On the Go: Reflections from a Flight Attendant

Taking time on a layover in Howth, Ireland to reflect
on my first year as a flight attendant

On the Go and Now is the Time: Reflections from a Flight Attendant
Written on April 23, 2015 on my 1-year anniversary as a flight attendant
Year one as a flight attedant includes approximately: 268,025 miles, 67 layovers and 251 flights worked, encountering approximately 44,000 people throughout the year--this is an opportunity to share love and grace with many people, 'I am on the Go and Now is the Time' to impact the world by how I live and how I love.  Layovers in Amsterdam, Anchorage, Vancouver, Calgary, London, Boise, Narita (Japan), Panama City (Panama), Kingston (Jamaica), Honolulu, Dublin, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, Sioux Falls, Colorado Springs and Birmingham to name a few--my life has been influenced by the people I've met on my journey, old friends and new friends, strangers and relatives.
By: Noel C.K. Reagan

A month ago I was in Alaska.

A week ago I was in Hawaii.

Today I am in Ireland.

I am blessed.

I am on this earth to love God and to love others.

I am called to love people for who they are.

With each passing moment, I am called to be still, and then go.

I am called to truly go and live in this world.

I am called to hear stories and share stories.

With each passing moment, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the people I've met and the places I've been.

I am grateful for the love of Christ I've been able to share with others simply by treating them with genuine kindness.

With each passing moment, I take time to reflect.

Looking back on the places I've been, and remember the experiences.

Looking back to the people I've met, and remember the stories I've heard and shared.

Looking ahead to the opportunities that come each day to meet strangers who I later call friend.

I live in this world, not for myself but to love God and love others.

Love has no bounds and no walls, we all are called to go beyond our own worlds in order to see differently.

I am on the go in this world.

Yet I live in the stillness of the moments I am given each day, wherever I may be in this world.

And indeed, I truly believe home is where your heart is.

I am on the go in this world to love God and love people.

I am on the go in this world to make a difference by how I live my life.

Now is the time and for that I am grateful.

My first Ironman Triathlon: Ironman Chattanooga 2014

 The truth about my 5th open water swim triathlon; my first Ironman triathlon, which was a confirmed 144.6 total miles, not 140.6.

TRIATHLON DATE: September 28, 2014

LOCATION: Chattanooga, TN

 WEATHER: Cloudy all day, 63 degrees to start the day, with the high reaching mid 70s degrees, not much wind and not too humid.  It did rain very steady the last hour of my bike ride and when I began the run.  Eventually the rain tapered off toward the evening.

CLOTHING: Xterra lava pants and a swim suit for the swim, bike shorts, tri club bike jersey and Tifosi sunglasses (amber lenses) for the bike and Chattanooga Triathlon kit 2014 top & 2013 bottoms.  On the run, I wore a visor, compression sleeves on my legs and Hoka running shoes along with my Tifosi sunglasses--I also started the run with a vest due to the rain, I was worried about my core body temp, ultimately I left my vest on the race course.

 RACE GOAL: Finish in less than 15 hours and really enjoy the whole day, not worrying about being competitive.  I met my race goal, stayed positive and never found a dark spot in the day, and truly enjoyed the whole experience.

This picture captures the finish line emotion

ACTUAL RACE FINISH: 14:26:17  

NUTRITION:

Swim: 1 gel (with water), 15 minutes before the swim start, I also had some cytomax electrolyte drink before the swim since we had to sit and wait awhile.

Bike: One gu gel (salted caramel)  in transition and then every 15 minutes I sipped from my 1600 calorie water bottle with carbo pro/cytomax together (1400 calories CP; 200 calories Cytomax).  I took in base electrolyte salt approximately every 5 miles.

 I also had 3 packs of Honey Stinger chews (2 with caffeine, 1 without) that I consumed  throughout the bike ride, but ended up downing the remaining the last 5 miles because they weren't gone and I knew I needed the energy for the run.  I did eat one pack of those orange crackers with cheese in the middle, I had an occasional cracker when I craved something salty.  I also stopped at special needs and added about 800 calories to my water bottle (didn't use it all, prob. had about 400 calories of that), I also had 4 gulps of coke and took my salt/vinegar pop chips, which were delicious.  All in all, my bike nutrition was a crap shoot, but it worked.

Run: I took a disposable water bottle with a flip top lid, put 20 oz. of cytomax electrolytes in it and put my handheld case around it and that was perfect.  I had a gu gel about every 3rd aid station and attempted to have cola at every other aid station, and sipped on the electrolyte drink throughout the run, I picked up another electrolyte bottle at special needs, where I also enjoyed the best tasting salt/vinegar pop chips and some coke.  I continued to use the base electrolyte salt throughout the run and took this in about every 1.5 miles, or whenever I felt like it really.  I took one additional metasalt tab after mile 1 on the run, because I was experiencing side cramps, I took some tums and I felt good the remainder of the run!

I've met the best people in town
through Ironman training

Many training days with these two

My 1st Chattanooga training partner

TRAINING:  Coach Robyn from FXMultisport has stuck by my side to get me all ready to go.  (http://fxmultisport.com)  My wonderful husband Rob and I did most of our long training rides together; training with him was a highlight, there were stressful moments, but I'm glad we were in this together.  I literally trained at YMCAs all across the USA and Canada, I had long bike rides in Anchorage, AK and Minnesota, long runs in Iowa and Vancouver and time on my trainer while studying, using my computer for flight attendant training.

 Honestly, I missed a few to many long bike rides, but I did what I could and stuck with it--dedication and perseverance is what gets you to the finish line.

