Time off my bike to work on my run!

Today I took my bike to River Trails in Holmen http://www.rivertrailcycles.com/ this is to I'm not tempted to ride it! Plus my bike needs to get cleaned and ready for Ironman Kentucky. My neck is a little better today! Being in bed all day yesterday SUCKED! I still blame it on the roads at Chisago and just being really tense going over those bumps....

Motivational Quotes for Athletes/Anyone!

"There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open."Nike

"I'm going to go out a winner if I have to find a high school race to win my last race."Johnny Gray"I cannot have survival as my only goal. That would be too boring. My goal is to come back in my best running form. It is good for me to have that goal; it will help me."Ludmila Engquist

There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open."
Nike

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity." Michael Johnson"

I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs. "Jesse Owens"

Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts. "Steve Prefontaine" :)

It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse."Ann Trason"

Tough times don't last but tough people do."A.C. Green"

What matters is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog."Dwight D. Eisenhower"

The gun goes off and everthing changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters."Patti Sue Plummer"

You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming."Frank Shorter"

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."Doug Larson

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, dont' worry you will get over it."Gene Thibeault"

The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."Robert Frost"

No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them."Danny Harris"

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."Jules Renard"

I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners."Sebastian Coe"

Before you watch this: Ask yourself this- What would it take to achieve your goal or goals?
"You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it"!
Danniela Nichols
http://www.vidilife.com/index.cfm?f=media.play&vchrMediaProgramIDCryp=1D6C9614-54DE-4C33-823C-C

Chisago Lakes Triathlon

Ok this Half Ironman was Amazing! Would I ever do it again NO WAY!

Good things about the Half Ironman
1. Well organized for it's second Year
2. People put out sprinklers for you to cool off with
3. Swim was out and back
4. The bike was one huge loop
5. The run was an out and back
6. I have to think hard for anymore

Bad things:
1.Not enough bathrooms- none on the bike and 1 on the run (you look for those things when you've had that problem before)
2. We stayed at a hotel that reminded me of a scary movie I couldn't sleep. I know that has nothing to do with the tri but I had to put that in...
3. The Swim- people coming back would hit you as you were going out
4. Then bike- the roads were so very, very, very bad tons of cracks, bumps and holes my neck hurts for being in an aero position and going over Crappy roads!!!
5. Run 1 bathroom at mile 4 and that was that!
6. The Transition area was crammed major, the ground was full of sticks and rocks and yada, yada!!!

But again I have to tell you I used Gu and Accelerade on my bike and run I feel great today, I'm not sore anywhere except my neck..

I do have to say I need to work on my run, I feel great in my swim 36:18 min. and bike 2:42.13 and that's with some great hills on it- but my run is TERRIBLE 2:18:12 I did have a bad headache and tummy ache so it's not that bad.

I did finish this half at 5:39:45 that is my fastest Half Ironman so far..

Very Funny!

Joe was honored to be selected as a judge at a chilicook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, soI accepted."
Here are the scorecards from the advent: ( Joe is Judge #3)

Chili # 1 Eddie's Maniac Monster Chili...
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Am using kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge # 3 -- (Joe) What the hell is this stuff?! You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put out the flames.I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy!

Chili # 2 Austin's Afterburner Chili...
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor; needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 Joe-- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

Chili # 3 Ronny's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili...
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Needs more beans.
Judge# 2 -- A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge # 3 Joe-- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my back boneis in the front part of my chest. I'm getting pie-eyed from all of the beer...

Chili # 4 Dave's Black Magic...
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish,or other mild foods; not much of a chili.
Judge # 3 Joe -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unableto taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 500-lb. woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

Chili # 5 Lisa's Legal Lip Remover...
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, addingconsiderable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge# 3 Joe-- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead, andI can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.

Chili # 6 Pam's Very Vegetarian Variety...
Judge # 1 -- Thin, yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, andgarlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 Joe -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous,sulphuric flames. I pooped on myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair! No one seems inclined to stand behind me exceptthat Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snowcone.

Chili # 7 Carla's Screaming Sensation Chili...
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho-hum; tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. Joe He appears to be in a bit of distress, as he iscursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 Joe-- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match myshirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing; it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

Chili # 8 Karen's Toenail Curling Chili...
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold, but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild,nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge # 3 [Joe] farted,passed out, fell over, and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor fella, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili....

