She lied.
When asked if there was to be sprinting that night, she said, "triathletes only sprint at the finish line. We do not have to sprint every time we go to the track."
Like hell we don't! I sit here, crippled. Crippled as in, delayed onset muscle soreness has seized every spare centimeter of muscle mass in my legs, and lifting my legs to get into cars and to put them into bed is quite possibly one of the most painful experiences imagineable. Does one get crippled by slowly running around the fun fun track?
No. No, there was no slow. There was aerobic. Then there was "tempo." And then LT. Lactic Threshold. Hold in the puke 'cause it's comin' and it doesn't taste too good.
OMG, I did the most painful and excruciating 4 miles of my life on Wednesday night. It's 2 full days later and I am still bitching about it. Can you believe it? At one point, it hurt so bad that I was almost in tears. Seriously, if 4 miles can do this to me, what makes me think I can make the Olympic distance of 6??? How is this ever going to work out well for me? I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm kind of repressing it at this point.
To accomodate my dear hubby's desire to go out tonight, I went ahead and did my long swim last night. In retrospect this may have been smart--- the pain lulled my legs into submission and I was happy to let them float behind me like a rudder. I didn't even push off the wall hard. Just gentle and slow. I did my longest swim ever --- 1 hour --- and covered only 2650 meters. But like I said, I was slow, and this was a new milestone for me, so it was okay. Someone even asked me if I was a competitive swimmer!! I was flattered, of course, but there was nothing competitive about me in that pool last night. It was just me and the clock, and a rousing rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. (I'm trying a new way of counting laps)
I'm still madly in love with Fiona. I may need to buy 5 versions of her so I don't have to keep doing laundry. I'm seriously that addicted.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a few girls and we are doing our 2 1/2 hour long bike ride. This is the longest I've ever been on a bike before, and seeing how my 2 hour trainer ride last week resulted in me being in tears for over an hour, I don't know how this is going to go. It's an aerobic ride, so we're just going to enjoy the trail and take our time. Next week is our first peak week, so this week I just want to survive.
It's funny reading everyones' blogs lately. It seems that we are all on different schedules, but the sentiments are the same. Overwhelmed by the need for an improved time management skill. Stressed about increasing intensities and distances. Grumpy. Cranky. Bitchy. Starving. But we are pushing through, and we will get through these spots. I imagine they might even get worse before they get better. But I know I just need to put the doubt behind me and keep conquering the plan, day by day, taking advantage of any extra time I can get.
So with that, I'm leaving work early and heading out to dinner with the hubby so I can be in bed early to prep for my long ride.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Triathlon and Significant Others
I am back from my trip.....and I certainly was active whilst away. Not active in the sense that I actually completed all of my necessary training for the week. But I did visit every museum I neglected to see when I actually lived in DC. I sacrificed hours of training time so that I could spend time with my DH and see the sites and enjoy what little time I had outside of work with him.
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Happy President's Day
I would just like to take this time to thank the past Presidents for their service to our country, and for giving me this wonderful, sacred, well-earned, BEAUTIFUL day off from work.
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ouch!
I've been a delinquent blogger, I know.
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
Monday, February 11, 2008
I Heart my Bike
Yesterday ROCKED. I have to admit it. I'm still overjoyed and the thrill of my ride is still making me burst with pride. With love. I am in LOVE with my new bike. Not only is "The Buff" one sexy machine, but it's fast, too! Woohoo!!! We did 1/2 hour ride on the Santa Ana Trail yesterday, coupled with a 1/2 hour run, and the bike felt fantastic. We tried to focus on a very high cadence, but I was able to push hard without feeling the burn. It was comfortable, I figured out how to steer with my aerobars, and it just covered the ground 3000% better than my old Trek. I'm so psyched about this bike, let me tell you.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Going Long
So, the girl who used to die on a mile run considers anything above and beyond a 3-mile run to be "long." She thinks that any time she subjects her tushy to more than an hour of bike riding, she is going "long." That anything over 2000 meters in the pool is "long." Well, you get the point. Long is relative.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Painful Progress
I've done more swimming lately than I ordinarily prefer to do, mainly because it's freezing and dark outside and I haven't replaced my trainer....but I digress. Swimming. I'm not a huge fan. Last season, I tweaked my shoulder a little bit and every time I swam, I ached for days. My knees hurt. I get really bored. I HATE having to push off the wall when I've had :10 seconds of rest after going all out. I hate the drills.....the awkwardness.....the humiliation of sinking.....swallowing all that gross water because I'm incapable of breathing and thinking about the drill all at the same time. Yes, you could say swimming is not my favorite sport.
To top it all off, I'm no longer the fastest in my group. Monday night, I got placed into lane #3 of 7. That's like, middle of the pack! Talk about disappointment. But I am trying to take it in stride....my new purpose in life is endurance, so while I may be sacrificing a wee bit of speed, I can go long and strong. Anyway, last night, I had a breakthrough! Even though I was a little bit sore and it was not certain WHICH lane I was actually swimming in since we had to circle swim, I managed to do my fastest 100 meter yet --- 1:40. Now, I know that isn't remarkable compared to what I did last season or what most good swimmers can do, but it was 5 seconds or so faster than Monday night......wowza! So I am still excited about that. Despite all my moaning, groaning, and aching, something is working. I'm regaining my fitness and perhaps my form is improving as well......it's awesome!
So my goal is to be in the fast lane sometime soon. And I'm going to keep humuliating myself and doing drills, because I think they might be working?
On a funnier note, the Cheeto has stayed on my triathlon team, despite my efforts to be rid of it forever! It found a new home off of Craigslist on Monday night. I had thought it was going to a man, but a girl showed up.....I didn't recognize her, she didn't mention my team, and she didn't question me when I went on and on about my team. So imagine my surprise when I got to practice last night and she was there! I thought our Coach was going to murder me, seeing as how she hates the Cheeto, but thankfully, I'm off the hook. Fingers crossed she likes it so I don't have to take it back. (Another reason why it would have been better to have it go elsewhere!)
