May 2007

http://sponsorhouse.loopd.com/Members/CourtCrutcher/Blog.aspx?month=5&year=2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Mortgage Gods Hate Me & Liz's "INTRODUCING 40.0"
The Mortgage Banking Gods Hate Me…


In February Eric and I decided that we were going to re-finance our home loan to get a better interest rate and to be able to apply much more to principal. We both decided that we could afford our payments to go up at $150 a month, as long as that extra money was going to principal. A friend of his that helped us get our first mortgage, so we went back to him for his. Now just to start, let me say that this guy has bent over backwards to help us out, especially as he was doing all of this at now cost to us.

That was in February. This has been dragged out and dragged out. The first time that I had understood was we would be closing on March 21. Wrong. That’s when the Fed was supposed to be lowering rates. I follow mortgage banking. I work at a foreclosure and bankruptcy law firm that was one of the first firms in the mortgage banking industry. I knew the Fed wasn’t lowering rates. I wanted to close then. Surprise! The Fed didn’t lower rates. So we decided to forge ahead at the already decided rates. It then took my wonderful boyfriend about 45 days to turn in all of his appropriate paperwork. I was told that we would close on such and such day in April and that we wouldn’t be making a house payment in May. So I spent some of that money on much needed work clothes (for those of you that have never had to buy nice business apparel, newsflash, pants and a jacket will cost you well over a hundred dollars just for those two). We ended up not closing and I had to use a good portion of the money I got for selling my bike to cover my ass on the mortgage. So, I’m down quite a bit of extra cash. Now since then I have been told over and over and over that we would be closing on 5/31 (TODAY). I talked to the loan guy and he said some stuff would be delayed but we would be closing no later than tomorrow, June 1st. SO I asked twice saying “Can you guarantee we will close by this day and I do not need to send in may June payment?” Yes, I was told, do not pay it. You will not be making a payment until August. Perfect. We were supposed to be going 2 months without a payment (equating to around $2000). With the money saved I was supposed to be paying off my bike (which I wouldn’t be doing since I had used some of the money from selling the first bike already) because I only have 6 months allowed to pay for it, and would be buying plane tickets for Florida . And the rest of the money would go to house stuff like fixing the bathroom that is still effed up from AUGUST.

Here it is, May 31, and we were finally supposed to close on the loan by tomorrow. Guess what? Loan Guy calls and says he miscalculated our payoff figures and that including the closing costs in the loan as we had planned would make our loan higher, with high payments still and no more money going to principal. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I called Eric. He said he told Loan Guy to call me because I would have the answer. I told Eric I wasn’t about to go pulling the trigger on something that we would potentially be paying for for the next 30 years with out talking to him. When he told me the way he understood things we both decided that we will just stay in the Godforsaken loan we are in now. Not that it’s bad, but I feel like I should be on our mortgage, not just with the house deeded to me, and that we should be applying more money towards principal. So now we can stay in the same loan, take that extra $150 and month and just pay it forward, and we’d be better of than if we were doing the new deal that we have been dicking around with for over four months. That’s all fine and dandy, except I was repeatedly told that we wouldn’t be making a house payment for two months. So now I have to scramble to come up with the extra money to pay off my bike, etc. What a heart ache and pain in the ass. I know, it’s no body’s fault but my own, and Loan Guy did the right thing (obviously) by calling me and telling me before we went into sign that the loan was all screwy.

But I mean, SERIOUSLY!! DO THE MORTGAGE GODS REALLY HATE ME THAT MUCH?

So, yeah, if any of you out in blogger land decide you want to “donate” some money to the “Help-Courtney-Pay-For-All-Of-Her-Ridiculously-Expensive-Triathlon-Related-Crap-Fund” please, let me know.

***
On a bit of a peppier note, Julie found the blog entitled “Introducing 40.0” on Liz’s site. I read it and it at least gives some comic relief. For all of you with the man trying to keep you down, here it is, reposted with permission from Elizabeth Fedofsky (Blog date 12/13/06) http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/

Announcing......40.0
Surfing the triathlon-related sites the other day, a press release caught my eye. 101.06? This couldn’t be. Yet another distance and series of races? That’s right, a new 2007 series cleverly called one-o-one with 4 races covering true long course distances; 4K swim, 120K bike, 30K run.With the release of this new race series, it seems an appropriate time to for me to jump on the bandwagon and introduce a new, number-related race that has been stirring around in my head for some time.Introducing………40.0.As in, 40.0 work hours in a week. As in the number of hours you need to work to be considered full-time, as in the numerical value of selling your soul to some company in exchange for what they consider generous and what you consider embarrassing as a yearly exempt salary. Exempt as in exempt from over-time, double-time, freetime, or any good time that you could be having if only you didn’t have to work 40.0 damn hours each week.As such, this race will showcase the finest training that a full-time, 8 am – 5 pm, work schedule has to offer including swimming at peak pool usage times, biking along rush hour busy roads, and running in complete darkness.The only qualifying factor for entry into this race is proof of full-time employment. Full-time employment denotes that you show up at a desk – not within your own home – by a certain time each day or someone in a position above you will question your absence and discipline your disappearing ass if you don’t show.To verify employment status, all athletes must present a copy of last years W-2 form on race day. Just for an added kick, we will pin your W-2 to your back so when you get passed by some maniac athlete they will not only have the option to shout on yer left! but may also opt to ostracize you for the meager size of your salary. Chances are if they are passing you, they make twice as much money to buy twice as fancy equipment at retail cost to kick the ass of people like you two times over.Now, stay-at-home moms and work-at-home employees, we at 40.0 believe you work just as hard as the rest of us. In fact, you probably work harder. However, this is not the competition for you. You just don’t qualify. To be fair, we will have a lottery and for a small fee you can get a chance at a slot to compete in this highly awaited and highly coveted event. We accept all forms of bribery, pity stories, and pleas as entry into the race. And we will automatically enroll anyone with celebrity status.The race will start after work at 5 pm. Here at 40.0 we completely reject the standard 7 am race start time knowing that most of you are either up at 4:30 am training before work or out until 8 pm training after work. The only people ready to race at 7 am are the unemployed, graduate students, and professionals athletes. The rest of us have barely choked down 5 ounces of our 21 ounce cup of coffee and are still wondering if we left the house fully dressed.The race will begin at a local gym with a 1000 yard swim directly after work on a weekday. Note that this tends to be a time of heavy usage in the pool. Unfortunately, participants will not have special pool privileges. In fact, expect to sit and watch time tick by for 10, maybe 15 minutes while waiting for half of a lane to open up because all of the lanes will be double stacked with people doing some semblance of swimming but unsure if they are drowning or just waving. By chance that you actually do get into a lane, the swim portion will consist of snaking your way up and down over 4 lanes filled with other pool users. Consider it a version of pool steeple chase, if you will.In Lane 1, you will find a woman walking laps back and forth while you take the other half of the lane against the wall. Since this woman is swinging foam weights in each arm as she walks, you can expect to swallow approximately ½ of the water in the pool including ½ of the stuff that seeps off of all those band-aids that keeping sinking to the bottom and some gum. Also, being pinned against the wall, you can expect to swallow another ½ of the pool water after it hits the wall and then bounces back in tsunami force at you. Because of this woman’s girth, space will be very limited and you can expect to scrape your entire body against the wall at least once every lap adding blood and skin to the other specks of suspicious items floating around the pool at any given time.Lane 2 will contain a man doing breakstroke back and forth while overkicking the black line making a swift kick to the ribs or stomach punch a likely inevitability. When he finally does an entertaining version freestyle swimming, his flailing arms will make contact with you at least every 50 yards and you will lose your goggles at least one. After each lap, he will stop at the wall and stretch his hamstring over and over again, hogging half of the wall in the process, making any turn impossible.Lane 3 will consist of the group we shall refer to as the two noodles and a kickboard club. We’re not sure what they’re doing in the pool or why they need to do it in water, but one thing is certain – they are not getting out anytime soon because they have a strange affinity for floating in chlorinated water and freakish endurance for mind boggling boredom and inanity as they coast up and down the lane with these inflatable toys.Finally, in lane 4, participants will be faced with the biggest obstacles of all – a water aerobics class designed specifically for pregnant women. As these mommy’s-to-be move up and down in the water, kick their legs side to side, their collective weight alone causes all of the water in the pool to move in the fashion of a swirling vortex ready to suck in any unassuming swimmer as they go by. Their chattiness is deafening, their penchant for bad eighties music set to techno beats is nauseating. Even worse, the instructor insists on talking to all 6 of them in a screeching, high-pitched voice while she jumps around like a monkey on the deck completely oblivious to the fact that no one in the class is even watching her. But the hot tub finds it highly entertaining. After a few laps you will feel grateful you spend most of the time submerged underwater.Upon completing the swim, you will jump in your car and drive to the bike course at approximately 5:20 pm (because commuting from work wasn’t enough, because you just couldn’t wait to commute for your work out as well). Since it is after 5 pm, you will not have time to drive the 30 – 40 minutes to any decent roads. Instead, you will ride right from home. The bike course will be 20 miles of out-and-back along a very busy, four lane road again at the peak of rush hour. Just to be sure your average speed doesn’t get too high, there will be a stoplight planted cleverly every ½ mile.Participants will bike along the shoulder of the road. At times, this shoulder may be 4 feet wide, at other times about 4 inches. And sometimes, for no reason, there may be no shoulder at all. Expect to flat 2 – 3 flat tires as you ride through debris most commonly found along a shoulder, including, but not limited to, glass, random pieces of metal, remnants of headlights, paper, plastic bottles, hubcaps, large clumps of grass or dirt, cigarette butts, old shoes, a bumper, and other assorted items that you have no clue how people lose from their car going 50 miles per hour.50 miles per hour is also the speed limit along this road. And so you best pack an extra pair of shorts because at some point along the course you will get scared shitless and soil yourself after a far-too-close encounter with a semi-truck or a suburban housewife driving a Lexus SUV shouting senseless and rude cuss words at you while either driving her kids home from soccer practice or driving to Target to buy juice for the fourth time that week.Part of the bike course will also take you through a neighborhood. This will showcase some of the finest and safest cycling available to those that ride after 5 pm. In the neighborhood, you will complete 10 loops of the same 1 mile circuit. If the sheer monotony alone does not cause you to drop out after 10 loops or throw up from going in circles, you will go back and do the same 10 loops in reverse.Along the bike course, there is also the slight risk that you will be verbally assaulted by a genius. Yes, a rare genius that has somehow mastered how to drive a car and talk at the same time while informing you with window rolled down as they come squealing around a corner that bikes belong on the sidewalk, not on the road because the road is for cars. Who knew.And as for other wildlife, beware the wild turkeys along the side of the road that get scared silly when you ride by and start gobbling which will send you in a panicked frenzy swerving into oncoming traffic. Do not approach the angry geese that do not look both ways before crossing the road. As for the squirrels, they are fuckin’ fearless so watch out.When you hit the turnaround point, you will make your way back to experience all of the joy, love, and fun of riding down a busy road during rush hour in tight black shorts, a colorful jersey, and matching socks but this time you get to do it in reverse. Before reaching the end of the bike course, you will go under what is referred as the bridge of death – a tricky descent down a 45 mph road on which you on a bicycle can reach 35 mph right before going under the bridge with no shoulder to save your sorry two-wheeled ass so you must keep turning your head back while simultaneously praying to god that no car drives under the bridge at the same time. If perchance you make it through the bridge alive, as you sit at the stoplight catching your breath a car will pull up to you, roll down their window, and say “Oh you think you’re fast, do you?” provoking you to sprint out of the light to catch up with them, tap on their window, and flip them the bird – also another type of wildlife you will need to watch out for.If by some miracle you survive the bike course unscathed, you will then transition to a 5 mile run. You will run through neighborhoods in complete darkness because by this time night has arrived. To avoid traffic, you will run most of the course in the gutter. You’ve been treated like crap the entire course of the race so it is most appropriate for you to finish it in the gutter like the rest of the street trash. By the way, running in the gutter is great for your IT Band and balancing out your hips.Along the run course expect to be chased by at least one small dog that thinka it is 10 times it’s size. Mostly like this will be a pug that the owner has leashed but still has not learned – after 2 years of runners running by it – that the pug tends to lunge at runners when they approach in the dark, yanking the owners arm and leash far enough to run into the runner and attack them in a vicious frenzy of barking and small sharp teeth.Part of the run course will take place on a path through a local forest preserve. You will maneuver your way along the path in total darkness while avoiding large branches, nocturnal wildlife, and large piles of horse crap. It is best to attach bells to your shoes for this portion of the run so those enforcing the forest preserve’s deer management program don’t confuse you for a deer or else you risk getting a few rounds of buckshot in your ass.At some point along the run course, your stomach will drop. At that point, you will have two choices – hold it and risk the massive bowel movement being reabsorbed by your body or sneak into some dense shrubbery to drop the anchor that is sitting in your ass. Whatever your choice, choose wisely – you could pay for it either way.The participant who completes the course first will be crowned the 40.0 champion. Other than the intrinsic gratification of calling yourself a champion, there will be no other accolades, awards, or prizes. Of course, next year we will either completely change the series or eliminate it all together so your championship title will become obsolete.The 2007 date won't be announced for another few months. But, registration will be open soon and we will gladly take your $600 entry fee any time.Cheers!

posted @ 5/31/2007 9:13:23 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
It's a RollerCoaster- follow me here, people!

