Updates from Courtney Staton

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

I'm al...

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:28:58 GMT

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

I'm almost as cool as you. Almost.

Update from Courtney Staton

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:28:30 GMT

It's Settled!

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:46:55 GMT

I'm racing RedMan Triathlon Full as my Iron Distance for 2009. I know, it totally wasn't even on the radar, huh!!??

Go to my new blog to check out the full details!

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

Loves!

Blog Reminder

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:27:00 GMT

Hey All-

I know some of you follow my blog (and if not, well then, you should start!). I have switched over to blogspot as my traffic here started to get a little overwhelming.

So, here's the new link.

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

I will of course, keep this site updated as much as possible, but it will mostly be for pertinent sponsorship info. So add me to your reader if you haven't already.

For those of you with season winding down, I hope it went well! For those just gear up, best wishes!!

Cheers!

Courtney

BlogSpot

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:45:55 GMT

Ok, so in my best effort to avoid messages from the powers that be on how i'm crashing this site, I'm going to start blogging over here: http://triathletebride.blogspot.com/

Don't worry, I'll keep this one up for bit, too.

Ironman on the Brain

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:35:59 GMT

IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan.IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan.IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan.IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan.IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan. IronMan.

I Think I should. I know I must. I absolutely have to.

I can't stop thinking about it. I need it. I crave it. I yearn for it. I really really really wanna do it. I'm jonesin' for it. I. Must. Do. It. Again.

Now, which one. I need an '09. It's looking like IMAZ right now. But IMLoo isn't totally out yet.

GOOD LUCK ROBYN

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:23:00 GMT

GO GET GET 'EM, GIRL!

I LOVE YOU NUMBER 174!!!!

GO FAST!!!!!!

Love, Court

The Best (triathlon) Thing I've Heard This Year!

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:36:40 GMT

August 27, 2008

2009 USA Triathlon TriSports.com Halfmax National Championship

Important 2009 Halfmax Championship Announcement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon and Ultramax Events is pleased to announce that the Redman Triathlon in Oklahoma City, Okla., will serve as the second of a new three city rotational structure for the USA Triathlon Halfmax National Championship. The Redman Triathlon will host the 2009 USA Triathlon Trisports.com Halfmax National Championship and USA Triathlon Club National Championship.

The Pumpkinman Triathlon will kick off the new rotational structure and will host the 2008 championship near Las Vegas on Oct. 18. The final leg of the Halfmax rotation will be the 2010 Championship. The venue and race date will be announced early next season.

“This is an exciting event. Not only will we be able to crown our Long Course Triathlon National Championships, but we will also be crowning our Club National Champions,” said USAT National Events Director Jeff Dyrek. “Athletes of all experience levels will have the opportunity to contribute to their club’s scoring whether it be the sprint, intermediate or long course distance event. Clubs will be able to bring athletes of all experience levels to compete.”

The Trisports.com Halfmax National Championship is entering its fourth year and is supported by a network of qualifying events that span the entire nation. Beginning in 2008, only athletes who qualify for the Halfmax Championship will be eligible to compete for the coveted world championship slots. Each year the Halfmax Championship attracts the very best long course age group athletes from across the nation. The Halfmax venue rotation will give athletes across the nation better access to the Halfmax Championship and Club Championships. This new 3-year rotation makes it easier for athletes to plan from year-to-year.

The Halfmax Long Course National Championship features a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.

“Ultramax is very excited to add the Redman Triathlon to our three city rotation plan. The new rotation design will deliver the Halfmax Championship concept to the entire nation. This expansion will build upon our very successful move to the Pumpkinman Triathlon in Las Vegas. Our master plan is to return to each city every three years,” said Ultramax Events Owner, Mark Livesay.

The 2008 and 2009 Halfmax Championships will produce a minimum of 10 slots per age group for Team USA and the 2009 and 2010 Long Course Triathlon World Championship.

“We are excited to be working with the Redman Triathlon group,” Dyrek said. “With their good reputation and completion of USAT’s Race Director Certification course, we are confident that athletes will experience a top-notch event.”

For more information about the 2008 Halfmax Championship, visit www.halfmaxchampionship.com
2009 Championship Dates and Race information will be posted on this site in the coming months!

New Ultramax Alliance Expands Multi-sport in the Kansas City Area

A New Alliance Expands Multi-sport in the Kansas City Area
The Kansas City Multi-Sport Revolution Has Begun

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - Ultramax Events and Sherpa Sports announced today that they will join forces and deliver one, possibly two new exciting triathlon events to the Kansas City area. This new alliance sets a grand stage for the expansion of multi-sport in the Kansas City Area.

In 2008, Ultramax was hired by Sherpa Sports to provide timing services for the new Ironman Kansas 70.3 Triathlon event. This event was a huge success and served as a wonderful introduction for the two event groups. They are planning to build upon this new friendship and multi-sport momentum. The two groups are 100% focused and committed to delivering a total event experience.