If the rain stays away, Saturday will be my first real ride on the Buff. I already love looking at it-- I can just imagine how fun it will be to ride! Bring it.....:)
So there is my update. I've made time this week, and I'm getting to my April 12th race, slowly but surely.
To top it all off, I'm no longer the fastest in my group. Monday night, I got placed into lane #3 of 7. That's like, middle of the pack! Talk about disappointment. But I am trying to take it in stride....my new purpose in life is endurance, so while I may be sacrificing a wee bit of speed, I can go long and strong. Anyway, last night, I had a breakthrough! Even though I was a little bit sore and it was not certain WHICH lane I was actually swimming in since we had to circle swim, I managed to do my fastest 100 meter yet --- 1:40. Now, I know that isn't remarkable compared to what I did last season or what most good swimmers can do, but it was 5 seconds or so faster than Monday night......wowza! So I am still excited about that. Despite all my moaning, groaning, and aching, something is working. I'm regaining my fitness and perhaps my form is improving as well......it's awesome!
So my goal is to be in the fast lane sometime soon. And I'm going to keep humuliating myself and doing drills, because I think they might be working?
On a funnier note, the Cheeto has stayed on my triathlon team, despite my efforts to be rid of it forever! It found a new home off of Craigslist on Monday night. I had thought it was going to a man, but a girl showed up.....I didn't recognize her, she didn't mention my team, and she didn't question me when I went on and on about my team. So imagine my surprise when I got to practice last night and she was there! I thought our Coach was going to murder me, seeing as how she hates the Cheeto, but thankfully, I'm off the hook. Fingers crossed she likes it so I don't have to take it back. (Another reason why it would have been better to have it go elsewhere!)
If the rain stays away, Saturday will be my first real ride on the Buff. I already love looking at it-- I can just imagine how fun it will be to ride! Bring it.....:)
So there is my update. I've made time this week, and I'm getting to my April 12th race, slowly but surely.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time -- Where Have You Been?
Certainly not with me this week. In fact, it seems that every second of my life has been planned for five days now, and I'm wound up so tight you could probably snap me! What gets the shaft when work makes me this busy? Training.
Ugh. This week was a massive failure in the training department. I was supposed to do 2 swims, an hour spin, a long run, and a bike/run brike....and all I've accomplished is a 1/2 hour spin on my trainer until I BROKE IT!!! Ugh. Last night, I made a huge deal at work about how they owed me an hour off early so I could swim in between work and my Annual Goal-Setting Meeting with the tri team. So I actually manage to leave around the right time, get to the gym, start undressing, and then realize -- I left my swimsuit at home!!! Of course, there was nothing else that could fit in the bag after all the towels, so no contingency plan there. I nearly cried, then left and went to my meeting early. You know when sometimes things just aren't going to work out for you, no matter how hard you try? Yeah, that was this week.
I just have to say to all those people who swear that work isn't an excuse to not exercising -- KISS MY ARSE! Swear to God, you don't have my job. You must not be very important at your job. Because if I had to get up at 4am to swim and then went to work and tried to work a full 9-11 hours, and my brain was fuzzy, my company could lose millions of dollars. It just does't work like that. Oh, and my two travel days. After getting up at 4:30am for a flight and then returning to the OC at 10pm, was I supposed to go straight to the pool in my exhausted state? When I spent the day in LA and fought LA traffic to get home at 7pm, was I supposed to change and go head to a spin class? How do these crazy people function? I'm spent at that point. (And having the broken trainer doesn't help-- that's about all I felt like doing on the second night) I know, this whole paragraph seems an awful lot like an attempt at legitimizing my busy week, but I'm just trying to calm myself down.
This morning, I'm going to head to the pool and knock out one of those pool workouts. And because tomorrow is forecasted to be a torrential downpour and we had a group bike ride scheduled, I'm going to take the bike ride this morning and save my long run for tomorrow, in the rain. I think. Coach saw me all defeated and upset last night and now I think she's wondering how in the heck she's going to get me ready for a HIM!
Well, the big news here is that our race in Lake Las Vegas, Iron Girl, is going to be televised on NBC! Holy crap! My first reaction was, "great, now I'll get caught on camera being fat and slow." At least I know I won't be a human interest story, although my all-female triathlon team, with 50+ girls from our county alone, will be a large contingent there so I'm sure I'll spot the uniforms on the telecast. But how cool that a non-pro (okay, I'm sure the pros will sign up now), non-IM even gets put on TV? Yes, it'll probably be at 3am on a Sunday in July, but who cares? I think it's great for the sport. If it gets America up and moving, it can't be all bad, even if I am fat and slow.
At least I'm doing something about the fat part. My coworker and I weighed in for the 3rd week in a row on Thursday morning at Weight Watchers! I am down 2.2 lbs overall, which is just fine with me because these are hard-earned pounds and even at this snail's pace, I could be below the Athena category by March. (Woohoo!!)
My sexy new bike, The Buff, has yet to have its maiden voyage, but hopefully today will be the day. I'm itching to get on it, but my Look pedals are a little hard to clip in and out of so that's the only part I'm not so excited about. I'd hook it up to the trainer, but....I broke the trainer..... Yeah, need to go buy one. Thank goodness for the government and its $600 tax refund. Can we say "hello Cycleops Fluid 2 part 2?!"
Wow- that's a lot of text. There's my update, world! Still fat. Slower. Completely frazzled. But I'm going to keep at it and hopefully something will fall into place.
Ugh. This week was a massive failure in the training department. I was supposed to do 2 swims, an hour spin, a long run, and a bike/run brike....and all I've accomplished is a 1/2 hour spin on my trainer until I BROKE IT!!! Ugh. Last night, I made a huge deal at work about how they owed me an hour off early so I could swim in between work and my Annual Goal-Setting Meeting with the tri team. So I actually manage to leave around the right time, get to the gym, start undressing, and then realize -- I left my swimsuit at home!!! Of course, there was nothing else that could fit in the bag after all the towels, so no contingency plan there. I nearly cried, then left and went to my meeting early. You know when sometimes things just aren't going to work out for you, no matter how hard you try? Yeah, that was this week.
