So remember that t-shirt contest I entered at work a few weeks back? The one where I was supposed to design the shirt worn by all my co-workers at the Corporate Challenge 5k and collect the $100 prize?

Well, it turns out my awesome design did not win. Hard to believe, I know, but I was bested by this:

I do admit, I like the color.

Well, the race was last night, and while I didn’t win the 5k either, I did have a blast running with my friend Bryan!

I hadn’t seen Bryan since he’d gotten back from crewing for his crazy partner Drew at Norseman, so we caught up throughout the 3.1 mile course.

I also got to chat with some of my awesome co-workers. We had about 30 people out there representing for Bennett Thrasher, which was a pretty good turnout! All-in-all, it was a great little appetizer to the excessive exercising I get to do this weekend. Four weeks till Kona!

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Coach Diablo is always rattling on about the “peaks and valleys” of Ironman. In fact, I think he tweeted about them no less than THREE times just last week!

Most of the time I try to ignore these tips – preferring to picture myself on a high-altitude Tibetan plateau without so much as a drainage ditch in sight (let alone an actual valley).

But sometimes I’m brought back to the ups-and-downs of reality, or in the case of last weekend, the rolling hills of Louisville, Kentucky.

My weekend started with a minor “dip in the road” when a leaky washing machine pipe left my downstairs neighbor with an unexpected new indoor waterfall. This could have been a major problem, but my neighbor is pretty awesome and luckily, all my bright green and yellow Dynamo Multisport outfits were already clean. All it took was a quick call to the plumber and I was on the road to Louisville worry free.

Once I got to Derby City things really started to get good! A quick swim and delicious breakfast with my U of L super swimmer friend Steph made for a great morning. And the anticipation filled days before an Ironman are always some of my favorites.

Steph and I - We carpooled to swim practice way back in the day!

The swim start was a bit hectic. Getting a good spot in line involved a VERY early wake-up call; like 3 am early. And there were still 100+ people in front of us! I had a small goggle snafu that left me struggling to sight the buoys on the 2.4 mile course, but I still posted a pretty solid time (thank you Coach Maria)!

My feelings on the bike kind of mirrored the hilly race course– low moments punctuated by absolute elation when I would pass all the Dynamo fans on the course. The support along the 112 mile ride was seriously incredible.

I started the 26.2 mile run feeling really great. I was running strong and keeping things under control. But somewhere in the middle I decided to do some calorie-deficit-induced cliff diving and found myself plunging into a bottomless pit. I wasn’t just in a valley – it was the Mariana Trench! I was a little worried I was going to spend the rest of the “run” clawing my way, inch-by-inch, in the general direction of the finish line, but after downing several handfuls of pretzels, things took a serious turn for the better. Spurred on by the salty goodness and some well timed cheers, I went on to my strongest Ironman finish ever.

The peak kept climbing as I reunited with my teammates and friends, celebrated with some adult beverages, and returned to the line to watch the late-night finishers. If the race doesn’t humble you – watching people cross the line just before midnight will!

El Diablo was right – Ironman is a day of highs and lows. I still have lots to learn, but last weekend, the peaks definitely far outweighed the valleys.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who encouraged me along the way – on the sidelines, in the race, online, and at home. The support was overwhelming and it means more than I can express in either words or stick figures. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Now onward to Hawaii.

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My life is seasonal. The year starts with “busy season.” (That’s  what auditors call “tax season” because “audit season” sounds like the subtitle for a bad movie sequel. – i.e. Wall Street 3: Audit Season)  Given that I’m an accountant – a certified professional one – I know I’m going to spend the first couple months of every year buried in work. Lucky for me the weather is usually as miserable as my workload, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on much.

Awesome co-workers make my job awesome

About the time the mercury starts creeping up I start spending a little less time with my calculator and a lot more time with my bicycle. That’s when I know it’s “training season” – the time of year when I try to regain the fitness I lost while fulfilling my financial Kona qualification standard during busy season.

Training Camps - YAY!

And now I’m on the cusp of “Ironman Season.” It’s a short season – just under two months – but it’s my favorite time of year. This is when I get to dig into the inner reaches of my soul. I get to learn about myself – How do I react when things go right? How do I react when things go wrong? Am I stronger than last year? I think I have the answers to those questions, but there’s really only one way to find out.

I’m headed to Louisville tomorrow and I could not be more excited. Ironman Louisville starts in the Ohio River at 7am Sunday morning. With 7 athletes racing, and even more on cheer duty, it’s going to be a Dynamo Multisport party for the whole 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Combine that with the all the awesome people following online and on Twitter and I’m predicting a massive amount of positive GREEN energy directed toward Derby City on Sunday.

No wonder I’ve been looking forward to this all year! Bring on the heat! We are ready!

PS. I just received what is possibly the best good luck card ever from what is possibly my youngest fan. Bonus points if you can guess the mom! (Hint: Those are goggles, this child will probably grow up with the best homemade birthday cakes ever, and its first word might be “konichiwa”)

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I’m in the midst of a BRUTAL competition that I MUST win! The challenge is my Firm’s T-Shirt design contest and victory is nearly as important to me as any triathlon achievement.

I work for an accounting firm that prides itself on physical fitness, and participation in the annual Kaiser Permanente Corporate 5k Run/Walk is practically required. New this year is the Firm T-Shirt Design Contest. The winner gets to see all of his or her co-workers sporting their design and collects $100 cash!

But it’s not just the fame and fortune that has me in creativity overdrive – this competition is PERSONAL.

Two years ago my boss announced a similar competition – but without a prize. You can imagine how many people entered that contest…ZERO. 

Back then I just couldn’t fathom my co-workers and I running in mis-matched tees so I threw together a simple and tasteful design: 

The shirts were made and people wore them. In fact, my colleagues were spotted running in them at such prestigious events as the Peachtree Road Race and Publix Half Marathon. 

But last week I received a low blow. In an All-Employee meeting my boss called the old shirts – my shirts – BORING! He even went so far as to say they looked like they’d been designed by an ACCOUNTANT! The nerve!

I decided the best revenge was to win this year’s contest and collect the $100 prize! I spent hours and hours exercising every creative fiber of my being and I came up with this:

Yep, that’s a Bennett Thrasher accountant running with a calculator in one hand and a 100 lb dumbell in the other. And the back’s even better:

I’ve seen a few of the other entries, and the competition is stiff, but who can resist a stick figure auditor? I think pretty soon I’m going to be $100 richer, and NO ONE will be calling me a boring accountant!

UPDATE: My informant on the voting committee just let me know I did not win the T-Shirt contest. Apparently bribes only get you into the top three… I’ll be sure to post pictures of the winning design once it’s announced so everyone can tell me how much they like mine better.

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