Ultramax has a history of delivering some of nations best events. Over the past ten years Ultramax has directed five USA Triathlon National Championships, including two USAT National Age Group Championships. Ultramax has produced several marquee events including the popular Race for Sight Triathlon, Octomax and Quartermax Triathlons, and the USA Triathlon Trisports.com Halfmax National Championship.

“Kansas City has one of the largest and most dynamic triathlete populations in the state. Ultramax is so excited to get back to Kansas City. We are looking forward to delivering another event in full Ultramax style. We sincerely hope the triathlete community is as excited about this partnership announcement as we are,” said Ultramax owner, Mark Livesay.

To kick things off we will be hosting a town hall style meeting. Athlete feedback is very important to us and we want to hear what you want from this Kansas City event. We want to bring the triathlon clubs, venues, sponsors and the general public together in one place to get feedback and response. We feel this is vital to the planning of any successful event and a perfect way to introduce our new alliance to the Kansas City area.

"Sherpa Sports is thrilled to merge with Ultramax in bringing multisport excellence back to Kansas City. The Kansas City area has a history of passionate triathletes and supporters, and we are eager to fuel that energy," said Sherpa Sports President, Ryan Robinson.

Together we are planning to build an event that the local area athletes, venues and sponsors will be proud to be part of. The date, format and location of this inaugural meeting will be forthcoming.

If you are interested in participating, please drop us a note and we will add you to the invitation list.

Mark Livesay
Owner Ultramax Events
2009 KC Ultramax Co-Race Director
info@ultramaxtri.com

Ryan Robinson
Owner Sherpa Sports
Co-Race Director Ironman 70.3 Kansas
2009 KC Ultramax Co-Race Director
sherpasports@aol.com

Ultramax Championship Series Standings

The Ultramax Multi-sport Series was launched in 2004 and starts over with each new season. The Series is a competition comprised of four Ultramax owned races, and now three other of Missouri's best events. Participants are awarded points at each Ultramax Championship Series Race based on their individual finish time versus the overall amateur's finish time.

2008 Ultramax Series Events

* Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 10K Run & 5k Run
* MaxTrax Duathlon - Long and Short Course
* Merrill Lynch Race for Sight Triathlon
* Joker's Wild Run - Half Marathon - Quarter Marathon - 5K Run
* Who Tri's Harder? Octomax & Quartermax Triathlons
* Republic Tiger Triathlon - Triathlon Only
* Lake St. Louis Triathlon Long and Short Course

Only the Lake St. Louis Triathlon remains and $$Thousands$$ in prizes, gift certificates and race entries are on the line. The 2009 Ultramax Series promises to be even BIGGER and BETTER... Stay tuned for the announcement!

Download the full set of series results HERE!

2008 Ultramax Series Standings as of 8/27/08
Ultramax Series Men		Ultramax Series Women
Name	Total		Name	Total
1	ORR, Jay	215.00	1	MEYER, Jennifer	207.00
2	ZDERIC, Ted	212.55	2	KING, Luise	206.90
3	RIGDON, Tony	209.44	3	JACOBS, Annette	201.47
4	LITTRELL, Josh	208.00	4	STONE, Marianne	193.87
5	ADKISON, Rodney	206.33	5	FARRIS, Betsy	193.73
6	HOUGH, Landon	206.04	6	BREIER, Sarah	193.44
7	BRINKER, Tom	205.09	7	HARBOR, Julie	188.41
8	SMITH, Clint	201.23	8	ROBERTSON, Andrea	186.19
9	BOURGEOIS, Stephen	199.14	9	CAROLAN, Shanelle	185.59
10	DISHMAN, Michael	198.90	10	FRULAND, Amy	181.66

The Starting Block - Opens Second Location in Springfield, Missouri

The Starting Block now has two locations!
The new store is now open at
1254 E. Republic Road.
Google Directions

At The Starting Block our team will actually prescribe the correct shoes for you - taking into account running style, running goals, body type and build, foot and body biomechanics, foot shape and profile, and injury status. We accomplish this process with our exclusive Fit Perfect Gait Analysis system. The “FREE” fitting process takes about 20-25 minutes to complete. Our staff has professionally fit over 4,200 individuals. Are you running in the right shoe? We invite you to stop by and judge our fitting process for yourself!

What do they say?

Thank you! The shoes are working out fantastically. The associate that completed my run analysis and helped me choose the shoes was awesome. He was extremely knowledgeable and very patient :) I live in Saint Louis, but the service is worth the drive. I've recommended your store to several of my friends. Thank you for checking in with me, I'm sure you'll see me again in a few months.

_____________________

Amy and Mark- we appreciate that we have such an excellent place to send our patients. Also my Brooks Addictions are working out very well for me- I haven't had any flare-ups of my Morton's neuroma since wearing them. Thank you!

The Starting Block now carries the Newton "forefoot" running shoe! Newton Running shoes were designed by runners for runners to mimic the advantages of barefoot running. Whether training or racing, Newton Active Membrane Technology™ provides greater shock absorption, greater energy return while promoting the natural and more efficient forefoot strike of barefoot running.

WWW.STARTINGBLOCKONLINE.COM

Reproducing Should Be Forbidden for These People

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:48:01 GMT

New game enemy takes a solid day to defeat

Players pass out, get sick during extreme battle.