I just have to say to all those people who swear that work isn't an excuse to not exercising -- KISS MY ARSE! Swear to God, you don't have my job. You must not be very important at your job. Because if I had to get up at 4am to swim and then went to work and tried to work a full 9-11 hours, and my brain was fuzzy, my company could lose millions of dollars. It just does't work like that. Oh, and my two travel days. After getting up at 4:30am for a flight and then returning to the OC at 10pm, was I supposed to go straight to the pool in my exhausted state? When I spent the day in LA and fought LA traffic to get home at 7pm, was I supposed to change and go head to a spin class? How do these crazy people function? I'm spent at that point. (And having the broken trainer doesn't help-- that's about all I felt like doing on the second night) I know, this whole paragraph seems an awful lot like an attempt at legitimizing my busy week, but I'm just trying to calm myself down.
This morning, I'm going to head to the pool and knock out one of those pool workouts. And because tomorrow is forecasted to be a torrential downpour and we had a group bike ride scheduled, I'm going to take the bike ride this morning and save my long run for tomorrow, in the rain. I think. Coach saw me all defeated and upset last night and now I think she's wondering how in the heck she's going to get me ready for a HIM!
Well, the big news here is that our race in Lake Las Vegas, Iron Girl, is going to be televised on NBC! Holy crap! My first reaction was, "great, now I'll get caught on camera being fat and slow." At least I know I won't be a human interest story, although my all-female triathlon team, with 50+ girls from our county alone, will be a large contingent there so I'm sure I'll spot the uniforms on the telecast. But how cool that a non-pro (okay, I'm sure the pros will sign up now), non-IM even gets put on TV? Yes, it'll probably be at 3am on a Sunday in July, but who cares? I think it's great for the sport. If it gets America up and moving, it can't be all bad, even if I am fat and slow.
At least I'm doing something about the fat part. My coworker and I weighed in for the 3rd week in a row on Thursday morning at Weight Watchers! I am down 2.2 lbs overall, which is just fine with me because these are hard-earned pounds and even at this snail's pace, I could be below the Athena category by March. (Woohoo!!)
My sexy new bike, The Buff, has yet to have its maiden voyage, but hopefully today will be the day. I'm itching to get on it, but my Look pedals are a little hard to clip in and out of so that's the only part I'm not so excited about. I'd hook it up to the trainer, but....I broke the trainer..... Yeah, need to go buy one. Thank goodness for the government and its $600 tax refund. Can we say "hello Cycleops Fluid 2 part 2?!"
Wow- that's a lot of text. There's my update, world! Still fat. Slower. Completely frazzled. But I'm going to keep at it and hopefully something will fall into place.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Now introducing......the Buff
Now all I have to do is sell the Cheeto! Yes, I went with road bike, but I went with the adjusted seatpost and lower stem to get a better tri geometry. I love it. Felt F-75. It's like buttah! :)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Holding Back
Everyone who knows me would tell you that holding back is not something I am capable of. Everything I do is with intensity, sometimes to the point of hurting myself or making others stressed out around me. I can't help it......I just like to attack.
Today, on our first organized practice session, I held back, for the first time. We were doing a timed exercise to establish a base for the season....sprinters would go one loop (~1.3 miles), those in shape would do 2, and Olympians would do 3. McTherapist told me to aim for 2 and then reassess for the 3rd depending on how my knees felt, making it clear that I was to go "EASY." Now, fast for me is slow for some people, but I'm a solid 9-minute miler.
We got seeded for speed this morning, and yours truly placed herself in the 11-minute mile group! (I know, shock and awe!) I ended up having a blast-- I chatted the entire time with some of my old pals, and we had a grand old time while everyone else sprinted along and nearly vomited at the end. We took 41 glorious minutes catching up on our lives, and my knees felt pretty darn good! We were accused of "sandbagging" our time, but you know what? So what! I keep a journal....I know I can run it faster. Heck, the last 1/4 mile I decided to run it in on my own and I found myself back to my comfy 9 min/mile pace. Hey, gotta at least finish with a little gusto.
Anyway, I'm back. I'm purposeful. I'm excited to try to train for April! I've got a lot of homework to keep these knees functioning, but I'm confident that I can do it. With these ladies, the next few months are bound to be a blast.
So holding back....isn't so unsatisfying after all. Because if I can get through the next few weeks, I should be ready to rock and roll and prove to myself that I can go much faster on those loops!
Today, on our first organized practice session, I held back, for the first time. We were doing a timed exercise to establish a base for the season....sprinters would go one loop (~1.3 miles), those in shape would do 2, and Olympians would do 3. McTherapist told me to aim for 2 and then reassess for the 3rd depending on how my knees felt, making it clear that I was to go "EASY." Now, fast for me is slow for some people, but I'm a solid 9-minute miler.
We got seeded for speed this morning, and yours truly placed herself in the 11-minute mile group! (I know, shock and awe!) I ended up having a blast-- I chatted the entire time with some of my old pals, and we had a grand old time while everyone else sprinted along and nearly vomited at the end. We took 41 glorious minutes catching up on our lives, and my knees felt pretty darn good! We were accused of "sandbagging" our time, but you know what? So what! I keep a journal....I know I can run it faster. Heck, the last 1/4 mile I decided to run it in on my own and I found myself back to my comfy 9 min/mile pace. Hey, gotta at least finish with a little gusto.
Anyway, I'm back. I'm purposeful. I'm excited to try to train for April! I've got a lot of homework to keep these knees functioning, but I'm confident that I can do it. With these ladies, the next few months are bound to be a blast.
So holding back....isn't so unsatisfying after all. Because if I can get through the next few weeks, I should be ready to rock and roll and prove to myself that I can go much faster on those loops!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Bees Knees
That's who my Physical Therapist is. Not only is he a McTherapist, but he's a genius and totally cool.
