)
Portland, ME- 2004 – (3:41)
VT City Marathon – 1993 (3:33), 1994 (3:27:14), 1999 (3:35)
Marine Corps Marathon, Washington DC – (3:50)
Providence, RI (4:05)
Boston Marathon – 1990(3:51), 1993 (4:16), 2002 (4:10) 2007 (3:05)


Personal Record List
Marathon – 3:05:59 – (2007) – Boston, MA
½ Marathon – 1:28:48 (2007) – Alton, NH
Ironman distance triathlon – 11:51 (1996) – Sunapee, NH
½ ironman – 5:09 (2006)– Narragansett Bay, RI
5K – 20:04 – (2006) Cigna 5K, Manchester, NH
10K – 40:44 (1994) – Killington, VT

Other Accomplishments:
Sea to Summit 2nd place woman – 12 mi kayak, 90 mi bike, 9 mile run to Mt. Washington (2006)
USTS National Olympic Distance Triathlon Championship 1990 (Top 50% in age)
3rd place – Sport Women Pedro’s New England Mountain Bike Series (1994)
Raced Category 4 Woman’s class – (1992 & 2000)
3rd place female overall – VT Triathlon Series (1994)
5 time Century ride finisher – Audrey Prouty Memorial Century for NCCC
Top 16 Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge, Killington, VT – (1997)
Woodstock, VT HS Girls Varsity Basketball Coach, JV Girls Lacrosse & Field Hockey (1990-93)

Qualifications
BS Physical Education, Castleton State College (1986)
Professional Ski Instructor of America certified since (2000) current Level 2 certification
Killington Ski Patrol, Killington, VT – (pro) 1987-1997
Keystone Ski Instructor, Keystone, CO (pro)– 1998-2000
Mt. Sunapee Ski Instructor, Newbury, NH (pro) – 2000-2006
American Red Cross – Director of Health & Safety Services – 1991-1994
American Red Cross, past instructor trainer certifications Water Safety, Life guarding, Emergency Response, First Aid and Professional CPR.

(Last updated: November 21, 2007)

Sandhill Cranes in Trinity Florida

These beautiful birds frequent the golf course (Steve's mom lives on the 7th tee) in Trinity. We arrived to see them on the course in the afternoon and my mother in law told us how they mate for life.... they have one or 2 babies, but only have one mate. They were beautiful to watch and as I took their photos they came closer to us to visit - - Here are my favorites:

I searched to find out more and here is a link to the International Crane Foundation website that is an incredible resource.

70.3 World Championships - PHOTOS

Ironman 70.3 World Championships - RESULTS!

Peck-Cook, Nancy BELCHERTOWN MA USA

Overall place: 1113 of 1466 starters and 1650 qualifiers
Overall time: 5:18:17
Age group rank: 33/63 W40-44
Race number: 1200
SWIM:
Rank in age: 49 overallL: 1246 swim time: 38:41 per/100m 2:03
T1: 3:50
BIKE:
age rank: 37 overall rank: 1203 2:43:39 20.5 mph
T2: 2:59
RUN
age rank: 23 overall rank: 946 bike time: 1:49:09 8:20 min/mile

The story:
Flying to Tampa on Thursday I was looking through the race guide (and my friend Stac can start laughing here...) and realized that OMG! the race is on Saturday and not Sunday. All my triathlons to date that I have raced in this year were on Sundays and not quite sure how I messed this one up, but I had the date in my calendar WRONG - - so I called Steve immediately to calm myself and start to prepare (even though it was so tight). Arranging the schedule with Kathy at the Curves conference to leave a little earlier from Orlando was done and now I managed to get to Tampa - - drive to Orlando - - work my shifts and meet some great people from Curves.