By Ben Silverman

If it's good enough for Cartman, it's good enough for Square-Enix.

The developers of the online role-playing game Final Fantasy XI seemingly borrowed a page from the Emmy-winning South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" by updating the game with one of the longest - and most physically grueling - video game fights ever. Introduced in the game's latest downloadable update, the boss monster "Pandemonium Warden" remained perfectly fit after a group of high-level adventurers wailed away at it nonstop for over 18 hours straight.

FINAL FANTASY XI SCREENS

Though the seemingly unbeatable boss will not prevent people from 'completing' the game -- persistent online games typically do not "end" like most single-player games -- it has sparked debate over what exactly the game's developers, Square-Enix, expect out of their devoted fan base. Message boards have lit up with disgruntled players calling out the company for failing to respect its very own in-game warning telling players they have "no desire to see your real life suffer as a consequence [of playing]. Don't forget your friends, your family, your school or your work."

Easy for them to say. While the beast continually healed, the gamers weren't so lucky.

"People were passing out and getting physically ill," leaders of the player guild said in a forum post. "We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible news story about how video games ruin people's lives."

Too late.

Bloggy Bloggerton

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:18:27 GMT

I’m alive. I just haven’t been so into blogging. My friend Andrea puts it well- we’re just over the blogging thing for the summer.

So, in a fairly quick recap of the last five days or so, this is what I’ve been up to:

Thursday was wedding crap day- Eric and I finalized and purchased our wedding bands. Holy cow! We’re really getting married. … who wants to take a bet on how long it will take before Eric loses his? He NEVER wears watches, rings, etc, so I’ll be impressed if he keeps this one on.

Eric was gone for Millville Friday, and got home LATE Sunday night, which left me with the house to myself (Both good and bad). Saturday morning I got up and coached, came home, then met my brother Jeffie for breakfast. He’s all grown up! Yep, Jeff MOVED. Sadly, it wasn’t just out of my folk’s house, but clear to Minnesota! Yeah, I know, right!?

After breakfast I stopped by the shop, visited Smashley and rolled on home. I decided that I HAD to get in a run, and a decent one, at least. So, about noon I cruised to the Lake Jacomo trails. I’ve only done a very short run thru here once, so it was a new experience.

I really love these trails! I wish they were more single track like Shawnee Mission, but they’re a chat gravel, with some washout. It’s mostly all shaded and there’s varying degrees of terrain and elevation changes- even a couple creek crossings (I guess they’re dry unless it recently rained). I ran for right at 60 min, and I didn’t see another soul for the first 40! But, I still felt pretty safe. I would suggest though, that like any trail running, keep your music to a minimum or just turn it off.

After my run and some errands, I came home for Olympic watching. The evening was a blast- Chief’s game, Julie’s 30^th Birthday Party. But, I kept myself under control- I was the DD and had an early morning swim.

Sunday I met up with the other open water swimmers about 6:15am at Lakewood. The air was chilly and there was layers of fog rolling off the water. My favorite! The sunrise was perfect and it was an awesome start to the day.

I came home, tidied up a bit, chatted with the future mother in law, and decided to “take a quick nap” about 11:30am. I woke up at 5:45pm. WOW, guess I was tired! I enjoyed the rest of the evening by watching more Olympics coverage, yet somehow managed to miss the women’s triathlon. Ugh!

Monday I came home from work for my bike ride. It was beautiful out, but I still couldn’t pry myself from the Olympics! So, I set up the trainer to ride 25 hypothetical miles. It was quick RPM spinning, 15 min “easy” and 5 min “Hard!!.” I was spent.

Last night I found myself at the track attempting speed work for the first time in weeks. Ah, a main set of 6x 800 repeats. Oops! I only did 4! For some reason I was thinking it was only 4, so I owe myself 2 more. Dang! Altogether I was please with my effort level and splits, but I have yet to compare them to other workouts.

Well, I better get back to worky jerky.

Lolo Jones, my heart goes out to you, girl!

KC Women's Tri Recap

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:03:11 GMT

KC Women’s Tri Recap

August 9, 2008

I’m going to make this really short (well, ok, short in terms of my usual recaps):

The swim went decent- actually, it’s my fastest swim split there, yet, but I didn’t think it was that fantastic. I started in seventh and got out of the water in fifth I think.

The bike was pretty much a disaster. I added nearly 3 minutes in a 10 mile race. I suppose that’s what I get for not being on the bike. I’m taking care of that starting a couple days ago. My legs felt slow and heavy. I was concerned when I was warming up, but told myself that I was just going to have to push like hell and suck it up come race time. I for sure pushed as hard as I could, even barfed up some Heed (Gross! Stop serving that!!) that I had prior to the race start. It was difficult getting pass by so many women- probably 10 in all, maybe more. On the bike last year not one lady passed me and I chased my way down to second. I can tell this is definitely a different year.

I was so thankful to be off that bike.

