National Parks 100th Aniversary - Adventures on Isle Royale

National Park Adventures of Two Middle Aged Cousins

Prehike

In my college years I did a fair amount of backpacking at locations across the country.  I am really happy when I am in a nature environment and with the daily grind of work, kids sports, and stressors I need to reboot in nature.  My cousin Stephen and I did a trip to Colorado in 2011 and had talked about going to Isle Royale even back then so when he asked if I was game in going with him this summer I was intrigued by the option.  Once we set a date we were in planning mode.  I was in a wreck in May and wasn't sure how my shoulder would do and of course planned to do some local hikes with pack weight ahead of time but alas only did one.

Stephen on the boat

I drove up through Iowa and Minnesota.  I spent a little time stretching my legs at a lovely park in Duluth later afternoon along the way.  I picked up a geocache or two as well amongst all the Pokemon users.  Stephen and I met at a hotel casino on the American side of the Northwest tip of Minnesota and tried to guess how much stuff we could cram into our packs and stay at or under 40 lbs.  The boat we rode over on (Voyeger II) is shown to the left and we rolled out early the next morning to catch the boat.  I spent most of our ride over to the Island reading a book about the history of the Island in the quiet lower level of the boat.  We had Canada off to our left and Lake Superior all around us. As we got closer to the island we saw smaller islands around it.  There was a stop at the Windego ranger station where we picked up our backcountry permits and then we hopped back on the boat to wait for our stop at McCargo Cove.

McCargo Cove

It was a warm day when we put in at McCargo and we got our packs first and chugged up the hill to find shelter as McCargo had almost a dozen little shelter available to stay in.  After checking one side we found a group moving from one shelter to another so we took their vacated space and threw down our gear.  We filled our water bottles and then since it was early afternoon we took an couple of hours to explore the trail and visit an abandoned mine nearby.  We ended up sharing the cabin with another couple and had quite a windstorm that night so I had some restless sleep.

One entrance to part of the mine
and we walked through this.

The glorious thimbleberry

One great thing about the island is it fed us along the way and we ate a lot of thimbleberries as well as blueberries and raspberries where we could find them.  The thimbleberries got to brightening our days as we got farther into the trip across the island.  The first official day on the trail it was breezy, sunny and a bit more warm and humid than we were expecting.  We took our time and enjoyed the views coming over part of the Minong Trail.  Fortunately the hot weather week was the week before we got there so we only caught the tail end.  We were a bit loopy by the end of this day and as we were looking for a campsite nature got the best of me. 

 

First day on Minong

First day on Minong -
Photo bomb??

Small lake north of Minong
before Todd Harbor

Canada in the far ground.
Minong Trail

We stopped on the Minong a couple of times for snacks and water.  Then had a late lunch at Todd Harbor and enjoyed the views and lake breezes.  From the ridge line, lakes that look small on the map look quite large in real life.  I don't know what these lakes are called without looking on a more detailed map however they were small for Isle Royale.  After stopping in Todd Harbor we turned south off the Minong trail to head to Hatchet Lake for our overnight stop.  I spent much of the day with the view below letting Stephen set the pace.  My shoulder was nagging a bit throughout the day with the pack weight pulling on it and I was pretty certain the hiking boots I was using (normally reserved for snow shoeing) were giving me blisters.  We were hot and tired after around ten miles on the trail.

Finally coming into Hatchet Lake

Rock Cairn on Minong Ridge Trail

Campsite at Hatchet Lake

Cool Moose Antlers in the
Hatchet Lake campsite

Mother Nature decided to mess with me at this point, and as we bushwhacked our way into the Hatchet Lake campsite. I must have hit a root running parallel with the trail and the next thing I knew I was cursing from the Thimbleberry bushes.  There was a huge pop in my ankle when I went down and this is the same ankle I tore up in 1996 and 2012  so I was fearing the worst.  Yes this was the end of the FIRST DAY on the trail. 

Lake Hatchett

Stephen found a campsite for us while I whimpered and cursed next to the trail on a rock.  I gingerly followed him up to the site and then powered through the first setting up of the tent for this trip and made myself a walking stick.  I found my way to the outhouse and met a lovely couple from Rock Island, Illinois who later took mercy on me and gave me an ace wrap (yes I normally carry one with me but transitioned to a new pack for this trip and didn't transition my ace wrap... GRRRR!)  Once we were set up, had fresh water, and had eaten I assessed my toes (small blisters on my pinky toes were rehabbed) and ankle, and then read quietly for a bit before heading to bed.