This one is a multi-header… stay with me, folks…


Blazeman
Yesterday I happened to be, um, “working” when I came across the website for Jon Blais, or Blazeman, an ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) patient, who in 2005 was the last finisher across the line at Kona. This past November when Kona aired on NBC Jules and I sat sniffling (okay I was straight up bawling) because he was then in a wheel chair, barely functioning, but watching his dreams live on in contributors and racers such as Brian Breen. I clicked on the Blazeman’s site, only to read RIP Jonathan Blais. He passed away on Sunday, the 27th, from his ALS. Yes, of course I cried sitting in my cubical. But after I cried I donated a little money to his foundation, you should do the same. www.alswarriorpoet.com


I am woman, hear me cry, bitch, moan, freak out, complain about the heat/cold, and in general turn into a spazoid for a week
You’ve seen the commercial. The new one for the BC pills that claim to help with, well, all of the aforementioned. It lists the symptoms, my particular favorite “the deep sadness and emotional instability associated with PMS symptoms, which may cause the overwhelming feeling to cry, weep, blubber, sob at any and everything” (Okay so that’s not verbatim but that’s pretty much how it went). Of course there’s me: Seat for one with room for my emotional baggage, please. I happened to see this ad during that blessed time o’ the month and guess what happened? I started crying! As I’m using my long sleeved PowerBar shirt for a tissue, it continues. “These symptoms may be more than PMS. They could be related to PMDD- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.” Of course they are. Of course they are…

So last night when I was having of my many mini-meltdowns (cute, I know) over misplacing a $20 bill I almost sat down on hardwood floor to kick and scream and bang my arms against the floor like one of those brats from Nanny 911. Then I went into a rant (read: blubbering disaster rivaled only by Chernobyl) to Eric about my job, my weight, IronMan, training, Dustin, masters swimming, bloating, dirt on the carpet, the dogs, Eric yelling at the dogs… and just after I calmed myself from that storm I found my $20 bill. For that sparkling moment I found it and I was happy. THEN I realized that I had just had a freakout about misplacing (I knew it wasn’t lost or stolen) a $20 bill. So I started crying about that… which was the time Eric said “Are you pregnant?” Attention Guys: Here’s what a woman thinks if you ask her that- she LOOKS pregnant, not that she could be the most depressed and angry lead singer of Hawthorne Heights or any other screaming Emo band. I’m just going to let this thought trail away into oblivion because I cannot type the thoughts I had. … … .. .
Moral of this story: Call OB/GYN ask about new BC. Use in heavy doses.



IronMan and Training
I am having a hard time getting motivated. Here we are, at the start of the race season, 157 days from IronMan and I can’t get out the door. Aside from the Thursday night sessions with the DFT ladies, I am having a very hard time swimming/ biking/ running. Especially running. I feel as though I am almost self sabotaging and I am afraid to put it all out there, then fail. I rode 18 miles in the pouring down rain on Sunday and was proud of myself for it. However, when I got home and took a shower, I came out to see blue skies and a double rainbow. Almost as if the sky was giving me the bird and laughing. Last night I got home early enough to get an hour run. I could tell it was going to storm so I thought I would hold off. I did and it did. So while it was raining I again sabotaged myself by stuff handful after handful of barbeque potato chips in my mouth, so that I knew I wouldn’t be able to run with all that crap in my body. Which brings me to what I a feeding myself. I still don’t have the perfect (I would say it’s “close to mediocre”) handle on my nutrition, as shown by Example A. The time is ticking and there is only 22 1/2 weeks until Florida. That will make you freak out. I am trying to find something that will get my ass into highgear, but I haven’t found it yet. A new blog I have been reading (Liz Fedofsky’s http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/ ) makes me want to work out, and I am hoping that a new edition to team DFT of Leslie Curley will give me the desire to train. Or just help…

Then there are girls with so much burning desire to train that can’t- yes Robyn, I am talking about you! Robo fractured her ankle before Memphis in May, raced anyway, but now has a cute (but sucky) pink cast on her ankle. She asked the Dr. if she could where the boot instead. His response? “I don’t trust you.” Classy. Very nice.



So now I sit here at my desk, fighting off the afternoon nap that wants to grab me by a choke hold. Oh, and speaking of choking, my throat is swollen, red and icky. My nose won’t stop dripping, and my eyes won’t quit watering and itching. It makes me want to cry and hope that the ceiling tile falls on me when I’m sitting at my desk. That would be the icing on the cake. This has been the month from hell and there’s still a few days to be over with…
posted @ 5/30/2007 11:22:16 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Memories of Dustin Francis
Memories of Dustin Francis

On Saturday, Amy Parks (Dustin’s former girlfriend of a few years), and I went to the Francis’s. I had planned to go by myself, but I was almost to Belton and I was thinking about what I would say to Kim and Allot and I almost turned around. I called Amy and asked if she could go- she said yes as she couldn’t see going by herself either.

We pulled up to their driveway about 4:15pm. I couldn’t quite turn the steering wheel onto the gravel. Just seeing the driveway brought back so many memories. I looked at Amy and we both took a deep breath as I pulled in. There were a lot of cars in the driveway, most I didn’t recognize. As we pulled into park my uncle, Gary who was in from Chicago, was in the driveway talking to Allot. The two of them have been close friends for ages, and it surprised and relieved me to see him there.

When I got out of the car I realized I hadn’t spoke with Allot in a very long time. It had been over a year since Eric and I moved away and it was probably better than a year since that when I talked with him last. I felt so bad. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t just come over to say “hi” or “how are you” in that time. I hugged him but no tears came, and I turned to Amy to let her do the same. Allot told us to head on in, he wanted to talk with Gary some more.

We started up to the front door- neither of us wanting to be the first one through. I reached down just to give her hand a squeeze but I found we were gripping each other tightly. We each needed something- someone to hold onto.

I opened the screen door and it slammed shut with a bang. Kim was sitting on the ottoman of their over stuffed chair. She was looking right at us, but it was almost like she didn’t see us. She was seeing through us. I ran to her and dropped on my knees grabbing her. She let out a sob and then just a quite sniffle. I knew that I needed to be strong. She had cried so much for so long, she needn’t do it again on my account. I backed away and let Amy hold her as well.

I don’t know how long we sat there in silence. There were others there- friends, family none did I recognize. Eventually someone made some small talk to avoid the silence. Every time it would quite somebody would interject to break it up.

Amidst the conversations I found myself sitting in the living room of a home I had been in hundreds of times. It seemed strange. Have you ever gone back to an elementary or middle school you used to go to? You know the feeling- everything is so small compared to what your mind says it should be. This was the opposite. I felt so small, so miniscule looking at the walls and the ceiling. I should have felt like the house had shrank, but instead it felt as if I had diminished.

There were dozens of photos scattered on the coffee table. Most of Dustin and Ryan as kids. This was how I generally thought of him. I picked up one photo and chuckled to myself. They both had the whitest, bushiest blonde hair- my little brother had the exact same. I saw a photo across the table that I dared not to pick up. It was of Dustin and I playing in my sandbox at about age 7 or 8. I probably wouldn’t have recognized myself except for the bright purple swimsuit I demanded that my mother let me wear everyday through the summer. I felt a deep pang in my heart. I looked away, searching for something, anything, to focus on, to keep the burning of the tears in my eyes away.

My center of attention landed on the refrigerator which had a recent photo of the Francis family pinned to it. Absolutely nothing abnormal about a family photo on a fridge, except this family should be on a cover for a magazine. Such a beautiful family, I thought. And they were- Kim, thin, tan, impeccably high check bones and a beautiful smile (She is, after all a dental hygienist, and if nothing else, every six months since I was old enough to hold a tooth brush she and I would visit-most recently just 3 weeks ago). Allot, handsome in his own right and the source of the boy’s white hair whose own turned a beautiful silver over time, stood next to his wife both crouched over the boys. Ryan, 2 1/2 years our senior and Dustin both were caught laughing- big, open mouthed laughs with bright sparkling eyes.

Amy and I sat and visited for a while, but decided it was out time to go. With hugs for all we headed out the door. As we pulled out of the drive, I mentioned some things to Amy that I had just begun to remember after being there. The memories came flooding back for the rest of the weekend…

The bathtub pond in front of their house. It held lilies and fish.

Their dogs. In succession, Aspen, Sierra, Dakota. Dakota was friendly and loving while we were there.

Dustin getting caught on fire when I was in 6th grade! Accidentally, of course, by a friend. Seeing him at Children’s Mercy Hospital was so scary.

Joint Easter Egg hunts.

The games. Dustin and I frequently entertained ourselves with wild games of Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and baseball games. One of Dustin’s childhood passions was baseball. We would “play” ball and he always got to be George Brett. I had to be Mrs. Brett. I never wanted to be Mrs. Brett, I wanted to be George Brett.

Hopscotch in the driveway.

Dustin using a four letter word while playing in the sand box and me tattling on him.

At about age 7 we thought that we should learn how to kiss in case the time ever came that we would need to know how. I don’t remember how it went but somebody got licked by somebody and we were both traumatized.

My older brother, Travis, pulling Ryan out of the pond when he fell in.

The boys and I playing in the pond off of a makeshift dock my grandpa had fashioned for us during summer.

Dustin crashing his Blazer after first getting his license. I saw him a few days later and told him he was an idiot to be driving on the roads that we grew up on like that. I told him not to scare his family or kill someone or even himself.

Jumping out of the old barn on their land into piles of hay.

Walking thru the woods where our property lines met. This was usually during a case of cowboys and Indians.

Drawing big smiley faces on the construction cones in the back of the Francis property. I remember Allot calling my mom about it. We both adamantly denied it.

My mom made me dump out our little plastic pool and move it. I told Dustin I would “pay” him to help me. I think I gave him a nickel and some pennies. He accepted. Later, Kim sent him back to the house to give me back the money and apologize for being “paid” to help a friend. I remember being mad that he told my mom because I got in trouble for asking for help. I through the money in the trash can.

I got in trouble for something and couldn’t come out to play. I wanted to play and so did he. I sat inside the window and cried while he sat outside the window and cried.

Dustin and Amy at prom. He had switched to a private school, so I rarely saw him as we grew older. We sat and talked for a while and he looked miserable in a tux. He had pulled the bow tie half out.

Riding my horse up and down the fence of my grandparent’s land while he drove their four-wheeler on their side of the fence while we talked.


…I’m sure more will come but these are some of the things I thought of in the last few days.

It’s amazing the feelings memories give. From utter joy to the darkest depths of sorrow.



The underwater search for his body was called off late last week. There were hopes someone would find him over the long boating weekend, but alas, nothing. The hardest part isn’t that he’s gone, but that his parents don’t have him. They have nothing to say good bye to. It hurts them. It hurts us all.



posted @ 5/29/2007 9:54:44 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sheer Stupidity killed this friend. WHY WHY WHY?
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22dustin+francis%22&ie=UTF-8&scoring=n
I lived next to Dustin Francis for almost 20 years...
Boat hits wake, man disappears
By Joyce L. Miller/Lake Sun


LAKE OF THE OZARKS ' Recovery efforts near the 3-mile marker continue for a 21-year-old Belton, Mo., man who fell off an open-bow boat early Tuesday morning.Dustin Francis was last seen about 1 a.m., lying across the bow near the light of the 20-foot boat he was a passenger in when it hit a small wake that threw him overboard. Francis is believed to have held onto the boat for a short period of time.Two passengers sitting in the open bow with Francis said he lost his balance when the boat hit the wake. Several other passengers were on the boat but were sitting in the back near the driver.According to the Missouri Water Patrol, the driver thought Francis had fallen in. When the driver made a hard left to turn around and go back for the victim, Francis lost his grip.Francis was apparently hit by the propeller.The group of friends had been out for the evening and were returning from a lakefront bar at the 7-mile marker. (Ed. Note. THEY WERE VERY INTOXICATED) They were headed to the 2-mile marker when Francis went under near Atlantis Island.The passengers used a cell phone to call for help. The call went to Morgan and Miller county dispatching centers.The driver, Justin Johnson, 21, of Manhattan, Kan., was arrested for boating while intoxicated.