The run started out good. I tried to go and shake things out a bit, and stay relaxed, but I had such a sense of urgency in trying to get back to the front. It didn’t work. Bummer. I actually felt decent though, and even with my craptacular bike, my run was just barely off from last year, which I was pleased about. My new running stride is definitely more efficient.

Altogether, I added almost two minutes to my time, which is a decent amount in a sprint race. I ended up in fifth, which was a disappointment, but I rather expected it.

The highlight of the day was watching two of my bridesmaids finish their first triathlon! Jennifer and Alyson did the race and both did awesome. I got tears in my eyes cheering for them. J

I was so pumped to see Jennifer on the bike and I knew she would finish. When I passed both Alyson and Jennifer on the run, they were smiling and looked great. Good job girls!

500 meter swim 8:53: T1 1:30: 10 mile bike 33:54: T2 0:35: 5k run 33:47

The Bride Was Beautiful

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:01:36 GMT

*

The most

lovingly painful story

I've ever heard.

*

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:48:29 GMT

www.triathletebride.blogspot.com

Alas, that was Expected

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:09:38 GMT

The WIN for KC race went about as well as could be expected.

Meaning: not so hot. However- I did drop some time on my swim, which was a pleasant surprise. My legs were dead from the start on the bike. I bet I lost 15 watts in the last month. I was WEAK WEAK on the bike, something that's usually a strong suit, especially at this race last year. :( ugh. Oh well, I'm back on the wagon (starting tomorrow), with one race to go for the season. My run was decent. It hurt like hell but was only one minute slower. All told I added just over 4 minutes to last year's time.

I'll post a full recap later- I'm busy here at work.

But I'd like to say that Clay Meyers-Bowman, the race director, put on another awesome event. There was a record turnout. The weather held up perfect, unlike other areas of KC. Both Jennifer and Alyson finished their first triathlon- bringing tears to my eyes! I'm so proud!!

Andrea V kicked ass (and mine. bad.), as did Jane L. and Dawn Mc., Jean and Leslie C. Great job gals. Leslie walked away with the overall and I'm working on getting her to join forces with me in the Flames suit. :o)

I even met a couple new people and worked those networking skills. I'm super stoked that the race turned out awesome and congrats to all the new first time triathletes!

Crap crap crap.

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:11:08 GMT

AHH.

So, it just kind of hit me. I'm going into this race this weekend the most unprepared I have been for any race. Ever. At this point I'm just relying on my experience to hopefully let me finish in the top 3 in my AG, although, at this point, I'm not sure if that's possible.

In the past week since the ceiling leak debacle, Eric and I, with the help of our friend Corey, have stained, stripped, and began restaining our rather LARGE (full back of house) deck and railings.

Also, I've completed several wedding tasks that seem to take up a helluva lot more time than I thought. Tonight we're supposed to hit up the jewlers to purchase our wedding bands, but, well, between what's left to be done at the house, and the maintinence I've been putting off on my bike (since last week), something's gotta give.

Tonight, I will probably get on my bike. I'm not sure which is going to be worse- my bike or my run. So, I figure, I should spin the legs out and deal with it best I can.

I've put on 5 lbs since my race weight for time race last year, but that's fine. I'm sure though that it will adversely affect me in the bike, and not at all in the swim.

Speaking of the swim, I've actually been in the water several times in the last few weeks, making the majority of those workouts. That's something, right?

No the hard part: How, when I get to the race, will I manage to refrain from mentally beating myself up when I suffer? Because suffer, I will. It won't be the tired suffering from this early summer with back-to-back halfs, yet, it will be the type of suffer you feel when you heart and lungs want to explode and your head pounds every time you blink. For that, my friends, is a sprint triathlon. Suffice to say, speedwork hasn't really happened, so basically, I'm going to go out and punnish my self for my lack of training.

Suck it up and deal, eh?

For shiits and grins, here's my last two years results:

2006: AG 5/11, OA 84/265

Splits: 9:05 500 meter swim/ 1:49 t1/ 32:11 10 mile bike/ 1:17 t2/ 35:18 5k run = 1:19.28

2007: AG 3/25?, OA 23/400?

Splits: 8:58/ 1:11/ 30:50/ 00:35/ 32:54 = 1:14.28

Orginally I had a goal to go under 1:10. Trying not to sandbag in my goals, yet be honest with myself, I think a 1:15 should be my goal. However, this race filled to capactity this year, meaning there will be over 500 gals racing. It will probably take a 1:10 or under to podium in my AG, but maybe I'll catch a lucky break, and maybe, by the gace of God, will my body all of a sudden go fast.

One thing's certain: It's gonna hurt.

Full Brick Jacket & When it Rains, it Pours

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:56:07 GMT

So there’s a reason I haven’t blogged much about my workouts since Buffalo Springs Half.

There have been none. Ok, that’s a lie, you’re right. I did do a 12 mile bike ride about three weeks ago.

Well, have no fear. I have a race in like, a week and a half, so I’m in full on cram-as-much-training-as-you-can-even-though-you-reap-nearly-no-bennefits training mode. And what better way to kick that off than with a full swim-bike-run brick at Shawnee Mission Park.

