Accelerade, Cycling, and more

The good people of Accelerade found me via my blog and asked me to try out their product and blog about my experiences (as well as post on their website). I agreed.

Thirty 20-oz bottles of Accelerade arrived at my doorstep, and I've used it on two bike rides so far.

The first time, I tried the flavor that is colored blue. I didn't think it had much taste at all, which was a good thing. The second time, I tried the flavor that is colored orange. It had a more noticble taste, but wasn't overbearing. I really don't like sweet stuff. I've never been a soda drinker and didn't put sugar in my coffee when I was a coffee drinker. Most sports drinks are too sickly sweet for me. I have two more flavors to try, but so far, Accelerade is right on the money with regard to taste.

I have felt better during and after the rides with Accelerade than I have in the past. Is it the sports drink or just my own experience? Not sure yet, but I'm looking forward to using this product some more.

Shout out to SW TriGal and GeekGirl
who worked around my schedule and let me come on a 45mile ride today ( I took vacation, but still had an important phone conference to join mid-day). It was an *awesome morning* for a bike ride because we got what the rare cloudy sky!! However, it still totally wore me out. I'm in awe of you folks that put in huge mileage week after week after week.

I've been sitting on my rear this evening and honestly don't want to get up. Bring me my pillow, I think I'll just sleep right here. Thx.

Monthly Tally

Summary:
Swim - 6000 M
Bike - 186 miles
Run - 42 miles
Races - nothing

Thoughts: I lost focus in July, but managed to maintain a decent level of biking and running mileage just for fun and fitness. :)

August Outlook: There's a Sprint Tri on my calendar early in the month. Training plan focusses on prep for the half-marathon in early September. I'll have to make changes and kick my tri training up a notch if I decide to sign up for the ElephantMan (Oly).

1-2-3

Swam ~1 mile on Friday in open water. No anxiety attack! Yay!!

I have enough blueberries and lemon yogurt for 2 more batches of muffins.

Went on an awesome 30 mile bike adventure with Husband on Saturday

Went shopping with Daughter. She now has 4 pairs of school pants

and 5 new polos...we found great sales!!

My first half-mary is only 6 weeks away

Accelerade sent me 7 bottles each of four flavors to test and blog about

I've been getting a good 8 hrs of sleep each night all weekend

Ran 9 miles this morning. I'm tired and sore, but pleased!

Go Girl! goes back.

I had chosed the Go Girl! jersey, but it fits me so poorly that I'm sending it back for a refund (not a different size, and not a different jersey). B'ah! So much for spending my "health for life" $$ on a cute bike jersey.

However, I think I might spend it on an entry to another race. The Elephant man Oly distance triathlon was just officially announced. It is located a few hrs away and will be held at the end of Sept. If I can get an "ALL CLEAR" from the family, I'm signing up. That will give me something to focus on and train for other than just the half mary earlier that month. I could use the motivation. :)

(edited because I don't know how I forgot to include the next part)

My 15yr old son is in marching band. They've been working hard all summer, particularly the past two weeks in all-day band camp. Today was their first public performance and they were AWESOME. The cool part...here I am in the audience, scanning the field for my son and taping the whole show. Immediately afterwards, he asked "can I see it?" I'm intrigued. How did he know I had taped it? Well, he was scanning the whole audience during the show looking for us. He found us and saw that I was taping it. And that made him happy. :)

I spy, out of the corner of my eye...

Things observed along side the road while cycing to work today:

a Wendy's bag
mittens
dead snake
a beer bottle
dead bunny
broken glass
a pair of boxer shorts
horse poop
a single shoe
cardboard
a large dead bird (possibly a chicken)
a water bottle

Uggh

My body hates me!!

My skeletal frame is built like an upside down triangle. Wider shoulder, narrow hips. This is NOT how a woman is supposed to be built. I've very happy that my daugther inherited some other woman's frame. Her proportions looks good. Mine are just wrong. I have no womanly curves. This is not to say that my body is totally devoid of curves, but let me assure you, they aren't womanly.

I carry my weight in the mid-section. I guess that makes me "thick in the middle". It's really hard to find clothes that fit when you are 42yrs old, shaped like an upside down triangle that's bulging in the middle. Clothing manufacturers expect women to have hips. And those that don't are supposed to have skinny waists. I don't fit in either of those scenarios. Nothing fits.

I've gained 8 lbs in the past two months. I gave up ice cream a few weeks ago and STILL gained another lb after that. Ugggh.

My bike jersey (to be unveiled) arrived and I'm thinking up trading up from a MEDIUM to a LARGE because I'm thick in the middle and it's tight. Sigh.

I wanted to order a hydration belt of some sort and needed to measure my waist/hips to figure out the size. Either my measuring tape shrunk in the wash, or I'm getting even THICKER in the middle. I'm not ordering this or any other clothing item until I lose some weight!!

Blueberry Muffins with a Twist of Lemon

That's kind of how my weekend training went. Starts off sweet, but with a lingering sour aftertaste.

Yesterday I rode 26.6 miles on my bike. Ten solo, the rest with my husband. I really enjoyed riding with him. At the end, I asked how he was feeling and he said he felt pretty good. He asked if that was my normal speed, which it was.

Well, apparently it seemed like a bit of a slow pace for him. Yes, folks, I'm THAT pathetic on the bike. Even newbies on the bike are dumbfounded. Ouch.

This morning I went for a run. Let's start with what went well. I got up and out the door. That's a big win for me lately. I didn't leave anything important at home. Huge improvement over last week. I maintained fairly even paces between the first and second half of my run. That's something I have been working on.

However, I only managed about 6.3 miles total with an average pace of something like 13.8 min/mi. There is nothing particularly wrong with that except that I usually maintain 11.5-12.5 min/mi pace on my Sunday runs and have been going 8+ miles. This is totally going in the wrong direction! I am getting slower *and* my total run distance is decreasing! This is not exactly how half-marathon training is supposed to work. Sigh.

As for the muffins, I'm thinking of making a batch this afternoon. Here's a
recipe. Let me know what you think if you try them out.

Think like a dog...

The Making of a Pack

When we were first married , we brought home an Australian Shephard cross puppy. We had all kinds of puppy problems with Charky, but we took him to obedience classes and he turned into a well mannered, attentive companion. He clearly recognized Husband as leader. A year or so later, during a time when Husband was on a temp assignment in another state, I decided Charky needed a canine companion and adopted a 9 month old dog, Bosco. Charky established himself as alpha dog and took it upon himself to keep Bosco in line. A few years later, we started a family. The dogs were great with the kids. Can't explain what I was thinking exactly, but one day I brought home another dog, Boots (Well, he needed a home and how much harder could it be to take care of three dogs when you already have two?). Boots established himself in the middle of the pack and Bosco was happy at the bottom. A few years after that, I decided a cat would be great and brought home Mitts ended up second in authority because Boots was afraid of him. Mitts and Bosco were great buddies. Are you keeping up? At this point the Pack contained two human adults, two human children, three dogs, and one cat.

One sad day, at age 14, Charky's lifetime was over. Within a year, we added a second cat. Cookie didn't care for the dogs, but Boots was afraid of her and Bosco just wasn't interested and all was well. A few years later, Bosco passed away peacefully in the back yard at age 16. This left poor Boots as the lone dog in a house with the two cats. We said our last goodbye to Boots this past November.

Starting Over

We weren't sure we wanted to start over with that whole thing because the ending is so difficult. But after a few months, we agreed to bring a new dog into the family. To be more accurate, Husband agreed that I could get a new dog. And that is how Bandit found his way out of an animal shelter, and into our home earlier this year.