Francis is the second drowning on Lake of the Ozarks in less than five days.Last weekend, a 20-year-old man drowned in a swimming accident at the 6-mile marker.Although divers were using the side scan sonar in the search for the body, Water Patrol Capt. Matt Walz said the area where Francis is believed to have gone overboard varies in depth from 40 to 90 feet and much of the lake bottom is covered in heavy brush, which makes it difficult to get a clear location on the body.If the body is not recovered by this weekend when tens of thousands of boaters arrive for the Memorial Day holiday, the Water Patrol will have to scale back the search. Instead of using the sonar, they will conduct visual checks of the area.The water temperature is still cool enough to slow the decomposition process and keep the body under water for a longer period of time, he said. http://www.lakesunleader.com/articles/2007/05/23/news/01.txt

Belton man dies in boating accident on Lake Ozark
The Associated Press
LAKE OZARK, Mo. A Belton man died early today when he fell off a boat in the Lake of the Ozarks, authorities said.
Dustin Francis, 21, was riding in the bow of a boat with two other passengers when the 20-foot craft hit a small wake. Francis lost his balance, fell in the water and was struck by the boat’s propeller, the Missouri State Water Patrol said.
The accident was reported about 1 a.m., the patrol said.
*****On this up-coming Memorial Day Weekend, please use EXTRA caution. I can't have more friends dying from stupidity. Dustin's mom is at home, bawling, a complete wreck- and of course she is! Just two weeks ago she was telling me about how worried she was about Dustin and his friends having this lake house and small runabout boat on such a dangerous lake. Why do we, young people especially, have to act without thinking!?
PLEASE everyone, DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE, DO NOT DRINK AND BOAT. Both are crimes and BOTH kill people! Use your heads, please stay alive, and please don't be a murderer.

Courtney
posted @ 5/23/2007 1:28:52 PM (0) Comments
Monday, May 21, 2007
Heritage Park Race Recap
Heritage Park Triathlon
May 20, 2007

587 Yard Swim/ 11.5 Mile Bike/ 3.1 Mile Run

Warmup
I arrived about an hour before the race start (and my start, I was in the Open Heat) set up my TA, got body marked and chit chatted with the girls. I then took my bike out for quick spin to get the HR up and clip my shoes in. Pulled back in, checked out the run and bike in/outs, banded my shoes down, and pulled on my wetsuit. I had only about 45 seconds to warmup in the water before I had to check in at the dock. I was supposed to have about 5 minutes, but they started us almost 5 minutes early. But hey, whatcha gonna do about it?



587 yard Swim 9:09
I was in the open heat so there were only 3 or 4 gals and like 30 guys. It’s a really small area for that many in a heat so I decided to be patient and sit back a bit instead of starting right in the front. I knew that most of the guys would be swimming 7:30’s, so I decided not to get drowned in the front line. Once the guys hammered into each other after the gun I was able to find what I thought was a clean line just off to someone’s feet. Apparently that someone decided to pause and then BAM kick me in the head. It rung my bell pretty good but I just kept on keepin’ on. It is a rectangular course and when we rounded the first corner buoy the sun was in my eyes to spot, so I had to keep hoping that the feet I was following were going the right way. After the second corner buoy my goggles were totally fogged up, so looking forward to spot was and exercise in futility and breathing to my right blinded me. So again, I just kept hoping I was going in the right direction. In the last 200 yards I just couldn’t get my arms to turn over. I don’t know if it was being in a good wetsuit for my first race, or whatever, but I couldn’t get my elbows up and my arms to pick up. I was relieved to get to the beach because I just didn’t feel like myself in the water. Watch time was 9:01, chip time 9:09. I was the 5th fastest split of the day.

Transition 1 1:41
This was pretty slow for me. My right arm didn’t have any strength from the swim so I pretty much stripped my wetsuit off with just my left side, and it got caught on my heels. It felt strange not needing to get into shoes. All I had to grab was my helmet which had my sunglass already attached. I also had to run with my bike quite a ways. I was able to run and jump on my bike and my pre-attached bands executed perfectly. However, I didn’t get my feet in them so well.

Bike 39:35
I had a lot of problems trying to get my feet in my shoes, I actually jammed both feet above the tongues, which pulled out the straps so I had to reach down, untuck the tongues and then reattach the Velcro. Ugh. So I was all kinds of worked up. Going up the first big hill I kept trying to get into a ring smaller than what I have so of course, the derailleur dropped the chain to the inside and I had to get off my bike to get it back on. GGRRRR! I then had to chug along the rest of the big hill because I had lost all of my momentum. The second two loops were uneventful. On the second loop DFT Julie came up to me (she was starting her first loop, she was a few heats behind me) and we chatted for a minute. She looked really good and it was nice to see her out going strong. On each loop I kept hearing Nancy Strickland (somewhat of my mentor) and I wanted to look over at her, but I was trying to just be focused. I really tried to push hard, and my HR was pretty good, but with all the traffic it was difficult. By the 3rd lap, most of the 500 some participants were on the 3.8 mile loop. To do the math, that’s 131 people per mile. Of course there were the people that were riding on the left when I was trying to pass them, and when you call on your left, that’s the direction they swerve (and inevitably it is on the sweeping 38mph downhill corner). That got frustrating.

T2 1:10
I was able to pull my feet out of my straps quickly coming into T2 and switched my leg to side saddle. Of course this girl doing a team tri swerves in front of me right by the dismount line, then unclipped one foot at a time, put both feet down, and then swung her leg over. I just kept saying “Go go go go go!” She was blocking the entire dismount line and there was going to be a huge crash if she didn’t get moving. Luckily I was able to get around her, but I heard a couple guys that were behind me say some things that I can’t really type. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were penalized for it. I was able to run my bike quickly to my TA, and when I was rushing thru I heard them announcing my name on the PA. Very Cool!
When I got to TA, I put my feet into my socks (they had blisters that weren’t healed before race day and I didn’t want to make them bigger) put on my shoes and grabbed my TriSports.com visor and race belt. Off I went.

Run 29:12
I was slow going the first mile. I wasn’t wobbly from bike legs, but I was just trying to get my legs to go. on the out and back part I saw Cheryl from DFT and then a bit later Melanie from DFT came up behind me. They were both doing the Duathlon. I tried to run with Mel for a bit, but she’s a strong runner and I didn’t have the legs. I just kept on going and after the climb at 1.25 miles I felt good. Pretty much everything from there is either downhill or flat and I was able to get my legs about me. At the 2 mile run mark I looked down and saw I was at 1:12 on my watch. I had set a major goal for the season to run a 28min 5k at this race back in November. I wasn’t sure what my split was before the run, but I knew that if I could run an 8-something mile (and negative split the run) then I had a chance of coming in at 1:20. Last year, at my first tri at this same race, my time 1:32.46.

Overall 1:20.46
Well, I came in under 1:21. While I didn’t make my goal of a 28 min run, I was still really happy with the 29.12. That’s my fastest ever (even as a non-split), so I was pleased. I am really happy with my time and my major disappointment was my retardedness on the bike. BUT, my new bike is SO fast!!
The bummer thing was after I crossed the finish I reached up to grab my medal and sharp pain went thru my right shoulder. This was the shoulder that I tore the labrum in which I never had surgically repaired and caused me to end my swimming career. I haven’t had any problems with it in 2 years, but I spent all of yesterday afternoon icing and rubbing it out. I drove to work this morning with ice on it, and after I finish typing this, I’m re-icing it. My next race is in two weeks, I would really like to swim, but I think I know better on this one. I’ll see how it’s feeling Thursday and maybe I can get in some drill work Friday morning.
I’d like to thank TriSports.com for the race gear- especially my wetsuit and trisuit, Freeride Bike and Skate for my great Specialized Transition Expert bike, Defined Fitness Training for all the support, and Tropical Xtreme Tanz for giving me the best color of all the ladies at the race!


RESULTS:
5th in AG
31st OA
5th fastest swim split


Here are some photos right after the finish (Sweaty, greasy dirty! Yum!) in my TriSports.com Orca trisuit, and with the Defined Fitness Training club team gals.


In the DFT photo, from left to right:

Erin, Monica, Courtney, Michele, Cheryl, Dawn, Julie, Melanie
Oh and a comparison from last year and this year. Also, This year was FAST! both men's and women's classes went much faster!
31 124 Courtney Crutcher F2024 Blue Springs MO 5 9:09 14 1:41 34 39:35 15.2 26 1:10 46 29:12 9:44 1:20:46

43 246 Courtney Crutcher F2024 Blue Springs MO 12 10:55 8 1:00 46 46:34 14.8 8 0:44 53 33:35 11:12 1:32:47
posted @ 5/21/2007 8:05:05 AM (0) Comments
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Heritage Park coming up, Lake Lotawana Ride
3 days until Heritage!!

I am so excited. Three days until Heritage Park. Last year Heritage was my first ever tri. I can’t believe it’s already time for it again. It feels like I have been in multisport forever. I know that really, I am quite new, but I have made friends with a few seasoned vets (Thanks Melissa Kelly, Leslie Curly, Nancy Strickland, Peggy Donovan, Greg Goodman, Glen Bohanon…) that have helped me learn the ropes pretty quickly. I still have so much to learn but I think I’m getting experience quickly.

Last year I got in 5 sprint tris, an Oly, and even a Half Ironman. This year I’m doing a full IronMan. I talked to Leslie Curly about a month ago at a seminar and she was so excited for me to be doing a full. She said she has never done one and just so looks up to the people that are doing them and how amazing they are, and she wanted to hear EVERYTHING about my training. She was so genuine. It’s people like this that I look up to myself- and the people that make doing triathlons so great. I am so excited to become a top dog veteran like her.

Last night my swim client and I didn’t meet, so I too my new bike, GoldMember out for a spin. I just got my Orca trisuit from TriSports.com and I had to try that out. Note on that: It fits so well. It’s probably one size too big, but I don’t mind. I really like the chamois, the zipper racer back, and the highneck coverage. I tried calling Sheryl, Cheryl, Sarah, Amy, Melissa… NO ONE could ride with me… or answer their phones. SO I set off on my own. I planned to do about 45 minutes.

I headed out of town and jumped on Cook rd. I followed that down past Colbern to Lake Lotawana. Amy showed me a different loop thru there earlier this week so I went that way. It’s a little shorter and there really aren’t any demanding climbs, but, technically it is difficult. High speed S curves make for fun and to see how big your balls are. Mine, sadly, are just starting to drop. After I completed that out and back I decided that it was so nice out and I was having so much fun to just keep cruising. I turned right and headed over towards the dam. These are also challenging sections but there are big ascents that curve and crazy fast descents after. The link below is my route and it is so much fun. Definitely check it out. I didn’t map everything because I think I took a side road or two, and I went my Sheryls house to see if she was home to ride. My total ride was about 28 miles and it took me 1:58 I think. I should have wrote it down so that may be off by a bit.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=129482

This was the longest solo ride I have ever done, but I loved it. I thought that I would be bored but the “course” was so challenging and I was loving being out on my bike.

It was a great way to spend an evening by myself.


Tonight I am going out to SMP for our “team” training session. I’m afraid that the team will be me and me and me. Julie has a work meeting, Michele said she might come out but has to be at a movie at 7:00…. maybe one of the girls from work will go out be she only runs… so I might make another solo ride myself. I feel like I should run, but I really don’t want to. I am learning so much on my bike right now, I never want to get off of it. My knee is a little sore too, so I’m not feeling the run.

I am so pumped for this weekend. I get to pick up my packet tomorrow and Erin from Vegas is coming in town to race. I can’t wait to meet her. We are also having a team photo and brunch afterwards. So exciting.

It’s also Monica’s first race. I hope she does well!

Robo- Hey, I just want to give you a public GOOD LUCK at MEMPHIS IN MAY. You’re going to do awesome.

Okay, well that’s it for now! Have a nice evening. Go out and RUN!
posted @ 5/17/2007 11:45:15 AM (0) Comments
Friday, May 11, 2007
Running Shoes? Check. iPod? Check. Map? Ah, we’re good. Phone? We’re just staying in the park…
Running Shoes? Check. iPod? Check. Map? Ah, we’re good. Phone? We’re just staying in the park…

My friend from work, Jennifer (JMoore), and I drove out to SMP to meet up with Cheryl S., Melanie, and Julie. I told Jennifer that she needs to join the team and she wasn’t so into the idea.

Anyway, we had discussed going about 8 miles, but we decided we would just to do long course tri run section which is 4.5. I was still a little sore from Lincoln, and JMoore’s long run was about 5 miles. So, we got out of the car with out the course map, and decided that since we’d just be in park, we wouldn’t need cells phones.

We talked to Melanie and Sheryl for a bit and then headed out for our run. I TOTALLY forgot to wait for Julie. I knew she wasn’t running, but I had planned to talk to her for a bit, so yeah, I’m a jackrod, sorry Jules! The first 2 or 3 miles went pretty smoothly, but it got HOT FAST. I wasn’t used to running in the heat. All while training for Lincoln I had been running in freezing cold, so this was a switch. I ended up with my tank top rolled up within 20 minutes. I was so not accustomed to the heat and humidity. Even though I had water, I was already suffering.

