the littlest diva

Introducing....Lindsey Theresa Jackson
May 29, 2008 7 lbs, 2oz.

Deana and Linwood

Anna and Lindsey

My family makes the most beautiful babies ever.

celebrity!

On Joe's blog here.

We had an awesome swim last night. I got some good motivation and a sweet reminder bracelet.

Yes, that does say "harden!"

loverrrrrrrrrrrrr

Spotted: Henry Harden chillin in CP...Where will he go next?

Columbia Triathlon Race Weekend

This weekend, I took Friday and Monday off of work to go home and do Columbia and relax some.

Friday night, my Dad and Kathy took Deana, Kingsley and I to Fogo de Chao in Baltimore for a meat orgy. It was amazing. Highly recommended.

Saturday, I went and volunteered at packet pickup handing out timing chips. Who do I see?? MACCA!!!!!!!!!! I see lots of celebrities in NYC but I don't think I've ever geeked out that hard at someone. I was like jumping around and probably would have thrown myself at his feet if I didn't have a line of people waiting to get their chips.

After volunteering, I ran over to Centennial Park to get my bike and helmet checked and rack it. Racing Columbia is fun but it's also a chance for me to catch with so many people. I got distracted in bike racking and put my helmet on the handle bars of someone else's bike, 2 bikes down and left! I realized about 8 PM and ran back over to the park and begged the security people to let me back in so someone didn't pitch it off their bike in the morning. Then I came home and found my mom's chihuahua puppy chewing on my chip! Way to be prepared, Erin!

So, Sunday race day. The weather reports were calling for 65 degrees and 90% chance of thunderstorms. Not ideal racing conditions to say the least. I woke up around 4:30 and the sky was clear and it really wasn't very cold. So, I was feeling better. I do not like to ride in the rain. Got to the race, pumped up my tires, talked some shit in the transition area and headed down to the swim start.

Swim: The water was damn cold. Coldest water I've ever had in Centennial Lake. But got off to a good start and thought I was making good time. I didn't even get swam over by the wave behind me until a couple buoys past the second turn. I felt ok, but my swim time was one minute slower than last year. Boo. (31:57)

T1: Pretty quick and easy. Threw on my Team KY jersey and got out of there. (3:57)

Bike: Started out quick, passed a bunch of people on 108 and flew down the first downhill on Homewood. I really felt good and strong for a while. I've realized I need to hook my cat eye back up to my bike and stop riding with no computer. It's not doing any good and I think I need the constant reminder to pick up the pace. The rain drops started at around mile 15. I slowed the pace down and tried to ride smart on the wet roads. I went down the big downhill leading up to the shitty climb up Greenridge and there was a massive clusterfuck of bikes, cars and ambulances at the bottom. Everyone is screaming to slow down and I ride by and see the guy who fell. He was laid out on the ground, no helmet and his whole entire head and face were covered in blood. It was really a terrifying sight. I've never seen anything like that in real life. Maybe on Grey's Anatomy but not a real person and a fellow competitor. I didn't even realize that I was climbing Greenridge because I was so shaken up. So between that and the rain, my last 10 miles were alot slower than they should have been. Still a minute faster than last year, so I can't complain too much. (1:30:10)

T2: Pretty quick dismount off the bike into a muddy transition. Threw on my shoes and IM visor and race belt and hit the run course. (1:51)

Run: The Columbia run course is just mean. It's expected but it still hits you hard. The first hill is so steep and sickening. I stuck to my 4 and 1's and kept a 9:02 pace. I wanted to be under 9, so not great but ok. The aid station in the neighborhood was Dolly Parton themed this year and so funny. Everyone (men, women and children) had blonde wigs, glitter and fake boobs on. It was really funny. The weather was perfect for the run, not too hot, the rain stopped and I felt ok. One minute faster than last year (56:05).

Overall: 3:03:48 Good, but not great. Maybe next year I will make sub 3.

