SPRTYMAMA

'TIS THE SEASON

2011-12-29T19:05:00.003-05:00

This Christmas has been the first one in many, many years that was not gift focused.
It felt great and was actually my happiest Christmas in such a long time.
Hanging with the kids was awesome and one of the highlights from Christmas day was when we all went "muddin" in Austins jacked up truck. Of course the obligatory pic was posted immediately to Facebook. I made it home safe except a huge glob of mud in my hair.. But I heard that mud has excellent conditioning properties!

Now I think I will spend the next few days tearing down all the decorations and reflecting on some resolutions and goals for the New Year (Doesn't the Mayan calandar end next December?) I better get to thinking!!!

NATIONAL PIE DAY

2011-01-24T17:15:00.001-05:00

I know.. National Pie Day was yesterday.

I am late.
But truth be told, I was busy making a pie yesterday.

In fact, I have been busy making a lot of pies lately.

I just love everything about pie. Pies remind me of a time gone by..
Not that I was a part of any big pie movement of the past.

There is just something about the image of a pie cooling on the window sill with a checkerboard dish towel underneath that makes me smile. Not that I cool any of my pies on the window sill! With a collie around that can reach heights of over 5 feet when standing on two legs, my pies are lucky to get to cool atop the stove!

There are so many hundreds of different pie possibilities that it seems that there is a pie to please just about any person.

So, put down your cupcakes people! And have a slice of pie!

What's not to love?!

HAWAII IRONMAN 2010

2010-10-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

On my birthday a year ago, I was sitting in the kitchen trying to think of something big I could do for my next birthday.. The big 4-0! Trolling the forums, I noticed that the lottery for the Hawaii Ironman had just opened up for registration. The race was going to be held Oct 9th 2010. Racing Hawaii Ironman seemed like the perfect big thing to do to celebrate turning 40. Hawaii Ironman is the mac daddy, the World Championships. I can remember watching it on television when I was in high school, wondering to myself, why, how?

I promptly signed up. I did not expect much though as I have heard that people sign up for the lottery years and years in a row with no luck..The winners would not be announced until April 15th.. Time to wait.. and forget about signing up..
Forget I did.. and so on that April morning in my office when I noticed the email with the heading "Congrats Kona lottery" my brain was scrambling to figure out what it could mean..Was it spam?! This email was the real deal and I lost all self control when I read it out loud. I was going to KONA!! Holy Shit!!! This was about the only thought I could seem to register in my head..

After spending the past few days collecting my thoughts, I have decided that writing a race report that covers 5 months of workouts, mishaps, joys, lows, highs, doubt and relief is just too much for my busy self to bear; And too much for all of you to read.
Another added bonus to getting to join the elite in the field of triathlon was that in the weeks leading up to the race, I was contacted by a reporter for IRONMAN.COM. They wanted to write a profile on me to have up on the site during race week. This was so cool! The link to that story is here:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/kona2010/matthew-dale-profiles-ironman-lottery-participant-courtney-spratt#axzz11nVqEhCE

I decided to take the easy route on this report and just focus on the race itself.

I should preface by saying that the amount of support and encouragement that I received from friends, family, imaginary friends (you know who you are!) and even total strangers has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone.

Getting to Hawaii from Florida is actually a small race in itself. We live in Jacksonville and our airport is called Jacksonville International Airport but you cannot fly hardly anywhere outside of Jacksonville without flying to Atlanta first. After a 3 day pit stop in Honolulu with the family, we flew into Kona on my 40th birthday. I have never been so excited to turn into a new decade as I was to be turning 40.

The Ironman feel in Kona is so apparent the minute you exit the plane. I was in love! In love with Ironman, in love with Kona. My family was probably sick of me and my love affair.

Even though I had some anxiety about the race, I was ready to rock and roll. In the days leading up to the race I did everything Ironman related. Athletes parade, expo, underpants run, pre race dinner luau, dig me beach swims, coffee from Lava Java, Slowtwitch party, bike count and on and on. It was a whirlwind of fun leading up to Saturday's race.

Race morning I woke up at 3:40 am and went downstairs for some breakfast. Mike came with me so I would not have to eat alone. No worries there though as the place was full of athletes easily identified by their lack of body hair, lack of body fat, and a gold wristband with KONA stamped on it. (I am still wearing my wristband).
Being slightly Type A I had meticulously laid out all my gear in the days before the race. After breakfast I gathered up my pre swim bag, donned my lucky flip flops and took off for the start. The walk from my hotel to the start was about a mile. I used this time to give myself a pep talk. I told myself that my fear was ok, but to just get over it. I was one of the lucky bitches that was getting to do the Hawaii Ironman!!

Pre swim I double checked my bike, pumped up tires, slathered on the Vaseline on my tender bits, and tried to remain calm. I spotted the world famous Mark Allen and asked him if he had any advice for me. He is such a calm soul. He told me to just enjoy and take it all in. The guy next to him added that I should love this race as it is a catered event! So true! I am highly motivated by food so this advice really hit home with me.

All the athletes made their way to the steps at Dig Me Beach. I found that talking to other people around me helped me relax. Everyone was really nice. At one point I made the comment that the last person to wear my goggles was my 8 year old son. The girl next to me thought that was so hilarious. "Oh my God!!" she laughed. "Please tell me you checked them before today!" I hadn't checked them. SHIT!!! I just let it go. There was no turning back. If the goggles failed, then I guess I was about to swim 2.4 miles on my back.

Treading water with 1800 others in Kona, Hawaii was the most awesome feeling ever. I was not even scared anymore. I was ok with possibly getting kicked, punched, or grabbed. It didn't matter because I was living my dream. I was racing Hawaii Ironman! I truly enjoyed every minute of that swim. I was totally relaxed as I watched other peoples' feet in front of my face. I spent the time focused on my stroke. I never once looked at my watch during the swim. I knew the swim was likely going to be the easiest part of my day. I exited the water in 1:29. I really did think I was swimming a lot faster than that.. Oh well.

One of the things that sticks out in my head as I grabbed my bike bag and headed to the change tent was how many bikes were already gone. No surprise I guess considering the field I was racing with that day. These people were the cream of the crop.

It seems that each athlete had their own personal escort in the change tents. The girl who helped me get ready for the bike was efficient and so nice. I was in and out of that change tent in no time. I decided to just take it easy until I could find my groove on the bike. The course has you riding about an 8 mile loop until you hit a big climb out to the Queen K highway. I had been noticing that my bike was not shifting smooth. As a bike geek, I feel very close to my bike. Weird perhaps, but I can tell when something with my bike is off. As I made the big climb up Palani Drive, I heard a guy call out "spin easy Courtney!" Right! I know that, but my gears would not shift! I made it to the top of the hill and finally the bike seemed to start shifting a bit better. At least now I could shift the two big rings in the front. My tri bike has Sram Red and it does live up to the hype as being a bit louder and finicky compared to Dura Ace. Once my shifting improved I began to settle into my groove. I was getting comfy as much as possible on this long stretch. I checked my heart rate monitor every now and then to make sure I was keeping it respectable. The views around me were so beautiful. I wanted to make a point to take it all in and remember what I was seeing. The ocean was on the left and the lava fields were all around.

All along the highway people take small white rocks and spell words out against the black lava rock. I tried to read as many as I could. Up to this point the bike was smooth but challenging and then it became downright terrifying for me as we got closer to Hawii. This is when I met the infamous Hawii trade winds. I would be riding along trying to focus and then a gust of wind would blow from the side. It was a white knuckle ride for sure. It felt as if I was riding with my bike at a 75 degree angle to the road. I swear at times it even felt as if the winds would pick my bike up and move it across the road. Forget eating or drinking during this time! I was lucky to just be riding with the rubber side down! I kept thinking how similar riding in these winds was to labor contractions. I would be holding on for dear life, gritting my teeth waiting for relief and just when I thought it was over, the winds would start up again..It was a total roller coaster ride!

I finally made it to Hawii and the bike special needs stop. I pulled over and stopped in front of two little Hawaiian girls. I switched my nutrition bottles, ate half of a Payday, gave the girls the old bottles and started on my way back. As I was riding along, for once it seemed like I had some wind at my back. And some down hills! Of course it did not last. On the return section on the Queen K, I felt as if I was flying along and then I would hit some headwinds and hills and I would be crawling along so slowly. I was just happy to be moving no matter how slow. I had spotted a group of about 4 or 5 bikes piled up on the side of the road. No riders in sight. I figured someone must have bit the dust so to speak. I had heard that the bike course in Hawaii was not flat, but I was actually surprised at how long the climbs actually were. I used some of these climbs to perfect my skill of peeing on the bike. I think this is actually an art! First, I make sure no one is close behind. Don't want to have the wind spray pee on your fellow racers! Second, stand up. Third, shift your hip to the side of the bike and finally, let it flow! Stopping to pee is such a hassle.. Peeing on the bike is like peeing in your wetsuit. There are those people who admit doing it and those people who lie about it!. No worries about any after effects, as I always take a water bottle from the aid stations to wash off any pee from my leg or the bike.

After spending 6 1\2 hours on the bike with only the thoughts in my head and the views around me, I was dying to get off and on to the run so I could have someone to talk to! As I pulled into transition, I noticed that all the bikes except mine seemed to be back in the racks, Or at least it felt like that! I told myself to suck it up buttercup! You are living a dream and sometimes dreams hurt!

I grabbed my run bag and was escorted into the change tents by another super awesome helper. I made sure to use a ton of Glide on my feet and toes as I get the worst blisters during marathons. I had decided to wear my visor from the Underpants Run.

If you do not know what this is, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymhua4t4zzc

This run is a must do while in Kona, IMO.

So I donned the visor and my shades and I was off to the run. The run started sketchy for me. I made sure to run out of transition in order to not look like a total loser to all the hundreds of people lining the streets cheering. It is amazing what kind of things can motivate you! The running did not last long though. I was taken down to a run-walk. I was not alone. It seemed like quite a few people were walking. Yes, my fellow comrades! I really enjoyed the first part of the run which is through a residential area with views of the ocean. It was so gorgeous! There were aid stations every mile and the people really wanted to get you anything you might need. Sponges were my favorite. It was so hot and I could feel my skin toasting in the sun. The course is not flat. Dang these hills! The hills killed me slowly on this run. I tried to pass the time chatting with people, but deep inside my gut trouble was brewing. Why is there never a porta potty around when you need one? I managed a cross legged shuffle walk until I spied one of the green monsters along the side of the road. Ah! the glory of the porta potty!

Back on the road I was feeling much better. I just tried to avoid looking at the mile markers signs. I was even happier when I came upon a sign that was in kilometers. My brain was closed for any mile to kilometer conversions at this point so the KM signs were great since I really could not figure out exactly how far I had left. Coming out of the Energy Lab I knew I had about 6 miles left to go. I was just so happy that the sun had finally set at this point. I was cooked, broiled, and done being burnt! I needed some relief and the darkness was my answer.

As I approached the last mile down Palani Drive I knew the finish was so close. I could hear it. I told myself no more walking. I was going to run this last mile. It seems at this point I even found my second or third wind. I picked up the pace and began high fiving the people along the sides of the road. Everyone seemed so happy! I know I was! I had read about the run down Alii Drive. For 5 months prior to this point all I could do was imagine what it would be like. Now I was actually running down Alii Drive myself and it was the best feeling in the world. People were cheering so loudly. I am not sure how, but I heard someone scream "Mom!!". I glanced back over my shoulder and spotted Avery. My family had made it to the finish! I was so happy. I even choked back a sob. It was just so overwhelming. I ran up the finish ramp but I was so caught up with everything that I do not even remember Mike Reily saying "Courtney Spratt, from Ponte Vedra Beach, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" He could have called me a fat pig for all I cared! It was a beautiful moment forever etched in my mind crossing that finish line in the Hawaii Ironman. After I passed the chute, I got lei'ed. I felt like a super star!

Do not think the race is over once you cross that finish line. Now it is time to gather up all your crap! Bike, bags, stinky clothes, helmet and so on. Thankfully my family was waiting for me at the athlete exit. And now that my kids are big, they can carry bags. I promptly handed over all my gear to the kids and Mike. I just wanted to concentrate on wearing my Ironman medal.

To anyone out there thinking of entering the Ironman lottery, DO IT! There is always a chance. In fact, the lottery for 201 is now open. Go ahead and sign up!

http://ironman.com/faq/lotteryfaq#axzz12oXSUtYk

Well, now that Ironman Hawaii is over, what next?!
Even though it might seem a little crazy, or maybe even a lot crazy, I am going to race Ironman Florida on Nov 6th. Hell Yes! Why waste a perfectly good Ironman entry?! Stay tuned.....

FIONA, PRECIOUS BABY

2010-08-26T15:50:00.000-04:00

When we bought our farm, Nifty the horse was part of the deal.
A free horse?!
No such thing.

According to all our neighbors in the country, Nifty had lived a lonely life. He had no friends.
Horses are herd animals that enjoy social interaction.
Nifty could only stare across the road and wish that he was with all the other horses on our neighbor's property.

Since we would not be at the farm full time, we knew we had to find a companion for Nifty.
Everyone told us that a donkey would be the perfect friend. They are low maintenance and will protect their "family"...

Driving to the dump one day, the kids and I passed a sign: DONKEYS FOR SALE
It screamed out to us and I knew we had our answer. TURN!