The whole run should have taken about 52minutes at most, for a mere 4.5miles. I kept looking down at my watch trying to figure out where we were. There was a little off trail that we had briefly gone down and the decided it wasn’t correct and turned back to keep going straight. I kept second guessing that decision.

We were moving along just fine until I felt my arms- totally dry. I had been running in front of or next to JMoore until about minute 34. I thought she had kicked it up another gear, but I think I had actually just slowed significantly. She was gone. I had to start walking the hills and at some point I got chills. I was shivering, not sweating, and it was 85 degrees out. Oh, AND WE ARE LOST.

We stuck it out on the route we were on until we came up to a sign. The Midland Drive trailhead. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?! We missed out turn off by 2 miles? While I was running I kept thinking, I wonder why Julie hasn’t called me yet? Well, when I grabbed my pocket I knew why. I left my phone in the car because we knew where we were going and we were staying on the immediate tri course. GREAT. GREAT. GREAT. No phone, 6:45pm, and we’re lost. A-freaking-mazing. And, of course, those extra two miles wee some of the hilliest ever!

I just stood there, staring at the map shaking my head. I think Jennifer was slightly ticked. J We turned around and headed back. Turns out we should have turned just after the little off shot road. Whoops. And, we ran out of water, so I started filling up my bottles out of the streams. Hope it doesn’t make us sick, but we were hot and thirsty and it was cold and liquid!

I forced myself to walk a while which helped me gain control back of my body temp and stop the chills. We made it back to the car in 1:48.21. Total distance 8.5 miles. Jennifer did awesome for her first “long” run. On the way home she said to me “I think I’m going to join your team.” Good idea!

Lessons learned:

Take a map.
Bring your phone no matter what.
Don’t leave for your run before your friend gets there.
posted @ 5/11/2007 7:50:46 AM (0) Comments
Monday, May 07, 2007
Lincoln Half Recap
Courtney Crutcher
30th National Guard Lincoln Marathon
Half Marathon
Time 2:28.47
Pace 11:17


Julie, Dan and I headed up to Lincoln early Saturday afternoon for packet pickup and the Carbo dinner. After we got our packets we drove the course for the half and full marathons. Dan and I were doing the half, Julie the full. This was Julie’s first full. I had previously done a 13.1 but that was in the Half Ironman, so technically this was my first attempt at it on fresh legs. My split time in the HIM was 3:20.22.
The course winds through downtown and just outside of it- mostly flat and the “hills” are kind of a joke. Now, there are a few, but really, none of them are Adams Dairy Parkway hills, so we all felt pretty prepared. It had been raining quite a bit that morning so when we drove through the park area that Julie would run through, we saw that a bunch of the benches were half under water. Yikes! After we drove the course and checked in at the hotel we went to the pasta dinner on campus. It was good, whatever it was- some kind of noodle and marinara sauce. I wanted to eat 2 plates, but my stomach told me that wasn’t a good idea. The sky had been threatening rain since we left for the dinner, but when we came out it was a downpour. It was unreal the amount of rain coming down! When we headed back to the hotel we had to pull into the median because of the water of the road- a car was even stranded in the river that was once the road! Then the hotel parking lot was more of the same. It was ridiculous!
We got into our room and turned on the TV to watch a movie, thinking that the rain would HAVE to let up. I kind of thought that maybe the rain would be psyching Julie out- I was kind of nervous but not bad, but I had gone that distance before and she was doing the full! However, she stayed pretty calm. I think her being focused and relaxed helped me not fret over it, usually I feel like I am the calm one with my friends when it comes to racing, but I was SO IMPRESSED with how relaxed Julie stayed. We turned off the lights about 9:30 and feel asleep listening to the rain fall. I guess at some point in the night Dan got up to go check if the car was underwater- the rain had never stopped. Funny, because I had a dream that we got to the start and they were handing out swim caps and goggles because we had to swim instead of run.
The alarm went off at 5:00am and I pulled open the curtain just to have a look outside Please let it be clear, Please! I thought to myself. Instead it was the exact opposite. It was coming down like it had after dinner. I just started laughing. Julie asked me what was up and I told her that the only thing I could do was laugh. Luckily, Jules had enough sense the night before to stop and get clear trash bags for us to wear to keep up warm and dry. Good call!
We all went down for breakfast and Dan went outside to see how bad it was. He came back and made some comment about it blowing sideways. I thought he was joking so I went to see for myself. When the doors opened I could swear I was in the middle of a typhoon. I came back laughing again. After a few minutes Julie had to see for herself- the look on her face was priceless. I think we all had the same dread about us but no one wanted to really say it- THIS IS GOING TO SUCK.
Amazingly, after we got parked and to the start line it had let up a little, but by no means had stopped. We got organized and I decided to start back with Julie. I knew she’d run at a slightly slower pace (she’s running the full!), but I really wanted to get to run with her. She and I went through the chip mat about 8 minutes after the start and that was the official beginning of our race. We ran side by side for the first mile. We saw a guy running up a head with an M-dot (Ironman) tattoo on the back of his leg. We both wanted to catch him but decided not to push the pace. Julie had been training with this “Run a mile walk a minute” routine that was working really really well for her, but I wanted to run so when she started walking we split up. The first mile split was 12:40. It turned out that it was great for me to start out slower because I didn’t rush and was able to settle into a good pace. I actually caught up with the M-Dot guy and his wife and discussed Ironman racing with them for the next two miles. They were running 10:10 miles and I wanted to hear everything they were saying so I kept running with them. Then the wife wanted to walk, so I kept on trucking. For the next few miles I ran mostly by myself or here and there with various groups and people. I was holding pretty consistently about 11:00 minutes a mile. I finally took off my trash bag about mile 5. It hadn’t stopped raining, but I was way to hot to keep that thing on. At about mile 9 or 10 I came across an older gentleman (that was ahead of me!) running along he said his name was Brown and I ran with him for about a mile and a half. Another gal name Krista joined in with us. We listened to him tell stories about how he was 78 years old and this was his 50th something marathon. So amazing. When he stopped to walk I realized that we had slowed down to his pace which was 12- something and I felt like I could get up and go so Krista and I took off. The last time I hit a split on my watch was at mile 11, so I didn’t get my 12 mile or 13 mile split times. However, after the finish the last split I had on my watch was 22:20, so for the last 2.1 miles we ran about 10:40 pace. It was helpful to have Krista with me because she knew the campus well and knew exactly where the finish was. Nearing the end the wind picked up and I had her drop behind me, she was really short and petite and I knew I could block the wind for her because she was starting to struggle. I really pushed as hard as I could and I actually dropped her just before mile 13. My actual finish time was 2:28.47, I don’t remember the clock time.
Dan had finished about 15 minutes before me (at 2:13.58) so we went and waited for Julie to come thru the Half point and cheered her on. Her 13.1 split was 2:48.29 and she looked really strong. She actually surprised both Dan and I (I was in the middle of switching into a dry shirt when she was coming up the street so I was trying to dress myself and cheer her on at the same time) with how quick she came up. He and I then went and took showers and met back up to drive out to see her by the turnaround. When we saw her then she wasn’t quite looking all that happy, and she was walking, but she was walking fast. You could tell she was hurting, but she wasn’t stopping, for damn sure. Dan and I found Julie’s parents at the finish and we waited for her to come through the line. She did (running at that!), and her time was 6:08.07. She did great and I am SO PROUD!! She never gave up and I am really jealous I couldn’t do it with her.
After the race we ate lunch with Julie’s folks, and then Dan drove us back in the monsoon to KC.
All in all, a great race weekend (besides the tsunami).
Results are available at OnlineRaceResults.com
180 days until IronMan!!!
posted @ 5/7/2007 7:49:53 AM (0) Comments
Thursday, May 03, 2007
HOT AIR
HOT AIR

I ate lunch at my desk today with the intentions for taking a 20 min break and going to the bank and going to the gas station to put air in my tires. At 12:00pm I leave and go straight to the nearest QT.
When I pull in, I can see that the 3 closest spots to the air hose are full. I get as close as I can, and then try reach the hose to my car. Someone sitting inside their car in one of the spots pulls out. Great, I just whip right in. Now I’m in the middle parking space, one space over from the air machine. There are people standing at the back of the “3rd spot car” just starring at me: I’m in 3.5 inch stiletto work heels, black sateen pants, and a pressed button up shirt. IT’S RAINING. Stop looking at me!
I am struggling to get the air hose to the front wheel of my car (all four tires are extremely low- I can’t believe I waited so long to fill them) and it just barely reaches. I’m crouched down trying to put air- 26lbs actually needed- into my tire. I get the feeling some one is starring at me- the guy whose truck was in the actual air up spot was standing there eyeballing me. I just turned around and looked at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, I am parked in your way.” me: “Yeah that’s fine.” He’s still just standing there. me: “Are you going to move?” So he gets in and pulls out. Right then this lady in a truck in a business suit pulls up into the spot about 1/2 way and jumps out. She grabs the hose and was like, “That guy was creepy, here, I’ll help.” Phenomenal. There have been 3 men gawk at me and not one offer to help, but another woman dressed in business attire is the only one that will. Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect for anyone to help me. HOWEVER, nobody should just be starring at me! So I get to my last tire with that woman’s help (I wish I had gotten her name), and am finishing it up… some random guy walks over and says “How many pounds?” I was like WHAT? He then started to explain to me that pounds were the amount of air you’re supposed to put in your tire. I wanted to be like, YEAH I GOT THAT. IT’S 51 I’M AT 38, I CAN READ AN AIR GAUGE, WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME HOW MANY POUNDS!!?? Instead, I just said “It needs 51, I’m at about 40.” The response: “Oh, okay” and then just stands there… What is with people starring!! Seriously, offer to help or MOVE.
Then I did the lady’s tire- she only needed one- and a guy from inside QT comes out “You need anything?” The lady and I just looked at each other and shook our heads.
I never expected help, but I didn’t expect to be hassled either. Why must people be so dang rude!!??
It took so long I never even made it to the bank. Drats. I’ll try again tomorrow.
posted @ 5/3/2007 11:28:13 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Larry the bike: Being Tougher: Master's Swim
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Overhead while volunteering at the Trolley Run. An older lady to a younger guy next to here- both running "I thought you said this was all down hill!!... YOU LIED, CHIP!"
Last night I met up with Rick so I could deliver to him my old bike. He’s the nice guy that bought my Multi-Sport, Larry. I think they will do well together and I told Rick I expect the bike to be out front. J I got to chatting with him and realized how nice it is that there are so many people learning and trying to get into the sport. I still am new myself (at least I think I am) but it’s great to get to offer up some advice to the people that are just starting to think about their first race… hopefully it’s not wrong or bad advice though! J But, I know that I so love hearing from other people involved in the sport- especially the veterans. Locally I have really looked up to Glen Bohanan (the KC Godfather of Tri), Nancy Strickland, Melissa Kelly, Jeff Dorris, Greg Goodman, Kelly Dippold and Peggy Donovan. There are a lot of others that when I see them at the races- even during the races- I get starry eyed and just get that “WOW feeling.”
That feeling really registered with me at the MO State Games last year. After a brutally hilly bike I took off on the flat run, but couldn’t get my legs going. It was a sprint and I think a 4 mile out-and-back run. I was less than a mile out of the transition when the lead pack of women (and I do mean pack, there were like 4 of them!) passed me headed the opposite direction. I was so amazed. They were straight up hauling ass. And you could just read the pain on their faces. Some were grimaced, one I know had snot running down her face (yeah, Meg H.- like you!) but they were battling. There was just less than a mile and none wanted to drop off. When they were gone I just kept plugging along, but I kept thinking about how hard they were pushing. And I was sure that they had swam and rode against each other the entire way (oddly enough, I checked the results later, and I had actually come out of the water ahead of two of them- but barely. Dammit, why couldn’t I be faster on the bike/run!?).
So, I have decided to really understand what it’s like to hurt. Yes, my focus this year is IM distance, so that’s more a completion vs. competition there, but, I want to really be a contender mentally. Yeah, I’ve always been tuff, but not like that. I may not be as physically honed for the short distances, but I want to be there in my head. You can accomplish a lot by just willing yourself to do it. So come Heritage Park, I may blow up in a sprint race, but I can guarantee I will push myself harder than I ever had. I think I need that mental break through. I read in a book not so long ago (I think it was in Going Long) that the difference between pros and amateurs is their ability to hurt. There a lot of very well trained am’s (albeit, they may not have 40 hrs a week to devote to training) that could physically out race an elite but they can’t. And for one reason- mental toughness. The elites can take their bodies to beyond because their minds will them to do it. I want to establish that ability in myself. I also have a friend or two that could really benefit from extreme mental focus.

And also along those lines, Michele sent me this (with some great IM pictures- thanks Moto), and I thought I’d share:

“Okay so the basis behind this article is a sales pitch, but he's got some good points. Instead of actually being productive, I downloaded some IMFL pictures from the racer's perspective so you can visualize kicking ass at IMFL.