Yesterday, Matt and I rode 64 miles around the Mt. Hebron course. We climbed Spout Hill (death) and Sand Hill and a bunch of other hateful hills. I was tired but I'm glad I did it and I'm glad Matt rode so slow for me!!! Good training weekend.

Next up...the dreaded Bay Swim.

I'm old

Bliss Spa +

Babycakes Bakery
= Birthday Perfection

cinco de mayo

Location: El Maguey Y La Tuna, Lower East Side

Free shots and party favors send us all into a frenzy! Allison loved her sombrero wearing rubber duck so much, she tried to drink him.
Free shots
I won a Mexican Screaming Contest and this gigantic bottle of tequila was the prize! (That's why my face was so red, from all the screaming)
Those party favors just put us all over the edge.
On to the next LES dive bar.

I really love to win stuff.

Jim Wallis lovin up on rubber duckie

You missed out Kingsley Harden. Big time.

screw you Ursula

My Eastern Shore Triathlon Training weekend started out on a good foot.

Met up with Wendy, Julie, Katie and Megan at Salisbury University for a long brick. 70 miles on the bike, followed by a 5.5 mile run to packet pick up for the Nanticoke 3 Mile Open Water Swim on Sunday.

We pulled over so that truck with the biggest, deadliest piece of farm equipment could pass. It was so big that it had to drive on the grass to get around us. Highlight of the bike ride? Passing at least 7 grave yards. But the best grave yard had one huge headstone that said DYKES on it. And the one right behind it said...wait for it...PUSEYS. YES!

Then we went out to dinner, where Calorie Deprived Erin reared her ugly head.

75 mile brick + no lunch - 3000 calories burned + extremely stupid waitress = major bitchassness on Erin's part. I'll set the scene.

Waitress takes 15 minutes to bring 4 waters, one iced tea, one Pepsi and 2 beers. This all takes 3 trips, btw with at least 5 minutes between each trip. Comes back and proceeds to drop and smash an entire glass of wine on the table. Wine and glass everywhere. She comes back 5 minutes later and picks up the glass off the floor, leaving the whole table covered in glass and wine and walks away AGAIN. 10 more minutes pass and she comes back.

Waitress: "Can I get you anything?"

Rude/Starving Erin: "Yes, you can get something to clean up all the wine and glass on the table."

Waitress: "Oh! (Shocked as if she didn't spill it 10 minutes ago). Ok."

Comes back 10 minutes later with a linen napkin and proceeds to "mop up" the wine with the non absorbent napkin.

Rude Erin: "Why don't you get a bar towel that will actually absorb some of that wine?"

Waitress: "Oh, I would...but they are only at the bar."

Starving Erin: "Yes, that's what I'm saying. Go over to the bar and get one of those bar towels and wipe it up."

Waitress: "Haha, well I can't because you can only use a bar towel at the bar."

Murderous Erin: "Oh really?! That makes sense." (Sharp kick under the the table from Katie.)

Needless to say, dinner was not so successful and I ended up eating 3 pieces of lettuce, a baked potato, some leftover french fries and ice cream. Not the way to refuel after that brick or as a pre-race meal for the open water swim.

Get up on Sunday morning after some nightmares of crashing waves and drowning but still felt ok for the race.

This is what the water looked like. Please note the white caps and lack of bouys. To someone who is just looking at a picture of water, this looks like nothing. To an open water swimmer, this looks like a potential death march. See the "shoreline" in the very background? Sometimes a kayaker would yell, "sight the shoreline and you'll head towards the next bouy." Thank you so much. The water had a swirling current, white caps and major wind. It did feel like Ursula from the Little Mermaid was just fucking with me.

So...yeah. I got my ass handed to me by the Nanticoke River. Came in dead last. Didn't make the cut off. Not a good showing on my part. On a happier note, Julie came in second woman overall. The woman is a machine!

Megan and Katie came in second and third, respectively. Awesome!

Overall, the weekend was so fun and a good experience. Sometimes you need to get hit hard keep the training in line. Although, if Ursula shows up in the Chesapeake Bay next month and fucks up my Bay Swim, I will kill that fat bitch.