The donkey shopping experience was a hoot. The donkey lady, Helen, drove us around her acreage in an off road golf cart.
There were donkey statues and memorabilia all over the place. My favorite was the JACKASS CROSSING road sign.
I know where a few of those signs could go...

There were 96 donkeys to choose from..ONLY.
It was not a tough choice as soon as we spotted a small chocolate colored donkey.
She was # 32
Once we petted her soft coat and saw her pouty lips, we knew she was ours.. Or Niftys, I mean..

Naming her Fiona was a unanimous decision. It just fit her perfectly.

Fiona has been with us for months now. We cannot imagine not having her. Neither can Nifty.
The two of them are best friends, pasture mates, I got yer back friends...like bread and butter.

Finally! A friend for Nifty

BUSY SEASON AT THE BROKEN SPOKE

2010-08-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks at The Broken Spoke have been very busy indeed!
What with the grass growing, deer romping, and things being born and all...

I thought a farm status update was in order.

We have added many new things at the farm lately.

To start, the kids and I searched out and found a lady a few miles from us that raises SILKIE hens. These hilarious birds look like a puff of feathers. We bought 9 of these birds from her and to date they have been a joy. They love to be picked up and petted like kittens.

Some bits of info on them in case you are interested:

Silkies are well known for their calm, friendly temperament. Among the most docile of poultry, Silkies are considered an ideal pet. Hens are also exceptionally broody, and make good mothers. Though they are fair layers themselves, only laying about three eggs a week, they are commonly used to hatch eggs from other breeds and bird species.

We have many deer on the property and I always love to see them jumping fences and hauling butt across the fields. Deer are fast! We have spotted a new baby several times but cannot seem to get a good picture of him-her.
If you look very close in these two pictures you might spot a deer or two:

One of the more fascinating things we have done for the farm this summer has been to visit and participate in a local livestock auction.
A small dab of Mentholatum on the nostrils would be a smart move for those easily set off by odors!
The procedure for the auction is for the cows to be moved through a schute to a viewing area one by one. The bidding starts and it moves fast! It is not for the undecided. You pick a cow and go.. We heard "SOLD to Spratt" 9 times that day. It was a scary result for the newbies. And we received several odd looks from the crowd each time a cow was to be ours. It might have been Mike's flip flops and Hawaiian shirt? I did not realize that John Deere clothing was the normal attire for one of these events.
Anyway, believe it or not, there are actually cow hauling services so we arranged with a local guy to have our cows delivered that night..
In the 9 bovine that we purchased that day, 4 were-are pregnant.
I say were because this past week we had a new baby calve born at the Broken Spoke. Fortunately I was not there for the blessed event and the mama cow just took care of business on her own! One down, 3 to go!
If you look closely you can see BINGO in the picture. He is the newest addition and is oh so cute to boot!

This lovely creature is one of the largest that we bought that day. She is a cow. I just learned yesterday that a heifer is a cow that has NOT had a calve before. A cow has had a calve. Ahh, the things I have learned.

Besides the birth of Bingo, a nest of eggs that I have been watching finally hatched. I am not sure what type of bird these are, but if you look closely, you can see two baby birds snuggled up in a dirty old glove:

One thing that never seems to stop growing is the grass. When you do not have a tractor, this poses a problem...
Thank goodness for Craiglist Farm and Garden section! I am addicted.. There you can find people to mow your pasture, bale your hay and on and on and on.
Very helpful for a tractor-less newbie farm owner like myself:

The very best thing about the farm so far has been our sweet, gentle, loving horse Nifty. He came with the place and we are so lucky to be able to love him!

DEAR SISTER

2010-06-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

Dear Sister,

It seems summer is again upon us.
How can I be so sure?
Well, the arrival of some or all of your kids is typically a strong indicator that summer has arrived.

Just so you are not too terribly lonely without the boys, I figured a few choice pictures would help ease the pain of your missing them.

Most of the daylight hours are spent driving the go cart in a 1 mile circle on the dirt road at the farm:

Now since fuel is very important in making the world go round, we figured it was high time that your boys learn the fundementals of pumping gas:

Of course no summer trip would be complete without a nice bonefire-smores session. Someone has to collect all the wood:

Funny thing about timing, just when you need firewood a 15 foot long limb falls in your road:

Better the wood than the turtle in the middle of the highway. Of course a rescue plan was implemented:

At least turtles are easy to catch.
Try mixing 6 Guinea hens in tight quarters with 3 smelly boys:

Of course with 6 kids the trash can build up.
Nothing like a trip to the local dump:

And since they have already broken stuff, burnt stuff, and eaten everything in site, whats left?
Well how about getting my classic 1986 BMW 325 stuck in about 3 feet of mud?! Sounds like a plan!

You know how I feel about driving mini vans right? What else will fit 6 kids?
Well lets just say I am not feeling very cool right about now.
How do you like Mike's swagger wagon?

I think I did finally see a small glimpse of some clean kids tonight though.
If I was a drinking girl, I might have assumed they were the neighbors kids:

Do not fret. They will be home before you know it!

Love,

Courtney

BLAME IT ON KONA

2010-06-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

My website needs work.
My blog is stale.
My laundry has not been done.
My fridge is empty.
My bed has not been made in weeks.
My house needs vacuuming.
My plants need water.

I am ok with all of this.. for the next 4 months.

"How can you be?" you might ask....

Well, you see, I am going to Kona!

Two huge things are happening to me the first two weeks of October and I am oh so lucky to have the support of my husband and kids.

I am not sure which is a bigger deal, but October 5th I will be turning 40 and on October 9th I will be participating in the 2010 Ironman World Championships in Kona.
I was one of the lucky 150 US lottery winners. Yippee!

So...if you don't see or hear frome me in the next four months or you happen to notice that my house is dirty, just realize it's all for a dream!

A dream to do my best and make my family proud on 10-9-2010...

Or you could just blame it on Kona!

GATE RIVER RUN- AGAIN

2010-03-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

My first organized run was Gate River Run 2003. I was hooked on running the minute I crossed the finish line.

This past Saturday was my 7th consecutive year running Gate. I hope I never miss a year. I want to be one of those kick ass little old ladies truckin' down the road. I would really rather wear out than rust out.

I didn't run the time I wanted to this year. My mojo was off.
Rushing off in the morning I forgot my music. No Biggie, Tupac or Dr. Dre to push me along the course.
I was left with the self doubting thoughts in my head.
I started out too fast and began to die a slow death at about mile 5. My game got thrown off when I had to make a quick dash into the porta pottie at mile 5.
I wish people would aim better in those things. Or maybe I should have looked before I sat down?
It was not pretty. I was wishing for a fire hose to blast me clean. Or perhaps a full body dip in some hand sanitizer?

One of the highlights for me was metting Charlie Engle. I suspect this guy is super human. You should Google him. He was at the Gate with friends to support CAF. While you are busy Googling, you should look CAF up also. It is a fantastic organization that supports challenged athletes...

Each year I love seeing Bill Rodgers. Of course he always beats me. I mean the guy won the Boston Marathon 4 times and is one of America's greatest runners ever!

My running group:

Susan, Pete, me, Chris, Charlie Engle, and Erin:

RUNNING FOR THE TATAS

2010-02-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday I am going to run the Breast Cancer Marathon here in Jacksonville.

1. This marathon supports a fantastic cause. 100% of the proceeds go to support breast cancer research. That alone is reason enough for me. I have to say that I am so sick and tired of charities that donate only a fraction of the proceeds raised to the cause and the rest goes to administrative, etc etc..

2. This marathon is in my backyard!

3. The weather is going to be perfect this weekend!

This is going to be a great weekend.

Lets hear it for the ta tas!

THE CONDENSED VERSION

2010-01-14T17:47:00.000-05:00

The social networking on Facebook has really affected my blog posting.
I mean to post more, but all these thoughts just stay jumbled up in my noggin...

I thought a good solution would be to do a short condensed version of the things that have been happening in the past few weeks. So, here goes!

- In November I flew to Texas to run the San Antonio marathon for a BQ. As I was getting off the plane, I received a text telling me that the Boston marathon had just closed; in record time. To say I was pissed was putting it lightly. The upside in all this news was that marathon day was hot as ass! In the 80s. There likely would have been no BQ for me that day anyway and since Boston was closed, I turned the full marathon into a half. Wise choice..

-After getting my butt kicked up and down by Dr. Ron on his SINGLESPEED bike during the Turkey Burn race, (see previous post) I vowed to get stronger and faster on my bike. How you might ask?? RIDE MORE! Since that butt beating I have been riding the trails at Hanna Park on my Motobecane Fly Team Titanium. It is a sweet ride if I say so myself. I have also added an 80 minute spin class once a week. It helps. I have already shaved ONE minute off of my loop. I know, I know!! One minute is nothin!! But it is a step in the right direction, which is FASTER. I look forward not backward. I have another time trial this weekend and I suspect the minutes will be dropping like flies.

-Since the San Antonio marathon turned into a bust for me, I decided that I might as well run my hometown marathon. I had the fitness saved up from San Antonio, why waste it? Well Jacksonville was a peach of a marathon! I loved it. Great weather, beautiful course if not a bit lonely due to no cheering crowds. But it is actually nice to have the quiet. Rows and rows of screaming people can get old. My good friend and biking buddy Joe met me at mile 20. It was so great to know I had someone waiting there for me. The last 6 miles were the toughest and Joe really helped me muscle through. Now, the best part of the whole race for me was that I was trying to get a Boston Qualifier for 2011 ( ya' heard this year closed in record time, right?). I was holding strong for a 3:45 but the minutes seemed to be slipping by. The great thing is that I turn 40 in October which means I age up for Boston, which means I only needed a 3:50 to qualify. AND??!!! I ran a 3:47. Boston 2011 here I come!!!

-The holidays seemed to lack a bit of the usual craziness this year, which was nice. Mike and I did not go insane with presents for the kids, for once. And the day after Christmas we all drove down to the Florida Keys for some time off. My plan was to kick back and relax and DIVE as much as possible. Austin wanted to try spear fishing. The invasion of Lion fish has Austin hopping mad and he was ready to kill. We dove twice and bagged any plans for more. It was too cold!! Me and the kids are fair weather divers and I froze my booty off in the water even with a wetsuit. After a couple of days we decided to leave and go home early. Since the Keys are just "right down there" for us, we can easily go back soon.

- I applied for and was accepted in to the Brooks ID program. What the heck is that??
Brooks I.D. stands for Inspire Daily. These two simple words guide the principles of the program. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 2,000 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders.
I am really excited to be a part of this group and hope I can inspire daily!

That brings us to the New Year. I just love the sound of 2010! It sounds so futuristic and full of fun, adventure, and promise.

Here's to you and yours!

SOME PEOPLE CALL IT CRAZY

2009-11-30T17:45:00.000-05:00

Some people call it crazy; I call it adventure.

I loved calling the hotel front desk at 6:00 pm and asking for a 1:00 am wake up call. Crazy!
Better yet was walking out of the hotel lobby dressed entirely in black including the ski cap on my head. The clerks probably thought I was going to rob someone.

This past Saturday did not involve any robbery.

I was signed up for the 12 hour Turkey Burn adventure race in central Florida.
Gun time for the race was 4:00am. Pre Race check in was 3:00am.
Even though this is Florida, it was really cold that morning. A chilly 47 degrees.

For those who do not know, adventure races involve a combination of navigation, trekking (running), off road biking, and paddling. This particular race even involved rock wall climbing.

Before the race start I noticed a guy in running shorts and Vibrams on his feet. I am all for minimalism, but Vibrams do not seem to be a good choice for 12 hour long adventure races through scrub, rocks, dirt and so on.
I had a feeling that this nice guy would soon be riding the pain train!

If you would like to see more details on Vibrams:

www.vibramfivefingers.com

My teammates for the race were both experienced racers. Ron is a fantastic navigator, Primal Quest finisher, and seasoned adventure racer and Rod is an expert with a paddle and canoe, not to mention the first place finisher in the following 1000 mile race:
http://yukon1000.com/

I was really looking forward to opening up the can of whoop ass with these guys!

The race began with a 1.5 mile bike loop to be completed by one team member.
This typically spaces out the teams. I rode the leg and then we were off.

The thing about adventure races is that you can never really know exactly what to expect.
It is just best to be as prepared as you can for many possible issues.

Our team unfortunately had our first issue about 20 minutes in to the race.
As we were making our way to the first checkpoint, Ron must have hit the only stick in the sugar sand and it snapped his rear derailleur hanger. I have heard of this happening in races before, but why did it have to happen to us? We spent the next 50 minutes removing the derailleur and converting Ron’s bike to a single speed. Here is the bike with the lonely derailleur by its side:

We plucked off all the checkpoints and made our way to the paddle section. We expected to catch quite a few teams on this section. The paddle was on the Wekiva River and it was beautiful. We had heard that several teams had tipped their boats and been baptized in the chilly water. I figured that we were safe from this since our “issue” cup had just been filled dealing with the snapped derailleur.
I am not to clear on all the details of this section except to say that we busted a move on that water and cleared all the checkpoints in quick fashion.
Since I am the mean one on the team, I did not want to give any checkpoint tips away to other teams, but Ron is a nice guy and he actually gave several teams “freebies” on checkpoint locations.
Good Karma collector Ron!

