Earthquake...shakin' some sense into me!

Have you seen those VW commericials where two friends are driving in a VW, carrying on rather everyday conversations and then unexpectedly they get wacked by another car from the side? Well, we kinda feel a bit like that tonight. (Nope, not a car accident...thank goodness...)

Phil and I were talking and playing with the dogs when the house shook quite violently in two brief shakes and shudders. They were quick, but long enough for me to jump up like a Jack-in-the-Box and do a jig in the middle of the floor. I couldn't quite figure where to go. Phil smiled at me and said with a wry grin, 'Yep, we're havin' an earthquake.' Then as quickly as it started, it was over.

It is strange, for those brief moments you realize how incredibly powerful mother nature is and how powerless we are. You don't know how long the shaking will continue or how violent it may get. And then of course, you wonder, is another temblor far behind?
Fortuneately for us, tonight it was a small temblor...a 3.7 according to the USGS website.
The interesting fact for us is that we were sitting practically on top of the epicenter.
Below is the data just posted from the USGS website.

Version #1:
This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message.
This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
A minor earthquake occurred at 7:12:28 PM (PST) on Wednesday, December 20, 2006.
The magnitude 3.6 event occurred 4 km (2 miles) ESE of Berkeley, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).
Magnitude
3.6 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 7:12:28 PM (PST)Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 3:12:28 (UTC)
Distance from
Berkeley, CA - 4 km (2 miles) ESE (112 degrees)Piedmont, CA - 4 km (3 miles) N (354 degrees)Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) ENE (59 degrees)Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) SE (124 degrees)San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (59 degrees)
Coordinates
37 deg. 51.6 min. N (37.860N), 122 deg. 14.2 min. W (122.237W)
Depth
9 km (5.6 miles)
Location Quality
Excellent

Ironically I was in a store the other day, looking at American Red Cross emergency kits and backpacks. I was thinking it is high time that we purchase some emergency kits for the house and the vehicles. Things like first aid supplies, food, water, flashlight, radio etc. I think it is suggested that we have a 3-7 day supply of water - 1 gallon of water per day, per person for emergencies. I certainly don't want to be melodramatic about our little shaker tonight, but it was enough to remind me that we do have to plan for bigger rock n roll events that might lie ahead in the future.

Vegemite, Wallabys, Worlds and Ironman, Oh My!

What is Vegemite anyway? That was just one of many questions that I had floating in my head as I headed to the land down under. My trip to Australia was my very first, and most certainly not my last to this beautiful country. For those that know me well, it is no secret that I have a deep passion and love for animals and creatures of all kinds. So, my mission, in addition to learning and experiencing Australia via my training, racing and travel, was to see wildlife at every opportunity. I definitely did just that.

The day before the World Championships in Canberra, I took my Blue T14 out for a spin along Lake Burley Griffen (the site of the swim course) to run through the gears. Of course I am always grateful for the protection a helmet provides, but on this day I was extra grateful to have my brain bucket securely fastened. Within minutes of leaving the hotel I was under attack by a flock of noisy birds. They dive bombed me and pecked at my helmet. I pedaled faster and faster being sure to stay on the left side of the path. Those birds were very persistent. I was amazed at how far that chased me. It was both hysterically funny and a bit unnerving at the same time. Later I learned I made the acquaintance of several Mag Pies, black and white birds that look a lot like our common crow or raven.

Until I traveled to western Australia, the remainder of my wildlife encounters were in much more controlled conditions, in that of a zoo or aquarium. I visited the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra as well as the Sydney Aquarium and the Tauranga Zoo. I was thrilled to see dingos, wombats, echidnas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils and so many fascinating creatures. The Sydney Aquarium was truly world class and a must see if you ever find your way there. To get to the Tauranga Zoo, I took a ferry that offered views of the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Manley Beach and a number of other landmarks. I met a number of people on board who were all very amused by the “78” that was burned into my arms and legs. It was hard to hide the fact that I was a triathlete, and folks were eager to ask me about my sport.

I spent the better part of two weeks in Busselton, the site of the Ironman. With the sun shining so early, I found myself awake daily at 4:30. I was out on my bike at 5:15 on three different days I saw several mobs of kangaroos. The groups ranged in size from ten to over thirty! I was giddy with excitement to see the awesome hopping power of these marsupials. I have pictures which I hope to post to my website soon. In addition to the ‘roos, I enjoyed the gorgeous landscape and yes, beautiful sights in the water, too.

The week before the Ironman I swam at 6am with the local Busso group. Several athletes planned to ‘swim the jetty’ which is essentially the course for the Ironman. The jetty is the longest wooden pile jetty in the Western Hemisphere and runs 2 kilometers straight into the ocean. I couldn't resist and agreed to go around the jetty, too. The swim that morning was heavenly. The water was so clear I could see to the bottom; and all of the creatures swimming with me. I saw sting rays and giant schools of fish. Amazing! Of course a few times I spooked myself when I started thinking about sharks and other large predators. I was glad to have navigated the swim course, it served me very well on race day. A week later I matched my best Ironman swim to date.