A few photo's of Last weekends Racine's 1/2 Ironman so very fun! I was feeling great!

Racine was really fun! I will be doing this event every year! I was in wave 4 the water temp. was cold, not to wavy be don't get me wrong it had waves. My swim went great - I even stopped to helped someone stop panicking, I finely got him back into reality and he went to a life guard. "Thank God" When I was finished I looked at my watch and it was 38 min. great job I said to my self. Jenni was sitting at the top yelling my name go danni go I was great! Jenni met me by my bike she was talking to me the whole time. Then it was good luck as I went off up the hill.

My bike was fast and fun.. It was my first time trying out my new product Accelerade it tasted great, I felt stronger. I really think it helped me out a ton. However I did get pulled over by the medic motorcycle they caught me puking on the bike and they asked me if I need medical attention I said "no" they still held me for 3 min. That sucked- I had passed over 48 women and when your sitting there for 3 min. some of those women pass you back YUCK!

My run I was feeling great the first 6 miles but then it started -tummy problems... I was running for every potty It wasn't for every mile it was for the potties.. I could I had to stop 4 times YUCK! so after that it became a walk/run.

But I felt great when I was done! I had taken 22 min. off my time and I recover really, really well and I didn't feel to much pain anywhere. I think that was great training and the Accelerade I will be using that again at my next Half Ironman.

Swim time with running up a sand hill 40:51- Bike time this is a really flat course 02:41:36
run time 02:21:05 Finishing time 5:46:43

Live it up! You only have one life to live!

A Huge thanks to Jenni for being my support and this Half Ironman! It' s a long day for her also!

This is so true!

Oprah just said that sunglasses are like shoes...you should have a wardrobe of them to fit every mood and they should be changed every year. :) :)

Florida Swim start!

I will be in the front for this one!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8chSjqVc98&NR=1

This is so true!

If your thinking of doing an Ironman this is the type of training you need to do!

Sit back and watch, this is how it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk

Time to get your Wetsuit!

It is time to get that great deal on your next wetsuit!

For a limited time All3Sports is offering a 25% off coupon on all in stock, regularly priced 2007 Wetsuits! (use Coupon Code: bouy25). We carry 2XU, Blue Seventy, De Soto, Orca, Quintana Roo and Zoot wetsuits.
72 hours only! - beginning Sunday, July 22nd at 9:00 PM EST ending Tuesday, July 25th at 9:00 PM EST. Enter coupon code at checkout.
Valid for the specified time period on in stock 2007 wetsuits only - absolutely no exceptions will be made.
Coupon cannot be combined with any other shipping or product promotions (like our free wetsuit maintenance kit).
Internet orders only. See coupon policy for more information.

Wow this is my cousin

This is so very interesting!
I found this out when I was at Racine. My friend Jen and I were in the truck I was almost falling asleep until she asked me if I knew a Harvey Miller I said yes that's my cousins name then she asked what does he do? I said he's a attorney, where does he live? I said Ohio -far away! Then she showed me the news paper she was reading and there he was! "WOW" that was weird! I had to call my sister Bethanne at 4:00 am to let her know!