Julie, Alyson, Jmoore and myself met up at the beach for a little swimmy swim. This was Jmoore’s and AP’s first open water outing. And, I’m pretty sure that Julie hadn’t swam or rode her bike since the Heritage Park tri in May (Ok, so she and I may have some residual Ironman burnout going on). I was most surprised with Alyson’s swimming. She’s been hitting the gym pretty regularly and making some laps in the pool, and it’s paying off. Jmoore’s learning curve is a little more steep, but she hasn’t be training all summer. A few pool sessions and maybe another SMP workout is in order for her. She keeps moving though which is the most important task, well, besides not drowning.

The SMP swim course is shorter than last year. I couldn’t tell by how much but I timed a couple laps. They were 3:08 and 3:12, respectively. I felt like I was swimming somewhere near a pace of 1:25. I guessed the triangular course to be around 225 yards. So, that should be about right.

Then we went to the bikes. After a “quick” transition (read: I was moving at turtle speed) the four of us took to the road. Alyson borrowed a friend’s (Hi Corey!) super sweet Specialized Tarmac Elite, and passed on the road-slicked mountain bike to Jmoore. Right away I could tell the Alyson was ON IT. Julie stayed back with Jennifer for a while- this was the first time she’d been on the road, and on that bike- and Alyson and I motored on ahead. I was trying to do teaching of road rider etiquette. There were a lot of presumably “newbie” gals out training for the KC Women’s race. However, they were bunched up a head of us riding four or five abreast. For those familiar with SMP it was at the top of the long Damn Dam Hill where you make the sharp left descent. There were cars back, and I repeated yelled it. “Car Back.” Nothing. “Girls, there’s a car back.” It went whirring by passing in the oncoming lane. Then again another came up, faster this time, “CAR BACK!” Someone yelled “What?” and I lost it. They were all within ear shot, but I was tired of yelling and I’d rather be a bitch then see someone die. “Move THE PHUCK OVER!” Finally, they did, just before the car up and the car back met. Jebus! I know, not my proudest moment, but come on now (Flashback May 2006: Dawn keeping me from getting hit by car)! A club mate of mine was coming from the opposite direction and started laughing in agreement.

Anyway, I’m super impressed with Alyson’s bike skills. She’s also a daredevil like me. Aero, and pedaling. Eff you curves on the downhills. After we finished our loop she and I head back to pick up JMoore, and Julie cruised on home. Surprisingly, Jennifer wasn’t very far behind us at all. I was pretty impressed.

Then after our singular loop, Alygator wanted to run. I put up a hissy fit, but she won. I agreed to a whole 10 minutes. At the five min turnaround I found something that I had always wanted to try at SMP. The single track trails.

Single. Track. Trails. Oh, how I adore you. I feel like I’m going to fast. I’m not listening to my feet. I’m paying attention to the ground. I have to jump. Sometimes stumble. You’re muddy and you’re rocky and you’re twisty and uneven. Will you marry me?

So, we ventured on for close to a mile. Uphill. Alyson and I played Marco Polo with a very bad Polo not too far back. We stopped and waited at the sign then turned around, all three stooges intact. We laughed and giggled and traded “watch out” and “rock” calls back down. I never wanted out. Had I water and a flashlight, I’d have stayed all night, even in the pouring rain. I cannot wait to go back!

We completed our workout with a little chat on bike etiquette, passing, and such. They’re gonna do great.

Speaking of pouring rain…

My roof has a bit of a, um, leak. It turned my kitchen into a kiddie pool. Damn you roof, damn you ceiling. Eric had an early flight out so I am left to fend for myself. Eric was actually taking a better disposition on it than I thought he would. He even used words “out of my control” and “will have to be fixed” and “it happens” (I swear! Smashley was with him to verify!) even after he was the person to find the pool. So I called my daddy and told him of the cluster. He was superhero of the day. Well, he checked it out and said that we could do a temporary fix, then when Merp gets home the two of them will have a little demolition and reconstruction project to handle. Yikes!

It's a Freaking Video Game, People!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:33:51 GMT

Feminists cry foul over Fat Princess

Does Sony's cartoony castle game cross the line?

By Ben Silverman

She's plump, powerful and ready to cause more controversy than "SuperSize Me."

She's Fat Princess, the star of Sony's upcoming video game of the same name. Debuting at last week's E3 expo, the colorful Fat Princess is a capture-the-flag game with a twist: you can thwart capture attempts by locking the once-thin princess in a dungeon and stuffing her full of cake, thereby increasing her girth and making her harder for your enemies to haul back to home base.

According to popular gaming blog Joystiq, two feminist gaming sites have already voiced their displeasure with the weighty issue.

VIEW SCREENS

Feminist Gamer's "Mighty Ponygirl" rings in diplomatically, suggesting a new way to play the game altogether.

"Instead of running out into the forest to find cake to fatten up the princess with, why not go out and find gold (which is a lot heavier than cake) to stuff into a treasure chest. The more gold in the chest, the heavier it would be, and the harder it would be to carry," she said, before adding, "Oh, but that's not as "cute" as cake and fat chicks. Right."