Enjoy,
Michele” …


High Velocity E-Zine
Visualizing is the Key to Realizing
What is it that separates the highly successful individual from the average or even successful individual? Why is it that one person seems to achieve extraordinary results on a consistent basis and another, with nearly the same training, hits and misses their accomplishments?
The success technique to which I am referring is visualization. I guarantee that "visualizing your results is the key to realizing your results." Visualizing is one of the most important techniques you will ever learn and one that is utilized by all high performers.
Visualizing is your key to success for two reasons: Your mind thinks in pictures and images; Your unconscious mind drives your behavior.
Your unconscious mind doesn't know the difference between something that is real and something vividly imagined. Whatever picture (goal) you consistently think about will drive your actions to create that exact picture. When you continually see yourself in possession of your goal, your unconscious mind will move you into actions that align with the mental image you hold.
Here's a quick visualization overview to assure your goal achievement:
Create a clear mental picture. You must associate a picture to your goal. You should picture yourself in your vision, rather than watching yourself achieve your goal. This "fine point" separates the masters from the masses. You must create a picture that is so real you believe you already have achieved your success.
You must "experience" your vision. You must be in your picture, looking through your own eyes... seeing, hearing and feeling everything as if you have already achieved your goal. You must create the emotion of the moment in your own body.
Visualize your goal at every opportunity. Bring up your mental picture while waiting at a stop light, when you're on a break, before your next meeting. The more frequently you plant your picture into your unconscious mind, the more rapidly you will begin to realize increased results in your life.
Visualize first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The best time to visualize is in the morning right after you wake up and just before you go to sleep. These are the times when your unconscious mind is most open to influence. When your conscious mind relaxes, your unconscious becomes very receptive to your thoughts, dreams and ideas--particularly ideas with high emotion.
So make a commitment right now to create your picture of achieving your goal. All great masters have taught that we become what we constantly think about. Think about your goals to the exclusion of all else and watch your personal and professional results skyrocket!

***

Master’s Practice today went quite well, I believe. I was a little disappointed with the numbers (5 showed), but when I got in the office today I had 4 emails from people saying they would be joining sometime this month.
The members are:
Moto-Michele: Seems to be a frequent partner in crime. However, as a swim client she really took direction and I’m looking forward to her putting that to good use and really taking her swimming to the next level. She’s recovering from a broken hip, so there’s going to be lots of dryland mods for her.
Amy: Amy is returning to swimming after some time off (and a hubby and kids it sounds like). She told me she would be the very bottom of the group, but I think she is going to surprise herself as the practices go on.
Jules: My IM training partner. Her weakness in Tri’s is swimming, and I think her getting in some group workouts with a coach on deck or in the water will really be helpful to her. She is another one that will see some drastic improvements just by having scheduled workouts and time in the water.
Justin: Talks too much. J Last one in the water. He’s is probably the most technically sound as far a strokes go, but he’s got some bad habits in stroke mechanics that will need working on. Having structured workouts will be beneficial to him. He asked when the “real workouts” would start. When they start he might ask me when they’ll stop. J But seriously, he’s done Silverman (it’s an IM distance race in Vegas) so I know he’s a hard worker.
Randy: Couldda Shoudda been collegiate swimmer. He’s looking for a master’s team to be more competitive and workout in a structured environment. I look forward to really seeing his skills progress. Probably has the most raw talent, but with a lot of room for improvement.


posted @ 5/2/2007 10:20:57 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
There is no cure.
It's so scary to think that things can be moving along fine and then your world be completely rocked. My grandpa who has once fought cancer and lived to tell about it is now fighting again. I just lost one grandfather to cancer in June last year, and a great uncle less than two.
Right now there is no cure for cancer. Sure, there are some things you can do to lessen your chances, but I really doubt anyone reading this has made it through their lives with out battling the disease themselves or being touched by someone who has.
If at all possible, volunteer, donate, voice your thoughts, prayers- ANYTHING you can do to help those whom fight the hardest battle anyone can endure.
I had someone tell me not so long ago that "Those LiveStrong bracelets aren't really fashionable anymore." The idea that someone would wear a bracelet that means so much to so many just to look cool apalled me. I wear my bracelet for my grandfathers, uncles, best friend's mother, mom's best friend, friend's friends, and for total strangers. Do what you can to support those that need your support.
Please tell those that you love that you love them and spend as much time with them as you can. You'll be thankful that you did.

Courtney
posted @ 5/1/2007 11:58:18 AM (0) Comments

April 2007

http://sponsorhouse.loopd.com/Members/CourtCrutcher/Blog.aspx?month=4&year=2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thank you, SPONSORS!!
Thank You, Sponsors.

I was just reading Julie’s blog http://tri-chick-julie.blogspot.com/ and I was thinking about her recent rant on BikeSource. There are a lot of companies out there that really just can’t take care of their customers, and hence they lose them, and their money. So, I have compiled a brief list of tri-related (and some not) companies that have really helped me out this year, or in year’s past.

In no particular order:

Freeride Bike and Skate Shop- Warrensburg, MO www.freeridebikeandskate.com 660-429-6595 Justin and his crew go out of the way to make you happy. They specialize in more mountain and freeride style bikes, but they do have quite a selection of road bikes and order in the best tri bikes available. No body will beat their prices on full and frame bikes.

TriSports.com- Tucson, AZ (online) www.trisports.com 888-293-3943 TriSports.com knows what you want. The know before you know, and they have it in stock for you. These people can take of you. The best place to go for gear, gizmos, necessitites. They even sell complete bikes. Check out their Fly n’ Fit program. Their motto: This sport is hard enough. Your shopping shouldn’t be.


Tropical Xtreme Tanz- Blue Springs, MO tropicalxtremetanz@sbcglobal.net 816-228-2269 Pam, Enoch and families have finally provided the eastern Kansas City area with a very high quality tanning facility at a price everyone can afford. They offer the absolute best tanning beds around. You should check out their high pressure Sunboard tanning bed. It’s the only one you’ll find this side of Colorado. Also, while this may be a top of the line salon, you don’t get the snooty “We’re too good for you here’s your bed take a towel” staff. The people TXT have really made this the premier tanning place. Oh, and I have the best color I have ever had!

Defined Fitness Training, LLC- Denver, CO/ KC www.definedfitnesstraining.com Megan Hottman, a women’s cat 1/2 pro cyclist in her own right, has gone way beyond what could be expected of a club owner. She not only offers detailed training plans to meet every client’s individual needs, but she has also started an all-women’s race team in the areas of cycling, running, and triathlon. There are women from Las Vegas, Memphis, Souix Falls, Denver, and Kansas City metro areas. This team provides the vital training and emotional support needed to help me get through the day to day as I prepare for my Ironman.

KC Truck Central/ Jeff Bloss- Blue Springs, MO jeff@kctruckcentral.com Need a semi? Buy it here. Seriously. I have known Jeff for some time and has helped me out this year- please support him and his business. He’s a great guy and will take care of you.

Just Ride Sports- Blue Springs, MO www.justridesports.com 816-224-5545 Eric Staton, Ryan Didier and crew offer you the premier place to buy your casual surf/skate/lake appareal and gear. They don’t just have clothing and accessories. They sell the Benzo’s and Bugatti’s of ski and wakeboard boats- Ski Nautique, Correct Craft, and Tige Boats. Need something? Call them. They’ll get it for you.

Eric Staton- Blue Springs, MO www.hesminedontbother.com Yeah yeah, with out him I couldn’t do any of the things I like to do. He’s my lobster (F-R-I-E-N-D-S and Phoebe, anyone?) and I love him.

posted @ 4/30/2007 12:29:16 PM (0) Comments
Monday, April 30, 2007
The weekend!
Weekend Recap!

So last week I read something from Kelly Benjamin’s blog about how her and some other swimmers used to go down to Hillsdale lake and jump off of the super tall bridge into the water. It’s so dangerous- concrete pilings that have fallen apart, rebar, etc in some parts of the water. Oh, and the fact that it’s like 40 feet up. Which of course makes is so dangerous… I did the same thing once upon a time with some of the older guys and girls on my swim team … who would have known that I would do something equally as illegal this weekend.. Well, I mean, there’s always loopholes in the legalities- I should know, I do work for lawyers…

Friday at work was a disaster and I couldn’t wait to get home to start my weekend. I had “Bike Friday” but this wasn’t training. I pulled out my old bike (which sold on eBay on Saturday) and took apart the cranks, cassette, chain- pretty much all of the low end components and scrubbed them down clean. I still have nasty gritty grease stains on my hands today. I then resprayed with white lightning what needed to be resprayed and put it back together. Not really sure why I put it back together since I sold it to someone in Topeka so I may have to ship it which will require to be broken back down. I hadn’t drink in a long time and I had one and one half Miller Lites and that pretty much did me in for the night. Eric and I ate and I was off to bed.

Saturday morning I woke up early. I ran to Wally world about 6:30 am to get some Zip ties (of course I got the wrong size, but they’ll do). The guy working the cash register was creepy on like 4 different levels so I scurried out of there! I got home gathered up my stuff and headed out to the pre-determined meeting spot to ride with Karen, Cheryl S. and Moto Michele. Big surprise, Moto called me and was still in bed- I told her to hurry her ass up and just get there. Karen had never ridden in clips before and Cheryl helped her get set up in those. Karen moseyed around the parking lot a bit, fell over once, and then had the hang of it. I didn’t laugh too hard because I knew I had my new SpeedPlays and they are seriously spring loaded- super hard to get in and out of when breaking them in.

Cheryl, Karen and I then started off down out little TT course. We all hung together for a while as Karen (and myself really) was getting the hang of her new (and first) road bike. –Let me tell you something about this woman: She can run. Obviously. One look at her and your know she can run. I have seen her swim. For a “newbie” she gets through the water dang fast. And OF COURSE she was just hanging right on in there on the bike. She is going to be a ridiculously fast triathlete. I mean, really. I don’t know what age group she’s in, maybe 30-34. But look out. I give her one season and she’s top 5-ing in the AG consistently. And yes, I know how fast those AG’s are.-

Anyway.. the three of us road the 6 mile out and back and then pulled in and waited for Moto. She got there unloaded and we headed of together. This was Moto’s first ride since the broken hip and first time on her bike basically since September I think. Oh, and she finally named her bike- Precious Purple. Anyway, we all started taking turn attacking and Cheryl and I really started battling. On the last out and back I started to reel her in and then bam- she was off the front again. Grr. When we got to the turn around she had slowed and waited for me.

We rode along for about 2 min chatting, but neither of us were sitting up. There is this little down hill where you get a second to really push a big gear hard. I heard her start shifting and I was like “uh-uh!” and started hammering. My legs felt like they would blow up and my HR was over 95% but there was no way! I was going to let her get past me again. I was pumping it out at 28mph on the flat and everything was burning. Then I hear this quite little “Car Back” as if she was standing next to me sipping on a martini. I yelled “You’re still back there!?” totally in disbelief. I figured she had blown up because I couldn’t hear her back there at all. Then there was a slight hill coming up. I looked down at my shifters (seems strange having them at the end of aerobars) and in that split second VRRROOOM she was gone. There was absolutely NO chance of me catching back up. My legs were done. It was sad that I was off of her so quickly, but that girl can ride a bike!! Once back into the parking lot she and I slipped on running shoes while Moto left to sign up for Master’s Swim, and Karen headed out to her son’s soccer game. We ran side by side both hurting but neither of us really pushing the pace- nor at the same time neither of us willing to drop it either. I was having some calf issues and general tightness so at about 18 min I said I needed to head back. We continued on together for about 5 min then her pace picked up and I just couldn’t shift into that next gear.

After our run we met back up with Moto and had breakfast at First Watch. mmm mmm mmm. Good. It was funny because I had on my HalfMax Tri top and there were people in their reading it out loud and talking amongst themselves saying “she’s crazy, I could never do that... Blah blah blah...” you know how that goes.

I got home after tanning, napped, and did some cleaning. Eric headed down to Warrensburg so J Moore and I went to the moves. We saw FRACTURE with Anthony Hopkins. It’s wasn’t a scary horror flick like I thought it would be. However, it was a quality thriller. When I got home I climbed into bed- at almost 11:45- way past my usually Saturday bed time.

The alarm went off Sunday and I begrudgingly got up and drove out to the Trolley Run. I was a course monitor which basically meant I stood there and blocked traffic with my car. Julie and Dan ran over to me and were just jogging my place talking to me... I was like, what are you doing! GO! But oh, Julie, PS I really like the shirt you had on. J

I got home, napped, then did some house cleaning. I think I should hire a MerryMaid because this cleaning crap sure is getting old.

