aprilgellatly.com

whirl-wind of a two weeks pictorial.

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May 12th, 2009adminuncategorized

scott arrived in georgia on thursday, april 30th which was also james birthday. he was my present to james on his 30th birthday. (james is old.) i have no picture from the birthday surprise though.

friday morning, may 1, we ate a gaint breakfast at aim’s, loaded up the car, and took off on the 2nd annual Joe Schum short bus ride benefitting large black dogs. (notice Joe Schum front a center.)

the team heading to 'bama

i told scott the weather would be 85 degrees and sunny on the trip to ‘bama. i should be a weather girl.

our trip would include the 110 mile bike ride to anniston, al on friday. i was supposed to race sunny king crit the next day, saturday, may 2. the cheaha challenge which is a 102 mile ride to the highest point in ‘bama was on sunday, may 3. then we were to finish up with a 110 mile bike ride back to atlanta that monday morning, may 4.

i was wrong in my weather forecast. it rained the first 60 miles to ‘bama, but we made it to the state line anyhow…and finally started to dry out along the way. the 'bama line.

by the time we hit lively’s foodland, the sun had come out to stay and saw us into anniston.

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once in anniston, we went to a nearby mexicain resturant for dinner.

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after dinner, part of the crew hit the local bar… (boyfriend and i).

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sometimes, i dance…

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saturday morning, i choose not to race sunny king crit due to the continued rain, but we went down to cheer on friends.

go, boys, GO!

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the next morning, we rode the cheaha challenge. it was a bit harder than i had remembered the previous year. i lied to scott…the highest point in ‘bama is quite a ways up there!

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my (very smelly) shoe started to come apart on the ride to ‘bama SO i had to duct tape my shoes for the rest of our jounrney…

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cheaha was the most fun i had had on a bike in a while. scott was great company “even though he had to wait on me a lot.”

the next morning, we started our journey back home. it didn’t start in the rain, but i think we made it 10 miles before the skies let loose and it rained, and it rained, and it rained! we dropped 70 miles into the ride, soaking wet, and went to eat pizza and drink a beer. ken and one of our other support vechicles came to pick our wet butts up!

scott and i were back home for a day. we worked on bikes until 1:30am with tom that night! so much bike work to do after 3 days of rain, hills, and etc…

wednesday, may 6, we were off to panama city beach fla…

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i stayed with a lovely lady named Kaye. thank you, kaye! you were so awesome.

scotty was staying with his buddy shawn and helping out at the blue seventy tent.

we spent the next couple days getting ready for gulf coast half ironman. then we did the racing…

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i didn’t have quite the race i hoped for at gulf coast. i felt like i was “trying” too hard the whole time. it never felt smooth. it never felt good, but as always in pc beach, fl, it was some after party.

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we danced… we sang… we were merry.

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clucker had great presence during the gulf coast awards ceremony.

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i dropped scott off in clermont today. that was the end of my journey with scotty and clucker. i miss you boys!

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nash-vegas.

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April 26th, 2009adminuncategorized

marathon. check. 3:32. YEAH. next stop sub 3:30 in an ironman. all is well.

i have enjoyed ‘the strip’, broadway, more than i would have guessed. there is something about cowboy hats and boots that make the booze and the bars seems a little less overwhelming. although i have to admit we were in bed by 10 last night and our most exciting stop was for ice cream. i am getting old.

cowgirls

cowgirls don’t cry. ride baby ride.

exile in peachtree city.

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April 23rd, 2009adminuncategorized

is over today!

i am done house sitting about 4 pm this afternoon and headed to Nash-vegas to run a marathon in celebration of my new found freedom. Most likely, i’ll wake up convinced i need to be up by 6:45 to let the dog out for the next week. it’ll be nice though to be home feeding my dogs. bella…i am coming home! for the first time in six months, i will be sleeping in my own bed (on monday but still…YEA!)!

i just finished sending a note to my father’s best friend, Pat. it was so good to hear from him. it also caused me to reflect on the last couple months of my life, and how much i have grown due to this time period. today, i feel thankful for the struggle. i was dealing with some tough shit. i am ready now though. my check list of ‘life’ things to take care of before moving forward is full of check marks. time to live life as any happy, healthy, well adjusted individual may. just living the dream, baby!

nash-vegas…here i come!

victoria’s secret.

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April 22nd, 2009adminuncategorized

on my ride today, i rolled up on a couple of riders at the gas station. the guys looked my bike over like it was something from a circus.

‘pink camo,’ the one guy remarked. ‘this thing could get lost in victoria secrets.’ it made me giggle. i am thinking of naming my girl victoria…

my very pretty little girl.

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April 19th, 2009adminuncategorized

seriously though you couldn't see me coming, huh?

doesn’t she look great!??!

i’ve been on a couple rides thus far. i think we are riding well together, but haven’t had any data to know for sure, just feel and hr. alright i need to get out the door running, but wanted to play with the new photo/video upload features.

web updates are coming. brace yourself, things are changing.

pink camo bike.