During Ironman, I was focused on racing, so I didn’t notice much wildlife be it aquatic or on land. However, the inspiration that wildlife gives me did spur me on. Of course any and every Ironman is a difficult day at work, but overall I had a really solid day. I rode my best Ironman bike split to date (5:15) and learned a great deal more about what works best in long course racing, be it equipment or nutrition. I finished 13th professional and within 5 seconds of my career best in 10 hrs 43 minutes. That time is an hour faster than both my Ironman Hawaii and Ironman Canada times from 2005.

The day after the race the awards banquet was held. The highlight for me (besides hearing the words of champion Jason Shortis) was getting to hold several rescued wild creatures in the care of FAWNA (a wildlife rescue organization). There was a brief auction at the beginning of the ceremonies of some gear to help raise money for FAWNA. Several caretakers brought animals along to show including several baby kangaroos, a wallaby, an Echidna, a possum and several birds. I had the thrill of holding the echidna (most commonly compared to a porcupine), the possum and petting the joeys.I was just in awe of being able to sit and enjoy the magnificent representatives of Australian wildlife. After visiting so many zoos, it was very special to meet these animals up close and personal.

I could continue indefinitely about my animal encounters, but I’ll save more of those for another day. Still, I’m left with the question of vegemite. I did eat a little bit on a piece of toast with butter. First, I have to say that I am not a picky eater and there is little that I do not like. Second, I really wanted to like Vegemite! Nevertheless, I found it to be one of the more vile things I have tasted. It is dark brown, thick spread that tasted like coagulated bouillon. Ack. I almost got reacquainted with my previous meal. I was extra glad that I did not taste ‘vegemite on a stick’ as it was offered on the Ironman course aid stations!

I'm still sorting through pictures and thinking about my experiences in Australia. I can not wait to return and it will be sooner than later, that is for sure!

Back Home from Australia

Things are getting back to 'normal.' I was out this morning at 3am in the lovely, brisk rain attempting to shield Bella as she searched for the perfect place to do her early morning 'potty time'. The rain was coming down so heavily that I wondered if she might need to doggie paddle across the puddles in the yard. After a failed attempt to go back to sleep, I settled in and worked on reading one of my raising puppy books. It's been several days since I returned from Australia and I haven't quite re-acclimmated time wise. Fortuneately things are mellow and I am allowing myself a brief respite from training. Not unlike a pre-Ironman taper, I seem to be feeling every ache and pain. It was so bad this morning that I was very, very tempted to head out for a long run. Those temptations were short lived as Zola and Bella began to frantically vie for my atttention. Today we worked on sitting inside a circle (in the center of a hula hoop), shake, sit and wait, up on hind legs and other general commands. Lots of treats and praise were given!

In between the dog training, taking care of the cats and watching our every expanding population of fish (at least two groups of 10 or so guppy babies and 10-15 platys!), I've started to think a bit about 2007, my goals and racing with great anticipation. Closing out 2006 with two unplanned major races was a double edged sword. I had a rough go of the first race, the ITU Long Course World Championships. The race was on 11/19 in Canberra. Canberra is on the east coast of Australia and south of Sydney. My week leading up to race day was a bit on the rough side. I really don't know why, but small irrirations and bumps in the road rattled me quite a bit. My body was rebelling and mentally the stars were not aligning. I had some terrific help from Katie and John from USA Triathlon as well as from Jack of the famed Jack and Adam's Bicycles of Austin, TX. (Thanks Jack!)
Still when race day arrived the demons were flying and that made for a long day. The biggest accomplishment for me was staying with the race to the very end. I finished 19th after struggling with back and knee pain through 100% of the swim and bike. I was unable to turn the cranks the pain was so bad and was relegated to spinning when I should have been flying up, over and down the awesome hilly and technical 130km bike course.
Experience is experience and proves invaluable. And certainly once again, a less than perfect race is no indicator of the outcome of the next race.

Unlike the lead in to Canberra, my two weeks prior to Ironman Western Australia were fun, positive and I felt quite settled. I was welcomed into the home of fellow athlete, Louisa Stefanou and by the local Bussellton community. Thanks Lou!
When race day came, I felt at peace with my body and what I had to work with. I swam 7 minutes faster over the slightly shorter 3.8km course (vs worlds 4km) and rode a 5:15 bike. I was pretty pleased with the bike considering that including a completely unplanned stop at special needs to retrieve my bottles when a volunteer began removing them from my bag.
5:15 is a PR and I am confident a sub 5hr bike is well within my reach. I finished in 13th place in 10:43 which matched my '03 IM debut time and was an hour better than my performance at both Ironman Hawaii '05 and Ironman Canada '05.

Now I a enjoying a brief respite from training while I prepare to work with my coaching clients in 2007. Of course I'll be spending a lot of time having fun training Bella and Zola - they will be two well behaved chihuahuas! In another post I will share my non-race highlights of my trip to Australia.

In the meantime, enjoy the early December days and the anticipation of the holidays.
As always, many thanks to my team of sponsors and supporters: Dr Jung, Van Pounds at Pro Gold, Blue Competition Cycles, Jason and the gang at Jagwire, Julie, Scott and Chris at oomph!, Powerbar, Craig and the crew at Cane Creek, Coach Phil and so many more folks who make it happen for me.
:) Rachel