About 5:00pm I called Cheryl to see if she was serious about wanting to get in an Open Water Swim. We had discussed it a couple times over the week but never came up with a plan. She and I drove out to Blue Springs lake, checked out the place by the dam boat ramp (haha like on National Lampoon’s Vacation at the Hoover Dam). There was a big new sign that said SWIMMING PROHIBITED. We were both willing to chance it except that water patrol was floating directly off the dock. So that was a no go. We drove around the lake to the marina, and there were just way too many people out there. We had gone past the beach entrance but it was closed. We decided to go back and try it. I parked just outside the gate. The gate only blocked cars, and not foot traffic so it didn’t look obvious that we were parked there.

We grabbed our gear and packs and hiked the half mile or so down to the water. The beach was definitely closed with about 10 signs saying “Swimming prohibited from shore and dock” but we sat down on some rocks and weighed out our options. A pontoon boat pulled up to let their dogs potty and I asked that if the Water Po-po pulled up if we could say that we were with them and were swimming from their boat. They said we were crazy but sure, go ahead. I got my wetsuit on so fast. I didn’t want to take a chance of anyone seeing us leave from the shore.

The water was so cold. BUT it was fun. We got in and swam around for a bit. Cheryl was freezing (but I wasn’t, thank you www.TriSports.com!) so we got out about 20 minutes later. We weren’t in the water as long as I would have hoped for, but it was something.

Sunday night Eric and I grilled steaks (good job, Honey, they were great!) watched Desperate Housewives and I fell asleep in my comfy chair (thank you, Julie, thank you, Erin). I woke up from there, took a shower and got into bed.

Now, here I am starting the week over. Oh, and last night I had a dream that Lance Armstrong and I were dating? What?? Weird.

186 Days until IRONMAN
20 Days until Heritage Park!


posted @ 4/30/2007 10:09:55 AM (0) Comments
Friday, April 27, 2007
GoldMember and MORE!!
“…I lost my dillyhoo in an unfortunate gold smelting accident… Hence the name GoldMember…”

So, the bike is in, and it is fitted! I went up the The Trek Store- KC and met with Steve, my fitter. I got there right at 5:00pm and we sat down and discussed everything about how I ride, how I’d like to ride, and my goals for the season. I got changed and we then went on to take measurements to make sure I’m on the right size frame (yes, I did order the right frame and it was worth the wait). I got on the fit bike and he watched me pedal, etc. We then made some adjustments, then pedaled, then made adjustments, then pedaled… then he checked my leg length (No, I am not a gimp, they are the same length- HOWEVER my hips are cockeyed and one side is posteriorly rotated and the other is anteriorly rotated. So I’m loppy there, but we did some stretches and got everything measured out correctly.
Somewhere near 6:45pm or so we did these laser measurements, and the way he said laser made me start thinking about the Austin Powers movies and the line where Dr. Evil says something about “Sharks with freaking laser beams on their heads” so then the Austin Powers quotes started rolling out (for some reason the trilogy has been on TV a LOT lately) Michele came up to meet me for dinner about 7:30pm, and since we were still finishing up the fit, she came back and sat and watched. She and I feed off of each other so we were getting kind of wound up.
The fit was finished about 8:00pm and the end product I am really happy with. I’m slightly nervous about the Speedplay pedal switch – I’ve had Time RXS pedals for a year- but SpeedPlay was a major contributor to the DFT Team (www.definedfitnesstraining.com) and they made an offer too good to pass up! Steve did a great job asking for my input continuously through out the whole fit process and I’m excited to get out on the road and do some testing… Which I’m doing tomorrow but that’s another subject I’ll get to in a bit.
Anyway, I was picking up all my gear and Steve had taken my bike off the stand and it was all gold and sparkly and he said a line off of Austin Powers about “..loving freaking gold...” and that’s when I had my epiphany. My bike has a name: GOLDMEMBER. How amazingly perfect is that? I love it. I had waited to name him because I knew that it would just come to me. And voila, it did!
So Michele and I got GoldMember loaded up and headed out for some Planet Sub dinner. Yum!
If you are in the KC area and are looking for Serotta/FIST certified fitter, please check out Steve at Trek-KC. He’s a multi-faceted cyclist/ triathlete, personal trainer, and from what I heard his wife is a heck of a marathoner. He seems to know what he’s talking about. The contact info is 913-631-6800 or www.trekkc.com As some of you may know I have had some poor experiences at Trek-KC, but this was very good and I was pleased with my service.
Now, as far as how I’m hoping the weekend will go…
Tonight I need to get Larry (my old multisport bike that’s on eBay) cleaned up so I can send off to a new home. The auction ends tomorrow so I would like to either have him crated ready to go tomorrow or Monday. It was sad Wednesday night- I took off the pedals, saddle, HR sticker, etc. But, I’m excited to for him to go fast for someone else. I truly love that bike, and had it fit me better, I may have kept it instead of selling it, but that wasn’t going to work this time. I’m not against getting another to use as a training bike in the future.
My goals for the evening is to check out the TT route for tomorrow and see if I need to bring a broom to sweep gravel or anything else. The girls and I haven’t come up with a definite start time, but Karen said something about 8:00am and that sounds pretty darn good to me. I need to go by AutoZone and get a new headlight for the car (thank you Mr. Merrriam, KS police officer for not pulling me over last night like I’m sure you wanted to) and then go home and clean up Larry- bike I’m selling. Maybe even have a beer.
Tomorrow me and some of my DFT team mates are going to hit up a new-found TT spot. Probably won’t go to hard. Trolley run is Sunday (I’m not racing- I’m the Course Monitor!) and Julie and I are in taper for the Marathon and 1/2 Mara, respectively. Although, Cheryl Shakespeare mentioned getting in a quick run after we do a few laps on the TT and I doubt I’ll be able to resist that! Weather should be perfect for it- be about 65 in the morning, high of 78. Light breeze. Good Times. Here are the routes (there’s two because I don’t know if the detour is still up or not)

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=124211 -regular TT w/o detour
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=124214 -w/detour -the detour actually adds in some mileage.

Sunday is the Trolley Run, and since I just get to stand and yell GO JULIE!!! (haha Jules, you know you love it!) and make sure no cars come plowing runners down, I am going to want to do something fun too. So if I can get the house cleaned up Eric told me he would put a boat in in Blue Springs Lake and Cheryl S and I can go swim around in the freezing water. Might not be fun to you, but I got a fancy schmancy new wetsuit (Thank you www.TriSports.com !!!) so I’m excited for it.
Hopefully at some point of the weekend Eric and I can cook that turkey that he so skillfully got last weekend (I’m proud of him- his first and I think it was 24lbs!?). That’s all for now, folks!

..anybody know how to add photos to blogs? I have a couple doozies!




posted @ 4/27/2007 9:13:07 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Where do babies come from?

“Mommy, where do babies come from,” she asked me, “Well, Sweetie, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much, they get together and look into each other’s bank accounts and see if they have enough money to buy a new baby. If they have enough money they call a baby seller- they’re called dealerships,” I continued slowly, “and they order the baby from the dealership. Sometimes the mommy and daddy only wait a few days. Sometimes they wait for months and months. I had to wait a very long time for you,” I went on, “That’s how I knew you would be so special. I even had tears in my eyes the first time I saw you.” She beamed at me. “I knew you were perfect and would be the best baby my money could buy.” I patted her lightly. “I love you mommy.” “I love you too sweetheart.” We hugged.
MY BIKE IS HERE, MY BIKE IS HERE!!! It's ssoooo pretty and gold and sparkly.. I love her!! (I think it's a her... although that may change.. and I haven't come up with a name yet...
It's a 2007 Specialized Transistion Expert. All DuraAce/Ultegra. Yeah baby!
posted @ 4/24/2007 1:19:03 PM (0) Comments
Monday, April 23, 2007
Riding in the Land of Oz

The bike gods to me : “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little bike, too!”
Me: “There’s no place like being on my new bike, there’s no place like being on my new bike..”

Megan Hottman recently made a quote about the Bike Gods hating her. Apparently they are out to get a bunch of us.. or at least me.

So, my new bike was to be in Friday. Today is Monday at almost 1pm. Still nothing. AND on top of that, I cant even look it up or track it. It was sent by freight carrier- semi truck- not UPS or FedEx. L so I have NO IDEA where he/she (gender TBD) is. So, it’s not Specialized, it’s not Freeride, it’s the damn truck driver… ::sigh:: it was probably jumped and ran to Mexico to be parted out…

However, on a slightly better note, last weekend I really worked my ass of..
My nutrition has been a huge struggle for me lately, and I’m trying to get that under control. SO, I ate well on Friday- well mostly- my folk’s took us to Hereford House for dinner, so my indulgence was the small prime rib and rice pilaf. Saturday morning I woke up, ate a Clif Bar, and headed out for my run. Since last week was so crazy, and the week before that I was sick, that was pretty much my first run in close to two weeks. NOT GOOD. I only ran 5.5 and it took me an hour to do it- I felt like I was going SO slow. My times proved it. But, it’s important to just DO IT! But, I had to call Julie and Robyn and have them both provide encouraging words to get me out. As the end result it was nice out- even hot. I then went and swam in my new wetsuit- THANKS TRISPORTS.COM!! It’s great. I love it. Then I put in a few lap w/o and chatted up some potential master’s team members. … Came home, ate a fresh tuna salad sandwich (YUM!) and went tanning. For those of you in the Eastern KC area, check out Tropical Xtreme Tanz at the intersection of Moreland School Rd and 7 hwy in Blue Springs. They are awesome!! Saturday evening I watched Eric ride his motocross bike at my dad’s track (Grain Valley MX) and then went and ate “Mexican” w/ Alyson and Eric. I actually had a grilled chicken salad which was quite good, and a Pacifico beer (my new favorite). Eric and I headed home and went to bed early, yippee!!

Sunday, Eric got up at 3:30 to go turkey hunting with his dad- he shot a 23lb turkey- his first. I have the chunk of meat in my good kettle sitting in the fridge to prove it. I got up about 7:30 and played with the dogs. I then went to Home Depot where I managed to spend over $100 on flowers for my flower pots. They look good but I can’t believe how much $$ it cost! It might be a few weeks before I actually plant in the ground now. The wind and weather was foreboding. The sky kept spitting and when I checked the weather channel our area would avoid the rain, but would get hit with wind gusts of up to 45 mph. I found that out the hard way…

Julie and Monica showed up about 1:30 for our planned ride. We rode out about 8 miles and all of us were getting tossed around like frisbies. We decided to say f it turn back. At about mile 11 Julie started having pain in her foot again from a running injury. We called Eric and she sag’ed back with him. Monica and I trudged on. There are two very big hills on the way back- the first, I almost considered getting off and pushing. They were both directly into a headwind. After making the top of the first I started rolling down w/o pedaling but just coasting- I wasn’t moving. I have done this before on this hill and just at a coast I hit about 20mph. When I looked down yesterday I was going 4.8MPH!!!! The second hill wasn’t as bad, but not fun nonetheless.

Eric and I grilled out and went to bed before 9:15pm. Oh, yesterday was Earth Day and the Discovery Channel had an AMAZING special on. I don’t know for sure what it was, but I wish I had it on DVD!.

Hopefully my new bike will be in today…

Me: “Please bike gods, please, let it come in”
Bike gods: “Shut up and get back to work…”
posted @ 4/23/2007 11:08:28 AM (0) Comments
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Chief Export of Chuck Norris is Pain...
http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/
“The chief export of Chuck Norris is PAIN.”


197 days until Ironman Florida!!

Well, my knees hurt. Pretty bad. I missed a couple “spin classes” (more like roadie bootcamp that was twice a week since the first week of January) the last two weeks- I was super dooper sick- so I hadn’t been on my bike in a week. ::sigh:: and last night I did a 3 hour ride on the trainer. What is it? 30min on the trainer is worth 45 min on the road? So that would be, um, FOUR AND 1/2 HOURS. And oh, it wasn’t just, pedal for 3 hours… if I get a copy of the workout I’ll post it. I think I spent an hour standing.

So my new bike comes in today. Hip-hip-hooray! I mean, I originally ordered a bike December 26th. The Trek Equinox 9 TT. The Freeride (my dealer) guys tried and tried to get me to order this Specialized, and I was like “No! I have to have a trek blah blah blah blah..” Well big surprise, it’s out of stock.. so January came and went, then February, then in the first week of March, Justin (Freeride owner), calls me up and says “you’re riding Specialized, I just dropped Trek” so BAM. I say, okay, order the damn Specialized (note: I have a specialized now and I love it, I just thought the Trek “looked cooler”.. I am an idiot) .. well the day after he ordered it I went to another bike shop to guarantee the size fit, etc.. the bike is gold flake. It’s so ugly it’s pretty. I mean, really. it screams “look at me” … great, so everyone will look at the chubby chick on the badass bike.. anyway, it gets in today and I pick it up tomorrow.

Speaking of, I don’t want to be the chubby chick anymore. When I signed up for IMFL I said that I wanted to lose 36 lbs in 36 weeks. Easy enough. Well, I had lost 12 and I’m up 3 from that. IT’S FREAKING WEEK 24. So I am only 9 lbs down from 24 weeks ago. There is NO excuse for that. I’m going to really get a kickstart on my nutrition this weekend and workout out hard a couple days (started w/ that 3 hrs last nigh). Hopefully my Monday morning weigh in will reflect that.