I absolutely love this dog, but he also came to us with what turned into a growing list of undesirable behaviors:
- Marking (aka peeing on stuff in the house)
- Demanding attention
- Jumping
- Separation anxiety
- Stealing food
- Won't come when called
- Pulling/leading on the leash
- Chaser of all things small and fast*
- Bolting out the door

I have been intending to enroll him in some sort of obedience class, but with my busy life, it hadn't happened.

A few weeks ago, my Husband intended to sit on the sofa, unwind, and watch a Cubs game. First problem was that the corner of the sofa has been marked and needed to be cleaned up. He grumbled and took care of that then sat down. Bandit ran over and started nudging and barking and demanding attention. He grumbled that he didn't want to play right now. Something was wrong with the TV. After fiddling with a few connections he realized that Bandit had shorted out the cable box** by 'marking' it as well.

That was the last straw. Husband wasn't at all happy with my dog, he wasn't happy with me, and the tension in the house was thick.

Think Like a Dog

On the advice of a few trusted friends, I decided to enlist Bark Busters for help. I liked the idea of them working with us in the home. They believe that most of Bandit's issues come from his view of the pack and where he fits in. He hasn't acknowledged us as leaders and is trying to assume that role. This makes a lot of sense to me. We've seen how dogs behave and establish a pack.

They spent about three hours with us during the first visit, and we noticed improvement in most of the problem areas right away.

We've learned how to communicate with Bandit in a way that he understands. Husband's relationship with Bandit is better (phew!). They left us with homework, tips/tools/techniques, their phone number, and scheduled a follow-up visit in 2 weeks. I'm encouraged. I'll let you know how it goes.

* I have included photos of a few of the small and fast things that Bandit enjoys chasing. As it turns ot, at least two of them do not enjoy being chased and can draw blood from the nose of a dog when provoked.

** Looking back, it is somewhat funny that Bandit killed the cable box by peeing on it, but no humor was found at that exact moment

I Have Chosen & Other News

Thanks for your comments on the bike jerseys. I'll tell you this much - it helped me narrow down to A & B. The final decision...well you'll just have to wait to find out. :)

Biked to work today in 26:15 which was a PB by one whole minute. I know this because I'm a dork and keep a running B2W tally on my white board at work.

Due to popular request by my family, friends, and coworkers - I also requested a locker at the gym onsite which they grant to folks who bike to work 2 days or more per week. It would mean that I have to ride a bit farther and leave a bit earlier...but I could shower at work and keep stuff in a locker vs. carrying it all with me.

It should keep me on track & smelling better. They monitor it, so I will have to maintain biking to work 2x per week to keep the locker. As far as I can tell, the only downsides are having to leave earlier, travel a bit farther, and restart my dorky B2W tally. The advantages outweight the disadvantages.

Stay tuned for "Adventures with In-Home Dog Training" and the story of why we decided to pay an animal behavioralist to help us with Bandit...

Bike Jersey Shopping

So get this....we had the opportunity to participate in a "Health for Life" program at work and they actually paid us for it. Participation included getting some blood work, blood pressure, and other vitals done; taking a health survey; and meeting with a personal health coach. I now have in my hot little hands $50 worth of Amazon.com credits. How cool is that?!?!

I decided to use it on a short sleeve bike jersey. I like bright colors and have narrowed it down to the following three choices. Wanna' help me decide? Here are the choices:

Exhibit A: Go Girl Luna. This jersey screams Go Girl all over it - on the chest, on the arms, on the sides. If that doesn't encourage audience participation while trying to get up those hills, I don't know what does. GO GIRL!!!

Exhibit B: Green Biker Chick. I love the lime green color; what a way to stand out in the crowd!! Why doesn't anyone make a green biker Slow & Steady Tortoise shirt?? That's what I really want.


Exhibit C: Hippy Chick. It caught my eye because of the colors, but it almost didn't make the cut because while I'm into peace and love and don't wear makeup, I'm not really the "Hippy Chick" type. But then again, what does that have to do with fashion!

Random thoughts from the nightstand

Many bloggers have cool mastheads. I want one. I have no idea how to make one, but I want one. Can I sign up for Masthead 101? I think I lost my original Turtle photo when my computer crashed and that HAS to be included in any new masthead.

Life was easier when I thought getting a new bike was out of the question. Now I find myself paralyzed with indecision. How will I ever make a decision on this?

Making a list of random thoughts from the nightstand is a good way to pass time when you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, but doesn't really help with getting back to sleep. Nor does doing laundry, unloading the dishwasher, painting your toenails, or surfing the internet.

Sleep aids work. The key is remembering to take them before you fall asleep. They aren't useful at all if you don't think about it until 2am and have to be up in 4 hours.

What is it about Monday's that make them seem so dreadful? I've had many Thursdays that were way cruddier than Mondays.

The in-home dog trainers (animal behavioralists) are coming on Friday. I need a list of behavioral issues that we want to work on. Oh good! Something else to do...

I really should wash my car. And vacuum the inside.

We need a new vacuum. Drat! I forgot all about that this weekend.

There is something about a fresh coat of bright pink nail polish on my toes that makes me feel all pretty.

It sounds like there is a cricket in the bedroom. Man, that thing is LOUD. No wonder I can't sleep!

Stupid Human Tricks

My half marathon count-down reminds me that I have less than 2 months to go. It's time to get serious and ramp up my mileage.

A little background. Bandit has become my running buddy for short (2-3mi) runs. Sometimes, I take him for a 2-3 mile loop, bring him in, and head out again on my own for longer distances. He's a great running companion, so I take him with me most of the time that I head out. As a result, he knows running clothes when he sees them. He also knows the sound of the Garmin turning on is the signal that it is about time to head out the door.

I was planning 9 miles on a route that didn't include my dog-friendly 2-3mile loop. I got ready, put my cell phone in one pocket, grabbed two gels, put on my Garmin and he started getting excited. He wasn't coming with me and didn't take it well. I tried to convince him that I wasn't leaving him forever and that he didn't need to wake up the whole house (and neighborhood) barking at the window when I left. I was so involved in trying to settle him down and leave without him escaping out the door with me, that I performed Stupid Human Trick #1 and left one very important thing at home. Read on...

My run/walk thing has been working pretty well for me, so that is what I intended to do - taking walk breaks at every mile. I figured that miles 3 and 6 would be good places for nutrition/hydration and I could take longer breaks there if needed.

Miles 1 and 2 pretty much went as planned.

I got to mile 3, and grabbed a gel out of my pocket. Yummy. Then wanted to wash it down with some water. But...er...ummm...I realized I had left it at home. I had planned to wear my camelbak, but with all the hubabaloo with the dog, I forgot to grab it on my way out.

I could have (okay, should have) turned back, but instead, I performed Stupid Human Trick #2 - and decided to keep going. It's the middle of the summer and I live in the freaking desert. 9 miles is a long way to go without water. I have no idea what I was thinking.

At mile 4.5, I wasn't feeling so good, but it was time to turn around and head back. I was having trouble doing the math in my head to figure out when to take my next gel (this isn't rocket science, but I was getting a little fuzzy headed). I started walking every half mile and tried to work things out in my head.

At some point, I was doing a more walking than running. I was trying to figure out where the nearest water fountain might be and if it would be closer than home. It was really hard to think straight, so I kept heading towards home.

Mile 6 arrived and I took my second gel. I tried to convince myself that it counted as hydration. Myself wasn't convinced.

Mile 7 arrived and I no longer wanted to train for a half marathon. I figured that I was too stupid and should throw in the towel before I injured myself in some permanent way. I was just about to call home and give up.

