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It has been 3 years since I last blogged.
Three.Years.
I'm closer to 30 than I am 25. I have stocks. I have an INVESTMENT plan.
I found my first forehead wrinkle not too long ago and had the realization that I can no longer tolerate parties where I don't have at least 2 feet of personal space and access to a bathroom with organic soap and a fresh hand towel.
When people text me at 7:30 on a weekend to ask if I have plans (assuming I have friends, which...I don't yet -working on it I swear, it's legit on my to-do list.) I bust out laughing at the idea of leaving my home past dark.
I grow legitimately concerned when I see a girl in an outfit showing both her legs AND boobs.
I recently tied a sweater around my shoulders.
AROUND.MY.SHOULDERS.
Yep. I've really grown up. Sliding into my 30s like a dog on a linoleum kitchen floor - reluctant but also wondering if there are snacks on the other side.

I guess the biggest thing in my life recently is Ironman. In case you've been literally (and I mean, literally) have been under a boulder with no cell service, you know that Ironman has been my entire life the past 2 years. I am a slave to Training Peaks - the app I use for my triathlon training. It is both my lifeline and the bane of my existence.
I checked Training Peaks before planning a vacation, making plans with friends (again, hypothetical friends - working on it. I promise.), eating, going to the bathroom, while going to the bathroom, planning my work schedule, and even while training.
I literally checked my training while I was training.

Obsessive? Yup.
Effective? Absolutely.

I recently picked up an ambassadorship with Eagle Bicycles.
I saw the application pop up on my Facebook and half a bottle of wine in decided I was athlete enough to apply for it. Call it tipsy confident.

Obviously wasn't going to get it because people who are ambassadors are:

1. Super fast and race a ton and are on at least 3 different racing teams - non negotiable
2. Have no less than 5,000 Instragram followers, real or not real - get those likes y'all.
3. Have at least 2 other ambassador things going on. The only way to be an ambassador for a brand is to be an ambassador for another brand. You can't just have one, you have to have a small collection of them - no matter how obscure. Nutrition made from the bark of a pine tree and the urine from a Capybara? I'll endorse that. But only because I REALLY want to be an ambassador for Nuun. And once again, you can't be an ambassador unless you already are an ambassador.

So while filling out my application I was literally giggling at the idea of being picked, and also giggling at my application - which I thought was really quite witty and funny. I hit send and didn't think much about it.

So imagine my surprise when I got a phone call a few days later (or weeks? Idk.) from Eagle Bicycles saying they loved my application.

Come again wut now.

Between answering the call, shoving my barking dogs out of the room, standing on the couch for cell service, almost falling off the couch from shock and lack of coordination in daily activities, and trying not to sound like a total spaz- this surely had to be a joke. Katie is a SUPER common name and they probably had the wrong Katie.
I didn't get picked last for dodgeball in PE, I just never got picked.
So the thought of my application and me being an "athlete" that stood out was downright hysterical.
It took another couple phone calls and a contract being signed to realize they actually had the right person.
And even now I'm waiting for the call for them to be like "hey sorry this is awkward, send those wheels back."
But honestly it's been super fun to be more involved in the sport and represent a really awesome company and I'm not just saying that because I get paid in carbon fiber and Facebook shoutouts. Eagle Bicycles has some of the best most down to Earth employees and they never fail to answer all my bajillion questions about their product development and company. I'm so happy I found their company because, as a millennial, I love a good, small USA company where when you call the number online the co-owner picks up the phone and wants you to have the best experience with their product. Isn't it sad that's a refreshing experience?

Other exciting news is that I qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii at Ironman Santa Rosa.

I feel like this was both unexpected and expected. I absolutely love my coach, Vic. But he never let us get confident in our training. His motto is "Put in the work and the race will take care of itself."
We never once mentioned Kona, progress in training, or coming in first place, or even really anything about the race except my HR caps and how much hydration/nutrition I need to take in. (Note: It's a LOT.)

He just told me that I have great love of the sport and he hopes I never lose that (That had me in TEARS, Vic. TEARS.).

But Vic is literally brilliant. Probably the best coach in the world- I shit you not. In a year and a half he brought me from running like a 9 minute mile, knowing nothing about heart rate zones, unable to get my heart rate up above 140 on the bike, to World Championship qualified. Through not putting up with my excuses, my nerves, and never complimenting TOO much on a job well done, he shaped both me and Chris into the best athletes we can be. I have no idea how he did it. Or I did it.

But I am PUMPED for margaritas in Hawaii. I'm not currently THAT pumped to race another Ironman in 8 weeks, but I will be as soon as I forget the pain that was the Santa Rosa run (more on that later.)

I'll try to blog more (Kristy I know you missed it!)

Future topics include:

1. West We Go - a brief synopsis of driving across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas with 2 dogs, 4 bikes, a roofbox and a beta fish.

2. Santa Rosa Race Report - A review of what I ate for breakfast, how often I peed, and my NUMEROUS excuses for "why I didn't go faster"(in true triathlete race report form)

3. Life in New Mexico: The struggle between avoiding gang members and dodging rattlesnakes

4. Help my House is Caving in: The Joys of renting a home in the mountains

5. Do you Love to See Me Sad: Why doesn't Katie have children yet? - a grandparent's perspective

6. Are These Sheets Washed? - My Mother's first Air BnB Experience


To be continued, Keep killin' it out there!
-Katie

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