I have been catching the occasional episode of WorkOut on t.v. Man that Jackie is badass. Aside from the lesbo thing, I want to be like her. She has functional muscle that is not bulky and is very feminine. I heart Jackie. I heard her tell someone on her show that she expected that client to be down 15 lbs in two weeks at their next weigh in. Now, if someone can lose 15lbs in 14 days, I still have a chance to lose 28lbs in 12 weeks, right? Right?!? That’s 2.3 lbs/ week. So doable… right?

Okay, I’ll try to post how my weekend bootcamp goes, but next week at work is super crazy busy, so I may have to do it later.

Courtney
*Dreams Are Never Wrong*

posted @ 4/20/2007 8:32:48 AM (0) Comments
Friday, April 13, 2007
Personal Training/ Coaching Info

Courtney Crutcher
Personal Swim Coach
Offering personalized training and lessons to swimmers of all abilities.


One on One – Tri Season Prep - High School Swimming Prep – Adult Lessons - Clinics

Competing since age nine, Courtney is a former national record holder in the 400 medley relay. After swimming through a torn labrum in the right shoulder, she hung up her full-time goggles at the end of her sophomore year of college. She has since began a successful triathlon career, including winning the women’s 20-24 age group National Title at the US Half-Max National Championship and being named to TEAM USA for the 2006 Long Distance Worlds.

Courtney has coached and taught private lessons since age 15. She is a former USA Swimming registered coach and is certified in First Aid, rescue breathing, and CPR by the Red Cross. Upcoming certifications are ISSA personal training, USA Triathlon and US Masters Swimming coaching certifications.

***
Swimming is very technical and it is easy to lose your "feel" for the water. Many athletes such as triathletes, high school, and masters swimmers can get into the pool and put in the distance, but don’t understand the mechanics. Having a watchful coach with years of experience in and out of water can help you pull the most out of every practice.

One on One and Adult lessons:

I like to get into the pool with you for at least your first session- it's helpful to have someone in the water with you instead of just standing over you when you're swimming. I learn better by watching and following an example, and it seems most people do as well. This is usually 2 hours and is best to do on a weekend when we have a little more flex time. I recommend meeting twice a week, preferably Saturday for 1hr 30min to 2hrs and a week night. The week night lessons are about one hour to 1hr 15min- depending on your goals, fitness, and what we're working on. I also give you "homework" or written up sets and practices w/drills for you to do on your own, once or twice a week, depending on your schedule.

The initial lesson is $60. How the first day works: I will give you some skills and drills to try, and will demonstrate them. I will also be testing your swimming fitness. This will include your strength and weaknesses, technique, and how well you swim in aerobic and anaerobic zones (important when racing long distance vs. sprint). This will give us a base to build on for the rest of your lessons and the workouts I will write for you. You and I will have a sit down and discuss your goals and what you expect out of me as a coach, and what you want to get out of your lessons and workouts.

From there we will start twice-weekly sessions which will cost $50 dollars a week and include written workouts for you to do on your own, as well as dryland skill and technique workouts. If you want to only meet once a week it is $35. Minimum is 6 weeks plus the initial review session. Returning clients need not repeat the initial session.


High School Prep, Tri Season Prep

Getting ready to start a new season as a high school swimmer or triathlete? Wanting to get the edge on the other swimmers before tryouts? Prep training consists of technical skills and drills to correct any troubles before it becomes a problem. This is a great way for new swimmers to get into a team environment and learn swim-speak such as the names of exercises, reading pace clocks, and responding to up front coaching. Not sure if HS swimming is for your kid? HS Prep offers a trial look at sets common in HS practices. Each High School and Tri Prep practice includes dryland training. Workouts will vary between an 1hr 15min and 2hrs- swimmers will be notified on the length each upcoming practice. It’s best to start Prep sessions six to eight weeks prior to the season start. Preparation sessions for both HS and Tri Seasons are 4 weeks minimum. I like to coach at two practices, and give one or two “take-home” swim workouts for swimmers to do a week on their own time. Maximum number of swimmers in either Prep session is eight. This ensures each swimmer individual attention. As a pricing guideline, three swimmers with two practices a week is $105/week at a six week minimum. Additional swimmers are $20 each (up to 8 maximum).

Clinics

Clinics are one day sessions where swimmers learn basic swimming techniques, importance of training, goal setting, and motivational talk. I will bring in my national medals for swimmers to try on- younger kids love this! Clinics are four to six hours. These are best set up through your High School teams or local swim clubs with assistance of team coaches. Please call for pricing.

*Dreams are Never Wrong*


Please contact me if you have any questions. You and I can work together to decide what is best for you and your training. References are available upon request.

Contact Info:

Courtney Crutcher
triswimcoach@yahoo.com



posted @ 4/13/2007 11:54:23 AM (0) Comments
Friday, April 13, 2007
204 days until IMFL
yeah,
204 days.

and I am SICK!

From an email earlier today:
And on top of everything I'm sick. I thought I was just overtraining and overworking myself, but it's got to be something more. I have really backed off the last week and a half or better, but I just keep getting worse. I am going to go to the dr's office to have blood work done this afternoon. I have been feeling so exhausted lately, and then we did that ride on Wednesday and I serisously could hardly move yesterday. I went to spin last night and I couldnt get my HR above 70% when I should have been around 85-90% for the main sets. Spin coach told me it sounds like i have mono and look like crap, which is what my mom said. I went home, stripped off my clothes stood in the shower and just climbed into bed and had eric get all of my stuff out of the car.. I was out before 9:15 and eric had to wake me up this morning because i never even heard my alaram clock go off.

I am sore all over, am super tired, and my joints ache. And my resting HR is up almost 6 bpm. so, i dont know what it is, but something is NOT right. I am hoping that it's just a combo of my work and training and coaching, cuz it's all adding up to be a lot. But I have been feeling crappier each day for almost two 2 weeks, and there is no end in sight. I have to get this figured out!
posted @ 4/13/2007 11:52:12 AM (0) Comments

Welcome To My Life.

Well, I'm making the effort to transer on over to the Blogger world.

SponsorHouse/Loop'd Network is awesome for sponsorship searching, but, I'm looking for a little bit more out of the old bloggy blog. Namely, one that doesn't run so slowly because I accrue too many hits (In less than 18 months my old blog recieved 71,000+ hits. Doesn't seem that bad until you see that the 61,000 were from the last 8 months.).

I'll be dilly dallying around over here for a while before I make the full switch, so expect dual posts.

So, HELLO THERE WORLD! Here I am!

Ironman Florida 2007 Race Recap

Wednesday, November 07, 2007


Iron Week Review!

Iron Week Part One- Like a Fairy Tale



Julie, Dan and I managed to make ourselves fairly comfy after a crazy flight and screaming babies on a plane. How could we not? We were staying in the most amazing condo ever. Ever. I was really excited to get checked in to the race and all the fun stuff, but most of all I was missing Eric. He was driving up from Orlando and it had been about 5 days since I saw him last. It was our 7 year anniversary and I was really looking forward to spending the evening with him.



Before we could do that, though, Julie and I checked into race, picked up our baggage (ha, no really, there’s like 10000 bags and stickers and numbers you have to pick up), and did some grocery shopping. In case you have ever wondered, WalMart in Florida is no nicer than WalMart in Missouri. However, I guess it’s expectable to shop without shoes there, but you have to have ridiculously tan leather skin to make up for it. There were probably 100 other athletes pushing shopping carts in a race day nutrition daze. All I wanted was twist top Gatorade. I did not care what flavor, but they were all gone!! At least Julie was able to get some.



After we finished our little shopping trip we went back to the condo where my Merpie (pet name, don’t ask, for Eric) was there. I talked to him for a sec and then Dan took Julie and I over to Tom & Adele’s condo about 6 miles away (Eric’s folks). From there we straightened up the bikes and got ready to ride back. Tom had made a comment about not being able to release the brake to make my bike roll. I figured the caliper was pushed against the wheel and that was it. However, when we got there, I realized that the skewer had come out of the drop out, and the only thing holding on the wheel (yes, Jared’s ridiculously nice wheels that I borrowed) was the brake. OMG. I panicked, then figured out everything was okay. Got the wheel checked over, bike checked over, and decided we were good. Julie and I rode back to our condo giggling and laughing the whole way. The wind was ridiculous, but man, it was gorgeous out. We both felt great and we were ready to go.



When I got back to the condo I changed into a swim suit and Eric and I gathered up a blanket and back packs. We had been planning to get the watch the sun go down together and spend some time with each other since the rest of the week was to be hectic. We walked down the beach picking up sea shells and holding hands. It was a total cliché. We could have been on the cover of a Hallmark card. Of course, the sun set was amazing and we exchanged cards and cuddled and talked about the race to come. I told Eric we needed to be heading back since Julie was making lasagna, so he told me to start packing stuff up and he would too. I had my back to him when he said “Hey Court..” so I turned around. And there, on one knee atop a blanket holding the most beautiful diamond ring EVER, Eric proposed. Ugh, I’m teary eyed just thinking about it. I screamed and laughed and cried and said yes and hugged and kissed and cried and said yes….



We eventually made it back to the condo and told Dan and Julie the good news. Wow! What a way to start race week!



Iron Week Part Two- Please, Do NOT Drown



Thursday morning Julie and I got up and headed down to the practice swim. The start of the race was exactly a mile from our condo, so we just walked down the beach with our bags giggling about last night and the days to come.



We found a spot on the sand and then swam out for a ways and stopped and floated for a bit. We decided to head to the next buoy. I got there a bit before Julie did. I was watching this guy clinging to the buoy. I mean, white knuckled grip. I asked if he was ok and he shook his head yes. I floated a minute as Julie swam up. I started to swim again when I looked over at the man on the buoy, it looked like he was trying to swim on top of it. “Hey man, are you okay?” Again the head nod yes, but this time he verbally said HELP HELP. .. well, shit. Here I am, 600 yards from shore, and the guy is gonna drown. I swam over to him and asked if he spoke English. He said “Help” Great, he’s gonna drown and is foreign. “It’s ok, I’m a lifeguard.” “Lifeguard?” he repeated, and relaxed his grip. Okay, so he speaks some English. “Do you speak English?” yes, he replied he did. I told him I could help him but he needed to promise that he was listen to what I was telling him. He agreed. So I asked him what the problem was, he kept saying his heart rate was high because he was scared of the open water. So I changed the subject, it’s a distraction technique, and I was hoping that someone else was noticing what was going on. I knew Julie had seen me go to him when he yelled help, so at least someone could swim to shore if needed. I told him my name and that this was my first IronMan, and that I was a swimmer and a guard and would stay with him. I talked to him about where he was from (Ecuador), I even told him I got engaged the night before. He smiled and seemed to relax. I asked if he would be ok swimming back. He grabbed the buoy again and started to panic. He vigorously shook his head no. I told him I would swim right next to him the whole way. Finally he agreed. Surprisingly, he was a strong swimmer, and I didn’t need to slow my swim pace down to stay next to him. He then stop abruptly and started saying “heart rate too high, I’m scared” So I grabbed his wrist and looked at his HRM. 198 bpm. ONE HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT. I asked his age. 37 I think. Shit, shit, shit, foreign homeboy is gonna have a heart attack .I calmed him back down as we treaded water. I held his hand and I think he may have been crying. He kept saying how sorry he was to bother me, and that he trained so hard for this race but couldn’t get past the second buoy. I kept telling him not to worry about it. I said “let’s just paddle back towards shore with out swimming. Let me know when your HR gets to 140.” About a minute later he said his hr was 132. Great. We swam back near shore. Once he was clamed down enough I agreed to swim out with him a little ways and back. He did fine. Off course we saw some white basketball looking jellies! Eek! On Sunday after the race I ran into him and he said that he swam a 1:06- the same time I swam. I congratulated him on a great race. He gave me a hug and said that without my help he could not have gotten out of the water Thursday. Wow, that made me feel good!



Jules and I walked back to the condo when we thought we saw some stingrays. We waded into the water all excited. WRONG. It was a MASSIVE BLACK jellyfish right on shore. UGH. Freaked me out!!! Julie laughed!



The rest of the day went quickly, and we spent the evening packed like sardines in the banquet hall for the athlete’s meeting.



Iron Week Part Three- Prep



Friday morning Julie and I rode down to the pancake breakfast, ate, made signs and got excellent massages. We headed back to the condo, packed our transition and special needs bags (wow, I didn’t realize how much crap I head until it was all in bags), loaded them in the car, and had the boys follow us back to bike check in.



What a zoo! People were everywhere with their bikes and bags. We got ours settled and racked our bikes. Then we walked around looking at some of the pro’s bikes. Bella Commerford had a P3c with ITU bars! Strange!