Then off in the distance I saw a figure that looked surprisingly similar to my husband on a bike. I shook my head in disbelief. And he was waving at me and carrying ice water. Apparently, he had taken Bandit out for a run expecting to catch up with me for my last mile. When I didn't show up and didn't show up, he came out looking for me. I guzzled it down, thanked him, grumbled something about only an idiot would head out for 9 miles without hydration. He asked if I was okay or if he should get the car. I thought about it for a bit and decided that I was okay and wanted to finish what I started.

When it was all said and done, I had travelled 9.15miles by foot (my average pace was too slow to refer to it as a 'run', so we'll use the term 'by foot')

I spent a lot of time doubting myself today, but I've decided to try this exact route again next week. I'm pretty sure that I won't forget my camelbak this time.

Tagged and Bike stuff

First things first. Geekgirl tagged me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. Thanks!

I'm supposed to tag five more. It's just too hard to choose five (so many of you ROCK!), so I'm taking the easy way out and just tagging my virtual training partner, Karen.

Speaking of training, here's what I've been up to for the past few days.

Yesterday, I went up to Cochiti Lake with Geekgirl, who was very patient with me in the water. Guess what? I actually managed to swim without having an anxiety attack. It was encouraging. Maybe I don't have to limit myself to pool swims afterall. I think I just need more practice in the open water.

Today, Husband and I went bike shopping again. I didn't buy anything, but I have to tell you that I am really liking the ride that the LeMond Versaille and its carbon fiber frame has to offer. I need to do more thinking before laying out that much cash for a road bike vs. a triathlon bike, but the ride is just incredible.

He ended up buying the K2 Mach 2.0 from REI. It seems to be a great bike at this price point and was the one he enjoyed the most.

Despite my warnings, he didn't want to spend any extra money on flat protection of any kind, a saddle bag, extra tubes, tire levers, pump, etc. Okay fine. We were anxious to hop on the bikes when we got home. We decided to down to a local grocery store for a few things (abut 5 miles away) to test out his new ride. On the way back he's yelling "FLAAAATTTTTT" and pointing to his rear tire.

My next gift for him will be a 'self-sufficiency' kit. I'm thinking that he'll actually appreciate it now. :)

Non-training rambling

If I didn't know better, I'd think today was a Monday.

It all started last night when I managed to fall asleep without taking my meds which are designed to help with my sleep disorder. On the same night that my husband managed to come down with some stomach ailment.

By time my alarm went off I am sure that I'd spent more time awake than asleep and felt like DogDoo. I skipped my morning workout - it wouldn't have been productive anyway. I also seriously considered re-starting my coffee habit, but didn't.

I arrived at work only to have the pleasure of being invited to one of those behind closed doors meetings that lasted almost a full two hours. Those are never fun.

But I managed to make it through the work day and things got a little better. My MIL sent daughter a package in the mail with material and instructions for making her own beads and using them for jewelry. All we needed was a toaster oven to get Miss I'm-a-teenager-who-gets-bored-easily-and-when-that-happens-I-make-everyone-miserable on her way to having something to keep her busy for a few days/weeks. I managed to score one at Walmart at $18.88 by taking the display model. Ha!

And tomorrow starts my weekend. Yay!!

Oh - and I bought my husband a present for his new bike - a Terry Fly saddle. Now he just needs a bike to put it on. LOL.

Where to start...

So, I have been looking into a new wheelset for my bike. I have even bid a few times on ebay, with no wins. This is in attempt to help me with racing...

I ordered the Toppeak MTX DX bag and MTX qbeam rack for commuting. Without verifying it, I had hoped I could cram my laptop in that bag and get the weight off my back for commuting. It arrived today. Laptop *can* be crammed in. Great! But, while it is supposed to fit all seatposts- it doesn't fit mine. Gah!!! Mine seems to be undersized. I need some sort of shim or a new seatpost or this isn't going to work. Sigh...

Meanwhile, Husband & I have been looking at roadbikes for him. He's not willing to spend too much so we're looking at entry level bikes. Similar to what I am on right now. No biggy. Just need to try some out, decide what he likes best, and buy one.

While we are shopping for him, I had an encounter with the LeMond Versailles WSD (steel and carbon). Okay, sure, technically I shouldn't have even been set an eye on this particular bike while shopping for a 6'1" man. In my defense, the encounter occured while I was left alone and unsupervised in the bike shop during one of his test rides; it's not my fault if the bike was calling my name.

I came home, looked up reviews, stared longingly at the literature I brought home, and grumbled about how I wish I could get a new bike now that I have more experience and have a better idea what I'm looking for.

He said something like "Well, if you *really* want it, why don't you just go back and buy it?"

Bug-eyed, jaw-dropping silence... I had no response at all

The thoughts in my mind raced. "Is this really *the bike* I want if I buy a new one?!?! Why was I so interested in this instead of a triathlon/TT bike? And how long do I have before he changes his mind? And what does that mean for my current bike?!?!? And do I need an extra set of aerobars or do I just move the onse I just got? Extra pedal, saddle, gosh...do I really want to spend that much right now? I really need to solve that commuting problem with the rack not fitting. And...and...and... "

Life can be so complicated sometimes. I have no idea what I'm going to do.

[p.s. only ran 2 miles today]

Not bad for a Monday

Yesterday my 6 miles turned to 6.85 miles and it was a lovely overcast morning. Ahhhh. Felt good.

It seems that my virtual training buddy and I both got off to a good start this week.

Today's plan was bike to work, which I did. It wasn't too bad in the morning, but it was hot on the way home. We're doing work in a different building so I had to carry more stuff than usual. It was really too much weight for me, and now my shoulders/upper back are a bit sore.

I was focussed, I was feeling it, but I can't really say that I was enjoying it. ;)

Tomorrow morning I'm giving myself the option to bike to work again or optionally run 3+ miles. Based on how my shoulders feel, I will probably take the run option.

working my way out of a slump

Ladies and gentlemen, I've been in a slump for the past month and a half and I hereby declare my intentions of fighting my way out of it.

No sleeping in, no blowing it off because it's too hot, no excuses about not enough time, no complaining that I'm so slow it doesn't matter if I train or not. One way or another, I'm dragging this body off the couch and outside for some exercise.

I've had three encouraging days so far. Short run (2mi) on Thu with Bandit. Swam (1600) then biked a few errands on Fri (9mi). Biked an errand today (9.5mi). Lame, yes. But I'm off the couch and I'm counting it as success. Everything begins somewhere, right?

Tomorrow - 6 miles by foot - run/walk/crawl...whatever it takes!!

rose-colored glasses

I'm making an attempt at finding the positive and skipping the negative today. Looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, if you will.

I was able to take the rest of the week off from work. I have no specific plans which means I can spend the time however I want.

I don't know the technical name of the springy thing that broke on the garage door a few days ago, but I think I found someone who can come look at it and/or fix it tomorrow. And by golly, that *was* on the top of my list for how to spend my time since I don't have to go into work.

My computer is running faster with less crud on it. And as far as I know, I am too. Now that my downloaded Garmin records are gone, I get to start fresh with my run/bike data. As far as I know, today was a PR on that 2 mile loop with a hill - and while we're at it, I can't prove to myself that I've ever gone farther than that either.

I didn't lose *all* of my digital photos. I hadn't cleared the memory card in my camera for a few months and was able to redownload those.

My son got his top braces off today. What a killer smile! We go back for his retainer next week. And the bottom braces come off a few weeks later. Then the bottom retainer the week after that. By the end of the next month, I'll be able to find my way to the orthodontics office on auto-pilot.