After the paddle section we made our way in to the transition area and put on our harnesses in preparation to climb the wall:

The wall climbing would actually seem like fun if it were not for the fact that our fingers had frozen into “claws” while paddling on the water for 3 hours.
We did our wall duty and then made our way to refuel with homemade cookies.
Next was the trekking section. This was actually my favorite part and there were some beautiful sites along the way.

We had a bit of a time finding a couple of checkpoints on this section and Rod had an inflamed ITB making it difficult and painful to run, but we barreled through.
I always like to have various snacks in my backpack to give a boost in the later stages of the races.
For me the highlight was the beef jerkey. Yum!
Also fun was seeing all the bear , deer, and coyote tracks out on the trails. If only we could have spotted Sasquatch!

The very last section was on the bikes and it was apparent that we were not going to be able to clear all the checkpoints in time. This was a bummer, but we were going to finish anyway, just a bit late. Ron and Rod are both much stronger bikers than I am and I was slowing them down quite a bit. I was secretly wishing for a motor for my bike at this point, and I was very envious of Ron's super padded gel saddle.
With about two miles to go, I was really suffering form a gut stitch and had to let Ron tow me in to the finish line. This was a bit of a blow to my ego, but after 12 hours of racing all vanity and egos get thrown out the window for sure.
Thanks for the ride Ron!!!

I had a fantastic time racing with Ron and Rod and hope to get together with them again for another race in the future.

If you are interested in adventure racing check out the link to Pangea:

http://www.pangeaadventureracing.com/

Also, here is a link to my teammate Ron’s blog:

http://eaglinar.blogspot.com/

I LIKE TO RIDE MY BICYCLE, I LIKE TO RIDE MY BIKE

2009-11-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

I would think it to be a difficult search to find an individual who has not been affected by a bicycle at some point in their life.

Can you remember your first nervous ride as a kid? And the feeling of freedom that followed. Did you ride your bike to throw your paper route before school?
Did your bike take you to work? class? The park?
Do you ride your bike to fight off the fat, clear your head, or have some me time?

Whether you have been a lover of the bicycle in your childhood, adulthood, or always, at some point “it” has affected you.

By “it”, I refer to the freedom, joy, usefulness, function, independence, and beauty of the bicycle.

When I see adults out on their bicycles, I smile.
When I see kids out on their bicycles, I smile even bigger. And I hope that by getting outside in the fresh air on two wheels, those kids will foster a passion for bikes for the rest of their lives.

If you have been away from the bike for longer than you can recall, dust it off and go for a ride.

Here’s to two wheels!

IT WAS A BEAR OF A RACE

2009-09-08T17:04:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the day for my latest adventure.

I had teamed up with two guys ( Jeff and Patrick) to race The Bear 10 hour adventure race here in Jacksonville.
I did this race two years ago, so I had basic knowledge of what I could expect, but you just never know with the BEAR.

To sum it up briefly, your team of 1, 2, 3, or 4 people will run, navigate, kayak, bike and perform mystery tasks.
Each team competes to finish all the required stages within the 10 hour time limit and be the first team done.

The race was hot, wet and dirty. It was challenging and there were moments I questioned my own sanity.

After 8 hours and 40 minutes of racing, I have a few mementos from the race:

sunburn
scratched legs
ticks (I have found three so far)
bruises
and
an awesome trophy!

Out of 35 teams, the guys and I came in third overall and FIRST for the 3-4 person division.

Me and my Motobecane Fly Team Titanium. This bike is the shizzle!

Chuck and Patrick on the drier portions of the bike segment.

TEAM FLORIDA XTREME

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

2009-08-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

Last week me and two of my three kids flew to Denver.
We were on our way to Manitou Springs, Co to offer moral support to my twin sister and brother.
They were both running the Pikes Peak Marathon. NUT JOBS!

This trip almost did not happen. We missed our connecting flight out of Atlanta. So frustrating!!!
After hanging around for 2 hours, fingers crossed, we made it on standby for the next flight out..

Once we arrived in Denver, we loaded up in our rental car, the Prius...
It was hate at first site for me.
I will quickly add though that by the end of the 5 day trip, I was in love with this car. So quiet, so efficient, so ugly..

Driving south to Manitou Springs, I was slowly becoming aware of a Rocky Mountain High.
It was great! Beautiful weather, beautiful state.

The destination was the El Colorado Lodge. My sister and her family and my brother and his family had been there for 3 days hanging out. Or I should say "acclimating" as it sounds so much more professional.

The Pikes Peak Marathon is an ass kicker. You start at 7,000 feet and climb for 13 miles to over 14,000 feet.
The average grade is 11%. Then when you get to the top, you get to run the 13 miles down.

People break things doing this marathon, like ankles.
People cut things doing this marathon, like knees.
People get crazy doing this marathon as there is 50% less oxygen at the top of the mountain.

I had no desire to run this.

I live at ZERO elevation. In fact, my backyard is likely at a negative elevation. Gotta love Florida :)

I will say that watching Matt and Wid finish this run and claim "never again" just made me want to come back next year and give it a whirl, so to speak.
I gave my siblings a day or two to get over it and now they have both said they will come back next year to run..

I took over 400 pictures. Don't worry!! I will not post them all.
Here are a few of the highlights:

BORN TO RUN

2009-07-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

My sister told me about this book.

I read it in two days. It was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Reading this book has me thinking about a few things.

I need to smile more when I am running. I think smiling more will translate into feeling better overall.
I want to remember that running for me is first about fun and second about performance.
At times it seems that I get so caught up in the goals of BQ'ing and getting faster that I miss a basic point: RUN FOR FUN

There is much talk about barefoot running in the book. The author refers to studies about how running shoes have impacted our "running" health; that running shoes actually make our feet weaker and to be better runners our feet need to be stronger. The implication seems to be that running shoes have created many of the common running injuries, Plantar, ITB, etc.
I am not sure where I stand on this issue, but I did just do a three mile run on my treadmill in bare feet.
It actually felt very liberating!

I am not going to throw out all my running shoes just yet, but walking the dogs in bare feet sounds like a good start.

ROAD TRIP

2009-06-25T07:01:00.000-04:00

Well, we are not the Griswalds, but our road trip to Texas was almost as crazy.
We drove to Houston straight through. 14 hours.
There is a ton of motivation not to stop when you are headed straight for Pappasitos for TexMex food.
Our family trip was a fun filled week of action and we had a great time.
Highlights were seeing DMC TEXAS, TexMex food, Alamo, seeing Wid's family, zip lining, and too much more to even mention.
I am taking the lazy bloggers route and just going to post a few pics from the trip:

HURRY UP SUMMER!!!!!!

2009-06-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

I know that for some parents, school is at times a "day care" for their kids.
Many times parents dread the summer months with their kids dying of boredom with nothing to do.

I am not one of these parents.

In fact, I think it is an outrage that my kids are STILL not out for summer break.
They will not be out until June 10th!
That is nearly all the way through June DANG IT!!
Also, when I was a kid (the good ol' days) we did not go back to school until after Labor Day.
My kids go back August 24th. WHAT?

Whine, Whine, I know.. someone call the WAAAM-BULANCE for me.

I just want to have some chill time with my kids. I do not want to have to rush around getting Aidan's lunch packed. I do not want to have to rush to the bus. I do not want to have to rush. At All.

I work, so its not like I am just sitting around waiting for my kids to come out and play with me this summer.
I just like the slower pace the summer months bring.

So hurry up school and do us all a favor, CLOSE, SOON.

We all need a break.

BECOME A FAN, MAN!

2009-04-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

Have you bought a bike from me? Are you thinking about buying a bike from me?

Check out my Facebook page for SPORTYMAMABIKES.COM, become a fan or friend request me.
I want to keep all my customers up to date with new arrivals, specials and any cool or interesting tidbits.

I appreciate all your business.

Remember to call or email with any cycling related questions. We are happy to help if we can!

Courtney

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS

2009-04-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

The absolute highlight of my trip to Boston this past weekend was hanging out with my daughter and my twin sister, Wid.
We had a blast beyond compare.
The city was crazy busy with runners. We arrived on Saturday and went to the expo after a side stop at Solas Irish pub.
No beer for me, but it was fun watching Wid partake. I was jealous.

The following picture is of Wid and Avery at the finish line set up of the marathon. People were milling about and taking pictures.

We spent Saturady and Sunday doing touristy things like trolley tours, eating, shopping, going to Boston Commons.
Then I ditched Wid at Filenes's Basement to go back to the hotel for a nap. She was in full force and not ready to slow down. I just hoped I would feel that way on Monday morning for the marathon.

On Monday, I met friends Dawn and Beth for the ride out to Hopkinton.
We hung out in the athletes village getting lucky four leaf clover tatoos and taking pictures.
Like this one:

And this one:

And this one:

I was in the first corral of the second wave of runners. Our start time was 10:30.
As I was lining up, I once again got teary at the thought that I was again running the most historical marathon in the United States. It was a great honor that I had worked very hard for.

For this marathon, my goal was to re-qualify for Boston with a 3:45. My secondary goal was to finish having had fun.
I missed the BQ by 10 minutes. I ran the first 13 miles too fast and basically blew up in the second half. At mile 18, I was just thinking that I would be happy with a sub 4:00.
My final time for the run was 3:55. I'll take it..but now I have to go run another marathon this fall if I want to run Boston again in April.

Viscious cycle!
Here I am with Wid and Avery at the finish.. Man! Was I GLAD to be done!

SPRING BREAKIN'

2009-04-15T17:11:00.000-04:00

Last week was Spring Break for my kids.
It came at the perfect time, during week two of my Boston taper.

We went on vacation and it was fantastic.
I only ran once the entire week. That is bad, but my foot has been hurting and I figured my "hay was in the barn" training wise.

Me and the two older kids finished our 4 checkout dives required to become certified divers.
In total we dived 6 times. It was a huge two thumbs up.
I already want to go diving again asap.
From now on, please refer to me as Ms. Certified Diver :)

We got home Sunday night and I have spent the past few days doing laundry, running a few slow and easy miles, working, and making lists.

Avery and I are leaving Saturday morning for BOSTON!
It's that time of year again. Patriots Day- Marathon Monday- one of my favorite days of the year!
My twin is meeting us up there. She has never been to Boston so I am really excited to show her around and try to convince her it would be awesome for her to qualify to run Boston too. Then we can go together!

I just had my pre race pedicure. I picked a nice blood red color for the toes.
The feet look good today, but I predict the toes will be a mess come Monday night :)

So, now I request that you guys track me on Monday. I need all the positive vibes as possible sent my way.
I mean I am trying to re-qualify so help a sista out with some happy thoughts or prayers if that is your thing..

Go to www.baa.org and track runner 14417.
Hopefully that is the runner that is hauling ass the entire way (ME!)

ART=P.A.I.N.

2009-03-31T17:26:00.000-04:00

So, in my world ART stands for ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUES.
What is it exactly? Well, I googled it and here is the definition:

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

The key words for me in that description are OVERUSED MUSCLES.
I have those. Plenty.

I have been having heel pain and toe pain.
Sure it is probally due to the miles that I am running, but I need some answers besides "stop running".
ART is going to be my answer.
But the thing with ART massage is that it hurts. Today during my session, I just grit my teeth.
I can take it. Its worth it. This is good for me. At least that is what I kept telling myself.

After the therapy, my Doc taped my foot and toe with Kenesio tape. Well, if it works, GREAT! If it does not work, at least the tape is a pretty SPRTY hot pink color.

After my 20 miler this past Saturday, I am officially on taper mode. That means my mileage will decrease over the next 19 days until The Boston Marathon 2009.

What a great ride it has been, pain and all!

GATE RIVER

2009-03-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the Gate River Run 15k.
This 15k is a big deal in Jacksonville.
15,000 people run and it seems to get bigger every year.

I ran it for the first time 5 years ago.
It was the longest distance I had ever run.
I remember signing up for it as a way to get back in shape after having Aidan.
I clearly remember when I crossed the finish line that day 5 years ago thinking to myself, " I am going to run a marathon!"

This April will be my third year running the Boston marathon.
It will be "lucky number 13" for my marathon total.

Even though I was a minute slower this year at Gate finishing in 1:11, I felt good the entire course and feel like I gave it a good effort. I sure would have loved a PR though.. Oh well, there was cold beer and hot dogs at the finish! Maybe that is why I am slowing down?

Below is a picture of me with Todd Williams. He is the American record holder in the 15k with a time of 42:22.
That equates to 4:20 miles! I am twice as slow!! Ha!
I warned him I was going to post the picture on FACEBOOK!

TEAM HTFU GETS MUDDY

2009-03-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

The Mud Run 10k was this past weekend.
My God! It was one dirty race.

We had our coed team of 5. Poperly named TEAM HTFU.
If you don't know what it stands for, don't ask.
Lets just say some bad words are involved.
Besides running, there were some butt kicking obstacles.
Wall climbing, rope swinging, log crossing, mud diving, etc.
In this case, pictures probally tell the story better than I can.

Overall, the race raised over $75,000 for the MS Society.

54 DAYS LEFT 'TIL PATRIOTS DAY

2009-02-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

APRIL 20TH 2009

My training for Boston has been going well.
I am not as obsessive about getting all my workouts in like in previous years.
But I am getting the hay put away in the barn so to speak.
Last week I banked 53 miles.
I hope to top out at about 70 miles as it gets closer to the marathon.