First views from the Greenstone Ridge
Hatchett Lake in the background

My walking stick
on the Greenstone Ridge

The next day (day two on the trail) we had a quick breakfast and filtered some more water.  Then I broke down the tent and got a head start while Stephen finished his morning routine.  















I figured he'd catch me eventually gimping along. The first half mile was switchbacks straight up the side of the Greenstone Ridge to get to the Greenstone Trail.  I powered up that trail with my trusty stick and then stopped to admire what would be our waning views for the day.

Greenstone Ridge

It was less humid and cooler, however the afternoon brought light drizzle.  We ate our lunch under the observation tower at 1377 ft on the Greenstone Ridge trail chatting with many of the people we had been camping near over the last couple of nights.  We created trail nicknames to keep them straight between the two of us.  There was party of six from Minneapolis which were part of a hiking club from there.  They usually blew by us pretty quick.  There was party of 4 from Illinois who were two grandpas, a son and grandson and they usually headed out around the same time as us or passed us early on.  Then we ran into several groups of two along the way like the one who gave me a wrap.  I think their nickname related to them taking the float plane to the island.  We enjoyed chatting with them along the trail and in the campsite each night.

Lake Desor land of the mighty mosquito

The end of the second day of hiking, around 8 miles, brought us to the very large Lake Desor, land of the mosquitoes.  We did not spend much time outside of the tent in our camping space because it was very buggy.  

We did however hang out on the beach with the multi-generational crew for a while and listened to their stories of many, many trips (11 and 18) to Isle Royale over the years.  Isle Royal is one of the least visited National Parks because it is difficult and expensive to get to, but one of the most revisited National Parks because it is beautiful and offers many different paths to traverse.

Despite the discomfort I had been in the entire day I was already formulating a plan to come back in a couple of years with my kiddos.

Me and Lake Desor... still smiling

Have to stay hydrated

At 24 hours later...
toes and ankle purple and swollen

We turned in early this night because the drizzle that eventually gave way to rain and lots of it. Surprisingly I slept pretty good with the nearly constant patter of rain on the tent... and the buzzing of mosquitoes outside.  In the morning it was still raining so we waited a little bit for a lull in the weather and broke down camp as quickly as we could and set out with an extra five lbs of damp tent on my back for good measure.

Soggy and miserable...
pausing for nourishment
not quite halfway there

The last day of hiking on Isle Royale was a mental and physical challenge.  The trails were wet, slick and muddy in places.  I didn't take my camera out much this day but did use my phones a couple of times to capture things here and there.

We spent much of the 11 plus mile trail day in rain of varying intensities but also trying to find the highest point along the trail so I could get a screen shot to submit for an Earth Cache I was working on.  Most of the hike was  walking through maple forests and bushwhacking through berry bushes.  Needless to say we were very soggy all day.  I had chosen to wear my quick drying shorts that day but it ended up allowing water to pour into my boots all day.

Whenever one of us would get hangry we would take a couple of minutes, regroup, and have a snack.  With the persistent rain and no shelters along the way we mostly just trudged along.

My pack was trying to stay dry too

We knew from the grandpas that once the forest changed from Maples to Evergreen trees along with a persistent down slope in trail that were were getting close to our final destination.  However we weren't sure how close and it felt like those last couple of miles took for ever.  

Wonderful Dry Shelter

The final challenge was finding a shelter in the campground.  Since Windigo is a popular day tripping and base camping location they have a lot of shelters there.  The trick is finding a shelter with the current inhabitants in it to see if they had room for two more.  After checking 10 or 12 of them we finally found one we could move into.

Clean and fed before I caught
 my boat to the mainland

The cabins are basically three sided with a roof and raised floor for you to put your sleeping bag down.  The last side is screened in so it is essentially protected from the weather and larger critters.  We stayed in one of these two out of four nights and it was a nice respite from the close quarters of our two person tent.

Windigo was a wonderful oasis and functions as a tiny city.  It has a store, a ranger station, potable water, laundry and SHOWERS!  After being wet all day we could hardly wait to get clean.  Stephen was staying on the island for a few more days to solo hike and decided to do a load of laundry so I left Isle Royale smelling fresh with a pack full of clean clothes.

