Someone Moved Hawaii...Then set it on Fire..

The Expo right outside my hotel room at BSL 70.3

You know it's hot when...

- you run for 20 minutes outside at 6pm and the back of your throat starts to burn instantaneously while you're heart rate tops out at max aerobic pace

- you get in your car and feel like you might get right back out because it's got to be hot enough to make a full breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns right there on your dashboard

- you sweat through your shorts, your shirt, you under ware and that's just while the air conditioning is kicking in during the first five minutes of your car ride

- you realize air conditioning isn't a luxury, it's a necessity

- you now know why you don't see hardly anyone outside walking around between the hours of 10am and 5pm

It's sweltering, hot as blazes, burn your eyebrows off, 100 degrees hot. Ok.. so enough about the hotness. I guess I just thought because I'd been to St. Croix and Hawaii in the same year it would be same old same old. Yep, not the case.

I'm not sure why, but any moment out there just hits you in the face and you wonder how you will survive it for 5 hours on a little Sunday jaunt while swimming, biking and running seventy miles.

Let's say this.. if it's hot for me, it is hot for everyone though. As my new fun friend Gary (who just happened to mention he's done IM Hawaii 6 times, Brazil twice, IM Canada 12 or so times and a decent helping of many other races throughout his last 30 years of racing (yes, he's going after the Hawaii Slot in the 70-74 category and by gosh I think he has a really good shot!) - this kind of heat separates the wheat from the chaff. Yes Gary it does. I am going to drink until I'm peeing every 20 minutes tomorrow. I'm going execute my nutrition plan and I am NOT going to crawl over the finish line (if I can help it).

These are the things I can do.

As for the sickness, the 11 hours I got last night really seem to be helping immensely. I've been coughing some before bed but I'm pretty sure that Robitussin nighttime is going to take care of that. My nose is mostly clear and my sore throat has FINALLY subsided!! I'm very thankful and maybe I just might be healthy enough by the time Sunday comes.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! I feel them and appreciate it.

Now let's go burn off some eyebrows people..it's racing in Texas time!!

A Women of Strength

A Strong Woman Versus A Woman of Strength

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape. But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything. But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her. But a woman of strength gives her best to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future. A woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be God's blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly. But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears a look of confidence on her face. But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey. But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

I received these wise words in an email yesterday from my church back home, and they have been resonating with me ever since.

My journey to my first tattoo was embarked upon because four friends had become very close my freshman year and we wanted to permanently mark this time with a seal that would bond us together (what I thought, forever - not a surprise, we've lost touch). I decided on a butterfly because I really like them at the time. It was turned to the side and a pretty unique interpretation. Looking back, honestly, I didn't really give much thought to the fact that I would be wearing it for quite some time!

During my sophomore year I traveled to spring break in Atlanta. As if my first tattoo wasn't enough for my poor Mother to handle, I decided it was time to go round two. This time, I thought a bit more about what I wanted to be on my body specifically.

I gave some serious thought to what I represented as a person and what I wanted my life to be about (at the ripe old age of 20). At this point, I was well into my first year as a walk-on to the Penn State cross country team, and I was excited about what it meant to be part of something bigger than myself again. I had missed that camaraderie and testing my abilities in an athletic sense. I was putting myself on the line daily in practice and trying like crazy to prove that even as a walk-on, I was supposed to be on this team and would someday contribute to it's success.

So, I looked up the Chinese symbol for strength, and in half an hour, I walked out with it on my right thigh.

I've always liked both of my tattoos though. Most of the time I forget they exist until someone comments on them during a swim or a run. You really can't even see them unless I'm in my suit or running shorts.

Over the last two weeks Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 has been looming in the back of my mind. No matter where I go, or what I would do, it was always there - as were the questions. How would I do? Was I ready? My life was such a mess, how could I think I would do well?

At some point I decided none of it really mattered. I needed to get over myself and just go down to Texas and do something I loved to do, end of story. We all would love to know we're going to have great results or that we're completely prepared going in. Actually, in the last two days I've picked up a bug so I'd just like to go in feeling healthy at this point!! I'd settle for that!!

On Sunday, the most important thing is to be thankful I made it to the start line. That itself will be a victory for me.

I'll be traveling to this race alone. This will be the first time I have ever done such a thing and I'm scared. I'm not sure of what - eating alone? being alone with my thoughts? My bike being in pieces and not knowing what to do? I'm sure it's all of the above.

A women of strength will not get scared though. Or if she does, she'll know how to deal with it because she's been given the tools to handle it. I have great family, friends, bloggers and many more people praying for me and looking out for me from all over the country. Healthy or not, scared or not, I'm going to do my best...end of story.