Training ride in Alaska

During training I always stopped
to talk to the gas station guys

Swim: 58:26

T1: 10:14

Bike: 7:56:43

T2: 12:21

Run: 5:08:33

TOTAL: 14:26:17

This is where we swim

RACE DAY

Note: This might be boring, but I wrote it for myself so I could remember the day...and for anyone who may be considering doing an ironman race, because I know you could totally do it, if you're willing to commit to training, that is all you need to begin--no triathlon experience necessary.

PRE-RACE

Check-in day,
2 days before the race

Check-in was great, I saw tons of friends 

volunteering and seeing these friendly faces added to the excitement.  For Ironman they make you register by Friday and then return to check your bike in to transition Saturday and then the race is Sunday.  Ironman is different from most triathlons, you don't have a transition area, you have different transition bags, this was news to me come race week.  So if you wanted to use sunscreen on your swim to bike transition and your bike to run, you needed two bottles, there was some planning to do.  

Packing race day needs...

I was nervous dropping off transition bags Saturday, but I didn't forget anything.  Laying items out all over the living room and double checking before putting stuff in bags was helpful.  All went well and there was less stress race day, all I had to do was drop off my nutrition and water bottles the morning of the race and double check my tire pressure on my bike.

RACE MORNING
I had a white bread sandwich with a small amount of peanutbutter and then large amounts of jelly, I had a banana and sport drink.  Trying to stay light with the food that would be easy to digest.  Thanks to QT2 systems and their nutrition recommendations the day before, I had a successful pre-race breakfast.  Thankfully our house is 1 mile from transition, so we were able to have an easy trek, we made it to transition with plenty of wait time to get on the bus and then sit at the race start--they could use more bathrooms there, come prepared.  The morning was really a blur, but it all worked out great, I was thankful to have my wonderful sister and mother there as sherpas.

2.4 mile Swim (58:26)

Time:  58:26       Pace: 1:30/100m           Age Group Rank:   49/97   Gender Rank: 267   Overall Rank: 1126/2349

DeLeslyn, Rob & I waiting to swim

4:30am was wake up time!  Race day we found out the swim was not wetsuit legal, the water remained at 77 degrees, however it was wetsuit optional, if you chose to wear your wetsuit you won't be eligible for Kona slots, age group awards and you would have to start at the back.  Well, for the comfort, I wore my lava pants, which help keep my legs buoyant and gives my shoulders freedom to move easily!  Rob and I planned to start the swim together and when we got on the bus another wonderful girl from our triathlon club was there and planning to wear a wetsuit.  D is a joyful person to be around, and we all prayed together before we started the swim and that was calming--I was so grateful, as I was a little nervous.

The Swim start platform

The swim as it happened

I was worried about starting at the back and missing the cut-offs later in the day, but I just trusted in my abilities and we ended up being towards the front of the wetsuit folks.  The water flow ended up being just under 12,000, which was faster than I expected and a contributor to my fast swim time!  

My swim looks fairly straight

Open water swim practice

I can't describe the feeling I had as I was walking to the swim start, it still brings tears to my eyes, I was actually going to start an Ironman race--this was something that I always thought would be neat to do, but didn't think I would ever do because of the training commitment, and the 2.4 mile swim (I use to be very terrified of open water).  But I was at the start line, together with my husband, 

Post swim and still smiling, I did it
in less than an hour!

we were both going to do Ironman, something that seemed so distant and unreal at this time last year.  I quickly got over my emo moment so I could be focused and ready to swim.  The start was a little different, you ran down this ramp, jumped in and you were off, no time to look where you were going--I was thankful that I had a couple practice swims with some local Chattanooga people, I knew where I wanted to go and be in this river--and the water was moving.  All went well and I just kept on swimming--felt great the whole time, no real issues!  I was also thankful to know about the swim exit and the need to swim fast and hard after the last turn so the current wouldn't continue to take me downstream.  Some wonderful volunteers pulled me out and I was off, I utilized some wetsuit strippers and continued to make my way to transition---be sure to mark your transition bag so you can find it easily, I did and it was very helpful--this is a little thing no one really told me about before Ironman.

116 mile Bike (7:56:43) (about 10 minutes of stop time total)

Pace: 14.6mph (moving speed 15 mph avg)  
 Age Group Rank: 88/97       Gender Rank: 620       Overall Rank: 2193/2349

Heart Rate Average: 129       Cadence Average:  no data

With a summer as a flight attendant and commuting, preparing myself for the big was challenging.  I didn’t have enough time to log the necessary miles and preparation.  With the limited training I knew I had—I was estimating the bike would take me 8 hours and I was close to that.  As my 6 year old niece reminded me “You just have to keep going, even if you are slow.”  All day I was slow, but I just kept on going.  I really needed the bathroom after about 2 hours on the bike, and the bathroom stops were full and there were lines—I did not want to take the time for that, so I passed the 1st two stops, thinking I would find one without a line.  I was WRONG—by the time I hit the 3rd stop, I had no choice but to pull over—and there was a line, it set me back about 7 minutes…. that’s depressing.  I reminded myself, I’m here to enjoy the day, I smiled and back on the bike. 