Since my run in Boston last year was a disaster, I am really hoping to run smart and well this year.
My goal is to requalify with a 3:45.
Of course I hope to run even faster than that though.
I am doing the training and will count on that to get me there.

This year my twin Wid is going to meet Avery and I in Boston. It will be an all girls weekend.
Hanging out with the two of them is the part I am really looking forward to the most.

Don't worry Mike! Avery will keep us out of the bars and tattoo parlors :)

BFF

2009-02-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

How could I not be BEST FRIENDS FOREVER with Wid?
I mean, look at us!

No matter how hard we tried to be seen as separate or different as we were growing up, Wid and I will always be so much alike.

It's twins 'til the end for us and they better watch out at the old folks home when we move in 60 years from now!

THEME PARK MADNESS

2009-02-12T06:20:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went to Orlando to meet my twin sister and her family.
They were coming in to see Peter's family from Brazil.
There were 19 of us all together. That is a tough crowd to manage!

I just wanted my kids to be able to spend as much time with Wid's kids as possible. I didn't care what we did or where we went.
The kids all had a blast. We could have locked them all in a closet and they would still have fun as long as they are together.

If you have to do it, this is a great time to visit the theme parks. The weather is great and the crowds are mild.
My favorite part was meeting SPIDEY!

Here is the pack of cousins all together.

MUDRUNJAX

2009-02-04T20:57:00.001-05:00

Ok, Austin and I made it out alive from our diver class.
It was a LONG weekend. But very interesting and we learned a lot.

I have either been really busy or just too obsessed with FACEBOOK to write any new blog posts.
I am going to try and detox from the time killer that FACEBOOK has become.
I will say though that I have met a lot of new friends and that has been fun.

Enough Though!

There has been many things going on lately.

I have a team together for the MUDRUN here in Jacksonville on Feb 28th.
This is a 6.2 mile run through an obstacle course surrounded by mud.

The proceeds go to benefit the MS SOCIETY.
A VERY VERY GOOD CAUSE!

Ours is a coed team of 5 and our name is TEAM HTFU.
Many of my running forum friends and triathletes will know immediately what those letters stand for!
For those of you who do not know what the letters stand for, email me and I will tell you in private!

Anyway, if you feel inspired to donate to the MS Society in the name of our team, we would be much appreciated!
We have a minimum fund raising quota and any extra will greatly help..
Email me for details if you want to help out.

I promise tons of muddy photos when all is said and done.

Here is a link to the site if you want to check it out for yourselves:

http://mudrunjax.com/

2009-01-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow Austin and I are going for our diver certification.
We have already finished the book and video work.
Next we have our pool dives.
It will be all day tomorrow and Sunday.

I am really looking forward to this.
Ever since we went on the resort dive this Thanksgiving I knew that I wanted to get my diver certification.
It has been all the more fun since the big kids are old enough to go too.
Austin seems to know everything about saltwater fish and life. Its so much fun to have him tell me what every fish we see is.
KNOW IT ALL!

I just hope there is someone interesting in class tomorrow...

NEGLECTED!

2009-01-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

I am ashamed at how badly I have neglected this blog!
Even if no one is reading, I still like to post bits and pieces here and there.

Somehow I have let the days slip past with nary a post.

I have to admit; I suspect that FACEBOOK may have something to do with this neglectful treatment of the SPRTY BLOG.
I stumbled upon Facebook through a friend.
And before I knew it, I was slightly addicted!
I check it everyday to see what my peeps are up to.
It has been fun to reconnect with old friends and find new friends.
You might give it a try!

Now, tonight my youngest son, Aidan, gave me a note.
I am going to type it below EXACTLY as he wrote it. He is in kindergarten.
It made me proud but also a little sad, as he is growing up so fast.

Here it is:

MOM YOUV BIN
MY MOM FR 6 YERS
YOUR A GOOD AT IT
I LOVE YOU SINSELE
AIDAN SPRATT

Needless to say, this note is going in my treasure box so that I can take it out and read it again and again when I am 90 years old.

Have a great week!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2008-12-24T16:23:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas day.
It is the quiet before the storm so to speak.

The kids and I went hiking yesterday afternoon. It was beautiful. High 70s, sunny.
The dogs loved it. So many new smells!

I hope you all have a great holiday, whatever it is you celebrate.
Thanks for reading.

LEBOWSKI CHRISTMAS

2008-12-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

Last night was our office Christmas party.
Instead of standing around the office eating bad food, or going to a restaurant that would take forever to seat our group, Mike and I hosted a bowling party.

COSMIC BOWLING.

To those who do not know, cosmic bowling is done in the dark with loud music and black lights to highlight the neon colors of the balls and paint on the wall. Alone or with just your family it can seem kinda corny. But with a group of your coworkers, it can get crazy.

Being a huge Lebowski fan, I pride myself on my bowling high score of 159.
I was sure I would kick everyones butt last night.
It was a sad night score wise. My highest game was a 100.
I blame it on the beer. I would have had White Russians like The Dude, but then the night would have been really ugly!

Mike and I have a great group of people working with us.
Thanks to you all.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP

2008-12-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

The recipe for these cookies was given to me by my sister in law.
She is a professional wedding cake baker (artist).

In other words, her baked goods are GOOD!

When she passed the recipe to me and Avery, she told me to never give it to anyone.
She said many people would ask for it and when they do, give them a made up recipe for some other oatmeal cookie.

Many people have asked me for the recipe.
Instead of making up some fake recipe, I just tell them flat out they cannot have this one.
Hee Hee..

I have been thinking though...Its not what is in these cookies that makes them so good.
It is how they are made.....With a little bit of love for everyone we give them to.

I am sure you have a recipe like that? somewhere? right?

Happy Holidays!

TREE HUNT

2008-12-10T06:57:00.000-05:00

Our family hunt for a Christmas tree was last night.

Man, trees are expensive!

The first one we fell in love with was 200.00
We fell OUT of love immediately...

I wonder where the "cheap" tree section is?

I guess the tree man does not have one of those sections, but we finally found the perfect tree.

We brought in home it the back of a pickup truck, TEXAS style.
Its important to retain your Texas pride, even though we have lived in Florida for almost 14 years.

Happy Holidays!

BLAST FROM THE PAST

2008-12-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

It has been slow lately.

So I have had some time on my hands..
Time enough to get signed up on FACEBOOK.

That place kills me! I still do not get it completely..
I am learning.. Someone threw a snowball at me yesterday.. Not really sure what that means.

I have befriended some people from highschool days.. Checking out the pics from 20 years ago is really entertaining..

Funny how it takes about 20 years to realize just how bad your haircut was!

If you have some time on your hands, send me a friend request.

THANKSGIVING- IT WAS A WET ONE!

2008-11-30T14:48:00.003-05:00

It has been our family tradition to go to the Islands for Thanksgiving for many years now.
It is simple. Easy to get to, no cooking, no crowds. Nuh said.

We missed one year due to Hurricane Ivan. It blew our hotel away.
We missed last year, because someone I know ( me?) forgot to make airline and hotel reservations. DUH!

This year I experienced a life changing event on this trip..
Me and the big kids went diving.
Words cannot express.
A whole new world!

Now that we are home, the plan is to get our diver's certification ASAP!
Thankfully we live in Florida and there are dive shops on every corner.. Ok, not really, but there are more than in Kansas!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday!

TWILIGHT- AT MIDNIGHT

2008-11-21T15:15:00.001-05:00

Being up last night after midnight with the vampires nearly killed me.

I admit it.
I have a hard tme staying awake past about 9:00 pm.

The premeire of TWILIGHT was last night. At midnight.
I went with Avery and her friend and the friend's mom.
I think I was one of the oldest people there. And I was not wearing black.

The theater was packed full.
Knowing nothing about this series prior, I have to say it was a pretty good movie.
The experience was all the more fun since it was a school night, after hours adventure.
I had to have the biggest cherry coke and popcorn sold.
I was not staying up that late for nothing.

I cannot help but think that I am missing out on quite a few things by being in bed asleep by 9:00!

THE COUCH POTATO ERA = OVER!

2008-11-18T07:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my reign over the couch officially came to a halt.

IT'S OVER!!

For the last two weeks, I have not exercised one minute, I have eaten copious amounts of food, and I have made a point of drinking beer at least 4 nights out of 7.

It has been an awesome journey.

But, before I was completely pulled over to the DARK SIDE, I snapped out of my stuper.

Last night I went to the gym! Good God!
It was hard to walk in that door, but I HTFU and made for the treadmill.
While Aidan was in karate, I ran 4.5 miles.

It was good.

My plan for the next 9 weeks is to focus on my running.

We will see where it takes me.......

CAUTION-THIS ONE IS LOOONG!

2008-11-07T17:02:00.000-05:00

With Ironman, if you can make it through the beat down of training for months on end, the race itself is a great party!

I really loved every minute of the race, except for about the first 5 miles of the marathon.

My family and I drove over to Panama City on Wednesday before the race.
Checking into our condo was a two hour nightmare not even worth detailing. It was highly frustrating. I was hoping it would not be a reflection of how the weekend was going to be.
Thankfully, it was not.

Thursday we went over to get registered. # 2273 reporting for duty!
Next it was off to get some burgers. The rest of the day was relaxing and nothing special.

I will say that the beaches in Panama City are beautiful.
Crystal blue water, silky sand beaches.
This is quite a change from the East coast with its hard packed sand and dark water.
I decided to get the wetsuit on and go for a test swim..
Since it was cold, this was a real test of faith for me.
I met some Germans coming out of the water and asked them how it was. They both replied, “very warm”!
I suspected they were going to say that.
The swim was short but sweet. I mostly just wanted to make sure my goggles fit right.

Friday morning, Avery and I made the short walk to check my bike and gear bags into transition. I had packed all my gear the night before and was quietly hoping I did not forget anything. My bike was the first one on the rack and it looked a bit sad and pathetic there all by itself. I left the bike and waked over to get a quick massage on the legs.
God, the masseuse was great! Too bad he was from Tampa.

Avery and I then walked around the expo, which was really small compared to marathon expos. Since it was Halloween, all the people with a sense of humor were in costume.
We had our picture taken with Patrick from Spongebob and the best ever was the guy dressed as Spartacus in a speedo. He had a cape on and everything. I made sure to get a picture with him too.

My twin was coming in from Texas to cheer me on, but she would not arrive until Friday afternoon. I was really looking forward to her getting there. I needed to hang out with someone who had been down the Ironman road of crazy before.
Since Wid did this race last year, she was great for my nerves.
Although she did say several times how she was soooo glad to not be doing this race.
I had to tell her to put a sock in it!

Once my sister arrived, we got Aidan dressed up in his costume and went down to the Pier Park shopping center for some safe trick or treating.
Score on the candy! Avery and Aidan both got a ton of candy. Too bad I was being good and could not eat any.
But, I had plans to make up for that once IRONMAN was finished. When we got back to the hotel after the candy hunt and dinner, I made each kid give me a piece of candy from their loot bag and I packed it in my special needs bag for the race the next morning.

Off to bed!

The day of reckoning finally arrived and I woke Wid up to get ready with me.
I was really relieved to not have to go down to the race start by myself.
Being around 2500 racers can be a lonely experience.
We parked and walked over to the start.
Since it takes about 20 minutes to stuff my butt in the wetsuit, I figured I better get started.

I made my move down to the beach to get ready to start. Since I could not take Wid in the corral with me, I made small talk with anyone who would respond.
Two ladies from NJ were my first victims.
They were really nice, but one of them asked me why in the world she was doing this. I wanted to tell her to shut the hell up, but instead I told her she was doing this because she could.
That answer seemed to work. I wished them both great races and the cannon went off.

Now, the swim was actually the thing I was worried about the most.
It can get rough out there with all the bodies thrashing about.
At least that is what I have heard.
I can concur.
The swim was rough. I got clocked in the ear once. Damn!
Note to self: STAY AWAY FROM LARGE MEN! THEY KICK AND HIT HARD.
The most congestion was at the turn buoys. I just got it done. I hate feet as it is, but having feet in your face can get really annoying. I was happy with my swim time. Slow and steady. I am a suck ass swimmer, so I was not expecting any miracles and my swim time was right what I expected.

As I grabbed my bike bag and made my way to the change tent, I decided now was not the time to get shy.
There were naked people everywhere. I was ready to strip down and get some dry clothes on.
I am so happy I packed a towel, even if it was really just a hand towel from the condo.
The volunteers really make this race great! At the inspirational dinner on Thursday, the announcer told us there were 2500 people racing and 3000 volunteers. What a fantastic ratio.
I walked out of the tent and the volunteers slathered sunscreen on any exposed skin.

Next step, BIKE!

I planned to ride comfortable for the distance. I did not want to be riding the pain train for 112 miles.
I was making my way down Front Beach Rd when I saw Wid and Avery off on the side of the road. Thanks to my support crew! I would see them again about three times until mile 50 and it gave me something to do to keep an eye out for them.

The first 50 miles of the bike seemed to be in a headwind so I was not keeping the speed where I wanted it. I was fine with that as I had a serious side stitch or cramp in my stomach under my rib cage. It sucked and I could not really get comfortable. Is the stomach even by the rib cage? I have no idea but whatever it was, it hurt!