Yeah!
As you can tell, I'm pumped. I have been having knee pain this week, and last night, after a short run, it was scary painful. I called McTherapist this morning to see how long I should wait to come see him, and he told me to just come in and he'd check it out. So I left work an hour early, came home to change and shave my knees (go figure, the one day I messed up my right knee would be the day I have to go to PT!), and off I went. He saw me immediately, and went about poking and prodding. The tendon that connects my quad and kneecap was the culprit this time around...very sore, but he says it's the same issue as this summer.....weak legs resulting in a displaced kneecap, first putting pressure on my tendons. So I caught it early, and now I get to do some preventative anti-inflammatory icing, taping, and tons of stretching and strength-building. He hooked me up to the electricity and iced me, then taped my knee for me and sent me home with both types of tape. For FREE!!! Seriously, McTherapist rocks my knees. And to top it all off, he's a triathlete too so we just chat forever about bikes, races, and training.
So that's my news. Our new season started on Wednesday and I enjoyed meeting everybody. Lots of new young people who may end up being faster than me. I don't like it. It means I need to get strong quickly so I can whip their tushes!
And in other news, I get to go to San Fran with my boss to discuss the disposition of our property with a huge foreign investor. Time to get the haircut, manicure, and buy me a nice pair of shoes. No San Fran flipflops for me! I'm shocked I've been invited to go--- this is HUGE. It makes me feel so....corporate.
With that, I'm off to do some strength training and catch up on my TV. Tomorrow night, the hubby and I are headed to Runner's Roost for new running shoes! A hit to the wallet, but they won't be if it saves us PT time. :)
Yeah!
As you can tell, I'm pumped. I have been having knee pain this week, and last night, after a short run, it was scary painful. I called McTherapist this morning to see how long I should wait to come see him, and he told me to just come in and he'd check it out. So I left work an hour early, came home to change and shave my knees (go figure, the one day I messed up my right knee would be the day I have to go to PT!), and off I went. He saw me immediately, and went about poking and prodding. The tendon that connects my quad and kneecap was the culprit this time around...very sore, but he says it's the same issue as this summer.....weak legs resulting in a displaced kneecap, first putting pressure on my tendons. So I caught it early, and now I get to do some preventative anti-inflammatory icing, taping, and tons of stretching and strength-building. He hooked me up to the electricity and iced me, then taped my knee for me and sent me home with both types of tape. For FREE!!! Seriously, McTherapist rocks my knees. And to top it all off, he's a triathlete too so we just chat forever about bikes, races, and training.
So that's my news. Our new season started on Wednesday and I enjoyed meeting everybody. Lots of new young people who may end up being faster than me. I don't like it. It means I need to get strong quickly so I can whip their tushes!
And in other news, I get to go to San Fran with my boss to discuss the disposition of our property with a huge foreign investor. Time to get the haircut, manicure, and buy me a nice pair of shoes. No San Fran flipflops for me! I'm shocked I've been invited to go--- this is HUGE. It makes me feel so....corporate.
With that, I'm off to do some strength training and catch up on my TV. Tomorrow night, the hubby and I are headed to Runner's Roost for new running shoes! A hit to the wallet, but they won't be if it saves us PT time. :)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Like Ripping off a Bandaid
I registered!
As of this morning, I am officially registered for the Iron Girl Olympic distance triathlon in Lake Las Vegas on April 12th. That's the goal, and I'm sticking to it.
Of course, now my stomach is in knots and I have no idea how I'll find the training time, but we'll see. Our training starts up again this week, so I'm starting my usual "how will I find the time?" freakout. But I will, because I put the money down for the race and I intend to do it. And I don't just want to finish, I want to perform to the best of my ability. So I am going to work hard to get there in that shape.
On the work front, I've been given an amazing opportunity to work with a woman I've become friends with over the past 2 years. She's my senior by two positions (a VP), and she is, in essence, a project manager. She takes land that is under contract and secured by the land acquisition guy, and she picks a team who will ultimately design and build whatever she can get approved and is appropriate for the site on the property. She goes through the entire zoning and entitlement process with the cities and communities. Although I may dread the latter, this is what I want to do in my career and being given the opportunity to work with her is a huge step in the right direction. I've been pigeon-holed as an analyst for so long because people trust me with numbers.....but this is not my life-long goal and I cannot wait to move along! In addition to this, I'm still spearheading a company-wide project with our underwriting models and I will continue to work on my San Francisco project, even though we are now selling it. I think I technically stay in the mixed use group, but with this VP, I'm working on apartments only.
So, that's the scoop. Big changes at work, and I registered for this distance that I never thought possible over a year ago.
Now I just need to do it and not disappoint myself.
As of this morning, I am officially registered for the Iron Girl Olympic distance triathlon in Lake Las Vegas on April 12th. That's the goal, and I'm sticking to it.
Of course, now my stomach is in knots and I have no idea how I'll find the training time, but we'll see. Our training starts up again this week, so I'm starting my usual "how will I find the time?" freakout. But I will, because I put the money down for the race and I intend to do it. And I don't just want to finish, I want to perform to the best of my ability. So I am going to work hard to get there in that shape.
On the work front, I've been given an amazing opportunity to work with a woman I've become friends with over the past 2 years. She's my senior by two positions (a VP), and she is, in essence, a project manager. She takes land that is under contract and secured by the land acquisition guy, and she picks a team who will ultimately design and build whatever she can get approved and is appropriate for the site on the property. She goes through the entire zoning and entitlement process with the cities and communities. Although I may dread the latter, this is what I want to do in my career and being given the opportunity to work with her is a huge step in the right direction. I've been pigeon-holed as an analyst for so long because people trust me with numbers.....but this is not my life-long goal and I cannot wait to move along! In addition to this, I'm still spearheading a company-wide project with our underwriting models and I will continue to work on my San Francisco project, even though we are now selling it. I think I technically stay in the mixed use group, but with this VP, I'm working on apartments only.