Beautiful Flowers

That evening we went to an interpretive talk at the ranger station to learn about the geology of Isle Royale... I know... you totally didn't expect me to be excited about that but it was fun.  For an added bonus a lady from one of the boats docked there gave me a bag of ice and so, on the third day after 20 miles on the trail I finally iced my swollen bruised ankle.

My ride to the mainland

My last day on the island we explored a bit, went to two more ranger talks, one on the lighthouses and sunken ships around the island, and one on the animals of the island.  I also did another Earth Cache and got to meet the cache owners, friends of a friend, and talk geocaching. Despite being there for nearly a week we only saw signs and sounds of animals but did not spot any moose, fox or wolves.  We did see tiny squirrels but that seemed fairly anti-climatic.  

Mid afternoon I bid farewell to Stephen and the island.  I wished I had a couple more days to stay and explore from Windigo.  The boat I returned on is a day trip vessel and half of the people on it were only on the island for four hours.  The other half were hikers like me heading for home.  I was able to catch up with a father and son from Miami who we had come to the island with and we got a close up shot of on of the lighthouses.  Despite my aches and pains, and the mixed weather, I really enjoyed my time on the island and will certainly be going back in a couple of years.  While it is a challenge to get there, it is definitely worth the journey.

Funky mushrooms

Funky mushrooms

Thank you for reading along.  


“The nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Race Report Times Two - Cyman Triathlon Sprint 2016

Missing the triracer ladies but
here I am with the fellas.
We had seven total.

Just knocking out some race reports tonight.  Last one of the season on Cyman Triathlon sprint distance 2016.  Since I had spent the day before hanging with my girl doing some volunteering for the Special Olympic equestrian games I figured she owed me some cheering for my last race of the season.  It was nice that this race doesn't start until 9am so we rolled out with the sunrise to head to Bondurant.  Another gorgeous day to race and a tad warmer on land and in the water than when I did this race two years ago.

My biggest concern going into this race would be my ankle. I know I still owe you a blog with that story and I will queue that one up soon.  Needless to day I was looking at the water exit from the lake straight up an embankment and a tad worried.  I had my KT tape on my ankle and I hoped that would be enough.  Although it was mid September the water temps were between 68 - 70 so I opted for my wetsuit for the swim.  It was a calm lovely day for a swim.  They adjusted the buoys a bit so we wouldn't be swimming directly into the sun for the first buoy.  We waited on the Olympic racers to do their heats and most were coming out of the water before we got started.  It was a solid swim for me but I probably held back a bit and my shoulder was barking a bit on the return trip.  They had four or five people on the climb out of the lake to pull people out of the water so getting out of the lake was not an issue.

Starting the bike
Photo by Abby

I made it through transition and headed out on the bike.  This course is a bit of a roller through the beautiful Iowa countryside.  Lots of farms, animals, and topography variety to keep me entertained.  The course essentially has two loops and a couple of short stretches were we overlapped going in the opposite direction.  Despite not having done many rides this year I had a much faster ride than when  I did Bluff Creek six weeks earlier.  All in all I felt a lot more comfortable on my bike for this race.

The run was a different course then when I did Cyman in 2014 so while I knew it was on a paved trail it wasn't on the same trail as before.  There were stretches of shade and sun along the trail.   It was starting to get warm towards the end but I felt like I was having a solid run and really tried to push the pace as I ran the last mile back around the lake to the finish.

The best part of the day was having my best girl Abigail with me.  She is twelve now and has a couple of triathlons under her belt as well.  It is important to me for her to see me race, and the payoff from all the hard work I do leading up to my races.  I also hope that she can see that I push on despite my limitations with MS and injury do the things I love like racing in triathlons.  Either way she was my rock star support team and was rocking the cowbell at the finish for all the finishers coming in.  Super proud of her and grateful to have her by my side.

My best girl and I after the race.

Another season is in the books since my running was derailed so no marathon to close things out. I'm looking ahead to next year and trying to figure out what races to do.  I'd hoped to do my first marathon at Grandmas in Duluth but it looks like I will be in Muscatine celebrating with my crazy extended family that weekend so will have to look towards some other options.  Time to formulate a plan.