At the 50 mile stop, I got off the bike and waited my turn for the porta potty. I ate a peanut butter sandwich and walked around a bit. It seemed to help the cramp a little.
I said my byes to Wid and Avery and got back on my loyal stead. The next 60 miles for me was all about keeping it steady in as much comfort as possible. My gut was killing me. I made sure to follow the eating and drinking plan for the rest of the ride and I was stoked to finally get to the hundred mile mark. I was on the countdown to step three.

I finally rode into transition and handed my bike off. I was really happy to see it go. 6 1/2 hours on a bike is more than enough! I wish it took me less time, but now I have something to work on for the future.

In the tent getting ready for the run, my stomach was killing me! I could hardly breathe without pain.
I decided to get moving even if it meant walking until the cramp went away.
I had a 5 hour energy boost that I had bought at the Jiffy Mart. I put it in my pocket and waited to take it until my stomach settled down.
As I was making my way out to the run course, it was hard to see people coming in from their first loop of the run. UGH! MOVE IT, MOVE IT that is what I kept telling myself

I just started walking. It kinda sucked because the run course has spectators all along the course. I felt like a loser to be walking.
By mile three I knew that if I did not get my butt running, it was going to be a long night.
I took a cup of cola at one of the aid stations and it seemed to make my stomach feel better.
At that point I knew it was time to down the 5 hour energy shot.
Secret weapon!
Mile three was a tough one as I realized just how far I had to go.
Only 23 more miles!!!
Shit! I gave myself a silent bitch slap and got going.

From then on I did a 5 minute run, 2 minute shuffle. It helped my mind to break it up waiting for my watch to beep.
After the turn around for the second loop, I see this older couple sitting in chairs on the side of the road and the old guy has a dog in his lap.
For some reason, I needed to hug this dog. I just knew it would make me feel better.
So I crossed over and asked if I could give the dog a hug. The guy looked kinda surprised, but then he said “of course, he is a sweet dog”
I pet the dog and moved on.
And even though it’s kinda dorky, I DID feel better.

The last two miles of the run were magical for me.
I never once thought I would not finish.
I was going to finish if I had to crawl. I had worked too hard to get here.
I decided the last mile I was runnin’ straight in.
As you run down Thomas St, the crowds are crazy. It was great.
I heard PRINCE’S 1999 blaring at the finish line. This song was perfect for me as I am a huge PRINCE fan!
Words cannot describe the last 50 yards of the finish at IRONMAN!
I felt like a rockstar, and trust me, in my own mind I WAS A ROCKSTAR!

Even better though, I heard Mike Reilly, the voice of IRONMAN say:

“Courtney Spratt from Ponte Vedra Florida, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”

I - AM - IRONMAN

2008-11-04T18:46:00.000-05:00

WOW!

After a few days home, I still cannot think of how to compress my IRONMAN experience into this post.

It was a fantastic day. I cannot beleive it is already over.
This has been a year long journey, and I am slightly sad it is done.

I will post my stats now and then follow up later with pictures and details.
I was not quite sure what to expect time wise for my finish.
But I knew that I truly wanted to have fun and finish with a smile on my face.
My secret goal was to finish under 13 hours.
I missed that by 7 minutes, but I am very happy with my time.
Not bad for an IRON VIRGIN.

SWIM TIME: 1:24

BIKE TIME: 6:41

RUN TIME: 4:46

TOTAL TIME: 13:07

DESTINATION= PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

2008-10-29T09:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, well after a year of waiting, I am finally off for Panama City.

I am really excited!

The race is this Saturday at 7:00am

If you get a chance, go to WWW.IRONMANLIVE.COM and track me.

I am # 2273

Here is a picture of all my gear:

TREADMILL TIME

2008-10-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

Now that I have had some extra time on my hands during the taper for IMFL, I have come up with some things to do:

Clean the house.
Organize my closet.
Do laundry.

The usual..

But taper time has a way of bringing out the creative side of me.
I decided it would be wise to train Scout to use the treadmill.

It only makes sense, right?

Here she is in action:

HALLOWEEN...

2008-10-22T16:29:00.000-04:00

Tapering for IMFL has left me plenty of time to goof off.
Proof above.

Last weekend we took the boys to a Halloween party a friend was having.
Avery had other plans, cooler than ours so she was not there.
Austin came up with the funniest costume.
I could not even look at him without laughing!
He was an old Asian man. He taped soup cans to his flip flops and it was the perfect look.
Aidan was a Star Wars character. Too cute!

I am leaving for Panama City in one week.
I am really excited.
My twin is flying out to join us. She will be the one with a hamburger in her backpack for me at mile 80 on the bike :)
I just hope she can find me.

BEATDOWN...

2008-10-13T20:33:00.000-04:00

OK, I think this Ironman training thing must be working, because I am sufficiently BEATDOWN.
I have reached that point.
All the months of training have finally peaked and now my body is trashed.
I have a wicked cold!
The only good thing about a cold is that I missed my workout today, I left work early, AND I went back to bed for a 3 hour nap (coma).

It was actually a welcome rest.

My plan for the next 18 days is to try to go to bed earlier each night.
I want to be locked and loaded come race day on Nov 1st.

Oh yeah.. I am going to try to eat better for the next 18 days too. :)

ATLANTIC COAST TRIATHLON 70.3

2008-10-07T12:47:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I did the inaugural half ironman in Amelia Island.

Before the tri, I would say I was "doing" the tri, not "racing" the tri.
Now that it is over, I say I "did" the tri, rather than I "raced" the tri.

This is just an easy way for me to not get too worked up over performance anxiety.
But, I actually did really well and am happy with my results.

We had to drive up to Amelia the night before to drop my bike off.
It was an hour away. There was a "mandatory" meeting at this time too.
When we got there, I asked if the race directors were going to be taking attendance at the meeting.
To be honest, I wanted to get home and go to bed. I knew I was going to have to wake up really early just to get to the start on time.

No attendance, so we dropped my bike and left.

I made sure to pack up all my stuff when I got home and then I went to bed.

Saturday, I woke up, grabbed my gear and took off. I had an hour drive to make. DAMN.

I was planning to use this race as a training push for IMFL.
So, I wanted to do my best, but I did not want to put the hurt on...

The day was going to be beautiful, I could tell that when I woke up.
Add to that Amelia Island is a beautiful place on the coast and this should be a great race.

I got to the start and moved to transition to get set up.
The swim was in the ocean and wetsuit legal. Great practice!

Have you ever tried to stuff yourself into a wetsuit? Give it about 20 minutes, ok?
I managed to get in the wetsuit and made my way down to the beach.
I was not nervous at all, which is a big relief for me.
The gun went off and away we went..

First mistake: I wear new goggles.
Result: they leaked the entire swim

Whatever, I dealt with it. I just had to stop every now and then and empty the water out of the goggles.
The swim was great beside the goggle issue.
I came out of the ocean and made my way back to transition.

BIKE TIME!

As soon as I rolled out of transition with the bike, I knew something was wrong.
My wheel was bumping like it had a flat spot.
56 miles of bump, bump, bump, bump, bump.

Annoying to say the least.
I passed the time thinking of ways that I could kill the guys in the office who had worked on my bike the day before.
I came up with a few good ideas in those 3 hours!
My fingers were crossed the entire time just hoping to make it to the end without having to fix anything.

With about a half a mile to go, I see a guy riding in slowly to the end. I couldn't help it.. I had to dust him!
There was a group of ladies on the side of the road and they died laughing and clapping when I passed the poor thing.

My butt was so happy to get off that bike! God I hope I can make it during IMFL.
I swear, if my butt would just not hurt, I could ride all day!

Next is the run. This is suppossed to be my strong point, right?
Well, that is what I kept telling myself.

I actually had a nice run. It was through a state park and was mostly shady.
I did pass some people on the run and it felt great.

I hate to pass anyone though without saying something nice.
So each person I passed, I made a small comment, like "nice ass!"

no, really!!!... more like "good job", " lookin' strong", "almost done"...

I ran outta that state park and to the finish line.
I felt great.. and the best part was that I finished in under 6:00 hours.
Hot Damn I was happy..

The race was great. Waaaay better than the Disney Half Ironman.
Nicer course, better weather, and on.

I grabbed some food, changed my clothes and packed up my gear.
I did not have time to wait for the results. I had an hour to drive home. I was ready to leave.

So, now the results are up and I placed 4th in my age group! AND NO, that was not out of 4 people ok!!

Here are the nitty gritty details:

FINAL TIME: 5:50:57

82 5:50:57.2 250 Courtney Spratt Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
35-39 4 F 20 42:26.4 93 3:42 3:01:26.0 18.5 112 3:20 2:00:03.2 9:10 61

SWIM: 42:26
T1: 3:42
BIKE: 3:01
T2: 3:20
RUN: 2:00

These times are good enough for 4th in the 35-39 female age group.
I'm happy

THE 4TH DISCIPLINE

2008-10-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

I have heard it said that in triathlon, the 4th discipline is NUTRITION.

I can swim.
I can bike.
I can run.

I fail at nutrition.

I hate to cook, but I love to eat. Its a problem.
So, I am trying to eat more "nutritious".
No fried foods, no candy, no soda, yah know?

On my long ride last weekend, I rode about 90 miles total.
I had to have something to look forward to during the 5 hours of bike time, so I decided that I would ride to the Dunkin Donuts in St. Augustine. AHHH donuts!
Well, when I rode up to the door I decided that maybe America runs on Dunkin, but Courtney could not!
Instead of riding back home empty handed, I passed up the donut and got a english muffin with egg.
A much smarter choice, right?

With about 4 weeks to go until Ironman Florida, I am going to really focus on eating better and coming up with a smart nutrition plan for race day.
Would it be so wrong to have my sister waiting at mile 60 during Ironman with a hamburger from McDonalds?

Ok,
nevermind!

42 DAYS 'TIL !!!!

2008-09-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

Right now I feel like IMFL is popping up any second and then it seems like it will never get here.

Really though, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I am ready to get this thing (IMFL) on!

I tell myself for the time being I have about 4 weeks left of some hard training.
It really has not been that hard.. This worries me.
It makes me second guess my training and to think I am perhaps not doing enough?

Whatever!

I know that I am going to show up to the start on Nov 1 and toe the line.
I am going to do the best I absolutely can and I will have fun doing it.. No matter what!

On the home front.. The kids are all in school now and basically settled into the schedule.
Although every morning, Aidan whines to me about how school lasts soooooo long!

The puppy, Scout, is great.. She is now as tall as Sadie. Of course, nowhere near as fat though.
At the end of the morning walk, I run the last 50 yards home encouraging Scout to follow me.
She seems like she likes to run.
Good girl...Just wait until you are a year old and I show you how long a real run lasts! :)

Since I am moving into the final countdown to IMFL, I think it is a good idea to finally try on my new wetsuit and go for an open water swim..That should be interesting...

ENDLESS SUMMER RIDE

2008-09-08T08:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I rode my first century.

This organized group ride actually fit in my training schedule perfectly.
I was scheduled to ride 5-6 hours this past weekend.
I dreaded doing this alone, so I scouted out to see if I could find an organized ride.

The Endless Summer Watermelon ride was going on here in Jacksonville, so I signed up.
They had several ride distances to choose from.
I picked the hundred (hundo) miler.

I fretted all night before about which bike to ride. I know, I know!
Not many people fret over which bike to ride. But I am in the business, so I have a few bikes, ok?
My tri bike is squirlly on the road.
Wind + tri bike= not good.. especially since I have deep dish wheels. Kinda like a sail.
Throw in a couple of semi trucks blowing by you and you better grip the handlebars tight and hang on!

The morning of the ride, I woke up and decided I was going to ride my Immortal bike.
Good decision as it was fairly windy the entire ride.

I enjoyed most of the ride, especially the rest stops..
These stops were fully stocked with all kinds of goodies. Watermelon, snickers, grapes, fig newtons etc, etc.
I made sure to snarf a few snacks at each stop.

Once I hit about 80 miles, I was really looking forward to finishing. It was hot by then and I was cooked.
I had to keep telling myself though that if this was IRONMAN, I would still have 12 miles to ride once I hit the 100 mile mark.
I made a mental check of my condition at the end and I could have ridden another 12 miles. Good thing as I will have the chance to do that in about 8 weeks.

I rolled into finish at 5:56:20, this included the rest stops, so I was pleased with the time.
Below are some shots from the ride. We went through some nice horse country. This also included an unplanned stop for a train. At that point I was really wanting the train to be alot longer than it was :)

PUPPY SHOTS

2008-09-05T07:06:00.001-04:00

Here are some new shots of SCOUT.
She is a great dog. Very smart. Gets along well with others, including our two cats.

Scout is 11 weeks old now.
I have taught her how to sit. Next up: SHAKE

SPORTYMAMABIKES

2008-09-04T07:36:00.001-04:00

I have not posted in awhile..
Been busy..
End of summer, back to school, puppy, and on, and on.

One thing I have been working on since January is my new website.
It has been a slow process, but we have finally launched it.
There are still things we are refining, but check it out as is.

www.sportymamabikes.com

BUY SOMETHING, or refer me to someone who needs a little fun in their life. A NEW BIKE!

STORM SHOTS

2008-08-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

This was a shot of the ocean yesterday at lunch.. The weather turned much worse later in the afternoon..

This was a downed tree at the the end of my street. Funny thing is that it actually fell over the cart path on the golf course. Guess there will not be any golf playing for awhile.