Through even the scary parts, I'm hoping to show that I believe I'm supposed to be there racing on Sunday.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey. But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

I don't believe I'm there yet, but maybe someday I will be and maybe this part of my life is a part of that process.

I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to race once again...so here we go! Thank you to all of you who have been there for me, are there for me now and will be there in the future. I couldn't do this without you.

I'm drinking ecinecha tea, taking vitamin c and trying like heck to get over this bug!!

Good luck to everyone who is racing all over the country this weekend! Great Job to Marit who did her first Ironman last weekend at IMCDA! You're amazing!

See you in Texas!

Celebrating the Weekend a Day Early!

The weekend is finally here! We celebrated the fact that it was Friday with a trip to our favorite place to eat lunch down in Oakland, Red Oak Cafe. If you ever happen to be in the area, Dave, the owner is a good friend and more importantly, makes amazingly fresh, unbelievable healthy and Delicious fast lunch specials. Things like turkey wraps on organic whole wheat, or Tamie and I's favorite, the Buffalo Chicken Wrap (but not with fried chicken, just shaved chicken meat!). Thanks for the great food Dave! You're my hero.

It is SOOOO good! We love it!

We had all our regular items- blueberry peach smoothies, baked chips and even chocolate chip pretzels for dessert (ok, not so healthy but so tasty!).

It was really a treat!

This weekend is devoted to packing for both my race and for Vegas, to which I will be traveling to immediately following the race on Monday morning. I'll be packing wetsuits, and cocktail dresses...talk about a strange combination!

The training is tapering down so that is nice! I guess it's a sign, it's almost time.

I hope everyone has a great weekend of training and racing!

Kim's New Website!!

I wanted to take a moment and let you know I am officially launching my new website which can be accessed through either url: www.kimschwabenbauer.com or www.kimtrihardracing.com

It has been a long time in the making, and I am so thankful for all of the help I received from Kyle, and Anna, the designer for the PA Sportsmen Portal.

The website is an excellent place to see updates on what I have been up to through the LATEST NEWS section on the homepage and via my BLOG. In addition, you can learn about other opportunities to assist your business or group such as motivational speaking, sports nutrition, corporate wellness and more under the SERVICES tab. A photo/video gallery chronicling my races over the last three years including St. Croix, Hawaii and many others takes you through the life of a triathlete traveling the world to learn about myself, my character and who hopes to use these experiences to help others.

I am so thankful for my sponsors who help make traveling and competing in these types of events possible. A huge thank you to Super Donut, Powerbar, Big Bang Bikes, Finley Business Solutions, Serenity Dental Care and my coaches at Mark Allen Online! Please support these businesses and learn more about them by going to their websites!

On June 28th I will be competing in my first Half-Ironman of the year, Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3, in Lubbock Texas. Please check up on me prior to the race on the website and blog and follow my progress via http://www.ironman.com/.

As always, I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to use the talents given to me and do my best! Thank you all for your support, thoughts and prayers over the years. They do not go unnoticed. Thank you for stopping by the site!

What Normal People Do...

I hate to say I'm abnormal, but let's face it, I am. Most people I know do not attempt to get up and go to the gym to train for at least a few hours every day before going to work and then may even jump back on their bike in the evening for another session

I love training. I love being on my bike. I love feeling fit and bounding up and down trails while trying to execute my workouts to the best of my ability. It's just something I've grown accustom to and something I enjoy so much.

With that said, for the first Tuesday in a very long time, I did not wake up at 5:30am to head to the gym. I did not try to squeeze in another workout before a 9am workday start time and I did not even pack a bag last night (wait, I take that back, I did pack a bag, just not my gym bag, more on this later).. talk about a strange feeling.

I woke up this morning at 7:30am with the normal people, showered, ate breakfast and put on my one outfit that did not involve any spandex that I would be wearing the entire day!

It was nice..and weird, but nice.

My Mom was in town delivering my bike box last night so we even had lunch today.

Kim & Donna Wana or "Wana" for short

As a side note, I am letting go of my bike 12 days ahead of time. WOW.. not easy. I am going a different method this time and will actually be transporting it via truck with a company called TriSport Express. I didn't realize they were going to be picking it up this early so yesterday involved a very quick pack job of my transition bag and late night packing the bike box! It was crazy, but it's done! I'm going to kiss it goodbye now and hope it makes it to see me again in Lubbock Texas! I'll miss you Blue! Travel safely!

Run, Swim, Bike.. Taper Countdown!

