Ass Whoopin'

I got mine today in the form of a 2 hour bike ride. Went out with my son's schoolmate's mom. She has been doing tri's for three years I think. She made me work today. I was planning on a long run tomorrow.....now I am not so sure. She told me I was fast, ha! she was faster whoopin' my ass on the hills. She made it seem effortless. I hate her. Although we did say we would do it again after my race this weekend. I am a glutton for punishment. I'm only sorry I can't give her the same challenge at the moment. Cuz I needed an oxygen tank (wheeze). BTW, you can click on that image to take you to some tasty Bayou sauce, I mean, if I'm gonna steal their image.....right?

I did see some post-bike wreckage upon entering the park. A cyclist on the ground, EMT and cops all around, she, not moving (near a crosswalk....hmmmm, no mystery there I think). I felt really badly for her though. That sucks. I've seen people go down, it isn't pretty. The more disturbing thing was when we can around the loop again where the crash had been they were washing down the road, NOT a good sign. I hope she'll be alright.

Last weekend I started (my dentist started) work on a crown. I am not a happy camper this week. I have a temporary on and I keep forgetting I can't chew there. Can you say MF-ing Ouch! Not to mention the 4 times he had to go back into my mouth with the needle because I wasn't numbing enough. After we (hubby and son with me) left the office, I had to plead with Tom to let me know if I started drooling like infant in Costco; I couldn't feel shit. I asked the doc when I could eat again (thinking of the temp. crown he just put in). He told me when I had feeling back in my tongue....AH! yes!...the taste of blood on your bagel, not too appetizing. Ended up with White Mana later on (any NJ people out there?), awesome belly bombs.

Earworms, Talapia & Running

Well, of course I'm not going to start off with earworms, that would defeat the whole purpose of keeping you here through the end of the post (now don't go skimming to the bottom). I need my captive audience. So, let's start with something more mundane, like running.

I went out today and did maybe 4 miles, but I did them fast or what is fast in my world. I really was feeling that pain in my lungs. I was thinking how different that feeling was from the one I had in the Danksin Tri where I just couldn't get my breath, like when you get sucker punched and you can't seem to get your wind back? This was different, but in a good way. Yes, I still was gasping for air like a fish out of water, but it felt "good" (Does this mean I am crossing over to the dark side? To those folks who love running? Love the pain of running? I have a few of you bloggy peeps in mind when I say this). Not sure, but I surprised myself at how much longer I was able to hold a faster pace. Now, Let's not get carried away, I am still slow as shit, but I was holding a pace of 8:00-8:40 for about 2 miles. This is huge progress for me. Time will tell if it was a one shot deal. I also signed up today for the running class with the New York Road Runners. I start on October 13th and it goes for 10 weeks. I hear it is really good and I do run better in a group and I need to run faster.

And....

I signed up today, as well, for a 50 mile bike tour on October 18th to do with my buddy Laurie. I have a bike "date" tomorrow with a mom from my son's class for a 1.5 hour ride. yeah!

Speaking of fish out of water (yeah, I'm gonna make you earn your earworm). I was watching that show "Dirty Jobs" on Saturday night. My three year old is fascinated by it, surprise, right? They were at a fish farm (in the Mojave Dessert! What is wrong with that picture?) raising, I don't know, bass or trout or some kind of fish. That particular fish is inconsequential, it is the other fish that they raise on the farm that matters. The Tilapia (member of the Carp family). Fair warning, if you like your Tilapia, as my hubby does, turn away now, read no further. Ready? Here we go...the Tilapia is raised to eat the poo of the other fish in order to clean the water out for purification. This same Tilapia is sold to Fish Purveyors who then sell it to restaurants, stores, us! Needless to say, I am off Tilapia, even if the poo thing means nothing to my gastronomic well being. Yes, if I saw how other things were raised, killed etc., I would probably not eat them as well (except for Krispy Kreme, a girl's got to eat), but I haven't, I saw this. Blech! I won't even go into the episode called "Vomit Island".

Earworms.

Not this kind..

I'm sure you know what they are and you've had your fair share. If you don't know what they are, you've still had them. An earworm is a song that you cannot get out of your head. It buzzes around in your head until you want to tear your hair out.

This kind...