Over at Shakesville, however, writer Melissa McEwan cuts to the chase, telling Sony she's "positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative ---holes."

Sony has yet to issue an official response, although Joystiq did receive a particularly informative update from James Green, Fat Princess' lead art director, who clued gamers in on the origins of the game:

"Does it make it better or worse that the concept artist (who designed the look, characters, everything) is a girl?"

Hmmm...hope the game's detractors don't mind eating a bit of crow.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/feminists-cry-foul-over-fat-princess/1232315

US Olympic Swimmer Tests Positive

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:06:25 GMT

Crap! I hope this is an error. Also, I hope that the error doesn't affect Jessica Hardy's attempt at a medal. How heart breaking for her. I hope for her sake, she's clean, and this is appealed and resolved quickly.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/swimming/news?slug=ap-swm-hardy-doping&prov=ap&type=lgns

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Jessica Hardy’s first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games.

Hardy’s “A” sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, a person familiar with the test results told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the banned substance was a stimulant but did not provide any other details.

In Beijing, Hardy was expected to be a medal threat in the 100-meter breaststroke, and to play an important part on the U.S. 400-meter free relay team, and possibly the 400 medley relay.

USA Swimming spokeswoman Jamie Olson declined to comment from the team’s training camp at Palo Alto, Calif., where Hardy left to return to her family’s home in Southern California, the swimmer’s agent said.

I'm Still Alive!!! Honest! No, Really!

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:49:31 GMT

Wait? I have a blog? Oh crap, I better say something then.

No, I have not dropped off the planet, but it sure seems like it. Things have gotten pretty hectic with my work, Eric’s businesses, his travel, my travel, joint travel, family outings, some attempts at training, this wedding planning crap, sick dogs… ok, ok, I’m done.

I have made the executive decision however, that I’m going to switch to the Half Marathon at KC instead of the full. I really, really wanted to do the full. However, it’s two weeks from our wedding date. As is, I’m having a hard time getting in full workouts, if I get to them at all. On the schedule for next week is nearly 35 miles of logged running. Of course it just goes up from there. So, I’m going to reduce my risk of injury, oh, and keep my sanity, and cut back to the half. This way, I can continue to be active, do some training, focus on some speed work, and really enjoy. Come hell or high water, I can do 13.1 if I had to log roll it. So, that’s the plan, Stan.

This week I’m doing some home repairs. Repairs for what? Well, for shit I broke. Like, our kitchen’s ceiling fan. Don’t. Even. Ask. Also, I’m doing some mowing, hopefully stripping the deck (again- Eric had a friend come over and stain it. The deck wasn’t fully stripped, and the stain.. well, it’s barn yard red, not exactly the “red wood” color we were hoping for. So, it’s half way done, which means 2.5 times the amount of work for me.), deep cleaning the guest bath, and maybe even finishing addressing wedding invites.

Last night I went to Home Depot to get the fan blade arms I needed. Of course, they come in a pack of 5 when I need 2. And they come in brushed, not plated. And they’re the wrong size. None of this did I note until it came time for me to stand on the tippy top of the ladder with a four inch Phillips screwdriver, the 5 said fan blades, and 10 tiny screws.

I apologize if any of you heard my expletives echo off the mountain tops.

Today I make trip number two to HD. Also, HD is like the Bermuda triangle. I can never go in and come out with the ONE thing I have on my list. I avoid WalMart, Target, and Best Buy for these reasons, as well, but Home Depot makes the biggest dent in my wallet.

Speaking of wallet- who wants to give me money? You? Great, because, well, I went $500 over our budget for our honeymoon. But but but… we only get to go once, right? I mean, I got the room Merple wanted, and the number of nights Merple wanted, and he told me to do what I wanted… (I’m trying to push this on him, can you tell?)

Along the lines of wedding chit, I have officially started to have some loose screws. I started to get teary eyed at Hobby Lobby when they didn’t have the correct pattern of tulle in the right color. I may or may not have taken my aggression out on a defenseless watermelon- and subsequently thru a cutting board and some of my counter top in one fell swoop. And then there’s the trashcan and fan incident.

I wrote my mom an email the other day. I was suggesting that she and I do the blocking of rooms this week. Instead, this is how it turned out:

Hey Momma-

We need to do the hotel blocking/ reserving thing. Actually, forgot the we. Can YOU please do it? I don’t want to think about it. You pick it out and tell me about it when it's done. Yes, I've reached that point already. :)

Thank you.

love, sis

Seriously, ask her.

I have also decided that Merple’s BlackBerry must die. I know, I really appreciate all of the business and clients, but if that phone rings one more time when I’m in that mood (Meaning the pyschobridezilla mood- it is not the same as the mood and it counts during that, too.) his little two-way is gonna meet the bottom of the tires of our brand spanking new pickup and the fresh asphalt in front of our house.

Oh yeah, “we” got a new truck last week. It went something like this:

Merp: Hey honey my truck’s acting funny.

Me: That sucks what are we gonna do about it.

Merp: I dunno I don’t want to pay to fix it.

Me: Ok, we’ll talk about it at home tonight.