When I woke up yesterday morning I wondered if I was actually going to make it to the taper. The last too weeks have been good, hard, but really really good. I've managed to do just about everything I am supposed to be doing training-wise and I was really feeling it. My legs were worked over, tired and lifeless and my body longed for a day off.

One more long Thursday, then, you get a break, I told myself as I slung my legs over the bed and started to put on my heart rate monitor!

My day started at the track. I never look at a workout before that very morning if I know it's going to be juicy. When I saw juicy I mean, huffing and puffing, heart bursting out of your chest, leave half of your body (and mind) out there once your done. Wondering if my legs would even work once I got there occupied my mind as I drove over to the high school track. When I arrived, it was just me, the track, and the work I had yet to do.

On the schedule.. warm up, some strides, and then as Emeril would say - BAM! - 3 x 1600 (with rest at half the time of the interval) all out. I would finish with 8 x 100 and a cool down. "Ok.".. I thought, "first one - push but get your bearings, feel the track, get it over with but make sure you don't put it all out there, we are descending these babies, end of story."

So, that's exactly what I did. I ran strong, I counted down and got the leg turnover started and focused on getting that first one in but trying not think about how the next two would feel. Just like ELF said a few weeks ago, for those of us who run, being at the track is somewhat of a Religious experience, we grew up there watching those lane lines pass. I spent much of my life, and my blood, sweat and tears running on a curve, looking at my watch as I passed the 400, teaching myself about how this time would feel, or how this pace would feel. At the end, the watch was almost obsolete, I knew what I was running when I was running it, all by the sound of my breath, the amount of turnover, and the feeling.

Back to yesterday morning - When I ended the first repeat I was pleasantly surprised by the time, but not happy. It was, well, decent, but I wanted more (surprise, surprise). I set off on number two knowing I would work harder and would drop it (by how much was yet to be seen). On lap number three of that repeat I started to hurt, the thoughts started to creep in, "if this hurts so much now, how will you do one more?!" I pushed them away, it was all about this repeat, right now, lay it out and no holding back.

I crossed the line again and allowed myself to stand and pant for a minute. I looked at my watch and 10 seconds were gone from my previous repeat.. oh man, I'd done it now, this one was going to be hard to beat.

Lining up I tried positive self talk again, and set out to see what I was really about. Each of these times where you lay it all out you get to practice. Practicing all kinds of things is what makes race day easier because it's inevitable that you will have the same thoughts, the same feelings, the same challenges to overcome. Rounding my first two laps I was already feeling the fatigue of the other two repeats before and my mind tried to scare me, "you won't beat your time, you can't do it, you're too tired now." Then my strong-willed nature would come back and beat it down with more thoughts "you will do it, you've done it before, you need to practice doing it because in two weeks you will be doing it and you're going to have to pull it out then and put it all on the line, use this, learn this, do this."

When the final stretch came, I pumped my arms and left it all out there until I thought I might throw up, final time, two seconds off the last repeat. I did it. I freakin did it.

A big thumbs up and happy to be done!

After basking in the glory of making it, I cooled down and returned to my car where I drove to the pool. I had a nice swim but only got in about 2400 of my 3000 yards. After work, it was one last workout to go.

My friend No Helmet Jeremy!

I met my British friend Jeremy and although I warned him I was tired, he showed no mercy. He was going to make me work for that day off on Friday. We rode from North Park and although I had no legs, I managed to stay with him and we chatted making it go faster. Only once did his non-helmet wearing behind almost get drug off his bike when the car behind us shouted expletives at us for riding on the road. Road bikers on the road.. what a concept!

Then it was dinner and bed. I hit the pillow and eight hours later I feel like I might make it to the taper! Only one more hard weekend to go! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Me, 65 miles and a bike

It started off foggy, and 7:30 rolled around a bit earlier than I would have liked as I did my check and double check of everything I would need:

- three bottles with MAO fluid energizer - check

- 5 Powergels (Carmel - yum & 1 chocolate for variety)- check

- money - check

- arm warmers (it was still 60 degrees at that time!) - check

- New Oakley sunglasses (wayyy too foggy to wear them) - check

- Wind Vest - check

- Training partner crazy and willing to ride with me - Double check

When we started I thought my hands might freeze off, but I talked myself into no gloves before I left, it was going to warm up, I could feel it.

They FINALLY paved the rest of the park which had been grated off for weeks and it was heaven riding on that smooth black road. We were excited and ready for a great day of riding and that was just what we got!