I hope you weren't expecting anymore grossness out of me today (ok, a little gratuitous grossness in the pic). My most recent earworm is the theme to Wonderpets (If you don't know it, don't click the link, you will be sorry, if you have kids of a certain age you know the torture that is that theme song). This, thanks in part to my husband who continues to whistle it almost daily. So, how to get rid of an earworm? There are three possible ways as suggested by listeners of Radio Lab. 1) replace it with another song (one listener suggests James Brown's "Sex Machine", huh! get on down!) 2) Embrace the song and listen to it over and over, dissect it, etc. (in other words, continue to torture yourself) 3) Give it to someone else; start singing it so that the other person will hear it and then suffer under it's wrath and you are therefore released from it's evil clutches. I think that is what my husband is doing, in a rather passive aggressive manner I might add. Even if #3 doesn't get rid of it for you, at least you have company and misery loves company.

Gallowalking My Way To 7+

Stay tuned, I have a PSA at the end of this blog.

It's done, Thank God and all things holy. I Gallowalked 7.12 miles and broke through my 6 mile mental block. Oh yeah, mental block. I haven't been able to get my body to go beyond that 6 miles in months. Maybe it's cheating, but I don't give a rat's a**, it got the job done, and that is a lot for a woman who is trying to love running, but the chemistry just isn't there. And yet, I keep plugging away and plodding along.

Here is what I did. Based on his "formula" for 1/2 Marathon training (and my willingness to lie to myself) I decided to go for the 9 min/mile plan: 4 minutes run/1 minute walk, repeat. I usually run in the mornings, but Tom had to be to work at 6:30 AM on Wednesday (No, I am not getting up at 5 AM), so I planned on going Thursday morning. Alas, he had the same work time again, so I went about 1:30 and it was ~82˚F and humid; not killer, but not pleasant. I went out pretty strong, maybe too strong, but I managed at this until about 4 miles. Then I had to rethink my plan. I scaled back to 3:1 and finished out the run. I had my fuel belt with two flasks of nuun and plenty of water fountains along the way (can I hear an Hallelujah?!), which I was so relieved to have brought along (I only decided the last minute to bring them).

I tried to keep a 5K pace for the run portion and my maximum pace was between 7:53-9:14 with all 8:?? in between for each mile. My average speed was brought down by the walking part. After replacing my watch battery about a thousand times I am now much more familiar with how all the functions work. So next time I try this I will use the manual lap feature as opposed to the auto (1 mile) lap feature. Then I can see what my average pace really is for each run portion. Yes, I will do this again.

Yesterday was an abysmal swim. I tried to work on drills, but the lane was so crowded, so I did some very slow laps tying to focus on technique and less on speed. It never really felt right, despite some very small breakthrough moments. I should have gone early in the AM, however the night before I got sucked into watching Apocalypse Now: Redux (Director's cut) at a way too late start time and that is one long ass movie.

On the potty training front (that would be Baby Toots and not me), we have made some tremendous progress. Not that you care, but he has been pooping in the potty for about a year, but we never tackled the pee thing until recently. But today, today we had a standing pee. Threw a couple of Cheerios in the bowl and told him to hit 'em. He thought that was the best thing ever. The next time he went sans the Cheerio carnival game. My boy is growing up**sniff**. It was also time for the semi-annual trip to the shoe store to measure the ever growing biped that is my son. As I suspected, time for new shoes. Why oh why do they cost so much? He now owns a new pair of New Balance sneakers and I still need boots and another pair of shoes of the non sneaker variety.

On the fashion front, I have a PSA. I do illustration work for a sewing pattern company's catalog. I am dismayed to tell you that pleated front pants seem to be making a fashion comeback (remember the 80's?); it was a sad, sad day for me. Please, please resist the urge to buy pleated front pants. They are unflattering, no exceptions, I don't care how thin you are. Resist the pleat; men this goes for you too. Stick to flat front and help keep this world beautiful. That's all I can do, the rest is up to you!

Foto Friday: Lost in Translation

Just Some Stuff...

1. A big, huge Mahalo to Bree Wee for my new bike companion (and CD of island tunes). Especially because she had to send it twice (the first hula girl was kidnapped from the shipping box). She had her inaugural ride yesterday morning and will be accompanying me in my last race on Oct. 4th.

2. Did an hour plus ride yesterday morning and saw the Secret Service in Central Park. I know the Prez is in town, but I doubt he was in any of the vehicles.

3. I should be working right now.

4. Thanks to Jen Harrison for her calendar/multi colored marker suggestion on getting my training organized. I went to Staples yesterday to buy one, but they were all 2010. So I decided to just add it to the EZ erase one I already have for all other matters I try to keep track of.

5. I decided not to go to PT this week and still not sure I want to go back next week. My back is always sore the day after not to mention how much time it takes.