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April 2nd, 2009adminuncategorized

how were they supposed to know i was coming? i was all in camo… (yet another great camo joke.)

in a week or so, she will be mine.

http://tribonzai.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=1090

this makes me so happy.

ing marathon

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March 30th, 2009adminuncategorized

the run went as well as i could have hoped. the sun came out the morning of ing. it was good to see the sunshine after the days of rainy weather. i was happy to be back in the race environment, the excitement, the crowds, the energy, everything. it made me wish i was more fit. it made me wish i was excited to race that day. i knew i had limitations. i dislike limitations about as much as i enjoyed the last couple days of rain. limitations are just another form of excuses except they are legitimit due to behavior. i’ve condemmed my behavior more often than not over the last couple months.

it has been tough though. it has been a tough couple months. i’ve always amazed myself with how much ‘life’ i have been able to fit in my life, but as far as major life stressors go… DAMN, i am living! i made a list though of things i needed to do over the next couple weeks in order to feel grounded, stable, and move forward with my life. i have one item to finish on the list. it is sort of important though. i need to get a tri bike. riiiight. you need that to do triathlons. i have put on a calendar all my races, my income, and my living accommodations for the next couple months. the point of my ocd rant, however, is that looking in on it all (my life), i understand why i have had a hard time moving forward. i was doing the best i could, but life has been a bit of a cluster fuck. i was doing the long runs, well most of them, but not the fast runs. speed, tempo, what?!?

limitations (excuses) aside, my goal was to enjoy ing. whatever…that meant. i just wanted to find enjoyment in the day. i went out hard. i ran 7:20 the first mile on accident. i slowed from there. i knew for most of the run i needed to keep my heart rate in the mid-160s. the 3:40 group passed me about mile 12 and i decided i wanted to try to hold 8:15s with them for as long as i could. i ran just in front of them for awhile, i ran just behind them for awhile, and then eventually i just started to fall off. it wasn’t there, the lack of training, caught up with me about mile 22, and my legs were ready to be done. i crossed the finish line, saw my boyfriend sporting my large pink bag, and whined/asked/begged to go straight to the car and then home. i was done. i am happy enough though. 3:46 isn’t professional triathlete good, but it could have been a lot worse.

i am excited for the coming month though. i have 24 more days of house sitting which means 24 days of stable, no moving, no un-nescesary stress or drama. how much can i accomplish in 24 days? i am excited for nash-vegas marathon in late april. i simply find comfort that i am excited for exercise and events that take place in the future.

sunny south central fla.

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January 11th, 2009adminuncategorized

2009.

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January 8th, 2009adminuncategorized

happy new year.

the holidays are over…finally…now with the resolutions, weightloss, and new routine. i am still working hard to establish this greatly desired routine. i am so tired of things being messy and all over the place…

oh, here we go ago…i’ll write more frequently now. i think i have successfully pulled my head out of my ass.

here’s to 2009…

unemployed and homeless.

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December 15th, 2008adminuncategorized

all of my worst college fears realized (i sincerely used to walk around georgia state campus convinced that i could be one of the many homeless hanging out downtown. god, i am irrational.), however, things are slightly more stable than i ever would have imagined.

i think i have to explain all this away. it’s all crazy, but it all makes sense in it’s own right.

the unemployed part will come as a surprise to most. i’ve told a total of about five people. it’s just not the holiday news i love running around advertising. tour de georgia was cancelled for 2009. one of the major reasons i was hired was for georgia. my job went good-bye with the race. i really am okay with it all. i’ve had the conversation mutlipe times now about how i can’t travel as much as i did this past year and still be a professional triathlete. i’ve been told things needed to slow down. i’ve been told flat out, that this job and professional triathlete-ism do not go together. it’ll all work out in the wash. in the meantime, i am trying to decide exactly which way is the best to step. i think for now, staying homeless, unemployed, and in GA is my best bet. i could move somewhere, get a real job, but i fear the loss of focus that comes along with all that… if i sincerely want to be a professional triathlete why not try to make that work for at least a minute? i realize it doesn’t seem like the most rational plan, but i know what i am working towards. i know where i see myself, and i think i am capable of good things. beyond that, this whole professional triathlete route is by no means the safest, “sure i am living the dream of sorts,” but this is scary as shit! no retirement plan (like anyone has a retirement plan anymore??!), no health, dental, vision insurance, all the great perks of any pretty little desk job, this life is void of any real stablitiy. stablity comes in the forms of tempo runs, track sessions, and tough bike rides which my head actually handles the stablity that comes along with the workouts better than the paycheck any day. i have little work plans that can hopefully keep me afloat until july, maybe longer, if i learn to stay away from the mall…

i have to imagine my fathers reaction to all this… i am really not sure what he would think. i could see him leaning either way. i could see him telling me i need to be practical, that i need to grow up, get a real job, take my career seriously, and let that lead me will it may. i don’t think he ever imagined i was capable of getting so thin, however. i know, weird statement, but my father, once told me after a race, “you know, you are good. you could really do well at this if you dropped the weight.” it’s weird i feel like i need his permission to not work for the next 7 -8 months. (of course, define “work…” i will be working just not in your traditional 9 – 5 sense.) i think part of my dad would fully support this professional triathlete thing as long as i am not wasting my time.

i am working way too hard to justify all this (even to myself…on a daily basis).

technically, i am not homeless either. all of my stuff is up with the boys (joe and marcus), i have been living with anne and the family, and i have house keys and rooms in a couple different houses. joe’s is so far away from training and my family and my life and while i could attempt to establish connections north of the city, i hate traffic and people and crazy. life just seems easier on the southside of the “bubble.”

i go to oregon next week for the holidays. oregon is a great place for thinking, problem solving… i am so dreading telling my grandmother that i don’t have a job right now. i am not sure i can make her understand all of the above “rationalization.” in fariness though, i am not sure i understand all of this. i feel like i am just reacting to things at this point. all this life is happening around me…