So, that's the scoop. Big changes at work, and I registered for this distance that I never thought possible over a year ago.
Now I just need to do it and not disappoint myself.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Do you want the bike? I SAID, DO YOU WANT THE BIKE?!
Oh, it's purrrty, isn't it? So nice. And fast. A little expensive, but you are getting the bonus and taxes are right around the corner. You could get it now. Really, it'd be so nice to start the season with this puppy.......You want it?
Lose 5 lbs!!!! That's the magic number. Lose it, and Orgasmo shall be yours. (It's already named-- isn't that convenient?)
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Recovery and Resolution
I am back. I am tired. If I have to sit in a car for 17-straight hours again, eating fast food in low rent towns across America, it will be TOO SOON! DH should feel lucky he is still an intact male after that adventure.....much too much and I'm OVER IT.
We rolled in around 3am this morning and had to be up at 9am so we could head back to Ontario to pick up the cat. I did a little grocery shopping off my new Abs Diet list today, so at least that has started. I'm starting tomorrow, even though I question the brains of the author a little bit. He never talks about cardio as being useful, and I'm all about the cardio, so we shall see. He also has all these crappy recipes with ice cream and other horrid foods in them.....you'd think he'd realize that some of this has to be calorie-driven, and that ice cream is too bad for you. I figure I shall do my best to combine the Abs Diet with Weight Watchers, the Abs Diet strength training at home, my PT for my knee (getting bad again), and our tri training which gears up in a week. We have our first race in April - my first Oly distance - so I suspect we'll start right in on our training program as opposed to lollygagging around under the guise of that misnamed "off season."
This week of inactivity has made me feel horrid. About everything, especially myself and my weight. Something must be changed.
On the Christmas front, we had a good one despite all the freaking snow. It seemed to snow the entire time we were there, and no car ride was without its hair raising adventures. Thank goodness I kept my 4WD car all these years. :)
So, the Christmas booty. I got one of those T2 transition bags from Triathlon Bags.....not what I asked for, but my sister did a very thorough internet review and told me that this particular bag would stand the test of time. So I am very happy that she did the research I did not do and saved me from a bad pack!! I also got the Garmin 305....and boy, is it slick:
It's kind of complicated, but I read the manual and am hopeful I can replicate the results in the field. :) I actually got 2 of these at Christmas......I guess giving everyone the same list isn't my most brilliant move. At least now I can return the one DH bought and apply it towards the new bike. Which I need to buy, but I'm dragging my feet. Must get him a job!
We rolled in around 3am this morning and had to be up at 9am so we could head back to Ontario to pick up the cat. I did a little grocery shopping off my new Abs Diet list today, so at least that has started. I'm starting tomorrow, even though I question the brains of the author a little bit. He never talks about cardio as being useful, and I'm all about the cardio, so we shall see. He also has all these crappy recipes with ice cream and other horrid foods in them.....you'd think he'd realize that some of this has to be calorie-driven, and that ice cream is too bad for you. I figure I shall do my best to combine the Abs Diet with Weight Watchers, the Abs Diet strength training at home, my PT for my knee (getting bad again), and our tri training which gears up in a week. We have our first race in April - my first Oly distance - so I suspect we'll start right in on our training program as opposed to lollygagging around under the guise of that misnamed "off season."
This week of inactivity has made me feel horrid. About everything, especially myself and my weight. Something must be changed.
On the Christmas front, we had a good one despite all the freaking snow. It seemed to snow the entire time we were there, and no car ride was without its hair raising adventures. Thank goodness I kept my 4WD car all these years. :)
So, the Christmas booty. I got one of those T2 transition bags from Triathlon Bags.....not what I asked for, but my sister did a very thorough internet review and told me that this particular bag would stand the test of time. So I am very happy that she did the research I did not do and saved me from a bad pack!! I also got the Garmin 305....and boy, is it slick:
It's kind of complicated, but I read the manual and am hopeful I can replicate the results in the field. :) I actually got 2 of these at Christmas......I guess giving everyone the same list isn't my most brilliant move. At least now I can return the one DH bought and apply it towards the new bike. Which I need to buy, but I'm dragging my feet. Must get him a job!
Now, the resolution part. I usually don't do this because the new year rarely inspires me to do or change much of anything. But this year is different. I am inspired, and will try to accomplish these 2 tasks:
1. I want to lose 10 lbs by May so that I don't have the temptation to register as an Athena. (And before anyone tells me it's cheating to register in the heavyweight division, bite me. I carry around the required lbs and I'm not proud of them-- they may as well work for me some other way! But seriously, would rather be an age grouper with no alternative) See above reference to Abs Diet and Weight Watchers to get me back to the way things should be.
2. I'm going to stop using the f-bomb. I've been pretty obnoxious about it lately, using it more times than I could count while driving yesterday. I've decided that the f-bomb does not make me a more attractive woman....and if it ever crept into my work life, I'd be pretty upset. So out it goes. I'm f-ing up a storm right now just to get it out of my system....but trust me when I say, "it's outta here!"
So, that's it from me. I hear Sound of Music is on, so I must run. The hills are calling, and it's time for my yearly singalong! (And yes, some of the singing WILL be intentionally bad and loud to get back at DH for that lovely drive)Thursday, December 20, 2007
Gluttony
Guilty! Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, and guilty! One for each of my personalities: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, White Bread, Cookie, Brownie, and Dean & Deluca Candy Peach.
Why must there be so many temptations this time of the year? And why I am hatin' on life so much that I'm one of the first to raid the gift baskets when they hit the kitchen at work? Last year, I was such a food snob. "Oh, no, I can't eat that. It's a slippery sloap. No sirree!" I got a reputation for being the food snob. "Better watch out, Joe Blow, Mtngirlincali might get sick if she sees you eating that Big Mac and french fries." Not now. She may ask if she can have a few.