6. This week is going to be a traffic nightmare here. The UN General Assembly is meeting and Obama is in town.

7. I watch Heroes, but am becoming increasingly ambivalent about the show; it takes so long for the plot line to get going and then when it's starting to get good, the season ends. Then I can't remember what happened when it comes back on....sigh. I should just read....

8. I am reading. Two books. A Monster's Notes by Laurie Sheck and Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Oh, make that three, Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin.

9. Will listen to several old episodes of Radio Lab podcasts today.

10. I have a "Welcome Picnic" to go to today for my son's school. What to make? What to bring?

11. I am now officially a card carrying member of the NY Road Runners.

God and Other Matters

Today I went to Mass. Those of you who know me are probably gasping right now; I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor................Ok now? It has been many a year since I went to Mass. So Lord knows (sorry) I haven't seen the inside of a confessional since.....well.....I was in knee socks. I married a man who had the benefit of a full Jesuit education (this means Catholic school all the way through) including his college education. I'm a heathen. Ok, maybe not exactly as described in the current edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I don't disbelieve, but I don't worship; I guess you'd call me a lapsed Catholic. I was married by a Catholic priest and my son was baptized, but beyond that....well, I like my Sunday mornings slow and easy.

My husband has been bringing up the idea of going to church for sometime. There are many reasons for this. I know he wants his son to have a similar upbringing, same moral code, etc. There is also the Catholic school issue (good education by NYC standards at a reduced rate if you belong to a parish). Did I mention my husband almost went to seminary? Yes, he was going to be a priest. His mother, God bless her soul, said, "Hell no!" Actually, I don't think those were her exact words, being a God fearing, Latina woman and all. She just thought it might not be for him and she was right. Considering how easily swayed he was, I tend to think he really didn't have "the calling" for it. I thank her just the same!

So what does all this mean? Well, not much really. I know, how anticlimactic, right? You thought maybe I went in kicking and screaming? Splashing holy water all over the place and just making a general scene? No, that was my son (kidding, he was a saint--sick of the church humor yet?). My husband is not a morning person, even less than I am, way less. Sunday morning arrives and I have to rouse him out of bed, I have to push him to get ready, I have to hurry him out the door, wasn't this his idea? I'd rather send the two of them off so I can rejoice in my own equanimity. It wasn't all bad, and Baby Toots was pretty well behaved. Tom thought it went quickly, it was the usual hour. I kind of expected to feel this pull back to the church (I was a faithful attendee at one time), to want to return, but I didn't. It was just...Mass. I guess we'll try again. I doubt any of this will curb my use of expletives in my posts, sometimes there is no other way to relay the poignancy of the situation. Disagree? Ok, then I'm just a trash mouth hussy. Yes, hussy. According to the Oxford English dictionary:

hussy

• noun (pl. hussies) dated or humorous a promiscuous or immoral girl or woman.

— ORIGIN contraction of housewife.

Housewife? For real? Housewives = promiscuous or immoral? I just can't....it's too easy.

Training. Yes. Still trying to deal with my watch battery issue. It seems every time I change it, it will work for a few hours then the screen goes blank. I finally get it to work after three tries with two different batteries (brand new mind you) and it says "Low Battery". UGH! I love/hate technology. In any case it worked enough for my most recent run on Saturday. I really pushed myself and had my fastest 4.5 miles yet (41:??). I felt really good running and it was a nice 57˚F when I started out. I did a long slow run last Wednesday and biked on Friday. Thinking swim or bike tomorrow. Hubby has a super early call tomorrow (did they arrest a terrorist? Something about that) so no morning workout for me, have to get it in when the sitter arrives.

I am having a hard time breaking the 6 mile barrier in my run. I have done it once, but that was a couple of months ago when I was still running in a group. I haven't been able to mentally get above that mileage. So I am considering a test at Gallowalking, hoping for a mental breakthrough. I keep reading about it in the NY Times in their "Run Well" section. One article in particular got me to thinking about it. I also really must, must sign up for the NYRR running class to improve my speed. It starts next month I believe and I do run better in a group situation (as long as I don't have to talk to anyone!). The Times also has an article on the benefits of group running (for some folk like me).

My training is all over the place, this I know. I always seem to be flying by the seat of my pants. I need to just make a plan somehow and then put it in a spreadsheet or something so I have something to follow. Kind of like my calendar that sits in front of me, if it's not on there, I don't do it (confession: I forget about it). I'm good if there is a plan or a goal, not good on the fly. Two weeks to my final race!