Possibly having too much fun

Downtown Chickamauga,
bike course

The aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers were awesome!  Rolling through Chicakmauga, GA was a treat—-those folks knew how to cheer!  The special needs bags were on the course too early—-I didn’t really need it 50ish miles in…. I was hoping it would be around mile 70-80.  I stopped anyway to refill my nutrition—I’ve never ridden 116 miles, I wasn’t sure if I would run out of my nutrition with the extra miles.  Just before the turn for the second lap was another aid station with a bunch of folks cheering—it was nice to see my friend Jamie Ann out there again!
THE SECOND BIKE LOOP

Special needs stop around mile 56

Since I started at the back of the swim with a wetsuit, even though I had a decent swim time, by the second loop of the bike, there weren’t many people out there.  It was nice, quiet and peaceful and this was actually nice—not over crowded like I was worried about.  I did ride within the same area of 2-3 others from the start of the second lap to just past the end of hog jowl road.  They would pass me going uphill and I would pass them going down hill—this went on for miles.  When we all finally got off the bike, I’m fairly sure that I felt better than them.  Before the finish, I stopped 2 more times for the bathroom…more than I expected.  The second bike loop ended up being a bit lonely, but I didn't mind.

I was anticipating that it would rain at some point throughout the day around 4 p.m. and it was close to around this time when I was on the ‘big’ climb of the bike loop, the skies unloaded and it rain fairly steady… this was extremely unfortunate as I was beyond nervous on the decent, where I was suppose to make up time by a quick cruise downhill…. I was upright and creeping

Around mile 115.5 on the bike, in the rain

down that hill.  The reminder of the ride I was beyond nervous about wrecking…. I made it 100 miles, I was not going to crash in the last 16—it was rough, but I survived with a positive attitude!  Seeing Callie and Shelly across from the Kanku’s on Market St. made my day—this was an odd part of town for them to be in—standing on the corner—but they brought me much joy!  I was thankful for the few folks that were by the bike in area that were still around to cheer me on!  The volunteers were there to take my bike from me and they helped me find my run bag--which transition was fairly empty, so it wasn't bad at all.  Wet, cold and with a smile, I was ready to go on a run!

26.2 mile Run (5:08:33) (actual moving time was 4:59)

Pace: 11:46/mile                 Age Group Rank: 73/96       Gender Rank: 506           Overall Rank: 1889/2349

At the beginning of the 26.2 mile run

Heart Rate Average: 127

I felt great starting the run, after 116 miles on the bike, I was ready to do something different.  I saw my mom and my sister as the run began and that was a joy to see them throughout the day.  I again forgot to ask where Rob was (turns out he was about 15 minutes behind me).  The number of people on the run course cheering us all on was great, and after awhile it was a nice break to go on the River Walk where there were less people and take time to enjoy the stillness.  At the boathouse was the Soddy Daisy band, a group of folks with great energy, a couple miles down the road the Chattanooga Track Club had a great aid station, the energy and encouragement was high.  I also remember seeing a friend not looking so great, so I stopped to make sure he was okay, he was on the final lap, but definitely hurting, he of course finished long before me, as I was on the 1st lap.  I took in a thumb of the Electrolyte salt vial every mile and that worked well.  I didn’t have much for solid food on the run, I was nervous that my stomach would not like it.  

As I began the 2nd lap, I stopped for my special needs bag and enjoy some fresh coca cola and some sea salt and vinegar pop chips—this was a great pick-me up.  I feel like I threw together my nutrition for the run, but it worked.  I walked every aid station and kept a steady pace the remainder of the run. It was a lonely feeling entering the river walk near the Tennis courts on the final lap, so dark, so quiet, but slightly peaceful.  On my second lap My lovely friend Katy was working the Track Club aid station and she pumped me up, I probably shouldn’t have stopped to chat for as long as I did, but it was great!  I did start to feel a little more worn down at the end and on the second lap going up Barton Ave. I was passing by my friend Lynne and decided to join her in walking up the hill and enjoy the moment—she was a friend I met in the last few weeks of Ironman training and a true joy.  The people who lined the streets in north Chattanooga had great energy and it was sure a blessing! I saw my coach (Robyn Wilham, fxjultisport) just before going on the Walnut Street Bridge.  Words cannot describe how it felt to step foot on that bridge and hear Mike Reiley  in the background telling people “You are an Ironman!”  I thought, after a year of commitment to this training and the race all day today, that will soon be me!  Something I once thought was a distant dream was about to become reality.”  As you round the corner for the final turn, there were many, many people and then you saw it, the finish line, now is the time!  As I ran down the finish, the cheers were loud like a football game, it brings tears to my eyes thinking about it!  So many people cheering for me, so many strangers celebrating my accomplishment.  All this brings tears to my eyes, I did it!  “Noel Reagan, you are an Ironman!”  I was tired, but felt fine.  I was unable to make decisions, but was concerned to find out where Rob was, I finished about 15 minutes before him and was able to see him finish. 

I always had ‘complete an Ironman’ on my list of things to do in life, about 6 months before Ironman Chattanooga came into existence I was ready to not keep it on the list.  I am so thankful that I had this opportunity to work towards such a goal I thought was unreachable.  I am  blessed that I was able to share this experience with my wonderful husband.  It was exhausting, stressful and a huge commitment.  Training to be a flight attendant and training for Ironman was one of the most exhausting points of my life.  I’m amazed at the support from my wonderful husband, who drove to Atlanta every weekend for 7 weeks to go on long bike rides with me, I’ll never forget mounting my computer on my aero bars so I could study and ride the trainer at the same time.  I won’t forget my first 100 mile bike ride—and I did it alone, on unfamiliar roads in Minnesota.  I won’t forget long training days at YMCA across the USA and Canada during my first 3 months as a flight attendant.  It may not have been pretty, but I made it happen—thanks to the prayers and support from my family and for my wonderful husband who was by my side each step of the way.

RUN Pace Break Down

They were cheering us on all day!