After the dog broke the cable box by 'marking' it, it was *easy* to convince Husband that we should look into in-home dog-training sessions.
Today is only supposed to have a high of 90deg; that's practically a cold spell.

I've discovered that the sit-on-you-rear-all-day-complaining-about-the-heat-while-eating-ice-cream diet doesn't work unless your goal is to gain 5lbs fast. And by sharing that with others, I may have just saved someone from learning that the hard way. No need to thank me, I'm here to help.

computer crash!

Shortly after my last post, my computer crashed. We've tried several times to bring it back to life...to no avail so far. I may need to get a new computer, not sure yet.

Posting this because for the few of you who may have emailed me about something or another, I cannot get to my email at the moment. I'm not ignoring you. I can post or comment if I use another computer, but I cannot get to my email at all.

Hope to be back online soon.

UPDATE: 04-Jul

I'm back up with a new hard drive. So far I cannot retreive anything from my old hard drive which means I lost my address book, all my old email, my favorites (including all your blog sites), my digital photos (wahhhhh!), etc. Bear with me as I try to get back up and running...

Keeping me honest

June Totals:
Pretty wimpy as expected...sigh. I do a lot of my training in the AM, but lately I've been spending a lot of that time sleeping.

Run - 29 miles

Bike - 126.5 miles

Swim - 4675M

Races - 2 (sprint, 10K)

July Forcast:
No races planned this month. I need to concentrate on figuring out how to deal with the fatigue that has been plaguing me, and get back into my groove.

a what?!?!?

Tonight we went out to dinner after sending the kids off to camp for the weekend. I bored him with talk about stuff including my desire to do a 70.3 next year. I've been trying to get a sense of how he might feel about that. Sometimes he seems very supportive, other times he seems resentful.

Anyway, he's apparently expecting a bonus from work in the next month. While we were on the way home from dinner I asked him what he was planning to spend it on.

He said "I'm thinking about getting a road bike."

"You ARE?!?!? Do you want to try triathlon? or duathlon? or start riding to work? or what?!?!?!, " I responded with great enthusiasm.

He shook his head indicating a negative response.

"I just wanted to be able to go out with you on your weekend training rides."

Huge apologetic teary-eyed smile on my end.

I love this man. I still don't know how he feels about me doing a 70.3 next year. But if he'll start riding with me...well, that's better than any race. :)

Mid-week miscellany

Official Cherry Garcia chip time says I finished in 01:05:29 - that's 30secs faster than I thought. How could I have lost 30secs? I was sloppy with my watch, that's how! I didn't start it right away and I didn't end it right away so I kinda' rounded up.

Tuesday I picked up a new pair of running shoes. I wish they didn't alway upgrade shoes. I liked what I had, but they don't make them anymore. Now I have a new model. I bought one pair. If I like them, I'll buy a second in a different color and start my rotating thing. They last longer that way. Plus I get to postpone the agony of trying yet a new model when they decide that these are no longer good enough to manufacture. Sigh.

Last night Husband & I got to go on a date to watch Bruce Hornsby & Ricky Skaggs in concert at the zoo *without* our children. And this weekend the kids are going on a church youth group camping trip Fri-Sun which allows us to go on *another* date without the kids. Gosh, and we could count the Cherry Garcia race as a date too, since we didn't bring the kids with us that evening either. Incredible, huh? I've been waiting 15yrs for us to find time alone together again. I'm liking it. :)

Short term race plans are few and far between. Next up is Socorro Chile Harvest Sprint Tri (Aug) and the Chips -n- Salsa half Mary (Sep). Nothing planned for July as of yet. Of course, that is how June started off too. We'll see what happens...

Cherry Garcia 10K Race Report

Ah yes, a local evening race that serves pizza & ice cream at the finish line. What's not to love about that?!?!

Husband & I both ran the 10K and it was a first for both of us. I had planned a 10K in January, but it was cut short due to over a foot of snow.

I wasn't sure what I could pull off today, and was hoping to come in under my 10K time from the Oly back in May. Sure, that was at the end of a triathlon, but it was also at a much lower altitude and I felt strong on the run. I figured it was a reasonable trade-off and made for a good goal. My time there was about 01:08:00.

How did it play out tonight? I started off strong, but somewhere right after mile 2, I started struggling. Can't pinpoint what went wrong, but I faded fast and didn't feel strong at all.

I don't have precise splits, but it broke down to something like this: 9:30, 10:00, 11:00, 11:00, 11:30, 11:00, 2:00 adding up to about 01:06:00.

Despite feeling pretty cruddy after mile 2, I did come in under my time goal. And since it was my first 10K, I'm counting it as a PR. WooooHooooo. And of course, there was that ice cream and pizza at the finish line. All in all, a nice evening.

P.S. Thx for comments on my last post about wheelsets. I have so much to think about...

Wheelsets

For some reason, I have it in my head that I need new wheels. Something other than the Alexrim DA22 that came stock on my bike.

I really don't know much about wheels or what all is involved in replacing them or how long they should last or anything. Yet, I think I need new ones. Mostly I'm guessing the stock wheels that came on a bike that cost me $650 probably aren't doing anything to help my speed. I admit, I am a little confused by all the bicycle technical mumbo jumbo and am over my head on this one.

But that didn't stop me from doing some research. And the Spinergy XAerolite caught my eye.

So...

Would you consider this a reasonable upgrade/investment from what I have?

Can I move my cogset from my old wheels over or do I need to replace that also?

What should I know or think about that I don't know or haven't thought about before I even consider this?

Thanks in advance and have a fun weekend!!

Mid-week Misc.

Is it just me or is it TOO HOT?!?! It was still 91deg at 9pm when I picked Son up from HS Band practice. That is crazy. I don't even wanna know what temp it was when I was riding home from work today. Luckily our cooler is working and since most of our house has adobe exterior walls, it's well insulated. And that certainly gives me incentive to stay INDOORS. Blowing off planned running left and right, though...

What ever happened to the ice cream man? I want one of those orange push pops right about now. Doesn't that sound good? Mmmmmmm. When I was a kid, I could count on the ice cream man coming by on a hot afternoon, but now the ice cream man never comes by my house. :(

Made a deal with Daughter. She'll continue to give me pedicures if I pay her for it. It's a win-win. She'll accept $3 for a half hour of work, does a nice job, and I don't have to drive anywhere or pay too much. She had been doing it for free before, but I guess it's only fair to pay for it. It's not like I can (in good faith) assign that to her as a chore. LOL.

Operation Aquarium is still going okay. All the fish are still alive. Water parameters look okay. Family interest and participation is still moderate. Moods are generally positive.

Sleep/mood journal is proving to be interesting.

Husband IM'd me telling me he's on his way to the airport to come home.

Life is good. :)

Let's pretend...

Let's pretend that after a race, you decide to take the little pump off your bike and put it into the race bag for safe keeping.

And this is also where your bigger frame pump was during the trip to the race (the one you normally carry in your backpack when commuting.

And just for fun, pretend that you decide to commute by bike to work on Monday, without remembering to put either pump back to its rightful location.

In your pretend world, let this be the first day commuting that a flat is encountered.

And by the kindness of a colleague you are able to get a ride home. Only to try to fix the flat while wearing white pants for some reason.

Let's pretend this happens on the same day you get a call from the Doctor telling you that your bloodwork is great and nothing obvious is wrong.

And the doctor suggests that maybe you aren't sleeping as well as you think you are, or maybe you are depressed.

And suggests that you start keeping a journal for the next week, keeping track at various points of the day how you are feeling. What is your mood, energy level, etc.