- a few hours go by -

Merp: Hey baby, I got us a new truck.

Me: ::sigh::

Next up, the KC Women’s Tri. My best friend is doing this as her first triathlon. I’ll be “participating” versus doing much racing (see my training mentioned, or lack there of).

Yay!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:01:57 GMT

First off, Congrats DAN & JULIE to selling your home in 3 days! It looks great, and I'm glad it sold at a reasonable price, and I'm glad the buyer I was rooting for got it!

As far as weekend plans go...

Tonight I go home, tan, clean house and change, then go to P&L for Bowling. One of FI's friends is a freestyle motocross guy and he's in town staying with us. Well, he's doing a demo tomorrow out at the wakeboard cable park.

Yesterday he was on the radio- there were people calling in to win tickets to "go bowling with cowboy kenny" so, tonight we're going bowling.

tomorrow morning i'm hoping to sleep in a bit, run (um, I'm supposed to go 14-16, but I dont see it happening), maybe get a pedi done. Go to cable park, consider wakeboarding, or just hang out, then go get my spur of the moment b-pics done (thanks shonna), THEN, it's on to the Monster truck rally (lol, I know) and motocross race in good old Grain Valley, Mizuruh.

I'm pretty sure saturday night will end with a trip to WT or Dallas. Cowboy boots, be ready.

Anyone that wants to join in at all is welcome to do so.

Shameless Self Promotion: Courtney and New York Ti...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:32:01 GMT

So last week I eluded that I had a secret about something interesting, but couldn’t share. Well, now I can.

I was recently contacted by Christie Aschwanden, a writer for the New York Times, about doing a brief interview on Ironman and Ironman Tattoos. I was super excited and agreed, duh! Well, we played phone tag for a while, but today we got the job done!

It sounds like she’s taked to a few people and is doing a pretty cool write up. I got to talk about Ironman, signing up, getting tattoo’ed, and having Julie do it all with me. She even asked if we had pictures of our tattoo’s together (of course). They may or may not send someone out for pictures, or request some, but she said that was totally up to the art department.

Christie said she would give me a heads up on when it will run, but it will be in a Fitness Feature article, and will likely run sometime around August 7^th, or the first week in August.

I’ll keep you all posted!!!

Me, Crazy?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:24:49 GMT

I was just called a "Pyscho Health Freak" by a woman in my office.

She asked me what I was making while standing in front of the fridge. I told her I had a smart ones frozen lunch thing (eh, it works), and some edemame. She actually said "Eddie whatie?" I was like, "Edemame, ya know, soy beans in a pod. Boiled in salt water... " and she goes, "I can't imgagine ever being a pyscho health freak like you." and drizzled mayo and ketchup into cups to go with her carry out winsteads.

I was actually offended. I wanted to say, "I can't imagine not giving a damn about my body and not wanting to take care of it." but, alas, I did not.

UGH! People can be really rude!

Better Recognize!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:01:35 GMT

So, I just got an email from from Kurt, the director of marketing from one of my FABULOUS sponsors, Fluid. I made their blog. Saaa-wweet!

Check it out here: http://www.livefluid.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your support, FLUID!

OOPS! I deleted it!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:51:15 GMT

I accidentally deleted yesterday's post, so here it is. Again.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Well, I'll Be!...

So, I was just told congrats on being the featured Loop'd Athlete. I had no idea!

YAY! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone reading this blog! It's nice to know I'm not just tipper-tap-tapping along to myself. On that same note, I have 33,940 views as of my last refresh. On Jan 2 of 2008 I broke 10,000 views, if I remember correctly.

Because of you, I have had nearly 14,000 views in a little over 6 months. WOW! Its an honor that many people find me interesting (or there could just be a couple regular viewers, DAD, that refresh my page every 10 seconds.. ugh Laawwrd. I hope not)!

Also, I recieved a very very very intersting email today, but I'm not sure yet how or if it's gonna happen. A girl's gotta hold on to some secrets!

On another note- myself and few of my bridesmaids, along with help from my mom, have nearly finished the addressing, cutting, packaging, stamping, and organizing of wedding invites. Ok, so nearly actually means, that I have done about one third of it, but I'm getting there.

In more wedding news, I FINALLY scheduled a time to meet with a travel agent. Eric's still stuck on a cruise, but by the time everything is priced out, I think that the all inclusive resorts are the way to go. Either way, if he didn't get his passport stuff sent today we won't be going anywhere. .. Wait, scratch that, HE won't be going anywhere. A passport holding gal pal and I will be sitting pretty getting served Red Stripe while being fed sliced pineapple and fanned by two very tan young men named Escoban and Fernando... ok, maybe it's best if Eric doesn't go. Kidding. Mostly. I think.

MX: Maintaining Fitness (& Sanity) at Amatuer Nati...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:48:53 GMT

I post everyweek or so on a motocross chat board. Usually it's in regards to training and nutrition tips to help out racers and their families. There's a huge cross-training bennefit that motocross racers can get from other sports, one of which I consider myself to be quite knowledgable in. I thought I'd share this week's tips here.

