100th Post, 100 Things About Me!

In honor of my 100th post, I am going to attempt to write 100 things about me. I honestly cannot believe I have found enough material over the last year to warrant 100 posts, but I guess I have! I have learned a lot and I honestly think this blog is the reason that I have kept going with the whole triathlon idea. Thank you to all of your for your help and inspiration!

1. I am one of 5 kids and the youngest child by 15 years. Only girl too!
2. I have been riding horses since the womb. One of my first baby pictures is a picture of my mother riding in a horse show in Scottsdale with a visible baby bump.
3. In high school, I really wanted to go to boarding school. I am sure I romanticized it from books and movies, but I really wanted to go. My parents were too cheap and used the excuse that they loved me too much to let me go. Hogwash.
4. I loved playing tennis in Junior High and High School. It was the best part of school for sure.
5. I have totaled two cars. I refuse to accept the blame for either one.
6. I could eat pickles and ranch all day.
7. I raised an orphaned axis deer named Howard a few years ago. In case you did not know, baby deer can in fact scream when they are hungry and want you to hurry up with their bottle.
8. I went skydiving on the 4th of July a few years ago. Ok, so I was really pushed out of a plane with a guy strapped to my back. I was really sure I was going to get out of the whole jumping out of a plane thing but turns out I was not the only resistant client this guy had ever had and out we went.
9. As a result of the above mentioned incident, I am now afraid of heights. Flyovers in big cities make my hands sweat. Just thinking about it right now has made my hands so slippery that it is hard to type.
10. I got to see my horse, Czecher, being born. He was a sickly fellow and he spent a lot of his first few days of life in my lap. This is probably why now he thinks he is more of a dog than a horse.
11. I am closer in age to my nieces than I am my brothers.
12. I rode my first 100K bike race riding a 50 lb touring bike that I was completely, obliviously, happy with.
13. I broke my leg when I was 4 and was so unhappy about being slowed down by the plaster that I banged the cast against the concrete until it broke off. They then put a REALLY heavy cast on me so there was not even the option of lifting my leg in order to bang it against the concrete.
14. My two favorite magazines are Women's Health and Runners World. I like the triathlon magazines, but they always seem more expensive.
15. At 29, I am for the first time living all by myself. It is different, but I really like it for now! I think everyone should get a chance to live by themselves, especially before getting married.
16. I have a huge crush on Colin Firth. I think it is his awkwardness that I like about him, but either way, he is drool-worthy to me.
17. I used to be a person who never turned on my cell unless I needed to use it and had no understanding of MP3’s. Now I never leave my house without my cell phone and iPod. If I don’t have them, I get very itchy.
18. I hate painting my toenails because the stupid stuff just comes halfway off and looks horrible, however sometimes before a triathlon, I paint my toes because I know I will be standing around looking at them.
19. I love red and pink. I am not sure where the pink fascination came in, but everything for my bike I have bought is now pink. I have to say that the bright pink handle bar tape makes it super easy to find in transition.
20. My horse is name Czecher because he was born right after a trip to the Czech Republic.
21. Between my boyfriend (Greg) and I, we have five pets: Sally, Simon, Sweeny, Sage, and Sam. It gets really hard to yell at a pet without stumbling over the name and using the wrong one at least once.
22. Due to the above mentioned naming, I am really afraid that if we have kids, we are going to be those obnoxious parents that get hooked on a letter or a pattern.
23. I nearly strangled myself as a six year old by going down a slide with a jump rope around my neck. The jump rope got hung on something on the way down and I hung there for a moment before someone freed me. Terrifying. That lack of oxygen could explain a few things though.
24. I got started doing triathlons through blogs. I think there was an article in Women’s Health a few years ago about great blogs. I think Rachel and Leah were two of them, but don’t quote me on that. It just snowballed from there. It is amazing to me how people you have never met could have such an influence on you.
25. Ever since mentioning the pickles and ranch, I cannot get them out of my head. What is even better is that since my garden started producing cucumbers, I started making my own and they are incredible!!
26. I am really bad about being a homebody. I just really like to stay home or hang out with just a few friends and keep it low key.
27. I love, love, love the Powerbar Gel blasts in Cola flavor. They don’t upset my tummy, they give me lots of energy and I feel like I am getting to eat candy. I really feel like Powerbar should sponsor me because I tell everyone how much I love them.