As always thanks to my teammates (Triracers and Pearl Izumi), my fleet of medical professionals, and my family for another great year in the wilds of the Midwest.  #endureandenjoy

Race Report - Bluff Creek Sprint Triathon 2016

I am way behind in my blogging this summer so here is my race report from Bluff Creek Triathlon in late July.  After the car accident and then slogging through a half ironman triathlon three weeks later, I've spent most of my summer rehabbing my shoulder and then my ankle (see my national park post for details.).

Before the race

So going into July I knew I planned on doing one of my favorite races using the registration I couldn't use last year with my MS flaring.  The question was did I want to try for the Olympic or just get by with the Sprint.  It was looking to be less humid than last year, but was still going to have a bit of heat on the run especially if I did the Olympic length.  I figured since my season was toast anyway, and I really hadn't done any runs over three miles, that I would just do the sprint and have fun.  It ended up being a lovely day with a comfortable temp at the start and nice lake temp (I've done this race in May with water temps in the low 60's so I will take the 70's over that).

Hanging on the beach we noticed there weren't very many racers from our club this year.  We had a log of folks up in WI doing a training weekend for IMWI so pickings were slim.  I think I counted six of us and was grateful for a little company on the course.  As always we took the bus to the beach for the start.  The swim was pretty uneventful across the to the boat ramp.  I probably had more to give but my shoulder was starting to ache as I came around the last buoy.

Since the wreck in May I've done very little bike training (read none to speak of) and mostly just tooled around with the kids or the occasional commutes to work.  I didn't have high expectations on the bike and really felt my lack of training as people continued to blow by me the entire ride. This is a flattish straight out and back sprint course unlike Twister Hill on the Olympic course.  Looking on the bright side it was a beautiful day, and the wind wasn't too bad this year.  In past years I've done this one with not enough gears to keep up in one direction and not enough gears to stay upright coming back so this was pretty light work.

  

I wrapped up the bike course and then was off to the run course.  This is a bit of a rolling run course with a stretch on grassy and gravel trails, then into the park on the roads down a big hill, over the damn and up another long hill to the turn around point, then repeat in reverse. The run felt pretty strong for me and I probably could have pushed a bit more but heat was rising and I was enjoying the day.  All in all was a great race, not an age group finishs but I had fun and that is what counts.

Thanks to my trainer for the Stongar with Mongar plan who got me most of the way through July. Thanks to my physical therapist who worked to get my shoulder mobile again.  Thanks to my family who lets me wonder off in the wee hours to play outside, and to Pearl Izumi for the sponsorship this year #endureandenjoy365

MS Update - Changes abreast

Every year I go in for blood work once or twice.  My regular doc checks things like my thyroid and cholesterol (both doing just fine) and my neurologist checks my blood - white blood counts (what fights off illness) and my red blood counts.  My most recent major work up was at the end of June.  My blood numbers were off so we made a plan to test again in a month. I've had issues with my White Blood Count (WBC) in the past but the numbers have also recovered in the past. 

At the beginning of August they ran them again and they were even worse.  My WBC kept dropping.  It had been low in the past but had always rebounded.  This time it got worse and a bunch of other results went with them.  My neurologist was concerned and asked me to run them again later in August.  

I had two weeks off my MS meds to allow me to go backpacking in Isle Royale (see my nature girl post) and not have to mess with them.  My meds are a refrigerated injection that I do three days a week. I got back from the wild and had lab tests a third time... AND my labs are still in the toilet.  Certainly explains why I've felt tired.  It appears my meds are causing a bit of anemia in my bone marrow on top of depressing my immune system.  :(

So things I don't miss about being off my meds... No med muddle the day after, no ever weighty depression, no migraines, and when I've been cold and damp no Raynauds just to name a few.  My seasonal allergies and inflammation are still flared up but I am guessing it is because my immune system is a bit depressed.

So what now??  I wasn't real excited about doing another injectable med, so we decided to transition me to Tecfidera which is an oral capsule that I will take twice a day with meals.  I have to stay off my meds 2-3 more weeks to see if my blood work rebounds.  It if doesn't then I will have to see a blood specialist to see why.  I can't start my new MS meds until my blood work stabilizes and I have been off my current meds for a month.  I'll have to find a way to manage my stress during this time and rest to give my body time to recover.  Time will tell as I go through these adjustments over the next couple of months.