Foto Friday: First Day of School

Don't Do That, Do This

I want to take a moment to thank everyone for their comments after my race report in the previous post. It is so exciting to get such wonderful, supportive comments from the blog community. You're all a continued support and inspiration. Thanks for taking the time to read about my own antics on the tri front!

This past weekend Mary:IronMatron and Marathon Mama attended a weekend coaching seminar on running. Both posts on the weekend's "event" were extremely thoughtful and well written from very different perspectives.

Marathon Mama, who has recently started to coach running, is not a triathlete, but a hard core runner who seems to thrive on punishing her body with big mileage and a need for speed. She reports her experiences with wit, sarcasm and an extensive vocabulary (think academia meets truck stop; which is why I enjoy her blog so much). Her recent self flagellation was to run trails in the Australian Outback; no easy feat.

Mary:IronMatron is a triathlete with a deep love of running. Her posts are equally erudite, peppered with humor and similes to experiences we all can relate to. She tells it like it is, no holds barred and reveals the underbelly of triathlon in a thoughtful and compelling way. Did I mention she makes me laugh repeatedly?

In some ways, I have digressed a bit and I hope my take on their writing personalities isn't too insulting or terribly inaccurate. I always look forward to reading their posts, they are talented writers and I know I'm in for a good "ride".

The one thing I took away from both of their posts was that they were told (in their words) that there is more than one way to skin a cat, but really only one way is the best way (I am paraphrasing). In this case running, or run training. It got me to thinking about how often we are told something is good for us, then it's not, or you should do something this way, and later don't do it that way.

We receive all kinds of mixed information. As soon as someone does a study or there is a new fad promising better results, a healthier lifestyle, a pain free existence, a healthy heart, the rules change. Do you see where I am going with this? Don't stretch while your muscles are cold,(you could rip muscle fibers), don't stretch right after running (you could rip muscle fibers), Traditional sit-ups are good for strengthening your core and supporting your back, Traditional sit-ups are bad for your back, don't eat red meat, eat red meat, don't drink caffeine, some caffeine is good, soy milk is better for you, don't drink too much soy milk it has estrogen and might cause breast cancer, take ibuprofen for inflammation, don't ever take ibuprofen if you value your kidneys. This crossfire of information that we are dealt on a daily basis is enough to make you nuts. How do you discern what you should or should not do or eat, how and where you should live, what exercise should you engage in? Clearly this is not a problem for most people and yet we are forced to consider what we are told. I am usually of the mind to shrug it off and just go about my life business as usual.

My dad, bless his soul, is constantly sending me emails about the latest warnings, studies, findings, etc. that might be detrimental to my health and well being. He knows this, so it won't come as a surprise to him, but I usually just hit "delete". Trust me, if I took the time to read everything he sends, I would be sitting in front of this computer 24/7. While I know this comes from a place of love and concern for my well being, I just can't live like that. Worrying about everything that I do or come into contact with. I'm guessing most of you feel the same way.

I'm not really trying to make a point. I just find I get so sick of hearing the latest thing that is linked to cancer, or will jeopardize my heart, sleep patterns, joints, brain, existence. Pretty soon we'll be told that breathing oxygen has been linked to living, GASP! I guess I just wonder if all this information just serves to confuse us even more and make us second guess ourselves and the decisions we make (the ramblings of a middle aged woman, maybe that is the problem; middle age will cause synapse misfire, avoid middle age).

On a totally different subject all together........

What are the chances that I would encounter two pieces of media dealing with the botfly in one day? Completely stochastic, but a weird coincidence non the less. One mention came in a podcast of Radio Lab, the episode called "Yellow Fluff & Other Curious Encounters", not even in their "Parasite" episode. And then in the NY Times. This video of the botfly, how shall I put this, infestation, is kind of gross, but fascinating to me (I don't know why, I am kind of sick like that. I watch Discovery Health Channel while eating dinner, my husband thinks I am non compos mentis - nuts). Here is the article that accompanied the video in the NY Times. Warning: Super Gross Factor 10

Mmmm....anyone want to get a bite?

Danskin Race Results: Estrogen Extravaganza

Sherry, I know you stalked my results...don't even try to deny it! lol.

AG: 57/322
Overall: 212/1551
Time: 1:20:22
Swim .5 Mile, Bike 11 Miles, Run 3 Miles
PR for the run?????

I am in total denial. I am sure the numbers were pumped. I am sure the distances weren't as stated. However, I guess that would apply equally to everyone, so it still makes it an even playing field. On that note, my race report.....