What might your first entry be? Just pretending of course...

Long Version

This morning I was fortunate enough to have been able to race in the Adventure Gallup Triathlon. If you've followed along, I signed up for the race only 4 days in advance and almost didn't make it due to some personal logistical issues.

It's only a sprint, but the race venue is at 6600 ft above sea level. That's high altitude even to us folks who already live a mile above sea level. Also, there are hills-a-plenty on the bike and the-hill-that-would-not-end on the run.

Yikes!! What had I gotten myself into?!?!

My friend (same one that went to Lubbock with me) and I arrived in Gallup at 6:45pm or so on Friday night. My daughter came along. We checked into the hotel, picked up race packets, drove the bike and run course, had a bite to eat, then back to the hotel for sleep.

First impressions as we drived the course: Um....that bike course is really hilly. And there is road construction debris everywhere. Where are we supposed to ride?!?! And what is up with the hill on the run?

Morning came quickly and we were off. Daughter thought about coming along to cheer us on and take photos, but when we were ready to leave at 5:30am, she opted for more sleep. Can't say that I blame her.

Racked my bike, and was greeted by Misty; I had racked right next to her. It was nice to see a familiar face. :)

Checked out the pool. It was to be a 375 pool swim. Up and back in each lane, then over serpentine style, working our way to the exit. They seeded us by estimated swim time. I had submitted 8:40 as my conservative estimate. After the past few swims, conservative seemed the way to go.

I was really nervous and the event was postponed 30mins or so as they waited for EMS to arrive. Finally the first swimmers were off. WoooooHooooo.

We were instructed to pass at the wall due to the way we had to navigate the pool. By the middle of the second lane, I was right on the heels of the woman in front of me and had to slow down rather than pass. I passed her at the wall and then just swam my own pace the rest of the way. My swim split including getting out and over the mat was just over 8mins. Yesssssss!!! I think I could even have come in under 8 if I could have passed earlier. But, coming in way under my estimate was enough for me to count it as redeeming myself in the water. Goal 1 accomplished!

T1 was rather uneventful. I think I cleared it in 01:02 or something like that.

Then to the bike. Right off the bat the road was bumpy and uphill and I hadn't gone a half mile before the little yellow poofy think in my aerobottle bounced out. Crud! Stoppped and laid down my bike, ran back to get it, then back off I went. And the bike just got worse after that. Up and up and up and bumpy and rough road and road construction debris and nowhere really to ride comfortably. In my mind, some parts were just plain scary. It was an out and back and at least back was better than out. Finally that was done. Bike split too disgusting to post. But I did manage to stay upright the whole time. We'll count that as a check mark in the Dont Get Hurt category. Another positive...never used my aero bars, but loved the aero bottle (other than the yellow poofy thing bouncing out).

Into T2. Racked bike, took off helmet and sunglasses. Took off bike shoes. Took off right sock. Crud! What am I doing? Put right sock back on. Put on running shoes. Watched rack fall down when someone else came in to rack bike. Grabbed my race belt and hat and took off. T2 time was something like 58 seconds.

First mile was okay, but I think it was slightly downhill. Then we came upon the-hill-that-would-not-end. Second mile, not so good. Got a really nice view for a bit as we started a slight downhill, then across the park, over the river, through the woods to grandmothers house we go...oops, i mean onto the track...and we're done. Run split...33-something. Ouch. My slowest in well over a year. Good think i didn't have a run goal this weekend. :)

This was the first year for this particular event and the race directors did a nice job. I'm really glad it worked out so that I could go. I feel so alive and refreshed when I do these things. There's so more to it than how long it takes to get to the finish line. This is a race I would do again.

Short Version

Mission accomplished!

Swam well, had fun, & didn't get hurt.

Long version coming later...

A collection of un-related thoughts

My daughter and I decided to clean up our fish tank and get some new inhabitants for it. I had been thinking of tearing it down and was waiting for the last few fish to die. We ended up going with serpae tetras and put 5 in. If they do well, we'll ad 3 or 4 more so they have a nice schoal to be comfortable in. Now we're researching suitable tank mates for the future. The hidden gem in this story is that we have been getting along GREAT while having the aquarium project to work on together. It's 180deg from last week.

Had my Dr appt yesterday. She listened to my symptons, ordered some blood work, and now I'm waiting for results. I'm not waiting very patiently. I keep hoping the phone will ring, but realistically, it probably won't be until Monday.

I should have added a third goal for my race tomorrow - Don't get hurt. For that matter, I should have made that a goal for today at home. I managed to do a number on my toe trying to move a chair while barefoot and proceeding to drop it on my unprotected foot.

Timed a moderate 400 in the pool this morning, or as it turns out a 450. Looking at my splits, it is apparent that I hit the lap button at 100, 100, 150, & 100. Was happy with my time when I figured out what I had done. I hope to be able to pull off a similar performance tomorrow.

Leaving in about two hours, so I guess I better pack so I'm ready to go when my friend stops by to pick me up.

Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Roller Coaster Ride

Life's just been twisting and turning and sometimes I don't know which way is up.

But...I now signed up for the Gallup Sprint Triathlon afterall. YAY!! Looks like a challenging little course at an altitude of 6500 ft above sea level and with some hills on both the bike and run. It's a pool swim, though.

I have only two goals for the race:

1 - Redeem myself in the water - mostly to gain confidence moving foward. I had a terrible time trying to get by all the bodies in the water at Jay Benson. That was immediately followed by freaking out in the lake at Buffman Squeaky, spending more time flailing than swimming. I want *this* swim to be something I'm happy with.

2 - Have fun. I don't want to get all caught up by how much I suck on the bike or how much hills or high altitude suck. It took a lot of planning and negotiating to get me there. I just want to enjoy the experience.

In other news...

I have a Dr appt because I haven't been feeling well lately and I'm convinced something is wrong (thyroid or something like that). More later when I have more info and feel like sharing.

My husband is in China on business. I'm effectively a single parent for the next week. Yikes!!

or not...

Just when I was getting excited, ran into some logistical problems that make going on Saturday just waaaaaaaay to much of a hassle. DRAT!!

Unless something changes in the next 24hrs, I guess that isn't going to happen after all. :(

Plan B?

Not long ago I mentioned that I had nothing on the race calendar this month. Shortly afterward, Husband & I signed up for Cherry Garcia 10K which is now in two weeks. And with a strange turn of events, I find myself able to sign up for the Gallup Sprint Triatlon which is next Saturday. In many ways, it is a stretch for me to sign up for a race with such short notice, but I know my training will get me to the finish line. I have a few logistical details to work out, but I think I'm going for it; I'll know for sure by Monday.

With that in mind, Friday I went for a relatively short pool swim, only 1000M. Today I did a short bike/run brick (8mi/2mi). Tomorrow I'm scheduled for a long run and Husband wants to join me; that should be enjoyable.

Parenting as an Endurance Sport

ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH . I am the parent to two teenagers and I swear they are trying to kill me.

Oh no, they aren't so obvious as to do it by coming after me with a knife, gun, or other weapon. They are doing it slowly and painfully; through their actions.

Yeah, sure, they are great kids and I love them dearly. But they are teens. And being teens seems to equate to emotional responses and bad decisions. They do things and make decisions that no rational being can explain...

I'd swear at times that they are actively plotting against us, but that would imply that they had enough energy and gumption to actually make something happen. I haven't observed that to be true. Teens are inherently lazy.

So, PLEASE, if you are a parent that survived the teen years, clue me in. Give me the secret password. Give me hope. Tell me what I need to know to make it through these times. I know you must have felt this way too. Help a sister out!! I'm really having a bad day!!!!