Here is the story there is more on it on the web if you want to see the video...
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- All the way back to shore after an 8-foot tiger shark chomped into his left leg, Harvey Miller thought he might die.
"I just remember saying, 'Oh God, not like this, no way,"' Miller said Friday, a day after the fish attacked him off Oahu's Bellows Beach.
The animal went after the 36-year-old attorney from Toledo, Ohio, in clear blue waters in an area not known for shark attacks. The last such incident in that area happened almost 50 years ago, the state's Shark Task Force said.
The father of four was snorkeling and looking for turtles about 150 yards from shore when he noticed that some fish near him looked spooked.
Then he saw a large shark's flat snout and felt the animal spin him around.
Speaking to reporters at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where he was taken after the attack, Miller said he punched the shark twice right below its dorsal fin, scaring it away.
Then Miller started screaming and yelling for help and headed for shore.
A day later, he was sitting in a hospital wheelchair, tired and nauseous from the pain medicine but grateful for his doctor's estimate that he should be walking in a few months and, if all goes well, playing basketball with his teenage son in six months to a year.
"I'm happy -- one, to be alive and two, that I don't anticipate ... losing the leg," he said.
Miller said a stranger helped save him by wading into the ocean to answer his cries for help.
"He's my hero. I would not have made it out of the water without his assistance. I owe my life to that man," Miller said.
Dr. Patrick Murray said the shark came down on Miller's leg and knee with "tremendous" force.
"It went right to the bone, into the bone, broke some of the bone, and into the knee joint and then removed a fairly large portion of his leg up by the knee," Murray said.
Miller has two wounds on the side and back of his left knee, one 3 to 4 inches long and the other about a foot long.
Murray spent two hours operating on Miller's leg on Thursday. He said the Ohio man would need additional surgery to repair nerve damage.
Randy Honebrink, Shark Task Force spokesman, said the shark was likely looking for food when it came upon Miller. Two partially eaten dead turtles later washed ashore in the same area, showing signs of shark bites, he said.
"The only way a shark can tell if something is a potential food source is by biting it," Honebrink said.
He said the attack was the first known shark incident in a coastal stretch from Makapuu to Kaneohe Bay since 1958.
Miller said his 11-day vacation in with his wife Lisa and his in-laws turned about "180 degrees" from what he had planned. But he said he still loves the ocean.

"It's their environment. We're visitors to it," he said. "All we can do is try not to look like food"

Thank god he's here with us!

This could help your next race!