My awesome friend Laurie once again rises to the occasion. She stayed the night with Baby Toots so Tom and I could head to Jersey's Sand Hook National Recreation Area. It is really pretty there with lovely beaches. The race itself was held on the US Coast Guard base, Ft. Hancock, that used to serve as a former US Army Fort. This coastal artillery base played an important part in the defense of New York Harbor from 1894-1974 (like you give a crap...I happen to love history). Fort Hancock is also home to the nation's oldest continuously operated lighthouse built in 1764. Ok, you can take your head out of the oven now.

We went to the Expo the day before to pick up my race packet. They gave people the option of body marking there or race day. Many folks did it there. I had my own marker in order to have my husband do it in the morning; no line! Afterwards we went to have some lunch. We kept seeing women everywhere "marked" and of course, like a good competitor I immediately looked to their calves for their age; know thy enemy. The next morning I was up before the alarm (4 am), thanks to the ladies in the room next to us (not to mention how late they were up..Ladies! We have a race in the morning!)

So NOT a morning person

We headed out to the site (Gotta love GPS). The atmosphere was so different with this being a women only race. Not sure why, but it felt less stressful, which is a good thing. Except for those little flying vampires, that ripped up my legs.

Swim .5 Mile: 16:54

Here we go, me right there in the middle

My wave start was 7:34 AM. I did wear my wetsuit. As soon as my toes were in the water I'd wished I hadn't; it wasn't that bad.

Not too bad, but not quite in yet.

I have trouble with the beginning of the swim. It takes me about .25 mile to find my stroke and I always feel like I have an elephant sitting on my chest. which makes it difficult to breathe (put me in a pool and I can swim forever, gah!) . I don't know if this is due to the wetsuit, nerves, open water or what. Unfortunately, this heavy chested, breathless feeling stays with me through the race. I digress. There were a lot of people swimming that should not have been swimming. Many a lady was swimming with a "noodle" or swimming from surfboard to surfboard.

See the noodles?

My goggles fogged up at about 1/4 mile and I had to stop and rinse them, they were fine after that. I passed a lot of women from previous waves, but I was still decidedly mediocre in the swim: rank 663, which puts me at about 42%. I do, however, still consider this a good time for me. I time myself in the pool, and I do about a 38 minute mile on a good day, so this is a good 1/2 mile time for me, especially considering I still had to run up the beach and cross the mat before the time was stopped on this leg. (oh yeah, I had to dodge a lot of noodles too). One very disconcerting thing was this backstroker next to me who I couldn't get past....it's not right she was as fast as me on her back, I wanted to grab a noodle and beat her, but I am sure I would have been disqualified (all in good fun!)

I ran out of the water, up the beach and then the long run to T1 on a not so foot friendly asphalt, muddy, rocky pathway.

out of the water

...and up the beach

T1: 4:38

T1 started after crossing the mat out of the swim and then I still had the long run back to transition. I was pretty quick as I had halfway stripped out of my wetsuit, didn't wear socks and only had a bike helmet and sunglasses to don and I was off.

Bike 11 Miles: 31:18



I had an end spot on the rack near the run out and not far from the bike in/out. This also allowed me to put my shit on the end/outside of the rack and lots of room to maneuver. My plan for the bike was to stay in a slightly higher (easier) gear than the last sprint tri I did, yet keeping a higher cadence. I was trying to keep it at about 90 rpm like I try to do for the run. This seemed to work for me. The bike was an OAB (out and back) and on the out I was flying! Then the turnaround and the headwinds, ugh! They were tough, but I managed a 21 MPH average speed. I was passing people like crazy. Do I get "chicked" points for this? I only got passed twice, both were in a younger AG, phew! The one woman who passed me yelled, "Come on yellow bike, you and me!" I sped up and was keeping up until I realized how easy it felt, yup, drafting. I immediately backed off (I do play fair and by the rules :P). I ranked 113 in the bike which put me at the top 7% (woo hoo! It's the little victories) All in all and uneventful bike back to T2.

T2: 1:49

bike shoes off sneakers on (still no socks). Helmet off, visor, race number and watch on. Quick swig of nuun and out the gate.