What is up with this? I went through a major transformation in my life 3 years ago. I dropped 38 lbs before my wedding, and I've since gained 8 back. It's horrible, and I don't want them there, but they don't seem to want to go away. And with the way I've been eating lately, I wouldn't be surprised if even more join them! I'm just so frustrated, but weight loss is a frame of mind. You have to want it. You have to commit to the sacrifices you WILL have to make, because you have a greater goal in mind. I need that goal now. I need that focus. There is no more wedding dress to squeeze into. There is no more "vision" of what I might be able to look like. I just need to pull from within and get a grip on the PLAN, and stick to it.
How's this for motivation, Self? In your new favorite sport, speed is achieved by a number of means. There's talent, of course. There's aerodynamics. And there's WEIGHT..... People are buying carbon bikes, carbon water bottle holders, lightweight wheels..... all to get a lighter bike. Well hell, you can save yourself a thousand dollars if you lose a few pounds off of YOUR body, not your bike. Surely that must be an excellent solution and motivation? And who won your age group in your 5K this weekend? The thin-as-a-rail chickie, that's who! Big boobs, a spare tire, and a big badonkadonk don't make for speed. LOSE THE WEIGHT, Chubmeister. Put the cookie down. Remember what it's like to cross the finish line, and think about doing it with GOOD race photos!
....okay, not so sure that worked, but I have to start somewhere.
We leave for Colorado on Saturday, and I am dreading the drive. For once, I'd just like to chill out and not be torn between families on Christmas day. To be honest, I haven't even given much thought to our "plan" once we are there, but I think I will be selfish and just do what I want to do. I need a day of shopping on my own once I get there. I want to be alone.
Work is insane, but I got a raise next year, so I am pleased. Good thing I've signed up for the 7:30pm training session with our tri club next month.....I'll probably be at work that late every night! They will definitely be making me earn my keep this coming year, of that I am sure.
So enough from me. I'm going to go yell at my stomach in the mirror and then head to sleep.
Why must there be so many temptations this time of the year? And why I am hatin' on life so much that I'm one of the first to raid the gift baskets when they hit the kitchen at work? Last year, I was such a food snob. "Oh, no, I can't eat that. It's a slippery sloap. No sirree!" I got a reputation for being the food snob. "Better watch out, Joe Blow, Mtngirlincali might get sick if she sees you eating that Big Mac and french fries." Not now. She may ask if she can have a few.
What is up with this? I went through a major transformation in my life 3 years ago. I dropped 38 lbs before my wedding, and I've since gained 8 back. It's horrible, and I don't want them there, but they don't seem to want to go away. And with the way I've been eating lately, I wouldn't be surprised if even more join them! I'm just so frustrated, but weight loss is a frame of mind. You have to want it. You have to commit to the sacrifices you WILL have to make, because you have a greater goal in mind. I need that goal now. I need that focus. There is no more wedding dress to squeeze into. There is no more "vision" of what I might be able to look like. I just need to pull from within and get a grip on the PLAN, and stick to it.
How's this for motivation, Self? In your new favorite sport, speed is achieved by a number of means. There's talent, of course. There's aerodynamics. And there's WEIGHT..... People are buying carbon bikes, carbon water bottle holders, lightweight wheels..... all to get a lighter bike. Well hell, you can save yourself a thousand dollars if you lose a few pounds off of YOUR body, not your bike. Surely that must be an excellent solution and motivation? And who won your age group in your 5K this weekend? The thin-as-a-rail chickie, that's who! Big boobs, a spare tire, and a big badonkadonk don't make for speed. LOSE THE WEIGHT, Chubmeister. Put the cookie down. Remember what it's like to cross the finish line, and think about doing it with GOOD race photos!
....okay, not so sure that worked, but I have to start somewhere.
We leave for Colorado on Saturday, and I am dreading the drive. For once, I'd just like to chill out and not be torn between families on Christmas day. To be honest, I haven't even given much thought to our "plan" once we are there, but I think I will be selfish and just do what I want to do. I need a day of shopping on my own once I get there. I want to be alone.
Work is insane, but I got a raise next year, so I am pleased. Good thing I've signed up for the 7:30pm training session with our tri club next month.....I'll probably be at work that late every night! They will definitely be making me earn my keep this coming year, of that I am sure.
So enough from me. I'm going to go yell at my stomach in the mirror and then head to sleep.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
#2.....#2, Baby!
Yes!!!!!
So, I didn't hit my goal time. In fact, I was a minute over it, but I am still elated. I was at the back of the start "chute," with over 1000 runners, and it took us over a minute to get through the chute and to the road where we could actually run. It wasn't until 0.4 miles into the race that there was enough room to "run" at a pace faster than a 12-minute mile, so that second half had to be pretty quick to keep the pace up. I had a great time running in costume. My stockings stayed up. I warmed up enough to run in my tank top. The knees held up (although they are singing now). My pre-race nutrition (one piece of toast with PB) stayed down (barely). Just an excellent day all around.
Runners are slower than triathletes. Imagine that!!!
OK, so, runners who decided to show up for the Santa Run this morning in my age group just suck.....so yours truly got #2 in her age group, first time out in a 5K! You know why?? Because triathletes know how to pace themselves. They understand their pace. (And this particular triathlete got pretty darn lucky that the real runners slept in this morning)
So, I didn't hit my goal time. In fact, I was a minute over it, but I am still elated. I was at the back of the start "chute," with over 1000 runners, and it took us over a minute to get through the chute and to the road where we could actually run. It wasn't until 0.4 miles into the race that there was enough room to "run" at a pace faster than a 12-minute mile, so that second half had to be pretty quick to keep the pace up. I had a great time running in costume. My stockings stayed up. I warmed up enough to run in my tank top. The knees held up (although they are singing now). My pre-race nutrition (one piece of toast with PB) stayed down (barely). Just an excellent day all around.
I permitted DH to not run. He isn't trained for the distance, and to be honest, 3 miles is still considered an endurance event. Rather than have his name be forever associated with walking on the internet, I gave him the free pass to stand by the finish line and take pictures. I think he actually enjoyed himself and it sort of motivated him to get out there and get active. The race would have been even more fun had we been out there together. He's even asking about half marathons in March. Can you believe it? I've died and gone to heaven.