Cracking the Code on Hydration
For most cyclists, competing in events under 90 minutes does not cause many problems for hydration, electrolyte supplementation and fueling. Water or a mostly-carbohydrate sports drink work well for both fueling and hydration. In most cases, cyclists do not need to supplement with electrolytes for sessions under 90 minutes long, but there are some athletes who lose above normal amounts of electrolytes while sweating that will benefit from supplementation during short sessions.
Sweat Rate and Electrolyte Losses
If you are attempting to delay the onset of dehydration during exercise, the first step is to determine your personal sweat rate in various situations.
Given the same fitness level and environmental conditions, your sweat rate will vary depending on your cycling situation. If you are sitting in the peloton and conserving energy, your hourly sweat rate will be lower than if you are in a three-person breakaway fighting for a podium position. Because the average speed you produce on a bicycle is not always an accurate reflection of your actual work effort, you can consider linking your sweat rates to your work effort in terms of heart rates produced or average power output. Cycling situation aside, your fitness and heat acclimatization affects your sweat rate and the contents of your sweat. See the table below.
Electrolyte Contents of Sweat and the Affects of Fitness and Heat Acclimitization
Electrolyte Sweat of unacclimatized, unfit subject Sweat of fit but unacclimatized subject
Sweat of fit and acclimatized subject
Sodium (Na+)
3.5
2.6
1.8
Potassium (K+)
0.2
0.15
0.1
Magnesium (Mg+)
0.1
0.1
0.1
Chloride (Cl-)
1.4
1.1
0.9
* All values in grams per liter.* Table adapted from Table 4.2 Electrolyte Contents of Sweat and Blood and the Affects of Fitness and Heat Acclimitization, "Fourth Edition, Lore of Running", Tim Noakes M.D., pp. 214 The major affects of acclimatization to heat can be accomplished in 10 to 14 days. As you can see from the table, if you are unfit and not acclimated to the heat you will lose almost twice the sodium, twice the potassium and one-and-a-half times the chloride in your sweat compared to when you are fit and acclimated.
The bottom line: Fitness and acclimatization reduces your electrolyte losses.
Electrolyte Replacement
It is much easier to determine your sweat losses during exercise than it is to determine your electrolyte losses.
Do you need to take electrolyte tablets or are the electrolytes in your energy drink enough?
Unfortunately, there is no easy and universal answer to that question. According to Noakes, it is "the amount of sodium and potassium in the body that determines the water balance, not the other way around." Therefore, your electrolyte balance affects your hydration balance.
A good place to begin is to consume a sports drink containing electrolytes when training or racing for durations over two hours. If you believe, based on the salt mine on your clothing and helmet straps, that you lose a lot of electrolytes in your sweat consider supplementing with electrolyte tablets. Begin with the low end of the manufacturer's recommended dosage AND the recommended fluid intake. Be very wary of water cooler or message board recommendations to pop a handful of electrolyte tablets because "top racer Ricky or Renee" does.
Remember: your body likes balance. Consuming too much water and no electrolytes during extended exercise is not good and can cause hyponatremia. Consuming too many electrolytes with too little fluid is not good and can cause your body to retain fluid rather than releasing it for cooling purposes.
Fluid Replacement
The average sweat rate is between 0.8 to 1.4 liters (roughly 27.4 to 47.3 ounces) per hour during exercise. The average fluid absorption rates range from 0.8 to 1.2 liters per hour (27.4 to 40.6 ounces). Unfortunately, while the sweat-rate range and the fluid absorption ranges are close, some athletes sweat at higher rates per hour than their fluid absorption rate.
Do you have to replace every drop of sweat you lose during exercise? The rule of thumb is that you should neither gain weight during exercise (consuming more fluid than you lose) nor lose excessive weight. Excessive weight loss is considered to be more than 2 percent of your body weight. If you lose up to 2 percent of your body weight, performance is affected less if you are performing in a cool environment than if you are performing in a hot environment. Weight losses above 2 percent of your body weight should be avoided.
Gastric Emptying Sloshing. It's a horrible feeling. Sloshing occurs when you are consuming fluids--and perhaps solids--but rather than moving to your intestines the mix just sits in your stomach. Sloshing is worse for runners and mountain bikers than road cyclists, but roadies get it too. Eventually, sloshing is followed by slowed-to-a-snail's pace performance, barfing or both.
You can increase the rate of gastric emptying by:
Keeping a small fluid volume in your stomach by consuming fluids every 15 to 20 minutes rather than attempting to consume larger quantities of fluid at 60-minute or more intervals.
Keeping fat, protein and carbohydrate concentrations low. How much protein and fat you can tolerate depends on your exercise pace and individual tolerance level. Remaining hydrated. Dehydration decreases gastric emptying. Keeping exercise intensity low. Intensity above 75 percent of maximum decreases the emptying rate. You can increase intestinal fluid absorption by: Using a low-to-moderate level of glucose plus sodium.
Using a low-to-moderate level of sodium.
What Should You Do?
All of this information can seem overwhelming. To begin cracking your hydration code:
Determine your sweat rate in various environmental and racing conditions.
Once you know your sweat rates, hydrate at rates appropriate to each situation. Your sweat and hydration rates are not constant and will need conscious modification given your fitness, the environment and your pace. Hydrate so that you keep your body weight loss to less than 2 percent during training and racing sessions. Avoid over-hydrating and weight gain during exercise sessions. Most importantly, know that you have a range of optimal fluid replacement and what is optimum for you may or may not work for the athlete standing next to you.

Our cat loves to sleep by Landen- where he goes she goes!

Five Common Race Nutrition Mistakes

by Dave Scott
Avoiding these five common race nutrition mistakes could mean the difference between a DNF and a PR in your next triathlon.