Run 3 Miles: 25:41 (kind of a PR.....read on)

Damn watch! Battery low, so it wouldn't record the data from the footpod, oh well. A note here on the run portion: not a real 5K. They dubbed it a 4.8K or 3 miler (2.9 to be exact, so .2 miles short). This leaves me to wonder what my time would have been had it been a full 3.1 miles? Well, if the pace calculator at Cool Runnings is to be believed, I would have done a 26:33:49. I feel a bit jipped, as it would have definitely been a PR for me, but it wasn't a real 5k distance. Obsess much?....My legs felt pretty good, but I reminded myself not to go too fast at first, just get used to the motion for a bit. That elephant was still sitting on my chest and I was having a hard time getting air into my lungs satisfactorily enough. I thought it would get better further along...it didn't. I thought more distance would assuage the feeling, nope. My strategy was to speed up at intervals as I had trained in order to get a better time. Yeah, not happening. However, if their info is to be believed, I averaged an 8:33 mile! What?! Exactly! NEVER, did you hear me? NEVER have I averaged this on my best day. I felt like I was moving, but it was so hard since I felt like I could never get enough air in my lungs, but I kept pushing through. The finish couldn't have come soon enough. I turned it on despite feeling like I needed to put my head in a paper bag (definitely close to hyperventilating) and sprinted to the finish (the sooner I get there, the sooner it will be over!). Then I felt like I had to pee.....ok a little leak and an inglorious end to the race...shamed in front of families and small children (getting carried away).

Finish time 1:20:22

Phew! I was not feeling that smile.

As if! More like 1st prize of eating bananas and bagels.

Post Race Thoughts:

Chillaxin'

I am a sucky swimmer. I need to learn how to swim better in open water. Not an easy task around here. I also need to figure out what the hell is going on with this "heavy chested" feeling. I do not get it when I do bricks, which is why I attribute it to the swim. In any case, this is where it first rears it's ugly head and just stays with me throughout the race. Has anyone ever experienced this? Is it just a matter of getting used to swimming in a wetsuit in open water? Nerves? All of the above? It just kills me, I am not sure what to do about it. It really makes the races not fun.

More important than the swim, my run. I really need to work on my running. It is easier than trying to work on my swim (because I know fuck all about swimming and maybe a little more about running). As I understand it, you can't win a race on the swim, but if I have a good bike and run then maybe.......I won't abandon the swim, but I can get coaching for that next year when I do TNT again.

I still sit here in amazement. I feel like the numbers are a lie, like there is some trick being played on me. Yes, I felt like the race was over in a flash, but still. Even if it is all a lie, it is a lie for everyone who participated as we all did the same race. I also realize, that this race, at least in my area, does not attract the more competitive racers, and that many folks just come out to have a day of fun (repeatedly my husband kept telling me he saw some women who should not be competing - they couldn't swim, could barely ride a bike, etc). That being the probable case, I can discard the rankings, but I'll keep the times.

Foto Friday: No Words Necessary

Photo by Seth Holladay

Swimming in Estrogen

(Because I am always forgetting too late.....Thank you to everyone for the Anniversary wishes!! Most appreciated!)

Crap. I've been monitoring the water temps at Sandy Hook, NJ for my race on Sunday and they are dropping faster than a teenage boy's pants on prom night. I really didn't want to wear a wetsuit, but it looks like I might have to anyway. The temp has been almost a full degree everyday which means it should be about 69˚F by Sunday. I will still wear my lovely race suit so you can all have a good laugh at my expense.

I've been pretty lame on the bike this week. I only rode it to PT and back yesterday for a grand total of 6.5 miles. I was going to ride this morning, but I was too tired. Clearly I am a very motivated individual. I'll try something this afternoon and a swim tomorrow morning. Key word being "try".

My race on Sunday is the estrogen fest, Danskin. It will be my first all female race, not that it matters much. My AG is 40-44 (my masthead does not lie) and there are 486 women in my AG alone!! That is huge! My only concern is the swim start.

I may need one of these for the swim start.

Up to this point all my swim starts have been "in water" starts. This is a run your ass off from the beach, into the gauntlet and try not to get knocked out start with 485 other women. I don't even know how to strategize this, where to place myself at the start (I am decidedly a middle of the pack swimmer). Gah! Oh well, as I've said before, I am not going to over think this. I am just going to go and do it.

I do have a little change of plan on the bike from my last sprint tri. I managed a 19.2 MPH avg on the bike in that race back in June. However, I worked pretty hard in probably a lower gear than I should have, so my legs were fried when the run came. Granted I have improved since then, but I am going to make sure I still have some legs off the bike. I'd rather up the cadence in a little easier gear rather than grind away in a lower one. We shall see.

I really have not had any fun yet doing a race. This will be my third tri ever. My first was terrifying and I went out too hard on the bike so my run sucked. I threw my back out the day before my Oly in July and did it anyway in mucho amounts of pain (Hell, I am still in PT for it- and my hip, ain't getting old fabulous?!). I really want to enjoy this race, barring any unforeseen crap that may rear it's ugly head in or near race day.