Anyone else, your comments are appreciated, but be forewarned - those little darlings may turn to monsters one day and you'll be looking for the same advice. So come back and check the comments from those who have gone before us. Trust me on this.

More Misc.

I've had big time motivation issues for the past few weeks. I hope tomorrow I wake up feeling like going to swim as per my training plan. I haven't been to the pool in ages. That lake swim panic issue really turned me off to swimming. I keep thinking, what's the point?!?!? Another mental hurdle to overcome.

Husband agreed to run the Cherry Garcia 10K with me in a few weeks. He hasn't been training for a 10K and may end up walking quite a bit, but I'm glad that he's willing to join me on that one. It's a Sunday evening race with pizza and ice cream afterwards. We have a lot of 'real life stuff' going on that I haven't blogged about, so I hope this turns out to be a fun distraction for both of us.

One more pic of the same corner of Son's room now that it is mostly back together. I think it turned out nice and seems appropriate for a young man. :)

Random Weekend Thoughts

"Aerobars suck, or maybe they don't, jury's still out"
Yesterday I took my bike out for a 25mile spin. The goal was to figure out how to ride in aero position. After 20mins, I hated my aerobars and wanted to take them off my bike. I could get one arm in, but was afraid to take the other arm off the safe position on the handle (by the brakes and shifters) and get it onto the aerobar. After 40mins, I had managed a few times to get both arms in for maybe 2 minutes. Then I'd get scared and go back to a safe position. After about 1.5 hrs, I was finally comfortable riding in that position for maybe 10mins at a time. Okay, so I guess I don't totally hate them, but it is definately going to take some practice.

"I'd just go farther"
After getting sunburned on my face because I was out longer than expected on my bike on Saturday, I grumbled something about "if only I could ride faster, then I wouldn't have been out so long, and I wouldn't have needed more sunscreen, and wouldn't have gotten sunburned." But my husband retorted "it woudn't make any difference, you'd just go farther, I know you". I think he's right...

"Walking doesn't have to equal stopping"
Until today, I have always run the whole way of whatever distance I set out to do. In the case that something caused me to stop running, I pretty much quit right then and walked the rest of the way, I just could not get running again. Having signed up for a half-mary, I figured it was time to learn how to get past this. So today, I set out with a goal of completing 8.5 miles with intentional stop/starts built in to teach myself how to get going again. The basic goal was run to a mile, walk one minute, then run to the next mile, run one minute, etc. And guess what? It basically worked. That was a good lesson. Sometimes the mental aspect of the sport is the toughest, glad to put that mental hang up to rest!

"Hey people, slow down and smell the roses"
As I was doing my run/walk think this morning, I smiled and said "Good Morning" to everyone that I passed or passed by me. I noticed something. Cyclists wizzing by and runners flying by, were generally not smiling nor did they return the greeting. In contrast, joggers, dog walkers, picture takers, etc. generally returned the smile and a greeting. I likened it to the difference between grouchy motorists on the freeway vs. drivers taking the scenic byway. I may be slower than molasses, but it was an absolutely beautiful morning, I have the good health to be out there, and I couldn't think of any reason not to smile and soak it all in.

Another month in the books

May Totals:

indoor cycling - 0
outdoor cycling - 174 mi

swimming - 10,200 M

indoor running - 0 mi
outdoor running - 35 mi

core/strength - 3000 reps

races - 3 (5K, sprint, & oly)

fun meter - pegged

Not bad, especially since I've done practically nothing for the past week while we've been busy working on the house.

June Forecast:

I currently have no races on my calendar for the month. I'd like to squeeze in another sprint, but that probably won't happen. It's more likely that I'll find a convenient 5K or 10K. I'll try to talk my husband and/or son into joining me.

Today is my swim day and I totally overslept!! Gah!! I'll run at lunch time instead so I don't start off the month with a big ol' goose egg in my log book.

Blue-ti-ful

Changes:

- replaced adjustable stem with fixed stem
- removed goofy top-bar brakes
- re-routed brake cables
- replaced old computer with new one (with cadence)
- added airstryke aerobars
- added profile aerobottle
- re-wrapped with blue tape
- added blue water bottle cage (for fun)
- new pump mounted to bottle cage


The view from my seat sure looks different! Aerobars will take some practice, but after that windy weekend in Lubbock without them, I'm convinced this was a wise investment.


Son's room during demolition last weekend.




...and Son's room today with walls gone blue and tile installed. It's obviously not quite done, but we're getting closer. By end of day tomorrow, the baseboards should be back up and we'll be ready to start moving things back in. I am *so* ready for this to be over.

I didn't take photos of daughter's room, but she's got tile too and we picked up a blue area rug and funky blue storage shelves.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Friday morning, I took my bike in for some work. I'll post more about that when I get it back. I really hope I end up happy with what I'm having done... That was the beginning of my weekend of changes.

Then I picked up Son's friend and they helped me get stuff out of son's room and closets and start tearing up carpetting. Having two teenagers on deck sure makes furniture moving a much more manageable task. When they were done helping me, they went to friend's house to help shovel gravel and build a tortoise pen. Teenage boys can really come in handy. :)

Once empty, his room began morphing from a boring off white color to "Herringbone," a muted blue/green that seems quite fitting. I found an area rug at Target online that I want to get for him...it will be perfect. I need to check a few local Targets to see if they have it in stock so that I don't have to pay shipping.

Then Daughter helped haul all her stuff out of her room and we got the carpetting out of there as well. At this point, their stuff is all over the house whereever they could find room to put it. The garage has the tile and mortar and grout plus the old carpet and pads. I'm not a neat freak, but this is pushing even *my* limits.

We ordered her a new computer desk that should arrive by week's end, just in time to put the room back together. We started painting her room a few months ago and I have some touch up that I want to do, but no more energy today. It will just have to wait until Friday.

Husband (aka "Bloody Knuckles") says we're paying someone to remove the carpet, tackboard, and screws when we do the last two rooms in the house later this summer. Wanna' guess why??

Tomorrow at 7am, the tiling begins. Hopefully it will be done by end of day Thursday. Coincidentally, the same day my bike is due to be ready to come home. Friday I'll finish touch up painting in Daughter's room and we begin putting things back together.

Will post pics later.

Oh, and I managed to sneak in a 7mile run this morning. I *REALLY* needed it.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow, I need a rest....LOL

Do home improvement projects count as cross training?

Today I am particularly fatigued. I'm blaming it on two days in a row of biking to work. I think need to space by bike to work days farther apart. That hill on the way in is killer. Plus I may not have taken enough rest after my crazy adventures in Lubbock last weekend. I guess I should listen to my body more closely.

Even if I don't get a lot of training done this weekend, I will be doing some physical labor. We need to get everything out of both kids rooms and get the carpet pulled up by end of day Monday. Tile arrives Saturday. It would be ideal if painting is well underway before tiling begins. Son's room needs painting to begin. Daughter's room just needs touch-up detail to be completed. I'll be keeping busy.

I'm thinking tomorrow morning might be the perfect day to take my bike in for some work I want done on it. If they need to keep it for several days, now is a better time than most. Yeah, that is what I think I will do.

Chips-n-Salsa anyone?

I didn't think I would ever look at my splits, but after a few sleeps it no longer seemed like such a bad idea. I did indeed have a cruddy "swim" and an even cruddier bike leg, but my run ROCKED - 68:50 from whenever they started the run clock.

I was feeling really good on the run and believe that I could have kept on going. So as of a few moments ago, I'm fixin' to test that theory at the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon in early September.