Mile 1: 10:40         
Mile 2: 12:24

Mile 3: 11:28

Mile 4: 11:38

Mile 5: 10:20

Mile 6: 11:55

Mile 7: 10:59

Mile 8: 11:07

Mile 9: 11:08 

Mile 10: 11:03

Mile 11: 10:20 

Mile 12: 11:53

Mile 13: 12:58

Mile 14: 12:56

Mile 15: 11:48

Mile 16: 13:09

The voice that says, "You are an Ironman!"

Mile 17: 12:49
Mile 18: 12:36
Mile 19: 11:49
Mile 20: 12:08
Mile 21: 11:32
Mile 22: 13:00
Mile 23: 13:19
Mile 24: 12:01
Mile 25: 12:09
Mile 26: 9:29

TRANSITION AND OTHER NOTES:  

I had a spray bottle of sunscreen and took care of myself, which saved me time.  Also, I had

Bathroom stop during both transitions, I really took my time and honestly thought my transition times would be slower than it was.  My bike to run transition was difficult for me to decide what to wear since it was raining and I felt cold, but I didn't know what to do.... knowing I was going to be outside possibly for 6 hours, was it going to be raining??  It was a big dilemma, I ended up wearing a water resistant vest and that worked well—though I did toss it to the side at an aid station later and a friend ‘happened’ to find it.

Swim to Bike: 10:14

Bike to Run: 12:21

FINAL THOUGHTS

Mom and sister Jana, best sherpas!

minutes after crossing the finish line

I went to my first master swim class 3 years before Ironman, swimming in the open water was (and still is) my biggest fear. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to train for a big race—I didn’t, but I was able to train enough to make it to the finish line feeling great.  Keeping my heart rate low for the first months of training (and beyond) was crucial to my success—thanks to my coach for her emphasis on this.  Nutrition matters—protein recover was essential to staying injury free.  Sleep, I never had enough.  Friends—they made the preparation for Ironman a joy, I met some of the nicest people in Chattanooga through my training for Ironman and these people will be my friends for years to come.  I have met so many faithful and prayerful people while training for Ironman and that community has been a blessing and huge support group for me—people who pray for one another and support one another in any way they can.  I want to go out there and be that support for others who will be doing Ironman in the years to come.  Ironman is not about a one day race, Ironman is about a lifestyle commitment.  Finally, remember to keep the big picture of your life in perspective, I missed workouts, I shortened workouts, but I still made it—and my relationship with my spouse, my family, my friends and co-workers did not suffer, because they have ultimate priority.  I skipped one 100 mile bike ride to spend the day with my niece Meegan, and ended up riding the trainer the next 

Celebrating with my dad

Custom shirts, family cheer from afar!

 due to bad weather, I don’t regret that at all—I cherish those moments with her.  The key is to find a balance between things that really matter in your life and Ironman, don’t let Ironman take over your key relationships and priorities—it’s easy to do.  Workouts for Ironman matter, they get you to the finish line, but the people that were in your life before Ironman, 
matter more—keep your eye on the finish line while giving time to those who matter in your life.  You do have to complete most of your workouts, but if you miss occasional workouts, it is really okay--this was helpful to know.  Ironman training does not last forever, so make the most of it while you are doing it, if you ride 85 miles instead of 100, you will be okay--enjoy the ride and the moments, during training and on race day.

Racine 1/2 Ironman 70.3 Race Summary 2014

Most importantly, I was excited to do this race with a great friend who was doing her first ever, 1/2 ironman race.  This was my 2nd 70.3 distance.  I was happy to have my husband at this race as my number one fan, he is a trooper and I'm thankful for his support.  The bike has some very rough roads, I saw a number of people with flats and if you plan to do this race, be prepared for those roads!

TRIATHLON DATE: July 20, 2014

LOCATION: Racine, Wisconsin

 WEATHER: Sunny, minimal clouds, high 60s to start the day, with the high reaching 79 degrees F and low humidity and not much wind

CLOTHING: Xterra wetsuit with a neoprene hat for the swim, Chattanooga Triathlon kit 2014 top, 2013 bottoms, I added bike shorts over top of the tri shorts for the bike, and then removed them for the run.  In addition I wore a visor on the run and Hoka running shoes along with my Tifosi sunglasses


 RACE GOAL: Ultimately finishing in under 7 hours was my goal, my previous (and first) 1/2 ironman in 2013 had terrible weather and my finishing time was 6:49 and ultimately I was really looking to PR for this race.  However, this race was not top priority as far as racing, it's a stopping point on my way to my first Ironman in Chattanooga, September 2014.  I did have high hopes of maintaining certain heart rates during this race, feeling good and practicing nutrition in preparation for Ironman Chattanooga.

ACTUAL RACE FINISH: 6:16:38

HEART RATE: 146 Average (141-159 range for bike and run)

NUTRITION:
Swim: 1 gel (with water), 15 minutes before the swim start

Bike: One gel shortly after getting on my bike, then every 15 minutes I sipped from my 900 calorie water bottle with carbo pro/cytomax together (700 calories CP; 200 calories Cytomax).  I also had a Honey Stinger waffle and 1 pack of Honey Stinger chews (with caffeine) that I consumed mid-later in the bike ride.

Run: Approximately 1 gel every 30 minutes.  I also sipped on a 16 oz. bottle of cytomax the first 8 miles, I tossed the bottle after mile 8. I had 2 packs of honey stinger chews throughout the run as I felt like it and I also tried cola but it was warm and overly carbonated, not sure it was wonderful so I didn't have any more.  I felt okay but around mile 4 on the run, my stomach was a little uneasy and I was slightly more nervous about my nutrition on the run--thankfully, everything worked out fine and my nutrition continued as normal.