On a lighter note, dinner with hubby for our anniversary was good; tapas and a nice bottle of wine. It was nice to get dressed up, as I live in dri-fit all day, every day. It also didn't hurt that the owner/manager (?) was hitting on me. My husband was like, "Am I here? Does he not see me?" For an old gal like me, I'll take it. Hmmmm...all this training must be paying off.

Happy Anniversary to Me (and Hubby!)

Today marks the anniversary of the happiest day of my husband's life; he married me (no, he won't disagree with that statement, not if he knows what's good for him). Seriously, it's been eight fabulous years with an awesome husband; I truly am happy. We were married in Cold Spring, NY in this very small little chapel overlooking the Hudson River; such a picturesque location.

Chapel of Our Lady Restoration (orig. St. Mary's), Cold Spring, NY

View from just inside the chapel doors of the Hudson River.

The day was perfect. We had a very small wedding, only 35 guests. I designed my own dress (easy now), designed and made my wedding invitations, chose all the flowers for the event, blah, blah, blah.

Wedding Party

Our honeymoon was in French Polynesia. However, we never made it there. Correction, we made it half way there. If you've done the math, you know we were married in 2001, just three days before 9/11. We left for our honeymoon on the 9th, flying into Los Angeles, we wanted to break up the long trip, so spent a day and half there. We were scheduled to fly out of LA on the evening of September 11th. When we awoke that morning, everything had changed. Consequently, all the airports were closed and we sat in our hotel room waiting to see what would happen. After a week the airports remained closed and we had lost one of the three weeks we had planned. We would have gone straight home, but there was no way to do even that. We decided to just drive up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and make stops along the way. We had no trouble finding places to stay as so many people had cancelled their reservations. We had a lovely time, but the thought of what our "hometown" was going through weighed heavy on us, it was like living in a dream-state, nothing seemed real. We went back a week early once the airports were reopened. Certainly we were disappointed, but one has to have perspective in a situation like this: our friends and family were safe, my husband (who is a cameraman for the news) escaped the danger of having to go near the towers while they were crumbling to the ground (which he would have tried to do to get "the story") and we knew so many folks had lost loved ones....we were the lucky ones.

Ironically, the night before 9/11 we were standing in the hotel bar talking with someone who was from the Midwest. We were discussing the price of real estate in NYC. My husband had bought his apartment back in 1990, so by this time it was worth quite a bit more. While we agreed the prices in NYC were outrageous, we couldn't see them coming down too much unless there was some major catastrophe. I will never forget that conversation because the very next day catastrophe struck (side note: prices did not come down, or at least not for more than a nanosecond).

Message from home (our dog Luke, the best damn dog that ever lived!). I look really young there, it was a loooong time ago.

A couple of weeks after we arrived back in NYC my husband was sent to Afghanistan to cover the war there. He stayed through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. He had a satellite phone with him so was able to call once a day to let me know he was ok. I lived from phone call to phone call. That time away from each other gave me a new respect for the men and women in our armed services and their families who make the ultimate sacrifice for all of us whether or not we agree with what is going on. On that note, a special shout out to my friend Dave Williams, who is stationed in Iraq, and his wife and son, thank you.

Happy Anniversary, honey!

Ok, back to race stuff. I did a BRick on Saturday morning; 14 miles on bike, 3.5 mile run and 4 sets of stairs (I felt like the brick wasn't enough and I needed to do more, weird, huh?). Sunday we went to the beach and got home late and Monday got up late, I was exhausted. Although I planned on a run both mornings, nothing came of it. This morning I got up and ran 5 miles, but could have done more. I've been doing some short distances sans socks for the race and this morning was no different. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about distance (should have worn socks for the longer run) and so I felt some hot spots on my feet which forced me to finish before they got too bad....too late. I have a blister. Grrrr... I'll survive, but damn. There were a plethora of runners out today. The only time I ever got to run without seeing a soul was last winter when I ran in a snow storm and I'm not sure it was worth it. I long for the country.

Foto Friday: need a hand or 2 or 100?

No Pressure From Blogland

Geez, I was not prepared for the comments I received regarding the Syracuse 70.3 Ironman in my last post. I'm feeling a bit stressed now. When I cried poverty about the "cost of admission" (truly a consideration), my sis offered financial gifts for Christmas to get me there. (ho! ho! ho!). I will admit, I have entertained (as in very small gathering of thoughts, no alcohol or h'or dourves served) the idea that maybe I might try for a half ironman next summer, but had come to no definite conclusion on the matter (small gathering of thoughts, party's over).