After that, we decided to let the boys (Dan- Julie’s hubby, Eric, and Jeff- my brother) have some fun. We took them to scooter rental and said see ya later! They had a blast.



Julie and I went back to the condo, where we had M-Dot cookies from Robyn waiting for us and a box from my friends at work. There were all kinds of good stuff in there! Thank you all so much!



We parked ourselves in the water on the beach and took some time to chat and think about the next day. Then we made ourselves our last meal and ate together before all the guys got back.



Later, Tom & Adele, and my mom & dad would stop in to give us well wishes. Tom and Adele gave us buckeyes for good luck.



I went to bed about 8pm, but woke up shortly after hungry. I mowed down a Clif bar and a bottle of water. Of course, I woke up at midnight to pee, then again about 2am. I pretty much just laid there until 4am. I was ready, I knew I was ready. The night before I took 45min to myself on the balcony to stretch and mentally rehearse my race. I had my focus words: Strength, Courage. I would repeat these words to myself, out loud through out the ride and run.



Iron Week Part Four- I’m Gonna Be an IronMan Today



The morning went by fast. I forced myself to eat a bagel, and drink. Soon, the boys, Julie and myself walked down to the race start. We stocked our bikes and added some stuff to our bags. The next thing I knew, we were climbing into our wetsuits! Go time baby!!



I got a little teary eyed and nervous when I had to tell Eric goodbye. Funny, I remember feeling the exact same way every time before I swam the 200 fly. Pretty sure there’s a big difference there, but for whatever reason I felt the same. We made it to the corral, gave each other hugs and parted ways. I got to about the forth line and near the inside. Right in front of me was Paula Newby Fraser and a video camera. The camera guy panned over me a couple times, and when I was getting focused and putting my goggles on I saw that it was directly pointed at me. Sometimes I’m playful and will wave. This time, I couldn’t even crack a smile. I wanted to do this!



The last song I remember hearing was “Ironman” from Ozzy Osborne. Perfect! The cannon went off, and we all went into the water. The first 200 yards was a washing machine and I swam with my head up. No biggie at all. I had some sighting issues going to the first corner buoy, but I eventually made it there. I pretty always either had quick feet to swim on, or open water, all my choice. I found I was passing a lot of people, so I didn’t try to stay on anyone’s feet, and I especially didn’t want to hit anyone’s timing chip. I did notice that for the most part everyone was courteous and polite, no elbows on purpose or anything like that. When I got out of the water for the first loop, I saw my first split was a 33. Dang, not too shabby for swimming easy! I made the decision before the start not to push the swim. It’s a long day and 3 minutes won’t make a difference. I got a sip of water and headed back in. The second loop was pretty uneventful. Until I swam over some jellyfish. EEK! Then, about 400 yards from shore, I felt like I got stung by a wasp on my face. It hurt, but it wasn’t the most painful thing ever. I just kept swimming; when I was getting a massage after the race, I was telling someone about it. Apparently, a jelly sting is just like a wasp sting. And, yes, I got stung on my face by a jellyfish. UGH!... Soon after the water was only 15 feet deep again (BTW- The water is crystal clear. Even when the shelf drops off you can see about 20 feet below you. It’s amazing!), and I saw a great big crab scurrying along the bottom. It made me smile. I came out of the water and looked at my watch- 1:06. Nice!! Better than I would have thought. The wetsuit strippers tossed me on the ground and I rinsed in the showers. In hindsight, I should I have rinsed better. I had sand caked to my back the whole bike.



2.4 mile Swim- 1:06.08



In the change tent I stripped off my clothes and put on my fresh cycling gear. Luckily, there were only a handful of girls in the tent, so I had two very atentative volunteers to myself. I ran on out to the bike were another young volunteer was waiting with it. She said “Good luck ma’am” and I laughed and thanked her.



T1- 0:06:33



At the very start of the bike we have to snake your way out of the IronMan village to the road. There were people yelling everywhere. I decided to yell too “I’M GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN TODAY!” and the crowd went ballistic! People were screaming and clapping. I felt like a rockstar rolling thru a crowd of my fans.



Right away people began passing me like crazy. I started my nutrition plan, one that I stuck to like clockwork for the rest of the day. I could not believe how hard these people were pushing so early. At about mile 22 my knee that was giving me problems started in. I rode for 5 miles with it until I decided that it was ok to use one of my emergency pain pills. I had put 2 500mg Naproxen in a baggie with my asthma inhaler to have with me on the bike and run. Not sure if the naproxen did it’s job or was just a placebo, but within 20 min the pain had subsided substantially. A good portion of the bike was a blur to me. I saw so many people drafting in packs. I mean, full on pelotons. I decided I wanted no part of it, and the only person I was racing was myself. I let them all go. At one point I rode past a Sin Bin and yelled “Penalty free is the way to be” and they started cheering.



Speaking of cheering, the volunteers at this race are better than anything ever! They really are terrific. What an amazing job they do. Perfect bottle passes, every time. They’re awesome. :)



I didn’t like that the special needs bags were so early. They were at about mile 47. However, I do understand that logistically speaking they needed to do it earlier than the RD’s had planned. Ok, take what you can get. I stopped for a bout 5 minutes, dug thru my bag, pulled out my bike tool in case they were throwing bags away, and got my crackers. YUM!

I kept up the pace I wanted too, even though some of the roads started to get bad- really rough. I was growing concerned about my tubes and tires as I saw a few people with flats. The wind really started to pick up around mile 70. However, at mile 80, I still felt good, better even, than 40 miles before. So many people have told me about their physical and mental breakdowns on the bike at mile 80. I decided that now would be my time. I had planned to build the last 25 miles, but I started a little early. I was battling the wind, but still felt like I was riding strong, even though I wasn’t going as fast. At mile 100 I stopped for a potty break. My tummy wasn’t happy with the gels, but I decided to try to poo to help. I couldn’t go, but I figured the tummy pressure was just gas and I was fine. The next 12 miles I owned. After cresting the bridge, I put my head down and went. I was tired of the wind, I was tired of the drafting. I decided to tell the drafters and mother nature to Eff off. I clicked it down a gear, tucked in as arrow as I could go, and pushed it. One of the best things was pulling out around a pack of over 12 people, all with discs and aero helmets and passing them in one swoop- right in front of my parents. How awesome is that??



112 mile Bike- 6:45.20 @ 16.22 mph

Section 1 73 mile (4:29.34 @ 16.25 mph)

Section 2 39 mile (2:24.46 @ 16.16 mph)



I was unclipped and off my bike so fast. I actually just pulled my feet out of my shoes. I seriously passed about 15 people all stopped and trying to get off their bikes. Ha, I felt fast for just a second, but it was nice. I handed my bike to a volunteer and grabbed my T2 bag from another. I ran into the tent, switched shirts, wrapped my toes- the right side too tightly and it would come back to bite me- gathered my nutrition, and headed out. I stopped to give Eric a hug and a smooch before starting the marathon.



T2- 0:06:05



I was really worried that my lack of long bricks would be my demise, however, my looks felt decent from the get go. By mile four I felt like I was running as comfortably as I could. Sadly, however, right about then I saw Amanda Lavato- one of the pros I really look up to. She was walking and looked like she was cramping. I squeezed her hand when I went passed and said “Amanda, you can do this.” and kept going. I heard her say thank you, which made me run faster. Soon after that I saw a BUNCH of TriSports.com people, some racing, some cheering, including Gail L. of Gorilla Multisport Training. It was great to see her. I also saw Deb, a Memphis transplant now living in North KC. She was one of the costume girls. Yeah, those of you that raced, you know the girls I’m talking about. They were really funny.



I stayed exactly on my nutrition plan of Gu every 45min with a salt tab, and I took water and Gatorade sips at each aide station. At mile 7 I saw the Crab Girl. I don’t remember her first name but her last name was Adam and she had a kit with crabs on it. She was walking a minute, running a minute. She had passed me a couple times back and forth on the bike and said she rode harder than she wanted to. Bummer. As I exited the park I got to thinking about how crazy that will be in the dark. I was right.



About mile 10 I was having the gas problem again. I tried to go a couple times, but eventually gave up. I saw my mom then cheering for people on the course, then I saw my brother who made fun of my run shuffle, thanks Jeff, and my dad. I stopped, switched socks, and saw the massive blister on the end of my pinky toe where I wrapped it. The point of wrapping your feet is to keep from blistering, however, since it was too tight it put a lot of pressure on tip of my toes. I thought about taking the wrap off, but decided against it. New socks, fresh insoles, and more Gu later, I took off for the second half of the marathon. I gave my dad my sunglasses and said “See ya in three!” I still felt good and I knew I had it in my legs to run the rest of the marathon. My longest training run was a 20 miler, and I had walked from 14 on. My longest continual run was 18 in late August. I knew it would be hard, but, somehow, my legs remained really fresh. I started to look at my watch and I knew that if I could just keep my pace under 14 min a mile, I could actually go under 14 hrs! This was something I never dreamed of. My goal was 15:05, and I knew I could beat this. So, by mile 14 I made the decision to run, and never walk between aide stations. However, my stomach dropped at mile 15 and I had to crap, twice. Luckily, I grabbed some Imodium at the special needs, so I took one of those, and my stomach calmed down. I went passed my mom again at mile 16 and she was hollering for EVERYONE. It was pretty funny although I didn’t think it was at the time. She should have volunteered at an aide station; she would have been really good there.



About this time it was getting really dark. I was exiting off of the main roads and heading into the state park. This is pretty much the darkest part of the race, mentally, and literally. There’s not a single light ANYWHERE. The only thing you can see is other people’s glow sticks. At mile 20 I got into a mental dark place when the blister I noticed at mile 13 ruptured. I say ruptured instead of popped because the skin actually ripped away from my toe, which included my toenail. This was terribly painful and it shot stings clear up my leg. I kept hobbling/running for about 5 minutes when I took my last emergency Naproxen (they’re like high does ibuprofen). I decided to focus on my breathing rather than the stabbing in my foot. Eventually the pain subsided. By now I had been repeating Strength, Courage, Strength, Courage, in my head to keep me moving. After the blister, I added one more: HTFU (For all the ST’ers). When I went past the Ford Motivational Mile I saw:



C. Crutcher: B Ur Own Hero U Can



I thought to myself, I can and I will. I can go under 14. Don’t Puss out. HTFU. I tried the coke a couple times, but it wasn’t flat and I didn’t want to upset my stomach. I sipped some broth which warmed me up, but was too hot and I didn’t want to try any more, but was good for a change. However, I did find the occasional slice of watermelon and pretzels are the food of the gods, when, in moderation.



I past Julie for the last time headed in the opposite direction. She was quite a ways behind me, about 6 or 7 miles, but she was running, and looked as good as I saw her the first time (The first time I ran over and gave her a gross sweaty hug). About 30 minutes later I saw my mom, who was a little confused “Jules is half hr behind you!” I was like what? I was only about a mile and a half from the finish, how did she get so close. I was having trouble doing simple math, but realized she meant Julie passed her 30 min ago. By now I had become a clock watcher. I kept checking my watch, trying to do the calculations. I couldn’t multiply and could hardly add. I decided to keep running through the last two aide stations instead of walking.



Soon, I was back out on the main drag and saw Tom and Adele. I started waving really hard, then Adele realized it was me and jumped up and down and said “Keep it up!” I was sure trying!!! Less than a mile to go. However, the last mile really seemed the longest. I thought it would go by quickly, but the way the sound echo’ed I was tricked. I could hear Mike Rielly almost 2 miles away, so for over a mile I thought I was almost at the finish. Finally, I really was getting close.



When I saw the arch and lights I got a little choked up, but smiled instead. I kept looking behind me to be sure I had plenty of room. I did (until right at the finish when some Jackass decided to run into MY finish photo, seriously, pal, you didn’t need to do that). I took my time and started high-fiving people on both sides of the chute. I saw my dad and he stuck his hand out. I gave him a big high five and he yelled something about being proud of me. I couldn’t really hear anything. Kind of like, when you are in a stadium, and you plug your ears…It became a scene from some drama movie- everything got quite, and went into slow motion. I tried to jump across the finish, but I don’t think I made it far off the ground. I vaguely heard Mike Rielly say “Courtney Crutcher, You are an IronMan!”



26.2 mile Run- 6:04.52 @13:55 min/mile

Segment 1- 13.1 miles 2:58.54 @ 13:39 min/mile

Segment 2- 13.1 miles 3:05.58 @ 14:11 min/mile



Right after the finish the handler volunteers caught me and wrapped me in Mylar. They checked to be sure I was ok, and then Dan, Julie’s husband, was the next person to get to me. Eric was in the stand taking pictures so he was still trying to get to the finish. Right away my legs gave out, but I was ok. Then when Eric got to me he pretty much just scooped me up. I started bawling. I was happy, I was tired, I was hurt, but by gawd, I was an IronMan.



Julie finished just over two hours later and actually got her feet off the ground when she jumped across the finish! We both had great races, and I was so proud of us both.