A lot of us have “Been There, Raced That,” or “Are Going There, Racing That,” and even more “Can’t Get Away From It.” What is IT? We’re talking Amateur Nationals here, folks. It’s where the best from the country, and a few from around the globe come to spend two (or more if you’re early parking!) very precious weeks with their families and the amateur racing community. These riders are the best. The crème de la crème, paramount, preeminent, unsurpassed… okay okay, you get it.

These kids, and in many cases, big kids, have (hopefully) trained and raced their hearts out to make it to that 40 rider start gate. They’ve out rode countless others paid their, and their parents have paid, dues.

So, all these months of riding and training now come to fruition. How do you hold onto that fitness? What do you do to stay calm? How do you get the most out of your time at track?

Here’s how.

1. Don’t start training when you arrive at the entry gate. You cannot get any fitness gains in a 10 day window prior to an event (excluding heat/ humidity acclimatization). How many times have you seen Johnny Gofast and Kelly Quadruple out running the morning of their motos? Guess what. If you don’t have fitness now, you’re not going to get it the hour, day, or even WEEK before your race. Hopefully, these racers are doing an easy jog on an off day, or, are warming up prior to their moto (within an hr of their race).

2. Warm up, even in the heat. Factory semis have stationary bikes under them. Riders are on them before EVERY moto elevating their heart rates. Why do this? You body needs to adjust, and be ready. Think of it at going for a 3 mile run. When from a dead start, the first few minutes always feel the most difficult, until you’ve adjusted to your heart rate and the intensity. This is the same thing a racer feels. How often do you feel you’re riding your fastest during the first lap? Give your body a chance to “get the blood flowing” and be at your maximum potential when the card turns sideways. In the 30 minute moto, you will lose precious seconds (and positions) if you’re taking 10 minutes to get warmed up and up to race speed.

3. STRETCH. Do this only after a proper warm up. It helps prohibit injury. Do this on off days as well. See number 4.

4. Don’t sit around eating cheetos and waiting mom’s steak and potato dinner (Yes, I believe at LL’s a couple years ago my mom cooked steak a couple nights in a row. Ahh, those were the days…). Active recovery is the best recovery. This doesn’t mean riding ‘fiddies thru WalMart, ::cough not like I did that:: terrorizing the servers at Golden Corral, or running around like an Acapulco Cliff Diver from cliff to tree. Yes, you are to conserve your energy. However, to avoid any tightness and stiffness, do a little something. Preferably, something you have done in training. Example, an easy bike ride or jog. No more than 20 minutes. This will help your body stay accustomed to the heat, and loosen up the muscles. Then stretch (number 3) and find a shady tree to sit under (see number 5). Have mom or that trophy girlfriend rub your ARMS and quadriceps and other muscles that experience fatigue.

5. REST. Yes, I said above to actively recovery and warm up. However, that’s IT. If you want to watch some motos, great. Take a lawn chair. There’s a great stretch of trees right along mechanic’s row at LL’s to sit under. Drink water. Or, at Ponca, grab an umbrella, a chair, an iPod and some Gatorade from the concession stand. Do nothing.

6. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Alternate your preferred sports drink and water. Your pee should be close to clear, and shouldn’t smell. I know you’re not eating asparagus, so you haven’t an excuse.

7. Don’t sit in an air conditioned RV all day. Yes, relax, nap if you can, but remember, heat acclimatization disappears very quickly. Spend a little time in the heat, but don’t do anything.

8. Visualize. Rehearse your motos in your head. Think about each moto, the bike you ride, your lines, how you go around other racers. Don’t have the perfect race in your head. What if you fall in a corner? Visualize yourself calmly picking your bike up, starting it, and getting back on the gas. Keep your goal in mind. What if the moto isn’t perfect? Remember to still complete your goal. It should sound something like this: “My bike is tuned perfect thanks to dad. This concrete start is nothing. I’ve practiced it. Hey check it out, I got a wholeshot. I’m going so fast thru this sweeper, uh-oh, Jimmy Alberston just passed me. .. I’m going to get him back. I can ride this lap behind him. WoW! These tunnels are fun. Do you hear that? Yeah, that’s my bike. It’s sweet. Okay, thru this rut I go, that was a great line… here I come, I’m passing Jimmy, Oh!! I just stole his line. Perfect clean pass! YES! I can feel my body position and I’m comfortable and relaxed. Look at that! I just won my first moto (or got 5th or mad my lap time goals or whatever your goal is).” Walk the track. Rehearse the moto in your head while sitting on your bike if possible. Do this at least TWICE a day! Parents, talk your kid thru his or her race. Have them close their eyes. Mental imagery is half the race.

9. Don’t try anything new. It’s not the time to check out sushi, or see if you can swim 40 laps in the pool. Stick to a rehearsed and well arranged game plan. Bed time, wake up, dinner, all of these things should be on a constant schedule.

10. Enjoy being there. Soak it up while sitting in the shade. If you’re relaxed you’ll ride relaxed. Adversely, parents, if you’re high strung and freaking it will reflect on your rider.

Best of luck to everyone. I’m looking forward to excellent results!

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OOPS! I deleted it!

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