The time flew by as we tried to evade the fog and stay in my heart rate zone. Before I knew it the sun burned it off around 10am and with only a three hour forty minute ride, we were going to make it to sixty miles! I was so happy that my legs felt good and my heart rate was behaving.

When I got off the bike I was unsure of how my legs would feel. I talked myself into just thinking about the first ten minutes and then seeing what happened from there. Sometimes its all about the self talk! Low and behold, they felt great! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, I was working hard to stay in my zone as the heat was now in full effect. It had to be 75 by the time noon rolled around and I was almost done with my run.

One thing I love in the summer is swimming outside in North Park Pool. It's about a football field worth of pool with lap lanes and kiddy swimming. HOWEVER, it is not heated.. This was the first open weekend of the summer and I decided to brave it. Never mind that I realized I had no cash and had to count out three dollars IN CHANGE to get in! I felt like I was 12 again!

I go inside and notice not ONE person (of maybe 30 people laying around the pool) had ventured in! Not one. So, not a good sign. That's ok..I'm going to be tough, I can do this.. no cold pool is going to scare me (I thought!). I go in and put a toe in, it takes my breath away.

I was shocked. It had to be sixty degrees. It was everything I could do to get half my body in the pool. The lifeguards watched in amusement as I sucked in like I had just gotten punched in the stomach. I said I would give it a thousand and then see if I could hack it..

Go ahead..

Say it now..

I'm a pansy..

I got out after 600. Whooops!

So, that was Saturday's swim workout. O well.. I swam extra hard today to make up for it coach!

I saw some great results this weekend from REV 3 and other races! Way to go!

NEW Sponsor

I am pleased to announce that I have added a new sponsor to the team and I couldn't be more excited.

Permit me to introduce - Finley Business Solutions!

We help individuals find the right franchise to fit their financial needs, skills and lifestyle. Dick Finley at 1-800-933-1517 or visit our website at www.finleybusinesssolutions.com.

Dick is a regular at the YMCA. He has the kind of smile that makes you want to come up and say hello. I distinctly remember him being on the rowing machine in front of me while I was getting ready to do my lat pull downs and him asking why I was always in the gym! For that I had an answer - "Oh I'm a triathlete, we basically live here, I have a cot set up in the maintenance room."

He is a wonderful man and we've been chatting for months about the weather, his daughters wedding and local news. It's so wonderful to see a friendly face in the mornings and to get a little rest between sets while catching up with a friend.

Who knew he was such a successful business owner until we starting talking about my hopes and dreams of seeing where this triathlon thing goes. It's such a blessing to have people believe in you when they see your drive and determination of showing up day after day and putting in the time in order to reap the benefits of all your hard work on race day.

I feel fortunate that people see the real me and want to be part of this journey I'm taking. It's pretty exciting to say the least.

Please check out Finley's site and pass on the word for me! I appreciate it!

As for me, I'm about to embark on one of my last full weekends of training before I start the two week taper. I have some nice long rides, runs and swims on the schedule along with some R & R and looking for a dress for a party my company is throwing in Vegas. The malls here in Pitt are pretty big so hopefully something nice (and under 50.00 will present itself!).

Stay safe everyone on the roads out there and have a good one!

My Biggest Challenge

Everyone faces challenges. I don't care who you are...they find you at work, at home, in your personal life, in training...this is the nature of the beast.

I enjoy blogs because we get to learn a little about what challenges are facing other athletes and members of the blog community. We share their struggles and we identify with what it feels like to DNF, to go into a race sick, to fear we aren't prepared, or to just plain step up to the plate of a hard workout, stare it in the face, and beat it down with a very large stick.

It gives us more confidence at times to see that others have been there before us, trained for their first Ironman and survived, learned how to swim, or jumped into their first elite wave and still lived to tell about it.

Realizing challenges are all part of not just building our character, but revealing it is so important. I don't want a life free of challenges, what type of person would I be at the end of this journey if I had nothing to share with others about my struggles and battle scars. There is nothing more compelling than someone standing up in front of a group and saying, I've been there, I know what it's like and here's what I've learned, here's how I can help you deal.

Right now, I could use a little less, but I guess that's where faith comes in. Either we believe these challenges are part of the plan, or we don't. Either we believe they are created one of two ways - by us being rebellious and headstrong and bringing them on ourselves, or by a higher being deciding that we need a little rough patch to bring us back to the things that matter and make us examine who we are and where we are going, or we think everything is random.

If everything is random, then I'm not sure I could go on another day. This world is too complex, people are too complex, and the thought that we are all aimless floating, well, that just doesn't appeal to me.