Mistake #1 - No plan
Perhaps the most common race nutrition mistake triathletes make is to come into races without a plan. This oversight leads to costly errors such as drinking too little and becoming dehydrated and eating too much and becoming nauseated. In order to avoid making such errors, you need to come into each race knowing what, when, and how much you're going to drink and eat from the time you wake up race morning until you cross the finish line. This plan should be based on 1) a basic knowledge of the principles of race nutrition, 2) knowledge of your body's specific fluid, electrolyte, and carbohydrate needs and tolerances, 3) the length and conditions of the race, and 4) your fitness level upon entering the race.
Mistake #2 - Overloading
During a triathlon, it's tempting to really pack in the carbs, knowing that it's impossible to consume enough to offset depletion. However, it's rather easy to consume more carbohydrate than your body can process during a race, and this is something that triathletes commonly do, with disastrous consequences. The average triathlete can absorb between 60 and 100 grams of carbohydrate per hour. You can easily achieve this range by using a sports drink alone. However, most triathletes racing in a half or full Ironman will use a combination of sports drink and gels or bars. A sensible ratio of liquid to solid calories is about 3:1 in long triathlons. Again, you may find that using a sports drink only throughout the bike and run will suffice. When an excessive amount of carbohydrates is consumed, quite often there is a backlog in the stomach which eventually may cause nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Mistake #3 - Too much water
When you continuously sweat and drink water during a race, the electrolyte concentration of your blood becomes progressively lower. Hyponatremia is a condition that is characterized by dangerously low blood sodium concentration. Early symptoms include nausea, muscle cramps, and diarrhea. As it becomes more serious, dizziness, disorientation, and inappropriate behavior often manifest. Serious cases can entail seizure, coma, and death. You can easily avoid hyponatremia by taking in adequate quantities of sodium during races. A well-formulated sports drink contains enough sodium to maintain healthy sodium levels in the blood despite heavy sweating. For this reason, you should always drink a sports drink instead of water during races unless you combine the use of water with the use of gels or bars that contain sodium.
Mistake #4 - Bad breakfast
Often triathletes eat the wrong foods, eat too much or too little, or eat at the wrong time on race morning. Doing any of these things could completely ruin your race, or at least make your performance less than optimal. Here's what you should do. Try to eat two to three hours before your wave start. Eat as large a breakfast as you are comfortable eating. You should have some sense of this from your training. The meal should be high in low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates that digest slowly and should also contain some protein. It should be low in fiber and fat. Drink plenty of water, and be sure to take in some sodium and potassium (this can be accomplished with 1 or 2 pieces of fruit). Following up breakfast by consuming 4 to 8 ounces of A sports drink or an energy gel and water within about 30 minutes of the race start will ensure that your blood glucose level is as high as possible at race time.
Mistake #5 - Not consuming protein
Triathletes are slowly catching on to the now proven fact that consuming protein with carbohydrate during a race can improve performance and recovery, but a majority of triathletes still consume carbohydrate alone. New research shows a sports drink containing carbohydrate and protein in a 4:1 ratio (Accelerade®) significantly outperforms a conventional carbohydrate-only sports drink. Studies have shown that Accelerade, when compared to a carbohydrate-only sports drink, increases endurance by 29%, increases hydration by 15%, reduces muscle damage by 83%, and even improves performance in a subsequent exercise bout by 40%. It appears that the added protein speeds the delivery of carbohydrate to working muscles. This provides energy faster and allows the muscles to conserve their stored carbohydrate fuel. Other research suggests that using a sports drink containing protein during exercise also accelerates post-exercise muscle tissue repair, and it may even reduce the amount of muscle damage that occurs during workouts and competitions.
Dave Scott is a 6-time winner of the Hawaiian Ironman and triathlon coach.

What have I been doing?

This is a quick run down of what has been going on in my little life of fun!




I have another sponcer http://accelerade.com/



Training with Jen in open water swim, this is Jen first time wearing a wet suit! Doesn't see look like she's having fun!

Watching the Tour whooohoooo this is great!

This is Landen doing flips at river fest just like his mom! Go Landen GO!

Landen waiting in line!

Landen and Blane playing Star wars in the yard! Landen as you can see is confident with one sword. Where Blane has to have 2 to defend himself against "The Great Landen"!

Landen playing baseball! I can't miss out on this stuff!

Training wise is going great!

Todd and I did the Time Trial that was fun! If you ever have the chance to do one get out and do it.

Swimming has been great I really don't have to much time so I just go out and swim 1 to 2 miles as much as I can. I know now we will not be able to use our wetsuits for Kentucky Ironman so I better start swimming without one!

Biking all the time I love it. This past Saturday was my long ride I did 102 miles I got really, really sick at mile 80 puking and everything so very fun. However I am getting used to just turn your head and puke and keep pedaling.

Now for my running "Oh crud" RUNNING! "OK" I haven't been good with this but I did start as of to day I ran 1-1/2 hours and ran stairs at UWL that was so very fun so running is starting up again. Know I'm not counting the running I do at 4:30 am.

What is Danni doing..

Living Life, Ironman Training, Training others to be the best they can be, Teaching, Coaching, Friends and having a Ton of fun! But not for getting the most important things in life My boys I'm so very lucky!

Remember: "You only have ONE Life so Live it up"!