Ladies and Gentlemen, after 20months of putting on my running shoes and heading out the door, I think I have finally become a runner. Now to work on becoming a cyclist and open-water swimmer...

Buffman Squeaky Race Report

It wouldn't be a complete story if I didn't include what I did the two days prior to my first ever international distance triathlon. The course consists of a 1500M open water swim, 40K bike with freaking steep hills, finishing with a 10K run along the lake.

Updated with photos and links

FRIDAY

My friend & I at some point in the past few months apparently lost our minds momentarily and decided to meet up with some athletes who were training for a 70.3 at this same venue later next month. So, we found ourselves in Lubbock waking up before the sun came up to 51 degrees and rain, went over to the lake, and proceeded out on what was my longest and most miserable bike experience ever. First off, we had not packed for 51deg and rain. When we left town the day before, the forcast said 68deg, partly cloudy, chance of afternoon thundershowers. Secondly, Our intention had been to ride a good bit of the course, but turn around early (it was a triple out and back) and cut it short by a good 20 miles...we didn't know the course well enough and ended up completing all but 10 miles of it. Let's just say I was shivering cold and a weeeee bit cranky when we got back to the car after 46miles in the cold rain.

After the ride, we went back to the hotel, took a warm shower, ate some lunch, and climbed into bed for a nap that was WAY too short.

Back to the lake in the afternoon to talk about transition, put on the wet suits, and splash around in the water for a half hour. For the three of us ladies in the photo, this was to be our first time in the open water wearing wetsuits. Don't let the forced smiles fool you, we were FREEZING. The goal was to get used to being in the water with the wetsuits. It was really cold and we didn't stay in too long or really do much swimming.

Afterwards, back to the hotel, another hot shower, dinner, and an early lights out.

SATURDAY

Another early wake up call. Back to the lake to run the course. Everyone else ran the full half marathon course, I cut it short at 7 miles. It was a balmy 55deg, no rain, and actually nice for running. When I got back from the run, I went back out with my camera and took a few photos around the lake.

By now, the race directors and volunteers were beginning to set up the course for the race the next day. I remember thinking, "Oh yeah, I have a race tomorrow."

We spent a good half hour practicing transitions. Then it was time for open water swim practice.
Wetsuits back on. Off we went with the goal of swimming across the lake and back two times.

Then it happened. My first open water anxiety attack. I can't rationally explain what happened, but I can tell you that it resulted in flailing, splashing, coughing, flipping over to my back, counting to ten, flipping back over, flailing again, splashing, flipping over...and this went on and on and on. I eventually made it across and back...once...then declared myself done.

While the others were gliding effortlessly across the water, I made a teary phone call to Husband telling him that I was in the wrong sport. I wasn't sure I would make the swim the next day and even if I did it was going to be a long morning and I was looking at a 4 hr projected finish at this point. He told me not to worry. He didn't care how long it took me to finish or if I finished at all. He just wanted me home in one piece. I walked over to the water, forced a smile, and cheered on the others as they finished their second loop.

Then we left for a late lunch, a pep talk, packet pick-up, and called it an early night.

SUNDAY MORNING

It was maybe 57 deg and hazy when we took off to the lake for the third day in a row. Found a spot to rack the bike, got set up, body marking, etc. Spent a little time chatting with Misty. Got the wetsuits on and walked over to the water. Decided to get in and 'swim' a little and discovered that I could kind of swim with my head above the water which was a good learning. Walked to the beach and waited for the horn.

Counted to five after the horn went off and then started in. In less than 30seconds, I was back to the flailing, coughing, freaking out, flipping over, I can't do this, what I am here for, splashing nonsense that had plagued me the day before. This went on for a good 800M. A guy on a boat stayed near me and asked if I was okay. "I'm fine, just let me swim," I snapped back. I'm sure he was thinking...okay lady, then DO IT! I thought about swimming to boat, jumping in, and calling it a day right then and there. But I remembered what Bubba told me - just keep moving forward - and I realized that I WAS moving forward albeit not very gracefully or quickly. And then I guess I finally decided to swim. It was so much easier and faster than the flailing, splashing, coughing nonsense and I started passing the others at the back of the swim pack. From that point on, I was determined to be a finisher. I was amazed at how quickly I found myself at the shore once I started swimming.

With that pathetic performance behind me, it was time for my 'weak link' - the bike. I was glad that I had ridden 46 miles in the cold rain a few days earlier, because 25miles didn't seem so bad even having to face 5 hills in a noticeable amount of wind while being exhausted after wasting so much energy in the lake.

Some of the athletes from the day before screamed "WooHoo!! You made it out of the water! You can do it!" as they saw me going out while they were coming in. Triathletes rock.

I'm pretty sure that everyone who was behind me on the swim eventually passed me on the bike, but I didn't care. I was determined to be a finisher and I just kept moving forward. It's kind of nice being dead last on the bike. Nobody else passes you, and you get your own chase crew. :)

Coming in, one of the volunteers said, it you still want to run, head out toward the porta potties and around. Are you kidding?!?! Heck yeah, I wanna' run!!

The run was amazing. Within a quarter mile, I passed someone. Most of the runners were finishing were shouting encouragement. By the turn point, there were now three people behind me. Volunteers were commenting that I looked good and was smiling. I kept moving forward.

I love this picture that my friend shot just before I turned into the finish chute. I have been working on my running form and it seems to be paying off.

I was really happy when I made it across the line.

It's kind of a blur after that. People were talking to me, but I had a hard time processing it. I kept forgetting what I was about to do next. I had to lean on someone to put track pants on over my shorts. I couldn't bend down to pick up and pack up my wetsuit. Somehow we managed to pack up, shower, and head home.

Finisher!!

Details to follow...

I have a lot to say, but right now I am exhausted.

Focus

I am well aware that I need to focus on cycling improvement and should probably be wearing a CAUTION sign on my back. With that in mind...

Monday I biked to work on a different route than I normally take. That turned out to be scary. Won't go that way again. Plus I couldn't quite make it all the way up the hill. Bummer.

Tuesday was a horrible day. I didn't end up back home until 10:30pm. No riding to work, no swimming, no running. Plus I ended up really tired this morning and slept in when I should have gone to the pool. Oh well.

However, this morning I tried yet another route to work. This one increased my commute by almost 2 miles, but the ride was smooth and mostly traffic free. I felt a lot safer. I've decided that this is the route I'm taking from now on. Plus I made it up the hill - I almost didn't, but dug deep and kept going when I wanted to give up.

Last Saturday when we were at Performance, I picked up a quick release rack for my bike. I haven't had time to fiddle with it, hopefully can get this set up next week. The plan is to attach my backpack to the rack with bungee cords for now. Maybe I'll find a more elegant solution down the road, but that should help a ton, in the short term. I need to get my backpack with the laptop off my back to improve my balance.

I'll be offline after tomorrow morning until next week. Next post should be reflections after my attempt at an Olympic Distance triathlon. Not sure how this adventure will play out. I expect it to be ugly, but I'm giving it a shot and intend to have fun in the process.

Catch you on the flip side!

Jay Benson Race Report

Saturday afternoon, I picked up ShyTriGirl at her folks' house and we headed out for packet pickup. Afterwards, we stopped at the new Performance Bike shop in town. Then we were off for some 'carbo loading.' I really enjoyed spending time talking with her. When I got back home, I got my things organized for the morning and called it an early evening.

I did not sleep well. I think I woke up 4 times during the night needing to use the bathroom - nervous stomache. I had been very calm up until that point. Oddly, I was mostly fretting about next weekend rather than this race. I'm goofy that way.