28. After going to her first triathlon with me, my friend gawked at the (very hot)spandex clad guys waling around and simply said to me, "I understand the pull to this sport now".
29. As a rule I hate running, however, having a dog along really makes a difference to me for the fun factor.
30. My bike collection is up to three now. I really feel like I need a tri bike to round out the harem. It will be awhile on that one though.
31. I am blind as a freaking bat. If I ever lose a contact during an open water swim, there is a good chance I will be fish bait as I doubt I could see shore from 10 feet off. And no, sadly, not a candidate for Lasik. It is a good thing I have a dog now because he could be my seeing eye dog one day. Greg would just lead me into poles all of the time for the fun of it.
32. At the barn I worked at before starting at the bank, we used to have to collect the stallions for artificial insemination. My friends knew those days as "horsey porn" days. It was.....interesting.
33. If I am eating candy like M&M's, I like to eat them in pairs by color.
34. I was a vegetarian for about a year, but I was constantly sick so I went back to meat. I am sure I could do it now that I am more nutritionally educated, however I think I like steak a little too much to do it.
35.I hate perfumes. I can handle a little light scent, but most perfumes give me a horrible headache.
36. I don't do snakes very well and tend to yelp a lot around them. Irony: My hometown host The Worlds Largest Rattlesnake Roundup.
37. I love to read, and while I can not stand harlequin bodice rippers, I do enjoy my fair share of stupid Chick Lit books. I have to read just a little bit before I can fall asleep.
38. My very first triathlon, I did not bother to check my bike over as I came running out of T1 to hop on it. The chain had fallen off and I went right over after two furious pedal strokes that got me nowhere but on the ground. Great transition!!
39. Now that I no longer have a roommate in residence that does the dishes, I have switched to paper plates. I balance the trash factor in favor of water being saved.
40. I love jewelry but I very seldom remember to put it on except for the staple pieces I never take off. (this does not mean I don't want more. hint hint)
41. I am a very lazy decorator and just don't care that much. I like the minimalist approach due to the fact it leaves me with less stuff to pick up and dust.
42. I would much rather work outside doing just about anything than doing housework.
43. My name is Renee and I am addicted to Craigslist.
44. And possibly MSNBC too.
45. I used to love to wear super high heels however I have now decided my feet are too important to wreck doing that.
46. In addition to raising the deer, I also had a baby bobcat. I still get to go visit him but he still has a lot of wild left in him so he is not like a housecat for sure!
47. I like most animals more than most people. They do things that usually make sense. People don't.
48. There has been more than one race where I have been dead last and having the cleanup car follow me in. There is nothing worse to me than having someone driving slowly behind me staring as my ass while I try to finish.
49. I am certified to SCUBA, however I have only been on one real dive trip. I have problems getting my ears to pop so I end up getting ear infections when I try. Given the chance though, I will go again for sure!
50. Most people can walk a mile faster than I can run it. I don't train it often enough though so it is typically my own fault.
51. I love scratch off lottery tickets. It is a good thing I hardly ever have cash on me!
52. My best friend and I were in love with the same guy in high school. You would think this would cause problems, but instead we stalked him together. He ignored us.
53. This same best friend and I were tennis doubles partners. We were once playing a match where a father decided to come cheer on his daughter while laying in a reclining chair, covered in oil, and only wearing a Speedo. Horrific enough, but he had to add to it by shouting "Stroke the ball girls!!".
54. My dog is very jealous that I have a belly button and he does not. He thinks that he should investigate it often.
55. My dad was a horse trainer before he became a doctor. When he first started applying to medical school, they all told him he was too old at 30. The Ostepathic school finally took him and he has been a big advocate of them ever since.
56. My mother probably married my father in part due to the fact he was a horse trainer. When he decided to go to medical school, she (with 4 sons) became a nurse in order to pay for it. She said her whole goal as a mother was only to keep them all alive and not a lot past that. I came much later.
57. I cannot watch an entire movie at home without getting up to do something else or falling asleep.
58. I love the Harry Potter and Twilight series. I think they are ageless.
59. I wear a lot of black not because I could be depressed or that I think it is slimming. I just hate having to worry about matching stuff up and black is easy.
60. My boyfriend, while not having any desire to do any of these things himself, always supports my crazy lifestyle by going to horse shows, bike races, etc and then tells his friends and family all about it. It is nice to have someone proud and supportive of you.