I also took 2 metasalt tablets every hour throughout the race, starting on the bike.


TRAINING:  Coach Robyn from FXMultisport has stuck by my side to get me all ready to go.  (http://fxmultisport.com)

Swim: 45:01

T1: 0:6:32

Bike: 3:14:25

T2: 0:3:53
Run: 2:06:47

TOTAL: 6:16:38

RACE DAY
Note: This might be boring, but I wrote it for myself so I could remember the day...and for anyone who may be considering doing a 1/2 ironman race, because I know you could totally do it!

1.2 mile Swim (45:01)

Time: 45:01        Pace: 2:19/100 meter           Age Group Rank: 73/143         Overall Rank: 1419/2606

My garmin swim distance was 1.25 miles and I actually was able to see on my garmin that I swam fairly straight, which was great since I haven't been able to practice much in the open water.  The start was a beach start into the 62.4 degree F water temps of Lake Michigan, I only warmed up about 10 minutes before the race and just put my face in the water to prepare for the shock.  I started in the middle/more towards the back of the pack on the outside, the swim had 2 right hand turns so it was fairly simple.  With no current and no waves, I stayed towards the outside of the group and had a smooth swim with minimal running into people or getting bummed/pushed under.  I stayed focused but felt like I was swimming forever, I was fairly slow and steady--I only had issues with one girl who was swimming zigzags in front of me--to begin with she was slightly faster than me, eventually I passed her when she became tired.  I really felt like I swam the same pace the entire race, that is fairly typically for me.  The swim was lovely (besides being really cold) and I enjoyed the clean, clear water.

56 mile Bike (3:14:25)

Pace: 17.28 mph               Age Group Rank: 68/143              Overall Rank: 1569/2606

Heart Rate Average: 144       Cadence Average: 85 rpm

There was one hill immediately out of transition, which made it interesting clipping in and immediately going up a hill, no time for a warm up.  It was important to be in a very easy gear before the race began, and so I was prepared for the immediate hill, though I had to watch out for other people.  The bike course roads were very rough to say the least.  Constant bumps, cracks and just plan rough roads.  There were times I had to slow down because it was so rough, there were many turns too.  The only great thing was that the course was very flat (coming from someone who lives in Chattanooga, TN).  It was difficult for me to stay consistent with the road conditions.  I eventually had to make a bathroom stop after mile 43 sometime, but was thankful I was able to made it quick--really I only stopped because there was no line, otherwise I would have kept going.

I had a gel to start on the bike and then sipped my 900 calorie carbo pro/cytomax mix bottle-that worked well!  I also had a pack of honey stinger chews (with caffeine towards the middle/end of the bike for the extra energy).  I only had 1 water bottle on my bike so I took water at each bike hand off and to save time, I drank the water through the aid station and tossed it at the end--Around mile 43 when I stopped for the bathroom, I also filled my water bottle since it was about empty--otherwise my water strategy worked well.  The last 3-5 miles were very very rough on the bumps and I was done with it, I didn't want any more, I really couldn't believe how terrible the roads were.  We only had about 2-3 'kind-of' hills on the course, I would pass people going down the hills because they would not pedal--I took advantage of the hills.  All in all the bike felt fairly easy, I was trying to keep my HR down below 145, my coach wanted it lower but I had the bug to race a bit, I was still mindful of my HR and saving myself for the run.

BIKE Pace Break Down

  1st 5 miles (16:51) 17.8 mph (HR=143)

2nd 5 miles (18:31) 16.2 mph (HR=142)

 3rd 5 miles (17:47) 16.9 mph (HR=141)

 4th 5 miles (17:10) 17.5 mph (HR=143)

 5th 5 miles (15:58) 18.8 mph (HR=145)

 6th 5 miles (16:45) 17.9 mph (HR=146)

7th 5 miles (17:49) 16.8 mph (HR=144)

8th 5 miles (17:54) 16.7 mph (HR=142) BATHROOM STOP

9th 5 miles (17:38) 17.0 mph (HR-144)

10th 5 miles (15:30) 19.3 mph (HR=147)

11th 5 miles (17:03) 17.6 mph (HR=146)

final mile= (4:30) 15.5 mph (HR=144)

13.1 mile Run (2:06:47)

Pace: 9:40/mile                 Age Group Rank: 56/143                    Overall Rank: 1249/2606

Heart Rate Average: 149

I came off the bike feeling great!  I did lose a few seconds in transition, I was almost out and forgot that I left my garmin on my bike, I ran to get it since that was my focus to help me maintain my heart rate.  There was a hill within the first mile that got your heart rate going, and then one not long after that--those would be the only hills on the course, though it was a double loop run course, so we did the hills twice.

My target was to have a gel about every 30 minutes on the run, along with continuing my salt tablets.  I sipped on Cytomax until mile 8 when I threw my bottle out and just ran.  It was fairly hot and so I felt like I may need the extra electrolytes.  I tried to have some cola during the run as an experiment, but it was fairly warm and way too carbonated for it to be okay for me.  Not long after that, I did have one bathroom stop during mile 4, my stomach was not bad, but just a little uneasy, it ended up being a false alarm.  I focused on my run cadence and just enjoying the course and people out there.  It got a little warm out but it was tolerable.  Many people on the race course helped passed the time.  My coach said if I was feeling good after 8 miles, I could go ahead and finish strong, so I did and it felt great!
On the run, I was able to pass 12 people in my age group and 320 people total on the run.

Consistency was the key to this run, and I was thankful I was able to be fairly consistent the entire run, finishing with a negative split.    