I am not very impulsive. In fact I scare easily, this is why I really hate trying new things. Mostly because I am afraid of failure (who isn't, I know, I know). This is made even more curious because I love learning new things, gah! This fear hasn't really held me back so far as I can tell. I usually force myself to do things anyway, but not without a bit of thought and sometimes planning (those damn mice with their well laid plans again!). I understand the consequences of being too afraid to try new things. Hell, if I succumbed to this fear I wouldn't be sitting here pounding away at this keyboard expounding on the revelries of triathlon. The very idea of doing a triathlon scared the be-Jesus out of me. After I submitted my credit card online, pressed the submit button for the entry to my first race, I walked around with a pit in my stomach the size of which can't even be measured. My son is the same as me, he hates trying new things or going to new places, he is more of an observer than a participant especially in group activities. I've been very conscious of not laying my own fears at his doorstep, which makes me wonder if some of his resistance isn't nature (as opposed to nurture).

I tried out my tri suit today. Aside from the obvious drag in the pool, it worked out really well. It even had this pretty cool damask/tone on tone pattern that shows up when it's wet, not to mention I looked dead sexy in it (as if!). The swim was a bit chilly this morning so not too many folks out. It was 62˚F this morning and the pool water was feeling a bit frigid from the overnight cool temps. I had ridden bike to the pool so I was nice and sweaty when I got there.

Saturday I'll do a brick before the race next week. I'm hoping for a good one. I wonder...do people taper for a sprint tri? Must investigate.

In the meanwhile, dinner tonight with the girls at Locanda Verde in Robert DeNiro's Greenwich Hotel.

Posh, no?

No workout tomorrow, so I'll be indulging...just a bit... However, I just remembered my son's teacher is coming tomorrow morning to meet him before school starts in another week. No hangovers then.

A New Half Ironman

I received an email this morning announcing the inaugural running of Ironman 70.3 Syracuse on September 19, 2010. If you don't know where the hell that is, it's in NY. I grew up about an hour south of there. Am I going to do it? I thought about it for a nanosecond then I saw the entry fee: $250! I imagine that is what the going rate is, I just never bothered to check before; I wasn't going to be doing a half iron this year, so what would be the point? Besides, my pockets aren't that deep. However, There is a lot of time between now and then...who knows. I'd really need to be motivated to do it.

This morning I did a 5k interval run. While I was entering the park I saw a mom from Baby Toots's class who does tri's as well. She was telling me how she did an Oly last week and completely blew the nutrition part, even though she knew better. She imploded on the run: 8:30, 8:30, 8:30, 10:30, 10:30 and "I don't even want to talk about the last mile". The moral? I don't even have to say it, do I? Ok, back to my interval run. I really am no good monitoring my runs: tempo run, endurance run, interval run. I just come up with a mileage, and try to make it to the end in one piece. I understand the wisdom behind these different types of runs, I have never put them into real practice, but now and then. I think this morning might change that.

Can I claim a PR for a training run? My 5k interval run and came in at 27:05 (I heard snickering!). Wow, this interval thing actually speeds up my running (I'll take what little I can get). I think I will do a couple more of these before my race. If I can manage this after the bike (brick on Saturday will determine that), I might actually have a race I can be proud of. Still, big if. Once again, I have no expectations, I'm just going to show up and do the thing.


My Ironman Extreme Body Suit came yesterday. I ordered it off of ebay because I am cheap. I got it for $50 (free shipping!) and it's new with tags; I can't see spending a ton of $$ for one of these if I end up hating it. It looks so small and sad on that big hanger. It also looks like it can't possibly fit, but it does; shocking! I will not model it for you here. You will have plenty of opportunity to laugh at my expense when you read the race report complete with humiliating photos. Until then, I will retain what shred of dignity I still possess. I'll be taking this little beauty to the pool tomorrow for a test drive.

While leaving the park I saw an impossibly thin woman running alternating with speed walking. I swear if she had turned sideways she would have disappeared. When I see women like this I wish I had the ability to give then 10-15 pounds of my own. Although I know she would probably be struck with terror at looking healthy, I, on the other hand, would be thrilled to look healthier. I don't diminish the fact that she may have a disorder, which is probable given the way she was working so hard to keep moving at such a frenetic pace; it was disquieting. Compared with that, I'll keep my extra tonnage.

Peace, out!