The tidal creek behind my house is slowly making its way up to my pool.

FRICKIN A FAY

2008-08-20T17:19:00.000-04:00

I live just under the north side of this mess.
Thankfully it is just a tropical storm ..right now.
Hopefully it will stay that way.

The first day of school this Friday has been canceled.
Honestly, I was slightly annoyed that the first day back from summer vacation was on a Friday anyway.

I am fairly confident that there will be lots of rain for the rest of the week.
I better start thinking of a good movie to watch this Saturday for my long ride on the trainer.

Let me know if you have any suggestions..

UNDERSTOCKED TANK

2008-08-17T11:28:00.000-04:00

My older son likes to say that our house is an "understocked tank".
It is his way of saying that we could use more pets.

My youngest son is a dog lover, big time.
We already have one dog, Sadie. Our fat, loyal sheltie.

For awhile now, I have been wanting a new dog to train to go run with me.
Sadie does not run. I have to borrow my neighbor's dog to go for a run.
There is something primal about going out for a run with a dog.
Just me and my dog, out for a run. AHHH.

We were going to wait until after Ironman to get a new puppy.
Seemed like the wise thing to do.
But by some chance of fate, I heard about a guy a few miles from us that had a litter of Collie puppies.
The timing may not have been perfect, but Aidan's birthday is next week.
Guess what he got as an early present?

We named the puppy SCOUT.
She is a girl puppy..but not a girlie girl puppy. She is a tomboy.
The name is perfect for her.

Hopefully this will make our tank complete. I am not sure where we could fit any other pets..

8-08-08

2008-08-08T17:27:00.001-04:00

What a great day to get a new bike!

Finally, after patiently waiting for about 4 weeks, my bike is finally together and ready to ride.
You would think being in the bike business, that I could just snap my fingers and make a bike appear.
And sometimes I can do that.
Especially in my garage where there are about 12 bikes right now..

but this one was worth the wait.

This is the bike I will be riding in IMFL '08
He and I have 12 weeks to get to know each other.

For you spec weenies out there, here are the nuts and bolts:

FRAME: Motobecane Z-Matrix6 Aero A-6 Quaternary phase Aluminum alloy
FORK: MOTOBECANE FC-770 Bonded Aero Carbon w/ 1 1/8" ALUMINUM steerer
BARS: Vision Trimax Carbon
WHEELS: Vuelta XRP Team SL Carbon
PEDALS: Candy 4TI
CRANK: FSA SL-K light 53/39
BRAKES: Ultegra
SADDLE: Fizik Vitesse carbon tri
DERAILUERS: DURA ACE

Lets the rides begin :)

I'LL BE IN DA GARAGE!

2008-08-03T16:46:00.001-04:00

For the next 13 weeks, if you need me for something, I will be in the garage training, ok?

Tomorrow starts the 13 weeks 'til IRONMAN FLORIDA countdown.

Hopefully I will not have to do all the training in the garage, but I know I will be in there alot.
Thats how it is with kids, right?
You get it in when you can and for me it makes me feel better if I am just steps away in the garage.
Not that the kids need me or anything.

I have my trainer, treadmill, and rollers.
If I just did not have to swim, I would barely have to leave my house.

For the next three months, I promise to not complain about how tired I am.

BRING IT

BEACH BUMS

2008-07-24T16:30:00.000-04:00

OK, we did not get enough of the heat yesterday, so today I took the kids to the beach.

Check out the waves behind those kids..NOTHIN!
And Avery wanted to take her surfboard, oh ok, NOT.

UNIVERSAL BEAT-DOWN

2008-07-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

The second wave of cousins have descended from Texas.

Yesterday we took them to Universal Studios in Orlando.
UGH! For some reason I think that these theme parks are always about 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the state.
Maybe it has something to do with the large mass of people in a confined area.

So yesterday was a bad food, bad weather, bad attitude day :)

The picture above was the highlight for me...

YO QUIERO TACO BELL

2008-07-14T21:05:00.000-04:00

Dear Sister,

In case you might be concerned that your children are not eating well while they are here, DO NOT FRET!

The boys are getting plenty of good quality food while they are here for their visit.

Love,

Courtney

BEACHES FINE ART SERIES SPRINT #3

2008-07-13T06:38:00.000-04:00

OK, Maybe I don't look very friendly in the above photo, but I want you to look BEHIND me!
Do you see those waves?!
Yeah, I had just dragged my butt out of those after swimming a 1/4 mile.

Yesterday was the last sprint tri in the Beaches Fine Art Series.
My goal was to beat my time from tri number 2..and I did that, but not by as much as I wanted.
I think that swim slowed me down a bit....

The rest of the tri went well. Basically uneventful..
The thing about a sprint tri is that the race is over before you know it. Not much time for observations.

My final time was 1:12:18.

And I had a great time.. So I guess in the end I won, right?

AHOY SPRTYMAMA!

2008-07-11T15:03:00.000-04:00

Today we took the cousins out on the boat, THE SPRTYMAMA.
Agrh, she's a fine vessel!

Our destination was to the Sandollar restaurant, but we got lost and ended up on some sandbar the boys nicknamed
" Crap Island".. Hah.. Typical boys

Austin and I managed some wakeboarding... Ok, he is better than me!
His cousin tried it out and did very good for his first time.

Finally we head back to dock. We are beat and feel burnt to a crisp.

MORE SUMMER SHOTS

2008-07-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Two of my twin's three boys just arrived.
The action has started..
Today we went to the beach. Ahh the heat!
I will be posting some shots of what we are up to this week while they are here.
Keep checking back for more shots :)

We bought a tent so the kids could camp out in the backyard. That lasted about an hour as it is really hot this week. Even in the dark.

We have a tidal creek behind our house that goes out to the intercoastal.
A kayak seemed like a great idea, so Mike bought THREE!

Looks like the chainsaw that I got for Christmas this past year is finally going to come in handy. There is a dead tree that has fallen across the creek blocking our exit to the intercoastal..
Good thing the neighbors are out of town! Bye Bye tree!

MORE SUMMER SHOTS

2008-07-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

THE COOLEST CAMERA EVER..Olympus Stylus 770.. This thing is bomb proof, and water proof , freeze proof.
I took it to the pool the other day for some entertainment..Here is Avery...

This sweet, innocent looking creature was strolling in our yard the other day.
Do not let this cute baby raccoon fool you! This fur ball will destroy your garbage and kick your cat's butt!

The parents of my childhood friend, Tanya came to see us the other day. It was great to see them.
Mother "O" told Avery that she is soo much nicer and well behaved than her Mommy (me) was at the same age..Mother "O" told my kids how wild my twin and Tanya were together. From the stories, I am actually relieved that I made it out of teenage years safe and sound....

SUMMER SHOTS

2008-06-25T16:52:00.000-04:00

Summer is in full swing at the Spratt house.
Aidan has already been to soccer camp. He loved it (of course)
Avery went to surf camp. Loved it.
Austin had a birthday and turned 14. Next summer he will be working on the drivers license. Hard for me to believe.
We are bracing ourselves for the onslaught of cousins. We wil have a steady stream arriving in about 2 weeks.

My Ironman training is on...And, no, chlorine is NOT good for your hair.. Especially my frizzy, white girl afro.
I need some TLC in the hair and nail department asap.
It almost seems like a waste though as it will just keep getting messed up..Thank god for ponytails and baseball caps!

Here are some pics from the start of summer and on...More later...

BEACHES FINE ART SERIES SPRINT

2008-06-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the second race for the Beaches Fine Art Series.
This is a sprint distance tri, so 1/4 mile ocean swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run.
I signed up for this race as a kick off to my Ironman Fl training.

On the morning of the race as I was driving over to the start, it started to pour down rain.
I was tempted to blow it off and go home, but I figured I might as well get there first and then decide.
By the time I parked my Jeep, the rain had stopped, so there was no going home for me.
I would not have had any excuse for bailing on the race.

I set up my stuff at transition and made my way to the beach.
There were several people I knew and it was nice to chit chat before the start.
The organizers had a multi piece band set up on the beach and they played the National Anthem.
I could not help but think of the movie TITANIC where the band is playing on the deck of the ship as it is sinking. Hah!

The water was a bit choppy at the breaks, so I went head first into the waves to get out to flatter water.
I am happy to report that the swim for me is getting better. Not faster, but better.
I did not have to flip on my back at all.
For me thats improvement!

Out of the water and on to the bike. Smooth sailing on my home turf.
Back to transition and on to the run portion.
I was not sure how my butt (pirformis) muscle was going to do since it has been suffering since Boston, so I just wanted to go smooth and steady on the run. I actually enjoyed the run the most.
Although I did feel a bit rusty.

Came through the finish at 1:13:33 and I felt great with lots of gas left in my tank.
I know for the third race in this series in July, I want to throw the hammer down a bit harder and try to shave off about 3:00 minutes off my time. Maybe more ...

Here are the stats:

Courtney Spratt 38 Ponte Vedra Beach FL 1:13:33 10 11:54 2:55 5 31:37 1:34 5 25:35

finish, place, swim, trans, place, bike, trans, place, run

FINISHER PHOTO

2008-05-23T16:41:00.001-04:00

FLORIDA IRONMAN 70.3-MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

2008-05-20T17:17:00.000-04:00

For many reasons, main one being lack of training since Boston, my plan for Florida 70.3 was to have AS MUCH fun during the race as possible.

I can say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Florida 70.3 is held on Disney property in Orlando.
Although I am not a huge Disney fan, I have three kids so this was a great race to choose.
Fun for the whole family, right?

We drove down Friday afternoon after we busted my daughter out of middle school at lunch.
Race headquarters were at Fort Wilderness; a very cool Disney property.
If you ever get the chance to stay there, it is one of my favorite places out of all their overpriced hotels.

Saturday morning we snarfed food at the breakfast buffet. I love those Mickey head waffles..YUM
Once that was over, we walked to the transition area and checked my bike in for the race.
On the way over to transition, I discovered my bike computer was not working. I had a little freak out. My bike computer is a bit like a security blanket. It tells me things...Things I like to know, like speed, distance, cadence.
Mike asked me if the computer was going to make me fatser in the race..
He is the rational one.
I gave up ....No computer for me. I wanted to release this small OCD part of my personality.
Reminder to self: I was there to have fun!

Once the bike (my bitchin' Motobecane Immortal Spirit) was racked and waiting, the family made the move to Animal Kingdom.
We had not been there in years, and Aidan is a huge animal lover. It seemed the natural choice to go there over the Magic Kingdom. One thing though.. high heat and wildlife make for a smelly combination. We stayed a few hours, had a late lunch at Rainforest Cafe and then went back to our cabin for an early night.

I slept great and when I woke up Sunday morning I was locked and loaded, so to speak.
I was not scared at all. I was really looking forward to this race.
I arrived at the transition area about 5:20 and unpacked my gear bag. I laid all my gear out just so.. and I did not forget the sunscreen! This is Florida and it is freakin hot and sunny.

Once I had the gear perfect, I walked down to the beach. The swim was being held in some Disney lake. I cannot remember the name of it. I made sure to make small talk with as many people as possible. Usually in a marathon I talk to no one. I am not sure why. I guess I am just always so nervous about running such and such time, etc.
This tri was for fun and to me that meant talking to people. I met Canadians in the porta potty line. I met a guy who lives about 2 miles from me here in PVB. On the beach, waiting for my wave, I met a girl from Houston.. Rock on fellow Texan!
I had no fear, no feelings of doubt, no why I am doing this question in my mind...

When my wave for the swim was called, I lined up on the beach with all the other 35-39 chicks.
My heart started to beat faster and faster and then we were off! For about the first 20 minutes of swimming, I could not catch my breath. I was struggling..But i just told myself to breathe deep and calm down. It worked.
But I am a slow swimmer.. Whatever..

Out of the water and on to the bike.. I got all the cycling gear on and I was off.
I loved this part the most..The first few miles, I saw so many pairs of sunglasses on the road. Part of me was really tempted to stop and pick each pair up.. but oh well.
My goal was to spin steady the entire way. For the most part this is what happened. I was slightly surprised that there were quite a few hills. Nothing major, but I thought Orlando was pancake flat. NOT.
There were some really pretty sections on the ride. I had no idea where I was, but it was scenic for a good bit.
I felt great the entire ride. This made me very happy, because the last 56 mile ride I did was last summer. Bad training I know, but I have been so focused on the marathons..
Once again, I made little comments to anyone who passed me or who I passed. Some people were probally annoyed at this, but tough. I was having fun.
With about a 3 miles to go, I see this girl ahead of me in my age group. I spotted the age on her calf. No way was I letting her beat me. I threw down the hammer, or what was left of it at this point and I beat her in.. HAH! She probally ended up kicking my butt on the run. Hah!

I rode into transition, almost bit the dust trying to get out of my pedals and racked my bike back up.
Off with the cycling gear, on with the run gear.. And plenty of sunscreen. Damn! It was really hot at this point.
Normally the run would be my strong point.. but it is hard to run strong with a pinched nerve (or something) in your
butt cheek. This butt issue had been bothering me since my beat down in Boston.. I could not seem to shake it...
My goal was to run-walk with as much running as possible.. I was surprised and a bit relieved to see so many people walking on this run section. I made small talk with lots of people and I tried to thank as many volunteers as possible.
On the third and final lap of the run section, it occured to me that I really liked this long tri thing..You, alone with your thoughts: good, bad, ugly, desperate. But in the end, it was about fun and survival. Do those two even go together?
Somehow they did for me on Sunday.

