Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Halfway Birthday Challenge schedule

Longhorn Half Ironman (official race out at Travis Co Expo). Cheering squads welcome!
Swim 1.2 miles
Bike 56 miles
Run 13.1 miles

I think it’ll take me between 7-8 hours. Race starts in waves so I’m not sure of exact start time but if we say 7.30am I should be done around 3 pm

Pick bike up and start Pickle Juice drinking challenge (5 x 500 ml bottles) and drive to Austin for a short stop at a bar to meet up with Austin–based buddies (so they don’t have to trek out to Lago Vista on a Sunday evening). Venue NXNW. I will start the other part of the drinking challenge (a modest 5 bottles/pints of beer). Mixed with pickle juice though……..(in my stomach I mean, not in the glass!). So I’d schedule this bar rendezvous for 5 -7 pm.

Drive home (we will have a party at the house) and launch straight into the next part of the challenge:

50 repeats of Taekwondo forms (I do half the total form)
50 minutes of bedtime story reading to Phoebe (I need to get a book that would take me nearly 2 hours to read so she just gets half the story!)

Then Andrew came up with the following party activities just to make sure I am totally done for.

5 car washes (lucky lottery system or first come first served (no Hummers or Vans (Mrs Schwartz!))
5 slices of pizza
5 bags of crisps
5 mins of violin playing (ear plugs will be provided for guests)
5 mins of knitting
5 mins of reading Shakespeare aloud
5 mins of talking and computer photos about what I do (promise to make it funny)
5 mins of gardening
5 mins of sit ups
5 mins of push ups

25 species of birds see and name though the day.

make 50 cupcakes and eat 5 of them

Finish drinking challenge. Collapse into bed.

That's it - done - halfway to 100!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Long bike

I rode the course today, all 56 miles of it. It is fair to say that I was tired afterwards. One mean dog tried it on but luckily I was going too fast. Bit of a shock though to have it run out snarling and showing teeth. I'm thinking I might complete the physical part of the challenge with 50 repeats of Taekwondo forms. The tri will take 7-8 hours and then we have to get the bike back etc so I'll run out of time if I'm not careful.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Six weeks out

I am ready for this thing to be here. Even though final plans are not set yet, I want to get it done. I am hovering on the edge of injuryland. But I feel ready. A few more long efforts and I will be there. Not sure about the original time goal, but I will give it as good a shot as I can.