RUN Pace Break Down

Mile 1: 10:02 (HR=150)

Mile 2: 9:08 (HR=148)

Mile 3: 9:39 (HR=147)

Mile 4: 10:26 (HR=145) BATHROOM STOP

Mile 5: 9:52 (HR=146)

Mile 6: 9:56 (HR=146)

Mile 7: 9:59 (HR=146)

Mile 8: 9:57 (HR=146)

Mile 9: 9:43 (HR=147)

Mile 10: 9:45 (HR=147)

Mile 11: 9:50 (HR=150)

Mile 12: 8:51 (HR=155)

Mile 13: 8:46 (HR=159)

Post Race picture

TRANSITION AND OTHER NOTES:  They did have wet suit strippers that were right before transition, I utilized this, and they were awesome!  The volunteers at this race too their role serious, and for that I was grateful.  I chose to have my own sunscreen in transition (Spray bottle) and that was a great choice, I didn't feel like I wanted to be nastily slathered.

Same Vocation, New Career

Martin Luther understood vocation as a Christian's place of responsibility before God and for others in the world. One of the critical aspects of Luther's view of vocation was that we represent God to others in our service to them.  My mantra in life has always been to strive to live my life in a way to love God and love others.  Generally speaking, vocation is how Christians are to live in the world.

My mantra has always been, to impact others in a positive way by how I live my life.  After serving as a paid, public Christian leader in the Church for 10 years, I’m embarking on a new career, but the same vocation.  A new career as a flight attendant, but the same vocation to love God and to love all people.  I am thankful for the past 10 years serving in the church (more than that if you count summers working at church camp)—I have learned so much and have been part of many holy moments (joys and challenges) with people from Alaska, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, New York City and a few places in between.  I am so grateful for the experiences that I have had and the people who have nurtured my faith and leadership along the way.  My journey and my adventures and my vocational call continues…

 Martin Luther’s view on vocation is that we exercise our priestly vocation by serving others where God has placed us in life: at home, at work, in the church, and in the community. Faith is active in love, in the smallest and most insignificant things in everyday life. 

My flight attendant training in Atlanta, GA begins towards the end of April and will last for just over 7 weeks and then I will be traveling the country and world where my life will intersect with more people than I can ever imagine.  

I look forward to the opportunities I will have to love people where they are, listen, to serve and to live my vocation in this world, literally all over the world.  I’m thankful for supportive family and friends who are all along for the adventure!  

God is already at work in our everyday lives here and now.  All of us have vocations that are truly unique. Our task and challenge is to give expression to our faith in the concrete situations where God has placed us and to not get caught in the mundane tasks in our daily lives.  As I take on this new adventure, my prayer is that I may continue to live my vocation in this world, to love God and to love my neighbor and to keep this as my focus.     

As I go, as you go, as we go onward in life, I share a blessing that is near and dear to my heart:

Life is short,

And we do not have much time

to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us.

So . . . be swift to love, and make haste to be kind.

And the blessing of God,

who made us, who loves us, and who travels with us

be with you now and forever.  Amen.

My First 26.2 Mile Run

At the finish line: post race!

MARATHON DATE: February 16, 2014

LOCATION: Birmingham, AL

 WEATHER: 37 degrees F at the 7am start of the race, warming to near 53 degrees at the finish

CLOTHING: Visor, ear warmer, sunglasses, 1 t-shirt, arm warmers, capri's and compression sleeves, with smart-wool socks and my Hoka one one's--the clothing selection was perfect for the temperatures

 RACE GOAL: Stay consistent the entire race and feel strong at the finish, not completely exhausted, targeting 9:45/mile pace (4 hours 15 min)

ACTUAL RACE FINISH: 4:15:05
                                               (9:45 average pace/mile)

Hoka Club

                                     (28th of 72 in age group, 424 out of over 1000 people, 114 out of the women)
                                      10k: 56:29  (9:21 pace)
                                      15k: 1:24:46 (9:26 pace)
                                      25k: 2:22:17 (9:28 pace)
                                      30k: 2:47:18 (9:47 pace)

HEART RATE: Average was 156, consistently 150-160 when I would check.

NUTRITION: I wore a belt with three 7oz bottles of Cytomax (electrolyte drink) and one 7-ounce bottle of water.  I also had one pack of Honey Stinger chews.  I took Gu Gels approx. mile 4, 8, 11,14,18,22.  My First gu was strawberry banana, third was salted carmel and all others were vanilla bean w caffeine.  I would take gel and follow that with a shot of water.  I didn't have a set plan before the race, but a general idea of what I might do--essentially a gel every 3-4 miles and cytomax or honey stinger chews in-between.  I didn't have any issues, but could have had a better plan.

TRAINING: Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan (HERE)  This was the 'easiest' plan I could find.  I pretty much stuck to the plan, I never did much speed work in this training.  I swam for cross training.

MARATHON TALES

Travel companions and wonderful friends

Almost 10 years ago, I put running a marathon on my to-do list in life.  About a year ago, I was ready to take it off my list, there was no need for me to do that, it was crazy to put your body through that.  This past fall, after signing up for an Ironman, I began to wonder if I should do a marathon, so I would 'know what it feels like'.  After some persuasion from friends, on October 31, 2013, Rob and I signed up for the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, AL.  Rob and I enjoyed our long runs together and had many friends join us along the way... training over the winter was a little rough, with the cold weather, but we did it! Let's go to the race.

