Kathleen's Adventures

I'm trying to be the best girlfriend, aunt, sister, triathlete, MADD advocate, tri club president, employee and friend that I can be right now. I think I'm doing okay at some of those roles, but failing miserably at others. I think the emotional roller coaster we call Ironman is about to take off on its fastest and final ride before the race - an 8 day ride! I have not slept well in 10+ nights (but who is counting?). I needed to swim, run, and get my oil changed/car wash today but I think the rain is going to have other ideas. I woke up this morning to see Kristi's best friend donated $500 to RADD . Wow. That made me cry. Then I got on the trainer to ride my bike for a bit (only my 2 nd workout this week....not okay) and started watching the 2006 Ironman World Championships on DVR . That made me cry too! I have always said it is hard to cry and run at the same time...you end up not really being able to breathe...I don't recommend it. I learned the same goes for the...

Years ago when my sister danced the lead role in Cinderella (three years in a row, but who was counting?), her pictures graced the cover of the Weekend section of the Beaumont Enterprise. I was so proud of her and would always take the paper to school to show all my friends that my sister was essentially a total badass. At the same time though, I knew in the back of my head that my roles as a mouse, a bird, and Cinderella's ugly stepsister were most likely never going to land me the same kind of spread that playing Cinderella landed my sister. Well, here we are some 15 or so years later, and watch out Beaumont, today, I "grace" the cover of the sports section. I say grace loosely as there is nothing graceful about it and I'm not exactly sure they got my best side, but oh well. It is all for an awesome cause and I am beyond flattered they even wanted to do an article on my Race Against Drunk Driving at all. The online version of the article was posted last night. I ...

Ironman Florida bib numbers were just posted a few hours ago. I'm lucky #88. I think I quite like it! I was #99 in IMAZ in 2009, but 99 was closer to the air temp that day than anything else. I really wouldn't enjoy 88 air temp either, but we shall see what happens there. I have 11 days left until the race, but just a week left until I leave. I'm just a little stressed out right now, and we're also going out of town this weekend, so busy is certainly an understatement. I haven't slept well in about a week either, so that is not helping anything. I'm on the verge of sick but really think (and hope) I just need sleep. My to-do list is growing by the second but I think I will be able to get everything done that I need to. The good thing is that once I actually get to Florida, there will not be a whole lot of things to do. Since we are staying basically at the race site, much of the pre -race stress should be eliminated because everything I need to do will just b...

I picked the perfect Friday to take off work and have a three day weekend. I picked that Friday a while back to take off and go home to Beaumont to take my car in. The 5 year warranty conveniently expires while I am in Florida and I had no time between now and then to take it in to get worked on. I had to call in the troops (Mom and Dad) for help for this one as taking a car to get worked on as a single, working person in Houston is anything but easy. Friday morning was crisp and bright...and WINDY. I met up with Richard and Amie, a couple from Beaumont who I had only briefly met in person, but who I had recently started communicating with regarding The Gusher Marathon (Beaumont's first marathon, next May!), and my Race Against Drunk Driving. It turns out we have several friends/family friends in common, but it is Beaumont, so no one should have been surprised. They wanted to come out and help me with my last semi-long ride for Ironman Florida. How awesome is that? We were also j...

Apparently this is possible when there are only 12 people in it! I switched things up last week so I could do a long open water swim which included a 1/2 mile race and a 1 mile race on Saturday morning. It was so odd to not wake up early and do a long run on a Saturday! Sleeping in a bit was nice though. Tri On the Run hosted the swim race and it was a great idea for everyone doing fall half or full ironman races. I got in before the 1/2 mile race and swam 13 minutes (I kept doing out-and-backs to make sure I wasn't missing the race start!), then I waited about 2 minutes and started that race. I realized soon there weren't many other girls around me but knew some guys were still ahead. This race was just 1 loop on the course they had set up. Towards the back and all the way back, they were even able to give us some "realistic" training - as in the wind was howling and it actually managed to get choppy in a small neighborhood lake. I also picked it up a bit on the w...

Can I do it? We will see. We have raised $8,500 in less than a month. That is absolutely incredible. My goal started at $1,000, then $2,500, then $5,000, then $7,500, and now $10,000. I promise I'll stop there once we reach it...(maybe). Monday marked the one month anniversary since Kristi's death. In some ways it seems like forever ago and in others it seems like yesterday. I know the pain has not even begun to subside from her family's hearts but I also know they have found at least a small bit of joy as well in my little race against drunk driving . They have found joy because my little race has turned into something huge - a portrait of Kristi and her family and how much they are and always will be loved. We have received donations from 132 people - 132 - my hand already hurts thinking about the thank-you notes, but my heart is also filled with joy when I see that number...and the joy in my heart pales in comparison to the joy in the hearts of Kristi's friends and f...

I am selling my 2006 Quintana Roo Tequilo . Please forward this along to anyone who might be interested. Below is a brief description from Slowtwitch : TEQUILO Here is another riddle: What is the second lowest priced bike in which one can find the "Big Four" frame features? (Well, big 3 1/2). Yup, it's this one, at $2300, and you get a fifth frame feature for the extra $400: a carbon rear-end.While carbon bikes that cost a thousand dollars more than the Tequilo are getting most of the press, this bike quietly sits at a price point roughly similar to Felt’s S22 and Cervelo ’s P2 SL , and its mission pretty much mimics that of these other two aluminum bikes. Simply put, the Tequilo is a bike atop which you can ride, and not wonder if you’re giving any time up. This mid-$2000s price point is the sleeper in this year’s tri bike lineup, not just in QR’s product range, but throughout. This bike is as good an example as any. As stated, the frame has aero tubes, a rear w...