I drove to Clearwater after the night at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort (Which was truly an amazing golf resort) and after having put my bike together with my incredible mechanic husband - - drove at 8 AM to Clearwater. I arrived to the Expo area at the Harborview Convention Center. The race was so well organized, there were no long lines and lots of volunteers. They had you wait until there was one of the 12 volunteers sitting at the table to walk you through all the instructions and race numbers. Then to get weighed in case of dehydration they had a record. Not so much fun on the scale. : ) Check my timing chip and get my tshirt and time to shop! I got a sweatshirt that I absolutely love.... soft, fleecy, white Ironman style and a tech tshirt with the IM info on it.

Next to deal with my bike. My front tire was all worn out so I went to the bike place (tent) to have the guys put on my tire and straighten, tighten and adjust anything so that I could ride with a sound mind in the morning. LOVE my new tire, but I was looking around with "bike envy" at the thousands of dollars in bikes and wheels riding by and hanging on the rack. Although I am truly in love with my Italian road race bike - my Ciocci - - white and royal blue accents - - I have had since 1999. Crazy the money that is spent on these new bikes... some day. : )
My "sleeper" bars (as Steve calls them) were tightened and the guy laughed at the "jimmy rig" that I had for the bars after losing a screw. : )

Now off to place all my stuff in transition that was going to close at 5 pm. I packed my bags - blue for bike and red for run. They don't let you in the transition area after racking your bags - - Again I FINALLY found a parking space, met my personal volunteer guide (the volunteers were INCREDIBLE). It was carpeted all around where the bikes were held and she walked me through every step so I would be prepared (where were these volunteers all those times I got lost!).

Once I had all my stuff in place, knowing that I could get back in to my bike the next day to add my water bottles with fuel I was all set! Steve arrived that night - letting me sleep until he arrived around 1:30 am and then I awoke to find that they lost his luggage with the things I forgot (watch, water bottles for fuel and goggles). His mom was so great to pick him up and they went to Wal-Mart to get me goggles that worked great!

The race:
Woke up at 4 am - ate a bagel / egg and made my fuel for the ride. Got to Pier 60 and found a great parking space. We walked to the bike transition - - realized I forgot my timing chip and my bathing cap disappeared - - so I needed a new one. Steve went back got my chip and I found someone for a cap. WE went to the beach - prepped and I stared out to the ocean (dreading the swim as always). The swim felt very crowed and I was hit a few times. I felt straight at least and not too tired, but know that I struggle for time there with lack of (or no training to be honest, besides the races that I do) -- so on to the bike (which also had lack of training, but is my strength from the past - - sorry to sound like I am making excuses, but I am SO competative inside myself.). The bike was fun - I felt fast because I passed all those fast swimmers that can't bike as well. Although I did find some girls my pace in their late 30"s amd early 40's. One from Mexico, one from Victoria Canada and one from Italy. It was fun -- tight in spots that made me nervous because of drafting, but there really wasn't a choice and I kept far back as I could. The roads were flat and fast, just a few little inclines and a LOT of head wind. The last stretch was tough. There were 2 bottle drops and I pushed the liquids.

Once on the run - I was hungry and tired. : ) It was noon and I was ready for lunch. Oh well. GU for lunch. Hmmm, well they had bannanas and oranges - - so I fueled a bit and climbed the bridge over the water out onto the main area - around the housing development and back - 2 loops. I had to go the bathroom (woman stuff, belly issues) .... My second loop felt faster, but I really just maintained. I pushed to the finish and sprinted (Steve likes the effort put out at the end - - so I did my best) My time was 5:18 which I felt pretty good about - considering such a tough ocean swim and well - late season racing.... Yippee! It was about qualifying and being there. I was really happy with my results and wasn't sore like Chicago - so I was happy. Happy to be done.

We walked the pier area, saw the girl Kim that beat me in Big Lake at the half and also won her qualifying spot at Timberman. She was injured, but happy with her results. Nice girl, good to connect with her.

Found my overall results today after missing our flight out home this morning because of the offsite rental car location - - here one more night before heading home.

HAPPY - - just about 50% in my age group. Not too shabby - - 20 mph on the bike (cool) and my run wasn't so bad afterall. : )I love being Steve's "rock star" - - we played golf the next afternoon - - guess what? I can play golf too!

Next year - I will be better trained next year. : )