Pre-race photo

We traveled with our wonderful friends, Ed and Britta and we arrived the day before the race to check in. We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, which was a 5 minute walk from the race start, I highly suggest that for future races.  I never had to use the nasty porta-potties before the race, because we stayed in the warm hotel until the last minute.  The night before the race we went to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant called Giuseppe's Cafe.  Thanks to my wonderful friend Marcia and her husband for calling ahead to make reservations at this restaurant that had like 8 tables!  Carbo-load--I had a caesar salad and chicken fettuccine alfredo, which I didn't eat a ton of the sauce and that was a smart choice.

My view before the start

RACE DAY
Note: This might be boring, because everything went well!  
Surprisingly, I had a great night sleep, woke up on my own a little before 5am.  As my usual race routine, I sat in bed and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (that I made before going to bed), I had a banana and downed some water--pre-race meal at its finest.  We left the hotel around 6:40am for the 7:03am race start--this was plenty of time!  We started the race around the 9 minute pace and of course, we passed many people in the first few miles.  Since my longest training run was 20 miles, I realized that I didn't really have a nutrition plan in place for the last 6 miles, but I made it work fine.

The course is set-up as a 2 loop course--with the majority of the race being people who are running the 1/2 marathon, which is one loop.  The first loop was crowded, but not unbearable.  Rob and I ran together and saw the 4:15 pacers and so we decided that we would try and run with that group. Turns out that pacer was inconsistent and was running an 8:45/mile pace so they could walk through aid stations--sounds like a terrible idea to me... if I'm going to run that fast, I'd want to finish closer to 4 hours.  We decided not to run with that group and Rob and I ran together the first 8 miles and then he went on ahead, which turns out, we were within about a minute of each other the whole race.

The 2nd loop was less crowded and fairly quiet, a number of the spectators left, I was thankful for my head phones and only had one bathroom stop around mile 14.  I felt great after the 1st loop from miles 13 to 17, until the hills began.  I slowed down more than I should have, but wasn't really thinking about pace.  Some of my favorite signs I saw along side the road were, "Your running better than congress" and "smile if you aren't wearing underwear" and many folks were cheer, "Go random stranger!"

I looked at my garmin around mile 20.2, and almost felt emotional as I realized I was going where I hadn't gone before--my longest training run was 20 miles.  I saw a sign that said, "There are doors in walls that you can push through," and I did.  My play listed ended around Mile 23--no more music, just silence, again, I didn't realize that my playlist had an end to it, since I've never ran longer than 20 miles. My lack of music turned out okay--the last song was "It is well" and so my mantra to the finish line became, "It is well with my soul..."and I was full of joy the final miles!  The BUTS (Birmingham Ultra Trail Society) had a cheering station at mile 23, which I knew from my first loop that I could look forward to them. Oh my, did they step it up that second loop!!?  I felt like I was at the finish line there was so much encouragement, cheering, dancing and fun people!  I think they were serving beer and pancakes that day.  They have inspired me to try and do the same at local races in Chattanooga--they were a huge blessing.

Celebration together at the finish!

The course flattened out a little after mile 23, but I couldn't see to dig deep, I was consistently hitting about 10 minute/mile pace.  At mile 25.2, I rounded the corner for the final mile and I felt strong, I dug in to finish with a final 9:23 min/mile, finishing in 4:15:05... right on target of my goal--without a pacer!

I really enjoyed this race, I never had a point where I hurt bad, and that was my goal, I wanted to finish the race feel good and not blowing up.  With this mentality, I was running again about 7 days later without any problems.  I have learned to believe in myself, I've learned that I can do more than I ever imagined and I'm so thankful that I have the desire in me to go where I've never been.  I believe that if you set a goal, if you stay healthy, focused and determined, you can get there.  People often see me as someone who is physically fit, which I am thankful for, but it is only because I set goals and I stay committed.  I encourage you to find that goal within and go for it, I believe in you, and it's time for you to believe in yourself and your abilities to reach your goals.

My post-race reward

Should have, could have, would have?  Yah, I totally thing I could have pushed myself more and had a better time, but I wanted a great first marathon experience and I definitely enjoyed every mile, my motto was, "smile every mile!"

When is my next marathon?  Ironman Chattanooga...2014, I wonder how that marathon will go, I'm sure it will be different, and I'm sure it will be something I've never experienced before and I'm excited.  I plan to eat donuts afterwards too.

Stranded in the Southern Snow

The day before snowmageddon

Two weeks ago I was with a group of campus ministers for a network and collaboration event near Charleston, SC.  I was traveling from Houston, TX, where I attended a meeting for Disciple Project, which is a faith leadership camp I help lead each summer.  I was excited to be in Charleston, staying a block from the beach and networking with other campus ministry folks.

This was the beginning...

I arrived Charleston Sunday evening January 26, the next day, I enjoyed a run on the beach and lovely sunshine, even though it wasn't warm.  Monday evening I received word that my Wednesday flight was cancelled, so I worked to re-book  for Tuesday night, which was later cancelled, so I was moved up to Tuesday at noon, and then I finally caught the last flight out of Charleston on Tuesday at 8:45am, at this point I was excited and confident that I would beat the winter storm, I didn't even pack my carry on bag to be stranded--BIG MISTAKE.  I always pack my carry on in case I'm stranded--except this time.

My Charleston to Atlanta flight was less than an hour long and right on time, I had enough time in Atlanta to grab coffee and a little breakfast, I made it to my gate and boarded my plane to Chattanooga, all on time--I called Rob to let him know we were on our way.  We were cleared to land in Chattanooga, I was excited.  After a few minutes, I knew something wasn't right.  Our pilot then put the nose up and head back into the clouds.   He came on the intercom and said, "Folks, I'm afraid to tell you, we are on our way to Atlanta, the runway in Chattanooga is short and they can't seem to keep the snow off of it."