On another note I was accepted to be part of a clinical research study looking at two specific diets aimed at reducing fatigue in people with Relapsing Remitting MS like mine.  I start the study in mid September and will be assigned a a specific food plan between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The science is important, but I know it will be hard work to stick to the plan assigned to me so keeping my family and I in your positive thoughts over the next 6-8 months would be greatly appreciated.

MS Bike Ride 2016

So it is that time again for my yearly check with my neurologist and my annual foray into the wilds of Iowa for the Multiple Sclerosis Society MS Ride.  This is their biggest fundraiser and they raised over $100000 this year just from the Iowa ride.

It was going to be a hot and steamy ride this year, and my dad was not training for RAGBRAI so we opted for an 8am start.  I got to chat with a couple of my MS activist friends who also have MS and saw Dr Hughes (the leading MS doc in the state of Iowa) cutting a check for $100 to get signed up for the ride and clear his donation requirements.

Hubby Joe, myself, and my dad Joe at the start of the ride

The ride to Slater was nice and my dad and I caught up on our adventures since our last visit.  Joe rode along behind and the morning was lovely with a light tailwind but a bit sticky especially as the heat was rising.  We made it to the Slater oasis point and refilled our water bottles and got a snack, etc. and then rolled back south to Ankeny.  

Since we did this ride the weekend after my half Ironman I was feeling the toll of a bit of a strong headwind in the quads and was glad we only did 25 miles that day (did I mention I was sore from walking the 1/2 marathon the weekend before... totally uses different muscles to walk that far.)  Anyway it was a great ride with a couple of my favorite guys.

Here is a shout out to all the wonderful people who made donations to the MS Society on my behalf (I will add to this as more come in): The Schneider Family, Kate J., George K., Judy and Gary E., Teammate Greg G., collegues Matt H. and Bob Y., and family members Becky B., Sheila C., Mary and Dean L., Gloria M., and my awesome parents Joe and Gail.  Written thank yous are coming your way. It isn't too late to donate (July 29th is this year's cutoff) so go to this link today  and help researchers find a cure for MS.

As for my annual check up with my neurologist he said keep doing what I am doing.  He also said I can take a two week med break in August when I go backpacking in Isle Royale with my cousin.  It will be a nice break... and in bonus news one of the MS meds in trials right now just got a fast track with hopes for release in FY2017.  It is a different kind of drug and I am very interested in this one.  Last bit of MS related news I have been tentatively accepted into Dr Wahl's clinical nutrition trial to look at how two documented MS food plans effect MS fatigue in people with the kind of MS I have so I am super excited about that but I expect Thanksgiving and Christmas to be a bit of a food challenge yet again.

Until next time... thanks for reading. Have a great day!!

Race Report - Milkman 1/2 Ironman Triathlon

Teammates Galen and Andy before the
race - Joe Thompson

Sometimes life presents you with choices.  As my earlier blog post noted I had a rough couple of weeks going into this race.  That meant drastically reduced training, physical therapy, and on and on... Add weather in the 80s and a pile of hills into the mix and I made the decision to take the pressure off myself.  As I did my race prep the night before I was talking through the plan with my husband and cousins and warned them It was going to take me a while to finish.  I said it was likely I'd be walking the half marathon and worse case might not even finish (I never really know when heat will make my MS flare).  I was not going to strain my body to collapse with the heat and challenging bike course so with that I went into the next day with my mind and heart open to whatever experience was put in front of me.

Race day I was up before 5 and the guys and I headed over to the course lot.  My cousin Jay introduced me to Captain America Aaron who does ToughMudder races with him.  Jay and Joe walked over to the transition zone and Aaron and I took the bus with our gear.  With nearly 1000 people racing it was a good sized transition area.  I had dropped off my bike the day before but we didn't have time to check out the course which is pretty unusual for me. I got things reinstalled on my bike and set up my transition area.  I found a bunch of my triracer teammates and Ames racing buddies and shot the breeze before heading over to the lake to check out the buoys.  While chatting and waiting I met another Pearl Izumi Women's Tri team member GiGi and love my extended tri family this year.  The water was in the low 70s as was the air and I opted for a wetsuit.  

Coming out of the swim

This race ran the waves starting in reverse age order with the elite heats and the older folks going first.  I think I was heat nine which put me in a middle heat.  I got a strong start and the sun was high enough it wasn't completely in my face but sighting buoys for the first leg was challenging.  I started to hit traffic about 200 yards from the first turn and found myself in people as I swam through the three heats of athletes ahead of me.  It was a solid swim but I wasn't pushing super hard.  I came out of the lake with 1.2 miles in right at 35 minutes.  YAY wetsuit strippers got my out of my suit in seconds.  It was quite a distance up over the hill back to transition and I jogged most of it.   