As I was running down the final 25 yards, I hear a woman on the sidelines scream out "don't let him beat you in!"
As bad as I wanted to smoke this guy to the finish, I just let him go by. I wanted to savor the moment and smile when I heard the announcer call out my name, Courtney Spratt from Ponte Vedra Beach!

I was done!

6:36 for the time..I just know I have a better one in me..
But.. I am taking a few days off and then I will bow my head down and begin the training for IRONMAN FLORIDA..
And I am happy to say I am really looking forward to that.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2008-05-11T13:24:00.001-04:00

LITTLE MISS FRAIDY PANTS

2008-05-10T10:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, I guess that is what I am.. Little miss scaredy pants.
I'm scared of the Florida 70.3 (half ironman) next weekend.

I have not run since Boston.
I literally have a pain in my butt. I think it is a pinched nerve.
Massage is not cutting it.
I just hope that I can somehow get better before next weekends race.

Today I went to the beach and swam a mile in the ocean.
I have not done much swim training and I just needed to know that I could do it.
At least I know that I won't drown next weekend..unless someone kicks me in the head and I pass out!

Detailed race report will definately be posted after the race if I can get my butt in gear to run and finish the thing..

Last weekend my Mom came to visit from Dallas.
We had a great time. Doing NOTHING! We took the kids to the nursery and I bought a new tree. It is called a TIBOCHINA.
We also bought some sunflower seeds and my mom and I and my big son worked in the yard... My mom is a master gardener so this is right up her alley.
The tree is awesome. Beautiful purple flowers. I smile every time I pass the window and see it.

PHOTO POST

2008-04-29T16:13:00.000-04:00

This is Deena Kastor running to the finish at the Olypmpic Trials.. 1st place of course!

Me and the kiddos at the finish line Saturday afternoon...

Ok, I am mad about my time, but I finished.. (Note medal around neck)

The kids with our tour guide FREDDY in Philly. He showed us all the sites....

My little guy at the aquarium in Philly..

Me and the kiddos at the Liberty Bell....COOL!

BOSTON-BUSTED

2008-04-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

I am going to allow myself one second here to whine about my race in Boston.

WHINE, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE

I did not finish the marathon with a PR. I ran a 4:06

My hopes of my desired 3:30 time blurred before my eyes at about the 9 mile mark.
I suffered severe GI issues during the run.
I will not gross anyone out with the details.
Suffice it to say that this marathon has inspired me to seek out the help of a gastroenterologist. That is number one on my to do list as soon as we get back to Jacksonville. ( I know my sis is thinking "about time!!").

But, despite a run not as planned, I had to figurativley smack myself over the head and say "suck it up!" I was running BOSTON!! That in itself is an honor.

The Boston Marathon is the best marathon that I have ever run. It is special in so many ways. The crowds are crazy.. The history and tradition are 112 years deep.

My family and I had a fantastic weekend there. We watched the womans Olympic trials on Sunday and it was very inspiring. Those chicks can run!

Since it is Spring Break for my kids, we decided to rent a car and drive home from Boston..Right now we are in Philly.. Talk about history! This town has got it.

I have a ton of pictures and will post some of those in the next few days.

Thanks to everyone who sent good vibes my way.. along with great email wishes. I truly appreciate. By the way, the LETSRUN.COM party at Puma was fun. I will post a pic from that too.

BOSTON BOUND!

2008-04-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we leave for Boston.
I am very excited.. !!!

Come Monday at 10:30 eastern time, I will be off and running.
Please go to www.baa.org and look me up.. I am number 14243.
I need some positive vibes sent my way..

Another cool thing..I entered an essay contest about why I should be allowed to go to a private LETSRUN.COM party for Boston sponsored by PUMA!

My essay was one chosen..See the following link:

http://www.letsrun.com/2008/pumaparty2.php

Please vote for me to win!! I am essay A2

Of course if you do not think my essay was good, just don't vote! hah! just kidding, vote for me even if you think my essay sucked :)

I will be sure to post a detailed race report once I return....

GET Y'ER CHIN UP!

2008-04-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

A simple 12.49 purchase has become an obsession in my house.

It is the pull up bar!
I found one on sale at Target and Mike installed it in the doorway of the closet in our office.
Since I am in the office the most out of any room in our house, I thought that was the perfect place to not be able to avoid the chin up quest.

See, I am on a quest to master the chin up. My goal is to be able to do three sets of 10. CLEAN.
Right now I am up to one set of 6. I have a ways to go!

The funny thing is, this bar was my own. I thought.
I had no idea anyone else in the family would even give it a second glance.
But now it seems that the two bigger kids want in on the action too.
This chin up bar is just too hard to resist.
It looks deceptively simple. But alas! It is a butt kicker!

We will see who becomes the chin up master first....

"W" IS THE LETTER OF THE WEEK...

2008-04-04T20:18:00.001-04:00

...In my little guy's kindergarten class.

Each Friday is letter of the week show and tell.
Each kid can bring an item in to show the class.

WRANGLER starts with W.....PERFECT!

We took my new Jeep Wrangler in for show and tell.

The kids loved it.

I took my oldest son with me to help.
He took the doors off and the front part of the roof off.
The kids thought it was hilarious for some reason.
My older son is so funny..He can really make those kids laugh.

The only thing missing from this adventure was some MUD!
Oh well, next time I guess.

Have you ever seen 10 kids stuffed inside of a jeep?

TAPER TIME!

2008-03-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I finished my last long run before Boston.
22 miles in the bank.
I am so happy to be finished! Now it is TAPER TIME!
I met a few friends who are running Boston too and we started at 5:00 am. Man is it DARK that early!

Note to self- do not talk about the scariest movies you have ever seen while running this early in the morning..
My nerves were totally wired. Any sound or movement in the dark and I could swear it was the "dark seekers" from I AM LEGEND!

Anyway, I am just as excited to run Boston this year as I was last year.
I get goosebumps when I think about being at the start of the Boston Marathon.
I want to be able to run Boston every year possible.

For those of you who want to track me running on April 21st, go to www.baa.org.
My race number is 14243

Look me up and send positive vibes my way!

THE EASTER BUNNY IS BIGGER IN TEXAS

2008-03-25T16:18:00.001-04:00

I spent Easter weekend in Texas with my family.

My twin lives in Austin, so now that JIA has a direct flight, it is easy to get there.
My older sister, Laura, drove down with her two kids and we all just spent the weekend together.

It was low key.

But have you ever tried to go out to eat with 14 people? It is not easy.

I took my little guy and his BFF in the whole wide world, Will, to a gigantic Easter egg hunt on Saturday.

I love it how parents can turn even an innocent egg hunt into a competitive event! I laughed to myself as I overheard parents giving their kiddos pre hunt coaching and strategy suggestions.
My little guy and his cousin Will were just happy to be there playing and digging in the sand pits on the course.

They are so cute.

See for yourself!

SOCCER MOM

2008-03-16T09:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a very proud moment for me.

Aidan played his first soccer game and he ROCKED!
He definately has skills.
Even though they do not keep score in the U5 league, Aidan scored two goals..YEAH!!
I am not going to be that crazy mom on the sidelines, but having grown up playing soccer for almost my entire life, I cannot help being super excited.

Go Yellow Stars!

WILD AT THE ZOO

2008-03-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday our family got "wild" at the zoo.
The Jacksonville Zoo has come a long way in the past few years.
The zoo here used to be lame, to put it bluntly. It was too depressing to even visit.

I guess if Jacksonville was cool enough to host the Superbowl, then someone must have decided to get busy and make our zoo respectable.

The zoo has come a long way from those past years.
There is a train to ride around the perimeter of the zoo grounds. Great way to see the bigger animals like hippo, giraffe etc.
They have small water parks, climbing playgrounds and a new stingray exhibit.

It was a great day, beautiful weather.

When was the last time you visited the zoo?

GATE RIVER RUN 2008

2008-03-09T08:32:00.000-04:00

Five years ago, I ran the Gate River Run for the first time.
I had never before run more than 3 miles and a 15k seemed impossible!

Regardless, I needed a challenge and Gate was it. That first year was awesome. I was so happy and proud to have finished.
I knew the minute I crossed the finish line at my first Gate that my next quest would be the marathon..

Yesterday's Gate was quite a windy experience..
Hats were blowing off heads, the river was splashing up onto the road into runners.
It was crazy windy.. Reports had wind gusts up to 30 mph..Daamnn!

As I was making my way up "The green monster" aka the Hart Bridge, I just wanted this run to be over.

The finish line this year had been moved to inside Alltel Stadium on the 30 yard line. This is a great move for spectators and football fanatics. As a non football fanatic, I just wanted a finish line and did not care where it was, as long as it was SOON.

I crossed the line in 1:10:58. Better than last year, but of course I would have liked it a bit faster. I will blame it on the wind.
That time was good enough for a top 10% finishers hat.

My splits are below:

7:40
7:34
7:34
7:37
7:35
7:24
7:20
8:10 damn bridge
7:55 damn bridge
2:06

TIME FOR A PEDICURE

2008-02-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I got good news from my doctor yesterday.. The pain in my foot that has been killing me since before Houston, is NOT a stress fracture.
Whew!!!!

I have not been talking about my foot issue much because I guess I was hoping that if I did not mention it, it would not exist. Hah!

My doctor said it was more than likely pain from over-use. I can live with that..
And actually, now that I know for sure that it is not a stress fracture, the pain seems to have gone away a bit.
That is a great thing, cuz Boston is in just under 8 weeks and I have some serious mileage to get done before then.

KEEP 'ER ROLLIN, BABY!

2008-02-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

Today I learned how to ride a bike.....

On rollers!

What a blast!

For those who do not know what I am talking about, the following is a description of rollers that I copied from Wikipedia:

Bicycle rollers are a type of bicycle trainer which makes it possible to ride a bicycle indoors without moving forward. However, unlike other types of bicycle trainers, rollers do not attach to the bicycle frame, and the rider must balance him or herself on the rollers while training. Bicycle rollers normally consist of three cylinders, drums, or "rollers" (two for the rear wheel and one for the front), on top of which the bicycle rides. A belt connects one of the rear rollers to the front roller, causing the front wheel of the bicycle to spin when the bicycle is pedaled. The spacing of bicycle rollers can usually be adjusted to match the bicycle's wheelbase. Generally, the front roller is adjusted to be slightly ahead of the hub of the front wheel.

My husband gave me the pre trial instructions, held onto the bike for me and then when I was ready, let go..
Wow!
I only slid the bike off the rollers once...Scary. I screamed some.. At least I will admit it.

To ride on rollers requires practice, nerves of steel, and 100% concentration.
Needless to say, I find it much more of a beastly workout than the traditional bike trainer..

I am going to practice every day until I become Master of my Roller Domain.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

If you are interested, here is a link to the history of Valentine's Day...

http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/viewPage?pageId=882

Buy me stuff from Anthropologie and you can be my Valentine..
Wait! Too late, my husband beat you to it!

I hope everyone has a great day...

BIRTHDAY BASH

2008-02-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

Avery turned 12 years old yesterday.
It seems that I agreed to a sleep over birthday bash with 8 of her buddies.
She must have asked me on a good day.

We took them all to Dave and Busters for some games and dinner.
It was mayhem!
The place was packed last night. The wait for a table was an hour and a half.
We decided to play games first while we waited for our table..
I really admire the people who work at this place. They must have nerves of steel.

After dinner we came home for cake and to let the girls get down to the business of being LOUD.
.
One bad thing about our house is that the master bedroom is located DIRECTLY under my daughter's room.
This is not a bad thing when one girl is in the room.
But 8 girls equals alot of noise, especially when the WII Boogie is in full force.
I did not plan on getting much quality sleep last night.
I had to go upstairs and yell at them a couple of times, but overall the girls were great.

The picture above is the donut hole feast this morning.
One of the girls had already left, so we substituted Aidan in the picture.
What a lucky guy!

Happy Birthday Avery!

EBAY TOP SELLER CONFERENCE : OUR NATION'S CAPITAL

2008-01-31T13:03:00.000-05:00

The past 4 days we have been in Washington DC. Man, was it cold!

SPRTYMAMA (ME) was invited to attend the annual meeting of Ebay's top 200 sellers.

This is a great honor.

But this year's meeting was also the time that the Ebay execs decided to announce many new changes to Ebay as we know it.
Most of the changes were not accepted with much enthusiasm from the top sellers.. Especially the announcement to revamp the current feedback system on Ebay.
I met many interesting Ebay sellers at this conference and that was fun..
Now I am going to have to get back to work and figure out how best to change along with Ebay.

Although there were non stop meetings and dinners, we did make the time to check out all the monuments and the Air and Space Museum. The picture above is of me, Aidan, Hailey (our babysitter), Austin, and Avery in front of the White House..
I would love to be able to just walk up and ring that doorbell!

COACH KELLY....AKA....SUPERWOMAN

2008-01-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

The picture above is of my running coach, Kelly Liljeblad.

I think this photo speaks a millions words. This is Kelly winning the Houston Marathon in 2005..
I think I must have felt pretty close to the same when I qualified for Boston the first time last year.
Such a great experience that it will be forever burned into my memory.
My grandkids and great grandkids will get sick of hearing me talk about it.