My view of Chattanooga from the plane

We returned to the gate in Atlanta around 2pm, after waiting around for 30 minutes, we were told our flight was cancelled.  I started calling hotels at this point--knowing I was going to be stranded, everything with an airport shuttle was sold out.  I hadn't eaten any lunch at this point, and I was fairly hungry so I went to find food and decided I would figure out what to do.  Of course because I have a lot of friends who travel often, I resort to making a post on facebook to see if anyone else was going to be stranded in the Atlanta airport overnight.  Not long after that post, a friend responded that her husband would be traveling home from a work trip--he would be on the 9:45pm flight to Chattanooga that I was on stand-by for.

Atlanta Airplanes in the snow

  Since I wouldn't be leaving the Atlanta airport, I decided to hunker down--I saw a few guys getting a stack of Delta blankets, I thought, what a great idea! I asked if they could get one extra--I later found out they were a group from Augustana College in South Dakota (where I went to college!)--I totally found the folks I could hang out with, if need-be.

I made my way to the gate around 8:30pm to see if I could get on the standby flight.  I met my friend's husband and we had a nice conversation--even though we hadn't really ever met, it was great to have someone familiar around.  9:45pm comes and goes, we haven't boarded, 10:30 comes, it was close to 11pm before they began boarding--I didn't even know if I would get a seat.  Sure enough, I got the last seat on the plane!  Super tired at this point but boy I WAS EXCITED!

Rob and I decided that I wouldn't call him until we land in Chattanooga--there had been too many false alarms of him leaving to pick me up that day.  No sleeping in the airport for this girl!  We go through the safety talks, get in line for de-icing and then eventually we were told that there were electrical issues in the plane, so we had to go back to the gate, we are pushing 1:00am at this point.  After standing around a few minutes, they find us a different plane--we re-board once again!  Safety talks happen, It's after 2am, but we are in the de-icing process--this was seaming to take longer than normal.  I decided that I hadn't eating in about 9 hours, so I enjoyed a bowl of lucky charms I had stashed away.  It's now almost 3am and the pilot comes on overhead and says, "The de-icing process took longer than we expected, and I'm not at my limit and no longer able to fly without the FAA taking away my pilots license, we will be going back to the gate."  By this point I was TIRED!  I had been up since 6am the previous day--we were later told that we had to leave the gate area to re-book our tickets since there were no employees left at the airport to handle our ticketing issue.

My friends husband and I stuck together--it's now about 3:30am, we went to rebook our tickets, which we were both rebooked for Wednesday night. We called groome shuttle (a shuttle that runs from Atlanta to Chattanooga) and booked a seat on the shuttle later in the afternoon.  It was also coffee time--I'm pushing staying up for 24 hours.... I haven't done this since my last church lock-in.

We started to research our options of trying to get home, my new friend secured a SUV rental car, we research road continues, planned a route and eventually we decided to attempt to drive back to Chattanooga.  This would be my 2nd road trip from an airport to a destination with people I just met--though this time it was a friend's spouse... but nonetheless... someone I just met.  A couple years ago it was a car with 5 strangers...

The interstate was all ice

We begin our journey with the iPad map and google maps on my phone in hand--I was the navigator extrodinaire.  Of course, upon reaching 285N, there was an accident so we immediately had to go to plan B, which was to navigate the side roads that paralleled the freeway, whatever roads we could find that looked drivable.  It worked.... it took time, but we eventually made it to 285N where there were no cars going north and all the lanes going south were filled with cars, semi trucks and school buses---that didn't have any people in them--it was slightly erie.  We'd occasionally see people walking--but I've never seen anything like this.

Abandon cars were everywhere

Eventually we saw a tanker truck and a couple cars, driving towards us on the Interstate, we assume that this is not good and we follow suite, turning around--this would be the first time in my life that I've rode the wrong way on the freeway.  As we go up the exit ramp, (the wrong way of course) the tanker truck starts to slide backwards... slightly terrifying, but my partner-in-crime had ninja driving skills and as the truck driver told us to come along in between the sliding truck and a cement wall---I'm thankful for ninja driving skills and the fact that he grew up in the Northern part of the country.

Stopped traffic for miles on I-75 South 

Once we hit I-75, we saw miles and miles of people backed up in traffic going the other direction that was not moving at all.  I have seriously never seen anything like this--not moving at all.  Needless to say it was 4 hours later, we arrived Chattanooga, for this I was grateful.

It's one thing to be stranded and have cancelled flights, it's another things to be strung along for hours, changing planes, and then ending up with exhaustion no sleep.

This was a fairly terrible experience, but I chose to keep smiling and make the most of it.  I was thankful to find community with others around me, eating with random strangers at Buffalo Wild Wings, running into the group from Augustana College-- I enjoyed many stories and laughter along the way.  I experienced wonderful hospitality and generosity from others--if you open yourself up to others, you will be amazed at the stories you hear and the joy you'll experience.

After full day travel adventure with a stranger, I'm thankful to have a new friend--If I had been by myself I would have had 2 full days in the Atlanta airport... unprepared to be stranded.  Sure, unfortunate experiences might happen in life, you have a choice in how you respond and you have a choice to make the most of it--in the end, you have stories to tell and you can rejoice that it's over.  To my travel adventure amigo, I say many thanks for the adventures and your generosity!

May my mantra in life continue to drive me as I strive to impact the lives of others by how I life my life.  I've really never had an experience like this, but I'm thankful for safety--staying up for 36 hours was not enjoyable and it took a few days to recharge.  After this experience, I won't get lazy in how I travel, and I will always pack to be stranded.