So, here are a few pics of me today. I still look like I'm dying out on the run. Thank goodness for triathlons and the bike leg.....I think I'm a sexy bitch on the bike. (Just kidding!! But I certainly don't throw pained faces on the bike like I do on the run--- it's pretty embarassing looking back at me)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Make Room for Santa
I'm committed!
Well, not in the sense that perhaps you think I ought to be committed.......but I am committed to a race. Tomorrow. A RUNNING race. Oh yes, this is momentous indeed. The girl who could not do the mile run in elementary school is entered in the Santa 5K. And so is her lazy ass husband! (Shhhh.....he thinks he's going to be walking with a girl from my work.....but he's going to be all alone so I hope he reconsiders his walking strategy) I think I'm sick of being all talk and no action, and my base for running is well above the 3-mile marker now. My best time in a triathlon for a 5K is something like 27:35, so I'm going to push for 27 flat and see how that goes.
Coach....lovely, sweet, bitchy Coach.....has been particularly evil in run club the past few weeks. She surrendered her role as sweep so that she could torture myself and another (a mom many times over with grown kids who signed up for California 70.3 -- in just a few months, she looks fantastic!) woman in the lead role. So we've been doing fartleks (I think that's what you call speed intervals, except I really hate to even write "fartlek" in my blog because it does seem inappropriate!) and our calm, relaxing long runs have become a thing of the past. I always end these nights whimpering, heaving, and with my hip flexors so tight you could play a tune on them. Ugh! But I'm hoping that this has given me a tiny bit more speed so I won't embarass myself out there more than my costume will have done.
Yes, I have a costume. Now, it's not Steve Stenzel-quality, but it's going to be cute. I bought my stockings in San Francisco earlier this week. Am considering creating a little Santa skirt at Jo-Anns this afternoon, but I may just leave the costume at the stockings. We'll see.
Well, I'm going to finish this now before I go into my insane work life or my inability to complete my Christmas shop. Or my increasing trepidation about my upcoming journey, via car, to Colorado in my poor car. And my cat, who must stay in the IE. Oh, what has life come to?
Until then, think of me tomorrow. Pray that my husband doesn't divorce me over running/walking this race alone. :)
Well, not in the sense that perhaps you think I ought to be committed.......but I am committed to a race. Tomorrow. A RUNNING race. Oh yes, this is momentous indeed. The girl who could not do the mile run in elementary school is entered in the Santa 5K. And so is her lazy ass husband! (Shhhh.....he thinks he's going to be walking with a girl from my work.....but he's going to be all alone so I hope he reconsiders his walking strategy) I think I'm sick of being all talk and no action, and my base for running is well above the 3-mile marker now. My best time in a triathlon for a 5K is something like 27:35, so I'm going to push for 27 flat and see how that goes.
Coach....lovely, sweet, bitchy Coach.....has been particularly evil in run club the past few weeks. She surrendered her role as sweep so that she could torture myself and another (a mom many times over with grown kids who signed up for California 70.3 -- in just a few months, she looks fantastic!) woman in the lead role. So we've been doing fartleks (I think that's what you call speed intervals, except I really hate to even write "fartlek" in my blog because it does seem inappropriate!) and our calm, relaxing long runs have become a thing of the past. I always end these nights whimpering, heaving, and with my hip flexors so tight you could play a tune on them. Ugh! But I'm hoping that this has given me a tiny bit more speed so I won't embarass myself out there more than my costume will have done.
Yes, I have a costume. Now, it's not Steve Stenzel-quality, but it's going to be cute. I bought my stockings in San Francisco earlier this week. Am considering creating a little Santa skirt at Jo-Anns this afternoon, but I may just leave the costume at the stockings. We'll see.
Well, I'm going to finish this now before I go into my insane work life or my inability to complete my Christmas shop. Or my increasing trepidation about my upcoming journey, via car, to Colorado in my poor car. And my cat, who must stay in the IE. Oh, what has life come to?
Until then, think of me tomorrow. Pray that my husband doesn't divorce me over running/walking this race alone. :)
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Out of Steam
What a week!
I've put in more hard hours at work this week than I have the entire time I've been out in CA. I've talked to my old boss, the chief development officer, more times than I have in about a year. I've skipped lunches and dinners (but trust me, I still managed to eat plenty) to get analyses done. And I saw 5am for something not triathlon-related for the first time in a very, very long time. Call me spent.
I came home last night and just collapsed. No shopping for me. No movies. No nothin'. Exercise has been rough this week, too. I made it to run club on Thursday (I literally grabbed my keys and snuck out of the office), but I hadn't eaten for 6 hours and was a little dehydrated. I started out just fine, but then coach had us run some intervals and by the end I was seeing stars and ready to just go to sleep. Horrible run! To top it off, McTrainer quit and is now at a different club. So it was just Coach and us tri girls gabbing away....which is good, but Coach was always the sweep so she never saw me and never pushed me too much. Now she's in eyesight and her brain is churning. That's always trouble.
Christmas plans have not progressed nicely, either. We have nothing purchased yet for Christmas. Nobody is done! I've been a little too stressed out to think about much of anything, let alone Christmas. But I guess that is what today and tomorrow is for. On the going-home front, we find that we are now limited by our beloved cat. He's on four wait lists right now for kennels, and now hubby is talking about getting him into a kennel in Riverside because it's on our way to Colorado! My precious, in the I.E.? Heck no! I'd rather stay home and be miserable. So we will just have to wait this one out and see what happens. I dread being alone on Christmas, but we'll make it work.
So that's the scoop. Stress. Lots of it. Stress eating. Not so much productive training. Christmas malaise/panic. No food in the house. Unemployed hubby. Ho ho ho!