My biggest challenge these days is trying to understand how I got to the path I am currently on and where I'm supposed to be in future while trying to be thankful that the challenges have a purpose and will ultimately make me a stronger version of my current self. Sometimes I can only think one day ahead, or even two. Sometimes that's all the strength I can muster.

Looking to the things that make me happy and fulfilled is only one aspect. I am trying to look to the things that I know are good for me and will make me better in the end...and that's dang difficult.

Is triathlon part of the scheme..who knows. I surely don't. It's become a large part of things that make me happy, but it is ultimately relationships, helping others and becoming the person I know I can be that I want more than anything. So, I'm not sure how all those come together yet, someday I hope the answer is revealed.

All I know is it can't be just about podium places or getting to the IM World Champs or something like that. I'm all for setting goals, but what happens when you reach all of them? I know it's about the journey not the desination, but there just has to be more. After twenty years of doing triathlons, is that how I'll be known, as a triathlete who made this and that place or this and that time...that's it. It's a notable thing, but I just have to have there be something more and I"m trying to figure out what it is. Standing on the podium is great, but I want people to know the story behind it, how I got there, what it took not on my own accord but where the power came to reach that spot.

Sorry this post is so random...a lot on my mind these days I guess! A good friend and business assoicate passed away this past weekend and I'm sure that has something to do with it. He lost his battle with cancer and he will definitely be missed. To his family and friends - I am thinking and praying for your comfort and hoping in the midst of all this sadness you can remember all the wonderful things about John and how his life touched many.

I leave you with pictures of my favorite place to run and train - North Park. It's located in Wexford, Pa about 7 mins from my house.

Pre run in my new camo pink sports bra. I was having a rough day on Sunday so I decided to break it out and then ran 15 miles. I guess it did the trick!

They have a great bike lane and run/walk lane and on a nice day on the weekend the park is pretty busy with both bikers and runners. We always meet to start out but don't stay in the park long, too crowded for our fast wheels!

They have Speed "HUMPS" instead of Speed Bumps.. not sure what to say about that. Feel free to draw your own conclusions on this one.

You run around the lake the entire time which is beauiful and sprawling. People fish, but no swimming!

There are water fountians every two miles or so which is much needed and appreciated on a hot day!

If you're ever up for it on Sunday mornings I hit North Park around 7-9am! See you there!

Thursday Nights Epic Ride

I'm not sure what made last Thursday night's ride so special to me. It was just one of those nights when it all came together.

It was a long hard week of training and Thursday nights two hour ride always ends my week before a spectacular day off on Friday.

All day clouds loomed ominously, threatening to throw lightening and rain ruining my ideas of riding outside. At 5:00pm things had started to clear and I rushed home to change and head out by 5:40 praying that the skies would hold and that I could pedal up and down the mountains for a few hours before nightfall.

Surprisingly, even after a long week of training, my legs felt light and unstoppable, like pistons curning up and down without much effort. Heading toward the park the sky was already beginning to clear and as I came to the stop light at the bottom of the hill where I like to do a few loops before heading out, I saw my friend Jerry round the corner at about 25 miles an hour. I knew I would have to beat it to catch him once the light turned, so I laid it down. Pushing hard on the pedals I turned a pretty high heart rate for about five minutes until I caught him. He smiled as I came up alone side asking if he had some time to ride with a friend.

Once he realized it was me he said let's get out of the park and I was game right away. We headed out on a loop we love around small Pittsburgh towns like Mars and Treesdale. The ride seemed to pass so quickly as we chatted and road past soccer games in progress and the air became cool and a perfect 70 degrees. I'm not quite sure what it was that night, but it seemed so effortless. It was reaffirmed once again how much I love the feeling of speeding down the road in my aerobars while looking down and seeing numbers like 27 miles per hour and 122 on the heart rate monitor. The hills were even enjoyable as I gripped the handle bars and pulled up just feeling so lucky to be alive and able to see the world with wind in my hair and from a bike seat once again.

The light started to fade and I was almost sad to see it end. My friend got me close to home and then sent me off on my way. The rain was just starting to drop and I had to move it or loose it to make it before it really let loose. I was feeling so good that I really ramped it up those last ten minutes (while still staying my zone coach, no worries) and pushed just to know I could. I wanted to end strong on a ride like that, it just wouldn't have been right to do otherwise. It was like a gift, and you don't waste it!

I wish I had pictures, and documentation, but mostly, I just have that sense that I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing that night and that there was no place I would have rather been than on my bike making a few hours pass like wildfire on a Thursday night ride. It's a good feeling when you feel it in your heart and it melts over you. I hope all of us keep getting those every once in awhile. It sure is amazing!