I took a few minutes to dry off, get my gear on, drink water and snarf down a Lara bar.  I was convinced that I wasn't going to bonk like I did last year.  Joe, Jay and Jodi  my training buddy Galen's wife all gave me a shout out as I headed out for my ride.  I had three water bottles (one insulated and cold, one with air temp water and one with skratch) and with the heat rising through the ride I made sure to work the warm one twice for every hit of skratch and saved the cooler one for later on the course.  The roads was rough the first ten miles and then the hills came, and came, and came.  I started working on my PBJ bonk bar around mile 20 and finished it off by mile 45.  I also worked through all three water bottles pushing the last of my water as I rolled the last mile into transition, and felt like my nutrition plan thus far was just right for my 56 mile ride.  This was my longest ride of the season by 20 miles since my training derailed with the car crash recovery.  So at this point I am 56 miles and 3 hours and 53 minutes in the saddle which had me at four and half hours so far.

My ROCKSTAR family at the halfway point
of the half marathon - LOVE THEM!!

My new triathlete friend Leslie
and I at the halfway point

Coming into transition I was cheered on by seven people I love (biggest cheering section ever for me) and I prepared myself for a hot shuffle around the lake.  I put on my Pearl Izumi cooling bolero which is wet and fun to wriggle into but worth the five degree cooler temps on my arms.  I had been chatting with a young man towards the end of the bike who'd been cramping and we came out of transition together with my soon to be new friend Leslie from the Madison area.  As we shuffled the first few steps we agreed neither of us was going to push too hard for the 13.1 mile "run" portion of this half ironman so we agreed to make the journey together.

Around mile 9 1/2

By this point the weather was heating up into the 80s and full sun.  Thank goodness for ice at every water stop.  The neighborhood course support was fantastic the first seven miles with lots of sprinklers along the way for us to keep cool. They also had bananas so when my tummy started to rumble around mile five that took the edge off.  I was carrying my skratch in a 16 oz hand bottle and took this one between water stops as needed.

At each stop we would put ice in our bras and in my hat, pour water on my cooling sleeves and drink some as well.  It was a beautiful shuffle the first 6 1/2 miles through older neighborhoods and lakeside houses.  After the water stop at mile 6 1/2  where I took on a banana as well it was a long stretch of sun and busy roads and left us simmering coming into the next water stop which was father down the road then the rest had been thus far.  This stop was at the edge of a large park and also where I found my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Kenny (did I mention my race support from my family was AWESOME!!) so gave soggy hugs and made plans to catch up before we left town.

The last four miles were very urban and sunny and tough and even though we were only walking by that point I was desperate to get to the end of the race.  It takes a VERY long time to mostly walk a half marathon and keep in mind by the time I started I'd already been racing almost four and half hours.  It took me three hours and 20 minutes to get around the lake for 13.1 miles.  The last 1 tenth of a mile was uphill... yes uphill but we finally got there.  I am grateful for the new friend I made on the journey and look forward to racing in the Madison area again in the future.  Final time... don't really care.

I have decided that running a half marathon is much preferred but was glad I made the choice to walk most of it.  A lot of people struggled with the heat and many needed medical attention.  Racing isn't work that for me.  In the end I had the most fun I've had racing in years, with beautiful scenery, fantastic volunteers, a challenging course and my AMAZING family cheering me on.  I promised Joe I would take a year off on the long course races, and promised my cousin Jay I would be back soon to race with him for his first sprint triathlon (something he has talked about for years).

I am truly grateful to still be able to race.  I have two more triathlons and some runs scheduled yet this season but this season is just about having a positive attitude, lots of smiles and making new friends along the way. 

Thank you to the Race Day Events crew for an amazing course and fantastic volunteers and free race photos!  Thank you to my awesome coach John Mongar who encourages me and keeps me in the right frame of mind when I invent struggles.  Thank you to Pearl Izumi for the great extended ladies tri team.  #endureandenjoy.  And last of all thank you to my family for giving me time to do what I love and always cheering me on when I know you are stressing after me.  I love you guys!!  Until next time... get off the couch and experience life.  Thanks for reading.