Sunday morning came, and ShyTriGirl picked me up, we loaded the bikes on the back of her vehicle, and we were off. When we arrived at the base, there was a long, slow line of cars trying to get past security. As it turns out, the race ended up being delayed a half hour or so because of the difficulty getting folks in.

Found a spot in the transition area that was fairly close to the bike in/out. Got it set up. Practiced sighting my transition area coming from both directions. Eventually, I was satisfied that I would be able to find it. Also checked out the pool entrance/exit to be sure I understood how that would work out. Found my friend who is going to the training camp and oly tri with me next weekend. She showed me how to better attach my number to my bike.

Then it was mostly waiting. It was getting warm and I ended up taking off the long sleeve shirt that I had intended to wear. Found some nice people to lend us some sun screen. Note to self - put sunscreen in the transition bag next time!

We watched the men take off as well as the leaders coming in from the run. Our wave (women and relay teams) were slated to start 30min after the men. Eventually it was time for us to get start.

And off we went...

I was hoping to use my other friend as my 'pace man' and try to keep up with her as far as I could. However, after about four footsteps, I realized that wasn't going to happen and I was going to have to pace myself.

Throughout the on the run, all I could think about was how hot it was. I didn't have my Garmin and they didn't have mile markers, so I had no idea what pace I was doing, but I was getting tired. I was happy when the transition area was in sight.

Took off my race belt and hat while running through transition, set it down, put on my helmet, switched shoes, drank some water, ate a few bloks, and headed out.

The course started off flat. At that point, I felt like I was doing okay, not great, but okay. Then somewhere out of nowhere, there were hills. Crud! Now I was doing not so okay, but I thought "Just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling" and so I did.

ShyTriGirl came whirring past me, said something encouraging, and left me in the dust. I wanted to say something nice back, but all I could manage was a grunt.

Eventually the bike leg was over. Racked the bike, took off my helmet, shoes, socks, and grabbed my swim cap and goggles. Then ran through transition and around and finally arrived at the pool.

The swim was a miserable experience. It was really crowded in there, there were people doing breaststroke, I was getting kicked and hit, plus I was winded. At one point, I got flustered and rolled over to my back to catch my breath and regain my composure. After that, I did better and just thought "swim, Lisa, you know how to do this!"

Finish time according to my watch was 01:32:04. I had expected to finish somewhere between 01:30:00 and 01:35:00, so no complaining from me.

And then it was over. Bikes back on the car and heading home...

Without digging too deeply into my splits, it is clear to me that I either have to get better on the bike or learn to accept it for what it is. I would like to post a bike split someday that doesn't make me feel cruddy.

But overall, I can truly say that I had fun. Plus I don't feel nearly as beat as I did after my first triathlon, so I'm encouraged that my fitness level is improving. And no injury this time. WoooHoo!!

Reverse Sprint a-comin'

I keep writing posts, then deleting them, then writing new ones, deleting, etc. So I'll keep it short.

My first triathlon of the season, which is also my 2nd triathlon ever, is on Sunday. It is a reverse sprint. I'm freakishly calm about it. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Catch you on the flip side!!

Speedwork - Bandit style

His tail wags when I pick up the leash.

He sits patiently for me to put it on.

He grabs the lead with his teeth and pulls toward the door.

He's off like a bullet. I do my best to keep up.

Beats the heck outta' track work. :)

Run for the Zoo

This morning Husband, Son, & I participated in the Run for the Zoo 5K. Daughter stayed home, sleeping in, so there was noone to take photos.

This event is always packed, with thousands of participants showing up for one of four races: timed 10K, timed 5K, 5K fun run/walk, 1mile fun run/walk.

Because of the crowd, I didn't have any performance goals, just wanted to have fun.

I brought my Garmin and decided to hit start when I made my way to the start line, rather than when the gun went off.

At mile 1, Garmin told me that I had hit an 8:45min/mi pace. Holy Smokes!!The guy at the mile marker called out something like 9:12. The 25-30second difference made sense given how long it took me to cross the start line.

At mile 2, I heard the guy call out something like 18:35, my garmin says 18:10. That's a 9:24 pace for me on mile 2. Yesssssssss.

I got a chuckle out of some of the signs that volunteers were holding up. "Almost there!" Yeah, right, there is a still a mile to go!! "Exercise is fun!" Easy for you to say, you're just standing there holding a sign!! LOL.

I couldn't see the clock at the finish line, but my Garmin says that I finished in 28:34, which would be a personal best by about 14 seconds. However, I'm guessing the official time will probably be right around 29:00 +/- a few seconds and won't end up being a PR after all. That is still a very good 5K time for me. It is better than I expected to do this morning, and I'm happy!

I asked Husband what his time was. He doesn't know. He couldn't see the clock when he finished and wasn't wearing a watch; will find out what his time was when results are posted.

Son knocked a good two minutes off his last 5K time, and finished right around 31:40. He was running with me up to the half-way point when he told me he had a cramp and stopped to walk for a bit.

After the race, we had popsicles, bagels, gatoraide, water, and energy bars. Yummy stuff. All in all, it was a fun morning.

Sabrina

Sabrina is the name of the color that has been chosen for our bedroom walls. Sabrina has been pushed aside for months, waiting for her turn in the spotlight.

When I woke up yesterday, I felt like this weekend needed to be different. I went for a swim in the morning and decided to forgo a long run in the afternoon so that I would have time to get Sabrina out of the garage and into the bedroom where she belonged.

The conversation I had with Husband when he got home sounded like this:

"Don't go in the bedroom until I get back home, the walls need to dry."

"What do you mean, need to dry?"

"I started painting and the walls by the door are still wet. I need to go out to get a few things. Wait until I get back home before you go in there."

"You started painting?!?! I thought you were going for a run."

"Yeah, well I figured if I got started today, we could probably get it finished this weekend. And that would be one thing off our list before the tiling project"

"Wow. Thanks."

You know what? I think I made the right decision. I'm happy Sabrina finally made her debut.

Are we there yet?

It's May. Time for the rubber to meet the road.

Here's what the month looks like for me:

• This weekend - Run for the Zoo 5K - Running with husband and son. Daughter has declared "running isn't fun!!" and is staying home. There are a lot of folks running this event and it takes a half mile or more to get into a decent pace. No performance goals. GOALS: Have fun; cheer wildly for son; enjoy husband cheering wildly for me!!

• Next weekend - Jay Benson Sprint Tri (a reverse tri) - First time for me to do a reverse tri. Have plans to meet up with ShyTriGirl which is actually the highlight of the weekend for me!! Goals: Have fun; meet up with ShyTriGirl; figure out how reverse tri's work; finish; don't get hurt!!

• Following Thursday - Arrive in Lubbock for two-day half-iron distance Tri camp (Oh.My.Gosh.What.Have.I.Gotten.Myself.Into) immediately followed by my first ever Oly Tri on Sunday. Goals: Have fun, finish, don't get hurt, and try not to be dead last.

• I'm really hoping to be in for a FUN ride over the next few weeks because...

• Upon return home - Kiss family. Promise to take a break, and spend more time with them. Work like mad to remove furniture from kids rooms, rip out carpet in anticipation of tiling project that got delayed because of my extra-curricular activities, and resume previously interuppted daily life including half finished room painting endeavors and disregarded yard and garden work. I owe them BIG TIME for letting me indulge myself recently.

I don't know how any working full-time mothers with busy kids and other family obligations and home improvement projects can keep up the training and racing demands of anything more than what I've tried to do. I realize that I simply can't sustain it, and really need to devote more time to my family this summer.