To anyone who ever asks if hiring a coach is worth it, for me the answer is yes!
When I decided that I wanted to qualify for Boston, I knew that it was time to get serious.
I looked around online for a coach and I found Kelly. She immediately got kudos from me because she has a twin sister.. The twin sister also happens to be a super badass. Kim is a pro triathlete.

Kelly set up a running schedule for me based on my past training and future goals. Each week she emails me my plan.. I follow it, of course!
Since starting with Kelly coaching me, my marathon time has shrunk from a 4:12 to a 3:35.. Those are results I like!
My next goal is to run a 3:20. I know it is possible as long as I do whatever Kelly tells me.

AIN'T THAT NICE !?

2008-01-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

What a weekend I just had in my glorious home state of TEXAS.

My family and I flew to Houston this past Thursday for the Houston Marathon.

This was my third time running this race.
I love this marathon. It has everything a runner could want. Good weather, interesting course, enthusiastic spectators.
Plus, it is in Texas.. What more could a runner want?

The Houston marathon is special to me for several reasons.
It was the first marathon I ever ran, in Jan of 2004.
Last year My father passed away one week before Houston. I ran the race in his honor and reached my goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon. My Dad would have been so proud. Last year's marathon was such an emotional race for me.. I still have the memories fresh in my head like it was just yesterday. It was the most special marathon ever. My entire family was there, including my two sisters and my brother Matt.

This year, my twin Elizabeth, my other sister Laura and my brother Matt had all decided to run this marathon in honor of our Dad, Papoo who loved our running stories. We each had our own race to run, but all of us were together in spirit.

I usually like to set several goals for each marathon that I run.
My goals for Houston were as follows:
Make my family proud
Finish
Run in honor of my father, Papoo
Re qualify for Boston (3:45)
Run a 3:30

I was unsure if I had the 3:30 in me as I did not have a benchmark race prior to see how my fitness was.. I attempted to race the Jax half in December, but it was a disaster and I imploded on the run...Felt like literally, but really just figuratively.

My siblings and I met up at my sister's hotel on race morning. We had decided to walk over to the start together.
There was a bit of nervous anxiety in the room, but we were all ready. It was time to "unleash the hounds".

The weather was perfect.. Only a slight wind. I decided to line up with the 3:30 pace group and hang as long as I could.
I was surprised that there was only one pacer. The cannon was shot off ( damn that was loud) and we were on our way..
The first mile and some is over a bridge with a slight uphill. I was chugging along and boom! I tripped and fell! I am usually the one laughing at people who fall, so I guess I got mine, huh?
My knee was cut and I had skid marks along my upper thigh. Fortunately no one fell over me or on me. I bounced back up and kept on running.. I did not want to take anytime to check out the wounds in case they were worse than they felt.

My goal was to accept that I would be hurting in the later miles and to just deal with it as the pain came. I was ok with riding the pain train, so to speak..I had also decided to banish all negative thoughts from my mind once they surfaced. You know those thoughts? Like, "my legs hurt", "I want to stop and walk", " this sucks"..
I thought about a post some girl made on one of the forums, she said, when you are hurting, smile, it helps.. She was right! When I hurt, I smiled at the spectators.. And it did help.

I found myself running ahead of the 3:30 pace group. Part of me told myself to slow down and stick with them.. But the other part of me wanted to run the race as I felt it..That is what I did.. I ran the race as I felt it.. I was ahead of the 3:30 group until mile 19 when they caught me...I stuck with them until about mile 21 or 22, but I was slowing down and I could see them fading away into the road ahead..I could not help but think how I probably should have not gone out so fast the first half, but ya know what? who cares right? I was having a great run. I felt good considering.. My legs were tired and my feet hurt, but I felt better on this marathon than other marathons before this.
The last few miles I had to walk a bit through the water stations. It was almost over. The crowds were great!
Then at mile 25 I stopped and started to walk.. A woman ran up behind me and patted my back. She said " I have been following you this whole run and you are not going to stop and walk now" . DAMN ! She was right! I was NOT going to stop and walk now.. I put my butt in gear and started running again.
At mile 26, I hear a girl yell out " SPRTYMAMA!" .. It was my coach Kelly. She is such a bad ass! She was the woman's Houston Marathon winner in 2005. I had to make her proud.. I moved it to the finish as fast as I could.

Final stats are below:

COURTNEY SPRATT #1302
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL, USA
Age: 37 Gender: F

Distance MAR
Clock Time 3:36:19
Chip Time 3:35:34
Overall Place 692
Gender Place 124
Division Place 22
Age Grade 64.4%
10K 48:28
Half 1:42:41
30K 2:28:28

After a nice hot shower, my family and I met up for some fantastic Mexican food at Pappasitos with my siblings..
It was such a great weekend.......
Here is a pic of my sister Laura, Twin sister Elizabeth, me, and my brother Matt..

A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

2007-12-26T11:57:00.001-05:00

The best Christmas present I received (besides time with my family and my health, happiness etc) was the most kick ass chainsaw I have seen! See photo above.

The overgrowth around my house is starting to wilt in nervousness.
Watch out dead stump blocking my kayak's path on the tidal stream behind my house. Here I come! And I am not alone! This time I left the hacksaw at home..I am bringing the real guns now! Me and my brand new orange chainsaw.

Happy holidays everyone :)

WE CALL IT WENDY

2007-12-23T17:15:00.001-05:00

Today my older son Austin and I had some combo adventure/home improvement.

Recently I bought an old weathervane at the twice annual antiques extravaganza in Mount Dora, Florida.
Mike likes to tease me about Mount Dora being full or acres and acres of "undiscovered" Majolica..
I have seen some Majolica there, but it is not undiscovered nor inexpensive.
But I consider the cricket weathervane a great find. The cricket has a green glass eye.

It has been sitting in my office for weeks now waiting to be installed on the roof..
This gig was right up Austin's alley.. Climbing on the roof. What joy!
I was a little worried as our roof looks to be about 4 stories high, but with teamwork we would prevail!

The picture above is of our accomplishment.
Maybe it is a little crooked, but who cares?
Our family is more Griswald than TYPE A PERFECT.

Oh, and fitting with our tradition of naming plants and things around the house, we decided to call the cricket WENDY...

do these make me look.....FAST?!

2007-12-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

Given my weakness for gadgets, I had to give these Newton running shoes a try.
I have read many posts on forums about them and how great they are.
I wanted to see what all the hype was myself.
Newton shoes are designed to mimic barefoot running..

According to Newton:

When you run barefoot you naturally land on your forefoot. Newton Running shoes were developed to make your feet think they're barefoot and increase your performance.

I ran a 3 miler today in the shoes. They felt great, but honestly, new shoes always feel great to me...
I plan to break these Newtons in and see if they can help me run the Houston Marathon as fast as possible!

The rational runner in me keeps telling the gadget obsessed runner in me that if I run faster than 3:40 at Houston, perhaps it is my training and not the shoes? Well, ok.... but there is still something special about these shoes :)

IRONWID

2007-12-14T09:42:00.001-05:00

To any player haters out there who questioned the possibility.. It is OFFICIAL..Wid AKA Elizabeth AKA my twin sister is an IRONMAN.
I mean how could she not become an IRONMAN riding that fine piece of machinary? ( see above).
After months of alienating her family and friends to train for hours on end, Elizabeth became an IRONMAN here in my fine homestate of Florida on November 3rd. She kicked ass and finished in 13 and a half hours.. What brawn!!

I am really proud of her. But I have to admit that I am slightly peeved at her having set the bar high on the finishing time.. This means I will have to work extra hard in my prep for Ironman next November.. Farewell family, Farewell friends.. Time to start training.. I only have 300 and some days to get ready :)

WADDLING ON

2007-12-12T09:52:00.001-05:00

An early New Year's Resolution will be to post more often. Surely I can think about something interesting to say? Surely?

The family and I went to Orlando last week for a two day smackdown at Disney...Ok, just kidding, it was good times.
Really.
We stayed at the Peabody Hotel. This hotel is famous for having the twice a day march of the ducks down a red carpet..
How cute!
These ducks march at 11:00 am down a regal red carpet to a glorious fountain cleverly placed in the middle of the hotel bar.
CHING, CHING
Waiting for them at the end of the carpet is a nice spread of duck food.. The ducks hang out and swim all day and then at 5:00 pm, they march back down the red carpet to their duck "lair" for a quiet evening.

What I discovered as we watched the ducks one morning is the ducks do not MARCH.. They haul ass!

I figure the hotel duck master probally starves the ducks all night in order to ensure a nice run down the carpet path to the fountain each morning.

Food. The Great Motivator!

FLIPSIDE

2007-11-30T15:22:00.000-05:00

I am a true lover of hip hop music. It is my guilty pleasure.

Why guilty pleasure?

Because I feel guilty listening to music that many times has words that will make even the toughest hood punk blush.
Guilty, when I get in the car with my kids and the station is set on XM RAW.

The seed for this love of hip hop began to grow in my youth while I was in grade school at St. Rita's Catholic school. At the school dances that were held every few months, the school track coach did double duty as the school DJ. He knew how to kick it "old school". Steve always played the good stuff...Doug E Fresh, Boogie Boys, Whodini, Run DMC and on and on..
I am not sure how he got away with it....But I send a heartfelt THANK YOU out to him.

On the FLIPSIDE, a CD that I cannot seem to get enough of lately is Cecilia Bartoli, The Vivaldi Album. This is Classical music..I am a multi faceted music lover. I enjoy all types of music.

Now when I am out for a long run, instead of hearing in my head "shorty's got a big ole butt", I hear the voice of this woman Cecilia Bartoli. It is haunting and beautiful...

That being said, I still cannot resist the final kick of my run blasting WHOOP, THERE IT IS!

The Most Fun Item in My Purse

2007-11-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

Its not what you are thinking.
I carry this item with me all the time. Just in case.....

It is my digital camera. My family gave it to me for my birthday.
The Olympus Stylus 770 SW. This camera is amazing and perfect for an adventure racer.. Or the adventure seeker in all of us.

Shockproof, Waterproof, Freezeproof, Crushproof.
There were many times during the Adventure Racing Nationals a few weeks back that I wished I could be any one of those things!

Since my family gave this camera to me, it reminds me of all the adventures we have had together...
I look forward to more...

2007-11-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Most people who know me, are aware that I do not cook.
There is no shame in going to the Fresh Market and buying a complete turkey dinner.
It gives me more time to spend with my family. No dreaded time in the kitchen preparing a bird and such..
Today it is about heat and serve...

2007-11-13T13:54:00.000-05:00

I opened up my email just this past minute.. And what was waiting for me there?

See the following. I have a date set next November 1 with IRONMAN! HELL YES!!!!!!!

Your entry has been received and entered in our database for: FORD IRONMAN FLORIDA. Please check the information that follows for accuracy. For corrections, please email admin@.

LAST NAME: spratt
FIRST NAME: courtney
INITIAL: a

2007-11-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

Bright and early at USARA Nationals.. It was freezing! My fingers felt like glass about to shatter.

2007-11-09T17:13:00.001-05:00

2007-11-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Team TCO....Ron, Melissa, and Jimmy...

2007-11-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

The USARA National Championships held this past weekend in Potosi, Missouri was a fantastic place to test my mental and physical strength.. Hah ! Now that it is over, I think I failed the tests! But, trying has made me hungry for more and I would love to have the chance to return next year and pass the test....
Team BAMF (Chris, Barrett, and I ) had an awesome time.. It was hard.. To put it bluntly, I got my butt kicked upside down and back again..
We made it 24-25 hours before we had to drop the bag and give up.. Both the guys had hurt knees and could not walk...A famous adventure racer once said, if you are not cold, you packed too many clothes, if you are not hungry, you packed too much food, if you are not wet, .....blah blah blah, Team BAMF suffered from all of those things during this race! We were cold, wet, and hungry for food other than disgusting gel packs.. I could not stop thinking about an Arby's roast beef sandwich.

After agreeing that we needed to drop, we hitchhiked back to the canoe take out point. This was harder than it would seem, as we were in the middle of nowhere and it was about 5::00 in the morning. A great local guy picked us up and gave us a ride. I could not help but notice the gun by his gear shift.. I wanted to believe it was a shotgun. At 5:00 am in the morning on a desolate dirt road in the middle of nowhere, it could have been an uzzi for all I know.. I was too tired to care.
I am proud that we made it as far as we did, considering we are newbies to this sport. The amount that we learned by going and doing was phenominal! All the teams, with the exception of one or two, were so nice and helpful..And TCO (consisting of Ron, Melissa and Jimmy) really knows how to have a great time! The happy hour was great...Bourbon flowed and pain was eased.
Here's to seeing everyone next year! If you want to read about the Adventure Racing Nationals, check out WWW.USARANATIONALS.COM

2007-11-07T16:03:00.000-05:00

My new Motobecane Titanium is so light, I can actually carry it up a rock face!

2007-11-07T15:54:00.000-05:00

Sweet Motobecane Fly Pro! Replaced by new Motobecane Titanium...The Titanium is so awesome, I did not even give a glance back as I walked away from my Fly Pro..

2006-11-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

This blog thing is kicking my butt like a mid distance tempo run.
I guess I am going to have to break down and ask my 10 year old for help?