61. I am eating my first watermelon from my garden as I type!
62. I love the Disney Channel. I don't care how stupid it is, it makes me relax and laugh.
63. I have a Dilbert calendar on my desk and sometimes the comics hit a little close to home as far as office life is concerned.
64. I love Restaurant.com and hate going to restaurants now where I can't use the discounts because it seems like a waste of money.
65. In general, I am a coupon and bargain freak. My new discovery....Talbots and Target both give new things to our goodwill so you can get brand new items for SUPER cheap. I wish triathlon stores did the same thing.
66. I want to whack people in the head that still wear their trucker hats off to the side.
67. Coffee is my friend. Maybe even one of my besties.
68. I have a day planner that I carry around in my purse and I love it. I love writing down everything I need to do and being able to open it and know exactly what I am doing on a certain date. That way, nothing sneaks up on me.
69. It is raining out right now and it makes me want to curl up in a chair and read all afternoon.
70. I am kind of thinking I would like to try from Ironman Kansas 70.3 next year. The only problem being that it is just 3 weeks before Buffalo Springs which is local so the more obvious of the two to do. Hmmmm...
71. I want “push past the pain” to be my new mantra. I can do it while swimming and biking and get into that great comfortable feeling, but not while running yet. Of course, it helps that if I stop swimming, I can drown and if I stop pedaling I fall over. Both good incentives to keep moving.
72. I like the word LIZARD. Just say it over and over again really fast. I love it.
73. I love wine glasses. I have a fairly extensive collection and have to really stop myself from acquiring more.
74. I am afraid I am going to start repeating myself soon, but am to the point where I am going so blank on new stuff, it does not really bother me.
75. When I was in elementary school, we had a 100 mile club. You would bring notes from your parents saying how far you had walked or ran on your own. Since we walked our 3 mile block every night, it did not take long before I finished and I was the first one to do it! The PE coach made me a trophy and I think I still have it somewhere.
76. Comics are the best part of the Sunday papers.
77. It amazes me how slow I run. I honestly think I can speed walk faster than I can run. It will just take time and work to get faster, but wow.
78. In the same breath as talking about how slow I am, I would also really like to try to do a half marathon next January or so.
79. I just got some POM Wonderful from the company to try and it is pretty incredible. More on this later.
80. They are tearing up all of the brick roads downtown and it makes me sad because I think brick roads are so neat. Not so fantastic on bike tires though.
81. I would love to live by the water someday or have a lake cabin to retreat to.
82. I would also like a big nice porch to relax and cook out on. A good sitting area to have friends come over and relax would be great!
83. My brother videotaped my triathlon this weekend and that was a little scary. Pictures are one thing to see, but video....no hiding anything there! The diet is now in full force.
84. This will be covered in more detail in my race report, but I just won my first medal! I am thinking I will be a real dork and make a shadow box with my race number and swim cap.
85. It always amazes me how a few minutes after a race you will be swearing up and down that you will never do it again and then the next morning be signing up for the next one.
86. I have 6 nieces and one nephew. I have not been around very many little boys so my nephew is always an educational experience for me!
87. Greg gets almost more excited about the number of comments on my blog than I do. He also nags me when I don't post often enough. I think it is sweet.
88. With the number of emergency room trips I made as a child, I am surprised CPS did not investigate what was going on. I am sadly, still as un-graceful today.
89. I am currently obsessed with all thing vampire: books, movies, tv shows.
90. I was a thumbsucker until an embarrassingly late age.
91. I always wanted to be more artistic than I am. I can do crafts, but I wish I had more of a talent for drawing. I can do an incredible stick figure though.
92. I am a horrible speller and am always appreciative of spell check!
93. My father, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew all came out to watch the triathlon this last weekend and that was so cool having my own cheering squad!
94. I can sew and I remember being very young and making my cat a Super Cat costume complete with cape and sequins. She was a very good cat and tolerated it just about as well as any animal ever should.
95. It is possible that my dog has more play dates and friends than I do.
96. I have the worst time with passwords, especially now as more and more places require different and longer passwords.
97. I can not dance to save my life, but I would love to take lessons one of these days.
98. I love teaching young beginner horseback riders. They are so excited and just ready to go and learn. Adults are much more suspicious and scared.
99. I think I am perfecting the ability to take the puppy out to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without even waking up.
100. I am so impressed that I actually came up with 100 things! Thanks for reading! Lots more good posts to come!