But on the bright side, I must share a photo of my precious little Santa. We did manage to find time on Sunday to take our Christmas card photo:
I've put in more hard hours at work this week than I have the entire time I've been out in CA. I've talked to my old boss, the chief development officer, more times than I have in about a year. I've skipped lunches and dinners (but trust me, I still managed to eat plenty) to get analyses done. And I saw 5am for something not triathlon-related for the first time in a very, very long time. Call me spent.
I came home last night and just collapsed. No shopping for me. No movies. No nothin'. Exercise has been rough this week, too. I made it to run club on Thursday (I literally grabbed my keys and snuck out of the office), but I hadn't eaten for 6 hours and was a little dehydrated. I started out just fine, but then coach had us run some intervals and by the end I was seeing stars and ready to just go to sleep. Horrible run! To top it off, McTrainer quit and is now at a different club. So it was just Coach and us tri girls gabbing away....which is good, but Coach was always the sweep so she never saw me and never pushed me too much. Now she's in eyesight and her brain is churning. That's always trouble.
Christmas plans have not progressed nicely, either. We have nothing purchased yet for Christmas. Nobody is done! I've been a little too stressed out to think about much of anything, let alone Christmas. But I guess that is what today and tomorrow is for. On the going-home front, we find that we are now limited by our beloved cat. He's on four wait lists right now for kennels, and now hubby is talking about getting him into a kennel in Riverside because it's on our way to Colorado! My precious, in the I.E.? Heck no! I'd rather stay home and be miserable. So we will just have to wait this one out and see what happens. I dread being alone on Christmas, but we'll make it work.
So that's the scoop. Stress. Lots of it. Stress eating. Not so much productive training. Christmas malaise/panic. No food in the house. Unemployed hubby. Ho ho ho!
But on the bright side, I must share a photo of my precious little Santa. We did manage to find time on Sunday to take our Christmas card photo:
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Yes, I am Fast
In transition!
So, we had our annual Christmas party for our tri-team this past Friday. A fun event, although not everyone showed up so it was a pretty small group. (OK, there were 70 people, but that seemed small) We ate our dinner, then waited around for the year-end awards. In retrospect, I shouldn't have expected anything. I'm one of the better swimmers, but there were a few faster than me. I am pretty quick on the bike, but in practice, Jill is faster than me. And on the run....well, take your pick-- there are oodles of women who can get me. So there wasn't a chance for an individual award, but I was thinking all-around, I'm a pretty consistant top 1/3 - 1/4 finisher here. Maybe??
Nope! Yours truly gets "Fastest Transitioner." Ugh. It kind of took the wind out of my sails. Anybody can transition fast! Argh.... While I was flattered at the thought, it did motivate me to get even better next season. I'll be fastest biker if it KILLS me. Coach told everyone I was getting a new bike, too, so now the pressure is really on to drop the cash and get fast.
From the sounds of things, everyone took "off season" literally. People have lost their fitness already and are only managing a few gym classes a week, much like me. You can tell we are newbies. After reading all these triathlon blogs, it has become VERY clear to me that although you all talk about an off season, you are liars. You aren't resting. You aren't casually strolling through the woods on your mountain bike. This is an extension of your yearly training, and you all aren't losing one bit of fitness. I hate you! (OK, just kidding here....I wish I were as focused)
We spoke about the schedule for next year, and oddly enough, only 2 others have signed up for Barb's Race. Coach has taken it a step farther with me, however. If you are going to do Barb's Race and you hate running, why not just do the full Aquabike and be done with it? I fell out of my chair at this point. The FULL Aquabike? As in, 2 of the 3 phases of Ironman Aquabike? Now, the 1/2 Aquabike I was all over. I can swim 1.2 miles in my sleep and the 58 mile bike, although sucky, would be infinitely attainable on more than a half a year of training. But the Iron distance? Holy wh*ref*ckBatman! I seriously need to sit down with myself and think this through.
Coach says we need to have a fire burning inside of us to do this. I don't know if you can define my desire as "burning." It's not even a fire, really. I just want to prove to myself that I can make my body do something I never thought it could possibly do. I want to break down this perception I have of myself of not being particularly athletic. I mean, I did sports as a kid, but I always thought endurance sports were for the cross country running team. So I want to prove to myself I can do it. THEN perhaps I can go back to my bread and butter and try to get faster.....because I think I may very well be a sprinter at heart.
On a sad note, the last of my childhood cats was put to sleep yesterday back in Colorado. Cocoa (aka "Beans") came to us as a kitten in December of 1991. We begged and pleaded with my parents for us to get him, as he was so precious with his seal point marking and little white boots. After many trips in and out of the shop, my parents gave in and he was ours. And boy, was he a crazy boy! We lost many, many rolls of toilet paper that winter. The Christmas tree nearly fell over several times. Our jeans were lined with punctures, as Cocoa loved to take a flying leap from the ground and "stick" to your leg. Cocoa also loved Easter. There was something about eggs and the sound they make when they hit the floor that was irresistable to him. When Cocoa settled down into adulthood, his favorite pasttimes turned from troublemaking to sleeping and eating. Cocoa never met a shrimp he didn't like. You so much as cracked a cocktail shrimp tail and he would come running, SCREAMING, from anywhere in the house, as though his life depended on getting that shrimp. Christmas after Christmas, Cocoa would raid the stockings looking for teriyaki beef jerky, his other "must-have" in life. It became a tradition--- setting the stocking up with beef jerky so Cocoa could "break in" and steal it, even though it was all rigged.
I suppose Cocoa didn't really start to get sick until this past summer. He was nearly 17 years old, and it was just time for his body to start shutting down. My sister eased him into this transition in his life as best as she could....being a vet tech, she had all sorts of drugs to treat his thyroid, kidneys, and joints. Yesterday, when he could no longer eat, she had him on a heating pad until it was time to have him put down. I was sad I could not be there to say goodbye, but good ol' Beans was there for Thanksgiving and I had a chance to spend several days with him then, knowing full well that this would be the last time. So Beans is gone, and with him, a piece of my childhood. He's got some great company at the Bridge, though, and he will always hold a very big piece of my heart.
Happy trails, my buddy.
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